Lakeside Zombies

What was that I said would be my downfall with stash organization?  That I would be winding all of the things?  Yep, that's happening.  Yesterday I cast on not one, but two new projects and I am already plotting for more.

I've had this skein of 716knit marinating in the stash for far two long.  It was a part of the first Stockinette Zombies birthday kit (2012) and I was sooooo excited to get it when the package arrived.  I had (and still do) a very minimal self-striping yarn stash at the time -- as in this was only my second skein -- and it was just too special to knit at the time.  And then I was all hipster and didn't want to use the same pattern as the kit because everyone else would be doing that.  And then it sat.  And we moved.  And it sat some more.

Yesterday morning I found myself unable to resist the siren call any longer.  I am an epic fail on my OWL for the House Cup this term (I'll tell the tale when I can finally face reality), so I was desperate for something bright, happy, and very distracting.  This yarn certainly fits the bill, and the Buffy naming system she uses just makes it all the more charming.  Everything you see in this picture was knit on the past two work lunch breaks.  I am redeeming the Georgia On My Mind pattern from the memory of my sad, mauled Bitchin' Socks and it is taking to the striping quite nicely.

Then I came home from work last night with the kind of pain only a woman can understand and wanted desperately something to knit that would completely hold my attention but not be too complicated.  My poor neon sock was not going to fit the bill, so I went stash diving again.

This time I came up with one of my larger fingering leftovers, easily accessible thanks to my new organization system.  The pattern is Braids, a lovely headband with an overwhelming chart that is actually quite intuitive.  This little ball is also from a sadly departed pair of socks, the Time of My Life socks knit out of Unwind Yarn Company in the Lake Lure colorway (I can't find the blog post in which I detailed the death of this particular pair, but trust me it was gruesome and involved actual blood).  I really need to bug Dana to see if she will dye up more of this colorway because it is gorgeous and invokes great memories of time spent at home hiking and playing in the lake.

I think I am content with these two projects, but who knows?  Tomorrow I could decide I need something else from my knitting.  Probably in a color other than green.

WIP Happy

We are fast approaching the start of the new tv season and I have been manic with my attempts to catch up on everything I fell behind on last year.  I am all caught up on Once Upon a Time and I'm now completely obsessed [again] with Revenge.  And now I am realizing just how much tv I watch and how little I stay current with.  Ah, well.

I'm still knitting away on the Heliopath vest.  I am thirteen inches into the body and have been in that black hole where I knit for hours and make absolutely no progress.  This may also be due to the fact that every time I sit down to work on it I feel an overwhelming need to take a nap, but I still argue it is a rift in space and time.

For those who were admiring the stitch markers last week, I bought them here.

Because I finished my purse project but have yet to feel the need to lug a cabled sweater around with me I cast on a pair of Cursed Cable Mitts in my special skein of Knitter's Nightmare -- Ducky and Andy.

These mitts are going so fast!  Admittedly I am making them a tad bit shorter, but they are already a tad baggy on my hands and I wanted to avoid the scrunch factor when wearing them with a coat.  These have gotten me through several hours of convention speakers and been quite useful for the "I'm stressed!  I'm just going to knit a row real quick" moments at work.

To see more works in progress, hopefully with less procrastination and stress, check out Tami's Amis!

Dos A Cero!

I don't know what you've been up to lately, but in our household it has been all US national football all the time.  I'm normally not a football fan (I refuse to call it soccer when we are talking about the international field -- it helps me to feel more legitimate), but Chris is so obsessed that it started cross-contaminating me.  Plus it is 90+ minutes of uninterrupted time that I can sit and knit on the couch while he watches.  Or while standing on bar tables with the rest of the American Outlaws. 

All of this football watching has led to increased productivity in my knitting.  I have finally started to make some headway on my Heliopath Vest.  I am knitting mine out of The Plucky Knitter Sweater in the colorway Sticky Toffee.  Normally I would never be able to knit a sweater out of such a fancy yarn, but wedding anniversaries are good for some things, after all.  I bought this yarn specifically for this pattern, which was the initial driving force behind buying The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits.  It is a little more work than my usual patterned but simple projects, but the cables and dropped stitches are really keeping it interesting.

