D'Nile Ain't Just a River in Egypt

Pardon the huge cliché here, but it can’t be helped- I’ve just come out of a very deep state of denial, and I’m suffering for it.

Grandpa’s sock- despite the SERIOUS progress I made on the foot, (non-knitters, that means I’m essentially done the damn thing), will need to be ripped back to square 1, or in this case, the first cast on stitch. *SIGH*

How did I get this far along on the thing to only be turned back now?

DENIAL.

I cast on 72 stitches on a US size 2 needle, (Canadian knitters will have to forgive me as I haven’t converted yet), throughout the leg portion of the sock I had concerns that the sock might be a touch large- but I soldiered on. I kept telling myself, “you’re a skinny girl- but grandpa’s legs are bigger and it’ll fit his legs”- and I just knit and knit and knit and knit. Perhaps I was blinded by the glare of finishing these in a timely fashion, or just wanted to move on to another project, but I didn’t stop.

WHY DIDN’T I STOP?!

The husband came home from work late last night, sat down on the couch and noticed what I was knitting and asked immediately, “are those for a giant?”. *sigh* Now before we start railing on the husband’s insensitivity I’ve stated here before, I’d much rather have him take interest in what I’m doing and look at it with a critical eye than say “that’s nice” and not really care about what I’m making. However, with this preference also comes the honest truth, something I wasn’t willing to admit to myself.

He’s right. They’re too big. I could not deny and make up excuses any longer. But with this painful conclusion also comes the even more painful solution- FROG it. Rip it back to the start, drop the needle size, (I’m thinking US size 0- will I regret?), and go again. *SIGH*

I probably wouldn’t have cared so much if these weren’t for my grandpa, maybe even kept them for myself in their slouchy, oversize, or donated them to charity- but there are two reasons I can’t.

1) It’s Koigu (*slobber)- and as lovely and wonderful as Koigu (slobber) is, it ain’t cheap, I’m committed to making some nice socks from this stuff- and I need to follow through.

2) These socks are being made for the one person who was in his own state of denial when I learned how to knit. I don’t think Grandpa really believed that knitting would become what is HAS become to me. I think he thought I’d pick up the needles, do it for an afternoon and never go back. That didn’t happen, instead I became obsessed- and to this day I don’t think he really believes it. These socks, for him and me, are proof that I can see things through to the finish, and not only that, get a lot better along the way. They need to be perfect. They need to fit.

Which is why I need to go back to the very beginning.

I have eleven days to knit a pair of socks. CAN I DO IT? (Even with a full time job) You bet I’m going to try.

Stay tuned

Here's the sock before... 75% completed!

Sigh... so it begins-- I ripped the needles out. (PAIN!!!!)

And then begins the frogging...

The after... all that pretty sock, back on the swift... AGAIN

Christmas Knitting Countdown

You know, it's not like Christmas shows up randomly every year and we find ourselves going "GEE I totally didn't see that coming". Christmas has come every year, during my exsistence, on December 24th and 25th. And yet, despite these very consistent dates, I seem to have the yearly "I need to knit this by Christmas" panic attack right around the end of November, when time is limited.

Since I made my grandmother socks this summer- I decided, last minute of course, that it would be nice to make a pair for my grandfather and my other grandmother as well. (Grandmother (#2)'s planned pattern can be seen here... hoepfully.)

And so, with the husband's blessing I set out to the yarn shop to buy some "manly yarn" to set to work on grandpa's socks- but I hit a little snag.

I got this far on the orginal idea:



... only to discover that they were just too baggy and big and would never fit anyone's leg properly. I don't know why I was in denial that long, that I got THAT far on the sock, but I was forced to do this:



... frog (fr - og; the art of ripping back your work and watching all the stitches that consumed hours of your life disappear like they never happened.) Froggy is hard not in practice, but mentally admiting your defeat.

Once I wound the skein up again:


I set forth knitting a smaller pattern and what do you know... I finally made some progress! Behold, grandpa's sock... in progress!



The goal is to get this puppy done by the end of the week and cast on sock #2. If I can finish knitting grandpa's socks BEFORE December, I have 15 days to knit my ass off for grandma. (I don't know how grandma would take to the concept of me knitting my "ass" off for her-- I hope she doesn't mind.)

As if that wasn't distracting and consuming me enough- I also hit a major snag with the baby blanket that I'm all but neglecting right now.


Yup! That's a knot. We know how I feel about knots. Much cursing and wailing was involved. Thankfully 1 visit from the very patient MiL, and she sat, PATIENTLY, (so unlike me), helping me wind out of this miserable mess and back to 100% useable yarn again. I SO owe you Phyllis!

