I can't wait until fall.

I feel bad that I haven't been knitting as much lately, but the weather is hopefully going to stay cool for a bit, so I can work on my sweater. Yes, I need to block some scarves, and finish that tank top, but the sweater is, so far, a nice bit of easy circ stockinette knitting and I can work on it while I watch Mad Men, which is awesome (both the show and the ease of knitting while watching).

when is it going to be in the 60s? I want to be able to knit heavier things without dying!

SWIIIIIFT!

After the orgy of yarn-purchasing yesterday, I spent most of this afternoon wrangling a lovely swift that Sue brought to work. Otherwise, there was no way in hell I'd be able to get that giant skein of Baruffa Cashwool into something workable for my Triinu scarf. But I prevailed! after hours of work and a nap in between tries. XD And then I balled up....pretty much all my other yarn, or at least everything I'll need for upcoming projects. woohoo!

Also I've finished eight repeats of the Raha scarf out of a total twelve listed in the pattern, but it's getting pretty long as is right now. (news flash: using a bamboo blend for a lace pattern: IT STRETCHES. oh lol) Since I don't want my gf to drown in this thing, I might stop it at nine. that should be good.

Other things I've learned today: The History Channel has finally, FINALLY got some new programming that does not suck. Sure, I miss the good old days when every other program was about the Civil War, or Hitler, but they've got a diverse audience now! and I need something more in my life than freaking Ice Road Truckers, which I will never watch, ever, and there is no way on god's green earth you can tell me that belongs on the history channel. it's crappy reality programming! just because they filmed it in the winter doesn't make it historical!

But tonight, oh joy, I sat (or rather stood by the swift, winding) engrossed through Sex in the Ancient World: Pompeii, which is fairly close to my heart since Pompeii was the setting of the first-year Latin books we had in sixth grade, and it's just hilaaaaarious what they left out. Friday's episode on ancient Egypt should be just as salacious, if not more. And then I watched Clash of the Gods, which is the basic mythology show with a focus on human psychology and how that informs the creation of these immortal figures, and what I like immensely is the visual style of it, very striking character design for the actors "reenacting" the lives of the gods to make the divine archetypes more relatable to a human audience and at the same time clearly otherworldly and awesome. Whoever did the hair and makeup on that show deserves an Emmy.

My Stash Just Exploded!

And by Exploded I mean there was a massive yarn sale at the Myers House Weaving Department and I spent a ton of money there, om nom nom yarncakes.

I now have laceweight yarn for my Triinu scarf! OMG! only ravelry lists it (Baruffa cashwool) as cobweb, jeeeeesus that is thin and I hope I don't have to use two strands together. it's gonna be gorgeous. Dark green soft as sin merino which I'll turn into a gorgeous Estonian lace scarf and drape around me like an elvish princess. mmmmm.

Also, joy of joys! I found more Classic Elite Premiere there! I bought two hanks of this lovely spring green at Knitorious, those were the last two they had, and in my foolishness I hadn't really thought about the fact that that is not enough yarn with which to make anything substantial, garment-wise. I scoured other LYSes for months trying to find more (nothing at Knitty Couture, Knit and Caboodle had it, but not the color I needed, no one on ravelry had any to trade or sell, etc) until today, where there was a whole shelf full of the stuff, and TONS of the spring green. Biggest shocker of the day? I got home with my stash, four new hanks of Premiere, and get out my old balls and their tags to discover that it's the SAME DYE LOT. whaaaat?!

I repeat, joy of joys. And I rode that high straight to the JoAnn way the hell out on Manchester where mom and I found a copy of French Girl Knits (I reeeally need to return the library's copy) and it was purchased at 40% off, and I'm going to make the Delphine Lacy Cap-Sleeved Top in beautiful bright spring green pima/tencel blend.

I also got some bargain barn yarn (sooo much fun fur in there, oh god) at 75% off, five balls each of some Crystal Palace Shimmer (in sparkly navy) and something nordic called Svale I've never heard of, but looks fairly nice. it's a sort of a pale grey. lovely.

the day of yarn continues! Kara and I are going to hang out and watch Brideshead Revisited (the real version, not that new movie) and work on our respective lace scarves. ta!

