week 8

This week, I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped.

Spent most of the week in South FL, where just three short months ago, my sister Diane introduced me to the world of knitting. Hard to believe it was just 3 months!

I decided to try somthing new - knitting Continental (or European) style rather than American style. The difference is basically how you hold the yarn. Continental goes much faster, so I was zipping through - finished three colors in no time. But then I really looked at my work. The stitches were uneven - some were really tight, others really loose. It was a train wreck. So I ripped out the 34 rows I had done and redid them all. It's much easier to rip them out right after knitting them than realizing when it's finished that the middle looks a mess. So I didn't get as much added as I would have liked, but at least what I added is presentable.


I added 84 rows in all (not including the 34 I did twice): 4 bronze, 8 purple, 18 rust, 8 mustard, 12 green, 10 purple, and 24 camel. Added about a foot in length. It is now long enough to wrap around myself several times - this will keep Kimie very warm :) I still need to weave in some tails, something I have to do with each color change. This is my least favorite part of the job, so I have decided to put it off until later. Those are the strings you see hanging toward the bottom.

This week, I hope to add about 200 rows. Kimie will be here in a mere 16 days, and I am beginning to feel the crunch!


I also taught JT & Nicole to knit during my visit. JT didn't really take to it. But Nicole was ready to work on a knit-yourself-a-pony that I gave her for Christmas last year. So sad that I didn't get any pics for posterity...

week 7

The scarf is growing!!!


The Doctor Who scarf is finally taller than me. I know, I know, I'm not the greatest measuring stick. But if JT can use my height as a milestone, so can the scarf :)

I've added 117 rows this week: 11 green, 14 mustard, 40 rust, 8 grey, 10 camel, and 34 bronze. In all, I've completed 440 out of the total 832 rows! I'm just over halfway there! I've also done some calculating, and found that there are actually 49,208 stitches in this scarf, and I've completed 26,020 - 53% On the one hand, that's a great accomplishment; but on the other hand, I've still got so much to do!

Kimie will be here in four weeks, which means I have only that long to finish the scarf. Yes it is a Christmas present, but I don't want to ship it to her, I'd rather hand it to her. Because of this rush to finish, I'm going to be putting my side project aside. I did make a little progress on Erin's scarf this week, but it was very little. Here's another picture to tempt her with (Erin, I couldn't resist).

I had a "knitting party" this week - and I almost slipped and emailed Kimie about it! It was supposed to be a night of knitting and cocktails and chick-flicks. In the end, it wasn't much of a party - only one other person showed up, cocktails were replaced with Chinese take-out, and chick-flicks became half of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and my first (and likely last) viewing of Gray's Anatomy. And my guest wasn't so much into the knitting :C (TK, I guess you just don't have enough of the OCD in you!) But I did get some work done, and it was nice to hang out with my friend.

Stay tuned for more knitting notes! It's all downhill from here!!!

week 6

This week, I finished scarf #4, made strides on scarf #1, and got creative with scarf #5.

#4 - Lauren/Brenna's pink fluffy scarf is finished!!! Now I just need to figure out who gets the purple one and who gets the pink one...

#1 - I added 81 rows to the Doctor Who scarf: 10 grey, 12 bronze, 42 camel, 8 purple, 9 green. It is now just about 4-feet long - 1/3 of the final length. It's starting to look like an afghan :) Seems like I've been knitting forever yet I'm only 1/3 finished. Oy vey. I would've done more but I was getting really creative with...


#5 - Erin knows I'm making her a scarf, but what she doesn't know is that it is my most ambitious attempt to date. I had worked on it a little each day and on Saturday morning, I had about 10" completed. Problem was, I didn't like how it was turning out! The stitches on the edges were much tighter than the patterned stitches in the body so the edges were curling up - NOT the way I wanted it to look. So, I pulled it all out and started over, this time with a new border. I reknitted it all and it's turning out just fine! Everyone except Erin - click HERE to see the before and after pics. (I trust you, Erin...)

So that's where I'm at - tune in next week for more exciting news from the world of wool!

week 5

This week saw some setbacks, some fun, and some progress!

First, the setbacks: Lauren/Brenna's fluffy pink scarf was almost finished yesterday!!! I was in the home stretch, I could see the end of the big pink yarn ball. And then...

Every now and then I like to count the stitches to make sure I haven't dropped any along the way. The pink scarf should have 16, but I counted 17! I couldn't figure out where I'd added a stitch until I looked way down to the beginning of the scarf - ARGH! I had to pull out all but what you saw in the last update! I was so close....


Prior to the miscounting fiasco, Brenna and Lauren got in to the knitting fun during an overnight visit to Crescent City. Maybe when they're older, they can make me an afghan!

And then, there was progress! The Doctor Who scarf is looking less like a placemat and more like a table runner! I've added 95 rows: 45 green, 14 mustard, 6 camel, 12 purple, 8 rust, and 10 grey. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the finished product, and I'm happy with the progress and the speed. I have until Kimie gets here on November 15 to finish, and I'm confident I'll have time to spare :)


And finally, I have had a revelation about knitting and why it so appeals to me: Knitting is the perfect hobby for those with OCD tendencies! It's basically repeating and counting - what could be more suitable?!? So all you descendents of Mems out there, pick up some knitting needles and get started!

week 4

I've been quite the busy bee this week!

Monday, I finished Brenna/Lauren's scarf! It's kinda long, but as John says, she can grow into it! It is so soft & fuzzy - almost like angora...


And then, after all these weeks, I finally got my yarn!!! Yes, I have actually added length to the Doctor Who scarf!!! Right now, I think it looks like a placemat. But I like the mix of colors, and it's nice to see some progress. And how much progress is that? 32 rows of gray, 12 of camel, 10 of purple, 20 of bronze, 8 of mustard, 12 of grey, 18 of rust, and 9 of green. I have used each of the seven colors at least once, but I will be stuck on green for a while as I have to do 54 rows in all!


On top of all that, yesterday John & I went to a VW show and - please don't laugh - I brought along a knitting project! I started on Lauren/Brenna's scarf, this time pink. I made some good progress, and will continue to work on it a little each week. The purple one only took two days, so I expect this one to go quickly also.


And if that isn't enough, I hit some clearance sales and have two more projects ready to go! Stay tuned...