Monday, August 30, 2004

A finished Bob

I feel like I'm neglecting this poor blog. But I've been knitting up a storm. Here is Bob, completed after only 2 weeks! I surprise me.

My latest project is Charlotte's Web. I bought all the Koigu for it on Friday, and the pattern is 5 different colors, and a total of 154 rows. I'm on row 87 and a few rows away from adding color number 4. Can we say addict? After I wound the first skein into a ball, I knew I was in love with Koigu KPPPM already. Being this far into the shawl after only 3 days is proof. I'm not a shawl person, but I may end up making one for myself. This one is for my mom for Xmas. Here is a work in progress:

My Victoria tank has been shoved so far into the basket I don't even want to talk about it. I started a pair of socks today while waiting to go horseback riding with hubby (my first time on a horse!). They're for a childhood friend of mine.

Ok, time to hit the hay...I'm beat tonight.

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Photo entry

My son's new hat:



Hubby's new gloves:



A closer look at the gloves:



Making Waves socks:



Me modelling 76 Stitches hat:



The finished front of Bob:

Thursday, August 19, 2004

For my secret pal

I think charm bracelets are cool. I pretend I'm not girly, but way down deep I really am, and have wanted a charm bracelet since I was a kid. :)

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Insert witty title here

So, a week since the last post. What have I done in the last week. Let's see. I finished the Making Waves socks. I have yet to take pictures of them. I tried, and the color is all wonky, so I've got to move location and try again.

I have not picked up the Victoria tank at all in the last week. Here's the problem: It's done in the round to the armholes, then you work back and front separately. I did a few rows on the back, messed up the lace pattern, and said screw it. I then did the back all st st. It looked funny, but I just knew I couldn't do the lace pattern on it. I then summoned up the courage to do the front with the lace pattern...ok, so the hubby told me that the back looked really weird, and it made me feel bad...and while there is a bit of a problem with the lace pattern on the front, it's not that bad. But now I have to undo all the st st on the back and redo it, before I can do the finishing on it. I'm a big procrastinator.

I picked up hubby's gloves to finish, and I've made a mistake about an inch back, so I've got to frog back to the mistake and redo. That got put back into the basket, along with the Victoria tank.

I made a hat out of some Manos that I bought awhile ago. I used the 76 Stitches pattern in the latest Interweave Knits. I started it yesterday morning on the way to work, and then worked on it all afternoon after the boss left for a meeting. I finished it, weaving in ends and all, before I left the office yesterday. I almost wanted it to be winter so I could wear it. :)

I started a short sleeve sweater out of Phildar Onde that I bought awhile back. I'm using the Bob pattern from Knitty. I must not be in the right frame of knitting mind lately with all the messups...I started it in the round, and then realized that if I continued the way I was going, I was going to run out of first ball quickly, and not have enough of the solid color to finish. So I frogged it and cast on again for doing it in pieces. But now I've miscounted the rows and I've got to frog a few rows to fix the decreases. I think I'm living in the frog pond.

Tonight is the monthly knitting meetup. I'm hoping that my sister comes with me. I've spent a lot of time with her lately and I'm secretly loving every minute of it. Shhh...don't tell her. We're also going to do a bit of yarn shopping on Sat. I have to purchase yarn to make baby gifts.

Gina, I just yesterday saw your comment on the hat that Grover is wearing....it's the first hat in the latest FC Knitting magazine. I used a skein of Koigu Kersti that I had in my stash.

I called Threadbear yesterday. I ordered another skein of Lorna's Laces in the same color I used for my Making Waves socks. I'm going to fulfill the request of a pair of Making Waves for my coworker. I also ordered 2 skeins in a solid color, Carol Green, to make the Cloverleaf Socks for a friend of mine for her birthday. She's Irish, so green cloverleaf socks are perfect for her. Plus, what could be better than handmade socks that celebrate your irishness for your 30th birthday? Well, maybe a trip to New Orleans! That's where I'm headed in November for MY 30th birthday. I plan to hit the yarn shops while I'm there. I've already got a yarn money fund going. :) Okay, not really, but I really should.

Time to go fix my mistakes on Bob.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Feeling Blah...

Doesn’t it suck not feeling up to knitting? The projects on needles call to you and you ignore them, or you do a row or two on each and throw them away in disgust. I’m truly a bad knit mommy.

I’ve had absolutely no desire to knit, and forcing myself to do even a row or two because I’m slowly working on the Xmas gifts and want to get them out of the way. Not to mention a husband who keeps asking when I’m going to finish his gloves…like he needs them in August. I have finished only one project, and that was a hat for my little munchkin, whose face falls every time he asks if I’m making him something and the answer is no. He finally got a hat of his very own, same pattern as the hat Grover modeled a couple entries back. His is made of Lion Brand Woolease, in black, with blue stripes. He wore it all thru dinner last night, and requested to take it to daycare for show and tell. Is he not the cutest child ever?

A coworker has asked for a pair of socks. She said she’d pay me for them. She knows that the material alone is $20 (it’s Lorna’s Laces yarn) and she’s still willing to pay for them. Problem is, she loves the making waves sock, and that’s the one she wants….and I’m completely over the cabling that’s required for the sock. I’m going to have to get a different cable needle, I think, for her pair of socks.

And just in case my secret pal (Knitty Secret Pal II) is checking in, like so many others, I’m going to give you more of a hint about me. I know my questionairre was kinda general…I’m a general kinda girl.

I love, love, love fruity scented bath stuff, BUT, my skin doesn’t’ tolerate too well. I’ve got very sensitive skin. I eat almost anything except coffee flavored anything, eggplants and raw fish. I’m not a coffee drinker, but drink lots of tea…chai tea and loose tea for an infuser are more than welcome. I love shotglasses…if you live anywhere other than the east coast/CA/Vegas, I’d love to have a shot glass from wherever you are from to remind me of you. Anything else you may want to know, you can leave me a comment and I’ll answer it…make sure it’s anonymous! :)

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Making Waves

The making waves sock from the 6 sox along is coming along swimmingly. I've got half of the first sock done, despite the fiddlyness of the dpns and a cable needle at the same time. I have to look into other cable needles. The one I have is too long and too fiddly, especially for making cables on socks.

I am amazed, as are my coworkers, that this can be turned into this. The colors in the pic with the skein are much closer to real life than the WIP pic. I couldn't get an accurate pic of the sock in progress. Nor could I get a closeup of the pattern on the sock. Oh well.

I've come to the conclusion that I like working on small needles more than I like working on larger needles. I like the fact that things fly off larger needles, but I get more satisfaction on stuff made on 2s and 3s. I think that's why I like socks so much. Ok, problems, I know.

I got my Knitty secret pal today in email. I'm excited! Can't wait to send stuff. Must. Go. Shopping. :)

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

A new name

Since I rarely talk about cooking, I figured I'd change the title of the blog.

I've almost had it with the Victoria tank. Keeping with the pattern once it gets to the armholes and you move from knitting in the round to knitting the back and front separately has proven very challenging. With the armhole decreases, the pattern gets thrown out of the loop, and because it's lacy, I have to make sure that the yarn overs I do have a matching k2tog or ssk. It's too much for me. I'm thinking of making the bodice all st st, and it'll be good because now my sister won't need to find the perfect bra to wear under it/wear a separate tank. BUT, I've got to rip out what I've done, and I've done a good 20 rows...

...so, I put it to the side and started something new. The 6 sox along has its second sock pattern out, Making Waves. I pulled some Lorna's Laces from the stash and wound it up into a lovely little ball and have cast on and done the ribbing for sock number 1. The color is Gold Hill and I am LOVING the color. It's so fall-like. It's got October written all over it. I'll have to go upstate and see the changing of the tree leaves this year while wearing these socks.

This morning I fell down several of my stairs. I live on the 3rd floor, and my staircase is nothing you've ever seen before, trust me. Luckily I only went down the shortest part of the staircase. I went head first, catching my butt hard on a step edge, carpet burn on the instep of my foot (instep...a word I didn't know til I started making socks!), scratches on my leg and because I put out my hand to break my fall, sore wrists. I need a drink. :)

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Happy Hat

I used to have a hat that I called my happy hat. It made me very happy when I wore it. I don't know what happened to it. So, I've made a happy hat. I've had some Koigu Kersti sitting and taunting me, so I finally used some of it to make this hat. It's this great pink color, and it reminds me of cotton candy.

In lieu of having to spruce up for photos of me in the hat, I've borrowed a stuffed Grover (Sesame Street) from my son to model the hat:







This took me several hours this morning, as I ignored the calls of the Victoria tank to "knit me, knit me, knit me". I can still hear it calling...and I'm going to bed. I'm a bad knit mommy....