Progress?

I need to locate my camera, post-wedding, and get some pictures up. I never posted the blue sweater- probably just as well, since I need to rip out both (completed) fronts. Sigh. Frog pond, here I come!

I have completed three repeats of the pastel baby blanket, as originally seen here- so for now, imagine a little bit more than three of these:


On vacation I ended up not knitting as much as I anticipated. I still am on Chart 3 (for the second time) for my symmetrical stole. But that's progress, right?

My Autumn Rose sweater kit has not yet appeared in the mail- insane demand has apparently lead to the shop running out of yarn. No word on if it has been shipped yet- so I'll just wait patiently. And play with the baby blanket, which is like pastel crack.

In the absence of real knitting news, here are a few clips to amuse:
Avenue Jew
GMail on the move

Notes to self

I really want to knit the Autumn Rose with the knitalong I joined. And I will! But not yet. My budget has tanked. I think I should practice a little bit of fair isle first, anyways. Since I already have the yarn, I'm thinking baby sweater: you can see it on this page, it's the little fair isle cardigan with peach trim near the bottom of the page (shown with peach pantaloons). I'm actually almost done with the cabled sweater next to it, in a darker shade of peach, but for some reason I can't get the sleeves to work for me. Every time I try to knit them, I screw up the cables. For someone who loves cable barf (the more cables the better!) that is more than a little disheartening!

I have a new technique I want to investigate. I want to learn to double knit. Not in the sense of knitting really thick scarves (I can already do that!), but in the sense of knitting two things at the same time. Like two socks... at once. I am talking about extreme knitting here. Kory Stamper has an excellent article about it from Knitty, Fall 2006- I really have to try it with some self-striping yarn. I want to try plain stockinette socks, so this would be a great time to use some Opal I have in stash, like this

or this

I don't just dream in color, I dream in fair isle. Don't you?

Oh, what an exciting Monday. I am not sure I can make this coherent, because it is all just too exciting.

First, I get quoted on DCist for my review of Firefly- the DC restaurant, not the TV series... though I do love both wholeheartedly. I love DCist because it tells me when and where to go, what I need to know about my fair city, etc. Also it hooks me up with events like seeing Jasper Fforde in person (so funny!) and on Friday, William frikkin Gibson! Cyberpunk FTW! That's assuming I don't check out one of the restaurants that has extended Restaurant Week, or head over to CityZen with a coworker for their astonishingly almost-inexpensive 3-course tasting meal- there are so many choices. I love DC!

I also love DCist because it brings random people to my blog, who are then exposed to knitting content. Hello, random people...

Right. That was a good start to a Monday. But then it got even better- some local knit ladies have started a knitalong for Eunny Jang's gorgeous sweater, Autumn Rose. It is a stunning fair isle sweater that, frankly, I have coveted since I first saw it on her blog. It isn't just fair isle. It's fair isle for a modern figure. It scoops, it flatters, it curves, it would look just as good on a busty thing like me as on a little waify girl... what I'm saying is that it is HOT. You can check out some photos in the Simply Shetland 4 book, at Simply Shetland. I really have to knit this sweater; it's just the perfect fair isle. So let's forget about that Philosopher's Wool beauty I have sitting balled up and ready to go. And that baby sweater that was going to be my first fair isle project. And the trillion projects I have going right now. I simply *must* knit and wear that sweater this winter.

That is perhaps a bit dramatic. But it would definitely give me more street cred in the office as an accomplished knitter! It's not just that the sweater is amazing- but I get to be part of this In Love With Autumn Rose knitalong! Since I should have my MS3 done very shortly, I'm feeling ready to get the yarn for this sucker and cast on, leaving my holiday gift knitting plans in its wake.

Now, we all know it won't happen that way. I'll manage to create a bunch of gifts. I will probably even compete in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) again this November. But somehow, I will manage to do this knitalong, and I will hopefully end up with a gorgeous Autumn Rose of my very own. I'm giving myself two weeks to finish MS3 and at least one gift, before I can buy the yarn. But then it will be September- what an excellent birthday gift for myself! Mm, yarn. Mm, sexy fair isle. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh, did I mention that I saw Casablanca on the National Mall tonight? A perfect evening, perfect weather, and a perfect movie, marred only by not knitting (I didn't want to fade the yarn in the sunlight). Let me say it again- I love DC.

