Piggy does the math (too late!)

Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I manage to get up and out of bed in the morning. Or afternoon, whichever the case may be.

I mean, as yesterday's tale of gauge woe proves, Piggy is clearly not the sharpest needle in the whisky tube.

No place for Piggy here...

As the lovely Nicole so kindly (and gently, considering how obvious it was) pointed out in the comments, I should have gone UP a pattern size, rather than down.

I never did enjoy math. Ah well, we live and learn, eh?

Drum roll, please...

Yesterday I promised to complete the back of the Weasley Jumper. And to provide pictures of said feat in today's post. Well, for any of you silly enough to have been holding their breath, Piggy's managed to come through this time.

I give you 30% or so of Piggy's first sweater:


I know; it's a big rectangle. Kind of deflating, no? My apologies.

You'll notice -- astute piggies that I know you are -- that the back is being blocked. (And that Piggy is in rather desperate need of either blocking wires, or a much better sense of what does and does not constitute a straight line.)

I hadn't planned on blocking it -- at least, not at this point -- but after casting off at the shoulders and putting the collar stitches on some scrap yarn I finally measured the width of the piece. Which was off by a fair amount. I'm not going to say just how far off...because I'm still not entirely sure what the heck I'm doing.

As you might remember, I actually did swatch for this project. And, unsurprisingly, I didn't get gauge; after all, the yarn I'm using is a worsted designed to get 19-20 stitches over four inches, rather than the 16 the pattern calls for.

So I went down one size in the pattern. But even with fairly heavy blocking (width-wise), I'm only just reaching the smaller size. I've obviously done something wrong. Ugh.

I'm going to press on, though; I'm under a tight deadline (the whole thing needs to be finished by July 31), and fortunately the pattern is designed with plenty of ease.

It's time to knuckle down

Well, yesterday was a write-off, knitting-wise. To say nothing of getting-up-and-dressed-wise or leaving-the-house-wise.

Despite feeling a little better (despite a complete lack of ice cream, sniff), today isn't looking much better on the latter two fronts. However, I will be knitting: I am determined to finish the back of the Weasley Jumper. I mean it: come back tomorrow to see the photos.

Mmmmmmmm...

In other fibre-y news, I registered for the Ravelry Malabrigo Swap this morning. It's just too good a swap to miss. If you're a veteran of this swap, but haven't registered for Round 7, it's time to get on it! And if you're a newbie who loves the Mmmmmal and likes to be super-involved in a swap, this is the group for you. Join the group, check out the details, and try to nab one of the spots once newbie registration opens. Maybe you'll get a package from Piggy in August!

Piggy's sick...

...and she's taking it like a man. Which is to say, I'm lying prostrate -- alternating between my bed and the couch 10 feet away -- whimpering and wallowing in my misery in between sips of Neo-Citran.

To no effect, really, as I am alone chez Piggy, and no one I've contacted via phone, email or Twitter has taken the hint and brought me ice cream. (Yes, I'm still eating ice cream. I know. I'm awful.)

Summer colds are the worst. Any home remedies you'd care to share, piggies? Beentsy suggested garlic and ginger; The only ginger I've got is candied, but I figure it's worth a shot. I'm more than willing to mix medicines, however, so please do send me your suggestions.

Who's down with O.P.P. (all the yarnies)

That's Other People's Projects, yo.

As in, there's nothing new to see chez Piggy, so let's check out what some of the Vancouver Westside Knitters Group members (a.k.a. Piggy's Thursday night yarnies) have been up to.

Check out Alyria's First-Ever Sock:


She started it on Tuesday. TUESDAY.

And three of the motifs from Ms.Ting's latest project, Blusa Queen.


The pattern is in Portuguese, piggies! Ms.Ting has mad skillz, I tell you.

The Weasley Jumper, meanwhile: 27 inches.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother

As Queen of the Pre-Process Knitters, I have accepted -- some might go so far as to say embraced -- the low output of Finished Objects chez Piggy. But occasionally, I come across a knitter who makes me question my chosen knitting path.

Someone like Jean Westbrook in Macclesfield, England, who produced a cardigan that fits her entire family -- all at once -- in just three weeks.


That's a five-foot by five-foot cardigan, piggies. By comparison, Piggy's knit 26 inches of Weasley Jumper in about the same amount of time. (No new picture of the jumper...really, why bother?)

