My sweater is finished. I couldn't be happier...Except that the sleeves are poofy...
If I keep thinking about it, I will just be miserable for fucking up my sweater.
I will just move on instead.
So...I am starting a pair of socks. maybe. Maybe I'll just make one and never finish the other because I am lazy and have second sock-itis. We shall see. Chris will probably be super excited to see me working on socks because he's wanted me to make him black ones forever. I don't know if I'm going to make white socks or maybe pink and yellow fuzzy ones. I dunno. I'm thinking.
Jenni (Chris's best friend) is doing a photo shoot tomorrow of him and I together. She says that she needs a picture of the two of us to replace the one she has of Chris and Jessy. I'm slightly nervous. I've never been the subject of a shoot before. I don't know if I'll be any good. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
I really should be studying. Maybe I'll go knit and look over my psych notes again, and then I will come back later tonight.
I'm hungry.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
So Much For That Idea
I've changed my mind. There is no way in hell that I will be able to finish that sleeve tonight. It's after 7:30 already and I can get working on it, but I won't get it finished. maybe I'll work on sewing the ends in the other sleeve and maybe sewing up the shoulders tonight. I know that the making up will be the hardest part for me. I don't think I have enough rows on the front even though I definitely counted the whole way through. It just looks wrong. We will find out though, won't we.
Also, I really REALLY need the weather to stay cold for just two more days so that I can wear my sweater on Wednesday. I want so badly to have this sweater finished in a week. I should get to work.
Also, I really REALLY need the weather to stay cold for just two more days so that I can wear my sweater on Wednesday. I want so badly to have this sweater finished in a week. I should get to work.
The Will to Knit
My will has been revamped. I now have spirit and courage to finish this sweater. I left off yesterday with less than 4 inches on the first sleeve and I plan to have them both finished by the end of the day. I should have it sewn together by tomorrow afternoon and then the neck edging finished by tomorrow night. I will hopefully have at least the sleeves sewn on tonight. They shouldn't take as long as making sure that the side seams are perfect. There is one lady on Ravelry that shows her seams and they are, for lack of a better term, perfect. It's gorgeous and I can only hope my sweater turns out as beautiful as hers has.
As a matter of fact, I think I will go work now. I had planned on sitting and creating quite the rant (not as bad as yesterday's though). Now, I feel the itching in my hands and my heart racing with anticipation of a finished product. I will try to remember and post latter to log how far I've gotten. We will see.
Keep your fingers crossed that I don't loose my momentum.
As a matter of fact, I think I will go work now. I had planned on sitting and creating quite the rant (not as bad as yesterday's though). Now, I feel the itching in my hands and my heart racing with anticipation of a finished product. I will try to remember and post latter to log how far I've gotten. We will see.
Keep your fingers crossed that I don't loose my momentum.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
My Equivalent of Taking the Stairs at the Sears Tower
I have two sleeves left.
That's all.
Just two little sleeves and I'll be finished with my sweater.
But I just can't do it. I'm stuck in this rut where each stitch I take is tearing my soul apart just a little bit. It's both physically and mentally exhausting. Every row I have to put my needles down and look longingly at the beautiful creation from the past few days. The perfect gauge stockinet stitch front and back of my Sweetheart sweater. It's smooth and soft, the darting gives it such a pretty fitted shape. I have so many fond memories of working and the excitement I felt getting each new step finished towards my goal of having this sweater finished in less than two weeks.
These sleeves will be the death of me.
I will knit, whether I want to or not. I just don't have the gumption to sit and stare at them hoping they will somehow spark some feeling of devotion like the rest of the sweater has. I am a woman torn. Torn between the love for her sweater and the hatred of these sleeves.
It's not that the sleeves are especially difficult. They are just long. I feel like I'm making a scarf. The pattern calls for measuring them in inches. You work even or increase until the sleeve measures said inches. For some strange reason, I have a mental block when it comes to working pieces in inches. Maybe it was just the letdown of the Microspun disaster that has me worries. If that was the case, however, I wouldn't have taken so long to finish that in the first place. Maybe it's just that the actions are so repetitive that I don't have the option of pushing myself.
(Let us note here that I just said I hate repetitive motions. I love knitting. Send me all the questions you have, but I won't be able to answer them. I know perfectly well that what I just said makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but you must understand that I hate repetitive motions. And yes, I still love knitting.)
