Yarnblog, take 1

I try to keep my Ravelry project page as updated as I can, but I know that not everyone is on my favorite knitting website. I've decided to do an occasional knitting update here on the Camp BaconAlien blog for my non-knitting friends out there.

First, I'll start with things I have finished, aka finished objects or FO's.

-Gnomie Hat -

This hat was made with yarn that I received in a Loopy Swap from Naomi (yardgnomes) called Mochi Plus in Rainbow Trout. I purchased the pattern from TBFF Yarns and More, and it's the Braided Swirl Tam. It was a little big on me so I set it aside. The next night when Kyle's parents came to visit, Ruth Ann tried it on and loved it. It was definitely a good match.

-Thanks for all the Fish-
For these socks I used hand dyed superwash yarn in Woad that I dyed at a blue party at the True Blue Fiber Friends old location. I paired it with a self-striping Mini Mochi in 108 to make the pattern Swedish Fish Socks by SpilllyJane. I love how fast two color socks go! I made these in 12 days. I plan on taking better pictures outside with a sock model at a later date.

-Purple Twist Blankie -

This baby blanket was made out of one of the softest yarns out there, Malabrigo Twist. For this two color blanket I used Velvet Grapes and Plena. The pattern is the Carseat Blanket by Ruth Homrighaus, and this is the third one that I've made. They're simple, beautiful, and I will probably make more. I blocked this blanket today, so this is really just a preview pic.

-Tulip Cardigan -
This is a great little sweater, but it might be a little too big for the newborn I had in mind. I used Dream in Color Classy in various colors that I received in a kit. The pattern is called Tulips, a Colorful Cardigan for Baby by Lindsay Pekny. It would be a great pattern for scrap yarn.

That's it for my finished objects. Now, for works in progress or WIPs. I have several Christmas projects that I'm working on and it would be silly for me to post them. I don't want to ruin the surprise! So I will post them once they are finished and gifted.

-Christmas socks -

These sparkly Christmas socks are going to be for me. They're made with Dyabolical Bling Sock in the color "Closer than you Think." The pattern is CookieA's Wanida and I have modified it to make them two at a time. They're going very quickly and I love the colors.

-Evenstar -
This project is also known as the "Lace Monstrosity." I'm not a big wearer of lace shawls, so I'm really just making this for the challenge. I started it in April 2011 and I hope to finish it in April 2012. The pattern is Evenstar Shawl by Susan Pandorf and I am using Unique Sheep Marici in Midnight Forrest (which is a gradient colorway).

-Chemo Cap -

For my charity knitting of the month I am making the Bow Tie Cloche/Chemo hat by Debbie Anne and Susan Ann with leftover Cascade Ultra Pima in Magenta and Pink Rose. I had a bunch of extra yarn from a baby blanket. The Ultra Pima is super soft and washes nicely.

Next is stash aquirements. I just happened to catch an update for the sought after Dancing Dog Dyeworks etsy shop. They usually sell out in under 5 minutes, so you have to be quick. I purchased

-Twist Sock "In a Can"-

This yarn is self-striping and was inspired by Oscar the Grouch.

-Twist Sock "Sparkle"-


Another self-striping yarn that is crazy pinks and purples. It would be perfect for a pair of little girl's socks.

-Little Puppy Dk in "Cupcake"-


This yarn has all sorts of beautiful colors and I'm still not sure what I'm going to make with it. Possibly a Rebecca Danger Monster, but we'll see what happens.

Speakeasy Bridge Opening

I truly love Speakeasy. They played a killer late night set at Harvest Festival so we wouldn't miss them at our favorite hometown venue, The Bridge.

It was a great show that included Talking Heads' "Naive Melody -This Must be the Place" and Led Zepplin's "We're Gonna Grove". They also played Kyle's request, "Pablo". We really dug their sound at the Bridge and hope they come back to play again soon.

Bockman 10 year Anniversary

I first saw Bockman play at the Euphio Campout in August of 2006 when Kyle and I first started dating. I was completely blown away, and even more so because they are all Columbia guys.

Bockman played an anniversary show and we had a fantastic time at The Bridge. It brought back lots of memories. I didn't get any pictures, but I'll leave you with this video from that night back in 2006 (recorded by our good friend James Eberhart).

Amy is 30!

My sister had her 30th birthday party at my parent's house in Quincy. We ate chilli, wasabi snack mix (which I can't stay away from), and these Andes Mint Cupcakes (recipe at Your Cup of Cake) that I made.

This pic is from the recipe website, but just imagine that mine were that pretty.

We sat around the fire pit outside, had cocktails, and told stories. Amy wore a tiara that Mom got for her that had blinky lights on it.

This was the only surviving picture from the evening. Good times! Happy Birthday Amy!

Cardinals Birthday

The Cardinals won the World Series on Kyle's birthday. So this is a happy guy:

The next night we went to Heather and John's Halloween party dressed as a bumble bee and a bee keeper. Kyle contemplated dressing up as a flower, but this seemed a little easier.

John and Heather really know how to do a Halloween party. Here's some of the treats:

The eyeballs were peanut butter balls with icing and the mouths were apple slices with marshmallows for teeth.

John dressed up as Dexter, and the whole basement was decorated in plastic and weird tool kits. He even had a case of glass slides.
And the backyard was super spooky.

How can you ask for a better weekend?

Mulberry Mountain

Harvest Festival this year, Oct. 13th - 16th, was a lot of fun. As RV Upgrade camp hosts, Kyle and I got to greet everyone and pass out shower wristbands. We met lots of people, got to see a bunch of great music, and I even caught a nap in my hammock. Dirtfoot and friends camped with us, and we were right next to the St. Bernard's. It felt like a big family reunion. Well, it was really.

My highlights were definitely the making the Chompdown bloody mary's,

camping with good friends,

(Me, Sonya, and Andrea - pic care of Pauly)
eating the great food (Andrea's potato soup, Tony's chilli, Scott's spicy chicken and rice, brats, bacon, and Will's lunch every day), and having our own golf cart.

My music highlights were listening to Scotty G. whistling with Truckstop Honeymoon, late night Speakeasy, Dirtfoot playing "Underwater Turtle" with a special performance by a little hooper, Cornmeal, Todd Snider, Honkey Suckle, Rev. Peyton and his Big Damn Band, Deadman Flats, and Mountain Sprout. Did anyone catch Yonder Mountain? :)

Edited to add: Here's the late night Speakeasy show, free for your listening pleasure.

Current River Trip

We usually try to do a fall float trip, so we made some last minute plans for Shelly's birthday on the Current River. We have been to this spot several times, and the people at Jadwin Canoe are fantastic! Scott, Krissy, Shelly, Mike, Jen and Tom, Dan, and Amy were in attendance, and they were a great group to float with. Plus, the fall foliage was spectacular.


Kyle likes the front seat.

This is Welch Spring, which is the 5th largest spring in Missouri and is a conservation area for endangered grey bats.


After a long day on the river we all ate a potluck dinner, sat around the camp fire, and had a lazy evening.