Photo happy knit blog entry

So since I'm really behind in my blogging, I figured lots of photos will make up for it right? So right, yeah, lots of photos! First is my Grandma's toque that once again reinforces that I need to follow patterns for a little bit longer before I just rush off all happy into my own little 'why, I'll do a gauge, but then I'll change my idea, and disregard the gauge, but I won't do another gauge, cause I mean, I already did a gauge so....' It still is really quite pretty isn't it?

I had to introduce another yarn because I realized for the incredibly large head I was knitting for, I was going to run out of yarn. The green is a wool/acrylic blend and the autumn coloured yarn is 100% merino, and as it turned out a tad thicker but it worked out. This picture is when I marked the areas for decreasing, where I contined the thinner cables. I will admit I am really proud of the organization of the toque, even though I made it way to big, I will knit it again definately.
I'm missing a photo of the decreased part, but I'll take another photo of it on my Grandma's head at Xmas. Sidenote- my Grandma has assured me I don't need to worry about her seeing these photos, since she doesn't even go near the computer. This is the toque after all the knitting, in order to do the size thing I cast off a big chunk of the cable, still trying to keep the cable pattern. It still was too large. Meh


So this is the streek I sewed in. I sewed two lines and sewed over the lines twice . I was concerned because most things I've read about streeking involved really fine yarn so I was worried about the bulkiness of the yarn causing badness afterwards. You know, after I cut into my beautiful hand sewn cabled toque. And here I am cutting! Aaaaahhhhh!
Eeeeeeek!
Gasp!

And here's a fuzzy bad lighting photo of the finished toque! Wheeeee! One may be saying... why doesn't Leone just take another photo of the toque? That's because it is wrapped and already at home for Christmas. Don't worry, at Christmas you can get photos of the toque and my beautiful Grandma too.And just when you think 'wow- you did that all on your own?' But no! I had helpers! Two of them! Two amazing helpers! And they help at every stage of the knitting too!
And we interupt this knitting to bring you hot chocolate cake! Oh that's right! HOT CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! And here is the newest introduction to out family. My swift (for those who you know, aren't preoccupied knitters, a swift is a knitting tool you use to hold your shank of yarn and rotates it so you or a ballwinder can put it into a nice little tidy ball of yarn). My swift may not be spectacular, but it was a free generous gift from a knitter who I've never met! Her name is Grace and she saw it at a garage sale for 2$ and couldn't let it go, so she bought it and brought it to Darlene's yarn store and Darlene knew I wanted one so she gave it to me! I carried this sucker six blocks home. I loveth it so. I have also bought a new ballwinder that winds the yarn so you can pull it from the center and the outside... I know you knitters out there understand how great that is!
The above is a picture of the swift with yarn on it, the top swirly moves up and down to the length of the shank. (I hope shank is the right word for yarn coiled like that, it could also be skein I think) That's my beautiful alpaca, mmmmmmmm. And least we forget, my helpers. This is the first skein of yarn I put on my swift which of course was the only one I've tried that has turned out to be too large for the swift. It's hand dyed 100% rayon, like caaaandy. The kitties were so pleased I brought them back another toy to play with (you should have seen them when I got the ballwinder and swift going, poor Chuck nearly went out of his head).

So these following photos detail a conversation between Spike and I.
Spike: Just turn away okay?
Me: Spike...Spike: It calls to me
Me: No it doesn't. Don't be bad.

Spike: this thingie here swirls if I hit it with my paw!
Me: you are just so bad.
Thus mostly ends my insanely knit photo blogness. I will end with my current (one of) project which I have very mixed emotions about, but it's fun to knit. I promise to have a more actual word blog entry about the other things going on in my life, like you know, psychological journal articles that go on and on and on and on.... and on........