Tilting the duster...

Dusting the tilter... It's such a cute name for a sweater coat, the tilted duster. I feel like I should wear it with a drink in both hands. As you can see my duster is hanging out in the yarnstore (near the malabrigo and the IK) until it gets cool enough to wear it here. All in all, I must say, I *adore* this sweater!



Notes about this project:
If you knit it in malabrigo (or a similiar kettle dyed or hand dyed yarn) do some looking before you start. In hindsight I wish I had purposely chosen which two balls to use for my sleeves. One sleeve has a lot more of the lighter pink in it than the other. But rather than rip, I decided to "embrace" the kettle dyed qualities.

I was afraid I was going to run out of yarn, so I knit the fronts, the back, the sleeves, and then the collar. That way if I ran short I could just shorten the skirt. Turns out I was fine. I used way less than 6 balls of the red mahogany malabrigo on size 10 needles for the 40" size. It came out a bit bigger than 40" because my gauge was off, but I had planned for that.

Regardless of the yarn issue, I think knitting the skirt last was a good idea. The skirt is long and tough to get through, but it's nice to know that you're done at that point.

I had saved my original swatch so I tested out steam iron blocking it. It worked fine and didn't hurt the precious yarn so that's how I got the curl out of the stockinette portions of the skirt.

I must say, this is one of my favorite projects ever!

My life in pictures.

No, I didn't get a new camera yet. But I did get the old one to squeak out a few more pictures. Here's what I've been doing lately...

Taking the boys to school...


Knitting the tilted duster...


Knitting the tilted duster (someone force me to finish this danged thing, I'm down to bindoff and set in sleeves and my motivation went to Brooklyn or something).


Knitting Cat Bordhi's sample socks....


Making ABCD stitch markers for Cat Bordhi's sample socks...

Why yes, yes it was.

I am exhausted. No really. All weekend I cleaned. And then yesterday we partied. The cupcakes turned out delicious. The pizza came on time. I forgot to put spoons in the dips. I forgot to give the kids balloons. There was some serious brain farting going on.

But the end result really was happiness. The boys were happy and had tremendous amounts of fun. The spy mission (scavenger hunt) was a hit. The boys wrote their own clues and the end result was a can of silly string for each kid. They then attacked the D.A.D.'s (the Destructive Anarchy Droids) in the backyard. So awesome. And the dads were such good sports.

The little guy got so excited over a Harlem Globetrotters basketball that I thought he was gonna pass out. We are fully outfitted in spy gear and spider-man gear and gift cards. The boys are are ready to go shopping. Right now at ten til nine in the morning.

Oh and someone learned to knit. I was crazed but a couple of my friends found her yarn and needles in my stash and got her started. (Thank you so very much for that!!!) I predict that soon she will be fully addicted just like the rest of us!

Would you like to see some pictures of all of the fun? Yeah. My digital camera decided to crap out on me. Fortunately I had some camera happy friends so soon I will have some pics. I really need a new camera. Like yesterday.

Oh and today? Today I am doing nothing. Ok, not nothing. When does a woman ever really do nothing? Today I am knitting, catching up on laundry, knitting, doing my homework, and knitting. Three hats done, five to go.

Seeing Red.

My husband has been home on vacation on all week, while I've been working at the yarnstore. Somethings are hard to find.

Like camera batteries. And all of my comfy undies. This is *not* because he's done something odd with them. (I hope). This is because he has decided to be helpful and put things away for me.

I started my tilted duster in the red mahogany malabrigo. I have a very cute picture of strongman modeling the now-seamed back and fronts. I can't upload it due to lack o' batteries. Same with the picture of the red yarn I kool-aid dyed this evening.

Strange thing, this kool-aid business. I've done it before. And the package per ounce thing worked fine. I dyed 100g or roughly 3.5 ounces of yarn. I used SEVEN packets of red kool-aid. There are *still* unsaturated places. I started with 3 packets and added 4 more. I can't stomach the idea of going back to Publix yet again.

My cherry red Katherine Hepburn cardigan is stalled. I made some mistakes in the sleeve increases. So I kind of need a do-over. And I haven't the heart to rip it out. Yet.

I also spiffed up a totally cute hat in some pink lemonade colored poems. Only seven more hats to go. Yes, seven. Don't ask.

Sometimes the wrong side is so right!

Ahhh... colorwork. I've only tried intarsia once in the past, to quite disastrous results. But I decided to give it another go. With the Tomato. I cast on last week, and that sweater is fast like whoa. But I digress. I have beautiful pictures to show you:


It is not a Tomato, it is a chocolate covered pecan. Cocoa and Butter Pecan Main Line from Knitpicks. Overall, I don't *love* KP yarn, but this one is very nice. It's a true worsted cotton/merino blend and it's round and sproingy. But wait, look at the wrong side:



I am so proud of myself. My floats are all even and happy. And since I taught myself continental the weekend before last, I was able to do it two-handed. It worked so nicely. Now I want my next project to be fair isle. That or a malabrigo tilted duster.... (A girl can dream).

What you get for the money

Yesterday I had on a severe case of cast-on-itis. Which might interfere horribly with the whole "less than ten" master plan. But then Kim reminded me that crochet projects don't count. Of course I finished the crochet hotpad in a couple of hours, but still. So here is what I did yesterday....


50 grams of mainline worked into the first five inches of a Tomato, which is a free pattern if you sign up for Knitting Daily. Personally speaking, I HATE it when they name designs after colors. Or things that have a definite color associated with them. What am I supposed to call this, a chocolate covered tomato? A rotten and festering tomato? I mean honestly. And then the bright orange hotpad. They call it a dishcloth, but it's really not big enough and the crochet makes it too thick in my opinion. Dude, I'm full of opinions today, aren't I?

And then we have the beauty projects.


Six inches of the right sleeve of the Katherine Hepburn Cardigan. This sweater is gonna be so lovely. And 2.5 repeats of #19, aka the dead bride. The lace has become a bit of a sore spot with me. I'm just bound and determined to beat this one. And I've never found a finished one online anywhere. It will be the club of me.

In other news, if I used to comment on your blog and stopped, please post a comment. For some reason gator purged ALL of my subscriptions. Which was half of my knitting blog-friends. I have the other half on bloglines. I need to go back and look through comments, but truth be told, I'm busy AND I'm lazy. A deadly combination if there ever was one.

Oh and if you're counting, I'm still only up to nine.

Eight is great!

Pictures of eight works in progress. The only eight I own.



The Sandy Cardigan looks way more finished than it is. I have to rip out the sleeve and the side panel on the left, and re-measure myself and do the math again.

And here is a shot of the beautiful #19, which I swear I will wear to my husband's fancy Christmas party this year. Probably with something red.



After some very sophisticated math with my carbiner calculator, I have figured out which project will be the quickest to finish. And the answer is Via Diagonale. And for some reason, that just ain't calling my name. The 2nd quickest, Icarus, is likewise not calling my name. The Scotch Thistle stole will take twice as long as Via Diagonale to finish and I think that's what I wanna do. I don't know. But I'm down to eight. And I feel pretty darned good about that number.

Fe, Fi, FO, done!

And then, there were nine. Which is decidely less than ten. Less than ten people!!!

I now officially only have ten projects on the go. I just wove in ends on the fuzzy feet. And tomorrow morning I will throw them in the new washer and see how it goes. St. Andrew's Cross Blue for my Scottish husband.

And now, it's listy time! Because it makes me happy.

OTN:

1. Lillian's Tank - front & back done, needs ruffles & straps.
2. Scotch Thistle Stole - nearly half done.
3. Icarus - 86% done according the shawl calculator.
4. Wren - got 1.5 sleeves done, so pathetic.
5. CK Sweater - nearly done with the yoke.
6. Sandy Cardigan - basically only the diagonal panels are done as I need to rip out the sides.
7. VK Fall 2005 #19 - only 2/12 repeats done, and will need border and collar.
8. Via Diagonale - about half done.
9. Embossed Leaves Repair - need to rework about 40% of the pair.

I think I'm gonna make myself finish another before I cast on. Or two. Hmmm... which would be the quickest two to finish? I guess the sock repair and the Lillian (Monica) tank? The Scotch Thistle Stole goes very fast if I actually work on it. Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I got an A in film class. This is very good news, because when I took film class back in the day I blew it off. Which equals an F. On my freaking transcript. So an A in the "grade forgiveness" category is a beautiful thing!

Picture Pages...

Do you remember picture pages? What show was that a part of? Bill Cosby and the magical marker. “Time to let Bill Cosby do a picture page with you!” And the magical marker would make wonderful sounds as it traced the lines. Dude. I’m old.

But I did finally squeak at least one picture out of ole Carmen the Camera. Yes, I’ve named her. This is so she won’t die on me before I can get a replacement.

What you see before you is a fit of finishing, nestled in with some of my Secret Sox Box Swap swag and topped off with the “newest” thing.



We have four washcloths. The round one on the left, the blue bunny in front, the making waves one under the needles, and the secret yellow & white one under that. Those penguin needles are my official washcloth needles. The secret one is the August pattern for the washcloth club so I can’t unveil it yet. The purple under there is another secret, but not a washcloth. More on that later. In front we have the blooms bracelet from pick up sticks and perdita. On the top right is my gilligan hat from Knit.1 done in cream cotton fleece. Yes, I know you need a modeled shot.

The red case on the left is the motherload of all notion holders. My Secret Sox Box Swap partner sent it to me, along with the Tofutsies and that completely precious sock bag.

The cherry red yarns is Louet Gems Sportweight. For my Katherine Hepburn cardigan from Lace Style. Now if I could make some decent 1x1 ribbing to get that puppy started, we’d be cooking with gas.

My list is doing ok. I started and finished the Knitting Daily Summer Shawlette in Berrocco Ultra Alpaca Light. It’s a model for the lace class that the owner is giving at the yarn store. It’s beautiful and is blocking as I type.

So I have seven projects on hold and four technically on the needles. I think I might give up on the mystery stole. Truth be told I just don’t love the yarn I ordered. And I started with beads, so I sort of have to keep doing them. And dude, those beads slow you down, down, down. I don’t know. So I have eleven projects. Which is so much better than before. But as usually I have itchy fingers. I wonder if they make a cream for that.

I blame her.

She knows who she is.

I gave up on the silk/mohair scarf. Everything I was doing with that yarn combo was craptastic. Seriously bad. So for those of you keeping track, I would be down to four active projects.

I tried to cast on today for something else. It's her fault. She sent me home with a skein of SWTC bamboo. And when I googled it, I was reminded of the lovely Silk Corset pattern I have. Unfortunately the serendipity bamboo is not meant for that pattern. Or maybe that's a fortunate thing. I don't know. All I know is that the swatch on my needles ain't going nowhere. Although I am now tempted to see if it will work in Knitty's Convertible.

But right now my fingers are itching. She was the one who helped me figure out that the new Berrocco Ultra Alpaca Light will probably be perfect for the Summer Shawlette on Knitting Daily. So now I want to make it. And how.

But I have a paper to write. And some birthday Carolan's to drink (thanks to her!) and so I will not cast on for anything new. At least not tonight.

The answer.

It's simple really. The reason I don't finish any projects is because I never stick with anything. Even now. I only have six projects that I'm actively involved in. (I frogged the July washcloth - something was off about it). But even with only six, I flit from project to project. From day to day, I never focus on the same thing. I could finish stuff I wasn't so willy nilly about the whole business.

I've decided to put the Maximize socks on hold. I will have another Magic Loop class in August and it will be good to have those to work on during class. Plus I can get them to same point the class is at for the 2nd class, which is the short row heel portion. So now we have five.

And I shall prioritize.

1. Silk & Mohair Scarf
2. Mystery Stole - try to keep up!
3. Lillian's Tank
4. Fuzzy Feet
5. Scotch Thistle Stole

Are you tiring of my lists yet? Be glad you're not on my livejournal friends list. When I was moving, everyday I posted annoying lists. Hopefully soon I will find the battery charger, (which my husband swears is in the garage!) and I will be able to post some nice FO pics.

Now wip it... into shape!

Whenever I think of wips, I think of Devo. I'm sorry, I'm an 80's child. I would love to show you pictures of my finished projects. Or of my Super Sox Box Swap swag. But alas, the fates are against me. I finally found my camera (under all the stuff on my desk) but the batteries and the charger are somewhere in a box.

So we’ll give you happy lists instead:
1. Lillian's Monica Tank – Now 65% done!
2. Silk & Mohair Scarf -- Finish ASAP
3. Fuzzy Feet -- Finish ASAP
4. Maximize Socks -- Now 70% done!
5. Scotch Thistle Stole -- Finish ASAP

I have seven projects on hold – Icarus, Wren, CK Sweater, Sandy Cardigan, VK Fall 2005 #19, Via Diagonale, and Embossed Leaves Sock Repair – which brings me to twelve. The French Silk Socks are coming off the list, because my friendly LYS owner assures me that an unstarted second sock does *not* count on your wip list. And then I cast on for two things: the July Washcloth, and Mystery Stole 3. So…. I’m down to 14 projects total. Which is way better than the original 25 I came up with when I had too much Irish Cream the other night. Dude, I couldn’t even read my handwriting for part of that list!

I got an awesome box of stuff from my Sox Box partner. Tofutsies yarn, two beautiful lace sock patterns, a whole set of traveling notions, a beautifully embroidered sock project bag, and some yummy flavored coffees. I organized all my yarn today, so I separated stuff – I think that was the whole shebang. The traveling notions set is awesome. Everything you could possibly need for knitting on the go. Everyone should have one.

