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January 31, 2007
I Do Four Things These Days
1. I bitch about things like lack of dinner and back pain.
2. I obsess about house-related stuff.
3. I have magic teeth.
4. I knit.
That's pretty much the extent of my days of late. Which is fine. Well, I could do without the dinner issues and back pain.
Updates:
1. I had lovely Chinese food last night, at long last. Night before, we finally had the wine/cheese/fruit/salamifest. Unfortunately, wine + brain drugs wasn't a good idea. I think I'm the first person to have have a wine-induced panic attack. Of course, I'm also one of the few people who gets wired on Nyquil, so this shouldn't surprise me. My back, however, is fine and healthy.
2. Yesterday I packed seven huge boxes of stuff to move, four boxes of stuff to donate, and threw away four or five medium-sized garbage bags of trash while prepping the house for showing.
3. For the past two days, every single time I've stuck a toothbrush in my mouth, the phone has rung. If I had fillings, I'd think there was something electromagnetic going on. But seeing as how I've never had any metal in my mouth - no fillings, braces, etc. - I can only assume that my teeth have magic powers to make me popular.
4. Yes, I'm going to talk about knitting. You'll live. I promise. Unlike the poor guy who had the misfortune of sitting behind our knitting group last week who, while minding his own business, had a table thrown at him by someone in our group.
I'm still on the sock kick, despite a major roadbump last week. I got several inches into this sock when I realized I'd made a dumb mistake, probably because I was distracted by all the furniture flying around Starbucks that night. I tore and fixed, made another mistake, tore some more, and really fucked things up. So, being practical, I completely ripped out the whole sock, then went to the yarn shop and bought enough sock yarn to make two pairs, despite having failed yet again at sock-knitting.
Here's what I've got of the first sock. It's a gift for someone who reads this blog. Who knows - this could be your embryotic sock, you lucky devil!
Speaking of gifts, I can only give you a peak at the super-secret project I've been working on for months. It'll be awhile before it makes it to its permanent home. Until then, this is all I can show you:
I've got a bit of an unusual project going on, and I need all the advice I can get. My coffeehouse pal Heather scored a darling hand-knit baby sweater from a thrift store. How cute is this, what with the cable-knit hoot owls?
Problem is, the knitter did the neck way, way too small and Heather can't fit it over her daughter's head. And it's not even like her daughter's like Clara Jane was, with a melon that was literally off the growth chart. No, the neck won't fit over a normal-sized baby head. We're trying to find a way to snip the ribbed stitch of the neckline and expand it. Kat came up with some great ideas involving bias tape and elastic. Now, I just need the nerve to start snipping and biasing.
After the first sock debaucle, I decided to take a break from sock-knitting and finally do something with the pretty yarn Angela gave me for my birthday. If I learned one thing from the sock-knitting, it's that I rule the universe when it comes to dropping stitches, so what better than a project that relies on dropped stitches?
It's a scarf, and it makes me feel pretty in a smirky, dropped-stitch sort of way.
Posted by Robin at January 31, 2007 12:05 PM
Comments
Your knitting is amazing... when do you find the time? Also, I always drool over your beautiful eyes when you take pictures of yourself. Like so many others, I wish you all the best in the house situation.
Posted by: Lynette Cook at January 31, 2007 12:56 PM
Love the scarf! That's a great color on you.
Your knitting posts inspired me to start my own pair of fingerless gloves to wear in the climatic disaster known as my workplace. I got exactly one row completed before the project migrated into our spare bedroom, where it remains today. Hopefully these pics will bring back some of my motivation!
Posted by: barbara at January 31, 2007 01:02 PM
Hey! Fixing the neck is easy...I've done it on a couple of sweaters now. If you are in the mood to fix it with knitting that is.
Take a circular knitting needle that is smaller than what was used to knit the sweater so that it slips into the stitches easily. Go around the entire neck, below the actual neck back, and pick up stitches. Once the stitches are safely on the needle, take some scissors and cut the neckband off. It's best to just cut the first row or so off and then unravel it. If possible, you could use the unraveled yarn to knit a new neckband.
If you can't use the unraveled yarn, knit a new neck band with either yarn that is similar or yarn that will look good with it. You can even pick up stitches around each wrist and knit a row or two and then bind off just to give the neckband something to coordinate with. You can knit the neck and wrists in a stitch that looks good with the sweater, perhaps a k2,p2 or a stockinette rolled edge. If you're feeling particularly adventurous you could check out a book on knitting edges such as the five thousand volume library that Nicky Epstein has put out.
And when you're done, I can be paid for my advice in Dove chocolates.
Cheers!
Posted by: Tina at January 31, 2007 01:39 PM
Robin -- you look adorable -- this is my favorite picture of you, yet.
Posted by: Marijean at January 31, 2007 01:46 PM
That's a great picture!!
Just so you know, I'm still lovin' the "eye catcher factor" of that amazing Boobie Scarf -- and I think about you every time I pick up my knitting needles just 'cause you make it look so easy! I'm learning, I'm having a ton of fun, and I've got you to thank for it! (And I swear I'm not just kissin' up) :)
Posted by: Debbie at January 31, 2007 02:01 PM
Your eyecolor makes me drool.
Posted by: Exena at January 31, 2007 02:32 PM
Great scarf! I love the way it matches your eyes.
That sweater reminds me of a blanket I have as a little girl. Same owls but on a blanket.
Good luck!
Posted by: Tiffany at January 31, 2007 03:14 PM
That scarf is great! I wanted to knit the same one last spring but I didn't buy ribbon yarn that was appropriate for that pattern so I never finished it.
Yay on your blue sock! Looks like it's going well! I really like that colorway as well.
The first of your hippy dippy tie-dye socks is finished. Look for a picture on my blog. Should have used a flash though because the colors are too muted in the photo.
Loved the photo of you as well. That lipstick looks fab on you!
Posted by: Dixie at January 31, 2007 03:34 PM
Ya know I don't care how many times you say you mess up, I don't see it. Not at all. I love your knitting. Wish I could do it. Maybe it's something I need to consider.
You're house will sell, have you buried the St?
Cassie
Posted by: Cassie at January 31, 2007 03:35 PM
super secret project, huh? i bet if i brought over enough beer, you'd spill the beans!
ok, i saw your picture, i'm officially missing you. i'm ready to see you, like, right now.
one teensy little question...how the hell do you get your hair that shiny?
Posted by: pkb at January 31, 2007 04:29 PM
That is the cutest picture! I love it. Oh -- and the scarf too -- it's a pretty color.
Posted by: Katya at January 31, 2007 05:21 PM
Lynette - Thanks, especially for the good wishes on the house. I think they might have worked. More news on that tomorrow. As for finding time to knit, I do most of it on Tuesday nights when I hang out with my knitting friends. On the rare occasion I sit down to watch TV, I knit, since I'm incapable of sitting still.
Barbara - go get the gloves right now. I mean it. Stop reading and go knit!
Tina - thanks so much! I like your idea for repairing the sweater, because I'm terrified of pulling out any stitches. I found 1/8 of a bag of leftover Doves from Halloween. They're all yours if I use your suggestion and don't mess up.
Marijean - my ego loves you. Thanks!
Debbie - I'm so glad you're getting lots of wear out of the boobies! I'm still trying to come up with a fundraiser idea for this year. And I'm even more thrilled that you're knitting so much!
Exena - wanna make out?
Tiff - I think the only reason my eyes look so freakishly green in that photo is because of the scarf. I've decided to surround myself with celery green at all times.
Dix - of course you like the colorway; it's German yarn. :) Loving my hippy-dippy sock from you. As for the lipstick, it's not even lipstick. It's Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer tinted lip balm. Best stuff ever, especially at $3 a pop.
Cassie - you don't see my mess-ups because I usually don't post photos of them. :) I have a five-armed baby sweater I made, hiding in a closet. We had our little St. Joe burial service Monday evening, and he's doing a great job already.
PKB - you don't have to get me drunk; I'll tell you what the project is next time we talk. Bring beer anyway.
Katya - thanks, but the picture of my kid in her pink cowboy boots is much, much cuter.
Posted by: Robin at January 31, 2007 07:54 PM
I love your knitting too... and the scarf is great! Y'know, Shane get's wacky-wired on NyQuil too. No need for a meth habit in this house, all he'd need is a jug of NyQuil if he so desired to be that high!
Posted by: Annie at February 2, 2007 02:53 PM
