I know it’s been about a week since my last post, but I’ve had a busy week.

Monday was my first knitting class, and it was a lot of fun. I’d been worried that it was just a primer class, as in “insert needle from front to back to knit, from back to front to purl, etc…” and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. We’ll be covering a different set of basics, like the proper increases/decreases for each side of your work, finishing, stuff like that.

Hectic week at work due to the 2 days off last week, and day and a half coming up this week.

I finished Yannick’s first sock! I’d love to show a picture, but I’m stuck using Netscape temporarily ‘cus my IE won’t work, and it’s not giving me the edit buttons.

After our September Babies lunch today, Yannick and I are going over to the lys to get a sweater pattern and yarn for the class on Monday. She wants us to make a kid’s sweater to practice all the stuff for a real sweater within the time constraints of the class- so I’m making one for one of Yannick’s nephews, his godson Justin.

Hope people who fasted had an easy fast yesterday

A bunch of warm wishes go out to my favorite shortie birthday girl! I’m sorry I’m posting this so late but my IE isn’t working and I just remembered that I also have Netscape on my computer.

Haven’t done any knitting since Friday afternoon when I turned the heel and began the gusset on Yannick’s first sock. All Friday night was spent watching Yannick and buddies fix my car so I could drive my dad to work on Saturday. Saturday was work then dinner with the family for Yannick’s, mine and my sister Laura’s birthdays, and then back to my parents’ house. Today was filming for a tv show we’ll be on in Japan (and possibly China), then some window shopping and stuff, now finally home, supper eaten, and ready for bed.

I’m very pissed that my IE isn’t working, but very happy my car is ‘cus I start my knitting classes tomorrow. I’m probably a little more advanced than the average level 1, but the instructor only lets you in her level 2 class if you’ve done her level 1, so it’s back to the basics I go

This deserves a post to itself:

(From left to right: brother Michael, me, sister Laura, boyfriend Yannick, mom Betti, dad Mitchell)

Aaron, my brother who turns 22 on Sept. 16, has been in Australia since early this year and shows no immediate signs of returning. Since we couldn’t be there to celebrate his birthday with him, we decided to at least send him a pic that shows we’re thinking of him.

I’m not having a great start to the new year. My car overheated on the way home from work and still won’t start, plus leaving the hazard lights on while I went to Rosh Hashanah dinner caused my battery to drain. Had to get a tow to my parents’ house…at least the tow was free ‘cus of my credit card service. If this is the forecast of things to come this year, I’m staying in bed!

On a more positive note, check this out:

What I’m happy about is actually what you CAN’T see in the picture. My very first time working on dpns, and NO LADDERING! I’m very happy about this, and I’m not even deliberately switching stitches around, I’m just being careful to pull my first few sts extra tight. I keep checking with the needles hidden and can’t tell where my joins are, which makes me very happy. I’m very proud of myself.

No, I’m not crazy. It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. So to all my Jewish friends and family, I hope you have a very happy, sweet, healthy, prosperous and wonderful new year!

On the knitting front, almost done the ribbing on the top of Yannick’s sock. I was worried that the dark stripes weren’t lining up but figured I’d wait until I got to the stockinette part to see for sure. However, Yannick examined the pic on the front of the label and decided that the stripes weren’t supposed to line up exactly, it was just a general darker section in between the Fair Isle sections. I don’t know if that’s true, but he’s cool with it being slightly off, so it makes it easier for me- I don’t have to worry about frogging anything.

p.s. Now that I’ve got almost 2″ done, I’m laughing at myself from yesterday. How could I have been so scared of dpns???

I finished my sock swatch yesterday and measured it around a drinking glass ‘cus I didn’t leave the trails in the back long enough to stretch it out flat. Happily, I was exactly on my gauge, so I promptly ripped it out to start the socks.

Scary thing those dpns for the first time!

