Hey Flan,
Sleep has amazing restorative properties. I am not quite so crazy after sleeping in until EIGHT. Today is my "don't come to work until noon" day, so it is also my sleep in day. Soo loving Wednesdays.
So I've decided to make a plan. Ms. Stephanie makes lists. I make plans. Sometimes the plans have lists, sometimes not. Part of this plan means that I'm going to try to blog on Wednesdays and then either Friday, Sat or Sun depending on my work schedule. Starting in October I'll be working every other Friday and then every other Saturday. This means I should have time those mornings to devote to our blog. I need some structure (yes, even more than I had before) and I think this will help my feelings of being a bad blogger.
I finished The Hubby's sweater! It's blocked and everything. I meant to take it to knit night last night, but was distracted. Of course, after it was all done I realized I forgot to weave in an end, but whatever. I'm so excited that this "sweater a month" plan has worked out so far. October is for The Dad's Sweater, November for The Mommy's and December for The Brother's. When I get done early I earn "bonus days" during which I can knit whatever I want. OCD? Yup, but it works for me and I try very hard to keep my neuroses to myself.
Sadly, not having to be at work until noon still means I have to GO to work and get READY for work, and now is the time. Hope all is going well. Thanks again for the beautiful yarn!
Showing posts with label The Hubby's Sweater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hubby's Sweater. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Catch Up
Hey Flan,
So much has happened in the last week and I have been putting off blogging until photos were available, but once again, Mr. Nikon and I are disagreeing. First it was over a lack of battery life, then over missing connector bits and currently over the fact that we're using a new computer and The Hubby hasn't loaded in the proper software. All the photo gods conspiring against me- or something like that.
Last Friday was the LAST DAY of the crappy job!! As of Saturday I was FT at the happy job and have only the one job instead of the two. Since I've worked every Saturday since mid June, it didn't seem all that celebratory, but today I didn't have to be at work until NINE am, and that felt very luxurious. Not only did I sleep in (a tiny bit), but I made dinner and did a load of laundry all before getting ready for work. The Hubby says that I'm the only person he knows that takes advantage of having a later start time not by sleeping in but by doing stuff.
THE MS3 IS DONE!! It was finished last Monday and blocked Tuesday. I took out the pins Thursday and am estatic. I am going to take some pictures before I send it off to The Grandma on Wednesday. The whole post lace blocking thing is a miracle- plain and simple. It's one of those theoretical things until you do it and it works and it's magic.
The Hubby's sweater is almost done! It needs an hour or so and the damn thing will be finished! I wasn't sure it would work out, but EZ triumphed. She's so neat. Her recipes sort of have to be taken on faith, but when you do, the outcome is really rewarding.
As a reward for all this finishing, what better to do than start something?? I had some yarn from the delightful Borealis that I have been hoarding for years. I finally found the perfect pattern and a shrug for me is underway.
I swear there will be photos. Honest. But now I get to go to bed instead of fuss with the computer. Hope your job is going swimmingly.
So much has happened in the last week and I have been putting off blogging until photos were available, but once again, Mr. Nikon and I are disagreeing. First it was over a lack of battery life, then over missing connector bits and currently over the fact that we're using a new computer and The Hubby hasn't loaded in the proper software. All the photo gods conspiring against me- or something like that.
Last Friday was the LAST DAY of the crappy job!! As of Saturday I was FT at the happy job and have only the one job instead of the two. Since I've worked every Saturday since mid June, it didn't seem all that celebratory, but today I didn't have to be at work until NINE am, and that felt very luxurious. Not only did I sleep in (a tiny bit), but I made dinner and did a load of laundry all before getting ready for work. The Hubby says that I'm the only person he knows that takes advantage of having a later start time not by sleeping in but by doing stuff.
THE MS3 IS DONE!! It was finished last Monday and blocked Tuesday. I took out the pins Thursday and am estatic. I am going to take some pictures before I send it off to The Grandma on Wednesday. The whole post lace blocking thing is a miracle- plain and simple. It's one of those theoretical things until you do it and it works and it's magic.
The Hubby's sweater is almost done! It needs an hour or so and the damn thing will be finished! I wasn't sure it would work out, but EZ triumphed. She's so neat. Her recipes sort of have to be taken on faith, but when you do, the outcome is really rewarding.
As a reward for all this finishing, what better to do than start something?? I had some yarn from the delightful Borealis that I have been hoarding for years. I finally found the perfect pattern and a shrug for me is underway.
I swear there will be photos. Honest. But now I get to go to bed instead of fuss with the computer. Hope your job is going swimmingly.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tinnitus?
Hey Flan,
So I figured out the problem w/ The Hubby's Sweater. There was a teeny tiny bit I was leaving out. It so happens you're supposed to slip one and then knit two together and THEN pass the slipped stitch over. I was conveniently forgetting the whole K2Tog thing. I think ripping is the only solution. Arg.
