I frogged my Athos last night. All of the parts were done, waiting to be seamed...I pieced together the front and back shoulders and THEY DIDN'T MATCH. I couldn't figure out what the heck I did...I thought, "I should just rip out and reknit the shoulder portion..."
Well, didn't do this, and instead wanted to see what it would look like if I just tried to seam the mismatched parts together. Frankensteining, if you will...heh heh. Well, it didn't work and it just looked ucky...
So I decided to rip the shoulder back...and I just kept on ripping...and ripping. I guess my hands wanted to spend more time knitting something seamless rather than figuring out the best way to knit shoulders, and them seam them.
I guess Athos is going to have to wait...
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Aack! Scary Shaping!
I finished knitting the main body of my Athos top yesterday. The armhole and neck shaping for the back was pretty easy. The only time I had to tink back was when I misread the directions - The line says to decrease one stitch every row for (in my case) 4 rows. Prior to this, I had to bind off 4 stitches for two rows. I mistakenly bound off the stitches (instead of decreasing with SSK and K2tog). I guess binding off is a way to decrease, but I don't think that is what the designer meant. Besides, the line looks nicer when I decrease instead of binding off. I decreased 2 stitches in from the edge, so I have an easier time with seaming (Gawd, did I actually type that??).
The front (which I placed on waste yarn and separated from the back) was more challenging. I got through the neckline with much concentration. Scary scary scary. I wish I could offer some tips, but I have none. You just have to keep track of what you are doing and how many times. Come to think of it, removable stitchmarkers may help you keep track of your rows; however, you have to remember that on each row, you may be doing multiple shaping details. Aack, is right...
I should be done with the front tomorrow. Then on to the sleeves, which I will be knitting separately and setting in. Fun, I can't wait - my very first seamed project...I hope I like it. If I don't, I guess I can turn it into a tank top...
The front (which I placed on waste yarn and separated from the back) was more challenging. I got through the neckline with much concentration. Scary scary scary. I wish I could offer some tips, but I have none. You just have to keep track of what you are doing and how many times. Come to think of it, removable stitchmarkers may help you keep track of your rows; however, you have to remember that on each row, you may be doing multiple shaping details. Aack, is right...
I should be done with the front tomorrow. Then on to the sleeves, which I will be knitting separately and setting in. Fun, I can't wait - my very first seamed project...I hope I like it. If I don't, I guess I can turn it into a tank top...
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Sunset through my children's eyes
We just got back from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. On the way home, we had the privilege of seeing the sun go down and watching the colors of the horizon change from light blue to pastel pinks, purples, and orange, to the dark sky that my children associate with bedtime. My daughter in the back gave me a narrative of what she and her brother normally do at home during this time:
"Momma, at home when me and my brother are in bed, I go on my knees and he gets out of his bed and sits next to me on the bed and we look at the sky through my blinds and we watch the colors of the sky and it's so pretty and we say all the colors together and sometimes we see clouds and Alex says that they are broken but somedays they are fixed and when the sky looks like that, the clouds are orange and we call them Orange Clouds because the sky is orange and pink and other colors so that is why the clouds look orange and we like to look at them."
Her brother wanted to add to her story, so he adds, "Yeah, and we see orange clouds and they are broken but there are lots of colors - red and blue and orange - and I like it. There's no clouds out in the sky (meaning this afternoon) but there are colors."
I love my kids.
"Momma, at home when me and my brother are in bed, I go on my knees and he gets out of his bed and sits next to me on the bed and we look at the sky through my blinds and we watch the colors of the sky and it's so pretty and we say all the colors together and sometimes we see clouds and Alex says that they are broken but somedays they are fixed and when the sky looks like that, the clouds are orange and we call them Orange Clouds because the sky is orange and pink and other colors so that is why the clouds look orange and we like to look at them."
Her brother wanted to add to her story, so he adds, "Yeah, and we see orange clouds and they are broken but there are lots of colors - red and blue and orange - and I like it. There's no clouds out in the sky (meaning this afternoon) but there are colors."
I love my kids.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Dishes
Dishes multiply
I wish they could wash themselves
My hands get so dry
To not have to soak
Scrub, rinse, put away, repeat
What I wouldn't give
If only one day
the dishes would wash themselves
Oh, that would be bliss!
I wish they could wash themselves
My hands get so dry
To not have to soak
Scrub, rinse, put away, repeat
What I wouldn't give
If only one day
the dishes would wash themselves
Oh, that would be bliss!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lemonade from Lemons, San Francisco-style
My husband and I planned a daytrip with the kids in San Francisco. The California Academy of Natural Sciences had a free day today, so that was where we headed. The traffic was as expected - bumper to bumper for a few miles, which lost us a good hour. We finally got to the Music Concourse around 11:00. Of course, the parking garage was full, so we had to drive around a bit to find a spot. We did, a few feet from where the line ended. If you think this is a good thing, think again. The line stretched...and stretched. We learned soon after we fell into the line that the wait to get into the museum was "at least" 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours, "possibly 3". Plus, we were dressed for the heat. Luckily, the kids and I brought hoodies; my husband did not, so he was freezing. Go figure. My husband and I looked at each other and gave each other that look...if you are a parent of young children, you probably know what I am talking about. It's that look that asks, "are we going to do this to ourselves and the kids??"
