Kiss My Knits!

I didn’t get to show off my cool new shoes last night, since I was the only one at knitting group. That’s unless you count the guy with the cell phone turned up to 11 talking about religion in Spanish. Making lemons out of lemonade, I decided I could eavesdrop and brush up on my Spanish. Unfortunately, I remembered a lot more than I thought, and then really wished I could tune this guy back out. It was all “la fuerza sagrada” and “el Senor” about fifty bazillion times in a row. Serves me right for eavesdropping.

Did I mention that he occasionally burst into song and also made sound effects as he talked? I was doing okay until the guy he was talking to started singing “Hello” by Lionel Richie. Then I had to hide my face and concentrate really hard to avoid laughing.

Anyway, here’s the thing. When he finally lost connection with his buddy – because this guy was not going to hang up voluntarily – he powered up YouTube on his laptop and started playing music videos and singing along with them. This was in the cafe section of our local Books-a-Million.

Am I wrong in thinking that this is just poor netiquette? I mean, it’s one thing to be super loud and annoying on your cell phone, because at least then you’re talking to someone, and I can accept that maybe you have hearing loss and need it cranked up that high. But having the volume up on your laptop in public? That’s bad manners, right? It’s a new area of etiquette, I know, but that’s bad form, isn’t it?

Anyway, because there was nobody there last night, and I couldn’t get the Rowan Calmer I needed to start the Shedir hat, I decided to turn the heel on my Vinnland socks. I need to kind of watch what I’m doing when I do that, and I didn’t have to maintain eye contact with anyone, so it was a good project to work on. Unfortunately, the guy was so distracting that I carried the back of the heel in plain stockinette up higher on the second foot than on the first. Oops. I know nobody will notice this but me, but they’re for me, so that kind of does matter. I’ll be ripping back about four rows at some point.

The closest supplier I found for the Calmer is Davidson, about 30 minutes away from here. I actually have some Calmer, but it’s in a denim blue and my sister-in-law asked for “earth tones” so I have to pick up more. Looks like a road trip today!

Sock eating carpets, Jayne hats, and miscellaneous knitting.

Emily wants me to sew little Brownie vests for some of her dolls. She wants this so much that she dug out my sewing machine and lugged it over to me. “And be sure they fit right!” she adds. Fine, Edith Head. I explained we don’t have any brown fabric, but that since there’s no school tomorrow or Tuesday, we can go to the store tomorrow morning and get some. She was momentarily put out, but has accepted it now.

In other craft news, left is foot one of Vinnland. I’m really liking the way these look. I’ve drawn in four stitches at the ankle, and I may draw in another four for a total of 56 stitches. I’m a loose knitter.

Last night the party in Dragonrealms was still going at 2am when I went to bed. It’s the Gauntlet that makes them run so long. The Gauntlet is an arena-like fight to the death where creatures of increasing strength are released at intervals. One person fights at a time in a “kill or be killed” scenario. Nothin’ says ‘wedding’ like a battle to the death!

If someone is attending a wedding, they are involved enough in the game to know someone and garner an invitation, which means they’re involved enough to know how to fight well, which means they’re not going to quickly die in the Gauntlet. No, they’ll live to the bitter end, which means about 15 minutes per contestant. Last night I got pulled away to fix a slot machine during signups, and when I got back there had been more signups than I would have allowed had I been right there. I didn’t have the heart to turn everyone away. The last guy in line wasn’t able to go, because I really needed to shut things down (it was 1:30 am!), but I did give him some consolation booze. He took it in good grace.

The event went very smoothly, the couple was happy, and all the guests had a good time, so I can’t begrudge the late hour.

Emily and I are going to my aunt’s annual barbecue for boarders at her stables. It’s fun to see the horses. I won’t fall asleep on the road, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be a sparkling conversationalist. Pardon, gotta get more coffee!

Got four Jayne hats out the door yesterday, so I’ll call that productive. Also got in an infinitessimal amount of earflap red, the color I’m lowest on, so production hasn’t completely ground to a halt. Next up are Washington, Australia, Indiana, then several for one person going to several locations. At that point, we’ll be into the orders that were placed on the 10th of September. I do not like being a week behind – this is the first time this has happened since Wear With Style opened. Grr.

However, on the up side, I’ve gotten to work on some non-orange orders. Also, since asked if I could get better quality photos of some of my work, I experimented with a setup that looks a little more professional. Until I get around to building a light box, I guess this’ll do. The trouble with getting good photos for is that most of the stuff I make goes right out the door as soon as it’s done, so I can’t really call it back for a photo shoot. I’ll try to make a better effort in the future, though, since clearly there’s some utility to having nice pics of these things.

