It's Dark in Here

I remember when I started this blog. I was feeling alone, isolated and frustrated. I believe the first few posts were mainly rants about yarn snobs or people that made me feel excluded. Eventually my posts evolved; there were more pictures, stories. It was kind of a fun place to stop by.

Then life kind of got in the way. We moved, I didn't have a job, then I had a job, then the DH didn't have a job, then he had a temp job, then I didn't have a job, then I got another job, and the DH got one, too.

And I'm sitting here, and I'm feeling alone, frustrated and isolated. There's stuff going on. Not great stuff. Stuff that makes a person feel alone. I'm pretty sure no one stops by this little corner of the internet anymore, so maybe, just maybe, now that I've dusted off my username and password, maybe I'll post about it. Maybe.

But not today. Today, it's just dark in here.

New England 2.0

They're done! Second time around with this pattern. First time, I used some nasty acrylic sock yarn (!?) which made for some rarely worn socks. This time around, I used a wool/nylon blend, and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out!













New England Socks, from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Soles, Ivory. 2 skeins.
Needles: US 0's. Magic Loop.
Mods: Switched out the Dutch heel for a round heel. Deeper gusset=better fit for me.

Aaah...

That's better.

A River in Egypt

There are certain truths in knitting. Truths that I hold to, and which shape the choices I make. Usually. There are certain uglinesses that I avoid unless absolutely necessary. The main truth, one of the first I discovered about myself in relation to my knitting is: The Dutch Heel Is Not For Me. It's not that I find it aesthetically unpleasant. It's not that I find it difficult to achieve. I do not find it sloppy, icky, or dumb. It just plain doesn't fit my foot. I discovered this while doing several sample knitting gigs, making socks with Dutch Heels. They p-u-u-u-u-l-l-l-l-l across my instep, distorting the stitch pattern, making for a tight, difficult fit in one area, where the rest of the sock fits just fine. So, from that moment on, I just threw a standard round heel into any sock knit for me, or the DH. Until yesterday.

A few years back, I knit the New England socks from Knitting on the Road for myself. I knit them at a gauge that was too loose, and, sadly, I knit them out of acrylic sock yarn. I have come to the point where I am wanting to replace these seldom worn socks with some knit from, well, wool. Fair enough. I was plugging along, heel flap knit, on to the heel turn. Wait. It's a Dutch Heel. Maybe you should throw in a round heel. Nah. I'll just follow the directions. What's the worst that could happen?

A-yup. Too tight across the instep. I hear the frogs a-callin' from the banks of Denial. Sigh. When will I really learn?

Everything Old is New Again

FO: Spring Forward Socks
Needles: US 1
Yarn: SR Kertzer On Your Toes! Bamboo
Notes: Fast, fun pattern! Ran out of yarn just before closing off the second toe. Used a scrap from the stash to finish it up.





















Those of you who are regular readers (who am I kidding? I last posted 5 months ago. That's not regular under any circumstances) might remember the DH's love of a good zippered cardigan. In an attempt to capitalize on that love, I set out to knit him Avast! in a really lovely cordovan brown wool.

It was the most boring thing I have ever knit. I was therefore certain that he would love it. Maybe even more than he loves the Cambridge Jacket I knit for him which ignited his passion for items that might be found whilst raiding Mr. Rogers' closet. I knit and knit, seeming miles of stockinette... I picked up for the facings/zipper placket. I seamed the arms, and










It didn't fit. Enter the ball winder. Skippy, while watching me unravel an entire completed sweater remarked, "Couldn't you find someone it does fit?" Well, that's not the point, is it? I was making this sweater for the DH. It doesn't fit him, so I must knit something else from this yarn. Pretty obvious, if you think about it. Starting over doesn't have to be painful, it's only yarn! So, Cambridge Jacket 2.0 is in the works. Back is finished, fronts started. This one will fit him and will get worn on a regular basis. So everyone's happy.

Along the theme of starting over, turning something that wasn't working into something that will work, I am in the process of a career renovation of sorts. The position I was working underwent some major budget-related cuts, and, being low on the seniority end of things, I was laid off. After about a week of panic attacks and crying and what-am-I-going-to-do-now? I have decided to return (very briefly) to school, reinstate my teaching license, and, ultimately, get my ESL license.

So, transitions all around! It's on me.

What's That Clicking Noise?

A finished Must Have Cardigan and some mittens in progress...
Must Have Cardigan from Patons Street Smart
Size: M
Mods: Worked the diamond crossings to mirror each other. Otherwise, knit as writ.

The buttons are a bit small, but I couldn't find any I liked in the correct size, so I'll just snug up the buttonholes.


















The mittens are Pattern 8 from Knitting Marvelous Mittens by Charlene Schurch. Love.

Back-Alley Intarsia

So, those of you who have followed this blog for a while may already be aware of how I feel about bobbles (sad, sad, nipply wastes of time); but I don't think I've ever let you in on my feelings about Intarsia. Um. Yeah. Not A Fan, Myself. That may very well be the reason you don't find photos of sweaters with pictures of sheep on them around these parts (the DH once pointed out some be-sheeped shop samples with an oh, so hopeful and impressed, "Look at that! Could you make me a sweater with a sheep on it?").

Not being a fan of the technique, I've never even attempted it (oddly enough, I've taught others how to do it). I swore to myself that I would never try it.

Enter the challenge.

A coworker of the DH, after learning I knit, mentioned the Christmas stockings his grandmother had knit for everyone when he was a child. Grandma had since passed, leaving nary a knitter in the family. Coworker's mother had of late started a desperate, yet fruitless search for someone, anyone, capable of recreating Grandma's handiwork.

"My wife could do it."

"I don't know, there's like, pictures and stuff on them. They're pretty complicated..."

"I'm telling you, my wife could totally do it."

The originals were sent home with the DH, and, armed with some holiday colored Super Saver (wow, it's been a while since I touched that stuff!) and my own mother's patience and beading talents, I am now 2/3rds of the way through my Intarsia Odyssey. Still not a fan of the technique, but I am now certain I could slap a sheep on the front of a sweater if the need arose.
























In Other Holiday Knitting News, I finished the Montreal Tuque (actually Wild Tuque) for the young BIL. That was a lot more pleasant to work on:

Montreal Tuque from Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery
Size L
US 4 Knitpicks Harmony 40" circular (Magic Loop)
Knitpicks Swish Superwash in Jade
Red Pepper
Natural, 1 skein each.
Lovely, soft, squishy and warm!












Happy Holidays!!!