Knitting in circles

The sucky part of knitting is when you have an armload (or roomful) of unfinished projects and it feels like you're accomplishing absolutely nothing. Yarn Harlot commented about the focus that came from working only one project for a set amount of time during the Knitting Olympics. That's what the SSS is for me right now, it's definitely the primary project; but there's also these other little bastards in the wings raising their hands for attention. Tasha...the baby blanket...the White Buffalo in its boxes quiet in the corner...the purple poncho I haven't put a stitch on in 6 months...mr. sock. For the most part I don't mind working that way; at KB, I usually have 2 or 3 projects on hand so that when I get bored with one, I have another one at the ready. But it definitely requires a level of patience with yourself. Anyone who says knitting isn't a character-building exercise must've had too much character to begin with.

This thread comes from last night, when I frogged Kara's baby blanket in favor of trying my hand at Trinity stitch (see pic, courtesy of About.com). I've really got to stop reading Wendy Knits and thinking I can emulate her work on sight. Granted, it didn't take long to master the concept of knitting 3 stitches in 1; I'm about 90% confident with myself that I had an understanding of it and that it reflected in the finished product. But that (im)patience thing got the better of me. If I try bordering the baby blanket in Trinity stitch, it'll be done around the time the kid starts school (She's due in July). It's a truly methodical stitch and I look forward to trying it out on other projects, but for this sucker, no way. However, as past entries attest, I wasn't sure seed/moss stitch was the way to go either, so I dragged out the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns and decided to garter stitch the border and put a nice diamond pattern in the body. We'll see how far I get on that tonight, how many times I change my mind, etc.

The ole self pride's coming to the fore again, this time on the fiasco that is the cable braid on Tasha's trim. Definitely gonna frog down to the latest screwup and give it the old college try again. Weird how it takes me a day or two to realize that my laziness just won't do. Why can't that translate to the apartment?

Well, it will this weekend, gonna plow into the dining room and get it back to snuff, and if the money comes through, I'm gonna play in the dirt. We have an aloe plant of epic proportions that we just transplanted in the last year into a LARGE pot. It responded by growing into the sucker with a vengance, so it's definitely time to gently separate him from himselves, break him down into several vessels. Also transplanting my jade into a smaller pot, because unfortunately he's on death's door thanks to the bastard squirrels in our complex; gonna try to nurse him back to health. Fred the fern is doing ok on his own.

Why are my plants all boys? Weird...

Knitting Olympics Honorable Mention

Everything looks better in the morning. We'll stay in our current abode for another year, with the possibility out there of course, of bailing on the lease prior to its end. We're tearing into our ridiculous amount of material possessions in the coming months and organizing everything. I'm gonna recover that sofa. We're gonna need a storage space. It'll all happen in time.

Was reading Yarn Harlot today and feeling left out, until I remembered that I did create my first cable during the Knitting Olympics. Certainly not anything to take the gold medal for when you measure it against sweaters and shawls, but a personal achievement nonetheless.

The pic is Tasha, courtesy of Knitty™. That cabling across the top of the bag is what I accomplished, in a pretty dark pink, I think it's called Heather Rose (Lion Brand Wool-Ease). Now of course, ever since I goofed up said cable last week, I can't for the f*ing life of me get it set right. I've frogged back more times than I care to count, but I think I'm going to have to garter stitch the last inch or so, and pick up and knit garter stitch on the other end to make it even. This is only going to be trim for a bag for me, so I'm certainly allowed to cave to laziness if I want.

Knit an inch or so on the body last night (Wool Ease Blue Mist, kind of close to what you see here), and all I can say is knitting this sucker together is gonna be interesting. This is the one that I actually knit the gauge swatch for before starting, and it's already looking like the body's coming out wider than the bottom. So much for swatching.

Also did a row or three on the B4, before tucking into the SSS. Didn't want to put it away to hit the sack EON; I'm really loving that shawl.

If anybody has boxes they don't want/need, bring 'em to KB; I'm packing up my house anyway for organizational purposes. We just don't have the room to have stuff out, so I'm gonna shift into old Melanie mode, box and catalog our belongings, and find a way to decorate around 'em!

At loose ends

Never even picked up a needle last night. That was frustrating, could've used the distraction. Made dinner, did 4 loads of laundry (which is labor-intensive when you live in an apartment complex with no washer/dryer connections, and one dryer craps out on you so you waste a $1.50), and obsessed about the news I'd gotten from the complex office. I'd gone in to put money on the laundry card and I asked nonchalantly about if they still accept short leases. They said yes, but that then the rent would go up to market value and as of next month, they measure market value by what it'll be AFTER the renovations. That's a jump in rent of $115. Never mind that that place ain't worth it, we plain can't afford it. I just asked what rent would be if we renew for a full year and was told it would only increase $25. How can they get away with a $90 difference like that? I don't want to stay in that pit for another entire year, but we may have to. I'm not planning on kicking Les into the work force until at least May, and that's assuming we get his surgery scheduled in mid-April. I wonder if that kind of rent raise is even legal, and I'm looking into it today; kind of figuring though, that we don't have a leg to stand on.

The thing that makes me livid, is that we wouldn't know any of this if we hadn't almost gotten evicted last week. In normal circumstances, we'd have told them oh, maybe a month in advance that we planned to renew--it's what we were planning--and we'd have had no clue they were going to slap that rent raise on us. When the hell were they going to get around to telling the tenants about the renovations? When they start complaining about the noise? The lease requires 60-days' notice if you're moving out. Technically, that's today; our lease runs out end of April. I was thinking we're going to have to take an extra month probably, and pay through the nose for it, because there's no way I can make that decision in 24 hours. But if the raise for a year is only up to $610...dammit, I don't want to stay there! The place is old enough to have asbestos and lead paint clauses in the lease, and it's falling apart around us! They talk about refacing the cabinets; they have no clue how bad the cabinet interiors are obviously, because they're gonna practically have to gut the place to bring it up to snuff for the Southside. My God, I hate being in a box like this! We've dicked around on the finances way too long and painted ourselves into one helluva corner.

Sorry about the vent, gang :)

And the cat said MOOOOO!

How about a picture, courtesy of the Chinese press...I have 2 cats, Jordan and Figaro. Jordan is a brown and white Siamese mix, age 10; Fig is a black and white short hair demon, age 2. I've been captioning this one: If Jordan Ate Figaro...

Another good one might be: Evidence the Cat's Been Eating Straight from the Bag...

Knitting's poking along...if anyone read the stuff I deleted, please relax--I'm fine. Everything looks better in the morning :)

Need my LAAAAAAACCCCEEEE!!!!

I've been hesitant to bring the lace to work to work on during lunch and my breaks, for the simple reason that it still looks like it's supposed to, and the easiest way to screw that up is to try and squeeze knitting into 15-minute increments and still keep track of where you are when you start and stop.

Could use it today though...barely 10 a.m. and I'm in a snit. For details, check out My LJ blog.

I know my limitations though, too; have had raging PMS this week so last night, didn't even touch the lace, instead tried to make some headway on B4 (Big Bad Baby Blanket). Not crazy about how Sand Stitch looks different front to back, but I think I'm going to keep going to the blocks before I decide if it's worth it to frog.

A new abbreviation for SSS

Seed Stitch Sucks!

Inherited a pile o' Encore from ruthee and decided to put it to baby stuff...I have a niece or nephew making an appearance around July, goddess willing. So I start the Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch n' Bitch in a nice sage green (perfect camouflage for poop and puke, I figure), and discover something rather quickly. The above commment.

Embarrassing, but true. I mean, c'mon, Melanie, we're talking about seed stitch...k1, p1, repeat to end or until you pass out from boredom. It ain't brain surgery. But alas, I can't seem to keep them straight, even after checking in the SnB book for the cute little smiley-faced drawings that tell you what's a knit stitch and what's a purl (scarf vs. noose). So I rip it out, try again, rip it out, and consult my Big Book of Knitting Stitches for a cheat. Decide on Sand Stitch, which seems to be working better, but it looks like the blanket will have a definitive front and back now. ::sigh::

Will table Tasha for a bit now, so I can make some progress on this blanket, and will probably start the layette set in the white this week, because the hat and booties are easy, and a nice distraction. Also need to price 2 more skeins of Encore, I think, so I can make Kara's potential critter some baby Uggs--boy or girl, I just know she'd go apeshit over those :)

Made some nice headway on the real SSS last night, almost up to where the chart stops. Gonna let it grow quite a bit more though, before I switch to the 24s. I don't understand why knitting the lace is more relaxing than some of the other projects, but I'm sure grateful for it. I slept too much Sunday, worked Saturday, and thus, got nothing accomplished on the weekend, which usually puts me in a nice dark mood come Sunday night. But I poked along at the lace and didn't want to put it down, it was so much fun, and it actually lifted my spirits. Hope it continues to do that as the stitch numbers climb.

Some of us were tweaked at being called couch spuds in Time Magazine, in that blurb about the Knitting Olympics, but I tellya, when knitting actually helps my depression, I don't give a crap what that makes me, because I know it's doing something much more powerful than the knitting itself. That so means something to me, because while I was always the creative one in our fam, I was also least likely to shine at it, least overt at showcasing any talent. To know in my soul that something is doing me good--can it get any better than that?

Teeny, tiny whine

It is unnatural to break a sweat sitting outside having lunch in February. I don't care how beautiful it feels. I should be able to sit outside and enjoy my lunch without contracting odor.

Florida sucks.

Two comments...

So I popped over to Wendy Knits today and realized two things...

1) Her blog is not for the faint of heart. If you're currently feeling especially worthless about your ability to start, finish, or create knitting projects; if you spend time staring at your UFOs thinking, "damn, when DID I start this sucker?"; if the idea of knitting with more than one color at a time sends you into a corner in the fetal position, begging for chocolate or wine; then don't abuse yourself by reading her blog. It's unintentionally intimidating. Her subway commute notwithstanding and the fact that she's probably been knitting a helluva lot longer than I have, her projects exude a level of speed and professionalism that I aspire to oh, maybe when I'm around 50 years old.