In the last bit of news, having a birthday on the luckiest day of the year is not turning out so lucky for me. All three of my guys are being buttheads. So I am off to the store to buy ingredients for one of my favorite cakes and/or some more Irish Cream. Happy seven-seven-seven to you!

Don't Let Me Teach Your Children

I kept saying "less than ten" in that last post, over and over. But clearly the math would give me exactly ten. And I wanna be a math teacher. Geez. And it gets worse. There aren’t 22 projects in that list. There are 21. Seriously folks. Someone pass me a calculator.

But here's the good news. I've finished three projects. And frogged four more. So the list of 21 is now down to 14. Which is good news for my itchy fingers. I have seven that are on “pause” and seven that need to be finished.

I love the number seven.

July Goal: Less than ten.

I would like to have less than ten projects going. Right now I have 22. And I am itching, nearly dying, to cast on for two more. Make that three.

What's calling my name? Mystery Stole Three. I have all the supplies. It would already be in the wip count if I hadn't screwed it up like five times yesterday. The second project is Tomato, available for free download at Knitting Daily. Yes, I have the yarn for that as well. A beautiful cocoa color with a nice tan for the stripe. The third project would be the July washcloth pattern. I'm in the KnitWitz washcloth club and the July pattern is on its way.

So.... although I really dream of less than five, I'm shooting for less than ten. So how do I get there? I have 22 projects. I have to get rid of 15 of them to allow myself to cast on for three more to equal ten. Ok. I can do this.

Here's the list of 22 and what I plan to do with them - the ones that say "Finish ASAP" are in the basic order I plan to finish them in:

Perdita -- Finish ASAP
Blooms Bracelet -- Finish ASAP
Bunny Washcloth -- Finish ASAP
Pie Crust Cloth -- Finish ASAP
Lacy Baby Bonnet -- Finish ASAP
Lillian's Tank -- Finish ASAP
Silk & Mohair Scarf -- Finish ASAP
Fuzzy Feet -- Finish ASAP
Maximize Socks -- Finish ASAP
French Silk Socks -- Finish ASAP
Scotch Thistle Stole -- Finish ASAP
Baby Boy Socks -- Frog
Sarcelle -- Frong
Splash Scarf -- Frog

And the remaining seven:
Icarus
Wren
CK Sweater
Sandy Cardigan
VK Fall 2005 #19
Via Diagonale
Embossed Leaves

Tell me I can do this?

Can't post. Must pack.

There's been precious little knitting. Hell, there's been precious little showering. Saturday is moving day! Got the keys from the owner today. Yay and wahoo!

Seven.

Seven is a good number for me. Particularly this year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of 2000, I will turn an age that is a multiple of seven. And actually, I'm not into numbers. No, really.

So when V tagged me for seven things... how could I say no?

1. My hair started going gray when I was 18. Nowadays if I let it go, it would easily be more than half gray. Of course in periods of high stress (like this move) I tend to let the roots go. It's always very sobering.

2. I have a not so secret affinity for all things Scooby. I actually have a good sized box of items packed up that is all Scooby stuff. Magnets, toys, stuffed animals, stickers... I even have a bumper sticker that says "What would Scooby Doo?"

3. I have a fundamental aversion to cleaning. It just seems there are so many better things to do. Of course I am regretting this aversion now, with six days til moving day and a bunch of people coming to my apartment, but oh well. Sleep is overrated.

4. I have a bunch of port wine stains on the bottom of my feet. When I was pregnant I was terrified that the babies would end up with them on their faces. I always feel self conscious about them when I get a pedicure.

5. I think I am addicted to diet pepsi. No really. I know the chemical cocktail is not good for me, but I've tried to quit (subbing in other caffeine) and I'm more afraid to quit than I am of drinking it.

6. Back when I was thin (before the boys) and pseudo-single, I had very long hair. I dressed up as Pocahontas for the Halloween street party and braided it. I got so much attention that I wore the same costume the next year. Best costume ever.

7. I was a National Merit Scholar and blew a full ride my first time at college by basically just not going to classes my 2nd year. Not my finest hour.

I am the anti-tag. But if you haven't done this one, you should. It was fun!

The biggest socks...

So I've been working on these jitterbug socks. And I was hella worried that the socks would be super short. Because, you know, less than 300 yards? And what with me and the boat-like footies?

So I cast on toe-up. And I kept them in stockinette except for a simple faux cable motif running up the sides. The finished sock is gorgeous. I only cast on 60 stitches on size 2 addis. Did I mention the gorgeous?

