grooowing; plants, sleeves, tangent side stories

The hydrangea plants that I ordered arrived today!  They didn't look anything like that picture there though.  These were some bare root, dormant little twigs that ship more easily from the nursery in TN.  They looked a little more like ... 

Yeah.  Forgive me if I am a little skeptical about their survivability.

I managed to put quite a few rows on my Gathered Pullover sleeves.  [Side Note: Yes, that's a plural because I am knitting both of them at the same time!  It was very exciting at first, but after some 8" the novelty has tempered.  I am able to do this because of the power of superglue.  Remember the bellyaching about the knitpicks needle that wouldn't screw together properly?  I made it fit.  In a permanent manner.  So when knitpicks sent me the replacement (a harmony wood set, but I don't know why.  I had the nickel plated to begin with.  oh well.) I now had two sets of circs and figured, why not?  Also, the harmony needle came unattached from its metal fitting, so more superglue was employed and all is well.]

Also, the  house is still standing after the windstorm, and no additional plants were harmed.  We didn't end up in Oz either.

Woah! It's windy out there!

I thought March was supposed to go out like a lamb, what the heck is going on here?!  This is like an ornery lamb that's quick on its feet and does not want to be sheared and will fight you every step of the way.  I'm harkening back to an episode of MarthaStewartLiving where they tried to make her shear a sheep, but the sheep had other ideas (namely knocking martha over without a fragment of fleece to show for it).  [End of extended analogy and use of sheep imagery]  

Seriously though, I've seen some high desert winds before, but not for weeks-on-end and not so violent!  We have a lot of mature trees and I'm beginning to worry about them losing branches or toppling into the dining room totally uninvited and without a hostess gift.

Bottom line, if the house blows down, or I end up clear in Oz, I won't be surprised.

This has hampered my pending "look at my garden isn't is pretty" post because I had to cover all of the plants with pots to try and protect them.  Also, I put in a whole bunch of Freesias in the backyard (the shaded, well watered part) and it promptly blew over.  Frown.  They had already bloomed for the year, but maybe they'll survive and bloom properly for us next year.  Or do they bloom continuously until their blooming season is over?  I didn't do proper research on these guys.

The pine cones from the giant tree in the front yard keep dropping on the roof and pitter-pattering all the way down the shingles.  That should be real peaceful for sleeping.  SIGH, is it summer yet?

Happy Birthday Blog!

My blog turns a year old today!  

My knitting has improved a whole lot in that time:  I'm faster, more confident, and have a whole bunch of new skills.  The blogging has probably gotten better too, though maybe less frequent.  I'll make a blogiversary resolution to blog better (not necessarily more, or more often, just to always do the best that I can).

Gathered Pullover: Progress is being made

   These have been some busy weeks around here, what with Spring and all.  Now that the weather is nice, all of the outdoor chores that were neglected during the winter are demanding to be done (right now!).  I work and work and work, yet the list just keeps getting longer!  It's a race to get everything done before it becomes unbearably hot here.  It's actually the same exact time each year; exactly one week before I finish.  So I end up with heatstroke and a sunburn from standing on the garage roof, painting the trim in 110 degree weather.  Good times.

I will write up a post about the more fun/interesting house projects soon.  Like my garden!  [Side Note: It has 1 brandywine tomato plant in it.  I bought it from the nursery.  All of my seedlings died.  No big surprise here.  I just wish I knew WHY!  They never made it past the 'first two leaves' stage.  I avoided fungal rot at the base of the plants this year though.  That's progress!]

My gathered pullover has an entire body, eagerly awaiting sleeves.  The fabric is lightweight and has enough drape along with really defined stitches.  I think the larger needles (US 7) really help this pattern live up to its potential. 

Here's a close-up view of the ribbed, cabled, gathered area on the front of the sweater.  It's like an island of intricacy sitting in a sea of stockinette.  It was a very welcome change after nearly a foot of knitting a straight tube!

Alas, I don't think I'll finish this in time to wear it this spring.  We've already had a few 80 degree days.  There's always the office though, kept at a crisp 68 degrees during the hotter months.  That sounds like light sweater weather to me.

