Yarn Addicts Anonymous

Yesterday was a cold miserable Saturday. I got my shopping done, but napped when I got home instead of cleaning. Ah... and I knitted in public.. at a local library, while I was chatting with a friend.

Knitting wise.... I finished the striped scarf.. Although I'm still weaving in the ends. On Thursday, I started a sweater vest from Ann Budd's the Knitter's handy book of patterns. The back is finished... but rather large... I switched from 10 to 10 needles, but one was (apparently) Brit/mm and the other not.

Now i'm working on the front. It's a dark blue 4 ply yarn, knitted with 2 ply light blue and 2 ply medium blue stripes. I started a similar vest, and completed the back, and one side of the front. At the time I freaked when I got to instructions for the second side of the front. "Reverse directions from Left." WHAAAA.. That project was instrumental in my "swatching" theory. (If I don't like a project,or don't want to finish it. I bind off, and call it a swatch. )

This week, Hobby Lobby has the eyelash yarns on sale. Be still my beating heart. If there's any money left after neutering the kitten, I'll be there. Strange what my priorities are.

Till later.

Project update... the blue premie blanket is done. I'm 36" into a striped scarf. My next project will be a sweater... I'm just not sure which one. I should find the pattern for the sweater I did earlier.. and make one just like mine for the kid (okay different colors...)

I celebrated on this day off... Went to see the Dr. Seuss exhibit at a local gallery. Amazing stuff. Quite a creative man. Ate sushi for lunch.. Wasabi mustard cleansed my sinuses. Then daughter and her bf went to see BIG FISH. I crashed. More later.

I'm playing with blogskins on my various blogs. What fun!!

Almost finished with the blue premie blanket. Yesterday dd asked for a sweater... we were at a rummage sale... she found a beautiful sweater... wanted me to knit it in her size... DEEP BREATH. ... apparently she's more confident of my skills than I am. I've only done 1 sweater... for myself. I still need to redo the neckline. (I'd lost the directions... and just faked it. Elizabeth Zimmerman might have gotten away with that... I didn't).

I've retreated to safe, small projects. premie blankets. I'm still contemplating the second sock.

Queer Joe is my knitting hero. I watch with amazement as the projects flow.. His Ronas Hill vest... wow... I only dream of those colors and patterns. Plus I've got this enormous stash of acrylics to knit through.. (okay only 3 black trash bags full.) I keep saying I want to do a vest... Yet, I've dodged it so far...maybe a black vest for work... Simple pattern.. cause I can't see when I knit with black...

I need a brighter light in my computer corner. That's where i do a lot of knitting... waiting for pages to load. I've had problems with the DSL. If it hasn't loaded in a row... it's not going to.

My next goal is to post pictures. Been a busy knit week. I found some Bernat Boa and Eyelash. I finished a Boa hat for my 16 year old in less than a night. The hat is double stranded Boa and some leftover black yarn from ... who knows what.

The eyelash flowed off my size 10 needles into a long scarf... two balls of eyelash.. well worth it. I'm brushing it and picking it out now. What happens if I throw it in the washer with some towels then dry it? Will that fluff it up even more? That will be pretty dryer lint.

My current project, cast on this a.m. during a meeting... a small blue baby blanket. It's premie sized, part of my Project Linus stash. I've got a delightful rainbow blanket, then a tiny pink blanket, now the blue. Must get pix.

My latest strategy for getting the yarn projects under control is to mentally convert some of the "projects" into "swatches." I like seeing how the yarn looks. I like playing with new stitches. Remember adventurous is a relative term. I've been adventurous with some recent stitches. It's like stretching the envelope.

Enough chat for now. New template is coming... New format, and pix. Since the weather is miserable. Freezing rain is predicted tomorrow. Tonight is well below freezing. Definitely knitting weather.

Rough day at work. I'm coping by knitting.. but am jumping from pathetic project to incomplete project.. unable to focus enough to even decide on a pattern for a scarf.

I've been repeating the serenity prayer. I've been reading Zen & the Art of Knitting... I'm playing with the basketweave pattern at the beginning of Chapter 5. It's not what I expected.

Some leftover catnip from the Christmas mice has delighted my oldest cat, Jazz. I'm hoping to post a picture soon.

So what happened with my mistake socks? Well I broke yarn and started over on the Lion sock yarn. I'm calling the black yarn sock either a swatch or a learning expirence.

I learned: Bright light is needed for knitting dark yarns. AND I need new bifocals...

Meanwhile, my daughter gets back from Miami. The Orange Bowl is over.. thank goodness.

I met my dad halfway between his city and mine... Hit a flea market and glass outlet. Cute sign at the Flea market .... "Laundry Room - If only life had a Normal setting."

DVDs are great for trivial buffs like me. Was watching Animal House (Double Secret Probation Ediiton). How cool to know that at the toga party, one of the chicks listening to the "guitar guy" in the stairway was John Belushi's wife. Doug Kinney got credit that was due him... what a tormented genius. His threat to quit the National Lampoon is the catalyst that created the idea of a movie... which became Animal House.

I've been knitting on some socks... but goofed... The first sock is the mate of my very first sock... finished about 2 months ago. I wanted to bask in my first sock glory... before attempting to make one just like it.

Last Wednesday, I was in a retreat at work... and got several inches of the cuff done.. Only to realize I should have started a different rib after two inches. So instead of ripping.. or tinking... I put it aside. And started another sock.. in dark blue. MISTAKE.. I'm getting old.. I need really good light to do dark colors... I've messed up the ribbing on it..

Grr... so what now? I'm going to watch Fantasia.. on DVD... 'cause I got the DVD player working... And then... I'll watch some videos that I got for Christmas from my buddy.

The kitten is behind me... lying or is it laying? like a furry warm, cute lumbar support. He's not going to like me moving..

My new year's resolutions are mostly boring financial ones.. and obvious health ones... Although I'm going to start reading the Bible completely this year. Oh.. and I'm going to finish more projects. And get a futon so I can sleep Sunday afternoons.