My Halloween treat

Madelinetosh in Bullion, Socks that Rock in Lenore.

Bubkis

For all my talk last week, I've managed to finish nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. I'm still close to finishing a few (and may actually accomplish that this week), but I didn't get anything of note done last week.

In all honesty, this school year is kicking my butt. I'm under constant scrutiny from my administration, I have the pressure of three state standardized tests weighing down on me, and the constant data gathering, benchmark taking, etc. on top of weekly day-to-day teacher tasks (grading, planning, meetings - and, well, teaching), mixed in with a new reading curriculum, and I'm exhausted. I'm lucky if I make it through 1, maybe 2 TV shows a night, and if I'm not in bed by 10, I'm a wreck the next day. (Man, I'm whiny.)

I'm also trying to get back in shape, so I'm getting up at the ugly end of dawn (4:45) every day to go to the gym before school. In an effort to make my family not the thing that suffers, my knitting is taking one for the team. Other than two socks that were really almost done, I don't think I've finished anything since school started two months ago.

I felt bad for a few weeks when I thought seriously about the number of projects I have going, (and one night I nearly had a heart attack when I counted them) but I've decided that if this is the way I deal with stress (as opposed to copious amounts of drinking) that this is the better choice. So cast on I will, and finish I might. I will try to refrain from buying more needles, in order to keep the WIP list below 100.

I know the blog's been boring for the past few weeks (few months if I really think about it), and I apologize. I really appreciate those of you who check in still, and leave a note every once in awhile. I know there's not much to see here, and there are many other blogs to read, and your time is valuable, so I feel unworthy that you spend it here (but I'm not complaining). I'm trying to stick to an every-other-day schedule, in order to motivate myself to do something. I'm going to not stress so much about the quality of the pictures in order that I might have a post about something.

There are several projects that you've never seen, so I'll try to dig them out every once in a while. I'm also working on a few secret projects, but I may tease you with them. I keep telling myself that there won't be a lot of Christmas knitting this year, but I told myself that last year, and that didn't stop me. So we'll see.

As Dory would say, I'm going to just keep knitting, just keep knitting, and if all I get is a few rows a night, someday it might equal a sweater. And if it's this winter, or next winter, I'll love it just the same. No pressure. Just knitting.

In which no one is surprised

While I'm trying to be "good" this week and not start any new projects, this clearly wasn't a priority last week.



The beginnings of Anemoi mittens in Louet Pearl (or whatever they're calling it now). For the record? I hate purling in colorwork. But I'm through the cuff now, so I get to start the chart.




The beginnings of the Superlong Wrap (Ravelry link) from the Knitting To Go deck, with the yummy alpaca I bought on the crawl. This one is on temporary hold because the lovely big cake of yarn was pulled apart by one of our four-legged friends (and not the usual culprit, as he was in his kennel when this happened), and I have to rewind it. Blech.


There is also a new sock around here somewhere that hasn't had its picture made yet.

I'm trying to stay true to the finishing feeling I had Sunday, but I haven't finished anything but the socks yet. I'm hoping for some good knitting time after school today, since we don't have meetings and I'm caught up on my grading.

Don't worry though, I'm sure a new project will sneak in there sometime. Wouldn't want to let y'all down now.

Just in time

The high today is 55. Good thing I have new socks to wear!


Pattern: Generic top-down over 64 stitches
Yarn: ONline cotton
Needles: 2.5mm Brittany DPNs
Dates: June-October 2007
Mods: none
Thoughts: Very soft, not very splitty for a cotton yarn. Love the colors.



Plus, they go perfectly with my new shoes!


I'm on a finishing kick this week - stay tuned to see what manages to get done!

Tease

Fall briefly ran by on Monday and Tuesday, bringing terrible thunderstorms, and cool enough weather for wool socks and handknit sweaters. Too bad it's going to be nearly 90 again today and tomorrow.

Anniversary Socks

By some miracle, I managed to finish these up before bed on our anniversary Tuesday. Whew!



Pattern: Generic stockinette sock - top down, over 80 stitches.
Yarn: Trekking XXL
Needles: Chiagoo DPNs sz 2.25 mm
Dates: June-October 2007
Mods: n/a
Thoughts: Again, much love for the Trekking. But hubbo's socks seem to tak so much longer than mine! He's worth it though.

I did have to start another pair right away (couldn't leave those needles empty for long!), but I don't have a picture yet. Hopefully soon.

