Mom and I went into the center of town yesterday morning for coffee as we usually do on a Saturday. The unusual thing? Look how empty this street is! There are some cars parked on the right, clustered in front of the diner, but … no traffic. Literally dozens of available parking spaces. All at 10:00 on a Saturday morning. I’ve literally never seen Broadway so empty.
It was so unheard of, I had to stop to take pictures.

I finished my current knitting project–this square shawl/blanket knit in my handspun. (It’s folded into quarters for blocking, so that it fits on my blocking board.)

I had THIS much yarn left when I was done!

Next up? I’m thinking an Aran sweater in my JMF yarn. I wound off 2 balls of it earlier and just need to make a swatch.

Unpinned, it’s almost impossible to get a good photo of my shawl/blanket that doesn’t look like a shapeless blob, so the best I can do is to show it in action.

I’ve spent the weekend reorganizing my closet and my knitting stash–including repurposing some sweaters. I felted three storebought ones that I now just need to figure out what to do with–but at least the fulling part is done. Now I just need to figure out what to DO with them. SUGGESTIONS?? Bags? Slippers? Oven mitts? My only mistake was that one was a wool/angora blend, and while it fulled wonderfully, it generated tons of lint (thank God for zippered pillowcases) and the finished fabric is kind of … hairy.

Anyway.

I took my old Autumn Dreams which NEVER fit right and felted it. The arms, voila, will now be wrist-warmers, and I’m going to turn the body into a purse. I just need to figure out how to attach those handles.

These handknits have never been satisfactory, either.

The Manos Sweater, which I designed (more or less) shortly after restarting knitting in 2004, ended up with Romulan shoulders. The Romulan version of Tasha Yar (whose name I forget) would have loved it. The yarn is gorgeous, though, in that golden brown color (called “Topaz” here) I love so much.

(I also love how, even unraveled, you can still see exactly how the stitches were laid out.)

The other was my Olympics Sweater from the 2006 Knitting Olympics.

Oh, and the green one? I’m thinking it would make a nice pillow. It’s always been problematic. I never found a zipper I liked for it, and the weight of the hood makes it pull backwards when you’re wearing it. It’s just … weird. But the cables are gorgeous and I love the apple green Cashmerino yarn. It’s just that … the thought of unraveling all the seams to repurpose that sweater seems very, very wearying. Sewing it into a pillow shape seems much easier.
So, I unraveled them. With this assistant who helped hold the sweater upright:

I must say, it was helpful that I was the one who knitted these sweaters in the first place. Even though it’s been YEARS, I still remembered the direction of the knitting, how they were assembled, when the sleeves were added. All that stuff. They both just took forever because of the colorwork. Frogging colorwork is much harder than frogging all one color.

Today, I washed all the yarn.

I also pulled out ALL my yarn from the closet and sorted through it, reacquainting myself with all the beautiful stuff in my stash. I also weeded out a pile of yarn I don’t really need anymore.

I’ve come to accept that my stash is made up of three things. Sweater-sized lots of yarn. Yarn for socks. Yarn for lace. Anything else–medium-sized quantities for, say, matching hat and mittens or single skeins that aren’t sufficient for a full pair of socks–tends to never, ever get used.

I really need to accept that I like larger projects and stop BUYING yarn for small or medium-sized stuff. With the exception of socks, because I like handknit socks AND they’re perfect for carrying in my purse. By rights, I should get rid of bunches more yarn that falls outside my usual knitting projects but … it’s so pretty!

I hope 2011 is going wonderfully for all of you!

Tags: Finished Knitting by --Deb
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I blocked my shawl, folded in half on my blocking board, just like last time. I’m so glad I thought of this! It saves space and even doubled-up, it doesn’t take much more time than a single layer. But since it fits on the board without going over the edges, I can then stand up the blocking board–handy since I don’t have the floor space for it.

It came out just lovely, though. As always, I am awed by the magic of blocking lace.

Here’s a photo of my finished merino/silk yarn, skeined, washed, and dried. Pretty stuff.

Chappy was very excited on Thanksgiving, because his breed showed up on the national dog show for the very first time. Welcome, Boykin Spaniels! The dog in the show seemed pretty nervous and didn’t do as professional job as one might hope, but he was adorable (as Boykins are) and got a nice round of applause. Chappy was very chuffed.

Healthwise, he’s doing fine. We should be able to drop the prednisone dosage again this week, so fingers crossed that his numbers continue to do well!

