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. 

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.