When the valley was low, it didn't stop me...
Ohhhhh......I knew you were waiting....I knew you were waiting for me...
Here's the deal - when I blog I listen to itunes, and you get a title based on my at-times-ridiculous music preferences. There it is. The truth is out. And I love that song. Carrie and I must do this song at karaoke soon. It's IMPERATIVE. Of course, she'll be Aretha, since she can actually SING. Not that George Michael can't, he's fabulous, but I have less of a chance of mangling his part.
Uh, stick to your day job.
Right. SO. Let's talk today about a sweater situation. I began this innocent-enough-looking sweater* in 2004. 2004!! I bought the yarn (Rowan Cotton Glace) in May-ish, and started the sweater, sometime that year.
By October of that year, I had already restarted it:
This, as you can imagine, did not portend good things.
Since then, I have literally re-knit the back of that sweater about five times, the last time frogging at least 11 inches. Why???
1) I had a problem with the size. It had become too small because I gained weight, then I lost weight, had to start over. That was the first frogging.
2) I hated the way the ribbing looked - it's k2p2 and the second stitch of each K2 looked terrible - too wide. I tried all kinds of ways and all kinds of needles - holding the yarn differently, wrapped one time, then two times around my pinky, using STRAIGHT needles even - hahahaha, that was hilarious. Every time it looked like crap.
3) Then, when that started to even out and I thought, blocking will fix it, I noticed the stitch next to the edge stitch looked terrible - way wide one row, then narrow the next.
This has happened before, and was the Riddler to my Batman, the Arvin Sloane to my Sydney Bristow, the Paul Millander to my Gil Grissom, if you will.
Stop channelling Dennis Miller.
You get the idea. No one seemed to know an answer, and I looked it up everywhere I could. Nothin'. It made the seams of my cotton sweaters look TERRIBLE.
Finally I did some kind of crazy selvedge stitch concoction (like a chain stitch edge), and it helped some, but it was going to be a beast to try to seam it.
4) Finally, I gave up. I put it in a bin, for over a year. I tried to forget it. I couldn't. It was like that Michael McDonald song.
AND THEN:
I found The Knitting Answer Book. And the author, the lovely Ms. Radcliffe, suggested I try this (I paraphrase):
Knit the first stitch of the row, but don't tighten it. Put your finger on it to hold it in place, and then pull up with the needle on that stitch to tighten the row below it. THEN tighten the stitch.
And just like that. It was all fixed. I could do it. I could. not. believe. it. I cast on again (getting that right is a whole other blog entry in itself), and knit my way merrily along, and had ALMOST finished the BACK!!!! Joy! Dancing!!!! HOORAY!!!!
5) I then spilled marinara sauce on it.
Oh yes. I did:
I mean, really. For God's sake. Jeez Louise. Jiminy Christmas. For the love of Pete.
There are knitting gods, though, because this bottle came to my rescue:
And no, I didn't drink it.
It worked, I washed it, and here's the back. Recorded here so no one can say I made it up.
Click here to see it big. Somebody. Anybody.
I even finished the front. Here's a pre-blocking shoulder seam:
I am now halfway through a sleeve. Everyone cross their digits, throw salt around, don't break any mirrors, whatever. The voodoo may have lifted.
*Sarah Dallas, "Vintage Knits", is the source of the pain pattern.
But you walked away, when I needed you most...
Now maybe, baby, maybe, baby... I found someone... to take away the heartache...
I disappear for a few weeks, I return with CHER. Pretty much, I think the blog is summed up, right there.
Hello!!!! So sorry for the disappearing act. Only the Chick-Fil-A cow knows where I've been.
I decided to describe the last few crazy weeks in list format. Because, who doesn't love a good list? Really. Also, spiral notebooks. Who's with me!?
1) Mr. High Energy John had a birthday today, which he is less than thrilled about, but also won 10th place in his class in the FIRST Single Speed State Championships of Georgia!!! Go, High Energy Spouse!
2) I have coerced rented my retired parents to come help me paint my house. Go High Energy Parents! Dad already gave me a list of things to get and is bringing ALL their paint supplies. Danger. The former engineer is in charge. Look. Out. And also, woohoo!
3) In the TOO MUCH INFORMATION category, let's just say a monthly visitor has stuck around for two weeks. She needs to pack her bags. She has worn out her welcome, let me tell you.
