Playing Catch Up

I can't believe that it's been so long since I blogged. I think the warm weather is making me lethargic....do you feel that way, too?

Plus, I've had the most horrible migraines for the past 4 days...don't know why. Stress? Excess yarn fumes...? (yeah, right...) Ian thinks that it's him (since he was gone for so long for work and now he's back) and I hope that's not it. Can a husband cause a migraine attack?

Anyway, I am KINDA back....the podcast is still just sitting there waiting to be produced.....I'm feeling a bit scared that I'll have no listeners left now...but I'll go ahead with it anyway. It's only been a month or so, right??

Here is what I've been up to since the last blog:

Dyeing Yarn

I dyed two skeins of yarn the other day and I tried a new "arrangement" when dyeing to see what effect I could get. I used a skein of superwash merino and a skein of superwash merino and silk. Both came out really cool.



1. The silk/merino, which I call, "Baby Monster"...it is SO friggin soft and over 400 yards, too. I think it's either sport or worsted weight...for $20 with free shipping. I'll be putting it up on my Etsy Shop this week. If anyone wants it before then, just email me.

2. The superwash merino, called, "BlueBerry Muffin"...very soft...but this is for me. I'm making something special out of it and here is how the colorway looks knitted up: (I'm pretty sure the silk/merino will have a very similar look)



Working on the Lace Shawl

I've been knitting my a** off (if only you could knit AND tone at the same time!) on the lace edging for this shawl. So far, I am LOVING it! It's not something I can just pick up and do, or bring to knitting group, but once I get into the "groove", I can do at least 4 to 5, 12 row repeats in an hour sitting. I was a bit confused over what a "single join...SJ" and what "double join...DJ" was, but after reading the back of the Victorian Lace Today book, I was able to figure it out. A "SJ" is just when you knit one stitch from the lace shawl to one stitch of the lace edging together...through the back loop. A "DJ" is when you do an "SJ" ...then you do another "SJ" in that same stitch on the shawl. So, two in one. Makes sense, right?

Here is what the edging looks like so far. It's not at all impressive...not until blocking, I'm sure. I'm just about halfway done with the lace edging. woo-hoo!



Movie Knitting with Melissa and Cindy



Melissa and I decided to go see a real "adult" movie (not Xrated...get your mind out of the gutter!!! LOL!) and not a cartoon/digital animation. As moms, we have had our fill of children's shows and wanted to see something, well, like I said, "adult-ish". We saw "Knocked Up" (a movie recommended by Not-So-Newbie Mike and my mom) and it was SOO funny! Lovely Melissa brought her fantastic and adorable daughter, Cindy...who I love. She is so sweet and funny. (We also went to Cracker Barrel for lunch before the movie and that was YUM-MY!)



Melissa and I looked at each other (over our knitting) and cracked up quite a few times. A couple of the things in the movie were shocking, but not in a bad way...just...well, I was thinking, "I wonder how much that woman got paid to show her nether-regions during the crowning part of the baby's delivery?" I am NOT that confident about the condition of my nether-regions that I would show them on camera. (I think the woman definitely got a wax job!) Especially after having two babies...and one of them with a 10 and a half pound body. (Lordy!)

That day was tons of fun and I think we should do it again. It would've been better if I didn't make a mistake in my knitting halfway through and had to stop...darn my non-seeing-in-the-dark eyes!!!!

Benji wants a Sweater...and FAST!

The whole time I was knitting the Tulips Sweater, Ben kept asking, "Is that for me?" and I'd have to sadly tell him no. That it is a baby sweater and much, much too small.

The other morning, I was trying to find a size 2 circular (didn't find it) in my yarn closet (it's supposed to have clothes in it, but sadly (or not sadly), there are only 5 things hanging on the rack...and the closet is the length of the wall. Go figure.

Anyway, Ben comes in, goes right to the Blue Bin (all my bins of yarn are clear and organized by color...I know, I know...I'm an organizing freak) and starts searching around. Finally, he sits up with his chubby little arms full of yarn. He's picked out 4 skeins of Frog Tree Alpaca sportweight...in a gorgeous, royal blue.

He starts running downstairs to Ian...and dropping a skein or two down the stairs on the way....saying, "Daddy! Mommy is going to make me a sweater! Out of THIS bwew yarn!" (He loves the color "bwew"). His eyes are shining and he's got this HUGE grin on his face. How can I say no to that? I figure, I can put the other 10 ufos away for now and make my beautiful boy a sweater, right??

That day, I spent laying on the floor pouring through all my books for a little boy sweater (why are there only cute little GIRL sweaters???) with my head pounding and Ben throwing his "bwew" balls of alpaca over the cat in the living room. Finally, I grab Jacqueline Fee's "The Sweater Workshop"...you know, the one that I made the cute full size sweater sampler with? In that book, I found a pattern for a Reversible Sweater that is fantastic! You knit it in the round (very easy with hardly any sewing involved) and it can be worn either with the right side out or inside out! It is sooo cool! I think I'll need one more skein of this yarn, so I should go and find that soon, I guess.

Only thing is....the yarn is almost fingering weight, so I have to use size 2 for the ribbing and size 4 for the body. I think even a 3 would've been better....but I REALLY didn't want to knit a sweater on size 3 needles. [shiver]

There was lots of math involved, but I'm proficient at that and got a whole page of numbers cranked out so the sweater will be the perfect size for Ben. A little big, so he can wear it next year, too. Well, depending on how much he grows I guess!

Wanna see what I've knit so far?



Every morning since then, Ben's been waking up (my eyes are still closed at this point) and saying "Is my sweater done?" and I excitedly show him how much I've done (which is probably only a inch or two since the day before) and he says, "But, is it DONE?" Can't my fingers knit any faster???

Today is the first day that I haven't woken up with a terrible migraine, so I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm going to meet Jackie and her kiddies at the library, we'll knit and gossip for a bit...get caught up...and then I'll try to work on my podcast more. Hopefully, get some more lace trim done as well.

I'm really behind on reading blogs, too...so maybe I can get some of that in as well. It's wonderful to have my head back!

Happy Knitting to you!! (next blog will be a fiber/spinning update....have lots to show you!)