Jester's in the House

Yippee! The Jester Hat is finished. I finished last night, and here is Spencer modeling it for us.



I used Knitpicks Swish (worsted weight) in Red Pepper and Dark Navy. The pattern calls for 4 different colors, but in the end I couldn't find two colors I liked with the red and blue for pompoms. So I just went with the red for the poms, too. Knitted with US 7 dp needles. This yarn is so nice and soft, not to mention machine washable--I just love it so much! I will be making mittens to match, but I'm not there, yet.



My faith in my own ability to finish a project restored itself completely with the end of the Jester Hat. What a high! (Well, you know what I mean.)

Spencer was hilarious. He tried the hat on for me at breakfast this morning, and he just wanted to keep wearing it. When we picked up my son at preschool around 11:00 am, he still had it on! And, boy, was it hot. He looked so cute, but still. It was the kind of thing you might never let the first child do, but by the 3rd, if it isn't hurting someone you sort of let it go.

Later on today, while I was working on my sock, I had a problem...


What the......?

Now, a few minutes before this splintering I had a thought. Why do my bamboos look kind of bent? That's weird. Maybe next time, I should try metal needles? Well, I won't be able to make the other of this pair with metals, because the tension could be weird. I'll just use these to finish this whole pair and then I'll try something else. I've liked bamboo for most project, because I'm a loose knitter, and they help me keep my stitches on the needles. With something like a sock, I figured that would be good--sort of like "flypaper needles", so I can drag the sock all around and not drop stitches. Other people love sharp, slick, metal sock needles. I thought, why? Why would I want needles that my stitches slip off? Well, I think I may have found my answer. Hmphf.

This needle was holding the top of the foot (so, for non-sock-knitters, that means the needle with twice as many stitches as all the others--argh). It broke at the midpoint, so I couldn't really slip the stitches to the right and just knit them off. I had to slip them left, and onto the 5th needle. The good news is, it was a 5 needle set. The bad news is, it's now a 4 needle set. I just hope I don't break another. Now I realize I want to get some Knitpicks dp US 1's so I don't want to have to buy another bamboo set to finish sock #2. Cross your fingers for me. (And I'll do my part by being a little more careful.)

Oh, well. I fixed it, I got over it. I hopped in the car to get my daughter and on the way home we had another problem.



Are you kidding me?! Spencer took his precious little hat and tore a pompom apart!!
"Nooooooooooo!"
Have I mentioned how challenging poms are for me??? (Squash down instinct to scream)

Honestly. What are the odds?

Well, I should probably go ahead and get the table set for dinner and stop whining, huh? That's what I'll do. My wonderful Sister-in-Law, Maura--dh's sister, is coming for the weekend, and should be arriving after dinner sometime. We are looking forward to some serious "Auntie Mo time". We've a BBQ here on Saturday, and we're going to meet up with my Brother-in-Law, Matt--dh's brother, and his two little girls on Sunday. Should be lots of fun, and a very busy weekend. I'll try to check in soon.

Wish me luck on that D*%#$ed pompom.

That's all I wanted to hear

Well, things here have settled considerably. I am well on my way with my friendly sock and feel a lot better about being able to finish it soon. I signed up for a sock knitalong, and am supposed to (in theory) finish a pair of socks a month, until December. Hopefully, I can finish this pair by the end of September and I'll get to post on the blog. Success will be mine! Here's how it looks:



I am liking the way the colors spread out more around the heel area. Sadly, I just realized that I was doing my decreases backwards. Oops! I was K2tog when I was supposed to be SSK, and vice versa. Other than that, I think they're coming out well. Not really much for gapping, even where I picked up the heel stitches. Proud Jilly. :)

Here's a pic of the mittens:



Not tons of progress on these, but not bad. I didn't get to knit much today due to a playdate, but who'd give up playdate fun, right? Hi to Krista and her handsome devil! We all had a lot of fun, and she even brought Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts, so the kiddos were happy campers.