And–yay for me. I told you that I’d been saving for a new spinning wheel but that his vet bills had pretty much eaten that fund? Well, in a practically unprecedented move, my office decided to give Christmas bonuses this year. (Seriously, in the almost-20 years I’ve worked there, I’ve gotten two or three bonuses at most.) So I decided there was no excuse NOT to take the plunge, and ordered it on Wednesday. It should be here in a couple days. I can’t wait.

I hope everyone had a great weekend–extra long, here in the US. We had the family here on Thursday. Chappy got three helpings of turkey. (My goal for the day was to get him FULL, something he claims isn’t possible.) I finished my sweater and just need to sew on buttons. I organized my crafting closet a little better. We went to the movies for the first time (for me) in months–and saw Tangled, which was GREAT fun. I loved it.

And I’ll end with this–a photo of the sunste we had the other night. It was so pretty!

Tags: Family, Finished Knitting, Finished Spinning by --Deb
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It’s not like that’s a long time, or anything, right? The fact that it took me FIVE YEARS to finish spinning this fiber? Remember, I got three pounds of the stuff at my first Rhinebeck, five years ago. It took me five months to fill the first bobbin, and it wasn’t until August 2006 that I finished the first pound of it.

It’s really such pretty fiber. Half merino, half silk, in a gorgeous dark gray that looks like purple in direct light. It’s really lovely.

I finished spinning the last pound last night. November 17th … just over five years after I started. Granted, I took a couple long, deliberate breaks in there, but still!

I finished my “Faraway, So Close” shawl, too, though I haven’t blocked it yet.

This should give you a better idea of its current size. Wasn’t it nice of Chappy to model it for me?

Chappy, incidentally, is doing well. We got the results from his most recent blood test back, and his platelet count was right around 400. He’s losing weight, still, though because of the prednisone. It eats away muscle, you know, so he doesn’t have quite his usual stamina, and with his usual amount of food, he’s losing weight. (Thankfully he’s stopped drinking such excessive amounts of water.) He dropped another half-pound since our last vet visit, though, bringing him down to 33.5, which is light for him, so … I’ve been giving him extra treats. He is really upset about that, as you can imagine.

He’s still extra-hungry, though. And whenever any of us has a snack these days, he sits very, very close in case we drop anything. My mild-mannered little boy has quite a piercing stare, I have to say!

Anyway, the shawl’s color is really hard to photograph, but it came out beautifully.

I laughed when I saw this snippet in Time the other day–in the 50-best-inventions article they had, recapping 2010. Um … since when is FELTING to fill in a hole a hot, new invention?

My next spinning project? A small one, as a breather. 4 oz of Finnish Humbug from International Fleeces.

It looks like caramel.

Speaking of International Fleeces, did you see the new, custom Cooper spinning wheels they’re offering for sale??

Oh, and that sweater I’m making? (Yawn.) It’s coming along. I’ve got about a sleeve and a quarter left to go but am so bored. I thought a primarily garter-stitch sweater would be easy and quick but it turns out that my brain interprets that as “boring” so it’s anything BUT quick because I keep losing interest. No fault of the pattern or the actual sweater. I’m sure it will be lovely when it’s finally done, it’s just … I can’t stop yawning!

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting, Finished Spinning, General by --Deb
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The body of my bag is done. Isn’t it pretty?

Okay, I know, you can’t really tell yet, but trust me. I’m very happy with the way this is coming along. I finished the knitting tonight, and then ran a row of crochet along the bottom, where the sides meet the bottom panel, to give it just a little more firmness, to keep it from stretching out quite so much. I like the more distinct line there at the edge.

These are the rings I’ll be putting at the top, to thread the handles through.

I’ve been planning all along that I would pull off (somehow) the clips. These are drapery rings, and designed to string onto your curtain rod and then to hang the drapes with the clips. All I wanted were the actual rings, with the plan to attach them to the bag with knitted strips, somehow.

But, now I’m having a “Duh” moment and thinking … why not just USE the clips and attach them to the bag that way?

Though… I’m not crazy about that “industrial” look. And I worry that the clip could, eventually, bite through the yarn and make a hole.

It’s a tempting idea, though. Maybe if I put something sturdy, like ribbon, along the inside edge? At the very least, this will be handy for determining the final placement of the rings for the handle.

But … no. Those clips are SHARP, for gripping curtains and drapes firmly. They’d eat right through my yarn and eventually cause holes, don’t you think?

So … I pried them apart and sewed them on.

As to lining … I had a bunch of choices.

These were my four favorites. I was torn … right up until I tried folding them inside the bag and pretending to open it, at which point there was no question.

I really love this fabric, too. Sunshiny and bright, and perfect for the lining. I made one, big section for the center, but made two outer pockets as well. (Well, outside the zippered, center section, but inside the knitting.) I like the security of a zipper because I like to know my stuff won’t fall out if I drop my purse, but it is handy for cell phones and car keys if they’re kept separate. I’ve toyed with the idea of sewing my original swatch on the outside, too, for a little extra touch.

My only problem was that … ignoring the fact that I’ve seen countless purses and bags over the years, all with zippers whose ends extend past the edge of the bag … usually tucked in behind the lining … so that they open ALL the way, and the lining can be attached to the bag all the way around…

I stupidly ordered a 10″ zipper … just the right length for the side of the bag, but … hard for actually attaching the lining. I considered ripping it out and replacing it with a spare, longer, brown zipper from some sweater or other years ago, but kind of patched in a work-around instead. It’s not perfect, but it looks okay and works, so I’m not complaining.

The handle, as planned, feeds through the rings. I like the way it came out, too. I wanted it made of the same yarn, but I didn’t want to do i-cord because (other than being endless to knit this much of it), it’s not sturdy enough for a handle. Not unless you felt it or run a length of rope or cord or something down the inside to keep it from stretching. I originally planned on making a rope out of the yarn by twisting, plying, cabling lengths of the yarn together, but it ended up not being quite firm enough for the wear and tear. So, I took my three lengths of 2-ply (made from 4 strands of yarn in each ply–24 lengths in all), and braided them tightly. Love the way they came out.

All in all? Very happy!

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
9 Comments »

It would be a better picture, of course, if I had cleaned the mirror first, but beggars can’t be choosy.

This one’s not much better. The mirror is cleaner, but my camera focused on the actual mirror, not the reflection. So, you know, take your pick.

This little guy has been quiet today. I took him to the vet for his annual check-up yesterday and, $192 later, it turns out that he has an ear infection.

Not a bad one, mind you. In fact, the vet told me we’d caught it really early. The part that astounded her was that this is the FIRST ear infection my 9-year old spaniel has ever had. When I said so, her jaw dropped. “A spaniel?” So obviously we’ve been doing something right, huh?

Of course, now I get to be Chappy’s FAVORITE person because two times a day for the next two weeks, I get to put drops in his ear. You know, those cold, oozy things that tickle and itch all the way down the ear canal? Yeah, those. Chappy just loves those.

Now, here’s something you never thought you’d see here. I won a contest over at FiberFarm.com and the prize was six skeins (Six!) in one of three colors of yarn. I asked Susan which she thought would be best for me and she suggested “Catcher in the Rye,” which came yesterday. Except, um, I think this is really well named because it looks to me like the shade of orange deer hunters wear to make sure they’re not accidentally shot. (Trust me, it’s even brighter in person than it appears in the photo.) I like orange–you know that–but this is bright orange, and well, I don’t like it. Much as I adored using her yarn for my Salem Hooded Jacket (as seen above), and think her yarn and colors are generally awesome, and grateful as I am to have won a sweater’s worth of yarn … I’m sending it back with regrets. If I had any dyeing skills at all, I might have kept it and tried over-dyeing to tone the orange down to something a little rustier, but since I don’t, I figure it’s better for the farm to get the yarn back to sell than for it to sit in my stash unused and unappreciated. (Well, not unappreciated, because like I said, I’m super grateful, but under-appreciated as regards to color.) It’s great yarn and it deserves better. So … back it goes, with my thanks, because that seems the right thing to do.

I know. You’re really grateful that you were sitting down while you read this, aren’t you? That news would have made me fall over in shock, too.

One more thing–remember when I mentioned this adorable book a couple months ago? IT’S A BOOK by Lane Smith? Oh my God, it’s like the best picture book EVER.

Here’s a reminder:

The perfect children’s books for all us book lovers … because, as much as I love and appreciated computers and e-readers and smart phones and all that? A real, paper book is still something unique.

Now, wish me luck. Tomorrow I go to the ondontist for a root canal that my regular dentist doesn’t feel equipped to deal with, for a tooth that’s apparently infected and more urgent than the one that fractured a couple weeks ago and still has a little, temporary seal on it until it can be addressed. Which, likely, means it’s going to be pulled, along with my one and only wisdom tooth, just as soon as this OTHER trouble-making tooth is taken care of. Yikes. My mouth and my checkbook are neither of them looking forward to this. I’ve never had a tooth pulled before.

