The Legend of the Lost cord

So I finally found the missing camera cord. And I had the battery charger and the camera. Finally the three combine to bring you: Updated photos on Ravelry.

I'm stoked about finally finding it and updating. And I've got a million versions of the creepy cute amigurumi to make for a lot of reasons now. I think I'd rather buy a ton of cotton ease since that's what you're supposed to use anyway, and it works so great. I love it. So much.

I'm also excited about this orange yarn that a friend of mine got and was flaunting and might copy the gloves she's making right now cus they're so cool. But it's about time to start on some big christmas presents. God, everything is flying by. I can't wait to have more time for knitting and a much more organized space to work from.

The Magical Mess Mopper-Uper

I've been in a lull. I want to say that big projects don't scare me and I can get them done as well as any sock or hat. But I've come here to admit today, that it would be a lie.

I guess it's a bit like life in general. Sometimes you have to put aside the fun for a month to get the job done when things get sticky. Sometimes you throw in the towel decide to have a few days for you, even if the time and money could be spent better, you can splurge a little. Well sometimes, you just have to put the big project on the back burner until things slow down.

From planning 3 blankets, to my first full size non cheating with big gauge sweater, oh, did I run out of fuel, let me tell you. I was thinking that maybe I'd never be a fast knitter again, just like I only have time for stupid fast reads anymore. But that's wrong on both subjects and it's time to knit unburdened with the FFF Fallback. Really Fun, really Functional, really Fast.

I decided to whip out a quick swiffer sweeper cover because the refills are expensive and we're trying to cut back (and I was out and really want to scrub without getting on my hands and knees). I realized while knitting it that just because it's Full of the FFF's doesn't mean it has to be shoddy or overly simple. I discovered knitted quilting. A super easy complicated looking stitch. It was all of the best things in knitting put into one, all of the Finest F's.

Totally Fun because it left me feeling a bit of accomplishment for whipping out such a nice looking non canon stitch even though it was super easy, and that with the perfect color choices looks rather too nice for a cleaning tool.

Completely Functional, because it can go in the washing machine and the dryer, it's tailor, and scrubs way better than anything swiffer puts out saving me a BUTT load of cash.

And so Fast that I started it and finished during one lazy night in watching a movie, quick fix dinner, and a few DVR's with my main squeeze without being so distracted that I didn't get to interact with him at all.

But when I finished the swiffer cover . . . and then I finished another one, I didn't want to get sucked into the knitter's monotonous repetition spiral. So I looked around for another similar stitch and came up with a renaissance faire pouch that I'm really stoked about. Just enough adornment that it could be considered "embellished" but not too much that it was as hard to make as it looks. And also, fun and playful at the same time. Meaning that I'm going to have to do another one with way less mellow colors and aim for Jester.

I'm so excited about them that the only thing I've been fretting about (cus knitting stuff you're excited about is a serious stress reliever) is where the hell my camera cord is so I can finally load some pictures of it onto Ravelry.

Enough FFF for the whole summer because I've decided I need 7 swiffer covers (one for each day of the week) and I need to churn out more of the bags to start off the online store with Jackie. I haven't even been able to tell her the idea for the bag yet so she can make a crochet version and it's almost done.

OH YEAH

I'm getting really close to starting ....THE Boots.  Probably The Boots that will rocket Jackie and I into our knitting stardom, haha.  I haven't been able to decide what to do with all the icelandic wool my glorious mom in law sent me, and I don't know if it's still got it's lanolin, but either way, it'll be perfect for the thick bulky stitch I'm going to be looking for and I've got the pattern pretty much done in my head.  I think I'll still have to go with the rubber spray paint for the soles, but am going to research more accurate methods and see if they're doable.  I want to start on them almost NOW.  But all the spring cleaning is going so well and I'll probably have to tear stuff apart around the house to really get going on it.  I'm forcing myself to wait until I have things a little more organized and the Transformer blanket is finished.  I think 3 projects at a time is very generous, haha.

One down, one to go.