On why I knit

First, MS3 Clue 1 is complete (again). Before I get back to the Empire Cardigan or do some real work, I had a few thoughts this weekend on why I knit.

I like what I do for work, but it is essentially a means to support my life. I happen to have a job I enjoy doing 40 hours a week, but I'd have to do something to pay rent whether or not I liked it. So work is a necessity.

Outside of work, a lot of my life is based on other people. Not in the altruistic sense so much as in the realistic sense- I choose activities that will allow me to spend time with my friends, which means I often choose to do things that I enjoy well enough, but may not be my favorite activity. In college that meant watching a lot of Grand Theft Auto at my friends' suite in the dorms. In grad school it was a mix of necessity (grading, writing, reading) and activities I could do with friends (going out for drinks, getting together at Barnes and Noble to grade, late night runs to Steak 'n Shake). Now that I am all grown up, or closer to it, I still end up choosing to do things quite a bit of the time based on other people's interests, and joining them in what they enjoy doing. I get sucked into video games because my friends play, or pick up my guitar again because I hang out with friends who play more consistently. I read more when I hang out with readers (not that I ever really stop reading). Their hobbies remind me of my old hobbies, and I pick them up again for a bit.

Knitting isn't like that. Admittedly, I attend a few knitting groups. More of them when I first moved out here and didn't have a large network for companionship, but I still go to them now when I can. But mainly knitting is a personal choice. It's what I do for me- because I love it. I can spend an entire weekend doing nothing but knitting and occasionally surfing the web or cooking dinner. I knitted all through my cruise last December, and all through grad school when I wasn't actually working or hanging out with my pals. And sometimes when I was hanging out with pals. I'm not sure why I keep thinking about this today, but I suppose it's just a realization of how much it means to me to have this hobby. To be in a way connected to a huge collective of knitters worldwide, of all generations and geography and skill levels. And more importantly, to have something for myself that is completely independent of other people, of responsibilities. I choose to knit for others because I hope that something I knit will make someone else happy. But mostly I knit, whether for myself or for gifts, because I would do it anyways. The act of wrapping string around two needles and creating fabric is mesmerizing and beautiful and simple and infinitely creative. It makes me calmer, happier, and more at peace with myself.

I do almost everything in my life because of what I must do, or because other people expose me to it- knitting is a personal victory. People can laugh at my yarn stash, or roll their eyes at my handknitted sweaters and socks. I just ignore them- I am warmer and and more human because I am a knitter. I am many things- a girl, a Jew, an American, a francophile, a displaced New Hampshirite, a Marylander, a geek, a reader and writer and lover. How odd that above all these things, I identify by my craft. That a clumsy and wacky person like me can manage to create beautiful things out of simple materials will never cease to astonish me. That is why I knit.

Weekending

Apparently my aunt and uncle have begun reading this blog... hello! Mom said you submitted comments, but I never saw them. FYI! But welcome! For my other blog readers, I feel obligated to tell you that my Mom and her sister are possibly the greatest living crafters I know. I am awed and humbled by their speed and finesse, at everything from sewing to quilting to knitting and bear-making- and probably every other craft under the sun. I'm hoping I'll catch up to their skill level in a few decades!

It's been a pretty solid week for knitting. I'm just inches away from finishing the back of my Empire Cardigan, which I hope to complete this weekend. And I finally decided what to do with MS3. I just can't imagine myself ever wearing it with a wing- though that is sure to be interesting, it's simply not me. No worries! I cut the yarn at the appropriate point in Clue 4 (the mandatory lifeline), and started the whole thing over again tonight. I'll work the same charts, Clue 1 through Clue 4 at the lifeline, and graft the two ends together. Voila, symmetrical and beautiful shawl. I'm happy with this decision. The "secret" part of the pattern that will come out in the finished for-purchase pattern is a stole with two wings- now *that* I could consider making. I am certainly buying the pattern anyways, in support of Melanie, so I will probably work on that sometime next year.