I'm working on a super secret project. Since it's super secret all I'm going to say is that it's Italian Silk and the third time is the charm. I started once on my trip to The Sister's graduation and decided I didn't like how the pattern was turning out. I did some research and found a pattern I thought was far better suited and started off. I decided the needle size wasn't quite right and started over on needles 2 sizes bigger. Much much better.
I had a rough day yesterday. It started out surprisingly well (always a sign that trouble is probably brewing) and then got much, much worse. I thought things might improve upon going to job#2. Sadly, the only thing resoundly confirmed was that marble makes sounds, such as those made by screaming children, echo. I could go on, but there's a ringing in my ears and it's making it difficult to concentrate.
So I figured out the problem w/ The Hubby's Sweater. There was a teeny tiny bit I was leaving out. It so happens you're supposed to slip one and then knit two together and THEN pass the slipped stitch over. I was conveniently forgetting the whole K2Tog thing. I think ripping is the only solution. Arg.
I'm working on a super secret project. Since it's super secret all I'm going to say is that it's Italian Silk and the third time is the charm. I started once on my trip to The Sister's graduation and decided I didn't like how the pattern was turning out. I did some research and found a pattern I thought was far better suited and started off. I decided the needle size wasn't quite right and started over on needles 2 sizes bigger. Much much better.
I had a rough day yesterday. It started out surprisingly well (always a sign that trouble is probably brewing) and then got much, much worse. I thought things might improve upon going to job#2. Sadly, the only thing resoundly confirmed was that marble makes sounds, such as those made by screaming children, echo. I could go on, but there's a ringing in my ears and it's making it difficult to concentrate.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Brain Disconnected
Hey Flan,
I don't know if it's the heat or too little caffiene or too much, or working too much or what, but I am pretty sure that my brain has come disconnected from the rest of me. It started a couple of days ago at Knit Night. I decided to work on The Hubby's Sweater. This is my first major EZ project, and I thought it had been going alright. The sleeves and body went fine and I thought I was doing alright with understanding the instructions.
Apparently not.
It seems the sleeve/ body raglan shaping is not at all going according to picture. You're supposed to decrease so there is a diagonal line from underarm toward collarbone. At some point you work back and forth on each edge, creating a straight line along both sides of the top of the shoulder.
Um...
Yeah, the decrease line mine is making is, well, straight. Not diagonal. I am perplexed by this and have started searching the internet as well as re-reading Kw/oT for an eleventy-billionth time to try and figure out what on earth is going on. To top it all off, these rows are about eleventy-billion stitches long. They are the entire sleeves, PLUS the entire body. The Hubby likes his sweaters a bit loose and he has some mighty fine shoulders, but that all translates to a 48in chested sweater. A 48 in sweater means eleventy-billion stitches when all are combined and the prospect of having to rip makes me want to rock back and forth and chant "happy place, happy place".
I'm contemplating checking out every single Knit Fix type book from the library and try and figure out a way to make it all better w/o having to rip back to where they were connected. Fingers crossed.
I don't know if it's the heat or too little caffiene or too much, or working too much or what, but I am pretty sure that my brain has come disconnected from the rest of me. It started a couple of days ago at Knit Night. I decided to work on The Hubby's Sweater. This is my first major EZ project, and I thought it had been going alright. The sleeves and body went fine and I thought I was doing alright with understanding the instructions.
Apparently not.
It seems the sleeve/ body raglan shaping is not at all going according to picture. You're supposed to decrease so there is a diagonal line from underarm toward collarbone. At some point you work back and forth on each edge, creating a straight line along both sides of the top of the shoulder.
Um...
Yeah, the decrease line mine is making is, well, straight. Not diagonal. I am perplexed by this and have started searching the internet as well as re-reading Kw/oT for an eleventy-billionth time to try and figure out what on earth is going on. To top it all off, these rows are about eleventy-billion stitches long. They are the entire sleeves, PLUS the entire body. The Hubby likes his sweaters a bit loose and he has some mighty fine shoulders, but that all translates to a 48in chested sweater. A 48 in sweater means eleventy-billion stitches when all are combined and the prospect of having to rip makes me want to rock back and forth and chant "happy place, happy place".
I'm contemplating checking out every single Knit Fix type book from the library and try and figure out a way to make it all better w/o having to rip back to where they were connected. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The Youth of Today...
... know nothing of history.
Hey Flan,
I hope the new job comes with a clothing allowance because now you have to be all official all the time and someone else should have to pay for that.
Ok, the title. Sunday, The Hubby (who has RETURNED from Field Camp!!!) and I went grocery shopping. I had an overwhelming craving for a lemon poppyseed muffin. I was going to purchase said muffin mix at grocery store, but was hungry didn't want to wait for the baking. We went to baked goods store #1, found lots of muffins but NO lemon poppyseed. We then went to coffeeshop#1, which sells baked goods, found no muffins at all. Off to coffee shop #2. I asked the teeny tiny pre-pubesent worker if they had any lemon poppyseed muffins. She looked at me completely bewildered and said, "What's that?? I've never heard of that kind of muffin"
I was stunned. I was trying to be polite and asserted that it really was a very popular type of muffin though not, apparently, in our part of the deep South. I looked at the second employee who had walked up, trying to find someone who had heard of this type of muffin. To my relief he shot teeny tiny pipsqueak a withering look and agreed that the type existed and was popular, though, sadly, they did not have any.
