Fish Design #1

Well, I worked pretty hard to make this ugly little guy. I used short row shaping on the tail, although about halfway through I realized there was a better way to go about it.
I'm going to want to remeber what I did, so here's some general guidlelines:

What I did was, after I knit the straight bit, decreased SHARPLY. (remember that?)
So the way I did that was to do a double dec left slanting, then a double dec right slanting again like a toe, but sharper. Then, After I got down to I think 14 stitches, I separated the stitches and used a new needle to make each half its own little tube for the fins. I used ribbing, which I decided I won't do next time because it looks  stupid and with all the M1s it gets weird. So i increased steadily to create the fins, then did the short rows, then bound off all the middle stitches and then bound off the fin stitches with the 3 needle bind off. I picked up the other fins pretty normally, shaping the top fin a lot and shaping the other two very little. I picked up 6 st with the side fins. 2 rows plain, k2tog, k 2, k2tog one row, then another 2 plain then BO. The top fin was k1 p1 ribbing and i would decrease by 1 at the purl side and then bind off one or two at the RS until abotu 4 were left then I bound all those off together.

Fish Design 2 is coming up soon.

Exactly how much yarn does Cecilia have?

The main stash.

The leftover bits pile

And I had a picture of the (beautiful) sock yarn, but i have been trying to upload it for more than an hour and I've given up on it.

And...my WIPs

In this pile there are 3 sweaters in progress, a pair of socks, a hat, a pair of mittens, a mitten garland and a scarf. Not so bad, I don't think. I'm doing far better than I'd been imagining. Unless I left some things in the closet... I'm not entirely sure because it was hard enough gathering this much with the fatboy on my hip.

Anyways...

I've been invited to table at the Steelhead Salmon Festival on May 1, and I haven't yet decided whether I should or not. It costs $25 dollars for a table, and I severely doubt I have $25 worth of merchandise. I'm trying to design a knitted fish anyways, just in case. I thought it would be kind of a cute little keychain type thing: a little knitted fishy from the salmon festival. Seemed cute to me, I don't know. I"m having difficulties with the designing because I'm using DPNs and I'm not very good at planning the increases.

Also, those socks I started?

This is how much of it I had when I decided they weren't working out and had Lauryn frog them. I took a picture of that, too, but I already went over the whole blogspot not wanting to upload things for me today.

So that is the yarn I'm now using for the fish design #1
Which so far goes something like this:
CO 8 st over 3dpns
*k1, inc1* 1 round
1 round plain
*inc in each stitch* 1 rnd
1 rnd plain
inc only at the first and last of needle one and on the first of needle 2 and last of needle 3 (like a sock)
1 rnd plain
and continue this until your fish's head looks big enough
This is where I currently am.
the rest of my pattern goes like this:
knit straight a while, maybe an inch.
decrease SHARPLY for the butt end
PU st at top and sides for fins
and I kinda don't know where to go from there.

Fish design #2 is going to be a lot like my purse "Harrison" and "Paco."
Basically that means I'll knit a shape of a fish twice and then seam it up. This one would need some embroidery and I think the inca sportlace. Paco lives inside of harrison and I think a knitted counterpart would be too much work. Then I'd put an I-Cord inside harrison #2's mouth and give him a little drawstring type thing. This would be rad, but I doubt it's going to happen.

I might not do the Steelhead thing at all. It depends on the cuteness of Fish Design #1, which I'll post immediately upon completion.

 <><>

<>

<><>

HEY SOCK YARN!!!

So randomly it decided I'm allowed to put up my pictures. Also, I put a video of Lauryn ripping out the sock. She was really excited about it, not that you can tell. And the reason the camera goes all wonky at the end is because my kid demands my attention. Also, it put the video up twice. I did that on purpose. So you can watch it twice. Because it's that important.

I am Julia Julia Julia

I have decided that I'm going to pull a Julia whatever and knit one swatch from my Super Stitches Knitting book each day. I haven't decided when I'm going to actually start doing this. (The indecision probably stems from the first three swatches being Stockinette Stitch, Reverse Stockinette Stitch, and Garter Stitch. Not to mention I have no yarn to spare, in spite of having a lot of yarn.)

Speaking of yarn, here's some now:

I actually spent a good chunk of time with my swift, winding these into glorious little balls of goodness.