In the meantime, I've been thinking gifts, especially holiday gifts. As soon as I finish the back of the cardigan, I am going to cast on for a few of them. I don't want to spoil any surprises, but thus far the list includes some socks, some hobo glove/mittens, a baby hat, etcetc. All the yarn is ready to go, I just need to get knitting!

I also really need to try quilting again. I don't mind it- and I loved doing the piecing. But so far I am definitely not in the groove of hand quilting, so everytime I think "hmm, I should finish that wedding gift..." I pull out some yarn. C'est la vie.

I thought about going to see my friends' band Fools & Horses tonight, but the lure of knitting was too strong. Also, I don't like driving all the way to Annapolis by myself. Nevertheless, my room is clean, I have a few more Buffy episodes to watch, and I aim to finish Clue 1 (the second time) tonight. I'd best get back to my "exciting weekend" so I can do a few hours for work tomorrow in between projects. Hopefully we'll get some good in-progress or even Finished Object pictures by mid-week next week!

Fun with Flickr

Blogger needs to save faster. I hate losing entries. Cry!

I left work early today so I could pick up my bridesmaid dress- hurrah. I also wanted to head to WoolWinders to get more details on the class I'll be teaching this fall- Absolute Beginners. I'm so excited to teach in a more formal setting! I hope it goes really well- surely it will.

While I was up at WoolWinders, I managed to get a bit of knitting done. Evidence! Ignore that it looks completely gray- I swear it's a green sweater:


I also picked up a few skeins of yarn for gifts. I have most everything I need for holiday gift materials, but I was missing a few key things. This is it, so far:



And a little gift for someone special- it's a tape measure! Did you know I grew up on Ladybug Lane?


Pretty productive day. I can't believe Sharyn's wedding is so soon! For that matter, I can't believe I'll be on vacation the week after next. I think that I will need to bring a very large suitcase- just for the yarn.

I also had a bit of fun with Flickr today, investigating the contents of my purse. Maybe that's not exciting to everyone, but I found it a bit enlightening. You surely can tell a lot about a person by what they tote around with them day in, day out. I suspect most people don't have this variety- but then, I spend at least an hour and a half commuting by metro every day. That's a lot of knitting and reading time!

Toe Ups

I've been feeling less bloggy lately (ooh, yet another bad use of the word blog). This is mainly because I have been sucked into the world of Ravelry. I'm loving the community aspects already, and of course nothing is cuter than seeing loads of photos of your projects, stash, everything- all neatly organized.

My stash doesn't seem so daunting compared to some I've seen on there- though I must note that so far only my sock yarns and laceweight yarns have been fully documented. Looking at those, even as a fraction of my total yarn, has very much inspired me to GET RID OF IT. And by get rid of, I mean knit things. Not give away, that's cheating.

Currently, I'm completely obsessed with the Empire Cardigan from Debbie Bliss. No recent pictures, so no visual representation here. Let's just say I'm already past the armholes on the back, with a nice straight easy section ahead of me. I hope to complete the back this week. The only difficulty with that is that I'm also still on Clue 4 for MS3- which makes me a week behind!

Ah, MS3. The theme has been revealed- as Swan Lake. Frankly, that's what I figured from the beginning. I'm less than keen about the idea of knitting a wing, however. The last time I wore wings, they were part of my cosplay costume and I was accosted in Baltimore by someone who decided they would like the pretty wings and tried to forcibly remove them from my body. Not the greatest experience. I realize this is altogether different- one wing, and more an impression of a wing to boot. But I'm feeling that if I just knit the symmetrical stole, it would be something I'd be much more likely to wear. To bring to work, and throw around my shoulders, and wear with pretty garments and even in Bloomington for the rehearsal dinner, etc, since I could probably finish it by then. This is still a choice- I'm only just up to the lifeline point, and therefore can decide either way without ripping back any rows. There is a part of me, however, that wants to do this mystery thing right and actually do what it says. A knitted wing- why not? It would be pretty stellar to wear at a certain holiday party for knitters later this year. But I have to think about this some more.

