YEEEEEEES.

I finally mastered Continental knitting!! I don't think it's faster yet, but I was already a speed demon with English. That being said, I feel like a god.

Expect a pic post

Okay, I've finished Mariah, and some bobble socks, and 3 commissions, and never posted about them. Such a bad knitblogger! So, when I'm finished with this scarf I'm making my mom (in the name of not dragging one more ball/WIP to school) I'll try to do some photography and be less lazy. Maybe Mariah's evil, evil sleeves (my KRers know them well) might get adjusted in the next two days. But probably not.

Hi Gail!

Oh my God oh my God oh my God

I'm about to seam Mariah. I think I'm gonna be sick.

Oh my sweet JESUS!

I actually just finished the second sleeve of Mariah. That means all the pieces are made, save for the hood, which I can't do until I do all the shaping. And oh God, am I scared about the shaping. I had a dream where I read the pattern and it actually said "you aren't ready for this."

That's not a good sign.

I hate crochet.

SO MUCH.

I can't do the "yarn over" all cool like everyone else in the damn world that crochets and make the hook do the work. I have to pull it with my hand. Which entirely defeats my purpose in crocheting. It looked fun and cool and fast and no, I'm some sort of special ed fiber freak. It took me MONTHS to learn to knit, and I can teach people in 2 minutes. I feel so stupid. Oh boy, I can make a chain. In a way that I don't like. That justifies the expensive book I bought, clearly.

I shouldn't be wasting my time with this, and instead, be agonizing over that Mariah sleeve.

Not gonna lie.

Chewing my own arm off so I don't have to make the second sleeve of Mariah is becoming an ever more appealing option. Right front is finished but I'm adding an inch to the left from and back, since I always find myself pulling the Ribby Cardi down. Really concerned about the lack of shaping and all the putting on holders. This yoke thing is scaring the crap out of me.

That's kind of a letdown

A few hours ago there was a 19 inch sleeve hanging off my needles. Now there's the woolen equivalent of an eyebrow. I mean, that means the sleeve is finished, but as soon as I finish, I'm back at the beginning again!

To be honest...

I really hate Mariah. I hate everything about the process of this goddamn pattern. I hate that THERE IS NO LOGIC TO ANYTHING and I hate I've metaphorically ripped out so much hair over this. Maybe I'm not good at math, but could someone tell me if I'm right here?

C0 46 stitches for a small.

K1.
Do two repeats of the pattern. It's a 22 stitch repeat normally, but for this pattern, you end a stitch early. So it's a 21 stitch repeat.
K2.

1 + 42 + 2 = 45.

NOT 46. NOT 46 AT ALL.

oh god someone out there has to have done this pattern and can help me.

Mmm, Willow's End

I was going to be good.

I wasn't going to buy more yarn until I'd destashed at least another ball or two.

I had two WIPs that had been untouched for nearly a month while I'd been on a reading spree.

And then my mom suggested we go up to Boothbay Harbor. Where the best yarn store in the world is.

$120.61 later, I had a couple more WIPs.


It doesn't have a brand name to it, but it was on sale and oh so alluring. 80% Merino, 20% silk. It might be a hat or something. I don't know. It's just so pretty.


They look like little Easter eggs. 100% "egyptisk bomull," which, in my limited knowledge of Norweigian, I think means "Egyptian cotton." It certainly feels like it. All of these will be for doing my own (for once) striping on socks.


"Mega Boots Stretch." I have no idea, but it's Lana Grossa, it's pink, black, yellow, and orange, and it's 70% virgin wool, 23% polyamide, and 7% "elite (PBT)," which I think means something. And looking at it now, apparently I spent $16.25 on it. And I kind of wish I hadn't. Oh well, excuse to quickly destash it.


Picture doesn't do it justice. Color Me soft cotton, in "Elegant," beautiful turquoise, seafoam, fuschia, and lavender.

Berroco Foliage - Russian Sage
Had to link to a big pic of this one from a commercial site, because no way could I do justice to something this beautiful. And how fitting that I picked up "Russian Sage" the day I finished Dr. Zhivago.

It was so great to be yarn shopping again. When I was in the store looking over the finger weight yarn, even just in plain solid colors, I was absolutely euphoric. The store owner asked if I was okay. I had to laugh when I realised I was just as giddy as when my boyfriend that I hadn't seen in a month visited on Sunday. But I haven't been yarn shopping for even longer, and my hands had been off the needles for a while when I took a break to read 4 books. But for the long ride, I picked up my Forever WIP, a pair of socks alternating between ribbing and stockinette every inch and a half. I bought some new size 2 DPNs in the shop because I couldn't deal with the bitty Brittanys I was talked into in another store. I need long needles, damnit! Also, toothpick size needles made of wood have a tendency to break when you jump off your roommate's top-bunk bed down on to the couch in a hurried attempt to find the phone. Fancy that! So we're switched to some metal Susan Bates needles.

I should be getting back to Mariah and that damn sleeve soon. Now, of course, I'm caught up in these socks. I did more in 24 hours than I did in months, so maybe they might even be finally done soon.

I did not know I could do this.

So far so good. I was afraid that the blank rows weren't supposed to be there, but in looking at other finished Mariahs further, I see I'm right. Hmm. I think I'd kind of prefer a more continuous pattern, but who am I to question these things. It's just such slow going...

It's a sweater!

Well, this was a learning experience. For instance, I learned:

*Sleeve cap shaping is not an option... if you like raising your arms.
*If you have your doubts about a yarn while it's in progress, chances are, you will when it's done.
*I have never owned a white sweater. Why did I think this would be any different?
*I need to give myself more credit. I designed a sweater!