I think there is just one more thing standing between me and a finished sweater. Unhappiness at my current situation. I desperately need Chris to stand behind me while I finish this. Without some type of encouragement or excitement, I won't be able to care enough to finish and this gorgeous sweater will be thrown in a ziplock bag and thrown in my closet. Right now, the only thing he wants to hear is me running water for dish washing. I have been apprehensive about this situation from week one. I was under the impression that he would be doing the laundry, and I would be doing the dishes. He would cook, and I would clean up afterwards. So far, none of that has held true. I have helped with laundry every week, carrying laundry baskets, folding laundry. I also cook regularly. Yet, I still do all the dishes. I also have been supporting him for the past month while he tries to pull himself out of a hole he dug with his insurance, car payment, rent and gas. I have been paying for gas partially, and it kinda bothers me that he won't pitch in and help with the dishes. He might put them away on occasion, but usually I will just wash them and we use them from the counter. He expects me to do them almost every day or every other day and if I don't, he just complains that we don't have dishes to eat off. And we do. Plenty of them. I mentioned the fact that he might be able to wash them too if it bothered him that much, but he can't do dishes because of his germ phobia. Did I mention that I'm paying for the laundry as well? Since we moved in, I have been paying for laundry every week. It can be anywhere from six to nine dollars a week to do laundry. And I pay for it. He will pick up the living room every once and a while, but I am usually pretty good about picking up after myself anyways. I'm not sure I like this development. It really bothers me when I word harder than I get credit for. I hate when work is one sided and I don't like working when I won't get respect for it later. He just assumes that I should do dishes. That's not right. I can just let them pile up and when I want something to eat, I can wash something for myself. If he wants something clean, he can deal with it himself. I don't want to be like that. That's bitchy. But, it's like, what is he doing to show that he appreciates the dishes being done? He doesn't cook more often so I don't have to, he doesn't get dressed up and clean the house so that when I come home it's a nice surprise, he doesn't pay for laundry or dinner at a fast food place. He just assumes that I'll do them again because I have to. Because he wants me to. That's not fair.
That rant is over. Sorry it took so long. I really want to paint my nails, but I don't have any nail polish. Maybe I'll just go do dishes so Chris will want to talk to me long enough to say something about my sweater being done. Probably not. He's working, so if I start doing dishes, it will go unnoticed until we have dinner tonight, where he will ask me to help put dishes away so that he has room to cook, or ask me to defrost the meat so we can eat. Something along those lines.
Damn these sleeves and the problems associated with them.
That's all.
Just two little sleeves and I'll be finished with my sweater.
But I just can't do it. I'm stuck in this rut where each stitch I take is tearing my soul apart just a little bit. It's both physically and mentally exhausting. Every row I have to put my needles down and look longingly at the beautiful creation from the past few days. The perfect gauge stockinet stitch front and back of my Sweetheart sweater. It's smooth and soft, the darting gives it such a pretty fitted shape. I have so many fond memories of working and the excitement I felt getting each new step finished towards my goal of having this sweater finished in less than two weeks.
These sleeves will be the death of me.
I will knit, whether I want to or not. I just don't have the gumption to sit and stare at them hoping they will somehow spark some feeling of devotion like the rest of the sweater has. I am a woman torn. Torn between the love for her sweater and the hatred of these sleeves.
It's not that the sleeves are especially difficult. They are just long. I feel like I'm making a scarf. The pattern calls for measuring them in inches. You work even or increase until the sleeve measures said inches. For some strange reason, I have a mental block when it comes to working pieces in inches. Maybe it was just the letdown of the Microspun disaster that has me worries. If that was the case, however, I wouldn't have taken so long to finish that in the first place. Maybe it's just that the actions are so repetitive that I don't have the option of pushing myself.
(Let us note here that I just said I hate repetitive motions. I love knitting. Send me all the questions you have, but I won't be able to answer them. I know perfectly well that what I just said makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but you must understand that I hate repetitive motions. And yes, I still love knitting.)
