knitting & other distractions

birth of my FLAK

2010-01-23T11:24:00.004-05:00

I ordered Janet Szabo's FLAK pattern a while back. The reviews I've read have been overwhelmingly positive and I do love an Aran sweater. Ordered some Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks (also do love Knit Picks) and have commenced swatching.

I do not love swatching.

I've started with 4.5 mm needles because they felt right. The last time I knit an Aran sweater I used 4.0 mm needles and the sweater turned out a little smaller than I would have liked, though I got gauge in my swatch. Hence the switch to 4.5. Preliminary stitch count, however, indicates that I'm going to have to drop down to 4.0 again. I'm going to finish this swatch and then knit another on the 4.0s. Then I'll wash 'em both and see where we stand.

See what a good little knitter I'm being? Knitting multiple swatches and washing them too! The washing part is a first for me.

Ms Szabo also strongly suggests swatching the cables. I bought plenty of yarn and probably have a few good years left so I'm going to heed her advice. And I'll start the sweater in, what, 2015 or so? I think my goal will be to have the swatches done before the Olympics. Then I can do the traditional cast on during the opening ceremonies, though I hold no delusion that I'll finish the project before the games end.

Meanwhile I have a pile of mindless projects to keep me busy when I couldn't be bothered with cables. I'm still working on the basic sweater from Jacqueline Fee's Sweater Workshop. I'm doing it in plain stockinette, solid colour, incredibly boring. There's a first sock kicking around the floor somewhere. And I'm crocheting a very simple baby blanket for charity.

The Monstrosity

2009-08-29T20:03:00.002-04:00

I proudly present my sweater sampler from The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee. It was quite entertaining to knit and while many of the techniques covered are old hat to most of us, there was enough new stuff in there to keep me interested. The author thoughtfully included a hanging loop at the top so that one can display the sampler proudly on ones basement wall, which is where mine resides in anticipation of many questions and curious looks.

I liked this project. It was a fun little exercise. Now on to the basic sweater.

yarnsport!

2009-08-26T09:08:00.004-04:00

That's a new Olympic event I'm developing. It's all about collecting flying yarn at baseball games.

We had a fabulous time at the Blue Jays Stitch and Pitch last night. The Blue Jays did not have such a great time but that's okay, it was all about the knitting. For me Yarnsport was the highlight and I confess I missed much of the baseball because I was having so much fun watching my family play. You see, in addition to the lovely stuffed loot bags that are traditional at these events, the wonderful organizing ladies threw balls of yarn and extra loot bags into the crowd throughout the game, causing feeding frenzies that rivalled the scrambles for fly balls (at least two of which ended up in the knitters' section as well). My family turned out to be quite adept at yarn catching. Each of my two daughters snagged a ball of Bernat Softee Chunky and my most excellent husband caught a loot bag for me. Of course he donated his loot bag to me as well, so I came home triumphant with three tote bags! An excellent haul.

The daughters and I did a bit of trading - I offloaded all my ribbon yarn and received a donation of sock yarn - and here's what I ended up with (keep in mind this is the booty from three bags after a bit of trading):
- one ball Red Heart Light & Lofty
- one ball Bernat Soft Boucle
- two balls Bernat Softee Chunky
- two 100g balls On Your Toes sock yarn (ka-ching!)
- three balls Patons Decor
- one ball Moda Dea Sassy Stripes

I was slightly disappointed that rather than free admission to the Creativ Festival they only gave us $5 off coupons this year. Oh well, every little bit helps.

And if you're wondering why I was only a spectator in the fabulous new Yarnsport event, it's because I was knitting furiously on the basketweave baby blanket. I think I completed at least three inches last night and am well pleased with my progress. An excellent night overall.

I can't resist, I must blog.

2009-08-24T10:27:00.003-04:00

I am so excited about my knitting again! The slump is over and I'm rarin' to go.

This summer I've completed a few projects and frogged one. I finished a chemo hat that I sort of unvented out of some leftover baby blanket yarn, and then I did a second one. I need to do one more to donate them to my charity group. I finished a couple of pairs of socks in Knit Picks Felici (love x 100). I'm half-finished a basketweave baby blanket and just have ends to weave in on a crocheted baby afghan. That's a bigger job than one might have thought. And I ended up frogging the Adamas shawl I was making for #1 daughter. I just wasn't feeling the love.

So now what? I bought Jacqueline Fee's Sweater Workshop and am working my way through the sampler. Interesting, if not exactly exciting. It was buried in our renovation hell for a few weeks and I'm eager to get back to it. Also buried in the renovations is my pattern for the Wonderful Wallaby. I can't imagine what has become of it and am considering buying another copy. I just bought some Patons Classic Wool in a deep purple at the annual Spinrite tent sale and thought it make a great Wallaby. Other tent sale purchases include four bags of Patons Astra for charity projects and four bags of Sugar and Cream cotton for...well, I dunno, probably accessories for my shiny new kitchen. The colours don't match the kitchen at all but I can live with that.

I also bought a set of the new Knit Picks Zephyr needles but haven't tried them yet. Again, I was hoping to Wallaby with them. Think, if you were a Wallaby pattern, where would you hide?

plodding

2009-06-26T08:14:00.005-04:00

I'm considering discontinuing the blog. There doesn't seem to be much point right now, does there? I deleted my webring buttons because, not surprisingly, they do not appear to be working any more. Knitwise I am still feeling uninspired, but... BUT! I have been knitting a bit. In fact I'm close to the toe of a second sock! And as I mentioned earlier I've started a basketweave preemie blanket that is perfect for knitting while reading.

We're heading up north this weekend in hopes of spending a week on the beach, but the forecast is not encouraging. The silver lining is there should be oodles of knitting and reading time while we watch the rain. And by the time we get back I intend to show off my finished socks. I did short row heels on these ones and was thrilled by my success on the first one, but I seem to have screwed up picking up a wrap on the second one and there's a little visible boo-boo. I considered ripping back but decided that I really don't need something else to slow me down.

You know what I think I need? A project using thicker yarn and straight needles. Everything I've been doing lately has used thin yarn and circs or dpns and I think my hands want some worsted and straight needles. I'll get to work on that when we get back.

[bleep]-ing Harmony needle tips!

2009-06-07T18:50:00.003-04:00

Apologies for the harsh language but I have had it with the KP Harmony tips and am swearing off them. Recently I contacted Knit Picks about one of my 5mm tips separating from its metal connector thingie and they promptly and apologetically sent a replacement set. Today I used the replacement set for the first time. I will give you one guess what happened. They lasted maybe an hour and I swear I was not knitting with any unusual violence.

[ deep breath ]

In my endless quest to regain my knitting mojo I have started a simple baby blanket in a basketweave pattern. I'm thinking some mindless TV knitting might get me back in the swing of things. I'm also working on sewing up some crocheted squares for another baby blanket, but as finishing is not high on my list of Very Favourite Things I expect it will take a good long while.

Now to find an intact 5mm tip to continue work on the basketweave blankie. Argh.

2009-05-28T11:52:00.002-04:00

More evidence that I've lost my will to knit: I found the latest Knitpicks catalogue boring! I was mildly intrigued by the stuffed critters on the cover, but when I looked at them inside they looked sort of crappy. There were a lot of baby and small kid clothes, which are not of use to me because my kids are big, and I found most of them unappealing anyay.

This may be a bit out there considering my heap of unfinished projects, but it's entirely possible that I need to start something else to get my mojo back. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it doesn't. But who can say no to an excuse to cast on?

There has been a little bit of progress on the two pairs of socks, but very little. Stay tuned for further exciting updates.

How to tell if you're not knitting enough

2009-05-21T16:19:00.003-04:00

As I reported somewhat recently, I lost a ball of sock yarn on a trip to Windsor, Ontario. This week I found it in Orlando, Florida. How can that be? Because it was in my tool bag the whole time. If I had been doing any knitting at all it would have jumped up and bit me and I wouldn't have had to order a replacement. The upside is that since I was ordering a replacement anyway I ordered a whole bunch of other yarn to sit in my stash and never be used.

Now that the good weather is here I'm determined to start knitting again. Tomorrow I get to work on two pairs of socks that have been sitting around for eons.

a slump and some shopping

2009-05-07T14:01:00.003-04:00

Well, I fear I have embarked on another knitting slump. It was probably inspired by the loss of my second ball of yarn for the daughter's socks. Not being one to miss a sock yarn purchasing opportunity I immediately ordered a replacement. And then because one doesn't want to pay shipping charges for one measly ball of yarn I ordered a few more balls. Simple practicality that. But it hasn't arrived yet.

So now what? We're heading off on vacation next week and I expect some unfinished socks will come with me, but I intend to play it safe and pack my needles in my checked luggage. There's also a remote possibility that I might bring the Adamas shawl I started last spring. Either way there is going to be some poolside knitting. And once the weather warms up here I intend to spend more time knitting al fresco.

oh, this is just brilliant

2009-04-30T18:34:00.001-04:00

I started a pair of Gold Medal Socks while the daughter was competing this weekend, and they brought some success. No gold medals but one silver and a sixth place ribbon. We'll take it. But now I can't find the second ball of yarn and I think I must have left it in the hotel room. I think I must declare this another Random Act of Stupidity.

more gold medal socks?

2009-04-23T10:18:00.002-04:00

Two years ago my elder daughter had an amazing year in her gymnastics competitions. She placed 2nd, 1st and 4th in her qualifiers and 2nd at the provincial championships. And why did she do so well? Because on the way to every competition I worked on a pair of socks for her that I nicknamed the Gold Medal Socks. I haven't knit a Gold Medal Sock since then and she hasn't done very well.

Superstitious? Me?

So now it's the younger daughter's turn. She's on her way to the Ontario Championships this weekend. I'm going to encourage her to root through my embarrassing collection of sock yarn this evening to pick out the yarn for a pair of Gold Medal Socks. Hey, I have a system and it's worked before.

In other sock knitting news, last night I found a DPN that I lost in my car a year and a half ago. I had searched high and low for that thing, cleaned out the car, vacuumed the floors. I didn't miss an inch. And then last night I reached down for the handle to recline my seat and grabbed the needle instead. Maybe the cosmos is telling me I should use that set for the Gold Medal Socks.

Nah, I'm not superstitious at all.

2009-04-15T20:35:00.004-04:00

Oops, I disappeared for a while there, didn't I? I fear I was lost in crochet blankie land. You see, the room where I store my yarn and many of my patterns has a mouse problem. On my way down to see whether the room was tidy enough to be accessible to the exterminator dude (it wasn't and never will be), I happened upon a crochet baby blanket booklet. And I'm not exactly sure how it happened but somehow a bunch of squares got crocheted and now I'm sitting in a sea of them. I think I have completed 35 of 63. A mathematician might assume that I'm more than half done, but said mathematician might not understand how progress slows somewhere around the halfway point. I'd give it another six months.