In the end I stopped at a second grocery store to buy a stupid mix and then had them bake while I put away the groceries. It was far more stress than a muffin should ever incur.
Knitting news... Let's see.... There is none. I was starting to make a cute little skirt for Gracie's offspring. Until I measured the child and discovered that I had made it too small. Stupid fast growing children (not stupid children, just the rate at which they grow). I decided that the EZ February Sweater I was going to make for E&H's baby looked good but I was definitely going to run out of yarn. I have not yet had the courage to rip, but have liberated the needles and stitch markers. I organized my notions bag as well as all of the WIPs. They each have a separate bag so it doesn't look like there are as many as there are- sort of a divide and conquer. Thankfully, tonight is for knitting, so I will hopefully get some work done on The Hubby's sweater.
Hey Flan,
I hope the new job comes with a clothing allowance because now you have to be all official all the time and someone else should have to pay for that.
Ok, the title. Sunday, The Hubby (who has RETURNED from Field Camp!!!) and I went grocery shopping. I had an overwhelming craving for a lemon poppyseed muffin. I was going to purchase said muffin mix at grocery store, but was hungry didn't want to wait for the baking. We went to baked goods store #1, found lots of muffins but NO lemon poppyseed. We then went to coffeeshop#1, which sells baked goods, found no muffins at all. Off to coffee shop #2. I asked the teeny tiny pre-pubesent worker if they had any lemon poppyseed muffins. She looked at me completely bewildered and said, "What's that?? I've never heard of that kind of muffin"
I was stunned. I was trying to be polite and asserted that it really was a very popular type of muffin though not, apparently, in our part of the deep South. I looked at the second employee who had walked up, trying to find someone who had heard of this type of muffin. To my relief he shot teeny tiny pipsqueak a withering look and agreed that the type existed and was popular, though, sadly, they did not have any.
In the end I stopped at a second grocery store to buy a stupid mix and then had them bake while I put away the groceries. It was far more stress than a muffin should ever incur.
Knitting news... Let's see.... There is none. I was starting to make a cute little skirt for Gracie's offspring. Until I measured the child and discovered that I had made it too small. Stupid fast growing children (not stupid children, just the rate at which they grow). I decided that the EZ February Sweater I was going to make for E&H's baby looked good but I was definitely going to run out of yarn. I have not yet had the courage to rip, but have liberated the needles and stitch markers. I organized my notions bag as well as all of the WIPs. They each have a separate bag so it doesn't look like there are as many as there are- sort of a divide and conquer. Thankfully, tonight is for knitting, so I will hopefully get some work done on The Hubby's sweater.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
A Little Bit of Sunshine
Hey Flan,
I am happy to report that after two thoroughly miserable, overly emotional days it seems that the phase is over. Thank goodness. Right now I'm exhausted but doing better.
The Hubby's Sweater and I are again on speaking terms. I think it will turn out well but my fingers are still crossed. For a control freak such as myself, EZ's decidedly freeform guidelines are pushing the boundaries of my comfort level. She gives two different ways to do the decreases in Kw/oT and then a third way in Knitter's Almanac. The problem is that I really like whatever Mr. Jared did and I really don't like one in the picture of Kw/oT and I can't figure out which is which. There should really be a Kw/oT for dummies, but I suppose it would sort of negate the whole spirit of Unventing...
Anyway, The Hubby comes home tomorrow (!) and I have a meeting with an extra important person today, so I should probably focus on the latter and not the former.
Happy Thursday.
I am happy to report that after two thoroughly miserable, overly emotional days it seems that the phase is over. Thank goodness. Right now I'm exhausted but doing better.
The Hubby's Sweater and I are again on speaking terms. I think it will turn out well but my fingers are still crossed. For a control freak such as myself, EZ's decidedly freeform guidelines are pushing the boundaries of my comfort level. She gives two different ways to do the decreases in Kw/oT and then a third way in Knitter's Almanac. The problem is that I really like whatever Mr. Jared did and I really don't like one in the picture of Kw/oT and I can't figure out which is which. There should really be a Kw/oT for dummies, but I suppose it would sort of negate the whole spirit of Unventing...
Anyway, The Hubby comes home tomorrow (!) and I have a meeting with an extra important person today, so I should probably focus on the latter and not the former.
Happy Thursday.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Pity Party
Hey Flan,
You're probably still very busy with your new job and everything. I can't remember if you posted about this or not, but the head of the organization for whom Flan works resigned to go work for another org. What to do whilst the search for a new head honcho went on?? Have Flan run the org! While this is fabulous and totally beats the crap out of anything I could put on my resume, it seems to have the unfortunate effect of stealing absolutely all of her time, leaving none for emailing, telephoning, sleeping, etc.