Oh, and while Jean has been working and going to school, Piggy's been...well, not.

Read the story here.

It's raining, it's pouring...

...and Piggy's plenty happy about it! (I did try -- for a minute or two -- to come up with something that rhymed, but all I could come up with was today's post is boring!, which I found a tad pessimistic, even for me.

Today we've had the first real rain in ages -- more than a month. By real, I mean true Vancouver-style rain, the kind the city is famous for: the kind that falls all day long, with only a few short intermissions. It's lovely and cool, and I have been longing for it.

Don't misunderstand me: I do enjoy sunshine and warm temperatures. (Warm, mind, not sweltering.) But a month without rain just isn't right here on the Wet West Coast. It's confusing, even disheartening...I was almost homesick for it.

That said...I'd prefer it not stick around for more than a couple of days.

Warm fuzzies...guaranteed

My knitting Mojo is taking a holiday from the "mind-numbingly endless drudgery" (yep, my Mojo, or M.J., as she signed her note, is a bit of a drama queen) of stockinette that is the Weasley Jumper. So there isn't really anything new on the fibre front chez Piggy.

This, along with a whole bureaucratic nightmare surrounding my employment status that I really can't write about, has contributed to a growing case of the sads recently. But this morning, I read a story that really lifted my spirits. And I want to share it with you.

Jacey Boggs, aka Insubordiknit, recently gave a private spinning workshop to DebC. The lesson was arranged by Deb's boyfriend Chad, as a very special birthday present. Read all about it on Deb's blog here.

Bring tissues.

Piggy's wee splurge

If you follow Piggy on either Twitter or Plurk, you likely know about the $41 I discovered -- well, re-discovered after I'd forgotten about it, to be accurate -- in my PayPal account yesterday.

Despite being broke, I immediately resolved to spend the "found money" on a few Twist Collective patterns. Crazy Piggy!

But then the voice of Piggy's sensible side spoke up: I really should just transfer the funds back into my bank account, and use for more important things, such as food.

So I put it to my tweeps and plurkpals. Most of them took Sensible Piggy's side of the argument. So of course I decided to postpone any decision until I could discuss the issue with my yarnies at the regular Sunday meetup of the Terminal City Yarn Wranglers.

I'm not sure, but I think the turnout might have been something of a record:


Thirteen of us took over the coffee shop. It was also memorable because money was flung at Piggy. Ok, not flung, exactly; Lauren and Jen both paid me for the stash yarn I'd sold to them two weeks ago. I'd completely forgotten about it: more "found money". And then crazy, irresponsible Piggy made a decision to spend some of it. And I knew exactly where I wanted to spend it.

After a couple of hours of knitting, nattering and noshing, we made our traditional pilgrimage to Three Bags Full. Where, we all knew, a great big shipment of longed-for yarn had arrived: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock. Into which we flung ourselves with abandon.


I'll admit, I did have second thoughts. And third, fourth and fifth ones, too. There were just too many pretties available to make the choice easy, you see. Because even Crazy Piggy has a teeny bit of sense about her: I was determined to allow myself but a single skein. Unlike some people I won't name, as it wouldn't be seemly*.

The haul!

I did, in fact, manage to stick to just the one, after debating at length between several beauties. I might have been there for hours, had beentsy not told me that one of the favourites was a colourway going on an indefinite "hiatus":


Bleeding Hearts. Nom, nom, nom! It was a popular choice, as you can see from the previous photo: no fewer than four of us picked up a skein of it.

So...Piggy was a bit naughty today, it's true. But not unforgivably so, surely?


*Those would be MrsQuimby, beentsy, Plae, moon-brain, Damselfly and Alyria.

Breaking up is hard to do

Last night I made the painful decision to end a long-term relationship. This isn't the first time we've split; I've made several half-hearted attempts to leave over the years, including one two-year hiatus. But in the end, despite all the pain and guilt involved, despite knowing there were better options out there for me, I always came crawling back.

But not any more.


I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat anything with a face. Even Ben & Jerry's.

(Well...from now on, anyway.)

A Friday Free-for-All

It's three in the afternoon, and Piggy is finishing her morning coffee. Her first coffee. It's one of those days. (Hint: preparing coffee is the first thing I do after I wake up in the morning; or, in this case, afternoon.)

The worst part: I didn't do anything last night to deserve it. No shennanigans. Zero imbibing of alcohol. Sigh.

