Taking Stock

The last week of the year is a good time to take stock in the year's knitting. I started the 2 for 1 vow with 19 works in progress. Four of them have been crossed off the list. Five new items have been added to the list, and four of them have been completed and crossed off. The one new uncompleted project is the Elegant Ensemble, which includes several items, two of which are completed. So it isn't like I have been slacking on that one.

There are currently 18 works in progress. One less then before. At this rate, I will reduce the number to a normal level by the time I am 60.

Today, it is all about the normalcy.

Smitten with Mittens

Well The crowd was a but thin last night at Knittervention. Like two people thin, and one of them was me. I expected a crowd of knitters, working frantically on Christmas present, milking the last days before wrapping. 

Wrong! Still, two hours knitting and drinking Magners is still a good two hours. 

After a few months of pondering, planning, and preparation, I started my beother's Smitten. 

Well, technically, his girlfriend, Care's. My brother requested a mitten for two people to wear when holding hands. Sounds simple, but that means two mittens for the other hand. And another two mittens for lone use. That is a lot of mittens!  

And it occurs to me that I have been knitting a lot of mittens lately. Teacher mittens, colorwork mittens for me, hunting mittens, Brother Smittens, and the kids have been asking for mittens. That is a lot of mittens ! I would wonder about my recent obsession, but then I remember the sub-zero temperatures the last two winters, and it doesn't seem quite so unreasonable. 

Today, it is all about the warm hands for everyone. 

Finished and Delivered!

I am proud to announce that two sets of Teacher Mitts were finished and delivered ON TIME. Mitts knit, ends woven, prettily wrapped, and all in time to be delivered the last day of school before the vacation. 

I am pretty proud of myself. Sure, I set the Christmas bar pretty low this year, only attempting the teacher presents, but I also had two new family babies to knit for this fall. Plus I spend my days as a lawyer, my evenings as a mother, and my weekends as a contractor getting the rental house ready for sale. Honestly, the knitting is one of the few things keeping me sane these days. 

Today, it is all about the sanity. 

Christmas knitting: finished!

A full day of education ended up being a full day of knitting. I was paying attention, I swear. I would stop and take notes, turn pages in the materials, but my hands and needles were moving while I listened. At the beginning of the day, I had a inch or two of the fourth and final teacher mitt. By the end of the day, I was casting off. How cool is that? I need the schedule more continuing education at Christmas time!  

Today it is all about Complex Issues in Divorce, and knitting. 

Life Gets in the Way

I knew that it had been a while since I had blogged, but I had no idea it had been a full month. In my surprise, I could wonder how it happened, except I already know: Life gets in the way. I have been so busy with other things, I have had limited time for knitting. And when I had to divide my few minutes between blogging about knitting and actually knitting, I have to choose knitting. Especially with Christmas looming.

My teacher deadline is December 17th.  Because of the way that the calendar works this year, the 18th is the last day of school before Christmas vacation. So I have to have both sets of mitts finished and wrapped for the kids to take to school that morning.   I have three out if four mitts off the needles, and the fourth in progress. That is doable, but still a bit concerning.

I have an ace in the hole. I have Continuing Legal Education today and tomorrow. (Yesterday too, for that matter, but I mostly did the work I brought with me then.)  I can listen and knit at the same time. People don't always believe me, but I am by this time immune to the looks. I stop knitting and take notes when I need to, so I hope that proves that I can listen and knit at the same time.  I don't know why I need to. I have seen other lawyers on tablets, checking emails, playing solitaire, perusing the internet and reading a book, and no one gives them looks.

This is fiber discrimination!  I would complain, but I am supposed to be paying attention to the speakers, so silence is probably the better option.

Today, it is all about the education.

Stolen hour

This evening, I found myself with an unscheduled hour. The kids had Junior Nature Club with my mother, and my Sweetie was hunting after work. (yes, it is that time of year again.)   All day, I pondered my options. I could stay late at the office and attack the pile on my desk. I could get a decent workout. I could give myself a mani/pedi. I could clean the kitchen and vacuum the living room. I could relax, watch an hour of uninterrupted TV and knit.

I ended up watching the Season Finale of Home Fires and worked on the Christmas teacher mitts. I have barely knit at all in the past two weeks. I only have about four weeks to finish three more mitts. I wasn't lollygagging. These mitts have to be done before Christmas vacation. Doodlebug was asking just the other day when I was going to start working on the mitts for HIS teacher. Really, I will get both pairs fine in time. It is nothing against him that I started Bugaboo's teacher's mitt first. 

Today, it is all about the remembered deadlines. 

Oncoming Winter

i had to wear my full length wool coat today to court. It was 43 degrees, and I had been freezing for two days worth of walks to and from the courthouse because of not wearing it. I was not ready for this. I didn't need hat, ear warmer, scarf or gloves, but it is only a matter of time.

It can't be almost winter already. I had such plans for summer. I was going to try dyeing this summer. I have some wonderful silk ribbon that I received at the Christmas gift exchange, that is in an unfortunate shade of puke green. I was going to overdye it in some blue-ish.  I have been losing love for the heathered berry of the Merry Berry Shawl and was going to overdye it in . . . Well, I hadn't actually decided. Black, to make a charcoal gray withbp pink undertones? Red to make a rich burgundy?  Blue to make a soft purple?  I was going to do some test dyes, and decide.

 I was going to try dyeing this summer. Yet, here it is, Halloween tomorrow, freezing temperatures looming, . . Summer is gone, and I never tried dyeing. I am inclined to vow "next summer" but that is what I said last winter.

Today, it is all about the seasons.

Once in a Decade, Or Twice in the Same Week

Only a few nights ago, I made the joke that I crochet once in a decade.  That is not far from the truth. The last time I crocheted was to finish an aphgan at the request of my uncle. It was the aphgan that my aunt was crocheting when she died, and I think he wanted that one last thing to remember her. That was five years ago. But the time before that had to have been at least 15 years before.

The past couple nights, I successfully completed the thin tidy crocheted edge of the Swirl Rainbow blankie.   I was all set to cross it off the WIP list, until I remembered about the companion Car Seat Blankie. Curses! Foiled again!  Ok, so that blankie is a little less that half finished. 

