Karma's Not Even Close to Shrunken Cardi

When I reported that I'd be ripping back a bit on my Not So Shrunken Cardi, Wendy suggested that I take this time to try it on. She's so wise. It was way too big. Especially in the armholes. And then if you add a button band at the end, it would be way too big all around. I'm so glad I tried it on at this point...

I have a huge debate with myself regarding size every time I start a new project. I have a smallish torso (compared to my bust measurement), so choosing the wrong size often means that either the garment totally swims on me or that it pulls across the boobage. Luckily, when I start the Not So Shrunken at a smaller size, I can still make decreases for the waist and sleeves. Wendy made the pattern really easy to customize. If only I'd made the right size to begin with! Ha!

No worries, I'm on a road trip to Portland, Oregon this weekend with my girlfriends for our annual cocktails-massage-shopping fest. I'm not the driver, so I'll get lots of knitting time in!

Creative Knitting Magazine

I signed up for a subscription to Creative Knitting Magazine, since they offered a free issue-no obligation deal. It arrived a few days ago and I decided to decline the subscription after all. Click on the picture to see the projects in this latest (November 2005) issue. I'm offering my copy to the first one who's interested!

Life Keeps Happening at an Amazing Speed

Well, life is moving right along. One minute, it's summertime and you're too sweaty to knit wool, next thing you know it's almost Halloween. Woah, Nelly! I've been knitting along on Not-So-Shrunken Cardi, and finally got to the point where I separated for the sleeves. Knit, knit, knit. Oops. Do you see where I cast-on extra stitches at the armpits and left some strange lonely strand that doesn't stretch as much as the stitches do? D'oh. I'll be ripping back and re-casting those stitches. At the same time, I'm loving the fabric this yarn is making and, even though the yarn can be splitty if you don't watch what you're doing, I'm really enjoying this project so far.

NEWS FLASH
We must interrupt this program to bring a late breaking news announcement.
The knitting content of this program will resume momentarily.

This weekend we broke ground for our new garage. See Exhibit A: our back yard for the past 53 years. Yes, my house is purple. Notice the enormous, ancient, non-producing apple tree that causes Mr. Goodkarma to curse and sweat when he prunes it every year? Those branches grow vertically for a good 20 feet. Higher. Than. They. Already. Are.

Exhibit B: the tree was felled, causing Mr. Goodkarma to secretly whoop it up and inwardly shout Hallelujah!... I say inwardly because Mrs. Goodkarma was really fond of the shade and privacy that tree gave to our deck. Also, it made a really good anchor point for my hammock. Oh well... the tree made way for a garage and a big ass tractor was brought in to pull out the trunk and to dig up our land to make the foundation for the garage.

Exhibit C: I got to be one of the guys! I should say MEN. I've been the only woman at my house all week, greatly outnumbered by men: father-in-law and his two brothers are running the show, Mr. Goodkarma and his brother and a friend are helping out, my dad and brother were here last weekend to take down the old apple tree and old shed. So I got to learn things like "running the packer", as shown in this photo. It's shaped like a lawn mower, but much much much heavier and louder, and packs down the soil so we can pour concrete later. It's like a huge, industrial strength vibrator. As you can see, I'm #1. Snort.

I also got to dig dirt, hammer, etc. etc. and be the surveyor! I loved this part of the job. You look through the lens -- like a binocular -- and can focus on your buddy's tape measure many many feet away and tell exactly how high something is. Oh yeah, and I learned how to talk like a GUY. When something measures perfectly, for example, you shout, "Holy balls!" I got really good at that one.

Finally, we ended our day by building forms for the concrete. Do you see the big pile o' dirt in the center? I dubbed it Mount Garagemore. See my FIL holding up the tape measure? That's what I was aiming the "binocular" at. Next we wait for an inspector to come and, hopefully, exclaim "Holy balls!", which would mean that everything's perfect and we're ready to pour cement. Next weekend.

