Disco Duck

After starting the border of my complicated cable commission, I realized that I'd miscounted my skeins....I had one more of the Berrocco Lullaby...drat. I was faced with a decision: 1. Just continue the border, finish the blanket and be done with the whole thing making my stash one skein richer OR 2. Rip out the border. Rip back the cast off edge. Continue the center square with skein #4. I chose door #2! So, I'm still working on the border, but hope to finish it this weekend.

It's really starting to give me a headache - knitting more than one project at a time. After this weekend, I'll be down to 2. Yippee!!

I did just finish a fun little project that I'm calling Disco Duck. I made this Halloween costume for my godson, Will.

I Saw The Light

Yesterday I briefly mentioned my "slightly complicated cable commission" that I've been knitting at home. I'm making Berrocco's Endora and I'm currently on the middle cabled section. It's a 12 row pattern which is fun...the first 2 times. Then you knit it over and over and over again for 24 inches. Fortunately, I ran out of yarn last night after about 22 inches. Yippee! Guess I'm done. I must admit, though, that I LOVE the feel of this yarn.
Can't wait to start the border...I've always loved shag carpeting.

Bad

As it turns out, I'm not very good with keeping up with a blog. In fact, I may be very bad at it. How do all these people find time to knit when they're typing so much??? I like the feel of my new Knitpicks Options (US8) so much better than that of my keyboard. Where's the zen in the constant push push push of the little black keys? At any rate, for my mother's sake, I'll attempt to do better.

Now, generally, I'm a one-project-at-a-time kind of gal, but lately I've been trying to keep up with the local baby boom. I've tried requesting that my friends keep my knitting schedule in mind during their family planning (um) meetings, but they seem to think that's a lot to ask. So, here I am...3 projects on needles!!! One on hold, one for the train and one slightly complicated cable commission for home. And it's driving me crazy. Oh the pressure!!! How do you people do it? I just keep knitting and knitting and knitting and I'm getting nowhere.

Luckily, I got a jury duty summons (my first) in the mail last week. Is it terrible to hope that this will go on long enough to enable me to finish at least one of these projects while enjoying the privilege of being an American and fulfilling my obligation to our justice system ALL AT THE SAME TIME?!?!

One last little thread: I narrowly averted tragedy earlier this week. I have a wonderful little closet in my apt - a miracle closet really for NYC. It's actually a set of stairs inside it's own little room that provides ample storage for my most important possessions - shoes and yarn. On Monday, I attemped to grab my cute little mary jane flats when I was stunned to find out that the door was stuck!! It wouldn't budge at all. So I had to wear my pumas to work & hope that I had another cute little pair of shoes in my office. All day long I kept thinking "my shoes and my yarn are stuck in that closet"... "who knows when I'll get it open"... "my shoes and yarn are being held hostage by that closet"... I casually mentioned the situation to my brother/roommate (ok, I might have been just a little freaked out). Well, when I got home that night, the door was OPEN!! He'd freed them! (Turns out the lock was just broken.) My brother was a hero! I guess I'll have to put that zip-up hoodie he requested back on my "to-knit" list.

Hallelujah!

I'M FINISHED! Consumato! Pret! Ausgespielt!

I've finally completed the Heirloom Christening Blanket after many hours of hard work and cramped fingers. I'm quite pleased with the results.

It's on to the next project now because you know what THEY say: The knit must go on...

Hopelessly Devoted to You

I've come to an important realization...I may never finish my Heirloom Christening Blanket. My brother was nice enough to recently point out that I've been knitting it "FOREVER!!!" Nonetheless, I'm devoted to 1. finishing it sometime during the life of Baby Harris (the recipient who's set to join us in June) and 2. never making this again.
I do keep glancing longingly at my "to knit" list as well as my yarn stash - wondering if I'll ever knit for fun again. I now understand the inclination to have more than one project going at a time, though.
I have to believe that thru the frogging, the pattern errata, & the unclear directions I'll prevail. One thing is for sure - I will never win a medal for this project, but Baby Harris better love me.

After the Fall

I have been defeated - partially by time & partially by my pattern. As I did not complete my entry in time, I have lost the gold medal. It's a sad day in my [knitting] world. In my defense, I did not lose in the spirit of Bode Miller, but rather in the method of Lindsay Kildow, by falling twice. Twice I was forced to frog my heirloom christening blanket and begin again.
All that said, I plan to press on. I think that, if a silver medal was available, it would still be in my grasp. My WIP is so very close to being a FO....

Oops! I did it again.

