Let the games begin! June 30, 2009

Tomorrow is the beginning of the WIP Wrestlemania, which feeds right into the Tour de Fleece! It’ll be a month of mayhem, I assure you. Here’s a log of what I’ve decided to work on.

First, the Leafy Mitts, which I will hopefully finish tomorrow.

After that, I will buckle down on the Aeolian shawl over the holiday weekend.

Tour de Fleece starts on the 4th, and my challenge to myself will be to spin every day, finish 4 wips, and one day walk one mile while drop spindling. Here are the wips.

First, the jeweltone dark BFL on my butternut Kundert spindle:

Then, there’s the carbonized bamboo on my BGD spindle.

I want to finish the camel down as well, on my walnut Bosworth.

And the last one (I’m not sure I’ll end up doing this) is a wheel project. I will either spin 2oz of tussah silk, or 4 oz of merino/bamboo.

I’m both excited and a little nervous. So much to do! Plus I’m a team captain for WWM! I’m insane, but we all knew that already anyway, right?

Little Blue June 29, 2009

So, today, 10 business days having passed since I brought in my camera for service, I called Best Buy to see what the heck-butt was up. After 3 phone transfers and 12 minutes on hold, I finally got my answer… it was unfixable. They’d known this for a week. They never called me.

I went in and got a new one, and filled out a rather angry comment card. It probably won’t do any good, but hey, I feel better. Plus the new camera came with all the accoutrements that the old one did, but I had kept the old ones, so it’s like a bunch of free stuff as compensation for my long wait.

The new camera, she has a name! It struck me as I was uploading the photos. The camera is small, sleek, blue, and above all… has no internal memory storage. It only has a memory card slot. It’s obvious; my camera is Dory, from Finding Nemo.

And now Dory and I will share with you everything you’ve missed since the old li’l blue died a premature death.

First, the FOs:

The Rincewind Baby Robe, the bane of my existence for several months. I love how it turned out. We’re still not totally sure whether we’re going to mail it or bring it with us when (if?) we go out there in August.

For the swap: The freakin’ adorable, I need one for myself now Elephant tea cozy. I love this thing so much. Doesn’t it work perfectly on my elephant teapot?

And the owl mitts, which I think I’m going to add button eyes onto. I loooove this yarn, it’s Dream in Color Classy, leftovers that Nicole gave me. Amazing wonderful stuff.

Here is the new WIP, my Deep in the Forest mittens. Isn’t that edging cool?

I hate to say it but I might have to rip back to the braid. I think my floats are too tight. But oh, that edge… I love it so.

I’m so happy to have a nice camera again! I feel like I can get back into the swing of blogging- and it’s just in time, since WWM starts Wednesday and Tour de Fleece starts Saturday. Exciting!

Weekend in Reverse June 28, 2009

I had sort of a strange weekend, in that yesterday felt very much like Sunday and today I could’ve sworn it was Saturday. It was a little disconcerting, and really sort of unpleasant since I have to go to work tomorrow… but hey, four day week. I get Friday off since the 4th is on a Saturday this year. We’re pet-sitting/house-sitting for my sister and her husband from Wednesday to Sunday, but we don’t have any big plans for the fourth. Considering that normally, we’d be up in Brainerd doing professional fireworks shows… it’s sort of a welcome break (honestly? I’m sort of hoping we never do that again).

I’m up to the start of the thumb gusset on my Deep in the Forest Mittens. The braided cuff was really fun, and looks awesome. Hopefully I’ll get my camera back soon (it’s been 10 business days- I’m calling them tomorrow) and I can show you guys. Other than that I really spent the weekend watching TV and playing the Sims 3 with Janelle. The mitten pattern is just complex enough that, while I can watch TV and knit them, I can’t really bring them with me anywhere, so I was glad to see a good number of programs were on this weekend that I actually enjoy watching. I’m really picky about television.

Continental Blues June 27, 2009

So, last night, I cast on for my Deep in the Forest Mittens. As you can see by the pattern, this is a heavy colorwork pattern- at some points it switches colors nearly every stitch. Now, I could have chosen to go with what I did on the mittens I made for my friend Autumn, and hold one color in each hand… but my darling husband got me this  knitting thimble in my Christmas stocking last year, and I wanted an excuse to use it! However, it has to be used on your left hand- you have to knit solely Continental to use it. While I technically can knit Continental, I’m an English style knitter and have been since day one. This has been… an issue.

Since my tension changes when I knit Continental, I decided that I should probably knit the whole mittens that way. My hands aren’t used to the position and movements, so they’re getting very sore- especially the tip of my left middle finger, which the right needle rubs on every stitch. It gets sore and then numb and then I have to stop knitting. I’ve also been going very slowly, but the biggest issue… purling. Purling Continental is, to put it nicely, a big freaking hassle. Supposedly once you’re used to it, it’s much faster than English, but as yet… a single purl row is taking me upwards of 10 minutes. I feel like I’m just learning to knit again. Talk about frustrating.

Today, I may knit on those, but I may decide to spin or play the Sims 3. I should probably start spinning that silk, but the patch for the Sims that I’ve been waiting for, that makes it so you really can turn off “story progression” (the function that allows the families you aren’t playing to keep living and making choices and moving and things, all on their own) just came out, I’ve been wanting to play that again. Then again, I suppose I could do multiple things. What an idea, right? Shocking.

Designer Intervention June 25, 2009

Thanks to a comment from Heather on my last post, I went searching for aid on Katarina. Believe it or not, some one who wants to knit it in my size, using exactly the same gauge I am getting, was asking for help in the CocoKnits forum and the designer herself popped in to assist. I now have all the numbers I need for the back, but then… Well, she also said that she’s rewriting the pattern and sizing it up. So now I’m not entirely sure I want to knit it until that’s done. It would just be much easier once it’s sized up, and while I do like the yarn I have now, it’s not ideal. I think I’ll wait and do it in an aran weight yarn, to get gauge. Maybe.

