I wanna be where the yarn is

Last night there was dancing. I haven't danced in quite some time, so it was kind of a liberating feeling. This morning, however, I began the day in pain.

The pain is still with me this evening and I can't sleep.

Strangely, my mind is racing too much to knit. I'm thinking about knitting, crocheting, patterns, yarns, stitches, books, and yarn related items but I can't focus on one thing.

I think I just need a break. I need a little vacation away, to clear my head, release the pressure.

Of course, wherever I go, I want there to be lots of yarn.

Maybe it's time I started the charity items. Maybe I need to concentrate on giving.

Guess I'll listen to EZ again tonight. Maybe that will relax me. At the very least, I learn something about knitting. With a little luck, I relax, learn something about knitting, then fall asleep.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday. I'm twenty-two...plus interest.

My birthday wish was to go to a couple of yarn stores in VA Beach.

We left late for the gathering for my husband's office. Therefore, we were not able to make it to the yarn shops before they closed. We did, however, make it to Ewe Knit Kits, so that I could see where the store was! To top it off, I was blessed to meet Linda, LJ!

My husband, friendly extrovert that he is, rolled down the window and told Linda, (didn't know it was Linda at the time) how I had been wanting to get to the shop and asked about store hours. He also told her I had too much yarn. Linda, lovely lady that she is, told him it was normal to have yarn throughout the house. Gotta love her just for that!

She was quite friendly and very gracious, especially since we were two strangers in a car, talking to her after the store had closed.

Since she looked familiar to me, we took a chance and asked her name and found out she was in fact the Linda with whom I had "exchanged PM's" at KR. I'm also a reader of her blog.

It was a wonderful birthday treat for me and I plan to get back to the shop again when they are OPEN. I'm just not a fan of driving through that doggone tunnel!

Thanks, Linda! It was great to meet you!

Ties to wear and ties in life

I decided to knit the tie from FCEK. It's pattern 32 but I can't remember what page. I finally showed the tie to hubby today so I would know if the tie would be for him or for me. Since he said he liked it, it will in fact be for him.

I knit a few rows on it today and was pleased at the rate of progress. I decided to knit a few more rows this evening to try to unwind. Unpon closer inspection, I noticed a recent error in my pattern repeats. This had to have happened this evening but the crazy thing is I thought I was really paying attention. I'll be yanking that out to reknit. (Picture of tie at end of this entry.)

I discovered something else. The pattern tells you to knit the pattern for a certain number inches then you do decreasing. HOWEVER, it does not tell you how many stitches to decrease or the stitch pattern. I'm going to consult the website for corrections. I have no idea why I did not notice this the first time I read it.

I also looked at the picture of the tie again and my points sit in the same place as the picture and, according to the picture, are aligned properly. That's a good feeling.

I'm still waiting before I swatch for Klaralund. I'm not sure about swatching with it since I found the yarn consistency to vary quite a bit throughout the skein. I'm guessing I'm going to have to just measure frequently during the knitting process to see how the gauge is overall.

I still can't believe summer is almost over and I did not knit a sleevless top. That was one of my goals. I suppose I could still knit one and wear it under my suit jackets during the winter. Besides, my shoulders and triceps are not quite in a state that I want people to see. Maybe not knitting the tanks yet was smart.

In crochet news, I picked up the Interweaves' Crochet magazine today. I haven't had a chance to look at it. I'm wondering what cute little patterns await but I"m saving this magazine to peruse tomorrow during my lunch break.


I still have not picked out the baby blanket to crochet, nor have I checked my yarn stash to make sure there is sufficient machine washable yarn for a baby blanket. I must take care of this.

I found out today that there's an S&B group in Williamsburg. I may try to make it to a meeting some time. I'm still toying with the idea of starting my own group. It won't be an S&B, since I won't say the "b" word (don't laugh) but I also would like to be in a group that's inclusive of crocheters. Who knows? Maybe the one in Williamsburg is. Guess I won't know until I go to a meeting or ask.

