Front and Back!

*Rachel: You fell as-leep?!
Ross: It was five-thirty in the morning and you had rambled on for nineteen pages. FRONT AND BACK!

Yes, it's true. I've finished the front and back of Manly. But not without some hair-pulling, angry-swearing, tape-measure-flinging frustration.

It all starts with the pattern mistakes that I mentioned yesterday. Namely, that there are two fewer stitches left when you shape the armholes than indicated by the instructions and that you would have stitches left over after the shoulder shaping if you bound off as many stitches as the pattern instructs. Oh, and the right and left sides are slightly uneven as well. Probably not in a noticeable way, just in a way that is infuriating to the knitter (me.)

So, I'm knitting along last night, confident in my solution to these problems when something occurs to me. I'm looking at my knitting and mentally calculating how many decreasing rows there are and trying to predict when I will get to eight inches and start the shoulder shaping. I will not hit eight inches before the neck shaping is done. In fact, I will have to knit several (say four) rows even between the end of the neck shaping and the beginning of the shoulder shpaing. That can't be right.

I get out the back. I measure the armhole. Ten inches! I look at the armhole schematic. The armhole is supposed to be eight and a half inches long. Fuck. What did I do wrong? Even more importantly how am I going to make the front match the back if the back is too long? will I have to knit the next size bigger sleeves? Will I have enough yarn? And how did the armholes GET SO FUCKING BIG?!

Once I was done panicking (and had shoved the offensive back into my knitting bag- out of sight) I started to think. Obviously the front needed to be longer to even meet the pattern dimensions and it didn't seem right to knit several rows even after the neck shaping but before the shoulder shaping on a v-neck sweater. Then I realized something. If I were to use the directions for the next size up and decrease one stitch at the neck edge every other row eleven times instead of eight I wold solve two problems. First, the extra six rows would make the front long enough. The shoulder shaping would begin right after the tenth decreasing row and I would end up with the right number of stitches to be bound off in the end. It was a Eureka moment.

As I started working on my new plan I continued to think. Maybe my gauge was off? Checked. No. Maybe I was so into knitting the back I sailed right past the stop point? Maybe. Finally, I pulled out the back again and remeasured. Still ten inches.

But then I realized my mistake. I had been measuring from the TOP OF THE SHOULDER. Not from the top of the armhole. I measured from the top of the armhole. Exactly eight and a half inches.

Now that I've finished the front and back I can say that both are exactly the right length, and equal.

The moral of the story? I need to remember that the shoulder seams will be seamed together and are not part of the armhole. Additionally, sometimes patterns have mistakes. Now let's see how the sleeves go.

*Random Friends Reference (RFR) 

As Heard on NPR

NPR reporter (in a story about the insurability of prostate cancer survivors): Insurance companies don't want to provide life in surance to cancer survivors because having had cancer increases your chances of dying.

Hmmm...Really? I always thought that everyone dies. Sooner or later.

Hmmm. Maybe I Should Blog More

18.75 %

My weblog owns 18.75 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

Two Things

First thing: South Dakota recently enacted an abortion ban. In response the President of the Oglala Sioux has announced that she plans to build an abortion clinic on the reservation. If you're interested in writing a letter of support to President FireThunder or donating please see the information here. Yes, I'm one of those women. I already wrote President FireThunder an email of support and plan to send a donation as soon as I have more than $50.00 in my bank account. Oh, and just in case it needs to be said: if you don't like my politics please feel free to look away.

Second thing: problems with Manly. I have discovered a mistake. Or, actually, one mistake which causes several other mistakes in the pattern. I am making the 45" chest. The first mistake starts with the armhole shaping. You cast on 109 stitches initially for the front, then you decrease: (109 cast on stitches) - 4 bound off stitches - 4 bound off stitches = 101 stitches, then you decrease (101 stitches left over) - 2 (decrease one stitch each side of needle) - 2 - 2 - 2 (decrease one stitch each side of needle three times) = 93 stitches. The pattern says you should have 95 stitches at this point. But you don't, nor should you if you follow the directions. Not a big deal, granted, but it just gets better from here.

