Startitis

This week has been the week of Startitis. From Knitwiki:

Startitis is a term used somewhat jokingly among knitters. It refers to an expensive, but rarely fatal affliction that often affects knitters and crocheters where they begin several projects all at one time but don't really make much progress on anything before starting another new project. 

This week, I have started the Entrelac Scarf for Valli Shepherd, the Soft Chocolate Shrug for me, and the Yankee themed fingerless mitts I designed are calling my name.  Not to mention, I still have to finish my socks, the Seraphim Shawl and the World Champ sweater.  I've been alternating between projects for the past few evenings. The lighter weight projects tend to make my hands cramp a little more, though they also have more stitches to work.  The heavier weight projects tend to go faster and it's easier to hold tension because the weight of the yarn helps pull the stitches tight.

Anyway, this means I have FIVE works in progress right now.  It's insane.  I think I'm doing it to keep from shopping.  Every time I feel like spending money, I start a new project instead.  I guess it's a good thing because I'm using yarn that is already in my stash and patterns that are already in my library.  It just means that I have needles all over the place.  Thanks to the KnitPicks Options set I got for Christmas, I haven't had to frog anything or hibernate anything for needles.

No pictures right now.  I need to take pictures my new WIPs to show what they'll look like.  For s&g's, here's the pattern picture of the shrug I'm doing. Mine's in a heather gray, though.

le sigh

After a crazy week at work and multiple 9-10 hour days, it's finally the weekend.  Of course, it's not such a relaxing weekend as I've been procrastinating on a few tasks that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.  Of course, this weekend started off a little shaky this morning. I didn't really get to sleep in as both Rikku and my bladders had us up at 7.  After we were both taken care of, I went back to bed hoping to get a few more winks.  About 45 minutes later, I heard a horrid noise from outside - a dog fight.  Not at all how I wanted to start the weekend.  One of my neighbors has a pit bull that is still quite aggressive.  They were out walking and our friends Katelynn and Patrick(dog) were out as well.  The pit went after Patrick and put a couple puncture wounds in his leg.  Thankfully, I had just received Rikku's emergency preparedness kit - complete with first aid kit - last night.  I was able to grab it and patch up Patrick enough that Katelynn could get him to the vet.  I usually go back and forth on my views about pit bulls, but today swayed me more to the con side for sure.  Patrick is a sweet sweet year-old mutt puppy who wouldn't hurt a fly.  He's goofy and sweet and I really hope that he's not psychologically scarred from this incident.

Ugh...anyway.  Shaking it off and moving on to nicer subjects...kind of.

I finished the Sumptuous Cowl from the April fibre space stash club kit.  I'm not so happy with it.  It knitted up fine, and just as it should, but it's basically a big tube of super-bulky yarn.  I don't know how to wear it and it just seems to add bulk to my already top-heavy figure.  The yarn was pencil roving, so it's not like I can frog the project easily as roving breaks and frays very easily. If I can't figure out how to wear it, I might try to pawn it off on a friend or sew off the open ends, stuff it and make it a pillow. (NB: Roving is what yarn is spun out of.  When you see people spinning yarn, the fluffy stuff they're spinning is called roving. Pencil roving is thin unspun fiber - about the width of a pencil. You can spin it into plied yarn - usually a worsted or aran weight - or you can knit with it as bulky.)

The socks are coming along well.  I have completed the heel flap and turn and am ready to start the gusset.  I was considering trying it on my own, but I think I'll just wait until next Friday to attack it.  I may need some hand-holding.  The pooling of the colors has come out great - hooray for good self-striping yarn.  I did have a little bit of a problem last week with some yarn barf.  I had a HUGE tangle of yarn resulting from a poorly wound center-pull ball (wound by me, so it's my fault).  I wound up having to cut the yarn in a couple places in order to get it untangled.  I now have a nicely wound regular ball of yarn and only a couple places where I've had to splice.


I'm still working on the Seraphim shawl and the World Champ sweater - definitely two LOOOONG term projects.  I need to cast on the entrelac for Valli Shepherd and try out my Yankee mitts pattern! :)

Happy Frabjous Day

I know I'm no Alice, but I have slain the Jabberwocky.  And by slain, I mean I finished knitting it.  The yarn is so yummy - Madeline Tosh Wren.  It's 50% Merino wool and 50% silk.  It's incredibly soft and the color, "Glazed Pecan," is lovely. Tanis did a great job of designing the pattern, though there were a couple confusing points.  At the end of the 13th repeat I thought I was at the wrong end for picking up the stitches on the flat edge.  When I realized that I had to bind off the side, it all worked out.  I probably could've done a couple more rows on the flat side, but I didn't want to chance running out of yarn.  

Last night I started my sock class. I didn't realize it, but it's a four-week class.  I've got homework to do the leg down to the heel.  I might see if I can do a little more of it so that I can be ahead.  The things I don't know how to do are the heel turn and the foot shaping.  I'm happy to be using my beautiful Miss Babs Yummy in Roan Mountain Morning.

 I also took a chance and decided to take a chance and filled out a fair isle pattern.  It's going to be a base of blue with white. The detail on the back of the hand will be the Yankee Stadium facade and the NY symbol.  The palm will be pinstripes.  I've got a couple other things I want to finish before casting on, but I've got the yarn all ready! :)

BASEBALL IS HERE!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  BASEBALL SEASON IS UPON US!  I'm sooooooooooo excited.

 Derek Jeter, Nick Johnson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner.

To quote Rhino from Bolt: AWESOME!

Happy April!

I'm not a big fan of April Fools Day, so you won't see any April Fools pranks around here.  I am, however, a big fan of spring and finishing projects, both of which have happened in the past week!

The flowers and trees are in bloom around the area and Washington DC is filling with Cherry Blossom seeking tourists.  Even though the ring around the Tidal Basin is definitely a sight to see, I prefer staying away from the crowds and just enjoying the cherry trees by my house.  I haven't gotten around to taking pictures yet, but I'll do that before the weekend.  Despite the havoc that is wreaked on my allergies and sinuses, I love when the trees bloom.  Spring is the best season ever.

Somehow, I was able to finish TWO projects this past week.  As my previous post states, I finished the Rayne Wrap Cardigan for my sister over the weekend.  Last night, I finished the entrelac baby blanket I've been working on for my friend, Abbe.  I put a crochet border around the edge to make it look more finished, though I think I did it too tightly.  Hopefully it'll loosen up some in the wash.  I'll take it down to my parents' house this weekend and run in through the washer and dryer to get it all clean and soft before I send it to Chez Macbeth.

I'm still working on the World Champion Cardigan and the Seraphim shawl.  They are more long-term, non-time-sensitive projects.  This evening I will cast on the Jabberwocky, the pattern that came with March's fibre girl club kit.  It will kind of look like this, but in a orangy brown color (it's called glazed pecan).  I want to get it done before the next kit comes out this month.

In unrelated, off topic news, check out Amazing But True.  My friend Elmo "James" Maxwell writes this for the UVa newspaper (he did his undergrad at UVa and is now a PhD candidate in the physics department).  It's pretty funny, and full of double entendre - the best kind of entendre there is!  A sample: