update soon

Hi, I've not completely dropped off the face of the Earth. I have been knitting. I'll try to write a longer post (with pics) some day this week....

just another title-less blog post

See sleeve cap 1. It should be bigger, but I couldn't get a knittable seat on the bus this morning (smooshed in the last row between two other people, #48 of 49). My next knitting goal is to finish this on the ride home today (and at the salon while I wait to get my facial hair waxed off). After that I want to zoom through sleeve 2. If I'm going to re-knit the front, and I want to, I need to start it this weekend. All pieces need to be washed and blocked next Thursday night. Seaming and the crochet trim are going to take at least two days.

See wonderful package from KSKS pal extraordinnaire, Leah. Candy is not shown (although it's still uneaten) because we have to hide it from the B.

I've had a great day today. I've got a bit of anxiety about stuff that will remain undone while I am on my mini-vaca, but no one's going to die because of it.

A good friend of mine, she worked here with me for over 5 years, came in to visit. I haven't seen her in nearly a year. She left 18 months ago to buy a house and start a job closer to her family before she had her baby. She brought her son with her. Such a cutie pie. I have a meeting in about 20 minutes that won't be fun. Then I'm going home. See you all sometime next week.

I think the switch flipped

I'm in a much better place today. I'm not sure if it's the meds or maybe it was the awesome KSKS package I got from Leah, or knowing that I'm not along, but I'm not in the pit of despair anymore. I'm still taking the drugs and going to see the doctor. Rage lady must not reappear at my house. I don't know how moms without the resources I have handle these kinds of things.

Speaking of my KSKS package. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it. I left my camera at work last night and don't have pictures! I do want to know how my two year old knows that a box of jelly bellies is candy. If you go to Leah's blog and scroll down you can see the bag she made. It's the coolest! (And the inspiration for her blog redesign.)

I am still knitting; it's like therapy (and I know I'm the eight billionth person to say that). This is sleeve one as of yesterday:

And here it is this morning. My evening bus rides must be very productive, because I didn't knit during project runway last night (go Michael, note to Jeffrey, you're not going to win if it's always ugly beautiful. All the women want to wear Michael's stuff), and I've already got five of seven increases completed. I'm sure by the time I finish the last two, I'll be close to the sleeve cap. My goal is to have this sleeve done tomorrow so I can start sleeve two with any spare minutes on Saturday (travelling with a 2 is like preparing for scaling Everest and I need to pack).

black hole

I wanted to update you on the sleeve I started, but I'm swamped with work and starting to drown in my own whatever.

I sure wish those meds would kick back in (and I made an appointment with my psych).

I will leave you with some scribbles that help define the turn of events.

It’s a slippery slope
the slide is infinitesimal
All the while
I’m slipping further into the void
Thinking it’s still a sunny day
Until I feel the monster raging
She bursts through me
In screaming rages
Curses flying from her throat
Thoughts barely formed
In the calm
After the storm
I realize
I haven’t felt a smile
In weeks
Now that she’s wreaked havoc
I’m left with the knots
In my stomach and theirs
And constant tears
Burning my eyelids

(goes without saying (c) me forever and ever)

KSKS finished, but for mailing, and right front nearly done

It's a post of almost dones.

I finished my KSKS package. Now, I just need to write a note, box it up, and send it off to my swappee.

I'm almost done the right front for Jolie, too. That will be done this afternoon. I'm leaning toward ripping the front, but Hubby moved the gifting date to 8/27, giving me three fewer days. I'm going to knit the sleeves next and if I still have time, I'm going to re-knit the left front. See the pattern doesn't really line up all the way up the front with that boo boo I made, not that you can tell with these pics.

to rip or not to rip

So, not much knitting got done this weekend after Friday night. I went to bed early Saturday and Sunday, like right after B early.

But, I did finish the left front and cast on for the right front Friday and puttered a bit in the car yesterday (to church and the Yankee game). But, as I was checking the length of the right front to determine where to start the bust increases, I found a boo boo.

Tell me if you can see what it is:


I know my pics suck. I missed two rows in the second diamond repeat. My lunch group says to not worry about it, but I really think I need to rip it.

Friday, Friday, Friday, FRIDAY!!!

I love the Cure song, Friday I'm in Love. Too bad Hubby's going to the Yankee game with F-i-L tonight.

I will be home, finishing the KSKS tote I didn't touch last night (I figured an SUI was a bad idea, sewing after 2 glasses of wine at dinner, much harder to rip and re-work than if I were KUI), working feverishly on Jolie, and maybe some ice cream.

