Lucy I'm Home!!!!

Third time's the charm. I finally figured out the pattern. I had it right the second time but was using yarn that was too bulky so I switched to lighterweight yarn and finally got my hat done.

Presenting the Lucy Hat....

Isn't it cute!

Just in time for a single digit week of temperatures... brrrrrrrrrrrr.

My Ravelry account: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/tridoc927/lucy-hat

Needless to say or needles to say.... sorry I love puns!

After doing this to one's car on Thursday?

And then one brings their mom home from the hospital on Friday.... they may need a creative outlet.

I bought a new staple gun to fix the bulletin board. Previously, I'd stapled it temporarily with one of those regular staplers opened up flat. Obviously that wouldn't hold for very long. I also got copper upholstery tacks at Hobby Lobby on the way home from hospital. Yes on the way home. I had my mom and Rylie in the car and left it running. That way I'd only buy one or two things. Ok I got three and probably will take the cork back as I didn't need it. But I figured if I'm hanging around the house to keep an eye on my mom, I have to do something or people are going to get hurt. Well despite that I still hurt her feelings...

So I went back to work on the craft room, and I made the mistake of commenting on how hideous the curtains are.  I swore they were here when my parents bought the house. Now mom claims she bought them. I'm pretty sure she's wrong but she was already insulted and further argument would be moot. BUT really they are awful. They are also blue which I guess I thought didn't match the pillows therefore obviously would need to be replaced....

Curtains from before

I don't have the money and time to do the window curtains yet but I thought I can make a quick pseudo Roman Shade.

BUT first I had to finish the bulletin board. Well finish is a strong word, I mean embellish it more. I'm not going to promise it's done. I might think of something else to do to it.

I put the same stuff back on it. I plan to add fabric swatches but then who is willing to give up that big of a piece of swatch?

Current Projects in Process.... STALLED!!!

Well it didn't take long for this AD/HD'er to get several projects started and not many finished. Here's the deal:
Socks for Joe (belated Christmas, now birthday gift)
I've never done socks and bought all this sock weight yarn and it's very fine. Fine as in tiny. So it requires these size 1 needles first couple attempts looked like spaghetti.
So then I thought maybe the sock loom would be the answer....

Well the yarn is still fine and you use this little hook to slide the yarn up and over these little pegs and second try on that got frustrated.
So thought I'd try out the magic loop method. Still tiny bamboo in this case, circular needles that are 40 or 48" long.

I bought these from China. So they were cheap, cheap! And they smell funny, I think it's all that plastic tubing in a cellophane bag or they're contaminated with lead who knows. Ok so this time I'm on to something. It was going well looked like a sock. I was using the toe up method this time and a pattern called Scylla socks. They're named for a deadly sea monster named Scylla. Perhaps that should have scared me. So by now I've decided F#@$ this I'm making socks in Joe's girlfriend size instead because he has funny shaped feet and I don't need that for first try.

Hope she likes variegated purple, gray and white. Should have checked into Northern Illinois University's school colors. And now I'm 4 rows in and looks like a toe. But time to go to bed or something and I stick the toothpick think circular 1 needles into the ball of yarn. BIG MISTAKE!!!!

It broke just like a toothpick! Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! I put a dpn some smaller size through the stitches to try and save them but now that project also on hold.

Gray Skies Capelet

I could hardly wait to finish these gifts and start this one for myself. Not so much because it's for myself but because I looked forward to using the yarn. Expecially the glittery one!

This is the picture from the book. The yarn they used was really a light blue and cream and the yarn for the collar and bottom of cape has gold beads. I'm not much for blue or gold beads. So I bought Rowan Cocoon Lavendar Ice, a beautiful gray with a hint of violet, and Berroco Glitter in Pyotr, almost identical to the Lavendar Ice and with a silver glittery thread interwoven. 

So beautiful can't you imagine these two together. Well that went pretty fast until I realized that I bought one skein of each (I think, I may have another skein across the street of the Lavendar Ice) because it's from a book called one plus one and projects from 2 skeins that may not be true if you use different yarn. S@#$ I am not using the yarn from the book! It was all Artyarns which are some of the most gorgeous yarns out there so perhaps that's why they cost a ridiculous amount of money! Like 2 skeins for this project could easily be $100 or more. 

So I knit all the yarn I had of Lavendar Ice or that is unless I find another skein. I contacted the store I bought it at Sisters Art Studio up in Chicago and they are holding some skeins for me. I even attached the collar so I could try out the Glittery Pyotr and did the yarn ties. But I can't do more without another skein. I will look for that today in my craft room across the street. (My mom's house)

Lucy Hat

So last night I wanted to do a little knitting before bed and I cast on for the Lucy Hat. After just 4 rounds you start the short rows. Huh? Never done short rows before and a week or so ago I watched several you tube videos on it so I think I got this. But here's the dilemma. The instructions are as follows:

Short-row 1 (RS) K35 (39), wrap next st, turn

Short-row 2 K10, wrap next st, turn

Short-row 3 Knit to 2 sts past previously wrapped st, (see notes), wrap next st, turn

Notes: (when working short rows in garter stitch it is not necessary to work your wraps together with the wrapped stitches. The wraps will essentially disappear into the garter stitch when left alone).

Rep last short-row 23 (27) more times

Um huh? The way I interpreted short-row 3 it was only 12 stitches so now I think I did it wrong. Because I can tell from picture you're not just repeating 12 stitches. So I thought I'm supposed to repeat short-row 1 27 times. But now I think it means I did short-row 3 wrong. Then I recheck the pattern in Ravelry and sure enough there's a correction but I'm not sure it helps me understand this.

This is what Ravelry said:

"Clarification for the short rows:

I’ve been getting a lot of messages from confused knitters regarding the short rows in this hat. I’ve re-read the instructions in the magazine and I see now where the confusion is.

The instructions say “knit to 2 sts past previously wrapped st… wrap next st, turn”

This means you knit up to but not including the second st past the previous wrap and then wrap the next st. It’s the minor, yet significant, difference between saying “knit 2 sts past…” and “knit to 2 sts past”. I hope this is helpful.

THERE IS NO ERRATA FOR THIS PATTERN. THE PATTERN IS CORRECT AS PUBLISHED IN KNITSCENE."

Now look at the picture and see if that helps.

Any ideas?

So this project is now stuck as well. 

Renovate My Ranch: 12DaysOfHGTV and Further Work on "My" Craft Room A...

Renovate My Ranch: 12DaysOfHGTV and Further Work on "My" Craft Room A...: As I've told a few people, I just can't take the chaos of my house sometimes plus I thought I should spend more time with my mom. So...