And yet, I started on the new lace shawl. Notice that I didn't say cast on?

 That is because this shawl starts with a crochet chain, then you pick up stitches to start knitting. Chain on 897, and pick up 449, to be precise. That is a hell of a lot of stitches. I mean, I get why. The shawl starts at the bottom, wider edge. Then there are all those little spikes at the bottom edge, requiring even more extra stitches. But still . . . Wow!

I think I did most of the casting on at the Cub Scout Pack Meeting. But after I got kids homeworked, jammied and into bed, I was no longer able to count all those itty bitty stitches. We will see about tomorrow. 

Today, it is all about the crochet sequel. 

A Rare Double Header

I haven't done the math, but I have been going to Knit Night for over ten years, possibly close to fifteen. Always on the second Monday of the month. 

Except the last year or so, I have had Cub Scout pack meetings on the second Monday of the month. So no Knit Night. Except this month, the pack meeting was scheduled for a Thursday. I am not sure why, but it was nice to be able to go last night. 

Then I left to go to Knittervention. Have to love the opportunity to go two knitting groups in one night. Except for brief travel, three solid hours of knitting time. 

But I didn't knit. I did something very shocking instead. I crocheted. I crochet every decade or so, whether I need to or not. This was apparently the year. I originally planned to do a scalloped edge around the Rainbow Swirl blanket. I did the first set up row of single crochets, and a few scalloped, then decided I didn't like the scallops. So I ripped out those, and started one last row of double crochets. An added bonus of the border is that all the little ends can just be crocheted in; I don't have to weave them in. This has me considering a crochet border on everything I knit, just to avoid weaving in ends. 

Today, it is all about the hooking. 

It Was Really Only a Matter of Time

Between the 2 for 1 vow, and the knitting deadlines, I have been in the equivalent of a knitting related diet for months, and I have been doing very well.
 One out of three mitts completed. One baby set completed and delivered. Second set has the large blankie finished except for the optional border, and the smaller car seat blankie is zipping along.

Then, it happened. It started last week. I started sneaking little glances at the yarn cabinet. Then there was some wandering around patterns on Ravelry. The next thing I knew I was setting up the yarn winder, buying new bamboo needles and risked being strung out on alpaca. 

Fourteen months ago, I made the 2 for 1 vow with 20 projects in progress. I have completed some, and started some, and now I have 22 in progress. Not counting the pink alpaca on the nightstand. I haven't cast on, so it doesn't count. 

Today, it is all about the backward progression. 

Just swirling around

The Rainbow Swirl Baby Blankie is finished.  You know, except for the finishing.  I have enough yarn to make another, if I was so inclined.  That will be for future reference, because this time around I still have to make the little car blankie.  That one won't really work as a circle, so I am probably going to just make it out of the rainbow colors.  The only reason the white was there was because I needed a sixth color.  (Yes, I am aware that a true rainbow would have had a sixth color: peach/orange.  However, for reasons I cannot comprehend, the yarn store only had pink, yellow, green, blue and purple.  No orange/peach.  Neither did every other local yarn source, though I did find white and light gray in the same yarn.  And peach was available online, but at three times the cost, with shipping.  Hence the white.)

So, the gift is finished, except for the finishing, and the car seat blankie.  Oh, and since I do have extra white, I am thinking about knitting/crocheting a little border around the blankie.  So, finished except for the finishing, car seat blankie, and the border. 

The baby gift is so not finished. 

And yet, I spent an alarming amount of time at the office browsing lace shawl patterns in laceweight.  I checked and I have over 2600 yards of the pink laceweight.  Enough to make any shawl I desired.  Even though I know that this baby gift is not quite finished, and I still have three more mitts to complete before Christmas Break, I still cannot stop obsessing about a new bit of lacey goodness.  I have the pattern selected, printed, reviewed, and viewed corrections/deviations that others on Ravelry made  with the pattern.  I am doomed.  Really, it is just a matter of time before I find myself casting on.  (Or, in this case, crocheting a chain, then picking up alternating stitches: interesting start.) 

I just hope I have enough of the deadline knitting knocked out of the way before I start, or I will never make the deadlines. 

Today, it is all about the unfinished gifts. 

 

Autumn Temptation

Autumn in Indiana is a little crazy.  It could be 80 or 30.  There could be rain, snow, and sun, sometimes all in the same 24 hour period.  Every morning, I study the hourly weather report to decide to how to dress the children, and hope that I don't choose jeans and long sleeves on a day that ends up being 80.  The corn and soybean are nearly ready to harvest, and the leaves start turning pretty colors. 

For me, the best part about Autumn is that it is shawl weather.  There is a slight chill in the air that may or may not be there an hour from now, so a light shawl thrown over the shoulders is a perfect compromise.  Lucky for me, I have a few shawls.  Lately, I have been using Duchess as my perfect slink-over-my-shoulders shawl.  It is thick enough to be warm, yet stylish. 

This is the kind of weather that has been dreaming of more shawls.  Don't get me wrong, I love Duchess and Aurora Borealis.  They are cozy and warm.  And Purple Annis surrounds my neck very charmingly as the darling shawlette that it is.  But I want more. More colors, more designs, different from the last in a new way.  More. 

This past weekend, as I was working on the LAST wedge in the Rainbow Swirl Baby Blankie, I found myself glancing at some pretty soft rose-pink lace weight in the yarn cabinet.  While my hands knit mechanically on the mindless garter short rows, my mind was scrolling through pretty lace patterns. 

Then I remembered.  Deadline knitting.  Blankie.  Mitts.  No lace. 

Today, it is all about the resisting the temptations. 

The Environment be Damned

My allergies have gone absolutely haywire this week. I have been all clogged up, and my mind all fuzzy. Except that my nose has been runny at the same time. The roof of my mouth and inside my ears itch.  My eyes are dry and itchy.   All day long and all night long, I am constantly sniffling, blowing, and generally moaning in misery. Whatever that is green and growing that I am allergic to needs to be eradicated from the earth in a blaze of fiery glory. I don't care if it is a rare grass, near-extinct moss, home to an obscure beetle, or source of food for the last remaining Dodo bird in the universe. I can't live like this!