2) That sweater that I recommended you look at, at the end of a recent entry, the black and white fair isle named Rose.....it took her......wait for it.....less than a month to knit.

We now pause so the smelling salts may take affect.

WAAAAYYYY down upon the Suwannee RIBBIT!

Muppet Show. Steve Martin guesting. Yeah, you had to be there.

Anyway, frogged the ole SSS again. If I'd continued with it in that fashion, I'd have been blocking a shawl x months from now with a big nipple in the middle. Great for Zoe. Not so great for me :)

Three rows in. So far so good. Definitely wasn't concentrating on that last one, I think I was screwing up already by row 3. Doesn't take much these days for the blonde moments to kick in.

Gonna go Dick Cheneying later for a katcha-katcha (that's where you go hunting for something, but you try to keep it a secret >:)

Dreaming of a world where I can do my job on a voice-activated computer so it frees up my hands to knit.

Feeling a little better today, thank the goddess!

the return of mr. sock!

Well, not really...but I took him out and we had a chat last night. And I turned his heel. But then I knit a couple of rows beyond the heel that definitely need to be ripped out, so it's hard to call the work a success.

This has been kind of a sucky winter. I really can't remember the last time I experienced the delicious oppression of a depressed psyche, which is why my present mood really blows. It's a tricky business, because I'm on all my prescribed doses of medication at present, so it begs the scary questions: has the Paxil's usefulness begun to wane? Do I need to decrease the lithium? Is it just SAD coupled with a horrifically cluttered apartment? Will these feelings abate if I a) get laid, b) rent a storage space and put the entire contents of my dining room in it, c) rob a bank to get Les's teeth done faster, so he can find work that much faster, d) go off my self-imposed, 2-week-old fiber diet, e) shoehorn Les off the couch and make him dig into our closet belongings and make piles......I think it's just winter blahs. Thank goodness I'm physically healthy, haven't caught the flu like everyone else I know this winter, because it's hard enough for me to get outta bed in the mornings of late...

I think I'm ripping out SSS again. It was forming this cone shape (because I still don't own a counter and seem to think that I can keep track of it because I have the pattern memorized) that might look great now, but I'm thinking will cause me problems come blocking time :(

P.S. Check out the February 13, 2006 blog entry for Wendy Knits (her link is at the left)...she finished Rose, a fair isle? of her own pattern making, and it is so completely f*cking beautiful! I want this pattern!!!

Never say never!

I frogged it.

36 rows. Around and around.

And something weird happened.

I didn't mind.

I'll never forget the time ruthee frogged my sock sock back to the heel turn. It was painful, I remember reaching for it once or twice and saying, no, really, you can stop there.

This time, nothing but determination. I started unknitting, but within 2 or 3 sections, I could see the futility. I'm just not skilled enough to unknit that much lace and think it's going to come out ok. There were 3 sections out of 8 that needed work, and I've been knitting exactly what, a year and some change? I've yet to pick up a crochet hook to grab a stray loop, and I barely believe in gauge. I looked at it and thought of the finished product and said to myself, don't you want it to look right? This isn't like a garter stitch scarf in Homespun, where if you make a mistake, no one will ever notice; this is a deliberate pattern and you have strayed rather succinctly. Well, that sounds like me but I doubt I actually had that whole conversation in my head. Heh, well, then again...

So I frogged and after 2 false starts, I have something back on the needles. I can't wait to go home and work on it some more. The weather's perfect, a cool drizzly rain, nothin' to do but clean house, do laundry, and knit once I get done with this blasted half day of work.

To frog or not to unknit...

Yeah, right. We're talking lace here. There's no frickin' way I'm frogging.

Unknitting might be another story however. I was poking along at my buddy Mr. Lace last night. At home because the car was outta gas and the account was outta cash, so I had to bail on KB :( I'm poking along and I realize I can recognize when the K2tog occurs, so I can stop counting every little stitch. Yeah, well, gave myself a wee bit too much credit because to look at it a couple of rows later, it's obvious there are some f*ckups. Great, now what? I was thinking of letting it go, since this is my first lace project and is only getting worn by me, but my knitting pride seems to have been getting the better of me after I sleep on these issues, because I'm pondering it this morning and thinking I have some unknitting ahead of me.

This is good though. This isn't me being a perfectionist (which I always fear, since I was one for a long time); it's, like I said, pride. This yarn color is pretty, the pattern is neat, and I'm enjoying this project immensely; why shouldn't I want it to come out right? Now I just wish I didn't have 7 hours of real work (website editing) ahead of me, because I'd love to jump in on the unknitting. I think it'll only be 4 rows tops. What sucks is I know some sections are perfect while others aren't, so I hate having to unknit the correct sections in order to fix the incorrect ones, but I know I'll be happier with the finished product, so there's that to look forward to. I may go at this slower than some of the other gals in the group, but the finished product is definitely something I'll be proud of. :)

More pondering

Much as I'd like to learn to spin, I just can't see that it's something that I would derive satisfaction from. Thanks to my meds, I've learned a wealth about patience in recent years. I can spend an hour in traffic singing to myself; used to want to rip the steering wheel off its column when I hit gridlock. But the first time the roving pulls apart, I just know I'd be ready to send a spinning wheel clear across the room.

Not giving myself enough credit? Probably. I did ok with the White Buffalo, and that stuff seems to pull apart out of spite, right when you are cruising at a decent clip.

Still, I'm more curious about looms. Of course, any acquisition of materials would have to occur after we've moved into a house, because even a table loom would be too much for our current busting-at-the-seams abode. But they're interesting to me. Yet another thing to take me outside of my head, which right now wouldn't be a bad thing. It's been a bad week, but the calm that comes from working the lace is different than regular knitting somehow. I spent yesterday recovering from a particularly low point, and I knew better than to work the body of Tasha, because it's standard stockinette and would have me bored within seconds. The lace requires counting and accuracy, and working in the round is calming somehow. ruthee, or whomever, picked a good pattern, because I know that's not the case with all lace--ruthee can't even mention the Pi shawl without adding an expletive to the statement :) But the not-quite-repetitive nature of the SSS is giving me rewards when it's still in toddler stage (I only just hit row 36). And right now that's something I need, so I'm grateful.

Accomplishment on 2 levels

Meet Alexa and Maria, the only living proof willing to admit that Melanie can knit!

Well, not entirely true, I suppose...my mom just got a shawl for her birthday...whether she's worn it or not though, ...

Granted, there are those who look upon us Florida knitters as needing our heads examined, which is why Alexa and Maria are the perfect models. Hailing from Salem, Massachusetts, where if the snow doesn't kick your ass, then the wind off the water will, this getup may still look a little funny, but I'll bet it keeps Maria snug in her sling. This was a standard rectangular poncho with Vneck in White Buffalo Straw and Persimmon; I cribbed ideas from about 3 different patterns, because it was my first time working with White Buffalo so I was inexperienced at shaping with that type of yarn, and in retrospect, I'll use larger needles next time.

Hey A, would it be warmer if you stitched the sides together and left armholes? The thing already feels like one of those Xray capes, but, just pondering...

The second level of accomplishment I'm referring to is the SSS. Had Imbolc stuff Saturday and Saturday night, worked a couple of hours Sunday morning, and did some baking after a nap Sunday afternoon. Once the Super Bowl started, I finally sat down with the ole SSS and studied/counted whether any damage I'd done was irreparable. Nope, looked ok, only one section off a stitch. Hole in the middle's a little big, but it's nothing I can't fiddle with later. I decided to transfer it to the 16" 7s, even though I was only about 12 rows in, because I really didn't trust myself too well with the dpns--even the 8s have you feeling like you've acquired at least 3 extra thumbs. Transferred and started knitting and something wonderful happened: I started to see the pattern in the yarn! Such relief! I mean, seriously, my first attempt was so funny, it would've been one of those ruthee moments of "here, let me just frog this for you to oh, row 6!" Since I'm knitting this for me, I don't mind if there's some fudgy spots, but I certainly don't want it laughable. But there's actual curves occurring. The tough part is the pattern's so easy to remember, I was forgetting to count my rows--I'd think I was at 13 when I was actually already up to 17--and I never bought a katcha-katcha, so it meant some careful counting once or twice, but I'm not confused by it anymore! ::snoopy dance::

Oh my...I'm a website editor and just came across a slogan that's begging to be shared.

For an old-fashioned soda fountain and ice cream shop:
Friends don't let friends lick alone.

Please forward comments to Robbie & Michelle at www..... :)

SSS Started!!!

I did it!
Totally cheated, but it's started, and already ready for the 16" circs. Too bad I don't have 'em.

I say I cheated because I did the first 4 rows straight, then joined it and weaved it together using the tail. It'll probably look like crap, and the center hole's a little big right now, but I'm sure I can fix it when the time comes. It's not going to look like anything until I get it on the circulars anyway.

Now just gotta find the 16s, they don't carry 'em in size 8 at JoAnn's @ St. Johns TC, and I don't think my Michael's even carries Clover yet, which I'd prefer. May have to go to AC Moore, because I'm looking for a place that'll exchange an extra set of 13s for the 8s.

Ok, it's official, I'm a bonehead...I have 16" size 7s, I'm almost positive, bought 'em when I made the grey hat. Why don't I just downsize? Slightly smaller stitches will help me recognize the pattern better as it develops anyway. Will investigate further tonight.

Perspective

Things always look a little better on the downslope of a day. Which makes no sense when you consider I'm going home to the clutterpile that is my home and the source of such frustration. Still...

Saw two good ones on blogs today...the first one was the term "procrastinatrix." Oh. My. God. So. Me.

The other one's a joke...hear the one about the argument between the masochist and the sadist?
The masochist kept saying, "beat me, beat me!"
The sadist said, "no."

::grin::

That one reminds me of one I heard in college...
How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?




Fish.




"No, she's not a Picasso. If she was a Picasso, she'd have 3 tits."
Billy Crystal, City Slickers

Yup, definitely feeling better. If I can't get the cast-on tonight, then darn it, I'm going to try a different pattern. I've never been one to follow the herd, well, not on my current medication anyway, so maybe I should try a different shawl. The book A Gathering of Lace is just gorgeous and offers a lot of options for all levels of expertise.

