fun and muddy weekend!

this weekend was really busy, with hardly time for knitting ... Friday night I met Amanda in Thousand Oaks and we headed over to Matt's house for a Halloween party. There were some crazy costumes ... the boys in the house and their girlfriends even dressed up as the Gilligan's Island crew, Becky S. was Mr. T (go to her myspace to see what she looks like in real life!), Holly was Dora the Explorer, Isaiah and Sara were Joe Dirt and the girl from that movie ... some really funny costumes. Amanda and I were living the thug life ... we were real tough (ha!).
Saturday Amanda was still with me and we met up with Tia and Shannon for lunch before Tia, her fiance, Omar, and I headed east to Pasadena and Pomona for Sunday's Muddy Buddy. The race was like nothing I had expected ... I don't know if I would have signed up if I knew how hard it was going to be. But now that it is behind me, I am really glad we did it. The course was very very hilly and challenging - I was glad Tia had bike duty for most of the race, I would not have been able to get the bike up all those hills. I had a hard enough time running them! The other teams we knew (Matt & Sven, Marge & Charlie and Josh & Lindsey) were also a little shocked by the difficulty of the course as well, but everyone finished with a celebratory crawl through the mud pit! Tia is already talking training strategy for next year, but I would just like to get through this week's workouts without my legs falling off :)

H_PP_ H_LL_WEE_!

just a little distraction

moving right along

SG#2 has two parts ... I had done all I knew how to do on the first part so stopped by AFY on my way home from work last night to review the next couple of steps with Lois. It really helped to talk through them with her and do some quick review of skills I hadn't used since the class in May. I didn't think I would have time to put my relearned lessons to the test, but after a late birthday dinner for TJ, we got home and I was a little hyper from the diet pepsi, so while Wes fell asleep in front of this week's episode of Studio 60, I kept knitting and even watched the results show for Dancing With the Stars (hurray TiVo!) and then went to bed and read a whole bunch of Flags of our Fathers (so far ... AMAZING ... don't know if I even want to see the movie). I was a little worried when I turned out the light at midnight because I had felt a cold coming on yesterday, but this morning when I woke up I felt great, so I am not sorry I stayed up late to finish part one of SG#2. Wes is working an overtime shift tonight, so I am hoping to make good progress on the second half of SG#2. I probably won't get much knitting in this weekend between the Halloween party tomorrow night, the Muddy Buddy and Halloween snack baking, but I still have almost two months to go ...

how many needles does it take to make SG#2?

E-bar Madness

this weekend was completely insane - Friday was Lissa's birthday dinner, Saturday Wes and I both got up early to run 7 miles with Tia, then drove out to Canyon Country for lunch with in-laws, then to a Thrivent customer appreciation event also in Santa Clarita, then to Simi Valley for a CLU alumni homecoming event at Elephant Bar. E-bar was especially busy and fun and wonderfully filled with fun people so I was very grateful for a relaxing Sunday at home (poor Wes had to go to work though!). Spent most of Sunday cooking and knitting and I completed Secret Gift #1! I don't want to post a picture of the whole thing because you never know who could be reading this, but here is a little teaser.
Wes is making Monday-night basketball part of his regular routine which is fine with me because that means Monday-night knitting and catching up on TiVo is part of my routine now too :) right now I'm thinking I'd like to get some good progress on SG#2 tonight ... but we'll see what I feel like working on after the run.

Jury Duty

yesterday my almost daily dream to sit and knit and not have to do any work came true in the form of jury duty. I didn't get called for a trial and other than a break for lunch, I didn't get up all day so I had plenty of time to cast on and knit my butt off on Secret Gift #3 (purple). I chose to start this new project rather than bring along something I had already started for a couple of reasons.

1. I have made this project once before and knew I could do it with no assistance; unlike the other projects I have going.


2. the pattern is fairly intricate so I hoped it would keep me interested the whole day; something a K (RS) P (WS) pattern wouldn't do


3. even though I really want to get more work done on my hoodie, and could have made significant progress on the front of the sweater, I really need to keep going on the gifts. especially because I remembered on Tuesday that I want to knit Christmas stockings for Wes and I and I have no idea how to knit a sock.

So now Secret Gift #3 is more than half-finished (five of nine pattern repeats completed). I am pretty sick of looking at it so I am going to put it away until I finish SG#1 and SG#2. I probably won't get much knitting done the next couple of days; tonight Tia and I are running then Wes and I are headed down to Thousand Oaks to help out at the CLU Homecoming Carnival. Friday night is Lissa's birthday and we are meeting her and some friends for dinner at Buca (still not ready for that since the Run Hit Remix port-o-potties are still fresh in my mind!) and Saturday is another busy day with a trip to SCV to visit in-laws and attend a reception for Thrivent, then to Elephant Bar that night for another CLU homecoming alumni event. But I am feeling ahead of the game now ...

good use of time

yesterday I got out of work a little early because I had to drop off a package at FedEx (we'd missed the deadline for the truck to pick it up at the office), and the FedEx/Kinkos is very close to our house. I went home and figured out what yarn I needed for my little projects and headed out to AFY before it closed. I got yarn for two more projects, both of which shouldn't' take me too long. Once I got home, I cast on right away for Secret Gift #1 and started knitting. The pattern required what the patter-writer called a "baby cable" and it involved k2tog and then k again into the front of the first stitch and I was a little confused by this, so I just c1 instead and it looked the same in my hands as the picture of the finished product. I think using the cable needle slows down the process a little bit, but I would rather have nice, neat cables and not be frustrated. I have had a problem with knitting back into the front and backs of stitches before, so I might need to have Lois help me in a little while on this project, because there is an eyelet row and an i-cord/tassel-type embellishment that calls for some interesting stitches and I am a little apprehensive about them! But for now I am on the part of the project that is easy and quick so hopefully I can have the majority of this project done in a day or so, it is very small compared to my big sweater and no weird shaping yet so it is going fast. (picture is of my gauge swatch for Secret Gift #1 (white/green) which I did while watching the new Keith Urban video on CMT)

UPDATE (2:40pm): things are pretty busy at work today so I had planned to just take a quick half-hour and do as much knitting as I could in that time. I made really good progress in my shortened lunch ... so good that I was almost to the end of my ball of yarn, so I decided to hang out a little longer and finish off the ball before I went back to my desk. Here's a picture of one full ball of yarn on Secret Gift #1. I am loving the baby cables ... I want to find new ways to incorporate them into other patterns when a 2x2 rib is included. I am now more than half-way finished with this project (good because I bought the last two balls of yarn in this color and don't' know what I would have done if I needed to buy an additional ball!) so hopefully after a good run and some dinner tonight I can settle down and get all the easy parts done, then I can make a lunchtime visit to Lois at AFY and get some help on the harder stuff.

