Rhapsody's tights, among other things....

So, I have been obsessed with getting thesse tights perfect PERFECT PERFECT, so they don't do that characteristic tight thing-you know, how on all babies and toddlers the crotch seems to fall somewhere between the knees and the diaper? In any case, I measured and remeasured the length and circumference of five points on Rhapsody's leg, but somehow, after the first leg was off the needle and I was well onto the second leg, I realized that the first leg wasn't quite long enough. Is that from the fabric not stretching up because it was stretched around, or is that because one of her legs is significantly different than the other? Of course its the first reason, but I hate to admit my mistakes.....but heres the pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. And just for the record-the feet do fit, even though in that picture it looks like the toe is flopped over-she was curling her toes and it created the flap effect. I have exactly eight days to get things straightened out, before I can go back to working on other things, like spending my earned store credit at Diva Yarn, maybe to get the yarn to make the Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood?
And by the way, I am still wholly addicted to Ravelry-my god, everyone is on there!!!

un-ravelry-ing

I have been knitting, but somehow getting that ravelry log-in figured out has stolen my time-do you know how many knitters are on that site?!? I am sucked in to the number of knitters working on the same projects as me, and curious about what yarns they used, what they thought about things, etc. etc. I feel incomplete as I covet others stashes, and look at their well-rounded project lists, or peruse their libraries-is it still breaking one of the ten commandments if I want my INTERNET neighbors belongings?
Well, downloading pictures is also on my to-do list, so once I find my USB stick I will get right on it-being a roaming gnome with a broke-down laptop means I have to save everything to the USB, or leave my pics and things on some family members PC.

sorry, lo siento, disculpame.....

wow.
I just came back to the states, and was perusing favorite blogs when I remembered that I had one of my own. I cannot believe it has been since mid-December! So much has happened, so many things have been knit and gifted out already, without photos or anything. ahhh. Well, first things first. I am Mrs. Procrastaknitter now, ran off and married a Peruvian while I was supposed to be studying-and now I just need to figure out how to get him into the country. I celebrated Christmas with my family this past Sunday, the day I got back-and almost every single person had a handknit present, thank you very much! I think that I may need to commit myself to the two knits a month, considering how rapidly my family is expanding. I may have a few pictures of things I have knit that I can attach here, so I'll stop before I run out of excuses for my lack of postings.
once again, sorry about the delay.

Playing around

Meet penguin numero dos, and his friend the be-sweatered bear. The bear just left surgery, where I spent an hour stitching him up without feeling proud of what I had done. The last time I made this bear, The yarn was a fluffy mohair that hid the poor joint-work; this time he looks slightly crooked and more than just a little bit choked. The penguins are easy, the hard part is remembering which directions their fin/wings angle away from their body.
Not much, but two Christmas presents done and ready to go.

still knitting

So, heres a few pictures for those that may think I have abandoned all knitting endeavors. First, the harf, as modeled by the charismatic Fany-she said it was ridiculously warm considering the weather here currently, but didn’t want to give it back. The Malabrigo scarf is looking lovely, slightly puckery but hopefully that will disappear with some decent blocking. The brown mass is the head to a future teddy bear, and the penguin that I made yesterday (in one day) has already been gifted to one of the little people in the house. Honestly, not much knitting has been happening the last two weeks, since the festival of the Virgen of Guadalupe has taken precedence over everything else-and when it ended on Monday it wasn’t a day too soon. But things are slowly returning to normal, so hopefully by next week I will have something more substantial to share.

oh my goshness!

I just realized as I was checking some of my favorite blogs (knitandtonic, glampyre, katcoyle) that I couldn't remember the last time I had updated my own. Well, well, looks like it has been two weeks plus (but no ones counting)...
The harf is done, now a two color harf since I received the two skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas to make it with an extra long scarf section. I don't know if I have the will power to give this one away, but I will try, although I love it so!
The Malabrigo laceweight changed from being the pompom awning to being the flame lace scarf from Wendy (knitandtonic)and that one grew by a couple of rows just this morning.
The sweater is being packed up and shipped back to the states-it is not quite done, but it is way too hot down here to keep lugging that one around. The socks, the socks, the socks. What can I say? Not done, and mocking me from their hiding spot-so small, but so difficult to finish. Mohair leaves-found! Not done, or getting any bigger, but no longer in the lost category.
Pictures are forthcoming, as soon as I find someone to model the harf in this unbearable heat.

Yeah, still here, procrastaknitting. Sorry for the huge delay in getting the pictures out there, but you understand. Right? Okay, the little red skirt was a hit with little Miss Lizbet, so now the black and red tank is on the needles to match. The Malabrigo, well that showed up in a care package from Mom, yarn I had ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool back in August that didn’t get to Washington before I left. I wound up one ball, and perused my pattern binder-visions of a shawl-y thing for Jadine in order to keep my end of the deal-she made me a gorgeous quilt earlier this year. I started using the Kat Coyle pompom awning pattern from Greetings from the Knit Café – I’ll save final decision making until I’ve finished at least one lace pattern repeat. The socks are progressing; one is a footie, the other an anklet. The brown Fancy Image Yarn is being worked with leftover Sockotta sock yarn from Eli last year-I am cutting my teeth on the syncopated caps pattern from the Spring (or was it Summer?) issue of Interweave knits. Not sure of how far this one will make it before it is retired, because it has already caused some cursing and frogging that was undeserved.
So, there it all is, my recent knitting adventure/attempts in one quickie paragraph. And now here’s the pictures….

Penelope

I need to figure out who this Penelope character is. For the past five days I was traveling around the beaches of Northern Peru and on in to Ecuador with the graduating classes from one of the local private schools. There was a handful of parent chaperones present, and whenever anyone commented on my constant handful of needles and yarn, they always said something about Penelope. From what I translated, apparently Penelope was in love with a man who went away to war, and her parents wanted to marry her off to another. She said she would marry once she finished whatever project it was she was knitting-but the catch is that she would knit all day long and at night unravel what she had started so she never actually finished. I, however, don't unravel. I just start a new project!
As for my current projects, still missing a sleeve on the mohair hoodie, and one of the socks is to the cuffs, the other a little bit behind. What else was I working on? In any case, I also knit up a little skirt during the course of this trip. I wanted to try out the lace pattern for a sweater I was considering making, so I decided to work it as a much smaller project-what has turned into a cotton skirt perfectly sized for a toddler. Yesterday I started on a little top to match, in a different color but with the same lace pattern-pictures are forthcoming, I promise.

Hoodie and the Blowsocks

The hoodie. The hoodie. The hoodie is not much more than that, but it is done-minus sleeves. Still holding a personal debate-if I make it short sleeved, I can wear it right now, while I am down here. If I make it long sleeved, it will have to be stored until January when I return to the states, because a long sleeved alpaca mohair hoodie just doesn’t fly in South American summer weather. As it is, short sleeves will only work at night. Then I was thinking, hmmm, I wonder if there’s a way I can make it short sleeved, but leave the option to add sleeves once I get home-what do you think?
As for those stinking socks, I pulled them out of the drawer of pretend-its-done, and I will turn the heel on the second sock today. I promised myself. Still on the lookout for the mohair leaves scarf, and that Van Dam cadet hat is nearly done-thanks to two hours on a bus with nothing to pay attention to except yet another of Jean Claude’s terrible kung fu faux movies. But, I think I figured out why he is so popular down here-it is because his movies are severely lacking in intelligent conversation, which cuts down on the amount of translation that need to happen-grunts, flesh slapping, and severe stares are the same in every language.

Hannah's Cape, Re-Visited

TO BEGIN: I apologize for my slacker tendencies. BUT in my defense, I am a procrastaknitter-that name was not just to be cutesy. I have been knitting, but not writing. Actually, I whipped out a trendy retro cape this week, the full size model of Hannah’s green cape-just because I was looking through my back log of knit photos, and remembered how easy it was to make hers (two days, from cast on to putting on). I used up three of the balls of red alpaca I brought with me, the same gorgeous stuff I bought on my first trip down here to Peru. Now that the elbow length cape is done, I was thinking about elbow length gloves, or arm-warmers, in order to make fashion function in the Northwest (down here, an elbow length cape is overkill-it’s almost summer).


As for my other projects, no progress on the second cadet hat; I honestly don’t understand why it takes me so long to finish something as simple as a hat. The socks, I turned the same heel twice on one of the socks, and since I have already (hmm) turned two heels, I felt I deserved a break. And in that break, I hauled out the mohair hoodie for another revamp. Now I think it may become a short sleeve split neck hoodie, because THE SLEEVES were killing me-I couldn’t find a cuff I liked, the yarn is fickle, not me. I put the back of the body on a spare circular, and started working on the front, making it up as I go along (and writing it down, so that the back matches{hopefully}) The mohair leaves scarf is indefinitely on hold, because I can’t find it…lost in the abyss of books and clothing that is my room, or in the hands of some unsuspecting stranger who picked it up on a bus. But for good measure, it will stay in my on the needles section, as homage to MY size 6 needles that are with it.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the local yarn store-for lack of a better name. It really is more of a sewing and embroidery store, but they recently started stocking a selection of crochet cotton, and multicolored acrylic. Finding good yarn involves traveling beyond my little village, and I had to smack my own forehead for nearly purchasing acrylic yarn yesterday-I was thinking quick and cheap gifts, honestly. Does this mean I need to repent at the feet of the Yarn Goddess?
ALSO, last but definitely not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY y Feliz cumpleanos to my top site visitor, and coincidentally, my OLDER sister Jenni! You don’t look a day over 29! Lots of happy knitting to you in this year of change, as you make the conversion from crotch-eter to knitter. LOVE YOU!

