Wear-A-Hat Night

It is the first Monday after Thanksgiving, and that is Wear-A-Hat Night to Skanky Knitting. I have not been out to knit with the Skanky Knitters lately, but had to make it out for this event.

WWKIP Day 2009

I slept Friday night, so I made it out to knit with everyone Saturday morning for WWKIP Day. We had a great time, and even got a little knitting done.

Welcome Back, Helen!

I love when I have made something and am so pleased with what I have made that I can hardly wait until I can gift it to the recipient. Most of the time, I can at least share the finished product here on the blog. Then there are the times when I just have to wait.

One of our Skanky Knitters, Helen, had heart surgery several weeks ago. When I knew Helen was going to have surgery, I knew I would make something for her, but had a difficult time deciding just what it should be. When I finally made a decision, I was excited. When it was finished, I was on cloud nine. Then I had to wait. I had planned to bring her little present to the knit night she hosted in her home a few weeks back, but I still had remnants of the crud. So, the get-well gift waited. I thought of Helen every time I saw it.

Monday night was her return to getting out to knit with everyone, and we are glad to have her back. I was also excited to finally be able to give this to her. It is a skein of handspun yarn, with an accompanying, bonus, mill end, mini-skein.

Funny Full Circle

Yes, the piggy scarefest (h1n1) is officially here. They closed many schools for Thursday and Friday last week. Wednesday night my sister told her son that if he was very good and went to bed without another word he could stay home the next day, and if he kept to excellent behavior he would not have to go to school Friday, either. On our way home from picking him up Thursday, a big board from an even bigger truck bit our car. Bruce's excellent driving saved us from the worst of it, but the incident ate the following 36 hours. After being on the verge of a breakdown Wednesday evening, that nearly put us over the edge. Maybe it meant that I cracked up a bit more than I am willing to admit, but I finally settled on laughing as the appropriate response to all of this. The new mirror should be here soon.

I think I solved the dilemma of who should receive Ene's Scarf. A great niece graduates from high school later this month, and I believe this will be right for her. I finished grafting it Sunday night (maybe it had become Monday at that point), and now it just needs the weaving in of ends and blocking. With one lace off the needles, I cast on for new as soon as possible. It is a Mother's Day Swallowtail. I have a good start on it, but it could be that it will be a Graduation Swallowtail, and Ene will be Mom's.

Monday was a wonderful night with my Skanky Knitter friends. For too long, we have been missing each other, and we finally caught up last night. We stayed until they closed the store (10 p.m.), and talked a little longer out in the parking lot. We finally dispersed after random dude pulled his car up next to us and inquired as to whether we were experiencing any flu symptoms.

Token(a) Madness

Reaching amongst the collection of brown paper bags for the psc intimidates me right now. I just finished the second round of SM3, and that was an involved pair of socks. Please, do not misunderstand. I like my new socks. They were worth the effort. It just took me a while to find my rhythm. My niece helped me pick out the colors, and now I have the perfect pair for Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, I have been assigned the dessert. So far, the suggestions have been Red Velvet Cake, Boston Cream Pie, and Coconut Cake. I still have not decided. The menu for the day has been changed around so many times, and I am not even sure where we are getting together. I only know that it will not be at my home.

Pattern: Tokena
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette Lilac & Blush
Needles: US0 & US1
Knit When: April 4-8

Speaking of home, that is where I stayed Monday night. I wanted to get out to knit with people, but I am a bit under the weather. One of the Skanks is scheduled for heart surgery next Monday, and I decided to play it safe. I miss knitting with everyone.

Next time, perhaps I will share a tale of knitting fail.

Need to Nupp

Project monogamy has made the blogging this week a little more difficult. I have been working Mom's lace. I have developed a nice rhythm with it. It feels like I am moving quickly through the center. It is easy to go from thinking, "I'll just go to the end of this repeat," to finding that I went past that and I am back to the nupp row. Once I knit the nupps, I might as well knit to the end of the chart, and the cycle continues. These are the most enjoyable nupps of my knitting life. Anyway, I am now hopeful that this will be a birthday present. I have passed the halfway point.

Wednesday night knitting had a happy bonus. Life finally allowed a friend to get out to knit with us. It was so wonderful to see her. I have missed her very much. The night flew. The knitting grew while we caught up on things. The next thing I knew, the barista alerted us to the fact that the store closed ten minutes previously.

Another thing that happened tonight was a request for a progress shot of the llama earflap hat. Now, with such kindness and flattery, how can I refuse?

Wear a Hat Night

Tonight was the 2nd annual Wear-A-Hat Night at Skanky Knitting. This is always the first Monday after Thanksgiving. All of that wool made being next to the door more tolerable.

I had hoped to have a different hat to wear this year, but it was not to be. I am formulating a plan for a small knitalong after the first of the year. If I can make it happen, I know which hat I will be wearing next time.

The Good Thing About Mondays

I planned to shop for buttons, and then a brief knit with my Skanks. I did not think I would stay the whole time because I was feeling bleh. I am so glad I stayed. I had a great time, and my wonderful friends boosted my spirits tremendously. Those laughs helped so much.

While it was not a productive night of knitting, it was wonderful in so many other ways. The anticipation for next week's annual event certainly gave the evening extra energy. I think the night has helped to ready us for this week and all of its busyness.

The icing on the cake for the evening? Helen bought me this:

Mmmm...must knit these gloves.

Whose Shawl?

Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style
Size: 64"x33"
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock
Needles: US 6 Knit Picks Options
Mods: 10 reps of main chart instead of 8; added beads on edge chart
Began: September 15
Blocked: September 20

As you probably guessed, chocolate and iced coffee were not the ones to give me the answers I needed to finish the Shetland Triangle. I used my little digital scale, and when all was said and done, I had four grams to spare. I was so pleased. I wanted to use up as much of the yarn as possible, for it is very special yarn. I knit this using the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I won from Joan. This was also my inspiration for adding beads to the shawl. Now I cannot decide if this shawl is for me, or if it will be a gift. I love this shawl!

Skanky Start

The Skanky Shetland Triangle KAL has begun. I have been so ready to cast on for probably the last ten days, but I waited for the pre-determined start. However, I did not wait until sitting down with everyone tonight to begin. This is going to be such fun! I am excited for the people who are new to lace, charts, and shawls. I am so glad that they decided to take the plunge, because I know that they can do it. As varied as the people knitting along, so are the yarns we have chosen. So far, I believe there will be Schaeffer Anne, Malabrigo lace, Knit Picks Palette, a lace yarn that someone dyed himself, a camel/wool blend, and Noro sock yarn.

Those last two are mine. I decided to start with the smaller version. I am interested to see how the Noro sock yarn will look with this pattern. If it does not work, I have plenty of other options in the stash. I am already excited to begin the second shawl. It will be out the of camel/wool yarn.

Thursday Already?

While trying to choose a project for the Ravelympics, Helen considered knitting a sweater or the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style. I urged her to knit the sweater, and said I would knit the Shetland Triangle with her afterwards. Interest amongst other Skanky Knitters has turned this into a full-fledged knitalong. I checked the book out from the library. Now that the date to cast on has been set, (9/15) I can hardly wait. I see other people knitting that shawl everywhere. I am ready to begin.

There exists a bizarre rumor that I am a fast knitter. It is a myth, yet despite my protestations, it persists. This legend inspired Helen to suggest that I should knit two of these shawls. I am willing to give it a go. I plan to knit one shawl as written in the book, and one with more lace repeats. I have decided on the yarn for the smaller one, and have narrowed down my yarn choices to two for the larger. While these are not great photos, I present them to you and seek your opinions for the shawl.

While waiting for the time to begin, I have spent a bit of time looking through Wrap Style. I am glad that it is available from the local library. I do not feel much for the other patterns in the book. I take that back. There are those which hold some appeal, but I cannot see wearing them, nor do I know someone for whom they would make a nice gift.

On the other hand, I flipped through my copy of Folk Shawls the other night, and I saw many designs I would love to knit. As I looked at many of the pictures, my mind began to spin. I mentally matched patterns to stash and recipients. Then I recalled Margene's recent writings on monkey mind, and I relaxed.

BSJ Beginning

I started a Baby Surprise Jacket last night. This is my first real go with this pattern. I am a little excited about it. It was wonderful to be back knitting with my Skanks. We were a small group telling bad jokes while the stitches flowed. I did not make to any color changes on the BSJ, but I also have not made any decisions on where they will be. I am keeping notes in case I love it and want to make another like it, or if I do not and do not.

Spinning is going well. So many fibers called for their turn when I looked through the stash yesterday. I am finishing off the last 50g of some purple fluff. I divided and spun the first 25g last night. This is my second go with this bag of fiber. I believe it is a Romney/Mohair blend. I spun up most of it a while back. I think I am doing much better this time. Maybe I will make it through the rest tonight. The wheel is ready.

Then again, I have pies to make for tomorrow's gathering. My sister asked me to bring two S'more Pies. They are so good. This pie can usually convince the daughter to attend a family event. There is also a rumor of homemade ice cream. We are going to have too much food for this, and very little of it should be allowed to follow us home.

Happy WWKIP Day!

How was your WWKIP Day? Mine has been fabulous. Weather moved us from the proposed park location to Starbucks. Woo-hoo for coffee and air conditioning!

I got some new yarn to test knit socks.

Someone learned that he does like to knit.

In fact, he knit his first scarf.

Someone else paid serious attention to a complicated baby blanket.

No, these are not all my drinks, but I am the dyer of the test yarn.

Starbucks brought us over a fabulous French Press of Tastiness and a plate of coffee cake bits. I drank most of the coffee. There was one small problem.There were others in attendance, but not all of the pictures I took were flattering. I need to improve my photographic skills. It was a great day, and I even managed to knit a few rows.

Finally!

Months ago I was working on Super Secret Knitting. It was my square for a blanket. The intarsia cabled square was my contribution to this group gift. It was a new technique to me, and since it was a gift, I was nervous. However, it did not take long before I found my rhythm. Having the right bobbins made a difference. Margaret, the organizer of this gift, also embroidered the leaves on the square I knit. I helped finish the center square while Elisabeth was out-of-town. We knit the blanket out of Berocco Comfort. Margaret did the bulk of the work on this project. She put the squares together and lined the back with fleece. It was such a great idea to use the Great American Kid's Afghan for this project. It will be a great blanket for this little boy for years to come.


Since the blanket was to be lined with fleece, I could have worked my square with floats. However, this was a gift, and I wanted to do it right. Also, I would not have tried out a new technique, so I wound seven bobbins for the white cable bits. Both the front and back of my work turned out quite nice, if I do say so myself. Now I share with you what is beneath the cozy, blue, fleece back of the blanket, hidden from the world.

Busy Can Be Good

Last week was full. However, fun was what kept me on the go. I made it out to be with knitters five times. Yes, five times. There was Skanky Monday at Barnes & Noble. Tuesday was a lonely NAKG at Books-A-Million. Although I was the only one there, I did venture further that day and visited a bit with a wandering Skank when I bought my new books. Wednesday was another Skanky night at Starbucks. Saturday was a little stash enhancement. Friday was Stitch 'n' Pitch: The Skanky Edition. I do not know who won, but I can say a skybox is the best way to do the baseball thing. Bonus entertainment included these bizarre inflatable critters throughout the game, and ended with fireworks.

Mish Mash Monday

My Monday was great because I got to knit with my Skanks! I have missed them so much. I managed to show restraint and not go about creating an uncomfortable situation by hugging everyone. It had been way too long.

I am out of the running to become Supreme Sock Madness Champion. It seems like it was a rough round. Several knitters seemed so tired at the start of the round and ready to admit defeat just after the pattern release. For a minute, I thought that might give me a chance to make it through, but the three spots in the Tennessee Twisted Knitters division filled up quickly. Go, TTK! I do have one completed sock to show for my effort. I think that there might be a couple of problems with the pattern, but my brain was fried. I might try to tackle it later.

My Icarus is coming along, but not quickly. If I do not have the right rhythm, the rows drag by and I only complete one or two. Otherwise, I can complete a chart repeat. Still, the rows are getting longer, so it makes sense that they are not sailing along. In interesting news, my shawl has an admirer who inquired if it might be for her. The color changes of this yarn still entertain me.

Everything turned out fine with the daughter. It was just one of those unlucky things for her. The upside to the situation is it inspired her to register for classes.

I figured out yesterday that I owe an H post for the abc-along. I thought I had another week. I will try to get it done soon.

I have made a mad dash through my backlogged blog reading. This means I did not make too many comments. Sorry! I do not want to make grand announcements about how I am going to do things differently. However, I have noticed some areas that are in need of improvement and within my ability to change.

Lace on Lace

This week has wiped me out. I think the fact that I celebrated four consecutive hours of sleep today as an accomplishment has something to do with the way I feel. I nearly burst into tears when I could not join the Skanky Knitters on their Yarn Harlot adventure yesterday. You can see Jaspher and his first pair of socks over there.

I got just the boost I needed today when we went to the Cracker Barrel for supper. I was a bit dizzy and in a haze when I caught familiar faces. Since there were two empty chairs at their table, and because they are so fabulously nice, Christina and her family invited us to sit with them.

I think that this is what gave me the boost to be able to begin the latest round of Sock Madness. This is the infamous laceweight round which has been the subject of much fear and speculation for many participants. I decided to bring another Skank along with me (I miss them so much) by using some yarn that Laura gave me. You can see my progress atop my experimental Icarus.

That rumpled mess is all the knitting I have been able to accomplish this week. Yeah. Anyway, I am hoping for sleep tonight, but if it stays away, maybe I can make progress on Sock Madness socks. It does not look great for either.

