I'm back at it, working on what I *hope* to be my first finished sweater for myself. I say finished, because I never finished my Ditto. Around the holidays, I screwed up the ribbing a third time and the entire top needs to be ripped out. Avoidance is my way of dealing with that....so it's in a bag in my living room where it occasionally gets a peek and a reassuring pat that "Someday honey, you'll be a sweater." Sigh.
I picked out a Spring Cardigan that's a very simple design, and ordered some cotton-silky blend from Knitpicks. It's a raglan style sweater, which I've never done before. I like the fact that there's no seaming at the end, anyone that says that they like finishwork at the end of a knitting project is either a sadist or lying. :)
Anyhow, I've frogged twice so far, and I'm just too tired tonight to cast on again. I apparently have issues when it comes to following two sets of instructions at once. Trying to remember to increase stitches in the middle every other row, and one stitch on either end every fourth row isn't easy. (This is exactly why I had trouble with piano lessons as a kid...the right and left hand doing different things...tricky!) Only a little cursing the second time, so I have that to be happy about.
The first time this happened, Will was in the room. He's having a tough time with everything having to be "perfect," especially when it comes to drawing. He loves to draw, but if he "messes up" he gets angry at himself. Daddy and I told him that since he enjoys drawing, what matters is that he's having fun. And if you have to draw it again, then what's that? More drawing! So....the first time I was frogging the sweater (ripping it back and turning it back into a ball of yarn for those of you not "in the know") I was all "look! I get to knit it again!" He was sleeping tonight and though Hubby suggested gently a repeat knit, I was more like "Look! I screwed it all up again!" :P But now we'll just go ahead and say "Wow, good practice! You're going to knit a kickass raglan someday!
Meanwhile, I'm petting my nineteen other skeins of wisteria colored cotton blend and whispering "Shhh....you'll be a sweater someday Honey. And you're gonna be gorgeous!"
Showing posts with label Ditto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ditto. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, October 24, 2011
In Which I Make a Decision.
Dude, this sweater is breaking my heart.
I pulled Ditto out last Wednesday to work on, and got about one row into it. Then I couldn't help but notice that I was doing the stitches wrong for the reverse ribbing. And now my yoke has a bunch of holes in it because of mistaken yarn-overs. Gahhhhhhhhh......
At first I thought....I have less than two weeks to my goal of wearing it at the New England Fiber Festival. Just motor through and wear it anyway. Call it a lesson learned in paying attention. But I just can't do that. I will always look at the sweater and say "this isn't right." And eventually, it will be banished to the back of the closet, never to see the light of day because I didn't take the time to do it right. I don't want to be that girl. I want something that I can be proud of, something that I can say "Yeah, I made that. It IS pretty, isn't it!" Not "Yeah....I made that. I could've done better."
So. I've decided. The sweater hibernates. I will come back to it after a bit of Christmas and swap knitting. And I WILL come back to it. It's so close to done, even with ripping back the yoke, that it would simply be a shame for it to be doomed to a life on needles instead of worn with my favorite jeans and a purple camisole.
I pulled Ditto out last Wednesday to work on, and got about one row into it. Then I couldn't help but notice that I was doing the stitches wrong for the reverse ribbing. And now my yoke has a bunch of holes in it because of mistaken yarn-overs. Gahhhhhhhhh......
At first I thought....I have less than two weeks to my goal of wearing it at the New England Fiber Festival. Just motor through and wear it anyway. Call it a lesson learned in paying attention. But I just can't do that. I will always look at the sweater and say "this isn't right." And eventually, it will be banished to the back of the closet, never to see the light of day because I didn't take the time to do it right. I don't want to be that girl. I want something that I can be proud of, something that I can say "Yeah, I made that. It IS pretty, isn't it!" Not "Yeah....I made that. I could've done better."
So. I've decided. The sweater hibernates. I will come back to it after a bit of Christmas and swap knitting. And I WILL come back to it. It's so close to done, even with ripping back the yoke, that it would simply be a shame for it to be doomed to a life on needles instead of worn with my favorite jeans and a purple camisole.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Famous Mind-Numbing Pepsi Disaster
At knitting tonight, I was able to move past the pain, and tell this story.
