Conquering Wisp

Hi, sorry for the long gap between posts! It's been hectic here, school-wise. A lesson plan intro, two midterms, and a paper. It's that time of the year, you know?

But, in knitting news, all is going well. Really well, in fact. After two false starts (A Travelling Roses Scarf and Branching Out), I finally decided to try Wisp again. If any of you have been reading for a bit, you know that I attempted Wisp before, in Louet Kid Mohair. You will also know that it was a Disaster. My gauge was uneven, my stitch count fluctuated wildly, and it was just altogether a Bad Project. I tried to frog it, but even that failed. It's been sitting in the corner mocking me ever since. I wanted to try something new for this project, but I am actually really happy I ended up trying again. I don't know if it's because I'm a better knitter or if it's because the yarn is much nicer (I'm using that Kidsilk Spray I won at Lazy Knits and Purls), but it is going 200% better this time. The lace is really simple, but looks impressive, and I'm actually really enjoying the process of knitting it. I personally think it's the yarn; the silk lends the mohair more slip/mobility than the nylon did. I cast on 46, but am forgoing the eyelets/buttonholes because I can't imagine Mrs. F wanting to wear it any way besides a scarf or possibly a skinny shoulder/upper arm wrap. It makes the pattern really, really simple. I'm using size ten needles since I knit tightly and have no size eight or nine needles. It was either size seven or size ten, and knowing my propensity to knit tightly, I opted for ten. It seems to be working well. The yarn is heaven to work with, and while it was slightly difficult to tink (I did make a mistake or two), it wasn't as bad as I expected. When I was on the train Tuesday, a lady asked me what I was knitting and commented that she thought it looked really lovely. She asked if it was angora (which was surprising, considering most people don't know you can knit with anything but wool, seems) and I let her feel up the yarn. It was a thoroughly nice knitting in public experience. First, she knew I was knitting, not crocheting. Second, she complimented it profusely and was really nice about it. Last, she didn't start waxing poetic about gender roles, not knowing how to knit, not having the time to knit, or her dear departed mother who used to knit. (None of these but the final have happened to me, but they all happen. The last is sweet, but it makes for a little awkwardness. What do I have to say about someone's mother, even if she was a fantastic woman?) It was a bit of an ego stroke and was quite nice. I've done about 8 repeats and am just going to go until my ball runs out.

I've been wearing my cowl around, and have ceased to feel awkward about it. It puts a little color and sunshine into the day, so it makes me happy. The weather has been unseasonably cold and rainy, so any bit of cheer is welcome. Plus, they seem to be quite in fashion right now. I already caught one of the stitches in my glasses, though, and a little bit of yarn got pulled out. You know what I mean? It's not a big deal, but why am I so clumsy?

Lastly, some blog shout outs, both for contest and personal purposes. Annette's Acre is having a very generous giveaway to celebrate her 6th blogiversary! Congrats Annette, and thanks for being so generous! Rikrak Studio is also holding a giveaway for one skein of Off The Hooks handspun. Usually I don't care for a handspun look, but Bluebell and Harvest Stripes look absolutely gorgeous, don't they? Thanks to both Rikrak Studio and Ashley from Off The Hooks! And lastly, a group of my very intelligent, very witty, and very awesome friends have started up a blog: Lady Business. If you've ever looked for a ladymag with more substance than a Cosmo, this is your chance. They're just starting up, but they're going to have the usual sex fashion, etc. but with a big dose of culture, news, and articles about sexism, racism, etc. It's fun with substance, is what it is. So check it out! I might be guest blogging there occasionally, too.

The Mohair Murder Mystery

In other words, kill me please. Between my inexperience knitting with lace, and my inexperience knitting with mohair, poor Lucy Snowe had to be ripped. Well, I would say ripped, but the word really doesn't encompass the horror and absolute screaming terror of frogging mohair. I swear I could hear the goat this stuff had been shorn from screaming with rage in the distance, cursing me, and making the yarn stick.

The yarn, going slowly, so slowly, and then, at the end of a row, tangling into such an awful mess that cutting the fluff was the only recourse. I tell you, it was like trying to de-tangle a tomboy's nest of hair. If she were also Satan.

And then, inexplicably, the yarn broke! This wasn't when I was yanking at it, no, it's at the end of a relatively easy row! What the hell is this shit? The goat, it is laughing at me. IT MOCKS ME! IT MOCKS ME IN MY PAIN!

Wisp will be conquered. Wisp will even be conquered in mohair. Just not now.

In other news, the Flomit socks offered their own confusion the other day. I ended up ending the rounds at the wrong needle. How badly can things go lately? Really? I fixed it by knitting an extra bit of stockinette on the needle that was "behind," but it's annoying and shows how new I still am at this. If there's something I hate, it's to fail at something. *sigh* I think it's just that school's starting up soon, so my mind's been on that.

Very baa-aad luck with knitting lately. *dodges rotten tomatoes*

Wisp and Sock the Second

So, right now I'm working on my first lace project, a Wisp for my friend's mother, Mrs. F. It's looking alright. A shitty picture for your perusal on the left. Yeah, I'm too lazy to go outside and take a nice one. Probably a bad way to start a blog, right? I'm sure that I'll do better from now on. I've christened this project Lucy Snowe because I've recently finished Villette by Charlotte Brontë and have been thinking it over. What a depressing book, right? After poor Lucy finally finds love, her love SPOILER drowns at sea. I mean, how sad is that? I also loved the book for it's look into a woman's role at the time. It reminded me a little bit of Jane Eyre, understandably, but infinitely more depressing. At least Jane finally marries and finds happiness. Lucy is alone. But, I suppose you could make an argument that she finally discovers her own self worth, which brings its own kind of happiness. For a woman of the time, though, spinsterhood seems like an awful fate. Anyway, the pink of this mohair (why yes, PINK MOHAIR; it's Louet Kid Mohair, a 70% mohair 30% nylon blend) reminds me of Lucy's pink dress that she wears to the theatre. I'm finding the knitting easy, mostly, but also annoying. My needles aren't too pointy and it's a pain in the ass with the laceweight. I'm also ending up with 44 stitches instead of 46, but I'm too lazy to rip back. If it wants to be 44, it'll be 44 then.

My second project on the needles is a pair of screaming pink socks, affectionately named the Flomit socks. Flomit=flamingo vomit. My little brother helpfully suggested that a flamingo's vomit would be more of an orange color, but I like my portmanteau too much to change it now. It's hardly sophistictated, but we don't need to be so stately and dignified all the time, do we? Check out this pink action ---------->
Hot, right? The pattern is Tidepool Socks by Mary-Heather Cogar and the yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Flamingo colorway. By the way, I adore Lorna's Laces. I knit my only other pair of socks with it, and god it is great. Makes a comfortable sock with beautiful colorways. Some people say it's not stretchy enough, but I learned on cotton dishcloths. Stretchy enough for me!

So, that's what's on the needles right now. What are you knitting, reading, eating, verbing at the moment?