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April 29, 2005
All's Well
I left work a bit early yesterday because they were closing the roads and I didn't want to get stuck. I'm glad I did because the drive wasn't great, but I made it. My new bamboo needles were waiting for me at home, and I had to immediately cast on for the back of the zip cardigan. I tried a cable cast on - my first attempt, but after a bit of struggle, I figured it out and it looks good. I am happy to report that the stitches seem to be much more even and uniform. I'm about half way up the ribbing and the real test will be the reverse stockinette stitch, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my brain engaged. I'll post some pictures when I get a bit more finished.
I ordered paint for my kitchen yesterday. It won't come until some time next week, but maybe I can find some time next weekend to paint my kitchen (between my hair appointment, brother-in-law's college graduation, and Mother's Day). I decided on Zorries #40 from Citron Paint. It's a nice medium green that I think will look great with the other colors I have in my house (at least I hope it will).
I finally bought the fabric I need for the needle case in Stitch N Bitch. Nice blues and greens. I think I might try to get that made this weekend (if I can tear myself away from the zip cardi). I bought upholstery fabric and I'm pretty sure I'll have enough to make 2. Maybe as a gift for someone. Hmmm.
Have a great day. It's Friday!
Posted by Stephanie at 8:41 AMApril 28, 2005
Wyoming Weather Sucks
Look at the lovely weather I drove through to get to work today.
That is snow, flog, and wind. Major crap. The roads were icy, but still drivable (obviously - I'm at work). My real concern now is getting home tonight. I'll probably leave early so I'm sure to make it home. You just gotta love spring in the Rockies.
I worked on my sock and have noticed a difference in my stitches with the sock yarn too. I find that very interesting, my technique must have really gotten sloppy. The needles from Knit Happens should be arriving today so I'm planning to cast on again for the back. Keep your fingers crossed that things go a bit better on the second try. Oh, Knit Happens Online Store is finally up and running - check it out - it's fabulous! I ordered the Jaeger pattern book for Stacy's sweater so I should be able to figure out my yardage and get the additional yarn I need for that project.
Have a great day and think warm weather thoughts.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:53 AMApril 27, 2005
I Did It...
... I frogged the whole thing. It was fairly painless because I know the new version will look so much better. I have pictures of the swatch I did yesterday at lunch so you can see my improved stitches.
They are much more uniform and make me much happier. What do you think?
I worked on my sock for awhile last night after I frogged the sweater and had a good time seeing the progress up the foot. I'm gonna get that thing done one of these days, I promise.
Here's a picture of the sign a lady in my office made for me to welcome me back to work after my surgery. Cute.
We got snow at our house last night. There was a dusting on the grass and sidewalk this morning when we got up and the drive was terrible because the fog was really thick. You could hardly see the car right in front of you. I'm still optimistic that spring will eventually show up around here, but it may be July. Have a great day.
Oh, I almost forgot again. Cyndi tagged me with a meme. You're supposed to use Google Map Services to show people where you live. We don't have great zoom in our neck of the woods, but here's Laramie, WY. I guess I'll tag Jen, Diana, and Rebekah. Have a great day and don't forget to watch the good tv shows tonight - Lost and Alias are both new (well, Lost is kind of a recap of the season, but still should be good).
Edited: If you look at the map of Laramie you'll see a road that runs just about down the middle. At the very bottom of the map there is a little tiny white line that goes off to the right (east). If you follow that road until it forks and take the middle fork, my house is the very last little light spot you see on that road (just before the other vertical line, which is the railroad track). Hope that helps you all a bit. :)
Posted by Stephanie at 8:43 AMApril 26, 2005
You're Not Gonna Believe This...
But I figured out what I was doing wrong. I didn't figure it out by myself, so don't start thinkin' I'm a genius, but none the less, I fixed the uneven stitch problem. I cruised over to Knitter's Review and did a search on the forums. There was an excellent discussion on "rowing out". I made a swatch over lunch and really concentrated on making the stitches by sliding the stitch to the taper before inserting the right needle and it dawned on me that I've been stretching the stitches out, which then don't bounce back. My swatch looks fabulous - the stitches are uniform and there is no difference in tension between the knit and purl rows. Yippee. I learned an important lesson with this little exercise. It is important to concentrate on producing quality knitting and think about your technique rather than just completing some mindless exercise (not that I can ever really zone out while I'm knitting, but you get my point). I think the bamboo needles will be great because they will slow me down a little bit and make me concentrate on my technique. I've decided (after this revelation) that I'm going to start from scratch on this little project (or I might leave the back and just frog the front pieces - I don't know). I'll frog tonight and maybe finish tomorrow night and then I'll get some quality time with sock #2 before the bamboo needles arrive and I can start back in on the cardigan. Thanks for all of your help and support during my little crisis.
Posted by Stephanie at 1:36 PMReality
Here's how I see it. There's something wrong with my Phildar zip cardi. It just isn't looking right and I'm trying to figure out what to do. Frankly, the tension sucks. It's too loose or uneven and I'm really not happy with it.
The picture on the left is the blocked back and the picture on the right is the blocked ribbing on the back. See how the stitches are uneven? It's getting worse on the front pieces. Adele is working on this pattern as well, but using a different yarn. She's actually using the recommended yarn, rather than substituting the Rowan 4-ply cotton like I did, she's using bamboo needles and isn't having a single problem (but she's a lot more talented than I). The gauge is right when the tension is right, but it isn't consistent. I think it might be the addi turbos. Maybe they're too slick with the cotton. To test this theory I did a little swatch last night on my size 1 lantern moon dpns. The wood seemed to help a bit, especially on the ribbing, but it didn't totally fix the problem.
The rib definitely looks much better, but the stitches still have that weird tension thing going on. The top 6 or 7 rows I knit with the combined method, which really evened out the tension, but I still think I ought to be able to fix this with my regular continental knitting. Am I kidding myself?
So, these are my thoughts. I'm going to call the LYS (if you can call it that) and see what they have for bamboo needles (I think they have skacel). I'm also going to try to figure out what the f*&$ I'm doing wrong with my stitches. Any ideas? I can either leave it as is, which I'm not inclined to do, or frog the whole thing and start over on the bamboo needles and if necessary use the combined knitting method to get the correct, even tension. I really like this pattern and want to wear it and am afraid that if I don't make it right, I won't wear it and the whole thing will be a waste. What would you do if you were me? Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.
OMG! I just called the LYS and you're not going to believe this, but she doesn't have any sraight bamboo needles. None. No straight needles at all, unless you count dpns, which I don't. What kind of yarn store is this?? Not a very good one. So now I must order them from Knit Happens and pay express shipping because I'm too impatient to wait for them to come regular mail. Lovely, just lovely.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:27 AMApril 25, 2005
Back to the Grind
I'm back at work and staring at a computer is making my eyes dry. I wonder if I can use that excuse to keep from having to work. Doubtful, but I can dream. I did a lot of knitting this weekend and have completed the back and right side of my zip cardigan.
I debated about blocking it, but decided to since the sides were curling and I hoped a washing would help with the tension issues - it did not. I didn't put it in the dryer, but... Any ideas on how to solve this lovely cotton dilemma?
I baby sat for my mom and her SO this weekend. Riley and Kee Kee had a great time.
My task at lunch today is to go buy some new sunglasses. Wish me luck - I hate picking stuff like that out, but the new eyes need new glasses. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:58 AMApril 21, 2005
I Survived
It was scary - mostly just the unknown and the weird sounds and smells, but I strangled the stuffed dog they gave me and everything seems to be ok. I can't see great yet, but a lot better than I had before. We'll see how things shape up over the next few days. I worked a lot on my sock, but have managed to break another ebony needle - and I don't even knit tight. I'm going to try to spend some quality time with the phildar cardi tomorrow. Maybe I'll get the back finished.
Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and words of encouragement.
Stephanie
Posted by Stephanie at 7:00 PMApril 20, 2005
T-Minus 24 Hours
Well, it's actually about 25 hours until I have to show up at the surgery center, but I'm started to get really nervous. Everything's going to be all right, right? Lots of people have lasik surgery and love it, but yesterday I had to read the consent forms, which detail everything that could go wrong. Makes you really hate lawyers because you know that's why they have all that stuff in there - stupid lawyers (hee hee).