I'm really ready for fall to get here.  I'm daydreaming of cables and hats and many shades of orange.

To see more works in progress, probably from less football obsessed households, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Magic is Coming

It happened!  It finally happened!  Since last we spoke I was sorted into Gryffindor as a part of Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup.  I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am.  I told the Sorting Hat I was fine with where ever it deemed would be the best location for me and the decision was still Gryffindor.  I've spent a large part of my adolescence and adult life identifying as Gryffindor but being told by fellow fans that there is just no way, I must be a Ravenclaw.  Well the joke's on them -- the new Hermoine Granger is here to stay!

So in my self-appointed roll of overachiever to prove that I belong, I am working hard to knock out more than the required one item per month, starting with Makai.

Makai is a lovely shawl pattern by Mel of Singlehanded Knits written in three parts.  I am using Another Crafty Girl Strong Sock in her Residual Boulders colorway.  I am excited to see how it works up.  The stitch pattern is gorgeous and knits up very intuitively.  Plus, you get all of Mel's video support after you purchase the pattern.

To see more rad works in progress, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Second Legwarmer Syndrom

So I realized something today, as I sat down to write this entry.  It's Wednesday, which is the time to brag about how much you have done with your works in progress.  Or, in my case, to shamefully acknowledge just how little you have finished.

My dears, I have second sock syndrome.  I have second sock syndrome bad.  And these aren't even socks!  I'm still in love with my legwarmers but I am just not feeling it right now.  There is so much I'd rather do.  Even if I think I want to knit them I find myself wandering off to do other things -- cleaning the bathroom or checking to see if maybe just maybe the maven selection window has opened up.  In any case, I have made very little progress and only have nine days left to finish.  Camp Loopy waits for no knitter, no matter how afflicted.  My plan for tonight is to come home, walk the dog, and then hunker down with my knitting and Mortal Instruments book two and see how far I get.

We'll probably end up going for a really long walk.

To see more works in progress, most likely demonstrating actual progress, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Stealthy Progress

You know what I did not realize would happen when I got married?  We share a Netflix account.  And you know what happens when you share a Netflix account?  You can't hide anything.  You have to own up to the fact that yes, I knit and watched Ally McBeal all day instead of finally unpacking our office.  And yes, I watched the Katy Perry movie again -- it's just so fun!  Honestly, I cannot hide anything because what I am watching and the frequency often reflects my mood or my current state of physical wellbeing.  If only Netflix would take a cue from my current knitting, and take the slow, stealthy route that no one will notice.

Because yes, I am still working pretty much exclusively on the Rosemary Cardigan, which has really grown thanks to all the dedication.  Last week I finished the first From the Ground legwarmer and managed to screw it up very successfully.  I decided I wanted to bind-off the top in a way that matched the cast-on so I chose to go with the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn Bind-Off.  Boy was that a mistake.  The bind-off is so tight that it pinches the top of my leg.  I need to unpick the bind-off and reknit it with Jenny's Stretchy Bind-Off, but one of the crucial points of the sewn bind-off is that you have to cut the yarn, so now I'm worried I won't have enough yarn.  I'm just going to have to risk it and hope that if I need it the Magic Knot will save my life.

Check out other works in progress, probably with actual progress, over at Tami's Amis!

Obsessions

Last week for Work in Progress Wednesday I showed you a completed legwarmer.  This week I have for you . . .

Another legwarmer!  But not from the same pair.

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I am all about the legwarmers.  For Camp Loopy 3 we have to knit a project that takes at least 800 yards.  I spent a bit of time looking at sweaters as I know many knitters have, but I was trying to make this project as affordable as possible.  The Loopy Ewe offers a discount for yarn ordered during the official camp week, but even with that the cost of the project can get really big really fast.  What I ended up with was two skeins of Cascade Heritage Sock in the Plum and Raspberry colorways.  In addition to my obsession with legwarmers I am also really enjoying projects that take more than one color so Theresa Gregorio's To the Ground was the perfect solution.

