Because I've been being neglectful...

Quick update on a few things. Rochester progresses. As I said in an earlier post, all that stockinette can be a bit mind-numbing, no matter how much we might enjoy the finished product. Anyway, it's been so cold here lately that I pulled Hourglass back out and wore that. Wool at the end of May. Who'd have thunk?

Hush-hush has move up to active status. The size 2 needles arrived and are about to be put to use. Oh, and if I ever say I'm going to combine Addi Turbos and Pearl Cotton again, someone please slap me until I come to my senses. This is going rather slowly because I'm so afraid that I will drop half of my stitches. Here's hoping that when I get to the straight knitting part it will be smoother.

Needing to do some more socks, but I don't think I'm ready to start breaking needles again on the small gauge. I think I'll grab some 220 Superwash and make some HP socks for around the house. Maybe I'll even do some like Dobby- that don't match. :) Those are knit on size 4, so they go very quickly. They might even be some gifts to tuck away for right now. It's never too soon to start, right?

I'm also thinking of giving the site a facelift. These colors were all right for the winter but now that warmer weather is finally here, I'd like to brighten things up a bit. I wish I were better at design, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Just have to remember to copy down all my links...just in case!

Squeeeee!

DeeDee, you are, without a doubt, the most fantabulous SP ever!

Yesterday I got home from work, thinking that my head was going to explode from sinuses (it started raining during the night, so now I know why they were so bad), and there was a box waiting for me. I opened it up...and danced around the room. There was a lovely card, a big bag of salt water taffy (love that stuff!), a copy of Women Who Knit Too Much (which is as hilarious as it is true) and a CD of the most awesome 80s tunes that she burned for me. Woohoo! Molly's Needles has a soundtrack! *giggles*

Thank you so very much, DeeDee. I appreciate it all very much and hope that you were as spoiled as you made me. :)

sigh

I've been a bit stalled on the Rochester front. I think it's the endless rows of stockinette. No matter how much you may enjoy the final product, the process gets a bit mind-numbing after a bit. It is almost finished, though, so I hope to be wearing it soon.

One other thing has distracted me from my knitting the last couple of days. A dear member of the family got me Minish Cap for my GBA. And anyone who has played any of the Zelda games knows how addictive they can be.

...must...stop...playing....must...knit...several...rows........

Rochester, The Front

The hearts go up to a square neckline, which I cut off in the interest of getting the fishtail lace edging and the seed stitch hearts. The rest of the sweater will have the lace, but be plain stockinette. Hoping to have it done by next Friday/Saturday. Michelle is looking forward to modeling it for you all! ;) Sorry for the slight distortion. One of these days I'll actually read the manual for my camera and learn to take better pictures!

Salvaged

I was able to recalculate the pattern on Rochester and avoid having to rip out my work. I finished the front last night and cast on forthe back. I'll begin working it today. Naturally, the batteries on my camera have died again, but I'll pick some up tonight and try to post a picture of her so far this weekend.

The rest of her is rather dull- just plain stockinette (other than the lace at the hem and cuffs). Some shaping, but that really doesn't make for exciting knitting, does it? Still, the overall effect I'm going for is "understated elegance". *snort* Or a reasonable facimile thereof. Michelle (my dress form) is standing by and waiting for me to get finished so she can model it for everyone. She can be rather vain about things like that. The sad thing is that sometimes I think my clothes look better on her than they do on me!

I hate when I am stupid like this...

So last night I sat, merrily knitting away on Rochester. I completed two repeats of the heart motif up the center and was feeling rather proud of myself for how nice this is coming out.

Please bear in mind that I had worked out just how many rows to knit before starting the hearts so I would have full repeats and it would be balanced between the neckline and the lace edge. All sounds nice and orderly, right? It would be except that I calculated it using the measurements for the back! Since I am planning a square neck the front will be started much sooner.

I left the piece alone last night and recalculated this morning. So now I have almost 40 rows to rip out and start over. *headdeskheaddesk* I'm still shooting for a May 16th finish, though. If I can get through 3 hearts today and 3 more tomorrow I'll be back on track. Assuming no more problems arise.

Aside from that, I'm looking forward to seeing my mother on Saturday for our Annual Mother's Day/my birthday celebration. I'll be giving her the Lacy Prairie Shawl I made for Christmas (it wasn't quite done then and I haven't seen her since) as well as a big box of teas. It should be a fun day.

Rochester is begun

I cast on last night for real. A few changes in the pattern, though. Mostly cosmetic, but that's what everyone really notices, isn't it?

I decided to use a fishtale lace for the bottom and cuffs instead of ribbing. I didn't want the heavier look that ribbing sometimes has. Well, on the swatch I did to see how the different stitches would look together, I didn't really like the switch from stockinette trim to reverse stockinette body. Made the body look too heavy. So... since I really want my hearts down the center front, I grabbed some graph paper and charted out a seed-stitch heart the same width as the panel I was going to do. The sweater will be knit in stockinette.

I completed the lace last night and the first two rows of the body. I wanted to start the hearts, but it was getting too late and I was afraid of miscounting and messing it up. So that will be tonight.

I also have a potential deadline for completion. May 16th. Why? Well, that's my birthday and the BF's is on the 18th. We're having a joint celebration dinner that week and I'd love to be able to wear it.

Still have 3 lace repeats and the border to do on WPS. What with trying to get Rochester figured out, I haven't worked on WP for a few days.