The Rocket

a sudden interruption

2006-06-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

Things have been suddenly and unexpectedly busy here at Chez Rocket, mostly work stuff. Regularly scheduled content should resume soon.

In other news, I taped the Knitty Gritty show about spindling (sucessfully, this time) and I have been doing it ~~all wrong~~ my own special way. A way that's very, very different from everyone else's. (As long as you end up with something resembling yarn, can it really be so wrong?)

another quick cable fix

2006-06-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

I was reading what the Yarn Harlot posted about fixing cables, and it occured to me that I know another way to fix a miscrossed cable. Basically, it is very similar to the Harlot's first method of cable repair, except rather than unknit the entire cable, you only unknit the solitary miscrossed strand, because if there's a ~~lazier~~ more efficient way to do something, I try to find it.

For the purposes of this demonstration, I have used a 6 stitch plait cable on pp 244-245 of Barbara Walker's first treasury, the variation. Let's say you've been knitting merrily along, and you just finished a wrong side row or non-crossing round when you notice a flaw in yout beautiful knitting. Behold, the miscrossed cable:

(It is at this early point in the photography progress that I begin to realize I should have used a color of yarn other than white, for ease of viewing purposes. Mea culpa, I'll know next time.)

OK, you work over to your miscrossed cable, and free the errant stitches from the needles altogether:

Then, you unravel your stitches down to the last cross. In this case, we know it was two rows ago. When you examine the fabric carefully, you will see a little hole caused by two sets of stitches crossing each other at a distance. Normally, this hole is covered by the stitches you just unraveled, but right at this moment, you have set it free. (You may be able to see it more easily from the back of your fabric.)

Now, you have two little stitches that you just unraveled waiting right next to the hole, so push them through the hole to the other side of the fabric, which is not so coincidentally the side of the fabric a correct cable cross would have been made on.

Rescue your little waiting stitches with a double pointed needle. I often use one a bit closer to the size of the working needles, but in this case, I forgot to bring one with me, so I salvaged a sock needle. It doesn't matter, as long as the needle you use is the same size as the working needle or smaller.

Then, all that remains is to knit those two stitches up using the loose yarn ladders that you unraveled way back up at the top of the post. Et voila! You have correctly crossed cables and can go merrily on your way. Have a celebratory drink as suggested over at the Yarn Harlot's, or in my case, a nice glass of soda water with lime.

embossed leaves part 2

2006-06-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts. I am trying to think positive thoughts and remind myself that this was just one test, and the next one might be more positive. By being negative. :)

Now that the brother-in-law socks are finished (yay!), I am making more progress on the Trekalong socks, the Embossed Leaves from the Winter 2005 Interweave Knits. I made a pair for my sister-in-law, whose feet are slightly larger than mine, on US 1 needles, so I decided to make the pair for myself on US 0s, so that the pattern would be pulled tighter and show up better. I think if I make these in Trekking again, I will add another repeat on the leg, and maybe do that repeat on US 1s as well. (I did the ribbing on 1s, for these- if I had done it on the 0s, there's no way I'd be able to get it over my heel. No. Way.)

I am very excited about the Socks That Rock. Not having used it yet, just wound it into balls, it's incredibly soft. I got the Jasper in medium weight and the Lemongrass in light weight, so I should be able to report on both, in due time. Eventually. (Has anyone used the heavy weight? It seemed a little thick to me, but I bet it would make good boot socks.)

Now if y'all will excuse me, we went to the Farmer's Market this morning, and I have some blueberries to eat.

guess what came in the mail

2006-06-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

Some happy happy yarn came in the mail yesterday:

Socks That Rock, in Jasper and Lemongrass. And boy, did I need it, because it seems my glucose blood test was high on Wednesday, and I have to go in for a three hour test to determine if I have gestational diabetes. Which, bummer. Luckily, I suppose, I was going back for the 4-D ultrasound on Thursday anyway, so that will give me something to do in between testing at hour 1, hour 2, and hour 3. The silver lining is to think about how much knitting I can get done with 3 whole hours of waiting room time.

this is a sad, sad day...

2006-06-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

... to be a fan of US soccer.

I mean, I'll still be watching the World Cup, but this takes away from the fun.

one more to go

2006-06-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I spent the wait at the doctor's office putting afterthought heels on my brother-in-law's socks. Here they are, pre-heel, looking a little snaky:

And here they are post heel, looking like actual socks. I used the Round Toe from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks (which is one of two first knitting books I ever bought, and remains to this day one of the ones I use the most.) I wanted to avoid the decrease line that regular toes (even when used as heels) have, but I thought a Star Toe might be a little girly for a guy with such huge honkin' feet.

The yarn to the right of the socks is all that remains of what was once a pretty darn big ball of Regia. It might look like there's a fair bit left, but it's actually cut into about 4 or 5 pieces, since I wanted these socks to match pretty closely. (Which they do. I'm very pleased.) As I was knitting the heels, I had a moment of thinking "I'm going to run out of yarn. Everything about these socks except the heels will match and it will torment me to the end of my days." Luckily for me, there was just enough. I like to live dangerously.

What this means is that I have only one more pair of socks to knit before the Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006 will be complete. Whew! I could do a little dance, I'm so happy. This leaves me free to knit the Trekalong socks, at least until I somehow figure out my father-in-law's shoe size. (I really hope it's smaller than this brother-in-law's. These socks are huge.)

The doctor's appointment went well. Everything looks good, and next week, we're going in for a 4-D ultrasound. We're going to walk out of there with a picture of the Future Progeny's face. Technology is amazing.

from spindle to skein

2006-06-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

Here is the result of my second spindling effort. After filling up the spindle with my single, I decided a good way to skein it would be to wrap it around a book, tightly enough that all the overspun pieces would straighten out. (You can see an overspun piece immediately to the left of the spindle.)

Then I tied cotton yarn around the skein in four points. (I had help.)

Next, I let the yarn hang out in some hot water with a little Soak.

Next, the yarn got hung up with a spritzer bottle full of water to weigh it down. (And in between the last picture and the next, it dried enough for me to rewind it around the back of a chair and wet it again, because the book was just not long enough. The stubby little skein was not being pulled out by the weight of the spritzer bottle.)

Finally, I twisted the dry skein into the familiar shape we all know and love, and then admired it, and made Ben admire it, and taunted the cats with it. According to my calculations, I have 28.5 yards of homespun (whee!) plus whatever's in the first (much smaller) skein. Now, what can I do with 28.5 yards of (thick and thin) yarn?

unmatched cuff

2006-06-19T08:41:00.000-04:00

Aija pointed out that one of my haiku was featured on the Beer Haiku Daily website on Saturday. And then hers was featured on Sunday! You step away from the computer for the weekend, and all kind of cool stuff happens.

We watched a good amount of soccer this weekend. Fun games with some very bad officiating, and lots of knitting time. And, it must be said, bead stringing time. With soccer calling us all day on Saturday, I was unable to resist the pull and made this:

The pattern calls for US 0s, I used US 00s, just because I had them and I could. The cuff is a little big for my taste (not for my wrist- it fits just fine), but luckily, my MIL saw me making it and loves it, so I gave it to her.

I think the next one I make, I'll use smaller squares (3 beads across instead of 4) and eliminate the red beads. They bug me. They're too warm for the rest of the colors, and they pop out too much. Obviously, they didn't bug me enough to pull them out and start over, but they definitely change my plans for cuff number two.

I've also been processing my spindled single (attempt #2) with the notion of maybe knitting something from it. I think I have enough for a little hat, possibly just big enough to fit on the head of the Future Progeny, when he gets here. I've documented my (highly scientific) process, and thinking maybe I need a niddy noddy, because the book I wound my yarn around didn't quite cut it. The Trekalong socks are also proceeding apace. I just need to get out and, you know, trek somewhere with them. I'm pretty sure the parameters were "get out and hike with your socks," not "sit on your ass and knit."

haiku

2006-06-15T11:11:00.000-04:00

Aija posted a link to this very fun contest over at her site. I don't really need to win a beer right now, but man oh man do I love writing stupid haiku. We used to amuse ourselves for hours writing haiku in high school. Here are the ones I posted on the Beer Haiku Daily site:

My brother homebrews.
This fall, my child will be born.
Y'all save some for me.

I used to drink wine
while knitting bibulously.
Beer won't stain my yarn.

Actually, two of my brothers-in-law do in fact homebrew, and clearly, I must send them to this site. One of them actually investigated brewing non-alcoholic homebrew because he's just that nice to me.

And some non-beer ones:

Spindling last evening
was so deeply involving
no knitting got done.

To be good at one
must I give up the other?
Too many hobbies.

I lied. I did knit.
Embossed Leaves needed ribbing.
(Took less than an hour.)

I took no pictures.
Another ball of singles-
looks like yesterday's.

:)

getting better

2006-06-14T09:02:00.000-04:00

Round two of me vs. the sheep fluff seems to be going a little better. Towards the top of the spindle, you can see the results of my first try, and towards the bottom, last night's attempt. It still feels odd, but less so, and the results are starting to look a little bit like "yarn." Didn't Churchill say that consistency was the hobgoblin of little minds (or something like that)? In that case, this single is very great minded.

In other news, I cast on Embossed Leaves so that should the urge to go Trekking strike, I'll be prepared with, you know, actual socks made of Trekking. Also, the LYS is hosting a Stitch and Sip tomorrow, and I thought if I feel like going after work, it might be nice to bring something made of yarn I purchased there. I'm not sure of the etiquette on these things.

Last night, Ben brought home pizza, a dumb movie, and a smart movie. He asked which I wanted to watch, and I asked if he would think less of me if I voted for the dumb movie. So we watched Underworld: Evolution. Hee hee. I am completely curious how Derek Jacobi ended up in this movie, and, in fact, that's exactly what I said when he first appeared on screen: "What's Derek Jacobi doing in this movie?" If you have 13 hours to spare, rent I, Claudius instead. Anyway, U:E was good dumb fun with lots of eye candy and plot holes you could drive a Lincoln Town Car through. My belief is that the end was intended to leave the option of a(nother) sequel open, but instead, it had us looking through the special features to see if there was anything that might further explain what it was we just watched (there wasn't). At least I got some knitting done. (Movies are never a total waste with me.)

help

2006-06-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

Ok, Alyson, I want you to pat yourself on the back for being a very effective enabler:

Now, can anyone help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?

