Send More Meatheads

The summer I was sixteen I got mono. I spent three weeks in bed and decided to read every book by Kurt Vonnegut that I hadn't read yet. Consequently the books all kind of blur together in my mind. I seem to recall that in one of them Martians invade Earth. They are all killed swiftly and easily by a group of ordinary folks, farmers and such. The victorious earthlings are later seen on the evening news holding up signs saying, "Send More Martians." (I could be getting all of this wrong. I was, after all, feverish at the time). So what's my point? Yesterday at 4:30 I found my meathead kits on my doorstep. Today at 11 I sent back to finished hats to Larissa. Send More Meatheads.

On a totally unrelated note, I had a moment of terrible weakness and bought some Kureyon 87 on eBay to make Butterfly. Amy is planning on knitting Butterfly. Julie is off to a flying start. Knitalong, anyone?

Meatheads, Meatheads, Roly Poly Meatheads

I got my meathead kit today. That Larissa sure is fast. And so are these hats. I brought the kits to Purlygirls tonight. I borrowed a pair of size 19 (!) needles and I was off. I finished one and completed the ribbing on the second. I'll snap a picture of them tomorrow when they're both done and seamed up.

I spent yesterday knitting some more psychedelic squares. Then in the evening I went ot Jenna's to watch four episodes of the Knitty Gritty with all the knitters that will be going to LA to be on the show. Jenna needs eight sweaters knit to various points for swap outs on the show. Eight. We all offered to help out. I spent about five hours last night knitting k2 p2 ribbing. It was very reminiscent of Sam, who is still in time out. Once I finish the meathead hats I will head back to Paula. I need to free up those needles for Rogue, at long last.

Clarification

Yesterday, when I said

I'm over ponchos now, I think.

I did not mean that that there is anything wrong with ponchos. I did not mean to criticize anyone's poncho or your affection for them. You can be in love with them as you want. Enjoy them in good health.

The mall windows were overflowing with "shrugs." You may know them as "tubes." Like this one, literally with a twist, from Bebe.

Larissa and Ann inspired me. I decided to make a Psychedelic Square Afghan with my Cotton Classic scraps from the Cupcake Beanie, Fiesta Tea Set and other projects. I whipped one out yesterday afternoon.


I'm almost done with Paula's first sleeve.

The Cotton Fleece is knitting up gauge for stitches per inch, but not rows. This shouldn't be a problem. The fabric is a little loose. This also shouldn't be a problem.

Interweave Knits Crochet is out. There are some cute patterns here but what's with the girl in the see through skirt in the bookstore?

Poor Baby

I finished the Cupcake Beanie last night. This morning I followed the instructions to make the pom pom.

Pom Pom: Make one using pale pink, dark pink and mint. Wrap all three yarns around a 3" piece of cardboard for a total of about forty or fifty times.

This produced what I can only describe as a huge-ass pom pom. A pom pom so large that whatever poor baby I saddled with this goofy hat would not be able to life his or her head--ever. So I just wrapped the yarn around three of my fingers and came out with a less huge pom pom. That poor kid.

Say (ricotta) cheese.

I had another needle inventory marathon at work so I wasn't able to do the needle felting on the "Flowers to Go" tote. I brought it home with me along with some felting needles and gave it a go.

I didn't have one of those foam blocks that are used for needle felting. First I tried putting a folded plastic bag behind the part to be felted and one of those flexible cutting mats inside the bag so I wouldn't felt the inside of the bag shut. It dulled the needle terribly. Then I thought maybe a sponge would work. I didn't have any sponges but I did have Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (which are a godsend, by the way) and hey, they are pretty much just a foam rubber block (embedded with a truly magical cleaning solution). So I tucked that under my work and then my needle felting took off. It was stab, stab, stab and then, voila, flowers.

Tools of the Trade
This was fun and easy and a great way to work out one's aggression. Stab, stab, stab. Whee!!

I spent the day at the mall with the boys. I knit about half of the first sleeve of Paula. If you're ever at Bellevue Square and see a fatigued, aggravated woman who is knitting at the tug boat while yelling at two boys, that's me. Stop by and say hi.

