Good News and An FO…and Sadly, Frogging.

The good news? I almost have a sock that fits!

Here’s the sock at the Atlanta Jazz Festival last Saturday…

…where it was inspired by great weather and great music and has grown and grown so much since then – I think I have 2-3 more inches on the foot and then I’ll be able to start my first toe! W00t!

The FO: Monica #1 is finished…

I decided not to continue the ruffle on the back – I think this is already going to be a smidge big for it’s intended recipient and didn’t want to overwhelm the poor child with quite so much ruffle. Hopefully I’ll get it in the mail soon and then get some pictures of a human model, although the bear was quite cooperative. I think I’m going to do Monica #2 in the round – no seams sounds like a grand idea to me. I’m torn between using the same color combo as Monica #1 or doing the reverse – the variegated for the body and pink for the ruffle. The pink is a little more lightweight and might make a softer accent – what do YOU think? (Also? Does anyone have another word for ruffle? I’ve said it 124 times in the last three sentences…)

The Deets:
Pattern: Monica from Knitty, Spring ‘07
Needles: Addi Turbo Circs, size, 32″
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby in Pink and Pink Parade

What else?

Oh. The frogging. I made an executive decision to rip Ester and cast on again for the next largest size – there seems to be an emerging sizing problem with it coming out just a bit smaller than expected, and I am so in love with the pattern and the yarn that I couldn’t bear to not have it fit in the end. More on that at the KAL.

Introducing Peter…

…the Top Secret Graduation Gift.

My Dad just graduated with his Doctoral degree and had a birthday last weekend, and this was my gift in celebration of both of those things. I think it came out nicely, since it was my first garment and I had to learn to seam and pick up stitches the right way and blocking all of that – which, by the way, I owe a huge thank you to Nell at Knitch! I was worried about it being long enough (my Dad is 6′6″), and thankfully that ended up not being a problem – however, it is too big around. Mom is going to help me try to seam up the sides on the sewing machine and pull some of the excess in. All in all, though, I think it came out better than I expected. Love you Dad and congrats again!

Pattern: Peter Easy from Berroco
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Colorway 110 (Lake), Just under 5 skeins
Needles: Size 8 Clover Bamboo Circs, 29″ for the ribbing; Addi Turbo Size 9 Circs, 32″ for the body

P.S. Check out the Ester KAL for what I’ve been working on this week…

Life on the Blogland Playground…

I’ve been tagged! Which is very exciting! Because it means someone has read my blog! (Or, at the very least, someone knows I have a blog – either way, it’s progress.)

Specs got me for the “7 weird things about me” meme.

1. I have an inexplicable desire to own a pet turtle named Pablo.

2. I am one of those obnoxious eaters who can’t stand for the different types of food on the plate to touch. As a result, I often find myself using three or more separate pieces of dishware in one meal. Also? I eat one thing at a time, in order of least favorite to most favorite, and I always turn my plate so that the thing I happen to be eating at that moment is directly in front of me. Apparently, I’ve always done this. Right, Mom?

3. I do not like – and by do not like, i mean HATE – to fly. (This is on my mind because I have to fly tomorrow. Wish me luck.) I would much rather drive for 42 hours to get somewhere. And yes, I realize that this is statistically irrational.

4. When I was very small, I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. This lasted until I changed my goals to become a Dallas Cowboys player. Why Dallas? I have no idea – I can’t stand the Cowboys.

5. The sound of people filing their fingernails just about makes me nauseous.

6. When I set an alarm, the digits in the minutes have to add up to the digit(s) in the hour. For example, my alarm set for work is at 5:41 AM.

7. My favorite movie ever? The Cutting Edge. I even tried ice skating lessons once, but quickly realized it was not for me. I think it was one of the few things in my life I quit halfway through.

Now, I’m supposed to tag people. I still think I’m relatively new in knit-blog-land, so I don’t know if I’m going to tag someone who’s already played…or if the people I tag will even know! Oh well – c’est la vie! Here goes – I tag Leah, Sarah, Nuttnbunny, and Ashley.

Oh, and because this is a knitting blog, here’s a picture of yarn.

Specifically, Classic Elite Skye Tweed for Ester – I’ll be casting on this weekend on my trip. Stay tuned to see pictures of the Top Secret Graduation Gift after it’s unveiling…

And now back to the blogging.

I haven’t blogged in a week. It’s because I’ve been knitting. You understand, right? There’s been a singular focus on finishing the Top Secret Graduation Gift, and then there was blocking, and seaming, and weaving in. Now my eyes are uncrossed (almost) and my hands are uncurled and it’s done and done and done some more…but I can’t show you pictures yet. I’m sorry. After this weekend, all will be revealed.

In the meantime, I’ll catch all of you readers up on the other WIPs – you know, like a Week in Progress, Work in Progress post. Catchy, eh?

First up, and farthest along, we have the front of Monica:

I gotta say, I don’t do pink, but this? This is cute. Yessiree.

Next is the Dream Swatch Scarf (scroll down on left for pattern):

Then, the revitalized brown sock. Once upon a time, this sock was a Jaywalker, but it tried to strangle me from the feet up, so I decided it needed a gentler pattern in order to corral it’s aggression. Hence, the Woven Stitch from SKS:

And last night I cast on for the Ribs & Lace Tank from the Spring ‘07 IK. Nothing to see here on that front yet. I think it will be my traveling project this weekend….

In closing, Katy would like you all to know that she is glad the Top Secret Graduation Gift is done, so that she can go out and play instead of looking at me like this whilst I knit and kneglect:

Spectrum Sunday!

It’s a beautiful day here in Atlanta, and I thought it appropriate for a (project) Spectrum Sunday collage – hope you enjoy!

If it doesn’t fit…

…You must rip it.

And so it goes with the Jaywalker, or should I say the yarn formerly known as the Jaywalker.  It now goes by this symbol:

I kept thinking that if I just kept going, it would get bigger.  Which is true, I suppose, since the tube was getting longer and it was growing a heel flap and all that, but it wasn’t getting bigger AROUND.  Once I decided to actually try it on, what I had been suspecting for some time proved true – it was not going to go over my heel.  Proof:

Alas.  But!  It was my first sock.  I’m sure nobody’s first sock works. Right? RIGHT?

And then there’s my rationalization sour grapes fact that while I love the Jaywalker pattern, I didn’t really love it with this yarn – it was too dark or something and it just didn’t look as nice as all the other Jaywalkers in the world.

Have no fear. The sock is not off the hook. I will Jaywalk again, with lighter, more colorful yarn.  This yarn, has already be re-cast-on for a sock from SKS.  Don’t know which pattern yet, but I’ll keep you posted.