NOT FOUND!

And now, my friends, we come to the part of the blog in which I ruminate on the internet and the way it affects how we all think. I will address, more specifically, the 404 error message.

Now, I read quite a number of blogs each day. I like seeing what people are up to and reading about what they’re thinking and doing. A lot of personality comes through, along with the knitting, and I feel in some way attached to these individuals. And so, when I click over to a site and am met by the dreaded 404 error message, I become instantly concerned. “Oh dear,” think I, “I hope so-and-so is okay.”

This is actually what I think. Am I crazy? Chances are, the 404 is completely unrelated to said blogger’s personal well-being. I’ve had my own site come up as not found when I was just hanging out, enjoying a hot beverage. I really ought to be thinking, “Oh, I hope Ye Olde Webhosting Company in Skokie, Illinois is okay. I hope some server crash hasn’t caused the archives of my daily read to be lost forever.” And yet, this bizarre transference. Further evidence that proves I am crazy. And you just had to read it. I’m so sorry. I should really place some sort of randomness filter on this site. For everyone’s safety.

SEAMING MY CABLED RAGLAN MAY KILL ME

The heading sums it up. There’s nothing more to say, really. I joined the raglans, but the long, arduous seaming of the sides and sleeves remains. Will it never end?

In other knitting news, I started the front of the sleeveless shell. I was sorely tempted to start something new, but I knew I would never pick the shell up again if I put it aside now. And so I will finish the shell first. I am a knitter with a will of iron.

I LACK KNITTING CHUTZPAH

I've been thinking about this lately, as I go about my daily life, knitting, not blogging, reading about other people's knitting. I lack knitting chutzpah. I really do.

What in blazes am I talking about? Well, I seem to be in a rut here. When I started knitting seriously again, about eight months ago, I chose fairly basic sweaters to work on, with minimal shaping, simple stitches and solid colors. I've had fun knitting these. They've worked up quickly and come out well. But now I seem to be stuck. I keep choosing these sorts of projects, because I know I can do them, but I seem to shy away from much else. I am somehow afraid that if I work with more colors, or more textures, I will suddenly lose all knitting ability and make a god awful mess of things.

So what happens now? Well, I have several projects in the stash that I am excited about starting soon… so I think I will get to work on those. But after that, it's time to branch out, my friends. Anyone have any clever suggestions of where to go from here? What was your first challenging knitting project?

AND NOW, THE PROGRESS REPORT

Enough soul searching. How's the boring knitting going? Pretty darn well. Cable raglan is done and blocked. I seam tonight. In the interim, I started Shriek, a shell knit from Rowanspun DK. It's moving along. I finished the back yesterday and hope to cast on for the front tomorrow. And that's all there is to tell.

OOH!

Chamonix has arrived. Hooray, hooray. It is all that I had hoped for, and more. In response to Larry's question: I chose a color called Paris, a grey blue. Choosing colors based on onscreen samples always makes me nervous, but I am very happy with how it looks in real life. Sadly, the swatching cannot begin, as the all-important pattern has yet to arrive from KnitPicks. Shoot. I suppose it will help keep me faithful to the cabled raglan seaming, though. Everything happens for a reason. And all that jazz.

CLEARING THE DECKS

Well, my friends, things are moving along. I did indeed seam the Serendipitous Cardigan this weekend. Nice job, self. Thanks to everyone who took a moment to share your finishing wisdom, it was much appreciated. As I had feared, the Circus yarn did make the process a pain, but the fuzziness closed in around the seams and rendered them nearly invisible. All in all, the seams look pretty damn good. The verdict on Serendipitous? It’s a little baggier than I had hoped. I think it will be more useful as a jacket sort of item, rather than the wear-to-work cardigan I had hoped for. Live and learn.

Cabled raglan is coming right along. I have a little more cabling to do on the final sleeve raglan, and then it’s all over but the finishing. Finishing will probably wait until the weekend, because that is the sort of person I am.

And so, Koigu scarf is done, Serendipitous is done, the completion of cabled raglan is imminent… what now? Well, I should probably get right back on the horse with the cabled sleeveless turtleneck. You know, not let the tragic frogging keep me down. I think that Shriek, another sleeveless top made from Rowanspun DK, is clamoring for attention, too. But, beyond those, there are not so many stash projects on the horizon. I am catching up with my stash. So. What did I go and do today? Yes, I bought some yarn. And why? Because

I CANNOT RESIST A BARGAIN

I swear to you, at some future time, when I am aged approximately 92, you will see me down at the dollar store, scooping up hideously scented blueberry votive candles by the dozen, just because they are cheap. I can see that I will be that sort of person. It’s so sad.

Today, in my daily blog crawl, I came upon the news that Elann had Jaeger Chamonix on sale. Well, I thought, how good a sale? 47% off, as it happens. And that is good enough for me. Yes, I got enough to make a cabled sweater from Jaeger 8. But it gets worse. I do not have a copy of Jaeger 8. Where could I get one? Perhaps KnitPicks? Yes, KnitPicks came through. While there, I was unable to stop myself from checking the weekly sale. What was on sale? Rowan Cork. Just what I need! I tell you, I am mentally sick. I need help. Can someone recommend an addiction counselor?

And the worst part? This is all winter yarn. Soon, I will need summer yarn. Oh, it is a horrible downward spiral. The coffers of my stash will be full once again. Excuse me now, please, I have to go hang my head in shame.

NO TIME TO BLOG, MUST KNIT.

Wow. This blog has gotten pretty boring lately. Anyone reading out there? No? Well, I brought it upon myself. Fact is, there’s been a dearth of updates here because I’ve been knitting a fair amount this week. Over the weekend, I cam e to the realization that I have some lovely late winter/early spring projects on the needles that need finishing before the weather here in Connecticut turns to hot, humid and hazy. And so, I got down to business.

Koigu scarf is done. Hooray! I’ve been wearing it this week, and it is lovely. It makes me want to make something else from Koigu, just maybe not as repetitive as a scarf. I love the shawls I have seen on other blogs, but I think I lack the discipline to complete one. Such a shame.

Serendipitous cardigan is done and blocked. Seaming awaits. I loathe seaming, so I am putting it off for the weekend, allegedly so I can work on it in natural light. Yes, my justification skills are developing nicely, thank you very much. I made the cardigan in Artful Yarns’ Circus, a very fuzzy boucle. I can’t decide if the fuzz factor will help the finishing, in that it will disguise the potentially bad job I will do, or if it will make it harder, in that I won’t be able to see what I am doing and do a truly hideous job. Very stressful. And yet, I must overcome. I will be strong. If anyone has any seaming tips for this stuff, just call them on out.

Cabled raglan is coming along. Front is done. Sleeve one is scheduled for completion tonight. Sleeve two is scheduled for commencement tonight. Moving right along here, folks. No screwing this one up now! (Having said that, I am now doomed to rip out four inches of cable tonight. Will I never learn?) I am hoping to finish it this weekend as well. Maybe it will be a part of the grand seaming party with Serendipitous. (Two finishing projects? I may be driven to drink this weekend. Please ignore any sloppy, rambling blog entries that may appear. Thank you.)

Cabled sleeveless pullover is frogged. Curses! I had a tension issue. For some reason, when I switched from knitting to purling on the wide ribs, I was getting a column of loose stitches. It was bad enough that it seemed to warrant ripping, making another practice swatch, and starting over. I really like this sweater… so I would like it to come out nicely. I will not start again, however, until the seaming madness is over. Some discipline must be maintained.

And that’s the story, my friends. No time to be amusing. Must knit. Knit like the wind. Yes.

YOU NEVER WRITE

How true. I'm sorry. The fact is, I've been doing a bit of socializing lately, and my knitting has suffered. I have found it to be difficult to pull out the knitting when spending time with non-knitting friends. They seem to think that you are either bored by their company, or ignoring them, or a combination of the two. In any case, I am hoping to get things back on track this week.

