JessaLu Knits (and Spins!)

Well, today I’m pretty much on my own. <span title="Roger Rabbit - my SO" class="serendipity_glossaryMarkup">RR</span> usually works on Saturdays but on this Saturday he is working in the City (New York, for those not from ‘The Berkshires’). I seriously considered going with him, but despite <a href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=515&amp;entry_id=111" title="http://caroleknits.knitblog.com" onmouseover="window.status=’http://caroleknits.knitblog.com’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">Carole’s</a> best efforts of arm-twisting yesterday I just couldn’t drag my ass out of bed at whatever<a href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=516&amp;entry_id=111" title="http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/label/Model%20Nautilus" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/label/Model%20Nautilus’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;"><img width="82" height="80" src="uploads/Photos/detail_thumbnail_two.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a><p> unGodly hour he left this morning. What the heck is he doing in NYC, you ask? Well…installing these B&amp;W speakers (click on the picture to the right to get the full effect) as well as a full sound system in the test/TV kitchen of a well-known chef. I’m not allowed to say who but I think he’s taking photos of the installation today so if he does, I’ll post a couple on here so you all can see what magic my A/V geek produces at his day job ;o) The price tag on this lovely project? Over $200,000. Must be nice, eh? ;o) I can’t complain too much, systems like this one help me pay for my yarn stash!</p><p>On the <a target="_blank" href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=517&amp;entry_id=111" title="http://yarnharlot.ca/blog/olympics2006.html" onmouseover="window.status=’http://yarnharlot.ca/blog/olympics2006.html’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;">Olympic Knitting</a> front, I got an email that my buttons have been shipped! Yay!! I’ve also been trying to find an Olympic ‘team’ to join, but none of them have really felt right to me. I’ve searched far and wide for a ‘Team Scotland’ button and can’t find one so, I made my own. </p><p><img width="200" height="52" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Buttons/scottishteambutton.jpg" alt="" /></p><p>If anyone would like to join me, let me know and I’ll list you as a team member. You don’t have to be Scottish or live in Scotland (although that helps), all you need is to like the button, want to be on the team and save the button to your own server, etc. (and not refer to it as the ‘Scotch Team’ - we may drink it, but it’s not our name!) - how easy is that?</p><p>Next up…Lucy &amp; Ethel visit IKEA…stay tuned! </p><p>
</p>

<p>The votes have been tallied and we have a winner! </p><p>*drumroll*</p><p>The winner of the popular vote (by a landslide) is…</p><p>’Exhibit A’ (for want of a better name…or we could rename them ‘little flowers’…?)</p><p><img width="90" height="90" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Buttons/JHB92545.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></p><p>*the crowd goes wild*</p><p>The final tally, for the curious few, was 16 votes for ‘little flowers’ and 6 votes for…well, the other one. I ordered three ‘little flowers’ earlier tonight from <a href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=511&amp;entry_id=110" title="https://buttondrawer.com/home.asp" onmouseover="window.status=’https://buttondrawer.com/home.asp’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">The Button Drawer</a> - a website I found through <a href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=512&amp;entry_id=110" title="http://chappysmom.typepad.com/" onmouseover="window.status=’http://chappysmom.typepad.com/’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">Deb aka Chappy’s Mom</a>. Thanks Deb!</p><p>However, immediately after placing my order and going to their home page to…well, to see if there were any more buttons I could order…I saw this:</p><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold;">
Note: Due to year end inventory reconciliation, order shipments may be delayed.
Also during the period from 1/6/2005 thru 1/13/2005 our web
site was unavailable due to technical difficulties. We apologize for
any inconvenience this may have caused.</span></p><p><br />Okay everyone say it with me, &quot;SH*TBALLS!&quot; Delayed?! There cannot be a delay! This is the Olympics fer crissakes!!! Just my flippin’ luck. Hopefully I get them before the 26th of February and they aren’t sold out/backordered/lost at the back of a drawer/etc. <img width="298" height="235" src="uploads/Photos/huntingtonyarnsm2.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /> </p><p>I did get my yarn which, if I do say so myself, looks pretty good. The grey is going to be the body of the sweater and the red will be the pattern. Let me know what you think!</p><p>Now I just have to receive my Addi’s which I ordered yesterday from <a target="_blank" href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=513&amp;entry_id=110" title="http://stores.ebay.com/Yarn-World-Co-UK" onmouseover="window.status=’http://stores.ebay.com/Yarn-World-Co-UK’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;">Yarnworld on Ebay</a> (who has GREAT prices, btw) and then I can do the swatch thang ;o)</p><p>I’m really looking forward to this. Even if I don’t finish this project within the 16 day time limit I’ll have a pretty bitchin’ sweater. (I’m pretty sure I can/will finish - I may lose my job from knitting under my desk…but I’ll finish!)</p><p>Yeah, I said ‘bitchin’. ;o) I blame <a href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=514&amp;entry_id=110" title="http://nessienoodle.blogspot.com/2006/01/spt-history.html" onmouseover="window.status=’http://nessienoodle.blogspot.com/2006/01/spt-history.html’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">Nessie</a>. </p><p>
</p>