I haven't worked on my second sock. I may have a touch of SSS, but I'm thinking I'll work on it tomorrow while I'm waiting. It'll give me something to do and it fits in my purse. I just got the new newsletter from Purl and Lornas Laces has custom colors of self-striping sock yarn. I must have some for my next sock project! They're so cute.
I'm just working away on my cardigan. I have about 2 cm until I begin the armhole shaping on the back. For some reason the name Gilet just doesn't work for me. Maybe because I grew up in a town named Gillette, but Gilet may be a nice french name and I'm just not cultured enough to know it. What do you think?
I won't have time to post in the morning, but I'll try to get on in the afternoon when I get home (if I can stand to suffer through my dial-up) and let you know how it went. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:35 AMApril 19, 2005
Elizabeth Zimmermann Is A Genius
Thanks Linda for the link to the thread on Knitter's Review on bind-offs for toe-up socks. I used the Elizabeth Zimmermann Sewn Cast-Off and it worked like a charm. My sock now fits and it was a lot easier than the method in Vogue Knitting.
Sorry for the dark picture, but for some reason I couldn't get my camera to give me a better quality picture last night (operator error, I'm sure). I started the second sock and have the toe done. I imagine I'll get a lot done on it while I'm waiting for my surgery on Thursday.
The Phildar Zip Cardigan (I think its name is Gilet) is coming along nicely. I've finished my first ball of yarn and am about half way up the back. It's going faster than I thought it would with the 4-ply and size 2 needles.
The thing about cotton is that you can see every irregularity in the stitches. The pattern is reverse stockinette stitch and you can really see the slight variation in tension in some spots. Will this get better after I wash and block it?
It's supposed to rain and maybe snow here this evening. The moisture is good since we've already had our first wild fire of the season, but I wish it would just rain rather than snow. I'm so tired of snow. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:17 AMApril 18, 2005
Ah, the Weekend
I love weekends and this one was particularly lovely. Saturday involved a trip to the eye doctor to have my eyes dilated before the big surgery on Thursday. All is good and we're a go for the lasik thing. Waiting for me at the post office was my order from Knit Happens! Lovely 4-ply Cotton in Cooking Apple. I had to cast on as soon as I got home. Surprisingly, it's going well and the cotton has been fine to work with - I have about 7 inches of the back finished. I was worried about my tension because my gauge swatch was 24 stitches rather than 25, but when I tested it on the back of the sweater, it is right on.
Now, for the question of the day. I finished my first sock on Friday night and I cannot get the bind off right. What is the best way to bind off for a k1, p1 rib so that it is stretchy? I tried to just do a regular bind off in pattern, but it was way too tight. I then tried the method suggested in Vogue Knitting for a k1, p1 bind off, but I still don't like it. As it is now, the bind off makes the sock very difficult to get on, but once it's on, it fits wonderfully. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
The weather was great here this weekend (if you ignore the wind, which I try to do on a daily basis). I actually cleaned out my flower beds yesterday and watered my tree (yep, I only have one tree). Since my eyes were dilated most of the day on Saturday I stayed in and knit and cleaned out my closet. I'm hoping we can get a closet organization system set up to more efficiently utilize the space - something from Lowes or Home Depot - so the closet needed to be inventoried in order to get the right things. Not exciting, but I got a great sense of accomplishment when I got rid of the stuff that I never wear. Now I have an excuse to buy some new pants - I know I don't have any that I like. :)
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:14 AMApril 15, 2005
Wedding Pictures!!
I have pictures from Ashley's wedding! Amy (Ashley's sister) sent me a cd with a bunch of pictures of the weekend. It's wonderful and I have to share a few of them with you. The first one is Travis, me, Ashley, and Torstein at the rehearsal dinner.
Me and Travis at the rehearsal dinner.
Pre-wedding make-up. Isn't Ashley pretty? That bathroom was the nicest bathroom I've ever been in. Walk-in shower, jetted tub, pedestal sink, and make-up counter. All tile and rustic southwest charm.
