Red Hot

Okay, so I am working on the Red Hot as part of the Sexy Knitters Club Third Quarter Kal.  The last time I participated in one of their KAL's was for the Sahara which I posted about here.  It has been a while since I was able to join in, even though I have wanted to for some time now.  When I saw the designer I began to troll around and found the pattern for Red Hot calling for Calmer.  I had originally purchased it for Fifi, which was another Sexy Knitters Club KAL but things with SWCNLBN got in the way, I gained weight, lost weight and moved two times so Fifi has been hibernating.  I ripped out what little had been started and cast on for this on 09/11/2010 after I had finished up the Topi.  I will go back to Fifi later, as I will need to remeasure to make the "new" size.

This one is working up quite quickly.  I am already at the point where I begin to divide for the back neck.  I hesitated on making this initially because I HATE seaming.  I think that the pattern has convinced me that I will be just fine.  I am knitting or purling the first and last stitch of each row in the opposite stitch to make the edge easier to sew and it is looking quite clean.  Calmer has a bit of a give to it, so I measured carefully and continue to measure it against my numbers.  I don't want any surprises.  It needs to be finished by September 30th, so I will be working hard on it as much as possible.  Thankfully college football season has started and that provides me with a lot of time in front of the TV.

The pictures below are of the first yarn cake of Calmer and the lace start on the size US 7's.  The decreases in the lace are a bit tricky at first but I devised a plan and the stitch count was right on target.  after the decreases, you switch to the US 8's and stockinette stitch.  It goes fast too.  So far I love the yarn and the pattern.  More pictures will follow later this week.

Monday

Well, it seems that the weekend is NEVER long enough.  Even with housework completed before Friday it seems as if there was way too much on our plates.  The pool has been returned to the correct chemical balance and all is well with the swimming universe!  Good news for those like me that love a good swim when they get home in the evening or one to start the morning before heading to the gym.

The visit to the hairdresser was also fruitful.  The color issues I was having have been resolved, at least for the moment, and I am once again past a large part of the painful process that one encounters while growing out very short layers.  The hair tends to be a little disrespectful the first two or three days after a visit, so I'll try to get some pictures later this week when it begins to behave.

I did manage to get the Clementine finished Friday.  She is quite lovely and is being blocked as I type this so that she will be ready for a photo shoot Tuesday.  It is actually quite a wonderful pattern and one you get to row 63 on Chart B the rest is a four row repeat that is so mindless it is actually soothing to the nerves.  I decided on a three-needle bind off as I was not fond of the mental image that a Kitchener bind off would create.  I can see more of these in the future!

I also managed to get the Dandy I made from the Patons Stretch Sock soaked and blocked.  It too will get a photo shoot Tuesday.  This way we can compare the sock yarn version to the dk version that I already posted about.  I am always amazed at exactly how much yarn is in a skein of sock yarn once you start knitting lace.  I will post more about it when I share the pictures.

I also have now sewn the sleeves into the Red Robin, so all that remains is to purchase three buttons and attach them and it can be moved to finished status.  It was the third project that I had listed in the Finish-A-Long. I was happy to see it get finished and off the needles.  All that remains from the UFO pile are two afghans.  One I will be sorting out and getting ready to tackle as soon as the weather here will cease and desist with the excessive heat warnings.  There is NOTHING worse than having a lap full of yarns in the Texas heat and humidity.  Except maybe not having AC at all.  So be prepared for posts later in October or November about the last two remaining UFO's.  There is one hibernating item (Fifi) but it needs to be frogged and re-started, as I have lost too much weight since I started it to finish the current size and that is a good thing.  Really!

I needed mindless knitting on Saturday so I started a wash cloth for Zoe.  I had a pattern for a rubber duckie in my queue so I grabbed some Sugar'n Cream that was in my stash and cast on.  I had a skein of bright yellow that I had purchased specially for this one.  She is with Stephanie in Florida visiting her grandpa so it will be ready for her when she gets back home to Texas.

I have cast on Red Hot and Green Gable.  I have Calmer in a beautiful pale blue (SH 487 - Refresh) for the Red Hot and Brown Sheep Company, Inc. Cotton Fleece in the Caribbean Sea colorway (CW-520)for the Green Gable.  I have also started the Multnomah with some handspun that I received in the All Things Local swap.  So it seems that I have now added three WIP's to replace the three UFO's that I just finished.  I am excited because they are all different but should be quick knits.  Or at least that what my brain said after reading the patterns for the first time.  I will be working on the Red Hot first, as it is for a KAL that ends at the end of the Third Quarter.  Green Gable will not be too far behind, as I want to be able to get some wear out of it while it is still warm this year.

We have also been cheering LOUDLY for the Pearland Little League.  After play ended last night they are the only US team that is 2 and 0!  They hit solidly and got on the board with scores early and never let up.  They play again at 7:00 PM CST on Tuesday.  I will be looking for tee shirts today to support them!  Texas has sent an amazing number of teams to the LLWS since it was started in 1947 and the Bellaire team of 2000 was the closest that a team from our metro area has made it since the two Houston teams won in 1950 and 1966.  You can bet that all of Pearland is cheering and doing what we can to see these boys all the way to the finish line.  I would love to see them sweep the whole event.

Okay...enough for the moment...Have a great Monday and cheer for Pearland!