Reason I love my job number 138:

This is an excerpt from an actual IM conversation between myself and a coworker.

Jack: Would you have any use for a mess of knitting yarn? I have a cardboard carton full that I need to get rid of.
Me: Always.
Jack: You're welcome to it if you can use it.
Me: Thanks very much, I'm sure I can give it a good home.
Jack: do you want me to bring that knitting yarn to work with me tomorrow?
Me: Sure! I'd really appreciate it.
Jack: ok :)

Yes. Just... yes. Even if it's just a bunch of Red Heart worsted weight acrylic I win: There are plenty of projects I have in mind that need.. 'disposable' yarn.

Important Knitting Lessons

8.) Yarn can on occasion be obtained in the most unusual places, in

unorthodox ways... and most amazingly, sometimes for free.

9.) Free yarn can be cheap, scratchy, or ugly... yet it should never be

turned away. The person offering it to you may get rid of some good

stuff later and will remember how happy and thankful you were.

Odd.

Why can I be funny at the most inappropriate times, but when I am trying real hard it won't come out right?

The CJ Ruffled Scarf

On the heels of my last scarf project and determining that the project I want to make out of the yarn I have simply does not exist yet I decided to design my own scarf pattern. (I know, "oooh, challenging." Bite me.)

After frogging out my attempt at a "knitted jar" original pattern as being too painful to complete (two strands of Lamb's Pride Bulky on size 6 DPNs at a gauge so tight the wooden kneedles I was using were threatening to snap under the pressure) I decided my first pattern will be easier on my hands. It'll be a nice and quick knit, even if the planning stages are driving me batty. So many.. pretty.. stitch patterns.. Must.. type.. like.. William Shatner...

Anyway. They final product specs are a secret which is why I've been silent lately, working on it in unpublished posts.

Love you all,
CJ

*whine* It's Hawwwwwwwt...!

Today is the Stitch 'n' Pitch at the Cardinal's home, Busch stadium. I bought 2 tickets, one for me and one for Meli, and they're the special Stitch 'n' Pitch ones too. That means we get the tote bag "full of fiber-arts goodness", which might just be a bunch of coupons for LYSs or some cheap acrylic yarn and plastic needles but I hope not. According to some quick research, previous SnP's at other stadiums had plastic and wooden needles of various sizes and lengths and four balls of acrylic novelty yarns.

I can understand not giving out wool, I suppose, since it's so much more expensive, but I can't help but hope for a ball of bright red Cascade 220.

After resisting the call for so long I can't ignore the longing to create my own yarn. I made a drop spindle from a dowel rod, wooden toy wheel, and a screw-in hook. It's actually pretty balanced (and only cost $.90 each for four spindles). It's fun. I bought a package of wool roving from Hobby Loby that was being marketed as "perfect for felting!" but I bought because it's less than $8 for six colors for a total of 4 oz.

After practicing I have my first small skein of lumpy, uneven, uh that is to say textured yarn. My first single sucked hard. Very lumpy, slubby, and just generally novice-y. The second single that I made to ply with the first was better, more even (especially at the end), and gave me hope that I'm not the worst spinner ever, especially since I've only made two singles of the itchy yellow roving and hope to be ready for some pretty colors soon after going through the rest of it. I dislike the yarn that the itchy roving became, though, and can't come up with a use for the yarn made from it except as part of an afghan for company that has overstayed their welcome.

It's hot in the office today, but it's hot everywhere around here today. As I was driving in to work the weatherman said that it was going to be 100 F with a heat index of 105. And with the window facing as it does the sun beats in and cooks us. Plus the AC doesn't seem to be interested in working.

In home-related news a few weeks ago my catfish spawned (grrr) and spread their eggs all over their tank. I thought I had gotten rid of the eggs later that day, so imagine my surprise when I went to clean the tank and there was a baby fishie under the decorations!! As of now I think the baby is a girl so her name is Gloria (Oh, not I! I will survive!). Just under an inch long and just developing her spot pattern (they're peppered Cory catfish, dark and light greys speckled over their bodies). You can still see into her tummy when she eats! She's so kayooooot!! Pics to come

Destiny and Ramblings

I didn't blog about this yesterday but I kinda fell on my wallet at the Other Yarn Store that's near my work and somehow ended up with a 50 g ball of Misti Alpaca Worsted that had been on clearance for a couple weeks. There were no other balls in this dye lot, which may have been why it was cheap. It's a soft dusty pink color and my hooker coworker (by which I mean that she crochets) wanted to steal it for a chin pillow. It is lovely, soft, sweet-smelling and luscious.

It is also useless.