Two Saturdays ago, my family was coming over to celebrate my parent's birthdays. (their birthdays are close together in September) We had a simple dinner planned with two desserts and presents to cap it off. My parents arrived first. (which is not surprising, because my brother and sister-in-law are often late. The baby coming next month probably will make them later, and that is totally cool)
Whenever my parents come over, I make sure to have some Pepsi on hand for my father. I know that it's what he likes to drink, I am a good hostess, and I aim to please. In typical fashion, my dad discovers the Pepsi in the fridge and immediately pours himself a glass. He joins my mom and I in the living room, where I am showing off something knitty I'm sure. Soon after, we are joined by the Big Kid.
Big Kid, fooling around and looking for attention, starts spinning around with his stuffed animal. Then, without any rhyme or reason, he launches the stuffed animal towards my father. He misses him, but he certainly did not miss the full glass of Pepsi! It's Murphy's Law, people. He couldn't hit the glass of Pepsi if he was trying but nailed it when he wasn't. The glass tips over, spilling its contents all over my living room, and the glass careens to the floor.
At first, I'm calm. I haven't seen it yet. All I think that I'm in for is scrubbing Pepsi stickiness out of a rug.
Oh, hell no. It is much, much worse than that. To my horror, I discover that the glass is not on the floor. It is in my canvas knitting bag. IN MY KNITTING BAG. ALONG WITH THE PEPSI THAT WAS IN THE GLASS. Pepsi. On my works-in-progress.
It was kind of like the moment in the horror movie when the woman discovers the severed head in her freezer. I went hysterical. No, scratch that, it's just not strong enough. I went completely bats*%t crazy! I start screeching and sobbing simultaneously, freaking out, thinking about what's in that bag. A half-finished baby blanket for my Oldest Friend. A cowl for a swap project. Various hats. And Ditto. Oh my. Ditto! I have worked on that sweater since May. I can NOT get those hours back. I dump the bag onto the dining room table and start throwing the items to survey the damage. All it takes is seeing Pepsi all over the baby blanket and it's just more than I can take. It's overwhelmingly heartbreaking, and that's when I locked myself in the bathroom, crying.
My mom, who is a knitter, knocks on the bathroom door and asks to come in. She asks if the blanket is made of acrylic and I said yes. She says that she is going to tie the entire thing, on the needles and all, in a pillowcase and put it in the washer. She leaves to start the task. Brian comes to the door. He has surveyed the sweater (which, like everything but the blanket, was miraculously wrapped in plastic bags) and surprise! Not a drop of Pepsi. I start crying all over again. I said, "Can you do me a favor?" He says "Get you some eye makeup remover?" "Yeah." That man, he knows me so well.
At this point in the story, someone in the knitting group says "Oh My God! I just want to cry for you! And your husband, what a great guy. He really knew how to handle the situation and calm you down. And your mom....she rocks! I wouldn't have thought of that!" Well, yes. Mom indeed does rock. Not only did the Pepsi come out of the blanket, she and my dad wound up all the unused yarn that went a little haywire in the dryer while we were eating. And kudos to my brother, who when I came out of the bathroom, was washing my dining room table from the Pepsi residue that I had spread during my panic. He had been coming up my stairs with Kim when he heard me burst into tears and had no idea what was going on. And Hubby? He rocks too. Every day. But......he rocked a little less when he brought me nail polish remover to take off my eye makeup. Good think I noticed, huh? Talk about adding insult to injury!
