blargh

So, things have been a little stressful lately. I flew back to PA on Sunday night, and walked into my apartment only to find that my beautiful parquet wood dining room floor, which was perfectly flat when I left it, now is horribly warped. It goes up and down by several inches. Some of the boards are actually split and cracked, and it sags significantly when walked upon. Yikes.


What a thing to come home to! The appropriate people have been contacted, professional floor people are [hopefully] going to come take a look at it in the next day or so, and this whole mess is well on its way to being fixed. The only really good thing for me about this is that since we're renting, it's not our dime that's going to be paying to fix this. And this is something that seems pretty expensive...

On to happier things! I've finally gotten around to placing my yarn order. I have one from Knitpicks that's still being processed, and another from SimplySockYarn.com. There was a slight problem with that order - one of the colors I'd chosen had sold out just after I placed my order. But the owner sent a very nice email apologizing for the problem and offering either another color or to take that yarn off my order. I picked another color that I liked not quite as much, but will still be fairly happy with. Now I'm just eagerly awaiting the postman!

In between daydreaming about all the lovely things I'm going to make with my pretty shiny new yarn, I'm still working on my superwash hat. Finally took some pictures of it. I'm done with the cabling, and just have endless inches of ribbing before I start the crown decreases. Woo! I think the cabling came out nice, for something I made up on the fly. Simple, but pretty, and fairly well suited for a boy.



Apologies for the crappy pic. Would you believe I STILL can't find the charger for my camera's battery??

Anywho. I have to have this done within the next few weeks, so the recipient will be able to get lots of use out of it this winter. And we all know how great I am with deadlines... It's up in the air right now whether or not I'll finish it in time. I think I will, since this is the only thing I'm working on right now. But then again, we all know how great I am with knitting monogomously.

I swatched for my Sesame sweater last night, and am eager to start it. I'm holding off until I get my hat done. We'll see if that holds.

boo

So, my Christmas knitting is finally complete - the last item, Rina's Harry Potter socks, are finally done as of Sunday! Hurrah FOs!! I'm unfortunately going to have to mail them to her, but I need to find some other stuff to throw in the box as an I'm-sorry-I'm-a-horrible-procrastinator thing. Because, ya know, I am.

So to unwind from all that knitting (ha ha, get it, unwind!? ah, I'm lame...) I knit me up a pair of socks in a chunky yarn. And let me tell you, that is the perfect instant gratification project. It only took me 48 hours to whip up, and they're so cozy as house socks. Mmmm, socks.

And now, because I am a glutton for punishment, I cast on for my next project, which is also a gift for someone that needs to be finished on a deadline. Or rather, I'm in the process of casting on for my next project. I am 100 stitches into a total of 196. Yarrgh. I had to stop and take a break from it.

I know it sounds strange, but I actually really really dislike casting on, and starting new projects in general. Don't get my wrong, I have a chronic case of startitis, and I like having lots of projects started, but I don't really begin to enjoy a started project until I'm a couple dozen rows in. Yeah, I'm weird.

So. Anyhow. Hat. I'm making it out of Cascade 220 Superwash, because the recipient can't be trusted to not throw it in the washer and dryer and I want to avoid a very unfortunate felting incident. It's in color 856, a very pretty deep blue heathered with flecks of emerald green. Gorgeous. I'm knitting it up on size 6 needles, for a nice dense and [hopefully] very warm fabric. I'm sort of making up the pattern on the fly as I go. I've got some vague pictures in my head involving lots of ribbing and some cables. The ribbing is a must - I've discovered that ribbing is absolutely magical for ensuring a snug fit when one is knitting for someone who can't try on the project as it's being knit. (Hence the liberal use of 3x1 ribbing on Rina's socks.)

I really don't want to finish casting on for this, but I know I have to. Ah well. It won't be so bad once I'm finished casting on. The yarn is soft and smooshy, and I'm getting to use my new fabulous circular needles I got for Christmas. And oooh, they are everything I'd dreamed they would be...

Speaking of Christmas, I've continued to drool over yarns online that I'm looking to spend my Christmas money on that I always want to buy but won't because they're expensive. The only one I've thus far decided on is that skein of Malabrigo sock yarn, but I still have no idea what color. But I'm taking my time, and savoring all the decisions. I will also be making some less-indulgent yarn purchases. I've got several projects planned in Knitpicks yarn, which for me is the epitome of practical as far as yarn goes. Exciting!

::sigh:: Back to casting on with me...

merry christmas!

So, um, yeah. This whole posting regularly thing. I suck at it.

The holidays have been insane so far. But despite that I do have some FOs to report.

Seamed my cupcake and it is cute! Yay!

The BTWNE is finally finally done!! And it came out really really nice! When I laid it out to take pictures of it, I was thinking to myself, "damn that came out well! I should make another one, I've got enough yarn left over-" And then reality kicked in and I remember how much I hated this evil thing while I was making it. So I think I'll let the memory fade a bit before jumping into that again...

Erm, and I swear the pics of it will be up soon-ish....

Harry Potter socks are still not done. I'm almost to the toe decreases on the second one. I'm a little sad I'm going to have to mail them to Rina, but I'm only human.

So. Christmas.

Evidently I've been a very good girl this year, because Santa brought me another skein of Harry Potter yarn in the Hedwig colorway, the Andean Chullo hat kit, and the set of Knitpicks Options interchangeable circular needles. Hurrah! Unfortunately two of the needles (one size 7 and one size 8) won't screw all the way down onto the cables so I'm going to have to call about that. ::sigh:: But I love them already!! They're sharp and shiny slippery and really, what else could one want with needles?

Santa also brough me Christmas checks cleverly labelled as from various relatives. I'm going on a yarn-buying spree. There's several items I've been wanting (mmmMalabrigo sock yarn...) and I think this is just the excuse I've been needing to get some. Pictures will come eventually.

post . . . . . gooooooooood

In a fit of optimism, I have dubbed November to be UFO month. That's right, during the month of November, I am going to go on a project-finishing rampage. I certainly have enough UFOs lying about to keep me occupied for the whole month.

My fit of optimism quickly became a fit of delusion, as I followed that up by dubbing December to be stash-busting month, in which I will start AND FINISH all the projects that I've got yarn for but just, erm, haven't started. All my UFOs will of course be, by this point, completed.

In a following fit of sobering insight, I realize that I'll be lucky to get one or two projects done during November. Heck, if December goes well, I might get another couple done by Christmas, though I'm sure I'll cast on for many more now that I've given myself leeway to do so. Also, regardless of how UFO and Stash-busting months go, I'll still be buying more yarn after the new year, simply because that was the limit I've set for myself. *sigh* I have a suspicion that there will be another strict yarn diet in 2009.

Speaking of yarn, and yarn lust, I have recently stumbled across this: Harry Potter sock yarn. Words cannot describe the depth of my lust for this. It's Harry Potter. And sock yarn. Harry Potter. And sock yarn. Harry potter AND sock yarn. Together!zomg in one skein!!! I'm not quite sure how exactly it could get any more awesome than this. I'm rather partial to the Hedwig colorway, though the Draco is pretty nice too, as is the Ron, and the Tonks is pretty in a bubblegum-bright sort of way...

Even now, the naughty corner of my mind is whispering that surely a couple skeins of that couldn't hurt, seeing as how I've only got enough sock yarn in my stash for one more pair of socks. Ignoring the two pairs I've already got on the needles, of course. But I am not fooled. Yarn is yarn, and I have way too much already. Plus, the Opal is not exactly inexpensive at $23 per skein and part of the reason for my yarn diet was to save money. So instead I've added it to the mental list of yarn I'm going to spend my Christmas monies on. Yes, I've got a list. An actual written-down, I've-put-lots-of-thought-into-this, planned-out list. Why no, I don't have a problem... Why do you ask?