The issue with the yarn I received is all set. I got a response today from one of the owners of The Yarn Company (one of my fave yarn stores ever--wish I lived in NYC) and she reassured me and fully remedied the situation. I am very happy and satisfied and continue to recommend the store to everyone I know who knits, because the rock and just so amazing to deal with. Love 'em. With that out of the way, I can tell you how excited I am for my sweater to be finished. It's been chilly the last few mornings and nights here, so fall is on its' way into New England! This is my first wearable that is actually for me. Well, no, I did make myself a scarf about a year or two ago. Other than that, I haven't finished anything for myself yet. In the race for completion are the sweater, the Tiffany Mittens, and the first pair of socks...we'll see who wins.

Great news! I am going to Rhinebeck in October! Brian agreed, and we might even stay over one night. I am so thrilled to go and see what a sheep and wool fest is all about...yummy yarn, I'm hoping.

I almost forgot...Qutecowgirl asked about the yarn for my sweater. It's awful nice, if I do say so myself. Filatura Di Crosa makes it, and the name is Zara. It's 100% super soft Merino wool, and 137 yds. per ball. There are so many colors (I almost fainted the day I walked into The Yarn Co, honestly) that you can barely process them all, much less decide. This blue is number 1499, but they call it different things on different sites. Love the stuff. My sweater is knit double (2 strands together) on US 10.5's, I think. So it's going to be nice and warm, and it knits up quickly. If your LYS carries it, you should seriously go fondle some...so, so yummy.

Off to make some pompoms for the Jester Hat, which I'll show when it's finished. Pompoms are the bane of my existence. Even with one of those fancy pompom makers, I still can barely make one. I have no idea what my glitch is, but after about 14 tries, hopefully I'll have 1 made. (Cross your fingers)

O.k., I'm calm now...

Thanks to Qutecowgirl and Jen for the supportive comments...I sure needed them. Today has brought happier feelings, so things are good. And for the record, the SnB board is amazing, and I really love all the people on it and all the support and help I receive there. I didn't mean to sound snarky about it--totally the opposite, actually. Plus, there I have the added bonus of feeling like I hardly have any stash, etc. The only other thing that makes me feel better about that is the Yarn Harlot books, because they're just so hilarious, and for reasons you'd understand only if you've read her books, I think. But I love them.

Lots of excitement--it's been the 24 hours of packages here!

Yesterday, I got the yarn I needed for my v-neck sweater. I'm not going to go too far into it, but I had an issue and have contacted the vendor. So I'm going to wait until I hear back from them before I say anything, to give them a chance to respond to the situation. That said, I am really excited to have yarn to finish it with. When I took the sweater pieces out after so long, I realized that there was much less left to do than I remembered! I have maybe an inch or two of one sleeve cap, I have to sew it up, and then I have to pick up sts. for the neck ribbing, and that's it!! Happiness abounds. I'll give you a sneak peak:



I forgot how much I loved the yarn and how pretty the color is. (Feel free to completely agree and gush over said yarn and color.)

I also got some Knitpicks today!



This is the yarn to finish the darned Jester Hat, plus enough for matching mittens, as well as yarn for my other son's hat and mittens, too. And the one extra ball of Dublin for the gift scarf. Whew! I did finish knitting the hat, and started sewing up the top seam. No pics, but I will get some tomorrow, hopefully with the pom-poms on it. Loving the look so far, though. Oh, yes--and I also got a color swatch card for the Knitpicks Swish yarn. I am so glad I did. It's so much easier to see the colors and I don't have to guess about what will look right together. I wish I did it some time ago. Worth every penny of the $1.99, I tell you.

Our sock and mitten projects are coming along well, too. So, all in all, it's a pretty good day. What day with yarn packages isn't?

One other package: new cell phones. Today is my busiest day, so I wondered if I would catch the FedEx guy to sign for the phones, and I DID! Awesome. My new phone is all charged up and switched over from the old one. I love it. Admittedly, I haven't exactly made a call on it yet, but babysteps work for me. I got the Motorola Krzr and Brian got the new Razr. I love packages.