To the Ground is a pair of over the knee striping legwarmers.  I ended up reversing the direction of the pattern to start at the ankle rather than the thigh and work up the leg.  I also wound my yarn into two balls each so that I can use as much yarn as possible.  This means that they could get very long indeed.  I am already over the knee on my first leg and still have plenty of yarn to spare.  There's a strong possibility that I could wear them in the place of tights with a pair of shorts to work (it sounds tacky, but in my world if a 4 year old would wear it it's probably perfect for work).  I also have visions of wearing them over tights with a short skirt and tight fitting sweater.  Possibly with boots.  Essentially this project is my chance to feel like I live in a comic book.  We'll see where I end up.

To see more, probably more tastefully driven projects, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Swirlicious

In all the moving craziness you would think that knitting would fall by the wayside.  But there has actually been a wee bit of progress.  I finally managed to finish my Kleio, with three days to spare, and so I turned to some lingering WIPs to keep me busy until August when I can cast on my Camp Loopy 3 project.

Remember Prana?  I was addicted to it back in June but then determined not to risk taking such sharp metal needles on the plane with me to my cousin's wedding and it has been languishing in my knitting basket ever since.  When I picked it back up I discovered that I was almost to the heel bind off, which for toeless socks is like being almost done (this is what I tell myself but in reality that final ribbing stretched to eternity).

I had to reknit the heel opening twice because it kept ending up too floppy.  The pattern says to "Bind off loosely" which in reality meant just that.  Don't go up a needle size, don't use a stretchy bind off, just bind off loosely.  When it comes to my feet I find myself thinking things are larger than they actually are.  I blame my sixth and seventh grade class.  Everyone gets made of for something when they are in middle school, mine was that my feet were bigger than the rest of the girls.  What I tend to forget is that now I've grown into them and as long as I have not been attacked by any bees they are proportional to my leg.

Please ignore all the stuff on our carpet.  We're working on unpacking and cleaning here.

I'm really loving this pattern, but they will probably fall by the wayside again until after Camp Loopy.  I may or may not be casting on another pair of legwarmers for that tomorrow.

To see more works in progress from people I'm sure are less self-conscious about their feet than I am, check out Tami's Amis.

Bee Stings and Ribbing

I was hoping to have some significant progress to share with you today.  Actually, I had been hoping that I would be able to share a lot with you all week but my plans were thwarted by an evil entity.  Monday morning as I did some cleaning and plotted my blog posts for the week I was attacked by a bee.  Now I've been stung before.  You don't grow up playing outside as much as we did and not get stung occasionally.  But man did this thing hurt.  It stung me on my thumb and within minutes that entire side of my hand had swelled up in this shiny red mess.  I was in pain all day and as of this morning it is still swollen.  This means I did not get much if any knitting done because I could barely use that hand for over 24 hours.   But before that happened I did make a little progress that I can share with you.

For some reason Blogger is insisting that this picture must be loaded upside down.

Over the weekend I swatched for and cast on the Rosemary Cardigan from the newest Knitscene out of this gorgeous Cascade 220.  The heathered lime just sings to me, especially now that I am past the twisted ribbing.  Because of the way I knit I never understood why people hate twisted ribbing.  My stitches naturally twist when knitting in the round and it took me several garments to realize that my flat stitches were different from my circular knitting.  But it seems I just never had to knit twisted ribbing flat as now I completely understand.  I hate it.  It was awkward and made a weird part of my arm twinge a bit.  I guess there is a muscle there I've never used.

But now I am past that and it should be smooth sailing as the rest of the body is stockinette.  Wish me luck!

To see more lovely works in progress, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis.

The Trouble with Garter

I don't know about you guys, but when life gets crazy sometimes all I think I can concentrate on is garter stitch.  Knit row after knit row after knit row.  There's got to be something soothing in that, right?  In a word?  No.  Right now all I can think about are charts and colorwork and cables.  Maybe a sweater like Aidez?  But no, I'm knitting garter.  Lots and lots of garter.

It's not that I don't like my garter stitch.  This Madelinetosh in Molly Ringwald is gorgeous.  I'm knitting this for the second month of Camp Loopy.  The challenge was to knit a popular pattern you have yet to knit.  At least 500 yards with either 1000 projects, queues, or both.  For this challenge I picked Kleio by Romi Hill, a gorgeous shawl knit with short rows.  I tell you what, I cannot wait to get to the lace section.

The other issue I'm having with garter stitch?  It's really hard to photograph in a way that looks interesting.  You have to get pretty creative and a little kooky.

See what I mean?

For more works in progress, check out Tami's Amis!

Knits on a Plane

The time has finally arrived!  I am flying out this week to go to my cousin's wedding, staying with several different family members over the course of four days, and traveling by plane, car, and possibly bus.  But before I can leave I have to answer the all important question -- what am I going to knit?

I had originally planned to knit Bad Oyster by Alex Tinsley, but then I ended up casting on last week and . . . well . . .

At this rate I may be done before I even leave for the airport.  The pattern is just that addictive.  It would make great travel knitting, but since I am so far along I have wound two skeins of Knit Picks Imagination for the Nasturtium Socks.

But wait.  These are anklets.  What happens if my plane is delayed or I have to wait longer for my ride than anticipated?  There are so many reasons I could find myself stuck with only one pair of anklets to knit.

So I'm packing extra yarn.  There's no reason I need more than two projects worth, right?  I mean there are yarn stores in the universe.  Then again, maybe I'll pack a sweater . . .

To see more productive works in progress, check out Tami's Amis!

Spontaneous Legwarmers

I see a lot of knitters talk about how they plan for their next project.  When they decide what they are going to knit next and how they keep track of what order and what yarns they want to use next.  There are spreadsheets, charts, lists, cabinets -- it gets pretty intense.  Well, I think we can all agree that I'm much more, um, shall we say spontaneous.

I have wanted to knit Prana for what feels like forever but which logistically cannot have been more than a year and a half because that's how long ago The Knitter's Book of Socks was published.  when I put in my Camp Loopy 2 order I decided to add some new needles to try and then one thing led to another and I had these lovely ChiaoGoo Red Lace needles in US 3 and I was casting on a pair of socks.

Of course as soon as I cast on I realized that the yarn I had originally picked did not have enough yardage and you would have thought this would have gone back to the bottom of the idea pile (Because that's what my organizational process is.  A giant pile of ideas that I sift through in my brain), but oh no.  Enter my mother-in-law to the rescue!  Several months ago she sent a skein of Regia Hand-dye Effect that she picked up in the LYS by the salon where she gets her hair done.  I knew I liked that woman for a reason, not the least of which is that she, like my mom, will appreciate that I am knitting purple leg warmers in the sticky heat of summer.

For more works in progress, have a look at the linkage happening over at Tami's Amis!

Adventures in Morbid Knitting

Remember how I confessed that I have started watching Hemlock Grove?  Well I think that it has begun to infect my subconscious.  Because I am participating in Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup I cast on a second project at the beginning of the month so that I would at least have two on the go that I could hopefully turn in for classes.  My Camp Loopy socks and the hat that I have given the rather forbidding name of Woodland Grave Beret.

I know, I know.  I have serious issues.  But before you get all up in arms that I am clearly demonstrating all of the early warning signs of a knitting serial killer, let me at least try to explain.  So this hat that I am knitting is Alana Dakos' Pressed Leaves Beret from her book Botanical Knits.  I actually bought this yarn specifically for this project while at Stitches South from Cephalopod Yarns.  The woman who sold it to me was really awesome and in the course of conversation she told me that she actually sometimes calls this their Dexter colorway (it's really Candy Kingdom) because it can look a bit like blood spatter in the skein. 

Now I only watched one season of Dexter and I figured out the big twist early enough for it to annoy me into not watching another season, but I can appreciate the reference and I knew I would have to take this project in a bit of a morbid direction.  And so to knit it while watching a trashy show marketed to teens but which contains the most gruesome "change" I have ever seen (seriously, I was yelling at Cogsworth not to watch and he was looking at me all "Dude, I'm a guinea pig. Like I care"), seemed like the perfect tribute to an awesome yarn and what is turning out to be a very well written pattern.

To see other, far less morbid works in progress, check out Tami's Amis!

