Promised Pictures and Re-thinking My Plans

As promised, I have some pictures of yesterday's yarn acquisition adventure.

However, I think that I need to re-consider my plan about using the yarn for the Chevron Scarf. At the gauge that this yarn knits up, it really would be a Chevrolet Scarf (looks like I was right the first time). There is another scarf pattern in the book that I think will work out just fine though, so it is really not a big deal. Someday, when I am rich, I'll buy the Koigu that the pattern calls for.

In other news, I've made some progress on the Harlot Scarf I'm making for a friend at work. (This is not intended as a slight on her character. The scarf pattern was designed by The Yarn Harlot.) It is looking less like a ball of yarn and more like a scarf with every passing day.

Joann's Trip

We'll pretend that I didn't have a blog post earlier this week that implied (outright stated) that I already have enough (too much) yarn.

Yes.

Anyway, my darling Koren and I went out for dinner and shopping this evening, and of course I came home with yarn. I picked up two skeins of some new Debbie Mumm (!?!?) Traditions yarn and two skeins of one of Joann's Sensations yarns. My plan is to try out the Chevrolet (uh.. no, that's not right. Chevron. Sheesh.) Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I'll post pictures tomorrow, when I'm awake.

A Cardinal Number

Well, how about that, folks? I've made 100 posts here at Woolly Discipline. Now, I know I've been a sporadic poster, and if there is one thing that this past week of daily posting has taught me it's that.... it's probably just as well really.

Wow, how do daily bloggers come up with new stuff to write about?

Moreover, when have they got time to knit?

But anyway, 100 blog posts calls for a celebration, or (dare I say it?) a blog contest!

I shall choose randomly from amongst the comments, one lucky winner who will take home some lovely sock yarn. The rules are as follows:

• While contestants may comment more than once, this will not afford them multiple entries in the drawing.
• The comment that is either the most witty, or makes me laugh the hardest (I'm sure you see how these two need not be synonymous) will receive Honorable Mention.
• I'll be monitoring the comments on this post through midnight on Tuesday, November 13. I'll announce the winner in Wednesday's post. If you were clever enough to leave me an email address, I'll email you too.
• If you don't happen to live in my hometown, I'm happy to mail the sock yarn to you. We'll work out the details as we go along.)
  

Now, since I have three regular readers, one regular commenter, and two or three occasional guests (I'm looking at you, tekopp, "hi!" and goodness, how much is post to Norway?) I'll be interested to see how many commenters crawl out of the woodwork at the promise of free yarn.

Yay for 100 posts!

This Little Alien Went to Market*

I figure everyone must have a system for determining what does and doesn't count as an actual UFO. I mean, these things are all relative, right? Does it become a UFO moment you cast on? Or is that a WIP?

How long does it take to make the transition? Let's say, hypothetically, that you get bored and wander off. When does it loose its shiny WIP status, and join the lowly, the unloved, the uncounted, the UFOs?

For myself, I have a graduated system (and clearly, if I put as much effort into actually knitting as I do to thinking about it, much of this post would be moot.)

(Image © Annais)

Pipe-Line Projects: these are the knits I'm dreaming about, reading the patterns and shopping for yarn. These are "what's next."

Current Projects: projects that are on the needles, and that I'm either currently, actively knitting, or have done in the very recent past

Once and Future Projects: projects that I used to be really excited about, but for whatever reason have fallen by the knitting wayside. These are projects that I will totally (someday) finish. No really. Stop looking at me like that.

I'm sorry, Do I Know You? Projects: Projects that I don't remember why I was knitting. I would frog them, but to do so would require admitting that I'd ever cast them on.

Yarn: Gone daddy, gone. I came, I saw, I frogged. As Stephanie Pearl McPhee would say, "I remember that I like yarn more than I like bad hats" (Knitting Rules, pg. 125).

So, How do you count your UFOs?

*When my youngest two children were babies, my husband liked to play "piggies" on their toes. Never one to leave well enough alone, we changed the rhyme every time we said it. Sometimes the piggies went to market to buy tofu (my husband is a hippie, what can I say?) Sometimes though, they weren't piggies at all. Sometimes they were aliens "This little alien cried NargleBleepZoop all the way home!" It seemed a logical progression from counting UFOs to counting aliens.

Christmas Knits

For those of you in the blogosphere smart enough not to decide to write a novel during November, it's time to start (ha!) your Christmas knitting. The clever, prepared knitter, of course, began this process last March and is now smugly seaming up complex fingering weight fair isle sweaters for their postman.

I think we all know that I am not that knitter.

I am not actually intending to knit (or sew, for that matter) too many of my gifts...but what seems to be a perfectly reasonable number at the beginning of November is a one one way ticket to crazy-town come late December.

Now, pretend that this paragraph is a list, detailing exactly what I intend to make for whom, and how near it is to completion. Pretending is what you'll have to do, because the people I'm making gifts for? They read the blog.

Right. Well.

That was helpful.

I Like Soccer Balls Better

The good news is, I found my camera. When my boy-o was using the computer night before last, he knocked my camera bay over and my camera fell between my tower and the "random box of old video games" (admit it, you know you have one). I have been having a series of ongoing adventures with my son and the computer. Two weeks ago he got on-line while I was at work and very thoughtfully bought me $20 worth of "gems" on pogo.com. Yes, my little dude spent twenty bucks on electrons. This is as much my fault as anyone's because my password was set to auto-fill. I really ought to know better (and yes, I fixed that little faux pas on my part.)

So, long story short, we are keeping a closer watch on what he does when he's playing his games on my PC, and we've set him up his own account with restricted access (no installing). Yesterday I notice that the little icon for his account has changed. It was a little car, then it was a soccer ball.

Me: Honey, did you change the picture for your profile?
Little Dude: Yes. It was a car.
Me: Did Daddy help you?
L.D.: No.
Me: How did you know how to do that?
L.D.: *shrugs* I like soccer balls better.

Dude is 6.

