Poodles

Very busy times. Lots to do, lots to tell you about, but where to start? Oh, there is too much. I keep waiting for "the right time" to update, but it never arrives. I've been waiting until I get a chance to upload all the pics I've taken of knitting and life, but that never happens. So, I'm thinking I just have to get on here and write something. Right? At least I'll be heading towards something that way...

So I thought, why not write poodle? It's just as good as any other word, don't you think? And it's something. Oh, I know you are all wondering why you even bother reading this crazy woman's thoughts--clearly she's deranged. Maybe you could just bear with me for a bit longer. (I promise I'll update and get some cool knitterly pics up soon!)

Poodle-on, people. :)

Next time: fun news about my latest knitting groups. Ever heard of SKP2008? Ooh, it's sweet. From one of my favorite movies (can you guess?):
"Parlez-vous Olympics?!"

Where's my Motivation?

Not lots going on around here. I've finished the Java socks, but I don't think I posted pics, right?



These are SO comfy. I think they are the perfect fitting socks, and the colors are to die for. Unfortunately, I can't wear them any more. I ate 'em right up the last time I wore them. The yarn is THAT yummy. Hence why I had to get more for Irene and Keegan's socks. Speaking of Irene's socks...they're coming along nicely.



I did a 3x1 Rib, which I've never tried before and I've enjoyed it. I just cast on and went right to it, and I think it gives the top edge a really cute "ruffly" sort of look that works for a girl's sock. I'm using 2.75 mm needles with the dk weight yarn. I think I cast on 40 sts or something (as per Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks) and let me tell you, the fit is right on. I'll probably finish the second sock tonight or tomorrow.



Last knitting update:

Sunrise Circle Jacket. Just can't seem to start. I was swatching, and I think I'm all set with that. Naturally, I achieved gauge at 2 needle sizes below the recommended size. (Why is that? I am a freak? It happens every time!)



I love the pattern. I love the yarn. I'm getting the ever evasive "gauge". Why can't I start? You know, I've been trying to figure out if I'm feeling guilty that I should do the socks first. Then I considered that I was supposed to do Keegs' sweater after Brian's. But I don't think it's any of these things. I think I am intimidated. Not sure why, but I'm pretty certain that that is, in fact, the problem here. The jacket kind of worries me. I assume because it's such a different type of shape and form. I have no experience with it, of course, and I'm not really great at adapting patterns to be the most flattering. Need I remind you how much trouble I had with Brian's sweater, too? At this point, I'm not sure I can begin. Perhaps the stars have not alligned properly for this project? Yeah, you're right--total cop-out.

This afternoon while my chicken pot pie (from scratch--go me) cooked in the oven, I dug out all the needles and such that I will need for the pattern. Everything went into my trusty knitting bag, and really at this point, I have no excuse. That is it. I need to (probably?) get started.

...Unless you think that if the mojo's not there, it's some sort of omen?

Happy Valentine's Day

Clever and unique title, eh? Hey, I had V-day on the mind today.

Can you help me decode this super tough riddle from my card from Brian?



Seriously, how cute is that? I love it. Bri said that it probably wouldn't be here for today, but surprise, surprise! I got a couple of packages today. First, the Loopy order I'd placed for yarn for Irene and Keegan's socks. This will be the first pair for Irene, and the first real pair for Keegs. (You may remember the socks I made him for his birthday, but we had a little problem with the fit. They're too short on the foot, and too big around at the same time. Like a champ, he loves them and wears them to bed each night. Yeah, he really does.) AND the ball winder and swift set showed up, too. Ooh, I love them. (Hope I didn't spoil it by giving you the answer to the riddle...but I'm guessing you figured it out by now. My couch kind of figured it out.) So I set up and wound up the sock yarn.

From this:


To this:


and this:


I can't tell you how much I adore these tools. What a huge time saver and totally fun. Brian, you are the best. And Krista--did you have something to do with this?

The boys were funny, trying to get their hands on one spinning apparatus after another. Once I got the yarn all set, I let them spin my new toys--I mean tools. They enjoyed it almost as much as I did.

One last thing. The Monkey socks are done! Yippee!



