WW Knit In Public Day ~ June 9th!

Saturday, June 9th is the International Knit in Public Day also known as World Wide Knit In Public Day. A day when knitters around the world break the boundaries of the blogosworld and knit together OUTSIDE!

Outside means OUTSIDE! Not just out of the confines of your home, LYS or wherever you normally knit indoors. It's out in the public on grassy lawns, in knowly parks, and poolside (maybe even floating on an inner tube or two). It's a picnic where the main course in the baskets are yarn and knitting needles. In a pleasant local where you are not the only knitting oddity.

I'm sure many of you in the knitting world are already aware of this event but for those of you who are not. Click the picture above to get a listing of hosted WWKIP 2007 day events in your area. I originally intended to post links for the Los Angeles area but unfortunately this year no one has taken the baton to host. Hopefully this won't deter individuals from getting outside and knitting anyway. This summer is promising to be a warm one.

Get out in the sun!

Kamika

Jade'D

Ooh Ooh Ooh! Banana Republic [BR] has come out with a line of fragrances called the "Discovery Collection." Three great fragrances, Alabaster; Rosewood; and Jade, that's sure to fit you. Well at least one will. Let's just say I'm a little Jade'd.

BR's tagline is, "Discover the fragrance that speaks to you." I hope they don't talk! Inanimate objects just shouldn't talk. That's a bad thing. I know! I know! I know! I get what they are trying to say but my mind went on a tangent to the fantasmic side. Musk shouldn't talk just like must shouldn't hum (remember that?). I don't care if it is Kashmir, Bergamot, and warm. Especially not if it's warm! LOL

Here's the scent breakdowns:

1. Alabaster - "Delicate & Captivating" Lotus Flower, Wild Rose, & Warm Musks
2. Rosewood - "Warm & Alluring" Bergamot Champagne, White Tea Leaves, & White Amber
3. Jade - "Bright & Intriguing" (THAT'S ME! j/k) Tropical Pomegranate, Musky Cotton Flower, & Kashmir Wood

So anyways, treat yourselves ladies. Next time you swing by BR, try the scents. As said before, Jade is my favorite but Alabaster is nice. I didn't prefer Rosewood, but I'm sure it's nice for somebody. Ask for samples (get a few for me while you are at it, all my BRs are out) and if all else fails, just open the drawer on the display and get a few. They don't mind. They just shrugged when I did it. Twice! LOL

Let me know if you have some or if you get some!

Kamika

Purple Sambuca Neat & Blocked Please?

I finished the Sambuca Jacket from the Amazing Crochet Lace book a couple of weeks ago as a gift for my mother for Mother's Day. My Mom has been my muse for a minute, not by choice, but because everytime I start to work on something she asks for it. This time she had seen a cardigan in Catherine's and asked me to make one for her. The ones in Catherines seemed cheapie and balloon like. I knew I could do one better. Once finished I had every intention of posting pics of it immediately but my memory card in the cammie became stricken again and I couldn't resuscitate it.

Anyhoo, I worked up the jacket with the Berocco Ultra Alpaca in the "Prune Mix" colorway. Some of you may remember it from here. I frogged that sweater and reused the yarn. No since in wasting good yarn on such an ill fitted garment. Besides, I'm not a Rockefeller and yarn AIN'T cheap. As usual I made my usual adjustments and cut the arms down to make them short sleeve. I also omitted the butterfly clasp because women with big tiggly biddys (read: breasts) shouldn't wear jackets/tops with single closures at the neck. It's obscene!
I really like the Amazing Crochet Lace book. I did notice though that the pattern did have a number of small errors in it. But once you learned the actual pattern repeat you really didn't need to look at the book again save for increasing points. I also didn't like that the charts on this pattern were blurry, small, and not complete. This of course will not hinder me from doing other garments out of the book.

Enjoy the pics and let me know what you think!


Kamika

Trying to Catch Up From Being Lazy

I don't know what's gotten into me. I planned to blog so many times in the last 2 weeks but kept missing my computer. It didn't help that I went out of town twice. But I'm back with so much to share with you! Love Language #1 is coming soon. My hair is now Red with Hot Rhythms. I'll be posting pics as well.

Kamika

Love Language #2: Gifts

I've had the book "The Five Love Languages for Singles" by Gary Chapman on my nightstand for over a year now. I bought it last year because I had heard how great his books were and the idea of Love Languages really intrigued me. Sad to say I still have not read the book but it has been in my knitting bag for a week now pushing it to the front of my reads behind the Bible.

Earlier last week I had come across a show on OnDemand entitled "Everyday Woman." This is a Christian show fashioned like the View where 4 women of different generations and backgrounds discuss the issues of the day but from a Christian perspective. At first it seemed a little sappy but I liked it. On this particular show Gary Chapman was the guest and what he said about the Love Languages really touched my heart.

Gary says that every one has a primary love language and possibly 2 to 3 secondary love languages from which they operate in order to give love and feel the most loved. The five languages are:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Gifts
3. Acts of Service
4. Quality Time
5. Physical Touch

I plan to touch on all of these in the future as I read the book but today I wanted to touch on my primary love language and that is the language of Giving.

A gift is a tangible object that says, "I was thinking about you. I
wanted you to have this. I love you."...Anthropologists have never
discovered a culture whre gift giving is not an expression of love. Giving
gifts is one of the fundamental universal languages of love...The important
thing is not the gift but the emotional love that was communicated by the
gift. The right gift is any token, big or small, which speaks the
emotional love.

The Greek word from which we get our English word gift is charis, which means "grace," or an undeserved gift...A gift is given without strings attached or it ceases to be a gift...It is no longer a gift when you use it to soothe a wrong commited.

