I'm slowly getting over my sickness and am starting to get back into my knitting. I've turned my heel on my PB&W socks and am trying to get those finished up asap. There are about a billion other projects breathing down my neck and whispering in my ear while I'm sleeping in an attempts to get cast on. So many yarns and so many new patterns coming out. It feels like the spring/summer season is one of the busiest for pattern releases and new yarns to come out. It is because they are trying to get us to keep knitting during the summer?
In an attempts to get myself more organized for the upcoming events, cast ons, projects, and even new podcast episodes, I'm making a real effort to get my craft room fully cleaned up and in use. I would like to eventually have access to my sewing machine because I would like to, eventually, make myself a few project bags and maybe a dpn case or something. I've cleaned the closet and sort of organized the cubicles. Now I need to clean off my table, sewing table and the corners that are full of mostly empty boxes. A clean craft room leads to a happy crafter.
There are about a million things coming up. In June and July Just One More Row, The Knitabulls, and the Penguin Soup Podcast are having a self striping KAL! Break out your needles and Kirby Wirby (or other self striping dyer) and get ready to cast on! You can triple dip with this!
At the end of June there is the Tour de Fleece, which runs alongside the Tour de France. You're supposed to hop on your spinning wheel (or grab your spindle) and spin alongside the riders. You spin on the days they ride and rest when they rest. On their long days you're supposed to spin more than you usually do as well. There are a lot of different ways you can participate as you set your own goals. Some people try to spin a certain weight or yardage, others try to spin up a whole fleece. I'm going to try to spin every day they are riding since I haven't been spinning a lot lately. I might need to get a few new rovings to help motivate myself. I'm going to be putting together a Penguin Soup groups as well.
There is also camp loopy. I believe it has already started but you can still join in. There are different challenges to complete each month with prizes, discounts, and other stuff to be had from The Loopy Ewe.
There are always swaps where you craft and buy items and trade them with other people. There are a bunch of groups that have swaps and some ravelry groups are even specifically just for swaps.
I'm sure there will be a bunch of other KALs and events to keep you busy throughout the summer. I'm going to be working on a few patterns to release and maybe some other stuff. And if you get bored, there's always Christmas knitting.
In an attempts to get myself more organized for the upcoming events, cast ons, projects, and even new podcast episodes, I'm making a real effort to get my craft room fully cleaned up and in use. I would like to eventually have access to my sewing machine because I would like to, eventually, make myself a few project bags and maybe a dpn case or something. I've cleaned the closet and sort of organized the cubicles. Now I need to clean off my table, sewing table and the corners that are full of mostly empty boxes. A clean craft room leads to a happy crafter.
There are about a million things coming up. In June and July Just One More Row, The Knitabulls, and the Penguin Soup Podcast are having a self striping KAL! Break out your needles and Kirby Wirby (or other self striping dyer) and get ready to cast on! You can triple dip with this!
At the end of June there is the Tour de Fleece, which runs alongside the Tour de France. You're supposed to hop on your spinning wheel (or grab your spindle) and spin alongside the riders. You spin on the days they ride and rest when they rest. On their long days you're supposed to spin more than you usually do as well. There are a lot of different ways you can participate as you set your own goals. Some people try to spin a certain weight or yardage, others try to spin up a whole fleece. I'm going to try to spin every day they are riding since I haven't been spinning a lot lately. I might need to get a few new rovings to help motivate myself. I'm going to be putting together a Penguin Soup groups as well.
There is also camp loopy. I believe it has already started but you can still join in. There are different challenges to complete each month with prizes, discounts, and other stuff to be had from The Loopy Ewe.
There are always swaps where you craft and buy items and trade them with other people. There are a bunch of groups that have swaps and some ravelry groups are even specifically just for swaps.
I'm sure there will be a bunch of other KALs and events to keep you busy throughout the summer. I'm going to be working on a few patterns to release and maybe some other stuff. And if you get bored, there's always Christmas knitting.
E13 from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.
Wips:
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
Cirtus Twist on Twinkle Toes Base by Hiwassee Creek
2.5mm hiyahiya Sharp 9" circ
Plain Penguin Soup Sock w/gusset
Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkle from KirbyWirby Yarns
2.5mm
FOs
Plain PenguinSoup Sock
Witches Be Trippin' from KirbyWirby Yarns
2.5mm 9"circ
Review Something!
The Knitter Issue 58
Mail Call
GnomeAcres shipment came in.