Grotto Wrap - Knitting Daily

Grotto Wrap - Knitting Daily

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So maybe I should be doing something besides ogling our copy of Interweave, but...free pattern!

Lacy days

It seems like everywhere I turn lately there is some lace action going on. I suppose it's a summer thing, knit something light and airy so you're not being crushed by a giant woolen sweater in the July heat. So, with that in mind, I picked up the Juliet scarf again, which has lain dormant for a little bit while I was working on my Karma tank/watching Star Trek/having my dear girlfriend come for a visit.

I think I'm finally getting this whole wacky "chart" thing. I mean I still kind of hate charts with a passion and they make my eyes hurt, but the pattern on this scarf is simple enough to memorize and I've finally gotten a good grasp on why the chart symbols are the way they are, so I think I won't be slowed down on this scarf anymore. The yarn is still a bit sheddy but I think that's the needles, they're getting a bit dull and perhaps now that I have the pattern down I could switch to something smoother, like a knit picks harmony, and not have this sticking problem. I love the color, though, it works well with my skin.

Now I think there will be more lace in the future...I want to work with finer yarn! this silk is like...sportweight, and I like it for this scarf, which is not, say, the ultimate in lace artistry, but I've also been eyeing Estonian scarves and such and I think I'd want a finer yarn for something like that.

Also also, I started reading Let The Right One In a couple days ago (I LOVED the movie) and it's so...bleak and Scandinavian, it makes me want to design a lace project for it. that might just be a pipe dream. For now I've got 3 repeats of this scarf done, and I am dead tired. ^_^

Out with the old...

I really have to keep up with this whole blogging thing better.

More importantly, I've finally given up on The Sweater That Would Not Die, which you may remember as the one I started in november of 2007, good lord, and kept hacking away at even though I quickly realized I didn't like the pattern and I thought no, wait until it's done and then see how you like it....

yeah it's horrible. after finishing the pieces and blocking it and realizing that there's no way in hell that huge amount of fabric is going to fit me in any way whatsoever, I bundled it up and let it languish in the dining room until a few days ago.

Mom and I sat down and finished watching EZ's knitting workshop DVD, and along the way I decided once and for all that the first sweater I make should not be, nor ever have been, a piecemeal thing with seams. I hate seams! I hate sewing! Knitting in the round is so much easier and I did that shrug entirely without seams and it's gorgeous and fits me like a glove, and I could find a much better use for all that red yarn, which is not all that horrible. (Lion Brand wool-ease)

So we frogged all those pieces of cardigan like there was no tomorrow, and now instead of a huge pile of big floppy pieces there's several neat little balls that look a lot like pomegranates, and I am going to find a better pattern and make a Better Sweater.

I think I finally have closure. :D of course I have a few other summer projects to do before I think of knitting cold-weather items, so that yarn's going to sit around for a while, but it will be something more beautiful, and more loved.

Current Projects: Karma tank from Custom Knits in Berocco NaturLin (purchased at Knitty Couture, thanks for the advice Thi!), Juliet scarf in white silk. Good lord that silk sheds like anything. But I made the pretty rosette pin!

Razor Cami.

Okay. this camisole is taking much longer than it really should because I also have a ton of books I ought to be reading, and in the case of House of Leaves this is taking up most of my waking hours, damn you Danielewski.

but! I've finished the main body of the cami and I need to divide the back and front now. I haven't decided what mods to do for the straps yet, since I want them wider, and maybe placed farther apart...in any case, mum bought me some lovely birthday yarn that I'm going to use to do a shrug to match, once I finish this piece. yay!

Tonight endril and I are popping in to candypoodle's knitting group, since this week it's just around the corner. Divided the front and back pieces, now it is extremely awkward to knit as I can't seem to find suitable straight needles in size 4. boo. ah well!

ETA: aww, what a fun group! found the right size straights just before I left so I can work on the front, but unfortunately I added a stitch somewhere in a pattern row and noticed it after knitting like three more rows, and had to undo it all. bah! it's fixed now, though, and I'm continuing work on the front. My tension is off, now that I have to purl. I hope this won't be too much of a problem, although I can always block it.