Still trying to carve out my plans for the Knit-Out & Crochet Too in DC. I'm hoping it will be a good experience because I really need a few perks right now. Also still debating about when to start squares to take with me for the Warm America blankets.

Thinking of making my dad a fishing hat by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Promised my mom an afghan, so I pulled a book of patterns for her to consider.

Life is still a roller coaster ride. I believe my new part-time job officially starts tomorrow. Got to call to verify everything is set up on their end. The people in the office have been so very welcoming. Hoping I learn everything quickly and my health will not fail me.

Just wish I had a little more peace, less pain, less pressure.

Picture of tie, with mistakes, added to end because it's a long picture.

Rowan 36 esta aqui

I finally got it! My Rowan 36 has arrived!

My invoice has a personal note on it saying that they ran out of the Tucker table runner but should be receiving them in a couple of weeks. That works for me.

Also in the packet they sent was an announcement that you could buy Kaffe Fassett Greeting Cards. The announcement is in b/w, so you can't see all the lovely colors.

Inside Rowan 36, on page 71, there's an advertiement for a book called The Knitted Teddy. It looks so cute., I'm going to have to do a little research on this book. There's also an article on page 12 about Marion Faole with pictures of two darling tailored jackets on page 16. The jackets are from her book, Marion Foale's Knitwear. I may have to keep an eye out for this as well.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to really look through the whole book this weekend to see which patterns to add to my "Must Knit" list.



In an unexpected knitting find, I stumbled across a little booklet in the magazine section of Barnes and Noble. It was only $3.99 and has 25 projects in it. The projects are diverse, and for $3.99, it was worth it just for the Faroese shawl pattern in it.



For the small project I started, it has a diagonal pattern to it. Hope you can see the pattern.



One of the points looks like it's no quite aligned. So, as little as this project is, it will still need blocking when I'm done.

On an interesting note, it may take a little longer than anticipated to knit this project. I'm still getting used to the thinner yarn after knitting with the two strands of worsted for the rug. The size 2 needles remind me of shish kabob skewers. I'm surprised they seem so small as I've knit with size 3's before. I think it's a good idea to switch every now and then any way. A little variety is a good thing.

In any case, I'm just happy to have a small, portable project.

Actually, I'd really prefer to start knitting my socks. I just still need to get some non-wool sock yarn. Hoping to take care of that very thing this weekend. With a little luck, I'll make it to Ewe Knit Kits or one of the other shops in VA Beach.

As a person who has very few yarn shop choices close to her, this is an exciting endeavor. Hope I get there.

Knitting Today

It's been a good day for Knitting. I've done no knitting but I did get my new Knit Picks Catalog and the new Knitter's Magazine!


Judging from the thumbnails at the site, I like the Faux-Front Tunic, and I like the colors in Time in a Bottle. Salt and Pepper looks like it could be nice to do, as I can learn the "mistake stitch".

I haven't had a chance to actually look at the hard copies of eithr piece of mail but I'm just excited to get them! I love knitting related mail and packages.

I'm still on the look-out for my Rowan 36 and New Member Pack. If I don't get them by next Monday, I'm going to have to contact customer service.

Finished Rug Picture

As indicated in yesterday's entry, I finished the Heart Rug. It was difficult to get a full shot of the rug. I thought I had taken a better picture of it but this one will have to suffice.



I may indeed put it in my son's room. He seems quite enamored with it. In a frame, it may be difficult to see the hear pattern. It seem sot be a matter of how the shadows fall as to whether or not you get a good view of the details. In a frame, it may just not work.

It's too thick to put on any table, so it may actually end up serving it's purpose. It will not, however, be a bath mat, as originally intended.

I'm not feeling particularly well today, again, so I don't know what will happen in terms of knitting or my daily routine. I need to call back the place I'm supposed to start working to get an actual start date. I'm feeling just a slight notion of panic.

