Finishing Up

My time here in Ames is running out. In a few weeks I'll be moving on to Iowa City. I've been trying to start sorting my belongings, deciding what goes to Iowa City, what goes back to my parent's house, and what just needs to go. I've also been trying to tie up some loose ends project-wise. The dress I made for a coworker's new daughter is finished, and waiting for C. to return to work so I can give it to her.

I think the flower buttons are the perfect complement to the color and attitude of the dress. I also recently finished my second-ever weaving project, the pink scarf on the left. I'm proud to say the the mistakes get less and less frequent as you move down the length of the scarf, and that I had a blast making it. Weaving moves so much more quickly than knitting, and a quick (if not instant) gratification project made in spring colors has perked up my April. I am also please to inform you that the gloves on the right are finally complete, and Kimberly has finally received her Christmas present.

Currently in progress I have a narrow baby-blanket, sized for carseat or stroller use on the loom. A sock to complete my first hand-made pair, and a wool biking sweater for my brother. The Baby blanket seems the most urgent, so it's on the agenda for today. At a rate of 2 in/5 min I have much more confidence in my ability to finish weaving projects in a timely manner.

Blog-a-day? Oy Vey.

A new goal for at least the next couple months is a short blog-a-day. A what's-the-haps sort of thing. Today is a knitting/homework sort of day. I currently have 5 projects in the works, but my favorite by far is a sweet little dress for a co-worker's baby, due in a couple of weeks. The pattern is Little sister's dress. I love the boldness of the brown and red colors, a deviation from baby pastels.

Books & wine & needles

It is hard to come home to an empty house after even the best days at work.  It's dark and cold and there is no one to relate the tales of your day to.  Now this is not something that I often experience as I have what may be the world's best roommates, but it's a holiday and they are off celebrating.  Every now and then, though, having the place to yourself can be a bit of a treat.  I drew a bath, and poured some wine, played some George Winston, and settled in with a book by my new favorite author, Michael Perry.  The books he writes are slice-of-life, comments on the nature of things, great stories from work kind of books.  They are the non-fiction, auto-biographical ramblings of a man in love with over-thinking simple life moments in the best ways.  There is something renewing about reading his thoughts on midwestern winters, paint stripper, and balding.

Next, I tuned into hulu for some bad TV and picked up the knitting (and another glass of wine). I have made great progress on the sweater-vest of doom.  The back is complete and 

I am up to the v-neck split of the front.  As I watched TV, I knit up the left side and was approximately three inches from the shoulder.  Now the great thing about knitting tipsy, is that the time flies.  The bad thing is the confusing directions that rely heavily on counting, and multiples of seven plus two, become extra confusing.  The really great thing about knitting tipsy, is that when you realize you have to rip out an hour and a half's work because it said every-other row, seven times, not every seventh row twice, you don't really care, because it was still really fun. 

I just realized as I reached the end of this post, that I have a gallon of wine brewing in my basement that I haven't tended in months.  Look forward to that next time!

Oh the knitting...

I have a problem of a fibrous nature.  I love the patterns, and the colors, and the process, but, my friends, this knitting thing never ends.  And it's not just the knitting.  Oh no, it's the knitting, and the weaving, and the sewing.  I have confess to a case of fiber ADD. I am in love 

with the scarf I strung on a hand-me-down loom three months ago.  I found it last week shoved into a corner when I had to dig out the electric meter for the city utility-man.  I was so excited to try knitting an argyle pattern.  I made it though the solid color bottom band and hid it under my bed for a year.  I shudder to think of it.  I promised my guy a sweater vest to keep him warm this winter.  It'll work great if he's ok with cold shoulders.  I promised a friend fingerless mittens to get him through a cold fall.  I need new scrubs for work and ambitiously bought a pattern and fabric, thinking I would practice my sewing skills whenever I need a break from the knitting.  Oh boy.

It's mid-November and I am behind, but I am not daunted.  The fabric has been shipped off to my mother who has not only whipped me up the original brown pair, but has purchased enough

 additional fabric to make a veritable army of uniforms.  I will be burgundy, and polka dotted, and I even promise to wear the disconcerting "Christmas Print" with good cheer and gratitude.

 The gloves, I am proud to say, are complete, and will soon be heading to the Northern lands in the capable hands of our neighborhood postal worker.  The woven scarf has returned to it's corner to wait for someone at work to pass on the local snuffle and sideline me for

 a couple of days. But the vest.  Oh the vest.  I'm trying, I really am, but to my knitting friends out there, never commit to knitting someone something on size two needles unless you really mean it.  I mean really mean it.  I'm getting there, but Happy Birthday turned into Merry Christmas, and if I don't get my fingers flying, we'll be looking at a blessed Purim.

On the bright side though, this knitting thing never ends!  I have so many patterns and requests and new things to try.  It's nice to be able to make things people actually want.  It's nice to feel productive while I watch TV. Honestly, it's nice to just feel the needles in my hands, with their cool metal, and soothing clicking.  And, should I run out of ambition, there is always the argyle monster hiding under my bed to scare me back to work.