Obsession du Jour

Not quite a summer knit.

So here it is, Halloween, and we got about half an inch of snow Saturday in the first snowfall of the season.  I can't decide why I'm not as giddy about that as I usually am, loving winter as much as I do, but in a desperate attempt to hang on to the last vestiges of summer/fall, I present:

The Diary of a "F"'ed up Summer knit, starring one VERY large cotton tank:

This week's guest star: Betty the Body. 

That's Josie prowling around back there.  The body suit freaks her out pretty good.  This was just after she spent several minutes crouched in the corner growling at it, but before she attacked it. Leon, on the other hand, is entirely unphased by Betty.  If you don't have arms to hold him, a lap for him to sit on, or hands to feed/pet him, you pretty much don't exist in his world.

Getting back to the main story, though, Betty is my body-double and does all the stand-in's for unpleasant fitting tasks, protecting me from stray pins and boredom.  Here's what she looks like in the cotton tank:

This just barely gives you the idea of it's size by showing how it just hangs there on her like a big grocery sack.  From the side, she looks about 8 months pregnant because of the way this thing 'tents' out in front.  Here, see for  yourself:

And then there's this one:

Even with me holding the side out like this, it's difficult to illustrate just exactly how large this freaking thing is.  I kid you not, there's about 4 INCHES of extra fabric in places.  The only good way to show this, I think, is to show you the basted version:

The red yarn is just about where I think the seams SHOULD be. For scale, know that at the armpit, that yarn is 1 3/4 inches in from the edge of the knitting.  One would think that my addiction to swatching would have protected me from this outcome, but alas, as so many before me have pointed out, swatches lie.  They do, the cheating bastards.  There were so very many ways in which I did not follow Claudia's Top Ten , starting right off the bat with #10.  I would have done well to heed #7 too, because I knew something seemed 'off', but since the majority of this tank was knitted either in a car or on a plane over a long road trip, well (hence the failure to follow #10), I just ignored it.  The knitting gods, you see, they have no mercy if one flagrantly flaunts the rules.

My plan this evening is to grab myself a bottle of wine and some leftover candy (the best part about Halloween), and then introduce this little twerp of a tank top to...you guessed it...the sewing machine.  I've never done this sort of thing before, this taking a machine to my knits,  and it's freaking me out a little.  But there's no way I'm ever going to rip and re-knit this cotton, especially after the pain the cotton caused me, so a sewing machine and some scissors it is.

Does anyone have any technique advice they want to share?   

We interrupt our program..

...for a little navel gazing.  I'll get back to the Willow Books thing tomorrow.  Again with the old news, eh? That being late thing I have?  It's all-encompasing and extends even to here.

Today Mamacate shared with us some concerns over her ever-expanding stash, and that got me to thinking (yet again) about my own ever-expanding stash and why it is that my attic/office full of fiber provide so much joy.  Just going up into this room has the power to cheer me on even the absolute WORST of days, not matter how stressed out or tired or cranky I am.  And y'all don't laugh, but it's a PHYSICAL thing, too.  It's this little humming that starts in the gut and spreads throughout the body, built of beauty and possibility, of potential and promise, and it's good.  Really good.

Speaking as someone who has something close to 20 lbs of clean but unprocessed fleece(and that's not even counting the processed stuff, the commercial roving, or the massive amounts of yarn) and a very time-demanding job, I can say that I completely understand her dilemma.  Except for one thing.  What is this state she speaks of, this "too much roving"?  Is that possible?  I'm sure I don't get it, but I'd like to try to reach that state.  Er....assuming that it wouldn't lead to divorce.   Hi honey! Nope, no new roving here, I promise.  Saving all my money for floor tiles, like I promised.  Yes I am.

