updates! huzzah!

The Spring Fling is complete. Look for pictures in the next couple of days (as soon as I can get someone else to take them). It was a fun project, but I'll talk more about it when I post the pictures.

In other knitting news:

I am stillworking on the ribbing for the second Thermal sleeve. Dear Lord it is slow. I only have a few rows before I begin the waffle stitch, though, so I'm hoping it will begin to move faster?

I've cast on for the Print of the Wave Stole and for the Bayerische socks. I don't know whether I should really talk about either at this point, sincec I have only about 4 rows of the stole finished and literally just a cast-on edge for the first sock. I've really wanted to be knitting recently, but (A) it is ungodly hot here these past few days and all I want to do is lie on the floor and be very very still and (B) my father is getting married TOMORROW so, as can be imagined, we've all been very very busy trying to get the house clean and straightened out and figuring out wedding plans, and lists of things to do before the wedding, during the wedding, after the wedding, and while Dad and C are gone on their honeymoon (just for the record: there is no possible way I will clean the cats' litter box, so that better not be on my list of chores....)

I'm really hoping to get some good knitting done this afternoon. My fabulous roommate is arriving today about three and she's bringing her knitting with her. She has just recently started her first sweater and I'm dying to see how it's coming along.

Okay, this was already too much of a break from the mile-long list of things I have to do today.

Goodies and....Baddies?

Progress on the Raglan moves along slowly, but progress is still progress, no? I have another 5 inches or so left on the body, then both sleeves to work. I had told myself I'd finish it for my birthday (not that it will be cold enough to wear it) on May 7, but it seems pretty obvious that that's not going to happen.

Speaking of Birthdays, I got a wonderful package in the mail this week from my boyfriend. In it:



and



Wowza. These books just about made my year. The Maggie Righetti book really is written in plain English, too. It's easy to understand, well written, thoughtful, and funny. I love her chapter on body types. For instance:

THE TRIANGLE
Think of a triangle; think of a swan gracefully swimming across a pond. A long slender neck, gently sloping shoulders, lovely round and full hips and thighs are the hallmarks of a triangular figure.

"Lovely round and full hips and thighs"??

I could gain 400 pounds and this book would still make me feel good about myself.

Also under the "goodie" title - I bought more yarn. My KnitPicks package arrived at my Dad's house yesterday. I had it delivered there so I wouldn't be tempted to start more projects before finals [gulp] are over. I ordered 3 skeins of Alpaca Cloud in "Moss Heather" for the Print o' the Wave Stole I'm making for a friend for Christmas, some Shine Sport in "Orchid" for a Spring Fling Cardigan (that I'm going to alter by shortening the body, lengthening the sleeves, and adding buttons) for myself to wear to my Dad's June wedding, Gloss in "Burgundy" for a pair of Clessidras for moi, and finally, some Essential in "Dusk" for a pair of Bayerische Socks for my Dad's soon-to-be-wife's December birthday.

Whew. I'm hoping to knit really fast so I can make some more pretty things for myself. I am so selfish...

And, on to the not-so-goodies...

Finals (AHHHHH!) are upon us. Not cool. My finals are looking like they're going to totally kick my butt in the next two weeks, so I probably will not be getting very much knitting done. Which is le poo.

And slowly, we have progress

I currently only have two projects on the needles, though I suppose I don't usually have more than that at any one time, unless I get bored with something, in which case I put it away, pick up something new and work it from beginning to end, and then come back to the first (by now hopefully less boring) project.

Right now I'm working on a simple top-down raglan in Paton's Classic Merino, in a pretty heathered-teal. No written-up pattern, just something I got through a "sweater pattern generator" online somewhere. I don't actually remember where, which is probably not the coolest thing I've ever done, but if you google "top-down raglan pattern" I'm sure you'll come up with something.

I worked about, hmmm, 14 rows of this sweater before deciding that it wasn't nearly as exciting or gratifying as I'd hoped.

So I bought some sock yarn. Dale Baby Ull to be exact, two balls navy blue, and one kind of a tomato-y red. I'm working on my second pair of socks, really simple basic cast-on-64-stitches-and-work-only-in-stockinette-until-finished kind of socks. Okay, so they're a little more interesting that that. They have red ribbed cuffs, a red heel, and a red toe. (I can hear the oohs and aahs already).

Anyway, I'm quite enjoying the simplicity of it all and I only have one silly little toe left to finish, but as I'm headed right into Final Exam Period (ahhhhhh!) I suppose it's a good thing there's nothing so interesting sitting in my knitting bag that I can't get any work done.

(Although there is this and this and this and this to keep me more than occupied, although I haven't the yarn, needles, and/or pattern for any of these...)