Back to the frog pond

After such happy forward progress this weekend on Bombshell, I should have known it was not all going to be smooth sailing. I started the bust darts (2 rows...400+ stitches into them) and then decided just to be on the safe side, I needed to try it on in case I needed short row shaping (mind you this is 2 rows and 400+ stitches after it said I should add them in). Yep, you guessed it...need some short row shaping... So, I'm now ripping out all the forward progress I made this evening. Notice the dedication to getting this sweater to fit right. Scary isn't it?? I don't think I'll be done by Stitches unless there's divine intervention, but you never can tell. Oh well, at least I'm trying...

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 10 days baby!!!

Well, I went back to the Bombshell sweater from BGK. I made it to the point where you make the sleeves and then work just the body, so I have actual progress to report.

I still think I'm going to have to buy at least 1 more ball, but I think I'll make it without giving up. My only question now is will I be able to finish it in the 11 days before Stitches...

I also made progress on the Watermelon socks and am at the point where I need to do the pink heel.

Last buytnot least, my newest project. Socks in Lang Jawoll. I love this color way. The yarn is alternatively turquoise, turquoise & dark blue, turqoise & white, white, and dark blue. It kind of looks like the ocean.


Stitches Midwest Countdown:11 days. I bought yarn for my homework today!!

Look, I finished another block for my sock yarn blanket today...and what's so special about this block you ask???

The yarn looks awfully familiar doesn't it??

Kind of looks like the Socks that Rock yarn that I was knitting the RPM socks...

It is the STR...which can only mean one thing!!!! Yes, I finished the RPM socks today....

I absolutely love them. They turned out fantastic. Of course, I had to immediately make a square out of the tiny bit of yarn I had left to commemorate the socks for my blanket (yes, still obsessed...). Hurrah!!

So, after I finished the socks, I went back to Bombshell. I actually found another skein I didn't think I had, so I may need 1 extra skein, but not several extra as I feared. I also dipped back into the stash for sock yarn to start new socks...and discovered to my absolute horror! that I only have enough sock yarn to make six more pairs of socks... I feel the need to go out and buy more yarn immediately, but I'm going to control myself until I get to Stitches.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 12 days

Homework

So, I looked at my homework this evening for my sweater class at Stitches Midwest and as hard as this is to believe...I need to go yarn shopping. I know, this is a bit beyond the realm of believability, but I don't own any bulky weight wool. I really don't like to knit with anything bigger than an 8, so I don't buy yarn that requires you to knit on anything bigger than an 8 to put in my stash. If I see a pattern that requires bulky yarn, I purchase the yarn, knit the pattern and go on with my life...

Almost finished with the RPM sock. Just need to do the ribbing at the top and then I'll post pictures of the finished sock.


Stitches Midwest Countdown: 13 days!!!!! I'm excited about the yarn, but I'm really burned out and need a break too.

My knitting Goddess Beth, reminded me of the Brittany Guarantee and I've e-mailed away for my replacement. Hurrah! What a satisfying end to a crappy day.

The day did get better after I left work. I went to a knitting birthday party. I just love those. Food, friends, knitting, the birthday girl, and mint chocolate chip ice cream cake (Luv U Teri), what's not to love.

On the death of my Brittany...

My favorite set of double pointed Brittany needles, size 1.5 suffered a great blow this evening, when at 8:43pm, one suffered a sudden and irrevocable break. This breaks up the happy quintet that has traveled the US with me. New York, DC, Tampa, Chicago, Dallas...Sniff... The trauma just really is too much to bear...especially since I still have 4 inches of the RPM sock to knit. I will be on the look out for a replacement for Needle #5, but can one every really replace the experience of that needle? Will it have the same worn, smooth surface...that perfect ability to both grip stitches when in a bag, but slide smoothly off when knitting... I just don't know. I've got to go lie down.

Countdown to Stitches: 15 days!!!

Well, Darn!

So, I was in a meeting when the Interweave "hurt" book sale started and MAN, did it make a difference. 4 books I wanted were already sold out. I can't imagine how many people were on-line vying for books because it was running sooooo slow. I did manage to procur 4 books that I was looking for:
Folk Socks
Folk Shawls
Lee Raven's Hands on Spinning
Knitting on the Road (hard to believe I don't have a copy of this isn't it...)