GETTING BACK TO MY ROOTS

Back before I began knitting seriously, I was an avid crocheter. (Why is "knitter" a word and "crocheter" not a word? Is there a term I do not know, meaning "one who crochets"? Help, please.) I have mentioned my crochet several times in the past, and I apologize to those who may be getting tired of hearing it. It's just a little update for those who might be new to the story, people. In any case, one of my biggest reasons for conquering the world of knitting was the wide array of attractive patterns available. Crochet patterns were so often limited to afghans (nice, but big) and truly hideous, tent-like sweaters. And so I moved over to knitting, craft of cute little tops. (And socks! Oh, I want to make some! Must finish Koigu scarf first! Dang!)

But now, just as I am approaching a level of knitting that I will optimistically term "intermediate," crochet is everywhere. The latest Family Circle Easy Knitting is loaded with crochet. Even the spring/summer Rowan has crochet. What happened? I am secretly delighted, of course, because, with crochet, I can tackle even the "expert" projects with aplomb. Crochet expert? Yep, that's me. And so, I am thinking about making the little crocheted cardigan in the Rowan magazine. Just because I can. And because it might be nice with skirts.

I HAVE QUESTIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANSWERS?

I have a few other crochet-related musings, which I will include here, as it seems like an appropriate moment.

Musing 1. Has anyone made the granny square skirt which was in the first issue of Knit It? I do not have the magazine, but I remember it being sort of nice. Can anyone tell me how many squares around, etc. it was? Just looking for a jumping off point, here.

Musing 2. Rowan 33 has a little feature on a new book by Erika Knight called Simple Crochet. Research has shown me that this has already been published in the UK, but will not be released here until September. Has anyone seen it? Any UK readers out there? Any readers out there at all? No? Shoot. Anyway, if there does happen to be someone reading who has seen this book, could you let me know if it looks nice? Worth ordering from Amazon UK? Or, if you're feeling particularly interactive, would you like to trade a copy for some US-only product? I'm not sure what that product would be, but I am open to suggestions.

INFIDELITY

Sorry for the lack of updates here. The truth is, I’ve been feeling a touch ashamed. I know you all want to hear the story, so… here goes. I’ve always been a one project sort of person. This dates back to the crochet days, when I would work on a single project for three years, finish it at last, and have it not fit. (The root of my current measuring obsession can be found there, too. I can’t go five rows without checking that my gauge hasn’t gone off.) In any case, I enjoy the process of knitting, but I also enjoy a nice, finished sweater. At least, I like the idea of the finished sweater, even if it goes bad now and again, and this keeps me on the proverbial straight and narrow, plugging away incessantly at the project of the moment.

Now that I am becoming a more proficient knitter, however, it has become harder to work on a single project. You see, I now understand the virtues of having multiple projects, of varying levels of complexity, going at one time. You have your easy project, for tv-watching, you have your small project, for toting around, and you have your complicated project, for those times when you want to feel skillful. I’m sure you all know what I mean. So, I tend to have three projects going at once and limit myself to that.

But this weekend, that went out the window. It all started when I made three stupid mistakes in a row on the front of the cabled raglan, necessitating the ripping out of all the cables. Dang. I won’t even go into the stupid mistakes, because they were just too stupid to tell. Now, the cabled raglan is my easy project, for tv-watching. Obviously, if I was screwing up on that one, it was not the time to upgrade to the skillful project. No, sir. At the same time, I didn’t want to waste my portable project, sitting at home, watching the Oscars. I need to save that for taking to work, etc. You with me?

So it happened. I started a fourth project. I know. It’s so shameful. I am now making the “Serendipitous Cardigan” from Hollywood Knits. (I am using Artful Yarns’ Circus, which is knitting to gauge nicely, but on a smaller needle than the pattern calls for. Don’t you just love these technical asides?) It is shockingly easy and knits very quickly. How quickly? I started the thing during the Oscars, and tonight I will be starting the sleeves. Back and fronts are done. And I am no speed demon with the needles. So… unfaithful I may be, but it’s only a brief fling. I’ll be back to knitting cabled raglan in a day or two… possibly while wearing my cozy new cardigan.

ACRONYMS EXPLAINED!

Well, thanks for clearing up my confusion, dear readers. LOL = Laughing out loud. Good to know. But I have to admit, I like "Lady of the Lake" better. It’s a bit like referring to that Dave Eggers book as AHWOSG. But less annoying. Because I hate that AHWOSG acronym. I can’t even believe I just typed it into the blog. But it’s there now. Nothing to be done. This concludes the acronym-using portion of the blog. Don’t be looking for them again, because they won’t be here. Except for “radar,” because I sure won’t be typing out “radio detecting and ranging.” We all have to draw the line somewhere.

MY KNITTING IS NOT THAT INTERESTING

Yes, it’s true. I’m so sorry. Other people, they’re doing cool stuff. Wendy turns out a fair isle sweater every two weeks, it seems. Michelle just finished a Philosopher’s Wool sweater and has begun an intarsia piece. Teresa is moving and knitting a fair isle vest, simultaneously. Each row that these people knit is exciting. Their every stitch is a marvel of technique. Me? Not so much. The cabled raglan? Mostly stockinette. Even the cables them selves are not that exciting. Are you sitting down? Yes? Okay: slip three to cable needle, hold at back, knit two, knit three together from cable needle. Whew. I know. You couldn’t even handle that excitement while sitting, now, could you?

Maybe I should have thought this through a little more before starting this blog. Maybe there should have been a moment at which I said to myself, “Self, your knitting is not that interesting. There is really no need to share it with others.” Perhaps we all could have been spared. But, that didn’t happen. The blog is here, and, in lieu of exciting knitting, I’m going to tell a little story. True confession time, here. And it is blog-related, at least.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE ONLINE ABBREVIATIONS STAND FOR

Is there a code manual that I didn’t get? Where do these things come from? Do they float up gradually from some internet miasma? Or do they spring, fully formed, into the general, online consciousness? Whatever it is, I am missing something. LOL? What is that? Lots of Love? Lady of the Lake? It could be so many things. Just when I think I’ve cracked it, I see some use that does not fit with my definition at all. I could go on here with some other abbreviations that have me stumped, but I fear to reveal the true extent of my ignorance. So, if you know what these things mean, more power to you. Use them with abandon. But over here at grannysquare, we’re going to stick to writing things out long hand. That’s just the kind of blog this is.

THE WEEKEND

And now, the long-awaited weekend knitting predictions. What will I do? Well, I have a dream that I might complete the knitting of both sleeves of the cabled raglan. I do have the entire Oscars ceremony, after all. It could happen. But, at the same time, some other projects are calling my name. The cabled sleeveless turtleneck, aka “Moll,” wants some attention. The Koigu scarf also wants to know if it will ever graduate from the works in progress sidebar. I also want to start a pair of socks. Everyone’s knitting them, why not me?

TEMPLATE TERROR

Well, okay. I wasn’t going to post today at all, because, frankly, the progress on my cabled raglan just isn’t that interesting. (I’m making the front! It’s a lot like the back! But with a neckline! You get the idea.) But then, I cruised by Larry’s site, and I saw that he was talking about making some changes to his Blogger template and that it was not going so well. And so, I decided to share with you all the sad truth: I live in mortal fear of my Blogger template.

I know, it’s pathetic. But there it is. I don’t think this fear is unfounded. I have screwed my simple template up royally many a time now. Each time I try to add a link or some such, my heart is in my throat. It’s at the point now that, whenever I make a change, I first copy the entire thing into a separate text document, so I can get back to where I was, in case of disaster. I’ve had to go into “safe mode” more than once. Yes. Web programming, not really my strength.

My most recent html horror occurred this weekend, when I first surfed by the little blog at home on my Mac. (With the DSL! Oh, dang, wasn’t going to mention that.) Much to my shock and dismay, the background was black. Now, on my work computer, a PC, the background is white. The template I am using calls for a white background. I wanted a white background. What was up with this black nightmare? I was particularly affronted because I have some personal issues with black-background web pages. They can be okay, but it just isn’t my personal design aesthetic, you know? So what the heck was going on? Was it a platform issue? Who knew?