The single perpetually wants to unspin itself. Is this normal? Or am I doing something unconventional? I'm looking at some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, which is basically a single. It doesn't want to turn back into sheep fluff every time I let go of it. Why does my single want to revert?

How does one keep the spindle going in a clockwise rotation without it wanting to cackle evily and begin going counterclockwise?

Coincidentally, Digging for the Truth was on last night. It was the episode about Vikings. There was a brief scene with a woman using a drop spindle. No matter how many times I paused it and went back, those 4 seconds did not illuminate my personal process.

i need a weekend after my weekend

2006-06-12T09:10:00.000-04:00

I did not get much knitting done over the weekend because we had a rich, full social schedule, and I am pregnant and tire easily. Friday night, there was an alumni cocktail party for the high school that both Ben and I went to. We ended up going to a bar afterwards with some folks we hadn't seen in a while. I made it through 2 non-alcoholic beers and about an hour before I had to plead exhaustion.

Saturday, I went to the Farmer's Market with my parents and my sister (and her dog, he's far more popular than we humans are. He gets recognized from year to year, and he's very popular with the under five set) and scored some really delicious blueberries and some pretzel bread. Truly, I can't sing the praises of the pretzel bread enough. The last two weeks have been pleasant, but this Saturday it was hot. At 8 a.m. Man, it's going to be a long summer.

I had my first uninvited stomach touching by a total stranger at the Farmer's Market. (I've had a few by acquaintances, and of course, family doesn't count.) She then apologized and let me hold her little 6 week old puppy to make up for it, so I let it slide. This time. It was still very bizarre.

After the Farmer's Market, I went to get a pedicure with my mom and sister and noticed that my feet have begun to swell. Is it the heat? Am I being punished for the tiny little heels that I wore to the alumni cocktail party? (Or could it just be, you know, pregnancy?) I've been putting away water like I'm moving to the Gobi desert tomorrow. The entire rest of the weekend I spent casting envious glances at the ankles of the ladies around me, admiring their visible bone structure and non-cankle-y joints.

Saturday night, we went to an annual croquet tournament. It's a fun time. The third keg was brought in at 8:45 p.m. I sat sipping my water, watching all the folks putting away beer while walking around on their dainty, unswollen feet, with their visible waists and normal-sized boobs, and it occured to me: I'm kinda tired of being pregnant.

Sunday, we went to a party for Ben's work, after watching a little soccer. (Actually, anything I do for the next month, mentally add "after watching a little soccer." World Cup! Woo hoo!) It was a lot of fun, but kinda hot, and wouldn't you know, all the ladies there had cute feet, too. And they were going swimming. In bikinis. While drinking beer. I helped myself to another Pauli Girl N.A. and a second helping of mac and cheese, thanks.

Then we went for drinks and cake to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday, and I hope I don't have to tell you that I fell asleep on the couch pretty damn quickly after all that. I could use another day or two to recover from all the festivities. A day or two which would be spent on the couch with my feet over my head, in the probably vain hope that all the blood making them look like watermelons might drain away to somewhere useful, and I could see my beloved ankle bones again. I'm wearing my Pomatomus socks today. I don't care if my feet get hot, I want to look at something pretty when I keep obsessively checking to see if the feet I know and love have resurfaced.

I don't know why this is bugging me so much. Expanding midriff? The sign of the miracle of life taking place within. Unfortunate attractant to strangers' hands, but still: miraculous. Weird line under bellybutton? Kinda cool. Perpetual hot flashes? Great! I'm making more blood for the baby! Bellybutton getting shallower and assuming an odd angle (doubtless prepatory to becoming an outie)? Well, neato cool! Swollen ankles and feet? Stop this ride, I want to get off. Is it September yet?

To distract from all this sudden pregnancy bitterness, let us remind ourselves how cute babies are:

I don't have any cute people baby picture on hand, but kittens definitely work.

I feel better already.

kaa the python

2006-06-09T08:52:00.000-04:00

I decided to knit these socks with an afterthought heel, mainly because I've never knit one before. This does lead to the sock looking a bit like a ginormous snake. I also believe that this particular incarnation of Regia, the Patch Antik colors, would be perfectly suitable for making a little stuffed snake, if the inclination so moved you. The stripes have started looking like scales to me as the sock gets longer and longer with no heel in sight.

Except, of course, for the little bitty stripe that is my waste yarn, site of the future heel.

Naturally, I came to the decision about the afterthought heel only when I got to point where it was time to actually make it. Think ahead? Never! As this is my purse project, I was not at home where waste yarns abound. I actually did have some waste yarn in my purse, as it turns out, a little leftover Elann Baby Cashmere. This is probably not the best yarn to use for a waste yarn, as the stress of being in my purse for a few weeks had begun to felt the outside of the ball of yarn. Cool! Also maybe an indication that I should unload a few items from said purse. Hmmm. I'll let you know how using such a sticky yarn works out when it comes time to free the held stitches for the heel.

In the meantime, I'm considering getting googly eyes for the toes. Hsssss! Watch out, Mowgli.

i can't stop...

2006-06-08T09:36:00.000-04:00

... with the beads! Here is a skinny wee companion bracelet to MaryElla. I think I used about 330 beads, and who knows how much cotton thread- I still have a pretty good amount. Made on US 000s.

Sl1 = slide a bead between stitches, where the number equals the number of beads. E.g., sl2 means slide 2 beads between stitches.

To make: Cast on 4 st.
row 1: knit
row 2: knit
row 3: knit
row 4: knit
rows 5 & 6: k2, sl1, k2
rows 7 & 8: k2, sl2, k2
rows 9 & 10: k2, sl3, k2

row 11 - whatever: k2, sl4, k2

repeat until bracelet is .5 inch shorter than you want it to be. Then repeat rows 9 &10. rows 7 & 8, and rows 5 &6 in that order.

knit a row
knit another row

graft live stitches to cast on edge, or cast off and sew the cast off to the cast on edge.

Here you can see my grafted edges:

Another thing I think would look good (maybe better, in fact) would be to slip the first stitch of every row so that the edges would be a little neater. This didn't occur to me until about halfway through, so I didn't bother with it.

If the beads want to trangress from between the stitches to actually in the stitch, it is far easier to drop the stich and reknit it than to try and push the little buggers back into place. You don't want to know how many tries it took me to figure that out.

something old, something new

2006-06-07T10:26:00.000-04:00

One of my co-workers is getting married this fall. She's seen my knitting at work, so she asked me to knit something for her. Rather than simply make another hat, or god forbid assign myself another pair of socks, I decided to make her this knitted garter. I think it will be a fun part of my quest to use ever tinier needles, and one less thing she'll have to look for while she's out doing wedding shopping stuff. After MaryElla, I'm also thinking it might be kind of cool to add beads in there somewhere.

Seriously, the beads are kind of addictive. I'm having to remind myself that I have BIL socks going, plus the very last pair of Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006 after that for my father in law (whose shoe size I still don't know), not to mention the Trekalong socks to get going on, plus Ben's sweater, plus this garter, not to mention poor old Branching Out which looks exactly the same as it did last time I photographed it, and I really don't need to also start the Unmatched Cuffs.

Because that would be ridiculous.

random bits

2006-06-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

I've started the Regia socks for my brother-in-law with the big feet. My husband and my two other brothers-in-law all have the same size feet, about 1.5 sizes smaller than this last one. At least the Regia is knitting up quickly on US 1s, and the stripes keep the stockinette kinda interesting. (Not as interesting as Trekking, though.) These are my purse project.

I've decided that now is the time to start reading to the Future Progeny, so we've started with Kipling's Just So Stories. I haven't read these in years, and I'd forgotten how good they are, very fun and very silly. I think I was read them from an illustrated version when I was little, but this one in the collected works has Kipling's original illustrations, and they are funny. Next up: A. A. Milne. (Winnie the Pooh is our favorite baby shower gift, so last time we owed a present, I went ahead and got a copy for us.)

So last night, while Ben was at work, I sat on the couch, aimed my voice at my belly, and began to read "How the Camel Got His Hump." Both cats turned around and looked at me. It was a little disconcerting. I think they were wondering if I'd lost it and started talking to myself, or if I was trying to tell them something. They both kindly pointed out that they don't really speak English, so if I must read aloud, could I please read in Cat.

Ok, I kind of feel like this is cheating, because I actually finished these socks ages ago. I got my mom to help me take pictures, and for some reason, my computer is freaked out by her camera. Photoshop kept closing down when I tried to open the files, even though they should be just jpegs like any others. In fact, there were three pictures, but I can only show you two, because the third shut down my browser window when I tried to upload it. Three times.

These socks were made from Brown Sheep Wildefoot, color Ragtime, on US 0s, with a pattern I made up. I added beads at the very top with a crochet hook. The lace pattern is Arches and Columns, from one of the Barbara Walker treasuries.

I have finally returned to Ben's huge cabled cardigan after letting it languish on top of the tv for months and months. I am making progress, but until it actually looks like progress, I think it will remain unphotographed. That way it'll look more impressive. During the down time, I taught myself how to cable without a cable needles, and that really helps. Really, really helps.

maryella

2006-06-04T11:36:00.000-04:00

As predicted, the MaryElla, she was finished Saturday. Here she is, admiring how potted the plants are with the leftover thread and beads.

And here she is bedecking my wrist, admiring the fact that, yes, the petunias are potted, too.

And here she is out in the sunlight, thinking that perhaps the details are a little less visible, but my skin looks slightly less pasty in this one.

Some stats: I made her from this kit on US 000s. Bead stringing time: about 2 hours. Knitting time (including finishing): somewhere between 5 and 6 hours. Beads used, according to my calculator: 1,200. Estimated leftover beads already strung: 432. To estimate my leftover beads, I counted the number of beads in one inch of strung beads, and then multiplied that by the number of inches remaining. Scientastic, no? I think I might make a skinny little companion bracelet out of the leftovers, and give them both to my sister as part of her birthday present.

So, it turns out the devil really is in the details. I was very excited to finish the knitting on MaryElla, and to have had the forethought to bring both snaps and a needle with me so I could really really finish it. I broke apart the snaps and merrily started sewing the first one on. Since snaps take a lot (relatively speaking) of force to separate, I sewed the crap out of that bad boy. This is a snap, thought I, that is not going anywhere, no matter how many times it is unsnapped. Then I noticed I had sewed it on backward.

...