That's one pair down for socktoberfest. Way too many more to go.

Stress can kill. Or make you start a lot of projects

We all have seen how I dealt with the kitchen stress this summer.

School stress has been at severe levels for the past two weeks or so (really, all year), so you can imagine what I did last week. Besides the three new scarves, it is apparently sweatertober as well.



Wicked started in Malabrigo. Can we all say YUM? (Hubbo really wanted to know why my book was in the picture. 'Cause I'm reading it and knitting it! Duh!)



Union Square Market Pullover (three million stitches on eeensy needles - this one may take years).



Bristow (something easy for when hubbo's around and I can't work on his sweater).



Somewhat Cowl (because it's pretty)


Where are the folks in the white jackets?

I did finish some socks this week, but since it is o'dark thirty, and I have a four hour inservice tonight (after school - just what I want to do on a Friday), and all day tomorrow, and hubbo has a soccer game tomorrow night, it will probably be Sunday before I can take their picture. It's probably better that way - it will allow me to take pictures of everything else I start this weekend.

All crawled out

Home from the yarn crawl/shop hop, and moderately caught up with school work, so here's a quick look at my goodies from the weekend.



We left from Hill Country Weavers, where I managed to only purchase two skeins of Nature's Palette in a chocolately brown. Such restraint!


Our first stop was Yarn Barn in San Antonio. A large combo shop of needlepoint and yarn, we nearly destroyed the book and sale areas (there were about 35 of us). I managed to score an Interweave I don't have in the sale bin, along with seven skeins of Rowan Denim for the Indigo Ripples Skirt. And well, that Trekking couldn't be helped. It's orange after all.



From there we headed to Yarnivore in San Antonio. This is a small shop in a strip mall area, but it is clean, well-lit, and the owner was very sweet. I did manage to find more yarn here I needed (shocking, isn't it?) Some Kraemer Tweed (cotton acrylic blend) that is more pink than the picture shows, and a pretty pattern book.



On to Boerne, where our first stop was Rosewood Yarns. A new shop that is crammed with yarn, and we completely took over. I did restrain myself from yarn here, but I managed to find three patterns and a beautiful needle-felted notions case made by a women's cooperative in Nepal.



A short jaunt down the street, and we were at Ewe and Eye. A charming shop, filled up with toys, needlepoint, baby items, and yarn. The owners were lovely to us, and I came away with another back issue magazine I don't have, sock yarn for the hubbo (to make up for being gone all weekend, and spending money!) and a 660 yard hank of the softest alpaca I've ever felt. It comes from Switzerland, and has no tag, so I can't tell you about it, other than to tell you to call the shop and get you some. YUM. I'm envisioning a wrap to wear in my classroom. Hubbo wants me to make him a pillow out of it. Ha.

And that's it! We didn't get to Bluebonnet Yarns in Cedar Park, or Stonehill Spinning in Fredericksburg, due to the tight bus schedule. Ah well, just another excuse to do it all again next year!

Yesterday was a difficult day. Today is Friday.*

After a spectacularly awful week, I'm looking forward to running away for the weekend to the Hill Country Shop Hop.

Lots of knitters on a bus, seven yarn stores, and (hopefully) margaritas and mexican food Saturday night. Sounds great. See y'all on the flip side.

*One of my all time favorite books is Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, in which Lily has a bad day and her teacher tells her "Today was a difficult day, tomorrow will be better." When I said that to hubbo last night, he said "tomorrow will be Friday." TGIF.

Scarftober?

It's not all socks around here these days - several scarves have jumped on the needles this past week.



Out of the frogged Claudia's Sport - Isobel from Cider Moon's free patterns. I am really enjoying this, and it is working up fairly quickly.



Also from the failed Chevron scarf - Branching Out, restarted for the upteenth time. I'm finding it much easier this go-round.


And finally, I could resist the call of the Noro no longer. Two colors (for now) for a Striped Scarf. I love it. My only disappointment is that one of the colors has pulled apart on me FIVE times since I started. That's way too many freakin' ends to weave in for a scarf. It'd better stop it.

Socktoberfest!

Just a quick peek at what's on the needles sock-wise. I've got two single socks, and about 5 pairs of half done single socks. There are also two pairs in hiding somewhere I'm going to try to dig up. My goal for the month is three finished pairs. I think this is doable.

First up - finishing those grey socks for Hubbo's anniversary present!