Color Affection

 

I've finished the second section of my Color Affection!  Next I get to add the third color to the stripes and start short rows - so exciting!  Someone on Ravelry who is better at the math than I am figured out how much each section represented of the total (I think the total stitches).  Anyway, apparently I am 37% of the way through at this point.  So I guess I shouldn't have any trouble getting this finished by June 27 at the rate I'm knitting.  Of course, on Friday, I start my June Knit Something of the Month project too and it has to be finished by the end of June as well.

I'm glad to hear that so many of you also enjoy garter stitch and it's not just me.  It reminds me of oatmeal for some reason (possibly the texture) - it's simple but it gets the job done and you can always switch it up to make it more interesting.  And now I want a bowl of oatmeal!

Camp Loopy, Project 1

 

I started on my first Camp Loopy project on Sunday!  I've made it through the first, small section - the solid color (Luster), and I'm now in the second section with the two color stripes (Luster and Cove).  The third section should slow me down quite a bit, with three color stripes and short rows and just the sheer size of the piece.

It's on a 32 inch needle now and it's too long to stretch out at this point.  The finished project is 90 something inches long, so I've got a ways to go!  It's a good thing I like garter stitch.  I didn't used to like it, it just seemed so "beginner" for some reason, but over the last year or two, I've really started liking it more and more.  I like the texture it makes, I like the look of it, and I like the way stripes look in it (on both the right and wrong sides).  Anyone else like garter stitch more than they used to?

Finished!

 

I got the socks all finished up!  Now I'm ready to start my Camp Loopy Project 1, Color Affection, on Sunday!  The yarn is wound, the pattern is ready, and now I just wait.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to clean out my stash room.  It's been closed off since Logan came to live with us - 1 1/2 years ago, and while Logan still has to have quite a bit of supervision in there (he retrieves yarn for me), Max is being a pretty good little kitten in there.  Once I've got it cleaned up and all the temptations put away, I plan on just putting up the child gate across the door to keep Logan out, and Max can jump over to get in and out.  Having it open means it stays neater (because I can't ignore it as easily) and when I need to be in there, I won't be listening to the Squeaks of Great Distress (Logan) or the Meows of Great Sadness (Max).

Have a great weekend!

More Sock, Less Talk

 

Past the halfway point on the sock.  Heading for the toe.  Should be done later today!  There was a question about the pattern - there isn't one, I'm just doing my bog standard stockinette stitch sock.  Easy peasy.

Water Balloons

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the afternoon filling water balloons.  It has been a while since I've done water balloons and since Summer is here (Summer being prime water balloon season), I thought I'd cover some things I learned/relearned yesterday to save you all some time.

1. Use the nozzle thing that comes with the water balloons or you won't have enough pressure.
2. This nozzle will not fit on a classroom faucet.  You need a hose.
3. 5th grade boys will need to "help" to verify that the nozzle will not, in fact, fit on the faucet and confirm that the hose is crucial.  It doesn't matter that you figured this out 10 minutes ago, they need to see for themselves.  They're at that age.
4. The school has two hoses in the outdoor learning center.
5. You need a special key from the office to turn them on.
6. 5th graders know this.
7. The teacher did not (in her defense, this is her first year at this school).
8. 5th graders know too much about how to work the school.
9. The office doesn't have the key - the 5th graders lost it.
10. The P.E. teacher has a key.
11. It is the only key left in the school to turn on the water for the hoses.
12. You must promise to get the key back to the P.E. teacher and look trustworthy while saying this.  (Never mind the background check you have to go through to even volunteer in the school, the keymaster, P.E. teacher, guards the key like a knitter with the last ball of cashmere in a LYS sale.)
13. When you fill water balloons, don't overfill them.  They pop.
14. Don't underfill them either.  That's just sad.
15. Be careful not to drop them when you tie knots in them.  They pop.
16. Some water balloons have pinholes in them, so even though you can fill them, they squirt out the side.  
17. Place them gently into the bucket thing.  They pop.
18. Single layers are the way to go.  Don't stack them.  They pop.
19. Walk the bucket thing gently into the school to store the water balloons.  They pop.
20. Walking through a school with water balloons will make you a very popular person.
21. Filling water balloons will make you a very wet person.
22. Don't look at the water balloons too much.  They pop.

The P.E. teacher got his key back.  I interrupted a kindergarten class to return it - they were doing parachutes.  I loved parachutes in P.E.  This afternoon the 5th graders get to throw water balloons at their teachers.  Should be lots of fun!

Socking Along

 

I've been working along on my second Budding Twig sock.  I'm going to finish this sock this week because Sunday is cast on day for Camp Loopy, Project 1 and next Friday is June 1 so I can cast on for my June Knit Something of the Month project.  The patterns for both projects have been put into KnitCompanion on my iPad, so all I've got to do is wind yarn.

Today though, I have a very important job.  The 5th graders are going to be throwing water balloons at their teachers tomorrow, so I'm going to fill 100+ water balloons (this is just for one class, the other teachers are on their own).  Caleb is very excited about this and even volunteered to leave his math class so he could help me fill balloons when I go into school this afternoon.  Isn't he thoughtful?

