Very good knitting time was spent in the attempt to get this picture. This wildlife photographer perched precariously on the fountain rocks next to the cement pond barely breathing. "Open your wings," she whispered. "Open your wings!" The wings open, the shutter is snapped, the delay on the camera thwarts the effort. Then the fluttery wings don't stay open long enough. Miss Flutter By decides to flutter around. Miss Wildlife Photographer loses her footing and almost ends up in the pond. She hopes the thirty minutes spent in her new hobby pleases you.
Knit Along Updates
First, the Six Sox Knitalong. My Cloverleaf Socks are finished and traipsing through the garden, like a good cloverleaf should. Lovely, yes? The ribbed top and the short row heels and toes are my own little pattern revisions. I strive to have my socks, really everything I knit, be perfect. Perfectly the same width, perfectly the same stripes (in the case of self-patterning sock yarn), perfectly the same length. To that end, when knitting the second sock I pulled out the finished sock to count the repeats as I was knitting down the foot. That's when I saw them. Or didn't see them. Those rows that somehow disappeared after I finished knitting the sock, grafted the toe, wove in the ends (sorry about the blurriness of the photo). So, in my attempt at perfection, did I rip out the offensive sock and reknit? Did I even obsess over it for a minute? Okay, maybe a minute. Then I made the same mistake in the second sock, finished it and went on my merry way. So there!
There isn't a whole lot of news on the Tea Pary Knitalong, but I have collected some yarn to work the tea set in. I really need to get working on this baby. I am hoping it will be done in time for a certain birthday girl, who may or may not read this blog. She collects small tea sets and the colors here will match her room perfectly. I hafta get knitting or there will be no tea in her party!
Readers of this blog may have noticed that not alot of knitting has been accomplished at the Blues lately. There are two reasons for this. One-Koigu Acqisition Obsession. Two-Gauge swatch paralysis. As for one-this addict has spent much time driving and surfing in her attempt at owning one of every colorway they dye up there in Koigu Land. I have made the two hour trip to Patternworks twice. Well, I called and they had gotten in an order! I was supposed to stay home? Make sure you check back in a day or two, a contest is a brewin' and the winner is a shoe-in for some Koigu! Oh! The midsummer fun! Can you stand it?
Gauge Swatch Paralysis. This lame attempt at a swatch was knitted on July 4th. It was for the Lace Along, a great knitalong. The only rule: Knit something, anything with intentional holes. I am working the Victoria Tank from the summer issue of Interweave Knits. I have knitted lace before, but I am in no way an expert. I wanted to knit this swatch on the right side only, because the sweater is knitted primarily in the round. Can you say "pain in the a**? Measuring lace for gauge? I just don't get it at all. How do you count the holes? And the knit togethers? So it sat. And sat. For almost two weeks. Luckily I will be taking a lace class when I go here this weekend. The knitting I get, the piddly detail stuff (like measuring gauge) I can use help on. Anyway-after agonizing over the stupid swatch for almost two weeks I did something totally out of character and habit for me. I cast on blindly. And on a smaller needle than is called for. It is the beginning of a new journey for me, one I wouldn't suggest attempting this at your home. It is a dangerous thing. There are more gorey details in the new photo album in my sidebar. Thanks to many hours (and knitting this takes many hours) of driving and sitting this weekend, I have a progress picture for you.
Oooo, I hope it works -- the Victoria Tank is beautiful! And I, for one, DO appreciate your sacrificed knitting time and the splendid photographic effort!
Posted by: Vicki | July 20, 2004 at 10:43 AM
You have been a very busy Mom, knitter, stasher and photographer (among other things, surely!)!
Love the photograph of the flutterby and thank you for taking your life into your hands to take it for our pleasure.
Love the socks and good for you! to move forward instead of backward and frog it.
And love the colors for the tea party set. Then the IK V top is just really fab! Lace is hard to swatch so you are just as well off to start and see what happens. Looks like you are doing well! Have fun with the knitting and it's good to hear from you! (PS knitting stores are addicting so be careful)
Posted by: Margene | July 20, 2004 at 11:49 AM
Don't know if I'll enter your next contest...since I never got the prize for the last one I won! ;) (just teasing you!)
Posted by: Natalie | July 20, 2004 at 12:52 PM
Those socks are adorable.
Posted by: Stephanie | July 23, 2004 at 02:33 PM
Heehee, I have a great mental image of you chasing that butterly around with your digital.....Well, ok, it's easier to imagine because I've been there, done that. But I never made it, so you score higher than I do. I decided photographing bees is much easier!
Posted by: Norma | July 23, 2004 at 04:39 PM
Teresa, it's a lovely picture. Patience is a wonderful virtue...send some my way. I'm delighted to see you're reading Mirror Mirror. Tell me how you like it. I found it haunting.
Posted by: Sharon | July 24, 2004 at 04:59 PM
Those colors are just beautiful! Blue has always been my favorite color, and I am drooling over that box of Koigu.
I would guess 63 skeins.
Posted by: Linda | August 01, 2004 at 12:43 PM