Work Sucks, Lace is Great

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Heather

Today was not the best day.  This was my first trip back to the office after going on leave (or leaving, depending on how you look at it).  My team is at a new location now, and while it is quicker and more convenient to get to, it frankly sucks.  Bland grey and white everywhere, and everything is locked down.  Because I have no key, I couldn’t even get out of the lunch room without help.  I’m so glad I’m not going back full time.  I love being with Baby Man waaaaay too much.  And I am so grateful that at this point in my life I don’t have to go back to work there.

So, other than complaining about work (did I mention that no one seemed to miss me and that my team has increased in size by a factor of 4?!), I’ve been knitting like crazy on the Scroll Lace wrap.  And I am so happy to say that I only have the bind off left too do.  Yay me!  There was no way I expected to get it done so quickly.  Here is what it looked like when it was 3/4 done:

scrolllace-july29,09

Pretty, eh?

Once it is done, I’ll probably knit on my Tesla scarf, which has been very slowly growing.  I will also be so very, very happy return to my cross stitch and I will work diligently on Baby Man’s stocking and start on a wedding piece for my sister-in-law and her wonderful almost-husband.

Tomorrow my LYS is having a sale, and even though I said no stash this month, I’m going to walk down to take a look.  It would be a shame to let yarn I can use go to waste, especially if it is really on sale.

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Scroll Lace and Teacup Dragon

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Heather

Pictures again!  Thankfully the husband had a spare USB cable, so I didn’t have to find mine.  (Actually, I looked everywhere for it and it has completely disappeared.  Another way the phone is getting its revenge on me.)

So, here is a close up shot of the lace that will be on the edge of the wrap I am furiously knitting up.  I’m more than halfway through this edging, so I’m making good time.  As I mentioned yesterday, the yarn is Berroco’s Pure Pima, a lovely soft cotton, in colourway 2201 White Linen.  (The picture is a bit dark.)

scrolllace-july2709

And, happily, the package I sent to New Zealand for the Fantasy Exchange on the Rotation Stitchers board made it to Zeb safe and sound even though the package was addressed without her last name. (Opps!)  I send Teresa Wentzler’s Tempest finished as a pinkeep and a bunch of other goodies like some Just Nan charts and some of my favourite candies, Rockets. (Which I just learned are called Smarties in the U.S.  Our Smarties look like this.)  I would have liked to send more, but overseas postage is crazy expensive so I had to watch the package’s weight.

fantasyexchange-summer2009

I can’t wait to see what I will get as part of the Fantasy Exchange.  I really like doing exchanges.  I think it is because it is nice to send a cross stitch piece to someone you know will appreciate it, and, well, it is just so nice to get gifts in the mail.

Well, back to the salt mines knitting up Scroll Lace.  I love the way it is turning out, but I wish I had more time.  I’d really like to cross stitching in the evenings.  Oh well!

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Lace, Family, and Small Sucesses

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Heather

Sadly, this is a post without pictures.  You see, I’ve been having lots of trouble with my cell phone.  (Oh, how I wanted to love it when I first bought it.  But now I hate it and spend time thinking of ways to break it so I can buy a new one.)  So, the USB cable that is usually attached to my computer for the digital camera and other things is now being used to charge the phone in hopes that using a different charger will help it last until the replacement phone the cell phone company is giving me arrives.  (Not mentioning names here because I work for the cell phone company. I curse them and the phone. 😛 )

Anyway, what I was going to share is my new project, Scroll Lace from the August 2009 issue of Yarn Forward.  It is a pretty little wrap or mini-shawl that I am trying to knit up before August 5th.  That’s the day we are going to my sister-in-law and her fiancé’s celebration dinner.  I’m knitting it out of Berroco’s Pure Pima, a lovely soft cotton yarn with a fabulous drape.  Hopefully I can share pictures tomorrow.  (In the meantime, here’s a link to the Ravelry page.  You must log in to see it though.)

I did go to a wedding on the weekend, and I was brave enough to wear the Ribbed Lace Bolero that I shared with you a little while ago.  I think it looked lovely with my dress, and no one asked what that awful thing on my back was, so I think it was a success.  Sadly, no pictures of this either.  Honestly, I am so pale that I don’t photograph well, so I don’t often allow my picture to be taken.

And, speaking of family and weddings, I’ve been thinking about all the brouhaha that surrounds them.  Weddings seem to be a time that both brings families together and also pushes them apart.  Maybe someone is left out, or thoughtless words are said, or someone has waaaay to much to drink and embarrasses everyone.  It just seems to be a weird time.  And after thinking about all of that, because I like to think, I wonder if it is okay to be tired of your family.  Is it okay to step back and say you’ve had enough for a while; that being considered family one day and then not family the next isn’t okay.  Yeah, it’s been that kind of a month.

Now, for something a little lighter, why not check out Erica’s blog: Erica’s Places.  She’s taking a cross stitch project with her on all of her family’s summer jaunts.  The adventures of the Travelling Project are great fun to read.

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Sleep, Banished Cthulhu and Socks (of course!)

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Heather

It has been a crazy and difficult couple of days.  Yesterday was Baby Man’s 18 month check-up and it went well.  He is still tall and skinny for his age, but I love him anyway. 😉  Unfortunately, he also got two shots, which made him just a bit grumpy.  But after a long nap his mood seemed to perk up–until he woke up at 4am this morning and would not go back to sleep.  So, as you can imagine, Baby Man and I had a bit of a difficult day today.

Thankfully though, quanta watched Baby Man for a little while so I could have a nap.  Not long enough, unfortunately.  Baby Man only collapsed for a 30 minute nap today. I don’t know how he made it through the day.  I hung on only through force of will and the desire to get some work done on these super cool African Violets from Planet June.  No pictures yet, as I just have seven leaves and a soil mound.  Hopefully I’ll have it done by the end of next week.  It would be sooner, but I need some white and yellow yarn and goodness knows when I will get out to get it.

Here’s Baby Man playing Baby Smash on his daddy’s computer.

babyman-july2009

(I’m rambling, a sign I need some sleep badly.)

I finished up my toe-up pink socks a few days ago.  They turned out nice and fit very well.  The stripe pattern does not match because the Mary Maxim Bamboo Soft Stripes yarn has a very long repeat and I just didn’t want to waste that much yarn.  I’m hoping I can get three pairs of socks from the two balls I have of this colour.  Thankfully, I like short socks so I shouldn’t have any problems.

Toe-Up Socks with a Difference, July 2009

The pattern is Toe-Up Socks with a Difference (pdf link) from Wendy Knits.  It is really easy, since it is essentially just stockinette stitch.  The difference referred to in the pattern name is the gusset increases which are placed on the bottom of the foot.  You can seem them in this post, where I had just finished them and was about to turn the heel.

I’m not sure which socks I will start next.  I really do want to do these Lily of the Valley Socks, but I might need to work on something less complicated. And I do have that entrelac scarf I started at my knitting class last night. I suppose today isn’t a good day to make any decisions.

My crocheted Cthulhu isn’t going well.  He is currently living, in pieces, in my TUSAL jar.  I think I’ve figured out how to do the tentacles, but I’m having trouble actually doing them.  So, I got mad and he got put away.  Here he is before he was banished.

chuthulu-july22,2009

Scary, eh?  C’thulhu fhtagn, indeed.

That’s it for today.  I’m off to sleep, hopefully for the whole night.

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TUSAL July, and More!

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Heather

It’s the New Moon again, and that means it is time to share my Totally Useless Stitch Along photos.

tusal-july-1

tusal-july-2

All the knitting and crocheting I’ve been doing is really helping to fill up my jar.  I can see yarn from my crocheted Cthulhu on top (pictures soon), from my pink socks (ditto), and from the Baby Surprise Jacket and the bolero.  There is also lots of floss too, from the Baby Man’s Christmas stocking, Castles in the Air, and a couple of other projects too.

If you are interested in joining the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL), check out this post on Yoyo’s blog.  It is fun and, well, totally useless.

On to progress pictures of a different kind!

Baby Man’s stocking is coming along well, even though I am already tired of Christmas things.  Great, eh?  And I haven’t even started my ornaments for this year.  Ah, the hard life of a crafty person.  We always have to be so far ahead of the season, and therefore get tired of it so much quicker.

stocking-july21,2009

And, with Part 4 of Castles in the Air being released, I’ve decided that I really need to get moving on Part 3.  Here’s a small sample of how Side 1 is turning out:

castlesintheair-july21

I’ve decided to do all the urns are the Rhodes oval rather than half of them as oval eyelets.  And I still haven’t decided on beads.  I think I had better do that soon, or I’m going to have a whole huge pile of beading to do at once to get caught up.

On my knitting needles right now is the seemingly endless Tesla scarf, now about a foot long.  I may cast on another pair of socks soon, or go back to the two at a time ones I started a little while ago.  Cross stitch-wise, it is the stocking and Castles in the Air.  I’m also working on one of those small Mill Hill Treasured Diamond kits, and I hope to have that done and ready to share soon.

Tonight is my second entrelac knitting class, so I should have some super neat pictures of that to share soon too.

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It’s In You to Give

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Heather

A short post today, since I’m off to give blood.  It is fairly quick to do and doesn’t hurt much at all.  Why not take some time and donate blood?  You’ve got plenty, trust me. And, hey, the waiting time is great for stitching or knitting!

Canadians, you can find out more here: Canadian Blood Services.  Americans, you can find out more here: American Red Cross.  Everyone else, check with your doctor/telephone book/Red Cross/whomever.

One more thing to share: today is my cousin’s wedding.  (Yes, the one I wasn’t invited to.)  Here is what I stitched for her gift:

The Wedding, My Big Toe, June 2009

It’s The Wedding by My Big Toe, stitched on 28ct white Lugana using WDW Twilight and GAST Liberty.  I hope she likes it.  (The dark spot is a shadow from the camera.  Oops!)

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The Morgan Incident

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Heather

I’m still a pretty new knitter.  I made my first knit and purl stitches back in September 2008.  In the past ten or so months I’ve completed a lot of projects, some easy and some a little more challenging.  (You can see them here.)  I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a good knitter, I’m just good at following instructions and at looking for help when I need it.  And, surprisingly, the past ten months have been mostly free of mistakes and disasters.  That is, until the Morgan came along.

The Morgan is a ivy-style driving cap that was featured in Fall 2008 edition of Knitty.  It is a great hat.  I really wanted to make it for my dad since he always wears those types of hats, and so does Baby Man.  And I wanted to make it out of something that would be warm and soft and wonderful, so I got myself some Ultra Alpaca.  Yes, the very yarn that taught me that I was allergic to wool and most animal fibres.  Not a great idea, true, but with a painter’s mask on, I was able to work with the yarn for up to an hour and a half at a time without much discomfort.

The hat moved along well, I thought.  It looked a little large, but I figured it would all work out nicely once things got folded and tucked around.  And then I got to the point where some of the hat went on stitch holders and I could try it on.  Well, it wasn’t just a little large, it was silly!  It looked a lot like those flat chef hats.  Hardly the stately “old fart” hat I was going for.

So, the Morgan has been frogged, the yarn wound into two balls.  (Yeah, I figured this out just after the instructions call for breaking the yarn.)  The extra skein has been returned for store credit, to be spent on some sensible cotton or a magazine, I’m sure.  And the Morgan will be banished from memory… unless I decide to try it again in acrylic or a nice cotton/linen blend.  But not for a little while.

I’m still not sure what went wrong.  I had no trouble with the pattern, and my stitch gauge was right.  I suspect it may have ultimately been a row gauge problem, but I didn’t think to check before I frogged it.

Now I am left to consider what to do with the skein of Ultra Alpaca in a lovely dark grey heathered colour.  It is in two balls, but the whole skein is essentially still there.  It has been knit with, or at least the large ball has been, but the yarn still looks great.  I was thinking of making the South End Knitter’s Hat (Ravelry link).  But whomever I gave it to wouldn’t be able to wear it around me.  (“Here’s a gift to show how much I care about you.  But just don’t come near me!”)  And, really, it is hard for me to work with this yarn; even with a painter’s mask my throat still feels raw after a little while. Not to mention how it makes my hands feel.

I wonder, would anyone out there be interested in it?  Shall I hold another draw for it?  Let me know in the comments if you think that’s a good idea.

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