Lazy, Bad Blogger

It's been a busy week. Today I turned around and noticed it's Friday. And I haven't blogged for four days. Bad Blogger. Bad, Bad, Blogger! (I know you can't tell, but I'm saying that in my "Maxine, get down from that table right now" voice.)

Even in my busy state I've learned some things about knitting this week.

Addis are not impervious to Basset Hound from Hell (BHFH) teeth

Slipped stitches are harder to pick up and retrieve when covered in BHFH drool

BHs FH prefer the good stuff. They like nice wool. They love nice wool mixed with silk and/or cashmere

You wouldn't think I would have to spend this much time chasing a dog that is only 5 inches off the ground. How she manages to get up on tables, counters, etc is oompletely beyond me.

Interpretive Ice Dancing

Or WTF? Some of these couples are married and they better be! If some guy is going to swing me around by my privates in front of a worldwide audience, I better have a ring on my finger. This is just yucky. I know these people are athletes and they are doing something I could not possibly do but pleeze! Where did they get some of these lifts? The Kama Sutra, or pay-per-view late at night? And after each couple is done all Dick Buttons can say is "that was very pleasant to watch". Stop the madness already! I can't take no more. Don't e-mail me to tell me I don't understand the artistry of ice dancing or that I could just change the channel. I know all that. I just don't care.

Olympic Confusion

A friend has convinced me it's not too late (obviously this friend is not a knitter) to re-knit my Einstein before next Sunday. I'm going to give it my best effort. I found gauge this morning after ripping and rewinding the three skeins I'd already knit.

Did anyone find the Ice Dancing competition a little weird last night? Some of the lifts were ugly. Not just the ones that sent one partner crashing, the ones that apparently worked. I am assuming this is because you get more points if your head and foot connect. Some of the positions were just really unattractive. I told my husband it was like a little kid who shows you he can flip his eyelids up. Yuck. This is not an attractive talent. Neither were some of those lifts! Of course with all the falls, crashing, and angry looks, my husband and son considered this the most entertaining display of ice dancing in the known universe. They said that the only way it would have been better is if the routines were all performed at once so that there would be the possibility of teams crashing into each other.

So here are my WIP and disasters. What's left of Einstein, Odessa, and Maxine modeling the double knit hat.





Luckily it's Presidents Day and I'll be home most of the day. I can knit, knit, knit. 5 years ago a friend and I decided to celebrate President's Day. Afterwards I had to give up drinking scotch. I'm glad I'm older and wiser now.

Freestyle

Tough weekend. I had to rip out my Odessa because I made a horrible yarn over mistake in the decreases. Hats become really useless with BIG GIANT HOLES in them! Not the pattern's fault, completely a user error. The pattern is wonderful. Easy to memorize and just flies along. Until I lose track of my decreasing and it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

Yesterday in the ripping frustration, I cast on a double knit hat. By last night I had about 3 inches completed and hands that felt about 95 years old. This will be a slow process on number 6 needles.

Today, hands cramped and a blister (non knitting related) on my pinkie, I decided to go big. I cast on for a sweater in Lana Grossa Due Chine on number 9s. I have wanted a sweater with a wide ribbed waist for a while. I can't find a pattern that I like so I'm making my own. Why, with the knitting luck I have had lately, I think I'm up for freestyling it I don't know. But I'm going for it.

Pictures of in progress and disasters tomorrow.

Knit me something already!

I need to knit these two something. Since Maggie has weight issues and Maxine has a weirdly long short build (weird for everything that isn't a Basset Hound), it's really hard to buy "off the rack" for them. All the cute dog clothes are made for teeny tiny dogs that strangely blonde celebrities carry in large handbags.

What about everyday dogs you get at the pound like Maggie? Doesn't she want to feel pretty too?



Now my husband is pretty opposed to my dressing up the dogs and rolls his eyes when I mention knitting for them. But I think they like it. They dress up for Halloween every year. Last summer at the Little League park I overheard one little girl telling the other kids they had to trick or treat at Kate's house because she dresses up her dogs.

Maxine blinks at the flash every single time!!!

Maggie is just bored. She's 8 years old now and this is old hat to her. You have to act blase when you are the Head Dog In Charge.

So I think I need to add dog sweaters that fit the girls to my knitting to do list.

Foolishly Happy

Things have been pretty crazy at the office so I haven't had much knitting time this week. I'm hoping that I'll be able to sit and knit tonight. Here is something that is just making me smile. I bought it a couple weeks ago and it just came in to full bloom. The hyacinths smell wonderful. Since it is 10 degrees outside right now, it is making me happy to have flowers growing on the kitchen table.

