The happy Icarus Dance!

"Put your wings like this..., Put your wings like that..., shake your tushie in the air..., yea go ahead and stare..."
It is official! Last night at 11:30pm I wove in the ends on Icarus. This loverly bit of knitting is for my Mom for Christmas. I started it in the truck, on the way to Kentucky for my Cousin's wedding, on June 16. I would have been finished on July 9th, except for the yarn problem. (You can read the earlier post if you must)

This is the unblocked yarn pile

Now to the blocking
Ok. So the last one is upside down. Sue me. You can see the relative size of this beauty! FYI - that is a 6ft x 3ft table.
Pretty. And so soft in KP Alpaca Cloud. My Mom will love it!
She will Love her socks too. I finished those last week, and completely forgot to post about them! I haven't blocked them yet, but I will when I get back from VACATION! Who whoo! I am going to the shore for a week, and plan on knitting like a fool, sunning, reading, sleeping, and eating. I cannot wait!!

Clue #2 is finished!

I love a sense of accomplishment.

I finished clue #2 on the Mystery Stole 2 project on Sunday night. It is a really fun knit. I don't have to pay too close of attention. (Mostly just have to make sure I count correctly.) This picture is of about the same quality as my last one, but oh well. I'm not sure how to get a better one with only two hands. I don't have a clue how I will photograph the next section, as I am out of bulletin board.

This is what I did at the beach on Friday.

I have started my Vintage KAL lacey gloves. I am using Artyarns Ultramerino, and size 2 needles. The yarn is great. The pattern is easy to follow, but - of course there is a but - I'm having trouble with the size. I'm on gauge, but they are HUGE. I mean HUGE. I could put both hands in one glove. I do have small hands, so I was figuring that I could give them for gifts if they were too big. I don't know of any basketball players that need fushia lacey gloves, though. Maybe I will frog and try again on 2mm needles. I'm afraid they will be too stiff then, but size 1's will still be too large I think. err.

On a very excited note, my awesome SP7 sent me two boxes of fun - with a promise of a #3 on the way!!!! Take a look at the pictures. Prepare to be jealous.

TWO bags of coffee. One is my own special SP7 blend. Just for me! They smell soooo good. My car, my office and my house smell like awesome organic coffee. Even my DH, who really doesn't like coffee, was in awe of the scent.

And YARNY GOODNESS! This my friends is my new child, Schaeffer Anne. She is pink and purple and green and blue. She is wooly and mohairy and will make beautiful socks when she grows up. Her new best friend is the stitch markers my SP made just for me! If you hadn't of told me they were your first, I would never had known! So pretty!

Big thank you's to my SP! You kick @$$!

Mystery Stole Progress

Well, I didn't finish as much of my Stole on monday night as I would have liked. I did finish side one, but had to stop to make a swap item. I am swapping on the knitty message board for my yarn to finish Icarus. Although, last night I did manage to get quite a bit finished. This picture is through row 38. Not much to go now! I will definately be finished before the next clue comes out tomorrow.

The color on this pic is bad, but it is the only way I could get any detail. BTW - that is my corkboard in the backround. I do think the K3tog made for more even clovers - for me - and will continue to use them. I can't wait to see this sucker blocked!

The moment has passed

It's ok. I'm cool. If you can belive it, after my post from yesterday!

Last night I started my Mystery Stole. I false started twice, but I suppose 3rd time's a charm! The first time I cast on too many, the second time too few. WTF? I was thinking? I was counting 99 when I purled my foundation row. k2, p95, k2. Why then on the first "real" row am I 4 short?!

oh. the designer put the two edge stiches on the chart. *smack forehead* Let us learn to read the chart FIRST, knit second. Anyhow. It's all correct now, and I'm up to row 30 on side 1.


Lovely little wad.
I gave it a kinda stretch below.

the stats:
I am using Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca SIlk in eggplant, with size 3 Susan Bates needles. The first clue is 50 rows long, with a provisional cast on. I used the one from Knittinghelp.com. It is the one I use for all of my toe up socks, so i didn't have to research much. It works by casting on and knitting through the end of the clue 1 chart, then undoing the cast on and kntting through the end of clue 1 again. I had planned on using two sets of needles so i don't have to use stitch holders, but my needles are still in Icarus. I think my plan has altered to the following:
1. knit Mystery Stole side 1 to row 50.
2. If the LOVELY KarenP, who graciously is trading me for some more of the Alpaca Cloud yarn I ran out of -in the same dyelot (!!), sends me the yarn by the end of side one, I will put down MS2 and resume Icarus until it is finished.
3. Should I not receive the Alpaca Cloud, I will use a holder for this clue only. I will knit side two, then finish Icarus. Only picking up off of the stitch holder once won't be that bad. I, again, will be behind the KAL, but, so far, the MS2 is a really quick knit. It is amazing how fast 99 stitches goes when you have been knitting like - zillions at the end of a triangular shawl!

