I'm Back...

It's been a while...hate it when life gets in the way of my knitting.

I have been up to my ears in school stuff - teaching and my own work - as well as being *very* sick for a few days. I know I'm *very* sick when it's so bad that I can't knit. Because I can knit through a lot of things.

Anyway, I'm finally feeling better and am taking a little break from work. So here's some stuff that I found on my camera.

Beautiful sky picture taken by Boy #1:


Front and back of the Prudence vest:


You can't see it here, of course, but the back turned out a full 1" shorter than the front. So, R-I-P will be happening sometime soon. Fortunately, it should only involve a few rows. Other than that I think it will be a perfect fit! I'm excited about getting this project wrapped up, though by the time it's done it'll probably be too warm to wear it.

Did a bit on my parents' ripple last night. It's a great mindless thing to work on. I hate working with the Dale though. It's very splitty. My hook goes right through it. My best guess is that this is adding a good 20% onto my crochet time. Oh well, it really is a beautiful yarn, and it is SUPERWASH. Gotta love that in an afghan.



Below is a gratuitous chihuahua shot. The sweatshirt actually has a little pocket underneath, just like a people one.


Frisky actually has an online chihuahua love, and she's just as cute as a button. You know who you are, SofeeSu! Tee hee. So cute.

So, not sure what's next in knitting. I obviously have a few things to finish, but I am in need of a quick fix kind of project - small, colorful, spring-ish, (but not socks as I have too many in the queue already.) Any ideas?

I'm Still Here...Knitting and Everything....

*Caution* Photoless blog post.

I have been quite busy, what with my students and their midterms, kid bball playoff games, and the big DI tournament and all (12 hours straight of screaming kid creativity - woo hoo!) this weekend. Surprisingly, though, lots of knitting has gotten done. I've finished the back of Prudence and will cast on for the front tonight during coughcoughAmerican Idolcoughcough. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

As I read this over I am suddenly aware of how little of my schedule is about me! When did that happen, anyway?

*Sigh* well, this week it's all about me, baby. I'm on Spring Break, so no more teaching-related business till next week. Bonus: my kids' are NOT on break. He he. Chick flicks and a margarita for lunch? Mais oui!

Reflect, reassess, RIP

My snowbird parents came up from their winter hide-a-way to visit us this weekend! Kids and chihuahua were duly spoiled. A lovely weekend was had by all. Love you guys :)

This Lenten season seemed like a good time to come to terms with a little unfinished business in my life. As I abstain from peanut butter (kids chose our family sacrifice this year, he he)and try to abstain from new book and yarn expenditures, I review my in-progress knitting projects:

Unresolved Issue #1: The gorgeous but oh-so-not happening Deb Newton rectangular wrap from VK Fall 2005.



Since I don't have a cashmere budget (har) I purchased some Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in colorway Twig for this project. Loved the yarn, loved the color, but it was really sheddy...and, much as I love alpaca - yes, it's the poor girl's cashmere - I wasn't crazy about the idea of my clothes being covered with it.

So, I ripped that out and substituted some Plymouth Suri Merino (50/50 alpaca merino) in black:



But this is all the progress I'd made in over a year!! Turns out that knitting in black (even with this very soft and lovely yarn) is a pain in the arse for several reasons. For one, I can't see the stitches I'm knitting very clearly. For two, I can't see the pattern emerging as I knit.

Frustration + boring = frog.

Here's Plan B:



It's the Prudence Easy vest from berrocco.com. A gal at SnB was working on the cabled version a few weeks ago, but I, um, have enough going on in that area already and definitely don't need the added funk of a ginormous cable. So, Easy it is. A wee bit boring with all the stockinette, but it's good soccer mom/tv/movie knitting. (Hello, spring kids sports season!) Also, I will definitely wear the finished product. Vests = good, more so after age 40.

Unresolved Issue #2: What to do with those, um, 14 skeins of Inca Alpaca that have been hanging around for as many months.

After a considerable amount of fondling and self-reflection, I've come to the conclusion that I can accept the sheddiness of the Inca Alpaca, I can! It's so soft and cushy! And I must not buy any new yarn till I use up some of my old! So off we go:



Word of caution: almost unbearable softness. Store in back seat of car while driving...

