The Knitting Pirate

Tonight’s SnB was held at Cosi, a small cafe, instead of the Panera we usually go to – and I think we may be switching venues. It was decently lit and much quieter, and the food… when I arrived, there was brie, bread, strawberries and grapes at each end of the table. I got a glass of wine to go with it. Later on, we ordered s’mores and had too much fun roasting marshmallows at the table. I’m not sure any of us got very much knitting done, but what a fantastic time we had!

I started the second Pomatomus yesterday and I’m about 20 rounds in. This sock looks so funny at the beginning before the pattern is really established, like there are just random holes here and there. I remember this from the first sock and I know it will start making sense of itself in another fifteen rounds or so. Tomorrow I will focus on it and make some serious progress.

The Trekking Ribbed Sock came with me to SnB and I think I’m about up to where the heel should start. I need to measure it against another sock that’s a good height just to be sure. The heel, I think, I’m going to have to work on at home, even though it’s a traveling sock, because I will be sure to mess it up otherwise. Either that, or I can deliberately go out and knit somewhere quietly by myself. In general, it’s going very quickly and I’m thrilled! The more socks, the better.

Pirate-Husband got the call from the radiologist that only one rib is actually very broken. There is a second that might be cracked but might only be seriously bruised. Either way, he’s not letting the pain stop him; he got on a plane to Iceland this afternoon and should be arriving soon, if I have the time zones right. I sent him with my camera, so there won’t be any new pictures in here until at least Monday.

I’ve been wearing the Stripey Striped Scarf to work, because it’s finally been cold enough. There was frost on my windshield the other day! People have been complimenting me on it and I get such a thrill out of saying “thank you; I made it myself!” There’s at least one other person in the office who knits, but she doesn’t sit near me so I don’t know if she’s seen it yet.

Pirate-Husband and the road had a bit of an altercation Sunday night. He is (mostly) fine. At least one broken rib and possibly two more; we’ll know for sure tomorrow, after the radiologist comes to look at the x-rays. I’m not sure what the damage is to the motorcycle.

So today has been another knitting day. The Trekking Ribbed Sock is now 3.5″ long in the leg. I knit in the waiting room of the urgent care center, I knit while I waited for the doctor to come look at Pirate-Husband, I knit while he was x-rayed, I knit while I waited for his prescription to be filled. The doctor thought the sock was the coolest thing ever. “I knit,” she said, “but I never thought of doing socks. I’m pretty much a scarf knitter.” I told her that if she could knit a scarf, she could knit a sock. While we were waiting for the x-ray tech, Pirate-Husband said that now that I’m so quick at simple sock-knitting, maybe he would possibly potentially like a pair of socks of his own, if I were so inclined. I’m so relieved that he’s not more seriously injured, I’m actually considering it.

I had no problem getting through airport security with my aluminum DPNs. I guess all the other metal stuff in my purse (business card holder, tin of lip balm, case of pens and pencils, keys, key clip, etc.) blocked their view? Or maybe they just don’t care so much. In any event, I knit in the terminal waiting for my departing flight but got caught up in watching The Godfather and didn’t knit on the plane. On the way back, I knit quite a bit both in the terminal and on the plane. The sock leg is about 2.25″ long now, which is good progress for me! I am really enjoying the Trekking XXL; it has a nice feel to it. And I’m not hating the aluminum needles like I thought I would!

Last night I took the new Trekking Ribbed Sock to SnB, and I stitched while I bitched and then suddenly realized that I’d knitted where I should have purled. Drat. Intrepid knitter that I am, I dropped the stitch and tried to pick it up the right way. Except I dropped it again. And again. Lissa took the sock from me and got all the stitches back on the needle, then Gwen got them all turned around the right way, and now I have purls where there should be purls, thanks to the wonderful women I knit with on Wednesdays.

When I came home I got to work on the Jaywalker toe. I knit as fast as I could, but it got to be bedtime and I was still only about halfway through the toe. Am I a slow knitter, or does time go faster when it’s almost bedtime? Anyway, tonight I sat down with determination and I have finished! my! socks! They fit great, though as is usual for Jaywalkers, they’re a little hard to get on. I know they’ll break in just fine.

