FO!

I finished up my Bead Soup Bracelet last weekend:



Project Name: Bead Soup Bracelet
Designer: Earthfaire Original Design
Pattern Source: kit
Yarn: Kreinik Metallic Thread
Yarn Source: Earthfaire
Date Started: 8/23/07
Date Completed: 8/26/07

Comments: As I mentioned before, I knit this kit up as a purple Project Spectrum kit for the current color grouping. It was an easy and quick knit - I'd say this would be a perfect first project if someone wants to try knitting with beads. The kit easily has enough materials for another bracelet (except the clasp) even with my rather large wrist.

I've also been working on my Tomato and have finished up to where you cast on for the front. I wanted to try it on at that point to make sure it was big enough.



Sorry for the bizarro cropping on it. I wanted to crop out as much of my uncovered bits as possible. It's really hard to take a picture of yourself - you bloggers who are able to do it well are much admired in my book! Anyway, it was hard to try on Tomato with the needle still in, even with a really long needle, because the needle part isn't flexible at all. But it definitely isn't too small - it may be too big. I'll have to slip it on a string and try it on again later. I think I'm going to throw in the bust darts that have been featured in Kniting Daily, so at the point where I think I need to start the darts, I'll try it on again.

I've posted pictures before of a Frankenstein on the front of one of the houses in my neighborhood. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that he had been re-dressed:



That street was under construction for a while, so I couldn't drive on it. I'll bet this was the decoration for the 4th of July though. It still cracks me up when I drive by and see it - I'm easily amused.

And finally, some of the sock club yarns I've gotten recently.

Last month's Amazing Threads shipment was a skein of Rio de la Plata yarn:



I originally got a green/orange/gold colorway that reminded me very much of my parents interior decorating circa 1977. Jenna was nice enough to trade with me for this darker colorway that suits me much better. I'm still not sure if I'll use this yarn, though. It's a very nice, soft yarn, but I'm not crazy about barber stripe yarns.

This month we got this yarn from Amazing Threads:



These are definitely more my colors - yay! As you may recall, I knit a sweater for Jason with Tofutsies last spring. It's a very nice yarn, with a nice drape, but I'm not sure I want to make socks with it. It didn't have a lot of give, so I'm worried about stretchiness. Also, it's a very thin yarn and I tend to knit loosely, so I think I'd have to go down to at least a size 0 needle. Maybe I'll make another baby item with this yarn instead.

And finally from the Sweet Sheep Project Spectrum Club, we got this bit of lovely purple:



It's not as blue as it looks in that picture. I have a really hard time capturing anything with red in it with my camera.

TGIF!

Oh boy, this week has flown by, but I'm so glad to see it go. Bill has been out of town and I cover for him when he's gone. We've had monsoon rains for the entire time he's been gone, which means all sort of telephone problems for me to deal with for him (ok, he's helped me by phone, but still). I hate stepping outside my area of comfort to try to do things I'm not sure of. But the sun is shining today and he's coming back tomorrow, so all returns to normal!

I did start a new Project Spectrum project. As you may recall, my goal for this year's PS KAL was to do a pair of socks for each color grouping and a bead knitting project for each grouping. August is almost over and I haven't started another pair of socks, but I did start my bead knitting project:



This is the Bead Soup Bracelet from Earth Faire, obviously in a purple colorway. I am liking it so far, but I'm afraid I didn't string enough beads on my thread for my big wrists. We shall see when I finish it up this weekend.

I've been on another yarn buying binge for the last couple of months and it's got to stop now. I have far more yarn than I'll be able to knit, but when I try to figure out what I can get rid of, I don't want to get rid of it all. Plus, I need to stick to my budget better. My New Year's Resolution for this year was to stick to my budget. And I've failed every single month since then to stick to my craft supplies budget. Well, I'm DETERMINED to change that for the last 1/3 of the year. For September through December, I'm not blowing the budget! I've committed to everyone here on the internet, so I've got to stick to it. So, I'm going to gradually post my purchases to draw out the blog fodder.

First up - I fell in love with the Babette blanket when I first started seeing it on blogs. It calls for 22 skeins of Koigu, which is just more than I wanted to spend for a crocheted blanket. Maybe if it was a wedding present, but I think it'll just be for me. So, I went in search of something cheaper. I had pretty much decided on getting the Knit Picks bare yarn and dyeing up the colors when I saw that Elann had RYC Cashsoft 4 ply on sale. That is one of my favorite yarns! And it really wouldn't be that much more than the Knitpicks Bare, if you factor in the cost of the dye, too. Plus I wouldn't have to spend all that time dyeing it up. Cashsoft is just incredibly soft and wonderful to work with. So, I decided to go with that yarn. The only hitch is that it comes in lovely, tasteful Rowan colors, not the bright pink and green and turquoise of the originally Babette. I decided that it didn't matter. I've already made a lovely, bright blanket in the Mitered Square throw, let's go a little more classic with the Rowan. So, I got the colors I could from Elann, bought a few more from The Yarnery and then got a few more on sale (yeah!) from Jimmy Beans. I just need one more skein - I'm thinking "spa", a light blue color. If anyone has a spare skein of RYC spa in their stash they want to get rid of, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just keep looking. If necessary, I'll just buy it full price somewhere online and pay for shipping (ugh). So, anyway, here is my yarn for Babette:



More than likely I won't be starting this until after Christmas. I want to make that last pair of PS socks, finish up my Tomato sweater and get my Christmas knitting done before I start any other projects. Christmas is just four months from tomorrow, so I have a feeling that I won't be starting Babette until then.