We had such a great night last night.  My 4-yr-old son is completely smitten with anything that has to do with space, and for such a young person, he has acquired a pretty vast knowledge of the sun, the solar system, NASA, the moon, Star Wars (but he's too afraid to see the movie), space travel, the Saturn rocket ships, the Apollo missions, and space shuttles.  Oh, also space stations, solar panels and asteroids.

The other day DH and I were talking about something ... (most likely what an idiot W is ...) and Conor out of nowhere said, "Did you just say asteroid?"

He gets his single-track mind from his mom, I think.  (Substitute anything space for anything yarn, and it applies to me.)

I recently asked him if he'd like me to knit a particular toy for Christmas (looking specifically at the World of Toys book), and while browsing the toys he responded, "No ... no ... no ... no ... can you just knit me a space shuttle?"

Well, we were lucky enough to watch the entire lunar eclipse last night, and it was so neat and special to do something like that with my own little boy... and here's my photo to prove it:





Meanwhile, DH was dashing back and forth into our basement to tune in to the Red Sox game.  Can you believe it? They won!  By now, you surely know that it was a complete shut-out, 4-0.

For DH, this is nothing less than a quasi-religious experience.  Really, he's been practically in tears all week.  At his HS where he teaches, a student came to give him a really nice gift while he was reading sports reports about the Sox during lunchtime, and he couldn't even talk to her, he was so emotional!  He certainly is remembering the generations of Sox fans who weren't able to witness the historic moment of the game, including his father that passed away two years ago this very week.

And thanks again to my friend Judith, a knitter in Vermont, who has been following my goofy knitting blog and read about Dave's last Sox story ... she called us to congratulate Dave as soon as the game ended!  :)  What are you knitting these days, Judith?

Anyhow, back to knitting content:

Upon completion of any kind of a project, undertaking, or task, my 2-yr-old daughter loves to exclaim, with utmost sincerity and joy, "Yea!  I *DID* it!"  This goes for things like brushing her teeth, putting on socks, mixing her juice with her yogurt, etc.  One of the great things about being the parent of a young child is that it helps you to remember that happy inside-feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing a task, and it helps you to remember to take pleasure in small things.  This actually reminds me of my own personal motto: "Think big thoughts, relish simple pleasures." (If you don't have a personal motto, I highly recommend getting one.)

Well, for me, this has been a week of knitting nothing other than Clapotis II.  Why? Because the clock has been ticking ... DH leaves first thing tomorrow morning for Boston, and for MIL's 70th bday party. 

And I DID it!  I finished it tonight ... here it is:



And a close-up:



I'm very pleased overall.  This was a great knit, pretty easy once you got set on a pattern of increase, straight, decrease.  I changed the pattern a little ... I used a nice sportweight yarn from Colorado called Interlacements Toasty Toes (usually 20-22 sts = 4").  I used a needle size 7, and I had 560 yds total which is less than the pattern calls for and so I changed the increase section for 7 repeats to 5 repeats, and then the straight section from 13 repeats to 11 repeats.  No problem!  I had plenty of yarn left over, as I suspected I would.  1.9 oz of it, which should be around 133 yards if my math proves correct.  Great!  Enough for the trim on the pair of GLOVES I need to start for the same MIL as a Christmas present.  Now the gloves/headband combo doesn't seem so bad for a present!

The interesting experience of this week was that I normally spend a lot of time skipping around between projects ... even on my best Klaralunding days, I still spent at least a little time on other projects.  This translates into projects going on and on and on .... I'm embarrassed to say that the WIP list on the left is only the tip of the iceberg, and these are really only things that I've set as a priority.  But for this Clapotis, the deadline was looming .... and I had to finish it. 

Maybe I should try to finish up projects before starting new ones??  Well, that's what a sane person would do.

As I currently have many fixations, however, let's turn to the Boobie Scarf.  I've had some interest in my yarn offer, so let me formally make it here:  I can send you 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed in the bright pink colorway of the scarf for $$4.50/ea, or for $9.00.  I can ship two balls first class rate for $2.00, or 4 balls priority rate for $4.00.  Thus, you can get 2 balls for $11.00 or 4 balls for $22.00.  Let me know if you're interested ... I'm going to order yarn today or tomorrow, and I think I'll just get 2 bags (20 balls total), and save two for myself, so it looks like 10 balls are spoken for.  So, if you'd like some, drop me a note and I'll let you know when it arrives! 