Anyhoo. A few random odds and sodds for you...

• Thanks to DataGoddess, who figured out pretty quickly why the Countdown-to-Christmas-Knitting-Failure is off by an hour: Daylight Savings Time. D'oh!
  
  
• The back of the Weasley Jumper is now 19 inches long, thanks to a degree of productivity at last night's knitting meetup. Nine more inches before I start the armhole shaping.
  
  
• The ants are still here. Well, new ants, methinks. My best theory: the vacancy rate among ant nests in my neighbourhood is incredibly low, forcing colonies to compete for any available accommodation, including those not yet emptied of their massacred tenants. I guess it's tough times for everyone these days.
  
  
• Piggy is peeling. Not a pretty sight. Let that be a lesson to you: never be stingy with the sunscreen.

And I'll leave you with a random youtube video I found amusing...

On your marks...

Not much to report here. My knitting mojo did a post-WWKIPD runner on Saturday night, and aside from a token appearance on Tuesday, it hasn't been seen since.

So I had decided to take a wee break from posting. But then I read today's installment of the Yarn Harlot's blog. In which she noted that Christmas 2009 is 191 days away.

I guarantee you, thousands of knitters from across the globe felt a little thud in their hearts and/or guts as they read those words. Because now, it's official.

And it's actually officially worse than that: Christmas Day is, in fact, 189 days away.

That's right, piggies. Christmas (and Hanukkah, St. Nicholas' Day, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, and, I'm sure, several celebrations I'm forgetting/of which I'm unaware -- let me know what I'm missing!) is coming.

And despite telling myself every year in the weeks leading up to December 25th (and in the wee hours of Christmas morning, Boxing Day, the 28th, New Year's Eve...) that I'll never be stupid enough to knit Christmas presents again, I know I'll end up doing some gift knitting this holiday season.

So I figure it's time to drag out the old Christmas Countdown widget.

(For some reason, it's an hour off the intended deadline of 12:00 a.m. Christmas Day...bonus finishing time!)

How about you? Will you be knitting for the holidays? Or are you determined not to? Any horror stories (or helpful tips?) you'd care to share with Piggy?

Let's do the Twist

Don't panic: Piggy's not dancing! But you, fibre-friendly folks that you are, likely figured that out already. And since I don't spin (yet), I'm sure you can guess what this post is about, can't you?

Yep, I'm talking about Twist Collective. Clever sausages, all of you!

Lucky Piggy was among a group of about 50 knitters who managed to snag a free ticket to a Twist Collective fashion show held last night at Three Bags Full. I'd been looking forward to the show for a few weeks, and with one wee exception, it did not disappoint.

MrsQuimby and I met up after she finished work, and went for an early dinner at East is East, just across the street from TBF. It's one of my favourite places to eat: plenty of vegetarian-friendly eastern fusion grub to choose from (in addition to the omni-friendly dishes). The service, however, while always friendly, is usually, how shall I say it? - relaxed. So Q and I were taken aback when we were finished a good 90 minutes or so before the show.

Fortunately, we had our knitting with us, and were able to pass the time easily on the bench outside the shop.

Once inside, we chatted with familiar faces and new ones while the final show prep was done by Rachael from Twist. And then...the show!

My apologies for the mostly craptastic photos...Piggy FAIL.

First up was Sylvi, which made a couple of appearances (on two models!).


Apparently this pattern, by Mari Muinonen, is one of Twist's most popular. I'm pretty keen on it myself, and suggested an autumn KAL to Q...any of you Wranglers interested? It's knit in Briggs & Little Atlantic, which keeps my Canadian pride -- and my wallet -- happy. I'm thinking Mulberry...you like?

Some of the other highlights included...


Gytha by Jennifer Appleby. Really lovely. I bought this pattern for my mum, and am looking forward to seeing hers.


The Summer 09 issue's cover knit, Aphrodite by Sivia Harding, who hopefully got a better shot of her gorgeous work than I did! Honestly, I've always been lukewarm -- ok, ok, rather frigid -- about beaded knitting. This beautiful shawl has changed my mind.


Botanical Lace Cardigan by Margaret Atkinson. Modelled by Christa Giles, who obliged those asking for a better look at the gussets!