I finished my first Walk in the Moss sock.  I really wanted to use the balbriggan heel but was having problems with the instructions in Folk Socks and was on a roll with the socks (which have been sitting back burner to the Subtly 80's sweater) and decided to use a generic heel just to get it done.  Especially because the socks aren't exactly perfect, a little loose, even though I was going for the big cozy sock feel, and the balbriggan heel looks like it is snug.  I still really want to try that heel, it just looks right.  Someone on Ravelry gave me some good advice in figuring out the instructions, but I still don't know what the hell I'm supposed to be grafting together after the heel flap, maybe it is what I think it's not, but should be, and maybe it's just something you have to start doing before you figure it out.  Anyway, it helps having someone there to figure out what you're being to dumb to figure out on your own, so I'm going to try soon. And now that I've finished this sock, basically winging the whole thing I'm really stoked about socks.  The trick will be not to cast on another pair before I finish these ones.  I'm totally the one sock (glove) wonder type.  When I got closer to the end I decided I wanted to shape the heel extra so that it angled inward with the foot since they're a little baggy and it would help avoid flappy toe syndrome that my store bought hunting socks even have.  It worked out especially well since I made it up on the go at a raucous party that was boring me.  Only I might have started the toe a couple of rows early because it's not too tight or short but it's a little close around the toes.  Nothing that should ruin them, but kinda takes away the 'room for shrinkage' notion.  The kitchener stitch went well even though it ended up differently than I expected.  I hate seams on my toes so I started my descending with a pretty wide berth, about 8 stitches, in between the k2tog's so that the decreases wouldn't be on the side of the sock but just barely on top and bottom of the foot, so the grafting ended up going top to bottom instead of side to side on the foot, but I think that works out perfectly for the seem avoidance plan anyway.

I just really need to find my camera cord so I can get my pictures on Ravelry.  And finish the other sock before I convince myself to wear the one I have alone all over the place, haha.  It was surprisingly warm when I tried it on, even though much thinner than most of the socks i wear around the house.

I had to frog a good deal of the sweater sleeve because I "memorized" a little bitty part of the pattern wrong, but it wasn't enough to get me upset.  For some reason it's either earth shakingly sucky to rip stuff out, or really exciting to get to do it the right way, feeling much more confident in how the fabric is turning out as you watch it grow.  Luckily this frogging experience resembled the latter.

I'm getting my mind wrapped around picking up the transformer blanket some more.  I really need to get it done, and am excited to get it done, but it's just such a huge project, the satisfaction comes in slow trickles.  I figure it won't take more than a couple more months if I just do two rows a day, but they're long rows. It's kind of like Terry Goodkind.  It's so good, even when it's boring it's not boring at all.  But there's just so much ahead of you, and so much strife, even though you've read the backs of all the books so you know that he lets happyish endings prevail, you're still daunted by all the obstacles you have to watch everyone go through.

It's getting time to start working on the christmas presents I have planned.  Probably start those after some quickie mothers day presents.  I just hope I can zip through them a bit.  

Been watching really crappy fantasy to knitting lately.  So crappy that the cheap burning job on the dvd's gets them stuck in your dvd player, frozen, for a week.  Also, while full of mouth watering fantasy cheezyness, still not super enthralling, so you end up watching it bit by bit over the course of days that end up numbering longer than you have them rented out for.  Oops, the curse of the irresponsible and late fees.

Megan's been reading books on cd and knitting.  I can't justify this while there is so much crappy fantasy out there that is so perfect when united with knitting, but I know it'll run out eventually when i get a long spurt of frequent free time, and am planning on some quality fantasy to listen to when the time comes.  Also just in time for the good weather, so I can knit, be outside, and entertained by epic adventures all at the same time.   Problem is we don't get quite as much good fantasy books on cd in at work as I'd like, and they're expensive as hell new.  Patience is key.  Plus I got Moreta: Dragonlady unabridged on mp3 cd for free from work because it didn't have a case. I think I can get it burned onto itunes...I hope.  But then, i'm not sure if I remember the books that came before that one, having read them, literally 11 plus years ago.  God I'm old. And I'm not even.  That's weird to think about...like trying to comprehend the size of outer space.

And lastly: Why does Legend of the Seeker have to stop airing new shows as soon as I get caught up? And why does Heroes have to start being vague and unsatisfying again less than one season after I get DVR? And why can't I find BBC's Robin Hood on TV? Everything I find online says it's still airing, although some of the casting changes, and planned casting changes seem like they would HAVE to completely ruin the show, I still want to watch.

WTF

SOMEONE HAS HACKED INTO MY BLOG AND ERASED MY 2009 POSTS!!!!!!!!!

A blog about knitting/COMBINATION!

I want to write about a million things non knitting related.....the restraint is hard to hold on to.  [husband] Getting out of the army is stressful.  Trying to be what you're supposed to be is stressful.  Usually knitting takes my stresses away.  Actually I'm sure it still does.  But it's hard for me to stop thinking whirlwind tornados of worry that someone's gotta be able to hear they're so loud, long enough for me to get into the meditative groove. 