switching gears

Wes and I had a great long weekend in Palm Springs with mom and dad at their timeshare. I always love going to Palm Springs; it is so nice to just relax all day and eat good food and drink good booze at night. There isn't much socially to do in the area for people of our age and orientation, but in all the years we have been traveling there, I never miss going out after dinner and the times I've been with people who did want to go out, the experience has often been less than wonderful, which makes me even more happy for the quieter nights.
anyway, despite all the relaxing time, I got no knitting done until we got back in the car on Saturday evening to drive home. We left early enough that even with the impending rain and ominous clouds, there was enough light for me to knit for about two hours. I almost finished the back of my sweater in the car - just had to finish up a couple more rows yesterday morning. The hoodie is now officially on hold until I can get a few smaller projects completed so I am not stressed out as Christmas draws closer. As a knitter, I almost appreciate the way-too-early Christmas decorations in the retail world. Yesterday I went to pick up some things at Pier 1 and was bombarded by Christmas decorations, dishes, barware, etc ... while on the one hand it is annoying since I was there to buy orange spice-scented candles and not silvery angels and red cranberry candles, it was a good reminder to get started on hand-made Christmas presents. Tonight Wes will be at basketball, so I will be able to get a good start on a new little project ...

vacation and a reality check

despite the good progress I have made on the hoodie so far, I think I might have to set it aside and get cracking on a couple of birthday/bridal shower/Christmas presents that need to be finished in the next two months. Just a few small projects, but even the little Cleo Clutch took me almost a month due to the intricate pattern and busy schedule, and my small present projects are all a little more difficult than 100 stitches back and forth with an occasional cabled row. I am going to bring the hoodie along on our trip to Palm Springs (leaving tonight ... this day is going by soooo slow!)

but when I get back, I think I'll need to start seriously on the knits for other people. Hopefully I can get the back finished this weekend (only a few more inches to go!) so I am at a comfortable stopping point that will be easy to figure out where I need to start again.
That being said, it is also the last chance to put in any "gift orders" ... if you want me to knit you a present, let me know ASAP before I get distracted by my hoodie again :)

must be getting old

so, when we first moved into this apartment, I could sit on the couch and read the digital clock on top of the stove in the kitchen. This was very handy when the batteries on our other two clocks in the living area ran out. A few months ago the digital readout was pretty blurry and I started to worry a little bit. Then while driving in an unfamiliar area a while later, I had trouble reading the street signs from far away. So yesterday I went to the eye doctor and got a prescription for my nearsightedness. It is pretty mild and I will only have to wear the glasses while driving and maybe while at the movies (I'm going to test them out at date night next week). So I think my eye strain is from 1) staring at this damn computer all day, and 2) looking at up-close knitting all evening. I am a little sad because I used to pride myself on my 20/15 vision, but I am glad I caught it before it got any worse and I will just have to be smarter about taking work breaks (okay!) during the day.
anyway, last night Wes played basketball again and Tia and I were both real tired, so didn't run for too long. I came home and had the house to myself like last week, so I got caught up on some TiVoed girl shows that Wes doesn't want anything to do with (Desperate Houswives - what is up with this show now, it is almost too weird for me - and Dancing with the Stars - whew! Sara just squeeked by this week!) and knitted up a storm until he got home. It was a very productive night. I am about 90 percent done with the back and looking forward to starting on the front! Don't know when my next big knitting time will be ... have a good-bye lunch today, then after-work plans before we have to come home and pack for Palm Springs. Tomorrow Tia and I will try to get a quick, good tempo run in before Wes and I drive out to Palm Springs for a fun weekend with Mom and Dad ... golf, spa massages, margaritas by the pool, farmer's market, Mexican dinner, casinos and tequila tasting are all on the menu for our 2.5 day trip! Don't think I'll have much time for knitting ... maybe Wes will drive and I can knit on the way out ...

another busy weekend

had a surprisingly good amount of knitting done this weekend. Friday night was a big family dinner at Grandma's for everyone to have the chance to hang out with Luke. He had the playoffs on all night though (then the Ducks/Kings season opener after baseball was over), so even after dinner I had a chance to get in a couple of rows while everyone was sitting around talking and watching the games. I did stop in the middle of a row to say goodbye to Alicia, Kerry and Andrew (the last to leave) and when I went to pick it back up before I went to bed, I started purling, when I had been knitting, so I got to the end of the row and was so confused! Luckily, it was a cable row AND a decrease row, so when I got to the end I noticed immediately that something was wrong because I had one cable that didn't twist and an uneven decrease edge. I was too sleepy to fix it then, but on Saturday after an awesome 10K (48:50, a PR by five minutes and third in my age group), visiting with Grandma and an amazing lunch and afternoon of fun and shopping with Amanda, I went to pick up Mom so we could meet up with the boys after their golf tournament. She wasn't ready yet, so I picked up my knitting and fixed my mistake and even got in a couple more rows. After the golf banquet, we came back to the coach to watch the conclusion of the Dodgers 2006 season. Not the happiest way to end the evening, but at least I got in some more rows during the sad game. Didn't have any time to knit yesterday, was too busy going through and getting rid of the bajillions of magazines in, under, around the coffee table and doing lots of other chores around the house. Tia just called and is not feeling like a long run today, which is fine with me because my calves are still aching from Saturday so after a short jog, hopefully I'll have some time to knit this evening while Wes is at basketball.

knitting away the blues

... Dodger blues that is ... looks like another year out in the first round for Los Angeles. and the Twins are losing their third game as I type this so my dream of a Dodgers/Twins World Series is fading away. and if the Dodgers don't pull it together, we won't get a 1988 rematch. I was hoping the A's would feel nostalgic and grow out hair and mustaches in tribue to Dennis Eckersley if they played the Dodgers.
anyway, at least I got in a ton of knitting last night after a good pre-race workout. Thought I was ready to start armhole shaping, but had Wes help me measure for length and decided to do one more pattern repeat (10 rows) to add some length. The only fit problem with the pink shell was that I got anxious and made it too short, so I don't want to do the same thing again, Mom doesn't have enough closet room in the RV for all my knitting mistakes. Thursday is Grey's too, so kept on knitting after the game too. Four more rows to go until I can start shaping, though I might measure one more time to make sure it's long enough. Probably won't get much done this weekend, big family dinner/open house for Luke being in town tonight and tomorrow is another 10k, lunch and shopping with Amanda, then a banquet for the golf tournament Wes, Luke and Dad are all playing in. Maybe I can get Wes to drive home tomorrow so I can get in my last few rows and be ready to shape on Sunday in between cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen and vacuuming and packing for Palm Springs.