I'm still working on the beloved sock pictured below though. Oh, I must brag, if I may! I decided to throw caution to the wind and try a different heel from my tried and true gusset version. I had done a short row heel once previously with moderate success -- the heel is functional but it doesn't look pretty. This time I figured out that I had been picking up the wraps incorrectly and I'll be darned if it doesn't look approximately right!

Sock love

2009-03-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

I finally finished a pair of socks and thought it was time to move on to other things. So what did I do? I started another pair of socks, of course. One cannot buy a buttload of sock yarn and leave it to rot in the basement.

This is Knit Picks Felici in the Coney Island colorway. I think I'm going to have to buy some more of this stuff (once I've knit up every scrap of yarn in the basement and am therefore allowed to buy yarn again, of course). It is much softer than garden variety sock yarn. The pattern is the eyelet rib from the Sock Cocktail leaflet.

2009-03-23T18:39:00.002-04:00

By gum, I think I have a favourite sweater designer! This might sound odd to those with taste or those who know what their taste is. But up to now my evaluation of knitting patterns has consisted of answering the following questions:

1. Does it look itchy?
2. Does it look tight?
3. Does it look tight and itchy?
4. Do I have access to the appropriate yarn or a reasonable substitution?

If the answers to these questions are no, no, no and yes, it goes into the "maybe I'll make this some day" pile, never to been seen or thought of again.

But three times recently I have found sweaters in Interweave that merit serious consideration. First was the Apres Ski Hoodie from sometime last year. There are two more in the Spring '09 issue: the Soap Bubble Wrap and the Silk Cocoon Cardigan. And darned if they weren't all designed by the same person, one Connie Chang Chinchio. Does this mean that I have, like, gained some kind of sophistication? That I now have some kind of sense of style?

You have no idea how this possibility excites me. In honour of the occasion I may have to burn my 20-year-old Adidas sweatshirt.

plain ol' socks

2009-03-23T15:11:00.003-04:00

\

Another unfinished object has lost its un. This was one of many leftovers from last summer. Next I'm going to strip the un off the unfinished Adamas shawl I started for my daughter way back when. The yarn is Arequipa.

I have a few dilemmas when it comes to shawls. I have several incomplete and for each of them there is a reason I don't want to pick it up. My biggest problem is the anniversary/Mandala shawl from last year. I made a mistake on the edging, ripped it, and while trying to correct the error made another mistake in picking up the live body stitches, leaving a small hole between the edging and the body. Now I'm afraid to rip it again for fear of losing those live stitches and making it even worse. My current plan is to wait until the weather warms up enough to take it out into the bright sunlight and work it out slowly and carefully. The huge advantage to this plan is that the weather likely won't be suitable for a few weeks yet and I can justify putting it out of my mind. Works for me.

FO pictures! No, really!

2009-03-14T21:20:00.004-04:00

The Andean chullo hat from Knit Picks...

I suck at icord edges. This one is flipping up. A bit o'blocking would probably help but so far I haven't bothered.

And then we have the mitts that came with one of the Knit Picks sampler kits...

I really truly hate the colour. But if I were a decent photographer you could see that I made the tassels on the hat almost match the mitts, which lends them a certain dignity if not beauty. I have already worn this ensemble while cleaning up dog poo in the back yard. Yes, it's a glamorous life I lead.

The point of all this sampler stuff is to try out the yarn, isn't it? I have to say that I am a fan of the Swish worsted used in the mitts. I haven't washed it yet (blocking? what IS this blocking you speak of?) but so far I would certainly consider it a contender for a larger project. The hat uses Palette, which I found quite serviceable but a tad scratchy. The hat kit comes with so much yarn that I have plenty left for other projects, and I know it's going to get used up eventually.

In current knitting, I have started the second Arequipa sock. It would be lovely if I could finish it before my sock yarn samplers arrive. I'll try to make some progress during day 3 of our gymnastics meet tomorrow.

save me from my sock yarn

2009-03-09T09:40:00.002-04:00

My name is Kathryn and I'm a sockyarnaholic.

I have a Rubbermaid bin full to bursting with sock yarn. I cannot snap the lid on any more. So guess what I ordered from my beloved Knit Picks this weekend? Not one, but two (2) of their sock yarn samplers.

I should mention that I was on the KP website because I have suffered a second Options malfunction. The infamous metal connector has separated from its life partner on one cable (so far) and one Harmony tip (so far). I have emailed customer service. I understand they're very good about sending replacements.

Oh, I met the Finishing Fairy this weekend! I learned something important about her. She doesn't actually do the work for you. She just pokes you repeatedly in the ribs until you get off your flabby knitter's butt and do it yourself. So thanks to her prodding I finished off the chullo hat, the fingerless mitts and a baby hoodie. There are pictures but my camera is not close at hand at this moment. Next post, I promise.

I have resumed work on the socks I started last summer at the Stitch & Pitch. Must make room in that sock yarn bin.

In case it isn't obvious, my inner knitter is back from the brink.

dratted spring scarf

2009-03-05T19:28:00.002-05:00

Last year I started the Spring Scarf pattern that came with a Knit Picks sampler kit. The lace pattern did not work. As usual I assumed that I was an idiot, ripped it out, and put it away for later. Later arrived today. Again, the pattern didn't work. Beginning to suspect that I was not the problem after all, I downloaded the pattern from the Knit Picks site. Surprise! The original chart was quite, quite messed up. Note to self and all who might suffer similar consternation: double-check these Knit Picks sampler patterns before tearing hair out.

I've started another pattern from a different sampler: the diamond pattern mitts. I have not checked it against the online version because it isn't lace. Maybe I should, just in case.

Still awaiting that visit from the finishing fairy for the baby hoodie and chullo hat. Maybe she works weekends.

may i whine?

2009-02-22T10:26:00.003-05:00

I'm siiiick. Poor poor pitiful me. I have, like, the worst cold EVER. I'm feeling very, very sorry for my poor self. Haven't felt like knitting, reading, trying to catch up on Oscar contenders (not that I usually bother, but this year I've had the opportunity). I've just been sitting around, starting into space, moaning pitifully.

Now on to some cheerful knitting-related talk that will hopefully speed up my recovery.

I see the Spinrite winter sale starts tomorrow. I'd love to go but I doubt that we'll get an opportunity. It's possible that we might be able to squeeze in a trip next Saturday. But then where would I hide the booty? My haul from the August sale is still in the garbage bag it rode home in because I'm out of room in the Rubbermaid boxes. Some would see that as a sign that I don't need to shop at all, but such people just don't understand us.

I have decided to give up on my little fantasy of completing some more charity projects in time for the next meeting. I could theoretically complete one baby sweater that I started before the plague struck but I'm not going to push for it. My chullo hat still sits neglected in need of tassels and a billion ends weaving in. I might just wait for a visit from the Finishing Fairy and start something new. My inner knitter needs resuscitation.

I knit not.

2009-02-12T19:51:00.003-05:00

I dunno, the knitting thing has hit a bit of slump lately. I'm almost finished the chullo hat - just needs tassels and about a billion ends woven in. I'm partway through and stalled on a simple baby sweater and a preemie hat for the charity group. The usual UFOs still lurk in a stack of boxes in my closet. None of it is calling to me right now. I might just write this off as a desert period while I wait for the bug to bite again.

And what am I doing? I am paying off mortgages and buying luxury cars for every game designer at Nintendo. It's possible that Animal Crossing is more addictive than knitting.

Off to a gymnastics qualifier this weekend. Wish us luck.

2009-02-02T18:54:00.003-05:00

Oh dear, it looks like it's time for another charity knitting binge. Next month is the year-end for donation totals. Do you think I can manage to squeeze out a couple of baby sweaters? I started one yesterday. I'm also halfway through a set of preemie hats.

In non-charity news, I've made rockin' progress on the chullo hat! I just have to do the icord and weave in about ten thousand ends. I fiddled with colours a bit towards the end. I am embarrassed to admit how long it took me to notice this, but the light blue called Pool was not included in my package. Instead I got a light brown called Doe. I substituted Doe for Pool in one of the small patterns but was unimpressed, so I used the darker blue in place of Pool for the crown pattern. And then I changed the icord from blue to green. I'm thinking if I make another one of these I will use Doe instead of white for the alpacas.

Stash enhancement!

2009-01-26T12:46:00.004-05:00

Looky, looky what my lovely aunt gave me yesterday!

I got 10 balls of this...

And 10 balls of this...

And 4 balls in light brown and 5 dark brown of this...

And I've never heard of any of it. The first one is labelled Hayfield Grampian Perle 4-ply equivalent, and it's 45% acrylic, 40% nylon and 15% wool. The second one is Hayfield Grampian Double Knit, same fibre composition. And the brown, 100% acrylic, is labelled Chic-Tex Astra.

I don't know what I'm going to do with it but I know it will be very happy in my stash until I figure something out.

Meanwhile the Andean Chullo hat plods along. I've finished the big pattern section and the crown is in sight.

hat-o-rama

2009-01-20T09:40:00.003-05:00

Oops, did I say I was going to work on baby clothes?

It would appear that I did some London Beanies instead. I highly recommend these for charity projects. They're quick and about as easy as knitting can be, they use hardly any yarn, and I'm told that similar hats are received with enthusiasm by young men at drop-in centres. I used Paton's Decor for these and for the three I used less than one ball of each colour.

And I did a little bit of work on the Andean Chullo hat on the weekend. So far it looks like this...

Looking a little rough around the edges right now, but a knitter must have faith.

I've finished the &^%$ blankies.

2009-01-06T10:07:00.003-05:00

Here's what's been boring me silly these last couple of months.

One is plain garter stitch in Bernat Baby Boucle, the other is plain half double crochet in Bernat Baby Sport. Both are about 32" square and both are charity donations. And I'm glad they're done.

For the rest of this month I'm planning to focus on charity baby garments and take the occasional break to work on my chullo hat.

And what about the hundred or so half-finished lace shawls? I'm not in a lace mood right now so I'm letting them hibernate. The lace mood will likely return with the warmer weather.

"I should have brought you some yarn."

2008-12-27T18:46:00.002-05:00

That's what my aunt said to me today. It seems someone she knows (I forget who it was; perhaps I was still reeling from the impact of the words "I should have brought you some yarn") overbought and gave a heap of good wool to my aunt. She has too much and wants to share. This is an aunt who knows how to stay on my good side.

I have started the Andean Chullo Hat. It is going swimmingly, though I haven't had time to work on it over the last few days. I've done the earflaps and the first small pattern section. As ever, I promise there will be pictures once there's something to photograph.

2008-12-18T16:32:00.002-05:00

Can someone please ask the approaching snowstorm to start earlier than planned? I want the schools to be closed so I can sit home with my knitting instead of worrying about trying to drive my kiddies around in Snowmageddon, as they're calling it. As it stands, they're probably going to open the schools, send the teachers home early and leave the rest of us to perish miserably in the storm.

I've almost finished a preemie hat and am making progress on the crocheted blankie. I'm still wading through charity chores this week and planning to do the Andean chullo hat next week.

Has anyone noticed an attention whore heckling me in the comments? Hi Joce! Luf you too!

zzzz...

2008-12-15T12:44:00.002-05:00

There's a good reason for the lack of posts: the knitting remains painfully dull. But to spice things up, I have added a tedious crochet project to the mix! Yes, it's a 32-inch square of hdc in pink and white stripes. If you guessed it's yet another charity baby blanket, give yourself a cookie.

But listen here, I am going to give myself a Christmas present. Once the holidays begin next week I'm going to allow myself to start the Andean chullo hat from Knit Picks, no matter how many UFOs are haunting my dreams.

Unacceptable Knitting

2008-12-07T15:30:00.004-05:00

It looks like I'm off the hook with regard to knitting two more preemie hats, as the first one I completed is in an Unacceptable Colour. Yes, our local hospitals no longer accept yellow for sick babies because green and yellow apparently make sick babies look sicker. I am going to abandon preemie hat #2 (which has abruptly become preemie hat #1) and find something more interesting to work on. Eventually I'll find someone, somewhere, who can use my growing collection of Unacceptable Hats. I think I have about eight now, one in an Unacceptable Colour and several in sport weight yarn, which was outlawed a few months ago, as well as one pair of preemie booties. I can't recall what their problem is but the fact that I tossed them in with the Unacceptable Hats indicates that there is something disreputable about them.

This is quickly becoming a habit for me: immediately after I finish a project there will be an announcement that such projects are No Longer Acceptable. I think I'm discovering that Unacceptable Knitting is my forte.

I am slightly frustrated.

incredibly boring knitting continues...

2008-12-07T12:17:00.004-05:00

I wish I had exciting news to report but it's all rather mundane. I did finish the incredibly boring dishcloth pattern baby blanket and am rejoicing in that, but the finished product is just too dull to photograph. Next I decided that since I have one preemie hat finished and they must be donated in multiples of three, that must be my next project. So I have cast on preemie hat #2 using the mandatory pattern from our local hospitals and some well-aged acrylic fingering. It's not a thrill a minute, I assure you.

Newfoundland Mitts

2008-11-26T11:49:00.004-05:00

I am on a roll. I've finished the Newfoundland Mitts.

And I love them. I love this pattern. It was quick, easy, fun, and the finished product is beautiful. Have I mentioned that I love this pattern? I used some Brown Sheep Nature Spun from stash and of course Noro Kureyon. I used a single ball of the Kureyon and let the colour changes fall where they may.

Now let's see how much progress I can make on the charity baby blanket. It is spectacularly boring but makes for good TV/audiobook knitting.

Another Friday...

2008-11-21T13:31:00.004-05:00

And another finished project! After I-don't-know-how-many months, I have finished my first pair of magic loop socks.

I am turning into a Finishing Machine these days. I must keep it up. Next I think I'll get back to the Newfoundland Mitts for Number One Daughter alternating with a charity baby blanket. Yes, two projects at once is a risky proposition given the mess I've gotten myself into, but I'll want something simple and easy on the hands when I need a break from the tight gauge of the mitts.

And my verdict on the magic loop: it's okay. I don't love it, I don't hate it. It isn't difficult, but it isn't any easier than DPNs either. My fingers didn't itch to pick up the circ the way they do my DPNs. I will probably stick to the DPNs from now on, though I might try doing two socks on one circ some day.

FO! FO!

2008-11-14T20:24:00.008-05:00

It has been such a long time since I've seen a finished project in real life that I'm not confident I would recognize one, but even so I'm fairly certain that that's what we have here.

That there is a Wallaby, children's size 10, in Bernat Camo. Its recipient will be home from gymnastics in half an hour and I'll try to get a picture of her wearing it. I'm worried that the sleeves seem on the short side. I think I recall other people griping about skimpy sleeves on Wallabies and I wish I had thought of that earlier.

But it looks okay on the red-eyed kid, who is now home from gym.

Now, on with the magic loop sock. And there is a charity baby blanket lying around somewhere that will be my gymnastics meet project for this weekend.

unfinished object guilt

2008-11-10T10:54:00.004-05:00

I had a minor panic attack last night. I was reclining on my bed and I noticed how my shelf full of pattern books is bowing in the middle. It made me realize how many projects I have been meaning to get to but probably never will. Why? Because I'm still knitting the sodding hood of the blasted Wallaby and have about 150 UFOs to finish once that's done. My 13-year-old offered to upgrade her knitting skills in order to help me make a dent in the pile but that, while a sweet offer, really does not address my situation. I am not encouraged by the fact that she has yet to finish a project of her own.

I'm doing the Wallaby hood in garter stitch so it's quite mindless. What I need to do is sit down with a good book and finish that sucker off.

Have I mentioned that we're going to Walt Disney World in May? I know there will be some poolside knitting happening there and I need to get some unfinished junk out of my way before we go. I want to have an official vacation project and not feel any guilt for not working on something else.

I think I see a light...

2008-11-07T08:17:00.002-05:00

waaay down there at the end of the tunnel! I've started the hood of the Wallaby. I might finish it this weekend. And then it's on to the magic loop sock, where I can see a bit of a flicker too.

Of course, I cannot help myself so I started another project last weekend: the Newfoundland mitts. But that's a quick and easy project so it doesn't count, right?

There will be FO pictures soon. I'm almost confident.

2008-10-25T13:35:00.002-04:00

All right, whoever has absconded with my 3.75 mm DPNs, hand them over right now and no one gets hurt. I need them for my Wallaby sleeves. Like, now.

time for a deadline

2008-10-25T10:52:00.001-04:00

Wallaby the Second will be completed by the end of November. Why do I have an urge to write that as a haiku? Perhaps I need more coffee.

Status Report

2008-10-24T12:23:00.004-04:00

Just to prove that there is some knitting going on around here (though not as much as there should be), I present Wallaby the Second in Bernat Camouflage.

I'm knitting this for 10-year-old daughter and making size 10, so you can understand the pressure to make this thing wearable before the next growth spurt. And therefore I will at this time proclaim this Wallaby to be The Project Of Note for the next...well, until it's done.

Then what? I am approaching the heel on the long-neglected magic loop socks. I do not hate magic loop but I do not love it. I am determined to finish these socks on the circ and then I'm going back to my DPNs.

And you know there are a whole lot of shawls lying around in various stages of completion. I've started the edging on the anniversary shawl, apparently now named Mandala, but am miffed that I made a stupid mistake and have a tiny yet somehow glaringly obvious hole between the body and edge. I should probably rip back but I'm afraid of losing some of the body stitches and so have decided to leave it.

I really should finish the Adamas for older daughter once the Wallaby is done. I don't remember how far I'd gotten but as I recall it was pretty quick going.

The Halloween shawl, barely started, is staying in hibernation until I get some other stuff done. Maybe it'll be done for next Halloween.

And that is all the WIPs/UFOs I have room for in my tiny brain right now. Onward with the Wallaby.

OK, maybe a small purchase

2008-10-19T17:43:00.004-04:00

Went to the Creativ Festival today. Did I make some moronic promise not to buy anything? Seems I forgot.

A few years ago I made both daughters winter hats. The ribbed brims were Kureyon and the crown was Brown Sheep Nature Spun. Older daughter adored her hat and wore it every day until that inevitable day when she left it somewhere. I have been promising her a replacement for years. This, I strongly believe, fully justifies today's purchase. Younger daughter rarely wears her hat and therefore still has it, which will leave me with some extra Kureyon to play with.

Here's a good thing and a bad thing.

2008-10-16T09:59:00.002-04:00

As I've mentioned previously, I ordered the laptop bag kit from Knit Picks. Yes, in case it has not become woefully apparent already, I must confess right now that have a Knit Picks problem. It began when I started listening to Kelley's podcast. Be warned. Anyway, here's the good thing/bad thing: it uses a steek.

I have never steeked. I don't think I'm actually afraid of them but let's just say I have never been motivated to take scissors to my knitting. Well, that's not exactly true either. I've never been motivated to take scissors to knitting I'm happy with. I'm curious, though. I know steeking must work at least part of the time because other people have done it, and all things considered I'm pleased that this project will force me to tackle it.

A bit of good news: I have acquired a second-hand laptop to put in the lovely new bag. If I didn't have a laptop to put in it I'd have to make one out of a pizza box and that might just look silly.

Have you noticed a dearth of pictures on this blog of late? This is because I am not making noteworthy progress on anything. I knit a few rows here, a few stitches there, on each of about ten WIPs from time to time but it never results in anything worth showing off. I have faith that I will eventually settle on the project that will get me moving again.

Off to the Creativ Festival this weekend. Am going to try to keep the credit card sheathed.

and the wheel has turned again

2008-10-08T11:24:00.002-04:00

I am suffering lace fatigue. I am laced out. I don't want to look at a lace shawl for at least one (1) month. I actually had a lace nightmare last night.

So it's back to the garter stitch baby blankets, plain socks and second daughter's Wallaby until I think of something more interesting to do (NB: something that is not lace). I have ordered the stranded laptop cover kit from Knit Picks and that might start that when it arrives. Too bad I don't have a laptop. I'm also considering something with cables.

Some day I hope to grow an attention span.

where to find the blankie

2008-09-30T09:20:00.002-04:00

Sylvie asked where I got the pattern for the heart baby blanket. It's a freebie at Knitting on the Net, right here. But be advised that mine, as well as the one shown with the pattern, does not exactly match the pattern as written. The pattern has only a short patch of stockinette between the hearts, but I and many others have added a strip of garter to enclose each heart in a box. If you're on Ravelry you can see the two variations here.

frustration

2008-09-27T09:24:00.004-04:00

I didn't make it. I still have four rounds to go in section 4 of the anniversary shawl and my yarn has already arrived for the Halloween shawl. And guess what I did to celebrate? I tied up the lovely baby alpaca/silk/cashmere into a giant snargle (that's a snarl crossed with a tangle) while trying to hand wind it. Ended up having to cut the mess into four separate pieces with a few hopelessly tangled feet chopped out of it. I am not a happy knitter.

Feeling somewhat defeated before I begin, I'm pondering taking a break from lace shawls today. I might start a Wallaby for 10-yr-old daughter. I need easy therapeutic knitting right now.

another Plan

2008-09-21T13:21:00.003-04:00

I like to make Plans. Things go more smoothly when I have a Plan. Aside: I also like to make Lists.

The current Plan is as follows: knit four (4) rounds of the anniversary shawl every day until I'm finished chart 4. The yarn for the Halloween shawl is expected to be shipped later this week, giving me time to get started on the edging of this one before I have to swatch for the next one. This is totally manageable. I am on row 72 of 96 right now.

This thing will get done because I have a Plan.

I caved

2008-09-13T11:40:00.006-04:00

I wasn't going to do the Halloween Mystery Shawl. It was a matter of common sense. I started the Anniversary shawl over the summer and then suffered a series of interruptions, starting with my father's unexpected death and ending - I hope - with a shoulder injury. Consequently I'm less than halfway through clue four. I've timed myself at approximately two rounds per hour, which leaves me with about 28 hours' worth of work left on that clue, followed by the edging. We won't discuss all the other partially finished shawls I have lying around. So obviously there's no time for the Halloween shawl, right?

