A blog about my life, knitting, and other stuff.

October 31, 2004

Ensemble

After finishing the Madeira sweater I made a hat. Then I made some mittens. I still had yarn left over. I could have made booties or something but I felt I had done my part for the shop. The sweater's colors don't look so oddly pooled in real life but the hat! Whoa, mama. It's got some major cool and funky pooling going on. It looks like a Pucci design.



Molly had an excellent point yesterday when I mentioned the sizing of the sweater. What I meant was that rather than a 1 (from age 1 until 2 size) the sweater is a 12 months to the day and not a day more size.

Larry gave me the proper abbreviation for the slip 2 knitwise, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over decrease. SK2PSSO. Frankly, I like my abbreviations to be more...well, abbreviated. I looked in Nancy Wiseman's "Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques" and saw that she calls it CCD (central chain decrease) for the vertical line of raised knit stitches in creates. Kate called it a vertical decrease (vd) in the Mon Petit Chou pattern. Either way I like the decrease a lot because of the strong vertical line and near-perfect symmetry.

I have been really craving a big lace project. I want to use the beautiful Shine yarn I got at knitting camp. Birch is just too much for me right now. I think I'd like to try a pattern without the added complication of Kidsilk Haze. In my searching I found a few patterns I like. I'm leaning toward the Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Shawl. There's even a knitalong for it. Plus I got a copy of the pattern free when I bought the Shine. I found this amazingly complex butterfly pattern which fascinates me. I don't want to knit it in the slightest but I would love to look at the charts. Makes Birch look easy.

October 30, 2004

When I got in to work on Friday, the phone rang. The customer on the line was asking about navy Silky Wool. It sounded kind of familiar.

"Is this Laura?"

Yes, it was. Small knitting world.

Then she surprised me further by showing up at Essential Baking for my weekly hang-out-and-knit-after-I-get-off-work knit-together. Marti and Molly were there too. It was a big group and we had a lovely time as always.

I brought home the Madeira kid's top-down raglan that I had started at work last week. I never have much time to knit in the shop. I finished it last night.

I made the one year old size but I didn't swatch. My gauge ended up smaller than I expected so this is more of a 12 month (and no more) size. It doesn't matter since it's just a shop sample. I still have tons of the yarn. It's 417 yards in a skein. I'm a third of the way through a little hat too. I'll probably have enough for matching mittens also.

I've also started a shop sample scarf from Silk Garden in a eyelet and chevron pattern that I "made up." I had the thought working on Butterfly to make a similar pattern but add some yarnovers to make it lacy. And I wanted to use different decreases. I wrote down the pattern and knit up a swatch with some Kureyon when I got home. It wasn't symmetrical so I changed a few more things and knit it up again. I really liked it. But it also started to look a little familiar. I pulled out the pattern for Mon Petit Chou and realized that they had some bits in common, mainly the slip 2 stitches, knit one, pass slip stitches over decrease (Is there a good abbreviation for this one? s2kpsso?) flanked by eyelets. I'll still knit it and write it up as a free shop pattern since it's just a two-row pattern. I've also had some interest in the neon lime hat with the giant cables pattern. The yarn's been selling since I brought in the hat. I'll need to take a look at the hat again and figure out what I did.

October 28, 2004

Now Do You Believe Me?


I ruffled a few feathers a while back when I announced that I was over ponchos, after seeing every 8 year old girl at the mall in one. After the 8 year olds went back to school, I noticed that all the 4 year olds were sporting ponchos too. Then, last week at the mall (I know, way too much time spent at the mall) I saw this on a teddy bear.
People, it's over.

October 27, 2004

Things That Don't Go Together



1) Inexperienced spinners, drop spindles and hardwood floors.
It goes something like, "Clunk, thunk, thunk, [expletive]!"

2) Drop spindles, hardwood floors and inquisitive four year olds.
It goes something like, "'Honey, don't touch. I said "Don't touch."' Clunk, thunk, thunk, [expletive]!"

October 26, 2004

Naked Needles

Oh dear, my needles have nothing on!

I finished the back of Paula.


I finished my first Fluted Banister.


And I finished the left front of Butterfly.