You see, the reverse side of the female snap looks an awful lot like the right side of male snap, if one is not paying strictest attention. At least I only sewed one on before I noticed. Of course, in an effort to keep my finishing minimal, I had sewed on the snap with the cast off tail, so I couldn't just cut it off, but had to unpick it with my sewing needle, which, being sharp, wanted to separate the plies. Good times. It gave me something to do. And the knitting/finishing time above allots time for my personal dumbassery, so just imagine how quickly you make one of these if you didn't screw it up.

psaturday

2006-06-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

I've already had a very delightful morning at the Pepper Place Farmer's Market. I bought peaches, plums, petunias, pretzel bread, and also dahlias and strawberries. Rather than letting my new plants sit there for a week (like the rosemary, basil, and thyme from last week), I went ahead and potted everything. I have to say, it makes the front of our apartment building look ever so much nicer.

Unfortunately, I have to go to work, but Saturdays are always slow, so I'm bringing MaryElla with me. Since hope springs eternal, I'm bringing the snaps with me, just in case I finish her and can sew them on. (Yes, it's slack, but I'm there by myself, and it's sloooooooow. At least this way I won't have two mesmerized kitties trying to catch the shiny, shiny string every time I have to slide the beads down the thread.)

bead-o-rama

2006-06-02T09:18:00.000-04:00

I got a package in the mail last night that I wasn't expecting until next week. So I immediately had to start stringing beads. Approximately one metric fuckton of teeny tiny little beads. (You can see my big eye needle to the left of my bead stringing bowl.) I watched The Rise of Man on Discovery while I was stringing beads, and it took me from Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens to get all these freakin' beads strung.

Then I had to frantically search for my never-been-used US0000s, which I never did find after half an hour of digging through both the likely and unlikely places they might be. I went ahead and cast on with US000s, and it seems to be working out just fine. This is a project for which gauge, while important, is not totally strict. Can you guess what it is?

How about a hint?

It's Maryella, from Knitty. It's so fun, teeny tiny needles, skinny wee cotton thread, microscopic beads and all. (And with these blue aluminum needles, I feel a bit like Superman just knitting it.) I only knit for about two hours last night, what with the bead stringing and all, and I think I'm almost halfway done.

I ordered the MaryElla supplies from Earthfaire on Monday, and they got here Thursday. I cannot say enough nice things about Earthfaire. First of all, they were quick, which is a virtue in this house of immediate gratification. Second, their presentation was nice. The goodies were packed in the box with pretty tissue paper, and MaryElla and the other kit I ordered were each bagged separately. Of course, I ripped right into MaryElla before photographing it, but I did exercise enough self restraint to take a picture of this beaded cuff kit:

Look! The pattern is already in a sheet protector, and the whole thing is bagged and tied with a cute ribbon. Most importantly, each kit came with a bead threader thingy, so if you were to lose the first one while making the first kit, you'd have back up.

And finally, they sent an extra bead threading thingy and a few samples of different beads, accompanied by a few little hand written notes, explaining that I should try a few different kinds of beads to ascertain what I like. How very wonderful, and thanks, I think I will.

decisions, decisions

2006-06-01T10:16:00.000-04:00

So, I keep looking at this spindle kit.

Pros:

1. How cool would it be to knit something that I had spun my very own self? Pretty damn cool, that's how cool.

2. I've taught myself how to do things out of books before, and there are lots of instructional sites on the web.

3. Roving is so pretty, so very, very pretty.

4. It's only $26.95. Even if I don't like it, I'm only out thirty bucks.

Cons:

1. Well, yes, it would be damn cool. You'd feel like a bad ass, is how you'd feel.

2. Despite being pretty good at the book learnin', you don't have anyone to teach you, and looking at the instructional websites, it seems like it might be helpful to have someone show you how to do it. Confess, it'd be the cats chasing the spindle around the apartment, with you chasing the cats, and little pieces of sheep hair joining the cat hair that's everywhere anyway, and none of it ending up looking like "yarn."

3. Roving is so very, very pretty. Have you looked at how much yarn you have? Have you looked at what precious little storage space you have? Have you thought about where the hell you're going to put the baby's stuff, not to mention the baby??

4. It's only $26.95 at first. Then comes the roving. Then more spindles. Then you get a spinning wheel, for crying out loud. Then you end up getting a sheep, and dear god, where will you put that?

Sigh.

pomatomus

2006-05-31T09:11:00.000-04:00

They're finished! And I love them! Those who feared that my feet would be ill protected against the wintry chills of June in Alabama, set your mind at ease. The Pomatomus(es?) wouldn't wait, possibly setting a record as the Fastest Sock I've Ever Knit (definitely the fastest patterned sock I've ever knit), clocking in at under a week.

They are made of Trekking XXL color 110, which I love. And it's a good thing I do, because between the leftovers from these socks and the baby sweater, I definitely have enough for another pair of socks. I used US 1s instead of 2s, because I knit loosely, and they fit perfectly.

I have the feeling I will knit Pomatomus again. The end result is gorgeous, and the process is fun. I think part of the reason that they went so quickly for me is that the results of the pattern are so easy to track. It's fun to watch the ribs creeping towards each other, and it's fun to see what color the Trekking will come up with next.

It's possible that I'm easily amused.

Is that frost I see on the bricks? No, it's a paint fleck! A chilly paint fleck. Brrr!

How about a closer look at the heels?

And of course, the toes.

Happy, happy feet. And now, back to our regularly scheduled Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006, and my brother-in-law's huge honkin' feet. Good times.

product endorsement of the day

2006-05-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

I had to go to the drugstore today to pick up my prescription vitamins*, and while I was there, I picked up a Tide To Go stain pen, on the enthusiastic recommendation of my sister. It was a good thing, too, because I spilled coffee all over my shirt when I got to work, and what do you know? This thing works.

*I'll never stop being gobsmacked that vitamins require a prescription.

The long weekend was very nice. We went to the zoo, ate lots of good food, and I may have ordered more yarn. Ma'am, step away from the computer.

Pomatomus/Orange Roughy is going along swimmingly (heh!) and I fully expect to be able to show you photos in a day or two. Definitely by June 1st, when the frigid Alabama air will necessitate the wearing of wool socks. In my apartment, anyway. When I stand over the ac vents.

block party

2006-05-28T13:03:00.000-04:00

Here are the results of the recent block party: the Very Red socks, the Eleanora socks, and the FP's very first sweater, featuring crappy fauxtarsia as detailed in the last post.

It doesn't look that bad from kinda far away, so let's zoom in a little closer:

Now you can see the semi i-cord "texture" and the horribly distorted stitches that didn't undistort after blocking. Like I said, it looks homemeade rather than handmade. But will I be re-knitting this? No. No, I will not. I can live with it, and the Future Progeny certainly won't care. I'll expend ever so much more thought and care on his next sweater, promise.

I (obviously!) made up the pattern, such as it was. Trekking 110 and 78 on US 1s, less than 1 skein of each (much less, in the case of the 110.) I like everything about it except its focal point, heh heh.

Some things came in the mail this week.

Here you see the Regia I ordered from Elann (the brown is intended for my BIL), the lack of which forced- forced, I say!- me to start the Pomatomus socks earlier this week. More exciting still is the big purple skein lurking behind the Regia. I read this post by Carol, describing unusual sheep breeds, and then mosied over to her shop, where this skein of Clum Forest in Mulberry looked at me with sad eyes until I bought it. It is absolutely lovely, and I have no idea what I'm going to make with it at all. There are about 500 yards. Any ideas?

random saturday

2006-05-27T10:36:00.000-04:00

Activities

Joy! One of my favorite things about summer in Birmingham has kicked off for this year, the excellent Pepper Place Farmer's Market. It's early in the season yet, but I got some plums, some grits, and some pretzel bread. I also got a few different types of basil and thyme to plant, and I almost got a Japanese maple sapling (for the amazing price of $15), but its care requirements would not be met in my yard. We get lots of full sun, and that puppy would have fried. I also almost got some strawberries- and they smelled amazing- but the folks in front of us bought the very last pint. Foiled again! Only 2 or 3 weeks 'til blueberry season. Mmmmmm, blueberries.

Block Party

As anticipated, I used the slow time at work to block a few things. The baby sweater, the Eleanora Socks, and the red lacy socks are now blocked and ready for their closeups. Socks I knit for myself I rarely block- they'll be pretty stretched out on my feet anyway- but socks I knit for gifts generally get washed because I've been trying them on my feet to check for size. This time, the red socks benefitted from blocking, as it made the lace more visible. The boy socks that I've been knitting are not getting washed before gifting because they have touched no feet, and the plain old ribbing looks fine as is.

The baby sweater definitely needed to be blocked. Even after blocking, this sweater has an element of looking homemade rather than handmade. That's because of a few "design choices" I made, heh heh. I wanted to do a colorwork design, but I hate intarsia with a fiery, burning passion. So I charted out my design and thought to myself. "hey, if I keep all my lines to 4 stitches or less, I bet I could just twist the line yarn with the background yarn and then float it back over to where it needs to be for the next round!" Which, it turns out, you can do, more or less. However, if that somewhat incoherent description of my "process" reminds you of anything, it may well be i-cord, because that's sort of what the wider sections resemble a little bit. It works beautifully over the sections of 1 or 2 stitches.

The problem with my "technique" became apparent pretty early on. However, I started this sweater on a 6 hour drive, and continued it on a 6 hour drive back, and by the time I was in a position to rip it out and start over working flat, I had 12 hours of knitting invested in that puppy, and it just wasn't happening. I know there are people out there who would think nothing of ripping out and starting over. I've read their blogs and admire their fortitude. On some projects, I would have done the same.

However.

I mentioned my hatred for intaria, burning like a thousand suns. Combine that with the knowledge that this is a baby sweater that will fit for all of a month, maybe, and the knowledge that the Future Progeny, gifted and precocious though I know he will be, will undoubtedly not give a shit that small portions of of his sweater are raised up like fabric paint, and frankly, I just couldn't summon the energy to start over. I've got socks to knit, you know. His next sweater will be a technical masterpiece, I assure you.

Geek Alert

You may not be aware, but I am in fact, a big geek. Not the useful kind of geek, who employs computer savvy, but the other kind. I love comic books. In my youth, I read the superhero kind. Now, I enjoy the more indie variety- the memoirs, the allegories, the ones that sometimes get shelved in the fiction and lit section of your local bookstore. I don't keep up with superhero ones anymore- it's hard to enjoy them if you have any sort of feminist perspective at all, for one, and for another, most have been running for so long, they've exhausted most narrative possibilities, and are really hackneyed. I'm not saying they can't write any good or original superhero comics anymore, but they usually don't. But, boy, I like seeing the superhero movies if they're done well.