So this week has been summed up with one word: tired. Ok, and misery. Two words. When I am tired and miserable, I just don't seem to get much knitting accomplished. The Twacher Mitts are still at the last leg of the first one. The Rainbow Swirl blankie is still on blue, the 10th segment. It would take a careful examination of pictures with a magnifying glass to notice any progress.

How very discouraging.  I find myself hoping for a good hard frost, to placate my allergies for one more season.

Today, it is all about the miserable lack of progress.

Somewhere Over the Blankie

The Rainbow Baby blankie is almost finished.  Nine wedges finished, three to go.  10 weeks until the baby is due.  I mean, I know I still have to whip out a cute little coordinating car seat blankie, but this is really too much to hope.  I am even considering throwing in a nice little border around the whole thing. 

 

I am a procrastinator by nature.  Even when I have a deadline, the time I need to complete the knitting is EXACTLY (and I mean, exactly, within a few hours at best) how much time I have.  That, or I blow right past the deadline with no end in sight  (cough, Duchess, cough), then deny that I ever had to deadline to begin with.

 

  Meanwhile, since the baby blankie is too large to carry around, the Teacher Mitts have become my purse/briefcase knitting.  One mitt nearly finished, three more to go.  Two months 'til Christmas Break.  Once again, I seem to be in full command of the deadline.   I am knitter, hear me roar! 

Either there is something that will come up to smack me down, or I have finally figured out this knitting thing.  Don't laugh, it has only taken 21 years. 

 

Today, it is all about the confidence. 

Knitting, Wine and Sleep

My oldest son is at his first Cub Scout overnight camp. At first, the plan was for the youngest to stay at home with me. But then my sweetie invited him to spend the night with them. It is entirely possible that my sweetie just wanted an excuse for me to bring him a couple of beers for after the kids go to sleep, but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I gave Doodlebug the choice, and he jumped at the chance to sleep on the cold hard ground in a tent. 

So now I find myself in an empty house, with no boys expected until morning. I would say that I don't know what to do with myself. Except the I do: wine, knitting and sleep, in that order. 

I have wine. Excuse me while I get back to my knitting, until I go to sleep. 

Today, it is all about the child-free amusements. 

Housekeeping

As I logged onto Ravelry last night, I realized that I had not updated it in ages.

Today, I had no court and minimal appointments, so I attacked the avalanche of paperwork on my desk. As a break, I would update my Ravelry page.   Adding projects, adding pictures, adding notes. 

Today, it is all about the catching up. 

Celestial Alignment

I am not sure what happened tonight. It must have been a celestial alignment of epic proportions. My sweetie is attending the annual NRA banquet. And my mother took the children to a Junior Nature Club. Against all odds, these two events occurred on the same night, and I found myself all alone all evening. 

I have been hard at work. 

And I am really loving this pattern. It is charming, and easily memorized. 

Today, it is all about the charms. 

A Mother's Love

One great thing about road trips is prime knitting time. If we take the truck, then my sweetie drives, and I knit. 

This time, my baby boys asked me to read to them. I would read one chapter, and they would immediately ask for one more chapter. And again. And again. And again. For two hundred miles, I read chapter after chapter of 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents. 

Let me see: instead of knitting, I was reading a training manual of how to drive me crazy. 

In the meantime, I am making decent progress on the baby blanket. Almost halfway. Except that I think I may be distract from knitting today. My cousin has a very nice pool, and it will be VERY hot today. 

Today, it is all about some reasons not to knit. For today, at least. 

My Little Nest

My two oldest and dearest friends both live on the coasts, different coasts.  I live in the middle of the country.  When I was planning my wedding, they were known as BE (Bridesmaid East) and BW (Bridesmaid West).  That makes for cute wedding nicknames, sporadic emails, and infrequent chance to see each other in person. 

So when Melissa (Bridesmaid East) told me she was coming to the heartland a mere 250 miles away from me on business, I started rearranging my schedule. I could drive out Wednesday night after work, spend the day Thursdsy, then drive back Friday. I had to clear my court schedule, and set up someone to care for my little guys in the morning (my sweetie leaves for work at 5am, so grandma to the rescue), make sure all the homework for the week was done by Wednesday, so all the laundry, and a hundred other things, and I was free for 36 child-free hours of girl time. 

I knew Melissa would have work obligations, so I packed solo amusements: knitting, DVD's, a book eyc. After Melissa left for her conference, and I made a little nest. 

As it was, Melissa was done before noon, let the friend time begin. A yummy lunch, a nice walk to the Arch (which at present was sadly a construction zone), while she went for a massage, I gave myself a pedicure, hotel room happy hour with her colleagues, dinner, then a quiet glass of wine before bed. All accompanied by a nonstop flow of talking.  

Today, it is all about the friendship perfection. 

Stress Reduction

It has been a rough week. Two high-stress custody battles in two days, getting used to the homework routine, buying a new washing machine, it has all taken a toll. When my car started to bake a new noise, it was almost enough to push me over the edge. 

I was finished with court by 2, and never even made it back to the office. While me sweetie was fixing my car, I wandered around the house for an hour or two, then found the energy to knit. 

I have started working on the new baby blankie. Two panels down, one started, nine more to go. I am making good progress, but I won't be lured  into a false sense of security. 

I got complacent last time, and barely made the deadline. Not this time. 

Today, it is all about the anti-complacency. 

And That's the Way it is Done

Baby shower knitting finished, ends weaved, and wrapped, ready in time to be delivered to the shower today. I cut the edge one row short, because I was concerned about running out of yarn. 

For once, the knitting came together, to my glee and delight. I run low with the border white yarn on the last planned section on the morning of the deadline. Perfect. 

Today, it is all about the plans that stayed together. 

The Plan.

Ok, so i had a couple lucky breaks today. I had a full day trial today, but apparently there was a head count at the prison for a party in the case, so he there was a bit of a delay before he could appear telephonically. So, for forty five minutes, a pack of lawyers swapped war stories while I listened and wove in the ends on the car seat blankie. 

Then, the trial was finished by lunch. So I had the afternoon free to catch up on paperwork and do some knitting. 

Which led to the plan. I finished weaving in the ends to date on the larger blankie. I will finish tonight. For the next 36 hours, I will weave in as I go. The blankie is currently 36x30. When I run out of time, I will cast off and call it done. 

