Geektastic Thursday: Summer TV Plans

With Memorial Day now past it is for all intents and purposes officially summer here in the US.  I went for a run last night and I found that in the past week our humidity has jumped, making breathing a whole new pressing issue for anyone doing outdoor activities.  With summer also comes the end of the regular US tv schedule.  As a kid this meant reruns of all my favorite shows where I could catch up on episodes that I had missed or rewatch ones I loved before they were gone forever (I did not buy my first box set until I was 17).  However, now we are treated to a host of bad reality television.  And while I like my Real Housewives just as much as the next grad student, it is something I try to watch on a more occasional basis rather than every day.  But with all of the knitting wedding stuff I have to do this summer, I'm going to need something to play in the background.  With that in mind, here's a small list of what I plan to watch during the tv hiatus season:

1)  Pretty Little Liars

This one is a no-brainer.  I have been anxiously awaiting the return of this addiction ever since The Great Reveal at the end of last season.  Revenge offered a welcome distraction for a while, but now I'm back with great anticipation.  I cannot wait for more Evil Mona, more Jenna-Bot, and please oh please more Toby.  I would call this my guilty pleasure, but with writing that strong, there's nothing about this show that makes me feel ashamed.

2) Being Human (UK)

I know this one has already aired and I missed it, but I'm hoping it will be up on Netflix soon.  At the time of its return I had still not reconciled myself to the end of series three that left me curled in a ball on the couch sobbing.  The last thing to make me cry that hard during a tv show was when Fred said goodbye to Wesley, and I still haven't forgiven the writers of Angel for that one.  Series 4 has Being Human return without some of the major characters.  A part of me is really concerned it will be like when Supernatural got season 6 when it was supposed to be a five season show, but the writers managed to make that whole Master storyline work, so maybe I should trust them.

3) The Killing (US)

Yes, season two is now airing/has aired, so I am now way behind.  I started season one, but soon realized that it was going to be like Damages and there was just no way that I could sit and watch the entire season with the schedule on which I was living.  I am really looking forward to finally making the time (on a day off, I'm not crazy) to sit down and watch my way through the rest of the season.  Is it going to be super morbid of me to do this while I address invitations?  Well, if it is, that's just the way I operate.

4) Big Love

Don't judge me.  I see that judging you've got going on there.  But don't.  I never had the opportunity to watch this show when it first aired, starting in 2006, but Andrea and I recently started season one and we are completely addicted.  The storyline is fascinating, the writing is compelling, and it's like one big Veronica Mars reunion.  We are only a few episodes in, but I'm really hoping there will be a reason for Mac and Beaver to interact because that'd just be so weird.  I know, strange, but you remember what he did to her at prom.

This is my list so far.  I'm sure it will change as I move through the summer and discover that I really can't stand Being Human without a certain character or that Big Love has made me desperate for a Veronica Mars rewatch.  But it is nice to come into the summer with a plan for nights when there really is absolutely nothing on tv to tide me over until the return of Once Upon a Time and the premier of Arrow.  And before you ask, no I'm not watching True Blood.  I read the books and they were so much better.

So Far, Destined

Sometimes I find something I want to knit and it absolutely has to be this specific pattern and that specific yarn.  Forget the fact that the pattern has not come out yet.  It has to be this way and there's no convincing me otherwise.  Often this means that yarn is completely wrong for the pattern.  It doesn't have enough yardage, the verigation pools in unappealing ways, the pattern is complete chaos, etc.

Georgia on My Mind by Leslie Thompson in Gnome Acres Merino Nylon Fingering, Molly Weasley -- can you tell it is raining today?

So far that does not seem to be the case.  But then I've only been working on these socks for a day.  There's still plenty of time for user error.

For sunnier WIPS, check out Tami's Amis.

The Not-Quite-Lucky Sweater

We had so much fun at Wicked on Wednesday that Sunday we decided to go lotto for tickets before it left the next day.  So Sunday morning arrived and I found myself, as I often do on my day off, wide awake before 7 am.  This is a serious condition with which I seem to have been cursed -- the inability to sleep in.  I blame my parents, as it seems I should for all problems of such gravity.  When I finally admitted to myself that there was no way I'd be able to fall back to sleep (sometimes I can trick my brain into thinking I have to go to work, then I drift right off), I brewed a pot of coffee and settled in with my knitting.  The night before I had knit the left front button band on my Kaleidoscope, so all I had left was to finish the right front button band, sew on buttons, block, and weave in ends.

