The fuzzy wuzzy scarf is knitting along at warp speed. I remember my first fuzzy scarf: Roadkil 2.0, taking much longer than 3 days to knit. It went through 2 rebirths and alot of white-knuckled knitting. First, I didn't cast on enough stitches, then I kept dropping them. Either I've become a much faster knitter, or a better judge of how many stitches to cast on, or that I've become a little less demanding in my own perfectly justified perfectionism. Probably a combination of all 3. At any rate, La is impressed with herself. Makes her feel like she can even tackle Salt Peanut (2 full pages of directions and pattern....yeesh!) in the near future.
So, I predict Fuzzy Wuzzy will be done by close of business tomorrow (if they can leave me the fuck alone on my lunch break), and I'll be able to get down and tackle the next Critter Knitter blanket in no time flat.
I was purusing our blog this morning, and couldn't fail to notice that Jen put a link to Knerds in MY column. I wonder, is she tryin' to tell me something? Well, at least I don't have to worry about getting garb ready for the next renfaire, but I did make an appointment with my beautician. Hopefully I'll be looking spankin' good for the next SciFi Convention.*
*ok, you all know I'm kidding, right?...RIGHT??|||108068008710765183|||Lunchus-Interruptus
As for knitting content, here is San Diego, all balled up:
It's almost as big as my head and it weighs as much as my cat, which is why it's egg shaped, I couldn't hold the ball to keep winding it into a proper ball shape. Oh sure, I could have divided it into several balls, but I didn't want to. I got really pissed winding it because the hank was all tangly. When the husband very kindly picked up the hank to help me, my anger instantly transferred to him. Oh sure, it was a pain in the ass before, but NOW it's HIS FAULT it's tangling! Is he helping me or just purposely making it worse?? But he did help, after the first 600 or so rounds, the winding did get easier. Swift and ball winder is now priority #1 for knitting as well as seeing us through to the tenth anniversary.
Here's the first tentative bit of Brad Pitt Do Me Doggy Style:
21 rows. I've frogged those 21 rows 3 times already. The pattern says to slip the first and last stitch of every row purlwise wyif. Which makes it less of a shawl shape and more of a sack shape, since that causes it to curl rather drastically. So instead I'm purling the first and last stitch, as per normal patterns. But, if I ever want to knit a hobo bag, I've learned the technique. I am liking the colors, but haven't decided on the yarn itself yet; it's splitty. I'm forcing myself to do the correct purl method, rather than my cheating purl and I just know that-much like several of my acquaintances-I'm going to hate it less over time.|||108062455181388085|||Can't Breathe...Job....Killing.....Me.....
The big draw to THIS particular convention was the guest appearances by 3 actors on my now-favorite SciFi TV show, Stargate-SG1. So, we go, pay $35 a piece to get into the door, and was hugely disappointed. Now I know how first-time Renaissance Faire goers feel when they walk through the gate and see a bunch of poorly-costumed people ignoring you, and cheesy vendors selling even cheesier products. I mean, hell, not a single vendor was selling ANY Star Trek Communicator Pins! WTF kind of cheesy operation were they running, anyhow?
The only highlight about the day was meeting Tony Amendola. Come to find out, he's a really down-to-earth kinda guy for a celeb. His eyes are as soft a brown as they appear on the small screen, and his voice just a rich, smooth and resonant. We talked about Italian cooking, Argentinian beef, you know....normal shit. He chit-chatted with us for a good 20 minutes, not that he'll ever remember! I can just see it now...he leans over to his publicist...
"Hey, do you know who THAT was? That was La! Yes! THE La! Oh my god! I can't believe it's HER, and she's HERE! Don't tell me you don't know who she is! Why she is only an average American woman, living in Southern California, holding down a full-time career and maintaining a household...AND...she knits!! Jeez, I can't BELIEVE you don't know who she is! God, you're such a moron."
Yeah, *snicker* that's a good one! He hasn't quite made it to "Hump Island" status, but, if any one of my remaining boys fucks up like Johnny Depp, and steps out of line, he'll be SO in there!
Other highlights of my weekend: I have decided to donate Green Uber Ugly WTF to the fuzzies at Critter Knitter Coalition. My pile of 1 (count them, one) finished blanket looks so much happier in a pile of TWO finished blankets, that it's just gotta go. Also, got a little over half-way through the Ribbit scarf. Finished knitting up one ball of the yarn, and realize that I WILL have enough to finish the scarf. Then, I'll get a lesson in blocking. WOOHOO! can hardly wait.
I've started on the fuzzy wuzzy scarf. You see, my hairstyle could use a little sprucing-up, I mean, you can see mousy-brown ROOTS and stuff. But I don't DARE show up at my beautician's (just for You Jen *wink*) for an appointment without the affore-promised scarf.
I've casted on my next Critter Knitter blanket. I'm going to do the body in stockinette stitch out of a TLC super-smooshie verigated yarn, and then do a border in seed stitch in a dusty blue in the same super smooshie TLC. Very colorful and happy, and will hopefully make some NYC furries feel loved and extra special. So, the purpose of this blanket is to perfect my tension in my stockinette, and to learn how to pick up stitches and do borders.....help???? Anyone?????? pleeeeeeeease???
hhhhhhhhhhhhh...One of these days I'll start knitting for myself again.|||108059704268086481|||Geek is Chic!