Getting back to the stash thing, though, a very wise enabler friend said something to me this weekend at Rhinebeck as I expressed some concern over my growng addiction stash. She said that our stashes are not about need, but are instead about having choices.  And she's so.very.right.  Some days the Romney lamb calls out to us, and some days it's the silk.  Some days one wants to pound out a couple of batts of roving on the drum carder, some days one just wishes to kick back and comb up a few ounces fine, soft wool, and some days we can't even bear the thought of anything any more complex than a garter stitch scarf in a simple, classic yarn.  My current favorite, for instance, would be Cascade 220, but that changes every 10 seconds or so. Yesterday it Auracania Nature's Wool, and the day before that it was the Sheldrige Farms superwash in that scarf kit  from Rhinebeck.  See why the stash is a good thing? After all, it's not like the wool is going "go bad" (do not EVEN mention moths to me, not now), right?  It's the perfect pantry item.  Right?   

You know what I don't have though?  Enough bobbins for all this ADD spinning. Must fix that....or maybe stay more focused......nah.

The One Where We Met Some People

When we left our intrepid heroines, they were trapped between rising floodwaters and dark, scary roads. Bereft....adrift.....lost...   Hmmm....I guess we've discovered why I don't have a book deal, eh?  Blah, blah, blah...so anyway, we did indeed make it to Stitchy's cousin's house, which was, incidentally, stunning.  We unloaded our gear and our Web's haul in the STILL pouring rain - not neccessarily in that order, mind you - and commenced to eat fine cheeses and drink some very nice wine with some very lovely people.  I am sad to report though, that it seems that the Yarnpants' sense of style has completely skipped Cousin Elaine and that there was not one single knitted jumpsuit anywhere in the house. It's tragic really. Then again, this IS just the weekend getaway, so maybe she saves those fashion gems for her glamorous life back in the big city.  I blame my unwillingness to go to bed and get a decent night's sleep entirely on her and Debbie - also the sore stomach from all the laughing.

We awoke the next morning to find that it was miraculously.....still.raining.  Want to know how great Melanie and Debbie are as travel companions?  Here:

You probably can't tell from this picture, but it's raining.  And they're just standing there in the rain so that I can take a picture.  Cheerfully.  Looking all cute and shit.  That's dedication to blogging road trip, people.  Standing in the cold, early morning rain for the photo op.

Ah well, who cares about rain? There are barns at Rhinebeck.  Right?  Right.  And there were.  Barns, that is.  Barns full of sheep and people and fiber and people and yarn and alpacas and llamas.  *sigh*  Did I mention the people?  Here's some:

Notice, please, the crystal clear blue sky above and the glorious dry ground below.  Note also the handknitted wool garments. Many were being carried around rather than worn, but oh yes, they were there.  2 hours before this it had been fridgid and rainy.  Mother Nature, it seems, has herself a bit of a sense of humor, eh?  Maybe even a teeny, tiny mean streak.

Shamefully, this is the ONLY picture of ANY of this amazing TGKWB all weekend.  I'm going to blame it all on Rhinebeck 'first timer's syndrome', that sense of being overwhelmed by how many amazing people are there and how much fun you can have just standing in the hot sun petting someone else's wool.  It's possible that it might also have been because my hands were full of LOOOOOT.   Do ya wanna see it?  The haul?  Of course you do. 

I'm just going to throw up super-brief discriptions with these because it's getting very, very late and my hands are FREEZING. No, I will NOT turn on the furnace in October, but I WILL go have some tea and start a pair of fingerless mitts.  Liar, you do so see the logic in that. I'll update the album on the sidebar tomorrow evening with the whole scoop for anyone who happens to be interested.  Actually, these will have to just be wee little thumbnails - we are experiencing some technical difficulties with our media card reader - head over to the photo album for the real deal. 

This year's theme was fiber and wood, but fear not, there is also yarn.  Yes, it's true, I ALSO fell prey to the evil, evil Sock demon.  As a matter of fact, between Avi's spindles - oh y'all, so damn pretty - and the Socks That Rock craze, Toni at the The Fold was definately my Achille's Heel.  I did, however, manage to hold onto my sanity at the Brooks Farm booth.  Gotta save SOMETHING for next year, right?