4) In the "hahahahahaha!" category, one of my nurse buddies, Kim, was telling us about parenting her teenage daughter, and how she cracked herself up when she told her: "Well, listen, when the shit hits the you-know-what..."
Daughter cocks head, looks amused and confused. To which Kim said, "Because, young lady, we don't say FAN in this household."
5) In the "NO. WAY." category - there is no longer a giant hole in my front yard. REPEAT: NO HOLE. No driveway, either, but it's the little things.
6) Hey!!! Still with me? I finished these socks!!!
Happyhappyjoyjoy. If you want to read the details (pattern, needles, yarn, etc.) click here. Then come back!!!
7) I am officially in love with Gil Grissom and CSI. In. Love. I am midway through Season three and I can't stop watching. Really. It's that good. I even liked the episode that set up for CSI:Miami, and I used to make fun of the fact their were three of them: (Such as "I enjoyed another fine episode of CSI:Des Moines.") But I was WRONG. I take it all back. Gil Grissom is my new hero. And also Nick Stokes. And Sara.
8) I picked out yarn FINALLY for my sockapaloooza pal. Here it is:
Artyarns Ultramerino 4, color 111. Hubba hubba.
She said she wanted "Deep Jewel Tones," and nothing in my stash was even close. I've been looking and looking and I think she'll like this. God I hope so. Don't tell me if you think it sucks. I can't take it.
9) In the "I can't believe you saved it till last" category, I got a phone call from the fabulous owner of my fabulous LYS, Main Street Yarns in which she said, "Hey HEJ, how do you feel about knitting a sweater for the shop? With some Rowan Calmer? Come pick one out. Whenever."
?????
!!!!!!
Dear Knitting Gods: thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou. When someone finds my lower jaw, close it for me, will ya?
More news on that bit of goodness soon!
Whoooo are you?
Who who who who?
Hello all. I have not been killed in a fake suicide or pretended I was buried alive or anything.* I am in fact alive, but was so crazy I have had no time to update. I am like 700 posts behind in reading in Bloglines, so I'm so sorry if I haven't seen your blog in awhile. If you have emailed me I SWEAR I will get back to you soon. Just too much going on...
BUT WOWIE LOOK!!!
I finished my sister's sweater, finally!! And like a good sister she immediately sent a pic for the blog.
Here's the inside, where I carried the yarn up the sides:
I did this because, and TRUST ME ON THIS, this yarn will not work well if woven in as you knit to change colors. You will see it from the front, I tried, it sucks. And you don't want to weave in all those ends, no you don't. Carry it up the side. It will work. ;-)
Pattern: "Stripes Go Round" from Interweave Knits, Summer 2004
Needles: US 1 and 2.
Yarn: AllHemp3, in Aubergine, Sapphire, Sprout, and Avocado. This yarn is slubby, so beware. It softens up a lot when you knit it and even more when you wash it.
Info:Here's the deal: As before mentioned, I found it very difficult to get this yarn to match the required row gauge, even though it's the yarn called for. In fact, I couldn't get it to match at all and had to rework the yoke math. But it was worth it, as it fits her well. I hope she gets a lot of wear out of it.
Uh, that's a frontloader, sweatheart.
And just for Keohinani, here's a lighter picture of what I so carelessly called a tractor. ;-) I'm a city girl, what can I say.
Mahalo for any big truck clarification you can give, Keohinani!
SOCKS!
And in other news, I started a new pair of socks:
and I love them. I think these will be for me, I've given away a lot of knits lately. This pattern is a subscriber-only pattern from Interweave Knits called "Diagonal Rib Socks." The yarn? Koigu. I feel good that I have 1 1/2 socks done, and I worked on them really only over 4-5 days so far. I want to finish a pair of socks a week! (or maybe that's a tad ambitious). And also, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS ENABLER, for this. You are in huge trouble.
OK! Big love to Anne-Marie who basically just mumbled something on her blog about her first MARATHON!!! 26.2 miles and smiling! You did it!!!
And even though it's daytime, she's wearing her reflective vest.
She's a safety gal.**
See you later!
*Methinks I have been watching too much Season 1 CSI.
*Name that movie. ("I'm a safety girll!" is the actual quote.)