Works in Progress

A day late, I know. Friday I came home from work exhausted and ill (still), and considering it was dark I decided that rest was in order and project photos could wait for daylight.

I've only got a couple this time. I'm trying to  limit myself.

Since I've been sick, I cast on for a  neckwarmer to help with my cough. This is Fibranatura Exquisite Bamboo in "Niagra." It's 77% bamboo and 23% superwash merino, and it's quite soft. I love the flow of colors.

I'm using my new KnitLites that I got for Yule, even though I don't really need the extra light most of the time. My other pair of KnitLites is quite long and prone to shorting out; that problem doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with these shorter needles. I will say that I wish they were pointier, especially with a yarn as loosely plied as this one. Will there be a pattern available for this one? Maybe, but probably not for a couple of weeks at least, particularly since what you see there? It has to be ripped out. Completely. I realized I was going to run out of yarn around the halfway point, so I need to scale it back just a  little.  If it looks a little odd in the photos, it's because the center portion is entrelac, and that tends to look a little strange and lumpy until it's blocked.


No, your eyes don't deceive you. I've pulled not one, but two projects out of hibernation. The first one is the London Calling Cabled Cardigan from 2010. I hope to finish it this year (fingers crossed). I haven't worked on it much since I got sick because I've been so low on bandwidth. My eyes have been really tired, so it's hard for me to do all of those little tiny cables in the honeycomb stitch. I have about half a pattern repeat left before I can add the pockets. Again.

The other project I've been working on is the living room afghan, which, happily enough still matches our living room, even though we moved. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it, and this has been my primary knitting project of late, since it's 99% stockinette stitch and I can pretty much do it in my sleep. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've sleep-knit on it at least once. I'm thinking I'll need 2-3 more of the giant balls of yarn I've been buying for this one before it's done.


I do have one other WIP, but I'll be talking about that one next week, so you'll just have to wait and see.

News From the Front

When I packed for the Steampunk Empire Symposium, I came prepared for everything. We brought food, water, a first aide kit. I packed a second set of panty hose (which is good, since I put my thumb through the first pair as I was putting them on), and I even brought along a second knitting project, just in case (as if there was any hope of me knitting 90% of a tank top in fingering weight lace on size 3 needles in three days).

I did not, however, plan for a dead battery.

The camera said it was fully charged when I checked it. We arrived, I took two pictures, it flashed the low battery symbol and then refused to turn on. I even tried swapping the battery with the one in my cell phone, but alas, they were not compatible. So I posted on the Empire website and on Twitter, pleading for anyone at the convention with a compatible battery or charger to contact me.

So far, no luck.

I'm making do with Missouri's cell phone camera, since the Iphone camera is far superior to my crummy %^&* !$@$#  %^$%^ Samsung that I've been fighting with since day one. When we get home I'll be able to get some of the photos from her, but for now this is the only one she's sent me and I have to say that it's one I'm immensely proud of:

Yes, that is the back of my head. While I realize that this is normally not considered an ideal shot, I'm happy because that purple thing in my hair? and the shiny silvery things? That would be a Knitpicks 42" circular sock needle.

The reason it is in my hair? Well, long story short, it's the best place I've found for it, since I don't have the heart to throw away needles.

The longer story: Back in December, I ordered two Knitpicks circulars to work on Christmas presents (you know, those purple socks that I was knitting for far too long? Yeah, those). They arrived, I opened the package, and cast on. Three rows in, the cable snapped. I emailed the company, and a week later they sent a replacement. The replacement (seen above) has one of the worst joins I have ever seen between the cable and the needle. It doesn't just feel awkward, you can see where the metal sticks up around the cable. The yarn catches something awful. I knit one row, then switched to another set of needles. This one was being used as a stitch holder for another project while I used the good needles to finish the Christmas socks. I pulled that project out of hibernation yesterday to bring to the convention, put it back on the good needles, and just didn't have the heart to throw the crappy ones out. Then this morning I was trying to do my hair and inspiration struck. I'm already the weird girl with the knitting, so why not take it a step further? I don't think anyone has actually noticed (not even the girl who was sitting behind me in a panel using a set of the same needles to make a Dr. Who scarf). I've always heard really good things about this brand, and it saddens me that I've had such bad luck with them, but I think it's time to move on. I'm perfectly happy using them as hair sticks. Maybe I can add beads to the cable and do something really nifty with it when I get back!

Anyway, the convention. So far, I've spent too much money, taken a wonderful dancing lesson (with actual men! Normally when I take dance lessons its all women and I always have to dance the male parts. This was such a nice change!), been eaten by a werewolf (twice), gotten a massage, spoken with an excellent author who can apparently command the weather, oggled more costumes than I could possibly ever make in a lifetime, nearly bought a corset, drooled over a lovely treadle Singer sewing machine, gone to Target in full Steampunk regalia, and bought a handkerchief with flamingos on it, just because.

Full details to come.

P.S. It appears blogger ate the comments from my last post. So if you leave a message and it never makes it to the site, please take it up with Google. I know that I for one am not loving the new layout.