SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!

Sat through daughter's school awards ceremony, and worked on tank. Man, those things are tedious. Tank now measures 9.5" from the bottom. One more inch, and it will be time to separate for the arm holes. Here's a shot:


And here's a close up to show the little color flecks in the yarn


I've been swatching. I dontated a custom designed vest to the Girl Scout Leader recognition. Did the design consult, and boy were we creative. My "client" spent four hours going through all my magazines, and discussing ideas and picking colors and motifs. What fun! Shirtail hem, colors along the line of Philosopher's Wool "Night Sky" scheme, South West motifs, she picked three to use, and side to side construction so that the colors would run vertically. We have a large bust, you see. Like 50", so I"m looking at about 56" chest for this baby. Whew. Good thing I'm using worsted about about 4.5stiches/inch.

Here are some tries. Not sure I have it yet. And, of course, the camera does not show the colors as correctly as we would like.

I moused a long this weekend. Not all cats love catnip, and GingGong is apparently one of those. She now has a loveley catnip filled taco to ignore.

Here she is, ignoring it.


See the other kitties having fun.


On a more positive front, the tank has grown to about 7". Allison of BlueBlog asked for a picture repeat, as I'm not making the "Pagan" number that was the intention of her "tank a-long". I'm not so very good at following directions. The pattern is from a 199something Vogue Knitting magazine. It really speaks to me. It says "HEY YOU - Look at my tits!"
>

It's outta here!

Sheesh. What a bad attitude for a project that was spur of the moment, and while it didn't meet my expectations came out just fine, and on time too. The "use up the wierd Hayfield Changes" mohair wrap for the bus driver only had two rows of yarn left before casting off. I finished with about an inch of tail. Yikes. It blocked to about 42". Shorter than I would have liked, but long enough to wrap around my shoulders like a stole. In afterthought, I should have cast on for the length I wanted, since that was the important dimension, and worked to whatever width I ended up with. It may have draped better as well. Oh well. I remembered this morning I had some nice bamboo pins that I purchased in Korea a long time ago. I meant to give them as gifts here and there, but they are all still in a plastic bag in my yarn room. Lucky me, I was able to find it, and here is the nice pin that I attached to the wrap:

Here is my daughter trying to be dramatic and sophicisticated modeling the thing:

We gave it to our driver this morning, and see seemed to be delighted. Mission accomplished.

Now, on to the tank.

I was able to get through about a skein last night, and have about 2.25". That's great, as the armholes are at 10.5", so I have plenty of yarn. I have one more cable to go, then it's k2p2 rib until the arm hole separation. I like the little flecks of yellow and fuchia.

Just how long was that car trip yesterday?

Well, it was 15" long on the feather and fan wrap I'm working on. Got bored in the car, and decided that I really needed to finish up that project before we got home. I really don't want mohair on my lap much longer now that the summer weather is creeping upon us. Didn't happen. I still have a little wad of yarn left. Could have finished with about an hour of TV watching, but I was too tired. What is it about sitting in a car that wears you out?. It's looking nicer. I was worried for a while there. I'm hoping the lace pattern will open up a whole lot more after a block. There's about 30", and I think it will finish about about 32", and I'm hoping for another 4" or more of length when it's blocked.

Bus driver wrap is up to 16". Two skeins to go. I have a lot of car time tomorrow, and I hope I can finish it. I want it off my lap, and I am tired of fighting with the mohair. The stuff is really hairy and sticky. The intent was long lightweight and fuzzy. So far, it's not looking long enough, but it certainly is fuzzy and light. If it ends up looking like a wierd ugly cat, I'll chuck it. From a hopeful and positive perspective, I'm expecting it to grow to desired dimensions when I block the crap out of it.

Yawn, ouch.

Took my Girl Scout troop to an awesome water park and camping this weekend. I'm way tired and sore. The girls had fun, and they did a nice job putting up their tents in the dark. Extra bonus, no screaming and fighting when they took them down. They often surprise me, as they fight like cats during our meetings, but somehow get it together on the trips.

