Wool is best

Ack! I think I have knitters block. I feel like I've abandoned all projects. Maya's sweater is now in its 3rd incarnation and I don't think its gonna make it. I like Ella Rae yarns, but Amity is just too much acrylic for me. I can't take it anymore. So how do you solve a knitting project problem? Well, in this house you throw more (new) yarn at it. This stuff is right on gauge, but also with too much acrylic and Maya said she didn't like the color.


Sigh.

I pulled my Pom's out and they look lovely, but I'm considering just completely starting the second one over. I still don't know about my Leyburns.
Not having anything in progress that I wanted to work on, I opted to cast on for Aaron's sweater. Again, with the acrylic. Why oh why did I agree to this yarn? Wool is always best.

Sunday

What a long weekend this has been. I caught a cold and started feeling crappy Thursday night. Friday night we had dinner company so I spent a lot of time on my feet and it just about did me in. My body ached so bad that getting up out of bed was like taking a punch to the gut. I felt so bad that I didn't even want to knit! When I did feel better, I ripped back on the Leyburns and worked some extra increases in before I got to the heel. Toe up socks just don't seem to fit right at the heel! UGH! I am so determined to make this pattern work for me that I inc early, did an extra deep heel (2 rows) and kept my sts inc early on to make up for the tight fit. Now its too big. It looks silly. I'm thinking that maybe I should just rip back and start over completely. Maybe finish my Pomatomus' first. Start something new. Wind my Araucania into a cake and start the Artichoke Socks. I don't know. It's going to be September soon and I want to have the kids' sweaters finished. Maya's sweater with the gauge issues seems to be vexing me. I decided the Plush yarn is soft, but won't hold up to the kind of use she'll put it through. UGH! I don't have yarn the gauge needed for the pattern.
Aaron's sweater is tempting me, but I have guilt about starting his when hers was first and now will be put aside. I need to start the Backyard Leaves scarf as its a present and at this rate, I'll barely get it done in time for Xmas. Also, theres the christmas stockings!! As long as I get the kids' stockings done, it'll be okay. Mike and I can wait another year.
So its Sunday and I'm feeling a bit better. Gearing up for another week of school. Lots of errands and knitting to do!


later:
okay, now that I've added pictures of the sock, it doesn't seem too bad. But still, its a little big around the leg. I've got bird legs okay?! Large ankles + small calves = hard to make hand knit toe-up socks?

Mas estambre esta aqui.

Holy fricking sock yarn Batman!

Stash Enhancement eXpedition

I woke up this morning with the idea that I could go to the LYS to look for a contrasting yarn for Maya's cardigan. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out so well (she chose the corniest seafoam green/blue that goes with no other color). But in the front room they have a new arrivals area. It automatically drew me in because it was handdyed wools (like a moth to a flame I tell you). Anyway, I happened to notice besides the bulky stuff there was...fingering weight. Sock yarn weight. Handdyed Araucania sock yarn in multis and solids. My heart fluttered. One of the employees came over to me and together we may have stared and twittered over it for a good 5 minutes. I had a reddish color chosen originally, but decided on this one:

Next, I stumbled upon some Jo Sharp Silk Tweed Aran that I decided I may be able to use for a sweater I want to make for ME. I'd looked at it once already and was about to go when something caught my eye. It looked like alpaca all purple and fuzzy. I was half right:
Ultra Alpaca

I've been waiting to get a hold of some of this yarn for a while now! Its beautiful and perfect and I bought 7 skeins with no design in mind! All I know is that I will find some pattern worthy of its soft warm perfectness. Yum!

Doggie love

This is a-freakin-mazing. Alex is home now doing well. What a sweet family!
I love how there are suddenly so many dog videos on the news websites. I think maybe Vick's dogs haven't died totally in vain. I also love how the Atlanta animal shelter is using all the donated Vick jerseys as clean up rags/pet blankies. AWESOME!!

More socks

Since I've put away my Pomatomus', I snatched up another ball of Bearfoot and cast on. Unfortunately it was the wrong color for the socks I was knitting: Leyburn by Mintyfresh. It turned out okay though, I messed up the toe and a repeat so I took it off and started over with the right colorway.


This is starting to be a bit familiar, everytime I try and start a pair of socks, something goes wrong and I end up frogging and restarting! Good thing my love of knitting is pure and blind and I don't care if I start over a million times.



Maya's sweater is coming along too. The gauge is definitely off, so I'm trying to decide if its time to divide the sleeves from the body yet. There seems to be lots of projects to work on, and I've added a lot to the queue on ravelry. There are 3 new babies coming and I want to knit for all of them. I knit a Saartje's Bootie, but promptly misplaced it. I have no buttons. I don't know the sex of one of the babies....I need to find some patterns for these kids ASAP.

