Knitting Therapy

What's up, blog? You smell a little bit musty. Oops. I suppose I haven't been doing a ton of knitting lately, but it's picking back up. I finally, after several months, decided it was time to finish the second of hubby's Duke Blue socks.

I've also got my second try at a February Lady Sweater on the needles, this time in malabrigo worsted (mmmmmmalabrigo) with quite a few changes to the pattern. The regular sweater has a bunch of garter stitch, which I'm replacing with seed stitch. On my first try, the garter was just too loose, and stretched out a ton. I want my sweater to have bit more shape to it, so seed stitch it is.

We'll see how it goes, and of course, there will be pictures!

Time sure flies!

In just a couple of weeks, I'm off to see my parents and go to the MN state fair. A few weeks after that is the annual beach trip with the inlaws, which is always a ton of fun. I've been spinning away on Magda, working on some pretty sea green Corriedale roving, which will be laceweight. There's a ton of it, so it's taking a long time.

I'm also working on a slew of market bags, which will be for sale at our local craft fair in September. The pattern is simple as pie. I'll be writing it up and posting it here once I've got bag pictures loaded. Crochet goes quickly. I can make a bag in about two days!

I submitted a hat pattern to a book about hats. I won't post a picture here on the off chance I get picked but, once I know one way or another, I'll show it off!

Finally, I'm organizing a charity project for my knitting group. A dear friend of mine has been battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma for years; he is (I am glad to say) two years cancer free this month! He got his much needed transplant at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and I'm collecting chemo hats to send there. I know there's a few knitters and crocheters who read this - if you want to contribute a hat (or 2, or 12), just let me know. I'm planning to send them to Sloan-Kettering in late September or early October. I even have a couple of patterns I'll recommend. Child-sized hats and men's hats are always welcome, as are trendier hats for survivors in their teens/twenties.

The first post in a long time... I suppose I don't have much to do these days, being unemployed, so I'll start up this again, this time as a whining/knitting blog. Might as well, eh?

I need a job. I need one badly. At least something to get me out of the house a few days of the week. Sitting, watching tv, and knitting can only take someone so far before they get horrifically bored. The only problem? There's very little to do with an MA in Middle Eastern Studies in Durham, NC. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, or knows someone who knows someone... I'm now that desperate. Time to go visit the local bookstores and beg for work.

A good side effect of the no working is all the knitting I've been doing. Since moving down to NC, I've made myself a new sweater, Scott got new socks, I donated a purse to a charity auction, and I'm making 4 more to try to sell at a craft fair. I'm also making a baby sweater for Kei, my cousin's new baby. I have a one pound bag of purple, grey, and white 100% cotton that will soon become a (or several) new market bags because the Harris Teeter ones just aren't pretty to look at like the ones from whole foods, but I feel weird toting around bags for rival grocery stores. Besides, everyone can use more lovely tote bags.

Also, my house seems to have become infested with flies. I'm not unclean. We take the trash out daily, we don't leave food out. SIGH. Any thoughts on getting rid of common houseflies? It's getting annoying, and poor half-blind Kit can only kill so many. Layla just plays with them until they get away again.