Jessimuhka Knits

There was a bit of interest in a NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament pool for knitters, so I've set one up. This link should take you straight to sign up, bypassing the password request. If that doesn't work, go here, and search for group "Knitters' Pool", password "caston". If you don't already have an ESPN login, you'll have to create one. I've found them fairly non-spammy. I only get about 2 emails from them a year, about the Tourney. Once you're in just follow the instructions to click through who you think will win. Easy! Any knitters are welcome to play, since having a bigger pool makes it more fun in my opinion. Of course, if you make your choices based on cute mascots or other irrelevant criteria and beat me, I reserve the right to glare in your general direction. I'm going to say that if we get more than 10 participants, I'll send a prize to the winner, or first runner up if I win. Please feel free to pimp this around, because more players = more funner. I know there must be more knitters who love BBall out there!

Oh, hi! You're here for knitting content you say? Well I do have some of that. I got my first STR club package last week and took some pictures of the yarn, which are in my flickr account here. I started the pattern that came with the yarn, but the tight gauge called for is making what should be fun unpleasant. I think I'm going to rip back and do something more fun for me. I took pictures of the STR socks I finished last month, in Red Rock Canyon.

They're just standard 64 stitch stockinette socks with 1x1 ribbing at the cuff, knit on Inox 2s, with a round heel. I wore them out the other night and they feel great.

I also started a fairly mindless project that I plan on working on during Basketball. It's the "lace nightie" from the new IK (pattern available on their website as a .pdf), and I am annoyed that they didn't give it a better name. I don't plan on wearing it to sleep in, and I feel kind of weird typing the word nightie so many times (it's not a word I normally use, as I find it overly cutesy). I'll be wearing it as a layering tank, or maybe a swimsuit cover-up top.

This picture is just after I finished the bottom border. I'm not much farther yet, but I have set up the front lace panel (omitting the back one). I'm using Southwest Trading Company's Bamboo yarn, the older put up, which I understand is a bit rougher than the new stuff. I really like the drape of this yarn, and I've been enjoying working with it. I got it 40%-ish off when a yarn shop closed. The yardage is really great, 250yds/100g per ball. I have 3, which is slightly over the required yardage for the Alchemy yarn called for in the pattern.

That's about all that's going on over here knit-wise. Thursday I went to Rebecca's to knit with Kristen and Jen (and met one of Jen's blogmates), and Kristen and I witnessed was possibly the Worst. Band. Ever. I wish I'd had my camera with me to take a video and document the badness. I also had the best martini ever though, and got out of the house to socialize, so I think it wound up a win over all.