The following that I wanted were already sold out (Poor Me!):
Socks
Meg Swanson's Knitting
Spin It
Knitting Vintage Socks.

Can you tell I'm on a kick - Socks and Spinning??

Speaking of Socks. What do you think of these???


Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 16 days

Chris has asked about my sock yarn blanket squares yesterday. I'd written a post about my sock yarn squares on Friday, but Blogger ate it, and then on Saturday, I had the whole running out of yarn before finishing the Clapotis tragedy, so I felt the need to share that and then I was so proud of the fact that I built an entertainment center all by myself I had to share that, so back to the squares... Here they are in all their glory.

21 squares. 18 are wool or wool/nylon blends, which is what I'm using for this blanket. 3 are cotton because I thought I'd make another cotton blanket later and I was experimenting. I'm still obsessed with the blanket. I dream about the blanket. If I have 10 minutes before I leave for work in the morning, in days past, I would sit and stare into space or watch 10 minutes of the morning show. Now, I cast on a square and finish 20 or so rows. I have a hard time working on anything else at the moment other than this. The Bombshell sweater is languishing on it's circular needles. The only reason I can still work on socks is because finishing a pair of socks means that I'll have a new sock yarn to knit into squares for the blanket. I really thought at this point, I would be letting it go and moving on to the next great thing, but I'm just not. It's absolutely crazy how obsessed I am with this. I need an intervention or something.

Regarding the bombshell sweater...I think I'm running out of yarn... I;m scared to find out for sure at this point. My first thought is "Oh No, Not again...Not for the second time in a week". I'm of two minds about this fact. One, go buy more yarn and finish it. Two, buy some of the Knitpicks Mainline (On Sale!!) to make one and then frog this one and make the Cherry Bomb tank out of the pink yarn. There's just something about this yarn...it seems to be using more yarn that intended. What are your thoughts out there in the knitting universe?? Let me know soon because all the good colors of the Mainline yarn will be gone.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 17 days. Beth is looking for Bloggers who want to get together at Stitches, so if anyone else is interested. Weigh in over at her blog. I will, of course, be there since I will be with Beth, better known as my enabler...as much as I am her enabler. It's a vicious cycle. Throw Suzie (blogless) in the mix and it's a sad, sad picture.

There are reasons that it is good to have a man around. Buying a new entertainment center is one of those times. Thankfully the nice boy at the store put it in the car from me. I then proceeded to carry it upstairs piece by piece until I had this.

3 hours later, we had this!!!

There are a couple of extra screws...but when I pushed it accross the floor, it seemed solid. So, I'm going to go with they provided me with extra screws in case something was wrong...

I did get some knitting done this weekend. I started on the second of the RPM socks and got pretty far. I also did some knitting on my Bombshell sweater. I'm 8 rows from ending the increases. Yippee!!!

Houston We have a problem...

Today, I knit on the clapotis until I ran out of yarn...

Notice, I did not say finished...I said ran out of yarn...

Anyone out there have any leftover Wool In the Woods Gold Dust yarn in pink and green they'd be willing to sell me. UGHHH!!!!!!

Yet another completed sock...

I'm on a role now. After not having a finished object for 2 months (darned obsessive sock yarn squares...), finally a finished objects. Ruffled socks for my neice Lindsay in Koigu mill-ends acquired at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Lindsay will owe a special thanks to her Uncle Jeff and Aunt Alicia who helped me paw through all the bins of koigu to find yarn in like colors. I love how these came out!! Unfortunately, there isn't enough yarn for 1 square, so I'm going do about half a square in it and half a square in a solid. I can't not include it in my sock blanket because I need to show all my socks.

When I went to record these as a finished object for the year, I could hardly believe that I hadn't finished an object for two months and then I realized I had startitis. I started 2 shawls, a sweater, tried to start that koigu sock over and over and over and over. The Clapotis is almost finished as well. If I put a little work into it, I could have it finished this weekend as well.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 21 Days!!! Yes, three weeks from today I will be in yarn heaven.

Another day, another sock.

