Knitting Pharm

Sometimes a mom just needs to be a mom

I try to keep the kid brags to a minimum on the blog, because I've long since figured out that my girls are far more fascinating to me than they are to others.

However, in the absence of substantial knitting content, I really must share today's holiday portrait proofs.

Amy is 4 1/2, and Laurel will be 3 on December 19th.

Click for bigger.

 

 

   

PS - I'm back to Thermal, working on Laura's deadline because she was the only one who left me one.  Socks are still going strong, pink Loksins are done and second Charade is on the needles.  What, you thought I could compose a post without even a mention of the knits?

Post-plunge pairs

It would seem the best thing for my sock mojo was to finish the Plunge and no longer feel I had to knit socks.  Add a few unplanned sock yarn binges, and you have the perfect storm of speedy, frenzied sock knitting.

Another pair of Pomatomus have jumped on and flown off the needles before I could say, "Cookie A".  These are for a holiday order, and I hope the 2.5 mm needle size took the size down sufficiently for her size 6 feet.  The yarn is Opal solid, which is just such a reliable old friend.

Before heading out on just one more plane trip and while catching up on PVR viewing, I snuck a pair from my Philadelphia stash enhancement trip.  This was my first time with the Skacel Lifestyle, and I really liked it.  It's similar in feel to the Artyarns Ultramerino 4, and I love the long pattern repeat.

One more out of town meeting meant plenty of airport, airplane and meeting room knitting this past week.  It also meant a somewhat accidental trip to Lettuce Knit.  I wasn't planning on being in the Market area at all, but my host for the day, a very dear friend, was dropping off a friend (another meeting attendee) there, so I snuck in just for a peek.  In just 10 minutes, I scared the bejeesus out of Laura Chau and purchased three skeins of Socks that Rock (lightweight in Pirate's Booty and Highway 30 and mediumweight in Lapis).

Ms. Happy fared quite well at LK as well, although she exercised enough restraint with the STR to make me look quite bad.  We also sat together at the meeting and knitted silently in a back corner.

All in 2 day's work, meaning every free moment spent knitting:

A Loksins and a half, in Fleece Artist Sea Wool.  I reversed the pattern to work it to my usual toe-up recipe.  The combination of my Knitpicks nickel-plated circs and the slightly slippery yarn has made for a mad fast knit so far.  I hope to work the leg of sock #2 tonight.

[the toe on the sock in progress isn't nearly as pointy as the photo makes it appear.]

One Charade sock, in a Fleece Artist Merino sock mill end from ages ago.  The pattern is easy, quick and effective.  It doesn't need blocking to look good in photos, because the herringbone rib creates a nifty, almost stiff farbic on its own.  Major kudos to Sandra Park for this one.

[I worked this pair toe-up as well.]

Since the completion of the Plunge, I've decided to continue track my pairs by number until its official close of April 1st, so here goes:

• 53:  Undulating Rib in STR lighweight
• 54:  Pomatomus in off-white Kroy
• 55:  Lenore in STR lightweight
• 56:  Roza's socks in Lorna's Laces
• 57:  Loksins in off-white Kroy
• 58:  Anita's socks in self-striping Online Sierra
• 59:  Skacel Lifestyle socks

In all of this sock hoopla, poor Thermal sits with barely a day's work left, and I can't seem to bring myself back to it.  Anyone care to set me a deadline?

Sock it to me one more time

Well, when the mojo comes back, it REALLY comes back.  I've been on a few airplanes since grudgingly welcoming November, which means small, portable projects.  What could those be but socks?!

I finished the Stucco Pomatomus pair before leaving for Florida.

[Patons Kroy 4-ply sock, toe-up, magic loop on 2.75mm Knitpicks circular]

Loksins #1 en route to Florida, and #2 on a return flight from Philly.

[Patons Kroy 4-ply sock, cuff-down, magic loop on 2.75 mm Knitpicks circular]

One pair while cruising the Gulf Beaches strip...

[Online Sierra, toe-up vanilla stockinette, magic loop on 2.5mm Knitpicks circular]

If the background looks odd, it's because it's a Dee Dee wig from Amy's Halloween costume, which gave better contrast to the off-white yarn than the pale yellow table did.

For good measure one more pair while waiting in the Boston airport and on the second day of my course, when it had become clear that it was a chill enough crowd to knit with.  Our facilitator, the very cool Dr. PK, even remarked that it was nice to see that comfort level in a course.  He has no idea the places I'll knit.

These are already in the mail to one of the gals I met on the course.  Unless she's reading this, in which case, la la la la, Hi Michelle!

