Things were so nuts in May and June that I really didn’t have the mental power to do anything complicated. I felt bad because all I needed to do was finish about 3 inches of the hood, then pick up all around the band and knit ribbing for 2.5 inches. Finally I had time and thought enough to pick it back up about two weeks ago, and… bam!

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted Weight in “Verde Adriana”

Pattern:  #13 Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky

Happy late  birthday, sweetie! Enjoy!

Yarn: Perhaps Today is a Good Day to Dye in Superwash Merino Sock, “Grey Gardens” (the June 2010 sock club colorway)
Pattern: Celtic Spirit Socks by Judy Alexander

Yarn: Perhaps Today is a Good Day to Dye; Cash Sock in “Indian Corn”, the April 2010 Hanks Yarn and Fiber sock club colorway.

Pattern: Copper Penny Socks by Nancy Bush

The rest of my 2010 photos can be viewed here.

Remember what happened to the first one?

Now I’m making a second one.

- I didn’t have enough yarn, so ordered two more skeins. They were not the same dye lot.

- They’re very noticiably not the same dye lot.

- I alternated and knit from two balls (one of the new dye lot, one of the old) at the very bottom because I was afraid I’d run out of yarn, and I can tell the difference between the two dye lots.

- I’ve been telling myself from the beginning that this doesn’t bother me.

- It does bother me.

- Because of the dye lot issue, I wanted to change the sleeves a bit; they are knit cuff up and seamed, but I wanted to pick up stitches and do short-row shaping and knit down, so that if I ran out of the good dye lot the use of the new dye lot would be near my hands and not near my neck.

- Today I ripped out my… third? fourth try at the sleeves.

- I’m thinking about making it a tank top – fuck the sleeves. Even though the armholes are too big for tank top, and look very… well, kind of stupid as a tank top.

- But I can still tell at the bottom that there is a dye lot difference, and I wonder if I would wear it. I don’t really want to overdye it;  I love the color (of the original dye lot).

a;lfdjka;ldfjkad;flkjaldk;fj

Part of me says “you know what, self? This is maybe not the week to be making sweeping decisions about your knitting! Maybe you should put it away until July and think about it later!”. Part of me says “put the bitch in time out with that fucking Simple Knitted Bodice you’ve been ignoring for five years”. Part of me says “rip it out, separate the two dye lots, and make something else!”.

Part of me also says that perhaps now would be a good time to go pour a drink and relax while waiting for the new season of True Blood to start.

Gah.

Yarn: some unlabeled sock yarn from my stash

Pattern: made up as I went along

Notes: Made for my massage therapist; I think I like the way it turned out, and have started another to make sure. If I like it, I’ll write up the pattern.

Yarn: Six skeins of sock yarn; three of Mind’s Eye, one Yarn Pirate, one HandPainted Sock Yarn, and one Sheldridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra

Pattern:  Faraway, So Close by Carina Spencer

Notes: Talk about your stashbusters! This pattern originally calls for worsted weight and size 10 needles; I used sock yarn (held doubled) and size 6 needles. So I also had to modify the pattern and add repeats to get the length I wanted. The verdict? LOVE!

Yarn: Mind’s Eye, from the sock club

Pattern: Gloria Cowl by Orinda5

A couple of my knitter friends mentioned both here and Facebook that they also liked the pattern and might want to do a KAL. If you’re ready, or almost ready, and still interested, give me a shout! I’m itching to cast on!

Yarn: About half and half Fiesta Yarns Kokopelli and Trendsetter Merinos VIII; some handspun; bordered with Dark Horse Fantasy

Pattern: 2009 Afghan by Lorena Haldeman and Sharon Emery

Notes: About a week ago, I had to face the conclusion that I have so much other deadline knitting that I just don’t have the time to devote to this, and my wonderful friend Marie really stepped up and helped me out. In return for some handspun, she finished crocheting this beast together for me. I’m terrible at asking for help, so this was a good lesson in reaching out for me. Thank you so much, Marie – I can’t tell you what a load off of my heavy shoulders this was! LOVE YOU SO HARD!

And you know what? For all the time this took, for all the problems I had over-dyeing to get the colors more uniform… the finished product really kicks ass. I can’t wait for it to get cold again (and neither can Tim, since it fits him almost perfectly)!