Spittin' and Fiddlin'

Have to tell y'all before Project Runway comes on that I bought some more Noro Kureyon despite my better judgment. There were a few skeins available on Destash - Cash for Your Stash, and I bought it because it was there. And because it was pretty. I knit a few rows on my square last night. After reaching down to carefully unwind it so that it didn't tangle, I reached for the running yarn and there was nothing there. It broke while I wasn't looking! Since Trish says it felts so well, I figured I'd spit splice it. ( Purlwise has a great pictorial showing how she does it.) Didn't think much about the spit part until I got ready to do it. Afterwards, all I could think of was that my palms were wet. Yuck! Y'all don't tell me water works too. I thought of it, but I was too lazy to get off the couch.

I started the second Anastasia sock and reached the heel. Since I'm always in search of the perfect short row heel, I decided to try the Priscilla Gibson Roberts short-row heel that Aija worked so well. (Again Purlwise has a great tutorial illustrating how to do it.) I have to tell you it's awfully fiddly. I'm going to rip it and try it again, but not tonight. I'm ribbing Orangina tonight while Project Runway is on. Go Michael!

Since I have no knitting pix, I'm going to post my favorite Canyon Ranch shot. In a stroke of luck one evening, a cotton-tail bunny was sitting under a bunny statue.

Change of Schedule Already

Oh boy! The Lizard Ridge afghan is definitely not going to be a commuter project. Having to constantly turn the work to do the short rows means I won't able to stop wherever I am in the work then easily resume knitting - I forget where I was! It doesn't help that the wrapped stitches are hard to see, so I have to count them. Also, having to alternate working with the yarn from the outside then from the center of the ball every six rows causes what Aija calls "yarn burp." You should have seen the tangled mess I had last night! I was so frustrated that I didn't think to take a picture. The yarn is rough, the tangled mess started to felt together while I attempted to detangle it (bad sign!), then I discovered this while I was in the middle of a row:


Frayed yarn is manageable, but on top of everything thing else I've recounted... Why do people love this yarn so much? Maybe I should consult with my LYS about the yarn substitutions as i said I was going to. Looks like My So Called Scarf or the Anastasia socks, both of which have deceptively easy and memorizable patterns, will become commuter projects. OK, enough whining.

Made good progress on the Michael Kors Cardi. The first sleeve is half done:


I'm using Filatura di Crosa Zara Plus and it's a dream to knit (got it for nothing at Elann two years ago). Maybe when both are done I'll have the courage to face the rest of the project.

OK, I've joined the Leapin' Lizards KAL too.

I really like the new Lizard Ridge afghan on Knitty. I'm looking for a good project for my commute and this looks like a good bet. I forgot that I have one skein of Kureyon, so I can start with that. Now I'll be keeping an eye out for sales. The prices on eBay are no bargain because buyers are really bidding it up to retail and because, IMO, you really have to get lucky to find a bargain on eBay these days. The ads say it's a good felting yarn. Can you avoid felting by washing in cold water?

I bought a new Addi 16" US 1 at Aylin's Woolgatherer today. Now I can finish the Anastasia's in time for Socktoberfest. For you DC dwellers, Aylin's is in Loehman's Plaza. The mall's under construction, but she's still open. Aylin's having a sale until September 30th, by the way. I got some Manos del Uruguay on sale there to make My So Called Scarf. Got a few rows of it done while sitting in traffic today:

I started the Grey's Jaywalkers Thursday night. See?

Got a lot of work done on it. At this rate, I'll get to the STRs soon.

I'm going to have to allocate projects to days of the week. Grey's Jaywalkers on Thursday night, Orangina, Anastasia, and Broadripple every other night, Lizard Ridge everyday on the bus and metro, and the Michael Kors Cable Cardi on the weekend. Don't hold me to this schedule!

Good thing none of these KALs have a deadline.

