A Few Needles Short of a Commission

On Wednesday night, Perky asked me if I could make her another (Fort) Knox beanie. This time she wanted it in black.

I thought about it, for maybe a millisecond, and agreed. They are fairly quick knits, they make for good movie/social knitting, and I had plenty of good black wool in the stash. In an impetuous moment (so out of character for me...), I told her I would have it Sunday morning.

Then I got home.

I found the yarn.

I could not find the needles.

I went through my entire bag of needles.

Then I saw them. My 16" US size 6 circular needles.

They were attached to half of a rust (Fort) Knox beanie that I had cast on a couple of weeks ago.

I had two options:

1. I could move the rust beanie over to waste yarn and recover the needles.
2. I could finish the rust beanie, and then cast on the black one.

Option 1 was probably the smarter and more practical choice.

So of course I chose option 2! (I knew in my heart of hearts that once that rust beanie was on waste yarn, it would languish in the stash...never to be heard from again.)

Luckily I knit FAST!

I finished the rust beanie Thursday night at Preach and Psych's house.

I cast on the black one Friday night.

I finished the black one Saturday night.

I even wove in the ends!

Scissors of Doom

This weekend I took a road trip down to SoCal to spend time with some of my old friends.

I did NO knitting. (Knitting while driving is not recommended...)

On Saturday, two guys I went to high school with took me out to a Renaissance Fair in Corona. I had, shockingly, never been to one before!

One of my favorite places was the shop that sold swords. I seriously considered purchasing the hardwood broad sword. It would be so much cooler to attack intruders with a sword than the baseball bat currently residing under my bed. (It would be ideal to never have an intruder to attack in the first place, but it is generally wise to be prepared.)

There also appeared, at first glance, to be a very pretty sheathed dagger lying on the display table next to the swords. It was silver, with red "rubies" on the hilt.

But it wasn't a dagger.

Or, it wasn't only a dagger.

It was, in actuality, a pair of scissors! It has four cutting edges, all of which were very sharp!

I looked at the scissors of doom. I looked at the wooden sword. All of a sudden my baseball bat seemed like sufficient intruder protection.

I bought the scissors. They are now in my knitting bag.

Cutting yarn has never been this cool...or dangerous!

How to Knit in Theaters

Twilight and I took Whiz to see the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" this afternoon. (Bonus: since Whiz's uncle works at the theater...our tickets were FREE!!!)

I took knitting. (Big surprise.)

Specifically, I took a pair of wrist warmers that I am making out of the yarn leftovers from the Martinelli sweater. I cast them on before I got to the theater, but only had time to knit one round.

During the previews, I did the rounds for the knuckles, and successfully navigated the button hole for the thumb. (I'm debating whether or not to pick up stitches for an actual thumb later.)

Once the film itself started, I merrily knit my 2x2 rib down the rest of the warmer. I figured I could get the sleeve finished by the end of the film.

Then...

...disaster.

I came to end of a round and realized that I had ended with a P1 instead of a P2. Somewhere I had messed up. But where? How far back? (and frankly...this occurred during an especially poorly lit portion of the film...night time, fog, smoke...so I didn't even have bright light from the screen to help me.)

Aside from the inherent headache of tinking when using 2 circular needles in the round...I was trying to tink in the dark. In a theater. During a movie that I wanted to pay attention to! The whole point of movie theater knitting projects is that they are not supposed to require ATTENTION!!!

I had to make a choice. Enjoy the film and have fidgety fingers, or fix the error and miss some of the movie.

In the end...the movie won. And it was a great film. Absolutely nothing like the book...but great in its own right.

(Incidentally, I fixed the error in the theater hallway while Whiz and I waited for Twilight to use the restroom. The mess up, it turns out, had only occurred 3 ribs back.)

What do Berets and Breasts Have in Common?

I finished the Avignon beret last night...sort of.

I was watching Project Runway again last week, and inspiration hit. So rather than work on the plethora of started or planned projects I have piling up, I decided to freelance through my stash!

