NaNo 2007

It's official - I'm done.

The story isn't finished and I probably have a million typos and inconsistencies (John became James etc) but for the moment, I'm done.

Official wordcount: 50,326 words.

Surprisingly enough, the words the end were not among them

NaNoWriMo

The end is in sight.

So little time (13.5 hours) and so many words to go...

Presents! (both the giving & receiving)

My Ravelry Scarf Exchange swap is complete.

First, the giving:


I would love to take the high adult road and claim that giving is better tahn receiving, but I just can't. The receiving:



Eat your heart out ladies, that is a malabrigo scarf I have there.

quick update

I am knitting the 16th square of a mini-Learn to Knit Afghan for the December Afghans for Afghans newborn drive. I'm trying desperately to use up the Lamb's Pride in my stash. I love the colors of this yarn and I really like feel of the fabric it knits up into, but I can't can't can't stand the mohair. Especially the shedding mohair. Everywhere.

I just keep telling myself that there is no place like a mohair-free home.

two posts in one day?

Just finished today's writing and my new word count is: 11,704. Casualty count?

• 1 ruined Halloween courtesy of the aftereffects of a hurricane
• 10 frightened children
• 1 frightened, threatened protagonist
• 1 murder victim
• 1 Elvis impersonator assaulted (by said protagonist)
• 1 child in pirate costume made fun of (by other children) for his too dignified monocle
• several pounds of halloween candy drowned in rain water (I'm not sure how many unhappy children that converts into, however)

On the knitting front, I have completed my Ravelry Scarf Exchagne Scarf. I just have to block it. (No pictures until I mail off the scarf and assorted goodies)

NaPoBogMo vs NaNoWriMo vs NaKniSweMo

Boy am I glad I didn't sign up for two out of the three - I can barely keep up with the one I did sign up for. Besides, who do I think I'd be kidding if I said I was going to blog everyday for a month? Knit a sweater in a month? Hah! (Knit a blanket square everyday for a month, maybe...hey, there's an idea NaBlanKnitMo, anyone? Who's with me?)

Anyway, I am participating in NaNoWriMo or the National Novel Writing Month. This is my third time, and if I hit the 50k mark, it will be my second "win." In an effort to keep myself honest, I am embedding a progress meter here. Let's see if it works

somebody stop me!

I have yet to block & assemble my learn to knit afghan, in fact, I have yet to stop making squares.

Initially I aded one square (the hounds-tooth check from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker) to the 63 in the book so that I could have an 8x8 afghan instead of a 7x9. Never one to leave well enough alone I have knit another 8 squares bringing the total up to 72 squares for an 8x9 afghan. If I don't move on to the next step soon, it will become a 9x9 and then a 9x10 or even a 10x10 afghan. I only have a queen sized bed!

I just can't seem to get out of the blanket/afghan/throw rut, however. Why I can't commit to a sweater right now is anyone's guess. Argh.

Pictures of the last 20 or so squares to come, hopefully later today.

Farmhouse Yarns

aka Stash Enhancement

Jenn, Sami, and I ventured out into the wilds of Connecticut and went to Farmhouse Yarns for her "fill-a-bag" sale. It was something alright. I originally planned to buy nothing (yes, feel free to laugh here - can you imagine me leaving a yarn sale empty-handed? Apparently neither could I) having just come along for the ride. Yup.

But, I didn't do too badly - the three of us split a bag ($159 for all the yarn you can shove in a bag and shove is the operative word here) and I came home with 6 skeins of yarn. By my standards that's practically nothing, anyway.

The loot:

• 2 skeins Bessie (mohair/wool)in Rainforest
• 2 skeins Bessie (mohair/wool)in Wine Rose
• 2 skeins Andy (100% merino wool)in Violet

Visually:

*Yes, there is a skein missing - one of the violet skeins is already on its way to becoming a pair of fuzzy feet slippers for me. It's getting cold here and felted slippers seem like a perfect use for this yarn*

IN which I admit to being Monkish and prehaps a lousy person

So, as most of my S'n'B friends can tell you I do a lot of charity knitting. A. LOT. OF. CHARITY. KNITTING. In fact, outside of a few things I have knit for my mother, my cousin, and my blanket (nope, still not blocked nor sewn up but the knitting? Yup, still finished) just about everything I have knit since starting again has been for charity. Since February of 2006 (when I began again) I think the list of recipients is as follows:

• Warm Up America
• Dulaan Project - both 2006 & 2007 deliveries
• Afghans for Afghans
• Blanket of Hope
• Gracious Parcels
• Red scarf Project
• Warm Woolies
• Caps to the Capitol
• The Snuggles Project

I'm sure there are others, but these are all I can come up with at the moment.

