too hot to knit

It's been a no-knit week. Saturday night during the movie (which was a dud; don't waste your time) I actually pulled out a felted bag I'm working on, but never knit the first stitch. Think I was waiting for the movie to begin. It never did.

I have, however, made progress on the little "Family" cross stitch, and this week I brought along (to my work-week apartment) the material for what will hopefully be my first real quilt. I bought the material sometime last year. The pattern is called Nine Patch Nirvana and it's on a block-of-the-month site. I'll have to look it up at the library, so I can begin cutting my material to size.

Currently on the needles are...
* both socks of the 2nd round of the pentathlon, both of which are now in the heel flap
* the Henley T-shirt, knit top-down and though still up around the armpits somewhere definitely recognizable for what it is
* a bag in Paton's Merino, striped and destined to be felted. Hopefully destined also to be either a shopping or a knitting bag
* the My So-Called Scarf, found in a jacket pocket while cleaning out the closet
* three-tone toe-up sox
* basket-weave dishcloth
* log cabin afghan in wool-ease
* mosaic blanket I was making for Dad (th'Mr'Sr), who now no longer needs one :(

Thoughts of next projects include...
* kitty dreams, felted
* light-weight black sox for th'Mr
* thick-toed sox for myself, to guard against steel-toe-boot bruising
* reading glasses cases

Right now I'm more interested in knocking out all the cross stitch kits I've collected than knitting, since it's so-o-o-o hot-t-t-t. Too hot for a lapful of wool (or cotton, or silk, or bamboo).

There are (probably minor) family problems too, more on that later. The good thing is I won't be spending my days off taking trips to Indiana until these problems resolve themselves.

2007 FOs and 2008 WIPs (already!)

I'm beginning the year with the following still OTN:

* coral socklets
* the My So-Called Scarf
* green sox
* Aranmor
* Log Cabin comforter
* wolf puppies cross stitch
* sewing room cross stitch
* Rambling Leaves shawl

...but the pile of FOs for last year is much larger:

24 December 2007: house sox for th'Mr
24 December: Dave's fishing bear
23 December 2007: Cody's scarf
19 December 2007: Tom's scarf
17 December 2007: house sox for Dad
16 December 2007: fingerless gloves for Mom
7 December 2007: modular jacket #3
24 November 2007: basic garter stitch bib
11 November 2007: toboggan (or "watchcap") for th'Mr
3 November 2007: Celtic Cable Scarf, in Vanna acrylic
10 Oct 2007: blue flannel curtains for the apartment
7 Oct 2007: red & black socks for th'Mr
7 Oct 2007: illusion cloth
3 Sep 2007: EZ modular jacket for grandnephew Q's "black bear," in scrap acrylic
3 Sep 2007: blanket bunny buddy in mustard cotton
27 Aug 2007: socks for th'Mr in Paton's Kroy Whitecap, in the BBS pattern
19 Aug: mini blanket bunny buddy in black sock yarn
14 Aug 2007 "yarn harlot" scarf in k2-kb-p1 pattern, in weird old Mary Maxim acrylic
6 Aug 2007 a changepurse for grandniece C in Paton's merino denim - I mailed it unfelted
21 Jun 2007 "Amanda's Squatty Sidekick," in Paton's Merino red, denim, retro, for grandniece C
9 Jun 2007 five 8" squares (and five more from Larissa) mailed to Kansas
1 Jun 2007 Socks for Soldiers #1, mailed 7 Jun 2007
26 May 2007 Janlynn bears cross stitch pillow cover
20 May 2007 two more squares for Kansas
16 May 2007 two squares for Kansas in wool-ease
5 May 2007 wool-ease sox in tan for FIL
13 Apr 2007 twisted rib socks in Paton's Kroy Jacquard
14 Mar 2007 worsted weight wool-ease sox in green & wheat
11 Mar 2007 felted "project tote"
3 Mar 2007 worsted weight wool-ease socks in cranberry & wheat
1 Mar 2007 double diamond dc in greens
17 Feb 2007 ug rug (crochet)
12 Feb 2007 turtle (crochet)
6 Feb 2007 trivet in purples (crochet)
5 Feb 2007 tissue cover (crochet)
5 Feb 2007 trivet in green & white (crochet)
13 Jan 2007 at least nine butterflies (crochet)
13 Jan 2007 N's Pillsbury Doughguy (crochet)
7 Jan 2007 catnip mousie
7 Jan 2007 BiL D's red scarf
6 Jan 2007 niece C's glittery blue scarf
6 Jan 2007 BiL D's red hat
6 Jan 2007 T's niece's blue hat
6 Jan 2007 aunt J's UK Wildcats hat

