Monday, September 18, 2006

Weaving in Loose Ends

Serenity Sleeves
SerenitySleevesI have abandoned all hopes of finishing Serenity before I move. I’m nearing the sleeve caps, but see at least two more days of knitting ahead of me. Then, there’s the time I need for blocking, seaming, and collar knitting. I think this could have been another 2-week sweater if life hadn’t gotten in the way. The photo is rather boring. Scout was sleeping and Elly only felt the need to walk across the sleeves, not pose with them.

Bobbles!
After tallying up the pro-bobble and anti-bobble votes, pro-bobbles won by 4 votes. However, some of the pro-bobble votes were not so much “yay bobbles!” but more along the lines of “those bobbles aren’t bad.” I’m starting to like the bobbles but mostly because the more bobbles I knit, the less enthused I was about cutting them off.

However, the simple idea of a bobble-ectomy is very intriguing to me. (Thanks to Elizabeth for coining the new word) Oh yes I have to try a bobble-ectomy. Yes, I’ll test the surgery on a scrap, not the sweater. And yes I know that the bobble has to be replaced by a purl stitch (not by a knit stitch as some of you suggested). I just want to see if it will work!

Short-Row Shoulder Shaping
Some time ago, I promise Rachel and Laura that I would write an article about short-row shoulder shaping. It’s a technique that I use on all the sweaters I knit because I think it produces a much neater looking shoulder seam. Short-row shoulder shaping gets rid of the ugly stair-step effect and it sets up for a convenient 3-needle bind-off shoulder seam.

I started writing that article and planned to submit it for the Winter issue of Knitty. I had photos planned and everything. But when I set out to find a good tutorial for the 3-needle bind-off, I found that Knitty already HAS an article on short-row shoulder shaping. Bummer. I debated whether to finish my article and simply “publish” it on this blog, but eventually decided against it. The instructions in the existing Knitty article are clear, so I directly my loyal and curious readers to that article.

Good-bye Little House in the Suburbs
This is going to be another crazy week for me and I’m not looking forward to it.
Tuesday: Packers (from the moving company, not Green Bay) are coming to pack up our house--mostly packing the kitchen, the remaining books, and clothes. We also have the final walk-through of our new house.
Wednesday: The closing for our current house.
Thursday: Cats go to the cat kennel and we have the closing for the new house.
Friday: The movers move our stuff from the current house to the new house.
Saturday: New fridge is delivered, the appliance guy comes to hook up our washer and dryer, the lady who sells blinds comes to measure our windows, and the cable guy comes to hook up our internet service.
Sunday: Pick up the cats and hope that they don’t Scout doesn’t freak out in the new house.

I’m moving a mere 21 miles from the suburbs into Houston, but I’m a bit scared about this move into the “big city.” I don’t like cities. I was never thrilled about living in the suburbs of a big city but cities are where the jobs are. Perhaps some day Peter and I will be able to move to a small university town (our dream) or to a goat farm (my dream) but for now, I’ll make the best of the current situation. Being less than a mile from the largest yarn store in Houston won’t hurt either.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the bobbles...I like the texture and the sheen and the colour ...so I would say thats a big yes for serenity.

Good luck with your move

Anonymous said...

Du-UDE! Less than a mile?
That will definitely help.
But I know what you mean about cities vs. small university towns.
Good luck with the move!

Stephanie said...

You are just going to have to console yourself at that yarn store - frequently!

I don't like cities either. :(

amylovie said...

Good luck with the move!

Amy

Jennifer said...

Good luck with the move! Moving can be very stressful, but once you've settled it, you'll like it.

Anonymous said...

I'm excited for you that you'll finally be able to move and start in your new place. The city doesn't sound fun, but hopefully the yarn store and other benefits will offset it. Best wishes for your cats too -- does Scout like catnip? It might help to relax her. And, you can put her things around in the new house, so it smells like "hers."

Meredith said...

Good luck with the move! Those things are never fun. Honestly, Houston doesn't feel much like a big city to me. I know, it's the 4th largest city in the US--maybe it's just because I rarely go downtown? Anyway, I'm sure you (and Scout) will adjust quickly!

Elizabeth said...

There's always an upside. I like living in the city, I like living in the country. I even kind of like my suburban sub-division life that I have these days. So, in the city, you'll be near the yarn store, maybe have a shorter commute time for Peter (your commute will still be measured in steps, right? freelancing?), be nearer to certain cultural things like music, museums, good bagels.

In the country, you need to plan your big shopping trips for once a week. You need to think about what to keep on hand for dinner. You might have scary rural-poor neighbors who let their dogs run loose. And the dogs bite your calves as you try to bike past. And sometimes you find a steer tip-toeing through your tulips at 8 a.m. (All this voice of experience.)

So love the good things about the city while you're there.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with your crazy week! See you on the other side.

By the way, I still would have enjoyed your short-row shoulder shaping tutorial. The Knitty one just doesn't have that Nimrodel ascerbic wit I've come to know and love. I'll have to think of some other technique to demand that you demonstrate.

Lis said...

I like the bobbles. In a fuzzier yarn they would be too overwhelming, but with stitch definition that fantastic, why waste it?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an interesting week. City life has it's pluses - the yarn store sounds nice, but little towns are lovely. It's the change that gets me.

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be great.

LaBean said...

Peace and many blessings to your new home. Having lived in a big city all my life and having relatives in the 'burbs', I could appreciate living outside a big city, if only for the quiet. But hey, you got a great LYS not to far away! That's gotta count big time! weeeeee

Sarah said...

Good luck on the move!

Heee, thanks for posting the comment that one can't have too much of the same color!

I love the blues-greens-purples so!

But I do also like the reds....

And all the natural fiber colors (except the white. Whites scream Dye!)...

The sweater is close!

Dk's Wife said...

Good luck with the move!

Anonymous said...

I love the bobbles! But only in a non-fuzzy yarn.
I also never had the idea of short-row shaping shoulders, but have to admit that it's genius. I'll try that soon, now that I know whom I can pester with questions.

Anonymous said...

Uh-oh, less then a mile. Your doomed! I work less then 2 blocks from a fairly decent yarn store, and let me tell you it's dangerous. Although somehow calming at the same time.

soapy said...

hope all goes smoothly with your move!