Anyways, once I get over the stellar excitement of knitting the gray-green lace and cable alpaca silk blob (mm alpaca SHEDS, and yet I love it extremely)... I am ready for something new and exciting. I want some toe-up socks. I haven't knit a pair of toe-ups yet, though I believe someone in the Sock It To Me group in Bloomington showed me how to cast on using the figure-8 magic loop cast-on. Then Wendy pointed out this nifty site, and I decided it's worth a try: Judy's Magic Cast On. See, I have this leftover yarn, Schaefer Anne, in a random and impossible colorway that looks like Flames:

And I suspect that although it may not be enough for two full socks, I could at the minimum get ankle socks out of it. So how would one go about that- knitting socks without dangerously running out of yarn, since it's stash yarn leftover from a pair of men's mittens and there is no more to be found... oh yes!
Toe up socks. Both knit at once. Using the magic loop method, with this Magic cast on. Voila- a star is born. I think I'm going to make up the pattern, too. Can our intrepid knitter actually manage this? Will the socks ever be completed? We'll see... I'm envisioning wearing them with my clogs all fall...

I'm also supposed to be quilting. Somehow that project got out of circulation. Here's hoping for a productive week ahead, hmm?

Stash of Doom

I knew my stash was getting out of hand. I could feel it creeping out of its cubby holes and baskets and into the fabric of my life. And not just in the form of UFO's, oh no! So I went on a photo tour today. It was terrifying. I'm starting to put stuff up on Ravelry, but in the meantime, here's a taste of the "before photos" and why I need to seriously finish some things!

First up is the Wall of Stash:

Sure, this may not look so bad. There are books in there! There are cubes of fabric, and even a cube of toiletries chilling out there because there isn't room in the bathroom. But consider the layers of yarn in each cubicle. Consider the massive amounts of it hidden in nooks and crannies. Imagine turning around and seeing a lot more of it.

(it looks innocuous from the bed, until you sneak a peek beneath the quilts and pillows and reveal another huge stash pile!)

For shame, it's taking up random floor space at the foot of my bed (disregard the fact that obviously yarn clutter isn't my only issue right now):


Oops, other side, too (quilting crap AND lots of yarn and random projects, oh boy!):


It's amazing I ever find what I need.

Now imagine taking a tour of the living room, and finding yet another big basket (all fair isle!) and 3 small ones. Oh jeez. I didn't tackle it completely, but I did pull out most of the UFOs that are not currently in my project bag:


Funny thing- that pile of white yarny things is 32 out of 61 hexagons for an afghan I was going to make for charity. I think I used some of the yarn for other things (teaching, most likely), but I should probably finish the thing and give it away. I was working on it in Rockville, and would love to get it out of my life before I move again. Whenever that is. For that matter, I would like to get rid of a good percentage of this yarn before I move again- I may need to destash. More likely, I need to finish projects. Yay.

And I reorganized the baskets. Slightly less gorgeous sock yarn is in a plastic bag in the cubicles, but the pretty stuff and all the lace got basket space:


That's definitely enough for tonight. My goals??
- finish MS3 Clue 4 (probably could do it Wednesday night, in preparation for the clue Friday)
- work on the cardigan (because I know darn well I'm going to whether it's on the list or not- that alpaca silk is like crack!)
- do at least 2 baby blanket squares... and another 2 on Saturday!! Zoom zoom!
- give the crocheted baby blanket away, to get it out of the house. Also because the baby is due soon. Hurray!
- finish the first Pink Broadripple sock- I have visions of wearing them this fall with my clogs and want them DONE.
- clean my room (well, obviously- you've seen the evidence)

Hopefully I'll get to Clue 5 this weekend, but I'm ok if I can't because I'm finishing the back of the sweater. Can I really get that far this weekend?? Anything is possible, I don't have much in the way of plans...

EDIT:: Roommate wants me to note that in fact, there are 3 baskets in the living room. They're inside the coffee table. So mostly hidden in plain sight... I'm all over it, Martha! In fact, Roommate pointed out that I could have had a perfectly lovely Ethan Allen coffee table, with two matching couchside tables, but I turned them down. Because I would have to give up my storage cubbies in the cheap Ikea table. Dumdeedum!