May Knit Something of the Month

 

Mommy finished another one of those things I get to wear!  It was very hard to concentrate on Mommy and the camera because the Max kitty was upstairs meowing.  I don't know if he wanted to wear the thing or if he was just sad because he had to walk down the stairs instead of being carried, but he meowed the entire time I was having my photo shoot.  Mommy says this is the Narnia shawl and it's knit in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Iris.  I didn't know Narnia was a shawl, I thought it was a place in our pantry.  Mommy says Max spends so much time in the pantry, it must be a passage to Narnia.  The only thing I've ever found in the pantry is food I can't get into, the broom, and the bag where Mommy keeps poo bags (you know, for walkies - you've got to have the poo bag).  Maybe Narnia is behind the broom - it scares me so I'm not going to check back there.

Mommy took a close up shot so you could see a little more of the pattern, but the nupps near the edge aren't really showing up in the photos.  I can see them.  I can even smell them.

Speaking of smells, Mommy brought in some lavender from outside and Max rubbed up against it and loved on it.  Now I have a lavender scented kitty!  I guess he's moth proof!

Friday is for Crochet

 

I'm going to try to get back to my Friday Crochet routine around here - of course that means I have to actually get some crochet done during the week, doesn't it?  I'm moving right along on the Neat Ripple blanket.  This is the same red (Tart) that I started with, but I have two skeins of it so it will get used a total of four times in the blanket, where all the other colors will only get used twice (since I have one skein of each).  The person I'm making the blanket for loves red.  So what I'm trying to say, is that this is the second appearance of Tart in the first half of the blanket.

Thanks for all the tomato information!  I knew that as many of you knew what a Euphonium was, you guys were bound to know about the tomato situation.  It's in a little bowl on the kitchen counter and it is ripening!  Logan is ignoring the tomatoes on the bushes (I have 5 green ones of various sizes on each bush - 10 tomatoes!), and has taken to grabbing a mouthful of parsley when he walks by the strawberry pot (which is filled with herbs).  We've been taking the long way to the yard, past the geraniums, not the herbs lately, for obvious reasons.

Camp Loopy 2012

 

I got my yarn for Project 1 of Camp Loopy 2012!  I will be doing the Color Affection shawl/wrap.  I've loved this design since I first saw it, but didn't have time to start and didn't have stash that would work either, so I just faved it in Ravelry and put the idea on the back burner.  Then when Camp Loopy kicked off and the first project was to use at least 400 yards on a design from a designer in a country other than your own, I jumped on it!  I'll be doing it in Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Georgia O'Keefe, Cove, and Luster.  I'd planning on starting with the Luster and going darker, but I think I'm going to check out projects on Ravelry and see if anyone has started dark and gone lighter at the edge.  I know the design "rule" that darker colors go near the bottom of a thing to anchor it, but I might just break that rule.  I'll have to think about that.

Quick tomato question for those of you who know what you're doing - I googled when to pick my tomatoes (pathetic, isn't it?) and what I found is to pick them after they're starting to turn orange, but before they're all the way ripe because if I picked them green they wouldn't ripen, but if I let them ripen all the way on the plant, it would slow down fruit production.  Is this right?  I had one tomato turning orange, so I brought it in, washed off the dog spit kisses and it's sitting in a bowl on the counter.  Max slaps it several times a day (no claws, no clue why it needs smacking) since he blatantly disregards the No Cats On The Kitchen Counter rule.  Most cats have the decency to wait until their humans are asleep before getting on the counters, but Max sleeps all night, so he has to get on the counters during the day.  So, did I do the right thing?  Will it finish ripening on the counter while being smacked regularly?

Second Sock

 

I've got Narnia finished (ready to block at least), so I started on the second sock from Budding Twig.  It's a nice, quick, brainless project, perfect to finish out the month before Camp Loopy 2012 kicks off and I start my June Knit Something of the Month something.  It's also perfect for End of the School Year Mommy Brain.  As you can see in the lower left corner, my photographic assistant actually wandered into the frame this morning.  He's either adjusting the sock for a more artistic angle, or he's trying to walk off with it because he's a filthy thief.  I reclaimed the sock after the photo shoot and he's now in the window watching birds.

With Photos

 

I got the photos uploaded to Flickr, not 100% sure what the issue was yet, but for now, everything is working again.  I started the bind off, but undid it and will restart (it's a crocheted, loopy chain bind off), so I'm pretty much at the same place I was yesterday morning - ready to bind off.  At least today I have a picture though!

In other news, I will be doing Camp Loopy again this year.  Here's a link for information if you're interested.  The camp store week ends tomorrow (5-16).  There's a Loopy Ewe group on Ravelry where all the camp activities take place.  Also, it will be possible to do Camp Loopy and Knitting Olympics if you're wanting to do both.  Just thought I'd mention it, in case anyone didn't know and needed some enabling.  You're welcome!

