Nearly Halfway

Yesterday it was so quiet at work the kimono I'm knitting for KZ's bean went from this...





to this, and I'm not that fast a knitter.  True, it's only 48 stitches across the back (I'm casting on stitches for the sleeves; this is a very clever pattern) but this is light worsted, almost DK weight yarn, and still I'm zooming along.  Although knitting without much of a break for 7 hours sure makes my vision screwy.  Maybe it's time to go get my eyes checked...



I wish someone would make a sewing website (Stitcherie, maybe?) like Ravelry for knitters.  I bought 2 yds. of this gorgeous linen the other day and I'd like to have a place where I could list all the fabrics I have and the sewing books and stuff like batting and interfacing and elastic.  There'd be a lot less duplication.  Somebody get on that, please.

Done!

I can't believe how quickly I made the Reclaimed Shrug but it's done.  My fingers must have been flying.  It was finished last night and I'm wearing it right now.  I might not take it off because it's so soft and warm and it's barely over 40 degrees today which is crazypants for May 12.  This shrug (it seems more like a sweater-ette to me) is smaller than the Green one.  I might like it better but I'll be wearing both of them.  For the longest time I couldn't figure out why you'd make or wear a sleeveless sweater but then I thought "vest" and I got it.  I'm sometimes slow but I eventually catch up.  Anyway, here it is!  







Now I'm off to cast on a baby sweater for K&GZ's bean.

Perking Right Along

I have knit the Reclaimed Shrug almost exclusively since casting it on last Thursday and yesterday at work, shortly after I took this photo, I put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn and got going on the body.  I am so going to have enough yarn.  Yippee!

I Am Incorrigible

I can not be trusted leaving yarn loose because I just go downstairs, grab some, and start knitting even though I have perfectly good projects OTN.  It's a compulsion; I have an idea and it nags at me until I succumb.  Take this poor yarn.  It began as a wrap that looked great on the pattern and like dog doo on me.  Then instead of unraveling it I just picked out the end and started knitting a Rib Warmer from the corpse of the wrap, but before I was halfway through the first half I realized that I didn't have enough yarn and couldn't get enough yarn because the black wool/cashmere I carried with the thick/thin colorful wool is discontinued.  So I shoved it all into a bag and left it in timeout downstairs.  Then I knit the wonderfulness that is the Green Shrug.  It used about 2 lbs. of yarn and that's how much the wool & cashmere blob weighs, or near enough.  The idea has been rolling around in my head but I've been telling myself that I should finish at least one of the projects OTN before casting on another.  That worked until yesterday morning when I went downstairs before work, grabbed the yarn, pattern, and one set of interchangeable needles, took it to work, cast on, and started knitting the Reclaimed Shrug.  In the back of my mind I can finish it before I go to The Clearing in 15 more days, especially if I don't extend the body beyond the pattern directions as I did with the Green one.  We'll see if my hands hold out.

I did knit the last 10 rows of the leg of the Spring Boot Sock and segue into the heel flap and heel turn in lime green, then pick back up with the pastel-ly shades of the main yarn.  I think for the next sock I'm going to use a different yarn for each sock part.  That should keep me interested and monogamous, right?  Maybe.

Button & A Fall Off The Yarn Diet

I got a button for the Green Shrug the other day at JoAnn.  I wanted a bamboo button but all they had was toggles and that wouldn't have worked.  I found this tortoiseshell looking one with holes big enough for the super bulky yarn to go through and I think it's just right.

I worked along on the Wildflowers Shawlette at work yesterday and realized that it's DK or fingering weight yarn *head, slap*  but I am not frogging it at this stage.  Besides I like the way this is looking and it'll look awesome with a winter white ruffle.

After my walk this morning I stopped into Monterey Yarns to see when their last day is.  End of May, she said, but judging by the emptiness of the shelves they probably won't make it that long.  I did my part and brought home a skein of Noro Silk Garden and one of Silly Stripes, it's 100% cotton.  See?  Variegated, colors--I can't resist.  It wasn't a big fall off the yarn diet, only a little one, and it was kind of pity yarn.  I couldn't go in there to see when they were closing and not buy anything, could I?  No.

Finished, Frogged, Started, Frogged, Resurrected, Started, & a Flashback

So, what did you do on your day off?  That up there, that's what I did.  I finished the Green Kerchief although I may unpick the tail, rip back about the last 1 1/2 inches and redo them because I had a bit of a brain fart on one edge and it's kind of wobbly.  I didn't think it'd bother me but it does.  It's not a big deal so I still count that as finished.