(Yes, I only have the one wisdom tooth, the other 3 just aren’t there, and we wonder if my having been 7 weeks premature might have had something to do with that. Anyway, it’s hung in there for decades, now, but it’s at a point where it needs more work than it’s worth and it’s better off just being pulled, and since it’s right next to the fractured tooth that would really need an implant to fix properly anyway … might as well do them both at the same time. Ouch. Not looking forward to that, either. And, did I mention that my checkbook is terrified? But, really, let’s not talk about it, huh? Tomorrow, though, is a root canal on a completely different tooth on the other side of my mouth. Sigh. Have I mentioned how much I hate my teeth?)

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting by --Deb
6 Comments »

Hurray! At least I accomplished something today.

This is the Salem Hooded Jacket from New England Knits (a book I whole-heartedly recommend. It’s wonderful.)

Anyway, remember how I had said that one of the skeins was a different color than the other three? (As in, looking like it was from another batch, not that it was, you know, DIFFERENT.) And then when Susan had her summer sale and this color was one of the ones available for $10 a skein, so I bought a fifth skein? SO glad I did.

The 5th skein actually matched the other three much better than the 4th one I already had, so I moved it up in the rotation, and used it for the hood. In fact, I had about ONE yard left when I finished the hood. That means that, if I hadn’t ordered a new skein, the pockets would have needed to be a different yarn–and I could have lived with that.

But. if you look at that picture… the flaps at the top of the pockets look just a little … greener … than the rest of the sweater.

Since that color difference is ONLY for the two pocket flaps (and the inside of the pockets), I don’t care. It’s almost like a design element. But I’m so glad I don’t have a horizontal line going across the yoke or between the sleeves and the rest of the sweater from a skein that didn’t QUITE match.

But, it’s done, isn’t that wonderful?

Though, I’m still not sure about the snaps that hold it shut. I still think it needs buttons…

(I do love the argyle-grosgrain ribbon, though! It’s perfect.)

Otherwise, I’ve been sickeningly lazy all day. I baked a cake and watered my plants, but that’s about it. There was definitely napping involved.

Which, of course, was something that CHAPPY whole-heartedly agreed with.

Yesterday? I got my hair cut for the first time since January. I bought myself a new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars in my favorite shade of green, (I had a DSW coupon), and generally had a nice morning out with Mom.

I’ve been watching “Homefront” on YouTube lately. Does anyone else remember this post-WWII tv series from 1991? With Kyle Chandler? (Yes, I’ve always loved Kyle Chandler, starting with his stint as Jeff on this show–that and Ginger’s hair-styles and clothes alone would have made me love it.) WHY is this show not available on DVD yet? And what’s a girl to do when YouTube starts getting stubborn and simply won’t play the episodes? (Sigh)

Tomorrow, Chappy’s got a check-up at the vet, and Wednesday, I have to go to an Ondontist to start some of this expensive, extensive dental work I need. (Much bigger sigh.) Hence the haircut and the new shoes BEFORE those bills start rolling in to depress me.

Hope your weekend was wonderful! Now, I need to go swatch for my next project…

Tags: Finished Knitting by --Deb
4 Comments »

First things first–happy birthday, Grandpa!

He’s been gone since 1967 and we never had a chance to know each other. I was 10 months old when he died of Alzheimer’s which, I figure, puts us at about the same mental level for most of the ten months our time here on earth overlapped. It doesn’t allow for many memories, though.

I have exactly one thing of his. (You know, other than his little boy, my father.) Although I suppose that technically my Grandmother’s secretary desk used to be their secretary desk, but well, we’re talking personal items here. And this is it. A monogrammed handkerchief.

I don’t quite remember how I ended up with this. It was in my father’s dresser for years and then, one day, it was in mine, but I don’t remember how or why. I don’t know for sure who embroidered it, either. It could have come from the store this way, or it could have been my grandmother. I don’t really know. I just know that Dad told me it belonged to his father, and that makes me appreciate it all the more. On the rare occasion I need a handkerchief, this is the one I reach for.

My Dad gets good-grandfather points, too. I was busy in the kitchen today getting ready for Chappy’s birthday party tomorrow … and it was a little too hot for me, anyway … so Dad took Chappy for a walk. Don’t they look happy? You know, it’s really unusual for me to see Chappy from a distance.

I’m blocking my shawl and enjoying the usual blocking magic. It wouldn’t fit on the blocking board itself, though, because the corners stretched past the edge (making pinning difficult).

So, I folded it in half. Not only does that mean it fits on the blocking board, but … only half the amount of pinning!

And, right now? I’ve got the blocking board standing up against the bookcases in the hall. I’m just hoping that Chappy doesn’t try to rub his head on it (as he is wont to do) and poke his eyes on the pins. But I told him not to, so…

It sure looks pretty, though, huh? The shawl, you’ll remember, is the Shetland Shawl from “Folk Wraps”, knitted in my handspun Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm cormo. (Yes, I know, Susan’s farm is Juniper Moon now, but this was from my first share of MVFF, so … Martha’s Vineyard.)

Oh, and Buttons and Lucky are having fun. They picked out our movie for tonight, too.

Tags: Family, Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
1 Comment »

I finished my shawl last night. It’s not blocked yet, of course, but it’s done. All in my own handspun cormo.
Sigh. Bliss.

Now, just think how much prettier it will look once it’s blocked!

You know, once I figure out WHERE to block it.

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Well, my sweater is done–all but the buttons.

The sad part is that it’s a little too small (sigh).

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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As requested (and with Mom’s help), the modelled shots:

(Yes, even with my gray roots  and that pesky waistline showing. Interesting, though. I so seldom get to see what my hair looks like from the back!)

Before I go on, first things first. There’s a tiny little lamb–whose real name is Rushworth but is mostly known as Mr. Tiny because is IS–who needs some prayers and good will sent his way. After a rally his first day, he’s weak today, and his shepherds are worrying about him.

Then, what do you think of Knitting Scholar’s new logo?

How about these incredible photos from the “Beetle Cam“? (Not pictures of insects, but of wild animals. Very cool.)

Very cool picture of wild Icelandic horses running away from the volcano. (Good thing they didn’t need to fly.)

Just what every bake sale (or, heck, freezer) needs … individual blueberry cobblers baked in jars. Yum!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
12 Comments »

Yep. The sweater is done. Done, done, done! Which means it’s time to pick out buttons. I pulled out all the good possibilities from my button stash.

Narrowed it down to my favorites, and then asked Mom for her opinion. Luckily, she agreed with me on the one that was best.

I’ve had these in mind for this sweater for weeks. First, the brass color of them was perfect for the warm, golden-brown yarn. I loved the concentric circles on the buttons, which went so well with the circles in the cables, and they fit perfectly into the Os on the X-and-O cabled button-bands.

I sewed them on tonight AND ran a length of ribbon down the inside to give a little extra support. If I’d been smart, I would have used those little plastic rounds on the inside, but I didn’t give it a thought … and didn’t have any anyway. This ribbon, though? I bought it online a month or two ago and it’s the perfect color–a deep copper that goes perfectly with the yarn (and even matched the thread I used to sew on the buttons)–but that is ALSO exactly the same width as the cable.

In other news for today, Mom and I went out to look for a frame for the counted cross-stitch picture SHE just finished. I hope you’re impressed, too, because Michael’s is right next door to a Borders book store and not only did we park in front of the bookstore, but when we left the craft store, we got directly into the car and drove away. I know. Shocking behavior for me, right?

We headed over to Macy’s instead, which was having one of it’s rare (cough) “One Day Sales” and I bought some socks and a couple t-shirts. I was ridiculously happy to find any t-shirts at all that were plain, a decent weight, and not absurdly expensive. When did it become so impossible to find good t-shirts? It seems like most of the ones I see–even assuming I can find any at all that aren’t ruched or covered with print, beads, sequins or heaven knows what else–are (1) too long, (2) too thin/cheap, (3) too tight, or all of the above. So finding a few decent crew necks that were a relatively good fit despite my waistline issues? Very nice.

And, before you say anything about my BUYING socks, yes, I adore my handknit socks, but I can’t knit the really thin little anklet socks that are light enough to wear in summertime under sneakers.

Chappy rested while we were gone, but we took him for a walk when we got home. Doesn’t he look adorable snuggled into MY yellow afghan? The one he keeps trying to tell me should be his?