In other news, Lamb’s Pride Red Baron is a pretty dead match for Pantone 200, which is the official red of UGA, University of Arkansas, Ohio State, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and many other colleges around the country. Sports fan knitters, take note!

While Jayne hats are obviously the main thing I’m working on, I have to occasionally stop and knit something else or I go crazy. So here’s another pattern repeat on the Vinnland socks. I’m really liking the way these are turning out. I’m going to bring them in a little after turning the heel, since my wide feet do not have wide ankles and legs attached to them.

This morning is Couch to 5k, this afternoon is our first Brownie meeting of the year, tonight is the weekly stitch night at Books-A-Million,and of course, there are many Jayne hats to knit in between these activities. All in all, this will be a full day. Time to launch into it!

Mo’ Jaynes and Jayne kits. Today I’m knitting yours, , for the Geekstravaganza.

I ripped out the Pomatomus and started up Vinnland. Turtlegirl76 recommended a pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, and it did have a stitch pattern very similar to Pomatomus, but it had the disadvantage of being in a book which cost $21.95. I put it on my Amazon Wish List since Christmas isn’t that far off, and went with a free pattern instead. I actually really like the way this looks in this yarn!

While figuring out the math for my father’s Charlie Brown sweater stripe, I realized I’d lost the swatch I’d made several months ago. D’oh! So the next non-Jayne project will be a 4×4″ yellow rectangle. Hold me back.

ponk is using wearwithstyle in a design project for university. I really like what he’s done. The color schemes match my personal preferences more closely than the admittedly kicky and fun but very bright tones that designed when we just had to get something up there because orders were coming in and we needed a site, already.

On an unrelated note, if anyone hears of a product which can be used to zap sleep directly into your brain, please let me know.

As you can see, the couch to 5k continues. When I exercise vigorously, I turn red. Really, really red. Like so red that people are concerned for me. I haven’t had a heart attack yet, it’s just that my super-fair skin needs little provocation to make me look like a cooked lobster. If you see me jogging down the street, please do not call 911. It’s perfectly normal.

I need to work out a new route. I’m doing okay up until that last leg of the run. It takes me up Mt. Doom, and it’s brutal. Maybe if I walk a little farther before starting the program, it won’t hit in the same place.

illiane turned me on to this really cool feature on the internet. Maybe you already knew about it, but I didn’t. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ will let you plot out a route and tell you how far it is. It’s not entirely accurate, because I’ve driven my route and it’s just about exactly two miles, but it comes up as slightly less on that site. The site doesn’t take elevation into account, though, so maybe going up and down the slopes of Mt. Doom is adding some distance.

Jayne orders are picking up speed. Unfortunately, it’s because Halloween is upon us – and I’ve already got an eight week wait. I feel bad for these Browncoats, but it is what it is. Two kits went out yesterday, another two kits and two hats are going out today, and I’m devoting the rest of the morning to Jayne activities. I can also usually knit an entire hat at my weekly stitch session, so that’ll be another one down.

I do love my Browncoats. Check out the sweet art that came along with an order over the weekend. Too neat! The hat she drew is similar to a picture I made for something I’m planning on introducing fairly soon. “Fairly soon” being “whenever I can eke out the time for it” so actually, who knows when it’ll be?

Because all work and no play makes Tvini go crazy, I did pull out the Fleece Artist that I got as part of a sock kit swap from (thanks again!). I’ve been wanting to make Pomatomus since it was published in 2005. I just love the way these socks look.

Unfortunately, it turns out that I don’t love the way they knit. I tried to put in a lifeline before I started the pattern, but it was so tight that I gave it up. Twelve rows in and I’ve already lost a stitch. The twisted knits make tinking back a giant pain in the keister. I’m knitting it on size 1s instead of the recommended 2s because I’m a loose knitter, but even so, these stitches are pretty darned tight. I think I may abandon this and use the yarn for something else, maybe Embossed Leaves.

All right, back to the Jayne mines!

Sweater pic, finished Regia bamboo socks, and all-too-typical story that happened to me last night.

I’m postponing my morning walk a bit. When we woke up this morning at 6:15, weather.com said it was 57 degrees. An hour later, it was 55 degrees. I turned on the attic fan to bring in some of that cool air, but I kept it on too long and now it’s downright nippy in here. Fall is definitely in the air!

