the Akamai Knitter

First off, I want to thank all of you lovely people for being so supportive. You all are the bestest. Knitters truly rock.

I think the reason I’ve been so lethargic and whiny is because I was catching a cold. This past week has been spent getting over it and what fun it’s been! /sarcasm

Actually, I shouldn’t complain too much. Others have had it much worse off then I have and this virus has given me the opportunity to be kind to myself. Instead of spending hours at the spinning wheel and with the beads, I’ve been chilling with the needles. I managed to get the first Mingus sock done while watching season 1 of Supernatural.

I also managed to get some work done on the second sock.

I can’t remember the last time I was truly in love with a knitting project like I am with this one. I want to work on it day and night, but I promised a friend I’d make her some felted clogs.

I would have started the clogs a couple of weeks ago, except the yarn needed to be wound. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate winding yarn?

None of the furniture I have out accommodates my swift and ball winder so I have to lug out a folding table for the express purpose of winding yarn. It’s like having to take out the ironing board. No fun.

I also can’t find the joy in cranking the ball winder. Some people find it meditative, I just find it boring as all get out. Bleh.

The purpose of all this whinging is to convey the triumph I felt when I finally got all my crap out and wound the yarn for the clogs. I gave myself a huge pat on the back and started them last night.

Robin's Clogs

The size 13US needles tend to kill my hands if I work on them for very long, which is fine with me. That just means I get to switch off to another project, like my socks. I can live with that.

Another reason I took a break from the spinning is that my knee is bothering me again. It’s just being a cranky old bitch so a day of rest was in order. I’m having a hard time staying away from the wheel though.

I’m on the last bobbin of another 3ply spun from some merino by Hungry For Handspun. Here’s the first two bobbins.

Summer Meadows

Hopefully my knee will be better behaved today now that it’s had a day of rest and I’ll be able to finish the third bobbin today. I might even be able to use my nifty new chain nose pliers that I bought last week. The possibilities excite me.

It’s Friday everyone! Have a good one!

33 Comments »

I joined the masses and dived in head first (no pun intended) into the Koolhaas knitting frenzy. Within two days, I was able to finish a man’s hat.

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood

Yarn: Swish  in Jade from Knit Picks

Needles: Size 6US/4.0mm and size 8US/5.0mm

Started: February 3, 2008

Finished: February 4, 2008

Size: Men’s

Despite the needle gymnastics I went through, this was really fun to knit. It was easy to get into a comfortable rhythm with the pattern. I was able to clip along at a steady and even pace.

The yarn was soft and willing to yield to the twists and turns I demanded of it. (What with not using a cable needle and all.) Hopefully, the recipient of this hat will find it warm and cozy as well.

I am a little worried that the hat will be too big. Since I don’t have much experience with the size of most men’s heads, I plan on taking it along with me to Aloha Knitters on Thursday to get a consensus. It’s just a little over 9 inches in height if that tells you anything.

Despite my concerns over the size of this hat, I’m already thinking of knitting another one in preparation for next Christmas. That would let me chalk up two scores to my name for A Loose Knit Group, whose project for this month is hats.

Ahh. The heady smell of accomplishment is sweet and these small projects sure do give me a high! :)

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So the Patriots didn’t win. As much as I wanted them to have that perfect season, the weekend wasn’t a complete disaster.

There was college basketball.

There was good food.

(Bulgogi, namul, and an island favorite, macaroni salad.)

There was hat knitting.

(Koolhaas by Jared Flood.)

There was stole knitting.

(Japanese Feather Stole by Anne Hanson.)

And there was the comforting presence of felines.

Like I said, it wasn’t a complete disaster. :-)

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At last! The gloves are finished!

Pattern: Annemor #11 from Selbuvotter by Terri Shea

Yarn: Knitpicks Palette in Marine Heather and Cream

Needles: size 2US/2.75mm Knitpicks Harmony Circulars

Started: 12/26/07

Finished: 1/25/08

No modifications.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that these are done. Did you see the fingers? All done. No more fingers. Did you know I hate knitting fingers? I might have mentioned it, but it bears repeating. I hate it. Yup. Hate it.

The thumbs I don’t mind so much. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with thumbs. Not so with the fingers. They seem to go on forever. Even though the thumbs on these gloves seem enormous, there were still only two to do. Much more manageable then eight long fingers.

Did I mention the thumbs are ginormous?

Other then that I did enjoy the knitting. The pattern is beautiful. I loved doing the back of the hand. I loved the cuff. That part of the glove knitted up quickly and painlessly.

In fact, I’m thinking of throwing on a pair of mittens on the needles. Mittens have no fingers. Only thumbs. Like I said, I can handle thumbs. Thumbs are manageable.

Hrm. Mittens.

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I’ve been attacked by a viscous virus known as Second Glove Syndrome. Hetty knows of that which I speak.

I started in enthusiastically as most knitters do when embarking on a new project. Then I got to the fingers. Pesky fingers. Still, I muddled my way through them. That is until I got to the thumb.

Do you see a finished thumb?

No. You don’t.

I let that glove sit and languish for well over a two weeks and Christmas is soon becoming nothing but a distant memory. I let distractions get in the way of the goal line. There were socks, earrings, and there was even a new camera.

In desperation, I joined a group in the hopes it would motivate me. The thing is, if you don’t ask for help then you probably won’t get it and I just couldn’t muster the courage to ask.

So I settled in and had a little talk with myself. It basically went something like this:

“Friend has cold hands. Friend need gloves. Finish gloves.”

“I don’t want to finish gloves. I hate knitting fingers.”

“Friend need gloves.”

“I hate fingers.”

“Friend need gloves.”

“Can I at least cut her fingers off first?”

That went well. Don’t you think?

So I let it go and knit sleeves until I finally got so disgusted with this albatross around my neck that I threw the second glove on the needles, thus bypassing the thumb. I figured I’d deal with fingers and thumbs another day.

Unfortunately for me, the body of the glove went by rather quickly.

Argh. Time to bite the bullet and knit fingers.

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