Ode to Pudding

Note: this is a non-knitting post today.  Fair warning.

Today at work we had a little pot-luck to celebrate the leaving (and promotional opportunity) of a co-worker.  He's a nice guy and everyone likes him, so people brought in delicious cookies, delicate pastries, and (supposedly) the World's most amazing cupcakes ever produced.

Seriously, everyone who tasted one of these gorgeous home-made cupcakes signed and stated that this was absolutely the most amazing cupcake they'd ever tasted.  Some did the happy dance, some looked like they had a food orgasm, and the rest just kept grabbing another one. 

I'm on a diet.  Normally, I would've been right in there with them, but I'm not eating sugar at this time.  None. 

Yes, it sucked.

Especially when they kept going on about how wonderful the cupcakes were.   I just sat there and told them very nicely that I wasn't hungry when I was really thinking "F-you and the little dog you rode in on!" for taunting me with the treats.

I knew they weren't really taunting me - it just felt like it.  I really wanted one of those cupcakes.  I almost caved but I told myself I would make up some sugar-free chocolate pudding when I got home.

I made it.  And it was GOOOOOOOD...........and so was I.

Diets suck.

Tech is Good

Knitting can be a funny thing.  Couple of examples:


Got my regular email from Accesswatch, an email newsletter on the Microsoft Access program - tips & tricks, that kind of thing, and low and behold - a blurb for the author's esty site where she sells her handknit items.  (It then went back to the main point of archiving linked tables to another database.)  Whoa.  I'm in tech and always love to see another fellow techie-knitter.  Way cool. 


The Internet is your friend.  I'm currently working on an old Knitty pattern, Kernel.  This is a not-too-hard lace scarf but the chart shifts over on a couple of rows, which always freaks me out when I'm not expecting it (WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE REPEAT SECTION STITCH MARKER NO LONGER FITS THE STITCH COUNT?!?!?!). 

Basically, it moves over 1 stitch and so you then move your stitch marker.  OK, got it.  But then on row 11 of the 2nd chart I couldn't figure out why I didn't have 6 stitches to knit on the last bit.  Was the chart wrong?  So I went to Knitty, Ravelry and the author's blog site to see if there were any corrections (not a bad place to start before starting to pull out your hair).  Turns out the chart was right - I had just dropped a stitch.  Research is good. 

Again, technology helps out knitting.

Cool.

What's Up?

I think I've found the cure to my knitting slump.  I switched from doing top-down raglans to doing things with sock yarn.

I have a ton of the stuff.  I pick it up when it goes on a good sale, or as a souvenir when I'm traveling, or just because it's simply gorgeous.

Haven't done much with it after I get it home.  Oh, I occasionally pull it out and fondle it while oo-ing and aww-ing, but usually it just goes into my sock bin like it's a deposit at the bank that you can't touch if you want to make any interest on it.

I've changed things.

Firstly, I've been making socks.  Simple toe-up stockinette that shows off the pretty hand painted stuff.  These are also good while I ride in to work with my crazy-driver carpooler.  He's what you'd call an - umm - aggressive driver.  So I don't look.  I knit.  And pretend the driving doesn't scare me out of a year's growth.  Making lots of progress but notice my tension can be a bit tight.

Next up, I picked up a book on entrelac, "Entrelac: The Essential Guide to Interlace Knitting".  I tell ya, I sure didn't know you could do all that with entrelac.  If you get the chance, I'd recommend taking a look at it.  Pretty cool stuff.

So for my second act of sock yarn knitting, I pulled out a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn and have been making up a scarf with simple entrelac. 

I've never worked with Noro much, because I don't like the feel of Kureon and see all the tie-offs in it, but I'm about 2/3's into the skein of the silk garden and have only run into 1 tie-off.  What I really like about the stuff are all the yummy colors.  The color changes make me look goooood, like I'm a way more accomplished knitter than I really am.  I think Noro and me are going to be good friends.

I'm also looking at Leaf Lace Scarf (from page 134 in the book) with some Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light yarn I had picked up to do some lux socks.  Pretty, pretty...

My famine is officially over.

Winding

I've been in a bit of a knitting slump lately.  I'm bored, and all I've seemed to be doing the past few months is either stockinette or garter stitches.  That's going to change.

I hate it when my knitting gets boring.  There's no reason it should ever get that way.  Sooo, I pulled out a couple of skeins of Alchemy Haiku.  Would up one - I got a bot worried when it appeared to be prying off a stand of Velcro, but once things got rolling on the swift, it came right off. 

I wound, and I wound, and wound some more.  My right arm got tired so I switched to my left.  Got in a decent arm workout, anyway.  Finally, I ended up with a skein of 325 yards of super-static-y fuzzy gorgeousness.  Then got to wondering exactly what weight this stuff was - the wound ball was about the size of my palm -actually, it fits inside my palm with lots of room, and I don't have very big hands.

So I went online and googled the yarn.  Came up with some interesting results - one site said it was a DK weight, another said it was a light worsted, and another said it was lace weight.  Went to the Alchemy site, which said nothing about the yarn weight.  Hmm...

Now that that's been cleared up right muddy, I need to find a pattern that will work.  The ball label gave a gauge of 5 stitches per inch on a size 7 needle, so I'm going to go with that.  Maybe.  Kind of.

Wish me luck!    

Vacation

Where does a girl from California go for a vacation?  Certainly not to someplace that has sun & surf - no, this girl heads up North!

Wow!  I can't believe I didn't log in at all last month.  Been busy - went on vacation to Alaska and Canada (if you ever get the chance to go I highly recommend it), caught a nasty cold while I was there and am just now starting to feel human again.  (If you go I don't, however, recommend catching a cold - makes the trip not quite so much fun.)

Now that I can breathe again without hacking and coughing out a lung, I'm back and brought you come pictures of the trip.  Hope you enjoy:

 
Leaving Seattle

Over White Pass:

Yes, the lake was frozen.

Emerald Lake starting to thaw:

Ketchikan:

It was an amazing trip.  I think I need to go back - what a great place to wear all my nice sweaters!

CDWK

Have you ever tried to knit while there's a really fun, bouncy song on the radio?  Chair dancing while knitting...

Results

Tried a couple of things for the February Lady sweater: Entrelac and feather & fan stitch.  Decided on the feather & fan stitch.  The ripples show the colors of the yarn better.  Pictures to come later (as soon as I get a bit done). 

In the meantime, my grown-up daughter decided she wanted to learn how to knit.  It was fun & I think I may have a new convert on my hands now. 

I tell ya, we knitters are gonna take over the world.  We'll probably end up knitting a cozy for it or something...

Knit on!