Stupid scarf

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Current listening: White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Um, so here is the curly scarf, dying a slow painful death.



It's only problem was that it was a little too wide - so wide that it sort of looked like it was going to attack and eat me starting at the chin and then heading south. You have to trust me on this one because during it's short life, the curly scarf did not have any pictures taken of itself. They would have been R rated for violence anyway due to the aforementioned attack possibility.

This was another lesson in listening to your instincts. If I had, I wouldn't have this pile of pink yarn puke right now. Once I realized it was going to be garter stitch I *almost* frogged and did it in stockinette instead because I knew it would look better. When I realized it was going to be too wide and hideous, I *almost* bound off right there and saved it while it was still cute. But for some reason, this illogical part of me just kept thinking: "if it looks bad, you can always frog it and start over." I just kept clinging to that... not really thinking about what it would be like to frog 720 stitches per row for four rows, or k in front and back loop increases, or hmm, let's see REALLY FUZZY YARN! How stupid can I be? This pretty much sums up the whole project. Oh yeah, and the fact that it was a waste of like ten bucks in nice yarn. Now broken, bedraggled, and impossible to use yarn.

So I started a different project for my sister-in-law. A Minisweater, aka Boobholder, that is also doomed to die. I think one of the problems here (heh, yeah, only one) is that I'm not currently feeling real lovey with this particular relative anyway at the moment. We seem to have a difference of opinion on something important but instead of talking to each other about it, we hear the other's side of the story from a mutual family member. This is ridiculous, I know, but I think her opinion on the subject is none of her business in the first place. But this is all rallying around my point instead of getting to it.

When I knit for someone, I find that I think about that person and our relationship. When that relationship isn't doing so hot, the knitting really suffers, which in turn drives me up the wall. Instead of being relaxing and fun, I've just wanted to throw my knitting across the room lately. Hopefully something will magically knit itself up for her and I'll have this over with.

Until then tell me, do you find that your knitting reflects your current relationships or emotional state?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Before I head out for the holiday I thought I would post some pictures. First off are Kurt's socks, which are not yet completed. I think I'll bring them along to my Dad's house but can't knit them at Thanksgiving tomorrow because my Grandma will be there. The grandma my sister wrangled foot measurements out of... so I'm afraid if I bring the socks she'll put two and two together. Anyway, here they are almost completed.



Then the curly scarf that I blogged about yesterday. You know, fizz stardust and all. I was a bit disappointed to find out this scarf doesn't give the instant ruffley satisfaction that Marisa's does. (Would you prefer I just name your blog instead of use your real name? I can change it.) But it's a much easier pattern so I guess I deserve to have to wait. Here is my attempt to make it look at least a little bit curly.



Next is the Mock Cable scarf from Stitch and Bitch Nation. Different needles, different yarn, just basically used the stitch pattern. It's so soft to the touch but a little scratchy on the neck.



Here it is on my neck, it definitely IS cozy. Don't mind the washed out look, that's just the flash and the bright light in my face. Help! I'm caught in the headlights! Erm, maybe that's only funny to me. Like when I started mumbling during my budgeting presentation about a funny typo...



The only other thing of note, I think is that I still haven't figured out how to fix the banner in Internet Explorer. Not sure what to do about that yet either. I'll think about it over the weekend and maybe ask someone who knows a little bit more about these things than I.

Well, have a great weekend! I'll be back next week!

House... What House?

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Yes, I believe the house deal is falling through as we speak, or type rather. It's been a rollercoaster of sorts. At this moment in time they may be willing to lower the price a little but I am no longer really willing to purchase it - or go as high in price as they would like. I'm sort of a commitment-phobe and while I really really REALLY love the house, this was all just too much, too fast, too hectic. When I find the house I'll buy I know it will all just fall into place... and I won't be worried about making the payments as they do so.

So, yet again, I am no longer a homeowner. Damn. There's a lot more to the story, of course, but for now let's all just go "Awww." and leave it at that.

"Awww."

As for knitting, it's been few and far between. I remembered I had one more knitted Christmas present on my list: my sister-in-law. She's in her first year of college, likes pink and brown, and doesn't need a hat, a scarf or gloves. So I thought a nice bolero would be perfect. A small, fairly easy, machine washable and inexpensive project. I gathered up a few patterns I liked (there were very few I could find that I did) and headed off to the various stores that carry yarn in this here town. Without going into detail, lets just say this shopping expedition, like the majority of my shopping expeditions, doesn't have a happy ending.