Done except for weaving the tails and obviously it needs to be blocked-which in my book is done. This one was fast and pleasant. I used up some TLC (red) and Some Unidentified Acrylic (ecru) and the "quick knit throw" pattern from Lion. So I will cast on another one in the next day or so. At least I hope I will. Shooting on my pilot begins Tuesday and I'll be in MACH 5 with my hair on fire for the next 3 weeks if all goes according to suspicion.
Tonight, if I ever do all the shit I need to do, I'm casting on the Brad Pitt Do Me Doggy Style Shawl, which is for my Mother-In-Law for Christmas. I have not chosen a pattern for it, but I have chosen yarn. This is 100% Hand dyed Merino, and very soft. I originally chose it for her because she prefers natural fibers and I thought the muted colors would suit her.
This is Option A, Dyer's Choice from Interlacements
But, I had bought this one as well, for myself:
Which is called "San Diego", also by Interlacements and is Rayon and Cotton. But the husband says the colors of this are really his mom, despite the fact that it's not 100% natural, he advises me to use this option. Also he tells me that Rayon is natural, and I know it's from wood fiber, but I don't really consider it natural. There are about 100 other things I could be knitting currently, but Renaissance Tunic is not a rush and I have a goal of having all my Christmas Knitting done by August. If I work on them both, I will feel I have options and if there's one thing I like, it's CHOICES. Even if they're imaginary.
As far as me wanting all the fucktards* to die, I still do. The one situation that frustrates me most is not going to go away, so either I continue to be pissed about it or I let it go. Currently, I'm choosing the former. Come play angry tirade with me anytime.
I want to go on some sort of *cheap* vacation when this show is done, be it driving or other, and we can't decide what to do. After paying off the credit cards and saving a teensy bit of money, we're in no frame of mind to go broke again, but getting out of Los Angeles for a bit is definitely a necessity. I want to go see my mommy in Sarasota, but she's too busy at work. Just saw the In-Laws at Christmas. Have friends in San Francisco, but don't care much for that city and it's their turn to come down here. We would like to take our dog, Wyatt, whatever we do. Soooooo.... what to do? I have 3 weeks to figure it out. Suggestions welcome.
We bought a new TV this weekend. The old one came with the husband, he's had it for 12 years and the picture was starting to sort of expand, so the tops of people's heads were off the screen, and hockey scores? Forget about it, you had to pay attention to the announcers. This is my first new TV ever. I'm in my
*fucktards and Fucktard Olympics: see Rock Chick|||108053414214639190|||Moving Right Along
Do they think that I need further enticement to purchase from them? Don't they think that their website and their great prices is enough enducement for me to indulge in my ever-increasing yarn habit? No. Apparently not! They gotta send me yarn samples! It's like sending sample baggies to a junky. They have absolutely NO ethics whatsoever!
hhhhhhhhhhh
So, I'm going to order enough of the Endless Summer Collection Sonata in burgundy rose or silver sage to make a tank similar to Pia, the one Angela made. Because it is oh - so - sexy, and right now, I need to be all about looking good and sexy.
I don't have the pattern, and I'm hoping that either I can beg Angela to borrow hers, or have her direct me to where I can find it, but in the meantime, find out how many balls of DK weight, 50g per ball yarn it will take (pretty please), so I can hurry up and order it so that I don't miss out on getting my fix (or the color I want). Which, after just checking, I already have.
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Story of my life with Elann...... They tempt, I pant. They dangle, I drool like Pavlov's dog....then they say, "Oooh, look at all the pretty colors we've got it in...you want which color? Let me check....oops, we don't have that one! Choose another, but you'd better do it quick before that one's gone too. Oops, too late, we've got it, but we've only got one ball left. Choose another..." Fucking control freaks!
|||1080338333347077|||Lead me not into temptation.....I can bloody well find it myself!
Other than those flowers, it's been one of those days. Do you ever feel convinced that the human race should be obliterated? Today I wonder why 90% of the population is suffered to live. And I had to run into the grocery store to grab one quick thing for a meeting at work, I was running a little later than I wanted to be and I get in the express lane where a guy is buying one coke with an ATM CARD. He slides his club card, which shuts down the fucking register and the checker simply goes, yeah, that's been happening all day. Not, sorry we're working on getting it fixed. Just, you know, whatever. I should have given the guy $1.33 for his coke so he would go away. Then I was next, but this guy walks up from the wrong side of the register and hands the cashier 54 cents for a paper and she's all sorry, I have to scan it, which she did before she scanned my one item. Him: 1 newspaper, paying cash, cut in line, me: one box of potato flakes, paying cash, been waiting in line. Not only that, but he prevented me running out to my car and running over the guy with the coke by cutting in front of me. When I finally got to the register, she scans my item and asks if I have a club card. Was she kidding? The club card that crashes the computer? I know I shouldn't expect much, it is the grocery store, but come on.
And that's just the impersonal everyday stupid bullshit. Let's not get into friends and family today, I have very little nice to say in that department either. Sometimes I think it's not worth it. I should just go to work and not talk to anyone, then go home and knit. Everyday. Order all my groceries and yarn online. Ah ha! I finally figured it out. |||108026448722788107|||
2. Why is it when I'm under such extreme pressure and stress, that my insides are turned into knots, and I can barely force myself to eat enough to keep me alive, that I don't lose one single fucking pound. But the minute I walk past a Krispy Kreme, I gain 3 just from the aroma alone?
