Passed the Class

So I finished the sweater class last night. If grades were passed out I would give myself a B+. Here's a pic of the FO (finished object). Last week I was so frustrated with it that I feared it would become an UFO (unfinished object) but I did it!

You'll notice that the neck doesn't go straight up like a funnel neck but is actually a crew neck that is higher in the back than the front. Much confusion and frustration was endured during that step of the sweater but I was rewarded when I finished. Of course it isn't perfect and I can see each and every stitch that I think I could have done a little better.

Finished Class Sweater


Tonight's agenda includes more felting for the Booga Bag, which after one washing has yet to actually felt. Also more work on the husband's socks.

I knitter's job is never done . . .

When You Should Just Stay Home

So today was one of those days when everything just screams that you should have just stayed home. I went to BART on time only to wait for my train and find that there were delays because of a problem north of where I was at Daly City. BART had shut down all service on the peninsula. So I called up the husband, who was getting ready to go to work, and he said he would just take me with him to Daly City or Balboa Park so I could catch BART there. Minutes later the BART attendant says that NO trains are going into SF at all! So nothing is going north into the city!

Ok plan C goes into effect - I'll take the Caltrain. I go to the San Bruno Caltrain station and it is closed/gone. I don't knwo if they moved it or if there isn't a San Bruno Stop or what.

Ok off to plan D - I went home and the husband drives me into the city because there is basically no affordable parking in the financial district for me to drive my car.

So the wonderful husband drives me into the city and then 15 minutes later calls me - the car's engine is heating up - the temp light is on - and smoke/steam is pouring out of the engine. He thinks it's the radiator and is going to try to make it to the repair shop. - He didn't make it. He ended up having to tow the car to the repair shop and fenangled a ride home from a guy at the repair shop, so he could then pick up my car and drive to work.

So I didn't get to the office until about 10:45am and the husband I bet didn't make it to his office till about noon. We should have just called off the whole day and stayed in bed!

Anthing but Work

I have one more day until my boss comes back from China and my mind is totally not on work today. I came into the city prepared to start knitting a pair of slipper socks for the husband. I have been promising to start them and he keeps asking about them so I had better get them done. The husband's slipper socks are the first project made possible by the Neonapple Knitting Fund, which has a very exclusive membership so far. So the husband has Phatfrog to thank for his slipper socks. When the socks are done, I'll have to make sure that the husband wears them at Phatfrog's house, when we go to visit.

So today I am avoiding work and I am secretly rolling the husband's sock yarn into balls underneath my desk. It will be harder to secretly knit the swatch under my desk so I can figure out his pattern. Whoever though that I would be the 007 of knitters?!

Becasue every project has to be perfect of course - last night I reknit a portion of a mystery project for someone who actually reads this blog, so I can't show the pic of that project until next week. Hmm I wonder who that person is? Anyways I will post a pic of that project next week when I can get a pic of the un-named recipient with said project.

The Husband's sock Yarn
Noro Kureyon 100% wool color # 150

Knitting to Save My Sanity

Since I was so frusterated with the sweater class I worked on the Booga Bag to save my sanity. It is in 100% wool Noro Kureyon color #95. It's all done and just needs to be felted in the washing machine and blocked, then I can attach the iCord handle.

Booga Bag Before Felting


As promised here is the class sweater in progress. I still have to rip back the collar one more row and finish the collar for my homework. Also the armpits need to be kitchner stitched together. I am still avoiding this homework from being so upset about class this past week. One more class and then it will be complete.

Class Sweater in the Round - Mid Progress

Sweater Anxiety

Last night I was sitting in my sweater class and I was all proud that I had my homework all done ready to finish my collar and my teacher tells me that since she made a mistake on last week's class handout she had made another one to go over again and by the way the homework I did went too far.

So I had been all proud of myself only to find out that I now had to rip out and unknit 10 rows! I couldn't just rip it out willy nilly neither though since there are stitch markers involved and decrease points so one by one I unknitted each stitch. It took me the whole class to undo the homework that I did! No one else had actually finished their homework so they ended up being ok. I was so upset that I was basically wasting a class to unkit plus she went over last week's class over again with her "new and improved". I was so upset and anxious that I actually couldn't wait till class was over and I kept looking at my cell phone to check the time. Ok it probably didn't help that I hadn't actually eaten much of anything the whole day and it was 9pm at the time. So not only was I upset and anxious but I felt like I was going to pass out from not eating or drinking anything all day.

I have to keep reminding myself that I took this class for fun! In the end the husband ended up taking me out to Denny's to eat before he took me home after class so I could eat. He was so sweet - he picked me up in his PJ's and sandals and didnt' complain one bit that we went out with him looking like that and I was so upset that I didnt' care - it was only Denny's after all. He is so wonderful! Unfortunately the dinner was less than spectacuar and the service wasn't even close to average but that is for another rant.

I ended the evening with a Tylenol and 5mg of Valium so I could calm down. A class that I took for fun really should not require valium to survive it! On the up side I am still very mellow this morning thanks to the valium.

New Knitting Class

I am currently taking a "Round & Round Sweater" knitting class. I thought the class would be a neck down all in the round sweater but no it started from the bottom up and just made 3 tubes and connected them. So it isn't as earth-shattering for my knitting world as I was hoping. Oh well.

The good news is that I only have 2 more classes - tonight and next Wed. and I'll have yet another toddler sweater! I'll post pics later this week I promise. It is in Berroco Air which is like knitting with cotton candy.

I really have no need for a toddler sweater and I don't want to give it away. My original plan was to make an adult version but my plans were thwarted. My first class I went in with my bag full of sweater yarn that I have been saving in my stash - the first weeks' homework was to knit the body from the bottom to the armpits on #8 needles (keep in mind my the mother was visiting the same week). After horribly twisting my cast-ons for what felt like about a million times I cut the beginnign of the adult sweater up the side and threw it away! - You can imagine how pissed I was to do that. I decided that smaller is better and changed to a chunkier yarn and decided to make it kid size so that I could stay sane for the duration of this class. Needless to say I never want to work with the green yarn that I origianlly picked for the adult version of the sweater.

I am now doubting that I'll ever actually get to wear a sweater from my own needles - I don't think I am going to ever be toddler size again . . .