Nail Biting, Knitting and Butterflies

Today's the day. I'm so nervous. So nervous.

So I'll post about knitting. Yes, I've been knitting. In spite of the three jobs I'm currently working (including some consulting for the gay marriage folks), I've been doing some serious A.D.D. knitting. Start a project. Start another project. Oh look, there's a butterfly!

Let's start with the boring stuff. You will be rewarded later. Don't scroll down, that's cheating.

Swatching for a new sweater for Little Man. Probably a simple raglan, either from Junior Knits or an Ann Budd composite. Yarn from School Products. Mystery superwash wool blend on a cone.


Swatching for the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket, but as this project languishes, lots of other beautiful sweaters are calling my name. Look, a butterfly!


Teeny tiny progress on the Eris collar. Distracted by the Pomona's? If you're at all interested in making jam, which has reached near-manufacturing status in our house recently, this is THE product. It's all natural, doesn't require sugar. You can use honey or nothing at all. Sets perfectly. Go buy some, online using PayPal or via old fashioned tools. It's easy.


My sister-in-law "Hag" was recently diagnosed with breast cancer at the ripe old age of 45. Although Wifey's sister "Little" is devestated, Hag is such a trooper. She, being the good old butch that she is, was delighted to lose a boob. She asked them to take the other one too. They didn't. She voluntarily shaved her head before the chemo started and gleefully rubs the stubble. You know us knitters ... a tragedy hits and we pick up the sticks. I proposed the Tits Bits because, in spite of Hag's joy in the loss of a boob, Little was missing it. Wifey sayeth - not funny. I proposed a nice soft chemo hat in appropriately butchy colors. Wifey sayeth - she won't wear it; she's a baseball hat kinda girl. Wifey asks Little. Little sayeth socks. Fine, but I have no butch-appropriate sock yarn. Bingo - I got official permission to shop for yarn, as opposed to sneaking it into the house like a crack fiend. Off to the Webs I ran, and found this lovely butchy sock yarn on sale for $6 per ball! Sidenote: LOVE the new Webs site design.


Starting a pair of toe up socks, two at once, to entertain my hands while my brain is at a work conference with my co-conspirator. It's work-appropriate slightly variegated black Koigu that I bought at School Products. I'm making up the "pattern" as I go, so stay tuned. It's so simple, I'm reluctant to call it a pattern, per se, but it's tenatively titled Midnight Sky. Perhaps Starry Sky, for the alliteration. The sock bag was a gift from Wifey two years ago.


Last, but certainly not least, I present Icarus. I'm not a lace fan. I'm not a shawl fan. But this pattern is stunning and with all the experts groaning about being bored, I thought, this is the lace for me! I'm using the $5 cone of white mystery lace weight from School Products. I should've gone down another needle size, but since this is purely process knitting, I'm not frogging it. I suddenly feel silly for bitching about the size of Koigu. Lace-weight? Yeah, my sausage fingers are NOT made for knitting lace. And yet, I'm enjoying it.


Must pack for my work conference now. Look, a butterfly!