Familiar conversation

I have the same conversation many times a day:

Person: You look like you're about ready to pop.

Me: I have seven more weeks to go.

Pause for look of surprise on other person's face.

Person: Are you sure there is only one in there?

Me: According to the ultrasound, only one.

Person: Boy or girl?

Me: The baby was shy at the ultrasound. Kept doing somersaults. And since there is not medical reason for another one, insurance won't pay for it, so we get to be surprised.

Person (looking at my large belly again.) You're not going to make it to the end of January.

Me: That would really screw up my trial calendar.

Repeat as often as I interact with other humans.

Today, it is all about the repetition.

The calendar doesn't lie

It is really almost Christmas? How did that happen? One minute it is still warm, though I did notice leavings changing color and falling, and the next, we have snow falling and bitter cold. I mean, I did a little Christmas shopping, but that was early, and there was plenty of time. The next thing I know, we have our first family celebration on Sunday. And, you know, did I mention the snow and the cold? We didn't get more than a dusting of the white stuff, but the thermometer this morning reads 7.6 degrees, and that is darn cold.

8 more weeks to the unending pregnancy. A lawyer I work with (well, against, really) commented that I have been "looking maternal" for a long time now. What a nice way to say that I was showing at two months. Right now, I feel the same that I did a week or two before my oldest was born. Unwieldy, uncomfortable, unenergetic, and I still have 8 weeks to go! So there hasn't been much knitting lately. A row here and there, but nothing picture worthy. Resting time is complete resting time. I don't even feel like moving my fingers at such times. I can read, at least. So my mind is not exactly turning to mush just yet.

Meanwhile, I have to come up with one more exchange gift and something to cook before Sunday. Does anyone know how to slow down the calendar? If anyone would figure that out, it would be a knitter with Christmas looming.

Today, it is all about the day counting.

Small creations

I am pleased to announce that my first Twisted Tweed Sock is finished, and (as the antidote to the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome) the second one cast on. I took it with me to California, though was not able to knit nearly as much as I had hoped. There was no plane knitting. We flew across 2/3's of the country, but no knitting for Mommy. In spite of the fact that it was pask his bedtime, eventually by hours, my little guy was wide eyed and cranky for the entire flight. My sweetie was enjoying the open bar (we had enough frequent flyer miles to get first class, which I thought was a very good thing with a toddler on the outside and a wee one on the inside) and wasn't much help to me.


I was able to knit on some of the sightseeing days, when our host was doing the driving. A couple days, I was driving, to which my sweetie initially objected, until he saw the intricate network of freeways in the LA basin. Not for rookies.


As a celebration, I cast on a new sock. Just something to break loose some boredom with my current projects. (My usual model is still sleeping in his crib, so his new Halloween teddy was pleased to substitute.) Some of my new sock yarn in a lovely semi-solid shades of red colorway (with the occasional dash of navy for interest), in a deceptively simple textured pattern. My new favorite style for hand knit socks. (Why was I so enamored of the self-patterning yarns? I maintain that I just had not yet discovered the rich sublety of semi-solids,) I can't wait to get these babies on my feet. I have several maternity tops that would match them, though I doubt they will be finished in time for that. I have other pre-pregnancy tops that match too.


Speaking of pregnancy, I am feeling better these days. Safely entered the third trimester, I feel like I have been huge forever this go round. Some days I can't get comfortable no matter what, and the intermittant insomnia creates some tired days, but last weekend was a couple of good days. I celebrated by turning these,







into this. . . . Yummy Vegetable Beef Soup. Lots of protein and veggies, and all things good for a growing belly, especially in the winter.








I can hear my little guy stirring, so I think it may to be time to start my day. It is Veterans's Day, so the courthouse is closed, but I am going into the office to catch up on paperwork. Best wishes to all Veterans, those serving now, those who served in the past, and those who have gone before us. In that last category, a special moment of silence for my grandfather, Jerome Prescott Knight, U.S. Army, retired, and my father, Allan Prescott Knight, U.S. Air Force. Between the two of them, the fought in three wars and lived to raise families and instill in us a sense of moralily and patriotism. God bless America!

When I wasn't looking. . .

. . . I somehow made knitting progress. I measured/tried on recently some current projects, and to my shock and awe, I realized that I have made serious progress.



