Light at the end of the tunnel
I know that I have to finish this one project so that I will feel inspired to finish the other two in the wings. Besides, I need to now make a baby boy cardigan and this is what I am cutting my teeth on. The Mock Cable Sweater led me down the rosey path and now... So here is the progress on the bottom of the body of the Lacey Green Jacket. I sure hope since I haven't done the neck on the Mock Cable Sweater I can figure out how to do this one. So far it's pretty easy but it seems I just can't count!

The Blessed Event
I have not been able to do much knitting over this past week with the stitches in my finger but that did not stop me from planning my next unfinished project. Let’s see… this one will join the Mock Cable Sweater and the Magic Loop Stars and Stripes Socks.

I swore that I would never be the kind of knitter that I have been reading about over and over on blogs. Now this is where I eat some crow. I thought it was horrible that it seems that no one starts and finished the same project. I read how something is 90% finished and then there is a new project. Then there is another that is 25% finished and then again, a new project. After working on the sweater, I have become bored with it. Yes, I said it, BORED. I need a new knitting rush; so entered the Stars and Stripes socks. I hit the wall with the socks when we went out of town during the time of the second class. I need to knit. It’s just that simple.

So off I went with stitches in my finger looking for the next project. I already scoped out a book and had it squirreled away. I took the book out and decided that since my brother and his wife were about to adopt a baby, I would make the baby a jacket. No one knew what sex the baby was so I took a leap of faith it was a girl. I bought some yellow baby yarn to start the jacket. After ripping it out four times I was beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake. Here is another about to unfinished project…

I had talked to my mom and she reminded me that my sister-in-law was doing everything in green. Cripe! I forgot that when I bought the yellow. So this past Saturday I went back to The Knitting Corner and bought green yarn to re-start the jacket. Then…the phone call. It’s my mother calling to tell me that the blessed event was underway and she would call me when the baby was born. I was working and screaming between stitches on the GREEN Lacy Knitted Jacket.

No sooner than I had gotten past the bottom of the jacket when my mother called…it’s a BOY. I wanted to smack myself upside the head! So, little Zachary will not have a lovely green lacy knitted jacket, but a lovely Blue Cardigan this winter.

I have decided that I have to finish this jacket and then save it in hopes that my daughter-in-law has a girl someday who will look lovely in yellow or green. I am determined to finish this jacket…

How many fingers does it take to Knit a Sock?

Answer-more than I have right now. When you are a professional chef, silly things like this happen. They aren't really annoying as far as work is concerned, but it's really a pain not to be able to knit! So there will be no knitting for a few days, only whinning about not knitting for a few days. Work is getting in the way of my hobby!

Stars (well sorta) and Stripes

This is what one of my socks looks like. I have had such fits with the other one I am waiting until I have a day off so I can do into the shop and get some serious tutoring! We are using a Knitting Pure and Simple sock pattern but using the Magic Loop method. I think I should use the phamplet and be done with it.

Here is the book we are using for the cable needle method to knitting socks. I am totally confused! So when I get a day off sometime this month, I will go over to the shop and beg and plead with Susan to show me how to do this. Has anyone else used them method? DPNs are looking pretty good right about now.

Colorful
I read Sugar Bunny Blvd (too lazy to spell out the whole word) as often as I can. Today I went and she had a request. She asked us to use one word to describe her and mine was Colorful. I love all the colorful dyed yarns I see there and that is why I used that word. If you don't read Sugar Bunny Boulevard you should give her a try.

Magic Loops
I had three things that I wanted to learn this year as a new knitter. One was a sweater (it's getting closer to being done), a hat (haven't had any classes for this one at my favorite yarn store) and socks. Since Susan from Knitting Corner knew that I wanted to learn how to do socks, called me and told me about a class. Like a lamb to the slaughter, I went with full enthusiam. That enthusiam has faded a bit. I went to the first class before leaving for Texas last week. The second class was/is the same night as my monthly spinning guild meeting. Since the guild's program is about carding tonight, I can't miss this meeting. I need to card 4 fleeces and maybe two more will be on their way from my friend Susan, from Farmgirl Fare. Plus the guild wants everyone to bring 8 ounces of roving to the meeting and we will bag it up and then put a number on each bag. I guess we will each get a number and corresponds with the bag. The roving will go home with us and we have to spin it to bring back to the Sept. meeting. Then in Sept we will do the same process with the spun roving and then knit either a hat or a scarf. So I am going to try this and see what happens. Anyway, I digress.

The second class for the sock will be picking up stitches from the turned heel and starting on the length of the foot for the sock. The third class will be dealing with the toe. So I will have to have some tutoring from Susan before the next class.

I went to Texas for my 30th high school reunion and took the sock with me on the plane. I had the Magic Loop book with me, but sadly it made no difference. I put the first sock on a stitch holder and pulled the yarn from the center of the ball to start the second sock without much success. I am totally frustrated but I am determined to learn this method with my Addi Turbos. I really wanted to learn DPNs but I guess I will have to learn that another time. Maybe this will click in my brain soon. Here are two ladies from my class...

Here is what the sock is supposed to look like. It's a self striping yarn that make the socks look like an American flag. It won't be done until after July4th but the heat here will totally prevent me from wearing them anyway. I just wanted to learn how to do them. We made shorter socks so that we can get them done. I guess you would call them tennis socks or footies.

June 14
I have been trying for two days now to load the pictures I wanted to add to this entry with no success. I have no idea why the pictures won't load but I want to go ahead and post so that those of you who come here to read this know that I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth. I will keep trying throughout the day to see if I can get things to load. I know that Blogger is free, but this is just silly!

Mock me!
I have been working on and off on the Mock Cable Sweater for about 6 weeks. Last week on Tuesday night we had our last class. Jackie (the instructor) called me and said the air conditioner at the shop was broken and we would be having class at her house. So I packed up my shameful excuse of a sweater and traveled to her house.

This is my first sweater and at the rate I am NOT going it will be fall before it gets done. I was supposed to have both sleeves done and be ready to do the button band at Jackie's house but as you can see from this...

...that I am not nearly as far along as I should be. I have no collar, half of one sleeve, 3/4 of the right yoke done and no button band. I haven't even picked the buttons I want either. There are two sets of Addi Turbos tangled up in this whole thing. I am about to go on a trip (plane) and have horrors dancing in my head of them stopping me and telling me I can't take my sweater on the plane. WHAT? Can you see some inraged middle aged knitter breaking down and crying about having to leave $30's worth of Addi Turbos and 6 weeks of hour upon hour of knitting, not to mention the time spent picking out screwed up rows?

I have to say though, I do like the way the mock cable has turned out. If I ever finish this sweater, I might make another one in a different color, maybe a solid one.