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. 

If knitting were excersize, my ass would be rock hard.

Oh.  I'm smitten.

 ITS HERE.

NEW YARN.

So exciting that I completely forgot to make dinner for the kiddo. She had to remind me.  Oops.

The box

Chroma

 Anyhow.  Everything is wonderful with it.  Everything.  I love you KnitPicks.

I took them all out of the box and I held them all and I talked to them and told them that they'd all grow up to be beautiful and wonderful items and they were very excited about their future.

Maybe I'm making that part up.

But I did take them all out of the box and hold them.

Shadow Tonal

My dog.  Cause he's cute.

(I love the Chroma Worsted best, I tried to let them all think  I loved them equally)

And then I hand wound the Tonal.  Slowly.  It took a whole episode of House.  And my thumb hurt.  Boo. 

Then I ate some boneless chicken wings, which are really just chicken nuggets.  But somehow marketing has convinced Americans that they're chicken wings.  Whatever.  They're delicious. 

Then I cast on.  Oh, glorious cast on.  I started with Afternoon Tea, because (again) I've never made a shawl.  Shadow tonal held double, five stitches, on size 6 needles.

 I'm actually slightly disappointed in this pattern.  I thought it was going to be more complicated than it is.  Of course, I'm just in the top third, and it looks as though the lace patterning at the bottom will be more difficult.  But I've hope!  Its very pretty, and the yarn is delicious. 

I'm off to bed, and maybe knit a bit more. 

 

In Deep Knit

I learned yesterday that posting about Supernatural will get you readers.  Hello, readers! I'm not sure my knitting blog is going to be what you're looking for, but its nice to see you. :)

...on to knitting.

I'll admit, I wasn't as productive as I should've been yesterday, but I had a (moderately) valid reason.

Also, I think my chronology is a little off, as I've been writing blogs to be scheduled to post and so we have two nights to catch up on, cause I forgot to do it last night.

So Wednesday night I went with my friends Georg and Ellen to pick up their couch surfer (who was this really chill yogi on his way to Taos) and then we went to Pizza Lounge in the fair park area to have wicked good vegan pizza.  Now I'm not vegan, or do I care to be, but they are, and I'll eat pretty much whatever is placed in front of me.  Admission time: I wouldn't have been able to tell that the pie was vegan, except I was there when we ordered it.  It was amazing. For realsy.  Anyhow, I got back in late, and only got a row or two done on Clapotis before passing smooth out for bed.

My kid is terrifying

Thursday I work by appointment only, so I usually piddle around the house, knit, watch Supernatural or
X-Files or Gossip Girl (don't judge.) and get all my laundry done for me and the Kid.  Except yesterday I slept until 12:45, barely made my 1pm meeting, and had a massive headache.  I got back about three, started section four of Clapotis, which is awesome, because I love turning that corner.  There's something exquisitely cool about taking my increases to decreases and making a corner.  I love mitering, too, but that's another day's post.  Also, you get to start dropping *two* stitches on the pattern row, which is ridiculously fun, About five-thirty I went with Sister to go eat, where I had a brilliant margarita at Applebee's (of all the freaking places) that was Absolut Texas (cucumber/Serrano infused), with sweet and sour mix, and fresh jalapenos.  Loved it.  Then we went to Kid's belt ceremony where she kicked ass and earned her blue belt.  She's pretty cool.

We didn't get home until about nine, when we did math homework and watched House until she fell asleep.  I started a third skein of yarn when I turned the corner, and the more I look at it, the more I think maybe that wasn't the best place, because weaving it in is going to be a bitch, but I also don't really want to frog anything down, so I'll deal with it in a few days.

ETA on new yarn? 11 days.  :) I'm hoping to have the scarf finished by then.  Shouldn't be an issue.

Misha Collins, Marry Me.

Seriously.

This man. <3

I watched way too much Supernatural last night.  This is somewhat normal for me.  I've seen the entire series all the way through roughly a bajillion times.  Its because its a soap opera for nerds.  And also because of Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins.  (Sorry Jared P.)

So anyhow.  I watched the hell out of Supernatural last night.  Sam went to hell to be trapped for all eternity with Lucifer and his half-brother and the Archangel Michael. Dean moved in with that woman.  Cass ... well.  Hey! AssButts! Oh.  Cass.
I then went through my texts and here are a few that I sent to some friends that would otherwise freak people out, but that Supernatural fans will understand:

• I miss Lucifer.
• Give me an angel fallen from heaven over a demon with a conscience any day.
• I'd go all bad wolf to save Dean from that.
• Do you think its worse to die on the ceiling in flames, or torn apart by invisible dogs?
• If he gripped me tight, I'd turn to a puddle of quivering girl, unable to be pulled from anywhere.
• Bacon cheese burgers *ARE* a food group.
• You're a bag full of dicks.
• When do they do laundry?

