Sunday, July 30, 2006

Naughty

LOL on the title. If my husband read that he would beg to differ about giving a knitting post the title of "Naughty," but this is my blog, not his.

I feel delightfully and deliciously bad. I'm supposed to be finishing my WIP before TNJ (which starts 8/14 for those who have asked), and I just CO a new project: Lotus Blossom from Interweave Press. My sister gave me a subscription for my birthday, and while I was thankful for the gift, I didn't really think I'd enjoy it that much. Well come to find out, I really like it! If she doesn't renew the subscription as a gift next year, I plan to renew it myself.

I'm knitting this in Debbie Bliss Cathay in a dusty cantaloupe melon color. I have about 2-3 extra skeins depending on how top turns out, so I can make something else with it (maybe a matching top for DD). I couldn't believe that the gauge, etc was exactly what the pattern called for. Lucky me. I had planned to make the Honeymoon Cami in this yarn, but after making two other tanks, I decided I just didn't like the way the tanks looked on me in the cotton yarn. I just don't have the bod for it, and I didn't like the overall look of the yarn in the knit.

Hopefully this knit will turn out. Not only am I taking on another project when I said I wouldn't, I'm taking on a project for myself, which I swore off awhile ago.

Fun fun. So far I really like the lace pattern, and it's not too difficult to follow. I'll show pics soon.

And on another front, I am so stupid! I finished both Anouk and Miss Dashwood and promptly wrapped the gifts before taking a picture of them! Duh. I'll have to take my camera when I give it to my DGF and snap some pictures of her holding it to showcase on the blog. Both turned out amazingly cute!

Friday, July 28, 2006

Tempting II isn't tempting

Here are two photos of DD taken a year apart. She doesn't look ver different in them given the poses, but she is so different now!


DD in July 2005

DD in July 2006






Tempting II isn't tempting me anymore. I've had 13 inches (up to the armpits) completed for well over a month. I trudged through casting on one sleeve a few days ago, but for some reason, the pattern and project just isn't giving me that oomph other projects do. I look at it and think, "Blah!"

Today I finished the hat for DD (a purple Miss Dashwood), and I just have the ear flaps to knit and sew on (easy, quick). I want to make DD the Anouk now, and I plan to add some embellishments that I learned from Miss Dashwood. I plan to CO using the picot edge, and I want to put some bobbles in there somewhere. I just have to figure out where.

I've stalled on her rug, which I really should finish since I want to see it in her room. It's HUMONGOUS (covers my legs when I knit it), and I have a TON more to do (maybe the reason I've stalled on it).

I also need to figure out something about the Tempting II project. I need to finish it (but finish it the right way so I'll wear it), or rip and knit it into something different. This poor yarn has only been ripped about 6 times, so I want to put it to good use (it's really good yarn), but I just don't know what.

~sigh~

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Inventory II - Post 2nd Summer Vacation



I am truly a lucky gal, getting two wonderful vacations this year. First to the beach for a full week, and then 5 full days to the stunning mountains of PA with my family and ILs (who I love dearly; MIL is here with DD). DH and I had a wonderful time bike riding through the mountains (paved and gravel roads, no trails, but definitely remote mountain roads), we enjoyed fabulous food with DD and the ILs, and the company was lively and entertaining.

Interspersed between riding, eating, relaxing, and chatting were moments of knitting. Here's an update on my pre-vacation inventory list:

Linen Lace Handtowel: Both are DONE! Here you can see the second one blocking. At the moment they are both folded neatly together on the table awaiting a pretty packaging and wrapping, along with matching handsoap (handmade, maybe) for MIL's Christmas present.


DD's Rug: stet. No progress.

Anouk Pinafore: Blocked! I had a hard time getting it to fit on the sweater drying screen, but it worked. I haven't yet sewn the pockets on, and honestly the pockets look a little too big for it. With all pieces blocked, I figured it would be easier to sew it together. I'll have to find some daytime with good light to tackle that. Maybe this next weekend.


Baby Tart Hat to match Anouk: Actually, I decided to knit another Knitty.com pattern: Miss Dashwood. I almost skipped it because I thought the brim looked too big and floppy, but it turned out beautifully! All that is left is knitting on the earflaps and blocking (to make the brim lay flat). I knit this in the same washable wool from Cascade (Cascade 220 Superwash) as the pinafore. It's the "flower" on top of the stem and dress.

