Dang...

Whoa - it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post?!? I'm such a slacker... Rest assured dear reader(s) that I while I've sadly neglected my blog, knitting has been fast & furious. Let me fill you in on the past three weeks:

1) Elka - my Icelandic sweater. I *think* I mentioned I was taking an Icelandic sweater class. It's been fabulous - we've met twice thus far. At class #1 I learned to swatch in the round by knitting back & forth & not joining in the round. Weird, but accurate. Gauge was close enough to use size 10.5" needles for the Lopi yarn. Yes - size 10.5" + bulky Lopi = fast, fast knitting. Our instructor wanted us to finish the body of the sweater (knit in the round w/steek stitches added in) by class #2. Being the type A, overachiever that everyone accuses me of (okay - guilty as charged), I finished the body & sleeves by class #2. At class #2 I learned how to attach the sleeves to the body so I can knit the yoke. Slick as roads at 32°F. So - after some tricky math (how embarrassing since I taught Advanced Algebra for years) & help from another knitting teacher, I finished the decreases & am ready for tomorrow's class #3 and STEEKING!!! Ahh - I'm going to actually cut through my knitting. You know that's worthy blog fodder. Here's what it looks like so far:

It might be a bit snug on me (I kept thinking I was knitting the medium when I looked at the pattern in the wrong spot & ended up knitting the small size) so, I might be able to cross off another Christmas gift from 'the list'.

2) The Central Park Hoodie from the 2006 Fall edition of Knit Scene. I've had yarn in the stash for this project for months. So - cast on a couple of weeks ago & as of this evening, I've finished the back, learned how to add short rows to the back rather than binding off, knit the left front w/short rows at the shoulder, three needle bind off left front to back, and cast on & knit about 8 inches for right front. Not too bad... I'm trying to get all pieces knit & blocked (this will take some serious 'Frankenblocking' since the cables pull in a lot) before my next finishing class (November 3). I'm hoping my finishing class teacher can show me the correct way to sew in sleeves - I kind of winged my way through the last two sweaters. Here's the evidence so far:

3) October is time for Socktoberfest which means I felt the need to try to knit a pair of socks. I've really fallen off the sock bandwagon lately. I still have about an inch left of the RSC Cleopatra socks to finish - I just haven't found the impetus to pick it up & finish. Luckily, those clever knitters over on Ravelry kicked off a Socktoberfest KAL. Kirsten of Through The Loops wrote a mystery sock pattern. I was hooked! Each Wednesday she posts a new clue for the sock - I started a week late, but was able to catch up w/both socks by today's release of clue #4 (the foot of the sock). It's been a lot of fun - here's where I finished before clue #4.

The yarn is from a purchase I made during our road trip: Dream in Color - Smooshy. The color is Lipstick Lava - fun name. Clue #3 was the heel which turned out to be an Eye of Partridge heel - I've never knit one, and it was pretty cool.

And of course, because three projects (that are getting attention) can't be enough, I told Iain that I would *make* his Halloween costume this year. He and Orion are going to be:

Calvin & Hobbes!! What a sad day it was when Bill Watterson stopped creating this masterpiece of humor. Orion will be Calvin (easy, peasy - red shirt w/black stripes, black shorts - done). Iain will be Hobbes. This costume is not quite so easy - it will involve sewing. Yup - the things I do for my children.

Here's the costume so far:


Yeah - still lots of work to do. It won't be ready for this weekend's school carnival, but should be done by the actual date for Halloween. Wish me luck....

No sewing tonight, as I need to get to bed so I can get up before God so I can be at school tomorrow at 5:45 to kick off our Mole Day celebration. More blog fodder! :0)

So I hope you see why I've been away so long. Shouldn't be such a long hiatus before my next post.

By the way, please go visit OneMoreRow and wish my great blog friend a happy birthday!!

Ciao~