All's well that ends well, and I have the best family in the world! As for Will, he got a timeout and a long talk about throwing stuffed animals in the house. I'm betting he won't do THAT again anytime soon. As far as Pepsi....we can still have it in the house. Just far, far away from all this knitting. :)
Two Saturdays ago, my family was coming over to celebrate my parent's birthdays. (their birthdays are close together in September) We had a simple dinner planned with two desserts and presents to cap it off. My parents arrived first. (which is not surprising, because my brother and sister-in-law are often late. The baby coming next month probably will make them later, and that is totally cool)
Whenever my parents come over, I make sure to have some Pepsi on hand for my father. I know that it's what he likes to drink, I am a good hostess, and I aim to please. In typical fashion, my dad discovers the Pepsi in the fridge and immediately pours himself a glass. He joins my mom and I in the living room, where I am showing off something knitty I'm sure. Soon after, we are joined by the Big Kid.
Big Kid, fooling around and looking for attention, starts spinning around with his stuffed animal. Then, without any rhyme or reason, he launches the stuffed animal towards my father. He misses him, but he certainly did not miss the full glass of Pepsi! It's Murphy's Law, people. He couldn't hit the glass of Pepsi if he was trying but nailed it when he wasn't. The glass tips over, spilling its contents all over my living room, and the glass careens to the floor.
At first, I'm calm. I haven't seen it yet. All I think that I'm in for is scrubbing Pepsi stickiness out of a rug.
Oh, hell no. It is much, much worse than that. To my horror, I discover that the glass is not on the floor. It is in my canvas knitting bag. IN MY KNITTING BAG. ALONG WITH THE PEPSI THAT WAS IN THE GLASS. Pepsi. On my works-in-progress.
It was kind of like the moment in the horror movie when the woman discovers the severed head in her freezer. I went hysterical. No, scratch that, it's just not strong enough. I went completely bats*%t crazy! I start screeching and sobbing simultaneously, freaking out, thinking about what's in that bag. A half-finished baby blanket for my Oldest Friend. A cowl for a swap project. Various hats. And Ditto. Oh my. Ditto! I have worked on that sweater since May. I can NOT get those hours back. I dump the bag onto the dining room table and start throwing the items to survey the damage. All it takes is seeing Pepsi all over the baby blanket and it's just more than I can take. It's overwhelmingly heartbreaking, and that's when I locked myself in the bathroom, crying.
My mom, who is a knitter, knocks on the bathroom door and asks to come in. She asks if the blanket is made of acrylic and I said yes. She says that she is going to tie the entire thing, on the needles and all, in a pillowcase and put it in the washer. She leaves to start the task. Brian comes to the door. He has surveyed the sweater (which, like everything but the blanket, was miraculously wrapped in plastic bags) and surprise! Not a drop of Pepsi. I start crying all over again. I said, "Can you do me a favor?" He says "Get you some eye makeup remover?" "Yeah." That man, he knows me so well.
At this point in the story, someone in the knitting group says "Oh My God! I just want to cry for you! And your husband, what a great guy. He really knew how to handle the situation and calm you down. And your mom....she rocks! I wouldn't have thought of that!" Well, yes. Mom indeed does rock. Not only did the Pepsi come out of the blanket, she and my dad wound up all the unused yarn that went a little haywire in the dryer while we were eating. And kudos to my brother, who when I came out of the bathroom, was washing my dining room table from the Pepsi residue that I had spread during my panic. He had been coming up my stairs with Kim when he heard me burst into tears and had no idea what was going on. And Hubby? He rocks too. Every day. But......he rocked a little less when he brought me nail polish remover to take off my eye makeup. Good think I noticed, huh? Talk about adding insult to injury!
All's well that ends well, and I have the best family in the world! As for Will, he got a timeout and a long talk about throwing stuffed animals in the house. I'm betting he won't do THAT again anytime soon. As far as Pepsi....we can still have it in the house. Just far, far away from all this knitting. :)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunny October Weekends Are Good For.....
1. Knocking down greenhouses. My brother had an old, crappy greenhouse on his property that his house insurance company was not particularly fond of. So Brian, armed with tools and a desire to break some stuff (who doesn't love demo work??) headed to RI to take that sucker down. From what I'm told, it didn't take much.
2. Golf tournaments. Sunday was the company golf tournament, organized by Hubby! Again, I'm told it was a great success, with several golfers, a good lunch and great door prizes.