Ben and I went to see X-Men: the Last Stand last night. I will agree with critics who have said that it's the weakest offering of the three. I still enjoyed it. It was a fun action movie, and I got to point out a few moments lifted straight from the comic books to my husband, thus confirming my utter dorkiness for now and all time. It did have some weak moments, but it had enough fun ones to be entertaining, and that's all I ask from most movies: to be entertained.

The thing that blew my mind was the fact that the couple that sat down next to us brought their baby. He couldn't have been more than 9 months old. You know, if you can't find a babysitter, maybe sometimes you should stay home, not take your infant to a 7:30 showing of a movie aimed primarily at adults. It reminded me of going to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a movie, if you've not seen it, narrated entirely in Mandarin Chinese, with subtitles. When we went to see it, a number of people brought their wee children. I'm bad at estimating kids' ages, but I would guess mostly under the age of 6. What on earth is a 6 year old going to get out of a subtitled movie, besides frustration and boredom?

Pomamtomus/ Orange Roughy is swimming right along. I'm on sock #2 and it's a long weekend. Wool socks by June, baby.

some trekalong thoughts

2006-05-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to figure out what my hikes are going to be for the Trekalong. I say hikes, but what I really mean are walks, because it's already hot here, and it will only get hotter, and I will only get bigger. August's hike will probably feature a nice mosey through the apartment with the air conditioning set on 60. But hope springs eternal, so here's what I'm thinking in terms of actual outside walks:

The Botanical Gardens- they have many beautiful gardens, and little trails scattered through wooded areas. Throughout the gardens, there are benches, where the walker could take a break and knit a sock. It's also hard to get more than 10 minutes away from a bathroom. This is getting more important as times goes by.

Vulcan Park- features not only a giant metal man with a bare ass, but a nice wooded trail. The whole thing has recently been renovated, and I haven't been by since they fixed it up.

The Zoo- OK, this is less and less like a hike, isn't it? But you do walk around, and they have a new lion and a baby zebra and a butterfly encounter... ok, fine I'll just go to the zoo on my own time. ;)

Oak Mountain- a place I haven't been in some years. This features actual real hikes, and also shorter options for the pregnant among us (or, you know other people who don't want to take the longer hikes. I'd hate to be exclusionary), including a wild bird rehabilitation trail, which sounds neat. If they had it the last time I was there, I didn't see it.

So those are some of my options. I may also just mosey around the downtown area some- Birmingham is full of little parks tucked away in the commercial districts as well as the residential ones, and some of the buildings are pretty neat in their own right. I will pack a camera as well as some socks, and I don't know that they're going to be the Orange Roughy/Pomatomus ones. For some reason, I am knitting these like the world will end if I don't have wool socks by the beginning of June (the high today is 87). Next up for the Trekalong: Embossed Leaves in purple, also for me. Next up for the Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006: some Regia that came from Elann yesterday. Sneaky Sock Project, you're not totally abandoned. I just strayed a little bit.

sock happens

2006-05-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I started the Pomatomus.

and then I just kept knitting. I really like this pattern, thus far. I thought all the ktbls were going to drive me batty, but what has instead happened is that I have gotten in touch with my inner ktbl, and I don't think they will bug me agan. The same thing happened with k1, p1 when I knit a hat entirely of moss stitch. k1, p1 is my buddy now. (I'm not saying that if I knit Ben a sweater entirely of k1, p1 or k1tbl, p1 I wouldn't get out of touch with it again, but for now, we're cool.) And of course, I love the color. Trekking and me, we're like that.

I also cleaned the bathroom, which leads me to believe that if I had this week off, I could rule the world, if by rule the world, you mean finish a pair of socks and actually clean my apartment. See, if the road to hell is paved with good intentions, there's an entire Rene's Plans to Clean the House Memorial Overpass over the frozen lake. My plans are always good, but there are always better things to do , like read or knit or... anything, really. All this sleep I've been getting at the behest of the Future Progeny has not made me a better housekeeper, just more in touch with my couch. (Hi, couch! We're best buddies now. Too bad you haven't been vacuumed in ages. But before I get the vacuum out, I'll just lie down here for a minutezzzzzz.) I've been told that sometime in the third trimester, the "nesting" urge will set in, and I'll start cleaning like a woman possessed. God, I hope so. It would be nice to have the place sparkling clean for a month or two before the Future Progeny comes and it all goes back to hell.

So I think I'm going to take the baby sweater and a few socks to work on Saturday (when it is slooooooooow as molasses) and block them. I have blocked stuff at home before, but this is what happens when you lay a knit flat:

Everybody likes cat hair, right?

fo parade

2006-05-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

The Eleanora socks in all their glory:

Pattern by Miriam, yarn by Carol. The only modifications I made were to a) knit them on US 0s, because the recipient's feet are small and I knit loosely, and b) pick up the edge of my long tail cast on and knit it to the live stitches to form the facing on the second sock. I don't really think you can tell:

I can't, anyway.

In a mad frenzy of finishing stuff, I finished the Odessa hat (courtesy of Grumperina) for myself. Excuse my crappy self portrait, here:

I love this hat! This is the second one I've made. The pattern is great fun. Last time I made it, Alyson asked if it was fussy because of the beads. It's really not. It does take a few minutes to string them all before you get started, but with the help of a big eye needle, it's not that big a deal. The only fussy part happened when I encountered a knot in the skein and had to restring the remaining beads.

I also wove in the ends of the baby sweater that's been sitting there with loose ends since May 1, but I need to block it before I photograph it, I think.

I went to the doctor this morning, and everything looks good! Listening to the heartbeat is pretty darn cool. I may have, um, started the Pomatomus socks in the waiting room. Oops.

all over but the finishing

2006-05-23T08:38:00.000-04:00

Ooooh, blogger just ate my post. I really should start composing on Word or something. Or would that be too smart?

Here's the short short version. Second Glorious Toe! Yay! More pictures when the light outside is better and I don't have to go to work:

Hmmm, which Trekking to use for the Trekalong?

I'm thinking about doing Pomatomus socks, and I'm leaning towards the orange. What do y'all think? I would feel bad about taking a break from the Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006, except that:

the socks aren't due until September,

and I only have 2 pair to go,

so I don't. This is probably the beginning of a great chain of rationalization that ends with me frantically knitting over a belly the rough approximate size of Jupiter trying to spit out the last few socks before the baby gets here actually in the delivery room, but I'm doing it anyway.

chocolate bread

2006-05-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

If you think you see chocolate chips in there, you do.

the glorious toe

2006-05-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

Observe the way the toe remains in pattern all the way to the tip of the toe, each section becoming narrower. (Please don't observe too closely the crappy quality of the photograph.)

A random observer of my knitting commented yesterday that these socks were "too nice" to wear in shoes and that he thought they would be the first thing on the feet when you got home- "inside socks." I hope not.

Because of how much I love these toes and their awesome patterned shaping, the next pair of socks I ~~make up~~ design is so going to have pattern all the way down the toe.

My husband brought home leftover bread from the restaurant where he works. Leftover chocolate bread. A slice of that toasted with peanut butter is what I may be eating for every meal until it's gone.

provisional cast on and such

2006-05-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments on the Eleanora socks! I am thrilled with how they're turning out, and y'all just wait until you see these toes. My husband, kind soul that he is, has already been subjected to having the sock with its Glorious Toe held up to him to be praised and admired, which he did. He wanted to know if the color I used was historically accurate, too. He thinks such nice things about me.

And speaking of the toes, I would have had a picture of all the toe-y glory this morning, except I woke up thirty minutes before I had to be at work and thus had no time for pictures. Believe me when I say I look great today.

Alyson mentioned the horror of being stuck somewhere where you have no contrasting yarn with which to make a provisional cast on, and nary a crochet hook as well. Alyson, I feel you. That was me yesterday, having just finished the Glorious Toe and longing to begin cuff number two. If the pattern says "repeat for second sock," then who am I to disobey? Before you break out the dental floss and start MacGuyvering a hook out of a paper clip, let me tell you what I did yesterday in my hour of need. (Although if you do end up going the paper clip/dental floss route, take pictures!)

I used a plain old long-tail cast on to cast on the required number of stitches. Then I knit the facing rounds as directed by the pattern. When it came time to knit the provisional stitches with the live stitches, I picked up the outside loop of the cast on edge. When I picked up both loops, it looked like ass. With just the outside loop, it's pretty much indistinguishable from the one that I did with the provisional cast on. Does that make any sense? I will be glad to take pictures if that will help clarify.

I have now knit the top cuff for the second sock. I would have knit more last night, but it seems that what I needed to do was fall asleep an hour after I got home, wake up five hours later when my husband got home, hang out with him for a few hours, and then sleep another 5 1/2 hours until thirty minutes before I had to be at work. I have a feeling that the Future Progeny is doing some quality growing right now. I would like to suggest to him that leaving mommy a little time in the morning to take a shower would be nice, but I have the feeling that all the mothers of newborns would just laugh at the very idea of shower taking. Much less all this "sleep."

toes

2006-05-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

I have reached the toe shaping on the Eleanora socks, and I have to say, as much as I have enjoyed this pattern overall, this may well be my favorite part. The way the decreases are worked into the pattern is so elegant. The pattern retains its overall look while curving in towards the tip of the toe- I love it! I would so rather stay home and knit toes than go in to work. An original sentiment, I know.

mother's day update

2006-05-14T11:18:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Mother's Day snuck up on me, and as I work in a florist's, it meant some very long and exhausting days towards the end of this week, with little time for knitting and less time for blogging. Mostly there was time for getting home from work and conking out on the couch. House cleaning was right out. I did get some knitting done.

The first Eleanora sock is now past the heel! This is a very clear, very enjoyable pattern with lots of charts. (I really love charts. I am a fairly recent convert to charts, having begun knitting about 8 yearas ago, and having only found the chart love in the last year and a half or so. Now I chart out patterns myself if they are written out. Graph paper is fun.) It's also easy to memorize. Blogger wouldn't upload my progress picture a few days ago, and now I'm glad, because this morning I took my camera outside and took a slightly more artful shot than my usual "here is my knitting on the couch" pose:

I don't really know what's up with the cherub feet. The belong to one of my neighbors, and are broken off at about the waist. I'm sure they used to belong to an entire cherub, but the years have apparently not been kind, and no one could apparently be bothered to be rid of the poor little feet. Ah, renting.

