I Hate Drama

Sorry to be gone so long, but I've been embroiled in high drama. Losing 11 pounds in 5 weeks kind of drama. Goin' through the big "D", and don't mean Dallas kind of drama. The worse kind. So, knitting and spinning have been scarce.

Scarce, but not absent, as I do need to keep my sanity intact somehow. Here's what I've been doing:

These socks are to be a birthday gift, due in November. These are also my first attempt at "toe-up", (will be) short row-heel, and Fair Isle on socks. I was going to try the "2 socks on 2 circs" method, but I couldn't get my gauge tight enough, seeing as how I'm a gauge freak of nature and need needles 10 times smaller than recommended. What's funny is that I couldn't get gauge w/size 0 circs, but I can w/size 0 dpn's. Whatever. But I'm having to do these toe-up since I have a limited amount of yarn, and I want to make sure I don't run out before finishing. So much pressure....

Anyway, I'm not happy w/the Fair Isle, since when you stretch the fabric, as it will be when worn, you can see the white through the blue. Not cute. So I'm going to rip it back, and just duplicate-stitch the letters & happy face (an inside joke for the recipient) onto the top. You can see I'm opting for contrasting toes & heels to help make the sock yarn last longer (Cherry Tree Hill Super Sock in "Moody Blues", in case you were wondering - and yes, it's sinful to knit!).

In a moment of self-realization, it occured to me that I've been on an uncharacteristic yarn-buying binge lately in a vain attempt to soothe my ailing soul. Here's the damage:

Well, I must admit that it isn't an entirely vain attempt, since my spirits are lifted every time I look at this stuff. I've got Noro Kureyon, Noro Silk Garden (not shown), Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Cleakheaton Boucle, Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted, Lisa Souza dyeworks sock yarn (one's an angora-merino blend..YUM!), Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, Knit Picks Crayon, Knit Picks Telemark for the "U-Neck Pullover" in Vogue (not shown), and my fiber-sista Nola gave me some gorgeous roving from Warm Threads for more socks.

Yup, that'll hurt the ol' pocket book. But I don't care. HA!!

So, he moved out this weekend, and I've completed the initial paperwork and will be filing it at the court on Monday. So, what's my plan for making it through? Trying to finish 2 toe-up socks in one month while trying to replicate the knitting equivalent of the miracle about the fish & the loaves. That should keep me busy.

Still waiting...

Well, I'm still waiting for all of my yarn! So, in the meantime, I've put in huge orders to Lisa Souza dyeworks & KnitPicks. I'll be in shock once I get all this stuff (and my credit card statements!), but I'll just have to deal with it :-)

In the meantime, I've finished ALL of the knitting for the Ribby Cardi. I just need to sew in the zipper, and I'll have an honest-to-goodness piece of clothing!

As you can see, I went with the collared version. I took some liberties with the patern and finished the front edges with a 3-stitch I-cord. I'm all for easy!

So, now I'm without a sweater project (well, that's not counting poor Viking Cardi). This is what I really want to make:

This is "Fair Isle U-Neck Pullover" from the Vogue Knitting Fall 2006. And I must say that this is one of the best issues of Vogue ever! Full of gorgeous cables & socks! Just wonderful! It reminds me of the patterns that were out that first inspired me to start knitting back in 2000/2001. Just modern takes on the classic styles that rely on the knitter's skill to execute, rather than focusing on funky yarns. The eyelash is scarce in this issue, and that's a VERY good thing!

So, anyway, I've put in an order to KnitPicks for the Telemark yarn I'll be using for this, so I'll have to wait. I'm planning on knitting this circularly and putting in steeks at the sleeves & neck. I thank Meg & EZ for my confidently cavalier attitude toward changing the pattern so drastically, so I'll try to do them proud.

Dulcedosahas started the U-Neck Pullover, so I'll be checking out her progress. Anyone else in?

In the meantime, I'll work on the chunky cabled sweater from the cover of the 2006 Fall issue of Knit Simple. Pics to come once I have something to show. I'm still not sure how I feel about Knit Simple. I actually got it by default when Family Circle Easy Knitting changed ownership. This third issue is okay, and is better than the previous 2 issues, so we'll see how the Winter issue is.

I'm back!

Did ya miss me? Sorry I've been neglecting the blog, but I just haven't been motivated to post. But I have been a busy little bee.

First, the trip. Let just say that the boys had fun

and I did not. Although I did get quite a bit of knitting done, it was in a vain attempt to maintain my sanity. Needless to say, I will NOT be camping in the wilds with little children again. Ever. Let us not speak of this again.

I finished and felted the Knit Picks felted Rick Rack purse
These are the before & after felting pics:
  
This is my first felted project and I REALLY enjoyed it. The pattern was really easy and quick to knit, and just look at how cute that bag is. It stands up on it own, and it's a nice size.

I used 3 balls of "Chestnut" Wool of the Andes and 2 balls of "Coal". I only regret that I didn't knit some kind of closure tab or something. Maybe I'll put some big snaps on the inside. It's the perfect pattern for using up small amounts of wool. I'll probably make the next one with longer handles so it'll be a shoulder bag. I felted it in the washing machine on the "small" load setting, and the "hot wash, cold rinse" cycle along with 2 pairs of dirty little boy shoes and some little boy jeans. It worked like a charm. Overall, an excellent project with an amazing price tag of under $15.00, including the pattern. Knit Picks rocks!

And, fanfare please, Ribby Cardi is perilously close to completion.

I've sewn it together in all the right places. It just wants an I-cord edge, a collar, and a zipper. I scored a black 2-way separating zipper on eBay, and it's ready to get sewn in. Did I mention that I hate sewing in zippers? I was seriously contemplating a button band, but I like to look of zippers, so I'll just have to suck it up. As God is my witness, there will be buttons on my next sweater. So, anyway, this will soon be a Finished Object! Hopefully.

On the spinning front, I've spun a smallish skein of Blackbird. I spent 1 day prepping fleece, so I've got 6 balls of roving still waiting to be spun. I would really like to start knitting Rogue one of these days.

That's it for now. I've been on kind of a yarn buying spree/binge lately, so when my spoils arrive, I'll take a pic and share with you all. I've bought some Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Cleckheaton wool Boucle, Noro Silk Garden, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted, Noro Kueryon, 14 pounds of raw Ramboulliet fleece, and I'm contemplating some Fleece Maiden Merino sock yarn. Aren't you just drooling listening to that list? And I scored all of it at least 40% off! I can't wait to get my grubby hands on it!

Have a happy Labor Day!!