I've decided that in order to try and better organize my life, I'll be moving most of my knitting posts over to my new "me" blog at http://monkeymansmama.wordpress.com  ... I need to track fewer URLs ;)

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I finished my Beech Wood, and immediately cast on another cowl, this time using a sock pattern as the basis.  Well, now I am officially inspired!  And now I have two cowls on the needles: one for work and one for home!

Envious beech wood - done!

  I have fallen in love with knitting cowls!

Oriel practice

Cowl like an Egyptian

The Oriel lace one is really for practicing the stitch.  I can't stand the yarn.  Cowl Like an Egyptian is a stash-buster.  I bought some Glitter Alpaca for me to try out, as well as some Tilli Tomas Voile de la Mer to make something nice for my momma.  I think I'll cast off this practice Oriel now and cast on the Glitter.  (I'm not allowing myself to buy more until I "taste test" this skein.)

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Envious beech wood - done!

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Envious BeechWood

I have cast on, frogged, lather, rinse and repeat too many times.  This thing will not be finished on time.  So, to console myself, I cast on BeechWood, by Ilga Leja.  Sadly, the pattern is no longer on her site.  I am so glad that I am a total data packrat.  I'm a little more than halfway through and think I may have found my new favorite thing to knit.  Me and straight knitting? Not so much.  In the round? I rock!   So, cowls are my friend: fast and super flexible for patterns.  I have all that Claudia Hand Paints I ordered for ties that I'm gonna finish frogging and make a few cowls of my own devising.  I have some stitch ideas, for sure.  I think I'll peruse my stitch dictionaries and see what I can come up with.  I'm so glad I ordered a bunch of 24" circulars - yay! I now have US 4-8 (or will when my 6 & 7 come in).  I really need to take some time this coming weekend and inventory my schtuff...

In the mean time, I'm super excited: a nice lady on Ravelry sold me two skeins of some Shibui Sock in Earth for $16!  I need more yarn like I need a hole in my head, but ... well, it was so pretttttty!  I find it funny that I'm addicted to sock yarn but don't actually knit socks.  Although, this Square Cake that is languishing on the needles was started in the round in two circulars and WOW!!! Now THAT is a technique I am so glad I forced myself to learn.  If I can just learn two socks at the same time on two circulars.... 

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I order from them so often, and it has occurred to me I never blog about them.  So, I'd like to right an unintentional wrong by doing so right now.

Let's not even talk about the fact that they have an amazing selection of hand painted yarns.  Let's not talk about the fact that I tend to get my orders almost as quickly as I do from my Lake Austin supplier.  Let's talk about the service.  See, I try as often as I can to order from smaller purveyors of my own personal addiction. I buy from about 4 different smaller sites on a regular basis (the others will be topics of their own posts at a later time). All of them have their distinct differences -- not just the yarn selection.  But here is where The Loopy Ewe really stands out:

Each time that I have ordered from them, be it one skein or 12, I have gotten a hand written note from Sheri thanking me for my order.  I have received a couple of little cards with a yard or two of a new yarn I've never tried or squooshed before.  And from time to time I get some kind of little tschotschke (I got a stitch marker in my last order).  I'm not saying that freebies are the only thing that does it for me.  What I am saying is that I feel like the biggest VIP on their roster every time I order - it's the handwritten note that does it for me.  If they didn't care about each and every customer, it wouldn't come with the order.  I feel loved when I unwrap those skeins from the tissue paper cocoon, and right now I'd like to share a little of that love.

So, the next time you feel like ordering a skein or two of a sock yarn or some nifty keen fun little tschotschkes, consider buying from the Loopy Ewe if you never have.  I can assure you that you won't regret the experience.

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Fugu in progress

At least, not anymore ... I found the Tutorial over at knit picks with some awesome photos, and my funky looking purl wrap pick-ups are gone! Hooray!  I'm too lazy to rip back and fix the belly pick-ups, so I'll just have to be a good girl from here forward.

Alas, I forgot to bring fiberfill to work today, so once I finish the top of my pooferfish, I'll have to wait until I get home to start grafting.

And now, back to my regularly scheduled lunch hour...

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My comfy arrived!  And within 10 minutes (no exaggeration) I had cast on for the pufferfish! 

My short rows? They need some work :/ Still, I am loving the softness of this yarn!

Hopefully, I can get more of this little guy finished tonight, and maybe sew him up tomorrow.  My goal is to complete him by Sunday; we shall see ¬.¬

(Photos after I go grab him out of the car and bring him in to the office after lunch)

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• May 23, 2008

  8:33 PM

  Sortation Center Departure

  DALLAS, TX

The yarn is on its way finally!  And, Hansi released her angler fish pattern... which I (naturally) purchased.  So, getting here today or tomorrow are supplies for 1-2 pufferfish and either an octupus or a seahorse... I'm thinking seahorse.  The next batch should come in lae this week or early next, which has the purple for the octopus (it matches the monkey's curtains) and some wool colors for at least two other creatures.

Can't wait for the pattern for the praying mantis to be released.  I'm missing the cuttlefish, the starfish, the dumbo octopus and the snail other than that one, I believe. 

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KnitPicks order? Still not here ;____; I have all these toy patterns an nothing to make them out of (and hush about the stash ;))

Sewing machine: finally came in! Jeez, that took forever!  Tomorrow night is my designated "seam linings night."

HansigurumI: I have GOT to stop.  I own like half of her patterns and have yet to finish one. I started the seahorse, 3 tentacles of the squid and the first 18 rows of the tail on Nessie.  I just wanted to get a feel for the patterns while I await my Knit Picks order...

My goal is to set the Christmas list by June 1st.  I have some markedly more attainable goals this year. (I hope ..)

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Are there any people you would not tell if they had food in their teeth or if their zipper were down? Why or why not?
Submitted by Charms.

I hate to admit it, but I have in fact done this on more than one occasion.  If I just really, truly dislike the person and find them obnoxious, I stay quiet and let them suffer the indignity.

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