Numbers

I have been working on Betty Boop's blanket - every day.


I figured out how long it takes to knit a row - and it isn't encouraging.

It takes about 45 minutes for two rows.
There are 12 rows in each of the colored sections.
So this picture is 108 rows or 2, 430 minutes (approximately 40 hours) of knitting.
I did the math TWICE. God, that can't be right. I realize there are
277 stitches in each row. But REALLY!!! Even if I get faster
(which I am because I don't have to check the patterning as much
and I realize my mistakes almost immediately.
Let's say I can knit a row in 15 minutes. Which would be really fast
( I think 2 stitches a second - if I did the math right)
(and I am NOT that fast).
It would still mean that I would have to knit for....
whatever that would be!!
Which would mean that I only have about a
bajillion rows left to knit.

Really - that is my estimate - since it takes 28 BALLS of YARN!!
yeah - @* #!))&.

I have knit about 7 balls so far.

I realized today that I will HAVE to have a second project on the needles at all times.

Otherwise I will go completely bananas.

I love knitting my socks too much. I haven't knit a sock from
MY OWN SOCK GROUP in about two months.

That isn't good.

They are EASY SOCKS for goodness sake!

I want to make my little Hedgehogs.

I want to make a sweater.

I cannot knit ONLY this blanket for the next three or four months
(and I am being generous when I say it will only take that long
- I am SURE it is going to take longer than that).

I want to learn to spin too
(although that is a disaster that I am not anxious to re-visit).

Ok - so I had a little meltdown there.
Just a small one.
I am ok now.

Really.

Now - I plan on always having some socks on the needles.
Like I say,
I love knitting socks too much.

I also am going to have a 'car' project.
You see, it is like this. I have to drive to work - in order to miss traffic,
I have to leave by a certain time. If I leave on time, it takes me
20 minutes to get to work. If I leave 10 minutes later, it takes me
1 hour to get to work. So - I can either get to work 40 minutes early
or get there RIGHT ON TIME (BARELY) and sit in traffic.

I choose to leave a little earlier.

Then I can sit in my car and knit for 40 minutes before work!

The Big Texan suggested I keep a 'car project' going. Something small and fun that I ONLY work on in the mornings before work. I REALLY like this idea. So - I think I am going to make a scarf that I have wanted to make for a while. I don't need it till next winter and it won't be too bulky. Once I finish that - I can do a cotton tank or something else.

Now, since I don't want to commit to anything too big, or complicated, but I do have other projects that I want to make, I will begin something else.

This was very difficult for me. I was REALLY just going to
knit on Boop's blanket until it was done.
But then knitting wasn't fun anymore!!
I cannot FORCE myself to knit. I LOVE to knit.
And I want to put LOVE in her blanket.
If I do three or four rows a day
(which is a LOT of knitting ~an hour and a half!!)
- then I am happy.

I just don't know if it will be the Hedgehogs, a sweater, or a bag. Any ideas?

I think I have hurt myself thinking about all these numbers.

My Sockret Pal package came on Saturday!! YEAH!!!
I wonder what is inside???




I just love how pretty it is packaged!!

Let's see...



OH MY - SPINNING things!!! A book on how to spin, some roving (dyed and undyed - and absolutely LOVERLY), a spindle, the latest Knit Mag, and a Yarn Requirements guide (that I have toyed with buying for ages and just wouldn't do it).
Thank you! Thank you! Thank YOU!!
This is lovely - beautiful and soft stuff!

I tried spinning a little today -but it was a disaster!!! I will try again (if I can muster the courage).
Thank you for the encouragement!!
Lise

Knit Fix

"Last night I did something that I NEVER thought
I would be able to do. "

Those are the words I emailed to my friend the other night.

I was soo excited that I could hardly go to sleep.

I did a knit fix without frogging.

Ok - I know it doesn't seem like that big a deal, but wait - check this out.

I was working on Betty Boop's blanket & realized that
I had a problem.

Here was my problem.

Do you see the way it swerves off to the left? - that is NOT right.

First I cursed the knitting gods and was ready to toss the whole thing back into the "never touch" pile (of which it is the only member)

and I realized that Boop had been watching me the last few nights as I worked on the blanket with a little smile on her face
that said "my mom really loves me, that blanket is for me."

Well, I realized that I COULD NOT toss it back into oblivion,
I had to do fix the problem.

I wanted to call the Knitting Fairy and get her to fix it for me, but it was 9pm and I didn't want to bother anyone else with my stupidity.

I remembered a post by the Yarn Harlot about fixing a problem without frogging entire rows.

I thought
"Hmm - I bet I can do that. And if I fail, the worst that will happen
is I have to frog back NINE rows of
some ridiculous number of stitches,
which is my only other option anyway."

So in my mind, I would be no worse off than if I didn't try to fix it on my own.

I really don't know if you can follow the logic,
but it made sense to me.

So, I began...

I thought -
"Hmm, maybe some stitch markers would help
so that I don't loose track of where I am and
how many rows I have gone down.
Maybe a circular needle too - to stop myself
before I frog down further than I should"

So, I belatedly put those in too, and kept going...

OH MY GOSH!! WHAT HAVE I DONE????
Am I crazy???