I saw ponchos everywhere but they were all being worn by 16 or 8 year old girls. I'm over ponchos now, I think.

Oh, and for you ladies who are 50 or so and dress like your 14 year old daughters? Stop. Now.

Want to See My Panties?

After all my whining I sailed through the front of Mon Petit Chou last night. I've just barely started the back. Aren't they cute?

Last night I also tried my hand at making stitch markers. I modeled them after the ones that Marti gave me.

Aren't they cute?

Then I finally got some pictures of my falling-off-a-log easy baby hats.

Aren't they cute?

I also cranked out most of the Cupcake Beanie today.

Over the top, but still cute.

And finally, the most cute of all. We had a playdate today and I borrowed a baby to model a hat.

Uh, No, I Don't Think So

Can you see the stitches? Huh, can you? No, you're right. I can't see any stitches either. Which is why, when seaming Trendsetter Blossom, I just reach to one side and dig up any old thing onto my needle then dig on the other side and continue like that. Dig, dig, dig, tighten, dig, dig, dig, tighten. This is a seam on my you'll-slap-me-it's-so-simple baby hat. Also known as a rectangle.

The universe was against me yesterday. I struggled on Mon Petit Chou all day. I finally was up to row 37 when I headed to Purlygirls. Wes was running late and I was already really anxious to get there. There was some mysterious one-block traffic jam which caused me to sit, getting increasingly agitated, for TEN minutes to move ONE block. With jerks trying to cut in in front of me the whole time. Uh, no, I don't think so, Buddy. By the time I made it to the Capitol Club I was pretty riled up. Just ask the Purlygirls. They'll tell ya. I was on a tear. Then the bartender tried to charge me $4 for an iced tea. As in tea and ice. Four dollars. Uh, no, I don't think so. Then the waiter brought me a glass of ice water with a drizzle of tea in it. The stuff was clear. I sent it back and I got attitude from the him for the rest of the night. Grrr...

And my knitting? Oh man. First I started the Cupcake Beanie. I knit one round when I realized I should have purled instead of knit. Then I picked up Mon Petit Chou. I got to the end of the first row and was off by a stitch. I started to rip back and realized that Stitch 'n Bitch in a semi-darkish bar was not the place to deal with it. So I started Paula. I managed to knit the first 25 rows or so of my swatch sleeve without screwing anything up. Thank goodness.

Today I took a mental health day and left the kids with a friend. I got lunch with Purlygirl Jill and ran some errands. Then I went to the Teahouse to do a little knitting. In walks a knitting friend with her basket full of knitting! "Can I join you?" Hell yeah! So we knit and talked until I had to pick up the boys. My knitting consisted of knitting then ripping two rows of Mon Petit Chou. It took me about another hour at home to find the one missing yarn over. But I'm now on row 50. Great progress? Uh, no, I don't think so.

Weekend Roundup

I was feeling so pissed and sad about Sam that I needed to go to a yarn shop to cheer up. I went to Hilltop to feel the Alpaca Silk in person since Weaving Works didn't have it in yet. Hilltop also had the Ribbon Twist and Big Just Got Bigger pattern books. They didn't thrill me. The yarn however is just amazing. It's soft, fluffy, sproingy. Lovely, lovely, lovely stuff. Way too expensive for me.

But the sale bins were overflowing. I got some Rowanspun DK at 40% off to make a Retro Prep sweater.

After seeing Alison's, Susan's, Melanie's and Rachael's I had to make one for myself. There was some Kureyon #124 that I almost got to make Butterfly but I held myself back.

I made some progress on Mon Petit Chou. I completed row 17-32. Several times. Just as I allow myself the thought, "Hey, I'm getting the hang of this." BAM! It goes kerflooey. Then I rip back and bit and figure it out. Knit some rows, rip back, etc. At least when it's all done I've moved forward.

And the lace.


And I won something this weekend. When I went to Weaving Works on Saturday I put my name in a raffle. I got a call yesterday that I won a Cupcake Beanie kit.

