Almost MIA…

With finals over, I’m getting ready to spend my first full week of my three weeks out of school backpacking in Bitterroot National Forest. Ya’ll know what that means, right? Even though I really only post once every so often, and it’s almost always fluff, I’m going to be MIA for the next week. The Mr. and I are going with some good friends, including Kally’s Uncle Freddy, aka the usual sitter. Kally absolutely adores her Uncle Freddy. She gets along with him almost as well as she gets along with the Mr., her absolute favorite BFF. Last year, around this time, the Mr. and I went to Cannon Beach. Uncle Freddy called to let us know how our little shitty kitty was doing. He told us that he had fallen asleep in front of the TV and when he woke up, he found Kally curled up on his chest. When her Uncle Freddy started to get up and she hissed at him. After all, he was there only to entertain her and she wanted to cuddle, dammit.

Moving on…

Anyone want a Print ‘o The Wave update? I received the second skien and the dyelot is way off. So I took Print ‘o The Wave off the needles (of course, I used some old cotton yarn as a stitch holder, I’m not going to tear the whole thing out) and retired her to the corner of the room. I’m trying to decide what to do. Right now, I’m leaning towards taking out both of the borders, casting off the provisional cast on edge and working the center panel until I run out of yarn. Another option would be to take the lace back by some multiple of two repeats which would reduce the number of border repeats. But, I’m leaning against that option. I’m not close to Margene tall, but I’m kind of tall (a very respectable 5′7″). If I make the shawl much shorter than it is now, it will be very disproportionate to my height and I doubt I will be able to wrap it all the way around my broad shoulders (kind of built like a linebacker, I tell ya ;o) ). So, I’m thinking longer is better… which would mean no border on this puppy. What do ya’ll think? Will some photographic evidence help with your decision? Okay….

The shawl in its entirety along with all the yarn I have left. The one long border than I have knit used up more than half of what I had when I started the border. I just don’t think I’ll make it.

Can you see the difference? Well, can you? The new skien has a very noticeable yellow tint when held next to the already knit lace. It’s just too much of a difference for me. The perfectionist in me will not let me use something so different. A contrasting color would look better. Besides, yellow and I, we’re not the best of friends.

While I go back and forth trying to make up my mind, I started on another lace project. I know it could technically be considered breaking the rules of having only one of each type of project on the needles, but my justification is that Print ‘o The Wave is “off” the needles and on a stitch holder. I know I’ve said it before, but I really don’t consider myself much of a triangle shawl person. Then, I saw this post and I fell in love. I pulled out my copy of Interweave and I dug though my bin of yarn and pulled out two skeins of Knit Picks Shadow in Oregon Coast courtesy of the most lovely and absolutely fabulous Teri.

Two full repeats of chart one down and part of a third. My favorite thing about this shawl so far, the subtle color in the yarn. Holy stunning, Batman.

A little more on rule breaking, eh? I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now. Remember the 92 stitch Jaywalkers? Yeah, I’m still working on sock #1. Because I don’t really feel that fondly about the pattern, I’ve started another pair of socks. Bad eliza, bad.

Kally knows we’re leaving next week. Clearly, she’s not thrilled.

8,196 Stitches & Counting ….

I started a new project on Sunday:

Salina from Rowan’s Vintage Style.

Could it be a case of startitis?

Internets, am I messing with you?

I think I might be messing with you.

I can’t tell you how many times I tried to take a picture of me wearing the sweater… on a day when it’s 101° outside. Let’s just say it’s not easy and I’m a little crazy.

Do you want details?
Pattern: Must Have Cardigan Patons’ Street Style booklet
Yarn: Bernat Gloucester Wool from the Haunted House of Yarn, 10.5 skeins
Mods: I changed the directions of the main cable on the front and the back (I really like symmetry) and I added waist shaping.

Shitty kitty really wanted to help with the photo shoot - after all, she believes a photo shoot isn’t really a photo shoot unless she’s in it - and the cables really complement her fur. Mrawh!