Another spirit-lifter was a surprise visit from my Dad yesterday. He stopped in to see the kids and visit, and we all had a lot of fun. I showed him the sweater I made for Irene, and it was the best reaction ever. Sort of when someone can't believe that you made something, you know? He commented how it was a perfect fit for her, and he just had no idea that I could do something like that. So cute. It's the kind of reaction that just really revs the knitting engines...at least it does for me. Maybe you only get pumped when people say bad things, or start frogging your work. You never know, everyone is different. But for me, I can't get enough of the compliments.

So what did I do? Uh-huh, I took out the finished Tiffany Mitten. (I couldn't help myself!!) Dad got pretty excited--he tried it on, even--and I think he really liked it. It felt good to impress somebody, and I couldn't wait for the kids' bedtime so I could get my knit on!

Speaking of that--off I go.

Frustration

All right, I'm having one of those moments. I am frustrated with my knitting. Now, I'm not super frustrated or anything--I'm just a bit, er, annoyed.

I feel like my Tiffany mitten is taking forever. Let me rephrase: I feel like my second Tiffany mitten is taking forever. As far as I'm concerned, I pretty well flew through the first one (as a relatively newish knitter who had never really done this kind of colorwork before). Maybe it's because I'm not solely focused on the second mitt. Maybe it's because I have lost a little steam. (Who, me? Get bored with something quickly? Pshaw! Never.). Perhaps it's because I imagine that I will not finish another project for a long, long time. Yeah--I think it's the last one.

You see, I have taken on multiple projects. This is new to me. I used to be a one project girl. I picked something to knit up, I bought the yarn and needles, if needed. I got to work. And I finished the project. I did not buy yarn for "the next thing". I did not cast on for said evil thing. I never started on something else (evil) while I was working on the current project. This worked for me. I wasn't spending like crazy, and dh was o.k. with buying the yarn, because something was coming of it. Understandable. Reasonable, even. And it was working. I felt a sense of accomplishment each time I finished a work of art (well, to me, anyway) and I wasn't going crazy stocking up. [Have I mentioned I tend to get bored quickly? When I tire of a new hobby, I'm usually left with all of this stuff that I'm never going to touch again.] Then I joined the virtual SnB. Everyone else knits more than one project. Everyone else has a yarn "stash". Everyone else doesn't necessarily finish every project before moving on. Everyone else doesn't even finish every project at ALL. Wow.

So here I am, thinking, "Hey, this one thing IS a little boring, isn't it? Maybe if I just start ONE other thing...and I'll just go back and forth, you know, so I won't get bored." Uh, oh. And there it starts.

Now I sit with a project that is a pair. I did the first mitten, but now I have to make another. I have an unfinished sweater (ok, the yarn is on the way, but still--I started it in March, I think). I have an unfinished scarf (again, needed more yarn, but still bothers me). I have started a sock project--again, it is a PAIR. I have to make two. What was I thinking? And I started a dummy project on the side (of the mittens, mind you--they're very high focus knitting) and ran out of yarn yet again!

Impending doom of never in fact finishing a project again is pressing down on my shoulders (and knitting needles), rendering me immoble. Seriously, for some reason today, I can barely pick up anything to work on it...ever feel like that? Makes me crazy. Now you know the cure. All I have to do is just pick something up and keep working and I'll experience that pumped up adrenaline--the feeling of progress!! Need some motivation. I have an idea...

Here's the progress since last I posted pics, and it's not too bad, really.

The second mitt:


The first ever sock:




Turning the heel:


Interesting. I'm feeling a little better, after all. Maybe I will zip off to knit?

Oooh, one more thing. I received an "award" yesterday from a fellow knitter and blogger, not to mention mother of 3, like myself! Qutecowgirl gave the Nice Matters Award, for being so nice!! Hey, can you believe that? I know, those of you who know me personally are thinking, "Well, she must not know Jill very well..."
KNOCK IT OFF!! (I mean that in the nicest way, possible) Too funny. I have to say I am one of those people who if you don't know me very well, you would say, "Oh, she's just SO n-i-c-e!". And if you DO know me very well, you'd *maybe* think the opposite. But that's a pretty small handful of people. Anyway--Qutecowgirl's blog is very interesting and I have to admit that I stalk it visit it everyday. Now, here's the button for the award:



I took a closer look a minute ago, and I thought--hey, that's kinda a little dirty of a pic. But I can't not put it up. If I'm going to have that up, maybe it's time to join the Sexy Knitters Club, afterall?

