Severe Case of Start-itis

I have seriously been trying to move a few UFOs to the FO column, but I backslid badly this weekend, worse even than for the Superbowl. While I did finish one project that's been on the books for a while, I managed to start seven.

First, the FO:



Really like these Baby Fern Rib socks, that were a test knit for someone on Ravelry. I finished the first one fairly quickly, to evaluate the pattern, but hadn't finished the second sock, because Christmas intervened. However, I now have them to wear and am very happy with them.

Now, we come, in no particular order, to all the things I started. I have no pictures yet of the third Muppet, which will be for my mother, but it'll look a lot like the one for my daughter



and the one for her doll.



Mine, when I get around to it, will at least be a different color, and may be a bolero/shrug-ish version. Maybe.

Also with no pix is a chemo cap for a friend who just finished her radiation treatment and is almost done with her chemo. Better late than never, I'm thinking, and it's being done with a lovely acrylic/mohair blend called Divine, in a soft purply-pink that I think she will love. It should knit up quickly.

Last with no pix is another pair of felted slippers for my sister. I really seem to have some resistance to making these: I've lost the yarn several times and forgot the pattern at knitting the other night (thank you again, Ellen, for mailing it back to me!) Hoping to get these done quickly, so they can actually be used this year. (Have another pair to do for her husband, but have yet to cast those on.)

Now, we come to some "cheater pants" projects, as my daughter would say, in that they were both started and finished this weekend. I was going over to visit with family at my nephew's house, and I had never been there before, so I thought I'd bring a hostess gift. Their kitchen is a bright, dark red, so I whipped these up on Saturday:





Haven't made many dish cloths, so I was pleased with how they came out, but my neice-in-law said they'd have to keep them up high, or the dogs would eat them. Oh, well.

Next is a KAL that I'm doing with the Lesser of Two Needles group (fans of the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Matchurin books). They decided to do a red scarf, because it is mentioned in _Desolation Island_, and picked The Not-Quite-Straight-Scarf. I was just charmed by it, so I had to cast on:



My original intention was to make this for the Red Scarf Charity project, but I may have trouble letting go of it.....

And lastly, we have one of three bags that I am knitting from a lovely organic cotton, to donate to the auction at my daughter's school. I'm doing the first one from Knitty's Everlasting Bagstopper, but squaring the bottom and using different straps:



Haven't decided if I'll do all three the same, or do different patterns or different sizes. We shall see; I have some time, as I don't believe I have to have these finished until April-ish.

This is totally ignoring all the WIPs I already had on the needles, and we won't even talk about housework. I plead temporary insanity.

Curly Scarf Patterns

Not being very good at crochet (I always say I need a weapon in each hand), I've been meaning to work out a knitted pattern for those lovely curly scarves that are so easy to make in crochet. I actually found a free pattern on Ravelry (where else?), but didn't like how it was working up, so I went ahead and made up a pattern on my own. Then I made up a different one. (That's just how I roll, I guess.) So, I thought I would make them available to others; no need for others to re-invent the wheel. They knit up pretty quickly; about 3 hours, I'd say.

Curly Scarf


Materials:
Lion Homespun (less than one skein; I haven't tested this, but you can probably make two scarves out of one skein)
size 11 36" circular needle
size 17 needle for bind off
yarn needle for threading in ends

Terminology:
kf&b: knit front and back

Finished measurements:
about 60" long and 4" wide

Note: this is NOT how I made the scarf in the picture; this is how I would make it, were I to make it again.

With size 11 needle, cast on 110 sts, placing stitch markers every 10 sts.
Row 1, 3,5,7: k
Row 2: *kf&b, k4; repeat from * across (132 sts)
Row 4: *kf&b, k2; repeat from * across (176 sts)
Row 6: *kf&b, k; repeat from * across (264 sts)
Row 8: kf&b across (528 sts)
Row 9: bind off, using size 17 needle

Curly Lacey Scarf


Materials:
Lion Homespun (less than one skein; I haven't tested this, but you can probably make two scarves out of one skein)
size 11 36" circular needle
size 17 needle for bind off
yarn needle for threading in ends

Terminology:
yo: yarn over

Finished measurements:
about 60" long and 4" wide

With size 11 needle, cast on 110 sts, placing stitch markers every 10 sts.
Row 1: k
Row 2: k1, yo, *k5, yo; repeat from * to last 4 st; k4 (132 sts)
Row 3: k
Row 4: k1, yo, *k3, yo; repeat from * across to last 2 st; k2 (176 sts)
Row 5: *k3, yo, k1, yo; repeat from * across to last 3 st; k3 (264 sts)
Row 6: k
Row 7: k1, *yo, k2; repeat from * across to last (396 sts)
Row 8: *k1, yo; repeat from * across to last st, k1 (791 sts)
Row 9: bind off with size 17 needle

Other variations I haven't had the time to try, yet:

1. fun fur held double with the base yarn on the last row
2. increasing the size of the needle every row or every other row
3. another novelty yarn, such as a metallic, on the last row, in place of the base yarn

Other suggestions?

(BTW, for those of you who are nerds like me, the whole point of the stitch markers is error detection: after finishing a row, there should be the same number of stitches in each segment marked off by the markers. Also, it helps in error prevention, since you will be doing your increases in the same spot in each segment, thus allowing you to catch errors as you make them. It also helps speed things up, if you don't have to count from one every time, when casting on a bazillion stitches.)

Oh, And Did I Mention?.....

...that I finished cleaning out the sewing room? No? Well, I did.

Over four months ago. And I'm only now posting? How did that happen?

I'm not quite sure. I was determined to get the sewing room cleaned out before my daughter went back to school BUT I also wanted it to be early enough so my husband could get his stuff moved out of her room and into The Secret Lair, as we are now calling it. So, late in August, I took time off work and set to it. (I have a vague memory that I was ill, too, but that may just be from being sick at Christmas and remembering just how exhausted I was when I finished cleaning out the room.) I managed to pack the last boxes I took from the sewing room into every nook and cranny of the house: in the garage, under the bed, under the bedside table, stacked in my closet, behind the couch in the living room, even stacked on a dolly in the one remaining spot in the storage unit. Still have not found a place for my two dress forms, nor a storage spot for my sewing machine and serger, nor for my tool box; those all still live in the middle of our bedroom floor. However, the point was that I was able to clean everything that the Hubster was not using (I left him a book shelf, a TV and VCR, a table and a trash can, all at his request; I had intended to dump or donate them.) out of the room, and vacuum the floor, the walls, the louvered doors to the laundry room, and the window, window sill, and vertical blinds. Them as has visited the former sewing room, even in its best days, would be astonished by this feat.

