Tuesday, April 29, 2008

New

New Blog Name (Same Blog Channel)

I was getting bored with the old title and inspired today by Cari's post...I decided to practice what I was preaching.  I wanted a title that more closely matched why I knit...specifically to relax and save my fragile mental health!

New Project
I am still working on the vest from Fitted Knits, but I have been having a wicked sock craving.  I haven't made any for almost two years!!  How is that possible?  The last ones I made were for Amy, and I have never made any for myself.  So, I was on Ravelry and I keep coming back to the Monkey socks.  I went diving in my huge Rubbermaid bin of stashed yarn, and found the perfect match.
This is sock yarn I bought at Rhinebeck two Sheep and Wool Festivals ago when I couldn't get near the Socks That Rock booth.  It is from Spirit Trail Fiberworks and the colors just could not be more me than this. 
The Bug helped me wind the yarn up on the umbrella swift...

So, I know it isn't wool sock weather, although there is always cool summer nights when you want a pair of cuddly socks, but I feel the need to knit socks (I've been dreaming of knitting socks at night) and so I am not going to question the urge.  That would be part of the whole sanity being saved trusting my instincts thing I've got going lately.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Hodge Podge

Well, today is my last day of Spring Break...I am ready to go back.  There is never much left of the school year when we get done with April break anyway...I think we have less than 35 regular class days, then four days of local finals and then a week or so of NY State Regents exams, so there isn't much left at all. Plus, the weather is beautiful and everything is green and happy and the world is all new and lovely.  

Obviously, I love this time of the year...it restores my soul after the winter.  I cannot stand the winter.  A lot of people ask me why I don't move to somewhere where there is no winter to detest, but to be honest, I don't think you can fully appreciate the beauty of nature in all its glory without winter.  Winter is a necessary evil.  I know I wouldn't fully appreciate Spring and all of its rebirth without the crappiness that is a NY winter.

Anyway...onward to today's post.  This is my husband's Cobblestone Pullover from Interweave Knits magazine. 
               
It did fit, he tried it on and I took a picture, but it looked ass-tastic, so I had to delete it.  I am clearly not blocking things correctly...you can see little lumps all down the sides and sleeves were my pins were in it, and it looks like a dinosaurs tail.  So, I have to re-block it.  But it does fit.  And that, in and of itself, is a relief.  I need to find a tutorial on proper blocking techniques and maybe invest in a real blocking board and wires...I've had this issue before!

I moved on and was starting my Back to School U-neck vest (details on my Ravelry page) when I got a call from a work friend.  She had just gotten a wee little puppy who was shivery in the cold night air and she wanted to commission a puppy sweater.
I have always sworn I would never knit a dog sweater.  Be careful what you swear you will never do.  This is the Penny pattern from Knitty. I added a neck ruffle and a butt flounce.   The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool that I have had in the stashola for a million years.  It is a pretty shade of lilac.

Then, I decided to paint my dining room.
That was the before...

and this is the after.  

Just half the walls are this lovely deep garnet red.  The others are a pretty chino tan color.  I tried to post paint chip pictures, but Sherwin Williams' website has an attitude today.  You can see the tan color on the wall to the left of refrigerator if you look carefully...

We took the boys to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in town.
It was a gorgeous day.  The Bug is wearing my sunglasses because his eyes were "shy". Translation:  they didn't want to stay open in the bright sun.  After the museum, we went to the local soft serve place and ate hot fudge sundaes for lunch.  I highly recommend the practice of dessert as meal...it is really delightful.

They had a display on Amelia Earhart.  I loved this quote of hers, I adore quotes:

If you can't read the fuzzy picture, it says, "Women must try to do things as men have tried. 
When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."

Today, was spent getting ready to go back to work tomorrow:  haircut for the Bug, laundry, groceries...maybe a couple of new spring skirts for moi, the usual.

Tonight, more knitting on my U-neck vest.
Remind me next time to explain the inner drama with the Elizabeth Bennet Cable Cardigan yarn...I am such a yarn slut, I cannot be faithful to any choices that I make!  It's going to end up being about a $300 sweater when I factor in how many different times I buy a different yarn to make it.  

I am going to have many sweaters next fall--I have to use up all of my fickle choices on something!


Saturday, April 12, 2008

Done!

The Cobblestone sweater is done, and needs to be blocked, I think it might fit!!  He tried it on right off the needles and it wasn't as poorly fitting as I had dreaded, so I am hopeful. Tomorrow, I will block it and we will see what we will see.

I was hoping that the gorgeous, back-ordered Cloud 9 from WEBS (Vandyke Brown) would be in so I could start the Elizabeth Bennet Cable Cardigan next (I have taken to referring to it solely as "Liz" in my head, so if I slip up and call it that, that is what I am talking about!).  However, the yarn is NOT in, so I had to start something else instead.  I decided on the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits.  I cast on last night and haven't made a lot of progress to show yet...but I have Spring vacation this week, so I hope to get some major knitting time.  

I also plan to paint my dining room.  When we moved into the new house, it had not been painted yet, only primed...so there is a lot of painting to be done around here.  I will make sure to take before and after pictures to show.

BTW, all the (k)nitty gritty details about the vest can be found on my Ravelry page.

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