"Invincible" Sweater

so I got out to see Lois on Tuesday and she helped get me back on track for the sweater. I didn't have too much time to knit that night since Tia and I had speed drills planned, then had to cook dinner and do other housewife-y stuff at home but I got in a couple of rows while we were watching baseball. Yesterday I didn't knit at all because it was date night! Wes and I went to see Invincible. I was mostly just going because Wes wanted to see it and there wasn't a whole lot of other choices at the cheap theater, but I really really liked it. I pay a lot more attention now to how women support their men in situations such as what was presented in the movie and I thought both female leads were really strong and fun, too. The head coach's wife seemed to be where a lot of his strength came from and the main female character, played by Elizabeth Banks, was pretty sassy and knew her sports trivia! Anyway, the story and even the football were entertaining too. Definitely better than what we sat through on Friday. So, have to run after work tonight, but then should have time to knit some more since the Dodgers will be on! Maybe they can actually score this time if they send two guys home on a outfield double. dang!

hit a rough patch

last night Tia and I had a fast run (loooooove my new shoes) and Wes was playing basketball so I had a couple hours to myself when I got home. I was prepared to take full advantage of my time and hoped to get to the armhole shaping on the back of my brown hoodie. However, yesterday at lunch I miscounted my rows and knit two extra rows before cabling which threw off the pattern. It probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone but me, so I was tempted to leave it, until I realized that my row count would be off for the front of the sweater as well. I started to un-knit the rows and got through the two I had done last night before I decided to go backwards, but had some trouble taking out the row with the cabling. So after fighting with it for a while, I laid it aside with plans to visit AFY this afternoon and hope Lois can make more sense out of what I did. I still had some time before Wes was due home so I pulled out a new project that I had wanted to start, but haven't because I have been a little preoccupied with the hoodie. The new project uses double-pointed needles which I haven't ever used before. I had hoped to take a class a few weeks ago to help me get started, but it got canceled so I am on my own! I started doing 2x2 ribbing on accident instead of the 4x1 the pattern calls for so I will have to pull this out and start over, which is fine because I am still getting used to keeping track of all these needles!! The beginning of the round is a little loose, but the rest looks okay, I think. I will do a few more rows of practice before I start on these cute gloves for real. (also, I feel like these needles look like something from the Blair Witch Project ... lets hurry up and get my hoodie back to normal!)

new running shoes!

did a fair amount of knitting this weekend, got in some rows during baseball games (yay Dodgers, making the playoffs!) and while waiting for food to simmer or cook on Sunday. I am only a couple inches away from the shaping on the back and even got six or seven rows completed on my lunch break this afternoon. However, I am most excited today about an easy three-miler with Tia after work because I got new running shoes!!

two nights in a row

had another good knitting night yesterday. Had to forego Date Night to help Wes get his video together for his reality TV audition (my husband is doing what?). He did really good, I think, but it took longer than expected ... who knew it would take an hour to put together a 5-minute tape? After the taping and leftover ziti for dinner, we had missed the movie, but had a TiVoed episode of Justice (one of our new favorite shows this fall) saved from last week so out came the knitting again. I was on such a roll, I even kept knitting after Wes fell asleep in the middle of Settlers. Poor guy.

knitting with the stars

last night was the best knitting night I've had in a while. I knew the dinner I wanted to make (baked ziti) would take a while to assemble, and then needed to cook for 40 minutes so I came home at lunch to put it all together. Had a total June Cleaver moment when I found myself simmering tomato sauce in my super cute dress, wedge heels and apron in the middle of the day. Anyway, since all I had to do for dinner when I got home from work was preheat the oven, pop the dish in and set the timer, I settled down to relax while Wes was working OT booking a late arrest. We went to Howl at the Moon last Thursday for a CLU GOLD Alumni event so I missed the season premier of Grey's Anatomy so I pulled up the season 2 recap on TiVo and took out the knitting. Wes got home right as it ended and right as the ziti was finished (maybe yesterday we were in Beaver Cleaver land ... honey, I'm home!). After dinner Wes sat down to work on his latest project and I took the knitting back out. We had the Angels game on (Dodgers had already destroyed the Rockies) but the A's were winning and the Halos were losing, so when TiVo automatically switched over to Dancing with the Stars, we didn't change it back. I never watched this show before, but I love Sara Evans so started watching to see how she would do. She isn't the best one out there, but I have really enjoyed seeing Emmit Smith and the other "stars" (some who are clinging to this last bit of fame, I'm afraid!) try new dances each week. So, in front of the TV I got lots of knitting done last night. I am as far along now as I was before I realized I would have to rip out the first try ... so I am more encouraged now to keep it going! Tonight will either be Date Night or running around town helping Wes and Thursday is running with Tia, but hopefully I'll have more time to knit this week and keep my good progress going.

Nike Run Hit Remix five-mile race

haven't gotten much farther on my sweater this week. I have gotten far enough along to hold it up and see if it will fit my hips and I am happy to announce that this time the sweater will fit! Hopefully it will fit the top half of my body too, once I get up to that part of the shaping. My best knitting day this whole week was last night after dinner while Wes was watching football. But I still have a long ways to go.
The focus of this weekend was on the race on Sunday morning ... but the festivities started on Saturday evening when six of us (Ashlee, Marge, Casey, Courtney, Lissa and me) met at Lissa's to carpool down to LA. We stopped for dinner at Buca di Beppo thinking that pasta and other italian goodies would be excellent running fuel for the race in the morning. Unfortunately, most of us had rumbly stomachs all night and we all were grateful for one last port-o-pottie stop before crossing the start line. The moral of that story is: homecooked pasta (or Olive Garden, which must use way less greasy ingredients) is the way to go before a race. Although we wouldn't get the serving and storytelling talents of Phil (or was it Dan?) with a homecooked meal.
Anyway, sorry for the gross-out ... the run was pretty good. There were over 10,000 runners at the event, all running five miles. All the previous years I had run this event they offered a 10K and a 5K, which helped to spread out the particpants. Due to insane traffic (despite staying at a nearby hotel the night before), we still crossed the start line about 10 minutes after the official gun. We weren't the only ones who were late, or just slower racers and we all had to dodge slower runners and walkers for the duration of the race. I crossed the finish at about 52 minutes, minus 10 for the late start and I was right where I wanted to be (my goal was between 40 and 45 minutes). *UPDATE: The results are posted and my Official Chip Time was 42:24. That is 8:28 pace* I am very interested to see what I could have run with less grease and fewer obsticals. There were more than a few times that I tried to sneak past a slow group and had to come to a complete stop to avoid mowing anyone down. That probably didn't help my pacing either ... so I am on the look out for the next (less crowded) race and plan to be there on time so I can start with people in my pace group.

back on the right track!

had a very un-relaxing weekend ... our apartment was tented for termites (gross) so spent most of Friday night bagging up food in the kitchen and making sure we didn't have any plants in the house (we do, but I already killed 'em, so figured they were okay to stay). Saturday we got up early and showered creatively (the gas was turned off Friday night, so I took the fastest and coldest shower of my life while Wes decided to use the showers down at the pool) and got out of there before the circus tent went up. Spent most of Saturday in Thousand Oaks running errands and killing time before heading back to Ventura and imposing ourselves on Matt & Casey for the night. The boys settled down to watch football and I got most of the bottom ribbing done before we went to dinner. The larger needles are making a big difference. It took me 28 rows on the first attempt of this sweater to get the 4" of ribbing at the bottom. This time it only took 18. So, Maybe there is a chance I can wear the sweater this fall, despite my setbacks. Sunday I got up early to run with Tia and try to dodge ashes (impossible, so cut our planned 8-miles to just 6) then headed down to LA with Casey, Lissa and Courtney to pick up race packets for the Nike Run Hit Remix next weekend. **SIDE NOTE: I can't believe it came so soon! Training has been way-laid by sickness and traveling in the last couple of weeks, but I think I should still do pretty good. In our track workout on Wednesday, Tia and I did all the repeats faster than a month ago and our last 800 was faster by 20 seconds, even though we did four last week and only three the month before. The ash is still in the air, so we'll see how many quality workouts I can get in this week, but I am still really excited for the race. END OF SIDE NOTE** After picking up the packets and grabbing some lunch with those girls, it was back to Ventura, but we still couldn't get into our apartment so I checked in at the Ventura Beach Marriott and settled down with my knitting and basic cable until Wes got back from work. I finished up the ribbing and got the first pattern repeat done before dinner ... so things are going good again with this previously problematic project. When we can get back to the apartment tonight, I am going to compare my knitted-on-size-10.5 sweater to the knitted-on-size-8 sweater and make sure I like the way the fabric is turning out, but so far it is looking good to me!

