Down a dark path...

Sorry that I've been absent. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. My birthday was yesterday. I didn't really do much at all for it, but I did go out to dinner with a whole bunch of friends on Saturday, and my family sent me a package. My way cool secret pal has left me tantalizing hints about a package that should be here any day...how exciting!

So, It's begun--I think I've past the point of no return. I'm talking about knitting Christmas presents. I've never done it before, but I can just sense that this is going to get me in trouble in future. I know there's going to be stress and pressure, because I've never had to knit on a deadline before. Does anyone else hear the theme from Jaws, or is it just me?

My brother C asked if he were to send me money for yarn, would I knit a scarf for him? Without really thinking I told him that he didn't have to send me money, I'd make him one for Christmas.

I was going to use some stash yarn, but I didn't really have anything in the color he wanted. So I had to go to the yarn store and find some. Bummer. I just loathe browsing around the yarn store. (Watch out--there's lightning flying around here!) So I found some navy blue merino/mohair/cashmere blend that I thought was nice. I've experimented with a couple of stitch patterns, but in the end, I think it's going to just end up being a simple k2p2 rib, because I can do that mindlessly and fast. I don't want my knitting to be the source of stress in my life--it's supposed to be a stress reliever.

I figured out how to adjust my camera to capture more of a true color when I take a picture in natural light. C's scarf is in the photo above, as of this weekend. I've added a couple of inches to it since then.

Somewhat Productive

Today was my half-day off. When I work on Saturdays (which is most weeks) I get off work around one o'clock on Tuesdays. I had all these big plans to be really productive this afternoon. But I woke up this morning congested and cold and feeling pretty blah in general, so when I came home, I crawled into bed and slept for three hours! It felt really good. I must have really needed it, and I feel much better now.

I did get some things done today. I made some goodies to take into work tomorrow for a birthday potluck. Chicken salad in little pie shells with a half a grape on top. They almost look good enough to eat, huh?

I also did laundry and worked on Eris. My camera batteries are charging right now, so no more pictures today. It doesn't look much different than the last time I showed it, just a few rows longer.

Scheherazade is moving right along. I've got about six more rows of the first chart done. I'm trying to decide whether I should unzip the provisional cast on and work on the second half at the same time (you make it from the center out, with the two sides mirroring each other). Knowing me, I'd probably get confused as to which side was which, so I'd probably better not.

Just in time for cold weather

What's with the crazy weather around here? Yesterday, it was sunny and nearly 80 degrees outside. Today it was rainy and never got above 45, and they're predicting snow flurries for tonight! YUK!!! Luckily, I have something new to wear against the cold...This was such a quick knit! I did make some modifications to the pattern. I decided not to do the picot edging at the knuckles because I didn't want them to flare out. I made a few mistakes, too. I was so afraid that I'd run out of yarn before I finished the second one that I knit it much tighter than the first. I think I also messed up one of the cables at the wrist and knit one row too few between cable rows. As a result, it was shorter than the other, and I had six grams of yarn left!

I went back in and added two or three extra rows between where I divided for the thumb and the cables at the knuckles. I actually like it better, because it's tighter and covers a bit more of my fingers. I still have some yarn left and I may go back in and redo the bind-off on the first.

I think I'm going to have to go online and see if I can find some more of this yarn and make a hat and scarf to match, and maybe figure some way to make mitten flaps. I'm not sure how often I'll actually wear them if my fingers are always out in the cold.

Oh, no, just what I DIDN'T need!

Okay, I really don't mean that. I got a LOVELY package from my Secret Pal today. Thank you, Secret Pal!!! But it's going to get me in trouble. Get a load of these goodies:

There are notecards (I love stationary and paper products!) and some Gardenia soap that smells HEAVENLY, and some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a great pink color.