I ripped out the Lindsay sock when I got home from work because I wanted to try the Magic caston from knitty.com. Joanna was doing it at the knitting group 2 weeks ago and raving about how easy it was, so I decided to try it too. Of course, you can see that I immediately cast back on and finished a sock. Which is just too cute. I just love socks for kids. They're so easy. Foot done in an hour. Whole sock done in about 3 hours. Of course, When Lindsay was an infant, her socks took about 1 hour. Of course, back then they were 20 stitches around and about 2 inches long, but alas, she's getting bigger, so we have enlarged the socks to be 32 stitches around and 5.25 inches long. As for the magic cast on...I don't know if I'll ever use another cast on to do socks again!

Have you seen these? I can't decide if they freak me out or that they're something I just have to have... I sure don't believe that they'll produce enough light to knit by in the dark, but if anyone tries them and finds out differently, let me know.

So, I read an article this morning that said that the so-called "bubble" skirts are back in style. It's kind of scarry to think that my 10th grade homecoming dress would now be back in style 16 years later. Those things were scary enought the first time. I'm one of those people who goes through their closet at the change of every season and give away or throw away clothes (depending on their general wearableness), getting rid of what doesn't fit, what I don't wear, what I'm tired of to a worthy cause. But since fashion seems to be on this 14-15 year recycle, should I keep those one of a kind trendy items on the off chance that when I'm 47 they'll be back in style?? Bubble skirts...I just can't get over it...

Stitches countdown: 22 days

A sock and a quarter...

Ta Da!! One sock done, one to go. Again, the lovely RPM sock from the most recent knitty.com designed by the Aija. I love, love, love this sock and I love, love, love the yarn. Hurrah!!!





I'll cast on for the second tomorrow, but since I didn't want to get sucked into it tonight, I started this...
What's this you ask?? Why it looks like a mini-sock, which in a way it is.
It's a sock for my neice Lindsay. I'm sure she's grown out of all the ones I made her last year and so I decided I'd really start spoiling her and make her a Koigu sock. Yes, Aunt Gwen is the most awesome aunt in the world...



Countdown to Stitches: 23 days!!!

All in all it was a good weekend. Teri and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean today. It was pretty good. Better than I had expected based on the bad reviews. A fair bit more cheesiness than the last one, but still laugh out loud funny. Love, Jack Sparrow...

Also been knitting. Clapotis is decreasing. Got about 2 more inches of the sock done and a few more squares. Score for the weekend, only 4 squares.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest stands at 25 days and counting. Today I got together my project list with yarns needed. Hurrah!

Well heeled...

The RPM Sock now has a heel. I'm loving this sock!!! It's going so fast as well.

Didn't do too much today. I did actually venture outside to go to Target and spent the rest of the day doing a bit of cleaning and lots of knitting. I knit a couple rows on the clapotis. 10 rows on the bombshell sweater (it's in the dreaded Stockinetted "Just keep knitting" phase at the moment). Nothing much to show, I sometimes think it's not even growing. Worked on the RPM sock lots and made 2 more sock yarn squares and watched 4 movies. All in all a good day.

Yummy...so, I went a little overboard in the fruit buying this week and realized I was never going to be able to eat the 6 perfectly ripe peaches, 3 perfectly ripe bananas and 2 pears before everything went bad, so tonight, I was inspired and whipped up a little peach cobbler for one. Boy was it yummy and I'm quite suprise since I just kind of whipped it together without a recipe and without measuring anything...

There was actual knitting tonight. I knit 4 rounds on my Bombshell sweater and 3 inches of the RPM sock and...ummm...another sock yarn square... That's the first one all week though, so I'm weaning myself from the binge last weekend.

I got a total surprise today. Two of my peers bought me a gift certificate to Nordstroms. I was so surprised. It really made my day.

Countdown to Stitches: 27 days

So, my pet peeve for the day is I restaurant where it was seriously hotter inside than outside. I swear! Ughhh! I had to go to this work dinner tonight and it was hotter than heck in the restaurant where we were. The only time you even felt a semi-cool breeze when they opened the kitchen door to bring out food. What the heck is up with that???? UGGHHH! When I got out to my car I turned up the AC and put it on high. I'm still hot and it's over an hour later. UGHHH!!!