I cast on all 68 sts, on to 2 needles like I’d done for my 2nd swatch, ‘cus I found it too hard to knit into the cast on when it was tight on one needle, I kept splitting the yarn. I divided those looser cast-on sts onto 4 needles…and instantly saw there was no way I’d manage that on 4 dpns (knit with the 5th). They were too loose and it was impossible to keep them untwisted. I undid everything and cast on again on 2 ndeedles…but this time did a row of the k2, p2 ribbing before dividing the sts onto 4 needles and joining. I thought it made it easier, but then I didn’t know if I was knitting into the inside or outside of the sock, so I did about 2 more rows in the rib trying to follow knit the knits and purl the purls (‘cus I’m in the round), but after 4 rows I didn’t have anything that looked like a ribbing…it looked more like a drunken garter stitch. So I undid everything again. Third time I got it. I cast on to 1 needle, just trying not to make it too tight, and divided my sts right away. I forced myself to go slow and do my first row of ribbing, keeping everything nice and tight… and it worked! I did about 5 rows last night, and although I think I’m getting some laddering, my ribbing is actually looking like ribbing. So I’m happy. I’ll do more tonight while Yannick bowls.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out how to insert a marker on dpns that WON’T fall off the moment you turn the work, could you please let me know? I had to resort to a crochet marker that slips onto the stitch itself, ‘cus there’s no way I’m getting a ring to stay on these ndls.

I finished my sock swatch yesterday and measured it around a drinking glass ‘cus I didn’t leave the trails in the back long enough to stretch it out flat. Happily, I was exactly on my gauge, so I promptly ripped it out to start the socks.

Scary thing those dpns for the first time!

I cast on all 68 sts, on to 2 needles like I’d done for my 2nd swatch, ‘cus I found it too hard to knit into the cast on when it was tight on one needle, I kept splitting the yarn. I divided those looser cast-on sts onto 4 needles…and instantly saw there was no way I’d manage that on 4 dpns (knit with the 5th). They were too loose and it was impossible to keep them untwisted. I undid everything and cast on again on 2 ndeedles…but this time did a row of the k2, p2 ribbing before dividing the sts onto 4 needles and joining. I thought it made it easier, but then I didn’t know if I was knitting into the inside or outside of the sock, so I did about 2 more rows in the rib trying to follow knit the knits and purl the purls (‘cus I’m in the round), but after 4 rows I didn’t have anything that looked like a ribbing…it looked more like a drunken garter stitch. So I undid everything again. Third time I got it. I cast on to 1 needle, just trying not to make it too tight, and divided my sts right away. I forced myself to go slow and do my first row of ribbing, keeping everything nice and tight… and it worked! I did about 5 rows last night, and although I think I’m getting some laddering, my ribbing is actually looking like ribbing. So I’m happy. I’ll do more tonight while Yannick bowls.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out how to insert a marker on dpns that WON’T fall off the moment you turn the work, could you please let me know? I had to resort to a crochet marker that slips onto the stitch itself, ‘cus there’s no way I’m getting a ring to stay on these ndls.

I finished my sock swatch yesterday and measured it around a drinking glass ‘cus I didn’t leave the trails in the back long enough to stretch it out flat. Happily, I was exactly on my gauge, so I promptly ripped it out to start the socks.

Scary thing those dpns for the first time!

I cast on all 68 sts, on to 2 needles like I’d done for my 2nd swatch, ‘cus I found it too hard to knit into the cast on when it was tight on one needle, I kept splitting the yarn. I divided those looser cast-on sts onto 4 needles…and instantly saw there was no way I’d manage that on 4 dpns (knit with the 5th). They were too loose and it was impossible to keep them untwisted. I undid everything and cast on again on 2 ndeedles…but this time did a row of the k2, p2 ribbing before dividing the sts onto 4 needles and joining. I thought it made it easier, but then I didn’t know if I was knitting into the inside or outside of the sock, so I did about 2 more rows in the rib trying to follow knit the knits and purl the purls (‘cus I’m in the round), but after 4 rows I didn’t have anything that looked like a ribbing…it looked more like a drunken garter stitch. So I undid everything again. Third time I got it. I cast on to 1 needle, just trying not to make it too tight, and divided my sts right away. I forced myself to go slow and do my first row of ribbing, keeping everything nice and tight… and it worked! I did about 5 rows last night, and although I think I’m getting some laddering, my ribbing is actually looking like ribbing. So I’m happy. I’ll do more tonight while Yannick bowls.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out how to insert a marker on dpns that WON’T fall off the moment you turn the work, could you please let me know? I had to resort to a crochet marker that slips onto the stitch itself, ‘cus there’s no way I’m getting a ring to stay on these ndls.