When you get to the neck and shoulder shaping the pattern instructs you to work the first 46 stitches in the row (remember you have 93 stitches total at this point) and then ssk. So, if you follow the directions you have worked a total of 48 stitches, and have 47 stitches on that side of the sweater (because of the ssk), leaving 45 stitches for the other side of the sweater. Hmmm. I don't think it really matters all that much whether the sweater is off one or two stitches on each side, but I decided that I would, instead, work the first 45 stitches, then ssk. This means that I worked a total of 47 stitches on the first side of the sweater, and am left with 46 stitches on that first side and 46 stitches on the other side. In other words, the sides are as even as they can be.

Now comes the next mistake. While shaping the neck and shoulders you are directed to decrease a total of 43 stitches on each side of the sweater, then break yarn. If I were to do that then I would be left with three stitches on the needle on each side of the sweater, with my modified version of the pattern. If I were to follow the pattern exactly I would be left with two stitches on the left side and four stitches on the right side. Since the pattern makes no provision for holding those stitches for later, I'm assuming that they mean for me to bind off all of the stitches on the tops of the shoulders before moving on to the sleeves. Therefore this is another mistake.

This is what I've decided to do about it. I'm going to stick with my method, and when I get to the last row, I'm just going to bind off all of the stitches. Easy solution.

Now, I wanted to ask, has anyone else had this problem, with this size or any of the others? If so, what did you do about it? And lastly, do you think my solution will work? Oh, and please, if I have made a math error, feel free to point it out. I used a calculator but that's never stopped me from being wrong in the past.

Weekend Update and More Manly

Well it was a long weekend. Long and fun. Kevin and Emily brought us some Fantastic wine, which can be purchased here. All of them were really quite good. We had a pinot gris, a dessert riesling, a syrah, two pinot noirs and a cabernet franc. That's the one wine bottle in the photo above. That one got me drunk lickety split. Within a half an hour I was slurring my words and talking about things that no one cares about. Has that ever happened to you? (okay, I've just been informed that everyone cared about what I was talking about and that I didn't actually slur my words but instead spoke veeerryyy ssssllloowwlly.)

But this is a knitting blog, right? Above are pictures of my progress on Manly. I know, I know. It's going pitifully slow. I haven't been knitting as much as I would like lately. Instead I've been reading (just finished The Lovely Bones, first chapter still gives me nightmares), cooking (lamb chops with green beans most recently) and puzzling (sodoku is addictive!) But nothing compares to the knitting. (But I must confess I watched an entire movie last night without knitting.) I solemnly swear to do better.

Also, BIG NEWS: I picked up the last skein of brown sheep company lamb's pride in oatmeal today from the yarn store. So I'm totally ready to kick this sweater's ass.

BIGGER NEWS: it is my great pleasure to announce the arrival of Willow Hope, my newest niece, Friday, March 24, 3:00 a.m., 6 lb. 9 oz. And possessing a full head of dark wavy hair. I haven't seen her yet but the mother and grandmother assure me that she is adorable, sweet and perfect in every way, with the exception that she keeps her mother up all night.

I've Been Sorted!

be sorted @ nimbo.net

BITE ME UCLA

Fucking Goddamn UCLA. And Fucking Bulldogs. Note to the Gonzaga Bulldogs: if you're going to FUCK with me like this then Pendergraft should come over and FUCK me. Granted, Stephen might not agree with me on that last one but FUCK. What the FUCK?

I cannot believe that after leading the entire FUCKING game the Bulldogs FUCKING blew it in the last FUCKING FIVE minutes. Literally.

Okay, I'm going to drown my sorrows in some beer. I leave you with the one word that adequately describes my mental state and situation: FUCK.

Crappy Fucking Day

Okay, so I'm posting at 8:30 in the morning so perhaps I'm pre-judging today, but if it's anything like I think it will be, it will be a crappy fucking day. Why, you ask? Mainly it's my fault. I feel stressed out and overwhelmed, mainly because I'm in full-on avoidance mode. This means that I'm not only avoiding all of the things that I am supposed to be and should be doing that I don't want to do, but also all of the things that I want to do. It's like, if I put on the mental blinders then those things don't exist. Nothing exists, and I can exist in a no-man's land, a fantasy reality. I can float along in empty space. Which, of course, is total bullshit because every few seconds I get this gut wrenching guilt pang because I know that there are things that need to be done. Things I don't want to do. Things that might go so far as to make me cry. But they still need to be done. So that's where I am right now. In the mental equivalent of a "loop." A neverending loop.