I'll be taking a little Tylenol to help make it through the day.

Rug update 08/22/04

I finished the rug today. I'm excited about it to the point of just wanting to dance! I'm grinning from ear-to-ear.

My parents agree with me that it's not a rug they would want anyone use. Just the thought of someone putting their feet on it it upsetting. They were very encouraging with comments about my knitting. They think I should frame it. My dad even says he'll make me a frame. My three-year old, however, wants me to put it in his room.

I have not yet decided where my newly finished object will reside. I'm just too excited about finishing something else.

After making this rug, I've decided that using two strands of yarn at once, as in doubling yarn for gauge, is definitely not for me. There was entirely too much twisting and untwisting which made this project take much longer than it normally would. Also, because of the twisting, I had to hold the yarn in an unusual manner to achieve any kind of even tension, thus, slowing me down even further.

Still, I loved making this rug and I will miss knitting it. Again, the mixture of the emotions flood me.

To celebrate finishing my rug, did I decide to seam up the booties or hats so there would be even more finished objects. Of course not! I started a new project.

I'll post a photo of the finished rug tomorrow, as the ones I took earlier today did not turn out well.

I'm so ready for Klaralund, except for the seaming.

Can't decide what to say

I've written three posts so far and deleted them. I'm not sure why I can't stay focused or why I'm displeased with earlier attempts for today's post.

In any case, I feel the need to say something. I haven't been able to actually do any knitting so it would be cool to at least talk about it a little. I didn't knit anything yesterday. I thought about knitting constantly. It was a stressful day and I really thought it would be a nice escape.

Now, here I am, wanting to knit, but not really feeling like I have the time. Also, my mind is reeling, so I'm afraid if I knit I'm going to have to go back and redo it because I'll make silly mistakes.

Maybe part of me is unsettled at the thought of my son starting pre-school. I was painfully shy as a child and all those feelings came rushing back when we visited the school. I have no idea how I made it through pre-school. Fortunately, that time in my life is a blur.

Maybe I just need a nap.

It's a beanie!

I finished the beanie! My first beanie, my first project on dpn's, and I'm proud!

It's really small, as I knit it trying to make sure I would not run out of yarn. LOL
It like a little skull cap, doesn't cover the ears, just the head, but Silk Garden made it so very pretty. Actually, it does cover Garfield's ears.



Now, I'll be concentrating on finishing the rug.

Still no Rowan 36, still no New Member Packet.

No Knitting Here

Last night was another one of those nights where I had difficulty falling asleep.

I woke up this morning with pain in my neck, back, arms, and hands.

There has been no knitting today. I'm hoping to be able to knit a little tonight.

I need to knit at least two rows a day to finish the rug by the end of the month and I would like to finish the hat so I can decide if it will remain with me or become a gift.

I also need to go through my yarn to decide if I have enough for the blanket and hat for the charity donation. Brushing up on my crocheting skills is not a bad idea either since I have no idea how long it's going to take me to make these two items. Picking patterns wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Speaking of baby items, I'm still considering knitting a few baby items for a friend who is pregnant. Not everyone is fond of hand-knit or crocheted items, so I need to verify if she is. Not only that, some people, including me, are very particular about how they dress their children. I belive she's due in February, so I've got a little time.

I'm still planning to attend the Knit-Out! I've got to get my travel plans straight for that. I'm really excited about it. I'm going to call they LYS tomorrow to see if any of the ladies from the shop are going. I was going to try to get my mom to go with me but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Will probably start knitting and crocheting squares to donate soon.

I really need to try to join or form a local group. Even meeting with other knitters and crocheters as little as once a month would be nice.

It's Monday and I've got a Rug Update

My new job won't start until later in the week. I'm trying to be positive so I'll just think of it as more time for my body to rest. Unfortunately, there's so much to do around the house that I'm not getting as much rest as I would like.

Sleep was rough again last night. I fell asleep again by putting in the EZ tape. I wonder if I'm listening to to EZ as I sleep. Hmmm....


I'm at 80% on the rug! I'm so excited. This means there should be no problem whatsoever finishing before the end of the month.

All that's left now is to complete the final section and then the border.

Looks like there will be two finished objects before August ends.

Klaralund and socks await me.

Dormez-Vous?

I couldn't sleep last night. It was awful. The back pain and stomach ailments are trying to take over again.

I knit a few rows on the Silk Garden Beanie and pulled more foreign matter out if it. It made me like the yarn less to have these bits of strange material. The little pieces are scratchy and splinterlike/sliverlike. I also am not a fan of the variation of thickness in the yarn. Since I was tired, and trying to unwind to be able to sleep, I'm was knitting in a room that was pretty dark, so I coulnd't see the beautiful colors of the yarn.

I finally put on EZ's Knitting Workshop. Something about her voice lulls me to sleep if I watch it late at night. Sure enough, I think I watched about 20 minutes before I finally fell asleep. Please not the tape does not put me to sleep if I watch it during the day.

I woke after only a few hours to more pain in my back and stomach pain. At least I woke, rather than not.

When I picked up the hat, I saw the beautiful colors that I couldn't see last night. No wonder people keep knitting with Silk Garden. The colors are so beautiful.
Hope you can see them here:


I'm hoping to finish the hat either today or tomorrow. It shouldn't be too much longer as the pattern only calls for one skein of yarn and the skein is almost gone.


I've been neglecting the rug but I'm going to try to get some more rows knit this week. I may take it to work with me to knit on my lunch break. I'm hoping to finish the rug by the end of the month, which is not a tall order.

I start my new part-time job tomorrow. I know almost everyone in the office but I doubt any of them know I knit. There's a nice conference room with a table where I can knit on my break and the lunch room has a table as well.


I've still got a little over 2 wks before the Klaralund-Along starts. I still haven't made a real decision as to what yarn I'm using. The colors of the hat are making me really want to use Silk Garden but the itty bitty twiggy matter that scratches me is making me hesitant.

Now, I'm concentrating on feeling better so I can have a good day at work tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Tropical Storms, and something for Thuy

I'm still playing with buttons again, trying get my PSP skills back together. Of course now, we're having PC problems.

A tropical storm is headed our way and Charley could be headed this way as well. That said, I want to post these buttons for Thuy at Schmeebot. After looking at her site again, I've realized these colors may not coordinate, so I'll be making more. I also wanted to whip up something soon in the event that we lost electricity.

***Updated pictures reflect the three Thuy favored. They may or not be used at her blog but were done as favor to send her a little cheer.



LOL, judgement errors seem to be the current story, or at least the current chapter of the story of my life.

Thuy is the person who convinced me to start a blog. I love her beanies and I love her honesty.

If I disappear for a week or so without warning, it means the storm hit us hard or my PC is going beserk again. I can't imagine not blogging, now that I've started.

I'll be working on my Silk Garden Beanie, my Heart Rug, my Fair Isle Sweater, DB Shoes/Booties, seaming, reading, and praying.

Say a prayer for Bess too. They are predicting that Charley will hit her town.

Caramel Knits, Take Two

This take two, as in the movies, when you try for a second time to get it right.

It's hard for me to tell how large they'll actually be until they are posted. Strange, but true. So, Melissa, here are more options. Unfortunately, I didn't save the original background of the one you liked and recreating it had a little difference.

Feel free to let me know if you like one but it needs to be smaller.

Silk Garden, from my point of view, and DPN's

I had an appointment at the hair salon today. That means horrid waiting time so I always take along a knitting project. Rather than work on my WIP's or UFO's, I started the Silk Garden Hat. You knew I would didn't you?