But here's the thing. I've used less than half of my skein -- 54/112 grams. And the sock is the longest sock I've ever made. It's almost taller than my sock blocker.

So I'm kind of scratching my head on this one. Here I was being all careful not to use too much yarn and well... Of course I could be speaking too soon. It could be that the remaining 58 grams are somehow different and the 2nd sock will turn out much shorter. I mean I guess. I don't know.

Anyhow. It's dark and rainy here and my sock is wet on the blocker hanging in the bathroom. Not the best photo opportunity. So we will take pictures tomorrow. And post the pattern.

Super Sox Box Swap Questionnaire

1.What are your favorite colors? What colors make you cringe? No yellow! Other than that I like just about everything. I'm partial to purples, deep jewel tones, browns.

2.Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? Not a newbie. Been doing it for a couple of years. I've never done colorwork in socks though, but I'm not sure I want to.

3.Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Semi-solid? My favorites are those ones with variations on the same colors.

4.What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? Superwash wool blends. Although I've never knit with silk blends, and I'm sure they are nice.

5.Where do you usually knit socks? In carline, waiting for the boys to get off of school.

6.How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a few small bags.

7.What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? Any favorite designers? I'm a big Nancy Bush fan, and have two of her books - Knitting Vintage Socks and Traveling Socks. My favorite socks that I've done so far have been the Embossed Leaves patterns in Favorite Socks.

8.What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I love lace socks. Makes them a bit more wearable in Florida.

9.What new techniques would you like to try? Hmmm... don't know.

10.Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? I mostly do magic loop, but sometimes dpns.

11.What are some of your favorite yarns? Jitterbug is dreamy, and I love Lorna's Laces. I've not tried any of the indy sock yarns though.

12.What yarn do you adore and yearn for? What yarn makes you happiest? That's a toughie.

13.Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? There isn't a particular sock pattern on my dream list.

14.Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I love addi turbos, but I'm all set in my 40 inchers.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I think I would be Lorna's Laces nearly solids. Pretty consistent but with interest.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Sweet or salty? I'm a chocolate girl. My favorite is Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit. But I don't know how mail-able that is.

Do you collect anything? Anything Scooby Doo!

What is your favorite scent? I like fruit scents. Florals are nice but they make me sneeze.

Will you be celebrating a birthday, anniversary, etc. between now and the close of the swap? Nope!

What’s your favorite animal? I love butterflies?

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? Rufus is a rescue beagle. We don't know how old he is, but pretty young. He's my sweetie!

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. My favorite is from Clue, "And monkey brains, although popular in Cantonese cuisine, are not often to be found in Washington D.C."

What is your motto in life? Life is too short to have regrets.

Do you have a wishlist? (ie: Amazon, B&N, a LYS, online store, etc.) Please list link here. Nope. I guess I should make one of those. :)

Anything else you’d like to share with your Sox Box pal? Nah.

Any allergies to be aware of for this swap? Just the cat thing.

Coffee, Tea? I like flavored coffees.

Anything Else? I think I'm good!

Round up!

Pictures of my beautiful package from my secret pal.


I especially love how my backdrop holder is peeping over the top. There was so much stuff. 8 skeins of KP alpaca cloud in two different colors. Those gorgeous silk scarves. And the opal shelridge farm? To die for! So much beautiful stuff. If you are very lucky, the sweet llamabean will be your SP next time, cause she has this SP stuff down!

Well, cleaning and purging and "pre-packing" has made me take stock of my wips. I did not count how many skeins of sock and lace yarns I have before I packed that box. But it's a good size box. Dang.

Recently Touched WIPs
1. Jitterbug Socks - my own pattern, 1 sock 65% done
2. Scotch Thistle Stole in Schaefer Anne
3. Sarcelle in Alpaca With A Twist's Fino
4. Icarus in Misti Alpaca Laceweight
5. Happy Trekking Sock - 1 done, but it needs adjustments
6. Monica in Cotton-Ease - about 40% done
7. Blooms Bracelet - Just needs stringing
8. Silk & Kid Merino Scarf - my own pattern

Very Neglected WIPs
1. The Revived Dead Bride
2. Via Diagonale
3. Perdita
4. Cozy
5. The Man's Fuzzy Feet
6. Embossed Leaves Socks that need repairs
7. Sandy Cardigan

15. Fifteen. Oh my. Oh my, my, my. The scary thing is, I typed this list out to justify casting on for the little beauty below. Surely my WIP pile wasn't that bad. Right? Fifteen says I'm wrong. Very wrong. Dead wrong.

What happened to my camera.

Um, yeah. I took *none* of these pictures.