Today, it is all about how a blankie is as long as the time you have to knit it. 

T Minus 54 Hours

Start the countdown. The baby shower blankie has to be finished and ready for delivery by Saturday morning. This does not bode well.  I only have a few more inches, so the knitting is easy enough. Tying in all the loose ends is not unreasonable. 

Except that I have a full day trial today. So there won't be any moments of knitting at the office today. Tonight is Legion night, so that cuts into the evening knitting time. Friday, the kids are spending the night with Grandma, which on its face sound like prime knitting time, but my sweetie and I had already agreed that we are going to paint part of the kitchen after work on Friday. Then there is the greatest time suck of all: sleep. 

I am totally screwed. 

I have a back up plan: take the gift to the shower, then mail the blankies when they are finished, hopefully before the baby is born. The due date is the first week of September, so that buys me a few weeks. 

And while I am at it, I really need to get started on the second baby set. That due date is in 4 1/2 months. 

Today, it is all about the impatience of babies. 

One Step Away From Using Algebra

The Pink Lemonade baby blanket is almost finished, and too big to be very portable. 

I could start the next baby blankie, but I need the same needles as the other blankie. Yes, I probably do have another needle in the yarn cabinet, but the stair master is in front of it, and I would have to move it to open the cabinet, and . . . If you give me a couple minutes, I am sure I can come up with a few more excuses. 

So, I have started the planning stages of my Smittens: the holding hands mittens requested by my brother. I have measurements of the hands in question, and finished my guage swatch.  I have the numbers ready to cast on, except that I am not sure if I need the emergency stretcher yarn or not. When I found this yarn on clearance, there were five berry and three light gray. My brother's requested mitten is gray, so it is a bummer that the bigger hands are for the smaller number of yarn balls. As insurance, I bought a couple skeins of black yarn to go with the colors, but now I am not sure if I need it or not. 

I think I have done as much as I can, but a fresh start to the day may produce a clearer choice. 

Today, it is all about the algebra almost being used. 

Surprisingly Insightful

I only interact with other knitters every other Monday night. On a regular basis, that is. I look forward to Knittervention every time. Not only as two hours of child-free knitting time, but a chance to bounce ideas and input from other knitters.

The other twenty-eight days of the month, I am stuck with my three male muggles. 

Last night, I was asking color advice. I am planning baby blanket set for cousin-in-law #2. I have already bought a pastel rainbow of colors and selected a pattern. The pattern calls for 12 sections, so six colors. I bought pink, yellow, green, blue and lavender. It wasn't until I was home I realized a color was missing: peach. I checked online, and yarn company makes a peach. So I went to the three local yarn stores, and came up empty. I found white a silver gray, but no peach. Online, the single peach skein would cost $6, which is reasonable, plus an additional $6 for shipping, which puts it close to unreasonable. 

So I went to my Council of Male Mufgles. How should I complete my rainbow? Overpriced but correct peach, white or silver?  The two  Muggles that DONT pay the bills advocated for peach.  My husband woke up from where he has fell asleep on the living room flooring enough to say "white". I don't think he put much thought in that. My bad, wrong time of night. 

 

Today, I swatched the new yarn for the Lovers Mittens. For lack of anyone else, I asked my sweeties opinion about the swatches. He was surprisingly perceptive. He knew which was "tighter", ie knit with the smaller needles. I actually feel like I had a semi-informed opinion on needle size. 

I should have asked him about the rainbow colors again. 

Today, it is all about the man who has actually picked up a few things about knitting, and the woman who loves him. 

A Rebel at Heart

I must have a latent rebel spirit. I don't know if it is my American ardor, or my 1/8  Irish ancestry. (Certainly can't credit the 3/8 French Canadian.) Rules get set, and I just help but break them. Even if I set the rules, I break my own rules. 

A couple days ago, I wrote about the great big ol' list of knitting that has to be finished in the next five months. Then I promptly started working on . . . something else. 

I don't know why. I just did. I saw a neglected project that only needed a repair and a few more rows. I had cast off  the Circle Charity blankie, then realized that I had screwed up. The edges curled unattractively. I knew what I had to do. I had to frog back the cast off, do a few rows of something that wouldn't curl, then cast off again. Not difficult, but the blankie sat there for a good month. I set up a schedule, and feel compelled to deviate from it. 

Hmmm, maybe I can use this in the future. Recognize the neglected project, set a schedule for something else, work on neglected project . . . 

The good news, I have finished those three rows of non-curling seed stitch, and casting off (while watching the first presidential debate). 

I need more wine, if not for the knitting, then for the politicians. 

Today, it is all about the schedule or anti-schedule. 

And Back On

What's worse than casting off hundreds of stitches around the circumference of s baby blankie?

Casting off, then realizing that the edge was unattractively curling, and frogging back those hundreds of stitches back into the needles to correct the glaringly obvious error. Apparently, after 25 years of knitting, I still have not learned that stockinette curls, and requires a border that does not curl by nature. 

There was another questionable lapse in judgement last night. Not my lapse, another regular at Knittervention. Casey had dug into her stash and discovered buried treasure: a lone skein of merino wool gifted from Russia.  She selected her pattern (a slouchy hat) and cast on. A little later, she tesluzed that she had kept casting without counting, long since having passed 72 stitches. 

When I made a joke about checking her guage and measuring her head before ripping out the fifty or so extra stitches. So she did, and realized guage was way off. I looked at the pattern, and realized the problem. The pattern called for Aran weight, and her yarn is more like fingering, sport at best. No problem, just add a few repeats to the lace, and recalculate. 

This was a recipe for disaster. Casey was asking me to do math! After a cider!  I think we got it right, but I still have this sinking feeling there was a time bomb ticking away in our numbers that will bite Casey in the bum later when I am not around. 

Today, it is all about the tick, tick, tick. 

Setting Up The Schedule

I have been reviewing the projects for the next four months:

Baby blanket set#1; deadline: September 5th. (Though, you really can't count on babies to mind the calendar. )

Two sets of fingerless mitts for teacher Christmas gifts; deadline: mid-December when school lets out.

Baby blanket set #2; deadline: December 28th.

Optional: Lovers mittens; deadline: none, other than I told my brother that I would, and it is the first time that he has ever requested knitting from me.

