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.

The birthday bonanza continues!

I not only had the most incredible birthday, but it’s not over yet! See, my mom made the mistake of telling Yannick that I wasn’t born until 2:29pm. So neither of them wished me a happy bday until then. But I made Yannick promise I’d get a full 24 hour day birthday to celebrate with him…so from now on every year my birthday with Yannick lasts until 2:29pm the following day. So sleepy as I still am…happy birthday to me! And Happy Birthday Jackie! I know I’m imposing on your birthday today, but we already shared a midnight so I hoped you wouldn’t mind too much. (Plus you stole some of my day yesterday and celebrated early) 🙂

Last night when I finished working Yannick took me for TONS of yummy sushi, and then we went to see The Notebook. To everyone who saw the underrated commercials and wrote it off- GO SEE IT! Everyone should see it, especially anyone in a relationship. (And it’s not just me saying that, Yannick agrees). I just wish someone would have warned us to bring Kleenex.

On the knitting front, I ended up ripping out my sock swatch yesterday. I’m making it flat but faking stockinette in the round by leaving long tails behind the work…and mistakenly did the first 18 rows of the swatch at the exact number of stitches the swatch calls for. But when you leave the long tails the first and last stitch of each row (at least) get all pulled out of shape, and I won’t get a true measurement. So I re-cast on with about 10 extra stitches, and I’ll do a larger swatch and measure within the crappy borders. I just hope I get the swatch done before the holidays next week…I’d like to bring the sock along to work on.

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday dear Jennifer!

Happy Birthday to me!

(No, I will not skip around the room.)

I tried my first attempt at knitting with dpns today- 2.5mm. I’m making my first pair of socks, and they’ll be for Yannick. He had a choice- I do my pair first as practice, and he gets a more experienced pair, or I do his first and he gets them sooner. He chose sooner, figuring I could always make him another pair. I think I got gyped somehow. 🙂

I was horrified at first, ‘cus after I casted on (caste on??) the first row was HORRIBLE to knit! I kept splitting the yarn, and peering at the tiny things like I was blind. The only thing I could think of was what in the world I was getting into, with my birthday gift of 22 entire skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted on 2.5mm circs into a skirt and top. Luckily, once I got into rows 2 and beyond, it went much smoother and is actually kinda fun after big, loopy mohair-type stuff. Here’s a pic (which didn’t come out too bad considering I took it with my Palm):

This isn’t actually part of the sock, but the beginnings of my gauge swatch. Isn’t the yarn cute? It’s by Regia and self-stripes to look almost like Fair Isle. I got myself 2 skeins also to make a striped pair. All the loops you see underneath are because I had to fake my swatch as if I was knitting in the round (stockinette by knitting every row instead of knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) so I let the yarn hang behind the work a bit and then start knitting again at the right side. I only have 2 skeins though so I’ll have to frog the swatch once I’m done.

I tried my first attempt at knitting with dpns today- 2.5mm. I’m making my first pair of socks, and they’ll be for Yannick. He had a choice- I do my pair first as practice, and he gets a more experienced pair, or I do his first and he gets them sooner. He chose sooner, figuring I could always make him another pair. I think I got gyped somehow. 🙂

I was horrified at first, ‘cus after I casted on (caste on??) the first row was HORRIBLE to knit! I kept splitting the yarn, and peering at the tiny things like I was blind. The only thing I could think of was what in the world I was getting into, with my birthday gift of 22 entire skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted on 2.5mm circs into a skirt and top. Luckily, once I got into rows 2 and beyond, it went much smoother and is actually kinda fun after big, loopy mohair-type stuff. Here’s a pic (which didn’t come out too bad considering I took it with my Palm):

This isn’t actually part of the sock, but the beginnings of my gauge swatch. Isn’t the yarn cute? It’s by Regia and self-stripes to look almost like Fair Isle. I got myself 2 skeins also to make a striped pair. All the loops you see underneath are because I had to fake my swatch as if I was knitting in the round (stockinette by knitting every row instead of knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) so I let the yarn hang behind the work a bit and then start knitting again at the right side. I only have 2 skeins though so I’ll have to frog the swatch once I’m done.

I tried my first attempt at knitting with dpns today- 2.5mm. I’m making my first pair of socks, and they’ll be for Yannick. He had a choice- I do my pair first as practice, and he gets a more experienced pair, or I do his first and he gets them sooner. He chose sooner, figuring I could always make him another pair. I think I got gyped somehow. 🙂

I was horrified at first, ‘cus after I casted on (caste on??) the first row was HORRIBLE to knit! I kept splitting the yarn, and peering at the tiny things like I was blind. The only thing I could think of was what in the world I was getting into, with my birthday gift of 22 entire skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted on 2.5mm circs into a skirt and top. Luckily, once I got into rows 2 and beyond, it went much smoother and is actually kinda fun after big, loopy mohair-type stuff. Here’s a pic (which didn’t come out too bad considering I took it with my Palm):

This isn’t actually part of the sock, but the beginnings of my gauge swatch. Isn’t the yarn cute? It’s by Regia and self-stripes to look almost like Fair Isle. I got myself 2 skeins also to make a striped pair. All the loops you see underneath are because I had to fake my swatch as if I was knitting in the round (stockinette by knitting every row instead of knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) so I let the yarn hang behind the work a bit and then start knitting again at the right side. I only have 2 skeins though so I’ll have to frog the swatch once I’m done.