Once I got home, I started crocheting (yes, I know this is a knitting blog) with some brown Wool-ease and pearl beads and soon became disillusioned with my crocheting skills, which I previously thought were pretty excellent. I did, after all, start crocheting doilies at the age of nine. Ahem. Due to this little exercise and subsequent starting and stopping of three other projects with various needles, patterns, and ideas, my wrist is freaking killing me. Therefore, little knitting this weekend. I now think I'm going to make her a scarf - a Fizz Stardust Corkscrew Scarf to be exact. Yes, I realize she doesn't need a scarf and I'm copping out here but it's just too much stress and worry and whine for me. She's getting a pretty curly scarf. In a yarn that's more "cotton candy" than "fizz stardust". And actually, to help make me sound like less of a horrible sister-in-law, she will love this scarf. It's totally "her". But first, I'll finish the scarf for the Secret Santa exchange here at work, also made with cotton candy yarn.

Speaking of secret exchanges... Secret Pal... Are you out there? Haven't heard from you in, you know, a long time.

Fridays suck

Friday, November 18, 2005

Whenever Kurt and I talk about our favorites, which we seem to do a lot, I always say that Friday is my favorite day of the week. Mainly because it's the day we spend the evening together watching movies and eating popcorn and being silly. But I'm realizing it's not entirely true. While Friday evening is my favorite evening of the week, the actual day is anything but. In fact, it may be my second worst day next to Monday. Work is soooo slow and unmotivating because there is no one here. Really. In an office of 20-something, on Fridays we usually have 4-6 people here. This afternoon there are three. There are good things about it though: my boss usually lets us leave an hour early and sometimes, like today, he buys us lunch. But getting through the day is pure hell. So I'm taking my afternoon break to whine and complain to you all. I'll stop that now.

I *am* excited. Excited because after I finished eating free pizza for lunch I took off for the movie theator and got us tickets to Harry Potter. They weren't even sold out! I thought for sure they would be but I think the midnight showing last night really helped. So this Friday night movie night will be even cooler and more fun than it usually is. I'm wondering how I can convince Kurt to bring his invisibility cloak* without actually suggesting it. I just think it would be fun. While I was at the theater getting tickets there was a guy - about my age - wearing a Griffyndor colored polo shirt and that was just fun.

And while I took the sock to Turkey Bingo last night at Kurt's school, tonight it will have to stay back at home. I know I could bring it along and knit before the show starts, during the 30 minutes of previews and commercials (commercials! at a movie! I hate it!) but I'd rather sit and talk about the movie with Kurt. It's so fun.

So, ahem, this entry is all about fun. I hope everyone reading this has a fun weekend and I'm sure I'll be back next week with some more knitting content and even *gasp* more pictures.

*The invisibility cloak is just a big square of shiny goldish blackish see-through fabric we bought at the fabric store. It cost less than $5 and has been a source of entertainment for like two years already.

And a snag...

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Well okay. T-Bomb (can I call you Talitha?) left a comment letting me know that Internet Explorer (I'm assuming a little here) doesn't like my new design. Tis true, I opened my blog up in IE and all I see is the main posting area. The banner and sidebar are completely MIA.

Anyone know how to fix this?

I use Mozilla Firefox and with that my new design looks splendid but in IE it looks unfinished and, dare I say, ugly? Help if you can. I will do what I do best in situations like these: Google.

And a leap!

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Holy shit, huh? I decided to sit down "for a little bit" tonight and try to figure out what I was going to do about my blog. HTML hates me now. Blogger seems to hate the tables I make even though they're just like the ones I've used in the past. So I just edited my CSS style sheet one. line. at a time. I made damn good use of the Preview button tonight. Take THAT blogger!

Anyway, right now, bleary eyed and tired, I really like the slightly altered layout and I sort of like the new color scheme. I really like my banner. More than I thought I did. Does it make your eyes water? I know it's blurry but it's from a painting I did and I really liked the way it turned out even though it's blurry.

I'm rambling now. The second sock continues! I think I'll get to the heel tomorrow.

P.S. Don't be surprised if there's a new entry from me tomorrow morning saying I hate what I did to my blog... Hah. Hope not.

Baby steps...

Some teeny tiny changes to the page today. I realized last night (while knitting...) that I didn't even get the Secret Pal banner up and, um, Secret Pal is over in a few short weeks. So the little banner is up, as well as the Knitting Blogs one. I'd like to get my links to the blogs I read back up too. I know that's how I delved into this whole blog-reading thing - skipping from blog to blog - and I'm sure new readers (I know there are a few because I've had some comments. Hi!) would appreciate that. So I'll try to make time for it. The overhaul though, on the site, is going very very slowly... mainly because I'm having to reteach myself HTML and most nights I just feel like knitting and not HTML'ing. Anyway, some changes today. Hooray for little tiny banners!

In knitting news: I've now knit the toe on Kurt's second sock three times. THREE. But no matter how many times I do it, the stripes are not going to match up so we're going with what we got. And what we got are non-matching striped socks. Oh well, he'll love them anyway.

That's all. Have a great evening!

Pictures!

Monday, November 14, 2005

It's the Wave and Shell Shawl! And it's completed!


Here it is pre-blocking. Forgive the dark picture, I had to take it Thursday evening so I could get it blocked Friday before I left town.


Blocking Friday morning on my bed. This is the first time blocking on my mattress but not the last for sure! The pins go right in, and stay in, and I can shut the cats out of the room. PERFECT. I counted the pins as I took them out (weird habit) and there were exactly 100. Strange.


Completed. Picture taken this morning before I left the house. I guess we have a storm rolling in so there was no sun at all to light it up. Had to use the flash.

Pattern: Wave and Shell Shawl
Yarn: [I'll post later]
Finished dimensions: ~63" x 22"

I'm so glad to have it done and I love the end result. It's so cozy and pretty. You can see, in at least two of those pictures, the dark rows in the middle of the shawl. Thank God I decided to switch back to a lighter ball of yarn because that dark is really really noticable in the final shawl. It would have looked horrid had I just kept going.

With that out of the way I flew on Kurt's first sock and finished it last night. He's so excited and can't wait to have a pair. I'm so excited because this means I get to start a new project. Well, not counting the pink fuzzy scarf I started on Saturday for my Secret Santa exchange at work. I didn't get pics of that yet though. It's just the Mock Cable scarf from SnBN. I substituted some baby alpaca for the yarns in the book though. Cheap, easy, and looks great. Maybe I'll get pics of these projects sometime this week. But, for now, I'm off to work.

Did I promise pictures?

Thursday, November 10, 2005

...I'm slipping the digital camera in my bag right now. I'll take pictures this weekend and post next week.

I was just sighing over the new Interweave Knits preview that was linked on Jessica's blog. Never have I loved so many projects in a knitting magazine. The Windowpane Jacket, Fair Isle pullover, Bicolor Cables jacket, Retro! Even the Cabled Bandeau is calling to me even though I *know* for a *fact* it would look horrible on me. Tube tops never flatter the flatter chests. Not that I'm like a 7-year-old or anything but I'm certainly not curvy enough to hold that puppy up.

ANYway, the point here is that I have to buy this magazine.

For this weekend though: a dentist appointment, supper with my mom, completion of the Wave and Shell Shawl (finally!), blocking of the shawl (I can't wait!) and work on the ugly *ahem* on Kurt's socks. He doesn't like it when I call them ugly so I'm no longer allowed.

Also, I put a bid in on "the" house but we'll see if they take it. I doubt it, it's pretty low. And I wouldn't close until April 3rd due to renters living in it until then. Weird situation and a long story. But I'm off to have a wonderful weekend! Hope you do too!

No pictures yet...

Sunday, November 06, 2005

and for good reason. I fell in love with a house this week. I've been casually searching for a home for over a year now. I browse the realty circular every few weeks and look at realtor.com when I'm bored but I've never had anything pop out at me and say WOW. I've looked at a few houses, maybe 6-7 and there was only one I liked quite a bit but it needed too much work and sold like hotcakes anyway. There's been this one a few blocks from me that I've driven by but I thought it was a duplex because there are two front doors. This week I set up a time to view a different house also near me but it sucked. I mean really sucked. Weird layout, horrible painting jobs in almost every room and weird renovations. So on a whim I asked the realtor to show me this other one. Walking up to the house I sighed thinking that it didn't look like anything I'd want to buy: too big, too bland, too not what I want. Well, don't judge a book by the cover they always say... as soon as I walked in my brain screamed "this is it!" It's exactly what I want in a house. It's old (107 years!), original hardwood floors and woodwork, character seeping out of every pore, big rooms, a claw foot tub. Need I say more? Okay, it also has closets galore, three bedrooms exactly where I want them, a decent basement, and the neatest windows I've ever seen in the living room and main floor bedroom.

Alright, I'll stop gushing before I throw myself into another panic attack. Suffice it to say I was busy last week. Trying to coordinate some city grants I'll be eligible for, meeting with the bank to be approved for financing (which I was,) frantically working my budget to make sure I can afford it (I can,) and all this in the midst of the business of our every day lives.

I also managed to knit up a tiny baby beanie and mittens for my cousin who's baby shower was on Saturday. I'll post pictures when I get them back - I had to take them with a friend's digital. Then yesterday Kurt and I wound up the third ball of yarn for the shawl. I couldn't do the darker colors. I just couldn't. I left the three pattern repeats with it in there but then switched to this lighter ball (which, of course, is TOO light). The three repeats will be the exact center of the shawl and since I'm a centering freak this worked for me. I worked and worked on it this weekend in an attempt to keep myself calm about the home purchase stuff (I'm so scared someone else will put an offer in before me!) and it sort of worked. In any case, I'm now two pattern repeats from completion. Hooray! No more boring shawl progress shots! Now I can finish Kurt's socks and move onto making some fingerless gloves.

Wish me luck on the house! I'll be calling my realtor first thing in the morning. :)