But I like Halloween. And I love Goddess Knits patterns. I signed up. But! I thought. But! I will not order the recommended yarn. I will use budget-friendly Knit Picks Shadow and I'll skip the beads. It will be cheap and simple.

But I love the colours! And it's baby alpaca and silk and cashmere...how can I settle for budget-friendly? So I ordered it. The Knit Picks order is on its way as we speak, but I'm sure I'll find some use for it should I live long enough.

And now I need to find some beads. I'm going to check Michael's before going nuts online. I need to show some restraint here and I know there are oodles of beads at Michaels. It should be cheap and simple, right? Right.

Just to prove that I am capable of finishing things, here is my sister's scarf.

'Tis the Kata Felicity scarf from Mindful Knitting (you have no idea how difficult it is for me not to type "mindless knitting") done in the Bernat Bamboo I scored at my beloved Spinrite tent sale. The yarn is very heavy and very slippery, so I'm fully expecting the scarf to be twice its length and half its width after a couple of wearings.

knitting for me and mine

2008-09-07T16:45:00.002-04:00

It has been a tough year and I've decided to give myself a break. I've said this before but I mean it this time. I'm going to knit what I please and take a break from charity knitting.

The year started with my youngest daughter freshly out of the hospital, followed by my father's cancer diagnosis and subsequent death. Through all of this I have been beating myself up over not producing enough charity items. In August I started to knit ferociously trying to make up for last time and ended up with tendinitis in my shoulder. And now I have a corner of my bedroom stacked with unfinished projects and a heap of unfulfilled promises to my kids because I feel guilty if I'm not knitting for charity.

This is dumb.

Now that the shoulder is on the mend I have resumed work on the Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I also intend to start the Halloween shawl at the end of the month. I still have the Adamas for older daughter on the go as well as Flowing River from last year. I have two first socks buried in the heap somewhere and I have promised younger daughter a Wallaby and sister a scarf. Until further notice these will be my projects of note.

In that spirit, I had knit this guy for charity, but when older daughter fell instantly in love with him I gave him to her instead.

And with any luck this very blog will be a little less snore-inducing as there will be a whole lot less garter stitch in my life.

blankie

2008-09-03T10:13:00.002-04:00

Goldarn it, I wish I could knit! The shoulder is having a good day but I don't want to risk messing it up again by doing anything too repetitive. It's astounding how much the shoulder is involved in any kind of hand movement. Last night filling out school paperwork was making the shoulder seize up. I am vowing to rest it until it feels semi-normal again.

Meanwhile, as promised, here's the heart blanket.

I am knitting myself into an early grave

2008-09-01T18:44:00.003-04:00

I have way too many WIPs on the go (oh sorry, have I mentioned that already?), so what do I do about it? I sign up for another mystery shawl.

Not only that, but I am having a nasty tendinitis flare-up in my right shoulder and cannot knit without pain. Against every shred of common sense I possess I forced myself to knit two-thirds of a round on the anniversary mystery shawl. It hurt. I am going to try to keep my mitts off the needles for a couple of days until this settles down. (Note to self: when shoulder is acting up, refrain from moving furniture.)

I did actually finish the heart baby blanket, though. There will be a picture soon, said she who still hasn't posted the Wallaby picture she promised months ago.

Am now going to stop typing before the damned shoulder completely ceases to function.

new plan

2008-08-26T08:04:00.002-04:00

The WIPs are out of control again so I've been working on a battle plan.

I'm almost finished a charity baby blanket so I'm going to be totally monogamous until that's done. Then I'm going to finish a quick scarf I started for my sister last week. It's the Kata Felicity scarf from Mindful Knitting done in Bernat Bamboo. That shouldn't take more than another couple of days. So those two projects should be done by Labour Day.

I have a partially frogged, very annoying garter stitch baby blanket that is currently off the needles and difficult to pick up. I will attempt to pick up the stitches and finish it off, but if it gives me ulcers within the first half-hour I'll just finish frogging it.

Then I will get back to work on the heap of lace shawls in various stages of completion. And at that point I will also allow myself to cast on a Wallaby for younger daughter. It would be nice if she could wear it this fall.

2008-08-17T13:29:00.002-04:00

Anniversary #19 approaches on the 26th and DH can't figure out what to get me. I have made it easy for him. He is getting me a set of the new Harmony straights from Knit Picks. I don't use straights much any more but these are so pretty I think I can make an exception. They're supposed to be available on the 20th, so the timing will work out rather nicely.

For #20, let me assure you, I will not make it so easy.

the tent sale haul

2008-08-16T17:57:00.002-04:00

First, I must emphasize that the Spinrite tent sale is no place for a yarn snob. If you are offended by synthetic fibres or floofy novelty junk, you will want to give this event a wide berth and it might be wise to navigate away from this page immediately if you're particularly sensitive.

I, however, am proud to call myself Knitting Trash. While I appreciate good yarn and do make an effort to stash and knit with it, I can also get quite giddy over a tent full of acrylic. And here is the happy result.

That heap, my friends, represents $134 worth of the husband's hard-earned money, tax included. Which is, in my opinion, pretty darn good.

I took full advantage of the buy-three-get-one-free deal this time, getting four bags of every yarn but one. I snagged four big balls of Bernat Camouflage to make younger daughter a Wallaby. Four bags (12 balls total) of Bernat Bamboo. Four bags (40 balls total) of Patons Divine. Four bags (40 balls total) of Patons Decor. Four bags (12 balls total) of self-striping Baby Boucle. And one lonely bag (8 balls) of unlabelled Patons Stretch Socks. That, according to my calculations, amounts to 116 balls of yarn for a pretty amazing price. Yes, I had scads of fun.

And if anyone remembers my haul from a couple of years back and wonders what became of it, I reply with a blank face that it is still in the basement. Don't tell the husband.

yarn-induced hyperventilation

2008-08-15T19:54:00.003-04:00

Going to Listowel for the Spinrite tent sale tomorrow. Am extremely overly excited. Am planning to come home with garbage bags full of cheap yarn for charity knitting and kid garments. Will report afterwards when I catch my breath.

rain, baseball and mutant Teletubbies

2008-08-10T09:36:00.007-04:00

First, I must apologize again for the insanely wet summer that our swimming pool installation has inflicted on Southern Ontario. We really didn't know it would be this bad. Yesterday we had to pump a couple of inches of rainwater out of the pool for the second - and probably not the last - time this summer.

The family and I attended the Blue Jays Stitch and Pitch this week. As you might notice, we sat right on the foul line.

Unfortunately younger daughter suffered a tummy upset on the way to the game, causing me to spend the entire game asking her if she felt sick (she didn't). I started a new plain sock on DPNs, bringing current WIP up near triple digit territory*. The yarn is Arequipa by Estelle and it is yummy soft. Here it is in all its blurry glory. I'm still trying to figure out the camera I inherited from my father.

And I just found this in my camera and do not know how it got there. I do know that the face is that of my younger daughter, but why she is masquerading as Dipsy remains to be explained.

Odd.

I've been making glacial progress on the mystery shawl while watching the Olympics. I am up to row 33 of the fourth section. It is a strange quirk of mine that I love to tackle large projects but I tend to lose interest about a third of the way through. Common sense would dictate that I would be better off with smaller projects, but I have no interest in starting quick projects. Instead I end up with 97* immense WIPs.

*WIP counts are shameless exaggerations

Another note to self:

2008-08-04T21:27:00.003-04:00

When we are knitting a lace shawl and we find ourselves at the end of a section separated by stitch markers and there appears to be one extra stitch, we will ensure that the stitch marker hasn't merely slipped under a YO before we spend half an hour tinking and reknitting in a futile effort to isolate and destroy an error that isn't really there. We have been through this enough times now that we really should have figured this out.

Off to smack head now.

squeals

2008-07-24T20:36:00.002-04:00

My books came! I was so excited to see them in the parcel mailbox that I dropped the key back into the slot without relocking the mailbox door. The mailman will just adore me when he arrives tomorrow to find that the box has been flapping open all night and might have filled up with rain during the day.

Speaking of rain, I must go off-topic for a moment to apologize to anyone who might have been affected by our summer plans. It is a well-acknowledged fact in our family that we control the weather. We can bring on torrential rains merely by taking a step in the direction of the beach; likewise we can cause the sun to shine brightly by stepping indoors. We can drop the temperature by 10 degrees by getting changed for a swim. This year we bought a pool. We knew that this would bring on the Great Flood, but we had no idea to what degree. The Toronto area is having the rainiest summer on record and we accept full responsibility. We're sorry.

Anyway, back to my books, which somehow managed to stay dry. I finally got EZ's Knitting Workshop, which contains the much-ballyhooed Baby Surprise sweater. This falls into the same category as the Clapotis for me: I have no particular interest in it for its own sake but I have heard so much chatter about it that I'm going to be forced to knit it out of sheer curiosity. There are a lot of other great sweaters in there, and as always I feel unworthy to even think about attempting most of them. This, I recognize, runs counter to everything EZ stood for, but there you have it.

Tea Cozies has some adorable patterns, and some that look quite reasonable. Unfortunately adorable and reasonable don't necessarily go together when discussing a useful item. I really can't see myself knitting a tea cozy that looks like a stuffed kitten, but the one that looks like an aran sweater kind of turns my crank. The cabled ones are cool too. I love the scenic cozies but can't really see myself ever knitting one.

And then there is Alison Hyde's Wrapped in Comfort. The shawls are all beautiful and look like they'd be very easy to wear, and the scarf patterns are going to be perfect for using up the lace yarn sampler I bought on impulse a while ago. Having long read Alison's stories on Yahoo Groups, I can't wait to read the story behind each pattern.

And now I have lots of reading for the next rainy day. Snort.

just pausing for breath...

2008-07-22T19:32:00.003-04:00

What a wild and wacky summer. My youngest turned 10 at the end of June, but as her birthday was the last day of both the school year and the gymnastics season we decided it was too hectic to try to plan a party. We decided to wait until our swimming pool was fully operational and give her a party a month later. We were just about to hand out the invitations when my father died unexpectedly. It seemed too cruel to postpone the party again, so now here we are simultaneously planning a backyard pool party and a funeral. Sounds like a movie, doesn't it?

The point of all this is that I have neither the time nor the inclination to knit.

I do, however, have the inclination to shop. I am taking advantage of the Knit Picks book sale (40% off all books) to finally lay my hands on Alison Hyde's Wrapped in Comfort, EZ's Knitting Workshop, and Tea Cozies. I have been promising my husband a tea cozy since the paleolithic era or so, and I think the moment may be almost here. That's if I get started knitting again.

Will report, with squeals, when the books arrive.

another quickie post

2008-07-17T16:35:00.003-04:00

Haven't been knitting much due to a death in the family, but I did manage to screw up yet another garter stitch project. In so doing I learned that Bernat Soft Boucle is hellish to frog, requiring extra little tugs that tend to rip out more than would have been ideal. Hopefully things will calm down soon and I'll be able to get back to work on the Anniversary Mystery Shawl.

drive-by post

2008-07-07T09:10:00.003-04:00

We're back from the cottage for a minute or two. We have a few commitments in town and then my knitting and I are heading back to the beach. My project of note for this vacation has been the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl.