By ten, when we were to leave, I was sewing in one of the final ends and was determined to wear the sweater to the theater.  I had joked on Wednesday night that I could have it done in time to wear for the lotto, and by golly, if it was within reach I was totally going to do it.  As I struggled to brush my teeth and apply eye liner at the same time I realized something truly upsetting.  The buttons would not stay closed.  Not because the sweater was too small, but because the button holes were too large!  Somehow, despite my careful gauge swatch and needle choice, despite all the math I did to rework the button band for five rather than six buttons, I managed to forget that I had gone up a needle size, which made the buttons I had carefully selected from my meager stash just shy of large enough to fit.  Not to be deterred I found my shawl pin and used it to secure the second button in place, leaving the top to flop over in a manner I hurriedly deemed flirtatious.

On the way to the theater Andrea and I joked about the fact that we never win anything and how the bright spot of our day would realistically be cleaning out the refrigerator.  I knit on the sock I had started just in case we actually got to see the show and we strategized about where to pick up more coffee to sooth our disappointment.  As we pulled into the parking garage I noticed a sign that featured the dates of the show run.  May 2 - 27.  And then it hit me.  I knew from looking at my project page that I had started this sweater on May 2.  And I knew that I was wearing the sweater I had "finished" that morning on May 27.  It was fate.  We needed some luck and we grabbed on to that for all we were worth.  When we met up with the cast outside the stage door we'd tell them of the unintentional creation.  It was the sweater of destiny.

What we learned that day is that a sweater really needs to be finished before it can be lucky.  I still need to reinforce the button holes, weave in the final ends, and give the bottom edge a good blocking before I can call the Kaleidoscope done.  But I did wear it on Sunday.  And while it  eventually got too hot for even fingering weight wool, my little sweater can be considered not-quite lucky.

Maybe lucky-adjacent, if you will.

Soccer Time

Time passes in weird ways.  I'm aware of how long it has been since I graduated from high school, since I finished college, and since I defended my thesis.  I am aware of how long I have knit and just how much I have progressed in the many facets of my now adult life.  But sometimes time just stands up and slaps you in the face.

On Friday my high school played in the women's soccer state championship game.  The only time any team has made it to the state championship is when my brother's cross country team competed his freshman year.  Needless to say, this is a huge deal and as an alumni who was working only a few miles away, I of course had to go.  I am, after all, a Lady Gryphon myself (just not in soccer).  So I dug out an old basketball tshirt and met up with my family at the game.

It was a most surreal experience.  I try to go to things at the high school in which my brother is involved.  When my sister was still in attendance I went to things they did together, but attending living no less than four hours away for the past six years has made it difficult to go to much.  So it had been quite some time since I had seen the students of our small school en mass.  And it was like time had suddenly jumped.  The five year old I used to babysit is now taller than me.  The sixth grader I tutored in math is now a senior and I'm pretty sure has no idea who I was.  A girl who was the youngest on our rec swim team was the star of the game.  And my own little brother was somewhere in the student section -- tall and yelling with his ever deepening voice.

We lost horrendously, but it was a great time.  I got to see my family, if only for a few hours.  And I even worked on the longest sleeve ever.

FO: Elphaba Beret

Wednesday night marked a significant event in my life.  As a long time theater fan, raised on the soundtracks of opera and musicals, it was always disheartening to have to say I had never seen Wicked.  I owned and loved the book, I thought the music was splendid, but I had not actually seen it on stage.  So for Christmas my roommate, a certified Wicked fanatic, bought tickets for us to see the national tour when it came to our area.  Wednesday night we finally got to use our tickets and sat in the front row for one of the most magnificent productions I have ever seen.  I would rave on and on about the dialogue and the staging and how I may or may not have cried during Defying Gravity, but you can read all of that on any high school girl's facebook page provided you can decipher all of the emoticons and glitter.

As a thank you for buying my ticket I decided to make Andrea a hat to go with the shawl I made for her last year.  The only problem was that the shawl was in lace weight and Knit Picks does not make that particular color in any other yarn.  Thanks to a Ravelry de-stash I was able to score two skeins and decided to knit with two strands held together.  All that was left was to pick a pattern, which took a while but I finally settled on Springtime in Philadelphia, as I had always liked the pattern and it used a light fingering weight.

Elphaba Beret in Knit Picks Shadow, Midnight Heather

I only used about half of each skein.  The entire hat is knit on size US 2, 2.75mm needles as I do not own US 0s.  To make up for that I decreased the stitch count when I got to the ribbing and knit it all through the back loop to make it a little tighter.  The color is really hard to photograph, but I love it.  It hints at all the colors in Elphaba's black dress.