For now, I’ve decided to do two things regarding WWM:

1. Cast on the Deep in the Forest mittens, in case I get to them, but otherwise focus solely on Aeolian until it’s done

2. If I finish Aeolian in time, I will participate in Tour de Fleece in conjunction with WWM. In anticipation of that I’ll start a wee bit of the silk I want to spin. TdF starts on the 4th, so I might be able to swing both the shawl and the spinning. I think my “personal challenge” would just be to spin a true laceweight silk yarn, as I have spun neither silk nor laceweight before. I’d like to get at least 500yd out of 2oz.

Hey look, I remembered tonight June 24, 2009

No, in all seriousness, I’ve been really freakin’ exhausted lately. Some weird emotional stuff going on, along with a few really crazy weeks at work, and my headspace is not even on this planet anymore half of the time. I would apologize for the sporadic and rather pathetic postings, but… frankly I don’t feel bad about it anymore. Ain’t no blog police gonna arrest me for forgetting to post! Just know that if I don’t post, I’m ok- just tired out  (Unless I don’t post for like… 3 days with no notice. Then I’m probably not ok).

Still no word on my wee camera. I miss it so much! I keep thinking “I should take pictures of this so I can- DANGIT.” I just don’t want to do the objects of my future photographs an injustice, now that you’ve all been spoilt by my lovely little canon. I did intend to bring my FOs to my sister’s for photos, but (of course) I forgot. We did make truly excellent chocolate cherry syrup, though! It is deliciousness incarnate, to steal my sister’s words. We’ve only tried it on ice cream, as yet, but I think it would be awesome on pancakes, or brownies, or maybe as a cookie filling or something.

I have now attempted casting on Katarina three times- with 7s, 8s, and 10s. The gauge stated in the pattern is 4 sts/in, with dk weight yarn and size 7 needles. Something wrong with this picture, hmmm? I’m using worsted and I am still getting 5sts/in! On 10s I get 4, but it’s too loose of a gauge. I’m going to have to fiddle with the numbers, I think. Annoying. I desperately want that cardigan, though!

Why Hallo Monday June 22, 2009

Let’s sum up this morning by simply stating that if I never have to say the words “remove and readd your printer” again, it will still be too soon. Bleah.

Didn’t get a whole lot of knitting done, though I did cast on Katarina. We didn’t record the podcast tonight, either- it was my brother’s birthday celebration today, so we didn’t get home until 10. We’ll record tomorrow, though I’ll probably be at my sister’s at the time, as we’re going to make chocolate-cherry jam. I’m going to see if she’ll take some FO photos for me with her nice camera.

Go, speedknitter, go June 21, 2009

I’m not sure how, but I’ve managed to get three projects done in as many days. I love small projects, they go so quickly!

The tea cozy and mitts will have to wait for photos until I get my camera back. I still haven’t heard boo from Best Buy as to when that might be, which I assure you is extremely frustrating.

I hope all the dads (and their kids!) had a great father’s day.

Well what the heck June 21, 2009

I could have *sworn* I blogged yesterday. I was dead sure! But no, apparently not. I was at a LAN all evening, so I suppose it’s unsurprising.

Today, Janelle and I went out to a Knit in Public Day event at Powderhorn park. It was really fun and I got some free sock yarn from a lady that was doing some stash reduction. I’ll post photos once my camera is back. After that, we went out for ice cream at Izzy’s, and then went over to Autumn and Tiffany’s for what was supposed to be a 3 hour crafting afternoon (“crafternoon”). However, since we were having so much fun and A & T’s other plans for the evening got called off, we all stayed and drank sweet tea vodka and lemonade and played Rock Band. I apologize for any gross misspellings, as I am a sheet and 3/4 to the wind at the moment. However, I got the tea cozy completely done except for seaming and the fingerless mitts over half done. They’re very cute. I ended up using some of Nicole’s Dream In Color Classy leftovers in a blue/purple mix.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to head to the lake for some swimming, but I may end up over at Janelle’s helping her clean (aka, I knit, she cleans- I’m just there for company).

Vicarious Excitement June 18, 2009

Since I am apparently incapable of getting excited today (hello depression, how are you? Bad? That’s nice.) I’ll let you all get excited for me.

It is done!

Phone picture, sry. Camera is still in the shop. And yes, I did spell “wizzard” that way on purpose– it’s a Discworld thing.

I am really glad to be done with all the seed stitch. It was just getting way too monotonous.

I apologize for all the short, photoless, boring entries of late. The bathrobe was… not exactly riveting for me either, and honestly it is so freaking hot and muggy in this apartment it’s a wonder I can think, let alone type. Summer + 3rd floor apartment in the city + tiny a/c on the other side of a long, narrow apartment = NO.

In happier news, I get to knit something NEW now! Something not seed stitch! and not red!

Sadly, it’s… grey. And stockinette. But it’s very small, so hopefully that won’t really matter much. It is this, and it’s for my swap partner in the CPAAGG Christmas in July swap. I’m also making these, assuming I have time. I’m hoping two quick, small projects will sort of reawaken my knitting joy, since come July I’m diving head-first back into Aeolian to finish it up for WIP Wrestlemania. And after that there’s the Mitt-Along, and after that… well, there’s Christmas coming up… and I want to knit Katarina, of course, for my chilly workplace…

Yeah… I need to find my knitting joy. Like, now, please.