I’ve been training for about 7 years now… the road has been long and hard. There have been setbacks, momentary defeats, but I’ve perservered and I’m ready.
Four years ago, I tasted gold… two years later I did it again (a little less ambitious this time to be sure, but with a 5 month-old baby and packing and moving across the country, still impressive; didn’t manage to make it on the blog, but here’s the ravelry link).
Here’s where things stood on Feb. 12th at 5 PM:
Ready for Cast-On!
After browsing through about 30 pages of cardigans on ravelry (Love Ravelry! Love it!!!), I finally found the Twisted Cardigan, which involved cables (yay!), knit sideways (fun!), in bulky yarn on large needles (Huzzah! I’m ambitious but not stupid… I do have a toddler) and I knew that I had found my Knitting Olympics/Ravelympics project. For those not familiar, I have challenged myself to complete a knitted garmet during the 2010 Winter Olympics. I cast on with the Opening Ceremony, and my goal is to compete it before the Closing Ceremony. Here’s my progress so far:
A front and a half!
Of course, while working on the right front (the second piece), I realized that I missed a few increases on the left front (the first piece I did), so I’ll need to rip back a bit… to just before I bound off for the side seam. But I’m still making good progress!
Calling for a bulky-weight yarn, this project also helped me check off another criteria for a project, by knitting with yarn from my stash. A few years ago (three, to be exact), I purchased some Rowan Cork (back when it was being discontinued) from E-Bay. I haven’t done anything with it since. One of the reasons was the color. Although I do lie the brightness of “Bug” (OK, it’s closer to acid green), I wasn’t feeling it for this sweater. So I grabbed some Kool-Aid, and this is what I got:
Before & After
In Progress
Finished Product
Of course, my knitting progress might be set back a little bit because I need to finish dyeing… but Dan brought home the Kool-Aid I needed tonight, so I should be back on track. Wish me luck!
Well, hello, friends! How’s it going? Life is good chez Snargle. Busy (as usual). Lots less computer time these days, mostly because of my “helper”:
Hey mom, what does this button do?
Raley is fascinated with the laptop (as with other electronic devices like the remotes and the camera). She wants to pull on the screen, push all the buttons, pull out the cables, and, oh yes, chew on anything she can get her mouth around. Does not make for very good blogging - or blog reading (sorry if you haven’t heard from me in your comments in a while!) - while she’s awake, which is typically until 8:30 or 9. But the time I’m not spending on the computer has been put to good use. I have been reading a lot of (library) books these days - mostly fluff, and checking out some of the recent books of one of my favorite authors that I had missed when they came out.
And I have been knitting. As I mentioned last month, I pulled out the Cabled Zipped Jacket (Schoeller + Stahl #10, ravelry link here) again. And I made a lot of progress, finishing the other front and even making a good start on both sleeves at the same time:
Two fronts, and two cuffs
And then I got stranded on Sleeve Island and got bored and…
Cast on something else. But, but, but! Using stash yarn (hooray!). This is the February Lady Sweater (pdf) from my Tess Superwash Merino, purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool, May 2008. OK, I have older (much older) yarns in stash, but this is one that I really wanted to use, and this pattern calls for a slightly shaded semi-solid color, and it was on top meaning I didn’t have to move stuff around very much, and I wub it.
Yokey goodness!
Thanks to a cross-country plane flight this past week (work meeting), I’m now past the third buttonhole and almost to separating the arms. This is one sweater I’m definitely knitting for the product rather than the process - I can’t wait to be done!
The Jacket picture up there was a sneak peek of one of our major home projects recently. Taking advantage of a visit by my in-laws to provide baby-wrangling services (thanks Peter and Judy!) we painted the living room. You may remember that this room had a giant unpainted patch on the wall where the previous owners didn’t see fit to move a piece of furniture and paint behind it, so it was definitely at the top of our priority list. Also, it was missing a mantel for the fireplace. In all of the real estate documents the owners had said they were taking the decorative mantel with them, so that was cool. But I guess Dan and I had assumed that there was something un-decorative (plain) underneath it that would be left behind. Um, nope.
