Hurray!

I had a rather frustrating day at work on Friday. Luckily, I came home to my Rowan grab bag from Webs. It's perfect. I didn't give much direction, yet I got yarn that is perfect for me.

All Seasons Cotton

Handknit Cotton

Cotton Rope

Wool Cotton

Holiday

It's different than anything I'd buy for myself, but I checked out some patterns made with it and it looks like it knits up nicely.

Appeasing Guilt

In an attempt to stop feeling guilty about knitting so much, I've been knitting all week. I watched all the Firefly episodes (I heart Joss Whedon) in two days. During this time, I've been working on the Dollar and a Half Cardigan. It's such a fun knit. I even ripped out the front more times than I care to count, just to get the decreases right. It's still one of the fastest sweaters I've knit. The directions for the fronts are reversed, which I didn't learn until after the right side was done as printed. The jury is still out on the yarn, Soft Linen. It has a lot of dangling linen strands and is easily snagged. Plus, it's linen and acrylic but the label says to hand wash. I doubt my sister is going to hand wash this, so I have a feeling the sweater will wear out pretty quickly.


Here's the next problem with spending all my time knitting: I can't get enough! I knit past my bedtime almost every night. That's not the whole problem, though. I started a simple, orange hat for a friend. I'd like to finish it so I can send it off. But I just want to work on the cardigan. I also want to make Sophie for a new baby that I'll see in April. It won't take long--Elijah only took a couple of hours a night for a week--but I'm nervous I won't finish. And I've barely touched the Seamless Hybrid. There are so many patterns I want to make, on top of all this. Four projects on the needle is plenty, really.

So now I feel less guilty, but more anxious.

Productivity

This week I have knit one elephant, one washcloth,
one scarf,
and three inches of sleeve. Why is it then, that I feel like a big slacker? Yesterday alone I knit a washcloth and most of the scarf, but I feel guilty because I didn't do much else. But wait. I did do other things. I baked some cookies. I did a load of laundry. I washed the dishes. I ate. I showered.

I'll tell you what it is. I feel guilty about watching TV (this guilt is something I'm exploring). Since I knit while watching TV, I feel guilty about knitting. I start to think that I use knitting as an excuse to watch TV. It's a shame really, because what I want to do is knit. I like the mindlessness of watching TV while I knit. I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do.

At least this week I feel like I accomplished something.

The washcloth is for a housewarming gift. I didn't make it to the party because I was feeling icky. I don't normally like to make scarves, but I lost a great scarf that Aimee brought me from Japan. I've taken to wearing a scarf most of the time. It keeps my neck warm in this changeable weather. This scarf took about four hours to make. I did fewer repeats than called for since I used a heavier yarn. It's about 70 inches long. I've had this Habu bamboo in my stash since Nina's opening, which is what made me yarn and knitting obsessed (I'd never really had the chance to knit with such beautiful yarns until Nina moved in on my walk home from work, and then all I wanted to do was to touch and own such luscious fibers). I haven't found the right project until now. I have another 88 grams left.

On another note. I just went to a baby shower, where I delivered the elephant I made. This is a great and easy pattern for those who can knit in the round and pick up stitches. The mother-to-be received a few hand-made gifts. Now, I've already done my rant on giving acrylic to babies, but everything that she got that was crocheted was made from acrylic. Take note that there's no yarn store in Elko, so most people to go that place-that-shall-not-be-named for their crafting needs (yes, even in this time of the internet). But still. I wish more people would think about it. I know the mother-to-be doesn't, and I spotted a couple blankets in other baby seats that were crocheted from acrylic. Maybe it's an urban/rural thing? I myself have been taken in by a soft synthetic, fuzzy baby blanket. But let me point out one more time that there are yarns more suitable to baby gifts. Try a superwash wool. Or cotton. Or bamboo, which they say has antibacterial properties. I myself aimed for luxury (since it is a gift) and went with a cashmere silk blend. Okay, so she can't throw it in the wash, but it's not going to melt to the child, either. Count that as rant number two.

Different Worlds

When I was in Chicago an excuse for being late was because the buses or trains were running late.

Today I got a call from my assistant who said she'd been chasing cows all morning.

Alaska or Bust

I'm in Alaska!

Bust!

We made it to Alaska only to find out that Ice Alaska gave exclusive filming rights to a reality TV production company. Not only did it suck that we were 1) out a lot of money, 2) in Alaska in February, and 3)not able to finish our documentary, but that they lied to us a lot. It certainly made the first few days pretty miserable. Luckily, we were there with great people and staying in a great house. In the end, I had a great trip. Mostly because I taught two people how to knit. The second lesson was short, so I don't know how much was retained, but I think the bug bit.

Trans-Alaska Pipeline

I also knit a whole pair of socks while there, since my time was freed up. I gave them to my roommate for her birthday, and forgot to take a picture. She liked them so much she wore them that night and the next day. I will photograph them after she washes them. I liked working with the Vesper Sock Yarn. It surprised me that the white of the yarn peeked through quite a lot, but I liked the heathered look it gave. The colors were really fun and bright.

I'm working on the Seamless Hybrid. The Eco Wool has crazy yardage. This section measures fifteen inches high by forty-eight inches around and it only took one skein. I have two more inches on the body before I start the sleeves.


I have a finished object, too, but I will wait to show it until the recipient receives it.