It feels like I've been knitting these for a year, but I looked it up and apparently I only cast them on in November. Not as bad as I thought. They don't really take that long, once you get the rhythm of the pattern. And I love them. Can't wait to wear them tomorrow. Is it weird to buy tops to match your handknit socks?

Romance Is In The Air

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and clever ideas. It never ceases to amaze me how helpful (and smart!) knitters can be. Let me puff up my chest and announce: Brian's sweater is finished!!



I completed the knitting and then sat down to make these:



Yup, there were a *few* ends to weave in. Fun, fun, fun. Brian helpfully gave the kiddos breakfast while I got down to weaving-ends-in-business, so that he could wear the sweater to work just to be nice. No, it was a big help, though. So he proudly wore his new sweater to work, and it was just the cutest thing. With all the issues I encountered with this sweater, at least he appreciates it. (Which is good, because after all the issues I'd have to kill him if he didn't.)



I'm pleased with the end result. Maybe a little bunchy on the neck, but he says it's really cozy and comfy that way. Even after I offered to take it down a bit, Brian claims he preferred it this way. Think there's any chance he just thought I'd snap if he agreed I should tear it back? Probably, he's a smart guy.



I'm not thrilled with the front of the right underarm seam, so I might take that part out and redo it. Otherwise, I think he's happy. It's a good sign if he wears it two days in a row, right? Even Irene got in on the photo shoot. These kids love to have their pictures taken. Imagine the other two tearing out from wherever they were, yelling for their turn...that's pretty much how it is.

You all know that Valentine's Day is tomorrow. What you may not know is that Keegan doesn't have school tomorrow. So, you guessed it--the party was today. I did my due diligence and provided the juice boxes as assigned. Then I waited. Keegs mentioned to me last week that he'd made (by made, he usually means decorated) a special "mailbox" for his valentines. I couldn't wait to see it.

Imagine my surprise when he got home from school and forgot all about it! He just hung his backpack in the closet like usual, and didn't even take out the mailbox bag. After we got Irene (hours later, mind you), he remembered. He takes it out and it's so darned cute...a paper bag stapled shut with a big heart shape cut out of the front for them to put their cards in.



What's this? Oh, no! He brought someone else's bag home...



Keegs tells me it's his. I insist it's not (clearly it says "Lauren" on the front), and he insists it is. Sigh. Here's where I get down to the business of determining how I'm going to reason with this tiny man. Before I decide on a course of action, he lays down the law. This IS his bag. He decorated it himself. I mention that it happens to say Lauren's name on it. (Incidentally, she's his very good buddy from school and they play all the time.) Keegan tells me that he wrote her name on it. What? I remember the tried and true preschool trick of writing the child's name on the bottom of the item before decorating, just in case. Looking at the bottom, there it is--his name in the teacher's writing.

I look closer at the bag.

It says:

Lauren

Y U

I love you

Wow. So I ask Keegan why he wrote Lauren's name on the bag. His answer? "Because I love her".

This is kind of how he looked when he answered. He hugged the bag to him and got all 15 year old girl in love on me and said, "Because I love her" sweet as can be. Wow.

Am I losing my little boy?!

At least the inside had this:

Mmmm....yummy loot.

What in the world did I do?

I know you're all sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear about the Devil's Sweater. You'll say you want it to work out, and you're sure it'll turn out fine. But I know that secretly, somewhere deep, you really wouldn't mind hearing some other crazy catastrophe about said sweater. Admit it. I'm right, aren't I?

It's o.k. I do not hold this against you. These stories make us all feel better, and I am happy to tell you that I'm here to make you feel better. Oh, yes. It's happened again.

Brian's sweater has morphed from an EPS Raglan to a Boatneck.



Look at that!! (Don't you feel better? You know you do. That's what I'm here for...you're welcome.)



Poor Brian. This was supposed to be the final try-on. Then I was going to fix one underarm seam and weave in the ends, and that would be it. Finished. I clearly don't need to say that I had to frog back, but I will say it.



My question is, what did I do? Really. I have no idea. I followed EZ's directions. I honestly did. She said after the join (sleeves and body) to work 1-2 inches plain. I did...2 inches, in fact. Then I did the decreases as she said. Every other row, 8 sts. per row. Then when I had 8 sleeve stitches left on each side (usually it's 10, but with thicker yarn, she says 8) I did the neck shaping. All good.

