Reversals of fortune

Celtic cable sweater for baby MacDonald

I noticed this morning in the car that one of the cable patterns looked a little weird - 'skewiff', as the saying goes in my family. And I'm not just talking about one of the cable sections. I mean that every single instance (and there are eight of them) of this cable pattern was doing the same weird thing at the same point. I investigated more closely, and sure enough, I'd messed up about eight rows back. On all eight occurrences of the cable. (Now that takes talent, I tell ya.) So I started ripping back just those sections and fixing them. It didn't take long before I realised that this approach was a colossal waste of time and energy. Manually fixing six stitches over about eight rows, eight times, over a pattern which includes cable crosses and bobbles? Not my cup of tea. So I ripped the whole sweater back to the point of error (*sob* - there goes over an inch of work) and am redoing it. The worst part? This sweater has slipped into the Black Hole of knitting. You know, that phenomenon where you knit and knit and knit and knit and knit, and then remeasure, and you've gained like a centimetre of length? Yeah. That.

(But wait...it gets even better...)

Striped socks for DH

With great relief, I got on the train this morning, cast aside the celtic cable sweater fiasco and picked up the sock, which at that point almost had its heel completely turned. And what did I discover? That the pattern has an error, and, consequently, my heel shaping was shifted over by one stitch. I had to tink all the way back (which by that point was such a job that I didn't finish tinking until partway through my lunch break) and redo the turning. (Incidentally, for those interested in using this pattern - heaven only knows why you would be, but who am I to tell you what to knit - the error is on round three of the heel turning: It tells you to "Sl1, K 14/20/24, SRW, turn." That "Sl1" should not be there. The instructions for the round should actually be "K 14/20/24, SRW, turn.") Finally, by the end of lunch I'd finished the heel and had started on the leg. Triumph.

Needless to say, a sucky day for knitting indeed. All in all, I've actually gone backwards in my progress. Very disheartening. I don't even have the mental energy to respond to Susan's comments from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow if I'm feeling better. Stay tuned.

Ugh.

Evil plans

So...I'm making striped socks for DH, and it's a surprise, so he can't know I'm making them. At the same time, I'm also making a baby sweater for my co-worker, and that's a surprise too, so he can't know I'm making it.

The solution?

I take both projects to work every day. On the morning commute in the car with DH and DD, I work on the sweater. Then, once I've ditched DH, ;) I work on the socks - on the train to work, during lunch at work, and on the train back home from work. On the commute home in the car again, the socks get hidden and the sweater comes back out. I also work on it in the evenings (unless DH is on another floor of the house, in which case the socks get whipped out again, with the sweater beside me for 'cover' whenever I hear DH's tread on our [fortunately, in this case] creaky stairs).

In this way I achieve maximum productivity on my two panic projects, and neither guy sees the other guy's project being done.

Muahahahahaha.

Of course, the real question is not, 'Can I keep up this deception?' but rather, 'Will I have both projects done by mid-June?' The answer is still uncertain, particularly since DD has recently abandoned a long-standing cease-fire and resumed Bedtime War. The ensuing battles to get her to sleep have been cutting down on my evening knitting time tremendously. Sigh. Stay tuned.

Susan, on the other hand, has seemingly unshakeable confidence in my ability to pull it all off. Ain't she nice? She pointed out yesterday in the comments that a lot of the projects on my list are baby/children items, which means I can get them done quickly. This is quite true, and it does hearten me a bit. However, she made a major error in her evaluation of my personality when she advised me to "just keep them simple". ;)

HA!

I have an uncanny knack for doing things the tough way. Seriously. What's especially creepy is that usually, I actually like it that way. I justify this by mentally classifying what I'm doing to myself as creating challenges. What can I say, it's a curse. Why keep a project simple when I can make it fantastically difficult and impress the snot out of the recipient?

(Yes, that's my ego talking.)

And yep, I kinda have to design a lot of the upcoming projects, because I am trying to put together a book of my own patterns. If I wait for 'spare time' in which to create these planned designs, they will never get written. Therefore, I must take opportunities where I can find them, and that means designing most of the baby projects I make these days. I know, it sounds like I'm just giving myself extra work, but in the long run it's the more responsible move, honest. I want to start making money doing what I love, and the longer I put off designing patterns, the longer I am stuck in my job - which, although not soul-destroying, is definitely not my 'bliss'.

(Although I must admit I've been intrigued lately by The Knitting Vault. I could sell my patterns individually as I design them instead of having to have a whole whack of them ready at once. The only problems I can think of with this idea are a) The idea of having a published book is sooo seductive; and b) I have no idea if anyone would actually buy my patterns via this website. On the other hand, I have no idea if anyone would buy my book, either - or even publish it, for that matter. So I'm still not sure what to do. Opinions on this matter are more than welcome.)

