Well, knitting is on hold for a little while. The weather's getting progressively hotter (over 100 today), and my one and only fan died last night ~ just too late to run out for a replacement, of course. So, once the stores open today, I'm off to find a fan ~ no easy job, actually. Fans disappear from stores once the heat climbs into the 90s, and it's been there for almost a week now, so the pickings will be slim, I'm sure.
I couldn't sleep much with the heat ~ one thing about SoCal weather is that it truly doesn't cool off much at night. It was still in the 80s at 10 pm last night. It's 66 right now, just after 5 am. So, I gave up the attempt around 2:30(75 degrees), and tried to do some knitting on the baby blanket. Somehow, having a large amount of blanket in my lap just didn't work for me this morning. But hey, at least I know it will keep the baby warm this winter!
As I've been catching up on blog readings, I've noticed that quite a few folks have either stopped posting at all, or are posting much less often. Are blogs fading out? Are people just too busy trying to keep a roof over their heads in this dismal economy to blog? Is it just the weather? Will we see an upsurge in posting once it finally cools off?
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
I'm still knitting
the baby blanket. It's gotten summery at last here in SoCal, and I've begun working in my classroom to get ready for the start of school on August 31st, so I've slowed down. I really only have another 5 or 6 inches to go, and I have more than a week to finish, so I'm sure I'll be done with it in time. The heat, however, makes it hard to pick up a lapful of blanket to work on in the afternoon. I've taken to getting up in the very early am to work on it, when it's as cool as it's going to get.
I never made it back to pick up more of the Michael's yarn for a cardi, but that's okay. I have a huge stash, and I'm sure I'll be inspired by something from it for a new cardigan. And I've gotten all those lovely yarns from Elann to play with, as well as some yarns I got on EBay, so I just gave the Michael's yarn a pass.
I did cast on for the sweater out of the Vogue Knits Early Fall, using USDK. Yikes, using 3s! They're so tiny for a sweater project. It was almost scary using them. And the thought of using tiny needles for a long sleeved pullover made me, ummm, wince. That's a lot of knitting time devoted to this project. Good thing I really love the sweater, and the yarn. One thing it's made me do, too, is schedule one of the big-needle cardigans from that same issue as the next thing on my list. Maybe I'll start that one after the blanket is done, and I've gotten the pattern memorized in the USDK sweater. It will provide relief for my hands, switching to the big needles and back to the little needles.
Anyway, I'm off to knit a few more rows of the blanket, and then head into my classroom for a few hours. Enjoy your weekend!
I never made it back to pick up more of the Michael's yarn for a cardi, but that's okay. I have a huge stash, and I'm sure I'll be inspired by something from it for a new cardigan. And I've gotten all those lovely yarns from Elann to play with, as well as some yarns I got on EBay, so I just gave the Michael's yarn a pass.
I did cast on for the sweater out of the Vogue Knits Early Fall, using USDK. Yikes, using 3s! They're so tiny for a sweater project. It was almost scary using them. And the thought of using tiny needles for a long sleeved pullover made me, ummm, wince. That's a lot of knitting time devoted to this project. Good thing I really love the sweater, and the yarn. One thing it's made me do, too, is schedule one of the big-needle cardigans from that same issue as the next thing on my list. Maybe I'll start that one after the blanket is done, and I've gotten the pattern memorized in the USDK sweater. It will provide relief for my hands, switching to the big needles and back to the little needles.
Anyway, I'm off to knit a few more rows of the blanket, and then head into my classroom for a few hours. Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Another Elann Great Buy!
Elann is having another Sample Pack sale, this time on light-weight yarns. Cashmere! Silk! 6 skeins for $18. I've worked with the baby cashmere and baby silk ~ they are incredibly soft and lovely to work with. I keep telling myself that I promised myself no more yarn buying until November, but some of the colors are sooo luscious! But I'm going to be disciplined and exercise my will power. For the rest of you, you have until August 19th to grab some of this delicious yarn. (I am so dreading what must be coming next ~ the Chunky Yarn Sample Pack. I do love chunky yarns. I'm not going to look. I am not going to look. I am not...)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Quick Update
I made a mistake in my earlier post today. The KnitOne CrochetToo yarn isn't for a free Elann pattern, it's for #23 in the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2010 magazine. (#22 is on my list, too! As are the 3 Lutz & Patmos chunky cardigans. For once, a VK I'll keep for more than the articles!)
