3 of 26!

Tails are tucked on the Sockhead Hat. Finally!!!! Since each stripe was roughly 1" (or 9 rounds) I couldn't just carry the yarn up the side like I wanted and I really wanted. Wed. and Thurs. were great tail tucking days. I finished another hat and had those ends to weave in too. However Thursday lunch was prime time for finishing steps! When it was bedtime Wed night, there were 14 ends left to weave in. After lunch at work there was the bonus meeting for how well my division did this fiscal year (yay for a slight bonus) so I didn't want to stop in the middle of a pattern repeat or in the middle of casting on for the next hat. As my lunch hour was ending, I received a call I  had been waiting on and Quality Guru needed to locate some additional data for me. I may have, just maybe told him to take his time because I had a little more knitting to complete before I was done. I can only imagine the look on his face when I commented that "Doesn't everyone inhale food over lunch so they can hurry up to their knitting? After all that's what sane people do!".

These Tails No Longer Exist

As I alluded to earlier, I have another hat finished! The Sixty Cables by Gabi Krisztian was fabulous to knit but I did have a slight problem. All my own fault and no fault of the designer or the pattern; just me being special and tight on yarn. So, because I always use way less than 99% of the patterns I knit, No problem that there's not enough yardage in the ball. It'll be fine! HA! So, I didn't make the full pattern length for a slouchy hat AND I had to decrease rapidly to finish the hat. It looks OK but could look better if I had enough yarn. This pattern was so much fun, I think it's up again with a few minor modifications. I'm going to cast on fewer stitches  because the hat was a little loose around the bottom for my preference and that will hopefully give me enough yardage for the proper decreased this time around. Easy Peasy! 26 hats for Halos of Hope and Podcast Throwdown, no problem. I have this in the bag!

Hat headed towards Team Knitmore

I think Christmas is headed my way early! Mom's buying all my yarn for the holidays and because its a gift it does not count toward stash enhancement. That means Rachel is still a little ahead of me as far as yarn purchases (in terms of yardage)! BOOYAH!!! While I was shopping, I kept hearing a minor clicking noise and a hardly there moan. Finally located the source of the noises.  Hello Soundly Sleeping Kitty.

Personally I think he has the right idea and it's soon to be my bed time.

2 down, 24 to go!!!

Sweet! I am done done done done with the Sockhead Hat for Halos of Hope. So my second hat is completed- insert a happy dance here. Well, mostly done. I still have 14 tails to tuck, ends to weave in. Can someone weave in ends for me? Mom's already refused and DH has too.  I hate weaving in ends.  Perhaps I should create a self reward system for tucking tails. If I tuck 4 ends, I can knit a little on another hat? Only 14 more left to go for 100% complete.

Tails lots and lots of TAILS to Tuck

Sockhead hat made in stripes can be a study in gauge variation. Look at the below picture! The one stripe the colors pooled as if I meant to do that. The next stripe flashes, then third strip flashes. It just continues! My mood varied and it showed in the hat.  Personally, I like it so I hope the recipient at Halos of Hope does too. I also tried to count the rows so when I knit 9 rows it should have been an inch. Not always. Gauge, I hate it some days. I'm not sure of the actual length of the hat other than not 9" of stockinette stitch. Good enough because the hat doesn't have to be totally slouchy or knit completely to pattern. Design elements!

Flashing/Pooling I hate gauge

Next up, the 3rd hat has been cast on. This one is named Sixty Cables by Gabi Krisztian and should used a single 50 gram ball of fingering weight yarn. For Hat #3, I will use Red Heart's Heart and Sole in the Watercolor Stripe. The stripes on this make me want a pair of self striping socks. I think of all the socks I've knit, only a couple have been self striping pairs. Hmmmm socks..... Wait, bad me, I must focus on hats. I have a goal and cannot lose sight of my self imposed hat quota. Holiday gifts are not being knit this year.

My version of Sixty Cables

Side note, we re-arranged my living room. I'll give it a week to decide if I like it or if it needs to go back. I have no idea if DH likes it but DS1 and DS2 had a blast "helping" mommy. DS1 actually ran the vacuum and DS2 helped put the vacuum away. They also make a halfway handy conveyor system to the trashcan and by trashcan I mean sink. Why trash goes in the sink I have no idea but it does in my house.