Unfortunately, once I had cast off, I noticed that the beret had developed a bit of...well...a nipple. Where the ribbing joined in the decreases, a lovely little peak had formed. Not exactly an attractive feature in a hat.

Frustrated, I set it aside. I have often found it helpful to sleep on this sort of problem rather than immediately starting to freak out. (Freaking out seems to be my first and natural inclination! Dreaming Me came up with two solutions:

• frog it back to where the bulge begins and tinker with the decreases
• try to block it out

Blocking wins. Blocking is, ostensibly, an easier solution. I tried to use a dinner plate...but that wasn't working, so I switched the beret over to an upside down mixing bowl. Now I am waiting for it to dry. If this doesn't work, we'll move on to the more work intensive and obnoxious solution of frogging. Ugh.

(On the plus side, I used up the rest of the yarn from Twilight's birthday beret. I feel a little twinge of satisfaction every time I use stash yarn instead of making a purchase. Its like my own personal Knitters' DARE program...just say no to non-essential yarn shopping!)

Well...That's Interesting...Now What?

So, I have been diligently working on the Martinelli Sweater...between all of my time sensitive projects.

I have completed the body, and the straps.

The whole pattern was very clear and straightforward, so I didn't encounter any real snags...until now...when I tried it on before picking up the sleeve stitches...

I had known all along that I was going to have to a camisole under the sweater because the lace pattern is fairly open. What I hadn't banked on was the immensity of the neckline. I feel very exposed. The neckline is high enough that it covers all the important bits...it is just very very very wide. There is no way to not show bra and cami straps. I would have to wear a strapless and a tube top.

Had I realized earlier that this would be the case I would have knit much wider straps.It wouldn't have been that big a deal. Now I am wondering if I need to un-graft the straps, unravel them, and start over with 20-30 stitches instead of the 9 the pattern called for. I hate working backwards. I would rather just cobble together a fix than backtrack. (Remember the peach baby kimono that I put off frogging for a year or two? Yeah. I don't backtrack well or willingly!)

I think I may have a solution...but if it doesn't work, it will just aggravate the problem. The sleeves, which are stockinette, have a six row garter stitch border. So, I'm thinking, that I can pick up stitches all around the neckline and do a 6 row garter there too. I think that I will need to mark the corners, since the neckline is kind of square, so that I can miter there...otherwise the border will poof out. Not sure.

I guess I will go ahead and knit the sleeves, see how it looks with them on...like somehow the problem will magically fix itself (I am the queen of wishful thinking)...and then reevaluate.

Ugh.

Packing...?

I have actually finished my knitting to-do list for Christmas. With two days to spare!

This leaves me with an interesting quandary...I no longer have any projects that I have to do...so what projects do I want to do?

I am heading to WA as we speak to be with the family. I needed to take at least 3 projects, one of each type:

1. Purse Project: Beret Pour Moi, which doesn't require a pattern, but does require attention.

2. Brain-free Project: Les Tuileries...which just keeps going and going and going

3. Pattern Project: Martinelli Sweater...I have the goal of completing it by New Years.

(I am also taking my Rivendell socks...they are small and portable, but totally require a chart. I figure they will be good for the car trip to my aunt's for Christmas, or the plane trip home.)

Insanity...Thy Name is Mine

I had a LONG Christmas queue this year. Long in quantity, but not necessarily in difficulty. A lot of the projects/gifts that I had decided to make were verystraightforward knits. They were things that, generally speaking, I could knock off in fairly short order.

The problem was that even if a project by itself is fast and simple, when you add a gazillion more fast and simple projects to it...well...

I am crazy.

I started planning and knitting the Christmas queue way back in October.

Still not done.

In addition to my own projects this year, I took on several commissions for the holidays. Don't ask me why. I don't know.

All of the commissions were also straight forward simple knits. When I was asked, I thought, "Of course! That is an easy peasy project. It will take no time!"

