Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Yesterday I frogged

Today I mourned the loss of an almost-completed knee sock. I had just a bit left before the toe shaping, and it was looking awfully large (even for me), so I tried it on - it was WAY too big. I'd changed up 2 needle sizes because I thought it wouldn't fit, but I was WAY wrong! Put one in the "swatch" column.
But, for happier news - Opera Fichu went from this:

To this:

Again, DP can included for scale. It's lovely, and I can't wait to wear it - the weather is going to have to warm up a bit, because the dress I want to wear it with is totally a summer dress, and it's still around 32-35 in the mornings when I leave.
Stats:
Opera Fichu from Victorian Lace Today
size 3, 5 and 1 needles
yarn was Omegacrylic - I'm pretty sure this is a Mexican yarn (made in Mexico), fingering weight.
I got it at Hobby Lobby for no other reason that I loved the color. I think I have enough left to make some socks. I'm thinking the feather and fan ones from the Socks book, but I'll let you know.

Friday, April 13, 2007

I LOVE FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!

I have been obsessing over this yarn ever since Ellen posted a picture of it in her blog. I want to make the lovely Rhiannon socks out of this yarn, and I figure that it'll take probably 3 skeins, so I wanted 4, just for good measure. Well, I have looked high and low, on the internets and off, all around my LYS's, and the best I could do was ONE skein at $8.95 with $7.95 shipping!! Then, I had a brain storm!! My mom & sister are in San Antonio for the weekend, could it be possible that a yarn shop there has some of the most elusive yarn? I called Mommy-dear, and asked if she'd mind zipping over to the Yarn Barn and seeing if they had it. She called, they did. One problem - Mom doesn't like driving in "Big City" traffic, and my sister didn't want to attempt to find it (even though I'd already gotten the directions, and it was only 6.5 miles from their hotel, but whatever), so, being the ever-so resourceful Mom, she called them back, and they're mailing me their last 2 skeins of wonderful, beautiful, color #145! YAY!!! BUT WAIT!!! It gets better.
I'm reading blogs, looking for new knitting blogs, and run into one that got some really pretty yarn from Carodan Farms, a site I'd looked at several times in the last few days, and they didn't have the Trekking XXL 145. But, today, they had (emphasis on the had) 2 skeins. It's mine now, and NOW I can knit my knee socks (and possibly have enough left over for some wristlets).


I LOVE FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!

Proof!!

I actually have knitting and pictures! Only during the most stressful of times (and there was plenty of that this last winter) or when horribly sick (not so far) do I not knit. The kidlet said that it was probably good that I wasn't knitting during all of the car crisis, as it would probably have turned out very tiny and tight. She's a laugh riot!

OK, picture #1 is the Opera fichu, without ties (to be done this weekend):

Turns out this bad boy was too long to stretch out and take it's picture, so I kind of folded it in half - DP can included for scale.

Next is a lace detail for the Millicent sock:


I think I was too close, and it's totally not blocked (cause I'm not done yet) but this is a most magnificent pattern! If you've always wanted to do knee socks, but were afraid, be afraid no more! CookieA's patterns are awesome! I can't wait to finish this sock, and do the next one!
In other, non-knitting news - it's snowing!! I drove to work today through rain, sleet, snow and fog - just another typical spring day in New Mexico. The kidlet sends me text messages every hour or so that say "Still snowing" - I'm REALLY looking forward to the drive home tonight.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Must. Blog.

It's so weird - I wanted a blog so bad in the beginning. I thought I'd never, ever run out of clever knitterly things to say, and then one day, all I could do was bitch. I hate political blogs - they're only invitations to verbal fist-fights, so I didn't want to do one of those. I hate people who can only complain, and yet, that seemed to be all I could do, complain, whine, cry, whatever. So, no blogging until my little pea-brain could think of something funny, or at least nice, to say.
So, I'm back, and I think I'm in a better mood. The meds have definitely taken affect, so I'm more umm, not necessarily nice, but at least better able to control the impulse to choke the living shit out of every idiot that walks by.
oops
See, not completely under control, but working on it, definitely working on it.
As for knitting, I've been very busy. I've finished the first part of Oper fichu, need to find the size 1 needles, and cast on for the ties. I thought I'd really screwed up - this bad boy is about 4 feet long! But, I think knitting the ties with size 1's, and there are some pretty dramatic k2tog's, so I'm thinking that it still might turn out to look mostly like the pictures in the book. I'll get pics of it befor I start the ties.
I also discovered CookieA's socks! If you've loved her designs in Knitty, go look at these, they are magnificant! I'm knitting on Millicent now, and loving it. I've been wanting to do knee socks for a long time, but I'm just way too lazy to do the math, and CookieA's done all the work. The lace pattern on Millicent is just beautiful, and if I can managed to keep the counts straight, anyone can!
Did I mention that I have a new car? Well, the car-that-thinks-its-a-sail finally bit the big one, and left me walking one time too many. After much wailing and moaning, and consulting and whining, I've bought a 2006 Chevy HHR it's been my dream car ever since they introduced the concept car several years ago. It's not the way I wanted to get one, but I have one, and I love it! It's much smaller than the mini-van, but it gets WAY better gas mileage (30 MPG), and does NOT think its a sail when the wind blows! YAY!! The more I drive it, the more I love it. I've been holding my breath and nursing that other car for so long that it's kind of weird to get into a car and not worry if I'm going to make it to my destination or not.
So, all things considered, life is looking up - I'll work on the taxes this weekend (it'll make the IRS happy, and God KNOWS I want to make the IRS happy!) and knit some way cool stuff.