A Call to Needles

I know this is a long shot, but I'm going to post it here anyway.

A couple weeks ago, one of my good friends and teammates' daughter, Sam, fell out of a 3 story window in Greece on a Study Abroad trip.  My friend Amy and her other daughter, Alli, dropped everything and went to Greece and have been with Sam since then (she had been in a coma).  This morning Sam died.  She was 20 years old.

I'd like to put together a WASHABLE afghan for Amy & Alli.  So this is my Call to Needles:  if you have time to make a 12 x 12 square, please let me know.  I don't have a color scheme going or anything, and I will do all the assembly myself.  But if you would like to contribute a square (or two or three) then I will happily take them.  Please email me at peaceloveyarn@aol.com if you're interested.  Yarn: anything acrylic.  If you don't have any but want to contribute your time, let me know and I'll find a way to get you some yarn.

Please let me know if you can help.  It would mean the world to me, and I'm sure Amy & Alli.

When is big big enough?

I am having a serious mental block about finishing my crochet scrap-eating afghan.  I keep thinking "the next row will be it" and sure enough, it still seems too small.  Now I can't decide if it's actually too small or if I just don't want to stop working on it.

I did a few of my common afghan-sizing tests to see if I'm getting close to having it the right size.  It's missing a few patches that haven't been attached yet (or made yet for that matter) but I think we're getting close.  But I thought I'd share my highly scientific test methods to determine if an afghan is big enough or not with you.

Test #1.  Do you get cold feet during naps?

This test was repeated several times for the most effective results.  If this test is passed, move on to test #2.

Test #2.  Does it make an appropriately sized fort?

Yes.  Move on to test #3.

Test #3.  Can you reenact scenes from "Titanic" using the afghan as a door and a cat as Kate Winslet?

Affirmative.  Move on to test #4.

Test #4.  Is afghan big enough for more than one cat? 

Clearly, it's not.  I think I'll add another row of circles. 

If you find yourself wanting to do these tests and lacking a cat, you're welcome to my old yellow cat.  She hates life and pees on the floor sometimes, but she's a trained yarn snob and will deliver highly accurate results. 

Reminders to my future self

You'd think in the past 19 years of being a knitter, I would have learned more about myself as a knitter and my knitting habits.

One of my classics happened this week.  Picture if you will, an orange tote bag that's been hanging on the door handle since October, all of one mitten finished except for a thumb, the other ball of yarn, waiting for hundreds of delicate little cables on tiny yarn, waiting, taunting.

I decided that this pair of mittens would work perfectly for the "accessories, knitted" contest of which entered this year for the Indiana State Fair.  So there, a solid reason for their hasty removal from project hibernation, but that doesn't exactly mean anything as there's a huge difference between "I can finish this for the Fair" and "I have time to finish this for the Fair".

I sat down with my audiobook yesterday, the 4" of ribbing done.  If I knitted 12 insanely cabled rows a day, that leaves me with a pair of mittens ready for the Fair, not including the time it's going to take to block (add an extra day or two for humidity).  I knitted around 20 rows before I realized my mistake.  (This is a classic Paige screw up).  I changed the pattern for the first mitten, and I assumed I'd remember it for the second mitten because I totally wasn't going to put it away for 8 months.  Naturally, I put it away, forgot, and I didn't change it for the second. It's nothing huge like the omission of a thumb or adding an extra 2 reps of something, but it's noticeable.  I think that I screwed up on the first mitten and just realized it too late and kept going, but the 5 stitches that form the gusset between the front and the back are supposed to be garter stitch with 2 slipped stitches on the sides, and my first mitten is definitely stockinette.

Lesson learned (but knowing myself won't be implemented) is:  if you make a change, write it down.

When I noticed the mistake I actually laughed a little. I like quirky mittens.  I much prefer the garter stitch on the second one, but not enough to go rip back the first mitten.  I might make this pattern again, in which case I'd make them both garter stitch edged, but for the time being, I'll accept that my mittens are fraternal twins and enjoy the process of the second mitten.

*Yes, I know that this mistake might cost me a ribbon.  And right now, I just don't care.  I lost a lot of respect for the judge when my beaded lace shawl was displayed inside-out and lost to a ribbed scarf last year.  I'm really just going to see how my lace tablecloth does and if anything else places then it's a bonus.
**That sounded snotty.  I'm not mad that my shawl didn't place, but there were loads of awesome knits (fair-isle, cabled and lace) that lost to this ribbed scarf.  I worked on that shawl for over a year and this ribbed scarf was a very nice ribbed scarf, but in the end, still a ribbed scarf.

Moving on.  I made it to 16 x 16 squares in my crochet afghan.  I'm still aiming for 16 x 18 plus a border.  I think I still have time.  I hope I still have time.  If I get to 16 x 18 and decide it's not big enough, it won't go to the Fair.  I would rather wait a year to enter it (or not enter it at all) than be displeased with it for the rest of it's life because I was too lazy to make it 18 x 20.  I didn't take a picture because it looks exactly like it did at 14 x 14, 12 x 12 and 10 x 10, just bigger.

I made a hat out of handspun.  It is knitted far too tightly and is a little small.  Luckily, I have a tiny head.  Here it is blocking.  I like it, except for the ribbing is a little loose.  I might go back and in the row between the ribbing and the lace pattern, crochet a row from behind to tighten things up.  But it's been drying for 4 days and is still wet- it's way too humid to be drying knits right now.

In non-knitting news, I have a guy who thinks I'm pretty cool.  And I think he's pretty cool.  He brings me these:

And Madeline brings me these, which is not cool at all  (I think it's a corn snake.  Regardless of what kind of snake it is, it is still a snake, and I jumped on the chair and screamed for a bit when she brought it to me, still alive, and very angry.  I hate snakes.):

And I might actually have a cucumber or two out of my little garden this year!

*I'm on Instagram!  If you'd like to get little pictures like these, follow knitpurldrop.

the busy bee

I must have been crazy to think that working from home would mean that I have more time to do things like knit or blog (instead of spending 2 hours a day in transit to and from work).  And while I'm waking up earlier, getting out less, and working for much longer that I was a couple months ago, it's absolutely fabulous working for myself.  I do have to be a bit cheap for a while though, as I don't plan on paying myself anytime soon.

My only regret is that my personal crafting time has gone completely out the window.  And when I do have time to knit what I want to knit, I get that guilty feeling that reminds me that it's not going to help my little business in any way by knitting someone else's yarn with someone else's pattern.

And I have had a happy couple weeks designing away on 6 new projects in 3 new yarns.  But the State Fair is coming up, and I've got 3 entry tags with no projects attached.

I put a couple hours in to the scrap-eater afghan, and it is going to be a lot of work, but it might be doable.  After I finish attaching the row of circles I've got started, it will be 16 squares tall and wide, and my plan is 16 by 18.  I might decide to make it 18 by 20 though since I love a big blanket, but then it wouldn't go to the Fair this year.  Decisions, decisions.  There's going to be a border to it, but that won't add more than 2 inches. Tubby Custard thinks it's great exactly as it is...

No comment on the other 2 projects that lie unfinished.

Here are a couple pictures of the projects I'm playing with for Good For Ewe, the first is a future baby blanket in the yarn "Chord", the second is a hat in "Sultry Steps".  Both patterns (and a few more) will be available in print within a few weeks.

I thought I'd also post a couple garden shots, although the green thumb seems to be taking a year off.  Here are my herbs (mostly basil and catnip)...

 And cucumber #1...

And cucumber #2.  The heat wave and drought is not helping my inability to make anything grow this year.

That's Not Fair!

I have somehow spent many hours crafting and don't really have anything to show for it.  I keep flitting from project to project without ever spending enough time on one to make a noticeable difference.  The main project (that hasn't been Good For Ewe knitting/pattern designing) has been this... the Shetland Snapdragon.  I have a mental block when it comes to knitting with my own handspun, so I signed up to enter a knitted item from handspun yarn in to the State Fair this year which forces me to bite the bullet and do it.  I've got a little over a month before items have to be dropped off, and the only projects not truly finished are my super-cabley mittens, my scrap-eater crochet afghan, and my hat. It's totally do-able.  I think.

So I dug out my favorite hank of handspun, a huge gray hank with subtle reds and blues.  I figured I'd have enough to make the hat AND a pair of mitts with this giant hank.  I casted on and knitted until my fingers were sore (which happened quite quickly between the cables, small needles, and tightly spun shetland).  I had about 10 hours in the hat and it occurred to me at around row 40 that I didn't have enough yarn for a matching pair of mitts- but I totally have enough to finish the hat.  I looked down a few rows later and the yarnball was tiny- what happened?  So I just started decreasing for the crown, but I've only got around 10 yards left.  I have no idea how that happened.

I had luckily saved the card that came with the fiber and emailed the farm explaining that this was my favorite color of roving in the world and if they had it, I would love to buy it and if they didn't, I would make it worth their time to make up a new batch.  I want enough of this color to make a jacket because I just love this color and think it's the best color the world has ever seen. Anyhow, I haven't heard back yet but my fingers are very tightly crossed.  Here is the hat at the moment..

When I haven't been working on the Shetland Snapdragon, I've been working on the quilt top and hitting the pavement.  I've done 2 5k races this summer so far and have another 2 to do still.  Here's the picture of a few friends and I post-Zombie Dash yesterday.

