This Blog is Not Dead

No, it isn't, even though I haven't posted in a month.  We are putting our condo on the market and hoping to move soon.  Getting ready for an open house is so much work, particularly when you have to pack most of your belongings to make the space look hip and minimalist.
And don't even mention the yarn.  Space bags, yarn, hours of sorting through stash and preparing it to go into storage.  That's right, my stash is in storage.  Protected from moths, I hope, and ready to come back out once we have sold this place and found a new one.
I have one bin of yarn, some fiber and my spinning wheel.  Let's see if I can knit/spin that down before we move.

Whew.

I am baaaaack!
It's been a long couple of weeks, work-wise, but I have made it through preparation for business travel, a trip that involved being fed information via the garden hose method while sick and trying to get a prescription for antibiotics to Ohio (not easy when your doctor is in MA!). But now, I'm home, caught up on work, and I have time to knit.

I still haven't taken pictures of the sweater that's been finished for months, it's been unseasonably warm and I haven't wanted to put it on. I have some finished socks, however.

This is the closest to what the color looks like in person. Except it's even brighter. In your face green!


This is what they look like on the foot.


And they've got a fancy heel too.


Details:
Pattern: Blathnat
Yarn: Koigu sock yarn
Needles: US #0
Comments: The color of the yarn is gorgeous, but there were quite a few inconsistencies in the spinning. Some spots looked really frayed, some looked underspun, and some were waaaay too thick. It worked out fine, but there were issues.

Oh, the cats say I need to post cat pictures. Well, here you go, cat picture.


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cosby Socks

It's busy season at work, but I had to stop by and share them, my finished Cosby socks. Thanks so much for noticing the resemblance! Mr. Batty and I couldn't quite place where we'd seen the pattern before, we figured it was retro and strangely familiar, but why? And then, you told me! Knitters know everything.


Pattern: Stripe Tease
Yarn: Cheap German sock yarn from Lidl
Needles: US #0
Size: 60 stitches total
Comments: Fun pattern, couldn't stop knitting it. I highly recommend the pattern. As for the yarn... there's a reason it was cheap.

SIP Sunday

It's Sunday, the perfect day for socks and sweaters in progress. I have been suffering from startitis, so I will restrict myself to projects I've worked on this weekend. Remember the ugly sock? It... hasn't turned out as swan-like as I would have liked. It looks more unusual than attractive. I almost didn't knit a second sock. But that would be cruel. Being an ugly sock is bad enough. Being an ugly sock that's all alone in the world would be horrible.


Not yet recognizable as much of anything is the neck of Rosamund's Cardigan. I said I'd be knitting sweaters in 2012. See? I am.


One of my Blathnat socks now has a heel. I'm loving the bright green. It's slightly variegated, just the tiniest bit. Very pretty yarn. Very pretty pattern.


There are several other socks in progress, at least one other sweater, and I've been eyeing some yarn/pattern combos for caston potential. Startitis... I've got it bad.

Spooky Things

It's the end of the month and I was going to do a big knitting progress post, but I'm currently serving as a cat recliner. This is a very important job, and one I take very seriously.

Instead of going upstairs to take pictures of my knitting, I'll share this little cross-stitch FO. Bats! And a little pillow you slip them into -- no finishing! Did I mention it has bats on it?


Now for the reason of the lack of knitting content. This is a closeup of the situation on my lap.


Yeah. I need to take pictures of my knitting soon. Once the cat leaves. If she leaves. This one has staying power.

The Good, The Bad, and The...

Have you ever bought cheap yarn that looked OK in the skein? Sure you have! I went to Jawoll in Germany, a discount store with all sorts of bobs and ends, from groceries to... well, yarn. And I saw this. Blues, greens, purples, burgundies... looks OK, right? It was cheap. It was self-striping. How bad could it be?


There are questions to which we do not really want to find out the answer. I cast on a pair of Stripe Tease for the SKA unusual construction challenge. I knit. I frogged. Tip: follow the pattern exactly as written, don't try to think. If you try to think for yourself, you'll mess up. Take my word for it, I did.
Anyhow... yes, I'm procrastinating showing you the next picture. Because it's downright pathetic, my poor, poor ugly sock. I hope it looks better when it's finished, because right now... well, see for yourselves.


The combination of unusual construction and unfortunate yarn choice is making the poor sock look like it's been massacred. So let's move on to happier things, like Blathnat.
Koigu KPM in a happy green, pretty lace, it's going well. I can still knit pretty socks! I sure need that reminder.


And yet again, I cast on for the Geodesic Cardigan. Let's hope it works this time around. The stockinette is curling in spite of the garter stitch edges. Maybe a good blocking will help.


I am off to work on my poor misshapen socks. Hope springs eternal. Maybe my ugly ducklings will turn into a beautiful swan...

