Tuesday, June 28, 2005

point and counterpoint

As though in answer to my last post...

I was on the subway Saturday night, headed out to Prospect Park for their Canada Day concert (which was very very awesome - as though I could be disappointed by any bill which featured both the New Pornographers and Stars). The trains were running a bit strangely, in such a way that people bound for both the poshest and (ahem) less savory parts of Brooklyn were all smushed, rather tightly, onto the same train. I'd managed to weasel a seat for myself, whipped out my Quidsock, and started knitting.

A few stops before mine, a woman sitting across from me, whom I'd noticed goggling at me, stood up, came over, and tapped me on the shoulder. I was wary but I didn't really have a way to make like I'd not noticed her, so I took off my headphones.

"Are you American?" she asked.

Huh?

"I don't usually see American women knit the way you do, throwing the yarn. They usually catch it with the needle. I knit the same way you do, but I thought maybe you were European."

Hmm, okay.

"And that yarn is so fine - you must really be dedicated."

Well, I'm replicating a design from a movie, so I wanted to be accurate.

"That's so nice of you. Good luck with it." And she got off.

Win some, lose some, I guess.

(And the sock? I'm nearly up to the leg stripes. Sucker is so gonna be finished for HBP. w00ters.)

Lauren posted at 9.02 on 06.28.05 comments (0)

Friday, June 24, 2005

stupid and shallow

Sometimes I forget that normal people, even in urban centers where knitting is supposedly OMG ALL TEH RAGE!!!, are not accustomed to seeing twentysomethings knitting socks. Particularly, it seems, when said sock is knit on two circular needles (I find this intimidates normies even more than doublepoints, despite looking much less like a porcupine tangled in yarn), and most especially when said twentysomething is dressed in the fashion of The Kids These Days and sweaty and bopping along to one obscure band or another.

Then some bitch on the bus ruins my concert-induced, Futureheads-heightened euphoria by glaring at me the entire ride home. Fuck you too, sweetheart.

Lauren posted at 15.15 on 06.24.05 comments (0)

Thursday, June 23, 2005

a little good, a little bad

Okay, so. For once, I actually made good on my promise of FO pictures and dutifully brought the Quidditch sock and camera with me when I went to Long Island last week for the Pixies/Interpol show at Jones Beach. (The concert was amazing, for anyone who's interested.) Took plenty of pictures in Adrienne's yard, got back into the city... and my camera LCD had uncermoniously ceased to function. So, as it stands, I have an unfinalized mini-CD of socks pictures just waiting to be processed and inserted into an otherwise finished pattern, and now that I've upgraded my computer to XP it can't read unfinalized discs.

In short? Until I get the LCD fixed, I'm SOL. And given that I'm moving in the not-so-distant future, I have no clue when I'll have more disposable cash to throw at this camera. I love it to pieces, but it sure can be a pain in the arse.

In the meantime, I'm about a third of the way up the leg of the second sock. Thank you, too-hot-for-scarfknitting weather! I've been toting the sock with me everywhere I go, knitting on the bus, on the train, while walking, while my boss is gone. (Naturally the moment I typed that, my boss walks in. La dee da...) I'm very proud of myself, for a multitude of reasons:

1) I've mastered the fine art of working 4x2 ribbing without looking. Maybe this is easy for you, but until recently I had to glance down occasionally while purling. This is a huge step forward in my quest to knit 24-7.

2) I've never successfully met a costume deadline before, and it really seems like I might this time. (Actually, that's a bit of a lie. I finished my SS/CoS Ravenclaw sweater in time for the OotP release, except that I meant to go back and fix a *cough* slight dyelot problem across the yoke, so I didn't consider the sweater completed at the time. Needless to say, it's been two years and I haven't touched the sweater except to wear it.)

3) Quidditch socks are really damn cool, and I'm psyched beyond words to finally have a pair. I 100% intend to wear them during the HP off-season, especially in the winter. I live for kneesocks in the winter.

I washed the first of those many scarves this week. Naturally it was the only machine washable one, but I think I made up for the lack of effort there by spending three hours duplicate-stitching a rampant lion at one end. I refused to realize it at the time, but the lion looks much more like a rampaging monkey. The scarf is for my coworker's sister and he's going home this weekend. Oops.

I have to clean the bathroom sink before I can wash any more scarves. I predict that this (simple, you would assume) task will hold me up for at least a week. I'm not lazy, I'm busy. Honest.