This one -- Grant Park Pullover by Selana Lee -- fetched plenty of oohs and ahs. It's a lovely sweater, of course, but I think we were also pretty happy to have some testosterone in the room. :o)


All the models were great, but Jamie was fierce, as Tyra Banks would say. She really worked a long-sleeved Bijou by Marnie MacLean (left), Kingscot by Norah Gaughan and Dietrich, another Marnie MacLean pattern. (Apologies for the awful lighting/colour on that pic...but I couldn't keep it out.)

We were also treated to several socks, mitts, kids' garments and stuffed toys. The only disappointment: no Vivian. It's my favourite Ysolda Teague pattern. I actually bought it for a swap partner, but I want one myself, so will need to buy it again, I think.

The generous Francesca made sure everyone left with a door prize -- how awesome is that? I received a Three Bags Full bag, but managed to trade it for a copy of Vogue Stitchionary 3 (colourwork). It was a good trade; I'll pick up another bag on Sunday after the Wranglers' meetup.

It was a great evening. Now I need to get a new job to fund all the pattern purchasing I want to do!

They're baaaaaaack!

I don't really have an excuse for putting it off any longer. There is no knitting progress to show you, and nothing else of particular interest to discuss. I might as well get it over with. If you are of a delicate or squeamish disposition, you may wish to come back tomorrow.

So. The ants.

I like to think of myself as a live-and-let-live kind of person. If you aren't doing anything to disturb me, I won't do anything to disturb you. But there are limits. And, as longtime readers might recall, Piggy tends to react swiftly and severely to those who venture beyond those limits.

About two weeks ago, while enjoying a none-to-healthy sweet snack, I noticed an ant strolling across my coffee table. Now, I couldn't really blame him for trying, so I merely brushed him off the table and kept on munching.

He came back. With friends.

I decided to investigate. And quickly discovered (given the tiny size of my apartment, all that was required was a glance in all directions; I didn't even need to get off the couch) there was a rather large number of his buddies roaming around.

Upon further examination (i.e. getting up off the couch and walking 15 or so feet into the bathroom), I found the source of the problem. They were coming in the cracks of the bathroom wall. Well, gaping holes around the pipes would be the more accurate term.

Honestly, my initial goal was containment. So I squashed the 20 or so ants I could see, and I went on the Interwebs to find an eco-friendly ant repellent. I googled, and also hit up my Plurk buddies for advice. And I received several suggestions:

1. Make sure every surface is clean. Ants like crumbs and stickiness; eliminate those, and they wont' have any reason to enter your home. Use vinegar; ants hate the smell.
2. Black pepper. Ants avoid it. Sprinkle it around their entrance. And be sure to use freshly ground stuff, said one plurker; the ready-ground stuff didn't seem to do anything.
3. Cinnamon. As with pepper, ants won't cross a line of cinnamon.

Right. So, I tried all three. It might come as a shock to my mother, but I keep a clean house. I don't leave dirty dishes hanging about, and I keep my counters and floors clean. But they could always be cleaner, right? So Piggy spent a full day dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing and mopping every conceivable surface.

Then I laid a veritable carpet of freshly ground pepper around the ants' front door.

The next day: ants. More of them. Many more. They were feistier, too; I'm thinking they stopped at the pepper just long enough to eat it before moving on.

So I tried the cinnamon. I sprinkled a nice, thick line of it at the point between the ants and no-ants sections of the apartment:


See a problem here? Yep. Piggy obviously sought inspiration from the Maginot Line. With predictable results. Those suckers were crafty: they outflanked the line and pushed on through Piggy's Belgium. So I reinforced the line:


The cinnamon did the job. Problem was, its job was to prevent the enemy from crossing that line. It did nothing to eliminate the ants on the other side of the line. Which in itself wasn't a huge problem; I could squash all the ones already in the bathroom. But for some unknown reason that defies all logic, cinnamon sprinkled at the actual point of entry had zero effect.

And at that point, I'd had enough. I brought in the big guns: the Ant-B-Gon (why, oh, why, must they misspell that? But that's another post). Max, even. Basically, it's just sugar water mixed with Borax. The premise is simple: you place a few drops around the ants' entrance. They are attracted by the poison, come in droves to feast on it, and then bring it back to the colony to share with the queen and all their buddies. The bottle promised to kill off the entire colony within seven days.

So, I put out the poison. And they came. Oh, did they come.


And they were still there the next morning. They didn't seem to be returning to their nest to share with their comrades. On the contrary; it looked like they were pitching tents and settling in for a long visit. Leave it to Piggy to be infested with rogue ants that totally went against the laws of nature.