Before I left, I decided I'd like to try to wind the yarn into a center-pull ball. Apparently I didn't watch the Knitting Workshop Video very closely because the center-pull wasn't operational. I discovered this long before I had rolled the entire skein, so I just unwound the ball and rewound it around the yarn remaining in the original skein. Not a pretty sight it's still functional.

The yarn made my fingers itch, not a good sign. Determined to make the hat anyway, I put the yarn away until I got to the salon.

Knitting with Silk Garden wasn't as bad as winding it into a ball. I had already removed some odd matter so areas that were extremely scratchy are now simply scratchy. The yarn definitely has thick areas and thin areas, which was a new experience for me. I am, however, thrilled with the way the colors change within the skein. This is my first experience with hand-dyed yarn but not my last.


I used the pattern from And She Knits Too because I wanted to try to finally learn double pointed needles and because the style just appealed to me more.

To tackle the dpn's I did a lot of research on the internet but finally found real help at Knitty. Theresa Vinson Stenersen and Knitty, please consider this my heart-felt, public, and formal thank you! The instructions were very clear!

I'm feeling pretty comfortable with dpn's now. That's a good feeling.


In terms of working with dpn's again, I know that I will, especially for socks, but I think I'd rather use circulars whenever possible. With dpn's, there's just so much potential for disaster.

Here's a shot of the lovely yarn I am using, in decent but not great light, before I opened the skein. My son picked out the colorway. I let him choose it for me. He's so proud!


Will my Klaralund be knit from Silk Garden? Well, I'm not sure, but I'd hate to disappoint my only child.

Silk Garden Test

Well, I'm going to make the hat with the Silk Garden to see if I can tolerate the fibers in the yarn. If it bothers my hands to knit it, I definitely will have to find another option for Klaralund. I'm going to take some of the yarn that's left from making the hat, if there's any left, and make a little swatch to wear directly on my skin for a few hours to see how I react.

I've found two hat patterns for Silk Garden so now I have to choose which I'm going to use. There's the hat from the test show Knit One Purl Two and then there's the hat from And She Knits Too.

Of course, this will mean I have 4 WIP's, in addition to the things I need to seam but it doesn't seem like it would be a project that would take a long time.
1. Fair Isle Sweater
2. DB Booties/Shoes
3. Heart Rug
4. Silk Garden Hat

Plus, it's research. Yeah, that's it. It's research.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Preliminary Buttons for Melissa of Caramel Knits

Melissa, this is a button I keep forgetting to post for you. I'm still working on something but I keep forgetting which tool creates which effect.

***Graphics deleted for space conservation at photo host.

Please feel free not to use it as I like options so I'll give you a few.

Update: Here are a few options.

***Graphics deleted for space conservation at photo host.

The differences in the three are subtle but if you look closely they really are different.

If they're a little big, let me know and I'll resize them. If you have something special in mind, let me know and I'll give it a try.

Rug Progress 08/11/04

Quick Update:
I am now at a little over 60% on my rug. The rug is still going well and I'm still enjoying knitting it. Every stitch I knit gets me closer to knitting Elderflower and Klaralund.


Rug 08/11/04

I have not knit any more stitches on the DB shoes but will probably knit a little on them tomorrow.

Not as much knitting as I would like is being done because I'm just too doggone busy.

KIP at the doctor's office

Since I had a doctor's appointment today, I intended to pack a small knitting bag with a nice portable project for the waiting room early in the day. That didn't happen. By the time I needed to leave, I was scurrying through the house trying to remember which needles were in which bag and where I had put certain patterns.

I did manage to tuck a few sets of needles and a few balls of yarn into a bag.

Although I've never been a fan of **novelty yarn, I did buy a ball of Eros to make a belt or accessory a while back, just for the heck of it and because I thought I needed to try it. The yarn was also really pretty.

I cast on with the yarn but found it difficult to knit with it. It was hard to tell where the new stitch began and where the old stitch ended. I ended up pulling it all apart and deciding that it would be a project for a much later date. This was not the type of yarn I needed to use while trying to relax.