Saturday

I cut out on the family to head back to Weaving Works. They got the Debbie Bliss Silk Alpaca book in and I wanted to get it while the sale is still on. Some Silver Plum Cotton Fleece also followed me home. It was 30% off. I was defenseless. I think I will use it for Paula.

I finished the second sleeve for Sam this morning. I sewed the shoulders together and picked up all the stitches to knit the collar. Both fronts are completely wrong. They look terrible and it does not resemble the pattern at all. I need to rip them out completely and do them again. However, I can't face this right now. I have come to hate this sweater and we need a little time apart. I will shove Sam in the back of a dark closet until I'm feeling some enthusiasm again.

A Very Special Day

Today is Cari, Greta, Lisa and Jackie's birthday. It's also my tenth wedding anniversary. Wes and I were laughing last night trying to do our best impression of Jeremy Piven in Grosse Point Blank shouting, "Ten years, man!" How the hell did we get so old? I have to say that it seems impossible. I know everyone says it but the years really have just flown by.

And if that wasn't all special enough, there is a new film up at Angry Alien.

My New Crush

Hey, hey Paula, I wanna marry you...

I'm digging Paula. Even though Lara has inspired a knitalong. I'm not sure she's the girl for me. But Paula...well, I'm sweet on her. I'm thinking of using the pale blue cotton angora I bought for Mia. I know I swore eternal devotion to Mia but that was before the never-ending tedium of k2 p2 knitting that is the Candy Sam. Sam is nearing completion. I have about 40 rows left on the last sleeve. And only 5500 stitches for the collar. Not that I'm counting or anything.

I had to miss Ryan's talk at the knitting guild last night. I was very sorry to miss it but I had a wonderful opportunity. Wes and I got to see a free sneak preview of Vanity Fair. And Mira Nair was there. She is passionate, witty and charming. Exactly what I had expected given her work. The film is gorgeous and very interesting. I can't wait to see how disappointed all the teeny-boppers who only know Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde will be when they pony up their $9 in September.

At work tonight I spent the entire four hours checking in and pricing an order of Addi Turbos. Four hours. There were hundreds of them. If you're in Washington and want an Addi, head to the Fiber Gallery. I can't imagine there are any left anywhere else in the state.

From Piles of Pink...

...to bundles of baby hats.



I'm still working on the test-knit hat (variegated pink Sugar 'n Cream). And now I'm working on super-simple, falling-off-a-log easy baby hats for the shop. You know the knit a rectangle, fold in half and stitch up the sides kind. I'm going to officially write it up into a pattern using shop yarns. I hope this will help those customers who freak out when you suggest *gasp* knitting in the round or *double gasp* simple math. But hey, we all like to have out hand held sometimes. You should see the look on a rank beginner's face when you say, "You just determine your gauge and use that to figure out how many stitches you need for half the circumference of the hat. Then just knit up until it's long enough and fold it in half." It's like saying, "Take this ruby and make a laser." They get scared.

My best friend's daughter, who has been my six year old son's best friend since infancy and still is, came over for a playdate. I got a huge thrill to see her still using the Hello Kitty backpack I made for her for Christmas.



She's a little beat up but it's nice to see she's being used.

Thanks for all the nice comments on the pink tote. I'll post a picture once I decorate it.

**Totally irrelevant note on the kids: My six year old is trying to taunt his four year old brother right now by chanting, "Nah, nah, biscotti, biscotti!" What a weirdo.**

Pink Prevails

I finished the knitting on the Flowers to Go tote yesterday. I only had a few rounds left to knit, the straps, closure and the base. I finished it all at Purlygirls. Then I could barely wait to toss in the washing machine.

So here is the first, tragically twisted version.


And here is the properly knit and now felted version.


As Pepe le Pew would say, "She is very cute, no?" I used Lamb's Pride Bulky in Lotus Pink. It took exactly 2 skeins. I literally have about 18 inches of yarn left over. I knit it on 11s as the pattern states and got gauge. However it seemed a little tight for a felting project. I was thinking maybe next time to make it on 13s but the final results were great so I won't change it. I will attempt the needle felting design when I go in to work on Thursday.

I'm also noodling around with some Blossom to make a shop pattern. I'm still working on the gauge.