The Hubby comes home Friday!! I'm so excited I could scream and it's making me even more distracted than before. It's also making me acutely aware that he's been gone for almost a month and that two weeks ago I told him that I feel that he's learned enough and why doesn't he come home NOW?? It didn't work.
By the way, he's decided that not only should you and M get married, but that y'all should get married at the Grand Canyon and time it for during a meteor shower. You probably didn't know that my husband had so many opinions about your completely theoretical wedding, but there they are.
Bottom line: he's been gone a really freakin' long time and I miss him and I'm tired of missing him and the whole world sucks.
The knitting has also been proving more difficult than it should. Gracie and I started our mini Knit-a-long last week. We had been making about equal process up until the weekend or so. Then I decided I should focus on The Hubby's sweater so that it could get done before he comes home (stop laughing, it's theoretically possible). While I was knitting the second sleeve Gracie was trucking along, staying focused. This morning I opened my email to find that she is COMPLETELY DONE with the WHOLE THING. I am happy for her, but not only does she have a 6 month old infant, she also has a husband and a dog to care for and she still found time to get hers finished. My husband is thousands of miles away and whilst he's been gone I've been on sabbatical from cooking, so there are very few demands of my time and I'm still inches from getting anywhere close to being done.
To top it all off, there have been issues with The Hubby's sweater. None of them stem from the "unventor", all of them are solely my fault. I was trying to debate whether or not to do the Seamless Saddle Shoulder Sweater or the Seamless Hybrid. I mistakenly thought that both had the same percentage on the underarm threads and that both were joined and knit for an inch before shoulder shaping started. Nope, not so much. Last night, after a deep breath and a group consensus that the Hybrid really is better than the SSSS, I ripped. There was only about an inch of ripping or so, but they were really, really long rounds.
Pretty gloomy in my world, and the clouds and rain outside aren't helping. O Woe is me... But not for long because The Hubby comes home SOON and chocolate, if nothing else, will help me get to then.
You're probably still very busy with your new job and everything. I can't remember if you posted about this or not, but the head of the organization for whom Flan works resigned to go work for another org. What to do whilst the search for a new head honcho went on?? Have Flan run the org! While this is fabulous and totally beats the crap out of anything I could put on my resume, it seems to have the unfortunate effect of stealing absolutely all of her time, leaving none for emailing, telephoning, sleeping, etc.
The Hubby comes home Friday!! I'm so excited I could scream and it's making me even more distracted than before. It's also making me acutely aware that he's been gone for almost a month and that two weeks ago I told him that I feel that he's learned enough and why doesn't he come home NOW?? It didn't work.
By the way, he's decided that not only should you and M get married, but that y'all should get married at the Grand Canyon and time it for during a meteor shower. You probably didn't know that my husband had so many opinions about your completely theoretical wedding, but there they are.
Bottom line: he's been gone a really freakin' long time and I miss him and I'm tired of missing him and the whole world sucks.
The knitting has also been proving more difficult than it should. Gracie and I started our mini Knit-a-long last week. We had been making about equal process up until the weekend or so. Then I decided I should focus on The Hubby's sweater so that it could get done before he comes home (stop laughing, it's theoretically possible). While I was knitting the second sleeve Gracie was trucking along, staying focused. This morning I opened my email to find that she is COMPLETELY DONE with the WHOLE THING. I am happy for her, but not only does she have a 6 month old infant, she also has a husband and a dog to care for and she still found time to get hers finished. My husband is thousands of miles away and whilst he's been gone I've been on sabbatical from cooking, so there are very few demands of my time and I'm still inches from getting anywhere close to being done.
To top it all off, there have been issues with The Hubby's sweater. None of them stem from the "unventor", all of them are solely my fault. I was trying to debate whether or not to do the Seamless Saddle Shoulder Sweater or the Seamless Hybrid. I mistakenly thought that both had the same percentage on the underarm threads and that both were joined and knit for an inch before shoulder shaping started. Nope, not so much. Last night, after a deep breath and a group consensus that the Hybrid really is better than the SSSS, I ripped. There was only about an inch of ripping or so, but they were really, really long rounds.
Pretty gloomy in my world, and the clouds and rain outside aren't helping. O Woe is me... But not for long because The Hubby comes home SOON and chocolate, if nothing else, will help me get to then.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Third Time's The Charm
Hi Flan,
I hope you had a nice weekend. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of you out there who are, will be, or just think about being mothers. Mothers are angels and heroes all rolled into one and we are lucky to be your children.
This week begins week two of The Field Camp experience. I'm doing slightly less well than I was for week one. The reality of bills to pay and heavy things to carry is a hard one to confront on a daily basis. However, there has been knitting. Friday I went to the fabulous public library and got some of Geraldine McEwan's "Miss Marples". One of my most favorite characters no matter the actress, but I have to say I especially enjoy Ms. McEwan's interpretation.
The oddest Start-itis hit Friday night. I wanted to knit socks. I know! ME knitting SOCKS?! But there it was, regardless of the fact that I had just purchased needles for a completely unrelated project. I pulled out my dpns- not circs- and some beautiful cream Regia Silk happily swatched. These are intended for one of the SF Aunties. Short row toes and heels with a single cable up each side of the ankle. While watching Miss Marple I finished the toe. Saturday I went over to The Grandmother's in anticipation for Mother's Day. I made 2 layer Key Lime Pie (so good), we ate dinner and then watched TV. Enough TV to complete the entire foot part of the sock. I never knew watching home improvement shows could be so productive for knitting.
Yesterday I came home early, rearranged parts of the storage unit and knit the short row heel. Then I decided I didn't like the short row heel and it went on Time Out while I knit on The Broad Street Mittens for awhile. Still not liking the heel I finished the first sleeve for The Hubby's Sweater and cast on for the second sleeve. I finally ripped out the heel. Watching even more Miss Marple I did the heel again. It came out worse than the first time. Thoroughly upset with the entire heel process, I decided to go to bed. This morning I got up early, cleaned a bit of the house, then ripped again. I think the problem was that the yarn wasn't tight enough on the knit half, making it loose and holey. I am proud to say that, before getting to work, I managed to re-knit the stupid heel a third time and it looks much better and we can all move on with our lives.
The only thing I have to say now is that I am so happy she has small feet.
Happy Monday.
I hope you had a nice weekend. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of you out there who are, will be, or just think about being mothers. Mothers are angels and heroes all rolled into one and we are lucky to be your children.
This week begins week two of The Field Camp experience. I'm doing slightly less well than I was for week one. The reality of bills to pay and heavy things to carry is a hard one to confront on a daily basis. However, there has been knitting. Friday I went to the fabulous public library and got some of Geraldine McEwan's "Miss Marples". One of my most favorite characters no matter the actress, but I have to say I especially enjoy Ms. McEwan's interpretation.
The oddest Start-itis hit Friday night. I wanted to knit socks. I know! ME knitting SOCKS?! But there it was, regardless of the fact that I had just purchased needles for a completely unrelated project. I pulled out my dpns- not circs- and some beautiful cream Regia Silk happily swatched. These are intended for one of the SF Aunties. Short row toes and heels with a single cable up each side of the ankle. While watching Miss Marple I finished the toe. Saturday I went over to The Grandmother's in anticipation for Mother's Day. I made 2 layer Key Lime Pie (so good), we ate dinner and then watched TV. Enough TV to complete the entire foot part of the sock. I never knew watching home improvement shows could be so productive for knitting.
Yesterday I came home early, rearranged parts of the storage unit and knit the short row heel. Then I decided I didn't like the short row heel and it went on Time Out while I knit on The Broad Street Mittens for awhile. Still not liking the heel I finished the first sleeve for The Hubby's Sweater and cast on for the second sleeve. I finally ripped out the heel. Watching even more Miss Marple I did the heel again. It came out worse than the first time. Thoroughly upset with the entire heel process, I decided to go to bed. This morning I got up early, cleaned a bit of the house, then ripped again. I think the problem was that the yarn wasn't tight enough on the knit half, making it loose and holey. I am proud to say that, before getting to work, I managed to re-knit the stupid heel a third time and it looks much better and we can all move on with our lives.
The only thing I have to say now is that I am so happy she has small feet.
Happy Monday.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Slogging Along
Hey Flan,
Thank goodness you're alive, doing well and survivied The Event! It sounds like you had a fantastic trip with your mom and had some amazing yarn finds. I'm so jealous.
Monday I finished The Hubby's socks. It was a happy day. All ends are woven in and the pair is safely ensconced in the bottom drawer of the yarn storage area, hidden until his birthday. I cast on for the Broad Street Mittens. I was going to do two on one long circular, got 2 rows in and absolutely hated it. I'm headed out to find some dpns and hope that they will make everything better.
The Hubby's sweater is also coming along. I finished the body!! 48inches around x 15 inches long = a whole lot of knitting. Oh yeah, I now have an excuse for not having any photos- The Hubby has the camera so for the next little bit there will be no photos. I worked on the first sleeve, faithfully increasing until EZ had said to stop. However, that only got me to half of the total length. The calculations seem correct according to the recipe, but I got out the sweater upon which I'm basing the calculations and decided to increase some more.
Artyarn supermerino is the best damn yarn there has ever been. Period. Inspite of my undying love of alpaca even it cannot beat this yarn. Best Ever. I'm working on EZ's February Sweater for E&H's baby (as I've decided they're having a girl or a boy that will have to wear purple). I did have to rip out a couple of rows- apparently I can't count to 7 repeatedly- but this yarn makes me smile. It's just that fabulous.
I did it. I actually told someone in the knitting community that I didn't like something. In the world of knitting I try to keep everything positive. People might make something that makes me cringe, but I try to remember that not everyone's asthetic is the same as mine and that at least they are contributing to the Knitting World. There's usually always something nice that can be said about the knitting (the knitters however are sometimes a different story). But the new IK layout is something I just don't like. I tried to keep an open mind with the first edition of the new layout, but the second edition came in the mail last week and I just don't like it. I actually emailed them about it. I know that I welcome change the same way mothers-in-law welcome daughters-in-law, but I rarely tell the people about the stuff I dislike. Something made me email them and they emailed one sentence back, thanking me for my feedback.
