Thursday, August 31, 2006

More new knitting

I cast on and knitted about 1 inch on the LaCrosse sweater. I did most of it while doing laundry at a friend's house. It's a good thing I have friends.

My current projects include but are not limited to:

kotr - KAL: Unst Socks about 5 inches of leg/cuff
Mary Tudor: about 10 inches (1 full pattern repeat and about 24 rows)
Green Baby sweater: button band and finishing are all that remain
Lana socks: ready for toe kitchnering
White Baby Ull sweater: the back and 1/2 of the right front are complete.
White Baby Ull booties: sewing up is all that remains
Rogue: sewin up is all that remains
Grey Lopi sweater: about 6 inches until sleeves join
Mom's Philospher's sweater: cutting and buttonbands are all that remain (need sewing maching for this)
Dad's Lopi Sweater: tacking and button bands are all that remain
AS sweater from the Celtic Collection that hasn't seen the light of day in 10 years.
Mother's sweater from Lavold: back is finished and sleeves are about 1/3 done.

Perhaps when we are moved in and settled a little (and the wireless is installed) I'll manage to get pictures and a proper 'In Progress' list up.

Stuff I have kitted up and waiting

Elizabeth 1
Katherine of Aragon
Poetry in Stitches sweater
Silk sweater
Dale Baby Sweater
Sweaters from Camp - I need to reorder that out of stock yarn for this - but there are only two colors missing - Does that count as kitted or just random stash?

I also joined the Beadwork KAL and need to order some 5-ply gansey yarn for it.

There are also various sweaters I have 'kitted' started and then decided I don't like. That yarn has gone into stash for future use. I'm willing to be I have enough yarn for 7 sweaters in stash but uncommitted. There is also untold amounts of yarn for socks and mittens.

I think I need a 12 step program.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Paint and yarn

I painted the second coat in the bathroom and my bedroom last night. Bathroom looks good - bedroom looks like something from a victorian brothel.

I finished the buttonhole band on the baby sweater and found needles to start the LaCrosse sweater. I need to hunt up stitch markers for the cast-on counting.

I joined the Beadwork KAL on Knitting Beyond the Hebrides. I have to (gasp) buy some gansey yarn. I'm still waivering about the color.

Tonight I hope to complete the second band on the sweater, finish up the bathroom (install vanity etc) so the plumber can come (hopefully this week) and second coat my bedroom.

Things are moving nicely along!

Monday, August 28, 2006

Secret Pal programs

I was just cruising around at the Secret Pal 8 blog. It seems there was quite a rumble going on with people complaining about the program and how they didn't get what they expected. After pondering this for a time I'm left still bemused.

Did these people contact their hostesses? Why not?

Sometimes you don't have a great experience. But it isn't the hostesses' fault. If you failed to contact them how can they fix it? And that doesn't even get close to the issue of some people never being happy. The hostesses do the best they can.

I had fun and I would like to try it again - without the incredible remodeling project sucking the life out of me. Those people who agreed to herd the participants are fantastic and should be appreciated.

So to my hostess with the mostess - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Again - the house

Painting has commenced. I danced when we put the vanity in the main floor bath. My husband laughed. There is still no water - but it feels so much closer now. Painting without trimwork or floors is so much more relaxing! We hope to have water by Friday! With our plumber I'm thinking we'll be lucky if it is a week from Friday!

While at the conference I found that the local yarn shop was only two blocks from my hotel - so guess where I was Thursday afternoon? I bought this sweater. It will be my 'CPE 2006' sweater. I have already balled the yarn. I'm completely and totally nuts! I also bought a nice little baby sock pattern.

I have nearly completed a sweater for my cousin's new baby. I have one sleeve and a button bands left to knit. I'm going to have to go and buy some buttons. I also have to complete the sweater for my friends baby. It's due any day and I have to start the sweater for my other friends' baby. Due sometime the end of the year. It's a mini baby boom!

I can't believe the summer is gone already. Where ever did it go. It seems like it was July just a few weeks ago.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I need a vacation from my vacation!

It was a very long hot dirty week. I loved every minute of it and I'm so tired.

Once again I completely failed to take any pictures. I needed a new SDcard for the camera and didn't manage to find one.

I'm currently out of town for an education retreat. YUCK! I was home for three days. It was a good thing - I managed to get some laundry done. I also helped grout the tile in the upstairs bath. It turned out quite nicely. I returned a bunch of broken lights (broke in the box) and picked out paint for most of the rooms. I managed to find a mistinted gallon of the venetian plaster we want to use. This will give me a chance to try before I buy.

My daughter found the paint she wanted for her room. It is a nice girly type and will be fine. Much better than the black she had been asking for.

I'm looking forward to fall, returning to the world of acedamia (for an advanced degree) and the quiet that will result. I'm dead sick of living NOT in my house. I can hardly wait to be back in.

Knitting talk will resume tomorrow, promise!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Okay - it isn't really that bad. But I'm trying to lay tile and pack for a week long camping trip in the wilds of Pennsylvania. Since our house is still under destruction I don't know how I'm going to be able to get my stuff out of the garage. It is buried under house hold goods. We are loading Thursday night.

