Yarn loves me, yarn loves me not.

Truly, there is rarely a day that I go without knitting. However, this weekend almost made me cry.

Friday I went to work with a slight twitch in my back. Just a small, slight pain. I was tired from going out dancing the night before, and figured I must have just slept bad. I managed to make it to work, not necessarily bright eyed, but at least I was present. I drank about a quart of orange juice before normalcy set in. On the way home from work, I listened to the CogKnitive podcast while I tuned out the crazies that ride the subway. Dr. Gemma spoke about the importance of yoga in this particular episode. I was working on the Festivus gift for my coworker and carried on like I didn't have a care in the world.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. I had wonderful plans to tidy up the closet, organize the stash, and finish knitting my Ella sleeves. I tried to get up out of the bed. OUCH! I tried to swing my legs off the bed. OUCH! I tried to just sit up while I was in the bed. OUCH! Apparently, the left back muscles connected to my Thoracic spine decided that they wanted to throw a hissy fit. I finally somehow pushed myself off the bed with my arms. Then some foolish thing falls off of the night table onto the floor. I bend over to pick it up. OUCH. Ok. So, I revert back to ballet class. Second position, Grand Plié.....got it! Omg. Am I supposed to be a squatter all day?

I attempt to go to the grocery to buy some fruits and juices for my cousins kids. I try to carry a seemingly light box of Capri Sun juices from the carseat to the front door. OUCH! Then I feel it. The impulse go around my torso from the back to the front. Is that what a muscle spasm feels like?

I go upstairs to greet the kiddies. The four year old reaches up for a kiss. I bend down to kiss her forehead. OUCH! I have to squat again. "Anty Meka you are hurting. Are you gonna cry? You don't have to cry for that". This little one is so sweet. I try to unzip my boots. OUCH again! The 4 year old unzips them and uses all her strength to take them off my feet as I wiggle my foot around, holding on to the wall for dear life. After a struggle I am free.

Later on, I proceed to sit on the couch to catch up on knitting my lovely Ella. I usually lay my leg across the couch and line up my skeins somewhere between my leg and the back of the couch. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. Now I am sinking into the couch, in searing pain, yarn is rolling everywhere, and
my tapestry needle just fell on the floor. Arrrrrrgh!

That's it. I've been holding out, and not trying to take meds all day. But, it's time for me to swallow one of them. 15 minutes later, zzzzzzzzzzz.

Throughout the rest of the weekend, I got a twitchy feeling every time I tried to knit. I got some relief on Monday, and I believe that was due to the fact that I did the "half lord of the fishes" yoga pose, also known as Ardha Matsyendrasana. (thanks, Yoga Journal!) Sit on the floor, bend one leg, cross the other leg over the thigh, twist toward the hip of the leg used in the crossover. I was able to feel a really good stretch. I moved slowly and breathed very deeply. I promised myself I would do a full yoga workout soon. But at this point, the downward dog seems impossible. Injuries humble you so much. They force you to slow down, and make you realize how important helpful people are. Even the little 4 year olds.

My overall results: I knit 20 more rows on my Ella sleeves Monday night, and made progress on the Scrumptious Neckwarmer for my coworker. I also want to post a pic of my little sweet angelic cousin who calls me "Anty Meka" in her sweet voice.

Ella week 2 and soft yarn for a tough guy

This is the second week into knitting this glorious coat. The assignment for this week is to work the armhole shaping and separate the back from the left and right fronts of the sweater. Special care was given by Nora when it came to instructions on how to get the perfect fit.

#1 Measure the distance from natural waist to underarm. Mine would be 7 inches.

#2 Work the bodice to an inch or inch and a half less than that measurement. So, I stopped at 6 inches.

#3 Make sure the increases fall at the center boob point of your bosom. Sounds kinda funny, but it's perfect because you ensure that the front isn't lopsided. I still have a little room for a ruffle in the front, so I am happy with my progress thus far.

Separating the fronts from the backs required binding off mid-row. That was no problem. I am happy with the way the back portion is turning out, and I happy that I am almost through my second color pattern repeat.