lots to cram into a little weekend

The monitor got mailed to Xerox in California. Office Depot wanted nothing to do with it. Shipping charges ran $53.-

I'd like to find an independent computer supply store; I'm way past disgusted with OD.

Last Sunday night --after it cooled but before it got dark-- I thought I'd mow (Sunday morning I'd pulled a lot of yardweeds, now to chop everything down), but there seems to be a problem with the mower's carburetor. The gas tank was bone dry, so I filled it; it started right up but died after just a few seconds. Wouldn't start again, acted flooded IMO, and the gas was seeping out of the bottom of the carb. My inexpert diagnosis? Float is stuck. A simple fix (take carb off the mower, open up carb, clean four or five components, reassemble and replace onto mower) but I don't have time. Asked th'Mr to have th'neighbor look at it over the course of the week, but he forgot. The grass is long. It's only Saturday morning now, so maybe I'll decide to do it this weekend.

We put off the Lexington trip to this weekend (to pick up the desk and make a happy-splashy liquor store run) and I wanted to get that out of the way yesterday (Friday), early, but th'Mr slept till past noon and since he's not feeling well --something in his lungs, still-- I just let him sleep. We can put it off one more week. It's not as if they'll send the desk back; it's paid for.

My sock yarn arrived last weekend; I took it with me to work and finished the gusset decreases on the second sock, then couldn't remember how I'd done the foot on the first sock (continue the ribbing just on the top or all the way around) so I stopped working on it. Thank the gods it was Thursday, so I wasn't bored out of my skull for long.

The "li'l squatty sidekick" I knit, felted, and sent to the niece went over well. In return I got a handwritten letter asking if I could teach her to do that sort of thing :) which will only be difficult because she lives 250 miles away. But I'll keep it in mind for next time we're up that way. For now I'm going to knit her something small (a change purse?) and send it to her to felt.

Squatty Sidekick

Here's the "Amanda's Squatty Sidekick" out of Knitting Daily (see link at right - I should be in bed so I'm going to make this short and let you do the research). I began it at Coffeetree Knitnight last Friday and said I'd try to have it done for this Friday's meeting. I like how it turned out, but it felted up way too small for me (won't fit over my shoulder - I know this without trying) so it's going to the grandniece who will like it (especially if I tuck a dollar bill[s] into it).

blurry

before & after felting

Not sure how I feel about this thing - I was real prepared to hate it, after all when I spend that much time & energy on something it usually ends up sucking, but other than it being not quite as deep as I wanted, and I'm still trying to figure out a framework for it, I kinda like it. Not bad for a first effort, y'think?









I've shortened the strap a little bit (not shown here), and put a coat hanger, straightened into a square U, in the bottom. th'Mr thinks it needs a solid bottom of some sort. Suggestions? I'm leaning toward plastic mesh, if I can cut some to size without making sharp yarn-snagging edges.

I've run a couple of unfelted i-cords through the flaps (not sure what I was thinking those flaps were for) and I'm thinking about a great big oblong button to hook those around.

Still need to add buttons for the pocket.

fringe

Now comes the hard part, I think...

twiddling my thumbs

10AM
I don't care if I have spent the last hour sewing this seam. It looks sloppy; it's coming out.



Besides, what else do I have to do besides waiting for the UPS guy? Do I need a life? Maybe.

12noon
Both sides are seamed for the second time.

4PM
Back from the drrr with Winston, who's on antibiotics for a week. We'll delay our trip a few days. Still no UPS guy. Phoned headquarters (hint: to get out of the automated system and to a person who will still tell you virtually nothing, hit 00000) and learned it's on time if he gets it here by 7PM.