Tilted Duster DUSTED!

The Tilted Duster is done! DONE!

I LOVE it!!

Pattern: Tilted Duster from the fall issue of Interweave Knits!

Yarn: Cascade Eco Plus

Needles: US size 10 (6 mm for you Canadians)

Pattern Thoughts: This was a pretty good pattern to knit- always keeping it remotely interesting. The top portions and sleeves knit up so quickly but then you really needed to commit some time to knitting to churn out the bottom. The yarn blocked BEAUTIFULLY- I could not have been happier. You do need something to block well so that the bottom will lie flat.

I wore the "duster" to work yesterday- to show off my latest creation and I was thrilled with the response. Several people complimented me on it- without even knowing I'd knit it. This is the first sweater I've knit that I'm 100% confident wearing and really proud of the final product. It's warm and cozy and the yarn does tend to get a little scratchy when I wear it. (But nothing I can't handle.)

My only complaint about the Duster, and something to keep in mind if I ever knit it again- I'd knit a size bigger sleeves. They fit very snugly and well- but I can't wear a long sleeve shirt under it comfortably. (It can be done, but not seamlessly.) But, it's a small complaint because in general, I love the way it fits, giving the illusion of a slim waitline. Have I said I love the sweater enough yet? Because I do- so much!

In other news- here's a sneak peek at the newest baby blanket I'm making for a baby due in January. I'm not convinced on the color choice- I'll be honest, but MiL assures me it's cute. I'm hoping that it's suitabl for a boy or a girl-- but I still feel like I need some convincing. Hopefully as progress is made I will become more convinced.

At Least It's Crafty

Happy Halloween!!

So Many Things- So Little Time

OMG y'all! Have you seen the winter preview for Interweave?

Okay... I'll give you a second to go check it out and then come back here....

SO MANY NICE PATTERNS. So many projects I already want to tackle! You're killing me Interweave! When am I supposed to find the time to knit all those when I hardly have the time to knit my current projects!?

YOU. ARE. KILlING. ME.

Way to bring your A game to the magazine Eunny! (Way to also try and KILL me)

PS- Thank God I subscribed before this!

Have You Updated Your Knit Blog Lately?

"Have you updated your knit blog lately?” My mom asked me this on Saturday. You know it’s bad when your mother is going “HEY- POST ALREADY!”

Dear Knit Blog,

No I have not abandoned you. I have not forgotten about you, nor have I decided to cease writing in you. The problem does not in fact lie in my own laziness, (for a change), but in my knitting itself.

Oh- I have things on the needles- lots of things! SO. MANY. THINGS. None of which are finished. My ability to progress has slowed dramatically. There is only one culprit in all of this- only one finger of blame to point at- the JOB, gentle readers, has got to go.

I used to churn out FO’s (finished object’s for those not in the know) like the Amish churn out butter. (I am of course assuming that Amish churn out a lot of butter… if they don’t, please pardon my really horrible analogy here and just assume that I used to get a lot of knitting done.) Baby blankets? Only took me a month. Sweaters? A week. Socks? Got done quickly. (So quickly that I felt the need to hoard sock yarn to keep up with the demand. {Did you see how I just enabled myself there, making excuses for my yarn stash?}) The blog was a showcase for my hall of fame finishes- a place to say “Look at me- I’m AWESOME!”.

All of this was possible thanks to the US Government, who said I couldn’t work in their country. And so, I knit. A lot. Like maybe something close to 4 hours a day on average. I’ll leave the Amish alone on this one because I’m sure we’ll all agree that’s a lot of knitting. When one has time to knit- one can really churn out FO’s. It also provides one with a lot of time to ponder knitting and well- you saw a lot of that on the blog.

And then- of course, we moved back to Canada, where the Government said “come and work so that we can take half of what you make in taxes!” And really- who can resist an offer like that? [sarcasm is my friend] So I got a job- and while it’s a pretty good job, and a pleasant place to be, it really kills the knitting time. I do squeeze in a little knitting here and there on the weekdays- but it’s mostly on the weekend where I can go back to my friendly “ass groove” on the couch and really “commune with my needles.” Except even then, it’s hard to commit as much time as I used to. And trust me, even though right now I’m still in a fairly good stage of “like” with the job, I have my moments where I literally long and ache to go back to spending a whole day knitting. However thus is life and I will accept that which I cannot change.

So little blog, that’s why the updates are coming a little slower these days- there’s just less to talk about since so much less of my life is devoted to knitting.

Hmm? Pardon? What did you say? OH- “SHUT IT AND SHOW US SOME KNITTING CONTENT!!?”—okay then…

Viola- I give you U(un)FO’s in various states of completion!

(Oh yes- there is some seriously blocking to be done!!)

(I'm doing a short row heel- I'm not going to lie, I'm not in love with it. I think I'll stick to heel flaps for now.)

(Look it's a sock in progress! I actually find myself wanting to knit this one more than anything else right now because it's SO. PRETTY- but I still have to leave it for traveling knitting only. *sigh*)

PS- My lack of blog posts may also have something to do with the copious amounts of time I now spend on Ravely, looking, looking and more looking, followed by some looking with a side order of looking. That site is knitters crack! (And also the salt in my knitting wounds since I see a new project everyday that I also want to tackle.)

Fran the Enabler

I've had a falling down of sorts. I don't suppose I was on any actualy yarn diet, but I do have enough sitting in the stash that it didn't warrant a yarn purchase. And yet- here is the stash's latest... Cherry Tree Hill's sock yarn in Spring Frost.

The last post I went on and on about having no time to knit, then Thursday I got to my argyle sock class and this yarn practically jumped off the shelf into my arms from the moment I walked in. See- I actually almost bought this yarn 8 months ago. It was after the first Cherry Tree Hill socks I ever knit and I was absolutely enamored with the yarn. After doing a little ebay shopping I found the Spring Frost color and heavily debated buying it. I was sidetracked by a negative ebay online knitting purchase however and never did buy it.

Enter Thursday and I walked over to the yarn display and there it was. I knew it was "spring frost" before I even looked at the label. It was beautiful. Simply beautiful. I picked it up and said "oh look it's spring frost"- which I think kind of freaked out the yarn shoppers who were like "who is this weird person who knows the names of yarns by sight only?" The colors were beautiful and I immediately thought to myself... "self, this is too coincidental to let pass by."

Except I did. I restrained. I sat down, away from the yarn and focused on knitting my sock. Only... I also sat next to Fran in my class. Fran who saw me pick up the yarn and covet. Fran who watched me put the yarn back like a good little knitter who already has a monster stash. Fran who watched my eyes move over to the sock yarn even while I was supposed to be paying attention and knitting in my class. And that's when Fran started... "you should buy that yarn"... "you really owe it to yourself to buy that yarn"... "you need to celebrate your first pay cheque with that yarn"... "you were meant for that sock yarn".... "take it home.... take it home... oh look, I'll bring it over to you!"

And that's when I crumbled. I could resist purchasing the yarn when it was a fair distance from me, but when Fran, the ENABLER, brought the yarn that I covet for one "final" inspection, she knew what she was doing. I could not restrain any longer... helpless in the face of the pretty, pretty yarn, I caved and bought it.

Fran, for all intensive purposes is a pretty nice woman- funny, obsessed knitter, what's not to like, but I'm going to have to watch out for her... she knows my weaknesses and she doesn't respect my budget. (In the interest of full disclosure Fran also left with yarn which she found while picking up my "spring frost" yarn- so I suppose technically my obsession enabled her... but I digress.) I have one class left... and there was some other stuff I really liked in the store, if Fran enables me again, I'm going to have to take her home with me so she can explain the yarn purchases to the husband!

No Time to Knit

*sigh* the title says it all- I’ve had no time to knit. Since the start of my brand new shiny job, there’s been very little time to pull out the needles and devote 5 hours straight to creating stitch after stitch like I used to. Don’t get me wrong, the new job is good, but I’m also going through serious withrdrawl for the time I used to spend on my knitting.

I hate how unproductive I’ve been vs. how productive I want to be. I have three projects on the go and an impeding baby blanket that I need to hurry up and start not to mention the Sunday Hat project which I’ve, *gasp* neglected for two weeks in a row!

Here’s the breakdown:

Un-Finished Object (UFO) #1- The Tilted Duster

*sigh* (again!) I was so excited about this project. I didn’t just look at yarn, I LABORED over what yarn to order, comparing and contrasting the finer points of each one. I jumped into it wholeheartedly- and then came the time to sew up the seams. Since the seaming delay, and being stalled to block the fronts and backs to continue on with the lower part, I haven’t touched the sweater. At all. I’ve looked at it longingly, SEVERAL times, even wound balls to pick up and knit the stitches, but then something always comes up and I can’t work on the thing. If I can make some time on UFO #2, then I can devote some quality duster time this weekend, but again, that’s probably going to prevent me from working on the hats. (I have to keep reminding myself that I planned on knitting ONE hat a week, and the fact that I’ve averaged 2 hats per week, I’ve built up some good will on the hat front.)


The sick thing is that I had hoped to finish this sweater quickly, enabling me to wear it around during the rather “crisp” Calgary fall weather we’re having. At the rate I’m going, and with other projects trying to fight their way out of the que, I’ll be lucky if I get this sweater done NEXT fall.

UFO #2- The Argyle Sock

I went to my first argyle sock class this last Thursday and it was awesome. I always enjoy surrounding myself with “knitters”- people who “speak” my language and understand the compulsion that comes over me when surrounded by a room full of yarn. I nearly cried with joy when the yarn shop owner told me to pick out my 3 skeins for project. What’s sad, is that I totally knew BEFORE HAND that I had to pick out my three skeins of yarn, and even though it was totally expected, being told to pick out three colors and use them for some reason made me endlessly happy.


Anyways the sock is rather interesting, if not a little complicated, (oh the ends I’ll be weaving in!), but it’s a nice change in the socks that I have been knitting. I have, for the longest time, wanted to have someone walk me through the whole “intarsia” thing since I’m worried I’m not doing it correctly. The nasty thing about this little project is that I need to get a certain amount done before my classes. While the instructor was adamant that homework wasn’t necessary, in order to keep up, I need to get through at least one pattern repeat, if not TWO before the next class if I want to be sure to learn all the techniques that she’s offering. This basically means that UFO #1 and certainly the baby hat projects need to go on hold until visable progress is made on the new sock.

UFO #3- The Whisper Lace Socks

I couldn’t help it. This yarn was just sitting there, calling to me- begging me to knit it and make it into something pretty. (I am helpless in the arms of pink Koigu.) Realistically I couldn’t take the sweater on the plane ride to San Francisco, (um… yeah… I went to SF this weekend… did I not mention that?), it was just too big and the argyle sock was just too finicky to work on the plane. BUT, I wanted to knit something. It has been so long since I’d knit (seriously a week and a half), I just wanted the joy of seeing something that I’ve worked on come to life. And so, last minute, 5 minutes before I’m supposed to leave for work, I’m winding the Koigu at break neck speeds so that I can take it with me on my plane ride. (I ended up being late, apparently winding yarn at break neck speeds means you are destined to screw it up and spend twice as long.)

I made fairly decent progress on the cuff while waiting for my flight- but progress was delayed ON the flight thanks to the worst turbulence ever. (I have never been on such a rough flight and I’ve flown A LOT.) Thank god I had my knitting which did keep me somewhat calm, but as the turbulence got worse, (and worse still!), my ability to knit and clutch the seat in supreme panic lessened. I eventually had to put the knitting away, and haven’t touched it since.

On the upside, a) I survived the flight, despite thoughts to the contrary and b) I finally got to tackle a picot edging, which is both cute and interesting to knit. Sadly this little project will be filed in the “low priority” que until the argyles and duster get some attention. On the upside it’s in my “portable project” bag, meaning if I take my knitting out of the house, (I usually bring it to work, not that I’ve EVER worked on it), that’s the one that travels best.

All that and I haven’t even addressed the projects that SHOULD be on my needles, but aren’t. It seems my lull in need for baby blankets is over as new friends have announced an impending arrival, bringing the need up to 2. I have patterns, hell, I even have the yarn, I just don’t have the TIME to start these up. One baby is due in January and the new baby is due in March… I’m certain there will be a rush in baby announcements in the next few weeks because that’s apparently how it goes. My goal is to have a blanket on the needles, (not finished mind you), by the end of this month. I know what it’s like to have a rush on blankets and I have long maintained that this time I will be prepared! (Although I will admit that I’m thinking of doing the same pattern for both since they’re fast… how lame does that make me?!)

Trying to figure out a new way to squeeze in as much knitting time as I can is going to be a difficult challenge for me. (I also need to squeeze in the gym at some point too!) Geez, squeezing in enough time to WRITE THIS BLOG ENTRY has been a challenge- please bear with me… I haven’t stopped or given up, I’m just looking for any spare time I can find!

Anyone want to pay me my salary now to knit all day? Because that would be awesome.

*sigh* back to work for me!

I Don't "DO" Patience

Some pretty pink hats for hat Sunday! One is plain and boring and the other is a very cute little basket weave. I've been rather lazy on the whole "creative hat" thing as of late... perhaps I'm losing a little of the "steam" I once had for such an addictive little project.

The Tilted Duster is at a standstill... and I can hardly stand it. I moved along on the fronts/back and sleeves quickly, but now I can't really go further, until I can block the fronts and backs at least. Viola... I call this "Duster in Pieces"

Sadly, my blocking supplies... ie TRUSTY WATER BOTTLE, are in a box, somewhere in a warehouse in Calgary. (Hey... at least they're in Calgary... took them long enough.) Our stuff is scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning, meaning that I can finally a) be reunited with my stash and b) UNPACK and settle in this one horse town. All this vigor and unpacking is not going to leave a lot of time for the Duster to get attention until sometime around the weekend. *sigh*

The thing is, this sweater pattern, so far, has been pretty fun to knit, and I'm DYING to get it off the needles and on my back! So, it sucks that I have to be patient and put some other things, like MOVING INTO MY CONDO after a month of living without stuff, ahead of the knitting project. (It also doesn't help that I've started my new job, and so my days will be busy with this whole "working thing" that people apparently do EVERY DAY. {I'm kidding}) I'm already missing my knittery life of leisure in New Haven, where I knit when I wanted and where I wanted essentially.

Hopefully I can get a little sweater time in this weekend, I might even sacrifice a "hat day" if it means making some serious project on my sweater.

Oh yeah?? Remember how I said I was sick of socks? That lasted all of about 28 minutes... because I'm totally "jonesing" to cast on the "Whispering Lace" sock in my pretty varigated pink Koigu, despite my COMPLETE lack of time to give it. Not to mention that I start my Argyle sock class next week and will have to commit to that one for awhile. Can I be patient enough to wait? OR do I cast the sock on now and watch it get neglected for the next month? Stay tuned...

Hat Sunday and the Tilted Duster

Yup. More hats. You should have expected this. The cute little checkered hat is the one I completed last week and the two others were actually knit on Saturday, instead of Sunday but I've decided that it still counts. That brings the hat total up to 13! And, if that wasn't enough, my friend who's a doctor at Peter Lougheed is going to let me know if they want baby hats too. I'm a MACHINE I tell ya!

So much has happened in the last few days, I don't even know where to begin.

I guess I'll tell ya- I got my yarn.

Yes, it's lovely, and maybe slightly brighter than I thought I was ordering. (I will admit that I am rethinking the red over grey, but have decided to surge forward and see if I surprise myself with how much I like the red in the end.)

While I'm pleased with the yarn, I'm a little bummed about the company. Here's the thing: I love WEBS with my whole heart. When I lived in New Haven they were an hour and a half away, and any order I made they sent almost over night to me, it would arrive so quickly. The staff is unbelievably nice and friendly, (witnessed first hand at the Harlot event they held), and in general I believe it's a wonderful company. Sadly, I don't think I can order from them anymore. They are great and wonderful to order from if you live in the US, but I was a little less happy with them when ordering from Canada. Not only did I end up paying $20 in shipping for my three skeins of wool but I also got dinged $8 GST charges from customs (not WEBS fault might I add.) With the savings I had ordering from their company, I completely lost on shipping and tax. In fact in general, I ended up spending $15 more than I would have buying it from a yarn store here. (Not that anyone actually carried it in Calgary, but in general, I over-paid.)

I'm frustrated and a little sad about this loss. I love WEBS. I love their products. I really love their prices. I love that they're good at what they do... in the US. But, being in Canada, it's just not economical for me anymore to order from them. I will continue to order if I know I'm going to be in the US and send it to the location I'm staying at, but in general, there probably won't be any Canandian orders anymore... it's just too expensive. That really makes me sad, because, well, I like to support businesses I like. I just wish the shipping hadn't been so astronomical.

In happier news, now that I have the yarn, I can finally start the project I have been obsessing about ever since I bought the fall issue of Interweave Knits: the Tilted Duster. Oh my goodness I have been DYING to begin this project. Yesterday, after a successful gauge swatch, I finally got down to making the back. (Which I'm almost done!) So far the wool is knitting up nicely and everything is working out lovely- I'm sure there will be much discussion as I continue.

Given that is going to my last week of freedom to knit for awhile, (surprise! I got a job!), I'm also casting on the Alphabet Blanket pattern by the very creative Debbie Bliss. While I will not be using Miss Bliss' yarn, (one cannot buy the yarn in good conscience when one is unemployed... hopefully this will now change), I will be using the Bernat Baby Soft. (While I may be a yarn snob now, I still prefer this stuff to knit Baby Blankets... it's just soft and pretty and knits up nicely and I'm not going to defend it anymore!)

September has started with a bunch of new! exciting! projects!, and surprisingly, no socks. I just need a little sock break for a bit. (But not to worry.... neither of the two new projects are very portable, so there will be a new sock soon.) Either way, I'm really happy to be sinking my teeth into something new. Must dash.... the Tilted Duster is calling me.....