Since it is such a crappy day already and I have now accurately defined both my mental state and, by implication, what is to be done about it (hint: it has something to do with getting off my ass, figuratively speaking, and doing some of the things that need to be done) I am now going to list a few positive things about my day:

1. Chacha commented on my last post. Thank you Chacha, and everyone else who has ever commented here. It's noticed and appreciated. If I don't email you about your comment it's because Blogger has not seen fit to provide me with your email address.

2. I have found the website for The Websters (I think that's right) and have decided that if I need to actually order some more lamb's pride for Manly I will be doing it there. Provided they have lamb's pride in oatmeal. I came to this decision after remembering that I have actually visited their brick and mortar store in Ashland, OR. Last spring. It was a good experience.

3. I have cast on and knitted several inches of the front of Manly. I'm moving along nicely.

4. I have determined that I have just enough money to get me to next payday without being overdrawn in my account, even though the evil gas light is on in the car. This will require eating nothing but beans, rice, and whatever other non-perishable food items are in my cupboards for the next two weeks, but this too shall pass.

5. Kevin and Emily will be here tonight. I am very excited.

6. I will not be coming to work tomorrow. Hallelujah!

A Very Manly Post

I decided to get serious about knitting Manly last night and finished up the back. What you see above in the especially crappy pictures is the Manly back, all done. And then below my newest knitting notion acquirement: the stitch holder, which is currently holding the live neck stitches on Manly's back. It's so Manly.

I have cast on for the front and everything is proceeding according to plan. Except for the expected yarn famine. Still don't know what my solution for that will be if I finish off the last of my yarn before the yarn store gets more. If anyone out there knows where I can get some lamb's pride worsted in oatmeal quick I would much appreciate the information. 

A Pound of Flesh

Riding in the car, heading towards the grocery store.


Stephen: "What’s wrong?"
Me: "I hate myself!"
Stephen: "Well, what do you want me to do?"
Me: "I don’t know"


But what I really wanted him to do was take me home and slice away every inch of fat from my body. Belly, thighs, ass. To create hollows where now there are curves. Concave.


A pound of flesh? That’s not going nearly far enough.

Two-Toned Socks, and More

I finished my Embossed Leaf Socks. As you can see above, I decided that I would rather have finished socks than socks made from the same yarn throughout. So I bought another skein of Lorna's Laces yesterday in the "mixed berries" colorway and finished them. Now, I know that some of you out there would be endlessly bothered by a finished project that was as incongruous as my socks. But I'm not. In fact, I actually like the effect. Since I only have one two-toned sock in the pair there's no way I could pass this off as done "on purpose" but I still like it. And I love the socks. I really like the way the pattern looks and I love the Lorna's Laces. In fact, these socks are on the blocking towel in the extra room right now.

Project Stats:
Pattern: Embossed Leaf Socks, Winter IK
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Jeans" and "Mixed Berry"
Needles: US size 2
Mods: Reduced length of foot by one pattern repeat (1 1/2 "?), worked them on four dpns throughout

Interesting thing. These socks are actually the right size, which really surprises me. I reduced the circumference of my mom's socks because I thought they would be too big for her otherwise, but did not do the same for mine. And they fit. I did reduce the length of the foot, but that was necessary as I have freakishly small feet. Also, I should mention that one of my size 2 needles met its demise during this project, as a result of an unfortunate husband-stepping-on-project-bag incident. This is going on his permanent record. They're my favorite sock needles. Luckily, I still have four left, and since I only use four at a time, he's been forgiven. Forgiven but not forgotten.

Also above, progress on Manly. That's the back, worked up to just past the armhole decreases where I was forced to stop so I can wind another hank of yarn into a ball. Oh joy. I hate that part as I do not own a ball winder. I need a ball winder people!

Oh, and lastly, I feel that I should tell you all that our good friends Kevin and Emily are coming next week to visit us. Kevin works here. We love them and they are coming which means that we must clean over here. We must clean and clean and clean. I hate cleaning and so am very stressed. Please disregard any absolutely insane postings here later in the week. 

Finished Objects, BLOCKED

Behold. My finished objects, BLOCKED. Above you have Sharfik #2 for my sister:

Pattern: Sharfik, Grumperina's free patterns
Yarn: Katia
Needles: Size 6
Mods: took out a pattern repeat to make it less wide

I liked making this (again) but am ready to try it in a totally smooth, worsted or DK weight yarn for me. Preferably something in a merino/cashmere blend. Yes, so I want to make a $80 scarf. So? Shouldn't I have pretty things?

