Lemonade

When your knitting gives you lemons, what should you do? Knit socks, of course! In my rush this morning, I forgot my camera cable and so I can't show you a progress picture, but if you follow this link, you can see a photo of the gloves I started before things went awry. See, I was a foolish knitter, and I:
1. Didn't do a gauge swatch.
2. Didn't recognize the recommended yarn, but didn't want to wait to look it up.
3. Really, really wanted to cast on something using my brand-spanking new Gloss right away.

After I completed the ribbing, I thought the cuff looked a little large for a glove (which ought to stretch to fit, after all), so, faced with the decision whether to rip out, swatch and start over, or turn my work into something else, I chose the something else. There was minor fiddling to make the lace pattern continue evenly around the (now) leg, but I think the effect is worth it! These are only my second pair of lace socks (the first pair I actually designed myself), and I am loving it! The repeats are only 15 rows, and easily memorized, so I can knit along with minimal attention, but the finished product is so daintyand pretty. And the yarn! As I said above, I'm using KnitPicks Gloss, which is a merino/silk blend. I've purchased other lines of KnitPicks yarns, and been less than impressed. This yarn, however, is wonderful! It has a lovely sheen, the color is deep and rich, and it feels so soft, I never want to stop knitting for the evening! I have plans to pick up more for some gloves, just so I can have something made from it that I can wear every day. Highly recommended.

So, hopefully tomorrow there will be a picture of my progress. I'm at the heel now, and wondering whether to do my usual short-row heel, or try something new out of Knitting Vintage Socks.

Me? Ungrateful?

No, just forgetful. I sent a picture of my completed Jaywalkers to Grumperina for the gallery, and was delighted when I not only received a reply, but she replied to say I won a prize! Being of the unlucky-ish sort, I rarely win anything (unless it's one of those contests rigged so everyone gets a prize). That email made my entire day.

More amazing than my winning, was the fact that I won for being the 450th person to submit a photo for the gallery! That's incredible! Especially when you consider all the people who finished a pair and didn't share.

Had some knitting issues over the weekend... I will be taking some photos tonight or tomorrow morning to share!

Baby Things

Oh, how I love baby things! They're so small, quick, and adorable!

Productive!

That's my weekend in one word. Not only did I make vocabulary flash cards for the GRE, bake cookies, go grocery shopping, and take my dad shopping, but I also finished three projects! Woo-hoo!

Friday night I hunkered down and wove in all of the ends on the Rebecca tank. I even looked up the complete name of the garment: Sweater with Lengthways and Crossways Ribs. I love all of the literal pattern names in this issue of Rebecca (I don'’t have others to compare) , but this one is my favorite! Check it out!

Specs: Rebecca magazine'’s Sweater with Lengthways and Crossways Ribs from issue 25. 1.75 balls of Sirdar Breeze in light green. 3.5mm needles.






On Saturday, I washed the tank in the washer and set it out to dry. I celebrated the completion of one project by pulling out the supplies for another (Christmas stocking for nephew #2), and considered whether to cast on for something completely new, or finish up the Jaywalkers. Unable to decide, I chose option number three: make a dish cloth.


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Mock-Woven Tea Towel from Jimsy L Design. 1 ball Sugar and Cream cotton in the brightest colorway in the store. US7 needles.

The other day, I bought a few balls of kitchen cotton with the intention of making some dish cloths. What I love best about making dish cloths, is that I feel more freedom in color choice. I mean, the chances of my wearing lime green and yellow together are slim to none, but they make perfect sense for a dust rag.

Now here it is Sunday (I won'’t be able to upload this until tomorrow), and I found myself face to face with my lonely last Jaywalker. So, I finished that up, too!



Grumperina's Jaywalkers using Opal Rainforest yarn in Tiger. US1 needles.

I've said it before, and I'’ll say it again... these are the most comfortable socks I own. They are so snug! I love the wild pattern of the yarn, and it also feels nice. Modifications include changing the kfb for the increase portion to a lifted bar increase on each side, short row heel and short row toe (my first!). I have so much of the yarn left over, I'’m going to try to squeeze a baby hat out of it to donate to the hospital. Donating newborn hats is something I have always meant to do, but never got around to. Do you think the hospital would use such an unconventional colorway?

Word is there will be Internet access in my apartment at the end of this week! Will this translate into more updates? Tune in!

Actual Knitting Pictures!

These are hurried shots, taken this morning as I rushed around the apartment, late (per usual). First, the easy one:

Just the toe to go! These socks are very warm, and I can't wait to wear them this winter. Ooh! Won't they also be awesome for Halloween?!



Now for the hard one:




The tank and I are at odds again. I was so excited yesterday after I finished up the shoulders and took it off the needles. Then I tried it on. In a word: Wah. The arholes are too short, which makes the entire garment too short. I don't really know how I missed that! I'm not too upset about it, though. By my estimation, I'll only have to add another couple of inches, and the top of this tank, which looks pretty shapely, is actually just a rectangle. The ribbing makes the shape. Shortness notwithstanding, the tank looks cute! AND I think I'll be able to wear it this fall, also, layered under my brown corduroy jacket.

Speaking of fall fashion... reading Becky's blog has renewed my interest in fashion, and I've bought armloads of fashion magazines of late (though I've yet to purchase the September issue of Vogue, or, as I like to call it, the Bible). Is anyone else a little alarmed at the resurgence of leggings worn with belted sweaters and ankle boots? I look at those, and all I see is my favorite outfit from seventh grade: black leggings, belted tuxedo shirt (WITH bow tie), and black ankle boots. Or my favorite outfit from fifth grade: magenta oversized sweatshirt, black leggings, black Reeboks (I also had an oversized Mickey Mouse sweatshirt with the collar cut off that I worked with this look). And let's not forget my elementary school look of black leggings torn and fastened with safety pins, pink shirt with grid design, wacky shapes and tails. I might be legging'd out.