And another shot of the sock, just because I think it's pretty:

I love the yarn (from Black Bunny Fibers.) The color is gorgeous (thank you, Carol!) and it's knitting up really well, with all the pretty little textured stitches popping out as they are supposed to do. There are subtle variations in the shades of gold, subtle enough that the color and the texture showcase each other. If it's not clear, I'm really enjoying knitting with it. :)

Also, my husband (whose mother's feet these socks will clad) is really impressed with the historical nature of the pattern. He's convinced that she will be head over heels about them. (Thank you, Miriam!) All in all, we're very pleased with these socks here at chez Rocket.

Have a great weekend! I'm going to Mother's Day brunch and the Botanical Gardens, and then to cook dinner with my mother. We'll do Mother's Day with my MIL when she gets back from Scotland. I know she's terribly sad to have to miss it here.

shopping for baby stuff

2006-05-10T10:53:00.000-04:00

I went shopping with my mother to get a few things for the Future Progeny. In a fit of synchronicity, the Yarn Harlot posted this entry. When we went to the local Macy's and got to the baby section, a freaky sight met our eyes. The entire section was neatly bisected into two halves, one overwhelmingly pink, and one completely blue. It was with great difficulty that I found a few things for the FP that were green or yellow, even. Purple was right out, as was a nice bright red, or orange. When my sister looked at our purchases, she said "I notice a theme here." The theme was little animals, because it's either little animals or trucks or baseballs.*

I'm not setting out to deliberately confuse every random who peeks in the stroller. I'm not trying to make them say, "Oh, what a cute little...?" BUT! The little guy surely deserves a wardrobe in more than one hue, right? Surely he won't be into fire trucks and nothing but fire trucks at six weeks of age, and unless he's some sort of prodigy likely to end up in the National Enquirer, I doubt he'll be lugging baseballs through the air before he's two months old, either. And I'm not saying it was better for the little girls, either, just different. Surely it's rather a leap to label a newborn a drama queen? Besides the fact that she may well be screaming all the time, of course.

*I did get him these soccer shoes. My husband plays soccer, and the FP would be getting cute little bitty soccer shoes regardless of gender. But look at the grouping of shoes. The whole store was like that.

**edited to add: I really kind of want to get this shirt, but I feel as though that would be tempting fate in some way.

In more exciting Future Progeny news, I can now feel him moving around. In an earlier age, I believe this was called the quickening. (Please try and ignore any sudden thoughts of Christopher Lampert you might be having). To my surprise, if I lie on my back, I can put my hand over my stomach and feel him moving around from the outside. To achieve this, you have to put your hand in a pretty personal place, so thus far, it's just my husband who has felt the movement. But we stayed up about an hour after we really should have been asleep just feeling him move around in there. It's pretty damn amazing.

What, knitting? The cuff for the 1st Eleanora sock is looking pretty awesome, and I started another Odessa hat. They're like Pringles. You can't make just one.

socks (and more socks)

2006-05-09T16:56:00.000-04:00

I finished another pair of socks for the Great Sneaky Sock Project of 2006. Three more to go! I found out yesterday that one brother-in-law has feet 1.5 sizes bigger than the other two. Maybe he'll get anklets.

I know I talked a good game about being virtuous and finishing all the boy socks before rewarding myself with the Eleanora socks for my mother-in-law. I think as soon as I opened the package from Black Bunny Fibers, I knew that wasn't going to happen. And what do you know:

It's so hard to be virtuous.

odessa

2006-05-07T12:38:00.000-04:00

I needed a quick gift for a little girl's birthday. I had been forewarned about the party, but forgot it completely until my husband mentioned it to me on Friday. So I looked around online and found the pattern for Odessa, courtesy of Grumperina. Yesterday morning, I went to the LYS and picked up a ball of Rowan Cashsoft DK, and then to pick up some beads. Here's the end result:

My model is certainly not as cute as the intended recipient, but I don't have a little girl on hand to model for me.

I knit on this with periods of great intensity, but there was still time for a long lunch outside with my family and a trip to the zoo. I finished this morning. I love this pattern! It is interesting and easy to memorize, and the end result is stunning. (I also picked up another ball of Cashsoft in green. Hey, I need a hat, too.) And it is quick to knit. If you need a hat on Sunday, you can start it Saturday. Just, you know, don't count on blocking it.
This yarn is fabulous. I loved knitting with it. I mean, I really loved knitting with it. It's hard to explain to a non-knitter why it's such a fantastic yarn, but I really tried. And my husband listened with at least the pretense of interest, for which I am grateful, even reaching over to pet the yarn when so instructed. Maybe one of these days I'll finish his sweater.

the yarn made me do it

2006-05-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

Goodies

Look what came in the mail yesterday! I ordered some sock yarn from Black Bunny Fibers, and woo hoo! It's already here. The yellow is called Nana's Linoleum (hee!) and it is destined to become the Eleanora socks for my mother in law(who is currently vacationing in London, not that I'm insanely jealous or anything). The blue is called Lapis Lazuli, and I don't have any solid plans for it yet, except that I feel it is destined to end up on my feet.

The colors are even more beautiful in person than they were on my moniter when I ordered them. I can't wait to knit with this. I may have to break my own little made up restriction and knit the Eleanoras before the next two pairs of boy socks.

Scarf

And I've begun the Branching Out Scarf. The beads look lovely with the Kidsilk Haze. I'm trying to decide how far to keep adding them. Two repeats? Three? The whole damn thing? I've finished two repeats, and the beads do look pretty, but I am a little concerned about their weight. I've decided to add three beads instead of two on the pattern line I'm adding them because with two, and the line of beads at the base, it looks a bit like a face:

And sometimes it can be an angry face:

"Yes, knitting Kidsilk Haze with blunt needles does suck! You should go to the local yarn shop and get some pointier ones!! GRRRRR!"

I gotta go. The scarf told me to.

progress!

2006-05-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

I am trucking right along on the next set of BIL socks. I'm using a k3, p3 rib for the entire leg, and it looks great on an actual foot. Alas, I think it looks kinda funny all squinched up when not on a foot. Hey, socks were meant to be worn.

I tallied up my sneaky socks today, and if I count these as 1.25 of a pair, I only have 3.75 pairs of socks left to knit for the Sneaky Sock Project of Aught-Six. During my research for the familial socks, I've come across many, many patterns that I want to knit for myself. So that's up next. (Next as in, 3.75 pairs of socks later, that is.)

And I wasn't able to resist playing with the Kidsilk Haze. It's going to be a Branching Out. Plus, I found some beads that happen to look pretty with it. Not pictured: the world's teeniest crochet hook, the better to ~~drop beads into the couch~~ string the beads on the yarn. There was no way I was pre-stringing on this mohairy a yarn.

I wish I had some sharper needles to use with this. The Denise Interchangeables are sharper than the bamboo or addi options that were my alternatives, but I think I may be checking out the LYS on Saturday to see if they have some Inox or something. I've heard those are sharper. Failing that, I may get out my MacGuyver emory board and do a little Clover Surgery, because I may drive myself bonkers if I don't.

distraction

2006-05-03T09:39:00.000-04:00

The red socks are all but finished, except for the weaving in of the ends (much like the baby sweater, which has approximately exactly the same number of ends to be woven in as last time I showed it) and I am now in the process of writing up the pattern. I'm very pleased with how they came out. Now, how to take a really good picture of red socks on my own feet, while getting true color and not too odd a perspective. Hmmmm.

To distract you from the lack of knitting photos, I'm sharing two odd kitty behaviours, one for each of my cats. Flo likes to sit on my lap on the couch, and usually, if we watch TV together, that's where she'll stay. One night, I decided to watch the Discovery channel Ultimate Guide to House Cats (what can I say? I am both a fan of Felis silvestris catus and a big documentary geek), and once the TV kitties started making some noise, I got to see this:

That's the most attention I've seen her pay to television before or since.

Buckley, on the other hand, turns his nose up at mere electronic entertainment. Not for him the enticements of the digital age, except occasionally sitting on the keyboard while I'm trying to type. No, Buckley prefers the sight, the feel of reality, but mostly the smell...

Buckley likes shoes. Not new shoes (which, c'mon, I confess, I love the smell of new shoes, I'd be with him if it were new shoes he liked)- feh! to new shoes. He likes my shoes after I've been at work all day. He likes to sit on them, knock them over, and wedge his little kitty head entirely into them. It is both hilarious and sad (because what does this say about my feet? I have sniffed the shoes and I get nothing, but obviously, to the keener nose of the cat, something is going on.)

i've been working on the baby sweater

2006-05-01T09:19:00.000-04:00

I just have a few more ends to weave in.

there's many a slip 'twixt wallet and LYS

2006-04-29T11:56:00.000-04:00

New Acquisistions and Sock Update

I had a number of pictures with which to illustrate this post, but Blogger didn't want me to upload them this morning and now I'm not in a position to try again. I'll try and use links, and we'll see how that goes. I don't have the yarn ball bands with me either, so I make no promises about accuracy. It's all very edge of the seat here at chez Rocket.

I had a bit of a slip up at the yarn store. I had ordered some 6" 2mm dpns (the 7" ones just seem kinda long for all this sockage. How much precious knitting time am I wasting, sliding the stitches along the extra inch of needle? ;) Besides, one of the 7" ones slipped down into the passenger seat of my mom's car on the way back from Baton Rouge- I can see it, but have thus far been unable to retrieve it.) and had to go pick them up at my LYS (which has no web presence that I can find, but it's called In the Making, if you're visiting Birmingham) so of course I ended up getting some yarn as well. (That may well have been the most parenthetical sentence I have ever written.) They did not have Trekking 100, but I didn't let that stop me, and got some Trekking 107 instead.

I also got some Rowan Kidsilk Haze, because... well, because I wanted to. It looked so pretty, and everything I've seen made of it on other people's blogs has looked so gorgeous. I've also heard some gnarly stories about knitting with it, which make me think perhaps getting it right prior to the delightful (really hot and humid) Alabama summer may not have been the best choice ever, but you know, I have AC. I'm also looking at me needles trying to decide which are the very pointiest, because that seems to have affected some people's enjoyment of it. Anyone have a good recommendation for a pretty lace scarf or something that only requires one ball of KSH? I thought about Birch, but decided that I would only invest in one ball in case actually knitting with it gave me the heebie-jeebies. I think all these plain boy socks are driving me to lace.