CAUTION: Coffee hasn't kicked in yet.....

Warning: this post contains whine. Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery after consuming this post.

My name is Melanie. I'm in a rut.

Hi, Melanie...

It's only partly of my own making at present. The apartment complex I live in decided to give us washer/dryer connections about 6 months ago. About 2 months ago, they got down to brass tacks and sent independent contractors in to tear up drywall and rewire the joint. This meant taking 7 years worth of detritus from our bedroom closet and placing it elsewhere. We live in 800 square feet with an above-average amount of furniture and 2 cats. Needless to say, it's feeling a little cluttered.

Now, apparently, the rewiring was done incorrectly and needs to be redone before the city inspectors come to give the go-ahead for placement of said washer/dryer. The complex keeps sending us letters warning us that the contractors will be coming to work, and then they don't show. Meanwhile, we're supposed to keep the closet reasonably empty so they can work.

I've already done one Goodwill run, well, Hubbard House, and it's obvious that another purging and reorganization needs to occur soon. I dabbled with the idea of getting rid of some of the furniture, but it's all good stuff that just needs a replacement cushion here, some recovering there...Quite simply, before this closet mess occurred, we were already outgrowing the apartment. We have a couch, a loveseat, 2 upholstered chairs of sorts, 3 bookcases, the dining room with computer table, 4 end tables (2 of which I loathe because they're nothing but dust catchers), 3 coffee tables (because Les and I are dumpster divers), and various other sundries. We received a king-size bed last year from his folks, and now with the way the closet clothes have spilled into the bedroom, it's no wonder I feel like I can barely move in there.

And it doesn't help that Les and I have turned into a couple of lazy slobs.

What brought on this rant? This week I've been reading other people's blogs. Exciting, interesting tales of busy lives replete with kids, spinning, knitting, working with a loom, raising bunnies for the fur, graduate theses, law school, and starting seeds for gardening, and it's brought home full-force how much I want to do in this life, and how much I'm allowing this rut to take the place of those dreams. It leaves me restless and ornery, but doesn't leave me energized enough to do anything about it at the end of a mind-numbing day of website editing. I got home last night a little later than normal, made dinner, contemplated baking some bread, came to my senses, pulled out the knitting to try casting on for SSS again, gave up after 2 tries and switched to Tasha, did a handful of rows and moved onto starting Tasha's cable edging in Heather Rose, which required working from both ends of the skein because I'm double-stranding it, which resulted in a hellish tangle that I spent the better part of an hour trying to remedy while watching "Lackawanna Blues," only to have it frustrate me to the point of cutting it and giving a ball of knots to the cat to play with.

I feel so spent sometimes, and I don't even have kids. Part of it may be my body still rebounding from 2½ days without one of my meds last week, and we won't even go into how much more energy I'd have if I'd just get out and walk every day...

So when you're this cluttered in your home life, it stands to reason that you're going to feel cluttered elsewhere in your life too. And it's not like I'm overextending myself. I go out exactly 1 night a week, and my weekends are usually clear. But I don't make good use of the time I have, and I'm losing patience with the fact that I need to hang onto my patience just a little while longer. I completely understand that Les is afraid to look for work; if I had his teeth, it would pain me to leave the house. And with a little luck and a lot of Grandma's money, we only have to stand on our heads, as my dad would say, for another 2 months or so. I can certainly handle that. Just need to remind myself of that a little more often, I guess. And knit up a storm in the meantime, to keep from eating my frustration.

So...
Knitting tonight
Personal ritual for Imbolc tomorrow night
CUUPs ritual and potluck Saturday night
Super Bowl Sunday

If I can steer clear of OT at work, Saturday day is clear except for throwing together something in the casserole department for that night. And Sunday's wide open til 6ish and even after; it's not like I need undivided attention on the game. Time to stop whining and get a little work done.

Asshatin' slightly OT

That's what we call "dicking around" here in my little coffee and fiber cloche in Jax...and it's what I did for most of work today. Found a blog at http://www.woolflowers.net that has a L...O...N...G...list of neighbor blogs, so I just started snurfing. Surprisingly my productivity numbers at work were better than they have been in a long time.

Found the drinking one courtesy of knotology's blog, and I'm cringing because I can't remember where the skywatcher one came from! I promise to give you the kudos you deserve as soon as I find you again.

In the meantime, bought the size 8s, will try to cast on SSS again tonight, and if not successful, am planning to rip out Cozy and use those needles to do the front and back of Tasha, because as it turns out, Cozy can't be right because I've been YOing incorrectly since I started knitting. Considering I've been knitting for more than a year now, that was quite the pissy revelation, lemme tell you!

Found a blog with a girl who was showing off Fair Isle in one entry and celebrating taking the SATs in another.....am I wrong to want to beat her to death with her spinning wheel?

Monday, Part 2

Yay! Had trouble uploading it earlier...

I've discovered I'm an honorary member...I say honorary because I'm still not planning to actually torture myself by participating in the Knitting Olympics. But since I like sheep, LOVE daffodils, think their flag is EXCELLENT, would like to visit Wales and am reasonably sure of its location, it would appear I'm eligible, even though I'm more a Mc than a Mac.

Seeing my pal Patches McSmacky's new couch has my wheels turning about recovering my loveseat, which has been brutalized by the cats on both sides and was never a great pattern to begin with. I'd buy the slipcover for the body, but I'd like to recover the seat cushions and 5 pillows myself. Might stall on lace tonight and do some measurements....

Got the White Buffalo in on Saturday! Frickin' gorgeous!!!

T-minus 40 minutes til knitting!

Lace--an exercise in patience

I really didn't expect to screw up this fast.

A bunch of us had the lovely and talented ruthee cast on our Super Spirals on Saturday. I'd like to know how the writer of this pattern manages to start a circular beginning on size 10 dpns without shoving a needle through her own eye in frustration. So ruthee gets me started, I knit a bit on Saturday afternoon, but when I take it out on Sunday and compare the hash marks I've made (to count rows) to the knitting, something doesn't feel right. I count stitches on one section and then another, and sure enough, there's a discrepancy. Crap. Because it's lace knitting, I can't quite tell yet what I've done wrong, there's no pattern in the knitting to speak of yet, to the untrained eye. So for grins, I count each section and in true Melanie fashion, the sections range from 9 to 14 stitches. WTF!!! After staring at it for quite a bit of time in bafflement as to how this could've happened and wondering what the hell I'm going to do, I decide to get 'em all back to even--I increase and decrease until I'm back to 10 stitches per section. Then I bury it deep in my bag and do a couple of rows of Tasha.

But I know this won't do. I'm frogging it tonight and buying size 8s. Just don't know if I'll be able to start the darn thing over again without help, which would mean waiting til KB on Thursday or begging ruthee for a smidgen of quality time after work between now and then. I know having the smaller needles will help a bit, but it's definitely going to be that exercise in patience mentioned above.

Tasha is a nice looking bag from Knitty, I just started her ribbed bottom this past weekend. I'm knitting the body in a double strand of Blue Mist Wool Ease, and as the yarn depletes I'll decide where to put the Heather Rose trim; probably at least in the strap and top cable on the body. I have plenty of both, so I think I'll do the whole body in the blue. I'm glad I started it; it's nice to have a new, easy project on the side for when the lace makes me want to stab something with my needles.

I'm a bad, bad, bad, bad, girl.........

If there was one New Year's resolution that the Knitting Bitches came up with for 2006, it was a fiber diet. A bunch of the gang had recently gone through their stashes and experienced a significant "holy crap, where'd all this yarn come from?!" moment. Not having that problem to a great extent yet, I chose not to deprive myself, also because our funds are so sparse that usually whether or not I should buy yarn isn't an issue. Plus we have the Knitalong about to start.

Then I was blog surfing yesterday for Wool-Ease ideas per usual (I'd love to dive into some of that and get it outta the stash), when I come upon Mind of Winter, curse her fuzzy little heart:
5 pucks of Seal Beige Heather for $22 (shipping included). What is it that makes women's brains glaze over at the sight of a good deal? Be it yarn, shoes, purses, we fall victim to the "i deserve this" mindset and whip out the debit card. I haven't even decided yet exactly what I'm doing with the first 5 pucks of White Buffalo that I have (4 turquoise, 1 slate), but my brain immediately rationalizes it--hey, more choices on what to make now! I need a support group.

KB is a support group, big time, they're the best friends I have in this yucky town, but since it perpetuates the addiction, I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and go on a fiber diet now too. It's for my own good. Admitting you have a problem is the first step. Just because White Buffalo has gone out of business doesn't mean you're justified in lurking on eBay. There's a helluva lot of yarn out there. Next time I feel the need, and actually have the dough, to buy yarn, I'll put it in a fund for the trip to Kentucky this summer or the trip to Charlotte in October. There's plenty in the stash to knit in the meantime. Be a grownup.

Wah.

On the upside, I think I'm going to knit Tasha from Knitty with my Blue Mist Wool-Ease, using my Rose Heather for the trim.

Couldn't resist...

Much as I would love to participate in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics, there's a little thing called "knowing your own limitations." Starting any minute now, the Knitting Bitches of Jax are partaking in a Shawl Knitalong, pulling the pattern for the Super Spiral from "A Gathering of Lace" and driving ourselves insane over it. I've only played with lace up until now, so I know this is a project that's going to need some concentration from me. So I'll be a good little nutjob and confine my projects to light stuff besides the shawl for now (put Cozy away, tackle the occasional bootie...).

So the above button, courtesy of JenLa at http://knottygirls.com/jenlablog/index.php is my way of tipping my cap to the Olympians and wishing them the best. And who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy the occasional adult refreshment while working the lace. My knitting with a buzz on has thus far been perfect, and I've never been one to leave well enough alone. However, the horror stories I'm hearing from the crowd about just casting on this sucker will probably keep the knitting to a minimum during beer o'clock.

Asshatin'

No knitting occurred at all this weekend. No A/C in my apartment. 80 degrees in January. I f*cking hate Florida. I'm ready to move to Canada now.