Ashley bustled part of her really long train for the ceremony and left a sweep train. This is me trying to find the really tiny loops that were supposed to accomplish this - no simple task, let me tell you!
The finished look. Isn't she beautiful? Everything looked great - the dress, the veil, the flowers, the hair, the jewelry.
The bridesmaids and bride - the wedding photographer was standing behind the brick pillar and we were all looking at her. From left to right: me, Leslie (Ashley's friend from pharmacy school), Amy (Ashley's sister) and Ashley (obviously).
The ceremony - that's my shoulder in the shot. Isn't Torstein handsome?
Torstein watching a touch-up. He was very perplexed by the lipstick process.
The wedding party with the fountains in the background and the reception behind us, through the arches.
That's about all I have to share. I'm about 1/2 inch from finishing my sock - definitely tonight. And I'm hoping my Knit Happens order will arrive today. Keep your fingers crossed. Have a great weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:42 AMApril 14, 2005
Ho Hum
I don't have a single exciting thing to tell you. Nothing. I've just started the ribbing on my sock, so it should be done soon. Probably not tonight because I have karate again tonight, but maybe by tomorrow. I'm hoping my order from Knit Happens arrives tomorrow (I'm secretly hoping for today, but 2 days from Virginia to Wyoming is asking a bit much). As soon as it comes I'm going to cast on for the cardigan. I'm going to have the cardigan and the second sock going at the same time. I know, shocking for me, but I'm branching out here. I'm actually thinking that I'll want the sock to work on while I'm waiting for my lasik surgery next week - something to keep me busy without having to think much about it, but I'm really excited to start the sweater and don't want to wait until next weekend (after the surgery), so I'll start it this weekend or next week (depending on the service I receive from USPS) and then do the sock as time permits. See what a good rationalizer I am!
Oh, I thought of something kind of exciting. I ordered seeds for my very first vegetable garden. My husband is not going to be at all thrilled with this project, but I think it will be fun. I've prepared myself for the very real possibility that nothing will grow (my climate is not the best for growing anything), but I'm going to have fun trying. My mother-in-law has generously offered to help me plant when she comes down in a couple of weeks, but I have to figure out what to do to get the soil ready for that. She's supposed to let me know. If the weather is at all nice this weekend (which isn't looking promising) I'm going to try to do some work outside. If not, I guess I'll just have to knit all weekend. Hmmm. Tough choice.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:51 AMApril 13, 2005
Spendin' Money
I ordered my coffee table, and whether it's in stock will depend on how soon I will get it. I'm on the payment plan with it because, realistically, no table should cost that much, but I have no will power and buy things that I like, even if it takes me 3 months on layaway. I'm weak, what can I say? I have also tentatively settled on a paint color for my kitchen. I don't want to say anything because Travis has yet to provide any opinion at all. I still need to order a couple of paint samples from Ellen Kennon, but I think I like the color from Citron (Zorries, #40) better than any of the E.K. greens (although she has a great wheat color - Mustard Seed). I'd do that in a heart beat, but Travis would have a heart attack - too much yellow. Oh well, I guess we both live there, but I'm still not sure why that means I can't have everything my way. :) My sister actually bought me a cute little plaque a while back that says "I'm not bossy, I just have better ideas." That about sums me up.
I worked on my sock on the commute to and from work yesterday and that's all. Nothing at lunch and nothing last night. Karate was particularly difficult last night and when I got home I took a shower and went to bed early. I have a question for all of you. My sock pattern doesn't provide any guidance on the length of the leg and the ribbing. What do you think is the ideal length and what type of ribbing do you prefer (k1, p1 or k2, p2, etc)?
