Tenía muchas ganas de repetir el clapotis que hice hace tiempo. Creo recordar que fue este patrón precisamente el que me hizo entrar en ravelry (divino tesoro!). Le compré a otra raveler dos ovillos de kauni en este famoso color arco iris, que ahora está agotado en todas partes. Maté dos pájaros de un tiro

Los compré pensando hacer un revolunti que también había hecho para una compañera, pero al final pasé, porque estoy metida en el aeolian (escorial para los amigos) y dos chales a la vez ya es demasiado para mi….

Ejem…creo que me ha quedado demasiado largo… estoy harta de que me queden cuartos de ovillos que no llegan para hacer nada, así que procuro hacer lo posible para evitarlo… Me gusta como queda,

y si hace mucho frío le doy dos vueltas y también está bien. Peeero sin ninguna vuelta alrededor del cuello arrastra!!

Esta vez lo he bloqueado, para que no se enrolle sobre si mismo… me gusta XD Os dejo los detalles del ravelry por aqui.

Muchas gracias por vuestros comentarios!!!

(thanks to my friend Lauren for sending me this picture of me knitting, and to my friend Nancy for my beloved owl stitch marker happily dangling from that project!)

I’m still finding my way as a knitter, still trying to figure out which projects really work for me.  The trick seems to be in finding the sweet spot, that place where projects are interesting but not too complicated.  Where the process is pleasing but the product is something to be enjoyed, too.  And since I’m also trying not to have too many different projects on  the needles at one time, I’ve become a bit more ruthless at ripping back projects that are at a dead end, and being choosy about which projects I cast on.

I’m realizing that the projects I follow to completion have most of the following traits:

1. Wool yarn.  I prefer wool.  Not necessarily 100% wool, but at least some wool.  Or alpaca.  But not cotton, and not a synthetic.  Often it’s seemed like a good idea, but I just don’t enjoy the knitting as much.

2.  Quick gratification.  Maybe it’s a small project, maybe it’s thick yarn that grows quickly in my hands.  It makes all the difference to feel like I’m getting somewhere.

3. There are milestones. Although socks are not a quick knit (at least in my hands), they have milestones that help built momentum.  Finish the ribbing!  Turn the heel!  Pick up stitches!  Long shawls and scarves are a poor fit for me–it just seems like they just go on and on and on.

4.  It’s a gift for  someone dear to me.  Even when I’m stalled, this keeps me going.  It got me through the Clapotis that would never end, and through the cabled socks that took me years to complete (that picture above is me working on sock #2).  Nevertheless, I’m trying to do a better job picking projects so I don’t have to use this as a fallback.

5.  Yarn that I love. Really love. Soft.  Easy to knit.  Beautiful colors.  Yarn I want to snuggle with.

6. Only a little bit interesting. Just enough that I can feel the thrill of an accomplished knitting project.  But not so much that I can’t have a conversation while I’m knitting, or set it down mid-row and find my way back again.  If it does have a pattern, it’s either repetitive or doesn’t have too many rows.

7.  Did I mention small? Small is good.  Quickly finished is good.  Especially since things other people describe as “quick knits” seem to take me a long time.

8. Very little making up required. I recently found a sweater I had knit for a friend’s baby.  It was knit and blocked, but I never got it sewn up.  Which will take me something like 30 minutes, I think.  The child it was for is now two years old.  Enough said.

I currently have a sweater for Maggie and a scarf for Anna on my needles.  Neither are good for on-the-go knitting; the sweater’s just too big and the sweater is too complicated.  I’m contemplating a simple, straight knitting project to carry around with me…I’m considering socks and a pair of fingerless gloves for myself.  Or perhaps I’ll live dangerously and cast on both.

Yep, really living on the edge around here.

Ich wollte schon immer mal einen Clapotis stricken. Der Schal ist ja mittlerweile fast schon legendär – über 13.000 mal wurde das Projekt schon bei Ravelry verstrickt! Allerdings wollte ich einen schmäleren Schal, kein Riesentuch. Was liegt da näher, als einen Strang Wollmeise dafür zu verstricken?

Im Juni hatte ich mir in Sindelfingen extra einen Strang Raku Regenbogen für das Projekt zugelegt. Anfang August habe ich das Stricken angefangen, hatte den Schal als schönes “mindless”-Projekt mit in London. Aber irgendwie hat es zwischen mir und dem Clapotis nicht so richtig funken wollen. Ziemlich schnell vergammelte die schöne Wolle ganz unten im WIP-Korb.

