I fought the yarn…and the yarn won.

It has been well documented that when a knitter is faced with the possibility of running out of yarn, said knitter will knit faster in the hopes of out-racing the yarn to the end.

It does not always work out.

This week, I knit faster than I, in my meager experience, have ever knit, finishing 2/3 of a sock in 2 days. This involved desk knitting, lunch knitting, train knitting, sitting-up-in-bed knitting, knitting elbow, sore fingers…and alas. Defeat. (Or, since we speak of socks, should I say de-feet? Heh.)

The battle was lost. The yarn beat me.

Thankfully, Jen from Woolgirl is my new BFF and has come to my rescue with a 1/2 skein of leftover yarn so that I can finish the socks. (As an aside, I wonder – why can’t life behave more like this? For example, when it appears you will surely run out of gas before you get to where you are going, wouldn’t it be swell to mention it to your car and have the gas tank adjust accordingly? Do you see what I’m getting at?)

Oh, and I can give you no other pictures of the socks. They are a secret. (Also, my camera battery has died a sudden and complete death.)

In other news, I wish a hearty good luck to my NY Giants. Eli, prove your Manning-hood.

That is all.

In which I remember the blog.

It has come to my attention that I have a blog.  It has also come to my attention that said blog has not been updated in, oh, roughly 4 months.  Woops!

I blame many things.  First there was buying my first house (stress) and moving into that house (stress).  That ran right into the holidays, and as a result of the moving messing with my holiday knitting schedule, my holiday knitting schedule messed with my blogging.  And then, you know, the great time-suck Ravelry. 

But now I’m moved, unpacked, done with holiday knitting (almost), and starting to normalize, I’ll try and get back to the business of entertaining you all with tales of stash enhancing, startitis, late-night finishing, and so forth. There have also been several FO’s, which I will get to in a series of Holiday Knitting Round-Ups. However, in the event that you are in Ravelry and positively cannot wait a moment longer to see them, they are updated here http://www.ravelry.com/projects/joymichelle.

If you’re not in the Rave, here’s some proof that I actually did knit while I was on blogging hiatus:

These are knit in the Moorish Lattice stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, knit for the lovely Gale.  Yarn is Reynolds Soft Sea Wool, knit on Size 2 bamboo dpn’s.  Backdrop is my new backyard.

On that note, I wish you all a Happy New Year, friends ~ here’s to an amazing 2008 for all!

Back With a Bang!

I had no idea it had been so long since I posted last.  It’s just that it’s been too hot to breathe – much less blog.  My Atlanta people can back me up.  After the long hot train ride, and the taking the dog out in the hot, the extra steps to the computer were just too much. This week is the first full week we’ve had in the last month where we haven’t hit 100 at least once, if not several days in a row.  

I have been knitting, though.  There are projects to finish and projects to start, and I can’t let a little heat wave get in the way!  Just to prove it, I’ll show you an FO…the Firework Jaywalkers!  (now read the title again. get it? back with a bang? har.)

See? Those are my feet they are on. Which means they fit! And they’re all matchy! W00t!

I’ve also finished 3 more socks (1 more pair and 1 single sock), as well as a scarf, a cardigan for my baby cousin and a BRIGHT! PINK! bag for his sister – FO posts forthcoming on those, I promise – I just have to take some pics.

Since I’ve got nothing else, let’s talk about other things that make , like these:

• I haven’t been taking pictures, by my friends Mandi and Diane have, and I’m proud! Check it out – http://media.freep.com/roseylackey/index.html and http://media.freep.com/respect/index.html…
• My boys won, and looked good in the process.  (Have I mentioned it’s FOOTBALL! season?) 
• It’s not like you knitters haven’t already all seen this, but really? I have never loved knitting so much.   

I’ve missed this place – hope you are all well!

FO: Beaded Rib Socks

I have had issues knitting my first socks.  I started with the Jaywalkers that tried to choke me from the foot up.  Rip.  Then I managed to complete a passable Woven Stitch sock, but somebody tied a knot (the word knot does not do it justice. ha.) in the middle of the second half of the yarn. And so, Single Sock.

But, as I promised I would (see the post about the Woven Stitch sock), I have prevailed.

I proudly present my first PAIR of socks.

These were knit out of Rowan Calmer (love) for a friend with no tolerance for the sheep, on size 4 Brittany bamboo dpn’s. 

