Goodies!

So it's been raining now for about forty eight hours. What better time to hunker down and post? Pretty much that same here since last time I posted. Nothing new. Still busy with school, work, and work. I don't know if I mentioned it ever but I am taking five classes and a lab and I work two jobs. Somehow I still find time to spend with Andrew, and even a little time to knit. Pertaining to my business I worked my little self pretty hard last weekend and decided that as a reward I would buy myself some goodies using some of my tips. (I'm a server.) Here's what I bagged:

Except KnitScene. That was a gift, of sorts, from the best guy in the whole world. I say of sorts because we were checking out and I put it in his pile to cut down time with the intention of handing over the cash. But, like stubborn men do, he refused to take my money. So it was a gift. Of sorts. Thanks babe. Sometimes your just so stubborn I get a knitting magazine out of it. So yeah, as you can see I got the lastest edition of KnitScene (more on that in a minute), Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson (aka Wendy Knits), and Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot). Wowzers thats a lot of links.

 Anywho, I knit my first pair of socks for Andrew's dad for Christmas. They were standard, stockinette, cuff down, BIG men's socks. I didn't really love making them. But then I crocheted a sock from the toe up (maybe another post...) and I loved it. I could try it on, fix mistakes. However, the no stretch thing wasn't really working for me, for socks atleast, so I decided I might try knit socks from the toe up.  Hopefully it will be more fun because I really don't want to give up on this yet. On Yarn Harlot, I do own Free Range Knitter and have read it twice. I love her blog and I figured I should a) get another one of her books before I commit the other one to memory and b) support a fellow knitter who I love to read anyways. I just finished the first short story and  I got a good knitterly laugh.  Her books are like a good knitter inside joke, that is when they aren't like good knitting sage wisdom. Highly recommend.

 Then there is KnitScene. I have been eyeing this bad boy since it came out. Whenever we go to a store that has it I would casually pick it up and browse it, convincing myself that I don't need another knitting magazine. Justifying this thought because there weren't any patterns in there that I loved. So we're in Stop and Shop (or something) and I casually pick it up for the 899th time and it strikes me. All of a sudden. There it is. The Helleborus Yoke cardigan. (rav link) I was just like, "Wow, that's a beautiful cardigan. I would really wear that! And what? It's short sleeve and knit with bulky weight. I could probably knit that, too." So now when I casually picked it up it was to oogle Mathew Gnagy's work of art. I played with the idea of buying it until saw it had short rows and was one of the most complicated patterns in the magazine (bummer.)  But then, my inner knitting Superman came out and said this to me, "You love the pattern, Elise. If you can't knit it today you will undoubtedly be talented enough to knit it someday. If you don't buy the magazine now when that day comes you won't have the pattern and then you won't be able to." So I bought it. Or rather, Andrew bought it or me. Oh yeah, please ignore the poor photo. It has been raining for two days and there is no natural light. At. All. So thats the Helleborus. I like it, a lot. I hope to knit it someday(soon).

 As for an update on current knits, I bet your wondering about that Aestlight, huh? Well there is no update to give because the store that claimed they should have ball winders and swifts one week ago still does not. ::Sigh:: So that lovely Malabrigo is still hanging in my room as a very -pretty, but - sad looking unwound hank. But the Irish Hiking Scarf I cast on to distract myself is coming out nicely. Everyone is always telling me how pretty it is. Also, it's a lot less tedious and knitting up a lot than I assumed a cabled scarf would be. And its a great go-with-you project.  So I leave you with this.

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Peace.