The Letter "I"

As in I'M still smiling no matter the weather!

I'm back at the alphabet blogging! (You missed me, didn't you!?)

"I" is for I-cord! Such a cool technique for a lovely smooth knit cord. And what a brilliant idea!!! You can knit a cord alone, or knit an I-cord edge onto a project. I like that it is not widely known as 'idiot-cord'....terms like that are funny once, but seeing it over and over gets old (like those "Windows for Dummies" books--you won't catch me buying a book that starts out calling me stupid!)

Anyway, I digress :D
Have you heard about Meg Swansen's method of knitting glove fingers the I-cord way, instead of with multiple dpn's? Looks pretty cool to me. And, here's a link to crocheted I-cord, which seems like a no-brainer, but I hadn't thought of it myself :)

I is for Intarsia! I have never knit this way, but it's on the list of techniques I want to learn. Specifically, this coat I blogged about in early days, that I still want to make....

BTW, I am a coat fanatic. I need 10 million different jackets and coats. Yes I do; I must, otherwise why would I spend my life making so many for myself? I was a fleece-jacket sewing fiend, and a blanket-jacket sewing fiend, and now I am a jacket-knitting fiend! I'd better move up-country when I relocate to the islands, otherwise what in the heck am I going to do with all these jackets and coats?!!! Turn the AC up really strong ='>

Heh. Anyway, here's a cute pattern for a charted landscape pillow. Fun! I think that counts as an intarsia project!

I is for Increase: there's make-one, there's knit(or purl) in the front and back of the next stitch, there's yarn over. Did I miss any? Probably...I just seem to know the basics, kids =) But in "The Principles of Knitting", June Hemmons Hiatt gives 10 pages of different increases, and then another whole chapter on decorative ones! Whew.

March is not over yet....

This is the view at 5 AM. Sigh.

Good golly (and jeepers) I hate spending so much time trying to reconfigure my computer. Every night this week after I got home from work, I have worked to fix it up. I'm getting very annoyed.

Anyway, at least my display is working well enough for me to be able to see online now.

I have been very busy, my pretties. I started a shawl: the Swedish Heartwarmer from "Handknit for the Holidays" by Melanie Falick. I saw someone's version on Ravelry, and it looked so different in the colors she chose, that I got inspired. And, I feel so happy: I used my multi-colored homespun. And I LOVE the way it looks!

Here is a pic of the work in progress. My mods include using different charts, and making the upper portion of this in stripes using normal yarn alternating with my lumpy homespun. It's so cushy!!! I had a bit of a time figuring out measurements due to the difference in gauge in the two yarns, but that has been a learning experience. I'm also substituting some of the charts on the shawl with different ones.

Right now I'm working a (slightly adapted) chart from my new book "The Art of Fair Isle Knitting" by Ann Feitelson.

(One of my fav patterns on Rav is in this book: Hillswick Lumber. Someday I'll make that.) I had a birthday last week, and DH treated me to a shopping spree at one of my fav knit shops. I got this great book, 2 random skeins of Noro Kureyon for stashing, and 2 sets of Addi needles for the shawl. (I was in such a hurry to make this once I had the idea, I cast on with straight needles, and ran out of needle-space on the way to the store! B-day shopping came just in time!!!)

Also, for my b-day, I brought 3 bottles of wine to Friday night knitting. Heh. I didn't knit a stitch, but not b/c of the wine =D A friend who has always wanted to learn to knit was there, and I spent the whole night showing her--I think she got it. She learns really quick!

I have tried to pick up the Summer Sampler Shawl to finish the edging, now that I have yarn. (It looks like the yarn will match!!! Good thing I bought a natural color to begin with!) It's gonna take some concentration to relearn the chart symbols and the pattern repeat. Not really into it right now.

I also came to the unhappy realization that my gauge has tightened up on the Hanne Falkenberg kit (Ballerina) that I started. I got the whole left front done, then when I looked at it ON ME--it is way too short. I'm long-waisted anyway. Grrr. I may have to unravel and start over. So I put that one down too. Sigh.

Spring is finally here, I can't wait to get outside and work in the yard. Last Sunday would've been a great day to do that, but I had a scrapbooking day with DD--we spent 6 hours doing it!!! What a blast, though I do feel like I missed out on the weather! It's snowing heavily right now. Look at the great big "snowballs" that are falling from the sky!!!

Happy Spring!

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Return is slow!

