New Year's Eve Eve

To the knitblogging goddess:
I resolve in 2007 I will:

1. make better use of my digital camera.
2. take at least one picture of each finished object I knit, crochet, spin, sew or weave (if the loom ever gets assembled).
3. more carefully document my projects so I can stand a halfway decent chance of replicating my results if called upon to do so.
4. organize my stash.

I think it is totally reasonable that I am considering making only fiber related resolutions. Why set myself up for disappointment, right?At least if I fall short on these it will be fun trying!

So onward toward 2007. A new look (with the new Blogger) and a new outlook focused on regular postings and pictures for posterity.

two two two posts at once!

As promised, some quick and dirty pics taken as soon as I walked in the door from work tonight. Sorry so sloppy and dark. I promise to be more careful with the camera in the future.
In order:

Socks: see how they seem like they fit me, not my size 11 shoe wearing father? But he has slim calves...maybe? He definately does not have my rocking polar bear pj pants, though.

log cabin: note how s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d the needle is at the top. This may soon become a problem.red sweater: I swear it stretches. And has a lovely rippley edge.

scarf: I chose the yarn cause it was acrylic and cheap, yet still soft and the stripeness is fun cause it makes it look hard and therefore I can charge more for the finished product.

fiddling

So I've fiddled with my sidebars repeatedly, logging on probably a half dozen times since my last post and added absolutely nothing of my own.

The WIPs are as follows:

1. socks for my father: Ash Essential from KnitPicks with lovely not-too-girly two stitch minicables. My main concern is that despite how stretchy they seem, I can't imagine they will fit. Oh well, they won't be the first pair of hand-knitted gift socks that end up being a gift for me.
2. log cabin throw for the bf's sister: getting almost out of hand on the circular needles, but I'm trying to reduce stash by attempting to force myself to use all the yarn I bought for the project (Sugar'n Cream... cheap but I like it).
3. red sweater for me: Cascade 220 from the LYS in Brooklyn (not my LYS per se) where it was 10% off. Love the color, in 2x2 rib the amazing stretch is the most fun! So far, the Rebecca translation has been OK...
4. commissioned scarves: batch of 3 scarves commissioned by a co-worker after the scarf I knitted to raise money for our library was such a hit. Who knew? The first one is mistake ribbing, like the one for our sale. The other two will be something else because otherwise I will poke my eyes out with my #9s. They aren't exciting, but they are good TV knitting. Now I just have to figure out how much I can charge her for them without being embarrassed.

Now I must consult my Christmas list becuase I'm sure there are about 5 other projects I scheduled myself to work on in October. And I must dust off the camera and post some pictures of said WIPs becuase otherwise you all might think I was making this all up!

What I wish I was knitting...

photo update

We had a great trip to NYC and I even managed to get in some yarn shopping. Cascade all 10% off at the cute yarn shop across from Dave's sister's place. I managed to tear myself out with less than $100 worth. Yikes.

I've been working on this Clapotis for my sister as a Christmas gift. I'm using a yarn from handpaintedyarn.com which I think is working out quite nicely.

As I think I mentioned, the best part is the dropping! And it really does look lovely with the variegated yarns (sorry for the blur):

It was pretty good car knitting since I don't have to read the pattern obsessively anymore. It's got a simple repeat broken up with stitch markers. I'm into the decrease section so the end is in sight, which is good since I'm on the last ball of yarn... hopefully my math was correct. Although that was the point of starting the Christmas knitting so early, so in case I fouled up something I'd have time to repair, reorder, reknit etc.