But again, get enough easy peasy projects in a queue and you have a huge mountain of knitting. So, these just add to the general insanity of my life. Not to mention the fact that commissions need to be delivered on time...and in my case, on time means early since I am going to my parents for the holidays. Unlike my own gifts, I can't IOU a Christmas commission.

Oh, and just to make myself even more loopy, or because I was already loopy...I actually knit 7/8 of a gift for a family member. Then I decided that it was utter rot and I needed to do something entirely different. Hours of knitting gaily abandoned and additional hours tacked on. (In my defense, the original project was a good idea conceptually, and I knit it perfectly according to the pattern...the pattern was just cruddy and not at all what I had envisioned...) Then the back up project also wasn't working out, so I have abandoned it as well. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm.

Now I sit here, on my floor, surrounded by project bags. I have put each project, its pattern, extra yarn, and needles into its own bag in order to stay organized. I am literally overwhelmed by organization. It is a huge ordeal to prioritize what needs to be knit now, what can be put off...if I put it off will I still be finished with it on time? Not to mention having to take into account who will be around while I'm knitting it. Oh the agony!

Thinking positively...I am almost done with the queue...I am almost done with the queue...I am almost done with the queue...

Open Letter To Wendy Bernard

Dear Wendy Bernard (Exalted author of Custom Knits)-

I purchased your book.

This is unusual...I usually check books out at the library, and only purchase if there are at least 3 projects in the book that I definitely want to make. Your book had a record breaking 9...and several others that I might alter...which I guess is sort of the point of the book.

Because I am not used to knitting top-down-in-the-round sweaters (my previous projects all being misadventures in bulky yarns and horrible seaming), I decided to practice the technique on the project that I was the least in love with. (Please note, still in love with it...just not in that desperate, must make, will die with out it, sort of way.) I chose your "Ingenue" sweater. I loved the classic old-movie feel. I call mine the MDM (using my initials to honor of MGM, old movies, and ingenue actresses from ages past.)

Again, because I was not sure how it would work, I was nervous about investing large amounts of money in materials. So, I cheaped out. I bought acrylic yarn from the craft store. Total cost: $7.45.

Well...I am done with it now...after overcoming a minor case of second sleeve syndrome.



AND YOUR PATTERN WAS AWESOME!!!! Very well written, very straight forward, and a joy to follow. I feel confident about making and customizing the other sweaters in your book...and the skirt. I love the skirt.

I don't know if you did this on purpose, but the way the book is actually put together and bound, the pages stay open to where I need them...without me having weigh them down...and without me having to "break" the spine. And it wasn't just a fluke with the Ingenue pattern. Every pattern stays open. Which is wonderful!

What's more...the sweater looks amazing. It is a little roomier than I would have liked (I forgot about negative ease...), but that is my fault, not yours. The fact that it only cost $7.45 is just icing on the cake...imagine how much better the next one will be out of quality yarn! I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

(Actually, I have already found the yarn to make "Skinny Empire." I am going to use a silk/alpaca blend. I can't wait!)

In closing: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for writing a quality pattern for a quality sweater with a quality fit.

This was the first project I have made in a LONG time that was free of headache, frogging, and despair!

Thank You Again,
Your Devoted Fan and Admirer.

They Come In Pairs

I spent the evening with Brother, Sis-In-Law, and Big Ben at a reading by one of my favorite authors.

I then took advantage of my family, by turning them into handknit couriers. I asked them to deliver a pair of burp rags I had made for a couple I know from their church.

That was when I came to a stunning realization:

I always make burp rags in pairs!

I thought back. The first burp rags I made were for AVB. I made them two. I went through everyone I have made them for...they always get two.

So, I decided to break tradition.

My nephew is going to get TWICE as many burp rags as a normal run of the mill baby! I am going to make HIM four! (In his nursery colors: orange, green, brown, and white!)

Living on the Edge

I am living on the edge! I am not going to buy another skein of the yarn for Les Tuileries.

I would like to say that this is because I am a risk taker.

Or that I am frugal.