What was I thinking? What can a knitter make with only one small ball of pink alpaca? I know I could knit my dog a sweater with it and still have some leftovers but I'm not mean enough to put my male dog in a pink sweater. Even if he does weigh four pounds as a fully grown dog.

Since it's been established it was the only ball in its dye lot I can't even go back and get more. I have just purchased a high-class orphan and have nothing worthy enough to pair with it. The stash yielded navy, pink, and rust red cashmere blends, but the colors are all off compared to the alpaca. The only other really really rilly nice yarns (silk blends, super fine merino) I have are fingering weight, sport weight, or fated for socks-- except for my linen worsted, which you could not PAY me to put with this stuff. I have other alpaca yarn, but it's 14 skeins of bulky weight for a blanket I'll be making once I feel worthy of the fiber, and a tangled skein of amethyst jewel-tone bulky I planned on turning into a neckwarmer but frogged when my previous attempt ended in failure and never rewound.

Most of my stash has a purpose, with the exception of some of the acrylic and nylon novelty yarns I purchased before I knew better. Especially the doodoo brown eyelash yarn with variegated grey and tan bobbles twined around it. I have a vague memory of planning a lace scarf for my sister but I've been blessed with amnesia on the details.

Even the Red Heart and other worsted weight acrylic yarns have a purpose. They are for things I want to last until the next ice age, some stuffed animals I don't want to felt, moth repulsion, and cheap presents for people I don't care for. Also, awful plastic-feeling acrylics are a good deterrent for the "can you knit me something?" beggars. My answer? "Sure! Here's a scratchy, cheap, neon yellow and pink scarf that will haunt your nightmares until you die!" (Yes, I'm evil.)

So I have a single ball of pink alpaca that still has no destiny. There's a Knitting Lesson in here somewhere, but darned it I can put it to words.

I must be a masochist.

I must be a masochist.

There's no other explanation for my behavior. I was cruising along on clue 1 for the Mystery Stole and all of a sudden I didn't have enough stitches for a row (row 73). After tinking back the row I counted the number of stitches: 72. I'm supposed to have 73. So I wrack my brain and try to figure out where I went wrong. I didn't want to frog since (as a newbie mistake) I've been removing my lifeline and reusing it to cut down on unnecessary drag when pulling it out on my needles to admire so it was currently in row 66. But as I was unable to find the mistake (even though I had completed rows 67-71 without having extra stitches) there was little choice but to pull it out gently. I slipped my stitches back on my needles with a sigh, prepared to start row 67 a second time when I had a sudden thought and carefully counted them, had a heart attack, and recounted them three times.

66 stitches. 66 stitches for a row that requires 67.

After a little meltdown where I threw a little fit and cried quietly at my seat I tinked back (painstakingly carefully) to the previous lace row and counted again. 64 stitches when there should be 65.

Crap.

I kept tinking entire rows and quietly cursed at myself for moving the lifeline and was getting more and more exasperated, about to the point of regretting I had ever started the stole and thinking maybe just frogging it and denying I had ever even cast it on while chewing tinfoil and singing God Save The Queen would be a better idea... Then I hit row 58. Glorious row 58!! 59 beautiful stitches, perfectly in place and ready for row 59.

After doing a little dance (which drew odd looks from coworkers, I'm sure) and having a celebratory peanut butter cup I am now sitting back down to place a size 10 crochet cotton thread through the wonderful, wonderful row which is now my favorite row in the entire stole. It might be a WS row, but row 58 is the best row in the entire lace project.

Important Knitting Lessons:

the new lessons are in green

1. Never believe a book or pattern when it says you can fudge the gauge on a fitted garment like a sweater, hat, or sock.
2. Always make a swatch using the stitch you'll be using for a sock no matter what the book or pattern notes say, even if it means multiple swatches (St st and pattern), and even if it's only for your own reference.
3. To preserve their sanity a knitter should have projects in a variety of weights, knitting styles, textures of yarn, difficulty, and project lengths in progress at the same time
4. To prevent the desire for self-impalement on their sock needles as a relief from the monotony a knitter should not forget the importance of varying the color family of the yarns in their various projects-in-progress.
5. In cleaning skyscraper windows, rock climbing, and most of all knitting intricate lace safety lines are NOT a stupid idea.
6. Never put all your eggs in one basket, or all your trust in a single lifeline.

I'm blue, da ba di da bu...

