NaBloPoMo Day 14: going forward

This morning as I was walking out of my kids’ school I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sky. I took a picture so I could share it with you. (Maybe there is something to that concern that people are living their lives with the purpose of putting things on the internet. The article I read was talking specifically about Facebook but I think a blog follows. Am I addicted to the internet? [Probably.] Moving on…)

Pretty, right?

I got some knitting done today: I finished casting on and picking up for the second sleeve of my Conic.

I also dug through my yarn to find my leftover Calmer from the cowl as well as some other chemo cap options.

I have two balls which I think are almost complete. I was thinking about striping them in a Shedir. Or perhaps I can find another pattern that would work with stripes. I also have two balls of Bamboozled left (the pale lavender and multi-color) that I’d like use for a different hat. The other yarn in this picture is a full ball of pale blue Calmer which will definitely become a Shedir and a second hank of Sock Candy that I might use to make a second hat like the one Niels modeled here last week.

So many plans, so little knitting time. Dang.

NaBloPoMo Day 11: cuff!

Today was one of those days where time gets away from me and there aren’t enough hours to get everything done. Who am I kidding, every day is like that. I gave in to not getting much done and took the kids to the Tech museum since our plans to go tomorrow changed.

The kids love catching butterflies.

Meanwhile, in knitting news: I finished the cuff!

Yay! Second sleeve, ho!

NaBloPoMo Day 9: under the wire

I’ve been trying to think of something clever to post about all day. I’ve pretty much failed. My son survived science camp. I survived not having him here as did his little brother (and dad, obviously).

Someone did point out that the picture of my sweater doesn’t really look like a sleeve so I thought I should give you a link to the finished sweater. If you’re on Ravelry, you can visit the pattern page and look at all the various finished sweaters. If you’re not the sweater I’m making (Conic) is the last one on Cookie’s page about the ebook, the green one. I actually love that green color but it’s one of those colors I love but can’t wear. Also, I had this yarn already, and it’s not green.

I’m down to the cuff, but I didn’t take a picture. There will be a new picture tomorrow, I promise.

NaBloPoMo Day 8: the sleeve end is near!

I have not a lot to say today except: look!

My first sleeve is almost done! I have a few more rounds, one more decrease and then I knit the cuff. Let’s not talk about how I will have to cast on 140 and pick up 140 more other stitches after that. (And knit rounds that are 280 stitches.) That is a discussion for another day.

NaBloPoMo Day 3: robot style! oh, and knitting progress

Today started in an off way with a sick husband, a spilled cup of tea, and butter all over the microwave. We mostly recovered though. I took the kids to see the Mythbusters exhibit at the Tech Museum. The exhibit was a lot of fun and worth the visit. Afterwards, the kids and I spent some time in the rest of the museum. There was a Willow Garage PR2 which someone programed to do the Gangnam Style dance. I was very entertained.

I wish I had taken a video but hopefully you can get the idea.

Here’s a little update on my Conic sweater too, just to keep us on topic.

I’m ready for it to be done but then I remember that there is a second sleeve. Darn lateral symmetry.

knitted underpants?

Last night at knitting I was working on the back of my Conic sweater, which was almost done. I spread it out on the table to admire it and Jill wondered what part of the sweater it was, because it doesn’t look like a sweater part normally does.

I told her it was the middle of the back and then folded it lengthwise and said, jokingly, that it was a sleeve. Then I folded it the other way and discovered something slightly disturbing.

It appears that I am knitting underpants…

I better block it and start picking up the arm stitches quickly!

Also, since I last posted I have finished a bunny buddy.

(Someone had a baby, so you had to know I’d be knitting one of these.)

And a pair of fingerless mitts for a friend’s newly adopted daughter.

I didn’t think an 11-year-old would want a bunny. I have a second ball of that yarn and I’m very tempted to knit her a hat to go with the mitts. I better hurry because these things are cotton and she lives in Minnesota and it’s probably already too cold for cotton mitts and hats there! Maybe she can wear them inside.

conic progress

I have made some progress with my Conic sweater! First I swatched and washed the swatches. (Are you impressed? You should be.)

I thought it would be pretty important with this yarn because it’s fairly rustic and crunchy I was hoping (really really hoping) that the yarn would relax and soften a bit with a wash and I was right. It’s very drapey now.

I couldn’t get the gauge the yarn in the pattern has so I decided to knit one size smaller and hope for the best. Well, after knitting a few rows I took it to knit night and Veronica reminded me that I was knitting the back panel top-down and I compared mine to hers and realized that mine was much too big. I pulled it off and cast on again for the smallest size (two sizes smaller than the size I’d like it to be). I think it’s working out.

I am glad that we’ll be blocking the back before picking up stitches because I didn’t really pay attention if the swatch grew lengthwise when I washed it. Oops.

conic knit along

In spite of this being a sheep-free knitting blog, I can be a bit of a sheep. Three of the six people at knitting last night were making Conic, so I’m joining Cookie’s knit along. I’m going to try to make it with some Henry’s Attic soie naturelle that I dyed with oxblood Procion dyes several years ago. Here’s a terrible picture I took when it was drying.

I’m going to try to get a better picture when I wind it up but I have a feeling that it is one of those colors that is really hard to photograph well. I am not sure if the yarn will work for the project or not. The weight required (light fingering) is one where the acceptable non-wool substitutions that I’ve found have been prohibitively expensive. For example, Neighborhood Fiber Co has a light fingering silk that looks gorgeous but would cost me more than $120 for the amount needed. Oops. I might try a single skein of that yarn another time for something smaller. It’s so pretty!

Enough of the yarn lusting. I’m going to go wind up the yarn that I dyed all by myself! I’m sure it will be lovely. Right? (Say right.)