Check out how crazy the Kureyon is. The sleeve skeins had no blue or turquoise in them.

I haven't completely decided how long the sleeves are going to be. I'm going to knit the rest of the sweater first then decide and finish the cap shaping.

I'm casting on the left front for Paula right now. I'll cast on for the right front for Butterfly this afternoon.

Mona asked about the yarn requirements for Butterfly while she waits for her pattern. Extra-Small (32-34), 11 skeins; Small (34-36), 12 skeins; Medium (36-38), 13 skeins; Large (38-40), 14 skeins. The yarns suggested are Noro Kureyon, Shinano or Silk Garden.

October 25, 2004

Rogue

Forgive the sleepy shots. It's late and I'm tired.



Knitty Awareness

October 21, 2004

My Hero

I love Jon Stewart. (Found on Stephanie's blog.)

October 20, 2004

Where to Begin?

I worked at the shop from 11-5 on Tuesday. I was just filling in for the owner who wanted a day off (and I wanted the extra hours). The shop was bustling all day. I had six customers waiting for me to open when I got there. I really enjoyed myself. I loved helping the customers, straightening the shelves, getting in a little shop knitting during the few quiet moments. I swatched two new yarns. One is Orlov from Bouton d'Or. It was really nice to work with. It knit up in about three seconds on size 17 needles and made such big, crisp, delicious stitches. It's one of several gorgeous and yummy new yarns we have from Bouton d'Or. We also have Ksar (my personal favorite). It's 50/50 camel and wool. I had no idea that camels were so soft. It feels like cashmere only sturdier. And the colors are beautiful and muted. They also have fluffy cloud-like angora that's machine washable. It's just delectable. I would swing by the shelf periodically to pet it. The other yarn I swatched was Zen from Madil. I also started a top-down raglan in a one year old size for a shop model in a Lana Gatto variegated heavy worsted yarn. It has 417 yards a skein! I can make an entire child's sweater from one skein. And a hat.

I've been steadily working on the Fluted Banister sock.


I started to feel guilty about Paula. Remember how I was so in love with her? She was the my special girl. Then Rogue came along and I tossed Paula aside like a (...searching for a great simile here and coming up with squat) broken toy. I needed some mindless knitting to do while I read the blogs this afternoon. My needles for the Psychedelic Squares was way upstairs and I was feeling too lazy to even get out of my chair let alone climb a flight of stairs. I swiveled my chair toward the bin with all my abandoned put on hold projects. I dug the poor girl out and got working on finishing her back. It felt good.


Once I was in the spirit of redeeming lost projects, I pulled out Birch. I limped to the end of row 5 at last. But I had an extra stitch. Darn it all! I'm hoping I can fudge it and have it not be noticeable. The thought of frogging it right now makes me very sad.


I stopped by Weaving Works to get some roving before going to the Knitting Guild tonight. I bought a drop spindle a few months ago and haven't touched it. I need something else to work on right now like a hole in the head. I also peeked at Debbie Bliss's new Book Seven. I may be tempted to knit a few things from it using Manos del Uruguay instead of Debbie's new Maya or Soho yarns.

At the guild meeting I ripped my Butterfly sleeve back to a few inches before the start of the increases. My plan is to cut two inches out of the stockinette portion before the shaping then do increases every 6 instead of 8 rows. That should make the sleeves 4 inches shorter. Taking them from an absurd 28 inches to a more manageable 24. Or I may hold off on the cap shaping until I knit the rest of the sweater and can better understand the sleeves and how they work with the sweater.

After guild I went to Third Place Books to knit and chat with Rebecca. She said she was coming as we were leaving guild but she never got there. I had a horrible fear that she went to the other Third Place Books, and it turns out she did. I felt slightly like a loser sitting there looking hopefully at the door. I hope she didn't have an analogous experience in Lake Forest Park.

A thought has been nagging me for a week or so now.
"I want to knit Latvian mittens," the thought says.
"What?" I say. "Why?"
Well, Ryan knew right away. It's Stephanie's fault! So I grabbed a few useful books from the knitting guild library to start reading up on the subject.


This is a terrible idea right now since I already have that vaguely panicky feeling I get when I have a lot of projects going and I want to tackle them all at once. It's that same anxious feeling you get when you a have a newborn and keep thinking you left the baby in the carseat on the roof of the car. That can't be a good sign.