So, without further ado, the sweater. It's done now, pending yarn end weaving, but there was only a row added to the neck after this was taken last night. It's resting on my lap like a kitty right now.

Oh, and that's no typo in the filename. Living in a college dorm and having mostly male friends, I took a lot of good natured ribbing (oh, bad Jenna) about the bobbles inside circles design.

Click to go up a size.

Oh God help me.

I finally started a sweater I've been procrastinating on since Christmas. I couldn't get the right pattern, so I decided what people won't do for me, I'm better off doing myself. So I'm *gulp* designing a sweater. Mostly. I'm converting a cardigan pattern to a turtleneck pattern and putting a fun stitch design in the front middle that'll run up and down the length of it. Either a cable or a gansey pattern of some sort. Let's hope this works.

On a cute note, the adorable BF (he of the "Ribbed for His Pleasure Hat") and I were talking today and he mentioned his family being from the Isle of Aran. He was a bit confused, albeit amused, by my gleeful spazzing. He then wondered how he'd look in an Aran sweater. That was prompt enough for his introduction to "curse of the love sweater." I may have known you for a year and a half, but with three months of dating, I can't do a sweater yet. Maybe three... decades.... of marriage? :) He's still getting webbed toe socks next time I'm on a yarn buying spree (so, as soon as I chew through the restraints), though.

Socks!!

Add one more to my contributions to Year of the Sock! The rainbow beauties are completed! They're quite the pair, and I love the way the Sockotta pooled. It looks like fruity pebbles. No need to add to my server space with a pic of the pair, though... Take the pic from January 5th and double it. I finished them a few days ago, after telling the new boyfriend to go do something boring so I'd have an excuse to knit :)

Current project is a lovely mid-calf sock with picot edging done in some KP Simple Stripes. I turned the heel last night and I'm on the foot, which, while monotonous, should be made quick work of. I'll post a pic when I don't ahve 46 yarn ends hanging out everywhere. You'll see why.

Speaking of ends, winding mohair just plain SUCKS. My hank is now 3 balls of varying size. Apparently I don't know my own strength when trying to yank it off the hank. But hey, I've got plans for a crazy hat with it. Top down, since I doubt I have enough to make a real awesome hat, with Berrocco Quest to pick up the slack at the bottom, making the most ostentatious brim ever. And giving me an excuse to destash some Quest. I'll even get to ENJOY gauging! I got my Boye Needlemaster in the mail 2 days ago, thanks to Joann's online coupons and I'm giddy with anticipation to use it. I'm glad I got that instead of the Denise set... I like the metal needles and the different colors, as well as the size range. It'll give me an excuse to try that 2 socks on circulars thing... As will my ball of Opal. I tried to resist, but I was bringing a friend to the store, and I had a $12 credit, and it's just so alluring. At least it's just one ball instead of 5. I'm learning self-control, really...

THAT yarn.

Ever have one ball of yarn that just PISSES you off? You don't know why you bought it, you don't know what you'll ever do with it, and its very presence in your stash just angers you, because you know it'll never come out of the box to make room for something actually useful? Such is my problem with this ball of Apple Green Patons Melody. It's soft, yeah, but a hideous green that I can't justify making a scarf or hat or anything out of. Possibly a pillow, but that's really the last thing I need. Okay, possibly a pillow for charity.

I really hate that ball.

Polar Bear!

So my aunt was after me since May 18 for a polar bear from my World of Knitted Toys book. I decided to hold out to make it a Christmas surprise. I redid the whole pattern to take it from fingering to bulky weight yarn, using Patons Divine, which was just lovely to work with. Okay, my breakdown when sewing it together and losing my tapestry needles and being afraid it looked like a big white pig and losing my bag of eyes (the toy ones) and everything else about the putting it together was wildly unpleasant, but with a little creative sewing and turning over the final item in the living room to find my needles, it came out great.

Trendsetter Yarns - Jupiter

Ever see a yarn and think, wow, that's beautiful, but a little rich for my blood and I have no idea what I'd ever do with it... and then the shop owner comes by, catches you admiring it, and lists all its wonderful qualities and then it simply must be yours? And then, you just leave it in the stash box and wonder what if anything you could do with it?

Of course you have, you're knitters.

Such was my issue with Jupiter. Oh, she was alluring, with her soft black yarn and what I finally decided look like the hair samples you see in the dye section of drugstores. So, I remember the man that worked in the store (nothing as refreshing as a knowledgable male YSO) telling me the display scarf was in box stitch, and I seemed to remember big needles. Thanks again to about.com, I figured out box stitch, which sucks on too-big needles and black yarn in a dark house. Can you see it? No, not at all. But neither garter nor stockinette was giving me the look I wanted at all, and this worked out great. Fancy that. Click to... you know the drill.

Garter Lace Scarf

Knit in one of those cool new JoAnn's yarns, the Italian ones that are actually a decent amount of wool and fun colors, using a stitch pattern I learned off about.com. I made it for my aunt for Christmas and didn't realize how bad the picture was until I had sent it on its way. Oh well, just trust me, it's beautiful. Click to embiggen. ;)

My first contribution to Year of the Sock

Long time no blog, huh? Trust me, I've been knitting, I've just been lazy about uploading. So, I've been wanting to do something more exciting with my socks than "use a different color yarn," so I tried my hand at Becka's Loopy Socks pattern on KP. I added some personal interpretation and made the leg shorter because I didn't imagine myself ever folding down socks when I could just make them shorter, and added two more rows of loop stitch in the middle and at the ankle. And yes, that's Knitty's how-to-graft site behind my sexy, sexy foot. I think I've finally got it, though. Click to maximize the hottness.