Black Olive Is: In The Loop

Blame It On The Heat

They're finished.

I was right down to the wire on these. It was 8:23 pm at the Knitting Clinic when I handed them over for steaming. Phew!

Interestingly, they softened up quite a bit after a simple steaming. So, I'm holding out hope that they'll soften up a bit more after a washing.

We'll see.

Now all I need is a tie box and some other goodies and I'm set!

Of course, I can't be content with just plowing ahead on my Cool Cagoule sleeves. I'm all about the socks this summer and I'm already planning some sock designs. I can't help it. Somehow, I've lost steam on Cool Cagoule -- which is sad, really, because I am SO CLOSE. It just seems like those sleeves will take forever and I'd really like to start working on the Subway Sweater so I can wear it to work at some point. And, it would also be nice if I could work in a tank or two before the Summer is over. In the back of my mind, I know I won't get much mileage out of Cool Cagoule until Fall and it's probably affecting my interest.

I'm fickle. What can I say?

But, I won't stop working on it. However, it will have to be a project I consider on-going.

Granny claims to not be interested in her socks until the Fall, although she is really loving them. She had been bothering me to finish them until the heat wave this past weekend, but after the sweltering weather, I don't think she can imagine wearing socks for a while. Hehehe. So, there's no time-pressure on the IK Padded Footlets anymore -- although, I do crave them and will probably continue, despite their snail's-pace pattern.

So my main focus will be some sock designs and re-working the Subway Sweater pattern. And, of course, I am weak and will most likely be lured toward some other project (I actually already have one in mind).

I think my lack of satisfaction with my knitting -- which I described in yesterday's post -- may have more to do with the fact that the projects I was working on were either; 1) not for me, or, 2) not things I could reasonably wear anytime soon. And, for me, that's all part of the excitement.

Let's face it. I was a crazy woman to actually think I could restrict myself to knitting on just one project at a time. Let's just forget about what I said yesterday and blame it on the heat. ;-)

Disorientation

One almost down, and one to go...

Forgive my meager post, but I'm trying to get used to a brand new posting/photographing schedule. This work thing really cramps my blogging style. Hehe.

There was some excitement last night (although no pictures) when my friend Kristin joined me for A Stitch Above's Knitting Clinic.

It's fun to watch another person get slowly sucked in to The Knitting Realm. Mwahaha!

She purchased some scrumptuous Lana Grossa for a baby blanket in some gorgeous colors. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Maybe next week, I'll actually take some pictures of her progress. ;-)

Afterward we went for sushi. The sushi place is practically next door. Who could resist? That was a stroke of genius I tell ya...putting a sushi place next door to my little yarn shop. Ahhhh.

Tonight, I'll hopefull begin The Maths for The Subway Sweater. I know I keep saying that, but it's been a busy week -- what with a new job and a new schedule -- so bear with me, peeps.

Knitting Maths: A Gentle Intro

Calculations have commenced on the Subway Sweater. I got the nicest fabric with US6 as the label recommends. I have to say, this Jo Sharp Soho Summer is a dream to knit with. It feels great on the fingers. It's also structured in an interesting way.

Here's a closer look at the fibers:

See how it's all ropey and weavy? I LOVE that!

Anyway, so I'm completely geeking out on the Knitting Maths. Not only am I recalculating this pattern, but I'm charting out some other patterns in progress to make them easier to read.

My only fear is running into complex Knitting Maths which require more left brain activity than I'm used to. But, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

As for other project progress, my Cheery Socks are almost finished.

These socks feel so good, I almost can't stand it! VERY soft. Perfect for slipping on after a day's work. And, cute enough to wear with clogs. What more can you ask for? Now, I must go hunt down more of this Regia stuff because these colors...they are shweeet!

Many people have asked for a pair of their own, so I need to stock up!

In love, I am. Yet, happy, I'm not.

In love, I am...

with this Regia Cotton in the aptly named "Surf" colorway. Look at those candy colors! And, so, SO soft. Not as soft as my precious Lana Grossa, but VERY close.

I started these after finishing up my Brightest Blue Socks Ever last night. Here they are on my tired old dogs (I love that expression, even though I struggle to understand why feet are equated with dogs):

And here they are on their own:

Is it me, or is there a tiger stripe thing going on with these?

Anyway, so even though I haven't finished my Crusoe socks, I cast on for these because it's Spring and I needed a color motivator to get me in the mood and to help me push through all of the craptastic weather we've been having in these here parts.

Not happy I am. About this.