I'm off to prep for a meeting. Tomorrow is Friday and I'm trying to keep that in focus.
Thank goodness you're alive, doing well and survivied The Event! It sounds like you had a fantastic trip with your mom and had some amazing yarn finds. I'm so jealous.
Monday I finished The Hubby's socks. It was a happy day. All ends are woven in and the pair is safely ensconced in the bottom drawer of the yarn storage area, hidden until his birthday. I cast on for the Broad Street Mittens. I was going to do two on one long circular, got 2 rows in and absolutely hated it. I'm headed out to find some dpns and hope that they will make everything better.
The Hubby's sweater is also coming along. I finished the body!! 48inches around x 15 inches long = a whole lot of knitting. Oh yeah, I now have an excuse for not having any photos- The Hubby has the camera so for the next little bit there will be no photos. I worked on the first sleeve, faithfully increasing until EZ had said to stop. However, that only got me to half of the total length. The calculations seem correct according to the recipe, but I got out the sweater upon which I'm basing the calculations and decided to increase some more.
Artyarn supermerino is the best damn yarn there has ever been. Period. Inspite of my undying love of alpaca even it cannot beat this yarn. Best Ever. I'm working on EZ's February Sweater for E&H's baby (as I've decided they're having a girl or a boy that will have to wear purple). I did have to rip out a couple of rows- apparently I can't count to 7 repeatedly- but this yarn makes me smile. It's just that fabulous.
I did it. I actually told someone in the knitting community that I didn't like something. In the world of knitting I try to keep everything positive. People might make something that makes me cringe, but I try to remember that not everyone's asthetic is the same as mine and that at least they are contributing to the Knitting World. There's usually always something nice that can be said about the knitting (the knitters however are sometimes a different story). But the new IK layout is something I just don't like. I tried to keep an open mind with the first edition of the new layout, but the second edition came in the mail last week and I just don't like it. I actually emailed them about it. I know that I welcome change the same way mothers-in-law welcome daughters-in-law, but I rarely tell the people about the stuff I dislike. Something made me email them and they emailed one sentence back, thanking me for my feedback.
I'm off to prep for a meeting. Tomorrow is Friday and I'm trying to keep that in focus.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Magic Numbers & Cow Udders
Hi Flan,
Again, I hope everything is going well with the impending crazy. We had a very productive, if not very restful, weekend. Saturday morning, as my crazy garbled message said, we were at the Mobile Public Library's Annual Book Sale. That's where I found THE book. One of the knitting world's holy grails- for $0.50. That's right, fifty cents. I looked up the book when we got home and people sell it $200-$400. After I found it the world got a little wobbly, but I couldn't let anyone know what I had found, so I tried to act nonchalant, but was completely paranoid, so probably came across as a nutcase. I have the receipt, just in case the public library gets mad that they could have made $199.50 more if they had noticed the incredible find, and I can prove that they didn't want it and even stamped "discard" on the front.
I pulled out all the UFOs and I think there are 6. I decided that I am going to try and focus on two at a time, one that's straight, solid, unending knitting (it is the year of the sweater) and one with a pattern. So far The Hubby's Sweater has 10 inches of the body completed. That's 2/3 of the total body length. I'm so excited.
Clapotis is coming along. I decided to go for broke and try to make it as long as possible instead of trying to have enough left over for a second project. I'm completely loving how it's coming out.
The Hubby met with his advisor last week. She has been working tirelessly to get him finished and has been negotiating about how much the current University will accept from his transfer credit. After Field Camp he only has FIVE classes to go! Two in the summer and three in the fall! I almost cried.
The Field Camp List is having things slowly crossed off. I'm so tired of buying stuff and spending money. We don't have everything, so there will have to be some more buying and there's $900 due tomorrow. We bought a cot so that he can be as comfortable as possible whilst camping in the desert. It was the only extra long in the store and the regulars are too short. The stupid thing is too long to fit in the blessed tent! Now we either have to borrow a bigger tent or take back the cot. Oy.
Now, the "Cow Udder" part of the title. Last night The Hubby and I were watching our usual geek tv fare- Antiques Roadshow, followed by Nature (it was all about dogs and actually very interesting) and then IT came on. Completely unannounced. And IT was amazing. The PBS website describes IT as such:
"...step inside the colorful and competitive world of "Show Cattle" and follow the trials and tribulations of competitive cows in pursuit of the ultimate honor - "Supreme Champion" - at one of the most prestigious cattle shows on the East Coast, the Fryeburg Fair. See inside the little-known world of bovine makeovers, where pride and determination, not to mention steel-capped boots, transform a barnyard cow into a regional celebrity."