Die Farben fand ich natürlich klasse. Aber diese langen Fallmaschen-Reihen haben mir so garnicht gefallen. Ich kann mir nur ganz schwer vorstellen, dass der Schal in Form bleibt und so liegt, wie ich es gerne hätte. Kurzum: Ich habe geribbelt. Und mit Wollmeise Sockengarn mal das gemacht, wofür es eigentlich gedacht ist. Socken halt.

Letztens hatte ich noch groß getönt: “Nein nein, aus Wollmeise mache ich doch keine Socken. Dafür ist das Garn doch viel zu schade.” Ja, Pustekuchen. Meine mittlerweile schon mehrere Wochen anhaltende Sockenmanie hat mich zum elitären Sockengarnsnob werden lassen. Gut, das wirklich tolle Wollmeisen-Garn ist auch Schuld daran. Ich war von der Wolle und den Farben zwar schon immer sehr begeistert – aber als verstrickte Socke ist es einfach nur noch ein Traum! Das Maschenbild ist toll, das Gestrickte ist wunderbar weich und zu den Farben muss ich ja nichts sagen. Mit so tollem Material macht das Hobby noch viel mehr Spaß.

I love Christmas – true Christmas, not the plastic, go-into-debt, manic Xmas that marketers would like us to believe in.  To me, Christmas should be about happiness, cheer, good-will, love,  compassion, and yes, God.  That said, it should not be about forcing others to celebrate traditions that are not their own (welcoming people to our table for friendship is another thing entirely) OR about hiding from the fact that December 25^th is a big day for one part of the population.

But it comes with a lot of pressure –  to decorate, to get the right gifts, to get the right gifts on TIME, to spend money, to be HAPPY.  It is such a whirlwind that if you aren’t actually happy during Christmas, there is something wrong with you.  The malls are full of grumpy, stressed out people and it just sucks the happy out of everything.  No wonder there is so much depression.

I’m glad my family values (and I hope, prefers) homemade and thoughtful gifts.  Dad once gave me a plunger (something I needed) with a Puffin Head on top that he had cut out of a peice of wood.  Most of the time it is a toilet paper holder and it reminds me of a happy day with my Dad.  How cool is that? 

That brings us back to the pressure part of Christmas… I’m a crafty person who likes to make all of my gifts.   The thing is, it is the end of October  and I’m only now deciding what I’m going to make for people. 

Why do I do this?  Why, why, why??? 

Last year I made winter hats for the men and scarves for the ladies.    My plan for 2009: slippers for as many people as I can make them for, plus this neat pattern for felted bags that JBW suggested for my sisters and Mom, and maybe a few others, assuming I can make them without breaking my washing machine.  Or, I could try a round of Clapotis which is beautiful.  Then there is Colonnade,  Fern Glade, Fishy (I made one last year but it was too big for D so owe him a smaller one), Vortex, Cables & Bits, the old fallback Centre Square, oooo, I forgot about Slingshot, and Anouk.  Oh goodness, I’m overwhelmed again!

Here’s to a peaceful and stress-free Christmas this year.  May we all avoid the mall as much as possible (whilst still keeping the economy moving).

Just thought I’d post the great news- the Knitty calendar is now posted and available!  You can check out (or purchase) the calendar at The Knitty Store, but I’ve included the picture of me that won below.  Alex photographed me knitting on the top of the galley during our honeymoon while we were on the Angelique Windjammer off the coast of Maine.  The image will be featured on the page for April, the month of my birth and my favorite month overall, and includes the web address for the Clapotis scarf I’m knitting in the photograph.  You can see closer pictures of the finished scarf on Ravelry.

I worked on the Pi Shawl on Monday night at knitting and then again last night at Mike’s House. However, like the never ending Clapotis, the pi-shawl is never ending as well. I feel like I’m knitting and knitting and knitting and not really getting anywhere.
My birthday is rapidly approaching (tomorrow) and in my quest to make my thirty-first year the best yet, I really want to get some of these never ending projects completed. Maybe tonight I’ll try to get the clapotis done so I can post some pictures of it- and so I can wear it as a birthday present to myself.

