A-a-a-and, We're Off!

Vroom, vroom, vroom! That's the sound of all the projects starting around here. I told you I'd do it and I did. I tried to resist the lure of all that yarn and all those empty needles but I was too weak. And it's hot and humid and windy so I need to stay indoors and cast on knitting projects.


I started the second Cartoons sock at work on Wednesday. Of course I forgot to take it along on Thursday, but I was busy most of Thursday so I probably wouldn't have gotten any further anyway.





Dusty and I decided on Tuesday that we're doing a KAL (Knit-A-Long) of the shawlette (kind of a triangular scarf-ish sized lace thing) called 198 yds. of Heaven. It's supposed to be easy and it's on bigger needles and calls for worsted weight yarn, instead of the toothpicks and spiderweb yarn most of them do. We were foolish enough to imagine that we could start them at Friday Night Knitting Circle. Hah! After a few tries, Dusty put hers away but I persevered, casting on, knitting a few rows, realizing I was short stitches or doing it all wrong, and frogging it--probably 5 or 6 times. (frogging means ripping it out to start over) After I got home I worked on it a bit more, had still made a fatal mistake and put it away. Last night (after driving up to the tip of Door Co., diving with friends, and then driving home) I tried again and bollixed it up again. This morning I frogged it and started over, for about the 12th or 15th time. This time I followed Durwood's suggestion and chanted the stitches out loud. It works. I can't watch a movie or listen to a book while I knit on it, but I have hopes that eventually I'll get better at lace knitting and be able to. I was getting so tense that my fingers were cramping and my shoulders were hunched up around my ears. Thanks for the idea, dear! I'm stubborn enough to stick with this through all the initial frustrations and console myself that the bit at the back of the neck will be really soft from all the frogging and reknitting it endured. Way to rationalize!

And I want to knit that red hoodie I keep dreaming about and have the yarn for. It's the Judi sweater from Knits Three Ways and I've decided to see if I can't knit it in one piece on circs instead of back and forth on straights. I hate to purl and the body of a sweater's a lot of purling when you have as much acreage to cover as I do. I cast on the right number of stitches for my size and I'm getting gauge, but it looks small. For now I'm going to trust the pattern. *fingers crossed*





I met friends at Garrett Bay in northern Door County for a dive yesterday. Here I am after we'd done an hour underwater. I still love diving but I'm getting too many hobbies, too many claims on my time. I need to open up a branch Barbara so that I can do EVERYTHING all at once!