Take that, Dream Swatch!

finished objects
Yes, it's officially a finished object. Blocked, photographed, and being worn--even as I type! Please excuse the following pictures--light has been at a premium in Seacoast NH this weekend as the weather Gods seem to favor cold, gray and rainy. In addition, I took the "action shots" of myself because I was too impatient to wait for The Beloved to do it for me. So, without further ado, here she is in all her glory!

The Dream Swatch: Pre-Blocking


The Dream Swatch: Blocking
The images aren't as clear as I'd like, but the colors are pretty true.


The Dream Swatch: In use.


All in all, I'm happy with the final product. I like the way it looks on me, which means it will likely stay here instead of being gifted. Scarves in fingering weight are insane, so I don't know that I'd make another for fun; on the other hand, it worked up relatively fast once I sat down and focused, so were someone to request their very own Dream Swatch, I'd consider doing another.

Were I to knit another--particularly as a gift--I might experiment with some design....things. Because it's knit in stockinette with the elongated cross-stitches, it really enjoys curling up into a little tube. Wet blocking convinced it to flatten out some, but it seems as though it may be a little high-maintenance for a head scarf. Whenever you washed it, it would have to be dried flat and reblocked, which isn't a problem for me, but might be a problem for some. However, I see no reason why one couldn't "swatch" in a different stitch that wasn't quite so prone to curling. We'll see what happens should I ever decide to revisit this project.

Dream Swatch Head Scarf
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino Yarn, P816 (Bold red & violet with brown-black)--less than 1 skein
Needles: Brittany Birch US size 4
Length @ 40 inches (give or take)
Width @ 2.5 inches or so

It's not even a full moon

scarves
But it is the end of the semester. Maybe it's the same sort of thing.

So. Yesterday the nice young man who services the projector installed in our conference room (the closest thing we have to a "high-tech" classroom at the school where I am employed) came in to, well, service the damned thing and make it work. He vacuumed it (the foolish thing was full of dust and nastiness), checked it out to make sure it was happy (it was a little hot), gave it a nice pat on the head and left. As far as I know, the thing was working like a charm when he left.

Is it working this morning? No. Of course not. Why would it?

I suspect the bulb has decided to go. Mostly because the red "Lamp" light is on. It turns on and works for about three minutes and then goes out. Great.

There's a candidate here interviewing for a faculty position--I think in graphic design. The candidate would like to be able to show her work. The committee would like to see her work. I can't make the damned projector work. Double-great.

Now, we do have a small, portable projector. And a laptop. So, theoretically, the candidate can hook up to that and go. It's not as nice or as powerful, but it will work. Fortunately, the Dean just stopped by (he is a very nice and reasonable man) and I let him know what's going on. He thinks that the small projector will be just fine, and commended me on my quick thinking. Hah. If only he knew.

All of this drama is, of course, following on the heels of an amazingly bad night at job #2 last night. Every time I go there, I get crazier and crazier. Is it worth all the aggravation? Probably not. But I'm extraordinarily stubborn and I really, really, really want to see this last project through before I leave. God give me strength.

You know, I know that we all go through times like this. What are your solutions--or means of coping when there simply is no solution?

On a happier note, the Dream Swatch will be finished today. It's measuring in at just over 40 inches, and while I still have some yarn left, my head really isn't all that big. So, the plan is to cast off at lunchtime (in about 45 minutes), weave in the ends when I get home, wet block it overnight, and voila, something beautiful for tomorrow to get me through another day of sheer hell at job #2. Pictures tonight!

My weekend in knitting

baby things
As promised--photos of my weekend knitting:

Dishcloth in Diamond Drop Lace. Unblocked. Knit in Sugar 'n Cream "Yellow" on US 7 needles. Here it is up close:

It's a pretty pattern and would likely make a beautiful scarf or baby blanket--two types of knit object I am currently avoiding like the plague.

The Dream Swatch. Coming along. There are miles to go before I sleep.... But it looks pretty, doesn't it?

Haiku. Progressing nicely. The right front and the armhole are done. I've knit about an inch or an inch-and-a-half of the back. You can see a bit of the Dream Swatch in the corner. What a drama queen!

Magic 28 sock. It's lonely and needing a mate. Hopefully I'll have time to make one before the end of the week. It's cute, isn't it? Here it is a little closer...

Here's a confession--this is my first-ever sock. When I took up knitting again, a couple of years ago, I did it with the goal of making socks somewhere in the back of my head. For some reason, I thought it would be hard and that I didn't know enough to be able to attempt the fine art of sock-knitting. Lo and behold, it wasn't that bad! There are some things I will probably change the next time around, but all in all, I like it. I hope it will serve its purpose well. And now I'm not nearly as intimidated by the Cherry Tree Hill yarn in my stash waiting to become something gorgeous.

And now, for the final round-up:

I think our models deserve a nice round of applause, don't you?

Here comes the sun

baby things
Spring has sprung--I think. Today it seems a bit more like we skipped over spring and went straight to summer, but since it isn't cold and rainy, I don't feel as though I should complain.

To celebrate, I did what any red-blooded American girl would do--I got a haircut and bought shoes.

Aren't they cute? I went in looking for sandals. But these were on sale. They were calling to me. They're green and pink and absolutely oozing spring-ness. They're also imminently more practical for work. (Have you ever dropped a good-sized book on your foot whilst wearing sandals? Take it from me--it's not fun.) And, did I mention, they were on sale? OK. I'm done rationalizing. However, the fact that I really don't have any sandals to speak of since the cat puked on my Tevas at some point in the past month and I've only just discovered it is plaguing me just a little. I've got to have another pay period coming up soon, right?

Since I haven't mastered the art of photographing myself, you don't get to see the haircut. Too bad! It's actually not any different from how I've been wearing my hair for the past four months--it's just two inches shorter, which managed to get rid of all the dead, fuzzy ends. If I was together enough to blow dry my hair before work, it would look sleek and straight. Instead, it looks acceptable, and less crappy than last week. The haircut was a bit of an adventure. I went someplace new, which was only a little terrifying. My previous hairdresser is a wonderful woman. She's been cutting my hair for about five years now. Unfortunately, we've moved, and it just seemed silly with the price of gas to drive half an hour away, particularly since, as The Beloved so eloquently stated, we moved to "the cultural center of New Hampshire."

So, I made myself an appointment at Portsmouth Spa, "Portsmouth's fun spa." It's a cute enough little place, and the woman who cut my hair was not only competent (which is always wonderful), but a good listener. Now, I'm not one who talks and pours out my life story to the poor soul charged with cutting the disaster that is my hair (that's why I have a blog, you see), but there are few things that drive me crazier than being granted a lovely hairstyle that requires more upkeep than washing it and drying it straight. Particularly when I say, "I am hair-challenged. Please do not ask me to do anything more with this than blow dry it." She also listened to my growing concerns regarding my current color--or lack thereof. And provided multiple options. So, next month I will go back and, God willing, she will use her magical skills to make my gray less obvious.

Regarding the spa itself, I will likely go back and avail myself of some of their other services. Once my hair color is determined, I'll get my brows shaped and tinted--an expenditure that The Beloved feels is equivalent to my flushing money down the toilet, but I insist makes me look "polished." The only downside? One of the hairdressers is a guy with whom I attended high school. This is one of the hazards of moving back to your hometown, I suppose. No matter where you go someone knows who you are. Anonymity no longer exists....which, ordinarily, is a good thing. But sometimes a little anonymity is a good thing when your head is covered with chemicals and foils in the never-ending fight against premature signs of age....

The weekend wouldn't be the weekend without knitting. I knit on the Dream Swatch. Outside. In the center of town. While drinking a latte. And shooting the breeze with the other locals (seriously--I saw a guy from my church, the priest from the other Episcopal church in town who filled in for us while ours was out on paternity leave at Christmastime, and a couple of other folk who have known me since I was knee-high to a grasshopper). It was pretty sweet. Then I finished a dishcloth. I also did a little work on Haiku, particularly since its future owner came to dinner on Saturday night and allowed me to measure her arms and torso. If I finish the sweater soon, it may actually fit her. And, the baby cardi/kimono finally went off to its new home--right in time for the 80 degree weather. Last, but not least, I knit my first "Magic 28" sock. It's very cute...but a little pointy. I'll need to do something different with the toes for the next pair. But, it makes me happy to think of this sock keeping some little child's foot warm. I think it was just what I needed to get me out of my slump. I'm now ready to finish off some of my languishing projects (I'm talking about you, Dream Swatch)--if only to knit more teeny-tiny socks.

Pictures to follow...I am currently sans camera, but will rectify the situation with a nice picture-heavy post later today or tomorrow.

Strange sightings....

baby things
So, can anyone tell me what that strange bright orb in the sky over Southern NH is? It frightens me. It hurts to look at it.

Seriously, it's been so long since I've seen the sun, I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Naturally, I'll spend the greater part of the day inside at work making the most of this newly sunny weather. Blah.

In knitting news: The Dream Swatch progresses. Slowly. I do have a lunch break today at work, though, and since it's sunny but still extremely wet here I'll probably spend that hour busily working away on my head scarf. KelInCal commented earlier this week on the utter insanity of knitting a scarf in Koigu. What were we thinking?! My guess is that we were thinking, "Oooh, shiny! I bet this this yarn would look fabulous!" And it does. It just happens to be a big. Long. Rectangle. The shininess wore off too fast.

The Haiku sweater progresses. I'm not sure that I like the variegated yarn as much as I originally did. I'm afraid that it obscures the block stitch segments. The Beloved says it looks fine, it's for a baby who will only be able to wear it, like, twice before she outgrows it, and that I need to lighten up. He doesn't understand anything.

In all honesty, I haven't knit much over the past couple of days. Wednesday is my late night at work, so I did a teeny bit on Haiku when I got home, but I don't think I picked up anything on Tuesday. I've been a bit under the weather, so I haven't done much but sit on the couch drinking ginger ale and watching Firefly on DVD. (Laura, Mal and Inara send their regards. When Mal isn't getting shot, that is.) I'm hoping to get some work done this weekend, and I've signed up for Norma's "Magic 28" ring. Little socks for little feet. It warms my little heart just thinking about it. And children's socks are small and quick projects, which is apparently what I need now that I have the attention span of a three-year-old hopped up on Mountain Dew.

Speaking of which, it's got to be about time for coffee.....

Finished!

baby things
Well, almost. Last night I finished putting together the baby cardi/kimono. Check it out!


I'm very happy with it, and it would have gone to its new home today but for the fact that my iron decided to act up when I was steam blocking the foolish thing. In steaming the foolish thing, it blew out some dirty water that left nasty brown spots on the front of my off-white sweater. Grrr! So, it will need to go back into the wash, which will happen as soon as I have another load to run...perhaps tomorrow. God willing, the spots will come out. If they don't the sweater didn't take that long to make and I suppose I could knit another front, but...Grrr....

In other news, I've cast on another baby sweater! Woo-hoo. This time, I'm working Haiku. The pattern isn't difficult, but I've done a fair amount of ripping due to my present inability to execute box stitch in an appropriate fashion. Sigh. Perhaps the yarn looks familiar. In an earlier incarnation, it was the Moss Stitch Baby Blanket. I'm happier with it in the sweater. I've got tons of this yarn. I believe it's Red Heart Soft Baby. I made a baby blanket out of this stuff several years ago. Then, Resident Sibling "destashed" a ridiculous amount of the stuff and added it to my collection. I knit a fair amount of baby stuff for charity and I've reached the age where every female I know seems to be procreating, so I figured it would go eventually. But I've still got, like, five or six large skeins of the stuff. So, sweater. Baby blanket. Horse blanket. I've got miles of yarn yet....and very few ideas on what to do with it.

I've also been working off and on with the Dream Swatch. I love it. I love my Koigu. It's going slowly because I like to gaze upon my yarn and stroke it and think about its utter loveliness. Why am I not working on it constantly? Because it's just the right size and complexity to work as my "traveling" project--the one that comes with me to work so I have something to do on my coffee break or if I'm stuck somewhere boring for too long. The sweater, on the other hand, involves measuring and two kinds of stitches.

Otherwise, it's been a quiet weekend. Even the cats have been quiet.


Polly made the most of it.

There Can Be Only One

baby things
Several weeks ago, The Beloved was struck with an uncontrollable desire to own the entire Highlander television series. So he ordered it from Amazon.com--only to discover he hadn't changed his address from the last time he ordered something several years ago. Since we moved into our current abode about a year ago, this did not make him happy. Particularly since the items shipped later than planned and just missed mail forwarding.

He tried again and ordered the series on E-bay. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, several items I ordered around the same time arrived without hitch. And The Beloved grew angrier and angrier. His mood was not helped when he e-mailed the seller to ask for a ship date and tracking number only to be told, "I don't answer individual e-mails in order to keep my costs down." The Beloved took the following days to craft the perfect negative review in retaliation.

You can imagine his delight and surprise when a large heavy box of DVDs arrived at the house on Tuesday. Since then, we have watched 10 episodes. If this doesn't prove my love for him, I don't know what does.