Or that I am a math whiz who figured out that 2 skeins was indeed sufficient.

I'm not.

The truth is I am a weenie little spendthrift blonde.

However, I am an uptight weenie little spendthrift blonde.

I actually went to Knit This, Purl That yesterday to buy another skein.

Unfortunately, none of their stock of this "dye lot" was even remotely close to what I purchased last time. (Funny...I thought the point of having a dye lot was that the yarn WOULD match...call me crazy...)

Anyway, the perfectionist in me refuses to buy another skein that is so completely off color.

I will make do.

It will be ok.

I hope.

Now...Or Later

I am getting a lot of work done on Les Tuileries...

It is turning out beautifully.

Although, it is a wee bit of a pain having to alternate skeins every 2 rows. (Honestly, they had the same exact dye lot on the label, and looked the same when still skeined...once they were balls though...WOW...huge difference...I'm talking a difference you could drive a Mack truck through...)

The problem is, that I am not sure that the two skeins I have are going to be sufficient for the wrap I have envisioned. If they are not, I will need to introduce a third skein into the mix, alternating it every two rows with the remainder of original skein A, and then every 2 rows with the remainder of original skein B. Which means, I will need to get it now so that I can start the intermingling as soon as possible.

But I am on a budget.

And there is always the chance that the two original skeins WILL be sufficient, in which case I will have spent 20 odd dollars for nothing. AND I will be left with little bits of left over yarn in odd dye lots...

I'll probably just cave and buy another skein...Ugh.

Sometimes I Impress Myself

I took several projects with me to work on on my WA trip last weekend. Specifically: Les Tuileries, a chunky cabled beanie, the last of the Cousins Beanies...and the Rivendell socks.

I have been "working" on the Rivendell socks for over a year now. I purchased the yarn before I moved to CA. I begged my parents for the Eclectic Sole Book for my 2008 birthday. I even cast on once...only to second guess my yarn choice, rip them out, and proceed to knit several other pairs of socks instead of the Rivendells.

Finally, I decided that enough was enough. The original yarn choice was great, and I was not allowing myself to knit any other socks UNTIL I knit the Rivendells.

Truth is...I was scared of them. They have something called a "yarn cluster"...there is a ton of cabling...they REQUIRE a chart. (I can read charts, I just prefer to use written row by row directions...I am less likely to lose my place.)

Anyway...I psyched myself up and cast them on again this last weekend. With all of the driving we did, and with all of the sitting and chatting and drinking tea...I got quite a bit done.

In fact, I had the whole cuff done before the flight back to CA Tuesday morning.

Frankly...I am pretty stinking impressed with how they are turning out. That may not be a humble admission, but it is the truth!

I am proud of me.

(Since the picture was taken, I have actually finished the heel flap and picked up the gusset stitches...the rest of the sock is simple straight-forward vanilla knitting, easy, breezy, and beautiful...I'm just not thinking about the fact that I have TWO feet!)

Spur Of The Moment

When I moved down here from WA, as previously mentioned, the church I attended gave me lovely parting gifts. In that basket, there were 2 skeins of orange Cascade Sierra Quatro [191 yds; 80% Cotton, 20% Merino].

These were causing me a bit of a dilemma because:
1. They were skeins and my swift was packed in storage.
2. There were two of them...which is too much for a scarf, and not enough for a sweater.
3. They were cotton, and the only things I ever make out of cotton are dishcloths and burp rags.

Last weekend, my nostepinde, swift, and I were able to take care of dilemma #1...leaving #2 and #3.

Fine, I thought. I will knit a set of dishcloths for myself. I should be able to get 5 or 6, and can try out some new patterns. (I also figured I would make new samples of Movie Theater Dishcloths I, II, and III that matched the blog colors better.)

I cast on Movie Theater Dishcloth I.

I started knitting.

I got to the point where I was supposed to start decreasing, and looked at what I had. It was a miniature kerchief. I had a spur of the moment thought:

What if I just kept increasing until I ran out of yarn...