And the Hubster, Lady bless him, stepped up to the plate: he moved all of his stuff out of Sam's room before school started, despite having Sam available to help him, and me being back at work. We even managed to get all of her furniture re-arranged, and the new furniture bought, though I admit she didn't get the desk until just after school started. I was so happy! I really wanted her to have her own space, and she's been much more interested in having things neat and clean, now that that's more doable.

The bad news is, of course, that it is extremely hard to sew, now. I managed to make a camp shirt for my BIL, and the nightshirts for Sam and my mom and me, but at the cost of having the dining room table laid waste to for several days. Got to find a better way to do things.

And in better news, the closet in Sam's bedroom that did not get cleaned out earlier got (mostly) cleaned out this weekend! Sam was able to hang all her clothes, even some of her costumes, in the closet, as well as storing boxes of toys in there. She was so happy! The only thing left is the shelves at the top of the closet, on which I would like to keep her linens; Bruce still needs to organize stuff in his Lair to find space for the stuff still on the shelves. But it's such a big improvement!

So, there you have it folks! One huge task, that has been hanging over my head for literally years, and when I finally complete it, it drops off the radar so fast, I forget to even post about it. Weird, I tell you.

Heather's-Mittens-to-Socks Conversion Kit

In the Little Needle Lovers group on Ravelry, someone suggested a KAL for Heather’s Mittens (about halfway down on the right). Since I’m not particularly fond of mittens, and I live in Southern California, so don’t need them very often, but LOVED the color pattern, I decided to convert the mittens to a sock pattern. Other folks expressed interest, so I promised I would make it available and here it is. I have made several options available, since that will allow people to do whatever they’re most comfortable with, and I am nothing if not accommodating and complete! ☺

So! The variations will be as follows:

gauge: 10 st/in or 7.5 st/in
toe-up or top-down
short-row vs afterthought vs forethought (a la Charlene Schurch) heel

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

w&t: wrap and turn

kfb: knit in front and back

ktbl: knit through the back loop

Notes:
Just a few hints that may help:

-When doing the short-rowed heel, you can place a stitch marker each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel! When working the wrapped stitches, take the stitch markers out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.

-A very useful way to hide the wraps on short rows is shown in two Cat Bordhi YouTube videos:
Part 1:
Part 2:

Toe-up, 10 st/in:
Using a figure 8 cast on, a Magic cast on , or your preferred method, cast on 20 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k8, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k10, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p12, kfb) twice
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k14 between them) until there are a total of 80 sts.

Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work measures 2” less than final desired length.

Toe-up, 7.5 sts/in:
Using a figure 8 cast on, a Magic cast on, or your preferred method, cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k6, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k8, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p10, kfb) twice
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k12 between them) until there are a total of 60 sts.

Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work measures 2” less than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart.

Short-rowed heel, 10st/in:
(done with MC only)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work following chart for 40(note row number of chart); k 39, w&t
Row 2: p38, w&t
Row 3: k37, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 10 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k10, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p11, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k12, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p13, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

Short-rowed heel, 7.5 st/in:
(done with MC only)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work following chart for 30(note row number of chart); k 29, w&t
Row 2: p28, w&t
Row 3: k27, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k8, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p9, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k10, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p11, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

Forethought heel, 10 st/in:
Note the last row worked on chart. With MC, k40st. With waste yarn, do a provisional cast on of 40 st, then k across these sts with MC. Follow directions for Top-down toe, 10 st/in.

Unpick provisional cast on, placing live stitches back on the needle. Continue on foot, starting with the row of the chart following the row noted when you started the heel, and ending when foot length is 2” shorter than final desired length.

Forethought heel, 7.5 st/in:
Note the last row worked on chart. With MC, k30st. With waste yarn, do a provisional cast on of 30 st, then k across these sts with MC. Follow directions for Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in.

Unpick provisional cast on, placing live stitches back on the needle. Continue on foot, starting with the row of the chart following the row noted when you started the heel, and ending when foot length is 2” shorter than final desired length.

Toe-up Leg(either gauge):
Return to working chart B on the row following the row you noted when you started the heel. Work until leg is 1” shorter than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge.

Toe-up Cuff(either gauge):
With MC, (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”. Bind off loosely.

Top-down Cuff, 10 st/in:
With MC, cast on 80 sts. Work in (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”.

Top-down Cuff, 7.5 st/in:
With MC, cast on 60 sts. Work in (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”.

Top-down Leg(either gauge):
Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work equals the final desired leg length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge.

Top-down foot(either gauge):
Return to working chart B on the row following the row you noted when you started the heel. Work until foot is 2” shorter than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge sock.

Top-down toe, 10 st/in:
Using only MC,
Round 1: (k1, ssk, k34, k2tog, k1) twice.
Round 2: k to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds eleven more times, ending with 36 st. Repeat Round 1 only four more times. (20 st.) Kitchner stitch remaining stitches together.

Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in:
Using only MC,
Round 1: (k1, ssk, k24, k2tog, k1) twice.
Round 2: k to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds eight more times, ending with 28 st. Repeat Round 1 only three more times. (16 st.) Kitchner stitch remaining stitches together.


Afterthought heel, 10 st/in:
Work following the next row of the chart for 40 sts. With waste yarn, knit across 40 sts. Go back to beginning of waste yarn, and work across those same stitches, following the remainder of the chart row. Continue on to foot and toe.

To insert heel, carefully unpick waste yarn, putting each stitch on a needle as it is freed. Rearrange sts for knitting in the round, attach MC and follow directions for Top-down toe, 10 st/in.


Afterthought heel, 7.5 st/in:
Work following the next row of the chart for 30 st. With waste yarn, knit across 30 sts. Go back to beginning of waste yarn, and work across those same stitches, following the remainder of the chart row. Continue on to foot and toe.

To insert heel, carefully unpick waste yarn, putting each stitch on a needle as it is freed. rearrange sts for knitting in the round, attach MC and follow directions for Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in.

The Pledge

O.K., I said I'd do it, so here it is:

FIVE THINGS I WILL FINISH IN 2009

1. The bleeping sweater coat! Thanks to Ravelry, I may have found enough of the 20 year old yarn to finish the sucker. If not, I've thought of a few ways I can rob Peter to pay Paul, so to speak; it should be enough. There isn't really all that much left to do on it, but the lack of yarn and the bulkiness of the front pieces meant I had to put it on the back burner for a while.
2. Linda's table cloth. I've talked about this before, as well. (I'll put the links in later.) I've almost finished one corner, which means that most of the design decisions have been made, so it should go faster from here on.
3. Samantha's space quilt. Really feel bad about this one; it was supposed to be for her 1st birthday, and she turns 8 this month and it's still not done. cringe This will involve some re-work, as it is no longer big enough, but mostly I just have to figure out when and where I can work on it, without rubbing off all the chalk lines for the hand-quilting. (You can see why it didn't get done, perhaps....)
4. Samantha's Disney Princess quilt. I've had all the Princess squares crosstitched for more than 4 years, and have not yet put the thing together. I think I even have all the fabric, including the batting, and this one will be machine-quilted, so there really is no excuse.
5. I've been a little stuck on what I should do for item 5. I owe my step-great-neice a pair of leg warmers from last Christmas which will only take about 3 hours to finish, if I can just get the darn yarn to stop bleeding OR find a good source of superwash DK weight yarn in a good, primary red that looks the same as Knitpick's Bare, so it will blend with the other colors. However, I since that one is not yet quite a year overdue, I think I'll go with the black beaded purse I started for Kate, lo these many years ago, when I was making period purses for the sewing circle. I don't know why it is taking so long; I used the same smocking technique on the sleeves for Sarah's wedding dress, and those went quite quickly. I guess it's because I'm smocking and beading at the same time; maybe if I separate the two steps it will go faster? Hard to say; in any case, since that is nearly 8 years overdue, I think that will have to take slot #5.