Frog and Lapdog

My weekend was eaten up by fun and new experiences. We had visitors--a nephew, a daughter, and a Wii. We had a great time, but I am still behind on sleep. It has made me more excited for the time when we have our own Wii. My husband won one, and it should be here in 6-8 weeks. As great as the weekend was, it did disrupt plans to meet up with one of the Skanks. She had organized a group order to Knit Picks and was going to give me my yarn and I was going to show her how to use a niddy noddy. She has some projects to frog and the yarn to re-purpose. She was also going to give me a project and remaining yarn she needed to have out of her possession. She had begun a skirt long ago, but several problems occurred that let her know that it was not to be, and she no longer wants to see it or the yarn. While we did not have an opportunity to meet this weekend, she was able to drop off the yarn.

Much of Monday was eaten up by new technology. My husband ordered a laptop, and it was delivered Monday morning. There is still much to learn as we get to know our new machine. Monday night with the Skanky Knitters seemed to be off its usual rhythm. We had a nice time, but it was a bit of an off night. I know part of my problem was lack of sleep and the fact that I was sewing up knitting bits in public. I usually do not seam in public, but I wanted to get that piece finished. It was secret knitting, and I am glad to have the piece completed. It looked good when I was done, but I forgot to take a picture, so I cannot show you later.

After unseasonably warm weather, winter temperatures have returned. I was glad to have my mittens, and enjoyed wearing them today. The front porch has a light dusting of snow. I am pleased to have the cold for the sake of my sweater knitting. I think I will still have a chance to wear the TYC this year. In fact, I am off to knit on it now.

Tangling Without Tears

Once I had joined the sleeves to the body of the TYC, my progress seemed to stall. I took it to knitting Monday night and only managed a few rows. When I got home, I started to not feel well and was irritable (probably due to pain). I knew that the way I felt was irrational, but it was strong and I did not want to act on it. I carefully moved my knitting and myself to the back of our home to watch mindless television and knit the stockinette. Eventually the knitting clicked along and I was ready for sleep.

I was glad to feel a bit better today, so I went to second Tuesday afternoon of the month knitting. We were delayed slightly by the telephone so knitting was already in full swing by the time we got there. It was quite an interesting time knitting with everyone. We have enjoyed the recent influx of new people attending the fun knitting times around town. I had the opportunity to visit with some knitters that I had not been able to get to know at other knit-togethers due to being on the other end of the room.

I rounded out the day by purchasing a knitting book. I bought my own copy of Knitting Without Tears. We bought a gift card for Books-A-Million as a Christmas gift for someone who has since moved off. Sorry, sweetie, but we have not seen you since before Thanksgiving and you do not know when we will see you next. Therefore, the gift card became ours again. Anyway, I made my way through the disorganized knitting book section and chose this book. I took the book to the front of the store to pay, and set it on the counter. As I worked to juggle the knitting bag and the purse, the cashier asked the usual discount card question and then turned his attention to the book. "So, what are you going to knit me?" he asked. I replied with a loud laugh. He may have been embarrassed, as he quickly completed the transaction, and I was out the door.

I have two last things before I end today's post. A great big welcome to the world for the newest member of the Skanky family, Manuel Ramiro! A warm welcome to the newest member of the Campbell family, Kristina Marie! Moms, Dads, and Babies are all well.

Inching Along

I thought that the sleeve-work would move swiftly, but I was wrong. I have worked my help sheet for knitting the sleeves on my TYC. I do not have too much to show for actual knitting progress, but I have good reasons for this.

I made it out to be with the Skanks on Monday and stayed most of the time. It went pretty well. Much of my time that night went to teaching. I managed to teach two new people to knit. They are already crocheters, so my job was easy. By the time I left, the long-tail cast on, and the knit stitch were mastered. There was also some tinking and catching of mistakes. I demonstrated the knitted cast on, and taught one of the ladies how to bind off, too. There was a brief gauge lesson, and we determined how many stitches she needs to cast on to begin the baby blanket she wants to knit. They showered me with compliments, but I think it had less to do with my teaching abilities and more to do with their needle arts skills.

Another reason for the slow progress on the sleeve is that I have been doing some stealth knitting. Yep, those bobbins are part of it. Intarsia is a new one for me. I am about halfway through with this project. It is not portable (see bobbins), but I have gotten down a nice rhythm with it. It is worth noting that this particular piece requires seven bobbins. Ah, but it looks good. I like to stop and admire both the front and the back of the project, as they both look good. I cannot show you more, because I do not always know who peeks in on the blog. I would rather be safe than sorry, even though I am pretty sure that the recipient of this secret knitting is not one of my loyal readers.

Beneath the sleeve and bobbins, you see that blue stuff. There was some yarn up for grabs on Monday, so I snagged two balls. I think I have an idea for this. It could become more sneaky knitting.

It is just as well that my Knit Picks order did not arrive today. Yes, the in-home estimator predicted delivery for the 15th, but it was wrong. Surely, it will arrive on Wednesday, and perhaps I will be past the garter rib on the first sleeve. The excitement just never ends around here, does it?