Its neither half full, or half empty; it simply needs more wine.

Yesterday I managed to knit on Anniversary Sweater until I reached the halfway point on the back piece.  I switched to a black mystery yarn with rainbow ribbon running through it for the contrast color.  I don't know that I like it against the red; it looks a little Charlie Brown-ish to me.  I love the pink/red combo, though, more than I thought I would.

And...I made it to the branches lace section on Afternoon Tea.  Those.  Rows.  Are.  So.  Long.  I hate the k2 purl to last 2 k2 rows.  I hate. how. long. they. are.  But I'm very, very excited to be nearly done with it.  I'm already trying to find the right outfit to wear it with.

Tonight is White Trash Night (chicken wings and beer) and tomorrow is Maleficent.  I think I found a knitting group to join (*very* excited about that) and I'll attend my first meeting after school lets out.

I'm trying to wrap up one of these two projects, because I'm ready to start something with teeth.  I'm thinking Azure or Absinthe.  I'm going to order some sock yarn off of etsy this go round.  Suggestions are welcome!

Happiness is a warm....cup of coffee

Today was very, very slow at work.  Normal for the day after memorial day, and a much welcome reprieve after the holiday weekend.  I worked on Afternoon Tea for most of the day.  Except for when Georg stopped by and I cut his hair.  Which was scary and flattering all at the same time.  He used to be the guy who corrected any "mis-cuts" I had at my past salon, so he's seen me at my worst.  But he trusted me enough today to fix a hair cut that he didn't like.  Aw. 

Anyhow, I rounded out today on row 85 of Afternoon Tea.  I'm about to sit with my kiddo and work on Anniversary Sweater.  I need to start Abby soon, but I need the needles I'm using for Afternoon Tea, so it could be a hot minute, since the rows keep getting longer and longer so it takes more time each row.  Although I do like the pattern much more than I did, since it looks more complicated than it actually is, and its actually kind of nice to have something that I can work on at the salon between clients.

No pictures today, since they would look identical to yesterdays.

Memorial Day = forgetting everything I've ever learned

So I've been absent a few days.  Let me start by clarifying: I am too old to party like this anymore.  I went to a bachlorette shower after work on Saturday and hung out with her family and drank too much wine.  Then I went to meet a coworker and drank more wine.  *Then* I went to the bachlorette party where I don't really remember much.  I do know that Sister came and picked me up, and my knee is pretty skinned up.  Apparently I fell down.  Ugh.

Anyhow, as a result, yesterday I got up for brunch and to go reclaim my car and then slept.  All day.

Today...today I worked on Afternoon Tea and the Anniversary Sweater while watching movies before I went to my mum's for Memorial Day burgers.

This is a very lackluster posting, I know, but I'm still...groggy.  Yes, this was a two day hangover.

Anniversary sweater

The shoes that caused me to fall down

Close up of Anniversary Sweater

Afternoon Tea

New Black hair, inbetween Bachlorette Part A and Part B

The Future is Now

I finished Clapotis!  I'm stoked about it, because I think its beautiful, but I'm not going to count it towards my KnittyYear because I do want to make it again, when I reach the C's.

I started Anniversary Sweater, in stash yarn out of my red/pink bucket, using the alternating three strand stripe method.  I had to start it twice, because the first time I was watching Cloudy with A Chance 2, and I wasn't really paying attention, so I miscounted my ribbing.  Oops.

I wanted to start on Alata, but I can't find my 8 circ's, I'm going to look for them, but in all likelihood I'll just go buy another set, because they're probably buried in one of my other wips.

I received a message the other day that asked some questions that I'm going to answer here:

• How long have you been knitting?  Roughly ten years.  I taught myself out of a book with cheap Red Heart Yarn and acrylic Susan Bates needles.  I still have one of my first projects (a large fan/flame blanket for the Kid) on the needles, about 3/4 done.  I'll finish it one day.  
• Do you knit for a living/profit? No.  I'm a hairstylist by day at Carole Lucio Salon.  I knit as a way to manage my ADD and because I like it.  I had an etsy shop long ago, but I spent way more than I made, and so I disabled it.  I might set one back up.
• What's your favorite yarn? My favorite, favorite yarn of all time is Yarntopia's woolsilk.  Its the first luxury yarn I ever bought for myself, and so not only does it knit up beautifully, it has a special emotional connection for me.  Yarns I buy over and over are KnitPick's Chroma worsted (which we've already discussed) and Crystal Palace's mini mochi.  I'm a sucker for long colorways within a skein, so those two always fit the bill.
• Do you have a lys you go to?  I do have one, when I get a random Saturday off that I like to go hang out at.  Its Yarn and Stitches and they're very lovely there.

