I just want my yarn....

The USPS and I don't seem to be getting along very well. First, I ordered blocking wires and a bag of Elann Adara in Surf from Elann.com. I was really excited about the blocking wires (pins are a pain in the butt to use and I've been knitting more lace and shawls lately), and the Adara is for a sweater vest for my Grandfather for Christmas.

I ordered it, Elann shipped it out quickly, and it travelled really fast. I was so excited when the tracking number listed it as delivered to my apartment- but then I got home and it wasn't there.

My apartment building has a buzzer system. The USPS and the residents have swipe key thingys, and you can buzz up to a resident's phone if you don't live there and want to get let in. I don't have a landline, so mine goes to my cell phone. The day after my package was supposed to be delivered, I recieved a call from the buzzer while I was at work. It was really difficult to understand as the speaker quality on the buzzer is not that great and the man speaking had a heavy accent, but from the gist of the conversation I gathered that the package had been delivered to the wrong building. The call got disconnected, I couldn't call back, and he didn't call back.

I called the USPS the next day- the main 800 number representative was very friendly and apologetic, but the woman they directed me to at the local office kept saying that the delivery confirmation number said that my package had been delivered, and that it was my regular delivery person so she couldn't possibly have delivered it to the wrong apartment. She was very rude.

Finally, the next day, a very battered package was leaning against my door when I got home- my order! I was very excited, and everything inside was great.

Sandrasingh.com is having a special for September- when you spend $50, you get a free surprise skein of yarn. I had been waiting to try to try out their house brand lace weight, and they had Berrocco Ultra Alpaca on sale, and the month was almost over- so I couldn't help but place an order! They shipped it out 45 minutes later (talk about fast service!). I had it shipped to my work address, since I was a little bit concerned about shipping stuff to my apartment again after the last time. According to the USPS, it was delivered yesterday. I do not have my package.

This is getting really frustrating.

Yarn Delivery!

The Dizzy Sheep had a Spinoff on Labor Day weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, it normally offers a sale yarn each day, with $1 shipping. When they do Spinoffs, however, as soon as each deal sells out (or after a certain amount of time), a new deal goes up. And we're talking some pretty good stuff! Some Ravellers bought 8 or 9 orders- I was good and only made two orders, plus bought the Daily Deal the next morning. My yarn finally arrived!

1 skein Berocco Sox Metallic in Acai (Destined to be a Lavalette) :

1 skein Malabrigo Lace in Stonechat (Not sure exactly what this will become):

2 skeins Malabrigo Lace in Stone Blue:

1 skein Dream in Color Baby in Lunar Zazzle (for a Seascape Stole):

Dog time

I had a great time this weekend- I went home to visit my parents and the dogs! This is Napoleon (Po for short), a Miniature Chihuahua who visits very often. When I'm home, he quickly decides I'm his favorite person and follows me around the house (seriously, Po, I promise I can go to the bathroom by myself!)


Poor Po scratched his eye up a bit- they bug out so much that it's really easy for him to do. He looked like this most of Saturday, but looked better by Sunday.

Mia, my lovely white fluffball, is my baby. My parents finally gave into my pleas for a dog when I was in eighth grade, and she's the result. She normally looks happier than this, but she hates having her picture taken.

I didn't get much knitting done because Po demanded my attention all weekend. He's not a puppy anymore, but he still wants to Play Play Play all the time!

My father and I took the "Kids" as we call them collectively, out for a nice walk on Saturday morning. Both of them behaved themselves beautifully.

Later that day, we got to visit Mia's best friend, Emmy, at the park.

Emmy and Po played like crazy.

Mia, on the other hand, prefers to explore by herself.

It was a great weekend, and I am so glad I got my dog time in!

FO: Cabled Mitts

I finished these in August and never really got around to posting them here (Whoops!) I wanted to knit a nice pair of fingerless mitts for my August Color Swap partner- as you can see, the color of the month was Blue (one of my favorites!) I chose a cabled pattern for a little more interest than your basic, stockinette or ribbed mitts. They knit up really quickly, and fit nicely.

Pattern: Valentine Mitts

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease

Colorway: Blue Heather

Needles: US 6 DPNs

The Verdict: I like them! I don't know if I'll be knitting this pattern again (there are so many great fingerless mitt patterns out there, and I'd like to try them all), but I'd call this pair a success.

FO: Seriously Simple Shawl (Less Dressy Green Version)

I love the way the last Seriously Simple shawl looked, and I decided that I had to make another one. As is normally the case, it was a little easier to knit this pattern a second time, because I knew exactly where I would have issues and figured out how to make things easier (for example, it's worth it to have stitch markers marking off every repeat. Even if that means 32 stitch markers are in the shawl). This one felt like it went a lot faster.


The yarn looked a little bit bluer on the website, but that's okay! This color matches the green stripes in one of my dresses perfectly.

Pattern: Seriously Simple Shawl

Yarn: Jojoland Melody

Colorway: Greenish-Blue (that's not the name of the colorway- the name is a lot of numbers. It's my description).

Needles: Size 6

Made For: Me

The Verdict: I love it. It's lacy, yet solid enough to keep my shoulders and back warm. The yarn wasn't quite as soft as I would have liked, but it's also really reasonably priced, and it's not unsoft, either. It feels like it will hold up very well.

FO: Seriously Simple Shawl (Sparkly, Dressy Version)

Wendyknits posted this shawl on her blog, and I simply couldn't resist- I had to make one! I did not, however, have 600 yards of any one fingering-weight yarn in my stash, so I needed to order some. Universal Yarn Star Light was only $6 for a 300-yard ball, making for a $12 project- score! It was also sparkly- how could I resist?

The shawl was fairly easy, if you paid enough attention to it. The chart really laid it out very well, and was so easy to follow! I had the most problem with the zigzag pattern at the bottom, but so long as I didn't get distracted, I was fine.

The yarn was fairly easy to work with, but a little difficult to frog. Nothing nearly as difficult as frogging pure mohair, though.

I wasn't sure how it would block out, being acrylic and all, but I was pleasantly surprised. My boyfriend called it my bat shawl, because when I pinned it out it looked rather batlike, and was, of course, black. Maybe I could see it- if the bat managed to get into a jar of glitter.

Pattern: Seriously Simple Shawl

Yarn: Universal Yarn Star Light

Colorway: Black

Needles: Size 6

Made For: Me

The Verdict: I love it. It's so soft and sparkly! I have no clue where I'm going to wear it, but I'll find someplace!

FO: Ballybrae Clutch

I decided that I needed to make a nice small clutch to go with the beret. The Ballybrae clutch totally fit the bill. It's nice and small, and I had enough yarn left over from the beret to use the same yarn, which meant that it would be a perfect match.

The construction of the purse is rather unique- you make almost an upside-down T. You then fold the sides of the T inward to meet each other, and sew the seams. This creates a seam across the bottom and down the front. I know it's really hard to picture; taking a look at the pattern might help you understand better. I'm not sure how I feel about the construction, as I don't really like having the seam down the front, even if it is mostly covered by the flap.

For a closure, I saw the button on sale for 50% off at the Fabric store, and it seemed perfect for a Black & White color swap. I lined it with a nice daisy print white and black fabric.

Pattern: Ballybrae Soft Clutch

Yarn: Valley Yarns Northhampton

Colorway: White

Needles: Size 3 Circulars

Made for: Montly Color Swap (July: Black & White)

The Verdict: I'm fairly pleased with the finished result, but not thrilled- I'm not a fan of the seam down the front, and I wish it were a little less floppy (really, for a worsted weight yarn knit on size three needles, I was expecting it to be a little stiffer). Overall, though, I think it's definitely a nice purse and should please the recipient.