How I Felt

Or how it didn't.

Remember those coasters? Noticed how they aren't on the side bar anymore and I have been avoiding talking about them? Yes well this is why:

These were knitted up on the same needles, same number of stitches, same washing machine cycle. I couldn't even get that top green one to get rid of it wonky corner. I'm not sure if it's the yarn or my machine. Perhaps high efficiencies don't rough it up enough. Regardless I'm at a loss for what to do. I don't think giving people a set of four different shaped coasters is what I want to do. What is a generic gift you can give to just about anyone without having to make something for each person. With these and the dishcloths from last year I could give it to the family unit. Hats, scarves, mittens, etc. don't really work that way. And there are way too many people for me to even try to do that for everyone. Not to mention the part where I'm that silly "southern girl" who knows Nothing about living in the NorthEast. (Never mind that I was born in New York and lived in New England for three years, let's just say I know what -20F feels like). Anyway.

I am making my MIL the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl.

I got the kit from Spunky Eclectic This is the Nova Scotia colorway. I rather think it looks like the first dusting of snow that has fallen on the last of the fall leaves. Or, it does when it's stretched out and you can see the leaf pattern. This is my first lace shawl. What they say about the pattern being wicked easy is so true. I don't feel lost and have kind of memorized the pattern.

The sock had to be ripped back. This is the round toe cast on from Sensational Knitted Socks. Notice the HOLE. Not how I wanted to start out the life of my sock. I have begun again with the easy toe cast on. So far so good, it's easy, and there isn't a hole.

That is all for now. I will leave you with this.

Now what would a self-proclaimed non-sewer want with all this fabric?

Socks & Box

I finished Little Bug's tube socks. Very stripey fun. She likes them. Can you tell? These were knit up on threes toe up. The blue yarn is left over from some fingerless mittens I made myself and have never taken a picture of. The red is from my first pair of socks. These were my first toe up socks. I used the short-row toe from Sensational Knitted Socks. Now I can do short rows in sweaters and they are fun and look nice. These socks however, well on sock has 49 stitches and the other has 51. They are Supposed to have 50, so at least my average is right. I have no idea how this happened.

I have started my next pair of socks using Lorna's Lace on zeros. I'm afraid of breaking the toothpicks that are trying to pass as knitting needles. This time I'm doing the easy toe also from Sensational Knitted Socks. The back of the Raglan Sweater is finished. I finished it a few days ago and haven't cast on for the front yet.

This is Little Bug's costume. She is a moving box! Yes, that does say "FRAGILE" upside down on the side. There are bells inside the box so it makes a rattling like noise when she walks. She is very happy about her costume. You have to love these early Halloweens where you can dress them up in nice cheap made at home costumes and they love it.

Yum!

Potato and Tempeh Sausage Pizza from Vegan with a Vengeance. Very yum! Yes, slices of potato on the pizza. It works, who knew? Also, slices of Fennel bulb and Oh so yummy Tempeh Sausage.


Obviously I have no knitting to share thus the food distraction.


I do have a non-knitting FO.

Dinning Room Curtains! They go down to the floor but I could get all that in the picture. This is the only window that faces the street and it is a little large. The sun would come through and heat up Mr. Gnome's chair. The other evening Little Bug was eating dinner naked. It was dark out we had our lights on. Nice view for the neighbors.

That thing you can kind of see hanging in the middle is our Halloween lights. I have never had any trick-or-treaters! I was either working that night or just lived in an apt. where no one came. This year I think will be different. This neighborhood has a lot of kids.

Next post will have knitting and Little Bug's costume (not-knitted).

De-Funked

Well that didn't take long. I knew it wouldn't I just had to find something to be interested in. I give you Cabaret Raglan from The Best of Interweave Knits. I'm using Peace Fleece Yarn and Oh is it yummy! So squishy and bouncy and the Color!

This really doesn't do it justice. It's not really that blue. It is a bluey-purple with flecks of bright blue and bright pinky-mauve. So pretty.