October 18, 2004

Let the Finishing Commence!

I finished the second sleeve to Rogue tonight. I can't believe I'm finished with the knitting on the sweater. I mean, I'm not even sick of it yet. How can that be? I was a really, really good girl. I can right home from Purlygirls and started seaming. I have stitched up one sleeve and hem. I'm just starting the second sleeve. It may take a few days to complete though. I'm pretty busy for the next few days.

I also decided tonight to rip back the Butterfly sleeve and do a lot of shortening. A lot.

October 17, 2004

Sheena Is a Punk Rocker

I worked for a few hours on Friday while my boss went to the celebration rally for the Seattle Storm. We have a new yarn in called Revolution. It's crazy stuff. I don't understand the construction at all. It looks like extruded polar fleece but it's 90% wool, 10% nylon. I thought it would look good knit up into a hat with a giant cable on it. I started it at work and finished it later at home. I picked a horseshoe cable design. This was a mistake. A giant horseshoe cable on your forehead makes you look like a Klingon. In this case, an electric lime green Klingon. I ripped it all out and started again around midnight. I stayed up until 2:30 knitting and watching Nip/Tuck on DVD. I finished the hat on Saturday morning. My second attempt has a 12 stitch basic cable on it. The cables look cute in the big yarn but I don't think it looks great on. Too lumpy. It's just a shop sample though so I won't rip it and knit it again. I also couldn't figure out an elegant way to work the decreases. I just made it up as I went.

On Saturday I made a trip to Bainbridge Island. My friend Marci from knitting camp was visiting from LA and she wanted to see Churchmouse. (Spring visited Churchmouse this weekend too, it seems.) Marci, her friend, Reina, and I went over around noon. It was gray and really rainy. We spent a good amount of time looking at yarn, patterns and new books. I really liked Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and Scarf Style. I wasn't too impressed with 25 Bags to Knit. It had a few patterns basically repeated over and over. And too much Lurex Shimmer yarn in the designs for my taste. Marci and Reina both picked up yarn to make a small linen stitch purse from a chop pattern, along with a few other things. I was a very good girl. I picked up some All Seasons Cotton from the clearance bin but put it back. The shop was so cozy and inviting on a dismal wet day. John walked around the shop and offered shoppers sample cups of lovely, hot tea.


Marci (in her Wonderful Wallaby knit in Fairy Hare) and Reina

Marci and Me (in Rosy--Marci's thinking about making one and wanted to see mine)

We were very excited to go have a nice lunch across the street at Cafe Nola. When we got there we were told that they had just stopped serving lunch. We hiked down the street in the rain to the Streamliner Diner. Also closed. We ended up getting some pasta another block away. I got penne with a tomato based sauce with duck meat. It was really delicious. We decided to head to the Blackbird Bakery for some dessert since we had nearly another hour before the ferry. Everything there looked so good, it was very difficult picking something out. I settled on the Monkey Love Brownie. Chocolate brownie with coconut and chocolate chips. Oh baby. That was some good eatin'.

When I got home I saw that there was going to be a Purlygirls impromptu knit together around the corner from my house later in the evening. I went over with my Rogue sleeve. Molly and Marti came too. We had a really nice night of tea, knitting and chat. At one point I missed an increase on my sleeve. I started ripping back, got immersed in the conversation and starting knitting again. I caught myself and starting ripping back again then got distracted again and started knitting. Then I ripped back again. I lost count how many times I did this. I was very sad to finish the cable chart on the sleeve. That's the end of the cables on my Rogue. It's just a little more sleeve knitting now. And then assembling.

Butterfly's sleeve is growing too. I finally knit to the end of the first ball of yarn and got some green in my sleeve.


Today we had a screening for Sneak Films. We showed End of the Century: The Story of The Ramones. If you're a fan of the Ramones, it's a must see. The story of the band was put on film just before it was too late. Joey Ramone died from Lymphoma in 2001 before the movie was made. Then Dee Dee Ramone died of an overdose two months after they finished filming. Johnny Ramone just died a few weeks ago from prostate cancer. Joe Strummer of the Clash is also interviewed for the film shortly before he died of a heart attack. The live footage and interviews are fun, hilarious and sad. Rock on.

October 14, 2004

Mystery Sleeve

I'm getting better but I'm still really hoarse. I tried very hard not to talk too much yesterday. I spent a quiet afternoon knitting finishing the first Rogue sleeve and starting the hem facing for the second. I went to Seattle Stitch 'n Bitch last night and, again, tried really, really hard not to talk. It was a great challenge. I'm a talker. Have you noticed? I finally finished the slow, painful to knit hem facing and started the sleeve chart. Then I saw that I had cast on for the largest size by mistake! I had to rip it all out and start again. I managed to reknit the facing and finish a few rows of the sleeve chart.

At Stitch 'n Bitch, April, a fellow knitter and buyer for Bon/Macy's, had a vendor fair earlier in the day and came with little giveaways. There were cute plaid toothbrushes, Oscar de la Renta perfume and panties. Yes, that's right. We sat and knit in the bakery with several pairs of panties spread out on the table. I have no idea what the other customers thought we were doing.
What's in your knitting bag?
I also realized that with a clean pair of underwear and a toothbrush I didn't need to even go home. But I did.

After I got home I was checking Bloglines and saw Claudia's Butterfly. Oh my. Isn't it lovely? She spun the yarn herself. That did it. The giant bag of Kureyon 87 had been sitting next to my computer for weeks. The needles were purchased and waiting on the kitchen counter. I had to do it. I cast on for a Butterfly sleeve. At first I thought I would just knit a few rows to see what the pattern was like. Ah Kureyon. How I do love you. So colorful, so mysterious.

Who would have guessed that this yarn

would make a sleeve that looks like this?

October 13, 2004

No Talking, Just Knitting

I had my voice again when I woke up yesterday but I talked it away. And now it's gone. You see, this is the second week of the month. That means Purlygirls on Monday, my own knitting group on Tuesday, Seattle Stitch 'n Bitch on Wednesday and work then after-work knitting on Thursday. When Wes heard that I lost my voice he said, "Too many knitting groups?" Well, maybe. But I can't bear to give any of them up. The only thing I like more than knitting these days is knitting with a bunch of fun, friendly people while drinking coffee and eating baked goods. (Speaking of, one of the women who worked at the bakery gave me a free chocolate and coffee refill because she said I brought them so much business.) I also had a bonus knitting session in the afternoon while both kids were at school. I met up with another mom at the Tea House.

I am almost done with one sleeve of Rogue.

This sleeve was so boring to knit after the cable ended. The only thing propelling me forward is the desire to knit the cables on the other sleeve. And to put the whole thing together and wear it everywhere.

I also worked on the Fluted Banister sock, mostly while walking around the zoo yesterday. I'm right in the middle of picking up stitches along the heel flap.

October 11, 2004

The Hoarse Whisperer

Apologies to all the people who have already used this blog title.

I have lost my voice. I still have this lingering cough thing going on. Today, at my four year son's preschool, we were working on estimation. The kids were guessing the number of seeds inside a pumpkin. It was a little pumpkin, about 7-8 inches in diameter. The kids' guesses were pretty cute. Most of kids made guess like one or two or five. Well, I got to open up the pumpkin and count all the seeds with the kids. After about one hundred seeds counted the kids all wandered away. But I was a woman possessed. I had to keep counting. I could not believe the number of seeds in the pumpkin. At first I thought 200, then 400. I counted on. I could feel more throat getting more sore as I pushed one. 500, 600. SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN.715 *@&!$&^* pumpkin seeds inside that one stinking pumpkin!

Then at Purlygirls tonight I could feel that I was straining my voice trying to talk above the music. By the time I got home--early--my voice was completely gone.

I brought my Rogue sleeve with me to work on but forgot to bring more yarn. I knit most of the leg of my first sock though.

Coolest thing that happened today.: On my way to drop my 1st grader off at school I saw one of these on a fence.


Click me for more info

Keep in mind that I live in middle of a city. The closest I come to nature sightings are raccoons, opossums and rats. Well, yeah, and bald eagles. Seattle is really cool.

October 10, 2004

Weekend Knitting

As I mentioned yesterday, I started the first sleeve for Rogue. I'm going to be awfully sad when I finish the cable portion and have just stockinette left to knit.
I worked on this a bit this afternoon while watching Desperate Housewives. I don't know if I'll keep up with this one. It was mildly entertaining but not nearly as dark, sexy or funny as it seems to think it is.

Heather said in my comments yesterday,
Okay, now I am impressed. You can knit Rogue and listen to a talk at the same time ?? I need complete silence just to read the pattern ...
When I started going to knitting groups last year I had to bring simple projects. Stockinette, no shaping. Otherwise I'd go home and discover my knitting was full of mistakes. Gradually, I've been able to work on more complex projects and still talk and listen (okay, mostly talk). The only projects I can't bring with me are Birch and Mon Petit Chou. They require utter, total concentration. And then I still screw them up.

I started the Fluted Banister socks last night while watching Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. (I knew I was going to like this movie. I knew it was going to have a mind-bending script and a great visual style. But I wasn't prepared for it to be so grounded in reality and, for lack of a more original term, emotionally truthful. I was deeply impressed with it.) The sock pattern is really easy to memorize and quick to knit.

For some reason I have not been able to memorize the Psychedelic Afghan square pattern. It's crazy since I've knit eleven of them already.


I went to the GLBT knitting group at The Fiber Gallery today. There were a few returning knitters and some new faces. I even roped in a Seattle Stitch 'n Bitch member I saw shopping in the store. The shop was slammed from 2-3. I actually ended up helping some customers who looked really lost for 15 minutes or so. Starting next weekend I will be working from 1-5 on Sundays. It's just too busy for one person to handle.

Highlight of the day: Seeing two separate customers buying my Super-Easy Baby Hat pattern.

October 9, 2004

Lane and Jon


Today I took my six year old son to see Lane Smith and Jon Sciezska. They were doing a talk and book signing for their new book, Science Verse. We got to the store right when the authors were walking in. My son wanted to get the first Time Warp Trio book and we went over to get it and he introduced himself. Lane and Jon were as silly, funny and over the heads of the children as one would expect them to be from their books. They read from their books and also shared fan letters. My favorite was the one from a boy writing to Lane Smith about James and the Giant Peach. Lane did the conceptual work for the film and has illustrated a new edition of the book. The child wrote, "Dear Mr. Smith, James and the Giant Peach is my favorite book...I wanted to write to Roald Dahl but my teacher told me he was dead." There was also, "Dear Mr. Smith and Mr. Scieszka, I love your books. They are so funny they make me tinkle." Lane also shared a fan letter to an actor also named Lane Smith that he recieved.

My son got his book signed by them both and then we got a snack. We saw Lane and Jon, as my son had begun to refer to them, by the photo booth. I remembered that I had my (non-digital) camera in my purse. We went over and my son asked them if we could take a picture of them all together. They were really nice and even did a few silly poses with him. All in all, I think I was more excited than my son to see them. I've been loving all of their work (together and individually) since I first read The Frog Prince Continued in 1991.

Knitting Content: I started the first sleeve of Rogue during their talk.

Rock the Big Gulp

Have you heard about this?

October 8, 2004

American Girl

I had no time to blog yesterday. I left the house at 10 am and came back at 10pm. At work I unpacked an eleven foot long box from Brown Sheep. I am not making this up. Rebecca stopped by the store (and got a really pretty combo of Cascade 220 and Mustachio in shades of green) and I made her come see it to vouch for me. It was actually two boxes taped together to make a single monolithic box. Question for the good folks at Brown Sheep: Why? Why not just send two boxes? Work was very busy. There was lots of new yarn to unpack and customers to help. After work I did my usual knitting-after-work at the bakery.

When I got home I sat down with Rogue. I needed to finish the hood. I completed both sides and now need to graft or three-needle bind off the two sides of the hood and I'm just not getting it. My patterns don't quite seem to match up and it looks pretty awful. I undid it and put it on holders. I think I'll ponder it while I knit the sleeves. But first, I need to finish another afghan square to free up the needle to start the hem for the sleeves.

