Reporting in...

Okay, its been a while, so I must report in on the knitting happenings around here:

First, DH surprised me yesterday by appearing from the basement with a replacement for the broken arm of my swift. One of the crosspieces snapped back in July or August at the center rivet, and the whole thing has been unusable since. It was so pitiful with the pieces dangling. Luckily we have a fully stocked workshop, so he and I were able to install the replacement piece, put a new holding wire at the top (the manufacturer had left nothing extra, so once we untwisted the original wire it had to be replaced), and put a new rivet in at the join. I reattached the bottom pieces with a piece of the wire instead of the twine that had been there. It should wear a lot better.

Next, I've been playing around with that really cute Knitting Needle bag from Knitting Daily. I started it with one yarn, then switched to some Lamb's Pride Worsted thats been hanging out in the stash. Ever go to the LYS and have a yarn call out to you because of the color? Well, this was one of those. Its in such a wonderful green. Not too bright, not too blue, just this wonder color. I had bought 2 skeins without anything really in mind. (Two was all they had) There was some vague notion of making the Mukluks from an Interweave magazine, but those really called for a lot more yarn. I just finished the first skein, and spit spliced on the second. I'm about 70% done, should finish in the next day or two. Then it will be off to the craft store to buy the knitting needles that will be glued in place as the bag frame. Or maybe I should haunt e-bay?

Finally, I'm waiting on the next pattern from Six_Sox KAL. Its going to be in a heavier DK weight, so I don't know if it will appeal. Depending on what it is, I may adapt it to a sock weight yarn. Tomorrow morning is the release.....

Green!

See what I found? A little quiz to see what color green you are. And green is my absolute favorite color!

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

And yes, I am certainly a unique, wonderful individual!

Warm feet

There is just no substitute for warm feet. Tonight was the "Almost Overnight" for Cub Scouts. Its been cool around here, and its not any warmer up in the mountain where the Scout camp is located. While you can still wear shorts and sandals around the house, clearly that wasn't going to cut it at camp.

Long sleeves and pants were a given - last time the Cub Scouts did this, we were just freezing. I decided that some handknit socks were the way to go; after all, even if it wasn't too cold, at least the wool breathes to adjust. Well, it was the right move. My feet were toasty warm all evening, even after the sun went down. I didn't have to put on a fleecy, although others around me were searching for gloves and hats. I will swear that my warm feet really made all the difference!

My knitting came along - the socks in Terrain Twist. Still working on the foot part in a ribbing pattern, so it doesn't require much attention (p3, k3, p3, k1 - repeat 3 times, then knit plain on the bottom of the foot). Didn't get to do much though - had to go teach the kiddies how to use a pocket knife properly. But tomorrow will be 2 hours of car travel, so I'll get to sit quietly and make progress.

Oh, and my Knit Picks needles came bright and early this morning! Yeah! Already trying them out with the Zephyr for the Secret of the Stole swatch (4's and 5's, but its not clear which one will win yet), and moved the Terrain Twist socks onto the 2.25 needles this evening. They are great - definitely wood and not bamboo (ich!), but I've gotten very used to the slippery surface of the Options, so its going to depend on the yarn. The needle binder is looking pretty full......

New stuff

Well, the kids finally went back to school. I love having them around, but they do prevent me from doing so many things, like cleaning. And I come home from the supermarket with only half of my groceries, since their constant bickering and chatting prevents me from thinking and remembering what I needed to buy.

Anyway, I've been playing around on Ravelry quite a bit. My ID there is "Arlene". And tonight, when I went to check out the forums, there were a whole bunch of threads about new Knit Picks needles. Well, that needed to be checked out immediately!

Pretty, pretty, pretty! Must Have! And since DH is a woodworker, this he was willing for me to splurge on. He thought I should just order the entire set immediately, but I showed some self-control. I had no use for the clear plastic case or more cables (sheesh, I already own the cables in every size but 40", and I have every size of the metal tips, with duplicates on sizes 8 & 9). So, I ONLY ordered the tips for sizes 4, 5, 6, and 8. The ones I use a lot. And I also ordered the full set of the wooden dp's for sock knitting. They were just too beautiful to not own. And I love wood needles for my straights. (Note I said wood, NOT bamboo).

Of course, I'll probably fill in all the other sizes as I make more Knit Picks orders. Its always good to want something else there, so you can make the $45 free shipping limit.

I've signed up for the Secret of the Stole knitalong (SOTS) which is going to start at the beginning of October. I swatched up some of the Silk City yarn I bought, but they just didn't work. So, I'm trading some of the black Zephyr I have left with a local friend, who used a very pretty Marine blue Zephyr for her MS3. Yes, I was the enabler there. Oh, and on the SOTS too. Bad me. I don't think I could face that black again. Too boring. My friend also gave me the two extra tubes of beads from the MS3, so I'm all set.




The I Love Gansey socks have become a whole lot easier. I turned both heels using short-rows instead of the gusset flap in the pattern - it just fits so much better. It goes faster without having to work Cable C, I no longer need the pattern in front of me all the time. And with the plain bottom of the foot, the amount of work is really much less. I should be at the toes soon.


With the kids back in school, I was back to exercising today. The Michelle's shawl is going to live next to the stationary bicycle, so it will get some attention again. Takes about 30 minutes to do a row on it, so the visible progress is really reduced. Must use up that mystery yarn, though. Get it out of the stash.

I have these incredible urges to cast-on more and more projects. So far, I am resisting, but its all so tempting......