Our Glinda was played by Tiffany Haas, and we were honored enough to be at Anna Eilinsfeld's debut performance as Elphaba.  It was a really fun night and I'm glad that even though Andrea's seen it now five times she will still let me drag her to lotto for tickets this weekend before the tour leaves town.  Maybe I can talk her into wearing the hat again.

For more FO's visit Tami's Amis

A Real Knitter

If you had asked me a few weeks ago if I would become completely addicted to knitting a stockinette sweater, I would have said that you were crazy.  No, my brain is too active to knit plain stockinette, even when I'm reading.  I'm just too much of a multi-tasker.

And I would have been wrong.  In the past two weeks I have not been able to get the Kaleidoscope out of my head.  Since I took the above picture Monday night I have finished the body and knit seven inches on the first sleeve.  I just can't stop!  I tried it on last night with a tank top and found it to be completely charming.  I am glad I decided not to try the modifications for a higher neck but rather stuck with the original almost off the shoulder design.  This might be the beginning of a new aesthetic for me.

The best part is that all the guys at work have been completely fascinated by it.  They've watched the garment come together from when I cast on for the opening weekend of The Avengers.  Last night one asked me just how many sweaters I had knit for myself.  I had to stop and really think about it, but I could not give him a definitive answer.  I guess I really can call myself a Knitter.

Under the Sea

I don't like to blog much about my yarn acquisitions.  I don't like to feel like I am bragging or showcasing any wayward financial behavior.  But every once in a while I get something that I just have to show off, and last week was one of those times (onces? whiles?).

Last week I got two lovely packages from Dragonfly Fibers, filled with all sorts of fun goodies.

The first is my May shipment of Club Dragonfly.

As always, the lovely folks who put together these shipments outdid themselves.  The pattern this time around was a great pair of socks by RosiG.  I am actually not planning to knit these out of the yarn we received, but the pattern is pretty rad.  The extra was a lovely set of stitch markers, and who doesn't need more stitch markers?  But the kicker, as always, was the yarn.

Dragon Sock in Octopus's Garden

Have I mentioned that this is totally my colors?  Because it totally is.  I know it's intended to be socks, but as soon as I opened it I knew this wanted to be striped with a grey.  Maybe a shawl from the upcoming Knitscene Accessories?

And then, on Saturday, I got the motherload of all yarn packages.

Speaking of grey -- three skeins of Selkie in Black Pearl.  This was my very generous payment for the Lonicera I sample knit.  When I opened it I just started petting the yarn.  And then I shoved it in Andrea's face and made her pet it.  And then I continued to cuddle it for a good ten minutes.  It's just so soft!  On the one hand I'm enjoying the warm weather we are having, on the other I cannot wait for it to get cold so that I can knit this up into something spectacular!  I'm thinking something hooded, cuddly, and with enough of a pattern to show up the great stitch definition.

For someone who is not particularly fond of the ocean, I am super psyched about this oceanic themed yarn!

Magical Joining

I have decided that I must have some sort of knitting ADD.  I have too many projects on the needles and get myself over-stimulated.  But it's just so much fun!  Since I returned home to my stash and my snuggly project bags I have not touched the Kaleidoscope.  Instead I have been working on my Umbre Lovre.

I am loving the stripes as much if not more than I loved the mosaic blocks on the edge.

Last night on the way to zumba I listened to the latest episode of Knitting Pipline, in which Paula explains how she uses the Russian Join.  At first I tuned it out.  After all, I used to always weave in ends.  And when I taught myself how to do a felted join when I knit my Gramps Cardigan I thought it was magic.  But when I got home I realized that I was going to have to join some yarn very soon and I did not want to weave in ends because I did not want any added bulk in weird places on the fabric.  On the other hand I could not felt them because this is knit out of Knit Picks Comfy Sport, which is a cotton blend.  So I decided to dig out my grandmother's sewing supplies and go for it.

(From last night when I first gave it a shot)

I love this join.  It was so much fun to knit (Chris was suitably impressed) and so far has proven very resilient.  I did not watch Paula's video, just followed her verbal instructions, and out came magic.  The way it is work involves taking a sharp sewing needle and weaving the end of your yarn back in on itself. 

(From this morning when I decided I may possibly need another skein at work today)

The best part is it is all but invisible from the front side.  You really have to look to see that a few stitches are thicker than the others.

Now I just have these ends hanging inside that I really don't know what to do with.  Has anyone done a Russian join before?  Do you just snip them off or do you do a little weaving?

