Double Crap

Two of the fancy online yarn stores that have the hard-to-get yarn updated today. AND I found out that I had a positive balance on my Paypal account. (How'd that happen?) Everything just lined up so well and... Oh goodness. I'm so weak. So very weak. But, since I had that positive balance, I only really spent like $15.

I know. There's no excuse. And I really hope Jenny doesn't read this blog...

Too Many WIPs!

After I finish my current WIPs, I seriously need to look into going one at a time. No. Two. I will be able to have two projects on the needles at any given time. One pair of socks and one other project. It's so frustrating when you knit and knit and knit and rarely finish anything. I keep switching between projects, so of course it's going to take longer.

I really just need to stop looking through patterns on Ravelry so I don't tempt myself into starting new projects all the time. I wish I had some will power. Is there some sort of herb or vitamin I can take for that?

Kitchener Stitch

This whole kitchener stitch thing is bullshit, pardon my language. I've followed different tutorials, all with the same result. Their picture looks all nice and neat. Mine looks like a heaping pile of crap. According to the pictures, the grafting should result in a row of stitches. Like the knitting just goes around the toe, not like there's a big old line there. So, what's my problem? It's clearly my problem, since I've tried different tutorials, all with a poor result. Surely they can't all be wrong.

Last time I grafted a toe, I had the hardest time with it and Jenny assured me that it's supposed to look like that. She totally lied. She was just trying to get me to shut up. I know it.

Anyway... I've finished one Spring Cable sock. Unless I rip it apart and try to re-graft. :(

(I would show pictures so maybe someone could tell me what I've done wrong, but the camera isn't home right now.)

EDIT: I've tried on the sock and studied it properly. It turns out that those 4 stitches I decreased too much on the gusset were imperative to the fit of the sock. It stretches out a bunch there and isn't pretty. I am seriously bummed.

Also, in case you might be thinking I am overreacting, you should know that it's not just the sock. My cat went to the vet yesterday and we found out he has an abdominal tumor. It's starting to sink in now that he might not be around long and I'm getting downright sad about it.

Smooshy

Oh crap. I fell off the not-giving-in-to-yarn-buying wagon a little bit and...





I'm afraid it's love.

2 skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy in Cocoa Kiss

Knitting Lists

I've decided to make a list to organize my knitting projects, future knitting projects and figure out how to get the most out of my knitting time. I believe a list can help in any situation.

Current WIPs:
1. Wicked sweater - it's still progressing slowly.
2. Spring Cable socks - not so much progress.
3. Claudia Hand Painted Boot Camp socks - no progress, which is stupid since I'm halfway through the second sock. I'll get to it.
4. Baby Blanket squares - I don't work on those if I can help it. I'll kick it into gear if someone gets pregnant. Until then, there are too many other projects for me to care.
5. Popped socks - These aren't really a "current WIP" because I frogged my first attempt, but I'll be casting on with bigger needles very shortly.

Future Projects:
1. Toe-up socks - Jenny brought home Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson from the library and there are lots of cute patterns in there. I have to learn to do toe-up.
2. Dream In Color shrug - I don't know yet what we're doing for bridesmaid dresses for Jenny's wedding, but if we do blue skirts with black tops, I want to knit this shrug for the wedding. And, of course, for every day wear.
3. Some sort of fair isle with all my new Knitpicks Essential Kettle Dyed yarn.
4. I want to design some socks. I feel like being creative.
5. I need to find a pattern for my seriously blue yarn that I dyed. It will have to be just the right pattern, though.

Yarns I Want (BAD):
1. I still want yarnlust's Glitter Sock Yarn so bad, but it'll be a long while before I have that kind of money to piss away.
2. DIC Smooshy - I still haven't worked with it and I think we've decided that it seriously works with every sock pattern out there. And the colors are gorgeous.
3. Numma Numma Toasty - I hear it's good. I'm intrigued.
4. sKnitches Syncopation Self-Striping - I'm not a huge fan of self-striping yarn usually, but this stuff is so pretty!
5. Goth socks - Same with the Syncopation. And I love the deep "gothic" colors. Want!

So, those are my lists. I will move forward into my knitting with a clearer head and a more organized idea of what I want. And I will accomplish my goals and finish my projects.

... Maybe.

No Pictures!

I have much to comment on, but Jenny left our camera at her fiance's family's house yesterday, so I have no pictures. It's a shame because Jenny got my freshly dyed blue yarn untangled and wound into a cake, so I'd like to get a picture of it sometime soon. It is a very bright royal blue color. There is definitely some very slight variegation of color. It will probably be just enough to give the knitting a bit of depth. I may knit a test swatch in the coming days.

I also cast on for Popped (which I keep accidentally typing as 'pooped'). I'm so excited about these socks, but there are a couple of problems there. First, all the knitting through the back loop hurts my hands so bad. I'm so tense and tight that my hands cramp up after 10 minutes of knitting. Second, because I'm so tense and tight, my gauge is very tight and I'll have to restart on larger needles - my foot won't fit into them as is. I've only gotten a few rows into the pattern, so it's not a big deal to restart.

My sweater is progressing slowly, but there's progress, so I'm happy. I know the pattern is extremely easy (Wicked), but I'm so excited I haven't messed it up yet. Like, at all! My sleeves are symmetrical (so far) and everything!

My Spring Cable socks are sleepy, so I'm giving them a rest. I'll wake them up in a little while. I have the knitting ADD.