Magpie with a Plan

I'm an impulsive person.  I have my lists, and my plans, but I am easily distracted by a bright shiny new idea. My husband dreads the nights I decide that I just have to go for a run even though it is after 8pm and it is getting pretty close to dark outside.  Sometimes a girl just needs a bit of an endorphin rush, you know?  Nothing embodies my magpie with a plan tendencies quite like my knitting.  I have yarn for specific projects and a general idea of what I want to knit and when, but I've learned to give myself a little wiggle room and leave the door open for impulse.  Doing things like picking up pattern collections when designers have a sale and only buying yarn if I will absolutely cast on immediately (this last one doesn't always work, but it has given me more structure than you might think).  So it is with great excitement that I can share with you that despite my love affair with my new hoodie I am halfway through my Triptych Shawl!

I swear this is a much more subtle and varied colorway than it is coming across in photos.  It is much more a soft mix of plum and honey yellow and red than these stark shades my camera loves to find.  Triptych is my first knitting adventure with beads and it has been quite the learning experience.  Talk about impulsive.  I went to the store, bought two tubes of beads, and then sat on the floor with them in a pile in front of me until I figured out how to get them onto the yarn.  I ended up using the prestrung dental floss method after a series of trial and a lot of error.

I am in the beadless section now and I am quite excited with how it is moving along.  At this rate I should be done with plenty of time to wear it to my cousin's wedding.  Now if only I could find shoes.

For more works in progress, check out the gang over on Tami's Amis!

A Rambling Amble and Contest Winner

I talk way too much in this entry, but I do get to some relevant information including current projects and the winner of the What's Your Beach Contest.

Helpful Links:

Singlehanded Knits with Mel Ski

Drizzle by Mel Ski

Perpetua Shawl by Romi Hill in Unwind Yarn Company

Triptych Shawl by Liz Abinante in Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock, Honey Fig

Havasu Hoodie by Par Oiseau in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (review)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


Thanks for watching!

Here There May Be Ponies

How is it Wednesday already? My friend Taryn came up on Sunday for the "weekend" and we had way too much fun knitting, thrift store shopping, and watching My Little Pony (How did I not know of this brilliance before? I will never know).  It has been a perfectly lovely followup to the rather traumatic work day I had on Saturday.  I had a very unpleasant encounter that put quite the damper on the rest of my day.  When I got home all I wanted was the comfort of organization and a basic knit.  As I was working on my new craft area I started flipping through a random magazine.  Next thing I knew I had sat down and cast on a new sweater.

Somehow I had never noticed the Havasu Hoodie lurking at the end of the last summer's Knitscene.  Something about the very unassuming description and the comforting basic ribbing and stockinette made it exactly what I needed after a horrid day.  I'm knitting it out of some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool that I bought a few years ago but never managed to use.  Here's hoping I bought enough.

For more WIP Wednesday posts, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Also, don't forget that you still have time to enter the What's Your Beach Contest to win a copy of Drizzle!

Heel Turn Hubris

I'm back!  Actually, I got back Monday night, but I was exhausted from having too much fun, so I took a little extra time.  Stitches South was so much fun, and I promise to get into all of that tomorrow, but today is WIP Wednesday, so I need to share some actual progress with you.

When last you saw the Prissy Sock it was just a cuff.  I took this and my secret knitting with me to Atlanta and actually got quite a bit of knitting time.  I am knitting the Vanilla Latte Socks with a three by one ribbing and a garter eye-of-partridge heel.  I am particularly proud of the heel, which I managed without breaking the striping pattern.  I was sitting on my friend Taryn's couch, dodging the kitty and watching bad horror movies (Night of the Lepus anyone?) when I was struck by inspiration.  Because the pink stripe is the same width as the white and brown section and the white comes on either side, what if I stopped the stripe in the middle.  That way, no matter what I ended up with on the other side it would theoretically match up.  I am not sure if this would work on any other striping sequence, but I am pretty excited about its prospects for these socks.  So excited, in fact, that I want to get back to knitting this one before I head to work.

For more WIPs, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!

