Heading Towards The Toe

I'm still slowly, but surely knitting on Mickael's Black Sock.  Yes, this is still the first sock.  I'd kind of like to finish it before Camp Loopy starts (June 1), just to have it all finished.  Of course, I'll still have to knit the second one - socks are funny like that.  I know he doesn't need them to wear until late Fall, when the temps will drop, but I'd like to get them all finished for him.

Just as a Public Service Announcement, if you're thinking of going to Yellowstone over the Summer and you wait too long to call for cabin reservations, it's possible that all they'll have (for your family of three) is cabins with a single double bed and shared bathroom facilities (shared with other cabins, not just amongst your family of three).  Oh, and you'll have to change cabins and locations every night.  For obvious reasons, we will not be going to Yellowstone this summer - we'll get our act together faster next time, and reserve a cabin early so we can get one with two beds and it's own bathroom facilities.  More organized families probably don't have these issues.

Back At It

 

I'm still working on the back of my cardigan.  I'm almost to the back neck and shoulder shaping though, so soon you should be seeing some fronts!  I think I've found a button for this sweater - I'll show it to you when it gets here.

This morning is beautiful, sunny, and cool, and it will probably be the last cool morning until October.  It seems important for some reason to notice this.  I'm definitely enjoying it!

Moving Forward With The Back

 

I've made it to the division between the fronts and back, and the pattern has you knit the back first, so that's what I'm doing.  The back is bigger than the fronts (although if you added the two fronts together, it would be the same size as the back, but that's not how my mind works), so (in my mind), I'm finishing the biggest part first.  The sleeves are knit top down with short row sleeve caps, so I have to finish the body of the cardigan before I can start those.

At some point (and it's looking like sooner rather than later), I need to find a button for this.  There's a single button at the neck, so it needs to be the perfect button.  It's the only decoration on a sea of stockinette, and while I don't want it to be too flashy, big, or just take over, I don't want it to get lost either.  I'm looking for the Goldilocks of buttons - just right.

Camp Loopy 2013

 

I've got my yarn for the first project of Camp Loopy 2013!  This first challenge is to knit a project using 375 yard or more of a single skein of a fingering or lace weight yarn you have never used.  I chose Mini Maiden from Hand Maiden Yarns in Peacock.  (I realized this morning that I might already have some of this in my stash, but I know that I have never actually used any of it.)  My hiking group is the Mt. Fiberopolis group.  (They divide all the campers up into smaller groups to keep the camp chatter on the Ravelry group under control.)  My original pattern choice is for the Bias Before and After Scarf.  It's the kind of simple project I know I'll wear a lot, and should be perfect in the multicolored hand dyed yarn.

I've since added Rondelay (which is an elongated shawl that would wear like a scarf) and Rufflebye (which would wear the same way) as possibilities.  These two shawls would be a little more interesting to knit, and while they're not difficult, they wouldn't be strictly auto-pilot knitting either.  The scarf would be pure auto-pilot knitting.  Looking at the schedule around here for June, the scarf will definitely be doable (the first project is to be knit June 1-30).  The shawls might be doable.  On the other hand, it's possible I could fizzle out on the scarf where the shawls have enough going on they might keep my interest.  Or the shawls could take too much attention, which I might not have time to deal with, so they might get pushed to the side.

See where I'm at?  I'm going to sit down this weekend and read through the shawl directions (I've already bought all three patterns) and see how much actual undivided attention they'll need before I finalize my decision.  If you guys want to weigh in on the comments, feel free!  The more opinions, the merrier, right?

Have a great weekend

Stockinette

 

Stockinette is perfect for picking up and putting down.  It's perfect in it's simplicity, when life is crazy.  It's perfect for right now.

Caleb has been doing scales in band.  For anyone who has never done band or music, scales are the DO-RE-ME-FA-SO-LA-TE-DO things, like in Sound of Music.  You can play a scale in any key, and learning scales helps you learn the notes in that key (which helps when you play music in that key).  It's not the most interesting thing to do, but scales are important building blocks for learning music.  As I explained to Caleb, scales are dead easy to play, but because they're so simple, any missteps, timing issues or other problems stick out like a sore thumb.  So while they're easy to play, they are hard to play perfectly.  Learning to play scales perfectly, while not very exciting, will translate into other parts of playing music and will pay off for the music student in many other ways.

I realized that stockinette stitch is kind of like playing scales in knitting.  It's an easy stitch to do - one of the first we learn, but if it's not knit perfectly, our mistakes are very obvious.  Other, more complicated stitch patterns can camouflage tension issues, whether they're overall tension issues, or just tension differences between the knit and purl sides.  With ribbing, cables, or lace you notice the pattern, not the fine details of the knitted fabric.  Even garter stitch brings a texture to knitting.  Stockinette, as it should be, is smooth, unbroken, and perfect.  If it's not, it really sticks out.

Of course using handspun yarn, I'm really noticing all the inconsistencies there too.  No pressure!

Virtually No Progress Has Been Made on This Sock

 

Yet, I worked on it yesterday afternoon.  Apparently, I can't keep a simple knit, purl pattern in my head long enough to get across the instep stitches.  It's not like I have to think for the sole stitches - they're just stockinette.  Of course I wouldn't discover my mistake until after I'd come around on the following round.  Then I was faced with the decision to tink back the round and reknit or switch every stitch as I come to it, and then work it.  I'm not really sure which one is faster, I just know that neither is fun in black yarn.

I also realized that I should at least get this first sock finished before Camp Loopy starts this Summer, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not.  Yes, it's that time of year - Camp Loopy time!  The first project was announced yesterday and I've already placed my order and have a plan.  If you've never done Camp Loopy, it's lots of fun, and I've found all the challenges do-able during the past two summers.  I'll post my project details once the yarn gets here (probably later this week), if you're curious.

This Weekend

 

This weekend we had a family adventure!  We went to Scarborough Renaissance Festival.  It's just south of Dallas and runs every weekend of April and May.  It was perfect weather - sunny and breezy, and there are lots of trees all through the site.  We really enjoyed it, and even Caleb had fun (and admitted to learning a few things - accidentally of course).  The only thing I got pictures of was the birds of prey demonstration, but we ended up being in a really great place - right next to one of the bird handlers (falconers?)  The demonstration is done by Last Chance Forever, a bird of prey rescue and rehabilitation center.

 

The falcons were fascinating (there was also an owl and a vulture, but I didn't get good photos of them), but my favorite part was the Bald Eagle.  Getting to see one of these magnificent birds up close was amazing!

The day wasn't all about the birds though.  As anyone who's ever been to a medieval/renaissance fair knows, the people watching alone is worth the price of admission.  There were lords and ladies, wenches, pirates, fairies, elves, tree people, barbarians, gypsies, and a couple of hobbits.  There was even a dragon, who I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of.  He had the most amazing costume - leather, covered in scales, and gold and green, and I'm really sorry I didn't get a picture, but I can try to describe the costume all day and it won't do it justice.  There was also way too much food eaten (much of it on a stick, of course), but these kinds of things must involve copious amounts of food on a stick to be properly enjoyed.

At the end of the day, Mickael spotted something for me, that I knew would be perfect for Ruby Mae (that's her name).  This little pewter pincushion!  Now she has a friend, even when Max is otherwise occupied!  I'll leave you with a bad iPhone picture of a Great Horned Owl.  He did that turning the head thing that owls do - Caleb was very impressed!