knit1frog2

takeout / takeaway

Unfortunately I have no knitting pics today and I think I just broke my footrest at work determining from the loud crack that I just heard.  (I am not tall you know, I need this foot rest.)  But something made me chuckle on the way to work and I had to share it with you.

I go to work and start early...typically get there a good hour before everyone else.  It helps to sanify the day.  So I'm driving down the street, and I see a group of runners running back to the gym.  They're obviously in some AM torture class.  They're all spaced apart, they're tired, they're haggard...they're running with exercise balls and they looked heavy!  Some were walking with said ball...I'm sure trying to regain their breath...then further down the street, amongst the runners and fast-paced walkers with their workout balls, there was a man walking with a takeout bag.  hahahahaha!  Yes, that would be me...I'm walking with my food la la la not a workout ball.

the home stretch

It's hard to believe that I haven't worked on this lately...didn't I say I wanted to get this off of the needles b/c I had a new project in mind?  I think that all changed when I realized I had another set of US8s.  Not a good thing...ha. 

I AM excited though to seam this up...though weaving in the ends is a little daunting...I started last night.  I had forgotten how like butter this yarn is...soooo soft.  I couldn't take all of the ends for some reason.  It was 9PM afterall.  I of course went back to the easier work of the hppoa scarf...and holy cow was that ever scratchy!!  So kachi-kachi!

now to weave in all of those ends...sigh.

it's knitalong (and workout) day

I was telling Christine that I seriously wondered how I get anything done due to the frogging.  I frog here, I frog there...I frog b/c some miniscule thing isn't quite right...and since this scarf is from Harry Potter 3 it does seem right that I've frogged this three times.  The first time because the gauge was too tight from the too-small-of-needles and though I thought about blocking it, I would have had to block the life out of it.  The second time I frogged it the bottom was a good inch tighter than the upper portion.  Remember, I'm using my newly learned continental knitting skills (or lack thereof) for this project and it did take some getting used to.  (I ended up going way up in needle size:  US7)  The last and third time I frogged it, b/c I realized that I only put 5 rows for the trapped bar instead of 6 (6 looks better even though it's different from the pattern) and I swear I counted 6 in the movie and yes, I was up to the 2nd trapped bar before I decided to do this.  Oh, and the jogless jog could have been better.  Now it's great.

Would my 6 yr old nephew notice?  Would he even care??  Probably not, but I would and it would get me every time I'd see him wearing it.  I need help.

no more frogging...really.

ribbit

I owe progess updates!  Thank you for all of those who left comments/sent mail about whether to frog or not to frog.  I went ahead with the frog...since the pattern is really called Chutes & Ladders...not Chutes & Cables.  Perhaps next time I knit a pair for myself, I'll leave the cables if they happen to appear!  :)

all fixed.  ribbit.

They are so soft...I hope my sockpal likes them when they're done!

cables and squiggles

So I'm knitting away...la la la...and decidedly see something funny...

one side has squiggles (correct) the other cables (wrong!)

So now...do I frog?  Because I'm clearly at a point where this is easily doable (when is it never doable---sometimes I wonder how I get anything done!) and I could go back and correct them.  I'm kind of liking that each side is different!  Charmaine, fellow sixer thinks it makes my socks unique!  Will my sockpal though since they are ultimately for her??  What would you do?

Here's a closeup of the squiggle.

how to (not) work out

It's 8:30PM and still 74 degrees outside.  wowsers.  Today I decided that I should finally go and pick up my gym membership card.  I've been meaning to do this since (gasp) January...I drove over after work, took a left towards the parking garage and lo and behold were these huge *gold* gleaming letters exclaiming "entrance" and "exit."  Me finks this club has too much money (especially after last year's renovations). 