...well, it turns out you get a pretty nifty shawl!

(When I decided to switch over to a shawl, I ripped it out and recast on with some changes to the cast on, needle size, etc. I will write it up with adjustments and post it next time!)

A Very Personal Thing

For my birthday, my mom and dad decided (after many not-at-all subtly dropped hints) to give me a nostepinde. A nostepinde is, for those of you who don't know, a Norwegian knitting tool that is used to wind yarn that is in a skein into a center pull ball. It looks sort of like a shorter, squatter wizarding wand. And like the Harry Potter version of wands, they come in a variety of woods, finishes, and carving intricacies.

My parents looked at many many nostepindes, and decided that the choice was WAY too personal. They priced them, determined how much a nice one would cost (including postage), and just gave me the money to buy my own.

After a lot of thought, and a false start when the first one I ordered was out of stock, I finally selected this one (#12):



It is made out of Jarrah wood, which is a type of Eucalyptus, and is coming from a yarn shop in Australia!

In fact, not only is it coming...it is here! I got the postal pick-up order in my mailbox this afternoon. Now I just need to go to the post office to sign for it tomorrow! WOOHOO!!!

Harry Potter

I am going to go see Harry Potter tonight with Blondie. I am very excited since I am the only person in my family/circle of friends who has not seen it. (My work schedule and gimp-status kept me from going sooner.)

I am racking my brain to figure out what knitting should accompany me.

Should I take a project that I have been working on for eons, a project that has a deadline (quickly approaching), or a new project altogether?

I feel like I ought to work on something out of my Harry Potter knitting book, but none of those patterns are really of the brain-free nature that a Potter movie requires...and I don't have yarn on hand, so would have to go shopping...which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

I could always work on a coffee cup cozy for the gift stash, since they are the definition of brain-free...only I would finish the cozy before the movie ended.

Dishcloths are another option...but how boring is that? And I am a wee bit dishclothed out.

ARGH!!!

I don't know.

I'll figure it out.

It is so difficult being me sometimes!

The Camp Dilemma

I am, as of 6:00 pm yesterday, on vacation until 9:00 am on July 16th.

I will spend the majority of this vacation as a counselor at the Northern California Florida College Booster Camp in Felton, CA. I am VERY excited. This is my first time ever being a counselor, and I am also going to be one of four team leaders for sports! (I know, that is totally out of character...athletics are not my strong point...but Director says I only have to cheer/coordinate kids, not actually participate!)

The camp dilemma is...knitting.

The issue isn't whether or not I will knit. I don't think I could actually make it the whole week without knitting. The issues are what I will be knitting and how many projects I should take.

I had planned on taking Blondie's graduation/going away present to work on, but that may get a little large for carting around to sports fields. I also thought I would take a pair of socks, of the plain boring brain-free variety, which would be smaller. Still, neither one is very good for the possibly dirty/dusty conditions. Also, well, I know me. If people see me knitting (which they will), and want to try, I will have to teach. There may be dozens of young folk just begging to be taught. I can't teach them on a sock. I can't let newbies work on Blondie's present. What to do?

I guess I can take several spare sets of size 6 and 7 needles and a bag of dishcloth yarn. It would be cheap, and a dishcloth could feasibly be doable for a kid in a week.

If I take too much yarn I won't have room for clothes. This could be a problem.

(Another problem may be blogging...not sure how that will work out without a computer...although I will have my iphone...maybe we will just have VERY brief entries!)

Samples Samples Samples

I have been working hard to have a respectable number of dishcloth samples for my program tonight. I have 2 that are actually the pattern I am teaching them, and then two that require knowledge of a YO and a K2TOG.

Had this been a year ago...or better yet the day before the 2007 company Christmas gift exchange...I would have had SCADS to show the students from my gift stash. Sadly, having most of my stuff in storage, in combination with the deluge of incoming babies, has totally depleted the stash.