To see more explicitly stated FOs, check out Tami's Amis.

Exciting Endings

Exciting things are happening around here.  As you would expect with an impending marriage, but other life-stuff is starting to change soon.  I'm going to be all vague here and non-disclosurey because I have to be, but I can promise I'll fill you in as soon as I can.

In the meantime, here's a look at some exciting stuff that has happened in the lives of some people who have made guest appearances on the blog.  Aka, a look at what happened to cause all of that knitting last weekend:

On Saturday Chris, who my brother very affectionately calls "Lawyer Boy", graduated from, well, law school.  Both my parents and his parents drove up and we had a lovely time planning wedding stuff and chit-chatting while we waited for him to cross the stage.

All I have to say is only Chris would take the opportunity to fist-bump the US Attorney General.  Yes, I have video evidence, it's just trapped on my phone.

And then on Sunday my sister graduated with an associates degree in nursing.  If she continues with the program she will graduate next spring with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, meaning she's basically very smart and can stab people with needles really well.

In all seriousness, I am extremely proud of both of them.  The past three years have been a host of struggles and triumphs for all of us and it was great to witness both cross this particular hurdle.  In 2009 we all graduated, Chris and I from college and Eva from high school.  Now they have both managed to achieve a level of success that I know they both sometimes doubted they could reach or even want.  In today's economy a degree is no guarantee of work.  But they both did it any way and I am proud to count them both as my family.

Now if they can just survive their licensing exams this summer.

My Knitting -- A Greek Tragedy

There is a common wisdom in knitting that when you travel you will always overpack.  You will always bring one more project than you can manage.  You will always imagine more time than is available.  And you will always, always, be busier than you think.  For some reason this weekend I tried my hardest to prove to be the exception to the collective experience of knitters everywhere.

When I packed for my four days at home I decided that I would need something basic.  Something to keep my interest during two graduation ceremonies, but also something that I could drop at an instant to snap a picture or stand and cheer.  At the same time I needed something very portable because I knew I would spend at least two days running around getting things set up for the wedding.  So I settled on my Kaleidoscope, a simple stockinette body knit in fingering weight yarn.  I only had about five inches on the needles and almost an entire skein of Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock, which has a put up of 430 yards.  Because I did my packing at 11 o'clock at night this seemed like the perfect plan.  It was not until I got to graduation number one and knit for two straight hours that I realized I may have a problem.

I didn't have enough yarn.  Think about it.  Four days, stockinette, 5.0mm needles.  That is not enough knitting. Fortunately at the last second I had thrown in a hat I'm knitting, but that only lasted the drive home.  Then I was stuck.  Me, the sweater, and a race against time to see if my quickly dwindling ball of yarn would last.

When I left home last night I had this much left.

An hour after we got on the road I hit 16 inches on the body and realized it was time to break off for the sleeves.  Only I didn't have any waste yarn or stitch holders.  I spent the entire drive back alternating between napping and driving Chris nuts because I was stuck sitting with no knitting.

And there you have it.  All the collective wisdom of the knitting universe proved right again.  Just as the gods foil the mortals at the last second in Greek myth,  I did not run out of yarn.  I ran out of pattern.

Madness of the Non-Spartan Variety

I missed WIP Wednesday this week (thanks work!)  and so I did not get a chance to tell you about a truly startling change of events that you may or may not have noticed -- I got bit by the sweater bug.  I know!  I've got shawls and socks on my to-do list.  But what am I fantasizing about?  Sweaters.  I blame the recent cast-off of the Lonicera.

It all started with the swatch I showed to you a few days ago.  Remember that one?  I had originally intended the yarn to be a Westport Shawl from the latest Knitscene, but when I cast on the chart was just too much for my brain.  I wanted something more stockinette, less concentrated effort.  So rather than pick up one of the projects I have on the go I started swatching and ended up with this:

I'm knitting the Kaleidoscope for the Stockinette Zombies Two Ball KAL.  Which means that I have to be done by the end of June.  No problem.  I can do this.  What could possibly derail me?

I really was going to cast on for the Holla Back Tank first, since that appeared to be the prevailing opinion, but it calls for US 5 needles, which are currently tied up in another deadline project (I know, I know. Just get me through the wedding and I'll relinquish deadline knitting forever!)  Actually, both the Holla Back and the Umbre Lovre call for US 5s, but I really wanted to knit one of them.  I usually go up a needle size in gauge, so I swatched the Umbre Lovre on a 6 and am now knitting away.