Pomotomus socks: only an inch or so til the toe decreases (of sock 2).



Twisted Tweed: only an inch or two til the toe decreases (of sock 1).



Sweetie's hoodie: only three inches to the neck shaping.



How did this happen? I mean, I know that I HAD been working on these three projects. A row here, a few stitches there. I find that I can't knit with the little guy is around and awake, because he has a little too much interest in what Mommy is doing, so all of my knitting the past couple months has been sporadic and on the sly. So you can imagine my surprise and delight. I may even have some finished projects to show off soon.



And about time. At the last sock club meeting, someone observed that I was knitting Pomotomus, and asked if I had started another pair. Um, no, this is the same pair. . . that I have been working on for three years. This person doesn't have children, btw.



I may have some serious knitting time coming. My sweetie and the little guy are flying to Calif. Some frequent flyer miles were about to expire (thanks mom!), so we are taking a little trip to see sights, and visit friends and family. My sweetie expressed surprise that I was planning to bring knitting on the plane. "When are you going to be able to knit, with watching the little man?" he says. Ok, the second leg of the flight is after the little guy's bedtime, and there is always a CHANCE that he will sleep a little. Plus, there are car rides when I may not be driving. I am not going away for a week and leaving the knitting at home, and that is that. Men, they just don't understand security knitting. What if he little guy is worn out and sleeps the whole flight? A mom can dream, can't she?



Today, it is all about the cautious anticipation.

Briefcase knitting

I was reminded today of something that should be obvious, but for reasons that I can't explain, was not for me: DPN's do not make good briefcase knitting. Briefcase knitting gets shoved between bottles of water, files, and pens. It gets snagged on keys. It languishes in the briefcase untouched for days, even weeks, at a time, while items next to it are inserted and removed on a daily basis. So what in blazes was in my mind when I put a little pink baby hat on DPN's in my briefcase?

I took it out to knit sometime after 1:40 p.m, while waiting for my 1:15 hearing to start, and discovered 2/3's of the stitches footloosed and DPN-free. What WAS I thinking? I rejoined the stitches with their DPN, but by that time, I no longer felt like knitting. Or waiting. I hate it when judges doublebook. My guy took a day off, and ended up sitting in the hallway for over an hour, and re-scheduling.

When I got back to the office, I put a sock (on two circulars) into my briefcase. Let's see those little stitches jump the needle now.

Today, it is all about rebellious stitches.

Two rights can make a wrong

Sometimes the right yarn and the right pattern. . . make the wrong project.

After a couple weeks of good yet undiscernable progress on socks, wraps and sweaters, I decided last night that I wanted to work on something where I could see and show off a few rows of progress. My Celtic Knot lace wrap was perfect. I had only finished row 7. Two more rows, and my project grew by nearly 30%. That's progress.

Except. . . . that I really started looking at it. When you are knitting intricate lace (and new at it, so you have to factor in the many screw-ups that will inevitably occur and have to be re-done) with itty bitty yarn, you want to make sure you are doing it well. You don't want to waste a thousand hours knitting to end up with something that you stick in the back of your closet and never touch again. (I guess that makes me a project knitter instead of a process knitter.)

I looked at the now-completed 9 rows. I looked at my swatch. I pictured them both a hundred times bigger. And I decided that the needles were too big for the yarn. My lacey holes looked gapey. It just didn't look right to my admittedly untrained lace eye.

I considered just re-starting with smaller needles. Except. . . this stole was already smaller than I really wanted (I was hoping that it would magically block substantially larger), and dropping one or two needles sizes would make the stole, well, really more of a scarf. The design is too intricate for something that will be squisehed around your neck and burined underneath a winter coat. Time to abandon project altogether.

Even though the yarn is labeled lace weight and is 2 ply, it seems more like cobweb weight to me. So I got on Ravelry, and started perusing lacey wraps in cobweb weight or lace weight that could be easily enlarged by adding repeats. (I thought about enlarging the Celtic Knot wrap, but that would have required math, and figuring out how many stitches to cast on without knowing the repeat nunber was too much to tackle at 10 p.m. on a Friday night.)

Choice were considered, drooled over, added to the queue (like I need more things on there), and finally the winner emerged: Seascape. My yarn doesn't have the same halo as Kid Silk, but I would say is about as whispy. And we are kindly given the repeat count to easily increase in size. (I hate a wrap that covers only my shoulders, even a delicate, lacey, whispy one. My arms are usually the part that needs a little extra warmth.)