Yep. That's my swift.
(The yarn is Valley Yarn's Huntington for some upcoming gift socks)

Also, although I'm barely posting about this now, I actually did this quite some time ago. You can tell because my (really tasty looking) solo hank of crock-o-dye has already gone through this transformation:



These are a pair of Tadpoles that are actually going to make it to the Christmas Present Pile. The last pair I couldn't resist and are in my drawer right now. I should have held out for this pair: they have silk.

However, it is a fine feeling to know that I have 2 Christmas presents done already for March.

Oh? I didn't tell you about my other Christmas present? Maybe that's because it turned out so hideous.

I really don't know what to do with it. On one hand the Hurricane hat base pattern is truly lovely and will complement the recipient's skin color perfectly and she loves big flowers a lot too. But on the other hand that flower is really flippin' big and looks, from the side, like someone just shot a bullet through the wearer's head and it's the grotesque blood splatter you'd see if you stopped time right at that moment. But all that aside, it's still DONE. Which is better than not having an early present. Besides, the flower is made of wool and maybe I can get away with sending it on a trip through the washer and dryer. If it is utterly ruined then I can take out my (dreadful) sewing and put something else on there. I mean, hey, they sell big flowers at Michael's right?

As an aside, that is my face without makeup and by that I mean that is my I-just-finished-a-hat-what-the-hell-does-it-look-like-on-a-head face. And by that I mean it's also my I-have-to-get-to-class face. And by that I mean it's just my regular face so that's actually a damn good representation of what I look like. Except I don't usually have a giant flower on my head. It's really too big, isn't it...So I don't know. I'm really on the fence with this one.

Upcoming:

• A photo of all of my WIPS. I plan on digging them all out of their hidey holes and setting them up in good lighting so I can remind myself with this one photograph that I need to get to work lest they overwhelm me entirely.
• A photo of all my yarn. That's right, I'm totally playing Flash Your Stash 2011. I figured since I'm putting it on Ravelry I might as well put it here too. It's going to be kind of embarrassing, like if you're at a party and everyone's showcasing their Victoria's Secret bras and you're wearing a stained sports bra. Also, all my good stuff has been ripped from the glorious hanks and tags and been made clumsily into tightly wound balls. I'm just saying.
• A photo of me slicing a nice sharp pair of scissors through my beautiful fair isle. It's true. I'm going to steek. I'm going to steek something very small, but I'm going to steek nonetheless. Is it odd that I actually procured wool for this very purpose? But, I have to learn and I'm going to do it. I've been spending a lot of time with Alice Starmore's Fair Isle book, and Meg Radcliffe's colorwork book as well and  it is looking more and more interesting. I still cringe a little at the graphic photos in Mrs Starmore's book. Honestly, they make me sick. But I can imagine myself doing it. Although I'm admitting freely that it might take me a really REALLY long time to finish the knitting itself. I'm going to make a little tiny vest or something. It helps that I have a kid, otherwise people might think I'm crazy: knitting a tiny vest so that I can cut it up... Maybe I am crazy.

Also, I've cast on for a new pair of socks. But you'll have to wait and see how they look because I am too lazy to get a picture and besides, I have already given you 6 pictures today. So there!

My Wonky Piece of Crochet, and other news

I feel it is important to note that I have no idea what I'm doing. Also, that I have a 9 month old who is very intent on me NOT going on youtube to find out what I'm doing wrong. Also, I have no crochet technique books so I'm going off my knitting books which, understandably, say very little on the subject.

I think, after I've finished this tiny leftover bit of red heart, that i'm going to sew this thing together up the sides and make a kind of headband thing. Then I'm going to pick up the stitches along the top with a circular needle and make a hat-like object and keep  it forever. I really highly doubt I'm ever going to do another piece of crochet again. Maybe if I buy The Happy Hooker. It only seems right that if Debbie Stoller taught me to knit back in 2004 that she should be the one to teach me how to crochet.

God everytime i scroll back up i shudder inside. I can't crochet. I've said it before and here is my second peice of proof. Maybe one day I'll figure it out. I'm going to keep trying, i remember my first peice of knitting. It was pretty bad too.