There are also my rib and cable mitts and the chevron lace baby socks. May I say a word about the effect of blocking on Lorna's Laces? It's amazing how soft these socks are now. It's like heaven.

Last but not least, you have me. At 7:00 a.m. It is frightening. I know. I considered cropping my head out of the picture, but then I thought ehhh *shrug*. And so I left it in. 

Coffee

At 11:25 I look at the time. The white numbers against the cobalt blue background stare back at me. Only five minutes until I leave for lunch. Too close to pour myself another cup of coffee.
At 11:28 I look at the time again. Too close to pour myself another cup of coffee. I get up and go into the break room. The clear plastic container full of celery sticks, broccoli and cauliflower tempts me. Its open lid invites me to take a broccoli spear, to nibble on a piece of celery. But I resist.


At 11:29 I give in. I pour myself a cup full of coffee. Hot and dark brown, its slightly burnt aroma reminds me of cut orange peels. I breath deeply of its acrid smell while I pour sugar liberally into it at a spot equidistant from the sides of the cup. The fountain of sugar surges forth from the silver metal spout of the glass sugar shaker. The stream is the same size and shape as a child’s pinky and I hold it there for a predetermined amount of time. Almost as if I’m counting off the seconds silently... one one thousand... two one thousand... three one thousand and then done.


After placing the sugar shaker in its place I open the bin of powdered creamer. Its plastic lid pops off with a satisfying "plop" and the contents are revealed. Creamer is a misnomer for what confronts me. The powdery, slightly orange, vanilla flavored concoction which fills the metal container halfway up the sides and occasionally binds together into clumps is about as far removed biologically and chemically from real cream as any product could be. But its far better than that which comes in the paper packets.


I use the creamer uninhibitedly. After fishing out the plastic spoon used for scooping, I place three rounded spoonfuls in my cup. Wary of lumps I do not stir the powder in immediately but let it slowly spread out on the surface of the coffee, and then dissolve into its depths. The creamer that contacts the hot liquid first is the first to sink into oblivion, and slowly the rest follows. When the powder is no more than a whitish foam riding on the surface like an oil slick I retrieve a metal spoon from the drawer below and stir.


In an instant the entire character of the cup changes. The coffee is now uniformly the color of light colored suede, a clear cut mountain in the distance beyond my office window or a walnut shell. I take a sip. It’s perfect.


I look at the time again and realize it is 11:30. Time to go.

Parsnip Rosemary Risotto

First, yes there is knitting. I finished Sharfik #2 for my sister whose due date is today, btw. I have also knit a few inches on the Manly Sweater. Yeah for size 8 needles!

But the knitting will have to wait because today we have the parsnip rosemary risotto (recipe March issue, Bon Appetit) I made this Monday night. What you have above is 1: parsnips, onions and butter sauteeing to a lightly browned, slightly softened, buttery oniony goodness, 2: the same with the addition of arborio rice and the first dose of liquid (vegetable broth) and 3: the end result, a creamy yummy risotto, fully matured and spiced (herbed?) with fresh rosemary.

The finished product was creamy and starchy with a peppery bite from the parnsips. The sweet/peppery flavor of the parsnips melded perfectly with the rosemary and the parmesan cheese, which was mixed in immediately prior to serving. Mmmm....yummy.

I was quite pleased with the way this dish turned out. I was initially worried that the rosemary might overwhelm the dish. I made a blue cheese/butternut squash/rosemary risotto last February that languished in the fridge because the combination of the rosemary and the blue cheese (gorgonzola actually) was overwhelming and too strong for Stephen and I. Since then I've been a bit wary of both blue cheese and rosemary in recipes, leaving them out or substituting much of the time. But this recipe strikes just the right balance, and I think, is helped by the "bite" of the parsnips. The butternut squash in the previous recipe was simply mushy and tasteless under all that strong cheese and herb. But the parsnip is able to stand up to the rosemary and the cheese and not be subsumed by it.

Needless to say, I will be making this again, and we have leftovers so I will soon report on whether its better a day or two of marinating in the fridge.

Tomorrow: finished, BLOCKED, objects and some Manly Sweater. It's so...Manly. 