Nothing bores me more than rib knitting. Orangina's a top down knit, ending with 3x3 rib. Bleh. It's about 16 inches long and hits me right at the waist, so I'm on the home stretch. I've changed the pattern a bit, making the lace section a bit shorter, and adding more ribbing so that it's more form-fitting. Got the idea from Cmeknit at So Much Yarn, So Little Time! I love her version.

I made the small size instead of the usual large because the Rowan Linen Drape I'm using stretches a lot. I figure I've knit in 4 inches of negative ease. I hope this puppy fits. I've tried it on, but you never really know until you've seamed it.

I joined the Fall Cable KAL 2006 in order to jumpstart the MK Cable Cardi. The back is finished; the front left section is 3/4 finished, but I can't tell where I left off in the rather elaborate instructions for shaping the shawl collar and sleeve simultaneously. I'm sure I had some momentum going and some understanding of the instructions at the time, because the front/left section corresponds to the back, and what there is of the collar falls properly, but two years later the instructions look like a foreign language. I will try to figure it out one weekend, but I think it will probably have to be frogged. I don't have the stomach to tackle it yet, so I'm going to begin again with the sleeves.

Here's the bracelet I made. (Blogger was uncooperative for hours yesterday before Google took it down.) It only took about 20 minutes to make. Now I'm intrigued with the possibilities. I've seen lots of beautiful jewelry I'd like to make, particularly bracelets. I'd like to make rings too, but I've seen fewer of those.

I've got some necklaces I'd like to re-string too. A colleague and I went to Beaddazzled's sale at lunch time last week and went wild. Also got some fixings at A.C. Moore, who by the way, is having a sale on some its beads and related merchandise through Sept. 26th. It's whole new world.

So Many KALs, So Little Time

I joined the Grey's Anatomy KAL and Socktoberfest yesterday. I always have a pair of socks on needles, so why not? I have some grey self-patterning yarn with which I will probably knit Jaywalkers for the Grey's Anatomy KAL (you don't actually have to knit anything grey) I should join the Fall Cable KAL 2006 as a prod to finish my Michael Kors Cable Cardi, but I'm afraid to commit myself. To the KAL at least. Did you know that there's also an Intolerable Cruelty Skirt KAL ? I would love to make this skirt, but I'm overcommitted. And a Leapin' Lizards KAL for the new Lizard Ridge afghan on Knitty. Maybe this will become a commuting project whenever Noro Kureyon goes on sale.

Sock update: P-socks are finally kitchenered, but there's no sunlight for good pix. I don't like the effect of a camera flash. It might be time to buy an OTT light. I have to buy a new Addi for the Anastasias. I'm knitting a pair of Broadripples in white for Mom for Christmas. Don't ask me when I'll get to the new STR project that just arrived:






I like this colorway better than the others so I might actually get around to knitting these. There are two patterns; I think I'll knit this one by Cookie A., designer of Pomatomus.

I got hooked on beading while on vacation. I'll post a picture as soon as Blogger cooperates. So I joined Beads Forever yesterday too. Someone had a great pictoral on how to attach beads to knitting projects with a needle threader but I can't find it now. If any of you know where it is, please let me know. Thanks!

I'm Back

Lost a few pounds, I don't know how much, but my jeans are much looser. The best part was being fed delicious, nutritious food, waited on, and hanging out with friends every evening. The same group of women go Canyon Ranch every Labor Day weekend, so though I had not been there since 2001, it was like old home week. Made some new friends too. And it was great being back in the desert. If you like the desert, Tucson is beautiful. Here's a shot flying in:

and here are some of the grounds of the resort:








I finished one sock of my pair of Anastasias on the flight to Dallas, then a lost one of my new Addis at the airport there. So there's another good reason to pack two projects! I just hope another knitter found it. I made good progress on Orangina, in fact it's almost done. Pix later.

I maintained my good eating habits until today, when I discovered a new Taco Bell around the corner. Uh oh!