So now I'm in trouble. First, I told myself this afternoon on my drive home from work (before I knew that there was a package waiting in my mailbox) that I really should stop casting on for new projects before I finish ones I've already started. Case in point: I'm not done with the Bristow cardigan I started this summer, I really ought to redo my roommate's cousin's hat before cold weather sets in, I just started Eris a few weeks ago, and I've yet to cast on for the second Chocolate Raspberry sock. But I'm dying to try Melanie's Scheherazade shawl.

So guess what I did tonight. Yup.

Lest you think "Oh, that's not so bad," let me tell you what I did while standing in line waiting to vote yesterday morning. Yup.

(No, I didn't do all that while standing in line. I'm not that good. I just cast my red yarn onto the provisional crochet chain.) I'm using some laceweight 100% wool I bought on eBay that had been recycled from a commercial-made sweater. I really like how this is turning out so far. The yarnover eyelets really show well, but the solid portions of the shawl are still relatively opaque. I'm using Susan Bates 2.75mm (US#2) This is one of my first forays into lace knitting, and my first stole.

And then there's this Gardenia soap. Do real Gardenias actually smell like this soap? Dear secret pal, do you realize that my thumbs are itching to be green and I'm trying to hold them back? I don't really need a new hobby. And my cats eat plants. I just potted some spring bulbs in a planter on my back porch the other day and told myself that was it. But man, oh man, if Gardenias really smell like that soap, I might have to buy a plant. And from what I hear, they're VERY VERY finicky!

Call me a rebel

I certainly am talkative this week--three posts already!I bought some really cute boots tonight for work. I have to wear a uniform where I work, black pants or skirts, black shoes, and blue shirts with the company logo. It's nice to not have to decide what to wear in the morning, but it does get old after a while. We're also supposed to wear hose or black socks. That was fine until last November, when I learned how to knit socks. Who wants to wear store-bought socks when handknit socks are so nice? And who wants to knit black socks when there are so many beautiful sock yarns out there? And knitting with black is hard on the eyes anyway.

So I bought some boots that are a little higher than my ankles. Now, when I wear pants (which I do 95% of the time) I can wear socks of whatever color I choose. Take that, you boring old dress code!

It's starting to look like a sweater!

I worked on Eris yesterday and today. Getting close to benchmark points usually motivates me to knit like mad until I get to that point. Especially when that point is one (like being able to put the sleeve stitches on a holder) where it means that the number of stitches on a row is significantly smaller because it means that the knitting will grow that much faster!

The more that I look at it, the less I am satisfied with my cables on the collar. I see lots of mistakes and they don't look as pretty as the pictures in the pattern. But that's to be expected--this is practially my first experiment with cables. But what I didn't expect was that they're not as pretty as I thought they were a few days ago!

I've been told that blocking helps even out stitches in stockinette. I hope that it will also make my cables look nicer.

Update

I've finished one Chocolate Raspberry sock. I need to start the second one before I get second sock syndrome...
Here's the latest on my Eris cardigan. I worked on it for a couple of hours this past Tuesday when I was over at the Laundromat. That's really my best knitting time. No one is ever there, so I just sit around with my headphones on and knit. Best of all, I don't feel like I'm wasting time, because I can't really do much else during that time anyway! The color's acutally not too bad in this photo, except that it's a little darker in person.

A first time for everything

I've never done a meme before.

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Melissa

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of. My parents just liked the name. Along with lots of other parents that year--Melissa was the most popular girl's name the year I was born.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I'm not really sure. It's been a couple of months, I think.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I actually really like my handwriting. I've always loved pens and paper and school supplies and I'm a big fan of handwritten letters. Lately I've gotten into fountain pens and dip pens and researching old styles of handwriting. I think that Spencerian script is pretty, and I'd like to learn it, but it's not practical for most things nowadays--it's kind of hard to read!

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I like chicken or turkey or salami.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course! Who wouldn't? ;)

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I do. I've been keeping a journal pretty steadily (meaning I'd write several times a week for months at a time, then drop back to once in a few months) for the past ten years or so. I've been much more regular about it for the last five years or so.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yup.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Definitely not.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like Life cereal or Frosted Mini-Wheats. I'm not a big fan of fruity or chocolatey cereals or any kind of cheerio's.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not usually. Come to think of it, I think I only own one pair of shoes that ties, and I hardly ever wear them.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? What kind of an ambiguious question is that? I'm not really very strong physically, but there are definitely issues that I don't bend on.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chocolate has always been a favorite, but I really like Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake (or anyone's Strawberry Cheesecake for that matter).

14. SHOE SIZE? 7.

5. RED OR PINK? Right now it's pink. But I really like red, too. I just don't have much of it.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I need to work on being less lazy.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? No one in particular, but I miss having a crowd of friends around that would just come over and talk about everything and nothing for a very long time.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure. Why not? It would be fun to see if anyone actually READS my blog aside from my secret pal! (Hi, Secret Pal!) :)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Bluejeans, white tank top, pink cotton cardigan. No shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A chicken sandwich on my way out the door for Institute class tonight.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My two cats chasing each other around the living room and some piano music.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Clean smells--like rain or citrus or clean laundry.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My friend Christina, who called to ask if I could give her a ride to class tonight.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes, I think.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I've actually never met her, but I like reading her blog.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Pink Lemonade, hands down.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? Volleyball.

29. EYE COLOR? Hazel.

30. HAT SIZE? You know? I don't really know! Something medium, probably.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Sometimes. I hate the hassle of fighting with them in the morning to get them in, and taking them out every night when really I'd rather just got to sleep. But I think I look better in them than I do in glasses. ;)

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Pasta. No low-carb diets for me!

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. Definitely happy endings.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? I like winter--I love scarves and mittens and hats and sweaters!

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, I guess. I haven't tried any kisses!

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice Cream.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no idea.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Ditto.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Emma by Jane Austen. Who am I kidding--I have "The Complete Novels" in one volume and I just skip around and read my favorite parts in all the stories!

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I don't have a mouse pad.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't own a TV but I watched a miniseries called "Wives and Daughters" on DVD on my computer the other day.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Rain and thunder.

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Not really a big fan of either. I've heard more Beatles songs, though.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Russia. Twelve time zones away from my family--can't get much farther than that! (Well, not unless you drive a rocket).

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Thinking outside the box. For example, not long ago, I played a game called Scattergories and at one point we had to come up with a four-letter word that starts with "P" that no one else would think of. I wrote down "Profanity". It works, in an offbeat kind of way. :)

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Illinois.

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I shamelessly stole it from Cara.

A Brilliant Idea

Sorry about the bad pun, but I'm excited about this idea I just had. I have a ball winder, but no swift, so winding balls has been a long, slow process with hanks carefully draped around the back of my chair. I've thought about buying a swift, but they're expensive and I don't know where I'd keep it.

But tonight, I realized that the shade on the lamp on my desk is REALLY big--big enough to hold a hank of Cascade 220! So I loosened the top screw, placed my hank on the shade, and voila! A ball of wool wound within a matter of one or two minutes, rather than forty-five!

A new project and a new toy

I'm having issues with my computer and Mozilla Firefox, sorry that I haven't posted in a while. And I can't get Blogger to upload photos no matter which browser I use. GRR! But I've been busy!

As if I really needed another project on the needles, but I just couldn't wait to get started: An Eris cardigan. I expropriated the needles from the Bristow cardigan once I finished the Front Left piece I'd been working on and will be using them for Eris. I really ought to finish Bristow first, but oh, well! I've completed the collar and am now working on the yoke. The cardigan is made from Cascade 220, color #2412 , kind of a berry color.

I also have a new toy. I've always loved school supplies: folders, notebooks, pens, paper, stickers, binders, etc. A few years ago, my brother came out to make a campus visit to the school I was attending, and we went to the museum of art and looked around for a while. Then we went to the museum gift shop, and saw these dip pens made out of glass. They were so pretty and we both really liked them. We almost bought them, but it wasn't practical at the time. Last week, I saw a set on sale for pretty cheap elsewhere, and so I snatched it up!