But within 36 hours, the bathroom was devoid of ants. I breathed a sigh of relief, vacuumed up the Great Wall of Cinnamon, packed away the bottle of Ant Eliminator, and moved on.

But the cunning bastards were just waiting for me to let down my guard.


So up went the Great Wall of Cinnamon 3.0. Fortunately, I caught them early this time, before they could gain much ground, so the line was much shorter.


I even added a couple of giant cinnamon spiders, as an extra deterrent. Spiders eat ants, you see. (Karma coming to bite me in the ass, of course.)


Nice touch, eh?

So. The Ant-B-Gon came back out, and I've been leaving little drops of it all over the place. I may have lost the battle, but I'm determined to win the war.

Good things come in small packages

I didn't manage to get any knitting done at all yesterday; I'm still a little bit dopey after all the roasting I did on Saturday. My ear is actually quite sore. (Can I have a little cheese with my whine?)

Anyhoo. I did manage to make it to 7-11 for a wee Slurpee and to pick up a teeny white box:


Which held but four -- yes, just four -- skeins.


Easily my smallest Elann order yet. These are to go with the bags of Sonata Print that recently joined my stash.


I'm planning something for my nieces...if my sister ever gets me their measurements!

A Wee Bit of Progress

The back of the Weasley Jumper is somewhat larger than the last time I showed you:


But I really should get a move on if I want to earn those 40 points for having 25% done by June 30...

Sun, skin and sex murderers

Wha...?

Let's deal with that last one first.

I was the first knitter on the scene at the Vancouver World Wide Knit in Public Day event held at Kits Beach yesterday. I was a bit surprised about this; I usually aim to be "fashionably late" to these sorts of things.

I decided I couldn't be first, so I approached two women and asked them if they were knitters. They looked at me in a way that I later described to the WWKIPD revellers -- much to their amusement -- as if they thought I was a "sex murderer". I bid a hasty retreat.

Fortunately, within a few minutes I was joined by another Raveler, Barth. Then came Siobhan, then Rachel, then Chrissy...and before long, we had a nice little knitting circle going:

Thanks, Plae, for the photo!

The circle was a fluid one; as some knitters & crocheters left, new ones arrived. Many were people I already knew -- either on Ravelry or in "real" life -- and many I met for the first time. We had a lot of fun in the glorious sunshine.

Right, we've covered the sex murderers and the sun. Now, onto the skin. Obviously, one expects a lot of skin on display at the beach.

WWKIPD wasn't the only international event on yesterday. It was also World Naked Bike Ride Day. And the Vancouver contingent cycled right by us.


The Naked Bike Ride is designed to highlight the consequences of our car culture's dependence on oil, as well as the dangers faced by cyclists on our roads, as this cyclist's body paint highlights:


Best line from the cyclists: "We're naked and the world's still o.k.!" Amen.

From my vantage point, the cyclists looked to be well-protected by sunscreen. Piggy can't say the same: in addition to several inches of progress on my Weasley Jumper, I came away from my day at the beach with a sunburn -- complete with a blistered left earlobe. So I spent the evening administering first aid to myself with a traditional home remedy.


Probably a good thing that this Piggy is single. The vinegar did help make my face a little less Piggy pink, but it's not the most fragrant bath I've had.

That'll teach me.

Piggy's going to the beach

As in, I'm going to spend the day -- quite possibly the whole day -- at the beach.

This might not seem particularly noteworthy -- certainly not so much so that it requires an explanation worthy of a world-class state-the-obvious contest -- but it has been quite a while since Piggy last spent a day at the beach.

I'm pretty sure it was in the days before ATMs, cell phones and the Internet, in fact.

Now, I've walked along a beach as an adult -- in the current millennium, even -- and even sat down on a towel in the sand for the occasional pleasant half-hour of gazing at the surrounding view. But not a Whole. Day. At. The. Beach.

I don't swim. I don't enjoy roasting myself in the sun. I haven't owned a bathing suit since I hit puberty.

But today, I'm not only going to the beach, and I have to say, I'm excited about it.

What's so special about today? Well, chances are, if you're reading this, you already know. But just in case: today is World Wide Knitting in Public Day.

Piggy will be freaking out the muggles with a whole whack of other Vancouver-area knitters and crocheters at Kits Beach, from 10 a.m. on. If you're in town, come join the fun. Or find a WWKIPD event in your neck of the woods!

