Progress

I finished all the blocking for the Princess pulli - the fabric is so incredibly soft and wonderful. I'll definitely be using the yarn again. And I am almost finished with the zipper for Ribby. Now that it's spring I have two nice new winter sweaters. I did not plan this well at all. At least my Ariann will probably be finished in time for fall '08.

I broke down and got a subscription to Interweave Knits. I'm looking forward to it. I barely read the Self magazine that I subscribe to and I end up buying IK at the grocery store anyway.

I am loving the book that I'm reading, it's Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh. She wrote Mrs. Kimble which I read a few years ago and really enjoyed. I could actually concentrate on it while I was on the train this morning, which is rare.

Tonight is the last Lizard Ridge class. I finished a square and it looks pretty good. It's weird how the colors come together. There are mistakes - a couple of wraps that I didn't hide, and the night before last when I was working on it I got off track when I was counting, but it isn't apparent. I don't think I'll re-knit it. Hopefully I'll get better at recognizing the wrapped stitches when I'm on a purl side. Julie re-wrote the pattern to show exactly where to hide the wrapped stitches - I got a little careless towards the end.

I think I'm getting it...

Ariann, that is. I worked on her last night and I tell you, she is addictive. I'm at the eyelet rounds and the thing is just spectacular. I can't wait to get a little further. How can I be so tired at the end of the work day but when I get home and start knitting or reading I have this burst of energy and can't even think of sleeping. Okay, well, burst of energy doesn't describe it accurately. I get in a zone. Or something.

I think I finished the Princess sleeve on the bus this morning. I say "I think" because I started the last bindoff row on a purl side, and then realized that I should be on the knit side, but when I tinked back, I ended up with an extra stitch. So I ended up compensating, but unfortunately it looks like it. I really don't want to rip it back, but I will if I have to. The sleeves are making me a little nervous - I think they may be way too long. Good thing I have long arms, but they're loose sleeves, not the kind that you can push up. When I get home I'll set the sleeves out on top of each other and see how they match up. (I have so learned my lesson and will forevermore count stupid rows.) Then hopefully it'll be on to blocking and seaming.

I purchased The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques from an Amazon affiliate - it hasn't come yet, though. There's a lot more to finishing than what was covered in the finishing class, so I think it will be useful. I need to train myself to finish my projects before I start new ones and I'm hopeful that if I'm more confident about my finishing abilities this will happen.

It's Friday and I'm so very happy about that. The bus ride was nice and quick, and I listened to Lucy Kaplansky's Every Single Day, since I finished the Lemon Tree. I do love her music, and am pleased to see that she has a new album coming out. I'll have to add it to my IPod (how did I survive without it, anyway? People don't talk to you when you've got earphones in, thankfully).

It's nice and springy outside and my people are all in a good mood.

More Lizard Ridge

I had to rip back the little bit of Lizard Ridge I had knitted. Waaah. I'm just not seeing how I have to knit the wrapped stitches and it's making me crazy. I might work on it tonight or I might do a little bit of Ariann. I took A to the mall last night so I didn't get much knitting in - just enough to screw up my LR.

On the Princess front, I ran out of yarn on the bus and my sleeve is so close to being finished. I think I'll use one of the gauge swatches I knit up to finish and return the extra ball of Classic Elite Princess, which was a pure delight to knit with, soft and knit up into such a lovely fabric. I wonder why I've never heard anyone rave about this yarn. Hopefully the Recycled Lamb will let me exchange it for some more Kureyon for my Lizard Ridge, which I am determined to get off the ground.

Speaking of Kureyon, I must be the only person in the knit world who does not love this yarn. I'll freely admit that I'm making the LR because I'm a follower, not because I like the yarn. I think the colors are garish and it's scratchy. I am intrigued with it, though, and I like the Noro Shrug that I saw at the Lamb Shoppe and I would most definitely put that in the knitting queue.

I have not started a new book, but I'm finishing up the Lemon Tree audio book and it is completely knocking my socks off. Love love love it. It's making me think in a whole new way. I think I should have a new This American Life podcast to listen to. I loves me some Ira Glass and TAL.

I bought four tops at Ann Taylor - I need new shirts in a big way! Very cute, if I do say so myself. And on sale, too. I will add some pics later.

It is a lovely spring-like day, I can just barely see the ground starting to green up. I didn't even wear a coat today. Yay! Maybe spring is going to come after all...

The beginning...

I started this blog to keep track of my obsessions: knitting projects and books I've read. I have no expectations that anyone else will read this, so it's mainly a chance for me to document my thoughts and progress. Big important thoughts and musings.

Hopefully I can figure out the formatting of this so my posts won't look so stupid. I also have to take some pictures of my knitting and figure out how to add them to the blog.

I am inspired by The Bookish Girl, Mason-Dixon Knitting, Crazy Aunt Purl, January One (whose lovely post inspired me to undertake my own Ariann), and too many others to list. I am constant amazed at how many gifted writers are in blogland.

Like the rest of the knitterly world, I started Ariann last night in my beautiful Plymouth Galway Heather from Kpixie. I'm not quite finished with three other projects:

Ribby Cardi is just awaiting her zipper; Classic Elite Princess Pullover is awaiting her last sleeve (which is thisclose), blocking and sewing; and Third Eye Chullo from the fab Knit Wit is awaiting his eye. This is my sweet and patient husband's Valentine's Day gift. I'm nervous about the embroidery, but am very pleased at how it turned out.