So I changed one or two things here. I like my papasan, but it doesn't really describe me. However, I've had a thing about lighthouses for some time now, so changing the whole title/URL to accommodate the design layout seemed like a neat idea.

Then there's my name. I'm a witch, and some witches choose to take pagan names. I chose one name when I initiated myself, but it didn't feel enough like me, didn't say enough about who I am. Truthfully, my first name (Brynja Beryl Akwesasne) was partly a link to my past; Akwesasne is Mohican for "land where the partridge drum." It was a reminder for me of a childhood home, Above All. We'd hear this basketball sound, and it wasn't Cyril; it was the partridge taking off in the woods. And while that place has been idealized in my head as a good memory, I wasn't comfortable having so much of my past in a name representing my present and future. So I changed it. Still love the name Brynja though...

I am Ember Grace Madrone. Ember because I love the idea of fire still strong enough to stay alive in ashes. Grace in honor of my Nanie; it's her maiden name. She's 94½. Madrone's reason is twofold. She's the heroine in one of my favorite books: Starhawk's The Fifth Sacred Thing. And I love the idea of a tree encompasses more than one type/species. The Pacific Madrone is what's known as a broad-leaf evergreen tree, and when I read up on it, I'd never heard of such a thing—that a tree can be deciduous and coniferous at the same time (well, sort of). I like the multifacetedness of it, like to think it describes me in a way, with my wackiness and my lithium deficiency, and my cravings for knowledge.

I'm a solitary, so the ole name thing doesn't mean much outside of my head. I'm still plain old Melanie J. to the Jax crowd. But blogging allows you to let people in without truly letting them in, if you know what I mean. It's as personal as a journal entry, but as anonymous as you want it to be too. So since there was no knitting this weekend, I give you a little piece of me.

Soft! Soft!

I got to pet KnitPicks Shadow in my color last night at KB: Jewels

Sweet!

Worked on 1 project last night! That's right folks, 1! Though I oughta be working on Cozy for the lace practice...

Need to buy needles, stitch markers, and katcha-katcha this weekend for the KAL.

20 minutes left to work...can't go by fast enough!

Logos abound

Okay...that sort of worked the way I wanted to...

Just trying out the old graphics options. I was adding links and redesigning the ole blog this morning, just for something to do, but even with the nifty lighthouse at top left, I know that graphics make all the difference (see Kimberli's blog for case in point). And since I don't have a digicam, a scanner, or a decent computer system at home, this'll have to do for now.

So please check out my links at the left at your leisure, there's some really interesting stuff. They're places I visit on a fairly regular basis. I'm giving myself til February to start wondering where the hell the $2,000 for the Avon Walk is coming from, so enjoy my nonpushiness while it lasts :)

stop...start....stop....start...start...

It's been a week of false and true knitting starts, as the title would suggest. Waiting for the KAL to start has me at loose ends as to what to work on. We ordered the yarn and books this week and will get them next week. In the meantime there's 5,700 yards of Wool Ease staring me in the face, whispering "knit me..."

To be fair, a third of that's already allotted to Cozy from Knitty; I'm doing it in Heather Rose and the first 8 rows seemed to go ok, which usually means I'm doing something wrong. Then I started a slot scarf in the Wool Ease Thick & Quick, one of those scarves that has a slot for sliding one end through.

I tried to start a potato chip scarf twice with no luck; THAt was frustrating. It's supposed to be with LB Homespun on size 10 circulars. The pattern is something like K1, yo, * on 1 row, and then purl the next row. The first time I was purling the yarnovers and the tension got ridiculous. The 2nd time I dropped the yarnovers and realized that couldn't be right because you'd be keeping the same number of stitches, not doubling them as the pattern suggests. It got frogged again last night, until I can find different needles to work with.

So I started baby stuff in the interim. Given my knitting limitations still, I can't be worried too much about how everybody until the KB sun is going to be knitting baby blankets for Terra. Besides, I haven't tried one yet and I found a really pretty pattern. I also started a fresh baby hat and will do at least booties to match. Thought about trying the sweater in that pattern batch, but I don't have the right size needles for it, and I've got enough dough going toward knitting already this month. I ordered the book "A Gathering of Lace" and 4 skeins of Knit Picks Shadow for the Super Spiral Shawl we're doing for the KAL. Can't wait to get the book; I want to study up on the necessary stitches so that if I come across something when I'm knitting at home, I don't end up doing it wrong and frogging painfully come Thursdays.

Looking forward to KB tonight...

Scatty knitting

Can't decide on projects lately...thank goodness the KBers are doing it for me on one project. We're doing a shawl knitalong from one of the patterns in A Gathering of Lace...VERY pretty shawl, should be interesting. My other projects though, feel kind of hodge-podgy. Haven't touched Cozy. Pulled out Red Heart shawl UFO and been hitting 4 rows a night on it. Started a super easy scarf, one of those ones with the slot for putting one end through, with the Wool Ease Thick & Quick that Dana gave me. Frogged the alpaca. Needles were too small, it was bothering me. Thinking of starting something with that teal mohairy stuff that Teresa gave me a while back, just no idea what. Ought to start a baby blanket.

Definitely at loose ends this week.

And I forget, what does POT mean?

Buried in acrylic

I need to stop nagging ruthee about her non-blogging...i'm only managing once a week at present. Silly holidays got me behind.

Why do I choose projects with yarn that I hate? The White Buffalo was a delightful exception, but now I'm trying to plow through 3 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun for a shawl for my mom's birthday, and while I love the feel of Homespun and its wash-and-wear durability, I am SO friggin' sick of knitting on it. Could also be because for time-saving sake, I went with straight garter stitch--you can SO get away with that with Homespun--so I'm bored out of my skull.

And I'm completely (FINALLY, the Knitting Bitches would say) over working with yarns that are majority acrylic, or some other manmade, petroleum-based fur. Too stretchy, you work it too much and it squeaks, and did I mention too stretchy? I'm trying to start the Cozy pattern with the Heather Rose Wool Ease, and I can already see I'm going to be frogging it and looking for a better lace pattern. Cozy's easy enough to get the hang of, but it's an involved pattern and a real bitch to look at and tell if you're doing it right, for a beginner. I must be ornery today too, damn moon being in Aries, because I think I want to switch to the dark blue because it's winter (in normal states) and the Rose is irritating me, but I chose the Rose so that I'd actually be able to see the lace pattern once I got going...there's no pleasing me.

Encore's nice too, used that on the hat and booties, and I'm glad I have some more to play with for the baby blankets and whatnot. Starting in February, the KBers are doing a Shawl Knitalong, ordering yarn from Knit Picks and working off a common pattern from the book "A Gathering of Lace." It's a really beautiful, spiral patterned shawl, and I decided I'm going to go in on that. It'll be nice to create something pretty and have instant help along the way.

And off topic, I've officially started planning and training (well, in my way) for the Avon Walk! I got the 2006 handbook and T-shirt this week, have been watching what I eat, doing yoga in the evenings to get to know my body, and making lists to prepare. I won't start fundraising hardcore til at least February, because it feels kind of funny when I just got done begging for Autism, but I'm not scared about my money goal yet. Ask me again around August :)

Warm fuzzies

Knitting for other people can be trying if you're not a deadline person. But I just got a nice dose of gratitude from a non-knitter and boy, did it feel good! My coworker Shawna is about 5 weeks away from her first daughter. I've always had a thing for this girl; she's a luminous beauty with a smile that lights up a room. So I decide to try my hand at something new, a simple hat and booties from an old Creative Knitting magazine. These projects work up really fast, and I'm delighted by that instant gratification feel that you just don't get from a poncho or a throw. I mean, a booty with concentration is a 2-evening job, and once you get decreasing on the hat, it's like, holy crap, it's a hat! I got her some onesies from her registry too, wrapped everything and gave it to her today. She was so delighted! Showed the hat and booties off to everyone around us. Makes me glad I have 2 more babies to knit for, because I can't wait to tackle some more booties. I want to find that Zoe Mellor book that has like, 50 variations on a bootie pattern...maybe I'll check ILL for it.

Finally got moving again on Mom's shawl, and just started (like 1 row in) on Cozy from Knitty. Also thinking of doing the shawl knit-a-long, now that I've seen a better pic...it's a beautiful nautilus pattern from the book, A Gathering of Lace.

Resolutions

I do love a good holiday as much as the next gal, but with Christmas, it's SUCH a relief when it's past. Even though I'm back at the snore that we call work and the house is an ever-loving mess, it's a relief to be back to normal.

Decided to do Mom's shawl in 2 or 3 panels because I just don't have it in me to rip out an entire skein's worth of work, which is what I'd have to do if I decided to fix it and follow the pattern. It'll probably come out a little wonky, but it'll work up rather fast. I also want to start Cozy by Knitty in that rose-colored Wool Ease, a baby blanket with the off-white Encore, and more baby booties for the potential critters in my life. Finished the hat and booties for Shawna's baby; I'll buy a little something from her Target registry to round out the gift, and then I can focus on Terra and Kara.

Alexa got the poncho and claims to like it :) Still deciding what to do with the White Buffalo I purchased...I have 4 pucks of turquoise (gorgeous!!) and one puck of slate that'll make a nice border on something. I'm thinking Cape May from Knitty, but I don't like or trust the ribbon closure at the neck; would want to create something sturdier.

Knitting? What knitting?

Well, that's not entirely accurate, I did finish that one bootie. Already talked about it though, didn't I?

Well, the silly holiday season has me hopping. Not sure I picked up needles all weekend, we were too busy figuring out holiday purchases and such. I'm looking forward to driving up there Thursday, may actually get some needle time in.

Haven't heard from Alexa, which means a) mr. poncho hasn't arrived yet thanks to the good ole holiday postal backups, b) it has arrived and she's as crazed as I am with the holiday and family excrement to email, I mean, heck, a toddler and a baby are hard enough to juggle without the biggest honkin' holiday of the year staring us in the face, or c) it's arrived, it's far uglier than she expected, and she needs to purchase a new thesaurus before writing to spare my feelings. Not too paranoid, am I?