I pulled out my DB Baby Knits for Beginners and decided to knit the little seed stitch shoes. As I was casting-on, a gentleman sitting near me asked me if I was knitting or crocheting, as he could not see the hook/needle clearly from where he sat. I told him I was knitting and he proceeded to tell me about his crocheting. It was a delightful conversation. He was such a nice man.

He had two young ladies that were with him. One said she had tried to learn to knit but gave up. Then, his name was called by the nurse, so the conversation ended.

Soon after, they called me back to take my vital stats. When I went back out to the lobby, it was almost full. I settled down in a chair next to a few ladies. I pulled my knitting back out. Unexpectedly, amazingly (to me,) another conversation started. One of the ladies asked what I was making, they peeked at the book and asked all sorts of questions. Then, my name was called again and that was the last I saw of either group.

I managed to knit a few rows while I waited in the examining room for the doctor. Upon completion of the first section, I read the instructions for the next section. It was then that I discovered that I had read the first instructions wrong and would have to rip back to the first row. I can't begin to tell you what that did for my nerves.

I decided to just rip out the whole thing. Again, the experience was both frustrating and freeing. I cast-on again the required stitches when my doctor knocked on the door. So much for calming my self for the exam.

I told him, the doctor, how today was a good day in terms of pain. He had me do a few things and I discovered that it wasn't as good a day as I thought.

More tests are set. I was encouraged to remember that I have to take care of myself so it was time to put some other things on the back burner. I was also warned that I must begin physical therapy. I was reminded that this was not an option but an order. We talked a lot about stress...

Now, I'm ready for my nap. Will I get one? Not a chance.

With a little luck, I'll get to knit a bit tonight.

**When I first started knitting, I thought novelty yarn was non-acrylic yarn. I thought that the fact that it wasn't acrylic made it a novelty. I actually used to tell people I was fond of novelty yarn because I actually thought that's what non-Walmart yarn was. Embarrassing, but true.

Busch Gardens

As I mentioned before, we went to Busch Gardens this weekend. Usually, when I go, I see people participating in various activities. Some ride the rides, some watch shows, some just eat, and some just seem to people watch.

I used to be an avid rider. Since having my son, I have not been able to ride as much because I would start feeling sick. Now, I can't really ride anything because it hurts.

This was the case this weekend. We really went there to meet up with friends and for my son to ride some things. We arrived later in the day, met up with the friends, took my son to see the Clydesdales, and walked around a bit. The only thing we rode were transportation vehicles which transport you from one area to another, thereby cutting down on some of the walking.

Strangely, I wondered if I would see anyone knitting or crocheting in the park. I've seen people reading in the park, so I thought there could be a possibility that I would see someone doing a yarn craft.

We were at the park only for a short time, so most people I saw were either waiting to ride a ride, riding a ride, eating, or just sitting around.

I didn't do any knitting or crocheting in the park. I did have two knitting projects in the car.

Funny how I would have knitting and crocheting on my mind at an amusement park.

Back to knitting

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I did not finish my squares in time to mail them on Tuesday. They will go out in the mail on Monday by two-day mail to Patti. Hopefully, she'll get them pretty quickly.

Both squares are in blue. One square is a simple seed stitch, which I think of as seeds of love, the other is a patterned stitch which you can see below.


In rug news, I'm past the 50% mark. I'm considering my options as to where to place this piece. I'm still having mixed feelings about people stepping all over it. Maybe if I had used a rougher yarn I wouldn't care as much.

Here's the latest progress shot.


I have not yet started the seaming on my otherwise finished garments but I will probably do just that either later tonight or tomorrow while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

I'm toying with the idea of swatching for Elderflower but wondering if I should wait just a little longer. I've got Klaralund coming up really soon and the Fair Isle sweater still wating in the wings, not to mention the burning desire to teach myself to use double points. Therefore, I'm wondering if I should just wait until the rug is done.