Fiber_cormo_ball

Fiber_cormo_n_falklands

Fiber_indigo_moon

Fiber_moorit_wool_n_mohair

Mitten_book

Patterns_braid_sock

Spindles_avi_1

Spindles_avi_2a

Spindles_avi_2b

Woodchuck_diz_set

Yarn_bijou_scarf_kit

Yarn_scarf_kit

Yarn_seduction_1

Yarn_seduction_2

Yarn_snake_scarf_kit

Yarn_sock_candy

Yarn_soft_rock

There's also a Lincoln fleece from the fleece sale in the washing machine, and there's some laceweight yak/silk from THAT booth, er...somewhere.  Wierdly, I can't find it right this second, but I assure you that you will see it again someday.  I predict that it will be soon, but then, I am becoming notoriously fickle in my projects these days.

Call me crazy

But this little guy could almost make me pull a "Green Acres". 

Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?  His name is Raisin, and he's my new boyfriend.

Yes, it's true, this little piggy went to market.  The Rhinebeck market, that is.  But first, we three girls stopped off for a little shameless shoping therapy:

Please keep in mind that this is three knitters' worth, but yes, it's PRE-Rhinebeck stash enhancement from Webs.  What?  It's on the way...of COURSE we stopped.  You would have done the same.  I have more stash to flash, of course, but I need a few moments to gather it all in one place and get a shot of it.  Soon Laurie, soon.  I promised and I meant it.

I know this SUCH old news, but yeah - we went to Rhinebeck.  Are ya tired of the Rhinebeck post yet?  Sorry.  Here's another one. So this was my second fiber festival, but it was my first Rhinebeck and also the first festival since I actually starting meeting other bloggers, both on and offline.  I'm sure that somewhere, someone else has said how amazing this experience is, but I can't stop myself from repeating it.  It's amazing and wonderful.  Like finding a long-lost best friend or eight or twenty. It's both fantastic and wierd as hell, because, well... y'all know that I haven't told anyone else in the world about the moths, right?  Not because I'm embarrased or anything, but because no one else would REALLY understand the abject panic they induce.  So when several people came up to me and offered their sincerest "man, that really sucks", it was a little freaky.  And have I mentioned fabulous?

So.Many.Fantastic.People. 

And then there's the animals.  And the fiber.  Oh my god, the fiber.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. FIRST there was the roadtrip.  You've seen the results of our lunch break at Webs-- oh, and can I take a moment say how much I love the town of Northhampton?  SO cute. Where was I? Oh right, adventures.  You may or may not remember, but it was raining for the bazillionth day in a row here last Friday (yes we all played hooky on Friday to go get our yarn-gorge on) so our leaf-peeping and apple-picking ideas were shelved in favor of yarn shopping. All right, FINE.  Yes we would have yarn shopped anyway.  So there.  I'm also pretty proud that I kept the yelling, cursing, fist-waving and rude gestures to a minimum. Even though the semi trucks insisted on continuously being in my way (never a good idea), spraying Niagra-sized plumes of water at my windshield, taking up the left lane (which I'd like to point out here is illegal, damnit), and generally being annoying.  See what a good influence the knitter-girls are?  So we're driving and we're driving and we're shopping and then we're driving some more.  There might have been some hilarity and maybe some snarking (oh come ON have you seen these?), but eventually we made it to the general vicinity of our Friday night destination somewhere in the Catskills.  Get off the highway, check.  Take road "x" for a few miles then turn, check.  Wind through small town "b", check.  On the other side of town there will be this bridge, check....er....what do those flashing lights mean?  Why are there big yellow dump trucks blocking our ability to cross the bridge?  What the HELL are these people thinking? Don't they know that we're a car full of knitters with new yarn THAT MUST BE SWATCHED?  Are they crazy?  So yeah - turns out the bridge is closed.  Upon asking at the closest store, we find that actually, the ENTIRE road on the other side is washed out.  Have I mentioned that we're in the middle of nowhere?  Or that it's dark?  And raining still?  Oh man - the rain.  I used to love rain.  I'm pretty much done with that now.  So we're asking the nice man in the store how to get where we need to be, and god love him, he spends forever giving us fantastic directions.  How do we know they were fantastic?  Because everyone in the store got in on the activity to make sure that he told us the best way.  He even drew us this keen little map:

Is that awesome or what? 

Now that I look at it, this thing makes abso-freaking-lutely no sense.  Wow.  So, did it help us?  Did we find our way to the luxuriously warm, dry country home on the hill?  Or did our little band of intrepid travellers spend a cold, uncomfortable night sleeping in my little rocket car on some dark, forgotten, possibly haunted, back-country road?

Stay tuned until tomorrow folks and see how this little drama plays out.  There may even be some more yarn pictures in it for you.

Baby did a bad, bad thing.

Because there aren't enough things in the "To Do" list....but just LOOK  how awesome this sweater is, or will be anyway, once it's shortened by about 6-7 inches.  Yep, yet another Elizabeth Lavold Viking design.  I think I may even do this in the actual suggested yarn - Silky Wool.  Shocking.

And then there's this:

Somehow, this book has "mysteriously" ended up in my collection.  Coincidence or fate?

And last but not least: Swatching.  Always with the swatching around here. I'm slowly making it through the last batch of "test" balls from Knitpicks.  This is the Shine Cotton/Modal blend in the color River.  Can I say how much I love the way this stuff feels and knits and looks?  It's got a nice sheen, has a lot more "give" than other mercerized cotton yarns I've knit, and the color options are quite pretty.   Given my past issues with cotton (yeah, yeah, cotton tank update soon, I hear you), I'm not sure I'd ever try to do a whole adult sweater in this, but I'm betting I could tough it out through some kid knits.  And you know how I need some new projects to do, right?

Some things I love

In no particular order, just because....

This sign in Arlington (and the associated store, of course) almost got us killed a few days ago.  To say that we made an "impetuous" decision to suddenly turn into the parking lot would be an understatement.  And to all of you in the Northern suburbs of Boston who knew about this but didn't share it....shame on you!  What do I pay you people for?

To those of you who don't know about Penzys, go here, and then just imagine a big candy store of all of those spices and spice mixes all with their own tester bottles so that one can sniff and play and taste to one's heart's content. It's a hedonistic heaven for spice-freaks like me.  Miraculously, I only came home with this and this. 

Here's what it looks like inside:

mmmmm....mecca.

Next up:  Prezzies. Otherwise known as birthday haul (we're going to ignore for the moment that the birthday in question was two weeks ago and I just haven't had time to do this til now).  The cats helped:

Here's some of the stuff we found in those boxes from a couple of people who know me far better than I should be comfortable with:

If these two things don't go together to build the perfect morning commute, I don't know what would.  Oh, pshaw, don't lie to me.  You know you use your headphones of choice to drive away the other humans on your morning commute, don't you?   You can admit it, we're all friends here.  And to the person who sent these?   Fuck off. I am NOT anti-social.....once I've had coffee.

Ahem.

More goodies:

Trashy music, a bag of Lindor Truffles as big as my head, flannel pajamas with a fleece top, house shoes (with an actual sole so that I can maybe survive the winter without breaking neck on my stairs), poetry, yarns of the written variety, and several gift certificates for various kinds of yarns of the knitting variety.  Oh yeah, and there were quite possibly some bottles of wine, but those are tucked safely in the cellar, or my stomach, whichever seemed appropriate at the time.  See, now THIS qualifies as the perfect starter package for a very.good.winter.  OK, so maybe I AM a little anti-social.  But then, I have oodles of wine and a bag of chocolates as big as my head, so I don't care what you think.  ;)

The ADD Knitter's Hall of Shame

Or, why I should not be allowed to go two weeks or more without having to justify my knitting progress to the internets.