Projects OTN (AND I've been working on):

1.) Medium blue Chenille Magic Scarf
2.) Medium/Dark blue "My So-called Scarf"
3.) Medium blue MS3
4.) Medium blue baby kimono
5.) Light blue mittens
6.) Medium blue (mixed with other colors stranded-style) swatch for an EZ yoke sweater
7.) Blue novelty yarn scarf in a lattice lace on size 19s.
8.) Blue-green (but mostly blue) dishcloth


The blue! The BLUE! *cries* I swear on all things woolly I did NOT plan on this. The MS3 signups closed before I got a paycheck from my new job so I had to CO with the only laceweight wool I own: denim-colored Cashwool from Lane Borgosesia Baruffa. That was what made me realize just how many blue items that are in the works.

In happier news I've identified the problem: I need to meet people with a favorite color other than blue. TBT loves dark blue, Meli loves all blues, my sister loves blue and I can't help but knit for her especially in blue since it looks so nice next to her bright blue eyes. My mother requested a blue scarf, my dad wants a Rams hat (dark blue and gold), and I've been planning to make a blue sweater for a year.

I want to cry.

The baby sweater, chenille, novelty yarn, sweater swatch, and mittens have been buried deep in the stash and the dishcloth frogged since no matter how soft and dreamy the yarns may be there's only so much blue a girl can take. To ease the monotony on my eyes I've cast on a narrow red fun fur scarf for the Stitch 'N' Pitch knit night at the baseball stadium. No pattern, just mindless garter in Cardinal Red to distract me from the blue and the fact that the MS3 is kicking my butt.


Maybe I can foist an Atlanta Falcons (red and black) colored cap off on TBT. They're his favorite team. Or maybe complete my Transformers reversible Autobots/Decepticons design. That would break the monotony. Or maybe I'll resume work on my Fire Engine Red EZ Pi Shawl too, or a yellow dishcloth.

Knitting Lessons: the new lessons are in green.

Important Knitting Lessons

1. Never believe a book or pattern when it says you can fudge the gauge on a fitted garment like a sweater, hat, or sock.
2. Always make a swatch using the stitch you'll be using for a sock no matter what the book or pattern notes say, even if it means multiple swatches (St st and pattern), and even if it's only for your own reference.
3. To preserve their sanity a knitter should have projects in a variety of weights, knitting styles, textures of yarn, difficulty, and project lengths in progress at the same time
4. To prevent the desire for self-impalement on their sock needles as a relief from the monotony a knitter should not forget the importance of varying the color family of the yarns in their various projects-in-progress.
5. In cleaning skyscraper windows, rock climbing, and most of all knitting intricate lace safety lines are NOT a stupid idea.

Death of a sock.

The pictures speak for themselves.

Updates.

Someone commented to me last week that I haven't updated in a while so I decided to get off my butt and update. A lot has been going on and I haven't had too much time or energy to type up things that have been coming to a frothy boil in my brain.

Suffice to say things have not been going well. In non-knitting news I've been unemployed for almost a month now and have been looking desperately for a job. (If anyone knows of a vacant computer help desk-type job *please* let me know about it.) The other major component of my non-knitting misery is that my sweetheart (the Boy Thing) lost HIS job shortly after buying a car and has had to use the money for a trip we were going to take to Chicago in May to keep his wheels and to pay for the insurance and stuff. What it boils down to is that I won't get to see him until September and I last saw him in early January. ;.; Also, my own car is broken on the driver's side door. It won't open or close. The passenger side rear view mirror also was taken off by an orange barrel. The repair shop has ordered the parts and will be fixing everything on Friday... $75.00 for the door and $85 for the mirror.

As far as knitting angst goes I put The Sock out of its misery (a tribute is forthcoming once I'm at home and have the pictures for it) and cast it on again. Also, the red EZ Circular Pi Lace Shawl I had cast on has a major "oopsie" in it in the middle of section II (I can stick my whole hand in a place where there should have been a YO) and I haven't been able to figure out how to fix it yet.

Good news, now. I finished a pair of pale pink Fetching gloves which I had intended for my little cousin but the gauge was off on the second one, making it a good 3/4 inch smaller... so the good news is that I'm keeping them for myself and my cousin will be getting a book. After wearing them for a while the difference isn't nearly as noticeable. I also managed to finish sewing up the yellow baby kimono I've been working on for a while. A little collar and ribbons to secure it shut and I'll have the cutest baby jacket ever. I also finished an original design for a felted evening clutch-style bag in red Lion's Wool. I have to felt it still, but hopefully it'll be cute with a big black button. I'm also freestyling a purple neck warmer in bulky baby alpaca and eventually a felted vase in Lamb's Pride bulky for my knitting needles.

Misadventures in Knitting # 1

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. I am a complete dumbass.

