In Which Nearly Invisible Progress Is Made

I swear I've been knitting. Girl Scout's Honor. I just seem to have very little to show for it.

I've reached the stockinette portion of Damsen, and it's really turning out quite lovely. The color is blackish with greyish bits in some lights, dark blue with greyish bits in other lights, and even has tints of green in bright sunlight ... so it will really match anything.

It's actually much bigger than this ... it's just too big to lay out flat.

The goal is to finish before we go to Vail (t-minus 16 days and counting) so that I have fabulous neckwear to wear around and be effortlessly fabulous. And I have the added bonus fun of choosing a new vacation project (re-start the frogged tye-dye socks?). One would think with the small amount that I have left that I would be able to crank it out in 16 days, but there is Dad-visit looming (this weekend!) and this pesky thing called "work" that seems to suck up a fair amount of my time and energy (who does that?). Let's just say I'll be pleased with myself if and when it happens.

The other thing sucking up time and energy? My lovely Dear. As much as I love him (and I do), the fact that I am now 10 lbs and a size bigger than when I met him is not putting me in a happy mood. Now that our twitterpation has worn down a bit, we're both realizing that we need to get back into our somewhat physically active habits and maybe cutting back on the booze during the week wouldn't hurt either (but it sure is kind of boring). We've had some lovely bike rides on the weekends, but now running has entered the conversation. I'm willing to give this a try, but I have not forgotten the near-crippling shin splints that I experienced the last time I was a runner. My running career lasted about 6 months before my shin splints were so bad I finally went to see a professional sports trainer ... who then informed me that I had multiple hairpin stress fractures on both legs and I sure as hell better stop running if I didn't feel like spending the next 6 weeks in double leg casts. So I switched to low-impact and haven't had too much trouble with that ... but now it's time to step up the game. I'm hoping a combination of starting out slow, hot yoga supplements and serious stretching before and after a run will save me from the horrible pain I experienced previously. Mostly? I just want to be able to say I tried.

Have temporarily put the BSJ and Rob's Monster Afghan on hold. Damsen took over my interest and I'm not looking back. Sure hope that afghan gets finished by July, though .....

After a weekend of nice relaxation interspersed with physical activity and house parties, I am faced with another Monday. Thankfully, as I write this, it is mostly over and I have some tasty Ahi tuna steaks and acorn squash in my plans for the evening. Dear and I have begun a semi-diet. We both want to lose some weight, and so we are kick-starting with an Acai berry body cleanse and no alcohol during the week. Today is day two of the acai berry pills (four a day, two in the morning and two at night) and we’re both already feeling some assertive effects from it. Wish me luck.

Last week I started the Damson shawl (Rav link) by Ysolda Teague. A pretty little shoulder wrap, I found some hand-dyed from Light Brown Hare that fit my requirements of being black-for-versatility-but-not-too-black-for-boredom.

Photo taken from Light Brown Hare's Etsy Store.

After a few false starts, I found a Rav group that mentioned the same troubles I was having with my eyelet rows not coming out straight and took some advice and finally got it right. Made some nice progress over the weekend and am eager to use this as my plane knitting during our trip to Illinois this weekend. I have mental images of myself in this shawl as an effortless and graceful beauty. Because in my mental images, my personality flaws are overshadowed by beautiful knitting. What?

This shawl is larger than it appears.

Dropped in to Knitting in the Loop this weekend for some much-needed advice on my Baby Surprise Jacket. Turns out I was doing it right, it really does just look like that as you are knitting it. But I was told to press on, and so press on I will. As soon as I buy another skein to finish the damn thing.

I receive daily emails offering Houston-area deals for great discounts – it’s called Groupon. Today I purchased two tickets to see a polo match at the Houston Polo Club and I could not be more excited. I’ve always wanted to go to a polo match. Now I think I must buy a sun hat so I can wear that and big dark glasses while I go amongst the field pressing the bits of dirt back into place between chukkas. Don’t spill my mimosa! Also? We bought Roller Derby tickets. We are nothing if not diverse in our interests.

Next project survey: socks for me, hat for Dear, something else entirely??

A Resurrection Blog Post

Holy Crap. Has it really been this long? I suppose it has. Time flies when you’re dealing with a new relationship, the holidays, the death of a loved one’s loved one and moving all in a four month period. But I am still standing on the other side of it, and very very happy with my new loved one and looking forward to creating some kind of routine, or at least the vague semblance of one. So to celebrate this pending Easter holiday, I give you: The Resurrection of Knot For Knothing Knitteds.

Through all of these life-changing changes, I knit. I finished the Somewhat Cowl (by Knit and Tonic) sweater for my mom’s Christmas gift, and promptly presented it to her without taking a finished photo. So stay tuned – it will happen. I made a set of coasters for my brother to have in his new home with his new wife (pending in July) that have their initials embroidered. Again, not photographed. Whoops. Also made the monster socks for Tina's Brother-In-Law and a pair of fingerless gloves for Bill's birthday. Still no photographs. I'm a bad knitter.

I made a pair of socks for myself – the BFF Socks by Cookie A, knit with a yummy chocolate milk colored Malabrigo. Took a brief knitting hiatus between sock #1 and sock #2, and cranked out sock #2 in less than a week. Awesome – my first pair of wearable hand-knit socks made just for me! I wore them to work, happy as a clam, and then tossed them into the laundry and promptly lost one somewhere in the dark loads of the abyss. I’ve never lost a sock in the laundry EVER and the first one is a hand-knit?!?! FML. Here’s hoping it shows up in the sleeve of one of Dear’s hoodies. Already checked the corners of the fitted sheets, and that’s a no-go.

One sad and lonely sock.

Started work on my first Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Started over a couple times due to second guessing the stitch count, and because this is one wonky looking sweater until you can get it folded up and assure yourself you’re reading the directions right. Kind of fun to knit by the seat of your pants, though. On a brief hold because I’m second guessing myself again, but a stop at Knitting in the Loop this weekend ought to ease my troubled mind (they’re doing a KAL on the BSJ, so if someone there can’t help me, then I’m truly screwed).

BSJ unfolded

BSJ folded

Aaaaand I’ve picked up the dreaded black afghan again. Dreaded only because it’s a MONSTER for my 6’3” brother, now gone from a year-old birthday present to a wedding gift. It’s knit in panels, and each panel takes approximately 2 ½ skeins. I’ve done four of at least six, probably more like seven or eight, panels. Each panel is about 7’ long so that it goes from his chin to toes. Hard to photograph because it’s all black, but you can get an idea.

That's laid out on our Queen-Size bed. Told ya it was big.

The wedding is not until July, but I still have at least one and a half panels to do. Buggerall.


Anything else? A few other ideas pending, but nothing that I’m ready to post out to the blogosphere quite yet. A few other project ideas on the horizon, and I’m hoping to start dyeing again soon so that I can have something to not only put in my Etsy store, but I can create a huge mess in my very own kitchen like I used to when my mom would let me finger paint using my toes and chocolate pudding. Plan to cast on the Damsey Shawl by Ysolda Teague tonight or tomorrow (depends on if I get ironing done in a timely manner tonight), so look for more stitching (and definitely more bitching) in the coming weeks.

I'm not-quite-back from the dead.

Okay, okay. I haven’t blogged in a while. So sue me. I’ve been massively busy. Like, busier than I ever have been, or at least that I can remember. Each of the last eight weeks has held some kind of travel for me … Dallas, Illinois, Austin, Denver, Phoenix … the few and far between nights that I’ve had at home to myself have been purposely filled with knitting and television (two of my favorites). Despite all of these things, I have sad little to report.

I *have* {dramatic pause} … finished the body of the secret Mom gift. It’s coming along to Phoenix this weekend in the hopes of getting a good start on a sleeve (or two???) since Christmas is looming. (It’s true. I was in denial, too. And then I went to Macy’s and was slapped in the face by blinking Christmas trees. And then Glade assaulted my senses with cinnamon and pine cone and poinsettia. Christmas is here, and it’s back with an economic vengeance.) However, I’m also taking an as-yet-started pair of booties for a co-worker who thoughtlessly decided to have her baby shower BEFORE the baby was actually born. Doesn’t she realize I needed those two months to make the booties that I stupidly opened my big fat mouth and promised her?! I know, I know, I don’t *have* to give her the booties at the shower, I could easily make them when I have other things finished and then give them to her closer to her due date … but then I am empty handed at the shower, and I refuse to buy a gift where one can be made.

I was knitting away with decent progress on Tina’s brother-in-law socks … but remedial math skills flew out of my brain (bye bye addition and subtraction! You will be missed!) and I screwed up the increases at the heel and now I can’t see where I went wrong. I am banking on the fact that next weekend is my Knitting Class Extravaganza, or How My Knitting Life Will Change In Two Days. Next Saturday, I will take an 8-hour class with Cat Bordhi based on her new book on brilliant and wonderful ways to make perfect-fitting socks. I am hoping that after her class, I will have brilliant insight into making these socks so that it doesn’t look like a he-gorilla slobbered on the yarn and then molded said yarn into a sock shape. Then I will whip out the pair of socks with mere minutes left before Christmas, and then my major deadlines will be finished. I also have Nicky Epstein classes the day after the Cat Bordhi class, so I will come out the other side of next weekend as a totally new and talented knitter (who is $300 poorer after class fees and going crazy with class materials ... don't judge).

