Birthmas

It's a long story...

Karma

When I found out that my Sunday plans were to be thrown out the window because J was sick, I have to admit to feeling a tiny bit of joy to know that I could spend all day doing whatever I wanted.  I was eager to make a dent in my Cloud Chaser.  I stayed far away from the germs and knit on another floor than where the sickness was.  I dutifully checked in every hour to be sure that there was plenty of Gatorade, blankets, bananas and brown rice available.  I thought, under the circumstances, that I was being a pretty good wife.  And I did get some serious knitting done.

Then came Monday.  I was sure that my stomach was making every effort to leave my body by any means necessary.  I can't really fault my friend Matlie for her lack of sympathy and lust for my knitting stash and finished sweaters when I told her I was near death.  After all, it was my secret joy on Sunday that got me into this mess.  Karma can really do a number on you.

Watch out Matlie, it may be coming to you next.

I muddled through school today, and took a four hour nap when I got home.  Truly, I think we've been lucky as this bug seems to be only of the 24 hour sort.  We're on the mend, but not completely ourselves yet.  With a long week ahead, we're both trying to put off all but the necessities. I've sanitized much of the house, and tomorrow plan to wash all blankets and sheets that may have been missed in our cleaning on Monday night.

I did finish much of the collar I was fretting about on Friday, but this vest may forever be tainted in my mind as the one I knit while I was near death.  Hopefully I can make some new memories when I wear it.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

I finished the left front of my vest. I felt like it was a pretty big accomplishment until I realized one thing.



This is one repeat of the collar. I have fifteen, 63 stitch, 24 row repeats to go plus a 14 rows of ribbing. That's 23,562 stitches to go. But who's counting?

A Milestone

I have finished the body of my Cloud Chaser vest, now it's on to the collar. If I get my act together at school tomorrow, I be able to use my three day weekend to make a pretty big dent in it. My goal is to wear it to Knit Michigan in a few weeks.

Taking Time to Plan

I'm lucky to have a student teacher in my room this semester. I think I've mentioned that I'm concerned that I may not be the best model for her, but it's been nice for me to think carefully about what I do in my classroom and to see things through different eyes. She's working on creating units to teach after our students take finals. So far, she's been watching us finish the semester and getting to know my students. I've been sort of envious of the time she's able to spend planning out her work. Actually, not sort of. Really envious would be more like it. Everything goes so much smoother when you have a roadmap to guide you along the way. I'm hopeful that my students will respond well to all that she brings to the classroom when she eventually becomes the lead teacher. I suspect they will. I truly have a great group of students this year.

Tonight in my knitting class we did some planning too. One student is knitting a Knit Swirl sweater and the construction is more than a little atypical. When she started, we talked about writing out the plan row by row, or welt by welt. Having a linear, well written guide to follow as you read the designers instructions can sometimes be a big help.

I know knitters who put the directions into a spread sheet, some copy the pattern and highlight and make notes, and I even made multiple copies one time cut it apart and put each line of the directions onto a 3x5 card and flipped through the stack as I knit. Some use sticky notes and others highlighter tape...Knit Companion is an app that you can use for an electronic map through the pattern, and I currently use my iPad and the Good Reader app to make digital notes and move through charts.

For this knitter, we have a plan.


A welt by welt, and for this section of the sleeves, a row by row plan that she can check off as she goes. Someday soon she's going to have a gorgeous sweater made from Madeline Tosh, and she'll be certain she made no mistakes because she'll be following a plan.

It got me wondering. How do you plan your knitting? What tips and tricks help you through the tricky bits?

Remind Me I Like to Knit

Two and a half hours until I can begin the endless collar.


I do love it, but am so eager to be working on something else. Every pattern on Ravelry looks better to me than this one does right now. I keep reminding myself that when I finish this, it will be my third adult garment that I've finished this year, fourth if you want to count the child sized Tomten.

That's not too shabby, 'eh? If you're wondering what I'm up to for the next few days, I'll be knitting this vest...because I LIKE to knit.