So, this time it was on the second row that I came upon that blasted extra stitch. I thought all was lost and I'd never attain my dream of Olympic GOLD. But, as any true athlete knows, sometimes you have to go back to the fundamentals to correct your mistake. Patiently, I went back to the pattern and re-read the directions: "CO 161 sts. Work one purl row." WAIT! "CO 161 sts." 161 sts! (I had 166 sts.) With dogged determination, I CO the correct number of sts., worked one purl row and completed 3 rounds of the 4 row pattern. Then I went to bed.............. thinking about 161 sts.

The Choking Kind

It was my first Knitting Olympics event and I choked. I started off strong getting all 166 stiches cast on in under 10 minutes while hiding in my office at 2pm yesterday. I even got the first row done before someone came knocking at my door and I had to stash it in my desk drawer. Later in the game, I resumed knitting. I'm not sure what went wrong, but suddenly, at the end of the 3rd row, there is was - an extra stitch! I got back up and tried to salvage the project, but it was too late (with all the YFs & sl 1s). So, I've frogged it and am anxious to get back in it tonight. I really think I can still pull out a GOLD.

Olympic Call

Well, I've answered the Olympic Call and signed up for the Knitting Olympics. I'm making the "Heirloom Silk Shawl" from Knitting for 2 by Erika Knight (aka Baby Bloom) as a Christening Blanket for my best friend's baby due in June. I've got to close my office door and CO in approx. 15 minutes now. It's thrilling to think of 4000 knitters casting on at the same time. I'll post pictures at the end - me with my blanket flying over the podium.

Blanket of Love

I was thrilled to recently receive a picture of one of my first projects - a bubblegum pink hooded baby blanket . I was even more thrilled to hear that the baby uses the blanket on a daily basis. I love the idea of making something that becomes part of someone else's everyday life.

What a Girl Wants

Yesterday I was super excited to get my shipment from Amazon. I got Debbie Bliss' Special Knits: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies and Toddlers and Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Little Cherubs. And GORGEOUS and SIMPLE they are. I've already picked the "Picot Dress" for a friend's baby who's due in March - can't wait to get started.

I Saw Red: My First Sweater

I think that the way to make a sweater is to make a small one - all the others take too long. My cousin's baby needed a warm, red sweater and I aim to please.

Baby Love: Take Two

When Moma's friend wanted to make the Traditional Mabel Dress for her granddaughter, but thought it might be beyond her skill, my mother, being the helpful person she is, told her friend I'd made the dress for someone else with no problem. It then became a fabulous idea to have me make it.
Actually, I really enjoyed seeing how the dress made up in another yarn and another size. These pictures and the small gift I got for making it made it worth the work.

Right From Wrong

I'd planned to make a really beautiful silk[blend] camisole for my very small best friend's birthday. Due to my distaste for, my nemisis - the gauge swatch - it didn't come out so small. I found someone on Craftster who'd had a similar problem and a solution. So, I planned to fix it when I got a chance. Shortly thereafter, my best friend dropped the news of her pregancy. (Yay!!!!)
Stay tuned to see if she'll EVER where the silk[blend] camisole.

Bag Lady

Maybe it was the hint of spring. Maybe it was the plethora of good patterns. Maybe it was because I couldn't afford a Louis Vitton. In March 2005, I got obsessed with bags and 2 friends were very willing recipients. [Chinese Charm Bag, Stitch & Bitch] (top left) [Funky Purse, Hollywood Knits] (right)

Baby Love

One of my best friends had a baby in December 2005 and I couldn't wait to knit beautiful baby clothes for her. That's when the baby fever started. Baby clothes are fabulous because they're beautiful & impressive, but they're small so they don't take forever. Although the straight stitch got a little monotonous in the middle, this was the most satisfying project I'd completed thus far...I was so proud. (Traditional Mabel Dress from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies.)

Hand in Glove: Could you make me...and the [not so] fingerless gloves

So, my brother lives with me and lived with me knitting for a few months before asking the inevitable question..."could you make me..." Actually, it was my pleasure to use him as a guinea pig and make my first [not so] fingerless gloves. After trying them on several times and saying "can they be just a bit longer" several times, guess what my brother said when I finished them...."they're too long".... Like the good brother he is, he wears them anyway.

You Complete Me I: Scarves

I started out making a capelet and some baby hats because I didn't just want to make some scarves...then I learned the beauty of scarves-- NO GAUGE SWATCH. I quickly learned how cool it was to see how the same stitch varies in different yarns.

Here's Rowan's Pia Scarf from Big Just Got Bigger (left) & Purl Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (right)

Welcome to My World

After attempting to create a blog for months, I've finally figured it out. Yea me! Welcome to my [knitting] world.