This morning, it was a frog.

I am in so much trouble.

Nothing To See Here, Move Along

I can't find my camera.

This bodes ill on day 4 of NaBloPoMo. How am I going to excite and titillate the masses without my camera? We'll ignore, for the nonce, the fact that I haven't actually knit anything worth blogging about in the last several days, and just focus on my total lack of cameratude. It was on my table yesterday before the party. (Yesterday 20+ lovely people invaded my home, ate candy, wore funny clothes and imbibed fermented beverages. Good times. Gut Glory only knows what became of my digital picture maker).

Oh, that reminds me, did I remember to tell you that I decided to do NaNoWriMo afterall? On October 31 I was very smugly helping a friend work out a plot point in her story when all of the sudden a plot-bunny the size of a moose bit me square on the tuckus.

Immediately, I ran to the computer and composed an email to three friends, begging them to talk me out of this insanity. I seriously miscalculated—all three of them had already committed to NaNo and were no help at all. (By 'no help' I mean, one of them said "Ooh, that would be awesome you totally have to do it!" and the other said, in a brilliant bout of reverse psychologizing, "You're probably right, it would be too hard for you." I hate you both so hard.)

So, let me leave you with a random picture of a scarf. No, I didn't find my camera, I took this one the other day when I was playing with my camera settings. I know it looks like a ball of yarn. You're going to have to use your imagination. I'm too busy writing to knit.

Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon

I like socks. Self-patterning pink and brown and purple and gray socks in particular. Today, these are my favorite (almost) socks. Not that they are almost my favorite, but rather that they are almost socks. I'm preparing to turn the heel on the second sock...just as soon as I get around to it.

See, I like socks. I like these socks. I really like wearing socks that I've knit.

So how come I haven't picked these socks up in two weeks?


I have no idea.

Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy

Knitpicks, as the entire blogosphere is already well aware, is having a clearance sale. I am really ambivalent about this, because Hey! Sale! 440 yards of gorgeous merino lace weight for a buck ninety-nine. But then on the other hand, discontinued colors. DISCONTINUED, people. This means no more ever.

EVER.

This means that I have to buy it all right now, because what if I want some later? Well, I won't be able to get it, will I? No, I will not. Because, discontinued.

So, long story... well, slightly less long, three buddies and I all went in together and bought a Giant Box O' Fiber Goodness.


My personal haul?

1 Shine Sport Aquamarine
1 Shine Sport Coral
1 Shine Sport Crocus
4 Shadow Redwood Forest Heather
2 Shadow Grape Jelly Heather
2 Gossamer Caribbean
4 Gossamer Blue Jeans
2 Gossamer Sweet Peas
2 Gossamer Leprechaun
2 Gossamer Sunrise

When, in my whole life long, am I going to knit all this up?

WHEN?!?!?

All Saints Day (and a Hallowe'en Hangover)

Hallowe'en is a pretty big deal here at Chez Woolly. I have made it a point to try to make costumes for the kids while they're still small enough to care—and most years I manage pretty well. This year, Rhiannon (13) originally told me that she didn't want or need a costume, so I factored her out of my time budget. Unfortunately, she changed her mind too late (sorry Rhi!) so she is costume-less this year. I plan to make it up to her this spring when she goes to our local Anime Con, so I tell myself it'll all come out in the wash.

Miss Morgan decided she wanted to be a witch. She was very specific in her design requirements. "I want a black robe just like Rhiannon's, but with blue instead of purple, and not so long I trip and fall on my face."

The wig was her Unka Monka's (Uncle Monkey's) edition to her costume. Not my fault....




At first I tried to talk Rowan into being a Ninja for Halloween (hey, black fabric is cheap this time of year) but he said that would be "too silly." He opted for Ash Ketchum of Pokemon fame (and after a bit of confusion on my part...turns out Ash Ketchum is no relation to Hal Ketchum) I found some pictures on the Intarwebs and commenced to figuring it out. Best news? I already had the fabric — his costume cost me less than $5 to make. I win at life.

NaBloPoMo (or How We Knew She'd Finally Lost Her Mind)

I'm sure you've heard of NaNoWriMo (if you haven't, either you don't know any geeks or you live under a rock.) Well, for those of us who don't actually know 50,000 words, apparently there is "NaBloPoMo" or National Blog Posting Month. The theory is, you make one post a day, everyday, during the month of November. (Can you say Meme? I knew you could!)

Now, those of you who know me in what passes for my real life, know that I work as a Team Lead in a customer service call center for a national bookstore. We are entering the fourth quarter, where retail does more than half of their year's business. This is when call center season really heats up. This seems to be a logical and reasonable time for me to decide to post daily. Yes.

As a side note, what's wrong with June? I grant you "NaJuWriMo" sounds funny, but people do not pretend to me that "NaNoWriMo" doesn't sound silly. I certainly grant you that there could be some confusion as to whether the Ju is referencing June or July, but surely we can work that out. Why does it have to be November, which is a notoriously busy time of year even for people who don't work in a retail environment? (Yes, I know the "No" really refers to Novel, not November. Hush.) I could conceivably string together 50,000 words in June. In November, I only know two words. "Sleep" and "Coffee". That would make for a decidedly boring novel.

But I digress. Frequently, and with panache. Tune in daily! There will be thrills! Chills! Photos! An attempt at being vaguely interesting!

Since I'm going to be posting daily, I did some research on what makes a good blog post. Many agree that good photos are KEY for generating and keeping a reading audience. Never one to shirk from duty, I present you with.....

A duck! (Photo © Victor Geere)

P.S. When I initially considered doing this, I was talking to my husband about it. I referred to is as NaNoBloMo (National November Blogging Month?) Anyway, let's just say that my husband was disappointed about what that doesn't mean. If you catch my drift, and I know you do.