Speaking of which, the ends are woven in on BIL1's socks, and I have bravely cast on for BIL2's socks with the Regia Line Steps Color pictured here. The medium grey one. It's knitting up very nicely, it's a great carry along project, blah di blah blah blah. (Lace, mmmm.) I also still have BIL3 and FIL socks to go after this. I sort of did most of the fun girly socks first, which may have been a mistake, in retrospect. Now I have only one pair of girly socks left, my MIL's. And, of course, all the socks I'm going to make for myself when I am released from the Great Sneaky Sock Project of aught-six.

And speaking of the socks for my mother-in-law, I have acquired the pattern for the Eleanora Socks, and I think that is what will end up on her feet. She's a history buff, and I believe an Eleanor (of Aquitaine, not Toledo, but still) is one of her favorite subjects to read about, so that makes the pattern doubly appropriate. I am having some difficulty deciding which yarn to use, but posting about it will have to wait until I can get the photos to upload. And anyway, I have three pairs of boy socks to get through before I make that decision, as I have decided to save the fun socks for last, or at least second to last if I just can't hold out. I'm very excited about making these, but... boy socks. Perseverance! I'm trying to be good and not cast on yet more stuff before I finish a few things first.

MacGyver of knitting

I had a tragic accident with my bamboo dpns. One of them started to split at the tip. It was snagging terribly, and as I am not at home, I didn't have replacements on hand. But I did have a nail file, and I am proud to say I broke off the offending piece and filed that puppy down. I'm not saying it looks perfect. It is, in fact, now shorter than all the others, and a bit misshapen and funky looking, but, and this is the key factor: I am knitting with it. I feel cool.

it's a boy!

2006-04-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo!

We went in for the 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and it's a boy! It's so exciting to know 50% more about this little person than I did yesterday. He was curled up rather modestly, so it took a few tries to identify his gender 100 percent, but we got him to move around eventually. A fly on the wall would have laughed. I got up, jumped up and down, and drank some water- all under the loving eyes of my audience: my husband, my mother, my sister, and my sister-in-law. And the ultrasound lady, of course. And the Future Progeny finally revealed himself.

It's funny, because even though I'm thrilled to know it's a son, it's a little bittersweet to know that it's not a daughter. Up until yesterday, it was almost as though I had two potential children, a boy and a girl. I'm completely happy to know that I have one of them, but that means I don't have the other. It's a funny feeling.

The best part, of course, was hearing the (completely awesome) ultrasound lady say that everything looks completely normal and healthy, and that in fact the FP is tall (she actually said long) for his age. Then the nurse told us baby boy stories. They pee over their heads, y'all. Oy.

I did finish something yesterday:

Socks for my brother-in-law, complete with heels from the other side of the ball of yarn. If it's slow at work today, I'm sewing in the ends.

Anti- woo hoo

The only blight on this time of joy is that my insurance, apparently, sucks ass. I had a few "out of network" procedures done- a biopsy for abnormal cells and the multiple marker test to find out if the FP is likely to have genetic abnormalities (he's not very likely to, thank god) and my insurance is being bitchy about it. My company switched from BCBS to an insurer with a lower monthly premium, and I'm questioning how wise a decision this was if the largest health care provider in the state is "out of network." Arrrgh. It makes me want to tear my hair out. My fingers are crossed that I can make them suck it up and pay what it says in my contract they'll pay. The only thing out of network should mean to me is a slightly higher copay.

in which I feel cool

2006-04-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

While we were in Baton Rouge, I got to feel like quite the knitting bad ass. My aunt used to knit unstoppably. In fact, she used to do all things crafty unstoppably. She could needlepoint like nobody's business, cross-stitch like it was going out of style, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I don't know about. However, it had been several decades since she picked up a needle of any crafting persuasion.

Lately, however, the urge to knit had struck her once more, inspired, I believe, by her grandchildren. She had one afghan on the needles, and one off. As in, it fell off her circular needle, and she couldn't remember how to put the stitches back on. When she told me about it and asked me to help her, I envisioned a horrible, scary mess, with cables ripped back 20 rows in some places. But when I actually saw it, pretty much all the stitches had stayed in their places, hanging out, waiting for someone to come pick them up, and the most complicated action I had to deal with was putting some yarn overs back on the needle correctly.

I know that had I not been coming to see her, she would have messed with it until she remembered how to fix it. But since I was, I got to feel great. I helped somebody who's been knitting since before I was born. It's not every day I get to feel like a bad ass.

a quick knitting update

2006-04-24T09:32:00.001-04:00

I started the baby sweater in the car on the way to Baton Rouge. That drive always seems longer than it really is, and at 6-6.5 hours, it's long enough, believe me. Luckily, I didn't have to drive. There's some color work, but that will be revealed post-blocking. Right now, it's not so pretty. Everything I've said about Trekking XXL continues to be true. I would say it again, but I'm aware I'm being repetitive. And I think I'll probably have enough yarn left over for more socks.

The fun thing about the baby sweater it that all of its components are so small. Not that this particular baby sweater is stupendously fast- my gauge is 8 st/in, so I could be making a chunky adult sweater, I suppose. The fun thing is looking down every once in a while and freaking out because the person it's going to fit is so little bitty. (And of course, the hope is that it will fit, because it's hard to measure a person who isn't measurable yet.)

Likewise the smallness of the baby booties being worked on US 000s in Elann's Baby Cashmere. So tiny! I haven't even measured the gauge on these booties yet. I'm pretty sure it's around 10/st in, and I really just wanted to try out the tiny wee needles. You may admire the twee-est photo set up ever. It was better than another picture on my paint-speckled floor which always looks dirty, even when it's not. (Hint: it is now.)

Chris pointed out that I could go ahead and knit myself a pair of socks out of the Trekking XXL 100, even though I already made a pair for my husband, because the yarn is so wildly varying that they wouldn't really match. It's true. The ones I made for him don't even match each other:

So I think I'll leave it up to the yarn gods. If there's a skein of it left at the LYS next time I go there, I'll go ahead and get it. I'm so easy to enable.

boom

2006-04-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

I actually had some pictures to post, but I woke up this morning to a very loud booming sound. It was a transformer blowing, and the end of power in the apartment. If I have both power and time when I get home this evering, I'll try to post then. If not, have a great weekend! I'm going to go watch my cousin get married.

in which socks are joined by booties

2006-04-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

Updating the Saga

With regard to the pregnancy brain of yesterday:

3) The delicious lunch of yesterday was still sitting innocently on the coffee table when I got home. It had not been strewn all over the rug, nor was there cat barf everywhere. I could not have been more thrilled.

2) I resent the file to the client again and we figured out why they didn't get the file before. It wasn't that I didn't send it at all, it was that I mistyped the email address. Three times. (They have it now, by god!)

1) I have no excuse for forgetting an entire letter of the alphabet.

Cool things that have happened today:

1) When I woke up this morning, Ann and Kay were on the local news! I was very excited. It turns out they will be (sort of) close to me, doing a book signing in Helena, but I won't be able to make it. :( Curse this paying job!

2) I remembered my lunch today.

Booties and Stuff

I started a baby bootie last night. It is officially the first thing I have knit* for the future progeny. That's kind of exciting.

*It is not, however, the first thing anyone has made for the future progeny. THE VERY DAY we told my mother in law the news (which was, by the way, the very day we found out the news) she had a catalogue out for our perusal, trying to assess which cross-stitched bibs and baby blankets were most to our taste. This was, I confess, not something I had ever turned my thoughts to. The results of the decision, which are progressing apace despite her threats that these may be wedding gifts for the FP, are very cute.

My mother, not to miss out on the grandmotherly fun, has lifted a needlepoint canvas for the first time in decades so that the FP will not lack a handmade christmas stocking when the yule season hits. My sister in law is considering taking up quilting for the FP. He or she will be starting life out with an abundance of hand made love. It's pretty amazing to think of, actually.

And a week from today, we find out if the FP is a boy or a girl.

sad socks

2006-04-18T09:40:00.000-04:00

Socks, socks, and more socks

Oh, little red socks, you must be so sad. You sit on top of the speakers, forlorn and half-finished. "We're so sassy and lacy and cute!" you cry from across the room. I'm sorry, I really am. I just have so much Trekking XXLove to give right now. It's the plies. They're entrancing. I'll get back to you, I promise. You're not due until I am, right?

I did something a little different on this sock. I used the yarn from the outside of the ball to knit the heel. You see, while the fraternal sock nature of Trekking does not bother me one iota, the break in color I kept getting after beginning rounds again after the heel was seriously bugging me. The color transitions are so gloriously smooth and gradual that the break really stood out to me. No longer!

I am going to a cousin's wedding this weekend, and I'm in the lucky position of not having to drive. Woo hoo! to six hours of knitting each way. As I am 1) unable to knit on the Sneaky Sock Project of 2006 in front of my family members, and 2) unable to step away from the Trekking, this seems like a great opportunity to work on the purple and orange baby sweater I have planned.

Pregnancy Brain

So, I'd heard tell of this "pregnancy brain" and how forgetful it can make a mother to be, but I didn't really believe in it that strongly. Until these events:

1) I sat staring at the cash register for 30 seconds, unable to recall the single letter I had to type into the screen to cause it to Z-out. Half a minute I sat there. The letter is "Z".

2) I really, truly thought I had sent a file to a client two weeks ago, until I got an email asking where the file was. It seems I never sent it.

3) I put together a delicious lunch of leftovers and put it on the coffee table right next to my purse, where I would remember to pick it up this morning and where presumably, it still sits. Until the cats smell the lamb and knock it over. And drag the lamb all over the carpet. And probably throw up later.

Sigh.

weekend roundup

2006-04-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

It's fantastic outside right now! Windy and blustery as though it's about to rain, although the weather channel assures me that that's not the case. It really makes me want to be outdoors instead of stuck at work all day. Oh, well.

The Surf Socks are finished and delivered to their intended recipient, my mom, who was very pleased with them. The red socks are still slowly toodling along, and I have cast on and knit bunches on a pair of Trekking XXL socks for my brother-in-law in color 102, which is knitting up so beautifully I may just have to get some more. There is no end to the praise I have been heaping upon this yarn. My husband has been subjected to it, and is now asking me how I really feel about this yarn.

I'm knitting these socks with my replacement Lantern Moon rosewood dpns, and so far, so good. It's kind of exciting, wondering if I'll snap another, or if they're going to hold up.