Ja, es gibt mich tatsächlich noch und ich stricke auch noch – wenn auch im Schneckentempo *hüstel*.

Könnt Ihr Euch noch den Du darfst-Werbespot erinnern, der damit endet, dass zwei Mädels Wurst pur essen und sich fragen “Paul? Wer ist eigentlich Paul?” nachdem eine vorher erwähnt hatte, dass Paul ihre Figur kritisiert habe? Diese Werbung ging mir bei meinem neuesten Paar Socken die ganze Zeit durch den Kopf .

Denn die Wolle, mit der ich sie gestrickt habe, ist von der Wollmeise und die Färbung heißt “Paul”.
Und es sind Geburtstagssocken für meinen Mann:

Wollmeise, Paul Wild Thing Twin, Gr. 46

Eigentlich ist es sogar ein “wilder” Paul gewesen, aber dass er bei 72 Maschen, die ich für die Füße meines Mannes anschlagen muss, nicht wildern wollte, war mir eigentlich schon vorher klar.

Und da man auf dem Foto die Färbung nicht so gut erkennen kann, kommt hier noch ein Detailfoto:

Wollmeise, Paul Twin, Detail

Mein Clapotis-Schal, den ich auch aus Wollmeisenwolle stricke, zieht sich dagegen wie Kaugummi . Ich habe nun 1,30 m gestrickt und für einen ordentlichen Schal fehlt noch ein ganzer Meter *uuuaaahh*.Und mit dem einen Strang komme ich für den Schal auch bei weitem nicht aus, aber zum Glück habe ich noch einen Reservestrang. Ich habe zwischenzeitlich wirklich überlegt, ob ich ihn wieder aufribbeln soll, aber die Idee habe ich mittlerweile wieder verworfen. Dafür bin ich stattdessen von meinem Grundsatz abgewichen, immer ein Projekt NACH dem nächsten zu stricken .

Hier kommt ein Beweisfoto, dass er zumindest seit dem letzten Eintrag ein wenig gewachsen ist :

werdender Clapotis-Schal aus Wollmeise "Kürbis"

Meine kleine Töchter war beim Fotografieren der Meinung, dass das ganze eher nach einer Pizza aussehe und hat deshalb noch ein paar “Salamischeiben” draufgelegt :

Clapotis-Pizza mit Salami

Ich wünsche Euch eine schöne Woche!

Seid lieb gegrüßt,

Sandra

The alpaka pi shawl will get some work tonight. And I hope to have Clapotis done by Stiches East on Sunday!

I finally finished Clapotis, and love how it turned out. There’s a reason this pattern has been knit a million times: the finished object is fantastic. It has a wonderful drape to it, and works as either a wrap or a scarf. I used Misti Alpaca Pima Silk Handpaint yarn which is unbelievably soft. I know I’m going to end up wearing this a lot.

Next up is going to be Carmelo, the pattern on the cover of Malabrigo Book One. I’m using this lovely shade (Purple Mystery) of Malabrigo:

I even have a couple of cool shawl pins to use with it.  Hopefully this won’t take me too long to finish.

I also started another Chevron Scarf, which I do expect to take me a long time to knit.  It’s on small needles and it’s really long, but I just love how they turn out. I look at all the finished ones on Ravelry, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ugly one.

I’m headed to Rhinebeck on Friday. I’ll be going with a group of ladies from the Knitaholics group. This will be my 3rd year at Rhinebeck, but the first time I’ve gone with people who actually knit and spin. I expect to get no sleep and totally blow my budget. The fact that I haven’t knit one thing from the stash I bought last year will absolutely not deter me.

Success!

After a few false starts, I managed to turn one skein of Koigu into one perfect little scarf.

This scarf is the lazy-woman’s version of Clapotis. Clapotis is usually much, much bigger and, to be honest, also much nicer. But of course it also usually takes more than one skein. Compromises.

What I did instead was to start knitting the pattern according to the “increase” instructions and just then just mindlessly continued increasing until I ran out of wool. I’m sure there’s at least one person out there who has accidentally knitted this version before.

Notes:

(1) I used US 7 needles at a gauge of “largish”. Smaller needles would of course have produced a smaller scarf. Since it’s already at the small end of the scarf spectrum, there would be very little distinction between a scarf smaller than this and a useless knitted triangle. If I were doing it again, I might go up another needle size.

