see mi knit

Olympics Update

I RAN OUT OF BLUE YARN.
The contingency plan is to create the hood in the opposite colors (green with blue trim). I think it'll work out ok even though it will look like a Frankenstein dragon made up of other dragons and mashed together with Dr. Frankenstein biting her fingernails in the corner.

Bliss Update

Socks are done!  I'm waiting for a sunny day to take the pictures since they were supposed to remind me of blue skies.  It's the least I can do for them.  Poor socks. So unloved. Why so unloved? Because for the last hour on those socks I was just itching to get started on these lurvely skeins from Stitches:

Claudia's Handpainted in Sante Fe. Yum.

These are going to be very plainly made so as to really let the colors take the stage.  I've selected the Slipped Stitch Rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks.  Fab book by the way, I've spotted several that I want to make.

Needle Search Update

I've settled on some Susan Bates Silvalume US1s.  I switched to those halfway through Bliss.  I know, switching between wood and metal needles halfway through a project could be frowned upon, possibly creating all sorts of gauge wonkiness, but like I said, Bliss was so unloved I didn't mind using it as a guinea pig.  In the end, the socks fit and look fine and I have favorite dpn's.  I adore the metal dpn's!  I'm going to eventually acquire some Inox's because the Susan Bates are 7", which feel a tad too long for me and the Inox's come in 6"s.  Thanks for the tip, Cynthia!

Hourglass Update

There are knitters out there that you just want to worship the ground they walk on.  They are so meticulous, so neat, so creative, that you really wish reading their blog had some sort of osmosis power to give you some of their SKILLZ.  (You know, how like in college you'd take a nap with your head on your Chem book hoping all that information would somehow magically ingrain itself in your brain but really all you ended up with was some drool on your notes?)

Anyway, I am not one of those knitters.  After ripping back the yoke on Hourglass about 7 times (NO JOKE) I finally get this brilliant stroke of genius to refer back to the pattern and it looks like I've conveniently forgotten to decrease in the back of the sweater while also decreasing the front.

So what type of knitter am I? I'm the type that makes you feel good about yourself as a knitter because hey, at least you know how to read.

It is now a battle of the wills. This. Sweater. Will. Get. Done.

Saving graces:  Alpaca is delicious on Addi Turbos.  Cute stitch markers (from Stitches) are little lights at the end of at tunnel row of stockinette.

And finally:
1) Stay tuned for super secret project! It will be fun times.
2) Come join us for Marathon Olympics Knitting on Saturday.

The crash that comes after a drug induced euphoria is almost too much to bear.

I am of course, talking about returning from Stitches West.

Kris is undertaking the admirable task of recapping the trip day by day.  I wouldn't want to steal her thunder (Friends reference anyone?) so I'll let her do that. NO, I'm not just being uber lazy...

In brief:

• FUN fun funnnnnn! I think this may be an annual thing.
• It's amazing how much you can learn in a real class with an instructor, despite the plethora of books, internet tutorials, and magazines at our disposal.
• Art Fibers - I don't know what to say about that amazing place. It's like that guy in high school that no one really paid attention to at first glance, but if you take like 5 minutes to get to know him you find that's he's actually quite attractive and interesting but still no one notices and then years later they know him as Jake Gyllenhaal and you can be like, "Yeah, I did him. It ruled."
• Jake Gyllenhaal = The Hotness. Humina. Humina.
• You need to be Marisa's friend because she buys as much yarn for other people as she does for herself.
• If you go to Pasta Pomadoro get the Salmon Spaghetti. Don't be fooled by the word "healthy" it's really yummy.

• Commuknity - cutest yarn store I've ever been to hands down.  loveitloveitloveit.

• We are a klassy folk:

I decided to save stash pictures for display when I undertake projects with them.  This way I don't have to take out all my organized yarn againy.  Uh no, I'm not just trying to obfuscate how much I really bought this weekend.

Olympics update:
Major pieces are blocking.

Not really necessary but I think it will make seaming easier.  Am about to start on hoody part and spots and ears.

Hourglass update:
Nothing really to report except that I am going with the majority on the decision about the hems. I'm going to turn them over as directed.  The attempt at getting the upper body decreases right is scheduled for tonight.

Bliss socks update:
Done with the first one, more than halfway done on the second.  I feel bad for them.  Clearly they are not going to be well loved because their existence is getting in the way of much more delicious sock yarn. (oh and so much delicious sock yarn has been acquired as of late!)

Anyway, I have a public cry for help.  I hate my Brittany DPN's.  The bendiness and stickiness can not be abided.  Stickiness may be good sometime in the distant future when I make teflon socks but for the immediate future, they suck.  My Crystal Palaces are great but they're disfigured. I will get another set of those, but while I'm at it, I'm on a quest for metal dpn's. 

I want them to be 5-6 inches in length. I do not want stab-myself-in-the-eye-lengths.  So far Addis, Inox, and Susan Bates all fail this requirement clocking in at around 7-8 inches.  Besides, at that length I think they'll be bendy and like I said, icks to the bendy.  Is there an obvious reason why metal dpns are at this longer length?

If there is a good reason I'll bite the bullet but can you tell me if the Susan Bates is just as good as the Addis?  If so then I can just get the sock set and save an oodle of money.

Finally an Olympics update!
Current progress:

I'm a little antsy of the yarn situation.  See that there blue skein?  I have one more for the sleeves and hood.  That's it.  Looks like it may be a photo-finish, folks.

Now, an Hourglass update.  I tried doing a double decrease and I selected the Vertical Double decrease. However, the left sleeve join was beautiful and the right sleeve join was... not so much.  So ONCE AGAIN I will have to rip back and I'll try the normal Double Decrease (ssk, k1, k2tog).  For those of you keeping track, this will be like the 4th time I'm ripping back.  I think.  Ok I'm not really keeping track either.

But I have a question!  I had knit the edges in a contrasting color but because I didn't really understand the pattern as a whole, I didn't knit enough of it.  I only knit to the turning row, when I should have gone for another inch beyond that (because the finishing requires turning the hem on itself).  However, I refuse to knit down because my morale is already quite low with this sweater.  So I have two options.

Option one:

Make it a rolled hem.  But see the right side? That's how it is if I don't hold it down with my fingers. I'm thinking blocking will keep it the way it is on the left side, but I'm not sure.

Option two:

Is to Proceed as Directed.  It will produce a smaller contrasting hem but I think I like it.

I could try Option 1 and if blocking doesn't solve it, go with option two.  But to think that I may not be finished after blocking is psychologically numbing.  What do you think?

First the good news:
First FO of the year!  It's the Spring is Coming socks:

Trekking was great to work with.  I used my Crystal Palace 1's for the first time and at first I was not that impressed.  But two socks later, I really like them!  Very smooth and slippy.

Now the bad news:
Hourglass is making me sad

I thought I was done, tried it on and that neckline...!! I'm not auditioning for Flashdance anytime soon so I gotta figure something out. The rest of it (the modified sleeves, the waist, the length) is great!  It must be something about the yarn because I followed the pattern exactly.  I'll have to brainstorm with Kris and Marisa at our next knit night on Monday to rescue this project.

I'm at the home stretch for the Hourglass sweater!  Just the yoke left.  I'm debating whether to do the neck in the contrasting color as well, what are people's opinion?

I also bought yarn for Don's scarf (and maybe a hat, more on that later).

He really did want to go with me but he came home from work with a nasty cold and after hopping him up on some NyQuil he was in no condition to venture outside.

It's Lane Borgosesia Tenerezza (my Italian is nonexistant but I believe it is 50% merino, 50% acrylic).  I really like it!  As soft as the Rowan stuff next to it and half the price.  I actually got 13 balls of yarn.  It was all they had and I don't want to take chance with yardage eating cable.  I can always return unused stuff for credit.  This is the pattern:

I showed Don and he really liked it.  But for some reason he was led to believe that I'm also making him the matching hat.  When I tried to (gently) break it to him that the scarf was all I planned on doing, his disappointment was too much to bear. So I said, "We'll see" and we all know that really means, "Durhh I'm such a softie."

Got back from snowboarding last night. I got some pretty good progress going on my various projects.

Here are the sleeves so far for Hourglass:

They are going surprisingly slow on two circulars. I think the yarn is too slippery and the "rows" are a tad too short to really  get into a rhythm before I have to fiddle with the needles again.  But since I'm shortening it to be 3/4 length sleeves it won't be for long.

I also made some Spring is Coming progress.  I put the first sock on waste yarn and I'm almost done with the cuff of the second.  I was debating keeping the yarn live on the first sock but fiddling with yarn coming out of both ends of the skein just didn't sound very appealing.

Fiddling is not tolerated in this knitterly habitat.

And today I got the yarn for the Baby Dragon sweater!  I'm using the blue for the body and the green for the spikes and spots.

Can't wait to start on it!  But I am keeping a firm reign on WIPs and I want to finish the sleeves on Hourglass first.