Monday, June 29, 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

No offense .....

.... to Michael fans out there...but preempting programming....really?

It's just too much....way too much. He was a misbegotten, talented, probable pedophile, with mental problems that I couldn't even begin to guess.

Seriously, world, get a grip.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Catch up...

May was a whirlwind month. What with classes ending I don't know which end is up. My "business" is indirectly proportional to whether there are classes. The Penguins in the Stanley Cup (and giving us fits!), means that our lives revolve around whether they are playing or not in the evenings. We spent a little time at a jazz festival and outlet shopping last weekend. And we will have family stuff the next three. Also let me say that I still have wool sweaters and turtlenecks in my bursting closet. (And bought more WOOL clothing at the Pendelton outlet in sizes that actually fit!) I was smart enough to dig out a few polo shirts and shorts to tied me over, but it looks like it will be July before I "reorganize". That being said I have been knitting. Not all of it is going well.

First up Embossed Leaves socks.



I really like the sock pattern, this is the second time I've knit it. You may remember the first. Notice the difference in the patterning in the yarn. I'm not convinced that I like the color patterning in this version. In fact, I know I don't. These were knit with Pacapeds alpaca blend. Lovely, soft yarn, but a tad splitty. The fancy, schmancy, cast on and the twisted rib combined to make it rather tight around the top. (Also I make them about 7 inches long rather than 6 or shorter. I hate shortie socks.) So for the second sock I used a long tail cast-on and it was much more flexible.

Knitting Lies

And I really mean it. I am knitting a cardigan from Cherry Tree Hill Oceania. A merino boucle yarn. I bought the put up over a year ago and it was around 1600 yards. It literally took HOURS to wind into useable cakes. I was petrified that if I screwed up it would be a mess to rip. Fortunately that is not the case, because here's what I got as I started the back.


See the big streak of gray right in the middle. Attractive no? I know what you're thinking.....why the heck didn't the idiot knit with two balls? Well, the bad news is that the idiot was so paranoid about ripping boucle, that she DID knit from two different balls. Yes, indeedy, and that is what I got. Charming? Then look down a little farther....see the hole?



Right here.

Now it isn't like I wasn't checking as I was knitting along. But all of a sudden there is a hole. Not a dropped stitch, but I somehow did a M1 without knowing it. There was nothing I could do. Fortunately, for all concerned, meaning me, the M1 occurred below the gray clump. I ripped to the hole without too many tears, and began again. And how far along was I? See the stitch marker? That's where the armhole shaping began. (I always mark the point where some change takes place, so I can compare the other pieces.) I was already making the arm scythe (I always wanted to use that word) shaping. Now I have to hope that I didn't choose a too small size. I am making the medium because the large seemed to be sized out to be enormous.

It has not been a satisfying knitting month.