After some panicked monkeying with my template, which accomplished absolutely nothing, I just gave up and surrendered to the new, blog-of-doom look. Back at work on Monday, I checked the page again. White. At home that evening: white. Huh? What does this all mean? Did my blog, of its own accord, decide that it was time for a little change? Is black its weekend-casual look, and I just never knew? Still, the mind boggles. If any of you are in possession of some canny html knowledge and can explain this mayhem to me, I will be your slave.

In the meantime, don’t expect any big changes here at the blog. Even going into the template section of Blogger causes my palms to sweat and my knees to knock together. Well, maybe it’s not that bad. But it’s close.

I LOVE YOU, DSL.

I know, everyone's getting a little sick of my yammering on about the DSL. Either you already have high-speed internet, and you're over the excitement, or you don't, and you really wish I would stop rubbing it in. Well, I will stop, I promise. I just wanted to let you know that I got it installed without major difficulty and am surfing away.

The downside to the DSL? I spend a little too much time surfing. Before I know it, I've been online for an hour or two, and I haven't posted yet. Hm. And here I thought that the at-home connection would help my blogging.

PROJECTS MARCH ON

The past few days have been pretty productive. The back of the cabled raglan is done. The front of the cabled raglan is ready for cabling. (Put off casting on with the easily breakable yarn? Me? I don't know what you're talking about.) I also started the cabled sleeveless turtleneck, aka Moll.

The bad news for my current projects is the recent warm spell we've been having here in southern Connecticut. 60 degree weather makes me want summer-weight yarn and patterns for kicky little tops. Not good. Could I have a cold snap, please? Just enough to get me through these two sweaters and maybe that Koigu scarf. A couple of weeks. That's really all I need, I swear.

DSL!

Yes, my friends, today is the day that my DSL dream becomes a reality. I have the modem. My friends at the telephone company assure me that my connection has been turned on. I just have to go home, pop in the install cd, and away we go. Posting from home. Oh, yeah. Of course, I do know one person who, in the install process, managed to trash her computer completely, but I trust that this will not happen to me. She is not what I would consider technologically savvy, while I, except for my complete lack of html ability, am sort of okay. Oh, god, Murphy’s Law now demands that my computer explode during installation process. Dang.

While we’re on this techie subject, allow me to tell you my theory about how owning a PDA would completely revolutionize my fiber organization. On second thought, best not. The dear boy is already mocking me mercilessly for this new fascination; I probably should not spread a wider net for ridicule. So let’s talk about other things, like how

I AM STRANGELY FASCINATED BY THE SOUTH.

Yes, I am. I am an Oxford American-reading, Uncle Tupelo-listening dixophile. (Yes, I just made the word “dixophile” up. As in, one who is enamored of all things Dixie. Got a problem?) And I think I have mentioned previously my strange desire to use the term “y’all.” One of my new, brilliant plans for the future involves moving to Austin, Texas and doing something that is not public relations, my current career track. Obviously, the plan still needs to be refined. If anyone out there has some observations or suggestions about Austin or some other fabulous city south of the Mason-Dixon line, I would love to hear them. Be my enabler.

AND FINALLY, THE SUBJECT I HAVE BEEN AVOIDING

Er… knitting. Yes. Well. I did some cabled raglan last night. Really. Just not very much. You see, I ended up almost completely sucked into the Buffy the Vampire Slayer watching. It’s so embarrassing. But, well, Angel was pretending to have turned to evil in order to force Faith to show that she was the evil mayor’s stooge… This isn’t translating all that well, is it? It just sounds bizarre. Well, it is bizarre, but in a sort of good way. Really. Okay, I’ll do more tonight. Right after I set up that DSL…

FORGING AHEAD

I am cabling the raglans! They are looking quite good, though I say it myself, for a first cable endeavor. I hope to have the back done tonight. Sadly, this means I must cast on for the front, and I hate casting on with this yarn, due to it’s tendency to break. Larry very kindly suggested that this was less the fault of my potentially screwy cast on method, and more the fault of the single-ply, loosely spun yarn… but still my heart is filled with dread. Is it okay to start another project just because I fear casting on for this one? No. It isn’t. I know. I will take my courage in hand.

Since nothing else of great import has happened (no one has given birth or set fire to any of my possessions) I think I will have to wind this up now. Can you believe it? A brief entry! Perhaps I am coming down with something…

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

What a weekend it was. Babies were born. Friends came to visit. And, on Saturday, the dear boy damn near set the apartment on fire. I know you’re all on the edges of your respective seats by now, so I’ll give you the rundown.

We have a garret apartment in a large, Victorian house. This means that we are tucked right up under the eaves and, towards the edges of the apartment, the ceilings slope down very sharply to meet the walls. To take maximum advantage of the apartment’s space, many of the areas where the slope makes for spaces too low to stand in have been turned into closets. I use one of these, fitted with a clothes bar and a single shelf, for my clothes. I hang work clothes on the bar; I stack folded sweaters on the shelf.

This closet has a bare light bulb installed on one side wall, about two inches above the shelf. Why, I do not know. The closet is not so large, or so deep, or so dark that it really requires a light source. Also, the location of this bulb is awkward, so near the shelf. To keep it clear would sacrifice a lot of storage. So, when moving in, I decided not to use the light, but to stack sweaters over the entire length of the shelf. Tragically, however, I never removed the bulb.

And now, we come to the events of this weekend. A very close friend of the dear boy’s gave birth to her first child on Friday morning. He, being very excited about the whole event, had been spending a great deal of time at the hospital with mother and child. Finally, completely worn out, he stopped by the apartment on Saturday to shower, change, and take a quick nap. For some reason, possibly because he was so tired, he thought that some article of his, I have yet to determine exactly what, was in my closet. So, he turned on the light and looked around. Not finding it, he left to return to the hospital. The light, however, stayed on.

Three hours later, I returned from some errands to a god awful stench and two deeply disturbed cats. After running around the apartment madly, trying to determine the source of this odor, the cats and I tracked it to the closet, and the bulb. Two thick, wool sweaters had large, light-bulb shaped holes burned completely through them. Very upsetting. Luckily, they were not hand knitted sweaters.

It’s taken me about three days to calm down and four loads of laundry plus several quarts of Febreze to reclaim my wardrobe. I’m starting to see the funny side. No one was hurt, the cats don’t seem to have suffered smoke inhalation, and I’ve removed that bulb.

And the moral of the story is: light bulbs + sweaters + very tired boyfriend = disaster. Please remember that in the future, my friends.

KNITTING PREVAILS

In the midst of all this, I did manage to do a little knitting. I’ve knit about half of the back of cabled raglan. I got another dozen or so pattern repeats done on the Koigu scarf. I swatched for Moll. (Moll shall henceforth to be referred to as “cabled sleeveless turtleneck,” for the sake of those who have difficulty remembering all those Rowan names. Yes, I’m talking about me.) What with the baby arrival and a visit from another friend, there wasn’t as much Buffy the Vampire Slayer as I might have hoped, but it’s on dvd. It’ll keep.

So this evening… Will I forge ahead with the raglan? Or will I forsake it to start the cabled sleeveless turtleneck? (That really is not a catchy name. What to do?) Who can say? This is what makes life as a knitter so darn unpredictable. Try to stay calm, everyone. Take a few cleansing breaths.

Hm. Wrote this on Friday, forgot to post. Now, it's a little Sunday treat. Exciting, no?

STARTING…

Well, my friends, thanks again for the votes. The decision was split right down the middle, 2 to 2. (Okay, that’s not really that many votes. But, hey, for a blog without pictures, we’re not doing so badly here.) As we have a tie, I have decided that the fairest thing to do will be to start both. Heh. Watch how I’m going to justify this now. The Cabled Raglan, until I get to the cabled raglans (from which the sweater derives its name…) is just stockinette. Quick knitting, yes. Exciting, no. Therefore, the raglan will be my watching tv or carrying on a conversation project. Moll, meanwhile, will be my more exciting project, with cables happening here, there and everywhere. Pretty nifty reasoning, no? And how about this: just so little Shriek wouldn’t feel bad for not getting any votes, I decided to knit a swatch for it, too. Yep. I asked for help on choosing one, and instead, I seem to have begun all three. Although, maybe a swatch doesn’t count as starting. That’s what I will tell myself. I feel better already.