She's Building A Mystery

I don't know what it is about Mystery Knitalongs that grabs me. I knit the Ragnarok shawl (also known as the Mystery Shawl 2) and hated every second of it. Now, don't get me wrong, the shawl turned out beautifully — it's easily the most complicated and beautiful thing I ever knit. Then there was the Mystery Stole 3. I think that the final design is really interesting, and I don't mean that in a bad way, necessarily. But it might be more interesting than I'm really comfortable with these days. In any case, the fabric I was getting wasn't quite right, and I stalled out at the end of Clue 2. I haven't frogged it. Yet. Right now it's in time-out under my bed.

So. Mystic Waters KAL. Maybe I'm a joiner. Maybe I'm addicted to possibility. This shawl could be nearly anything. It could be the masterpiece of my knitting career. It could be an incredible learning experience. I just don't know. Cuz it's a MYSTERY, see?

Drive By

No actual pictures to share — but I did want to do a quickie update. (I know, I know, quickies are less satisfying, but sometimes that's all you have time for).

Anyway, I've been working on adding projects to my Ravelry notebook (I'm Kadollan over there too, if you want to look me up). It now looks like I'm actually a knitter. I had a lot of fun going through old photos, reading old blog posts and generally trying to recreate history. I'm not done, but I'm not in any big hurry either. One thing I've noticed — I take better pictures now.

On the man-sweater front (or, rather, the back) I'm nearly ready to start the shoulder shaping. So far I'm loving the fabric I'm getting with the Wool of the Andes. In sock news, I'm mid-way into my second pink stripedy sock. I made a deliberate decision to make the two socks fraternal and it is absolutely driving me nuts. See, I'm the littlest bit OCD, and I look for ways to challenge myself .... I'm challenged.

I am seriously considering casting on a shawl. The Mystery Stole 3 is hibernating right now, to borrow a phrase from Ravelry. I may very well frog it, as it fails utterly to turn my crank and babies, my crank needs turned. I'm considering the Swallowtail Shawl for a dear friend of mine, or the Mystic Waters Knitalong for I don't know who.

The Man-Sweater Knitalong

So, my best Jess and I decided it was time to knit ourselves a sweater. A while back, Knit Picks had some of their Wool of the Andes on sale for $1.59 a ball. An auspicious time to undertake a project that (in my case....cuz I'm bigger) will take upwards of 15 balls of yarn. But what to knit?

I probably own, no lie, over fifty knitting books—and do I really need to count all of the magazines I have? Over the years I've seen scores of sweaters that I'd love to knit, would look great on me, or include a technique that just looks like it would be cool to learn. So, choosing a sweater to knit should be a piece of cake, non?

Non. Too many choices! Also, in the spirit of true -alongatude, we needed a pattern that Jess and I could both sport. For those of you who don't know us, Jess and I don't so very much have the same body type. I weigh an entire 2nd grader more than she does. We are the Amazon and the Pict. (We should have t-shirts or something.)

So, after a fair amount of ruminating...by which I mean "Whaddya want ta knit?" "Uh... I dunno?" We settled on Ann Budd's Cambridge Jacket from Interweave Summer 2006. We ceremoniously and with great fanfare dubbed it a Man Sweater Knitalong and commenced to ordering our yarn.

Jess went with Iron Ore (a pretty rusty red color) and I bought Blueberry (tealish). We both decided that in addition to making ourselves a sweater, we would try to move outside of our color comfort level a bit. As an interesting side note, the cardigan that Jess knit for the Olympics, which is her only adult sweater to-date, was a green with some blue to it. Meanwhile, I was knitting in nothing but cinnamon, brown, and red for MONTHS. Apparently she and I chose to move out of our own comfort levels.... and into each others. Go figure.

This sweater also has the advantage of a technique that neither of us has tried before: the sewn-in zipper. I am totally not counting "finishing a knitted sweater for myself" as a technique I've never tried before. I have knit my little people scads of sweaters....same technique, less staying power....or something.

Currently, my ManSweaterKnitalong-o-Meter is at approximately 25%. I'm less than an inch away from shaping for the armholes on the back. I've used nearly three balls of the 15 I ordered. I think I will have enough yarn, but that it will be close enough to make me sweat.


P.S. I really want to make the Icarus Shawl, from this same issue. I will, however, be re-christening it the "Daedalus Shawl" cuz dude.... do I really want my wings to melt from crashing into the sun, and then to plummet down into the sea and drown? Meanwhile Dad is circling around at a reasonable altitude saying "JEEZ! Why don't teenagers listen?" No thank you. Daedalus Shawl for me, please.

Well, aren't I a lamer then?

I don't know why I haven't been blogging more consistently. Too much other stuff going on, I guess. I am getting some knitting done, I'm happy to report.

I'm trying to decide how to make this blog coincide with my Ravelry—I definitely plan to continue this blog, but some of the information on it is going to become redundant. Do I need a running tally of projects in both places? I think I may quit using the percentages in the sidebar completely on this blog, because Ravelry does it so seamlessly. I will probably continue to update my Recent Work list though. Hey, I need all the encouragement I can get. Look Virginia! She really does finish things! Not just cast them on!

Okay, enough omphaloskepsis and on to the pictures!


Last month I blogged about the Nasty Acryl socks that I'm knitting for Iris. I have a serious hate on for that yarn. But! I persevered, and the socks are finished.

The socks are finished, the yarn is no longer lurking in my stash and that's one more Christmas/Yule present finished. Good times.



In a moment of weakness (Hey, I went to Angel Hair Yarn, Co. with Koren and no-longer blogless Cindy) I bought yet more sock yarn, and cast on a sock for me that is delightedly NOT acrylic.


Self-striping yarn makes me happy. I am a simple woman. I am seriously considering flouting my OCD ways and deliberately making these socks wackily-fraternal. We'll see if I can make myself do it when the time comes.

In other news, have you checked out Knitpicks new funknatious wooden needles? How cool are they? I just acquired some double-pointed sock needles, so a report on how they knit will be forthcoming. (P.S. the DPN sock needles come 6 in a set. How awesome is that?)

