Wednesday, May 30, 2007

At last, an FO!

I just want to say that I finished my Rusted Root on Sunday, and I loves it. Pictures soon, when I get some batteries for the digicam.

Monday, May 21, 2007

UFO Roundup!

For some reason, I can't keep myself from casting on these days. I have way too many UFOs (unfinished objects) in my apartment! I have never had this problem before. In the past, I have tended to only work on one project at a time, and only when it's finished would I allow myself to cast on for another one. I haven't finished a project in months; I keep looking forward to the promises of the next one.

Let's take stock, shall we?

First, the Betsey Bag from Spin to Knit. It's more or less done. But it needs to be FELTED before I can knit on the bag flap. The yarn for the flap is my very first handspun, I can't wait to work with it. But I don't have a washing machine...and I'm not going to go dump $1.50 of quarters into the coin-op machines. Sigh.

Next, the neverending CDR. I worked on it over two round trips flights from Boston to LA, and now when I think about working on it, I get a little vertigo.

Ah, the pinwheel baby blanket. I bought the yarn for this way back in February, knowing my friend's baby was due in late June. Plenty of time, no? I'm a fast knitter, yes? Well my friends, a pinwheel blanket with DKish weight yarn on size 6 needles takes FOREVER. OMG. And it doesn't help that this skein has become particularly ornery (tangled) in its ending stages...


And here's my 2-color Venezia. She will be a beauty when she's finished. Like, 20 years from now.

The Rusted Root is a great, fast knit, and this is the one I can't put down right now (at the expense of everything else).

And finally, the Scherezade shawl:


A-hahaha. Ha. And this doesn't even count the bumblebee Jaywalker socks that I couldn't find...

Friday, May 4, 2007

Sigh

Well, I got about 7 rows into the Venezia when I realized that I had TWISTED the JOIN. So off the needles it went (man, knitting 7 rows on size 2 needles w/teeny yarn takes FOREVER). Perhaps it's for the best, though, because once I pulled it off the needles I realized that the waistband was ginormous. So when I cast on again, it will be for the next size down.

I think I'm going to have some wine and go pet my skein of Malabrigo now, or something.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

A month of little knitting

April was a busy month, so not a whole lot of knitting updates!

The CDR is going very slowly. I don't think I've ever had second sleeve syndrome this bad. It sat for weeks with no sleeves, until it came time for me to take a plane out to Boston for a conference. So here's what I managed in my airplane-phobic terror:


I'll be going back again soon for my brother's graduation, so maybe I'll get to finish this sleeve and get some significant work done on the other...just in time for So Cal summer.

I had the most wonderful time in Boston this weekend. I gave my paper on Friday, so I had plenty of time the rest of the weekend to relax and spend time with my brother and his girlfriend, who generously took me around to see sights! We made a stop at Newbury Yarns on Newbury Street, and it was awesome. It was a small but brightly lit shop, with an awesome and kind owner...we even saw a knitting celebrity! (I won't give the name, but she has something coming up in the Fall Interweave magazine...). I got a gorgeous skein of Malabrigo in the Geranio colorway, but I tend to think of it as Red Sox Red...



I think this is going to be one of these.

My next big project is to cast on for Eunny Jang's Venezia sweater from the Winter 2006 Interweave. I must be crazy. I'm only going to do it in two shades (a very dark grey and a very light grey) so that should cut down on the insanity a little bit. I have to admit that it has me so intimidated that I've been afraid to swatch. Hopefully I'll have some time soon to get going on it!

Also, since I got a new ipod for the trip, I recently discovered podcasts. So fun, and perfect for the airplane. I downloaded a ton of episodes of Unwound, which I loved. I like how the podcaster Kellie creates a sense of community by having listener response time on every episode.

Anyway, hopefully I'll have more updates this month. Woot!