Black Hole Knitting

So I'm boring. That's all there is to say. The Sockhead Hat is growing slowly but is really growing. Well, okay, some coworkers think I'm half a bubble off plum. Since I work for a fairly relaxed company, the salaried take several different lunch hours based on what works best for them. I tend to eat at noon while a key person goes to lunch at 11:30 AM. Since I had some additional information pop up after he left for lunch I couldn't hunt him down. When he returned, I walked down the length of the building to his office with hat in hand and ball tucked under my arm. In my defense, I did walk outside to his office instead of through the plant. I made it to his office, plopped down in a chair and started to fill him in on all the details. At first, I couldn't deciper the strange looks I was getting from him and the other 2 guys in the office with him.  When the suspense got to them, they asked what I was doing and was that knitting? Yes, yes it was. From there I was ribbed about the hat being a little chilly since it was open at the top.  You would think with as often as they swing by my office from 12-1 they would figure out I knit over "my" lunch hour. 

Black Hole Knitting

For planning to knit 26 hats for Halos of Hope, I really need to get crackin'.  Then again, most of what I have is fingering weight yarn so I may just be the crazy person knitting the most stitches for charity. I think the Turn a Square hat I made first is going to Team Knotty Girls and the Sockhead Hat will go to Team CraftLit. The third hat is slotted for Team Knitmore; pattern to be determined. There, I have declared my teams! If I miss my goal for Stitches West, think Halos of Hope will be accepting donations at Stitches South?  My secondary goal is to head to Atlanta since I do live so close now.

Shoot, I hate it when I am so special! I left my tea way across the kitchen. Since I did a little spinning earlier this Wonderful Thursday Evening, my throat is a little extra dry. Like everything else I've spun, it's the same boring white BFL fiber that I was working through in Tour de Fleece. Nothing of progress is really able to be reported since there's no visible change on my wheel. There was only a couple of grams that I had the luxury of spinning tonight.

Oh, don't confuse spinning with the Things behaving! I had to break up a fight over food. Not quite a food fight but close. Thing 2 didn't want to share his dinner with Thing 1 and it was TRAUMATIC!!!! Typically I eat with the boys but this was a night where Mommy couldn't make it in the door because temper tantrums were thrown in the door way that starts with "I wanna eat!". I can never produce food out of thin air while I'm still outside the apartment and they are inside, barely.  Frozen chicken nuggets to my rescue!  After a little food, they simmered down and were well behaved enough to get a little ice cream. Now I will be thinking about food for me, since they are in bed and DH is at class tonight. Maybe I should just have a glass of wine instead.....

Tempting! Instead most likely tea will be my friend and catching up on everyone else's pictures from the Geek Girls Knit Crafty Picture A Day on Instagram.

To my right #ggkcraftypad

Find your happy place today and chill there a while; I will.

Halos of Hope and Robert Frost

Knitting for the Podcast Throwdown continues at my house. Fingering weight yarn, what was I thinking? That being said, I have roughly 6 inches on my Sockhead Hat otherwise known as Halos of Hope 2 hat. As the hat grows in length, I can only think of Robert Frost's poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Frost is one of my favorite poets of all time and I used to be able to quote more than a few lines of his through high school. That part of my brain has slowly fallen into disuse so going forward, I think I'll make more of an effort to engage the literature part of my brain.  Perhaps tonight I'll read Sherlock Holmes while knitting in the round instead of watching Merlin. No promises :)

Weaving ends is going to be difficult

The hat is made of Patons Stetch Socks in the Kelp and Sugar colorways. For some reason my stash has several single balls of this base in various colorway. Now the trick is to pair them with some like colors for an appealing FO. Somehow Kelp and Sugar works in person better than it does in pictures. I also finished my mystery project (socks). The pattern is for a friend and she gets to name the pattern. When they have a name, I'll post a picture of the correct sock rather than the attempt sock which, in my opinion, looks nothing like the other.

Remaining yarn from Mystery Project

Ugh, toddlers.  I love mine dearly but I really wish they would go to sleep on time. Last night, I went to bed around 10 PM and they were still going strong. It was no wonder this morning we battled over EVERYTHING. Good news is the Darling Dear Gross Son 1 has not been seen playing in the toilet again. I'm not going to trust my luck though. He could have been prevented because Mommy has made it a point to specify he must wash his hands IN THE SINK every time he goes potty. IN THE SINK is the key phrase. DS2 has passed a milestone from what I can tell today. Thing 2 gave up his stethoscope without prompting to a teacher at school today and told her he didn't want it. However, we wanted it desperately when Mommy came to pick us up.  Before too long, I might get to have a stethoscope free child at daycare. It might be when he's 5.

Not enough EWWWW

So I've started my second hat for Halos of Hope. For some reason my brain sees charity knitting and instantly goes for less volume and more skill. Gifts go for less skill and quicker knitting.  Go figure. The pattern up for grabs is the Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure. Miles of ribbing, miles of stockinette in fingering weight yarn; my brain is a scary place some days. The stash has been tossed looking for all of my perfect yarn for the Podcaster Throwdown challenge.  I've found several skeins which was not the answer I was wanting. Instead, I found several 50 gram balls of fingering weight yarn that should work for all the hats I plan to make.

Halos of Hope Stash

In addition, I've knitting like a storm on my mystery project and attempting to write the pattern down for Amy. When it's knit up and knit a second time, I'll PDF the file for a Ravelry download. With people leaving work is getting a little crazier and as a result, my lunches have shortened from the accepted hour into 10 minutes here and a phone call from the shop for a mad dash. Then I come back and finish my freshly chilled lunch. Knit just a little then the rest of the workday continues until it's time to get the Things.

Sockhead Hat start better known as Halos of Hope 2

Oh goodness, the Things! Well Thing 1 in particular. Here's your EWWWWWW warning; leave now unless you have a strong stomach or are used to toddlers. Bedtime is usually a case where everyone gets tucked in and then DS1 says the magic words "I gotta go potty!". OK go because it's not like I tried before we came in the bedroom. Thing 1 goes to the bathroom unassisted and I stay behind to play with Thing 2. If one is able to stay up a little while longer the other does too right? It's only fair. After a little bit I hear the toilet flush and the sink run.  Typical routine. DS1 never comes out of the bathroom but I'm busy playing Mommy Monster and don't notice the silence. Death sentence.....  I finally realize and sneak over to the bathroom to check on DS1 expecting to discover he wasn't done yet. No; I wish.  I discover him with his hand in the toilet water and splashing. Not done with the EWW yet.  He pulls his hand out of the water and LICKS his hand; LICKS.  Needless to say we scrubbed our hands 3-4 times with lots of soap and Mommy scrubbing. Eww dance is performed for the Kitty's amusement after the bedroom lights are off and the door is shut.

Is it Toddlers that are gross or boys?  I am still shuddering 40 minutes later and really wishing Daddy was home instead of working tonight.

1 down 25 to go!

1 down 25 more to go! Although with the way work has gone this week, I may need to up my number of hats for the Podcast Throwdown. The first hat is a dark maroon color that is 100% acrylic and that's all I can really remember about it. This yarn has been in my stash for years and I believe has even moved 3 states with me, but I could be wrong. I'm reasonably sure I bought it when I lived in Missouri, kept in Pennsylvania, and lastly here in Alabama. Either way, for every yarn there is a project out there for it and finally this has told me it needs to be a Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood. I chose not to stripe the hat but the pattern remains mostly true. There's a few modifications like rather than using a slip slip knit; I chose to knit two together through the back loop. Again, this hat is going to Halos of Hope and is going to be part of the Knotty Girls Knitcast Podcast Throwdown. Next up may be a Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure. Of course if I keep making hats that are new, I will want to keep all of them for ME!!!!

Ah, I alluded to a rough week at work... A co-worker informed me that he had turned in his notice. I have two weeks to learn everything from him. Friday, my supervisor turned in his notice. You may have heard me from everywhere in the world.  The random Oh Sh*t would have been me. I have 2.5 weeks to get 100% up to speed in how EVERYTHING works.  I just hit 6 months at this job and will need to learn everything in ISO, ASTM, EN, and Customer specs along with picking up the ball on all off the cuff inquires on "Can we Make This".  I have 2.5 weeks to learn several years worth of data.    EEP.