I'm such a dolt sometimes. I increased the needle size on Mom's shawl, because I just couldn't deal with the concept of working on 10½s after months of working on 13s, but do I decrease the number of cast-on stitches to compensate? Of course not, which explains why the first skein's worth looks so honkin' big! I'm thinking of binding off and knitting it in panels instead. We'll see.....

Baby stuff's cool!

So I think I've mentioned this before, but anyone who whines about how long and drawn out knitting can be, hasn't tried baby stuff.

I've made a hat and one bootie from this fairly simple pattern from an old issue of Creative Knitting, and it's got me so jazzed, I may have to make the sweater in the pattern too. I can't make it to Shawna's baby shower, because I'll be at a follow-up dental appointment with Les, but my guilt doesn't stick around because this first batch of baby stuff is for her critter, Baylee.

I'm so tickled that I pulled off that bootie. It almost has the shape of a mini Ugg, except there's basketweave at the top of the little shaft. And they turn out so quickly! The bootie was only a little more than a 2-evening knit for me, and the same thing for the hat--once you start decreasing, it's a snap! I want to buy that 50 Booties to Knit book by Zoe Mellor... the delusions of aptitude again.

It's not cold enough down here yet. It'll go 60s/40s H/L for a week, and then it'll rain and the humidity will shoot up and make me grumpy. They got ice in Atlanta, but I'm not getting my hopes up that our area of SC will see anything substantial over Christmas. Wouldn't mind wearing my wool tho', haven't had to yet this season, which makes me quite glad I got that fleece coat from my cousin Niki. If you're into vintage and vintagesque clothing, check out her selection at http://www.classiccloset.com.

Ahhh...new projects.....

The poncho is safely in the mail, well, hopefully, considering it's the holiday season, and thoughts can then turn to all the other crap I'd love to be knitting...

Anyone who thinks that crocheting is better because it's faster, needs to try their hand at knitting a baby hat. Those little suckers should be in the dictionary under "instant gratification." Granted I think the brim was tricky at first, because it was my first try at a basketweave not looking like crap, but once I hit the point of decrease and got my hands on some DPNs, it was finished in like, 1 hour tops!

And that's sweet, because now I have 3 babies to knit stuff for...my coworker Shawna, my knitting pal Terra, and my sis-in-law Kara! That one took some time to wrap my head around...I was out of my head with jealousy, and it's hard to work through those emotions when the 1-more-year-moratorium-on-procreation is entirely your own doing. I want to be healthy, we're in lousy shape financially, so I figured signing up for the Avon walk was a good way to fundraise for an excellent cause and getting into baby shape at the same time. I ache to have a child, but I know we'll be better off and happier for the wait.

Soo...plunge into knitting projects! Try to knit Mom's shawl in the next 2 weeks. Start a baby blanket for Shawna (she's first in line) and maybe some booties, if I can figure out what I'm doing wrong on knitting in the front and back of a stitch. I want to teach myself some lacework too, maybe that diamond pattern shawl that Lion Brand has, but without the Homespun, just seems to me that knitting lace in Homespun would be an exercise in frustration. Knock off some of the Wool Ease Sportweight projects I've been wanting to do too.

And then next week.....::grin::

Done!

As in mailed! Sent it off yesterday via USPS parcel post with $100 worth of insurance just for grins, and some prayers that it arrives at Alexa's unscathed. The holiday season at the U.S. Postal Service tends to fetch up images like the commercial with the kid who bagging groceries by slam-dunking the watermelon on top of the eggs, and then bubblewrapping the coffee. While I sort of agree with that notion, it still makes me nervous, like not being able to personally deliver the stuff to A., while at the same time certainly not wanting to be there when she opens it...I mean, what if it's completely not what she had in mind? ACK! No thank you, I'll be over in this corner playing with the girls while simultaneously keeping my hands over my ears and singing LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!

So I busy myself with new projects, like Mom's shawl, which I really don't know if I can get done by Christmas, and the 3 babies I get to knit for now. Shawna, a coworker, is such a luminous beauty, I have a crush on her. She's due to have a girl in February. Terra follows with her girl in March. And then there's Kara, my unmarried sister-in-law, who I'm insanely jealous of and have no right to be because I know by waiting, Les and I'll be better prepared and happier in the long run. She, on the other hand, will be lucky to still have her partner around by the time she gives birth. He has 2 of his own from Marriage #1 that he can't afford. Still, finding out she was pregnant has stirred such blackness inside me, that I just have to recognize it and move on, move closer to my goals of better financial stability and physical fitness.

Seriously though, DAMMIT!

Done!

It's a poncho! Well, honestly, it has the look of a serape, but it's all stitched together. The Vneck is still a little big, so I cinched it at the bottom just a bit, but just with a bit of White Buffalo, no knots, so it could be undone in a snap. She could always put a ribbon there to cinch it a bit, but since it's an honest Vneck, too much cinching would look funny. I'm still planning to make a triangle for her to block into the Vneck if desired.

The stitching together of it was interesting, and I remembered very quickly why I'd originally wanted to do it all in one piece. Was trying to sew it together with the White Buffalo, and the blasted stuff kept pulling apart! So I dug into my stash and stitched it together with a double strand of a really light beige (I think it was one Wool Ease and one Encore), and was very happy with the result, because it felt much more secure. Then naturally you could see the beige in spots, and while it probably blended fine, that wasn't good enough for me, so I went over it the next night with the White Buffalo. So it looks a bit hodge-podge to the critical eye, but you certainly can't notice the difference when looking at the wearer.

I'm going to try my darnedest to mail it Saturday, but I'm not sure I have a box big enough for everything...may have to scour the hallways here at work.

One week to go!

Man, I'm a slow knitter! I can't believe it's taken me 2 months to create 1 poncho. In my defense, I am still the sole breadwinner in our happy home, with Samhain activities, the Autism walk, and lord knows what else competing for my attention in those 2 months. But still...

But it's truly hit the home stretch, no more stalling. Thanksgiving was one long, relaxing knit fest...well, most of Thursday was taken up with me cooking...side dishes turned out a little strange, but the apple pie kicked ass! Then Friday through Sunday were spent on my butt, watching flicks, doing laundry, tidying a tiny bit, and knitting, not in that order. Last night, I finished the back (ok, almost finished, need to measure and probably throw 2 or 3 more rows in); tonight I'll sew them together. That'll be a neat trick, I'm a little concerned with how to create an unnoticeable, but incredibly strong seam with 6-ply unspun. I guess I'll just lay them back to back, wrong sides out, and stitch 'em together, and if it'll take 2 layers of stitches, even better. Tomorrow, I'm going to handwash it in the tub and find SOMEPLACE to lay it flat that doesn't smell like smoke...I'm pretty confident that it hasn't retained much odor, but I don't want to take any chances, will probably Febreeze it before it goes in the box. Thursday, I'm bringing it to Knitting Bitches to show it off and take some piccies, and Friday I'll mail it out. And start Mom's Yule prayer shawl the minute I leave the post office :)

Mom's the ONLY one getting knitted stuff for Yule; I just can't fit anyone/anything else in realistically. Maybe I'll make a list of stuff I would've liked to make people for Yule, and consider those birthday projects; but we're just too close to the dreaded holiday to make myself nuts over it. Plenty of other stuff to do that with...new recipes I'd like to try, budgeting for the next year so we can actually move out of Jax next November, getting Les back in school--I'd love to get him into classes next summer, get some of the remedial stuff out of the way, and our income certainly ought to be worthy of some financial aid, plus federal grants...what else? TRAINING!!! I haven't started eating smart or exercising yet; needed to get past this holiday, which is a crock, because now that we're past Thanksgiving, what'll my excuse be now, Christmas? No way! I just have to keep reminding myself of how out of shape I was in 2002, how lucky I was that the walk was cancelled after 1 day. Strained ankle notwithstanding, my body was one big throb that night. I don't have any trouble with determination at all, but my body needs to be in the necessary shape to make this walk a realistic venture. Waiting until my handbook and t-shirt come in, or until I can afford a cheap stopwatch and pedometer...well, those are just bullshit stalling tactics that won't help me at all come next October if I haven't dropped about 50 pounds. I'm not even looking to lose all the weight for this, but getting down to 2 bills would be a wise move.
Ok, less talk, more action. And since I'm at work, more editing!

I swear, I'm in the home stretch!

My anal retention set me back a day tops, but I'm still in the game. I discovered a goof Monday night about 3 inches too late. I was a goof that could've been passable probably, a single stripe in the border where I purled straight across that would've showed as a single groove amidst the garter stitching on the bottom right side of the poncho, facing out. Probably happened when I was at the park on Sunday with the gang; I spent the whole time there just relaxing, staring at Draken and Zoe to the point of stalkerism (Draken's 4, Zoe's 3--BEAUTIFUL kids), and knitting with about 2/3rds of my brain on the project.

So I hemmed and hawed, kicked myself, asked Les's opinion and received a fairly male response (what mistake?), thought about asking Alexa, and then determination kicked in and I frogged down to the goof. Reknit last night almost up to where I starting frogging, and it's all I plan to do tonight in between making about 4 loaves of bread (some white for us, wheat and french for the party). This week is busy and requires some careful planning--I have a half day Friday, then Mom's picking me up so we can go down to Orlando for the Autism walk. We hang with Meara that night, the walk is Saturday morning, and then I convinced Mom to drive back that day because Meara won't even be there (she's going to a wedding in Ocala) and I want to attend the dinner party that Lynn is throwing Saturday night. Knitting under the stars near her fire ring, good food and friends...I'm actually glad that Les's teeth surgery will keep us here at least through next year, because the crowd I've found is really special.

Some prayers for my sis-in-law's fortitude in the coming weeks...my bro is finally home from the Army to help her, and it couldn't have happened at a better time. She had to restrain Hunter earlier this week before school because he wouldn't get dressed and was being incorrigible, an unfortunate fact with autism regardless of upbringing. So she thinks he's under control, takes him out of the restraints and he kicks out, hitting her hand. She figured it was just bruised, turned out she fractured her thumb.

I have trouble imagining what she goes through on a daily basis, because if one of my kids were challenged, at least I'd be going through it with Les. Doesn't excuse the fact that we don't see enough of Hunter, but he's been so out of control the past couple of months with med detox and transition, that it'd be hard to do anything outside of routine with him anyway. There, assuaged my guilt for one more day...