[Grumperina's Roza's Socks from Interweave Knits.  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Glenwood, toe-up, magic loop on 2.5mm Addi Lace needle.] 

Amy's shawl took a bit of nagging to get me to return, but it was a quick finish.  I kept changing my mind about its construction, and I ended up with a little cape-like thing that I wasn't nuts about.  I sewed up some side seams, and voila!  A shawl a little girl can't lose while playing!

On the needles now, the ever-present Thermal.  I wound the 8th hank of yarn today, and each sleeve is well past the halfway point.  The buttons I'd chosen are too large for the buttonholes, so I'll have to go on a little button expedition, possibly even in Toronto this week.

Yet another Pomatomus pair is keeping me occupied, this one in Opal solid for a holiday order.  I hope to get the pair done tonight, so I can pay attention to the Zitron Life Style pair I cast on last night.  I can't seem to find a matching pattern repeat in the 2 skeins I have, so I'm going the fraternal twin route.  I'd even started the whole 2 socks on 2 circs racket, but the ladders were making me fume, so I transferred each sock onto its own needle.  Little help, Melissa?

One last secret project rounds out the motley crew, and I hope to whip it into submission shape in time for consideration for the spring issue of Knitty.

Did somebody say caffeine?

Dear Santa,

I can explain.

You see, one can't hit Gulf Coast Florida without checking out Stitchworm, and bargain baskets are a very good thing.

And in Pennsylvania, where yarn is tax-free and when the Canadian dollar is at crazy highs, it's downright irresponsible not to shop.

Take Trekking as an example.  At home, I've seen it for upwards of $21 per skein, plus sales tax of 14%.

At Loop in Philly?

14 bucks.  US.  No tax.

Do the math, oh jolly one.  That brings it to about half the price.  Seriously.

[Delish.  Worth making the bad girl list.]

Also from Loop, the new Araucania sock yarn.  Maybe for a gift, maybe not.

And at the delightful Rosie's Yarn Cellar, I scooped again.

Zitron Skacel Life Style, in a colourway that reminds me of Blue Moon's Lucy.

Just one colourway of the Regia Kaffe Fassett line that I've been eyeballing forever.

Koigu, just because it was pretty and less expensive than at home.

Some Black Bunny Fibers, continuing on the blue-purple theme that I clearly couldn't shake on this trip.

And just one skein of Schaeffer Anne, my first.  Really lovely, and I'm pondering a shawl with it.  Major yardage to this baby, and such a pretty shade of purple.

I should mention that the above stash enhancements were achieved on a 90 minute lunch break while on course in Philly.  I'm just that obsessed efficient.

The Stitchworm stash will be photographed on its return from Florida, where it's still vacationing with my Dad and enabler Mom.  It includes another skein of Trekking, some Socka, another sock yarn whose name I can't recall, some off-white DK for a kid's sweater, and a small pile of Cascade 220.

Santa, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't have done exactly as I did in the presence of such great deals, I'll take sled duty from you for the next 50 years.

I thought not.

With fond and yarny thoughts,

Deb

PS - If you really sympathize with my plight, you'll do the right thing and leave me some self-control under the tree this year.  Or a spinning wheel.  (Can't blame a girl for trying.)

Just this once

Seeing as we're now halfway through November, and I've been on 8 airplanes and spent the lion's share of time sleeping in unfamiliar beds, maybe just this once I can skip the head to toe bragfest.

October archives are here.

A major highlight, of course, was completing the 52 pair plunge.  I'm now back at socks with a vengeance, and will do my best to do a proper post soon.

Soon, my pets.  For now, it's laundry, returning phone calls and playing with the cutest little girls on earth.

Last year's lace

This time last year, I was battling a demon known as lace.  Armed with a mess of Knitpicks laceweight, I planned on knitting shawls for everyone on my list for the holidays.

I fought.  I knitted.  I frogged.  I cursed.  I cursed some more.

Then I plied the works into sportweight and called it a day.

A lot can change in a year.  Take July, for example.  And how about August and September?  And in the continuing trend, I have more lace to show off.

First is Harriet's Flower Basket, done in Knitpicks Shadow.  About a skein and a half gave a nice sized shawl.  The ease of the pattern will never cease to amaze me.

Then I started playing with the FBS pattern, eliminating pairs of increases and decreases, and ended up with something close to Leaf Lace but not exactly the same.  This one is for my MIL for Christmas, and is worked from the better part of a cone of Louet Gems Opal.  Mark my words, those cones will be the end of spending restraint.

[I think it's safe to say I've found my comfort zone with lace.]