Following a basic sock formula for a woman whose feet are about 8.25 inches in circumference with a yarn and needles with which I received a 9.75 st/inch gauge on my nice swatch (and I like to swatch) for just over 80 stitches for the diameter, and since it's a four stitch pattern I went with 80 even. Sounds reasonable, right?

BZZZZT! WRONG!

According to the book I took the pattern from, Sensational Knitted Socks (bottom right of page 12 to be exact) one may use a sample of stockinette using the needles and yarn you are going to use and use that as an approximate gauge swatch, provided it was not one of the cable patterns. I was using a basic four-stitch and two row pattern without cables or lace or eyelets. Two columns of stockinette stitch, two columns of garter.

Come to find out the main pattern of the sock has a gauge much closer to 8.5 to 8.75 than 9.75. That leads to between 68 (64 for the pattern repeats) and just over 72 stitches circumference. Meaning that at that gauge there's an EXTRA INCH to the circumference. Rawr!

Now I am faced with two options, both of which have pros and cons. Option 1: Make two socks too large for the recipient even though I picked the yarn out special for them because they love the colors. Note that they'll be just about the ideal size for myself or Mel. Option 2: Frog out over 7,500 stitches and start over.

I lose either way. If I *do* frog it out I'll take a picture beforehand.

On that note, since I may as well have something positive come out of my misadventures I've decided to start catologing my mistakes and important knitting lessons learned the hard way. It'll be a growing list somewhere, probably on the left of my blog or maybe it's own page. I dunno yet.

• Important Knitting Lesson #1: Never believe a book when it says you can fudge the gauge on a fitted garment like a sweater, hat, or sock.
• Important Knitting Lesson #2: Always make a swatch using the stitch you'll be using for a sock no matter what the book or pattern notes say, even if it means multiple swatches (St st and pattern), and even if it's only for your own reference.

Otherwise my knitting has been productive. After finishing it (except for binding off) and sizing it on himself the Recipient of Da Scarf determined it needed to be longer by at least two feet. Argh. So that's at least another 6 stripes... 90 rows. Actually, this will be good practice for me to determine how long it will take to do 90 rows so I can plan something. The only down side is that I might need more yarn to complete this scarf. That's right, FOUR skeins of Red Heart may not be enough for a scarf. ...I can't remember smoking anything while designing this scarf but who knows, I may have.

Oddly enough, The Recipient is pleased with the thickness, saying his other scarves are never warm enough for him during the late season games. It's also way too wide, but again he's pleased with that too. ...No accounting for taste. But like the Samurai Knitter said around Christmas time: Knit what the recipient will like and enjoy if you want them to wear it.

The Boy Thing wants me to make him something next. Silly of the Boy Thing (he knows about the dreaded Sweater curse), but at the same time I've been considering making him a pair of Dashing gloves from Knitty. He lives in Georgia, but at the same time I know he gets cold because he whines about it. And I tell him "Fifty degrees? Pfft. Pansey. Talk to me when it's -15 with four feet of snow and a -35 windchill." Can you tell I spent my formative years in upstate NY?

I think that's enough for now. Maybe too much, considering noone reads my drivel.

Home stretch...

48 rows to go on the damn scarf. Should be done before I come to work tomorrow. It won't be cast off, though, so the recipient can try it on for size (I swear it's twice as thick as I thought and four times as difficult to wrap around the neck).

Pictures to come soon.

Trudging along.

I'm pleased with myself. In the course of two hours I have both 1.) watched 3/4 a movie (Short Circuit to be precise) before realizing "oh wait I can knit while doing this" and rushing to the bedroom to grab the da(mn) Bears scarf I've put a deadline of Monday on ... and 2.) knit a full six inches on it. Considering it's about ten inches wide, knit in the round, and I had to make three color changes I'm pretty pleased.

It's the last one I knit in the round, except MAYBE a "Magic Scarf" for an Aunt who wants one.

With any luck I'll be able to finish it today and do some end-weaving. I'm actually considering making him a matching hat, too, since there will be enough yarn for it.

The best laid plans..

There has been much knitting around here. Not much sewing, but some searching-for-cosplay-commission-takers-to-save-my-sanity so I suppose that counts towards getting some costumes done. (Hina Ichigo and Suiseiseki/Rozen Maiden, specifically. Also Jiraiya/Naruto.)


What I've been working on the past few days:

1. Due 5/3 Surprise #1: 1/3 complete. (May have to completely redo due to gauge issues, but I *SWEAR* I swatched!) Entire surprise should be complete by the end of the month. I can't give more details, unfortunately, since it is a *surprise*.
2. Due 5/3 socks: Not enough to speak of, maybe three rows.
3. Due 10/18 Garter scarf : Uh, nothing.
4. Due 3/19 Bears scarf: 4 rows (This should explode in the next couple of days so that I can give it to the Bears fan at work on Monday to test the length, then weave in the ends and sew it together and have it done by Wednesday.)
5. Frogged the light blue mitten again. I'm going to have to just not use that section of the skein, it's getting worn.