Lack of Mantel
They did actually leave us with a piece of a new mantel, but it was just one piece and we would have still had to buy the rest. Instead, we found a full real wood hand-carved (in China of course) mantel kit at (of all places) Costco.
Then we chose an awesome green paint color (Bullfrog) in a no-VOC paint, and got to work.
Here’s Raley and Linus enjoying the results (while Judy supervises):
It’s a new room!
Much better! And now Dan and I are just enjoying the fact that there’s not very much else in our house that we feel like we NEED to get done. Oh, there’s plenty of projects that we want to do and that we will do, just not at a breakneck speed. We can take our time and do things here and there and really enjoy the process.
And for those of you who’ve made it through the whole post, here is some gratuitous Raley.
She had quite the cold last week, including her first (diagnosed at least) ear infection. And a double one at that. Plus a runny nose and deep cough made her an unhappy Buggle. This is how she was spending a lot of her evenings:
Poor sickie!
After a doctor’s visit and three prescriptions (antibiotic for the ear infection, albuterol inhaler and prednisone for the lungs), she’s now back to her normal self. Although she seems to have given up her bottles of formula. She used to take approximately 24 oz of formula a day and now she’s refusing it completely (although they can sometimes get up to 4 oz/day down her at day care, she won’t take it at home at all). She has been drinking juice today, and she’s still eating plenty of fruit and other foods, so I don’t think she’s too dehydrated. But we do have a follow-up doctor’s appointment on Monday (for the cold/virus) so I can ask him.
And here’s a few fun videos of the Buggle demonstrating her Mad Skillz:
So Big!, Clap Happy, Bye-Bye
Shiny Flashy Box, come to me!!!
Thanks, and I’ll try not to be such a stranger.
P.S. Oh yeah, Congrats to all of us from the Blog Class of 2005! (link found via Cara) I’m so happy to be part of such an amazing group. My blogging may be sporadic these days, but I have no plans to give it up, so here’s to at least 4 more years!
Oh yeah, and for anyone who’s clicking off the link there, FYI my rss feed changed last year when I upgraded the software, so if you’re reading me through a reader, you need to subscribe to this link instead:
http://snargle.org/crafty/?feed=rss2
Thanks!
Halfway through the month already, and no post. I guess I’m just feeling a little of the blahs. Or the blahgs, as it were. I haven’t really been on the computer very much at home, actually. We’ve been trying to work around the house - unpacking boxes mostly. How fun!
I’ve also been knitting some, which cuts down on my computer time, too. I made my mom a shawl for her Christmas present (still waiting on modeled pictures, though). I’m almost done with some socks, and I picked up a long-languishing WIP, the Cabled Zippered Jacket:
This was a contest winner on my blog, but since it’s been… um… over 3 years (yep, November 2005), you probably don’t remember it. When I put it down, I had finished one front and started the ribbing of the second. I’m through the ribbing and almost to the underarm bindoff. Big needles, few stitches and cables… I’d forgotten how fast it goes! It feels good to be knitting a sweater again, too. I’m definitely a sweater knitter at heart.
But just to tide you over, I did put up some pictures from Christmas on my flickr account. We went to visit my sister in Colorado, which was nice and snowy. A 2-day drive on both ends, but Raley slept for good parts of it and it was nice to see a different part of the country. It was also great to be off work for almost two weeks. But now we’re back and back to work!
This is a knitting blog after all! I have two knitting WIPs. Here’s the first one:
Baby Dress!
Remember many months ago, before Raley was here, I went to New York City and bought some yarn? I looked through my baby pattern books, and finally decided to make a baby dress with a ribbed top and stockinette skirt. It’s a combination of two patterns - one from a Phildar Calin (ravelry link) and one from one of my Japanese pattern books (actually, the one that I bought on that same trip to New York on the left in the “books” photo). I’m mentally combining the two. And now I’m really mentally combining them, because both of the pattern books are packed and didn’t come with us, so I’m just winging it.
I’ve been working on this for quite a while and I’m nearing the end. My motivation has been lacking a little bit because it’s coming out on the big side, so I think it will be a little while before Raley can wear it. But I’m plodding along. I really do like the bamboo yarn - it slips through your fingers, and it’s machine washable and dryable.
I’m totally itching to cast on a sweater. My knitting mojo left me for quite a while while I was pregnant and had a tiny baby. Now that she’s sleeping quite well at night I have some free time and I’d like to be knitting. And at heart I’m a sweater knitter - I’ll make smaller things, but I love sweaters. I’m biding my time, though, because I don’t want to buy more yarn. I have plenty in storage, and it will get to me as soon as we move into our house. So all I need to do is keep working on my baby sweater (and the 2nd project, which I’ll blog about later) until then! Of course, the elann sneak peek is not helping!
So I knit, knit, knit on Arwen the whole time I was gone, and suffered two major setbacks:
1. I ran out of yarn. I even tried to order more pre-emptively (I hadn’t quite run out yet, but the situation was dire), but Artfibers was temporarily out of that color. They’ll have it in a few weeks, but sadly that doesn’t fit into the Rhinebeck timetable. I have everything but the back of the collar done… so I almost considered either finishing it in stockinette (vs. the yarn-guzzling cables), or else in a different yarn. I was considering those until…
2. I tried it on, and it was too big. Specifically, the back was too wide, which meant the shoulders fell off to the sides, giving a most undesired Flashdance look. So, I sucked it up, undid the seams, and ripped out the back. Mom helped me wind the yarn into balls (on my way to the airport), and I cast on again on the flight to Seattle. I’m hoping that the yarn I save by taking out a strip that’s a few inches wide will equate to the yarn I need for the collar. I’ve finished the first ball (the back is a giant stockinette rectangle, so at least it’s mindless), and am working on the second.
Well, hello. I swear I’ve been doing stuff this summer… unfortunately, blogging doesn’t seem to be part of the “stuff.” Here’s an overdue update.
In addition to finishing Coachella, I’ve been doing quite a bit of other knitting. Current WIPs:
Mystery Stole 3
I’m a bit behind… this was at the end of Clue 1 (the Mystery Stole Group is now on Clue 6). I’m now on line 114, which is partly through Clue 2. This definitely requires my full attention, which means there hasn’t been much opportunity to knit it.
Mossy Jacket
This is the beginning of a Mossy Jacket, a baby sweater for a coworker. It’s actually finished and has already been gifted (the blog’s operating with a bit of a time lag)… photos to come. The yarn is a fun combination of Valeria di Roma Arena (the plain green) and Arucania Pomaire (variegated, used for the collar, hem and button band. Both 100% cotton, machine washable (OK, the Pomaire says hand wash, but I’m using so little of it, hopefully it will survive the washing machine!).
And, I’ve actually picked Arwen back up. The last time we discussed her, I’d just finished one of the fronts. I had actually worked on the back quite a bit, but I put it down a few months ago (when the weather started getting warmer). So, the first thing to do was figure out exactly where I left off, then figure out what I needed to do to refigure the back neck… I have one side of it finished and I think it looks good. I need to sew it all together to make sure. So next up - finish the other side of the back neck, then finish the right front of the cardigan.
Also some spinning:
A few weekends ago, when my sister Jenna was visiting, we dyed some roving together. This was hers:
Jenna’s roving
This is the yarn I spun from it:
Jenna’s Yarn
2-ply, about 120 yards, worsted weight. It turned out something between a pistacio and grass… the green definitely came out more in the finished yarn than I would have expected from the roving. I’m not sure what she’s going to make out of it, but I finished it in time for it to move to Colorado with her.
Also, I’ve been hanging out a bit (OK, a lot) on ravelry. My username is snarglesarah - friend me or just say hello!
And, I’m getting ready for my big trip. This summer has been fairly calm in the work travel arena - just a trip out to Cali in June. But, next week (Saturday), I head to Copenhagen, Denmark for a meeting for a week. Then, Dan will join me and we’re going to spend a few days in Paris and a few days in Venice. If you have any travel tips or must-visits for any of these cities, please let me know!
Well, this summer has just been flying by, ne c’est pas? How about a quick recap of what’s been going on chez snargle…
1. We finished the portico - caulk, paint, the whole 9 yards.
Welcome!
It took us several evenings after work and the better part of another weekend, but it’s so worth it! There’s still the ghost outline above the portico, and we need to pressure wash and Dremel it some more, but that can wait for another weekend!
2. Tubing on the Shenandoah
Aaaahhh…
What a relaxing way to spend the day! We went flatwater tubing in the morning, whitewater tubing in the afternoon, and then camped out in a treehouse! It was a great weekend with Jenna and Reid and some other friends.
3. 4th of July
Living just outside of DC, it’s tempting to try and avoid the 4th of July craziness. Then again, there’s nowhere better to celebrate the 4th than in the Nation’s Capital! So, once again, we went downtown. In the morning, we did something we haven’t done before - the reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the National Archives. There were two WWII veterans and some historial reenactors to portray Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and John Adams. It was great - it’s really emotional to hear the words detailing all of the reasons for the very revolutionary decisions to declare our independence. It also made me want to watch “1776″ - one of my favorite musicals - which I managed to find at the library the next day. “There’s still nothing in it about deep sea fishing rights!”
After a couple of hours at home, we went back down to the Mall for the fireworks. I love fireworks!
Boom!
Boom!
4. Live Earth
It’s Al!
I’m sure you heard something about the Live Earth concerts on 7/7/07. The US concert was in New York. What you may not have heard was that there was also a small concert here in DC on the Mall - a suprise event that was only planned a day in advance. Well, there was a concert planned for the day, featuring Native American bands on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian. They just added a few special guests - Al Gore, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. The venue and the seating would have been perfect for the expected turnout for the Native American bands, but it was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd there to see Al. We had a terrible view of the stage (if you weren’t in the front row, you couldn’t see at all) but we were able to hear. It was a memory!
We left the concert after the first band and walked over to the Folklife Festival. Lots of great fiber-related things, in addition to the great food and other interesting exhibits. There were some amazing skeins of silk and looms in the Mekong Delta area - this was one of my favorites:
That’s skill!
5. the beach
Dan and I headed over to Delaware to hit the beach for a day trip. Well, I stayed on the beach while Dan hit the waves - getting a kitesurfing fix for the first time this summer.
Check him out!
6. Knitting
And finally, lest you think I haven’t been knitting… here’s what I’ve been working on.
First, the Doubly Scottish Socks:
Och, laddie! It’s a sock!
I cast these on while in Scotland, and the pattern is Spey Valley (the valley down the middle of Scotland) from Nancy Bush’s Knitting on the Road, so these are the doubly Scottish socks. They’re Trekking Bamboo on US 1’s. I’m a bit farther along than this photo - almost ready to turn the heel.
There’s the two armholes and some waist decreases… I’m working on the hip increases now. It’s cotton - K1C2 2nd time cotton - that I bought in Alaska. Recycled cotton from industrial scraps (textile waste) - pretty cool. I’ve tried it on, and the cowl neck is going to be far, far too low (there are similar “problem” pictures on a couple of other blogs I’ve seen), so I’ve resigned myself to wearing a tank under it. I’ve even got the perfect racerback tank. If you’re thinking about knitting one of the larger sizes, you might want to cast on fewer stitches and gradually increase to get the correct number of stitches at the bust…
Yes, I got sucked in, too. I actually signed up just before Stephanie’s post, after having seen so many people signed up on ravelry. I got some Malabrigo laceweight and some size 8 beads at a local store, and the next thing I knew I was knitting lace. This is my progress on July 12th… I’m now through Chart A and getting ready to start B. A minimum of ripping back (loving the lifelines, and especially how easily I can put them in with my KnitPicks options needles! You thread the crochet thread through the hole in the Options needles, then just pass the stitches over it).
