I think I'm going to frog the Jelly Bean sock. Kind of tragic, considering I'm about 2 inches from starting the toe, but there's good reason. I tried it on last night and the leg fits strangely just above the heel flap. The heel stitch called for in this pattern draws in a lot more than the heel stitch I did on Broadripple, which leaves a bit of a poof on the leg right above where the heel flap starts. (I also should have used size 2 needles rather than size 3, but I was just going to live with that. Could be part of the problem of the poof, but the heel stitches will get smaller too with a smaller needle, so maybe not.) Maybe I'll try a toe-up pattern instead, just to say I've tried it.

Called IK. Apparently their fall issue is running about 2 weeks late. Well, it's been a month since they told me I'd get it. They also said they can't look up my info in the system until tomorrow or Thursday, because they're running some sort of report. Whatever. Also e-mailed VK, again. Why bother subscribing if you won't get your issue until a month after it comes out on the newsstand?

Edit about magazine situation:
IK came in the mail today. VK wrote back and said that my replacement issue was requested 8/9, which means I should be receiving it around 9/15. Maybe I just don't understand the magazine subscription industy, but WTF mate! That doesn't seem reasonable to me at all! *grumble* But at least I got one of them. And after all that waiting I'm....underwhelmed. There are maybe 2 or 3 designs I'd consider making at all. The thing that impresses me about IK is the size range most of the sweaters come in, from super small to fairly ample. It encompasses a lot of people, and I really like that.

Ugh.

Still can't find the stuff I couldn't find earlier.

I am so sick right now. Don't know if this will result in knitting or not. I honestly don't know if I have the energy. It's just a cold, but the first couple of days typically knock me right out. Maybe when I find the Chickami, it'll be time to work on that. We'll see. Everything from the shoulders up hurts.

And I still haven't seen any sign of my fall IK OR my fall VK!!! I'm NOT a happy camper right now. Calling IK tomorrow, but can't seem to find a phone number for VK. I'm so tempted to just cancel both subscriptions. I e-mailed them both almost a month ago regarding the delay...grr.

Last night's no-knitting

Last night the Boy and I finished the blocking board, so I decided to block Charlotte.

Can't find my pins.

Then I decided to do some *SHH* Secret Knitting for my Secret Pal.

Apparently the Secret Yarn wants to be so secret that even I can't find it.

Then I was looking for my Chickami (all 2 rows of it) this morning.

Guess what else I couldn't find!

I thought I was getting more organized...apparently I was mistaken.

ROAR!!!!

The say-nothing kind of post

Not much knitterly to report, alas. I'm in a rut...the I-want-to-start-something-new-but-have-no-idea-what rut. So I started a pair of socks...at least they're something different. I hereby christen them the Jelly Bean Socks (super original, considering the yarn color is called Jelly Bean Stripe...it accurately describes the color though). Now I just need to decide whether I want to make them identical or fraternal. I'm leaning to fraternal...I have too many identical pairs of socks. The joys of self-striping sock yarn :-)

Finished the back of Pinup Queen yesterday. Next I think I'm going to do the sleeves. Both at the same time, just to make my life a little easier.

Only two projects? That's not good enough for me, so I'll start something else later. Either (a) a top down raglan a la Glampyre in Lamb's Pride (prairie fire) (b) Coronet in some blue Cascade 220 or (c) a Chickami in some random yellow variegated acrylic stuff I found in the stash. I'm leaning to the Chickami or the raglan. I have enough hats at the moment. I'd like to do something other than ribbing to edge the cami though...I'm thinking seed stitch, but I get bored with that quickly, so maybe some other sort of ribbing would work.

Time to be boring somewhere else.

Almost FO!

I just finished weaving in many ends of Koigu, and Charlotte is ready for blocking! (Unfortunately, the blocking board is not. It's in the glue-drying stage.)


I felt like putting up a picture anyway. In fact, I'm wearing her anyway right now. The pic looked dumb though and didn't show enough of her beauty...mostly my outstretched-holding-the-camera arm. As usual, the greens in the pic don't look nearly as vibrant as they really are. So much more emerald-ish in reality.

Blocking won't happen until next weekend most likely *sob* Good thing I don't actually need to wear the shawl until December!

Now I am hooked both on lace and on Koigu. What's a knittergirl to do?

Unfulfilled start-itis

If you look at my sidebar, you'll see that I have only 2 WIPs that I'm actually progressing on. For me and my KADD, that is nothing short of tragic. Especially since Charlotte is 8 rows short of completion (3 off-and-on hours last night to do 8 rows, so they go quicker than I thought--and of course NOW is when I have every row of the repeat memorized...for some reason the first row was giving my head crap because the number of YOs is different from every other row) and the sweater piece I'm working on is endless 2x2 rib, thus boring and mindless. (I can't wait to work on the front...and I'm going to try the two-sleeves-at-once thing if I can avoid tying myself up with the two balls of yarn it'll require. Enough parenthetical diversions now.)

