The Sandcastle

Blitz of an Update

Can you tell school's started? 

A fast report of a couple of finished objects (pictures to follow once I get this deadline beaten into submission <- note pun; indication of stress):

1.  Janie's shawl is done, washed, rinsed, and is drying in the sunshine on the freshly-mown grass.  Hopefully it'll be dry tonight; I want to mail it to her tomorrow - she's just finished her first round of chemo.

2.  Hat #4 for afghans for Afghans is also done; all four hats need serious end-weaving.  I'll do that piecemeal over the next week or so and then ship them off to the California people who've set up the project.

I currently have only two on-needles projects - both of which became headaches at some point:

1.  Monet's sweatshirt.

2.  transitions sock.  (Bonus points if you know why I don't capitalize the T there :)

I'm going to need some mindless knitting - I'll be off to Tennessee for Labor Day Weekend.  I'd like to get started on Katha's sweater, but it's NOT mindless (at all) and I still need her measurements.  (Note to self:  Go to Common Ground and get those.)  If I had the yarn I'd start a baby blanket I need to get to, but I have no yarn for it yet and no budget for same until payday.  Ponder, ponder.

Back to revision.  This is about as much fun as pulling teeth.

Stop procrastinating.

Yep.  This is me stopping procrastinating.

Really.  :)

~ Sand

More hats, more often.

As she takes a break from pre-semester start-up activities, here are a couple more recently finished objects - more hats for the afghans for Afghans project:

Hat #2:

Hat #3:

*****

That's it for tonight; I'm tired!!

*waves*

~ Sand

At Last! Some Finished Stuff

Hello, world...

I spent a lovely if somewhat surreal weekend mostly at Becca's, keeping her company and performing menial tasks like doing math, cutting a pattern, and serging - she has a costume commission.  In between these tasks I sat on the couch weaving in ends and sewing seams.

The Catharsis Sweater is finished:

Needles:  US 7

Pattern:  Original, based on generic sweater pattern (sz. 34 and sz. 38) and Knitty's Coronet (for the cuffs).  Neck:  3 rows of seed stitch; 3 stitch applied I-cord.

Yarn:  You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Cast on:  Sometime last Spring. 

Work sites:  Anne's house in Providence, LaCasa, Becca's couch and porch.

Finished:  8/7/2005, Becca's porch.

Also finished:  Lifesaver Gloves

Needles:  Brittany Birch US 5

Yarn:  Peruvian Highland Wool, leftover from the rune sweater.

Yarn source:  elann

Pattern:  Generic glove pattern, modified.

Cast on:  LaCasa, during Anne and Kelli's visit.

Work sites:  LaCasa, Becca's couch.

Finished:  8/7/2005, Becca's couch.

One of the many wonderful Susans sent me a news article on Halcyon Blake's efforts to get knitting materials to Afghanistan.  This inspired me to google search the afghans for Afghans project, which is seeking 5000 children's items by September 16.  I have lots of bits and bobs of wool around, so I came up with this last night, crashing from the surreality of the weekend in front of West Wing Season 1 DVDs:

Dr. Seuss Hat for child, 4-7-ish years old:

Yarn:  Mostly Cascade 220 leftovers.

Needs:  Brittany Birch US 5 and US 7

Pattern:  Original

Cast on:  LaCasa, 8/7/2005

Finished:  LaCasa, wee hours of 8/8/2005

One of the good things about this weekend was a trip to a local town we call Hogsmeade for a variety of excellent and entertaining reasons.  I've been questing for interesting things for the barn and have a pretty good idea of the aesthetic I'm going for:  primitive, rustic, and interesting (that last is purely subjective), with overtones of my grandmother's farmhouse kitchen as I remember it from Ohio in the 1960s/1970s.

So two trips to Hogsmeade later, I returned not only with the Very Primitive white table I'm most excited about (no pictures of that yet; it's crammed onto the utility porch awaiting a conversation with Tom about what the next step is out there), but also with this lovely thing - a Very Old Gathering Basket from Maine - in excellent condition. 

Voila!  A new knitting basket:

---

Updated W.I.P. list:

1.  Transitions socks.   *sigh*

2.  Monet's sweatshirt.  *double sigh*

3.  Janie's shawl.  Cast on this weekend; I have about 12" done so far.

4.  afghans for Afghans hat #2.  Cast on last night. 

Works-In-Progress

Salutations.

There is need for another photo session, which will transpire as soon as I get the hot stickies off of my motivation (bleh)...  For the nonce, though, a works-in-progress update:

1.  The Barn.  It has a door now!  And Binns (will explain those in another post; photos necessary).

2.  Catharsis sweater:  the shoulders are seamed; sleeves to be seamed; neckline to be knitted.

3.  Fingertipless gloves, a.k.a. what to do with the leftovers from the rune sweater:  at the little finger of the second glove.

4.  Transition socks:  Stalled at heel flap of sock #1. 

5.  Monet's sweatshirt:  *sigh*  At least getting pissed off at the transition sock got me over being pissed off at this project!  I wonder if there's a Rule or Law or Theorem stating that one can be angry at only one knitting project at a time?

Finished:

Teufel's scarf.

Dyeing:

Confetti merino + Kool Aid + Anne (new dyer) = interesting results. 

Spinning:

"Dyeing" (above) + Anne (new spinner) + getting out the drop spindle again for teaching = also interesting.

(Anne picked up spinning preternatually quickly - she has a great feel for Things Fiber.  We were all amazed!)

Photos to follow soonly, because they are *clearly* necessary.

*waves stickily*

~ Sand