Hope my SnB buds had fun this weekend - with any luck I'll see y'all next time :)

Painful Week

Those warnings you've heard about drinking around your computer? HEED THEM. In the midst of a crazily busy week (including dh away on business trip and multiple work projects due)I decided to unwind one evening with a little glass of pinot noir...a little too close to the laptop, but I'm always so careful...phone rings, I reach for it...kerplunk, splish splash, computer crash...*sigh*

The bad news? Extended warranty was up in October and the cost of fixing was roughly equal to the cost of a new low-end machine. Doh! The good news? I heart my new Gateway :) Which I can't afford. But I also can't do school or job without one.

So, what with all of the hassle of copying over the backed-up files, figuring out where they've hidden everything in Word 2007, and getting used to the Vista operating system (okay and playing around with wallpaper), not much knitting has gotten done.

I met up with some friends (hi Patrice) briefly the morning after "The Pinot Incident" and got a few rows done on the ripple afghan:



Then at an especially painful SnB (painful as in laughing until your insides hurt) on Sunday, I made some sock progress:



I love short rows but (as I've complained about before) I hate picking up the wraps. So my buddy Lynne mentions to me that she doesn't deal with those wraps at all. "Not at all?" I ask, my eyes wide with fear and awe. Nope, says she. So I take a deep breath, and just ignore those little buggers. Guess what? Fastest heel I've ever turned, and you can't even see the wraps - plus - *no holes*! I bow to you, goddess of sock heel.

And hey, you guys (Lynne, abby {who really needs a blog}, Naomi) - thanks for a hilarious afternoon :)

Winter Wonderland

It's been quite a lovely week around here. First we had a snowstorm - with actual, real snow. Fun for all, except Frisky, who lasted about 90 seconds:

"Too dangerous, people - it's a blizzard out here, for the love of Pete! Turn back, I tell you, turn back!"


"Not. gonna. make it. Need chewbone, and (gasp!) fireplace, oooooooohhhh."


And we had loverly flowers:


And there has been some knitting, and even some crochet:
Colinette Jitterbug kid socks:


Ripple afghan in Dale Falk:



Today we ventured out early so the little one could finish painting scenery with the rest of his DI team. Since then, though, we're enjoying a relaxing day at home, trying to figure out what exactly to do with the 50-odd egg cartons we've saved up and which dvd to watch. Decisions, decisions...

Bring on the Ripple

I love to read yarnstorms because the photographs are so lovely and the projects (knitting/crochet/quilting/baking and the ever-so-artful arrangement of candies, cupcakes, china, and Playmobil people) so creative and inspiring. I offer this by way of justifying my recent decision to change gears on my parent's afghan - instead of blocks from 200 Crochet Blocks , I've converted to the simplest of ripple afghans. Mind-numbing, you say? Perhaps. But go back to yarnstorms and feast your eyes on this...and this and you'll understand.

Ripples - I just gotta have 'em.

The only problem? The DK weight Falk I purchased for the project. Something tells me I'll be at this for some time. *Sigh*

Oh well, it'll be good to have something to occupy myself during the endless rounds of Clue and Battleship I'll be sure to be playing tomorrow. Word has it we're about to get socked with a NorEaster and you know what that means. I'll believe it when I see it, but oh, what I wouldn't give for just a few runs with the kids down our backyard sledding hill!!

"Yoo-hoo, Sofee-Su!"

Finally - it's done.



Doesn't he look handsome? I had to bribe him with a treat to get him to pose.



"Thanks, Mom! It's nice and warm."



This was a fun project - it took a little time, but I think the result is worth the effort. Makes me glad I have a chihuahua and not a Doberman!

Almost done!

Today was an SnB day (aka "sanity.") Lynne was there, working on an amazing shawl, and newbie Eleanor (blogless, as far as I know) who brought her aunt. I made lots of progress on Frisky's sweater, and, after a much needed bath...




...we had a fitting:



Just the ribbing on the body and sleeves and this project will be a done deal!

