Day: January 30, 2006

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Knitting olympics

This has been a topic I have mulled over many a time in the last week. Do I do it? Do I not do it? Can I really work on one project for that long without giving in to other knit temptations? I have the perfect project for it. Brocade from Rowan, I started it the day after I got it in the mail & got about 4″ done, then put it down to work on christmas gifts and I haven’t picked it up since. It would defenitely be a challenge during the olympics but I want to actually watch the olympics, not stare at a chart on a magnet board for hours on end each day. That might actually call for wearing reading glasses, again!So I have a decision to make, keep on with what I have planned or put it all away where I can’t see it to work only on the Brocade. Hmmmm….that is one tough decision! I do want that sweater to wear & this winter would be nice so that is a pro. The only cons are reading the chart and working on one lonely project.

On other topics, I didn’t get much knitting done because I picked up a book that Mary loaned me, ‘These is my Words’ and didn’t put it down until I finished it last night! Great book, I laughed, cried and George kept asking me ‘Why are you smiling so much over there?’ The main character, Sarah Prine, was absolutely my kind of woman! Strong, smart (without a college education), loved books and made her way in the 1880’s with nothing but her bare hands & the love of her family! If there were one time that I could transport myself to it would be the 1800’s, settling the west. It’s not a fantasy either, I see it for what it was, the hard work, the danger, the sacrifice. I love it. Plain and simple!

Now back inside to try to finish the rug for Sadie’s room. The rounds are over 400 sts. I want to end at around 700 sts I think. Every 4th row I increase 16 sts so that leaves me about 75 more rows. We’ll see when I get up to 600 sts just how big the diameter of the thing truly is and decide how much further to go. I added a band of black and dark pink fair isle. Just the simple little 3 row fleur de lis to add a bit of interest. I am now back to the solid pink for the rest of the rounds. I will do a fun bind off of some kind. Maybe a bobble bind off. Can’t think of the name of it but I used it on the collar of the Drop Stith cardigan out of the fall 2005 interweave knits. Very subtle but there is interest in it, like a rug binding should have!

 

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If you don’t got it, don’t flaunt it

I so do not have it with the finished black eyelet pullover. So much so that I don’t think I will even bother to post a picture of it until it can be tweeked into submission & acceptable for mass audiences to view! No, you don’t understand. It’s bad, hopefully temporary misbehavior is all it is but we’ll have to see about that! I am the ruler of this here knitting domain!

Tracy was kind enough to bring me my portion of the knitpicks order last night. And she was kind enough to hang with the kids so my man & I could get out for coffee & desert at Andersen’s in downtown Santa Barbara. With the lovely yarn from knitpicks I cast on for Brocade 

I couldn’t possibly wait until I was done with other projects to cast on for this! Although I did finish the eyelet pullover, I said I don’t want to talk about it! I love the wool of the andes yarns that I am using and the pattern is neat because it’s not one that can be memorized but it doesn’t really matter if you miss a stitch here or there because the pattern has a bit of fluidity to it. I find it gorgeous!

I do still have many other projects in the works & below you will see them listed.

*orange debbie bliss fair isle sweater

*feather & fan shawl for a friend out of tan/white cotton

*camping sweater

*moms aran sweater

*dads aran sweater

*tangerine socks

*leaf pullover

and that pretty much sums it up. I am sure there are others lurking in cupboards & bags but they have lost my affection & don’t deserve my attention.

I hope that everyone is keeping those in the South US in their thoughts and prayers tonight & in the coming weeks and months. We are very lucky to live where we live, knock on wood!

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Tracy rocks….

for bringing me the loop-d-loop book to peruse last night. And she is letting me keep it for a bit while she works on her other projects. I love going through these knitting phases where I can’t knit enough items, I can’t covet enough patterns & books! Vogue mag comes soon & I found the first project I want to make  Oh so pretty! And I think that knitpicks wool of the andes will be the perfect yarn to match colors. It’s easy to make it fit a wide variety of gauge’s also.

Anyone notice a trend happening here with my knitting wants? Fair isle, good job kids! Unfortunately my stash isn’t enriched in all colors of one yarn to just start one of these projects. So I will work on my debbie bliss fair isle out of the carrot, etc.  to appease my need for a fair isle sweater right now. Of course after I finish the leafy pullover from loop-d-loop and at least the 2 big gifts I am working on. Oh & I probably should get my butt moving on the camping sweater, I think my man is feeling left out.

Again, thank you to Tracy! She surprised me & bought the coolest  duvet covers for the boys bunk beds! That means that Sadie is going to feel left out next week when they get here. So for the next week I am going to have a goal of finishing the camping sweater & Sadie’s bedspread. Let’s hope that I can work on some other fun things too. I am pretty sure I can. 

Off to make some family members jump with delight at my knitting!