Too much Flickr

head wrap/scarf in progress
Originally uploaded by Star Knits

The more I visit Flickr, the more I want to see.

I've been interested in joining one of the 365 days projects, and clicking around in one I found this image. Looks so much like the Dream Swatch scarf I started this summer and STILL haven't finished yet. I've decided that it will be a Christmas present for someone, so I need to start working on it again. Pronto.

More on Flickr later if I get my act together and manage to pull images off of my phone.

Third time's a charm

I've ripped it out. Again. I realized when I was looking at the lifeline, that part of it had pulled ut. As I was threading it back through, I noticed a very weird line of stitces 3 up from the bottom. So, ripped out. Third time's a charm right? I've decided I can't work on this with visual distractions. Tomorrow I'm going to cast on again and listed to audio books and see if I can at least do that while I'm kniting this infernal sweater.

So, for tonight, I'm going to pull out a cross stitch to work on whie I have a Torchwood marathon. Yay!

Knitting is supposed to be fun!

and I seem to have lost sight of that. Lately all of my projects seem to be quite difficult and I can't work on them when talking to someone else, watching tv, or when I'm the least bit tired because I will muck it up. I keep taking on new projects that involve one or two new or difficult things in them, or lots of fiddliness or something.

I've been trying to make progress on the twenny dolla sweater that I started over a month ago now, and I've made ome progress. I switched to Addi turbo lace needles, I've restarted and cast on 120 stitches as the pattern says, and put in a lifeline at row 9 when I put in my markers. I'm now at row 16, but something has gone wrong once again. I have too mny stitches in one section, and an odd number of stitches in another. The increases ar done in even numbers so I should never have an odd number of stitches at the end of a row.

I need to pull out my work to the lifeline and start again. For the third time. At least this time I don't have to cast on again!

I've read that you can relax your addis but dunking them in hot wate briefly and straightening them out under cool water. I'm going to try this when I pull the needles out and see if my magic loop technique gets any better.

I started what I thought was going to be an easy, work on when I'm tired project - fingerless gloves. After changing yarns three times I settled in bit. It's simple, knit in the round, with make one increases at the thumb. I've had to restart once sine I'm using DK weight on size 9 double points and the large came out baggy, bt now I'm doing the medium and it seems fine. Here's a pic of the one I ripped out.

Toodledo your to-do's

I've been trying out a free online program for managing to-do lists called Toodledo. It lets me create my lists and put them in folders, code them with tags, goals, due dates, etc. I can access it from any computer, and I can also export the list to excel or print out a mini booklet to bring with me. I've only been using it for a week and can't tell yet if this will be the answer for my scribbles on scraps of paper and edges of books.

Addis!!

I bought my first set of Addi circular needles - size 9 Addi lace turbos!

I am having a real issue with them as I try to knit magic loop while working on my lace sweater. Or maybe I'm having trouble with the magic loop part, seeing as I've never done that technique before.

My friend Amber sent me an article on magic loop from Knitting Daily that was helpful. I just can't seem to get the hang of how to hold on to the stupid thing.

Did I mention that I ripped out the first go at the sweater last week? Yep. didn't use that lovely lifeline that I love so much. And of course, it turns out Knitting Daily has a post about that too! I feel her pain. Somehow while merrily knitting along on this sweater and throwing in make ones before AND after every marker every other row, I got a little too excited and add some more stitches. For good measure. Because who doesn't want more stitches? My bust naturally starts above my armpits, why do you ask?

I decided to do a stitch count after getting row 18, just to make sure I was on the right track. I started out with 144 stitches (I'll get to that in a minute) and after 8 rows of straight knitting, increase as above until you get to x stitches in between certain markers, blah, blah, blah.

Well, if I'm adding the same number of stitches all around, I should have the same number of stitches between the markers. Nope! I somehow ended up with LOTS of stitches in one spot and the normal amount everywhere else. Hopefully the second time around I will pay more attention.

I'm finally taking my favorite shoes in to be repaired. They are red Born mary jane mules that I bought at DSW 7 or 8 years ago. It took 2 years to stretch them out through wearing. the elastic on the straps is a little gone, but that just makes them fit really well. Even the soles are in great shape. The problem is the insoles. They cracked inside ages ago and now they're at the point where they stink and pinch my feet. I pick them up Friday.

The clouds today look like a Maxfield Parrish painting. I wish I could just stay outside and stare at the sky.

One of my favorite things about this theatre is that you can see outside from your seat. Right now they're clearing the stage from the opening band band right into the alley. Sweet! And the music playing? Tom Waits. Perfect. Now I just need to will my headache away.

I'm at The Mike Gordon Band concert waiting patiently even though I know he won't be playing the banjo.

Lists

I'm finally getting in gear with all of the taks I have to do before my sister's wedding in October. I just booked my flight - finally - and now I need to get down to business.

-book flight - check!
-find a tailor in order to get dress altered - check!
-drop off slides for digital scanning for slide show at reception - check!
-scan oodles of pics for same
-dig through digital images for same
-email Dan's relatives and beg for photos and lots of them for same
-buy black shoes for wedding
-lose 50 pounds in one month, okay 10, okay, just don't gain any weight!
-buy plane ticket
-find out if I need to make crazy ribbon wands
-find out what the heck she means by family tree

Babette is back!

I decided to take a break from working on Babette sometime in February or March in order to work on baby gifts for a few people, and then I started on some lace projects which have sort of stalled. Now I have a crazily complicated wedding gift underway, bu now that I realize there is no way to finish before the wedding date, I am working on some other projects at the same time. I did start on my very first laceweight project, which is also my vey first adult sweater. I've run into a weird problem where I'm increasing more in the front than in the back, or vice versa, and I'm not sure what I did. I haven't decided whether to rip it all out and start over, or if I should find the last foundation row and thread a lifeline through, and rip down to there. Which choice will be easier?

I would post pictures of things, but I can't seem to find my camera. Time to do some cleaning!

My Babette ravelry link. My sweater link.

With a little bit of luck...

I will relax and enjoy weekend. It's been a rough couple of weeks with moving my company's Cambridge office, verizon screwing up our services, and my back deciding that I didn't need it for a while and going into knots. This clover is embedded at the base of my bosses driveway. neat huh?