Is Bazillion a real number?

If so, I have experienced it. I huddled by the window (natural light is our friend, especially when working in black) this morning and picked up the stitches for Skippy's buttonband. I didn't count. I don't think I want to know. All I can say is, I joined my three longest cables from my set of Denises, and I still can't get the thing to lay flat! That's a lot of stitches, my friends! One row takes me 20 minutes to half an hour, and I'm pretty quick for a thrower. I have marked out centers for the buttonholes, which will be coming up right soon, now. I just don't have the energy right now to swatch buttonholes and see what will fit the selected buttons. There is still the problem of the sleeve caps; which, to be honest, are too hideous for public viewing (someone might have small children in the room and I wouldn't want to be responsible for scarring them for life, dooming them to an irrational fear of really badly shaped sleeve caps. I just couldn't live with myself.) If you need a mental picture, think Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster. Now, picture the top of his head. Try to somehow fit that shape into an otherwise decent sweater. Do you see now why I've got my flippers, noseplug and waterwings on, ready to plunge once more into the frog pond? Yup. If I don't come up after about 45 seconds, send someone in after me!

Lurky-Loo

That should be my new name. I have spent the last, what has it been, a week? Too long, anyway, lurking around leaving no comments. I thought I'd have plenty to blog about, with the girls' b-day and my own and having my mom and sister out from Minnesota, but, alas, not much to report.

I spent my 32nd birthday in the traditional manner (renting a belt sander and scraping old adhesive off the cement subfloor of the "SFHO 1/2 bath") Heady times, I tell you, especially when the DH grudgingly took a shift and ended up sucking the power cord into the sander.

The girls are now 3 and proud owners of some pretty sharp lookin' tricycles. I had planned to blog about their b-day, but the idea just wouldn't gel in my mind. Suffice it to say, they have come a long way in three short years! From:







To:









I dragged my (non-knitting) sister on a micro-mini yarn crawl where I got this:

to make Potatomatomuseses for my mom,
and this:

to make a Sunrise Circle Jacket for me! I can hardly keep from casting on, but there is still THE CARDIGAN to contend with. The knitting is done, save for the button band. The button band for a tunic length V-neck cardigan for a 6 foot tall viking. I know that the journey of a thousand miles of seed stitch begins with a single stitch, but I admit I am a bit daunted at the prospect of picking up all those stitches (and in black, no less!). I'm also still not thrilled with the sleeve caps, so there may be some ripping and reworking to be done on those. I can still get the buttonband done, meantime, however. Here is the body of the sweater, seamed at the shoulders:

And here (this one's for you, Skippy) is the front with the buttons Skippy sent for me to use. I just want to be sure that's what you want before I go knitting buttonholes or anything (yeah, I know, I haven't even started the damn button band, I shouldn't worry about the buttonholes yet, since they are a few bazillion stitches from being encountered, anyway.)



I did finish one little project. This is for my SIL's sister and her husband's new baby girl, who is due any day now. I still need to get some ribbon for the closure, but it was a pretty easy knit, and it turned out nicely, if I do say so myself. (Please ignore the unseamed underarms and unwoven in ends. They have all been judiciously dealt with since the photo was taken! ;-) )

So, all is well here Chez Bitter. I won't delve too deeply into the chaos that is potty training twins, but we are getting there.

Does anyone know of any sock patterns that are written for 2 circs? My mom wants to learn, but she's not the type to just jump in and make it work, she wants actual directions. Let me know if there are any good ones out there (as I'm sure there are!)!

The Very Cockles of My Heart...

Were warmed today, when I entered the laundry room to this sight:

Yes, that is all of the DH's (and one pair of the girls') handknit socks laid out to dry flat! This has never happened before. Okay, okay, so he only separated them from the rest of the load and piled them on the washer. I laid them out. But, this is a man who can't even be bothered to check pockets before doing laundry. I know I should be happy that he at least can operate the machines and demonstrates this skill on a fairly regular basis, but, really, how hard is it to check the pockets? Honestly. I digress. He took the time and care to spare his handknit socks from the dryer. Wow. It touched my heart, and I mean that sincerely.

The Dalarnas are a no go. I blame using Norwegian wool for Swedish socks. I was just asking for trouble. I don't have enough yardage, so I'm doing Friday Harbors instead, but that didn't stop my ancestors from finding ways to punish me for my error in judgement. I managed to gouge my thumb while reassembling a chair from IKEA for the girls. Still hurts. Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I will find some nice yarn with which to make a second attempt someday.

The girls made enormous strides in potty learning today! Wow! My mom sent a few pair of training pants last week, does anyone remember these? Undies with a thicker, slightly more absorbant crotchular area? They work like a dream (that is, if you dream of little voices saying "uh oh" a lot for a while). They had some success during the day, but the minute the DH came home they put on a potty show! I swear they would have pulled out the pyrotechnics if it weren't for their collective fear of "hot fire." They are such drama queens! But we are on our way to a diaper-free existance!

Potatomatomustwego-onlikethis?

First, let me just say Thank You to those of you who left such supportive and kind comments for my last post. It really meant a lot to me. So, thanks. I'm still working out of the funk, but my mom and sister are coming out for a visit in 2 weeks, and that will help my mood tremendously, I'm sure. That, and I'll be turning 32-riffic soon, which is better than plain old 31-derful, right? RIGHT?? Anyway, on to the knitting!!

They are done. Lest you think I am just posting another photo of sock #1 and claiming "No, really! It's the OTHER one! I swear!" Here they are together:

Pomatomus, from Knitty. All in all, these were a fun knit, until I got all full of myself and stopped referencing the chart on the instep of sock #2 and had to tink back 6 or 7 rows because I had skipped a YO. The yarn, Sock Memories Carnival from Knitpicks, was a dream compared to what I used for my last pair. This was my first attempt at knitting socks on two circs, and, I must admit, I really liked it. It was also my trial run with Susan Bates Silverados (poor man's Slicky-Clickies). I was pretty impressed. They are pretty slick and not too blunt. I can't really speak to cord flexibility, as they were only 16", but they were pretty nice to work with. These are my March socks for the Sockamonthalong, and I think next up will be Dalarnas from Knitting on the Road. The DH's great grandfather came over to the US from Dalarna, so it only seems fitting I should make the socks, right?

Speaking of the DH, he is shaving his head tomorrow in support of the coworker I knit Shedir for. Never seen him bald. Should be interesting. Also, negotiations are not going as well as they could, so the Stickin' it to the Man socks will, sadly, get some wear. I also have orders for 2 more pair for other members of the team. They want me to name a price. UGH! Any ideas out there? I'm figuring $14 in materials per pair, but then, how much for my time? (No one can really afford my time, when it comes down to it, but how much for my skill, I guess?) I'm really horrible about this kind of thing. I never can answer the "How much would you charge?" question. So, how much would you charge?