I baked some Apple-Oatmeal Bread this afternoon, too, though I baked it in a Bundt pan instead of a loaf pan because I tend to have trouble with quick breads in loaf pans, so it looks more like a cake, but no worries there. Tonight, Mom and I watched 1967′s “Barefoot in the Park” with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford and just laughed and laughed and laughed. It’s been years since I’ve seen it and I enjoyed it just as much as the other times I’d seen it. The laughs began when they comment on their honeymoon at New York’s Plaza hotel costing (gasp) $30 a night! And then, there are all those stairs…

Now, my new sweater and I are going to go relax for a while…

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
8 Comments »

I finally figured out where to put my blocking board. If I clear off the table in my little room/office, I can balance it on the top. It’s not a terrible fit, either–it’s larger than the table, but only by about about 5″ on each side, so while a little inconvenient, it at least works.

Of course, I don’t know what I’m going to do the first time I have a lace shawl to block–those never fit entirely on the blocking board, so that’s going to be interesting…

Of course, this means I was finally able to block my ribbed-cabled cardigan that I finished last month. The poor thing has been waiting for weeks and weeks to get its final wash.

My orange sweater is blocking, too–laid on a towel on the cedar chest. I had recently torn out the button bands that had stopped halfway up, because I was never happy with that. So I just reknit them, finishing them last night. So, that’s drying now, too.

After I had laid everything out and sat down to rest, I glanced over … the blocking board was just as eye level. (You folks know I sit on the floor when I’m using my computer, right?), and I loved the ripple the ribbed edge made.

Now, I just need to pick out the buttons.

On the plus side, it’s not going to take long for these to dry. Not only did I spin most of the water out in the washing machine, so they’re damp/wet, not sopping, but … it’s warm up here! We joke that this townhouse is a Goldilocks house… the downstairs is too cold, the upstairs is too warm, and the middle is juuuust riiiiight. And on days like today, when it’s really cold outside (like, 20 degrees) so that the heat is on a lot? The upstairs is extra warm. In fact, I’m sitting here right now in jeans and a tank top, having shrugged off my sweater. When I get up to go down to the kitchen for lunch, I’ll grab it, but for now? Too warm for a sweater.

Yes, I know, it’s weird. And we’re all a little worried about what’s going to happen this summer, if the heat rises this dramatically–especially with that huge window of ours.

In fact, we’re trying to figure out what to do about that window. It’s beautiful, but it’s HUGE, and it lets in way too much sun in the afternoon. (As in, it’s blinding in the kitchen.) Not only that, since that’s a large amount of glass, it’s letting too much cold air in now and is going to make things extra hot in the summer.

We’re desperately trying to think of something we can do to cover this window enough to (1) cut down the glare, (2) add some thermal protection, (3) still let in some light because we like the whole natural-light thing, and (4) won’t be too expensive.

This is harder than it might seem. First, the three of us all have different ideas on what will or won’t work, or how it shoul be done. And, second … even if we agree on a drape or blind or something, installation is going to be HARD. This window is about level with the second floor, so it’s HIGH. Even if we owned a ladder–which we don’t–there’s no way it would be tall enough to reach ABOVE the window to hang, say, a drapery rod. And that’s assuming you could find the floor space to put the ladder, because we have almost none, and our huge behemoth of an unmovable tv is in the corner right in front of the window. We can’t move it even an inch. Even if we find some affordable kind of cover that we can all agree on? Installation is going to cost a fortune …

I don’t suppose any of you have any ideas, huh?

And now? Do you realize that I don’t have any knitting projects? I’m still trying to find a pattern for all that lovely Black Water Abbey yarn I unravelled, but … haven’t found one. Which means that the only thing I’ve got to knit right now is the sock in my purse (yawn).

Tags: Finished Knitting, General by --Deb
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I was starting to think the button band was going to take forever.

I started the sweater back in December, and the button band-slash-collar took me about a week. Insane, right?

Now I just need to pick a button. These are just a few of the ones in my button collection. Some, you’ve seen before. And yes, I actually do have a favorite from these.

Oh, and my Chuck contest? I’m working on picking the winner, and was all set to go, but my printer won’t print out the list of entrants. I don’t really want to write them all out just to be able to pick the winner. I could just assign a number to each one and use a random number generator, but where’s the fun in that? Though, honestly, that’s probably what I’m going to do. Just not right this minute.

Right now? Back to work on my book. I’ve got all my plot holes plugged. I drew an Excel sheet with a row for each character, a column for each day and plotted out everything I had happening, and made sure that, character-for-character, I wasn’t missing anything (too) obvious. Because I knew I was missing some things, and was afraid of dropping others … or of things happening too soon/too late … it was easier at this point just to plot the whole thing out. (“Oh, okay, I need a scene that explains why the reporter knows what Adam wrote in his school essay.” “What if his classmates gave him a gift that proved that he had friends and really was happy in that school? Then, how do I make sure the lawyers know about it?” Stuff like that.)

