I finished something that's been hanging over me!! Yeah! I've decided that if a knitting project was hanging over me, maybe it's not the best thing for me to knit. I loved this pattern, and it turned out great, but I don't think I'm a lace knitter at heart (at least yet). It was too slow for me, and I had to read the pattern the whole time. Of course, I am suffering from pregnant brain! Anyway, it was great to finish this scarf, give it to my sister, and have her love it. As Marly said, you somehow don't believe compliments from relatives, because they have to be nice to you, but I'm still flattered.

I started my first sock ever last night. Yes it's true, I've never knitted socks. I can't help wanting to, however, when so many knitters/bloggers make so many and have so much fun doing it. Anyway, I cast on a chunky wool sock last night while hoping that my husband would get home from work, and got about half finished before I gave up and went to bed. Husband didn't get home until 1:45 am. Good thing we went to lunch for Valentine's day. I finished the sock today except for grafting the toe...with me luck!

Frogging

After reading knitting books and blogs, I have come to think of the word frogging for unravelling my work and starting again, but where does it come from? Actually, it's usually best not to know the answer to such questions.

I finally started on a crocheted baby afghan for my son. I crocheted one for my first child, and it was finished before she was born. The second one was finished a couple of months after my first son's birth. On the third, after an exhaustive search to find yarn I liked in the color I wanted, I found out that the last two skeins of my "no dye lot" yarn didn't match. I was so frustrated I quit for a long while. I finally (at least a year later) ordered a BUNCH of new yarn and started all over. It wasn't until I was finished that I realized that at least one of the skeins I used didn't quite match. Good thing I didn't notice earlier is all I can say. Third child's afghan was already a year and a half late.

So I finally found the colors my husband picked in a yarn I liked and started afghan number four, but I got this far and decided that I really had done the initial chain stiches too tight. I frogged it all, did it again, really loose...too loose. I'm on try number three now.

Palettes

Well, I finished two squares for the Square-a-long and got them mailed off. I'm really excited to see that finished product!

Valerie has offered to knit some squares for a blanket for my baby. Yeah! I think we'll do a trade. I've been thinking about color palettes. Valerie has some pretty orange shaded yarn, and my baby's bedroom-to-be is light blue. I'm crocheting him a deep red and gray apghan (tradition to crochet one for each child). How about something like this?



I've started making some progress on hubby's sweater. It was going very slowly with a cable needle. Since only one stitch went on the needle, the needle kept falling out. I finally searched the web for info on cabling without a needle. It's perfect for this application, and I've learned a new skill. Yeah! Thanks everyone for your generous tutorials.

Swatch

I swatched! Really, that says it all. I've been dreaming of making this sweater for my husband for a couple of months now. It will be Avast from Fall 2006 Knitty. My husband approved and said it should be made of scratchy wool. I bought merino anyway, but not expensive merino. The color of the picture doesn't show it, but the yarn really is a traditional dark heather gray. What was even better than the fact that I actually knit a swatch is that it came out exactly to gauge. Wow. Now I just need to decide which size to make!

meme 2

I've had a hard time getting back to the second half of my meme challenge. So many things are going on. I've been slowed down on all of my knitting, and had to actually get some things done this weekend!

I've finished one skein of baby alpaca yarn in this scarf for my Sister. I've decided that for it not to be skimpy, I'll really have to do the whole second skein. This lace is beautiful, but slow, which is a bit discouraging. So Val, thou lover of baby alpaca, can you spit join it? I just finished the blue striped scarf and I have so many ends to weave in. I'd love to try this trick.


I finished my first (maybe last...I had such plans!) square for the Square-along. I love this self patterning yarn!! I'm going to take a sock class from the local yarn store. The itch has gotten unbearable.

So the rest of the meme challenge from Valerie is to list 10 things that represent concepts or themes in my life that start with the letter...T. So let's see:

Tummy--I think about mine all the time. I'm associating this word with not only my growing abdomen (full of kicking baby) but my empty stomach. First I was put on a low-fat diet for the my gall bladder problems. One of the doctors told me that the gall bladder also helped with protein digestion so I shouldn't overdo protein. Now my OB has asked me to go on a carbohydrate-restricted diabetic diet. I was sent to a dietician for advice. She told me to only have 30-45 g or carbohydrate at a meal, but to make sure an get my 2000 calories a day. I'm hungry, but I don't know what to eat.

Three--The number of children I have. I've picked a word for each.

