Shut Up & Knit!

February 1

Deb commented the other day asking if I was dead.  Okay, not really but kinda.  Ya know?

Not dead.  Busy, tired and waiting for our Joan to take photos of the German mitts.  Yes, I did just throw her under the bus.  It's okay.  She knows there's no rush.

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Kelly asked if I was spinning and I had told her, at the time, that I had stuff drying.  Now, it's dry...

800 yards of Sheep Share.

Slightly more blue but whatever.

It's 2-ply lace weight. I think it was 4 oz but nothing was labeled and I'm too busy/lazy to weigh it.

I love the yarn.  Loved spinning it.  Love.

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Unconscious Mutterings

1. Sophisticated ::  Lady
2. Pelicans ::  Ronnie Reagan's neck
3. Flat ::  Shoes
4. Cheekbones ::  Flawless
5. Possible ::  Anything
6. England ::  Home
7. Jacket ::  Yellow
8. Sunflower ::  Spain
9. Hungry ::  Hippos
10. Accent ::  Fake

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Did you know about this?

Mrs. Squishy started this thing for the New Year Mitten Knittin'.  I guess it is continuing into this month and perhaps beyond.  I don't know anything.  I'm just a name on a blog button...

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Recently had to steal batteries out of vibrator for the cable remote.  Then there was nothing on tv that night.  Isn't that how it always is? 

So far so good healthy-wise. 

After having to spend way too much time at the HMO's pharmacy last week, I started drinking store bought (don't judge me) Plague Tea and eating wasabi peas.  Yeah, don't ask.  It's working and, while the tea is disgusting, I'll be carrying on with it for a while. I cannot afford to get a sick.  I cannot afford to be running a Plague House either for that matter.  Ya know?

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Yes, Cindy, I am still spinning that amazing red cashmere/silk for our Margene.  I keep thinking that I need to ask her what kind yarn she wants when I'm done but keep forgetting to ask her.  Hey, Margene!  Skinny lace?  Lace?  Skinny sock weight?  Thoughts?

No idea what I'll spin next because it's going to take a good long while before I finish the cashmere/silk.  I'm okay with that.  I'm back in the groove with the spinning after a mitten induced break and I'm enjoying it.  Of course, spinning fabulous fiber helps. 

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I'm struggling a bit with how I see people these days.  What face they put forward.  What they do and tell folks about.  What they think matters.  Etc.

While I am in no position to judge anyone, I keep finding myself doing that and I've got to figure out what I'm going to do about it.  Self-aggrandizing, self-important, self-serving, fake... 

Y'all get the idea.  We see it all the time and it's up to each one of us how we deal with those actions and those people.  Since living under a rock really isn't an option, I have some pondering to do...

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Aren't all y'all glad I posted?  :p

Love In The Time of Taquitos

When I thanked her for sending me 2000+ calories of cookie in my birthday box, she told me they were for my mother.  I'm still pondering...

Another pair of simple ribbed mitts.  Merino/mohair sock yarn held double.  Blah blah blah.

Working on yet another mitt pattern.  This one is in German.  Turns out that knitting in German isn't as hard as one might think.  Of course, the charts help.  So does getting help from a dear friend and her German studying son. 

Yes, still with the mitts.  Although, this may be the last of them for a while.  Spring is coming and I can hear the siren song of the socks calling to me.  I also hear my wheel calling to me.  Since I have trouble being faithful to just one, there's no telling what I'll end up doing but I know I will love it.

A Little Oddity

Oddity. 

Free Ravelry pattern.  Love it.  The designer did something really smart with the PDF.  The right and left mitt and thumb charts are all on the same page.  There are two sizes to pick from.  I figured out which size and printed that page.  No printing out 17 pages or anything like that.  I had the PDF open to the symbol key until I got into the rhythm of the pattern.  Then it was second nature to move the cables around.  Also love the ribbed palms.  Nice detail, I think and another way to improve fit.

Mods.

Made the cuff a tiny bit longer.  Made the top a tiny bit longer.  Added an extra cable twist to the thumb to make it a tiny big longer.

Yarn.

Hand spun.  Fiber from the wonderful Melissa over at Wild Hare.  It arrived looking like this.  As long time readers (& the stalkers) may remember, this fiber was sent to our Joan, who ran it through her drum carder.   It was returned to me and spun.  Years later, pulled out of the stash and knit.  I still love the color and the yarn.

Needles.

I used a 2.75mm circular needles because I was using hand spun yarn.  I started with 2.25mm and there was no way that was going to fit me.  Magic Looped the whole thing.  Did use a DPN for some of the cabling because of the 4-ply yarn.  Needed to make sure I got them all every.single.time.

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If I sent you my pattern for the ribbed fingerless mitts that fold back, I used US 5 needles for that.  I have no idea why I thought it was a 3mm.  Must be getting old.  ;^)

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Thank you all for the birthday love.  The celebrating isn't over yet.  I had a good day and there's no plan on stopping yet.

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Happy Thursday!

More Leftovers...

I'm not totally sure I ever knit off-white socks but I found the leftover yarn in the stash.  I must have done something with it at some point.  Right?

I used the thumb from those purple mitts I made last month.  Just skipped all the fancy cabling because I wanted super simple.  That's what I got and I love them.

Actually, my tiny mother loves them, which is better.

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Unconscious Mutterings

1. Resolution ::  Denied
2. Fortunate ::  Lucky Boy
3. Humid ::  Nasty&Wrong&Nasty
4. Instantaneous ::  Gratification
5. Bug ::  Kitten's oldest
6. Mocking ::  You
7. Ball ::  Gag
8. Fluid ::  /ahem
9. Interest ::  2%
10. Mattress ::  Broken

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I offered to knit our Joan some mittens as I was weaving ends from my most recent (and currently blocking) mittens.  I won't go into what-all she said but that one is even picker than I am.  o.O

At one point, I offered to knit her green mittens.  What kind of green?  Green sweater green.  (Hello!  She dyed the fiber.)  She admitted that she liked that yarn and went on to demand to know how much of that yarn I had left. 

That's when I realized that knitting her mittens would be WAY too much (self-induced) pressure.  I'll stick to knitting her socks.

Oh, and the answer if a few hundred yarns of that fabulous yarn left.  There's still a hank of it I have yet to wind.  Yeah... that good.  ;^)

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& Before our Cindy asks, no real spinning going on.  I did some plying today because I want to knit mitts with yarn I made ages ago and finally have a plan for.  Not sure what I'll be doing until it's dry.  Perhaps knitting someone socks... 

Sky & Progress

What the photo doesn't show is that the clouds were slightly pinkish.

Things have been progressing nicely here.  I have adjusted my cabled mitt plans, finished a cabled hat and have received a shocking amount of yarn and fiber in the last two days.  I'm still not sure if/how we're doing to talk about that last one.

The hat is drying, I'm working on my mindless knitting and trying to get caught up on email/blogs/slacking off online.  All the while pondering what comes next, what the fuck I should do and how I can make that thing that's happening next month a thing... for the first time.  Ever. 

Yeah, I don't know but I'll figure something out.  I usually do.

Pre-blocking...

I have my doubts about how this hat will fit, but it's a wool hat.  How bad could it be.  Right?

Oh and I was told I had to show you this...

Yes, I have Santa's pants.

I suggest those of you taking part in the whole Santa thing ponder what this means... and why were his pants full of candy?  I think someone has a lot of explaining to do and I'm glad it's not me.

For once...