Ravelry and RAKs

I keep checking my inbox everyday, patiently waiting for my Ravelry invite. My camera is poised, ready to start snapping away at my stash so I can finally start organizing. As of today:

Found you!
You signed up on June 12, 2007
You are #8554 on the list.
1702 people are ahead of you in line.
12016 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

This is where I am. I guess I should be thankful that I'm not part of the people behind myself. 1700 isn't so bad when you look at the 12016!

While I was surfing around Knitty Coffee Shop, I came across RAK (random acts of kindness) topic. I finally figured out what it is! It's quite brilliant and cute, really. There various knitter posting a bunch of stuff that they would love to have and you can send that to them. In return, you post what you wish for and hopefully someone would send something back to you. I love giving things so this would just be up my valley. So far, I'd picked 3 people and I want to send some stuff out this weekend.

In the meantime, I set aside the Lady E because I'm not sure what I want to do yet, so I'd started on a sweater for Arison. The pattern is out of Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for All Seasons which I'm knitting out of cabled wool. I should be able to post a pic real soon.

To Dye or Not to Dye

Over the weekend, I got struck with a huge urge to try my hand at dyeing. I had about 2 skeins of bulky Kraemer 100% supersoft wool from the Yarn Crawl that I was dying to try (no pun intended) . I bought a few packets of kool-aid during my last grocery outing, so I was ready to go.

Got the directions off Knitty.com and figured that it was pretty easy enough:

I thought I would try a solid color first and orange seems to be the prettiest color at the time. Here it is soaking, waiting to be put in the microwave.
Maybe I'll wear plastic gloves next time
Hanging out to dry

I thought I try hand-dying

The overall effects

The results? A blotchy and streaky yarn that smell a lot like fruit. I don't think Koigu will be calling me anytime soon!

What NOT to do

1. I will try not to constantly google"Lady Eleanor" and checking out other people's finished project.
2. I will not compare my choice of color to other colorways and wishing I had bought a more neutral, understated color.
3. I will not admire other people's gauge, but will celebrate my own wonky and uneven gauge
4. I will not read about another Lady Eleanor that's made with Noro Silk Garden and wishing that I didn't go cheap, but will be content about the Noro Kureyon that I've chosen.
5. I will refrain the urge to rip back and start the whole thing over on a a neutral color Noro Silk garden with smaller needles.

If step 1-5 is followed, a finished brightly colored, uneven, scratchy stole will be mine. (ok, I guess it won't hurt to buy just ONE skein of silk garden and just do a swatch???)

My latest obsessions

Here's my latest project that has me giddy with joy everytime I pick it up: Lady Eleanor

I'm knitting it in Noro Kureyon 166. I've done some research for the most appropriate yarns before I started this and most people knit it out of Noro Silk Garden. Since I got this yarn 40% off at a closing sale, I would have to be happy with just the Kureyon. It seems that they both knit up to the same gauge but silk garden is softer. I'm hoping after I give this stole a good soak in Eucalan, it would soften up considerably.

I have always been intimidate by entralacs. It looks hard and seems like it would make a knitter slit her own throat with a dull butter knife. However, I found that the pattern is really easy to memorize and knit up. I can't seem to put it down since the color changes just have me totally enthralled.

I've just finished Aliana's pink sweater. I started this sweater about 5 months ago and put it aside. To be completely honest, I don't think I would have ever finished it but something in me refuse to have an unfinished sweater in which my 2 year old would surely grow out of unless I start knitting it. Right now, all it needs is a zipper and it'll be done. For sure, the sweater will continue to sit there, Again.