What I STARTED over spring break

Yesterday I showed you what I finished over spring break.  Today I want to show you what I started.

A pair of Hermione's Everday Socks in Gnome Acre's Hermione colorway.  The second sock is past the heel turn so will be finished this week.

A new sock yarn blanket that I do not have a picture of.  I'm using the mini skeins I've started collecting and have assigned stitch patterns to the cards in a deck (A-K).  Each new mini skein gets a new stitch.  It will be done in long rows that I attach.  When I get enough to show you what's happening with that one I'll show you.

2 bathmats for David's bathroom--still no pictures of this because it's an experiment.  I'm using 2 strands of dish cloth yarn held doubled and knitting until I get approximately the right size. I'm going to see how these stand up to use, but I'm predicting some knitting rugs around my house in the near future.  The daughters have also requested mats for their new apartment.

A sweater for the skinny me.  This one is in Louisa Harding Albero yarn which is a wonderful combination of viscose and cotton.  It's extremely drapey and soft.  Not my typical color but for $3 a skein I shouldn't complain.  The pattern is Lazio from Berroco.  It's about to hit being in "rotation" with my sock after I finish the bath mat for David (tomorrow maybe?)  I'm anxious to be able to wear a new sweater I'm made in size MEDIUM!  I'm planning to do lots of sweaters for the skinny me

And that's it!  Yea for starting projects, for hopeful times, for wonderful yarn, for a restful break...now I just need to rekindle that restful feeling of being at home and relaxed so that I can make it through the workday...

I did bring up some socks to work on during lunch so hopefully that'll help.  They're neon and will be mis-matchy but oh-so cute.  Can't wait to show you my ideas...hopefully they'll work!

The tipping point

...there's a pun in that title...let's see if you can figure it out.

I reached a tipping point in my knitting last night.  A critical spot at which I have to stop and say "either you finish up some projects or rip them out...or steal needles from them...because you can't buy more needles"...

Yep, I started ANOTHER new project last night. It's Blish which is a free pattern from Berroco.  I saw it and I loved it and knew that it was THE thing I needed to make for my new body.  I've been wanting a poncho and I think that this one is super cute.  Tailored and comfy looking. And won't pay much attention to whether I lose another 30 or so pounds...

I'm using some Malabrigo Rios yarn which is so gorgeous and soft.  I had originally started to knit a sweater out of the yarn but ripped it out when I started losing weight.

I also figured out that I'd been using the wrong set of needles for the hat that I'm making.  I found this out because the tips that I needed for the poncho were not in the hat like they should have been...they were in the bag.  I'm going to have to take the live stitches and put them on waste yarn and try on what's completed of the hat so far to determine if I'm going to have to rip that back or not...

(Trouble, I tell you...I have trouble...and I can't tell if the mistake I made is because I'm tired at night and not paying close attention or if I made the mistake because I can't see well and thought the size 4 needles was actually a size 5...Now, I HAVE glasses, but I hate wearing them.  Oh, the woes.)

Today I want to share a pic of Harold in his new home.  Yep, that's the shelf labeled "food" in David's office.  He looks pretty happy to be among books about food.  I think he'll probably spend a lot of time reading those books when David isn't around.

The Great Wool Experiment #4

Please forgive me for not posting a picture of my Great Wool Experiment #4.  I love this yarn, love this project, but it's a gift and the extremely small chance that the mother-to-be might chance upon this blog entry makes me pause at posting a picture of the loveliness that flew off of my needles in the past few weeks.

Instead I'll show you the two blocks I've completed for the Noro blanket in the past week.  This is block 6 and 7:  Forest Hike and Night Falling.

Now, to talk about the wool experiment #4.  The project is a baby set knitted up in a springy, cushy hand-dyed yarn from Dream in Color.  The yarn is named "smooshy" for a reason.  It's indeed smooshy and soft and gorgeously round.  A wonder to knit with.  I loved every minute I worked on this project and couldn't wait to see the next little bit get finished.