Nose to the woolen grindstone

When I get quiet, it usually means I'm slackin', and this blog was no exception. But in my defense, it was much needed. White Buffalo makes for cramped hands and sore fingers, and I really should've built this sucker with slightly larger needles, but live and learn. So between Girls Day to Play on Saturday with Mom and relaxing on Sunday, no wool entered my hands. Last night however, I tackled mr. poncho with renewed vigor and got the border done and the body color started. If I work my tail off, which is my intention, I could be sewing the 2 pieces together and blocking it by the weekend. It doesn't really need to be blocked, but I'm giving it a really good washing once it's done. I don't trust it to dry cleaners, and I don't really smell any smokiness—I'm keeping the finished piece in the closet until I need it. But still, I'm making sure it's acceptable before it gets shipped.

Need to ask Alexa how she wants me to do the seam...I can do it with the body color yarn or with the contrasting yarn. Might look good in a criss-cross pattern with the contrasting yarn...might also look lame. Uncertain. Also need to ask my girls about what's a good, solid stitch to use for a seam that'll be holding the weight that this one will. I see the words "mattress stitch" on a lot of stuff, but not sure what it is.

The rest of the White Buffalo arrived! I now have 4 GORGEOUS pucks of turquoise to have my way with :) Also got one ball of a forest heather alpaca that is going to be a scarf for Les hopefully for Yule.

Home stretch!

Well, hopefully anyway...delusions of aptitude again :) Can probably finish the border and start the back body color tonight. Thinking ahead to whether I wash it before or after I stitch the 2 pieces together. Gotta ask her if she'd like the contrasting color on the shoulder seams. Thinking of knitting a triangular piece for covering the Vneck, but have no bloomin' idea how I'd attach big buttons to hold it...may do the triangle and leave the rest to her. Washing and blocking it all in one piece will be heavy as heck, but at least then it has the chance to form itself evenly, I think. That wooden coffee table would be perfect for laying it out when it's done.

KB tonight, yay! No ruthee, wah! Under the weather :( I'm feeling pretty good lately, but holding off the real training until I get my book and t-shirt in...did I mention that? I signed up for the Charlotte Avon Walk 2006!

Yarn Forward hasn't emailed me yet on the 2nd batch, may check their site and send them an inquiry. Damn holidays...am thinking that those mohair/wool blend balls that Teresa gave me would look good on Meara. Now just gotta figure out what to make. That's on top of Mom's prayer shawl and Les's scarf if the alpaca ever comes in, and what was that I promised myself about not going nutty about knitting for the holidays?

Happy Halloweenie!

Happy New Year, Samhain, Halloween, Feast of the Dead, and any holiday I'm missing!

I finished the front! Took me friggin' long enough, huh? Discovered that I didn't have any bloomin' idea how to pick up stitches from the Vneck though, so it's going to be built in 2 pieces. Wasn't crazy about having to do it that way, but what the hey...I'll double stitch it or something when the time comes. And it better come soon! They're already getting snow up in Boston, lucky stiffs. After enjoying the snow/ice of Yule last year in Aiken, I'm softening to the white stuff. Still not crazy about driving in it though, at least until I'm legal, insured, all that responsible stuff...

So I start the back tonight, fueled with determination and more candy than I should reasonably imbibe. Can I help it if I've gotten 3 goody bags at work so far, and there's KitKats and Hershey's Caramel Kisses waiting for me at home? I entered the Charlotte '06 Avon Walk today with Mom's help, so this is a last ditch blowout before I start watching what goes in, and exercising my hiney off.

Some Halloween I'm going to create a really nice costume. This year it wasn't happening. Witches Ball was nice though, and I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. That sucker's carved in stone for me; I'll never be able to switch it out with Lughnassadh like some Celtic pagans do. Lughnassadh doesn't have the Macy's parade, the dog show, or the cool weather. Tonight I'm going to carve that pumpkin, save the guts I think for pumpkin pie pudding ala crockpot, and make a broccoli souffle out of the broccoli I pilfered from the leftovers at Witches Ball. Let the domesticity begin!

The best laid plans...

Yeah, week and a half at most...in Melanie's world...
In my head, the point after the Vneck makes sense, just continuing on a row instead of stopping at the neck, and then a natural add-on occurs when I get to the other side, so that I don't even need to pick up stitches or anything...wonder if that's actually true :)
I am quite nearly there. But I worked late and had a meeting on Wednesday night, and last night I got a couple rows done, but had to start a new ball on one side, which meant rolling about half of 1 puck at KB, and lemme tellya, there's no room for spreading out when we're inside Panera. I would've been happy sitting outside last night...temps down in the 60s or high 50s at night now, but the rest of the crowd were acting like Florida natives, wimps. Can I help it if I love, love, LOVE this weather and it gave me an excuse to wear about the only piece of clothing I've knitted for myself?! That shawl was so cozy, but between it and the poncho, I was cramped at that table for sure.
So...tonight I should get some good knitting time in, and most of the day tomorrow, because I don't have to be at the church til 5ish and the only thing I really have to do for the costume, is I'm going to take that lush green material I used last year on my half-assed cloak and cut it down to make a wrap instead. Oh, and trim the hair on that pink wig, it's a little long (I'm going as Tonks from Harry Potter).
So it may still take only a week and a half with some serious determination, because between the autism walk and Yule gifties, I need to get crackin'. Also need to make a decision on the Avon walk...those SOBs sweetened the deal by offering a $35 entry fee until Oct. 31. Pondering...

ACK! How long has it been?

Shame on me! Now granted, we had a hurricane this week, the Southern Women's Show last weekend, OT at work, and a sick husband, but still...the Vneck is coming along so easily, I'm admonishing myself for ever worrying about it. SO glad I found that Vogue book at KB last Thursday...it was one of those teach-you-everything books and spelled out really easily that by using 2 balls and decreasing on either side every other row, BINGO! Vneck :)

So I haven't been bringing it to work though, because between the 2 balls and its increasing size, it ain't worth it just to squeeze a row and a half in my 15 minute break. Worked on it for most of TV time last night and am 2/3 done with the Vneck...should be able to finish it and start a new puck before KB tomorrow. Saturday's pretty packed with Witches Ball prep and then the ball itself, and Sunday I'm working :( But Tuesday I have off to accompany Les to 2 doctor's appointments so I can basically knit all day.

I'm motivated more lately, not just to finish it for Alexa, but so that I can start on Mom's prayer shawl right after, get it done with time to spare for Yule. I'm not crazy enough to knit something for all my key people at Yuletime, but would like at least that done.

Ding! Fries are done!

Why does my brain always make things harder than they have to be? All this time I've been envisioning Alexa's poncho with a diamond-shaped opening, so that it would be reversible, front or back...only yesterday does it dawn on me that that would make the opening too large. This wool is decently heavy and the finished product needs to actually, oh, i don't know, fit. So I email her and sure enough, it's fine to do the Vneck on just one side, or even just make an opening so that the ensuing flaps can be folded down or tucked in. Much easier and less scary. Once I'm past that, the rest is a breeze.

Gave up on my Chocolate Frog costume idea; I don't have the time. Thinking of buying a Quidditch Cup or Weird Sisters Tshirt, spiky pink wig, and go as Tonks. Much more comfy for someone who'll probably be in the kitchen helping half the night.

Still going.....

Slacking on this blog, but luckily not on the poncho, however Halloween deadline definitely looking like a stretch. Hopefully won't be too far past it though. I finished the 3rd ball last night...will roll the 4th and measure, but I probably don't have far to go before I can start the Vneck, since I want it probably to be between 8 and 10 inches from top shoulder mark to bottom of V, giving A enough room to access Maria. So I'm going to work my little hiney off to reach that point tonight, so that I can get advice/guidance from the ladies at KB tomorrow night.

I think I can envision what ruthee had in mind with placing one half on a holder/spare needle and working up to the shoulder one side at a time. Just need something in front of me while I'm working that part...I'll ask her to bring those poncho pattern books tomorrow, that she had 2 weeks ago. Once I can get past this third, the rest is a breeze.

My White Buffalo came in!!! It's so gorgeous, already thinking of hoarding a couple more pucks of the turquoise, which they should really call teal, 'cause it's so beautiful, such a rich color!

Poncho Thursday

I've been super achy all week for some reason. I've narrowed it down to still having staph, the barometric pressure from the overcast weather we've been having, or the fact that I'm decreasing my Wellbutrin. Could just be my big fat ass too, but I'm trying to stay open-minded. I think my sleep patterns were better last night though, because I didn't wake up so exhausted; and I took an Aleve with some of those Glucosamine-Chondroitin supplements that Mom gave me, so I'm feeling a little better today.
Whatever it is, it left me wiped out last night, so I only pulled off 1 row before having laundry take up all my attention. Tonight's KB tho' with a Circle meeting beforehand, so I should get some good knitting time in :) Did start 2nd ball of body color...I need to draw out exactly when I want to start Vneck, so I can make sure to make it large enough.

Poncho Tuesday

I didn't bring it to work because I was up til 1 a.m. working it last night, and I don't want to get burned out. It's still fun, and I don't want it to feel like work. I'm close to the end of the first ball of body color, but the darn stuff was uncooperative all last night, with 2 strands running larger than the rest. I tried for the longest time to fix it, but finally gave up and broke those 2 strands and spliced them back together so that I could re-roll the stuff and it'll cooperate. Still, the pattern's easy enough to keep me interested and it doesn't feel like drudgery at all. Plus, Alexa sent me another gift card (did I mention that already?), this one to B & N; so I just get a major warm and fuzzy when I'm working the poncho.

Been taking the leftover penicillin we have to try and knock out the staph infection I'm pretty sure I gave myself last week, but the ole immune system must be having trouble staying at full power, because I feel just the slightest hint of an ear-involved sore throat starting. Will nip that bitch in the bud by Thursday if it sticks around, because I plain don't have the time for it.

Happy medium, or lack thereof...