Problem solved!!

Ran to AFY real fast at lunch to have Lois check my gauge and my math before I cast on again for the cabled hoodie. Hurray! It looks like this one might work out :) I got a new pair of Crystal Palace 10.5 circulars and will hopefully have time to knit up a quick gauge on those needles in between a track workout with Tia after work and passing out from exhaustion (haven't run too hard since I was sick last week, though Monday was a solid, quick four miles so 4x800 shouldn't be tooooo bad, I hope!). I want to make sure that I knit the same gauge on these new needles as I do on my old pink ones (which I am saving for quicker projects), then I can cast on and knit my butt off on the drive to Lake San Antonio on Friday. Whooo! Road trip!

what is my problem?

Here are my three separate swatches I have made for the cabled hoodie. The one on the orange holder was my first one that I did on size 8 needles before I case on the whole back before Seattle. The one to the right is on size 9 needles and produced the exact same gauge (5 stitches per inch) as the size 8 needles ... what? how is that possible? The bottom swatch is on 10.5 needles and I am getting 9.5 stitches per two inches, which is about 4.75 per inch ... not much better! what the heck is wrong with me? I did the math with my gauge from the 10.5 needles and think it will work out, but I wasn't really planning on using those needles for this project, since I need those needles to finish a scarf I am half-way done with and to make more felted bags. I don't really want to give up those needles to a long-term project like my cabled hoodie. It looks like I'll have to make another run to AFY at lunch to pick up some 10.5 circulars (which I prefer to use for larger pieces like the backs of sweaters anyway) and do one more gauge swatch with the new needles before casting on. At this point all my yarn is going to be gone before I even get the right-sized sweater started!

upping my coolness quotient

Nothing to do with knitting (a little pouty still, but trying to get over it and do new gague swatches), just something fun to share! You already know that my favorite hobbies are the extra-trendy running, knitting, reading and cooking ... but did you also know that I prefer a night at home playing board games over a night in a club? Now that you know, check out this new version of Monopoly! It's what the board might look like if the game was invented today. All new game pieces (I would have a hard time choosing between the Razr phone and New Balance running shoe) and properties to buy (Fenway Park and NYC's Times Square replace Park Place and Boardwalk). The cost of everything has also gone way up, which could make the game longer due to all the extra math. I still think a part of me decided to marry Wes because his family rule was to do away with $1 bills in the original Monopoly ... saves so much time and counting!

pouting ...

haven't posted for a week (even though I finally felted my blue project and love it) because I am pouting ... I took my glorious cabled hoodie into Anacapa Fine Yarns last week when I went to get yarn for a smaller, easier project. Lois checked my math and measured the completed knit a hundred times and the verdict was not in my favor! So I bought the next needle size up and have been casually re-knitting a gauge swatch for this cardigan that I still love to try and get it the right. And it is because I am so anxious to wear it that I am telling my non-patient-self to chill out and make sure this goes right! Otherwise it would just get sent back to the knitting bin with other not-so-great-fitting items.
Also, I have been catching up on some reading and spending time with my darling husband to celebrate his birthday and our first wedding anniversary! So knitting hasn't been a priority since we stepped off the plane from Seattle anyway. But the weather is starting to turn and I will be ready to wear this sweater soon! Wes has big plans to get reacquainted with college football this weekend so maybe I can make some progress ... will put up pictures of blue project when I am done pouting :)

Seattle is for lovers (of knitting)

by Wednesday I had knit enough on my gauge swatch to figure out parameters for this brown hoodie. I cast on that evening so that once I got on the plane on Thursday afternoon, all I had to do was start knitting and the plan worked great. The pattern called for four inches of 2x2 ribbing to start and I got about halfway through that in the 2-hour flight with a break for complimentary beer, chips and salsa (way better than a tiny cup of Pepsi and dry-roasted peanuts!). I was a little discouraged that it seemed to be taking so long, but ribbing is slow, like seed stitch. I finished up the ribbing on Friday while hanging around with Grandpa and the rest of the family and by the time we settled down to watch the Angels demolish the Yankees after lunch on Saturday, I was rarin' to go and I made incredible progress that afternoon. When we left for Pike's Market (closed at 5pm! what?) I was feeling very satisfied with the day's knitting. Sunday we got to the airport early (thanks to the complimentary with a scary-ass driver shuttle service from our hotel) and I got in a few more rows before settling down for two solid hours of knitting on the plane. By the time we got home, I had all this completed (see picture at left). I haven't measured it yet to see how much more I have to do before starting to shape for arm-holes, but this is the most productive knitting weekend I've had in a long time.
Add in visiting with Luke (home from Iraq), Mom, Dad and Grandpa, plus a fun traveling adventure with my sweet husband, PLUS a Mariners game and I'd say that measures up to a really fun weekend too.
We arrived at Santa Barbara Airport at 10:30 on Sunday morning and by the time we got back to Ventura after dropping off our ride, picking up cars and checking in with Wes' squad (they were all working!) we got home around noon and started making up for the time away: checking mail, making grocery lists, etc. We watched a fun movie last night after dinner and I was able to knit a little more, but mostly was paying attention to make sure I got the jokes :)

Mom modeling the pink sweater

I got all the beads sewn on in time to bring this with me to Seattle so I could make Mom real comfortable and take pictures of her (ha). The length on her is perfect, so I am glad it worked out! I was sad when I realized I had knit this top too short for myself (anxious to get to the next step, I guess, since this was a big learning piece for me), but Mom had her eye on it while I was still knitting :) and now she can hang on to old homework of mine, like she did when I was a kid. And now we can officially retire the big head picture!