I ordered yarn yesterday from Knit Happens and I'm hoping that I'll get it by the end of the week. They're sending me a replacement set of Lantern Moons and I'm supposed to send the ones with the broken needle back to them and they'll send them to the company. Isn't that great!? I've also decided that I'm going to use the Jo Sharp that I bought for the Phildar cardigan for a sweater for Stacy for Christmas. She isn't a big wool fan (although I think I'm winning her over with the hat and socks) and the cotton will be more practical for her lifestyle. I found this pattern which is knit with Jaeger Aqua, which is the same gauge as the SoHo Summer - dk. I'll just do it in a solid color w/o the stripe (I have a pretty raspberry color, but need to get the pattern so I can see if I need more yarn than I have so I can try to get more in the same dye lot). It's simple, but still really cute. Then, I'll probably have to make one for myself because I really love this sweater. My problem is that Knit Happens didn't have the book when I ordered my other stuff, but they're going to get it when they put in their next Jaeger order. That should work out just fine because I won't start it until I finish the Phildar cardigan and the second sock, and maybe then they'll also have Last Minute Knitted Gifts because it was out of stock too. If any of you have this pattern book (Jaeger 34 - Spring/Summer 2005), could you tell me what the large or x-large size measurements are and the yardage requirements? I'd be very grateful.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:51 AMApril 12, 2005
Short Row Heel
I have successfully completed my first short row heel. I see that there is one tiny hole on one side - should have picked up an extra stitch there, but I don't care. I did it and it looks good. What do you think? I worked on it this morning on the commute and tried it on. It fits! I'm so excited. I'm guessing you couldn't tell, so I thought I'd mention it. Heehee.
I'm calling Knit Happens the minute I get done here to order the yarn for my Phildar cardigan (it has a name, but I can't remember it at the moment - I'll work on that for next time). I'm also going to ask about the lantern moon needles. I don't know what the return policy is, but I'm going to check. I'm excited to get started on that project.
I found a pattern for legwarmers. It's over on streets and YOs and is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I think they're super cute and look to be a bit longer (which is what I was after, if you remember). I'm going to go out this week and get that book, which I've been meaning to do for what seems like forever (if I can find it around here, if not, I'll have to order it - maybe I'll ask at Knit Happens and just have them send it with my order. That may be the easiest solution of all.) Good thinking.
I got a new purse and wallet yesterday. I really only needed a new wallet, but since I was ordering one, I thought I ought to get a new purse too. Don't you think? It's funky and fun and good for spring/summer, at least I think it is. It's better than the boring black one anyway.
I've decided on a coffee table and need to go put a down payment on it (they have to order the one I want, which will probably take 6-8 weeks). It's from Western Heritage Furniture. The one I like is the ghostwood diamondback top with the bartlett legs and the natural tacks. What do you think?
So that's all I have to tell you. Karate tonight and birthday lunch in the office today, so the knitting prospects look slim today. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:51 AMApril 11, 2005
New Colors
I've decided to try a new color scheme. What do you all think? I thought this was a bit more subdued, but still pretty. Pink and green or khaki and purple?
I seamed Rebecca on Friday night and then on Saturday crocheted the edge stitches on the bottom and the sleeves - it gave it a nice finished look. I then picked up and knit the ties. I got worried on the long tie (which I did second) that I was going to run out of yarn, especially since I still hadn't completed the finishing for the neck. As it turned out, I had enough and moved on to the neck finishing, which caused lots of problems. I hated it every time I did it. The pattern indicates that you are supposed to pick up stitches around the sides and the neck and purl one ws row and then bind off knitwise. I did it once and bound off and it pulled so I ripped it out and picked up more stitches. I then tried a suspended bind off, hoping that it would be looser and not pull. It worked out fine, but I just didn't like how it fit with the neck finished like that - too inflexible. So, now I'm debating about adding a crocheted edge or just leaving it as it is. What do you think? 
I had Travis take the picture and he's not very camera savvy (even with my super simple point and shoot), but you get the idea. I had hoped to finish it earlier yesterday so I could take some natural light pictures, but with the neck trauma, it didn't work out.