I have 2 KALs that start on the 5th...the DNA along and the Poncho along. No, the buttons aren't up yet, but they will be soon. Since Charlotte will be done tonight with any luck except for blocking and edging, I need something to fill up that two weeks so I'm not down to *gasp* ONE project! And I want to make something for myself...I still have 9 more Christmas presents to go (one of which is involved in a KAL) and those'll probably be the only things I make during the semester. Maybe I'll start Rosedale. Cooler weather will be here before I know it, and a wooly sweater will be wonderful. I think I'll also throw a Coronet in there. I feel like cabling. Maybe use a different cable design on the brim though. I have some light blue Cascade from a grab bag that would suit the design wonderfully. Of course that's going to mean I'll have to order more of the same color to make a pair of gloves out of. Must have matching gloves.

I dreamed about Koigu last night. Is that pathetic?

Pic-a-tures!

Lots of stuff to show you today! First off, we have something that arrived in my mailbox on Saturday from an unnamed source in New Jersey:

Sooo soft, and the colors are so intense. Apparently my camera is tired, because it hasn't captured a color accurately in any sort of light for a couple of weeks now. Go here for a look at what the colors really look like. The yarn is similar to Point 5 (which is droolworthy in itself), but MUCH bigger hanks! Thank you Secret Pal! If she starts off this strong, I'm wondering what other goodies to expect :-)


And of course I realized I haven't posted any pictures of the finished Feather-And-Fan scarf...here it is! Plymouth Indiecita Alpaca in raspberry...I used probably 2 1/2 skeins. Also incredibly soft.


This is not really gray. Honest. It's a soft sage green that goes perfectly with my bathroom. This is the pattern from Weekend Knitting.


The sheddy Chinchilla chemo cap. It turns out soft and silky, but I'm still covered with red fuzz that's been floating around my apartment waiting for clearance to land, apparently. More of a darker burgundy than the picture shows. Now I just need to find someplace to send it. I'd like to send it to somewhere local, but there are national organizations that collect them too.


Now a UFO to go with all the FOs in this post. Obviously when I'm done with Charlotte I'm going to have to find a better camera, because you MUST see the colors truly. That green in the middle should be way more intense than the picture shows. I've got 16 rows to go, which may lead those unfamiliar with the pattern to say, wow, you're almost done! Let me put it this way....the first row of the pattern had 7 stitches in it. The row I'm at now has...well, I don't feel like counting now, so let me estimate around 275 stitches. And I'm just going to keep adding more until the end! Each row takes around half an hour now, so that's another 8 hours of work before she's done, not counting blocking and edging. That's a lot of knitting on teeny size 6 needles!

More ruthlessness

I finally made the decision to get rid of all my cheapo Red Heart. Yes, they have this knack for gorgeous colors that I can't resist, but there is no way I'm going to make ANYTHING out of all that. I rubbed the end of a skein on the underside of my chin and it was painful. Like I'd wear anything made of that. That's just going to go to Goodwill.

I also weeded out a bunch of Lion Brand/Bernat stuff....some Wool-Ease in odd colors, the Boucle and Homespun that I will never end up using, and a bunch of Fun Fur...would anyone be interested in that? I don't want to go to the bother of taking pictures, coming up with prices, blah blah blah, because the whole lot of it isn't worth more than $20 or 30. I put a list on the destashing page, so check it out and make an offer if you want any of it.

This destashing thing is making me feel sort of free. I'm trying to declutter in all aspects of my life, not just craft-wise, and it's a good thing.

In knitting content...well, I really have none. I ran along on the Lace Rib Scarf today while running errands (the pleasant part of taking the bus: free knitting time), and I plan to do a couple more rows on Charlotte tonight, but other than that, I'm just posting to babble about reducing stash. Go me, and stuff. Or something.

I should take more WIP pics. I've got decent progress on a bunch of stuff, so they might be interesting. *shrug*

Knots are bad.

Especially in expensive Noro yarn. This Shinano is pissing me off anyway, even before the lovely knot I discovered this morning. I don't know if it's just this batch, but the random patches of unspun roving alternating with what amounts to thread is highly irritating. The scarf doesn't look bad (except for one patch where 3 rows in a row had roving in the same spot, so there's a big lump there), but it's annoying to work with.

I'd also like to hear back from Interweave about the fact that I haven't received the first issue of my subscription, when the subscription e-mail said it would be mailed on July 22nd. I e-mailed them asking about it on Monday. (I e-mailed Vogue Knitting the same day b/c I haven't received the fall issue of that either, and I had a response within half an hour saying a replacement issue would be sent out.) Growl.

I've been making progress on Kelly's sweater, and sending out loads of yarn to people who are all too happy to help me destash. Yay people! Sent out my first SP gift last week too. I'll be anxious to see her reaction.

FO!

The HP Scarf That Ate Tokyo Hogwarts is done! The thing is insanely long and cozy. It's going to be way too warm for Sarah in AZ, but I hope she likes it just the same.


My first attempt ever at a 3-needle bindoff. A little awkward, but a heck of a lot better than seaming!