3. Slips and slides. First Sean fell in the family room, taking out the toy bins with him. He was fine, just stunned a bit. Then I tripped over the dog, as I was climbing the stairs into the house. Will examined my boo-boo knee and said "Yup. Just what I suspected. DOG."
4. Knitting, and yarn shopping too. To take advantage of this delightful, beauty of a day, we headed west to Northampton, so I could get some supplies for the birthday swap. I had so much fun doing this last year that I decided to do it this year too. And for 2012, I am also going to help moderate the birthday swap group on Ravelry. Anyway, back to knitting and yarn right now.....I brought home some fingering-weight for a swap item. And then of course I picked something for me, some red fingering weight to make a scarf for myself to go with my new black coat. And Will begged to pick out some yarn to make him a hat, so he chose kiwi green and white, requesting stripes or polka-dots. Stripes I can do. Polka dots, well.....that might be a challenge. I did want to do some colorwork though, other than stripes. So perhaps this might be the first? We'll see.
On the needles right now--halloween swap, baby blanket for Oldest Friend, and Ditto. Still, Ditto. I have about 1.5 inches left of this weird ribbing, and then I can bind it off. Then comes the button bands, but those look quick I am at that point where I am just so tired of looking at it, and I want it done! I really want to wear it to the New England Fiber Fest next month, so I guess I'd better get crackin'. Also, I finished the last Christmas gift for people outside of my house. I don't count blocking it as something that needs to be done in order to cross it off the list, that can come later.
5. Sean discovering crayons and how much he likes them. He likes them everywhere, on paper, on the dishwasher and especially on the kitchen wall under the table. That one is going to be a b#*ch to clean! We're already thinking re-paint the wall.
6. Overall, unseasonably gorgeous weather!
Hope everyone had a good weekend, and Happy Birthday to my "little" brother!
2. Golf tournaments. Sunday was the company golf tournament, organized by Hubby! Again, I'm told it was a great success, with several golfers, a good lunch and great door prizes.
3. Slips and slides. First Sean fell in the family room, taking out the toy bins with him. He was fine, just stunned a bit. Then I tripped over the dog, as I was climbing the stairs into the house. Will examined my boo-boo knee and said "Yup. Just what I suspected. DOG."
4. Knitting, and yarn shopping too. To take advantage of this delightful, beauty of a day, we headed west to Northampton, so I could get some supplies for the birthday swap. I had so much fun doing this last year that I decided to do it this year too. And for 2012, I am also going to help moderate the birthday swap group on Ravelry. Anyway, back to knitting and yarn right now.....I brought home some fingering-weight for a swap item. And then of course I picked something for me, some red fingering weight to make a scarf for myself to go with my new black coat. And Will begged to pick out some yarn to make him a hat, so he chose kiwi green and white, requesting stripes or polka-dots. Stripes I can do. Polka dots, well.....that might be a challenge. I did want to do some colorwork though, other than stripes. So perhaps this might be the first? We'll see.
On the needles right now--halloween swap, baby blanket for Oldest Friend, and Ditto. Still, Ditto. I have about 1.5 inches left of this weird ribbing, and then I can bind it off. Then comes the button bands, but those look quick I am at that point where I am just so tired of looking at it, and I want it done! I really want to wear it to the New England Fiber Fest next month, so I guess I'd better get crackin'. Also, I finished the last Christmas gift for people outside of my house. I don't count blocking it as something that needs to be done in order to cross it off the list, that can come later.
5. Sean discovering crayons and how much he likes them. He likes them everywhere, on paper, on the dishwasher and especially on the kitchen wall under the table. That one is going to be a b#*ch to clean! We're already thinking re-paint the wall.