Did I mention how much I love this yarn? Shepherd's Worsted is a dream to knit with. I completed the Festivus gift for "The Brain". He loved the feel of the yarn so much that he tried it on, stayed in my house for an hour chatting, and never took it off. I asked "aren't you hot". He said it felt too nice to take it off. That's the best complement a knitter can get. For those of you still contemplating on a yarn choice for Ella, this yarn is tough-guy approved.

Ella NYC Diva Swatch

I must be honest with you. This is the first time I have ever done a proper swatch for a project. The first time I knit at least 4 inches, instead of just barely 2 and a half. The first time I didn't just follow what the pattern said, use the same yarn and needle size, and just go with it. The first time I didn't use the sleeve as my gauge swatch, to have to rip it out and change something. The first time I have contemplated cutting the yarn, so that I can actually wash it. I have usually had good luck with the sweaters I have knit in the past, in that they always fit.

This is also the first time I have ever had to create a color scheme layout on my own. The first time I had to calculate yarn quantity percentages. The first time I sketched something and had to make edits, and secondary edits.

What have I learned from all this? The first time can yield amazing beautiful results.

Upon examining my swatch, I realize that I want to add another 2 rows of hot pink. I think it would look perfect in the exact location that my finger is pointing. My expected gauge should be 18 stitches and 24 rows. However, I am getting 19 stitched and 26 rows. I really like the feel of this fabric. I wonder if I can just knit the next size up. Im afraid that if I go up a needle size, the fabric will not be dense enough. Any thoughts?

Also, it is killing me that I will have to wait a whole week before I can cast on. I am so excited about this Ella KAL.

I am also on love with Shepherd's Wool. It is so soft and plush. Here is a picture of the Festivus gift for "the Brain", the Scrumptious Cowl. I have 30 more rows to go before the project is complete. He got a sneak peek of it today, and told me he wants to buy a new grey coat to match it. He also said he feels special. Awwwwww!

And speaking of cowls, I finished my Scrunchable Bling cowl. I love it. The little pieces of bling don't itch at all. It isn't blocked in this picture, but I don't think blocking is a necessity. I used superwash wool, so I think this will be fine. Now I have something to wear with that coat with the pretty fur collar. More of those pics soon..... I promise.

 

So, with all this finishing going on, naturally I decided to cast on something else. Last week was really cold on NYC, and I didn't have a proper knitted hat made by yours truly. So, I came up with this idea to make a Cabled Earflap Hat. This hat is designed by Julie Hentz and was originally created for a baby using DK weight yarn on size 6 needles. I took worsted weight "Heavy Metal Wool" fro. http://www.littlebarninc.com/ and doubled it. I am using a size 10.5 16 inch Addi Turbo needle. So far, so good. And yes, of course it's pink.

One Earflap in the making.



2 Earflaps complete



No, this is not a set of Donkey Ears.  LOL! Just joined them to the hat. 



The Nook Cover Search and Festivus Yarn.

I am so excited about my Nook that I decided to go on a quest to find the perfect cover.
My first instinct was to make one. I recently found a tutorial on www.urbanthreads.com that explains exactly how to do it. I bought my mom a sewing machine for Christmas, so I figure I should learn to use it too. I found the perfect fabric that I want, and even found out that their wholesaler is in Soho. The wholesaler's website advised that we call the actual stores for availability information. So, I called the City Quilter and was told that the specific fabric I want was a best seller and they no longer had it. Hmmmm....so much for instant gratification. So, I perused the internet and found it on Fabric.com for cheaper than I saw it on the original website. Yaaaaay! I also decided to get extra fabric to make a lovely bag to go with my nook cover. Am I in over my head already? I don't know how to sew, but if Anya can do it in 4 months and win Project Runway, who says I can't? I'd like to poke them with a knitting needle.

