I Wimped Out

I didn't go to the game last Saturday.  It was just too hot.  So I stayed home in the A/C and watched the game on TV.  I could hear the A/C coming on very often during the game.  A friend went and said it was quite unbearable.  All in all, I think I made the right decision.  I would have been very uncomfortable at the game.  I don't like wearing shorts to the game.  I don't like how I look in shorts.  I have very heavy legs.  I don't know where they came from.  Both my parents had thin legs and so did my maternal grandparents and paternal grandfather.  I didn't know my paternal grandmother.  She died when I was about 2 years old.  But from the few pictures I have, she didn't look like she had heavy legs.  I blame it  on starting dance lessons at the age of 4 and continuing until age 13.  My legs are always the last place that slims down when I loose weight.  My shape is a cross between a pear and hourglass.  I have a rather large bust, a thinner waist and then larger hips and thighs.  When I buy slacks, I always have to either take in the waist or tightly belt them.  Lately, I have been eating better (with occasional splurges) and am slowly loosing weight.  The jeans I bought in early May can now be pulled off without unbuttoning them. (Okay, the fat does push in when I do that, but they slide down really low if I have my keys in the pockets.  They almost came down while I was out shopping.)

On the knitting front, I bought the charting program Intertwined Pattern Studio the other day.  It doesn't have a demo, but for $44 it isn't that much to invest in a charting program.  I do have the demo of Knitware Basics to try along with the Intertwined Pattern Studio.  I have seen a lot of beginning designers using the Intertwined program.  I haven't heard too much about Knitware Basics, but thought trying the demo couldn't hurt.  I have several designs I would like to put on the blog but want to have charts as well as written directions.  Personally, I like using charts.  I guess it's from all the cross stitching I did, or maybe the Fair Isle and intarsia knitting.  However, I know that some out there can't use charts for a variety of reasons.  That's why I want to give you both.  So I will spend some time playing with both of these programs and let you know what I think. I have finally finished knitting the seed stitch top.  I have yet to do all the finishing.  Bad of me, I know.  I could use another summer top.  But I got distracted by BadCat Designs Summer Swatch Me KAL.  I spent the whole week catching up to the group on the sampler.  I also decided to make it wider and longer than the original.  I can knit stockinette and lace fast.  Especially when there are no beads to add.  I normally use the crochet hook method of adding beads to knitting.  I've tried the dental floss leader method and am more comfortable with the hook.  But I found a curved beading needle when I was shopping at Michael's for some inexpensive worsted weight wool for the Level 1 Master Knitting swatches.  I haven't checked them for flexibility but if the curve flexes enough to go back on itself, I may have a new way to slip beads on stitches.  I'll let you know how it works.

I have to confess, I am not a monogamous knitter.  I cannot have just one project going.  I think I have 8 or 9 projects on needles right now and the one top to finish.  Five are not for me, an afghan for my nephew, a pair of socks for a friend and three baby things for charity.  The others are KALs that I've joined and got bogged down in (usually by beads) or lost interest.  I eventually do go back to them and get them done.  I get sidetracked by the next KAL or it's time to get the charity knitting out or something lures me away.  I get them together and go through them.  I tend to finish the seamless projects right away.  (Duh)  But don't think I hate finishing, I don't.  I need to be in the mood to finishing and I do it well.  If I'm not in the mood, I do an okay, but not great, job of it.  I think the finishing can take a garment from "home made" to "hand made" or "custom made".  Sort of the same difference between ready to wear and couture.  You really don't want your work to scream HOME MADE.  You want them to have a custom made look.  Your finishing skills can make all the difference.  So practice your seaming and blocking to get that professional look.  Bye.