Oh yes. Competitive Cow Showing. Complete with nearly pornographic udder shots and in depth descriptions. The phrase "mammary system" has a whole new meaning. There were even allegations of sabotage. Never has there ever been such a thing on TV and everyone should have to watch it. It was fantastic.
Again, I hope everything is going well with the impending crazy. We had a very productive, if not very restful, weekend. Saturday morning, as my crazy garbled message said, we were at the Mobile Public Library's Annual Book Sale. That's where I found THE book. One of the knitting world's holy grails- for $0.50. That's right, fifty cents. I looked up the book when we got home and people sell it $200-$400. After I found it the world got a little wobbly, but I couldn't let anyone know what I had found, so I tried to act nonchalant, but was completely paranoid, so probably came across as a nutcase. I have the receipt, just in case the public library gets mad that they could have made $199.50 more if they had noticed the incredible find, and I can prove that they didn't want it and even stamped "discard" on the front.
I pulled out all the UFOs and I think there are 6. I decided that I am going to try and focus on two at a time, one that's straight, solid, unending knitting (it is the year of the sweater) and one with a pattern. So far The Hubby's Sweater has 10 inches of the body completed. That's 2/3 of the total body length. I'm so excited.
Clapotis is coming along. I decided to go for broke and try to make it as long as possible instead of trying to have enough left over for a second project. I'm completely loving how it's coming out.
The Hubby met with his advisor last week. She has been working tirelessly to get him finished and has been negotiating about how much the current University will accept from his transfer credit. After Field Camp he only has FIVE classes to go! Two in the summer and three in the fall! I almost cried.
The Field Camp List is having things slowly crossed off. I'm so tired of buying stuff and spending money. We don't have everything, so there will have to be some more buying and there's $900 due tomorrow. We bought a cot so that he can be as comfortable as possible whilst camping in the desert. It was the only extra long in the store and the regulars are too short. The stupid thing is too long to fit in the blessed tent! Now we either have to borrow a bigger tent or take back the cot. Oy.
Now, the "Cow Udder" part of the title. Last night The Hubby and I were watching our usual geek tv fare- Antiques Roadshow, followed by Nature (it was all about dogs and actually very interesting) and then IT came on. Completely unannounced. And IT was amazing. The PBS website describes IT as such:
"...step inside the colorful and competitive world of "Show Cattle" and follow the trials and tribulations of competitive cows in pursuit of the ultimate honor - "Supreme Champion" - at one of the most prestigious cattle shows on the East Coast, the Fryeburg Fair. See inside the little-known world of bovine makeovers, where pride and determination, not to mention steel-capped boots, transform a barnyard cow into a regional celebrity."
Oh yes. Competitive Cow Showing. Complete with nearly pornographic udder shots and in depth descriptions. The phrase "mammary system" has a whole new meaning. There were even allegations of sabotage. Never has there ever been such a thing on TV and everyone should have to watch it. It was fantastic.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Finals
Hey Flan,
I hope things are less harried than they were yesterday. It's Finals time down here, so that's fun. Lab final for the Hubby tomorrow and a class final next week, though he's not sure exactly when. Oy.
In addition to trying to get him ready for Field Camp (a losing battle by the way) there has been knitting. I found the needles I had been using for The Dad's Sweater. They had been needed for a different project but whatever that was is now done. Sunday I found the needles and put the project back on them. It seems happy.
Clapotis is trucking along. There was some progress last night while waiting for The Boys to grill kebabs. Kebabs are seriously the fastest things to grill, 5 minutes total if you're slow and the fire is too. They managed to take a very long time, so I knitted.
The Hubby's sweater is actually coming along nicely. I have not only flipped the hem, but am about an inch and a half past that point. It's now the project I work on during my lunch hour. So much faster than The Garter St blanket on 3s. The LYS owner seemed kind of confused about why there is a different color for the hem/ lining part. Brooklyn Tweed's was done that way and it looked fantastic, so I'm doing it that way too. I'm such a follower.
I'm thinking about frogging The Mommy's Socks. I don't wanna knit socks. I don't like knitting socks. I realize I will be taken to a remote location and severely poked with sharp sticks for that last sentence, but some of us just don't knit socks. Every other knitter (all of whom knit socks like there's no tomorrow) on the planet needs to take a deep breath and accept it. The yarn, which The Mommy says looks like a box of crayons, would be good in a kid's sweater, or really anything other than a pair of socks. I just don't wanna.
I hope things are less harried than they were yesterday. It's Finals time down here, so that's fun. Lab final for the Hubby tomorrow and a class final next week, though he's not sure exactly when. Oy.
In addition to trying to get him ready for Field Camp (a losing battle by the way) there has been knitting. I found the needles I had been using for The Dad's Sweater. They had been needed for a different project but whatever that was is now done. Sunday I found the needles and put the project back on them. It seems happy.
Clapotis is trucking along. There was some progress last night while waiting for The Boys to grill kebabs. Kebabs are seriously the fastest things to grill, 5 minutes total if you're slow and the fire is too. They managed to take a very long time, so I knitted.
