Sycamore Grove

There's a thousand things a day I want to stop and blog about, but I always forget. So, I'm totally gonna distract you with a massive knitting update!

First up, a project so super-secret that it can on;y be revealed now, in it's finished entirety! Actually, it just got lost in the cracks of my blog, so I don't have in-progress pictures. These are the Long Long Lacy Gloves from Lace Style.

And, a shot of them being worn. In real life. I was wearing this outfit at Goodwill (because I *heart* Goodwill) and there was a lady there who stopped me and said that I had "a unique style," but that she liked it. And I was all, "Thanks?" It was kind of weird. Like she liked my style inspite of it uniqueness, not because of it. Eh, whatever.

And something I've been threatening forever, but hadn't started until very recently.

So I was working on it, and after I took these pictures, I started in on the shaping for the neck. And kept coming up short on the stitch count. And as I looked at the pattern again, I realized that I'd increased for the bust shaping incorrectly. What else could I do? I ripped it all out.

Ad that's what it's supposed to look like. I just have to finish the bits around the arm and neck holes. And then I'll be done! This is the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits.

We all know how I'm incapable of not having any socks to knit, so it shouldn't come as any kind of surprise that I have a pair on the needles. They're the Raindrop Lace Socks from Fiber Trends, and I'm making them in Knit Picks Palette. I can't remember the colourway. Rainforest? Marine? Something wet.

So, I had this beautiful sock (not my favorite, I think, but very pretty, regardless) and the directions told me to, whilst shaping the toe, decrease to ten stitches. So I did. And ended up with a toe that looked like this:

Not being an incredibly pointy-toed person, I found this turn of events highly unsatisfactory. So I ripped back until I had eighteen stitches and grafted them together. The result?

Unmitigated success. And any way you slice it, that's a good way to end a blog entry.

Another post? Within a week? That's just crazy talk!

I realized, upon reading my last post, that I'd left out the reason for my enforced hiatus. About three years ago, I bought a laptop. Three years later, I started having massive problems with it. Honestly, I think old age just happened to catch up with it. I started noticing a lag, and then it got a huuuuge virus and was never quite the same. Three hard-reboots later, I noticed some, ah, pinstriping on my monitor. Vertical lines of pixels were beginning to die on me.

So, I continue on with my poor, limping computer, trying the best that I can. Then one day, I turn on my computer to find that half my screen was dead. Literally. I could see nothing on the right half of my computer. Do you have any idea how very frustrating that is? Terribly, in case you wondered.

Enter my friend Zach. Zach used to own a computer gaming cafe, and has lots of computer experience. If anyone can tell me where to get a cheap (preferably free) monitor that I can hook up to my laptop, it's him. So I call and ask, and he does me one better. He still has most of the old (but very serviceable) computers from the cafe and he's willing to sell one to me. Cheap.

So tonight he came over and set up my lovely new computer (which needs a name. I don't think she's a Serenity, really.) and I made us all dinner. Tomorrow the goal is to go get a connector cable so I can transfer all my files from the laptop to this behemoth (she's got an older tube monitor. takes up lots of space) and I'll be all set.

I'm so jazzed. Soooooo jazzed. I have no words.

In other, completely unrelated news, the November Rain socks are almost done. I really want to work on the Colinette socks, and work them into something that won't eat up two-thirds of the yarn in one sock. I'm not confident, however, in my ability to rip back the one almost completed sock I knit frantically on my last visit to the NY family, soak the yarn, divide it into two reasonably even balls (to avoid later disaster) and work out a toe-up sock patter that will yield two not-anklet socks. Tonight.

Instead, I'll just play dress up. Or rather, introduce a new category for the blog. Daily Outfits. I'll post a picture (not always guaranteed to be an accurate depiction of what I'm wearing on the day the picture is posted) of an outfit and a breakdown of it. I'm not the best person at documenting what I make (no picture of the finished Chocolate Twist? wtf?) especially when it comes to sewing. So, consider this my way of making up for that. So, first up.

- White eyelet lace tank top I've had approximately forever.
- Blue handmade skirt, gathered in the back to create a bustle illusion
- The Wedding Shawl
- Watch necklace that I kind of adore