Striped socks for DH

I finally took a picture. Here's what sock #1 looked like early Sunday afternoon:

I am pleased to say that it is much bigger now. Foot is complete and I have begun the heel shaping (although not the heel turning). Still diggin' the stripyness. (Stripiness? Stripeyness? Who cares.)

Celtic cable sweater for baby MacDonald

This is coming along - I only have a few more inches to go before I divide for armholes and start knitting the front and back separately.

Panic

So I took a look at all the projects I want to complete this year. And, well, um...it's a big list.

• I have about two or three weeks to finish 80% of a baby sweater
• I have three weeks to complete a pair of socks that I only just started
• I have five weeks to complete 55% of a baby blanket
• I have six months to research, design, pattern-test and complete a lacy baby shawl
• I have six months to design, pattern-test and complete a miscellaneous baby project
• I have six months to complete 70% of a baby jacket
• I have seven months to complete two adult sweaters with tiny gauge
• I have seven months to complete a child's cardigan

Whaddya think? Am I doomed? I think I'm doomed.

Striped socks for DH

These small pointy needles are killing my fingers. However, the good news is that the final attempt at the pattern actually worked. I blame the pattern for the confusion - the instructions are really murky. But I have persevered and triumphed (for now). Toe is complete and I have about an inch done on the foot. This self-striping thing is pretty darn cool. I like. I will try to sneak a picture of it onto the blog without DH seeing what I'm doing.

Celtic cable sweater for baby MacDonald

This was my 'cover' project last night, so whenever DH came upstairs I hid the socks project and picked this one up instead. Not much got done, but I feel very virtuous for having gotten back into this. I suspect I will have to concentrate my efforts on this sweater in the next few weeks, since there will probably be a shower at work in advance of when the baby is actually due, and I'll want the sweater done in time for that.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

Finished off full hexagon #11 in the car this morning and started work on #12. I'm probably going to ease off on this for a while as I panic-knit on the celtic cable sweater instead.

Bye-bye, baby

My darling child turned two yesterday. I took the day off work so we could spend the time together. It was terrific. We went to the park. We read. We danced. We hugged. We played. We rejoiced in the present that my aunt brought over from her and my cousin (a kid-size basketball net complete with ball - DD was completely delighted).

And then, after all that wonderfulness, the little munchkin almost blew my sock surprise to DH this morning. :) I was working on the Mountain Laurel Counterpane. She correctly identified the work in progress as a blanket, but then announced confidently, "Iss for Daddy!" Fortunately my husband did not stop to reason out the logic of why she would be convinced I was knitting something for him, and seemed to just take it as a mistake on her part. At least, I hope so. I probably could not have continued the deception if DD had said I was knitting a sock for Daddy (since as far as Daddy knows, I have never knit a sock before in my life), but since she identified it as a blanket I think I'm okay. Stay tuned.

By the way, is it wrong that I'm getting annoyed at my husband for not spending more time in the basement away from me...just so that I can knit on his socks? :)

Striped socks for DH

I did some math. Here's the deal. The sock pattern I want to use for these socks states that the foot of the sock in the man size will be 72 stitches around. At the listed gauge of 28 stitches per 4", this would give me a foot circumference of over ten and a quarter inches. ?!? Damn, but that's a really thick foot! By comparison, the blue socks that I just finished knitting for DH (and which certainly look like they'll fit him) have an eight inch foot circumference. Therefore, I should be trying to get 36 stitches per 4", not 28. So my hope of using 3.25mms has officially been crushed. However, I do have a lot of 2mm DPNs, so I started swatching with those, to see if I could come close to 36sts/4". Good news - I can! The gauge is about 35sts/4". TRIUMPH. I don't have to buy needles before I can knit the socks. And, bonus, I am happy to say that bluFELICIA is right - this is great yarn! It says 100% acrylic on the label, but it kinda feels like it might have some wool content. Very nice feel on the knitted-up fabric. Very nice to knit with. And that's about where the good news ends. Now that I have actually begun the socks, I am experiencing extreme frustration with the pattern. I've tried twice now to start it, and have ripped it back. The instructions are kind of weird, and I'm not sure whether I'm following them wrong, or whether the beginning of the sock really is this tricky. I am giving the pattern one more chance - if I get so frustrated this time that I rip it back again, I'm going with my backup pattern instead. Cross your fingers for me.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

I'm casting off on full hexagon #11. The layout is really starting to look genuinely impressive.

Celtic cable sweater for baby MacDonald

Took this out of hiding yesterday and measured the circumference so I could get an idea of what size I'm making this thing to be. :) It's 24-25 inches around at the body, so I figure this is a twelve month size. That means I'll want about eight inches of body from the bottom of the sweater to the beginning of the armscyes. Armed with this information, I can now continue to work the body without fear that I will knit past the point where I'm supposed to start the armscye. If the sweater is lucky, I might even work on it tonight.

Victoria Day debrief

Most of yesterday was spent at my parents' place. DH and I left DD there for a few hours while we went out to watch Star Wars III, then we came back and hung out, had dinner, and enjoyed the company. During this stretch of time, my mom brought out the blanket which she's crocheting for my brother. My daughter proudly pointed and exclaimed, "Knitting!"

I tried my best to explain that it was crocheting. I acknowledged that knitting and crocheting look a lot the same and it was tough for her to tell the difference, but that Grandma was doing something different from what Mummy does, and it was called crocheting.

She didn't buy it. ("No, knitting!")

I'm going to have to work on this. :)

Also at my parents' place, while my DH wasn't looking, I accessed this blog and showed off his socks to my mom. She thinks he'll like them. Aven also complimented me on the socks in the comments, and she shed a huge amount of light on my confusion over why I found the heels so easy when all the rumours about heels had convinced me they'd be a big horror story. Her theory makes a great deal of sense and I totally buy it. I don't know if I'm willing to get on side and help perpetuate the myth, ;) but the theory is very sound.

Striped socks for DH

I have a few dilemmas here. First of all, the pattern I've got calls for 2.5mm DPNs, which it refers to as US size 1. The problem there is that US size 1 isn't 2.5mm, it's 2.25mm, or so I am led to believe by various needle conversion sources as well as my own needle gauges. So...do I need a set of 2.5mms, or a set of 2.25mms? (Neither of which I own, by the way.) Dilemma number two: the pattern out-and-out states that my gauge should be 28 stitches per 4" in stocking stitch. Hello? In my universe, to get that gauge with fingerweight or sock yarn, you use 3.25mm needles. So which needle size is it?!? 2.25mm? 2.5mm? 3.25mm? Heaven only knows. Even if I do a swatch with 3.25mms and get my expected 28 stitches, who's to say - what with all the screwiness seen in the pattern so far - that the gauge listed in the pattern isn't wrong? That my husband's poor feet won't end up drowning in way-too-big socks? Geez. I know, I know, the solution is obvious - just use another pattern. But the only other pattern I was able to find for man-size socks using sock yarn asks for 2.25mm needles...which, if you've been following story, I don't have (and which, I'm willing to wager, Lewiscraft doesn't carry). I would far rather be able to use 3.25mms - I've got tons of those. Le sigh. Stay tuned. The drama will no doubt continue.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

It occurred to me after my last blog entry to count the hexagons in the most recent picture. There were only 7. I got really confused, because I thought I'd made 8. I went back to the project, and sure enough, I had neglected to include hexagon #8 in the layout shot. Damn. Oh, well. I'll include it in the next picture. Anyway...I finished half-hexagon #2 and am now well into full hexagon #9.

Hooded jacket for baby Sperling

Susan was quite reassuring in the comments that a 19.5" chest would do just fine for a six month old. I still have my doubts, since I am a) paranoid and b) the parent of a two year old (which means that all baby size clothes now look ridiculously tiny to my eyes). Perhaps I should get out some of the tops that fit my daughter when she was 6-9 months old and compare. However, I am scared to do this, because if the size I'm making is too small, pulling out the old clothes will prove it, and I have gone way too far into this project (which looks really great) to be able to frog it without making the lives of those around me miserable with my swearing and complaining. The back is finished and I'm a few inches into the left front.

Return to Oz

Susan visited again, and left some comments - one of which was a slap on her own wrist for not commenting earlier. :) In response, I feel I should mention that although it totally jazzes me to get comments on my blog, if someone visits and doesn't comment, I don't get worked up about it. My take on it is, if the spirit moves you, do leave a comment. If it doesn't, don't. I don't take it personally. :)

I too am very unfaithful to my projects. (Really, Kathleen? With 19 WIPs in progress? Ya think?) That 'Oooh, gotta knit that NOW' thing is exactly what keeps happening to me. However, so far I do have a pretty good track record of (eventually) getting back to projects and completing them.

Also Susan, I cannot wait to see your Persian Tiles swatch on your blog. I completely agree that it is a gorgeous pattern. I also think that if I really stopped to think about it, I would probably find that I too prefer Jade's stuff to Alice's. Not that Alice sucks! :) (Hell, no.) But I think a lot of Jade's stuff is more to my taste. I think I will be able to pull off wearing the Catherine Howard because I am very slender, fairly young, kind of dramatic-looking, and totally into the medieval thing. Just don't hold your breath waiting to see more progress on that project. What with everything I have to complete in 2005, I don't think I'll be picking it up any time soon.

Thanks for visiting!

Socks for DH

Done!!! To my extreme surprise, the sock, needles and yarn ball actually all fit in the tiny front pocket of my bag, so I was able to bring them home for the weekend. While DD was napping today, DH spent a lot of time in the basement getting us ready for our upcoming garage sale (shudder), so I was able to finish sock #2! So there you go - my first pair of socks ever.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

No progress, but I finally took a picture of the current layout:

Jacket for baby Sperling

I hunted through my collection of baby patterns and came up with a very sweet little hooded jacket from a Sirdar booklet. I started making it in the third size (6-9 months) because the baby is going to be born just as the summer heat hits (yes, the baby is due end of November, but since the family is in Australia I have to take the reversal of seasons into account), so 6-9 months is right when warmer clothing will start to be needed. But I was only about six rows into it when I realised the thing would probably be big enough to fit my two year old. I checked the pattern for the finished measurements, and they are pretty darn generous. So I'm going with the 0-3 month size instead, which will give me a finished chest of about 19.5". That'll fit a six month old, right? RIGHT? Someone reassure me here? I've already knit about 9" on the back already and I don't want to frog.

Striped socks for DH

I searched through my entire DPN collection and I don't have the right size needles. F***. I so want to start these socks, augh! Well, maybe my circular collection will yield better results. Stay tuned.

Foreign country heard from

Some extra traffic has been driven here lately from Susan Knits, where my blog is cited as something to read for anyone who feels that they "have taken on too much" and wish to have their "own pile of UFOs" made to seem "very insignificant". :) However, Susan then goes on to say that I am a seriously organized knitter, which is - much to my constant dismay - not true.

Although...thinking about it, I must admit that the knitting aspects of my life are pretty organized. Okay, there's a lot of stash which is lying about messily because the spaces available for stash storage are now totally filled. But other than that, I guess yeah, it's all pretty organized. It's other aspects of my life which are in complete disarray. This is probably why I shrug off any compliments I receive on the parts of my existence which are managed well.

Anyway, I shall stop right there with the self-psychoanalysis. :) Thank you Susan, if you're reading, for the lovely compliments and the additional traffic. For the rest of yez, I encourage taking a peek at her blog - she has nifty projects.

Socks for DH

I completed the heel yesterday and started the main part of the foot. But today I didn't get much done. It's a weird* day at work - I'd say about half our department has taken the day off in order to extend the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend even further. To compound this, most of the rest of my co-workers went to the St. Lawrence Market for lunch - specifically, for focaccia (a luxury I did not think I could afford, given that DH and I might be spending our fun cash on seeing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith this weekend; and besides, I'd already packed the super-delicious chicken sandwich left over from yesterday's supper). So it was pretty dead around here during the lunch stretch. Given all this lack of company, I spent the middle of the day alternating among surfing the Internet, eating, doing work, and knitting just a little bit on the sock. It doesn't look much bigger. I think I'll try to conceal it in one of the smaller pockets of my bag so that I can take it home for the weekend without DH seeing it. I'm not sure if I can pull this off - none of the pockets seem big enough to hold it. But we'll see.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

Newly complete: Half hexagon #1 and full hexagon #8. I'm now working on half hexagon #2. I wanted to take a picture this morning of the updated blanket layout, complete with seven full hexagons, but sadly I spent too much time laying it out and ran out of time to actually take and download the picture. Sigh. But don't worry, more pictures for the blog will happen very soon.

* I've been typing the word 'weird' a fair bit lately, and it's been driving me nuts. My personal instinct is to spell it 'weird'. But The Rules Of English Spelling tell me that I should spell it 'wierd'. But spelling it the latter way just looks wrong to me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, so I looked it up. Turns out that my personal instinct is right. The word flies in the face of traditional English spelling wisdom and puts the E before the I. Weird, eh?

People must do it a lot in March

NEW - ? for baby Sperling

My dad forwarded me an email from his SIL - I have a cousin expecting baby #2 at the end of November! Naturally I couldn't let such a thing go by without knitting something for the wee one. I'm not sure what I'm going to make, but I don't think I will be designing something. I'll probably just go hunting through my pattern collection for something I like but have never gotten the chance to do before.

Spanish Knight sweater for Mom

The pregnancy announcement from my cousin definitely puts the nail in the coffin for this project this Christmas. There's no way I can get three baby gifts done for November/December, and three (small-gauge) adult sweaters, and a cardigan for my niece's birthday in January. Something's gotta give. This is it. (The blue Stornaway sweater may also have to bite the dust this year.) But it will make a fantastic present for Christmas 2006!

Socks for DH

Heel has begun! I'm going to have to remember to bring more of the yarn to work tomorrow - I'm running out fast.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

Now working on hexagon #7.

Marrying well

I seem to have managed to do this.

Proof #1: This is what I received from my husband for Mother's Day. I have skimmed it and it is Good. Now, mind you...I out-and-out asked for it. However, DH's willingness to bring Yet Another Knitting Book into the house speaks very admirably of his qualities as the husband of a knitter, I think.

Proof #2: DH's family do not think I'm weird because of all the knitting. Seriously. Two of his mother's sisters knit, for starters. In fact, the aunt (not the bride) who stayed overnight at my MIL's with us after Friday's wedding remarked - as I was knitting at the breakfast table - that I reminded her of her mother, always whipping out some knitting. :) In addition to this, one of DH's uncles is married to a woman who is possibly even more obsessive than I...and she doesn't just knit, either. She crochets. She quilts. She embroiders. She sews. She spends gobs and gobs of money and every time she and I talk, I am treated to a description of her monstrous stash and the stuff she makes with it. Not exactly what I would call an unpleasant way to spend a conversation!