Next on my list is to finish the socks I've been working on. I opened my knitting bag this morning on the commute and found a broken ebony Lantern Moon needle. I was pissed. There's no other word that expresses my anger. I think the reason it broke was because it was seriously warped to start with - so crooked that I could only knit with one end of the needle - is this normal for Lantern Moons? My size 5s aren't like that, but these are a size 1. It was in my knitting bag all weekend and I can't imagine what would have happened to make it break, just one of those mysteries. I went to the store across the street from my office and bought some super glue and glued it back together. It probably won't hold for long, but long enough for me to order another pair from Knit Happens when I order yarn for the Phildar cardigan tomorrow. I'm excited to get the yarn for that sweater and get started. In reading the pattern, it seems a bit complicated - it's knit in lots of pieced and then sewed together. We'll have to see how it goes.
Riley was in rare form this weekend. I had to go to the feed store and get vet supplies to doctor Fritz, and of course had to get Riley a pig ear. I gave it to him yesterday and he probably spent 30 minutes looking for somewhere in the house to hide it. Here he is in the guest bedroom (which clearly is in need of some attention). He considered under the bed, but his favorite hiding spot is under the pillows (a nice little surprise when you get into bed). But for some reason he wasn't happy with his usual spots. After his hunt around the house (it was actually about 3 laps of looking in the same places) he decided he'd just eat it. The entire process only took him about 30 minutes. When he starts eating (after the hiding and then the licking) he goes right to town. At some points it is even necessary to put his foot on it so that he can get a better grip.
I painted sample sheets of 4 colors of green for the kitchen on Saturday and hung them on the walls. I've narrowed it down to 2 - one medium and one dark color. I'm going to live with them for a few days and see which one stands out. I may be on the home stretch on the kitchen color selection (thank God, it's been a month long process) and could be painting in a couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have nothing else to report. It's cold and snowy here. Although we didn't get as much snow as Denver. It appears that the edge of the storm brushed us and then settled into the Denver area. The moisture would have been welcome, as would a day off of work, but maybe it will just rain later in the week.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:12 AMApril 8, 2005
Socks and Babies...
... well, my babies anyway. I absolutely love daylight savings time. It's actually light when I get home from work. So, in honor of the daylight I took some pictures of my babies to share with you. Here you have Fritz and Toast respectively. Both Quarter Horses. We rope off of them. Toast used to be a race horse, and he was quite good when he remember that it is important to pay attention to what you're doing when you're running really fast down a track with a bunch of other horses. Unfortunately, he forgot about that most of the time. Fritz has never experienced the thrill and defeat of racing and was raised on my dad's ranch. He's a sweetie, but has an owie on his leg (I took a picture, but chose to spare you the gory details - be grateful). And then there's Riley , who you've met before, obsessing about his orange ball. He's really quite amusing because the ball is hard plastic and too large for him to get into his mouth so he just pushes it around with his nose and barks at it. Makes me laugh every time. If you look very carefully you can see the very beginnings of green grass in the pasture. I'm just holding my breath that more will grow and it isn't just teasing me. I get so jealous of those of you who spring has already chosen to bless because it's still so far away for us. Maybe sooner than I think??
I got Rebecca put together last night and am quite pleased. I still have to weave in the ends and knit on the ties, but she fits and looks good - not too short although I need a cute camisole to wear with her - Target over lunch might be able to help with that. I also am making good progress on my sock. The colors aren't as purpley as they look here - magenta and green and brown. I took this at the beginning of the evening so I have even more done now. Here's the toe. What do you think of the short rows? I think they turned out pretty well considering it's my first time trying them. Here's a close-up. The color in this last picture is the closest to the actual color. Probably because I took it without a flash! :) I'll have pictures of Rebecca when I get her completed and you can let me know what you think. Have a great weekend. I'm hoping to get lots of knitting done because it's supposed to snow here this weekend (yuck).
Posted by Stephanie at 9:56 AM
April 7, 2005
Quickie
Hi there. I just have a couple of minutes because I'm headed to eat lunch before the second half of my most riveting board meeting. Yuck. Board meetings suck. I'm bringing some reading along in the hopes that I can actually get some work done while there is back slapping and whining going on all around me (unfortunately I won't be able to knit through the meeting like I did the other day - bummer).