Quick PSA

Just until I can get my act together and take a picture of my knitting! I'm at the toe of my second Jaywalker, and the tank and I have made up and I'm hard at work on her front. (What about the back, you ask? C'est finit!)

I got a package today at work from the ubiquitous Knitpicks. A package containing two of their new fall 2006 yarns. The Telemark seems okay. It's a little rough in the skein, but I think it'll make a hearty pair of mittens (I got black and cream to do just that). What really got me moved to write though, was the Gloss! Of course, I have yet to knit with it, but judging the book by its cover, I'd say this is a great yarn! It's soft, but not floppy. It has a nice sheen, but it's not SHINY. The color I got (dusk) is fabulous! I can't wait to make it into some socks and put them on my feet!

As for the bat issue, we went the route of leaving the door and window open at dusk. Bets were running as to whether the bat was even still in the house. Everything was quiet until about 7:30, when I was starting to think that maybe the bat did get out the night before. My boyfriend went into the kitchen for a sandwich, when I heard, "I found it!" and rushed to see him fleeing the kitchen and the bat flying like mad. Long story short, the bat left the apartment! I leave the doors and window shut at dusk now.

I know I said I didn't have any pictures, but who doesn't like cute animals, right? We went to the state fair last Friday, and they had the cutest, tiniest little goats there! Like this guy:

I wanted to scoop him up and take him home!

Actual knitting pictures coming soon. I promise.

Only Ancillary Knitting

Does anyone know anything about bats? Because I might need a hand.

Last night, at around 8, I decided to get ready for bed and play with the rattie girls for an hour or so. T was sleeping peacefully on the couch/futon in the living room, so I made my way ever so quietly to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

T and I have different habits regarding doorways. He likes to close doors, and I tend to leave them open (not that I have a preference, I'm just a little on the lazy side). As I opened the door to the bathroom, I thought, "Oh, how I hate opening this door into a dark room. I always feel like something is going to jump out at me."

As god as my witness. I actually thought those very words.

The lightswitch is on the wall across the door, so I quickly made my way over and flipped it on. Some flapping caught the corner of my eye, and I turned to witness what (I thought) was the biggest damn moth I'd ever seen in my life. I ducked and looked up at it, when it clung to the wall over the sink in a distinctly non-moth-like way.

It was a BAT.

I've always liked bats. I've always looked forward to summer evenings, when they can be seen leaving their hidey-holes in pursuit of my dreaded enemy (the mosquito), swirling and looping and flapping away. They look so beautiful and elegant against a lavender sky. Sigh.

This bat, however, is not my friend. It did not look beautiful to me when it was mere inches above my head, chasing me out of the bathroom. (In all fairness, I know in my head it wasn't chasing me, but my heart was screaming to RUN.) I failed to see the grace of its movements as it flapped about the living room, ripping a scream from my throat. T jumped up and asked, "What's going on?" I, croching on the floor with my arms over my head, pointed toward the ceiling and howled, "A bat! It's a bat!" Then I crawled beneath the futon (?), and dissolved into hysterical laughter. I could not stop laughing. This happens to me occasionally, when I'm really afraid. It's kind of uncool.

As though this weren't harrowing enough, because I was being a sissy scaredy-cat and hiding, and T had left the room for a minute, we lost the freaking bat! We searched for more than an hour, behind everything, under everything, on top of everything. No bat. And let me tell you, this was not one of those little cute bats. The damn thing's wingspan was like a foot! And I'm not just saying that because of the hysteria.

I, of course, am convinced that the bat is lying in wait to make me pee my pants once I let my guard down. I'd like to just leave a door or window open at dusk tonight, but what if his friends come to join him? I will be on pins and needles until I see that bat leave. Any tips for kindly getting him out of my house? How will I be able to concentrate on my knitting?

Seriously, it's for your own good.

I debated briefly with myself this morning over whether to take a photo of the Rebecca tank (I wish I could remember the name they gave it, it's so literal as to border on the ridiculous), and finally decided that it really looks pretty much the same as the last picture I took. Not that I haven't been working on it, it's just at that black hole stage where nothing seems to happen. I go around and around, and don't even seem to run out of yarn! Seriously, I haven't even changed balls yet! I haven't casted on for the second Jaywalker yet, because I'm afraid if I sacrifice one knitting minute to anything other than the tank project, I will not live to see it finished.

Last night, as I settled in to watch the end of A Sound of Thunder, I flirted with the idea of hitting up the stash for a new project. The crisp breeze of last afternoon had me thinking about fall, and Christmas, mittens and stockings. Maybe I could just cast on for one little mitten, maybe the tank wouldn't even notice. I gazed longingly at the door to the stash room, and picked up the tank. I knew if I strayed, I'd be punished severely. Maybe I'd find another break in the yarn, or get a terrible knot, or maybe, just maybe, it would become the tank that never ends, and I would be 85 years old, still working on this project, but knowing I'd never be able to wear it when it was finished. I worked a few more rounds.

I know it probably sounds like I'm down on the tank. Maybe you're asking yourself why I'm even working on it if I hate it so. But you just don't understand! I see the potential in this tank! I know what it could become, if only it would try to work with me! If I give up on it now, it will never realize the successfull tank it has inside! So I continue to work. Knit two rows, purl two rows, longing for the day I can begin armhole shaping.