<p>Sometimes there is a pattern that comes along that is so easy, so simple and so perfect that it just…works.<img width="214" height="314" style="border: 0px none ; float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Photos/SimpleVdone1.jpg" alt="" /> Before you know it you have knit a sweater that you wish you could get away with wearing every day. The <a target="_blank" href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=499&amp;entry_id=109" title="http://www.glampyre.com/blog/archive/001230.php" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.glampyre.com/blog/archive/001230.php’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;">Easy V-Neck Raglan</a> snuck up on me with its quiet stockinette stitch and it’s wondrous top-down ease of construction. I love this sweater, it’s comfy and it’s warm and looks pretty darned good if I do say so myself. The yarn was purchased at Rhinebeck and this is my first 100% wool sweater. The stats for this project are:</p><p><img width="286" height="167" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Photos/Project-Stats4a.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></p><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p>Now other times there is a pattern that you have to reason with, argue with, swear at and finally wrestle into submission. That project for me was the Jaywalkers. I had a helluva time getting a gauge large <img width="209" height="205" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="uploads/Photos/jaywalkers3.jpg" alt="" />enough to fit over my heel because this fabric isn’t as giving as your basic chevron sock pattern. I finished them up at 2:30 this morning because as you know, once you reach the toe and make that first set of decreases you’re in it ’til the bitter end. I think they turned out pretty good, they’re comfy and warm and I’m wearing them as I write this ;o) This is also my first photo taken with my Ott Light wanna-be. See, deep down I’m a cheapskate - hard to tell, I know, what with all the yarn purchasing going on here. I will pay through the nose for a lovely, soft yarn however I skimp and save in other areas of my life - all<img width="261" height="188" style="border: 0px none ; float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="uploads/Photos/jaywalkers2a.jpg" alt="" /> the more $$ for yarn ;o) I went to Joann’s with the full intent of purchasing an Ott light but when I got there and was faced with the Ott’s and the knockoffs I went with the knockoffs (which were also 1/2 off at the time - the Ott’s were, too but I figured if I spent $50 less I’d have $50 to spend at the <a title="The Periwinkle Sheep" target="_blank" href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=500&amp;entry_id=109" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.periwinklesheep.com/’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;"><span title="Local Yarn Shop" class="serendipity_glossaryMarkup">LYS</span></a> later that day). It is still a full-spectrum light, it just doesn’t have the brand name on the side of it. It does a fairly good job showing the ‘true’ colors of the yarn however, it does wash them out just a little bit. These ended up being a little bit on the loose side which I’m hoping will be fixed when I put them in the dryer. Yes, I said ‘dryer’ ;o) The stats for this project:</p><p><img width="314" height="184" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Photos/Project-Stats5a.jpg" alt="" /></p><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p /><p>Now, I also said that I had a question for you all. As you know, I am knitting the Huntington Castle sweater for the Knitting Olympics. This sweater calls for buttons. Which means I have to pick out buttons AND<img width="90" height="90" style="border: 0px none ; float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="uploads/Buttons/JHB92545.jpg" alt="" /> because of the rules of the Olympics I have to <i>have</i> the buttons and <i>attach</i> the buttons before the end of the Olympics on the 26th. I’m hoping you all can help me with this decision. I have narrowed down the choices to two - the first being this lovely button which we will hereafter refer to as ‘Exhibit A’. I also have a second choice (not that it is my second choice or anything, it’s just the second button that I picked out). This button will hereafter be <img width="92" height="88" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/uploads/Buttons/JHB92777.jpg" alt="" />referred to as ‘Exhibit B’. Exhibit B has the Scottish Thistle on it which appeals to me because I am Scottish however, I’m not so sure that the colors on the button will work with the colors of the sweater. You see, I’m not going with the colors that are shown in the photo on the cover of the IK. I’m knitting the body in a gray that is a little darker than the one shown and the pattern will be knit in a dark red. <a title="Check out the colors I’m using" target="_blank" href="http://jessaluknits.yarncourtesans.com/exit.php?url_id=501&amp;entry_id=109" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/yarn_display.aspx?itemid=5420103′;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;">Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Mist and Hollyberry</a>, to be exact. (WHICH JUST SHOWED UP!! YAY!! *happy dance*). So, please let me know which button you think would work best on this sweater. I can’t promise I’ll go with the winner of the poll but I can promise that I’ll take it into serious consideration! </p><p /><p><center><script src="http://www.blogpoll.com/poll/view_Poll.php?type=java&poll_id=42799" language="javascript"></script></p></center>