p.s. Jenni, what do you think of that brooch pin for the cape? It's the one I was talking about.

not much knitting...

lately, I´ve been spending more time sewing. You see, as I have found out, not drying your clothes makes them alot bigger, because they aren't been shrunken slowly in the dryer. So, I have been creatively reseaming my clothing to fit a tad better, all while I wait for more clothes to arrive from the states-I just can't bring myself to purchase any of the bejeweled second skin fashion that is available on every corner and in every store. BUT, I have made a bit of progress on the socks-only about an inch or so before I start the heel. Check it out.

have a heart, half a harf

My inability to restrain myself from beginning new projects is starting to turn on me. This was by far the biggest yarn shortage I have experienced-I should have noticed that when I ran out of the first ball of the yarn while still knitting the hood. Last week I excitedly purchased the harf pattern from Spin Cycle Yarns, and ran down the uneven sidewalks to the house to peruse through my yarn selection. MMhhh, the Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes I got from Jimmy Beans Wool looks nice, why not use that. Two skeins should be enough, right? No. No where near enough. I will swallow my pride, however, and share my big mistake with you. Yeah, I can hear you snickering. But, keep your fingers crossed because I just sent an email to JBW to see if they have got anymore of the same color for me-and lets just hope that the international shipping isn't killer, or this project will stay on stitch holders until I am back stateside.

toe-up socks

Just thinking about the fact that I managed to get two projects off the needles in the last week made me itch to cast on more. I know, I know, I just cast on for another of the cadet hats, but I found a pattern for toe up socks on Knitty, and wanted to cut my teeth on something new. So, I whipped out that lovely Panda Cotton that was part of my JBW prize pack, some size1 needles, and started reading the pattern. WHAT? Who has two size 1 circulars in their travel needles collection? Definitely not me. So, I had to do some revamping. I worked a nice little Turkish Cast on to double points, then fudged the sides a tad to be able to follow the increases the pattern calls for. Well, I got to the sixty stitches the pattern called for, and that barely fit over my three middle toes, so I worked in two more rounds of increases on the sides in addition to the increases in the middle. Now I was up 76 stitches, and that looked about right. Time to start the second sock so that one doesn’t feel lonely without her partner. I am feeling very successful right about now, since I managed to knit the beginnings of two socks, as well help Cecie choose a pattern for her first knitting project. Thank goodness I brought the big old binder of patterns, because I happened to have just what she was looking for. Perfect.

mini-mittens, and more

These were a happenstance project, the product of seeing the yarns snuggled together in a ziploc baggie-not enough of either blues to make the fingerless gloves, so I snuck in some of the grey mohair from the mohair hoodie project. Which, by the way, is back out of the drawer (again) and this morning I cast on for both sleeves. If I am going to take my sweet time finishing this sweater, at least both sleeves will be done at the same time-also prevents me from making huge increase or decrease errors between the two. As soon as I finished the mini-mittens, I immediately cast on for another of the cadet hats, this one burgandy Merino Stretch-I´ve been looking for a project to fit this clearance bin yarn I picked up in Bellingham, and this may be it.
So, here are two photos, because the colors look different against the back grounds. BUT I am conspicuously holding the second mitten, just so you know that it is done.
Pattern:Interweave Knits, Spring 2007, Rib and Cable Mittens
Contrast Blue(edges)Fancy Image Yarns, dk weight
Main Blue(body)Frog Tree Alpaca, sport weight
Grey(top)Cascade Leisure, worsted weight

and another one...

I finished another project-this time Pauls socks are off the needles for good, not just so I can borrow the needles for another project. yeah, I know, you can actually see the dustbunnies on the socks-I told you they were greying with age. In anycase, they are done, and I threw in a picture of the finished little baby booties, just for fun. And Mom, don't tell Paul that I had his new socks on my questionably clean feet.

lately, by the way...