Is Resistance Futile?

I had a major case of startitis this weekend.  I have been diligently working through my list of UFOs and want to cast on something new.  To be fair, I've knit a couple of small little projects in the past couple of weeks.  I've made two cowls and two hats, but those don't really count, do they?  They were fun little knits that didn't really hold much allure.  They were almost cast off as soon as they were cast on.

My friend Kim came over to knit on Saturday, and having spent Friday in my new Philosopher's Wool sweater, I felt pretty darn good about myself, and thought I'd reward myself with a new sweater. But I don't have my swatch knit for the one I think I can finish quickly.  I do have swatches done for two other sweaters. (Ignore the fact that both sweaters will be knit from the same yarn. . .and that I only have enough to make one sweater from that quantity of yarn. . .those details aren't really important.)  Kim had the perfect social knitting project with her.  A simple 1x1 ribbed scarf made with self striping yarn.  Enough interest in the color changes, but simple enough to talk and watch movies while knitting.  I needed such a project.  Since I STILL can't find my elusive skein of sock yarn, I thought maybe I'd cast on a new pair.  (rejected because in spite of how quickly I knit, they are not quick projects and would be bound to be a new UFO)  I thought I might cast on a Jacobus Monkey (also rejected because I don't know what color to knit, and I'd have to wind sock yarn) I thought I might knit a hat for my uncle (rejected because I need to find a pattern, and I'm not actually sure he'll wear it)  Maybe that sweater out of the Greenfield Village yarn?  (rejected because of the no swatching issue stated above)  I downloaded a couple of new patterns from Ravelry, and began to pick out the yarn to knit some significant garter stitch wraps (rejected because I have the good sense not to start a massive undertaking without support, and Jennie says she can't KAL until much later this year)  I thought about a bog jacket and began to plan colors (rejected because my pattern is at my aunt's house)  With a sigh, I grabbed my basket with the Cloud Chaser Vest I started last year some time.  I'd already knit the back and most of the right front.  This surely wouldn't take long, would it?

Let's just say that I hate UFOs.  They suck the life out of you.  I knit all day Saturday, and a few hours on Sunday.  I've got the right front done, and am only eight repeats and some ribbing from finishing the left.  To be fair, it's a lot of knitting on size 4 needles, and I added a significant amount of length to the fronts to account for how I think it should drape and my very tall frame.  Matlie was getting row by row updates all weekend. . .I think she'll tell you I'm at around 74 rows remaining to the fronts (but seriously, who's counting?)  This all sounds well and good, but take a look at that pattern on Ravelry.  Have you seen the collar?  I'm in knitting Purgatory.

When I was out on Sunday, I almost succumbed to the lure of new sock yarn.  I had two really pretty skeins in my hands and was ready to check out. . .and then I put them back.

I did not cast on anything new.

I kept on knitting on my UFO, but it's still a long way from being finished.  I think maybe I'll reward myself with some swatching and a new sweater when it's done, but then I think about my Lloie's cardigan that is waiting for me.  I'll probably be complaining about that in a few weeks, and skipping the new sweater.   I'm imagining the freedom that must come to those knitters who are monogamous to one project at a time.  The idea I could cast on anything I wanted without guilt and forget about the shame that comes with knowing I have so many projects I love that sit unfinished.  I think I may want to be that knitter.  So for now I'm doing my penance.  I'll keep working on these long forgotten loves.

But today?  I couldn't take it.  I only knit two rows.  Not really enough to call progress, but still a teeny bit of forward momentum.  And then I sat down and my sewing machine and made myself a pair of pants.  Take that.  A new project cut out, sewn and ready to wear to school tomorrow if I want.  A balm for my startitis, and a useful way to work through that fabric stash that I typically pretend I don't have since it fits inside the closet so neatly.  I almost walked away from them when the elastic wasn't the right length, thinking I could fix them later. . .but then I got out my seam ripper and made them perfect.  

I think I may be turning over a new leaf.