It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...wait. No. NO!

Something else I need to do if I'm going to knit stuff for Christmas presents is find another bin, put all the yarn I'm reserving for Christmas knitting into it (so (1) I don't use it for other stuff and (2) I know what else I need to buy) along with a list of what's being used for whom, AND keep the Christmas FOs in that bin as well. (How's that for a badly-structured sentence? You'd never believe I have a degree in English, would you?)

Just a thought I was having while I was starting someone's Christmas present just now. (I'm making my advisor a mistake-rib scarf in raspberry alpaca. Mmm, soft. I have maybe half an inch done now *grin*)

Edit: The alpaca just told me it doesn't really feel like being mistake rib. (It tried it for 3/4 of an inch, and they just weren't getting along. I've got the lean-y back and forth thing going on the columns of single knits. I totally need to take the master knitters course.) Maybe feather and fan instead. Where's my stitch dictionary?

The more and more I think about it, the more I want to try the TKGA master knitters program. To the point where, once I get my next paycheck, I'm ordering level 1. I know there's a knit-along already, but if anyone wants to sort of buddy up and do it with me, comment or leave a note on the tagboard. (*ahemJessieahem*)

I finished the Deco-Ribbon bag today, well, except for the sewing-y stuff (the lining and the handles). I might hire my mom to do that for me, because, well, if you've read anything I've ever written EVER, you know my dislike for sewing. Of course, I was in a weird mood today and put it on my head, and it's the perfect size for a crazy, almost kitty-ear-looking hat. If I pull the corners in and tack them on the inside, it would be really cute. Decisions, decisions. I guess I'll call it done and decide what to do with it later.

I'm realizing that if I want to knit Christmas presents, I'd better get going on it, since next semester will be a lot more busy than the summer (duh!). I've got one done, but big deal, it was probably the simplest and fastest one on my list. Yes, I realize every new knitter says "Oooh, I can knit everyone I've ever met something for Christmas." I also realize every new knitter says "Oooh, yes, I know every new knitter fails miserably at knitting lots and lots of presents, but I'll be the one to succeed." My solution for that is, knit the most important ones or the most complicated first, and if I don't get to the last ones, no big deal.

I also finally figured out what to do with Michael's afghan. Doubled Homespun (I know, I know, but I have a couple cones in colors he likes, and that's an easy way to get it GONE!), big needles (that I need to buy this weekend), and seed stitch. Easy enough, quick enough, and he's already impressed enough that some random older cousin will knit him something.

Okay, now that I only have two projects on the needles, and one will most likely be done by Friday, it's time to start something else. Any ideas?

Start-itis

I've done very little knitting since Friday's Stitch N Bitch. There, I finished Broadripple Sock Numero Uno. (I didn't cast on for Numero Dos until today...very bad me.) Other than that, I finally frogged some stuff that I was planning to frog, I knit a hat out of chenille and promptly frogged it when I realized that I had cast on too tight and I hated the pattern anyway, and I looked at Charlotte and thought about how much I should work on her. Of course, I realize this at around 11 pm most of the time, a time when I'm still awake and will be for quite a while, but at which I'm not nearly functional enough to work on something that's that fiddly and attention-requiring.

Well, I did make a small dolphin. Started it Friday night, finished knitting it Saturday on the way to Amanda's, finished putting it together in the car sitting in Amanda's driveway, and immediately gave it to her. She liked it, and laughed a little at the copy of Island of the Blue Dolphins I gave her with it, as the small dolphin was made out of blue-ish gray yarn. (Hence its title in my sidebar, Island of the Blue Dolphin.) Didn't get any pictures of it, because my brain in its infinite wisdom allowed me to forget my camera. Blah.

I've got start-itis right now. I feel like starting a new project, but I really should finish something up before I do that. And of course, I haven't the least bit of a clue what I'd like to start. I finally found a pattern for my cousin's afghan, but I don't have the yarn, and I certainly don't have the huge-ass needles the pattern requires. Size 35 needles aren't usually on your list of needles to stock up on. I could start on Kelly's sweater, but I don't really feel like making something I have to swatch for at the moment. I could make yet another scarf or hat...ugh. I could make a Chickami, but the thought of endless stockinette....yes, I could use a stitch pattern, but then comes the deciding what pattern to use, blah blah blah. (Side note, one of these days I'm going to design a tank top in a pattern that scallops at the bottom, sort of like feather-and-fan stitch or something else chevron-y. When I'm smaller and can pull it off better.)

Okay, enough rambling. I'm going to go work on the Deco Ribbon bag, since that's reasonably close to done.