I hope to manage pictures and such for you enjoyment when I return.

I also hope that I can manage to find time to knit up my one skein item for my One Skein Secret pal, to whom I also owe a skein of yarn.

I'm a little disappointed that my one skein pal has never managed to send me a single skein of yarn. She has contacted me - but never managed to actually send the yarn.

I have not been a good Secret 8 pal. :( I failed to send communicate frequently enough. But I do have a nice package to mail tomorrow.

I never did find the gauge/ruler/needle sizer I was looking for to include in the package. DOH!

Oh well. I hope she enjoys the package when she gets it. I'll have to wait until I get back from my vacation to find out.

Monday, August 07, 2006

A short week

I'm on vacation starting Thursday! This is a good thing. I'm ready.

I got camera software on the new laptop. I'm going to attempt photos tonight. Updates on: socks, Mary Tudor and the house. It might take some time to load those up.

I tired to get my daughter to ball some yarn for my Poetry in Stitches kit. No go.

Otherwise I'm okay. I beat myself black and blue trying to mix mortar for the tiling I did Sunday. I won't be attempting that again anytime soon. Someone else is mixing the mortar, especially if he loves me.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Sweet Blessed Friday

First - my current obsession - the House
Taping isn't done. Humidity is keeping the mud from drying properly. They got that crap all over my cupboards. Oh well. They said they'd be back Monday for texturing.

Lights go up Thursday. This actually makes me very happy. Yeeee HAW!

The plumber is still an ass.

I leave for vacation Friday the 11th. Before I go I am suppose to get all the tile put down in the laundry/baths. That way the plumber can put in stuff. Guess what I'm doing this weekend - Finally! After we go to IKEA on Saturday.

Last night the entire family stayed in the camper. Four people in a 8x14 space. Right! My son left to get food, telling his father that I was tooooo grumpy. The constant contrary-ness that is both of my children wore much quicker yesterday and I admit I snapped. But for the love of peat, enough of the harping at each other and me. It's no wonder their father was outside.

Bedtime was a real treat. Spouse wanted the children to sleep together. That makes a lot of sense - they can't sit on the same side of the dinner table without fighting. The ended up the way I suggested in the first place boys in one, girls in the other. Except that the boys got the upper and the girls got the couch. But at least there was sleep.

Second - my most enduring obsession - Knitting
I have completed one complete chart on the current AS. I have two rows of the second repeat. I have to complete 4. I really need to start thinking about the neck. Since I decided that I don't want a cardigan I am going to be altering the pattern. This should be great fun.

I finished the socks on two circs. They went fine on the patterned part but when I got to the toes I couldn't keep the needles straight so I knitted them onto double points and finished them that way. All in all not a bad experience but I think I'll just stick to double points. The upside is keeping them on the needles and finishing both socks at the same time. The trouble with keeping the needles straight is not worth the hassle. I'm sure I would have more luck with two socks on one circ. but I really don't want to buy another needle to try. Although at this point whats one more needle. I have a bazillion. On the other hand I could knit them on two to the toes and just changed them then.

The other thing I considered is knitting them on two circs with three sets. Then I wouldn't knit front A onto the needle for the backs and get that tangled mess. You would think it would be easy to avoid. I even used two different needles so I would tell them apart by color. No - I still ended up with a mobius creation.

Liz started the arms for her hedgehog. I think she might actually get the silly thing completed this time. I asked her if she'd help me make one. That created quite a giggle fest.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

August - come she must

So here we are August - I have been a REALLY bad secret pal. I bought some nice gifties but I haven't mailed them yet. I simply must do that TODAY!!!!!

This remodeling is going to be the death of me.

The rain is nice - really - if it didn't keep my daughter up all night. I'm dead tired. I might have to take my sorry ass home.

I took my daughter to Borealis last night. They worked on the hedgehog pattern. Abby was very nice, Liz was unhappy. I haven't gotten her to tell me what the problem was yet. They seemed to be getting along fine. They got to the end of the second leg and Liz turned to me with the most sad, desolate expression I have ever seen and asked to go home. So we went. She is really painfully shy and had to interact with someone she didn't know - but I've never seen her respond that way before. I'm hoping that this isn't a portent of things to come. If she becomes anymore afraid of people she will be in need of clinical intervention.

I got several nice comments on my AS Mary Tudor. (insert preening here) I had a hard time getting started on the pattern. I kept miscounting.

Abby has the most beautiful purple and burgundy sweater in her store. I decided that I should get the pattern so I can make it someday, I don't need it now since I don't have time to make it anyway. I have several already kitted up. Turns out I already have it, but I didn't recognize it in the colorway.

I bought Knitting on the Road. I joined the KAL some time ago and they are starting Unst so I decided it was time to really join in. I bought some lovely offwhite wool with which to make them. It was 10% off for A Night Out, too bad I didn't have a lot I needed to buy. Maybe next year.