Kaylee
Polyjuice Potion
Nightwing
Countess Ablaze OOAK
On my merry way
Cool Stuff
So Square socks wen't crispy and gross after one wear and wash. I complained to Malabrigo and got a quick response. They asked if I would like a different colour so I picked a new one. I received the package within a week of my message and it contained an extra skein of a different yarn. Great customer service!
The yarn came in for the commissioned sock
Vanessa aka VintageRoseKnits has some awesome stitch markers in her etsy shop. Tea, dog, walking dead, knitting and many other super cute sets.
Redesigning Logo
Wips:
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
Cirtus Twist on Twinkle Toes Base by Hiwassee Creek
2.5mm hiyahiya Sharp 9" circ
Plain Penguin Soup Sock w/gusset
Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkle from KirbyWirby Yarns
2.5mm
FOs
Plain PenguinSoup Sock
Witches Be Trippin' from KirbyWirby Yarns
2.5mm 9"circ
Review Something!
The Knitter Issue 58
Mail Call
GnomeAcres shipment came in.
Kaylee
Polyjuice Potion
Nightwing
Countess Ablaze OOAK
On my merry way
Cool Stuff
So Square socks wen't crispy and gross after one wear and wash. I complained to Malabrigo and got a quick response. They asked if I would like a different colour so I picked a new one. I received the package within a week of my message and it contained an extra skein of a different yarn. Great customer service!
The yarn came in for the commissioned sock
Vanessa aka VintageRoseKnits has some awesome stitch markers in her etsy shop. Tea, dog, walking dead, knitting and many other super cute sets.
Redesigning Logo
I don't have a lot to say today. I'm sick and my brain is slowly turning to mush. Ji is sick too so we spent the day on the couch watching movies together. I got some time to knit so I worked on my PB&W socks. I think Miles knew we were sick because he was super cuddly today. That or he was just tired of my knitting.
Until next time,
E12 from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.
Wips
Grandmas favourite dishcloth
Cotton
4.0mm
FO's
Rescue Me, Chin Boy, and Show me The Stars by C.C. Almon
Crazy Zauberball
2.5mm needles
HOs
Plain Penguin Soup Socks
Witches Be Trippin' from KirbyWirby
2.5mm
What's Next?
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
I'm Doing Westley
Twinkle Toes in Cirtus Twist from Hiwassee Creek Dyeworks for the KAL
2.5mm
Plain Penguin Soup Socks #2
Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkles from KirbyWirby
2.5mm needles
Review Something!
CoopKnits Socks by Rachel Coopey
Mail Call
Countess Ablaze
Geeks Like Rainbows Too in Count Cashmerino
My Penguin Knotted Bag is here!
Cool Stuff
I spent some time teaching my 6 year old niece to knit.
Contests
KellyConnor Designs Giveaway!
The Winner is: #12 who is phoenixfire
And they said "This shop has been in my Etsy favorites for ages. I love the “Big Balls” bag.
Honourable mention: Irocknits
I can hardly decide, they r all great! I guess, Winter is coming …
How about: “I wil not buy more yarn, I will not buy more yarn, I will not buy more yarn, until tomorrow.”
Or “I love my S.A.B.L.E. Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy”.
Or “Working on my PhD Projects Half Done”
Wips
Grandmas favourite dishcloth
Cotton
4.0mm
FO's
Rescue Me, Chin Boy, and Show me The Stars by C.C. Almon
Crazy Zauberball
2.5mm needles
HOs
Plain Penguin Soup Socks
Witches Be Trippin' from KirbyWirby
2.5mm
What's Next?
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
I'm Doing Westley
Twinkle Toes in Cirtus Twist from Hiwassee Creek Dyeworks for the KAL
2.5mm
Plain Penguin Soup Socks #2
Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkles from KirbyWirby
2.5mm needles
Review Something!
CoopKnits Socks by Rachel Coopey
- Photo Index
- Sock inspiration for each sock
- 5-8 beautiful pictures per pattern
- Love the white haired lady. Looks like she could be your mom
- Well written and laid out
- Big bold charts
- Top down socks but with different methods. Afterthought heel, colourwork, lace, ect.
- Great tutorial and info section in the back.
Mail Call
Countess Ablaze
Geeks Like Rainbows Too in Count Cashmerino
My Penguin Knotted Bag is here!
Cool Stuff
I spent some time teaching my 6 year old niece to knit.
Contests
KellyConnor Designs Giveaway!
The Winner is: #12 who is phoenixfire
And they said "This shop has been in my Etsy favorites for ages. I love the “Big Balls” bag.
I think that “Dumbledore Knits” or a Buffy-inspired bag (Knitters are the original Vampire Slayers) would be fun."
