Monday, February 13, 2012

sensing a theme

I must be feeling tropical. I've started two new projects. A Pure and Simple V-neck sweater

And a pair of plain vanilla socks in Fortissima Mexiko Color

Both look like a day at the beach. Both have spend significant time in the frog pond. The yarn for the sweater is abit slippy, so I've had to pick up dropped stitches several times. And knit, frog, reknit rows to make sure the increase rate is the same. When I finally got a real rhythm going I realized I'd knit about 12 rows to many. So tink away. Now the sleeves are on waste yarn and fingers crossed smooth knitting from here on. The socks were almost to the toe decrease when I couldn't convince myself any longer that they would be big enough to survive the wash and still fit. You know that feeling.. something "just fits" and you know in your heart of hearts that won't be enough for the long run. But I knit on anyway. Until finally with it snuggly on my foot I realized it wouldn't end well. So rip it. CO a few more stitches and I feel much more confident.

Monday, February 6, 2012

out of the box

Things that came out of boxes. First, the desk that came in a big flat box from Target.com
You can see it was put to work. Amazingly the extra chair from my dining room table looks perfect with it. I suspect its not ergonomically correct, but it looks good and for now that is enough.

Second, my kitchen table from Costco.com

We love it! I really liked the look of my pub height table, but it really is better to be able to sit at the table and not have your feet fall asleep. A local resale store bought the old one.

Finally, yarn out of the box. Well actually out of the bins that hold my stash. I've been feeling a certain lack of knitting mojo these days. I finished a small project for dd2. Did gauge swatches for a mystery sweater, a new ravelry KAL from sunfunliving. Nothing in my stash looked like it was going to work for the sweater, and I really need to knit from stash vs. knitting from the LYS. So I have been searching for a project. Yesterday during the Super Bowl I started a Pure and Simple Tee shirt out of Crystal Palace Waikiki. I got gauge. So I'm really hoping this is a good match.
It's a thick and thin yarn with brilliant shades of pink, purple and orange. It reminds me of a summer sunset or a rum punch.

I will revisit the mystery sweater in the spring when I return to MN. It won't be much of a mystery at that point, but I do like her designs and really want to make this sweater.

But for now, everything that I work on must come out of the boxes in my closet.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Can you see where this is going

Sock knitting. Gusset decrease. Netflix Midsummer Mysteries. Popcorn. Nice glass of pino grigio. One dropped stitch.