I was at P&S yesterday buying more scarf yarn and made the fatal mistake of wandering through the fancy fabric section. What did I find, you ask? The perfect white silk for Padmé's lavender dress from Episode 3. Sonofabitch. It was exactly the right weight and texture on both sides (since both sides show), just gorgeous stuff. I died right there in the store. It wouldn't come cheap, though - it was $15/yd and I can't imagine I'd need less than 10 yards since all the pieces are on the bias. Plus the thought of dyeing $150 worth of fabric myself is scary enough to give me palpitations just thinking about it. I'm such a spazz.

Lauren posted at 11.52 on 06.23.05 comments (0)

Monday, June 13, 2005

it's a minor victory or, uh, something

Three guesses which blue and silver striped sock I finally finished tonight, and the first two don't count.

YAAAAAAAAY!!!

Of course, it took me 14 months, and now I get to go straight on to my least favorite thing evvvver about socknitting - starting the toe of the second sock. I officially prefer turning heels to starting toes, and at least with the first toe, you have the excitement of new yarn to pull you through. The second sock, though - that shit is a drag, and especially this time. I'd been knitting the leg of the first sock on two Addi circs, and now to go back to my birch dpns? It's waaaaay too grippy, and I'm terrified I'll break another needle (it'd be my third in this set).

Good thing, though, is that I figured out how to use an i-cord bind-off as a casing for elastic, so droopy sock syndrome shouldn't be a problem like it was with Adrienne's. I am quite pleased with myself, and more pleased with my new kneesock.

Maybe I'll do some FO picspam instead of working on that next toe... O:)

Lauren posted at 23.43 on 06.13.05 comments (0)

Sunday, June 12, 2005

while staying in and knitting

I have the absolute worst knitting ADD right now. I'm trying to be responsible and finish the sleeves for my Ravenclaw Quidditch sweater. I didn't have a chance to finish the sleeves for last Halloween, so I added armbands at the armholes to make a vest, and wore what I'd done of the sleeves - just shy of my elbows - separately. It was actually quite comfortable, since a full ribbed sweater in Encore Worsted is way too much for almost any season in New York, so I'm gonna leave the sleeves separate like that. I want to finish the sleeves for the HBP book release, though - knit them up past the elbow, then switch to 1x1 rib with some elastic for a while so they stay up. Should be snazzy.

Anyway, my ADD. I'm trying to work on the sleeves, and it's just not happening. I feel like knitting something complicated and summery, or at least something in a nice yarn - definitely not 3x1 ribbing in a wool blend. ugh! There's a skein of gorgeous green and pink handpainted DK cotton (and a matching solid cotton of the same gauge) calling my name from the closet, and it is killlllling me. I keep telling myself that a mini-Clapotis would be 1) ill-fated in cotton, and 2) not much more exciting than the ribbing. Or I have a half-dozen socks' worth of Koigu, or or or...

Figures that I lost temporarily misplaced my notes for the animal cracker hat. Then at least I could feel responsible in starting another project.

Lauren posted at 0.55 on 06.12.05 comments (0)

Friday, June 10, 2005

witness my halo, please.

Nothing like two unsupervised crack-of-dawn hours at work in which to weave the (surprisingly few) ends on a certain newly-completed shrug. Too bad I didn't bring my camera today (actually, not too bad, as it's rainy) or I would run to the bathroom and take pictures.

And my boss just got here. moohaha.

Aaaand my coworker likes it. "Great colors," she says. w00t, indeed.

Lauren posted at 9.03 on 06.10.05 comments (0)

w00t!

My one skein wonder is finished! It would've been done several days ago - I realized Sunday night as I was knitting the second sleeve that one of the shoulder increases had mysteriously shifted over by a stitch, and that that would bother me, and that I should rip back... so I did. Definitely the right way to go, although it was as heartbreaking as ever to find myself buried in a pile of crinkly once-knitted yarn. Just gotta weave my ends and then I'll try to get FO pictures, probably just in the bathroom since it's too freaking HOT to even think of wearing wool outside right now.

I'm still on the fence about the colors in the yarn, but I think in the end (after all but having my head beaten in by Jon and Adrienne, since I've refused to shut up about it) I'm alright with it - it's a small garment, and the colors are springy ones that look good on me, and it means I have slightly less impossible double-strand mohair boucle to haunt me whenever I go scrounging for yarn. There's an interesting '70s tweedy thing that happens in the seed stitch in the sleeves. Normally I hate seed stitch - it's not rewarding given the amount of time the yarn forwards/backs take up - but I might actually consider it as a basis for whatever I do with the rest of the yarn (which I'd guess is 300-400 yards?).

Meanwhile, my daunting pile of unwashed scarves still remains...

Lauren posted at 0.31 on 06.10.05 comments (0)

Friday, June 03, 2005

it's not my fault!

I blame the yarn shop.

I stopped on my way home to try to get a 24" #1 bamboo circular needle so I could keep working on the Quidsocks. (Naturally I broke two of my teensy birch dpns during the line, and I figured that if I switch to using two circs for the rest of the sock, I can carry it with me and thus finish sooner.) Anyway, I thought it was a reasonable request, but the yarn shop didn't seem to agree, and there wasn't really any way I was buying a $16 Turbo when all I need is a $10 Crystal Palace.

So, to console myself after having been denied the needle necessary to my existence as a responsible knitter, I did what anyone would do -

I cast on a new project.

Granted, it's a small one, and it's out of my stash, but still, not really the wisest use of my time. The project in question is Stefanie's one skein wonder. I'm using this handpainted double-strand loopy mohair I got on eBay ages ago. Would be absolutely gorgeous, except that I'm still not sure whether I love the colors or detest them. The yarn is... I guess I'd call it jewel-toned? There's nice stretches of emerald green, some pretty reds and oranges, the occasional bit of bright blue, and then a whole lot of various murky browns. It doesn't particularly match anything I own, which means I'll wind up wearing it with the same lacy black camisole I wear everything with.

Has there ever actually been a cute sweatery garment to wear with a loose t-shirt? That's really what I should be making, since I won't be buying a whole new girly wardrobe any time soon.

Whine whine whine!

I also got the new Yarn of the Month today. Predictably, lots of cotton - blehhhhhh - but Bahama seems like it could be fun for something, I'm not sure what. I can't really fathom wearing much of anything that looks like really poofy terry cloth, but it ought to be good times to knit with.

Lauren posted at 22.55 on 06.03.05 comments (0)

unlimited... knitting!

Busy? No, I haven't been busy at all. Why would I be busy? It's not as though I lived on the sidewalk outside the Ziegfeld Theatre for nineteen days, or spent entirely too much money seeing Revenge of the Sith (which, for the record, I adore), or have since been engrossed in a myriad of real-life issues. No, not in the slightest.

The good thing about the Star Wars line, at least, is that it means lots of knitting time. I finished Cleaves by the third day, five days after I cast on, and I love it. I need to rip out the bind-off and extend the collar a few inches - I bound off early because I was cold and wanted to wear it - but the color is great, the sleeves are nice and long, and it's so cool. The weather hasn't quite been right for it, either too warm or too cold, but I'm looking forward to bringing it to summer concerts to combat venue air conditioning.

Scarves... since I last posted, I've knitted, uh, five or six, I think? I've lost count. Of course, I haven't washed or fringed any of them, so there's a rather intimidating stripey pile on the sofa. Most of them are wool, too, which means handwashing. ughers! I really need to update my scarf pages so people stop emailing me. From here on out, I'm only scarfing for people I know, when I feel like scarfing, and using yarn (namely, Patons Classic Wool - cheapish and the colors are decent) that I can get locally. I'm done with the overachieving.

I also made quite a bit of progress on my Quidditch socks - finally! The first sock is up past the first of two stripes (which I started too early, but whatever) around my calf, so it shouldn't be too much longer now. Once it's finished, I'll do a photo shoot with my sock and Adrienne's and maybe, finally, get the pattern up. Who knows, maybe I'll even show some initiative and finish the second sock for the book release, since a whole new costume is out of the question.

Okay, maybe not.

Cute pictures (1, 2) of Amit and me modeling my Hurry Up Spring wristwarmers during the line. I don't think I ever took proper FO shots of them, so there ya go. I had to re-knit the thumb on the right warmer because it's worn through already (I guess this is a SW line tradition, because in '02 the thumb castoff on my right fingerless glove came undone), and the thumb crotch on both warmers looks to be the next to go. Suck.

Lauren posted at 9.03 on 06.03.05 comments (0)