On the knitting front:

I'm about to pin the baby cardi out on the blocking board. Point of information: As Resident Sibling pointed out, it isn't actually a cardigan, but a kimono. Please forgive me if I have misled you. Anyway, back to the sweater. Since it is still in pieces, I won't bore you with a picture. I will, however, bore you with the following:

This is a dishcloth I've been working on since I finished knitting on the baby sweater. It knit quickly and has an interesting look. I think it's called "Squares on the Diagonal." It's knit corner-to-corner, like a grandmother's favorite. I love corner-to-corner dishcloths. I think this might knit up into a nice baby blanket. But I'm trying to finish off the blankets I've got going before beginning any new ones. Here it is close up:

And here it is posing:

It's cuddling with my new ball of Koigu. I blame KelinCal over at HypKNITized for this. And for this:

It's the beginning of a Dream Swatch. And while I'm a bit more enamored with hers than with mine, I'm thoroughly enjoying the yarn and the knitting. It brings me great joy. I might have to buy more Koigu tomorrow. In spring colors. Even though it is definitely not acting like spring today. We've been enjoying "wintry mix" here on the NH Seacoast today--which basically means we have a potpourri of crappy weather including snow, sleet and rain. Blah. The only good part about this weather? It means I can enjoy this with my knitting:

Ah. Wonderful. Now I'm off to block the baby sweater.

Progress!

blankets
On Friday we got hit with an obscene amount of snow. Well, obscene since I'm ready for it to be spring. And since the snowblower we inherited finally decided to give up the ghost. Saturday was largely taken up with shoveling out so I could get to the craft store to purchase supplies for Sunday's Church School lesson. Yes, folks--this is life in the fast lane. After hours of shoveling, The Beloved in one of his moments of brilliance, suggested Chinese Takeout. It may have been the high point of the weekend.

I didn't get to knit or spin at all on Saturday due to hours of manual labor followed by the creation of two parable boxes for Sunday School. Sunday, however....

I completed the following: Watermelon Hat 2.0;


Airy Scarf;


Dishcloth KAL (well, we're not done yet--but I got current on the day-to-day allotted rows); gauge swatch for baby sweater. Nothing has been washed or blocked yet, and I still need to weave in the ends on Airy Scarf, but woot! I'm happy to be able to cross a couple of UFOs off my list. Yippee! Now, it's on to the Blue Lagoon Blankie. You know, the project isn't bad...sometimes row after row of garter stitch can be quite therapeutic. But....because of the striping, it doesn't travel well. Too many balls of yarn. And all those ends....maybe I should train one of the cats to weave them in....But I can work on that in between the now nearly finished dishcloth, a project that is yet-to-be-determined for my mother's birthday (unless I decide she gets the Airy Scarf), and the baby sweater for which I dutifully completed a gauge swatch.

On the kitty-cat front, Polly went to the groomer today. They gave her a modified lion cut. It's a little more dignified than the last lion cut she received--they shaved her entire tail instead of leaving a big, poofy ball at the end. However, long-haired cats with short haircuts look ridiculous no matter how you style them. The important thing is that she is clean and matt-free and that someone else cut all of her claws. The groomer commented on what a great cat she is--and Polly is a great cat--but this always comes as a surprise to me because when I try to brush, bathe or trim this cat, she tries to kill me. Seriously--I've got the scars to prove it. Apparently, for the groomer, she is all purrs and smiles and stands still while they do their thing. Sheesh.

Now that she's home, she's a bit grouchy. But how can you not love that sweet little face? No matter how grouchy she gets, she's still my baby.

Still no pictures...

afghans
...and it's really starting to tick me off! I tried to use the phone last night but it decided to be difficult. The pictures are not being saved to the flash chip (which makes me wonder where they are being saved to?), and I can't upload them through Virgin's wondersite. And Virgin's help page is not terribly helpful.

I suppose I could e-mail them with my tale of woe, but right now whingeing is a bit more enjoyable. Poor me.

In searching the house last night I discovered that my sister has an ancient camera--the quality will probably be comparable to pictures taken with the phone. All I need is a scandisk and 4 double-A batteries. But, right now, that also seems like more work than I care to deal with. Maybe my mother will let me borrow her camera once a week until I can convince the Beloved that this really is an important thing for us to possess.... Hmm....

So, right now, you'll just have to settle for me telling you about my knitting projects. I know. Not nearly as fun. But, well, life is full of disappointments.

Last night I posted a list of projects currently "On Needles." Looking at that list, you might think that I like to knit blankets. Well, sometimes I do. They make good meeting knitting. All you need to do is pick a straightforward pattern and you're good to go while pretending to listen to your colleagues drone on endlessly about something that is probably important, but could better be expressed in a nice, succinct memo. Unfortunately, they eventually become a little too cumbersome to drag around. Which is the case of the Moss Stitch Baby Blanket. It's maybe a bit more than halfway done, and I still have to make some decisions concerning edging or binding because, well, the blanket looks boring. The yarn is pretty and looks really nice with the moss stitch, but, well, it's a big square of moss stitch. So, it sits in a bag where I poke at it every now and again. In theory, meeting knitting should also make good TV knitting (which, in fact, it does), but I have a very tiny brain and get distracted easily.

