Tapestry update .... among other things

I've done really well sticking to the couple of projects I allowed myself to keep out of the craft room. I haven't even been tempted to bring up any of the others so far.

Yesterday brought the finishing of the first Celtic Knotwork Fingerless Glove. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out and am anxious to start on the colorwork section of glove #2.



Last night while watching Hell's Kitchen, I made my way through the monotonous k1 p1 ribbing on the cuff of the second glove, and tonight I plan to get through pattern A. These should, by all rights, be finished up this weekend.



Lately, I've been itching to cast on another pair of socks. Since I didn't want to get into another situation like with the Tantalizing socks, I cast on a simple stockinette pair for myself. I'm not quite sure these colors are really my cup of tea, but the combo will do.



While rumaging in the sock yarn basket, I came across some yarn I was planning to use to make a pair of men's socks. Of course, since everyone knows I can't resist casting on too many projects at once, I decided I had to knit up the skein. Originally the socks were going to be for my stepdad, but Paul really likes them, so Ron will get a different pair. I tried to buy another skein so they could each have a pair, but I've been unsuccessful finding this line of ONline yarn anywhere. It may be discontinued.



There has been much progress on the Tapestry Skirt along with the smaller projects. I am now halfway through the first of two eyelet repeats. Now that I don't have to do any more counting for the chain pattern rows, it is knitting up quicker. I'm hoping to have this done this weekend so I can wear it to work next week.



I'm thinking socks are going to hold my attention for awhile. Digging around in the sock yarn got me inspired to cast on all those lovely skeins I've collected over the past year or so. Also on the "menu" to be finished soon are the Flickering Flames skirt and Fair Isle Tam I have on the needles. Once those are completed, I can cast on one of the new projects I've bought yarn for.

Change in plans

Sometimes it really sucks getting old LOL. In the past 4 months or so I have gained about 25 pounds. Now I'm not complaining about the weight, mind you. It's the distribution of it that is getting to me. Some of it is just fine with me. For example, I've increased a cup size. No complaints there! But the pudge that is making me look about 5 months preggers has got to go.

I got myself a yoga mat, one of those exercise balls, and a pilates dvd. It is kicking my ass! My entire body hurts. This so better be worth it. I'm just praying I can keep the boobage ROFL.

The hardest part of the workout is any move that has me moving my left arm. I've been having problems with that shoulder. Guess it's time for another deep tissue massage to help release whatever is causing the problem with the rotator.

At least it's not hampering my knitting!

Tonight I finished the first May dishcloth. Turns out making all these is coming in pretty handy. We got a new stove a couple weeks ago. One of those flat cooktop ones with the turbo boil burner. The cotton dishcloths work great for shining it up.



I got started on the fair isle portion of the Celtic Knotwork Fingerless Gloves last night. I am using leftover yarn from the Mermaid jacket I made last year for my mother, along with other tidbits of leftover yarn in the right weight. Fair Isle gloves and mittens are great projects for using up leftovers you just can't bear to throw away, but are too sparse for anything of substance.



Tonight I am working on the Tapestry skirt. Both the gloves and skirt are calling my name, and I just don't feel like working on the other projects in the weekly lineup. I think I am going to give in to their call and knit on them until I either finish them, or something else starts calling to me. While it was a lot of fun at first to work on something different each day, it is losing it's appeal now. Just when I feel like I'm getting into a rhythm with a project, it's time to put it away for a week. I'll just have to be a bit more careful than in the past with bringing too many projects up from the craft room.

Of course, this will mean you all have to look at the same couple of projects every time I blog, but I think you'll manage to deal with it.

Tomorrow, an update on the Tapestry skirt.

3 done, 1 frogged

It's been awhile since I blogged. Quite awhile actually. I've been so busy with work that there have been days I get home so late all I do is eat, shower, and go to bed. Can you believe it? Delana not knitting!

No fears. There were a lot more days where I did do some knitting, but I just couldn't find time to blog about it. Every night I'd think "tomorrow I'll take some photos and blog", but it just never happened. Tonight I decided enough was enough and pulled out the camera.

Saturday I finished up the Meida's socks. The seasilk is so soft! I hope it holds up to many wearings.



Close up of the lace pattern. Again, I didn't get outside before it got too dark, so the colors aren't very true.



The Lauryn Waistcoat was off the needles 4/26, and I wore it to work today. There is no shaping whatsoever in this vest, but the stitch pattern and the drape of the yarn give the impression that there is a bit. I really like this and am glad I decided to give it a go despite the negative reviews I saw over the internet.



The third project finished during my nonblogging 3 weeks is the April Mid-Month Dishcloth. This is a great pattern for using up little odds and ends of leftover dishcloth cotton. I see more of these in my future.



I was browsing through some of my knitting books while doing some more decluttering of the craft room and ran across the log cabin knitting section in Mason Dixon Knitting. Back when I purchased the book I planned to use up my leftover sock yarn making a log cabin blanket, but just never got around to casting it on. Last weekend I remedied that. I bought myself a nice sized bin to throw all those odds and ends of sock yarn in and have it sitting next to my bed. Any time I need some mindless knitting I grab a ball and make another strip.



I've decided that I will make squares this size and sew them together when I have enough. Eventually the strips would take more yarn than I have to complete if I just kept going, and since the goal was to use up leftovers, I didn't want to get into a situation where I had to purchase more yarn just to get strips long enough.

Remember those Tantalizing socks I was making? Well, yesterday I was nearing the middle of the foot on the first one when I realized to my dismay that I was most certainly going to run out of yarn! Needless to say, the sock has been frogged and the yarn rewound into a cake ready to cast on a different pattern. One day I will buy enough yarn to make the Tantalizing socks, it just wasn't meant to be right now :0(

I mentioned that I had been busy at work. I've also been stressing a lot. Friday was the worst! I had to let someone go. It was really hard for me to do since this person was not just an employee. I also considered her my friend. I think it was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Afterwards, when my boss was talking to me about it, I got really upset and cried. That wasn't even the end of it. After I got home, I took a long hot shower and bawled the whole time. I don't ever want to go through something like that again. It was awful.

It was so awful, in fact, that I broke one of my resolutions. I caved and bought yarn! Paul didn't even say anything about it. He just drove me to the yarn store and let me shop to my heart's content.

I bought yarn to make several projects from the Summer 2008 issue of IK. There are quite a few I want to make, but I limited myself to cotton for the Tapestry Skirt, silk for the Roped Shell, and hemp for the Plaid Halter.

I cast on the Tapestry Skirt that afternoon while Paul and I watch movies and listened to the rain outside. I'm really liking the pattern so far and hope I don't lose interest and not get it finished in time to wear this year. This project is taking the place of the Tantalizing Socks in the weekly lineup, although I am keeping it nearby to work on if and when the mood strikes me.



The other projects I bought yarn for will have to wait until at least 2 WIPs have been completed before being cast on.

Tomorrow will bring photos of the Celtic Knotwork Fingerless Gloves cast on yesterday as my May Mitten/Glove a Month project.