Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
We're Moving - With a Contest!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Random Wednesday
- I spent more time than I would like to admit admiring the Witch’s Stockings Kit on Sanguine Gryphon before they ran out. I adore striped stockings, and when you add Bugga to the mix I become almost obsessive in my admiration. I’ve bought too much yarn in the last two months though, so no Witch’s Stockings for me. Being Responsible is stupid.
- I tried to wrangle my office into a neater version of itself so I would be able to work in there, but it’s still a mess. Now I’m focused on wanting these shelves from IKEA. I would be so neat and tidy if I only had those shelves.
- Doing the final seaming on a baby gift for a friend whose new lady arrived a few weeks ahead of schedule, and I’m disappointed in myself for not altering the pattern the way I considered. I said to myself, “Self, there’s no reason NOT to knit it the way the pattern was written, and it will look just as good when you’re finished!”
- Nope. Once again I should have listened to the slightly snotty overconfident voice in my head who told me that my way was better. Now I’m just debating pulling the whole thing out and starting over. But am I that much of a perfectionist? I strive to avoid perfectionism in my life - that way lies madness.
- Have not finished a single thing yet this month, i.e. nothing to turn in for the HPKCHC, which is ridiculous because it is quite possibly the best set of classes I’ve ever seen.
- At least I am working on a pattern and liking what I’m getting. I’ve also had two other ideas spring to life while I’ve been knitting.
- I wish the whole process was faster. Is it me or do other designers have patterns coming out every other week? Or does it seem that way to me because they are all one Internet Entity and their new pattern launches all fill in each other’s gaps?
- I really need to go buy some buttons.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Unintentional Rainbow
And of course, it’s always worth the wait.
The five skeins on the right are all heavyweight and are presents for my two best girls (who are both expecting and are due 3 weeks apart!) The Cozy, Fierce, and Dirty Orange and the What’s Up, Buttercup? are for this giraffe from Susan B. Anderson’s Itty Bitty Toys. I’m going to follow all of the shaping instructions (because there is not a cuter giraffe out there) but change the construction order, and I’m planning on picking up stitches and connecting things as I go, a la Ysolda’s Sophie. The three skeins of Nodding Violet are for a baby blanket for a wee gentleman who should be making an appearance in January.
At the far left we have True Blood Red and Princess Plummy, and at the top, Downpour, which was the only skein that didn’t fit in the rainbow. All are lightweight. They represent me trying to open up my horizons a little and knit with more solid colored sock yarns. As I’m working on designing, I’m realizing that if you’re going to do any kind of patterning it’s important to have solid colors so that people can see what the heck you are knitting.
In all honesty, from the second that True Blood Red came out I deeply coveted it, and there is still a better than even chance that I shall order it in Gaea or Woobu to knit my Traveling Sweater. I have the pattern, just . . . no time.
Sigh. Don’t you just love new yarn?
Monday, October 18, 2010
Some Things Stay the Same
After the Waterford Fair, (during which I got to meet my new little cousin from the previous post) my family went down to Lake Anna, VA. When I was a kid my Grandmother and Grandaddy had a house on the lake there, and we used to go all of the time. They both died a long time ago, and I hadn’t been to the house, (which is now my aunt and uncle’s) in probably 15 years.
It was pretty great. It was a little bittersweet, of course, to see the changes in the place since I was little, but really it was great to see that it was in such good shape and so well loved by my aunt and uncle and their kids and grandkids.
One of us got sunburned out on the boat. Me, of course. My pale Northern European forebears trying to tell me that just because it was cool out didn’t mean the sun wasn’t shining and for pity’s sake to put on a hat!