Ooof

Man, that was a long month. Once again I failed in my effort to post more often, and to post some pictures. It was a busy, busy month. Folk Fest, lots of work, some really stupid committee crap to deal with. There has, happily, been some knitting, and a bit of an epiphany, too.

I've been working on socks, the clap (I'm utterly sure I'm not the only one who giggles a bit at that), Xmas knitting, and the obligatory unnecessary new project (Girasole, who am I to fight the tide?) I have been knitting and tinking and frogging and basically getting really unhappy with my knitting and getting nowhere.

So last night I decide I'm just going to finish the freaking Monkey (link for the three people left on teh interweb who have not yet started this pattern) that I've been working on for far too long, and won't work on anything else till I do. And guess what, nearly done the first sock. Huh, so, committing to a project might actually help me to finish that project. Who knew? This might be going somewhere.

I've got some major project decisions to make soon. I'm going to be spending 3 days at a cabin with my sister. I've got to pack some knitting. Now, my problem here is 3 days in a cabin with my sister!!! And my other problem is most of the knitting I'm doing right now is Xmas knits for my sis or neice (the clap is for her, yes, I'm giving my sister the clap for Christmas, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously, I have a million of these, don't forget to tip your waitress!)

So, I have 3 days, including some fairly long drives, where I can do some serious knitting, a pressing need for something to distract both myself and my sister (I love my sister dearly, but she's my older sister, much older sister, she used to carry me around like a baby doll when I was little, luckily I've got 60lbs on her now, lol), and I have to pick some projects that won't wind up under her tree this December.

So I'm think Girasole, and I'll put off the other Monkey until the cabin. I really, really, really want to bring along 5 or 6 projects, but I've learned something big about myself today, and should probably actually pay attention to it, this time around.

Yes there has been knitting

...but it is so ungodly hot around here right now that I'm not going anywhere the Outside while the Burning Ball of Hotness is up in the sky. So no pics, at least until I can go out in the midday sun and not wilt like a Georgian heroine. Prairie summer heat is like childbirth, you forget how bad it really is until you're right in the middle of it again.

I know some people really like the heat, but I'm a thin-skinned knitter who seems to attract mosquitos like flowers do bees (as an aside, I also attract bees, they seem to be drawn to my hair, making spring not so much fun either), so winter (or, at least, late fall) will always have my loyalty.

It's also so hot, that even socks are feeling to hot to be in my lap, so my natural reaction to this is to start a large, worsted weight blanket--yeah, I got sucked up quickly into the Girasole love going around. I faved the pattern on Ravelry when it was first released, and was thinking about working on it this winter, but after reading all the comments about what a well written pattern and how easy and quick it was (for a lace blanket) and realizing that I already have more than half the needed yarn in my stash (Cascade 220 heather in a light green that I wasn't really liking in scarf, hat + mitten form anyway) and that my local LYS still had loads of skeins in the same dyelot, well, it was kind of inevitable.

I may have had a bit of a sock yarn slip while there, a couple of lovely fall shade skeins in Malabrigo sock (nomnom) and Cherry Tree Hill. I'm so totally loving the way Embossed Leaves (raveled) are knitting up a lovely spring shade of Araucania Ranco Multy, that I'm making for my neice, I want to make myself a pair, an appropriately fall themed colour, cause that's what it'll be by the time I can get around to knitting them up.

Sorry for the text only post again, I'm hoping to get some more photos of WIPs (and, god-willing, some FO's, tho I'm really great at starting projects, not so great about actually, um, finishing them...) sometime soon.

On a personal note, today is The Boy's 16th birthday. So far I think we're going to be liking 16 a LOT more than 15. Fifteen seems to have been his anno horriblis in terms of adolescent angst/bullshit. Not only is he speaking again, but his birthday request was to spend the day at home, with a home-cooked meal, and to hang out with his mama. Awwwww.

Things I have learned from knitting

1. Patience (this should probably be numbers 1 through 806 of this list)

2. Do NOT leave small, breakable knitting supplies lying around on the couch next to me, you hear me, STOP doing that! (sob, broke another of my precious Brittany birch sock dpn's last night.)

