NotScarlett

And then....I knit something else!

FO: Wisp
 

I had a skein of gorgeous Malabrigo lace, hate knitting with lace-weight yarn, but didn't want to de-stash it, so this was the solution.

The pattern was exceptionally simple, especially since I eliminated all the buttonholes and doodads the pattern called for and just made a simple scarf. The resulting fabric is soft, warm, and really beautiful, and I love the way the color subtly shifts from light to dark and back again. For a lace project, this was a pretty quick and mindless knit.



I still hate knitting with lace-weight though.

 

Specs

Pattern: Wisp

Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Bobby Blue

Needles: KnitPicks Options interchangeable circs, size 8

Raveled here

 

This is a holiday gift for a yet-to-be-determined individual. Someone is going to be warm and cozy this winter.

 

Once upon a time, I knit something

BOSS SOCKS!
 

I'm not using boss as an adjective here...although I totally think "boss" as an adjective needs to be brought back into the vernacular in a big way. These socks were, in fact, a gift for my boss. I started knitting these babies on a business trip, and every time she saw me working on them, she'd comment on how much she liked the colors. After finishing sock numero uno, she asked me what was so great about handknit socks. Um, HELLO. At that moment, I knew these would belong to her. 

 

Specs

Pattern: Duckies

Yarn: Yarn Love's Marianne Dashwood base, in colorway Romance

Needles: KnitPicks Options interchangable circs, size 5, magic looped

Raveled here

 

I finished these socks while stuck at home due to TS Fay, and gave them to the boss lady when I was able to go back to work. Saying she loved them would be the understatement of the year. She carried them around and showed everyone in our department, and even kept them in her purse for the next few days so she could take them out and look at them, and show them to anyone she hadn't bragged to yet.

 

Fun pattern, great yarn, and a happy recipient. This is why I knit.

In other important news: if you are local (in Tallahassee)"some guy" I know is in a band and they are playing at The Engine Room (formerly the Beta Bar) on Wednesday night around 8. I'll be there cheering them on, and you should be there too.

Winners!

Thanks so much for all the great links, everyone! I'm enjoying checking out all your recommendations, and have stumbled on some other fun blogs as a result of my blog exploration. Blogsploration? Yes. Blogsploration. Look, I made a word! I've also become hopelessly addicted to Facebook due to peer pressure. I have some seriously persuasive coworkers. I'm having lots of internet fun though, and I sincerely thank all of you who submitted links.

Anyway, I had this really awesome post with knitting pictures and everything, and then, I kid you not, the computer crashed. (Yes! The relatively new computer! IS CRASHING! I blame Vista. Like I do for most things. Including traffic, and inclement weather.) I am lazy, and as usual, afflicted with a sinus infection, and right now I do not feel any motivation to recreate that post, so it's gonna have to wait for another day.

Oh yeah....I DO have some yarn to give away though!

Becca, you are the lucky winner of the Noro Matsuri! Thanks for playing! Your post about apples made me very hungry and a little jealous.

You know, I was feeling pretty generous...so after randomly selecting Becca, I decided to randomly select a few more people. I love those random number generators. I'm easily entertained. Which is why the lovely (and local!) Lani is now the proud owner of the Yarn Pirate in Icicle, and long-time reader and amazing knitter Nell has some lovely Zen Yarn Garden headed her way. Ladies, I've sent you all emails. Congratulations, and thanks again for all the love and support over the past four years.

FREE YARN!

In honor of four years of blogging, I'm giving away yarn. As with all things in life, there is a catch though...you have to DO something in order to have a crack at getting some of this free yarn. What do you have to do, you ask? Simple. You have to give me something. I'm looking for new blogs to read. They don't have to be knitting related, they can be any kind of blog...cooking, crafting, entertainment, techie, etc. Something you think I'd like. Simply leave a comment on this post with a link to TWO of your favorite blogs, and the yarn you would prefer to win. Do this by 12pm EST on 9/23, and your name will be entered to win the yarn you've specified. Easy, right? Let's take a look at what you're playing for.

 

2 skeins of Noro Matsuri, a lovely wool/cotton blend, in beautiful shades of green and blue.

 

1 skein of Zen Yarn Garden Squooshy Sock in Adriatico

 

1 skein of Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel Sock in an exclusive Booty Club colorway, Icicle

 

Just leave me a comment, tell me which yarn you're interested in winning, and give me a few links to blogs you love, and I'll announce a winner on the 24th.

Watch this space

September 21st marks my fourth year of blogging. I love having the blog to revisit good times, be thankful for surviving the bad times, and generally see the progress I have made as a knitter and a human being over that time period. I've been somewhat absent from blogging over the past several months, but I really miss regularly posting and am hoping to get back in to the swing of things soon (and I'm not just saying that AGAIN. I mean it.)

This blog has brought me lots of happiness; it's been a place for me to organize my thoughts, share my ramblings, and express my creativity. I've been so sidetracked by the changes occurring in my life this year, I feel that I have lost sight of the reasons I started blogging in the first place, and instead of enjoying posting, I started to see it as a chore. I miss writing though, and interacting with my readers, and sharing the pieces of me my family and friends come to read...I'm think I'm ready to get back to that place, the place where I see blogging as a creative process rather than another obligation. After all, I don't HAVE to blog, I choose to blog, and while I've toyed with the idea of shutting NotScarlett down, I don't want to yet.

What I'm trying to say is I miss you guys, sorry for being so absent for so long, thanks for being with me on my blogging journey these past four years, and I'm thankful for all your love and support.

Oh, and I'm giving away yarn to celebrate the blogiversary, so check back here on the 21st to find out how you can get some.

September?? Really?

So much for my resolution to blog more...think I made that one back in June. Not really doing all that well with that. Will try harder.

This is, yet again, a super quick, pictureless, post to get out the latest updates on life, which seems to be passing by at an astounding rate.

1. We have a road, kind of. It's a long term but temporary fix. We have a way in and out of the neighborhood, and I no longer have to wade through icky alligator infested water twice daily. Thank you, awesome landlord, for using your local government connections to help the neighborhood.

2. I haven't mentioned it on the blog, because it isn't my story to tell, but if you follow me on Twitter you know that my sister had surgery yesterday. I was with her, she's fine, all is well, and she is recovering nicely. It was a rough few days, but she's so tough I know she'll be just fine.

3. Work is crazy. CRAZY GOOD.

4. We had to cancel our DragonCon plans due to the lack of road/inability to get my vehicle out of the neighborhood/not budgeting for a rental car. While the road was, in fact, fixed (see item #1) in time for us to go, we'd already cancelled everything. SUCKTASTIC. Next year. We'll be there, we're gonna book early.

5. Latest knitting obsession: the Tapestry Cowl. In ShiBui Knits Sock, colors Poppy and Sky. Pictures of my slow progress coming soon.

6. Desperately trying not to post about politics, but SRSLY WTF? Sarah Palin=family values, huh? For what family? Not mine, I can tell you that much.

That is all. Be back soon, I miss you guys!