I was really tempted to cast on last night, but now it was nearing 11, and testing smaller needles, figuring out approximate size desired, and plugging that into "multiples of 36 plus 11" sounded way too complicated. Maybe later today.

And yet, today is sock club. I haven't gone in months, and my sweetie must have been feeling guilty, because he volunteered (or at least didn't protest loudly when I suggested it) to watch the little guy so I could spend 2 hours among sock-minded people. Woo hoo!

Today, it is all about the new project burning a hole in your knitting bag.

Rule 3

Rule 3 of Sock Club: If the sock isn't working. . . frog it. My pretty petticoat socks are no more. Yes, I was halfway done with the SECOND sock. But when I tried to put it in, it was just too stiff and/or small for my feet. I liked the look of the chevroned stripes, but it just wasn't comfy on the tooties, and that is more important that looking good, at least where feet are concerned.



So, I gathered my resolve, and ripped the whole thing out. That makes one less work in progress, at least. Now I just have to decide what to do with the yarn, especially since I realized that while it is very pretty, it doesn't match a single thing in my closet, so maybe socks for me isn't the best use. I am picturing some frilly, dainty little girl socks.

I have firmly entered the second trimester, so finally feel like knitting again. Once in a while at least. So Pomotomus is. . . an inch longer than it was with little discernable change. And my sweetie's hoodie is . . . a couple inches longer than it was with little discernable change. And my Twisted Tweed Socks are . . . an inch or two longer than they were with . . . I am starting to notice a pattern here.

I hate being in the middle of projects. At the beginning, you see your progress. When you had an inch last week, and now have two inches, you have doubled your progress. Two inches on a hoodie that is already 22 inches just doesn't sound all that impressive. I could start something new, but I feel like I already have too many "active" projects.

Today, it is all about the non-discernable progress

Forgotten photos

In reviewing the last few months of blog entries, er, I mean last few blog entries. . . . well, same thing. I realized that I had never posted pictures of my recently finished projects. Oh, the shame. The neglect. Let me remedy.

Finished objects #1 and #2: Car seat baby blankies

A very good friend of my mine was pregnant. (Baby born last week, congrats Cyn!) One of the most used gifts that I received lst year was a tiny little blankie for car seat use. Just a little something to drape over when there is a hint of chill in the air, that doesn't dangle down or get tangled with the base. As it turned out, I had enough yarn to make two, so I get to keep one for myself.

Finished Object #3: Branching Out Scarf, "First Lace"

I ran out of yarn, so called it finished. The scarf is a little shorter than I usually prefer, but may stretch a little longer with blocking. No, I have not done that yet.

Finished Project #4 Cabled fingerless mitts.

I really love the design and the colors in the yarn, but I can't wear them. I made a mistake halfway through the cable on the first mitt. Nothing too big. Muggles can't see it, but a fiber person notices it so fast, you would think it was knit in neon pink. I have enough of the ball to knit another pair, which I am considering doing. (I think. Wouldn't that be irony in itself if I went through all the trouble to knit the whole thing over again, and ran out of yarn a few inches shy?) Would it be terrible of me to donate the ruined pair to charity?

Today, it is all about the showing off.

New home

Bad blogger! Yes, I am aware how long it has been since I have last blogged. There has been a very good reason for that: lack of knitting. There isn't much use to blog about knitting, when you haven't been. A few rows here and there on a shawl and sock that have been previously blogged and pictured seems silly.


There is a very good reason for the lack of knitting, but my little Bugaboo wanted to be the one to tell you. He is going to be a big brother in January. (Pause while everyone comes to the correct conclusion.) So I am 2/3's way through the first trimester, and apparently a baby is all my body has the energy to be creating at the moment. As before, I am exhausted and queasy all the time, and even knitting seems like a waste of valuable energy.


Since I have little new knitting to show off, I will show off my yarn's new home. My sweetie finished (some time ago) modifying his old gun cabinet into my new yarn cabinet. It even has CEDAR shelves. Not cedar-lined, solid cedar. I doubt he really understands the risk that moths pose to my yarn, but he understands enough to know that cedar is good, and went the extra mile on that part. It didn't take long for me to start moving yarn in. I unearthed a few random skeins from their hiding places in the house. (If my husband has noticed that my dirty clothes have been going into his hamper for months, I am sure he hasn't gone the next step and wondered what was in MY hamper. A cubby here, a stuffed skein there. As long as he doesn't have to see it.) Then I came home from the office bearing a plastic container. Then one more trip from my mother's basement.


There is a special shelf dedicated to sock yarn. I had forgotten some of the nice yarns burried deep at the bottom of that plastic container. It makes me want to knit up a storm! If I had the energy to get off the couch, that is.


The ammo and handgun bottom section has been converted nicely to gadgets, widgets and needles. My sweetie may still need to do some tweaking. The center areas is really too big, and could use one more shelf in there.


I had to celebrate a little. A newly converted yarn cabinet deserves some some new yarn. It had been so long since I bought new yarn. I just had to! Besides, I was just doing my little part to help the economy! That's my story and I am sticking to it.



Isn't is pretty? Almost all my yarn is in one place at my own residence. I can look at it and pet it any time I want. I can plan, organize and peruse. I can cast on at a whim. This is life, baby!



Today, it is all about the new storage, for both yarn and babies.

Progress

Voila, my new project. I hesitate to call it "new" because I have been working on it for the past several weeks. The color is a light, heatherly mulberry color, in a thin, mohair blend. I had six balls of this, with six white balls languishing in my stash forever. Finally the right (I hope) project chose the yarn. I saw a dramatic long-tail shawl on Mason-Dixon knitting a few months ago, and it seemed to fit the bill.


I am halfway through the first ball now, and the shawl is large enough. . . .to cover my neck. 165 stitches wide already, so obviously, my yarn is much thinner than the originally intended yarn. Size isn't all that important for a shawl, as long as the relative proportions are preserved, right? Except. . . something is wrong. Is it supposed to be a large semi-circle. That isn't what the picture looks like. Am I doing something wrong? I am following the directions.




Ah-ha! Much better. Now the border part of th directions make more sense too.

My favorite model was awake this morning, so I tried having him model my knitting. "Tried" being the oprative word. This was so much easier when he just laid there.

Bugaboo, don't pull on Mommy's needles.

Can you show the knitting a little better?

Who could resist that smile?

Today, it is all about the model.

In Memoriam

The crafting world lost a devotee last week. My aunt died. After 63 years, her needles and hooks are still. I remember her working on endless Dr. Who scarves in the 80's. She crocheted a Christening gown for my son. I am well stocked with cotton dishcloths and potholders. She crocheted Christening blankets for a church. I just don't ever remember a time when she wasn't knitting or crocheting something.



When she died, sure enough. One last blanket in progress. I told my uncle that I would finish it, and send it to him. I should have looked at how far along she was (and how much there was left to go) before I opened by mouth, but there it is. I have long preferred knitting to crocheting, but I remember how to do it, and I found the instructions in the basket.



Ironically, I gave her the yarn to begin with. A mound of white, gray and blue balls from a long ago abandoned project. This yarn is haunting me, coming back to force me to use it again.

Meanwhile, I hope heaven has yarn stores.

Today, it is all about the honoring.

Swatch you!

Last night was the perfect example of why I hate swatching. I have finished several WIP's recently (pictures to come later, as I am away from my home computer and camera today), so I wanted to celebrate by starting something new.

I have had something in particular perculating in my mind, so I spent a couple days gathering in preparation. I checked out the book at the library. I jotted down the notes from a blog with my desired midification. I pulled the yarn out of my stash, and decided the best color combo. I was ready.

Last night, I sat down to swatch, to determine the best needle size. Three episodes of "Sex and the City" later (from Season six, on DVD from the library), I had finished my swatch, and decided that I liked the size 7 needle the best, 5 and 6 being too tight.

By then, I was too tired to cast on, and just went to bed. Disappointed, and vowing to start this morning.

This is why I hate swatching. I will hate it even more if I cast on, and decide that 7 is too loose.

I refuse to take a picture of the swatch, so I will just have to wait a little longer to talk about the new project in detail.

Today, it is all about the frustration.

Can I examine your sweater?

Has this ever happened to you?