I tried my first attempt at knitting with dpns today- 2.5mm. I’m making my first pair of socks, and they’ll be for Yannick. He had a choice- I do my pair first as practice, and he gets a more experienced pair, or I do his first and he gets them sooner. He chose sooner, figuring I could always make him another pair. I think I got gyped somehow. 🙂

I was horrified at first, ‘cus after I casted on (caste on??) the first row was HORRIBLE to knit! I kept splitting the yarn, and peering at the tiny things like I was blind. The only thing I could think of was what in the world I was getting into, with my birthday gift of 22 entire skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted on 2.5mm circs into a skirt and top. Luckily, once I got into rows 2 and beyond, it went much smoother and is actually kinda fun after big, loopy mohair-type stuff. Here’s a pic (which didn’t come out too bad considering I took it with my Palm):

This isn’t actually part of the sock, but the beginnings of my gauge swatch. Isn’t the yarn cute? It’s by Regia and self-stripes to look almost like Fair Isle. I got myself 2 skeins also to make a striped pair. All the loops you see underneath are because I had to fake my swatch as if I was knitting in the round (stockinette by knitting every row instead of knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) so I let the yarn hang behind the work a bit and then start knitting again at the right side. I only have 2 skeins though so I’ll have to frog the swatch once I’m done.

I tried my first attempt at knitting with dpns today- 2.5mm. I’m making my first pair of socks, and they’ll be for Yannick. He had a choice- I do my pair first as practice, and he gets a more experienced pair, or I do his first and he gets them sooner. He chose sooner, figuring I could always make him another pair. I think I got gyped somehow. 🙂

I was horrified at first, ‘cus after I casted on (caste on??) the first row was HORRIBLE to knit! I kept splitting the yarn, and peering at the tiny things like I was blind. The only thing I could think of was what in the world I was getting into, with my birthday gift of 22 entire skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted on 2.5mm circs into a skirt and top. Luckily, once I got into rows 2 and beyond, it went much smoother and is actually kinda fun after big, loopy mohair-type stuff. Here’s a pic (which didn’t come out too bad considering I took it with my Palm):

This isn’t actually part of the sock, but the beginnings of my gauge swatch. Isn’t the yarn cute? It’s by Regia and self-stripes to look almost like Fair Isle. I got myself 2 skeins also to make a striped pair. All the loops you see underneath are because I had to fake my swatch as if I was knitting in the round (stockinette by knitting every row instead of knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) so I let the yarn hang behind the work a bit and then start knitting again at the right side. I only have 2 skeins though so I’ll have to frog the swatch once I’m done.

At least something good came out of today, besides dear, sweet Julie being born some unmentionable years ago on this very date. I just finished the last sleeve on my To Dye For sweater. Yay! Just the blocking left, and then sewing the whole thing together. I’m still not sure if I’m supposed to use my fake mohair stuff to seam it with, so I sent an email over to my knitting groups to ask. I think I’m really bugging them lately with questions.

As for today not being the best (Julie’s birth aside), I’m grumpy ‘cus I’m sick. And right before my birthday too. I left work an hour early yesterday and crawled into bed at 6pm. Yannick woke me around 11pm with NeoCitran. He’s sweet. Did anyone else know they also made a cherry flavor? It’s absolutely DISGUSTING! He made me drink the entire thing too, damn sadist. I had a bad sinus thing, with fever, coughing, the works. I didn’t go to work today, so he gave me another NeoCitran around 10am before he left. Luckily we had a lemon flavor left in the medicine cabinet, so he gave me that one this morning. Not like a refreshing glass of lemonade, but nowhere near the death puke flavor of that cherry stuff. I think the lemon flavor is for general colds, and the cherry for coughs, I dunno. In any case I’m feeling better so I should be at work tomorrow, but first I have to go force down a glass of that cherry crap before bed.

At least I don’t have the unfinished sleeve hanging over my head any more. I’m not going to post a picture, ‘cus it looks exactly like the other sleeve.

I’m going to bed. Somebody come read me a story…I don’t feel well. 😦

It turned out I had about an hour until Big Brother 5 started (yes, I’m a reality tv junkie), so I worked on the site some. I updated the table over there on the left, and created those cute little angel buttons to link to pages on the site. The pages themselves aren’t done yet, though. What do you think, I’m a miracle worker?