Why am I reciting this? It's not to feel like a good person or lay all this out so that other people can tell me what I good person I am. I am laying this all out because I have come to a place I never thought I'd be - sick and tired of helping other people.

Does this make me a bad person? I got an email from the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation about needing even more stuff and I deleted it unopened. I did the same thing to an email I got from Afghans for Afghans recently. I just feel good-works out, if that made any sense.

But that is not the sick (ill, not gross)part of the story - Even though the thought of more charity knitting right now hurts my brain, I have a nearly overwhelming compulsion to knit for whatever cause comes along. There is a pleading voice inside my head that whines on about how much need there is in the world...

So, I decided to rob Peter to donate to Paul. Does that make sense? Here is what I mean. I have a box designated for Warm Woolies. I was originally going to send them 25 items but somehow it has grown (yes, Virignia, knitwear really can multiply) to 34 items. Not happy with 34* I was going to add some more before mailing. For anyone else knitting for Warm Woolies, I earmark my things for the Rosebud Reservation. But then I got the email from Pine Ridge reservation and teh thought of cold women & children who are also victims of domestic violence set that voice a-chattering. It told me to knit, knit, knit wile my wrists beg me not to.

Now the real question: Is it ok for me to take out items from the Warm Woolies box (leaving the 25 I originally decided to send) and put the remaining 8 items into a box for Pine Ridge?

Am I a bad person for leaving people cold on one reservation while warming people up on another?

*To explain the Monkish tendencies, I like even numbers over odd numbers (except multiples of 5) but multiples of 10 are nearly perfect numbers. So, having 34 items needles at me to become 35 items and 8 items puches to be 10. But 35 and 8 are better than 33 and 7. Argh.

ravelry!

I got my ravelry invite this morning and have been on it pretty much ever since. I have several projects up, but I am not looking forward to adding my stash. Perhaps I'll just wait until after tonight's swap.

Webs!

We took a stitch 'n' bitch field trip to Webs on Saturday! I have never seen so much yarn in one place before. It was an experience - I have felt overwhelmed (by a location) only once before and that was in Las Vegas. Las Vegas (or the strip anyway) both fascinated and disgusted me, and that says something given that I am from New York. Anyway, I almost left Webs empty-handed, but ultimately bought a few things:

• 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Shepherd worsted in Rainbow colorway; purchased to make an EZ baby surprise jacket/sweater for Miss Izzy
• 2 skeins of Malabrigo worsted in Cuarzo colorway; purchased to make a scarf/purse combination for Miss Mikaela (even I know you can't make presents for one sibling without having presents for the other sibling)
• 2 skeins of Valley Amherst (Webs' house brand) in black and 2 skeins of Valley Rainbow in plum colorway; purchased to make a felted stained glass purse for me.

Pictures to come - I've already cast on for the purse, the sweater will come next. I haven't yet figured out what scarf I'm going to make for Mikaela. I'm thinking I may do the Branching Out scarf from knitty but I have some other thoughts. I'm not really in any hurry - Miss Mikaela's birthday isn't until December, and Miss Izzy's birthday comes around in January.

Oh, and before I forget: I am down to my last 5 squares...

light at the end of the knitting tunnel

I still have to take pictures of my latest knitting adventures (ha!) but I am very happy to report that I have only 6 squares left to knit.

The end is in sight! (The first person to remind me about the washing/blocking/assembling portions of the blanket gets a punch in the nose.)

Also, I just wanted to thank my friends at the New Haven S'n'B for making my birthday such a nice day yesterday. I especially want to thank Heidi for the cupcakes, Sami for the wallet, and Suzy for the flowers.

Pictures to come.

Squares, part 2

Square 51: Variation Cables in Bottle Green
Square 52: Single-Stranded Lace in Violet
There are another 3 squares, but I have yet to photograph them

Next up: pictures of my Warm Woolies donations (aka impossibly small sweaters, vests socks etc)

squares!

Square 46: Bobble and Leaf in PeacockSquare 47: Houndstooth Check in That's Purple & Aran
Square 48: Willow Bud Tree in Aran
Square 49: Serpentine Cables in Navy
Square 50: Inchworm in Bottle Green & Aran

Bet you thought you could escape...

re-enlisting in Stashalong 2007

I am reupping for another three months with option 1 - no new yarn unless I absolutely need it for a particular project that cannot [in any way, shape or form] be satisfied by my stash knitting.

My commitment: No new yarn purchases (excepting free days) from June 13, 2007 through September 13, 2007.

Pictures and more details to follow...

Seven random things

Heidi tagged me and I have been too long in answering. So, here goes.

1. I am left handed but knit, use a computer mouse, and I'm sure I do many other things right handed. Have you ever tried to cut paper with a one of the left handed scissors they used to give left-handed kids?

2. I love to cook and bake.

3. I wrote a novel during NaNoWriMo 2004. Please don't ask me anything about it - I haven't looked at it since November 2004 - writing an entire novel in 30 days made me really sick & tired of it.

4. I am an equal opportunity caffeine abuser - coffee, tea, mate, chocolate.

5. I love opera, but the best live musical performance I ever saw (aka had the most fun at) was an Alice Cooper concert. (I did go to the concert with the same friend I sometimes go to the opera with - at least I'm not alone in my nuttiness)

6. I love movies of all different kinds, especially classics and movies so bad they're great (Conan the Barbarian for example.)

7. There is a strange collection of foods I don't eat - avocado, mushrooms, organ meats etc. I'm not sure they have anything in common other than the fact that I don't eat them. I'll cook them for you though, but I warn you - I'll only be guessing the right way to make them.

more squares

Square 42: Tilting Trellis in AranSquare 43: Cabled Lattice in Violet
Square 44: Faggoting (yes, it is a knitting term) and Fancy Rib in Royal Purple, unblocked
Square 45: Vine Leaf Panel in Palm Green

knitpics!

Square 37: Wrung Rib cable in That's PurpleSquare 38: Four-Rib Braid and Open Cables in Peacock
Square 39: Leaning Stripes in Bottle Green & Palm Green
Square 40: Twisted Panels in That's Blue
Square 41: Ripple in Aran & Burgundy

LTKA update

45 squares are now done!

I have made/am making a few changes to the plan:

• Substitutions:


• Book: Assorted Mock Cables to be replaced by Serpentine Cables
• Book: Trinity Stitch to be replaced by Saxon Braid/Celtic Cable


• Additional Square - I will be adding one square, a multicolored Houndstooth Check

Pictures of the completed squares (not in any order) to come

baby knitting

I have a box (no pictures - is seeing a taped cardboard box blogworthy? Just take my word for the box) with 30 knitted items for the Dulaan project. I originally signed up for the "Dulaan 10,000 or Bust" drive - which obligated me to knit five items. I knit 50 total (the first 20 went out in a box back in January) which I think means that I can leave Dulaan alone until 2008.

But, I came across another site, Warm Woolies (just google them, linking is beyond me at the moment) that is collecting warm clothing for children in orphanages etc. I have two baby sweaters for them so far, and another two toddler/small child sweaters on the needles. They seem impossibly small to me:

Above: a sweater made from lamb's Pride bulky in Aztec Turquoise & Brite Blue
Above: 12 month size sweater made from Bear Creek (super bulky) in Bubblegum

knitting update

Pictures to come, but I have completed another three squares and some quick (but sweet & unbelievably tiny) charity knitting.

Still soldiering on with the blanket...