Finally, some yarn prOn.
This is 5 skeins of Mix blend alpaca mohair from an e-bay seller. It is three strands of yarn together, and is nice light worsted weight. DO I have a project in mind? Of course not. But it is cool!

SON OF A BI$%!*@)#@

I cannot be held responsible for my swearing. I have had a really rough weekend. No, nothing tragic in my life, just plain ole' pain in the A$$ knitting badness. First a picture...
"This looks like Icarus", you say. "Why is it still OTN?" Well, BECAUSE I F^#*&(!ING AN OUT OF YARN! This never, NEVER happens to me. I really do knit smack on with published patterns - if not a little tight. I always have leftover yarn. Never in a million billion years did I think I would run out of yarn! 8 stinking rows left! %&*(^!!
It did not help that DH was faux sympathetic. I shouldn't say that - he does understand, but it took him a while to "get" why I was so pissy. I suppose I should tell the whole story...

I had a day off on Friday, making for a nice 3 day weekend. My plan was to hit a sale at a LYS, see Pirates of the Caribbean, go to the Library to print my Mystery Stole Pattern, go to the beach and FINISH ICARUS! Why finish, because I wanted to start my Mystery Stole. I like to do KAL's when others are knitting- not after they are done. No fun there. Anyway, back to the story... I get up on Friday, go to the LYS. Pick up Yarn for my Vintage Knit Along Gloves - 2 skeins (I cannot decide which color I like best) and a skein on Sock yarn.


The glove yarn is Artyarns Ultramerino in a deep teal and a deep fushia colorway, and the sock yarn is Cherry Tree Hill, in Nantucket colorway. Nice. after the yarn store my DH and I sat in a coffeeshop and I finished my first sock for my Mom's pair of Child's First Socks. (smile) forward movement = good. SO we head to a Geek store for DH. He goes in. I tell him to take his time. I'll sit and knit outside. Knit Knit Knit. hmm. It seems like I am not going to have enough yarn... well, laceweight it deceiving. It's fine.

Off we go to Pirates of the Caribbean - awesome, BTW - go see it. The show we wanted to go to was sold out, so we got tickets to the next one. An hour to kill? Knit Knit Knit. Mention to DH that I have yardage concerns. "I'm sure you have enough". Let's go to see the movie.

-Insert minor irritation here. - When one goes to a popular movie on the day it opens, you get there really early. I went in to grab seats, while DH did the snack line. I had 45min (!) to sit before the movie started. Of corse I didn't bring Icarus - to big for the movies, but i did bring my socks. 45min in a good amount of time. I can cast on and get quite a few rows finished before it starts. But for some reason the theatre didn't have the lights on in the house! You could barely see to find a seat, let alone CO. If I would have known I would have CO in the parking lot. I can knit in the dark, but CO without twisting is hard. grumble grumble. The movie made up for my missed knitting time - mostly.

Next I head home. I rip out the CO from the movies and re - CO. Knit a few rounds of ribbing so I am ready to pick up my Take-along project whenever the whim strikes. Back to Icarus. Knit knit knit. hmm. I am really getting concerned about my yarn...

Saturday. DH has planned the day. We will go Downtown. I can print off my Mystery Stole Pattern at the Library, we can get lunch, see the Shakespeare exhibit at the museum, then head to the beach. ok sounds good. Shakespeare exhibit - way cool. Lunch - very yummy. Library - WTF! Closed! On a Saturday!! I hate this library. They change their hours randomly. Evidently, for the month of July they are only open from 9-5, M-F. I didn't go on Friday, because they are usually closed on Friday. ERRRRRR. It's ok. I probably wouldn't be able to start the MS2 until Monday anyway. SO off to the beach. Knit, knit knit knit. flip. knit knit knit. "seriously. I'm running out of yarn" "just keep knitting. I'm sure it's fine."

At about 10pm I ran out of yarn. (insert many expletives) This is the conversation that followed.

DH "Can we go get some tomorrow?"
me "no."
"Is the store closed"
"No. I got it on-line"
"Nobody has it here?"
"NO. It is an online only company. I can't buy it anywhere."
"Can you just get more?"
"Probably, but the dyelots won't match"
"Does that matter?"
evil sideways look
"Oh."
grumble grumble grumble
dh "do you need to finish it for some reason?"
me "YES. It is for my Mom. And she knows I am making it."
"Are you giving it to her on Saturday?"
"...no. It's for Christmas."
"Christmas!? You have plenty of Time."
"I'm going to bed"

SO Sunday comes. I get up. sit down on the couch, and remember - I am out of yarn. Shit. DH asks what I want to do today. grumble - finish Icarus, dumb$$ grumble. I tell him I don't care. He suggests going to the coffeeshop. I can knit as long as I want. "KNIT WHAT? I AM OUT OF YARN! MY MYSTERY STOLE PATTERN IS NOT HERE!" "well, you can knit something else..." "I don't want to knit something else! I want to finish my stupid shawl for my MOM!" After my tantrum, I calmed down. We went to lunch, then to the coffeeshop. I worked on the aforementioned socks. One whole shawl / stole knitting day wasted. I did get the whole leg done on the second sock, and half of my yarn balled for the Mystery Stole, so it's ok. I guess.