The Bikini Story

* and **

















The title of this post is The Bikini Story and, indeed, there is a bikini (a knit one even!) featured in the story. You can see it above in a couple of relatively unflattering pictures. You see, when I first indulged my burgeoning obssession last fall, I also bought a copy of Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n' Bitch which features a knit bikini. In November, when I was trying to figure out how to knit gifts for everyone I knew (scarves, scarves and more scarves turned out to be the answer) Stephen mentioned that he liked the bikini and thought I would look hot in it. I think that he really meant it. I think he also meant that he really wanted me to knit something other than socks since I had been knitting, but mostly screaming at, my first sock ever, for days. So, I told him that I would knit him the bikini (for me for him) for Christmas. I have to say, he liked the idea.


So, as soon as I finished with the fucking sock (bad pattern, do not trust the sock calculator.) Anyway, as soon as I finished the sock I knit the bikini top. It was easy as pie. Except for one frogging incident caused by the fact that I failed to read the pattern all the way through first and therefore missed an instruction which began with the ominous words "at the same time." Other than that it was easy. Possibly the easiest thing I have ever knit. I even liked it on me.


Then it came time to make the bottoms. Or, more accurately, to decide which size to make the bottoms. I read through the instructions. I measured my waist and my ass and the distance from the top of my ass crack to my belly button. Okay, maybe not, but wouldn't it be funny if I did? Then I realized it. I could not knit the bottoms. I simply couldn't. The pattern instrcutions said that you should pick your size, then spend a lot of time in front of the mirror making sure that you had picked the right size. I couldn't do it. I simply could not spend all that time looking at my chubby belly in the mirror. Not to mention my flabby ass. So I told Stephen that he would have to wait until I was ready before I could knit the rest of the bikini.

He's still waiting.

I have to say that this story does not make me happy, but I suppose that I decided to tell because I'm starting to have hope that he may not have to wait forever. As I have mentioned in a previous post, we've been going to the gym five days a week. So I have hope. My ass is definitely less flabby these days. Now if only my belly would firm up at the same rate as my calves. Then I would be knitting those bikini bottoms.

* The top picture is from last Friday morning here. It was the most beautiful, sunny spring morning and it was also snowing all at the same time. Gentle, whispy snowflakes lit by morning sunlight.

** Neither the truck nor the house pictured belong to me. But the fir tree does. 

Lasagne!

Okay, so this is a little off topic, but I made a fucking fantastic lasagne on Thursday night. And we ate it with a little Townshend Vortex Red. It was really, really good. As you can see Stephen and I devoured half of it just between the two of us. I used the recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook (the one with the hand lettering and illustrations by Molly Katzen) and added the optional spinach. Very, very good. There's just something about a dish that combines three different types of cheese (parmesan, mozzarella and cottage) and pasta that really makes me happy. The organic roasted pepper tomato sauce didn't hurt either.

And for all of you wondering where you can buy the Townshend, I'm sorry to say that I'm pretty sure it's only available in the Spokane area at this time. The guy lives right outside of town and actually makes the wine in his basement, I think. Or maybe in a little shed on the property. We're talking seriously small batches and a work of love at this point though. But he makes awesome wine and if someone out there has seen it outside eastern washington, I would love to know about it. I just really hope that he makes enough money to start marketing outside the area soon. If you're interested pop over to his website here.

Oh, and while I'm talking about wine, Stephen and I have a good friend who works for a wine shop in Corvallis Oregon. Their website is here. 

A Little Bit of Jane in My Life

Attendance has been a bit spotty here this week, due to three circumstances. First, I'm getting sick (which impairs my ability to move off of the couch after work.) Second, I needed to take pictures of the sock and I didn't have the energy to do it. Three, I've been, well, reading. Blasphemy, I know.


Reading is my first love though. On Sunday I picked up Pride and Prejudice and I couldn't put it down. I finally finished it at about 12:00 a.m. and went to bed. Then I picked up Emma last night and read the first 150 or so pages. I love bot of these books and have read them several times. I have also read Sense and Sensibility: several times, Persuasion: several times, Mansfield Park: once, and Northanger Abbey: once. To me, these books and the characters in them, are like old friends. Jane Austen presents her characters very well. They are all human, with human frailties and they all become better people over the course of the novel (all of her main characters anyway.) I just love these books nad I can, and do, read them over and over again.