(2) I used EZ’s “casting-on casting-off” to produce a wonderfully stretchy cast off edge. This really doesn’t work if the long edge is too tight. See page 24 of Knitting Without Tears or the Purl Bee’s tutorial.

(3) I blocked the hell out of this thing to stretch it as much as possible. It still curls a bit at the edges, but it held most of the stretch.

This was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had knitting. I’m not quite sure why that is, but I now have a more personal understanding of expressions like “it just flew off the needles”. The pattern is a good combination of simple and interesting, and knitting a smaller project on larger needles has a high instant gratification factor.

This pattern also taught me quite a few things.  I enjoyed seeing how the increases and dropped stitches were placed so that the left and right sides matched. I’m also grateful to the Ravelers who mentioned using a purl stitch rather than a stitch marker to keep track of the stitches to be dropped. When they’re coming at you every six stitches, markers really slow you down.

Sorry have not blogged for about a fortnight now life has been hectic.Recovering from surgery .

Caught sight of my DH niping out the other evening just as the evening chill was coming and now Autumn is really here and he does need a new sweater,so must make this my next mission and I think I am goiing to knit a Tod Gocken pattern I saw on Ravelry ages ago and really liked  –so watch this space .Need a really beautiflul Aran weight yarn. 

New kits are out and doing well if you are  having a problem getting one email me and I will sort it out –seems to be small footed men in the south and large in the North .

Neede some steady mindless knitting whilst I recovered so decided to finish my new clapotis knit in Eva colourAmulet by Posh Yarn –I LOVE this yarn and these colours wish it was long enough to wear whilst I knit it. hahaha 

Disappearing now for a while to my chapel in the hills play with my knitting machine and plant some trees.

Before knitters become knitters they say things like,

“I could never learn to knit.”

“I would never have the patience to knit.”

“That looks too hard.”

Then they become knitters.  We now do things like knit in front of the TV, knit in the car, knit while talking, and never think twice about it. But why do we revert to this “can’t do attitude” when it comes to  trying new techniques or projects.  Fair Isle, socks, Intarsia, sweaters, you name it.  Knitters say, “Oh, I could never do that.”

That is where yarn stores come in. They will teach you these things, but have all sorts of rules for doing so.  You have to take the sweater class before the sock class.  You have to take our beginning to knit class before you take anything else.  You have to buy all the materials here.  You have to pay a lot of money, to learn to do things the right way.

I don’t think you need to pay a lot of money.  I don’t think knitting is a secret society with a strict membership roster. And really you can figure out how to knit that clapotis all on your own.

Instead of throwing down $50 to learn to knit a sock, pull out a good knitting book, a ball of yarn, some needles and go for it.  Try.  Think. Turn off the music. Turn off the TV. Try. Try again.  I promise, you can figure it out.  Knitting really isn’t that hard and you already know how to do everything, its a knit, a purl and reading a pattern.  And remember, if you need a little extra help, Knit Picks has some great tutorials, or grab a knitting friend.  And keep that $50 for important things, like more yarn.

If all else fails, take your dreaded thing to a knitting circle, you can easily find one on ravelry.  I would be more than happy to teach anyone how to knit a sock, for free. Because that’s how most of us knitters roll—we are more than happy to share the craft, for nothing in return (well, now that you mention it a cup of coffee would be nice).

After abandoning my Space Invaders socks, I find myself with six skeins of Koigu in very 80’s video game colours. I don’t think I can use two skeins together unless I’m re-creating the rainbow brite Halloween costume my Grandma knit for me when I was 6 – the colours are just too bright. So what does one do with a single skein of Koigu? The Purl Bee’s beret would be a good choice if I wore berets, but I don’t think I’m fashionable enough to pull it off. Instead, I’ve decided to try a Clapotis-style triangular shawl. Chances are, this will turn out way too small but I’m going to try anyway (the fact that I’m away from home with only one skein of Koigu and one circular needle makes this less of a choice than it sounds). I’ll be back to show it off if it works out…

L to R:  Ilene Bag (ravelry link), Basketweave Headband, Texas Longhorn Dishcloth.