3. Can one be allergic to allergies? And if so, what are the symptoms, how would you know? Would they cancel themselves out, and you'd feel perfectly fine?
4. Why do they have to make the crappiest yarn into the biggest skeins?
5. How is it that, when I'm going through a crisis, my mom, who never understood me, when I was a teenager, now knows EXACTLY when to call, and what to say? it's like she's psychic or something. It's really fucking scary.
6. Why is it that a 7-year-old, wearing jeans and a T-shirt can go hell-bent down the side of a double-diamond mountain on two stips of wood the width of a pencil, without the aid of poles, wipe out, get up and finish the run without a scratch, whooping in triumph; and a grown woman, bundled from head-to-toe in a down-filled parka, thermal ski pants, sweaters, and long-johns, STILL freezing her ass off, is intimidated by a particularly steep bunny slope, and becomes so overwrought she needs a valuum if she chips a nail?
7. Can you ever tell your best friend "I love you" and "thank you for always being there, still hanging out with me, even knowing what I bitch I am" enough? (ok, getting gushy here, I'd better stop it!) No more Margarita's for La!
8. Just why DO dogs love eating kitty bon-bons? They can't taste good!
9. Just where does it say that your baby brother who, for the most of his life, has suffered Peter Pan Syndrom, is allowed to become wise and give his big sister advice that actually makes sense? And where did he learn exactly how many kicks in the ass it takes to obtain optimum cranial/rectal extraction without causing permenant damage?
10. Why is it that there never seems to be enough time to do all the things you like, and more than ample time to do all the things you hate?
|||108024170813738684|||General Musings?
Pardon me for a second:(Happy Birthday, sweetie! I am so lucky to have you! You are so supportive, kind, polite and such a sweetheart.) Nope, didn't knit him anything for his birthday, although he loves hand knits. Oh well, Christmas is only 9 months away.
And then today, just plain busy. I did think about my CK blanket border, does that count? If only there were 28 hours in a day. Wait, no, then they'd make me work 17, that's no good. Well, at least I have a couple of 4 day weeks, that counts for something. I wish I had more news to post, but alas.
|||108018553747679421|||OOO LA ELANN!
When I'm feeling all Siberian inside, a sight like this can give me such a warm fuzzy feeling that I thaw.....ever so slightly.
Now these two usually go at it like....well, cats and dogs, always fighting, chasing each other around, posturing, establishing and restablishing dominance. It's a constant power struggle. But every once in a while, when they think nobody's looking, they get caught in an act of kindness. Seeing that these two beasts can get along, still gives me hope for world peace. Oh, and just for the record....permafrost sucks.
|||108015317817163562|||Something Warm
Thank you all for the love. I really feel it. And Jen, you most of all.
I'll check in from time to time, and post mainly about my knitting, or my own sorry ass. Deal? Deal. |||108008318146091161|||Hanging in there
Meanwhile, thanks for the people who posted nice things re: the photos of the knitting in costume and thanks to everyone else who refrained from mocking! I'm glad to see Cheryl is back from her server-forced blog vacation and is still acquiring yarn. My second Critter Knitters blanket is about 1/2 done, but I need to find a nice border pattern to go around it. It's knitting up really quick, and I'm loving the stitch pattern. It's easy enough to follow while talking but not a complete bore when concentrating solely upon the needles. I may use this pattern to make all of them if it continues to be interesting. Has everyone seen Angela's Pia? So cute! And she knitted it so fast!
Wearing my bucket o chic today and feeling quite sassy! Will post again as time allows, everyone give the virtual hugs to La while she tries to ride this one out. |||108000134956377954|||Heads Up...or Duck?
And yes, that's how my desk looks, the blanket is lying on all my notes which represent this blog and all it contains. That ripped piece of paper has almost the entire code of this site scribbled somewhere on it-which explains why I don't have things like links to pictures of the items in the sidebars or permalinks.
Saturday: I am breaking out in hives about showing this to the entire world, I really am. The only thing is that this is the first time La and I have ever really knit together save for our drunken Stitches West knit binge. I taught her, we've yarn shopped, we've IM'ed knitting, blogged knitting. But we never find time to actually do the knitting together in the same place at the same time. Exept Saturday we went to a Renaissance Faire.
La is in green, I'm in red. There. We broke 2 of our golden rules: no pictures of ourselves and no ren faire.
Sunday: I finished bucket-o-chic, complete with rip back and reknit. Here it is blocking:
It semi-makes up for Saturday. I started my 2nd critter knitters blanket in the car on Saturday on our way to Palm Springs, it's about 1/3 done, so overall, not a bad weekend of knitting. It's nice to have some FO's finally. |||107992610311757262|||MO FO's
|||107976539732260399|||I'm Going to be the Mayor of Yarn Town
So, my show is about cops. I won't tell you more about it, cuz they'll sue my ass. I hate when my ass is tied up in legal bullshit. You know how hard it is to keep up with social obligations without your ass? Even if you can get a good ass lawyer. Anyway. Suffice it to say there are some gangsta' hoodlum types. So, being that I do props, I walk into a liquor store today asking for 2 cases of Old English 40's and 2 cartons of cigarettes. The guy looks at me. Looks at me some more. Asks if I want 40's or the smaller ones. Confirms that I actually want TWO cartons of cigarettes. As if to say: you shouldn't oughta be smokin that much, little missy and them fo'ties ain't goin ta do you much good neevah. And I'm all like yeah, I'm a badass-don't fuck wiv me yo, I'll cut ya. And I whipped out a couple of benjamins. He sends his guy out to carry the stuff to my car for me. I'm the fucking queen of the hood now, yo. Right. I hate my job. That wasn't as bad as the time I had to go to the sex store and buy an array of gigantic dildoes, but it still sucked.
