Baby, it's cold outside

The temps have suddenly dropped around here. It's like we skipped fall, and went straight to winter. I am seriously unprepared for this cold! The weather was staying so nice; I was checking the weather forecast each day to see if I needed to wear a light, long-sleeved shirt to work, or would a short-sleeved polo be better?

Then, boom! Cold weather hits. Unfortunately, I spent the summer singing, like the grasshopper in the fable, instead of working to prepare for the winter, like the industrious ant. I have just this much of my Weekend Sweater completed:

It isn't that I don't want to work on my sweater, it's that I don't want to unravel the first attempt. I mean, that sounds seriously boring. It's much more fun to knit socks:

Another CIC pair (left), and working on a pair for me (now that I'm done grieving over my broken needles).

But I'm alternately scolding myself and promising same self that I'll start unraveling the sweater so I can knit it anew. Seriously, I want that sweater. I need that sweater. I'll get to work on that right away.

Right after I complete a couple more rounds on my sock.

Workin' for a living

Man, I had forgotten how tiring it is to actually put in a full day at work. Cuts into the knitting time in more ways than one. First, I'm not knitting at work much any more. Second, when I sit down to relax of an evening, half the time I fall asleep. I find that I don't get much knitting done when I am asleep (although more than once, I still had the needles in my hands).

I can't just blame work for my sleepiness, though; some blame also goes to the vermin in the house. Like when Hilfy inexplicably stuck a paw into my armpit in the middle of the night. Somewhat startling, to say the least. Not to mention the nights that Yitzhak decides to yowl about how much she likes the swatch I gave her. The desire to vocalize this joy seems to occur around 2 a.m. I've taken to sleeping with that swatch under my pillow, to prevent her from enjoying it too much.

In spite of all this, however, I have managed to get a little knitting done. I have about half of a sleeve for my Weekend Sweater:




I like the drape of the yarn better this go-round; the size 4 needles are definitely an improvement. I'm going to take the sleeve off the needles before I go any further, and check my gauge. Once bitten, and all that.

I also have just over half of a pair of socks:



Of course, I tried on the one sock as soon as the ends were woven in; perfect fit! It's nice to get something right. Knitting socks can be a real morale-booster. Just one more reason why I love 'em.

I should probably wake her up. Show her what it feels like.

Yes, I'm still knitting

Although not as much, now that I work at work, instead of knitting at work. I was very excited last weekend to complete the first decrease round on the yoke of my Weekend Sweater, which meant that I was halfway done with the yoke. Not far to go now!

After snapping that pic, I decided to measure it while it was spread out, just to check. I measured across the chest twice, because the first time I couldn't believe what I was seeing was correct. %#@! It was smaller than it was supposed to be; four inches smaller. Double %#@! How could that happen? While I had the measuring tape handy, I checked my gauge. Instead of the 6 stitches/inch I planned on, it was 6.5. That half a stitch really added up.

Not wanting to believe my measurements, I decided to try it on. While it was wearable, it was a lot closer fitting than I planned. I was going for zero ease across the bust, so four inches of negative ease made for a very snug sweater. The b/f would like it, but it wasn't really the look I was going for. So, I made a tough decision:

I started over. Looks like I won't be wearing my new sweater this season, no matter how slow spring is in getting here.

But my knitting time wasn't wasted; I learned a few things:

1. The body length was just what I wanted; I'll make it the same length again.

2. The sleeves were a little short. I'll lengthen them an inch.

3. I'll check my gauge often, to make sure I'm staying on track!

I've gone and done it now

I came home early Thursday (snow/ice/sleet made it advisable), so I had a quiet hour or two to myself. I got out my favorite sweater and measured it for the 4th time (at least); then I measured the parts of my Weekend Sweater once more; then I took a deep breath and joined the pieces together:

I've been waffling and dithering over measurements for weeks, but every time I would check, I kept getting the same results, so I decided it was time to move forward. I'm excited, and a bit nervous (kind of how I feel about the new job starting Monday). I'm really looking forward to completing this sweater. Not only do I want to find out if I figured correctly to get the fit I want, but I really like the feel of this yarn (KnitPicks' Telemark in Charcoal Heather). It's soft and springy, and I think it's going to be wonderful to wear. I'm so excited, I just want to spend the weekend on the couch, knitting away!