Honourable mention: Irocknits
I can hardly decide, they r all great! I guess, Winter is coming …
How about: “I wil not buy more yarn, I will not buy more yarn, I will not buy more yarn, until tomorrow.”
Or “I love my S.A.B.L.E. Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy”.
Or “Working on my PhD Projects Half Done”
I hope all the moms out there are having a wonderful day. And I hope those of you that knit are able to get some relaxing knitting time in whether or not you're a mom.
Morher's day is one of those holidays that I just don't knit for. Unlike most people who have one mom and shower her with knitted goodness all year around, I have three moms and a grandma and an aunt. Let me explain.
I was a pretty wild child in my teen years. Things were rough at home and I always had my grandma or my aunt to fall back on. I lived with my grandparents a few times during those rough years and they were always there for me. I know I was rough on them as well (and I've apologized profusely for it). So I count my grandma as one of those super important motherly figures in my life. (She got a card this year because I have a special gift for her birthday which is in a few months).
My Aunt Laurie has been there for me as well. I always loved visiting because my Uncle Kenny is into computers and great with a guitar. I took a few guitar lessons from him it he taught me so much about working on a PC and that put me into my career path. My Aunt, is the only other knitter in my family and gave me my first hand knit gifts. I remember riding down to get place to visit while things at home weren't great. It was really nice to just talk to someone and she really cared about me. She would always ask about school and home life and give me advice. She even offered to let me live there for a bit while things got crazy. It never happened but it means a lot that she offered.
Then there's Lucy, my dads wife. I ended up living with my dad before I went off to University. I was with this horrid guy who wanted me to move to the states and live with him. I almost did it too. But Lucy sat me down and had a chat with me. She told me to remember that I've always wanted to go to school and I shouldn't sacrifice that for some guy. There were some other personal stories there too. So thanks to Lucy, I'm with the love of my life now. She's one if the most caring people I know and I'm glad to have her in my life. It would be so much worse without her.
Then we have my mother in-law. She is a super sweet and caring person. She makes it a lot easier for me to be living so far away from my family. Every girl needs someone to call for coffee when things are wrong, or even just a chat. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful woman like her in my life.
And of course I have my mom. She raised me with a good set if values and taught me to be strong and independent. She kissed my scrapes and taught me that words do hurt but we can't let them. She has made some tough decisions with only her kids in mind and I'm thankful for that. She has sacrifices so much for me and my sister and I miss her thoroughly. I hope to visit soon. Love you mom.
So with all of these wonderful women in my life it would be impossible to knit my thank yous for all of the amazing women in my life who have helped to form me into the woman I am today.
Thank you.
Also, have a puppy.
The weather has finally had a turn for the better. The sun is shining, the tank is clean... err I meant, the grass is green and we are getting out of here (the house). Hubby and I spent the first nice day outside trying to grill hamburgers on the barbecue but were unsuccessful. We have a Traeger and it's a smoker/bbq type thingy and it just wans't getting hot enough. We spent the second day trying to get the bbq to work and fixing the fence so the dog can't escape. Since there is no longer any snow holding those boards down, we figured we better be safer than sorry..er.
This also means that spring cleaning needs to go into effect asap. This has been taking quite up quite a bit of my knitting time, but also seems to be a losing battle. We'll tackle the kitchen and the next day the island will be full again. Same with the coffee table in the living room. I don't know what's wrong with us or this house. It feels like we are in a time loop and whenever we clean something, it's just undone right in front of our eyes. It's madness! I'm going to try really really hard to get the kitchen and bathroom cleaned today and hopefully they stay that way for once.
I have also decided it's finally time to clean out my craft room. We moved into this house about a year ago, right before the wedding. We cleaned the rest of the house like mad since we were going to be having guests over after the wedding and the craft room ended up being the place to dump everything that didn't have a home yet. Fast forward a year, and the craft room is still full of boxes and is still the place to dump the things that don't quite belong anywhere yet. Those things should go to a garage sale, but I don't think we have enough junk to sell off yet and none of my yarn is leaving the house like that no matter how much hubby wants it to.
The craft room clean all started when I was looking for my 2.5mm fixed harmony circular needle. I KNEW I had it and it just wan't in the spot I was looking for it. I looked everywhere...that was accessible, and just couldn't find the damn thing. I finally started going through boxes and in one of them I found this monstrosity.
This also means that spring cleaning needs to go into effect asap. This has been taking quite up quite a bit of my knitting time, but also seems to be a losing battle. We'll tackle the kitchen and the next day the island will be full again. Same with the coffee table in the living room. I don't know what's wrong with us or this house. It feels like we are in a time loop and whenever we clean something, it's just undone right in front of our eyes. It's madness! I'm going to try really really hard to get the kitchen and bathroom cleaned today and hopefully they stay that way for once.
