The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

Here is a picture of my progress. These are the sleeves that I am knitting two at a time, and I feel like a knitting goddess because I have managed to do it without tangling the two skeins.

The Bad:

Being a Perfectionist sucks!!! I was happy knitting along, and got to the decrease for the sleeve cap and then realized that my stitch count was off after I did my binding off. What is my problem, you ask? I was supposed to do the increase 10 times for the 36" size, and the dummy that took over my head when I read the pattern initially read the "9 times" for the 32" size. I will chalk this all up to the fact that I hate writing in my magazines, so I didn't circle or highlight the number that corresponded to my size. And yes, I could have photocopied the pattern, but I seem to always lose those things. So, now I have the grueling pleasure of frogging approximately 20 rows of stitches.

The Ugly:

I read the chart wrong, and have done the cable twist every 8 rows, as opposed to every 10 rows. I have completed the back, front pieces, and the sleeves (almost). So am I supposed to take this out??? Not for a minute on God's great earth am I going to even fathom that notion. Every fault is a fashion, and the cables are consistent with each other. So I'm keeping it. Ha! Leave me a comment. Let me know what you think.

Falling in Love part 3

I am so happy to report that I am making progress on my Falling in Love sock. The hearts are just popping out of this pattern. I am truly loving this Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn. It is amazingly soft. Here are a few pics at different angles.

Falling in Love part 2

I casted on my Falling in Love socks using the Magic Cast-on for Toe-Up socks as seen in Knitty.


I began with 9 stitches on each needle, and increased by knitting in the front and the back of the second stitch, and second-to-last stitch on each of the two needles.


Here is the count of 31 stitches on each needle.



Now it is time to start the cable and lace pattern. Stay tuned......

Chante and Nancy, thank you for the inspiration to start this sock. Nancy, I really think you should fall back in love again. I think the color of this Jitterbug yarn will work with this pattern.

Falling in Love

I would like to personally thank Nancy and Chante for allowing me to Fall in Love again. I have seen their excitement over the Falling In Love sock from Magknits this past Tuesday at our sit and knit.

I went to work Wednesday, printed out the pattern, and it was staring at me all day. Thursday, I tried to find the yarn online, then I realized that I didn't want to wait a week for shipping, as the pattern was still stalking me, and would not leave me alone. Friday, the pattern was taunting me so much that I decided to go to Seaport Yarn, and get a skein of Jitterbug in Lagoon-138. It is the same gauge, and really soft, and machine washable. Woohoo!! Actually, Seaport has 10% off of all sock yarns this May, so I thought it was justifiable.


Now that we know each other very well, and are keeping it real, I am not embarassed to say I ran out of work and raced to the place in 3 inch heels. I was trying to get there before they close at 6, and I ran the equivalent of 2 stops on the 4 train... because I didn't want to deal with the MTA slowing me down. For us New Yorkers, I know I am making total sense here. For people outside of New York... well, you just have to come here and experience being on the express train and seeing the local train get to the destination first. It is super annoying... and then we all wonder why we are so uptight. Don't worry... I will take it slow when I am knitting my socks.

So, thank you Nancy and Chante for making me increase my stash one more time. Nancy, you are very diligent about not increasing your stash... but I do remember seeing somewhere that we will not be penalized for sock yarn. I am planning on using size 1 two circular needle method. So, I think now we have a Tri-Borough KAL from the BX... to Uptown..to Bklyn. Does anyone from Queens want to join in???? Chante, I may need help on the two circulars, since this is my first attempt at it, and it is my first lace pattern, and you have me terrified about the K4TOG.

Knitting on the R train

This is just a funny story.

I was on the R train today, traveling to 59th street and 5th Avenue. My mom and I were on our way to a really nice restaurant for dinner. So, being that I had a few minutes to spare, I picked up my knitting. I am trying to finish my Central Park Hoodie before they start to turn on the AC in my office on full blast for the summer. So, my mom says "Ugh... I know you're not about to start knitting now, are you?" I just looked at her and said "Do I embarass you?" Let me remind you that this is a woman that I dragged to a yarn store for company, and she ended up buying $100 worth of yarn, and now wants a hat, mobious scarf, and shawl to wear when her office AC is on blast at subzero temperatures. I just rolled my eyes and proceeded to knit. Now, I have heard of teenage daughters being embarassed of their moms knitting while they are at play rehearsals, or sports practice. But never have I heard of a mother being embarassed about a twenty-something year old daughter doing something constructive in her life such as knitting.

