No rest for the knitty

In the time I wrote that last article I discovered I have 2 cousins who's wives are pregnant AND my epic boot camp instructor from Cali and his fiancee are expecting a little bundle of joy. So tag on 3 more things o'baby stuff to my to do list! All I'll say is thank god baby things are tiny and take 2, maybe 3 days to make a hat and booties. I really need to start stretching my needles and attempt.....drumroll.....a sweater! Of course, pretty much all of these little ones are due in summer. Where's all my winter babies at?!

Well, regardless, that is why patterns include a 6 month size option! Also fortuitous for me, not only is the epicness of ravelry available so that I don't even have to do the same booties over and over but I got this awesome book at Jo-ann's with an xmas gift card!

Now with the internet available and millions of patterns available at my fingertips with a google search, I'm not huge on buying pattern books. I grabbed this book to leaf through on a whim and I kid you not, I adored a good 55 out of the 60 patterns! It was also 40% off so I figured I'd give the little darling a good home. I'm terribly excited to get busy with it! 

And for your enjoyment, my most recent achievement for Baby Dollard, due in march:

I had a friend say she would love a pair of adult sized booties and since I recently fell into some yarn (almost literally) I think I may have to get all jiggy with those for my friends lovely chilly toes!

DOES THIS HOBBY EVER STOP BEING AWESOME?!?!?!

Oh yes, you will be done by January, whether you want to be or not!

Yay for new project lists! I managed to get just about everything all done in last months to do list, which means its time for an update. The glorious thing is this has a lot of varied due dates, times, and patterns so it will keep me busy. So here you are, in no particular order and completely subject to change:

1. Still need to do some glovies for my lovely Brenna Sue. I'm thinking of making my own pattern for her so its unique and pretty. Something with cabling or a funky stitch design
2. 2 sets of Gloves and a hat for my cousin (asap, looking for the neon colors he wanted). These should be fun because I'm making them sans pattern to fit his hands! YAY FOR ADVENTURE!
3. Multiple Baby sets due                        Mid March 
   
   
   Bernat Baby Booties
   
   and
   
   Two Rounds Baby Hat
   Finished 01/30
   
   
   
   Before June
   
   
   
   
   
   Turtle baby Mittens
   
   
   and
   
   
   Turtle Baby Booties
   
   
   btw, for twins so I need 2 of each!
   
   
   Before August
   
   
   
   
   
   A Baby Layette for my nephew. This is just an example. I may go a different direction but I think this is super cute.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   4. Fingerless Mitts for: Rose, Gwendy, Bookie, and Val, pretty much due whenever. I need to find a pattern I like or make up something!
   5.Dew Drops Shawl for my mom and a Pineapple Delight Shawl for my grammy
       
                                     
   I already have the yarn for the dew drops, just need the needles. The Pineapple is an homage to my great grammy (her mom)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   6.Hats and mitts for my mom's coworkers for next xmas (12 sets, I have total artistic freedom)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   When I have free time/between finished projects I'll be making: product examples, a bunch of beards (Toddler sized to adult size), and coffee cozies! You know, maybe someday I'll add in something for myself.

Oh Travel....

Oh la it's been so long since I've posted. There has been all sorts of running amok for me since the 16th. Finally I find myself happily ensconced at home, eager to begin a new bunch of awesomeness! Before we get to that, I have proof that I wasn't being all lackadaisical!



After 4 hours of sleep, Butterbean and I were chilling in the airport waiting for our flight and I busted out my sock! You know, the one that should have been done ages ago. I've decided I'm going to stock up on random sock yarns because this was epic. I could watch my daughter, listen to what was going on, and knit at the same time because it was nothing but stockinette stitch in the round! In the hour wait I managed to do 2 inches, get the heel done, and pick up all the stitches to work the gusset. Considering how the first sock took me forever to get through that part and needing a completely silent-no-distractions-whatsoever room I was feeling mighty fine!

PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF

It took a few days of knitting here and there get it done, but the socks were finished, blocked (my mom got me a set of women's medium sock blockers too!), and dry by the 23rd to give to my stepmom. Seriously though, you'd think I'd get a pic or something. I'm quite the slacker when it comes to cataloging my accomplishments. I'll have her send me a pic of her toes in them. She got teary when I gave them to her. I got teary giving them to here...its like a second blocking in salt water!It made everything worthwhile!

My other big thang was getting that adorable Victorian lace shrug all done for Butters. I tell you what, I worked on that when I could for that week. My first night at my parents, I managed to get through another pattern repeat before I had to rip back to my safety line. Seriously, if I hadn't had to get my Kermit on I'd have had that thing done in 2, maybe 3 days. What was awesome is that I learned with this pattern even when I was messing up. Eventually I figured out that if I counted after every pattern row (which is apparently what you really should do while lace knitting), I would have to only go back to the missed stitch or just take the whole row off and redo because I missed a yarn over. Heck I even got great at looking at the pattern and figuring out exactly where I needed to fix things! I had to go back less and less and got pretty good at fixing things before they were a problem. I managed (after a morning of constant knitting) to get it done and blocked the day before I left for SLC.

Omg, there IS a pattern in there! 

All blocked with no place to go!

a close up of the pattern. Its really pretty! It looks like leaves or feathers imo. Blocking is AWESOME

So I got it done. The night before the wedding I whip stitched the edges together so it would be a bit of shrug like awesomeness. I think that was the hardest part was doing it amongst a bunch of tittering, but sweet 19 year olds before spending the next 4 hours making cheesecake and sleeping on an air mattress that needed to be put out of its misery old yeller style!

I didn't get a great pic of Butterbean in it, but heck, I was just happy it was done! So, for your enjoyment, her wedding ensemble:

The young man was quite enchanted with the princess!

I didn't do the ribbing around the opening because I made it in a larger size so it will fit her without it. I can always pull out and re-stitch the arms so it will fit her a bit longer. I really loved how it looks and have officially fallen in love with lace knitting and feel confident after this project that I'll be able to do it. 

Don't you love patterns that give you confidence? Its why this is the best hobby EVER!

Next up: the new to-do list!

Lessons I'm way to slow learning. This one is called Insurance!

You may be wondering whats up with that odd little pink bit coming off this rather striking blue number (The Victorian Lace Baby Shrug in Cascade 220 Blue Velvet). Is that some sort of oddity? Is this a color change? No my friends not even close. As a matter of fact that is my insurance.

This is a lovely lace pattern. Which translates to exquisitely lovely intricate yarn pattern made by profuse amounts of swearing that is blocked by the tears of the maker. Every single even row is completely different including yarn overs, ssk, slik2togpsso etc. Its magical, its a challenge, it takes a lot of thought, and its going to be beautiful. I was all sorts of upbeat after finally getting through 2 1/2 inches of k2p2 ribbing in lightweight yarn which takes FOREVER mind you. Now I was getting into the knitty gritty, all ready to get fancy and such.

Needless to say I got cocky. 9 rows into the pattern I had zero issues. I was giving myself a little pat on the back thinking I was pretty awesome. Of course that means I screwed up on Row 10 when I managed to forget that I was doing a YO before a k2tog, I did that a few times before realizing I screwed up. So of course I have to frog back down to the first pattern row because backing up on lace stitching sucks more than a black hole. I kid you know, I couldn't get past the 4th row. It literally took me 2 episodes of Supernatural to FINALLY get back on track. Meanwhile I was swearing, near tears, cursing weddings and my complete lack of time management, etc etc. I finally went back to the last of the cuff and obsessively watched the pattern, double checking every stitch and managed to get back to row 10. I danced in my seat, I crowed, it was a delicious thing!