Taylor modeling her jumper

This morning Kristina sent over this picture of Taylor wearing her cute jumper! It looks like it's a little too long for her, but it is also a million degrees in Arizona right now. By the time the weather cools off, it should fit her just fine!

good news/bad news

so, the bad news first ... on Monday night I had the front shaping done on my x-back tank and only a few inches of straps to complete the project. I connected the front straps together with a stitch holder so it resembled a halter top and tried it on ... in the month or so that I have been sporadically working on this project, my running mileage has more than doubled so I have dropped a couple of pounds (most noticably in my cans, unfortunately! and pooch, fortunately! my hips are ample as ever). I also realized that when calculating gague, I did not take into account the amount of give that seed-stitched ribbon yarn has and when I put on the top, it was far too big. My choices are now to rip it all out and start over, or hang onto it until I gain 15 pounds. I am hoping the former never happens, so I will have to rip this project apart and start over. This could be good, since my two other projects I currently have are quite challenging and I would probably welcome the chance to mindlessly seed stitch in front of the television some days. However, it is disheartening to rip out six balls worth of knitting, so I will most likely put this away for a while.
GOOD NEWS: my brown cabled hoodie is going to be sooooo cute. I have knitted up a swatch to figure out my gague (smaller than called for! but I think that's because I am using a blended yarn, instead of 100% wool, so the yarn is a bit thinner) and also to test out knitting cables from a chart, instead of written directions like I had for the blue project. So far, so good. I just need to take some new measurements and make sure I don't make this too big so I look like a bag lady, or too small so I can't lift my arms while wearing it. I don't know if you can tell from the picture (camera phones aren't known for their attention to detail) but there is some nice pink fleck action going on in the swatch too. I have quite a few pink warm-weather tops that I can wear with this hoodie when the weather turns colder. It has been hot in Ventura this week, but Brian mentioned feeling a "fall chill" in the air this morning while surfing.
Tonight Wes is golfing with Matt and Andrew, so I have the apartment to myself to pack for Seattle (leaving tomorrow right from work) and then watch the season finale of House (I missed it in May, but TiVo came through for me last night when it re-ran) while I cast on for the back of this sweater and knit a few rows to start it off. Once I get in my seat on the plane (next to a stranger, most likely ... note to self: charge iPod tonight) I want to be ready to take off knitting right away!

more cables! and a hood!

so last week I finished knitting the blue project and started shaping the top of the x-back tank. I had some quality knitting time yesterday after doing five hours of laundry and house-cleaning (domestic goddessing is not as glamorous as the name implies!) and all that is left on the x-back is the straps. Just seven stitches across for a lot of inches, then three-needle bindoff and done! probably could get it done tonight depending on how late we run and if Wes wants to just sit around and watch TV. so, in anticipation of this weekend's plane trip (yay Seattle! yay Luke!) I stopped by Anacapa Fine Yarns at lunch. I thought I had my heart set on making this, but when I got ready to leave for AFY, I decided to wait and browse through the many books and magazines Lois has available. I think this is mostly because I did not want to pay $5.50 for just one pattern.
And I definitely made the right decision. The very first magazine I picked up, KnitScene, had three patterns I was interested in making, just at first glance. The magazine costs $7.99 so this is a much better deal - plus it is full of articles and ads for other knitting websites and products. There was even an article on felting without a washing machine, which I am very interested in, since I have to pay to use the machines at our apartment complex and I don't want to clog up anyone else's washer with lots of fuzz from the blue project. So I feel like this was a good investment. The pattern I liked best was this gorgeous cabled hoodie cardigan (pictured at left). In the hardness category it is "ready for a challenge" so I hope I can handle it ... I still have not technically made anything with arms. But I know how to do cables, so I should be okay. Lois will love to help me on anything I get stuck on, I am sure :)
I first picked out a great royal blue flecked with grey and orange, but there was only one ball of it at the store and it turns out that was a really OLD ball of yarn and Tahki Yarns doesn't even produce that color anymore. So while I was sad and lost, wandering around the store for a while, I finally decided on brown. This is a good neutral color and the tweed yarn used in this pattern has great flecks of pink and white in the brown yarn, so I was sold. I used my AFY Frequent Buyer certificate to save $25 on my order (love coupons!) and now I am back to work, dreaming about starting on this project! I will probably try to do a gauge swatch before getting on the plane to Seattle on Thursday because the yarn I bought is a little bit different than the yarn used in the original. The original called for 100% wool yarn and I don't think it gets that cold here in Ventura, so I bought Tahki Yarns New Tweed, which is a blend of 60% wool, 14% silk and 26% viscose to keep it from getting too warm. At first I was really disappointed I couldn't use the blue, but then I remembered that last winter I wore the crap out of my brown pull-over and often thought how nice it would be to have a cardigan of a similar color. Now I will have one - with a hood! That makes it extra great :)

you know what I hate?

when I just finished lunch but I am still hungry ... what's up with that?

anyway, on my way to do some car knitting since I remembered to bring my other tools today. It's Friday, no one is in the office ... zzzzz ... need to get away from my desk before I pass out. Will have lots of work to do when I return to get me through to 5pm since I now place all the ads on the editorial pages (new responsibilities!).

p.s. just spent a whole paycheck on two tickets to Seattle for next weekend! can't wait to see Luke (haven't seen him since Thanksgiving) and Kristen (ditto, even though she has been in cali all summer. whatever.) and mom and dad (when did they leave on the journey across america? May? It was after the Ducks game, that's all i remember). and maybe Grandpa too! And we're going to a Mariner's game! whoohoo! so now I have to finish mom's pink shell and have to find a new project to bring on the plane since we got tickets sooo late and there is no way there will be two seats together for Wes and I

short lunch (and Christmas is coming!)

big plans to knit on the x-back tank at lunch today ... I even drove away from the office and parked by the beach to truly enjoy myself ... however, I didn't read ahead in the pattern while packing up my stuff last night and didn't realize that I would need a cable needle and stitch holders to work on the third row in on the work I planned to do today, and those tools got left at home. So I knit two rows and turned around and came back. But I did read through the rest of the pattern while I was still in the path of ocean breezes and realized that I am just about done with this thing. I have already bound off most of the back (saving just 12 or so stitches live which I will pick back up for the straps, you can see them in that picture on the holder) and the next row in my pattern is where I will split the front to form the v-neck. The rest of the pattern will require me to pay attention at each row to make sure I am getting all the decreases for shaping in the right place, but there isn't a lot of actual knitting left to do.
So now I really am looking ahead to my next projects. If anyone wants knitted Christmas presents, I would like to start on those ASAP. Feel free to browse the links on the right for patterns and let me know if you see anything you like ... also, here are a couple of patterns I would enjoy making if someone would wear them:

• Ballet Camisole - I love knitting in the round and would like to try the gathered bust
• Blossom (for a kid) - almost as cute as Taylor's jumper and things for kids go faster than things for grownups. but I don't know too many kids I want to knit for, so maybe not.
• Fetching - I loved making cables on my blue project, plus these look easier than gloves (not brave enough to try that yet!) but still cute
• Mariah - more cables! and I love hoodies. I will probably make this for myself sometime soon ... but it looks hard!

anyway, remember I can always switch out colors and usually switch out yarn too. If I am going to put in lots of effort knitting something, I want it to be worn! So let me know if anything looks like it would make a good Christmas present :) p.s. Mom - if I make it to Seattle, you aren't getting a Christmas present, but you do have a birthday to plan for too, so I might be able to squeeze you in :)

when Wes is away ... Katie will knit!

so Wes was gone a couple nights this week in Fresno for some additional training. So I got caught up on my TiVoed shows and also did some crazy amounts of knitting. Monday night I got caught up on Grey's Anatomy and finished all the pattern rows for the blue project before I wanted to pass out (also ran 3 miles at recovery pace with Tia that evening before coming home to cook dinner for Wes before he took off). Last night I didn't run (I had done some strength training before work that morning), so I came home and enjoyed back-to-back episodes of House that I had missed at the end of the season (what is it with me and hospital shows all of a sudden? I never really watched ER ...) and finished knitting the blue project (still have to felt it) and started sewing beads on mom's pink shell. It takes a long time to sew those little beads on the big piece of knitted material. I am less than half-way done ... but I will get it done by next week! If we can go to Seattle (trying SO hard to make it work) I want to bring it to give to mom then. Tonight I have a hard workout planned and then Wes is coming home from Fresno and is cooking dinner, which means I have to do dishes, so might not have time for more sewing, but tomorrow at lunch I will continue working on the x-back tank. I am ready for new projects!! Maybe this ... or this or a cardigan I like in here ... I can't decide! :) but I am leaning more towards things I can wear in colder weather. I figure my tiny lacy wrap will be done by next spring if I work on it a little at a time! I am not going to try and finish it while the weather is still balmy this year!! I will just make myself crazy.

making new time to knit

My mystery blue project is almost finished! I used most of my lunch breaks last week for knitting. This is good unless someone stops by to chat and then I get distracted and mess up the cable pattern. This happened on Wednesday and I couldn't trace my stitches back to fix it, so I stopped by AFY and Lois ripped out a couple of rows to get me back on track. I can drop one or two stiches at a time to go backwards on a project, but I am not brave enough to pull out a whole row all at once. For that I am grateful to Lois for her help!! The shipments I was waiting for also came in so I was able to pick up a couple more balls of the red ribbon yarn to finish off that cute x-back and I exchanged the skinny green yarn for skinny turquoise yarn that I like much better for the lacy wrap.
I am having to reevaluate my knitting time and figure out a new schedule. I used to just knit all night while Wes was working, which got me through some projects very quickly, but also didn't allow for much sleep! Now that Wes is on day shift and I am running more to prepare for the Nike Run Hit Remix 5-mile, I don't have as much time at night, but I also do not go home for lunch as often. Lunch breaks have now become my main time for knitting. I also grab a few rows here and there in the evenings before Wes gets home on days I do not run, or if there is a ball game on, but we have been watching less television lately. My list of things that I want to knit keeps growing longer ... My priorities now are the blue project and the x-back tank, once those are finished I will concentrate more on the lacy swatch to get the pattern right before I cast on hundreds of stitches for the sweater. I also need to decide what Christmas presents I will be knitting and get started on those. I am going to try and only have two projects going at once (the lacy wrap being one ... since it is so complex, there are lots of places I wouldn't bring it so I need to have something a little easier to carry around to bring to work and other places).
This newfound realization that I probably won't get to make all the projects that I want to make has led me to purchase a few sweaters at the store, instead of making them myself. Also, now that I can knit my own cables, I find I am more attracted to store-bought sweaters with cables.

a little too busy right now ...

haven't made much progress on any of my couple of projects I have going. I haven't been able to get to AFY in the past week since they are not open late into the evening and I have been running a lot after work. Also haven't had time to work on the cabled project since this weekend was busy busy busy and I had to drive myself so no knitting in the car. Friday night was Mark's wedding,
Saturday I drove to HB for birthday lunch with Grandma (okay, I just remembered ... Grandma and I did have a little knitting/crochet-fest after lunch. I got four or five rows in) and then Amanda's housewarming party in the evening. I got up early on Sunday for breakfast with Leslie before heading out to Long Beach for lunch with Leanna, Mark and Troy on my way back up to Ventura. I hurried home and even had time to stop at Costco and make it to the apartment before Wes should have been home from work but he ended up getting stuck there until 10pm! Even though I missed him, it was nice to have some time to myself after being around people all weekend ... I thought about picking up the knitting again, but all I really wanted to do was sit and not think about anything. I couldn't even concentrate on a new book for too long ... so I passed out in front of That '70s Show :) anyway, maybe I will get in some good knitting time at lunch today ...

Treasure Hunt

I bet if you really wanted to, you could figure out what project I am working on ...
anyway, Wes is back on the day shift now (yay! we are a real family again!) so my nighttime knitting is limited, but I love taking a knitting break in the middle of the work day. It is a good way to chill out for an hour. Today and yesterday have been good lunchtime knitting days, and I had a little bit of time while watching the Angels game last night, but cables take longer than straight knitting so it is taking a while. I have finished four of nine 12-row pattern repeats though, so I am almost halfway done. whoo! I'm planning to make a couple of these little projects, but I got a call from AFY while I was in Tahoe saying that my extra red ribbon yarn shipment arrived, so I need to run by there and pick up some more balls so I can finish off that project too, but between knitting at lunch and running after work (starting to train hard for the Nike Run Hit Remix in September!) I haven't had time to get there. I am not in a hurry though, these cables are keeping me occupied for now!

On the road again ...

I took a long lunch on Wednesday and headed over to AFY for some help with this screwy cable pattern. Lois was, of course, great help and figured out that the pattern was instructing me to P where I should K and K where I should P on one of the cable passes. I sat at the work table and did a few rows with her changes to make sure everything was lining up and I could have stayed there all afternoon! I certainly didn't want to leave to get back to work, but it was crazy busy on Wednesday since I knew I would be out the rest of the week, so I headed back with my corrected pattern to finish up the work day. On the plane Thursday I knitted a few more rows to complete the pattern and make sure everything was fine ... then I ripped it all out to start over. My traveling companion (Lissa's boyfriend Matt) was quite chatty, so I paid more attention to him than to the pattern and didn't get too much more done. Thursday night was the rehersal dinner and on Friday all the guys got up early to mow the meadow where the wedding was to take place (nothing like those last minute jobs!) so I sat on the back porch of our Lake Tahoe cabin in the woods and knitted for about an hour on the new, mistake-free project. I was almost disappinted when Wes called to say they were on their way back and had plans to go to the beach for the rest of the morning!
(picture below: Luke - groomsman, Matt - groom, Andrew - Matt's brother/best man, Wes - groomsman. in front: Coyt - Luke's son and the ring bearer - outside our cabin in the woods above Lake Tahoe)
But the lake was beautiful and it was nice for all the guys to hang out with Matt and help him relax before getting hitched. We had a three-hour drive from Tahoe to Oakland on Saturday, but it was too early in the morning and a little too hungover to be doing anything but looking at the road ahead, so no knitting on that leg of the journey.
(picture below: Wes and I at the A's game on Saturday)

But on Sunday I knit for a majority of our trip home. I got a couple more passes of the 12-row pattern done and it is looking great so far! I am really happy with the way it is going, and I love the cable pattern. It keeps me interested as it is more challenging than just switching back and forth between knitting and purling. I have big plans for ths pattern ...

boring!