BTW, I adore this hat and started one in purple for DD. I learned a new CO technique that makes a gorgeous picot edge! I love it and can't wait to try it on something else.

Baby Kimono and Hat: stet. No change.

Tempting II: I knit about 2-3 rows total on vacation, and I'm to the point of starting the sleeves. So, I put it down and will revisit it when I have a chance to concentrate on what I'm doing.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Inventory

Sorry, this is a picture-less post. I hate picture-less posts. They're long and boring and too laundry-list-ish. I have enough laundry lists in my life, and lo and behold, this post is a laundry-list. But it doesn't have to look like one. So, this is a non-knitty picture, but a picture all the same. This is a picture of DD's arm in a purple cast as she's finger painting. Luckily the cast is waterproof. She has her hand jammed in her purple bowl of paint. She loves purple, if you didn't know.


The following pictures are of us entertaining ourselves while on the plane going to the beach. Dad has a nifty new mac laptop with a built-in camera and this great photo program called PhotoBooth. You should check it out sometime. Very fun.

Because I am changing jobs, I've set a number of 30-day goals for myself, including wrapping up my WIPs. I know I'll be immersed in the new job (TNJ), responsibilities, people, culture, not to mention the actual work of TNJ, and I don't want those UFOs taunting me.

We're also going out of town the rest of this week and weekend, and I'll have valuable knitting time but not much finishing/blocking time.

Linen Lace Handtowel: I'm making 2 of these for MIL for Christmas, and I'm on the final border of the second handtowel. I hope to BO today, block tomorrow, and finish next week. 9:30 pm update: 2nd handtowel is blocking now. All ends are woven in, and all that remains is packaging and wrapping.

DD's Rug: This is an on-going WIP and won't be finished before TNJ.

Anouk Pinafore: I've finished all of the knitting (pockets, tabs, dress) and weaving in the ends. I need to figure out how to sew the pockets on, and then a good block. Actually, I think I'll block the pockets and dress first and then sew on the pockets. Hopefully that will make seaming easier. I doubt I'll have time to block this tomorrow before we leave, so it will have to wait until next week or weekend.

Baby Tart Hat to match Anouk: I haven't actually started this, but since this is a gift set, I need to start and finish it before TNJ. This will be a good knit over the vacation this week - small, easy to carry, and easy to knit. Hopefully I'll finish it this week, block next, finish the pinafore, and give to my dear friend the first week of August.

Baby Kimono and Hat: I finished the pink set and now need to finish the blue set. All are knit, but I need to seam the kimono, weave in the ends, and block. Maybe I'll take it with me on vacation to work on in some down time. Block next week or the week after, package, wrap, and ship to the expecting cousin.

Tempting II: I put this down in utter frustration over a month ago. I wasn't actually frustrated at the piece but rather with adult knitting all together. I'm still skeptical I have any ability to knit adult pieces that look good (I still haven't worn either my Honeymoon Cami or HC Companion), but I may actually try to finish this one. SKC Knit-along is inspiring me, though I'm really nervous about the neckline and sleeves. I've finished 12" of the 13" body, and next are the sleeves and neckline. It's so close, but so far. Maybe I'll work on this the first week in August, wrapping up the second before starting TNJ the third week.

Whew!

Saturday, July 15, 2006

At long last

A post and some pics to show of recent work. It's not an FO yet, but it's close.

Here's the unblocked, recently finished pinafore in 90% glory. I love this pattern, and so does DD who insisted it was hers. Because it's first a dress and then a tunic to get the most mileage out of a lovingly made handknit garment, I made the terrible mistake of trying it on DD to see how it would fit on a 2-year-old (I knit the 3 mo size). A terrible mistake because of course DD didn't want to take off the "purple dress." I wrenched it from her (intact) by promising to knit her a purple hat, which she wanted immediately. ~sigh~ I have a lot to learn as a parent. But when you're two, out of sight is out of mind: she hasn't seen the pinafore since.

Anyhoo, the dress knit up quickly. I knit both front and back on the same needles at the same time (thanks to long circular needles!). The pattern was relatively easy to follow, though I did have to pay attention. I also had to stop and devote some attention to deciphering the instructions along the shoulders and neckline, but that's not unusual. Believe it or not, this pattern had very little ripping, if any (yay me).

As you can see, the dress joins at one shoulder and is open at the other (wonderful to accommodate infants' large heads and small bodies). I modified the shoulder strap at the open end to allow a little more overlap for a button & button hole. BUT, I also decided to use a snap closure with a decorative button on top (as a parent I HATED clothing with actual buttons).