I cast on for the raglan last night. I know it has been said before, but Cash Iroha is really nice to knit with. Slides very nicely over the needles, no splitting. Casting on was troublesome, however, since my screwy adaptation of the long tail cast on seems to cause the yarn to lose its twist and break. Any suggestions for improving that? The problem seems to lie in the way I loop the yarn in my left hand.

BLOG NEWS

Exciting though this may not seem, I signed up for DSL yesterday, as well. Why do I mention this? Because getting DSL at home is phase one of my plan to get pictures on the blog. Can you bear it? Coming soon, to this blog, images of such finished projects as Market Squares Tote, Seed Stitch Pullover and Sleeveless Turtleneck!

STRANGE ADDICTIONS

Oh, god, I don’t even want to think about the Google hits that one is going to get me. (Note to self: make headings sound less depraved.) But anyway, I have high hopes for the weekend knitting. Why, you ask? Because I have become completely hooked on watching tv shows on dvd. Not The Sopranos, or Sex in the City, though. No, I am curiously addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I just don’t get it. I have never watched an episode on television. I never really got the hype. People who made sure they were home on “Buffy Night” weirded me out a little bit. But now, on dvd, it is fascinating. I just don’t understand. Maybe it’s just because Spike is so delightfully evil. I don’t know. But, it makes for good knitting time. And so, this weekend, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cabled Raglan and Moll. Should be nice. Have a good one, everybody.

IN WHICH I BROADEN MY HORIZONS

Well, I hate to disappoint, but I did not knit a stitch yesterday. Why, you ask? Because I went to a play. Yes, I try to keep culturally current, to the best of my humble ability, and, towards that end, I have a yearly subscription to a little theater in town that we like to call the Yale Rep. (Now you all know where I live. Let the stalking begin! Just kidding. Now, people are going to do a Google search for “Yale stalking” and come up with me. Shoot.)

Anyway, last night was my show night, so I toddled off to see “The Psychic Life of Savages.” The play takes a rather catty look at the confessional poetry movement of the 1960s and pokes fun at the mental instability of its characters, loosely based on the poets Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and Ted Hughes. It’s a black comedy, the whole point of which is to find the wry humor in situations which would normally be considered tragic or disturbing. I wish that the people sitting near me had gotten the memo on the black comedy thing; they spent most of the performance shaking their heads and clucking their disapproval at how cavalierly the actors and director were treating such a sad situation. I’m not going to style myself as a theater critic here, but I will say that Sylvia Plath was the only poet to make it out (relatively) unscathed. She was very nearly sainted by the end. The playwright also managed to find the humanity beneath the posturing of the Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton characters, but rode roughshod over Ted Hughes. Obviously not a big Ted Hughes fan. I did enjoy the production, despite the lukewarm reviews I had read beforehand, possibly because I always enjoy perspectives on Sylvia Plath, arguably my alma mater’s most famous alumna.

THE READERS HAVE SPOKEN

Unbelievably. I know I once promised not to whitter on about the comments section, but I am still in awe when people take the time to leave a note in there. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone. And, if you’ve been feeling a little shy, but you are filled with a burning need to weigh in on my next project, get on in and comment, my friends. The polls are always open here at grannysquare.

AND AN OMISSION

How could I have forgotten to mention the new Knitty? I don’t know. It’s hugely exciting, though, people. I must make Sitcom Chic very soon. Do you think I could make it in a wool blend, though? I’m not too into cotton, and my office is actually colder in the summer than the winter, so I need some warm layers. I was wondering about Rowan’s Kid Classic. I also think that I should make the cats some toys. That way, when they play with/sit on my knitted articles, I can tell myself that it is all intentional.

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

Did you miss me? No? Oh, well, never mind.

In any case, if anyone was checking the little blog, I am sorry for the lack of updates last week. The mother of one of my close friends died early in the week, and I didn’t feel so chatty. Then Mr. Rogers died. I feel as if my childhood is being snatched away from me. Does anyone remember when Prince Tuesday was scampering around the Land of Make Believe with a small, metal funnel, yelling “Super Funnel!”? I loved that when I was little. I didn’t have a funnel, so I had to make do with a little strainer thing, but it was still pretty good. I miss you, Mr. Rogers. Thank you for making even everyday things seem wonderful.

FELTING FOLLY…

Some knitting was still accomplished, though less than usual. My mother and I finished our felted clog endeavor. Felting was highly traumatic, however. Following the instructions on the pattern, we zipped our clogs into pillow cases and started the felting process. One and a half hours later (yes, you read that right) they were still enormous. Patrick Ewing sized. (Maybe I should have sent them to Patrick Ewing as a little fan gift. Hm. Well, I didn’t.) The next evening, after determining that no miraculous, open-air felting had taken place, we threw the clogs back in the washer. This time, we did not put them in pillow cases. This was my highly scientific suggestion; I somehow thought that the agitation would increase and that the clogs would felt up faster. Well, I know not if the lack of pillow cases made a difference, but the felting did occur, after only twenty minutes. The clogs were dry by this past Saturday, and I spent a lot of time scuffing around in them this weekend. Very warm and comfy. Now the dear boy wants a pair. Dang.

…AND TOTAL FAILURE

After the clog completion, I felt the need to start something new. The Koigu scarf is still perking along, but it’s not a great sit down and knit for two hours sort of project. So… I cast on for a hat, using Nanook, a fuzzy novelty yarn from Artfibers. The yarn is nice, soft and furry and synthetic. The colorway I chose is bright blue and mossy green. The hat was a very cute pattern, ribbed at the bottom, then stockinette, then ribbed again at the top to pull the hat in, without closing the top completely. Sort of like a short, fat sleeve, joined into a tube.

Tragically, the yarn was way too soft to actually hold up the ribbed top of the hat. The floppy hat I ended up with made me look like smurf who had just fallen into a vat of blue-green dye. Not so good. Looking back, I should have realized that the hat was flawed earlier. I saw which way the wind was blowing pretty early on, but I kept going anyway. This is my first real knitting failure.

Now, don’t go thinking I lead some sort of charmed life in which my every project looks as if it had been ripped from the pages of Vogue. I have had numerous crochet disasters. I paid my dues. This was the first knitting disaster, though. And, to make it worse, I could not save the yarn. The fuzziness would not unravel at all. I just have to trash it. This is very depressing. Maybe I should stick with Lambs Pride and the fabulous hats of Staceyjoy from now on. Or maybe I will try a London Beanie. Larry’s is very nice. Go check it out. You saw it already? Well, go look again.

SO NOW WHAT?

I think I have nose-dived into some never ending, small project rut. Small projects can be fun and provide instant gratification, but they can also be a bit irritating. Every time I turn around, I have to do some more finishing. Not my favorite. I need to start a project that I can just sit down and work on for a week without being done.

And so now, we’re going to try for a little interactivity. If you’re still reading this long-winded entry (lots of time on your hands, huh?) please take a moment and let me know which of these projects you think I should start. (By the way, try to keep to yourselves the fact that I actually have the yarn for all of these. And more. Shush.) Here they are:

Moll, from the Rowan Cork Collection (middle images on third row of thumbnails)
Shriek, from Rowan No. 32
Cabled Raglan, from Debbie Bliss’ first Noro book (scroll down, it’s after the entrelac throw)

Any thoughts?

OH, LORD

Well, okay. Let’s start on a positive note. I finished the Lotus Pink Bobbles. It’s really nice. It’s drying in my bathroom, even as we speak. (It is to be hoped that the cat is not sitting on it. He did that once with another drying knitted item and dyed himself blue for a week. A Lotus Pink cat could be a little disturbing.) The sizing up of the hat worked pretty well. I may have become just a touch carried away, but I am happy with the fit. (Perhaps the old head is not quite as large as I had led myself to believe. A tape measure would settle all this, but why be conventional?) It is pleasantly oversized, without being so big that it slides down over my eyes.