School and moths!

Well, school has started here in Gwinnett county and surprisingly, my sanity is still intact. I knew this was going to be a big to-do because its Aaron's first year of school and they both wanted to ride the bus.


So they are.
To make a long story short, they are riding the bus happily while their mother sits at home fretting and pacing wondering what they are doing and how they are feeling with each passing moment. Today is Thursday and the first day I haven't felt a twist of anxiety about them being on a bus/at school. Who knew being a mother would be so freakin' difficult? I must admit though, it is soooooo nice to have the house to myself all day. Wooot! If it weren't so damn hot, I'd be out running in the mornings or practicing some material for Kung Fu. I've got 6 months of material to review for a brown belt test which I can take anytime after next week. Oiy. That makes me nervous. The Grandmaster is coming to town in September to do some testing (black belts only) and I'm going to go watch. This is gonna be awesome!
Anyway, I've been knitting up a storm. I started Maya's sweater.


I can't decide whether I hate the yarn or like it. It's Ella Rae Amity. Its soft, but in the heat it feels scratchy and unforgiving. I took it out to the bus stop yesterday and knit practically 10 long rows before the bus got there (in 100 degree weather - growing up in El Paso has conditioned me I suppose). Its producing a pretty fabric so I'm sure it will come out looking okay. I measured the gauge and it seems off, but the measurement of the sweater seems on track...? I don't know...it seems to be working so I'll deal with whatever problems as they come. Thankfully, this is a top down cardi so I should be able to fit it as I go.
I had to put my Pomatomus' away! I found a dead moth in my finished sock! Then I proceeded to screw up a repeat on the second. I didn't rip back yet. I just stuffed the whole thing back in its bag. When I pick it up again, I'll have to nuke it for a few seconds to be sure to kill any larvae. EWwwww. So I'm gearing up to make either the Leyburn's or the Flickering Flame socks. I ordered some yarn from Bluemoon Fiber Arts. Yipee! I'm really excited for it to come. More packages!

August 2007, the month of Ravelry

The lack of posting is due to ravelry overdosing. Also, as a result of my Ravelry fever, my Flickr uploads are maxed already for the month and its only the 10th! Ugh!
One of the coolest things about Ravelry is getting to see other peoples FO's. All the modifications they may make, the colors they choose, the body types....it's so interesting and is changing the way I think about knitting. The only bad thing is sometimes you come across an awesome FO and the knitter hasn't really written any descriptive notes on the process, not to mention the hours wasted staring at your computer screen.
Anyhoo...all the sock knitting I've been doing lately has gotten lots of ooohs and ahhhhs from the fam. My dad has asked me twice now, "when am I going to get something?" and "is that for me?" Ack! I absolutely adore this man..I love him more than I can say. I'm worried my knitting skills are not good enough to give him something worthy of....him. I don't think I want to make socks: its usually a crap shoot that the socks I make for myself will fit, let alone someone else. A scarf? I don't think he'd use it. He might use a hat during the colder months but I'm not sure. I would absolutely LOVE to make him a sweater or vest, but I'm unsure about his chest measurement and don't want to give myself away by whipping out the measuring tape. A ribwarmer? Tomten? (have you seen Brooklyn Tweed's?!!) I want him to have something useful and comforterable. Nothing too fancy or intricate. I'm really at a loss! You know what this means....yep, more pattern hunting on Ravelry.

And because I hate posting without pictures, here's a random one from the Buffett concert a few years back.

Yep, this is how we roll. BTW, thats my friend Val and her hubby Derek. They're awesome can't you tell?

Progress

Yeah!! I finished my first Pomatomus!

Its very bright blue, soft, warm and pretty. I don't like the toe however. Maybe on the next one, I'll try a different toe. Does it matter what kind of toe technique one uses? I'm sure some lend themselves better to certain patterns, but I'm going to do some investigating.
Also, I got my Interweave Knits today!! That is the earliest its ever gotten here!! There are soooooo many nice patterns in this issue. Now I remember why autumn has always been my favorite season.

Socks, Ravelry and school

Well, I've been knitting away on the Pomatomus socks despite some confusion on chart B. What is it with me and lace charts?! Anyway, I figured it out and they are coming along. I'm actually at the part where I start the toe decreases. This is a cool pattern, but I don't know if I'll make a second pair. I will however, definitely make a second pair of Embossed Leaves Socks. Those are just so pretty!! In other exciting news....I finally got my Ravelry invite! This is waaaaaay cool! I've been adding stuff and researching projects all week. Also, I've been discovering that I have way too much yarn. Yarn without a purpose! In addition to that, I've been gearing up and mentally preparing myself for school to start. The kids definitely drive me batty all day, but I'm going to miss them a lot when they are gone all day.