I See No Reason to Mention or Comment Upon a Month and a Half of Silence

So. Summer.

Yeah.

But also socks!

These Rags are, whatchacall, Glad.

Or to be more precise, they are what Laurie Andersson calls Glad. I started these puppies back in April of '06, but then I got bored and wandered off. You know, like you do.


But then, I got bored with something else, and wandered right back again (if by "right" you mean a year and a half later. And I do.)

I've modified the pattern slightly—ignored the beadwork and continued the lace pattern into the feet. I'm pretty happy with them, but discovered the inevitable consequence of losing 30+ pounds between casting on socks and kitchenering them. They's a twee baggy.

In other socks, I'm using up some of the old sock yarn stash (wait, am I allowed to call sock yarn stash?). I'm making a pair of wee socklets for Jess' Chi-town Princess. Showing barbaric cruelty, many, many acryls were harmed in the creation of this sock yarn. I cannot discuss it here. No, it is too barbaric. I am merely honoring the spirits of the many acryls slain in the processing of this yarn by knitting it up. Surely it would be crueler to let the yarn go to waste?

Summer is for Socks!

From now until the Autumnal Equinox it's all socks all the time here at Chez Woolly Discipline. Well, all socks, and Man-Sweater Knitalongs, and Mystery Stoles all the time. If you wanted to get technical about it. Which you didn't. But I did.

Anyway, the Glad Raggs socks are nearing completion — not so very far to go on the second sock. I had a minor disaster involving a torrential downpour at Dollywood. My extremely cool portable sock carrier that my best Jess made me has a lining that is not what you call "colorfast". So, once the socks are complete, I'll be experimenting with dyeing. Should be fun, and I'm not really fashed about it — the original color wasn't all that exciting to begin with. So, no wukkas.

Now, lest my total number of SIPs (socks in progress) accidentally ever dip below two, I went ahead and cast on a new sock. The Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks. I'm using Knitpicks Palette in Fawn on size 2 needles. Good Times.

(The Canada sock? What Canada sock?)

Sewing Queues, Mystery Stoles, Man Sweaters and RAVELRY!

Wow, I am lame in my non-postitude.

I haven't gotten much sewing done lately. I'm nearly done with a Yule gift for mumblemumble, and I've got a dress for Jess' Chi-Town Princess cut out and ready to go. Next in line is a shorts and T-shirt outfit for Morgan. Dig those crazy lime-green crabs.


In knitting news...well, I have lots of knitting news. Melanie is designing a third Mystery Stole and the group is crazy active. There are fifty-three million knitters already signed up, and there is a world shortage of JaeggerSpun Zephyr. I am exaggerating. A little. I'm pretty excited about all of this. The 2nd stole is absotively gorgeous (I never even cast on, although I did join the group) so I have high hopes for this one. In the spirit of stretching my skill set, I'm planning to knit this one with beads. Exciting stuff.

Jess and I are planning a wee tiny two person Man-Sweater-Along. There's a grand cardigan designed by Ann Budd in one of last year's Interweave Knits (I'll be more specific in an upcoming post). While Knitpicks had their Wool O' The Andes on sale for a buck fifty-nine, she and I both bought enough to make ourselves this sweater. More skill set enhancement with this one — it has a zipper. Neither of us have ever installed a zipper into knitwear before, but she and I both sew and have both done zippers in garment making. We'll figure it out.

Oh, and let me also casually mention.... I got my invite to Ravelry! Dudes. It's groovy. Totally worth the hype, and wicked fun to play in. Jess (different Jess) and Casey have my deep admiration and respect. I hear tell that Casey has quit his "real" job and they've decided to make a go of running Ravelry full-time. I am so impressed with the both of them. That's courage, people. Pure chutzpuh.

Community Quilting

My local (and regional) crafting group, Crafts of the Wise (or CoW for short) has been working on a community quilt for our religious organization to raffle for a fundraiser. We started it two years ago, and I think its time to finish that bad-boy.

This post is not about that quilt.

Our friend the (blogless) Cindy decided that my niece Sarah needed a quilt for graduation. She put together some scrap blocks set on point and passed them out to Sarah's friends, family, teachers, ROTC peeps (do they still call them peeps?)....

Anyway, Jess and I each donated a block, and the three of us got together last week to start putting the top together. It wasn't quite finished yet by the time they left here, but a lot of good work got done, and dudes, we had fun. (The embroidery was done by Jess, by the way.)


There was a party for Sarah that I didn't get to go to (had to work) but I'm given to understand that she really liked it, and was amazed that so many people signed it without her finding out.

So, the moral of this story is: Cindy rocks, and crafting together is fun!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

While this post will not actually mention, show or even link to Soleil, please know that I am still working on it. In fact, we are on the waist now, and about to begin the increases to the bust.

I have been doing some clearing up of some small projects.

I made Rowan a vest what with dinosaurs on when he was two. I also cut out a pair of shorts, but never made them. Until, you know, now.

The good news is, my boy-o is quite a bit taller now (three years later) but not so much bigger in the tummy. The durned things still fit. Go figure.

In other news, I finished the Kitty hat out of Stitch N' Bitch that Rhi conned me into knitting for her. The child can totally knit, and I should have made her do it herself...but I'm a sucker for a kid that begs for hand knits, what can I say?

Here's my beautiful baby girl looking, as she says "Shwah!" I gather from context that this is meant to be positive. I used to speak 13, but there has apparently been a dialectical shift in the intervening 2 decades.

And now for something completely different....

The Larch.

Okay, not quite that different. BUT! I have bloggy content for you that may shock and consternate my more delicate readers. What I am about to show you, is completely finished. I began it this week. And.

Its not knitting.

I know. I was shocked too.

Behold, the monkey shirt.

My Mr. Reno-berry is in dire need of some summer play clothes, and my stash is in some dire need of ... well, ever being used. Pretty much a win-win situation.