And so, you ask, all agog at my finishing prowess, what of the mittens? Did I, like a good little person, start the second? Well… no. You see, I tried on the first again, and I was no longer sure that I liked the size. I made the child’s large size, as my hands are on the slender side. (First the big head, now the slender hands. The mental image you all must have of me is like something out of an alien movie. And not a good one. Not like, oh, I resemble Sigourney Weaver. More like, oh, I resemble a circus freak. Oh, dear. I swear I am a normal-looking human being. Okay, back to the accursed mitten.) So I made the child’s large size, rather than the women’s size. The mitten fits… but the proportion, narrow and long, seems off. Maybe the extra width would have just been nice wiggle room for the fingers. Dang. Now I have to figure out my motivations here: do I want to rip out the mitten so that I can make it again and have it be perfect, or do I want to rip out the mitten and think of an excuse to make something non-paired with the yarn? This is not good. I am definitely banned from making socks.

KNITTING PROPS

And now, a little crowing. Just a little. I promise. I wore the first sweater to work today. The seed stitch pullover. I decided last night that it was work-appropriate when paired with a nice pair of black wool trousers. And today, someone complimented me on it. Here’s how it all went. I had just been to check out the sweater in the mirror in the bathroom, as I was at that stage in the day at which I thought that wearing the sweater was a big mistake and that I looked like some sort of hayseed in my homemade knitwear. Moseying back to the work station, a co-worker said that she really liked the sweater. Just out of the blue. Not like I was rabbiting on about how I was a knitter and this was one of my creations and wasn’t it just too fabulous, leading to a dutiful, positive reply. Nope. I was just walking on by. At this point, I was so startled that I must confess that my response was, “Really?!?” Co-worker seemed perplexed by my perplexity. Poor woman; she had no idea what she was getting herself into with her off-hand comment. In any case, I recovered sufficiently to thank her in what I tell myself was a graceful fashion. I also confided that I had knit the sweater, and co-worker seemed duly impressed.

And there it is. The crowing is done.

IN WHICH WE PEER INTO OUR CRYSTAL BALL

So, what does the future hold? I don’t have to work this weekend (as far as I know) so some knitting should be done. Will I sort out the mitten crisis? I don’t really know, but it’s not looking good. I think I might need to throw the mitten into the depths of my knitting basket, to be pondered at a later date. So what will I work on? Fate, she is a cruel mistress, and she may be leading me to swatch the Cash Iroha. Life is so hard.

WELL, NOW

To begin, I must apologize for the sporadic updates this week. Somehow, I’ve been feeling a trifle less posty. (I know, “posty” isn’t a word. But maybe it should be. Dig?) It’s been a pretty standard week, and, to be honest, “four more inches on the Koigu scarf!” just didn’t seem like an earth-shattering announcement. But that’s just me. Don’t want to share unless I can astonish. (Like you all are traditionally astonished by the knitting feats I post about… Get back to reality, sister!) But, never mind. I shall post. I am sure something will occur to me as I type away.

The Koigu scarf and the Lotus Pink Bobbles are both progressing nicely. I’m almost through the first skein of Koigu, which makes me nearly a third of the way through the scarf. Lotus Pink Bobbles is a lot of fun to knit. I am making it a bit larger than the pattern directs, however, because (true soul confession time, here) I have a really big head. I mean, I’m not talking circus freak big, or anything, but pretty big. Most of the hats in stores that claim to be “one size fits all” do not fit on my oversized dome. It is my cross to bear. Luckily, now that I am a hat-knitting fool, I can make my own damn hats to fit my larger-than-average head. So, Lotus Pink Bobbles has eight extra stitches in the ribbing and twelve extra stiches in the bobble section. This makes for two extra bobbles per round. I will also do an extra tier of bobbles, to balance the additional width. The hat will now weigh in at 75 bobbles. That’s a lot of bobble. I finished them all last night. Now, we are a-decreasing. As early as tomorrow, I may be wearing a big, pink, bobble-covered hat. Exciting, no? Koigu will take longer, as I tend to knit one or two of the eight-row pattern repeats and then get bored and put it down. Dang. Have to get better about that.

Although these small projects are a lot of fun, I miss having a sweater project going. I would like to swatch the Cash Iroha, but I know that I still have the basic mittens glaring reproachfully at me from the knitting basket. I have finished one mitten. But I have not started the second, because, my friends,

I HAVE A PROBLEM MAKING PAIRS

Yes, it’s true. Making the first mitten was a blast. I carried it around, doing a few rows whenever I had a moment. It was my first outing with double pointed needles, and once I got used to the crazy, needles-in-all-directions sensation, I liked working with them. But… mitten two has yet to be started. Even though it will take, maybe, two days to make. If that. Oh, the humanity. To make it all worse, I would like to try making some socks, but I can just see myself wandering around, wearing two mismatched socks because I could never bring myself to complete a set. I have to bring this under control. Maybe tonight’s knitting goal while trying once again to watch The Shipping News (Remember that? The video store gave me another copy, gratis.) will be to finish the hat and start the other mitten. Koigu will have to wait. As will Cash Iroha. Yes. Good. I will also launder. (I know, mi vida loca. Can you stand it?)

AND, FINALLY, ANOTHER WEBS UPDATE

I forgot to tell you all the conclusion of my lost yarn fiasco. When we left off, I was singing the praises of Webs for helpfully mailing out the skein that I left behind at the store. And now, the dramatic finale: they sent it Priority Mail. I got the yarn the very next day. These people are amazing, I tell you. They rock my world.

A NOTE ON FELTED CLOGS

Mattie Lou had asked in the comments about the felted clogs I am knitting. Mattie Lou, if you are reading, I am using the Fiber Trends felted clog pattern. I got it at a local yarn shop, but many online sources carry Fiber Trends patterns as well, including Patternworks. I am not finished yet, so I can’t really comment on whether or not I am happy with the clogs. You might try asking indigirl, who I believe has made several pairs. She may even have made some Fuzzy Feet… so maybe she could do a little compare and contrast. Hope this helps.

SETBACKS AND REVERSALS OF FORTUNE

Well, my friends, check out the little sidebar. See anything different in the Works in Progress? Yes, it’s true. The sleeveless turtleneck is done, and the Koigu scarf is begun. And now, I will tell you a little story about how this came to pass. Excited? I know. Try to calm yourselves as I reveal the hidden secrets of this past weekend.

Saturday started out filled with promise. I finished knitting the back of the turtleneck and pinned it out for a little quality time with the steam iron. I also cast on and did a few pattern repeats of the Koigu scarf. I’m pretty happy with this scarf. It’s a very simple pattern, just stockinette with rows of dropped stitches here and there to add a little interest. A good project for tv watching. I then put the needles down to go with the dear boy to pick up my old futon from my parents’ house.

Why were we getting this futon? Well, back in the day, this futon was my couch. Later, having built up the personal savings a little, I replaced the futon with some significantly classier loveseats. (You know you have arrived when you can buy some upholstered furniture.) The futon has, since this time, been living in the parental garage. Now, however, the dear boy and I have moved into a larger apartment, and we find ourselves with enough rooms for many a piece of furniture. My loveseats are in the living room; his slightly dilapidated sectional is in the den, and now this futon is in the guest room / knitting room / office. Pretty sweet, eh?

In any case, personal furniture tales aside, Saturday was good. There was knitting. There were knitting related errands. (After all, the futon will be one more place to lounge and knit…) Things were accomplished. And then, the Phone Call. A dark cloud fell over my Sunday. I had to go to work.

I work for an architecture firm as PR person and general graphics and layout kid. (And yet, I cannot code this site. Why?) This means that I get called a lot when deadlines are tight and the architects need to lateral some less technical presentation work to someone else. Sunday was one of those days.

Oh, the frustration. How could I be so close and then have to slink back to the blog on Monday, reporting my utter failure to finish the turtleneck? It was with a heavy heart that I awakened on Monday…

…to six inches of snow, with more falling rapidly. A call to work confirmed: no one was coming in. Oh, my lost Sunday! Regained on Monday! It was a good knitting day. I stitched up the turtleneck, did some more Koigu and wound my reclaimed yarn (from two weeks ago) into balls. Very productive.

And for this evening? Well, my friends, I am feeling a touch of startitis in my fingers, so I just may cast on for the “Olive Bobbles” hat. (Pattern care of Staceyjoy. Thank you again, Staceyjoy! Another lovely hat design.) I will be making it in a shade of Lambs Pride called “Lotus Pink,” so perhaps I shall refer to the hat more accurately as “Lotus Pink Bobbles.” Stay tuned…

CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE?

And I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day. No, I’m talking about Theresa, of Bagatell fame, who has made grannysquare her aortal link of the moment. The little blog has arrived. I am overwhelmed. Theresa: first the translation for the ‘bed coziness,’ then the instructions for stash recycling, and now this. It’s too much! I will have to start sending you a yearly tribute of wool as repayment.

AND NOW A NOTE ABOUT V-DAY

I have to say, I don’t like Valentine’s Day. I know, everyone has already weighed in on this, but I’m going to as well. In any case, I don’t like it. I have the dear boy, so it’s not that I feel lonely, it’s just that I think it’s a stupid holiday. It was fun when I was little, but now that foil doilies and rainbow glitter are no longer the alpha and omega of craftiness, the whole thing seems a little stale. I mean, why do I need some calendar day to remind me to do something nice, maybe a little romantic, for the person I love? I made the dear boy a hat recently, which I have saved to give to him today so I wouldn’t feel like some sort of V-Day slacker. (Where does that guilt even come from? I don’t feel guilty about not drinking green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. Why does this arbitrary holiday inspire such devotion?) Anyway, chocolates be damned. Nothing says love like a warm cranium.

FINALLY, SOME KNITTING

Yesterday evening, I began knitting my Fiber Trends felted (Or fulled? I think it’s actually fulled.) clogs. I have one clog done, except for the second layer of sole. Those of you who have made the clogs know what I mean. For the rest of you, I’m sorry. I know, the word-pictures suck.

I love making things to be fulled. First, there’s the cartoon-ish size. These slippers look like they are for Sasquatch. And they are fuchsia. So apparently, Sasquatch is getting in touch with his feminine side. Then, there is the fact that I do not need to worry so much about how the knitting looks. For example, I messed up the first dozen or so M1 increases, by pulling up the loop from front to back and not knitting through the back of the loop to twist the stitch. This, of course, leaves a small hole in the fabric. Now, normally, because I am anal, I would have to rip back and fix all this. In this instance, however, I was able to laugh breezily and say, “Ah, well, it will never show after the fulling!” And this is a beautiful thing.

Well, my friends, have a pleasant weekend. May you knit many rows.

BRUSHES WITH CELEBRITY

Okay, I swear this is the last time I am going to talk about the comments. Promise. All right? But here’s one last thing. I honestly cannot decide which gives me a bigger thrill: finding a comment from someone whose blog I read (knitting celebrity!) or finding one from someone with a blog that is new to me. It’s all just fabulous. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, everyone. It’s really great to know you’re there.

KNITTING AND SCREENING

Last night’s cinematic agenda? Cool Hand Luke, with Paul Newman. How have I gotten this far in life without seeing Cool Hand Luke? I honestly don’t know, my friends. But I haven’t seen The Sixth Sense, either, so don’t go revealing the plot twist in the comments section. (Oh, damn, I brought the comments up again. Sorry, sorry.) It was a great movie, though, and, thinking about it, I have now realized that a number of scenes from other movies (The Hudsucker Proxy, for instance) directly reference Cool Hand Luke. My cinematic horizons have expanded.

While watching, I was able to cruise across a good portion of the back of the sleeveless turtleneck. As I have mentioned, the sweater is worked vertically, rather than horizontally. Got that in your mind? So, basically, I am about to bind off the side of the turtleneck and shape the second shoulder/armhole. (I really have to get some photos going here. These word-pictures of my knitting progress are just not cutting it. What we have here is a failure to communicate. Sorry, I know, that’s the biggest Cool Hand Luke cliché ever.)

I think one more knitting session will be enough to finish the back, attach the shoulder seams and pick up and knit the edging around the arm openings. It’s exciting to be this close to completion on my second knitted sweater. And so soon! Okay, it’s knit on size 11 needles and has no sleeves, so I’m definitely not going to set any speed records here, but hey, the excitement remains. Unfortunately, that knitting session will not be tonight, as I am going over to my parents’ house to work on the felted clogs with my mother. So the turtleneck will have to languish until Saturday.

The plan, after the sleeveless turtleneck, is to do a few small projects. I have some Koigu to make a scarf and some Lamb’s Pride to make a hat, and it would be nice to get those projects done while it’s still cold enough to use them. Of course, with my lack of self-restraint, I will probably just forge ahead with the Cash Iroha sweater instead.

I LOVE WEBS

And speaking of Cash Iroha, I need to tell you a little story now. You may recall that I mentioned going to Webs and purchasing fourteen skeins of Cash Iroha. I know it was fourteen. I counted. The woman at the register counted. And then, during Tuesday’s stash organization extravaganza: tragedy. The skein count is now thirteen. Wha? I checked all possible yarn locations. I called my mother, who went with me, and made her go out into the cold to check that the rogue skein is not lying on the floor of the car (my mother is a saint, a true saint). The skein is nowhere. At last, I must conclude that I left the skein at the store. After the counting, we just sort of bundled them up and shoved them in a bag, and one little skein must not have made it. I was bummed. Finally, I decided to call Webs, just to check to see if they found my poor skein and put it to the side, in case I came back. So I called. No one who worked the day I came in was there. Bummer. But, the woman I spoke with offered to go check the stock. A few minutes passed, and she returned, saying she has another skein of the same dye lot, and she will put it in the mail for me. No hassle; no problem.

This, my friends, is a wonderful thing. The people at Webs are wonderful people. Support their business. Go buy something from them soon.

IN WHICH I RAIL AGAINST MY LOCAL VIDEO STORE

Well, my friends, if you were waiting for my insightful review of The Shipping News, I fear I must disappoint you. That is because the DVD I rented from my local branch of a national video rental chain did not play. A half hour in, just as I was becoming accustomed to Judi Dench’s Newfoundland accent, I got that odd, pixilated screen, and everything ground to a halt. Don’t these people understand that I needed that movie to keep me motivated through the endless garter stitch of my sleeveless turtleneck? Apparently not. So now I have to go convince whatever twelve-year-old they just hired down there that I deserve a complimentary rental. Oh, the fun never stops.

In any case, this distressing occurrence did prevent any truly outstanding progress on the back of the sweater. I cast on and did all the increasing for the arm, shoulder and neck, but the majority of the knitting, working straight across to the decreasing at the other side, is untouched. A setback.

I did, however, do a little stash diving. My recent trip to Webs had left me with a number of unpacked bags of yarn, which I sorted through and tucked away into an alarmingly full tub of yarn. And yet, I still consider purchasing more. KnitPicks’ weekly sale (so often my downfall) has Debbie Bliss merino chunky on sale. I am tempted. I am also tempted by Rebecca Edition kits from the Knitting Garden and the Oriental Flower Bag from Virtual Yarns. (Have to learn stranded knitting some time, right?) Someone please take my credit card and hide it from me, before I do something terrible.

WELL, SHOOT.

I submitted myself to the ring. There it is. Little pat on the back. Nice work, self. And then, this morning, I checked the little blog to see if I could surf the ring from my site. (I can’t. Guess this takes a little while. Or perhaps my html code is wrong. This is always a distinct possibility. Dang.) There I discovered (someone cue the eerie music, please) that I had a comment. Yes, my very first comment. I nearly fell out of my chair. And since I was covertly checking the site from work, that would not have been a good thing. Note to self: learn to be a touch more blasé about site comments.

The most exciting thing about this comment? It introduced me to a site I had not yet happened across, Have a Cup of Tea. Welcome, Kim. Thanks for reading. Your blog is a lovely place.

