Grab your knitting needles and come relax with me.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Over Socks...
This post written under the influence of Jason Mraz. My own official song of Summer 2009.
Right now I am hating socks and all I want to do is throw all the socks in progress in the bin. Grr...argh! I admit it is rather extreme (I am blaming hormones), as it's only one sock that is giving me fits...the others are blameless and are behaving themselves. I am just very aggravated.
The heel will not fit over my heel.
Sigh. It's not the sock's fault. It's MY foot. I have a high instep and I neglected to take that into account. It's easier though to be mad at socks than my own feet. I can change/fix my socks...my feet those are unfixable. AND really I do like my feet, a lot actually. And so the sock (all the socks actually) will suffer.
It's so sad. I have to tear out SO much. The entire heel and the inch I already knitted PAST the heel. I was so excited about being able to knit this up to my knee, with that band swirling up my leg. Well, at least I discovered it now and NOT after I was done knitting that knee sock.
That would have sucked.
In other knitting news: I finished the Isobel a few days ago...but it still needs blocking. I bought new pins on Monday, but was in no mood to block it Tuesday (mad about the socks and other things). Tomorrow, I think I'll squeeze in some time to block it. It's fabulous and I miss knitting on it. Knitting with silk is just wonderous during the summer when the weather is so hot and swarmy.
Granny's Shawl is coming along great as well, but it's ceasing to be a good carry along project.
So I have been looking at my project page and stash pages on Ravelry...trying to find some inspiration. Nothing on the needles seems to please me. I have some nice cool type yarn, but I feel worn and stretched and designing just doesn't appeal. But I think I need to force myself out of this rut. I do have several designs that need to be started and just because I am not feeling super duper creative doesn't mean I should slack off.
You know what I mean?
Being an artists does take a lot of discipline. You gotta go hunting for that spark of genius.
Aiieeee!! I have three days to finish knitting, photograph and compose a pattern. Sigh...I've been so busy trying to squeeze in knitting time in between Holiday prep, I have been having knitting night mares.
So--I am not planning on sleeping much these next three days. I hope to see you on the flipside of December with actual projects I can share with you ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving! (And for my non-American readers--Happy November 27th!!)
I've not been feeling the knitting lately--basically going through the motions. I am rushing to finish up my Super Secret Projects. I also have a few days till we leave for vacation. We'll be in Virginia for two weeks--posting here will definitely be spotty, at best.
Like I said, I am feeling stretched. I think it's a collusion of things. Family fun stuff (not the one I made, but the one I was put into) mainly--with other stresses sprinkled in. So I found something to put myself in a better mood. While it DID put me in a grand (grand) mood, I was tethered to the couch for a bit.
I chronicled my tethering (smirk) on The other Blog. Really I don't want to have to re-write the post here as well--so go!!
Last night (Saturday) we had our monthly Knitting potluck. However, I was too out of it to take pictures...we even had two new gals come! Our hostess also had scheduled a birthday party for her two sons earlier in the afternoon, so not only was it a very long (but fun day), I had the kids with me.
I've been super busy this week--hence why this post is dated for Sunday the 22nd but being posted on the 27. And I haven't made much progress on any knitting that I can actually show you.
On top of that I think I am coming down with something, me, Micci and Lori. It's been a little over a week since the kids had their annual physical: so we're on schedule for some sort of sickness!! Ask me why I hadn't taken the kids to the sick in two years... because I was fed up catching the latest disease from the office. Argh. I haven't been able to sleep because of the sore throat and Lori cried herself to sleep last night because she was in pain (wouldn't touch the sore throat drops).
I finished the garter last night. And I blocked it and starched it just now.
I appeased some Knitting Bunnies yesterday as well...unfortunately nothing came out of it. The pattern itself is beautiful in my minds eye, but the yarn just didn't work with it. I even tried it on two different needle sizes.
This yarn, Alpaca Drops from Garn Studio, is just odd. It "says" it's sport weight. But it's seems to me a fingering weight --a light one at that. Even the recommended needle size 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm (1-4 US size)is tiny. But it's has a bout 190 yards to a 50 gram ball--which says it's a heavier weight--is it the alpaca, is it heavier?
In any case it's not doing what I want it to do.
I am not sure if I am going back to the silk or if I am going to forge on with Lori's sock. My head and neck are feeling weird--so I am also tempted to just veg and watch Torchwood.
I swear I have been going to my local yarn shops (lys) more often than I thought I ever would--thanks to Anne I am going at least once a week. Sometimes just to look or support, but more often than not something comes home with me. Yesterday was a bumper day: we went to BOTH LYS here in SA (yeah it's a tragedy we only have two). I held out at the "Yarn Barn (I've been there so often this month I have already bought what I wanted), for some yarny goodness at Yarnivore.
Behold!!
I bought silk--pure 100% silk--finally. I have been terribly afraid to buy some. It is a tad expensive and I am terrified the kids or me will destroy it.
When I saw this sitting in it's little cubby at Yarnivore I knew it's destiny! And perhaps it'll be a super secret destiny!
My quandary? I want to start it NOW!! I have the pattern envisioned (mostly-I am still trying to figure out an edging--oo a clue!). But I am still banging my head against the wall with Lori's sock (still can't remember my special cast off) and of course theres all the other beauties hanging on to my needles (see that side bar--it's enormous!)...never mind my Leafy Spring Stole! I am dying to start that one as well. Of course I could start it once I finish the garter for Anne--and I really need to hurry up an finish the Swallowtail Shawl.
I love blogs--I just talked my self down. I will be patient and start the SSP after I finish the garter. And I NEED to finish that shawl. Heck I need to finish everything on that pesky side bat of mine.
On funny story from Yarnivore. I am not sure how long we spent there...a far amount. Lori enjoyed playing with the dollies and legos provided at the store, but then got bored and started running around giggling like a mad thing. Finally we get the hint and pay. And knowing us yarnies--it still takes a while to leave cause we're still talking. Meanwhile, I am chasing Lori around and scoop her up in my arms. And she's chewing on something. I never gave her gum or candy?
"Lori what are you eating? Open up!"
"COTTON CANDY!!"
Yes folks, I pull a wad of roving (pink and purple unspun merino and possibly silk) from her silly little mouth. I guess the child need more fiber in her diet.
I offered to pay for the ruined wad; but Melanie told me not worry about it and tossed the icky wad into the trash.
I am wondering if I have totally lost it. I've been ignoring Lorelei's sock ever since I laddered down...I have to be in the right mood and it has to be very quiet in my house for me to repair lace work. I am wondering if I bit off more than I can chew--especially when I counted the rows I laddered: twelve! Ack!
I think part of the problem is that I can't really stretch the area out flat....so it's easy to loose the "rungs" of yarn.
I am also hungering for some reallace. The kind with itty bitty airy yarn. Sigh, but I have to sneak it around Lori--she's quite the task mistress.
And I totally forgot to tell James to upload the Swiffer Cloth pattern when he came home. He setup the shop and I have NO idea how he uploads the patterns.
Back to the mine of lace sock repair--actually I lied--it's off to bed. I am still getting over the stomach bug and I am wiped.
Urgh. It's been sick-ville at Birdy's house--consequently no blogging and very little knitting.
Just today have I been up to knitting or blogging. It all began Thursday: while I indulged in some Spring Cleaning--Mic was coming down with the first signs of a nasty stomach bug. He went through 4 pairs of under wear and pants before 2 pm. Despite all that we got the dining room cleaned up and Mic's room totally cleaned and even washed the carpet.
I knitted a bit that night and got to use my finished swiffer cloth (finished it Wednesday night). (I took a picture that afternoon).
The bobbles work great and the seed stitch is a great scrubber. And it's reversible--you can poke the bobbles through to the other side.
Okay--after I tested my new cloth on the kitchen floor I sat down to knit on Lorelei's sock. Both kids had passed out on the floor and i was enjoying the quiet...it had been a very loud day with Seth over (as Anne was helping me with the SC). I don't recall how much knitting got done, but suddenly from a dead sleep, Mic violently tossed his cookies all over the carpet and over some knitting books. Poor thing, would have gone back to sleep if I let him, but I walked him to the bathroom for a clean up and then ran back to rescue the knitting books. Luckily, the books were fine with a quick clean up. The carpet on the other hand was another story. Sigh. A good half hour of scrubbing was in my future.
Thankfully it was a quick bug (for him) and I actually thought it might have been allergies. He was a bit congested. Not so...
Friday was the last delightful day for this household (more in another post)...for Friday night I got violently ill. Then Lorelei got violently ill. So in between tossing my cookies and cleaning myself up, I was cleaning up Lorelei's tossed cookies. My stomach has settled (sort of) but Lori's did not--we've both been eating the BRAT diet and laying forlornly on the couch. Saturday, I managed to upload pics into flickr and that's about it. I slept most of today--along with Lorelei. And made sure to be quick with the vomit bucket for Lorelei. I did feel up to knitting today (finally) and am just turning the heel on her sock.
Jamey has convinced me that putting the swiffer cloth into a PDF is a good idea. So I'll work on that tomorrow.
This post written under the influence of 
