Knitter Monkey

So my doctor's orders to "take it easy" and "limit physical activity" have given me a good excuse to sit around and just knit. I thought I'd make amazing progress on it having all of Thursday to knit, and then Thursday turned into an all-day nausea-fest. Still, it's coming along - I'm about a third of a way into the elbow increases. I looked up tips for the shrug online and just ended up feeling inferior since everyone who posts about it on the Knitty boards says something like "wow this was such a quick knit! I finished one sleeve in three days!" I am not the fastest knitter in the world, but I'm not exactly slow either! All those P3togs and S1K2togPSSO really slow a girl down though, and it probably doesn't help that I'm double-stranding.

I did get a little "crazy" and order some beads for it last week, so we'll see if I feel ambitious enough to crochet a bunch of beads on after I finally finish this baby. I know, it might have been smarter to think about beads beforehand, but of course I just didn't even think of it until I had six hours committed to the project already. Sometimes you read peoples' knitting blogs, and they talk about going back and fixing mistakes, lifelines, frogging back entire sections to grab a dropped stitch - I'm not that hardcore. At all. When I discover that suddenly my 12 stitch repeat section has turned into 11 stitches, I'd much rather insert an increase in there than frog back to the two stitches I accidentally knit together three rows back (Is this a real life example? I'll let you decide.).

Given, however, that this is for my wedding, it's entirely possible that I'll decide to redo the whole thing when I see how it finally comes out, but so far so good.

Posted by Erin at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SP, you totally made my day. Yesterday, I had to have gum surgery, and I spent today having a terrible reaction to the Vicodin they put me on afterwards - seriously unpleasant. Late in the afternoon though, I ventured out to check the mail, and I had a package! Everything was wrapped up so prettily that I almost didn't want to tear into it, so I took a picture first:

You ought to teach a wrapping class or something! It was positively delightful. Then, I opened everything up ...

Wow! SP, everything was so incredibly thoughtful. I love-love-love the binder - that is such a neat idea, and I would never have thought of it, but I have at least a dozen printed out patterns just lying around the house getting lost everywhere so it's *perfect*. And the yarn and the clutch are so cute! Plus, oh man, the Jelly Bellies! So many, and all pink grapefruit and red apple! It's like Jelly Belly heaven, and I don't even have to hide them from my fiance 'cause there's plenty to share. :)

Thanks, SP! You really made a lousy day a whole lot better.

Posted by Erin at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After suggestions from several people, I decided tonight to ty to start Knitty's "I Do" shrug with some discontinued silk Karabella yarn I won on eBay a few months ago. It's taken me like three solid hours of knitting to get to row 14 of the pattern! The first hour of that was just completing row one, which starts off with all of these p2togs - nearly impossibly on the cast-on edge. When I start the second sleeve, I might try casting on on size 8s and switching to the size 7s to see if that makes it any less ridiculous. It's definitely going to be gorgeous, but I don't know if I have the patience (or the hand stamina!) to get through this whole thing without abandoning it for something easier. Even the Leo sweater is starting to look tempting next to the shrug of doom. Maybe it will get easier once I get more of the decreases done, though, who knows...

Posted by Erin at 10:09 PM | Permalink

Today I finally caved and started the second sleeve, after I accidentally opened my dresser drawer containing the other three pieces of this sweater earlier this week. It seems sad that this sweater sits there, so close to completion, with no one to finish it. The thing is, I have a feeling that it is basically going to end up being all wrong, and I will have wasted all of this time (not to mention 22 skeins of Cotton Cash) on a sweater so ridiculous that Dan will only wear it around the house to show me how much he cares (which he actually will, for some reason). But ... might as well finish. besides, you never know, it might turn out to be alright in the end.

Posted by Erin at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Here it is, the Secret Pal 7 Questionnaire!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
I'm not a huge yarn snob, but yeah, I guess a little. I prefer pretty, soft yarns, and Red Heart and Lion Brand usually don't make the cut. On the other hand, there are projects where those can be perfect (like the stuffed robot, or my Christmas stockings), and there are some cheap yarns that I do like (like Caron's Simply Soft and Wintuk). My stash is predominantly natural fibers, though.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I crocheted in college but have basically dissented in order to get more knitting time in.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Nothing! I bought some sock monkey fabric with plans to eventually make myself a nice knitting bag with lots of pockets or a roll-up needle case, but who knows when I'll get to that...

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'm probably somewhere in between a beginner and intermediate. I've only been knitting for about a year, but I kind of dove in head first and knit pretty obsessively at this point, so I've already developed a lot of knitting skills (basic stitches, circular needles, dpns, lace, socks, felting, seaming), but have a long way to go before I am even close to advanced.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, through my primary e-mail address, but a warning - it was basically decimated at Christmas time when my dad went crazy and bought 75% of what was on it. I guess I ought to update it again.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love-love-love grapefruit-scented stuff, and anything type of fresh floral scent (not too perfume-y), like Demeter's Wet Garden or I just got this Jaqua body butter in "Rose in Bloom."