I did manage to pick up DB's The Baby Knits Book from the library. There are more patterns than picutred at the link (The Knitting Garden.) As a matter of fact, the patterns I like the most are not pictured. Knitting baby items is one of the main things that drew me to knitting, so I'm looking forward to perusing the pages. Since I'm not employed right now, I didn't think it would be a good idea to buy the book. Of course, my son is no longer a baby, so knitting these things is surely for gifts, charity, decoration, learning, pure pleasure, or a mixture of the aformentioned.

As much as I want to knit a shawl, I have no shawl yarn and sadly this is not the time for me to buy it. Of course now my LYS has plenty in stock.

I do have enough patterns and yarn to keep me busy for a while. It's just that I hear those other projects calling me.

I can still dream of yarn and knit vicariously through others...

I'm puzzled

I don't claim to know all there is to know about fashion. I don't even claim to dress in a way that is always within the the latest trend. However, I missed the memo that said it was in fashion to show your bra strap.

I think we've all dressed in a hurry, or changed our mind about clothing after we've already put on our undergarments. Conversely, the people I saw at the amusement park yesterday seemed to have intentionally left their straps out for people to see.

These were not decorative straps, or even straps that coordinated to the color of their outfits.

While I'm questioning current fashion trends, I feel compelled to mention that I saw many women in ill-fitting garments but most men seemed to wear clothing that fit them properly. Why is it that women feel compelled to wear tight and revealing garments? Meanwhile, men are more covered and less constricted by their attire. I'm just baffled.

Ok, end of rant.

Not a stitch

No knitting at all was done yesterday! How did that happen?

I was so busy with the rest of my life!

I'm going to try to get some knitting in today. We're going to Busch Gardens and I'm afraid to ride anything beside the carousel because of the pain I'm still experiencing. I doubt all the walking is going to feel especially good on body but I still want to go.

We're going to meet some friends there. Our sons can ride some things together, if our son isn't too small, and the hubbies will probably ride stuff together too. As for me and W, I'm not sure. I used to ride almost everything. I think she likes to ride too. I hope she won't be too disappointed that I'm no longer able to stand the rustling agitation of the rides.

The crazy thing about it is, I'm going to see if maybe, just maybe, hubby will let me peek my head into Knitting Sisters for just a few minutes while we're in Williamsburg. Think it'll happen?

Staying Positive

A positive attitude is a wonderful thing. Being around someone who is negative really drains you.

I strive to be positive but I'm not always successful.

Right now, I'm in pain and I'm exhausted. I have no idea why. It's frustrating and it's really gnawing at my outlook.

On top of that, I was laid-off on Tuesday.

There's more but I'm not going to groan on and on about it.

So, I'm concentrating on being as positive as I can, while being realistic. Does that make sense?

...and so it goes:

I now have a couple of employment prospects. I should not be unemployed for very long.

My rug is still coming along well and I'm anxious to start Elderflower.

I read through an article on seaming again. I think I'm going to actually be able to make a decent seam on the hat I made. I'm going to block the edges, let them dry, then try to seam them.

If all goes well with the hat, next on the seaming list is a set of booties. I failed to knit the i-cord ties for them because I'm going to knit them in either blue or pink, depending on the recipient.

If all goes well with the booties, I'll tackled the hat from Knitting for Baby that has you finishing with uneven edges.

If that goes well, I should be more than ready for Klaralund when the time comes.

That's positive thinking...right?

Klaralund

(new button came from Wendy, made by Eklectika)
The corrections for the Klaralund pattern are up on Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's website. This link will take you directly to the correction. It's in PDF format so you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

I have still not decided on the colorway for my yarn but I am quite fond of the garment in the colorway presented in the picture. If you click HERE, Klaralund is the first picture in the second row. I am, however, wondering if I make it in the same colorway if I am more likely to encounter someone wearing the same garment in the same colorway. Since I know very few knitters, other than online, the chances are pretty slim. Still, I've got that notion in my head.