Hilfy inspects my work.

Home Alone

My Weekend Sweater is at an exciting point; it is nearly ready to have all its pieces joined together. But I'm visiting my family, and I didn't think it would make a good travel project, so it is languishing home alone.

Also home alone are the vermin, but not for lack of trying. First, Yitzhak tried to sneak into the suitcase:
Then, Hilfy tried to stow away:
Princess Daisy seemed to think such antics are beneath her:
I really hope they aren't trashing the house.

Cake and cold weather

Thursday was the b/f's birthday. We both took the day off work and lazed around all day, which I think is a fine way to celebrate. In the afternoon we went to his father's house, where there were presents:



and cake:



Even Peter had a little cake, although he wasn't allowed any of the chocolate icing:



We also took off Friday, since it seemed silly to go to work for one day before the weekend. So today is my third day off in a row, and I could seriously get used to this life. Especially since the weather has been ugly and cold and wet; I've been very happy to stay inside. I've been working on my Weekend Sweater; the body is ready for the sleeves to be added, so I've started one sleeve:



I plan for the sleeves to be my carry-around project for a while, to speed the project along a bit. With this cold weather, I seriously need another sweater or three. Times like this I wish I could knit faster. Because, really, I could use some more wool socks, too.

Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day; sunny and clear, albeit chilly. Wouldja look at that sky? Even better, I have today off. I've been knitting and reading and petting cats, but pretty soon I have to change out of my comfy clothes into something I can be seen in public in and go run some errands. I'm going to go for a bit of a walk first, though, to enjoy the sunshine.

Speaking of knitting, it's Wednesday; let's look at some WIPs, shall we?



I'm almost done with the toe-up socks; ready to switch yarns and start the ribbing on Sock #2. I'm very glad I weighed the yarn along the way; look at that little scrap of yarn I have left. I didn't get the little holes at the corners of the heels this time; either because I took care not to wrap the heel stitches too tightly, or because I better understood what I was doing this time. This will definitely be my short-row heel of choice. I plan to use it in the next pair of socks I make for myself so I can wear-test it.

Wildfoote Sock #1 is ready to have the toe kitchenered. What a surprise to be half-done on a pair of socks I hardly remember working on!

Haven't touched ILG Sock #2 since I discovered my error in the cable. Looking closely at it today, it took me a while to find the mistake; it's just a case of a cable crossing over when it should be under (or vice versa; now I don't remember). Now I'm trying to talk myself into letting it go, but I doubt I'll be successful.

The Weekend Sweater continues to grow. It's 11.5 inches long; soon I'll have to start the sleeves!

The 11th-hour hat looks exactly the same as it did last week. I just have a couple more rows to go before I seam up the brim and pick up stitches for the crown. Haven't touched it since I'll need my size 6 DPNs for the crown, and my only pair is in those toe-up socks.

Now for my efforts to sabotage my efforts to tidy up the knitting corner by reducing my WIPs:

First, I started a Sushi Wallet to keep my mp3 player in, so it won't get tangled up in the bottom of my knitting bag. I was paying more attention to the striping sequence than to the instructions, and failed to increase where directed. That's why you see so much unraveled yarn.

Then I saw this and thought it was an excellent way to use up those bits of yarn that I couldn't bear to throw out, but what can you do with just a few yards? So I started this:

So far I have gathered up this much:

I expect this to be a seriously long-term project. But what fun when I need some television knitting!

So, I finished one WIP and started two more. Knitting corner has not improved a bit, but it's a sunny day and I don't care! Now I'm off to soak up some sunshine to keep me going as the days get shorter and shorter.

WIP Wednesday

For no other reason than the fact that I like the alliteration, I've decided today will be WIP Wednesday. I shall forthwith show off/confess to my active works in progress (no way am I digging anything out of the closet; this is just stuff I'm currently working on and expect to actually finish in the reasonably near future).

