When your knitting reflects the state of your life

My knitting is on the verge.

I finally finished and blocked that purple Antarktis you've watched me fuss with. Still can't get the best photo of it all opened up. But I'm rather pleased with it.

I picked up the kid cardigan again. It seems rather large even for a size 4. I'm only half way done through the second sleeve and I'm terrified I don't have enough yarn to finish the collar. I'll have to give it the old college try. Everyone cross their knitter fingers for me.

I wanted that cardigan finished by now, but real life gets in the way. Our evenings have just been overflowing with soccer practice, track meets, late work days, bake sale baking and school functions.

What's a girl gonna do? Enjoy it.

I'm leaving Thursday evening (holy hot pants that's tomorrow!) and by then I know the work will be in a good place. I know the apartment will be in a state that my husband won't feel like his messy wife just abandoned him for a life of leisure.

But I have a feeling I will be abandoning that cardigan in another state of In Progress . It is the "Dear knitting gods let there be enough yarn to finish this thing" version.

I will take the yarn to start/finish neon sock #2 with me, but other than that ... I'm kind of at my wits end of what to bring on my holiday.

The truth is, I really don't want to haul a bunch of stuff I'm not going to use. This is a Spring Break of the whirlwind sort. We have plans every day. We are seeing different friends, and we are planning a whirlwind ... within the whirlwind.

The patterns I've been studying, the colorwork that's been interesting me ... they all require a certain level of time. Whether it's allowing to try more than one needle size or seeing what colors in the stash (or the yarn stores, mwahaha) work best together. There are some patterns that may just have one of those chart things that will require uninterrupted attention, and a certain ability to be comfortable with failure (my desire to use "comfortability" as a real word was overruled by the fact that I would know ... it's not a real word. Damnit.)

Okay so after all that prattle and rattle you're asking, "So what are you going to bring with you?!?"

Sock yarn for ... socks. I know, it's not zuper zexy, but socks and me... We are one right now. They bring me such comfort and I think that's exactly what I'll need on this trip, amongst all the excitement.

Mother & son are going International...

Need a hint on where we are going? The yarn I've been waiting for was just made available. I am able to ship it locally to a friend and avoid international shipping fees. My friend confirmed my "wool" made it.

Pretty Things

I have been meaning to share this with you for a bit, but I was getting distracted. I needed a decent photo.

So here are two lovely gifts I've received from some knitting pals.

The socks are from Andi, they came with some other lovely treats like tea and stationary accessories, swoon.  I adore it all, but I cannot tell you how happy the socks make me. I'm a little Mr. Rogers about them. I keep them in a corner by my knitting chair. I like to wear them like some people wear slippers, except I don't really move around the apartment in them. I like to wear them in the chair, and knit and watch t.v..

They are buttery soft and hug me "toe up".

The other fun candy loops or "floops" are some happiness sent to me from the ever endearing Kathy B. I keep these divided in 3 places. My knit notions basket and 2 travel knit bags. Never underestimate the need for stitch markers.

Thank you friends for your kindness and generosity. Thanks everyone for visiting.

I dreamt I was picking up stitches

I don't know but sometimes when I have a hard time getting to sleep or back to sleep, I visualize myself knitting. Just thinking about knitting seems to take that tension out of me, and let's me sort of sink into a comfortable spot easier.

Last night I dreamt I was picking up stitches. So I think it means I need to pick this kiddo cardigan back up and finish it off. It's St. Patrick's Day, the sweater is green. I think it's meant to be.

I'm sorry the posting and visiting has been sparse lately, but there has been a lot going on as usual, but I'm also prepping for a Spring Break vacation, and I just realized it means I'm leaving next week. More on that and some other fun stuff soon ... till then, knit strong.

A Tale of 2 Purples: Almost but not quite

First of all I had a great weekend. I hope you did too. I had family time, alone time, exercise time and relaxing time.

I was feeling the knits and divided my time between the neon socks and the end of a shawl.

I always forget how long those last rows take. The pattern is easy breezy fun, so it wasn't a problem. But I also forgot while I was casting off (ever so confidently) that I had gone up a needle size, maybe 2. (Details really, who can be bothered, when you're just knitting for your life?)

I ran out of yarn.

Monday night, I skipped the gym, and had a great night with the Big and The Kid. We had dinner, together, at the kitchen table (our only shared eating table -- yet still we aren't there together enough), we shared laundry chores and all the latest Middle School news (which for my son is approximately 3 or 4 sentences about what he's doing at school, but that's like a novel for me, I'll take it.)

I spent  the rest of the evening backing out a row or two for a clean cast off. This was fine. This is par for the course for a late night knitter.

I even managed to start blocking it. I took this picture this morning after I had to "reblock" it. See, that old ottoman (that my husband has threatened to get rid of for 2 years) is not big enough  to block it's full size. So I focused on one half of the triangle over night and re-pinned it today. She's really opening up, now :)

In most photos and light the yarn is very grape jelly. I tried to take a close up for you though, so you could see some of the true color.



I admit the Old Navy camoflague beach towel underneath isn't helping. I'll try to get a proper photo later this week for you when I've finished blocking it and can get some natural light.

And to all the knitters with the great posts on books and audio books, thanks. You are all inspiring. I read a bit this weekend. Not much, but enough to remind me how much I like it. Reading Queue as of now: A Spectacle of Corruption and To Kill a Mockingbird (it's time to revisit).

Mysteries have been my escapism the past 5 years or so. My husband tends to like the ones with the crazy people in it like Girl On a Train, etc. It will probably take me until the summer to catch up with my other reading wishes, but please let me know if you have any recommendations.

FO Friday: Basic Baby Hat in Stripes

This hat is so basic the pattern is actually "basic baby hat". I've done it multiple times with success. But somehow this project had a longer more difficult gestation.

A sprinkling of why:

• I cast on for the wrong size
• Not enough yarn
• Lost a stitch marker
• Decided late night stripes is the new knitting seduction
• Can't find my US 6 dpns

I swore I would collapse into bed early. But decided on a quick finish -- weave-ins and all.

I fantastic episode of Vera was on (though I saw who dunnit a mile away) and well, here we are. A scrappy knit toddler hat. Hope it fits :)

Things are sunshiney good, and I've still got to do dishes ...

Okay so you are some very kind people, having any sympathy for my burned polka dot on my finger. I promise you, my finger is fine. It's a tiny boo -- not even a boo boo, just one boo. It's a little raw after dishes but other than that, it's pretty much forgotten and painless. (I'm always a bit raw and cranky after dishes and I can't wash with gloves, because I can't feel if the dishes are clean with them on. Weird?)

I even managed a few rows on my baby hat last night after it happened, before collapsing in a puffy cinnamon sugar crusted heap around midnight.

I've really got to get some more sleep.

That's not really a complaint as much as it is just a basic fact. Good sleep is important for good health. At least that's the story I'm buying today :)

Anyhow, it all doesn't matter, sleep or no sleep. Look what the sunshine brought? The fantabulous Dee, of Tangled up in Sticks and Strings sent me some of her Florida vibes in this beautiful hank of hand painted yarn. How cool is that?!? I love it! It makes me want to eat rainbow sherbert ice cream in a sugar cone though.

Mmmm Sherbert

Why do so many things make me want to knit and eat?

Dee made that stitch marker!

Knitting does seem to minimize my snacking though. Good sunshine combination? Iced coffee + Knitting. Oh yeah, they are BFFs.

Tomorrow is the day of the hump. Works in Progress Wednesday and I need to figure out which day I'm going to knit at lunch. I'm running out of days. If it's as pretty tomorrow as it was today, I will try to get outside with the yarn.

What about you, where is your knitting sweet spot these days?

Another example of my self sabotage ..,

So it seems I've accidentally created snicker doodle scones.

Yeah, not sure how they taste because I refuse to try them.

Why? Well I have this childlike spiteful ness that I should be above. Shizenheimer happens, that's life. I made brownies for this very reason, hoping something would go right.

I'm mad because in the process of making crap dessert, I did this:

So no I'm not being rude but showing you my tiny burn blister.

Will it really impact my life in the grand scheme of things?

No.

But it will be a pain in the butt for a day or so to type as furiously and inaccurately as I do, possibly. Hehe (The magic is, even if you make mistakes if you type fast it's still faster to fix, so this would be a humble brag, ha!)

The anger is that I've been so busy I was willing to stay up super late to knit. But tonight, it hurts. Burning one's finger for crap cookies is in a word, disappointing.

So really another excuse my knitting is slow? Meh. Again life is good busy. So even without this "injury" I haven't really been producing much. A few rows here and there ...

I hope you are all enjoying the good. I hope my snow embracing winter east coast and Midwest friends are finding some warmth and craft. Sunshine in your heart wherever you may be.