Summer’s almost over, and as usual the knitting was light. In my never-ending quest to use up some of my kitchen cotton stash, I branched out a bit from the usual dishcloths (OK, not completely). I loved how the Ilene  Bag turned out. It was very easy to knit, and stretches to hold a ton of stuff. I’ll probably end up knitting more of these. The headband is pretty cute, but since I hardly ever wear headbands (they never stay on) I don’t really know what posessed me to knit it. And the dishcloth I did for Son #2, who started his freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin (oh, so far away). I don’t know what he’ll do with it, but I couldn’t resist. I now have two of my three boys out of the house (Son #1 also left home this summer to move into a house with 5 other kids nearer to the University he attends. No, I haven’t found a URI dishcloth pattern yet). I’m not sure how I feel about an almost-empty nest other than it’s very weird so far.

I also worked on and off on my second Clapotis:

I only have a few more inches to go, so naturally I’ve made a mistake that I’ll now have to fix. This one has taken forever to get through. I guess without any Olympics to watch, I just can’t knit as fast. Thank God football season has started.

I work so much better on a deadline.  I don’t know why this is, but it is totally true.  I’ve had all summer to re-arrange my house, put stuff in storage, and paint in advance of the carpet installation.  I don’t have a carpet deadline so the project has drawn out through the whole summer.  Yeesh.  I need to learn.

Paint/Carpet project update:

• The carpet is in at the store and they want to install it sometime in mid September.  This guy clearly doesn’t get the way my mind works … “sometime” is going to get us all in trouble.  He needs to say September 14.  Or I should.  ERK.
• Painting of the living room is pretty much done.  I dragged T to the store (or maybe she dragged me?) to help (make) me make a decision.  Her advice brought me to “Pyramid Gold”.  It is very pretty – but very different from the sunshiny yellow that I painted over.   I like it a lot.  Also learned that if you want more paint you should bring the label with you back to the store.  Not the chip. 
• There was a funny moment in the store where T discovered how much I hate peach and that if you call something teal, I’m going to dislike it on principle.  The same chip presented and described without the word teal was embraced by me a few seconds later.  
• Next I must select bathroom, kitchen and bedroom colours.  I’m thinking the same yellow for the kitchen – but maybe not.  My sunshiny yellow for my bedroom and a neat bright light blue in my bathroom.  Yes, I’ll take photos.

Knitting update:

W's Birthday Prezzie. I loved working with this yarn.

• I finished W’s birthday present. Made from On your toes Bamboo yarn in Mardi Gras.  Pattern is Clapotis from Knitty.  Very pretty.  I did end up giving her a bag with a half finished project in it, but then I finished most of it after dinner AT the party.  Was cool for her to have some design input too.

• Next is another stealth project.  But probably another Clapotis shawl because I can work it up quickly.  Rolls eyes.  The next deadline is Friday. 

Oh well.  I guess I can’t be taught.

I’ll start by saying that the person I’m trying to surprise is very unlikely to read my blog, at least before the surprise so even though I’m announcing to the Blog World that I’m making something and being sneaky about it, it is a safe bet that I won’t blow the surprise.   (I’ve had 17 hits in a month of blogging, and I haven’t told anyone – except Lynn – the address, I’m probably ok).

So… there is an event on Saturday (yes, this is Tuesday and I only started last night) that celebrates someone special.  Here’s a preview of what I hope will be her gift.  It has to look a lot bigger by Saturday.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Oh hai! Here I am sea-grubby and happy.

Why? Well, I spent the week down the Cape and I was offered and accepted a job. Yes, while I was on vacation I got a job – yay me!  As of August 31st, I will no longer be unemployed.  I am really excited about my new gig at a non-profit right here in Lowell that does community organizing work.  And while I am very excited about collecting a paycheck and increasing my weekly food budget, I am also thinking of seeing if I can stick to my $60 a week once my schedule gets busier.  We’ll see…

The Cape was gorgeous and we lucked into the best week of this rainy summer – every day was sunny, hot and beautiful.

Kintting was minded…

Girly drinks were quaffed…

The drive-in was visited…

Wine was tasted…

And beautiful Cape Cod light was admired…

What a week!

If you’re interested, the whole set of photos from the week is on Flickr.

I was really impressed with the wonderful scenery Tom and I saw when we were on vacation in Oregon and Washington.

While in Portland, I wanted to buy some yarn that reflected the environment around me so that I could knit a vacation memory. I bought three balls of Aslantrends Bariloche kettled dyed yarn from the Knit Knot Studio in Portland. It’s a great yarn full of greens, blues, browns and grays. I think it is a good reflection of the beautiful colors of nature I saw on vacation.

