I even managed the grafting at the end of the tubular cast-off on the second try. That’s a fairly huge accomplishment for me.

It goes beautifully with my new shawl pin that I bought at Stitches this year.

I really like the way it fits.

Plus, it’s really, really cozy.

I can’t wait to wear this!

That’s somewhere around 85% complete.  I’m hoping to have it done in the next couple of days, because I’m itching to start my next project.  I got a PM on the Knittyboards with a question and a link to a pattern.  (For you non-Ravelers, the pattern is for a pair of stranded mittens with dragonflies up the back of them)  I’ve got some solid Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn that I think I’ll use, as soon as I determine what color combo I want to go with.

Saturday night, Kris and I met Carrie, Alex, his brother Eric, and his friend Tim at our favorite sushi place for dinner, after which the boys went off to shoot at each other (AirSoft is now a bi-monthly thing), and Carrie came back here for a girls’ night.  We watched movies (Benny and Joon, Grease, The Road to El Dorado, and The Muppet Movie), spun, and knit.

I broke out Zaphod for the first time in ages, and I filled an entire bobbin with most of the second braid of some merino I bought last year at… um… I think Maryland Sheep and Wool.  I’m 99% sure that it was there – it’s from Cloverleaf Farms, and the color is Rose Quartz.

I’ve got another bobbin that I filled last year (I started it at SAFF ’07, if I remember right), and I’ve got a little bit of the roving left.  I’m trying to decide if I want to ply it or what.  If I do, I think I’ll run the first bobbin back through to even out the twist a little, AND to revive it, since it’s been on that bobbin for a year now.  I might leave it as a single, though – it’s pretty the way it is, and I’d (obviously) have more yardage that way.

(New bobbin on left, old one on right)

The good thing is that I’ve gotten bitten by the spinning bug again – maybe I’ll start making an actual dent in the two cubbies full of roving that are threatening to take over the craft room…

Also, Carrie told me something interesting Friday night (actually, a couple of something interestings, but only one of which applies here) – Dave at the Merlin Tree has developed a conversion kit to make a Hitchhiker into a double-treadle wheel.  I’m going to have to investigate this, because I definitely find Elphaba easier to use now that she’s a double.  I’m betting Zaphod would be the same way.

*ETA:  You people have seriously smutty minds.  That’s my copy of freaking Entertainment Weekly!  The cover article is on the “50 Sexiest Movies Ever.”  Sheesh. 

As for the stripes… do you people not know me at ALL?  The stripes match perfectly because it’s knit in the round!  No seaming!  No worrying about matching them up!  Simple as can be.  You do a provisional cast on that is where the shoulder seam would be and knit the back section from the neck about 1/3 of the way down the armholes.  Hold those stitches.  Then, you pick up from the provisional and work the left and right fronts to the same point (Remember – set-in sleeve, so the edges are straight and where they would normally be).  Once you reach that point, you pick up stitches along the left armhole edge, work across the back, pick up for the right armhole, work the right front, cast on for the center neck (depending on what sort of collar you want), work across the left front, et voila!  Top-down, set-in sleeves in the round.  All you do is increase on the sleeve sides of the sleeve-body connections (what would be the raglan increases in a top-down raglan), and you get perfectly matching stripes, no seaming required.

And if that makes no sense, seriously – pick up “Knitting from the Top“.  It’s brilliant.

In other news, I am about 25% of the way through Carmelo.  The Malabrigo is knitting up beautifully.  So much so that I’m even not ready to poke my eyes out over the interminable 1×1 ribbing.  Because yes, the entire thing is 1×1 ribbing.  This was poor planning on my part.

(The bottom edge is the left cuff edge of the sleeve.  It’s knit cuff-to-cuff.  And no, I’m not going to discuss what that particular arrangement kinda looks like, thank you very much.)

I have learned a new thing on this project, and I’m practicing my Continental knitting, though, so that’s fun.  I learned to do a tubular cast-on, and OMG is it pretty.  I used TECHknitter‘s method, and it was super-easy to follow, so I’m hoping the coordinating bindoff is as easy.  Even though I’m not looking forward to the grafting part.  Kitchener stitch = still my knitting Achilles’ heel.