1. I Love Gansey sock. Still lovin' this pattern. I'm starting to move a little more quickly, getting a feel for the pattern so I don't have to check the instructions several times on each row. It's about 4.5 inches long now; another 10-12 rounds and I'll think about starting the heel.

2. Mindless knitting socks; Wildfoote in Bluegrass colorway. I started these a while back so I had something to grab when other projects were at a "pay attention" spot, and I needed something for TV knitting and the like. Not sure exactly when I started them, but I'm really rather surprised how far I have gotten with knitting a few rows now and then. I figure that someday they'll actually be done, and I'll feel like I magically conjured up a pair of handknit socks without any concious effort.

3. Weekend sweater. I actually forgot about this for a few days when I got obsessed with the ILG socks. (So unusual, for a knitter to be obsessed!) Just started the 3rd skein; it's about 7 inches long. I'm able to work on it for longer periods of time now without my arm hurting; don't know if I found a better position or the muscles in question are getting stronger (hope I don't end up with a weirdly muscular right forearm).

4. Mittnz #7. Inching along, bit by bit.

There you have it! I'm off work today, and I had planned to enjoy some knitting. However, as the day drew closer, more and more chores and errands popped up, and it always seemed like today would be just the perfect day to take care of them. Now it looks like I'll be running around all day and won't get to knit until after dinner. *sigh* I'd probably have more knitting time if I went in to work. Note to self: be sure to buy a lottery ticket today (imagine the stash I'd have then!)

Lotsa goodies

I received lots of nice stuff in the mail today--some knitting-related, some not.

After considering it for months, I finally broke down and bought a new camera:

A Nikon D40; I was strongly influenced by this review. Old camera (a Nikon Coolpix 800) still works fine, but one of the big selling points for me on the D40 is no shutter lag. I have almost no pictures of Yitzhak because she won't hold still; I get a nice shot all framed, press the shutter, and she walks off before the camera takes the pic. I can hardly wait for the battery to charge so I can start snapping away!


I also received my KnitPicks order:



The long-awaited CotLin (Nightfall and Linen), some Essential sock yarn (Black Tweed and Carbon Twist), plus three books: Top Down Sweaters, Simple Socks Plain and Fancy, and The Magic Loop. Some fun reading in store!


Before I try a sweater from the top down, though, I want to finish my Weekend Sweater from the bottom up. It's going slowly:



Once I got a few inches done, I found that my right arm started hurting after a few minutes of knitting. I'm experimenting with different ways of holding the needles, hoping to find a position that doesn't cause pain. Otherwise, I can only do a round or two a day; that's slow even for me!


I've been working on my GBF socks, too. Finished the gusset yesterday. I have to work tomorrow, so I'll save that pic for then.

Whaddaya think, Yitzhak; is this camera faster than you?

Made the plunge

OK, Monday night I screwed my courage to the sticking point and cast on for the Weekend Sweater. After all, if I don't like it, it can always be yarn again, right?

So far, so good. I am seriously liking this yarn (Telemark from Knit Picks--Charcoal Heather). Reasonably soft, with a nice spring to it; it's lovely to work with. I'm pleased with the needles, too, which is something for me; I don't generally like metal needles. But I'm just tired of fighting the cables on my Clover bamboo circs, and I flat refused to buy another pair. These are Susan Bates Silverado needles, which are supposed to be a cut above their Quicksilver needles. Can't tell you if that is true, as I've never used the Quicksilver, but these are nice. The cable is flexible enough that it isn't fighting me, my yarn isn't catching on the joins, and the needles are smooth without being so slippery that they feel like they are going to jump out of the yarn. Works for me.

Speaking of Knit Picks, they finally have the CotLin yarn available. I'm thinking about picking up a couple of skeins, plus maybe some of the sock yarn in one of the new colorways, and a stack of books. Gotta make that $45 minimum order so I get free shipping! Now that's good money management. ;)