Monday, April 30, 2007

Crapdamnula

I apparently had a major brain fade last week. I thought I'd ordered that new power cord for my Dell last week. I just checked the Dell website earlier to find out when it will arrive, and surprise! no record of the order exists. But I printed the order, you say? Psyche! I had apparently only printed a preliminary page, because when I looked at it again, there weren't no order # anywheres to be found. Uhm, duh.

I placed the order (again!) and theoretically the shizzle will arrive by the end of the week, if I didn't funk it up again. Meanwhile, I must post picturelessly from my hubbie's computer. Oh, the agony.

My current progress: I'm about a foot into the baby blankie, and it's very pretty. The yarn is super soft and glides off the needles. I think that was the problem with the hubby afghan from before-- it didn't slide off the needles, so you could only ever knit like 5 stitches before you had to jam things up or down. This one, you squish the stitches up on the left needle, you can knit near on 30 or so before resquishing. Also, the stitches pop themselves down the right needle pretty easy; hubby afghan needed manual squishing on that side also. All that made my hands hurt, whereas this baby blankie doesn't. It's just flowing, yay.

I finished my 3 sock pair, and a couple of dishcloths too. Those are really what I want to post pix of. They're in the camera.... maybe I should take it to work. I think I will send 3 pairs of socks (and one hat) this week to Afghans for Afghans, and every thing else in the stash is heading for Dulaan. I've got to locate my safety pins, though! Can't send the socks without pinning them together. I bought like a million safety pins and I'm constantly forgetting where I put the snerking things.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

One is the loneliest number

that you'll ever dooooooooo..... (gawd, save me from lame ass AM radio hitz)

So I meant to have a picture of my sad, lonely solo sock with this post, but wouldn't you know it, my computer at home is having a problem. A cord problem. In that the power cord done busted, from being left on the living room floor once too often, plugged into the back of the laptop. Any time I slid the computer out of the way (5X a day) the cord was bent to hell and has finally, irrevocably, broken. waahh for me. A new one is winging its way to Ohio from the friendly folks at the Dell corporation, but will not arrive until Friday or possibly Monday, so I am forced to illicitly post from work. Heh.

The POINT is, I went back to the movie theater Monday for "Hot Fuzz" (excellent film, btw) and enquired about my missing sock. The chickie went to the back to check the lost - n - found and after 5ish minutes, came back and declared she couldn't find any sock. DAMMIT.

I did not describe the sock before she went away, because I presumed that if it was there, surely it would be the only one. I mean, who loses a frikkin' sock at the movies? Hats, gloves, coats, watches, cell phones (I wish), shoes, money, pens, keys, viriginity-- these are what one expects to lose at the theater; socks are generally left on (knocking one's socks off is never literal, they are too hard to remove, especially when damp from Foot Sweat.) I really wanted to go back into the specific theater in which I presumably left the thing, until I realized there was probably a movie going on, and ranging around under the seats, especially when folks are sitting in them, is frowned upon even when the lights are on, if you know what I'm saying.

So I came close to finishing the 2nd (now presumptive 1st) sock during the movie, duly photographed it, then finished the toe shaping at home. 3rd (now 2nd) has been started. I should have plenty of yarn to finish #3 but I'm peeved (kin ya tell, much?) to be doing it. Good thing it's a simple fast knit. I've got to get it in the mail next week.

Pictures may be forthcoming, if I remember to bring the camera AND the cord to work. Or not.

Monday, April 23, 2007

OMG, I think I lost a sock

I was knitting at the movies yesterday-- I had a freebie ticket which I used for "Blades of Glory"-- worth a free ticket, I'd say. I was knitting on my Paton's Classic Merino Harvest socks during the movie, which I'd started at the film festival last week.

I had the finished sock on my lap to compare, since I was knitting by feel, and I could swear I put the finished sock away before leaving but oops! I checked the bag in preparation for going to the movies tonight (gonna see "Hot Fuzz", can't wait) and that finished sock was not there.

Good thing I'm going to the same theater tonight! I'll be checking the lost 'n' found first thing. "Scuse me, did someone turn in a sock last night, that looks remarkably like this here half-done one, excepting it's a whole sock? thanx a mil!!"

I guess it's no biggie if it's completely missing; I've got enough yarn left in the skein to get off another sock if it comes to that, plus another ball of that color which will do in a pinch. I'm just disappointed because
a.) It was a dumbass thing to do and
b.) I was really hoping to do a pair of toddler socks with my leftovers, and that's right out if I have to do sock one over again.

Let's hope it's there tonight! (the ushers wouldn't have thrown it away, would they????!!??)

Friday, April 20, 2007

wip it, wip it good

The new baby blankie-- so pretty! The screen doesn't do the color justice. And, thank goodness, the pattern seems like I'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, so I won't need to drag the pattern book around after a while. Man, it is nice to knit with soft baby yarn after that rough Pound O' Yarn. TLC just flows off the needles. ETA June, I hope.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Some finished projects

Blogger was acting wanky with pictures last night, so I'm uploading from work today:

Adorable toddler socks, from the same yarn as my 'terrible tension' socks in the previous post (Paton's Classic Merino, Retro colorway-- I finished those others, by the bye.) These are much cuter & were accomplished in the dark--literally, I knit them both at the Sci Fi Marathon last weekend. They worked up very quickly on 5 dps, they are 24 sts around with 2x2 ribbing on the cuffs. I did the toes with even-around decreases to a point, like I do mittens and hats-- I ain't trying to Kitchener a toe in the dark, people.

