How to Finish a WIP...

... own a very tolerant lap cat.


As long as there is a lap to be had, Cleo will put with almost anything. She has fallen asleep with a skein of yarn slowly unwinding from her back.

As you can see, the alphabet blanket and I have decided to try for deadline number two - Thanksgiving. (The fourth Thursday of November for the non-Thanksgiving celebrating folks). I have two sides done and a quarter way through on the third. I'm really wanting to finish it because the Baudelaire's have been demanding, calling my attention. And the bird.
And this sweater. And this one.

I'm in a finishing mood. Don't stop me now. Besides, Cleo won't let me stand up.

Duck Break

Yesterday started (and stayed) cold, windy, wet, and miserable. Rain was falling sideways the wind was so forceful. There was no way I was stepping outside for Saturday Sky. Even a well seasoned weatherman would have thought twice.

Today dawned a little better. Wet and miserable have been dismissed. From the comfort of indoors, it looks downright pleasant outside. If one can ignore the howling noise of wind rushing between the houses.

I attempted an outdoor photo shoot of the completed beaded scarf. The gusting winds were not making this endeavor very easy. So, the scarf and I took a journey. Behind the main street of my town is a little park. More importantly, this little park has several trees and lies in a hollow.

Jae - 1, Wind - 0.

There is a small, shallow creek running through the middle of the park. Several ducks call this home, probably year round. I took a few moments after putting the camera away to relax, enjoy the sunshine, admire the fall colors and watch the ducks. They are so used to close human proximity, that the children on the opposite bank didn't startle them in the least.

I had a small regret that I hadn't brought a book or some knitting to enjoy the time longer. But still, a pleasant Sunday afternoon was had by all - including the ducks.

Not So Many Things

It is not red, chunky, wooly, or garter stitch. Nor is it finished. Also, I might as well tell you that none of these photos are the true color. Some closer than others, but not a one is spot on. Oh, and it's late for the ISE3 deadline.

But I like it. A. Lot.







Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, color #6288, 1 skein
Beads: 4mm glass, qty 70
Pattern: My own. Finished dimensions after blocking are 5" x 70". Someday soon, I'll be writing up my notes and posting it for any who are interested.
Needles: Addi turbo circular, size US 7
Started: September 12, frogged Sept. 18, started again Sept. 24, frogged Oct. 16, started once more Oct. 20, finished tomorrow after I find my darning needles that are playing hide n' seek.

Trick Or Treat

Considering the mid-week point was so disappointing, it would not have taken much to improve the mood around my house. So, imagine my surprise and delight at two unannounced packages landing at my doorstep. Both were full of treats, not a trick in sight.

Amysue sent a wonderful note, ribbon cord, and charm with my initial. The cord is doing double duty. Not only did I use it to make a small necklace, I also tied my scissors to my knitting bag. No more hunting around the bottom of my bag trying to find the scissors.


Jade sent a fun Halloween package - a ghosty post-it note pad, ghosty pencil, skull eraser, a cute card, and candy corn. My husband discovered that I have strange unique candy corn eating habits. I have to eat each color by itself. Needless to say, I'm not sharing any with him since he was poking fun at me. ;)

Thank you so much, Amysue and Jade! They were much needed distractions to the otherwise less than wonderful week.

Agony of Defeat

Every year ABC's Wide World of Sports would change the image for Thrill of Victory. Agony of Defeat, however, was always the same image of Vinko Bogataj failing to make the ski jump. You can watch the video here. Sometimes defeat arrives so brutally that it can never be outdone from that moment forward.

Such is my battle to finish the blanket. I was slow to recognize defeat. I did math. It seemed to lean in my favor. Afterall, doesn't this seem like speed demon progress to you?

(24 rows x 187 stitches + 12 increases + 30 stitches over the 12 increases) / (4.5 hours x 60 minutes - 30 minutes for dinner - 15 minutes for tv channel surfing) = 20 stitches per minute

If the math has made your head hurt, lie down for awhile and hold a skein of alpaca across your brow. The dizziness will pass. Ask me how I know.

Now, I realize that I could have gotten something not quite right in my equation. I didn't exactly set out a stopwatch to measure the time I spent knitting. Even still at 15 or 10 stitches a minute, victory should have been mine. I still had two days left, if I took extreme measures for posting it in the mail.

I forgot to do the OTHER math. You know, this equation. . .

(1 side + 12 rows x 187 stitches) + (2 sides x 12 rows x 227 stitches) + (3 corners x (12 increases + 30 stitches over the 12 increases)) + the triangles. I'll wait if you need another lie down with the alpaca.