LTKA to date

no new knitting - my wrists are beginning to bother me, so less knitting for me :(

the first 36:

square 35 & 36

Square 35: Arches in Navy


Square 36: Arrowhead Mesh (unblocked) in Peacock

squares 33 & 34

Square 33: Bias Stripe in Aran & That's Blue

Square 34: Lacing Cable in That's Purple

halfway through! (in pictures, even)

Square 30 (#54) :Seafoam in Aran & Navy

Square 31 (#28): Twining Rib in Royal Purple

Square 32 (#34): Double Cables in Burgundy


In completing 32 squares, I am officially over he halfway hump of the blanket.

knitting news

pictures to follow, but I finished 3 squares this weekend, bringing my total up to 32. That means that I am halfway through.

I thought it might just get put away until next winter, but we had snow today - anything goes, I suppose.

LTKA and charity squares knitting

Square 28 (#26): Twisted Columns in peacock & navy:


Two charity projects, all (not surprisingly) squares or rectangles, anyway:

Gracious Parcels: 2 squares (now 4 courtesy of being a slug yesterday evening):

Blanket of Hope: 5 squares/rectangles/strips:

squares!

Yes, I know this is getting monotonous, but bear with me. I really want to get through this blanket.

Square 26 (#24 in the book): Cottage Check in aran & peacock
Square 27 (#25 in book) - The Wave, in that's purple:

finally, a new square

Ok, so my blanket is creeping along - I now have completed 25 squares. I also surprised myself by doing a few squares out of order (OCD much?) but have gone back to trying to finish them in order.

So my 25th square, which is square #23, the honeycomb in navy & that's blue:

new squares

Square 33: Simple cables with moss stitch, in peacock

Square 21: florentine Frieze in aran & royal purple

Square 30: Twisted lattice in aran

squares

Square 19: Instant Plaid in burgundy & royal purple
20. Scale quilting in bottle green & palm green (cascade 220)
22. Diagonal Weave in aran & navy

No, there is no mistake here, I skipped square 21, "Florentine frieze" because I need to concentrate on that square and could not do that during stitch 'n' bitch.

stash enhancement

First, the spoils on the Superbowl XLI sale:

1 skein Naturally Nazareth wool in summer
1 skein Eco Wool in red
2 skeins Eco Wool in silver grey
2 skeins Cascade 220 in Hyacinth Purple
1 skein Cascade 220 in Dark Plum

pics to follow

Ok, more squares to show. I am now officially one-third done knitting the Learn to Knit afghan!!!

I have finished 21 squares. Suddenly this project feels less-than never-ending. Unfortunately, I have made zero progress on my other quilt. Must get back on that soon.

Confession time:

I bought yarn on Sunday - ok, it was my stash enhancement day, but I bought yarn I don't even know what I am going to do with. Yarn Garden had a superbowl sale with all yarns priced at 41% off. How can you pass that up? So, I bought three skeins of eco wool and some cascade 220 (5 skeins.) I got to the register, and all that yarn cost me $53.00. I almost bought more. I didn't because we were headed to Yarn Barn afterwards. I ultimately didn't buy anything there - not for any attack of conscience or responsibility but because the sale was disorganized, the store was a zoo, and the line was at least 40 people long. So, I got away with yarn and no strike on the stashalong, but ever since (yes, it's only Tuesday) I have been thinking yarn. Buying yarn, stocking up on yarn...projects for the eco wool - realizing that I should have purchased more eco wool etc. Oh, I can feel a strike coming on. Damn.

more family pics!

Ok, get ready for more cute baby photos (the antidote to today's unpleasant weather)

1. Mom & baby:
2. The sisters:

Baby love. Have a great weekend!

squares 17 & 18

I know, I know what a surprise - I'm posting knitting & squares.

Square 17: Woven Tweed, colors: Aran & Bottle Green


Square 18: Hexagons, Colors: Aran & That's Purple

square 16

Square 16: Double Scroll, knit with Navy & That's Blue. I'm not really sure I like this square, but after the silly mistakes in the last few (which I just left in - what better way to announce this is handmade? That's my story & I'm sticking to it.)


So, this square brings the total to 16 (yes, that is 16 down and 47 to go...):

It is more colorful than I was imagining, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. But I'll worry about that later. It's not as though I think I'll run out of yarn anytime soon.

But, finishing square 16 also means that I have completed two sections of the afghan (knit/purl combinations & mosaic patterns).

Section 1: Knit & Purl Combinations:

Section 2: Mosaic Patterns