Labor Day Weekend Show

Monday we are dyeing wool. I am really looking forward to that.

I created a little spreadsheet to estimate how much wool I need to dye to make the Tulip sweater. I tested the first measurement and it came out about 4 yards long. This is good! I will probably end up knitting the entire sweater once to verify the amounts but then I’ll know for future reference that the estimator works and I can use it for other (simple) items. I’m using the same yarn I plan to dye, but in leftovers from other projects. I’m not sure how the colors will work out together though. It could be quite ugly.

My plan for Sunday and Monday morning is to get stuff moved out of the work room. I have started some of that but there is a lot. I hope to have it mostly done by the middle of next week. Making a list of UFOs will be part of the process. Since the only real votes were for making next year a UFO year I might as well get the pre-work on that started. I also need to get a good look at what I have that I can complete for this year’s challenge.

Pictures shall be forthcoming!

drat

Well my worst fears were realized last night and I ran out of yarn to finish the baby sweater. I am about 1 inch from complete. The pattern called for 3 oz and I had just under 4 oz. It should have been enough, especially when I had gauge and everything. Alas, this is why yardage is a more useful measure than weight. I looked for a complementary yarn to do the remainder but I don't have anything. I suppose I can just frog it and put the yarn aside for another R&S baby present. I'm very bummed.

Any Ideas?

I am quite pleased with how my sweater challenge has gone this year. After all - I have finished 4 sweaters so far this year and I still have 4 months to go. I think I'd like to try it again next year - with another challenge.

So here are my choices -
1) Socks (I have several!!! patterns and balls of yarn set aside)
2) Starmore sweaters - still sweaters - but topical. I believe I have 6 of these kitted up
3) Lace work - I only have 3 or 4 of these kitted up but given the degree of difficulty finishing one a year could be a challenge
4) Finish all the things I have on the needles - an end to UFOs - this one will be a challenge - I have 3 Starmores on the needles right now, a shawl and several pairs of socks.

I'll take votes and advice in the comments.

I started EZ's baby surprise jacket for my friends R&S. I really enjoy this pattern. I'm almost to the halfway point. I started it yesterday morning, before I left to pick up my daughter in Fargo. I only got to knit on it about 1 hour on the road. My son didn't help with the driving very much. It's too bad. I could have had several good knitting hours if he had shared.

YARN CALLS!

So I want to make a HP sweater (specifically the House Sweater on page 86 of Charmed Knits). I can get the yarn from Knitpicks for $28. It's nice, classic and I would wear it. (always important sweater elements). I have to finish things in my stash before I add more. And really - I don't need to add anything for several years.

In other news my daughter got accepted into the high school she wants to attend. Now I have to figure out how to get her home early (from Grandma's) so she can attend orientation and figure out how to get her to school. This school doesn't provide bus service so we will have to find a carpool or metro service. Her father wants to know how she is getting there NOW, I've only known we needed to find out for 5 minutes. It's all very exciting. She is thrilled.

Back to the Aunt sweater. The rows on the body take much longer than the sleeves. It's exhausting!

Auntie Bernie's Sweater

I have finished the second sleeve! I have finished the ribbing on the body and I am ready to start the first pattern row! YEE HAW!

Stop me before I cast on again!

I have a bad case of startitis. I am trying hard to focus on finishing my Aunt's sweater (second sleeve half done) but I want to start something new. So badly that I cast on the body of the sweater just to trick myself. It didn't work of course. I just spent my morning looking for a pattern for a iPod cosy. A good use for left over yarn!

I have tooooo many things on needles already!

Fixing the sleeve

Picking up the stitches. This is the easy part.




















Cutting off the bottom. This is the scary part.

















Then start knitting. The pattern is knit from the top down rather than the bottom up















The stitches do sit upside down.















The completed pattern row and the nearly completed cuff. I think it looks just a little odd.















But the pattern certainly looks more delicate. The black is less heavy using the proper 2ply yarn.

Home and rested

I had a very nice vacation. In spite of the rain and all the mud and all the drama. But any time you get that many people together in one place there will be drama. My friend Terri has decided we should name the drama. I don't think so - if you name it you own it.

I have about 10 inches on the body of the Kauni sweater that I managed to get done while traveling and camping. It is BEAUTIFUL.

I have, from the vantage of 16 hours of driving distance, made a decision about my Aunt's sweater (as seen here). I'm going to run a thread through the sleeve just above the first band, cut that part off and reknit it down to the cuff. That way I can fix the mistakes without redoing the entire sleeve. I will attempt to remember to take process pictures and post them.

Wish me luck.

Home

I'm sunburned and tired but home. More later.

Vacation

I'm leaving on vacation in about 1 hour. I'll be back in 10 days (assuming things go as they are planned)

For those who are concerned

I am fine and so is all of my family. Although I work in downtown Minneapolis I get onto and off of 35W north of that bridge. I also had to leave work promptly tonight so I could get my daughter to her end of school year concert. I was quite nearly home when the bridge collapsed and no where near downtown.

Another One Bites the Dust

Tada - The spouse's cardigan is complete (except for buttons). I have to find some buttons. I think white pearl, or maybe pewter.

I'm going to finish the pink cable sweater, the sweater for my aunt and then Mary Tudor. Of course I need to get the Kauni done as well. I really want to start the Kauni and I'm using it as a carrot to get other things done.

I am enjoying getting things finished.