My elann order is not here, but I did get my TKGA membership card. Imagine the doors that will open for me now. I can go to Sky Bar and cut in front of all the celebs, flash the dude my card and I'm so in. I can't wait.|||107967017744605418|||Pressure Mounting
Now comes the moment of truth....I pulled out the ruler, and viola! 4 x 4 1/4! Not damned bad for someone who's only been knitting for a couple of months. It's beautiful, man. a real work of art.
*sniff*
I think I might frame it.|||107964369249669656|||One small step for La...
#1. Using Lion Brand big fat-assed chunky Chenille to make the Critter Knitter Knitathon blanket. If it's chunky, it'll knit up fast right?
#2. Only buying one skein of the crappy super-chunk Lion Brand Chenille
#3. Not swatching to measure gauge. I cast on the required stitches the label called for to knit 18", and it looked too short, so I cast a few more on for good measure. BIG mistake. Come to find out, I'm knitting much closer to gauge than I thought I did. Well wonders never cease! The reason I gave myself for not swatching was that they (the infamous they who are experts on all things in the universe and beyond) recommend that you don't reknit after unraveling. (THAT should have been my first clue that I shouldn't use the yarn, [can you say high maintenance?] but....no....I have to always find out the hard way.) And I only had one skein and wanted to use every inch I could for the fuzzy cuddlies.
What was the outcome? 3 days pissed away on a blanket (and I use the term loosely) so soft and fuzzy and squishy it reminded me of a teddybear I once had when I was a child. 3 days pissed away on a blanket that, if it were finished would have been 20"x12", and not machine washable, and probably not durrable whasoever. So, it's headed to the frog pond. Not gonna waste even more valuable time on the piece of crap by ripping it now. I'll do it when I feel the uncontrollable urge to destroy something.
I wonder if this is someone's way of telling me I wasn't meant to knit with crappy yarn. Every time I use it, whatever I'm making doesn't turn out right. Figures. There I go again, champagne taste on a beer budget. Who am I kidding, with the way the gas prices are rising, I'll be lucky if I can afford Kool-Aid
Lessons learned:
#1. Read the label, make sure it's machine washable if I'm going to knit projects that will be washed over and over again.
#2. From now on I am not allowed to buy just 1 skein of anything. And if I need 40 to do a project, well, I'd just better buy 41, 42 would be even better.
#3. ALWAYS swatch.
Which leads me to this:
Quandry.
I seem to be casting on too tight. My knitted rectangles always seem to have this concave curve at the bottom. How do I fix this? I think one of my problems is that I feel the need to cast on very fast. I'm only afforded a few seconds at a time between people interrupting me with yet ANOTHER "dumb question of the day", and so as not to lose count, I cast on fast, hoping that I can get all my stitches on before some jackass interrupts me.
I was wondering, what if I cast onto needles one size larger than I'm going to use for the project, knit the first row with the larger needles, then transfer over to the right sized ones? Right now it just makes for some pretty messed-up looking rectagular-like knitted things, but when I get into things requiring shape, and more than 2 dementions, I may just be fucked. Any input? Or am I just being to anal retentive for my own good?
|||107959059098085388|||Dammandblast!
But I did finally get your button, Wooliemama, despite your attempts to thwart me! Thanks to Nake-id Knits. So there. Someday I'm going to start a blog that is simply knitblog buttons, just cuz. I love 'em. In a perfect world, there would be one standard size for them so my anal-retentiveness could be satisfied by having everything all neat and orderly. Right. Just take a look around my house to see what a fucking joke that is.
Still waiting for my elann order. Once that comes, my sense of knitting anxiety can be heightend due to the fact that I'll have one more BIG project's worth of yarn and no time to knit. woo. I'll be back when I can steal another 2 seconds to rub together.|||107955984455632970|||As Predicted
So, I get to JoAnn and I just happen to mosey on over in the general direction of the yarn section. Never really planned to go there, (yeah right!), but found myself there all the same. I need to get a good base yarn for a pastel eyelash scarf (my last one EVER!) I'm going to make for a girl who's going to Australia in June as a good will ambassador. She loves ALL things pastel, and since she's a pretty neat kid, I thought, what the hell?
So I'm perusing the so-called yarn, and guess what leaps into my basket? 2 balls of Lion Brand magic stripes sock yarn.
How the hell did THAT get in there? I'm not even READY to start knitting socks!
"But when you are, you'll have us, all comfy and cozy in your stash."
huh? So I put it back. (One was the lumberjack red-and-black, and the other was the purple stripe).
Well, I go back to my quest for pastel base yarn, find what I'm looking for and, as I walk by the bin with the magic stripe, 2 balls jump out and directly into my hands. (This time, it was the purple stripe and the seaside stripe) WTF???!? I know NOTHING about this yarn,
"But if you don't get us now, we won't be here when you're ready."
Bu I already have yarn for my next 8 projects, PLUS yarn I have no idea what to do with in my stash! So, I put it back.
Now, this happened about 5 different times. Everytime I walked by the bin (and what you should be asking is, "La, why the hell did you walk by the bin so much"), I'd magically have in my posession immediately afterwards 2 balls, would find all sorts of reasons for me NOT to take them home, and they found an equal number of reasons exactly WHY I SHOULD take them home. Well, I finally extricated myself from them, made a mad dash to the register, paid, ran out of JoAnn Etc. like a madwoman and sped home as fast as I could (considering LA traffic, that's more like a snail's pace).
I'm relaying all this to Jen today, and she berated me. "How the hell do you think you're EVER going to have a decent stash with THAT kind of attitude! Good God, Myrtle!! What are you thinking?"
So, in about 2 minutes, I'm on my way home, but first I have to stop by JoAnn Etc., duly chastized and ashamed, a disgrace to any self-respecting yarn ho, and pick me up some rockin sock yarn.|||107948564449519714|||Resistance is Futile
Today is my last day of freedom before the pilot starts. Looking down the barrel of five weeks of being too busy to knit or blog. How am I ever going to survive without my computer umbilical cord? This show is all location, so no internet. poop. So I should be cleaning house and doing laundry and getting stuff in order so I don't waste my precious days off doing it, but am I? No. Because that seems like wasting the last day off. See, with my reasoning I can get out of anything.
I don't have enough pink yarn to finish the bucket o chic. Figures. Well, I'll frog down to the brim and insert a band of cream colored, which I have left over from an old project, and that should give me enough to finish off in the pink. Yet another project I expected to be over and done with quickly that is not.
I'm awaiting my elann order so I can start the swatches for the TKGA program. In reading posts from people who are working on it, I had every right to be nervous about this. People's swatches have been returned because the reviewer preferred duplicate stitch as opposed to weaving in for dealing with the tails. And in a swatch that has you knit 10, bar increase-swatches have been returned because the bar increase was made in the 11th stitch rather than in the 10th, which is something I would have done as well. Also, I'm going to have to learn to purl correctly. I knit continental and I use that easy purl method, rather than wrapping. Hey, it's fast and easy and unless you are a Really Good Knitter, you won't examine for the twisted purl. However, since I'm asking the Really Good Knitters to judge me, I guess the cheat is out. It will be character-building, I just know it. I have a year in which to complete this first level, but the fact that I haven't even started is sort of eating away at me, so I'll be glad when the yarn comes and I can find some really good excuse not to start. Like not having the right needles or something. |||107937923261052777|||Heel Dragging
Oh, Lola, was that YOU who left me that message that went: crackle. crackle, muffled noise. crackle. beige. crackle crackle crackle okay? I'll email you, so I can send you a check. And what do you mean wool worked better? You're the alpaca princess! Are you sure the problem wasn't somewhere between the chair and the needles?
Rob, the Renaissance Tunic was from the Winter 2002/2003 Interweave Knits and looks like this:
Or, hopefully it will when I'm finished. If the alpaca I'm using doesn't stink like Rock Chick's alpaca stank and I can actually wear it. Eva, you've got me paranoid about it now, I think I'll go wet the swatch and see. Rob's got a good point, and it was pointed out to me by someone else-I really need to hyperlink the WIP's to photos so people can see what the fuck we're talking about. I'll work on that.
What else? I'm on the top of the bottoms-up bucket-o-chic right now, praying I have enough yarn. I am a knitter who never gets gauge. I am a knitter who tries and swatches, and adjusts needle size and sometimes comes close, but usually not. Therefore, I am a knitter who doesn't knit anything fitted. However, in reviewing the yarn requirements, etc for bottoms up, I realized my mercerized cotton was NOT going to be right, so I had the brilliant idea of swatching it doubled. Lo and behold, perfect gauge. I've never had perfect gauge. I kept knitting the swatch I was so happy and I still had perfect gauge. So there I sat, feeling like a genius, reading the instructions when I had a reality moment. The brim is knit with the yarn doubled. In my case, quadrupled. With my yarn, mercerized cotton. Could I just say to myself "oh well, it was a nice thought?" No. So I decided to power through it. I'm not sure I'll ever have feeling in the tip of my right middle finger again, but I did it. Hey, the pattern says use a yarn with some stiffness to it! Anyway, it's cute. Wanna see it so far?
I'm really glad I decided not to attempt lace socks with it, that would have been stupid.
I decided to follow La's lead and eradicate a project that will never be finished, nor should it: the Diamonds Are Forever bag. Don't need that ugly piece of shit staring at me, trying to make me feel guilty.
And here is a picture of my cats, only because Eva and I were regaling the crowd with pet stories and it put me in the mood to post this.
I regret only that this old shitty comforter is in the picture instead of my nice green one.
Well, this post has been linkriffic. Not to mention a literary masterpiece! I only promised a "remotely" interesting post, remember?|||107931317560125253|||A Fun Time Was Had By All
I decided to do bucket-o-chic instead of the socks, just because. So I bought the pattern from Chic Knits today and will start it tomorrow for the knitting circle on Sunday. It should be simple enough to knit while yacking.
For some reason I decided to put the Noro on the needles today and make another dull purse. Luckily, it's fat yarn and I'm using my 10.75 ebony's that I was annoyed about from SW and it's knitting up fast. It's greener than I would like it to be, but whatever. I should be able to finish it today. Sometimes I just want a fast easy project to keep my knitting esteem up. A snot-colored one is as good as any I suppose. |||107913604537304462|||TODAY IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!