So that's it; these are the things that I want most to finish this year. I will be working on these while I am also working on the following:

• scarf and hat for a friend's daughter's school's auction (I know; she really should be some sort of professional donation-gatherer. Her talents are wasted on the homefront!)
• grocery bags for my daughter's school's auction. Already have the organic cotton, just have to decide which pattern to use
• belated Christmas presents
• -scarf for my brother; need the yarn
• -socks for my mom, and three friends; have the yarn, and have even started two of the pairs
• -slippers for my sister and brother-in-law; have the yarn
• -Barbie's holiday dress; didn't get finished, due to the Great Christmas Flu, but should be able to finish it in the next day or so
• 6 freakin' corsets for sale
• Mini-Muppet sweater for Samantha's American Girl doll Samantha
• a camp shirt for the Hubster (fortunately, his birthday is a few months after Christmas, so things that don't get done for Christmas just slop over)

This does not include socks remaining from last year's Sock Madness, nor those I'll get for this year's round, though I'm really hoping both my designs get into the contest this year.


And just so I don't get totally discouraged, things I've finished since my last update post: two tea cozies (neither came out nearly as cute as I wanted them to, due to proportion issues; will post a pic of the Cheshire Cat soon); camp shirt for my brother-in-law (of which, once again, I did not take a picture; I blame the Great Christmas Flu); two more sleepshirts (one for my daughter and one for me); and a knitted version of the ruffled scarf (I tried a free pattern, and didn't like how it was coming out, so I made up my own).

So that's where the Queue stands, as of January 1. Pretty daunting! Wish me luck!

Post-Christmas Notes

Just a few things I'll want to remember either next Christmas or at some other point:

Nightgowns: Until/unless Samantha goes through a HUGE growth spurt, I really only need 5 yards of stretch velour for the nightgowns. Really. Honest. However, it would be good to remember that I need two small spools of Gutterman thread and two large spools (one for the sewing machine, one on the far right spindle on the serger). Ask me how I know (the Monster Joanne's on Christmas eve shudder). And two bobbins works fine. Also, double-check Sam's neckline; dark green one is too big, but aqua one is a bit small. Last technical point, they really don't need to be that long; remeasure, so they don't come down below the knees.

Remember that, even with serger hassles, it only takes 2 hours to make one of the nightshirts, from cutting out through final hem. So, next year, make a weekend of it; shop, buy and wash on Saturday, then take 6 or fewer hours on Sunday and just FINISH THEM!

The Muppet: it makes absolutely no sense to leave live stitches on the underarms for later grafting if one is working with fun fur. Just bind the suckers off and sew the seams. Much less of a headache. Also, remember to allow more ease in the body; putting the buttons right on the edge helped some, but not enough.

And, in general, having margin in the schedule is a good thing. This horrific flu threw the schedule all to hell-and-gone; if I'd been beforehand, I could have slept, instead of staggering through the remaining tasks.

A Few Pix and A Few Updates

Finally got a few pix of The Muppet, though it doesn't photograph all that well. Here are the sleeves, in progress:









And the (all but) finished project:









Very simple garter stitch pattern, with the sleeves knit in the round to the armpits, and the front and back knit as one piece to the pits. The whole thing was then knit as one piece from there up, including the the little Peter Pan collar (which you really can't see in the photo). Should make finishing it a snap, though the first few inches after the armscyes is a PITA to work. (Using the "two circulars" method, as if knitting in the round, with the fronts to the middle of each sleeve on one needle and the rest on the other, seems to work best.) Sam picked out somewhat expensive buttons, but she was absolutely right, they are the only ones that could stand up to the rest of the jacket. The kid has a fine sense of style/taste.

The idea came from this coat I knitted for her Barbie; Sam liked it so much, she wanted one for herself. (I'm leaning towards wanting one, myself! So soft and fluffy!) I made up the pattern and if I had to do it over again, I would make the body a little bigger around. I also did not make it full length, as Barbie's is, so I might make it a little longer next time, too.

Forgot to mention in my most recent post that I also have two camp shirts to make before Christmas. And in the interim, I have a good start on the first draft of a silly tea cozy. Thought I'd be finished with it by now, but.....

Holi-daze

Why am I sitting here blogging when there are so many Christmas presents waiting to be done? I suspect for most crafters, that question answers itself.....

I have come to terms with the fact that not everything will be done in time for Christmas. These include, in no particular order:

1) Cookie A's German stockings for a friend.

2) & 3) the other two pair of Cookie A German stockings that I was asked for, when I showed two other friends the pattern.

4) the slippers for my sister who felted the first pair. (Well, I actually felted them, but she further felted them, so that they no longer fit.)

5) the slippers for my brother-in-law, her husband. He did NOT felt his further, but wears them all the time and would like a second pair to wear in bed (the others are always too dirty from being walked in).

6) socks for my mom

7) a scarf for my brother, in his team's colors. (This won't get done partly because I'm not liking how the colorway and the pattern are playing with each other. I've tried a second pattern, but don't like that much better. May have to use this yarn for something else, and buy separate skeins of the colors and do something completely different for this present.)

8) the blasted sweater-coat from 20 years ago that I swore I would finish this year. I made a valiant effort, but ran out of the (20 year old) yarn, with about 10" left on the fronts. I was so close! Of course, they don't make the yarn anymore, and the yarn they suggested isn't nearly close enough. Have been cogitating on several possible solutions.....

This does not mean, dear reader, that I have been idle, nor that I have given up entirely! Far from it! I have all but finished my daughter's Christmas sweater, for which she picked out the yarns and colors and buttons. I have only to seam the armscyes at the bottom (knitted it as much as I could w/o seams), attach the buttons, and weave in the ends, so that will definitely get done. Also, Barbie's Christmas dress will be finished (it's a freaking tube, half of which is knitted flat, and two sleeves) and two tea cozies (both specifically requested) will be designed and finished. And the night shirts for at least my mom and my daughter will be done, though the Lady only knows if mine will be.

