Red Right Ankle

Okay, so it's my left ankle, but whatever. 

Saturday I fell on ice and twisted my ankle really bad.  One of the ligaments is torn.  The picture above was from last night - today the area is still swollen, though not as bad.  It is all yellow and there is a black spot blossoming in the center.

On top of that, I'm travelling for work.  So pain + homesickness + overwork = grumpy.

Thankfully it's not broken. My life would be so miserable right now if it was.

I have some happier, knitting-related posts coming up!

Finished! Flexible Flirtation Cowl

So, I finished this a while ago but I've been trying to take photos of it.  It's very comfy and fluffy, but... I don't look good in it.  But it's comfy! And actually, it wasn't that horrible to knit with, either.  I would work with this yarn again, maybe to make a fluffy stuffed monster.  It makes a great fabric.

Anyway, it's a flexible cowl because I knit it on larger needles, and the buttons fit through the stitches instead of any set button holes.  So you can button it any way you want.  I found four:

I guess if you wanted to add a fifth style you could twist it and make it a mobius cowl.  I'm sure there are more!

So, I packaged it up and will send it off when I get around to the post store... hopefully tomorrow.  I feel like I have had no time to myself lately.  It was very calming to sew up the package on my sewing machine.

Perfect Buttons

Dan and I went into JoAnn's the other day to get buttons for my cowl.  He told me "I have memorized where everything is in JoAnn's, because everytime we go you go looking for things... but really that's just an excuse to browse the store."

He caught me.

It still took me fifteen minutes to find the perfect buttons. He even helped me!

I'm a lucky person.

Christmas Yarn

I normally don't like it when people give me yarn.  It's usually not my style, or not enough to make a good project out of, or just uninspiring.  But over Christmas, my old art teacher RB gave me this bag:

It's got a ton of goodies! This multicolor mystery yarn:

A bag of this stuff:

A PILE of recycled Sari yarn that I spent the afternoon untangling last weekend.  It was so calming to do that, seriously. 

(Before pile)

(After cake)

And then there is this: "Flirtation."  

Normally, I would call this yarn "icky looking" but it's so soft and squishy.  I knit some of it up, and couldn't stop.  So I'm making an easy garter stitch cowl.  I have a plan and everything - the loops on the yarn are so big (because I'm working on US 13 needles) that small buttons can fit through them - so no buttonholes!  If I  put some buttons on the end, she'll be able to fasten the cowl in a few different ways.  

I'm really excited to make this!

Sweater Disaster

So, I was really really proud to finish my first sweater!

But... as you might notice... it's not really finished.  I picked up the exact number of stitches, but it looks like the button band has too few of them, because this weird scrunching thing happens.

This is probably the most unflattering thing that has ever been draped upon my figure.  All of the endorphins from sewing the last button on disappeared when I looked at myself in the mirror.  Instead of a beautiful form swathed in beautiful handknit goodness, I felt like a potato in a too-big potato sack.  I have lost weight since I started knitting it, so it might just be way too big... but I would at least like to have the bottom form a straight line!

Anyway, this thing is in time out until I get the gumption to unravel the button band, cast on with more stitches, and try again.

If Only the Force was With Me...

Does this look like a Princess Leia inspired hat? I'm not really that happy with it... but, whatever, the Dalek came out great!

That makes two pretty big flubs for me this week, the second one being a sweater disaster that I still need to blog about.  I'm starting to feel like most of my blog posts are about problems I'm having! I REALLY am good at knitting... I swear! 

I think my main problems were: 

1.) I made it up as I went along instead of just using one of the many patterns on the internet.

2.) When I sewed the little buns on, I didn't have an orange or grapefruit to use as a gauge of a baby head, so I have no way to tell if they are wonky or not. I just have the sneaking suspicion that they are!

Rainbow Socks are Dead. Long Live Rainbow Socks!

Yep.  I took the time today to try to make the right heel.  It didn't work, and I decided that maybe I would change the way I was approaching these socks.  Maybe top-down socks will work... and maybe doing them two-at-a time will help me finish them quicker. 

I also might not do simple stress socks this time... I might do an actual sock pattern, but I have to find one. 

Pudgy the Curious Dalek

I finished him! There were a few hiccups, but I kind of like it. 

First, I worked a jogless round because there's color work in the body and neck.  But because of them, the start of the round had moved about an inch and a half! So, the eyes are kind of at an angle from where they are supposed to be.  I don't mind it though, because he kind of looks like he's just turning his head.  I think he looks slightly curious.  Like he's hearing someone talking and is listening in, turning his head just a little bit.  And he catches you looking - but instead of looking away bashfully, or turning all the way towards you to engage in conversation, he just freezes.  "Uh... uh..."  Then you have to make the move.