But somehow, I have the right number of sleeve stitches left and a huge, wide neck opening, even with the ribbing. And the whole top section is just not long enough. It's like the neck of the sweater is stretched out because it's being pulled down too far. Which, of course, would be fine if Brian were some sort of ballerina. But he's not. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want a boat-neck-raglan. However, if you think there's a market for this kind of thing, I will write this pattern right up.



These are the sleeve stitches I have left. How am I to get more height?

I figured out that I have more stitches left than the 40% EZ recommends for a neck. I can continue decreasing every other row and get more height, but the sleeve stitches will definitely be used up. Perplexing dilemma.

So I did what every wise knitter does in this situation. I put the sweater in a solid timeout.

And I went to Webs. I mean, what else was I supposed to do?



Ah, now I feel better.

I picked up the Selbuvotter book that I've wanted since I fell in love with the Harlot's mittens. I introduced Krista (a Webs virgin) to a new vice resource for yarn. Some Aran Tweed yarn proved perfect for the Sunrise Circle Jacket I'm making next for me. No guilt--that was my objective for the trip. And some sock yarn for Brian and I jumped into my basket without my noticing, but that's a risk you take when entering this particular fibery haven.

By the way, if anyone's thinking of doing the Circle Jacket, please speak up. I'd love someone to knitalong with! Oh, I am a sucker for a KAL.

Here I am "pretending to look at needles" when I involuntarily grabbed some yarn.



Turns out the yarn is over $50 a hank. Um, so I put it back. Sadly. Very soft.

Here's Krista with our bags of booty:



And me, checking out "one more thing" before we go...



The store was in a relative frenzy while we were there, because the author of Weekend Knits was there. Very exciting. Krista and I were a bit too busy to go and listen due to needing to check everything out and not really knowing who she was. In retrospect, I kind of wish we'd taken some time, as another lady we met there said the speaker was amazing. I can't remember her name, though. (The author, I mean--I don't know the lady's name.) I can tell you that we met her while using a ball winder and swift for the first time ever. I don't know if Webs has ever seen two people get more excited about winding yarn, let me tell you! Yeah, we might have made slight fools of ourselves, but that's kind of just us, you know? Well, it's kind of just me, anyway.


Pretty, right?

Needless to say, I felt much better after our trip. Plus, we made a girls' day of it and did dinner and the whole bit, which was tons of fun. Yesterday, I felt ready to face the sweater again. I frogged back the ribbing through the neck shaping. I do have a plan for the sweater, but I want to hear all of your suggestions before I tell you what I'm thinking. Somehow I have the feeling that you'll have better ideas than I do. What do you think I should do?

Son of a Gun...

He did it again.



Spencer wore his hat--complete with new pompoms--to pickup Irene at school, and by the time we got home he'd yanked and tugged at this poor pompom. Unsightly.

Oh, and he ruined the other one, too.



All that's left are two sad little loops that are supposed to be holding all those tiny strands of yarn in the pom. Sad. The new poms lasted maybe four or five hours, tops.

The good news is that my first issue of Interweave Knits arrived yesterday and I'm about ready to dive in and take a peek! I got a subscription for Christmas from my Mom and Dad, and I've been waiting (not patiently) for it to get here.

I know this isn't much of a post, but I thought you guys would appreciate the poor pompom situation. I need a hug.

And Little Bits of Parmesean Cheese

It is snowing out today. I'm not sure what it is about the snow that makes me want to blog more, but there is definitely something. I can't be the only one who noticed how often I have snow pictures, etc. And really, it doesn't snow all that often here. While I haven't been blogging as much as usual, I have been knitting, so I have lots to share.

I'll skip the snow pictures today. (Yeah, you're welcome.) However, I can't not share this one. Keegan noticed about half an hour ago that it was snowing, and became all excited as kids often do with snow. The flakes are huge, fluffy and fat. They look surreal, and even I am excited about it. When I checked the mail, I wanted to run out and put my arms up and spin around...those kind of fat flakes. So Keegs looks out, becomes all crazy and rushes in to tell me it's snowing. And that I should look out the window (like I didn't notice--it's been snowing for a good hour or two) because I'll see it. "When you look out the window, it looks like we're in a real snowglobe!" Ah, I love that kid. How sweet? And really, who couldn't use a little time in a magic snowglobe? I know I could.

