KIPing brings such odd bedfellows

I have been knitting while walking to/from my kid's school, mostly on Palindrome for my sister. Folks have the funniest comments.

One guy, leaving the school with my son's classmate, says to her, "Hey, she can teach you to knit, honey!" Truth is, I'd actually be happy to, but where are we supposed to do this thing? Plopped down on the blacktop, one day when we run into each other after school and both have time? Chances are slim...

And then today, a woman and her friend, who have commented on the scarf before, commented yet again, and one says, "Maybe tomorrow I bring [sic] yarn and needles and you show me!" And at first I thought, I'll just print out the pattern; that'll be easier. Then I realize that with the language barrier, it might just be easier to show her. Anyone know how to say "cable" in Chinese? K2P2 should be easy enough to communicate.

I'm getting a lot done and haven't yet been hit by a car, so that's good.

The other group of muggles

There is the one group of muggles that sees knitting and things "ho hum."

Then there is the other group that sees a k2p2 ribbed scarf and thinks you're discovering plutonium. It is a member of this group that saw me knitting on Palindrome last week and actually thought my row counter incremented by itself.

This is not the first time I've heard this. How would that work, anyway? Would it increment when you flipped that needle around to knit the other way? When you tapped it on a surface, kind of like one of those handheld stroke counters for golf?

When I then show the questioner how I rotate one side of the counter with my fingers, they are much less impressed. But still thinking that k2p2 is rocket science. And cables? Oh, man. That must be for very advanced knitters.

I frown at them. Learn to knit, people!

Look, a shiny thing!

Yep, I have another WIP. Ravelry has my WIP count as just 7, which is pretty reasonable for me. Well, anyway...

A sweet-talker at my church managed to get me to commit to making at least one knitted item for our upcoming Silent Auction at the annual Hometown Halloween bash. (She is very good.) Thankfully, the one I chose is super quick; I started yesterday and am on the third and final ball already. It's a simple garter-stitch shawl out of a ribbon yarn I picked up at KnitCamp 4/07 from the 'free' pile. It has very pretty colors, which was what first drew me to it, but it doesn't light my fire enough to keep it for me. What I didn't realize at the time is how very soft it is. I hope it will be chosen as a lovely, soft shawl by someone at the auction.

I also took out some other ribbon yarn I had marinating in the stash, as well as a ladder yarn and a viscose blend that is lovely. Maybe I'll make 1 or 2 more things and then get back to my Christmas knitting.

In other news: I bought buttons for Bristow! I looked at quite a few at my local Beverly's, and G offered his opinions, and we settled on a set of green buttons that really match the yarn beautifully. I had been sure I'd end up with gold or antiqued gold buttons, but none of them worked well. Quite a few overshadowed the lovely patterning in the sweater. And the green is such an amazing match. I laid the buttons out yesterday to mark the buttonholes and started picking up and knitting the stitches for the buttonhole band. Then I'll have the neckband to do, and c'est fini!

I took a photo, but not of me wearing it:

Bristow, needing buttons
Originally uploaded by RenaissanceWomn

I also got a photo of the Anemoi mittens I'm making for my stepmom. I'm on row 26 and still really enjoying it.

Anemoi mitten back
Originally uploaded by RenaissanceWomn

Anemoi mitten palm
Originally uploaded by RenaissanceWomn

Finally, I'm on the 2nd ball of 4 of the Palindrome scarf for my sister. I'm finally humming along on this one. (No pic update yet.)

Good thing I knit! I spent nearly an hour at the police station getting fingerprinted today. (Story at 11.)

Hoping not to jinx things

but I'm on row 16 of Anemoi and it's going (deep breath) well.

Pix soon, I swear!

The mitten seems big, but then I put it on, and it's fine on my hand. I hope my stepmom likes the colors. Realized today that they're really *my* colors. But I never did figure out what her colors are.... They are lovely, in any case. I really like the palm and the thumb. Never knew I was so drawn to regular pattern. It would be boring if there weren't a patterned back, but it really is fun in any case.

Am hoping to get my heinie to Britex tomorrow to buy buttons.

Part V

My charted chart was fine. I am stupid. And am ripping out rows 5-8 for, what, the fifth time?

Anemoi Smackdown, Part IV

After finishing row 10 of the chart last night, I compared the pattern side to the chart. Hm, couldn't make them match. Finally decided I was comparing light to dark and vice versa. Yeah, that's the ticket.

No, it's not. I had decided that I'd charted the chart backwards, and thus must knit from right-to-left...

and had knit the entire back of the mitten mirrored from what it should have been.

Somebody pass me a beer.

The path to Anemoi

Ready to cast on, all needles stacked up, look at pattern... get up. Go to computer. Look up "tubular cast-on." Get confused, because the online directions talk about knitting the stitches, joining them up with the provisional stitches, and continuing on... and the pattern talks about knitting it 'flat.' Hm. Try it on. It's a little tight. Decide to go forward.

Join MC and knit rows 1 and 2 of Corrugated Ribbing. Hey, not so bad. Repeat 11 times, on my way to 17; realize the cuff is rather long already. Reread directions; was supposed to repeat ROW 2 ONLY for the 17 times. Crud. Rip back.

Knit the 11 rows, then start the chart. Knit up to row 5, and find there are too many stitches. Read pattern: I was supposed to be doing fancy stuff during rows 1-4. Crud. Rip back.

Take a break, and chart the chart. Realize partway through the first row that using a black pen and a blue pen isn't going to cut it: they kinda look the same. Get out pink highlighter. Highlight every other number of stitches. Realize (duh) that I can highlight all the way up the page; every other column will be the MC stitches anyway! Get up to row 24; run out of room.

Realize that all of my charted chart rows start at the left, whereas I'll be knitting them from the right. Oh, well, they're still readable. Realize I'll be knitting the palm at the same time as the back of the hand; oh, well, it's much simpler; maybe I don't need to chart it. (famous last words)

Re-start knitting, according to charted chart. Works well. Get to Row 5, and there is an extra MC stitch. Put knitting down, turn off lights, go to sleep. Email Eunny in the morning.

Nearly there!

I packed up the pieces to Bristow for the camping trip last weekend, thinking that seaming a sweater around the campfire sounded fun. Well, it was! I really zoomed along, and got all the pieces seamed together. And at a knitting meetup at the Alameda library, I got the button band stitches all picked up, and three rows done of it! Boy, picking up stitches takes me like five times as long as actually knitting, even in seed stitch. I finished the button band last night. Can't believe how close I'm getting! Next, I need to pick out the buttons and decide how many buttonholes I'll need. Then, the collar, and I can wear it! Cool that it's coinciding with cooler weather.

I also got several more inches done on my sister's Palindrome scarf (which I know Rabbitch is going to finish before me, and I'll have to drive all the way to B.C. just to kill her), and just started the chart for the right Anemoi mitten. I had honestly forgotten how much I love doing charted knitting! And I'm still loving the colors. So pretty together.

Yippee!

P.S. The Alameda library meetup will be at least monthly, on a Sunday afternoon, about 3-5PM.