 Ah.  Fandom.  I'm not certain when I became a crazy fangirl, but I did.

So...what does this have to do with the KnittyYear? I hear you thinking.  Spence, your fascination with a set of brothers who travel around the country in the worlds hottest car is amazing, but this blog is about your Knitty project, isn't it?
 
It totally is.  And here's what it has to do with the KnittyYear:

I worked on Clapotis while watching the end of Season five and the beginnings of Season six.  I took it out of my current wips, and completed all of section two, and most of section three, so I should be done with it....soon.

I haven't decided if it counts towards the KnittyYear, since I technically started it before I started the project, and to be honest, I love this pattern immensely.  I've made probably six of these before now.  I'll probably make it again when I reach the 'c's' just because I do love it so much.

 Eta on the yarn ordered yesterday? Still about thirteen days out.  Yay.

Yarn Hoarding is Normal

I finally decided on a pattern last night.

It started with a sympathy beer.  I felt sorry for myself.  I was entrenched in worry for a project that I hadn't even started yet.

 note: this is much more normal than it sounds, at least for me.  I often fret over things that aren't part of actuality yet.  I worry, worry, worry, and then when they happen, or get going....I let go; move on.

Knitty was overwhelming to me.  I wanted to try Ravelry, but I'd locked myself out of my account, because I'm ridiculous when it comes to remembering passwords.  I try and just use the same one or two over and over again, but then I'll get all tricky and shake things up, so I'm often locked out of one account or another because I've outsmarted myself with passwords.  Awesome.

Okay.  Solution to all of this? Eat an entire medium pizza.  Supreme.  Extra cheese.  Garlic crust.

Done.

Now continue to peruse Knitty in the hopes that something would jump out at me as What I Want to Make.  I open every pattern and issue again, and scour them.

A scarf? Portable.  Inexpensive....but its already hot in Texas.  So....maybe?

A skirt.  Seasonally appropriate.  Fun.  I've never knit a skirt.  But....fiddly.  Elastic and zippers.  Ugh.  I don't really want to super finish anything right now.

A handbag? note:  I'm not eighty-seven.  I just like the word 'handbag.'  That's a possibility.  Small.  Or not.  Any colour is acceptable.  Good for warm weather.  And still, though, it didn't catch my heart.

What to do??  Drink second beer.  Because we haven't consumed enough calories with the Entire Medium Pizza we've already inhaled.  At least I won't get drunk.

At this point, my twelve year old daughter comes in, asks what I'm doing, unlocks my Ravelry, sets up a new one (the other was severely out of date, as in my user name was still contained my ex-husbands last name [we divorced in 2009], and the Kid pointed out that it would be beneficial to start one that just chronicled KnittyYear), plays the Weezer song she taught herself on her guitar in about an hour, sets my blog up on my phone, gives me a hug, and wanders away.

Damn kids.  All smart and stuff.

I move up to a cocktail.  Vodka and soda.  Mostly soda.  Fewer calories than beer.  Way fewer than an Entire Medium Pizza.

I notice, while filling my glass, that my feet are cold.

Socks.  I want to make socks.  I love making socks.  I love them so much that I usually only make one.  I have quite a collection of single socks.  Sock yarn is pretty and addictive.  Some of it stripes and some of it doesn't and the patterns are interesting and fun and I really like socks.

But I usually only make one.

Maybe not socks.

Oy vey.  What am I going to do?

I decide to go look at KnitPicks, and chose a yarn I want to work with, and then find a suitable project.

So here's the issue with KnitPicks: I want to own all the yarn.  All of it.  I want to own some of every colour and every line and every weight and I want to fill my house up with yarn.  I am a yarn hoarder. I am okay with that.

The Pearl.  Tricky KnitPicks.

I look at every type of yarn and every colour of yarn and I fall completely in love with the Hawthorne in The Pearl colorway. 
I want it.  I want to wear it.  I want to make socks and shawls and little girl sweaters with it.  I want to decorate my house with it.  I want to wrap my pillows in it, so it seeps into my dreams.


Its. Not. Available. Until.  August.
August.
AUGUST.

I don't know what time it is where you are, but it's FREAKING MAY here in Texas.

Forget it.

I start my search over.  I don't really want to do something solid coloured, because I like to use all the colours at once.  The Kid once described one of my sweaters as appearing to have been "thrown up on by a rainbow.  Or a unicorn.  Or maybe both."  Though she did assure me that it smelled better than unicorn vomit.  And she wears it.  In the two months in Texas its cold enough to wear a sweater.

This has nothing to do with knitting.

I filter yarn selection into the Multi option.  note: every time I use this function I hear Mila Jolavich saying "MultiPass.  Lee-loo Dallas.  MultiPass."  There's about a million choices.  So I sort low to high on price.  There's still a million choices.

At this point I get distracted by needles and books and everything else.  I just start clicking on things I like.  Trying to guess how much I might need in the future for random projects.

I go to my basket to checkout.  I have $438.16 worth of stuff in my basket.  This is quite an accomplishment, even for me.  I have clearance books and sale yarns and every colorway of Chroma in worsted and most in fingering weights.  *sigh*  I have to pare it down.


I finally get it to a reasonable cost and I've selected:

•  Shadow Tonal Lace Weight Yarn.  Its discontinued, so I bought two hanks of 440 yards in the Queen Anne colorway.  Its 100% merino wool.  I have no idea what I'm going to make with it, since I've never really made a lace weight anything, but it was pretty.  And discontinued.
• Chroma Worsted.  Three balls of 198 yards in the Orchard colorway.  70% wool, 30% nylon.  One of my favourite yarns in the entire world.  I don't have any in my stash right now, because I always use every bit of it.



Orchard



Queen-Anne




Supernova

• Chroma Fingering.  Exactly the same as worsted, except 396 per ball, and I only bought one in the Supernova colorway.  

I'm happy with my choices.  There's not much black or green in it, which is what I choose by default.  And they're all sort of cost effective.

And.....back to Knitty.  Here's what I've got:

• Abby: a cowl, gorgeously knit in hand-spun on the site, and recommended for KidSilkHaze,but which I think I'll use the Chroma Fingering for....but maybe not.
• Askew: a tank-top thing that's originally knit in Noro, but which I'll definitely use the Chroma Worsted for.  I almost always substitute Chroma Worsted for Noro, because its more cost effective, and it keeps me out of the LYS.  Now I love my local shop,  but its deadly on my pocketbook.  Deadly.
• Afternoon Tea: It comes in three different variations, all with different yarns, but I'll choose one and use the Shadow Tonal for it.  Possibly.

Which brings me to my system.  Wait for it....wait....
.....
 Alphabetically!  I'll knit things in somewhat alphabetical order.  Anything starting with 'A" will be knit first.

Simple.  Effective.  And purely coincidental after selecting my first three projects.

Amazing.

The yarn is suppose to arrive within two weeks, so ladies and gentlemen, that gives us roughly thirteen days to finish up what we've already started.

Go us.

Live Fast (Die Knitting)

I decided a few months ago, when I was temporarily (f)unemployed and reconfiguring my life's goals that I needed to start a knitting blog, and I needed to knit, one at a time (or a million at a time, since I like to have about 25 wips on needles), every pattern Knitty has ever published.  I think its a very fun idea, and it gives me project goals instead of the random stacks of nonsense that I tend to have.

Needless to say, that's really as far as I got, as I couldn't figure out where I wanted to blog, how I would go about accomplishing said blog, how much time I wanted to commit, etc...

note: I also thought maybe I'd finish some of the projects I had laying around the house, but I've since realised that's ridiculous, because after organsing them and cleaning out my yarn bins, all I've done is start two other projects and think about the KnittyYear.  

I committed today (after receiving my new KnitPicks catalog and itching for new yarn.  New.  Yarn.) to starting my KnittyYear today.  (New.  Yarn.)

So, ladies and gentlemen, I went to Knitty to find my First Project.

And.....I can't decide.  How do I want to do this?  By issue?  By project type?  By season? By budget?  By yarn? And there's seriously a lot of ridiculously ugly things that I would never, not ever, make except for the KnittyYear. note:  I'm well aware the KnittyYear is going to take a lot (a lot) longer than 12 months.  But whatever.  So should I start with something I *want* to make, or get it over with and make something I'd never wear (or give away)?  Am I allowed to frog items after I've completed them?

Ugh. 

I need a system, or I know I'll never go through with this, so I'll have an answer for you tomorrow.  I've given myself 24 hours to decide on a project.  I'll probably ask the ladies at the salon tomorrow what they think, and they'll not really care, but I can at least hear that no one else cares what rules I write for myself.

Until tomorrow then, I'll work on one of my current projects.  Pictures then, and a definite answer as to what we're casting on.

-Spencer