One thing that might end up on either list is a sweater for my daughter's AG doll, to match the one I made for her. We'll see how that goes.

Really need to get some pix taken......

Stuff and Nonsense

I have gotten a little draconian with my projects on Ravelry: anything that isn't really, actively being worked on is being listed as "hibernating". This leaves me with only two active projects:

The Farm Blanket

This has been something of a challenge, but I think I'm getting on top of it. Was a bit more expensive than I had hoped, but I think Kate is going to do the assembly (for which I am truly grateful!) and chip in some money (for which I am even more grateful!). The idea is that the finished product will be less a blanket than a play mat, and will represent a farm: there is a vegetable garden, a hay field, a wheat field, an oat field, a sheep pasture, a horse pasture, even a pond. The squares are knit individually, with two strands of worsted weight, so it goes pretty quickly, but there are some issues with the pattern (and you know how I feel about that!). Yet another feral project, between the miscues between the eventual recipient and I, the high cost, and the pattern deciding to get lost, but I will persevere! Have six and a half out of twelve squares done, though the half might have to be taken out and redone, as the second batch of yarn came from different dye lots and the color of the one green was very different. (You wouldn't think it would matter, with so many greens, but it does, it does....) Anyway, here's what I have so far: wheat field, sheep pasture (this is the one that may have to be frogged), hay field, vegetable garden, barn yard, cornfield, and the flower meadow.



























As I said, they go pretty quickly. I could probably finish the rest up in a day, if I had a day to devote to them......

Lace-weight Socks

The other project being actively knitted on at the moment is the lace weight sock from Round 3 of Sock Madness II:
Absolutely love these socks! Especially now that I have the yarn all wound up properly, and they go pretty quickly. (This is a pic of the first sock before I finished it; I am now almost this far on the second sock.) Have the yarn to make two more of these, one as a gift, one for me, during Summer of Socks and am really looking forward to it, as I paid to have that yarn pre-wound! (Remember! Make new mistakes!)

However, in addition to these projects, I have six? seven? polar fleece capes to cut and assemble. Kate and Belle and I are doing them for the sewing circle ladies and since I don't crochet, I drew the task of cutting and sewing them, while Kate and Belle will crochet the collars. They are really quite fun, and the cutting and sewing won't take me long. Again, I could finish it in a day, if I had a spare day....

The thing that will take me much more than a day are the 5 corsets I need to make. My friends at Z'Ettiquette have sold another 4 corsets for me, which means their stock is sadly depleted. Since each one takes on the order of 6 hours to make, that's at least 3 long work days, if I had them; more likely, it will take a few months for me to get them all done. Oh, for the joys of a working sewing room and time to myself.....

The stuff that went into hibernation recently are the ancient sweater coat (I really need to finish that this year.....), the scarf I started on a whim, the pants to a Barbie ski suit, the second sock of my Sock Madness pattern, a sock and a half in the revised version of the pattern, the test knit of the Red Carpet Convertible, and the blasted rainbow leg warmers.

Those last deserve a paragraph of their own. How can something so simple (it's freakin' stockinette in the round, for pity's sake!) go so wrong? Dyeing five of the colors went just fine, but the red refused to play nice. Then, when I ordered another skein to try dyeing again, the first half-skein didn't work well (KoolAid failed me!) and the second half-skein went missing! And the pre-dyed red yarn that I bought (just in case the dyeing went badly) turned out to be a) the wrong color and b) way too scratchy to use. I finally admitted that I would not find the second half-skein, so I ordered another skein--and forgot that it was supposed to be superwash. Sigh. I have mailed the non-superwash skein back, and ordered yet another skein. In addition, I have found several colors of Wilton's cake decorating dye that I had been looking for, so I can try several things on the first half-skein. And, if all else fails, I will, by the Goddess, go out and buy myself a carton Rit to dye the sucker, because I am SOOOOOOOOOO ready to be done with this!

Addendum

Sigh.

I thought I had hit the high points, but I've left out a lot. For example, I forgot to mention that I finished the Round 2 socks for Sock Madness II:

These are Reversai, a completely reversible sock, for those who get dressed in the dark, or who turn their socks inside out when they take them off. Made the second sock mirror image of the first, and I like how they came out, but I ask you: does that yarn look like something that could be called raspberry? Looks more like burgundy, to me.

As for the Round 3 socks, the one done with laceweight, I'm halfway down the foot on the first sock. No pics, yet, for some reason. I'm loving these socks, but they go slowly because I did a lousy job winding up the balls of yarn and they keep getting knotted. Infuriating, since the actual knitting goes quite quickly. Oh, when will Sam be old enough to press into service untangling knots?!?!?!?!?

Been collecting sock patterns by the score, in preparation for Summer of Socks. This, in and of itself, is fairly harmless, as I will not actually purchase any non-free patterns until I am actually ready to cast on those socks. However, the several trips to online vendors of yarny goodness have not been benign. Oh, my aching credit card! But I should have lots of lovely new yarn to work with in the near future; am so looking forward to that! Especially the two skeins I bought from Jo, which she said are already in the mail. We'll have to see if the package I sent her arrives before hers to me does.

Clearing the Decks

Joined another sockalong, this one called Summer of Socks. It starts June 21st and runs through September 1, and only socks that are cast on and finished between those two dates are eligible. Thus, I have a lot of things to finish up, both so that I'm freed up to knit more socks during the game, and also to keep me from casting on any more socks before the date, which would disqualify them.

So, what are all these things you need to finish? I hear you cry. Come and I will show you....

First, an FO, Kate's birthday socks:


This is Cookie A's Baudelaire, and a very nice pattern it is. A little tight at the ankle when going over the heel, but fits fine once it's on. (To be fair, this may be my issue, not the pattern's; I have had this trouble in the past, particularly on my own patterns.) Knit with Knit Picks Gloss in Concord Grape, they came out very well and were a fairly quick knit. Even finished them in time for Kate's birthday, though I have yet to deliver them.

Next, we have the WIPs:

Rainbow leg warmers:


I'm really happy with the way these are turning out, if only I could finish them! The dyeing went well on 5 of the six colors, but I'm having a devil of a time getting the red to work. These are both done except for the red; less than 2 hours work left, if I could just get the right color....(Will do a post on this specifically, once I solve the problem.)

Woven Cable Eyelet Socks:


O.K., I PROMISE that I will give future patterns more creative, less pedantic names. Really. I will! In any case, I like how these are knitting up, and am LOVING Celtic Memory's merino/tencel blend yarn. Subtly variegated, it does not interfere with the pattern, and is lovely and soft to work with. Promised these socks to my mother, but have just bought more of Jo's yarn, plus some I already had, that I am keeping for ME. (Well, at least some of it....) Just at the heel turn of the first sock; really want to finish them soon.

