The fruits of my labors

Knitpicks came! You can go see the fruits of my labors at the shop. Alison was kind enough to mention my 10% off deal for Sockapaloooza participants, so I'll offer it here, too. 10% off on any sock yarn to Sockapaloooza sock knitters, even if the yarn's just for you!

And now, the promised progress pics.

First, the Elann lacy cardi, sleeves done and now working toward the waist:



And Mariah! Threaded onto my yellow ribbon are a sleeve, the back, and the left front, awaiting the other sleeve and the right front before all can be joined for the yoke.



Sleeve cable detail:



Cable ribbing detail:



I'm finding that the directions for this pattern are not quite accurate. The sleeve length, in particular, is problematic. But I persevere.

Waiting on Knit Picks

Hurry...hurry...hurry.

Progress

Sorry about the radio silence. Night classes on top of full-time teaching have really been taking it out of me recently. I've finished one sleeve for Mariah and am nearly done with the back. The pieces are knit separately up to the yoke and then joined for the raglan decreases. Unfortunately, the cable ribbing on the lower edge of the back is drawing in alarmingly, leading to that pooched-out-over-the-ribbing look I so despise. I'm hoping the ribbing will block out a bit, but if it doesn't, I'm going to have to rip out the back and figure out some modifications. I already know I'm going to have to modify the neck to make it higher and give it a collar instead of a hood.

That has been most of my knitting lately. I sewed myself a bigger purse so I can carry around whatever piece I'm working on. It seems to get done more quickly that way. I promise there will be pictures of both purse and sweater pieces soon.

I also got a new toy:


An RCA Lyra. 4 gig, so I can have a couple of audio books and a few hundred songs on it at the same time. I love it so much. This is my first MP3 player, and I'm hoping it will lead to more exercise, since now I can have it on when I walk the dog or hike. I know, I know, what an exciting life I lead.

Go Hawks!

So I really don't understand football. It's not that I'm incapable. Indeed, anyone who can read a lace chart and reproduce those symbols in thready yarn on tiny needles ought to have the brainpower to understand any sport they choose. I am deeply interested in the nuances of baseball, and even enjoy watching my students play basketball now and again. It's just that football has no pull for me. I've been to high school and college games, and even watched a bit on the TV with my dear husband. But my overwhelming reaction is "meh."

Football makes excellent knitting time, though. Hours of television I have no desire to pay attention to--what more could I want? The only disruptions could come when my husband jumps from the couch yelling over some thing or other and catches my yarn on his jacket zipper. Other than that, no prob.

So the Seahawks, my hometown Seattle team, are going to the Superbowl for the first time in the team's history. Since the Knitting Knotebook has declared for Pittsburgh, I will declare for Seattle. Two Waters is now an official bandwagon Seahawks knitting blog. Eat your heart out, Steelers.

The twins

Introducing the Twins, Swifty and Windy.



The ball winder was a Christmas gift from my in-laws, and the swift a birthday present from my grandmother. A closer look at the swift:



She got it in the 1970's in some European country. She can't remember which one. My grandfather was stationed as a civilian with the military in France and Germany during my father's adolescence, and they traveled throughout the continent dickering in little shops and at flea markets. I'm afraid I'll never know the origin of my swift, but she is a beauty.

Swifty and Windy have helped me do this:



Yarn for the shop, now updated. Go over and browse and enjoy Swifty's efforts.

As for knitting, I'm on the third cable repeat on the first sleeve of Mariah and 4 inches from the ends of the sleeves on Lace Cardi. Progress pics in my next post.

So....Much....Yarn

So I got Indigo Sierra Aran from my sweet husband for Christmas, and I loved the yarn so much that I immediately ordered 12 more skeins in Plum Heather. Bad idea. I am 8 inches into the sleeves of the Elann Lace Cardi with the Indigo and doing the "two-lace-sleeves-on-two-circs with TEN THOUSAND stitch markers because the pattern is a 6-stitch repeat" is driving me crazy. So I ordered 5 more skeins of the Plum Heather and cast on the cabled sleeve for Mariah. Now I have a grand total of 5 serious projects on the needles.
1. Mariah
2. Kiri
3. Elann Lace Cardi
4. Handspun socks
5. Crusoe socks

There are also at least three scarves on needles swimming around in the bottom of my knitting basket, including an Old Shale scarf for a friend. I also need to get my act together and finish a wearable baby sweater for my best friend's baby who is now a month old and rip-out and restart my husband's Merino Style sweater and my Wool of the Andes Cardi.

Startitis, anyone?

St. Distaff's Day

Where will I be tomorrow (correction courtesy of Jessica) afternoon? At St. Pius X Catholic Church in Mountlake Terrace at the St. Distaff's Day celebration, of course.

In celebration of St. Distaff's day, I give you the first ever socks knit from my Two Waters yarn by Rosemary of Quietish. Aren't they gorgeous? I am humbled by the idea that my yarn could become something so beautiful.

Christmas Break Knitting

Since school starts tomorrow, I thought I'd show you what I've been knitting over Christmas Break. First up is the handspun sock yarn, which became this



on Christmas Day while sitting on my Grandma's couch listening to various family members talk about other various family members. Grandma is a great crocheter, by the way, and it is her I have to thank for my embarassing ability to turn out large, perfect, hideous, crocheted doilies at a moment's notice. Grandma, now that arthritis has ended her doily days (like salad days for other people, but primmer) has been churning out the same afghan pattern for about 10 years now. I think she's made 53 at last count, and given all but three away. I have two that she made, one my graduation gift from high school, blue, and one our wedding gift, green.

Here is the second sock, begun on the 26th at Tim's family Christmas in Portland.



Modesty forbids me effusing over my own handspun, but let's just say that I love this yarn more than I love either my dog or my cat.

All non-sock knitting time has been devoted to this



Tim's Christmas gift to me, 10 skeins of Elann's Sierra Aran in Dark Indigo. He picked the color himself, and I must say he did an excellent job. It is swiftly becoming this



A wadded mess of lace, which will block into Elann's Aran Weight Lace Cropped Cardigan. I'm on the two-sleeves-on-two-needles part, which is a major pain. This is what I'd term an advanced pattern, not because the knitting itself is difficult, but because the pattern is little more than two lace repeats written out and some vague suggestions as to how to use them.

Here is a detail of the lace



I'm having fun with it. All in all, a productive break, with knitting time dented only by learning Sid Meyer's Civilization IV, my Christmas gift to Tim. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, especially since I get to play the Mongolians, my favorite historical barbarian culture.