I finished my sock swatch yesterday and measured it around a drinking glass ‘cus I didn’t leave the trails in the back long enough to stretch it out flat. Happily, I was exactly on my gauge, so I promptly ripped it out to start the socks.

Scary thing those dpns for the first time!

I cast on all 68 sts, on to 2 needles like I’d done for my 2nd swatch, ‘cus I found it too hard to knit into the cast on when it was tight on one needle, I kept splitting the yarn. I divided those looser cast-on sts onto 4 needles…and instantly saw there was no way I’d manage that on 4 dpns (knit with the 5th). They were too loose and it was impossible to keep them untwisted. I undid everything and cast on again on 2 ndeedles…but this time did a row of the k2, p2 ribbing before dividing the sts onto 4 needles and joining. I thought it made it easier, but then I didn’t know if I was knitting into the inside or outside of the sock, so I did about 2 more rows in the rib trying to follow knit the knits and purl the purls (‘cus I’m in the round), but after 4 rows I didn’t have anything that looked like a ribbing…it looked more like a drunken garter stitch. So I undid everything again. Third time I got it. I cast on to 1 needle, just trying not to make it too tight, and divided my sts right away. I forced myself to go slow and do my first row of ribbing, keeping everything nice and tight… and it worked! I did about 5 rows last night, and although I think I’m getting some laddering, my ribbing is actually looking like ribbing. So I’m happy. I’ll do more tonight while Yannick bowls.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out how to insert a marker on dpns that WON’T fall off the moment you turn the work, could you please let me know? I had to resort to a crochet marker that slips onto the stitch itself, ‘cus there’s no way I’m getting a ring to stay on these ndls.

I finished my sock swatch yesterday and measured it around a drinking glass ‘cus I didn’t leave the trails in the back long enough to stretch it out flat. Happily, I was exactly on my gauge, so I promptly ripped it out to start the socks.

Scary thing those dpns for the first time!

I cast on all 68 sts, on to 2 needles like I’d done for my 2nd swatch, ‘cus I found it too hard to knit into the cast on when it was tight on one needle, I kept splitting the yarn. I divided those looser cast-on sts onto 4 needles…and instantly saw there was no way I’d manage that on 4 dpns (knit with the 5th). They were too loose and it was impossible to keep them untwisted. I undid everything and cast on again on 2 ndeedles…but this time did a row of the k2, p2 ribbing before dividing the sts onto 4 needles and joining. I thought it made it easier, but then I didn’t know if I was knitting into the inside or outside of the sock, so I did about 2 more rows in the rib trying to follow knit the knits and purl the purls (‘cus I’m in the round), but after 4 rows I didn’t have anything that looked like a ribbing…it looked more like a drunken garter stitch. So I undid everything again. Third time I got it. I cast on to 1 needle, just trying not to make it too tight, and divided my sts right away. I forced myself to go slow and do my first row of ribbing, keeping everything nice and tight… and it worked! I did about 5 rows last night, and although I think I’m getting some laddering, my ribbing is actually looking like ribbing. So I’m happy. I’ll do more tonight while Yannick bowls.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out how to insert a marker on dpns that WON’T fall off the moment you turn the work, could you please let me know? I had to resort to a crochet marker that slips onto the stitch itself, ‘cus there’s no way I’m getting a ring to stay on these ndls.