A bit scrunched up on the needle, but you can see a bit of it. I have just started section 4. So far I've used Chart C for section 1, Chart A for section 2, Chart C for section 3, and Chart B for section 4. I hope to find time before I die to make another version of this shawl using different charts.

I thank the Powers That Be for knitting days.

2008-06-28T19:01:00.004-04:00

Finally, a day with nothing to do. No school stuff, no gymnastics stuff, no parties, no family obligations. Well, actually older daughter had a couple of parties but Daddy took care of the chauffeuring, leaving me at home. Knitting. What a rare treat.

I had fallen behind on the anniversary shawl already and was able to get caught up on clue 2 today. Of course by the time I finished clue 3 was already up, but I'm trying not to think about that yet. I also got back to work on the magic loop sock that has been snoring in a corner for months and got all the way to the gusset. I don't know why I had so much trouble picking up the gusset stitches the last time I tried magic loop. I suppose if one holds ones mouth right and turns ones brain to the correct angle, it all looks much clearer. I might keep the brain on this angle for a little while. It might help with other issues. You never know.

You know what I'm doing tomorrow? More knitting. And I might read a little too.

Sorry, no time for knitting

2008-06-22T09:40:00.004-04:00

I would like to nominate June for the Most Exhausting Month award. I've spent the past week running around from one kid activity to another and I am done. Finished. Spent. I've barely touched my knitting since I last posted and am not terribly motivated to pick it up again. But the second clue for the Goddess Knits anniversary shawl has been posted and I guess I should make some effort to keep up.

So what have I been doing while my knitting snoozes? There were dance recitals at the beginning of the week, which bemuses me as I was under the impression that my daughters were gymnasts, not dancers. Many coaches think a bit of ballet training is beneficial for gymnasts so the girls were given a few minutes of ballet training every Wednesday. The next thing we know we're buying tickets for the dance school's year-end recital, an expenditure and time commitment that had never occurred to us. They did quite well, though, and in my totally unbiased opinion the gymnasts outshone many of the real dance teams.

Then there was school stuff. We were treated to a medieval feast at younger daughter's school. Older daughter performed a very watered-down version of her floor routine in her school talent show. She had to squeeze it onto the school stage so she had to knock her tumbling down a few levels. Then there was the always excruciating gymnastics awards banquet. My youngest, whose season was interrupted by a serious illness, was given an insulting "award" that suggested that her only problem was a bad attitude. I am in a major snit and am considering crafting some coach voodoo dolls.

In between all this we are in the final stages of installing an above-ground swimming pool. I am currently trying to figure out the water chemistry with questionable success. I seem to have super-hyper-over-chlorinated the thing so we're heading off to the lab with a water sample this afternoon in hopes that they can tell me what I'm doing wrong. There's still one machine we haven't fired up yet and the water needs to be correctly balanced before we start it. We also have to try to assemble the automatic cleaner before we go so that we can add whatever problems we encounter to our endless list of questions. And there will be problems. There are always problems.

Vacation starts sometime this week and I vow to try to knit at some point.

Do you know what's frustrating?

2008-06-13T12:50:00.004-04:00

Let me tell you what's frustrating. Dealing with city hall is frustrating.

We have installed a little above-ground pool in our back yard and cannot fill it until the city inspector comes by and issues a pool enclosure permit. We've been waiting for...oh, I don't know, an eternity or so. Last night we decided to take some collateral action on getting this thing happening and went out to the pool store to pick up a few necessities based on our ephemeral shreds of hope that the permit will be forthcoming before winter sets in. Naturally the permit lady called as soon as we left the house - didn't bother to call the husband's cell as he had requested - and asked us to call back. We called last night. We called today. She is not answering our calls. Now it's Friday and we probably won't see any progress before next week.

It's pool weather today and consequently I am sitting here snarling quietly to my empty house.

Meanwhile, in those rare moments of sanity, I continue to try to make progress on the Adamas shawl.

Yes, I recognize that the pattern is obscured by the loud yarn (Knit Picks Shimmer in Flower Garden), as often seems to be the case with my knitting, but it's squished onto the needle and I do have faith that it will look better after blocking. Sadly, I no longer have much faith in the existence of the pool permit person.

It will be so much nicer with water in it.

2008-06-05T21:18:00.004-04:00

I did, in fact, redo and block the mystery shawl swatch. I am feeling so virtuous I think I might have a bit of an angelic glow about me.

I ended up trying the 3.75 mm needles for the second swatch and I think I like them better. Both swatches looked good but the stitches felt happier with the bigger needles.

And speaking of unhappy stitches, I ripped out the Adamas shawl and have started again on smaller needles (from 4.0 mm down to 3.5). See, I do swatch. I just make a really, really big swatch that looks sort of like the beginning of a shawl.

This is a bad omen.

2008-06-05T12:36:00.002-04:00

I was so proud of myself. This morning I actually sat down to swatch for the mystery shawl. I am using Knit Picks Shadow in Lost Lake and was torn between 3.5 and 3.75 mm needles. I started the swatch with 3.5 mm. It was looking great. I had every intention of blocking and posting a picture.

And then I screwed it up. And then I swore a few times. And then I ripped it out. I figured that I had determined that I was happy with the yarn and with the needles, so why bother to finish the bleedin' thing?

This is bad. This is naughty. I have never blocked a finished swatch before and it's time I did. This afternoon I am going to reknit the swatch, I am going to do it correctly, and I am going to block it like a good little knitter.

Now I just have to decide whether to redo with the same needles or try the bigger ones. I feel like I'm chasing my tail.

Summer Knitting Plans*

2008-06-02T07:19:00.002-04:00

*subject to change without notice

Here's the plan. I'm still freaked out about my lack of charity production, so that will be my focus this summer. For the most part I plan to work on blankies and preemie hats. For sanity knitting, I have started an Adamas shawl in variegated yarn for the older daughter. I'm not sure about the yarn's compatibility with the pattern, and after a few repeats I'm wishing I'd used a smaller needle. (Did I hear someone say "swatch"? I do not remember this word, though I think I used it once upon a time...) And I'm still hoping to do the new Goddess Knits mystery shawl that starts in a couple of weeks.

Did I mention that this is all subject to change on a whim?

It must be Monday again

2008-05-26T09:49:00.003-04:00

I am, as my father would put it, at loose ends. I don't know what to work on. I want to do everything but nothing in particular.

First, I should mention that the Butterfly Wings shawl has taken up semipermanent residence in UFO country. I never did figure out what I did to throw the pattern off, and though I was able to fudge to get it back on track the mistake was obvious in four places across the width of the shawl. I could have lived with that if the knitting had been fun, but I found the wing pattern that constitutes the main part of the shawl quite tedious to knit. Two strikes and it's out. I am not frogging it yet, though. The beginning centre section is fine and there is a lifeline at the end of it, so if I ever decide to tackle it again I can pick up just before it all went to hell.

In charity knitting, I am working on the heart baby blanket from Knitting On The Net in RH Super Saver. The yarn feels just hideous, and I'm knitting fairly tightly to make the pattern pop, which makes the oogy yarn feel even nastier, and the stockinette/garter pattern causes the whole mess to pucker in an unwholesome manner. I am also working on my third preemie hat in very fine baby yarn that has been lurking in the basement for maybe 20 years. I'm pleased to finally have a good use for it.

And in real knitting...not much going on. I've dug out my Flowing River shawl to resume when the mood strikes, but the mood is eluding me at the moment. I'm thinking of starting a plain shawl for the elder daughter just to get the juices flowing again. I also still have several projects left to do from the Knit Picks summer yarn sampler and I have to figure out what I'm going to do with the lace sampler. I've been toying with trying to combine several yarns to make a circular shawl but I'm not sure I trust myself with such a daunting task. I'm feeling rather like a blind follower at the moment.

2008-05-22T10:40:00.003-04:00

I have a problem. And we all know that admitting it is the first step. I have recently discovered that Knit Picks laceweight is ridiculously affordable. Here is some of my recent damage. Some was unearthed during today's stash management session, some recently appeared in my mailbox. Honestly, I have no idea how it got there.

The pinky-purply stuff at the top right is going to be a shawl for the elder daughter. The deep blue next to it is for the younger daughter. The dark mossy green on the left is for the Goddess Knits mystery shawl. The bottom row is the sampler that I bought in the name of research, which is always a noble endeavor. You see, every inch of it has a purpose, a reason for existence, a justifiable claim on the pay cheque.

And what am I knitting? Endless acrylic baby things for charity. Blech.

it figures

2008-05-17T18:59:00.003-04:00

Now that I've replaced all the sewing needles in my wandering Chibi case, the original batch has turned up in my pen drawer. At least they waited a few weeks and didn't pop up as soon as I placed the order for a new set. I actually had time to use the replacement, thus justifying their purchase.

Now I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of my Harmony tips. The metal set has spoiled me for any other needles, yet some people seem to like the wood even better. Rumour has it that they have crossed the border, so I shall expect to see them in my box on Tuesday.

I wonder if the husband checked our lottery numbers this week. I'd like to try the DPNs.

I needed that.

2008-05-12T13:06:00.002-04:00

As I had promised myself, I took a break from the charity knitting and did a quick little project for my daughter. These are from the Knit Picks Victorian sampler that had me all giddy a few weeks back.

And now it's back to the heart baby blanket and preemie hats, and I am not dreading it. The break did me good.

shopaholicism, knitteritis strain

2008-05-09T12:39:00.004-04:00

Oh crap.

This is totally not my fault. It's an addiction. It's an illness, even. Knit Picks has figured out that I cannot resist their sampler packs and they can't help taking advantage of my weakness.

I bought the summer yarn sampler just a few weeks ago and haven't had time to do anything with it. Now they've hit me with the lace yarn sampler, and they have it in blues and greens. I cannot say no to blues and greens. And lace yarn, for crud's sake. It's all like crack to me.

And since I have to pay nine bucks in shipping anyway, it only makes sense to try out the Harmony wood needle tips. And I did need some extra 24" and 32" cables. And some blocking pins. Once you've committed to the shipping you might as well make it worth your while, right? Simple economics.

I feel like a creation of Sophie Kinsella right about now.

My Mother's Day gift to Me

2008-05-09T08:36:00.003-04:00

On Sunday I am not going to do any charity knitting. I am going to play with my Knit Picks sampler and I am going to swatch for the Goddess Knits Mystery Shawl. I might have to assign an enforcer to make sure I don't try to sneak a baby blanket in there but I'm sure one of my daughters would be happy to help in that capacity.

How to make knitting not fun

2008-05-07T09:09:00.002-04:00

1. Put too much pressure on yourself.
2. Knit what you think you should be knitting instead of what you want to knit.

And this is what I have been doing for the past couple of months. I'm trying to crank out as much charity stuff as I can before the last meeting in June and it is making me grumpy.

Last week I handed in three adult hats, three baby sweaters and a baby blanket. This was my first contribution since February, and feeling totally inadequate I put my little grocery bag on the table amidst a mountain of garbage bags filled by the other ladies. Now I'm pressuring myself to get some more stuff finished before June so that I can donate, well, maybe a sandwich bag full. I'm half-finished another baby sweater and am having totally unrealistic fantasies of completing a sweater/hat/bootie set and another blanket. It is to laugh. I'm thinking I should probably crochet the blanket to speed things up a little.

In the queue, I have promised a lacy cap to the younger daughter and a pair of fingerless gloves to the older one. I have -- let me count -- at least five unfinished shawls lying around, and the new mystery shawl is due to start mid-June. And I've bought yarn to make shawls for both daughters as well. My completion record totally sucks right about now and I blame that darned charity knitting.

Off to take a deep breath and contemplate priorities.

confession time

2008-04-30T08:15:00.004-04:00

My name is Kathryn and I have never participated in a KAL. I did not do the Knitting Olympics and I have never paid any attention to the mystery whatever-alongs. As a rule I like to plod along at my own pace, whether it be like lightning or that of the slugs I keep finding in my watering can. But I am considering joining y'all out there in the big world just to see what it's like. Temporarily, of course. I'm not promising to actually become part of society or anything.

I've been following a certain meltdown in the mystery shawl land with morbid curiosity. It seems that a certain designer, who appears to be fairly new to the title, initiated a free mystery shawl KAL that was riddled with problems and then decided to renege on the "free" part. Folks who had already invested in materials and knitting time are steaming mad. Coincidentally I received an email last night from another designer, who is not in any way a newbie, announcing that she too is hosting a free mystery shawl KAL. I already own a couple of patterns by this designer so I decided to give it a whirl. Nothing like a whiff of scandal to catch ones interest. Remember how popular figure skating became after the Tonya/Nancy incident? It's the same thing. Newbie designer has whacked the mystery shawl industry on the knee and given it a whole new life.

Of course we all know that this is really nothing but a stash enhancement opportunity. My budget does not allow for major stash enhancement at the moment so I ordered some of that dirt-cheap Shadow from Knit Picks. Since I had to pay eight bucks for shipping anyway, I ordered enough for two shawls. No fool am I.

Apropos of not much, here's a hat I knit last week.

It's Dez Crewford's pattern, found here, but I made it a lot shorter than the pattern directed. I have never seen a head that could accommodate a 14" long tube, but I've already mentioned that I don't get out much. Mine is 10" up to the decreases and consequently I only flipped the brim once. I'm currently knitting another one. Shawls are still hibernating but I'm hoping to get one of them done before the KAL begins.

2008-04-21T13:24:00.003-04:00

Sigh. Eventually one has to face up to the fact that ones Chibi set has gone astray somewhere between here and Montreal and one must order a new one. This one has just done so.

I also ordered one of the spiffy little samplers from Knit Picks. I chose the Victorian one, firstly because I like the colours but also, quite conveniently, I prefer the set of patterns that comes with this set to the other two. I really can't think of a reason to knit the doofy little bags in the other sets. The older daughter has already laid claim to the fingerless gloves and the younger one wants the lacy cap.

Meanwhile I continue on my charity knitting binge. I have so far finished one baby hoodie and one excruciatingly unexciting dishcloth pattern blanket. I have started crocheting a scrap afghan and have Lorraine Major's quick baby sweater almost finished. All shawls et cetera are on hold until I have a decent contribution for next month's meeting.

2008-04-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I witnessed the daughter wearing her Wallaby but did not have the gumption to go find my camera. The Wallaby remains sadly unphotographed and is already acquiring that much-loved look, which I admit does have its own appeal. Next sweater will be immortalized in pixels as soon as it is off the needles and/or finished blocking. I maintain that you will see the Wallaby in all its pilly glory sooner or later.

****

I continue to whine about the garter stitch baby blanket. 'Nuff said about that. I've also cast on Lorraine Major's version of the 5-hour baby sweater (found here) just because I am in dire need of an FO right about now. The next major charity project will be Ann Saglimbene's Heart Blanket. You may anticipate a certain amount of whinging.

Meanwhile, in real knitting, I have made some progress on Butterfly Wings. I'm trying to focus on the charity stuff but I'm managing to squeeze in a row or two on the shawl most days.

****

I had a small crisis a couple of days ago when I experienced a system failure on one of my Knit Picks Options cables. The purple plastic cable separated itself from the metal screw-in connector thingie, naturally in the middle of a long row. Luckily it happened to the garter stitch project, not the lace shawl, so it was easily rescued. I've heard that Knit Picks is very good about replacing defective tools, but I'm thinking a drop of superglue might be a more efficient solution. Perhaps if I'd had to rescue my lace I'd be in a bigger hurry to demand reparation.

****

I was nosing around Ravelry yesterday (who among us can say that they do not nose around Ravelry most days?) and was very impressed by a couple of afghans made from sock yarn scraps knit into mitred squares. I have a pretty good collection of leftover sock yarn and am considering putting such an item in the queue for portable summer knitting.

Permission granted.

2008-04-06T11:36:00.004-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I received the memo from myself granting permission to cast on a new shawl despite having about a hundred and fifty-four unfinished shawls littering my home. Oh, and one finished one. See, it can happen. There's always hope.

This is Butterfly Wings from Goddess Knits. I'm using Jaggerspun Maine Line (which happens to be the very yarn called for in the pattern, fancy that!) in apricot. So far I am having a grand old time with this one and am absolutely fully committed to finishing it. No, really. I will. And then I will finish the border on the Flowing River shawl that is currently in hibernation.

Really.

And here's some of the rather dull charity stuff I've been nattering about.

Yes, that's a whole lot of knit stitch you're looking at. This has been in progress for two months now and has followed me all around the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes area. It does make for good mindless knitting.

And this...

...is the only charity project I have actually completed since February. Gotta get the old butt into gear before the summer break. The pattern can be found here if you're interested. It's quick and easy, but I modified it a bit, adding three buttonholes and changing the sewn hem to a garter stitch border.

And for those who love bad photography and/or pretty birds...

This handsome gentleman has been singing his little head off in our backyard every morning for the past few weeks. I had to use digital zoom and snap quickly before he moved on, hence the less than stellar image quality. Sometimes I do miss my good old 35mm SLR.

grumbling

2008-04-04T09:39:00.004-04:00

I am trying to decide whether to give myself permission to begin a new lace shawl and leave yet another in UFO limbo. The yarn isn't working with the pattern and I am finding it just depressing. I don't really have that much on the needles at the moment so as soon as I'm granted permission to allow the Bad Yarn Shawl to remain dormant, I will be free to cast on something more pleasing. I'll sit here and await the memo.

Meanwhile I'm chugging away at a bunch of agonizingly dull charity stuff. One garter stitch blanket, one just-finished baby hoodie with another ready to cast on, and a preemie hat in fingering weight that is probably going to be the death of me. Unfortunately our local hospitals are requiring that preemie hats be knit only in fingering weight. They're trying to drive us into the booby hatch. Maybe they have a few empty beds.

And it's snowing, for cripe's sake. What happened to spring? Did I miss it?

Happy frogging to you

2008-03-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

Dang but it feels good to frog a project that is not offering any enjoyment whatsoever. I had been working on the Lotus socks from Red Bird Knits a bit at a time over the last few months and for some reason it was not working for me. I had turned the heel and was starting on the gusset when I decided that I simply was not enjoying the lace pattern. And the memory of working on this thing while waiting for my nine-year-old to come out of the OR did not bestow any positive vibes either. So they're toast. The yarn is luscious (Lana Grossa Seta/Cashmere) and will serve me very well in a future project, ideally one that does not carry any hospital associations.

Pictures of the Wallaby will be along eventually. Lame as this sounds, I swear it is the truth: the batteries in my camera are dead. I laundered the Wallaby this week, once I was finally able to peel it off the daughter, with only mildly upsetting results. It was knit in Knit Picks Main Line (cotton/merino) and I very cockily put it in the washer on delicate. It came out of the washer stretched all the way to hell and back and looking a little fuzzy, but it seems to be regaining its shape and most of the fuzz appears to be loose lint rather than pills. Whew. While suffering machine washing remorse I rhetorically asked the daughter whatever we would do if the thing did not recover. And she answered, bless her, "I'd just wear it anyway."

Gymnastics meet tomorrow. I'm going to be working on my Boring-As-All-Get-Out Dishcloth Pattern Baby Blanket for Charity (hereinafter known as the BAAGODPBBFC - or maybe not).

2008-03-22T16:13:00.001-04:00

Day 2. The daughter still has not taken off the Wallaby. Obviously I'm going to have to photograph it on her.

2008-03-21T12:49:00.003-04:00

The older daughter's Wallaby is done. I will get a picture of it eventually, but at the moment she is wearing it with pajama bottoms while doing housework. I am trying to control my horror as this is probably evidence that she likes it. And that is more important than the fact that she's going to butcher the bloody thing before I even get my camera out. Deep breath.

I could make a long list of its imperfections (like screwed-up Kitchenering on the garter rim of the hood, sickeningly obvious joins of new yarn, one wonky stitch in the placket...) but I won't. They'll just be my little secrets.

The best news: it fits me too. If I don't get to steal hers, at least I know what size to make my own.

A positive stash experience

2008-03-13T17:16:00.004-04:00

I have oft grumbled that the majority of my so-called stash is crap. I have boxes full of leftover odd balls, freebies and crappy acrylic whose origin has faded into the mists of time. There are a few balls that belonged to my late mother and grandmother, and everybody knows that you can't just chuck out family heirlooms like Eaton's Sayelle, right? And a full ball of anything with an intact label has automatic immortality.

I do realize that I have a problem.

Well, yesterday I was in Michael's with the young one (and may I say it was a most uninspiring yarn experience) to find her some craft supplies. I picked up a free leaflet about making critters out of yarn, felt and googley eyes. And I am ecstatic to report that I had in the aforementioned Stash O'Crap the two very exact balls of yarn that the projects required (Bernat boucle and that godawful Disco). I mean, I even had the colours pictured. See, there's a reason I keep all this junk around.

If there was any hope that I would ever purge this stuff it has now been squashed like a bug.

Oh yeah, I edit this to add that the Wallaby is still creeping along. I have started the neck opening and am attempting to de-glitch the placket by changing the knits to purls on one side of the garter stitch border. If I understand the directions correctly you can get away with this if you're doing a stockinette hood. Which I am. So it's all good, I hope.

announcement of revision of goal

2008-03-08T09:53:00.003-05:00

OK, I said I was going to join both sleeves to the body of the Wallaby before the snow stops, but that was before we managed to acquire a Wii. I have started the second sleeve nevertheless and am now forced to adjust my goal. I will get to the top of the cuff increases before the snow stops, and I will play some Wii with my darlings. Just because I'm a good mom, don't ya know.