SP9 Questionnaire

Is up and posted there to the right!

Lots of things on the needles

It's been a while since I posted last. Here's what's going on in my corner of the world:

I'm still working on Bristow. I've reached the first bindoffs for the armhole on the front left side. I don't know why I've set it aside the past week or two--with the decreases it will go much faster.

(No outfit is complete without cat hair.)

I also started another pair of socks, from the "chocolate raspberry" Koigu that Jennie sent me for SP8. I had intended to use them to make a different, more complicated pair, but I changed my mind and decided to make these "mindless knitting" socks.
Can I just say that I LOVE the colors of these socks? I love how pink and brown look together.

I've also got an Odessa hat still on the needles, but no pictures, since my AA batteries for my camera are in the charger at the moment.

I had to frog the green Odessa hat I started for my roommate's cousin. I didn't make it long enough. But that's okay--I will still enjoy making it again. I guess I'd better hurry, though: the cold weather's coming!

SP9 started this week. I'm looking forward to another round of a great game. My answers to the questionnaire will be up shortly, at the link to the right called "100 things about me". Just so you know, I've not yet thought of a hundred things about myself to post!

Have you seen this?

Addicted to knitting

Sad but true...

Long Monday, or "Too tired to think of a title today"

Sorry this is late--I've had some technology issues this week. I got a reveal package for my AWESOME secret pal, Jennie (THANK YOU, so much!!!) But I couldn't find my camera to take a picture, so you'll have to deal with this poor phone-camera picture.
There's a lace-cuff sock pattern, some oatmeal-lavendar soap, a postcard, and three skeins of Crystal Palace Kid Merino. It's so soft, and I LOVE the color. There was also a CD of songs in French and Portuguese and German and Spanish (I don't speak any of those languages, but I love music not in English). They're kind of like Jazz and I like the CD.

I've got about eight inches done on my Bristow cardigan (sorry, no photos--too lazy!).

Busy Busy Busy--version 2.0

I've been really rather productive lately, I think. And rather scattered, too

I finished the back of the Bristow cardigan.
And I've now started on one of the front panels. I think I want to learn this "cabling without a cable needle" technique before I get very far though.
I bought some remnant fabric at Wal-Mart to make a case for my multitude of DPN's.
I based it off of this pattern, except that I made it with only one row of pockets, and it's only tall enough to hold my DPNs. I only have three pair of straight needles--I do everything on circs or DPNs--so I didn't think it worth the trouble to add pockets for them to this case. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, except I didn't think to make the slot big enough for my size 0's and 1's. I have three seperate sets of each size, I think. So for the moment, some of them are residing in the slot for size 10's. I've got a little extra fabric left, so I think I'm going to try to come up with some way to make a case for my circs.
I also started a new project: an Odessa hat for my roommate's cousin. She liked the colors of my Crazy socks that I finished a little while ago, and wanted a hat out of the same colors. I couldn't find any yarn in that colorway in a DK or Worsted weight, so I bought some white wool and Kool-Aid dyed it. It was fun. Not quite the same colors as my yarn, but she says she's thrilled with it.

Also in the works: I went on a shopping spree this weekend and bought some Cascade 109 bulky weight wool in some loud colors to make a Kitty-Pi bed for Jami and Mattie. I'd show you pictures, but it seems that Blogger won't let me have more than five in one post! (Normally, that's not a problem.) I want to find some size 13 DPN's though. I may just do it backwards, from the outside in, just so I can get started that much sooner! And I strung some beads onto a ball of yarn to make a beaded Odessa for myself. Knitting ADD, I tell you.

A sudden change of pace

Enough is enough! Someone I work with keeps turning the air conditioning to FRIGID. So I've pulled out some yarn I have in my stash and decided to make myself a cardigan. I started it last night. The pattern is one I've had my eye on for a while, Bristow, from an old issue of Knitty.