Easter was full of both family and food, and both were wonderful. The food was delicious, and the family was in rare form. Then we went home and I tripped over a plank of wood and busted up my pinky toe. Why was there a 2"x 4" lying on the floor in our living room? Why, we use it to put behind boards we're drilling holes in. Oh, you mean why was it in the middle of the floor? I have no idea. Some things we're better off not knowing.

a very productive day

2006-04-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Button, Button

I have to say, I really kind of wanted rockin' orange buttons for this wine bag. However, the button gods were not with me when I hit the variety store yesterday. (The craft store does not have buttons. I was kind of shocked. The closest they had was one of those 1/2 pound mixed bags, which, honestly, I didn't need to get for a project which requires only 4 matching buttons.) The variey store had orange buttons, but they did not fulfill my requirements, being neither a) cute, nor b) sassy. The knitting store (well, yes, of course I stopped by, I actually had an errand that required me to go there) had orange buttons which were cute and sassy but flower shaped. Since this is a gift for my dad, I decided a more basic geometric shape is what is wanted. So I got wood buttons, in your basic round. They match the handles, and I think they will do swimmingly.

Swag

Also yesterday, one of those exciting white priority mail boxes came from Elann. It had 3 proto-socks within. I have already mentioned a visit to the craft store. I am putting something together for my husband's place of employment which necessitated a trip there, i.e. it required one metric fuckton of polished river rocks, which I cleverly thought I could carry in a basket rather than in a shopping cart. The volume was correct, but the weight was kinda off. So of course I had to scoot by the fiber aisle. And the bead aisle, because you never know when you might want to slap beads on something. Well, you don't. Anyway, amongst the ginormous scarf needles, I spotted a Susan Bates set of sock needles.

Let's take a closer look. (Also, check out my newly polished toes. It won't last, but it's pretty while it's there.)

I don't know if you can read the packaging, but it says, "Sock Set. 5 of each size. 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25 mm. 000, 00, 0, 1 US." Yowza! And the cost for all this socky goodness? $9.99. It would have been criminal not to get them. That's $.50 a needle. Let's compare that to another recent acquisition, my Lantern Moon rosewood 2.25 mm dpns, which at $20 for the set were $4 a needle. One of these snapped 3 inches into a stockinette glove (picking up the replacement was why I was at the LYS yesterday. Well, yes, I did buy some yarn while I was there.) Anyway, I'm not usually a fan of aluminum needles relative to my other options, but I will tell you this right now: there is someone who is getting a pair of socks knitted on US 000 needles sometime in the near future. That someone is me.

Meow

I bought this bowl last year

a) because it's pretty darn cute, and

b) because it reminds me of something.

on the needles

2006-04-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

Progress Report:

Here is the Stack o' Socks, cunningly placed on the speaker next to the tv so that no moment of viewing pleasure shall be wasted with idle hands. The red socks pretty much stay there, for programs that don't require all that much attention, while the Surf socks are for programs that require actual looking at the screen. They're also more well-travelled, hopping into my bag to take a jaunt over to my family's houses, or to keep me occupied during the long stretches of boredom at work. Let's take a closer look:

Ah, the Surf socks. Simple. Mindless. Cotton. Bright- one almost might say garish. Spring-y, why not. The safety pin with the arrow indicates how long I had to knit before I got to the end of the yarn that was barfed out of the beginning of the ball. I use little coilless safety pins to mark everything.

The Wildfoote socks. So red! So bright! So lacy! (It kind of just looks like ribbing right now, doesn't it? I promise it looks better on a foot.)

I took these pictures outside to get better light. That's the best representation of the red socks I've gotten yet, on my moniter anyway. I live in an apartment building on a pretty busy road, and right now, folks are headed into work. I bet I would have gotten some funny looks if everyone weren't so caffeine deprived and tired. Now back inside:

Some might say a tv is for watching. While that's certainly true, it's also a good place to display projects both current and future. The pile of white will one day be my husband's very most treasured possession: a beautiful, all-over cabled, shawl-collared cardigan. With pockets. And cool toggle buttons. Completely designed- just for him- by his loving wife. It's been taking a rest for about the last three months. I decided to knit it all in one piece from the neck down, and it has gotten huge and unwieldy, and requires that I be by myself and pretty focused to work on it. So if I don't finish it by the time the baby is born it will not be finished until the kid's in college. Now that's motivation.

To the right of the future Most Treasured Possession is a pile of Trekkiing XXL (love!) in purple and orange, destined to be our progeny's first sweater. It will have intarsia on the front- already graphed out- and buttons atop the sleeves to allow easy access over the kid's huge head. I will get to it soonish.

The blue thing next to it was going to be a felted wine bag until I realized I didn't have nearly enough yarn, and what was I thinking, so I need to frog it. It's also been sitting there for a few months. I'll get to it. I will.

This is a horrible, horrible picture. I am aware of that. However, it will suffice to show you a WIP that's (yay!) almost an FO. This is a wine bag, destined to go to my dad when everyone else is getting socks or gloves because I already gave him his socks, and his feet are really big, so I'm sparing myself knitting him another pair when I have four more pairs of big feet guy socks to go. I got the cute little handles at my LYS, and I'm getting some cute orange buttons today. The buttons will be used to bend the bag to my will, because it didn't quite turn out to be the shape I wanted. That's okay. I'll know what to do next time.

That's Flo in the picture (short for Florence, but we never call her that). She can't resist new stuff on the floor, or not being where stuff's happening. Except when people other than myself or my husband are involved. Then she hides under the bed. Seriously, my family calls her Imaginary Cat, because they never see her. We have another cat, Buckley, but knitting on the floor interests him less. He'll make an appearance, never fear.

Day Off

Woo hoo, it's my day off! I have many plans.

1. Pedicure with SIL

2. Visit to LYS

3. Get bigger trousers, possibly with (ugh) maternity waist. Get bigger bra to stop hideous boob lines.

4. Get sassy orange buttons

5. Clean the house if there's absolutely nothing else to do.

I'm pretty sure they'll all get done except that last one.

Hat

2006-04-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

I love making hats. They can be intricate and complex, or, as in this case, quick and simple. The best kind of "Hey! I need a gift in a few days. Whoops."

Woo hoo! The finished, multi-fiber hat!

The darker blue is the Cotton Fleece, and the lighter blue is the Lamb's Pride Superwash. I did this on US 6/4 mm needles at a gauge of about 5 1/3 stitches per inch. The pictures were taken by simply holding the camera as high as I could above my head and trying to aim. I did take a picture in the bathroom mirror, but decided it revealed too much of the mess in the bedroom.

And now, back to socks.

FO

2006-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

Finished hat = woo hoo!

Film at eleven.

oh, cat hairs

2006-04-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Knitting

I've made a huge mistake. Actually, it's not that bad. It's possible that no one but me will notice it. It's on the red socks for my sister, who is not a knitter, and who really probably won't notice it. And it's on the part that will be in her shoe, so even other knitters, when they accost her on the street and say, "Wow, what fabulous hand-knit socks!", are pretty darn unlikely to notice. I'll photodocument it in all its horror when the socks are finished, so that, rather than it going unnoticed, anyone with access to the internet can point and laugh.

The hat I so recklessly cast on yesterday is progressing apace. I decided that the Cotton Fleece would be insufficient to the hat I wished to make, so I added stripes. Did I have more Cotton Fleece, perhaps in a kicky contrasting color? No. Do either of my LYSs carry Cotton Fleece? No. So I'm using Lamb's Pride Superwash in Misty Blue, also from the stash. If you were here, you could see me smugly patting myself on the back. So now it's a very pretty blue on blue hat, part mostly cotton, part 100% wool, heh heh. It's a study in texture.

I even used the jogless jog for the very first time ever, having read it about it last night in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Knitting Rules, which I purchased and then read through last night in lieu of, e.g. doing the dishes. All manner of nice things have been said about this book and author, and probably more eloquently than I could, so let me just say that I really, really enjoyed it. I don't think I've ever read a knitting book from cover to cover until now- I usually flip around. I laughed out loud a few times, and I learned some new things. Either one of those things by itself would garner a recommendation. This book gets you both.

More Pills
(not the kind you find on your sweater)

I have to call the pharmacy to renew my prescription (!) for prenatal vitamins. (The gaggy kind, not the fish burp kind.) I have two questions about this process. First, why do you need a perscription for vitamins? As careful as I'm being about every little thing I put in my body these days, I can't believe that prenatal vitamins would hurt a non-gravid woman. (In case you were wondering, you don't need a prescription to buy the fish burp kind.) Second, and more vexing, why on earth don't they just package the prenatal vitamins in a nice big 9 month jar?

This bothers me.

Gratuitous Pet Shot:

This is why I always have cat hair on my clothes, even though I haven't actually worn said clothes yet.

I thought it was because I need to vacuum the couch.

sadly giraffe-free

2006-04-10T16:26:00.000-04:00

Weekend

Those of you who live in the Southeast may have noticed that bad weather was predicted for the weekend. Friday in my area was predicted to be particularly grim, with expected bad weather to begin at 3 p.m., and not to end until the wee hours of the morning. Schools closed early. People cancelled their restaurant reservations. Everyone stocked up on batteries and non-perishable food items, and holed up at home.

When I left work at 6, it was still sunny and beautiful outside.

At about 1:30 in the morning, the wind picked up and rain really started coming down. By 2 a.m., it had passed by, and we all heaved a sigh of "that was it?" (And gratefully, I might add. We were lucky not to get hit like Tennessee did.)

However, between the weather and some unforseen time constraints, our trip to the Zoo was postponed. My fingers are crossed we'll get back there soon, before it gets too hot, and I get too big.

Feet

Both pairs of socks are still kicking along. I'm almost ready to turn the heel on Surf Sock Deux, and both red socks are heeled, on two circs, and about an inch into the leg. They're really looking quite good. Due to the use of flash in the pictures below, the color you're seeing is much darker and less vibrant than the socks are in person. These babies are red. Screamingly red. My sister is going to be all over them.

The Embossed Leaves socks are blocked* and boxed. I used the lavender Eucalan Woolwash to wash them, and they smell great. Eucalan works fine for me, but I'm tempted to try out Soak. I'm a big fan of lavender, and don't really find it old-ladyish (as the copy for Soak suggests some might), but I'm always up to try new things. Plus, I'm curious what Aquae would smell like. I'm kind of a sucker for stuff that smells yummy. Even trips to the drugstore can be fraught with danger. "You're only here to get toothpaste! For the love of god, don't go near the bubble bath!"