But still – is pretty! (Although the color is way off in this one – the others are closer)

And tubular-y!

Explaining to Meeko that claws + sweater = repercussions for the owner of said claws.

Plotting the placement of the shed.

Squinting at the sun (it was the only shot I got of the collar. )

Chatting with Lola.

I’m really thrilled with how it came out, and Kris loves it.  It’s soft, it’s warm, and it FITS!  Yay!

Now, I tackle this pile.

Here’s hoping I can finish both by the 30th!

That’s right – it’s DONE!  I finished the knitting yesterday morning, wove in the last of the ends last night, and it’s soaking now.  I’m hoping it dries quickly so that I can get some good modeled shots of it tomorrow.  In the meantime:

And now, I think I’m crazy enough that I’m going to attempt a second sweater.  I picked up Malabrigo Book One at Stitches, and the pattern on the cover (Carmelo) is positively gorgeous.  I’m going to use the Malabrigo Worsted in “Tortuga” that I originally planned for Kris to make Carmelo for me.  As much as I’d love to use it for Kris, there’s just not enough there to get a sweater for him out of it.  And since he won’t wear a vest, well, no Malabrigo for him right now.  Maybe if enough of the stash gets used and or destashed, I’ll let him pick out a color for himself.  Plus, I found that fantastic shawl pin at Stitches, and it’s just BEGGING to be used for this.  The color is perfect for the Tortuga Malabrigo.

Finished up the first sleeve at knitting today.  I’m hoping to get the second one done tomorrow – I might actually have a NaKniSwe1/2Mo!

I’ve decreased from 72 to 58 stitches on the first sleeve, and I need to get to 30 before I start the ribbing.  I finished up the hem at the bottom a couple of days ago, and I’m very happy with how it came out.  I think it will lay better after blocking, too.

Since the sweater has gotten a bit unwieldy for taking to rehearsal, I decided to start the Boteh scarf as a more portable option.

It’s fantastic yarn to work with, and I love the way the colors are working – I think it’s going to be awesome when it’s done.  I just need to look at the yardage on the original pattern and see if I can lengthen it at all.  I like my scarves long. 

Anyway, Stitches was, well, Stitches.  The Market is overwhelming.  I had decided before going that I was not buying yarn – books, patterns, tools, yes.  Things to help use up the stash, but nothing to ADD to it.  I almost made it.

However, if you remember past years, I’d say I was downright restrained.

The buttons and shawl pin are from Bonnie Maresh, who does some of the most amazing glass work I’ve ever seen.  Just gorgeous stuff.  In the middle is my new toy – a kumihimo disk.  I’ve seen the big wooden marudai, but it always seemed like a big thing to buy without knowing if I’d use it.  So, when I saw a little portable foam version, well, what the hell?  Why not?  And, um, yeah…

I think I’m using it.  That’s about a yard long – it’s the yarn that came with the kit.  I did that yesterday.  It’s really rather addictive.  They make a square one so that you can do flat braids, too – I might have to get one. 

The nail files over on the left are glass ones with little handpainted dragonflies on them.  If you’ve never used a glass nail file, they are really awesome.  And I’m not one of those people who is all “OMG!  I broke a nail!  Waaaaah!”, but it does bug the crap out of me if I’ve got a rough spot snagging on things, so it will be nice to have these handy to deal with those moments.  Plus, the glass files last for freaking ever.

ETA:  Almost forgot – I also picked up a copy of “Malabrigo: Book One” by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton.  I found a sweater in there that I thought would be great for the Malabrigo Worsted that I picked up for Kris ages ago.  Unfortunately, I misread the requirements, and I don’t have anywhere near enough.  I might make it for him out of something else eventually, though.

Both hanks of yarn are from the lovely Lindsay at Storm Moon Knits.  I also picked up a little something just because it cracked me up.

Yes, the button says “Will knit for booze.”  I believe in truth in advertising.  (Apologies for the color.  Red background + incandescent light makes for some oddness)  The top skein is Twilight Sock in “Peace and Love“, a colorway Lindsay created in memory of her friend’s 12-year old daughter, who passed away this summer from Severe Aplastic Anemia.  She is donating the proceeds from the sale of this yarn to Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Woodbine, MD, where Gabrielle spent time volunteering.  It’s a beautiful color, and the sentiment is something I had to support, especially with all of the support that Hats for Alex has gotten.  The other skein is Tornado Sock in “That Girl Is Poison”, which I bought totally because I fell in love with the color.  Splurge, I admit it.  The Peace and Love will be a Boteh Scarf, since I love my first one so much.  I’m going to start on that as soon as I finish Kris’s sweater.