Is it just me, or is that a lot of knitting?

Today, it is all about the long list.

The Battle of the Fiber Tools

Knittervention has been the target of a recent invasion. At first, it was just the occasional random encroachment. Then, there was a regular singular  incursion. One was reinforced by two, which was fortified into three. Suddenly there were more crocheters than knitters. 

There is nothing wrong with that. Crocheting has its place: blankets, doilies, maybe a nice scarf. My aunt used to crochet lovely pot holders out of cotton thread, which I now treasure since she died. 

I just think that knitting is generally a superior form of fiber manipulation. 

If this continues, we are going to have to change the name, and Crochet-vent ion just doesn't have the same resonance. 

Today, it is all about the needles vs the hooks. 

Cruising with Confidence

I am feeling pretty good these days about this particular baby set. The car seat blankie is finished (except for the finishing: weaving in the ends.). The larger blankie is halfway finished. I have several weeks before the baby shower. I have plenty of yarn. I have plenty of time. 

This is usually where the ground runs out under my feet. 

Today, it is all about the plenty. 

Save me from the math

I have been making nice progress on Celtic Sage shawl.  I am on the border, with the stockinette background, and was nearly ready to start the center lace motif.  That is when I started to doubt my original math.  I did some counting and measuring, and think that the end result will not be long enough.  So I recalculated, waited a week, then recalculated again, to the same result.  I need to add another half foot of the stockinette before I start the center motif.

So the good news is that I successfully (I hope) dodged a mistake before I made it.  The bad news is I have another 40+ rows before I get to where I thought I was two weeks ago. 

It is worth it, all the math.  The shawl is looking lovely. 

 

Meanwhile, I am still plugging away on the baby blanket.  I double checked the deadlines last night.  My sweetie's cousin is due in September.  The shower is some time in August.  I have several weeks, at least.  Then he dropped another little reminder: his other cousin's wife-to-be is pregnant too, due in December.  I had forgotten about that.  That leaves two to three months to make another set: car seat blankie and baby blankie.  A knitter's work is never done. 

 

Today, it is all about the added deadlines. 

 

P.S.  Before anyone asks: yes, I remembered to check and make sure I would have enough yarn before adding another 80 rows to the pattern. 

Request Permission to Panic

I experienced #4 in the Top 10 Knitter's Worst Nightmare over the weekend. Wanting a change from the simple baby blanket knitting, I had dug out Celtic Sage. It is at a relatively easy lace section, but there was enough lace there to stretch my knitting muscles. 

In the evening, I went back to my knitting, left in assumed safety on the sofa, and saw two needles and the knitting. . . In two different piles. No where near each other. Oh, the horror!

I couldn't help it. I broke down. The details are a bit fuzzy, but I remember tears, and screams of "this is lace!"  There may have been more, I don't remember. 

I was still staring at thin yarn and tiny needles when a little boy timidly approached to apologize for touching Mommy's yarn. While I was replacing a couple hundred stitches, he had been gently interrogating the most likely culprits.

The apology didn't put stitches back on the needle, but I appreciate the effort. And I am pleased to announce that the knitting is back on the needles, no worse for wear. 

Today, it is all about the return. 

With Time to Spare

My sweetie's cousin is pregnant, and every baby deserves some knitted live to welcome him or her into the world. So, of course, I started knitting. 

I started small: a car seat blankie. One of the most useful gifts that I received as a new Mommy was a small blankie, just big enough to tuck around a baby in the carrier.   Not large enough to swaddle or wrap around the baby, but no falling corners or dragging seams either. 

I figured that a small blankie would ensure that I could finish before the baby was born. I was right. Too right. I finished the blankie in only a few weeks, with months to spare. So now I have decided the knit matching normal baby blanket. 

Why do I feel like I have set myself up to miss the deadline?

Today, it is all about the impending success or doom. 

I love a garage sale!

Every other summer, my LYS has a "garage sale".  The best garage sale EVER!  Customers bring in their unloved yarn and knitting accouterments in the weeks before.  On the day of the sale, customers find hidden treasures at discount prices.  LYS gets the money; sellers get gift certificates to the LYS, sellers get great bargains.  WIN-WIN-WIN!  I learned several lessons from last time: get there early, bring more cash.  This year, I learned another lesson: bring a bag to place your treasures while still searching through the pile. 

My sweetie and I had decided to split up the children for our day's excursions.  He took Doodlebug to a gun show, and I took Bugaboo to the yarn sale.  When I got there, 5 minutes before the start, the stage was set.  Tables of yarn etc lined up on the sidewalk in front of the store.  A line of potential customers dutifully lined three feet away from the tables, at the edge of the sidewalk.  The clock struck 10am, and everyone took two steps forward and descended on the tables, now able to touch the yarn.  I had some delays getting started, because I had to set up Bugaboo at a table inside the store, with his Leapster, but that turned out now to be too bad a thing.  I probably missed out on something delicious that ended up in someone else's hand, but it also gave me a place to put some of my finds, so I could empty my hands to go searching more.  He was prepared to defend my yarn, but it was not needed.  I spent $76, and ended up with some nice finds.  Lace weight yarn, some bamboo needles, some lovely Cascade 220 that I am not sure what I am going to do with but at $2 was too much of a bargain to pass up, and some baby yarn (in the back).  My sweetie's cousin is currently pregnant.  They are not close, but we do have children around the same age, and I really should make something for the new baby. 

 

More on that project later. 

 

Today, it is all abut the bargains. 

 

 

 

Knitting is a fickle bitch

The Spiral Circle charity blanket has been  growing by leaps and bounds. 28 inches in diameter, and several more skeins to go. 

So it boggles my mind that the two scarves that I have been working on for an eternity are microscopic in comparison. 

This is the problem with the 2 for 1 vow: it doesn't take into account the fickle nature of knitting. Sure, knitting seems so mathematical. A certain amount of knitting using a certain amount of yarn produces a certain amount of finished knitting. Sounds logical, but the growing blanket on bed begs to differ. 

today, it is all about illogic. 