I'm going to have to adjust my knitting calendar so that I'm a season ahead from now on.  Note to Self: Begin spring things immediately after Christmas.  Begin fall things in July.  Begin winter things by September.  That ought to do it.

My bubble wrap sweater is coming along pretty well (if you don't count
the time I had to rip back 20 rows because I didn't read the
directions thoroughly). This sure has some unusual construction
methods that I've never done before. Short-row shoulders? Hmm. I can
tell already that I'm going to love this little sweater to fuzzy bits,
as soon as I finish it that is...

I can haz ball band dish cloth?

Yes, I can. This is actually the second one I've made already and I
think I can squeeze one more out of the leftover Sugar-n-cream cotton
yarn.

Edit:  It didn't occur to me that people would want to know where to get the pattern.  This lovely creation came from the Mason-Dixon Knitting gals book and can be found online here: Ballband Dishcloth.  It's the 'official' one too.  Don't be put off by the simplicity.  It turns out great!

Hey,What Ever Happened To ...

Remember those curtains I posted about a while ago? They didn't work out.

There were marks all over them that needed washing (I was willing to overlook this as long as they came clean). So, they went through a gentle wash cycle, on cold, as per their instructions, but the problem areas remained and they got a little Spray-N-Wash and OxyClean in the water. The marks were gone, but after letting them air dry and ironing them ... they shrank! So much that they no longer fit in the intended area. Unacceptable!

Grumble*lousy curtains*Grumble. So they got a one-way ticket back to the store for being defective, deceptive little buggars. I haven't found a replacement yet, so my desk area is still unusable at peak afternoon times. Sigh.

It isn't that I mind toting the laptop around or working while sitting, ok laying, on my bed. It's a little too comfortable though so I tend to do more "napping" than "working". There's also supposedly an associative problem that can crop up if you start to associate 'bed' with 'work' and it leads to insomnia. I wonder if they've studied the reverse effect of associating 'work' with 'naptime' and discovered a well-rested, though underachieving population. ;-)

Growing

These are my tiny tomato plant seedlings! The reaction I had when these little guys sprouted up over night was akin to the reaction Tom Hanks' character in Castaway had when he finally made fire. "I have made plants, from tiny lifeless seeds in a packet. I have made plants!" As you can tell, I am not much of a green thumb. Truth be told, I've never planted anything and had it live. (Herbology, D for Dreadful, sigh.) We'll see how this goes, but I'm looking forward to some heirloom Brandywine tomatoes circa 1885.

This is my Gathered Pullover. The color is a bit off, but trust me, it's a light blue with hints of purple-e-ness. Yup. 6" of knitted tube. Ok, moving on ...

[Side Note: My nifty new Options circular needle, via knitpicks, is having a problem. The one side won't tighten up. It's doing it on both ends, and on another cable as well. I called knitpicks to see if I might be doing something wrong and they are sending me new interchangeable heads! Now that's customer service! Meanwhile, my knitting sort of catches in that space, which is cumbersome and also rather annoying, so that sweater is in timeout until the new needles arrive.]

Here we have my bubble wrap. It's actually called the Soap Bubble Wrap, but bubble wrap sounds more fun to me. Bubble wrap also = entertainment, who knew? Try the Manic Mode, you'll be glad you did.

It's been a long time hasn't it

Jeez, February just got away from me there! Unfortunately, there have been recent posts that never posted. I tried to use the email/remote posting thing to add some fun internet content and commentary (and knitting and stuff too), but it appears that nothing has actually made its way onto the blog. :-P Drat! Outsmarted by technology again!

"It's a work in progress really."

Sometimes I get a tad ... overambitious let's say.

Sometimes I jump right in and start 2 (!) cotton and cotton/linen sweaters at once.

I am maybe a little crazy.  Like I don't have other things to do with my time or something?!