Scarf:


Why, if I'm trying to finish things, did I just cast on for a new scarf? Especially when it was over 100 degrees here this last weekend? Why, because I can, of course! Seriously, I left my knitting at work that day and, rather than work on one of the other projects I had at home, I cast on for My So Called Scarf. I had won some bulky acrylic in pink, blue and green, and thought it would do well in that scarf. Having a little trouble with tension, which is unusual; don't know if that's due to the stitch or to the yarn, or both. A quarter to a third of the way through the scarf. I like the pattern, as it is interesting on both sides, yet simple to do.

Delayed Destruction:


Finally had someone take me up on my offer to knit socks for any who didn't get theirs in the first two Sock Wars; good for you, Ann! However, bought a new yarn for this, and am not happy with it. Luxury Merino Superwash from Elann is very thick for a dk weight, and I don't like the way this is knitting up. Will go back to one of my stand-by yarns, Knit Picks Elegance, despite the fact that there is little color choice. At least I know it knits up well in this pattern. Had hoped to be able to work on these this weekend, as I will be on the road to Baycon in San Jose, and Belle is doing the driving. But will have to wait for the order to arrive, (O.K., I guess I have to actually order it, huh?) so instead I will be working on the other thing that needs to be done soonest, the Farm Blanket, for which I have no pics, as yet. Not really happy with this one, either. Got the pattern from the magazine Living Crafts and I have several concerns: the shown squares don't match the directions, which offends my anal-retentive soul; it takes a LOT of yarn (I originally thought the amounts were for 12 blankets (it was knit by 12 people, each doing 12 copies of the same square, then sharing), and this was confirmed by an email from the magazine folks; however, I've knit two of the squares, (they're knit with two strands held together) and each one took nearly a whole skein. This means I didn't buy nearly enough yarn, and this is going to be a bit more expensive than I had planned....); there appears to be an error in the pattern. Also, I realized that there isn't a lot of direction of how to assemble the pieces, which always makes me uncomfortable; these "cook until done" types of directions just bug me.

The good news, though, is that this means I get to, I mean have to, order more yarn. And, as long as I'm ordering, there a few more things that I need and.... You get the idea. I see more Harmony dpns in my future.....

Yes, I know that I have lots more WIPs that I didn't mention. Well, these are the only ones I think I have a prayer of actually finishing in the near future.....

Sock Madness Optional Round--It's me! (sort of)

I had a sneaking suspicion from the very beginning that the optional round was going to be the redeux of my pattern entry, for a number of reasons: first, it was the only sock listed that only had one recommended yarn, and second, one of the organizers had said that she was reworking the design. So, I'm not quite sure how to feel about it. I mean, I'm excited that they're using my idea, but it isn't really my pattern. It does, however, retain the part I loved best about it, the seamless cabling around the leg. I'm really anxious to see how others' versions come out, as I don't think that either my original choice for yarn, or that used by the adapter were the best choices for the pattern. I'll be doing it in a solid fingering weight, in a silk-alpaca blend, in cream, mauve, or lavender, which should give me the stitch definition that my original lacked, and not obscure the pattern with varigation. Just for reference, here are some shots of my original design:
You'll notice that the sole is done in reverse stockinette; this is what Charlene Schurch calls "princess foot", as it is more comfortable to walk on the smooth, instead of the bumpy, side of the stitches. I think this is more important in heavier weight yarn, which is why I used in in this original, DK weight version. Have got a neat idea for an inside-out sock for next year's competition, that will yield a princess foot without requiring all that purling. We'll see how that goes. I also have a colorwork sock entry planned for next year, but there are some logistical problems with that that will need to be addressed. Stay tuned for more cryptic hints!

CC26 is Fast Approaching.....

...and, for once, I actually feel almost ready.

But what, you may ask, is CC26? It is Costume Con 26, and it is hard to believe a) that there have been 26 Costume Cons, and b) it has been on the order of 10 years since I've been to one. Used to go every year, both CC and Worldcon. But then, DD came along, and the Hubster quit his job to stay home with her, and luxuries like cons on the other side of the country and cable TV went by the boards. But, for the first time in umpty-ump years, CC is within driving distance of the old homestead, so I'm packing the Hubster and the DD into the car and we're off for a wild weekend of ogling other peoples clothes, and showing off our own.

May write a more complete summary of What to Expect When You Attend Costume Con at some point (or may just post the article I wrote for our costuming group's newsletter), but a short summary would be wise. It is a 3 to 4 day event, where the days are filled with panels about how to wire your costume for electricity, how to glue without asphyxiating oneself, how to research both historical and science fiction/fantasy costumes, how to run a Masquerade, how to be a good Masquerade participant, how to document a recreation or historical costume, how to herd costumers in a large group entry, truth and fiction about corsets; you know, just about what you'd expect. It's the evening where the fun starts. There is a Friday Night Social, and there are two costuming competitions : the Science Fiction/Fantasy Masquerade and the Historical Masquerade. There is also often a Single Pattern Contest, where everyone is free to take the listed pattern and put their own twist on it, then enter it in a fashion show. And there is also the Future Fashion Competition, where people submit costume designs well in advance, they are judged and the winners are printed in a booklet that is sent to all the con members. The designers have the right to reserve their designs for themselves to make, or they can open it up so that anyone can make them. These are then also entered into a Fashion Show. Oh, and there's also usually a doll contest, and sometimes an additional competition: one year it was a cod piece competition, the next year the guys demanded equal time, so there was a bra competition. This year, there is a props competition, with a somewhat loose definition of what constitutes a prop. (I, for example, have been requested to enter some of my tea cozies and an enormous muff, mentioned in an earlier post.)

The Friday Night Social usually has a theme; this year, the theme is Victorian Underwear. Now (as I believe I said in an earlier post) I think I can lay claim to a larger wardrobe of Victorian underwear, corsets in particular, than pretty much any other rocket scientist in the world. However, I also have a 7 year old daughter, and while I'm not shy about wearing a corset in front of her, a friend came up with a fabulous idea, for herself and her two daughters: Victorian nightgowns. I thought this was a great notion, and so made them for myself and Sam: (unfortunately, Blogger is being a pain, and not allowing me to post pictures, so you'll have to follow the links: mine, Sam's, both.)

I'm very happy with how they came out, and even happier that they are done more than a week before needed, thankyouverymuch. Mine needs some adjusting, since I was faking the pattern, but it is wearable, and Sam's has a foot-deep hem, so that I can let it down as she grows. (She doesn't grow so much as telescope; she gets very little larger around, just lo-o-o-onger. With this hem, she should be able to wear it until she fits mine.) The only thing I don't like about them is that they are so thin. I'll have to wear my regency slip under mine, and I'll find something for Sam to wear under hers, so that we can be seen in public. And I was sad to hear that the woman whose idea this originally was (hi, Denison!) has been unable to make them for her and her girls, which is too bad; I thought we'd have made an adorable picture. (Oh, I forgot to mention that I also made nightcaps for us, (no pix, yet) and you've already seen the slippers.)