Another snowstorm. Whodathunkit?

2008-03-07T12:29:00.002-05:00

Apparently it isn't enough to have snow piled so high on both sides of the driveway that one has to back out blind. No, we're expecting another foot or so over the next 48 hours for good measure. Just to make sure that we still won't be able to see to the corner by August, I guess.

I am trying to see this as a Golden Knitting Opportunity. Once I've delivered the older daughter to the gym at 4:00 I will not be required to leave the house until Sunday. The husband, fortunately, does not mind driving in this ridiculous weather and has agreed to be the designated driver until the storm is over. So I intend to cocoon, knit the sleeves of the Wallaby and get them joined to the body before the snow stops.

I seem to have returned from the gymnastics road trip without my Chibi case that contained not only its original contents but all my favourite yarn needles. I had to run out to Wally World this morning when I felt the urge to weave in some ends. That urge doesn't hit very often and must be obeyed when it drops by. I hope the fact that I replaced some of the needles will ensure that the Chibi shows up within the next day or two. But it's most likely in Montreal somewhere.

Along Came A Spider

2008-02-27T14:33:00.002-05:00

We're about to hit the road for another gymnastics road trip, this time to Montreal, but I felt the need to crow that I finally finished the Along Came A Spider lace scarf.

This was a kit from Rovings that a friend won at a knitting event in September. My brain has already been packed in my suitcase so I can't remember the name of the event. It was in Kitchener-Waterloo...Knitter's Fair, perhaps?

I'm taking the sadly neglected Lotus socks from the Red Bird Knits SOTM to work on once I've unpacked my brain, and a garter stitch baby blanket for the other 23 hours of the day.

The Trouble with Knitting In Public

2008-02-25T12:17:00.001-05:00

I was KIPing in the doctor's waiting room today when I was approached by a Helpful Person who wanted to critique my knitting technique. Now, I am fully aware that I am an Awkward Knitter. I hold the yarn in my right fist and drop the needle to wrap the yarn. It looks like hell in progress, but this is how I am most comfortable and the results are good so I do not feel the need to change.

Said Helpful Lady indicated that I should learn to flick the yarn with my index finger. My mother knit this way and I am very familiar with the technique, but it does not make me happy. As a crocheter I am also semi-competent with continental style, but it is not my favourite either. I like to knit the way I like to knit, and that just happens to involve flailing my right fist while my needle drops into my lap, often sliding out of the stitches along the way. I can deal with it. I told the lady that it works for me, and she shrugged and said, "Oh well, whatever works," before moving away. But not before she had snarked that I must have just learned to knit in hopes of getting this scarf (which, by the way, is already four feet long) finished in time for Christmas.

Anyway. Let us assume that she meant well.

I present my Wallaby-in-progress as it stood a few days ago. I've added another couple of inches since then. The yarn is Knit Picks' Main Line in Wedgewood.

travelling FO

2008-02-18T08:01:00.004-05:00

What did I do on our five-hour drive to Ottawa?

I finished Sydney's socks! I used Opal Petticoat Cotton and am crossing my fingers that she'll actually wear them. I've learned the hard way that she won't wear Opal wool.

We were in Ottawa for a gymnastics meet. I won't go into detail except to say that our results were ugly aside from one bronze medal on floor. Next week we're chugging off to Montreal for another meet. Medals will be impossible at this one because the daughter has been bumped up a level, and I fear, given my current assortment of WIPs, FOs are equally unlikely. I'll try to enjoy the scenery anyway.

We have too much flippin' snow.

2008-02-13T08:31:00.002-05:00

I recall many recent winters when I have sat here staring at the frozen brown earth wishing we had a little snow to pretty things up a bit. And then there's this year.

The tail belongs to Logan, the snow-loving German shepherd who can't wait to get back into the house. Even she is fed up.

And according to this morning's forecast there's more coming before the end of the week. And what will we be doing during the next onslaught? Why, driving to Ottawa and back, of course, for a gymnastics meet.Of course I will bring along some mindless knitting to work on while the husband digs us out of the drifts.

Vaguely knitting related notes

2008-02-04T17:17:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you about my latest boneheaded Random Act of Vanity. Five days ago I got acrylic nails. Lest you think I have no regard for my knitting whatsoever, I must point out that I had them clipped relatively short, explaining to the technician that I needed them short enough to knit with. And in my defence my natural nails were actually interfering with my knitting because they were so shredded that they caught on even the smoothest of yarns. It was purely a practical move, I assure you.

So can I knit with these monsters? Yes, I can, by golly! Can I knit fast? Not on your life. It's sort of like having to manipulate ten extra DPNs.

I did watch that silly football game last night while working on the new charity baby blanket. The good news is I sort of kind of moderately enjoyed it. The bad news is...my previously non-football-watching significant other discovered that he could get into football. Uh-oh.

Am still eagerly awaiting my Knitpicks order so I can start the Wallaby for number one daughter. I have no doubt that the neighbours gather to snicker as they watch me stalk the mailman.

2008-02-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I have finished all the charity stuff that I'm going to, given that the meeting is today: two baby outfits and one slightly abbreviated Moderne baby blanket. I realized after packing them up that I had forgotten to take pictures, but I truly believe that our society will not suffer greatly for lack of this particular pictorial evidence.

As is usually the case when I knit garter stitch, the blanket was a screwup from start to finish. I've said before that I can handle complex lace and Arans, but give me a garter stitch washcloth pattern and I can make a total hash of it. I suppose it's because I don't pay it enough attention and it repays my disrespect in kind. So upon reaching block #9 of the blanket, I realized that somehow I had managed to knit one of the starting blocks in the wrong direction. This may have been related to an earlier disaster when I had to rip out a different block because I had knit it in the wrong position. Now, the wrong direction thing was by no means a fatal error, though I think I could probably classify it as a classic Random Act Of Stupidity, but upon realizing that the blanket had already reached the 32" minimum measurement required by the charity group I decided to cut my losses and get the miserable thing off my needles. It doesn't look too bad, really, but you'll have to take my word for that.

Since I so cleverly neglected to photograph the latest FOs and am not inclined to unpack them again (I already had to unpack once upon realizing that I had forgotten to label the blanket with its measurements), I have decided to post a pic of an old FO from sometime last year. I babbled at the time about the My Constant Companion tote that I had been working on. I never considered this thing fully finished because I still have not sewn on the 47 or so pockets I made. And yet, strangely enough, it still functions as a bag!

I knit it a little taller than the pattern instructed, and we'll just say I did it on purpose. It's easily big enough to carry a small blanket in progress so that worked out quite well in the end. It does have an unparalleled talent for attracting dog hair, though, so I don't often take it out in public for fear someone will ask me to muzzle it.

Current WIPs include, um, a whole bunch of stuff I started a long time ago. The Along Came a Spider lace scarf is right up there and I still have some faint hope of getting it done in time to wear this winter. I am making some cotton blend socks for the youngest daughter, and the first one is nearing completion. I have barely started a garter stitch (danger, Will Robinson!) blanket as my next charity offering. I'll probably get some work done on that today. And soon I hope to resurrect the Lotus socks and the Flowing River shawl, along with a truckload of other UFOs that are haunting my basement.

Today I intend to watch that silly football game that everyone is always talking about. I've never seen it before, I have no idea which teams are playing or why I am even considering it. But I figure it's a good excuse to Sit and Knit and eat a lot of junk food.

2008-01-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was KIPing on the green baby sweater at the daughters' gymnastics club, and two people asked if I was expecting. The muggles just do not understand us.

Ennui

2008-01-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

Let me explain why I feel like such a big blob of nothingness lately, as far as knitting goes anyway, and how I am trying to dig myself out of the pit. The story begins in late October.

Around Halloween my younger daughter, aged 9, an A student, national stream gymnast and always the picture of robust health, started getting sick. Soon she was weak, pale, bleeding internally and suffering terrible intestinal problems. Several visits to an unsympathetic family doctor later, we found ourselves at the end of a very long waiting list to see a specialist. Our appointment was scheduled for April. By mid-December we were frantic and managed to harass the unsympathetic doctor into having us moved up on the list. We managed to squeeze in thanks to a timely cancellation and got the poor kid admitted to hospital, where she was diagnosed with moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease and put on a nasty brew of very strong drugs. She is now on the mend and we're crossing our fingers that her remission lasts a good while.

What, you may be asking, does this have to do with knitting? Not a whole lot, except that for a couple of months I lost interest in everything but getting help for my baby. I did knit a row here and there but I was too rattled to concentrate on anything more complex than Deal or No Deal, which I found strangely therapeutic during the ordeal. The sad result is that I sit here with countless UFOs and a big hole in my charity knitting with the year-end for the charity group approaching. I realize that I'm not going to make a big splash at the awards presentation.

This month I'm on a charity knitting binge in an effort to finish the year with a decent contribution. The trouble with charity knitting is that it leans toward the mundane. There's no point in using good quality wool because in addition to the cost issue you know that someone, somewhere is going to throw it in the washer. Acrylic rules. And of course the patterns tend toward the uber-traditional and the, well, less-than-exciting. Speed is of the essence here, and one doesn't want to get overly avant garde for hospital donations. So this is the kind of thing I'm trying to churn out.

I just need to put some cords or ribbons through the eyelets. And now I've started the same set in green.

I've also been working on the Moderne baby blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which presents the comatose knitter with yet more garter stitch. Garter stitch is actually quite soothing when ones brain has been through a cheese grater, but it also has a tendency to bore the socks off ones feet.

Once we've had the February meeting and the charity binge is finished, I am going to tackle some UFOs and start one new project. I have three socks on the go as well as one lacy shawl and one lacy scarf that I intend to finish before the 2010 Olympics. The basement, of course, is jammed with other UFOs that will go on the agenda for 2012. The new project will be the long-promised Wonderful Wallaby for number one daughter. She's 12 and growing like a weed so I'm going to make her the small adult size. Hopefully it will still fit by the time it's finished.

And what do we need in order to commence a new project? Stash enhancement, of course! I received, with great excitement, the winter catalogue from Knitpicks and have been carrying it around cuddled to my chest like a teddy bear. I have a few needles and gadgets from Knitpicks but have not tried any of their yarns yet. This needs to be rectified ASAP. I ordered some Main Line (cotton/wool blend) for the Wallaby as well as three hanks of Shimmer to make a shawl for the older daughter. The young one also wants a Wallaby and a shawl so future orders are a distinct possibility. Shocking, I know.

the bingo lady

2008-01-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

Sometimes one just has nothing to talk about. No FOs, no interesting new projects, not even a stupendous Random Act of Stupidity. Sounds like a fabulous way to begin a new year, doesn't it? So because I am feeling like such a boring lump of nothingness at the moment, I have decided to honour Sylvia The Bingo Lady. Now that I have typed the name, I am having doubts that Sylvia is actually her name. I think it is. I'm pretty sure it starts with an "S" anyway. Let's just call her Sylvia, shall we?