I have successfully completed my very first short row toe. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There is a certain level of trust involved - a willingness to just go with it, but it all seems to have worked out. At least I have a toe on my sock, so it must have worked out alright. I washed the swatch of my 4-ply cotton and we'll see how she looks tonight. Rebecca is dry and I'm hoping to start the seaming tomorrow night. The weather is supposed to be crappy again this weekend - snow - so I'm planning to stay in and knit, paint sample paint colors, and do laundry. I have no other plans or goals. Sounds like a great weekend to me. However, I still have to get through today and tomorrow. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of today proceeds with no major problems or hassles. Yesterday was scary enough to last me for, I don't know, maybe 6 months or so. Don't ask, you really don't want to know. Trust me.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:53 AMApril 6, 2005
No Pictures, But Lots of News
I'm so mad at my computer. I have lots of great pictures to show you, but I couldn't get my computer to send an e-mail last night so I don't have them to show you today. I'll try again tonight and maybe will have better luck tomorrow.
It's been busy and I have lots to tell you. The knitting guild meeting was ok. Not great, just ok. The lady who hosted was nice and it was just her and I for about 45 minutes. I was a little put off when she started explaining to me how Principles of Knitting dedicates two pages to the discussion of why knitting with the yarn in your right hand is the only correct way to knit and the yarn in your left hand is never correct (I'm a continental knitter). I thought that was rather tacky, but maybe I'm just overly sensitive because she treated me like it was an oddity. Hello, lots of people knit that way. A couple other observations. Center pull balls are not a novelty and by definition when you pull the yarn from the center, the center will become hollow. This was a topic of great discussion and speculation at the meeting (I just sat quietly). Also, it is a good idea that when you are using yarn that comes in a hank to wind it into some sort of ball rather than just knitting directly from the hank - talk about a mess of yarn. Not a surprise to you, but apparently unheard of by some. Heck, if you're really brave and smart you can wind it into a center pull ball! And my last snide comment, I promise. When someone is working with kid mohair and doing a sleeve with an eyelet pattern (that would be me), chances are that they are not attending the meeting to learn how to knit and should not be spoken to like they are 10 years old. Yep, one lady actually asked me that. Sigh. Maybe she just didn't know what to say.
I attended an extremely boring seminar yesterday. It was 7 hours long. Seven hours of discussion on easements - not my favorite topic and definitely not for 7 hours. Yikes. The highlight of the day was that I took my knitting and finished the second sleeve of Rebecca and did gauge swatches of the 4 yarns I was considering for the Phildar cardi (there was supposed to be a picture here). Of the 4, 3 of them were almost the exact same gauge - 20 sts and 30 rows to 10 cm. The 4th, Rowan 4-Ply Cotton knit up at 24 sts and 35 rows to 10 cm. I need 25 sts and 35 rows, but I haven't washed it yet so I'm hoping that will make the difference. It is sooo pretty and soft. A sweater made from this yarn would be yummy (and I like the springy green too)
When I got home Monday night my blocking board was waiting for me. It's wonderful. So wonderful that I blocked Rebecca on it last night (picture for here too). That was my first time blocking something so meticulously, so I hope it turns out. I can't wait to sew it up and knit the ties. I'm going to try to do it this weekend so I'll have plenty of uninterrupted time.
While waiting for Rebecca to dry and to start the Phildar cardi, I started another pair of socks. This will be my first attempt at a toe up sock with short rows. I'm using one of Wendy's patterns. I had to do my first provisional cast on and found good directions on Knitting at Knoon. So far so good. I'll let you know after I get a little further (I'm only on something like row 4).
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:17 PMApril 4, 2005
Physical Activity
There is no doubt that my body is revolting. It's times like this when it is abundantly clear that I do very little physical activity at my desk job. Why has this come to light? Because my whole body hurts after my weekend of helping Mom paint SO's house. Holy crap, my legs and butt hurt like I ran a marathon (which let me assure you will never happen) or maybe climbed stairs for 18 hours (which I think is more accurate because I must have gone up and down that stupid latter a couple hundred times). Anyway, it looks really nice and everyone is quite pleased with the new look. I took in-progress pictures, but was too tired last night to upload them to my computer, and I wanted to have a nice after picture to show you and nothing was back together yesterday when I left. Maybe I can take a good picture this weekend and post a during and after (I didn't take a before because by the time I arrived with my camera everything was ready for the painting).