Now, while I know a lot of you out there are swearing off more yarn purchases, I have been addressing my (ahem) minor book-buying issues. I seem to have especially serious issues with the colonial history, knitting, children's, knitting, and knitting categories. (Let's face it, there's only so much you can justify as "dissertation resource" or "teaching aid.")

Like the KFYS'ers, though, I feel that it's only reasonable to set some parameters on this endeavor. What if some emergency comes up, like I have a skein left at the end of a project? That's why I'm thinking I might have to make this one exception...

"Is it done yet, Mom?"

"Is it under here?"



"It's so cold, and my old sweater is all stretched out! Just look at the neck!"



Poor Frisky, he has been at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to FOs. Fortunately, I'm almost done with his cabled turtleneck:



I'm enjoying this pattern. Hopefully I will finish in time for him to get some use out of it. It's been pretty raw in these parts!

The new router works, and all laptops are now free to roam our home, hooray! Writing and teaching have been keeping me very busy, but lots is getting done, and I feel really grateful to have so many bright and motivated students this semester. (For some strange reason I feel the need to spellcheck "grateful" when I see it in print. Does anyone else ever do that with certain words? It's weird.)

Anyway, in other knitting news, Colinette Jitterbug finally OTN:



So, what are you working on these days?

Why can't we all just get along??

Sadly for me DH has had compatibility issues between his work computer and our wireless router. Attempts to correct the problem have resulted in compatibility issues between MY computer and our wireless router. *Sigh*... Why can't we all just get along?

What this means is: I have to use our dinosaur desktop to go online. Unfortunately, all of my work and banking stuff is on the other 'puter, the good one, the new (well, new-ish) one. The one that's mine. The one that has that nice, accessible USB port for my camera doo-hickey. And other stuff.

Oh well, this too shall pass. In the meantime you'll just have to take my word for it that Frisky's sweater is close to halfway done, and that I have cast on for the little guy's tiger stripe socks.

Way Cool ipod Case

Feast your eyes on ds's Way Cool new ipod nano case:



It took just a wee bit of sock yarn. I got the pattern here. Way to go, Kristi! The design is pretty groovy with the i-cord attached along the sides, yes? Ds likes the whole thing but finds the i-cord especially appealing. (I-cord, ipod, get it? heh heh) I think the whole design is pretty ingenious, including the ribbing on the inside to help keep the ipod from slipping out.

Definitely a quick, fun knit with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock on size 1s. Here's one more shot:

Two Snaps Up...

...and a swirl! The magnetic snaps are in:



At first I wasn't crazy about the plastic outer ring that you sew through, but it does give the thing a lower profile and it has some flexibility. The magnets are very strong. Other than my own amateurish stitching-on, I am very pleased with them. If anyone else is looking for this kind of closure, I got them here. Now I need to start sewing them into some other bags, including my mom's - she left it here for me while she is off basking in the sun, lucky her :)

Finished product:



This one turned out better than I expected! It just needs a little brushing and off to the post office it goes. A little late for Christmas, but I'm very glad it's done.

Productive, I am

Project Update: SIL's Bag has FINALLY been knit, boiled, agitated (repeat) and now it's resting comfortably on a stack of Kashi cracker and rice boxes to dry. As the before picture indicates, it came out a bit squatty:



Interesting shape, especially with the wide striping, love the colors. Hopefully its short stature won't compromise its function; e.g. all SILs s*it falls out of it whenever she leans right or left. I'm looking forward to attaching the straps and seeing how that all shakes out. I finally bought some magnetic snap closures online, we'll see how those work out.

Hmm...what else? Took the family to the Museum of Science in Boston this weekend. Amazing how 6 hours can fly by, and everyone is still not ready to leave. We lifted 500 lbs with ease, controlled our own school of fish, fooled our eyes with optical illusions, and compared the planets in our own galaxy to the planets of Star Wars. We barely finished a corner of the building. I think this will be the year that we REALLY get our money's worth out of that membership; the kids are already mapping out our next visit.

Speaking of Star Wars, the kidlets have finally become interested...so Star Wars marathon we have had, as Yoda might say. Episodes 1-2-3 we have seen. Enjoy Episode 4, I will.

My small one has been complaining of the bitter cold. He even mentioned the phrase "ski mask," poor lil guy. Since my memory of these items involves having my head trapped in a damp, ice-encrusted mass of wool (especially around the edges of those openings in the face, ouch) I decided to whip up a little neck warmer that could be pulled up over his mouth and nose.

Version 1: Made from leftover hat stash. Too wide, too short, too thin. Child enjoys running around with it pulled up over his eyes, yelling "I can see through it!" Note the "design feature" in the center:



Version 2: Finished that evening in front of the tv. Much better fit, though it could be a few rows longer. It is also warmer as I knit it with two strands held together. Extremely fast to knit with the stockinette in the center, though a cable (or even just rib) would look even nicer. Child is pleased, and warm. My work here is done:



Next: Frisky's sweater and the big guy's ipod case!

Sock Tension...

Exhibit A: Type A knitting:



Just look at the warp on those needles! A little tense? Yes, maybe. But here's the outcome:



They are a perfect fit and I can't wait to start another pair. But maybe it's time for some metal dps?

A Whole Lotta Sock Talk

Socks! The perfect project: fits in your purse, short-term commitment, and - truly - one thing that almost everyone will wear. These feel SO. GOOD. (And they're actually for me for once - yippee!)



And I never seem to get over the thrill of watching a whole freakin' sock, shaped and complete, miraculously emerging from a network of pointy needles. AMAZING!!



Even more so with the short row heel because you don't have to stop - ever - and pick up anything, you get to justkeepknitting! Whee!

Speaking of short rows, since I'm one of those people who tends to end up with a bit of short-row holey-ness, I tried following misocrafty's tutorial for short rows without holes. If you haven't seen it, this technique requires you to pick up the wrap(s), knit the now-unwrapped stitch, and then pass the wrap(s)over that stitch rather than "knitting the stitch together with its wrap(s)."

Here's what I found:

(a) One side of my heel (knit pickups) is much nicer-looking than the other (purl pickups),
(b) the wrap pickups are indeed a little tighter, but in exchange I seem to have ended up with three tiny holes up at the top join (ie where you first start knitting around the whole foot after the heel turn) instead of the single, slightly larger hole I usually get, and
(c) I'm quite sure that both (a)and (b)are totally my fault :)

I will definitely try this technique again as the knit side really does look fantastic. I just have to work out the purl problem - I have a feeling it has to do with the angle of approach when I pick up that wrap. Anyway, it's a great tutorial, and have I mentioned that I LOVE my socks?

The heat is on now, as the family has begun to pressure me to decide whose socks come next. As we all know, in the kids' minds this is interpreted as concrete, legally binding evidence of "who you like best." *sigh* Maybe I'll get two sets of dps going, each with one sock for one kid! LOL - And maybe a third for dh?

There's also the belated felted bag, which has been cast aside as I selfishly (HA!) finish my socks, plus the heavenly Malabrigo IHS which could actually be worn now that winter has finally arrived, and Frisky really does need a new sweater. And somewhere, a lonely dissertation proposal lies gathering dust...

What Kind of Yarn are You?

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
Take this quiz!








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Chihuahua Identity Crisis

Late last night as I was working in my office, Frisky the chihuahua wandered in looking very sheepish and wearing my black brassiere...

I kid you not:





Should I be concerned?

Only a little knitting has been done so far today. I was lucky enough to get to chaperone the school field trip to the State House. Can I tell you that both our state senator and our governor totally rock? They put quite a bit of time into our visit and really met the kids on their level. I was also very proud of our students as they were extremely well-behaved and asked some excellent questions - due in large part to their fabulous teachers. Today was one big goosebump for me.

I am soooo looking forward to knitting with the girls this weekend. It has been way too long. I would love to be kitchenering the toes on my socks, and casting on the next pair, but we'll see.