I recall reading somewhere about a wee practice that will save you time, heartache, and sanity. You take a little slippery yarn and thread it through your last row that you are certain is correct. That way if you have to Kermit patternicide you aren't losing the entire thing. So Yay for waste yarn insurance!

Go me! Okay maybe now I'll smarten up and do swatches. Stupid math, stupid need to  be exact, stupid me for not doing it to start with *grumble grumble grumble*

Productivity!

Yup, I managed to get some stuff done today. I forgot what it was like to have small day projects, here's what I did!

Starting from the top is an Owl Coffee Cozy from My Knitting Basket (yeah I totally should have made that a better pic), on the right is the beginning of Victorian Lace Shrug for Butter Bean for my sister's wedding, and the bottom left is her Polar Vortex mittens (standard redheart)

The mitten gets me, it turns out so long, but I put it on her little hands to check it out and it fits. Now she doesn't have this fantastically odd shaped hand by any means, its cute and chubby and absolutely adorable. I'm thinking that after I make this pair up for our trip I'll take the time to make her something really custom. The real question is how to keep her still while I measure her hand. Then I have to do basic math, and nobody wants me doing math *SIGH* I'll make hubby check my work.

The cozy was fun. I made it in old, super acrylic tastic yarn. The kind that feels like you are weaving strips of plastic together. It was mostly to check it out and attempt the patter since anything involving a cable makes me nervous. It was pretty easy. I'd like to use the owl motif in my own designed coffee cozy. I have plans, now I just need to make it so! 

Da-da-da-day

I started this morning all motivated, within 5 minutes of struggle it was shot. Instead of heading to the library for story time I decided it was a sit in, clean, then knit. Then within 10 minutes I realized I felt zero interest in cleaning, so it was movies for the little one and a knitting. Nothing extreme going on, just a little down which is pretty normal at this delightful point in the month, so I just popped a few extra St Johns wart, put on my comfy pants, and got all up in my needles business.

Its great because I did get the gloves done. I totally meant to do something useful after, like start ButterBeans mittens, but instead I knit a hat for a lemon. I have every intention of making a wee beard. I will take some pic-ies of everything and post it. I want to block the gloves first and get the pic all taken of Cedric von Meyer, master of disguise! (yup, thats going to be my mascot's name)

I also opened up an Etsy store. Cliche I know. "Omg, I am totally making stuff, I should sell it to the masses!" I figure it will at least keep me in yarn and give me a good reason to sit on my rump and knit. Its LemonIncognito. Yeah, not surprising. Are you sensing a theme here? I apparently have an unnatural interest in citrus fruit. I'm strangely comfortable with this.

Anywhatsit pics and knits to come!!

To Do List:

WOOHOO, lets cross stuff off:

1. 2 Pairs of gloves (done Jan 2)
   
2. Remake the baby bootie and mail it out (done jan 3)
   
3. Striped Annabella Gloves (in progress)
   
4. Finish the Sock (come on starcie, at least get done to the heel)
5. Brenna's Mitts
6. Flower Girl Shrugs
7. Coffee Cosies (can we say, between projects palate cleanser)

Woo, first time cabling! I made it one cable too small, thats okay, it was a quick knit so I'll get it

I've also decided I need to add more! This polar vortex has me concerned about Butter Beans poor little digits and as pretty as fingering weight shrugs are, she needs something more beefy! She has a Cunning hat like daddy, so I'm going to make her matching gloves. A knitters child shouldst not go cold!

Progress! Also KIPing in the park

I love to take Butter Bean to the park, she gets to frolic and work off some energy, I get to knit. Everyone is happy the end! Usually I do something simple that doesn't require a ton of focus, but due to my current project list, I decided to take out the fancy striped Annabella gloves I'm making for a friend.

Progress I HAZ IT

Its been a bit of a pain. I'm not used to color working even if its just striping! I tried a few tricks I read to avoid having all the ends to weave in, but after finishing a block and having to rip it back I decided to just do it the easy way.