Maybe my worries over the Subtly 80's sweater are lending to that though.  And stupid Kassie DePaiva.  I just feel so bad about wanting to throw something whenever she's on the TV.  I hate people who are so ignorant of how annoying they are.  I think I hate them even more when I'm sure I am one of them.  If you're annoying yourself you've got to be annoying someone else around you right?  I think it's mostly annoying myself in sympathy for others though.  Cus deep down, I do like the person I am.  I'm knitting it (the sweater) XXL so it will be baggy and ...subtly 80's, but the sleeves are looking frumpy and overly shaped.  But I'm just gonna finish them and see how I feel. If i use the brain capacity to engineer some genius sleeve then I will melt the non-worry-barriers.

Started on the bobble necklaces.  i don't wanna have to sew the neckband and "sheath" together, that seems...seams, haha.  It seems to seamy for a posh necklace.  But that thread is a pain in the ass to work with.  I suppose I'll just follow the pattern for mothers day, but put it on the back shelf for a pattern tweak another time.

All this combination lingo is swirling around in my head along with the worries and it makes a bit of sense, but so does fudging my way through it until i get the desired results.  Right? Right.

Knitting to Legend of the Seeker is really awesome.  Very zone-y. Only then you get obsessed with the book and can't stop reading long enough to knit at least until you're past the Denna part, even if it is 5 in the morning!

Update

As always, i feel like i'm on the brink of turning a new leaf, that never quite makes it over.  Real quick list of things that have happened:

Ren Faire is cancelled: hadn't knit (or sewn) new outfits anyway

Visit mom for birthday: make her awesome super fast sweater vest (pictures to come)

Knit AT Ren Faire in MI with bestest friend ever.  That was awesome

Margarita hates me for no good reason: no live in knit bud, broken heart

Move to new apartment with other of husband's friends

New roomie moves in another girl counterpart: craziness ensues

Life gets better

Start working on awesome Transformers blanket for friend

Stop working on Transformers blanket to make christmas presents

Roomie and girlfriend break up: awkwardness ensues

Start working on Transformers blanket again

Roomie's now ex-girlfriend moves out

Still working on Transformers blanket

Life starts to feel normal again with just the three of us

Hippies visit and TAKE OVER

Still working on Transformers blanket

Kick hippies out, feel guilty

Get package from bestest friend ever including lots of knitting/crochet inspiration

Revolution against Transformer blanket (even awesomeness gets monotonous)

Knitting apocalypse begins

I can't find the camera charger (thanks to ever helpfull husband) and really want to upload some pics.  I will soon.  I think the Knitting apocalypse is hand in hand with spring cleaning...and newly vacated spare bedrooms and my estrogen reign on our Hobbit Hole.  

I'm going to make bags.  And a soap holder/scrubber du dad.  And a swiffer pad or two, so I don't have to spend tons of money on them since they don't work like magic as they should. I ripped out my Walk in the Moss socks, but am still making socks, still making the Walk in the Moss socks with the same yarn only my own simple pattern, making use of the heel and toe catalog in Folk Socks by Nancy Bush.  I'm not nuts on frilly socks unless they're over the top mostly for the faire or just general ridiculousness. Plus, the Walk in the Moss feeling the yarn gave me (inspiring the title) wasn't being represented with the subtly decorated socks.  Need something more feral/wild.  Bad side of it is that I ripped out the great example of the fixed bias.  Which i would have never done if I hadn't already taken a picture (and posted it on Ravelry) I'm also going to make the off the shoulder sweater.  Screw waiting until I look great in all knits, I'm going to wear the ones that look good now.  Plus, I just need some variety in clothing that strays from the same jeans and a rotation of black band tee shirts.  I just need some clothes in general.  I'm stoked. And thanks to Knit.1 for publishing a pattern in such a broad range of sizes, YAY. 

Jackie's supposed to be coming here to visit in the fall, during the faire, and the sisters shall be reborn.  I'm going to force her.  And I'm going to go crazy with the knitting.  Especially since I feel our unique business idea being encroached upon by other people's creativity and we must act.  I saw a small press magazine that edged pretty close to our as-yet barely touched business genre.  ...Business sounds like the wrong word.  

Margarita doesn't talk to me, and I don't encourage her, I think it's better this way, even though it makes me burn with anger sometimes, and hurt with betrayal most of the time.  As such, the solace that being obsessed with knitting used to be is slightly less so, not being surrounded by someone else's obsession too.  But Megan from work and I might have just stared a mini weekly stitch and bitch with just the two of us on monday eves.  Plus all the built up DVRed Knitty Gritty and Knit and Crochet today(some sans the wretched Cassy Depaiva)'s I've got.  

Well that's quite enough for my supposedly short update.

Also I've been drooling over finishing the pirate lace.

That is all. 

Rapture.