More cheerful news, DH sent me out on my own shopping this weekend! Sad to say but that's the big excitement at my house. I went to Target for diapers, wipes, shampoo, and conditioner. While I was there, I walked past a display where a little bag caught my eye. It does not have Velcro and claims to feed 8 for every purchase. Now, it was on clearance which is why it warranted a second look but I'm in love with it after it jumped in my cart. The top rolls over and snaps shut and the fabric feels heavy duty. It's of a size for small projects; like a pair of socks. The snap area even has a little handle! Perfect for mornings that I take the Things to the tennis court to run out some energy. After getting a little more than planned at Target, I went to Toy'R'Us to purchase a doctor's kit for DS2. I was hoping to replace the 30 year old stethoscope with a newer version. Nice Try Momma.Good news is there shouldn't be any more battles for the stethoscope for a few days.

OH! No fiber was even attempted to be dyed this weekend. I was too busy playing referee between the boys. Some day I will not be required to haul one kid off the other. Someday when they are in their 30's perhaps.

Podcast Throwdown

So, I fully admit I'm becoming a podcast junkie. However, I learn a lot from listening and even develop my competitive side a little bit further. For example, I listen to the Knotty Girls KnitCast and in episode 8, the hosts are issuing a podcast throwdown! Jen and Laura are issuing a challenge to any and all other podcasters and supporting audiences to knit hats for a worthwhile charity; Halos of Hope. The challenge to all knitters and crocheters is to knit as many hats as possible before Stitches West in February 2014.  I'm shamlessly copying and pasting the rules from the Knotty Girls Knitcast below:

The Rules:
1. There are no rules.
2. Okay there are a few rules.
3. Follow the Halos of Hope Guidelines
4. Start Sept 1st.
5. We finish at Stitches West.
6. Get your listeners on board however you want.

On Record for me; I WILL knit at least 26 hats for Halos of Hope AND send them off in time for Stitches West. With the Knitmore Girls and CraftLit podcasts participating in addition to the Knotty Girls, I'll have a tough time choosing a team to join. Ravelry has a group called Podcaster Throwdown with a Trash Talk Alley so everything for Podcaster Throwdown is in one location.

I am so excited for this challenge! 

Next up, I have grand plans for dying some of my white BFL that I have been spinning FOREVER. I took a picture on my way to work. Please ignore the fact that I was driving at the time because I did make sure there was not another car terribly close at the time. If its possible to mimic the colors in the photograph, I will forever be a superstar because something about the foggy morning with a ray of sunshine spoke to me at that moment. Notice, I said grand plans; reality and how it works in my head never match.

I have officially started my mystery project all over again. Genius strikes at the worst time some days.  Head meet desk. *Thunk* 3" worth of knitting has all been ripped out and if it looks good, I may rip version 1.0 out and that's a full 40 grams of knitting down the drain if I do.  Double the fun! Or should I keep it as testament to the need for swatching? 

Maybe by the end of the weekend, I'll be able to start a hat for Halos of Hope!

Back to Normal

By nature, I'm not a social butterfly. I prefer small groups that stay for a few hours at most or I have my own space to retreat to as needed. Unlike most in-laws, I enjoy and like mine but they are in my space and that is exhausting. The boys LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa in for a visit. It was very nice to not be the prime source of entertainment for the Things as well as having another cook in the house. The grandparents arrived early evening Friday and left at nap time on Sunday. Friday was all about catching up and anticipating the boys' reaction to new people because when you live 10 hours apart, visits aren't often. Saturday was a trip to the zoo, go figure. Sunday was recovery and goodbyes. I don't mean to be mean-spirited but it's nice to have my space back.

Even with all the company and distractions for the boys, not much crafting got done. slightly more spinning was done than knitting if you can believe that! My spot was on the floor and floor time for Mommy means wrestle time! So I fought off the boys for possession of my needles in the dishcloth. Then I tried my mystery project with no more success only this time it was a fight for the cable of the fixed circulars AND the ball of yarn. With the lack of sitting space, I moved over to my computer chair and that seat works perfectly for spinning. Roughly 20 minutes worth of spinning was accomplished during the weekend. I also managed to wash my hand spun from Tour de Fleece and the last hank. Wahoo!

My mystery project is currently in a race to the finish line. Of course, all knitting on that started up again after the in-laws left. I hope a few more turns around and half will be done before the ball runs out. The old knitting faster to finish the project before the yarn runs out strategy. Here's to hoping it works! 

 

Life goes back to 100% normal Tuesday.