Spring Break

Hey Y'all! I hope everyone has been enjoying the warming weather, and maybe some time off? I did. Well, not the warming weather bit, until the end of last week. But I had quite a bit of time off. I went to see Shelby! It was lovely to see her and where she lives. We did some fun stuff, and I had a LOT of knitting time.

I started a February Lady sweater in Berroco Weekend, which I picked up at Jimmy Beans Wool! Yes, that Jimmy Beans. I flew in to Reno, so Shelby and I made Chase take us to the yarn store. He was unamused. And kind of judgy about the fact that I bought an entire sweater's worth of yarn. But he's a boy and doesn't really get it. Anyway, I got a fair amount of sweater done. Which is impressive, considering the lackluster amount I've finished since I returned home.

I can't help it, I've been busy. I helped my mom paint the trim in the living room (turns out the fireplace has been the wrong color for 17 years, who knew?), and then we did yard work, and then I came down with a monster cold and I had to go back to work. Buncha crap. And this cold is kicking my butt.

Since I returned, I have managed to finish a blanket.

 I did most of the work while my parents were out of town 2 weeks ago, but I didn't quite manage to finish before I left for Winnemucca. So I finished on Saturday, after doing yard work. Whew! Just in time for a cold snap, surprisingly.

I also tried spinning a little bit of alpaca roving the other night, but it didn't go well, so I'm not gonna dwell on that. I am, however, going to take some Nyquil and go to bed. In the hopes that tomorrow I will have kicked this cold to the curb. Good night!

Confessions

I may not have mentioned before that there are some knitting projects of which my mother disapproves. She is frankly worried about my obsession with fingerless gloves, she wants to know why I have so many hats, and she has forbidden me to knit anymore blankets until I get my own place, at which time it is no longer her concern where I stash the profusion of blankets that I am driven, as a knitter, to create. 

Oooops.

See? Doesn't that look like an accident? It totally was. I blame Caitlin's plethora of Lacy Chunky Throws that she has churned out for various family members. They made me lust after blankets again (even if they are strictly prohibited). This time, I'm just making the suggested size. No more of the monstrous blanket indiscretions. I swear. 

Incidentally, I hate the needles I bought for this throw. I didn't have any size 19s, and you can't get them at the regular craft store. I was scouring the local yarn shops for size 19s with a cable long enough for a blanket (one owner suggested that I should try straights. I tried not to laugh at her), but apparently they like to make fixed circs in size 19. 

Or maybe yarn shops just don't like to stock them. 

Either way, I wasn't having any luck. I was talking to the lady who thought I should try straights, and her friend asked me if I had tried a particular brand of interchangeables. I hadn't, because I'm pretty happy with my KnitPicks ones, but apparently they stocked this other brand in the shop, and they had 19s in them, and a long enough cable. I promptly purchased them, because I just couldn't bear having to wait to cast on this blanket. I don't really like acrylic needles in general, and I especially dislike these since the yarn is Bernat Roving and it's snagging on the slightly rough surface of the needles. And the needles are too short for my taste, which might just be a failing of all circs of larger than average girth. (I can tell you that certain people who read this blog are giggling right now). 

Anyway, I'm annoyed with these circs, and the blanket isn't going as quickly as it might, probably because I'm annoyed with the needles. But the blanket will be just lovely, even if I kind of have to work on it when my mother isn't around. 

Oooops.