26 September 2006

Insert Pathetic Whine Here

I'm having one of those days. Maybe you've had one? Where everything that runs across your path simply points to twenty billion more things you should have done and have to do, and the phrase whattaloser comes into your head more than you'd like but it's all self directed? Failure day.

That's today in my sandbox.

Maybe the problem is I'm only looking at the day's equivalent of those teensy little offwhite stitches that look like a tension flaw. Even though I know they'll even out in the blocking (and with tweaking), this day is like the kind of knitting day where you can't see Oh COOL, look at the forearm of the sweater. Cool. I did that.


Wish I could have seen the day like I can see the sleeve. Here's to maybe, someday, learning more from my knitting.

23 September 2006

I did frog last weekend


Knitty sp7




Adriennec outdid herself in finding clever ways to spoil me. I am in awe. I'd write more, but there's a bus to catch. For now, pictures. I'll edit next week. The lovely lemon verbena soap was too shy for a photo. Imagine it on the beautiful washcloth.

20 September 2006

Invisible Girl

Still here. Massive frogging. Sock knitting. More on the Equinox. SP7 beautiful things to share - adriennec outdid herself, and she has challenged me to step into some great new directions.

Meanwhile I'm invisible here in the knitting blogosphere. No pictures to air my progress. No stories that amuse me. No one is washing my dishes. My laundry started to catch up and then lagged behind again, lazy laundry. Fortunately cats are fed.

However, I'm keeping quite busy. There's singing and dancing and carrying on. There was knitting aplenty on buses and trains, but I gave myself a few days off from carrying too many things. I read last night. Today I gazed out the window and drank coffee. Enjoyed the anonymity of the urban commute.

More when I can whip off the cloak of busy invisibility.

09 September 2006

Frog the darn thing!

Spitting Yarn mentioned it.

kt gave out the challenge.

I could do with a little guilt offloading.

I join late, but I think this is a worthy task.


I've been rehearsing the idea for the better part of a year.

This is what some of the unknit portion looks like.

I think it will be worth it.

Copycat, copycat

Seen over at SABLE:


My Personality
Neuroticism
72
Extraversion
68
Openness To Experience
92
Agreeableness
71
Conscientiousness
40
Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report

MySpace Surveys, Bebo and MySpace Layouts by Pulseware Survey Software



Interestingly, I think my levels of guilt and perfectionism (see Neuroticism above, *ahem*) take the conscientiousness factor far lower than I'd have expected. Quizzes are interesting beasts.

06 September 2006

Labor Day Knitting

It's interesting to track where spurts of knitting start and where they lead. Interesting to me, I suppose. I'd been picking up some oddballs of Karabella's Aurora 8. It's a very soft, rather springy multiple of merino. I'd been picking up dark colors in the sale bins of a couple shops over the past months. Wasn't quite sure where they were going. Sunday afternoon I ran a bunch of errands in neighborhoods I can't get to during the rest of the week. Picked up a pair of shoes that I'd ordered. Stopped into a Trader Joe's. And I stopped at the yarn store to pick up the order of a book I'd been ogling. I caved under the pressure of a holiday weekend sale. I picked up enough yarn to make a sweater. Karabella, see above.

I used the Equinox pattern to estimate yardages. When I got home, after some judicious browsing through magazines and books, I decided I might give that pattern a whirl. I'll see if I regret it: there are clearly some changes ahead. Among the obvious changes are my combinations of colors - but I'm enjoying that swap. So far I've been pleased with the mapping out I did - a one to one swap that still follows the chart. I'm getting close to a few points where I may do some internal swapping.

So while the magazine obligingly sang the praise of the care with which the designer worked out just the right colorways, I've pitched that out the window. Well, not altogether. I still have a brown body, a few warmish and light colors - just a different interpretation. And of course, the yarn I'm using won't provide the obligingly fuzzy halo described. Don't care. This yarn is incredibly soft and feels like a luxury. With the boat neck, it will be important, I think. Of course the yarn is just a teensy bit heftier than the designer selection. Sorted out gauge to suit myself - even gave a swatch a bath. I think I've found a gauge that will get me a reliable size, even if the hand and drape might differ a bit from the sample sweater. That's okay. I don't need that much cling. It'll be a cozy and warm thing, which is ultimately what I'd associate with a fair isle type sweater yoke.

More importantly, in hopes of identifying the creative spurt of which I spoke above, I should mention that I've embarked on a HUGE project at work. Very demanding. Naturally, one would think I'd want to stick with my recent bus and train knitting. Not this child. I started on Monday with the sleeve so I could really get at the color work.


Could be worse for a late night fluorescent lighting photo at work.

I've already missed my earlier train. I'm leaving early for the last one. I'm sure that I'll be returning to my regular soporific sock knitting later on in the project. For now, my parallel project is the Equinox pullover.

05 September 2006

Long weekend knitting

There are Fetching mitts (Rowan tapestry is interesting....) in this long weekend of knitting, and 6 or more inches of colorwork knitting on the Equinox whatsit on the Interweave Knits Fall 06 cover. I am not using quite as fine a yarn, but I'm enjoying exploring some color experimentation in using some of what I have and some of what I picked up at the Labor Day Sale on Lawrence Ave. And there are socks in my bus and train knitting bag.

Oh. And I will miss the train if I don't leave.

ETA: I missed my train. Thank goodness there was another in an hour.