So, since I was at this dinner, I missed the knit night and I only did about 3 rounds on my sock. I'm just too hot to knit. Yuck. Still loving the sock pattern though. The bad vibes must be going away.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 28 days.

So, this is the last time you'll see this yarn on this blog. Yes, I ripped it out yet again! UGHHH!!!! I love the yarn. It reminds me of a tropical sunset over...the reds and oranges over the blue of the water, fading into the purples of the dusk. I've tried everything and it's just not working for me. It's so sad...

So, to recover from my bad experience with the koigu, I immediately cast on another. Behold the Socks that Rock in the wonderful Aija's RPM pattern from Knitty.com.

I'm totally loving this pattern. It's an easy pattern to memorize and easy pattern to read your knitting on. Both huge pluses. A big sorry to Aija, but I did decide to do them toe up, because I'm weird like that. I think these are going to go fast though. I tried to get a more close up picture, but at 10pm, it kept getting all blurry and I couldn't figure out why. I'll try again when I have more knitted.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 29 days

More on the blanket...

Now, Shelly is making a blanket out of her sock yarn too and she's obviously been at it longer than I have, but she's still not the original person I saw making a blanket that inspired me. I do wish I could find that person again and give that knitter credit. It was like a foot and a half of squares straight on up and down. Like Shelly though, this has become an obsession. I find myself promising that I can make a square after I've finished a repeat of my clapotis, a repeat of the feather and fan shawl, 4 rounds of the Bombshell sweater... I dream of the blanket. Like Shelly, I will soon be out of yarn for my blanket, but since I'm crazy, I currently intend for my blanket to be a visual record of socks I've made so it's going to take me quite awhile to finish... So, if you're out there and looking for someplace to get rid of your sock yarn, contact Shelly.

I had finished about 2 inches of the koigu a sock and I yanked it out yet again tonight. I liked the pattern, but wanted it on bigger needles and less stitches. So I restarted it and finished about 3 inches. So much for casting on and finishing a sock "real quick" so I could knit squares out of another new yarn. :-)

The Stitches Midwest Countdown is now at 30 days.

Ghosts of Stitches past...

The countdown officially begins today. One Month until Stitches Midwest. I'm enrolled in Karen Alfke's sweater class all day on Friday, so if anyone else out there is enrolled, drop me a line.

I have orders from my aunt for yarn she wants. Teri wants some Lorna's Laces, but what is on my list for this year....Hmmm...

Let's first visit the ghosts of Stitches Midwest past.
2004:
1. 2 balls alpaca - for the Madli shawl, which after many tries, didn't go anywhere.
2. 2 skeins of Tess's Super Sock yarn - knit up this year for me and my sister.
3. Cone of Summer Tweed from Webs - tried to knit this into a sweater last year, but it ended up being way, way, way too big, so I frogged it. I haven't yet restarted it, but I aspire to.
4. 2 balls Dale Stork yarn - Made into baby hats.

2005
1. 2 balls Cascade Fixation - Knitted into socks for me
2. 2 balls Lorna's Laces - Knitted into socks for me.
3. Interlacements Seeds - Knitted into Clapotis
4. Interlacements Rick Rack - Currenlty knitting into a Feather & Fan Shawl for me
5. Socks that Rock - Balled it up tonight to start more socks
6. 2 balls of koigu - balled up. For the Tangled Vines scarf which I have not yet started.
7. Cashmere - Still haven't found anything special enough yet, but I take it out and look at it lovingly quite often.
8. 2 skeins of green no name yarn - Going to make into a log cabin baby blanket when I get inspired.

So the score for Stitches past 2 for 4 for 2004 with an extra point for having a purpose for the Summer Tweed. For 2005, we're 4 for 8, with a purpose for 3 more of the purchases. Not bad. I obviously went with a better game plan for 2005. This year, I should come out even better. (Note I did not mention the spindle...I really, really need to take some spinning lessons. I finally found a place close by to take them, so I'm looking into it for the fall).