I love to give gifts! Those who know me IR would probably say this goes without saying. I love giving presents, time and my service. I love it when others recognize that I have taken the time to learn something that is dear to their heart and they benefit from it. I like to see the look of "I'm loved" on their faces.

When someone is a gifter, then they also love to receive gifts. Loving to receive gifts is totally different than expecting something in return for a gift given. When I give gifts I don't expect anything in return. I could care less if someone bought me anything. I often cringe when people feel the need to return a present given with a present. I don't feel that that is thanks but that that person doesn't want to owe me anything. Moreso guilt. A thank you card or a sincere thank you spoken would suffice. I want to see your eyes sparkle.

For a gifter to truly feel love you must give them gifts. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just something that lets them know you were thinking about them, that they were not forgotten, and that you are concerned about them and their life. A card, a handmade item, a pretty bookmark, etc. I don't care how rich a person is. No one ever has everything they could possibly want. If he/she is having financial trouble, offering to pay a bill, pay for lunch, take them out for a fun evening, or giving them a cash love gift goes a long way. Make it sincere! Gift givers have such a hard time when they don't have the means to give gifts like they would like.

I was so blessed this week. I got an opportunity to give gifts and I received a couple of great gifts. I give much love to my church family. Especially to my Pastor who always gives from the depths of her heart. Thanks to Dee Dee who gave me this great bag of makeup. I love makeup and it was so sweet. I got many of the colors I had been wanting. I can't wait to try the creme blush.

Now look at what the Lord has done! It is the Curacao Shawl from the Amazing Crochet Lace book. I'm excited that I get the opportunity to present this love gift to my church sister Jacqueline tonight. I hope she loves it. Would you believe it only took me 12 hours to make. I'm ecstatic!

Kamika

A knitting survey, as seen on Yellow House Treasures.

Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn (kinda, the closest is Patons Soy Wool Blend)
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life? Gauge and swatching. Both are very important and give you a glimpse into how the garment/project is going to look by your hand as opposed to the hand of the pattern designer. I've also learned how to disect patterns and read them in advance in order to catch any mistakes before I knit them.

I found this geat survey on Yellowhouse Treasures. Ann also just happens to be my great Coffee Swap Partner. Feel free to copy this survey to your blog, just link back here!

Kamika

I'm In Love! (With Yarn of Course)

Ooh Ooh Ooh! Look at my new baby. It's Regan from the new Rowan Magazine #41. Can you hear the heavenly choir singing? It's Rowan! This book is so pretty!

**Kamika pets the magazine while holding it tightly to her chest and cooing.**

I am officially a Rowan convert. It all started when I went to my LYS, The Knitter's Studio, and got some great chocolate colored Felted Tweed to trim my Truffle Clutch, which is finè by the way and lined in a pretty butterfly brocade.

I really liked the way it felt [the tweed that is] and how sturdy it was and that led me to the site. After looking through all the online magazines (don't you just love how Rowan shows you every pattern in the book?) I couldn't stop jonesin to get the latest one. I called all of my nearby LYS and could only find it 25 miles out in Bev Hills. No problem, it's near my church, down the street from one of my fave restaurants (Grand Luxe), and I got to take Dee Dee (I'll introduce her later). We went on Sunday afternoon.

This mag is packed with over 50 well done patterns. I really like how Rowan does stories and themes. I found at least one pattern I wanted to complete in each story. Not to mention, the pictures are just beautiful. I'm really a sucker for colors and colorful clear pictures. After looking through (more like studying) a couple of times I settled on Regan.

**Buzz of the flies flying around Kamika's agape mouth.**

I tried to pace myself ya'll, really I did. I told myself that I couldn't buy anything until I finished the WIPs I already had but I needed my fix.

**Kamika flashes back to the jittery, foot shuffling, dry mouth having, all over body itch feeling she had that's common to junkies.**

Besides, I finished four out of the five WIPs in the que. Well, more like three because one was a starter for my Pastor. She'll be finishing that one. AND! I had a little birthday money burning a whole in my pocket. God is so good! Suffice to say all I could think about was yarn.

BAM BABY!

10 hanks of Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton Classic in a beautiful seafoam/mint green. I have never bought this much yarn at one time in my knitting life. Not only that I have to go back and get 3 more (Patricia over at Slipt Stitch is holding them for me). My silly self got so sidetracked by color that I misread the yardage on the sleeves. BTW, Slipt Stitch is another new to me LYS that I found. Very comfortable spot.

So I'll be swatching this bad boy up tonight and dreaming of more projects. Talk to you all soon.


Kamika

Ribbit! I Think I Hear Frogs In The Distance

I don't like it! I don't like it one bit! I finished the Garn Studios bolero today and my response is, meh. I could think of a whole host of other projects I could have used all that beautiful Berocco Ultra Alpaca on. I don't like the shaping on this sweater at all. It's totally off and doesn't suit anyone with at least an egg for a boob.

I'm sure if I blocked this AGAIN that it would probably hang better and be the right size (after killing it of course) but I'm really not feeling it. I originally started this as a gift for my mother. I gauged it in the largest size and swatched it. I blocked before seaming all the pieces together and look what I got. It was a nice exercise in increasing my knitting speed but a terribly designed sweater.

And another thing! Who needs that much ribbing on the sleeves. I really should have adjusted more than the size when I started this. I had already lengthened the sleeves and adjusted everything else. I should have cut the 8" of ribbing at the wrist area down to about 5 or 6". Frogs, toads, tadpoles, whatever. Ribbit is all I hear.


Maybe you all can see something in this I don't. Tell me what you think!

Kamika