Yeah, me too.

I know the urge to knit washcloths has hit us like a virus since Mason Dixon Knitting came out. I know. But, in my defense, I did knit washcloths BEFORE this book. Just not ones that looked this damn cool! These should end up being for my mother. At least, most of them. I'm probably going to do a few more for us too, and they'll help break up any boredeom I get on the drop stitch hoodie.

Other than that, no new knitting progress to report. I've been toodling around with shmoo on his off days instead. We went to Annapolis yesterday, and it was beautiful. I even managed to get some sun-burn.

Thank you all for the honey recommendations. I am using them to help me suss out a supplier. I have left a message with the Entomology professor at UofM. They actually teach a beekeeping course, so surely I can get some honey from them or they'll know to whom I should be refered.

Honey?

Does anyone know of a local beekeeper/honey seller withing 10 miles of College Park, MD?
I am having trouble finding one and I need some local honey to help with allergies.

Wonderknit powers activate!

Form of Drop Stitch Hoodie, Shape of Armholes!

I am excited about the armhole shaping. Can you tell?

Fin.

My Clapotis is complete!

Pattern: Clapotis, by Kate Gilbert for Knitty Fall 04
Yarn: Wool of the Andes in Chambray and HyacinthYardage: Approximately 440 yards of each color. (4 balls each)
Yarn Source: KnitPicks
Needles: US 8 Addi turbo circulars
Gauge: Around 4.5 spi
Modifications: Swapping colors every 10 rows, Single Crochet edging around entire piece.

Basically my idea behind this was to create very definitive stripes that went against the bias of the dropped stitches. That way, there are two strong visual elements opposing each other: the dropped stitches and the wide bars of color.


I started this around the New Year and then it sat in my work basket for a very long time.

I joined the Yahoo Clapotis group a few weeks back for the charts they have for it. They are a great help. I had been a little under halfway done with it when I put it down, and I finally decided to just go ahead and get it done.

Now to figure out what to do with the 4 balls of yarn I have left.....

Random Clapotis photos:

In the sink...

Wow at the blue water!

As a scarf (pre-washing and blocking)

As a stole (also pre-wash/block)

In other knitting news:

I have decided to frog Danica. I was only doing it as a pre-Lady Eleanor at any rate, and despite liking the way it looks over all, I think I'll either just dispose of the yarn or do something else with it. Perhaps a feather and fan scarf.

I also changed my mind about IK Spring 06's Aran Rose. I still like it, but I don't think it will be that flattering on me. Besides, having to do all the math changes to make it my size would be a major chore. I have decided to do the Drop Stitch Hoodie instead. It's a neat little pattern repeat. I am living dangerously and not swatching, so either I'll have a sweater or someone I know will. I am ok with it either way. I would really like a nice zip-up sweater, but it doesn't have to be this one. Mind you, if it fits, it's all mine.

That's my man!

Non-knitting content warning!!!!!!

So today we tried a little eatery near where we live. Hard Times Cafe. It was very good. They have 4 different kinds of chili, huge salads, and sweet tea. And they serve their drinks in HUGE classes.

So while we were eating the conversation came around to guns. Shmoo says, "I had a gun once, it was a .22. My dad took it away from me for shooting the toaster." When asked why he felt the need to shoot the toaster, the answer was, "It made me mad. It shocked me when I stuck a knife in it." After I got done spewing my food and laughing so loud the waitress had to come check on us, the details all came out.

He stuck a knife in the toaster because he knew he wasn't supposed to use a fork*. He took the toaster and shot it REPEATEDLY with the .22 rifle***. Then his mom came home and he hid it, under the back porch. When she asked him about the toaster that had been on the counter that morning when she left, he said "I don't know." (He now says it's important to understand that it's not the first time appliances had disappeared. It's another funny story having something to do with the pawn shop**.) She didn't believe him. Lord only knows why. After all, he and his best friend had only pawned his parents' (the friend's parents) small appliances the summer before when his parents had gone out of town. There was no reason at all to suspect he was lying, now was there?

He dug the toaster out from under the porch three months later and threw it away.

And lest you think he was young and didn't know any better, he was 15 at the time.

Yes, that's MY man.

*Edit: Please note, the toaster was ON when he did this. He couldn't see to get the crumb that was stuck out if the elements weren't lit up.

After shmom read this, she messaged me:
[Shmom]: Did [shmoo] tell you why the toast was stuck in the toaster?
[Shmom]: Because he always wanted his butter melted, so would toast the bread and then spread on the butter on it and return it to the toaster to melt the hard butter.
[Me]:haha. He bought me a butter dish so we could keep some soft all the time.

**[Shmom]: I decided that's the reason he always buys expensive appliances - he knows their worth at the pawn shop.

***And as for the gun: "It is actually his - it was his Grandpa's and I have custody until I think he is mature enough to handle it AGAIN."

Epiphany

So yesterday while trolling the intarwebs, I finally stumbled across Mama E's profile.

I knew that she had been making yarn and it was being named for people I knew (two of the sucky knitting girls in fact) but it just didn't dawn on me she might be local.

So, yeah, her profile says "Charm City" Maryland. Hrmm.. Charm City!!?? (Yes, just like the old cowboy in that old Pace picante commercial.) I go to mapquest.... no Charm City... ok.. google...Aha! Charm City is Baltimore! Well, hell!

So I go to knitting group last night, and lo and behold, Mama E (and her cool friend Cheryl) have come to knit with us. And they are funny! Lord knows I love funny people. I am pretty sure they thought I was funny too, and there is nothing better than someone who gets your jokes.

So we had a great time, and laughed and laughed. And we even knit some too!

I finished most of the blue scrap scarf while there. And I finished it up this morning.

It's not soaking in the sink. I had several thoughts while I was knitting it. "Aw, man, I should have made this wider and made placemats out of it." But there wasn't enough yarn for that. And then, "Shit! I could have made Daisy another sweater very quickly with this, it would have looked great and been soft for her." But, then I would have had more yarn left over, and it's getting warm, so she doesn't NEED another doggie sweater anytime soon, and getting her to try it on wouldn't be pleasant. So perhaps the scarf was the right thing to do. It's very soft and sproingy. It's also pretty if you like shades of blue. I don't know if I will keep it, or gift it, or even donate it, but regardless, it's done.

So I started on a second scrap scarf. Also with Batman yarn. All garter stitch this time, and the addition is Dalegarn Stork in red. Another stashbusting quickie. Yay.

Now, I have a why question. Whhhhhyyyyy are cats, who hate having baths, obsessed with running water? Why? The water in their bowls; the water in the sink; the water when you take a bath, even the water in the commode. Why? I just don't understand.

Bri takes this obsession with running water so far that you can't leave a drink on your desk, or side table unattended because he will deliberately knock it over just to watch the contents pour out. Of course, he also deliberately knocks off other random things from tables, and shelves. You catch him at it, tell him no, and he'll shoot you and look, and there's still a 50% chance he'll do it anyway.

*Sigh.* If our pets are this bad, how bad will our children turn out to be?

Exclamatory

It has occurred to me that I use way too many exclamation marks. Both in blogging and in my e-mails. Maybe I am just too excitable.

So I have been trolling for new podcasts, and spent much of yesterday listening to them. (I was going to watch Dune -the original movie one, not the SciFi channel version- and it was just so cartoony and awful, I gave up not very far in. I know it's been over 10 years since I read the book, but it just didn't seem to match up to what I recall. We have the SciFi version too, deluxe version with commentary, but I want to wait on shmoo so we can watch it together. But I digress.) I found several new podcasts to which I will actually continue to listen.

Pointy Sticks: She plays music, but not too much and I am getting better at skipping songs. If I remember correctly this is another podcast out of Texas. I like hearing her talk about her projects, and her husband who knits.

PixiePurls: A southern girl, (Shout out to the Northeastern Atlanta area!) who doesn't play music. Obviously that's a win for me. I also like that listening to her talk. It's like being back home. Shmoo gives me a hard time about my accent and tells me to "speak English!" all the time. But listening to PixiePurls is almost as good as calling back home, maybe even better, because she's talking about knitting (and spinning).

It's a Purl, Man: Guido's podcast is a little different. He plays music. Most of it, worldbeat style, so sometimes I actually listen to it. It's really about the music hooking me before I go to click past it. His podcast is interesting and different, if only because you get a male knitter's point of view.

Knitcentric: Shannon is living in Okinawa, Japan. And I am guessing from some of her comments, that her husband is in the service, and that's where they are stationed. She's a huge sock knitter, and stash collector. She doesn't play music (/cheer) and so far, I like this podcast.

Stitchcast: This is by Julie of the Boogabag fame. So far it's interesting, and I plan to keep on listening.

There were 3 or 4 others that didn't make the cut for me, and I still have to check out Craft Borg and At the Yarn Shop, but over all I am pleased with my new podcast additions. It's certainly a lot more than the 3 I had before I started looking again yesterday. (KnitCast, Knitting News Cast, and Musing of a Peaceful Knitter just in case you were curious.)

That's it for me, Columbia Knitters Group meets at the Panera on Dobbins tonight at 7. Be there if you can!

Scarftastic

So after finishing up Batman, I was in a finishing up mood and picked up the sari silk scarf I had going. Mostly, it's garter stitch but I threw in some stockinette on opposite sides here and there just for the hell of it. It was interesting to knit with the silk yarn. Very thick and thin; very heavy, and yet it still has a super drape. It would be neat to see a garment done in it, but it's just so damn heavy, it's not reasonable. Perhaps a shawl, but again, heavy. And it's hard to get a stitch pattern that works with it at all. The finished product is very soft however, and it shouldn't give my mother skin cooties, since it's all silk.

