Icarus - begun/abandoned for now

Today's knitting (before I was reminded of the SockWars' existence) was starting Icarus out of Alchemy's Haiku in the color Silver. It's a beautiful almost solid shiny grey and the striping pattern is lovely. I'm definitely going to go back and finish this one after the SockWars is finished.



Interestingly each repeat of the pattern took me one two-hour class. On the next row I'll add another set of columns, so I'm mostly done with the pattern repeat.

I can't believe that this pace will continue as the shawl gets wider, but it's fun for now. I suppose I could calculate out how many more hours I have to go before I get to start the border, but I'd really rather not. It seems overwhelming enough without going into such detail especially since it's bound to be a gross underestimate.

However, if I get bored in class and want to push some numbers around, I may just decide to do it anyways.

Forgetful Bethieee...

I apparently had forgotten about signing up for the SockWars.
It started today. I'm already behind having no yarn picked and therefore no socks started.

So, I will be knitting socks for Socktoberfest.
I'll be starting them a bit early and we'll see how long I survive, but there will be socks... so long as I don't wind up dead before this Sunday, I suppose it could happen. Some people knit astoundingly fast..

In other news, I've been looking through my stash to find yarn. And I've found a couple more half pairs of socks in various stages of completion. This whole fessing up to how many socks I have on the needles is beginning to seem like not such a red hot idea any more...
But I'm going to do it anyways.

Tivoli - setbacks

I've gotten to the waist on my Tivoli. So, good little knitter that I am, I tried it on. And that's where the fun began.

I have a larger than average hipspring and broad shoulders. In other words, if I want to show off my waist, what I consider one of my better features, I often need to take in my shirts, or buy knit ones that are actually too small across the shoulders. This is much easier to get away with in a tank top, so really most of the year I give up.
I put on the tivoli, looked in the mirror and what did I see? 3 extra inches of fabric around my waist.



The chest and shoulders fit me fabulously. I'm not sure the neckline is the best shape for me, but it is what I was expecting and aiming for, so I am pleased.



Between the fingers of my right hand the fabric of the top is tripled... I need to rip back to the chest so I can start the decreases higher up and add 5 decrease rows in addition to the ones called for in the pattern. This is going to be my first time modifying a pattern this extensively and I'm petrified, but what's the worst that can happen. I'll already have ripped it out once, what's pulling it out again, right?


I thought sweaters were supposed to get bigger when you worked on them...
Maybe I'll just pull this one out completely and work on it again later...

Socktoberfest 2006

I signed up for socktoberfest.

And, asI said in the comments section of the sign-up form: "While I don't promise to finish any socks, I will post about them. I hvae quite a few pairs that need to be documented in their blessed unfinishedness and have their fate decided. Do I start the second sock, or do I pull the first one back to yarn..."

It should be fun. While I'm at it I will quite likely document some of my stash of sock yarn, if for no other reason than so that I know what I have, and besides, it's pretty.

Knitting in class

I've been knitting, I swear...
Mostly during classes, keeps me awake, keeps me quiet, keeps me knitting, everybody wins.

Finished: one skein scarf out of Karabella's Breeze
Finished: another Fetching Baby Hat (so I can hopefully work out what I did for the decreases the first time)
Finished: my dishcloth shuffle dishcloth (it's been received, so I can post about it now)
Finished: oops, I guess that was it... pout...

In progress: blue linen hand towel from Mason Dixon Knitting
In progress: Poinsettia (still knitting on the last sleeve, then on to blocking and finishing)
In progress: a rather anal retentive lace sampler scarf using Silky Wool, I'll post details about it later
In progress: Fetching wristies... perhaps this one should be labeled "languishing in the hallway, complaining of neglect"...

Not yet started: a comissioned kitty hat for a classmate (I think it was probably crochetted)
Not yet started: Nautie for a baby I've not yet met (I've been looking for an excuse to knit this since I first saw the pattern!)
Not yet started: Licorice Twist from Blue Alvarez designs
Not yet started: Petals Collection socks.

Mostly abandoned, but I might finish them at some point:
Yellow baby sweater, Green baby blanket, Baby suprise jacket, various and sundry pairs of socks.

I really should rip these out:
That first jaywalker I knit forever ago but didn't like how it fit.

Secret Pal Box

So I've been stuck without network at home for far too long (it's been just about 8 days since my last post and seems like forever).
Orientation week at school has come and gone, and it seems like in the press not to overwhelm us they left out some important tidbits (like the fact that we have lockers upstairs hidden just off one of the main hallways...).
The first week of school has come and gone. It seems to have gone reasonably well. My showing on the first couple quizzes seems reasonable. Not a reason to slack off in any way, but not the smashing of hopes I was irrationally expecting.
My first day at work has come and gone. I'm working at a yarn shop in town, Never Enough Yarn. Cute shop. They're new this year, weren't here when I came out for the interview before Christmas, but I like the proprietor and her husband and the other lady that works for them and they let me touch the yarn... what more could I ask?
The best news of the school year I just got yesterday. There's a local festival here for which we get a day off school. The local thing is always the same weekend as Maryland Sheep and Wool, so I may not make it to the local festival because I'm going to be up the road with all the other fiber geeks!

And on to the actual topic of this post.
Out of a combination of not being able to get my computer to talk to my camera and generally being an overwhelmed flake I didn't get a thank you post up for the box my secret pal sent me awhile after I moved into the new place.
There were numerous skeins of yarn (one of which I tried to make into a Ruffle Cravat.. that attempt failed because I misread the ball band, pattern calls for 3 sts/in, this yarn gets 2... I got a very short wide neckwarmer, so I pulled it back out). The book One Skein which I'd been eyeing, but had decided I really couldn't rationalize buying for myself. I'm so thrilled to have a copy of the book. I love it. There's a couple more patterns I'd like to make for myself or others and at the moment I'm on a bit of a Ruffle Cravat kick having finished 2 of them for various people I think will appreciate them.
More details on the balls of yarn will have to wait as I'm sitting in a computer lab at school
and I don't remember them all, but they were yummy. A handful of pretty fuzzy yarns and a book that calls for one skein per project, I don't think there is a better combination. Until you add in the tea. She sent me some wonderful black tea to help fill my tea cupboard to overflowing. I have more tea in my kitchen than I have chocolate and I have more chocolate than I have cereal... I'm amused at this display of my priorities and it's even been cool enough the last couple days for me to make a jug of tea in the morning to bring to school with me.

So, Thank you wonderful secret pal, I can't wait to find out who you are!