ON VACATION


Big stressful day today - airport with daughter going one way, and us going a different direction a few hours later.   Everyone is excited, and we tend to get snappy. We will be better when we get there.

Progress on Ingeborg - up to three pattern repeats now.
No proress on Hank8.
I'm getting set up on the Southern Region knitblog ring. Heee Haw.

Two birthday parties. One for a friend, one for daughter. We did a "teenage mystery" party,Barbeque with a Vampire, and it was pretty good. I would suggest it for 13year olds or older - there are some racy elements. The kids rated it an 8 or better out of 10. They said that they had fun, but there was too much talking; not enough action. One of the boys was a little distubured at one of the story elements, but it turned out that we could skip that entire part with no impact on the story. I forget that we are in Texas. The punch with floating eyeballs was poular. The Brain Jello got a great reaction, but no one ate it. We had Baskin Robbins do a cake with a gravestone, and they wrote "Who is the Vampire?" on the cake. I love getting people to make things custom just for me.

I had a call from a local dance studio offering a free lesson - ballroom. My husband and I went last night and it was pretty fun. He was stiff at first but got into it after a while. The teacher was great, and when it came time for the sale part, husband just whipped out his card and paid for three more sessions. We won't do it until September as he will be away on business, but it is something special to look forward to.

I'm going to focus on going on vacation next week.

Look ma, one arm:


I've cut the other arm opening, but was distracted by other projects before casting on for the last arm. I don't think this will be ready for husband's return to Peru, so I'll shoot for his birthday.

And Ingeborg, the main distratction has gotten to armhole openinings, and is just past 1/2 way up the body.

Having a nice day off after fireworks last night. Daughter wants to go to the malls to pick up what she needs to go away to camp for two weeks. Good timing with the sales and all.

Almost done w/Henry8 sleeve #1, and developing a plan to finish him off in the next week or so. Also almost done w/pattern repeat #2 of Ingeborg. Pictures pending.

But in the mean time, check out this Doonesbury page. There is a new character, helping B.D. recover from his injury, and the information on his profession includes knitters. Wishing B.D. a successful recovery, by the way.

So, over on the Ingeborg board, I offered to show a picture of my sleeves, since I added a sleeve line. Of course, the answer was yes. What am I, stupid? So, here they are.... Notice I didn't really try to get the lines really straight.



Managed another 1/2 pattern repeat. Beg me to show it to you.

I became obsessed with Ingeborg this week.


I also cleaned my living room, and it is again lovely to sit in. Part of the tidying work included picking up the odd needles, balls of yarn and magazines that were sitting in my knitting basket. I also checked up on Henry8, and he's made no progress on his sleeve. Funny, to think that he may be able to knit himself underneath a pile of magazines.

By the way - to those weather goddesses out there - I'm really tired of daily torrential rain and thunder storms.

I was supposed to go to Louisiana today, but I missed my flight. I'm glad too, because I think I picked up Fifth disease from the nephews last week. This is a mild childhood illness that I apparently managed to miss until now. It's also called "slap face" because of the rash. Last night I was really itchy, and needed to go out for some Bennydryl. I still feel off, and I think I'll be itching again this afternoon. Lovely.

I've almost finished sleeve #2 for Ingeborg. No picture, because it looks just like the first one.

Speaking of itching, last week I was itching for a new project. So, Swatchy has been swatching. The alpaca my husband brought me from Peru is just perfect for another pattern in the Dale 126 book that Ingeborg is in. Here are some colorways for #2 Hardangervidda. ( #3 needle for future reference) We all like the middle one the best.



And I got busy with the Brilla paint that I ripped out last week. All with a #5 needle

#1 is a slip stitch pattern with some navy mohair from an VogueKnitting;Spr/Summer 1985
#2 same pattern w/light blue shetland wool
#3 linen stitch w/light blue shetland
#4 linen stitch w/navy mohair
#5 linen stitch 3/brilla solid - kiwi
#6 from Jean Frost Jackets - sanquar slip stitch in very light green wool
#7 linen stitch w/light green wool
#8 slip stitch #1 with the light green



I still don't know what I'm going to do with this stuff. Husband admired #5. I'm thinking of doing the Jean Frost Jacket with #6 or doing my own design with #6 and #7. I'll have to check if I have enough of the light green. I'm also thinking of some other patterns to swatch. Maybe I'll use all 16 balls on test swatches. Serve me right.