The pattern (kinda-sorta visible) is the Beaded Rib stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks.  Knit toe-up, with an easy toe and short-row heel, per the book’s instructions.

From trying them on for the photo, I’d say they’d be great lounging socks. Super cushy and soft – perfect for keeping the tootsies warm when fall finally comes.  (Maybe in red or black for watching football games? Hmmm….)

Stay tuned for another sock FO; I’m on a roll.  Forces were working against me from the start, but I have overcome!

Lacking a Catchy Title – Also Lacking the Greatest Yarn Ever Made

It looks like this week has gotten away from me. I can’t blame it on Harry or anything else, really. I have no excuses.

(I just thought of an excuse, actually. I did run a 5K Saturday.

So, I blame the rigorous training program for no blogging.)

I have been knitting, I promise. It’s just that the thing I’ve been spending most of my time on is un-bloggable at this point (but! there are pictures on Ravelry, if you’re interested – it’s the WIP with the “Bday” word in it).

Also, I am getting close to having a pair of Jaywalkers that – breathe your collective sighs of relief – actually fit. Here’s what they look like right now:

Since I have no other progress of note, how about pictures of yarn instead?

This was one of my birthday acquisitions from WEBS, intended to be Sesame. My plan is for it to be my go-to Cardi for the fall and for use in my igloo office. It’s a shame Jaeger yarns are being discontinued, but I am a shameless beneficiary.

I picked this up when Adam had his sale a couple of weeks back – I lurve it, deeply. It’s the Bamboo Grove colorway, which I think will be great for fall socks. The tragedy is that after the sale, Adam then printed his Love and Peace or Else colorway (picture here), and then promptly sold it, and now I am a very, very sad knitter. Those colors – the red, the black – those are UGA colors! And football is almost upon us! I love this yarn like I have loved no other…I MUST HAVE IT!!!!

WIP (Wednesday) Thursday

I so promise that this was going to be a WIP Wednesday post, for reals. I even started writing it yesterday.  But then I had to work late, and went on a post-rain bike ride (so nice), and made some pasghetti…and so time got away from me.  Thus, I present WIP Thursday. 

First up: Sophie, my first felted project.  It’s actually further along than this pic – ready, in fact, for a date with the washer this weekend…and then I need to find a button and some lining, which I could use some tips on if you have them, by the way.

Next up: the second attempt at Jaywalkers, in the larger size.  I am now referring to these as the Firework Jays, because I worked on them at the 4th of July celebration I went to, and that’s what I think they look like now. 

See what I mean?

There may be several one or two other WIPs.  It could be that I have developed a bit of startitis.  I may have joined the Mystery Stole 3 KAL, but let’s not discuss that, if you don’t mind. K? Thx! Bye!

Back to Life, Back to Reality…

I suppose it’s been a while since I last posted on this here blog…I was on vacation here…

doing some of this…

 

and this…

 

and, of course, this…

 

And then? When I came home, I got a post-vacation cold (which was great for knitting, but not so much for sitting up and looking at the computer screen).

But now, I’m back, and I have some catching up to do. I have 2.5 FO’s to post in the next couple of days, as well as a a couple of new WIPs, and a bit of vacation-induced stash enhancing…so keep your eyes peeled.

Also, in case you don’t know, my birthday is Wednesday.

It’s good to be home and well….

They are coming for me.

The Single Sock Liberation Movement ladies are out of control. I have proof that they are sending out little SSLM soldiers to wreak havoc upon the rest of us. I only just started knitting socks, you see, and after I finished the first:

I was proud! I was ready to get started on its mate! I wanted a PAIR of socks, not just one! I was not going to be swayed by other sock yarns or patterns! I was determined to be invincible!

And do you know what happened next? A knot the size of Montana appeared in the second half of my sock yarn, placed there, without question, by a microscopic little monster sent by the Single Sock people. This was not a knot to be reckoned with – I tried for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 hours to even make just a smidgen of progress and finally had to cut out about half of the half of yarn that was left. And you know what this means, right? No second sock to match my first sock. This was yarn that was gifted to me by someone helping me get started on the road to sock knitting, and so I can’t just go buy more.

And now? I’ve just started two more socks. Different socks.

In closing, I will say that I have only just begun to fight. I might WILL finish a pair. Mark. My. Words.

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.

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: