Bad Blogger

That's what I am.  I guess it's because I don't think that I'm very interesting.  And lately I've been feeling very scattered. I have a bad case of startitis.  That's not my usual.  I usually finish what I start before going on to the next.  Or at least, I have only one type of project going at a time.  Like I have only one lace project, one mindless knitting, one heavily patterned, you get my drift.  Right now I have at least 5 lace projects, a pair of socks, the gift for my nephew and at least one charity knitting project.  And I got another charity project off the needles last night.  Then there are at least 5 other projects that need to be blocked and finished.  Only one of the lace projects has any business being on the needles, well maybe two.  I'm doing Bad Cat Designs' Summer Swatch Me Knit Along. It's still in progress since summer isn't over.  I'm up to date with the clues despite starting late.  We have 4 or 5 swatches left to finish the sampler shawl, just the edgings.  The second lace project that has some rights to be on my needles is the MMario design, Ylenore.  I would have finished this, but ran out of yarn.  I thought the 1000 m I had of a lace weight 70% silk/ 30% cashmere blend I had would be enough.  I need at least 500 m more. So I went back to the seller on eBay and got 1000 m more (2 balls).  Now I'm waiting for it to come from China.  They said it could be here in as little as 7 days or as many as 21.  I've been really surprised by this yarn.  I haven't had a knot in either ball, it feels wonderful in my hand, and it was really inexpensive.  I got it for $0.99 and $8.95 shipping for the 2 balls.  A silk/cashmere blend for less than $5 bucks a ball is pretty good.   I know telling you about this bargain might not be wise as I may not get this yarn for the minimum bid any longer, but they have quite a few listings, so I'm not  overly worried.  And I want to share with my friends.

So now onto the other UFOs that shouldn't be hanging around.  I have the Moonfleet shawl Knit Along still hanging around.  And two Goddess Knits Knit Along shawls languishing, one since the Fall of 2008 or 2009.  And MMario's Mystery Knit Along from earlier in the year is sitting waiting to be finished.  Then there are the socks for my friend Angela.  Part of it is the pattern, it's a bit fiddly. The ribbon and hearts pattern is different than any other I've done.  I have maybe 2 more repeats to finish the leg on the first sock.  I think it's just a tight knit for some of the stitch manipulations needed for the pattern.  But it's what I need to make sure the sock will fit.  My nephew's throw is big now and hot to have on my lap, so I'm not inclined to work on it. I should get it out and measure it.  I have 5 or 6 balls left so not too much left.  I guess I should do one big push and get it done.  The charity knitting deadline is in mid-October.  So I have some time for that.  But I would like to get a few more pieces done for the hospital.  We'll see, but at least I have 6 things to donate already done.  Maybe one more.  Then there are the 3 sweaters for me that need to be blocked and finished.  That's all they need, seaming and blocking.   Not a lot, but I'm not in the mood.  And I could use 2 of the sweaters now.  They are summer weights, one I designed for myself using a ramie/silk blend from ColourMart.  The other is a bamboo tape yarn made using a sideways pattern off Ravelry.  It really can go 3 seasons so it would be useful too.  I won't use the tape to seam it.  I think it might add bulk to the seam.  I'll use some embroidery floss that matches the main color of the yarn.  Not that it matters that much since I use mattress stitch for these seams and it's invisible.  The third sweater is a vest I made last Feb but haven't seamed up or blocked yet.  It's out of Debbie Bliss Chunky Donegal Luxury Tweed, a winter vest.  I'm in no hurry to do that.  But should get it done and out of the way.  Then I can take stock of what I have for me and plan my knitting accordingly.  I do have yarn to do another Vine Yolk Sweater from the Fall 09 Twist Collection.  I made it in Whisper, an alpaca blend (now discontinued) for winter use.  I want one in a cotton blend for the rest of the year.  I got some Rowan All Seasons Cotton in a dark olive green for it.  Then I have some hot pink Gedifra Top Soft for  Lorelei from that same issue of the Twist Collection.  There are about 3 or 4 sweaters I want to make in the current issue and have the yarn in my stash.  But I won't start anything else until I get this UFO list down.  I promise.  I have a big lace project planned.  I'm going to tackle the Queen Susan Shawl.  I have ordered some hand dyed yarn from Knitivity in Pearl for this.  This pattern is available on Ravelry.  It's an old Shetland shawl that a museum in the UK had published.  A group on Ravelry was interested and made some inquiries.  They wound up working out the pattern and published it with the museum's blessing.  Last time I checked, no one had completed knitting it but quite a few had started.  I haven't gotten the 10 skeins of Dura-Lace from Ray yet.  The shawl is quite big.  I figured out I would need 9 for the estimated amount given in the pattern, but chose to get 10 just in case and since it hasn't been completely knitted.  Queen Susan will be a massive knit on fairly small needles so I need to clear the decks.  So I'm off to knit.  Bye.