The only thing I have left are the pockets and the side tabs. The pockets are giving me some trouble. They are lovely pockets with cute flowers that "grow out of" the bottom grass of the dress. However, I've never done intarsia successfully nor have I ever knit and sewn on a pocket. I'm only so-so happy with this first pocket, and my first attempt to sew it on was a bomb.

As you can see, the underside is a bit of a mess. I'm not sure if this is what intarsia is supposed to look like or not, but the yarn carries over wide swatches. Maybe I shouldn't carry the yarn but weave in the ends, but the pocket is so small with only a few stitches (4-5 max) of color in between colors that it seemed silly to not carry it. It's not a functional pocket, so it won't matter what the underside looks like.

I tell myself all this, of course, but really I care (or else I wouldn't have the conversation). I want the underside to look neat and tidy. I want to learn how to do this the right way. The pocket isn't functional, really, but it doesn't matter - I want the knitting to be right. But I also want to finish the darn thing and get on with it. I've looked at some good online resources (How to be an expert knitter was REALLY helpful), but reading and looking at others doing it is a lot different than doing it yourself.

I'm thinking about skipping the pockets all together, but that blows the pretty green grass and violet edging at the top.

So, I have more work to do, but it's close. I can't wait to see the FO.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Yay me!

A new month and no posts yet. I'm a bad blogger. I did have a fabulous vacation. I did knit. And I did get a new job! I'm afraid all the upset in the next several months may lead to spotty posts, but I'm still knitting.

Pics to come. I made GREAT progress on the baby pinafore. I'm done with the body and on to the pockets. I just need to figure out how to do intarsia (previous attempts resulted in holes). Since this is a gift, holes won't do.

DD is calling. It's bath time. Back soon.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Vacation Day 1

I decided to take an extra vacation day while the fam was at work and in nursery school so I could wrap up all those annoying errands that plague every vacation. It's 12:37 and today I have

* gone to the mall twice (once before it was open, not realizing it didn't open at 9)
* bought new running shoes for me and exchanged DD's shoes for ones that fit her
* gone to DH's office twice (once to drop him off, again to get the housekey since I gave mine to the cat sitter)
* CVS (which I have to go back to since their pharmacist was swamped)
* tailor (which I have to go back to since they didn't have my stuff done)
* dry cleaner (which I have to go back to tomorrow to pick up the stuff)
* yarn store

The last one is the savings grace - I hate doing things multiple times, and as you can see from the list above, I have several things to do over again. Grr.

I'm vacationing with my ILs, and I'm in the middle of knitting MIL's second lace handtowel. SO, I just had to get a different project, since I don't want MIL to see her Christmas present in June.

So I'm starting on Anouk by Kate Gilbert for a dear coworker. My friend's only criterion (when I asked her opinion) was no pastels, which I happily complied.


I'm knitting Anouk in Cascade 220 Superwash, as my LYS didn't have the Pima Tencel. It wasn't too bad - 4 skeins total (at $10/skein), and I'll have enough left over for a matching hat and little purse. I also picked up new bamboo addis - yum yum. I think that's the best part.


You can see here that the yarn is getting ready for baby knits.


Sadly in the store I decided to knit the body in green with purple border and pink flowers, and when I got home, I changed my mind and decided to knit the body in purple with green border and pink flowers. Which means I now have to go BACK to the LYS (about 15 min drive one way) to get the correct yardage of yarn. But that's a happy trip. I just have to make sure to exchange the yarn and not buy more. ;)

PS - Deirdre - I can't seem to email you, but I've been checking up on you and trying to leave posts. Hope the cyber world works for you soon!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Ruminating

I'm here. I'm ruminating on life in general. I'm knitting some, but I'm a bit preoccupied and caught up with other non-knitty worries at the moment. Luckily this afternoon begins my 10-day vacation and official hiatus from life. Beach, here I come (even though this bod isn't quite ready for it, my brain and spirit are).



Here's a pic of my precious girl (to stave off the text-only post). She's a dream, even when shoe-horning her body into a sink to avoid getting her cast wet (I had a button-cute pic of her in her sink bubble bath, but I don't feel so comfy putting a pic of her up when she's naked, even though naked kids are just adorable). In this badly-blurry cellphone picture, however, she's sporting her new purple waterproof cast! Our beach vacation is back on! Whoo hoo!!