I should really know better

This new blanket is not as complicated as it looks. Every other row I just insert a Yarn Over, and a swirling circle blanket is magically created. As my boys would say: Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezie. And yet . . .   When I looked at my last several rows, I realized that I had forgotten the simple Yarn Over.  Several times over several row, in fact.

The smarter course of action would have been to just frog back a few rows. But I can't just do the simple way. Instead, I dropped a stitch or two around the affected area! Adding the yarn overs as needed.

The problem with this pan became increasingly apparent. I would add two or three stitches for each repair. Trying to knit five stitches with the yarn that had originally the two stitches just doesn't work well.

Yarn just doesn't stretch like that!  I did everything I could to stretch yarn use. I would slip various stitches each row. I pulled tight. It isn't pretty, but the fix was in. I really should have just frogged back. 

And now for the real question: how can I spend two years working on a scarf, and barely have two feet? When I have been working on this new blanket for less than two weeks, and have a baby blanket two feet in diameter? 

Today, it is all about the comparison. 

Mittens, mittens, and more mittens

My knitting has outgrown two sets of needles this week. I started on DPNs, and was not surprised at all that I outgrew them quickly. A speedy search of my needle drawer revealed that I did not own Size 9 circular needles. (Or if I do, then they are in one of the nineteen other works in progress, but I am not going there.) 

Apparently there is some sort of run on size 9 circulars. I tried Hobby Lobby on Saturday, but they were out completely. Michaels didn't have bamboo, but at least it had metal, so the blanket could continue. 

Since the blanket it knit from the center outward, I had toyed with the idea of  buying my first interchangeable circular needles, so I could have a really long cable. 

Now I am nearing the end of the cable capacity, with lots of blanket to go, so I think the decesion has been made for me about the interchangeable needle thing. 

I can try Jo Ann Fabrics tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, my LYS will be open on Tuesday. 

My mother was Skyping with my brother in Poland today.  I was over briefly to pick up my children, so I chatted with him a little. After he made a crack about too many projects in progress, establishing that he reads my blog (Hi Pres!), he asked about his mittens. The mittens he asked to make for him and his girlfriend, with and additional giant mitten that two people wear while holding hands. (I would insert rolling eyes here if I weren't so happy for him with the new girlfriend.)

I haven't even picked out a pattern or bought yarn for these mittens yet now I have a possible deadline: my mother is flying out in August. Wouldn't it be nice if she could take the mittens with her, well before the cold of winter?

Then my husband pointed out that he is still waiting for his mittens. Bite me! (Though I guess I should be grateful he didn't mention the sweater. )  

I am bring guilted into keeping and breaking the 2 for 1 vow at the same time. Not fair!

Today, it is all about the guilt. 

It's my vow, and I'll break it if I want to

As frequent visitors of my blog will know (both of them), I have been very focused on the 2 for 1 vow:  Realizing that I had long past an excessive amount of projects in progress, I was trying to finish more than I start.  Complete 2 before I could start 1.  That sounded fair, and worked for exactly one 2 for 1 swap. 

But I found myself focusing on projects that were closest to completion, whether I wanted to work on them or not.  I felt almost guilty if I was working on something that was NOT nearing completion, because that was what I wanted to work on.  And finding knitting to be something crossed off the list, like a chore, instead of something that I was enjoying

So I cracked, and started this:

 

 

Nothing bad.  Nothing major.  Nothing similar to something already in progress.  Just a simple baby blanket for charity.  I am using up stash, and giving away some knitting love.  I did it without finishing two other things, and I don't care. 

 

I am not giving up on the vow, just taking a break.  I am not the kind of girl that practices knitting monogamy.    Things will get done, eventually, just not today.    Progress will be made, and that is still progress, even if it is spread out among 19 projects. 

 

Today, it is all about the self-defiance.  

Madness

Anyone who knew me and saw me at Walmart last night was certain to think that I has completely descended into madness. That could be the only explanation for one of my purchases. 

A child plastic knitting machine. but,fear not, there is a method to my madness. I have been wanting to dye some gradient yarn. So speedknitting the yarn into a tube will make it far more manageable. 

The person who composed this sticker, on the other hand, has clearly lost all sense of reality, as the word "quality" should never be used next to "Red Heart yarn".

Today, it is all about the madness in all forms.

Choices

Sometimes, life is about choices. And attitude is REALLY about choices. So as we are on the last three hours of a week-long road trip, I am choosing not to focus on the negative, and emphasize the positive. 

For instance, I had a wonderful second day at Disneyworld Magic Kingdom, and am ignoring the tantrums that my stepfather-in-law threw the first day that were ten times worse than anything from the five and six year old children. (I have to confess that Disney turns me into big kid anyway.)

I am also focusing on the fact that I am at the halfway mark on the Laughingbird, and conveniently forgetting how many times I lost the instruction or a needle somewhere in the minivan. Even the horribly obvious knot in the yarn worked to my favor, since it was near the end, and I could just call that skein done. I am not running short of yarn, so those missing few yards of yarn are not required. 

And I am choosing not to focus on the fact that I spent hours researching how Disney works, and the best route to take, and possible fun stops for everyone else's interest: hunting/fishing for men of all ages, classic cars for my mother-in-law, Lego for little kids. So on the last few hundred miles, when I found a little yarn store a half mile from the interstate and 3/4 mike from a Harley store so others wouldn't be bored while I spent a half hour  breathing wool fumes, and the 78 year old baby in the car said that we didn't have time . . . Sorry, there really isn't a silver lining in that one.  Other than my sweetie and I have bonded nicely over our mutual irritation over his stepfather. 

Today, it is all about the power of positive thinking. 

Cursed technology

Once upon a time, knitters didn't use advanced technology. 

Once upon a time, a knitter could imperfectly remember how long something had been in progress. Sure, there would some milestones that could give hints when projects were started: the ages of children, etc. But, really, unless you took notes, your mind could minimize how many years it has been in progress. 

Now, there are apps and ravelry. Sure, they are wonderful resources: pattern/yarn browsing, organization, and such. Until you reach the hidden snarkiness. When you create a new project, you give the start date. A firm, unmoving, unerring date, that comes back to haunt you. 

As I used the row counter app on my phone, I realized that I started the Laughing odd Scarf in November of 2012. Twenty inches of scarf, in two and a half years. That really is embarrassing. 