Once I finish my rug, it's time for seaming practice so the Klaralund will be a project I can wear with pride.

I've got a month to prepare! I'm too excited.

Finishing Fever...again

I sat knitting in bed, waiting for the pain medication to kick in. It still hasn't taken away the pain.

I managed to knit a few rows so I am officially finished more than 40% of the rug, almost 50%. For some reason, now I really want to finish it. I've got Finishing Fever again. I can't believe it. Maybe it's a cycle. Maybe soon I'll just be happy to just knit rather than wanting to have the completed project in my hands, ready to wear/use.

As I held up the rug, I felt like it was just too cute and soft to be a rug. Do I really want people to step on it? It's too thick to be a baby blanket.

I'll decide later.

I'm off to get more water, spray my aching throat, to try to get more sleep.

Good thing there aren't any cookies in the house. I might have decided I needed to finish them too.

Rug 08/03/04 

Rug as of 08/03/04

I got a few more rows finished on the rug yesterday. I'm not quite finished the second section but there is less than one row to complete. After that, I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of repeating the two sections. Picture is in the post above this one.

For health reasons, I'm dropping myself from the Einstein Knit-Along. I'm too pooped to search for the appropriate yarn since I got it wrong the first time. I also want to try to concentrate on learning to use dpn's, the Magic Loop, and seaming. I still want to make the coat. I just can't make it right now. Life and job-hunting will keep me pretty busy.

Hopefully, by the time the Klaralund-Along kicks off I'll have more energy and less pain.

Yesterday I felt pretty bad. Today, I feel worse. I just want to crawl back into bed, which I may do very shortly. I'm wondering if I've picked up some kind of flu/virus or if it's just more of what's been wrong with me anyway. Nevertheless, I must keep going.

I'm still waiting for my Rowan #36 to arrive. Maybe I'm at the bottom of the subcription list.

Rug Progress Report

I've made a little more Progress on the rug for the Rug Knit-Along. I thought I'd post a progress picture and try out this new "Hello" feature for pictures on Blogger. This picture is quite dark as I took it early this morning trying to use natural lighting. Unfortunately, it's dark and rainy today due to a tropical storm that is drawing near.


Rug Progress 08/02/04

As you can see, the pattern has two hearts and one square in the first section, then in the section section, where I'm knitting now, there are two squares but only one heart. I'm almost done with the second section which puts me at about 35% finished.

The thing I love about this project, other than the fact that it's really soft, is there is no seaming. I also love looking at the little heart pattern as I follow the chart.

I'm becoming less and less aprehensive to try new things (in knitting and crocheting) so this project has been wonderful for me.

Here is the picture, cropped, and lightened for better viewing.

Einstein Knit-Along Begins Today

As I've mentioned before, I joined the Einstein Knit-Along. I was planning to make the baby Einstein but my baby really isn't a baby any more. I must have gotten the specs for the child's coat and the Baby Albert mixed and mangled because I thought the Baby Albert went to a higher size.

This changes things in a big way. It changes things in a way for which I am not prepared.

So now I really must decide what to do. Either I make the coat in the child's size in a no-frills yarn or I postpone my casting-on until I can acquire a little more of a yarn I have in my stash to have a sufficient amount to make the Not-So-Warm Coat.

Also, after about getting half-way through Henry's second square, I have discovered there is not enough yarn left to finish it. I don't believe in Murphy's Law but somethiing is really wreaking havoc with me. I actually stood looking at the yarn in the LYS but then someone started talking to me.

I'm going to still try to find something else today so I can make a second square and have it sent out by my deadline.

As for my blog, I've made new backgrounds and I'm debating about fonts and template changes. Hopefully I'll get it looking more like "me" before next Sunday. That gives me a week.