Oh man, I am way too attached to this doll.  I gotta send it away! Stop being adorable, Pudgy!

Anyway, I really like the pattern.  I would make it again, as another gift for a Dr. Who fan.  I know so many! And now that I've made one, I feel like I can make another even more efficiently.  Aside from catching the whole start of the round mess-up, I plan to:

1.) Place a coffee can lid or some other circular object in the bottom to keep it flat.  

2.) Knit the bottom as a flat circle and then work my way up, finishing at the top.  I totally know how to do that!

3.) Use stitch markers to mark where you decrease during the leg-ish section (where the bobbles are).  I did that this time and it worked really well!

Anyway, I had fun knitting this and I'm pumped to call it my first FO of 2014 :)

Sunday Hike

I got a pair of snowshoes for Christmas, with the intent to keep hiking all through winter. I haven't been able to climb a mountain yet (too much ice!)... but we did check out a great trail right in the city.

The snow was awesome... and halfway through, we crossed a gorgeous little brook.  It was like a picture.

The snow had covered everything.  It's very sticky!

So that's my calm to keep me going through this week! I am getting knitting done... I just need to find my camera so I can photograph it.

25%

This weekend, on the way home from NY, I finished the first quarter of my blanket!

In celebration, I decided to do some tidying.  My project bag was a mess...

So I wound up all the skeins that I had finished.

Then I packed up my bag with everything that I needed to work on my project at knitting group.  Because it's such an easy pattern that's all garter stitch, I think it's great social knitting.  I also brought the finished panel... to show off my progress.  At this rate, I might finish it this year! ... Or not.  Probably not.

Knitting for a Nerdy Baby

I've known this for a while, but my friend from college is pregnant! With a little girl! Their nursery is "nerd themed" so I've been really inspired to make lots of cute things for them.  I figured I would post my list of ideas so that I would be able to come back to it.

1. A knit Dalek.  I'm actually working on this one, and it's going really well!
2. A star trek inspired baby cardi.  I have red yarn, and can embroider a little symbol on the front... so it will be a baby red shirt!! (As cool as this is, I mentioned ST to her and they're not really trekkies, so I'll save it for another time.)
3. A baby jayne hat - though I know if Dan sees me knitting this he'll want one :P
4. A little princess leia hat.
5. Actually, a little leia outfit would be cute! And it would be easy.
6. A knit Bantha - OMG SO CUTE!!!!1ONE  I would pay for this pattern.
7. She mentioned a knit tardis.  But that's too easy! Maybe a Tardis diaper genie cover? Hmmm.
8. A baby-sized little jedi costume.
9. I want to do a blanket out of all these - but in yellow and green, because she told me ages ago that she liked those two colors.   That just screams "Waaaayyyy too ambitious" though... right? No... yes.  No... yes... stop!
10. A wookie doll.  Here's a crochet one, but I would make a knit one.  Too bad, I just gave away a bunch of hideous fun fur that would have looked good like this!
11. A stuffed ewok! I couldn't find a pattern for one, but they would be easy to do.
12. A little ewok cowl/hat - here's a crochet version, it would be easy to make a knit one.

Anyway, those were just rattling in my head, I had to get them out! Have a good Sunday!

Saggy Heels - What do I do?

I'm kind of blown away by how big Dan's sock is.  It's as long as my forearm!

I wasn't sure what kind of heel to make, so I went with an afterthought heel because I have LOVED how they feel on me.  So, I knit away at this new afterthought heel, and I kitchnered it up...

And it's too big! :(

It's baggy, saggy, and gross! I'm not quite sure what to do, since it's definitely the right number of stitches for the gusset.  Maybe a radial decrease? Can you do that?  My thought is "I don't see why not" but I really would rather do something that's been done before before I try to un-vent something.

2013 Recap

Lots of people have been posting summaries of what they've finished in the last year, so I thought it would be fun to do!

Then, I looked at my finished photo set... and felt me ego shrink a little.  Here are my finished projects from 2013:

Only 9.  But I'm pretty proud of them! I worked on my Rock Island Shawl for almost 2 years, and I've almost finished my first sweater for myself.  And my House Greyjoy Needlepoint... anyway.  I might not be as prolific as other bloggers, but I think my FO's are still pretty badass.

Christmas Vacation!

Well, things got a little crazy this weekend.  We were driving through Vermont when this happened:

 At 6 o'clock on a Saturday night, no one was open to even look at the car, but the person that towed the car said he would come in and look at the alternator the next day. 

So we stayed at a hotel, the Paradise Inn, and ate some bad pizza, bought some souvenirs, and were on the road by noon on Sunday.  It was fun and I took some nice photos, but I'd rather PLAN a weekend getaway and suddenly find myself having one!