Secret Progress

Somehow I find myself working furiously on knitting that I cannot actually show to you.  It's a gift, and it's a secret, and even though I am under the impression that the recipient does not read this blog, on the off chance they happen to read this post and happen to see that there is a certain item in a certain color I just know that they will figure it out.

So instead I offer you a really lame photo of a really bland project.

I got some rather good news at work, so in celebration I bought this skein of Lollipop Yarn from a Ravelry destash.  Prissy is a three color stripe that changes up the amount of rows in each stripe and has more stripes of one color than the others.  And if that sounds vague that is because I don't quite know how it is going to work out.

You can see a very clear break down listed here, but it is all gauge specific and I am already seeing my rows get a little off from the card.  I'm not sure how this will work up on my sock because I am not very far, but I promise to keep you posted as I am sure you are riveted by the sight of a tiny striped sock cuff.  There will be more after I see Jurassic Park tonight and hopefully my weekend on holiday with give me more time for knitting.  If only you could see what I am actually working on.

For actual WIPs and real progress, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis.  I'm sure they have actual stuff to show to you.

Deadline Failure

I have a confession to make.  The baby shower is today and I have not finished the cocoon.  I know!  I'm a horrible procrastinating knitter.  But I totally would have finished on time were it not for extenuating circumstances.  No, seriously.  They were extreme.

The black hole of texture patterning, folded in half

On Saturday night we drove down to the beach to hang out with my family for Easter.  I knit for as long as there was daylight.  I knit all day on Sunday and was well on my way Monday morning.  I was planning to knit during the morning, knit the entire drive home, and then knit like crazy Monday night.  Next thing I know my husband is having vertigo in the kitchen and I am calling urgent care trying to find out who can see him to find out why he is nauseous from blowing his nose.  Turns out he slightly perforated his eardrum, which is not as serious as it sounds, but caused some serious inner ear balance issues.  Because of this we ended up spending the entire day at the beach so that he could rest and I could get his prescription and everything set up, which was all good but meant that I lost an entire day of knitting.  I did get to Target and bought some lovely gifts for the shower, so the day was not a total loss.

I know what you are thinking.  Why not knit on Tuesday?  You could just stay up all night and get that puppy finished.  Well, you see, I was a little preoccupied with another coworker.

How could I turn down the bride with 150 tea lights she needed put in jars?  I couldn't.  So instead of knitting I spent my evening folding programs and making gift bags.  Which is how I ended up here.  Headed to work with no finished gift in hand, but still exhausted because I stayed up far too late to bake two batches of blackberry macaroons as a consolation gift for the shower (adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Raspberry Coconut Macaroons).  I'm hoping that purple cookies can cover a multitude of sins, even if all my attempts to photograph them turned out unappetizing.

So no progress here, but I bet if you head on over to Tami's Amis you will find much happier results.

Knitting for Butterflies

You want to do something fun, knit a gift for someone while you are at work with them.  The baby cocoon I am knitting  (Evidently it is a cocoon.  People don't really react that well when you call it a baby sack) is for one of the women who works in the store with me.  My office is part of the storage area behind the registers and so every time someone needs something they have to come back there.  Monday night I realized that the baby shower for my coworker is next week, so I really needed to get moving on this cocoon (seriously, I feel like I'm knitting for a mama butterfly).  I took it with me on Tuesday to work and tried to knit on it while on lunch.  Only the entire hour they needed to get things out of the office, generally sending her because she often helps organize the storage.  So as I sat, knitting away and watching a podcast on my computer, I had to keep shoving it under the desk every five minutes as she came into the office.

As you can imagine, after an hour of this sporadic knitting, plus scarfing down a sandwich, I did not make a lot of progress.  It looks no different than it did the other day and I'm working hard not to get discouraged.  I would say that I'll work on it as much as possible this week, but I'm sparing pretty much every spare minute at home trying to finish our taxes.  We are going to meet up with my family at the beach for Easter Sunday, and I want them done before we leave.  I'm hoping to get a lot of knitting done on the two hour ride there.  Provided I don't fall asleep, which has been known to happen a time or two.

To see more WIPs, most likely not ones for caterpillars, check out the gang over at Tami's Amis!