(Know what? Black is very hard to photograph!)

After having made little except socks for a while, I'm surprised that the needles don't feel huge and awkward. I'm sure that when I go back to socks, they'll seem tiny and fragile. Not like it's going to stop me!!!

Socks again!

Here's an update on my Mom's socks. I'm really having fun with this self-striping yarn. I don't have the label anymore, but I bought it at a store here in town called Meijer (a nice Dutch name, that). It's fun to watch the stripes emerge. The only issue that I have with it is that the yarn seems to be quite scratchy. Maybe I'm spoiled because I've only ever worked with Koigu or Artyarns, which are nice, soft, and "squishy". I hope that the socks will soften up when I wash and block them.


The colors are almost spot on in the first picture, but the second is more recent. I've knit a few more rows beyond even what's shown here.

I have all this lovely wool/silk yarn in my closet that's waiting to be made into a sweater. That was supposed to be my project this summer....um...yeah. That was before I became addicted to socks.

Up and Running

My computer is back to normal again. I don't know what happened; something with the cord, I think, but I threatened to buy a replacement cord, and it got the hint and snapped back to obedience.

Here is the photo I promised of my secret pal's latest benevolence:

What a great game this is! (Thanks again, Secret Pal!)

I also have a Finished Object to report: The Crazy Colors socks are done!!!

Crazy Colors Socks

Started: Around July 4th or so

Finished: August 9, 2006

Generic Top-down socks, using Melanie's Twist stitch pattern on US size 1 DPN's
ETA: Artyarns Ultramerino4, colorway #106.

I'm trying to decide what to do now. I'm itching to start some new socks, but I haven't worked on the Lace Leaf Socks in weeks. I've got the yarn and pattern for a sweater, too. Decisions, decisions...

No photos-just a quick check in

I've had some computer problems this week--GRR! I think I've just about got them fixed, but I just wanted to check in and update. I'm at the library, though, so no pictures today.

I wanted to say again HOW AWESOME MY SECRET PAL IS!!!! I came home from work this week to find yet another package in my mailbox!!!! She sent some KnitPicks sock garden yarn in a Pansy Colorway (I love pansies!). And Barbara Walker's "Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns" just because I said I didn't have a stitch dictionary. I used to check that book out from the library all the time when I was little (like twelve or thirteen). And Chocolate. Mmmmm. Chocolate. And despite the heat wave hitting the country this week, the chocolate stayed neatly in its wrapper!

THANK YOU, YARN FAIRY!!!!!!

Wow! Again?!?

Thanks, Secret Pal! You're wonderful! I came home from work today and found my mailbox stuffed full of goodies. I'd recently ordered a cable to connect my cell phone to my computer, and that came today. There was also this lovely package from my very own Yarn Fairy! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

It contained some absolutely FABULOUS chocolate bars (my favorite flavors, too: chocolate/mint, chocolate/peanut butter, and chocolate/orange), some gorgeous Koigu yarn in shades of browns and pinks, and a sock pattern called "Fanning the Flame". It looks quite challenging: the socks are constructed fan by fan, rather than in a continuous spiral. I'm excited to start (especially with that yummy Koigu yarn!) but I've got a long list of socks to finish first: the Crazy Colors socks, the Lace Leaf Socks, and my Mom's Wild Blue socks (which I have-ahem-yet to buy the yarn for). Thanks again, Pal!

On a slightly different topic, I have a friend coming over tomorrow evening to learn how to knit SOCKS! She saw me working on the first Crazy Colors socks at the church 4th of July picnic, and she wanted to learn how. She knows some of the basics already. I think it's going to be just a lesson about knitting in the round, and eventually we'll get to things like heel flaps and gussets and grafting. All in good time. Although, I wonder if it would be better to show her how to knit toe-up, rather than top-down...

Hmm...