Argh! as we sail away....

Last weekend we went on a Pirate Adventure in Annapolis, MD. Its for the kids--they get to be pirates, find treasure, and sail in a pirate ship and be part of the pirate action. It was fun and really well done. Here is BoyWonder raising the pirate flag! The kids also got to douse the rogue pirates with the water cannons, read the message in the bottle and drink grog. Good times!

I got my package from The Loopy Ewe before we went....delivery in only 2 days! I ordered some tiny sock charms/blockers (buddy Lou has one which I LOVE!) For these you make a tiny sock and it lives on your keychain. Good times.

I also got one set of sock yarn for my sock pal, and one for me!

This is Tainted Love from Stone Barn Fibers. I have already started Jaywalkers with it; the color repeats are very short, so it has a nice EVEN variegation which I love. Short random blasts of color. They are easily as bright as this picture. The yarn is soft with a tight twist like Koigu. I will definitely buy this brand again. My Sockpal is getting a pastel colorway of Claudia's, which I know she will like.

I also signed up for the Harry Potter Sock Club from Sunshine Yarns! I have used Dani's yarn before and it is lovely. But the HP stuff sells out so fast! In the club there will be 2 dragon/animal/place colorways and on skein of the house colors of your choice. This is my first sock club!

We are going on our annual Ireland vacation tomorrow; Paul's sis is getting married and we are going to visit everyone as well. We have 4 corners of the country to visit and may squeeze in some sightseeing as well, or at least a few nature walks. This will be the first time in 7 years I have not had to take a stroller. Freedom!

We are even going to Edinburgh to see some college friends for a quick break without kids. There will be drink taken.....!

Done! I do like to finish before a deadline......

I finished the Sockpalooza 4 socks last week. They do not go out until August, so I am well before the deadline. I LOVE this yarn--I used Claudia's Hand Paint, which I found at The Knitting Basket (I used a gift certificate I had from my birthday.) I remember Mary buying this yarn at MDS&W, but I had never purchased or knitted with it. Its LOVELY! The colors give loads of trued variegation (its different on every row, and the stitches really stand out) and the yarn is tough but very, very soft. I loved knitting with this yarn.

The colors are NOT my style (I like screaming brights; pastel neutrals make me look like I just died) but my pal said she likes neutrals, and there are loads of neutrals on her blog. And these socks are not just beige, there are loads of subtle changes and gentle yellows in them. It reminds me of buttered toast, one of my favorite foods.

Specs:
Began May 2007, finished June 2007
2 skeins Claudia's Hand Painted in Butter Pecan
Monkey Pattern from Knitty
Size 1 needles

I'm in!

I received my invite this morning!

http://www.ravelry.com/

and this is addictive! It appeals to the librarian inside me--I've been adding current projects the last hour.

SO COOL! mySpace for yarn!

Rememberance of Projects Past

Though the blog has been silent, I have been knitting. Unfortunately, I often get stuck in projects, or stall in the finishing stages. While I was stalled on the Sunrise Circle Jacket, I did a bit of charity knitting to ease the slump.

There are differing theories on UFO management. What do you do when you get stuck on a project? Some knitters work on only a few projects (or one) at a time, and they bulldoze through all problems on that one project. Many knitters work on multiple items, finishing steadily but slowly. And many of us have startitis, embarking on new projects as the will strikes.

I will say that I have done all of these. I like to have a portable, easy project for carrying around, and then more exciting ones for home. I like to knit for myself and for others. I often have to put a project in time out because it is not working, and I have to decide what to do with it. Maybe there is a mistake that requires ripping, or maybe its just not feeling right. Sometimes I have 6+ items on the needles; more often I have 3. Knitter's choice!

Sometimes you just lose your knitting mojo a bit. Everything seems grey and pointless. When the existential bug bites, its time to hit the charity knitting. Dig in the stash and make something good out of those bad feelings and past failed projects. Even if it does not lift the mood, you have done SOMETHING.

