Last night I got started on Sarah’s second sock. Mom and Sarah are coming to visit Sunday, and I’m hoping I can have it finished by then. We’ll see.
I also realized I’d ordered the wrong size needle (from Elann) for Skully. But that’s okay, because I didn’t have a circular that size (40″, US13), and now I do. So I ordered the right size (US11).
Family Circle Easy Knitting finally showed up yesterday. I was excited, but there was really only one pattern in it that I really liked, and a couple that I felt ‘meh’ about. Interweave Knits came, too, but I already have it, so I need to figure out who to give it to. I also got invoices for Ready Made and Vogue Knitting, so hopefully those will show up soon, too.
Last night I dug out my copy of Vogue Knitting to start boning up for Skully’s rebirth. It was most excellent – clearly I have underestimated the value of this book, and need to look at it more often. So now I’m psyched, and finishing up Kyoto so that when the needles show up I can start Skully right off. I’ve gotten about five inches into the first sleeve of Kyoto. I guess I ought to pull out my finishing book, too, and have a look at that. I mean, my finishing on the Colori sweater looks pretty good, I think, but I’m so excited about Kyoto that I want it to be pretty dang close to perfect.
So Magnum got adopted Thursday afternoon, and Friday after lunch we got a call that he’d been hit and killed – since the only id tags he had on him were the ones we’d left on him when we took him to the pound. We went and picked him up, and took him to the pound for cremating. Or whatever they do. It was terribly sad. But it appears that he died pretty instantly. Friday was not a good day for me.
The rest of the weekend went better. Saturday I went to a picnic with Greg and some of his coworkers, and that was fun. And the rest of the weekend I worked on Kyoto and chilled out, and spent quality time with Daoine. Heh. Kyoto’s maybe halfway to three-quarters done? It’s hard to tell. I’ve only got the sleeves, trim, and sash left. And I’ve ordered a longer circular needle so I can get started on reworking Skully as a top down raglan. Also, I’m expecting my first issue of ReadyMade to show up any day now. Excitement.
SKU: 7 hats, 4 slippers, 1 washcloth, 1 sock, 1 scarf
I just finished a hat out of Lion Brand Chenille Thick & Quick in a very dark blue, and Homespun in Tudor. It’s pretty huge. I made a similar hat out of green LB CT&Q, and some green Red Heart Light and Lofty, and it ended up getting claimed by Lance. It turned out a bit bulky and short. So this time around, I figured I’d cast on a few less stitches, but knit a couple extra rows in, and…it’s way huge. It’s good looking, though, and it’ll keep someone’s head warm, I’m sure. I’ll put pictures up later – Kyoto is calling me.
Yeah, I have a gallery for my cat. She’s damn cute!
(And clearly has good taste, since that’s my new Audrey bag she’s in.)
Magnum’s getting adopted! Any minute now! I just talked to someone from the pound, and a womyn came by yesterday and fell in love with him, and isn’t scared off by the house-soiling – which might even be moot since he’ll be the only cat in the household. I’m so happy things seem to be working out for him.
I think 
is the cutest and best idea ever! Wonderfully feminist, and totally something I need to do. And speaking of bellies, mine is hungry.
The neckline of Skully is the ugliest thing I have ever knit in my entire life. It looks dreadful, and it’s too small to fit over my head when it’s seamed together. I’m either going to have to frog it and start over, or come up with some way to hide the gap at the left shoulder (where the neckline should come together nicely, but doesn’t).
The more I think about this pattern, the more it irritates me. I don’t think it would irk me as much if this had been my first sweater, but it wasn’t. And when I compare it to the pattern of my first sweater, it just doesn’t seem as satisfying. I’d much rather the neckline be knit in the round, like it is for the other pattern – but I can knit the neckline in the round anyway if I end up frogging it. And the sleeves I’m a little concerned about. With the Colori sweater, they were knit separately and sewn on, and they were angled at one end so they sloped off the sweater and there wasn’t much extra bulk. I don’t know how to explain this succinctly – what I mean is, the sleeves were at more of a 45 degree angle to the body of the sweater. But with Skully, you pick up stitches around the armhole shaping and knit the sleeves out from there – wouldn’t that make them at more of a 90 degree angle to the body? And would that result in a little more bulk under the arms when your arms are hanging by your sides? I don’t think I’m really dissatisfied with the pattern, I think I’m just grumpy about the neckline and finding more things to pooh-pooh. It’s just that I was so excited about getting to a sleeve last night, and then not only did I not get to start a sleeve, but the neckline looks hideous. It was a great disappointment. But I do really like the way the shoulder seams turned out, thanks to the 3 needle bind-off.
I haven’t completely lost hope yet. I think it’ll still turn out well. And if it doesn’t, I am fully prepared to frog it entirely and start it over as a top-down raglan, using the skull chart on the sleeves. Which, with the yarn I’m using and it’s particular drape, is probably how I should have started in the first place. Hm. Maybe I should frog it and start over to ensure it looks nice. Hm. I try to convince myself that I don’t mind small blips because they make the piece uniquely my own, but I really do want Skully to turn out really well…Damn. I really need to start over, yet again, and make it neat. If this isn’t a labor of obsessiveness and determination (I will have a Skully!), I don’t know what is.
In other news, I started yet another hat. I like hats – quick, easy, nice finished product, and so far nothing I’m unwilling to give away.
I just finished the front of Skully and seamed it together at one shoulder. Now I get to pick up stitches evenly around the neck for the neckband. Oh goody.
If there’s anything I hate more than picking up stitches for a neckband, I can’t think of it right now. Le sigh. But on the bright side? I’m soooooo close to having a wearable Skully.
Last night I frogged the front of Skully down to where the armholes should start, and started them. It was the first time I’ve only frogged to a point, instead of unraveling the entire piece and starting over. It went well – no dropped stitches – so I was excited. And I’m that much closer to starting the sleeves, since I’m almost done with the front now.
Sarah’s going to the beach almost this entire week, so I’ve got about two weeks to finish her second sock, which is how I’m justifying this Skully spree. I’m going to start her sock soon, though, I swear. I saw her Sunday, and she likes tie-dye, and said she wanted tie-dyed socks. So I said first, that we could tie-dye some socks sometime, and second, that while the socks I was knitting weren’t tie-dye, they were very colorful. She seemed to like that.
