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Busy Bee
So my first week of school is done and I can say that my knitting is really gonna take a back seat. On Mon, Tue and Wed my knitting time consisted of about 10 minutes during my lunch break at work, then about 5 minutes during my break at school. I could have knit on the way from work to class, but didn’t… It would have given me about 45-50 minutes, and I prolly should take advantage of that or I won’t get anything done!
I am ALMOST done with the Limestone shawl. I have about 3 or 4 repeats of the 18 st/11 row lace edging to do then it’s time for blocking! I can’t wait! This is the first thing I have knit for myself in a very long time! I am so excited, I can’t wait to wear it!
I have, sadly, not worked on the Frank Hat pattern or the Vest pattern. This week was just too insane, emotional and exhausting and this weekend I completely bonked. I was so tired…and cranky…and tired…and I barely touched any knitting. My body should adjust to the new schedule by the end of this week, hopefully (knowing me) so, I’ll be back to my productive self soon!
I am planning to finish the Frank Hat pattern on Thursday while I’m off work (after studying of course)…and turn it over to Erin!! I can’t wait to show you all photo’s! It’s so cool and fun! Need a quick Halloween outfit…this is it!
Then…on to the vest…which has become my beast of burden…but in a loving way. I love it…but figuring out math for the different sizes is killing me. It will not beat me…nope. I’ll get it.
So after that I have Avery’s sweater, which I am plugging away on. I am working on both sleeves at the same time and I have about 8″ or so done on them…a long way to go, but at least when they are done….they are BOTH done and no second sleeve syndrome to deal with! After the sleeves I will only have the neck band to do and it’s done!!!!! It will be my Friday Night / Weekend project because it is really too big to carry around with me.
Well, then what am I going to carry around with me, when I’m done with the shawl??
Hmm… I have found the most delightful project…so easy and so portable…and just friggin’ adorable!! I am making the Beekeeper’s Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits…. It is a knitted quilt made up of all these little poly-fill stuffed hexigrams she calls “hexipuffs”… I love.love.love it. And I have so many little bits of yarn laying around that this is perfect for me!!! All I need to carry around is a few bits of yarn, a handful of poly-fill and needles… Yes, it will take forever…but how cool is it gonna be when it’s done, huh??? (ask me how much I still love it when I am 300 hexipuffs in). See look…isn’t adorable!!!
There is a long weekend coming up… I am hoping to make the curtains I promised my friend Sarah…we’re doing an exchange. She was destashing and offered to trade me some lovely yarn for some curtains…and I said sure! Now that her kitchen remodel is done…’tis curtain time!! It’s very cool…she wants cafe’ style retro-mod-ish curtains in mainly orange tones. Yay!! I can’t wait… I haven’t had my sewing machine out for a while. I’m going fabric shopping this coming Saturday!
That is it in the crafty world… What’s up in your’s?? Anything fun for the coming Autumn?
HOLY COW!!!
We just experienced a little earthquake here in Baltimore!! Yes, for really real.
It registered at a 5.8 in Virginia…dont’ know what it registered at here, but WOW!!!
Never had that happen before.
Huh. Interesting day.
Almost, but not quite…
On August 8th I posted the following list of things I wanted to get done before school started:
–Get Frank hat knit, written (doing this as I go) and to testers
-Get vest pattern written and to testers (which really is ALMOST there)
–Finish crochet and knit traveling wrap groups (at least the shawls currently in my possession)
-Finish Limestone Shawl – FOR ME!!!!!!!!
With only 3 days (counting today) to go…I’ve crossed out what I’ve actually gotten done… Now…Frank is ALMOST written up… I have photo’s and tutorials to do for it which I’m planning on taking care of this weekend, but other than that…it’s a workable pattern. The vest….::LeSigh::…is coming along. I have not dedicated nearly enough attention to it (it’s pissed me off and currently in time out…math sucks). The Limestone is one repeat away from starting the edging…so WHEE!!!!
I have also picked up Avery’s sweater…some of you may remember it… Josh Bennet’s “Man’s Cabled Cardigan” from Vogue Knitting, Fall/Winter 2009.
It’s Classic Elite’s “Portland Tweed” in Best Teal. Avery picked the pattern and the yarn. He has good taste. I finished the back, both fronts a while ago…like last fall awhile ago… and since rescuing it from the UFO pile on Wednesday, I am currently plugging away at the sleeves (doing both at the same time). After the sleeves are done and attached, all it needs is the buttonband/colllar picked up and worked. In case you can’t tell, the buttonband/collar is 1×1 ribbing…about 6 miles of it. I will suffer, but it’s gonna be an awesome sweater!!!
I only have one crochet shawl left in my Traveling Wrap groups…completely done with the knitting group…just waiting to get mine back. I did get my crocheted shawl back yesterday…it is INCREDIBLE!!!!!! I’ll snap some photo’s this weekend so I can show off everyone’s hard work!! Can’t wait to get my knitted one back, too!
Happy Weekend!!
P.S. I have about 6 sets of Yellow Finch’s arguing over Echinacea flower seeds outside my office window!! What a show!
Yay!! Frank’s All Done!
I am happy to report that my pattern for the “May I Be Frank?” set is all done. I am in the process of writing the pattern, then it will go to test knitters. Soon I will post photo’s, but not before I show the person that commissioned the pattern. She’s gotta have first peek…then I get to show you all! I am so happy with the way it turned out! It’s so freakin’ cute!!
Stay tuned…
Pssssssst…
I have a new blog…
Frank’s Alright!!
Ever have a project that keeps giving you fits then all of a sudden you have an “Ah-HA” moment..??
Yeah…that’s been me with Frank, we’ve been fighting a bit lately.
I had yet another bad start….which I really thought was gonna be perfect until all of a sudden it wasn’t. UGH!! There may have been a few cuss words and some pulling of hair involved with the realization that it just wasn’t right….again. ::sigh::
So I sat down with pen and paper and started to sketch (yes, I know I should have done that FIRST) and found my shape…kinda like a pill box hat. Brilliant. It will give me that flat top look I’m looking for here. So Frank has taken on a slightly adapted pill box sorta shape… He’s gonna be just fine…cool even!! I can’t wait to finish him… So much so that I am kinda ticked off I actually have to work today!! But, I should have him done this weekend… Photo’s soon!!!!!
So, do you like my new look?? Decided it was time for a change. How about that glorious photo of my mitt pattern, Namaste’!?! The photo was taken by none other than the genius dyer of the yarn the mitts use!!! Go check out her site, Kama Suutra Fiber Arts…she does amazing things with color… Oh, and pick up a kit for the mitts while you’re at it!! ; )
Happy Weekend…do something spontaneous!!!
Get r’done.
Do you ever have days where you have things to do at work but you just can’t seem to make yourself do them…and you just end up shuffling papers around you desk all day in a vain attempt to actually get something done? (or at least appear too?)
Yeah…one of those days. I have a stack on invoices on my desk that need to be entered and…..>yawn<
All day long I have been mentally knitting/designing a Frankenstein hat for my friend Erin. You see, I have this mantra running through my head right now… >GOTTAGETITDONE GOTTAGETITDONE SCHOOLISSTARTNGSOON GOTTAGETITDONE MADEAPROMISE GOTTAGETITDONE<
So, I’m gonna get r’ done. I’ve had a few false starts, but now I think I have the gauge adjusted properly and away I go!! I’m almost done with the top of the hat (the lid as I have been mentally calling it) and I’m getting ready to pick up stitches for the forehead/back of head. It’s interesting trying to knit a cube to fit something round. Here’s to hoping it will retain a bit of the cube-ness. ::shrug:: We shall see.
I’m also still writing up the pattern for that damn vest (yes, now it’s become ‘that damn’ vest). I’m struggling with making the shaping make sense in words. I know what I mean…but…ugh…putting it all into words… I may just let it go and see what the testers have to say…see what ACTUALLY needs to be refined and what I’m just being a bit mental about. +
So…with two weeks and ½ day until school starts, my new goals:
-Get Frank hat knit, written (doing this as I go) and to testers
-Get vest pattern written and to testers (which really is ALMOST there)
-Finish crochet and knit traveling wrap groups (at least the shawls currently in my possession)
-Finish Limestone Shawl – FOR ME!!!!!!!!
That’s it.
That is all I’m gonna try to fit into two weeks.
I can do it.
.
.
I know I can.
.
.
.
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But just in case, can you all cross your fingers for me???
I’ll leave you with a few shop teasers!!
Best Blog Post I’ve Read Today…
Process vs. Finished Object
I’m not a prolific knitter. I don’t churn out tons of glorious knits…and yet, I knit ALL THE TIME… What am I doing, if not finishing one wonderful object after another? I’m a technique junkie. I would happily knit swatches all day long, if I were learning new techniques. I’m what you call a “process” knitter, as apposed to a “finished object” knitter.
I have been this way since the beginning of my crafting life…not just with knitting. As soon as I have a technique down, I’m ready for something new…whether the project is done or not. Let’s just say my UFO pile is unseemly…scary, even…and a bit depressing. I’ve started lately to feel the weight of that pile…and started to feel very unsatisfied with it.
A few years ago I started getting involved with swaps…lots of them…a mind-numbing number of them. I found, after the first few, that they were helping me FINISH projects. I had to…no choice. I was committed and there was no looking back. These swaps helped me to see the value and joy in a finished piece… So, I kept joining them, then more and more… Then they started to make me sad…because all these wonderful things I was finishing were being sent away…to complete strangers…never to be seen by me again.
I’ve come to the end of my swapping life…mostly because I’m about to become insanely busy (and broke) with school (19 days!!!). But also because I am starting, finally, to feel the need to KEEP something I’ve made. To make something just for me…and not some quick little pair of hand warmers…but THINGS…for ME… What a wondrous concept!! To knit for myself. Huh. I’ve finally started to see the appeal in that. Not that I’ve never worked on anything meant for me…but I have rarely finished anything meant for me. (note aforementioned UFO pile, ahem)
So…have I started anything just for me??? Yes.
Do I plan on finishing it?????? Yes.
Well, what is it, for Pete’s sake?? (have you ever wondered who, exactly “Pete” is?)
I am working on the Limestone One Skein Shawl, by Michelle Miller. (I”ll link it later, go search it on Ravelry for now) It’s a lovely, easy to work pattern. I am ready to start the 5th repeat of the body chart (there are 8 repeats) and I every time I have to put it down, I pout. I NEED to knit on this… I NEED to finish it…
What makes it even better is I am using Sanguine Gryphon, Skinny Bugga! in “Frog-Legged Leaf Beetle“. It is LUSH!!!! I can’t sing the praises of Sanguine Gryphon enough… I mean, think about it…it’s indie hand-dyed yarn… I AM an indie hand-dyer… I don’t buy other hand-dyes often…but I will plunk down money for their yarn anytime I am able…and do so with a fevered relish. THEY ROCK THE DYE POT!! They are worth every cent you will pay for them. Seriously.
I don’t have a photo yet…but I’ll snap one this weekend and post it. I don’t post enough photo’s. Blogs are kinda boring without the eye candy, don’t you think??
Happy Stitches!!!
GirlGoneLoopy 