March is now April

I know I’ve left you hanging with those burning questions. Will the shop on the way to the Cat Show in Middletown have it?Will our hero finish the hat before Midnight on March 31st?
I did not feel I could address them without photos to accompany my results.

Will the shop on the way to the Cat Show in Middletown have it?
No the Creative Fibers shop did not have Cascade Chunky Alpaca. I was forced to set aside the Chunky-Alpaca-Better-Bucket-Hat.
In it’s place I began the Drops Design 86-10 Headband in Alaska. I’ve knit this pattern before and had packed extra yarn just incase the shop did not have the stuff to finish the hat. I used Knit Picks Andean Silk and knit this while Nessa was busy doing her thing.

Will our hero finish the hat before Midnight on March 31st?

I have succeeded in completing the 5SKSO Challenge. I cast off the headband on Sunday March 30. Monday the 31st I wove in the ends and attached the button.

This brings us to today, already 8 days into April. I’ve been struggling to come up with an April Challenge. I had thought to set the goal of completing the ILV, but the urge to knit something in cotton for summer is too strong. I had thought to work on a secret Christmas gift, something small, requiring almost mass production. I’m being intentionally vague here. Perhaps the challenge should be, complete 20 Super Secret Projects by the end of April. Or perhaps I should be Challenge-less for the month of April. I’d rather not go without as it does give my knitting some direction. I think another mile challenge would be helpful in making room for the inevitable yarn purchase that will result from the April 27th trip to Webs. I could make the mile challenge a quarterly event. January, April, July, & October. That would be 4 miles from Stash in 2009.

The offical count, as of April 1st 2008 is 42.53 miles of yarn. I know it's a bit more because that doesn't count the Chinese yarn that I can't translate, or the Shetland yarns for the ILV. So it’s settled, the April Challenge will be knit a mile in the next 22 days. Can I do it? I did it in January, but I wasn't working the first 14 days of the month. Wish me luck!

Nessa Update

Wish us luck, today could be a big day for Nessa. I couldn’t sleep worring about how well she’ll do. Cross your fingers and hope that each judge makes Nessa
-Best Devon Rex
-Best Short-Hair Cat (honestly I’d be happy with a 1-10 here)
-Best All-Breed (same thing, a 1-10 means she’s one of the best 10 cats at the show!)

Now remember, she can get best DR, SH, AB 8 times over the next two days, once for each judge. That’s a lot of possibilities…send us positive vibes…

Also, I left my camera in Middletown so no pictures, but yes I did complete the 5SKSO Challenge in time. More on that latter. Now I'm off to prep.

When we left our hero

When we left our hero, she was staring down the infamous Governess and the lovely but deadly Chunky-Alpaca-Better-Bucket-Hat…time was running short and as it turns out so was the yarn.

Would she be able to complete the 5SKSO Challenge in time?

Would the Chunky Alpaca yarn last?

Would the Governess socks win, and convince Mychawd that they were meant for good, not evil?

The scene, 6am Thursday morning…The Boyfriend wanders unsuspectingly into the laundry room to find that during the night, the Pink Socks snuck out of the knitting bag and have sabotaged the furnace, there is no heat. Someone must meet the repairman thus giving the Governess socks an opportunity to work their magic on Mychawd while she waits for the heat to be fixed. A few short hours later they are completed.

Later that day…while knitting fast and furiously on the Better Bucket Hat in the hopes of meeting the deadline, the unthinkable happens. The Chunky Alpaca runs out. There isn’t enough to finish the hat. None of the local shops carry the yarn.

Will the shop on the way to the Cat Show in Middletown have it?
Will our hero finish the hat before Midnight on March 31st?

So much to do and so not much time

March has been the most challenging month thus far. The 5SKSO did not seem like that difficult of an undertaking. But that was before I considered the fact that Nessa was hijacking two of my weekends. First Devon Heaven and now, we’re off to another show in NY this weekend. I’ll be driving so no time for knitting. Although I have insisted that we make a detour along the way to Creative Fibers in Windsor CT. The original list for 5, one skein projects has been revised.


1. Stuffies, are nearing completion. I need to sew the pieces together, add a face & heart, and stuff.

2. Elefante has been replaced with A Better Bucket by Amy Swenson. I’m using Cascade’s chunky alpaca but think it might be a two skein project, more on that to come as I race against the clock to finish it in time.

3. Basic Cup Cozy, has been completed. It went so quick I knit two, one for the car and one for my knitting bag for when I’m at knitting group.

4. Bainbridge Scarf has been replaced by Cherry Garcia by Adrian Bizilia. The Seacoast Handpaint yarn really looks nice in this cable pattern. The Boyfriend was gracious enough to model my ‘neck tube’.

5. Fake Isle Hat also known as the Expectant hat was completed early on this month.


And of course, the socks are coming along. In a strange twist of fate, somehow after turning the heel they became much more tolerable. Perhaps it’s that I’m on the homerun stretch, perhaps it’s that I’ve adjusted to working such a small circumference, or perhaps I’ve memorized the irregular rib pattern so that it’s become mindless knitting. Either way, I’m looking forward to working on them. I’m not sure how tall to make them. It seems my commercial socks are 8” from the bottom of the heel to the top of the cuff. Also, should the cuff be a 1x1 rib or a seed stitch? I’m seeing the cuff as 4 or 5 rows, about ¾”, relatively small so seed stitch should be ok.

5 days to finish the socks and the bucket….

Your Stuffie is too small!

The 5SKSO Challenge is moving along. The miserable socks, which I’ve called the Governess after Henry James’ Turn the Screw, which I recently read, are proving to be a truly unpleasant experience. I feel like Mrs. Grose knowing that I have to just put up with the Governess and try to make the best of it, having as little interaction as possible, but doing what they say even if I don’t like it. This translates into knitting them for long intervals and following the pattern even if it doesn't make sense in the hopes that I’ll be able to have fewer meetings with them. Sock knitting is not something I enjoy.

After completing The Expectant Hat, I worked on my poncho for a bit. I love bulky yarns and size 9 needles. It just flies along, although I seem to have regressed to a 10 year old in my color choices. Pink, purple, and baby blue…go figure nothing in my wardrobe is that color, why on Earth would I think those would be perfect choices for me? It must’ve been the intoxication of being at WEBs.

I sewed up the Shell Tank. It’s very large! Surprisingly side and short. I’m hoping that drying it in the dryer will reduce the width and tighten the rib. 100% cotton never makes a good rib. There’s no elasticity in the fiber so why would it? Honestly, I do know better. I also cast on the Cherry Garcia neck tube.

Not on the list, for the 5SKSO Challenge but I think I’ll substitute it for the Bainbridge. I’m considering working the Starbucks cozy in the same yarn so that when I’m at the café, drinking my Chai Tea, my cup will match my neck…I can’t imagine anything more ludicrous. But “I am Ridiculous!” so it’s ok. -Thank you 30Rock.

The Stuffie took an evening to knit, which means it will take 3 weeks to sew. I just love to sew! It’s actually very cute and cuddly. I showed the Stuffie pieces to The Boyfriend, who professed that it was “entirely too small!” I was shocked and appalled at his obvious disdain for my work. How dare he!?! Afterall it’s a gift for HIS family! He should be grateful I’m being so thoughtful! Upon further discussion it was revealed that he thought the 13” stuffie parts would be assembled into a garment for the baby and was certain they would never fit. Silly Boyfriend, Stuffies are for hugging not for wearing!

Waiting...

The typical cat gestation is 63 days. Lexie is on day 66, so we've been watching her closely. While waiting I knit the Fake Isle Hat, which I'm calling The Expectant Hat.















I Really enjoyed the pattern and it looks beautiful. I doubled up on the black yarn which did hurt my hand. Why is it that anytime I use double strands my right hand hurts? Even on size 6 needles. Oh well, the hat is done and looks great! I love this pattern.

5SKSO Challenge

I've officially decided that the 5 -one skein projects will be...

• Stuffies by Ysolda Teague -most likely the kittie
• Elefante by Susan B. Anderson -I like the solid lime green, maybe left over tublence cable sweater yarn.
• Basic Cup Cozy by Janet Gallagher -Bulky yarns...
• Bainbridge Scarf by MintyFresh -Wool Day pink/blues/lavendar yarn
• Fake Isle Hat by Amy King -Christmas Noro Silk Garden and black Wool of the Andes

31...30...29...28....

I had thought that the adding a countdown until the end of the March Challenge was a good idea. But now every time I login I'm reminded of how the time is just ticking away. 31....30....29....28... I think it's too much pressure, perhaps the 5SKSO Challenge was a bit more than I can handle. I'll have a better idea after this weekend. So far the socks are going well. I decided to go with a 2x1x2x3 rib pattern. It the same pattern as the color pattern in the ILV so that frequency is imbedded in my subconscious. I've decided to make the ribbing on the top of the foot extend all the way around my arch so that it'll be snug on my foot. I have a few pairs of Smartwool socks that do this and it's a nice feeling.

In other news we're getting ready for Lexie to have kittens. She's due on Saturday!!!

Packing

So short a trip but so much to remember. I like many other pedigree cat enthusiasts am rushing to finish up the last minute packing as I prepare to embark on a whirlwind adventure in the city of the Indy 500. While their checklists involve things like litter pans, grooming wipes, cat food, and cats, mine looks something like, DK weight handspun wool for scarf, Bainbridge scarf pattern, size 2 needles, Wendy Knits generic toe up sock pattern, etc.

My partner in crime, the lovely seven month old, Nessa Rose. I’m not really worried about as I know our little star is well looked after by her mother. But as the two of us (Nessa and I) head into the world alone, I will need a dash of courage and a bit of luck, oh and some of my stash yarn as a security blanket to calm my nerves.

Challenge Yourself nearly complete

Time flies when it's straight garter stitch. I spent about four hours on Sunday sitting at the kitchen table, listening to SKK podcasts and sewing the Baby Girl Alpaca Soft Blanket squares together. I did however have the help of my two lovely assistance. With the sewing complete it's just a matter of picking up stitches for the boarders and doing 7 rows of garter stitch on each side. Last night I bound off the last stitches on the last side so I'll complete the February Challenge with time to spare. Assuming I can weave in those ends and block it before the month is over.

This brings me to thoughts of the March 5SKSO Challenge. I will be knitting 5 one SKein projects as well as attempting my first pair of SOcks. Hence the 5SKSO Challenge! I'm not so worried about 5 one skein projects. That's about 4 Saturdays and a Sunday but I have no idea how long socks take. I'm anxious to start and glad that there will be a quasi knit-along with the girls from the Webs trip as we all bought the same OnLine Pink Sock Yarn. Although the socks will be different sizes and patterns we'll all be doing socks.