So Girl Scouts is over for a few months. I will probably make a camp reservation for September, but that's pretty much it for the summer. Except, I donated a custom designed vest for a leader recognition auction. First time I've ever volunteered something like that. I'm getting more confidant in my skills, I suppose. The winner comes over this week some time for a measurment and design consult. Should be fun - she has aready told me she likes BRIGHT colors, and lots of them. Cool, I was worried the winner would want basic neutural. She's big, too. I intend to use worsted weight out of my stash, so the larger size just improves the design choices in my point of view. This project will sit until Wrap, Henry, and Tank are finished. Not a problem, as it won't be cool enough to even think about wool around here until October.

With all the weekend activity, not a lot of knitting action. Tank is languishing in the living room. Bus driver wrap is about 12" now.

There was a question about the Lydia buttons. They are little plastic bows. Pretty cute. Got them at JoAnn's. Maybe I'll add a picture, but I don't feel like going through that process right now.

Yesterday was a good knitting day. Sitting through a 5th grade singing and dancing presentation, I was able to finish up knitting the Lydia sweater. About an hour of work in the evening, and all done. Katherine of WabiSabi did the design for the XRX book, and was sweet enought to leave a comment and a link to the somewhat grown up "Lydia". And you may notice a few design changes. First, I put the buttons on the front; the design in the book the sweater buttons up the back. Second, I pick up the armhole, and knit down instead of making separate sleeve pieces and sewing it all together.


Allison of BlueBlog encouraged me to start the tank yesterday, as she is the hostess of the tank girl knit along. I want to do this in the round instead of pices, so I had read the pattern and had to sort of chart how the edges worked. Sure enough, there were a few selvage stiches that I had to take out to get the pattern to work right. Knit a few rows, but then Ihad to stop. Fatigue, and I'm not exactly sure where my cable needle is. Well, I know where it is, but I have to move a lot of stuff around to get to it.


Shiloh says let's go walk.

More conversations with Henry
"Hey, Hank, look at what I got for you."
"Huh?"
"Wake up, I got you a new needle. Number 3, sixteen inch"
"Huh?"
"For your arms, silly. That long needle won't be comfortable, and double points would be awkward"
"Is this a trick to start on that tank behind my back?"
"See how nice it is? It's Bamboo"
"Bamboo?"
"Yes, I've never used a bamboo needle before. I got it special for you"
"Nice"
"I can tell you are excited - you're loosing stiches"
"Oops"

"So, Swatchy, did I see you with something fuzzy last night?. And I don't mean the dog"
"Ummmm, I suppose you did"
"What's up with that?"
"Well, school's out soon, and I wanted to make something for the school bus driver. I decided on a Feather and Fan pattern wrap. I'm using some really ancient Hayfield Changes. It's mohair, and really hairy"
"That's silly"
"Do you remember how long it took and how many times I had call and complain because the school bus didn't come? This lady really improved my life. I want to say thank you"
"I meant the mohair. Mohair is silly"
"Well, I think so too, but it seemed so fabulous way back when. Before I met up with you sophisticated shetland types. Might as well use it up."
"When are you going to work on it?"
"Well, I have a car trip comming up next week, and I don't have to drive, so I'll probably be able to pound it out then. It's going really fast. Almost six inches just yesterday"
"Won't that dumb baby sweater get jealous"
"She's almost finished, see? I had a meeting on Tuesday night, and some lobby time at the car repair place. I'll be cleaning up ends over the weekend"
"When are you going to clean up my ends?"
"Ummmm. we'll discuss this later. I need to go to work"

Wowza! Place a comment line on the page, and people use it. Who'd a thunk?

I feel soooooo part of the scene now. For a whole few days, I thought I was blogging by myself. Thanks to you all who exercised the new comment line.

I decided that I didn't like the way the center panel looked. Rather than figure out how to make the text change color, I went for the color wheel opposite of the blue side panels. I think it's brighter, and more attractive.

Well, it's there, but it changed the blog font

Let's see if we can get the comments line to work

Henry crawled out from under the chair this weekend, and now has most of his neck. Boy was he grumpy. He complained about how I had been spending too much time with those mindless baby sweaters. "We had a deal", he reminded me. "When you sit in our special chair, you are supposed to work on me. The silly little projects are for conference calls, waiting rooms, and the swimming pool."

"OK", I said, "but there was a baby shower, TWINS for goodness sake. I had a rush going on"

"Bad excuse. I know you finished that sweater for the second twin a week ago. It's been waiting for buttons. You've been distracted by setting up that stupid blog. You've been working on that floozy lace bit for the past week, and left me here to rot. You just got discouraged because Wendy finshed hers in the time it took you to get from the underarm to the neck. Get over it, girlfriend"

"Oh, Hank, I'm so sorry. The new lacy baby sweater did keep me from you longer than I had intended. But, look at her, she's so cute. But we're together again, and doesn't that neck feel nice? I'll weave in the ends on your body next before we go cut open your arms. You know you are going on vacation with us in a few weeks, don't you?"

"Really? Are we going to the beach again?"

"We sure are. By the way, I notice that you have been using the only No3 circular in the house. Could I borrow it for this little tank number I want to start?"

"No way. It's my needle. She can go get her own. Humph. I'm not sitting under the chair until vacation, just because you have a little tank girl thing going."

"OK, Hank, you can keep your needle. You certainly outrank any tank top project."

"Humph. I'm named after a King, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, so is my dog"

I re-knit the tank swatch using No3 needles and it came out spot on. Now I have another mindless project for catching up on all the training conference calls I've missed recently. My department records them, and I can pull them down in MP3 formant, and listen to them later. Unfortunately, that tempts one to not attend the live session, as sooooo many other activities can't be put off. So, now I'm about twenty hours behind. Well, my husband is going away for a week or so, so maybe I can catch up on the evenings.

The baby sweater is coming along. I've separated front and back, and am up the the neck on one side of the front. The pattern wants you to put buttons on the back, but I prefer to make it cardigan with buttons in the front.

I'm hoping to get a comment link up this weekend. Not sure if it is urgent. This blog is so new, I don't know if anyone is looking at it yet. If I get it done, I can stop messing with the template.

Swatchy is getting ahead of herself.
Instead of working on the baby sweater during the morning call, I swatched for the tank.
Learned that wiht yarn and needles I'm at 4.5"/30 stiches. That means I can make the small size, and end up with a 38" bust.
I plan to try the swatch again with a smaller needle size, and see if it works better.
Nice, don't you think?

Added some more buttons to my template. We're cooking now

Finshed the lace section for the "Lydia's Lace" baby sweater, and took a pic. It's so lumpy before blocking. Now, it is the perfect conference call project. I can keep my brain from wandering during the long calls, and stay awake as well if I have some simple knitting to do as well.



I've not been much of a joiner, but I'm thinking of doing the "tank girl" knit along project that is on the blueblog. The chosen pattern looks to plain for my knitting taste, so I'll do one from a 1999 Vogue Knitting magazine. I've been looking at it for a while, and I have some cotton/rayon yarn in very stylish orange with fuchia and yellow flecks that ought to work out at the correct guage. If not, I'll recalculate the pattern.

Got notice that the blog has made it into the knitting ring. I'm still messing with the template. Let's see, have the "look", have the "button", have the e-mail, Have the WIP list, have the blogger list, blogger button, knitring button. Non't have the comment box. Oh, yeah, there should be some knit content.

Worked on the lacy baby sweater last night. I had started it on Friday so that there would be weekend car knitting around. Hank does not travel. Have gotten the first repeat finished. Not bad, as the pattern only calls for 1.5 repeats. Will photograph and post when the lace is done.

Just submitted to the knit blog web ring.
I should go back to work.

Trying to work out a two or three color approach for my friend. I usually like fairisle, and fairly strong graphics. He likes "subtle", and pointed at some of the most boring models in the magazines were were looking through. He does not get his sweater until we are both pleased. The other rule is that we must choose out the abundant stash that I currently have. Why buy when I already have a roomful of yarn? Figuring out how to use it is part of the creative process.

That being said, here are some attempts to get something that he will like, and that I can stand:

tricolor fabric stich from Barbara Walker Vol 1, page 57

cactus flower from Barbara Walker Vol 2, pg 103.

They look light to me, but I don't think I have enough charcoal gray to do 1/3 of an adult sweater.

More trials to come

Well, I launched it.
Here is yet another new knitting blog. I'm still messing around with the general format, but I'm mostly pleased.

WIP, the ever popular Henry8, Alice Starmore design. Hank was started over a year ago. I had just gotten past the armhole steeks when the industrious Wendy started hers. I got busy on him, but, she passed my by. The neck is picked up, but he is hiding under my chair. Needed to finsh a baby sweater for a shower. It's done, so Hank can come out now.