And so now I am filled with this tremendous sense of well-being. I am blogging. Others are finding the site. (But how? How? I seem to be in no ring. Do you have second sight? Is there something I don’t know about locating knitting blogs?) I actually may be becoming a part of an online community. Crazy.

In a bizarre aside, I actually had a dream last night in which I checked out the site and had about 14 comments, all correcting grammatical errors from my posts. Hm. Curious. And probably not healthy.

THE OBLIGATORY PROGRESS UPDATE

Another excellent side effect of blogging is that I seem to knit more, knowing I will be reporting on my progress. Therefore, I finished the front of the sleeveless turtleneck last night while watching The Wings of the Dove. The Wings of the Dove is a beautiful movie, my friends. It made me want to go to Venice. And, though I say it myself, the sleeveless turtleneck should be a beautiful sweater. The yarn is very soft, with a really nice loft. Knitting with it is a pleasure. I will cast on for the back this evening. On the screening agenda is The Shipping News. I loved the book, and I hope the movie will not disappoint.

PERSONAL RAMBLINGS

And now we come to the part of the blog in which I come right out and tell you how much of a nut I really am. Welcome.

As I have mentioned previously, I am a compulsive blog reader. I have about 40 blogs bookmarked that I read daily. I will occasionally surf around the knitting bloggers webring to look for new ones, as well. However, I never comment. It’s odd, but I am pretty shy, actually, and I just never feel able to break out and throw in a comment or two. I decided not too long ago that I might like to make the ‘bed coziness’ shrug that Theresa, of Bagatell, translated for Kate, of Mama Kate. (I just learned how to embed links. Nice, eh?) I am ashamed to confess that it took me several days to work up the courage to send a message to Kate asking for the pattern. This, when she seems like a very nice, and completely non-threatening person. What the hell is wrong with me?

Anyway, I am bringing this up now because this same shyness is proving to be hurdle to my blogging. Right now, I have the comfort of knowing that I am, essentially, blogging in a vacuum. With over a million blogs hosted by Blogger alone, it is extremely unlikely that anyone will happen upon this one. Therefore, I can ramble along on odd tangents, adding in facetious asides and plenty of self-deprecation, without worrying that others will read and be irritated by my long-winded and overly sarcastic style. I don’t have to worry about whether my knitting is good enough or interesting enough to warrant writing about. However, being my own isolated piece of the web means that I do not interact with other knitters, which was a large part of the reason for me to start this damn thing in the first place.

I told myself that, once I got the comments to work, I would submit the site to the knitting bloggers webring. Well, comments are working. They have since Thursday evening, and still I have not submitted. Arg.

But, my friends, I will screw my courage to the sticking post. I will do it today. I promise. And so, if you happen along through the ring to this little site, please be kind. This is all very new to me. And it feels like a big step.

And now, back to the knitting.


PROGRESS…

Well, it was a finishing-heavy weekend. I finished the neck on the seed stitch pullover (hooray, hooray) and wore it Saturday evening. Very exciting. The fit is all that I hoped for, which is quite a breakthrough for me, especially after the crocheted disaster I blogged about a few days ago. I also finished the watch cap, thankfully, as it is a gift for the love of my life and my partner in crime, J, who shall henceforth be referred to as “the dear boy.” I started it simply for the sake of making him something, but in the process, I realized that it would be finished near the 14th, so it is becoming a Valentine’s Day gift. While the finishing vibe was upon me, I also wove in ends and steam blocked a couple of scarves that have been sitting around for some time, shamefully, requiring only this basic step to render them wearable.

After the finishing madness, I tried a little starting. I made the first of a set of knit washcloths for a little gift set. (First knit washcloth experience. Not bad. Not amazing. You know?) I also ripped back a portion of the sleeveless pullover and started again. (I am making “Button” from the last Rowan magazine, knit from shoulder to hem in Rowan Polar. Halfway across the front, I became concerned that I was going to run a hair short of yarn, so I decided to rip back and make the turtleneck a little shorter to conserve. Also, I will now have a neck that will stand up smoothly, without needing to be folded over. A good thing, I hope.) I also started a pair of Fiber Trends felted clogs, which I am doing as a knit-along with my mother. Ah, mother-daughter slipper knitting. Is there anything more heart-warming? I think not.


STASH RECLAMATION

Of course, finishing some things always causes a girl to turn an eye to her stash. In an organizing frenzy, I decided to rip out another old project and salvage the yarn. Now there are damp hanks of yarn hanging all over my bathroom, waiting to be rewound. Thank you to Theresa, for the directions on washing unraveled yarn, and to Bonne Marie, for the helpful photos showing how to use a ball winder to frog at lightning speed!


…AND STASH ENHANCEMENT

But now I must confess, I am not always a thrifty stash-recycler. I do, far too frequently, succumb to the desire to purchase new yarn. This is getting worse these days, as I have become more adept at finding good yarn prices online, and I cannot resist a bargain. Hence, the 10 skeins of Noro Silk Garden that were so inexpensive at WNW Discounter. Hence the Manos that I just ordered from the KnitPicks weekly sale. Oh, the horror. I will need a new stash storage location. Particularly since I just made my first pilgrimage to Webs.

I live in Connecticut, so Northampton, Mass is an easy drive up I-91. I went to college in Northampton, but somehow, the entire time I was there, I never discovered Webs. This is good, since I was a broke student at the time, not the working woman that I am now. Anyway, what a place. If you are ever in New England at all, I highly recommend going as far out of your way as necessary to check it out. First, they just have a ton of yarn. And lots of books. And all kinds of back issues of knitting magazines. Then, there are the sales and closeouts. My friends, as I have admitted already, I cannot resist a bargain, and that is why I am now the proud owner of 14 skeins of Noro Cash Iroha in a lovely, dark grey-blue color, purchased at 35 percent off. Score. I nearly passed out when I found it. That is the freakish kind of excitement we are talking about here. I think that the majority of this will turn into the cabled raglan from the first Debbie Bliss Noro book. The rest? Who knows... but I trust I will think of something.

FINISHING UPDATE

I have a will of iron! Backstitching is complete on the seed stitch pullover. Tonight, I have to pick up the stitches for the neck and knit 5.5 inches (in seed stitch again, will it never stop?) for the turtleneck, and the sweater will officially be complete. I also got in a little time on the Marsan watch cap (very bad, should have been picking up stitches…) so I am onto the crown decreases there. Very exciting.



BLOG TRIALS

Why will the comments not work? Why? Why?



GRANNYSQUARE EXPLAINED

Because I cannot let a day go by without rambling on at length about something, I do believe that I will take this opportunity to tell you all about “grannysquare.”

Side note: I always want to write “y’all,” instead of “you all.” It must be my inner Texan. I hold myself back, however, because one cannot do that sort of thing when one was born and raised in Connecticut. It just doesn’t work. People laugh.

So back to grannysquare. You may be wondering why, since most of this is about my knitting endeavors, I have chosen to name this blog after a well-known crochet motif. Here’s how it goes.

I now seem to have reached the stage in my knitting at which I am actually unable to go for long periods of time without picking up the needles. I cannot bear to have a spare five minutes and not knit a row or two. It’s sick, I know. I’m not proud. I’m not saying this is how it should be, or that I am the most amazing, dedicated knitter. That’s just how it’s going for me at the moment. In any case, this compulsion to knit during my spare moments has led me to bring small projects in to work with me. I like to knit during my lunch hour. Often, I will go to my local Starbucks and knit there; but other times, when I do not feel like exchanging 3.95 for a cup of coffee and the right to sit down, I will simply knit at my desk.

So I am sitting at my desk, knitting calmly on a fuzzy scarf (one of my earlier projects, in the pre-shaping days), when a co-worker comes up and says excitedly, “Wow! You know how to knit!”

Apparently this woman’s daughter, who is around ten, had just taken a little summer workshop class on knitting and was completely hooked. Obviously, this child does not have the same trouble committing to the craft that I did when I was ten. Hm. Very admirable. The co-worker’s next question was, “Can you crochet, too?”

