Okay, so when I announced to my friend Jillian (the Knitting Frau) that I, too, had a blog, she said the following, "Be careful, it's addictive." I thought that was vaguely ominous sounding, but shrugged it off. I thought, "Well, of course it's addictive. Writing something and holding the thought in your head that everyone you know and lots of people you don't know could be reading your words. That's pretty powerful." Now I understand...

It's not my own blog that's addictive - it's everyone else's! I used to have a few blogs that I would check every day (okay 2 - that's it - 2). It started out innocently, I clicked on links on those two pages. I figured that since I liked the original blog, I might like something that person likes too. So now I'm up to 15 daily reads - thank the godesses that not all of them post everyday! I start reading and linking and I've lost an hour.

I'm constantly amazed at the fabulous things people share about their lives. On the other hand, I'm also freaked out about the things people share about their lives. Case in point, my office mate and I have one website that we were checking every day - a woman having her first baby. She was posting a picture of herself in a leotard every week so we could see how much her belly was growing and informing us of the happenings at her midwife visits. We howled at each new entry. So now the baby's been born and there are (swear to goddess) 21 pictures of the kid on his first day in the world! I can't wait until she gets over the "joy of giving birth" and settles into the "joy of hemorrhoids and sleepless nights." I know, my bitchiness is showing.

So, Jillian, you were right. I didn't listen and now I'm addicted, but I am having a lot of fun!

Now for the pictures of the Oat Couture Applegate Shirt...


As you can see, all I have to do is put in the left sleeve and seam the side up. I'm debating the best way to put the buttons on. I did take pictures of them, but the finer points of digital cameras evade me. I couldn't figure out how to get close enough to the button for detail and still get a sharp picture. The ones I took are very blurry - maybe a scanner would be better.

I'm also looking for the best way to attach the buttons to the band. They're maybe 1/2 an inch in diameter and have a little hook (shank?) on the back so they'll stick out a little bit. The yarn I used for the sweater is too thick to go through the eye comfortably. Maybe some embroidery floss?

I realized when I was taking all these pictures the other day that this is the first time I've ever worked on 2 adult sized sweaters at the same time and I'm actually making progress on both. I think it has something to do with setting goals for myself and (without being anal) actually accomplishing them. It will feel very nice to wear these two pieces.

Here's what I should have posted yesterday...


The fronts are now attached to the back with the 3-needle bind off. I'm almost finished with one of the sleeves (can't remember which one). I don't know if you can see all the cat hair on the pieces. Why is it that cats have to sit right in the middle of a blocking piece?

Tomorrow, pictures of the Oat Couture sweater...

As painful as insomnia is - I can actually get things done in the wee hours of the morning without the phone ringing and the other inhabitants of my house wanting something.

I realized last night that I needed buttons for this sweater (don't ask me why I didn't think of this before). Luckily, I have a button stash (smallish, but cool). I found the perfect round, silver buttons. They have a swan curled up in them - I'll take a close up picture of them this weekend.

So, I finished the button bands and the neck on the very early this morning. Of course I slipped the vest-like thing over my head to see where it would fall. It looks like it's long enough, but I'm not so sure about circumference. It's hard to tell without the seams being done. I'm sure I can get a little more room when I block it, so it will hang right.

This weekend's task: finish the other sleeve, put the sleeves in, and seam up the sides! I'm nabbing the digital camera from the office, so I'll even have pictures. I'll make sure and take some of the Kimono too - just to prove it exists.

No knitting at my house last night. My daughter came down with strep throat over the weekend (actually on Saturday). She was fine all day on Sunday (it must have been a giant sugar high). By Sunday evening, however, she was in a lot of pain and those big, fat tears that only come from small girls were rolling down her face. We were up a lot that night - whispering to each other back and forth across the pillows. She's fine now, but I'm exhausted!

I'm caught up on my sleep and even came to work early this morning so that I could go home and get some seaming done on my weekend sweater in natural light. Watch this space for pictures!

Can anyone explain to me why when I get close to the end of a project, I slow way down? I'm anxious to wear this new Oat Couture sweater, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do the finishing details. The second sleeve is "thisclose" to being done and I started the button band this morning. I'm dreading doing the seaming. Maybe that's it, I always feel like my seams mess up the lovely lines of knitting - no matter how careful I am.

Here's a picture of the sweater (it's lifted from the Elann.com website). My sweater is a beautiful sage green. My sister saw it and wanted it (she always wants what I knit). I feel a little guilty because last summer she asked for a woven scarf and I never did get around to doing it - although I did buy the supplies!


And since I haven't been able to take pictures of my own Kandinsky Kimono, here are a couple from other sites...


