Denial.
It’s such a long, winding river. That runs through Jersey, apparently. Because the mitten? It fits… kind of.
Well, it fits if I’m willing to leave my thumb tucked under my palm and to avoid moving it at all costs.
Which, honestly, I’m not. But here’s the thing: is it worse to leave this one mitten, that is sort of wearable, all by itself than it is to be in such denial about the fit that I go ahead and make another one?
I really can’t decide. Fortunately, I have enough of this yarn for two pairs of mittens, so I really don’t have to make up my mind just yet. I can start in on a new pair! So last night I did some math, created a really awesome chart,
and cast on. But here it comes again, because I’m not sure that my little roses at the bottom there are translating well in knit fabric.
But maybe I need to go a little further to see it all come together. But… maybe that’s just denial. But! I mean, I charted out a thumb gusset for this version. I did the math to make the cuff smaller without making the rest of the mitten smaller. I don’t want to have to trash all of that. Plus the chart is really, really awesome. But I don’t want to make the whole mitten only to discover it doesn’t work (again). There’s only so much a girl can take, you know? I really can’t handle too much knitting-gone-wrong at once.
I’m going to go comfort myself with my pretty new $10 shoes, which do fit, thank you very much, and also show off my handknit socks wonderfully.
Anatomy of a hand.
We are still having mitten related troubles here in Jeshville…
the biggest problem is obviously the length of my fingers; I stupidly didn’t realize that changing my gauge to make the width smaller would also, in fact, decrease the length, and my fingers are quite long in comparison to my otherwise small hands.
I’m a bit undecided on where to go from here; I washed and blocked it last night and it’s still a little wet from that, so maybe I’ll try it on again after it’s dry and see if I can’t make it fit, somehow. If I can, I’ll move on to the second (and reknit the thumb, which is too tight at the base and too loose at the tip, stupid gauge), if not, well, I’ve got myself a very soft, pretty wall hanging.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a cat and a mug of hot chocolate to curl up with. It has been a ridiculous week*.
*(Next week, unfortunately, promises to be even more ridiculous; I’ve two midterms, a twenty page assignment due, and a four page paper. I hate college.)
Life as a Jesh.
Most of my days are spent like this:
I walk to the train.
I wait for the train.
I spend all of my classes thinking about getting back on the train.
I miss the &^#$%ing 3:15 train by a minute and a half.
Which means waiting around for the 4:22 train.
I’m imagining right now how bored I would be with all of these waiting bits if I didn’t knit.
And there’s the answer right there, because I cast on (for the fifty millionth time) for those this morning. This seems to be a good incarnation; not too big, I like the colour combo, I remembered that the cuff needs to be 1×1 corrugated rib, not 2×2. It still looks a bit rough around the (literal) edges, but I’m hopeful that a good block will settle everything into place.
Oh, and before I give you the impression that any original or creative thought beyond yarn choice went into these, they are from helloyarn’s universal mitten pattern, with the charts shamelessly hijacked (with permission) from ssailorss.
But I will take all the credit for the yummy, yummy yarn choice.
Mitten mishap
Trying to get back into the swing of things–it’s hard. Ordinary life is so sucky compared to the fabulousness of fiber festivals.
So in an attempt to keep some of that yarntastic spirit alive, I cast on for some mittens in my marshmallow yarn.
There are some problems.
I can’t figure out what, since my gauge is spot on–maybe a quarter of a stitch too small, even.
Oh. Huh. I didn’t think my wrists were that small.
I might try again on US1.5s (it’s on US2.5s at the mo), but I’m not too hopeful. I like the fabric that I’m getting now and I’m not even sure a whole needle size will get me where I need to be. I may have to find a pattern written specifically for small wrists.
I am comforting myself with the fact that my floats look fantastic (if blurry–sucky camera plus bad lighting plus tired Jesh equals terrible pictures).
I’m not entirely sure why I want to knit mittens, anyway–I’ve got two lace projects (one large and one small) goin’ on, another one on the way that I need to have knitted up in less than a month, and a seekrit project that I should be getting yarn for this week that needs to be finished by the end of December. And yet… I must have mittens.