You see a pretty sweater (or scarf, or some other knitted garment, but today it was a sweater), and you find yourself stuck in its gravitational pull. The sweater tractor beam locks on to you, pulling you closer and closer, until you feel the need to say something as you violate another's personal space. "Excuse me, can I examine your sweater?"

With any luck, this happens with someone I know, preferably someone who knows that I knit, so they won't think I am crazy. (With strangers, I try to be far more inconspicuous, finding socially acceptable excuses for close proximity: standing behind them in line, that sort of thing. I once spent an entire hour of Civil Procedure class sketching the design of someone's Fair Isle sweater.)

I simply have to mentally and knitterly dissect the sweater. What elements are attracting me the sweater? How are those elements achieved? Can I reproduce, modify, incorporate or otherwise use as inspiration for a future project?

Today, is was the color scheme. (Fitting, since I have been studying dye techniques in books and on the web, mentally preparing myself to attempt dying my own yarn.) The look had several colors, but they blended together in a colorful yet subtle palette. Thinking back, it looked like berries and cream, lightly stirred in the bowl. I looked at it closer, and realized that it was three ply: one a darker solid, and the other two varigated with several lighter versions of the same color, including white.

Some knitters are drawn to the feel of the yarn. Some texture. Me? I am a color girl. I love yarns with interesting depth of color. I love it when the colors in the yarn give the illusion of texture.

I thought about that yarn as I moved from courtroom to courtroom, status hearing to status hearing, all morning. After I was done for the morning, I went back to examine the sweater again. (The court reporter didn't even mind. What a sport!) I was glad that I did, because I noticed that it was not monochromatic, as I earlier thought. There were actually two families of color in the verigated yarns: purple to lavender, and berry to pink. A dark purple was the (solid ply.) Interesting. . . .

I did resist the temptation to take a picture of it with my cell phone.

Today, it is all about the restraint.

Milestones

I love project milestones. Socks have several of them. Maybe it is because socks are so small (relatively speaking) to other knitting, but the milestones seems more special. Ribbing completed, ball bound yarn (the yarn that you wound around the ball band after a big clump of it came out the center when you were looking for the end to cast on) used, heel, foot, toe. Rinse and repeat.

I passed one of those milestones this weekend with my Twisted Tweed Socks. I finished the heel. First sock officially is half finished. It knit on this so much yesterday, I almost got tired of it. Not tired of knitting, just tired of this particular project for the day. I was actually wishing I had brought a second back-up project with me to the family gathering. (Birthday party for my sweetie's youngest neice, then family bonding/Wii time before dogs and brats, complete with an hour drive time either way. I love long drives when someone else is driving.)

Today, it is all about the progress.

How did that happen?

Something odd happened over the weekend. I had time to knit. Lace knitting. I am not sure what sort of planetary alignment (read: cleaning neglect) created this opportunity, but I took full adantage. I conpleted several repeats in my First Lace (Branching Out) scarf. 17 repeats down, estimated 8 to go. I would take a picture, but it doesn't look much different than the last picture I took.

Just when I am screaming along thinking I have this pattern down. . . .the knitting fates slap me in the back of the head, and I realize that I have three extra stitches on one side. So far, on these rare occurrances, I have simply made the adjustments, rather than go looking for where I screwed up to begin with. After blocking, I may find that these corrections are all too apparent, but that is what first attempts are all about. Learning.

Meanwhile, my yarn cabinet is one step closer to being put in use. My sweetie cut and glued (?!) the cedar blocks into shelves. After hours of the glue "curing", the shelves can now be cut, again. This is all apparently necessary for shelf construction. Who knew?

Today, it is all about the learning curve.

Woo Hoo!

My yarn has arrived! I can't find the camera, so I can't take any pictures for those who want to drool. The colors are beautiful: purple, red and blue. Three separate skeins, not altogether, that is. The color gradations are very subtle, much more so than I expected. Don'tg et me wrong, I still love my yarn, it just wasn't what I and my monitor pictured. So my search for a blend of various reds sock yarn continues.

Synknits suggested I check out etsy. Ohhhh, that place can be dangerous for anyone in range of their credit cards. Or, I have a lingering hankering to try dyeing yarn.

Right now, I will just cuddle and play with the new yarn that I have. I would put it in my NEW (meaning soon to be converted) YARN CABINET (meaning formerly my husband's gun cabinet), except that my sweetie hasn't gotten around to putting in the shelves yet. He was supposed to do that this past weekend. We won't go there.

