Trellis #2 is finally done and will be delivered at a family wedding this weekend. It feels so good! And no, the baby won't have totally outgrown this yet (fingers crossed).

Look at these adorable Peter Rabbit buttons! It's quite blurry because I am still getting to know my camera. Seriously, when have I had a chance to sit down and do that? I have nothing left to say about this project. Not meant to be a reflection on the pattern or designer--it was lovely to knit and well-written--but next time I want to knit two of the same thing straight in a row and on a deadline, someone remind me that it's a bad idea!

I'm half-unpacked back in my apartment now, and things are feeling pretty cluttered, as usual. But I'm finishing projects and posting to the blog like the good old days, so I'd venture to say things are back to normal. It's good to be back! If my lucky finishing streak continues, my one hand-knit Christmas gift might just turn into a birthday present this week instead (those Sagittarians and their Christmas birthdays!). It would definitely feel good to finish early for once.

Posted by Molly at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Hi! Remember me? Don't worry, I'm still alive! The last few weeks have been a blur of fun times, with hardly any knitting going on in between. I missed my poor blog! Now the weather is finally cooling down (yessssssss!), my nights are starting to free up, and I'm back, hopefully to stay.

It doesn't look like I've made much progress since last time, but I actually had to rip and re-knit this twice! ARGH. That has not helped on the non-knitting front. Turns out that baby number 2 is fatter than baby number 1, and mom asked that I make the biggest size after seeing the absolutely adorable pink one. "That way he can wear it as long as possible!," she told me. How could I tell her I had already started? So it came out and I started knitting again. The fact that she is SO excited made that easier to bear. But then I made it about this far again and realized that I had dropped a stitch on the edge of a cable about 3 inches down when I was watching a movie with some friends in the dark.* Very frustrating but I plugged through and am finally getting my groove back and am hoping this baby will knit itself quickly.

I am dying to knit more log cabin squares, but as you may remember, it takes the same size needles as Trellis and I have yet to actually buy another pair. It's not even that I'm cheap (though it's true that knitting needles aren't free!) but more that I really need to finish this soon so I can deliver it to its anxious recipient. I don't need any colorful and mindless distractions. I'm doing the best that I can here!

And I know it's not Saturday or anything, but I wanted to share the most beautiful sky I have ever seen. This is what the sunrise looks like from 3,776 meters. I climbed a mountain, in case you didn't know, and I'm still in the telling everyone phase.

Yay, I'm happy to be back!

*Is it ever ok to pull out a headlamp for knitting during a movie in someone's home? I know some people don't like watching movies with the lights on, but this seems like a good compromise, no?

Posted by Molly at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Looking back at my previous post about Trellis, do you notice anything weird? Maybe not, because the ends of the sleeves are cut off. Apparently I don't know my baby proportions well, as the sleeves were RIDICULOUSLY long when I finally gifted it. Oops! As soon the family had it out of the package, everyone was cracking up at the sleeves. Once they mentioned it, I realized that they did look a bit long, and had a good laugh. Of course they were the perfect recipients, and ooohed and ahhed over the handiwork despite the long sleeves. And really, they were right to point out that it looks cute even with the cuffs rolled back (a lot). Sadly, it was ridiculously hot so there are no gratuitous baby shots to show yet, but I'm sure they'll send some when it gets cold.

As it turns out, the smaller baby is just about as big as his older cousin so I'm ripping back my blue Trellis (which was promised this weekend but not yet delivered) and starting over. I will be shortening the sleeves by one whole pattern repeat. I wonder if I followed the pattern or accidentally added in an extra repeat.

I haven't been knitting much lately and I fear that might not change anytime soon. My idea of a perfect night used to be coming home from work, having dinner and settling in on the couch to knit by 7 while I watch the news, or a tape of some reality tv show from home. But this year I have a lot more commitments and only one free night per week, if that. Don't get me wrong, I love everything else that I'm doing these days and wouldn't give it up.. but I wish there was more time for everything! And with the bug problems of late, hanging around my apartment really isn't as relaxing as it used to be. This weekend I'm climbing Mount Fuji and at the end of the month is my soccer debut in a national tournament (hope it's not TOO serious, ha), but I might be able to fit some crafting in between. We'll see!!

Posted by Molly at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

It has been a regular fun overload lately. Despite the fact that I really prefer to have a very laid back lifestyle without too much nonstop craziness, this has been great. The plus about being busy all the time, is that there really is the opportunity to have a lot more EXTREME fun. I can sleep when I'm dead, or rather, when all my friends go home and no one is pressuring me to go out on the weekends anymore. Ha!

When I remembered that Monday was a national holiday, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and made sure to keep myself free to catch up on everything that I have been falling behind with lately. And, of course, to do some knitting. I finally had enough time and was rested enough to handle the seaming and finishing of my little pink Trellis. I started with the shoulder seams.

I thought the Kitchener stitch looked a little funny as it makes a row of all knits in the middle of the cable pattern, but convinced myself that it doesn't matter. I even did the unthinkable and wove in the ends, RIGHT away instead of leaving them all hanging until the end. I was on a roll!

NOT. I attached the left side to the right shoulder. URGH. I was starting to feel tired and frustrated with it, so I just set it aside to deal with another day. When? Um... I think I'll have a few hours of free time in mid-August. When I get enough sleep to let my eyes uncross just a little bit more, I should be casting on for Trellis #2, the smaller, boy version. Until then, I'm still plugging along with my blanket squares, much more appropriate tired summer knitting.

Posted by Molly at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Knitting baby clothes is where it's at, people. I love these tiny pieces! They knit up so fast! I feel so accomplished! Nothing beats this feeling. However, there is no escaping the sad truth that every project I choose to knit at any one time uses the same sized needles. This time it happens to be US 5. I never use that size! But when I went to cast on for another log cabin square last night, I reached for the needles and they were nowhere to be found. Then I happened to glance in the baby sweater supply bag and noticed that the needles I had bought for this yarn (two sizes bigger than the ones I used to knit these three pieces) were still intact. Which means that I accidentally used needles two sizes too small.

The best part? My gauge is SPOT ON. When does that ever happen? Not often, if you're me. And coincidentally? The gods must be smiling on me.

So for now, my tiny baby sleeves are on holders while I get some more log cabin-ing out of my system. Between the humidity (unthinkable) and my mental to-do list (growing exponentially) I need the loverly garter-stitch knitting.

Posted by Molly at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)