Welcome to Wildesheep

What kind of world do we live in that Wal-Mart has stopped selling fabric and emroidery floss!??!?!?!?! I mean, oh my god, do they not think that people craft anymore!!! Who needs more stationary and party supplies- that is what they put in the place of my little fabric area- I am horrified!! I will now have to drive 30 minutes to get some damn embroidery floss to try out my new book that I bought- Sublime Stitches by Jenny Hart.  It got lots of poor reviews on Amazon, but for me, a total beginner, I love it! Adorable, super easy patterns.  

I hope that everyone is teaching their children to craft.  Even if they do have to drive forever for supplies! I am going to have Em knitting by the time she is 5!

My niece is BEAUTIFUL!

I went sock book shopping to help with my problem as described below. 

I started using Ann Budd’s Getting Started Knitting Socks and it is really great.  It is soooo step by step with photos and everything, I was able to churn out a baby sock.  The yarn is from Starbug Knits etsy shop. 

The only complaint that I have with the book is that is does not have instructions for toe up socks, which I prefer.  I don’t like dealing with the Kitchener Stitch, because I just don’t “get” knitting enough yet to do it correctly.  I guess I will figure it out, though. 

I also found a new yarn store that is sorta near by and joined Meet Up, because it seems there is a very active Stitch and Bitch group in my area!! Yay!!

Okay.  I suck as a knitter.

 There.  I said it.  I am obssessed with something that I totally suck at.

For the last 5 years I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on yarn, patterns, and trinkets.  Just seeing needles or yarn makes my heart beat quicken.  I am in love with knitting.

But… I totally suck at it!! Every time that I try to knit something awesome from one of the awesome patterns that I find and buy yarn for, it always looks like hot shit.  It really sucks.  It is ugly.  Or I mess up and quit.  Or I get frustrated and rip it out.  I am a pretty smart freakin person, but I suck at knitting.

I am like the crappy singers that audition for American Idol and then their embarassing audition is played over and over and all over the world people ask themselves, “Do they really think they can sing?”  Well, I have the answer.  NO.

They know they can’t sing, but they love it.  Notes and songs and tunes make them happy. 

If their was a Knitting American Idol, I would be the first in line and sleep out on the streets for days just to audition, but then some of the big names in knitting- lets say Lily Chin, Yarn Pirate, and Eunny J. - and it would all end with them laughing at me and telling me I should go back to crochet while giggling as they knit without even looking!!

I love knitting.  Why do I suck at it?? Why after 5 years can I not complete a single project?  Why do I always get confused, screw up, and rip it out?  Why can’t I just finish one flippin sock???  Why do I have such a a beautiful, expensive stash that I can’t do anything with??????

Any advice?  comments?  jokes at my expense?  I want to knit.  I want to be good at knitting, but obviously in this “sport” practice doesn’t make perfect!!  

Finally!! Three hundred years after every other knitter in the world!! I got my RAVELRY invite!! Yay!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

Well, I haven’t even picked up the needles in over a week, but i have been stash building.

I got my first Booty Club installment~ I opened the package and saw the lime and yellow, and was getting ready to be disappointed (not my colors) but when I saw the black and grey with it- AWESOME!! Not my typical colors, but I love it! Killer Bees is the name of the colorway-

I also got awesome needles, yp sticker, and yp pin! Love the Booty club!

I found two great skeins on Etsy, too.

The first is “Kitty” by Starbugknits- only $16!! GREAT! Check out her Esty shop at Star Bug Knits

The second is “Monster Mash” by CrashIntoEwe- $17!! Check out her Etsy shop at CrashIntoEwe 

Now, I just have to knit some of this AWESOME yarn up!

I turned the heel.  I hope this looks right- it is a heel, but I don’t know if it was supposed to look like this or not!

In other news, I got some neat sock yarn off of ebay for like $6! Cool! I also have several other orders “on the way” so I will post photos when there is time…

Finally, it is spirit week where I teach and while I usually hate my job, it is fun to be 26 and still dressing up for Tacky Day!

My Firestarter Sock continues to grow! I didn’t check the guage so it is a little too big, but that means it will fit my Aunt perfectly- great for Christmas gift! Yay!

I am going to attempt turning the heel using the Magic Loop- the last time I did this I totally screwed up and had to riiipppp it all out!

Here are the final pictures before I attempt the impossible:

I must say that Knit-a-longs are the best idea ever!! Thanks to the help of the Firestarter KAL members, I have figured out the chart- it is easy, but I tend to overthink things…  the sock is growing but I have to really get down to it if I plan to finish in time to do an additional pair during Socktoberfest!  I love the way these are working up, but you cannot see the side pattern at all because of the busy stripes, but oh well, I know its there…hehehe

Yarn Pirate is awesome.  Does everyone know that yet?? You have to check out the baby socks she is churnning out- ADORABLE!! :) 

I just can’t get it right- the toe is easy- done with it… but the chart- huh?? I understand how to make travelling stitches, but I don’t get when I am supposed to do them and which ones I am supposed to do at which time?? Anybody else working on these? HELP!

Post Script- I just found the Firestarter Knitalong! http://firestarterkal.blogspot.com/

I joined, so maybe I can get help- one side sorta is looking right but not the other…