I sat down to sew on Tuesday, and had it all finished but the buttons and buttonholes. Then I remembered that I have a brand new sewing machine, and I don't so much know how to make buttonholes on it. I decided at that point that Learning New Things could totally wait until Wednesday.

Wednesday rolled around and after a trip to Wal-Mart (would you believe that in all that stash I have, like NO boy fabric? What the heck?) I sat down to learn button-holering. I love my new machine. I really, really do. Four fancy-schmancy relatively painless buttonholes later, and my boy has a new shirt.

Things I've learned:

• Lesson One: Just because you've been sewing for 15 years, don't think that you can get away with just looking at the pictures on a pattern you've never sewn before. It might bite you on your tuckus.
• Lesson Two: Listening to the husband read a story to the kidlings while sewing is very pleasant, but combined with lesson number one while sewing in a collar? Let's just say that more tuckus biting occurred and leave it at that, shall we?
• Lesson Three: My dude is seriously cute.

Book Review: Favorite Socks

Interweave Press has gathered 25 sock patterns together in their spring release "Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave." Edited by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow, this book delivers exactly what its title implies: a collection of 17 previously published (and 6 brand new) sock patterns.

Let me first say that this is a very pretty book. If I were being totally honest, and I am, I spend far more time looking at knitting books than I do actually knitting. Its a bit of a hobby in and of itself, so the over-all aesthetic quality of a knitting book is important to me. This one is nice.

The pages lie neatly open on the hidden inner spiral. This is common to Interweave's newer books (think Ann Budd's "Handy Pattern" books). I love this feature, because its really hard to knit and hold a book open at the same time. Also, the photography is lovely. Some pictures are old friends that you'll recognize from your collection, but others are refreshingly new.

If you are the sort of knitter that has had a subscription to Interweave from the beginning (rare) and who can positively lay her hands on every issue (rarer) and who furthermore knows exactly in which issue the specific sock pattern she is looking for is located (I hate you) then you certainly do not need this book. Okay, well there are 6 new patterns.

But, if you are like me, and you've subscribed for the past several years, and the issue with Evelyn Clark's "Flower Basket Shawl" is still in your knitting basket with the Knitpick's Alpaca Cloud, and the one with the Icarus Shawl has completely disappeared (because it knows you want to knit it)....

If you are like me, you'll want this book.

On Cotton Tanks

I'm about half of a row shy of completing the lace section of Soleil. I'm working four repeats instead of three, so that that the top will be a little longer. I'm not sure yet whether or not I'll add more length into the waist shaping. Conceptually, that seems like a very straight-forward and obvious kind of adjustment to make. I'm still not entirely sure how to translate that into actual string though.

I feel that my skill as a knitter is continuing to expand, and learning how to be the boss of my knitting (as EZ would say) is an important step for me. One of my knitterly goals for 2007 is to learn more about design and pattern alteration.

Anyway, I'm enjoying knitting it so far. The Sinfonia is a pretty alright yarn, although its just enough splitty that you have to watch while you're knitting it, lest you look down and notice that three rows down you only PSSO'd half the yarn, and the other half is dangling there PiSSingOff. Cheeky yarn -- but soft! And the royal blue I'm working with is a beautiful color. I bet pictures would help, but I'm in bed (BLOGGING IN BED!) and can't be arsed to borrow the daughter's camera.

Speaking of cotton, I'm itchy to get my hands on some of Elann's Lara. The pictures are just that pretty. I think that it would be about perfect for Deborah Newton's "Josephine Top" (scroll down) in the new Interweave Knits. Its not quite a tank, but close. I'm thinking that this may be my treat for finishing up Soleil.

Summer Sock Knitalong Might Cure the Summertime Blues

I'm such a joiner.

But hey, its not like I wasn't gonna knit socks this summer anyway, right? Sign ups are from now through May 26, and the knitting time frame runs from Litha to Mabon. Er, I mean from Summer Solstice to the Autumnal Equinox. Yeah, that's the ticket. Three months of socky fun. More information can be found by clicking the pretty button.


Go on, click the button. You know you want to. All the cool kids are doing it.


And now: Thursdays are for Making Lists! (List, list, oh list!)

Calceo in Progresseo:

• Not-So-Very-Glad Raggs
• Eyelets of My Very Own Design
• Blame Canada!

Calceo in Provisio:

• Horcrux
• New England
• Hippopatomus
• Queen of Cups
• etc...

Knitting Ennui (there ain't no cure for the summertime blues)

I've been having a knitting slump lately. I have things on the needles that I don't want to knit. I am having serious second thoughts about the Canada sock (or at least about the needle size for the fair isle bit), I'm tired of the Glad Raggs socks, acrylic cables are stupid and

WAAAAH!

Okay, enough of that.

What I need is some fiber therapy. New yarn, new projects, new UFOs... er, okay not that last.

Since its a full 86 degrees F here in middle TN on this lovely Beltane day, I've decided to knit me a tank. I've had my eye on Soleil ever since it was published back in '05. The construction is sensible (and very similar to my Green Tank, but less stupid).

I'm pondering my yarn choices. I think that Elann's Lara would be pretty, and about $17 before shipping. Not bad atall. I was considering Knitpicks' Shine, but the gauge isn't quite right and it would end up rather more expensive. I did some more pondering and then remembered that Omega Sinfonia (available at Hobbidy Lobbidy) is about the same gauge. Did the math — it will be $20. Yes: sales tax, No: shipping.... once you factor in the "hey, Its already here!" part of the deal, I think I have a winner.

I'm going to hit HL after lunch, and if they have a color that makes me squeeful, I'll go ahead and buy it. If no, then home I come to order Lara. I'm thinking Brick Red.

EDIT: Turns out Sinfonia is $4.99 a whack now, not $3.99 like I remembered. I went ahead and got it though, because instant gratification won out over the couple of bucks I would have saved going through Elann.com.

Being an account of how I was intentionally being artistic, and not just pants at using the digital camera, and also joined another knit-a-long

*shifty look*

Be it known that the pictures of my newest sock in progress are in black & white through a misguided attempt at being "artistic". The fact that I am helpless at using Rhiannon's camera is in no way related, and I'm ashamed of you for even thinking it.