Anyway, I get a little nervous about even going to such swanky, over-the-top places, but hey, it's free thru work, so why not.  I park, get out and I'm already getting uncomfortable...I've never been one of those matching outfits kind of girls.  I go to workout dammit.  I'm not there to show off my latest outfit.  I digress.  After walking up the stairs from the garage, which resemble Macchu Picchu (seriously!) I got to the lobby there are two towel boys there at the front desk...

me:  Hi, I need to get a membership card...
him:  Will you need towels?
me:  Um...no I'm here to get my membership card

(as if I didn't feel guilty enough for not actually working out.  The last time I went to the club, I think it was for a massage...ha!)

him:  *blink, blink*  no towel?
me:  no...ah, um, so where do I get a membership card?
him:  over at the concierge's desk

at the concierge desk:
me:  hi...I'm here to get my membership card
him:  will you be working out or are you leaving?
me:  I just climbed macchu picchu, I'll be leaving after I pick up my card...thanks
him:  *blink, blink*

I have my card, it's been activated to charge against and I'm good to go...or am I?

I went home to work on this:

83 degrees and I work on this!

But oh yes, before descending the great stairs of Macchu Picchu once again, I made a quick stop in the Spa and made an appointment for a massage.  A girl has to treat herself, doesn't she?  ^_~

happy father's day

Oh happy day and thank you to you fathers out there who made my shopping trips painless and crowd free today!  I had my car washed and went to Target and the supermarket all by 10:30AM.  At first it was a bit disconcerting to be one of seven people in a gigantic store, but I quickly got over that, believe me.

I managed to stay away from Acorn Street's sidewalk sale this weekend too!  Did you?

If my father were still here, I know he'd get a huge kick out of a pair of hand-knit socks.  No pun intended.

Now I'm gonna take a nap.  I love Sundays.  I'm going to dream up something to do with this:

more socks perhaps?

2 + 1 = 3

Oh no--there's a late contender yarn for my sockpal.  I think I'm going to go with this:

not only pretty, but amazingly soft
from a touch of cashmere

I think I'm ready to cast on with this yarn and not b/c I previously stated that I want socks from that other hot pink yarn, I promise.  I want a yarn that would make the pattern stand out for my sockpal.  I also want to knit some super soft socks that she will love & when wearing, will fondly remember this sockapal2za :) !  I had seen the pattern that I will be doing completed with the Fortissima yarn and the twists and turns just weren't as crisp as when done with this yarn.  I did get 3 balls, just in case 2 weren't enough. 

Whee, here I go!

and then there were two...

Double, double, toil and trouble -- fire burn and cauldron bubble...something wicked this way comes!  I can't seem to get this out of my head after watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which seems to be on every 30 seconds these days.  I also can't get the darn scarf out of my head either.  I promised my nephew I'd make it for him (um, before I realized it's seven feet long!  I still can't resist, you wouldn't be able to either if you saw his face.) and I have the yarn.  So I did it, I cast on...I probably should have finished my NBaT instead, but no.

Besides, I'm using the hppoa scarf as a way to improve my recently learned continental knitting skills.  Too bad it doesn't have purl, but that will have to be another day and another project.

I did get something productive done though...I narrowed the playing field down for my Sockapal2za person...heather grey was out b/c that's just too normal and sane.  Multi-colors were kind of out only b/c I want the pattern that I'm going to use to stand out.  I'm now thinking of one of the following...

for mild mannered pals

Or perhaps this...

for more of a punch!

I figured they wouldn't want brown, bright orange, pea green, mint green or heck, a crazy conglomeration of all colors (except yellow) like I might.  I wish I could remember where I got the hot pink skeins, b/c I really would like to make myself a pair.  Where o where did I buy this darn it!

knitskull

I don't have any of my own knitting pictures to share today, but I do have this one in lieu of yesterday's zombie post:

3yrs ago I found this someplace

I thought this tiny skull was cleverly done!  If only I could remember where I found the image hmm...

My Sockapal2za has no preferences for their socks...talk about carte blanche!  I will have to go thru my sock stash tonight and decide which yarn and color to use!  I already have the pattern in mind...woohoo!