So after I finished up the sari silk scarf.... Instead of casting on a project(s) I really want to do, or finishing up something else that's in progress, I cast on for another scarf instead. Yes. Another scarf. Don't ask, I have no idea why. Well, I do. It's the leftovers from the Batman pullover, and the 2 ply Botany from my stash. They are all different shades of blue and the botany is very thing as well. I am using US 13s and it's knitting up nice and soft as well as a little springy. I'll probably make a garter stitch version from the yellow and black, and add in another random ball from my stash (the red Dale stork). It's just 24 stitches, and it's obviously not intensive knitting. But I do like the way it's turning out.

Now to just finish Danica, and Clapotis, and Jaywalkers, and my toe-ups, and maybe do something with the Jaywalker armwarmer idea, and rip out the Geisha sock (because I have decided I didn't care for it), and finish up the kid's knitting machine scarf for my brother, and a hat I did for shmoo and got halfway done with but didn't finish.

After all that, I can start Lady Eleanor, Topi, Nautie, and just maybe Aran Rose. Of course, by then it will be June and I will not want to knit on hot all woolen items. Perhaps I'll start socks for shmoo instead.

Batman Forever!

I have completed the Batman Pullover and one of the wristbands. Hooray!
It is now blocking on my table. I know, I don't really NEED to block acrylic but it doesn't really hurt it either.

One more wristband to do and I'll be able to box this sucker up and wrap it for gifting. Over all I am pleased with this project. It was my first Intarsia and it didn't turn out totally shitty. It was my first pullover. (In all honesty, my first sweater period.) And so I have accomplished two firsts with this project, and I don't hate it.

I didn't use a pattern, I just bought a 4T t-shirt, and based it off of that. That's pretty much it.

And here's a pic with the sleeve down so you can see the whole thing.

Then End!

The New Knitty

The new Knitty is out today, and well... after that goofy April Fool's delay, yet again... I am just not that impressed. There were, however, a few things that managed to catch my eye.

Exchequered is pretty fabulous, but not my kind of knit.
I liked Tendrils but the yarn is way to expensive and it rather reminds me of Clapotis, but with beads, and I already have one of those in progress.
Topi will surely be made, maybe twice. Once in manly man colors for shmoo and perhaps once for me.
I love Reid. Quick someone have a baby girl so I can make this for her. Actually I'll probably take the stitch pattern and make a scarf of it. Perhaps that unassigned Rowan Felted Tweed in my stash....
The Pedicure Socks are freaking awesome. Oh yes. They will be mine. Not for pedicures, but for the whole flip-flops and socks thing.
And finally, Nautie. SO cute, and it reminds me of my childhood fascination with fossils.

I wonder what the poor people are doing tonight.

Two years ago today, my Grandfather died. It wasn't totally unexpected but it was heart-tearing none-the-less. But when we would all sit down for dinner together, he would always say, "I wonder what the poor people are doing tonight." Indeed, we were blessed.

And now, a little knitting content. Batman has a sleeve.

Sweet Tea.

I have decided that I need to talk about sweet tea. Now, those of you from the south, you can skip this, because you already know it. You live it every day.

For the rest of you, especially those of you who happen to work in restaurants or might be a waitress or something... Sweet Tea is Southern Ambrosia, Nectar of the Gods. When someone asks you if you have sweet tea, and you say "No, but you can sweeten it." You just lost half your tip. Also, you are wrong. Utterly, completely wrong. Ok, yes you technically CAN sweeten it, but it sucks. Unless the right amount of sugar is added while the tea is fresh brewed and hot, it's not gonna be good. Learn it. Love it. Live it.

Also, please understand that when you call yourselves a "Southern" place, such as Red Hot and Blue does, you are saying, "We have Sweet Tea," which they don't. (At least not the one close to me.) To call yourselves a Southern Eatery and not have Sweet Tea is a fallacy, a misrepresentation, a damn lie!

As for the right amount of sugar, well... 2 cups per gallon is what my mama taught me. I have since cut back on that a bit, generally to a cup and a half. It's still plenty sweet but won't make me a diabetic as early.

For those of you who just don't understand this obsession with Sweet Tea, all I can say is, "It's a Southern Thing, you wouldn't understand." And sadly, you probably never will. It doesn't mean I can't be your friend, it just means I won't be coming to your house for dinner. :)

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

A Day Late.

And a dollar short. As usual.

I meant to flash my stash yesterday but I was too busy out galivanting around and having fun. So I did it today. I have been planning on doing this for a while now so Flash Your Stash Day seemed as good a reason as any. Excuse the bad photos and the horrid spelling, I was in a hurry. :)

So here, without any further ado is my stash page.