A Little Yarn On The Side

So Theo and I have been working on the checkerboard baby blanket and using a joining foot and a zig zag, I sewed 6 strips of blocks together. As rectangular didn't require cutting more blocks and square did, we opted for the rectangular blanket. The problems started when I started trying to sew the strips together. If you haven't worked with fleece before, it doesn't stretch at all in one direction, and stretches like a maniac in the other. After several attempts using various setting on my sewing machine--not to mention lots of "quality time" with the seam ripper--I used my quilt basting spray to stick little bits of water soluble stabilizer to hold the blocks together, and zigzagged them together: It's still a bit puckered, but not nearly as bad as it was. The biggest problem is that there is no way to spray little strips of stabilizer with basting spray without getting basting spray all over one's hands. You can blame any typos on the fact that my ...

As the only thing more boring than sewing sweater seams is discussing sewing sweater seams, we'll be passing over Fleur for the evening. Progress is being made, and I get to work on the beaded edging as soon as I finish one more seam. I think it's best to admit the existence of one's inner child, and mine responds really well to bribery.... Last night Theo helped me wrap up a very belated birthday gift for shipping then we (meaning me, as I'm the one with the opposable thumbs) cut out fleece squares for a baby blanket. This shows it as just a little less than a yard on both sides, but I have enough blocks to do one more row on one side, which would make a rectangular blanket. Should baby blankets be square? I do have more fleece. When the size issue is resolved--so many jokes there, and I'm just going to pass right over them--I'm going to zigzag stitch the blocks together. I'm thinking a berry colored thread to match those dark pink moons--or maybe it ...

OK, that would have been much more effective if I knew how to add sounds to a blog--and didn't find them annoying. I have used over 100 balls of yarn this year!!!!! 101 to be precise, since I'm knitting the two sleeves simultaneously. They'll be shaped for a raglan-style sleeve, and why the designer didn't attach them at that point and finish as one piece is anyone's guess. I started this sweater--formerly known as the Glitterspun Sweater as I couldn't find the pattern & the actual name--long enough ago that I wouldn't necessarily have questioned the designer's directions. I know--it's hard to believe I ever had THAT problem. Oh well. I'm sure that somehow sewing seams is character building. I tried to convince Calisto that she should be the new knitting side-kick, but she's pretty shy about public appearances. Theo, like many celebrities who let fame go to their heads, may have developed a drug problem-- there was a little too much ...

My time this weekend is still being mostly consumed by those stupid tomatoes which seem to magically replenish themselves each night, but there have been occasional craft-related breaks. I finally washed and blocked Andy's sweater, without the help of Theo, who is now on strike for a bigger by-line, fame having completely gone to his head, and I found some sparkly red ribbon that looks much better with the gift bags-- even if it doesn't photograph very well. Then I spent a little time with the baby aran sweater, which will eventually be a gift for some close friends when they have their first child. They aren't actually expecting yet, but I find it best to get a jump on these things. I also assembled some wire shelving in the sewing room hoping that if I look organized I might actually be organized. It's a long shot, I grant you, but I find optimism much more inviting than realism. I have magic tomatoes, so anything is possible--at least in my world.

I've been canning like a maniac this week--the last of the tomatoes, both green and red--so knitting time has been pretty limited. I needed a simple project to pick up and work on for a few minutes, and not being able to cast on a plain sock, I started the sleeves of "Ruched Magic" by Lily Chin. The back has been finished for a year or so, the front is half finished & ran into a problem that will require a little frogging & more attention than I have right now, but the sleeves are a delightfully simple K1, P1 rib with regularly scheduled increases. Theo is not helping me today, being a bit in disgrace. We had snow last night, and rather than going outside at night and possibly getting his paws wet, he decided to wake the humans up at 1:30 to keep him company. These might be part of the problem: My all-too-sexy slipper socks with google eyes. Theo seems to consider them as invaders, or perhaps younger siblings: Maybe we'll all play a little nicer once we...

There are still some ends to weave in and it needs to be washed and blocked, but IT IS FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!! The collar is a little shorter than the pattern calls for because I ran out of yarn, but I think it actually looks fine this way, and Andy loves it, so I will be leaving it as it is. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm actually pretty proud of myself for selecting this one early during the WIP marathon. It wasn't one of those just-missing-sleeves WIPs that finish rather quickly. It started here: That's the back of the sweater. So it was probably the least-far-along of the entire pile of WIPs, being about 5% completed. Of course NOW I'm going to be looking for one of those projects that just needs sleeves--let's not be stupid. I think there's even a baby sweater just in need of a few seams and a neckband, and that pair of socks..... 10 WIPS IN A ROW!!!! 10 WIPS IN A ROW!!!! 10 WIPS IN A ROW!!!! 10 WIPS IN A ROW!!!!!

Last night I finished knitting the collar (which is a little shorter than called for as I completely ran out of yarn, but it shouldn't really matter--I did add an extra row in the red to help compensate. I was NOT postponing this to order more yarn, though I can now say that they really weren't kidding about that extra 4 yards....) So now I just have to finish the seams--after first finding some yarn to do the seams with as I REALLY ran out of yarn--and WIP number 10 in a row will be done done done done done done DONE!!! I get so excited about these things..