I’ve created a New Year’s Resolution for myself (I know, it’s November, and it will probably be February before this thing actually goes into effect, but who’s counting?): after finishing my immediate WIPs (which includes the Mom-thing, the socks, the booties, a pair of fingerless gloves, a baby jacket, a hat and half an afghan), I am going to spend some time knitting for no one but myself. It took someone pointing it out to me, but I spend the majority of my knitting time making things for other people. Don’t get me wrong, I love making things for other people, especially people that appreciate the knitted things I give them … but I only have two pairs of socks I’ve made for myself, and one of those pairs are toe-less for pedicures. I have a hat or two, and a head scarf, and a sweater … but I want more. If I’m spending all this time and money on the materials, then I want to have a few more pairs of socks to show for myself at the end of it. So it won’t last forever, but between my severely decreased knitting time and my level of interest in my current WIPs, I’m fairly certain that this needs to happen. So there … once the Christmas gifts are finished, I’ll re-begin the pair of socks I started for myself all those many moons ago and then at least one project on my needles will be intended for me. And once that big-ass list is down a bit, then even more will be for me. And now because this picture makes me happy … let me present my new desktop pattern at work (it keeps me sane and I love staring at it). Red Rock, Colorado. Can I move now please?

Please? Now? ... How about now?

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

WHEWWW!! These last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of travels and everyday nonsense … this October is the busiest month I’ve had in a loooong time, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m travelling for work, I’m travelling for pleasure, and have been lucky enough to be able to combine the two as well. I haven’t had as much time as I would typically like to have for knitting, which for a girl with as big of a to-do list as me would normally be a bad thing … however, I’ve had some very happy changes happen in my personal life, and despite being more than a little exhausted and behind on my knitting and spinning, and can’t seem to wipe this big doofy grin off my face. So I guess it all evens out in the end, doesn’t it?

Last weekend was my (yikes) 10-year high school reunion. It was a great weekend, filled with family time and friend time, and I even squeezed in some knitting time in between. I made great progress on the sweater-that-must-not-have-details-shared … but here’s a fairly nondescript photo snapped while waiting for my flight:
I also had Tina’s socks with me, but they didn’t get worked on much … the glorious fiber content of this project made it way too tempting for the chilly and rainy weather that greeted me in Illinois.

Friday was a day spent with my Dad, doing errands and napping, and Friday night was a way-too-much-fun dinner at Avanti’s with a bunch of friends from high school (and the first time I wore my Owl Sweater!). Don’t you love it when you’re the loud obnoxious table in the middle of the restaurant that couldn’t care less about the people staring? We were that table, and laughed the whole damn time. I wish I had remembered to snap a few pics.

Saturday was brunch with my Aunt Sally and Uncle Dan, along with their daughter Josie and her boyfriend, and my Grandmother. We had a fantastic time (Sal made the best breakfast burritos I’ve ever had) and I got to drive Sal and Dan’s vintage Mustang on the way to pick up Grandma:

Don’t ask me what year it is, or any of those other fancy car questions. All I know is it was a blast driving it (even in 50 degree weather), and it was fun to practice my prom queen wave. Saturday afternoon was my favorite part of the trip. My dad has a couple of friends, Stan and Janetta Bauer, who have an alpaca farm just outside of town called der Bauernhof Farms. We went and visited their cute little shop in the bottom floor of their house.
Janetta and I babbled away at each other for over an hour about spinning and knitting and fiber. She has a glorious selection, and I (only) bought 15oz of this

Beautiful light grey roving with flecks of brown in it from one of their cute little alpacas, Twinkle.
That’s Twinkle in the middle, and the brown comes from her big brown spot. I loved buying roving from a “home grown” kind of place, and was stupidly thrilled to be able to go out back and see the animal that it came from. Saturday night was the reunion, which was fun and good times. Drinks and reminisces were had by all, and there was the obligatory half-drunken bathroom photo:
From left to right, that’s Lesley, Sarah, Megan, me and Alyssa. It was great to see everyone, and we were certainly laughing our asses off in that bathroom. Don’t ask me over what, but it was sure good to see everyone again.