Today, it is all about the yarn for today and dreaming of yarn for tomorrow.

Is it here yet?

I am waiting on pins and needles (pun intended) for my new yarn. I ordered some yarn from KnitPicks with my birthday money. Sock yarn. And for the first time, I kept in mind my wardrobe as I chose the colors. I think I will have at least one article of clothing to match each colorway.

I realize that some of you may be wondering why I am so silly excited about some rather plain jane sock yarn. But you don't understand. I have been on a yarn diet forever. Since the beginning of time. Or at least since the beginning of my marriage. In part because of money, and in part because I just didn't need it. (Pause for the sounds of shock and the frenzieed insistence that one ALWAYS needs more sock yarn.) During most of my pregnancy, I hardly knit at all, and married mommy me just doesn't have the down time (or energy) to knit like I used to. (See previous entry about how many things that we in progress two years ago are still in progress. And there weren't very many things that have been started and finished duriung that time either.)

The only yarn I remember buying in the last two years was the cheapie stuff I bought for my sweetie's hoodie, that that doesn't really count.

So, I checked on the status of my new yarn. Damn! Not even shipped yet. Ok, I guess I did order it only two days ago. I

I also received a birthday gift certificate foy my lys. I have definite plans for that baby,

Today, it is all about the acquisition.

In my next two years

Happy Blogaversary! Today marks my two years since I started this blog. Has it really been that long? As I look back on the last two years, I am struck by something depressing: how many things were in progress this time two years ago that are STILL in progress.

1. Jaywalker Socks: 75% finished. Not in love with the yarn, and the pattern is a bit stiff, so not anxious to wear them.

2. Pomotomus: 75% finished. Like the colors. Like the yarn. Love the pattern. I am befuddled. I HAVE been working on lot on this one, and hope to have it finished soon. ("Soon" being a relative term for me.)

3. Turquoise sweater: only needs sleeves. It probably doesn't even fit me anymore.

4. First Lace: Around 60% finished. Technically, I started this one at the end of March, but that is close enough to count. Love the colors. Like the yarn. Love the pattern. This was intended to be a, ahem, first lace teaching project, and now that I learned how to do it, I am strangely uninspired to finish, even though I still love it.

I guess all of this proves that I am a faithless project slut.

Today, it is all about the two years.

Blockhead

I did my first lace blocking the other day. Actually, my first attempt at blocking anything, lace or otherwise. It wasn't so bad. The two inch by four inch test strip. I imagine it would be harder to block an entire wrap, and I know my day of reckoning is coming.







Don't bother looking for any kind of pattern in the swatch. I had forgotten the chart, and tried to knit from memory. That endeavor was quickly abandoned, and I sort of just knit and yarnover'ed randomly. I really just wanted to see about the size. Of course, it probably would have helped if I had measured the test strip BEFORE I blocked it. I can measure it now, but that tells me very little about how much (or little) it grew with washing.

In the end, I guess I will go ahead and knit the Celtic Stole as originally intended, and will just accept the possibility that it may end up being a Celtic Scarf.

And while we are on the topic of things I don't know, can anyone explain to me why I got home late from work only to be yelled at by my husband because he had to watch our son for a few hours on his day off (his mother was here most of the day taking care of the little tyke) and how my actions meant that he was forced to play the computer for an hour to recover and certainly didn't feel like grilling the hotdogs that I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get for him special because he asked me to? I am not following his logic, and wonder under what sort of mental deficiency I am suffering. I was also accused of coming home later when he or his mother is watching little Boogaboo, as compared to when my mother is watching him. He is going to start keeping track. We apologize for this interruption, and now return you to your regularly scheduled knitting blog.

Today, is all about the blockheads, all of them.

Finished Object!

It just isn't knitted. My sweetie finished the bathroom floor. The ceramic tile looks lovely, and we will have plenty to do the other bathroom, with a few boxes of tile to spare. Sure is cold on the feet during the Indiana winters!

My sweetie went to his mother's hosue Saturday afternoon, to tinker on her computer a bit, and took the baby with him. I had my choice of going along as well, or enjoying a baby-free afternoon. Guess which option I chose? I am so infrequently without the baby for any length of time, except at work. I went to sock club, played on the computer, and knit quietly on the living room sofa. It was wonderful.