Now just imagine that the back and left front are completely done, the right front is half done and the sleeves are just "thunk of". It will be lovely.

Ah, the trip up to my parents' house! My husband usually drives this 2 hour trip which means that I get a minimum of 4 hours of knitting time. We headed up there for Easter on Saturday and I had a splendid time with my Oat Couture sweater.

I believe I've knit this beast twice. The back has been finished for a while - it's the front that's giving me trouble. I mis-read the pattern and did the decreases at the beginning of the left front (instead of the end). To avoid having to rip it all back and have nothing to show for all that work - I tricked myself and knit the right front before ripping. Some how this makes me feel better about the whole mistake.

So I finished the left front (again) and started on a sleeve for the trip back. I finished it late Sunday night. At this point, the second sleeve is about 1/2 done. I think I'll be able to wear this sucker by the weekend!

The Kimono is on the back burner, but I've been knitting a couple of rows a night. Once the other sweater is done - it's back on this full time.

I have been avoiding posting because I had delusions of grandeur about posting all about my day off in Washington, DC a couple weeks back. (My main strength as a procrastinator is well know among my circle of friends and family.)

So, here goes. My favorite museum in the whole world is the Textile Museum (link on the side there). First off, it's in a beautiful area of DC. It's right off Dupont Circle along Embassy Row - 2320 S Street, NW. The first time I walked over there from the Metro, I was amazed at all the black cars with smoked windows. Each big, stone house has a plaque with the name of its country and a flag flying out front. Many of them say they're private residences and I can't help wondering who lives there and what the inside of the houses look like.

The Textile Museum was once a house itself and covers 3 levels. I wasn't all that interested in the Mamluk and Andalusian Rug exhibitions currently there, but only because I'm not crazy about old rugs. What I love about this museum is that everything is so beautifully displayed. It's very obvious that the people who set up these exhibits really care about the textiles and know a lot about them as well. The notes about each piece are well thought out and point out what's special about the textile at which you're looking. They also will reference other pieces in the gallery and how they all combine to show progression through a geographical area or time frame.

[As a side note, I went to the Vincent Van Gogh Face to Face exhibit a couple of years ago and was extremely disappointed not to find a detailed write up of each piece. I wanted to know why he painted certain things and where he was as an artist. Pretty much all I got was the year he painted it. Not a whole lot of new knowledge about Van Gogh there!]

On the second floor there is a permanent hands on exhibit. You can move from station to station and try out all different kinds of textiles "stuff." You can weave a little, learn about the life cycle of silk worms, compare the structures of several different pieces and on and on. When I was wandering through, there was a group of high school/college-age young women with note books who were furiously writing things down and playing at each station. It was a lot of fun to watch them discovering things. I think I forget about what it was all like when it was new.

Then, of course, I hit the gift shop - which I thought was way too small! They did have a couple of large book shelves that I parked myself in front of and plowed through the books. I managed to buy "A History of Hand Knitting," a book with Anatolian knitting charts, and a couple of the Museum's textile journals from years past (and some other stuff that I've already forgotten).

They also have a lot of textiles for sale in the shop. There were silk kimonos, kinte cloth ties, pillows, hooked rugs, straw woven bags, even textile inspired mouse pads. I was overwhelmed after spending some time in there - all those colors and ideas. It was very inspiring.

Bottom line is, if you're in DC for any length of time - take yourself to the Textile Museum. It's worth the trip - I promise.

Whew! I think I'm finally back to normal after traveling to Washington, DC. I love going there - it's such a cool city, but traveling for work isn't the most fun thing in the world. Imagine having to spend every waking hour with the same 3 people - now imagine one of them is your boss. Not that he's a bad guy to spend time with, it's just that being on my best behavior (read: being pleasant) isn't a strong suit. The flip side is that the man knows DC, so he knows the best places to stay and more importantly, the best places to eat.

Since I couldn't very well take the Kimono and its 27 colors with me, I swatched the Applegate Shirt and took that instead. It truly is mindless knitting, but it looks very nice and I love the drape of the fabric. It will be a nice summer shirt/sweater - one more thing to do before the weather turns nice.

Husband and son will be traveling to a fishing tournament this weekend. So the princess and I will have to do girlie things to keep ourselves occupied. I'm pretty sure this involves having my toenails painted some wild color (or several wild colors). She knits (a little), so she understands being quiet when I count - such an important life skill!

Not a very knitty weekend. My parents came to visit and as my mom's a major league scrapbooker, that's what we did all weekend. I'm trying to get the whirlwind trips we took in December down in the books, but it's been difficult. I think part of the problem is that there's so much stuff that I'm overwhelmed.

I did get my order from Elann.com (I love this place!). Every now and again, I'll mosey over to the site to see what's new and I almost always order something. I picked up the Oat Couture Applegate shirt pattern and enough Nova Sophia (cotton/linen) to knit it. It will be a beautiful, drapy, summer-kind of shirt. I can't wait to get started. I have to fly to DC on business this week - I think this may be my in-flight knitting.

Have no fear, the Kimono is coming along nicely. My sister oohed and aahed over the finished bits and can't wait for me to get it finished. I think she's having delusions about borrowing it - HA!

So, why is it, I'll be at home for days and no one calls me. The one night I'm in bed and actually sleeping, the phone rings off the hook (yes, Mom, I mean you). Then my husband decides he's leaving early this morning to go fishing - resets the alarm for 3:30 am and asks me to wake him when it goes off!! Can you hear me making that really disgusted noise we can all make when extremely irritated?

As a result of the failed sleeping experiment, no knitting was done at my house either last night or this morning. I have to say that when I can't actually knit, reading about knitting is a close second. I've discovered Wendy Knits (link on the side there) and the woman is amazing! Her current sweater is the stuff of my knitting dreams. Oh to be so dedicated to color!

I hate it when I can't sleep. Normally, sleeping is not a problem for me, but lately it's been an issue (mostly because it's hard to find a comfortable position for my shoulder). The upside is, I've been knitting like a fiend. It's pretty amazing what a couple of hours on the couch with AMC on the TV can do for my current project.

So, I reached my (weekend) goal of having half the right front done on the Kimono. I have to say, this sweater really looks cool. I'm hoping to have pictures up soon. Not much other knitting is getting done. Here's what else I have on the needles:

1. sock from the green/yellow/beige colorway of Sockotta
2. unspun silk scarf (I got bored!)
3. fluffy, girly scarf made of yarns I bought when last in Seattle (September 2002)
4. Mountain Colors vest (okay, it's not really on the needles anymore, it's waiting for the crochet edging around the armholes and neckline - I've done the neckline twice and ripped it out twice then got disgusted with the whole thing and stuffed it in a bag)

Hmmm, it's getting warmer around here, maybe I should get that vest done soon. It will look really cute with a t-shirt under it. New weekend goal?

The left front of the Kandinsky Kimono is drying on my dining room table. I finished it up late last night and cast on right away for the right front. It's my small superstition that I'll never finish a project if I don't have a piece at least cast on. So, the right front is about 4 rows long, but it's started.

I woke up early this morning to be able to rinse and block the left front. It makes me feel good when I come home and see a knitted piece out on the table - a nice welcome home. (Never mind that I'll be picking cat hair off forever.)

I'm dreaming of taking over my husband's half of our shared craft room. His fly tying table has somehow made it into the middle of the room and is encroaching on my space. I'm wondering how soon he'll notice that it's been moved out into the garage. I'm also wondering about how to take over the basement, but make it damp proof and have enough light to be able to work comfortably. What I really need is a brand new house or at the very least a room of my own (where are you when I need you Virginia?).

Had lunch with my fiber friend Jillian today. I brought the back of my Kandinski Kimono for show and tell. I wanted some confirmation about the woven in ends. They do show, but Jillian (bless her knitter's heart) told me that when I was wearing it and moving around - no one would notice!! That was secretly my feeling, but it's nice to hear someone else saying it too.

Then we spent some time discussing the workshops and retreats at SOAR this fall. I'm thrilled that it's in Michigan this year. I've always wanted to go, but the cost of traveling some where else always put me off. I plan on spending the whole week and spinning so much I get dizzy.

Goal for the weekend...finish the left front of the Kimono and 1/2 the right front. I want to wear this thing on a cool evening this summer.

Jumping back in with both feet...

Yesterday was my first day back at work and wow - work has nothing on sitting on the couch with a 2 litter bottle of Diet Pepsi and the remote control. What I could do if I didn't have to work to pay for it!

So, here's a sample of what I've been working on

This is my first pair of Fuzzy Feet (from the last issue of Knitty) before felting. I gave those to my sister Mitzi and here she is wearing them.

I had such a good time knitting the first pair that I made a second pair. Here's my friend Terri wearing those. What fun - now they both have the image of me sitting on my couch, wearing my sling and knitting for them!

I also started on the Kandinsky Kimono and the back is complete. (No picture yet.) I'm a little worried about the ends I wove in. I decided right away that I didn't want to weave them all in after the sweater was complete, so I've been weaving them in as I go along. The problem is with some of the brighter colors - they show through on the black background. You can't really see them from about 2 feet away, but they bother me. My husband just rolls his eyes and says, "Live with it, it's a beautiful piece." (He really did say beautiful - go figure!)

Okay, even with my ever increasing range of motion, that's enough from me today!