So, while I am knitting, I averted my eyes to other people on the train (because when you knit as much as I do, you don't even have to look at the fabric while you do it). Then I heard the angels singing from heaven. Guess what I saw??? A man sitting across from me, a few seats down.....knitting a small red garter-stitch square. He was concentrating so hard, and kept stopping and counting, and studying his piece. I knew he had to be a beginner, but he ws so diligent at it, that I really admired him. I said to my mom "Look, I have a knitting buddy on the train". At the next stop, a woman sat next to him, looked at him while he was transfixed in the knitting zone, then she looked at me. We locked eyes, and she smiled. So, I smiled back. It is really nice to know that someone was intrigued!!! LOL. Now I know that my mother does love me dearly, and I love her too. I will just chalk it up to her not understanding the Joy of Knitting. Don't worry, I will have her doing it pretty soon. I gave her a step-by-step dissertation on the purl stitch this morning while we were on the bus. She chose to sit next to me, so she had no choice but to listen. Haha!!!

Central Park Hoodie Progress - Part 2

Knitting, frogging, and knitting again after you read the pattern, and finally get the decreases down. Here is the left and right front pieces of my hoodie. I am about halfway through the armhole openings. Next is the neck, and then off to the sleeves. I can see a dim light barely shining at the end of the tunnel.

Here is the finished back, on stitch holders

The Never-Ending Stash

So, I must admit....I went a little knitting crazy today. My first stop was Border's on Broadway, where I went to purchase Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. So, why did I leave with 2 magazines, and another book? Actually, I read an excerpt of Knitting Under the Influence, and got upset when it was over. So, of course I HAD to buy it. Here is my reasoning for my purchases....I had a 25% 0ff coupon.

Now the yarn, I have no excuse for. I don't even know where it will fit in my closet. On second thought, in order to justify this again.....all of these yarns already have projects. Come on, I shop with a purpose.

The pink yarn is Cascade Magnum #9424, and I plan to make the tunic designed by Twinkle, as seen on page 81 of Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006 magazine. Also, because I am an avid shopper at Knit New York, I have managed to rack up over $200 in purchases over the course of the year, and received a discount on the yarn.

The green yarn (Manos Del Uruguay Spring) and blue/green variegated yarn (Manos Del Uruguay Caribe) will be used to make a Haramaki. It is the rage in Japan, and it is basically a corset for your belly, that is supposed to keep your core warm, and promote circulation and healing. Personally, I think they would just all look cute with a button down shirt and some jeans. I went to the website of the Japanese man that has copywrighted his own designs. Too bad I can't read a lick of Japanese. Or else he would have had me sold. However, being the resourceful knitter that I am, I will design my own pattern, and make it fit perfect!!! Well, I can at least try. More updates on that later. I bought these yarns at The Point, when they had their anniversary sale. Thanks, Berhan for helping me pick it out!!! (I hope I spelled your name right)

The sock yarn is there for me to practice using the book. I want to try the two circular needle technique.

So, now I am waiting on my Knitpicks shipment, because the yarn shop did not have size 17 needles that I needed for the "Magnum" tunic (40 inch and 20 inch). Let me clarify...Knitpicks's smallest option cable size is 24", but the pattern is knit back and forth for the sleeves on that needle, so having 4 extra inches really isn't going to hurt. I have looked at about 5 different internet shops, and decided that Knitpicks is the best for Jumbo needles. I ordered the Options cables, and needle points separate. I do not have the whole kit, but I only needed the 17. I have also found it to be very affordable, considering some needles cost $25.00 alone, especially at the jumbo size.

So, I made a promise to a really good friend whose name shall remain anonymous, that I would not buy any more yarn until I had projects finished. Well, I want to keep my promise, but the willpower level is at zero when the two words Yarn and discount go together. Sorry. However, I will be hanging out with her tomorrow, and I know I am never going to hear the end of it. Hopefully she won't yell at me too much in front of her sister. :-/

Another thing that happened to me recently, was that I got to experience a presentation given by the Yarn Harlot at FIT. It was amazing. She joked about acquiring yarn in secret, and justifying your purchases. And here I am hiding my yarn (although it is in a see-through bag)from my mom who thinks I am bonkers for trying to find space in my closet for everything(cedar balls are my new buddies). Hey, If I were to buy a Ralph Lauren handknit sweater, it would be 4-5 times the amount I spent on the yarn. So, there you go!!!

All the non-knitters out there... you don't even know the type of jovial insanity you are missing out on. Write me....I am a certified instructor... we can meet for coffee... let me show you a piece of my world.