Breakfast of champions

A champion procrastiknitter, anyway...


...nom nom nom.

Five inches

That's how much of my Weasley Jumper I have completed since the assignment was set on May 1. Five measley inches.

(I am not going to talk about ants. Anything but ants. There is a story coming about ants, perhaps, if I can muster up the strength. But not yet.)

Instead, here is a photo of five measley Weasley inches.


I'll need to have 25 per cent of the jumper knitted by June 30 to earn an extra 40 points. Eeek.

Piggy's at War

I know I told you I was going to have an epic post about those "very many, very small things". But I'm afraid I'm simply too busy dealing with them at the moment, so a picture will have to do -- they're worth a thousand words or so, anyway, right?

And a good time was had by all

Sunday's Wrangler's meetup was a deck party held in damselfly's beautiful garden. It was a lovely afternoon; the weather co-operated, with warm (not scorching!) sunshine and a gentle breeze; a delicious feast of goodies contributed by everyone (including champagne!); good conversation peppered with plenty of laughter; and, of course, knitting.

Unfortunately, Piggy neglected to capture any of that with her camera. I was too busy enjoying myself. I have only one picture from the afternoon: a shot of the yarn sale/swap that took place between lunch and dessert.


This was taken mid-sale. Piggy's stuff is in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. I was good; I managed to select a fair amount of yarn to offer up to my fellow Wranglers. A few items were given away, but I also managed to snag some much-needed funds.

A few of my things came back home with me (no-one was interested in the Amaizing, for example), and they were joined by some new ones, too -- freebies!

First up, four skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock from MrsQ:



From beentsy, two skeins of Koigu:


And from Jen, some Confetti Superwash:


All sock yarn. Interesting choices for someone who has never completed a sock, no?

One more batch of yarn -- separate from the swap/sale -- is now happily ensconced chez Piggy. Check out what beentsy gifted me with:


Eight -- eight! -- skeins of Rowanspun 4-ply, in a gorgeous purple very close to that of the Summer Tweed I recently adopted.

And if all that yarny goodness wasn't enough, there was one more gift for Piggy on Sunday, this one from MrsQ:


A very generous donation in lieu of gas money. Far too kind.

And a very lucky Piggy am I. :o)

Film at 11

Hopefully, anyway.

I'm having some photo/computer issues. I was hoping to have them sorted out last night, but, as is the case with many things we wish for, it didn't happen. With luck, the situation will be resolved in time for tomorrow.

Sometimes, posts really don't require images; unfortunately, a re-cap of the Wrangler's Deck Party Feast/Yarn Sale & Swap isn't one of those posts. And neither is the epic saga I had planned for today. So you'll just need to be patient. :oP

While we wait, how about dragging out an old meme? Yarnmeme, started by Feather and Fan last April:

Out of the top 50 yarns on Ravelry (by number of projects, as of June 8, 2009):

Bold the ones you’ve used and would use again,
Cross out the ones you’ve used and would not use again,
and italicize the ones you’ve never tried, but would like to.
Add comments as desired, and then pass the meme along to 5 knitters/crocheters.
Link back to this post and to the person who tagged you.

Here we go:

1. Cascade 220 Wool -- What can I say about this? The go-to worsted-weight wool.
2. Patons Classic Wool Merino -- Decent sub. for Cascade 220. Colour selection far inferior, however.
3. Malabrigo Merino Worsted -- My favourite yarn. Wonderfully soft, and gorgeous colourways.
4. Red Heart Super Saver Solids -- I'm a YS (yarn snob). I have limited experience with acrylics. Before you yell at me, I know there are very good reasons to use them, and I do have some in the stash. But I have my "favourites", and don't exactly search out new ones.
5. Lily Sugar'n Cream Solid
6. Caron Simply Soft
7. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solids & Heathers -- Nobody here, as far as I can tell, carries this.
8. Noro Kureyon -- Ok, ok, I'd consider using this again. But only for felting.
9. Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted -- I've never seen this in person.
10. Noro Silk Garden -- I pains me to admit it, but this stuff isn't so bad. I'm hardly in a rush to use it again, but I can't honestly say never.
11. Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
12. Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Solid -- A decent, not-to-squeaky acrylic. It has its uses.
13. Knit Picks Wool of the Andes -- I've never tried any Knit Picks yarn. I'm not lusting after them, but I'd be perfectly willing to try them. But as you know, I'm an Elann fan.
14. Lily Sugar'n Cream Ombres & Prints
15. Lion Brand Homespun -- Hands down, the most unpleasant yarn I've ever knit with. That includes the curling ribbon.
16. Cascade 220 Heathers
17. Peaches & Creme Solids
18. Peaches & Creme Ombres
19. Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino -- I love the sproingy-ness of this. And the colourways are beautiful.
20. Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted
21. Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky -- Never seen this.
22. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Lightweight -- Really, really want to try this.
23. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick -- Useful for a super-quick hat or scarf prezzie.
24. Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica -- Beautiful colourways. Not as soft as my Mmmmmal, though.
25. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi
26. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
27. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
28. Cascade 220 Superwash
29. Rowan Kidsilk Haze -- Despite the b*tch it is to tink/frink/frog.
30. Berroco Ultra Alpaca
31. Zitron Trekking (XXL) -- Never seen it.
32. Patons SWS (Soy Wool Stripes) -- Decent, cost-effective alternative to Kureyon for felting projects.
33. Red Heart Super Saver Multis/Ombres
34. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Mediumweight -- Really, really want to try this.
35. Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece -- Never seen it.
36. Lion Brand Lion Wool Solid
37. Colinette Jitterbug
38. Knit Picks Essential Solids & Twists
39. Knit Picks Swish Worsted
40. Knit Picks Palette
41. Dream in Color Smooshy -- Really, really want to try this.
42. Noro Kureyon Sock
43. Dream in Color Classy -- Really, really want to try this.
44. Knit Picks Shine Sport
45. Red Heart Soft Yarn Solids
46. South West Trading Company TOFUtsies -- I'm not wild about any of the colourways I've seen in this.
47. Berroco Comfort
48. Malabrigo Lace -- LURVE. It's Mmmmmal, what more do you need?
49. Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull
50. Bernat Satin Solids -- The other acrylic I'd choose.

I was pretty easy going in my labelling. I don't necessarily love those I've bolded; similarly, I'm not exactly panting after all those I've italicized.

I'm tagging beentsy, MrsQuimby, Close to my Heart, ChrissytheGreat and knittingdragonflies -- plus anyone else who would like to tag themselves.

In which Piggy hopes to Wrangle some $

Big things happening chez Piggy. Well, lots of little things. Very many very little things. But I'll save that for Monday. It's a bit of an epic; so really, you'll want to be at work. Let's keep things brief on the weekend, when you’ve got better things to do, eh?

This morning, I'm going through my stash, picking out stuff I'm willing to part with. A bunch of the Wranglers are meeting up at damselfly's place for a special deck party version of our regular Sunday meetup. In addition to a yummy feast (Piggy's bringing a mango-berry crisp), we're having a yarn swap/sale.

Now, since the last Vancouver LSG meetup, which included a zero-charge, no-conditions yarn free-for-all (yarn all thrown on the table; cue the melee), I pretty much love everything in my stash. I'd like to keep it all. But I am willing to admit that notwithstanding this past week's Finished Object Frenzy, I have more yarn than I currently need.

Plus, I need the cash. Like, seriously. Piggy is skint. (Please, somebody -- give me a job. Or an octogenarian billionaire with a dodgy ticker, no dependents and a desire to marry a yarnpiggy.) With luck, I'll manage to convince a Wrangler or two to part with some cash for some of my treasures.

This, of course, depends on Piggy not becoming overtaken with lust for my fellow yarnies' offerings.

Update tonight...wish me luck!

Yet another finished object

I know what you're thinking. When is the madness going to stop? Piggy isn't supposed to actually produce anything. I understand, and sympathize. It's been hectic chez Piggy lately, hasn't it?

And this particular FO is...well, to say it is a little different would be a bit of an understatement, methinks. I won't blame you for being overwhelmed, in fact.


"Hmmmm...it's kind of...well, shiny, isn't it, Piggy? And, ummmm, stiff..."

Indeed it is, piggies. That's what you get when you knit with curling ribbon, you see.

"Curling Ribbon? Like for gift wrapping? You can't be serious!"


I'm so not joking.

"Ah. Hmmmmm. Ummmmm...wow."