I think there is just one more thing standing between me and a finished sweater. Unhappiness at my current situation. I desperately need Chris to stand behind me while I finish this. Without some type of encouragement or excitement, I won't be able to care enough to finish and this gorgeous sweater will be thrown in a ziplock bag and thrown in my closet. Right now, the only thing he wants to hear is me running water for dish washing. I have been apprehensive about this situation from week one. I was under the impression that he would be doing the laundry, and I would be doing the dishes. He would cook, and I would clean up afterwards. So far, none of that has held true. I have helped with laundry every week, carrying laundry baskets, folding laundry. I also cook regularly. Yet, I still do all the dishes. I also have been supporting him for the past month while he tries to pull himself out of a hole he dug with his insurance, car payment, rent and gas. I have been paying for gas partially, and it kinda bothers me that he won't pitch in and help with the dishes. He might put them away on occasion, but usually I will just wash them and we use them from the counter. He expects me to do them almost every day or every other day and if I don't, he just complains that we don't have dishes to eat off. And we do. Plenty of them. I mentioned the fact that he might be able to wash them too if it bothered him that much, but he can't do dishes because of his germ phobia. Did I mention that I'm paying for the laundry as well? Since we moved in, I have been paying for laundry every week. It can be anywhere from six to nine dollars a week to do laundry. And I pay for it. He will pick up the living room every once and a while, but I am usually pretty good about picking up after myself anyways. I'm not sure I like this development. It really bothers me when I word harder than I get credit for. I hate when work is one sided and I don't like working when I won't get respect for it later. He just assumes that I should do dishes. That's not right. I can just let them pile up and when I want something to eat, I can wash something for myself. If he wants something clean, he can deal with it himself. I don't want to be like that. That's bitchy. But, it's like, what is he doing to show that he appreciates the dishes being done? He doesn't cook more often so I don't have to, he doesn't get dressed up and clean the house so that when I come home it's a nice surprise, he doesn't pay for laundry or dinner at a fast food place. He just assumes that I'll do them again because I have to. Because he wants me to. That's not fair.
That rant is over. Sorry it took so long. I really want to paint my nails, but I don't have any nail polish. Maybe I'll just go do dishes so Chris will want to talk to me long enough to say something about my sweater being done. Probably not. He's working, so if I start doing dishes, it will go unnoticed until we have dinner tonight, where he will ask me to help put dishes away so that he has room to cook, or ask me to defrost the meat so we can eat. Something along those lines.
Damn these sleeves and the problems associated with them.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
StitchDown-LetDown
I was so pumped for the stitchdown today. I had all these plans for taking in my sweater and letting everyone just touch it and congratulate me. Now, I am stranded at Ritter's on a windy and miserable day. I thought for sure that I had to work yesterday, but no. I have to work 4 to close today and now all my plans are ruined. I am beyond pissed.
In good news, my sweater is coming along simply swimmingly and the more I finish, the more I just love it. Each stitch is painstakingly counted and passed oh-so-carefully from the left to the right. I have three rows left until I begin the shaping on the neck and shoulders. Then, I have to make the sleeves and sew it all together. It looked small when I began the back, but now I can see that it will be big enough to get over my weird ass hips. It's slightly longer than I thought it was supposed to be, but that just thrills me more. The picture makes it look like it ends right at the waistband. I see now that it will be a little longer than that, which I am happy for. I hate short shirts. I like knowing that I can pull it down when I'm sitting so that you can't see my underwear like the stupid slutty girls at school.
I thought it was strange that the pattern uses short row shaping over the chest. My sweater has boobs now. It's just weird. I've never seen a sweater with boobs before. I do like the idea, however. It's like the sweater gives the same support a bra would give, only it's built right in. Like, a little shelf for them to sit on. Kinda cool if you ask me.
In good news, my sweater is coming along simply swimmingly and the more I finish, the more I just love it. Each stitch is painstakingly counted and passed oh-so-carefully from the left to the right. I have three rows left until I begin the shaping on the neck and shoulders. Then, I have to make the sleeves and sew it all together. It looked small when I began the back, but now I can see that it will be big enough to get over my weird ass hips. It's slightly longer than I thought it was supposed to be, but that just thrills me more. The picture makes it look like it ends right at the waistband. I see now that it will be a little longer than that, which I am happy for. I hate short shirts. I like knowing that I can pull it down when I'm sitting so that you can't see my underwear like the stupid slutty girls at school.
I thought it was strange that the pattern uses short row shaping over the chest. My sweater has boobs now. It's just weird. I've never seen a sweater with boobs before. I do like the idea, however. It's like the sweater gives the same support a bra would give, only it's built right in. Like, a little shelf for them to sit on. Kinda cool if you ask me.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Current Completeion...10%
I have been knitting like mad. I've clocked in at about 7 hours so far and have finished just over 4 inches. I keep thinking to myself, "Why did my last sweater take me so damn long to finish? This seems so easy!" I have come up with two answers. The first is that my first sweater (the ugly, adult elephant-sized Microspun disaster) was huge! It started with several hundred cast on stitches and ended with an equally sucky number of bind off stitches. The second reason I could think of is that it wasn't fitted, therefore had very few decreases and many, many increases. I am much happier with the look and feel of this sweater already.
Right now I'm just working on the skirt of the sweater (this one is bottom-up as opposed to the first sweater which was top-down) so I am working many rounds even at a time, so I have lots of time to think. I love this yarn very much because it is incredibly soft and warm (not bastardly hot like you would believe wool to be) and stitches up beautifully. Also, the um, "variegation" in the yarn is turning out way prettier than I could have ever hoped for. It is subtle and beautiful and I can't wait to wear this masterpiece. I think that if I could come up with a name for my new "colorway," it would have to be Obviously Subtle. It fits the yarn to a perfect match.
When someone learns to knit, my favorite advice to give them is to go to a yarn store and buy something they absolutely love. Whether they buy some ridiculously expensive silk just to tuck away and touch when they are feeling blue, or if they buy something sturdy and practical to make a scarf for themselves out of, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to work with a yarn you just love touching. I think that could have been another problem with my Microspun fiasco. The yarn is soft and slippery and shiny. I like to touch it, only my cuticles are dry and cracked in some places. My nails sometimes get a little rough at work. The yarn is great to touch, only if you have any imperfections on you hands, they will catch on the super thin fibers. It makes the yarn somewhat difficult to handle when it's December and your hands are chapped from the cold air. This yarn is wool, and although soft, is much hardier than Microspun, and I enjoy that. I couldn't have chosen a better yarn for this project, and it was such a steal! This whole sweater is only costing me $30 to make! $20 for the yarn, $4 for the dye, and $6 for the shipping! I will definitely be buying from KnitPicks again. They were great and I had an amazing delivery time. I thought I would have to wait 5-14 days, and in the end, I ended up waiting just 3!
This dying my own yarn option has opened up a world of doors to me. I want to start again immediately but I need to get rent paid before I can start ordering more yarn. I think I want to save a bit back so that I can order over $50 and get free shipping. I ordered 500g for $20, so I was thinking about looking at my other options. I could buy silk, superwash, alpaca...All sorts of different fibers and try out this Kool-Aid dye method and make lots of yarn to sell or knit or give away to people I like. I'm pretty excited.
I should be working. I was waiting for Ross to get on ICQ, but he hasn't yet. Maybe I'll just log some time for fixing my excel surveys. That sounds like a plan.
Or...
I could knit!
Right now I'm just working on the skirt of the sweater (this one is bottom-up as opposed to the first sweater which was top-down) so I am working many rounds even at a time, so I have lots of time to think. I love this yarn very much because it is incredibly soft and warm (not bastardly hot like you would believe wool to be) and stitches up beautifully. Also, the um, "variegation" in the yarn is turning out way prettier than I could have ever hoped for. It is subtle and beautiful and I can't wait to wear this masterpiece. I think that if I could come up with a name for my new "colorway," it would have to be Obviously Subtle. It fits the yarn to a perfect match.
When someone learns to knit, my favorite advice to give them is to go to a yarn store and buy something they absolutely love. Whether they buy some ridiculously expensive silk just to tuck away and touch when they are feeling blue, or if they buy something sturdy and practical to make a scarf for themselves out of, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to work with a yarn you just love touching. I think that could have been another problem with my Microspun fiasco. The yarn is soft and slippery and shiny. I like to touch it, only my cuticles are dry and cracked in some places. My nails sometimes get a little rough at work. The yarn is great to touch, only if you have any imperfections on you hands, they will catch on the super thin fibers. It makes the yarn somewhat difficult to handle when it's December and your hands are chapped from the cold air. This yarn is wool, and although soft, is much hardier than Microspun, and I enjoy that. I couldn't have chosen a better yarn for this project, and it was such a steal! This whole sweater is only costing me $30 to make! $20 for the yarn, $4 for the dye, and $6 for the shipping! I will definitely be buying from KnitPicks again. They were great and I had an amazing delivery time. I thought I would have to wait 5-14 days, and in the end, I ended up waiting just 3!
This dying my own yarn option has opened up a world of doors to me. I want to start again immediately but I need to get rent paid before I can start ordering more yarn. I think I want to save a bit back so that I can order over $50 and get free shipping. I ordered 500g for $20, so I was thinking about looking at my other options. I could buy silk, superwash, alpaca...All sorts of different fibers and try out this Kool-Aid dye method and make lots of yarn to sell or knit or give away to people I like. I'm pretty excited.
I should be working. I was waiting for Ross to get on ICQ, but he hasn't yet. Maybe I'll just log some time for fixing my excel surveys. That sounds like a plan.
Or...
I could knit!
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