woo!

FO #76

These have been on the needles for a while -- I put them aside because they were kind of boring. I don't particularly care for toe-up socks, I think I'm more of a top-down girl. Now I can say that I tried it, and I do like how they turned out -- they're very cozy!

The boring stuff:
Toe-up socks, I read a bunch of patterns and winged (wung?) it
Knit with Lamb's Pride Superwash, colors: Aquamarine and Plum Crazy; on US4 needles.
I used a figure eight cast on, afterthought heel, and bound off with a US8 needle.

KO, day 17 -- the short story

KO, day 17/FO #75

The long story....

So while I was shaping the neck for the left front of the coat, I noticed that I was two stitches short. Huh? How did that happen? Uh...



Seems I neglected to put two stitches back on the needle when I had to rip back eleventy-thousand stitches ago. Crap. I had to decide then and there -- do I want this to be perfect, or do I want to get my freaking gold medal? Tough call. If I wasn't under a time constraint I'd have totally frogged back to fix it. But I knew that if I did, there was no way I would finish. I'd be demoralized, and in turn it would sit in a bin for a few months before I could stand to look at it again. So I chose to forge ahead.

Post blocking:



As I was knitting the buttonhole band (I still had to knit the collar after that), I had a realization -- I looked up at my husband and said, "holy crap, there is no way, I am totally going to run out of yarn." I wasn't on the edge of tears (yet) but it was the most depressing feeling...but still I kept at it, thinking that if I came close enough I could felt together all of the dregs I was accumulating and maybe, just maybe, I could make it. We were praying for a knitting miracle. And lo and behold....



Multiplication of the yarn, I swear. That's what was left.



The boring stuff:
Out to Play Coat from Louisa Harding's Miss Bea's Rainy Day
Knit in Nashua Handknits Creative Focus (75% wool, 25% alpaca) color: Aubergine; on US6 and US8 needles.
Pattern modified to replace the cable pattern 'cause I didn't particularly care for the one called for. Also, I knit the sleeves in the round instead of flat.

KO, day 16

KO, day 15 -- update

I'm feeling very SP-M about this whole thing...am I going to make it?? It didn't seem too out of the question a few days ago, but after today I'm just not sure. I had to rip out an entire 16-row cable repeat, then had to tink some rows here and there, and at the end of the day I'm on row 93 of 126, with a whole 'nother panel to finish on Saturday. My hands hurt. I'm not especially enjoying this. But I'm so freaking stubborn, I feel the need to punish myself and keep going.

Shining moment: When I discovered that I screwed up 20 rows ago and had to rip out a pattern repeat...the Xs and Os didn't look right...my five year old said, "Mama, I was going to say, you can't really see the Xs and Os. You should make that in light blue or something."

Yeah, right, like I'm ever making this again. (lol)

KO, day 15

Well, I knitted a grand total of 1.5 inches on Day 14 because for some reason, my left thumb is really, really sore. (Also? I've been staying up til 1 every night and my body shut down at 9 p.m., eliminating most of my knitting time.) So nothing much to show. I spent this morning re-charting the pattern because I really don't care for the cable she chose for the border. I like this one so much better; it looks like Xs and Os:



Only 16 inches left to go on the right front!

KO, day 13

The back and two sleeves are completed. That just leaves the front left and right, the button band, collar, and finishing. I think I can swing that....

it's stashalicious

I was pretty cranky about Monday's postal holiday...but it was all worth the wait:



12 skeins total: 4 DB Alpaca Silk, 4 Cashmerino Aran, and 4 Baby Cashmerino. It's all for charity knitting -- the CKP and other things I've had on the back burner. Lovely stuff. Sigh.

KO, day 12

Finished the back (all 22 inches of it) and half of a sleeve. That's 126+ rows of stockinette. Yawn. Good thing I like this yarn a lot -- I can't wait to see what it feels like after it's blocked.

KO, day 11

No rest for the weary, I tell ya...

So I finished the Cookie Sweater at around ten last night, then cast on a scarf for myself, because it's hella cold here and I really need one. It was actually more of a cowl than a scarf...and I say "was" because I finished it at around 1 a.m. then got up and ripped it out first thing this morning. Something just wasn't right.

But that can wait for now, because it's warmed up a tad and I need to spend every free moment working on this:



I cast on the second of my two Olympic projects this morning. I took the photo around lunchtime...now I have almost 9 inches of the back finished. I'm feeling a little like I bit off more than I can chew, but this is the KO, after all -- I think I'm supposed to feel this way. None of this finishing your KO project with a week to spare...this one will be down to the wire.

KO, day 10 / FO #74

The colors are still a little off -- the yarn is much more lavender-ish than these pictures show. But anyway, here it is....



The boring stuff:
Cookie Sweater, from Louisa Harding's Miss Bea's Rainy Day
Knit in mmm...Malabrigo worsted (color: Lavanda) on US6 and US8 needles
Pattern mods: knit in the round instead of flat. Increased sleeve circumference by 3 sts with no allowance for a selvedge stitch.
This was KO project #1, started Friday, 2/10, finished 2/19.