Oh, happy Saturday

Well, this has been a busy day. My two oldest kids started a new batch of swimming lessons this morning, so I had to get up early and get going. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but after the summer's worth of hanging out and not having to hurry often, it's been a tough week getting up early each morning, and now on a *gasp* Saturday! They had fun, though, so it was worth it. My hubby didn't want to bring the three kids to the swim lessons (I admit, it's not much fun), so he volunteered to switch and stay home and clean this morning while I was gone with the kids to our YMCA. Our Y isn't right next door, but I love it so we make the drive--about 20 minutes, maybe? So I have to give props to Brian for staying home and doing our weekly routine, also known as the "Home Blessing Hour" by Flylady. The explanation for this can be found by following this link, and going to the What is the weekly Home Blessing Hour?" section. Basically, it's your routine weekly cleaning: vacuum, dusting, sweeping, mopping, etc. I am a Flybaby, and this website has helped me tremendously in terms of getting my home and life in order, and letting me enjoy my kids and my house. (Ever feel like you can't stand being in your house one more second? And you have to get out? And you're the only one who ever cleans, so why do it? If so, check her out.) Anyway, I wanted to publicly thank him for doing all that while I was gone. I came home to a sparkly clean home, and I couldn't be happier! Thanks, Bri!

We were supposed to have some friends over for a BBQ today (Hi, Liz and Logan!), but he was sick, so they couldn't make it. We were very bummed, but we rescheduled. So now, we're sort of at a loss. You know when you have plans and then they don't work out--but everything is done and ready? Now we have all this day and nothing to do. (And since the house is already clean and there's food here, and dinner is planned...there's nothing that HAS to get done.) So I figured I'd update and let you know how happy I am to have a nice clean, organized (for the time being--hey, I've got 3 little kids) house, and a happy family to spend the day with. Plus, I figured I'd take the chance to spread the word about Flylady, and maybe help someone else to feel as happy as I do on this lovely Saturday.

Oooh, one more thing--Brian also went ahead and ordered the other two balls of Zara yarn I need for my sweater, so it should be on the way! Woohoo!! Happy day!

C'mon, C'mon

Even feel like that? I just feel tons of energy and excitement about some projects I have going, and I sort of itch to work on them, all the time. Truth be told, I can't work on them all the time--I just want to. So this title sort of sums it up, and it's also in honor of my favorite show Rescue Me, which was on last night. It's the title of the theme song. I know, I know, lots of TV references for me, right? Well, that's when I get a lot of my knitting done, to be honest. (Yes, Heather, that's how I do it! LOL) The kids are in bed, I'm watching TV anyway, and I don't feel guilty because I'm getting something accomplished. Sort of a win/win, don't you think? I used to try nap time, but I gave up. Inevitably, if I sit down with knitting, the baby wakes up, no matter how long he's been asleep. What's with that?!


Anyhow, thanks so much for all the good advice and support, Qutecowgirl, Jen, and Heather. I did manage to pick up the stitches for the mitten, using a helpful link from A Kitten Knits. I worked on the thumb a bit, but was so tired I didn't dare to keep working--no focus. Last night, I finished it up. Wanna see?




I can't believe I DID it!!!

These photos are courtesy of my six-year-old, but they're not bad. As payment, I had to let her model them, too:

I am pleased, but I didn't love the way there are some holes around the thumb. I fixed one side when I weaved in the ends, but the other is still a little "gaping hole-esque". Hmmm. Maybe I'll weave in some pretend ends just to fill it in? What do you think? Here's a shot:

Once I got over the shock that I actually did this pattern, I realized I had to do another one. Now my brain is shouting, "C'mon, C'mon--cast on the next mitten!!!"

Here's where my excitement moves from the mittens to something else.