There were a few others from that era. Just when I was staring to waver on the 2 for 1 vow, I am reminded why I made it. Too many things in progress for two many months, we, years. 

Though, I think that the fact that I am blogging on my phone from the inside of a moving van challenges my point. 

Today, it is all about the tech. 

Same ol', same ol'

A downside of the 2 for 1 vow is that it leaves very little to blog about. 

A couple more inches on the Laughingbird Scarf. 

Placemat #3 finished. Placemat #4 started. 

A couple rows further on Celtic Sage. 

Another endless row on the pink ruffle.

Everything I am working is more of the same. Even Celtic Sage is at a wash-rinse-repeat stage right now. 

It makes for nice knitting, but boring blogging. 

Meanwhile, I have three or four new projects percolating in my gray matter. A swirl charity baby blanket. . . Multiple lacey shawls/shawlettes. . . 

Then, I had a request. A request from my little brother. (He is over 40, and over a foot taller than me, but I still call him my little brother.)  He wants a Lovers Mitten. You know, a mitten with room for two hands, so you can hold hands and still be cozy warm.  I pointed out that required three mittens: two for the other hand. He requested five mittens, so hands could still be cozy warm when single. The only thing that saved him from being bonked on the head with a rolled up newspaper is that he asked for thick wool yarn, and gave me creative license. Oh' my creative juices started flowing. Some stripes? Cables? Textures? This could be fun, but I have two projects to finish before I can start. Four, if I get distracted by more lace.  

Today, it is all about the limiting vow. 

The Perfect Accompaniment

Last Friday, I stopped to get new books for the little guys, and realized that I had a hold available.  Season 4: Game of Thrones.  Yippie!  I didn't know it was there waiting for me.  I hadn't even gotten the text yet.  I almost didn't stop by.  I. .  .I. . . I. . . Yippie!

So this past weekend, I spent a shocking amount of time hiding in the bedroom, and watched the entire season.  In addition to the usual child caring duties, cooking, cleaning, laundry.  I am not sure how I did it, other than I gave up a lot of sleep. 

Game of Thrones has become my newest guilty pleasure.  I find it rather condescending about women (they are either queens or whores, really)  and horribly violent, but I still can't wait to start the next episode.    

I don't have HBO, so have to wait until I can get the DVD's from the library, but I am officially caught up.  For a month at least, I understand Season 5 is looming. 

Some shows are not knit-friendly (ahem, Sherlock ), but this one is, as long as the knitting isn't too complex.  I spent 10 episodes knitting on my pink ruffled scarf, the sequel.  The last version ended up way too ruffly, and sitting on top of the garbage can.  So much for following the pattern, I started again with my own design, correcting the mistakes made in the pattern. 

The part that I can't correct is that ruffles and have a mind-numbing amount of stiches, yardage and work.  I don't know why I keep forgetting that in the planning and dreaming stages.  I dream, I plan, I cast on, and suddenly there are 800 stitches on the needles, with more increase rows to come.  Sure, you start with a manageable number of stitches (200) then the numbers increase exponentially. 

I have increased twice over, and am nearly to the point where I need to decide if I want to increase again.  The yarn is so grabby, I think I am just going to take a hefty portion off the needles, and see how full the ruffle is right now.  No worries about dropping stiches.  This yarn is VERY clingy.  I am tempted to make something lacey out of it (since I still have a couple miles of yarn left), but every yarn over and decrease would have to be perfect.  Tinking is not an option. 

Still, it endless stockinette rows were perfect to accompany medieval intrigue. 

Today, it is all about the pairing. 

Inexplicable

Eager to cross one more project, I am focusing on projects that are close to completion. At least, in theory. I have spent seemingly hours upon hours knitting this scarf. And it is a mere 15 inches long. 

I don't understand. I am knitting on Size 8 needles. The pattern is not particularly difficult. It makes no sense. I should have a finished scarf ages ago, but the tape measure doesn't lie. 

I really need to finish two projects: so I can start something new. I have been wearing Purple Annis with my suits, and I want more delicate lacey shawlettes. 

Today, it is all about the knitting that defies the laws of logic. 

Good Husband, Happy Knitter

It was my birthday this week, and my sweetie did well. When I got home from work, I found my mother and in-laws there, and my sweetie had even baked a cake! Eight years together, and this was the first time he had baked. He forgot the put icing between the layers, but it was delicious. 

Plus, there was a large box from Knitpicks. A winding kit. Swift, winder, scale, and measurer. And a gift certificate for yarn!  It is nice to know that when I leave pages open on the IPad, with a list of suggested gifts, he is smart enough to choose one of them. 

Today, it is all about the new toys. 

Warm hands, cold ears

The fingerless are finished. My hands will be nice and warm during morning walks to the courthouse. They will, however, still be uncoordinated, as none of the other warm accessories are finished. 

The past few months, it seems like knitting is taking back seat to my second job: chauffeur to two very cute little boys. This job hit a new high last week. I spent three hours after work running around. Left work at 4, then: bank, library, pick up my sweetie, hardware store to buy a new bathroom faucet to replace the recently broken one, grocery store (apparently it was the last day of the sale on baby back ribs) pick up children, Taco Bell (because cooking dinner was completely out of the relm of realism), drop off husband and youngest child, then take oldest child to Cub Scouts. All this in a snowstorm. 

Now that I think about it, chauffeur isn't the only part of the second job.  I am maid, cook, nanny, chauffeur, laundress, and all while bringing in income equal to my sweetie's. 

And sometimes, I knit. 

Today, it is all about the multi-tasking. 

Soon, and hopefully in time

 

As you can see, I have been diligently knitting away on the second mitt.  (Please note that it's current resemblance to a medieval torture device is purely accidental, and will not resemble the finish object in either design or function.)  In another few days, I should have finished mitts to start wearing on the short trek to the courthouse. 

 

And just in time, I might add.  Another arctic blast is headed to Indiana.  I  have until Thursday.  Hmm, today is Tuesday, I better get knitting.

 

Today, it is all about preparing for the impending arctic doom.   

Mitt, the sequel

One mitt down, one more to go. Not bad for a week's worth of knitting. At this rate, I will have warm hands AND warm ears by Valentines Day. Will the scarf be too far behind?

