Chuggin' Along

Over the weekend, I declared this week Work-in-Progress Demolition Week. If you noted my works-in-progress progress bars to the right over there, you may notice that one's gone. I was really hoping I'd have two or three done by today, but I had some paper trouble. :( Now the paper's going much, much better, but the knitting is on hiatus. I still think I can get four or five things done by this weekend, though, so come back Friday to check it out.

I only took pictures of my aunt's Peabody, which could have been done today with a bit more attention. I have to turn it in for partial points at the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup. There's no chance I'll get a sleeve and all the finishing done tonight. If only I had started it a tad sooner....This time in the semester is just ridiculously busy. Everyone wants something all at the very same time. I always make it through, though. Next week should be nice and relaxing. :)

I hope it is for you too! Head over to Tami's blog for more WIP Wednesday posts!

Time to Check the List

I hope everyone had a great holiday this week (if you had a holiday this week)! I had every intention of posting a Work-in-Progress Wednesday post before we left town Wednesday, but we had an unexpected accident that required attention that morning instead. Long story short, turns out tetanus shots can ache much longer than whatever you needed it for. :) We had a good Thanksgiving regardless. John got a glimpse of just how large my family really is, but he had fun, I think.

In any case, I'm supposed to do a style post today (even though I've slacked off the last two months :P), but with a paper draft due Tuesday that needs lots of work, I figured I'd make up for my lack of posts this week and substitute that one with a declaration: I declare the next week (maybe the next two) Work-in-Progress Demolition Week! If all goes as planned, you will see the list of projects at right diminish by about half. I really should hibernate some of those projects, but I keep thinking that if I see them here, I'll be more inclined to finish them. That might be true this week....Maybe.

Right now I am aiming to finish five of those projects. Here they are in progress:

Anhinga: just needs to be seamed and washed (or washed and seamed maybe).

Old photo from two years ago b/c I'm lazy.

Christmas Stocking: will probably be finished today. Intarsia eats my soul a little, but I only have a few more rows left. Then it needs to be steam blocked, seamed, and personalized.

Peabody: has to be done by Wednesday or I fail my first Harry Potter House Cup class! D: All it needs is sleeves, a wash and block, and finishing. Yep. Only. It'll get done, though. No worries.

Rocky Coast Cardigan: just needs to be washed, blocked, and finished with a button band.

Still kind of secret.

Willoughby: I probably won't be done with it by the end of the week (especially with all the above plus teaching and learning to do), but I only have 18 repeats left to do and they don't take that long.

I don't think I'll have the time or inclination to post more than the usual Wednesday and Friday this week, so keep an eye on the list and come back next Friday, when I hope to sprinkle finished objects galore upon you! Then, the following week I will probably start just as many. I have to knit a hat for my grandpa, mittens for John, and one other mitten (Love Bytes, Robots Rule) for me before the cold sets in for reals. My Office is a Fridge and Baobab may join that list too. And a pair of fingerless mitts. And two Elijahs....I have a lot of knitting to do.

I can't wait to get back to being a selfish knitter. It's much less stressful. :) Fewer deadlines, too!

If the paper goes well, I may post a style post later today or tomorrow. It will be better than the first one, but don't hold your breath, haha. Have a great weekend!

We Love Dexter!

And so, naturally, when I discovered a post about Dexter-inspired yarn, I HAD to have it! Here is what it turned in to (modeled from the Halo chair while playing Halo, so sorry for the sub-par pictures):

Dark Passenger Socks

(a.k.a. Halo Socks)

Pattern: Garter Toes by Karen Harper
Yarn: Propaganda Yarns Nadya in "Dark Passenger"
Needles: US 1
Project Page

I complain that I don't like to knit socks for John because he has big feet. Really, I kind of love it a lot! He's not picky about what goes on his feet, so I have nearly free-reign with color and design. But let me get to the good part! I read a post in the Ravelry Dexter Forum about this Dexter-inspired colorway, saw it and the stitch markers (duct tape roll, plastic wrap roll, blood spatter tile), and ordered it without a second thought! When it came in the mail and I saw it in person, I knew: socks for John. I had queued the pattern weeks before and knew it would be perfect for the colorway. I was right! She sells a blood orange colorway that's pretty awesome, too.