Baseball, Butt Cracks and Slow Progress

Today I experienced the phenomenon that is Red Sox vs Yankee baseball.  If you've been reading this blog, you know I am a Yankee fan.  However, I do not hate the Red Sox.  I actually feel bad for them this year.  Given all the injuries they've had this year, it's pretty remarkable that they're in third place.  But there are some fans, both Yankee and Red Sox, that become really obnoxious at the game.  I'm not sure if it's just their personality or the amount of alcohol they've imbibed.  The obnoxious Red Sox fans quieted down when the Yankees tied the game in the bottom half of the inning where the Red Sox went out to a 2-0 lead.  And then some obnoxious Yankee fans gave it to the Red Sox fans when the Yankees took the lead and held it to the end of the game.  Some people do need to learn how to be gracious winners.    Oh, Mr. Buttcrack was back again.  Luckily, this time he had a shirt on that was untucked.  I did catch a glimpse of his red briefs when he reached up, pulling the shirt up a bit.  Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one with low riding pants.  It really isn't a pretty fashion statement and it really looks funny when the pants' crotch is halfway to the knees.  I guess this too shall pass, but not fast enough for my tastes.

I'm making slow progress on the Teal (Pink) Ribbon socks I'm making for Angela.  The pattern is a little tricky especially making the ribbon part.  It is also slow going because I started the sock on size 0 needles.  That was the size I needed to make the gauge that was given in stockinette stitch.  I got about 4 inches up from the toe and thought the sock looked too narrow.  I checked my gauge on the bottom of the foot and found that my gauge was off.  So I went up to a size 1 needle and it is at gauge and the circumference of the foot is correct.  I don't know why my first gauge swatch was off.  I did it in the round and stockinette, so it should have been okay.  The only thing I can think that made the gauge off was that I tightened up while doing all the cableling and pattern stitchwork on the top of the foot.  But it should go a bit better now that I'm off the 0's.  At least there will be a few less rows to the inch now.  I have another pair of socks from the Knitters Brewing Co for me waiting.  They are fishnet socks with a flower applique.  I'm not sure I'll put the applique on the socks or use them as a pin or hair clip.  I should get back to working on the shawls for the store I want to start.   I will be selling on Etsy and a stand alone website.  Right now I have only 3 shawls completed and think that I need more inventory than that.  Then I have a bunch of things I want to make for myself.  The latest Twist Collection has come out and there are at least three sweaters I want to make there.  Then there's the 40+ things in my Ravelry queue and the charity knitting I want to do and, well you get the picture.  There are just not enough hours in the day to get all that I want to do done.  I guess I'll either have to grow two more hands, clone myself or prioritize things.  I guess since the first two alternatives aren't going to happen, it will have to be the third.  So I'm off to do just that.  Bye.

Spectator to History

Today I was a spectator to baseball history along with 47,500+ people.  I was at the game where Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run.  He became the youngest of the six other players who have achieved that mark.  It was very unexpected, happened in an instant and was the only hit he got during the game.  It was wondrous to watch the ball fly and hope that it would go over the wall.  And when it did, it landed in the net over Monument Park.  There was no fighting over the ball, no negotiations for it with a fan.  Just a pure and simple flight into history.  It seemed quite fitting.  The roar of the crowd was deafening.  The ovation lasted the whole trip around the bases and then some.  It started up again when Alex came out to play defense.  He tipped his cap to the crowd several times.  It was something to see.  The couple next to me had their 10 month old son with them.  I am sure they will be telling him about this and showing him all the pictures they took for a long time. 

I have now taken my knitting to the stadium twice with no problems.  Of course, it is mindless knitting so I can watch the game.  This time I took a snuggle sack to donate to Cooper University Hospital.  It was at a point when all I was doing was going round and round.  I did start decreasing for the bottom.  The sack is made like a big ski hat, a long tube that tapers at the bottom.  I'm doing a little variation by having the first 8 to 10 inches open.  It can be closed with a button, or left open.  There's a pattern for this on Ravelry.   Here's the link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/butterfly-baby-wrap .  I had made some plain sacks for them earlier and thought this variation would be good.  There will be some knit  fabric behind the baby's head and  may  keep the baby warmer.  I'm using an acrylic worsted weight held double.  If you have a chunky weight yarn, you won't need to double it.  They are cute and would make good baby gifts.  Many babies sleep better if they are swaddled.  It also adds a extra cover that is safe for the child.  So if you're caught in a rash of babies and need some quick gifts, give this one a look.  Bye.

