All done!

OK, I know super secret projects are no fun to read about, but...

Hey Mom! I finished your thing! Whoohoo! Now to just bind off the 345 stitches.

Sorry, Mom

I'm sorry Mom. I had to do it. I know that 15 months ago I presented to you a partially finished scarf (I despise myself for doing that) for your birthday and promised (duh) that I would complete it asap and get it to you. Instead, last weekend, I completely frogged the scarf. I couldn't bear to knit another row. The scarf was looking good, but I hated every minute I worked on it. And do I really want to gift you something knit with so much hate? No. After 2 mistakes in as many rows, the scarf had won. It had beat me down. So, after cursing under my breath (kids were in the room), I took a farewell picture and started to unwind it.



The scarf had one last jab. I did not know (at the time) that the yarn I used, Malabrigo Lace, was so grippy. It took me at least a couple of hours to rip the scarf back, because every row I pulled was desperate to hold on to the row below. I did eventually finish the job and knew immediately what the yarn was to become. I've started it and love it. Love knit into a gift is so much better, right?

But, Mom, I'm not telling you this time. Know that it's not what it was. And it's a triangle. Any ideas?

Productive, not so much

I started on a new post on Tuesday, got one sentence into it and had to stop because our keyboard broke.

Yesterday, while Emmett was at school, I sat down to finish one of my 3 designs; it looked good for a bit, I completed the plant layout and labeling. After getting the plant list generated and placed (my software does that for me) I saved it and printed it to pdf. Yippee! Then, I looked closer at the plant list: 14 Luzula? There are only 5 on the plan. 2 entries for Panicum? What's going on? Turns out I've got some phantom plants on the page that I can't seem to delete. Rest of the day was spent troubleshooting. Bah.

This morning I put a call into customer support (on the east coast). I've done this before; I leave a message and in an hour or so get an extremely helpful call back. Problems are solved, work resumes. So after my call and message, I thought "what harm can come from uninstalling and reinstalling the software?" Bad juju. Lots of badness. Now, after 2 more calls to support, no return calls, 3 attempts to uninstall/reinstall, and 2 tries with a windows update, I'm worse off then before. My drafting software is actually 2 programs working cooperatively, the drawing interface and a database. The database is not seeing any of my saved plant information; and in order for me to actually complete a design, I need that plant information. And I still have the phantom plants.

Hopefully I'll get a call from support in the morning. Otherwise, I might drop-kick my laptop off the deck.

Worse yet, with this work load looming and customers waiting, not much knitting is getting done, either. I feel guilty sitting down and working on the sweater. And I'm so so so tantalizingly close to finishing. Maybe tonight with absolutely no chance of work happening, I won't feel (too) guilty to knit as I watch some tv.

Socks in progress

My current project is a pair of socks for Ryan. At 8.5 stitches to the inch, it's verrrrry slow going, especially since I rarely have an extended period of knitting time. However, I'm knitting on them alot since the K3/P1 pattern is easy and quick to put down.

They worked great in the car on Saturday on our way to and from picking up our Airstream. Because they are for Ryan, I've chosen a dark color (Cascade Heritage) that makes it difficult (if not impossible) to knit in low light. So I find myself knitting next to our big front window, or with all of the lights on...



I'm hoping to get them done before the 14th? Can I do it?



Last time I found myself in Seattle Yarn working on these socks, a beautiful skein of Madelinetosh sock yarn found it's way into my purse. I swear I don't know how it got there. (Just like when Ryan says he has no idea how a case of Guinness found its way to our shopping cart...)



I think I might knit these into a pair of Leyburn socks.



Last thought: why is this colorway called "ginsing"? Whatever, because I still think it's beautiful.

1/22/09 - Welcome

I'm not a writer, and I'm not very diligent about keeping a journal. So why am I starting a blog? I think the main reason is that I really want to share what I do with more than just my husband or my immediate family... not counting my 2 beautiful boys (who I'm sure to share with you as well), I have 2 passions in my life: landscape design and knitting. The landscape design I do as a business (or try to in these economic times), and the knitting I do as hobby/stress relief/creative outlet. I hope to include lots of photos of designs in progress, knitting in progress, and finished projects as well. I'd love to have comments on the stuff I do, and that's where you come in. I'm looking for support, so please do not hesitate to give it to me; but too do not hesitate to give criticisms either, for that is how I hope to improve.

So lets do it. These mittens I worked up a couple of weeks ago from some yarn that my oldest bought me for Christmas. He had admired my Fetching mittens and had asked for something similar for himself. I can't resist a knitting request from my son anymore than any other knitter can, so I cobbled a bunch of patterns together to come up with these flap top mitts. He loves them, so yippee for me. Soon I'll figure out how to link and such, but until then, if you're on Ravelry, check out my projects page for all the info (aka kmweber).

Thanks!