While at a friend's house this morning I saw the American Girl catalog. I have two boys. I don't get this catalog. These people are geniuses. It's like they're minting their own money. $20 doll-sized lunch boxes filled with fake food for your doll. $175 steamer trunks--that you can also store your doll in so it's more like a trunk/sarcophagus. And what every little girl needs, Hobo Camp Supplies! Then I heard about the American Girl Place in Chicago and New York that feature live musicals, a restaurant with special doll seating and a hair salon for the dolls (where "specially trained stylists work magic on your doll’s hair"). In fact, there is so much that you need to plan your itinerary. I bow to the nerve and brilliance of the executives of this company. They sure know how to push a girl's buttons.

October 6, 2004

Much Better

Thanks everyone for all the support yesterday. I went to the movie. It was glorious. The look, the sound, the design. Just gorgeous. Then I picked up the juvenile offender from school. I told him that there was no play time and got him alone in the car. I drove a little and then parked and we talked about what had happened. Then we went home and I had him write his friend a letter of apology and put it in an envelope along with one of his videos that his friend really likes. We took it over to his friend's house and were able to give it to him in person. My son also was able to apologize in person. Within about six seconds the kids were begging to have a playdate together. I think they'll be all right.

I had a parent meeting to go to in the evening. I left early and went to Nancy's Sewing Basket to get seam binding for the Lunchbag Carryall. Then I went across the street to Hilltop Yarn. I looked over Debbie Bliss's new book, Junior Knits. I have to say I'm really disappointed. Nearly all of the designs are minimal reworkings of previously published designs. She even recycles a bunch of names of patterns. I do like the spiral binding and hardcover on the book. And she always gets the most adorable and beautiful children to model her stuff.

I found a single skein of Cotton Classic on the sale shelf and grabbed it for the Psychedelic Squares Afghan. I've got nine squares now.


Then I went to a coffee shop and knit over a mug of tea until my meeting. Ahhh...

Oh, and Wes got rehired. Yay!

Today I got in a lot of knitting. I worked on a new square and got up to row 68 of the hood on Rogue. I went to a meeting of the Eastsidestitchers. There was a really small turn out (5 of us). But I did get to meet Sharlyn. And another knitter was working on Rogue too in a nearly identical color of Cascade 220. I think I was finally able to capture the cabling. Although the color is not remotely true.


I also saw the link to the new projects from the winter IK (via SequinK). I am underwhelmed. I don't think I'll be making any of these. (Until someone starts a knitalong and then I'll think I can't live without it like some sort of knitting lemming.)

I went to Coach today. I love Coach. I worked there for three and a half years before I had my first son. I did, however, chuckle when I saw this for a mere $98.

October 5, 2004

Just When I Thought My Week Couldn't Get Worse

I hate blogs that are all bitching and moaning but sometimes you've just got to. I am sick. I started feeling a bad sore throat coming on Sunday night. By last night I had the full on can't-swallow-swollen-glands-feel-like-I've-been-punched-in-the-kidneys ill. Then this morning while convalescing over a mug of tea I got the call every parent dreads.

"This is the school principal. I have your son in my office"

Oh crap.

Yes, apparently my darling six year old has been bullying a boy in his class. I was so stunned. I had no clue. I was also mortified. Now I'm just physically ill. In addition to the ill I felt before I now have a tightening of the throat, ache in the chest thing going on. Crap, crap, crap! There's gonna be some 'splaining to do when that fellow gets home today.

My afternoon should be better. I'm going to catch a matinee of Hero for a little mommy therapy.

Where is my knitting?

October 4, 2004

As Promised

I said I'd give you photos. I'm giving your photos.

Here is Rogue. I'm now on row 33 of the hood. I was just writing to a friend this morning that I can't believe how quickly it's going and how far I still have to go. I underestimated the amount of knitting that goes into this hood. Like a sneaky shawl it just keeps getting bigger each row. But it's still deliciously addictive to knit. The pattern continues to be a marvel.



My camera is just so stinky I can't get a decent shot of the cabling. Here is my latest crappy attempt to capture the beauty of the hood.



I also took a photo of the lunchbag. It's a giant red sack. Plus the photo is taken at a funny angle which makes the bag look about a foot high when it's really 22". It's not even worth clicking.