3. Not all cats are obsessed with yarn.

4. Some are very obsessed with yarn (relearning this one after living with two very yarn-ambivalent cats for several years. Also obsessed with underpants, but that's for a very different blog.)

5. You get what you pay for.

6. Corollary to number 5: shortcuts aren't.

7. Despite a greater than kindergarten education, I still have trouble counting to ten in a reliable way (a problem compounded if I'm watching tv or reading blogs while knitting.)

8. Despite years of experience I still like doing some things the hard way.

9. I get an unholy amount of pleasure from looking at my completed socks. Will sometimes stop to admire them on my feet several times a day. In public.

10. I love finicky, tiny needle, tiny gauge projects. Who knew?

Well, that was fun

Today I successfully put on my shirt correctly after only 3 tries.  That's the kind of month I've been having.

Blogging should be picking up a bit more, now that I'm not working the stupid hours.  For today, though, I see a lot more lounging.  Over and out.

100 Things, part III

Dos ici

21. I've never seen Titanic.

22. I never plan on seeing Titanic.

23. I have, however, seen the original 3 Star Wars films at least 100 times each.

24. If I could be any animal, it would be an otter. Otters just rock.

25. I have a tattoo on my head.

26. I have 3 cats and am dangerously close to becoming one of those "cat ladies".

27. I'm really a dog person, but can't have a dog, hence the growing cat harem.

28. I have hitchhiked across (most of) Canada.

29. When I was 8 I wanted to change my name to Starr. Yes, with 2 r's.

30. I cringe to think of that now.

Pics!

Managed to finish a few things, most importantly my first pair of socks!

Mirasol Chirapa on 2.5mm needles.  Kate Gilbert's generic sock worksheet followed loosely (very loosely, my first sock from her worksheet fit The Boy's size 15EEE feet).

Made a ditty bag to hold my clap in progress.

Moda Dea bamboo, don't remember the needles.  After finishing the clap, I'm going to felt the bag and line it to make it a bit sturdier and use it for sock projects.

Araucania Ranco solid 106 Monkey on 2.25mm needles for my dainty footed niece (Xmas present.)

The first of another pair of Mirasol Chirapa socks, this time for The Boy, much larger and in a 3x1 rib on 2.75mm needles.

Manitou Passage Scarf for yet another neice for Xmas, in Cascade 220 Heathers Light Gray, on 5mm needles.  I'll be making a (relatively) matching slouchy hat and some mittens to go with this scarf.  Will add on a pair of socks too, since I've been told by sis that all the family will "definitely appreciate" a pair of handmade socks for Xmas.  What have I gotten myself into here?

Still getting a hang of this photographing projects thing.  I've never been a good photographer, and my camera is crap, so getting better equipment and learning how to take a good photograph is on my long-term to do list. 

100 Things, part deux

Part uno here.

11. I learned to knit when I was 7 or so, but didn't learn anything other than a knit stitch, so made the world's most boring and itchy doll blankets and scarves for a couple of months, then gave up.

12. I've largely taught myself to knit using the internet (Oh You Tube, where would I be without knitting videos and every episode of Spaced?)

13. Further on the above, I taught myself to read when I was 3 (not that astounding, my older siblings were all in school and I desperately wanted to do EVERYTHING they were doing, all the time.)

14. My favorite author is JRR Tolkein.

15. Despite all geeky appearances, I have never dressed up in character costume for a comic-con.

16. With my friends, I consider #15 a personal accomplishment (Arcturian Space Bunny being a popular costume among some of my girl-friends.)

17. I have a (nearly) 16 year old son, and this freaks the hell out of me on a daily basis.

18. I love spicy, exotic foods. Favorite cuisines are Laotian, Nigerian, Sechuan and Indian of any sort.

19. I can make moccasins.

20. Despite the fact that my parents only spoke English, my father's accent was so thick that I often had to translate for him when I was a child.