Ok, I'll stop. Can you tell I went to see Return of The Sith last night? That is where I managed to finish The Brightest Blue Socks Ever. So, they'll forever remind me of that movie and my realization that Yoda and his annoying grammatical swtiches have completely lost their charm on my cranky 30+ self. Also, if we're going to accept all the snappy special effects and other assorted updates, can we go all the way and update that goofy Darth Vader outfit please? PLEASE? I know I'm going to get all sorts of hate mail from the purists, but I don't care. I think the weather here has finally gotten to me. ;-)

That being said. It was fun. I love a good Sci-fi landscape and storyline. And, having worked at Hasbro when all of this was still in the works, I have a special place in my heart for that lava pit. Hehe.

So, yes, I happily knitted away and perfected my not-looking-while-knitting skills at the movie last night and it was amazingly calming. Then the calm was ruined as I drove back home, dodging downed power lines, a large oak tree and trying to keep my tiny cheese-wedge-shaped car from being flung across the highway from the unbelieveably fierce winds. I'm not kidding. What is going on, people? It's May!

So, you see why I had to cast on for a cheery sock, right? My crankypants self needed some happy fiber between my fingers.

I've also been re-working the math for The Cool cagoule sleeves and The Subway Sweater. I have more swatch photos of the Jo Sharp Summer Soho on deck for tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Hopefully the Surf Sock will do it's magic and dispel my cranky, weather-related mood. ;-)

Long Post With Reward At End

As you can see, I've begun swatching for yet another project. This time, it's Colleen's Bell Sleeved sweater pattern (click on larger image in the sidebar of the main page for the actual pattern), which I've aptly dubbed The Subway Sweater (hehe). I decided to try a cotton version, using Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton.

I LOVE this stuff. It's soft, drapes well and the colors are fabulous. Of course, this means that not only do I have to make adjustments in the pattern to accommodate my smaller cleavedge, BUT, I pretty much have to recalculate the entire thing because of my desire to use the DK instead of the Aran weight.

No worries, though. I'm using this as a "learning experience [chuckles where appropriate]."

In any case, I love this color -- Carmen -- and was giddy with excitement upon purchasing a full bag (am I the only one who loves the way a full bag of yarn balls looks?). I did worry about the cotton and it's assorted issues, and I probably should've gone with the aran weight since it has Microfiber mixed in, but I was assured that this stuff would be fine. And, if it isn't. I guess I can always rip it out.

Now, the reason I decided to start swatching for a new project, is because I was on the last leg of Cool Cagoule and I wanted to work on something that would be appropriate to wear at work. And, even though I still have Half-Pint and Kyoto on the needles, I wanted another sweater I was as excited about as Cool Cagoule.

That being said, Cool Cagoule ran into a bit of a snafu.

As you can see, I had to resort to charting out the sleeve pattern. Somewhere in the pattern, things go awry and it immediately begins to do very bad things to itself. At first I thought it was because I began the sleeves late in the evening (never a good idea). But, after starting over three times and going over the pattern with Natalie (the owner of my LYS and master knitter extraordinaire), it was clear there was an error.

From what I can gather, the problem arises in the first row of increases. I think there should be three instead of two to accomodate the cable in the next row. There also seem to be some errors at the ends of the rows. Of course, this is all my best guess after working up a few charts. I Googled and emailed and searched the internet far-and-wide for any mentions of Cool Cagoule and sleeve issues -- to no avail. The charts were my last resort, and Natalie's suggestion.

So, this is what I've come up with:

I'm hoping I'm on the right track and plan to check with Natalie tomorrow evening at my Knitting Clinic. Until then, Cool Cagoule is on hold and hardcore knitting math (for me, anyway) commences this evening on The Subway Sweater.

Phew!

As a reward for sticking it through this tediously long post about errors and swatching, I'll leave you with these two shots of the doggies I had the pleasure of hanging out with this weekend:

This is Hazel May, my cousin's adorable Boxer pup. She's achingly cute with her simultaneous fear and aggression toward the doll we unearthed for her to play with. She hid behind me the entire time while barking fiercely (well, as fiercly as a puppy can bark) at it. Hehe.

And, of course, Rosie The Dog. I saw her this weekend at the family gathering hosted by my step-sister. She is pictured in her raincoat with her human, Lindsey (my step-niece, who is hiding) much to her dismay. She has an unnatural fear of the noise my camera makes as I turn it on. The raincoat was just for effect. Normally, she runs around "au natural." We just felt like amusing ourselves.

Poor Rosie. Hehe.