The Hubby's sweater is actually coming along nicely. I have not only flipped the hem, but am about an inch and a half past that point. It's now the project I work on during my lunch hour. So much faster than The Garter St blanket on 3s. The LYS owner seemed kind of confused about why there is a different color for the hem/ lining part. Brooklyn Tweed's was done that way and it looked fantastic, so I'm doing it that way too. I'm such a follower.
I'm thinking about frogging The Mommy's Socks. I don't wanna knit socks. I don't like knitting socks. I realize I will be taken to a remote location and severely poked with sharp sticks for that last sentence, but some of us just don't knit socks. Every other knitter (all of whom knit socks like there's no tomorrow) on the planet needs to take a deep breath and accept it. The yarn, which The Mommy says looks like a box of crayons, would be good in a kid's sweater, or really anything other than a pair of socks. I just don't wanna.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Start-itis
Hey Flan,
Again, hope you're feeling better. Advil Cold & Sinus is keeping me going. Yesterday the runny nose hit. Other than that, everything else is not too bad except that sneezing is incredibly painful.
Spring is here (not that winter really ever was) and, in the true spirit of Spring, "Start-itis" has roared in. Not only are there still 6 WIPs, TWO more were started yesterday. I was so excited about the math (It must be the sickness talking) from EZ's pattern that I finished my swatch for The Hubby's sweater. Soaked it and everything. I'm in love. I was not in love, however, when I realized I had made painstaking notes with calculations- and then discovered I had done all that work for the Saddle Shoulder Sweater NOT the Hybrid. Several swear words were thrown about, then quickly taken back because this is during Lent and swearing during Lent has got to be worse than swearing at other times. I decided that the 7s (4.5sts/in) were better than the 8s (4sts/in). This, of course, means that all the calculations are off, but I refigured a sleeve and cast on. Still feeling the love. I remembered all the birthdays coming up and quickly stuffed the whole thing in a drawer.
I also fell in love with Karabella's "Aurora 8". I got a single ball on sale at LYS and started some fingerless gloves. I had done a pair in Calmer and they turned out pretty well. They were part of The Sister's care package which she received yesterday and wore all night while writing a final paper. Inspired by her story, I cast on. So much love. There has never been a yarn such as this. It's amazing. The sheep from which it comes surely lead priviledged lives.
Start-itis was not done with me yet. I scoured the internet for possible yarns for The Sister's Pulli Hoodie. What would she wear and what can I afford? Two sad and troubling questions. While checking out Bonne Marie's blog I clicked on the recent photo from someone (I think redbird knits). She had done an Ariann in Cascade 220 and it looked fantastic. I adore 220 for felting, but had never really considered it for wearables. Then it struck me- I had snatched up a bunch of Cascade Sierra while in WA. Would there be enough for a Hoodie? I will probably have to make the sleeves, hood and front pocket out of one color and the body out of another (unless I call to see if they have more). Question: Sierra is only 20% wool, what impact do you think that will have on the finished garment?
Again, hope you're feeling better. Advil Cold & Sinus is keeping me going. Yesterday the runny nose hit. Other than that, everything else is not too bad except that sneezing is incredibly painful.
Spring is here (not that winter really ever was) and, in the true spirit of Spring, "Start-itis" has roared in. Not only are there still 6 WIPs, TWO more were started yesterday. I was so excited about the math (It must be the sickness talking) from EZ's pattern that I finished my swatch for The Hubby's sweater. Soaked it and everything. I'm in love. I was not in love, however, when I realized I had made painstaking notes with calculations- and then discovered I had done all that work for the Saddle Shoulder Sweater NOT the Hybrid. Several swear words were thrown about, then quickly taken back because this is during Lent and swearing during Lent has got to be worse than swearing at other times. I decided that the 7s (4.5sts/in) were better than the 8s (4sts/in). This, of course, means that all the calculations are off, but I refigured a sleeve and cast on. Still feeling the love. I remembered all the birthdays coming up and quickly stuffed the whole thing in a drawer.
I also fell in love with Karabella's "Aurora 8". I got a single ball on sale at LYS and started some fingerless gloves. I had done a pair in Calmer and they turned out pretty well. They were part of The Sister's care package which she received yesterday and wore all night while writing a final paper. Inspired by her story, I cast on. So much love. There has never been a yarn such as this. It's amazing. The sheep from which it comes surely lead priviledged lives.
Start-itis was not done with me yet. I scoured the internet for possible yarns for The Sister's Pulli Hoodie. What would she wear and what can I afford? Two sad and troubling questions. While checking out Bonne Marie's blog I clicked on the recent photo from someone (I think redbird knits). She had done an Ariann in Cascade 220 and it looked fantastic. I adore 220 for felting, but had never really considered it for wearables. Then it struck me- I had snatched up a bunch of Cascade Sierra while in WA. Would there be enough for a Hoodie? I will probably have to make the sleeves, hood and front pocket out of one color and the body out of another (unless I call to see if they have more). Question: Sierra is only 20% wool, what impact do you think that will have on the finished garment?
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