I have also decided it's finally time to clean out my craft room. We moved into this house about a year ago, right before the wedding. We cleaned the rest of the house like mad since we were going to be having guests over after the wedding and the craft room ended up being the place to dump everything that didn't have a home yet. Fast forward a year, and the craft room is still full of boxes and is still the place to dump the things that don't quite belong anywhere yet. Those things should go to a garage sale, but I don't think we have enough junk to sell off yet and none of my yarn is leaving the house like that no matter how much hubby wants it to.
The craft room clean all started when I was looking for my 2.5mm fixed harmony circular needle. I KNEW I had it and it just wan't in the spot I was looking for it. I looked everywhere...that was accessible, and just couldn't find the damn thing. I finally started going through boxes and in one of them I found this monstrosity.
There is some hand spun, a bobbin, knit picks felici in goth, knit picks stroll in jade heather (this is by memory) and some other odds and ends. And guess what. My needle was in there! This pile is still sitting on my desk glaring at me. I know I can easily wind it back up (it looks worse than it actualy is.. I hope) and I just can't bring myself to do it. Why? Because my desk where I record and do vkns and sew and stuff looks like this.
That big big in the upper left is the box the yarn blog came out of. Then there is my lamp for recording, some pretty yarn and projects from recording on the left. Some random skylanders and Mc Donald's toys in the middle and other random crap.
They say that things only get worse before they get better. I've decided to start on one side of the room (by the door) and work my way to the other side. As I'm cleaning out the closet, I'm finding all sorts of random crap and that stuff finds it's way onto my table. I'm hoping to have this cleaned up asap, but it takes time away from my knitting and there's the issue. I can have a clean and tidy room, or I can finally finish these socks.
Which would you choose?
Episode 11: My Wips Have Become HOs from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.
Wips
Rescue Me, Chin Boy, and Show Me the Stars by C.C. Almon
Crazy Zauberball
2.5mm KnitPicks Nickel Circs
Plain PenguinSoup Socks
KirbyWirby's Witches be Trippin'
2.5mm 9" HiyaHiya Sharp circ
HOs
Rescue Me
PPSS
FOs
Spinning
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
Hiwassee Creek Twinkle Toes in Citrus Twist
Hiwassee Creek Kal
KWKAL
Alice by Jeannie Cartmel
KW Skating Rink
Review Something!
Teeny Tiny Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec
Cool Stuff
Nails
Coop Knits for Review
Spring/Summer is finally here
Contest
The winner of the 100 member giveaway is: #12 Alchemy
Who said, "I also loved your Parade of Hexipuffs! Congratulations on 100 members. I especially like the length of your podcast and your brief reviews."
And the pattern they chose: "Lindesfarne is already in my queue!"
*New Contest*
KellyConnor Designs
etsy.com/shop/kellyconnordesigns
New Shop: www.knittingbagsandgifts.com
10% off Coupon Code: PENGUINSOUP
How To win it
1. Must be a member of the group
2.Head over to her etsy or her new website and check out her designs
3. Let us know which bag is your fav and why
4. OR Come up with a new phrase for her to use.
Wips
Rescue Me, Chin Boy, and Show Me the Stars by C.C. Almon
Crazy Zauberball
2.5mm KnitPicks Nickel Circs
Plain PenguinSoup Socks
KirbyWirby's Witches be Trippin'
2.5mm 9" HiyaHiya Sharp circ
HOs
Rescue Me
PPSS
PB&W by Adrienne Fong
Hiwassee Creek Twinkle Toes in Citrus Twist
Hiwassee Creek Kal
KWKAL
Alice by Jeannie Cartmel
KW Skating Rink
Review Something!
Teeny Tiny Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec
Cool Stuff
Nails
Coop Knits for Review
Spring/Summer is finally here
Contest
The winner of the 100 member giveaway is: #12 Alchemy
Who said, "I also loved your Parade of Hexipuffs! Congratulations on 100 members. I especially like the length of your podcast and your brief reviews."
And the pattern they chose: "Lindesfarne is already in my queue!"
*New Contest*
KellyConnor Designs
etsy.com/shop/kellyconnordesigns
New Shop: www.knittingbagsandgifts.com
10% off Coupon Code: PENGUINSOUP
How To win it
1. Must be a member of the group
2.Head over to her etsy or her new website and check out her designs
3. Let us know which bag is your fav and why
4. OR Come up with a new phrase for her to use.