Progress, and a diversion
I've managed to knit almost 15 inches on the baby blanket, and I do really like the look of it. Unfortunately, late last night (or early this morning, since it was long after midnight), I ran into a problem. A missing stitch. Not one I can easily just add back in, but one I can't find where it went missing. So I have to rip back until I have all the stitches. All 126 of them. And I just couldn't face it.
While I was out buying the yarn for this baby blanket, I ran across a Michael's brand yarn called Loops & Threads. They had a really bulky warm cream yarn that I bought a skein of to try out. It's acrylic, which I don't knit often, but this yarn feels incredibly soft, and being machine washable and dryable does appeal to me. So, last night while I was feeling very frustrated with the blanket, I tried out this yarn.
And this afternoon I have 18 inches of a moss-stitch cardigan front on my needles. No pattern, just something in my head I'm working out as I go. (Does anyone else do that?) I love the nubby look of the moss stitch, and this yarn really accents that nubbiness. Of course, now I'll have to go back to Michael's and get more yarn, praying that they 1) have the same dyelot and 2)that they have enough yarn for the whole cardigan.
Like I really need to buy more yarn. But then, I didn't buy any for nearly a year or so, so maybe it's okay. I just seem to be making up for lost time rather rapidly. I've also been to Elann a couple (3?) times in the last week or so, and bought some lovely yarns. I got 13 skins of a Knit One Crochet Too USDK (that's the pattern I'm making, too)yarn in a gorgeous shade of wine. I'll be using that to make one of the free patterns I found on their site. And I went back a day or two later to get Elann's Bamboo Fusion for a Maddy Laine pattern. They are having a full bag sale on the Fusion, just $18.15 for a bag of 10 50g skeins! I also picked up some of their Pegasus, as well, for a cute little cropped cardi I want to make. And a day later, when I only meant to look through their free patterns (honestly!), they were offering a sample (6 skeins) of their mid-weight house yarns for only $15, so I got one of those, too, in lovely shades of purple.
I don't actually feel guilty for buying yarn. It lasts forever, and if I don't knit it today, there's always tomorrow. Or next year, or whenever. It's just that it's August. August and September are my "no unnecessary buying" months. As a teacher, I don't get paid between July 1st and October 1st, so these are lean months. This is so not the month to get bitten by the yarn acquisition bug! So, I'm promising myself that once I get enough of the bulky cream yarn to finish the cardigan, I'm not buying anymore yarn until November. (October's check is always spent before it actually gets here, so...) Moral support welcome!
While I was out buying the yarn for this baby blanket, I ran across a Michael's brand yarn called Loops & Threads. They had a really bulky warm cream yarn that I bought a skein of to try out. It's acrylic, which I don't knit often, but this yarn feels incredibly soft, and being machine washable and dryable does appeal to me. So, last night while I was feeling very frustrated with the blanket, I tried out this yarn.
And this afternoon I have 18 inches of a moss-stitch cardigan front on my needles. No pattern, just something in my head I'm working out as I go. (Does anyone else do that?) I love the nubby look of the moss stitch, and this yarn really accents that nubbiness. Of course, now I'll have to go back to Michael's and get more yarn, praying that they 1) have the same dyelot and 2)that they have enough yarn for the whole cardigan.
Like I really need to buy more yarn. But then, I didn't buy any for nearly a year or so, so maybe it's okay. I just seem to be making up for lost time rather rapidly. I've also been to Elann a couple (3?) times in the last week or so, and bought some lovely yarns. I got 13 skins of a Knit One Crochet Too USDK (that's the pattern I'm making, too)yarn in a gorgeous shade of wine. I'll be using that to make one of the free patterns I found on their site. And I went back a day or two later to get Elann's Bamboo Fusion for a Maddy Laine pattern. They are having a full bag sale on the Fusion, just $18.15 for a bag of 10 50g skeins! I also picked up some of their Pegasus, as well, for a cute little cropped cardi I want to make. And a day later, when I only meant to look through their free patterns (honestly!), they were offering a sample (6 skeins) of their mid-weight house yarns for only $15, so I got one of those, too, in lovely shades of purple.