110 triangles knit entralac style all around the edge. The seemingly innocent, small, easy to knit triangles. The triangles that require a lot, an absurdly huge amount, 56 stitches to bind off eight of the original.

It was about the tenth or eleventh triangle that I realized defeat was inevitable.

I'm off to knit a scarf or a hat or something small that requires only one skein of yarn. With big needles. US19's sound good. And bulky wool. I've got some Burly Spun in the stash. All knit stitches. Good old reliable garter stitch.

Instant gratification on the rocks, please.

Yeah, It's Nice. Keep Knitting.

So the trip to Mackinac Island that I planned with Jae is going well, cold, but well.

Oh yeah, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm M-J, and I'm today's guest blogger. Why does Jae need a guest blogger? See previous post re: train.
This is what most of the trip has looked like to me so far....


Jae: "Hey, did you see that great view?"
M-J: "Yeah, it's nice, keep knitting."


Since I am the one that complains most bitterly when there is no 'Saturday Sky' from Jae, I made sure that I took enough pictures this morning so that there were no excuses.


It was really cold out there at 6:30am.











Jae was really excited about the ferry ride, me not so much. But let me tell you when we came back on the return ride and the waves were described by the ferry staff as " 8 - 12 Ft. nothing to worry about", it was Jae that was looking a little green and me laughing like a little kid. ; )

So back to Jae's knitting, (I mean really, that's what the Blog is all about). There have been little announcements along the way this weekend. Things like "This is where I started the second time I had to frog" and "I'm finally past the K L." Some of them included smiles, some of them included fairly intimidating sailor talk. But here's where she is now.... firmly into the ABC backstretch.


Anyway, we're eating,we're drinking, we're getting lot's of fresh air, and Jae is getting cramped hands from knitting.

Hit By a Train

Have you ever been blissfully knitting along on a thousand projects your project d'jour? You spy a calendar and realize with sudden dawning horror that the months weeks you thought you had left to finish a gift knit is now mere days away? I'm referring to this...

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Pattern: Alphabet Blanket by Debbie Bliss

I started it over a year ago for my brother's first child to be. At the time - no child on the way, no driving force to complete it. Somehow the very real knowledge that said first child is set to arrive the first few days of December did not compute. Nor the very real baby shower being held in less than two weeks did not create a sudden urge to finish. The fantasy world I live in amazes me sometimes. That was until I realized it was October, the same October as the shower. I'm doomed and a few other more choice phrases immediately popped to mind.

I managed to make some real progress. I would have a more recent photo to show my progress, but I couldn't afford the time. There is a deadline looming. I have to have this in the mail a week from today. Sacrifices had to be made.

I was seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I was all the way to the first six letters of the alphabet. Until last night. When I discovered that I had spelled K and L incorrectly. I never thought a few missing yarn overs could cause such agony. Thirty rows ripped back. Six letters became twelve.

I should have turned the volume up. The light was from an oncoming train.

Waiting

Not a cloud in the sky. The hickory trees have started to turn and the maple leaves are very bright red. The moment is almost here.

Cat Door

Caesar, you make a better door than a window.

Friendly Visit

Marji is in town visiting her family. She and I decided to meet up yesterday at one of the LYS in the area. I was needing some assistance on a project I'm designing. She wanted to see the store that dyes the yarn that DeeAnn and I have blogged about. Although, the truth is, those were only excuses. Spending time with Marji is always time well spent.

Her arrival was a bit delayed but the owner of the store was incredibly gracious. She kindly let us stay, show off our wips (Marji's Elizabeth I - my shawl), browse, and chat long after closing time. I have a lot of respect for those that own their own business. She didn't have to let us stay. I'm grateful that she did.

Noro Silkgarden - Colorway #244. I would like to blame the stash enhancement of the nine skeins on Marji, but I can't. No, your eyes don't need to be checked. The other six have already been placed in the stash. I was the one on the floor sorting through the many skeins of this color to find all the unknotted skeins I could. It was my wallet that fell open and my car that brought them home.

But, Marji is responsible for allowing me to see her Lady E. in person. OMG! Gorgeous!! Go ahead. Click the link. I'll wait. Pictures really do not do it justice. I have really wanted to start this stole ever since I first browsed through the book, Scarf Style. It's the biggest reason I bought the book. Marji was kind enough to let me wear it for awhile and that was the final straw on the back of my last reason not to start one for myself.

I haven't casted on. Yet. I'm telling myself that starting my own Lady E will be my reward for finishing something already on my needles. Does finishing one sock of a pair count?