BTW

I forgot to mention an interesting phenomenon when I spoke about my lovely little swatch. As an unforeseen consequence of my left-handedness, when I knit the swatch following the chart as usual, I ended up with a mirror image of what I was supposed to be making (some kind of flower). I find this quite fascinating. Obviously, knitting a swatch was a good idea, I'm going to have to follow the chart from left to right, instead of right to left if I want an exact copy of what I'm supposed to be knitting if its not a symmetrical design. The only other instance of my lefty ways affecting my knitting is M1L and M1R. I have to switch those, because the lean in the wrong directions. weird huh.

I also would like to note that my MS3 is partially blocked now. I say partially because I ran out of pins and direct sunlight when I started blocking it before. I have since bought more pins, but haven't had the time to finish the job. Blocking is kind of a chore I think. At least the wing part looks pretty now. I have to remember to buy the pattern before Melanie takes it down, I want to knit the double winged version in a different color. :)

So far my self discipline has been holding up. I'm finished the gussets on the second sock, maybe I'll finish it by Monday, so I can start my sweater. I anticipate needing a break during the long stretches of stockinette, so I can work on my comfy socks as well. they'll go quickly.

And I think I've finally found a solution to my paragraph problem!! Apparently blogger doesn't like the tab button. Double enter seems to seperate paragraphs just fine though.

In Which I Increase Procrastination Via Productivity

Wellll........ I've been making some progress in some things, and making absolutely none in others, and trying very hard not to cast on right away 3 more projects before I at least finish a couple more. Let me Explain.
I've completed my swatch for the sweater. Mind you, I picked a completely random pattern off the net, which has nothing to do with my soon to be sweater. It was good practice though, and I think I've worked out a method of color knitting that works for me. It's still pretty awkward, but I'm quite impressed with the results -- its not perfect by any stretch of the imagination (and I have a pretty good one) but if you hold it back and pointedly ignore the twisted stitches and all the ones with weird orientations, it looks like a something, and there really aren't any puckers in the fabric (honest!!) though in a couple places it was a little puffy, before I blocked it. Blocking helped a LOT. Even in the worsted weight wool, I got away with floats as long as six stitches without ill effect, and really as long as the fabric lies flat and there aren't any holes I'm happy. I am by no means a perfectionist. The swatch is a nice size, so I'm thinking about incorporating it into some future project. A patchwork purse or something. A blanket might be cool. Or really warm, as its wool. Squares are about all my ADD can handle blanket-wise, endless repetitive knitting has a tendency to get put away for long stretches. . .
If you can't tell, I'm really exited about learning two color knitting. As far as my pumpkin goes, I've got the knitting part done, while reading blogs on the computer. I haven't gotten around to felting it yet. I haven't even been able to do my laundry. :( The washing machine is a hot item in this house, since everyone does they're own laundry.
I got the second gift sock started, only to find out her shoe size is a 9. I wear a ( and it doesn't fit my foot, so I can't send her the socks. Bummer. Big time. But my knitting will not be in vain!! If socks are too small I can always always give them to my mom. She has small feet, and always welcomes socks with heels near her own, and not all the way up her ankle. The waving lace sock is languishing unfinished still. If anyone receives a pair of ankle socks from me please know its a total kop-out. Probably I tried to knit something nicer, longer, prettier, but either I got a Severe case of Second Sock Syndrome (waving lace socks for mom), or I got frustrated with the pattern (bellocq stockings for my sister, who insisted on knee highs), or I procrastinated, then didn't have enough time to knit a longer pair of socks (gift socks). Ankle socks are faster and I believe will probably be more often worn anyway.
At this point, I need to mail off the sock soon, so I'm going to kop-out even more and just buy her a nice pair. That takes the urgency off finishing this pair too (mom will have two half-pairs of socks for Xmas at this rate) so I can s tart on my sweater (I really really want to) and my comfy socks, the needles for which just arrived in the mail. They're the new ones from knitpicks, and they smell of paste. I hope the smell doesn't rub off on my sock. I'll have to block them with febreeze.

Prep- work

In preparation for the cactus sweater, I've decided to cast on and do a practice swatch or two to practice two-color knitting, since I've never really done it before. I've been doing some research on different methods of holding yarn, and wrapping the floats and things like that, and it all kind of makes sense, but with out me trying it first, and with no one here to show me how to do it, I really won't know what I'm doing until I do it. It's also been kind of confusing reading the instructions- left hand this and right hand that, since I'm a left-handed knitter I have to keep reversing the directions in my head, and I'm still not really sure if I'm a continental knitter or an English style knitter. I hold both the working yarn and the working needle in my left hand (that's your right) if anyone wants to clear that up for me. Even just having someone show me how they do it right handed would make learning a new technique easier, I could see how they do it and translate it to lefty style. Unfortunately, I don't have a local knitting group, and I don't know anyone else who knits. So the moral of the story I guess is "Practice makes perfect".
I have the yarn ordered for the sweater and I'm halfway through work on a felted pumpkin for the fall season festivities, using leftover yarn from my cinchy hats. The pumpkin pattern I found on Knitty, it's written by Jordana Paige. I've only ever felted once before (intentionally that is, I lost a beautiful merino sweater I had bought to a serious lack of good judgement), incidentally also a pattern from Knitty- the Fuzzyfeet felted slippers, which, with a little fiddling, ended up fitting pretty OK. I wear them quite often in the cooler months. They're about to come out of storage.
I'm still waiting on needles for the comfy socks, they should be here soon. They're the new colorful wood ones from Knit picks. I hope they're as good as advertised.
I almost forgot to mention, after much deliberation I decided (but not on an empty stomach) to not pad the padded footlets, after I had already padded most of the heel. This involved much frogging and seperating and wrapping of yarn, and then much re-knitting. It was too fiddly for something I wanted to knit up quickly for someone else, and while I'm sure they're great walking around in stocking feet, I'm not sure how they would wear in shoes, and I want the recipient to be able to wear them however she likes. I have a portion of the foot to do and the toe of the first sock then I can start the other. I 'm hoping to get two footlets out of one skein. If that's the case, I'll make a pair for myself from the second. If not, well I've been intending to make a pair of mismatched socks ever since I saw the Charmed Knits book. ^-^

Prep-

To Grandmother's house we go

So sorry!!! Life has gotten in the way. I've very definitely been knitting, and I've been trying to keep my personal life out of my blog, but I feel some explanation should be given. The Internet has finally been fixed at my house, but from last Sunday to this Tuesday I've been staying with my grandmother, who has Parkinson's, while my grandfather was in the hospital. They are both doing well now.
In the time I spent at her house, I finished my shawl, knit most of another short row hat for myself, knit two cinchy hats, finished the sheepy cross stitch, and made some forward progress on my mom's waving lace sock. (I'm suffering from some Serious Second Sock Syndrome, I've been "working" on those things all summer. I'm not even finished the first repeat.
I've also ordered yarn for the comfy socks from Knitting Daily, plan on ordering yarn for the Cactus Blossom sweater in Knitscene, and have started a pair of Padded Footlets for a kind of chain-mail sock exchange my sister mailed to me. Those are easier and take precedence over the waving lace socks. The principle is pretty cool. The recipient of the letter should buy a pair of socks for the person in the number one slot and mail it to them. (There are two slots) (I'm obviously knitting mine) I should then make 6 photocopies of the copy in my letter, put my name in the number two spot ( the number one slot is filled with the name of the person who mailed me the letter) and mail the letters off to six people I think will be interested. Theoretically, I should mail out one pair of socks, and in return, eventually recieve six pairs.
I live for socks. Having six random people buy "funky cool" socks for me sounds fucking awesome. I know that the numerone spot person is my sister's friend so I can gauge her taste a little. she sent Sasha one letter sasha mails someone else socks. sasha sends me a letter. I send friend socks. I mail letter, sasha gets socks. exct. kind of confusing but cool.

Netless.

I'd show you my finished summertime tunic, and my completed short row hat, but as I've moved back to my parent's house, and the internet is down there, it may be a little difficult.