I'm Just Here For The Yarn

that was quick

Apparently I grossly overestimated the amount of time it would take me to complete two more lace repeats on this stole.  I just finished #9.  I'm going to go find food, come back, and do #10, then 4 rows of garter stitch.  What I don't know is if I'm supposed to bind off or put those stitches on waste yarn... I should re-read the instructions for the edging; that might give me a clue.

I can hardly believe what a quick knit this has been, even with all the ripping of stitches and hair.  If I continue to have this much free time, I might get this thing done before I leave.  Well, probably not. But it's good to have goals.

onward and outward

Eighth repeat done.  I'm wiped.  The last 4 rows were an utter slog.  I've been watching "Sense and Sensibility," and counting my stitches in a very upper-crusty English accent.

It almost made me homesick.  I think that when I get home, I shall have quite the backlash against being a modern, in-charge woman and embrace the housewife thing for a little while.  I do love being a Viking wife when I get the chance... I miss those few moments of pretend.

That, and I loved the "cottage" that the ladies Dashwood ended up living in, and I want it.  That, and the lovely little flock of sheep.

Bed time.

forward progress

I finished the sixth repeat on this last section of the first part of my sister's stole. That's progress, I swear. At an estimate, the whole thing is thus far about 40" long. I estimate that the remaining 4 repeats will total about 10 inches, and then there will be the other half to knit and the edging to knit on. I've only been at it for 20 days, and some of those days saw me get nothing done. others, only a row or two. Some saw me rip back multiple rows. But all in all, it's turning out beautifully, and I can't quite believe I'm going to give it away...

benchmark

I've reached a benchmark on the stole -- 5 out of ten repeats on the side panels completed.  Thank goodness.  If I keep plugging away at this, I'll have this end of the stole done by the end of the week.

I started this stole on April 29.  I started the side panels somewhere around May 11, after I sprained my ankle.  Excellent progress.

that crack was my brain breaking

Good grief, that was almost painful.  No, actually, it was painful.

There are two WS rows on the side panel section of the stole where there are decreases, one at either end.  I think I have to knit back every single time because I forget to do them, and this last time is no exception -- ripped back to do the first decrease, but forgot to do the second, and then proceeded to break my brain when the first section of the next row on the RS wouldn't work.  Totally would. NOT. work.  Argh.

Then I discovered that I was missing a stitch in another panel.  I've already ripped out 11 rows... not ripping out anymore.  I just went and knit into a stitch from the row below and I think I've got everything in the right place now... before, there was a triple increase that was off center, and it looked like ass. 

I wish that when I got frustrated with this project that I could stick it in a closet for a bit, but alas, I can't.  Sigh... poor me.  All this, and I sorely miss Wolfie, too.  Think I'll drown my sorrows in a good sleep.

So I'll just leave you with this...

bebes!

I made some bonnets and booties for two co-workers.  One was for a first granddaughter, the other for a first daughter.  The sets are from the same pattern in Vogue Knitting On The Go: Baby Knits Two. Check them out in my photo album.

I hope to have photos soon of the Hiawatha stole I'm making.  For now, I shower and go to bed.  I'm exhausted.

shake the booties

Well, the baby sets are done.  I need to block them later, and then I can give them to the recipients on Monday at work.  I'll post pictures when they're blocking.

Lesson learned from this project: Get more sleep.  Lace is harder -- a lot harder -- when you're overtired.

Of course, the overtired part may be why/how I got so sick this week.  I was running a fever for three days or so, and I still have a lot of chest and nasal congestion.  I feel a lot better now, though -- just feel like I have a cold instead of like I'm going to die.  Seriously... it took me three hours on Monday to get up the energy to get out of bed and boil some water for soup.

I'm a lot better now, though.  Gotta get back to that baby sweater; it won't knit itself.

well, let's see how this works out...

I'm not sure why I decided now would be a good time to do a fiber arts blog, but here it is.  I hope I actually use the thing as it's intended; the time spent setting it up will be such a waste if I don't.

Right now I'm working on finishing a set of baby booties for a coworker and another baby sweater for a friend.  I really must get the sweater done; the shower is a week from Saturday.

After that, I'm making quite a complex stole for my sister to wear on her wedding day -- she's getting married in Maine, in November, in a strapless gown.  She'll need something to keep her toasty.  I'm using the Song of Hiawatha Stole pattern from Blackberry Ridge, worked in Jaggerspun Zephyr, three strands held together.  What I'll likely do is Navajo-ply it on my spinning wheel, so I don't have to wind off three balls and hope that they're the same length.  It'll only work, though, if I can set the twist; otherwise it biases.  At least, my swatches have -- I haven't blocked them yet.

Ah, well... I've been sick for nearly a week, and so I must get to bed.  I actually have to work in the morning, at some point.