I feel guilty for having so many WIPs of the same item on the needles, but then I wonder why.  I have trouble holding still and I'm not a single-project girl when I'm reading or watching tv, so why should I single project knit?  On the other hand I am experiencing the downside to my knitting ADD because I have nothing to show for FO Friday.  However I have a lot of graduations to attend this weekend (Chris is finishing law school and my sister has her nursing school pinning ceremony), so if I only pack one project, maybe things will change?

Fighting in Public

Today at work I got in a knock down, drag-out, hair-pulling, house-wife screaming fight with a knitting pattern.  You know those tv episodes that start out with some rather ridiculous fight narrated in the first person and then backtracks to tell you what happened?  It was something like that.

No matter what department I am working in I usually take my lunch break at the same table every day.  And if I am not working in the department with that table I usually end up eating with one of my coworkers who has lunch at the same time.  We don't always talk, sometimes we sit there and both read while we eat.  I always knit, though.  That's just who I am and most people at work now accept that.  So imagine a nice peaceful early afternoon lunch.  We're both sitting there eating the meager offerings of our fridge (she had stale cereal, I had a not-quite-in-date yogurt) and chatting nicely when suddenly I go ballistic.

"Hold on a sec.  I have to recount this."  This statement still falls in the realm of normal for interaction with me.  I'm almost always counting something.  But as I'm counting I start to get this sinking feeling.

"One sec." I say.  I'm sure my coworker is beginning to get slightly frustrated with me.  If I only wanted a sec I'd be done by now.  But no. I now begin flipping the page back and forth trying to make sense of the directions.  Surely I'm reading something wrong.  Surely I mis-read something.  Nope, it's there plain as the crumbs on my blouse.  "Knit one, yarn over" where clearly there should be knit two, yarn over.  I mean, that's what makes logical sense.  That's what keeps this pattern moving.  That's what the chart looks like.  How can this be a knit one all the way through.  There's no way.  What is this designer thinking?  Maybe it was badly edited when put in the magazine?  I pull out my phone and check Ravelry, blessing my unlimited data plan as I begin to scroll through projects and checking "helpful notes".

"This isn't right."
"What isn't?"
"These directions.  They're wrong.  There's no way and for some reason no one mentioned it.  They're all talking about something earlier in the pattern that makes total sense, but this part is wrong and no one is talking about it!"
"What is it supposed to be?"
"Well it says knit one, yarnover, which makes sense for the first row.  But all the other rows are not going to look like that so they wrote the directions wrong.  I know what it's supposed to look like so I'll knit it that way but I don't understand why they wrote it this way."
"Ok..."
"Oh... wait... I found it.  Never mind! We're all good!  So you were saying you went to the beach?"

Fortunately my coworker is also the friend who took our engagement pictures last week, so she's seen more than a little knitting craziness on my end.

And yes, I found out what was wrong, but I'll be stabbed with Addi-Turbo Lace needles before I tell you.

Indecisions

Alright folks, we have survived what I call the "week of crazy".  The Avengers opened with great success -- a new box office record and an absolutely incredible film.  If you have not seen it yet, you must go check it out.  My love of Jeremy Renner has only grown (really, who's surprised by that)  Just have some patience with the staff of the theater -- we've been run ragged by the huge crowds.  I don't know about elsewhere, but my theater was sold out all weekend.

So today, as a respite from work, I have the urge to do some swatching.  Over the weekend I received a box from Knit Picks with some yarn for two patterns from the new Holla Knits collection -- the Holla Back Tank and Umbre Lovre.  Both of these are gorgeous patterns and I would like to knit up both of them to take on my honeymoon in *gulp* three months.  But I can't decide which to knit first!

The thing I love about the Holla Knits collection is that there is a Knit Picks sample for everything.  Allyson seems to really want an affordable product, and Knit Picks is a great option for affordable without that summer camp arts and crafts feeling.  To that end, I bought a fantastic quantity of yarn for very little.

First up, Gloss in the Bordeaux colorway for the Holla Back Tank.  I love the interest of this piece and the purpley-wine color is one I know will work on my very pale skin (I've decided not to go the traditional route and am not bothering to try to get a tan for the wedding.  Too much work).

Door number two is the Comfy Sport for Umbre Lovre.  I wrote about this during Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and it really is a pattern that appeals to my fantasy wardrobe aesthetic (the one where all my geeky tshirts are paired with flattering shorts or skirts and everyone admires my fashion forward style).  And yes, I bought the exact yarn in the pattern sample. The colors are perfect and since I've never done a colorwork sweater it's great to just let someone else do the work.