I'll start adding images soon.

FOs and UFOs

I could lie and say something happened to prevent me from making another post before now, but to be completely honest I simply forgot. Well, I wanted to index what knitting I finished last year and what's carried over to this one.


Completed Projects:
1. 1 Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting (After many false starts)

2. 3 ballband dishcloths from the Peaches and Cream label/MDK at different gauges and with varying brands of discloth cotton.

3. 1 logcabin dishtowel (my own design, inspired by MDK)

4. 1 Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula sock from Knitty in Trekking XXL during the World Series (Yeah, yeah, the mate is coming. I might add a little length to this one after I make sure I have enough yarn for both.)

5.) Learn to use Continental style knit and purl

6.) 1 Dog Sweater for the killer attack guard dog. It's the right size but fits oddly, so I'm going to reseam it for my Peppy. (FYI "killer attack guard dog" stands for "sweet, loving, adorable, submissive, playful four-pound chihuahua.)

Carried-over projects:

1. Mom's garter scarf (Jo Ann's Angel Hair, ten inches by 60? inches, with size 9 needles. Don't blame me, she picked out the gauge, yarn, and width.) My first project and last plain garter scarf. This was originally going to be in St st since it knit up so fast, but I discovered the sad truth about curling so then decided the simplest solution would be garter. Can you tell I was new? A ribbed scarf or another stitch pattern never even occured to me. Lace would have given me a seizure at that time. Now here it is, a full year and a half later and I still haven't finished it. I'm going to have to sit down and just knit it this weekend or something.


2. da Bears scarf (Red Heart Supersaver worsted acrylic held double, St st knit in the round on a 30 inch size 17 circular, alternating colors between Royal Blue and Pumpkin every 15 rows): a coworker is paying me to make a thick Bears colors scarf. Turns out I picked the colors for the Fighting Illini instead... but he seems okay with the color choice. I hate this scarf with a passion. Although, on the other hand, this scarf was the reason I learned to knit continental style and, as I grew to loathe it, to look into much faster alternatives. I have maybe 60-75 rows left.

3.) Universal Toe-up second sock. (Yeah, yeah.. Kiss my ass. These are for me and aren't a very high priority. The dishcloths and kimono were on a timetable.)


Projects begun in 2007

1. Top-down garter rib socks with (gasp) a heel flap, gussets, and everything. Trekking XXL on size 1 DPNs. First one is just past the 1.5 inches of 1x1 ribbing and starting on the second row of the main pattern.

2. Another discloth. "The MDK Dishcloth". It's knit in the round. I frogged it out after realizing I had forgotten to remember an extra K12 and finished the specified number of bobbles halfway around. I do plan to get back to this eventually.

3. Pale blue Cascade 220 mittons for Mel. on size 3 dpns. Frogged twice, three false starts


Projects Planned

1. fingerless clawless gloves for Pinchy the Crab.

2. Blue pair of Fetching gloves

3. Red pair of Fetching gloves

4. Finish a couple projects in the Ultimate Knitting Machine booklet

5. Pair of Dashing gloves

6. Dog sweater on UKM

7. Linen bath towel or two

8. Thigh high knit stockings

9. Socks, socks, socks.

Protest over.

I've been ignoring Blogger out of protest of being forced to get a Google account in order to use it. Errgh. It's annoying to have to sign up for a different service in order to use one that you do want to use. But I've had too many thoughts brewing in my head to keep them all bottled up any more.

This afternoon or late tonight I'm picking up a digital camera to show my knitting to the world. I haven't had any FOs in a while so maybe keeping a public log of it will help encourage me to finish.

At any rate there will be more later today from the Jester.

Hi y'all! (AKA: The Boring Introductory Post)

Dear World,

Hi! My name is CJ, and I like to crochet, sew, knit, sculpt, draw, paint, and countless other artistic and crafting activities. My other hobbies are reading, writing, watching anime, and various aspects of music. Currently I'm employed through a temp agency to monitor ATMs for a major US and international bank. Also important in my life is my sweetheart, who is called The Boy Thing. I currently live and work in the greater St Louis Area, but in my 24 years have lived in West Virginia, Arizona, Upstate New York, and Ohio.

My sense of humor is rather dry and slightly sarcastic so I don't generally direct it at people. I don't want to offend anyone, but I will definitely speak my mind.

Much love,
CJ