So I'll admit this new pride in knitting thing is making the whole process much more satisfying, but it's also making me run behind! Not that I have a laid-out timetable for the poncho, just the idea that I'd love to get it done on or around Halloween. Not the most doable goal at this point (3 weeks to go), but not exactly a pipe dream either. Just gotta stop making mistakes.

I worked on the poncho Friday night, and realized while fading to sleep that what I'd done was crap. My original idea was to try a moss/seed stitch border with stockinette on the body; what I'd ended up with was a border that looked like garbage and stockinette that was facing the wrong way. So yesterday (Sunday) I ripped out at least 2 inches, right back to the first row after the bottom border, and started garter stitch for the border and stockinette facing front like I wanted it to. Took me a row or two to figure out what I was doing, but now I'm on a roll and should be able to stay that way for at least 15 inches. I'm taking it to work now and will knit on my breaks, and then in the evenings whenever possible. The only other thing demanding my attention is my costume for the Witches Ball, and in spite of what I'm planning, it should be a fairly simplistic outfit; the props will take more time than the dress.

Correcting my mistakes brings out the Virgo in me, and I'm getting such pleasure from the knowledge that I'm doing something right.

I've discovered pride!!!

The most wonderful thing happened last night...I discovered pride in my knitting. Must be because I'm knitting for someone else, but I just have this feeling that the desire to knit properly won't go away once I'm back on my own projects.

So I started the main color on Alexa's poncho last night at KB. Took me the better part of KB to roll the new puck into a ball, but given that my experience with this unspun yarn is a whole week old, I'm going with what's comfortable for me. So I start knitting...switching to stockinette for the body of the poncho. I'm sort of following the Lion Brand Color Waves poncho pattern in my head, but of course the problem with that is the stuff that gets easily missed. Since I left my pattern notebook in the car when we went to B & N, I forgot the concept of a border. It dawns on me when I'm most of the way through my purl row, that stockinette left to its own devices curls like a bitch. Oh well, I think, I'll start the border right now, it won't look wonky if I've only missed 2 rows. Thing is, I started the border at the end of a row, so now that row technically has a lopsided look.

I'm driving home and I realize that that just won't do. Alexa has asked me to knit this for her, for her and Maria, bought all the yarn, let me keep the needles that were too small, and added a $20 Panera card to the mix when I said I didn't want a commission. As thick as this yarn is, she'll get some real wear out of it up there if I do it right. There will be no shortcuts. In spite of my fierce desire to wind down with meditation when I get home, because I cut my Wellbutrin in half this week and have been feeling REALLY bitchy, instead I pull out the poncho and carefully unknit the entire purl row. I'll leave the knit row in; I like starting a new color with at least one row of garter stitch. But from here, it deserves a proper border. And surprising me yet again, the unknitting unwinds me as well or better than meditation could have. The house is quiet, except for my TV on low, husby's already snoring, and the meticulousness of this task settles and centers me.

Already thinking about Yule gifts, because I'll have to get started on them the minute this poncho is done. Michael's had Homespun on sale for $3.77 a skein, so I grabbed 3 for a prayer shawl for Mom. I'd like to make a simple watchcap for Dad too, but I need to search more carefully for his yarn; no wool, maybe a cotton/acrylic blend. I'm not going to make myself crazy with the concept of pulling off a whole sweater for Les by Yule, but I would love to knit him SOMETHING. Problem is, we live in Florida, he probably wouldn't wear a scarf, he has a hat and gloves...he's pretty much a polo shirt and khakis guy, doubt I could get him into a sweater vest. Then again, he'd probably find a way to wear anything I made for him, whether it fit or not :)

OT: just this once!

You are Rerun!

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Wow!

When I get done with this poncho, I'm going to have forearms like Popeye and hands that'll crush rock!

It's not heavy yet, but it'll get that way fast, I figure. I brought it to work to knit during my breaks and only managed 2 rows, because of stops to shake out my left hand or reposition my right. Left hand cramps below the thumb, right index takes the brunt of the needle point at the end of a stitch. Thank goodness I got plastic circulars. I'm only knitting a row in 10 minutes, but I'd rather do that than be repairing lots of pulls.

Mind you, I'm not actually complaining. I'm finding working with this new type of yarn fun, and working on a deadline exhilarating. I'm sure it'll feel less like that 2 weeks from now. I'd love to get this to her by Halloween, that's when she was hoping for it--plus, I need to start a couple of Yule gifts right after I'm done with this, probably won't knit again for myself til after the new year :(.....at the least, I'm thinking of making a prayer shawl for Mom. Not sure about Dad or Meara. Maybe a watchcap for Cyril, can't imagine figuring out how to make a helmetliner right now.

But I was a bad girl today...I went and ordered 3 pucks of the White Buffalo for myself >:)

I've started! White Buffalo Poncho

My first commissioned project! If you can call it that because I refused payment after she spent like, $70 on yarn, but she did send me a $20 Panera card :) VERY nice surprise!

The cast-on was a royal pain and it's increasing the incentive to do this sucker all in one piece. I didn't feel comfortable doing the long tail cast-on because when I tried it the other day, I just wasn't getting the twist to the yarn that they'd described and it pulled apart in at least three places. I couldn't buy the new needles til yesterday though, so the night before, I took one of the border color pucks and rewound it into a ball. Didn't think it would do the trick, but I think it helped because when I finally set out to cast on yesterday, doing a simple slip knot approach, the yarn held up much better. What sucks is when I do it that way, the yarn seems to increase exponentially in space between the needles when I transfer, which means adding stitches like every couple. I started out with 128 and probably had at least 150 by the end. So I'm about 7/8 of the way to transferring onto the circulars and it pulls apart. Now, I'm getting used to the concept of unspun so there wasn't much cursing involved; it's easy to remedy but could result in a weak spot. But then I took a good look at what was there so far and decided to count my stitches. 127. I'll take that! Started really knitting after that and got the first 2 inches or so started. Looks like I'll use 1 ball per border, can't tell yet how much the body will take. Still pretty nervous about the Vneck, but that's because this yarn is so thick compared to what I'm used to, that I'm uncertain how to move forward once I get there, and scared of it pulling apart near a bind-off. But that's a good 20 inches from now, so I've got time to study it.

LOVE this yarn! This poncho's gonna be so warm! How could they discontinue this line? I'm getting positively spoiled working with it; and I'll bet it makes it a little harder to go back to my wool/acrylic blends when I'm done with it. I'll still like to buy some for myself; I'll have to jump into Yarn Forward and do some calculations.

Patience

Well. mr. sock has suffered a setback. I have no idea how I picked up enough stitches to give him severe elephant ankle, but that's what happened...madam ruthee took one look at it and said, give it here...and proceeded to frog 2 inches. After the smelling salts took effect, I thanked her and proceeded to start turning the heel all over again...but my brain wasn't in it or something, because I goofed up again and spent the evening unknitting...and I think there's still some unknitting to do, which I'll probably try to do tonight after the inlaws leave, because ALEXA'S YARN HAS ARRIVED!!!

10 balls of White Buffalo (Straw) that we found for a steal online, and the Elann shipment of White Buffalo trim (Persimmon) and Clover circulars is in the package mailbox in my section, I'm 90% sure. The dingbat mail carrier left a note in my box to return the key and that my package was still in the lower box...problem is, she never gave me the key in the first place! So I'm hoping against hope she delivers it to my door today; otherwise I'm gonna have to catch her tomorrow after the Autism walk and straighten it all out. I feel like it's being held hostage!

I think I'm going to try the Color Waves pattern for the first 20 inches or so, then work the V-neck according to the ruthee book I was perusing last night. I should look at that Poncho and Wrap book she had too, make sure I understand what I'm doing. I'd love to do it all in one piece, but realistically that's in the we'll see column.

IIIIIIII'm so sad and lonely......

That's mr. sock singing...after all the attention I gave him this weekend, he gets neglected on UFO day. I went to the library after work and found some books on Africa that caught my interest, plus making time to workout definitely changes my evening routine. It's SO worth it though. Just a 1/2 hour on the treadmill is doing wonders for my spirits. I'm already making plans to decrease the extra antidepressant med I'm on, because I've noticed since working out, these little orgasmic rushes that come at me for no reason, and while they're fun, it's a little embarassing to be walking around with THAT kind of smile on your face.

Hoping to see yarn around Thursday via UPS...gotta look for my spindle tonight, I think it's in the plastic cauldron. Don't know how I'm going to keep the smoke smell off of this project...if I close the bedroom vents, open the window, and towel the space under the door, it should help. Luckily it's cooling off just enough where knitting on the porch in the evenings isn't a completely insane proposition. And of course, we'll dry clean it before we mail it.

I'm a tease

Well, I was gonna work on mr. sock again last night, but first I had to cook dinner (tried a new recipe, which turned out to be tasty and scary at the same time), and by the time I was done doing that, Alexa called and we spent an hour on the phone figuring out the particulars for the yarn for her poncho. She ordered the stuff and I should see it in a week or so; she'd love to have it by Halloween, which is doable, but will require due diligence on my part. I'm looking for more pattern ideas, because it'd be easier to knit it front to back but that makes the neck not so easy...I don't think it'd make the neck all that hard, really just a matter of decreasing on one side, picking up on the other. I'm going to print out the patterns, look for others, and get input from the bitches tonight.

I love Alexa, she's a really neat person. She's my oldest friend; we were in 4th grade together with Mr. Pratt. Very intelligent, spent a year in Egypt in high school, got her degree from MIT. Married her college sweetheart and they have 2 girls. I ache to visit them; they live in Salem, Mass. Soon.....

mr. sock's not lonely anymore!

I think I'm going to devote my time to him solely, until I get the yarn for Alexa's poncho. I worked him last night and he was quite happy, though I think I'm going to have to ignore the directions a bit. I made the heel flap the full 2¾ inches because I'm hoping to wear these myself someday, so the number of stitches I'm working now on the gusset decrease is significantly larger than what the pattern thinks I should have. The pattern wants decreases on every other row, but I think I'm going to have to do at least every row or else the foot part of this sock's going to be HUGE!

