planetKnit

2009-02-01T21:37:00.002-05:00

Here is something fun to try. If I use my maiden name, there are only 102.
If I use planetMom's name, she is unique. She is the only one.
If I use planetDad's name, there are 4 including him.
Trying out planetBro's name, we have 90. Using planetSil's name, we have 61.
Last, but definitely not least, running planetKid's name yields 192.
To me, each of them is one in a million!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1,101
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Tap Tap Tap...Anyone in There?

2008-12-11T23:32:00.004-05:00

Yes, I've been AWOL again. School has been busy. But here's a survey I thought I'd share.

It's my rainbow.

Your rainbow is shaded violet.

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

How appropriate that purple is my favorite color, no?

Random Friday

2008-03-28T15:32:00.003-04:00

There's been minimal knitting (and even less blogging LOL) going on at Chez PlanetKnit due to the demands of school and work. School has been eating at least 20 hours per week of time outside of class, usually more. This Web Design program is more than I bargained for this semester.

School is out May 5th, and I have obtained some Dream in Color Classy in the Punky Fuschia colorway from Sheri at The Loopy Ewe to join in her knit-a-long. I'm planning the Scoop du Jour from ChicKnits I'll have 26 days to complete it, unless by some stroke of fate, the demands of school lessen between now and then. Not likely.

Just for fun, I played along to see what my name means. Most of it is pretty accurate.Here are the results:

What Karen Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.

You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.

People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.

You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.

You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.

You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.

You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

If you'd like to try it yourself, click on the link.
That's all I have for this Random Friday, the last day of my "Homework Vacation" where I took a weeklong vacation from work in order to catch up on my homework. (No, it wasn't a vacation from doing homework, unfortunately.)

Let's just say that Photoshop and I are getting along better these days. :) That's always a plus when trying to make mockups for a client's web redesign.

Modified Monkeys

2007-09-22T12:41:00.000-04:00

I finished the Modified Monkeys last Saturday. These are knit in Gypsy Girl Creations fingering weight, in the coloway Flower Child. I thought. When I tried them on, one of them was 3/4" shorter than the one that actually fit. What the heck? The number of pattern repeats matched, so near as I can figure, my row gauge must've changed. They looked the same. But they were different. Alas, I had to frog the toe of the offender and knit a few rows plain and *then* start the toe decreases. Here is an on-the-foot shot. Man, is it ever hard to take a semi-decent picture of your own foot!

The other modification I made (beside reknitting the toe) was to knit all of the purl stitches. I wish I could remember where I first saw that idea, to give credit where credit is due. It was a nice change from the first pair of Monkeys, shown below, before all of the ends were woven in.

These were done in Claudia Hand Painted Yarn, fingering weight, colorway Sharks.
I did the cuff on Addi 2.75 mm needles and switched to 2.5mm at the heel flap for both pairs.
Next up? More socks, of course. I'm debating between starting Thuja socks for my brother for Christmas and another pair of RPM socks for myself. Decisions, decisions. There is plenty of STR in the Sock Yarn Collection to accomplish both.

Film at 11

2007-09-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

August Loopy Loot

Well, when last I posted, I mentioned a little Sneak-Up over at The Loopy Ewe. Here it is, a month after its arrival, and I finally had the ultimate combination of a)No Rain and b)No Work and c)During the Day.
Plus, there was another Sneak-Up last Tuesday, and, well, the mailman *might* be stopping at my house today. Just sayin'.

Without further ado, my August Loopy Loot:

Misty Mountain Farm Crimson Tide
J.Knits Happy Anniversary to Ewe

J.Knits New Jersey
and
Lime & Violet Dreamsicle on the Pavement
I have come to the conclusion that I am a Yarn Collector. And I'm OK with that. I will have no guilt about "stash", because this is my hobby. There are so many wonderful yarns out there, and my knitting time is sooooo limited, that for now, I'm happy to collect. What I actually get to knit with is a bonus. Some day I will be able to try them all.

All of these goodies were waiting on my doorstep the afternoon that I returned from the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan. It was about a 2 hour drive from here. I'll leave you with a little sheepy goodness until I write more about that.

Uh-Oh. There was a Sneak-Up

2007-08-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

Sheri had a sneak up on Monday night/Tuesday morning at The Loopy Ewe . I might have had a little accident with my credit card. {Cue rising smoke...)
Film at 11. Or when USPS drops it off. Stay tuned.

A New Knitter is Born

2007-07-15T18:39:00.001-04:00

The trip to Heritage Spinning and Weaving was a resounding success. My small friend the Fabulous Miss H. (not so small anymore, she's 11) and her mom (still a non-knitter) took the ride up there with me. H. has been asking me if I'd teach her to knit for a couple of years, but we live so far apart that it never seemed practical. She has become quite the little Googler these days, so I'm confident we can find online sources together if she gets stuck.
She picked out 2 colors of Lamb's Pride Bulky, a pale pink and a magenta, to make the hat that HSW teaches in their beginning knitting class. It's knit flat and sewn, but demonstrates garter, stockinette, ribbing and decreasing while producing something functional at the end. She's quite pleased. I demonstrated the long-tail cast on to her and she picked it right up. Then, we learned the knit stitch, so she is working on many rows of garter stitch until the next time we meet. She is knitting slowly and carefully and it is working out well.
For myself, I found some issues of KnitScene that I'd been searching for and Interweave Felt which isn't supposedly available until Tuesday. I also jumped on the SoySilk Tofutsies bandwagon. I got 2 skeins, one in lime/white and one in raspberry/white.

