So, question! Here’s the bit I’ve knitted so far on top another one of Emily’s sweaters. Do you think the stripe is too low?
The hills are meant to be uneven. I’m torn on whether they’re too pointy. There will be little flowers embroidered above the green. Bear in mind that the sweater won’t really be laid flat when she’s wearing it.
So: Question!
[Jaedren] Hitting the west side of Crossing with the Goblin Horde very shortly.
[Jaedren] Cue: The Drums.
[Tvini] How come it’s always the drums. How come you never hear the fearsome piping of the War Ocarinas?
[Jaedren] proof, please? “The distant rythymic toot of the war ocarinas can be heard coming from the west.”
[Tvini] You’re crazy.
[Jaedren] proof, please? “The distant rythymic beat of drums can be heard coming from the west.”
[Tvini] That looks fine.
[Jaedren] Heh.
Cribbed from
Planning your summer vacation?
Try this:
1. go to http://maps.google.com/
2. click on “get directions”
3. type “New York” in the “from” box
4. type “London” in the “to” box
5. click on “Get Directions”
6. scroll down to step #23 and off you go!
I hit the 50% off sale at Stitch today, along with an astonishing array of other knitters. Sadly, I left my bullwhip and chair at home, so I had to mingle with everyone else rather than hold them at bay as I had planned. I got all the yarn I’ll need for my father’s sweater, as well as a nice variety of Mission Falls wool and a skein of brown Lamb’s Pride Burly Spun for another Fisherman’s Rib scarf. The line to check out was a good 15 minutes long. Not to get all TMI, but I was really wishing I’d gone to the bathroom before braving the store. I was not, however, about to leave my yarn unattended! The shoppers were all quite polite, but there was a lot of “is this someone’s basket?” so why tempt fate?
Last night I swatched the Encore I’m going to use for my daughter’s sweater. I think I got spoiled working with 100% wool. This stuff’s all right, but you can tell it’s mostly acrylic. It’s not a texture I’d choose for myself, if I had the choice to make again. Maybe I’m just a yarn snob now. Well, at $2.50 per 200 yards, the price was right, and it’s not bad to knit with.
The fabric was too loose on the recommended size 8 needles, so I dropped down to a size 7 and got about four stitches per inch. After washing and drying, it’s 4.5 stitches per inch. Now I just need to chart out where the grassy hills will go, do the math and cast on. Unfortunately, I’ve got a Girl Scout district meeting tonight, so I probably won’t have time.
Emily had a hard day at school today, especially in art. I asked he what happened, and she said her clay wouldn’t get soft. We talked about what to do in those situations – again. I’m going to hope it’s just a case of a rough transition back from Spring Break.
Tomorrow’s Girl Scout meeting will mostly be about what it means to be a Girl Scout. The co-leader has some ideas, which is good, because I’m pretty low at the moment.
Hats up for: CA, NC, CA
We’re still on Spring break, so Boo and I are still palling around. We’re about to head to the post office, where I have four kits and one hat to send off. The kits are going out later than I’d hoped, so I’m bumping their shipping up to priority.
I’m taking the advice of Jane Prater (master knitter and my former Girl Scout leader and eighth grade English teacher) and knitting my father’s sweater flat instead of in the round. In order to practice my colorwork, I’m going to try a smaller version of a sweater with a wavy band around the middle. To the left is a sweater I’ve designed for Emily as my practice work. Note my mad art skillz. It’ll be knitted with a chunky yarn so it should go fairly fast. Emily saw the drawing and asked who it was for. I said, “would you like it?” and she said she would. Up side, even if it looks horrible, she’s growing like a weed so she won’t be in it for long.
By the way, Jane is clearing out years’ worth of books and magazines at cheap prices, so check out her sale and pick up an out-of-print bargain.
After the post office, we’re going back to Discovery Place to see the puppet show again, as promised!
Hats up: NZ, CA, NC
My daughter won’t eat chocolate candy…
…but she just ate an entire egg’s worth of Silly Putty. For those wondering, “It tasted bad.” At least it’s non-toxic and non-irritating. Except to her parents, who had to run around figuring out what the heck to do.
Happy Easter, everyone!
ETA: She had another egg she was playing with, and we went over and over and over with her that she shouldn’t eat it. One guess as to whether she ate it.
ETA: ETA: What the hell?? We found a third empty Silly Putty egg. “Did you eat this?” “A little.”
She’s been banned from Silly Putty for life, and we took away her Play-Dough,too.
Last night I was thinking about whether I actually should buy more Mission Falls wool- I really want to, but should I? I recalled reading that some people had done Rogue in Mission Falls. I decided to swatch. I wanted to know if a) cables would show up in the black, and b) I could get 4.5 stitches per inch.
Answers: yes, but not extraordinarily well, and no, I get 4.125 on size 8’s. Further reflection reminded me that I look awful in all black. I don’t look classic or goth, just pasty. So much for that.
Aaaanywho. I saw a few Better Homes and Gardens from the war years – that’s WWII, whippersnappers – and at a buck apiece, I had to pick them up. They were full of gems like the article to the left extolling the virtues of DDT. Yikes!
The main thing I liked about these, though, was the ads. I used to be a promotion producer for a local TV station. An Addy award-winning producer, thank you. And I’m always interested in how people sell. Even now, when I write for Dragonrealms, I find that I enjoy thinking about it from a selling standpoint. I’m selling a room or item to the player, working with in the constraints of a small space, our special style, and technical specifications. Hey, just like TV! Because of this, I’m always interested in how people sell things. And most of the ads in these BH&Gs are using wartime to sell. Take the Windex ad at the right, which you can click on to see in its entirety. Honey, if your man’s coming home from war, let the windows go! I guarantee you he won’t give a hoot.
I also stopped into another shop where they had a 1950’s era Brownie beanie for sale. The guy said it was $8, but everything was half off so that was $4. I put it back, and
I had a good time. We’ll definitely have to do it again.
Every five or so Jayne hats I have to knit something non-Jayne or else I go insane. I’m sorry, but I defy anyone to make the same hat, no matter how cool, 400 times in a row without getting a little “All work and no beer makes Homer something something.” And so, I turned the heel on my Tofutsies sock. Unfortunately, it looks like I knit it a little too long. It’s doing this weird squared-off thing at the back of my heel that it really shouldn’t be doing. Fortunately, I put in a lifeline just before I started the heel, so it’ll be no trouble to rip it back, un-knit a couple of rows, and do it again. Then I need to bring it in by about eight stitches. That’s because while my feet are 10 inches around, my ankles are more like eight and a half. Thanks for the wide feet, Mom!
I actually am doing Jayne hats and kits while working on the sock, but all work is going more slowly than usual this week due to Spring break. My daughter’s home, and surprisingly, my eight-year-old doesn’t want me to spend all my time knitting. Go figure. Today we went to Discovery Place, a local science museum, and looked at the fish and watched a puppet show. Emily loves puppet shows. And live theater. When the show was over, she immediately said, “let’s hear it again!” Sorry, sweetie, it was the last show of the day. I promised her we’d go again another time.
It was insanely crowded. I had accounted for it being Spring break, but I hadn’t also thought that since it was Good Friday, a lot of parents would be off work, and want something to do with their child. Add to that that the “Candy Unwrapped” exhibit is visiting Discovery Place, and that the weather was a little cool, and all the factors combined into the perfect storm. This is why we usually go to the Charlotte Nature Museum instead. Much less crowded, and they do have puppet shows. Well, we still had fun. Any day that you get to pet an iguana is a good day.
Tomorrow I go with
I’m up too late again. Signing off and going to bed. G’night!