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First and foremost… Lew’s yarn is done. (and there was great rejoicing!)
This photo is pre-soak and whack. It is now drying peacefully . And soon it shall be back with its rightful owner. I honestly didn’t think that I was going to make it through the spinning of this yarn.
The other day I started to notice that my sock count was diminishing. There is much darning to do. So, obviously, I need more socks. And feeling ambitious, I gave toe-ups with a short row heel a go. And I must say… what was I so afraid of? Actually, I’m finding it easier to do toe-up on two circs than it is to do cuff-down on 4 dpns (which is usually my favorite method). So, I’m knitting up these little diddies right now:
It’s the Express Lane sock pattern by Diane Mulholland. It’s a super easy knit. I used the figure 8 cast on method for the toe (the pattern called for a provisional crochet cast on and short row toe). And for the record, the figure 8 cast on is a beautiful thing. I’m about a quarter of the way up the cuff now. If I can keep the momentum going, I should have a new pair of socks by the weekend. But, I’m not sure the momentum will be there this week. I just have a hunch… But as always, I’m hopeful.
Always hopeful.
Lack of inspiration will not leave me alone. It’s haunted me all February and is now following me in to March. All I want to do is make pretty things. Really… is that so hard? But I sift through patterns and nothing looks enticing. The other night I was perusing my stash and nothing was singing to me. Not even the unspun fiber. I know that I have an annoying habit of letting my aesthetic shift every so often, and I think that it has just shifted. Previously I had been drawn to bright, saturated colors, variegated yarns, fingering weights, tiny needles and simple patterns that allowed the garish yarns to shine. But now everything that seems appealing to me is made of muted, earthy tones. Architectural patterns, rich, intricate cables and worsted to bulky weights are what I long for. Sadly, my stash is seriously lacking anything muted, earthy, bulky and worsted. And I’m still on the no yarn until April kick.
So, I’m trying to ignore what my heart wants to knit. And it hurts, actually. But, I know that it’s a necessity right now. I trudged back to my stash this morning and found some bulky novelty yarn that I had been ignoring for quite some time. Since my feet were cold, I decided that it wanted to be slippers. I set out with the lovely Amy March Slippers pattern, knowing that my loud, variegated yarn will probably murder the simple beauty of the pattern. And I was right.
BUT, there has been some good to come out of this. First and foremost, I have finally learned a toe-up method that does NOT involve a provisional crochet cast on. (And there was great rejoicing!) The figure-eight cast on (which can be found here, along with some crochet cast ons) just might be my new favorite thing. It was crazy easy and relieves me of all kitchner duties. And that’s a wonderful thing. Actually, I want to start a pair of toe up socks just so I can try this cast on again. But, with toe up socks comes another technique that still eludes me: the short row heel. I’ve tried to read tutorials on the short row heel, but apparently they are all written in a foreign language. Now, my slipper pattern actually had a little tutorial on how to complete the heel in the pattern. And it was still a foreign language to me. I tried. I followed the directions diligently, but it made absolutely no sense. I kept ending up with large holes and running out of stitches rows and rows before I should have. I finally just improvised and ending up making a heel that looks like a heel flap, only knitted in reverse. Now I just need some ribbon and lace to finish this one up and then I can move on to the second one.
In spinning news, I’m spinning the most luscious batt right now.
I received it in my most recent swap. It’s a Merino, cashmere, baby camel and silk bled. Hello, luxury. I’m going for a delicate lace weight as I have a lovely neck piece in mind for it. This stuff is seriously a dream to spin.
Still making progress on Lew’s yarn. I finished up the singles and have moved on to the plying. I’m so close. I just need to get out of this slump so that I can finish it up.
And who knows what it is with the windchill since the winds are gusting around 50-60 mph (EDIT: Per the local weather report, the windchill is -22). I’m damn cold. It’s a good thing that I knit because my stash can keep me warm when I don’t have enough blankets. I need to learn how to crochet because I need afghans. Lots and lots of afghans. Granny square afghans, in particular. Lew, I’ll be showing up on New Years with crochet hooks and a car full of acrylic. Be prepared.
I’m not feeling particularly loquacious today and there’s much to do (laundry, vaccuming, last minute gifts to package, swap cds to make, ridiculous amounts of music to back up, my desk to clean up, Mom’s Christmas socks to knit, and overflowing stash to organize). But a lot of knitting progress has been made this week. So, here are pictures. (Yes, lazy post.)
I just have to finish the above socks by Christmas. I’m on the first sock. We’ll see if it happens. I’m not sure. And I forgot to take a photo of my current spinning project which is some yummy HelloYarn fiber that belongs to Lew. I’m spinning it up for her. Here’s hoping there’s not a freak accident which causes the fiber to disappear. Lew would be sad…
OH! I almost forgot… Kikibowns and I had a little swap. I sent her some of my handspun and she sent me the most awesome bag ever created.
It is awesomeness. My handspun doesn’t even compare to how awesome this bag is. I forgot to take a photo of the other side of the bag: there is a felt bottle and pills made from buttons. You should all stalk her etsy shop when it reopens after the holidays.