Then I went back and moved some chapters around and added a few so that the holes weren’t so ankle-twisting for the readers.

So, I’m kind of calling it Second Draft now, and it clocks in at 93,696 words.

Next step–reading through the whole thing again, this time watching for continuity errors, grammar-and-spelling type things, and filling in some of the details for some of the newer chapters that are, at the moment, mostly dialogue. I love writing dialogue, but sometimes forget to have my characters DOING things while they’re talking!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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There she is in all her glory–isn’t she pretty?

And, yes, I went with the leather buttons. I agree that the brass ones looked great, too, but when I laid they om the sweater and stepped back … it felt like they took away from it. And the plastic ones were just too … plastic. (Not to mention that, since I bought them stapled to a piece of cardboard, every single one had a piece of wire threaded through it which I would have had to somehow remove before sewing onto the sweater. That was just too much work.)

I wore it to work today and am happy to report that the sleeves behaved themselves. Long sleeves–especially sweater sleeves–usually knock all my piles of paper over when I’m sorting stuff.

The view from the front isn’t really as good, since it shows way too much of my waistline.

You’ll be glad to know that Chappy approves of the sweater, though!

Now–the weekend is starting a day early for me because tomorrow is the infamous Stollen Day. I’ve got the dough rising on the counter as we speak and Mom and Dad are heading to the movies tomorrow afternoon, where it’s safe.

Come to think of it, I should really be resting.

Do you realize, though? As of this minute, the only knitting project I have is the sock in my purse, that I’ve been working on for months.

Yikes!

I was thinking about the Redhook pattern by Jarod Flood … especially if the yarn I bought at Rhinebeck works, gauge-wise. (It’s also handy that Kim lent me her copy of Made in Brooklyn, which has some really great patterns in it.)

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Let’s pause a moment to admire this lovely sweater, shall we?

Here’s the really poor modelled shot–because, well, you can only do so much while holding a camera to your face.

It’s a quick hello and goodbye, because this sweater is (hopefully) on its way to a new home tomorrow. I told you I offered it to our realtor, if she found us a good home, right? Well, if things go the way they should, tomorrow, we should have one. We’ll be handing over a check (well, four, actually) to our new landlord tomorrow afternoon.

About the only glitch likely to happen at this point? I didn’t know until lunchtime today that I would have to give a certified and/or cashier’s check tomorrow. So, I called Fidelity and arranged for a wire transfer, which I was assured would go through today, so that I could go to my local Sovereign branch tomorrow and get my cashier’s check … except … apparently he was wrong. The transfer won’t go through until tomorrow. It’s supposed to be first thing in the morning, and it’s supposed to be instantaneous, but … if the money isn’t in there by, say, lunchtime when I go to get the Cashier’s checks, there’s going to be a problem!

Well, at least the sweater is done. You’ll note I opted for my second-choice buttons. Not because the others weren’t perfect (they were), but because I love them. I had sewn them onto a cardigan I made about 15 years ago and cut them off before I got rid of it. Since this sweater is going to a new home (appropriate, you’ll agree), I decided to keep those other buttons in the family and use these instead.

What else is news?

Forty-six years ago today, my Mom and Dad got married. Thank you, Mom and Dad! I’ve had so much fun with you these past 42 years 11 months, I only regret that I wasn’t here to enjoy the first four years with you, too. (Although, in retrospect, judging from some of the new-parenting stories I’ve heard about you and Patty … like taking her carriage out for a walk without her … coming second (well, technically third) was still probably the wise choice.)

Tags: Family, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Typical. I make him something nice and try to take a picture, and instead, he turns his head and sticks his tongue out…

And acts completely bored by the whole thing.

But at least the blanket cooperated.

I washed this after work and tossed it in the dryer on the “delicate” cycle. One of the reasons I picked this yarn in the first place was because it was a wool/acrylic blend that I’d be able to toss in the dryer. It dried surprisingly quickly, too!

Still … I think he likes it!

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting by --Deb
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Looking quite autumnal, with the green lace draped over an orange blanket… my Maplewing.

I’m not going to write much tonight because my eyes are stingingly tired, but I wanted to show you my unpinned shawl. (Or, the little bit of it I was able to photograph, anyway.)