So, instead of going to my handy dandy shelf, I have been scrounging in my kitchen drawers for examples that are not TOO TOO grungy. I also have decided out of desperation to take along a couple of burp rags...they are essentially the same thing anyway.

This whole adventure has led me to two conclusions:
1. I really need to work on beefing up the gift stash again...I mean seriously...there is only ONE coffee cup cozy in there.
2. I am in dire need of some new dishcloths for my own use. Honestly, some of these are shameful.

Moving Moving Moving

I missed a day of posting...I never know what to do on months with 31 days, since I try to post on odd days. Do I post two in a row? Do I skip a day? Which day do I skip?

I feel justified in skipping this weekend, since I moved. I am up to my eyeballs in boxes. I forgot that I owned most of the stuff that I've been unpacking...storing everything for nearly a year will do that I guess. On the plus side...I have ALL of my knitting, scrapbooking, and quilting supplies in one handy dandy place again...and an accessible place no less! They get their own closet! (My sewing machine. I have my sewing machine back. I can hem my pants finally, instead of using scotch tape!)

Moving also means reorganizing. I have a lot of "display" baskets and bowls that I keep leftover balls of wool, sock yarn, etc in...not to mention the project box and basket that go in my living room. I am going to be forced, to sort through ALL of my yarn in order to determine what goes where now! What a hardship!

(And by the way...I am almost done with the last bunny blanket buddy for the library commissioned baby gift. I will hopefully be posting the pictures on Wednesday sometime. The downside to moving is that I don't have internet at my apartment yet, so I will have to upload my pictures and posts on breaks at work!)

Another Class To Plan

Miss-A has asked me if I would be willing to do another knitting program, but this time for elementary school children (second grade and up).

I agreed, but with one caveat:

WE HAVE TO LIMIT THE PROGRAM SIZE!!!

There is just no way on earth that I could teach more than 10 elementary schoolers to knit at once. I told her that if the program was a success, then we could schedule subsequent dates as well.

There was also a little concern over the project. It would have to be simple garter stitch. That part was easy enough. But it would also have to be faster than a scarf, since the kids might not have enough patience for something that long. Dishcloths, the ultimate in fast, would not interest the kids either. I came up with several ideas (such as a pencil pouch), but they all required sewing skills. So, I went home and flipped through my pattern binder. I came across a pattern for a bookmark that I made Mom one year. Perfect. The program is in September, and bookmarks are school-ish. We are even providing the yarn (red heart acrylic rainbow variegated), so all the kids need to bring are needles.

I am working on a sample as we speak, or rather...as you read.

Why I Do Not Particularly Enjoy the Beach

I live in California. The land of sunshine. The land of orange groves, strawberry fields and earthquakes.

And yes, the land of beaches. (I mean, the Beach Boys classic "Surfin' USA" only mentions beaches in California.)

So when all of the young people were trying to decide what to do for Memorial Day, it was pretty much a no-brainer. We would go to the beach.

The problem is, I don't really enjoy the beach. There are several reasons for this:

1) I don't go in the water because I don't like fish...or rather, I am pathologically afraid of being in water with fish.

2) I don't like being in a swimsuit in public. (Modesty reasons, not poor body image)

3) I don't like to tan, because I don't like to be burned and there is a history of skin cancer in my family.

Still, I am a good sport...usually...and agreed to go along.

There would be a lot of time where I could just sit there. I love to just sit. Why? Because just sitting means I can knit, right?

WRONG!!!

New reason for not liking the beach:

4) It is pretty much impossible to knit without sand getting in your yarn. I had taken along a ziploc bag, and thought I had totally beaten the system. But, no. Broseph, as a joke, piled sand in my chair while I was up doing something. Granted, he did not purposefully aim for the yarn bag, but it happened anyway. ARGH! Luckily, it was only a dishcloth, so I was able to shake it out. It appears to have come through without permanent damage.

To be honest though, it was a lot of fun. It ended up just being me and the boys. I spent most of the day playing photographer, and actually got the entire dishrag done. I would honestly consider going back.