Now, back to real life, and not having enough time to knit properly … October is already half-over, and I’m only halfway through a sweater, and halfway through ONE sock of a pair that need to be done by Christmas. Hoping to get some knitting done in the car this weekend on the way to Dallas (remember when I mentioned those exciting personal life happenings? This weekend is one of them), but I may be catching up on my sleep instead …. What’s more important, dear reader? Knitting or sleeping? This is a tough call ….

*tap tap* 'Scuse me, is this thing on?

This week is Banned Book Week -- a week celebrating all of the books that the Uptight Citizens of America have deemed UNWORTHY in some way ... racist, pro-communist, anti-God, anti-Christian (ahem, there IS a difference, there's more than one God thankyouverymuch), pro-free-thinking, etc.

Now, I'm going to just turn my soapbox on the tall side so that y'all can see me for a sec. Banned books have been a sore spot for me since I learned what they were and discovered there were people on this planet trying to tell me what I should and should not read. A book should never be burned, NEVER. No matter what it's content. NEVER EVER. The only time it's okay to burn a book is if you're penniless and starving and freezing and a book is the only form of kindling you have near you and there's no chance of finding anything else around. And even then, you should feel really bad about it. If you don't agree with what the book says, here's the thing: DON'T FUCKING READ IT. People are going to think differently than you, and they have every right to put their thoughts down on paper, JUST LIKE YOU. Write your own stupid book so that other people can burn your thoughts! Jerk! If you don't like it, get over it -- burning, banning, and condemning books because you disagree with the content is a basic form of ignorance and intolerance and not a far cry from racism (literacism?). (And please let me take this moment to state the irony of Farenheit 451 being a banned book. There. Irony stated. But seriously?!?! WINNIE-THE-POOH???)

So -- here's the link to the American Library Association's list of Banned and/or Challenged Books. This is not the entire list, but there are some serious classics on here. I've only read a handful of these, and there were even a few that I read I didn't enjoy (personally, I thought The Catcher in the Rye was boring. Dude needed to get over himself). Take a look. Educate yourself. Or don't. That's your right as an American citizen. But please don't burn them. Because that's just dumb.

Great ... now I'm a spinster.

Crap. I have a new hobby.

This weekend, I drove to Navasota, TX to visit the lovely WC Mercantile and learn how to hand-spin.

Navasota is about an hour and twenty minutes northwest of Houston, and part of a lovely green farming expanse. I got to the shop a little early and was able to poke around at their nice array of already-spun and hand-spun (locally grown, of course), and their HUGE and well-priced selection of different fibers. I refrained from grabbing it all like a kid in a candy store, deciding that I should wait until after class when I could really take my time and have a little more education in my brain about what I would WANT to be spinning.

From more knitting stuffs

The whole place had this wonderful old-style farmhouse feel. There were antiques up on shelves and for sale all over the store, and creaky wooden floors and different sizes and styles of spinning wheels all over the place. It was a comfortable shop staffed with helpful and friendly folk – who were very kind to stand outside and wave until I found them.

We were learning on drop spindles, rather than spinning wheels. Drop spindles are much easier to control the speed of, so much less frustrating for a novice to learn on. The class was taught by the lovely Sue Ellen, who told us about the different kinds of drop spindles – top whorl and bottom whorl. We learned on bottom whorl, but I bought my own spindle at the end of class that can be used as either a top or bottom whorl, and I’ve discovered that I prefer the top whorl – it’s easier to control the speed and get it spinning faster, and so I find I get a tighter spin … but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Check this out:

From more knitting stuffs

A table full of fiber (and water bottles)! Our class kits each came with a sample of different fibers for us to practice spinning – blue-faced Leicester (BFL), which is a breed of sheep; merino; bamboo; cotton; a type of silk; and alpaca. We started out with the BFL because the individual fibers are very long, and so easier for a beginner to get used to. Sue Ellen showed us how to wrap the leader around the spindle and attach the first bit of fiber, and how to pre-draft the wool … then all we had to do was practice.

Look, Ma! I made yarn!

From more knitting stuffs

Tradition states (don't ask me why) that you always spin your singles clockwise and you ply the yarn counter-clockwise (plying is wrapping two single bits of yarn around each other to make them stronger and give the yarn a different characteristic). The number of strands you ply together determines the number of ply – so 2-ply means two singles wrapped around each other, 3-ply is three singles, 4-ply is four, and so on. So we made two singles, and then plied them together.

From more knitting stuffs

I have to admit, I was pretty dern impressed with myself. The other women in the class were lovely to work with, and we all got the hang of it pretty quickly. It was truly cool, and I’m already at work spinning some more BFL at home and thinking about how I want to dye it … what I’d really love to do is dye two singles different colors, and then ply them together … anyone have color suggestions?