Where Is Spring?

Hi again. I feel the need to introduce myself. Hi. I'm Jen and I knit. Sometimes. Lately, not so much. And because I'm not too big on complaining publicly, and lately I've had not much nice to say, I've resorted to...well, not saying much. Which is probably not the right thing to do because I think about blogging quite a bit.

Just do it, right?

Genuine tagged me on her blog and even said I'm "very inventive" so I guess I need to follow through with that or lose her respect forever. This is a six-word memoir and it can include an illustration. Mine will not.

Reads, knits, writes; usually plays nicely.

Boring? Well, tough. In truth I would have liked to write something like "Writer saves humanity with poignant prose." But I have neither the ego nor the crystal ball to say that. So I'll stick to the here and now.

T&A
In other news, our daughter sailed through her tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy last week, but not through her recovery. It has been a tough, long slog. Two days after the surgery, she came down with croup and a nasty cold. Which meant she didn't want to eat. At all. Not even ice cream, popsicles or pudding could entice her. So it has been rough, but we're managing. She's almost 3, so she's got that 2/3 thing going on, too.

I was able to finish another diaper cover (before the surgery)! This is another soaker for Sam. It's from 100purewool's 3ply; the color is Brown Lilac and I just love it.

I also finished the second sock in a pair (after the surgery). This pair is made with Duet from A Swell Yarn Shop. I had traded for it on Ravelry a little while ago. I have to say while I adore the colors (cream, tan, pinks) I'm not in love with the yarn base. I found it splitty and squeaky. I think I've decided I'll mostly stick with wool/nylon blends for socks after this one. Superwash 100% wool just rubs me the wrong way. It feels too much like acrylic to me.

Even though they are heavy wool socks, there's something about them that says "spring" isn't there? (Despite the fact that we're supposed to get two more inches of snow tomorrow. On top of our 100+ inches for the season--we passed by our previous record of 76 inches awhile ago. Oh the humanity!)

That's a Wrap

I don't have FO photos of the Reader's Wrap, but it has been finished for more than a week. I'll take some photos of it on my mom. Unfortunately, we won't be getting together until New Year's Day, but it's with good reason. My youngest sister just had a little boy and my parents are spending a few weeks there helping out with her oldest, who is 2.5.

So free I felt after that wrap was done! I cast on a sock, and finished it:

I guess I really can't call it a "Finished Object," however, until I finish the other sock. It's made from Duet Sock Yarn (A
Swell Yarn Shop) and the colorway is "Chantilly Lace". Acquired in a swap on Ravelry. I had no idea it would stripe! I do like it. I had been planning these as a Christmas gift to myself, but in my usual manner, I became distracted.

I started an Imogen jacket with the Araucania Nature Wool Chunky from my abandoned Egg Jacket, but in my rush I cast on the wrong size. It's quite an interesting pattern, knit from side to side, but that means instead of looking at the chest measurement for the size you want to make, you need to look at the length first. You can basically make it any width you want (just as if you were knitting "regularly" you could make another sweater any length you want). So I blindly cast on for a 'large' as the chest measurement looked right for me. However, that would make it 31" long, which is longer than I'd like. I'm actually going to cast on for the 'small' size, which sounds incredibly ridiculous, given that I'm 5'10", but it's 25" long and I think that will be perfect for me.

In other yarny news, my good friend Mandy (whom I'm insanely jealous of because she lives in NC where it's mild right now) sent this beautiful skein of handspun merino! Drool! I need to find an appropriate pattern for this...possibly a hat, as suggested.

Thanks Mandy. I love it.

And we've embarked on another home improvement project. Our downstairs half bathroom is the only place in the house that still harbors wallpaper. And hoo. Get ready for this ugliness...(shield your eyes--you've been warned)

To top it off, the countertop is wall-to-wall, fake plastic marble swirl and the cabinet is yellow.

So we're stripping the wallpaper, taking off the countertop, determining if there's tile underneath the cabinet (probably not) possibly tiling under and putting in a pedestal sink or maybe leaving the cabinet, painting it and getting a new countertop with sink. We'll see how it shakes out. We've got a week.

Oh, and we're planning a family vacation to Jamaica.

Goodbye 2007! We will think of you fondly, but are excited about the prospects of 2008.

Happy Little Things

I'll be the first to admit that it's ridiculous how much I love this little bag. I bought it from Etsy seller stuckinillinois. Since I'm stuck just north of her and the bag was all of $10 including shipping, and it was SO cute (isn't it, though?), I bought it. It arrived in one day.

What can I say? It's the happy little things that I try to focus on right now. Like the fact that M was not screaming and yelling after coming out of anesthesia after her surgery for ear tubes. The nurses had warned me that some children yell for a long time. M acted much as if she'd just woken from a nap. Groggy, sleepy, thirsty. The whole thing went off without a hitch, if you don't count that I was weepy watching them put her under the anesthesia. I don't.

Another happy thing is that I'm really liking these socks. Will have to crank out another pair for my mom, whose birthday I forgot. I am a terrible daughter. Well, I sent a card, sent a gift but then on the day of her birthday, I forgot to call. I suck. Thing is, I never forget birthdays.

Hopefully I can get these done quickly to get another pair started for my mom. Who will probably wonder why I knit her winter socks in the summertime. Sigh.

Happy Little Things. See what I mean?

Girls Party

Probably to some, I've made surprisingly little progress on these socks, but I am pleased. I did have to rip back once because of a mistake, but this is only my second time knitting two socks at the same time, toe-up, on two circular needles. I'm bound to be slow.

I am really enjoying it! I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, but I am. I really like this method. It especially suits three of my qualities:
1) Being a major starter of projects and not so much for finishing
2) Having very large feet
3) Being basically cheap

So knitting two at the same time from the toe-up means that there is no chance to develop SSS (second-sock syndrome, or the tendency to end up with single socks) and also I can just knit up the cuff until I run out of yarn. Very economical...no waste.

Yesterday the boys left for NJ to visit with relatives for the weekend. There's a bachelor's party my husband needs to attend (it's for his brother) and N is spending quality time with his grandparents there whom he doesn't see often. That leaves the GIRLS at home! Girls Party! Girls Weekend! We went out to dinner, just the two of us, last night and today we went shopping today...lol...I never go shopping but I need a dress for aforementioned summer wedding and M is a good helper. "Does that one fit, mom?"

An added bonus is the increased knitting time. I forgot what it was like to have only one child, one who naps for 3+ hours every day!

Neither Purple Nor Pastel

This ought to do it.

Pastel or Purple?

I joined Sockapalooza for the first time for several reasons. Not the least of which was a push to finish these. I decided awhile ago I wanted to learn how to knit two at at the same time, toe-up on circulars. I bought "Queen Kahuna's" book. I think she's inventive, but to tell the truth, it's hard to get through a book where red is used very liberally and italics are apparently a designer's best friend. I haven't worked on these in six months. But I love the yarn (Koigu) and would love to finish them. I have the distinct feeling that if I could just get this technique down, I wouldn't have to look at the book ever again. Hah.
Some examination happens when you look through your stash, searching for the exactly right sock yarn to knit your pal's socks with. It turns out I have a lot of purple. And a lot of pastel. And you know where this is going. Pal is fine with just about anything, really, except for purples and pastels. How hilarious is that? Really, I think it's funny! Like any fiber freak, I love buying yarn so I had no trouble plunking down the Paypal to order up something more to her liking. But I still thought it was really funny. I leave you with...a parting shot of some of the purple sock stash (Interlacements Toasty Toes).