Here's a quickie entry ...

News: I voted today while a friend invited Conor and Lia over for a playdate ... I spent a half hour waiting (and working on Clapotis II), then voted!  I'm volunteering for the Boulder Dem Party to shuttle seniors to vote next Tuesday, while my mom watches the kids, so I'm glad I've got my vote in.  It's a paper vote, by the way, but there were also computer ballots going on and the person working there told me that they did not leave behind a paper trail.  My brother (the computer whiz kid) in Fla. told me that his county does not leave a paper trail behind, either ... and he feels confident that he himself could easily manipulate the votes.  Not that he wants to.

What's the matter with this country? We've had four years to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq, but we haven't been able to assure the democratic voting process in our own fricking country. 

But, as I said, a quickie entry ...

Other blogging world news:  Did you see Wendy's blog entries of today/yesterday yet??  The whole phenomenon of Wendy's blog is high drama to me ... here you have an amazingly talented knitter, who turns out Klaralunds in four days and intricate fair isles in under three weeks, who gets up WAY before the crack of dawn to share her obsession with the world, and who has over a thousand people then read her blog every day ... and look at the kittybeds!  It's an amazing center of energy, both the blogger and the fans of the blog.  I won't ruin the surprise, though, go see for yourself how the drama is unfolding.

And moving along....

How could I have forgotten my "new" Klaralund, err -- Klaralaundry (as Cate puts it)? 

I didn't wear Klaralund to the Knit-Out last week (which Stacey was a little disappointed over, as she is working diligently on her own #84? -- circus pinks and blues, etc.) but I chose instead to wear my Chunky Iro Charlotte's Web Shawl.  I just love this shawl -- really big with lots of fringe, and just very shawl-ish. 

Why not Klaralund?

She was busy drying from her TUMBLE IN THE WASHING MACHINE.

The details:

I washed her on cold, very little shampoo added, in my front-loader on delicate cycle, as per Cate's own directions. 

She dried on a towel.

Here's the end result:



She hasn't actually shrunk very much, although I (imagine?) think that she does fit smaller ... Cate noted that hers shrunk more vertically than horizontally, and I'd say that I had the same results.  Remember, however, that when yarn felts it does, as a rule, shrink more in rows than it does in st width.

The bigger difference is the "blooming effect."  Here's a closeup:





And there you have it!



What's happening with Clapotis II, by the way?  I'm on DAY 3 of 5, if you recall that DH is leaving early Friday for "The Cod," as I used to call it (what a silly Westerner I am). 



Specifics of the pattern ... I fear not having enough yarn.  I have 500 yds, and need 600 as per the pattern, but the pattern calls for a more worsted weight, and this is more of a DK/ almost Sock weight.  I'm using 7's to knit (instead of the 8's called for in the pattern). 

So for the increasing section, I have only 5 repeats instead of the 7 requested, in order to make a skinnier scarf. 

During the straight section, I need 13 repeats and I'm planning on 10 or 11 ... and hopefully I'll have enough to finish!! 

And check out my latest fixation:




The Boobie Scarf.  Rush over to knitty where you can see the latest Fall Surprise, a.k.a. wonderful patterns for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

I think I'm going to order a bag (10 balls) of DB Aran Tweed in PINK to make this EXACT same scarf ... let me know if you're interested, and I'll pass two balls along to you at a very discounted price.  I just think it's a great scarf, and it will help me to remember my own self-exams. 

Plus, I kind of like the (optional) nipples on the scarf.  They remind me of the great respect and wonder that I have for my own boobies after feeding both of my children for a year apiece!  (And the nice memories, the cuddly moments, the happy parts of being a parent to an infant ...)

Speaking of Knitty ... last but not least for today I leave you with my Knitty reject.  It's okay that it's a reject, because it made me get my act together, write up a pattern, and here it is! 

The Felted Mitered Squares Bag, in Cascade 220 and Silk Garden:





My secret plan (not so secret now) is that I'm going to try to throw together a few fun, interesting, unique patterns that people may be interested in buying for low, low prices.  As you can imagine, many of them will incorporate Noro yarns as I have a total fixation over them.  I'm working on several of them now, and I think I'll be starting up a website (maybe) by Thanksgiving.  Definitely by the end of the year.  I'll keep you up to date on it!

We had our first annual Boulder, CO Knit-Out last Saturday, and for a first-time run of an event, we had a splendid time and a nice turnout.



