More from Maine

While in Maine, I also:

–Picked a stitch for the new design I just couldn’t find a blasted stitch for. Unfortunately, I think said stitch might just use too much yarn to be practical in the application I wish to use it in. I need to swatch again and get a good yardage estimate.

–Helped my partner replace the pullcord on the generator. This involved a crochet hook and needlenose pliers. Couldn’t have done it without the crochet hook. I’m handy to have around, lol.

–Discovered my inner little old lady. I found myself sitting in a rocking chair, knitting by gaslight. And I was happy.

What I did on my summer vacation.

Or at least this segment of it, anyway…

Worked on Traveling woman:

Took pictures of yarn (this is a BRS from Knitivity):

Wandered through a Walmart that just *expanded* their yarn selection. As far as I can tell, this has to do with the switch from Peaches and Cream to Sugar ‘n’ Creme, since the expansion was entirely Bernat yarns. But still…*more* yarn. In a Walmart. Amazing.

Watched as my partner hunted squirrels *inside* the cabin. Destructive little beasts. Hopefully I’m done having to clean up after them…for now…

Ate more of the best Southern food I’ve had outside the South…who would have guessed that I’d be going to Maine for the perfect pulled pork sandwich?

Took a walk in the woods.

Came home too soon.

Sighed.

Next up?

Moving the computer. I have a few things I want to take care of first, because I hate to leave folks hanging. But it’s time to vacation-ize the Etsy shop for a few days and shut this thing down. Might be a little weird, but I think I can live with it.

Cast on for a new pair of socks yesterday. Yay! I’m trying out my brand-shiny-new 4″ Harmony dpns, and so far I’m a fan…might switch back to the 6″ when there’s more fabric to manage, but I’m not sure. We’ll see. Forest Canopy is coming along beautifully. I am so in love with both yarn and pattern!

I really need to dig through my WIP basket and see what’s up there. I haven’t been using my Rav notebook to its full potential for a while now…time to actually take advantage of it again and see if I can get some things finished! I have a terrible hankering to start another shawl, which would mean picking more yarn, and I’m trying to resist because I really don’t have the money…maybe I can make a deal with myself. *grin*

Anyway, I’ll post when we reach the away-for-a-few-days point here.

Twistin’ the night away…

Really. I should be in bed, but instead I’m wandering through Twist Collective’s Winter 2008 issue. Yum.

Knitaversary!

A year ago I knit my very first little garter stitch rectangle. I’ve come a long way since then:

Crochet will always be my first love, but knitting is my wild crush. What can I say? I hope the next year is half as much fun as the first one.

Awesome. Just awesome.

Kim Werker just tweeted this crocheted Dr. Horrible. And made my night.

I also just finished my first run at a Jayne hat. Details to come when the kids aren’t trying to kill each other.

Cleaning up and clearing out.

Time to conquer the giant pile of stuff that has accumulated over here. I go through these cycles every few weeks…starting everything I run across, then sorting through and finishing some and killing the ones that aren’t turning out as well as I’d like.

Still trying to decide what to do with the Monster.

Finished my box for HAP that can go out next week or the week after.

Getting ready to look at the spiral ‘ghan with a critical eye. I think that the way I constructed it makes it fatally flawed. I have an idea how I might get it to behave better, but I’m not likely to start again any time soon.

Decisions, decisions.

Time to catalog the WIPs again…

Because they multiply quickly, and because it’s fun. Not so much on the pictures this time, though, I’m afraid. The sun, the clouds, and the children have not been aligning favorably. Heh.

Designs: One new pattern is out for testing, another is in the writing-up stage. We won’t count the insanely long list of ideas that are the top page of the notebook that lives on my desk.

Charity: I make rectangles for HAP, which is an ongoing thing. I’d been sending squares all over charity-dom, but I have little time and less money and needed to focus, and this is the organization that I chose.

Other: This is where the list gets long.

On the too-hot-to work-under-because-we-have-no-air *sob* list:

–1 giant granny intended as a gift eventually, perhaps 1/3 done.

–1 spiral baby blanket. I’m unsure whether I’ll even finish this. I’m not completely pleased with how it’s coming out and I’m very much considering finishing it off as a doll blanket and giving it to the kids. They’ll probably steal the FO anyway, lol.

–1 Monster, which I could probably work on anyway but haven’t talked myself into just yet.

On the knit list:

–1 drop-stitch scarf (this one, to be precise), done in sock yarn on size 3 straights. It’s coming out wonderfully. I was going to put it in the big bag of gifties, but it might just have to stay here and live with me.

–One plain garter stitch scarf done in Bernat Softee Chunky on size 10 straights. I love making things I don’t have to look at. And it’s pretty, too.

–The dishcloth that lives in my lunchbag. This one is scraps for something vaguely log-cabin-ish, since I wanted to practice picking up stitches. Yes, I’m aware that my idea of fun is a tad off.

On the hook:

–Doris Chan’s All Shawl. I called it the “Immediate Shawl” in my Rav projects because I saw it and immediately grabbed yarn and a hook. *grin*

–I started making granny squares out of my Softee Chunky scraps. Which isn’t a WiP as much as it is me being sort of random, but it won’t take much to have enough for a lapghan, if a delightfully clashing one.

–It doesn’t count as a WiP if I haven’t started yet, right? But I’m fixin’ to get at least one more scarf out of my leftover Red Heart Soft that I’ve been steadily turning into scarves. That will probably get started later today.

First, the new design. Because I work Wednesday through Sunday and I won’t have a better chance. Also, if the light holds, I’d really like to redo the photography for the new pattern. It’s not bad, but I’m not happy with it the way I want to be happy with it. That will be out as soon as testing’s finished and I’ve made the inevitable corrections.

Not a bad list, ‘eh?

More of the same, but with a heat wave!

Not a very productive week on the yarn-y front. Made a couple of dishcloths. My pretty, pretty sock yarn that I was going to pass along and then didn’t and then decided to use anyway and then didn’t and then did has finally discovered what it wants to be, I think. I’m needing to write up a repeatedly-requested pattern but having trouble getting going. It was 98 degrees this afternoon and we have no air conditioning. The Mega Lo Mart is getting to be more fun/ less crazy-scary-exhausting (and now that I’ve said that, watch tomorrow be awful). My upsatirs neighbors and the downstairs ones are vying for who-can-be-weirder.

That said, I did finish a truly awesome custom order that just got shipped this afternoon.

And picked up a 5th day at work, which means that the roof over our head? Stays there, barring natural disaster or something truly strange happening. Gas has finally hit $4 a gallon here. And the heatwave? Supposed to be another day. Yuck.

OTOH, it’s got me thinking about all of the crochet cotton I’ve accumulated…

FO Madness!

It’s been a while since we’ve done the parade-of-finished-objects around here. not in small part because I’m resisting figuring out what the hell broke the image uploader in wordpress with the last upgrade. Since I throw a pic of everything into flickr anyway (and I really should go back and do tags and descriptions and such, but I never really got into flickr and tend not to care *shrug*)…where was I? Oh, yes. I put it all into flickr so that it can go in my notebook on the Rav, so I can just link those pics here. Duh. I still want my blog fixed, but this is getting to be an unmanageable list anyway, so here you are:

My lunchbag:

Soon to be replaced, I’m afraid, with something that actually has insulating qualities, but I’m very pleased with it and will find something to use it for, in any case. I had several odd-sized dishcloths just sitting there begging me to give them a strap. So I did.

The Magic Scarf:

My oldest daughter decided that this would go to my husband. She’s very concerned that Daddy be warm enough. She’s a sweet kid. I used this pattern: Magic Scarf. I am ridiculously pleased with it. Simple, but it gave me great practice with basic knitting skills and the husband claims it’s the coolest scarf he’s ever seen. He’s a sweetheart, too.

Spacescape:

I found it almost impossible to get a good pic of this, but I’m terribly excited about the way it came out. It’s technically not quite a FO, since it still has to be readied for hanging, but I’m counting it because the creative work is done. Anyone know how to photograph black fiber successfully? ‘Cause I’m stumped.

And last but not at all least, Totes For My Unruly Children:

This is from a pattern I got as a Ravelry Download (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/enero-crochet-tote) and modified to get the sizes I wanted. I needed to use up some cotton that the girls damaged and I was feeling a little diabolical, so they got something to motivate them to pick their stuff up…disguised as a present! Bwahahaha!

I think that’s it for the moment. Enough, though, yes? LOL.