Vintage patterns

One of the local libraries had a book sale and I decided to sift through the craft section. I came upon quite a few vintage knitting magazines, but only a couple actually caught my eye. One is a 1963 copy of Spinnerin. It's really quite amazing. A LOT of the patterns in it could be knit and be very trendy today. I'll probably have to look up some of the weights/sizes of the yarn, but I think I might knit some of these up. They're quite pretty. There's even a pattern for a coat/skirt set that looks very Jackie O.

The other is a 1974 knitting mag called "For the Family" by Annis Holmes and has a few hat, mitten, sock, and scarf patterns. I'm a sucker for socks and mittens, so I had to grab it.

All in all, it cost me $1. XD

Edit: I stopped by A.C. Moore's knitting demo today and got a free pair of size 17 needles. SWEET! Going to go back on Monday and try to get some 40% off Paton's Classic Wool for a pair of felted clogs.

Size... what? D=

My brother asked me a while ago if I would knit socks for him. So... upon completing the socks for my Hogwarts Sock Swap Pal, I thought it was time. I got 2 skeins of Moda Dea's Bamboo Wool (since I wanted Panda Wool, but alas, I couldn't find any in "manly" colors at my LYS). Well... I really should've thought twice about it. My brother wears size 15 shoes. ^^;;

Well, I decided the fastest and easiest way would be to just knit a very basic sock. No patterns. Just straight stockinette feet with a 4x2 ribbing at the ankle. It took me 3 days, but I'm halfway done. Yep... 1 sock down and 1 to go.

I'm really kinda happy. He likes how thick it is, how short it is (he wanted socks that went shortly past his ankle and 1 skein did exactly that), and the shape and color. Hopefully, these socks will be good for NY winters and will last him a while.

I'll just pray that if they don't last a week... he won't tell me. I swear I'll cry.

New Aquisitions

I'm sorry I didn't post this before now. To be honest, I was a tad lazy. ^^; Anyhoos... I went to the Fingerlakes Fiber Arts Festival this weekend. I managed to talk my mom into going with me (after Maryland S&W, I no longer like going far places by myself). She grumbled for a bit, but quickly enough slipped into the "ooh! soft! must buy!" mode. XD She bought a wooden DPN holder and one of those Rakestraw Spinners, then complained that she spent more than me. Well... not to be outdone, I bought a spinning wheel. My first spinning wheel. It's a Hitchhiker from The Merlin Tree. It's really cute and I like the design.

The only problem is... I have NO idea how to spin on a spinning wheel! XD

It's ok, tho. I know of a place not too far from where I live where they give spinning lessons on a wheel. I'll probably pack up my teeny wheel and head out there sometime for a lesson. I think I've gotten the hang of working the treadle on my own. Well... it's something! XD

Yarn Dieting

Well... I went to upload my new yarn (TOFUtsies) to Ravelry and it said "Hello Nabschan! You are uploading your 20th stash item".

D=!!!!!!

I do believe it's time to go on a stash diet. Most of the yarn in my stash is sock yarn, so I'm going to be trying to knit up some socks before I buy more. I also got my first pair of Addie Turbos. They're teeny tiny for socks. I wonder how they'll work. This might be one rather expensive experiment. I love the cable that holds the needles together already. I have Boye Interchangables and the cables aren't nearly so nice. I hear that Knit Picks interchangables cables are similar. If so, I might bug people to buy me that for xmas. <_<;;

Since there's a sale at Mission Rose Quiltery on Thursday (30% off), I'll probably hit them up and get those 2 skeins of Claudia I need. I got 2 skeins from my mom for my b-day, but they were only enough for 1 sock each. XD

HSS2 Q&A

Since I've been poked to do this....

1. What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts? An angora rabbit. Come on... really, what do you expect a spinner to say? XD
2. While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself? A sugar quill. I used to carry Red Hots in my pocket during high school for class snacking.
3. A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don't want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail. A sundress, a large floppy hat with flowers on it, and mismatched flip flops.
4. What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why? Probably Charms. It seems like the most useful for day to day life.
5. Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why? History of Magic. I hate HATE boring teachers.
6. Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do? Nightowl eyes Potion. It's glow stick green (as in it glows). It requires whole lightbulbs from the backsides of lightning bugs. And it increases your ability to see in the dark.. however, the side effects are that you'll end up wearing sunglasses for the next 2 days. ^^;