Saturday, June 30

Ravelry

Oooo Oooo Oooo! I just got my invitation and logged in.

Tuesday, June 26

Swearter

My friend Nittany Knits sent me a suggestion for projects I have sworn to finish. She wrote: I'm on the last bit of my 'Clapotee' and am struggling to get it done as well. Finishitis perhaps? I'll finish mine if you finish yours! I believe that is a perfect name for the disease, but perhaps I would call the project itself a "Swearter" as in:

I have Finishitis but swear to finish my Clapotee swearter before starting another project.

I finished my Monkey Socks swearter. Now I am free to start my Falling Leaves shawl.

I would love to cast on some socks with that Austermann yarn, but I have a lap blanket swearter to finish first.

So it's official.


Swearter (n) a project which has been almost done for a long time, and whose knitter is embarrassed by this and swears they won't start another until it's finished


Okay, Nittany Knits. The race is on!

Monday, June 25

Slogging through

Now I need to find a word for "a project which has been almost done for a long time, and whose knitter is embarrassed by this and swears they won't start another until it's finished".

I won't be able to go to knitting on Wednesday morning if I don't get this blanket done. The ladies will call me names and point their fingers and snicker behind my back. The pressure is on. I am on my last ball at least. I tried last night and made some progress, but the the mind was strong and the body . . . uuugh. I will mush on with resolve and Tylenol today.

Wednesday, June 20

Pattern Snob

I have come to a realization about myself. I am a pattern snob. I have known this for some time, but didn't have a cute name for my disease.

Patternophobia (n.) an irrational fear of knitting one's yarn into an inferior project because you are sure a more perfect pattern is out there somewhere.

According to Google I am the first to use that word.

You see, I have all this lovely yarn. There are definite plans for some of it - a gift here, an indulgence there. The problems come when I try to decide on which pattern is worthy of my yarn. I narrow it down, only to find three or four new candidates. So what do I do? I knit for charity. I am proud to announce a breakthrough
however. After many days searching, many websites visited, and many patterns bookmarked or downloaded (drum roll please) I have chosen the Austermann Sock pattern for the Step sock yarn. I got the pattern from their British language website but the American sizes are there. I did check two other sources and I feel confident that my sister is a size 38/39. I sat down and studied it and figured out the numbers for Debbie's size to plug into the pattern. God help me, I'm ready to take the plunge so I printed it out.

And the crowd goes wild
.

In other news:
I took the two No Hair Day chemo caps over to the Mayer Center today. They were a huge success. The moderator of our group said she knew just the person for the red one. I promised more. They knit up very quickly so it shouldn't be long before I crank out another one.

As for the grown up socks? Pray for me.

Monday, June 18

BTW

I did finish my other Tiny Sock just a few days after the first one. I made what I believe was a pattern correction for the beginning of the heel. Shweeet! Then I studied hard in my "Knitters Companion" about how I picked up the stitches for the turn of the heel. I found out I misread what "pick up and knit" meant. Viola! No holes in my heel. Next was my toe, and a little attention to my change from an eight stitch draw-in to a Kitchener stitch. Ta-Daa! Better decreases = prettier toe.


Now then. I still gotta find a simple pattern for my first big girl socks. I want to use the Austermann Step sock yarn I bought at MSWF. There's a pattern on their site, but it's one of those universal patterns where you generate your own numbers and I didn't feel confident with that. I've read it over a couple of times and might try to write it out a little more clearly with the numbers I need for the size I want on another document and proofread it like crazy. If I do, I would probably beg someone else to look at it too. Until then . . .

The search goes on.

:)

Saturday, June 16

haiku

a note to myself
while watching Kevin Costner
do not knit lace hats

a note to myself
the lace hat is put aside
for Kevin Costner

I don't know which one expresses the idea best. I was knitting the lace cap last night during a DVD The Guardian. It was better than I expected (probably because I knew nothing about it) and the effects were excellent. You guessed it.

Tink, tink, tink. . .

Friday, June 15

First Lace

I started my first lace project last night for another chemo cap. The hat is a cloche pattern from headhuggers.org and again I’m using the lavender “I can’t seem to get bored with you” yarn . It’s stockinette with about two inches of lace around the brim. It’s feminine but covers nicely. I’m through one and a half cycles of the lace pattern and haven’t screwed it up (that I know of anyway). Oooooh. I like lace. The rhythm thing is addictive and no wonder folks churn out this stuff.

Wednesday, June 13

No Hair Day Red Hat Society

Finished another fuzzy chemo hat last night. I must say, it is magnificent. Lavender yarn with a red eyelash this time – perfect for those Red Hat days we all need so much. I figure ladies on chemo must like the red hat thing too, right? This one is very soft, much nicer than the other two for some reason.

I hope it makes her laugh, she’s gonna look like a giant dandelion.

Gee, I hope the No Hair Hat design is a hit. I’m not going to make another until I know for sure though.

Tuesday, June 12

Chemo Caps

I have found a rededication to chemo caps. I finished this one the night before I left to go to a family reunion on Friday and started another in the car. It felt good.

I got off track for a while, making things for other charities, making other projects for my family at Christmas. I shopped for new yarn with my own projects in mind. Tackling new skills on my list of knitting things to do. Stitches East is on the way and I signed up for four classes. I forgot why I started this knitting thing in the first place. By far, the chemo hat is the most satisfying for me.

I need to always be working on one.

For John.


Wednesday, June 6

Goodbye

I bid a non-tearful farewell to my Knit for Kids "foreversweater" today at the Post Office Drive Thru. Less than five bucks and it's off to New York state for distribution. I know I've bitched about finally getting it off my needles and out of my sight, but it was done with care and it felt very good to produce such a good and needful thing. As I slid it into the mailing bag, I noticed a row about halfway down the body. The stitches are twisted backwards all the way across. It was there I had to rip out several rows for a dropped stitch or other catastrophe and loaded them back on the needle flipped the wrong way. My fellow knitters were kind. "That's not a mistake, that's a design feature".

God bless 'em.

And God bless the kid.