Sweater weather

The weather is getting cooler, my friends. Cool enough that I could wear handknit sweaters, if it weren't for the fact that a) I'm on medication that makes my skin super sensitive and the sweaters I knit last year kind of itch and b) I still don't have any sleeves for the new sweater.

It's really a shame that I don't have any sleeves. I totally would have worn that sweater today, if it were done. But I've been intimidated by the need to blend 2 dye lots. Caitlin finally took charge and ripped the sleeves back to the ribbing and rethreaded them on to the needles. I just re-started them last night. There's going to be lots of untangling, I can already tell.

Let's not focus on the negative, though. Let's focus on the fact that I'm on a roll when it comes to finishing right now!

I finished knitting Mariah's chuppah. I had to go out and purchase more foam floor mats so that I had enough to block the thing, but now it's all stretched out and nearly dry. Next step, fringe. Again, not dwelling on the negative.

Then, I finished Abby's long socks. I have a shorter pair that still need doing, but they're pretty, right? The cable is seriously cute. I just hope they fit her, and that she likes them, and that they aren't too itchy... but they're done! Really done, not waiting for anything else.

Pretty good, right? Let's hope those positive feelings carry over to the sleeves. I really want a new sweater, and I ordered a bunch more kits in the mail... Cute hats and mitts or mittens. They're fun colors too, as opposed to navy blue that has to be blended. But they are not sweaters, and I think we can all agree that it is definitely sweater weather right now.

Revised

I was going to post this really long, whiny rant. But then I decided I didn't really want to put that out into the universe. Instead, the things I want to say, in bullet format:

• This week is kicking my booty. Seriously. Can we be done yet?
• It's my sister's birthday week. Yes, she gets a week. Which means I'm seriously sleep deprived and yet still have to function normally. How is that fair?
• Knitting on the melonstrosity continues apace. If by "apace" you understand that I mean that I'm cramming it in wherever I have space, which is not really a whole lot of time.
• Shield your eyes if you are sensitive. Christmas is less than 3 weeks away. I'm not done buying gifts, making gifts, and deciding what to give people. This is a problem. 
• I'm leaving for Europe in less than a month. I don't have enough clothes for this trip. And I don't have my airline tickets yet (not my job, I'm waiting for the group I'm going with to send them to me). I'm kinda freaking out. I have my knitting planned, though. So at least that's settled.

That is all. Return to your regularly scheduled lives. Sorry there aren't any pictures. Again. Because my life is being consumed by this month. No joke.

Horns

Well, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? Maybe not that long, but it's felt like it. I feel like this was the longest week ever. Maybe because I had so much to do and not much time to get it done in. I got a lot accomplished this week, but none of it is knitting.

I did my management homework (boring), and some accounting homework (even worse). I went shopping for more pieces of present for Shelby's wedding events (T-minus 5 days to the kick off of the wedding weekend extravaganza), called a bunch of people for stuff that had to get done before, or maybe for the wedding. Oh yeah, and I worked. Busy busy week.

And it's not over yet. Oh no, turns out that I'd lost track of what is due when for my accounting class, and I need to complete the second take home assignment sometime before I leave for wedding-palooza. That'll be fun. Especially since I've got the house, and dog, to myself this weekend. My mother, the lucky woman, has a 2 week fall break, and she and my father are taking advantage of the time of by taking a little camping trip for the next 4 days. I don't begrudge her the time off. I just wish I had the same. I'm ready for a break. Anyway, it's just me, the dog, and my homework this weekend. It'll be fun.

I tried knitting some things this week! I really did. On Monday, during my online tutoring stint, I picked up the white chunky tunic. I made some good progress on it, but it involves pattern reading, and it's kind of large, so I can't bring it to work with me.

Then, I worked on the little gray sock when I went with Mom to pick Abby up from the airport. And somehow effed up the pattern. See that little line of crossed stitches? I reworked it like 6 times and couldn't fix it. So I continued knitting through the frustration. Probably not such a good idea, since I'm getting the feeling that I'm gonna have to frog back to try to get that situation under control. And make the heel bigger, since apparently I have body image issues and have no idea how big my feet are.


Can't see the line? How about now:

To avoid the frustration of the sock, and the pattern issue, I cast on a little mitt. It's a cute pattern, not too difficult, and it's made out of a yarn that I love for fingerless mitts. Makes an excellent fabric, pretty colors. Turns out this mitt pattern and this yarn are not well suited. So, I'm gonna have to frog that back too. And pick a different pattern for this yarn, and a different yarn for this pattern.

Which brings me to the point of this post (yes, there really is one). I need something to knit. I've got a busy week coming up, and I'm gonna want something to take the edge off. So it needs to be a project that I won't whip out in an hour. And it can't involve too much pattern reading, cuz that's hard to multi-task with. And it needs to be portable, so nothing too huge or involved.

I know, it's a tough challenge. I've narrowed it down to 3 types of projects: a hat, to go with my cuddly cowl from last weekend; pick a new pattern or a new yarn and try the fingerless mitts again; or a shawl, despite the fact that I have yet to finish the lace shawl from last winter (it's not my fault, the Yarn Harlot put the idea of a shawl in my head!). What do you think I should knit?

More of the same

I was going to write about something else today. But then I remembered that I need to post some pictures, and I didn't have pictures for the other thing I was going to write about. So that will have to wait. Maybe tomorrow.

Today, I shall just say that my knitting continues apace. I got a fair amount of Abby's big ass scarf done today, because I had work and class, where I am able to knit more or less unmolested for large swathes of time.

It's overflowing my school bag in this picture. That should give you some idea of how much work I actually have to do for the MBA I'm working toward, i.e. NONE.

Caitlin and I started the fronts for our Runcorns, and I've already messed up some of the required decreases. Which is somewhat disheartening, since I hadn't even been drinking. Or doing anything else that required my attention. So bleh, and no picture of that because it's stuffed back in its bag until tomorrow. I'll just have to try harder. We decided that we would be happy if we finished the fronts before the end of the week. (Psst, Caitlin! What are we counting as the end of the week? Friday or Sunday?)







Also, I finished the cowl for my mother on Monday, but was too lazy to photograph it. And even having photographed it this evening, it doesn't look like much. I'm gonna make Abby come over and try it on anyway, so I'll make her pose for a picture when she does that. And I suppose I'll have to block it at some point, so it looks less like a lump of alpaca and more like the luscious, cozy winter accessory that it is!

We went to Texas Roadhouse for a fundraiser for Abby's sorority, btw. I ate too much, but it was delicious. And terribly unhealthy. I'd feel bad, but I love steak so much!



I worked a few rows on the melonstrosity this morning. It has been sadly neglected of late, because I had more exciting, and portable, things to do. Like scarves. And a cowl. So it hasn't seen much action and my efforts this morning were basically a drop in the bucket. I would vow to do better, but I have this thing about breaking vows, just because I object to making vows about things I enjoy. It's cuz I'm stubborn like that.

I think I need to do something to shake up my knitting in the near future. All this lazy k2, p2 rib nonsense is putting me in a coma. Suggest something exciting?