Tulips in 30-degree Weather

Whatever was that white coating on my lawn this morning? Could it be (gasp!) frost?? Hard to believe, but this will be one of the very few days of constant 30-degree temps we've had so far this winter. I'm tempted to complain, but the weirdness of warm (and what it implies) is making me grateful for the cold. Anyway, it will be back up to the high 50's on Friday. Hmmm...

And now, for your viewing pleasure and mine, tulips!



Considerable sock progress has been made, not so much on the felted bag. (Guess the socks are just easier to haul around with me, but the bag could be finished off with one good, non-subtitle movie night, maybe this weekend.) I've added a "sock-of-the-moment" bar on the Progress-O-Meter as I have a (ahem) few pairs in the queue.

One more project: Check out the 1/06/07 post about helmet liners on this blog, and help if you can. I'm going to give it a shot.

Stay warm, at least for today! Can't wait to get my work finished so I can curl up in front of the fire with my knitting, a book, or both :)

Small but Satisfying

While cranking away on the felted bag I ran out of the camel shade with a mere 2 rounds to go. I debated skimping but...it would have been way too noticeable. So I stopped by LYS to grab another skein.

I took little DS with me, a move which inevitably leads to ISE (Involuntary Stash Enhancement). Just look at the sock yarn he chose:



The Colinette on the left is for himself - ! Apparently tiger is in this season. (BTW the new shades of Colinette were gorgeous - I think I will have to go back for some "Popsicle" for myself.) The Cherry Tree Hill is for his more subdued older brother.

I'm thrilled with both of his choices, though something a little thicker would knit up a WHOLE lot faster...so, small but lovely purchases were made.

And for me, a totally out of character color choice that I've been waiting months to knit up:



Can't WAIT to wear these!!! I got a lot done while watching the Patriots game with dh at a friend's house. (Actually, I could care less about football. I taught this friend to knit last summer and today I finally succeeded at bullying her into learning to purl. Hey, you can only get so far with garter stitch, though this girl has cranked out a record number of scarves and even a purse for her daughter. It was just time, you know? I predict there will be ribbing in her future.)

Also out of character, I found and finished up an old crochet project, of all things:



I know, I know, it's a doily, but a pretty bitchin' doily, yes? I ended up skipping the final picot round because I was pretty sure I would come up short on yardage (see pattern picture below) but I think it suits me better this way. I had to bleach out some tiny mystery stains (what is it about white things left in closets???) and I ended up just patting it into shape to dry after getting really angry at a bunch of T-pins that were only trying to help. I won't be making another anytime soon but I must admit - I am proud of this project.



Maybe this will inspire me to get going on that Crochet Squares afghan...

And here is the bag progress:



This week it's back to school for a department meeting and some workshops - time to buff up my syllabi and get back into the teaching (also dissertation!!) groove. Luckily, there's always time for knitting - at the kids' basketball games, at the bus stop...

Over Here, Mom...

Felted bag I'm working on for SIL...

A New Day, and Other Random Stuff

I am a total sucker for ceremony. I cry at church, graduations, weddings, etc and I cried today while watching C-SPAN coverage of the opening of Congress. (With a mouthful of 100-calorie Oreo Thin Crisps. Not pretty.)

This, however, is pretty, and will soon be very pretty:



Tulips!! They are growing at a rate of about 1/2" per day. I absolutely cannot wait until they bloom.

I've been reading (actually re-reading) No Idle Hands: A Social History of American Knitting by Anne Macdonald and Good Wives by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. (NOTE: How silly is it that one can never find these kinds of books in the history section of a bookstore???) Is it too late to change my major? I love living in New England.

I have been meaning to take the kids down to Salem for a hands-on history lesson but now I think I will go by myself first. I haven't been in ages and I really want to enjoy the Peabody Essex Museum and the Witch Museum all by myself, in peace. I also hope this happens soon - maybe now with the 110th there is a chance?

(I wonder what's with all the italics today. Perhaps I am trying to give my random thoughts greater significance...)

On to the knitting...here is Calorimetry 2. Looks a lot like Calorimetry 1, I know, but smaller and less babushka-like. Not that I have anything against babushkas...



The SIL felted bag is smokin' - I love love love the colors. Pics later.

Go Nancy...go, go, go Nancy.