We (the Boulder Handknitting Guild) decided in early Sept. to organize this affair ... we delegated the duties, did most of them in the three prior weeks to the event, and it went very well.  We had six different local yarn stores donate yarns to the event; two local yarn store owners come and help us with the teaching/ talking up of knitting; local bakeries and tea boutiques donated cookies, apples and tea; and it was great!

We had two local bloggers grace us -- thanks Liesl and Stacey for taking time out of your lives to come join us! 



Liesl had a fabulous pink crocheted scarf on (can you spot her above?), and after seeing the Fall Surprise in Knitty, I have a hankering for a pink scarf, too, now (of course, when do I not have a hankering for something new?).  By the way, Liesl, if you're wondering why people kept coming up to you and asking how to crochet, it's because I kept pointing them your way. :)  Thanks! 

Stacey had on the most beautiful and interestingly-textured scarf in a beautiful Manos del Uruguay yarn (can you spot Stacey in the pink chair?) ... Hmmm... wonder if my Serendipity in S. America yarn will work here??  She is going to share the pattern with us.  (That's a reminder, Stacey, if I haven't emailed you one yet.:) 

We also had Tara Jon Manning, back from a whirlwind tour (with 10-mo-old son in tow) to Rhinebeck to teach, meditate, socialize, and do other things that cool knitting authors do. 

[Preface to today's blog ... I am having issues with my photo-hosting service, so I'm post-dating this to last Friday ... and I'll continue more here later...]

For those of you who maybe haven't yet heard ...



Today the American Medical Association issued an advisory that the Universal Choking Sign has been revised.

Old symbol:






New symbol:







I actually have a knitting story about this.

DH is grew up in Boston, and is a Wicked Sox Fan.  He actually sold hot dogs at Fenway park for about 5 years as a teenager, and watched hundres of games that way ... and in funnier moments, DH walks around our house pretending to sell them to us: "Hot Dawgs.  Hog Dawgs.  Hog DAWGS ... come an' get 'em." 

So, I'm not really a baseball fan.  I've become acquainted with Moth Heaven recently, and I told her that DH would kill me if he knew I was reading her blog.  (Thanks, too, for the picts above!)

During the comeback games, I decided to hang out and knit rather than watch boring old baseball with a tense sweetie.  So, I hung out and listened to my current audio tape from my awesome local library (and I so highly recommend anything by Bill Bryson, he's my favorite):



And he watched the games.  With the mute on.  And no one could talk to him.

So, for the last game (I'd been feeling guilty from my lack of wifely duties in supporting his New England sports-teams-addiction), I said -- "Hey, this is a Big Moment, and one that I feel that I should share with my Sweetie."  So, I plopped myself on the couch next to him (with Clapotis, of course), and said ... "Let's watch together."

DH:  "You can't sit there, and you can't talk to me.  I'd feel more comfortable if you were doing what you'd been doing during the other games ... we can't change the situation here, or the Sox will lose."

So I went back upstairs, and worked on Clapotis, and laughed away at Bill Bryson's antics on the Appalachian Trail. 

Later, the phone rang, and DH dashed off to answer ... after answering, he hurriedly said, "I can't talk now, the Sox are playing the Yankees."  He later told me it was Cerebral Palsy. 



So, what about Clapotis??

Progress is being made on several fronts here, which is always a good thing.

Clapotis ... do you know what this means in English, by the way? I lived in France for a year, have a degree in French lit., and am still a little troubled by this ... I think it means "wave" or something like that. When I looked it up, it said, "lap, lapping," or "swash." What's a swash exactly? I'd like to see this word in use ... I remember the word "clapotement," which I think meant the waves crashing on something.  Anyhow ...

Here she is:




And do you see my big mistake?  Yep, I took my balls of handpainted yarn, and though I've read all over the place "always alternate handpainted yarns every two rows to avoid color issues," I obviously didn't pay attention.  You can clearly see my lighter-colored ball and my darker-colored ball.  With all of my dropped stitch rows, I just don't have the heart to rip and redo ... so I'm hoping that it won't look too bad, and that when it's all rolled up around MIL's neck, it won't be at all obvious.  We'll see.

I really learn a new lesson with every single project that I do ... but when will I learn them all??

I've only been knitting for a year and a half, I guess.

I'm also working on reorganizing my yarn stuff, and my knitting area ...

And I came across an idea at Floryknits.com in which Flory organized her circular and dpn needles into these see-through binder folders.  I'd been wanting to sew up a cute little holder to throw in my closet, but I decided that this would work better.  I still need to make stickies to show just what I have in stock, and what I don't have in stock. 




And in my master knitting, here's a little swatch that I came up with .... it's a seed stitch swatch, swatch #3.  If you recall, this is the third choice of yarn that I've used ... Lamb's Pride Worsted. This was excellent for my ribbing, but for some unknown reason (that I think was probably what Tara mentioned when she said -- watch out, Lamb's Pride "biases"), I just have a very messy stitch pattern.  As a matter of fact, check it out:



One row is straight and the other row is all twisted.  Wassup??  I know that this won't do, but I just don't have the heart to redo swatches 1,2,3, and 14 YET AGAIN, especially when I'm pretty happy with the others.  Anyhow, I'm completing the rest of the swatches until I can confer with the other "Guilden Ladies" (as DH joking calls us) on our next Guild night.

Last, but not least, I leave you with a photo of some flowers DH brought home the other night, just because he loves me. (This is just to prove that he isn't an insensitive jock.)

While everybody in knitting bloggerland seemed to be at Rhinebeck last weekend, I was working on Agnes in my course to recertify my teaching license, Creativity in the Classroom.  I didn't get a whole lot done, actually ... maybe close to 10" on the back, but that's okay.  That's 10" of Sneaky Knitting, so it's like it appeared out of nowhere. :) 

Meanwhile, I am learning something about myself ...

I'm becoming a knitalong addict. 

Klaralund was my first knitalong, and it's really been fun not only seeing how everybody's Klaralunds have turned out, but also how they've coped with certain issues, or how they've substituted this for that. 

Have you checked them out yet? Here's a recent (and most likely incomplete list) of people's Klaralunds ...

Stephanie at And She Knits Too!
Sally at Knitting By The Bay
Linda
Dani at Knit Stitch Click
Iris at Unfurnished Brooklyn
Julie
Cate at mamacate
Lisa at lifeandsuch
Heather at Pixie Stikz Knitz
Sheila at Threaded Bliss Yarns
Anne at White Star
Kyra at Knitmeister
Sandy B
Kristin at Spinning Athena
Amy at quixotic pixels
Eilene at Ei Knit
and I'm sure that there's many many more (email me if you want me to include you here)

And I obviously have a little too much time on my hands. :)  No, I was just browsing through everyone's photos, so I thought I'd post the links here.  Who knew that there were so many already made? Of course, with 226 members of the list, I guess I'm not surprised, but still...

Cate, by the way, recently went out on a limb and dealt with her roomy, baggy Klaralund by Throwing It Into the Washer.  Yes, that's correct ... and I think I may do the same.  I guess that my blogging about Klaralund is destined to never end ... I'll post photos when (if?) I have the courage to do this. 

Well, why am I a knitalong addict, then?

I just made a little Hallowig -- man, was that fun.  I'm planning on making one for my daughter -- by next week?! -- to match her Halloween outfit, which is going to be Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Big brother is going to be an astronaut, by the way, as he is completely obsessed about Space Stuff right now. (No hallowig for him, he requested.)

I am signed up for, and ready to do my kittybed ... before the end of October.  Actually, as a deadline knitter, I'll probably do it by about Nov. 5, as we have to send them Nov. 6. 

My man-along is a continuous project, with no real updates here, except to say that I'm glad that I've started DH's sweater early, as I'm just working on it when he's not around.  With two little kids, I don't get a whole lot of knitting content into the day, and most of it occurs in the evenings, or during naptime. 

SO .... I'm going to be teaching a class next semester at our local community college in Longmont, Colorado ... which means that while I was up there on business the other day, I happened to stop by the knitting shop Knit One Purl Too.  I'd been there before, and I remembered that this shop carries Rowan, so I went to the store thinking that I would "Just Browse the Rowan stuff."  You know how this goes.

Well, when I saw her alpaca, sheep and mohair rovings, I couldn't resist ... because I remembered (tucked into the back of my mind with all the other knitalong info I've seen lately) that there's a Thrummed Mitten-along going on right now.  Before I came upon this, I'd never seen this technique before, and when I felt the yummy mohair at K1PToo, I knew that I was destined to make a pair of these mittens. 

Do mohair locks work, by the way?  Because here's 2 oz of them, baby:





They are unbelievably soft! And two ounces is a lot of locks:



I then saw a really cool pattern that called for mohair locks to be knitted into a dk-weight wool scarf, to make a big fluffy boa-kind of scarf.  I know now that I'll be back for more mohair.  I think I may use a little mohair around the edge of my mittens to trim them out using this technique.

So, I'm signing up!  (Who knows when I'll finish them ... maybe by the end of Nov.?)

Meanwhile ....

Remember that goofy double-knitted headband I'm working on for my MIL?  Michelle said that she'd love to hear about techniques to make double-knitting easier ... Well, sad to say, I can't really comment on that, as I haven't really been able to figure it out myself!  I have about 10 rows to go, but I've just been knitting one yarn, then the next yarn, while holding them both together in one hand ... tedious is a little bit of an understatement.

And then I thought to myself ... my MIL is having her 70th bday at the end of the month.  DH is flying/bussing out to Cape Cod, where she lives, to throw a big surprise bash for her.  Who really wants to get a double-knit headband at a big moment like this?  In an effort to use yarn from my stash (I've taken a pledge to Not Buy Any More Yarn -- do mohair locks count?), I was being a little cheesy and cheap, and I decided to put a stop to this nonsense.  I will still finish the headband, and make up a pair of yummy alpaca gloves to match (from my stash, at least) by Christmastime ... and that's a much better Christmas present, in my mind.

So, look at what conveniently came in the mail last week: 





Yummy, yummy, soft (and did I mention yummy?) yarn from Serendipity in South America ... 218 yds for $7.00, plus shipping.  Three skeins should (I hope!) be enough for a Clapotis.

What, there's a clapotis-along?  Well, I must sign up, then!

And here you have it: 





I'm about halfway along through the scarf ... a little further than this picture, but this will have to do ...






... and with the exception of a silly mistake that I've made (which I'll post on later but I hope doesn't ruin the overall effect of the scarf), this has been a fun scarf, albeit a large one.  600 yds is 600 yds, after all, even if it is just a scarf.  But this will be much more befitting of a 70th birthday, in my mind. 


AND LAST but never least, thanks to every person who voted on my Charlotte's Web Dilemma ... and I present to you the clear cut winner of my remaining color sequence on my shawl:

ARRANGEMENT A




Happy knitting to you, wherever you are, and whatever you're doing!

Well, as the acting vice president of our Hand Knitting Guild .... [and does anybody know if it's handknitting or hand knitting?] ... I volunteered to write flyers and contact stores/people via email ... so I might as well add in this info here:

1.  Go to our Yahoo group to see the final version of the flyer for the Knit-Out, if you're interested in coming / distributing / etc.  Please do print out a few and post, if you can. 

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

And there you have it.  Yet one more of those ubiquitous quizzes that we love to take.
Happy knitting!

 

 

ALERT .... NON-KNITTING content precedes the KNITTING content today:

Well, I first have to apologize to anyone who is a reader of this blog if I seem like a rambling, left-wing liberal.  When I started blogging, I said to myself -- No Politics!  Just make it about knitting!  Then, a little MOB.org button crept onto my sidebar.  A little later, a John Kerry button snuck in, too.  I started reading about this knitter's or that knitter's political views, and I just couldn't hold back.  After today, I'll try to let my blog be mostly directed towards knitterly content and not my own political soapbox.

So, since I'm still on the topic -- all of my political tendencies are left of center, and I just can't help it.  As it is, I am feeling more and more left-wing all the time ... and that's one of the things that I just don't like about this president.  By being such an ultra-conservative, he forces people like me to take such extremist stands. 

We have a friend who is a somewhat conservative Republican, and just as DH and I are almost always left of center, he's almost always right of center. He just can't help it.  Well, he's talking about voting for Kerry, and my DH (who is an Irish Catholic from Boston, and has that whole edge in his character from growing up in that culture) taunted him by saying, "I just don't think that when it comes down to it, you'll be able to vote for a Democrat!"  Not a nice thing to say to a friend, but the question remains -- why are we so polarized in this country?  Why are we forced to take such rigid "stands"?

I'd like to think that if I lived in a country controlled by a Democratic congress, a Very Left of center Supreme Court, and if I had a left-wing president who was Out Of Control with his his own personal religious ideology (not to mention just plain Not Very Smart), and if I were presented with a Moderate Republican who overall made sense -- even if I didn't agree with 100% of his issues, I think that I would really, honestly consider voting for him.

We interrupt this blogging to say ... PLEASE EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON MY CHARLOTTE'S WEB OPTIONS ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND SIDE, if you haven't yet.

And, here we have the addition of a new button to the left, called Feminist of the Day. 

Today (Oct 12) lists Frances Gage (abolitionist, writer, activist) who said,

"I was born a mechanic and made a barrel before I was ten years old. My father looked at it and said, "What a pity that you were not born a boy so that you could be good for something. Run into the house, child, and go to knitting."

Very interesting!  Everyone who knits knows that knitting is seen as "old-fashioned," and sometimes come up against people who believe that modern women who are true feminists don't waste their time on things like knitting, in which they are essentially serving others.  My, how knitting has changed.  Well, it used to be that women had to knit, that they had to darn clothes, and I imagine that women who used to knit because they had to didn't have the choices that they have today in terms of yarns, patterns, and simply the choice to knit for themselves, rather than others.  Knitting has passed from the realm of practicality to luxury, like sunbathing did for the women of the early 20th century (working in the sun over the years became simply taking the time to luxuriate in the sun, thus the goofy term "sunbathing").

I am an ardent feminist, and I really love the study of women's issues and feminist theory.  Having said that, I really don't agree with 80% of American feminism, as I come across many people who say -- "What, you have a master's degree, and you're staying home with your kids?", and other similar things.  These are also the types who love to start sentences with, "Well, as a feminist, I can only say ..." (as if they have a monopoly on feminism).  The obvious insinuation is that it's a waste of your time to be the one to raise your kids ... and this is reflected in what we pay for childcare (although for a paying parent, I know that it seems like a lot), and what we pay for teachers, etc.   I also come across people (Dr. Laura comes to mind) who say, "Those feminists!  They are all wrong!"  Well, I'm one feminist who finds my power in my home.

The end result, for me, is to simply say that I believe in what I believe in, and I don't think I have to "subscribe" to a certain viewpoint in order to make it work for me.  That's why I can wear fingernail polish, stay home and knit, and still read subversive feminist literature, take classes, expand my own world view, and vote for whoever I want. 

You knew that this would turn to politics, didn't you?

Well, because you came here for knitting content, then let me just throw a little bit of that in first, okay?

Here's a quick set that I worked up in Silk Garden #86 (I believe), which I call "Circus pinks blues and reds".  It's so pretty, and I happen to know that Stacey is working this into a Klaralund. 



And here's a photo of me in the hat:




And here's a closeup of the shirt I'm wearing:




I told you this would come back to politics.

I think it's obvious who I'm voting for.  I love this shirt because it is feminist subversion at its best ... making men look at your boobs, reading that you're a mother, and seeing that you oppose Bush makes people uncomfortable, but gets their attention.  I wear this shirt and I get enormous stares ... I don't really know why, actually.  Men really do stare, however, and I imagine that it offends Bush supporters.  (Go get your own shirt, then, I say.) 

I'm wearing this every non-laundry day until the election. 

And since I'm on a political rant, let me point you toward's Creazativity's site, where I agree wholeheartedly with her assesment of current America. 

And let me get in a plug for my favorite political website right now, the electoral vote predictor found here. 

And then, if you're in Denver, let me announce that MOB.org is going to be holding a MOMS OPPOSING BUSH rally at the capitol Oct. 31 at noon.  Email me if you're interested in more info.

AND LAST, but not least, PLEASE EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON MY CHARLOTTE'S WEB OPTIONS ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND SIDE if you haven't yet.

I have about 300 people at least Google me last week, but no one votes.  Why?  (Maybe for the same reason that people don't vote in the American election.)

A quick knit, and it's official -- I'm ready to have more fun this Halloween as a blond.

Yea, one more WIP I can subtract from my list ... (although you'll see in a moment I had another ADHD moment yesterday and started something else, and I never actually put this project over there ...)

Here's my Hallowig, in all her glory.  I'll update photos to the Hallowig-along site soon, too.



Note the yarn to the right, which was exactly how much yarn was left over from my skein of Caron Simply Soft.   I don't care what people say about acrylic, Simply Soft is one nice acrylic yarn, and it's becoming my new favorite for baby knits.  It's a perfect substitute for Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and other worsted weights, and the babies don't really wear it long enough for it to pill. 


And my Hallowig-ish pose:




Not to be left out, here's my son Conor, showing the side view:




And his own Hallowig-ish pose:




What fun!