The tape measure represents the 3" I did yesterday afternoon. I could have done more, but during the afternoon the right side of my neck started hurting and got progressively worse, and not through any actions, or lack thereof, of mine. Then, around midnight the left side of my neck got a shooting pain, so I went to bed to rest it. When I woke up this morning, I felt like I'd been in a wrestling match with Todd Bertuzzi and I couldn't move my head at all. Even getting out of bed was difficult, transferring the weight of my head to my neck muscles almost made me cry. Weirdly enough, my husband had basically the same exact thing earlier this week. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling it's something viral. When I was in the 3rd grade, I got something like this and I thought it was from doing something my mom told me not to do ("chicken" fighting at the bus stop-sitting on my cousin's shoulders and trying to knock the other kid off someone else's shoulders) even though nothing had happened. I thought "wow, she was right, I better not do that anymore!" But when I finally broke down and told her how bad my neck hurt and she took me to the doctor, he said it was a bug that had been going around. Sounds weird, but it's true. I hope it goes away soon.
As for the knitting shopping, what the hell is going on? I went to 3 stores and found no Cascade 220. In fact, very little wool at all. What a pisser. I'll have to order it online. I guess it's that in between season where they haven't got the spring stuff in and not much is left of the winter stock. I did, however buy some stuff. Stuff I don't need. And just in case you thought I would spare you the photos, guess again.
4 hanks of Noro gemstones, color #8. This might be a purse if I ever stupidly decide to make another one.
The Debbie Bliss Knitting Workbook, which had this purse with the embroidered flower, which may just save the lilac from extermination.
And this pink yarn, for those pink socks in the current Interweave Knits. It's 100% cotton, so it may be an exercise in frustration, but the lace pattern is supposed to have a lot of stretch in it, so I'm optomistic for now. Besides, the pink yarn was only $2 a ball on sale, so for six bucks, if it doesn't work out, fine. I needed something spring-like to knit and if not the socks, I may do a pink bucket-o-chic instead. Probably I'd get more use out of the hat, but I'm not sure 3 balls is enough for it anyway. |||107905568370889411|||Something Old, Something New
Viola!
Houston, we have ass mat!
And just to show you that my cats have a wicked sense of humor, the above is the "before picture"....and this is the after:
yes folks, that is Sassy's "You BITCH! errrrrrrrm..... I mean.....We are NOT amused" look.
And here's the only use I could find for the Green Uber Ugly WTF
And you all get to see the cuteness that IS my cats!|||107895850638150570|||We Have Art!
Then I thought, well I'll start one of my TKGA swatches. In all of my stash, I have no light-colored, worsted weight wool. No. I have light colored. Or I have worsted weight. Or I have wool, but no yarn containing all these qualities. Which means the stash isn't even really a stash yet. Well, I'll have to go to the yarn store. But later. Now what should I knit?
I know, the sweater. Oh yeah, I was going to look up p1 f&b because when I tried what I thought it was it was extrememly awkward. Ok, let's see....no, this book doesn't have it, or this one, or this one. This magazine doesn't have it. Dammit. Finally I found it in The Ultimate Knitting Guide by Kate Buller. Good thing I spent all that time looking for it since it turned out to be exactly what I thought it was, complete with the warning that it will feel awkward. Ok, so I survived that increase round and went on to knit 3 more rounds before I lost interest. The problem is that it's like 200 degrees here today and I'm knitting an alpaca sweater. Which-unless Satan's Sadistic Whore sees fit to give us a fucking break already (I mean aren't the summers here long enough??)-I won't be wearing for a helluva long time. It's nice to wear flip-flops and capris and have to shave and all so I can expose my glaring white legs to the world, but seriously, this is months too early for this crap. I'm usually chilly in June (when it's mostly overcast the whole month) and was hoping for some more rain before it got hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell.
So yes. I'm whiney. I'm sleep deprived, food deprived, alcohol deprived and as my friend's 4-year old once screamed at me about breakfast cereal: "I WANT THE KIND THAT I WANT!!!!"
Way back when I started in the film industry I was doing seamstress/costuming work on this spin-off of Power Rangers called VR Troopers. We were fitting the japanese stunt men for boots, when the designer pulled up on the tongue, lost her grip and fell hard on her ass. She said "shit!" And the stunt man, who spoke little english at all, brightens up and yells "Shit, damn, sucka my cock!" So the designer asked where he learned English and he proudly replied "Powa Rangas!" Yep, it's a shit damn sucka my cock kinda afternoon. I think I'll go yarn shopping.|||107895802358125788|||Wahhhhh!
1) I love knitting. I don't know why. Possibly the endless opportunity for frustration is one explanation. But I do.
2) Blogging about knitting is almost as good. Knitters are a predominantly witty lot and regularly and continuously crack me up. There is nothing in life so worthy as laughter. Knit bloggers have provided me with huge doses of humor, which says quite a bit in my book. Note: my book has lots of illustrations and connect-the-dots.