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Back in business!

Awhile ago I started a rug for DD. It started as this

and then became this


and then I ran out of yarn. Big deal? No, not really. We have a car, live in the 'burbs, and can get to Michael's in about 20 min. So the problem, you ask?

Well, I detest, no, make that utterly detest and despise going to the big box stores. Absolutely hate it. But, my LYSs don't carry this yarn (it's cheap but luuvly), so out to Michael's it is.

I'm using Lily's Peaches 'n Cream and wasn't worried about finding more or about the dye lots. It's a rug, after all, and it's Peaches 'n Cream moreover. It was just a matter of finding the time to schlep down to Michael's and buying it.

Which is what I did. $67 worth of Peaches 'n Cream. Having spent around $35 already for it, DD's going to use this rug for a loooong time. Here's the result of that purchase

It's turning out to be very large, so I may recalculate how big I want it to be. The pattern is a log cabin style that has 4 panels sewn together. I didn't want to bother with knitting 4 panels exactly the same size in order to piece them, so I simply multiplied the size of one panel to get the final size I want. BUT, I didn't multiply it by 4, rather, I multiplied it by 6!! Time to recalculate. But since I'm knitting one panel and don't have to match other panels to fit this one, I can make it any size or shape I want, right?

You'll notice, too, that this is a rug. A home textile project. I'm tempted by lovely adult (i.e., for me) patterns: Maisy (just ignore the model), a bazillion in Knitty, and others I come across usually 2-3 times a week. I haven't finished Tempting II yet. I'm just not over my down-in-the-mouth slump about being such a shoddy clothes knitter. I'm a shoddy clothes seamstress, too, which is why my machine is in the closet (and also for the same reason Colleen at Subway Knitter cites: it's too much of a pain to take 30 min to lug it out and set up, sew for an hour, and take 30 min to pack it back up. With my schedule, I'd get to bed at 1 AM for a measley hour of sewing. I'll wait 'til I get my sewing room.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Ack!

Remember this?






It turned into this after a few hours of wearing. Blech! Heather had a great post awhile back about negative ease. She pointed to some good articles, too, which I read after finishing this tank. Maybe I should have thought about that before knitting this sweater, but I wanted a sweater that was comfortable, not too tight. With this non-ease cotton thread, I suspect it would have been pretty tight.

Overall, I'm also disappointed with the tank. It just doesn't fit nicely. I feel lumpy in it. It is cool for the summer, but the yarn looks washed out already (it's a dusty color, supposed to look . . . well, dusty). It doesn't look rich and deep. It sorta hangs on me. Overall it's just disappointing.

Which leads me to my next whine: I think I'm done knitting adult clothes for myself. The baby clothes I knit seem to turn out beautifully, but I haven't knit a single adult thing (hats and scarves aside) that I like. Admittedly, I've knit one sweater and two camis. I hate all of them. OK, I don't hate them. I really dislike them. I wear them because I knit them, but I wouldn't have bought them off the rack.

Shucks. ;(

Friday, June 09, 2006

an almost-FO update

Is it OK to post almost-FOs?? I think the finishing process is by far the easiest but at the same time the most time-consuming part to knitting. It's especially time-consuming if you follow my lead: I finished knitting these over a week ago but have done nil with them since. Both need a nice long soak, and the lace handtowel needs some serious pinning and arranging in place.

However, I have NO intention of doing this work anytime soon. The little guy who's getting the kimono has weeks before he's here, and the lace handtowel is a Christmas gift, so it clearly has months before MIL sees it. Of course, I run the risk of putting off the final soak & block to the night before, but it's so far off I'm playing dumb.


Baby Kimono
FO Date:May 2006
Pattern:A Hearthbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono in Mason-Dixon Knitting
Modifications: I extended the front flap to the side seam. It looked prettier to me than ending the flap mid-way on the side. I also added the YO border along the bottom, and I added a YO border along the neckline in the back.
Yarn: Berroco 50% cotton, 50% rayon, 1.75oz/89yd, 5mm(5st=1") in baby blue
Comments:This is an amazingly simple knit and easy to modify. I think next time I'll shorten the sleeves a bit and not knit the front flap to extend so far - I think it's over-extended, actually.






