Friday, January 22, 2010

Almost there!

I've been trucking along, slowly but surely, on my February Lady. I zipped through the garter top in just a couple of days. I fell in love with the gull lace pattern and got through more than half of the body in only a week or two after that. Then IT happened... the it being me.

I put half of the 1,000,000 stitches (ok, really not that many, but enough) onto scrap yarn to try it on and check the length. For once, it actually fit. The buttons looked GREAT (yeah, I had my mum sew on the buttons while it was still in progress!). The shoulders fit. The girls weren't chopped in half, or popping out, or otherwise causing issues. The armholes were a bit big, but that's easily fixed. The sweater has the potential to be a project I'm going to wear! That is a rarity for me. I hate how I look in everything. I tend to be a bit picky with the garments I wear. And once a project makes me mad, I tend to hold a grudge (referring to big yellow here...). Not with this one. Winter Wine will be a winner!

Wait, yeah, did you catch the IT up above? Did you miss the 1/2 the stitches on the scrap yarn?
The poor sweater sat on the scrap yarn for nearly 3 months. All I had to do was pick the sweater up and put the needle back through half a row. The needle was there. The sweater was often on my desk next to my bed. Sometimes it came with me to the shop. Sometimes it hung out in my car, available for quick access when I was out and about. It was usually in sight at some point during nearly every day.

Pick it up and take it off of the scrap. Not a difficult task. It shouldn't take but 2 minutes, if that. Right? We measured, and all I needed was 24 rows of lace and then 2 inches of garter. That's NOTHING compared to what was already done! Just do it!

Well finally, with the start of Yarn Over 2010, I had to stop starting new projects. I had to finish WIPs. Winter Wine was given new life. I put her in with Blame Dean. They became buddies and learned to take turns. If I finish one repeat of lace, I can do a square (I didn't say how big the square was!). I gave her a deadline. She had to be ready to wear by the first of February. She is the February Lady after all.

Well, last night, knit night, I bound off the bottom. I tried her on and she is PERFECT! All she needs is sleeves. YIPPEE!
Sleeves go fast, right?

Friday, January 15, 2010

Friday Night in Bliss

Can you see that? it's kind of hard to take pictures when you don't have a flash. That's my sanity....

Sometimes I just LOVE Fridays. Especially when the evening is spent at the Map Room. If I haven't mentioned them yet, well, shame on me. It is an awesome and very cozy little spot on the south side of St. Louis. They have live music on the weekends and even ran old movies in the courtyard during summer weekend afternoons. Chele has a definite knack for the mixing of amazing little drinks and picking out awesome wines. Currently I have a carafe of blackberry brandy sangria sitting in front of me with what remains of a delicious chocolate cupcake (that's what's in the picture)

I'm surrounded by friendly people, books and maps. My knitting is coming out as soon as the computer goes away. I can sit here and knit to my hearts content. People stop by to ask what i'm working on or to just randomly strike up conversations. I love an open atmosphere like that. I can come in by myself and have a cup of hot tea, or a spiked coffee, or a whole bottle of wine. It seems like most of the time I end up sitting with someone... someone else who happened in by themselves, someone I haven't seen in 12 years that happens to walk in (because my life is just crazy like that), friends who pop in to join me...

My knitting is on its way out. Tonight I have my February Lady and Blame Dean. Why can't I knit anything portable right now? A sweater and a blanket. Sheesh. Both are coming along nicely. I'm getting ready to start the garter stitch at the bottom of the sweater. I'm very excited. That means sleeves and then I can wear it. Buttons are already on. I've woven in ends as I go. I am determined to have it done to wear the first of February......... we'll see if I feel the same on the next purl row.
The blanket is moving along faster than the sweater. There is just so much satisfaction in finishing one of the squares! I love knitting on it. Maybe I will finish it before I'm 40. That would be a HUGE accomplishment for me! ah well.

I should go knit. Maybe I'll finish a row before the sangria kicks in.
Maybe not.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Oi!

I'm sitting here in Bread Co. trying to warm up with a bit of soup before heading to the next job. I figured I'd go check my email and a quick replanting of my Farmville before I head back out to the cold. This would generally be a very quick normal thing for me to do. Until today.
I had messages from 5 or 6 knitting companies. and Loopy just put her update out there. AND I CAN'T HAVE ANY OF IT!

I am a yarn addict. It bends my priorities so horribly that, well, I have trouble functioning when my blankie is in reach but not in my hands. Or if I know that my sweater is in my purse and I have to get work done. Or if I don't get a paycheck for 18 more days and the only money I have in my bank account will leave me with $3 after I pay bills, and all I can think about is the pretty new colors of Skinny Bugga! going up on Gryphon's site tonight!!!! ARG!

It is a bit out of control and I recognize this. To combat my....issues..... I am attempting to join my dear Knittaprince in YarnOver 2010. That's right. I'm not going to make yarn purchases for a whole year.

I can use gift certificates so long as they were not purchased by me.
I can swap yarn that is already in my stash for new yarns. (or else blankie would come to a screeching halt around June!)
I cannot exchange cash, check, credit card, or paypal for yarn.
I cannot purchase yarn, notions, etc for other people and then receive yarn in exchange.
I can be paid in yarn for doing work. I cannot cash my paycheck for yarn.
People have not shown very much faith in me so far. There is a lot of laughing when I tell people I'm attempting this.
They doubt my self restraint. I do too.

But I am determined to stick it out this year!

As an incentive, I have started a piggy bank for myself. For every month I do not add any new yarn to my stash, I will place $5 in my piggy. The first of July, I will have made it 6 months with no new yarn. As a treat, I get to open my piggy and purchase 1 gift certificate to be used when I am going to lose all remaining sanity.

So far, I've made it 4 days and I'm proud of myself.

Baby steps!