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.

Do I stay or do I go?

No, not the song, but to the Yankee game?  I'm watching the game now trying to decide if I go to the game tomorrow.  I'm having a hard time deciding because we are having another hot spell.  It is supposed to be in the mid 90's tomorrow with a heat index of 103-105.  I'm not sure if I want to sit in the stadium tomorrow in that kind of heat.  Last weekend when I was there it was hot but not that hot.  It was in the low 90's and with the heat index, high 90's.  I went through 4 bottles of liquids during the 6 hours I was at the game.  Plus some ice cream.  I did have a little breeze and was in the shade, so it wasn't that bad.  But I'm not looking forward to 100+ temperatures at the stadium.  The only reason I would go is to see if A-Rod hits his 600th home run.  He got 599 on Thursday against Kansas City.  He has gotten a lot of milestone home runs against KC, his first, 250th and 500th.  So I'm waiting to see what happens tonight.  Already, Jorge Posada has gotten his 1000th run batted in so there's one reason not to go.  But 600 home runs is a big deal.  Only 6 others have gotten that many.  Yes, I know a lot of the players that have over 600 home runs used performance enhancing drugs, including A-Rod.   But unlike Jason Giambi, A-Rod hasn't had the dramatic drop-off in hits and home runs after going off the drugs.  It has been longer between 500 ans 600 than any other 100 run segment, but he is also getting older.  So I will watch the game tonight (like I wouldn't otherwise, NO WAY) and then make my decision.

I have started a pair of socks for a friend.  They are from the Knitters Brewing Co, their June KAL on Ravelry, and called the Pink Ribbon Socks.  I am doing them in teal for my knitting friend, Angie.  Angie has just completed chemo for fallopian tube cancer.  If you don't know the colors of Awareness ribbons, teal is the color for reproductive cancer.  Angie is doing well, all the treatments worked and she is getting back her hair.  So if I go to the game, I may take the socks to work on.  I did take knitting last week to the stadium and it wasn't a problem.  The hearts and ribbons pattern on the sock may be something I can't do without watching, especially since it's on 2.0 mm needles, US size 0.  It's a bit tough to see, so I may have to start something mindless to bring with me.  Maybe I should start another baby sleep sack or blanket for charity.  They are mindless and require no attention from me.  And the needles are big enough for me to feel the stitches as  they come up to the needle tip.  Everything I have on needles now require charts and I really don't want to take a chart that I will have to keep looking at.   I guess I will start a sack on large circulars,  US 11's or 13's.  The sack is done with heavy chunky wool or double worsted weight.   I made a few for Cooper last year and should do some more.  They help babies secure while sleeping and quieter.  They swaddle the baby.     I guess I now have a plan.  So next break, I'm off to see what I have that I can combine to make the sleep sack and find my 16" circulars in size 11 and 13 and do a swatch to see how I like the combo.  So I'm off.  Bye.

What happened to the time?

OK.  I promised I would be blogging from the TKGA/CGOA event in New Hampshire TWO weeks ago.  So you may be wondering what happened.  I did take my laptop to the show.  I figured out how to access the free wifi at the hotel.   I even went online to see how it would all work.  And did I blog?  NO!  I was alternating dying from the heat.  Manchester, NH was no cooler than New York City after July 4th.  OK, maybe 5 degrees cooler, so what's 99 with high humidity compared to 103 and high humidity.  No difference in my opinion.  Then I was freezing in the class rooms and my hotel room.  The classrooms, I had little control over the temperature; my room, I battled the maids.  I would set the room at 74-75 when I came in.  The temperature would be reset to 68 after the maid was done.  It would take some time to warm up.  Add on that I could not direct where the A/C blew, and, of corse, it blew directly on the head of the bed.  I came down with a terrible cramp/ strain/whatever of the muscle going over my left scapula.  You know, that wing shaped bone on the bottom of the shoulder.  I went out for some pain killers.  Got some generic Aleve at the local drug store because I wanted the longer relief but it didn't work as well as the ibuprofen I had in my bag.  So I braved the heat again to get some ibuprofen.  This happened on the second day of classes.  I made it through my classes and some friendly knitting in the lounge.  I then hoped that sleeping in my own bed and at the normal temperature I keep my house at would help heal the shoulder.  No such luck.  It still hurt and it was taking 600 mg of ibuprofen four times a day to keep it in check.  I decided that typing was not a priority until the shoulder felt better.  Even knitting was not a priority, so I did not finish the top for the ColourMart challenge.  In fact I finished the sleeves today, a full day after the challenge ended.  I still have to block the pieces, sew it together and run in the ends.  I did finish one entry, a lace shawl, but I doubt I will win any prizes.  I did not accumulate enough points for a first place in any category.

