It wasn't all bad

The weekend wasn't all bad.

Saturday I was involved in some stash enhancement with G and I bought some yarn to make Alice Starmore's Norfolk from Fisherman Knits. It is really a lovely chestnut brown.


Then my friend Kelly came to visit one Sunday and we dyed some wool. She took hers home before we got pictures but here is what I dyed.




That part of the weekend was productive and fun.

Exercising my frustration

I knit 4 (four) more swatches during the last week. Okay so I really knit the first two swatches four times.

I am rowing out something disgusting. I have no idea why! I broke out all the sweaters I've made in the last six months. I have whole backs, fronts and sleeves without a single row out. So Why when making these swatches can't I make a single inch without a row out? I have random uneven stitches as well. Maybe I'm trying too hard?! All I really know is that I'm getting really frustrated.

Master Knitting

I finished my first swatch last night and blocked it this morning. I think it sucks 9 kinds of ass (to quote ColoradoKnits). I am going yarn shopping with G on Saturday so I might see if they have some other worsted weight yarn I can snag and make another set of swatches out of it. Of course I have already made 3 different sets of swatches with 3 different kinds of yarn and not been happy with them. But I am mailing them in July 1 whether I like them or not! At least that will be forward progress. Film (as it were) at 11.

Here is my swatch. It will have to be redone.

Weekend - in which we drive, some more

Friday dawned and we packed the car, then looked for coolers. Out intention was to return home with tasty meat. After wasting 20 minutes looking for coolers we left for a 9 hour drive to my mother's house. (Telling myself it takes 9 hours makes it seem not so long.) Plus we stopped about half-way to see the new baby and spent almost two hours visiting so it did take 9 hours.

The reason for taking the car instead of the train was to return with tasty meat. I brought back some steaks, a roast and some ground beast. Meat takes more time than that to freeze. Driving home with 1/2 of a not frozen beef was not considered a good idea.

Saturday we looked at sweaters and decided that the small sleeve must come out. I am not surprised, I suspected as much. I did however enjoy several months where that sweater was, for all intents, done. The sleeve is now unknit and on needles. I hope to have it done by the 29th. I will then sew it up, cut it up and sew it together. Mother can then knit up the collar and button bands. I also brought home the sweater I made for Dad. It is too warm (?) so I am going attempt, against all odds, to acquire something to make button bands so he can have a cardigan. And they wonder why I am reluctant to knit for others.

On the up side my mother politely failed to discover the error on the back of her knotwork sweater (ie the sweater from hell). I also managed to knit a row and a half on it while there.

Then we went out and spent 5 hours cutting and packaging a beef. This should not be attempted without a good sense of humor and a box of bandaid. We did however get meat that was packaged per our needs and briskets that were briskets! There will be corned beef in my future!

We then got up Sunday morning and returned to the metropolis. Interspersed there was horse brushing, combing and admiring. My parents' horses like me, my mother is very pleased by this and thinks I should move closer so I can help with them. She has a jumper for me, he is a nice 1 year old and I would really enjoy teaching him and stuff. Alas I have no job there. :(

I arrived home to two boxes of yarn and a wooly board. I sorted yarn (as best I could) the shipping was high but we still paid less for the yarn and shipping from the mill then we would have paid at the shop. It will be cheaper to ship next time as well, since we won't be getting another wooly board.

Best go - I have an appointment and I have to see if I can figure out where it is.

No Rogue Monday

Last night there was no work on Rogue. G was working on a cute little baby dress. I attempted to find some nice non-wool yarn to also make a cute little baby something. I couldn't find any. In the end I was enabled to make a cute little bonnet.

G wants to finish the dress so I can take it to the baby on my way to visit my folks this weekend. We talked about going to Stitches Midwest, but not this year. I'm already booked that weekend. That should take care of all my excess money and vacation next year: Knitting camp in July and Stitches in August.

We then proceeded to talk about all the knitblog people we could hope to meet.

No more guilt - but new shame.

For reasons I missed people are posting pictures of their stash on their blogs.

I am an amateur! There are professional yarn collectors out their and I am not one of them. I'm a wannabe.

Our J&S order has shipped.

That is all.

Another Rogue Monday

Fiber enablers was great last night. I worked on my Rogue and I am at chart C row 33.

After everyone left I knit the last lace swatch. This time with the silk and Brittany needles. The Skacels were to slick and I kept loosing stitches. It blocked fine. I like the idea of using silk - but it was pretty slick and I think it would be an exercise in frustration. I'm probably going with the shetland cobweb. I can order that from J&S when I order the yarn I left off of the last order.The samples are: Gassamer Merino, Shetland Cobweb and Gossamer Silk. The silk has serious tension issues. It is really too bad that you can't reall see the fineness of the fiber here. My camera just isn't good enough.

Knitting Camp costs about $650 from Thursday through Monday. This includes classes, four nights hotel, hotel breakfast, lunch and snack. I'm going to save money so I can go next year. I spent almost that going to the EGA convention in Minneapolis and it didn't even include food or hotel. Still expensive, but I think it will be worth it. Applications for this year are due starting Friday, I have to save for the remodeling and I can't get out of my responsibilities at WW this year. So I'm going to just suck up that I can't go this year and enjoy the fact that I get to go to Pennsic instead and spend a weekend at Lillies.

I also started ANOTHER sweater Sunday. This one is a lopi sweater. I will be dividing my time between that and mother's sweater. I have only about half the front to finish and since we are going to visit her the 14th I hope to have the pieces done to take along. She can sew them up, try it on and I can put the neck on it either while I'm there or have it ready for her to pick up when she comes here the end of April.

I'm still balling yarn for the cardigan. I have to find some freetime to read the pattern and make some copies of the charts. I'm willing to bet I finish the lopi before I get all the yarn balled for the cardigan.