*I didn't block the EL socks as rigorously as I would ordinarily block lace. (Which, hee, because I've really only done a few lace projects thus far. But they did involve pins. Lots and lots of pins.) I just blocked them as I would block most non-lace knitted items: I washed them, and then laid them out to dry, pushing and pulling them gently into their desired measurements. They'll stretch when on the leg, and look great, but even just sitting there, they look smoother and better blocked. And now that they're all gorgeous, I'm wondering if it might be a bad idea to leave them curled up in their little tin for the next five months. Perhaps I ought to just stash the tin and let them (and of course, all the rest of the gifty socks and gloves) lie stretched out until September. Opinions?

Head

And, well, um... I started another project. A friend of mine recently visited Scotland and brought me back a bottle of scotch (which of course, I won't be enjoying for quite some time) and a very cute wee kilted teddy bear for the future progeny. Such kindness deserves a hat. So I cast on this morning with some Cotton Fleece in Blue Slate, and am now past the ribbing and into a nice relaxing (and hopefully quick, so I can give him both hat and thank you note post-haste) sea of stockinette. And perhaps the best thing about this hat? The yarn came from my stash. I was so damn proud of myself, I ordered three skeins of Regia 4 Line Steps Color, all in subdued colors suitable to grace the feet of my male relatives (most of whom are lawyers or studying to become lawyers).

(And while googling Regia just now, I came across this. I don't really even know what it is. Besides, of couse, sock yarn in a cute box. With a needle gauge? And a sock leaflet? It's a good thing this isn't in my LYS, or I'd have bought it by now despite needing neither a needle gauge or a sock leaflet. Or for that matter, a cute yarn box.)

a bit of this, a bit of that

2006-04-06T11:15:00.000-04:00

Knitting

I have made some progress on both the red socks and the Surf socks, which I now think are going to be a surprise for my mom. They're bright and cheerful, and definitely spring-y. The Surf socks are my carry-along project and the red ones are stay at homes, for the moment. As it's been ridiculously slow at work, the Surf ones are zooming right along.

I have so many projects I want to be working on right now, it's a bit of an effort of will not to just keep starting and starting more things. And that's not even considering the number of unfinished projects floating around our apartment. I think that needs to the subject of a photo essay.

Pills and Such

I really, really dislike my pre-natal vitamins. Fear not, I'm faithfully popping them every day. I'm not a big pill taker anyhow, and these are decidedly unpleasant. The multi vitamin was described to me by my awesome doctor as "not that big" which makes me bless my mom even more, because if this is "not that big," I hate to think of the elephant sized pills she was forcing down her gullet when she was carrying my sister and me back in the 1970s. As it is, I swish a lot of water around in my mouth, toss the pill in, close my eyes and think of England, and try not to accidentally gag myself as I swallow a pill roughly the size of a camel. Bleah.

And then there's the lipil pill. The box has text which indicates that taking this pill is a gift I can give my baby. The gift this pill gives to me is fishy burps about 30 minutes after I take it. Delightful. At least it's a gel pill, and therefore easy to swallow. What these vitamins really do is make me miss chewable Flinstones.

Another thing going on is that I am in dire need of a bigger bra. I have the equivalent of visible panty line for the chest. I was a busty gal to start with, and now I'm starting to feel a little ridiculous. Also, the baby belly has begun! Right now I don't look so much like incipient mom as terminally bloated. I'm making a trip this weekend to up both bra and jeans sizes. I only have one pair of jeans that still fits well, so I guess it's time to make the dreaded transistion to elastic waisted trousers.

The cool thing about all this is that if I lie flat on my back and press on my stomach with my hand, I can feel where the baby is. I woke up a few mornings ago and made my husband feel my stomach too to make sure I wasn't wishful feeling the whole thing, and either we really can feel it, or we both just want to really badly.

Weekend

I haven't been having many Saturdays off, which sucks, as that's my husband's day off, but I've been trying to work my schedule around to every other Saturday off, and this Saturday is one. I'm very, very excited. The last Saturday I had off, we went to the Botanical Gardens and walked around for a few hours, and it was wonderful. This Saturday, we're going to the Zoo. And not only are we going to the Zoo, we're going with some friends of ours and their little girl. If going to the zoo is fun- and it is- going with a small child is fantastic. The last time we went with a small child was maybe three years ago. He rushed from exhibit to exhibit, while the adults trailed along behind him, moving far too slowly, until he got to the Coolest Thing in the Zoo, and we had a hard time making him leave. What was this Coolest Thing, you wonder, what animal could entrance this little boy?

A tractor. Yes, the wonders of construction kept this child motionless where tigers and zebras and giraffes could not. I'm really looking forward to Saturday.

trying

2006-04-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

We are trying not to eat entire bags of junk food at one sitting.

Failing that, we are trying not to bitch to our husband about how bloated we feel after eating entire bags of junk food at one sitting.

no commitment

2006-04-03T09:28:00.000-04:00

While I began and made some progress on the second red sock, I also started another sock. Heh heh. This one is made from Regia Cotton Surf Color, which I purchased from Elann, on US 1/2.5 mm addis. I started out on dpns, but I was concerned about laddering between the needles, so I switched over.

Actually, since I used a Turkish cast on, I started on circs, switched to dpns for a few rounds, and then switched back.

This yarn is 41% superwash wool, 34% cotton, and 25% polyamide. I'm actually quite enjoying knitting with it. My first experience with a cotton content sock yarn was not so much fun. These colors are a bit more neon-y than I would ordinarily wear, but I live in Alabama, and it's getting hot here, so the cotton content sounds pretty fantastic to me. You can see that the center pull ball yakked up a significant portion of yarn when I tried to extricate the end.

So why would I start another sock with these delightful gifty red ones still going strong? Well, we participate in a delightful tradition of Sunday Dinner, in which my husband and I, along with my sister and her husband, get together with my parents over at their house for dinner and the Simpsons. I generally bring my knitting, but as the red socks are intended to surprise their eventual recipient, I needed something else. Hence, the Surf socks.

now for some knitting

2006-04-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

I mentioned that I was working on some socks and gloves. Here is some of my progress. For my mom, I've made some gloves. She's gotten socks from me before, albeit not in a few years. I used Elann's Sock It To Me Puzzle, in a color I've forgotten the name of. Naturally, I've misplaced the ball band. I used US 1, 2.5 mm bamboo dpns, and that article on gloves from Interweave Knits Winter 2003. I think they're very festive and spring-y. The tea tin* next to the gloves will work well for presentation, I think.

Floey thinks so too. She's very helpful during photo shoots.

For my sister-in-law, I've made the Embossed Leaves Socks from IK Winter 2005. The observant will note that sock 2 has yet to have the ends sewn in. (The observant may also notice my unshaven legs, but please be gentle; it's Sunday morning.) Since the heels are stockinette stitch, I'm reinforcing them by weaving in extra yarn, Maggie Righetti style. I used Trekking XXL color 90 (I think!) on US 1/2.5mm dpns. I loved almost everything about this pattern, and I will definitely be making it again, for myself next time. The one thing I didn't like was the cast on. It was extremely tight (or possibly I was doing it incorrectly), so after I frogged it 3 times I said screw it and used a long tail cast on. My SIL wears a size larger shoe than I do, so if it was hard to get over my heel, it would have been brutal to get over hers.

One of the things I loved about the pattern was the heel. The garter stitch border was so pretty with the purl border around the leaves on the top of the foot. Of course, IK had two pictures of the front of the sock, and nary a one of the heel! Let me take a moment while we're looking at the heel to wax rhapsodic about Trekking XXL. I love this yarn so much! This is my 3rd pair of socks made with it. The yarn is made with four plies, each of which slowly shifts color, so the color changes are unpredictible and gradual. Every round is a surprise. It's so my new favorite sock yarn. And yet with all this love, I haven't made a pair of socks with it for myself yet. I assure you, that problem will be rectified.

And finally, my WIP. This is a sock I'm making up my ownself. The yarn is Brown Sheep's Wildfoote in the color Ragtime. This pair is for my sister, whose very most favorite color ever is red. I'm using Arches and Columns from one of Barbara Walker's Treasuries (the exact one escapes me at the moment) and once I have finished knitting the socks, I wil tell you more about the pattern. I am knitting these socks on US 0/2.0 mm Addis. I'm doing one foot at a time, and then I suspect I'll do the legs at once on two circs so as to assure their lengths being consistent even if one skein of yarn is a tad shorter than the other.

Working with the Wildfoote is certainly a change from working with the Trekking. It's a bit harsher on the hands, although experience tells me that once she washes them a few times, they'll be soft as all get out, and wear very well. I made some green Wildfoot socks for myself a few years back, and have machine washed and dried them, and they remain pretty darn fabulous.

I've already made 3 pairs of boy socks, 2 for my husband (the other 2 Trekking pairs) and one for my dad out of Regia with a Trekking heel and toe. Those I'll show you another time. I went ahead and gave my dad his before I decided I was embarking on the Great Pregnancy Hands and Feet Project. All of these other projects will reach their recipients a few weeks before I birth this baby, so sometime in September, if all goes well.

*Speaking of pregnancy (and tea), it's a sad fact that when you're preparing to be a part of the miracle of life etc. etc., you have to give up a number of fun things. On the list are indulgences such as booze, sushi, and staying up past 10 p.m. Sadly for the coffee addicts amonst us, caffeine is on the list of things you must reduce. (However, right now I am indulging in my favorite flavor, which apparently comes in decaf, but not at my grocery store, and I'm lazy, so...) The upshot is that I am drinking much more tea than I did previously. By the time these socks and gloves are finished, I'm pretty sure I'll have enough tea tins for all 10 giftlicious projects, and possibly some to spare. Cute presentation that wraps easily and smells good. What more could a girl ask?

Well, here it is, a brand new blog. My purpose in keeping this journal is at least twofold. I'm 15 weeks pregnant, and already it's been a pretty amazing time. I want to keep track of the experience as it happens. Also, I'm a knitter. Right now I'm in the midst of an exciting project to be-sock or -glove every member of my immediate family. So this will be my place to keep track of what I made for who and how they liked it.

Just Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment. She put an amplifier to my belly and we heard the heartbeat. It was amazing, and amazingly fast. No ultrasound, which was kind of a bummer, but my next visit, in a month, will be the Big One. We'll find out the sex. I can't wait!