3) Best friends are hard to come by. I mean, take someone with my exacting standards. I need a best friend who puts up with anything and everything I pitch past the plate without complaining. And someone who listens to my whining and puts up with it too. La has adapted to it all. She suffered the bad times. She suffered the lean times. She is still waiting for the good times. Yet, she has stayed with me. Loyalty, in a word. For Christ's sake, she allowed herself to be forced into learning to knit because I decided it should be that way! And we nearly became bitter enemies once, but didn't. There aren't (m)any like her. I'm glad you're back, La. And if you get all mushy on me in the morning about this, I'm going to punch you. In the nose.
4) The husband, as much as I may complain sometimes, is a gem. He brought me a rose tonight just because. (I, uh, stopped by the flower store on my way home. here. ) Nine plus years of being married to this hag and he still thinks I'm cute, smart and funny. At least to hear his PR speech anyway. And he drives me nuts with certain things like the dawdling, soap-boxing and monstrous snoring, but he still smiles at me every morning when he wakes up and thanks me every single time I cook. (tip: don't cook very much because when you do, he'll think Jesus himself smiled on him.) Now, he won't do any single thing I ask him to do, but that's the game. Don't ask them to do it. GET them to do it. And he loves knitting. He high-fived me the other day when I announced that I finally found our button on someone else's blog! (thanks, Kathy!) {The bug, whose name is Bug, is his original design and the process is long and boring-though it may someday be explained just to piss you all off.}
5) Knitters are the only group of people I've ever found who constantly disagree but simultaneously don't hold grudges. And they are the most diverse group ever. That's cool. If you don't believe me, you haven't been getting around the hundreds of blogs out there.
6) I will hopefully have the good sense to delete this entry tomorrow. So if you saw it, say nothing and we can come to some sort of arrangement. I hate emotional outbursts and I hate this one more than...........something really hateful. Let's not talk about this, I don't need any hugs or anything like that.
|||107890688041827169|||mushiness.
You'll notice I've finally sewn up the pink purse if you look over in my sidebar. I'm also working on finishing up that dumb ugly boring lilac purse, making it more interesting I hope. Will post pics of both when lilac is done. Figured the best way to keep a steady hand on the pile up panic is to wash my hands of some of the simpler WIP.
La is back, yes she is. She barely believed I only bought circs at the LYS and asked if there was NOTHING good in the clearance section. I told her I didn't even look because I've got serious yarn constipation at the moment. As soon as some projects start, uh, moving, I'm back to my old ways. The anti-yarn diet is not compromised, oh no. It's really a matter of not getting distracted. And space is opening up with the Critter Knitter Blanket Along eating into the stash. That's the other thing I'm working on, first blanket is currently 18" x 7". Prepare to be warm, lost little fuzzy wretches!
The Renaissance Tunic received 5 rows of my undivided attention today. Got to instructions telling me I should increase purls by purling in f&b and didn't feel like looking it up, so I went on the computer instead. Most of the day was pissed away on the computer. Most of tomorrow probably will be too, if La has time for my IM while catching up with work. |||107880851469790483|||Pondering
Speaking of right and wrong ways to knit, I got my packet from TKGA in the mail this weekend. 16 swatches compassing ribs to cables and lace and 14 questions to answer. Very detailed instructions on what to do to the swatch once it's done being knitted, but the research on technique is up to the knitter. Documentation of source is of course part of it. Their bibliography is 2 pages long and doesn't even include several books I have so there's lots and lots of ways to do this, but I can't help but feel all intimidated by having actual good knitters closely inspecting my work. See, no right or wrong way to knit-except I'm naturally convinced that all my swatches will be done wrong. By the way, any suggestions for books that deal in detail with blocking are welcome.
So now I have the sweater in full swing, the TKGA advanced beginner's program to chip away at, the Critter Knitters blankets and all my WIP to catch up on and it's a little overwhelming when I think about it all as one group of things to get done. Actually, overwhelming is kinda mild. It looks more like a big WIP jackknifed during rush hour spilling its load of tangled fibers, circular needles and 750,000 gross of stitch markers all over the knitting freeway and rescue vehicles are having a hard time getting to the scene of the accident while all the other WIP are honking their horns, shaking their fists and swearing because all they want to do on a friday night is get the hell home and have a fucking beer. I'm going to have to really sit down and make up a timeline/priority list if I have any hopes of getting it all done without freaking out. Right. I'm sure to jump right on that.
La should be back tomorrow-yay! I hope she had fun, but I miss her. On days when I can be online, we're on yahoo instant messenger on a near constant basis so it's weird and quiet without her. Besides, I want to see how much Chrissy loved her scarf and if she managed to finish Dave's scarf and all that crap. Won't she be surprised to leave the 30 degree temps of NY and land in record high temps of upper 80's and 90's here in L.A. Yep-we completely skipped spring and went to the middle of summer overnight. I had the a/c on in my car today. Which I loathe doing with gas prices at $2.25 a gallon. Yeah, if you live in any other part of the country I hope you're gasping and I'll gladly accept gifts of any grade of gasoline. Time to buy that hybrid.
|||10787309002340194|||Knitting Pile Up
And now, I present photos. I bet you all thought I forgot how to use a camera, didn't you? Nope, just lazy.
Here is the Renaissance Tunic from Interweave Knits Winter 02/03 issue:
Yes, I love it. My plans are to have it done and wear it with a fabulous burgundy or orangey/red silk skirt to my SIL's autumn wedding in New England.