I was knitting an oldie but a goodie. Pomotomus. In the last several days, I have finished the leg, turned the heel, and am halfway through decreasing the gussets. I am passed the halfway mark on the second sock, and it is all downhill from here. I felt a little embarassed when it was mentioned at sock club how long I have been working on these socks. Um, over two years now. Sheepish blush. Keep walking, nothing to see here.

I guess my feet are cold in more ways than one these days.

Today, it is all about the frigid feet.

Apparently you have to open the bag

I haven't knit much the past few days. Ok, not at all. I take the knitting with me, but don't make any progress. Apparently, you have to take the knitting out of the bag and actually knit on it. Little gremlins don't knit for me when I am not looking. I have just been too tired to knit the last couple days.

Last night, I came home to find I was hosting a small dinner party. "Look honey, I invited Dave and Joyce to dinner. What will you be making?" So much for grocery shopping, resting and early sleep. That was about as welcome as my sweetie waking me up at 1 am, for really no reason except that he was awake.

Meanwhile, I am the (temporary) owner of a Redneck bathroom. My sweetie is putting ceramic tile in the bathroom, so the toilet is currently in the shower. "You can shower, shave and shit all at the same time!" I am so proud.

In the positive department, I did work on Pomotomus a little over the weekend. Every time I dig this sock out of the knitting bag, I wonder why I stayed away so long. I love the pattern. I love the colors of the yarn. I have no explanation. I finished the last three rows of the pattern repeat, and started the heel flap. Noticeable progress! I am nearly at the halfway mark of the second sock! Why was I not knitting on this before? We won't talk about how long this sock has been in progress. We will only talk of how far I have gotten.

Today, it is all about the bathroom.

Has anyone seen a ball of yarn?

The usual Thursday night at the American Legion. Except that when I got home, I found this:

Ok, when I LEFT the Legion, there was a ball of yarn attached to this half-finished sock. Obviously, I dropped it as I put baby etc in the car. Sock went into the car, door closed, yarn fell to the ground, car drove off.

So where is the yarn? How long did I drive before the yarn broke?

I had only one hope. The next day, on the way home from work. I stopped at the church parking lot (next door to the Legion) where I had parked. I felt a little silly, but I timidly walked into the church, looking for a random person that was there on a Friday afternoon. "I have a silly question. Has anyone found a ball of yarn?"

Miracle of miracles! My ball was rescued from the parking lot and was waiting for me. No worse for wear other than a little bits of plant debris. Thank you to whomever found it. I would have cried if I had to rip out the slow progress on my sock.

Today, it is all about what was lost being found.

Patience is a virtue

A funny thing happened at the courthouse yesterday. I had a 1:15 hearing, so I was there just a little before 1. I like to arrive early, so I am not rushed, and have a chance to talk to my client. There I was, growing more and more impatient, with my nose pressed up against the locked door to the courtroom, growing more and more impatient, waiting for everyone who was late getting back from lunch. I was standing there, so I couldn't really knit. Did I mention that I was growing more and more impatient?

When they finally arrived, I scolded the court staff for being late. The judge was 45 minutes late herself, but sometimes it is good to be queen. By that time, I was sitting in the jury box, happily knitting away. If patience is a virtue, and knitting gives me patient, does that mean that knitting is a virtue?

One of the court reporters showed me her favorite black sweater. Mostly ribbing, with some openwork in a stitch pattern I didn't recognize. Obviously a well-worn and well-loved sweater. She said that she has looked all over and can't find a new one to replace it. She asked how hard it would be to replace. I examined, commenting that most of the pattern was pretty basic and wouldn't be difficult to replicate, especially if she wasn't set on the exact openwork at the bottom. . . . Oh, you mean by me? I have two sweaters in progress as it is. I gave her the number of the LYS, but I think she will be unpleasantly shocked to find out how much a hand-knit sweater will cost. I suggested that she either learn to knit, or find someone who knits and loves her.

Or, someone who loves to knit, but can't afford yarn. My first project in law school was an aphgan for my roommate. She bought the yarn, and paid me $20. I used that money to buy yarn to make myself the same aphgan.

Today, it is all about being virtuous.