Before I go, I just need to take a moment to comment on my obsession with the sock yarn squares. A truly frightening thought occurred to me. I was going to make this a 40"X40" baby blanket (100 squares) and give it away, but I decided I want something to keep for me as a visual record of all the socks I've knit. So, I originally thought it would make a cool spread for the bed in my spare bedroom/crafting room...but the thought of making 1000 squares daunted even me, so I've decided on a lap blanket. Which means that I, in all actuality, only need 300 squares. But the truly frightening point comes in when I think about sewing all those little squares together. It boggles the mind. In my total insanity, I also thought about putting on a picot edge around the blanket. I realize now, that I'm totally insane and am obsessing over an afghan that will take me years to complete. This is totally crazy and yet I dream about it at night. I hope it goes away soon because I'll have to knit quite a few more pairs of socks to make enough squares to make the lap blanket. I'm only on 10 and have yarn for about 20 more. That leaves me 270 short...

And more squares...

Only 4 more squares added today... I woke up at 8am and couldn't go back to sleep because I was trying to figure out how many I could make during the day while doing the laundry, working on at least one other project and attending a work party for most of the afternoon and evening. The answer was 4, plus 1 repeat on the clapotis and then there were the falling leaves socks that really deserve their own story. I'm almost out of different sock yarns, so maybe the obsession will subside... I just need to knit some more socks... By the way, Beth, yes this is the idea we were talking about to make squares out of leftover sock yarn and make them into a blanket. Kind of a record of all the socks you've made. I can't claim credit for the idea. I saw the idea on another blog, and I didn't bookmark it, so if it's your idea let me know so I can give you credit...

In contrast to that, this is what I did this evening, which was to frog the Falling Leave socks. Yes, I have again frogged this yarn. It's frickin' Koigu for heaven sakes. The holiest of holy yarns and I can't find a pattern that works for it... UGHHH!!! I'm going insane. So, I, of course, immediately cast it on again. It's like a personal vendatta now.

I'm obsessed with squares

So, instead of knitting on my Bombshell sweater, finishing my clapotis, feather and fan shawl or either of the 2 pairs of socks I've got going, this is what I did today. It will be an afghan eventually, but it will be a long, long while...

I'm so glad it's the weekend!!!! I didn't make it to work this morning because I, as usual, turned the radio on after the alarm went off and went back to sleep. I woke up a half an hour later when the radio announcer said "The time is now 6:30" 6:30!!! UGGHHH!!!!

I really have no plans for the weekend. I'm going to hang around. Knit a little...or a lot...maybe go out looking for a new tote bag to carry my knitting around in because the one I have is looking a little worse for wear. But other than that I'm free!! Hurrah!! And, YES, I am staying in KC for once. :-)

All Better now...

I was so distraught yesterday when I took out my knitting that I just couldn't find the words to talk about anything else... But, I did have a good time in St. Louis for the weekend. I went shopping with my sister and babysat my neice. Only had one near trauma when my neice stepped all the way accross my broken bones through the shoe. Went to dinner with my aunt and spent Tuesday with my friends watching chick flicks and knitting while the menfolk when and retrieved some Ted Drewes for us. (For the non-St. Louisans, the holy mecca of frozen custard. Best in the US.). I spent time with my parents and slept late. All in all a pretty good weekend.

I also had lots of time to knit (yeah!). I'm down to the last 200 yds of yarn for the clapotis and one repeat from the decreases. I started the Bombshell from BGK (oh, the horror of yesterday) which now that it has been corrected. Everyone is back on the bus now...












I'm still aiming for an August debut for Bombshell at Stitches Midwest. And lastly, I found a pattern for the sock yarn that I've started and frogged 6 times. Yippeee!!!!

In news from today, the new Knitty is out. Hurrah! Lots of new sock patterns. I, especially, love the new Beaudelaire pattern and the rpm pattern. I was looking for something to do with my Socks that Rock and wanted to start before Stitches this year so I could justify buying more STR...

The big Oops...

Ummm...does anyone else see the problem here...those 4 strands of yarn were at one point 4 rows of stockinette stitch... Oh, my... It did not travel well without the little stoppers on the end of the needles. Lesson learned the hard way... Fortunately, I think it can be fixed with a little work. Just not tonight. I get a little sick just looking at it. The sweater above is Bombshell from Big Girl Knits in Cilantro from Nashua. It was going along really well. I had just finished the 2nd ball of yarn and then this... There just aren't any words...