6. Overall, unseasonably gorgeous weather!
Hope everyone had a good weekend, and Happy Birthday to my "little" brother!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Fearless Friends
Last week, my friend Kristina asked me how the progress went on Ditto. Sadly, I had no update, as two weeks ago I messed it up and have 3.5 rows to rip back. It has been chillin, sitting in a tied-off Target bag in my living room ever since. I give it a sideways glance once in a while, still sick with trepidation of ripping back those 3.5 rows. (Yes, the .5 is worth mentioning, since there are 323 stitches across each whole row! That's a lot of stitches, man!)
Kristina just looked at me, and said " You know, you're not that far from being done with that sweater. Bring it in next week, I'll rip back the rows for you. Then you can finish it and be proud of what you made" She could see that I was stuck, and is throwing me a lifeline. I couldn't believe her generosity. I wish I had her fearlessness regarding ripping out knitting! I graciously accepted her offer, and asked where she got this courage and she just said "You have to believe that when you're done ripping it out, you'll have as many stitches that you started with." Hmmm.
So, tomorrow night. The adventure continues. Will I be fearless with her, or will I be in the corner biting my nails as she rips back the rows?
I choose to think positively. Let's go!
Kristina just looked at me, and said " You know, you're not that far from being done with that sweater. Bring it in next week, I'll rip back the rows for you. Then you can finish it and be proud of what you made" She could see that I was stuck, and is throwing me a lifeline. I couldn't believe her generosity. I wish I had her fearlessness regarding ripping out knitting! I graciously accepted her offer, and asked where she got this courage and she just said "You have to believe that when you're done ripping it out, you'll have as many stitches that you started with." Hmmm.
So, tomorrow night. The adventure continues. Will I be fearless with her, or will I be in the corner biting my nails as she rips back the rows?
I choose to think positively. Let's go!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Sometimes "Nothing" is Something!
I trotted out Ditto at knitting last week, and attached the sleeves. I wasn't feeling very well and even left early, after attaching the sleeves to the sweater. All week I fretted.....did I put them on correctly? Or are they on backwards and I'm going to have to fix it? Dread, dread dread. Visiting my parents yesterday, I took out the sweater to show my mother, who has a lot more experience reading patterns than I do. Before I even showed it to her, I had an A-ha! moment and realized that the notches for the underarm seam matched up perfectly and I could puzzle out how they would be sewn together. Hooray! So that just goes to show you....sometimes leaving something alone and thinking about it will bring you to the solution, and not have to do anything. When I first noticed this I was ready to rip out stitches and try again. How mad would I have been if I had done that and found out that I had it right the first time? That's right......damn mad. Curses ablaze!
While visiting my parents yesterday Mom and I went to a local yarn shop in Putnam, CT. It's a cute little shop with lots of gorgeous yarn. And for its size, there really was a great selection. Mom needed some buttons for her current project(s) so I poked around too, and found the perfect buttons for Ditto. I don't think they'll photograph well, otherwise I would share.
On to the yoke....that's the top front of the cardigan. This yoke is a funky ribbed top, which I had to get a video on YouTube last night to figure out. Two minutes later I was humming right along. Not too minutes after that, I was lamenting the fact that I had to rip out an entire row because of getting mixed up. (Sometimes one should not knit late at night.) Tink, tink, tink. Taking stitches out one at a time, quite possibly another thing I shouldn't do late at night! I wrote myself a note not to just pick it up and start working on it, to finish taking out the blasted row. And so this morning, while watching Disney Channel with the boys, with Sean sitting on my feet, I got it right. All is right in the (knitting) world!
Side note: why would I write myself a note, reminding to finish ripping something out? I'm pretty forgetful, and I was afraid I'd make it worse. After all, I've double-bought yarn, ordering it from Knitpicks on Friday afternoon and forgot and went shopping for the same stuff! *snicker.* Better luck next time.
While visiting my parents yesterday Mom and I went to a local yarn shop in Putnam, CT. It's a cute little shop with lots of gorgeous yarn. And for its size, there really was a great selection. Mom needed some buttons for her current project(s) so I poked around too, and found the perfect buttons for Ditto. I don't think they'll photograph well, otherwise I would share.