IN OTHER NEWS::
1) It is March 13th and I only have 13 days left to finish the Central Park Hoodie.
2) I cannot, for the life of me, start knitting the second Guitar Man sock.
3) I bought more sock yarn, and then I bought more sock yarn again.
4) My son is very sick with  fevers.

So yay! That's my life.
Also, my dad's home for the weekend and the weather is ugly and i'm stuck indoors. It is most unpleasant. Usually I would put the chunky in his stroller and we could escape, but now he's sick.
What's even lamer is that I just bought him a bike seat and a helmet and we can't even go on a super-happy-fun bike ride.
But I put him in it the other day.
He didn't like his helmet anyways.

It starts...

I bought a crochet hook.
I'm gonna freakin' do it....
Maybe tomorrow. Or this weekend.

CPH update (finally)

Yes, I am actually still working on the Central Park Hoodie. After weeks and weeks of taking it out to work one or two rows I've finally dragged it out and finished the hood. It's so pointy- I feel  like red riding hood. :)
Now for some pictures...

This is a rather old picture, you can see the hood isn't finished. I'll post a more recent one- before I pick up the buttonband and weave in all those ends (the horror!)- if I feel up to it.

Another present for my Ravelry 1 gift a month group. These are for my buddy's xmas present. I've owed her some for years!

Another gift- a washcloth for my Aunt Marina. I'll post a pic of it in a little gift basket so that you think I'm classy...

These socks are making me ANGRY*

So right now my WIPS are as follows:
1) CPH...still (90%)
2) Cabled Mittens, still (50%)
3) Reversible Hiking Scarf (20%)
4) Super Secret Sweater (shhhh...it's secret) (5%)
5) Hardcore Sweater (5%)
6) Yoga Socks (65%)
7) Guitar Man Socks* (Less than 50%)
8) Smitten Garland (?)

*The Guitar Man socks are making me crazy angry, because they're taking forEVER and I hate them. A lot. I'm not going to speak more of this. It doesn't help that I'm not sure of the recipient's foot size.*

Also I found my charger for the digital camera so that means....LESS BLURRY PICTURES FROM HERE ON OUT!!! Yay!

Things in the queue:
1) Baby Sock Monkey for Vincent's Xmas
2) Tadpole Socks with new Crock O Dye (gonna have to take a pic of that, it's beautiful )
3) Garter Stitch Scarf
4) Slytherin Sweater (to be pushed back for a while due to xmas knitting and me not being so selfish)
5) Monkey Socks
6) The you-know-what socks for you-know-who (even secret-er than the super secret sweater)
7) convertible mittens- not sure i can decipher the pattern but I'm willing to give it a shot
8) Snail spiral hat - NOT using sheepsdown because I want to be resourseful and use what I have
9) and so much more!!!!

OKay no more blogging.
Goodbye cruel world.
<3 Cecilia

Have I gotten myself into something....

I have set myself up for failure this year. Other resolutions aside, my knitting goals are damn near impossible. Nevermind that I expect myself to get through half of the twelve steps, nevermind the fact that I expect to get 2 and 1/2 hours of excercise per week, nevermind passing scool: how am I supposed to knit 12 pairs of socks in one year?!

Don't you dare suggest incrementalizing. I know 12 pairs in one year is just one pair a month and that 12 pairs a month is one sock every 2 weeks. But do you remember the socks I made for Carla? I was going to give them to her at the end of May but they weren't done until December. That's not bad, you think. It was December three years later.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that those socks were knee-highs, they were mind-numbing stockinette and I have made enough socks by now that I can end the toe without a pattern. It is no comfort. 12 pairs.... What really sucks is that I already missed Januaruy. But at least February's socks are done!

So as if the 12 pairs of socks thing wasn't freaking me out enough, I've also made plans to knit one Christmas present per month so I don't go insane knitting for people in December. Luckily, some of these can, and will, be socks. Unfortunately a lot of my sock yarn is non-machine washable and most of my family is lazy, so not all if the socks I knit will be gifted. There are quite a few gifts I have decided on that can be whipped up fron stash yarn, but I'm afraid i am going to have to buy more yarn sooner rather than later... Remember that yarn fast I'm on? Plus I decided to make 3 sweaters in 2011 and while I've gotten quite a bit done on my CPH
I still haven't touched it in more than two weeks.

So, anyway, I'm having a minor freakout.