Wes took our digital camera with him to record the bachelor party tonight (I think that is against man code? isn't it "what happens at the bachelor party, stays at the bachelor party"? anyway ...) so I can't show off my first twelve-row pattern completion of the cable project! I love love love the color yarn I am using (already have plans to embelish the finished product, but can't go into that now. Let's just say it will also involve some embroidery.) But I think the pattern might be a little off because I made the same mistake in the same place on repeat rows, so I will be running to AFY again on my lunch break to get it figured out before I hit the road tomorrow morning! No word yet on if my extra yarn has arrived, but I did bind-off my swatch for the ribbon x-back tank and used up half of the rest of that ball last night too ... just using all my resources until the shipment comes in!

Dilemma solved! and more good news!

I figured out what new project to work on this weekend through all the traveling ... I decided to get started on little things I can give as Christmas presents. I guess that means it's a surprise ... what I can say is that I bought two skiens of Cascade 220 on my lunch break, and a cable needle! I am a little nervous about the cable stitches, since I have never made anything with cables before, but I am really excited to learn! I love cable-knit things. Even though it is cloudy outside it is still 80 degrees!! but I am going to knit wool cables anyway. Luckily, what I am making is small, so I won't get buried under the hotness. I think I am going to like this project though, the two skiens and new needle all together added up to be the least amount of money I have ever spent at Anacapa Fine Yarns! whoo! Wes would be happy about that. Too bad he is nearing Sacramento right about now, so I won't get any congratulatory kisses. boo. anyway ...
Lois gave me a quick cable stitching tutorial at the check-out counter, so I hope I can figure it out when I get home tonight and try it myself. If I can't, I'll have to spend tomorrow's lunch break at AFY too! Lois did say that my red ribbon yarn could arrive as early as this afternoon! So I might need to stop by tomorrow anyway. I have also decided to exchange the green tiny yarn I bought last weekend for the lacy wrap sweater and get the turquoise used in the example. There wasn't enough of that color when I went by AFY to get the yarn, so I chose another color that there was more of ... but after working on my swatch in that color, I don't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. And for something that is going to take me that much time, I better like it!! The good news is, Lois said she could probably find another ball or two of that dye lot from another local store, so I can exchange that yarn soon too! Too bad the weather is so hot, otherwise everything would be going my way for knitting tons and tons of projects.

Dilemma!

I am going to have a lot of down time this week. Work has been crazy, but is finally slowing down. Wes left this morning to drive to Tahoe (8 hours all by himself! poor guy) for Matt's bachelor party before the wedding on Friday and I have the next two nights to myself. Then, starting Thursday, the free time really kicks in. I have an hour-long shuttle ride to the airport that morning, then sitting in the airport and an hour-and-a-half plane ride. Then once I get to Tahoe, I will have time to myself while my in-the-wedding-party-husband is off doing groomsmen things (drinking heavily? I don't know what else). I won't be knitting at the wedding, of course, but Saturday morning we have a three-hour drive to Oakland (to watch the A's vs. Toronto and seeing as how the Angels are poised to take over first place from the A's this week, and Wes has two Blue Jays on his fantasy team, we will definitely be cheering for a Canadian team! that will be weird!). Sunday we have at least five or six hours in the car back to Ventura from Oakland, so there is plenty of knitting time ahead of me.
My problem is that I don't know what to knit. My x-back tank is still on hold until the shipment of yarn arrives and I am not feeling confident enough in the lace pattern to start on the body of the wrap sweater.
With all the moving around that will come from airport waiting and plane boarding and driving and everything else, I don't' want to start in on something with a lot of pattern. However, I will have a few good chunks of time where I can sit and relax with a pattern. And despite all the things I want to make for me, I have a few ideas for other people that I should start on if I want to give lots of knitted Christmas presents. I am planning to spend my lunch break at Anacapa Fine Yarns, so I have two hours to decide what to make next, plus a stack of work to finish that I am getting paid to do ...

out of yarn

I used up all my red ribbon yarn ... I'm just waiting now on a call from AFY to say that the new shipment is in. I kept grabbing bits of knitting time all weekend in between activities and eventually used up the yarn. It has been unbearably hot for a coastal city this week in Ventura. Nothing compared to last summer in the valley (blech) but at least there I had A/C. Wes and I keep opening up the windows and blowing all the fans trying to keep cool, but finally yesterday we just went and sat in the pool for a while. Nothing better!!!
The tiny yarn and needles project is still in practice mode. I think that will be something I go to sporadically in between other, easier things. I got a few more rows of pattern done and it is coming out all right. I have never counted stitches for gauge in a lace pattern ... I feel a "help me" trip to Lois coming on ... but it won't happen tonight. Tia is forcing my lazy butt to run in this heat. But after the torture, I have delicious leftover sugar steak (best thing ever) ready to eat in a big green salad. yum yum. I am hungry already!

You stay classy, San Diego

this has been a real busy week! Wes and I drove down to San Diego on Saturday and stayed until Tuesday. I did find an extra ball of the red ribbon yarn in the bottom of my knitting bag, so I was able to make some more progress on the drive home, but not much else has been done on the x-back tank in the past week.
On Thursday I stopped by AFY on my way home from work and picked up ten balls of tiny tiny yarn and size 2 and 3 needles (I must be crazy). I cast on double the suggested stitches for my swatch to give me more practice on the lace pattern. Out of five pattern repeats, I have only done it right twice (the third and fourth times ... don't know what I was thinking about on the fifth one, I thought I had it down!). So I need to practice on the swatch a little more before I cast on for the actual sweater. I haven't even figured out my gauge yet because I haven't done the lace pattern right to figure out accurate stitch count. I think I will need to do some math for this though because the sizes given on the pattern are four inches apart and my ideal size would be right in between two sizes (two inch difference). I worked on the lace pattern swatch a little bit while in SD, but it was so hot and humid there, I didn't really want to touch yarn. The weather is not much cooler right now in Ventura, so haven't been too anxious to pick up the needles since we got back.
Anyway, San Diego was so fun that I didn't really think about knitting for four days. Saturday night we went out to the Gaslamp District and for dinner and drinks Warren suggested Yardhouse. I had (Mac+Cheese)² and Wes had the biggest turkey pot-pie I ever saw. We also sampled some delicious beer ... my favorite was the Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale. Sunday we went to see the Padres get beat up on by the Braves - we had great seats right behind home plate in section 300 at Petco Park and the first row in the shade for most of the game! After the game we took a long walk all along the harbor ... good thing there was a trolley station at the end of our walk! We had to save our energy for Sea World on Monday!
Sea World was awesome ... neither of us had been there since we were kids! There are a couple of changes, including some new rides. It isn't just a zoo for sea animals anymore. We thought the Wild Arctic "helicopter ride" was a cool way to introduce the arctic animals (I love the Beluga Whales!), but thought that Journey to Atlantis was stupid ... especially because it broke down while we were at the top of a drop! The Shamu show was a little cheesy, but still cool to see all the tricks and how those huge 3000-pound whales interact with their trainers. And while we chose not to get drenched on Shipwreck Rapids, we did enjoy watching everyone else go under the waterfall after dinner. Tuesday we just got up and drove home ... made a quick stop at the Carlsbad Outlets for a Crate & Barrel fix and then home at last!!