Merry Christmas!

I finished my socks! So things are pretty merry here!

I will post more later when I have time. The holidays are hectic :(

WIP Wednesday!

It's almost the end of the year, and I'm almost done with my projects!  All I have to do is the button band and buttons on my sweater.

Dan's sock is going okay - it's a little slow because his feet are so big! But I think I've figured it out.

And my Pomatomus socks... well, coming along slowly! But they might be done before the end of the year.  We'll see.

Well... have a good rest of the week.  I'm going to go paint my nails.  That photo is almost embarrassing.

White Sunday

I woke up this morning and all the windows were frosted over... and there was a foot of snow on the ground! :)

It was actually fun shoveling our 3 flights of stairs.  I'm sure in early March it'll be obnoxious when we're gearing up and trudging through the snow for the ninetieth time, but today it was like a celebration!  We even walked down to the corner store and bought the paper and some beer.

It was nice just sitting around knitting and watching movies and stuff.  We also made Christmas cookies... but just baked them.  Hopefully we'll ice them sometime this week... maybe not.  We decorated for Christmas, got a tree, and put up some greens in the flower boxes, but didn't so much.  Our big Christmas purchase was a cute little snow globe with a fox in it.

And, even better news... my orchid that Dan got me for Valentine's Day last year is blooming again! It even has some new little shoots coming up. Did you hear about the color of the year? It's Orchid! The color of my orchid, the color of my sweater and the color of my socks.  I'm actually a little sick of seeing this color with two projects with it!

Busy Busy

I'm working a lot lately... trying to finish stuff for the end of the year! At home, I'm doing the same thing.  I washed and blocked my sweater this weekend, all I have to do is sew in all the seams and make the button bands!

I'm really excited.  Thought I realize that I would have helped myself out a lot by blocking sides that were supposed to be sewn together next to eachother so I could make sure they were the same length... live and learn! Next year, my new year's resolution is going to be to have less projects going on at once.  I can't keep track of everything.

Busybody

I've had a good Sunday.  I woke up, painted, mended a blanket that mysteriously got a hole in it:

(I was going to patch it but I don't think you can tell where the stitch was, so I'm just going to leave it there.)

And... I dealt with this:

I wanted to clean stuff out of my Dad's house, since I don't live there anymore and it's not doing any good way up there.  I got a BIG laundry basket of old clothes and miscellany; an under-the-bed tupperware of fabric; and these three containers of yarn. The entire trunk of my car was full!

So I spent the day sorting yarn into "Future Projects," "Misc. Arylic Yarn," "Misc. Wool-Slash-Animal Fiber Yarn," and "Misc. Sock yarn."

So... know anyone that wants some acrylic yarn?  I'm not going to use it... pretty much ever.  I just don't like the way that Red Heart looks when knit up, and I don't like the way it feels.  Some other Acrylic, like Caron Simply Soft or Vanna's Choice, are ok... but Red Heart is just not soft enough for my picky hands.

I think I'm going to take the Misc. Yarn to my knitting group and give it away there, then maybe post some of the stuff here and see if anyone wants it!

Foolproof

 

During my Thanksgiving travels, I told myself I would work on the socks.  There is now NO WAY that they'll be different sizes... Right?  Oh I hope so... I'd like to finish them this year.  I think that nine months is a long time to be knitting socks. 

How I Spent My Weekend

When I was in elementary school, we had to write in "journals." A lot of times the writing was prompted, like "What is your favorite dessert?" - and a very common one was "What did you do on the weekend?"

I'm some people can't really answer the question "What did you do on the weekend?" in an interesting way.  They say something like "Oh, just stayed in, didn't really do much..." before the conversation turns to sports or the news or the weather.  I can't be like that.  Even when I stay in, I still have to do some sort of project or I will just have so much energy that I can't hold it in and I'll have to do yoga or go to the gym.

Don't ask me how vacations are.  Dan thinks I'm obnoxious!

This weekend has been a weekend in.  And I'm really enjoying it - my sweater is on track (only had a sleeve and the bands to go!) and I've baked and walked around Target and watched Friends for the first time.

But most importantly... we had the first snow!  Our cars were covered in it when we woke up! I'm sure it'll be all melted before noon, but... it's here! SNOW!

I am Actually Making Progress on this Freaking Sweater

Okay, so not much progress, but I have now sucessfully identified which side is the left and the right.  This has been a pretty big source of problems, since, as you can see, THE RIGHT IS ON THE LEFT AND THE LEFT IS ON THE RIGHT.  

There was something in the Bible about how during the end of days, North with be South and South will be North.  That is how I feel with this freaking sweater.  It's the end of days. 

