Azkaban Reopened

What do you mean, I haven't written lately? Neither has Shakespeare. Um. Yeah. So there.

First order of business: I've finished Sheherezade. Now it is off my plate, the agenda, and the sidebar! Looking at it, I think it could have had another border, but... feh! It's done. And I like it.

Second in line: the Peeps Bedsocks are finished! Knitting on it was like eating popcorn: a few stitches and--before you know it--the bowl is empty! Aren't they cute? Slightly goofy, I know, but sweet in their special way. As always, there was some yarn left over so I decided to make mirror booties with what's left. I've read about, heard about, and thought about a new technique: knitting two socks at a time on one circular needle. So I gave it a shot. I like it. This way, the socks have a chance to be nearly identical.

Lastly, Playtime at Azkaban has returned. I wasn't completely satisfied with 'em. They kept falling down--not really desirable in a pair of socks. I determined that the cuff was done in a twisted rib and that's not very stretchy, albeit pretty. That needed to be re-knit. But--and it's a big BUT--you can't just unknit ribbing from the top if it was knit top-down. It requires... surgery. That's right. Cutting. Warning: The following pictures may be too explicit for some knitters. To prep, I used Jasmin's advice: slip a smaller guage needle into all the stitches in a row.Then take a deep breath and (I know it's scary) CUT a stitch. Just one. From that stitch, pull out the following stitches all around that row. The needles in place should keep your beautiful work from unravelling. Now that you've got your work stable, you can work on your project peacefully. (And I am!)

Oooh, Have I Been a Busy Girl!

I've had burble-gut for a few days so I have been barred from the kitchen, but pretty much stuck at home. Just as well, all I get to eat is the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. What this means is... I've had more time to make stuff!

Playtime at Azkaban socks are finished. When I told Tiny they only took 2 1/2 months to complete, she was noticeably unimpressed. Phooey. My last socks took well over a year! So, if my count is correct, this is the 9th pair of socks I have made!I started a new pair. I'm calling these Soy Toys because that's what the fiber is: Soy! It's in our burgers and our paper--why not our socks? The fiber is a woven kind and it's worsted weight, so the sock will be thicker and pillowy. (10th pair)
The TV show, Fringe, was recommended and recommended to me, so finally I watched the pilot on Hulu last night. It's pretty darn good. I had avoided it because it sounded really violent--it seemed no more so than Battlestar Galactica and Heroes... And, while watching it, I got some work done on the final Red Thread panel. Isn't it shaping up to be cute? Okay, the snowlady doesn't have eyes or a mouth, but her nose is quite distinctive, don't you think?
I'm part of a group that holds me accountable for finishing up quilts and expects at least one every quarter. Well, I haven't done that this quarter so I thought I'd get back to Cielo. Remember, I pinned it and put it away? Okay, maybe you don't, but I did. I put it inside a cupcake box and tucked it away, all ready to go.

So yesterday I pulled it out and started to pin the edges. Then I took a gander. A really good look. Then I went away and came back. It was still wrinkled. Pretty badly wrinkled. I asked myself, "Do I want it done or do I want it done right?" Then I sighed, because I knew I had to iron the thing. I pulled out all the pins in half of it and wrestled it, by layers, onto the ironing board. (You non-quilters may not know this, but you can't just iron a quilt. It may have polyester in the batting or something equally unfriendly to heat.) Then I repinned and unpinned the other side and ironed. After this arduous exercise, arduous because it involved folding down my table to expose floor space and pinning on the floor then putting the table back up to pin the edges and support the quilt for ironing (twice over!), I was finally back where I had started. Minus the wrinkles. Mostly.

Oh, gimme a break. I'm looking for good. Perfect is reserved for the heavenlies.

So I was ready to quilt. Yay! I had a reasonably large spool of blue Guterman so I got to work. I got about halfway done and ran out of thread. Yes. Out. Reasonable isn't good enough. (sigh) So I went out this morning and got more. In the rain. Will this saga never end? (eyes closed, back of hand to forehead)

Azkaban Faces Closure

Playtime at Azkaban socks: I've been working on it during TV time--although I just couldn't stand to finish 10,000 BC-- so I'm about 3/4 of the way through the second sock. Yay! So Sock one: 100% + Sock two: 75% = 175%, divide that by 2, and I'm 88% done with the project. Not bad. Not bad at all. Ooh. After I took the picture, I measured sock two against sock one and found that I can now start the toe. A light at the end of the tunnel! Okay, if the tunnel is the sock and the finishing is the end, then the hoped-for result is dark at the end of the tunnel... so much for that analogy.

Cool movie for Christ-followers: One Solitary Life. It's only 3 minutes. I got a drink of water and sat back and enjoyed it. If you're not interested, it's okay. Really. Oh, no. I just realized I could have knit for those three minutes!

The Knittin' Rock

Trudge, trudge, trudge. Wait. It's near here. I know it. I can almost smell it. No, that's horse. But it's around here somewhere. It's got to be. Wait! Around that corner. There! I've heard of it, but there it really is! The Knittin' Rock! And look! There's knittin' on it. Look closer! Over there. Is that a handknit sock? It must be! It couldn't be anything else. Looks like the Playtime at Azkaban socks.
Oh, and the view is nice, too.

PS: I'm about halfway through the second sock! All that drive time was not wasted!

Double-yay!

Playtime at Azkaban has certainly charmed me. The Bellatrix pattern is moving quite fast--it's all those dropped yo's. And that whole wavy thing is cool. It certainly wouldn't show up with an all-over single color. Good thing I'm using IceHouse! And here's something weird: my hands are changing. They're harder, somehow. Perhaps the muscles I'm using are tightening up. Too bad I can't work up a good sweat and call it exercise, huh?

And I got to work on Warm Water Wash: it's finito! Yay! I love the feeling I get when finishing something. My breathing changes. I'm more relaxed. Yay! Ooh, that's a double-yay!

Book-wise: I just finished reading Beyond Stitch and Bitch. It's about finding peace, inner and outer, through your knitting. A very quick read. I had accidentally picked it up from Paperback Swap because I want all the Stitch and Bitch books. They're modern, upbeat, and full of interesting patterns.

Knit-Wit

Check out this cool sock. The pattern is called "Bellatrix," named for the evil psychotic witch in the Harry Potter series. (Okay, one of the evil psychotic witches.) I love that the designer choses "twisted rib" for the the cuff--how appropriate. And the dropped stitch pattern that looks like a bajillion mistakes. It looks like a psycho designed it: marvelously, madly evil! I'm calling the project "Playtime at Azkaban." That's the name of bedlam/prison that she escaped from.I've been on a major knitting jag. I think part of the deal is that it's portable: much more so than my super sewing machine, Molly. It's been so hot lately that being in a home without A/C is... a thing to be avoided. So I go out. Starbucks is nice. But less computer time that way.

Some cross-stitch is happening, but mostly knitting. I want to finish Tiny's knitted Christmas pressie, but ...Azkaban is calling...

Okay, who put the curse on my car? I mean it. Thursday, the engine light went on: $500 later, I managed a reasonable weekend, um, knitting. Then Monday morning, that blasted light went on again: this time it signaled a $1000 repair, which we'll skip for now. And now, the Man of the Place was driving it and got backed into by a kid in a parking lot! Add this to the two not-my-fault minor accidents earlier this year and I'm beginning to think this is deliberate. (Of course, it could be coordianated action by the Coalition to Get Desi Out of Her Old Car And into a Hybrid. Yeah, that's what it is. The boys from CGDOHOCAH.)

Oh, and my birthday's Friday! Yep. Twenty-two.... What? Zip it and wish me a happy birthday already!