On to the yoke....that's the top front of the cardigan. This yoke is a funky ribbed top, which I had to get a video on YouTube last night to figure out. Two minutes later I was humming right along. Not too minutes after that, I was lamenting the fact that I had to rip out an entire row because of getting mixed up. (Sometimes one should not knit late at night.) Tink, tink, tink. Taking stitches out one at a time, quite possibly another thing I shouldn't do late at night! I wrote myself a note not to just pick it up and start working on it, to finish taking out the blasted row. And so this morning, while watching Disney Channel with the boys, with Sean sitting on my feet, I got it right. All is right in the (knitting) world!
Side note: why would I write myself a note, reminding to finish ripping something out? I'm pretty forgetful, and I was afraid I'd make it worse. After all, I've double-bought yarn, ordering it from Knitpicks on Friday afternoon and forgot and went shopping for the same stuff! *snicker.* Better luck next time.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Abracadabra! Sleeves.
I've gotten pretty far on the Ditto. I wrapped up the bottom half of the sweater, and tonight I finished the sleeves. For starting on June 6th, this is going at lightning speed!
The bottom half of the cardigan body, with two sleeves on holders above.
It's been a ridiculously stressful couple of weeks with a lot of things going on that aren't exactly blog-friendly. I've been happy to have this sweater to work on at night while watching The Big Bang Theory. Which, by the way, wasn't a show that I expected to enjoy. But I really do, and so does Brian. He gets more of the geeky references than I do, but it is extremely well-written and the characters are hilarious.
And with the finishing of the sleeves....I am going to put this sweater in hibernation for a short while. This is for two reasons: 1. the next step is making a yoke and attaching the sleeves somehow. I haven't quite wrapped my head around just how to do that yet....so I'm mulling it. and 2. I need to crank out some baby gifts! I have several things picked out and well, babies come on a deadline. Not a hard and fast deadline per se, but in the general vicinity of three in mid-to-late Autumn.
p.s. do you want to hear something kind of sick? I've already chosen my next sweater! It's called Radiate and it's a longer-sleeve cardigan made out of cotton instead of wool. Even sicker: I have the yarn in the house, ten skeins of Cotton Ease in charcoal. Now, I didn't buy it for this sweater in particular. I bought it last summer for a different pattern that I decided against last minute. Every knitter (and crocheter too) is always dreaming about their next project. This one however....not until after the holidays. I'm sick, but not that sick!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Twenty Percent
This is what twenty percent of a sweater looks like:
I kind of wish I had one of those dress forms made out of an old t-shirt and duct tape like Julie over at Knitting at Large. It would be my precise measurements and I could see how this puppy is fitting as I go along instead of the "big reveal" at the end. I know that I saw a class online showing how to do them, but why pay the money when you can find the directions online? Yeah, I likely will not take the time to do this, but it's cool. Especially the one dress form model that used "fireworks" printed duct tape!
Since I apparently have the attention span on a gnat, I started two new projects recently. One is a lace scarf for myself. It's not a cold weather scarf per se, as it is laceweight yarn (practically thread) more of a pretty autumn accessory. No time limit on this one. My knitting group is also having a beach swap, so I'm working on a cotton beachbag. And I still have a sock on the needles, I haven't forgotten about my first (to-be-completed) sock! However, I am very much wishing I'd done a gauge swatch, 'cause the sock is knitted loosely and no longer going to fit me. So now they will be a gift for....my dad!
What's on your needles these days?
I kind of wish I had one of those dress forms made out of an old t-shirt and duct tape like Julie over at Knitting at Large. It would be my precise measurements and I could see how this puppy is fitting as I go along instead of the "big reveal" at the end. I know that I saw a class online showing how to do them, but why pay the money when you can find the directions online? Yeah, I likely will not take the time to do this, but it's cool. Especially the one dress form model that used "fireworks" printed duct tape!