Oh, and he said it also looks like we're in our regular house, and little bits of Parmesean cheese are falling. Go ahead, laugh it up. I sure enjoyed that little gem.

As far as knitting goes, I've been doing lots of small stuff and one big thing. Last weekend we went to visit my Sister-in-Law, Mo (you may remember her from the comments as "Motorious") in New Hampshire. Lots of fun was had. Naturally, I made use of the hour and half drive by knitting. I made this tiny sock for my new sock blocker keychain from the Loopy Ewe.



For perspective, I put a key next to it...



Then I realized that the keyboard on my laptop might have been a decent marker by itself. Better make some more coffee...

The tiny socklet is pretty cute, no? I love it. When I finished my Van socks I had a little yarn left, so I used some for the mini guy. Keychains gotta keep warm, too. Here are the finished Van Socks in TVyarn Fried Green Tomatoes fingering by White Oak Studio.



They are actually a little loose on the blockers, so they're a little big on me, but I still love 'em. They are very cozy for wearing around like slippers, and I'm head-over-heels for the colorway. The only problem is that I have to wait for Jana's next sock club to start, and I may not make it that long. Also, can I tell you how good if feels to be able to tell Brian that I made socks from both the sock club shipments? Amazing. He's happy. I'm happy. I got to sign up for the new one. Sweet.

More small stuff...



The reason these two look so happy is that I finally finished their hats. You might remember the incident with Spencer's pompons? Well, I made new poms today and sewed them on. Hopefully they will remain in tact. We shall see.



You can see one of them here, and I swear to you that a second one exists and is attached on the other side. This hat screams of Spencer's personality, you know?

And poor little Keegan, he's been waiting months for me to get some bells and secure them to his fair isle hat. The wait is over.



He's pleased as punch. And yes, he did wear it for a good hour after I finished attaching the bells. Inside. Plus, I took a minute (finally--have I no pride in my work?) to hit the ribbing at the brim with some steam to crease it at the proper spot. That's been making me crazy forever. Needless to say, I have one happy boy on my hands. As an added bonus, I can hear him coming, kind of like a cowbell. Nice.



Last small thing: Java socks. I can't remember if I posted any pictures of these at all yet. These are Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in DK weight. This colorway, Java, commands my attention. I adore it. So many other colors in it besides the main chocolate brownish color...teal, burgandy, golds, and olive greens. So pretty. I made up a plain sock with ribbing on the cuff and top of the foot--toe up. Loving them so far. I've finished the first one and started on the second, but this picture is from a little while ago.



Finally, the big thing: Brian's sweater. Knowing this sweater's history, you won't blame me for not wanting to jinx myself. I can't risk saying anything good about it or anything that sounds like confidence. At all. I will say that I do not hate it as much as I had. And that it looks like a real sweater now. Nah, that last bit was too risky.

Here's after I frogged the sleeve and cast back on:



You can see that there is a whole sleeve and a second one started, right?



Since then, I haven't had to frog back at all!! Things are going so-so.

This morning, I have to put the project in a bigger tote bag instead of my trusty knitting bag. This puppy is seriously growing. That's not really a good or bad thing to say, right? It's pretty neutral? Hope so. Much better fit for this good-sized project.



A couple of days ago, I nervously put the body and both sleeves on a large circ and started knitting the whole deal in the round. Wow. Scary, particularly with this sweater's history. (I've learned to respect the sweater.) I've been doing the raglan decreases and here's where I'm at today:



I'm maybe 16 rows from finishing the decreases and starting the neck. It's getting bigger. We love how it's turning out! It looks like a sweater.

Just to balance everything out and not tempt the fates...I'll share the things that are bugging me:



Armpits. And not for the expected reasons that armpits might bug a person, either. I just don't love how stretched out and weird they look. EZ said to put these stitches on scrap yarn and weave them in later. This caused them to stretch and get funny looking while I was getting started joining the parts together, though. Can you see it, too?



I'm curious why you wouldn't want to just weave them in the first place? Like before you join the body and sleeves? What do you think? I'm guessing she had a reason, but I'm perplexed. Hopefully they'll even out a bit during the finishing process.

Ps. I think Brian is getting rather anxious for his sweater.