Sweaters & New Friends

Okay, let's start with the exciting news! We added a new friend to our home this weekend. His name is Moose:

Before you go thinking I'm becoming a crazy rat lady, Moose really is IT. Five rats is more than enough for us, but my boyfriend absolutely fell in love with Moose when he saw him on the Maine Rat Rescue website. Also, my finding Moose was too serendipitous to ignore. I received a message through Ravelry from someone who is affiliated with MRR. She complimented me on my icon photo, which is Betsy, and we got to talking about rats and one thing led to another and BAM... we have a huge male rat. We love him so much already.

Onto knitting news! I will spare you a photo of black seed stitch (you'll know I'm desperate for material if I flash that one again before it's finished), but I'm pleased to say that sleeve #1 of Cobblestone is complete and attached, and sleeve #2 is underway.



Not that my enthusiasm for this project was flagging necessarily, but my energy is renewed. I keep meaning to swatch for a couple of projects, but every time I get a spare hour to knit, I find myself reaching for Cobblestone. It's a fun pattern... very simple, but still fun. And hey, I feel like I'm cruising on a man's sweater, that's saying something! They usually start to feel like they're really dragging by sleeve two.

Reminder: The Memory Walk is in only three weeks! I will be on the Purl Diva porch September 29th, selling stash (she's received a couple of donations of stash already). If you are able to help me support the Alzheimer's Association, I would really appreciate it. If not, I also really appreciate all of the kind words and encouragement!

And one more thing! Anyone reading this going to Rhinebeck? Amy and I are going for the first time this year! I am pretty much beside myself with excitement. We'll be staying in Poughkeepsie and attending the festival both days. Have you been before? Any tips on how to maximize the experience?

So. Excited.

My life has been sucked into a new void. Sure, I've been knitting, but not much. I also haven't been doing much else. There are two reasons for this.
1. Two new wee babies came home with us last week. They just found their names today. Meet Laverne and Shirley.

Shirley is the one with the black head, of course. She's actually a hooded rat, and the rest of her is white. They're super shy and a little spazzy, so I can only let them play in the bathtub, with supervision. So yeah, I'm spending a lot of time in the bathroom lately (tmi?).

2. The second I finished reading my first blogger account of Ravelry, I hightailed it to the site to leave my name on the beta tester list. In general, I love beta testing. I love trying out new stuff and giving feedback and using every browser available to me. And also, hello, awesome sounding new knitting site? Sign me up! I was shocked and ecstatic last week to get the email with my invitation code! You know how people say that they go to Ravelry, and next thing they know it's been days and they haven't done anything else? That's been my life. For the first time since I can remember, I haven't even checked my Google Reader feed for new blog entries. I spent most of today organizing my stash, and then admiring how easy it is to see what I have. Now it's on to adding my completed projects, which takes longer, because I have to hunt for project information. I am so excited about this site, mostly because I have always thought it would so great to have a forum where knitters could connect and share information, without resorting to those email lists (I can never keep up with those), or communities where it seems the posts become so repetitive if you read for any length of time. From what I understand, the site will be live soon. I can't wait!

I've squeezed in a few more rows on Miss. Puffy. Finally the sleeves have been separated, and I'm about to start waist shaping. This picture makes me imagine it as a bolero. Could be cute.

Instant Gratification

You know how sometimes you want some pudding... or maybe some cake... and you don't want store bought but you also don't want to do all the measuring and melting and blah blah blah so you buy instant pudding or boxed cake just to satisfy that craving, even though you know they won't taste quite as good as your homemade, labor intensive concoctions?

That's how I feel about these mitts.

I waited patiently to work on the second mitt until yesterday, opening day of the Quick-Fix Knitalong. As luck would have it, I also had the Buffy complete boxed set (with extra special features dvd!) and a lot of time on my hands. I started the mitt in the morning with season 1, and ended it in the early afternoon with season 3 (I skipped around). The more I knit with this yarn, the more I actually liked it. I wouldn't choose it if I saw it in a yarn store, but the different shades of purple aren't that bad, and the blue adds a nice punch. I even got used to the aroma of grape Kool-Aid. To recap, I used Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns for the pattern (I used the mitten pattern and lopped off the top, adding ribbing), and Kool-Aid dyed LB Fisherman's Wool with US3 needles.

After I finished the mitt, I waffled between picking up the ruffle for the Cinched Waist Pullover or starting Jaywalker #2, I decided I'd rather do ribbing in the round than pick up stitches. I got through a couple of inches of sock before I had to turn my attention to the newest addition to our family, Betsy.



Betsy is a Dumbo rat, known for their large, low-set ears. We thought that since new rats must be quarantined for two weeks (minimum) before joining established rats, we should get a pal for Eunice sooner rather than later, since she's so lonely. Isn't she adorable?

I didn't expect to finish my first quick project so, erm, quickly! I wondered if I'd have to abandon the pullover this month, but it doesn't look like I'll have to. I finished the top portion last week, but didn't take a picture. I'll get right on that!

Is This Thing On?

*Dusts off keyboard*
Sorry for the prolonged absence. I've waffled back and forth over whether I should bring up the reason for it, and finally decided that I should, just a little, because I talk about my pets so much. My white rat, Squirrel, became ill last week. She went to the vet almost every day, and seemed to be improving until Saturday, when she took a turn. She died on Sunday, laying in bed with me while I read a book and stroked her. We're planning to bring home a new friend for Eunice (who is so lonely) as soon as we find her, and I'm sure I'll post about it when we do, so I thought it would be best to just get it out there now.

Naturally, I didn't get much knitting done, but I did do a little, and my pace has been picking up the last few nights. I've been working exclusively on the Cinched Waist Top, and let me tell you, this top has earned it's three (out of four) star difficulty rating. Not because it's hard, per se, but it's fiddley, and every time I get to a new part in the pattern, my jaw drops open because it's nothing like I would have expected.
Surprise the first: I may need to use hooks and eyes for closure along the corset edge.
Surprise the second: You have to knit the front, back and sleeves in a specific order (I usually skip around), because they are joined and then seamed.
Surprise the third: The lovely raglan detail is from a new technique (to me)! A cabled decrease. Fun to work, and it sure is purty.

The rounds are long right now, so I only work maybe three or four a night, but I plan to hit it hard this weekend! Doesn't it look cute?



The sweater in the magazine is made with cotton, but I think my cashmere version will be perfect for spring. It pretty much stays chilly up here until August, when we get a heat wave, and then fall arrives. I'm toying with different ideas for the ruffle. Maybe making it less... ruffley... and a little flatter? It kind of depends on how much yarn I have left over, though I've gone through surprisingly little.

Seeing how this project is taking longer than I expected, I am so looking forward to Amy's new knitalong, starting in April, the Quick-Fix Knitalong! The idea is to break up the tedium of long projects with some short and sweet ones! It's a low pressure knitalong, you can do just one small project, if you like. I have an informal goal of completing a quick project once a week. This may include one week to knit my second Jaywalker, and one week to knit my second World's Ugliest Mitt.

Oh, I haven't yet shown you the WUM?



I don't even know how long ago I dyed this yarn, but I dyed it myself using Kool-Aid and Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. If you haven't used Fisherman's Wool, please be advised that it is very scratchy. I suppose that it's just as well that I experimented with this wool, since I find this colorway so appalling, but it made it difficult to choose a project. I don't think I have enough for adult mittens, and I didn't want to be responsible for playground taunts by making kids' mittens. A hat was out of the question. So I finally (after years and years) settled on some mitts that I can bring into work and leave for when my hands get cold. It feels good to get this out of the stash! The last bit of yarn I have from the Kool-Aid experiment is a not too bad red/orange/yellow mishmash that I will probably make into mittens for my nephews.

Anyway, I'm pretty psyched for the Quick-Fix Knitalong! In addition to the sock and the mitt, I'm planning to make a February baby sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac, and Rusted Root. If I remember correctly, I finished Green Gable pretty quickly, so I'm pretty sure it can be done. I'll save it for last anyway, and have it to wear in May, when the air becomes more mild and I want my skin to soak up every drop of sun (through a layer of SPF, of course!)

Stuff: Finished and New

I finished my nephew's vest!

I love it! It's so soft, I love the color, and I know it will fit him (for a few months at least). To recap, I used The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd for the pattern, and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran with US7 needles. I used about three and a half balls for the second smallest size. In the book, the vest pattern has a v-neck, and the sweater pattern has a crew. I prefer a crew neck, so I just followed the sweater pattern for the front, since the front and back of both patterns are identical.

I must confess that I started another sweater before I finished the vest, though. I had to! I had that cashhmere yarn sitting in my basket, taunting me. I'm not made of steel! Right now, it looks like a cashmere dishcloth, but it's going to grow up to be (I believe it's called) the Corset Waisted Pullover [EDIT: It's actually called the Cinched Waist Top!] from VogueKnitting Spring 2006. I couldn't find a photo of it, and I didn't think I'd need to take a photo of the magazine. I'll take one soon. The pattern calls for the waist to be knitted first, and then the bottom (which is a ruffle), and finally the top pieces. I'm going to knit the top pieces first, however, since I'm not sure exactly how much yarn I will use, and I would rather sacrifice length on the bottom than the top. So far I've used two full balls of yarn on the waist, and I believe I have less than ten inches to go. Thank goodness! The corset is knitted at a very tight gauge, which is hard on my hands. Once it's finished, the rest of the sweater will be a piece of cake!



See what I mean about the dishcloth? Plus, the fabric is very stiff, adding to the dishcloth vibe.

Lastly, for Pioggia, a picture of the rattie girls! Just because they are so freaking adorable and love yarn. Squirrel, as usual, refused to cooperate, but Rattie behinds are cute, too.



(In all fairness, I did wake them up for playtime when this photo was taken.)

Crazy Times

Sometimes I feel like we'll be moving forever! Seriously, though... our furniture was delivered today so now I'm about a hundred times more excited about moving all the way into our new place! Keeping my priorities straight, my yarn has already been moved. I cleaned out the stash a bit, donating some yarn, and putting some up on eBay. Once I nail down yarn storage in the new pad, I'll be able to start stash enhancement activities again, but for now it's all about minimalism.

Speaking of minimalism... I've had minimal time to work on my sock!

I turned the heel last night, and haven't been able to knit even one measly round today. Ah, well. The colors and the way they're knitting up please me, and I don't even mind the cotton so much. These socks are the perfect knitterly retreat when it seems like everything is happening at once.

Of course, I also have non-knitterly retreats:


Enjoying some delicious all-natural chicken dog treats after some strenuous (pea) fishing.

and Miss. "I don't care what you think you were about to do, I need some attention right now"


(PS: I'm going to be adding some knitting magazines to eBay tomorrow. Mostly Knitter's.)