July 29
Rambles
Its been a while again... mostly because I've been in a knitting funk. Funk, funk, funk. (no, I'm not saying what you think I'm saying... N not C! :-) )I have barely knitted in the last 2 weeks. I'm in a general funk, actually. I haven't read any new books - just re-reading old ones. I haven't commented yet on
The Life of Pi, even though I loved the book. I'm behind in finishing my documents for work (OK, one of these is a complicated, inane, repetivtive, busywork document that I have an extreme block about finishing.... but the other one isn't so bad). My house isn't getting cleaned, and I'm gaining weight. I need to get my life together... Maybe next month!
I
am looking forward to next month... I'm heading off to Chicago for Stitches Midwest. I have my classes confirmed (I'm taking double knitting, Tips and Tricks with Lily Chin, Photographing your knitting, Photoshopping your knitting, Shapely Shawlette, and a couple more that I don't remember off the top of my head.) I have a hotel room. I don't know how I'm getting there yet - have to decide whether I'm flying or driving. Last week I was seriously considering flying - now I'm considering driving. Maybe the train. Hm....
Knitting Baby Blankets
I have done a couple more shells on my current baby blanket (see picture below - nothings connected yet. Maybe next week). I'm still playing with color combinations in my head. We'll see how this one turns out!
Smooch
Ha! Yesterday during a boring meeting -one of those meetings where one listens to get information, but one never has anything to contribute. Not to mention, over the phone so noone can see you - I knitted a few rows of Smooch. I started the armhole shapings. I think I got them down.
I am worried about the width of this beastie. Based on the back, I'm afraid it may be too small. I'm thinking of knitting the front to the width of the next size up with the length of the current size. Hopefully that will work.... I'm regretting not doing this in the round already - but I couldn't face casting on that many stitches and doing all that picot stitch all at once. Except, if it is too small, doing it in the round would mean ripping it out, and I wouldn't have this maybe fix of doing the front in a different size! (There... there's the silver lining in that one...)
More Rambling
Usually, this extreme slowdown in knitting would mean it was time for me to start something new. However, I haven't been swept away by a pattern in
so long. The next thing on my list is the Obi from Simply Knit - but I'm not itching to start that yet. I've been meaning to start the Einstein Jacket from Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch - but I haven't shelled out to buy the Touch Me yet. I'm thinking about making another tank, out of ribbon yarn from
Tess's Yarns, but haven't dug out that yarn yet. No new pattern's in any of the knitting mags that have grabbed me - no surprise there. I have only been grabbed by 1 pattern in Knitter's in years (the Anthrocite shawl). I bought yarn to knit the Zen pullover from Interweave Knits Spring 2002 issue - but haven't started that yet. Oh well... maybe something at Stitches MW will grab me. Or not - that would save me a ton of money :-)
Any ideas for getting out of this funk? I'd love to hear them!
untitledIts a grey, cloudy, muggy day here in Minnesota. Glad I'm working in the good old AC!
My knitting is slowing down to a dead crawl. I didn't knit much on my trip - that I could only bring my needles on the plane on the US to Canada leg limited my time somewhat, and I was extremely distracted by the
Life of Pi. Very, very good book. Can't wait to start the discussion.
The only knitting I've done in the last couple weeks is this:
This is the first shell in the baby blanket for my cousin's baby. I've got 2 lighter shades of dusty pink, and an off-white. We'll see how it goes. (previous post has the rough sketch of the vision in my head)
Other than that I've been getting my feet back under me at work. I took 3 weeks off, then went to training the first week I was back. I'm getting back into the swing of things - while trying to stay relaxed.
The Big One goes off to sports camp next week. She should have a great time. Her first overnight camp experience. There is a day camp option, but when that goes from 9am-9pm, I figured she might as well try the overnight camp. Last night she had her concert to close out summer orchestra. The kids did _so_ well. I'm rather impressed with this school program!
Tonight I'm going to see a MOVIE! We don't get out to see those very often, but we're heading out to see
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen tonight. I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed, becasue I love the graphic novel its based on. But, what Sean Connery movie can be bad? Wish me luck!
Ack. Its been over a week - oops. I took a vacation, I guess...
No pictures today. I'm in Ottawa for work, and I didn't grab my digital camera. I didn't do any knitting on the plane, instead I read Life of Pi for the
Knit Blogger's read-a-long. I finished it - wonderful book. I'm glad I joined the group - I wouldn't have read this book otherwise.
Elfin Lace Shawl
This progresses slowly. Its very pretty, but it will be winter before its done, I'm afraid. I'm down to getting 6 of the 8 rows in a repeat done in a 50 minute lesson time. I left this project at home, but I think I've completed 10 of the 29 pattern repeats.
Smooch
This is coming along nicely. I'm up to the increases in the body on the back. I decided against doing it in the round, mostly to save myself the tedium of casting on 350 stitches. I couldn't face doing the lace part wrong again with that many stitches cast on... so of course it worked perfectly this time. I'm looking forward to getting this done.
New Project
So, its not really a _new_ project, but I'm picking it back up. I had an idea a while back for a baby blanket for my cousin. I'm playing around with the shell pattern from Horst Schultz's book
Patchwork Knitting
Neat concept, execpt I don't like clothes with that many colors in them, and would never wear a sweater like that. So, I have this picture in my head.
I'm trying to make each piece look more like a fan than a shell. I'm also thinking of making the color changes more gradual by making some fans two-colored. We'll see. Maybe I'll finish it this time.
Just to prove I don't knit all my baby blankets in Lion Brand yarn - this one is being knit in Plymouth Encore. So there.
Other Stuff
Had a very nice 4th of July. Went to my parent's, watched the fireworks over the lake in Albert Lea, MN. Nature got into the act as well. A thunderstorm blew in as we sat waiting for it to be dark enough for the fireworks to start. They started the display early, but it still started to rain on us while we watched. My husband commented that they must be using the hurry-up-no-delay program on the fireworks - they did seem closer together than in previous years. It was awesome watching the lightning and the fireworks together. At one point, in a break in the fireworks, lighting flashed in a spiderweb pattern among the clouds. Right on the heels of the lightning was a huge firework... it was gorgeous! Breathtaking! The little one loved it - she was entranced by the lights and the sound.
