The good and the bad

Good: I finished my first bamboo lace sock--Yay

Bad: I have yet to cast on for the second.

good: cast on a different more travel appropriate sock to take along to an all day conference.

Bad: culture issues (and seating issues) made it stay in my purse all day. Most disappointing because I had such a neat cast on for a change.

Good: I started swatching for hey teach.

Disappointing: I didn't get gauge on the piece that has the "best fabric"

Good: I decided to finish my lace shawl in time to wear to my husband's end of the year banquet in about a month.

Agonizing: I discovered today that I need to rip back about 6 rows (roughly 2 days of work). That's where my lifeline is. I think I really only need to go back 5, but alas--no lifeline.

Frustrating: The yarn for the shawl broke when it was being wound (after I dyed it--how cool is that). So I thought i might have enough in the bigger half to finish the shawl.

bad: I do not.

More bad: It won't spit felt

Good: There is a technique called Russian join that works pretty well in situations like this.

Surprising: Googling "russian join" does not bring up p0rn.


That's the good news/bad news--I'm off to rip out those six rows.

Socks!

Funny thing happened on the way to start my version of Hey Teach (called Hey librarian). I kind of got distracted by this sock

Every time I sat down to knit I picked up this sock. Pretty. In fact, I need to kitchner the toe and then it will be done. I can't wait to wear them. At first I thought they were a little tightly knit (knit on size 1, when really i would have thought a 1.5 or a 2), but I'm liking how it makes the bamboo a little more firm.

Socks have that appeal to me, I can make lots of socks because wow, you need maybe 7 or eight pairs of socks a week. My kids need 7 or 8 pairs each a week and well who needs that many sweaters, scarves or shawls?
But then there is the terrible downside to socks.

I wrote a while back ago that I was learning to darn socks, just to make the socks last a bit longer. Well, this is the pair that made me decide to darn socks. I repaired three holes in this pair of socks. Three holes that I might add made me just LIVID, because these socks are not even two years old--were not even a year old when the first hole appeared. (for the record, SWTC Tofutsies--never ever buying it again). Well I darned these docks and then a few weeks later I pulled them out of the was and was confronted by this latest hole. I'm just so mad--so mad I've decided not to repair these socks--am debating frogging them.

Ok, back to my bamboo socks, may they not disappoint me.

decisions made!

I have made some decisions.
First, I decided that I'm starting on hey teach just as soon as I finish one of my current projects. I bought some Cascade Sierra color 42--at my LYS (plus some sock yarn because oh my do I ever have a weakness fondness for sock yarn). I decided that I have enough sock yarn and so I'm not going to be tempted by the lucius purpleness of the purple striped felici at knitpicks. Instead, when the cotlin comes back in stock, I'm going to purchase that plus some wool of the andes to make a Central Park hoodie. (Sapphire heather for the curious).
I realized that if I stick to this plan I have roughed out in my head that I have all my knitting pretty much planned through um October maybe.

Anyway, I have some projects going now. I have a shrug started for one of my girls (and so will have to make a second one). My mom got them each a pretty dress for Easter initially then summer. But here in Michigan, easter and sleeveless dress do not always go hand in hand. So I had envisioned shrugs. I attempted to make a simplified version of the lacey hug me tight--basically the shrug sans lace, and somehow my math messed up and it is too narrow. So I'm adding on to it. I debated ripping out or adding to it, and then dreamt I added on and then crocheted lacy pink flowers on the sleeves and collar. I do not crochet, much less make pretty crocheted edgings. But decided that the dream probably was giving me the answer. We'll see if it works.
I also had to start a pair of socks because socks are the ultimate in portable--although these are a bit more complicated:

The pattern is called Lacy Bamboo socks--and I'm using the yarn it calls for--On your toes Bamboo. Not getting to use my new needles, and I probably should have gone down a size even as they seem really big.

I also said I wasn't goign to tke any in progress pictures of my swallowtail shawl, but I lied.

I have 3 more lace repeats and then onto the next chart! Of course each row is taking longer and longer because it keeps adding stitches! I worked on it for an hour while the ladies were at school on Monday and I made it through 1 six row chart. ONE. yes I knit slow, but that's a lot of stitches.

she who hesitates...

So I finally decided that I want to knit my dollar and a half cardigan in Coffee--the dark brown Cotlin from knitpicks. I dare you to follow that link... because if you do you'll see that it is not currently available until APRIL 24. If you want irony here, my husband decided that a great birthday present would be to get me that yarn, but since he's a smart cookie, he got me a gift certificate instead. So I have a gift certificate to cover the entirety of a $50 order, I have plans for a $50 order and perhaps by April the purple sock yarn that rounds it out will also be gone. Moral of this story--do not dither on colors, go with your first instinct and BUY it NOW. That is all.

This kind of throws me off in another way too. I had decided that the dollar and a half cardigan was going to be my next big project. Now it is on hold until MAY. And I need something else to knit. I have a gift card to the local yarn shop (do you see where this is going? my family know me, but they don't know yarn, so they gift card me!) and the pattern for the Central Park Hoodie. But I'm afraid if I start it now, it will get finished just in time for the temp to hit 80F. I also have been thinking about Hey Teach. I may take both patterns with me and head over and see what strikes my fancy.

In the meantime, I've started in on my cousin's quilt. I spent an hour Monday and about half an hour today cutting some of the strips. I found some additional scraps of fabric that fit with the blue/yellow theme and have had a blast using them up. I've got enough cut that I can start some of the sewing, and so that might be the next step. It should also give me an idea of what else I should be cutting.

I also finished some things. My birthday socks. Done using some sort of self-striping meilenweit--the ball band having been destroyed by some little girls in my house. I used my Sox Stix on them, and whooo, they were fun to work with. Although I did a swatch the other day with my knit picks harmony needles, and I think I like them better (and they are considerably cheaper too).


I also finished the sweater for the Panda. I'm glad these were quick knits--nothing like having a child ask you every single day--Is it done yet? Stillwater is COLD!