So.

I've joined another knit-a-long.

Shut up.

Yes, I know I haven't yet finished the April 2006 sock project from the 6 Sock Knit-a-long. Although in my defense, I'm turning the heel in the second sock practically as we speak, and really, if you're going to be so critical, you can just stop reading now.

Yahoogroups is a dangerous place, and persons with low thresholds of will power against Join-a-long-itis ought to be warned to stay away. Consider this a public service announcement.

The new sock in question is Canada from Nancy Bush’s Knitting on the Road. I’m enjoying it immensely, and am privately calling it Mt. Everest because I’m knitting it for the same reason that one might conceivably climb the aforementioned mountain. Because Its There.

Clearly, the only logical explanation.

Something of an Update

My eldest child ran off with her camera, so I come to you once again without pictures. Although, truth to tell, I don't have a lot to take pictures of anyway.

I've hit something of a knitting slump. Everything I'm knitting is boring, and I'm leary of starting new projects, because I don't want another go with the UFO pile from hell. That said, I have started a few new things. Bardic Olympics for our Ostara Gathering was weekend before last, so I quickly put together a cute little pink lace hat. It's got a spring skater-punk vibe going on.

My very astute 5 year old little man observed that "Pink is a very strong color" and "Pink is not just for girls." The hat, of course, looked absolutely adorable on him. I've decided to make him a green one, as I admire his enlightened attitude, but I fear me that his fellow kindergarteners do not share it. As these things have a way of doing, the project came full circle. My eldest child won a prize at Bardic Olympics (if you just have to know what I'm talking about, drop a comment and I'll explain). Anyway, when you win, you get the option of choosing a hand-crafted item from the prize table, and my Rhi picked the hat I'd knit. Nothing like getting public approval for you hand-knits from a 13 year old.

In other news, she — the 13 year old — conned me into making her a "Kitty" hat from Stitch N' Bitch. Its all done but for one ear flap and the kitty ears. I should work on that today between bouts of housework.

I haven't even picked up the purple cabled sleeve of death in a month. The gauge isn't right, and I don't think I have enough yarn. A wise woman would stop now, before a serious gauge accident occurred. And yes, I know the sweater is meant for a 6 year old, but I just can't do it. I can't knit an entire Alice Starmore (even a child's size) in acrylic. I can't. I'll get some superwash wool and use the acrylic for something else.

Dang, I am a fiber snob, aren't I?

New Template

I've been feeling some spring fever lately, and decided that my blog needed a cleaner look. I'm still not convinced I'm satisfied, so I'll probably continue to tweak it.

I noticed that the pictures in my last post are completely squonked. If the formatting stays an issue, I may be changing right the heck back.

I have done some knitting, and when my daughter and her camera are available to me, I'll show you!

Promised Pictures

I don't have any new content, but this new post will have what the last two did not... pictures!

Seems like I promised pictures of my Toe-Up Dancing socks. For some reason (change in gauge? tension? star charts?) the two socks turned out to be more... fraternal twins. You can tell that they share some basic genetic material, but they aren't whatchacall identical.

I like 'em though.

I had to have the obligatory "sock self portrait yoga" pose. And of course, an "action shot."

And because my husband fancies himself a humorist, a "before" shot.





The end is nigh for the Glad Raggs socks. I think that they are going to be some of the nicest (certainly most complima-cated) socks I've ever knit. As I've mentioned before, I altered the original pattern (which is sadly, no longer available. For reasons of her own, the designer had the file removed from the 6-Sock Knitalong site. I dunno why, I didn't ask.)

And last, but not least, a very purple sleeve. More pictures as the project progresses. (And other words beginning with "P")

Remote Blogging!

Okay, not really remote per se -- I'm actually in my bedroom. IN BED. BLOGGING.

BLOGGING IN BED.

How decadent is that?

The husband got a new laptop earlier this week, and so wireless routers were procured and voila!

Well.

Now that I have that out of my system I can talk about knitting (DUDE. I can totally read FANFICTION in BED!) *ahem* Sorry.

In other news, I've begun knitting Alice Starmore's Galway for Morgan. Aparrently, no one in all the blogosphere has ever knit this before. Else my Google-Fu fail me. See, I was gonna be all clever like and check to see if others of my ilk had attempted this sweater before me. But, that was only clever right up until I could find absolutely bupkiss about it. (Okay, I did fine one, entirely useless reference.) Oh intrawebs how you fail me!

I'm about a goodly 2/3 into one sleeve and so far all is well. Its PURPLE. The child wanted a purple sweater. Perhaps tomorrow when I am less remote (like, you know, in my kitchen) I'll have purple sleevish pictures.

Meanwhile, I'm about to turn the heel on my Glad Raggs sock Numero Two-oh. The end is near, and already my eye is glancing longingly at my new book. (Perhaps a review is in the offing?)

February is Finished (but I'm not)

February is for Finishing was, for me at least, a rousing success. I finished a tank top that I started over a year ago. I think I was dragging my heels on it because I basically thought it would suck. I decided to go ahead and finish it because a) I was in blood so far stepped, twould've been as tedious to turn back as to go o'er, and b) I figured it'd be good experience. This was my first adult sized sweater-ish object. Go me.

I've also finished my Toe Up Dancing Socks (pictures will be forthcoming). These had stalled out because I needed to do the short-row heel and I'd never gotten around to fishing out the directions. And speaking of socks, I'm a 1/4 of the way into my next Glad Ragg sock now. These are some pretty lace socks, slightly modified from one of last year's projects in the 6 Sock Knitalong. These were waiting for the needles that were stuck in the Dancing socks. (Ironically I'm now knitting it using two Knitpicks options size 1 circs. Gauge be damned, these are so much nicer to knit with.)

A funktastick faux-mohair acrylic Poncho monstrousity was summarily pitched early on in the month. What the Sam Hill was I thinking? I ask you?!?