Garrrr, I can hardly stand to be unable to blog! I have had to reinstall Windows for the third time since November, and all the antivirus & photography editing programs and updates as well. Sigh.

And I feel so tortured not being able to post!! I can hardly stand it (you all are probably getting a much needed break from the nonstop prattle)....

Right now I'm reading C. S. Lewis' "Surprised by Joy" and it is a good read. Interesting and autobiographical. I finished up 4 of my fav romance author's novels a couple weeks ago, and I have the new Maeve Binchy book waiting in the wings. Can't wait to get to that. I just finished a great book called, "Why You can Have Confidence in the Bible" by Harold J Sala. It has sections about how every single find in archeology continues to prove various teachings of the Bible, and that the scriptures have not been changed at all down through the millenia!!!! Wow. I was really intrigued by all that.

I am having so much fun reading again. It has been a long time since I was so voracious a reader--training in medicine and getting the career jumpstarted kinda took me away from recreational reading, especially fiction which is my first love. I'm ba-ack!!!

We are also planning something very exciting--possibly a trip to Yellowstone National Park soon! Have never been, and I'd like to see it before we move to the islands. It looks like it might be just DH and myself going. I'm so excited!!! It's so fun to plan a trip!

Anyway, by the time I'm able to post normally again, I should have some good pics of knitting =) Happy almost spring, y'all.

Aim

puter problems

having some puter probs--can't get internet explorer to run on my own computer, and I've been spending all my time trying to get things running.

Hope to be back soon!

Aim

A Skein A Day....

Days 2 & 3 of conference knitting yielded this:



Conference ran longer the past 2 days. The suck factor is that the weather is warming up and I'm stuck in a windowless conference center all day while it is being spring outside. Grrr. But, I AM knitting...

I modified the Ten Stitch Blanket after my last post. I really hated the large bumpy ridge you get on the back of this if you knit the way the pattern is written.

I thought there had to be a better looking way to join to the previous edge...The arrow points to where I tried something different. See how flat the join is for those last few rows?! Compare this to the raised messy joins in the rest of the photo!

Here's my fix:

Knit all the stitches across (not slipping the last stitch as the directions say), then pick up and knit one on the edge you are joining to, turn your work. Now K2tog, then knit across. Repeat these 2 rows...Simple!

It looked so much better, I went back and restarted the whole thing. SWS yarn is awful to frog. Yikes! But, it was well worth it--here are the before and after pics:

Mo betta. Remember: these photos are of the back side of the work. Here's the front:

Today, I added the second skein of yarn to it (yesterday I frogged and reknit the first skein.) Knitting was the only thing that kept me from bolting out the conference door early yesterday!!!

I did however, leave an hour early today. An unremitting headache and all-over malaise hit me about 3:00. Advil didn't change anything, so I stayed until 4, then bugged out. I was in bed by 5:30--funny to think people were still sitting in lectures at that time!

Make it!

Here's day one of conference knitting!

I cast on for the Ten Stitch Blanket during a lecture on hypertension. Heh, my BP was well-controlled as I knit this all day. The yarn I used is Paton's SWS in "natural pink." This might become a baby blanket. I used up nearly one skein today, and I think I have 5 left.

Hi Lee!

Mo' knitting tomorrow. Yeah!

Aim

Knitting!

Woo hoo, I get to go to a conference for 4 solid days of knitting while I attend lectures! Yahooooooooo! Though I can think of better things to do with my Saturday, I really need my CME credits. And think of all the knitting I can get done in 4 days!!!

Last night I knit a hat (for me!!!) See my new haircut?

It matches the Reversible Cable scarf. Of course, the hat is not reversible, but I made the cables match.

It was really fun to hide the decreases in the cabling. I'm proud of designing this one!

And today at my lunch hour, I finished the scarf!! I will wear them both tomorrow with Meinstein--I'll be walking down the street in magenta and peuce.

Yeah, baby I'll be stopping traffic! Heh.

But I'll be warm. Parking is about 1/2 mile from the convention center unless I want to pay $11 daily. That would eventually cost more than the actual conference by the end of the week! I would rather park in the bus station and get some exercise for about 1/4 the price. Call me cheap if you want....

Almost done with bird in hand mitten #2. But I won't even try to take charted knitting to the conference to work on, that would just be silly!!! I need something I don't have to look at. I should try to start the feather and fan comfort shawl, or some garter stitch thing, like washcloths!

Gotta go now and block that scarf in prep for tomorrow! I'll post scarf pics soon!