Well, I stalked the Gathered Pullover pattern on ravelry for a while and I knew that I had to make that sweater.  I'm going to assume that you know the feeling.  [Side Note: It's going well, but it's basically just 5" of knitted tube right now, so I haven't bothered with a picture.  It's in knitpicks CotLin in color Glacier, which is very much like the font color here.]

Then, out of nowhere, Interweave Knits (via knitting daily) released a freebie pattern called Soap Bubble Wrap.  It beckoned and I answered (with some re-claimed cotton yarn that used to be a nice raglan pullover, belonging to my brother when his arms were 6" shorter than they are now).  This is a complex pattern with lots of charting, but I'm enjoying it in the same intellectual way that I enjoy the Sunday crossword puzzle: tough but rewarding results.  [Side Note: Ok, maybe more like the Thursday crossword.  Sunday is mostly frustration.]

Discontinued.

Did you know that Lion Brand Chenille yarn has been discontinued?  It was news to me, sadly.  I found a great sale price at $2 a ball and ordered it (to make a throw blanket in "antique white") from Jo-Ann.  I bought the only ball they had and I swatched with it.  I even blogged about it.

A month went by and there was no word on my special order, so I called the store.  They told me that the yarn had been discontinued and that they wouldn't be able to fill my order :-(  I got my money back, but it would have been nice if they had told me this BEFORE the yarn was ordered errantly and my time wasted.  Grr.  

Also, where else can I find a decent chenille yarn?  This is a novelty project, but I was kind of attached to the idea.  I even went to Pottery Barn and snuggled/felt up one of their Chunky Chenille Throw Blankets in the name of 'research'.  

In conclusion, "oh poop!"

Acid Pop (TM) Scarf, totally finished now

The Acid Pop (TM) Scarf is completely done being knitted, washed, and put on one of our more eccentric beach towels to dry.

  It might need some de-fuzzing and a few ends taken care of, but I'm calling this one done!  Yay! There will probably be some additional pictures when it's completely dry and ready to wear.

Also, this post was supposed to go up last night, but the camera and the computer weren't speaking to each other.  I don't know what's going on between them, but they seemed to have made up in light of the holiday.  On that note, Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

The mitt idea took flight ;-)

I apologize for the poor modeling job, it ain't easy taking a picture of your own hand!

The owl mitt worked out just like I envisioned it. Well, except for the thumb, but I figured if I was going to have to pick up stitches and knit tiny rounds anyway, I might as well have a full thumb to show for it. That will be an optional design feature when I write up the pattern.

For now though, I'm going to bed; it was a long, busy, and drudgerous day.

Whoooo

Look at that cute little owl cable pattern! I'm making myself a pair of mitts before I freeze my fingers off on the long walk from the parking lot into work in the mornings. I'm winging the pattern (bad pun intended) and making them out of my Hedwig Opal sock yarn :-D

I outlined it, in case it wasn't all that clear. He says "Hoot!". He's excited to be on the blog. Anyways ...

If the pattern works out, I'll post it when the first one is complete. If not, trust that they will never be spoken of again (It's so cute and I want it to work so much that I would feel personally
betrayed if it didn't. Wouldn't you?).

[Side Note: My team won the Superbowl! Yay! *happy dance* Sorry if your team didn't win today, just know that my love for Matty means I cheer for your team too!]

Acid Pop (TM) Scarf!

My mom wanted a bright green scarf this year, so I ordered 4 balls of Shine Worsted from Knit Picks in Green Apple.  It's quite a color, and the Cotton + Modal yarn is sooo soft and buttery!  Also, it was just enough to push me into the free shipping category, yay!

I then went paging through some stitch cards to find something I wanted to turn into a pattern, and I found the Eyelet-Diamond Pattern.  After two repeats of the pattern I knew that I had a bona-fide WIN on my hands, so I'm sharing it with the world even before I'm done knitting it!  It reminds me of the embossing that the Harry Potter book covers have (if you have a hardcover, American version).  The color of the yarn just lends itself so nicely to the title I decided on : *Acid Pop (TM) Scarf* 

CLICK on the Pattern (and HERE) for a FREE PDF download!

