New Year Secret Scarf Exchange

So, I am a part of my very first ever exchange, and I just sort of fell into a group that I'm absolutely loving. I'm really enjoying being a part of a semi-somewhat community. I like knitting something for someone who will appreciate the work that has gone into making it, and I absolutely love the fact that someone out there that I don't even know is making something just for me.

I was especially pumped to have found what I thought was the perfect color yarn for the gal I was assigned in the secret exchange--a dark heathered blue made of a wool and silk blend. It was soft, supple, and was knitting up beautifully. That is, until this afternoon. This yarn met an ill fate indeed.

You see, I got this great idea to suppress my PMS oh pitiful me feelings and make myself some brownies. I found a recipe here at Smitten Kitchen today that promised to make some good, rich, delicious brownies and decided to give it a try. Hey, why not? I already had all the necessary ingredients, plus plenty of milk to wash it all down with a smile.

Well, to get the recipe into the kitchen with me, that meant the laptop needed to come sit on the counter. And, since the battery didn't really want to cooperate long enough for me to finish the 20 minutes of cocoa and sugar and butter melting preparation on the stovetop, I needed the power cord.

Of course, I had been knitting on my secret scarf for my secret exchange buddy before I got up to make the brownies, and the laptop had the pattern pulled up on the screen. When the power cord was brought to the kitchen, the yarn (which had been resting on a portion of the cord) got tangled and mangled and incredibly discombobulated. It was enough to make any knitter sick. And, yes, I know that I should have rolled the yarn into a ball as soon as I unpacked it from the mail wrapping. But I just wanted to get started already!

So, this is what I am left with now:

A mangled disaster of fibers, all knotted up in a mess of I'll-never-get-this-untangled-ness. And a portion of a scarf that could have turned out beautifully. No-no-no, the yarn is too far gone. She has been taken off life support and we're just waiting for the trash pick-up Monday at 7:00am.

Now, I've planned a trip to Valdosta tomorrow afternoon, just a short 45 minute drive down the road, to buy some emergency get-back-to-it yarn so that I can officially get re-started.

yaaaaaaaaay.

Just block it already.

I've posted a short tutorial on blocking here on Purly before, but I just found this incredible thread over on Ravelry and I thought I'd share it with anyone who might be out there and interested.

I'm a strong believer in blocking my projects. If you take the time to flip through even just a few pages of the link of that thread up there, you'll totally understand why it's so necessary to show off all that hard work!

My sweater, Desert Rose, before I blocked her:

 Here she is after the bath, all stretched out and comfy, pinned to set the shape, and ready to shine:

Isn't she lovely?

Ravelry's 2nd Annual-ish Bobby Awards

I've really had a lot of fun clicking through all of this year's Bobby Awards.  I mean, a lot of fun.  Knitters are so funny.  I mean, really funny.  And creative, funny, helpful, generous, funny, talented, and funny.  Did I mention that knitters are funny?

My favorite Best Obscure Pattern

My favorite Best Use of Color in a Project:

 My favorite Funniest Single Post

My favorite Best Use of Texture in a Project
 

My favorite Most Unusual Project

My favorite Funnies Project Title/Tag/Notes:

 My favorite Best MacGyverism:

My  favorite Funniest Thread

My favorite Best Group Name

My favorite Best Disaster:

My favorite Geekiest Pattern

My favorite Funniest UGH Picture

The whole lineup was super enjoyable.  Thanks to the Ravelry Team for compiling such a comical, entertaining, eye-opening list of patterns, conversations, Ravelers, and projects.  Okay, now I'm gonna go look again!

Dolce de Knit-che

While this is in no way directly related to knitting, I just had to post this little linky below (you can click on her beautiful photo that I totally stole for the beautification of my little bloggy corner of the internet). It's not a pattern, but it is a recipe. It's not about fibers, but it is about ingredients. And it sure would be great to sip on, on a night this cold.

It's currently 37 degrees here! I wish I could make my font shiver, to express this chill-to-the-bone that I have. If anyone out there is listening, reading, knitting... how cold is it where you are? What are you knitting to keep warm? I'm finishing the second of two Poppy baby dolls tonight. They don't warm my toes, but they sure do warm my little knitter heart. Gosh, it's gonna be so unbelievably difficult to give these precious little knitted baby dolls to their little toddler mommies-in-waiting. I love to cuddle with them when I think Hubster isn't watching, but he's apparently caught me a few times patting a little baby doll bottom as its little self lies against my chest. They're such sweet little things, I am convinced I'll be making one for myself.

2010 Knitting Resolutions

- Learn to read and knit by following a charted pattern
- Learn to knit with more than one color, aka fair-isle style
- Start supporting LYSs rather than trekking to the big-name stores for their convenience... plan projects, in detail, in advance
- Knit a special something for my sister to wear for her wedding in October
- Knit something special for myself
- Put the final, finishing touches on the two Poppy baby dolls I've been working on, and give them to their expectant toddler-mommies
- Finish the second half of  the second one of my husband's Hedgerow Socks
- Make myself a pair of socks and/or slippers
- Start knitting the gifts I know I want to give to family and friends next Christmas (yeah, I already have a few ideas, patterns, or favorite-ed Ravelry pages) asap


Do you have any knit-specific resolutions for 2010?

A resolution for 2010

Here's to a new year of happily knitting garments, toys, accessories, gifts, decorations, and anything else a knitter's heart might desire.

In 2010 I hope to keep up with PurlyTwirly a little better than I've been doing lately.  I do love knitting.  And I also love blogging (believe it or not).  Why wouldn't I take more care of a blog that flourishes on my gushing about knitting projects? Before The Hubs gave me the bright idea of starting a strictly-knitting blog, I would share my knitting projects with a few family members and friends who would pop into my personal blog every now-and-then.  Last year's resolutions included losing weight (whose resolutions don't include that one?), training our little puppy to behave around other animals and in public, and learning new knitting techniques... specifically, "learn to make laces, shapes, designs, colors, everything!!!"

Since January of 2009, I have actually learned a number of knitting techniques I wanted to learn. I made a sweater with lace in it (I named her Desert Rose although the original pattern is named Rusted Root).  And, in making that sweater with lace detail in it, I learned to knit-in-the-round, I learned to knit something other than a scarf (because up until then, that's all I had ever knitted... and I'd been knitting for about 6 years!), I learned to make increases and decreases, I learned to read a pattern (including all the abbreviations and symbols), I learned about the importance of blocking and actually blocked my first knitted project.  Oh, I learned a lot in 2009.

For 2010, two of my goals are to learn to knit from a chart, and to knit using more than one color.  I have already purchased my year-end project's chart-pattern, A Family Portrait which can be found on Ravelry.  (The designer, 2sticks, is super-nice, encouraging, positive, and quick to get back with you if you've got any questions about anything, so I highly recommend purchasing her patterns... support your fellow knitters!)

There is a short list of a few other knitting goals I've got, but I knew I wanted to go ahead and get this one out there in the open.  It is, after all, January 1st of 2010, and what's the 1st of the year without sharing a new resolution?