I’m using the yarn to knit my second Clapotis. I made my first version a few years ago out of fingering weight yarn. This one will be much bulkier and super warm for winter.

I love how this is coming out, and had forgotten how quickly a Clapotis knits up! Knitting a nice, thick scarf makes me look forward to the winter.

Ok, so I HAVE actually been knitting more than I have been showing in the past few months.  It is sometimes difficult to post everything one makes, esp. when one finishes a project and the next project begins calling ever so sweetly and seductively. 

And so I am playing catch up today!  First on my list:

1. Crumpet Beret
Made from Tahki Donegal Tweed that my husband and my father in law surprised me with after a trip to Ligonier, PA (Kathy’s Kreations!)

2. Clapotis
This was made from leftover yarn from my Minimalist Cardigan. I wanted it thinner and scarfier than the pattern called for, so I altered it thusly.

3. Baronness Beret
This I made when TEO & I went to visit our friends Marc & Sara in St. Augustine. I am always in need of a project on any trip and this time brought several options. Ended up making this little number! Of course I made TEO model it for me, and he sweetly obliged!

4. Sideways Cloche
This is the first pattern I have had a chance to do from one of my Christmas present knitting books, Boutique Knits. It was really quick and fun, and a great chance to use up some stash yarn that I had.

When I took this photo, this Clapotis had not even been blocked, as I finished the ends on a Greyhound bus from Vancouver to Seattle.   I am a very latecomer to the Clapotis party (there are over 12,000 projects on Ravelry at last count), but I saw this picture of Giselle Bundchen and thought that with the help of a Clapotis, I could channel my inner Giselle (humour me here).  Can you tell which one is the troll?

According to Kate Gilbert, the Clapotis, does not need blocking – and it certainly had not been in this shot.  The Fremont troll is a statue in Seattle, and was fascinating to one small girl, and of no interest at all to the other.  After visiting the troll, we had fantastic Cuban sandwiches from Paseo, while watching the sailing on Lake Union from a friend’s house boat.  A lovely evening was had by all.

I have not taken any proper photos of the Clapotis – the week in Hong Kong before we came to Australia, was spent in a mad blur of orders. My Clapotis was made from Yarn Workshop Bomballa, dyed by me with Dylon “pewter grey” dye, that made it a lovely soft denimy blue (not really grey at all).  I deliverately overstuffed the pot when dyeing, and halved the salt, to achieve a lightly mottled yarn. I think that I knitted it on 4mm needles.  It is difficult to make an original comment on the Clapotis, I’ve worn mine heaps, the pattern was easy to learn, and the pattern is lovely in Bamboo yarn – a zillion people on Ravelry seem to have made one out of Bamboo yarn.

After Seattle, we had a lovely day trip to Mt Rainier, where the children were delighted to see snow still on the ground in late June.

This was followed by a hellish arrival in Portland, where the Embassy Suites did not honour our booking (despite being credit card confirmed).  The full details are here; I would rant more about the whole US travel industry, but we really did have a good trip despite this big and distressing glitch. My tip is to confirm all US hotel bookings on the day that you arrive if at all possible; and if you are told that the hotel is overbooked:

1. Stay calm (I didn’t follow this at all, and had the embarrassment of being so angry that my younger daughter burst into tears);
2. Insist on the industry standard treatment in the case of hotel over bookings: first night accommodation free, transfers to a new hotel, one free telephone call, transfer to a similar room in a similar class of hotel.  I had no idea until after the event that there was even a “standard industry practice”.
3. Follow up afterward with complaints to the Hotel’s customer service department.  We eventually were advised that we would not be charged for both nights of the two night stay in Portland, after extensive email correspondence.

The rest of the trip to the West Coast of the US was amazing, and I still have another yarn shop report from San Francisco. I’ve also been yarn shopping in Australia, and met up with another knitblogger. I’ve had some IT issues on this trip (which finally seem to be resolved), so there will be more posts in the next few days.

A friend of mine asked: “Exactly how many projects do you have going right now?”

Um, well… Do you mean that I’m actually working on, plan to cast on in the very near future, are technically being worked on since they’re still on needles, or some variation thereof?

If she were here and not in Florida where she’s probably rolling her eyes at my answer, she’d probably smack me.