We now return to our knitting program, already in progress...

So I finally tried to knit a sock on two circs today... I love it! I've only knit baby socks and booties so far, with dpns or flat, and this is so much better, more fluid, etc. I'm knitting the Conwy socks from Knitting on the Road, along with the KOTR KAL, which has the cutest button on earth. Take a look at my sidebar if you haven't seen it.

This picture of my new sock is totally craptastic: evening indoor light and all. Really, it's a very lovely colorway of Lorna's Laces called Georgetown with pretty blues, greens and purples all melding together. Love it! Now if life could just slow down for a week or two (or ten) so I could get some knitting done...

Bring It On: Raspberry Jacke

This post is dedicated to Suzanne, who dared to post the following comment to my blog:

You're running...in the rain???? Wow. You're hardcore!

Ahem...ummmm you speak much of this Raspberry Jacke! but the proof is in the pictures. So get to snappin' and scanning.

First of all, being called "hardcore" for running literally made Diet Dr. Pepper spray out of my nose. I've never been called "hardcore" for anything, especially anything physical. If I told my brother about this comment, he'd laugh his head off, roll his eyes, and tell you stories about how much yardwork/wood stacking he had to do in his youth while his bookworm sister had her head glued to some sort of novel or other. (I'd deny that it was as bad as that, but yeah.)

But to practically DARE me to present proof of a Raspberry Jacke?

All I can say is BRING IT ON!

Presenting: Raspberry Jacke
Pattern: The ubiquitous Rebecca Magazine 27, Pattern 25 (Aprikot Jacke)
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton. Color: Kiss
Needles: Addi Turbos, #8


Silvia said I could call myself a Rebecca Rebel as soon as I bossed this poorly edited pattern around! Oh yeah!

I found that the ASC looked much better at 18 stitches per 10cm than the prescribed 16 st. per 10cm. It was much too floppy on bigger needles. So I knit the larger size at the smaller gauge in order to achieve the smaller size. And yes, I did do the math and it turned out perfectly to spec. Yay math!

Husband and I thought that it looks better on my boobalicious self to wear Raspberry open. That skinny German model can prance around the park with her sweater closed all she wants. Heh. Boy, this All Seasons Cotton is just as soft and sproingy to wear as it is to knit!

I love the buttons I finally found at Button Shoppe. The pattern calls for tiny mother of pearl buttons, but with this deeper color, I thought that darker buttons went better. These are the yin to the mother of pearl yang.

One more action shot as I leave you for the night... Please forgive the whack bathroom shots. Now you know all of my beauty secrets (who can spot the Origins and LUSH products mixed in with the Aleve and who knows what?). Seattle is very grey and gloomy this week. I'll be wearing this outfit tomorrow to the theater for a play and a knit-in in the lobby. I found this camisole at the GAP outlet at the end of summer -- it matches perfectly!

Take that, Suzanne!! :)

99.5% Done

I just weaved (wove?) in six kajillion ends for my Raspberry Jacket while watching Veronica Guerin. Okay, not six kajillion, but definitely a lot of ends for such a simple sweater. Just have to stitch those little buttons on. Hoping to wear it on Thursday when I'm going to a play (The Grapes of Wrath) at the Intiman Theater, with a knit-night beforehand in the lobby. Good times!

Got more done on the Not-So-Shrunken Cardi this weekend, too, including passenger knitting on the way to a family event, part of which was taking the FIL to see The 40 Year Old Virgin. We laughed so dang hard from beginning to hilarious end...

I saw this on Iris' blog... google your name + needs...

Karma needs...

*Karma needs surgery to repair his ailing heart.
*Karma needs to be pluged in to USB port and show as active on Rio Music Manager.
*Sometimes Karma needs a little nudge.
*Karma needs to be smaller than 500 for the trigger to move on.
*To become a Trusted Community Member, your Karma needs to be 1/5 higher than your age.
*Karma needs allow_url_fopen to work, am I out of luck now?
*Karma needs the agitation of the mind to stick.
*Karma needs to be left out because the soul does not touch it.
*What you do need to do, however, is to be aware that the Karma needs to be redirected.
*Karma needs to be solved, problems dissolved in love, wars turned into friendships, hate into flowing love then peace of mind occurs, hence neither spiritual tranquilizer such as kechari mudra needed nor problems in achieving inner peace needed for clear conscious communication with God.

Yup.

No, You Won't.

I saw this meme going around and decided to look mine up just for fun.

Here are the "rules"
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.


"I wonder if I'll be done with Mariah in time?" (to start the Lucky Clover Along on March 1, 2005).

HA! Good one.

Anybody want it? You're it!

Preemie Advice?

Introducing Lindsay Ella, born this week, seven weeks early. She weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces, was 15 inches long, and is breathing and eating well. So far, she isn't having any of the complications preemies often have (fingers crossed). Her mama is a friend I've known for a long, long time, and she is the bebe I knit the Dainty Bonnet and Booties for.

I can't believe how small! If you can tell from the picture, Lindsay just looks teeny in her mama's arms. And her mama is a very petite lady as it is! Lindsay lives in California, so I haven't met her yet. I'm wondering if any of you have had preemies or know those who have, and have any advice on preemie knitting patterns or what a preemie might need in general; I'd like to send a care package down to her.

In other news, I'm chugging along on my Silky Wool Not-So-Shrunken Cardi; I was excited when I finished my first skein and got to spit splice the next one on. This puppy will have nearly no ends to weave in. I wish all fibers allowed that technique; the last couple of things I've been knitting didn't have wool content. I predict I'll be able to separate the yoke for the sleeves this weekend! Yay!

Overwhelmed

Wow.

I wasn't expecting so many positive and kind comments on Mariah! You all really know how to make a girl feel good and validate her sweater. ha! Seriously, it's been so fun to read each of your comments as they come in. I've worn Mariah a couple of times in the past week and love that it's warm and cozy without being big and bulky. A winning combination, in my book.

Some of you also left comments on my glasses. My other pair, a gorgeous and hip tortoiseshell frame with lavender on the inside, are so cute and are by La Font. Oui, tres Fronch (Better Off Dead). I never thought I'd find a pair that I liked as much. Mr. Goodkarma helped to pick these out; they're by prodesign and are that browny coppery titanium color with purple arms. They seem to fit my face even better than my other hip pair. Yay!

I'm not only overwhelmed by the kindness of your comments, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with work. I've taught 1st or 2nd grade for the past 6 years, and when the opportunity came up to work with the 4th grade team, I thought, you know, I'm ready for a professional challenge. I love my teammates, but learning all the curriculum has been like that nightmare when you take a bite of something and it never gets smaller, no matter how long you chew. Sometimes, it even gets bigger.

Enter Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan. Here she is, resting on my planbook. This is my first top-down sweater and I'm really enjoying it. See, I needed something to knit on these weeknights when I'm pretty wiped but want to wind-down and not have to think too much. So far, the yoke on this baby is just what the doctor ordered. Jody and I have been corresponding about the yarn (I'm using Silky Wool and she's using Silky Tweed for a different project) and how unusual it is to work with. Slubby and soft, yet it does split if you're not being careful. It's different from any fiber I've used so far.

To top it all off, do you see that cat in the corner of the photo? Lennon needed surgery on Saturday, out of the blue. I won't go into too many details, but this is the first time I've ever had to learn about anal glands. Poor guy had to be put out for the surgery, so he also had his teeth cleaned, and ended up having a tooth extracted. So he's been sore on both ends, taking antibiotics and pain meds. Fortunately, the pain meds were liquid in little syringes that I just squirted down his throat... naturally the antibiotics need to be taken for a longer number of days and are PILLS. That's just mean.

So yeah, overwhelmed, but not out for the count. Still keeping my head above water. (Making a wave when you can.) Good times!