Tears--For the oldest, this is appropriate because she can't tell from moment to moment if she happy or if life is one great tragedy. I did't know girls were emotional so early. And she has no idea what to do about it.

Tooth--Second child just lost another tooth. I wonder how many days he'll have to pray for the tooth fairy to come before I remember to leave money?

Tantrums--Youngest child is two, and that should say it all. She is angelic one minute, and throws horrific tantrums the next. She is, however, old beyond her years.

Thread--can I use this to count as yarn? I'm thinking about thread every day. It's about time to start knitting threads for #4 on the way.

Truncate--this is what I feel I'm doing with all of the jobs, responsibilities, pleasures, and necessities of my life.

Tired--what I am all the time now.

Wow, 10 is a lot.

meme posts

Well, Valerie has taught me some new web vocabulary. A meme post is all about "me", but usually following an assignment given by someone else. In this case, it came as as direct challenge (request?) from Valerie.

So, first, the 123 challenge. I must:
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.

So, if I lean forward at my computer, I can reach "Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary" with my right hand, and "vi Editor: Pocket Reference" with my left. Luckily, the vi editor reference doesn't have 123 pages so you don't have to be bored with that. But a dictionary? Seemed dreary to me so I reached a hair further with each hand. But first, I'll be obedient. The dictionary was better than I thought:

"cham-paign n. Flat and open country. [< MF champagne < L campus field] --cham-paign' adj.
cham-pi-on n. 1. One who has defeated all opponenets and is ranked first, esp. in a sport. 2. Anything awarded first place."

Who knew that if you spelled champagne as "champaign", you were talking about nature, not celebration?

So, I couldn't help reaching further. My right hand found this with a little extra stretch:

"The morning sun was coming through the window behind him, falling on the pink flowers of the hibiscus plant that sat on the sill. The quote was from Ted Turner, the billionaire media mogul, founder of CNN, who had been lamenting his inability to snatch up the CBS network in a corporate megadeal. I had brought the story to Morrie this morning because I wondered if Turner ever found himself in my old professor's position, his breath disappearing, his body turning to stone, his days being crossed off the calendar one by one--would he really be crying over owning a network?"

This is from "Tuesday's with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. My sister-in-law lent it to me when my dad died....but I've never brought myself to read it. I was mourning too much then, and it's been slowly buried on my desk. But maybe I'll read it now. The Ted Turner quote was, "I don't want my tombstone to read 'I never owned a network.' "

And I know, I'm overzealous, but with my left hand, I reached this quote:

"Thus whatever might be the law of Congress and whatever might be the 'directives' or regulations, the courts, on this theory, would have no option but to enforce them, upholding them as constitutional, because they would possess no right to question their constitutionality.

"Obviously, under this system, amendments to the Constitution become unnecessary. A mere Act of Congress, indeed even a 'directive,' can work the change."

This is a quote from J. Reuben Clark, given 10/7/43, quoted in the book "Prophets, Principles and National Survival" compiled by Jerreld L. Newquist. Hmm. World War II era politics in this quote....I might have to back up and read more!

I'll have to leave the second half of my meme challenge for tomorrow. The hour is getting late for this pregnant woman, and my husband just gave me the eye when he said he was going to bed.

But one last thing. Today was my oldest brother Justin and my youngest sister Erin's birthday. Happy Birthdays! I haven't finished Erin's scarf yet. I'll have to post a picture tomorrow when I have the light to take one!

I get to knit-along

Aren't digital cameras fun? I get to take all of these horrible pictures and then show off the only one that half-way turns out. This is a close-up of the very tiny beginning of an afghan sqauare for the square-a-long that was just started yesterday.

Larissa at Stich Marker has been hosting some knit-a-longs for her upcoming book. I keep trying to get in on the action, but by the time I try to sign up, the knit-a-longs are always closed. That's probably just as well, because my family does like to eat. I'm really excited to be part of something that will turn into something real, however. And in the likely event that I'm not part of the book, at least I can donate afghan squares to charity!

Valerie was part of the the first knit-a-long, by the way, and her beautiful creativity made the cut for the book--and as an alternate too! Way to go Valerie!! Check It Out! Valerie's are the one with the mouse, and the one with the lime.

So my knitting above is interesting. I'm using little sock yarn on long 10 inch #2 needles. The needles are so thin they're flexible! I'll be glad for the length eventually, but I look kind of ludicrous right now. Oh, well.