My lunatic friends and I are entering the Historical Masquerade with an amusing entry. (The costumes are serious (well, most of them), but the presentation is not.) Can't show you any more about that until after the con, but I promise to take good pics and blog about it right afterwards. Suffice it to say that it involves several different historical periods and a conga line; let your imagination chew on that for a while. The good news is that my dress is all but done: I have to hem the sleeves and put in the snaps and hooks, make loops and sew on buttons, and have Kate trim the hem, then hand-turn it. But all of that is handwork, and I should get the sleeves and all the fasteners done tonight at WeHo S&B, and Kate will trim the hem on Sunday, so I should have that done as well before we leave.

Where I am a little behind is on Sam's costumes. It might appear that a girl who already has two Disney princess costumes, a fairy costume (including at least half a dozen sets of wings to choose from), a mermaid costume, another fairy costume, a ballerina costume and a hula girl outfit might not need anything more. There, you would be wrong. There are two other costumes in the works for her, one at her instigation, and one at mine. Though she has never seen the TV show Firefly, I just have to dress her as Kayleigh; most of it is purchased, but have you ever tried to find a jumpsuit for a kid? I'm having to improvise, fortunately with sale items. It won't be exactly right, but she'll look a lot like Kayleigh's kid sister, especially if Belle gets the parasol painted. I've taken the sleeves off the shirt; now, I just have to sew them on to the pants (well, I suppose finding the pants would be the first thing) and deconstruct a shirt that's too small for her, for her to wear underneath. Other than that, we're good to go.

The one she asked for was Edna Mode from the Incredibles. Since I had already planned to make said costume for me, I kind of knew what was involved, and have been slowly assembling the pieces needed though I had a bear of a time finding a cheap wig small enough for Sam. The one I have is too big, but it will do. Sunglasses with the lenses popped out give the huge black frames, and though it was surprisingly hard to find black full-length leggings in her size (there were capris everywhere), I finally did, and found black tights and black flat shoes (well, ballet slippers) as well. Now, all I have left is the tunic and those @#$%@! sleeves, which I had planned to do this past Sunday and just didn't happen. Time is running out, but I think I can do it. Wish me luck!

Socks and Other Unmentionables

I've been meaning to write a post titled, "I'm Doomed! Doomed, I Tell You!", but, you guessed it, I died before I could do so. Oh, well. Just to clarify, I'm talking about Sock Madness, and once again, I made it through to Round 2, but didn't make the next cut. The cool thing about SM, though, is that you get all the patterns, no matter when you get knocked out. AND the community is fantastic! A great bunch of people. Definitely worth the two down days that always follow getting knocked out of the running. And this time, I'm almost done with the socks, whereas last time, I had picked poorly for the yarn, and ended up frogging what little I had managed to do before my untimely demise. The one pic I have of the socks-in-progress is pretty bad; I'll wait until I have the pair finished and can take a good shot of them. The second round socks were Reversai: socks that look the same, inside and out. A cool concept, a great pattern. I will be happy with these when I finish them.


On to other things! I've made great progress on the leg warmers, though I'm stalled out on them, in favor of more challenging items. (And I forgot how SM speeds up as the rounds progress: I'm not yet done with my Reversai, and the lace weight sock will be released on Thursday! Yikes!) But I do a little on it, here and there; it's good for the treadmill, since it's not on tiny needles, and I really don't have to pay much attention to it. They're so late already, not sure a little more matters. Will have to get around to dying the red soon, though. I've GOT to remember to pick up some KoolAid......

I finished Barbie's sweater, almost in time for her Easter birthday (finished it up that morning), and made the hat later, but ran out of yarn on the pants. This puzzles me extremely, as I doubled what the recommended yardage was, as I was going to be holding the yarn doubled, only to later realize that the yardage given was for holding yarn doubled. Do I really knit that loosely, that more than double the yardage wasn't enough, by more than half the pants? I find that difficult to believe. Never had this trouble with Nickey Epstein's Barbie book before, but I guess there's always a first time....

Outside of competitive sock knitting, what I have been spending most of my crafting time on is the costumes for Costume Con 26, which starts April 25. I'm cautiously pleased with my progress, and hope I'm not tempting Murphy to mess with me by saying that I think I will get the costumes done with time to spare. I have assembled most of the pieces of Sam's Kayleigh costume, though I have to do some modification of some of the pieces I bought. I have everything I need for her Edna costume, except the fabric for her tunic, which I should be able to get Friday. The tunic itself isn't too difficult, except for the sleeves; thank goodness little girls have small arms! Our nightgowns are almost done (hems, buttons and button holes, and one structural seam); I still have to make our nightcaps, and decide if I want to do the wrappers or not. And my dress for the historical Masquerade is probably about half done, not counting the hand-rolled hems on the skirt and the sleeves. It will be drop-dead gorgeous, if I do say so myself, and I can't wait to post a pic. If I can get most of the rest of the historical gown done on Friday--or--clean house on Friday, so I can sew on Sunday, I should be down to handwork by next week. Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeeez make it so!

Oh, I did get one body blow recently: remember all those scarves that I made for the flea market at my daughter's school? A dozen hand-made scarves, some knitted in fun fur, some loopy ones crochetted in Homespun? They never made it to the sale; they were put, instead, in the donation box, to be sent to the school on the poor side of town that we help out on a regular basis. I was really bummed; I know it's not particularly admirable, but I was looking forward to the "ooh!"s and "ah!"s that I would have overheard, to seeing how much they were selling for, and how fast (and if!) they sold out. Disappointing.

Still have several old projects in progress: the sweater coat (though I heard of a great trick to soften it up, so I won't worry about finishing it up and having the recipient not like it, so THAT's a good thing. Thanks, Ellen!); the Red Carpet convertible (keep going back and forth on that one. I think I've finally resolved to finish it in a short length and maybe try a corset version of it later on, maybe in chenille); the second sock of the pattern I designed for SM2; the (shudder) embroidered tablecloth. There's also a blankie for the Hubster that I bought the yarn for, but have not yet picked a pattern. And the Farm Blanket that I keep forgetting about, for some reason. Have cast on socks for Kate's birthday, but have not made much progress yet, and have asked for the measurements for the German Stockings I'm making for a friend. (Is it rude to write to a woman and ask, "Is it O.K. if I knit these socks for your husband?" Shall have to ask Miss Manners. From Kate and Belle's responses, I was apparently not thinking clearly, in that their husbands and they themselves need these socks. We shall see.)

Cubic Closest Packing, as Applied to Storage Units

I keep threatening to show pix of my storage unit, to brag about how efficiently I've used the space. Well, today is the day!