Return from Rhinebeck
That was quite possibly the best day of my life. The only bad part was when I realised that I would eventually have to go home and return to my normal life, rather than living forever with a community of knitters.
First, the yarn. Good lord, the yarn. It was everywhere. It was so everywhere that it took me a while to purchase something, because I was too busy just looking at all the pretty colours and touching all the soft squishy skeins. My first (and most expensive) purchase was thus:
Decadent Fibers Marshmallow in Grey Goose and Plum Pudding. This stuff will (hopefully) make two pairs of the most deliciously warm mittens ever.
My second purchase, made without even thinking about the first one, was these two:
Ellen’s Half Pint Farm merino/silk fingering. I knew I had a thing for the combination of almost-not-quite-white greys and almost-not-quite-black blues, but I didn’t realise that I liked it enough to go for it twice without thinking. These, I’m thinking, will end up as gloves.
My last purchase was made at Little Barn, where I should’ve bought more, because all of this:
(ten skeins of Filatura Lanarota Chaco in a grey colour) was $30. It is destined to become a sweater with plenty left over.
and now for the people! I met so many awesome people and I only got a couple of pictures, because I am a loser, and also with most of them I felt like either a stalker, a weirdo, or a member of the media.
It’s Andrea (who looks JUST like her knittyboard avatar) and Mary Beth! Oh, I snagged a copy of Mary Beth’s book, too, which she signed for me. I read some of it on the way home and it is hilarious.
Pam’s Charlotte’s Web is so stunning in person. I only refrained from snatching it off her and running because she is taller and presumably faster than I am. Otherwise it would currently be mine.
Mama Rav and the Bobfather:
This picture is blurry because I was laughing too hard at Casey’s shirt to hold the camera steady. And speaking of Ravelry!
I also scored a button. 🙂
I got pictures of other people but my camera card is fussy. And I talked to plenty of people that I didn’t get pictures of–like Stephanie. That was weird–she’s famous! And she complimented me on my shawl! (I got a lot of that. I didn’t realise it would cause so much of a stir. To me it’s just that damn shawl that I spent four months on last year, you know?)
And some leftover stuff:
Ah, foliage. I wish I had gotten a chance to photograph more, but I slept most of the way up and most of the way home, so this was the best I could do.
Dinner was gluten free hot dogs with chili and cheese:
Plus a cream soda, fries, and a gluten free coffee cake that I took home with me which is now half gone.
Next year if I go I’m staying overnight–I so wanted to go to all the after parties and hang out with people and walk around again today! I’m already saving up my money to make that happen.
A quick caturday
…before I leave. 🙂
Kitty’s promised to guard the house while I’m gone, peanut butter cookies are made and packed (I hope four boxes is enough!), lists have been printed, travel knitting packed, phones charged.
I’m ready! See you at Rhinebeck!
Last minute preparations.
Trying to get myself ready for Rhinebeck; I have a to-do list for today that’s about ten miles long. And a midterm tomorrow.
A few last things to note if you’re trying to catch me (for blogger bingo or otherwise):
–I respond to almost any form of my name, but most friends and family call me Jess. I spell it Jesh, but that’s just a mouthful to pronounce.
–I’m hoping that my replacement balls (oh, shut it) will come today or tomorrow so that I can wear my spiral lipring:
but if not I’m stuck with my regular seamless ring. Supposedly they were shipped on the 10th, but according to the tracking info they aren’t en route yet. hmm, I do have some brightly coloured acrylic balls (seriously, shut UP) that would probably fit on the spiral ring. Not sure if I want to use those, though.
I fixed the giant gaping hole in the teacloth:
and I’m now halfway through the rows. Which means I’m only about 30% finished with the whole thing, because each row gets longer and longer. Every time I tell myself that I’m not going to do another center out shawl/doily/whathaveyou for just this reason, but then I start a new one and it’s all fun and fast in the beginning and I forget. Oh well.
Now I need to go make peanut butter cookies (I’m still trying for sheep shaped), print out some recipe cards, and finish the take home part of my midterm.
Oh, lace.
How you have forsaken me.
Although it’s probably my own fault for trying to knit you while reading, I still feel quite abandoned, oh teacloth. I thought we had a thing, here. I would pay total attention to you on pattern rounds if you would let me read in peace on knit even rounds. Clearly it was not meant to be, however, and now I must spend the rest of my evening reconstructing several rows while pausing every few moments to rip some hair out. I do thank you, though, for not going any further than you did in the twenty minutes it took me to notice your betrayal. You are surprisingly sticky for a still oiled silk cobweb weight, and for that I am glad. Trust me, it is the only thing that saved you from certain death frogging.
(This does, however, answer the question of whether or not I can use the teacloth for train/class knitting. I guess I’ll be casting on for a new pair of socks soon.)
Fall!
Ah, fall, my favourite season. Cool weather, hot chocolate, blankets, fires, handknit socks…
Oh, hey, would you look at that? It’s amazing how much knitting I can get done when I’m not actually supposed to be knitting. (Fleece Artist Merino Sock in the most perfect falls colours ever, US1.5s, 60 stitches, top down, heel flap/gusset and modified wedge toe, here on the Rav.)
If I get any spare knitting time this week I’m going to try to get in some work on my silk teacloth, but beyond that I’m preparing for RHINEBECK! For anyone who may be planning to hunt me down as part of Blogger Bingo, I do have some handy hints for you.
One: There are pictures of me all over this blog. Although I am not nearly as good looking as I make myself out to be; digital cameras and photoshop are marvelous things.
Two: I will be wearing my FFL:
Three: I have a curly a-line (see above). I am going to make all attempts to leave it down but I make no promises.
Four: My shirt should have my name on the back, if you can catch a glimpse of it under my shawl.
Five: I will probably spend at least half an hour at the fair staring at everything and baaa-ing like a sheep, out of sheer confusion. Please rescue me.
Kitty wants me to bring home a sheep from the festival.
Not knitting.
I have discovered why I knit. It’s because I can’t stop myself. Realistically if I don’t want to completely ruin my wrists, I shouldn’t be knitting, at least not for the next week or so. But I find myself grabbing my sock and getting a few stitches done here and there, anyway.
Of course, said socks still aren’t interesting. So let me talk about something else. Rhinebeck!
This is my first time going, and I am both excited and freaked out about the whole thing. I hear it’s huge, I hear it’s overwhelming. I am a square for blogger bingo (more later on how to catch me). I am also on a very limited budget because hello, jobless college student, here. I think I have like $300 in my bank account, and other expenses to consider for the rest of the year. So… I’m limiting myself to $50 of my own money. My parents might be padding that a bit, as a late birthday present, but I’m not counting on it.
What can I do with $50? For one thing, I won’t even bother with the food, since I probably can’t eat most of it and we’re stopping in Poughkeepsie for gluten free hot dogs and baked goods on our way home. I’ll pack some snacks. For another, I’m drawing up a very specific list of what I want/need to buy. And I know you’ve all heard pretty much everything there is to tell about it, but Ravelry has been an immense help with this task. So, on my list so far:
500yds of fingering weight in two colours for some colourwork mittens
thick and thin bulky 100ish yds in a specific shade of blue/green for an Urchin for my mum
a shawl pin
enough grey sock yarn for knee socks, so that I can whip up some Ravenclaw socks
maybe some lace yarn. I don’t have any specific need for some right now, but if I’m going to impulse buy I’m trying to limit it to lace.
That’s all I have planned so far, although I’m sure the list will grow. And maybe I will ‘lose’ my list once I get there and just grab whatever catches my eye. I will not try to brave the BMFA stall. I may send someone to do it for me, however. Anyway, I will probably add to my list as the week goes on, even though, at least today, I should be writing a paper. Anyone want to whip out four pages on gender as a social construct for me? Heh.
In any case. I will be bringing peanut butter cookies to Rhinebeck, have no fear! And I will trade them for yarn. Or, you know, give them away for free. Whichever.
Jeshknits 