The pastel colors don't really fit with my decor, but I still love 'em. (I'm a Libra I want everything aesthetically perfect, I can't help myself).

In other news my son sold his childhood Pokemon card collection on e-bay this week. He now wants to sell more stuff. I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep an eye on the furniture and dogs in case he starts auctioning off. Why do teenagers think they need money all the time? He also asked me last night if I'm really going to use all that yarn. I'm going to have to put a lock on my stash closet!

Can I Luge Instead?

Here it is on day three of the Knitting Olympics and I am giving serious thought to abandoning my Einstein completely. I'm nearly done with my Odessa and I am beginning to think my KO project(s) should just be stuff I've never tried before. For example:

1. Beading on the Odessa, which has made me want to bead everything even though I'm not really a bead kinda gal.
2. Double knitting a hat
3. Socks. I'm determined to try socks and to do both at once Magic Looped on a big circular needle.

I know this is a little like Michelle Kwan saying, "okay I can't do this figure skating stuff right now, but I'm pretty sure I could throw myself down the mountain on one of them there sleds, I think I'll luge instead."

Unrelated but of interest, tomorrow is Valentines Day. The ultimate made-up-by-retailers holiday. I hate it. When I was single I was never dating on Valentines Day. Even though I've been married for 15 years, I still have a bitter taste in my mouth about it.

The one enjoyable part of V-Day now is visiting a florist on V-Day. Have you done this? It is hilarious! Panicked, wild-eyed men running in and throwing wads of money at the proprieter. Their reaction when told that the shop is sold out of red roses. The ensuing rationalization when they know that their only option at 5 p.m. on Valentines day is taking the "Get Well Soon" balloon off the arrangement featuring dyed orange daisies and presenting it to their lady love. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

I have thought ahead this year and am going to the Sprawl of America at lunch today to buy Godiva for my son. He loves chocolate and deserves the best once a year. Luckily the Sprawl is only five minutes from the office. This means I'm a whole DAY ahead of the curve!!

If is anyone is out there and wants to advise me on my KO problem, I'd appreciate some input. What Would the Yarn Harlot Do?

Groin Injury in the Knitting Olympics

I think I'm going to have to frog my Einstein. I can't seem to get row gauge which would be no big deal if I didn't have to pick up stitches from the side later. I've thought of all the ways I could save the 20" I've already done and I can't figure it out. I have to decide to frog or to plunge ahead knowing that this thing is oversized and I'm undersized. Maybe it will work. Or maybe I'm rationalizing.

To cheer myself up, I started knitting an Odessa. This is my first experience with beads and I'm in love!!! I want to bead more! It's a little knitting miracle. Not to mention that this yarn is to die for. Soft, knits up well with good stitch definition, holds the gauge. Love it. Unfortunately so does my emergency backup dog, Maxine. She is fascinated by it. She has jumped up on my chair taken the ball and run off with it a dozen times already today.

As soon as I figure out how to post pictures on this thing, I will post a finished Odessa and an undersized Einstein.

I just heard a really awful noise downstairs. I'm afraid Maxine is rearranging the living room furniture or something.

If at first you don't succeed. .

Okay, I tried this before with absolutely no success. I'm trying this blog stuff one more time and we'll see if it takes. I'm on my way to my lys. I don't know why. I am working on my Knitting Olympics project so it's not as if I can start anything else right now. But I haven't bought any yarn for three weeks and I need a fix. I'll be right back.

Did I mention that my New Year's resolution was to knit from my stash? Did I mention my lys serves alcohol? How am I supposed to refrain from buying yarn if they are going to serve me wine!?! I did pretty well though. I bought 4 balls of Rowan Cashsoft Aran and a ball of sock yarn.

The Rowan is for a double knit hat for my 13 year old son. Because everyone knows how responsible 13 year old boys are. He absolutely needs a cashmere blend hat that he will lose or leave in his locker. No more wine at the lys.

I bought plain gray sock yarn. I've never actually knit socks before. Never felt a need to knit them. However, spending time in the knitting blog universe has created a need to knit socks. I'm not so delusional (yet) as to think I will ever wear neon bright striped socks though. Hence the gray. Doesn't it seem moderate and rational that way?

My Knitting Olympics project is from my stash. Okay, it's from my stash in that I ordered the yarn prior to the first of the year. That counts, right? I was forced into this purchase by the people at Lion Brand yarn. They discontinued Kool Wool, which I loved beyond reason. So when I found it on clearance! clearance! clearance! I had to buy a few skeins. Or 80 skeins. 20 of 4 different colors. If I don't have enough for a sweater, I don't have enough.

My KO project is the Einstein coat from Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch. It has about 87 billion stitches and I have 16 days. I better get more of that wine.