Sickness, Changes, and Casting on like crazy

I've been sick for 10 days :( Not the flu, but a head cold turned upper respiratory infection. Breathing has been hard to do the last few days, as it feels like my nasal passages have been rubber cemented together, but other than that, I feel ok. I've missed two days of work, which gave me some time to knit and spin a little, but not much, as I spent much of those days sleeping. I cast on for two projects during that time, Ice Queen and Kernel from Knitty. Ice Queen will be a Christmas gift for my mother, and I'm using yarn that has been in the stash since 2005 (when I first started knitting) and have been using as scrap yarn for years. Kernal is being knit in conjunction with the Sexy Knitter's Club current knit along. Its my second project using my hand spun yarn:

The other thing I cast on for in the last few weeks was a pair of mittens. After I finished Corwin's Spidy Mitts, Kaylee kept steeling them and putting them on around the house. Corwin came up to me and said that I had to knit her her own pair, so she would stay out of his. I am knitting the Alphamitts in Knit Picks Palette, Calypso Heather and Lilac (both yarns left over from other projects). Corwin picked out the colors to use and they look awesome!

I finally got photos of Kaylee's Jacket on here with the buttons and ties done. She loves this coat, and the matching hat, and asks for it to be put on in the mornings. Everyone who has seen it has mentioned how cute it is on her.



I've also finished Corwin's Pembrook Sweater, in time for him to wear it on Photo day at daycare. Oh my goodness, this was a knitting marathon, but so worth it. I knit the whole sweater in less than 10 days, and I say it is just about perfect. The only problem is that the dyelots of the yarn (which I had in stash forever) didn't match up, and the labels had been long gone, considering I had started and frogged many projects with the yarn over the years.

I'm trying to finish up as many small projects as I can this month so I can devote November to NAKNSWMO again. Right now I'm debating between two sweaters: Therapi and Arisaig. I have enough yarn in stash for both, and both would be challenging projects for me to do.

With Therapi I would need to dye yarn, and reading the commits on it at Ravelry, the yarn amounts on the pattern are way off, almost 50% off. I'm debating either a leafy green or a dusty rose color, and would have to dye in two batches (and alternate skeins). I'm thinking I'll overestimate by a few skeins and shorten the collar if I run out, but I'm dreaming of a nice big comfy cardi to keep in my office. The downside is that this whole sweater is knit in one piece, and would be rather cumbersome by the time I finished it.

Arsaig would be knit in KP Palette, and modified very heavily. I think the project as shown on Knitty looks sloppy and baggy, and I've seen other's project pages where they have modified it to be a pullover and I think it looks great that way. I'm thinking I'll knit in one pice, starting with a provisional cast on at the start of the lace, knit up from there, and then after I have that done, decide just how much overlap I will want, and knit the ribbing down from there. Since the sleeves are knit in pieces, this would be the more portable project for me to take to work for lunches and on car trips to the store or my parents. All changes would be documented on the blog.

Time to get back to knitting

Just a quick update

I don't seem to remember the blog exists half the time, and when I do remember, I don't ever have much to say.

My camera is dead, so no photos for a while, unless I want to do camera phone pics or I can convince Steve to let me use his.

Its August, and the time of the year where I start planning what I am going to knit for Corwin for his upcomming birthday. Every year, since he turned one, I have knit him a sweater for his birthday present. There was Trellis, Scoop (minus the intarsia), Childhood in a solid bright red, and last year the green hoodie with cables (that I never put the zipper in Oops). I've been scouring Ravelry for sweaters for him, had a few to show him, and he didn't want any of them.

What does he want?

Spiderman!. He is obsessed with spiderman. I think we have settled on a hat and mittens for this year, and I'm going to have my mom put a zipper in last year's hoodie. I think I might re-size the mittens for fingerling, or try my hand at designing something, so I can do everything with the same yarn, and only have to buy a a few balls from Knit Picks. I can pick up the yarn to make this for $10 from Knit Picks, which I will be doing soon.

Until then, I'm trudging along on the Smock Coat for Kaylee. This coat is nothing but Seed stitch, with a little bit of garter stitch thrown in on the hem and collar. Its good mindless knitting that takes forever. I'm having to force myself to work on it some days, but others I can't put it down. I 'm making the 2-3 year old size to fit my big girl (18 months tomorrow and has been in 24 month clothing for months), but I think I miss judged, and made it one inch too short. Trying to decided if I'm going to stress and fix it, or just deal. I have the back, one sleeve, and half of the left front done, and just have the rest of the left front, the right front, other sleeve, and collars to go. I'm only on ball 5, and if I have enough left over, I think I'm going to knit a matching tam for her to wear with it.

My February Lady Sweater has been neglected these last few months. Since I took up spinning so hard core, and have been working on gift knitting, I just don't have time for it that often. I have it next to the bed for that "I'm up, showered, dressed, and have 30 minutes before I have to get the kids ready" time, but since Steve started classes in Dallas, I've been sleeping in longer, and not having that 30 mintues of veg time to start the day with. I'm still only on the second skein of yarn, and think it will only take 4 of the 5 that I dyed for it, maybe leaving me with a skein for a hat.

I've been obsessed with looking at hats on Ravelry lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has to do with spinning, and hats being a good option to do for small amounts of yarn. Who knows, but I see some hat knitting in the near future. Which is odd, since in all my years knitting, I have made a grand total of one, yes one hat. Cowls would also be a good thing to knit with hand spun, and I could give those as gifts. Hm, to ponder.

On the lace frount, I have stalled out on the GoddesKnits again. I' m just not feeling the love for this shawl, and have been thinking about frogging it and using the yarn for something else. This could be due to the fact that I just knit Aeolin out of the exact same yarn, color and all, and I'm tired of this color for now. Who knows.

I've taken a break from wheel spinning for now, and have been working on finishing up my two big SIP's on spindles. I also really need to stain the wheel, and hope to do that this weekend, now that Steve has a break from class and can wrangle the kids for me a bit. But I know my dad wants to see me spin on it, and I don't really want to break it down until after I can show it off.

Rambelings on Knitting

I can't believe its been over a month since I last posted anything, again. I am turning int a bad knitblogger. I blame Ravelry. It makes things so easy, and makes it seem silly to write about the same projects on multiple places, but I miss being able to ramble on about knitting in an environment where my friends don't think I'm crazy.

Ravelympics- I finished not one, but two objects! Laminaria, which was my main project. The shawl turned out so lovely, and will more than likely wind up being my MIL's Christmas present this year.

Pattern: Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman

Pattern source: Knitty.com Spring 2008

Yarn: Lone Star Arts Catalyst

1 Skein, about 800 yards

Purchased at DFW Fiber Fest, April 2008

I finished early, and wound up finishing Helena for the WIP wrestleling. We have had a few cool enough mornings this week for Kaylee to wear it to daycare, where it had much oohing and awwing. I just hope they don't decided to wash it for me. I do need to get some photos of her wearing it, but for now, Corwin's spider man sheets do a good job.

Pattern: Helena by Alison Green Will

Pattern source: Knitty.com Summer 2008

Yarn Knit Picks merino Style, 4 skeins,

over dyed with Koolaid in a gradaded pattern

I'm almost done with Lisel. I have just one sleeve left to knit. This is the first time I've knit with MMMMMMmmmmalabrigo yarn, and I'm in yarn lust! I want to move to a colder part of the country so I could wear it in more than an airy cardi. The pattern has been easy to follow, but has been taking a long time due to getting other things done.

I wasn't too sure about this colorway to begin with, and part of me still wishes I had gone for the blue-green one. But I have told the husband that more MMMmmmalabrigo would make a nice birthday or Christmas present for me this year.

Corwin's yearly birthday sweater is coming across fast. His only requirements were that it be a green hoodie. I searched and searched Ravelry for a free child size hoodie pattern that wasn't girly, but no luck. I broke down and ordered the Little Cabled Hoodie pattern from Gardiner Yarn Works, and I am enjoying this pattern. Its well written, and easy to follow, and I have my eyes on other patterns from them that I want to knit. I think I will have the hoodie finished this weekend, and then I will need to find a zipper and sew it in.


I think I should be finishing up the green hoodie and Lisel this weekend. Which means I can get back to working on the Mystery Shall 4. I'm using the Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather and bead from the forgotten Moroccan Days shawl for it, but I'm not loving it 100% . I need to start a new sweater, and I have had everything for the Apris Surf Hoodie for months, but found the pattern for A Cardigan for Merry which would only fit Kaylee this year. But the Apris surf hoodie yarn has been in stash, and it is perfect weather to knit and wear it. I'd cast on for both, but they both call for the same sized needle. Decisions decisions.

And I'm happy in a geeky way that I finally figured how to link photos from Flickr so I can put them in where I need them, and not have to load them all up at the start, and hope they come are in the same order that my train of thought is.

I do still exist

And I do still knit.
And I do still take photos of my knitting.
I just haven't had much time for the blog of late.
Between working 40 hours, taking care of two children, taking care of the house while the DH goes back to school, I just don' t have time to blog on the same computer that I have my photos on.
I know I could download them on my work computer and up load them, and I intend to do that here later.
But for you Ravelry Peep's, there are pics up, user name is Cynder.
You know, or I could just link to the Raverly pages in my side bar. That might be easier in the long run.
Life is stressed. There has been so much going on in the last year that I haven't had the desire to try to put into words, so much pain that I have gone through, struggles in my marriage, that the blog suffered for it. Knitting suffered for it, heck, I suffered for it, and am still trying to find an internal balance in it all, but its nothing that I want to blog about, well, if I blogged about it, it wouldn't be anywhere that anyone I know IRL has access to read.

Kaylee is getting so big. She had her 4 month check up last week, and the little chunker is up to 16 lbs 12 oz. She is bigger than my friend's 9 month old son. Corwin is completely in love with his little sister, and wants to snuggle, kiss, hug, play with her any chance he gets. Its a good thing they get to spend some time together at daycare, or I wouldn't get any time with my baby.

I have done a bunch of knitting in the last few weeks. I think the Summer Interweave Knits has kicked me out of the knitting rut I have been living in since last summer.
I've already completed the Roped Shell, and have started on the Walakame Lace Tunic, and I have plans to knit the Apres Surf Hoodie, The Leaf Lace Kimono, and a few other things that I can't think of at this time.
I think what helped was that I finally realized I live in Texas.
Its Hot in Texas
We might get 7 days of Cold Weather a Year
and by Cold Weather, I mean Wool Sweater Weather.
So I need to start focusing on practical stuff for this area, like Summer Knitting
since its HOT 8 months of the year.
and by Summer Knitting, it means Cotton yarns, Hemp yarns, and blends.
I have been using Knit Picks, because, well, with two kids in daycare, and a DH in school again, we are poor. And I can get yarn for three tops from KP for the same cost as a higher end blend yard for one sweater. And, well, I'm frugal
But after DH is done with school, then I will splurge
I do plan to start putting back $25 a month to buy yarn (my sanity money) but so far, I haven't remembered about it until the end of the month, when that $25 will almost buy me enough gas for the rest of the week.
But yeah, I completed the Roped Shell on Saturday, and actually wore it out to a Girls Night Out with some friends.
I love Shine Sport, it's cool, easy to work with, and didn't feel like I was knitting with rope, like some other cotton yarns that I have used in the past.
I'm currently using CotLin for the Wakamie Lace tunic, and I think I love this more. Its so soft. It drapes. It's cool.
I will be using Pallete in a deep blue for the Apres Surf Hoodie. I know its a wool, I know I live in Texas, where it is Hot, but, I'm poor, and I think this will be a good, fall pullover in a happy color.
On top of that, I'm planning on making Lamanaria from the Spring Knitty for the 2008 Knitting Olympic Trials. I only have enough yarn for the smaller version, but I can't wait. I think the Estonian lace will be a challenge for me, plus Kaylee will be 6 months old and into everything, so that will be another knitting challenge.

So much knitting, so little time