So here's my question, dear readers -- Which one do I knit first?  I have a bucket of yarn and am overwhelmed by my choices.  Help a girl out?

FO: Lonicera [Finally!]

Yesterday between shifts I came home and dragged Chris outside to take some pictures of the Lonicera.

Lonicera, Kirsten Kapur in Dragonfly Fibers Selkie

I love the finished product.  It is absolutely lovely.  The yarn is so soft and did that blocking thing where all of the little imperfections just seemed to disappear.  That is one thing I will say about this sweater.  Even though I swatched, I still forgot how much it would grow!  The Selkie did not have as much drape as the original yarn, but here you can't even tell the difference.  It took just over two skeins to knit the medium, but I'm willing to bet that you could remove one body repeat to get a slightly shorter version out of two.

I used a US size 9 needle and kitchenered the two pieces together, rather than using a three needle bind-off.  My only problem was the amount of ends to weave in.  It took an entire episode of Stockinette Zombies to get through them all.

This little baby is packed up and ready to head to Kate for display in the Dragonfly Fibers booth.  If you see her at a show, stop and say hi!  Pet the sweater.  It is amazing yarn.

In the meantime I am trying to decide what Star Wars gear to wear today while I have a "knit all the things" kind of day.  I worked the midnight release of The Avengers last night, so I have the day off for crafty and geeky goodness.  May the Fourth be with you!

Check out other finished objects over at Tami's Amis!

Glinda and Mr. Louie

There are many genuinely nice people in this world and a lot of them seem to work in customer service positions.  Today I met a lovely gentleman named Louie.  He is an older gentleman, a little shorter than I am, with an accent I could not quite place. And one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  Glinda, my car, has been making a horrendous squealing noise for some time now, so I finally took her in to get checked out.  Despite my strong bias towards small, family garages, I took her to a large auto repair center because A) it's nearby and B) it was a recommendation.

According to Mr. Louie, I was on the verge of being in a terrible accident caused by my breaks failing to do what they're supposed to do -- namely, stop the car.  After I recovered from the shock I watched him spend the next fifteen minutes trying to find me the best deal on his computer.  Then he walked me around the car to show me what was wrong and explain why it needed to be fixed.  Three hours later when he was leaving to go home to have lunch with his wife Mr Louie pulled me back out of the waiting room to apologize that he had to leave and tell me that it should only be one more hour.  He patted my cheek and reminded me that the parts came with a warranty so if I should have any trouble I should come back to see him and he'd have it straightened out right away.

Even though the bill was enough that I was left doing the math of how many months of not eating would pay it off (Kidding. Mostly), I am grateful to have met Mr. Louie.  He was very kind and even had nice things to say about my knitting.  Maybe it's because I work a lot in customer facing positions, but I always try to let people know how much I appreciate it when they go the extra mile for me.  You can tell when someone is genuinely putting their best effort into helping you, and it always makes my day brighter (the four hours dedicated knitting time didn't hurt either).

The Lonicera has finished blocking, and just needs me to weave in the ends.  But having it off the needles means I have a serious case of startitis -- I'm even swatching!

And to those concerned, I am getting compensated for my time spent knitting the Lonicera.  Though knowing my work will be on display a fiber festivals and getting to play with this yarn has made the whole process worth it.

As always, to catch up on what everyone else has been knitting now that Knitting and Crochet Blog Week is over, head over to Tami's Amis.

Forever Blocking

Today I begin what will probably be an all day possibly all night process.  Remember that giant pile of chocolate wool?  It's actually a Lonicera.  This is a giant sweater vest designed by Kristen Kapur that has taken me forever to knit.  I had a couple of false starts and a yardage scare, but I am happy to say that after a month and a half it is finally blocking.

Even though I found myself cursing it often, the construction of this pattern is genius.  You just can't see it in a pile of wet wool.  And that wet wool?  Yeah, it's Dragonfly Fibers Selkie -- a decadent blend of 60% wool and 40% silk.  Before you get too jealous and paint me a yarn snob you should know that I don't get to keep it.  This baby is going to be a show sample for Kate's booth.  I'm fairly certain that she will send tons of yarn off of this alone.  Not because I'm an amazing knitter but because the fabric is delicious.  The color bled a little when I put it in wool wash, but nothing serious.  I'd go on and on but I have no photos to back up my claims, so you'll just have to trust me until this thing finishes the epic drying that I'm sure five feet of yarn shall take.