At Least There Are No Boots in My Bathtub

We're deep in the throes of another remodeling project, friends.  Remember back in January when Carl and I installed hardwood floor in our bedroom?   Well we're at it again, but this time in the living room, hall, and (let us not forget) the coat closet and the linen closet.

Just like last time, we had to clear the room first, pull out the carpet, clean, clean again, and then paint.  Unlike last time, we had seven floor-to-ceiling bookcases and their attendant books to clear out first.  Y'all we started that part back in May.  We have way too many books to be putting that off until the last minute.

I just realized I'm not sure where my television is.

Anyway, I've taken a week off from work, and Carl and I (and the kids too, they've been helping) are kicking so much ass.

We painted Friday and Saturday and then started laying the floor on Sunday.   We're nearly done the main room, and just have the back of the living room, down the hall and the closets to do.

Of course once it's all down there's the sanding, more sanding, finishing, sanding again and more finishing to do.

Morgan is getting a head start on the sanding job.

This seems to be going so much faster than the bedroom job did.  I'm not sure if it's because Carl and I both have the week off (which, okay that does make sense), or because we're better at it, or what.  But after spending three weeks this winter with boots in my bathtub (still not a euphemism), I'm sure glad this is going so much easier.

::knocks new floor::

On the knitting front, my Dark Rainbow Cowl is completely done save the final kitchener.  I just need to get the stuff out to do it.  I'll talk about it more when I do the FO post.

I've gotten Rowan's sweater out and found my place in the pattern.  I didn't really do more than add about four rows to one sleeve though.

Morgan's LUC Socks are at the "all down hill from here" place -- past the heel on the second sock.

And speaking of socks, I did some counting and I have six pairs of socks on the needles right now.

Six.   Now, I've sworn off project guilt, so I'm not gonna make too much of a fuss, but I am going to be a giant copy-cat and declare a #operationclearthesockneedles (with apologies to ndjen04 AKA the Commuter Knitter, whose idea I am shamelessly ripping off).

I'm not saying I'll knit nothin' but socks, but I am going to make a concentrated effort to knit my way through this pile.

That there is a handsome pile of socks.

Starting at the upper left hand corner, and moving clockwise around, this is:  Carl's Big Dude Socks, Morgan's LUC Socks, my Fork in the Road Socks, my L'il Pumpkin Socks, my Pink Monkeys, and #lovewins.

I'm having flashbacks to my first Ravelympics (back when we were still calling them the Ravelympics).   I've been down this road before, is what I'm saying.

And heck, it all counts towards my Stash Meander anyway.

And last but not least, I cast on Trillian out of my Madelinetosh Twist Light in the "Care" colorway.  Proceeds from the yarn went to support Doctors Without Borders.

This is my entry in the yarniacs' Colors of Fall KAL -- this yarn basically looks like someone threw the entire 2015 palette in the dye pot.

See what I mean?

She's a Nightmare Hippy Girl

Those of you who know me well should be familiar with the blasé and carefree way that I add new projects to my ever-expanding pile of Works-in-Progress. Many of you are also aware of the tragic and seemingly inevitable slide of these new projects into obscurity and UFO status. If Stephanie is a Yarn Harlot, people then I am a Yarn ... well, my mother wouldn't have wanted me to use that word.

It was this lamentable characteristic of mine that led me to last month's frenzy of finishitude. Sane people do not try to finish five pairs of socks in two weeks. Moreover, project-monogamous people don't have five pairs of socks on the needles at once. (I am well, well aware that my little "problem" is not whatchacall unique. This does offer me some comfort.)

All of this is prologue to a confession. Once I completed my self-imposed sock adventure, did I congratulate myself on a pile of UFOs well conquered and carry the fight back to my knitting basket? My spirit renewed, did I pick up either of the two shawls or the fair-isle cardigan that I began earlier this summer? Or, brave warrior I, did I delve deep into the strata of the geologically improbable mountain composed only of discarded and lonely projects?

Not as such. No.

I immediately cast on a new sock.

You know.

Like you do.


Allow me to introduce you to a modified Jaywalker. These are for my daughter Rhiannon. She specifically requested anklets, so they are a mite shorter than I normally make my socks. The only major mod I made (say that three times fast) was to do a forethought heel, alá Charlene Schurch to preserve the integrity of the stripe. (Yes, I did just say "preserve the integrity of the stripe." Deal.) I finished the first sock in record time, considering that I wasn't power-knitting like I had been for the Ravelympics. The second is cast-on in an attempt to thwart second sock syndrome.

And, since a mere and lowly sock is hardly enough to fill the void left by all of those UFOs suddenly gone silent, I also cast on another cardigan. Here's the Hippy-Chic from the 2002 Knit It! magazine. As far as I can tell, this magazine no longer exists and all records have been wiped from the face of the Internet. Basically, it's a shaped cardigan with seed stitch detail -- cute and simple. I'm using Knitpick's Shamrock in Dougherty.


So far, we are pleased.

She Stuck the Landing

Behold! Four pairs of socks, where a mere two weeks ago there were none.


I'm feelin' pretty pleased with myself just now.

Admittedly, I did originally enter five pairs in the competition, but as I'm sure you remember, one pair was DQ'd for being ugly. I decided I didn't actually want those socks, so I'm going to bury the first one under an oak tree in the park and never speak of it again.*

So, to recap.

Child's French Sock
Pre-Olympic: 20%
Post-Olympic: 100%











Anniversary Socks
Pre-Olympic: 25%
Post-Olympic: 100%


















Mnemosyne Socks
Pre-Olympic : 25%
Post-Olympic: 100%










(still no picture, as I am wanting to submit this pattern for publicaton)

Swirlus Interuptus
Pre-Olympic: 75%
Post-Olympic: 100%












*With all due respect to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Many Socks

I've been kicking sock-butts and takin' sock names.

Or something.


Mixed metaphors aside, I have made not inconsiderable progress on the sock knitting front. I've completed Nancy Bush's Child's French Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks. Nancy Bush is my sock knitting hero -- so I'm pretty tickled that I've (finally) finished knitting one of her patterns. The pattern was written (or rather re-written) for size 1 needles, to fit a women's size 8 or 9. Since I am a size 9, but have rather large ankles than I'd like, I decided to size it up a bit by using a thicker sock yarn and size 2s. Long story slightly shorter: I knit them with Knitpicks Gloss in Woodland Sage, using 2s. It worked a treat, and the only other adjustment I needed to make was to knit fewer repeats of the pattern since my row gauge was also different.

Current Standings:

Swirlus Interuptus Socks: 100%
Child's French Socks: 100%
Eyelet Socks: 50%
Mnemosyne Socks: 55%
Anniversary Socks: 35%

I have just about completely decided that I am not going to finish the Eyelet socks. I just really don't like them enough. So -- this is not a "who do we kick off the island" kind of decision, made out of concern for what not to finish should I run out of time. Rather this is a "what was I thinking when I knit the first one? This looks like woolly arse!" kind of decision.

Therefore, with the Eyelet socks removed from consideration, that means that I have to knit approx. 2.5 socks in the next 6.5 days.

I guess I'd better get to it, eh?

All Socks All the Time

Remember how I just couldn't wait to start knitting my socks?

Yeah.

Bored now.

I long for a shawl or a cardigan.

I have completed the first of the Child's French Socks (go me!) and am yay-so-far into the cuff of the second one.

I have begun the gusset decreases in the first of the Mnemosyne socks, and am very, very close to the toe shaping of the second of the Riverbed/Swirlus-Interuptus socks.



Current Olympic Standings:

Swirlus Interuptus Socks: 85%
Child's French Socks: 55%
Eyelet Socks: 50%
Mnemosyne Socks: 30%
Anniversary Socks: 25%

Will she get the gold!?!?!?!

It's hard to say, Bob. She did finish the first of the C.F. socks, but that only brings her total to 3 out of 10 complete socks. This is anyone's race and we'll just have to keep watching.

Gratify Me Now, Please

Now that I've gotten pictures up of all of those socks, I want to start finishing them. I mean, I don't mind the idea of delayed gratification, I just want it NOW. Is that so wrong?

Meanwhile, I could be working on either of my Mystery Shawls, or I could be swatching for upcoming projects, or hey! I could work on the Watergarden sweater.


Or, you know... not...

Ravelympics Roll Call

I'm trying to get something like unto a real grasp of what I've set myself up for in the coming weeks.

In descending order of nearly-finishatude:

1. Child's French Sock ~20% complete. I have not yet turned the heel of the first sock.










to knit: 1.8

2. Anniversary Sock ~25% complete. I am in the process of starting the gusset of the first sock.










to knit: 1.5

3. Mnemosyne* ~25% complete. I am turning the heel of the first sock.










to knit 1.5

4. Eyelet Sock 50% complete. I have one entire sock.










to knit 1

5. Swirlus Interuptus 75% complete. I am decreasing the gusset of the second sock.










to knit 0.5


Total Olympian effort required: 6.3 socks. More or less.

Which, unless math fails me entirely (as it is wont to do), comes to a whopping 0.37 socks a day.

I can do that.

*This is a pattern that I am designing with an eye towards publishing, so I won't be posting pictures. But I've knit half a sock, I promise.

Long Summer

Very shortly after my last post, my position was terminated and I very suddenly lost my job. Since then, I have gone into business with three of my closest friends, joined two Mystery Knit-a-longs, and cleaned the heck out of my bedroom.

Sudden unemployment does odd things to the psyche.

So. In knitting news, I have been a busy bee. I've started designing a pair of socks. I am pretty excited by this, and hope to offer my pattern on Ravelry once it's finished and completely written and beta'ed.

I've also joined the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. It is a mandala-style pattern that I'm really enjoying knitting. It's my first pi-shawl, which is groovy. My only regret is the yarn choice. I am not really loving the variegated yarn. I think it obscures the lace entirely too much. I think once it's blocked I'll decide if I can live with it (as I know blocking will greatly change the look). If the answer is "no" then I'm gonna over-dye that sucker.



The second Mystery Shawl I'm working on is MS9 (also by Goddess Knits). I'm using Knitpicks Palette in Fawn. It is going to be a wonderfully warm , cuddly and big shawl -- perfect I think for gatherings.

I have tried, with no great success, two other projects with this yarn. This time, I'm happy.


I have also joined the groups for the Mystery Stole 4, and Secret of the Stole III. Neither have started yet, and I haven't decided whether or not to cast on with the group, or just save the patterns. I do know the perils of too many projects on the needles at once, honest I do.

Speaking of which (there is a segue here, I swear), I'm co-captaining Team Marmoset for the 2008 Ravelympics. My Olympian feat will be to finish all of the pairs of socks that I currently have on needles. This means 5 (yes FIVE) pairs of socks in various stages of incompletion. o.O This is me making the big eyes.