Ribbit ribbit

I feel like my knitting throughout the entire month has been an entire waste at the moment. Last week I had to frog my Nunt's Cabled Wristwarmers because I had severely messed up the cables (I was knitting inside out, and it's hard to see what you're doing when you do that. I didn't know that it was possible to knit in the round right-side-out! lol)

Then a few days ago I came to the realization that the lovely chevalier socks, for which I had just finished the heel flap on, were never going to fit me (I could barely squeeze them past my heel, and that will only get worse once the foot of the sock is built into it!) I debated whether or not to keep going and find someone to give them to, but I really wanted to have these for myself, so I finally frogged it yesterday, and went back to working on the wristwarmers now that I've had a break from them and felt brave enough to start them again. The part that really frosts me with the socks though, is that I was knitting the MEN'S SIZE!!! Where the hell are the men whose heel-top of foot distance is significantly smaller than mine? I mean I have size 8 women's feet, for crying out loud!!! Yes they're wider than most women's but my feet fit perfectly into size 6 men's shoes when I do find them. *grumble grumble* At least I know that the upsizing should be fairly simple, just adding another 4 ribbed rows to the back side should do it. We'll cross the foot width bridge when we come to it, it seems!

Overheard at Zaphod's

I walked into the washrooms at Zaphod's last night just in time to watch some girl lift up her shirt. A minute later I heard the same girl say "Touch my tattoo -- it's, like, lubricated!". The IQ level in the bathroom when another girl replied "Oh, it's like, TRIBAL, or something!" (The tattoo in question was of a bird, slightly stylised, but nothing tribal about it)

I came to find myself in this brain-numbing situation thanks to the Bicycles, a Toronto indie-pop band who just happen to be one of my favourites. Their pop-rock is very sixties influenced, Beatles/Monkeys/Beach Boys/etc style. Very fun and cute. Sadly their set was quite short and only featured music from their upcoming album, and none of their older songs, but the music was still good, and I still love them, and really wish I could be in Toronto for the album launch next week, so I could see a proper set, and buy the cd directly from them.

I spent much of the time knitting, while waiting for the first band, the Balconies, to play, and during their entire set. They were decent, but their music didn't really make me want to leave my knitting and go up and dance. The main act was Young Rival, yet another 60s influenced band, but this time much more of the louder, harder rock of the late 60s. They were good, but I found that most of their songs sounded the same. I still would have bought an album, but they didn't have one, only an EP, not enough tracks for my liking!

The crowd at Zaphod's was an uncomfortable and truly odd mix of complete and utter hipsters, and old folks (well, people in their 50s, 60s). Toward the end of the night the old folks had mostly gone home, and instead the hip-hop crowd had begun to infiltrate, since they had their stuff coming up right after Young Rival. I was throughout the night the odd one out. My whole "preppy" look, my weight, and the fact that I seemed to be one of maybe 3 people in the audience who knew the Bicycles (and probably the only one who came FOR them). Oh yeah, don't forget the whole sitting out the first act and knitting on my own!

Young teaching the old

It's been a while since my last post. I've been wanting to post for a while, but between ridiculous internet troubles, and going on an insane knitting kick, I just haven't gotten around to it.

I finished my first afghan square. It's more yellow than it appears in the photo, but it was the only shot I was able to get in before my camera died again. I'm quite happy with the finished product, though I do wish I hadn't messed up at the very beginning and forgotten to put an extra stitch in between the cables (top left of the central cable pattern).

I've also bought yet more yarn, which I really need to stop doing, at least when I don't have a specific project that I need the yarn for.

I started knitting Nunt's Cable Wristwarmers (too lazy to link to ravelry atm), and am nearly all the way through my first mitt, just a few more rows to go, and then possibly a few more to make it long enough to reach past my knuckles.

I also cast on for the Chevalier Socks by the same woman who designed the Green Gable Hoodie in the Fall '08 Vogue knitting. I LOVE her stuff. It's drool-worthy!

My nanny, who looked after me for nearly 12 years, is in town, currently house/pet-sitting for another woman whom she once looked after. She's now 79, and her health is failing, so I've been trying to spend some good quality time with her. She's the grandmother I never got to have, the sweet old lady who just is happy to see me, and loves to spoil me. Neither of my biological grandmothers are the least like that, luckily, I've always had her. I just gathered up a mad array of needles, so that I, the 20-something can teach HER how to knit. She did knit a long time ago, but never more than plain knitting, so I'm going to give her a refresher in knitting, and then teach her how to cable! The only thing I need now is some yarn, as I don't have enough of any unvariegated yarn to make even a scarf out of!!!

So back to Knit-Knackers for the 4th time in 2 weeks. If we can't find anything suitable, I'll get some cascade 220 at Yarn Forward, since even though it's more expensive than it is in the states/online, it's still very affordable.

10 hours driving hurts my knee

The trip to Toronto went well. I managed to hit up more yarn stores than I thought I would. The Naked Sheep, the Purple Purl, Romni Wools, and Lettuce Knits.

Bought older copies of Knitter's that I didn't yet have for less than half-price at the Purple Purl, plus got an AWESOME reusable bag in bright purple with the sale.

Bought some more Classic AL (teal this time) at Romni. Their basement is great now, and the guy who was down there, organising it all, was really nice and helpful. Mum picked up 3 crochet books, ALL of which have actual wearable stuff in them, which shocked me. I'm not normally a fan of crochet, as to date there's still not been enough modernising of the styles. Crochet Me was the only one I knew of beforehand that had some nice stuff, but she also bought Positively Crochet, which alongside some of the dumb granny-square style things, also had some very nice patterns in it. She also bought Today's Crochet, which also has some nice patterns, but not quite as modern as the other two, but still nice simple, clean looking ones, sans granny-squares and crocheted flowers.

Finally I got to Lettuce Knits, and in chatting with the salesgirl, found out about Berocco's Ultra Alpaca, which has incredible yardage (400 per skein) for a fingering weight, and it's very very cheap ($12), and isn't terribly scratchy either. I plan on using this for Pretty as a Peacock.

I would have gotten to two more stores had they been open in the morning. Instead I got to drive through a construction ridden area in a terrible rainstorm, only to discover neither was open! Fun times...

I also got to spend some time with my best friend who moved to Toronto this summer to work, AND got to become an inside source for a documentary for CBC next fall.

In other news, I finally got my camera to work for long enough to take a series of photos of my projects, both finished and on the go, and a big chunk of my stash, which was terribly exciting. Now I've finally got pictures of my projects up on ravelry, as well as many more stash yarns!

In even more exciting news, I went to my first Knit-night ever last night. It's been nearly 5 years in the making. I have joined the list a few times, and had great plans, but always either forgot, went to bed before it began, was otherwise occupied, or in one of my non-knitting phases. Last night, I found myself clean, dressed, in a knitting phase, and remembering I had an email reminder about it, so I went to Bridgehead and met 5 very nice women, none of them more than 5 years older at most. I added a few of them to ravelry when I got home, because I'm silly that way.

Now off to watch some tv, and keep knitting my afghan square!