What's Up?

So I was going to re-create this sweater.

I know! So cute. Admit it, you want one too!

But there is no actual pattern, just guidelines. Wasn't I recently moaning about the need to just sit and knit a pattern where someone else has done the math? I guess if the sweater is fabulous enough I'll pull out my calculator in the name of fashion. I needed a plan. I like having a plan, little directions I can check off as I acomplish each mini-goal.

My plan looked like this:

a) figure out the raglan shaping in a way that actually fits my body

b) re-create the puffed sleeves using the just vague enough to be specific instructions

c) steek my sweater without it falling apart

d) dye the finished sweater any color besides cream without felting finished sweater (because the idea of me wearing a delicate cream colored sweater is laughable).

e) find buttons for yet another cardigan

Let's see how I'm doing

a) raglan shape

Check!

b) recreate sleeve puff

Check!

c) Cut scary steek

Check! (Yes, I cut the steeks before I knit the sleeves, but it doesn't matter. The plan was a guideline, not a royal edict.)

d) dye but don't felt

Check! and Check! (because I had to dye it twice) (And you didn't think I was going to show everything before the final unveiling did you? Geesh. A girl's gotta keep some secrets.)

e) Operation Closure

Not yet. Although I'm kinda grooving on the star buttons. Shame they're the wrong size and color.

Dang it! When will I learn and stop knitting cardigans? Buttons are the bane of my existence.

In the mean time, while the search for buttons continues, I'm knitting another puffed sleeve sweater

For Bird.

Cause she wanted one "just like Mommy's."

Makes your heart melt just a little bit doesn't it.

Presenting Eleanor

Wanna meet my new Bestie? This is Eleanor.

Isn't she pretty?

Knit from Vanna's Choice on size 6 Harmony needles, she's made of good strong stuff.

She's a sweet little thing with a big heart. She uses it love her handsome husband

Lt. Dangle. (yes, I know all about that other Lt. Dangle. It's unfortunate isn't it)

They're in love.

And I'm in love. We have so much in common. We're both a little rough. We're both made from strong stuff. We're both married to Leos (Law Enforcement Officers). But the best part?

Eleanor knits!

In Memorium

Well, today's the day.

The three year anniversary of my Mother's Death.

I don't feel like talking about it, but it is all I think about. All I've thought about for the better part of a month.

I'll be glad when today is over.

Grieving is a strange and almost cruel process. Sure you move through the five stages, but then you backtrack. I appear to be back in the "anger" stage of grief. And it is starting to feel like a permanent state of being than a passing stage.

And I'm not angry like the "anger" stage of grief would suggest I should be angry.

I'm not angry at my Mom.

I'm not angry at God.

I'm not angry my Mother died.

I'm just angry. At everything.

I'm tired of being angry and yelling all the time.

I bet my kids are tired of it too.

The Greatest just hugs me when I yell.

Sometimes he really is The Greatest.

I miss my Mom.

Kicking my Butt in Gear

I didn't re-block the brown sweater but I did start soaking it.

That counts as doing something right?

I do deserve a little credit. I DID frog the socks.

Instead of saying "Screw it all" and casting on a hat I decided to keep working with the sock yarn. I cast on for a 56 stitch plain stockinette sock.

I love how the yarn is looking knit on 56 stitches verses 64 stitches. All those little nice little knit stitches so neatly lined up one after another.

Man it was boring.

After some Raveling I decided to keep with my Creature Feature sock theme and cast on for Nagini(sorry Ravelry link). Cause what's scarier than a giant snake?

The yarn is looking pretty sweet on 72 stitches. This pattern appears to have some sizing issues. It's knit on 72 stitches and people are surprised it runs big? Luckily my feet run big so we'll see how it goes. I need to get some more pattern repeats before I can try it on. *fingers crossed* If it doesn't work out? *shrug* I'm learning to love the frog pond.

And to appease the Grandpa here's some cute I call "Fun with Play dough"

Even the baby got in on the action.

And this just gives new meaning to "Four Eyes."

The Crappy Crafter

This is what I feel like lately.

I'm in a funk of sorts. Maybe because it's April. Maybe because it's Easter. Maybe because I really want to go swimming and it is still too cold to go. Maybe it's because the weather is changing and my knee hurts.

Nothing I'm doing is turning out and I'm in a funk.

The brown sweater still needs re-blocked from the disastrous blocking of 2009.

In addition to the other previously documented issues I stretched it within an inch of its life according to the schematic only to discover the schematic is WRONG and makes the sweater entirely too long. I'm so hoping I can scrunch it back up into cuteness again.

The striped sweater?

Remember when I said I thought the shoulder caps looks a little narrow?

They are.

I don't even know what to do. There are so many things I hate about this sweater I don't know where to begin. It really deserves its own FO report.

The whole affair is disheartening.

My White-for-the-moment raglan was cruising along until I hit the sleeves.



They actually look pretty cool in the picture. But in real life? Not so much. A little too long, and there's an obvious line where I switched needle size. I also don't think I needed to decrease the sleeve at all at the top. I need to rip and re-knit.

Disheartening.

I tried knitting a sock just to take a breather.

>

Loving the pattern. It is described as knitting sorbet, palate cleansing. And it is. But I'm hating the way the yarn is knitting up. It looks better in the picture than it does in real life. And upon further reflection I've decided it doesn't look all that good in the picture. I will frog.

Disheartening.

So I turned from knitting to sewing. I finished sewing my prototype skirt according to the pattern directions, which included a machine sewn hem. I never sew machine sewn hems.

And now I remember why I never sew machine sewn hems. Why on earth did I do that. I know better. I KNOW hand sewn hems are easy and look so much better. Now I need to rip and re-sew or I will never wear it.

Disheartening.

So I turned to the smocking tutorial. Just a tiny scrap of fabric. The directions are flawless. An hour or so and I should have an easy win to cheer my mournful inner crafter.

Not so much. I think my upper threads are too loose and my bottom threads are too tight. This takes finesse and practice. Of course I didn't get it right on the first try. This was fine and I just need to fiddle with it some more. But I really needed an easy win not just a "fine".

I'm in a funk. Life is not particularly easy right now. Don't misunderstand me. I have a great life. Just some parts are hard right now. I really need my hobbies to be easy. I want to just follow a pattern someone else wrote, let someone else do the math, and have it come out beautiful. I need an easy win.

I know.

I'm being childish.

It's time to put my big girl panties on and fix all this.

Or maybe I'll cast on a hat. Surely I can still knit a hat right?