Linen Lace Handtowel
FO Date:May 2006
Pattern:Linen Lace Handtowel inspired by Mason-Dixon Knitting with lace stitch from --gotta get the book name--
Modifications: None really. This towel uses a 16-row repeat comprised of a 8-st pattern + 1. I added 3 k st ea side (garter) and 3 rows of garter on ea end to prevent rolling.
Yarn: Euroflax 100% linen, sport weight, 50gr/135yd, 3.0-3.25mm(6st/in) in terra cotta
Comments:I LOVE this twine yarn. I'm confident it will soften with a good wash. It's easy to knit, it coarse but feels good in my hands, holds its shape if it falls off the needle, and is generally easy to knit with. The color is beautiful, and I hope my MIL likes it. The pattern was also enjoyable to knit. It took awhile to get the pattern down (16 rows is a lot), but after awhile I got it and could run with ease. I had few mistakes and minor back-tracking (no major ripping). It was a perfect train project. I'm actually knitting a second handtowel in the same yarn, different color. I also chose a different pattern (for variety) but am having the same success with this one. I recommend it.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

a non-knitty freak-o-zoid


Have you seen this?

http://www.angryman.ca/monkey.html

This is a guy who's eating monkey food (pellets, huge pellets) for a week because he's tired of cooking and doing dishes. Imagine the power of over-worked, taken-for-granted moms who went on kitchen-duty strike by serving their precious fams nothing but monkey chow. DD's a little too young for me to resort to this, but Adam does give me ideas!

What a freak-o thing to do. I will say my typical american tabloid-tv-loving-self is eating it up (more than he's eating, that's for sure).

Go Adam! You can do it! Maybe I'll knit him a present if he makes it all the way through. Maybe a monkey sweater.

Note: The photo here is Adam's from his site. I ripped it. All credit goes to Adam, not me. I just needed eye candy for the blog page.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Two FOs!


Baby Kimono 1 and a matching baby hat of my own creation. I'm not 100% sure about the ribbon, but it's perfect for the recipient. I've actually finished knitting the 2nd kimono but it's not blocked or seamed. But more than that, it actually has a coffee stain on it! My coffee thermos leaked, and the knitting bag was slightly open. A few dribbles found their way in. It's not horrible, but I do hope it washes out. Suggestions?

The matching baby hat here was a breeze to make, even ripping because I missed some YOs. The border matches the border on the kimono, and I used the decrease pattern from Yarn Harlot's post the other day. The 8, 7, 6 etc decrease works perfectly for stitches in multiples of 10. I love the spiral (as YH comments in her post).

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Tales of a mother's life


It feels like forever since I've posted. Life has been a whirlwind!

DD broke her arm over Memorial Day weekend! Here she is with GraMawMaw in her cast and makeshift sling (they didn't have one small enough at the emergency room). Crawling out of her pack-and-play at naptime is not a skill she's mastered, obviously. And being a tough mom is not a skill I've yet mastered, either. My immediate reaction after seeing her bent arm was to bury my face in my hands and turn away in horror. Of course, a second later and I was marching through the house to take her to the hospital. But I'm still a bit aghast at my reaction. I gotta get tougher.

I was able to start the second baby kimono over the weekend. I made good progress in the two hours before DD broke her arm, and I've made good progress now that I'm back on the train.

Which reminds me - I made EXCELLENT progress on MIL's linen handtowel last week while stuck on the train for 3 hours. Yup, I was a mere 1/4 mile from the station when the train stopped, along with all the other commuter trains on the Amtrak line from NY to DC. Happily I had my knitting with me (and plenty of progress to make). The handtowel is now done and waiting to be blocked.

I just can't decide if I want to knit the second towel using the same pattern or if I want to try a different one. Opinions?

And finally, Happy Birthday to me. I'm a whopping 33 and having the time of my life.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

reincarnation

I found a great knit for the yarn that resulted in the disastrous One Singular Sensation (not the yarn's fault, of course). This is Tempting II from Knitty. It calls for a slightly stretchy yarn, so the merino is perfect for it. I had thought about using the delicious papaya-colored Debbie Bliss I have, but it's 100% cotton and the pattern specifically states cotton won't work for this snug and hugging pullover. Given I had just about enough merino yarn for a cardi, I should have plenty for this.

The pattern calls for size 7 24' circular needle which I don't have. My addi 6 24' circ gave me gauge so I'm using those. I love the Addis (these are bamboo ones). They're terrific. I thought about making one size up just in case the gauge is wrong, but it's a stretchy sweater and I went with the smallest size. The torso's about 12" long now, so I'll start the shoulders and neck sections soon.