Ahh, its been awhile. I have had one of those helter skelter weeks that turns into a long weekend, and this morning as I was sitting downstairs drinking my instant coffee, it dawned on me that I needed to do some updating. Here goes: Paul’s socks-decreasing for the toes on one, the other is somewhere around mid-foot. I cast on for the sleeves {again} of the mohair hoodie, but I’m not sure if I like the two color ribbing that I started with. I whipped out another pair of those cute little booties for I don’t know who, just had barely enough to finish the booties. I started the mohair leaves scarf again, tore out the first ten inches because I didn’t like the way the edges were curling (pattern calls for the entire thing to be done in Stockinette stitch), and I didn’t really like the leaves placement. Now it looks slightly different, with a single column of leaves up the center, and 5 stitch garter borders. My fingers have been itching to start some more socks-that darn Lorna’s Laces is taunting me from the drawer, although I know I need to finish Paul’s socks because they are begin to gray with age (kidding).
I have this sister that wants alpaca yarn for her birthday, so I am considering making a trip to Lima to see what the capital city has to offer-I am not really up for another five hour bus ride up to Cajamarca, and cruising down the Pan American highway for ten hours seemed better, somehow. We’ll see what the family has to say about that, because I think I may be able to get someone to go with me-ten hours with someone you know is better that being uncomfortably close to a perfect stranger who wants to finger your yarn.

cadet hat, down for the count.

my my I am making progress on that christmas knitting list! Here´s the cadet hat, done, in horrible color because of the flash and red background, but I love it none the less. Cheers to me!

R.I.P. Francisco Soto

This weekend, I found myself more or less confined to a small house in Chimbote for the wake and funeral of one of the uncles to the family, with my crochet hook and the yet unfinished bobble bag, some size 3 needles, and small balls of leftovers. I couldn’t remember the bobble stitch, and I didn’t have any patterns with me, so I used single crochet to make a back and strap, and turned the bobble bag into a small purse {Christmas present for one of the girls?}. I finished the Hannah hat in the bus on the way to Chimbote, and I used up the left-over purple cotton fleece to knit a drawstring pouch as a gift for the exchange we have in class on Thursday-saves me having to buy a gift, I used up stash yarn, and kept my fingers occupied for a couple of hours. The family welcomed me with open arms, considering the situation, and as the days passed more people realized that I wasn’t so-and-so’s niece, or that-one-cousins wife, and then we started talking about knitting. One of the nearly blind cousins yanked my needles and project right out of my hand to hold it up to her good eye, and then proceeded to purl across the row. Apparently Stockinette stitch is called Jersey stitch (pronounced yer-say), and seed stitch is known as arroz (rice) stitch. Learn something new everyday-and by the time we left yesterday afternoon, at least thirty relatives asked whether or not I had finished my projects-even in a country where people knit while walking down the street there are still some that are intrigued by what you are making.

PUR-ple

Only the family would understand that title, but I was laughing to myself yesterday as I finished another hat, because they are all purple. PUR-ple. Maybe I should make one for Grandma Johnson too. In any case, I finished the second PUR-ple hat, and just started on the third. And I have pictures to prove it!

pictures, as promised

Well, I did it, spent some sols on yarn. The alpaca that was commercially (damn you, blue sky!) available was superfine, but I have aspirations of making socks for my sisters (Ladies, that was not a promise, that was an aspiration. Don’t expect anything when I get back next year!).
I started today on a little hat for one of my nieces (keep you guessing, sisters!) at currently the yarn is knitting up at about 5 stitches per inch, DOUBLED on size 3 needles. This yarn takes superfine to a new level, and it is definitely the finest yarn I have ever used. But it is SOOOOO SOFT! Now I am searching through my current {mini-stash} of sock yarns for complementary heel and toe colors. I am working on Paul’s socks, still, slowly, slowly, sssllllooowwwlllyyyy, the instep on one and the space between heel and instep (what do you call that?) on the other.
BY THE WAY…
I am now officially a member of Ravelry, thank you for the invite, I only hope I can live up to the hype that this site generates!
AND ANOTHER…
My/Jenni’s camera is currently going through two double A batteries a day, because the ones available down here are really weak-Just because the package says Duracell doesn’t mean that they actually are. Jenni sent me more batteries from the States, but they have yet to arrive-I am trying to avoid spending more money, which should explain the current lack of pictures-most of my battery power has been reserved for the local sites and happenings.


P.S.......................................
Okay, this post was started yesterday, but since I didn’t actually post it yesterday, here’s the update: I finished one of the lovely little hats, even sewed in all the ends and double crocheted around the edges to prevent rolling, and started the second hat. Since my sisters probably look at this site more than anyone else, they’ll be able to figure out who I am knitting for. Oh well, all the littlest girlies in the family are going to have similar hats, and the big girls and boys are yet to be started.