The pattern can also be found on Ravelry.

Speaking of Ravelry, I put the pattern up this morning and people LOVED it!  I was so pleasantly surprised to have 130+ people download it today, wow!  :-)

[Side Note: I know the pattern says to end on Row 1, but it really makes more sense to end on Row 2 and then bind off knit-wise.  That's minor though.]

Finished that Noro Stripe scarf!

I finished my 1x1 rib Noro Cash Island scarf and I love it! It's super soft (duh, cashmere) and doesn't make my neck itch. Ok, if I think really hard about it, I can feel a little itchy-ness, but I'm sure it's imaginary. Like when you think about little creepy crawly critters like ants and all of a sudden you can feel them on you. [Shudder]

I've decided that this is my favorite section of the scarf, because I love the turquoise color, and the way it transitions into pink.

This is the whole scarf, or most of it. It's pretty skinny, as scarves go, but I like it better that way. I tried a bunch of different widths during the 'Knit 6" and then change my mind' part of the process, and this one was perfect. 36 sts wide, on size 7 straight needles.

P.S. There hasn't been any pilling, but if I keep petting it, it might felt. Oops!

P.S.S. Also pictured are the pretty bathroom towels that no one is allowed to use.

Wait a second ... all the handknits have to match?!

After an incredible bit of insight from the Yarn Harlot today I realized that none of my knits actually match any other knits.  At least not really.  And at the time I was wearing my Dumbledore socks, my red not-so-invisible scarf, and my olive hat which is far too many knitted items at one time (bordering on crazy knitter levels).  In my own defense, the 'pimento' on the hat matches the scarf and I wear a plain black pea-coat.  You couldn't even see the socks.  [Side Note: Yes, I'm trying to justify the crazy.]

So that's how the muggles pick us out from the crowd, mismatched handknit items?!  Well, that and the pointy sticks and the yarn ;-)

In a separate and unrelated conversation as we were walking into Costco:

me: Oh, what if they sold yarn at Costco!

mom: *stunned silence*

me: How long do you think it would take me to get more than I could knit in my lifetime.

mom: *stunned and horrified silence*

me: They probably wouldn't have much variety, but I think they would make up for it in sheer quantity.

mom: I can just imagine them loading a pallet of yarn into your Jeep.  Stay away from the Member Services desk.

Irish Hiking Hat = British Driving Hat

"You know, I don't think you've ever knit anything for me." -- Dad

Well, we can't have that!  My dad really needed a warm hat as he likes to take his MG roadster out for a spin with the top down on a regular basis.  Baseball caps just don't do the job when the chilly air is rushing past your ears.

I used this pattern right off of ravelry (Irish Hiking Hat-Archived) and knit it to the letter.  [Side Note: The only modification that I made was to the title, since my dad won't be using it for Irish hiking but British driving.]  

This was the feel-good project of the weekend because I cast on Friday afternoon and finished blocking and all by Sunday afternoon!  This might be the fastest project I've ever done.

This is the hat with the brim folded down.  I love how dimensional those cables are!  And yes, it is sitting on a silver charger plate.  The hat was clean, the plate was clean, I'm not bothered by it and the colors seemed to want to be together.  So there.

This is the top view of the hat (which looks like a flower to me) graciously modeled by my brother.  "Jeez, did  you use a watermelon for size?"--Brother 

It's going to fit my dad just right though, and I didn't use a watermelon for size :-P

Curtains!

That might look like just a pile of fabric full of grommets, but it's really my new curtains (on sale)! They are going to help filter that afternoon sunlight that comes streaming in (right at eye-level) when I'm at my desk. And I'm at my desk quite a lot, just not between 1pm and 4pm (see 'blinding light at eye-level', above). I've never found anything, window treatment wise, that works for the big semicircle windows without reminding me of those crepe paper 3D decorations, so the whole little nook is getting curtained off. I'll bore you with pictures when it's finished!

One Draco Sock

This is my first finished (sort of) project of the new year, yay!
It's going to be a good year :-) sock-wise anyways.