Reading today reminded me of something that happened as I was leaving LA. I was working on my chartreuse shrug in the Burbank airport. A number of people commented on how pretty, how soft, "oh, I used to knit," etc. I was using my totebag from knitting camp for my carry on. I waited long after they started boarding to saunter over to the gate. But I didn't wait long enough. There was a very long back up of people out on the tarmac waiting to board. We were in a line that snaked back and forth and up a gangplank. As I stood in the baking Burbank sun I pulled out my shrug and kept on knitting. Then a woman in line behind me with her two teenaged daughters said sarcastically, trying to score points with the girls, "Oh, look. Don't you wish you could go to knittin camp?" [Note to woman waiting for plane: I was standing a foot away from you and I can hear. At least have the decency to whisper your rude comments.] Then we ended up being stuck in the plane waiting to take off for over an hour. With no air conditioning. In Burbank. So I just kept knitting. Once I was in my seat I pulled out my sweetie, Rogue, and got cranking. One of these girls was waiting in the aisle and I found her hovering over me mesmerized by my knitting. I wanted to shout, "Knitting camp doesn't seem so dumb now, huh?" but I felt it would somehow sound undignified. So I did what my New York upbringing has taught me to do. I pretended she didn't exist, and enjoyed my knitting.

P.S. I'm still having trouble acessing my server. Rebecca at Purlygirls suggested I try Flickr. So far so good.

October 3, 2004

Stress

October is turning out to be a really stressful month for me. Wes's work contract ended on Friday so he's now officially unemployed. I'm trying to pick up extra hours at work and not freak out. This weekend is also the Northwest Asian-American Film Festival which Wes directs. He's been gone all day and all night since Thursday. I'm still trying to get my bearings after being away all last week. I'm feeling awfully stressed.

I did find some time for some soothing knitting yesterday. I babysat a six-month old boy for a few hours. Oh, how I love that age. He was so sweet and snuggly. My boys ran around like little savages in the backyard while the baby and I chatted indoors. I didn't even mind the massively poopy diaper I had to change. He sat on the floor surrounded by pillows with a shaker toy in each hand while I sipped tea and worked on Psychedelic squares. (I've completed eight. Only ninety-two left to make.)

Later I worked on the hood for Rogue while watching George Washington. It's beautifully shot but very slowly paced. I made decent progress on the hood. I'm 25 rows into it. I have a semi-reasonable picture of it but I'm having a problem with my server right now.

The lunchbag body is complete and I've just cast on for one of the straps. Pictures soon.

October 1, 2004

Project Round Up

It's definitely about time I show a little knitting content. Here's an update on my current projects.

Rogue is still sailing along nicely. I took this picture yesterday morning. I misplaced a row on the right neck and after spending an hour fiddling with it the night before I realized that it would be much faster to rip it out and reknit it. I did that last night.

Here's the finished side cable.


A little close up on the neck (before ripping).


I'm also working on a felted bag from Knit One, Felt Two. Here's the Lunchbag Carryall so far in Dark Red Lopi.


And lastly a little shot of my project from the Knitty Gritty. The theme of the show was what can you do with a rectangle. Everything was knit in novelty yarn since the designer works for Trendsetter. Not really my cup of tea. The color was really, really not my cup of tea. The project overall is so completely not me that it's really pretty funny. I present a lime green shrug with a ribbon-taggy collar. I haven't seamed it up yet but you get the idea.



I will finish it up and maybe bring it to work as a shop sample since we carry the main yarn, Blossom.

I've been working on a few more squares for my psychedelic afghan. They are a really good project to carry around in your purse. And they go so quickly. Very satisfying.

I have the pattern and the yarn for Butterfly just aching to be knit so I need to get a project done to justify starting another one. It's also time to start a new sock for the Six Sox Knitalong. I have more Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters that I can use for this one. The colorway is Obsidian. It's insanely beautiful like all their yarns. I am also getting impatient to start my Floral Felted Tote from the fall IK. Julia has started hers and I'm mad with jealousy. Poor Paula is languishing in a baggie somewhere. Who wants to knit plain stockinette when stripes, cables, handpainted yarn and intarsia are all beckoning?