Blanket number two (the Blue Lagoon Blanket) was picked out by the Beloved. His mother gave me a gift certificate to AC Moore for Christmas, and so, among other things, I allowed the Beloved to choose yarn and a (free) pattern so that I could make a blanket intended for future progeny. He liked this particular one, I figured it would be easy, and the colors were pretty, so on we went. And the colors are pretty. But it's a blanket done entirely in garter stitch. So I get bored quickly. And, if that wasn't enough, the pretty color changes happen frequently. Like every four to six rows. Which means the knitting is boring and I have 5,000 ends to weave in. I've decided to weave the ends in as I go along--which means every time I finish a set of the color-change pattern, I stop and weave in the bloody ends. In theory, this is a wonderful idea. But I'm now at a point (about halfway through the blanket, I'd guess) where I need to weave in ends and I just don't want to do it! It hurts! So this also sits in a bag, next to the Moss Stitch Blanket, where it whimpers morosely. After all, it hasn't done anything to deserve such treatment from me.

This brings us to blanket number three. The First Cable Afghan. Now, I've done cables before. I don't need to do the First Cable Afghan to bring me up to speed. But. This summer I promised my friend, RA, that I would make him an afghan. And I allowed him to choose the yarn. He chose this in Dark Rose and Forest Shades. Now, because I was crazy-busy with school this fall, I didn't even start on this afghan until after Christmas. But, due to my experiences with Moss Stitch Baby Blanket and Blue Lagoon Blanket, I thought I would pick something a little more...piquant. But it had to work with this soft, nubby yarn. First Cable Afghan is designed for use with Lion Brand Homespun, which is very similar in weight and texture to the yarn RA chose. Unfortunately, I hate how it's coming out. Like, I really, really hate it. Even more unfortunate--I can't decide if it really does look horrible, or if I'm just being difficult. I'll try to get a shot of it this weekend so that you can tell me what you think. I'm thinking I need to frog the foolish thing and try again--I can't decide, though, if I should try it on larger needles (I do tend to knit a little tight), or if I should just give up the ghost and find another pattern.

The last blanket was cast on this weekend. The Beloved was very unhappy that RA was getting a blankie, but HE, the love of my life, was not. As Monday was a holiday and I wasn't doing anything anyway, I cast on for a modified feather-and-fan throw. The pattern comes from Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen. The pattern is simple enough that it can travel with me for now while it's small, but complicated enough that I really need to pay attention on the rows that aren't straight knit or purl. It should keep me occupied at least until it's too big to come to work with me any more.

The problem with all of the blankets I'm knitting right now is that, aside from failing to hold my attention till the end of the project, they are all made with cheap yarn. Now, for baby blankets, acrylic really isn't that bad because it's hardy and you can put it in the washer and dryer. The same holds true for afghans. For people who say things like, if you're going to put that much time and effort into something, you want to use a material that will last and be heirloom quality, I have this to say: Beloved and I have an afghan knit by my mother maybe thirty years ago. We have a picture somewhere of me, age three or four, wrapped up in this same afghan. It's cheapy acrylic yarn. And it's not pilling or showing any sign of giving up the ghost.

However. I really like yarn made of natural fiber. I also like expensive yarn. The Beloved neither likes nor understands my desire and need to possess fancy, expensive yarn. (This is why his blankie is being made of the finest Red Heart Acrylic. Shade: Claret.) This brings us to the Airy Scarf. I'm knitting this in the recommended Rowan Kidsilk Haze. It's actually the second one I've done, making it an almost economic project as the Kidsilk Haze is around $13 a ball and I can get two scarves out of it. I'm nearly finished with it (are you noticing a pattern here? I'm not.), but put it aside last week to knit a couple of small things for my sister's birthday (she got a handknit bag, a handknit washcloth, and a bar of all-natural soap from The Mustard Seed). However, we're going to see my Mother-In-Law to celebrate her birthday this weekend, so the plan is to finish Airy Scarf and block her on Friday night, or Saturday at the latest, so that she's good to go on Sunday.

Wow. I'm tired just thinking about all the unfinished knitting I have. So much to do. So, why do I have to leave this all to go to work again? Maybe we'll have a meeting today....

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