And...the quilt so far.  I had the owner of the quilt shop help me with the arrangement and pick out a backing fabric.  The fabric that's going on the bottom looks like little knit stitches, I can't wait to finish it and show you! (Madeline is hiding under one of the squares- the bulge is not a sewing mishap)

The first of the Good For Ewe yarns should come by the end of this week- keep an eye out for the biggest "project" of my life!

Dust or Knit

You know those little projects that only have a few hours to go but you somehow can't bring yourself to work on them?  I know the feeling.  I have a massively cluttery dresser in my room that should theoretically have (sitting on top of it) a music box that holds all my earrings, a few pictures, and a few  of my little sheep but recently it has taken on the responsibility of becoming the new "clutter place".   I still have these aforementioned doo-dads on the dresser, but it has also become a shrine to the small UFOs and . A potholder here, a baby sweater there, a partial sock that is so covered with bracelets and watches that it now thinks it's a jewelry box.

So this week I took them down.  Not all of them, I still have 2 projects that either need to be finished or dusted, but I'll get to those.  I'd like to share with you this week's victories.

1.  The potholders.  I started these a while ago and kept them in my purse.  Then I must have taken them out with the intention of working on them, didn't, and never put them back in the purse.  After the potholders were done, I whipped up a couple ball band warshcloths and found a little tea-towel I made a few months ago, and put them together.  True, they don't *really* match, but there's enough of a theme that I was able to call the set Gift 3 of 5 of this year's Knit It Forward.  I dropped them off to the recipient, who acted very excited to have expanded her hand-made kitchen accessories collection.   I just love knitting for other knitters- they get excited over little things like potholders and are so thankful!

2. The crochet chevron baby blanket OF DOOM.  Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it was one of those black hole projects that you can work on forever and ever and never make progress.  But I did learn how to make a crochet chevron blanket, and I know that I never have to do that again.  It's a little smaller than my usual baby blankets and it's got 25% wool in it, which scares non-knitters, so it will probably go to a baby with a fiber-loving parent.  It is crocheted at Paige-Gauge though, so it will survive being barfed on, washed a thousand times, dragged around and a zombie apocalypse. I do have 3 more balls of this yarn left and after 2 blankets in this color, I'm not tired of it yet.  It will be a nice baby sweater or something...but not for a while.

3.  The Sunny Sarasota baby cardigan.  I took this super happy ball of sock yarn to Sarasota with me in April and instead of socks, decided to make the Little Hanten baby sweater by Cheryl Oberle from the Small Wonders book I borrowed from Monica forever ago. It is really easy, I think it's pretty cute, and it eliminated one more ball of sock yarn from the stash. Unfortunately, there are roughly a billion ends to weave in when you're done.  The yarn is from Knit One Crochet Two and is mostly merino with some silk and nylon, so it will have to go to a fiber-mommy too that's not afraid to put wool on her child.  I found the super-cute button at A Good Yarn Sarasota.  It's being blocked now so it will be a little less wonky on the button-band when I give it away.

I just love the multi-directional-ness of it!

I crocheted up the sleeves and sides with a crochet slip stitch.  I love how neat it looks on the inside, and it's super sturdy.  That seam isn't going anywhere.  (I did have someone once say that my sweaters have "bones" so it's not for everyone)

And the dresser is still messy, but slightly less wooly now.

It's been a while...

It's been so long I had to take a couple tries to remember my password.  And then they've gone and changed the posting format.  It's been too long.

I've been busy.  I've been down to Florida again where I was wearing the latest styles in bird hats...

I've been taking a quilting class...

I've been working on Good For Ewe (which is the company I'm starting with my Dad in case you missed the announcement.) We're on facebook and ravelry or you can always email me at paige@goodforeweyarn.com if you have any questions.  Yarns should be here at the start of July.

I fixed a birdhouse that my Grandpa made a while ago and it was starting to rot and fall apart...

I've been knitting a bit...

I even finished a project!  Here is my completed Lyra shawl in Knit Picks Shadow.  I used about 3 1/2 hanks and while I loved every stitch (except the cabled flowers) I am glad it's over.  It's name is Sassenach, which is Gaelic for "Outlander", the book series to which I have been addicted for the past 8 months. When it's done blocking, I'll take it outside for a proper photo-shoot.

And I've really just not been feeling very well lately and didn't really feel like writing.  Yesterday I had a right heart cath done (where they stick a tube up your veins from the inside of your hip until they reach your heart.) So yesterday I just slept a lot, knitted a bit and barfed a few times from the drugs wearing off. Today I went to Costco with my mom where I moved at approximately the speed of a snail while wishing I could go back to bed.  I'm sore and groggy and would like this week to be over so I can pick up things that are more than 5 pounds again because Madeline thinks I don't love her any more since I can't hold her.