attempting what I always wanted

my x-back tank is out of yarn and temporarily out of commission! my decision to make the tank longer than the pattern required and my smaller-than-designed-for gauge were two factors not considered when I bought the last five balls of Deco-Ribbon at Anacapa Fine Yarns last weekend (the exact amount required for the pattern, but not for me, apparently). Lois is on vacation this week, so my tank must be put on hold until she gets back and can order more of the stuff.
I feel like this is the opportunity I have been waiting (maybe avoiding, because I am scared) for to attempt the sweater that I have wanted to knit all along. Can't link to it because it is in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'N Bitch Nation pattern book and she doesn't have a website or post patterns online. I have been drooling over this particular sweater ever since Heather brought the Stitch 'N Bitch books into my life, close to two years ago. However, I do know myself pretty well and know that I get frustrated when things don't go right the first time. I am glad I waited to attempt this until I found an LYS with great classes and an owner/instructor who is helpful and explains things in a way I understand. After three or four scarfs, one grownup-sized shell and a baby dress am I ready to attempt lace, wrap-fronts and sleeves?

seed stitch is a bee-yotch!

had time for knitting last night while Wes was working an OT shift and got a couple good hours in between devouring a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (some days nothing else will do). Also sat upstairs and knitted for almost an hour this afternoon on my lunch break and I am not noticing too much progress. I blame this on the fact that seed stitch takes longer than stockinette or garter stitch due to the yarn having to switch sides after each stitch (knit, pass yarn, purl, pass yarn, knit, pass yarn, purl ... etc etc etc). I also blame my slow progress on this job I have to be at for eight hours a day. While I can get away with blogging some days, I think they would notice if I busted out my needles and this bright red yarn. Notice my sad knitting bag sitting among a mess of papers and inter-office mailers on my desk ...
I wouldn't be as anxious about finishing this top, but I am trying to be good about only having one project going at a time. I know this is a little unheard of (my new favorite pattern designer has a list of items - FOUR - she currently has "on the needles" on her blog and I don't know if I could handle that many. I wouldn't know what to work on first). However, just this morning I discovered thegarterbelt.com and fell in love with just about all of Wendy Bernard's patterns. (she of the aforementioned "new favorite pattern designer" with multiple projects going at once.) So now I am anxious to get knitting and knitting some more! I am hoping to find cute things to knit for Christmas presents. I know Mom likes homemade gifts ... I hope other people like them too!

distracted!!!

after a little bit of knitting on Thursday, I didn't any knitting done this weekend - was just a tiny bit distracted on Friday and Sunday. (yes, I saw it twice! and on Friday Heather got us gold teeth caps to wear! aren't we sexy!!) Thought about bringing the knitting to the theater Sunday since we had to wait in line for a while to get good seats, but figured we wouldn't really be able to sit down and relax (I was right), so had to spend the hour talking to and kissing my darling husband (a real hardship!).
It was kind of nice to have a weekend without knitting ... after the franticness of the last week or so finishing up Taylor's jumper, I was glad to just chill out and focus on something new. I am now anxious to get back to it and finish up my cute x-back tank. Wonder if I can finish it in time to wear in San Diego this weekend? I won't be knitting in the car on Saturday ... Wes gets off at 6am that morning so if we want to leave at a decent hour and stop for lunch with Grandma in HB, I'll have to drive so he can sleep.

flashback to first knitted object

Mom and Dad are traveling in Colorado right now and sent this picture. I made the scarf as a birthday gift for mom in 2004. A scarf is a good gift for a December birthday, but I'm not sure how comforatable she was wearing it in July! Thanks for the picture for my record though, Mom! :)It is a garter stitch scarf (that's why you can see the lines on the backside from adding in the white ... I hadn't learned to purl yet) made out fo Lion's Brand Yarn, the boucle in rose and cream. This was also made before I discovered that yarn is sold not just at Michael's.
Prior to making this scarf, my only venture into knitting was in fourth grade when we read a story in class about knitting and our teacher organized a lunchtime knitting group. Grandma came in to help, along with other moms and grandmas. I made a little garter stitch square and didn't pick up needles again for 15 years.

on to the next project!

Friday night before I settled in for the marathon baby jumper, I did finish off the roll collar on the pink sweater, so technically, I have TWO first ever project finished at the same time. How exiting! Mom decided she wants beads, so I have to go by the bead store still ... then I'll send it off to where ever they are (currently Colorado) and have her send in a picture. Until then, the big head will have to do!

With my two projects finished and nothing on the needles, I felt a little lost. Luckily, I had prepared for this and after a long run with Tia on Saturday morning (felt real great since I went to bed after 3am ...) I stopped by Anacapa Fine Yarns with a new pattern in hand to pick out yarn. I decided after making things for other people, it was about time to make something for myself. Something totally impractical that I could never wear to work, but something that will knit up fast and look cute. This sweater is knit out of ribbon yarn on huge needles. It is also knit in the round which means that from the bottom up to the arm and neck shaping, I can just knit and knit without really paying much attention, as I did on Sunday night. Between the movies and Wes watching World Cup, I got a lot of the thing done this weekend! (I have blisters on two of my fingers from the weekend of knitting.) Funny, because we were quite social and went to the beach a lot this weekend too. I guess I need a four-day weekend every week! (I wish.) Anyway, I chose this bright red/pink Deco-Ribbon from Crystal Palace and so far I am really pleased with it. I love the way seed stitch looks with this yarn, and it won't be too hot to wear for the rest of the summer. I am planning to make the body of this top a little longer than the pattern calls for, mostly because my torso is longer than the XS girl who designed this pattern, and also because longer tops are in style now (mom wonders why this wasn't the case when I was 16 ...) so I have about seven inches done and need to add at least that many before I start the shaping. Unfortunately I can't keep going at my previous pace (have this annoying thing called a job), but I should still get this finished in a week or so ... especially because Wes is working all weekend and we can't go see Pirates until Sunday, I will be drowning my sorrows in my new cute x-back tank top.

Taylor's jumper: FINISHED! :)

Friday was a long night of knitting and I half-watched the Dodger game, actually watched one movie, and other than noticing that young Diane Lane looks a lot like Julia Stiles, I didn't really watch the second movie because I was so close to being done! I finally stitched my last stich (attaching the pockets to the front) at 2:30 Saturday morning and collapsed into bed after feeling just a little sorry for myself that no one was awake for me to call and celebrate with! (Wes was busy handling a DUI/crash scene and getting bit by the K9 at the time). But now, after a weekend of celebrating (our country, not just my knitting accomplishment!) here are some pictures of my first official FINISHED project other than a scarf. Hurray!




a closer look at some details ...

The right shoulder has a button to close so you don't have to pull the dress over baby's head. also, you can't see them in the picture, but I put two buttons on each side on the back so that as Taylor grows, the jumper will get a little bigger too. The woman who designed this original pattern suggested this can go from a dress/jumper to a tunic to wear over pants as well as baby gets bigger. I think it will be cute either way and hope Kristina will send pictures for me to post!