Thursday, September 20, 2007

Works in progress and things I forgot

There are some things in progress and a few items that slipped my mind when I was posting yesterday.

Let's start with the Finished Objects. First up we have a Gryffindor bookscarf. I joined the Harry-thon Knitalong group on ravelry.com. As we reread the novels from 1 through 7, we have projects that go along. There are three options for each year, but I chose to go with a Hogwarts: A History project which just required something in house colors, something about Hogwarts, or even school supplies. I didn't want to take on a big project so I was delighted to find the pattern for this bookmark.It is knit in a tube on size 0s using DMC Pearl Cotton 5. It was the first thing I'd ever knit on size 0 needles so it could count as a First-years Boat Ride (something you've never done before) project too. I haven't quite decided on a project for year 2.

Next we have my slight dishcloth binge. This is the Petal dishcloth from dishcloth boutique. I had this yarn with which I'd started a garterlac dishcloth, but I just didn't enjoy it. I don't think the yarn is particularly pretty or anything. So I just wanted to use it up and be done with it. Petal is actually the one that used up the very last. I had to use some extra orange cotton to finish it off.
This was the first cloth I started to try to use this up and get it out of the stash. I've made 3 or 4 of these now. It's the Four-corners dishcloth from Abigail at 1870 Pearl. The pattern is in her sidebar.This is a granny's favorite dishcloth that has been on the needles for a long time. I started it to help a friend learn to knit. I finally started decreasing it so I can get it off the needles. I'm tired of carrying it around in a half-finished state. Here ends the dishcloth binge. For now.This is the current state of my Mystery Stole which all mystery-stole-knitters now know as the Swan Lake stole. I've been stuck a few rows from the end of clue 3 for far too long. It's just a pain because I really can't work on it with the kids around. There's too much chance of them bumping me and knocking stitches off the needles, not to mention trying to referee their spats while trying to keep my place on the chart. I've had to do surgery on it a couple times already when a stitch got dropped a few rows. It was very nerve-wracking and I don't want to have to do that again!I'd like to take a break here for a short rant about blogger. They REALLY need an "undo" button, much like the one in Excel, where if you accidentally delete something, you hit "undo" and it's back. While trying to get rid of what appeared to be a space, I deleted the granny's favorite photo and had to re-upload it. What a PITA! The ability to drag and drop the photos in the compose view is definitely an improvement (or a neat discovery if that's something you've always been able to do), but an "undo" button would be great too.

This WIP will be a pillow cover. It's from Speed Knitting. I've been looking for something to do with this yarn for years now. It didn't want to be a Big Sack Sweater. It didn't want to be a Very Cropped Top Hoodie. So far it's doing all right as the pillow cover. We'll see if it behaves and actually gets completed. I have something like 8 skeins of this yarn so maybe I can get two pillow covers out of it. The pattern is pretty mindless since you knit across on the right side then k1, p1 across on the wrong side. My hands apparently don't like the bulky yarn though; I'm having a little bit of a tendonitis flare-up and my hands just feel tired when I'm working with it. The yarn is Wool-ease chunky. I've lost the label so I don't know the colorway.
This is my Froufrou cardigan for MEEEEE!!! I made one as a Christmas gift last year and have wanted to make myself one ever since. The yarn is Wool-ease worsted in Forest Heather which is actually a much darker green. I can not get the color to photograph true. Anyway, it's my crochet project for when I need a break from all the knitting.

Other things going on in my world right now: 1. Ds is doing great in kindergarten. I was so anxious for him and it turns out he's doing fine!
2. My dad's doing ok. Still on chemotherapy and his appetite is therefore suffering. It's hard to get him to talk much lately so I usually try to talk to my mom sometime after I talk to him to find out what's REALLY going on. Turns out he fell six times last week. SIX! He's very stubborn and I know it's humbling to have to use the walker, but if he doesn't use it, he falls! He has to learn everything the hard way. Now he's using the walker more and falling less.
3. My dd started preschool and loves it. She has two little girls she hangs out with the whole time. Having her in preschool two mornings a week and ds in kindergarten every morning has given me a few precious hours to myself. Ah!
4. The addition is finally coming along! After being completely stalled for two whole months, we had to fire the first contractor and go with a more reliable one. Unfortunately, besides being difficult to contact, the first contractor also seems to have cut some corners so some work has had to be redone. *sigh* We're definitely learning some life lessons on this project. Currently, the exterior is almost completely done and the interior is getting close. Drywall has to be finished, repairs to the existing house drywall need to be done, trimwork and doors hung, electrical finish work (i.e. put the fixtures and switches in), then the carpet will be the very last thing and it will be livable! Woo hoo!
5. I am eagerly awaiting my package from my ravelry.com Footballalong group swap! This is my first ever swap, and I hope it is a good experience. I enjoyed shopping for my spoilee. I hope she likes what I sent her! I had an email from my spoiler the other day saying she hadn't made it to the post office by the deadline, but she'd be sending it out that day. I'm stalking the mailbox! I'm in a couple of fantasy leagues related to this group too. I think I'm 1-1 in both of them.
Keeping my housework and laundry under control is about all else that's going on around here. Wow. Two updates in two days. Don't get used to it!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Finally a real update!