I still don't have pics to show, but I'll post them soon!

Topics not allowed on the blog (w*rk) is intervening in my life at the moment, so knitting is slow going. It's all part of the ebb and flow, I suppose.

Monday, May 22, 2006

a little slow going

Happy May 22. I can't believe the month is 2/3 complete!

I've been knitting like mad, but I don't have any pics to show. My lace handtowel for MIL is coming along nicely despite dropping a YO st this morning on the train. I'm sure I shaved off a year of my life because of the panic, but I recovered with no mistakes! I can't believe it. I was petrified I'd have to rip the entire thing, which I've only been knitting for hours and hours and hours on end.

I'm also making good progress on Tempting II. I'm almost complete with the torso and am about ready to start the sleeves. I do want to post a pic, though, because some of my st aren't straight. I'm wondering if blocking will help or if they're just sloppy (and permanent) flaws. Sometimes a single st will be much larger than the others, and sometimes several st in a column going up the sweater will have taken a sharp curve. It's as if there were a lane change. I didn't K2tog or decrease - all the st just move on over. I'll have to post a pic tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Finally!

An FO to show. It's not a great pic of me, but the cami is great. This is the Honeymoon Companion Cami (my title), which is smaller and trimmer than the Honeymoon Cami. I added the seed stitch border along the bottom (instead of a rib) but also added the border along the V-shaping. That stumped me for weeks as I figured out different kinds of decreases that kept the pattern. I abandoned the decrease instructions in the pattern and did a simple k2tog on the very edge, which worked well with the seed st. I do like that the pic shows I need to wear a dark bra underneath. It's a nice preview before its public debut.





In class last night I used my LYS's spinner to turn one hank into a skein. It was so easy and so quick - especially compared with draping the hank over my knees and fending off DH's foot. I'm rethinking buying one. I vowed not to, but if I use hanks a lot, I can justify the investment.




I'm well into the lace pattern for MIL. I love the variety of the knitting after doing St st forever.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

ps

Grumperina is making me rethink ironing, steaming, blocking, and my dry cleaner. As if I have time to add this to my to-do list when really, all I want to do is knit.

in the trenches

Happy May 16th. It's rainy and dreary here today, but this pic of my favorite green sweater makes me think of sun and crisp air.I decided to weather the knitting funk by focusing on one project, knitting as much or as little as I want, and leaving it at that with no expectations. So, I made progress on MIL's lace handtowel, and I like how it's turning out. In fact I like knitting lace a lot and am now looking at some new projects for my sister:







These are from Hilton Lace Pillowcase (http://interweave.com/needle/projects/hiltonlace_pillowcase.asp). I've also seen patterns like this in books, but god forbid I ever buy the book or remember which book I looked at. In my defense, there are a ton out there!

I decided that I'll piece together the baby kimono in tonight's knitting class. My Honeymoon Companion is now finished and blocked (kinda, more in a sec), so I'll show that. As for blocking a sweater, does it count to soak the sweater and let it dry on a sweater mesh thingy? I usually take everything to the cleaners and let them steam it, but a tank? I can't see myself shelling out the bucks for that. The cami is made from yarn like dishcloth cotton, so it should wash well. Maybe I'll just stick it in the washer & dryer and leave it at that. It's a weekend casual cami, after all, not a silk special thing.

And I have an admission: I finally threw away the Red Heart yarn I bought years and years ago. It was taking up a huge part of my stash, and in our teeny apartment we just don't have the room. I thought about knitting it for afghans or baby gifts, but I DETEST that yarn and didn't want it in sight. I could have given it away, but I DETEST that yarn and can't imagine thrusting it on someone else.

Does that make me a bad knitter??

Monday, May 15, 2006

in a funk


I'm in a knitting funk, and I don't know why. I have my suspicions: I can't knit as often as I want to, I haven't had time to sit and stitch together the baby kimono (and I really want that FO!), my Honeymoon companion cami is done but not blocked and seems a bit flabby on me, and I just can't decide what to knit next. I ripped and restarted MIL's linen handtowels using a different lace pattern than the first. It just wasn't as pretty as the pic. DH picked this pattern and he generally has bad knitting taste, so hopefully I'll like it. It's too complicated a pattern for subway knitting, so that's funking me out, too.

I did have a divine mother's day and even got some green pics for project spectrum. I'll have to post tomorrow.