So, even though I still technically have 6 UFOs left, I feel ever so much freer. I really feel like I've accomplished something.

I'll be finished with my other Glad Ragg sock any old time now, and plans are already in the works for a new sweater for Morgan. I've ordered some Knitpicks Shine in sport weight, and plan to make a simple little color work cardigan. Morgan helped me pick out the colors, which was fun in and of itself. More details to come!

The Story So Far

Here's my February is for Finishing update. I'm about 1/3 to 2/5 done with the second Dancing Toe Up sock (more on that in another post). I know I said that March was for Making Mates, but I needed a quickie portable project. Hey, they're my arbitrary rules, and I can bust 'em if I wanna.

• Baby Bib for Sprog
• Dancing Toe-up socks <---- 65%
• Glad Raggs socks <---- 50%
• Flamin' Fingerless Gloves <----- 48%
• Eyelet Socks <---- 50%
• Colinette Afgan Kit <---- omgwtf%
• Kerry Shawl <---- ditto%
• Green tank top
• Faux-Mohair Poncho
• Gryffindor Scarf <---- 20%

Triumph!

What a good girl am I.

I started this tank top last spring, and then gave up on it because I didn't think that it would look good, or even okay, when I was done. But my man convinced me that if nothing else it would be good experience for me — and also boost my confidence — if I went ahead and finished it I think that he secretly suspects that I'm a perfectionist with no real grasp on reality. But I digress.

The pattern originally came out of a Knitters mag from the days of yore (by which I mean "before they commenced to sucking"). I tried to be clever and alter it. Please note the use of the word "tried". By the time that all was said and done I unaltered what I had changed. I also repent me the use of acrylic. Lo! Tho I walk through the shadow of the aisle of Hobby Lobby, I will buy no acrylic. Amen.

• Yarn is Red Heart LusterSheen "Tea Leaf" 2.15 skeins (anybody want .85 skeins of LusterSheen?)
• Needles were size 5 addi turbos
• The tank was knit in the round to the armscyes, where it was separated and knit back and forth

Progress!

I finally finished the Toe-Up Dancing sock that has been languishing pre-heel for nearly 6 months. This is my first pair toe-up, and my first time using a short-row toe and heel. I definitely see that this technique has merit, but I'm gonna have to practice, cuz my first heel looks like poop on toast.

When I first started, I thought that I really didn't like the yarn. It kept twisting up on me, and the fabric felt weird. But when I tried it on, my opinion changed. I think I'm really gonna like these socks. The yarn is Knitpicks Dancing (now discontinued.) The colorway is ... uh ... lemme go look it up ... Square Dance, knit on two circular size 1 inox needles. I have biggly feet, so its a 72 stitch sock, and it fits perfectly. I will be making more toe-up socks in the future. Meanwhile, this sock will be joining Glad Raggs and my Eyelet sock in the back of the queue, waiting for March is for Making Mates. I have second sock syndrome bad, people.

Speaking of toe-up socks, I just finished reading Priscilla Gibson -Roberts' Simple Socks Plain and Fancy. I love this book — it has no patterns atall, its purely a technique book, with the cutest little black and white drawings for illustration. Her short-row technique uses yarn overs. The Dancing socks I'm knitting now use Wendy's wrap technique. I'm interested to try this, on the off-chance that I can execute it with more grace. I make no claims as to the superiority of one technique over the other, I'm just looking for one that I can make not look like a 4 year old knit it. (No offense to knitting 4 year olds intended.) I'll be using Wendy's method again on the second sock of the Dancing pair, and for that matter I had the flu when I knit the first one, so I'll make full comparative report once I have more data.

In other news Sprog's bib is now finished (because February is for Finishing, you know) save for the weaving in of ends and the placement of a button. I'm fairly certain that Sprog's mum doesn't read this blog, but if I'm wrong then... *waves* Hi Erin! Surprise!

I based this off of the bib pattern in Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitter's Guide. For the record, I love that book. The yarn is Sugar n' Cream, size 7 Knitpicks Options needles. (Got the set for Christmas! Whee!)

I used a basket-weave texture stitch on the body of the bib, and did the straps in garter-stitch. Easy-peasy. Here's a close-up of the body.



And, in keeping with the color-scheme — I swear I didn't plan this — I've also finished up a baby blanket for a co-worker who's pregnant. I used Lion Brand Homespun and size 11 Knitpicks options needles. I made the pattern up as I went, and if I were ever inspired to try it again I'd do things a bit differently. I used a simple feather and fan stitch, but I didn't add enough repeats. If I were to do this again, I'd either double-strand the yarn or scale down the needle size, and I'd add at least one more repeat. I added a double crochet edging to the side to widen it a bit (and to disguise where I stranded the yarn along the right hand side. All in all I'm not ashamed to give it away, but it's not the very most awe-inspiring thing I've ever knit.

Next friend who gets pregnant is getting booties.

February is For Finishing -- The Counting

I still have the plague, so pictures will have to wait. But here's my tally of Unfinished Objects.

• Baby Bib for Sprog
• Dancing Toe-up socks
• Glad Raggs socks
• Flamin' Fingerless Gloves
• Eyelet Socks
• Colinette Afgan Kit
• Kerry Shawl
• Green tank top
• Faux-Mohair Poncho
• Gryffindor Scarf

I've already decided that the poncho is outta here. It was one of my uFo's last year, and I just don't like it enough to finish it. Also, gods help me, its made of acrylic. Um....no.

The bib for sprog is just about finished (which is good, because Sprog is also just about finished). I just need to weave in ends and add a button and voila!

The observant among you will note that there are three pairs of socks and one pair of gloves on my list. I'm thinking seriously about finishing the "active" item of the pair and then moving on to the Tank Top and Shawl. I think that perhaps March is for Making Mates....if ya know what I mean.

Poetry for Brigid

You can read about the "Second Annual Brigid in Cyberspace Poetry Reading" here and here.

