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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Still remodeling

It seems that the weeks are getting sucked up and little is getting done. The drywall will be inspected today and then the taping will begin. This means I did not get to do any tilework this weekend. How am I suppose to get things done if I'm still waiting for the workers to finish up?

I finished knitting the Rogue this weekend. I reknit the hood three times, I'm still not happy with it. I am on the foot of the 2 socks on 2 circs. It actually seems to be going well. I managed the heels but I'm not sure they were done right (or the most efficient way) but they appear to have turned properly, which is more imporant. I hope to have them finished this week. I am going to start working seriously on my AS Mary Tudor again. I think that it is the closest to being done, except for the cardigans that I have cut and waiting for bands. They will not get done until I have my sewing machine back up since I need to v the neck on one of them. (sorry, Mom)

Of course since the knitting of the Rogue is done it went into the house. One less thing in the RV.

Tomorrow I'm taking Liz to Borealis for some help with a pattern. I will take the AS to work on. Perhaps this will keep me from purchaseing any additional yarn. (hahahahahaha)

Time - where did it go?

Boy when I said July would fly I wasn't kidding - was I?!

I can't believe it's almost over. I have so much stuff I need to finish yet. It will be a busy weekend.

It is really hard to finish all this stuff when I don't have my house. A great deal of my 'free' time has been spent hanging insulation, cleaning up the mess and shopping for stuff for the house. I have never spent so many two hour blocks making a quick 20 minute stop at Menards.

The 2 socks on one Circ project has not gone well. 32" is not enough 60" is WAY too much. I'm not really sure I want to waste more knitting money on needles in order to try out 38" or 45". I might just stick with two socks on two circs. I have about three inches of sock done. Between all the starting over and dropped stitches.

Then I saw where someone who was at Knitting Camp was knitting four socks at a time. YIKES!

I have packages that I simply must get in the mail Monday!

All else is going along at a screaming pace. I think I will be exhausted by December. If I don't crash before that.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Dry wall goes up this week, starting tomorrow! The final window and front door go in tomorrow. The electrician is wiring the new circuit box today. I will start putting down the floor as soon as the drywallers are done!

I have completely reknit my rogue sweater - I found a mistake in it and took it all apart and started over. I have the body, the sleeves and half the hood done. I think I'm going to keep working on it and finish the knitting.

Otherwise life is good.

I purchased a set of the new Knit Picks options needles. My initial impression is good.

I knitted the rogue sleeves on them. The tip unscrewed while I was casting on but once I tighted it with the little 'key' thing I had no further trouble at all. The joins seem quite smooth and didn't catch this yarn - but it is a good smooth spun yarn.

I will have to see how the set works out with my knitting style but I like the idea that I can purchase just the tips or cables I 'need'. This was a major drawback to the other sets I've seen. What if you lose a tip or need to replace a cable? Since Knit Picks has fixed that particular issue for me I took the leap and I think I'm going to like it.

I want to buy a couple more of the pockets - more for my personal organizational style than anything else. I plan to put all my cable needles in the 'book'.

I do have to admit that being able to purchase the cable and tips for $8 rather than $15 is also a BIG plus. I always seem to need another size x. I would think by this time I'd have enough but I needed another size 6 just the other day. It isn't as though I will have trouble getting the free shipping if I need to buy some. I have no trouble spending $40 at the yarn store any other time.

I do wish that the smaller sizes (1-3), which are only available in the 'classic' style, came with longer cables. It is too hard to knit two socks on one cable with only a 32" cable.

I need a break

I am getting rather burned out by life. I could really use a nice vacation. I'll be getting one in three weeks. I hope that things start going properly so that I 1) don't feel guilty about going 2) can go and 3) enjoy myself.

More remodeling problems. The heating guy is all straight but the plumber is STILL looking for an attitude adjustment. At least I'm living in the lap of luxury in my friends' RV. The commute is better; the living quarters, while not palatial are quite nice and I'm spending driving time knitting or working on the house.

I have written outlines and such for my first class. I'm calling it The Art & Science of Gauge Swatching. I save a lot of my swatches (there was a time when I wanted to make project books and the swatches would fit nicely in them. ) I can still go ahead and make the swatch books and use them for the class. I need to make a few of swatches with the same yarns and different needles and stitches too. I wonder if anyone would think it was a good class idea and take it.

Good Grief

I spent two hours getting a flat tire fixed yesterday. Blah.

I spent the prior hour at the yarn store picking up a couple things. I decided to try two socks on one circular. The one I bought isn't long enough and I don't have another one the same size so I can't do two socks on two circs either. I will probably stop by some yarn store and pick up another pair (or two) on the way home tonight.

Borealis Yarns in St. Paul is my new favorite store. Abby, the owner, helped me change my tire. They also wound three 100 gram balls of yarn into two 50ish grams of yarn for the two socks experiment. Talk about above and beyond!

I bought some new stuff to send to my secret pal. I hope she likes it.

I am probably going to get the box together tonight. There are still a couple of things I am looking for but I'm not going to look too much longer - I have another month to send a package and perhaps I can find them by then.

Back into Rotation

Last night I broke out the Mary Tudor and worked on it for several hours. I only had to rip out two rows. I still think it is a little rippley from not stranding loosely enough. But I'm hoping that I will get better as I go and that the wooly board will help ease some of that away.

My mother wants me to come and get Liz, which is fine - except that I still don't have a place for her to live. These people need to get moving on their work. I guess a new boss type plumber person came to the house yesterday and actually moved on the project. Too bad he didn't show up last week.

I am astonished how these people think we can just be out of that house until everything is all done. 'Oh we'll hook up water when we come to finish' I hate to say this to you - but WE CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG FOR WATER AND A WORKING TOILET. We need one working bathroom and water - NEXT WEEK!!!!!! How hard is that to understand. I can live in the basement and do work but I still have to have water and a bathroom. People want me to bath and I am probably not allowed to use the back yard for human waste disposal.

It's a good thing I have my knitting or I'd be a complete serial killer by now.

Weekend in review

I'm now on the front of the modular sweater. yay!?

I knitted a couple inches on the front of the baby sweater and two booties (that just need to be sewn together).

I now have 80+ stitches on the center portion of the shawl. I'm more than halfway to the center, where I get to begin decreasing back to one.

Saturday we purchased toilets for three bathrooms and lights for the dining room. We are still talking about vanities and won't choose sinks until vanities are chosen.

Mike has decided to hire out the drywall. It's money I'd rather spend on other stuff.

I need to find a pattern for a gansey. I suppose I could design my own I have the skills and the materials. I could design it while I finish the plethora of other stuff that is nearly completed.

July - she will fly

The fourth was fun. I lazed around the house and then went to a BBQ of sorts with friends.

I am still on the middle garter stitch portion of the 2-Ply Grey Shawl. I knit at least four rows on it every night since I started it last week Thursday. It is knit on the diagonal (I only had to cast on one stitch!) with one stitch added at the beginning of each row until there are 162. I have approx 65 stitches at this point. I'd post pictures - but you know the drill on that. The yarn is various shades of blue and grey. It looks very nice.

I am have completed half of the back of a modular sweater from Modular knits. I'm very pleased with my yarn/color choices. It will be a nice sweater for work. I have completed about 1/4 of the swatches for the YCA knitting teachers class. I have completed all the reading, writing and teaching that was required for the first level. I hate knitting swatches. Every little imperfection is magnafied.

This is why I'm still working on swatches for TKGA Master Knitter's course after several years. I have never completed a single set of them that I was happy with. I have knit all the swatches in: acrylic, cotton and several brands of wool. Although I have started another set with some Cascade 220 that are sort of okay. Some of the swatches MUST be knit with the same needles and yarn so I might go and buy another skien of the Cascade and knit that set up. My personal imposed deadline for both of these is July. Whether I'm happy with the swatches or not - at least I can send them in and have the judges look at them - I might just be over critical. At least that is what one of the people in my knitting group says.

The first half

The year is half over. July and the second half begins tomorrow. The first half has been pretty good. I hope the second is even better.

We met with the electrician yesterday. He will start wiring next week. The plumbing and heating instalations are suppose to all be done next week. We now begin out part - finishing.

I got my color card from Frangipani yesterday. I have now chosen yarn to the Beadwork sweater designed by AS. I am going to join the KAL that starts this fall. I need to finish Rogue soon as well.

I also have the Wedding Ring shawl that I'm going to start this winter. I have a pattern for another Shawl that I am going to knit to warm up for the Wedding Ring Shawl. I have the yarn for the second one - a lovely Schafer hand dyed lace yarn. I need to order some cobweb shetland from J&S for the Wedding Ring shawl.

I also have to order some yarn that was backordered the last time I ordered in order to knit the swatches for the Fair Isle I have designed in my mind. I was going to design it as a fund raising pattern for Northshield but after reading one of my knitting lists I'm concerned about whether or not it would even sell. I'm still going to design and knit it, but selling it might not happen, except for those few people who have already expressed interest.

The topic on the list was why so few Fair Isle type sweater patterns are available. The concensus from the designers on the list was that people don't buy them because people don't want to put in the time required to make them. They want projects that can be completed in a couple weeks at MOST.

I was also rather distressed to learn what designers are paid. The average magazine pays $500 for a design and the designer must write the pattern in all the sizes, knit the sample, and have a sample knit from the pattern in 3-5 weeks. HOLY SHIT. It takes longer than that for me to knit a sweater from a pattern if I'm not writing and vetting it, let along working full time at another job too. I am no longer surprised at the number of errors or the lack of quality from magazine patterns. Those types of deadlines are just NOT reasonable and the amount of time it takes to design and knit the sweater are not adequately compensated at $500.

Self publishing on the web might be the way to go.

Secret Pal Exchanges

So as I mentioned yesterday, I got a package from my secret pal. There was a great deal of enjoyment to be had opening the package and looking at the items. Everything was nicely wrapped in tissue so each item was like another present.

I have been watching the blog of the person for whom I am a secret pal. Imagine my joy at seeing that she had received her gift and best of all - Liked It! I already have a list of things to find for her (wish lists are marvelous things) and I am enjoying the shopping and bargain hunting very much.

I am a great lover of bargain/clearance areas. I have a list of things I want to buy and put in the next box and then the stuff from the bargain area is like that candy bar you grab in the register line at the store. The best part is shopping and not having to find a place to put it in my stash.

Surpise!

I got a package in the mail from my Secret Pal 8 exchange.

Lovely purple yarn (silk/alpaca) and a lace pattern. Chocolate and a book light. Very nice. I love it muchly. I would take pictures but I'm still having computer issues.

House remodeling progresses toward completion. With any luck we'll be able to start our share in two weeks! I can hardly wait.