I've also been working on my first ever sock. Mostly, I take it with me when I pick up my daughter at school. They do this thing where you have to be in the lot before 3:10, and after that, they don't let cars in because of the kids. Now, the kids don't get out until 3:20, so there's some time to kill there. Plus, I'm there by 2:50, anyway. You know how it is, if I leave any later then I end up late, but if I leave then, I'm super-early. Go figure. After she gets out, we go over to the van, load all three kids in, and then sit and wait. Yup, that's right. No one can leave the lot until all the walkers are gone. It's nice because it's very safe for the kids, but I get impatient waiting for EVERY kid and parent to get out of there. So, no one drives an inch (they really freak out if you try--I saw it today) until at least 3:30. I would be annoyed, but there's so much sock work to be done! I will say that the kids get awfully impatient. Maybe I should teach them to knit socks? Everybody does their own? It's something to consider. :)


C'mon, C'mon--hurry up so I can get out of this parking lot!


Here's my progress on the sock:


C'mon, C'mon--keep working on it!! It's growing so fast!


Did I mention I'm waiting for a Knitpicks order? (You guys have created a crazy Knitpicks-ordering-fool, and you KNOW who you are.) It shipped today, and has the extra yarn I need for the Jester Hat (c'mon, c'mon--it's so cute!) and the Irish Hiking Scarf (c'mon, c'mon--I need it by Christmas!) so I'm anxious for its' arrival.


Now I've got to get going, to set the table (and stop a kiddo fight I hear escalating). My hubby is on his way home right now...


C'mon, C'mon--where's the PIZZA?!

Holy SOCKS!

Wow, lots of great news! First of all, I finished most of the first Tiffany mitten last night while watching our own Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon. [We rent the show on DVD and watch a bunch of episodes in a row--nice for knitting, because I've already seen them all.] I finished all but the "after thought" thumb. Hey, that's what it's called.


The thumb business is kind of freaking me out. Now, you'd think that I'd be so excited to finish (ok, start) the thumb and be done with one whole mitten, but I'm not. Honestly, I spent most of the morning avoiding the whole project. I did important things like clean the toilet and stuff. Finally, I got over it and sat down to look at the darned thing...


What I'm supposed to do is pull out the pink waste yarn and pick up 11 stitches from below and 11 stitches from above and start going, basically. Say what?! What if it starts to unravel, you say? Hmmm...the thought crossed my mind. (Understatement of the year, here) There is an option to pick up the stitches before you pull out the waste yarn. Yes, novel idea, I know...

Obviously, I am going for the "before" version. I did get the ones under picked up, but I guess I don't have a clue how to get the stitches from above onto the needle. Now, I could just start pulling the yarn and try to pick them up as I go, but somehow I cannot seem to wrap myself around that one. Apparently, I'm a "conservative" knitter. Tonight I will look up the afterthought thumb and see if I can't come up with some answers. And if you have any, by all means--share. Really, I'm begging you.

The wonderful part is this:


This is the black and blue together WITHOUT a flash, and I think they look smashing! Who, me? Worry?Woohoo for instinct!

Now, I can't work on my dummy project, because once again, I have run out of yarn on a project. Seriously, what is it with me? And to think when I started at WPI, I was a math major!! While I wait for more yarn to finish the Jester Hat, I decided to cast on my first ever sock. I used Knitpicks Blue Violet Multi Essential sock yarn (I have two 50 gram balls--is it enough?) and cast onto US 1 needles. After perusing Knitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot, I chose to give her basic sock recipe a try. Rather than swatch, I figured I'd just go with it. I cast on 64 sts, over 2 needles, and joined then ribbed. I'll practice, and see how the gauge works out. My work is generally too loose, so my hopes are that the smaller #1 needle will be to my advantage. We will see. (Plus, my #2's are in the Tiffany mittens, you remember.) I think this is just exciting and amazing news. (I can see you on the edge of your chair there--don't fall off...) Here's how it looks:


My last great news is that school starts tomorrow, here. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Last week I hit the wall, wondering when summer break would ever be over. However, now I'm feeling rather melancholy about my oldest starting the first grade. How I will miss her all day--ironic, isn't it? But it's still good news...

Ps. Qutecowgirl, thanks so much for the advice on how to fix the bunchy stitches. I tried it a little and it's working. I'll do more later, but I can see it coming along. Appreciate the help!