Okay, enough of my self-absorbed ramblings. Laundry. Vaccuming.
South Carolina was awesome. Just so you know…
Thought I’d give a quick WIP update on this Thanksgiving Eve. Here’s my newest project: a cowl.
I’m using some novelty yarn that I had hanging out in my stash for this one. It’s going to be a rather large cowl (think head, neck, and shoulders) and I’m thinking about playing with large buttons or maybe a flower… something. I’m kind of improvising this as I go along. I’m trying to find the redeeming qualities in novelty yarn, as it is something that has a tendency to make me cringe as it’s often used in a way that borders on tacky. But I think that it can be used as the “main attraction” and can still be quite stunning. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. I’ll let you know how this one turns out. The only drawback to the project thusfar is the use of size 13 straights. Larger needles aren’t my favorite thing to knit with. I love my smaller sizes (like 2 – 4) and I seriously ABHOR straights. Like, with a passion. But my size 13 circs are on a sleeping project and it rather pains me to remove them. So, I’m going old school with this. They’re killing my wrists actually. I can’t believe that I learned how to knit on straights. Wow.
Next on the needles is a pair of Noro stripe socks. I started these while waiting at the airport for my flight to SC.
The color contrast on the stripes is quite stunning. I’m doing a 4 row stripe this go around and I’m loving the larger stripes more than the thinner ones that I used on my first pair. But, as nothing in my life can ever go smoothly, something HAD to go wrong with these socks.
Oh, that’s right folks. The green ended up on both strands at the same exact time. I thought that it would only be an issue for a stripe or two at the most. But no. It went on and on and on. And me being the complete ding-a-ling that I am kept knitting through it thinking that it would end soon. Needless to say, there will be some serious frogging taking place as soon as I get the stripe mojo back. Most likely, these are going to sit on the needles through at least the holidays. I’ll probably pick them back up in January. I hate when the knitting fates are against me.
Oh, and there’s been some hardcore knitting on the forsaken lace ribbon scarf (which I forgot to take a new pic of). There’s probably an hour or so left of knitting and then it will be ready for the dreaded blocking (which can’t take place until I get my blocking wires back from my friend who is borrowing them). It’s amazing what a couple of flights with a layover can enable you to knit.
I’m still riding the Twilight high, for those of you who are also fans. I’ve seen the movie 2 times now and I’m ready to see it yet again. It was just a fun movie.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! There’s much to be thankful for. :)
I woke up saturday morning with a plan: get as much done this weekend on my christmas and swap items as humanly possible. Distractions would not be tolerated. Sleep would be forfeited if necessary. And the birthday socks would be completed. No excuses! I am happy to report that all has gone well this weekend and I actually accomplished WAY MORE than I had planned. Go me.
First off, birthday socks: Check.
Good thing I finished these. I’ve sworn off wearing non-handmade socks and have realized that in order to really pull that off, I need lots more pairs of socks. Plus, they’ve been sitting unfinished for about a month now. They needed to get finished.
Supersecretninja knitting: Check.
Did you really think that I was going to post a photo of the whole thing? Just a sneak peek is all that I’m giving on this. I’m not even going to say who it is for. Just know that I started it yesterday morning and I haven’t touched it at all today and I’m still 75% done. Because I’m that cool. And yes, there was a wholelotta moss stitch. And I kinda love it. And I might not want to give it up…
Ridiculous amounts of stitch markers for various people: Check!
Again, I have to be vague on this too as they are all for other people and I don’t want to destroy all suprises. But I was a stitch marker making machine today. Really. I was.
Progress on Sarah’s Juno: Check!
This is the Juno Regina stole from Knitty. I’m making this for my sister for Christmas. It’s all kinds of lacy goodness and it’s surprisingly easy. Not sure if I’m going to get this one done by December 10th, so that I can drop it in the mail to her or not. But I’m giving it my best effort. If I see that I’m not going to make it, then I’ll figure something else out. Who knows…
And since I had such a productive weekend, I can focus all of my efforts this coming week on the massive amount of spinning that awaits. Again, none of which is for me, so deadlines loom.
And just one more thing… A reminder that this coming Tuesday, November 4, 2008, is election day. Please go out and vote for the candidates that are right for you. It’s so important that you do. Vote.
Vote.
Today I’m working on the daunting task of ripping another batch of my waytoobig cd collection to my iPod. I’m about 2/3 of the way through (I’ve been working on this since February 2007, when I purchased my iPod) and the end still doesn’t seem to be in sight. I doubt that I’ll ever get though all of them, but I gotta try. You know? I consume music like it’s food. I listen to so many different genres that I can’t even keep up with my tastes at times. And then there are so many who enable me to discover new bands, songs, albums… it multiplies exponentially. One of these days (and I fear it may be soon…), my iPod will be full and then I’ll need a second one.
On the knitting front, the red hearts socks are fin.
The shibui knits sock yarn is wonderfully squishy and a bit heavier weight than some of my previous sock yarn escapades. But I really like it and I’m definitely adding this yarn to my regular sock stash purchasing. Again, this pattern is crazy simple and the chain of hearts up the side of the foot and ankle is adorable. Hmmm… I just used adorable. That’s not a very “me” word. Odd. But strange adjective aside, I really like these socks. They are making it more and more imperative that I buy those mary janes so that I can show them off.