7:30PM
Guess it's not gonna be "on time," though their tracking website seems to still think it is.

I've made a little progress on the woolease sox, but no real enthusiasm for them. I want my damn yarn so I can finish the damn tote. At least now, with the trip postponed, I'll have a few more days to work on it.

time & date

Spent all day thinking it was March 1 instead of February 28. Wrote "1 Mar '7" on no less than four checks and once we got home checked the UPS site twenty times in thirty minutes, wondering, if my order is both "on time" and "due to arrive Mar 1" then why isn't it here yet? Then th'Mr kindly enlightened me as to today's date. I ordered from the Knitting Warehouse, last Saturday. I ain't positive, but it sure seems like when I order from JoAnn.com on a Saturday I have the goods by Tuesday.

Worked past the gusset on both socks and got quite a bit further on the tote today.

Winston doesn't seem to be doing much better, so in the morning it's to the drrr with him. It's just a cold, I know it is, but he looks so miserable with his nose clogged up and eyes running.

timed knitting

I've finished the front, bottom, back of the tote (all one piece), put the stitches on a piece of waste yarn, and cast onto a side of the bottom for the sides. Have worked up several inches double-knit, for the first side & pocket.

Now I'm bored with it and have cast on a pair of socks in Wool-Ease cranberry. They're going fast, maybe my startitis will turn to finishitis this time???

Just for fun I've timed myself. In garter stitch, on the tote, with 80-stitch rows I'm knitting 2000 stitches per hour. On these socks, in two-by-two ribbing on dpns, 48-stitch rounds I knit 1440 stitches per hour.

I had to order more yarn for the tote. I'm hoping it gets here today, as I desperately want to have it finished, washed & everything, by next Monday when we take a short trip to visit my folks.

tote bag progress

Yeah, I know I'm not posting every day. Sometimes I wonder if I should delete the blog, since there are already so many crap blogs. Sometimes I think I should only lurk, but I don't think it's possible. I'm totally gabby in text, as opposed to my normal withdrawn self.

Here's what I've been busy with, the soon-to-be felted knitting tote:





That's something like 160 rows of garter, so far. The red/blue bit will be the bottom of the bag; the multicolor is the front. Since that picture was taken I've worked about a quarter of the way up the back. Had another pic, of the clever turning stitches I invented, but since most people know what three rows of stockinette among a zillion rows of garter look like (and since the picture doesn't show it well) I'm not putting that one up here.


Instead, here's me with 5/9ths (unless you count the dog, in which case this would be 1/2)of the household lapwarmers:




They are, from left to right, Nameless (the black one on the arm of the chair, and yes, she knows and answers to her name), Raleigh (the grey one in my lap), Winston (the black one on the chair by my legs - Raleigh & Winston are brudders, and so named because as kittens they'd curl up like yin & yang in ashtrays, always in ashtrays), Klutz, on the other arm of the chair (Klutz' other name is Queen of All she Surveys), and Booger, who weighs 19.6 pounds but still thinks of himself as an itty bitty kitty. That's me in the middle.

felting update

I felted my turquoise swatch and it shrank from 5 1/4 wide by 7 tall to 4 1/2 by 3 5/8.

Last night I had some formula cooked up which isn't important right now, because this morning's formula is so much better: The size of the swatch before washing is unimportant. What matters is the stitch and row per inch of the washed swatch, voila:

25 stitches yields 4 5/8 inches, which is 5.347 spi
34 rows yields 3 5/8 inches, which is 9.25 rpi

tadaa

Therefore,
width desired x spi = stitches to cast on

The 80 stitches I cast on last night will give me a finished product 15" wide, and

height desired x rpi = rows to knit

to get a bag 11" tall I need 102 rows.

60 rows across the bottom will give me a depth of 6 1/2"
but then I'll have to pick up stitches along the side of those 60 rows... hmmm...

again, 6.5 x spi = I need to pick up 35 stitches.

But that part's a ways off yet.

I'm using a striping pattern that looks random but isn't; more about that later.

Last night I calculated how many stitches I'd end up having in the thing and came up with forty thousand but I don't believe that, so I'm not going to do that kind of math again, lest I get discouraged...