DPN....where are you?

Well, I haven't been able to finish the first Sockapaloooza sock because I've lost one of the DPNs. I took the socks to a doctor's appointment yesterday and could not find the DPN that was stuck in the sock. It must have slipped out when I took out my wallet because it's definitely not in my purse anymore. So I went to the yarn store today and bought another set, which is always good to have anyway, especially since they're bamboo and one could break. Of course, the one I lost is Crystal Palace that I bought online and the only needles my LYS had were Clover (crap). Hopefully it'll show up, probably as soon as I finish the socks. I have to say, I saw a lot of nice yarns at my LYS. I'm usually disappointed because they don't have what I'm looking for. I didn't have much time because I had both kids with me but I saw a lot of yarn I was interested in. I'm lucky to have a real yarn store less than 5 minutes away from my house so hopefully I'll buy yarn there for a project in the future. But I definitely don't need any more yarn right now, I've got enough going on. And since I don't have any knitting photos for you, I'll leave you with a picture of James at his first concert, on stage with grandpa. He really enjoyed it, maybe he'll be a timpanist one day too!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Is it just me or was everyone in a bad mood yesterday? I was in a good mood but it seemed everyone around me wasn't. I've found there are just those days when you talk to people a few days later they're like "oh yeah, I had a bad day that day too." It just seemed like it was one of those days. But we made the most of our weekend anyway. We went to Monster Jam today which if you know us, you would never imagine we like monster trucks but for some reason we're pretty into it. Our son enjoys it, but I have to say I'm more into it than I'd like to admit. When we got there, the boys ran in the bathroom and I was watching from the door as the trucks were introduced and I had this huge grin on my face that I couldn't wipe off. We are actually considering going to Las Vegas for the finals next year (my aunt lives in Vegas so it's feasible we could go). And as far as knitting goes, I've been so overwhelmed with all the projects I decided to concentrate on the smaller ones first so I can finish them and not have so much going on at once. I've been working on the leaves socks which I am so in love with, I think I'll make another pair for myself. They are so comfy, I love the heel and they are fun to knit and so pretty. I'm almost finished the first sock, I'll probably finish it tonight. I'm not sure if I'll cast on for the other one right away or move on to something else for a while.

How many is too many?

I've cast on for two more projects this week, socks for Sockapaloooza (Embossed Leaves in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Cedar): ...and the Belted Wrap Jacket (Knit Picks Merino Style Moss): I used to think I was more of a one project at a time kinda gal but that idea has gone out the window. I don't know what happened to me but all of a sudden I have 5 projects going at once! I need to prioritize, I guess I should consider the projects with a deadline first: 1. Pink and Blue Easter Bunnies (what day is Easter this year, how do they figure that out???) 2. Sockapaloooza socks (May 2nd) Then I should consider the season in which the project will worn: 3. Belted Wrap Jacket (wool/winter) 4. Picot Dress (cotton/summer) Then there's the afghan which I am giving myself a few years to complete so that shouldn't even be on the list, should it? I guess the only downside to having so many projects going at the same time is it takes longer to finish anything. But I'm more of a process knitter so that shouldn't bother me. The picot dress was supposed to be a quick project but considering I cast on 117 stitches for the back, it's going to be the same size as Picovoli! It's huge, which is another reason I haven't been too excited about finishing it. I'm a follower and rarely stray far from a pattern but I wish I did on this one. If it doesn't fit this year, it'll fit the next! Time to update the progress bars....

Koigu Socks are finished

Pattern: Basically own with some help from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush for the heel and the Sock Calc spreadsheet for the toes. Yarn: Koigu KPPPM P620 34 Needles: US1 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs Comments: I cast on 68 stitches and did 1x1 ribbing for about 20 rows, then stockinette stitch for the rest of the sock. After the heel I worked 64 stitches for the foot portion. I loved the Koigu yarn so much, I think that's why I've been in such a slump since I finished them. These socks were so fun to knit and I especially like the portability of knitting socks. I'm looking foward to starting my Sockapaloooza socks if the yarn ever gets here!

I'm in love...