I'm having a bit of anxiety about Jolie. While working the bust increases on the left front, I discovered that I'd messed them up on the back. Gee maybe that's one reason it's short. Okay, no problem I adjusted. But, that meant I had to adjust the slope on the v-neck as well. Well, I'd already inadvertently adjusted (why go every 4th, then every 6th, and then the 3rd, and the every 6th and then every 8th?). Not sure I can completely recreate on the right front (hard to count rows with the slipped stitches, hence the inadvertent mods in the first place), but I'm sticking to every 4th to the armhole then every 6th until I'm down to the final count of stitches (unless of course that makes the armholes too deep).

I think Rowan unnecessarily complicates these things (other publishers may as well, but I've mostly done Rowan patterns).

On the B front, last night was too easy. He fussed a bit about not reading all eighty books, but settled down quickly (after some back and forth about which pillow he wanted). I got a tad frustrated with the pillow thing, but managed to stay calm, although the pillows might disagreed. Do pillows like to fly?

progress, on many fronts

It was a much better night putting B to bed last night. Well, he wasn't thrilled, but I kept my cool and he was asleep by 9. I guess I did a modified Ferber. I put him to bed, still screaming because I didn't read all 9 books he wanted. I checked in on him in 10 minutes. I gave him a hug, put him back to bed, and sang to him for a bit. He quieted down. Then after I'd settled on the couch with Jolie and Rockstar, he started back up again, crying for his Elmo pippers. So, I went back up and offered to put his slippers on. Of course, by then he wanted his blue pippers. I put them on, hugged him again and told him he needed to go to sleep. He cried for a bit, but not more than 15-20 minutes. Boy, that took a lot of patience. Thanks for your supportive comments, it's always good to hear from other people who've had the same experience.

I've made tons of progress on Jolie since I last blogged about her. The back was finished on Tuesday night and I cast on for the left front right away. I'm on the bust increases and have started the decreases for the v-neck (I'm a little bit further along that it looks here). I'd like to have it finished tomorrow, the left front that is, not the whole sweater. I'm aiming to be on Sleeve Island while we're on Wildwood Island in a week and a half. If I can finish the sleeves while we're on our mini-vaca, I'll have about a week to do the blocking, seaming, and crochet edging.

I've also made progress on my KSKS package. All shopping is done (although, I do need to follow-up on my download from WildHorse Farm), and I started the bag last night during Project Runway (must say I loved, loved, loved Michael's outfit and I'm so glad he won). I only have one strap to finish and the final assembly to do. I decided to just do a simple 12 x 12 tote with an interior pocket. I'm using my Amy Butler ginger bliss fabric. I should have enough left to make a second one. If I get it done tonight, there will be pics tomorrow. I sure hope I can get it out in the mail on Saturday.

a mother's struggle

My mom was a screamer. She'd let her frustrations and anger and resentment simmer until she exploded. It made me insecure and scared. I eventually learned that it wasn't me, but the way she handled things and if we got out of the way and let it blow over we'd be back to normal in no time.

I, of course, have continued this pattern. It doesn't bother me when it entails banged pots, slammed cupboards, and mutterings under my breath about people who can't through the junk mail in the garbage or who don't know that bussing the table means moving all of the dishes from the table. But, when I find I'm verbally exploding all over my two-year-old sweet B it's a problem.

We've been developing some frustrations chez Netter over the bedtime of the B. He wants to put it off as long as possible, I want him in bed by eight and quiet by 8:30 so it's not a problem when I have to wake him up at 6:30 so we can be out the door by 7 so I'm on time for work and able to leave by 4:30 to pick him up before daycare closes at 6. Not to mention Mommy sometimes wants to sit down and knit infront of the TV.

Granted the blow-ups show some effectiveness. He didn't fuss or carry on last night after mommy did her impersonation of Mount Vesuvius. But I don't want him to be afraid of me and I don't want my inability to manage frustration to lead him back to biting and hitting and tantrums.

I need to find a way to keep calm and to always, always, always treat my son with the love and respect he deserves. If I want him to grow up to be a loving, compassionate person, I need to model that behavior.

I also need to find an approach to bedtime and to and stick with it (whether it's Ferber or someone else) and we need to keep reinforcing that bedtime is bedtime and not extended playtime in crib with every toy he owns. That way neither of us gets riled up.

amazing the progress when not ripping

We had a good time sans B in AC. Got my lobster dinner, played some blackjack (of course, when I put my money on the table all I could think was how much Calmer I could buy with it instead, hubby's response is think of what you could buy if you win), drank too much, I did do some knitting sitting at the bar with a horrible local band playing, slept in with a hangover, sat on the beach (no knitting, too hot), swam, got a little sunburn, slep on the way home.