Funk

I am in a knitting Funk. I finished two projects just after getting into the house. I was so busy while knitting these that I didn't get to dream about what I'd be knitting next. Usually I get all excited about the next project while I'm finishing the first. Finishing be meant to mean while knitting the first sleeve, not the actual finishing. I'm usually so anxious to start the next project by the sewing up part that my sewing up leaves a little to be desired. ahem... Anyway. I was so busy unpacking that I didn't really even realize I was almost done with a knitting piece. That and the bolero went so fast! I do my gauge swatch, when I'm good enough to do one at all, while I'm still working on the first project. This time I was done and I had nothing to knit. I still had to figure out what I wanted to knit, wind the yarn into balls, and force myself to knit a gauge swatch. That's what I've been doing since I finished the bolero. Nothing fun no real knitting. I haven't been able to get excited about anything. I started a sweater for Little Bug. I had to rip it all out, I cast on too few stitches and making the self striping yarn work was going to be hard, well impossible. I bought the yarn on ebay and I think I only have partial balls. Sigh... and well grrrrr

This is all I've done. Coasters. Cast on 20 sts knit for 31 rows..... Huh? What? Oh sorry, I fell asleep. The two on the bottom are felted as the others will be. I need to make 36-42 of these.
I want to knit myself a sweater. I want to knit myself a sweater that doesn't look like ass. I want to knit myself a sweater that doesn't look like ass that I can wear to visit my in-laws this Christmas. So I can say "OH you like my sweater? Thank you I knit it myself; just me, yarn, a couple sticks and detailed instructions. Why, yes, I'm not a good for nothing. Thank you." This is the stress I put upon myself.
On non-knitting topics but with the possibility of funk. Little Bug has decided to wear panties. You see all her friends are wearing panties. So she told me she should wear panties too. I have been Dreading potty training. Mostly just the pee, going back to the funk, as in funky smell. I don't know why this bothered me so much. I cloth diaper, I deal with the pee all the time! She had one day of total accidents, the next day I had my act together and was getting her on the potty in time. Now it's a split between her telling me and me asking her. I didn't think she'd get it this fast. I'm really proud of her.

Move, Moving, Moved!!!

Well we've been here for almost two weeks! I'm mostly unpacked and mostly put away. The big move day went great! We had some Wonderful people show up and help. We seriously couldn't have done it without them!!! Moving day was followed by me getting sick, with a clogged duct, and a massive bloody nose. I don't take stress well sometimes... All is better now. Little bug never got sick. She said ew a lot when I had the bloody nose and kept pointing to my owie on my nipple. So supportive...

Two days after getting into the house, in the midst of unpacking and feeling like crap, I got my Ravelry invite!!!!!!!!! That truly did lift my spirits!!! It is just as cool as everyone says! I haven't had the chance to explore it as much as I'd like. Darn unpacking, cooking, and cleaning!

Now onto FOs. I finished Little Bug's bolero. This was an "I need to make something that isn't crap and I need it to be quick" project. One needs these things after a complete knitting disaster.

Now for reasons we won't analyze here and now I made the size based on the amount of yarn I have as opposed to the amount of child I have. This is a 4-5. Little Bug is about a 2-3. She'll grow. It's cute and turned out fine; especially if you consider that the yarn was gifted and the pattern came from a library book. In other words I didn't pay a thing. Bernat Baby is icky stuff. It's splity and uneven and just icky. Add Crystalite needles to this acrylic yarn and you have a very squeaky knit! It is done, I have succeeded at something. On with life we go.I finished the Tofutsie socks. These are done on size 2s, could've been done on 1s. This is neat yarn, a bit splity but tolerable. I love the colors and the funky stripyness. The stripes aren't always the same size and actually the heels for some reason are completely different. I like that. They are top down using the "Alternating 2x2 Rib" from Sensational Knitted socks. Maybe not the best pattern for this yarn but I don't know what would have been. I have quite a bit left over! The ball band didn't say how much is in a ball. I'm going to make Little Bug some socks.

As far as what's on the needles now. Bupkiss! I re-cast on for Little Bug's second sock. And well that is all. I Wanted to make myself a sweater, you know that fits. But I can't same to get a decent gauge swatch. So I'm at a lost.

To add to the craftiness that seems to have become my world I give you Fabric. The striped is for Living room curtains and the green (it is green, really, don't know why it looks gray, it's a sageyish green) is for our dinning room. The dinning room window is a little bigger than normal and lets in a TON of afternoon sunshine. To the point where the chair closest is hot to sit in. Now I just need time to make curtains. Time without the Bug's help. She's a great helper really but sometimes...not so much.

I've started thinking some more about Christmas knitting. I Want to make Mr. Gnome a hat, need to find pattern, I Want to make my SIL a hat, need to find yarn and beads, I Want to make a ton of coasters (the ones I posted about earlier), need to wind skeins into balls and do a test run. As far as other people. I just don't know what to knit them. So I guess I just won't. Ah well, their loss.