Monday, May 07, 2007

My Weekend Trip to the FROG pond

I spent a bit of time knitting this weekend, but I really don't have much to show for it thanks to several trips to the FROG pond...

First up were some
ankle socks that I'm using the perfect-for-summer-socks Sereknity Triple Scoop colorway for. Ah, some quick and easy ankle socks that might be ready in time for my vacation at the end of the month? Yea, not so much. These socks will be my first using a short row heel and I thought I'd take the advice of the designer and use a backward YO method. I kept either loosing or twisting stitches, ripping back, then when I finally felt I was getting it, realized I lost track of where the backward YO's were and frogged it all. I digressed to reading up on short rows in my Vogue knitting book and cast on the rib at the top again before putting it down late Saturday night. (Any tips and suggestions on this short row crapola stuff, please do feel free to share)

sockfrog

So then on Sunday, after being woken way too friggin' early at the crack of dawn to head up to Matt's racing, I figured I'd start something new and portable... but not those socks, no those were a couch project until I get the hang of the short rows. So I brought 2 projects - one is my hat for the Knit In contest and the other is the Radiance Lace Headband. After long consideration, I opted for the Jacqueline version, using another gorgeous Sereknity colorway, Lilacs in Bloom. Seemed like a fairly easy and portable project... some YO's and stuff. Yea, I don't know what it was but again... knit, ripped, knit, ripped... and finally to the FROG pond it all went. I kept loosing or gaining stitches or just thinking it didn't look right with the YO and purls. I think I wasn't really paying attention... but after the final FROG I opted to switch to the Amanda version and here's where I'm at in my 1 row of glory...

headbandfrog

Frustrated? Yes. Feel like a knitting clutz? Yes. What keeps me thinking happier thoughts? This...

Hedgehogs

Isn't is gorgeous? That is my new skein of Hedgehog (60% superwash merion ~ 30% bamboo ~ 10% nylon and to die for!) from the lovely Jamie of Scout's Swag! This stuff is simply delectable and I can't wait to make some killer socks!

So just where is all of this knitting taking place, you probably are not asking yourself... but, following in Lora and Jackie's footsteps, I will show you anyway! Lora's Secret Pal 10 hostess had a contest for everyone to show where they knit. Fun, huh? Well, here's where I do the majority of my knitting... my "knitting corner" in the living room.

KnitCorner

As you can see, its quite cluttered with books, yarn, notions, project bags, magazines... and oh yea, a dog! Which is much the case while I'm knitting too... but hey, at least Zeus is on "his" side of the couch and not mine!

And this is where I sit and knit on Sunday's at Matt's racing ...

KnitRacing

and the view from where I sit...

KnitView

You might notice there is no dog here but that's because we left them all home yesterday and Straton, mascot dog of the track, must've been hanging out somewhere else because as you can clearly see, Matt forgot the rug that goes down on the ground in our pit area and Straton would much prefer laying on it than those darn rocks... But anyway, Teutul is usually the one who gets to come racing and steals that nice green chair you see there. I can put out one of the crappy red ones or the blue double chair, but he'll still steal Mommy's green one. Dogs.

I didn't take a picture of the car, but that's the other place I knit... and at Knitting Guild on Wednesdays at A Knitter's Garden... and wherever else I can.

About the racing... Matt won the season's first points race yesterday! Yeah honey! Unfortunately, he took all the photos to work to show off, but I'll scan them for later.

In other news, Princess Trixie is still with us and still looking for a forever home. Are you interested??? She is starting to show her personality a little more, now that she's been a houseguest for just over a week. She is completely housetrained (woo hoo!), still showing no interest in toys, does enjoy rawhide and would do anything for freeze dried liver treats, but is a very fussy eater (we did finally find a kibble she'll eat - Bil Jac!), but must have some wet food or some other yummy (cottage cheese, yogurt) mixed in. She ideally is looking to be the only doggy in a home, has loads of love & affection to share with her new humans, and would like nothing more than a loving home with lots of walks & car rides. Here are a few pictures (please don't laugh too much at my poor sunburned forehead, it'll hurt when I have to give you the wrinkle face for laughing at me!)...

ZeusTrix50707b LolaTrix50707NicTrixie_50607

And here's a cute one that sums up what happens when anyone or anything is heard outside...

LolaTrixTutC

With the wet basement, we had to bring a lot of boxes and things upstairs, including this old wood trunk that works like a great booster bench in front of the window (don't mind the molding - its 6 years worth of dog nails constantly at the window ... we've debated repainting it, but realize it'll look the same shortly after... thinking of other ideas to pretty it up and also need to patch the sheetrock where Zeus took out the couch in to the wall awhile ago ... hence why we no longer have a couch in front of the winow...). Anyway, Trix is learning how to get up and see out (and bark!) too...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My advice on short rows? Don't do them - 'nuff said ;) BTW - Scout's Swag? My fav sock yarn to date

NH Knitting Mama said...

Aw wow... the Scout's Swag yarn is yummy.

I have had some frog pond visits, I think all good knitters do. At least we have the good sense to do that instead of trying to ignore the errors and keep going!

Sonya said...

I've cast on and frogged the Jacqueline headband several times. I am having some trouble with the p2tog, yo. I also kept losing stitches. So I started another Amanda for my neice's birthday.

Gina House said...

Wow, you have been busy!

Nice progress on the sock and headband (sorry you're having a hard time!) I don't know why there is such a confusion over the Jacqueline (p2tog, yo), but I feel bad and wish I could help in person.

Love all the new yarns..Scout's are fantastic!

Criquette said...

Seeing your Scout's Swag ALMOST makes me want to knit socks. It's that yummy.

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