My last Stitches was lots of fun, although it wasn’t the same without you here, Betsy!  I did get to see lots of people, some who were old friends and some who have become new ones.  And some who saw me but didn’t say hello, so I still haven’t gotten to meet them (You know who you are…).

Oh, and speaking of Kris’s sweater…

Ta da!  This is the progress as of right now – 11″ of body from the armpit seams (So yes, PK, he’s officially saved from the crop top).  I’ve got another 4-ish inches to go before I do the hem, and then the sleeves and neckband.  I did a stitch count calculation the other day, and according to that, I’m currently at 57% complete!  Woohoo!  And I’m even still enjoying it – bigger woohoo!  Although, I do still have all those ends looming, waiting to be woven in.  *sigh*

In other news, the NaKniSweMo sweater continues to move along.  I split off the sleeves today.

I’ve got plenty of work ahead of me, though.  Somehow I don’t think Kris is up for a cap-sleeved crop top…

And under the heading of “opposite of genius”, I’m an idiot.  Why wasn’t I carrying the yarns along the inside between stripes instead of cutting every time and starting a new piece?  Because now, I’ve got this facing me:

Ugh.  I AM now carrying the yarns, so at least that’s not going to continue for the rest of the sweater.  I’d have to cry.

It looks like the Big Giant Tree‘s days may finally be numbered, by the way.  We’ve been waiting since SEPTEMBER for the guys to finally get to us.  We were hopeful last week – they were in our neighbor’s yard.  Then they skipped to the other side of the street.  Gah.  Today, however, they were in the yard on the other side of us, and actually made it into our yard to take out a tree that was rooted in his yard but leans over the fence into ours.

See him?  Waaaaay up top?  I’m pretty sure there isn’t enough money in the world to get ME up there.

I took that from the second floor of our house, and I got a decent one of the BGT, just to give you an idea of how REALLY big it is.

OK.  The house behind it?  Two stories, on the same level as the ground the tree is on (there is a little slope down from the tree toward our house, right across our backyard).  The tree is easily 3-4 times the height of that house.  I couldn’t quite get the top in the picture, but that’s most of it.  It’s going to take these guys a week just to get that tree out.

I had an election-related post bouncing around my head today, but honestly, I don’t have the energy for the whole thing.  All I will say is this brief version – neither gloating nor whining is an attractive form of behavior in a three-year old.  It’s even less so in an adult.  Also, it’s not a football game.  He didn’t “win” – he was elected, which means it’s not over – the work is JUST STARTING.  Everyone who is acting like the work is done… to me that’s like interviewing for a job, being hired, and then saying “Yay, I did it!  Nothing more to do!”  My personal policy is never to discuss politics or religion with friends I intend to keep, so please note right now that this is NOT a topic I’m going to debate in the comments.  My blog, my opinion.  I don’t expect anyone to agree with it.

Incidentally, last night’s post with the comic strip was my 500th.  I knew it was coming up, and I was sort of thinking of doing something big and introspective for it, but somehow I think that comic was more me.  Especially since I didn’t even catch that it was #500 until this morning.

And it looks like hubby likes it, too.  Even if he is slightly blurry (I blame lack of light at 5:30 in my living room, not lack of skill by the photographer)  And yes, you will notice he has significantly less hair than he did on Halloween.  He had been trying to grow it out and decided he was sick of it.  Mary gave him the ok (he’ll be wearing a wig for the show), so he buzzed it on Sunday.  Everyone did a double-take at rehearsal last night. 

I cannot recommend enough either the book (Barbara Walker’s Knitting from the Top) or the yarn (Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes).  The book really guides you without leading you by the hand, and the yarn is just fantastic – soft but sturdy, with gorgeous stitch definition.  I am trying to come up with ANY excuse to use more of it in the future.  Probably for me next time.