KO, day 9 (deja vu)

I had to frog the first sleeve...sigh. If not I'd be done with this and ready to move on. But I couldn't get over the fact that it looked out of proportion -- that's what I get for altering the pattern, I guess. I forgot to eliminate the selvedge stitches when I knit the body in the round instead of flat, but I decided to eliminate them on the sleeves, and the first sleeve was just too small. I mean, when I held it up to my DD's shirt, it looked almost right, but when I tried it on her, no way. So last night I knit one sleeve, and ripped out the other.

Really, I'm going to finish this today. Weaving and everything.

KO, day 9

So I'm a little behind. Hoping to finish this one tonight...we have a sleeve...

FO #73

It's sans ties, but the knitting part is done. ;)



I used the Lacy Bonnet pattern from Knitting for Two, except that I used fingering weight yarn and US2 needles. I was curious to see how big it would turn out -- I was hoping for a little smaller, because it's for the Compassionate Knitting Project...but it's still usable, I think, at about five inches high.

KO, day 7

I haven't been back to the sweater since Monday...but this has cables so it qualifies as an Olympic project. I was itching to cast on some of my valentine yarn, and the kiddo asked for a scarf, so I figured an Irish Hiking Scarf was in order. An odd, odd colorway...and even though I modified the pattern so that 1. it wouldn't be too wide and 2. I wouldn't have to use a cable needle, I still think it may be a very short, very odd little scarf. Whatever.

FO #72

I think if I had another kid, I'd cloth diaper them just so I could knit them kick-ass soakers.



The boring stuff:
Diaper Soaker, a pattern that I believe I've tweaked anough now that I can call it my own
Knit in mmm...Malabrigo (TM Wendie), 70g, color: Sealing Wax on US6 needles.

He's a keeper

So, my lovely DH took our little ones to the yarn store and let each of them pick out a skein of yarn for me for Valentine's Day. How freaking adorable is that?? Our five year old chose the Colorspun, probably hoping that I'll knit her some socks with it. And our sweet two year old chose the 220 tweed -- "MAMA! It's your FAVORITE COLOR!" DH, of course, selected the lovely gift certificate...woo hoo....I'm feeling very loved today. :) :) :)

KO, day 4

Now I'm just crossing my fingers that I have enough yarn left for the sleeves...

KO, day 2

Well, I've finished the front and back up to the armholes, and the front yoke of my sweater. I'd keep going, but I need to wind the second hank and I'm not quite up to breaking out the swift and winder tonight. It's been a long day!! Some of you know what I'm talkin' 'bout... ;)

Co-op

The Yarn Co-op: It's a Yahoo group. We purchase in bulk so we get fab prices on beautiful yarn and sometimes accessories. The link: Yarn Co-op The 100purewool co-op was especially fab because the shipping charges are really high when you buy from them on eBay (though they did reduce them recently, it used to be $9 shipping for 3 skeins), but the co-op price had the shipping from the seller to the co-op leader included, and we just had to pay to ship from her to us, if that makes any sense. Much cheaper. And did I mention that the yarn is really yummy?? Mmmmmmmm.......

Speaking of that fantastically yummy yarn, I will bring some to DotMom's house on Saturday so y'all can feel it. :)

It's like buttah

Holy crap, my 100purewool wool just arrived in the mail and it is FABULOUS. Soooo soft and wonderful -- especially the undyed skeins. A little lighter weight than Malabrigo, but all the yummy softness. I'm slightly afraid to dye it because I don't want to screw it up...

I am half hoping that the co-op will run again, and half-hoping it won't, because I could drop a LOT of money on this stuff. Words don't do it justice. omg. wonderful. wool.

Houston, we have a ring...

Thanks to Wendie for setting up the KH Bloggers webring! I couldn't resist making myself a li'l button with Amy's hands on it. ;)

I suppose...

...I should start swatching. Or at least wind these hanks into balls... (while the baby is sleeping, that is, because if I bring out the winder while she's awake, she shrieks, "MY WINDER! MY WINDER!" and tries to run away with it. LOL)

My yarn for the KO:



When I look at it this way, 1000 yards in 16 days, it doesn't seem too intimidating...

FO #71

I just finished another pair of clogs...I'm getting ready to felt them and try my hand at needle-felting. (I made a large square swatch to practice on, so I don't jack the actual clogs if I discover that needle felting is not my forte.) Shown in black and white so as not to give away who they are for....

FO #70

The color in this pic is way off, the blue is more of a deep periwinkle-ish color. It's much prettier in person! There are actually two hats...blue with a black stripe, and black with a blue stripe. I was so anxious to get them in the mail I forgot to photograph the completed black hat. These are for the recipient of this hat, a friend of a friend who is going through chemo (and is almost done! yay!).

The boring stuff:
Chemo Caps, pattern from www.headhuggers.org
Knit in GGH Bali (50% cotton, 50% acrylic) on US6 needles.
Cast on 80 sts instead of 100. Two balls easily make two hats.