My main interest was to pack as much stuff into the 5' by 10' space as humanly possible while still having everything remain accessible. Clearly, those are diametrically opposed ideas, but I fancy that I have found a good compromise. Also, I have both costume pieces (including hats and props) and fabric (cut and uncut, and some on bolts) as well as trim, patterns, and shoes and other accessories to store all together, which made things more difficult.

After much heartburn and lots of puzzling, I set up 5 shelving units in the space: two 18" by 4' on the left, as you walk in, and three 16" by 3' foot on the right. This left a corridor about 2 ft wide down the center, and a 18"space between the two long shelf units on the left. (I know that the math would indicate a similar, smaller gap on the right; however, in actual fact, I had to work to get all three shelving units in. Either the storage unit is smaller than advertised, or the shelf unit is larger than the box said, or both. Sadly, I always forget to take a measuring tape with me.....) It also allowed me to somewhat standardize my storage by using empty copier paper boxes to store stuff in. These boxes have the advantage of being sturdy and having good tops, allowing them to be stacked. In fact, I stacked them in the space between the shelf units on the left, all the way to the top of the racks. The bottom ones aren't as accessible as those on the shelves, but nothing's perfect, and I couldn't see that space go to waste. There is enough room between the tops of these boxes and the bottoms of the shelves above so that I can slide shoe boxes in on top, maximizing the space usage. I also put a small galvanized steel trash can all the way at the back of the unit, to store rolls of fabric, as well as parasols, swords, etc. Then, lastly, I put two rolling garment racks into the corridor, which are easily rolled out into the hallway when I need to access the shelves.

One thing I hadn't counted on, but was just a very useful accident, was that the shelves are sturdy and very close together, allowing me to use them as a ladder, to more easily reach the top shelves, and the boxes stacked three high up there. Not easy to do when I'm in a narrow skirt and heels, if I stop off before or after work, but definitely doable, and readily so when in jeans and tennies.

So, now you have some idea of the layout, let's get to the pictures. This is the sight that greets you when you open the door:

. You'll note, there is a little space available, right in the front, say an 18" square footprint. I do have plans for this space: I'm looking for a tall, narrow chest of drawers, the kind you usually see sold for bedrooms, Goddess only knows why. If I put that on a small dolly, I'll be able to keep the stuff I use most often in it: corsets, gloves, purses, fans, snoods, shawls and scarves, those sorts of things. Those things currently live in boxes on the shelves, so that would free up the space there for some of the stuff that is still back at the house.

Moving the first garment rack out, you see this:



Moving that rack out, you can now see the back of the unit, with the trash can:
You begin to get a feel for just how claustrophobic it can be, with those 6 ft tall shelf units on either side, and the top shelf of each stacked to the roof of the unit:
BTW, that pink blob near the top of the second picture is the fanny of a stuffed pink standard-size poodle, which has wheels on it's feet so that it can be pushed along on a stiff leash. This was made to go with my rendition of an Erte drawing, Symphony in Black. Me, being me, had to add my own twist to it, so I made it all in pink, and the pink seemed to demand a poodle, rather than the racing hound of the original. The enormous muff that goes with it is just visible in the third picture, a little above and to the left of the black and white striped hat box. (Don't know why I thought you needed to know that, especially since I don't have a pic of the poodle or the muff.....)

The view from the back of the unit gives you a different perspective:

but any way you look at it, there ain't much space left. There are times when I pull a box off the shelves and have to back out with the box in the same orientation, as there is insufficient room to rotate the box in the isle. However, I am able to get at nearly everything fairly quickly; only those things on the bottom of a 3-tier of boxes on the top shelf, or far down in the one stack between the two left units requires a lot of work. And, I will admit, since I have several non-standard boxes, there are a few where I need to take a middle box out when I want an end box, because the end box is trapped by the L-shaped corner post of the shelf unit. Fortunately, this is somewhat self-correcting: less-frequently-used boxes tend to be sorted into the less-accessible spots. So, all in all, I'm pleased with the result and find it pretty workable. Obviously not nearly as good as having it all stored at home, but an acceptable compromise.

Project Statusess(Stati?)(What is the plural for status?)

{Insert obligatory apology for not posting more often and traditional whine about not having enough time.}

Now that that's done, let's take a look at what I've been doing:

(Huh. I seem to have run up against a limit to the number or size or total volume of images you can post at once. How odd; I don't recall this happening before. May have to do this in two or more pieces.)

First, we have a project that has been around quite a while:
I started this sweater-coat for Candace about 20 years ago, the last time sweater-coats were in fashion. It's made with purple worsted sayelle held double with grey wool-ease worsted. I made one, low these many years ago, and started this one for Candace immediately after finishing the other, but somehow I got sidetracked, and it was never finished. This is a close-up of one of the sleeves; they're done, as is the back, so all I have left to do is the two fronts. Really want to get this one done this year, as I have decided that this is my year to clean out the backed-up queues in my various crafts. I'll post about another one later.

O.K., next we have some scarves that I made to be sold at the Family Flea Market at my daughter's school. I gauged my interest just about right; I was only getting really annoyed with them on the last two or three out of a dozen. Six were fun fur knitted on huge needles, and six were these loopy scarves that are crochetted, and were in style a few years ago:

Next we come to some fabulous slippers that I made for my daughter and myself. I don't usually do the "mother/daughter matching" thing, but we're going to a costume convention in April at which the theme for the Friday night social is Victorian underwear. Now, very few rocket scientists can boast as large a collection of Victorian-style undergarments as I can, but my daughter is only seven, so I stole an idea from a friend in the same situation (she has two small daughters and is going to the same con) and am making us matching Victorian nightgowns to wear. Of course, we must also have nightcaps, wrappers and slippers; nightgowns are about 90% done, wrappers and nightcaps aren't yet started, but the slippers came out great, if I do say so myself. I started with a period pattern (well, period-esque; it's from 1916, which is a little late, but I doubt that slipper styles changed all that much), but wandered away from it in a lot of ways. The result looks like the picture on the pattern, though, and we both like them and they're done; what's not to like? :-)

The final picture is my latest foray into dying with foodstuffs: my sister-in-law asked me to make some rainbow-stripped leg warmers for her granddaughter/my step-great-neice. Very frustrating, because it is almost impossible to find yarn that is a) affordable, b) feels nice, c) is machine washable, and d) comes in all the requisite colors. I finally gave up and bought three skeins of Knit Picks Bare, in DK weight, and dyed them with Wilton's cake decorating gel, in my crock pot. Five of the six colors came out quite nice, if a little uneven (in the trade, they refer to that as a "semi-solid" or "mostly solid" yarn), but the red just wouldn't work. The first time out, it ended up way too "tomato", so I put it back in with a little blue in the bath. At one point, the color was perfect; however, fearing that it would all come out in the wash, I left it in longer--and got mauve. It's not a bad color, but it certainly doesn't complete my rainbow. And since I intended to start with the red, I'm having a devil of a time getting myself to start the knitting while I ponder what to do about the red; I keep feeling I'm going to be knitting them upside down.....

You might ask, why this flurry of finishing? BECAUSE SOCK MADNESS 2 STARTS TOMORROW! Not that I'm anxious or anything. Just because they freaked me out by saying the first sock requires a solid or semi-solid yarn, but think "scary"; what the heck is that supposed to mean?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Calm. Breathe. I'm going to my happy place now.....

Feral-ville and Its Environs

O.K.! Now that I finally have 5 minutes to breathe, I'm going to try to get caught up on my recently finished projects, recently started projects (sigh) and more, with special attention to those dear friends, the Feral Projects.

When last we spoke, I believe I had just finished the Lobster Pretzel scarf (which, BTW, has still not been delivered to its intended recipient, through very little fault of my own) and Kate's pumpkins, and was set to frog Sam's Christmas sweater yet again (I thought of it as my own private low-impact workout, for a while there). Yes, that sweater was a charter member of the "Let's annoy Bridget" club: frogged the body three times, and the sleeve twice, before making it all work out. And then I couldn't find buttons I liked! I found something that would do, finished it at West Hollywood Stitch & Bitch the week before Christmas, and here it is:
I'm very pleased with how it came out, considering I didn't have a pattern and was making it up as I went along. But Sam liked it, and has worn it, and it fit, though I think I need to get some bigger buttons, as these don't seem to hold. But I like it. However, as we know, the traditional reward for a job well done is another job--I now have to make this sweater for Samantha's doll Molly, a soft-sculpture about two and a half feet high. Sigh. I hope I took good notes on how I made this thing....

Next up, we have a corset, of which I have no pix, that a friend ordered from me this summer and I really wanted to get it to her (and off my list!). It's a lovely grass green slubby silk, trimmed in white, (just like this one, but in a different size) and I was very pleased with how it came out, as well. I finished it in November, and it covered the last of what I owed myself for my little jaunt last summer.

Next, we have Yet Another Tea Cozy. This one is for my friend Suzie, and, surprisingly, did NOT give me much trouble. Oh, O.K., I didn't like the flowers that were given in the pattern, but I borrowed Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers from a friend, and made a few of those to mix in and that did the trick. And Suzie loved it, which is the important thing.

Now, we come to my recent foray into Fun Fur land! Those are just four of the dozen or so skinny Fun Fur scarves that I made over the holidays. I even tried a new trick: I used two colors of eyelash held together, which makes for an interesting look. (No pix of those scarves, unfortunately.) These things are great, and work up very quickly. The bad news is, requests for these breed: every time I thought I was done, I thought of more people who needed them, or got requests for more. But I got them all done in time, without much rush. Even got some yarn to make a few more for myself!.....




Finished up Barbie's coat, also in fun fur, and Samantha helped me wrap it, then "helped" Barbie unwrap it on Christmas morning. More Nicky Epstein patterns; the coat worked well, but the hat didn't. shrug









Made a chemo cap for a Ravelry knit along. Not as happy with this as I wanted to be. It's hard to get gauge, it's hard to measure gauge, with this yarn. Might stick to things like scarves, where one size really does fit all.





Enough of the fuzzy stuff! I forgot that I never did a final report on Teo's jeans:
(must have blocked it out, because of the pain....) This is the pattern from Knitty called Blu and it was great. Not sure about the whole purpose behind the dropping the stitch all the way down, then picking it back up, since I don't think it looks all that much like a seam, except on the reverse stockinette "cuff", but no big deal. What was a bigger deal was that I bought the recommended amount of yarn and came up an inch short AND Elann was out of that color and not expecting to get any back in. Grump. I guess that's what I get for substituting yarn; will have to remember to check yardage as well as weight, in the future. However, Ravelry came through for me, and I was able to trade for enough yarn to finish them up. In all, I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and they fit Teo, so it's all good. (In a "any landing you can walk away from" sort of way....)

What next......a quick hat that I made for the Hubster for Christmas.
Don't think he really likes it, but I'm pleased with it, and he was looking for a hat recently, so I thought he might get some use out of it.







What was MUCH more successful were the camp shirts I made for the Hubster and his brother for Christmas:
The fabric is FABULOUS! I call it "Space Babes", though the selvedge says Futurella. (Think generic Barbarella figures and poses.) This is the first "stereo feral" project I've done in recent memory (don't ask about SWAT and Chess) and it had it in SPADES. To start with, I bought the fabric two years ago, which means, of course, that it is no longer available. O.K., technically, it is "available": on ebay, as fat quarters, for $10 each. (Just for the record, a fat quarter of this fabric would be virtually USELESS--the pattern is just too big to get a reasonable segment of it in that small a piece. You'd be lucky to get one whole space babe.) And they even offer to sell it to you uncut, at the same price. You do the math; it comes out to $40/yd, and you need more two yards/shirt for this width. (Ask me how I know....)

In any case, two years ago when I bought it, I only thought I'd make a shirt for the Hubster, so I think I bought three-ish yards, but I forgot that when I went to cut. O.K., so the first thing to go was the collars; I figured those could be made in black cotton w/o impacting the impact (as it were) of the shirts. Still not enough, so I made the second facing in the black, as well. )First one was already cut.) STILL not enough, especially when you have to juggle the front to place the pattern felicitously AND be able to cut a matching pocket. Then the real death blow: the fabric was too narrow to cut the sleeves together, I had to open the fabric out and cut them one at a time, and even spaced that way, I could only get most of three sleeves. Finally decided to shorten the sleeves by 2", extend it with the black, then cover the extension with a black cuff. Still had to piece one sleeve, but was able to match the pattern, so it's not too visible.

And you know what? The black collar and cuffs made these shirts. They look much more sharp and put together than they would have otherwise. So I guess you never know. Hubster liked his and BiL LOVED his; too bad he can't wear it to work w/o drawing a harassment suit. I suspect he'll have fun with it, anyway.

Was also able to finish a Hawaiian shirt for Thomas, and design and test knit a sock for Sock Madness. They were desperate for patterns, thinking they might not get enough to run the game, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I like the pattern I designed, but I chose poorly on the yarn. Ah, well, things to learn. Fortunately, they got enough patterns, so the game will go on. If my sock gets used, great! If not, that just means the pattern will be posted here sooner! :-)

I suspect I've forgotten some projects, but that's the gist of finished things. Currently on the needles are the second sock for the Sock Madness design, the final two tea cozies (both TOTALLY feral, so look forward to hearing me gripe about those, soon, I hope), a test knit of Annie Modesitt's Red Carpet Convertible, plus all the things I had in work last year, that I haven't finished. I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it......