Since the weather’s turned, I’m glad Emily’s sweater is making progress. Yesterday I blocked the individual pieces. Last night, I seamed one shoulder and added the crewneck collar. You can’t tell, but it’s not the prettiest seam ever. I need to figure out what the best bind-off to use is when you’re going to be joining two pieces at the bind-off edge. It’s fine for this sweater, but this is a learning experience, so I’m taking notes on what to do better next time.

I added ribbing for the collar, but I’m a little concerned it might be too much ribbing. It’s an inch high, and the pattern called for 3/4″. It’s not a huge difference, but I’m trying to decide if I should go back a couple of rows or keep it as-is. I’m open to suggestion.

In other non-Jayne projects, the second Regia bamboo sock is about three quarters done. She and I had great fun at Starbucks yesterday, sitting outside in the cooler weather. I put the unfinished sock on my hand and pretended it was drinking her water and eating her food. Then I pulled out the finished sock I carry with me to check length and she put it on her own hand. We had sock fights, and after several epic battles, her sock puppet was victorious. Good times.

Emily’s continuing to enjoy Dan Gutman’s “Weird School” series. (I like the author’s rejection letters page. Persistence paid off for this guy.) We read these in bed, and she says she’ll be done reading at night when we’re doing with these books. There are, however, about 20 of these books. I want to check and be sure she’s not feeling like she has to get through them all, just for completeness’ sake. She does seem to be enjoying them, though, so I think it’s okay.

The other books she’s enjoying right now are the “Rainbow Fairy” books. There are seven, one for each color of the rainbow, so I think the series appealed to the collector in her. She’s warmed to the idea that yes, she can be reading more than one book at once. This is good, because otherwise I think she felt like she’d have to wait until we’d read all 20 of the Weird School books. We read the first chapter of Ruby, the Red Fairy yesterday, and I’m sure we’ll read another today. She’s really warmed to reading chapter books. It’s been very good for her.

In DR, I ran a merchant not long ago, and there are still a few vouchers floating around, so I need to track those down. I don’t like to leave those things hanging too long. Also, there are a couple of QCs that need my attention.

All right, I have to stop now. I’m making a crazy number of typos because my hands are cold. Must be time for cocoa! Yay!

I’m continuing to walk more, and carried mail up to the post office a couple of miles away yesterday. I don’t know that I’ll do that today, as kits and finished hats are going out, and I don’t have a good system for toting packages. I need a Santa sack. Or a shopping cart. Although probably our neighbors wouldn’t be thrilled to see a raggedy-lookin’ woman pushing a shopping cart up the street. Eh, maybe I’ll just drive today and work it out later.

Today I got a nice note, complete with photo, from a serviceman in South Korea who just got his Jayne hat. It really brightened my day, and it reminded me that I never shared the following bit of awesomeness!

Sometimes people send me art or goodies along with the nice letters and photos of themselves in their hats (note to self: stop back-burnering gallery already!). You should click on the pic to see a larger version, because it’s just too good to miss. I don’t want to use the customer’s name without her permission. I did get permission to post the pics. This is nice work, and I hope she will find a way to incorporate her art and creativity into her professional career.

This was part of a hat request that I just LOVED. When she got her finished hat, she was nice enough to write, “Ahhh! The box! The letter! Everything! It’s so beautiful! I love it! My friends will all be jealous. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” I feel good that I brightened her day as much as she brightened mine. There are a lot of nice Browncoats in the world!

Today I’m putting together kits, but also driving up to Davidson. In spite of promises from the mill that they’d have their stuff out last week, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of my yarn. I almost never run low on earflap-red, because less of it goes into every hat, but I’m touching bottom in my Jayne inventory. No worries, it’ll all work out. Davidson always has my red. At least I can have confidence that if I buy more red, the red I already ordered will surely come in. It’s like losing something and buying a replacement. The old item turns up once you’ve already spent money. Or maybe that’s just me.

At the Needlecraft Center in Davidson, they have Koigu and Lorna’s Laces, but I’m feeling I can resist their siren call. After all, I’ve only had time to knit a few more rows on the Regia Bamboo socks pictured. However, I’ve finished sleeve one of Emily’s sweater, so that’s fine. It won’t kill me to wait longer to work on my own stuff – that’s what moms through the ages have done, isn’t it?

I managed to get a blister on my right hand while digging up volunteer trees in the side yard, but I don’t think it’ll affect my ability to knit. I’m going to do a some DragonRealms work, then test that theory. I’m still ahead of the line, and I’d like to keep it that way!

Hats up for: CA, PA, TX.

But on Friday! Er… good things come to those who wait?

Anyway, here’s this week’s almost all-Emily awesomeness report.