(And, anyway, I’ve got a plot idea bubbling away for my has-been-stuck-for-years novel and would rather use whatever computer time my eyes will allow tonight working on that. You understand.)

I do have one great link for you–check out this fantastic photo, of a squirrel saying “Cheese!” while two people laugh in the background. Love that!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General by --Deb
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I found just enough floorspace in the guest room to block my shawl. (Chappy wanted to help, I want you to know, but I didn’t want him stepping on the pins.)

This is not my best blocking job. I pulled out my wires but was having such a hard time seeing the pattern of the lace, I couldn’t quite figure out where to put them. (Yes, I know. Pathetic.)

This will have to do, though. I only pinned the shawl out at the end of each scallop at the bottom, and that only because it insisted on curling. I didn’t get them pinned as well as they deserved, either, but … green shawl on green carpet. I truly could not see the pattern well enough to figure out where the pins should go. So I guessed!

Oh, and in response to comment yesterday about how a shawl can’t be too big. I refer you to this post about my Peacock shawl. The one I’ve since given away because it was just too big for me to wear without tripping on it!

Now. Do you realize? This means my shawl is finished! Which means I can go on to my next project. (Not forgetting the blanket for Chappy, of course.)

First option? The Gray Cardigan from Mother-Daughter Knits. The pattern that made me buy the book. I know, of course, that I will have gauge issues (don’t I always have gauge issues), but I still love the pattern.

But, then, there’s sweater #4 from the new Vogue Knitting. It’s been a while since I fell in love with a VK pattern, but … look at this! (And, three cheers for this 3-D turn-the-model-around video clip that they do with their patterns these days. I missed all the fabulous details of this sweater when I saw it in the magazine. But, oh, isn’t it pretty?

The drawback? I’d have to buy yarn to make it, since I don’t have enough DK wool in my stash … which is ironic because DK is my favorite weight yarn for sweaters. Though, I DO have Silky Wool, which I love working with, but that’s a very tricky yarn for me. Every sweater I’ve made with that yarn has come out radically too big, no matter how much gauge-swatching-math I do.

Of course, this could be my excuse to try Peace Fleece, which I’ve wanted to try forever. (They need more color options for their DK weight, though.) That comes out to $41.25 for the sweater, which is a pretty good deal, don’t you think?

Be at ease, though, I cast on for the Gray Cardigan last night.First, because I still love it, Second because I went to all the trouble of doing the gauge-math to try to match my funky gauge, and, Third because the first skein of yarn has been sitting on my dresser for over a month and it looked sad and pathetic. And who wants that?

I’m just so intrigued by this cabled sweater–the construction, the horizontal cables at the waist and the cuffs … interesting! The body is knit in one piece, too. Love the complex/intriguing aspects. Wonder if maybe moving the waistband cable up a bit (since I am waistline-challenged) wouldn’t be a good idea. Definitely want to give this a try…

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Chappy wanted to help show you my Maplewing shawl. I know, it’s still hard to see its true gorgeousness because it still looks more or less like a lacy blob, but … it’s done, except for the blocking.

Which is going to be more challenging than usual, since I usually the guest room for blocking and right now, we kind of don’t really have one. Or at least, it’s overtaken with stuff and doesn’t really have the floor space needed to pin this out.

I’m going to have to pin this very carefully, though, because it’s already huge. You KNOW about my crazy, loose gauge issues that, if anything, are getting worse. Well, thank heaven I knit the small size because it’s about 3 feet long in the back already. A strenuous blocking would make it really, really, really big for me!

Let’s have a hand for my able assistant!

Now, a few links for you:

Have you seen this very nifty video? A human chorus doing “Rain.” As in, they sound exactly like a rainstorm (and the thunder really deserves the cheers it gets from the audience).

Who else remembers the 80s? Check out this very funny, tongue-in-cheek music video. (The music style isn’t exactly my favorite, but it’s worth it for the funniness.)

Did you see my review of Ann Budd’s new book, Knitted Gifts? I loved this one!

Did you know there’s a new Beatles-inspired clothing line? I would have particularly adored this in high school, but still find them snazzy now.

How’s this for a cool USB computer gadget? I sure could use one next to my laptop!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General by --Deb
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Yep, my Fountain Pen Shawl is done. Isn’t it pretty?

This is Susan‘s pattern from the IK Spring 2009 issue.

I made it with the MVFF Cormo that came from my Spring 2008 share, that Jessica dyed for me in MVFF colors, and that I spun myself.

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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