In knitting news: I completed one sleeve this weekend, which is quite good considering I didn't have much time to work on it. The sleeve went quickly, even though I had to rip it out when I was about 10 rows in because I messed up the eyelet pattern. The lesson I learned was that you should not try to knit when you're so tired you can't concentrate because you will mess things up. I hate to say it, but I actually fell asleep while I was knitting on Friday and Saturday night (maybe I was a bit too tired???). I would not recommend this, you find stupid mistakes later. Tonight is my first Knitting Guild meeting. I hope I can work on the second sleeve and not make mistakes on it, but I may have to resign myself to frogging when I get home. I'm kind of nervous because I don't know any of the other ladies and I know a couple of them are really talented knitters (one is a master knitter who used to own a yarn shop in town). I don't want them to think I'm stupid or a bad knitter. Oh well, so far the president has been really nice in her e-mails, so I'm hoping for the best. I'll let you know tomorrow.
It's the Monday after day light savings time and I'm dragging. My body's sure that I got up at 4:30 this morning and so I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do anything productive. I'm just hoping to get through the day.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:42 AMApril 1, 2005
Smiles and Tears
I am happy to report that I have survived the week and made it to Friday. I had my doubts for a while earlier in the week, but here I am and not much worse for wear. As I reported earlier in the week, I found a knitting guild in town and am quite happy about that. However, as with all things, there is always a little bad to go with the good. The first guild meeting is tomorrow from 10:00 to noon. That's not the bad news. Now remember that I can't go because of the painting with Mom. The bad news is that the president of the guild was so pleased to tell me that two ladies in town are opening a yarn store and will be at the guild meeting to find out what kind of yarns we want them to carry, and I'm going to miss that discussion. This new store causes me a few tears because a yarn store is something that I desperately want to do and have started the very initial planning for. I really don't think this town can support two yarn stores, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. Besides that, Travis has been making some noise about moving. He really doesn't like the weather here and wants to go somewhere where the winters aren't quite as nasty. He's looking at some specialty construction areas (something with granite??) and is considering contacting some companies to see if any of them are hiring. I don't know where most of them are, but I think the two coasts mostly. I'd be fine with moving, but think that if we're going to do it that we should get off of our hind ends and get on with it. No sense just talking about it forever! So, all in all, maybe it's best that I don't make any firm plans for a store in Wyoming if we won't be here that much longer. I guess everything does happen for a reason.
Back to the yarn store ladies. I want to find out more about the shop and hear what their ideas are and what the other ladies request for yarn. What do you think is the appropriate way to provide input since I won't be at the meeting (and in fact have never attended one of these meetings)? Should I just let it go and hope for the best or should I find some way to provide my suggestions - e-mail, phone call, etc? I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Rebecca and I have reached a tentative understanding. The right front is coming along and we've only had one or two minor disagreements. Travis went to rope last night so I got to watch the tv shows I wanted to (without having to contend with the inevitable surfing) and knit all night. It was fabulous. I started a fire, made a grilled cheese sandwich, and then knit to my heart's content. Quite possibly a perfect evening. ;) I'm hoping to finish the right front by tonight and shouldn't have a problem completing the sleeves this weekend. My blocking board has been delayed because the company had to make more (apparently there was a rush on them when Felice put the information on her blog) and should be shipped by today, but that means I won't have it until the middle to the end of next week. So, even if I finish Rebecca, I will probably wait to block her until I get the new board. After I finish Rebecca I need to swatch the yarns I have for the zip cardi and order the one I like the best, unless it's the Jo Sharp, and then I'll be giddy and will start on it right away. I'm considering having two projects going at once - the Phildar cardigan and the new socks. I'm not sure if I can handle it, but I may try it and see how it works. Did I happen to mention that the size 1 needles I got are tiny. I'm not sure I can knit with something that small, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
That's about all I have for today. I'm going to take lots of before and after (and during) pictures of the painting, which will probably be amusing if nothing else. I'll try to post them tomorrow night. Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:23 AM
