Tuesday 31 May 2011

Another essay, and WIPs...

Yes, I'm in that well-known coffee shop again for another round of me vs essay no 2.  It's not going well, I should be on number 3 by now, but number 2 just isn't inspiring me.  Ah well, gotta get it done.

In a fit of desperation and distraction, I've made a list of all my WIPs:
Rogue
LongForm
Lacy top
Celestine
Elvira
Cardigan for H
Seaweed Socks
Cowls x3
Celestine - nearly finished (and needs to be finished by the end of this week).  Cardigan for H - started three years ago, currently snoozing gently in the corner, but needs to be woken up, finished, and worn, before they are all too big for it.  The cowls are rapidly rushing to the top of the list as they need to be done by the end of term;  I finished one yesterday on the way home from the beach, but due to being very tired forgot that it needed a stretchy bind off, so I need to rip back the BO and do it again differently. Doh.  The plus side is that I need another ball of wool for one of them, which I will have to order, so I might stretch to a pair of metal knitpro interchangeables, because I want to try them out.  It's for research purposes you see.

We were on our way to the beach yesterday morning, Chris driving and me armed with the OS map of the area we were going to (Llandudno).  I quickly discovered that it's a two sided map and I was on the wrong side, which means opening the whole thing out to turn it round.  I was trying to do it whilst going along, until Chris forbade me because he couldn't see the road. (Honestly.  What do you mean, you need to see the road to drive?  It'll only take a minute...)  So I asked him to pull in at the upcoming petrol station, and got the 'can't you wait until we stop at the services?' answer (he was a bit cross by this point).  To which I repiled, but I need to see the map, if I change it I can look at it now, and to my surprise he said yeah, I see, it's a map, and stopped.  Sometimes we really do think the same :)

Monday 2 May 2011

Working... or not

I'm currently sitting in Costa a coffee shop belonging to a well-known chain trying to cudgel my brain into producing something vaguely sermon-like,  but failing miserably because my mind is on other things - namely, my friend's new baby that I've just visited, and knitting of course.  The baby is gorgeous (so small!) but has made me realise that really I don't want another (though there's still a small bit of me that is very broody) - I don't think I'd survive.  I'll have to make do with lots of cuddles.  There's something a bit sad, but also a bit liberating, about realising that my baby days are passing.  Rebekah has finally worked out how to crawl, sort of, has stopped breastfeeding, and won't be a baby for much longer.  Steffie is just about out of nappies (yippee!) and will start nursery in September.  Hannah is already at school and getting more grown up and independent (when the mood takes her).  And so we will enter a new phase as a family.  And with it will come other pressures, like whether to work or not, along with Hannah's particular needs which are always there but change over time.  I've thought for a while that no stage is easier, it's just that the challenges are different, but slightly more sleep would be welcome.

But I digress.  I'm really excited about this KAL, I've never done one before and I have all sorts of ideas in my head about what I want to make, which may or may not be possible / sensible.  I also have a baby gift to finish and a few other small things to knit before the summer holidays, plus Rogue to finish off (I've lost my chart for the sleeves, and I really don't want to have to re-do it - it's all coloured in with notes on increases etc, so I need to have a good look for it before I can carry on).

Anyway I'd better get back to work before I run out of tea and laptop battery.

Sweater KAL

Ok, so I'm doing Samurai Knitter's sweater KAL, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I have the wool (Melandra wool rich DK in a dark teal colour) and someone to make it for (Chris).
So, to answer the questions in the first post:
It will be a pullover with a high zip/ribbed neck and full length sleeves, and no shaping. 
No idea how long it needs to be, I'd better go find a sweater of his and measure it!
I might do hems for the cuffs and bottom welt, rather than ribbing.
I think I'm going to use the DK double with 5.5mm needles (I often do this for sweaters, so they don't take too long!).  Next stop - the guage swatch!