Its doing alright! My one problem so far has been that I always manage to screw up and I swear to god, I'm 4 stripes into it and I have had to rip back every one of them at least once. I was trying to figure out a mess up when it was bed time and I got SUPER ridiculously grumpy at it, then I had to try to put Butter Bean down and I was so frustrated that when I got my inevitable "NO" for my efforts I just said "FINE stay up all night, I don't care!" and pouted back to my knitting. Real mature, good job mom. Hubby calmly picked her up and did the whole bed time thing all the while she was calling out "Maaaama, mummy, ma", I'm telling you considering that is actually a pretty standard thing for me to hear you get sort of desensitized. I still felt bad, but I hunkered down and finished that stripe.

All I can say is tomorrow will be better. This is turning out lovely, and it will be done soon so i can move onto other things!

Long tail cast-ons make me grrrrrr

Seriously, I don't do math. I know that there is the whole thing of "you need one inch of tail per stitch" to figure how long said tail should be. Well I don't do math and suck at the whole counting thing AND I have spacial recognition issues, plus who really always has their measuring tape at hand?! (okay, I do, its in the little coin purse full of itzy bitzy rubber bands I use as place markers and darning needles that goes wherever my knitting does but its all rolled up and it would be a pain in the butt to take it out, measure, and roll back up for a full few seconds.) Therefore, I usually eyeball. Which means I have to undo all the stitches and do it on again so freaking often it isn't even funny. Here's the inevitable process:

1. Need 54 stitches, not a big deal, eyeball out and start happily casting on a German twisted stitch.
2. Get to to 51, fingers have to do serious acrobatics to hold the tail, try try TRY to make the next few stitches.
3. Swear profusely to myself while I unravel.
4. Move a few inches up, attempt to cast on again
5. For some reason I now have a foot long tail! wtf yarn, did you grow?!
6. Sit there and discuss with myself whether or not its so important, knowing I'm going to have have a fabulous panic about having enough yarn, because I'm that person, constantly afraid I don't have enough for a project. Unravel after 5 minutes.

Repeat steps 1-6 at least 2 times before I'm happy. 

Every. Darn. Time. 

Plus side, moving on to the bi-colored mitts! Baby booties and gloves done, moving forward, woohoo! That is, if I ever get this cast on right.

Turn turtle and avoid!

Do you ever have that moment where you are just thrumming along on a project and you end up not being able to really work on it for a day or so and you think "its okay, I've got time." Then you suddenly realize its January? You managed to get the whole fiasco of december bound off and you had PLENTY of time to do everything that had to be done in January. And then it hits, suddenly, you have only 2, 3 weeks before you have the 4 projects you need done (all literally time sensitive, thank you birthdays and weddings, no leeway!!!!)

Some people would start working like CRAZY, I totally turn turtle. I stuff my little noggin back in my shell and pretend that I don't have self imposed deadlines looming. I've got this. By I've got this I mean "I'll go at my regular pace this week and next week I'll constantly have my face down in some sort of project to the point that my child will start to think the needles are actually a part of me" WOOOOOO!

What a way to start the new year, thank god organization and time management weren't my goals :)


Current Project list in no particular order:
                              1. Two pairs of gloves by the first weekend in January
                              2. Striped Annabella gloves for a friend by January 16
                              3. Finish that SOCK (I have until the 24th and a lot of travel)
                              4. Remake baby bootie so that it sits right and mail out by Jan 6 (don't come early baby)
                              5. Make striped mitts for friends birthday (jan 16-24)
                              6. Small shrugs or fingerless gloves for butterbean and niece for the wedding (jan 24)
                              7. Make a few coffee cup cosies before Jan 23

Wow, okay, I thought writing it out would make it seem like not so much but holy hannah, thats a lot! Why am I on here writing...oh yeah, I do my best work when panicked :P


Happy Knit Year everyone! It'll be glorious!