Needless to say, we turned right around and walked the few feet to our car (which, I am proud to say, I parallel parked so nicely). We packed the kids back in and thought a moment of what to do. I was determined not to go straight home. I just drove 3+ hours for some fun. I was going to have some fun family time, darn it!
We started towards the wharf. My husband gave me directions and told me to turn left onto Divisadero...If you have never driven in San Francisco, here is a quick tip: don't expect to ever turn left...ever. Okay, just kidding. But seriously, I had to drive a few miles before I could make a left turn. This little snafu in our plans worked in our favor though. We had forgotten about Japantown, which we passed on the way to find a legal left turn. I thought, how cool, let's go to the mall there instead - it's indoors, it has clean restrooms, restaurants, and the kids have never been there. Psst, (and don't tell my husband) I also wanted to go into the Japanese bookstore and see if I could score any Japanese knitting stitchbooks. Yeah, like I need more stitchbooks...
So the day wasn't a bust after all. We ate some really good Japanese food, enjoyed some taiyaki (fish shaped snacks that my kids think taste like pancakes with nummy stuff inside), and checked out some fun stores. The kids even got a couple of souvenirs: my daughter chose erasers that were shaped like food - soda, burgers, etc., and my son chose erasers that were shaped like baseball equipment. These weren't cheapo erasers either - my daughter's erasers actually opened and one of the food containers contained another eraser that looked like Japanese Ramen noodles. My son was ecstatic about his baseballs, and I purchased magnetic bookmarks made from origami. Good times.
Needless to say, we turned right around and walked the few feet to our car (which, I am proud to say, I parallel parked so nicely). We packed the kids back in and thought a moment of what to do. I was determined not to go straight home. I just drove 3+ hours for some fun. I was going to have some fun family time, darn it!
We started towards the wharf. My husband gave me directions and told me to turn left onto Divisadero...If you have never driven in San Francisco, here is a quick tip: don't expect to ever turn left...ever. Okay, just kidding. But seriously, I had to drive a few miles before I could make a left turn. This little snafu in our plans worked in our favor though. We had forgotten about Japantown, which we passed on the way to find a legal left turn. I thought, how cool, let's go to the mall there instead - it's indoors, it has clean restrooms, restaurants, and the kids have never been there. Psst, (and don't tell my husband) I also wanted to go into the Japanese bookstore and see if I could score any Japanese knitting stitchbooks. Yeah, like I need more stitchbooks...
So the day wasn't a bust after all. We ate some really good Japanese food, enjoyed some taiyaki (fish shaped snacks that my kids think taste like pancakes with nummy stuff inside), and checked out some fun stores. The kids even got a couple of souvenirs: my daughter chose erasers that were shaped like food - soda, burgers, etc., and my son chose erasers that were shaped like baseball equipment. These weren't cheapo erasers either - my daughter's erasers actually opened and one of the food containers contained another eraser that looked like Japanese Ramen noodles. My son was ecstatic about his baseballs, and I purchased magnetic bookmarks made from origami. Good times.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Confessions of a Spur of the Moment SAHM
I am having a crazy summer. My son is now three, my daughter 8. They need lots and lots of daily stimulation. This past May (right before my daughter got out of school for summer break), I made a list of things that I wanted to do with them. This list included the water park, the zoo, SunSplash, South Lake Tahoe, the beach, the bookstore, my favorite yarn store, Apple Hill, parks and playgrounds. I didn't plan our weeks out (I never do). I am starting to wonder if I should next summer...
My days usually go like this: I wake up, think of activities that I think my children and I could do that day and then consider if I want to take the dogs with us. If I want to take the dogs with us, I don't worry about taking the dogs for their morning walks. If I want to go somewhere where it would be difficult to take the dogs (like the beach, where dogs are usually not allowed), then I make plans to take them out before my husband went to work, to beat the morning heat. Once I made this critical decision, I would get up, drink my coffee or tea (depending on how much caffeine I needed for the activity - ha!), get everyone groomed and dressed, make lunch for the husband (leftovers, usually, because he doesn't like sandwiches), eat breakfast, make the kids' breakfast - all this in no particular order.
Sometime we would meet some friends that day - at the mall for Kids' Day, or Free Movie days, or the Explorit museum. Most days, though, it's at the park with the dogs, my yarn store for Mommy-knit time, the Discovery Museum (we are members), or one of the malls that offer play areas for children. Never the same place twice in a row, or even the same day every week. Heck, some days, I plan an activitiy then something happens that steers us into a totally different direction (literally). As long as my children are fed and hydrated and comfortable (that is to say, not too tired or hot to continue on our "adventure") then we go with the flow, so to speak. This crazy "keeping 'em busy" pace ensures that my daughter never says that "we never do anything and that they both are tired in the evening so my husband and I have some quiet time.
The way I see it, children's school days are structured enough. My children are thriving just fine. I structure what is important. I don't think that the details of the days should be ordered, as long as the days themselves are. My children know that there are three parts to our days: 1) Getting ready for the day 2) Have the day's activities 3) Getting ready for the end of the day. The events for the first and last parts of the day stay the same. The middle part of the day is the part that is flexible, like my unknit yarn.
No, I am not organized and my house will never get awards for orderliness; at times, I feel compelled to stay home just so I can clean the kitchen and bathrooms, make the beds, and feel like a "good housewife". However, I try this once in a while and I only get so far to get the dishes clean. After that, the kids start arguing about the toys, or TV shows that they are watching (or want to watch). Then I start to ask myself, "Do I want a clean house or a sane mind?" What do you think?
My days usually go like this: I wake up, think of activities that I think my children and I could do that day and then consider if I want to take the dogs with us. If I want to take the dogs with us, I don't worry about taking the dogs for their morning walks. If I want to go somewhere where it would be difficult to take the dogs (like the beach, where dogs are usually not allowed), then I make plans to take them out before my husband went to work, to beat the morning heat. Once I made this critical decision, I would get up, drink my coffee or tea (depending on how much caffeine I needed for the activity - ha!), get everyone groomed and dressed, make lunch for the husband (leftovers, usually, because he doesn't like sandwiches), eat breakfast, make the kids' breakfast - all this in no particular order.
Sometime we would meet some friends that day - at the mall for Kids' Day, or Free Movie days, or the Explorit museum. Most days, though, it's at the park with the dogs, my yarn store for Mommy-knit time, the Discovery Museum (we are members), or one of the malls that offer play areas for children. Never the same place twice in a row, or even the same day every week. Heck, some days, I plan an activitiy then something happens that steers us into a totally different direction (literally). As long as my children are fed and hydrated and comfortable (that is to say, not too tired or hot to continue on our "adventure") then we go with the flow, so to speak. This crazy "keeping 'em busy" pace ensures that my daughter never says that "we never do anything and that they both are tired in the evening so my husband and I have some quiet time.
The way I see it, children's school days are structured enough. My children are thriving just fine. I structure what is important. I don't think that the details of the days should be ordered, as long as the days themselves are. My children know that there are three parts to our days: 1) Getting ready for the day 2) Have the day's activities 3) Getting ready for the end of the day. The events for the first and last parts of the day stay the same. The middle part of the day is the part that is flexible, like my unknit yarn.
No, I am not organized and my house will never get awards for orderliness; at times, I feel compelled to stay home just so I can clean the kitchen and bathrooms, make the beds, and feel like a "good housewife". However, I try this once in a while and I only get so far to get the dishes clean. After that, the kids start arguing about the toys, or TV shows that they are watching (or want to watch). Then I start to ask myself, "Do I want a clean house or a sane mind?" What do you think?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Athos, Ribbed
I cast on for Norah Gaughan's Athos/Porthos/Aramis from her second booklet. I love the medallion detail. When I first bought this booklet a year ago, I didn't imagine that I would ever knit it because it looked so complicated. I am happy that I have grown as a knitter and feel comfortable tackling this piece; indeed, I've already planned to knit it in the round!
I am using Berocco's Cotton Twist in the chocolate brown colorway. I like the sheen that the rayon gives the fabric. Typical of my knitting pieces, I've already frogged it 3 times, each time because I was unhappy with the way the edge was curling. I've tried garter stitch (too much texture), seed stitch (same reason as garter), and considered double knitting it like Knitting Harpy did with her Jade Wrap but decided that it may ruffle. Then a lightbulb hit me yesterday while I was driving home from a yarn store - k1, p1 rib! A rib that looks like stockinette - why didn't I think of this before?? Probably because I am not a big fan of knitting rib. However, in this case, I will definitely make an exception. The look of stockinette without the texture is what I am looking for.
The yarn held up to my frogging surprisingly well. I say "surprisingly" because it is quite splitty, even with my pointy KnitPicks harmony needles. There are several places where the strands are permanently separated. In my 4th knitting attempt with this yarn, it does not look as smooth as it did when I first started this project. I hope this fact does not affect the quality of my finished project. I guess I will just have to knit and find out :/
I am using Berocco's Cotton Twist in the chocolate brown colorway. I like the sheen that the rayon gives the fabric. Typical of my knitting pieces, I've already frogged it 3 times, each time because I was unhappy with the way the edge was curling. I've tried garter stitch (too much texture), seed stitch (same reason as garter), and considered double knitting it like Knitting Harpy did with her Jade Wrap but decided that it may ruffle. Then a lightbulb hit me yesterday while I was driving home from a yarn store - k1, p1 rib! A rib that looks like stockinette - why didn't I think of this before?? Probably because I am not a big fan of knitting rib. However, in this case, I will definitely make an exception. The look of stockinette without the texture is what I am looking for.
The yarn held up to my frogging surprisingly well. I say "surprisingly" because it is quite splitty, even with my pointy KnitPicks harmony needles. There are several places where the strands are permanently separated. In my 4th knitting attempt with this yarn, it does not look as smooth as it did when I first started this project. I hope this fact does not affect the quality of my finished project. I guess I will just have to knit and find out :/
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