Startitis

I have heard much about startitis, the almost pathological urge to cast on new projects, but until the last couple of days, I had never experienced it for myself. Now, I have a bad case of it.
Usually, swatching is a barrier to entry when it comes to sweater knitting. I don't want to do it. The start of a new project is my least favorite part of knitting, if you'll believe it. So you can imagine my surprise when I started swatching. Big swatches, too, not just a scanty inch to figure out if my gauge is anywhere in the ballpark. No, 4+ inches. For multiple projects. In fact, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to swatch for another project before work now.

Socks and... Not Socks!

This is going to be an interesting year in knitting. I have once again signed up for Cookie A's sock club, the rationale being that having some new yarn show up every two months will keep me from buying more at the yarn store. You know how it is. Stash yarn is nice, but every once in a while, you need something new and exciting to knit with.

These were made from stash yarn. See, I am knitting down stash. My feet are small and my ankles are skinny, so I have almost half a skein of the Meilenweit sock yarn left -- I see leftover socks in my future. But these are a simple 2x2 rib, 60 stitches, US 0 needles. Everyday socks that don't need to be washed too carefully because they're superwash.


You may or may not know that I signed up for 11 sweaters in 2011 and finished exactly 0. So I did the only logical thing: signed up to do 12 in 2012. Makes sense, right? Only this time, I want to at least get close. This is a (somewhat blurry) progress pic of my first sweater. It's done except for the sleeves.


That doesn't mean I'm not knitting socks, though. I have a good 5 or 6 sock projects in various states of completion. These are Hex socks, part of the October patterns from Cookie's club. The yarn is String Theory Caper. Love the colors, the stitch definition, the floofy softness. Beautiful yarn.


I have a business trip coming up and expect to have quite a bit of knitting time, so stay tuned for more knitting. Maybe by then blogger will have fixed whatever issue it is that's keeping me from leaving comments on people's blogs. I know I'm not the only one who's knitting away furiously.

Here We Are

2012. A couple of days in, right after the resolutions. Time to check in and see how it's g oing!

So far, so good. I'm knitting on... 5 pairs of socks? Maybe 6? I have a sock WIP for every occasion. The body of my current sweater project is almost done, and I have two shawls that need finishing -- as in, substantial knitting, not just washing and blocking.
The stash is shrinking. Trouble is, most of these don't come from my bedroom stash, which is supposed to shrink. They're coming from main stash.

It's a dilemma: knit what I want to knit even if it comes from main stash? Or stick with knitting from the bedroom stash even if it's not giving me that "want to knit this right now" feeling? Not sure.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, see you on the other side! Let's hope 2012 is a great one. I know so many people who have had a tough time of it in 2011; for us, it was an OK year, a year of healing and picking ourselves back up and being able to appreciate life again. 2011 is definitely going out on a better note than 2010 -- last year at this time, I was in the ER with an IV in my arm. This year, I have a non-working stovetop that emits carbon monoxide when it's on but does no harm when off. In the grand scheme of things, a non-working stove is very minor. A stove can be fixed or replaced more easily than many things in life.

I'm wishing all of you a wonderful 2012.

Geekery and Resolutions

Geeky baking! Yay! I bought cookie cutters for... ninjabread men. They kick, they punch, they taste really good. If I ever find myself with extra time on my hands or some kids to entertain, I'm going to build them a gingerbread dojo. That would be fun.


But it's closer to New Year's Eve than Christmas, so it's time to review last year's resolutions. There were only 3:

• Zero tolerance yarn diet: went well, except for the Swan Island worsted squishiness that happened yesterday. 2 skeins, soft and squishy. And I had to get some yarn from Sanguine Gryphon before they went out of business. Oops. Almost made it...
• Have at least one project in thicker yarn going at all times: well, not at all times, but I've knit several non-sock projects in thicker yarn. I can do better, though.
• Colorwork: Tried, the sock didn't fit. Waaaay too tight to make it over my foot. I'll try again.

So, all in all, it could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse (see yarn diet).

This year's resolution is going to be pretty darn straightforward -- and it's going to be just a single one, though it combines two elements:

• Don't buy yarn or fiber and knit enough to get all the freaking yarn out of the bedroom. It's a bedroom, not a secondary stash room. Get the yarn out!

That's it, really. Should be feasible, right?

Racing the Clock

With only a few days left until 2012, I am trying to get some WIPs out of the way. My wrist was giving me trouble, but now that it's better, I'm knitting away (responsibly, I assure you). And for the first time, I'm caught up on a sock club! This is one of the April offerings from Cookie A's sock club, Orange Pekoe.