This will be a photo heavy post. I know I said I'd update Monday and Wednesday mornings because of the lack of children those mornings, but I'm finally getting around to it now. I actually updated Ravelry yesterday too so it helps that I already have all my photos ready to go.

It has been a knitting-busy summer; I've just had lots of other stuff going on too. I didn't join the Summer of Socks, but I have done a lot of sock knitting. Below we have the Feather and Fan Socks from Socks, Socks, Socks. I mentioned these back in May and June. I didn't finish them till the end of July.
Speaking of July, at the county fair my Monkey Socks won Champion in the Adult knitted clothing category. The yarn is Mama E's C*eye*ber Fiber Softee Sock in the Mean Girl colorway. I absolutely loved this yarn. I can't decide what to do with the leftovers.Because of the way you move pictures around in this, things are in kind of random order. These are the most recently finished socks. They are Priscilla's Dream from Favorite Socks. The yarn is Knitpicks Parade.
These are Ruffled Ribs baby socks from the Better -than-Booties Baby Socks pattern from Interweave Knits. One down, one barely started, but they go fast. They're tiny.
In progress we have the slipped stitch rib socks done toe-up. This is one of the six-stitch patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks. If they turn out ok they will be a birthday or Christmas gift for my mother-in-law; if they don't turn out as well as I hope, they'll be mine.These are the Waving Lace Socks, also from Favorite Socks. The yarn is Schaefer Anne. I don't know the name of the colorway. My dear sweet husband bought this yarn for me on his recent trip to Nashville. Since I didn't get to go, I told him he had to bring me back yarn. I told him, "Just walk in and tell them you need handpainted sock yarn. They'll help you out." When he picked this out, it was still in the skein. He's disappointed with how it's knitting up; it was REALLY pretty in the skein, but he doesn't think it's as pretty with the colors all jumbled up. I still think it's pretty and it's certainly heaven to work with. I'll be buying me some more Schaefer Anne!

Getting back to the county fair, these entries also did well. My Sherwood sweater made for my ds last fall. I might pick up the edges of the arms and knit some more length onto them so he can wear it this winter too. It won Reserve Champion in the children's knitted clothing.
My Sophie Bag I made last fall won Champion in the felted/fulled category.


There has been some stash en- hance- ment, but I swear it wasn't my fault! The Tofutsies on the right was a birthday present. I started a pair of socks with it, but didn't care for how it was pooling so I'm waiting for it to tell me what it wants to be. I'm considering another pair of Monkey socks because I really enjoyed that pattern.

The rest of these yarns came home from the Knit Out and Crochet 2007 held at the Metropolis Mall in Plainfield. The Tuscany Grande was in a scarf kit door prize along with size 17 needles. The Fleece Artist Sea Wool was actually someone else's door prize. I was teaching this extremely nice older lady to knit--actually "reminding" would be a better term; she had knitted before--and she gave me her sock kit door prize as a thank you for teaching her. I thought that was extremely nice of her and it was completely unexpected. I've heard a lot of good things about Fleece Artist, but this is the first time I've even seen it. I am trying to resist winding it into a ball because then I'd just want to cast it on and I have too many projects going right now. (I'll address WIPs in the next update.) I don't know the name of the colorway, but I'll probably try the pattern that was on the label. There were also some extremely bendy sock needles in the kit, but I don't like dpns so I may never use them. I can not be blamed for the Caron Fling on the right. It was in the registration package. It will probably make a perfectly nice scarf for someone for Christmas.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Screw it.

You know what? It's been a long time since I updated, but I don't care. Screw it. I don't have much time to spend on this today either. I'm slating Monday and Wednesday mornings for official updating with pics and everything (both kids will be in school those mornings...BWAHAHAHA!). Really, I've had a whole lot going on this summer so blogging just hasn't been a priority.

In catching up with the blogs I read on google reader (love that!), a couple of them had lists of either things for which they were thankful or silly little things that make them happy. Here's my list of 5 things for which to be grateful today:

1. I'm healthy. No major aches and pains to complain about. No diseases as of yet. Woo hoo!

2. My kids are healthy. A little quirky perhaps, but on the whole very healthy little boogers. If only they'd eat veggies. *sigh*

3. I am married to one of the best men ever. Really, I don't think I tell him nearly enough how much I appreciate him. He's truly one of the best people I've ever known.

4. Knitting/crocheting. It's rhythm relaxes me and makes everything seem right. And if it's not working I can always frog the project and knit/crochet it again or turn it into something totally different! Case in point, the Big Sack Sweater which was frogged to become the Very Cropped Top Hoodie which has now been frogged to become a pillow cover without a fancy name. (Maybe I'll provide links if I feel like editing this post tomorrow. Don't count on it.)

5. Knitting podcasts. Laundry is folded much more quickly and painlessly if I can zone out to a podcast while I'm folding.

What 5 things are you thankful for today?