And, Internets, if you’re knitting a Print ‘o The Wave stole in lace weight, you’ll need more than 800 yards. Just a little heads up. I’m waiting for more yarn to arrive and then I’ll decide whether to rip back the border and knit it entirely in the new yarn or continue the border if the dyelot change isn’t noticeable.

so close. seriously. so. close.

Print O’ the Wave

While I was at SNB Sunday, I finished picking up an enormous number of stitches and began working on the inner border. My eyes skipped ahead and missed the whole eyelet row. Oops. Seriously, actually reading the pattern is a good thing. Tinking back well over 600 stitches is killer, but I couldn’t think of a better way to fix my one-row-back mistake. Two and a half hours later, I’m ready to start the edging.

Fuck. Fuckety fuck fuck.

I got stuck at row 9 too many times to count and kept ripping back, counting, re-counting and then counting again. It just didn’t make sense. Try as hard as I might, I couldn’t get the stitch count to work. Over an hour later, I shoved my lace, half finished row 9 and all, into a bag, shoved the bag into the corner and then ate a cookie.

Internets, if you are knitting the Print O’ the Wave Stole, this KR forum topic will help. There is an error in the edging cart, and Ms. Eunny Jang herself clears it all up. Phew. Also, there’s a Yahoo group for additional reference if you need it.

I now have half of one long edge knit, that’s only five repeats from being 1/4 of the way through the edging.

I’ve also been working on the Must Have Cardigan. All of the pieces have been knit except for the back, which has been started, but not by much. It’s been too warm to knit such long rows with worsted weight wool.

Little Ms. Shitty Kitty has a favorite resting place under one of the chairs in the living room…

… and I don’t think she likes it when I try to get close ups.

Introducing Flora and other follow up

Not to long ago, I finished my Weekender Bag. Here she is sitting on the couch,

y’all can call me Flora

and she already has knitting goodies inside.

So what exactly is in the bag?

Print O’ The Wave stole by Eunny Jang. When I reached the half-way point, I noticed that the two pieces along the center seam would never line up perfectly. It would make me crazy. So, I decided to knit all the repeats in one direction. It’s growing very slowly.

The 92-stitch Jaywalker knit with Dicentra Designs Hand Dyed Yarn in Abalone. It’s quite lovely.

Kally managed to get to the sock and had her way with the working end. I think it’s safe to say that she also finds the yarn to be quite lovely.

Little Red Sox for a very little Red Sox fan.

And another pair of socks. Plain, plain socks.

2×2 rib in Socks that Rock, Carbon colorway.

That’s all folks.

Crazy about lace…

So I had this totally brilliant idea that I would knit up Susan’s Mountain Stream Scarf for Mother’s Day. I started the scarf over the weekend and knit up five whole repeats before I decided to count my stitches and make sure I had the right number. I had two extra stitches, one on each of the borders, and traced my way back to find the mistake on the very first repeat. The fucker when flying across the room and I had to work on something else. Yeah, I may love the process, but sometimes the process can be a total pain in the ass. So, I finally finished Cherie v.2.0 and the first of the retina searing koigu socks - pictures to come soon. Then, I started another sock because I’m like that.

my, what pretty picot you have…

So, I eventually pulled myself back together and started over on Mountain Steam.

eight of fourteen repeats and no mistakes - fingers remain firmly crossed

oh, look at the little streams winding around the mountains

But, Mountain Stream is not the only lace project I’ve been working on. While taking the Mr. from appointment to appointment, I worked on two projects (i) a pair of socks for the Mr. (finished and so not photographed yet) and (ii) Eunny’s Print ‘O the Wave Stole (nowhere near finished, but photographed).

i *heart* this pattern

So, while I was MIA from blogland the past few weeks, my knitting bag was far from MIA. And Ms. Kally is so sick of the knitting.

seriously.