I think this will be a running theme in my life forever

I made the decision not to bring the materials for working on the Big Sack Sweater with me to all of my Christmas activities. I didn’t feel like working on socks – my usual traveling project – so I brought the materials to work on the Lace Ribbon Scarf. The pattern was a printout, and while I would be bringing 3 balls of yarn, they were small balls of yarn. It was a nice, compact traveling project.

Yeah.

Apparently I will be unable to make this scarf in the way I planned. First, I keep having problems with the pattern. If I get to talking or if I get engrossed in a television show it’s a disaster. Second, I’m not so sure about the yarn I’m using for this project. I have 3 balls of Suhrim Trading Company Muse. It is a rayon/linen blend, which I’m guessing won’t block well. That’s unfortunate because, from what I’ve seen after one pattern repeat, it’s going to need some blocking. Maybe I’m wrong. I really like this yarn in theory. It’s black and has some black metallic in it. It’s very me. I think that, theoretically, the scarf would look nice in black with some black metallic. I don’t know, though. It looks really, I don’t know, severe when knit up. Perhaps I will have to cast on again, do a pattern repeat or two, and then post some pics. I mean, maybe I can just be happy with it as it is. But I’m not sure.

If I don’t make the Lace Ribbon Scarf with that yarn, I have no idea what I would make with it. Three people, myself included, have that yarn queued in Ravelry, and there are no projects yet. Any suggestions?

So now I’m back to my original dilemma. I’m almost done with the first sleeve of the Big Sack Sweater. I am leaving on a business trip this afternoon. I could leave the sleeve at home, and just bring some yarn and needles (and the book the pattern is in) to start the second sleeve while I’m gone. That might not be too cumbersome to take with me. It would easily fit in my overnight bag. However, I’m going on another, longer business trip in a little over a week. By that time I would be working on the body of the sweater, and that’s not going to work. It will be too big, given that the trip is longer and I will have less room for it in my luggage. I will probably bring socks on that trip. Should I just start some socks today, and bring a sock project on my business trip? I can work on my sweater at home, and work on the socks while I’m out of the house. I don’t know. I better decide soon, though.

FO – Retro Rib Socks

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark
Needles: US 1 DPNs
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka color 1076

I finished these around Thanksgiving. I’m finally posting them because they were a Christmas present which has now been given and received.

It was a simple 4-row repeat that was quick to learn and easy to knit up. I think they turned out quite well.

Happy holidays!

There will never be a good answer to this question, will there?

What knitting project(s) do I take with me when I go out of town?

I went less than 24 hours without a project on the needles. Last night I cast on the Big Sack Sweater from the first Stitch n Bitch book. It’s the first sweater I’m making since I finished Tim’s Cobblestone sweater for last Christmas. I’m excited to work on it.

But let’s face it, a sweater is a cumbersome project to lug around. I’m using bulky yarn, so it will be a quick knit. I can put quite a dent into it this weekend I think, but that means carrying all of that yarn and stuff around with me. Not to mention the fact that most of the yarn needs to be wound, and I don’t know that I’m in the mood to deal with that all weekend.

Socks are a more portable option, but after making so many pairs of socks, then a pair of wrist warmers, I was sort of looking forward to the change of pace that is bulky yarn, size 10.5 needles, and straight (not round) knitting.

I will decide at the last minute before walking out the door for Christmas eve dinner. At least I already know what to grab if I decide on socks. Yes, I have my next sock project planned already.

FO: Spirogyra

Pattern: Spirogyra
Needles: US 2 DPN, US 1 DPN
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi

I viewed this project as an experiment in combining a variegated yarn with a stitch pattern. Often, when I see a combination, I think it’s too much. With all those colors, sometimes the stitch pattern gets lost. However, I’ve seen some projects on Ravely which used multicolored yarn with an interesting stitch pattern, and it was really attractive. But there were still ones that looked like a mess, and those worried me. I had this one hank of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, and I really wanted to make wrist warmers out of it. Once I found this pattern (and a few similar once) I really wanted *these* wrist warmers. So I gave it a shot, knowing full well I might frog the first one if I thought it looked like vomit.

I think the color difference between the purple and gray is subtle because they are both kind of dark. From far away, or in bad light, it doesn’t even look like it’s two different colors. I really like how it looks up close, too. I don’t think it looks like vomit! I still think I’m going to be cautious when combing multicolored yarn with a stitch pattern. For instance, I’m relatively certain I am going to make a plain sock to go with my Sophie’s Toes Christmas Lights yarn.

And, thankfully, this was a true Stash Busting project. Yay! Stash busting. I need to do some more of that.

I am made of productivity!

I totally rocked yesterday.

I started the day by doing some dishes. I finally put away some laundry. I Drainoed the bathroom sink.

I watched a movie and commentary so we can send a Netflix DVD back in time to get a new one before Christmas.

I did some work for my job.

And on top of all that, I managed to finish 3 projects, one of which I just started yesterday! I did the seaming on a hat for a friend, I made my last Christmas present, and I finished some wrist warmers. Pictures will be posted in the near future.

I can’t believe I have 3 FOs in one day. I’m very proud of myself.

This means that as of right now I have no projects on the needles. I think I will swatch for a sweater for myself tonight.

Yarn Pr0n – Sophie’s Toes holiday colors

There were so many colors I wanted to buy, but I limited myself to two. The first, and I think the easiest one for me to choose, was Good Cheer, from the Layers of Color collection.

It’s a bit dark, and full of colors I love. It was a no-brainer.

I had a hard time choosing a second color. Since it was December I decided to get something that reflected the holiday season. Ultimately I decided upon Christmas Lights:

I’m really proud of myself for buying this yarn, and I’m even prouder because I plan to use this yarn to make something for myself. The colors are much brighter than I would normally use for myself. Actually, there are many more colors than I would normally use in one garment, period. But I think it’s really pretty. I love looking at it! Why should I let the fact that it’s not something I would normally pick for myself stop me from buying yarn I think is pretty?

I’ve decided 2009 is the year I open myself up to new possibilities on many levels, so working with this yarn will be a great start!

This one isn’t about knitting

I have other hobbies besides knitting, and I figured that I will talk about those things here too.

I love to bake. I don’t do it as often as I would like because I have a tiny kitchen that can make baking difficult. Baking during the summer is out of the question as we don’t have air conditioning. Finally, I have to bake for a reason. There is no way I can bake for fun and have all of those baked goods sitting in my apartment for me to eat. I usually bake for holidays or parties.

I went to a holiday gathering over the weekend, so this was the perfect time to bake. I found a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We had some pumpkin puree left over from the pumpkin swirl cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving, so this was the perfect thing to make.

I thought they turned out well. I brought a plate to the party, and I have a plate left at home. I was going to take them to work. Tim pilfered a few yesterday, which is bad because he is diabetic. Tim isn’t a pumpkin fan, but he likes the cookies.

I also made some gingered pear bread from a recipe in a Christmas cookbook I own. I don’t think the recipe calls for enough ginger, or I did a crap job mixing, because there is only ginger taste here and there.

FO: Roza’s Socks

Pattern: Roza’s Socks by Grumperina, from the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Cascade Heritage, color 5604
Needles: US 1 DPN

Originally I didn’t think I would get to these before Christmas. Due to some other circumstances, I was able to not only start them before Christmas, but I was able to finish them yesterday.

My mother’s birthday was Thursday, and we went out for her birthday lunch yesterday. I was able to give these socks to her then. She was really surprised I finished them that quickly, and was very happy with how they turned out. I will now give her what I bought her for her birthday for Christmas.

After lunch I wanted to go to some LYSs out near where my mom lives. She came with me to two out of the three stores I went to. After the first one, she asked if I was trying to get her to knit again. She’s been to yarn stores with me before, and she’s always awed by what she sees. She’s a utilitarian knitter. She only knits something if she needs it, such as a scarf to match a new winter coat, and buys the yarn at craft stores. LYSs have yarns she never thought even existed. So maybe I’ve shown her enough pretty yarn to prod her into picking up the needles for fun again!

How quickly one forgets

I finished knitting my second Double Cap for a friend of mine a while ago, I just had to seam it up. I tried to do that yesterday. It went horribly wrong. Seaming isn’t that hard, right? I mean, I made this hat for myself a couple of months ago, and it turned out fine. I have no idea what happened yesterday, but it was just a giant green mess. I had to take the seam apart and start over. Well, I took the seam apart. I have yet to start over.

What went wrong? I have no idea. I really wanted to mail that hat today. Oh well. I vow to finish it by the end of the week.

In other WIP news, I started the second of my mom’s socks. I was thinking that maybe I could have them done in time for her birthday. Her birthday is Thursday, but I won’t see her until Saturday. While it is technically possible, it is highly unlikely to happen. I would have to be knitting every single moment I’m not at work, and not get much sleep at that. That’s probably not going to work. Oh well. They’ll be ready for Christmas.