As for additions to my stash acquired in Brooklyn, they are all for me!! I have visions of Norwegian knee socks, a red turtleneck and some kicky purple striped toe up Fixation socks in time for spring. But none of this can commence until the Christmas rush is over. Any odds on how long that discipline will last?

travel plans

So, it's been a crazy week during which I managed to knit, but not blog. I just couldn't seem to get to the camera to snap any pics. And it's too bad because I did some repair work on the sweater I've started knitting my mom for Christmas that I was quite proud of and would have liked to document. I know some people wouldn't have been particularly impressed, but it did involve dropping a stitch down about 15 rows of both stockinette and garter stitch (mutiply times 6 for the 6 times in one row I loused up the pattern without noticing). My crochet hook and I were pretty excited. I might once have been the type of knitter who left this alone thinking (rightly) that no one but me would notice. But this sweater is for my mom and I love her and so it should be as perfect as I can make it.

And this weekend we are driving up to NYC for a few days, so I am vowing to get it together on Monday before work and post a bunch of pics of my works in progress so I can do better at this whole blogging thing. It's a trial, I tell you.

mistake ribbing is no mistake

I think it's Dr. Phil who says something about the insanity of repeating the same behavior over and over but expecting different results? Anyway, after about a bazillion do-overs (or swatches, yeah, let's pretend I was swatching!) on the green donation scarf, I settled on a mistake rib which looks all squiggly and nice and way more complicated than it actually is. And then, the true stroke of brilliance... let's make it a keyhole scarf so it only has to be 32" long! Haha! Eureka! Duty discharged, guilt assuaged, and still successfully avoided baking cupcakes!

I promise more work with pictures and a more attractive template. Tomorrow is Sunday and I don't work, so posting can be done from home rather than illicitly while I'm working the reference desk.

I am also working on a Clapotis as an early start to Christmas gift giving, which is going along swimmingly. I love dropping stiches on purpose! So pics of that to come, I think.

Sometimes I give up so easily

I have to abandon the faux cables. I can't be squinting at the pattern right now. I'm not in the mood, and with a deadline for the scarf to be finished, I'm admitting defeat. I think I'll just move over to some bigger needles and do a basic rib and keep knitting for as long I can stand it, hopefully until I finish the ball of yarn.
I'm imagining :
XOOXXXOOOOXXXXXOOOOXXXOOX
(X=knit on RS, purl on WS, O=purl on RS, knit on WS)
ribbing repeated ad nauseum. I'll have to swatch it. A straight K2P2 might drive me batty before the end.

I do hate giving up on things, but why make myself miserable over a charity donation item. It sort of defeats the purpose. Maybe I should reconisder those cupcakes...

You can knit a cupcake, but no one's going to eat it

The Friends group at the library where I work is sponsoring a bake sale/craft sale to raise money, which eventually trickles back down to the library, so I decided I'd rather knit than bake. This is the start of the scarf I plan to donate:

It is the "Green Faux Cable Scarf" from my free gift brochure in the Interweave Knits issue for Fall 2006. They look like real cables, right? I'm completely fooled. I'm trying desperately to memorize the 8 line pattern, but it's not that intuitive to me for some reason. The yarn overs and corresponding decreases move outward in a V shape, but I can't seem to just remember where, so it involves a lot of squinting at the pattern so far. But there are still 27 repeats to go, so I might get it yet.

I'm into the whole leafy look, especially in green yarn. And since I totally overviews this green tweedy stuff for a baby sweater (which was very cute, featuring frog shaped buttons), I should have plenty for the scarf without having to spend more money! And if I finish fast enough, maybe I can find another stash-busting project to contribute.

Who wouldn't want a scarf knit by their librarian, I ask you?

one small step...

I am the queen of starting over. I have had at least two other blogs started and abandoned and then summarily deleted in embarrassment over the lack of posting. But today will be different. Today is one giant leap for blog-kind.
I drool over all the other knitting blogs, and think, I can do that. My WIPs can be artistically photographed. I have lots to talk (read:complain) about. I have a digital camera. (Well, my lovely and supportive boyfriend, Dave, has one that I gave him for Christmas last year. He lets me use it.) And questions.... I have lots of questions and hopefully I can work out the answers or fool someone into giving them to me.
So this will be the blog that sticks! Yarn-over it!