Ignore the messiness behind the scarf. This thing is long! It's as long as my bed (6 1/2 feet?) Now I want one of my own, but I'll make an Azkaban style for myself. I still need to trim the fringe so it's even, but otherwise it's done! No more stockinette for me for a while :-)

I've been working on Charlotte too. Joyous, one row taking 20 minutes...and they're still going to get longer! It's cold in the lab...I wish I had her done now.

Some Secret Pal help.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

Well, sort of. I haunt the LYS regularly and have an extensive collection of Noro and Brown Sheep, but I also have a load of Wool-Ease that I use on occasion. I reserve the Red Heart stash I already had for trying new stitches and techniques. I mostly avoid acrylics because I like soft stuff, and acrylic doesn't usually fit that. Encore is an exception...it seems to have enough wool in it to be okay. The next HP scarf I make is going to be in 100% wool though, b/c I live in Maine and need the extra warmth.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

Well, I bought a drop spindle beginner kit, but I haven't come anywhere close to figuring it out yet. I may like it, I may not, I don't know. I'm capable of crocheting (laboriously) and have a couple crochet books, but I MUCH prefer knitting. Probably because I'm better at it.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I claim to be allergic to cigarette smoke because I hate it THAT MUCH, but not really. I'm sensitive to perfumes, but again, I don't know if that qualifies as allergies.

4. How long have you been knitting?

Ages. I used to knit squares when I was a kid, and attempted to knit a sweater for the last boyfriend (I gave up on the sweater before I gave up on the boy, actually.) It's only been recently that I've actually made stuff.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yeah, the Amazon list is under himeykitty at hotmail dot com, if you look it up by e-mail. I suppose I should link it somewhere, but I usually use it for my own reference.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Vanilla, citrusy stuff, fresh grassy-kind of stuff. My current obsession is The Body Shop's satsuma.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

OOOOOH yeah. I feed it quite well on my own though :-)

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

Knitting, that's about it. I do decorate-y things on occasion.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)

Chick-rock, classic rock, hard rock, world music (especially African, Middle Eastern, and Celtic) and trance. I'm always on the lookout for completely random cover songs. Tori Amos and BNL are good for those :-)

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?

Yellow, blue, brighter pastel-y types, and darker browns. Pretty much any green except the really bright neon ones.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Live alone, owned by one cat, have a boyfriend who I only see on weekends (he lives two hours away, bah).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

Not sure yet...to save up enough money so I can stay at home and knit?

Knitting phobias

I was talking to the ladies at the LYS (by the way, I have an interview for a part time position there on Monday!) and mentioned my fear of colorwork. I'm the type of person who will knit random complicated lace and cable patterns for fun (somewhere along the lines of the math nerd who will do double and triple integrals just because (s)he can), but I'm scared of simple Fair Isle type colorwork. So today I'm picking up my trusty copy of Knitting for Dummies, I'm taking out two different colors of OTNSY (Official Trying-New-Stuff Yarn), and going to it. So far so good, but lord, all the ends to weave!

Started a Chinchilla chemo cap the other night. That stuff sheds on the hands like a Persian cat in Death Valley, CA. Needless to say, I got impatient before I put it down to pick back up another, less hot day.

Wonder what the feasibility of making a felted sleeve for my laptop is. I have all this random Cascade 220, and if this FI thing works, I could use some of it for that.

Holy WOW.

I keep going through my yarn and finding things that I need to get rid of. I'm being surprisingly ruthless, considering my packrat tendencies. I've decided that I need to come up with some sort of project for everything I'm keeping, and if I can't think of anything it goes.

I did a couple of things on my knitting to-do list from yesterday. I shopped for my Secret Pal (that package will go out tomorrow), I worked on the Slyth scarf (4 stripes and a Metric Butt-Ton of fringe to go!), and I at least unearthed the yarn for my Chickami with the intent of balling it, but I also have to unearth my swift at some point. I also put all the yarn for my Christmas knitting in one container, to make it all easier to find.

Other than that, not much on the knitting front. I have no new pictures for you. I'm still bored with all of my projects. Maybe I'll go work on Charlotte when I'm done sorting through stash. The colors make me happy.

Things to do

--Ball yarn for Chickami
--Work on Slyth scarf on bus and on car ride to Skowhegan tonight
--Work on sweater
--Do a couple rows on Charlotte (which is easier said than done...the rows are getting LONG!)
--Continue to reorg (and WEED OUT!) yarn stash
--Shop for SP
--Start listing stuff on eBay
--Finish something, gawd dammit!

It's been hot and un-knitty-motivating lately, much as I want to, but it's a bit cooler now, so maybe something on this list will get done! (I know the shopping part will be done today at least *grin*)

Finished Sophie

Besides the fact that the pic is WAY TOO YELLOW, she's gorgeous! The Boy was amazed at how much she shrunk when she was felted. For comparison, here's the prefelted bag, hung on the very same doorknob:



What a difference, huh?

I need to go shopping for my Secret Pal soon. Tomorrow probably. It's REALLY HOT today. Yes, the caps are necessary.

I put more yarn up for sale. Kureyon, of course.