Well, my friends, yes, I can crochet. Much better than I can knit, actually. It’s sad, since there are so few items that I would want to crochet. I admitted to the co-worker that I could crochet. To keep this story’s length down, I will not write out a blow-by-blow account of the remainder of our fairly banal exchange. I will merely tell you the conclusion: this woman and her daughter now had a teach-yourself-to-crochet kit and were having some difficulty making sense of it all. Could I help them out?

Always delighted to help another fiber-obsessed individual, I agreed, and the next day, said co-worker brought in the hook, yarn, and instructions. Glancing quickly at the directions, I saw that they were attempting to teach the novice crocheter the how to make a granny square. Unfortunately, they were, without question, some of the most poorly written instructions I have ever seen. They made me momentarily forget how to make a granny square, and I have crocheted dozens. I could walk the co-worker through the steps to make a square, but how could she ever refer back to this pattern without becoming completely bewildered once more? Almost immediately, it occurred to me that I could probably find instructions on the web. I mean, hey, you can find patterns up the yin yang for dishcloths of every description, why not a simple granny square? I googled. I found a pattern and printed it out. Problem solved. The co-worker, much less confused, went off to share this new information with her daughter, the budding crocheter.

After she left, another co-worker turned to me and asked, “What did you do? Log on to grannysquare.com?”

I chuckled, as one does at such comments. But, it stuck in my head. It was catchy. It reminded me of “dangerouschunky.com” or “squibnocket.org.” (Now squibnocket.worstjewever.com. Not quite as catchy, but still very good.) Was it a site already? Another internet check showed that it wasn’t. Should it be my site? Well, we shall see. I have registered the domain, and should I ever discover that I have a talent for html coding, I may start something up. In the meantime, thanks to the nice folks at Blogger, I give you the grannysquare blog, to tide you all over.

FINISHING WOE

My friends, this blogging thing is not so easy. The other day, it took me about two and a half hours just to get some links over there in the little sidebar. (Check it out. Pretty cute, no? I know, it’s a blogger template, and you’ve seen it 6,000 times before. Note to self: learn to code own template.) Link mayhem aside, comments are not working. I removed the code, because it was just embarrassing. Yes, blogging is hard work. But not as hard as finishing.

I have done some finishing before. I have made several baby sweaters for expecting friends and slip stitched those little pieces together into a complete garment. I also put together my very first sweater, though that was crocheted, and not knitted. As I have mentioned, quite exhaustively, in my last post, I have been a crochet maven for some time. That sweater was, however, an unqualified disaster. First, it took me forever to make the dang thing. Patience was not a virtue of mine back then, nor was concentration. Nor, sadly, was accurate measuring. I made the entire sweater, sewed it up, and only then considered the size of the finished piece. I was a fifteen year old girl, on the scrawny side. My sweater was sized accurately for a middle aged man with a gut. It was sized for Rob Reiner.* I am ashamed to admit that I was so frustrated by the whole endeavor at that point that I gave the sweater to Good Will. God knows how many balls of a perfectly nice, super wash wool, and I didn’t even frog the sweater to save the yarn.

I have learned since then. My first knitted sweater, for example, is made from a tweedy brown yarn rescued from yet another crochet project which had been languishing for about four years. This first sweater is just now complete. It is an oversized pullover done completely in seed stitch. You can see a reference to it down there in the Works in Progress sidebar. (I won’t even tell you how long the extremely basic code for that took. You don’t want to know. Trust me.) For you Interweave Knits readers, it is the green sweater in the Rebecca free patterns insert from the Fall 2002 issue. Now, beginning knitters everywhere, let me give you a tip. When you are selecting a pattern for a first sweater, DO NOT choose something oversized and done completely in seed stitch. That is a lot of seed stitch. I measured the thing, and I think it’s about 10 square feet of knit one, purl one. Maybe not quite that much. But it seems like that much. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good, simple project, and, after compulsively measuring the sweater and myself every five minutes, I think it will fit. But I was forced to start and complete several other projects over the course of this sweater, just to keep from going into a seed stitch coma. (If I ever work out how to get pictures in here, you may one day see some of these items, including the Market Squares Felted Tote, from some issue of Knitters, I forget which, and the striped baby set, from a really old pattern, dating back to the days when pattern leaflets cost only 25 cents apiece. However, we’re a long way from pictures. I would settle for a comment section, really. Or figuring out how to change the color of that stripe at the top. Well, one day at a time.)

But back to finishing. To sum up: I have finished things before, but it has not been fun. It was tedious. The items were either gifts (fun, but not as much fun as selfish things) or have not fit. Total finishing experience to date: not that good.

This sweater is big. Big in a nice way, rather than in a Rob Reiner* way, but still big. There is a lot of backstitching to be done. I am dreading this. I want to work on my little Marsan watch cap. (Pattern courtesy of Staceyjoy. Thank you Staceyjoy!) I want to start my second mitten. Dammit! Take this burden of finishing from me!

No, I must be strong. I will wear the seed stitch pullover this weekend. I will go for brunch. People in the café will notice my lovely sweater. They will say. “How comfy that sweater looks. It is big, but in a good way. It is flattering and nicely put together.” All the while I will smile serenely and eat an omelette. Or maybe some toast. No more procrastinating with the blog entry. I have to go thread my yarn needle, folks.


* I love Rob Reiner. Nothing would make me happier than to knit, or crochet, him a sweater. This is not a put down in any way, merely a reference point for size. Thank you.

MY LIFE (AS A KNITTER) SO FAR

My mother taught me to knit when I was eight years old. She worked in a yarn shop at the time, teaching classes, knitting samples and doing finishing work. Endlessly impressed by the speed and ease of her knitting, I picked up the needles with anticipation, knowing my first completed sweater was only a few short hours away.

Tragically, it was not so. I dropped needles and stitches with equal regularity and soon became frustrated by my unbelievably slow progress. I was a better crocheter. I liked holding on to only one needle. I liked the little, individual stitches that could be unravelled one by one, with perfect control, without laddering or painstaking picking back up through row upon row. I crocheted constantly. My every stuffed animal had its own little blanket. I was extremely good at squares. I stopped knitting entirely.

I had a knitting breakthrough in high school. It occurred to me that, if only I could hold the yarn steady in my left hand and grab it by moving my right needle, rather than throwing the yarn across with my right hand, that knitting would be exactly like crochet, and I would be a natural. After a few tries, it worked! I had developed a whole new way of knitting! My vision of myself as a knitting pioneer was short lived, however, meeting a quick death when my mother (knitting goddess, still; yarn shop employee, no more) broke it to me that I had merely happened upon continental knitting. Curses! I stopped knitting again.

And this brings us to more recent history: the summer of 2002. I was on a crafty kick, and I was looking for instructions for how to make lip balm. Surfing around, I happened upon a website called ‘Not Martha.’ I was impressed by her thorough notes on lip balm. I was also intrigued by her fuzzy, knit scarves. Then, destiny took a hand.

(Actually, it wasn’t quite that exciting, but this narrative is getting a touch long, and I was hoping to liven things up a little. Back to the summer of 2002.)

On a jaunt to my local Barnes & Noble, browsing around the crafts section, I noticed a copy of Vogue Knitting On the Go: Chunky Knits. My mother (always the knitter, that one!) has quite a collection of those little books, so I took a look, thinking she might want a copy. Instead, I found myself fascinated by the sweaters, lured by the simple, yet chic, designs and the promising instructions. (Book: Cast on 36 sts. Me: Only 36? Sweet!) I got the book. I returned to Not Martha, to read with greater care the ultimate fuzzy scarf pattern. I raided my mom’s stash for some needles and yarn. I made the scarf. It was great. I knit in the car. I knit on the bus. I knit while watching movies. I knit while hanging out at friends’ apartments. I couldn’t get enough. I cast on for another scarf. I cast on for a sweater. I was a knitter.

So that’s it. I’d like to thank lip balm and those lovely sweaters in Vogue Knitting On the Go: Chunky Knits for bringing me back to knitting. Curiously, although I’ve done a lot of crafting and a lot of knitting since 2002, I have yet to make either.