The classes at the conference were great.   I would say all of them were the quality you get at Stitches.  In fact they probably are the same as those given at Stitches since many of the teachers will be at Stitches.  The cost for classes were less than Stitches especially if you are a TKGA or CGOA member.  And if you're interested in crochet, there are may classes to learn or hone your skills.  It isn't as crowded as Stitches so you can really see what's in the market or get the attention you need in class.    The market isn't as  big as that at Stitches, it still gets enough of a choice and had everything you needed for the classes, in case you forgot something.  I saw Lion Brand and Dale of Norway there as well as some yarn shops from as far away as Virginia and Canada.  I started the TKGA  Masters program several years ago, but have been scared to send in my swatches for evaluation.  I went to an additional program specifically on the program.  It definitely helped me get over my nerves on submitting my book.  They had the books of previous Master candidates with their evaluation letters.  I could see what was acceptable and what was not.  So while I did see that I has some work to do and needed to replace some of my swatches, I gained confidence that I could get through it now without redoing any of my swatches.  I also learned that the program was being revamped with a greater emphasis on gauge, one of my pet peeves.  I noted that there was very little mention of gauge and how to obtain it in the Level 1 program.  I think it is a basic of knitting and the understanding of gauge, how it's measures and ways to obtain it should be in the Level 1 tests.  The committee agreed with me and are changing the program to do just that.  So now I have to wait until the end of the month to get the new program, redo some of the swatches, rewrite a report and submit my book.  Wish me luck.

LASTLY,
I want to let you know about an independent fiber artist who is supporting wildlife rescue efforts in the Gulf.  As you know, the Gulf is rich in wildlife and they are in trouble with the oil leak there.  Susan of Susan's Spinning Bunny has made a special colorway called No More Oil Spill whose profits will go to help with Gulf wildlife.  Here's a link to her palette where you can see a picture of the yarn and a project made with the yarn, http://www.spinningbunny.com/yarns/yarnpalette.html .  I picked up some for socks and mitts.  I know knitters are compassionate people and animal lovers at heart.  After all, we love the fibers and yarns that those animals provide.  Bye now.  

Holiday Weekend

I was in the Bronx  today as it was one of my Saturdays for a game.  It was a warm, beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky.  I was quite comfortable because my seat is under an overhang and not in the direct sunlight.  It was brutal if you were sitting in the sun.  Many men had wet handkerchiefs on their heads trying to keep cool.  I saw many a sunburn walking around the park.  In fact, I picked up a slight burn on my decolletage.  Not sure if I got it while driving over in the convertible or at the game.  I did put on a 45 or 60 SPF product about a half hour before taking the top down on the car.  It isn't bad, just a little pink.  I did get to see more decolletage at the game, more than I wanted.  The man in the seat in front of mine was a David Wells look alike.  He has either  lost a bunch of weight and hasn't replaced his wardrobe yet because he has more to go or wears his pants under his stomach without a belt.  Either way, there was a lot of butt cleavage showing, and not good butt cleavage, hairy butt cleavage, almost all the way down to the anus butt cleavage.   It was not a pretty site and I made sure to look away whenever he stood up or sat down.  It was shown during the 6th inning playing of YMCA and again at the 7th inning stretch.  He finally pulled up his pants and underwear a bit, they were boxers by the way, after the stretch.  I wanted to tell his wife or girlfriend to get him some shorts that fit or a belt, but that would have been presumptuous of me.

On the knitting front, I appear to have gotten my taste for seed stitch back.  I finished the back and started the front.  I have most of the front designed already from the back.  I still have to work out the neckline.  I was thinking about a deep U neck or a deep V neck.  The cardigan that will go with the top will have a V neck and some lace panels.  The V neck makes more sense, it will echo the cardigan.  But I want to wear the top on its own as well as with the cardigan.  I do have a lot of knitting to do before I have to decide.  I'm also working on the Moonfleet Shawl.   I've finished one edging and picked up for the body of the shawl.  I'm behind the others working on this KAL.  Most of the others working on this are more than half way done, probably three quarters of the way through.  I am enjoying it and it is a break from the seed stitch.

I am going to TKGA later in the week.  I will be posting from there.  I'm taking courses on Orenburg lace, a refresher actually.  I'm also taking a class on photographing your work and pattern drafting.   There's a couple more classes in the agenda as well.  I'll keep an eye out for any new things being exhibited at the show.  I am also planning a side trip to Webs on the way back from the conference.   I'll let you know about my finds in their back room, well actually their back warehouse.  Last time I was there, I got some Noro for about $5 a ball.  I wonder what surprises I will find this time.  Bye