I am planning on doing one in a smaller size for my daugher.  Over at I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can, I see that it's been adapted for a smaller head. 

I have been pretty busy lately, actually ... trips to the post office ... hanging with the family ... and painting murals for my friends. 

What?  Yes, in another life of mine I may have been a muralist or an artist.  It's a continuation of my crafty tendencies.  Anyhow, I'm totally untrained, I copy everything, but I have a lot of fun painting murals.  I have done them in my kid's rooms, I did a fun B*zz L*ghtyear for a friend, and then a FABU W*nnie the Po*h for another friend.  At one point, I aspired to do this as a part-time job. ... Until I realized that it's agains the law to break c*opyright l*w, which I why I'm using these c*te st*rs.  This is true; my brother knows somebody who works on a contractual basis for D*sney as a lawyer, and she goes around posing as a mother who needs a birthday cake with Sl*eping Beauty, or a clown to dress up like Al*ddin, etc., and then nails them.  She collects half the settlement. 

So, I just do these things for friends who won't turn me in.  :) 

Here's my latest:



Ari*l's face is a little weird, so I'm going to redo it. 


And her best friends:






But when a box arrived yesterday ... I could not contain my excitement to do something with this yummy mohair I got off eBay:





And I decided on this, the Meadow Flowers Shawl from Knitter's Stash. 



So, I cast on. 




I can just envision me in this at a Christmas party. (And I find that I envision myself wearing a lot of shawls at parties lately ... maybe it's just my escapist tendencies.)


LAST, but not least, please browse through the photos of Oct. 6, as I still need you to VOTE! (upper left side) to help me on my Charlotte's Web COLOR SEQUENCE DILEMMA. Thanks!

Well, I have decided to remove Klaralund from my wip list to the left, as I seamed up the back almost all the way, and the sleeves are comfortably long now.  Note that I say comfortably, which means I can handle the length.  A final photo:

 

I've been wearing this a lot, especially now that it's cold and rainy.  Yummy!



Next, I really need to update the WIP list to the left, JUST SO THAT I CAN FOCUS on what I need to finish ...

And higher up on the list of PRIORITIES is this headband from Knit Hats!, overall a good and fun hat book.  I recommend it if you like to knit hats.  Well, my MIL likes headbands, and I've never double-knit before, so I'm making up a little headband for her.  I say little, because it's on small (for an ADHD knitter like me) Brown Sheep Naturespun, and every row takes about 15 minutes!  So, I'm disciplining myself to 4 rows a day so that I can finish it for her birthday at the end of October. Here it is:



The double-knit aspect is actually really interesting, but a challenge for me, as you knit the front layer and the back layer separately, but at the same time.  What?!  You have both sides on the needles, and you hold both yarns, but you knit the stitches one at a time.  What is especially tricky is the color change, as on those stitches you knit the opposite color.  Here's a closeup:






What else am I working on, you ask?  Well, despite my promise to lock away my recent sale purchase from my LYS, I could not resist the call of Charlotte's Web this weekend.  Five skeins of Koigu sitting in the darkness of my closet is knitting blasphemy! 





So, I got through the first color ... and the second color ... and I'm about to add in the third color.  Those of you who have experience with this shawl may recognize my MISTAKE ...




Yes, I was so psyched to be knitting this that I FORGOT to start the second color, which means that I went a full 8 rows beyond where I should've.  This isn't a big deal here, but it means that I'm going to have to make some adjustments at the end, in order to not be knitting eight more of those SUPER-LOOONG rows.  So, for the last two colors, I'll knit 4 instead of 8 rows of the two-color sections, and then a full 8 rows of the single color sections.  This will subtract 8 rows total, and I'll end at the right length.  At least, I think I'll do it that way. ;)


So, here's the Big Dilemma, and Please Leave A Comment or do the quick and easy Vote! on my upper left sidebar for me!

Do I do the following three colors in arrangement A:




Arrangement B:





Arrangement C:





Or, arrangement D?:




I'm leaning towards A or B, but I'm just not sure.  Again, Please Leave A Comment or do the quick and easy VOTE! on the upper left to help!


Meanwhile, I'm still not working on ...

A) my kittybed, or

B) Hallowig.  (And have you seen the cute updated fo's there?)

I'm such an ADHD knitter!

Charlotte will have to return to the depths of my closet until after Christmas.  And this time, I mean it!