I can't believe I have done this - how am I going to fix this,
and I put my stupid circular needle in ONE wrong stitch,
so I have to remember when I get to that stitch to
just slip it and not work it or I will mess up my rows.

Deep breath....
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
I think I can do this.

Ok - I will begin.
After a couple of rows, I stopped and looked to see how it was going...
Hmmm, Not too bad... It looks ok... but it looks a little tight,
I will have to find larger needles to work with...

I do that - got the right size needles and
go back to the beginning and begin again...

After a couple of rows, I stopped and looked again...

Hey - that actually looks correct. I can keep going...

So I continue on...

I am breathing a little easier, I am not so panicked. I am even a little zen-like...

Ok - not zen-like - but at least I am not ready to throw
the whole thing out of the window.
It is a little scary knitting it- it seems like there are
needles and pieces of yarn everywhere.
And with the darker yarn
the stitches are really hard to see.

- but I perservere...

And then -

I am done

I know it isn't perfect - I will have to tug at some of the stitches to make them look even and correct -
but I DID IT!!

I fixed it!

I could hardly go to sleep that night! I was soo excited.

I had jumped another knitting hurdle.

I had conquered another phobia.

The next day at work - I walked around with my secret...
I realized no one else knew that I had done something extraordinary.

Only my knitting friends would REALLY understand.

Per the Knitting Fairy, I promise to only use my powers for good.

Yarn Name

I have decided on a yarn name for the pretty skein. There were a LOT of cool choices.
Beginnings of a Sunset
Sherbet
Gerber Daisies
Strawberry Lemon Parfait
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila Sunset
Spring Tulips
Bahama Mama
Lava Flow
Summer Sunshine
Faerie Barf
Fairy Hangover
Texas Sunrise

But I finally decided on...

Summer Sunshine

I will have to do more dyeing now. I want to make more yarn and use
some of the great names that were suggested.

Dyeing Yarn (warning pic heavy post)

Dyeing yarn is soooo much fun!




I can't believe how much fun I had. Some friends came over on Saturday and we pulled out the KoolAde, the Easter Egg dye kits, and the tie dye kits and went to town. The picture is blurry, but you get the idea.






Everyone was busy trying to make something BEAUTIFUL!!




I must say by far my favorite is the Kool Ade - but only because I LOVE the smell. It is awesome to have yarn that smells like grape Kool Ade! We didn't really follow any major rules and just let ourselves go wild. Some of us forgot to 'set' the yarn with vineger, but we did it later. Some of us mixed Easter Egg colors with tie dye colors. Some people made self striping yarn (we hope), some made variagated and some made rich solids.



I think everyone went home with something beautiful. I know one friend went home and isn't happy with one of her skeins - but I think she had a 'picture' in her mind that she didn't match -because the yarn is beautiful. It is the one on the left end here. Isn't it yummy?



Here is a CrockPot O Yarn!



Here is what my kitchen looks like right now - I am still waiting for these to dry. I am too excited and love the yellow!! It is a beautiful yellow.


I am going to do this again. It was way too much fun. I was sitting in church this morning and thought "Oh, I didn't make any peach yarn! I need to figure out how to make peach yarn!" Then I realized I better pay attention because I was singing in the choir!

I did buy some roving and now I have to find someone who will help teach me to spin. I think I will LOVE spinning, if it is half as much fun as dyeing yarn! If nothing else - I will have new yarn to dye!! Wooo hoo!

Here is the hank that has already dried. I think it is as pretty as some of the yarns that I have bought!


(It has been suggested that this yarn needs a name. Who wants to help name it? Send me suggestions!)

I finished my socks for my Sockret Pal and I will be putting those in the mail this week. Anyone can join Sockret Pal or any other swap out there! There are so many wonderful swaps. I look forward to the reveal and hope my pal has liked everything that she has gotten.


I also did something else that I am VERY proud of...


Drum roll please........


I knit 7 rows on Betty Boop's afghan!! Yup - I said I would knit on nothing else (except my commitment knitting) and I have stuck to it!! I know 7 rows doesn't sound like much to you - but it takes 45 minutes to do a pattern row, and 25 minutes to do a plain row. So that was a LOT of knitting! I know now why I put it down.
But to see her face when I am working on it - is worth the price. She really likes that I am making it for her. She gives me a hug and tells me that she loves me. That is worth it right there.

I will post a progress photo after a few more rows - there just isn't a lot of difference yet.

Army Guy, Marine Man and Navy Nuke all have their first wedding anniversaries coming up soon. Army Guy and Marine Man is this month and Navy Nuke is in another month or so. We don't have a new SeaTot yet - but we expect him any time now.

The Big Texan is still making darning eggs, sock blockers, nostepinnes, and is branching out to shawl pins. I am glad he is enjoying his woodworking and that I get cool stuff from it!





Haiku

Some yarn is dry now.
But not what I want to knit
I will wait a day.


Here is the Yellow - it is really BRIGHT! I am calling it 'ButterCup'.



And here is the RED, I am calling it 'That's AMORE' on the advice of a brilliant gal!


Added:
And to The Big Texan - Yes, I will be your valentine.