Oh, yes. It's really something, isn't it? And let me anticipate your next questions: I did it for the Harry Potter House Cup on Ravelry. For Transfiguration class, specifically. The assignment: to create something using non-yarn "yarn". And no, I didn't go out and buy the ribbon; it's been languishing in my wrapping supplies basket for ages.

My original plan was to whip off a quick coaster. I'm not sure what happened, but I ended up with something that (hopefully) resembles a clutch handbag. It does hold stuff...


...but somehow, I doubt it will get much use. It is far too special.

Project Details:

Pattern: Improvised bag
Yarn: Curling ribbon...about half a big whacking spool
Needles: 5.5 mm/US 9 Susan Bates aluminum straights; 6.5 mm/US 10.5 40 cm/16 in Crystal Palace Daisy circulars

I'm sure you're all desperate for one, but I'm afraid Piggy must disappoint you; this is definitely a one-of-a-kind item.

What's wrong with this picture?

(No, it's not another finished object...)


Hint: Piggy doesn't drink Slurpees unless it is stinking hot outside.

Don't get me wrong; I am enjoying the playoffs. But it just doesn't seem right to be watching hockey when it's 32 degrees (that's 90F) and something as simple as doing some light housework can result in a sweat. In a basement suite. I can only imagine what it's like for people living at higher elevations.

Actually, it's just never right for it to be 32 degrees in Vancouver. Fortunately, the forecast is calling for much cooler -- yet still nicely warm -- temperatures, starting today.

In other good news: new yarn in the house!

First up: two bags of the now-discontinued Sonata Print from Elann:


I have several ideas what to do with these; I'm sure I'll go through several more before choosing one. Stay tuned. (You might want to grab a snack. And a pillow.)

And...


Six skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed -- at 50% off. Score! I'm thinking Liesl for this, instead of the Tweedy Silk I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I dunno...

This is getting ridiculous (another FO)

Something must be in the water these days. Piggy has yet another FO. (That's four in a row, for those keeping score.) A two-piece one, even.


Now, I'll be honest. Piggy enjoys a nice cup of tea relatively rarely. So what would prompt me to knit a tea cosy? The colours involved provide a big hint.

This Ravenclaw-inspired blue and bronze set was knitted for June's Divination assignment in the House Cup, which was to create something having to do with tea (Harry Potter fans will, I'm sure, remember the reading of tea leaves in Professor Trelawny's classroom).

Project Details:

Pattern: Mistake Rib Tea Cosy, by Frankie Brown
Yarn: Patons Soy Wool Solids in blue for the teapot, Elann.com's Peruvian Highland Wool in Golden Bark for the mug
Needles: 4.5 mm/US 7 Red Heart aluminum straights
Modifications: None for the teapot. I made an impromptu mug cosy using the mistake rib stitch pattern.

I might just put kettle on now for a nice cuppa...

FO: Illusion Witch's Hat Cloth

It's getting ridiculous, isn't it? If I keep up this pace, I'll have to give up my title as the Queen of Pre-Process Knitting.

Well, perhaps not. It is, after all, just a dishcloth...


...albeit one with a little surprise.



Project Details

Pattern: Illusion Witches Hat by Lauras Knits
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Solids, White and Forest Green, about a quarter skein of each
Needles: 4.5 mm/US 7 Red Heart aluminum straights
Modifications: None
Made For: June 2009 Charms class, Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup

FO: Ravenclaw House Scarf

Or, as it has not-so-affectionately become known to me, the K1P1 Virus Scarf.

Mind you, now that it is finally finished (and just under the wire, too: less than five minutes before Sunday night's 11:59 deadline), I seem to have put the agony of its creation behind me.

Check out my baby:


It's not perfect -- ideally, I'd like a few more repeats (mine is in-between sizes, see below) for a super-long scarf. And although I'm not usually keen on fringe, I might decide to add some later. But it's done.

A gratuitous close-up shot:



Project Details:

Pattern: House Scarves - Year 3/4 Scarf, by Lauren Kent (from Charmed Knits.
Yarn: Elann.com Superwash Chunky (discontinued); 5.5 skeins Moonlight Blue and 1 skein plus a few yards of Nutmeg
Needles: 4 mm/US 6 Addi Turbo 40 cm/16 in circular
Modifications: I cast on 57 stitches for the small size, and knit 16 repeats -- two more than the small, three less than the large. I did not include the fringe, but I'm thinking about doing so.

I might not be singing the blues anymore, but I'm in no hurry to knit another, either.