I am going on vacation next week. I got some of my packing done last night and I hope to get the rest of it done tomorrow. I still have a few things I need to wash. I never seem to get the laundry done.

Newsbreak

I finished the first sleeve and fixed the button band.

I might have gotten well into the second sleeve if I hadn't spent so much time trying to fix the cable in my room. My spouse decided that he needed to fix this cable because he can't get CNN to come in. I think it's better if you don't get CNN in, and my cable worked fine, including CNN. After he got done messing around with his signal booster and stuff I didn't have any cable. I, of course, have really gotten used to having the Tivo record everything for me and I didn't notice the cable was out until 45 minutes into the show I wanted to watch. We ended up putting everything back the way it was when he started messing around. But it took hours.

I haven't gotten any socks done this month. I started a couple pair that I took out and I have the Fawkes socks almost done - but I want to finish the sweater first. Then I have to decide what I'm going to work on next. I'd like to start the Kauni but I should also finish the pink cables or any of the other things I have on the needles.

Today the spouse and I went to buy more trim boards. While we were there we found an patio swing on sale cheap. I spent the afternoon putting that together and then L&M came over and we packed for our vacation and went to dinner. I can't believe where the time has gone. I leave on vacation in just four days!

It's been quite a Friday

After I finished the neckband on Mike's sweater I realized that I had forgotten the last two buttonholes. Gah! I'll have to pull it out and reknit it, but I hope I can just do it on the buttonband and not have to remove the entire last 5 inches on the sweater. Wish me luck.

I hope to get it done over the weekend. I only have the sleeves left (well that that mistake - but we aren't focusing on that right now).

I went to the Dr. today and they have decided that I probably have asthma. The panicy feeling is probably my body's reaction to not having enough air. We'll give it three weeks and then go back and see. If it works then we have an answer, if it sort of works we have an answer and if it doesn't we have an answer (although not the final solution). The lung xray was clear so at least I don't have to worry about having consumption.

An Evening with Yarn

I have finally started the ribbed band on my husband's cardigan. I don't know if it is just the stockinette or what - but it seemed to take forever to get that far, it seemed like I had 3 more rows for 30 rows, before I reached the 24.5 inches of length. Soon - sleeves!

I would have gotten to the ribbing soon but the husband came home with sod for the yard and we all went out and helped with that. He's getting scrap from the landscaper he knows. Our patch job looks pretty bad - but as long as it all looks good next year I don't care.

I started ordering stuff for my Hogwarts Sock Swap partner. I have to do some snooping about for additional bits for the stitch markers but I have chosen the sock pattern and I have potential for the yarn (I have what I think I'm going to use - but I want to have a quick look at the yarn shop before I start, just in case).

Much Fun!

Another day

Tonight at Eastside Fiber Enablers I knit another skein onto the husband's cardigan. The body is about 8 inches short at this point. We had a nice chat about The Deathly Hallows. We sat outside on the patio until the bugs drove me inside. It was a nice summer evening.

I did some cleaning in my sewing room this morning. It is still a big mess.

I'm dead tired tonight and I've already crawled into bed. I should consider a trip to see the quack. The 'panic' attacks are getting worse. I'm not really sure that is what it is best to call them or not. But my heart races and I can't breathe. It is getting harder to stop or control. The skin tingling has also continued unabated for 3 years now (or maybe 4). So far we only know what it isn't and I'm not really into just treating symptoms.

I suppose I'll call about an appointment tomorrow and see what they think this time. I suppose I could talk to my friend the doctor - but that seems a bit of an imposition. Maybe if I don't get acceptable information from the doc at the clinic I'll call for some second opinion type of advice.

Time spent reading

Time spent reading is time spent not knitting. The last Harry Potter book was very enjoyable. There were very few surprises (some but nothing I hadn't thought of, just ones I had dismissed) but then ending was how I thought it should come out.

Today I baked bread with flour I ground myself. It's a little heavy. I didn't adjust the recipe properly. I need to buy a shifter. The taste was quite good though. I used 1 cup of rye, two cups of hard red wheat and the remainder was soft wheat. I used yeast (of course), honey, salt, 1 egg and some oil.

Now I'm going to spend an hour or so knitting and then off to bed. Perhaps some finished objects will appear this week! I hope so.

A long evening

Last night I took my daughter to the local Harry Potter release party. WOW! I'm glad that B&N has a coffee shop inside. I sat and drank coffee and knitted. My daughter and her friend ran around, participating in the scavenger hunt and other activities. She had a great time. We got home around 11:30. We didn't have to stay to buy the book since I already ordered our copy. I figure it will be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Since I don't cruise the fan sites I should manage to avoid any spoilers until I finish reading the book.

I haven't finished any sewing or knitting this week. I'm such a slacker.

So the new Socks That Rock yarn came and it was lovely named - Pheonix. I couldn't wait to knit it. I spent a lot of time working on the toe part of the toe up pattern. I worked on both socks on two circs (even though I don't like that method very much).

And then the reason became clear.

Socktopia sent a new pattern named - Fawkes. Perfect! So I ripped the socks, reballed the yarn and now I give you Fawkes in Pheonix! (I don't know why the camera wanted to focus on the sleeve but it probably has to do with the fact that I'm not making it's mate and I should be)

Isn't it pretty! Hogwarts Socks!

Grr!

Blogger ate my post - and there were pictures.

I'll attempt to repost later - but SOCKS! I have Fawkes socks in Phoenix. They are super nifty.

Photos at 11