FYI

I'm in the process of moving all my archived posts from the old LJ to this blog, just so everything's together and I can join blogrings that say "you must have been blogging for X amount of time." I have, I've just been here at Blogger only for a few days. Anyway, the transfer is going slowly because LJ is being TEH SLOW right now. I don't have the patience for it :-)

Real post later after I work on the traditional Thursday UFO.

Actual FOs *gasp*

You know, I haven't really finished much lately. I keep starting things, getting bored, and frogging. And miraculously, that didn't happen with Shapely, and here she is:



Those colors are totally not accurate. The old "take picture of self in mirror" doesn't lend well to color accuracy. The yarn is from Elann.com, Endless Summer Sonata Print, and it was pretty much all stockinette stitch, all the time.

Now prepare for cuteness. Are you prepared? Okay, here we go.



You can't really get a good look at the hat, but it's the only picture I have of Taylor actually wearing the dang thing and not whipping it off as my camera went "clicky." (See how his hand is blurry? I caught it just in time, because his hand was on its way up to pull it off.) It's the Bottom's Up pattern from ChicKnits.com, the smallest size, which is still too big for him, and the yarn is Lion Brand Lion Cotton. It came out nice, but the cotton was hard to work with doubled on the brim. My hands hurt just thinking about it.

Do I want validation?

So I've been tempted off and on to send for the TKGA Master Knitter's certification program. I know I can knit fairly well, but would something like that make me better or merely frustrate me?

I guess what it comes down to is, non-knitters think I can knit well. I don't know enough knitters, but I got compliments on my tank top in the yarn store on Friday from people sitting there knitting (and people who work there). Do I just want validation from people who are good-good-good knitters? Or would I rather not have them judging me right now? Would it take the fun away from it, or add more fun as it improves my skill?

Hmm.

Knitting--or lack thereof

I have gotten so little knitting done lately. Between the wedding (no, don't get excited, not mine!) over the weekend, and trying to set this thing up last night (and I still have way more customizations to add), I've done nothing except try out mistake rib in cruddy Red Heart yarn last night early this morning when I couldn't sleep. I'd really like to get a few more rows done on Charlotte sometime in the near future. I'm well into color #3 at this point, so row-count-wise I'm halfway through, more or less, but the rows are going to start getting sooooooo long. I'll probably work on it tonight, if I can keep the cat from playing with the Koigu. (Hand-painted yarn is not a kitty toy!)

Now I have to think about Christmas presents. I've finished one (yay!), which isn't as cool as it sounds...it's just a Splash scarf. They take, like, 3 hours. Ooooh. So much work. (This one's in purples, for Russ's sister.)

I should really get started on Sarah's HP scarf. She's going to be back from Russia soon, but then, she lives in Arizona, so it's not like she'll need it in the near future. Maybe I'll procrastinate on that one some more.

I still need to post some pics. Maybe that'll happen tonight too. (I know, Mom, I keep saying this and never doing anything about it.)

If you're reading this, go over there ---> and post something on the tagboard! It's cool, y'know?

Random stuff, still no pics, sorry

--I'm going to wear Shapely on Friday to the yarn store field trip/Stitch and Bitch. If anyone will appreciate it, knitters will.

--I think I'm going to frog the Eros scarf. Garter stitch scarves are boring as heck when they're not made in Splash, consequently taking only about 4 hours to complete. I think this shade of Eros wants to be a shawl or something. Though not with only one ball. I could buy another, the yarn store has PLENTY in the color. For now, back into the stash with you, Easter Color Eros.

--Which brings me to the question, what to work on at S&B? Andrea's scarf will be done by then. So will the cloche hat. I'm bored with the socks. Charlotte is way too complicated to talk and knit on at the same time. (Well, maybe not complicated. More involved.) Wow, is that really everything I have going? Maybe I'll do some designing/swatching for Michael's afghan. (I'm having thoughts of reversible cables in thick yarn.) Or swatch for Kelly's sweater. Who knows? Anyone got ideas?

I might actually *gasp* finish something today!

I'm sewing up the seams on Shapely right now. I did the first one a few nights ago, and nearly stabbed myself in the eye repeatedly to relieve the pain. The second side seam seems (heh) to be going a little better.

I've found a couple girls to set up a Stitch and Bitch group with. I'm excited to find people who also knit. We're doing a yarn store field trip on Friday (during which I'm going to resist making a purchase) and then heading back to campus to knit in the Union. Yay!

EDIT:
Shapely, she be done!!! w00t!!! She's a little clingy around the tummy, but fits nicely around the boobs and hips. The straps are a LEETLE wide for my taste, and I made the armholes SLIGHTLY too shallow, and the seams look like ass, mostly because my selvedge stitches suck, and I got bored with all the frickin' stockinette stitch by the end, but it's the first garment I've ever made!!! Pictures will happen at a later date, mostly because right now I'm lazy. I'm so impressed with myself right now!