But I digress. You're all here for the knitting, right? Well, here is my Embossed Leaf Sock and the start of the second sock. I know that I said in a previous post that the pattern was too fiddly. I take it back. I'm in love with the pattern once again AND I LOVE the TOE. I love the way it looks on my foot. I love the way it feels. It's just so PRETTY. And I love me some pretty things.

Also, on a sad note, I popped over to Eunny's blog and read that she frogged her argyle socks. Why, Eunny, why? I suppose that I may have to let go of the lust in my heart for them. Maybe. 

Teeny Tiny Post

Well, I have no pictures at the moment and not a lot to say but I thought that I would write a teeny tiny post just to keep you all updated. I'm at work and have no pictures, but I have finished the first embossed leaf sock. Unfortunately, I'm pretty certain that I don't have enough yarn for the second. I may have to venture into the world of online yarn buying since it could be months before the LYS has more Lorna's Laces, and waiting that long to finish the socks would probably make me want to scream. I NEED Unfinished Objects to become Finished Objects within a reasonable period of time or my mental health is compromised. It's something about reaching into the knitting bag and having to fish around the unfinished sock full of dpn's that sends me over the edge. And I want to wear the socks. I love the socks. I put on the finished sock last night and considered wearing just that one sock to work today. Stephen talked me out of it.

On a sort of non-knitting related topic, I love my laptop. If I could write a commercial for my laptop, and at the same time copy another well known commercial, it would go something like this: laptop: $0 (gift from my parents): Roxio $0 (gift to Stephen from good friend), watching DVD's on laptop in living room while sitting on the couch knitting instead of having to move self and knitting downstairs into the deep freeze of the basement to watch DVD's: priceless. So, that's what I did last night, watched DVD's (now might be a good time to mention that I also love my Netflix subscription) on the couch and finished the sock. A good night.

My Inner Harlot

So I have a couple projects on the needles. This is quite unusual for me. I'm usually a one project kind of girl. But today I find myself with not one but two projects on my needles. The first is my embossed leaf socks, made with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Blue Jeans. As you may remember, I made a pair of these for my mom, and I really like the way the pattern looks so I decided to make a pair for myself. Notice that I did not say that I like the pattern itself. Actually, the pattern is not bad and it has a certain internal logic. I have actually memorized the 16 row leaf pattern repeat so I don't have to look at the chart every row and that's a good thing. But something about it is irking me. First, it really shoudl be worked using five dpn's but this is too fiddly for me. Too many points, etc. And my foot is much shorter than the foot the pattern is designed for, which means that I still have to figure out where I will stop. Of course, it would be best if I stopped either at the end of a pattern repeat or halfway through one. But this might now work out right in terms of the length. So I have to think about it. And I'm in no mood to think about it right now. Additionally, I strongly suspect that I will need another hank of yarn to finish. But maybe not. I don't know.

The second project is the Manly Sweater from SnB. It is, as I have mentioned before, for Stephen. So far I'm enjoying it. Since it's worked flat in 5x1 ribbing it's pretty mindless. The good thing is that it's also worked on size 8 needles and should knit up reasonably quickly. I can't decide yet if the simple nature of the pattern is a good thing, or if it is going to bore me to tears yet. Right now, it seems to be working well with the embossed leaf socks, which are rather fiddly (read: a little more complicated than a sock should be.)

That's all for today. Thanks for tuning in. 

Finished Objects, All with Slight Imperfections

Pattern: Rib and Cable Mitts Spring IK
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, dark pink and light pink
Needles: Size 3
Mods: None

Well, I like them a lot. They're soft, they fit, they're warm. Unfortunately the dark pink one (on the right) is slightly shorter than the light pink one. I miscounted when I knitted the second one and made it longer accidentally. But I still really like them. I plan to wear them while knitting in my basement (where it's ridiculously cold.)



















This is the last pair of baby socks. As you can see, I finished the second toe with the "blue jeans" colorway of Lorna's Laces. They're the Chevron Lace Socks. I don't mind the blue toe. I figure it's just one of those things that is. Like pooling, for instance. Not the kind of thing that will bother me.

Now, I'm working on a pair of Embossed Leaf Socks (Winter IK) in the blue jeans colorway for myself. I'm also planning my next big project. I'm thinking it will be the Manly Sweater from sNb for Stephen. He does totally support my yarn habit so I would like to make something nice for him. My other projects that are waiting in the wings? Another Sharfik for my sister, the trellis scarf from spring IK, and the simply lace socks from spring IK. I did buy some yarn this week, including some baby ull and a skein of handpainted bamboo yarn. I think all will be wonderful things. 