I think I'll make lots more of these, especially to use up small amounts of wool from all those varigated Paton's I bought. I can get a pair of youth & a pair of toddler socks from every ball, and the stripes look good on both. Keep... knitting! Keep... knitting! [/finding nemo]


Lurve this little bag. I used the Lion Brand pattern for their simple crocheted hobo bag, but instead of Lion Cotton I used Sugar 'n' Cream "Hot Green", 2 supersize skeins (used 1.5 total.) The color is much brighter in person, btw. Hooked up on an H hook in nothing flat! I modified the pattern a wee bit, adding 2 extra rows on the body and both sides of the handles. If I do it again (and I plan to, as a gift) I'd go ahead and add many more rows to make it a little more practial. And a loop and button on top, to make it closeable. And some decorative flowers, to hide the chain joins up the one side. Otherwise, it's perfect [smirk].

Thursday, April 12, 2007

A Tale of Two Tensions

ooops....

I never thought I had a problem with gauge. I always knit to gauge; I mean, I know knitting experts laugh at people who say that and it comes back to bite them in the butt, but seriously, I've never had a problem. Until now... (see above for the sad truth. Lefty sock is 2.75" whilst its righty brother is a full 3". That's a good .5" around! Zoiks!)


The difference between sock #1 and sock #2 was so dramatic, I thought I had put the wrong number of stitches on the needles! I had apparently done the gaps between needles on sock #2 extra tight, and forgotten to release that tightness on the stitches in the interim. Stheriousthly, deewwwd, I needed to mellow out. I frogged the second sock and tried again in a less uptight frame of mind, and it came out a little more like the first. It is a smidge longer than the 1st, which happened with the last pair also, but that's what I get for eyeballing it, I err on the side of adding a little too much.

Monday, April 09, 2007

it's done!!!!!!!! w00t!!11!

Almost there...
Just the edging left now...
Done and done!!!! and installed on hubby's "Daddy chair"!

Lordy, what a slog that was. We're talking 50"X50" of knitted bliss, achieved on a now dead set of sz 8 29" circs (After 2 blankets, I'm retiring them. oo, I should post pix of how I wore them out!) It took 2 skeins of Caron One Pounders, Midnight Blue colorway. And I mean exactly two. I modified the pattern to have 2 extra diamond motifs across, and one extra heightwise. I'd wanted 2 extra, but when I did the first extra, it sure looked like my yarn would give out, so I started the edging.
I put a single crocheted border around, then a 4 st scalloped edge. And didn't I run out of yarn with four more scallops to go!!!! Fortunately, I had some long-ass strands left from where I'd joined the second skein (the plan was to have 4 ends to weave: start, join/join, finish.) So I clipped about 18", and used it to finish the edge. Well, it was a little short, so I frogged a few scallops, and with some creative skipping and fudging it was "just enough". Seriously, I'd challenge anyone to tell which is the fudged corner. Ends were woven and I called it a day!!! I will launder it though, to even up the stitches and get rid of the fuzzies it picked up from being worked on since last frikkin' summer.
Also, here's a bonus pic of Nick, sporting his matching blankie:
It's a little smaller and a prettier cranberry color. When he saw Daddy's blankie finished, he expressed a desire to have me make one for him, too... I had to remind him he already had one. So he played with it for a while and he didn't ask again (whew!) I still have to do one for Margo, but she doesn't seem to care one way or the other what it will look like. I got her to pick out a yarn, at least, and since it's varigated (or is it ombre?) I believe I will crochet it.
Next up: baby blankie!!!



Sunday, April 01, 2007

I'm trying to be better

and blog more often, so I don't have to load 87 pictures with each post.

Behold my latest dishcloth, which I am both happy and unhappy about:

I was reluctant to try the dropped stitch washcloth from my "Dishcloths by the Dozen" book, since dropping the stitches makes me nervous, but the pattern turned out well. It's got a great texture for scrubbing. I did have to frog it once, but that was because I lost track of the stitch count in a YO row.

I loved the color, BUUUUUUTTT.....

the m#$% f#$%ing dye rubbed off on my fingers (no biggie) and my FAVORITEST BAMBOO NEEDLES (not cool!) My 8's are ruined, as you can see from the photo, they are much bluer than the 7's below them. I had to go get new 8's this weekend, thank goodness for the Joann's coupon this week. This does not bode well for the dishrag's colorfastness, when it starts getting used. I was going to give it to my purple 'n green loving friend, but I shouldn't give it to anyone. Or use it, apparently; maybe I'll just keep it for decorative purposes. 'Cause those colors are still gorgeous, even if they're not going to last.

Hubby Afghan update: I should be finishing diamond motif #15 this weekend. Only 2, or 4, to go!!!