Something else from last night – Lissa told me I was the most efficient knitter she’d ever seen. Well, how about that? I guess I do knit with an economy of motion. Not only that, but she volunteered to teach me to spin on one of her wheels! That’s the coolest thing ever. I am so excited! (There may be a wheel in my future. It might be my birthday present. I’m not thinking about that yet. It’s too far ahead and who knows what might happen between now and then.)

So tomorrow, the Trekking Ribbed Sock and I are off to the airport, where it will keep me calm as I wait for my flight, which is almost certain to be delayed. I hope the TSA doesn’t steal my needles; this is the first time I’ll be trying to bring aluminum needles on a plane.

About half an hour before bedtime last night, I reached the ultimate procrastinatey perfect pausing point on the Jaywalkers – the toe decreases. I knew I couldn’t finish it in half an hour, and I didn’t want to lose my place (I’m famous for that) so I set it aside and cast on for the next sock, which I will bring to SnB tonight so that I can make no progress on it but feel like I’ve got something to work on.

Here we have the first three rows of the next sock, which doesn’t yet have a name. “Ribbed Sock” will probably do just fine. I did end up going for colorway 90 of the Trekking XXL, and I’m doing some interesting ribbing: k3, p2, k1, p2. It’s only 64 stitches around on size 0 DPNs, which seems like it is so small after the 84-stitch Jaywalker. But the last ribbed socks I did were 68 stitches on size 1, and they fit kinda loosely, so maybe this will be just right? I sure hope so!

A day of steady sock-knitting has gotten me to within a few inches of the toe. My goal is to have it done before Friday evening, so that I can have a Whole New Sock cast on for airport knitting. Hopefully the airline won’t have a problem with five size 0 aluminum DPNs!

Now what I have to do is decide on color. I’ve already decided to go with the Trekking XXL, and I’ve already picked a ribbing pattern, but I have two colorways (66 and 90) and choosing between them is difficult! I’m leaning towards the 90, which is deserty browns with a little bit of blue thrown in. 66 is dark greens, purples, navy and burgundy. Pirate-Husband says the brown one will go with more of my clothes, so I think that’s going to be the winner this time. I’ve taken it out and have it on my desk to remind me that if I hurry with the Jaywalker, I could be casting on for a new sock (and wearing new socks, too) in just a few days!

In spinning news, I’m eyeing wheels and drum carders. What a dangerously costly hobby this is turning out to be.

Last night I started spinning, but realized I was getting a thicker single than what I’d really wanted. After a few yards, I decided to just ply what I had and knit it into a little baby swatch, just so that I can say “I’ve knit with my own handspun!” Plying on a drop spindle from both ends of a center-pull ball is not so much fun. Then, I was too impatient to set the twist, which would be a mistake for future “real” spinning but didn’t matter much in this case.

Handspun yarn on Etsy seems to go for a fair amount of money. Hmmmm.

I feel like such a dork saying it, but omg! people are making the armwarmers! I saw someone on the LJ knitting community recommending them, and someone on a UK knitting forum did the same, and someone on Ravelry has cast on for the pattern too! I should probably relax a little bit, but I can’t help squeeing just a little!

It’s still not cool enough to wear the Stripey Striped Scarf, but I’m sure it will be soon! I’ll try to get some pictures of its public debut, possibly under the trees which are just now starting to turn pretty colors.

My wrists have been hurting, so I’ve been trying to knit and type a little less. This is frustrating, but I’d rather take a few days off knitting than have to take a month off after I really overdo it.

And lastly, I know this isn’t exactly knitting-related, but in about ten minutes the realtor is going to pick us up and take us to see our first bunch of houses. I’m *so* excited!

Last night I finally finished the Stripey Striped Scarf! I could have kept going; there are three smallish balls of Kureyon left over. I might make a Stripey Striped Hat of them, but the scarf was definitely long enough. I didn’t measure – it’s well over six feet, quite a bit taller than me! I tried to get good pictures:

It was a busy weekend of friends visiting, and as a result, no knitting. Next weekend there are more exciting plans – Pirate-Husband and I are going to begin our search for a house! This means two things: 1, I will finally have room for a spinning wheel and 2, if I don’t get to knit on the weekends, I have to knit double on weekdays to make up for it. Or spin more. Or something!

The next entry should have more content. :)