Knitting Goddess #9: April 2003

So, right, life sucks.

Knitting is excellent therapy.

So, I've finished the first forsythia sleeve and have started the ribbing for the second. Yay.

Alas, this is all that remains of the sitcom sweater.

Hopefully, it will be resurrected as a medium that fits me better than that other piece of crap.

I swear, this and Mom's forsythia (I'm on the first sleeve. Huzzah!) will make 2 funny webpages.

So, I was going to spin and or knit this weekend.

Beltane had other ideas. As did this cold I have.

Well, hopefully, I'll get far enough along in armhole shaping tomorrow that I can just go to Phone Booth and zone.

I decided also that Bella would just make me look huge. And I really don't want that.

I really want to make very cherry though.

Sunburned. Need shower. Then bed.

I've decided to put sitcom in a drawer for a while. It's just not working out right, and I'm frustrated. While I really want the sweater, I am tired of fighting with it.

Maybe when I rip it out I'll make knitty's bella instead.

Now I'm working on Mom's forsythia. Finished Haley's hat and am looking forward to Les & Des' cat hats.

Had yet another minor sitcom revelation.

It's not sitting right on my shoulders because... well, the looseness in the body is keeping the shoulder sleeves from going up into the armpits and the collar being closer to my actual neckline.

Oh, the joys of having a 42" bust when mediums are 40" and larges are 44".

I'm wondering if I shouldn't rip it all out, curse god, and remake the entire thing as a medium. I have some play in the sleeves, so I might make those tighter too. It is suppoesd to be a form fitting sweater, enit?

If someone (who is probably Molly) is reading this, give me a comment!

I finished sitcom (for the THIRD time!) last night. Still not sure if I like how it looks. Main problem being... well, there's a lot of problems. But I think the sleeves are like two stitches too small in my upper arm flab, so it's not sitting right on me.

This is why I hate that fact that sticks usually design knitting patterns.

So, in theory... people can comment.

In reality... eh, I dunno.

Current List of Design Projects:
hookerware top for Molly (basically, making a v-neck and removing the sleeves from knitty's sitcom sweater)
half sleeve v neck shirt adapted from knitty's cheesy love in DK with ice blue and pink as a contrast
green peasant shirt with bell sleeves and v-neck with white leaf pattern on sleeve and neck edge (and possibly a design on the chest) in DK
simple 2 cable sweater from Old Navy ugly blue sweater
tank top with cables for straps

All this with my 50 other projects I've got going on. Have I mentioned I've never designed anything other than hats before?

Now, if I could only finish sitcom...

Knit em up and rip em out!

Refinished sitcom. Looked in the mirror. Eh.

Decided I should have done one more decrease row before binding off. So, ripped out again. I -swear- I will finish this thing before the week is out!

Of course, I'm not sure this will end up looking good on me. It's a couple of inches too big. Le sigh... maybe I should have made the medium... which of course would have been a couple of inches too small and would have strained over the bosoms. Maybe I'll just only wear it when I wear my wonderbra.

Aw fuck now.

Say it with me everybody. Aw fuck now!

So, finished sitcom sweater last night. Wasn't at home to actually see how it look. Did the side and neck seams, sewed the ends in, asked if someone owned an iron.

Was cold tonight while procrastinating for this paper (Hey! Guess what I'm doing now!) Tried it on. Looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked terrible. The sweater neck ends on about my bra straps. I look ridiculous. I look at the pattern again, and realize do 7 (8, 9, 10) decreases meant do 7-10 MORE decreases after you finish the pattern on the neck.

I am not amused. I really am not amused.

So, I've had to undo all of the stitching, rip everything out, and start over again from where I started binding off 4 rows early. This means I now have another 5-6 hours of work in this sweater left. And that's before blocking, button, and possibly sewing in ribbon to keep it from curling more.

But, I if Molly likes, I might make this into hooker ware for her.

Restarted Haley's hat. Added an extra 10 stitches because she does have a bigger head than I. Decided to do the 2 stitch cable once every 4 rows instead of every 2. I think I like it so far.

Time to all alone beweep my outcast state.

Well, I finished sitcom last night. I desperately need to block it. The bottom and sides are curling something fierce.

It's big on me. And I still have a skein and a half of yarn left. I don't know what to do with that.

In other news, I finished Haley's hat in a desperate attempt to not do my Sufism paper.

But, I'm definitely not happy with it. DEFINITELY not happy. So, I'm redoing it. That one will probably go to charity.

I'm going to do 3" of ribbing with size 9s, instead of 2.25" on 8s. And then I need to do the decreases differently. I think just the standard 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1 that I normally do, so the big cables keep cabling, even though the smallers disappear. And maybe a little longer with the pattern too.

So, as you can see (or not, image quality isn't that good), I'm nearly done with the sitcom sweater.

