knitting glee

I finally, after deliberating for at least two months, bought this pattern


it's ridiculously easy to download from them. I *heart* PayPal.

the deliberation was mostly over the yarn I wanted to use.
I searched for a picture to show here but couldn't find one - the yarn is an Elann 100% mercerized cotton.

I bought it to make a sweater over a year ago that was really difficult to make. I even had the knitwitch help me with it.
She gave me the nicest compliment when it was finished, she said that the seaming was impeccable. *sigh* :-)
But the sweater never fit well. It wasn't long enough. The sleeves were way to tight at the wrist and up to the elbow. And as beautiful as the design is - I ripped the whole thing out.

It took four hours to unseam, rip, and rewind. Then I thought that maybe I could get the kinks out of the yarn if I soaked and dried the yarn in hanks.

It didn't really work. But doesn't matter anyway, because it's knitting up just fine.

The strangest thing with the yarn substitution is the size/gauge. I first cast on for the XS or S - I can't remember. It's top down and I could tell right away that the neck ribbing was too small. So I ripped and started again in a size L. It seems to be better - but no real way to tell because they don't provide length or width schematics with the pattern.

I also started my moebius cashmere cowl. Five times. Five times I cast on for that thing. I had trouble getting the correct cast on. Then I realized my cable was too long.
The third time I actually had a great deal of knitting done on it and I looked at it and heard my inner knitter say, "This doesn't look right." It looked like two separate pieces were being knit - one side with the yarn over pattern, the other half with stockinette or reverse stockinette, depending on how you looked at it.

I really am not enjoying this project and have said so outloud now several times.

It is so perplexing and impossible to explain to others why it is so perplexing and what it is I'm actually doing (or think I'm doing, or even what I think I should be doing). I think it's all better now, but fear I won't really know until I cast off and take a good look at it. It's very hard to make sense of it while it's curled up on itself on the cable - wrong side? right side? the answer to those questions is "yes."

the man with one green sock

poor davey, wiped out from a hard day of golfing
and a long week of insomnia
we actually had a guest over and this is when we knew the evening would soon be coming to an end
he said he was cold
so I said, "that would be because you're not wearing any socks and you're lying on the floor."
so he said, "give me my green sock."

custom socks

I have gotten a lot of knitting done on Sock 1 of Dave's Second Pair of Socks.

He tried it on (b/c it looked so big after I turned the heel) and suggested that b/c his foot is so flat after the arch that I start decreasing so that the sock fits more tightly.

The bottom of the sock is stockinette and the top is the ribbing - so I am decreasing every 4th row - sort of playing it by ear.

I was worried about it last night and looked in my SKS book but didn't find any instructions on doing such a thing.

Have you ever decreased stitches in this way? Did it turn out OK?

fashion

I love reading stuff like this
did you see this coat:

now check out the coat I just bought for my trip to Europe:

As for colors, you'll see black and brown, with pops of purple, cobalt blue, dark yellow and blue, and lots and lots of gray. "Gray - I don't know when that became a color, but it did and it's a very important one," said Candy Pratts Price, executive fashion editor at Style.com.

This is a closeup of the scarf that I'm bringing to Europe.

The article also says, "This fall, look out for architectural shapes, tailored suiting..." and "polished and chic clothes."

Now check this out:


And last but not least, Little Miss Thousand Names Sweater that was mailed this week:

free math

I have finished the eyelet blouse - I haven't decided if I like it or not yet...

I'm not really working on anything that I'm in love with right now

the baby sweater is finished and needs to be mailed - hopefully I can do that today
the cashmere scarf is unfinished
I'm not really feeling the crazy mohair project - size 13 needles are so cumbersome and slow me down
I've picked up the green socks for dave again - they looked they like cold be future wrist warmers

check out this free wrist warmer calculator

I have a project that I want to design that involves cables
I may take my borders GC and 20% discount coupon and see what they've got

I really want to get this book

the only time I'll drive and knit

what a gorgeous day - 85 degrees - sunny with a delicious breeze

I spent a few hours on the golf course today

I made my husband very happy by joining him

I chauffeured him and put a lot of mileage on my cashmere scarf