New Tricks

Well, gift knitting continues apace. Will it be done by Christmas? No clue. None of these items are life or death to me...if they get done, great, if not...s'aright.

I did learn a cool new (to me) trick...The Pismo Hat has a couple of stripes. I avoid stripes because I just don't usually like the way they come out, both the jog problem and that first row of color change just....doesn't do it for me.

The designer gives a couple of cool hints about the jog issue, and they really helped. Didn't completely obliterate the problem - most likely from my lack of skill, not the directions. The thing that really worked and rocked my little boat? You know how when you're doing ribbing and you change colors, that first row of the color change can just look crappy? You have a little bump of the color sort of standing out in the row below it? She completely solves this problem by knitting the first round, then going back to the rib pattern. This makes a really sharp demarcation of color...I liked it so much, I cast on for another hat using my leftover Cascade Superwash from the Chinese Tapestry Hat with some stripes...just cause I love how that little trick works! I'll try to get a pic of the finished CTH soon.....

You might find it amusing...I'm making this latest hat for my sweetie's....husband. Like me, Jodie was married a long time. Her husband is a very kind man. He is probably the only one of her immediate family that gave her no grief when she came out and left the marriage. So, I'm making him a beanie for Christmas....or whenever it gets done. I wish all women who figure themselves out later in life who are already married could have a husband like him. I certainly didn't. When I came out, my ex-husband took it really personally. His bitterness continues undiminished 7.5 years later. If I had left for a man...he said he would have actually felt better. But to leave because I figured out I was lesbian? Major slap to his ego I guess. You know how they say, "you don't know some one till you('re) married to/live with them"? Nope, let me tell you, you don't know them till you divorce them. Over seven years later, I still find myself with wrinkled brow asking myself "who IS THIS? This cannot be the same man I was married to for 14 years...who is in there now?"

Started to make a simple ribbed hat from some yummy variegated blue sock yarn from stash...I usually knit so tightly, I thought it would be fine on 3.25 mm needles. About half an inch in the ribbing...I didn't like it. I had that initial "damn it, what a waste of a good hour" feeling...but Margene's post from yesterday popped into my mind again....and she is so right. It is the process. I was able to just say, "huh. That didn't work. Let's try something else." Thanks Margene!

Lastly, I got a good laugh-out-loud moment when reading the tale of TMK and Rat Bastard...Head on over to Mossy Cottage for your own dose of hilarity...