Friday, May 29, 2009

Finishing and technology woes

I promised you another finished object, and, in fact, I did finish it on Tuesday night. I even washed it and took it out to dry and took pictures of it (along with the hummingbird nest, mama bird in situ) and sat down to post yesterday. Whereupon the Bermuda Triangle once again ate my pictures. At which point I gave up.

I also figured maybe it was too soon to post, since there were no comments on my earlier post yet. Or so I thought.

In point of fact, it turns out that since Wednesday night, I have been completely unable to receive any email that does not share my work email extension. What threw me off is that I was still getting the occasional email message. It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I figured out what was going on. Our tech folks still haven't figured out the problem yet. So, if you've emailed me, I haven't gotten it (outside email messages aren't coming through on my webmail access, either; I'm living in an email black hole). Alas. (I am checking my Ravelry inbox, so I can be found there...)

However, I did convince my camera and my computer to play nice this morning, so without further ado, I give you what is perhaps the cutest thing I've ever knit.
The bow is crooked in that picture, but the colors are true, so I'm posting it anyway.

That's the Tulips baby cardigan (my Ravelry project page), which I started an embarrassingly long time ago. I missed the original baby deadline, but a friend of mine at work is having a baby boy at the end of the summer, and it seemed to me that he needed a happy colorful cardigan, no? I'm not sure why I put this down for so long, although I think that it was the Fear of Weaving in Ends that did it. There's a lot of end-weaving involved in this sweater. However, I've gotten a lot less annoyed by finishing (although I'm not sure I'll ever like seaming, really) over time, so when I picked it back up, I wove in the body ends, then did the sleeves and it wasn't so bad. I love the applied i-cord around the edge and on the neck.
I bought this as a kit, and still have yarn left over in all of the colors, so if anyone's knitting this and has run out of yarn, let me know. Otherwise, the bits will probably come along to sock summit for the color class I'm taking.
I'm glad to have this done, since my friend's baby shower is coming up quickly, and I was bound and determined not to miss this deadline. If I can get some booties knitted to go with it, I will, but mostly I'm feeling good about having it done.

That means that, at the moment, I have absolutely no deadline knitting on the needles (that will probably change soon). Last night was Older Daughter's final orchestra concert of the year, so I took along the linen shell I'm working on and put a few more inches into the ribbing at the bottom.
The concert was great fun; they have come so far from the beginning of the year, it's amazing. Older Daughter's orchestra teacher probably thinks I'm weird, since I thanked her so profusely, but I truly admire teachers who are able to inspire their students as she has inspired hers. Older Daughter intends to go ahead with orchestra next year, and it's entirely due to her teacher's enthusiasm. I wonder if I should knit her some fingerless mitts?

It's hard to tell from looking at the shell, I know, but I've put in almost ten inches from the bottom of the armscye; I figure I'll bind off at about 12-13". I need to try it on to see how it's looking. This project has become my "I don't have to look" knitting, so I tend to save it for soccer games and concerts and movies.

However, this means that I now have only (ha) two active projects on the needles. There's another one coming along soon, and I do want to knit the STR socks from the club package sooner rather than later, but I have found myself missing my spindles and wheels lately, and I think it's time to embark on a new spinning project. I've decided to challenge myself by attempting to spin something on purpose (not that I usually spin accidentally, mind you, but my results are usually a matter of chance rather than plan, and it's time to change that). Sock yarn. I think it's time to spin my own socks. And I have just the thing:
This is some gorgeous roving from Tempted (50/50 soysilk/wool) that my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday. It seems like it could (in the right hands, which may not be mine) be some beautiful, tightly spun, two-ply sock yarn. If I spin assiduously enough, it might even be able to come along with me on our trip. We'll see...

I will leave you with a hummingbird nest. The mother bird flew away immediately I tried to take this picture; I'll keep trying to get one with her in it for you - it's a pretty amazing sight.
Can you see that? The flash went off on that one. Maybe this is easier to see.
It's teeny-tiny. I could maybe sit a golf ball in it, but that's all.

15 comments:

Willow said...

Hummingbird nests are so itty bitty and so very cute. As are hummingbirds. I've been spinning too. How it makes me happy! I hope you have some happy spinning days.

Jane said...

I just love that baby cardigan. What a beautiful colour that sock yarn will be, happy spinning

Gwen said...

I pulled out my spindle last night for a few minutes. I think I need to work on making the yarn bulkier again, so I can use all the bits and bobs together.

Sweater is absolutely lovely! Perhaps the child will be named William, and there you go. I love the colours. I'd like that sweater, well maybe a bit different, for me. And isn't it funny the little things that block us from finishing something off. I've got some mitts drying, and I'd like to colourful them up with some embroidery. Not sure if I'll actually do it. I have a couple of weeks to think about it.

Nana Sadie said...

AH....so THAT's why I just got 3 messages back "Mail: COULD NOT BE DELIVERED"
and why I haven't heard from you about the fabric photos I sent (you didn't get them)
(sigh)
I will pm you on Ravelry...and post the photos to my flickr account?
(((Hugs)))

FUZZARELLY said...

What an adorable baby sweater!

Re: the weaving in of ends, I weave mine in as often as possible as I knit. Found the technique in Modular Knitting or some other book concerned with same. Title fails me, but the author was male and teutonic. Check it out; it is probably on YouTube. It is a little fiddly at first, but as one gets the hang of it, like many things, it becomes second nature.

When I was but a wee thing, my dad brought home an empty hummingbird nest. He placed a silver dollar inside, just barely, to show us just how small it was.

EGunn said...

I'm sorry you're stuck in an email black hole...it's so frustrating to be unsure whether or not you're missing messages! Hope it gets worked out soon.

I've never seen a hummingbird nest before. Thanks for sharing. Teeny tiny!

I love the colors in the cardigan, and in the top...that will make some really nice socks.

Rachel said...

So, this is why my emails to you bounced, mystery solved :)

I like the baby cardigan and I think every baby needs something colorful like this in his/her life.

ruthee... said...

Thanks for posting the Tulip! Those colors are amazing - I now see why so many people adore that project. I look forward to seeing the sweater as an FO!

Rachael said...

Adorable sweater! I admire you with only two projects OTN - I have two that are close to being done, three single socks that have pairs in the just cast on stage, two shawls I want to get back to, and three sweaters I'm pretending I didn't start.

And that's not even mentioning the lace yarn DH bought me on this trip, I'm thinking Anne's faroese shawl from the last twist, the ice themed one - so pretty!

Anyway - go you! Linen shell is looking great!

twinsetellen said...

Sometimes technology black holes are your friend - they let you catch up (or think you have, anyway).

Your tulip is so sweet. And isn't that yarn just wonderful to knit?

I can't wait to see how your sock spinning turns out - that fiber is soothing just to look at it. I bet it is mesmerizing to spin.

Mary Lou said...

Love that nest - if I have one around here, I'd never find it, it's so teeny.

AlisonH said...

That's an adorable cardigan--now all it needs is the baby.

And it always amazes me what craftsmen birds are in creating their nests.

Alwen said...

Little things are SO cute, little baby cardi and little nest!

Lynne said...

Gorgeous baby jacket! I love the colours!

I have just six rows to go on the second sleeve for mum's Aran sweater. Now I only have to block it and seam it!! And I have three days to spare!

Bea said...

Gorgeous baby sweater! I can't believe how small that nest is. Wow. I knew the birds were small but honestly hadn't really thought about how small the nest/eggs would be. Good luck with spinning exactly what you want!