So the other day, I was doing laundry. Like you do. I have laundry in my suite, which is wonderful, so I was watching TV and knitting while it was going. The dryer buzzed, so I got up, got the laundry out, threw it on the other couch and started sorting. We have two couches (loveseats really), and generally sit on one, and the other one is relegated to laundry sorting and guests.

So I’m sorting, and find a few damp items. I throw the offending items on to the couch I had previously been occupying with my knitting. Mission: Sort accomplished, I grab the bundle of damp clothes, and throw them in the dryer, and go about my business. I watch TV, I knit some. The boyfriend phones on his way home from work, and that reminds me about the laundry that is now dry. I open the dryer while still on the phone, and all the boyfriend gets is ‘OH. MY. GOD. I have to go. Call you back.’

I had gathered up my knitting bag with the damp stuff, and had thrown it in the dryer! It wasn’t zipped up either. It had the other partial sock in it, not the one I was knitting, which is why I didn’t notice.

While the Millicent escaped any felting disaster (I would’ve cried), do you know what happens when you put the very loose bit of a centre-pull ball that is almost finished up in a dryer?

This:

Close up:

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too terrible to untangle. I found that leaving the PJ pants in the mess, rather than try to drag them out actually helped the process.

And in better news, that particular sock is almost to the ankle. In worse news, my digital camera is now making any picture I take look like this:

That’s both Millicents as of a few days ago. Impressive, huh?

Why didn’t my electronics break when I was brining home a real paycheck? My laptop needs a new battery too.

I went shopping today (new dress, 30% off, new necklace, 50% off!) and while browsing, I saw all sorts of exciting knitted things. I’m going to talk about those right now, as working 66 hours in 6 days is not conducive to knitting.

My favourite were the rain boots. You know, those rubbery boots, sometimes called gumboots. I had a neon pink pair as a child (that got caught in an escalator that could’ve taken my leg off if my dad so quick on his feet. I had an unhealthy fear of escalators until about 14) but I generally find those boots boring. Recently I’ve been seeing printed ones around, like these cute Kate Spade ones. Today, in The Bay of all places, I saw the pair I need. Which is saying a lot, as it doesn’t rain much here. If I was still in BC, I would’ve snapped them up, $120 price tag and all. Why are these the holy grail of gumboots? Let me show you:

Stockingette-patterned boots, with knit cuffs!

The only drawback (apart from the price) is that I don’t wear much red. But when I was considering a pair of patterned boots a while ago, I did say to myself ‘Self, why not get boots in some crazy colour to brighten the rainy days?’, which, if I do say so, is pretty sage advice. Who knows, I may still buy them. Although I do have my eye on that green corduroy blazer at Jacob….

Doesn’t that sound like a knitting book title? Except I think I’m almost completely over books that have ’simple’ in the title. Give me challenges! I want knitting to exercise my brain!

Except right now, sometimes I just need a little simplicity. The following project is about as simple as it gets, but with such a yarn as I have, you don’t need anything more.

This is the start of a simple triangular shawl/scarf thing in Handmaiden Silk Spun. I believe the colourway is ‘Paris’, but the label didn’t give me any hints, that’s just me guessing. I’m using the ‘pattern‘ that came on the label.

It’s really just a shallow triangle in garter stitch, but the colours are lovely, the fabric is soft and squishy, and it’s just really simple to knit. It’s the first thing I’ve done on straight needles in a long time, and they feel a bit odd. I need to switch to a circ soon anyway, each row gets longer and longer.

I love it because I can pick it up and even knit while I’m talking to mum on the phone. Although that does give me a wicked crick in the neck.

My Millicents are coming on fairly well, considering how limited my knitting time has been recently. Today I finally finished the cuff of the second sock, and have about 2cm more ribbing than I do in the photos.

I put them on to stretch out the lace pattern for photos, but when they’re done, the lace will be the other way up, folded down over the 2X2 ribbing, more like this:

So right now I am essentially knitting a bit that will be forever hidden. Never seen. And yet it is still a good 15cm (per sock!) that needs knitting. sigh. But they’re so pretty!

The ribbing on the longer one is about halfway there, I’m pointing at it in this pic. Please excuse the bright white legs.

I’m really enjoying working with the Louet gems. I haven’t found any knots (and I’ve balled up 4 skeins) and it isn’t splitting. The colour is also wonderful. I think I’m going to need to find some really cool shoes to wear these with.

I started these socks as part of Ravelry’s Sockdown!, being held in the Sock Knitters Anonymous group. Basically, a set of ‘rules’ is laid down which gives each month (starting this August) a designer and a technique (August was Sockbug or lace). You finish a pair of socks by that designer, or using that technique by the deadline, and are entered to win prizes. August was lace, and the deadline is September 30th. Back when I started, I calculated that I’d need to knit at least 2.5cm per day to make it. If that was true, I’d be more than half done. I’m about 25% done, with close to 0 knitting time on the horizon until about the 21st. I think I may have been to ambitious (especially considering I knew what a timesuck my new job would be), but there is still a chance. The rest of the socks are just ribbing, no more following a chart.

Once both legs are decreased a bit (after 12.5cm of straight ribbing, each…argh) I want to put them both on one circular. I tried that when casting on, and it was just a huge mess, mainly because the circ I have isn’t quite long enough for two socks the circumference of my calves. Once they get to normal sock size, it should be okay.

Having these just be ribbing now means that both projects I have on the go are simple TV-projects. If these weren’t on a deadline, I’d start something new…

PS: The socks I’m going to start in October (Nancy Bush or cables)? Bayerische, both at the same time on one circular. Am I crazy? At least I was sane enough to not even try doing anything for the challenge in September (Grumperina or toe-up).

My Ravelry Summer Camp pal sent me some Artfibres Golden Chai, which is just so incredibly yummy. It’s purpley-pinky, and gets about 22st/28r per 4″, according to the label. I want to find the perfect pattern for it. I have about 607 yards of it, which is a nice chunk of yarn.

Ideally, I’d like something that uses all the yardage, but getting two projects out of it isn’t out of the question.

Here are my ideas so far:

The Clementine Shawlette - (uses 438 yards) I don’t think my yarn is too variageted…

Stained Glass Scarf - (uses 325ish yards) from Handknit Holidays - I think the Chai would look great with black as a contrast, but then I’d have to get more yarn.

Flowerbasket Shawl, or similar lace shawl - would be pretty, and show off the colours, and I could do as many repeats as needed to use the yarn. The thing is, I want it to be something I wear a lot, because it is so amazing. I’m not sure how often I will wear shawls (this doesn’t stop me casting them on though. :)) Icarus might be nice…

Bainbridge Scarf - (uses 246 yards) - Very cute and different, and this yarn is made for next-to skin contact.

Maybe a Moebius?

Basalt Tank from Knitting Nature - especially with the mods that are linked…

A simple V-neck vest?

What would you do with this yarn? I’m starting to think about dividing it up between the Bainbridge Scarf and a Stained Glass Scarf, but how many scarves does one person need? (yes, I am a selfish knitter. mwahahaha!)

EDIT: ooh, I just bought Lace Style, and how about the Peek-a-boo Cloche? I have some squishy pale grey yarn for the inside…

I’m wondering if it might be too drapey for Bainbridge… although I think I still want to make it in some other yarn.

I got my Ravelry Summer Camp Secret Pal parcel today! Well, I got the tag thing for it yesterday night, but I went to pick it up this morning. It was a nice walk on a sunny day. I wore my Fiery Bolero.

And here is the package, from my wonderful pal, Jen at Picture My Knitting:

Yes, you see that right, Knitting Vintage Socks was in the box! I’ve been meaning to get that book for ages, but could never quite justify it with all the other books and yarn I have, and my recent pay cut. I love it.

The yarn on the cone is Artfibers Golden Chai, which is just so, so yummy and soft. 100% golden tussah silk. It has a place on my desk now, until I knit it, and I can pet it whenever I want.

The sock yarn is Baywood Yarns in Sierra Forest, in lovely greens and browns.

There was also a very cute San Fransisco mug, and a SF scrapbook.

Also in the box were some lovely dark chocolate caramels, which are now gone. The reason they are gone is the sad news. Literally as I was opening the parcel (I had the yarn out, but nothing else yet), mum phoned to let me know that our dog, 13.5 year-old Finlay was very very sick, and at the vet’s. She said she wanted to give me some warning that he was nearing the end. She told me all the stuff that led her to taking him to the vet yesterday, then we hung up. I was crying. Then the phone rang again. Apparently while she was on the phone to me, the vet was trying to get through to tell her that he had died. I cried more.

We got him when I was 10, so I’ve known him over half my life. I’m glad I’m not there, so I don’t have to see the body, or watch dad dig a hole to put him in. It is made a bit easier by the fact that I haven’t lived there for almost two years, so I did get used to not having a dog around. But now I know that he is really gone.

I mean, he was blind and deaf, on about 6 different medications, sleeping all day, and almost half the weight he was in his prime, so we all knew it was coming. It’s still sad though.

Fiery Bolero, started July 28th, 2007, finished August 26th, 2007
Pattern: Fiery Bolero by Debbie Bliss, from Interweave Knits Summer 2005
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Glace in “Hot Lips”
Needles: 3.25mm
Dimensions: Size XS
Pattern Notes: Knit exactly as written.
Would I knit it again? I might, but I would make it a tad bigger. The arms are a bit tight. I can’t feel it when I’m wearing it, but I have a faint imprint when I take it off. I tried my best to cast off the sleeve ribbing loosely, which I think helped.

I feel quite dancer-like in this tiny sweater. I also love how the short-row shaping in the collar makes it hug the back of my neck. It’s just right to fend off a small chill, in say an air-conditioned office. Too bad I don’t work in an air-conditioned office anymore.

Actually, my job now prevents me from wearing nice clothes, because there’s always a (large) possibility that I will be crawling around on the ground/walking through a carpentry shop/lifting heavy, dirty things. So I am wearing it today, on my day off. With my comfy pants.*

Pictures of Millicent progress when the camera batteries have charged. Just getting these three was a close call.

*Digression on the comfy pants: I try not to buy in to the ‘everyone else has it so I must’-type items, so I ignored Lululemon for a long time. Especially being in theatre; most actors have an entire wardrobe of the stuff, for ‘movement work’. Then one day I tried on some pants there. I’m in love. I have two pairs (cropped and long, one was a present from my mum) and I <3 them. So comfy. And, best of all, flattering. I can wear slouchy feel-like-an-elephant sweatpants, or these, and feel svelte and dancer-like. Another plus is that if I find we are out of milk (damn!) I can go straight out the door, and not have to change.