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.

It’s A Sign…

Normally, I’m not a fan of the “What kind of <insert random object> are you?” quizzes that the Internets seem to propogate. I took a “What Animal Are You” quiz recently, and ended up with this:

You’re a Sowbug!

You go by many different names and wear many different hats, but
you still have a strange universal sort of appeal. You were extremely popular in
grade school and while your popularity has slid downhill ever since, many still
have fond memories of playing with you. These days it seems you find yourself
between a rock and a hard place, but you know you’ll do fine as long as you can
procure some water. No one should try to make a silk purse out of your
ear.

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I mean, really? A sowbug? I could think of several animals I would choose before a sowbug, people. In any case, it makes my point about why I generally don’t bother.

But then I saw this one and made an exception – it’s about yarn and all – and I think the answer is a sign.

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that’s okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

See, I’m about 20 rows and some seaming away from finishing Ester (and hopefully just in time for some kinda-sorta-autumnal mornings and evenings), and I was having a bit of trouble deciding which sweater project to cast on next. So many options, you know. Notre Dame de Grace? Sesame? Nordic Wrap (cover pattern) to learn stranding?

But then I took the quiz, and I’m taking the answer as a sign. I ordered some of this (in a charcoal gray that’s sold out now) from the summer sale at Webs, and I’m hoping it will work for Ariann. I need a fall sweater I can wear to work, because none of my old clothes fit me anymore. Which is a good thing, but still leaves me in a bit of a predicament. I’m loving the “minimal finishing” part, and think I’ll probably go with the long-sleeve option. Swatching to commence at some point this week – I’m going to try and be good and actually finish Ester first, but maybe while she’s blocking and drying…

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!!!!

Let’s talk yarn…

This is not a yarn cake. No, don’t argue – this is a yarn cupcake.

(Blue Sky Alpaca Silk for Mom’s Clementine Shawlette)

This, dear readers, is a yarn cake.

(Cascade Eco Wool for a project to be named later)

You don’t believe me? For comparison purposes:

I’m just saying it’s a good thing I decided to take that hank into Knitch (it’s the best LYS in the world, have I mentioned?) to get it wound, because I fear what would have become of me and the yarn trying to wind that sucker by hand.

<<In non-knitting news, I would just like to say that I cannot remember a time when I have not been a loyal fan of the Atlanta Falcons, even when they were really, really, really bad. Now, because of this,  Michael Vick is officially dead to me.  And until Arthur Blank does the right thing and gets rid of him, so are the Falcons as a whole.  I’m taking suggestions for a new team, if you have them.  In the meantime, I say put Mr. Vick in a ring with one of the dogs he tortured and see if he likes it.>>

How about something pretty to take our mind off of it?

Yes, that is the Mystery Stole #3, which I have decided to knit.

I have never knit lace before.

I have to learn to knit lace, because Anne did this.

So see? It’s all her fault.

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!