Well, one personal goal finished this weekend — I just Kitchenered my Love socks. I am going to lightly felt them, but they’re done and wearable now!
Now I’ve got 9 more rows on my Katrina Rib and 10 more minutes before bed! I can try, but I’m not promising anything.
Tomorrow: more work on my Olympic socks, casting on for my Special Olympics fingerless gloves, many CDs mailed (which means more yarn!), and a quick job interview. Oh, and studying for my HTML quiz on Tuesday.
I’ve been religiously checking the blogs of people I know doing the Knitting Olympics and so far no updates! I’m so disappointed! Here’s mine — so, after attempting to start a new pair of socks about three times and failing miserably, I finally (after the buzzer, of course) decided on my KO 2006 project, ta da, Knitty’s
Straight-laced socks. It’s even more of a challenge for me than Jaywalkers because I have never knit socks on circular needles before and I’m curious. Here’s how far I’ve gotten:
Of course I also have two other goals for this weekend. I want to finish my Katrina Rib (only 9 more rows to go!) and sock #2 of my red socks for the Red Hot Sizzling Socks KAL.
These two things should be pretty easy, then I’ll go back to my KO 2006 project on Monday.
Also, the “Special” Knitting Olympics has been disbanded and the creator joined the official Knitting Olympics, but for that KAL I’m going to complete the fingerless gloves I need to make for my LYS. It’s the “Kid Merino Fingerless Gloves in Rainbow Stripes” pattern from Crystal Palace. I may have mentioned them before — I was supposed to get this project after my Lotorp Bag but they gave it to someone else, and then took it back from her because they didn’t like her knitting. So now I get it. Pretty special, huh?
It’s about that time … for some reason I have been not feeling myself today and not really interested in casting on for a new project. I know, blasphemy. In any case, I did …
Of course I didn’t have a size 1 circular needle, and my LYS didn’t either when I handed in the Ruffled Edge Shawl (if you’re driving by 3rd Avenue in San Mateo, California you can check it out — it’s currently on display in the window!) so I had to start on one of my *4* sets of size 1 dpns! One is already on the needles for my Broadripples, and the other two were missing a needle or two, so Crystal Palaces it is.
BTW, is there a “California Knitters” Olympics group? I haven’t seen one yet.
Not a moment too soon! I finished the shawl for Nine Rubies this afternoon.
Pattern: Trish Designs’ Ruffled Edge Shawl
Data: 2 1/2 hanks Schaefer Yarns Sandra in “Frida Kahlo”
Started 1/25/06, Completed 2/9/06.
As the beginning of the Knitting Olympics looms, I am hoping to finish my Katrina Rib tonight (15 more rows to go … I’m not sure how doable it is) so I’ll have less hanging over my head tomorrow.
I had originally emailed Stephanie that I wanted to make Jaywalker socks. My challenge was finishing them in 16 days, with three young kids, no sleep, grad school and my real estate licensing hanging over my head (not to mention another job interview on Monday, but BR has pretty much told me I can’t take it because of the timing). I’m a slow knitter, I think, and wasn’t sure I could finish two socks that quickly.
However, in trying to decide what yarn to use and looking at the Jaywalker pattern, I’m just not excited about it. Maybe 3 years from now I’ll be into it like I am finally getting to Broadripple, but maybe not. So tonight I have been frantically looking for an alternate pattern to make starting tomorrow. I’m still not entirely sure what I’m going to do, but I am leaning towards creating my own sock pattern using circular needles, something I haven’t done before.
Sorry for the crappy photos. I got a moment to take pictures, and then realized they were all fuzzy. But you get the gist:
Here’s my haul from Full Thread Ahead. I got 2 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill in red, 3 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill in Wild Cherry, 2 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill in Northern Lights, 2 skeins of Cascade Fixation (I had the 30 second warning when I was there, so I just grabbed red, but I wanted a couple of balls of blue instead), 3 hanks of Cascade 220 in red, 2 hanks of Cascade 220 in green, 2 balls of Cascade 220 Superwash in red and 2 hanks of Nature’s Palette (I can’t remember the brand, but I had thought it was Koigu when I picked it up) in black. What great fun! Of course if I hadn’t gone near Valentine’s Day, Hollis wouldn’t have had such a nice collection of red yarn sitting right near the end of the line for me to grab quickly.
I also got my Elann order when I got home from the broker’s test on Saturday. The Peruvian Collection Sierra Aran is a bit more rust colored than I’d like (I loved the name, Sangria, though) but the Austermann Mayfair looks just like Cotton Ease. I have a project in mind for that and hope I can start it soon! Again, sorry for the blurry picture:
The test went okay. I studied all the “6th and 7th grade math” (quote from the test prep book I bought) and ended up only having 5 questions out of 200 with numerical answers. It was an all day long test, but I was second finished in the first half and first finished in the second half. Apparently only about 55% of the people taking the broker’s test pass, so I’m not very hopeful, but at least I know a bit more about the area of Oakland it’s held so I know how to prepare for it. And I guess I could call it a “break” from kid watching.
Since Friday I have been crazily working on the Ripple Shawl. I’m done with two skeins of Schaefer Sandra and I am so done with this pattern. The short rows make it so choppy and it just never progresses. I still have 5 inches to go. I went to my LYS today in the hopes I could just stop with it where it is, but instead I came home with one more skein (225 yards) of Sandra, and another project! Apparently the fingerless gloves that they were commissioned (did someone come into a yarn store and say “make me these”?) had been given to someone else but they didn’t like her work and took it back. I wonder if she got a different project or is just done knitting for them? I would love to give her the shawl I’m 2/3 done with even if I had to give up the payment I’m expecting. Anyway, here it is, as far as I’ve gotten.
Shhhh … I’ve been bad. BR is finally at home until his next project and he wants to get a car to replace his 11 year old totally beat up Integra, and we have to start IM at school next year and BR is allergic to our patio (moldy issues after the flood) so we need to get it torn down, and I’m out yarn shopping!
First I found out that my Secret Pal spoilee didn’t get the package I sent a couple of weeks ago, so I went to Knit Picks for some sock stuff (it is most definitely the year of the sock), and I never did get more than an order number but suffice it to say I bought at least 10 skeins of yarn there. Then I helped someone destash some red Cotton Ease. Isn’t that selfless of me?
Then I had planned on going to Full Thread Ahead’s Superball sale, but knew I wouldn’t get there until later, hopefully during the “buy one, get one 1/2 off time section”. So I show up, and run into Cookie and Kristi, who tell me I’m too late! I said “Are they out of yarn?”, and Cookie said that it was the last 3 minutes of the “everyhing in the store 1/2 off” sale, but you have to be in line in 3 minutes. Luckily Hollis had set out a pile of red yarn just for me — okay, for Valentine’s Day, but still — so I grabbed a bunch and waited in line. When I got to the end of the line I realized that there were actually still 3 minutes to go so I did a bit more shopping, and got back in line. I totally forgot to check out the Karaoke, and forgot to look at the knitting needles, but I did end up with 6 more skeins of Cherry Tree Hill, Koigu and Fixation. After my second time in line I went back and checked out the needles and got some Brittany dpns I needed, full price, which made me feel less guilty about buying so much from Hollis on sale!
I’m afraid to find out my final tally from today, but it did fill a large shopping bag. I can’t take pictures now because BR is busy playing video games here and on the other computer, but sometime soon I’ll treat you to some yarn porn.
I’m not just buying yarn these days.
I love Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking Knits so much! Now if I only had some knitting time for me! I stopped by my LYS today to give her a progress report since I had said I would finish my shawl by tomorrow, but of course I’m barely halfway done. I really need to get it done now, since she has other projects in the wings, and it sounds like she has lots of sample knitters right now, some even across the country, so I’d better make sure I get some of the work! Apparently someone let the cat out of the bag and told her “You’re going to pay us? We’d do it for free!” Sure, maybe we would, but we’d love to get paid! Or paid in yarn?! Or a discount? Anyway, I’d better make sure there are still jobs to be had.
I also forgot to show you what my mom got me for Christmas (my sister works for Amazon so we get lots of presents from there — not discounted, though):
If only I had the time to read! I like to say that I’m a librarian — we don’t have time to read! Luckily once my test is over tomorrow I’ll have more time. My class this semester is pretty tame I think, it’s aesthetics of web design. Second to last class, and then I can no longer call myself a grad student. However, if I were to get the job I am applying for maybe I could take some classes there? (It’s a local university.)
I can’t wait for this week to end! I’m still sick after a couple of weeks, I’ve been trying in vain to study for my broker’s test but there is just so much tv 😉 — you need a 70 to pass and I’m up to 65 on my latest sample test so we’ll see how much I can get done in another day.
I’m also trying to get the Ripple Shawl done somewhere close to my self imposed due date. I told my LYS that I would have it done by Saturday, thinking it was the date of next Wednesday, when she’s going to have her first social knitting night but I was wrong and I’m only halfway done. It does look nice and the Schaefer Sandra I’ve been working with is pretty nice to knit with, but it’s taking forever!
Here’s the best part of my day:
Yes, it’s the Brown Sheep Worsted in “Prairie Fire” that I wanted in Portland, but I ended up buying online. If only I could get the Moonstruck Chocolates’ Grenada Truffle that I love outside of Portland …
Even though my broker’s exam is on Saturday I just can’t get myself to study! You need a 70 to pass and in my sample tests I’ve been getting a 55 so I’ve got to do it, but I’m just not motivated!
I’m similarly not motivated on the shawl I’m working on. I thought I had gotten gauge but now it seems I’m knitting too loose and I just can’t convince myself to frog and start over on a size 9 because the pattern is so annoying. It’s basically garter stitch with short row ruffles on the edge which make the pattern less mindless. The Schaeffer Anne is gorgeous and soft, but it still catches my needles off and on which makes it less gorgeous. And I said I would finish it by Saturday too. I’m at 7 inches and I need to get to 20.
I also have my Mother’s Day gifts to get started. For those of you who don’t know, I decided a couple of years ago that I can never remember birthdays but I can remember Mother’s Day so I’ve been sending cards and gifts to my friends who have kids. Last year I bought Shannon’s soap and made some sachets/gift bags for it. This year I’m not sure what I’m going to do and May is fast approaching.
On a better note, I received some more of my ordered yarn (and at 5 am after being up all night I bought some more ;} ), Wooly from Mango Moon. I love the colors, but it is really scratchy. No more wool yarn for me, I think.
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