This was my first ever attempt at two-at-a-time, toe-up, magic-loop socks. It was wildly successful! I love toe-up socks. They are so customizable! I don't think I had any trouble at all, despite all the questions I was asking my super-knowledgeable and sock-class-teaching friend Ann. She knew I wouldn't have any trouble, but I didn't have any trouble because I asked her so many questions!

The only modifications I made to the pattern were to up the stitch count for his larger foot. You can see all my mods on the project page. He'll be getting a few more pairs out of this pattern, I suspect. He really likes them. But he says that about everything I knit. :P I told him he can't have this pair until we start watching Season 5 of Dexter. He's thinking about it. :)

Now back to Christmas knitting! What are you making for Christmas?

Head over to Tami's Amis for more FO Friday posts!

Still Working Away

I'll keep this short and sweet (I'm a bit ill. :( ). The main thing I'm working tirelessly on is my aunt's Christmas gift (I have to keep it kind of hush-hush). I'm super close. I have to finish it so I can start a commissioned project.

I may have to share a shop model on Friday, since I don't think anything else will be ready....But we'll see! Actually, John's socks are pretty close....Stay tuned!

Oh! Look at this sweet little girl: >:3

Hop on over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday posts!

Buyer's...Something

I need your advice on:

Indulgent Rikke

Pattern: Rikke Hat by Sarah Young
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend
Needles: US 4 and 7
Project Page


I think I've mentioned that I work at a yarn shop. Well, a few weeks ago, while working my usual Thursday night, I noticed some bright, shiny Manos staring at me from the display island. There was only one skein in this super wonderful colorway and only 150 yards in the skein, so I fondled it, but put it back. I talked to my friends about it Friday, who urged me to get it (we are always so accommodating of one another's addictions :) ). I happened to be working the following Monday. It was still there. So I bought it. And looked frantically for patterns. Actually, that probably happened before I bought it, but it happened. I've loved Rikke since before it was released and I saw one project (ignoring the other two to the contrary) that led me to believe I could get a nice slouchy hat with few to no modifications. Nope. Close. But nope.

Don't get me wrong! I really love the finished result! I could just love it more! I have just two problems with it: my decreasing modifications left the crown much more puckered than the pattern turns out for others and it's not really that slouchy because I had to shorten it. I have two options: block it or wait and see if more of this colorway comes in.

What do you think I should do? Will the silk content like blocking? Will it stretch unattractively? Do you think I'm just nit-picky? :) I will knit many more in many more wardrobe-fitting colors, so don't tell me to do that! ;) Thanks in advance!

Visit Tami's Amis for some beautiful FOs!

Seasonal Laziness

Last week I was just too lazy to post a work in progress. Friday, I had a finished object, I just didn't get home until at least 10:30, so I couldn't share it! :( I'm not entirely happy with it, but I'll post it and you guys can tell me what you think. That's what happens when I buy yarn on impulse. :P


I have been working casually on a pair of socks for John. It's really the only project I have that can be carried around and worked mindlessly on the bus. They are called Garter Toes and I really like how they are knitting up. I'll admit that this yarn was an impulse buy, too, but I knew the yarn would become socks for John. I'll explain better in the FO post when I finish them, but it may be enough to say that the colorway is Dexter-inspired and came with Dexter-inspired stitch markers. How could I not buy that yarn?!

I'm also still working on the entire pile of WIPs from a few weeks ago, but I'll have to start keeping it hush-hush because I post my blog posts to Facebook, where one family member might see her Christmas present. I promise to share post-receipt. I can probably also show you my grandma's Willoughby Scarf because she is not on Facebook. :) I'm half-way through and it looks really pretty! I keep thinking it could be longer, but then I remind myself that every time I think that, I end up with a scarf as long as a football field....Again, I'm too lazy to share a picture. Fall is so terrible as far as motivation goes.

However! I did do away with my needs-to-be-sewn-up pile in a fit of homely inspiration. I patched an arm-pit hole in a sweater I wore once (store-bought), the side seam in an abused pair of undies, a belt loop in a pair of tight jeans (belt loops are just so helpful pulling pants on! and so hard to sew back on!), patched a hole in John's pants pocket, and fixed my $10 Walmart bag's awesome magnetic clasp. The clasp was hanging by a thread, so I snipped a bit of canvas from my high school backpack and patched it back in. I feel so smart! I'm not sewing savvy in the least. As you can see from the photo, I sewed in a circle around the clasp instead of around the edges of the canvas. That is as good a demonstration of my skill as any. I hope all my repair work holds. :S

For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami!