Balcony progress shoot

Stressful things need to be offset by showing off pretty things.

My Hanami Stole. I still have one or two more basket weave repeats to go, but it's slowly growing.

Elena's cowl. It's only missing weaving in the ends, and blocking. You may recall I started making this to reach her after not having talked to her for months. I've still not contacted her, because it's totally scary. But I have her cowl. I hope to give it to her before winter.

The second of the Bluerose socks. I'm halfway down the heel flat. It really is a quick pattern.


I'm also putting together a small pattern for the brain, which fills me with excitement. A pattern! Mine! Even if so small.

It's not all dark

I've been having a bit of a rough time lately, as a result of the foot bone that doesn't finish healing and makes me even more tired and frustrated. But not all is bad. I'm still mostly ok, I still have Alex, and there are projects on the needles.

I started this top in between projects, as something to do and put away when something else came up. Other things have come up, but I can't bring myself to stop. It's mainly twisted rib, and it takes forever, but for some reason I love it. I want to knit it, and so I do. And it feels great.

Holy Long John Silver, Batman! She's still knitting!

Unbelievable, I know! My migraines seems to have quiet down a little bit, so I can feel better, knit, read and play more, and then come and post about it here.
Ok, so my knitting time has been severely reduced by Olympos (book) and Lego Batman (for the Wii).

This is my foot modelling Alex's sock. You might remember I had trouble starting up this pattern. I ended up settling for a modified version of the Glob Trotter Socks. I adapted them for my gauge, and made the ribbing over a 4 stitches pattern, instead of 5. They are looking simple, as Alex's wanted them, but the seed stitch ribbing is keeping me entertained.

As well as the sock, I've been working on my Healing Jacket Take 2. I think I will have to frog the first one, but for now I don't need to worry about that. I've been working on this one during the worst of the migraines, which I thought was quite fitting. I've finished the waist decreases already, and I'm about to start the waist increases. The pattern, Knitty's Emerald, has also been modified to take my gauge, so I'm knitting and exciting combination of the sizes M and 2X.


I am quite happy with how it's turning out, especially with the tubular cast-on edge. It does look quite professional!

Ok, that might not be the bestest picture of the cast-on edge ever, but hopefully you will get the idea.

Change of plans

Today, I wanted to mention that it's been two years since I had my major breakdown, and how far I've come from then. Instead, I'm going to complain about sleep.

As I've mentioned before, a side effect of one of my meds is incredibly vivid dreams, which leave me tired all the time. I am decreasing my meds, partly because I don't need them now, and partly to help me sleep better.
However, it's not working! The propanolol is what makes me sleepy. Since decreasing it even further (from 80-40-40 mg to 40 mg all), I'm more sleepy than ever. This past night I slept 10 hours, and had to go back to bed after 2 hours awake, because I was just too tired. I had noticed I had been more sleepy recently but, when I check my records, I noticed that this latest phase started when I decreased them. They were meant to have the opposite effect!


However, in good news, I have finished the first of my lace gloves. And 2.5mm is alright, so I don't have to redo it. This is quite quite convenient, because Get Knitted, my LYS, didn't have a 2.75mm hook!

Alone == knitting

Alex left on Thursday for a week for work, so I'm alone until next Thursday. With the weather we are having, I really don't envy him, as he has to be outdoors most of the time.
Being alone is an interesting experience. I like being away from him occasionally, but it's really odd to not have him here at all. I miss him, especially when I go to bed.
On the plus side, I have got lots and lots of knitting done.

My sizzle is coming out well. I am past the beginning of the armholes in the back, and it's looking decidedly red.



I have also swatched for the Capelet I'm going to wear at my cousin's wedding. Just in case I haven't said it enough times, I really don't care about this wedding, but going is better than the alternatives, so at least I'm knitting all my accessories. The swatch is really not very interesting, but hopefully it will look more exciting when I have started the actual capelet.

Möbius update

I was going to put this tomorrow in the links of the week, but it comes down at Sunday midnight (until it comes out in dvd), and I want to give people more time to watch it.
If you haven't, go watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
It's Joss Whedon's latest production, a three episode "blog" on Dr Horrible's adventures to try to get into The League of Evil. It is very good, and very Joss.


Alex is away at a stag do (abseiling, canoeing, pub)(why do people get married anyway?), so I have the whole day to myself.
I've knitted, been on the web, emailed my dad (loooong email) and taken a long shower. Then I'll go out, have lunch out and get a couple of things; come back, read, knit, watch a movie. Read a chapter of my depression book too.

Anyway, the point of this post is to say that my Möbius scarf is under way, and I think I have knitted enough to be able to post pictures without jinxing it. I had to cast on 3 times until I got it right, and the botch a couple of stitches along the way, but I am about to start row eight now.

Best möbius shot

Stitch detail

Top view

Basic Human Bag (FO) (plus a little extra!)

I don’t always feel human. Sometimes I resemble more a panda, or a zombie, or the grinch. This will be my emergency bag for those days, rather than having everything floating about in my bag, getting lost, opened and bashed. Hence the Basic Human Bag. Fake it, baby!

I finished the bag on Sunday, and I have been using it this week. I really like it! All my "beauty" stuff is now together and easy to find. And, when I need to take it to the bathroom with me, I can just grab the bag by the i-cord and dangle it on my way there, rather than attempt to take whatever it is discretely.

These are the contents of my bag. The little blush pot also contains a mirror, and I plan to put in as well painkillers and allergy meds.


Technical notes
Ravelry project page
Pattern: Soft Drawstring Pouch, by Joelle Hoverson, from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Cathay (Debbie Bliss) in Grey, which appears to be discontinued, approx 60 meters.
Needles: 3.75 mm (dpns)
Technical notes: I only cast on 60 stitches instead of 90 for the small size, as I didn't need it that big. Knitted until everything fit! I was planning to graft the bottom, but apparently I cannot graft to safe my life. After 3 attempts this Sunday at my Stitch'n'Bitch, I gave up and did a 3-needle bind-off. I alternated knitting and purling stitches, ending which a slightly ziggy end that I think looks very pretty!





Extra, extra!
Finished knitting my boyfriend's dice bag, now it's just waiting to be felted. It's huge! Look, I can use it as a hat!


I iz hidden!

Ooooh, look what I have

Look to the right, to the right ------->
I have Ravelry progress bars!
*happy dance*