So there you have it.  Feel free to continue messaging me, or you can all start leaving comments, if you'd like.

No pictures today, because my phone is otherwise tied up.

In Case of Emergency, break glass....

I'm running a smidge behind, because I decided to get all social yesterday.  But let me bring you up to speed on Askew:

Its completed!
Its gorgeous!
Its too too small.

My boobs actually are too big for this. 

 And I had forgotten how dumb I am at blocking things.  And I didn't really have the appropriate pins, so I had to make due with just sort of whatever I could find.  Oy vey.

The colours actually line up.

Post Seaming.

Finished pieces, pre-making up

Seams trying to split.

Blocking

Anyhow.  I think I'm going to not make it in a larger size, because right now I have two full skeins of Chroma worsted to play with.  Yes, it only used ONE skein .  

Soaking in water/ fabric softener pre-blocking

I'm going to pick a sweater to make now, and instead of using a new yarn, I'm going to use my stash yarns to make it all multi-coloured.

Yeah, yeah. I forgot.

Or rather, I didn't forget, but I got caught up in life and didn't post.

Quick update, with pics to come later tonight....

Finished all the needle work on Askew, and I just need to seam.  Its blocking now. 
Which I hate cause I suck at blocking. 

Two more pattern repeats on Clapotis before its done.  :)

...Afternoon tea is only about two rows deeper than last we talked.  *sigh*

Netflix: quit asking if I'm still watching.

I decided to start Askew this morning, in part because the plastic size 6s I'm using for Afternoon Tea make my fingers cramp and in part because I love Chroma worsted.

I'm making a small, because there's not a measurement for a 36 inch bust, and I'd rather make a top too small in the chest than too large (which is virtually impossible for me.  I mean, finding a top too small in the breast area.  I'm not endowed well.)

So I cast on and start knitting with my 30 stitches for the left front.  The yarn is gorgeous, and feels smooth and soft in my hands, and I'm in love.  The colourway isn't quite what I thought it would be from the website (normal), but its more muted, not as bold, and the transitions are lovely.

I start to think of different ways I would knit this.  I could do the right and left side at the same time, but then I wouldn't get the wonky colour differences.  What if I just did each side with a different skein, but at the same time?  That would work.  Except then I wouldn't be following the pattern, and then would it count towards my game?  I decided it wouldn't,which means that I can't make modifications to any other pattern I knit from here on out.  Its a little freeing and constricting at the same time.  I like to modify.  But I'd always be changing things to make them more "me" and less "knitty", so I think following the recipes for each project is a necessary rule.

I had to frog a couple of times already, when I lost count between stockinette and garter rows, but otherwise it seems as though the pattern is fairly straightforward.

After finishing the first section before the repeat, I panicked a little, because the piece looks *TINY*.  I made the Kid put down her video game and come help me stretch the fabric and measure, because according to the interwebs you have to superblock this vest due to the negative ease.  It took took both of us, but I'm fairly certain I'm going to be able to block this to the appropriate size. 

After the second repeat, I take a break to eat one of my mother's famous stuffed bell peppers.  I mention this only because my mother is an amazing cook, and you should be jealous of my pepper.

The more I look at the piece, the more I'm panicked that it isn't going to fit anyone except for an American Girl doll.  Its super tiny.  *sigh*  I'm going to trust that it will block out.

I bound it off to start the ties.  After looking at it, I think I bound too tightly.  I'm considering rebinding with a larger size needle. 

While I contemplated this, I took a shower and dressed for Sunday margaritas/dinner with mom.  I absolutely didn't want to wear a bra today, so I decided to wear a swim suit.  (This is totally valid logic.)  As I was picking one out, I had to ask myself: Why would a girl who doesn't swim, and hates the sun, own *SEVEN* bikinis?  Seriously.  I need to clean those out.

After dressing, I decide, yes.  I need to rebind a little looser.  I frog and bind off with size 8s.  Still a little tight, but much better.  It should block to where I want it now.

I finish the strap and bind it off.  I have more than 3/4 of  the original skein of yarn left, which means that my gauge, while meeting the 16/24 = 4" standards, is probably off somewhere.  :(

Things my kid has actually said to me today:

• Mom, I'm Sam and Mitch is Dean, cause he's sort of a jerk.  Except he has better hair, so maybe he's Sam.
• Now that I'm more famous, I can' steal people's horses and they won't care.
• In the zombie apocalypse, why don't we all just go live on a boat? Cause zombies can't swim.  Wait. I know.  Zombie sharks.  Never mind.
• MWARRRAAA.  I'm a goat!
• I need to figure out how to make a spaceship for my head.  You know.  For karate.
• One day, I'll be a guinea pig.  And I'll wear a saddle.

Things I've said to my kid today:

* drink your margarita so we can go home.