I don't actually feel guilty for buying yarn. It lasts forever, and if I don't knit it today, there's always tomorrow. Or next year, or whenever. It's just that it's August. August and September are my "no unnecessary buying" months. As a teacher, I don't get paid between July 1st and October 1st, so these are lean months. This is so not the month to get bitten by the yarn acquisition bug! So, I'm promising myself that once I get enough of the bulky cream yarn to finish the cardigan, I'm not buying anymore yarn until November. (October's check is always spent before it actually gets here, so...) Moral support welcome!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Wow, two posts in two days!
Just a quick update. The 4th time was the charm, after all. Yay! I'm about 4 inches in on the blanket now, and it's whizzing along. Plenty of time to finish before the baby shower! (Yes, I'm so relieved to be able to say that, after the tough time I had getting started on this baby blanket!)
I just looked at the First Fall issue of Knitty, and I've downloaded the pattern for Victoria. I'll be shopping my stash for this one, but I really like the look of it. And it's not like I'm in a hurry for it ~ SoCal doesn't need cardigans until maybe December. Although, it's been a pretty cool summer, temperature-wise. Mostly 70s and 80s, with a few 90+, and even fewer (maybe 3?) that reached 3-digits. Odd, really. Maybe the weather is saving up the really hot days until school starts up again. September is usually warm, often hot, so we'll see.
Anyway, back to the baby blanket.
I just looked at the First Fall issue of Knitty, and I've downloaded the pattern for Victoria. I'll be shopping my stash for this one, but I really like the look of it. And it's not like I'm in a hurry for it ~ SoCal doesn't need cardigans until maybe December. Although, it's been a pretty cool summer, temperature-wise. Mostly 70s and 80s, with a few 90+, and even fewer (maybe 3?) that reached 3-digits. Odd, really. Maybe the weather is saving up the really hot days until school starts up again. September is usually warm, often hot, so we'll see.
Anyway, back to the baby blanket.
Friday, August 6, 2010
I'm back! Again!
It's been more than a year since I last posted, and I did some blog reading today and found out I'm not alone in being missing for so long. Several of my regular reads have been "missing" longer than I have! What have we all been doing??
As for me, I had a really tough year at work, a combo class of 35 4th and 5th graders who hadn't learned their social graces yet. It was a long, difficult road to success in June, I tell ya.
Anyway, I'm finally recovered from that year, and I've started knitting again. (I was so frazzled most of the year that I even stopped buying yarn!) But, the daughter of a friend is having a baby, and I decided I was going to knit her son-to-be a nice little blanket.
I found a pattern I liked in Love of Knitting magazine, summer '09, found some yarn I liked at Michael's, a chunky color-spattered really soft yarn, washable of course, and started in. And restarted. And restarted. I tell ya, it made me crazy! It seems such a simple pattern, but I consistently messed up 3 times.
Thank goodness I started this project very early. The shower isn't until August 28th, so I have time, but I just never expected to have this much trouble with such a simple knit. This must be revenge of the Yarn gods for abandoning them for a year!
Maybe the 4th time is the charm? I'm about to find out, once I finish this post. Oh, and eat dinner. I had so much trouble with Blogger today, it took me hours just to get to this blog. Another consequence for dropping out for a year, huh? Anyway, I'll be posting more regularly, although I make no promises. School starts up again on August 30th, so who knows?
It's good to be back!
As for me, I had a really tough year at work, a combo class of 35 4th and 5th graders who hadn't learned their social graces yet. It was a long, difficult road to success in June, I tell ya.
Anyway, I'm finally recovered from that year, and I've started knitting again. (I was so frazzled most of the year that I even stopped buying yarn!) But, the daughter of a friend is having a baby, and I decided I was going to knit her son-to-be a nice little blanket.
I found a pattern I liked in Love of Knitting magazine, summer '09, found some yarn I liked at Michael's, a chunky color-spattered really soft yarn, washable of course, and started in. And restarted. And restarted. I tell ya, it made me crazy! It seems such a simple pattern, but I consistently messed up 3 times.
Thank goodness I started this project very early. The shower isn't until August 28th, so I have time, but I just never expected to have this much trouble with such a simple knit. This must be revenge of the Yarn gods for abandoning them for a year!
Maybe the 4th time is the charm? I'm about to find out, once I finish this post. Oh, and eat dinner. I had so much trouble with Blogger today, it took me hours just to get to this blog. Another consequence for dropping out for a year, huh? Anyway, I'll be posting more regularly, although I make no promises. School starts up again on August 30th, so who knows?
It's good to be back!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)