Since I apparently have the attention span on a gnat, I started two new projects recently. One is a lace scarf for myself. It's not a cold weather scarf per se, as it is laceweight yarn (practically thread) more of a pretty autumn accessory. No time limit on this one. My knitting group is also having a beach swap, so I'm working on a cotton beachbag. And I still have a sock on the needles, I haven't forgotten about my first (to-be-completed) sock! However, I am very much wishing I'd done a gauge swatch, 'cause the sock is knitted loosely and no longer going to fit me. So now they will be a gift for....my dad!
What's on your needles these days?
Monday, June 13, 2011
Slowly, Progress.
Babysteps. Knitting a sweater doesn't happen overnight.
I had to frog my first attempt, because I counted the cast-on stitches wrong. I was disheartened to find that I missed it by only one, but I'm not going to make a huge mistake in the beginning, and then make a bigger one by ignoring it and plugging forward. It's better to pull it all out two rows in, instead of twenty.
So I re-cast, and it took. This is the humble beginnings, the ribbed hem and just a wee bit of the body.
It's already beautiful.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
So Many Projects, So Little Time.....
Last weekend, I did the gage swatch for my sweater and it came out like this:
I know. You, reader, are just as excited as I am. :)
Then, I abandoned the sweater measurement-taking and winding of yarn. Instead, I picked up "The Christine Bag." What...you don't practice knitting a sweater by knitting a bag? Weird.
Naahhhhhh......I picked this cute cabled bag to whip up as a birthday present for a good friend. I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky, colorway Amethyst. It's going to be gorgeous when finished, though I am going to need some help when it comes to lining the bag. The knitting's all finished as of tonight, all that's left to do is attaching wood handles and the liner. Perfect for this friend's end-of-June birthday! Deadline met...whoo hoo!
Speaking of deadlines, I'm driving myself a little crazy here. It's not right that I'm feeling the Christmas burn. I have so, so, SO many things that I want to make! Not to mention now I know of not two, but three babies to knit for that are making their big debut this Fall! :) My head is spinning. I am finishing up on a charity project in the next two weeks though...I have some more pink baby hats and a couple of blankets for Stitches from the Heart. (It was really about demolishing the pink skein of yarn. I made six hats out of it and STILL had yarn left.)
I should mention that as of tonight, I have knit 5.23 miles this year. MILES. That is about the distance from my house to my job. If I let all the yarn I've gone through since 1/1/11 trail continuously in one line out of the back of my car, I could drive to work and make it into the parking lot with the yarn still flowing. The total for the year last year was just over five miles. What's the total going to be on 12/31/11?
I am definitely curious, and can't wait to find out.
I know. You, reader, are just as excited as I am. :)
Then, I abandoned the sweater measurement-taking and winding of yarn. Instead, I picked up "The Christine Bag." What...you don't practice knitting a sweater by knitting a bag? Weird.
Naahhhhhh......I picked this cute cabled bag to whip up as a birthday present for a good friend. I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky, colorway Amethyst. It's going to be gorgeous when finished, though I am going to need some help when it comes to lining the bag. The knitting's all finished as of tonight, all that's left to do is attaching wood handles and the liner. Perfect for this friend's end-of-June birthday! Deadline met...whoo hoo!
Speaking of deadlines, I'm driving myself a little crazy here. It's not right that I'm feeling the Christmas burn. I have so, so, SO many things that I want to make! Not to mention now I know of not two, but three babies to knit for that are making their big debut this Fall! :) My head is spinning. I am finishing up on a charity project in the next two weeks though...I have some more pink baby hats and a couple of blankets for Stitches from the Heart. (It was really about demolishing the pink skein of yarn. I made six hats out of it and STILL had yarn left.)
I should mention that as of tonight, I have knit 5.23 miles this year. MILES. That is about the distance from my house to my job. If I let all the yarn I've gone through since 1/1/11 trail continuously in one line out of the back of my car, I could drive to work and make it into the parking lot with the yarn still flowing. The total for the year last year was just over five miles. What's the total going to be on 12/31/11?
I am definitely curious, and can't wait to find out.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Summer Project
With the gateway weekend to summer here, I have decided on my summer knitting project. (It's good to have goals.)
My summer project is the Ditto Sweater. Something for ME that is going to take some time and care. The journey begins with taking my measurements (something I hate to do, but why spend time knitting a cardigan that's not going to fit when I'm done??) and then making a gauge swatch. I am absolutely resisting just jumping right into this...because my mentality is usually to say "Screw the gauge swatch!" but this is going to be a hefty investment of time, talent and (hopefully few) tears.
And we're off.....the sweater and I are starting our journey.
My summer project is the Ditto Sweater. Something for ME that is going to take some time and care. The journey begins with taking my measurements (something I hate to do, but why spend time knitting a cardigan that's not going to fit when I'm done??) and then making a gauge swatch. I am absolutely resisting just jumping right into this...because my mentality is usually to say "Screw the gauge swatch!" but this is going to be a hefty investment of time, talent and (hopefully few) tears.
And we're off.....the sweater and I are starting our journey.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Post-Webs Lazy Sunday
Here's a rarity if you've ever heard one: I stayed in my pajamas today until 2:30pm. After getting out of bed at 9:30am. Wow!!!! Annnnddddddd.....I have gotten to knit so much this weekend that my eyes are tired. Sure, the vacuuming and dishes in between, well, that was necessary.
Yesterday was the FABULOUS Webs trip!! I love, love, love their annual tent sale. How good was it? Well, here is a photo of my newest stash: (no making fun of the hair...it was a long day!)
Another satisfied Webs customer: my SIL. And yes, I do believe that she left some of the cotton yarns at the store. Just sayin' :) (All kidding aside, I loved the stuff that she got and my mom and I are going to help her with her first baby sweater this summer. And there's a tank top to be made in there somewhere too!
I have all the yarn that I need for Christmas gifts, as well as my sweater yarn. The winning color is.....summer sky heather.
Purple is indeed my signature color and I adore just about any variation thereof. But sometimes, as my mom pointed out yesterday, it's nice to branch out to different colors. I can't wait to start my Ditto sweater! However, I want to get some other things done first. And then, there's the things that I have already finished:
Irish Hiking Scarf, knit in Plymouth Galway worsted. This was a really nice wool to work with, and I would definitely knit with it again. The cables were fun, I'm really enjoying them! (now that I know how to make them, I want to put them in everything.)
This here is my new phone cover. Black Phone in Black Purse Syndrome averted! I'm not totally thrilled with how this came out, but it is functional. I may do this again later, using a different yarn. However, this was a $3.00 fix AND knit up over the course of three episodes of this seasons's CSI. (which was disappointing at best, but I digress.)
All in all....a wonderful weekend surrounded by friends and family, and of course, fabulous yarn! Many thanks to Hubby for staying home with the kids while we "got our yarn on."
Yesterday was the FABULOUS Webs trip!! I love, love, love their annual tent sale. How good was it? Well, here is a photo of my newest stash: (no making fun of the hair...it was a long day!)
Another satisfied Webs customer: my SIL. And yes, I do believe that she left some of the cotton yarns at the store. Just sayin' :) (All kidding aside, I loved the stuff that she got and my mom and I are going to help her with her first baby sweater this summer. And there's a tank top to be made in there somewhere too!
I have all the yarn that I need for Christmas gifts, as well as my sweater yarn. The winning color is.....summer sky heather.
Purple is indeed my signature color and I adore just about any variation thereof. But sometimes, as my mom pointed out yesterday, it's nice to branch out to different colors. I can't wait to start my Ditto sweater! However, I want to get some other things done first. And then, there's the things that I have already finished:
This here is my new phone cover. Black Phone in Black Purse Syndrome averted! I'm not totally thrilled with how this came out, but it is functional. I may do this again later, using a different yarn. However, this was a $3.00 fix AND knit up over the course of three episodes of this seasons's CSI. (which was disappointing at best, but I digress.)
All in all....a wonderful weekend surrounded by friends and family, and of course, fabulous yarn! Many thanks to Hubby for staying home with the kids while we "got our yarn on."
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