At first, I was mildly disappointed in the yarn. I thought cashmere blend would be softer. It seemed almost harsh in the ball.  But as the knitting progressed, the yarn seemed to soften. Not as squishy soft as my lace weight alpaca or mohair, but the mitt feels like a second layer of skin.  Further, the stitches have a crisp textured look. 

Today, it is all about the singularity. 

Swathed in hand knits

As I entered Knittervention last night, I was swathed in non-matching knitwear: fingerless mitts, scarf, and ear warmer.     I took comfort with every stitch I added on the first installment of the Elegant Ensemble. 

Weekend progress

In addition to the very large pile of laundry ( including my sweetie's pile of hunting gear that needs up be cleaned with the special soap that smells like dirt before being packed away until next fall) and other housework, I managed to make a bit of progress on the first installment on the Elegant Ensemble:  fingerless mitts. 

Even though there are two mitts (as I continue to have two hands) I thought these would be the quickest start. Definitely smaller than a scarf, and likely to be used longer through the months than a hat or even ear warmer. 

Today, it us all about the first in the series. 

The only one that wasn't bored

This morning, my usual court was running a bit late. I am used to the odd stares and intrigued looks when I knit, but I always want to point out: we are all waiting, and I am the only one not bored.

I took it to a new level today. I finished my swatch, so I started asking about needle size. I knit the swatch in four different size needles, and had it narrowed down to two, but really couldn't decide beyond that. After a couple muggle opinions, I remembered that there was a fellow knitter one floor up. Ironically, she cast her vote for the same size as the muggles. 

So, I started the first installment of the Elegant Ensemble: the fingerless mitts. 

Today, it is all about the unbored. 

The Elegant Ensemble

The yarn is here! The yarn is here!  Waiting for me when I got home from work today.  In the 45 minutes before it was time to leave for Cub Scouts, in addition to cooking dinner, corralling children, and eating dinner, I was able to gather everything I needed to start. 

Or at least swatch. Swatching really is the slow water torture or knitting. Before you start, please practice, because I am not sure if I can remember how to knit. Doing it for twenty years, but this may be the project where I forget. 

Today, it is all about the testing. 

The Goldilocks Comparison

A few months ago, I frogged the Swirl Skirt, intending to re-start. It was way too big. It would have been mid-calf on me, which was far longer than I had pictured. 

I took a break, and tonight, I re-started. I am only two inches in, but I am already starting to worry that it is too small. I am too old and plump to want to knit a miniskirt. It is hard to judge length on the needles, so I am reserving judgment a little longer. The first inch put the skirt mid-thigh. The second inch has the length three inches above the knee. So we will see if the third inch drops the hemline another inch or two. 

I am starting to feel like Goldilocks in this skirt. "This one is too long. This one is too short."

Today, it is all about "just right" length.   

Two shades of gray

I have spent more time than I will admit to anyone coasting around Ravelry drooling over yarn.  I had a few yarn ideas from the LYS and Knit Picks, but also thought I might find something nice through the stash buying on Ravelry. 

It didn't take long for a firm idea of what sort of yarn I was looking for:  crisp twist/plied, light to medium gray, quality/upscale fiber.

I browsed  yarns.  I pored over details about yarn, comments and descriptions.  I compared various pictures of the same colorway, to eliminate monitor/color issues. I took notes on fiber content, gauge, and general attributes.  I scoped on what other knitters had made from this yarn, judging their final products (taking into consideration the variation of patterns and user idiosyncrasy.) 

I mean, this time I have done my research!

And now I have it narrowed down to two sellers.  Same yarn, slightly different shades of gray, close in yardage, and close in price.  So which to buy. . ..

I am tempted to contact both sellers, and see who responds first. 

Today, it is all about the response time.   

Double Header

I haven't been able to attend Knit Night in months.  It always falls on the same night as Bugaboo's Cub Scout Pack Meeting.  However, this month was the Pinewood Derby Race, so pack meeting details were handled there.  (Bugaboo received a very nice trophy for "Best Tiger", thank you for asking.  I don't know who was happier and more excited, my son or my husband.)  So imagine my glee when I saw Knit Night on my calendar, and realized that I could attend for once.  Knittervention fell on the same night, so I spent one hour at Knit Night, then proceeding to Knittervention.  A knitting group double header!  Three hours of knitting pleasure. 

I spent the first hour working on my Sequined Scarf.  Then I changed locations, ordered a pint of cider, and started Kitchnering.  Yesterday morning, I searched for my red handknit socks as a shield from the single-digit temperatures, only to remember that I had never finished the final seam.  Actually, I had two pairs of socks, finished except for the final seam. 

I took both pairs with me to the office, my head full of delusions that I would be able to Kitchner the seam and still wear the red socks that day.  I finished Kitchnering at 10pm.  Not much point then, but at least the socks will be ready the next time it is freezing cold and I wear the red shirt.  After I weave in the ends. 

As I got dressed this morning, I put on a purple shirt, and realized that the purple socks would have been perfect with it.  The purple socks that were still in the bag waiting to be Kitchnered.  The purple socks that maybe I should have done yesterday, instead of doing the red socks that I had no realistic way of finishing. 

Meanwhile, I have spent entirely too much time online today, researching yarn/patterns for the Elegant Ensemble.  I am trying to not get impatient, and do my homework. 

Today, it is all about the starting and finishing. 

 

    

Elegant ensemble

I wore my cozy new ear warmers to court  this morning. The good news is that my ears were toasty warm. (Though I will concede that it was not as frigid as last week.)

The bad news is that I don't feel like the ear warmers are as formal or matching for business wear. I just used the cute yarn that was already in my stash, but it doesn't match my full length purple wool work coat. 

It got me thinking: I need a elegant looking winter accessories ensemble. Something that would match my coat and each other, and would look formal enough to wear with a suit. 

I have been a knitter for over twenty years, so I am again wondering why I do not already have something like that, but I am focusing on the future. 

I spent some time online, browsing. I am picturing a gray ensemble: hat, ear warmer, scarf, maybe some fingerless mitts if I have enough yarn. Nice yarn, luxury yarn. 

I have finished two projects, so technically I am allowed to start something new, under the 2 for 1 vow. 

Today, it is all about the coordination.