I also got out some Classic Elite "Believe" that I ordered from Elann during a yarn binge. It's supposed to knit to 21st/10cm on #7 needles. I got 19 stitches on #5's, proving once again that swatching is good. I'm either knitting a lot looser than I used to, or the yarn industry has gotten uptight. I seem to need to go down several needle sizes from the recommended one these days. Well, it's just perfect for Tuja from Dale #116. The pattern calls for their wool, but I don't see a good reason why the Believe should not be appropriate. No picture - looks just like stockenette stitch.

Crystal Cove using Brilla print-
I HATE IT!

The pattern is clever; the shape is fine, the yarn is lovely to work with.
but...
The multicolor yarn detracts from the pattern, and the pattern detracts from the yarn. I should have figured this out about the time I finished the front. Off the the frog pond we go.

Had to add a note about Miss GingGong. She is veeerrrry happy to see us. First she did the kitty punishment - *let me out/let me in* repeat between *'s. Now she is sitting on my knitting and helping me type. She has also swatted at both of us. I think she is scared and angry when we leave. Then relieved and angry when we return. Makes sense. She was a stray, and had been shuttled to many homes before we took her in.

Back from our trip, and it was nice.
Good Weather.
No wedding.

FIL did roast a pig for us, and a good portion of the clan came down. Curiously, the bride2be did not show at the party at all, although us kids saw her before and after. Lots of odd interpersonal currents moving, but I was able to work on to the Ingeborg sleeve and listen. Keeps me from being a snippy, arrogant Yankee. The bonus is that I'm about six inches into the second sleeve now.

Oh, and she seems to be keeping the shawl. Fine with me.

Crystal Cove awaits side seams. I'm hoping it looks as good on as it does hanging in the picture. I'll write some pattern notes if anyone is interested. The pattern has a few very clever elements.

I'm itching for a new project. I just started two - what's up with that? So, I'm looking at really old Vogue knitting magazines. Yummy.

Off to North Carolina...
to see what happens.

There will be a plane flight and then a three hour drive to the coast. Have Crystal Cove, extra yarn, a started Ingeborg sleeve #2 (to set the pattern) Have #2 dps, 12" and 16" circulars. Have needle, tape measure, and sizzors in bag to check. Book and backuup book. There will be a beach, and a deliciously evil Sister in Law, as well as assorted family.

How can I not have fun?

Another week

Too much stress.

Personal stress - will the court give an extension on the speeding ticket because I'm waiting for my drivers record? I requested the silly thing too late. arrrgh!

Family/Personal stress - daughter went to a slumber party and had to be picked up at 2:30 a.m because they said she was sick. She had really had a very disturbing nightmare, so disturbing that it left her dizzy and in tears. Just the condition for a member of a pre-teen slumber party crowd. I fed her some pancakes, and we settled down again about 3:30a.m. I'm up for work, and I'm tired.

More family stress - FIL's lady friend who was kicked out last week is back in. What will happen?

Work stress - just too much, and not enough results. Will have to travel more in the later part of June. Yuck. Just had a good project killed because of a variety of conflict but the end is that the work done is flushed.

More work/family stress - I need to spend time during the day to deal with a car tire replacement and some registration. How do I balance it all?

Knitting? Well, another monument to the simple notion that if one works on a project, there will be results. (unlike my work) Henry8 who has been languishing under my main knitting chair is now on deck, and being worked. I was surprised how little I had done on the sleeve. A mere 28 rows. But I got some time on Sunday to settle down for a few hours, and knocked out amost an entire 64row repeat. Here he is, with about half a sleeve done:

So, I'm making myself crazy with procrastination and too much to do. So what should I do? How about a blog entry? Well, I have just the right amount of time, and other activities will take more or less.

Promised pictures - the finished Crystal Cove front/back. I'm not impressed yet. It is sort of a misshapen rectangle. I'm hoping that when the other side is attached at the shoulders, the graceful swoops of the stitch/short row pattern will be revealed. In the mean time, I still think the colors are great, and the yarn is making a great fabric.


And - ta daa! An Ingeborg sleeve.


Ingeborg is going to go to sleep for a bit. I will be working on Hank8.

I tried last night to work on Hank8, while taking a safe driving course on the Internet. One of my procrastinated tasks. Well, it's a great course, and requires attention, so I could not manage my complicated and long neglected project friend. Maybe I'll finish tonight, and get him started up. What will I do if I ever finish, and he is no longer keeping me company underneath my chair? Oh, yeah - I could start another project. Silly me.