Details:
Pattern: Orange Pekoe
Yarn: Hazel Knits sock yarn
Needles: US 1/2.25 mm
Comments: No changes, knit as written. Love the yarn! Crisp stitch definition, no fuzziness even after I washed it, no bleeding. A dream to work with.

The bad news: the yarn for the last club shipment seems to be MIA -- it hasn't shown up yet. Here's hoping it hasn't gotten lost out there, in the cold, hostile-to-yarn world. Let's hope it had something to do with holiday madness, and that it shows up soon!

Merry Christmas!

Cats love Christmas. It's the day they get to play in brand-new boxes, surf on crinkly paper, and generally zoom around the house at high speed.


There are interesting new things to explore, their environment changes, and their humans are happy.


I got some great kitchen stuff, some fabulous librarian swag, a bunch of bat stuff... and I bought myself a gift too. Bat spindle, custom-painted for me by Yorkieslave on etsy. I love her work and her spindles spin like a dream.


Wishing a wonderful Christmas to all who celebrate, and to everyone else, a nice warm weekend!

End of Semester

I have made it to the end of the semester. Working full-time and taking classes is so much more complicated than being a full-time student. Neither is easy, but working and studying takes some serious changes in perspective -- and the ability to sacrifice free time.

But I did it. The final is turned in, the semester is over, I can get back to knitting and baking and having a social life. Yay!

On a Roll

I have a paper due tomorrow. So what do I do? Finish a pair of socks, of course! These were originally for my sister, but Mr. Batty pointed out that these colors might not be universally pleasing. So she's getting a different pair of socks and these are mine.


They twist in interesting ways. I had a lot of fun with them. Another great pattern from Cookie A's sock club!


The Details:
Pattern: Slide
Yarn: Opal 4-ply Regenwald in Schlange
Needles: US #1, 2.25 mm
Mods: I had to make steeper gusset decreases because my feet are tiny. Otherwise, knit as written.

And this is my brand new project bag. The colorful thing next to the cat. It has happy colorful kitties on it, which is not as attractive as the black cat. According to the black cat, at least.


Love this bag. Got it from Zoey's Boutique on etsy. Very well-made and lined so the yarn just glides out of it. I'm very happy with it.

Socks, Again

Guess what? Socks! Again! These are from this year's Cookie A sock club. Sport-weight yarn on US 0/2mm needles, fiddly to work with but goes quickly. I'm really loving these even though pink is not a color I would have picked out in the store. But that's the beauty of a club, right? You get to expand your horizons.



Details:
Pattern: Daphne
Yarn: Metamorphosis A Verb For Keeping Warm
Needles: US #0/2.0 mm

And... I signed up for next year's club!

FO Study Break

I'm taking a break from paper writing and thought I'd share some FO pictures. Now, I have often talked about yarns that look tomato red in pictures but are not tomato red in reality. This is not one of them. This yarn is a bright tomato, fire engine, bright as all getout red. It looks tame because I took the pictures in the shade, but really, it's poke-your-eyes-out red -- and I love it.



Look at the neat cables. It took a good long time, but the end result was worth the effort.


I love these socks. A lot.

Details:
Yarn: Opal 4 ply sock yarn in the most obnoxious red ever
Pattern: Kells
Needles: #0 US/2.0mm
Size: s
Fun pattern! Lots of cables! Not necessarily takealong knitting but very rewarding. No mods.

FOs After All This Time

Thanks to work and classes, I haven't had much time to blog. Also thanks to schoolwork and classes, though, I have been knitting for stress relief. Even when not all of said knitting is recognizable. The blob below, for example, is going to be a sweater when it's done. Yeah. I don't entirely believe it yet either, but we shall see.


I also have a couple of FOs! My inner 80's girl is thrilled. I'm usually not a big fan of Inner Child theories, but with these, my inner child is ecstatic. Or rather, my inner teen-ager.


Details:
Pattern: Froglegs
Yarn: Morehouse Merino DK
Needles: US 3

And because it's been such a long time, I'd also like to share the... I think it's the April installment of the Cookie A. sock club. The color is much more intense in person. These were fun to make!

Details:
Pattern: Boysenberry Yo
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Sole Mate
Needles: US #0

Not Dead, Just Busy

I have finished knitting waiting to be photographed, works-in-progress waiting to be knit, and nothing is happening. Why? I'm taking a class and have papers due. In addition to work.
What was I so busy with when I was an undergrad, just taking classes, and working no more than 10 hours a week? I have no idea.

Surgery and Vet and Fun

We've been having a fun time at the Batty House! I had foot surgery, which is healing well but preventing me from modeling the socks I knit. The cat has a UTI or something similar and had to go to the vet, which was not a popular move. It's been a rough two weeks.
On the bright side: lots of knitting got done. I just don't know what happened to my resolution to make more non-sock items. My mojo seems to have run out for everything except socks.