I did make much progress on Jolie. Not ripping = inches and inches of knitting. As of this morning, I'm a little under 4" from the shoulder shaping. Hubby gets a bemused look when I give him the diamond pattern update (last check mostly done all 7 repeats of chart 1 of 3). I had forgotten how quickly aran weight yarn works up. This is really only four days of work. I hope to have the back done tomorrow. I'm not sure when we're celebrating M-i-L's birthday, but I've only got 3 weeks to go.

My only other goal this week is to finish up my KSKS package. I've got most everything (including some yummy treats from AC, sweet and salty, I got you covered). I just need to pick up some needles and sew up the bag.

Friday, quickly

I'm checking in quickly (don't know when or if I'll be called into an important meeting), but I wanted to let you know that I did rip and have re-knit further than I had been before. One and a half repeats done (I tweaked the contrast to try to show the diamond pattern, color is not quite this dark). Progress is being made, finally. I'm not sold on the waist shaping starting so early, but I'll put my trust in Kim Hargreaves.

Have a great weekend! I'm sure to get lots of knitting done on the Gardent State Parking lot this afternoon, unless I take a nap.

Netter goes a rippin, un-hunh

I did swatch, following the sl wyif instructions, and got the pattern that is in the book. Here's a pic of what I had purling on RS (on top) and slipping with yarn on the right side (on bottom). I like them both, but the slipped stitch is definitely the design element Kim Hargreaves had in mind. So, I'll be ripping my repeat tonight and starting over again.

I think I've got it

Not sure why the box with a dash in it is keyed as being a slipped stitch (I really should refer back to the book), but after swatching a bit at lunch, I got the best result from purling on the right side and knitting on the right side where the pattern indicates a slip stitch. (Whew, run on much?) I'd post a pic, but blogger's being a pain.

I like it, but it's not as subtle as it looks in the pictures from the book.

Maybe I should try this: Sl 1 wyif - slip one stitch as if to purl, holding yarn in front (i.e., on right side) (from the knitting fool's chart of knitting symbols). Don't know why I didn't look up knitting symbols yesterday!

I love Rowan, but their patterns do leave much to be desired. More swatching over lunch I think. At this rate, it's going to take me three days to finish a repeat. I did finish one last night, but I may rip again if the sl 1 wyif gives the look I'm going for.

The good news is I have a long car ride coming up this weekend. Friday afternoon, hubby and I are heading to AC for overnight. (Then in 2 weeks it's a long car ride with B for our family shore weekend.) Since I doubt I'll be gambling much, I hope to get Jolie's back done.

Jolie on the needles

I cast on for Jolie last night. I had to rip back to the cast on row, and got a "put it away you don't need your hobby stressing you" from the hubby when I was swearing because just couldn't establish the diamond pattern. I think it's because the pattern's not showing as well in my yarn as it does in the picture. I'm doing something wrong. I'm not sure how the slipped stitches showed up so well in the picture, but you can barely tell there's a diamond pattern. I think I'm going to have to rip again. I'm reading the pattern right, it's slipped stitches on stockinette. Although, slipped stitches on rev st might show up beter. I think I'll swatch some and then figure out how to re-start. Good thing this is aran weight and should knit up quickly, also very good it's a deep v-neck.

Our lunchtime knitting group is really taking off. We have another newbie who joined up on Monday. We took her over to Purl to buy yarn and needles. We're going to start meeting weekly and are talking about meeting once a month for dinner and we're going to KnitOut NY together.

I'm going to have to re-new my Rowan membership

Rowan 40 preview has been posted. Now this is why we all love Rowan. I like the looks of the new yarns, too. Especially tapestry. I'm very intrigued.

Happy August!

I couldn't post it yesterday, so you get it today. A cute pic of my sis in her apron about to cut her shower cake. That's one of the flower girls next to her.

Here's the great prize I got from Cygknit. Nice to come home to sock yarn! Isn't it gorgeous colors? So spicy.

Remember these socks? I turned the second heel this morning. I've been working on them since I finished the potholder last week.

I've also started swatching for MIL's birthday sweater. The birthday fast approaches (only 4 weeks away). I'm knitting Jolie from Rowan's Vintage Knits, scroll down, it's the beige v-neck. I'm knitting it in Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed in brindle. Perfect for this month's Project Spectrum. I swatched last night. Swatch is drying and I should be able to cast on tonight.