Monday, March 13, 2006

You know that you've been out of the blogosphere too long

when you have 111 unread entries on bloglines and you don't subscribe to very many blogs in the first place.

Look:
Dragon Parts!

It's proof that I have been knitting (and a photo of Elly's rear end). Unfortunately, I haven't been knitting very much. What you see are four of the six pieces need to make a Dragon Hoodie for Eva. I have been wanting to make this sweater for a long time now, but never got around to it because I could never find yarn that I liked. I finally settled for Plymouth Encore even though the gauge is wrong.

For some reason, this tiny sweater is causing me great anxiety. I ripped out the back (or part of the back) three times for various reasons. I worry that it won't fit Eva because I have no idea how big an 18-month old is. I worry about how the parts are going together (the hood construction is a bit baffling to me). I worry about installing the zipper. Heck, I worry about FINDING a zipper. I worry about making the crocheted poky things to go along the spine. I worry that it will look too plain without the spots. I worry that no one will know that it's a dragon. I worry that the colors aren't right. (I picked red and gold because I thought that Eva should be a Chinese dragon because she's more Chinese than I am. But do people know that Chinese dragons are red and gold?)

To make this sweater even harder on me, I decided to knit the entire thing continental style. Why? To prove to myself that I can do it and to make knitting a mostly stockinette sweater a bit more interesting. I am primarily an English knitter, but I learned to knit two-handed fair isle very early in my knitting career. So, I can easily knit and purl with both hands. However, increasing, decreasing, and binding off continental style are challenging for me. I know the benefits of continental knitting, but boy oh boy is it uncomfortable for me. I think this will be the end of my experiments with continental knitting. That is, until the next time I want to experiment with continental knitting again.

In regular life:
My last day at my job is Thursday. Today, I'm waffling between "I'm so happy!" and "I'm so sad!" I'm happy to escape from the chapters that I have been editing and re-editing for years, but it frightens me that someone else is going to edit my chapters. I guess I can't have it both ways. Meanwhile, I already have two freelance jobs lined up. *Whew!* I'm not unemployed after all.

I'm also entertaining myself with my new computer. It has a built in webcam.

I'm coming to get you!
click for giant Scout

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have the same anxiety about baby sizing. I just don't have any sense -- innate or cultivated -- of how big various babies and kids are. I sort of want a series of dummy babies in graduated sizes, but if anyone but me should come across them in my house it might look a little creepy. Anyway, little kids are blobby and maleable, so I'm sure the Dragon Hoodie will a) fit Eva just fine, and b) be adorable.

When is your web cam going to go live so we can keep tabs on the doings o your cats all day?

Happy last week at your job!

Meredith said...

Hi Scout! The hoodie looks great--I'm sure people will know it's a dragon. And as long as it's a functional sweater, it doesn't really matter.

Hope your last day at work goes well!

Joanna said...

Love your cats, and your knitting is very nice! Question, how do you like your new Mac (intel chip) computer? Did you have a Mac before? Major differences you see? Any software problems? I have an old Power book that is getting old .... but not sure if I am ready to change to the intel chip Mac yet.

http://watchthoseneedles.blogspot.com

Jennifer said...

Baby sizing can be tricky, especially as they get older. The sizings aren't always accurate. I think it's looking good though!

Helen said...

ooh! a built in webcam! i still need a cam. you should download Skype. video and voiced chat. mucho fun

Anonymous said...

Awwww... Look at that cute Scout!

I think the dragon looks great. (I also *think* many people will get that the dragon is red & gold because of the Chinese heritage.)

And congratulations on not being unemployed!

Elizabeth said...

MEOW!

Even knitting for my own kids (or sewing for them too) was/is challenging sometimes. They're a moving target, size-wise. So few kids are actually the standard size for their ages. My guys were in 18 mo sizes at 3 months. We had friends whose daughter outgrew 6 month sizes at 15 months. You just never know. A little too big is always better than a little too small!

Anonymous said...

Hi Giant Scout! I'm gianter!!

amylovie said...

What a darling pattern.

I knew Chinese dragons are red and gold.

Amy

Anonymous said...

Yay to perseverance! It would've tested me, and you deserve a medal just for that. I think it will turn out okay, though. Your anxiety may stem from this knitting method.

- MJ

Elizabeth said...

You haven't been knitting very much?? It looks like a lot to me! Hope you're having a good last day at your job.