Holy caught-off-guard, Batman!

I have no exciting knitting updates for you. Mystery Project 1 is still unflattering, still cowering in a corner of my dresser and awaiting its imminent demise, to be reincarnated as a wearable garment made with a pattern. Mystery Project 2 is still in that long, painful stretch of mindlessness (after the armhole shaping but before the collar. ugh.) that causes one to simultaneously want to keep working so one can get to the fun part again, already, and also to throw up one's hands in utter disgust and abandon it in favor of a project that's at the fun part already. The Lace Cardigan has recovered from the unfortunateness that was "ripping back 20 rows" (shudder), and I realized last week that I probably need to backtrack again, though to a much more manageable - and less demoralizing - degree. I thought I was being so slick with the increases I put in for shaping purposes. "Look at me, using increases in lace!" But as it turns out, I was just messing it up. Sigh.

But really, there are no exciting knitting updates to give you because the needles have been sitting idle for most of the past couple weeks. I've been too busy going hiking and going to dinner and the like, and just generally being swept off my feet. I know! I'm in disbelief, too!

All the news that's fit to blog...

Right. So. New Knit Design Under Cloak of Mystery #1 is teetering on the brink of being done. All the pieces are done and seamed, so all that's left is to weave in the ends and block it. I'm hoping against hope that blocking makes it more flattering, because right now, well, it just isn't working. It fits and it's comfy, but yikes, would I not want to be seen in public wearing this thing.

New Knit Design Under Cloak of Mystery #2 has been on vacation (read: profoundly neglected) for the past few weeks. This should be changing soon. Unless it doesn't.

The slow-moving lace cardigan has hit a (proverbial, as opposed to literal) snag. I inadvertently dropped a stitch near a bunch of yarn-overs, and the surrounding three square inches just sort of dissolved into mush. There's no way I'll be able to figure out a workable solution other than ripping out ten or so rows. Sigh. This thing had better be worth it when it's done...

Um, what else? Oh, I get to go dancing this weekend! And I'm having lunch with the Big Noodle today! Hurrah! And... yep, that's it.

Sleepy, Sneezy, and Happy

I appear to be allergic to something that's been in the air lately. I don't mean this in a sarcastic way, like I'm "allergic" to work or "allergic" to mainstream media political coverage or anything like that. Rather, literally, I've been sneezy and sniffly and congested - and it's been waking me up at night, which is ever so lovely, and has been causing the sleepiness.

Notwithstanding the above, it's been a pretty good week. I put in about 5 hours of my best construction efforts (ha!) volunteering with Habitat for Humanity on Saturday. I learned that I'm not very good at hammering nails, but that using an electric drill is within my capabilities. Good to know.

I've had sushi for dinner - always the mark of a good week - and a cup of the best hot chocolate you ever did see. Also got to catch up with a dear friend and give her a birthday present that appeared to be a hit (yay!). Went to an event where one of the most intelligent, successful, inspiring, and all-around quality people from my state gave a brief but wonderful speech. Annnd, I get to look forward to hiking this weekend (weather permitting) with nice people.

Knitting-wise, I've been distracted by the lace cardigan I linked to in my last post, so the two items I'm working on as new designs have been languishing for a while. But there's been definite progress on the cardigan (lace is so FUN, with all the yarn-overs turning into a pattern as you proceed), and the new knitty is up, with a couple of things that have gone directly to my Must Knit list.

All of the above = happy.

But wait, there are four more dwarves, right? Hmmm. Grumpy? That was last week. Dopey? Still feeling the learning curve at work, but hopefully not THAT much. Doc? Um, no (unless my wearing glasses is enough of a parallel). And Bashful? Well, yes, actually, I guess I have been. But mostly sleepy, sneezy, and happy.

Liberal

And proud of it!

That link is to a fantastic New York Times op-ed piece by Bob Herbert. Read it. Forward it. Own it.

As for a knitting update, I'm nearly one lace repeat into this sweater. The yarn is fingering weight wool so it's kind of slow going, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it. Also hoping the wool won't turn out to be too itchy. And that I don't run out of it before I've at least knit cap sleeves...

Is it nap time yet?

First, let me say that I was so impressed with Joe Biden's speech last night. I'm sorry to say that I don't know as much about him as I should, but MAN, did he seem like a genuine, quality human being. While I ordinarily find personality to be less important, theoretically, than ideology in a politician, for a vice presidential nominee, I think one's perceived personality takes on greater significance. Also, if that's what (a lot of) voters are going to base their decisions on, so much the better that a man appearing to be of great intellectual substance is also going to be able, it seems, to tap into that "I have to vote for someone I can connect with" sentiment. [Which is not to say that I think the media's portrayal of Obama as suffering from connectivity problems is accurate... rather that a ticket with two, count 'em, TWO intelligent, genuine, likeable people is a good, good thing.]

Bottom line: when I was watching Biden, then Biden and Obama, I couldn't stop smiling. And I'm typically pretty unemotional about politics.

But for crying out loud, do the powers that be need to schedule the big speeches for 10:30 at night? I am old, apparently, and can't handle a week's worth of this up-past-ten nonsense. I know, I could probably find the footage after the fact via the interwebs, but it just isn't the same.

Must go and forage for some caffeine...

What the frock?

It's a newly finished Frock Camisole!



What's that, you say? You think I may have modified the pattern a little? Well, that goes without saying, doesn't it. :) I cast on fewer stitches than were called for along the bottom because I didn't want a loose-fitting tent-errific type top. By the time I'd done some waist shaping, I made sure to end up with the required number of stitches at the armholes. I also used seed stitch instead of reverse stockinette in the top section, because seed stitch doesn't roll at the edges. I made the straps 12 stitches wide, rather than 8, as well.

I need to re-knit part of the top of the back (sigh), but other than that, I'm verreh verreh pleased. Annnd, I finished it quickly enough to still be weather-appropriate. Hooray!

Gettin' back to my roots...

Once upon a time, I used to blog about knitting, didn't I? The garden and the baking and the general life commentary are all well and good, but I'm a knit blogger in my heart of hearts.

I currently have two projects going, but they're both new designs, so I'm keeping them supah-secret in case I'm sufficiently pleased with them to write up patterns and submit them for publication. I think I may need to cast on for a third project, if only to have something knitting-related to post about consistently.

Oh, right, and the Frock Camisole is technically finished. I say "technically" because it doesn't fit *quite* right, and I'm trying to decide whether that would be fixed by adding a few rows to the straps, or blocking, or neither. You might end up with yet another garment-on-hanger picture in the interim (or if I fail at all my readjustment attempts).

Anyway, so a new project is in order. I have 400 grams (a rough estimate) of fingering weight wool to use up, and I'm contemplating (a) to what extent that limits the type of garment I can knit before running out of yarn, and (b) whether I should knit something designed to be layered over something else, to keep itchiness to a minimum. Pattern suggestions are welcome!