Once a month

or so, I remember I started a blog.  good job me!  Now, to post on it...

I haven't been knitting as much lately.  There is something funky going on with my arms/hands...something like tendinitis/carpal tunnel/put down the knitting needley.  Whatever it is, it's not cool.  However, being the spry young thing that I am, I don't think it's time to work myself up over it.  So, I'm just trying to do other stuff.

We have been in a full out clean and purge extravaganza over here.  The end of summer has got me thinking of those long winter days inside.  I must be trying to prep the house space for us.  I've been reading some books about organizing and simplifying, and really trying to dig in and get it done.  I've taken two carloads of "stuff" to Goodwill already, and haven't even tackled the "storage" closets yet.  I've also noticed that the more stuff I give away, the more I want to get rid of.  Purging can be addicting!

Amidst all the cleaning and organizing I did finish this little jacket for my little man.

Isn't he so cute! Looking at this picture now makes me realize how big he is getting... didn't he just look like this?

Seriously, what's happening to my baby boy?  

All that aside, I love the jacket, it will be perfect for fall (if it ever decides to show up).  It was test knit for a friend, and my first time putting a zipper into a knitted garment.  I was pretty stressed out about it, but there are a lot of helpful blogger knitter people out there who have done some great posts about this.  The zipper installation went really well, and I was pretty proud of myself for hand sewing in the zipper fairly straight.  Until I tried to unzip it all the way.  Oh, really, if the zipper doesn't unzip all the way before you sew it in, it won't after you finish?  Hmmm...interesting.  Apparently the "separating" part of the "separating zipper" is actually quite important.  I've suggested it be put in BOLD for the final pattern.

wish me luck

I think I am going to need it!

Last night I swatched for the most difficult thing I have ever knit. Seriously, the pattern is 13 pages!  There are charts, and more charts, a full page of legends for the charts, and Mirrored Double Decreases. What??? I'm not really sure what that is either. I'm in the process of learning as I go. The finished project will be the beautiful Catkin, by Carina Spencer.  

The swatch is about 4" by 4".  It took me 2 hours.  The final shawl measures about 50" by 18"...I'm unwilling to do the math to figure out how long it will take me.  Not only am I not capable of doing math after 9pm (or before 9pm really, who am I kidding, I'm not even sure I know how to add any more), I don't really want to know how long it will take.  Why suck the fun out of it, right?

Anyway, here is my swatch.  It is not perfect, and I am really glad I made it, so I know what to expect as I venture off to knit this crazy beautiful shawl.

My goal is to finish this project by the end of July, wish me luck, I think I will need it!

I have also managed to fold 1 load of laundry this week, it's still in the basket, but it's folded!  Let's not talk about all the other loads though, ok?

sock knitter

because I said this blog would include something about knitting...

I am not a sock knitter. My mom's cousin Maureen (my second cousin, no my first cousin once removed...ack! I just looked this up on Wikipedia and I still don't know the difference!) is a sock knitter.  She can knit socks like the wind.  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure she knit 243 socks one weekend.  Well, maybe it was 242...but who's counting.  Anyway, I'm not a sock knitter.  This is the only sock that I ever knit:

Sad, Lonely, Unfinished Sock

notice it's unfinished state, and lack of a mate.  This poor thing is still sitting in my project basket, 2+years later.

My lack of sock knitting does not prevent me from buying beautiful sock yarn.

Luckily for me there are many things you can knit out of sock yarn, that do not resemble socks in the least. Perhaps the most common would be shawls. There are so many beautiful shawl patterns that it is almost impossible to decide on one. Especially if you are not a shawl person. I have knit 3.1 shawls. None of them have been for me. The first was a fabulously easy scarf/shawl that I made for my mom. If you are a beginning knitter and would like an easy to knit shawl, then check out the Clapotis, by Kate Gilbert. It's from the Fall 2004 edition of Knitty, and has been knit 17,649 times according to Ravelry. Wow! That is insane. I don't have a finished picture of this project, but perhaps I will be able to trick my mom into letting me take one the next time we go visit.

The other 2.1 shawls I've knit were all the same pattern. The Far Away, So Close, by Carina Spencer is such a beautiful shawl. It is also very easy to knit, but looks stunning in a variety of yarns. These were all knit for friends and family going through rough times in there lives.

The last is currently still in progress and is being completed by a group of my knitting friends.  Friends are awesome, especially when we can all work together to make something beautiful.  I'll let you know what the finished product looks like!

I do plan to knit a pair of socks though, some day. Seriously.

In other news, I folded 2 loads of laundry today! yay! I also forgot to clean the kitchen after dinner...boo!