foogrrl

Because I have the right to call this a Finished Object (FO) if I want to:

( But Tina, it's just a ball of yarn! )

Maybe it's just a ball of yarn, but I spent two DAYS unknotting this yarn.  It's from a Target kit, and it was just wrapped around a piece of cardboard in the container.  *sigh*  So here it is, all untangled and wound into a (hopefully) well-behaved ball.

Oh, and the promised last picture from the last post:

( Bright sock ahead! )

I don't know if I like it as is.  I might find a new pattern.  Stockinette socks are getting boring...

Oh, and the doctor has hopefully straightened out my meds.  I hope...

I don't know what it is, but my attitude towards a project seems to affect how it knits up.  Most of the first gray sock went pretty well, because I was knitting it for Mike.  I knew Mike would appreciate it, since he had requested plain gray socks.  But when they got reassigned as a gift for his father, I started feeling stressed, nervous, and a little, well, resentful.  And the second sock wore me out.  There was no end of problems with it.  Even the almost stupidly simple slip 1, knit 1 repeat of the heel flap gave me problems beyond belief.  We won't talk about how many times I had to tink rows because I screwed that up, and was ending up with a slipped stitch at the end.

Now, in contrast, I finally have something for myself on the needles.  For the first time since I picked up knitting again.  Everything else has gone to Mike.  Yes, even the gray socks.  I had him try them on to see if they'd be a good approximate fit for his father, and he declared that he loved them too much to let them go.  So...yeah.  Anyway.  Socks for me, in a colorway that makes me pretty happy.  Not as happy, mind you, as the Opal 5001 I showed you a few posts ago, but still, cheerful.  I like rainbows.  This doesn't have purple, but if it did, I might be too happy with it.  And the knitting is going along wonderfuly.  The biggest mistake I've made with it?  Hold your breath, people.  I forgot to put my row counter in my sock bag when Mike and I went out to dinner tonight.  Yeah, I know.

I guess attitude really is important.  Of course, mind you that I'm thinking of this at 6am, with no sleep, after a fairly large adult beverage.  No longer tipsy, just sleepy.  Trust me.  I've learned not to drink and knit.

( Oh, you wanted pictures? )

No avoiding the idea.  I'm depressed again.

Hard to avoid the conclusion when I spent the entire evening crying over...well, nothing, really.  I feel lousy, and nothing really makes me happy.  Even knitting, as it's now deadline knitting, and the project is boring as hell.  Want to see?

( Boring Gray Sock and Friends )

This isn't second-sock syndrome, either.  The first sock was just long, but a breeze.  The second isn't boring at all.  How can it be when I keep having problems with it?  Last night/yesterday morning about 5am I noticed while turning the heel that the number of stitches on either side of my turn didn't look even.  Nope.  One side was missing two.  I look back at the heel flap, and they had slipped off the needle rows before.  So...frog.  And then I found out that one shouldn't frog at 5am after a bout with raging insomnia.  Mike finally dragged me off to bed, alerted to my state by the loud cursing.  I might have, well, told the sock to do something physically impossible.  Loud enough that the neighbors might have heard.  Ugh.

But today, after realizing that I was never going to get it directly back on the needles, as the loops were pretending to be too small to fit on the thing, I realized that I am, in fact, smarter than a sock.  I took some craft wire that I had sitting around for another project, cut some, and filed the end to be smooth.  Normally I would have used a smaller needle, but I don't have anything smaller than a 1.  I used the smoothed wire to pick up the stitches, and then went on to knit with it behaving.

Hah.  We won't talk about how I accidentally picked up an extra two stitches.  Meh.  I really don't think a non-knitter is going to look closely enough to see the decreases.  *grin*

And it's 7am now and I'm going to bed.

( Here they are before... )

( And after! )

Mike is much better now.  He just needs to cut back on the caffeine and get more sleep, and less stress.  Now someone just tell his work that, since he had a surprise thirteen hour day yesterday...

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

Yes, I am.  I can't stand acrylics. *shudder*

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I'd like to learn to spin.  Crochet makes me mental, though.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

Heavy purfumes give me headaches.

4. How long have you been knitting?

On and off for about five years.  Combined, maybe a year's worth of actual knitting.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, I do  http://amazon.com/gp/registry/293HUWNFG2VS3

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Vanilla

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Definitely.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I occasionally make soap or chainmail.  Also do some origami.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I have really wierd tastes, but I'm willing to listen to anything.  Yes, I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

My very favorite is a deep purple.  Also black.  I'm not fond of orange/reds.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married, no kids, four cats.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

To get my house organized so I have tons of time to knit. 

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I haven't actually knit more than a swatch with it yet, but I'm in love with KnitPick's Elegance.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Acrylic.  That's about it.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

I just finished my first pair of socks, so that's big on my mind right now.  But I really want to try some simple lace, as well.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Anything beautiful and practical.

17. What are you knitting right now?

I just finished some socks, so I'm about to start...more socks.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I'm sure they're nice and warm and useful and all, but I don't get it.  Even if my husband points out that Luke Skywalker wore one.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Definitely circular.  Much easier on my wrists.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I used to think I wasn't really picky.  But I just got my first set of Britany Birch needles, and I want to marry them.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Yep.  Haven't you been paying attention?

22. How did you learn to knit?

A wierd combination of those "Learn to Knit" books and some websites.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I actually don't have any, since I just picked up knitting again to keep my sanity.  I do have some yarn that might never be knitted, though.  I'm thinking about putting it in a nice basket on display.  The colors make me so happy the way it's dyed in the hank.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I love my cats.  I can't speak for anyone else's.  *smile*

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas.  Even if it doesn't make me as happy as it used to.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Besides yarn?

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

None at the moment, but I'm tempted to subscribe to Interweave Knits.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

Refer to my Amazon wish list.