Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Yes there has been knitting

...but it is so ungodly hot around here right now that I'm not going anywhere the Outside while the Burning Ball of Hotness is up in the sky. So no pics, at least until I can go out in the midday sun and not wilt like a Georgian heroine. Prairie summer heat is like childbirth, you forget how bad it really is until you're right in the middle of it again.

I know some people really like the heat, but I'm a thin-skinned knitter who seems to attract mosquitos like flowers do bees (as an aside, I also attract bees, they seem to be drawn to my hair, making spring not so much fun either), so winter (or, at least, late fall) will always have my loyalty.
It's also so hot, that even socks are feeling to hot to be in my lap, so my natural reaction to this is to start a large, worsted weight blanket--yeah, I got sucked up quickly into the Girasole love going around. I faved the pattern on Ravelry when it was first released, and was thinking about working on it this winter, but after reading all the comments about what a well written pattern and how easy and quick it was (for a lace blanket) and realizing that I already have more than half the needed yarn in my stash (Cascade 220 heather in a light green that I wasn't really liking in scarf, hat + mitten form anyway) and that my local LYS still had loads of skeins in the same dyelot, well, it was kind of inevitable.

I may have had a bit of a sock yarn slip while there, a couple of lovely fall shade skeins in Malabrigo sock (nomnom) and Cherry Tree Hill. I'm so totally loving the way Embossed Leaves (raveled) are knitting up a lovely spring shade of Araucania Ranco Multy, that I'm making for my neice, I want to make myself a pair, an appropriately fall themed colour, cause that's what it'll be by the time I can get around to knitting them up.

Sorry for the text only post again, I'm hoping to get some more photos of WIPs (and, god-willing, some FO's, tho I'm really great at starting projects, not so great about actually, um, finishing them...) sometime soon.

On a personal note, today is The Boy's 16th birthday. So far I think we're going to be liking 16 a LOT more than 15. Fifteen seems to have been his anno horriblis in terms of adolescent angst/bullshit. Not only is he speaking again, but his birthday request was to spend the day at home, with a home-cooked meal, and to hang out with his mama. Awwwww.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Things I have learned from knitting

1. Patience (this should probably be numbers 1 through 806 of this list)

2. Do NOT leave small, breakable knitting supplies lying around on the couch next to me, you hear me, STOP doing that! (sob, broke another of my precious Brittany birch sock dpn's last night.)

3. Not all cats are obsessed with yarn.

4. Some are very obsessed with yarn (relearning this one after living with two very yarn-ambivalent cats for several years. Also obsessed with underpants, but that's for a very different blog.)

5. You get what you pay for.

6. Corollary to number 5: shortcuts aren't.

7. Despite a greater than kindergarten education, I still have trouble counting to ten in a reliable way (a problem compounded if I'm watching tv or reading blogs while knitting.)

8. Despite years of experience I still like doing some things the hard way.

9. I get an unholy amount of pleasure from looking at my completed socks. Will sometimes stop to admire them on my feet several times a day. In public.

10. I love finicky, tiny needle, tiny gauge projects. Who knew?

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Well, that was fun

Today I successfully put on my shirt correctly after only 3 tries.  That's the kind of month I've been having.

Blogging should be picking up a bit more, now that I'm not working the stupid hours.  For today, though, I see a lot more lounging.  Over and out.