At least I have a decent stash now, for when I do get the time to create the projects I have in mind...I've become the queen of Wool Ease, and while I'm not always crazy about how stretchy it is (finding it difficult to control on metal needles), I now have 3, 3-packs at the ready, all earmarked for future projects.

Alexa and I are hashing out her desires on the poncho; then she'll order the yarn for me. I hope to be working with a pretty basic pattern from LionBrand.com, with a big keyhole neck so she can wear it over her sling and still have access/breathe room for Maria. She found White Buffalo unspun online, which I'm a little skittish about, but I have that hand spindle if it gets out of control, and plenty of helpers in my bitches when I get freaked.

On that other topic, I worked out last night. Ow. Recognizing the long road ahead, I told Kellye I'd be there for the Autism walk to support her, but that walking was probably out. I feel OK about doing the 3 miles this Saturday for Making Strides because it's on road, but beach is quite another story. I'll clap and cheer and knit while they're walking. It's going to take more than a year easily, probably, to lose this weight, but at least I'm starting in a realistic mindset. Funny thing is, even my realistic mindset needs tweaking--I did an old Kathy Smith tape yesterday that I've always considered her easiest, because I have a great tendency to do too much right out of the gate and set myself up for failure. Imagine my surprise when the easiest tape turns out to make me as sore as Making Strides did 2 years ago! That's ok though; a little modifying of the ole expectations and we're still on track. I feel very strong :)

Poor mr. sock, neglected again!

So I'm sorting laundry last night, always a joy, and I happen across an old pair of jeans that are worn through the seat; must've been tossed there haphazardly when the room was smithereened last week from the contractors. So I turn them into cutoffs and I'm all set to toss the legs in the trash, when it dawns on me—yoga mat bag! I had just come from Target where I'd bought a yoga strap and new exercise mat for situps and such (shorter and more cushiony than a yoga mat, already have one of those), and found myself gazing wistfully at the yoga mat bags they have, rather fashionable looking things starting at $19.99. Well, I'm lucky I can afford the yoga strap right now, so I didn't give 'em much more than a second glance, but it was still on my mind. Even though my yoga is done out of the public eye, I'd still like something other than the box it came in for storage purposes. So when I found myself in possession of denim material almost the perfect length for a yoga mat bag, well, my new project light went on in my head, and my knitting went to the side. By end of night, the laundry was done and I'd hand-sewn one leg shut. I still need to add some material from the other leg and figure out how to fashion a flap for opening and closing, and a strap, which'll also probably need to be hand-sewn because I'm an amateur who's not to be trusted with sewing in the round on a machine with tension issues—would definitely cause tension issues with the sewer as well. Still, felt quite useful while doing this. Most of my knitting's going to the side soon anyway, in favor of Alexa's poncho. We're hashing out possible yarns right now. I'm going to see if I can do a poncho for Lena (her 3 year old) at the same time; I think it'd be neat if they matched. Love these delusions of aptitude!

Off topic, but important to me...the workout stuff was purchased because of a weird dream I had. My biological clock is so out of control, I dreamed I was pregnant. I must've been feeling my belly while I slept, because in my dream I was 7 months along, but it sure didn't feel like it. I just got why I was 7 months along...I'd watched parts of Red Carpet Emmys and Jen Garner's in her 7th month...anyway, the feelings this dream evoked, about something growing inside of me,...it can't even be called maternal...it was primal and natural, as in linked somehow with nature at its deepest source. I spent yesterday analyzing it with one half of my head (the other half had to edit a website or two), and realized I'd reached a turning point. I'd say "again" because I've certainly had these little epiphanies before, but something's different. It wasn't just that I don't want to be pregnant in this body (which is 85 pounds more than I'd like to be); it's that life is harder to live in this body, period. Simple things like going up and down stairs, carrying boxes and bags, standing up from a damn sitting position in the bathtub are a chore that's become embarassing. I spent the day 2 Sundays ago cleaning the dining room. It meant moving a wealth of shit around, packing a box or two, placing them in different spots, reorganizing the bookcases—the room was a disaster area from noon to 9 that day. Got a lot accomplished, but it's all indoor stuff, simple tasks, so you don't think about what muscles you're using. I was so freakin' sore the next day, you'd think I'd walked 10 miles! I probably won't be that sore doing the 3 mile this weekend. It's sobering when you're otherwise healthy, in your mid-30s, with no history of respiratory issues, and you're getting winded climbing the stairs to your apartment with stuff in your hands. So maybe it's finally time to take care of me.

Delusions of aptitude

ACK! The most unlikely thing has occurred! My delusions of aptitude have rubbed off on a friend!

Alexa sent me an email asking if I'd think about knitting her a poncho. She's looking for something to wear this winter over Maria and her sling (4-month old), with a keyhole neck for easy access to the little moose (the kid has godfather-esque cheeks :)

I think I need to send her a picture of the hunchback poncho I did for Meara, give her a chance to reconsider...

Actually the dealbreaker may be the fact that I live in a smoker's house; she's allergic and asthmatic and can't have any of that, but I promised to keep the project out of the house somehow and to dry clean it before I send it to her, if it gets that far...she wants to pay me a commission for it, but I'd do it for an early birthday present (she's December 16). She's my oldest friend and someone I really admire.

So I sent her some links to Lion Brand illustrating what I think she's looking for, and we'll see. Might be a good thing if I had like, just one project to focus on, because I have so many things I'm trying to get on the needles right now, it's a wonder anything's getting done.

• Burgundy shawl being blatantly ignored
  
• Purple poncho getting about 2 rows worked a week
  
• Pink baby hat for absolutely no reason other than I just got a pair of #5 circulars from a friend
  
• mr. sock, poor neglected soul that he is
  
• Mixed brown rice knit shawl
  
• Wanting to start:
  —Cozy shawl from Knitty in Dark Rose
  —Aibhleen cowl from Knitty in Blue Mist
  

I think I'm missing something there...And still haven't found a pattern I'm happy with to knit something for the adorable hubby...

I don't consider myself that ADD, when the meds are cooperating, but boy, my projects sure illustrate something different! At least I keep the number I bring to KB at about 3.

Wah!!

I picked up the cowl this morning, thinking of bringing it with because I've got blasted Circle tonight, and there are dropped stitches ::jumps up and down, throwing tantrum:: I remember last time I stopped I was in the process of unknitting a small screwup, but now ACK! I'm bringing it tomorrow night and praying Teresa shows because I'm really happy with what I've got so far and I don't wanna start over :(

I'm ready for Yarn Harlot's 2nd book to come out NOW...Man, I like her writing! Would also love to start another lace-type shawl/throw pattern but haven't found anything yet that doesn't intimidate or terrify me. I've got 3 double skeins of a really nice mixed brown Wool Ease sitting in a corner pleading "knit me!"

Old age and knitting

I'm wracking my brain to think of knitting I did this past weekend and coming up dry. Nada. Damn. After reading my fave blog, the Yarn Harlot, this ticks me off...not in the way you'd think tho'...I have a pal who agrees with me that when we read Starhawk's blog, we end up feeling more inadequate than inspired; but since knitting has become an actual enjoyable hobby, I can read the Yarn Harlot and have my delusions of aptitude without the immediate feeling of failure. I can go to knitty.com afterward, look at a piquant pattern and think, yeah, ok, it's doable; sure I'm still scared of cables and am practically the queen of stockinette, but yeah, maybe...

But I turned 36 on Friday. Wasn't exactly happy about it. I don't have kids yet. I'm not happy in my job. My husband's been out of work like, forever. We live in a holding pattern. And my husby, whom I can't say enough good things about, does have reality issues relating to time...like we were talking halfhandedly the other day about how far apart we want the kids, and he says, well, sure we'll wait like, a year...and I enlightened him to the fact that I'd rather have the 1st one out of diapers before the 2nd makes an appearance (if we can have 2, goddess willing). So I got a little toasty on Friday night (Dave & Buster's—screw the games in my book, their food is AWESOME!!!), and spent Saturday wondering why I needed 3 naps. I wasn't headachy, because unfortunately I have a great constitution for the stuff, but my body felt shredded. Which really pissed me off because I had things I wanted to accomplish this weekend. Luckily I woke up Sunday energized, and just TORE into our dining area, aka catchall of the house, and while it's by no means finished, I'm quite happy with the initial results. And completely sore from the work. Also made it out to the porch to give the plants some TLC and assess the rust on our bikes, because the Yarn Harlot's inspiring me in that regard too.

Almost broke my venting rule on this blog, but I figure since I mentioned the Yarn Harlot quite a few times, it slips in under the wire. Today's UFO Monday...will probably work on the purple poncho or the heinous burgundy wrap. Don't think that one'll go to Nanie after all; the yarn's an embarassment!

I'm up to my stash in Wool Ease!

Spent Labor Day weekend in Aiken, SC, visiting the in-laws...feels weird calling them that, they're nicer than my folks...nice little town, real small-town feel to the shops and streets, plus it's the South, the true South, so the people are friendlier, say hello to you on the street when you're a total stranger, hold the door open for you, that sort of thing.

I discovered the local yarn shop, because I went up there wanting to buy a pair of circulars to make the Aveleen (sp) cowl from Knitty. Lots of cross-stitch and needlepoint in front, decent yarn and needle section in back with good names like Rowan and Lorna's Laces. Found my needles there, but the prize was afterward; the mom-in-law and I went to a store called Tuesday Morning. It's mainly filled with crap--knickknacks, knockoffs, everything from pots and pans to linens to baby clothes to garden wrought iron garbage. But there in the back on an endcap next to a truly pitiful display of plastic needles and sewing notions, was the gold mine--Lion Brand Wool Ease in non-hideous colors, 3 to a bag for $7.99. I snatched up a bag of Dark Rose Heather for the cowl, and a bag of this 3-tone brown for another wrap I've been wanting to make.

Finally my stash is starting to look like...a stash! Add to that the Encore I'm trying/hoping to acquire from Terra/Teresa/Zee, whomever the heck has it from PPD, and I'm getting positively spoiled! I'm afraid I don't count what Steph and Ginny gave me, because most of that is too old or too ugly to use, so I'll probably try to donate it somewhere. Wonder if Katrina's survivors could use some yarn?