Charity Project 1:
Afghans for Afghans
Baby Blanket
Basketweave baby pattern from Yarn Girls Guide to Kid Knits, yarn held double
Dale Sisik from Holly Spring Homespun
14+ balls? used
Denise 13s
This had been my most horrific finished sweater. I had made the cover wrap cardigan from IK Winter 2005 in this yarn, tried it on, and immediately ripped it. Hairy gorilla indeed! It had been re-balled and was marinating in the stash. Every time I looked at it I felt that horrible failure.....when an item had only bad memories, its gotta go! The yarn was good quality and thick and Afghans for Afghans was looking for baby blankets. I knitted until the yarn ran out. I hope it will bring some family a small amount of joy.

Charity Project 2:
Loopy Ewe Quarterly Challenge
Fruit hat pattern by Ann Norling
Stash Peaches and Cream
Clover Bamboo #4 circs and DPNs

This was one of the first projects I ever made and its still a favorite pattern. They are SO CUTE! I have made many of these, maybe 25 or more. They are quick and interesting. These were sent to The Loopy Ewe for their quarterly challenge (baby hats.)


I love Sheri's blog at the Loopy Ewe....and I have yet to order! I fall in love with their yarn on a nearly weekly basis (love the sneak ups) but I have not yet ordered. What is wrong with me? Its the stash management thing I guess--I like to buy when I am ready to start a project. I feel weighed down by past decisions and stash, instead of inspired. But one day I will! If you have not checked them out, Sheri carries LOTS of cult yarn and small dyers, plus famous quality sock yarns like Lorna's Laces, Claudia's Hand Painted and Fleece Artist. AND they carry Scarlet Fleece, our own local famous dyemaster!

How do YOU get your knitting mojo back? How many UFOs do YOU have in time out?

(I will confess, I have one in time out. The hems were not working. More later.)

Sucess! My first unqualified success!

I did it! (Begin Dora the Explorer dance NOW!!!!)


The Sunrise Circle Jacket is my first unqualified sweater success! The fit is perfect, the knitting was fun (though sewing all those hems was a bit tedious!) and the design is something you could never buy in the store. Its what hand knits are all about!


Back story: I bought the yarn in December at Holly Spring Homespun (or maybe January?) and worked on it steadily until I completed the body. I remember asking Melanie if it was too....hairy gorilla (it is brown and a bit fiber-y) in January. I know she said "no way! " I was prepared to abandon the project way back then.


It stalled in mid-semester (last semester was a tough one) and the sleeves languished on the needles for weeks. I finished them finally, but then the finishing waited, and waited, and waited. I don't like to finish, and I am rarely energetic enough during the week to tackle even a small amount of finishing. My Sundays were full of family obligations (they are the one quieter day) and I only squeezed in a bit of sewing here and there. And THE HEMS! This sweater gets much of its shape and definition from its hems (all sides, sleeves, collar, everything) but tacking miles of hem cleanly and neatly can be tedious. I finally did it in front of the TV and it flew.

I had thought the sleeves would be much too long (they had been on the KAL) and that the body would be too long. I was worried about my forced gauge; I knitted this quite tightly, which worked for the project and the pattern. But sometimes when you push a yarn, it bites back.

Happy accident with the buttons: I had bought a big jar months ago at the thrift store. It had many similar colors and sizes, and I happily use mismatched buttons on projects (I did on the Rebbecca jacket.) But hidden in the middle were four perfect buttons, shaped like little yurts, which echo the shape of the jacket with its stand-up lapels and curved fronts. Brilliant!

Specs:
Sunrise Circle Jacket by Kate Gilbert
IK free pattern online
7 skeins of Peace Fleece in Ancient Fern
Partial/leftover skein of fuchsia Cascade 220
Vintage buttons
Begun Winter 2007
Finished June 1
Success!

(p.s. Thanks to the kids for taking the pictures. They may not show the jacket's details, but they show the joy of finishing! The thrill of victory!)