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Oh man, do I. If it's candy, it's my favorite. Candies I am currently obsessed with: Whoppers, white chocolate anything, those new Hershey's kissables, and Jelly Bellies in Red Apple and Pink Grapefruit (can you tell I am a grapefruit fan?). But, who are we kidding, candy is good. Really good.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I have about ten cross-stitch projects waiting to be completed, and several sewing plans waiting in the wings. I also do a little stained glass work.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Easy question first: all of my CD players are MP3 CD players.
As for what kind of music, I listen to a weird mix of stuff, and I have kind of crappy taste sometimes (as in, I might have bought the first Britney Spears album if I could have lived with the fact of owning it). A lot of country - think Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Trisha Yearwood, Sugarland, LeAnn Rimes. Fun punk rock, like Bowling for Soup and Less than Jake and smaller bands like Ultimate Fakebook and the June Spirit. A little indie/alternative - the Shins, Postal Service kind of stuff. And then girl music - LOVE the Indigo Girls and K's Choice, Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, groups/artists with a strong female vocalist. Anything I can sing along to in the car is good.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favorite color is purple but I pretty much adore every color - pink is so pretty and girly, greens and blues are so beautiful and serene, browns are comforting, and on and on. I'm a little ridiculous.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my fiance Dan, my cat Sydney Grace (female orange tabby), and my dog Diesel (female black lab mix). We're getting married (the fiance and I, not the dog or the cat) on March 25th.

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats, and gloves, but never ponchos. I live in Georgia though, so cold weather apparel is sadly often unnecessary.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Ha, if you scroll down you'll see I am basically obsessed with Blue Sky Alpaca (Cotton, mostly) and Malabrigo Merino Wool. I think if I buy anymore Blue Sky Cotton, my fiance might disown me, but even he has fallen prey to the charms of Malabrigo. I like my yarn softer than soft, as soft as possible, and I like natural fiber yarns. I'm a sucker for anything with a little silk in it (pure silk being absurdly expensive).

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really, really can not stand anything scratchy or rough. No fun fur or weird lumps or zig zags or anything.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I don't know how to answer this - my current knitting obsession is, well, knitting. All the time. Constantly.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love it all! I like things like socks and gloves and lace because I think it's neat when it comes out right, but then sometimes it's really nice to just knit some plain old stockinette, or something fast like a scarf or a hat.

17. What are you knitting right now?
I have a skirt, legwarmers, a pair of socks for Dan, and the mitered square rug from Interweave on the needles right now. And then there is always the interminable Leo sweater of death - I have to cast on for the second sleeve at some point but I'm procrastinating like mad.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I like short straights (under 12") and circular for any project wider than that.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I hate plastic, but I'm a big fan of both wood and aluminum needles. The wood ones are pretty (and work well), and the aluminum ones are delightfully slippery.

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, a Christmas gift! So much fun.

22. How did you learn to knit?
I watched the instructional videos at KnittingHelp.com and then just dove in. I refer back to the site whenever I need to know something new.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
That would be the Leo sweater, so, four months.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I am obsessed with monkeys. Cute monkeys, not scary ones. And the Care Bears.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Monkeys and Care Bears? I have a stunning collection of monkey socks. I guess I am a pretty big sock collector too - I can't resist a nice striped or argyle sock.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None - I go to Barnes & Noble and flip through the issues to decide if I want them that quarter.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I get spoiled for Christmas, so I already got the one book I was totally desperate for (Knitting Vintage Socks) ... I'd love a pattern for something with a cute monkey on it.

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I just learned the sock knitting so I'm hoping to get that down solidly before I move on to the next thing.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I guess I am now! We'll see how my first real sock comes out (I started with Fuzzy Feet). My foot is 9.5" long and about 10" around, but I have fat ankles (proportionally at least) - a half inch or so above my ankle is like 11". I can't find any socks that don't cut off my circulation!

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
06/23 (81)

Posted by Erin at 12:15 PM | Permalink

Oh yeah ... Santa brought me a winder *and* a swift! Now I look forward to winding balls, rather than try to put off projects that require the use of un-wound hanks....

Posted by Erin at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

It has been a while since I updated this blog, but there has been so much knitting. First I finished the Clapotis, in just eight days! This was a Chirstmas gift for my future mother-in-law (okay, that's a scary phrase), and it was very well received I am happy to say. The colors turned out to perfectly match a favorite piece of jewelry, too, so, added bonus.

Here it is blocking:

And here is a closer view of the stitch pattern and a better illustration of the color:

I then did a really pretty cabled purse out of Chocolate brown Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton for his sister, which was a fun project until I got to the lining, which I had no idea at all how to sew in. I basically left the purse unfinished on the couch for two weeks before I finally buckled down the day before Christmas and made myself give it the old college try. It worked pretty well - better than these pictures came out. Unfortunately, I took these when we were in NJ and there is no way to re-take them now, but suffice it to say there are pretty cables on the purse!

Other exciting holiday projects included a feather and fan scarf for my mom out of Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in Black Purl, and a ribbed hat for my dad out of Green Quatro Cascade 220. And a My So-Called Scarf in the Stone color for my sister. I don't have pictures of any of these.

I also knitted for Dan, so hopefully there will be pictures of that soon. Cigar gloves and a matching hat out of Blue Sky Alpaca (Sport and Bulky), and the robot stuffed toy from the Unusual Toys to Knit book, loaned to me by a co-worker.

Basically, I've been busy! So busy that on Wednesday I decided, what the hell, let's try felting and socks, so I did some Fuzzy Feet. They came out pretty well, but again, the dead camera batteries thwart me. It seems that at this point, I can't just sit still and watch TV without having some knitting in my hands. My new projects are socks for both of us, and a skirt I'm trying out but might frog because it looks like it might be see-through no matter what I do, and I ordered a whole bunch of yarn for a Care Bears scarf I am planning in the future.

Maybe I should update regularly instead of just going and throwing all of this out there.

Posted by Erin at 10:13 PM | Permalink