This is a current pictorial of all of the items currently in the WIP basket.  I was going to spend a whole bunch of time writing out a bunch of bullshit justifying why there are so many things currently on my needles, but instead, I'll just update you.  Once you've looked through here, familiarize yourself with the "planned obsessions" and "possible obsessions" albums over there on the sidebar.  Then consider please that I'm working an average of 60+ hours a week, and have been for quite some time.  And let's not forget the renovations I'm supposed to be helping with.   You do the math.  Uh huh.  I laughed too.

 

River: Starting over with these Size 9 Rosewood needles.

Eric the Red: Rick's sweater - still on sleeve island.  Must start 2nd sleeve soon and get this done before the first cold snap.

Craptastic Tequila Sunrise Scarf: Some of you may recognize this as the $1 yarn that you can find now at your local Target stores. I didn't bother with the unfinished lumber they were selling as knitting needles or any of the books, but there's no way I was going to pass up the cheapass novelty yarn.  So I'm stranding together one skein of the "flag yarn" and one skein of the fun fur in a simple drop stitch pattern.   For a $2 scarf, I've gotta tell you, It ain't bad.  God knows you can spend a hell of a lot more on similar yarns and get a much more expensive scarf that looks and feels pretty much the same.  That said, I'm unlikely to ever finish this because I hate knitting with this kind of yarn.  It drives me BATTY!  Two Buck Chuck is a far better use of that $2 in my book. 

Socks: For ME!  Super-fast worsted (yay 5 sts/in. !) Cascade Superwash. Yummy-soft, yummy-thick, yummy-scrunchy, yummy-washable.  Just sayin'.

D Bliss cable raglan sweater:  This is sleeve one, perched in the doorway of raglan decreases.  Sleeve two still to be done, then it's all about the seaming.

Gator socks:  for Rick.  This is sock #1 and this was it's progress at the end of this week's game.  It would have gotten farther if I had spent less time shaking my fist and making foul gestures at the TV.  Um, yeah, there was also some cussing, but that in and of itself would not have slowed the progress on the socks.  So much for these being his "lucky game day socks". Oh, and Alabama can kiss my ass.

Conwy socks:  For me. Um, yeah, unchanged since the weekend of July 4th.  Pathetic.  Who knew that I would be unable to convince myself to follow a pattern (much less a pattern with a chart, fer crissakes) for socks? 

Cashmereno (KFI) Shrug: For me.  No pattern, just following the basic Hourglass Sweater sleeve, then knitting flat across the back with a seed stitch edging, then re-joining for sleeve two. This got some much needed attention over the weekend, and I'm now up to about 3-4 inches across the back.

Scarf: For ? Probably me, because I'm selfish that way.  When River went into the freezer, I was apparently bereft at the loss of a lace project, so I picked out a stitch pattern called "Gothic Arches" from "The Big Book of Stitches", charted out a pattern (first charting on my own, wheee), grabbed some "Baby Cashmere"(Elann), and went to it.  Just to recap, Cornflower blue.Gothic.Cashmere.  Er.....OK, so maybe I did actually design this FOR me.  Christmas?  What's Christmas?

OK, now, this next one is not for hobby-monogymous among you.  If crochet, or acrylic yarns, or heinous color combinations disgust you, you can move along.  This is the last one, and contains no knitting whatsoever.  None. 

Gator lap throw for my Sister-in-law.  Designed for the maximum abuse that only a stadium full of college students, beer and football can dish out.  There's a LOT to be said for machine washable, and you just can't get these colors in nature.  This is three of the five strips to be made, and is a very old project that I had COMPLETELY forgotten about until it was unearthed recently in a box. The 4th and 5th blue center strips are also done and only need the orange and black borders.   Doesn't this make you wish YOU were a part of the "GatorNation"? 

Oh, and Alabama?  You can still kiss my ass.

Nice

I love London, but then again, I've never been to Rome or Paris so it seems unfair to call it my "favorite".  Oh what the hell.  I do love me some tea....

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