Finally, Here is a picture of my still balled Mystery Stole Yarn. sigh.

I Lied.

I am posting a picture today. This is what the yarn delivery man, er - the mailman brought me today, at work.

The First Book of Modern Lace knitting, the Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting, and two skeins or Lorna's Laces shepherd Sock in periwinkle. (That's more purple for all of you following my current color streak) I did a little blog reading today, and while I am not participating in Project Spectrum, I found out that July is "purple" month. How appropriate.

I of course see three projects I want to do right off the bat in the seond book. I cannot even look at these anymore until I get home tonight after SnB. Seriously. I won't knit a stitch! The yarn has plans though... I think It will become my Vintage Knit Along Lace Gloves - unless I find some machine washable grey, fingering weight in a nice purpley dove color before I start...

Well, no pictures today, as it is more of the same, but I am happy to report that I am on row 7 of Chart #3 on my Icarus. According to my calculations - only 38 rows to go! On the downside - there is no way I am going to finish this tonight. So I am stuck trying to decide if I should put off Casting on for the Mystery Stole 2 until I finish Icarus - probably this weekend, or knit them at the same time. Er. My logical brain tells me to wait until I finish Icarus to CO for MS2, then i will have both sets of needles ready to go, and a devoted brain. But, I can only knit on one side of MS2 at a time, so by the time I m ready to knit side2 I should be done with Icarus... right?

yeh. Me brain thinks I have more time to knit than I do. Well, at least more time to knit lace than I do. I can only knit until around 11:45pm with lace. After that I am too sleepy and must work on socks.

I think I will torture myself and finish Icarus first. I can read the clue for MS2, and ball my yarn to take a break from the finishing. I'll only be a couple days behind!

ah 5 day weekend

There is no bliss like that of having 5 days in a row off for the price of 1.5 personal days. Especially when it doesn't rain the whole time - and you get to go to the beach and knit. This is what I did for 5 days. I went to picinics - (3 of them), movies (2 of them), the mall ( 2 of them), watched WonderWoman (whom I love to death!) and Justice League on DVD, and went to the beach. I knitted at home, at the movies, at Satrbucks, at Panera Bread, and at the beach. Why so knitterly committed? well, I am TRYING to wrap up my Icarus Shawl to get the needles back so I can work double ended on my Mystery Stole. I was knitting like a crazy person - even after all the Corona at Frankie's BBQ. I admit I was a tad concerned about that when I woke up on Sunday, and had to rush to the living room to check on the damage. no damage! I can even knit this pattern with a little buzz on! On to the pics!


What is that you see? It looks like the pattern changed? It HAS!!!! I am finally through the chart 1 nonsense and onto Chart 2. What I like about this pattern: the last three charts are only done once! Lots of percieved accomplishment! I am 2 rows from the end of Chart 2. I would be finished with Chart 2 if I had been knitting more last night, and eating less Cheese-its (The white Cheddar are awsome!) and Ice cream. No not together. They were seperate snacks, but neither condusive to knitting.

Since I have been furiously knitting on my Icarus, I have not made much progress on my Mom's Child's First Socks. I am on the toe of sock1. Yes 1. Normally, I should be on the toe of sock2, considering how long these have been on the needles. I just haven't been travelling for work much - as it is summer, and home knitting is all Icarus devoted.
Check out the wicked bend on my addi 0's. These are my first socks on these needles! Also, take a look at the tarnish near my thumb - no it is not a shadow! The tips are in shadow, but the ends are tarnished. Man I can eat through finish! It is a completely useless superpower.
I do have to wrap up this toe and cast on for the second sock though. I need to have easy knitting for SnB this week. I hate to stop in the middle of rows, and Icarus is getting too long in rows to complete more than two during SnB. Then I have all this time at the end with nothing to do. I hate casting on at SNB though - I cannot seem to count properly, and get all twisted up. It is much easier to have a project ready to pick up and knit.

I just don't think Icarus is going to be finished by Friday when clue #1 comes out for the Mystery Stole - unless I somehow turn it into "work". I am a costumer, but I don't think I can pass it off to my bosses...although, my direct boss has the week off... We'll see.