What's the Big Whup?

Why has it taken me so long to make up my mind about this silly scarf? First, it was this. (Family brought me back to reality; it was a bit weird-looking.)

Then, it was this. I love the look of this pattern (my so-called scarf) but - and this is my second time attempting it - I simply can't manage to persist past a few rows. I'm just not feelin' the lurve.

So, on to this:


The multi-directional scarf. I think this is the pattern the yarn was made for :) Love it. (Note: I have been referring to the color as Geranium when in fact it is called Regency. Oops.)

One thing this process has accomplished is help me to see that what I appreciate most in a pattern - interesting shaping, construction, and/or texture. Stockinette, or even garter, is a-okay as long as there's someting to look forward to along the way ;)

Other finishes:



Simple crochet scarf from Happy Hooker Crochet. I don't care what my family says about this one, I love it. It's a keeper. Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (cotton/wool blend, divine). Note my fabulous work-from-home-day outfit, complete with bedhead hair. Pretty! Here's a shot sans moi:



Also, this:



Seminole Indian shirt for boy #2s 3rd grade social studies unit. I am not so much the seamstress, but at least it's done, yippee! Design goes around to the back and was fabric-markered by every member of the family, including Nana.

Blue! and purple!

Blue! and purple!, originally uploaded by YawnOver.

Also Good!! (See Red! below)

Red!

Red!, originally uploaded by YawnOver.

I had no idea how much I liked red! Check out the mosaic maker at fd's Flickr Toys. Thanks to cosmicpluto knits! for the link :)

Dogs on Thursday: Sure, He Looks Cute...

...but beware the dark side:

When In Doubt, Cast On Something New

A while back, I was turned on to this book by some lovely ladies (book pushers and arm-twisters, all of them) at a Knit Night I sometimes attend:



I know, I know, Reader's Digest, yawn. At first glance, it looks like one of those late 1990s-early 2000s-era "HIP CHUNKY" knit-type books. Many of us, or at least, I have, come to the realization that the only thing "HIP" about chunky knitwear is how giant it makes your HIPs look. But, some chunky things are good:

Chunky cabled throw from the book:



Chunky vest from the book:



Just plain Chunky:



But I digress.

The book has a few real winners in it, not all of them chunky, including a black lacy wrap and - just what I've been looking for - a super cool top-down aran weight seamless raglan. So, rather than choose from amongst my current holiday gift knit projects when looking for some Red Sox knitting, I opted to cast on said sweater for myself*:




I've been looking for a comfy seamless sweater pattern, and this one is fun and fast. It is a lot of stockinette but so far the shaping has held my interest. I can't wait to get past the armholes and see how it all fits together. The yarn is Paton's Classic Merino in Rouge Red, and it was even on sale! (I love me some yarn on sale.) Obviously, the Knitting Fates were guiding my hand as I swiped my credit card.

I'm not a stripe person, but it would also be lovely in a Noro stripe as shown in the book. A cotton blend like Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece would also be nice. I'll see how this one turns out.

Also, in Seamless Knit News: If you have Cobblestone in your queue as I do, go feast your eyes on this version. Didn't she do an amazing job? Makes me want to go cast on now...

Also,this afghan. Yum!!

must...resist...!

*(Didn't someone just blog about that? The inexplicable need, when gift deadlines loom, to cast on something for yourself? I know someone did but can't remember who...obviously their words resonated with me, the Selfish Knitter hehe.)

Fall Frenzy

Hey, long time no see :) I have been busy, busy, busy with my work and research. Also, the flu, blech, which I have now lovingly passed to my husband. And, with all of this in mind, and after much painful deliberation, I cancelled my room at Rhinebeck and crossed that trip off my to-do list. *le sigh*

Next year, for sure. Y'all have fun out there now, y'hear? Don't worry about me, I'll be okay! (sob!)

I have been doing some knitting. The scarf is a gift for a certain someone who is not much of a knitwear enthusiast, but who has been known to complain about the cold:



Excuse the wrinkliness; it's been rolled up in my purse. Just some moss stitch, twisted stitch, and a big fat cable, but I like the way it's coming out. The yarn is Moda Dea bamboo wool and I'm surprised at how much I like it, too. Very smooth and great stitch definition.

Also - carpal tunnels and other hurty-hand people take note: the needles on this bad boy are plastic! Kids needles by Lion Brand, from the local craft store. They are so plastic, in fact, that they are super-pliable, almost rubbery, with lots of give. Much easier on the joints. Unfortunately, though, they only come in straights and in size 7, 8, and 9. Plastique! Who knew?

Next is the Textured Baby Jacket:



It's getting there! Despite my sweater-phobia, I might actually finish this one. Geez, it's all wrinkly too. (Hmm, my purse is getting crowded.)

Gimme An F!

"F!"

My son swears that's what Frisky is trying to tell us. (Sometimes Frisky actually does get off the couch and run around, though you'd never guess it from my photography.) Happy Dogs on Thursday.

Good news: my laptop is back. From what we can tell there's not a thing wrong with it now. The Geek Squad paperwork said reloading the O/S was only "optional." Freakin' Best Buy. I'm just glad my laptop is back - even if Vista did cause the problem, I love it because it makes everything look really pretty. Is that so wrong? Am I completely shallow?

Anyway, there is a small amount of knitting/crochet to show:

Dorky Crocheted Scarf in Patons Merino Geranium


Dorky Crocheted Scarf Rethought as a My So-Called Scarf


Baby Sweater WIP


Also wanted to pass along the best piece of advice I got about Ravelry: "Start taking pictures NOW and meet your new best friend, Flickr." Thanks, ADD :)

Worst Buy

I don't usually do stuff like this, but I am so angry I want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. I bought a laptop computer at Best Buy back in February. I also paid $300 for the extended warranty and accidental damage coverage that is supposed to cover me for "everything," including spilling a drink on it or dropping it out a window.

It started crashing on me in September. I brought it in to have it serviced and was told it needed to be sent out for service because it was a faulty memory chip, a problem covered by the fancy warranty I bought. Two weeks later it turns out that's not the problem at all - it's the Vista operating system that came with the computer. They want me to pay them $150 min to reload the OS. On top of the $300 I already paid. Why? Because this is a "software issue," and hence not covered by my warranty despite the fact that the computer cannot function without it.

Spilled drink, covered. The operating system craps out, not covered? I don't get it. Especially after the salesperson did such a great job overcoming my concerns about Vista being so new.

So be warned. If you need more reason not to do business with this company, check out what ComputerWorld had to say. Also read this (scroll down to the part after the Circuit City review.)