There are other knitting-related proofs of my well-made marriage, of course, such as my husband's willingness to learn how to knit; my MIL's ability to hold yarn while I wind a skein; my MIL's penchant for going to her LYS and asking the proprieter to pick out spare-no-expense yarn that I might like; you get the idea.

I am content.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

I'm approaching the end of hexagon #5.

(Yeah, I know, a pathetic amount of knitting has been done in the last 24 hours. What can I say - circumstances have been conspiring a bit to make me do other things. It'll pick up, don't worry.)

2 months till Harry Potter!

Socks for DH

Got several inches done on the trip down to work today, and on my morning break. (Normally I don't have a morning break, but I did First Aid training this morning at work and they gave us a break halfway through.) I haven't done a row count recently, but I'm pretty sure I'm only about 10 rows away from starting the heel. I have had to leave the project at my desk at work instead of putting it in my bag to take home, because every night my husband is the person who goes into my bag for the milk I've pumped during the day so it can go into the fridge. (You may be wondering, if it's my milk, why isn't refrigerating it my responsibility? Logical answer: because my responsibility right after arriving home is putting DD to bed, which includes a nightly nurse - not exactly something her dad can do. :) So, to avoid him seeing his own present (especially since he is the kind of interested and caring guy who asks me what it is that I'm making), I will keep it at work instead and work on it during my lunch breaks.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

I finished hexagon #4 over the weekend, and also did one of the edge triangles. I've determined that one skein of the yarn will yield 2 hexagons and over half an edge triangle. So I am pretty sure I'll have enough (I forget for sure how many skeins I have in total, but my memory is telling me thirteen - if that's true, I'm not worried about running out). I laid out the pieces I've made so far to see how it looks - not bad:

? for baby Muth

I'm still leaning towards the lace circular shawl idea. I did some designing last night and I think I've come up with a motif that I really like. Now all I have to do is figure out how to translate it into knitted lace.

Self-striping socks for DH

I found two patterns that I could use for this, and now I'm really itching to start. I just keep having to remember - first socks first. First socks first. Deep breath. First socks first...

Two steps forward, one step back

So DH has been off on course in Ottawa for most of the week. With the car. And the weather was mostly either rainy or unseasonably cold, thus confining us to the house. But it turned out to not be as bad as I thought it would be, since he had pre-made dinners and had stored up lots of food for DD (hint: I do not do the cooking in the household). DD and I had a great time and I was able to get lots done on DH's surprise socks (not to mention the housework).

But as soon as DH came home on Friday evening, we all had to jet on out of there because of his aunt's wedding. My parents took DD to their place (first night away from Mummy and Daddy! - or more accurately, Mummy and Daddy's first night away from her), and DH and I hightailed it on over to Georgetown for the nuptuals. Which were a lot of fun. His family is really great (not to mention really freakin' extensive) and it's always wonderful to hang out with them.

Naturally, we gave DH's aunt her wedding gift. Since I'd brought my camcorder, and the picture of the finished piece was still stored in it, I was also able to show it to other members of the family, such as my MIL and various aunts. (I feel I should point out that it was my husband who went around insisting that I whip the picture out, not me. I'm egotistic, but not quite that egotistic.) Everybody thought it was great.

Also in attendance at the wedding was DH's cousin who had his first baby in November, and whose gift we had never sent (they'd moved...and it took a long time to get cousin's mom to tell us their address...and then I lost the address...and then I found it again...and by that point the wedding was only about a month off so I figured what the hell, we'll give it in person). This gift was the three double-faced bibs I made out of sportweight cotton (bib #1, bib #2, bib #3). They really seemed to like the bibs, plus they'd brought pictures, so we all had a merry old chat about how cute our kids are and how blissful parenthood is. :)

Finally, BIL of the belated Christmas gift was not able to make it to the wedding. He has a new job working for an MP and, if you know anything about federal Canadian politics at the moment, you can appreciate that he is pretty damn busy - he felt there was a good chance that they would be flying him out to the MP's riding over the weekend, so being at a family wedding was not where he felt he should be. (Totally fair.) However, he still got his Christmas gifts, because his apartment was where DH crashed during his trip to Ottawa! DH gave me full details of BIL's reaction. BIL loved it. He made noises of extreme appreciation a la Joey and Chandler on "Friends" when they first test-drove their barkaloungers (sp?). He tried it on immediately. He admired how well it fit. (DH tells me it looked frickin' awesome on him.) He wore it to work the next day. In summary, I think I made him his new favourite sweater. :) Yay! (Happy dance.) Greater compliment hath no knitter.

So! With all these wonderful knitted gifts finally out of my house, it's time to relax, eh?

Like hell.

One of DH's cousins told us that he and his wife are expecting baby #3 in December. This is delightful, wonderful, fantastic news, of course! However...it means that I will be adding another knitting project to my plate. Combined with another project that I am thinking about for around the same time, this will probably mean having to ax my mom's Spanish Knight sweater as a Christmas gift for this year and postpone it to 2006 instead.

But wait...there's more. bluFELICIA stopped by to foretell my doom as relates to sock knitting. She says I'm now going to be addicted. Given how eager I am to flit from sock project #1 to sock project #2, I have to admit that she's probably right. Crap. ;) Although I am very happy to hear that she loves the sock yarn I bought - that bodes well. Thanks!

? for baby Muth

DH's family expands again! The baby is due around December and I'll be taking the opportunity to design something else for my book. Don't know what yet, but flushed from my success with the Snowdrop project, I'm thinking maybe a circular lace shawl-y thing would be nice. But then again, maybe not. Stay tuned.

Socks for DH

I am now working on these while DH is on another floor of the house, with another project beside me for "cover". When he comes down (or up, depending), I stuff the sock knitting under the futon as fast as I can and pick up the cover project, trying desperately to look like I've been working on it all along. So I was continuing my progress, until I realised that I'd somehow managed to pick up an extra stitch between two of the DPNs. Fifteen rows previously. (Insert naughty word here.) Rip. You know that picture I showed you in my last entry? Yeah. The sock is smaller than that now.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

I have three hexagons done now, and am about halfway through #4! I also sewed up one of the hexagons just to make sure that it wouldn't look like total crap when it was finished (I figured I'd better do that now instead of waiting until after I'd flat-knitted all thirteen hexagons). It looked pretty darn good. Hexagons continue.

(Yep, it really is 3:30 in the morning. I have a headache, and can't abide the thought of sitting awake, in my bed, in the dark, in pain, waiting for the Advil to kick in, so here I am. I realise that sitting in front of a computer screen with a headache is perhaps not the wisest thing to do, but hey.)

Firsts

I completed my very first sock today.

I experienced Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) for the very first time today.

My SSS was made even worse by my desire to start my first pair of self-striping socks:

In fact, the only thing preventing me from succumbing to SSS (for the first time) is the fact that the above-pictured yarn is a completely different gauge from what's required in the pattern for the socks I'm working on now. Therefore, I will have to go hunting for a different pattern if I am to use the self-striping yarn. If I had such a pattern easily to hand, I must confess that I probably would already have cast on with the self-striping yarn.

The pull of the self-striping yarn is very strong. But I shall resist. I shall complete the damn second sock so that I can start bragging about my first pair of socks.

And incidentally, this soon-to-be first pair of socks is my daughter's first secret. It will be either a birthday or Father's Day present (depending on how soon I finish) for my husband. She has seen me knitting the socks and asked what they were. So I told her, and I told her it was a secret, and a surprise, and not to tell her dad. Now whenever she sees the socks she says, "You're knitting socks! Shhhhhhh...don't tell Daddy. Iss a secret. Iss a surprise. Shhhhh." :) What are the odds that she will refrain from saying "Don't tell Daddy. Iss a secret." in his presence?

Yeah, I thought so. This will probably end up being my first blown-to-hell surprise knitting gift.

Socks for DH

May I present sock #1:

May I also present the beginnings of sock #2:

(Pictured next to sock #1 so you didn't think I was cheating and recycling an in-progress shot of sock #2.)

Appreciation

With all the other stuff I've been wanting to mention on my blog lately, I have completely forgotten in the last few days to acknowledge comments. Sorry!

Firstly, to Sue - "hardworking" is quite the flattering euphemism for "freakin' insane". ;) Thanks. Lara's Oberstdorf sweater looks terrific. Kudos to you for thinking ahead and making something in a larger size. Cuz they grow. FAST.

Secondly, to Bernadette, thank you very much for the compliments on the wedding gift cloth! You should enjoy today's blog, because it contains pictures of the completed work. It looks amazing. I can say that with total modesty because I truly believe that all the amazingness is in the design. I just followed the instructions, and - poof! - gorgeous lace emerged. It was like magic.

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

I sacrificed sleep last night. I was up until about 1am blocking. But I really think it was worth it. I cursed momentarily about halfway through the blocking because I realised I had laid it out upside down. But moments later I blessed this mistake because it revealed two ends that I had missed weaving in. I sewed them in this morning - DD watched me, heard me tell her that I was sewing, and then got her foam '1' from her alphanumeric bathtoy collection, and a golf ball, and started poking the 1 into the ball saying that she was sewing. Gosh she's priceless. But anyhoo...I also discovered another glorious thing about lace knitting: after blocking, it dries super damn fast. I did the full soak with this piece, and it was completely dry six hours after I finished blocking it. So there you go, it's totally done two days ahead of schedule. Glory be. I think the bride is totally gonna plotz. :)

The whole thing

Decoratively draped over my living room futon

Proof that it would probably, as tradition dictates, fit through a wedding band.

Socks for DH

I got so caught up in the excitement of photographing the Snowdrop cloth that I forgot to snap a shot of what sock #1 looks like. Sorry. But it's easy to describe (and you're not missing much - hint: it looks like a half-done sock). I have turned the heel and am working on the last several rows of the instep. Contrary to the rumours about the difficulty of turning a heel, I found it to be a piece of cake. Did I just get a sock pattern with an easy heel, or am I a knitting mutant?

Rewind

If you've been reading this blog since at least January, you will know that I knitted a sweater for my brother-in-law as his Christmas present...and that it was completed about a month late. Anyone paying close attention to the blog will have noticed that this sweater (much to my shame) was never actually given to said brother-in-law. This is because I never got off my duff and hauled his presents down to a post office and mailed them. (In my defence, the combination of the sweater and DH's gift to his brother did not fit any box in our house and would have made for a helluva weird-shaped package.) HOWEVER...DH's aunt's wedding is promising to actually bring this reclusive BIL out of Ottawa and into our presence, and therefore the sweater should be given by the end of the week.

Straightforward? Sure...or so I thought. Until DH realised that the box containing the sweater had water stains on it (DH had brilliantly been storing it in the garage - long story, don't ask). With a trembling heart, I cut open the tape holding the box lid on to check on the sweater...

IT WAS OKAY.

However - since it was out of the box, I took the opportunity and took several pictures. Check 'em out:

The whole thing

Detail of the pattern

Detail of how the shoulder strap extends into the sleeve - isn't that totally cool?

In other news, while reading knitting blogs, I came upon a link to the most incredible project: The Angband sweater. Go. Marvel. Get depressed about your own designer aspirations.

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

I wove in all the ends and tightened up the gaping maw bee-yew-tifully. All that remains is to block it. This is such a daunting task that I'm procrastinating - but I'm hoping to suck it up, pull it together and do it tonight. Yes, I know what time it is already.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

Finished the first worked-flat hexagon yesterday and started on the second one. It looks excellent:

Moreover, worked with the 7mm needles, the hexagon is big enough that I can definitely get away with doing fewer component pieces and still have a good-sized blanket.

Socks for DH

Cast on today! As of photo-taking time about an hour ago, they looked like this:

However, they are now much, much closer to the spot where I turn the heel. I've never turned a heel before. I consider myself a very fearless knitter, but I have heard horrible things about heel-turning, so I am mentally prepared for numerous frogs and re-starts.

Budget? What? Huh?

I went shopping for some very responsible things this weekend.

• DD needed T-shirts.
• DD needed of sunglasses. (Incidentally, she loves 'em - "I wearing sunglasses!" She wore them this morning with her poncho, hood up, inspiring me to call her 'Zsa Zsa'. This makes DH shudder, he much prefers 'Jacquie' or 'Grace'.)
• I was hoping (in vain, as it turns out) for some new black shoes. My current pair is too big - all that stuff I read in the pregnancy books about feet expanding after giving birth is utter crap.
• I went looking for new slippers for DH (no luck, they're a seasonal item, I'm probably going to have to knit him some instead).

And then, while in Zellers fruitlessly searching for adult footwear (does no one make fashionable shoes for women with less than a 2" heel?!? Are they trying to kill us?!?), I decided to see what yarn was available in the craft section. See, I've sorta got a future project in mind, and it's going to take multiple colours of fingering weight yarn, and...well...you get the idea. And so...well...I bought multiple balls of yarn. Including self-striping sock yarn which I thought I could use to make DH a second pair of socks (even though I haven't started on his first pair of socks).

In my defence, it is all justifiable, honest. The sock yarn can come out of the clothing budget and the rest of it can come out of the gifts budget. It was only $2 a ball...

Remember, an addict can only begin the road to recovery when she admits that there actually is a problem. Since I steadfastly maintain a strict policy of denial, it is therefore pointless to try and help me. So back off. :)

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

The knitting is done. Didja hear that? I'll say it louder - THE KNITTING IS DONE!!! Finished the last point on the edging last night while we were at my parents' place for Mother's Day. We spread it all out on their dining room table, and even unblocked, it looks fabulous. I wallowed in compliments for some time. I then sewed the two ends of the edging together and wove in a few ends at the back. There are some more ends to weave in, and the huge gaping maw is still a problem that will need to be tightened up. But it is very, very close to the blocking stage. I expect to be able to finish all the fixes tonight and block tomorrow.

Mountain Laurel Counterpane blanket for baby Gelman

There was no point taking the Snowdrop project along to work today. There's probably not enough left to do on it to fill a whole day's worth of commuting time, and the work that does have to be done is pretty fiddly - I'd rather do it at home. So, the logical move was to continue one of my summer deadline projects. I've been procrastinating on this blanket because of the PITA factor - wrestling with the Magic Loop using a stiff 7mm circular needle on a lacy project is not, I have discovered, my idea of fun. So this morning I tried another approach: knitting the hexagon flat, and adding one selvedge stitch at each side so I could sew it up when finished. So far it is working bee-yew-tifully - I am just flying through the damn hexagon, as opposed to the slow crawl I was achieving by working in the round. Result: I am enthused about the project again, and might actually be able to work quickly enough on it to complete it in time.

Intermittent blogging

You may have noticed that lately, I haven't been blogging as often as I usually do. This is because there is only so much readability I can squeeze out of my current, exclusively-focused-on-it project. I mean really, how exciting would it be to come here every day and find scintillating updates like, "I did another 5 points on the edging," "Oooh, 6 whole points got done on the edging today," "Only did 4 points on the edging yesterday, bad knitter, no cookie," etc. You can see it's not exactly Pulitzer material, is it? So until more exciting, "bloggable" stuff comes along, you'll have to bear with updates every two or three days. Sorry! The alternative is boring you out of your skull...and I wouldn't want that. :)

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

This is update-worthy today, partly because I have rounded corner #3, and partly because I got off my duff and uploaded the picture I took over the weekend which shows lots and lots of pretty edging:

Feeling good

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

I spreead the cloth out as much as I could on my parents' dining room table last night to show them how it was coming along. My mother's expression upon seeing it was extremely gratifying. She thinks it looks great. I have to agree with her. The pattern really is absolutely gorgeous. I remember when I had finished the main square and had it laid out all nicely on our floor, that DH and I were commenting about how I could probably just give it like that, it was so nice that it didn't need the edging. But now that a lot of the edging is finished, we have totally changed our tune. The edging really brings the piece into a higher realm of awesomeness. :) That Stephanie girl really knew what she was about when she designed it! Anyway, I remain ahead of schedule - after my lunch break I had finished 48 points.

Socks for DH

I really want DH to have handknit socks. But I also really don't want to buy more yarn to do it. Firstly, we have very little money, and secondly, we have even less space to store it. The socks need to be made from something in my existing stash. Further, since I've never done socks before, I'm not keen on using super-nice yarn, so I'd prefer to use some of my acrylic (another advantage of this is that I avoid running the risk of unusable socks if it turns out that wool makes DH's feet itch - he has sensitive skin, so this is a real concern). Since the majority of my acrylic is baby-project-oriented (I'm guessing DH wouldn't really go for mint, baby blue or canary socks), the available selection is small. However, I do have some nice dark blue acrylic in a light worsted weight that would probably make very cushy and cosy socks. Happily, I have found a pattern online that fits the gauge. It's the Amazing Feets pattern from Canadian Living. With any luck, I will be finished the Snowdrop cloth way ahead of schedule and can work sneakily on the socks while DH is on course in Ottawa so that he has no idea they're coming. Oooh...if I work fast, maybe they could be his birthday present. Hm.

Great minds

So on Saturday afternoon, in between laundry loads, I popped by the computer to do a quickie blog-read. Aven had done a recent entry, so I read it. She talked about how there was an article about the Yarn Harlot in that morning's Toronto Star. So, since we subscribe, I of course raced right downstairs to read the article. And what do I find when I get into the kitchen? My husband, brandishing the newspaper excitedly, saying, "Look! It's her!" :)

Charalynne stopped by and commented again - hello! :) Firstly, I agree very much that my indeed-very-secure-in-his-manhood husband's work is progressing well. He does not think so, however. I keep trying to convince him that he's doing really well, and he keeps insisting that his work looks really beginnerish. I suppose in a way, that's better than him sitting back and thinking, 'Good enough, I won't try to improve any more,' but still, I really wish he could appreciate how much he has accomplished in such a short time.

Secondly, the Snowdrop cloth is meant to be used for whatever my DH's aunt wants to use it for, really. I estimate that by the time it's finished, each side will be about a meter-and-a-half long. So it could have lots of uses - a tablecloth for an end table, or a really massive doily for a dining table, or a throw for a piano seat, or a shawl, or...whatever! I have no use in mind. I'm actually counting on its versatility to be part of the charm of the gift. :)

(I can't wait to see the finished product, either!)

Snowdrop cloth for DH's aunt

By the close of the weekend, I was a whole day ahead of myself, quota-wise. The new target date for completion of all points is May 9, which will give me four days (including the day of the wedding) to tuck all the ends in, block it, dry it and giftwrap it. I may actually make it. (Yes yes, I know actually typing that out was the crack of doom. But it had to be said.) By the end of my commute this morning, I'd done over 41 points, which means I'm over half done, and have rounded two corners. Amazingly, my brain has not imploded from boredom yet. I think I can credit the deadline-induced panic for that. That, and the fact that it is looking fantastic. I even took a picture this weekend, but unfortunately, did not get a chance to download it into my computer for today's blog entry. Sorry. Watch this space for more scintillating updates (yeah, whatever) and maybe even photos (if I ever get my act together) of edging progress.