So, still in the throngs of the instant gratification monster, I decided that I needed a nook cover NOW, just to protect it until I get to make the one I want. I looked all over for sales and found a pink cover at Lord and Taylor from Cul-de-Sac at a price point of $8.00. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get off of work.
So, I trudged through the rain and made it over there. I got so excited when I saw pink. Then I looked closely, it was an iPad cover. Dammit! It's too big. Arrrrrgh! However, I saw a glint of silver in the corner of my eye. Next to it was a smaller Ralph Lauren silver embossed leather ereader cover with a sign that said 60% off. The original price was $68 and after discounts it came to a few pennies more than $27. I would have paid more just because it was leather. So, I am super excited once again. I head to the cash register. But before the cashier rings it up, I attempt to place the nook into the cover to see how well it fits. It turns out the cover is about an inch too small on the top and left sides. Dammit! Arrrrgh!
So, the moral of this story is, I need to make my OWN nook cover.

So, on to happier things. When I got home, I opened up my package from The Loopy Ewe. They packaged everything so nicely, and even wrote me a lovely note. I got the yarn for 3 projects, and a pattern for a fourth, as well as my Addi Turbo's. (I am still hearing the audio clip from the Cast On podcast in my head). The yarn is Shepherd's Wool in Granite and Frosty Blue, and Malabrigo Rios in Glazed Carrot. They are all super soft and yummy, and I can't wait to start knitting. I also got a little thingy to keep track of my knitting needles and a sample of Loopy Ewe yarn. Lovely!
Here is the visual of my Festivus stash addition.

Merry Christmas (Festivus)!!!

Jesus is the reason for season. As a knitter, I love the season of giving. It gives me a chance to see people get excited when they receive a gift that I put a lot of thought and effort into choosing.

I have a friend who I used to work with years ago.  We were a team that knocked out job requests at a rate that was unseen.  Our coworkers called us "Pinky & the Brain".  So, I have spent many hours talking to "The Brain" about things we can do to increase our knowledge in our spare time.  We both want to get more into reading books.  However, "The Brain" has a very demanding schedule, that doesn't allow time for reading.  I was able to get him a gift subscription to Audible.com as his Christmas present.  He absolutely loved it, and I was thrilled that I got him just what he wanted. 

So, fast forward to this morning, whan I opened my gift.  Wrapped up in a nice bag was a pink Hello Kitty pillow.  At first, I thought it was a gag gift, because he always calls me "Pinky" (and he has every right to).  But, I turned the pillow over, and this is what I see. 

I thought "Should I open it?"  "I don't want to ruin the pillow" "Well, it's already been lacerated, so I guess opening it won't hurt".  I squeezed the pillow, and felt something solid inside.  It felt like a box.  So, I dug in to find a box wrapped in pink.  This is what was inside the box. 

I was in shock.  I have talked about wanting to read more books countless times, and mentioned that my bookshelf is filled to the max.  Although I have the Nook for Iphone app, it starts to get irritating reading such a small screen after a while.  We even went into Barnes and Noble, and I played around with the Nook for a little while during my Christmas shopping.  I was totally floored, and called "The Brain" immediately to thank him.  So, he is added to the list of recipients on the Festivus list. 

Here is my list

"The Brain" and "Coworker R.O." - Scrumptious Neck Warmer in Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool in Granite and Frosty Blue

"Coworker L.E." - KS Fine Cabled Mittens (Knitspot) in Knitpicks Capretta in Timber

"Orange Hot Momma" - A Noble Cowl in Malabrigo Rios in Glazed Carrot

"Helpful neighbor who attempted knitting once" - Gaptastic Cowl & Hat that I haven't decided on yet in Knitpicks Swish Bulky in Stormy

"Miss Festivus Surprise" - A project I can't really talk about in Knitpicks Capretta in Admiral and Harbor

There will be more updates soon.  The yarn should be here this week, so that I can get started.  I ordered Addi Turbo 16 inch needles in sizes 6 and 8.  Although there is a supposed hype about being able to knit faster with them, I don't really like to buy into "the hype".  However, I started my scrunchable cowl on a pair of Addi's and it is sailing along smoothly.  I love the rhythm I get when I am knitting, and if that allows me to knit faster, than I am game.

Sidebar:  I have been listening to Cast On with Brenda Dayne, and now every time I say Addi Turbo, I hear the sound that she makes in the Podcast every time she says it.  When I hear it, I envision a comet whizzing by at the speed of light.  Let's hope I can get these Festivus presents knitted up quickly.  I have to start on my Ella Reinvented Cardigan mid-January. 

Merry Christmas to all!