So, I didn't actually do any knitting, but I have paved the way to do knitting more efficiently.  Seems like an excuse that you'd here from a process engineer, right?  I have had to rip back both sides at least twice because I can't figure out the difference between them, so I knit the left side like the right and then... ugh.   I'm getting frustrated just remembering it!

When Okay Ideas Go Wrong

Did you ever get an idea that just didn't work out well when it was executed? I got that a lot when I was drawing a lot - One day I would be working away furiously at something that I thought was the bee's knees, then the next day I would sit down in front of it and think "What was I thinking!?" 

The worst ones would be the ones I actually finished.  I would step back, so proud of my accomplishment, then look at what I'd wasted so much time on... and my pride would shatter.  It would be crap!

Well, this project happened like that.  

I bought some nice yarn at Stitches - I liked it, it seemed warm and floofy... and I liked the color combination.  It just looked good to me.

On Tuesday, I couldn't find my knitting bag so I grabbed these two balls of yarn and started a hat for myself.  

Today, I finished said hat and tried it on.   First minus, is that it's too small.  The second minus, though, is that I couldn't help thinking that this hat was familiar.  I showed Dan.  "Don't these colors look familiar?"

He looked at me like I was crazy.   Then I realized.

My hat looks just like Cartman's from South Park!

So, I will probably weave in the ends and donate it somewhere.  It really is a nice hat... if you have a head the size of a cantaloupe and don't know what South Park is.  Or maybe some kid that's a big SP fan will get it and be excited. Because all my excitement for this hat is gone.

I'm sure everyone has a story like this, though!

Too Big Sock? No Problem!

I have not been posting or reading lots of blogs, but I have been knitting.  I got halfway up my foot with the rainbow socks that I started at Rhinebeck and I felt that they were just a little bit too big...

Thankfully, instead of frogging back to the toe, I'll just re-adjust my goal.

Oh, honey, you want me to knit you more things? BAM.

Socks are "fixed" and the boyfriend gets presents.  Two birds, one stone!

Stitches!

So, I also went to Stitches East yesterday with Ash.  We both brought along our boyfriends (hers was unexpectedly in town, mine was just curious.)  I think they did well:

Note the hands full of bags, the phones browsing reddit, and the "I don't even know how to contribute to this conversation if I wanted to" faces.

I had a really good time! We saw a lot of yarn that I really, really, really wanted to knit with (but didn't buy because you have to draw a line somewhere and if I bought all the yarn I wanted, I would be bankrupt.)

Some stuff that was tempting but I have to share is this:

It's yarn that glows in the dark! It's hard to tell because the convention center was really well-lit... but it's still cool!

I also saw this shawl:  It's a pattern called "Starry Night" on Ravelry.

This sock yarn: UGGHHHHHH... want so bad.

Anyway, I had a good time and was glad to find stuff to add to my wish list! I also found lots of not-wool stuff to get my friend Alysia for Christmas... :)

Meet Moby

Let's not talk about socks today.  Let's talk about this post I put up a while ago.  Remember this thingy?

I finished him!

I wanted to make a stuffed animal, because I haven't made one in a long time.  I used the leftover's from Dan's hat that I made last year (which is also an original pattern that I never wrote up...)  I'm calling him Moby the Whale.

Here's a picture of Moby playing in the leaves.

My plan is to publish this pattern, but I'd really like some test knitters.  If you're interested, leave a comment or email me (my address is on the sidebar) and I'll send you the rough draft of the pattern! I would like to have at least 6 testers.

Please spread the word if you know anyone that likes to knit toys.  The pattern uses size 5 dpns or circular needles and calls for worsted weight yarn such as Cascade 220, Caron Simply soft, or red heart. Skill needed include: knitting in the round, sewing seams, and picking up stitches.

Thanks in advance!

Some pretty photos from Rhinebeck

I figured for the sake dof having posts obsessively labeled, I'd do a separate picture of my favorite pictures that I took last weekend.  So, here it is! Hope you like them.

Sunset over the Hudson at Dinner with my Mom and Ash

Sheep dog Demo

The three sheep from the sheep dog demo, huddled together and looking hustled.

A wall of Penny rugs - these are a recent obsession of mine.

A photo of the view from Vanderbilt Mansion on Sunday, when my mom and I had a breakfast picnic.

Random photo of my feet.  Remember when I used to do this kind of photo all the time? 

Interesting grapey things

I fell in love with this sheep. I think his name was Nemo.  He let me pet him!

Tree at Vanderbilt Mansion

Leaf on the ground at Vanderbilt Mansion

(I think that you can click any picture to see it in it's full glory on Flickr.)