May Knit Something of the Month

Over the weekend I finished my May Knit Something of the Month project, the Narnia shawl!  I've just got to do the bind off, then it's off to be blocked and Logan can wear it for you.  Unfortunately, I'm having the loading-pics-to-flickr problem again and I don't have time to mess with it at the moment.  I'll get it sorted out later today when I have a minute to come up for air.  In the meantime, imagine some dark, iris purple lace on the needle, all scrunched up and unblocked - oh and there's nupps!  My very first nupps!  I'll try and get it sorted out and then maybe you can see things tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

Narnia

 

I worked on the Narnia shawl again last night and I've finished with the first stitch pattern and moved on to the next (I can't remember if this is the edging stitch pattern or not, so there might be another one).  This design is easy to knit (so far) and I think it's going pretty quickly.  I know my shawl will be on the small side, but I like smaller ones for summer anyway.

Just in case you were wondering, both yesterday and today, Max was just out of frame when I took the pictures.  He thinks he's my photographic assistant.  And by assistant, I mean in the most non helpful way possible.  Logan has learned to lie down unless I bring the knitting to the fireplace area so he can wear it.

Knit Something of the Month

 

I've gotten a little farther on my Narnia shawl.  For some reason when I sat down to write this blog post, I couldn't remember if I'd linked to the shawl pattern last week when I first blogged it.  So, this time I made sure I linked to it (sorry if I missed that last time).  I only worked on it for a bit yesterday because last night we went to see the new Avengers movie (AWESOME!)  We decided to just go on a weeknight and let Caleb stay up late and it was fun for all of us.  I love this time of year, when school is basically over and they're doing field trips and field day and all the fun, end of the year things at school.  It's not quite as hot as it will be in a few weeks when Summer really gets going (this week is actually really cool for this time of year and I'm typing this with the windows open because it's cooler outside than inside this morning).  It's just fun to do silly things like see a movie on Tuesday night, and knowing his school schedule can allow for him being a little tired for a day (and he's old enough to deal with it too).  OK, I have no idea where I'm going with all that, but go see the movie - it's fun.  Also, I'm going to go make some tea - I need caffeine!

Crochet!

 

I know Friday is normally for the crochet, but I hadn't been working on it for a bit and over the weekend and last night, I got some done, so I thought I'd share today.  The emerald green up near the top is one of my new colors.  Part of the reason I stopped working on it was so I could work the four new colors in with the original colors, so I had to order them, get them here, wash them to make sure there wasn't any extra dye to run, let them dry, and wind them.  They're all ready to go now and sitting in the tote with the rest of the original colors I haven't used yet.  I don't know if I mentioned, but I will be able to get two full repeats from each skein, so once I use each color once, I'll be at the halfway point!

One Sock, Done

 

I finished up my first sock of the Budding Twig pair.  I love how there almost isn't any pooling, even at the gusset area.  I'll get the second one cast on later, but now I'm off to the grocery store.  We've got to get some food around here!

Tomato update:  Still nothing ripe, but the large bush that had one tomato, now has one huge tomato, and one tiny tomato.  The small bush that had two tomatoes, how has two medium tomatoes and two tiny tomatoes.  So, I've doubled my tomatoes in two weeks!  Logan is pretty sure I'm growing tennis balls.

Sock

 

I'm still working on the sock.  I'm past the gusset decreases and working my way to the toe.  In another 10 rounds or so, I'll try it on and see if I'm ready for toe decreases.  This has been the perfect project for me this week (and the rest of the month looks almost as crazy as this week, but May is always kind of a zoo). Yesterday started busy and kept going until after dinner when we went to the middle school for Caleb to select his band instrument.  He's decided to do band next year, so he had to pick an instrument.  He's never played an instrument except a bit of plinking on the piano, but no formal lessons, doesn't know how to read music, and honestly, we didn't even know what all the instruments were when we looked at the list of band instruments.  Which one did he choose?  One of the mystery ones we'd never heard of - the Euphonium!  Turns out, it's a tiny tuba (tiny being a relative term).  He also tried out the trumpet, but he liked the Euphonium better.  He's really excited about it and is excited about middle school too.  I think Logan and Max are going to love hearing him practice this thing!

Knit Something of the Month - May Edition

 

I started my new Knit Something of the Month project!  This is the start of the Narnia shawl, done in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Iris.  This pattern has lace stitches on the right side and the wrong side, but so far I haven't had a problem (yeah, I know, I'm a whopping 36 rows in and congratulating myself for not having a problem yet, just work with me here).  There is a lot of texture on this shawl, but I think since the yarn has a bit of shine, even though it's a dark color, it should work.

A Little More Sock

 

Yesterday was one of those totally crazy days where the only chance I had to sit down and knit was while I was waiting for Caleb in the pick up line.  The rest of the day was go, go go.  I think I was asleep 30 seconds after my head hit the pillow last night.  I did get the heel flap and heel turn done and I've started gusset decreases, so I at least feel like I'm back to the easy knitting (not that this sock has anything particularly difficult to it).

Today is May 1 though and that means I can start my May Knit Something of the Month project today.  Tomorrow, you'll get to see something other than this sock!