I chose a beautiful pinky-orange color called "Flamingo Pie" for the October little one.  There is a sweater with bright purple buttons and a cap and booties with knitted ties.  Everything is so tiny and cute, and the pair of booties, with their ties, took only about 8 grams of yarn.  If ever I'm in doubt about what to make from scrap sock yarn, I now know!

Of course, I need some more baby feet around to make them for.

I very much enjoyed working on project #4 in this exercise in getting to know wool.  I did feel a little like a pro working with superwash sock yarn, though, as I absolutely love working with sock yarn and have made numerous pairs of socks and other items from the yarn.  I think sock yarn is a perfect match for baby items, though.  The thinner yarn allows for smaller clothing items that aren't too bulky for the tiny one, and since they won't see the exact kind of wear, especially for the tiny tiny ones, that socks typically see, then you can knit it at a slightly looser gauge and not lose integrity of the fabric.  In fact, the "smooshier" yarn is perfect for this looser gauge because it blooms and fills in the fabric and makes for a luxurious item.

Now, onto the next:  a pair of cabled mittens in a woolen spun yarn.

Thoughts on Boredom

I abhor being bored.  Absolutely hate it.  I hate it with all the passion I can muster.  Being bored in one aspect of my life feeds over into so many more...I get cranky, have a hard time settling down to the things that I normally like to do.  I think I'm probably very hard to live with.

And I am beyond being bored at work.  There is NOTHING to do.  All the students are diligently working on their own, behaving and otherwise engaged.  We're pretty much waiting until finals to get all the data we need to write all the reports we have to write.

And to be honest, it's about to drive me mad!  I have played games until I'm tired of playing games.  I would pull out my knitting but that won't do either.  People will look askance at me if I do something so out of line with acceptable work behavior.  I can't start anything or plan anything because that's not supported...so I sit and while away the hours in the day and hope that my mood isn't to terribly sour by the time I get home.

Ah, I really do hate boredom.

So, to share some good news.  The construction crew is finally winding down work on the house.  We should be back in (easily) the first week of May as planned.  We'd hoped for earlier, but that just isn't going to work.  David and I are going tonight to pick out a new light fixture for our foyer and to get a vent hood for the stove.  I'm definitely ready to get back to the house.  The apartment living adventure has been good, and I know it's something we could do with smaller furniture and better planning, but I dreadfully miss our high end appliances and the garage.

And the diet is still going very well.  We go weigh-in today, and I expect to get close to 20 pounds.  I'm wearing pants 2 sizes smaller than my previous ones and tops one size smaller.  Very exciting on both counts!  David must go shopping this week because his pants are not looking right on him...and he's happy about that.

Today's picture is of one of the sweaters (I still have on the needles!) that will be my "skinny sweater."  I love the colors and am very much looking forward to finishing it!  The yarn is simply divine!

I may put some extra effort into it this weekend.

I Better Start Knitting Faster!

I had my second weigh-in yesterday!  I lost 6 pounds this week for a total of 10 overall!  woohoo! yea me!  Very very awesome.

And in that light, I'd better start knitting faster or these gorgeous sweaters I'm making are going to be too big!  And that just won't do, let me tell you.

Fortunately things have been quiet at work this week and tomorrow I have a day off.  I'm going to get my mammogram (boo!), do some shopping (yea!), and have 2 days of PJ days.  SO looking forward to PJ days.

The picture for today is the 2nd of the 3 sweaters I'm knitting for the skinny me.  It's an arrow head lace pattern, sleeveless top with a ribbed waist.  I enjoy the lace pattern as it's pretty, easy to work, and looks fabulous in this yarn. My only regret is that the yarn is discontinued.  It's so pretty and fun to work and feels like heaven.

There's A New Me Coming and I'm Knitting for Her

I mentioned a couple of posts back that David and I started a doctor supervised weight loss program.  So far things are going smashingly.  We both feel great, have motivation to keep going and are seeing significant results already.

And it feels really good.  Yesterday, David created an excel spreadsheet so that we can put our weekly weights in.  On that spreadsheet, he put on milestones that we need to know we passed--like the weight I was at my last successful diet attempt (2006), and the weight I was when I went to the hospital to have babies, and the weight I was when I started college.  Those weights that mean something in the big picture.