And that’s it! The first few months of summer in a nutshell. More Scotland pictures to be uploaded to flickr when I get a chance. Another update soon!
Hello there! 10 days away from home and not much knitting to show for it - half a Monkey sock. I was far, far too busy to knit… but it looks like that work emergency might have a happy ending, which is fairly unusual in my job.
Anyway, I’ll be home for approximately 21 hours before taking off again - this time on that vacation to Iceland and Scotland. I’ll take a laptop, but not sure how much I’ll be able to do, so have a great week!
Check it out, folks! That’s a finished Monkey sock! These are truly addictive, fast, and easy. I cast on the second this afternoon - hopefully an FO to follow!
And thanks to an emergency work trip to California tomorrow, I’ll have some plane knitting time!
The faint of heart may not want to read further… this is not a pretty tale.
My Pomatomus socks and I had a long history. I bought 4 skeins of Trekking XXL and cast on just before going to Africa. I made some progress on the flights and while in Tanzania, and then took the sock on safari. It even got its photo with all of the Big 5 animals - Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino. Then I finished up the first sock in California.
I cast on the second and took it to Alaska. I finished the ribbing and leg in Fairbanks, and then the heelflap in Anchorage. I picked up the stitches around the heelflap and started the gusset on the flight from Anchorage to Seattle. I was set to spend the next 5 hours on my way back to DC finishing as much of the foot as possible, in order to have a new FO this week. And that’s where this story takes a tragic turn. Gentle readers, you may wish to stop reading now and remember the Pomatomus socks in happier times.
You see, I flew Alaska Airlines Flight 2. It goes from Anchorage to DC via Seattle. I had the same seat assignment for both legs of the flight. When we landed in Seattle, the flight attendants told the continuing passengers that we could leave our things on board, and place a “seat occupied” card on our seat. I grabbed my purse, and stuffed my knitting in the seat back pocket, and then put out the “seat occupied” card. (Anyone having a sense of impending doom yet?) I walked around the airport, bought a magazine, a coffee, and some snacks for the flight. Then they called for us to reboard.
(can you see where this is going?)
I got back to my seat, pulled out my Arwen cardigan so I could have an alternate project to work on, and then reached for my sock.
It wasn’t there.
I checked the pocket of my seat, the seats next to me, and the floor, but there was no sign of my knitting bag. I asked the flight attendant, and she contacted the folks in the jetway, who contacted the folks who cleaned the plane. Nothing. Nobody saw it, nobody knew anything about it.
When I got to DC, I reported it to baggage services, who filled out the form to make the report of a left on board item. Then I called the Left On Board number for SEA-TAC to report a missing item, and they filled out a form for me.
Two days later, nothing.
I think it’s time to say goodbye. First Pomatomus sock, second sock in progress, knitting needles, Kacha Kacha counter, crochet hook and knitting bag all gone. I can’t really imagine that someone would think the bag was trash, but I also can’t imagine that anyone would really want to steal it - there’s just no real value.
I came very close to crying on the plane - only how crazy I would look to the other passengers stopped me. These socks had some pretty significant sentimental value, having traveled the world with me, but I guess they just needed to travel on their own now.
Here’s the last photo I have of them, happy in front of Mt. Denali:
There’s a mountain behind all those clouds…
But in the spirit of getting back on the horse, I sorted through my sock yarn (way to lift my sprits!) and cast on for a new pair. The Pomatomus is a bit too fresh of a wound, but Monkey socks perfectly fit the bill.
Monkey Monkey Monkey!
This is Tess’ Designer Super Sock & Baby, bought last year at Maryland Sheep & Wool. In the skein, it was overwhelmingly pink… knit up, the purple is strong. They’re going quickly - just cast on last night, and I’m already 3 repeats in (one more since the photo this afternoon!). Hopefully I’ll have a new pair of socks to share soon!