Leah

Leah. Who is the most perfect dog ever. Although I think of her as a person, really. A very furry, mute person. 

This is Your Brain on PMS

Okay, Blogger and I are not getting along these days. Why are two of the pictures up there and one down below? I have no fucking idea.

Anyway, these are three things that made me happy today. Above there is Lucy a/k/a The Kitten. I love her.

Then below there is Leah, my dog. I love her. She is the best and the sweetest. Lucy licks and bites her ears and Leah doesn't mind.

Then there is the pink plastic heart shaped paper clip that I found at work today. Why does this make me happy? Like Blogger, this too is a mystery to me. But it did make me inordinately happy.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Deleated Leah's picture. Fuck. Anyway, tomorrow there will be pictures of finished objects. All with slight defects. 

Baby Socks Redux

Okay, I know I promised pictures. And I had pictures. And I had a rather long post which I posted this morning. Except it didn't actually publish. I hit the publish post button and 20 minutes later...nothing. So I had to shut down the computer and come to work. Fucking Blogger.

Anyway, so I'm going to rewrite my post now, without the pictures, and hopefully post pictures tonight or maybe tomorrow.

Baby Socks Stats
Pattern: Better Than Booties Baby Socks, Summer '05 IK, Hugs and Kisses, Chevron Lace and Ruffled Rib
Yarn: One Skein + Lorna's Laces Girly Stripe
Needles: Size 0 dpn

The Lorna's Laces was love to work with and the patterns were extremely well written. I learned a couple new skills and improved on some newer skills. First, I had never done a short row heel and toe before (I always made a heel flap and decreased for toe shaping.) Although the wrapping was a bit fiddly and time consuming at first I found that I like it. It works. However I did screw up on some of the heels and toes, mainly ending up facing the wrong side when done, indicating that I blew by the paired stitches on some of the decrease rows and decreased the wrong stitches. This made some of the heels and toes slightly crooked. But these are baby socks, worked on size 0 dpn's, half in the car. I decided to let them be crooked and not rip back. Perhaps the knitting gods will punish me. Oh wait, they already did. I ran out of yarn on the last toe and it will be at least another 6-8 weeks before my LYS has anymore Girly Stripe in. So, you will most likely be seeing a picture of one perfectly normal Chevron Lace sock and one with a blue/brown/gray toe posted here in the near future. I just can't wait that long to finish that sock. It's driving me crazy sitting in my knitting bag, needles akimbo, poking my new projects. It must be finished!

I also learned to purl through the back loop. That's right. I figured out how to knit through the back loop just by "figuring it out" but could never quite get my head around purling tbl. Then, enter this project where I couldn't really substitute a different stitch (like ssp) or at least I couldnt' figure out how to, and I was forced to find a diagram. Where did I find it? Well, I went to the newbie forum at Knitty and found a link to the Lion Brand How To site. And there it was. Diagrammed for me. For the record, I will only be using this knoweldge if I have to because i find it difficult to pull the yarn through the loops in the manner, but it's nice to know that I can.

Third, the Hugs and Kisses socks allowed me to practice cabling, since they were only my second ever cable project. The one thing I will say about cabling? It sucks if you are a tight knitter like me. The tightness does make for crisp looking cables but its a real bitch to stretch the held stitches over to be knitted. Perhaps I will have to work on making the previous row of stitches looser? I will say that this was less of a problem when I made Sharfik since it was worked flat, making the round before the cables a purl round, which I always work a little more loosely.

Alright, that is all for now. More later, hopefully with pictures.

Quickie

Alright, this one is going to be a quickie (see the title) with no pictures. First, Stephen told me that he has shown his boss this here blog and apparently said boss and his wife occasionally stop by. So, Marshall and Yoko, if you're reading this, HI! I guess that means I'm going to have lay off the comments about lazy ass city workers. (No, really I love all you lazy city workers, really.)

Second, I gave away my Sharfik last weekend. I brought it to show off to my parents and sister and ended up giving it to my mom. I know it will be loved. And this means I get to make myself another. It also means that I have to make my sister one too since she saw it, wanted it, but I had already given it to my mom. Ah, family.

So, that's all for now. Tonight, pictures.