Back from the water park, and recovered from a day of prune skin. The rest of the long weekend was finishing parts. No pictures. Ingeborg sleeve, and a front/back unit for Crystal Cove. For a short moment I had nothing on my needles but Henry8. Dodn't get to him, as my daughter abandonded her sewing project, and I finished that as well. Good thing we didn't have part of a half gallon of ice cream and an apple pie, because since I was finsining everything else....

But I digress. I did get distracted with the sewing, and cut out a dress for myself.

And the big news - FIL's wedding is off, but we are all still going to see him in N. Carolina. I sent that grey mohair shawl off to the financee. Wonder if it is going to come back.

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!

At 12:30 today. The girl and I are taking a road trip and spending Friday at an awesome water park. The second half of our weekend will be spent with me helping her finish a sewing project, and my commitment to get Henry8 out from under the chair. Little hope of finishing him before my husband returns to Peru. He does not get to stay home very long, and I'm not very fast. My poor man gave me the best "why haven't you finished that yet?" I've heard. He told me he had to buy a cheap sweater in Lima, because he was getting cold. When he got it home he found it was poorly made, and he had to repair some holes. Booo Hooo. Come home to Texas, honey. It's 90 degress in the afternoon.

However, I'm easily distracted. As will be revealed.

This is my new "traveling" project, "Cove Creek" by "Just One More Row" from Brilla cotton/rayon purchased from Elann.com. I was hoping that the multi-color sections would be longer so that the colors striped instead of puddled. Even so, there is a lot of movement and it's shiny and drapey and fun.

But wait! There's more. I couldn't stop from starting this:

I joined the knit along hosted by the Wendy. This is cashmere/merino purchased from WEBs. The person who writes the description must have been up too late, as the yarn is described as sport weight. No way - this is about the same weight as shetland/lace wool. It's two tight strands, so one can split it easily, but the strands are so tight, it is a simple matter to set the yarn right again. It needs to be washed and will fluff into a light but crisp fabric. Just right for the mild winters here.

I bought way too much, and there is a pattern in a really old Knitters that I will do next for my poor cold husband. But that is after waterparks and after Henry.

Well, I think I would lose my head if it were not attached. I cleaned yesterday, and did not find two of the items I was expecting to find in the mess. One was the pattern pamphlet for a new project. The other was my camera. Well, I had dug out my desk, but didn't dig out the car. In the car, I did find the camera, which I knew was probably there, as I used it for the Girl Scout bridging on Saturday. <> I also found a copy of my pattern swimming around the passenger side. I know that pamphlet is around; I know I didn't take it out of the house. That it too high risk. I make copies to go into my traveling bag.

Is it a copyright violation to make several copies for personal use, because one is scatterbrained, then lose them in random places such as pizza parlors or school auditoriums?

Anyway, I now have a few more copies now to hide away in places where I won't find them in the future.

In the mean time, with all the confusion, I was holding out on the blog readers. (All four of you.) This will continue, as I have a busy week. Well, some will be revealed:


The finished lace shawl, and the background is my backyard, where the armidillos play by the way.

and some detail.

Two new projects making nice progress, but I've not photographed yet, so it will have to wait.

Oooooh, Gene, I feel so complemented!! Me confused with a Rowan designer? Heee heee heee.

Here's the scoop on the on the finished sweater. I saw Sara Peasleys work on her Hanne Falkenberg Tokyo. I thought, wow, that would make a fine manly sweater. It's a slip stitch pattern that can be found in Barbara Walkers third book, called "Ceasars Check". I had a very dear friend who has asked for a sweater, and worked the pattern as one of a group of swatches. He said he wanted "British racing green and tan". Well, I had what I thought was the correct green, and some nice tape from a Webs bag sale about thirteen years ago. Lana Borgesia Castle 30% mohair, 30%wool, 40% acrylic. That company must have been on a King Arthur kick, as the label has a sword in a stone graphic. The fuzzy mohair I'm using for the "dice blue" shawl is from the same stash, and it's called "Morgana", and has the same graphic. My friend liked the slip stitch swatch; the yarn makes a nice soft fabric and the mohair is not brushed and fuzzy. Then it was a matter of figuring gauge, and applying that "Grand Plan" sweater chart. Viola!

By the way, I previously used the same tape on my last personal design. I used a cable and lace design, and it looks amazingly like the one on the Elann.com splash page, but that one is done in a cotton.