Let’s see. I have:

• 2 scarves: One for me, one for my husband (don’t worry they’re not matching. Somehow that only works for 60+ year old retired civil service employees in Winnebagos – and why do they do that?? And yes there’s a story behind that, but I digress…).
• 1 pair of socks, nearly complete.
• 2 other pairs of socks to be cast on in the very near future, like tonight and tomorrow.
• A clapotis – I tried this pattern once before with some thickish Noro yarn and hated it. They said that yarn was sock yarn and I suppose it could be…if you like your socks to feel like oven mitts. You can see how far I’ve gotten on it in the picture there. It looks like a thong. I love me some knitting, but hell no.
• A Girasole – this I’m doing up as a blanket. Again, another re-do, mostly because I somehow lost more stitches than I was feasibly able to fake on my first attempt.
• A wrap, which I cast on, did a few rows then haven’t gone back to. I may just pull it off and put that project on hold for a while.
• A handful of heart shaped sachets that I’m filling with lavender. I’ve completed two out of about five.
• A teddy bear, that I’m in the process of seaming. I might pull the seams apart and try again, though. I don’t like how uneven it’s looking.

So, this is the state of the knitting basket. I’m refraining from casting on any more projects until I get at least a few of these finished.

Edit: I forgot to include some link love for the Clapotis and Girasole!

I may have something awesome tonight.  IF (big if) I stay awake that long.

Yesterday was my first full day of work since the mono dx.  By about 3:00 or so I was *bushed*.

(Not in the ‘idiotic 43rd president’ sense, but in the ‘just let me rest my head on my desk for one minute and then I’ll be ju………………….zzzzzzzzz‘ sense.)

So what did I do at home?  I vacuumed and made a strawberry rhubarb crumble and knitted for a while.  Duh.

Then I fell asleep on the couch, was awoken some time later by Jeff and sent to bed (per our routine).

So what did I do in bed?  I finished In The Time of the Butterflies and started The Book of Lost Things (which I paid $5.99 for at the publisher’s outlet store, btw), of course.  It is *no fun* being exhausted and unable to sleep – what a miserable combination!

Then I heard Othello puking on the floor by the end of the bed so I leaned over to move my shoes from his trajectory and that woke Jeff up and he thought I was falling out of bed so he helpfully grabbed my ankle.  (This, on top of the previous night’s pinching incident…)

So suffice to say, that today I am tired.  I do wish I could make it a short day, but I probably couldn’t get away with that anymore – work has been incredibly accommodating to me as it is, and I don’t want to strain their good will any farther.

Finally, a hint at the awesomeness to come:

So sayeth Kate.

Pattern: Clapotis, by Kate Gilbert, from Knitty (Fall 2004)

Yarn: Mondial Le Perle Gold Cashmere, a bit over 3 skeins, in color 953 (orange and hot pink with bits of greeny-grey)

Needles: Tahki “extra smooth” bamboo, US 5

My father brought me this yarn from Korea, and I really loved working with it. It’s soft, squishy, and a fun colorway. I’m several years late to the Clapotis party, but it still seems to be in full swing, and after knitting this pattern, I can certainly see why. I tried using stitch markers for awhile, but lost patience with them (and ran out of matching ones–am I the only one who worries about matching stitch markers?), so I tried purling the dropped stitch instead. After a few rows, I realized that I wasn’t too keen on that idea either, and that it was just a six-stitch repeat, for heaven’s sake! I ended up keeping track by thinking to myself:

“One, two, three, TWIST & SHOUT!”

Or, in knitting language: k3, k1tbl, k1, k1bl. Make sense? I’m obviously crazy, but this little tag-line somehow made the knitting even more fun. This was the perfect knit for post-UK jet-lag and kitchen remodeling blues. The only problem now is that I’m not knitting a Clapotis anymore. Clearly, that will have to change.

A few more random musings:

1. I’ve cut my hair. This is the shortest it’s ever been. I’m really enjoying it.

2. I’m still working on a massive blog post about our trip (especially the fiber-y aspects). Once we’re done with this renovation project (I should probably post about that too, eh?), I should have more time on the computer and less time calling contractors, cleaning up massive amounts of dust, etc.

3. I’ve begun work on the June sweater. Here’s a hint:

And now I am going to see if I can find some Cheerios. It’s pretty marginal around here, food-wise.