And in talking about all of this, and feeling the weight starting to drop off, we realized that we're going to need clothes to get us through the phases.  While we don't need lots of them, we do need them because both of our jobs require us to be in front of people conducting meetings, etc., on a fairly regular basis.  Plus, we're putting so much time and effort into making this happen that we want to be sure to look as good as possible throughout the duration--and it'll be a while, we both have a lot of weight to lose.

Then I got in a new knitting magazine and saw three really cute sweaters that I like and then I looked in the back at the patterns and noticed that they only go up to L or XL and my initial reaction was "too bad" and then I remembered that someday soon I'm going to be a L or XL and that I could wear these sweaters that I want to make, so I rummaged through my stash and found  enough yarn in the right weights for 2 of the sweaters...the 3rd sweater is a total splurge, but that's ok. I bought that yarn (and it's complete luxury) and I have cast on 3 sweaters in the past week and have been knitting industrially on them all...it's kind of like planning for a baby's arrival, only right now I'm planning on the arrival of a skinnier, healthier, more amazing me.

Sweater one's progress is pictured below.  It's a "twist front top" and I have no idea how I'm going to make the long strip of fabric I make twist around into a shirt that can be worn, but I'm going to trust it and go for it.  It's a blue cotton yarn called Solaris by S. Charles that will feel divine next to the skin.  I can't wait to see it finished (and to figure out how to actually put it together...if it works, I can see this being a pattern for using woven fabric as well!)

The Sweater

I reached the arm-pits last night, and was very excited.  I love this sweater.  I love it all the more that I'm making it, and it's pretty, and I can't believe I'll be able to wear it someday soon...maybe week after next?  Wouldn't it be lovely to wear to Thanksgiving, but then I fear spilling food on it and that would be tragedy.

Here's its picture.  I don't have much more to say about it than that...it's just wonderful all by itself, isn't it?

Inspiration

This little hat, photo below, is the inspiration for the sweater I'm currently over half-way finished knitting.

And let me tell you why.  It's the yarn.  It's Malabrigo Rios and so soft you can't believe it's 100% wool. As I was knitting along on this hat and enjoying it so much, I had the inspiration that THIS was the yarn for the beautiful sweater pattern I had picked out...and boy, was I right! This yarn loves knitting needles and behaves itself like no other yarn I've ever experienced.  It's soft and squishy and yet the stitches are very well-defined and hold their own.

Not to mention how incredibly beautiful the colors are.  Each skein is hand dyed, so while one "bag" (10 skeins) are technically one dye-lot, the color varies from skein to skein just enough that you notice if you knit all in one skein then switch to another.

It's also difficult to get enough yardage to knit a sweater (being so well-loved by knitters that it sells out as soon as stores get it in stock), so I consider myself lucky indeed to have found a color that will complement my own coloring.

In order to compensate for this, I am knitting my sweater in "stripes." Unfortunately you won't see the sweater today because the pics I took were all blurry.  Before I started knitting, I noticed that laying the skeins side-by-side you could tell the difference between them--one being considerably lighter than the rest.  There are patches of a tannish color in one skein that aren't present in the others.  I considered different ways to address this issue because I didn't want the experience I had when I knitted my dad's sock and the foot is definitely 3 shades darker than the leg and heel...and that was with two skeins that looks fairly identical.

I had the option to take two skeins at a time and alternate rows.  That made sense, but then as I looked at it I knew that even if I did that there might still be a noticeable break between sections--while not as grand, still it would be there.  Therefore, I decided that I would work with two skein at a time, knit two rounds in one color and then two rounds in the other, switching one skein out each day and replacing it with a skein picked at random.  This is working out very well and the color changes just look like they are part of the overall color changes in the sweater.

Have I mentioned how much I cannot wait to finish this sweater?

(And I didn't even talk about Alyssa's hat which is really wonderful.  I had to go back a bit in the knitting because it was smaller than she wanted, but I'm finished with that revision now.  I need to wash and block it and then add the ribbon and button, which will make this hat very special indeed...but that's still to come.)