I love those BW books. This is only the second sweater I've done this way. Well, if you count all the baby sweaters, maybe that's not really true. I can't really "see" what those little photos would look like on a finished sweater. I had passed over this little pattern many times, as it appeared awfully boring. Only a few of them speak to me. Now, I'll look at the magazines, and think, hey - that's just a BW stitch design on a plain shape. Or, I'll see it on one of the blogs out there. I think I've read this thought before, and the writer may have been slamming the magazine. I appreciate seeing the application of the stitch pattern on a garment. It helps me put a design together more confidently. For example, was sort of excited by all the sanquar check gloves this winter. Not that I'm much of a glove knitter, my brain sez: great pattern to apply to a sweater, or mens wear vest.

Now, in the mean time, I've finished the lace, but my little camera is waiting for the battery to charge. I've started two new projects. Only right, as I've finished three, don't you think? I still have a commitment to get Henry out and working this weekend. Want to guess what I've begun? There is a hint on the page for one, and I've mentioned a recent pattern purchase as well.

Happy Monday, again.

Look who's lounging on my sofa, waiting to be dry:

This little guy, or his friend has been hiding in the sweater during lapses in finishing progress.


Living in an urban rain forest, it's awfully hard to keep the critters out. We were disturbed when we first moved in by odd noises out the bedroom window at night. Turned out to be a good sized armadillo. I did some research, and found that the common approach is to leave them alone. The thought is that if you remove one, another just move in after it. I hear our neighbor a few doors down traps and destroys the ones that wander into her yard. I hope she enjoys the activity as there seems to be an endless supply of these guys. The other approach is to get a terrier, as they are bred to be rodent hunters, and will often aggressively go after them. Our bedroom 'dillo usually produces a brood of babies this time of year. I've not seem them yet, but I hear they've been about. One may have already met it's end by meeting the neighbor dogs.

I also found a yucky baby bunny with parts eating out of it on my back porch. Has Miss GingGong not been enjoying her meals?

Enough of the critters. Back to knitting. I was pulled over by the knitting police for knitting lace without a pattern. The sentence? About twenty rows. I'm just glad that I wasn't convicted for knitting under the influence.

In the mean time, here she is, waiting for a conference call.

Anticipation
I've not been blogging because I am so close to finishing two projects. I think if I could only finish, I could photo, and proudly display them. Stupid, huh?

Knitting and blogging thoughts on the passing of the 1 year anniversary of this blog. I started this for my own purposes. I reviewed the last year, and felt more satisfied than I had expected. While the purpose is knitting, live events weave their way into the text. I've never been able to maintain a diary, so this is an achievement, and I find I can not only review my knitting projects, but the events of life, and progression of feelings.

I do get caught into the external parts of the blog - I get soooo excited when I find a comment. I was delighted when Wendy added me to her list. I was disappointed when I found I had been removed. I re-established that this was my personal activity and continued on.

So, what's about to finish?

The "traveler" sweater - One side/underarm seam to go.
The "dice blue" shawl in light grey mohair, and just in time too.

My Father in Law announced Sunday that he was going to marry on June 12th. I'm going to have a new Mother in Law, and guess what? She's my age! I suspect my husband and his brother are still not sure what to make of this. She's made some poor decisions in her past.

We met the lady last year. My husband commented that his father seemed more like the happy father he remembers as a boy. My take is that if this woman makes the old guy happy more power to them.

Back and forth:

I had a lovely, non-delayed flight to New Orleans. Usually I wait 40 minutes on the tarmac before we begin the 45 minute flight. So, the sleeve cap for the traveling sweater did not get finished until that evening. I washed and blocked it, and while it was drying I noticed that I could not quite match it up with it's mate. Upon closer inspection, I find that one half of a pattern repeat before the cap decreases seemed to be missing. URG. Since I was amused by Sarah's notion of putting a sweater on "time out", the sleeve went there for a few days, and I picked up the lace. As mentioned before, I do travel prepared with the knitting.

I did the dirty deed last night, and the kinky yarns are now drying on the hotel lampshade. I may help them out with the blow dryer so that I can begin to re-work the piece on the way home.

I'm looking forward to going home - we have a sailing event this weekend and my husband will be out on the committee boat. He's been traveling too much, and has not had a chance to hook up with any sailing activities since we settled down here.

I'm not looking forward to going into the office. Apparently we have a manager who is bringing irrationality to a whole new level, and this time it affects me, albeit indirectly.

Oh, yeah - while getting ready for blog birthday this weekend, I updated the gallery. Happy sailing!