I was also able to make some progress on my latest Monkey sock while supervising the fabulous Miss H.

All in all, a successful trip.

I'm In!

2007-07-14T10:34:00.000-04:00

Woo Hoo! Thursday evening, I got my invite to Ravelry. How exciting is that?? Jess and Casey really have a great vision with this community. It's still in the beta stages, but they are still accepting volunteers. I don't remember how long ago I registered--maybe a month? If you see me over there, 'friend' me! I've been slowly adding information to my stash, my queue, my library and my patterns. What a wonderful resource this will be after I finally get all of my info entered. That, or I'll scare the crap out of myself when I see the actual size of my stash.
Today I'm off to Heritage Spinning and Weaving in Lake Orion, MI. What started out as a spinning and weaving store has morphed into a very cool yarn store as well. Joan and her staff are some of the nicest people; I'm just sad that they're so far away. About an hour and a half from here, but I have a birthday coupon burning a hole in my checkbook and I get to visit with a good friend who lives on that side of town. I'll try to post pictures of the loot! ;)

Countdown to the 4th

2007-06-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

From top to bottom: Seacoast Handpainted Yarn in Ambergris and Desert Rose, Perchance to Knit in Seascape

Well, you know what they say about the "best laid plans". Since I last posted, I've been busier than ever. The orders just keep coming from the Loopy Ewe. Sheri does a fabulous job packing each order with TLC. I recently surpassed the 6 order mark and became a Loopy Groupie. Fun.

Three More Weeks!

2007-04-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

Until school is out for me. Yea! This semester has been tough. It's kept me very busy. Now, those who know me in real life, know that busy is my middle name. But this is ridiculous. I can't wait to get back to some "real" knitting.

On April 1, I was one of the patient knitters awaiting the Yarn Harlot's arrival at the Ann Arbor District Library. All I can say, is Thank You, Brad. Brad was everyone's hero that day. That was the same day I started a sock in Socks That Rock lightweight, in the January One color way. My original plan was the Monkey sock from Knitty, but I Plan B'd it while waiting in line for the library to open. I didn't want to have to keep referring to the pattern while I was listening.

I now know how long it takes me to get from cast on to heel turn in my standard sock with a waffle pattern on the cuff. About as long as it takes to wait for the Harlot and get my book signed. 11:45 until 6:45. And the library closed at 6!

Next in the queue will be the Monkey socks and a Ribby Tank from ChicKnits. The stash is giving me the silent treatment this week, so I still have to decide which yarn I will use for the Monkey socks, but the Ribby Tank will be in some KnitPicks Shine Worsted. I love the idea of knitting in the round-the finishing work is so minimal that way.

I'll be back soon with more substantial knitting content AND some decent photos, if all goes well!

Not Enough Time!

2007-03-21T23:19:00.000-04:00

It seems the more I *want* to knit, the *less* time I have! Is that one of Murphy's Laws? I have made a little progress on the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl by Susan. I started on Saturday in between rounds of homework. That was my reward for completing tasks and to break up the monotony of sitting at the computer all day.

I'm using Mountain Colors Bearfoot in an unknown colorway. The ball band is currently MIA. It is a lovely mix of blue, purple, teal and little flashes of gold. I tried to make it be socks, but it just wasn't cooperating. The yarn seems much happier this way. This is a gift for my mother--she selected the yarn last year at The Fold. She just doesn't know it isn't going to be socks anymore.

There are socks calling me too. I have the Rockin Sock Club Kit from Blue Moon, as well as some stash whispering to me, well, OK, some of it is YELLING at me, that it wants to grow up into socks. I've been eyeing the Monkey socks from knitty in some lightweight STR in January One, that was a prize from Cara back in January. (Thanks, Cara!!) Plus, the Colinette Jitterbug that I mentioned last time is being kind of loud over there. Especially the Alizarine. The Lagoon is a little quieter.

Again, pictures to follow, when I figure this whole thing out. :)

Hi Honey, I'm Home...

2007-03-16T22:48:00.000-04:00

I've considered blogging for a couple of years and finally decided to take the plunge. I'm karen, I live in Michigan, I love to knit socks and I love to collect sock yarn. In fact, today I scored a package from The Loopy Ewe with some Poodle Skirt by Scarlet Fleece and Biker Chick by All Things Heather.

At lunch-time, I ran out to pick up a US8 for a shawl project, and ran into some Colinette Jitterbug at my LYS. Two of them followed me home with my new needle, so all was not lost.

Last week, the mail-man brought my first installment of the 2007 Rockin' Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Definitely worth the wait.

Right now, there's more sock-knitting than sock-knitting time to go around to all of the projects. Along with a full-time job in marketing, I have a part-time job in retail and am taking 6 credit hours in Web Design. Not much spare time here...

As soon as I figure out how to post photos, I'll share a little eye candy. :)