What's on them needles now

Montego Bay Scarf, aka "adult knitting" (translate: will not knit with this fancy yarn while around kids and their inherent - ahem - "juiciness") And that means this doesn't get worked on a lot, because I am ALWAYS around the kids.

Summer top for Kate, patternless, made of Lily Sugar and Cream that I got for $.99/skein. This one is flying. And this is SO "mommy knitting."

The Petunia Tote: I do truly want to use this, I'm just not sure I want to knit it. But I'll probably still finish it eventually.

I'm having to resist casting on other new projects, but I have the itch...especially that Bonsai Tunic, because I got the yarn for my birthday...and some other stash yarn is calling my name...and Jen wants to do a knitalong which sounds so fun...well, I'm bound to get a lot of knit time in when I go to OK in two weeks (long car rides and lots o' babysitting).

Finished Object!

IMG_5030
Originally uploaded by Selzhanik

Pattern: Two Tone Shrug from Fitted Knits
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Olivette and Willow Leaf, just under 3 skeins total
Denise #8 and #5
Note that I only had 3 yards left of the lighter green...close one!

Eureka!

I figured it out! WHY the scarf pattern was not working. I have been wrapping my yarn overs on knit stitches in the wrong direction. I'm self-taught. I learned to knit from a book and knittinghelp.com. I didn't really pay attention to the direction of my yarn overs when learning because I was just trying not to drop the needles.

Now that I figured this out, I tried again, and this is what I am getting:


It actually looks like it should. Also, because I am wrapping the yarn the wrong way on knit stitches only, this explains why my stockinette has always looked a little funny (except in the round). Not that there is a stripe, but it looked like the knit stitches were twisted only they weren't really. I am almost done with the shrug, so I am going to keep at it with my old style of yarn overs, since I don't want to frog the whole thing. It doesn't look bad, I'm just being picky. But I am motivated to work on the scarf again!

I ended up ordering something for Susan from www.kpixie.com. I just love browsing that site and maybe someday I will get something for me from there. I'll wait until after her birthday to tell what I got for her, just in case she is reading. :)

Here's the shrug progress - I'm on the ribbing now:

Stuck in my patterns.

I've been stuck in my patterns. My brain doesn't work so I keep screwing up easy things like counting and ribbing. I have frogged the ribbing on the two tone shrug so many times I have lost count. I frogged the Montego Bay scarf, tried a drop stitch pattern and frogged that, and resorted to crochet. Now that too has been abandoned. (I really hate to purl so I am going to try the pattern with knitting the wrong side rows.) I would have to mail the dang thing on Friday if it is to get there by Susan's birthday. But I think I have been barking up the wrong tree anyways. Susan is a brand new crocheter. I will buy her some cool yarn and maybe a book instead. Why deny her the pleasure of actually making something herself?

I'm determined to finish the shrug this week too, since I have the "cast on" itch again. Thanks to birthday money and gift certificates there are 11 skeins of Berroco Bonsai on the way for a Bonsai tunic, and a ball winder too! (Yay for Jen going in with me on that.) I can't even tell you how much yarn made it into my virtual shopping carts that I had to talk myself out of. I would fill the cart, go do something else to take the edge off, then come back and delete it once I had become sane. Otherwise I might be in the poorhouse right now.

Montego Bay Scarf...maybe

Ok, I just don't know if I am going to get going on this scarf or not. Everyone online swears it is easy. But it isn't to me. I frogged 4 times trying to get the thing started properly and just gave up and fudged the beginning. Maybe I can't count. Maybe I am not that good with laceweight. Still, I only have two weeks to finish it in time to be mailed for Susan's birthday. I can't not do it, the yarn cost too dang much. I am considering ripping the whole thing out and starting over in a very simple drop stitch pattern that would look pretty and be enjoyable to make. I even started the two tone shrug out of avoidance, and every time I pick it up I feel guilty because I know what I should be working on. But if knitting isn't fun, I don't want to do it...especially right now when I am so sleep deprived from dealing with a refluxy 6 week old...

No matter what it becomes, it will be beautiful...this is an ethereal and lovely yarn. And for the record I wound all 660 yards into a ball without a winder. I used the baby swing as a swift. So it darn well better become something special!

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WIP's, June 2007

OK, so here's what's on the needles as of June 3:

Two-Tone Shrug from Fitted Knits, in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (love this yarn) Yes, that's my toe in the picture. Sneaky.

Petunia Tote from IK Spring '07, in Tahki Cotton Classic (love this too)
This one is giving me fits so it is taking a break right now. I think working from a chart is easy in theory but not in reality, or at least my reality. I keep getting distracted by the kids and messing up the pattern. I need zombie knitting right now.

Montego Bay Scarf in Handmaiden Sea Silk in Peridot, intended gift for Susan.
No pic available for this right now, and it is also giving me fits. It's my first experience with laceweight. This is GORGEOUS yarn, very soft and luminous, but I am super clumsy with it. It will take me a while to get used to it. But I do think it will be a luxurious gift for someone who is very hard to shop for!

Itty Bitty Hat, the upside down daisy one, in Rowan Handknit Cotton and various remnants. It needs some flower petals. This is the 0-6 month size, for Audrey. I will make one for Kate so they can be flowers together.