This is the part of a project I hate. Where you're so close to victory you can almost taste it, but unfortunately you can't keep it working anymore. Once I finally finish the neck shaping and BO, I still have to do the inside seems, possibly stich on ribbon, and of course, there's the button.

I'm knitting this thing on Red Heart TLC. According to my calculations, it should have needed almost 5 skeins to be the equivalent of 6 Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I'm in the middle of my 4th and almost done. I really don't want to have to return yarn or find a new use for a whole skein of black.

Oh, today, my impatience knows no bounds.

I'm a over a third into my second sleeve for sitcom. Even though I measured the length in the dark during the Pianist, it is a correct 3/4 length sleeve. It's maybe a row shy, which makes me wonder. Do I rip out what I've done to add a row?

The only times it would matter is when I wear 3/4 sleeve shirts. I own 2- 1 black, one red. If a tiny hint of red showed up in a shirt, I think I could survive.

Here's what the sleeve looks like...

Still haven't finished up Haley's hat cuz... I'm lazy? Updates when I have a brain.

On a shopping expedition had a chance to stop in at Michaels. Son, now I have my size 8 DPNs, and have started at the Sitcom sleeves!

As you can see!

That's all for now. I'm writing site mythology and trying to not learn HTML at 2 in the morning on a saturday.

Much frustration with Haley's hat.

I'm inventing a cable pattern, and was going to do an 8 stitch repeat for an 88 stitch hat. Finish the ribbing, switch to larger needles. Do the pattern and realize I'm short two stitches. Add two and continue.

And sitting and waiting for things to start at Middle Children tonight, I realize something.

I'm a complete moron.

The pattern goes as follows- 4 cable forward, 2 ps, 2 cable back, 2 ps.

Perhaps you can add as well as I can. That's a 10 stitch repeat, not an 8. Hence, it was necessary to add 2 stitches. Sigh...

While this does not completely change the pattern, it's good to know. An 8 stitch repeat should have gone 4 cbf, 1 p, 2 cbb, 1 p. I even remember counting out the stitches.

I guess I just can't add at 2 in the morning. Ah well.

So, on a PAN vendor blitz, I stopped in at Bead Paradise, and ran into Larissa. Next thing you know...

$3.25 earrings! The stones are hematite in case you couldn't tell. I made them myself. (Well, I designed them, and attempted to form the loops on the earrings myself. Semi-successful)

I really liked designing things like that. Maybe I should get into beading now too!

In knitting news, I've finished the ribbing on the forsythia (pink) shirt, and started Haley's hat. I have a feeling it will be cabley. And if it is, I'll post the pics. =)

Such progress today. Such immense progress.

Finished the back of the forsythia shirt and the sitcom sweater up to where the sleeves are added in. I am very proud. I have a very sore wrist. Started a sitcom sleeve, but I can't do more than the 3 rows of ribbing without the 8 DPNs. Smith's, please get them soon!

Well, here are your pictures.

So, this whole necessary knowledge of HTML think is sort of getting on my nerves. I want to know how to make my website good without actually learning anything necessary. Right. Ok. Back to a monologue, then ASL practice.

Serious dropping looked crappy. Realized that the increments were 2.5" worth. Ripped out 4 inches from my sweater. Instead of having 13", I now have about 9". I'm sad about this. Very, very sad.

Oh, fuck me.

I always do this. I never read a pattern through all the way.

Turns out the 4 stitch increments I've done 5 times should only have been done 3 times. Time to start some serious droppping and we'll see how that looks.

Oh, straight stockinette is boring. I enjoy it cuz sometimes I just go all trancy, but I want to get to my 14.5" of the sitcom sweater so I can do something slightly more interesting. The problem is the entire body of the sweater is knit as one part, so rows of 200 stitches take a damn long time to knit and I'm getting a little bored with it, truthfully.

Oh, my wrist is sore and clicky again. But I've started decreases on the mom shirt, and joined a new ball of yarn on the sitcom sweater. It is curling horribly, however.

See?

Technically, this is the 6th blog post. But, since the first four were to make sure it worked, I say 'feh' to such notions!

So, I love my knitting blogs. But I'm mildly trashed and looking at the Tickled Pink Sweater, and I'm sad to say, I actually find it kind of ugly.

I mean, it's a nice idea, but I hate turtlenecks. Their sole function is to hide hickeys for me. And the pattern makes it look like it's a garter sweater from a distance. An intriguing idea, and fun colors, but in the end, definitely not for me.

Which is kind of sad, because I really like Mama Kate. I took issue with her bucket hat, but that was probably because I blocked it badly. I love the cheesy love sweater (to be found in winters knitty in the archives) and am even working with the idea of the pattern to transponse into DK weight cotton, minus the ruffles and half sleeves instead of full length. Yes, yes I am a dork. Feel free to mock.

But who cares? No one reads the blog yet, anyway!

100 Things About Me

1. My first and middle name are Christina Elizabeth.
2. My birthday is June 23. So, I'm a Cancer, cusp of Gemini.
3. I can legally drink alcohol.
4. I love that fact.
5. I graduated from Oberlin College.
6. I had a double major in theater and creative writing with a playwriting focus in both.
7. I was also a computer science minor.
8. Despite that minor, I don't know how to use HTML.
9. I'm learning it to make my blog so very pretty.
10. I have brown hair that's wavy to curly, depending on its mood.
11. My eyes are hazel.
12. I got them from my mother.
13. I can speak a little French, very little Portuguese and more American Sign Language than the other two combined.
14. I'm the middle child of two brothers.
15. I am a knitting fiend.
16. I knit any chance I can get.
17. I am starting to design my own patterns, including shirts and sweaters.
18. The shirts and sweaters frighten me.
19. Mainly because I have huge problems and have to start over sweaters I knit from patterns that aren't mine.
20. Usually, I don't have a lot of patience.
21. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
22. But whatever I am, I want to be a best selling author on the side.
23. I hated middle school.
24. I hated the first year and a half of high school too.
25. High school got better because I found very cool people to be my friends.
26. Sometimes, I still don't understand how that happened.
27. I wrote my first song when I was 9.
28. I read a lot.
29. Usually science fiction or plays, but I'm open to actual "literature."
30. I'm a practicing pagan.
31. I hate when people ask me to explain my religion. (Curious? Look here)
32. I normally talk to the Greek pantheon, but I'm always open to other gods.
33. I started talking to the moon when I was 10.
34. I haven't stopped.
35. When I was younger, I used to think the moon was the fifth, dead Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
36. I don't anymore.
37. I'm a spiritual person, but I don't practice as often as I should.
38. I love watching movies.
39. I hate people who talk on cell phones in public, but I still have one.
40. Usually, I knit at movies.
41. I really love reading other people's blogs and learning about other people's lives.
42. I'm a cat person, though dogs are growing on me.
43. Unfortunately, I think I'm allergic to both.
44. I'm single, and sad about that fact.
45. I'm bisexual.
46. But just because I'm bisexual does not mean I'm promiscous.
47. Usually, when it comes to significant others, I crush on them for hours/days/months/years and then never doing anything because I get nervous around them.
48. Romantic interests are just about the only things I get nervous about.
49. Probably because I used to be an actress.
50. And then I became a techie.
51. And then I became a drunk.
52. So then I lost most of my sense of shame.
53. I'm vain and I don't like that.
54. But I usually take a lot of pictures of myself anyway.
55. I started this blog because I inherited a digital camera from my dad.
56. I'm usually located in Menlo Park, California.
57. But I'll be in Washington DC from August to June.
58. Which is both frightening and exciting.
59. I like pretty clothes.
60. Especially ones that look good on me.
61. I'm overweight.
62. If you've got a problem with that, too bad.
63. I get really sick of size 8s and 10s complaining about how fat they are in front of me.
64. I need to learn how to love myself.
65. I think other people should learn how to love me too.
66. I think $40 is too much to spend on a pair of jeans.
67. But I'll drop $70 on yarn in a minute.
68. I have spending issues.
69. This is my favorite number.
70. I won't spend a lot of money at once.
71. But I will spend a smaller amount of money a lot of times.
72. Usually, this is more than the larger amount.
73. I love thunderstorms.
74. But I don't like cold a whole lot.
75. I am obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
76. Especially fan fiction.
77. I read two fanfic universes religiously.
78. Usually, I knit while reading them.
79. I was a Girl Scout from when I was 9 until when I was 18 (that's fourth grade to college graduation).
80. I have lower back issues from being too heavy, and shoulder issues from knitting and typing too much.
81. I want to find a like minded community of pagans.
82. But I really want to find a bunch of pagan knitters.
83. I don't think such a community exists.
84. I found some very cool people at college.
85. I'm a stage manager.
86. This means it is my job to give people lines and run around like a crazy person.
87. I'm not a very good stage manager.
88. Because I am disorganized.
89. My room is almost always messy.
90. I don't like that, but I can live with it.
91. I can't stand a dirty living room or kitchen.
92. I'm not very good at living with people.
93. I like my time alone.
94. Maybe this means I isolate myself. I don't know.
95. I like to say the word 'monkey.' Monkey! Monkey!
96. I love cheese. A lot.
97. I want to be Marina Carr and Adrienne Kennedy when I grow up.
98. But I don't know if I'll continue writing.
99. I unintentionally cut corners.
100. Which is why I'm fairly sure I repeated myself in this.

Knitting Goddess #9

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Monday, April 28, 2003

Friday, April 25, 2003

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Monday, April 21, 2003

Sunday, April 20, 2003

Saturday, April 19, 2003

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Sunday, April 13, 2003

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Monday, April 07, 2003

Sunday, April 06, 2003

Saturday, April 05, 2003

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

100 Things About Me

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