Crappy FO pics

Despite the fact that I've owned my camera for, like 4-5 years, I never had any clue what that weird macro setting was for, until I started reading knitting blogs. It's funny to me that most of my friends and co-workers think that my knitting is such an old-fashioned, matronly hobby, but I've actually been learning quite a bit about web-site design and digital photography from reading other knitting blogs and the sort of problems and solutions bloggers have encountered in developing their own blogs.

This is a long-winded way of saying that my FO pics still suck, but I'm now encouraged to learn how to actually, you know, use my camera and hope that the pics will improve sometime soon.

Today's mystery object are a pair of Clown Vomit mitts for my youngest niece's birthday, yarn picked out by the fashion maven herself, who I would have thought wouldn't have been caught dead in something like this. She picked out the yarn, and requested an idiot string attached to them. Did I mention she's 15 and two older, very fashionable sisters. Yeah, I'm pretty stunned myself.

The mitts knit up super fast, once I actually sat down and committed to a few hours of knitting on them. Once again I assumed that a project can get completed through a process of knitting 10 stitches or so, then wandering off to look at new, sexier projects on Ravelry, then virtually shopping for yarn in quantities I can't possible afford.

Funny how this is the cheapest, crappiest yarn possible, the kind of stuff that makes me feel like I'm chewing on styrofoam and that I'd avoid at all costs, but the niece loved the mitts so much. Yeah, there's enough left for a hat. Soon to be seen in the Xmas FO parade (sometime around next Thanksgiving.)

Oh, yeah, details, pattern just roughed up on the fly, cast on enough stitches to fit around my wrist, knit till they were long enough. Details, bah, I defy you, careful details!

Ravelled here.

Much happenings

There has been stuff going one, knitting and not so knitting. Even a few photos taken.

And then there was some H1N1, still lingering in the Boy, who's been going to sleep at about 6pm every night.

So, between Xmas knitting, winter necessities knitting, and more than a few socks, I have a bunch of projects to share. Hoping to get some sunshine this Sunday to take photos (in between my weekly winter Sunday routine of screaming at the TV, Go Steelers!) And then to have a real post to put up.

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.