Here is my painful progress thus far:
And a closeup of the cable:
And yes, my right hand is now crippled. Luckily I'm left-handed. Crap, no-that's La. I've been reading in Vogue Knits about repetitive stress injury for knitters and disobeying all the rules. Never knit for more than a couple hours a day, rest every 20 minutes and don't slouch. I saw today on the National Geographic Channel a cool new treatment for paralysis victims whereby they disable the good hand for 90% of the day and force you to use the bad one and damned if the brain doesn't actually recover. Even stroke victims are having good success. They thought that once brain cells were damaged, that was it-no hope of recovery but evidently the brain can reactivate the cells given the proper motivation to do so. One guy who was paralyzed from a stroke has recovered to the point that he can drive a stick shift and play tennis. So I'm not worried about my hand. Besides, in a few years they'll be able to grow me a new one in a lab.
And a temporary stay of execution: my pilot got pushed back, I get another week off before starting work. Yay!
I leave you with some of my inspiration for the knit-along. Wyatt, my camera-shy rescue, looking as if I just told him he was kicked out of the pack.
|||107862206430511343|||Crippled KnittingI had bought some lovely Suzanne's ebony circulars in US size 7 for it. At least, the package said "7" and "7" was stamped on the needle. Of course, 7.00 mm is different than US 7. I could have looked more closely and seen that there was no way they were 7's. Because in fact, they are 10 3/4.........FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!! So, 10 3/4 is a size I never use, a good bargain at $17...the first Stitches West purchase I wish I hadn't made.
So I had to go to the LYS today to get those damned 7 circs and I did great, I didn't buy any yarn or anything besides the needles. The owner was surprised and dismayed. I had a goal of having the sweater finished in time for my SIL's wedding in Septemberish-but I just got one repeat of the cable done and I'm thinking I may be ambitious. My right hand is gnarled and shriveled with cramps. So far, I'm not loving cabling. I don't know if I'll ever work up to Arans because this is a pain in the ass. I love the way it looks, but it's so tight and those damned stitches sneer at me while they threaten to fall off the needles. The cable goes: 5 stitches on cn to back, 3 st on cn to front, knit 5, knit 3 from front cn, knit 5 from back cn, purl 11. By the time you get to those original 5 stitches you first put on a cable needle, that's a loooong way to pull them back on the left needle for knitting. I had to pick something with zillions of cables in it for my first cabling project, too 'cuz that's the way I am. stupid. I'll post pictures when there's something interesting to look at, hopefully by tomorrow.
|||107854541488965213|||Scrapping Some Plans
I frogged the first sock after I'd turned the heel, turns out it was too big and I noticed a few ugly stitches in the ribbing. So after I ripped, the yarn looked kinda icky but I decided to plod ahead anyway. Lo and behold, it looked better knitted AND it was no longer making me sneeze. Hmmmmm?? I don't get it, but there it is. I put the 2nd, unworked ball in the freezer and it's true, it really cuts down on the cloud of fur hovering around the knitting area! Thanks for the advice!!
I organized the stash somewhat and it made me dig out yarn I forgot I'd bought. It made me realize that for a period in winter '02 I was kinda into eyelash yarn. Funny because I can barely stand the sight of it now. Typical for me, though, obsess over something until I cure myself completely. Hopefully the novelty yarn craze will end soon. Not because other's shouldn't knit with it just because I don't like it anymore, but because the novelty yarns have crowded out more conventional yarns at shows like SW and in shops as well. At SW the only thing I found in quantity other than novelty was alpaca. Next would be mohair. Both good yarns, and yes there was other yarn there as well, it's just that you could hardly find it for all the fuzzy. And there are quite a number of people doing things with novelty yarn that just shouldn't be done. Ugly. There must have been some class that taught how to make a vest using at least a dozen different novelty yarns and "wacky, whimsical" design ideas, because we noted numerous ugly vests. For the record, I'd like to state that I hate whimsical. Call me a buzzkill, but "whimsical" is far too prevalent in our lives currently. I am a total sucker for the design shows like "Surprise By Design", "Trading Spaces", "While You Were Out", etc... but the vast majority of the designs in those shows would make me go apeshit crazy with a machine gun if I came home and found them in my house! Why do most of them look like you're living in some kind of theme park for god's sake? TOO MUCH WHIMSICAL!! Maybe I'm just boring.
Ok, off the computer and on to some knitting.|||107843110124589822|||Not much of interest:
Leather Boots- sleek, trendy, and popular, you are
always dressed right. You sometimes seem fake
to people that don't know you. You enjoy
shopping and hanging out with your many
friends. [please vote! thank you! :)]
What Kind of Shoe Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Wow! I'm proud of myself! I was able to post those results and not say a word about how I'm all in favor of gay civil marriages, or how I think the Governator is doing an awesome job, or how I feel about Haiti!
|||107818737167712135|||Just for good measure
Now, for the knitting content: I'm thinking Leya is right and it's just all those fibers going up my nose. Once I was in a knitting group and someone was using Lion Brand Thick-n-Chunky Chenille and one particular skein of it was killing all of us for the exact same reason. So I choose to believe that's what's happening here because I can't give up my "BUTTA! And thanks you guys for telling me where I got that. Progress on the DH socks is slow because I'm not in the mood. Truth be told, I'm usually much more interested in knitting things for me than for others. Yep, I'm a selfish bitch. Will post an update if and when I can ever stop reading other knit blogs and actually knit so I have progress to report.|||107818460352347220|||Wow, Is it a Full Moon Tonight or Something?