Of course, I heard about it here.

I Said to Poetry
by Alice Walker

I said to Poetry:"I'm finished
with you."
Having to almost die
before some wierd light
comes creeping through
is no fun.

"No thank you, Creation,
no muse need apply.
I'm out for good times--
at the very least,
some painless convention."

Poetry laid back
and played dead
until this morning.
I wasn't sad or anything,
only restless.

Poetry said: "You remember
the desert, and how glad you were
that you have an eye
to see it with? You remember
that, if ever so slightly?"
I said: "I didn't hear that.
Besides, it's five o'clock in the a.m.
I'm not getting up
in the dark
to talk to you."

Poetry said: "But think about the time
you saw the moon
over that small canyon
that you liked so much better
than the grand one--and how suprised you were
that the moonlight was green
and you still had
one good eye
to see it with

Think of that!"

"I'll join the church!" I said,
huffily, turning my face to the wall.
"I'll learn how to pray again!"

"Let me ask you," said Poetry.
"When you pray, what do you think
you'll see?"

Poetry had me.

"There's no paper
in this room," I said.
"And that new pen I bought
makes a funny noise."

"Bullshit," said Poetry.
"Bullshit," said I.

Gearing Up for February

So, I won't be posting much today — I was planning to post my uFo's, but instead I caught Jess' nasty sneezy/fluey bug. So I'm off to sit on my couch, drink warm liquids and knit. I have to work this afternoon, whether I feel well enough or not (which I don't) so I'm going to be girding my loins and screwing my courage to the sticking point.

And stuff.

I'll be back later -- hopefully with more content.

February is For Finishing (and it doesn't hurt to get a head start)

Those of you named Jess, who were reading my blog last year, will remember February Is For Finishing. The idea here is that we shall make solemn oath to Fearlessly number our uFo's, and upon enumeration we shall Finish, Fling or Frog them. This will thereby allow us to begin the spring months with needles unFettered.

So, here are the rules:

• During the first week of February, catalog and post your uFo's. No Fibbing or cheating here! You have to be Fearless. (On a side note: if you still have uFo's left over from last year's list... you might want to reconsider whether or not you actually want to knit them. I'm just sayin'.)
• Do Not (and this is very important) Do Not cast on any new projects during February. Swatches obviously do not count.
• Finish, Fling or Frog as many uFo's as you can. There may be a prize for the knitter who completes the most projects!

And, because no thing-a-long is complete without one....here is a button:


In the spirit of Finishing, I've already gotten a head start, and finished up a few old projects from last year.

Rowan loves his new Pirate Sweater -- he wouldn't have been more pleased if Cap'n Jack Sparrow himself had handed the sweater to him.

The project is made of Wool-Ease Black and Ivory on size 8 needles. For some strange reason, I have extraordinary luck getting gauge with Wool-Ease. Too bad the stuff wears for crap, idn't it? I believe this will be my last "major" project using Wool-Ease. Too many acryls were harmed in the production of this yarn.

Also, I still hate Intarsia. Forever.


In other news, I've finished the "Super Sekrit Project for Someone Who Doesn't Read This Blog." I'm counting on the fact that she doesn't read it (or won't remember come next December) because its going to be a Yule gift.

The observant among you will recognize Knitty's Branching Out...in a somewhat altered form. See, I was going to use up this one skein I had of Knitpick's Merino Style, but it only netted me half of a scarf. So I got my buddy Jess to order me another ball -- sure the dye lots would be different, but they wouldn't be too different right? Wrong. End result was I still had a skein of Knitpicks Merino Style with nothing to do with it, and half of a scarf. Nice. It was my daughter Rhi that offered me the solution. So here's my merino Scarf-cum-Bag (speaking of things that sound dirty but aren't).

The Final Tally

I've dug around my archives (and my knitting bags) and here are the final results for 2006:

drumroll please

In 2006 I completed a total of 9 projects. Given that I am the UFO Queen Herself, I feel pretty alright about that total. It includes, I would like to add, no less than THREE lace shawls. Yessirree bob. A complete listing can be found here.

Now the bad news. Well maybe not bad, per se. But, okay, less spectacular news. In 2006 I began 13 new projects. Not that 13 new projects is bad in and of itself, but my overall UFO count is not whatchacall "shrinking." The complete list can be found here.

Plans are already being made for "February is For Finishing." Details will be posted soon!

Merry New Year!

I have a bit of a tradition around here of setting myself knitterly goals for the coming year. I have some non-knitting related goals as well, the perrenial "lose weight/become more healthy" of course, as well as the ever-popular "become more financially stable." These were both on my list last year — and I will say that I'm in a better place in both arenas. I've lost approximately 30 lbs. (with minimal fat-recidivism) and we are no longer actively hemorrhaging money. So, more of that please for the coming year.

Now on to the (far more interesting) fiber related goals.

Goal the First: May I finish more things than I start*

Goal the Second: To finish or make significant progress towards finishing either Morgan or Rowan's Big Bed Quilt.

Goal the Third: To continue to stretch my skill set — to accomplish more fiddly feats of lace knitting, to begin designing patterns, and:

Goal the Fourth: In keeping with Goal the Third, to learn to spin.















Last year I kept a "started in 2006" and "finished in 2006" running tally. It may come as no surprise to those of you that know me, but that list isn't completely updated. In the next week or so I'll be posting the final tally from 2006. I plan to do the same thing for 2007, but I've decided to include quilting and sewing projects. After all, while this was initially fashioned as a Knitting blog, I do have other crafts, and by golly I'm giving myself credit wherever the heck I can.


*Stolen verbatim from Jess, if you were wondering.

Knitters Without Borders

No time for a proper update — your irregularly scheduled blogging will be back after Christmas.

But for right now, go read this. Now go make a donation. Even if all you can afford is $5 (two cups of bad coffee at a gas station), then give that much. Stephanie makes her case eloquently so I'll say no more here. Go now!

And Happy Christmas.