My connection to Sylvia The Bingo Lady is a distant one but I will try to explain it briefly without boring anyone silly. My daughters are competitive gymnasts, and as a fundraiser their team hosts a charity bingo at a local bingo hall every other week. My husband, a jovial sort of fellow who always seems to hit it off with senior ladies, is a regular member of the bingo crew. He and Sylvia became fast friends a couple of years ago when he gave her a hug because she hadn't had a good hug since her husband had died. Since then Sylvia has tried to keep track of his bingo shifts so that she can collect her hugs and repay him with yummy baking. And then yesterday she brought these for our daughters, along with a heap of assorted squares and butter tarts.

Wasn't that sweet? Somehow she even managed to hit on their favourite colours. I have to confess to the usual knitter's weakness for handmade gifts and in gratitude am willing to offer up the husband's services for as many hugs (or whatever) Sylvia might require. I'm enjoying the baking too.

Top 10 random thoughts that have popped into my head this afternoon

2008-01-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

In which we begin knitting-related and eventually veer wildly off-topic. This would in all likelihood reflect the "other distractions" to which the blog title refers.

1. DPNs are A Good Thing. I have recently embarked upon a sock for the younger daughter in Opal Petticoat Cotton and have temporarily forsaken my magic loop experiment in favour of my beloved DPNs. What a relief.

2. The previously mentioned Opal sock makes three first socks in progress. Which is not good. Lordy help me when I reach the second sock crisis stage.

3. Charity knitting has gone all to hell recently. I've been working on the flippin' garter stitch baby blanket since the paleolithic era (approx.) and have not been accomplishing much else. Well, aside from a row on this sock and a few stitches on that one, which does not help my charity knitting situation as our group does not accept socks. So it looks like I'm going to be attending this week's meeting empty-handed. Again.

4. Although the previous item might make me appear incapable of constructing a proper sentence equipped with noun, verb and the other necessities, I deny this disability and plead poetic licence.

5. Professional dog grooming is another Good Thing. Our beasts (a German shepherd and a Catahoula cross) were stinky so we had them professionally laundered. Now they're soft and fluffy and smell like vanilla. Which is weird, yet good.

6. A vegetarian kid on a low lactose, low residue diet is very difficult to feed, especially when that kid is on steroids and wants to eat everything on God's green earth.

7. It is a very boring thing when ones husband is twice ones weight and therefore wants to spend all ones Christmas money on a better mattress, even though this lightweight is quite comfortable on the current mattress and could always use more yarn. Just saying.

8. I am way behind in updating my Ravelry stuff.

9. I hope there's something good on TV tonight. Why is there never a good movie on the movie channels when I am available to watch? We subscribed to them a good while ago, figuring we were entitled because we never seem to get out to the theatre, but it seems like they're always showing dreck.

And the #1 thought that has popped into my head this afternoon: New Year's Resolutions be damned. I have spent the day stuffing my face with pasta, chips and chocolate. Good thing I'll soon have a mattress strong enough to support it all.

Brief and mundane post-Christmas report

2007-12-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

I had such a non-knitting Christmas, y'all. I gave only one knit gift, and that was something of an afterthought, did very little knitting and received not a single knitting related gift. Resolving to stop before getting maudlin, I will just say that our Christmas spirit was somewhat dampened by the ominous presence of the Ghost of Christmas With a Sick Child. Thankfully said child got out of the hospital last Wednesday and is mostly functional now. We're off to visit in-laws today and I plan to take the Moderne baby blanket along. Progress is glacial at this point.

Christmas Knitting

2007-12-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

I almost never knit for Christmas. I don't like the pressure of the immutable deadline, and I prefer to consult with the recipient of the gift as it is in progress. The Christmas surprise thing just doesn't work for me. But. Then there is my father.

My father is old, a tad strange, and very very picky. He does not want Christmas gifts because he feels he has enough "crap". He does not want a knitted gift unless it's a sweater. I do not have the time right now to make him another sweater. So the husband decided I should make dear old dad a hat.

Dear old dad has an extremely large head, so I cast on 104 stitches for this baby. My normal charity hats are 80 stitches. The yarn is leftover Patons Decor, so it has a bit of wool for warmth but won't suffer badly if it ends up in the wash. My prediction: he is going to hate it. He will laugh in his "isn't this ridiculous!" kind of way and reiterate that what he really wants is a sweater. It will never again see the light of day. But at least we're giving him something other than the usual case of beer.

Now it looks like I'm in for some hospital knitting. My 9-year-old daughter has to be admitted for tests and I'm sitting here awaiting the announcement that they've found her a bed. I'm thinking preemie hats are the way to go. Perhaps the hospital we'll be visiting will be able to use them. Must remember to inquire.

2007-12-10T11:58:00.000-05:00

Why is it that no matter how large the stash grows I never have what I need? I have a big Rubbermaid bin full of sock yarn but I need to buy more. My darling daughters cannot wear the wool socks I've made them because they itch, but the older one at least can wear cotton/wool blends. Of course I need to buy some cotton blend. I have no choice, right? Right.

It is one of those days.

2007-12-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce that I am here. My computer, which has developed a mind of its own, was not allowing me into Blogger for a while. It also arbitrarily changed my wallpaper, my text size and probably a few other things that I haven't discovered yet. The miserable machine knows that I am stressed over a million things that matter a lot more than wallpaper and it is playing weird little tricks to see if it can push me over the edge.

My younger daughter is ailing and cannot get in to see a specialist until the new year. Although she is feeling lousy, she is still functional and does not appear to be in any danger, so she's currently at the end of a very long waiting list with the Christmas holidays threatening to make the wait longer. I am not impressed with our health care system at the moment.

My older daughter has a gymnastics meet tomorrow, and competitions always turn me into a screaming nutcase. To add to the fun, if I am to attend said meet, I will have to drag younger sister (the sickly one) along and force her to miss most of her friend's birthday party. I am girding myself to ask the older daughter's permission to skip the meet so I take the sister to her party. She's gonna blow a gasket, but she's going to have to accept that she can't always have the entire family around.

And with all this to chew my knuckles over, I am utterly incapable of anything but endless knit stitch. I am continuing with the Moderne baby blanket and a series of plain hats for charity. Once the young daughter has been treated and I have been given a barrel of Valium, I hope to get back to some kind of real knitting.

WIP Report

2007-11-26T10:31:00.000-05:00

The Moderne Baby Blanket is starting to look sort of blanketish, and as far as I can see I have put the blocks in all the right places. So far, anyway.

The yarn is the same old Red Heart Super Saver (I know; my apologies to anyone I may have offended) that I bought at the Coats & Clark outlet store in August. Looks like it will be around for a while.

And for times when I have good light and a few functioning brain cells, we have the Lotus sock by Robin Gallimore, current Sock of the Month club selection.

This yarn is so fantabulous I cannot gush about it enough. It is Meilenweit Seta/Cashmere (65% wool, 15% silk, 16% polyamid and 4% cashmere) and it is exceedingly yummy to work with. No idea how it will wear or wash, but it sure makes for some mighty fine knitting.

Oh jeez, is it Friday yet?

2007-11-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

I had just started to announce that the Moderne Baby Blanket was ticking along nicely, as projects tend to do in the early stages, but two-thirds of the way through block #4 I have realized that I have managed to knit it on the wrong end. I proclaim this my Random Act of Stupidity for week ending 11/17/2007. The garter stitch curse continues.

I think I need to cast on a simple sock today because this blankie is getting too unwieldy to knit in the car while waiting for kids to get out of school. Couldn't they have found another place to put that darned steering wheel?

I would like at this juncture to announce the end of my brief career as a podcast reviewer. A while ago I dismissed Stitch Stud and His Bride as being a little too rambly for my taste (it reminded me of some university lectures I had dozed through many years ago) and this morning was horrified to see that the Stud himself had read it. Now I'm feeling like a big bad meanypants and am tempted to retract everything and send Charles some flowers.

The conclusion that I have reached is that my taste in podcasts tends to run toward the more scripted, structured shows like Knitpicks, Cast On and Yarncraft. I am not as fond of the more chatty formats like Stitch Stud and Lime & Violet, though I must say I lightened up on L&V after listening to a second episode. Of course there will be scads of knitters who feel differently, so my opinion ain't worth squat if yours differs.

Back to blanket frogging. Big sigh.

needles, needles

2007-11-10T10:47:00.000-05:00

I have spent a few days with my Knitpicks Options needle set and have come to a conclusion. Though I am very happy with the product, my purchasing technique has to go down in the record books as yet another Random Act of Stupidity. I really should go back through the blog and create a tag for those buggers.

I bought the starter kit plus one 32" 2.00mm circ (imperial/metric hybrid confusion rears its ugly head once again) for magic loop socks. Now that I have the set in my hot little hands I recall online discussions that I should have remembered earlier. The set comes with a lovely little binder case with plastic sleeves. There is a full set of tips, plus two cables in each of the 24" and 32" lengths. Now, I knit a lot of blankets for charity. Given my budget constraints, I realize that I would have been well-advised to skip the starter set with its storage case, as others have done, and instead ordered some extra long cables along with the basic needles. As I have just started the Moderne Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting and am anticipating the need for a long cable in the very near future, I have just placed an order for the longer cables and a couple of other odds and ends.

I already own the Denise and Boye Needlemaster sets, both of which come with cable connectors that allow you to customize lengths. I suppose this wouldn't have been possible with the Knitpicks cables because they are so wonderfully thin.

On the positive side, the tips are light and pointy, the cables are thin and flexible, the joins are ultrasmooth, just as a thousand other knitters have said. I am a tad peeved that as far as I have been able to tell there is no way to identify needle sizes without hauling out your needle sizer thingie every time. I see myself accidentally knitting a few items with different sized tips. Fortunately, the cute little binder has pockets to hold the sizer thingie and with some luck I'll remember to keep it there.

twiddling thumbs

2007-11-05T08:22:00.001-05:00

Here I sit waiting for my Knitpicks Options needles to arrive. I don't want to start a new project now because I will want to try out the new needles as soon as they arrive, so casting on with other needles now is just asking for a quick slide into WIP hell.

(pause here for a spot of twiddling)

So I've been chipping away at some stuff already on the needles. I finished a plain preemie hat yesterday and will finish an adult hat today, both for charity. I am now halfway through the lace scarf and am having an awful time with my raggedy cuticles snagging on the yarn (Rovings Polwarth/silk fingering). I have two lace shawls hibernating, as Ravelry charmingly puts it, and will move on to them should I finish everything else before the Options get here.

(twiddle)

They were shipped a week ago today so they'll likely be here soon.

One last look at the baby sweater

2007-10-29T11:18:00.001-04:00

Who was I kidding? I thought I could make up a better hat? Snort. I went back to the pattern and I'm quite happy with the end result.

I did improvise the socks. They're not fabulous but they'll do.

And now it occurs to me that I had promised to confirm the source of the pattern but never did. Both the hat and sweater are indeed from Knitting on the Net. The sweater, designed by Jeannie Leech, can be found here and the matching hat by Bonnie Brann is right about here.