I'm in love with the Belted Wrap Jacket from Interweave Knits Winter 2005! Here's a picture of the swatch I knit up today with some Knit Picks merino style I had left over from the snowmen that never quite got made. I'm leaning towards the moss (olive green) color at the moment. And the yarn is surprisingly soft for only $2.29 a ball! But I'm disappointed with their color choices, I never seem to like any of them. This sweater is going to be so much fun to knit. It's interesting enough to make it fun but not too difficult. I loved watching the pattern evolve when I knit the swatch, I didn't want to put it down. I just need to win hubby over on it, he doesn't seem to like the pattern but he's not a knitter so he doesn't understand the appeal of a great pattern. I've been in a slump lately so I'm so glad to find something I'm excited about. Isn't it pretty??? And in a moment of insanity I picked up this stretchy polyester fabric to make a cute little tank top. The last time I made a "garment" was probably when I was about 12 and the were those MC Hammer pants. It was a disaster, I don't think I even liked them when I made them. I opened the pattern to look at it and I have no idea what I'm doing. So this should be interesting. But I saw the fabric and fell in love with it so I figure it's worth a try. The pattern and fabric was only $10 (the fabric was only $3 of that) so it's worth a try. I've wanted something to sew ever since I've finished the curtains. So we'll see what happens. And here's a picture of a little kitty cat visitor we had enjoying the sunshine in our window today.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, love filled day! I finally finished the curtains in the living room. They are hung but need some steaming and shaping before I can take pictures of the room. I'm so happy with the way everything is turning out. The screen room is also almost done, we just need to paint once it gets warmer and then we can put up the screens. I'm on a home renovation kick and am planning on painting the stairwell and upstairs hallway this week. Once that's done we can tear up the rug off of the stairs and hallway and reveal the beautiful hardwood underneath. On the knitting front, I've started my mom's afghan. I really am crazy for attempting this. I've only completed 7 rows and that took a few hours, so I'm in for the long haul on this one. I don't really like the yarn either which is going to make it even harder to get through. Plus, the whole thing is basically 1x1 ribbing. It is going to take me years to finish! I also started a cute little Debbie Bliss dress for my daughter to wear this summer out of Knit Picks Shine yarn. I cast on 117 stitches just for the back of the dress which would basically fit me! It's going to be cute though and is a nice easy knit to do while watching TV. Also, I saw this sweater on another knitting blog, Kniticisms. I already have the magazine (Interweave Knits Winter '05) and the sweater didn't stand out when I flipped through it but seeing on Lesley's blog made caught my eye. I'm considering using Knit Picks Merino Style in either moss or cinnamon. I think I would wear something like that all the time. Hubby doesn't really like it but I think a lot of it has to do with the color of the sweater and the model in the picture. I still haven't received the yarn for my Sockapaloooza socks. I'm still tossed up about which pattern I'm going to use, I'll have to think about it some more once I get the yarn. I'm considering the "Embossed Leaves Socks" also from the Winter '05 issue of IK.

Blogging Blah

I haven't accomplished much knitting lately. I've been in a bit of a rut. Hubby is away on business this week (he only has to travel 1 week a year, but it sucks!). You would think I would have had lots of time to knit while he is away but the kids have been keeping me busy. I'm nearing the end of finishing my 2nd Koigu sock. And I ordered some green Lorna's Laces for my Sockapaloooza socks. My mom has requested a cabled afghan and I found this online and it seems exactly what she would like. Am I crazy? This will probably take a few years to knit! I bought the kit even though it's Lion Brand yarn. I don't want to spend a fortune on this project. Also, I have 2 skeins of pink Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria (100% cotton, 50g/116y) and have no idea what to make out of it. I was thinking of making a little tank top for my daughter but I can't find any patterns for one and the yarn is not machine washable so it's probably not the best for a kids knit! But it's super soft and cuddly. Any ideas?

Not much to report....

I haven't done a whole lot of knitting in the past few days. I've done a few more rows on my 2nd Koigu sock but that's about it. I've been busy looking at private schools for my 3 year old which is really stressful for me. We briefly tried a school last summer but it seemed more like a day care and he screamed every time I left him for an entire month so that did not go well at all. We didn't have much of a choice of where to send him because he wasn't potty trained so I had to find somewhere that would change diapers. The whole thing was a disaster. But I loved the school I visited today so I feel a lot better about everything. Also, we started him in Karate classes this week which went about the same as the school experience. The first class he wouldn't even put his outfit on, he sat on my lap the whole time and watched. So today I decided to try again and we got the outfit on him but he was upset about it and didn't want to go. When I got there the teacher said I just had to leave and he would be fine. It is the worst feeling in the world to leave your child while he's screaming "mommy....don't leave me....please!!!!!!!!!" My MIL was with me so we waited in the car and I was able to peek in the window a few times and guess what, he was having fun!!! I was so relieved. There was another mother in there that I talked to on our first visit so I knew she would look out for him. She said he did great. At one point the teacher told him to close his eyes while he adjusted his uniform for him and then the teacher went away without telling him to open his eyes. So he kept them closed and kept peeking. Finally someone told the teacher to tell him he could open his eyes! When we left he said it was fun and not scary, so I hope it'll be easier next time we go. Hopefully I'll have some knitting news to report soon. I've been looking at yarn and patterns for my Sockapaloooza pal but haven't decided on anything yet.