I frogged the Yogi Sock like I said I would.  It wasn't floating my boat and I just didn't think I'd wear it even if I do manage to go to yoga more often.


I started another boot sock.  I know, I know, boot weather is done for the season (it damn well better be anyway) but I have it in my mind to make one with the remains of the yarns I've used for the earlier socks and want to do it NOW.  Besides I'm wearing boot socks in my tennies right now because my feet still get cold but I don't want to use foot warmers anymore because it's Spring, or it's supposed to be.


About 18 months ago I cast aside the Summer Fever Shawl for reasons I no longer remember.  (something shiny must have passed by)  I thought I'd pick it up yesterday and just take up where I left off.  I couldn't.  Oh, I had notes and a row counter but they weren't helpful.  I tried.  I knitted one row the way I thought it should be, then counted, then squinted at the pattern, back at the knitting, back at the pattern, and I was lost.  So out came the needle and I rolled the yarn back into a ball.  I might begin again.  Maybe.  Or maybe I'll tag the yarn for another less complicated pattern.


When I went down into the (endless) stash for the Summer Fever Shawl I saw the bag with the parts of the Red Marl Sweater in it that also got cast aside nearly 3 years ago.  Okay, maybe closer to 2 1/2, but a long time ago nevertheless.  When picking up the shawl was a bust I thought that even though it's pseudo-Spring I could maybe apply myself to that sweater and have it ready for the next time Winter rears its head, so I brought it upstairs and checked its status and I think I can.  (I think I can, I think I can... remember the Little Engine That Could?)  I'm about 2/3 of the way up the front and had left off where the armhole decreases start, so I did those last night watching TV and will give it some attention to see how far I can get before it's too hot to knit a bulky wool sweater.  I also have the sleeves cast on and the cuffs knitted; that's good mindless knitting for TV watching too.


And because I can't leave well enough alone I dug out the yarns and needles to knit another After the Rain shawlette.  It's such a great pattern and I've been wearing the Psychedelic one at least once a week so I need another one, one with less flashy colors to go with more stuff.  (good rationalizing, don't you think?)



I want to knit ALL the yarn.  Right now.  It's Spring, flowers poking up, birdies singing, startitis raging.  Ahhh.


Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the coolest thing I did yesterday.  It's the flashback in the post title up there.  Durwood has a pair of ancient denim shirts that he got eons ago when he worked for Gillette selling Right Guard etc.  He loves those shirts and has worn them to shreds.  Well, at least one of the collars is in shreds so he asked if I couldn't take off the worn part and put on a piece of ribbing or something so he can still wear it.  (understand that he does not wear this out of the house)  I didn't think that ribbing was the answer even though all he was looking for was preservation not fashion so I let the problem stew up in my gray matter for a week and had a brilliant flashback.  I remembered my Great-grandma Barbara and Grandma Freida "turning" collars on men's when they got worn.  Turning means to pick out the stitches attaching the collar band to the body of the shirt (leaving the collar untouched), turning it around so that what was the

neck side becomes the underneath side and vice versa, a few pins, a little sewing, and voila! the shirt is saved.  I'd never done it but I have picked out enough stitches to go to the Moon and back, and this is not a dress shirt, not even a wear outside shirt, so what did I have to lose.  By golly, it worked.  You can see by the pale blue and the "ring around the collar" stains that even bleach won't budge how old and beloved this shirt is.  I'm glad I could save it for a few more wearings for my long-suffering and patient beloved.

Ta-Da!

I finished the Green Shrug this morning.  I spent most of the weekend piled up on the couch tending my cold and knitting, and had only one more row of bottom ribbing and the bind off when I got to work today and I finished it.  I like it.  I added 2" to the body so that it didn't look like a green wool sports bra so when I got near the length the pattern specified I quick picked up the sleeve stitches, knit those, and then picked up the neck band stitches and knit that so that there would be plenty of yarn to add a couple inches plus the bottom ribbing.  And I've got about 4 oz. of yarn left.  I thought about keeping going but I'm glad I didn't.  I slipped it on and I like it.  Tomorrow I'll paw through my button boxes to see if I've got an appropriate button for it.  This is an excellent pattern, well-written and easy to follow.  The only thing is I'd recommend that those on the XL end of the size range use a longer circular needle as that's a lot of stitches and they wanted to jump off, the scamps.


I made the decision that I'm going to frog the Yogi Socks.  There's no yoga at Friday Night Knitting anymore and I don't go to the yoga center every Wednesday (only when Mardi's teaching) so why would I make something I won't wear.  No reason.  Into the frog pond.  I'll make an anklet with the yarn.  Cross my heart.