Stop spitting on me from up there! (And UFO update)

I dug out this rainbow yarn that my mom had bought on behalf of my niece, whoah, more than 7 years ago? for me to make a scarf & hat for said niece. The niece picked it out, Mom bankrolled the operation, I was to knit it. I finished the hat first and sent it on. My sister said it was too small. When I saw my niece try it on later, I realized 'too small' was rather an understatement. Whoops!

I think I did finish a larger hat and send it on.

The scarf, though... even though it's a rather variegated wool (seems like every stitch is a different color), I chose a complex, 8-row lace pattern. Took forever and when I'd gotten maybe a foot done, I realized it was awful. Ripped it out, started a k2p2 rib scarf, but got distracted before I had a foot done. Put it away for several years and finally asked said niece if she still wanted it. She said no.

Then recently, I found a pattern for knitted, felted coasters in my set of saved 2006 "Knitting Pattern A Day" calendar sheets. What fun! I thought this rainbow variegated yarn would be just the thing.

So I started one last night, and knitted it up, finishing it this morning:
(modeled by my silly s0n)









Plopped it in the washer in a net bag with a little soap and very hot water, let it agitate, checked it, agitated, checked, agitated, checked and...

realized it's either not 100% wool or is superwash. Cause the danged thing pretty much looks like the photo above still, but damp. RATS! I was looking forward to some lovely coasters.

UFO Update
I couldn't actually find any other projects on which I'd made any amount of progress save these two. First, the Swallowtail Shawl:
Still in Budded Lace II








A close-up. Despite what I know were errors, it actually looks quite lovely!







And my patch-toe Meilenweit socks, one toe at a time:

Toe that starts out a little lighter







Other one

They look rather odd on the needles, because each needle holds the increased stitches from one side of the patch, plus a top, so the foot is skewed. But as I try them on, I'm quite pleased. Doesn't look like the skein, quite, but is really nice anyway.

New projects

I was given a copy of the Wonderful Wallaby pattern by a sweet KnitCamper (thanks, Witt!), so I'll use that to finish the hood on the Tigger sweater. Yippee!

Let's see... the Child's First Socks are languishing for now. I did start a simple pair of socks with the Patch Toe taught by The Fiberqat at Knit Camp, in my Meilenweit that still makes my heart race when I look at it. Yum. They're up to the foot portion, where I just knit around & around, and I love how they don't match even though they're from the same ball of yarn. It seems to have two strands of orange that goes from light to dark and two strands of green that do the same thing, making for different combinations of colors. Gorgeous. (I just realize they look largely brown; it must be the combination of the colors that does that.)

I also started the Swallowtail Shawl, in the hotel room, I think it was. It's another Evelyn Clarke, so well written, of course. I did think there was a mistake in the pattern, but that was just from my stitch markers needing to migrate on a certain row (row 5, I think it is). I'd end up short 1 stitch at the right, but have an extra one at the end. I'm on repeat 7 of 14 of the Budding Lace 2 chart, and despite some early mistakes, it really does look nice. I'm using the yarn specified (that was lucky), Misti Alpaca Lace, in a gorgeous Dutch blue color, on Quicksilver circulars. It is challenging for me, but worth it, so far.

I did some more rows on the Double Rose Leaf scarf, but not a lot. I am really enjoying having a simple pair of socks to work on at soccer games (and maybe church), as the Child's First Socks need a little more attention than is useful for this sort of thing. (And have you seen all the socks-in-progress over at Harlotville?

I did decide, on this trip, that my main objective in knitting in the near future is to have a drawerful of hand-knitted socks. I was so intrigued by everyone's!

I had SUCH a great time. Photos later.

The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!

I didn't really like that movie, but the line really sticks with me.

Just noticed Rabbitch added me to her blog list! OMG!

So now I really have to post more often.

Well, not a lot of knitting news to report! I am still working on the Tigger sweater sleeves, and WTF? How can two little sleeves take so much longer than 11" of sweater with a pocket?? I got tired of marking the six rows (inc 2 on the first), 8 times, in my knitting notebook, so I got out two barrel counters and put loops of scrap yarn in them. One is for the rows and the other is for repeats. I'm on the seventh repeat, so that's good.

I also did more work on my friend's Contrasto scarf. Had a little frisson when I thought, "When the heck is her birthday? Is it soon?" and the topic came up and she said August. Phew!

I also cast on a swatch for the Tahki blue cotton and seriously screwed up the decrease I was trying out and just can't get it all to behave again. So one side is fine, all k2p2, and the other side has like k2p4 followed by k2p2. Ugh. This sweater will be the death of me.

As for the shaping, especially for the Lang 'Viva' sweater, I took out the Sublime sweater pattern and started jotting down measurements for the waist shaping. 17 stitches per inch makes for some crazy numbers, especially when you do it in your head. I do think I can transfer them to the pattern, though, so that was worth it.

I also ran off half of the ball of Meilenweit to start a very basic pair of socks that I can finish before I'm 50. That yarn really makes my heart go pit-a-pat, so I think it will be very enjoyable. Unlike the Child's First Socks, which, now that I've turned the ankle, seem too small (ARRRGH!), and I think I hate them. Can't decide whether to frog them or just finish them and give them to someone with small feet. Dharma, when's your birthday again?