And since the red hearts were finished, I needed a new sock for the needles. So, I picked up the yarn that was given to me for my birthday and started some vanilla socks. The variegated color begged to be the focus, rather than a fancyschmancy stitch pattern. And as a bonus, vanilla socks take no time at all to knit up. What I’ve accomplished so far is the result of drunken knitting on friday and the purdue/notre dame game on saturday. These should be finished quickly unless I get distracted by something else (which ALWAYS happens).
The leaves are changing here and autumn is about to be in full swing. I couldn’t be more excited about it! Soon, everyday will be eye-candy day. I’m going to need to start taking my camera with me everywhere. And, I’m going to get to start wearing scarves and fingerless gloves… probably by the end of the week. This is the best time of the year.
Just got in from morning coffee with my dear Joe. I love Joe. While I find it funny that we both ended up in this same town, I can’t imagine being here without him. Cheers to old friends!
So, saturday is before me and I’m still at a loss on how I’m going to spend it. A drive to civilization sounds like a good idea as I could desperately use a bookstore, grocery store and Target. But that means gas. And time. And the realization that Christmas is 3 months away has suddenly appeared, meaning that I need to start haulin’ ass if I’m going to keep my promise to only give handmade gifts this year. So, I need to plan. And I need to be realistic, as it is common knowledge that I tend to set my goals a little too high at times. Plus there’s the Twilight swap… I’ve too many ideas. And my swap partner is so awesome that I can’t help but have a gazillion ideas. Edit, Jenn. Edit.
Oh, I almost forgot! Weekly spindle pr0n:
Oh yes. BGD, your spindles are like heroin. It’s a murano glass flower top whorl spindle and it might be my new favorite. The weight of the glass whorl is so perfect. One of these days, I’ll put down the spindles long enough to get some knitting done. Hopefully this happens soon as Christmas knitting is the big dark cloud hanging over my head and I don’t think that handspun yarn is a practical gift for non-knitters.
A quick update: I need to get back to the red heart socks. I’m done with one sock, and I have a good start on the second sock. I just need to make the time to finish it. Ahhh! Too much and not enough time to do it all!
So, I should go be productive, right? Affirmative. And I should not let the Twilight board on ravelry suck me in. Because if it does, I may never get anything done…
The fiber has gotten out of control for me. I’m frustrated that I’m not finishing anything, but at the same time, I have too many (for me) projects going. It’s causing severe project ADD.
Currently, I am actively working on the following: red hearts Socks, embossed leaves socks, long long lacy gloves, newly fallen snow (spinning), alpaca laceweight (spinning), that effin’ cormo (spinning), the remainder of drunk bunny (spinning), and macabre (spinning).
So, I’m not letting myself start another project until I finish at least 4 of what I have listed. Yeah, I laughed out loud as I typed it. We’ll see how long that lasts…
But, I did get my new spindle the other day.
It’s a top whorl paula shell spindle from Butterfly Girl Designs. (I love her spindles!) It weighs 0.5 oz and is perfect for lace. I’m spinning the newly fallen snow batt on it right now. It’s a merino/silk/icicle blend and it glistens. You can kind of see a hint of the glistening in the photo. It’s spinning up like a dream.
So, now I’m off to work on …one of my projects as I wait for True Blood to start. Seriously. I’ve got to finish something before I go crazy.
I’m in going through some serious sock knitting obsession right now. My most recent yarn shop excursion ended with an armload of shibuknits, koigu, and silk garden sock. I even received some unexpected sock yarn for my birthday last week. I want to knit practically every sock pattern that I see on ravelry and I have even been sketching some personal pattern ideas that have been swimming in my head. Socks, socks, everywhere. And I still haven’t worn a pair of socks outside of the house since last April when I went to see the Yarn Harlot.
I finished the Noro striped socks. Can you say love?
Seriously, I’m hopelessly in love with these socks. I don’t care that it’s 90 degrees outside, I just want to wear them everywhere. I need to make another pair of these. And they were surprisingly easy. Alternate stripes, afterthought heel. Easy peasy.
And here’s my newest sock: Red hearts.
This pattern (A Pair of Hearts Socks by Donna Pye) is super easy with a little twist. Plus, how can you not love the cute cliched hearts in china red Shibuknits? If I ever find reason to celebrate valentine’s day (which is doubtful), I’ll wear these socks.
So, I’ve been a big slacker lately.
Not really. There’s just been a lot going on and my knitting and spinning time has been sparse. But tomorrow night is knitting night (I’m playing hostess this week!) and Sunday and Monday look promising as I have no plans. Hopefully I will get some things finished this weekend.
Speaking of which, I finally made some progress on the Noro socks last weekend:
I finally finished one of the socks and I’m now about halfway through the leg of the second sock. So, it will definitely get finished this weekend.
So, yeah. This was a sad little update… but I’ll have more to update this weekend. Much to do, much to do!
