What? Wouldn't you ask that?

My friend was telling me about a singer he had been to see at a local spot. He detailed how she had made her own cd covers with printed artwork bound with yarn through holes punched on the edges. He went on to describe her folky, acoustic guitar driven tunes when I mused, "I wonder where she got the yarn...?"
He busted up laughing at me!
But isn't that what you would ask?
Bonus Point: He speculated that it was $1.99 acrylic from the Hardware store. Nice Red Heart Yarn ID!

Decon/Reconstruction

Remember my useless, fingerless, silk and mohair gloves with the lace detail? I hate the lace detail. So today I did some surgery:
1. Run circular needles around the knitting, right above the motif and another right below.
2. Cut a stitch! (Both yarns)
3. Unravel hated section.
4. Re-knit section, re-attach thumb.
5. Discover that no directions for Kitchner Stitch make any sense. Graft pieces together by logic instead of directions.



When I was all done, and happy with the reconstruction, I discovered that I had increased stitches in arm #1, and not in arm #2. Thus, the frogging! But at least now it is just finishing and embroidering the gloves, and I don't wince every time I look at that lace piece.
(Wincing leads to never-wearing, which leads to buyers regret for the wasted silk and mohair skeins, which we JUST CAN'T HAVE!
I'm also making a boring dishcloth.
Yeah, yeah! I know I should be finishing the damn Kyoto Sweater! Next, I swear!

Blue Moon Sock Club DENIED!

Sometimes I just don't get the banks.
Got this email from Blue Moon re: Socks that Rock Club:

The sign-up for the Rockin' Sock Club 2007 has been a resounding success.
So much so that our bank thinks we are running some type of elaborate yarn scam
and is refusing to accept our members' money! So, you know what they are doing?
You are not going to believe this. They are sending all of that money back!
Unbelievable and astounding!

What? They don't believe that a huge amount of knitters might joyfully spend wads of cash on pretty sock yarn? What universe are they in? Who actually refuses to take money?!?! As Stephanie Pearl-McPhee says:

They decided that it was not possible that this many people could be this interested in sock yarn (I know...I know) and that therefore, considering the complete impossibility of this being a legitimate business concept (can't you hear them? "This many people just can't want sock yarn!") that Blue Moon must be running a SCAM, and (holy moths I can scarcely type it) Shut. It. Down.

She also raises an interesting point that perhaps a bank would never try this with a business run by men.
Oddly enough, when I received my Blue Moon email, I was in the middle of this article in the New York Times. Apparently the US has shut down all dealings in dollars through the Iranian Bank Seppah, after finding out that the bank was laundering money for smuggled nuclear weapons. However, most transactions occurred in Rome with Euros, and the US is having a bit of trouble shutting it down.
It is unbelievable to me that it apparently is easier to purchase black market weapons than pretty balls of sock yarn.

I Hate This Sweater

• Last night I thought I was almost done: Just needed to bind off the shoulders and do some finishing work. But not so FAST!
  Dumb Pattern.
  No. I take that back. Dumb knitter!
  I mean, I have done this sweater before! In black! In cotton!
  If I wasn't so "creative" with the pattern, I wouldn't have these problems. But NOOOOOO! I have to avoid finishing work by knitting the sweater in the round in almost one piece! (Body and 2 sleeves) And that means I have ripped out the obi cumberbund twice (gauge problems. 8 inches ease.) And now, when I thought I was done, I'm attempting to fix a problem by ripping back 32 rows and reducing more than I should.
  Some things I have learned:
• I don't like doing the same pattern more than once. And if I have to do the same pattern twice, I don't like using the same color yarn.
• It will not miraculously fix itself if you just keep going. Quite the opposite, in fact.
  Being creative with the pattern is fine. But if I'm just lazy, destiny will find a way to make my shortcuts even harder!
• I love my friend very much. But I would rather knit her something I loved, so all that care could be imbued in every stitch.
  And finally:
• Boredom or frustration with a pattern leads me to stray. I am attempting to be disciplined and fix the problems with my three projects on the needles right now. But I keep being tempted with a new bag of Rowan and some pretty sock yarn. I've been fingering strands and comparing patterns. Last night I even used Jan's swift and ball winder (toys!) to ball up aforementioned pretty sock yarn...

Slogging Through

I have two projects on the needles:
The Kyoto sweater is so close to being done! I am just slogging through the miles of stockinette on the back.
The useless gloves are almost done, too: I need to rip out and redo the back of the hand since I hate the lacy bit.
The zippered pouch for my friend is knit, but needs the lining and zipper installed, and I haven't felt like sewing at all.

So of course I'm drooling over projects I would rather be doing. It seems the new year should bring new projects and new challenges. I have a bag of Rowan awaiting the beautiful Alice Starmore Cromarty sweater, which will be a challenge and a learning experience and fun with Aran cables! (Anyone else think maybe I'm stupid for choosing an Alice Starmore for my first cabled sweater? Just asking...) And I have pretty new Lorna's Laces sock yarns that would make pretty new lacy or cabley socks. But better get these last projects done and move into the new year with a clean slate, yes?