The search continues

Have you ever had a particular yarn in mind, but had trouble finding it? I know what I want. I know the thickness: sock yarn. I am flexible on the content: wool preferred, but cotton blend or some other blend would be considered. I know the colors: shades of red. I know all of these things, but cannot locate the yarn I see in my head.

Are the colors that unique? I already have a finished object in the colors I want. It is a Collinette mohair that I made into a moebius scarf a few years ago. The reds range from bright watermelon, to vivid cherry, to a dark black raspberry. I love the scarf, and I would love a pair of sock in the same colors. In my quest to have matching sock and clothes, this colorway would be perfect. It would match every shade of red/burgandy.

For that matter, in my searches, I have noticed a dearth of reddish sock yarn. I want a true red. Not leaning towards oranges and browns. Not skipping towards hit pink. Not flirting with purple. Red. Lipstick red. Cherry red. Red red. Do people not wear red anymore?

Am I really going to have to learn to dye my own sock yarn just so I can have a shades of red pair of socks?

Today, it is all about the search.

Multiple updates

"It will take a while before I can borrow Daddy''s hoodie."

I am finally doing something different on the hoodie. Since I am knitting it in the round (instead of pieces on straights. All that joining avoided), it is time to split for the sleeves. So no instead of knitting round and round in stockinette, I am knitting back and forth in two pieces. It is like a whole new sweater.

Meanwhile, I have been working hard on my current sock. Twisted Tweed in Trekking. I just love trekking. I love watching the colors gradually change, and seeing what will come next. You can never have truly identical socks, but I don't mind fraternal socks.

And in lace news, I am about 7 rows into the Celtic Stole. 488 rows to go. But I can't help but notice the size. The measurements are supposed to be 36 inches across. Mine measures 13 inches. Even allowing for blocking, loosening from needle removal, and the margin of error in the tape measure, I think my stole will be considerably smaller than originally intended. I am obviously knitting with cobweb yarn, instead of laceweight. Who knew? It is incredibly thin yarn. Once you get smaller than sock yarn, the gradations of thick and thin become somewhat blurred.

I commented on the problem to my sweetie, and he asked "won't the holes be bigger then?" I was floored. That was a very knitterly insightful question. That is indeed my dilemna in deciding whether to continue. I started a test swatch, so I can see how the yarn behaves post blocking. Stay tuned for that progress.

Today, it is all about the updates and the adorable model.

I know, I said I wouldn't.

I couldn't resist. I have been obsessed with lace lately. I drool over delicately thin yarns. I peruse patterns. I dream about all of the stoles, scarves and shawls I want to make.

I have had the yarn for a while.

I have had the pattern picked out, and sitting by the needles. The only reason I was waiting was that I really thought I should finish the wrap that I have 75% finished, and the lacey scarf that was serving as my lace test project. I was just afraid that if I didn't finish them first, I would never finish them. What scarf? What wrap? I am faithless.

Compounding my insanity is that fact that I barely have the time or energy to knit at all, much less knit something that requires concentration. I am progressing (slowly) on my mindless and semi-mindless knitting: my latest sock, my sweetie's hoodie, the car seat blankies. What am I thinking trying to start a huge lace project? I do cartwheels when the little guy sleeps for a three hour stretch overnight. (Last night, he woke up every ninety minutes for food. He will be six months old next week. When does he start sleeping longer?)

And yet, there I was, learning a new invisible cast on and starting a new project. I was simply unable to resist it, in spite of all the good reasons against it.

Today, it is all about the temptation.

Sadly picture-less

I can't find my camera. I know it is around here somewhere. I pulled it out recently, and noticed that the batteries were dead. So I plugged them in to charge a couple days ago. They are charged now, but where ever did I put the camera? If anyone knows what I did with it, please e-mail.

Here I was, all set to gush and preen over the progress on my sweetie's hoodie, and now I can't show pictures to prove it. I can say anything I like, and no one will believe me. I am nearly at the bottom of the sleeve holes. Round, and round, and round, she goes. I have been knitting stockinette for the 2x body of the hoodie for an eternity. I finally get to do something different. I need to dig out the directions, becuase I can't remember what that it.

Well, my usual knitting model is asleep in his crib anyway. I promise to take pictures soon. Meanwhile, I swear to you that I am not lying.

Today, it is all about the truth.