WorldWide Knit In Public Day!

Hee- reading the Knitters' Review Forum today in search of errata for a specific project (more later), I discovered that there is groundswell for a unofficial Knit in Public day on June 111th, 2005.
Here's a button from the "official" blog :




Join ussssss....

STASHED!

OOH OOOOH OOOOH!
My Aunt L has stashed me!
I received a Hammermill box in the mail yesterday... inside was a ecclectic set of gorgeous skeins of different colors, styles, and "feels" of wool; there were also a few hand-knit projects that she has decided I should have. One is a beauuuuuuutiful fisherman sweater that she had done herself in lovely style. *gasp* It walks in beauty, honestly. It's infinitesimally tight on my linebacker-shoulders, but a wash and gentle block will remedy! Another is an orange knit with an alligator that any UF fan would sport with pride. I'll bet it goes fab with navy pants or even a navy T-neck in the winter.
I'm like a kid at Christmas, going through this stuff. There's even some pretty baby-fine yarn that I'm practicing on Mom's size 3 needles.

I may bring some, triumphantly, to the Knit & Sip tomorrow.

Wondering if a wash and block would fix the gauge problem mentioned last week.

Knitting Blog webring should open up again soon. Wish me luck!

Odd problems cropping up...

I've discovered a flaw in my otherwise solid idea about dual-knitting the cardi left/right panels: The non-pre-knitted-yarn (straight out of the skein) is knitting flatter and with a tighter gauge than the pre-knit yarn! ARGH!
I guess I'll have to knit it up, let it sit in locked position for a while, unknit it, and see what happens when I re-knit it. I just am floored. I never thought of this problem.

There's a yarn of the month club. Me want in.

BOW to Theresa.

I have been puzzling over how to do my center-pull yarnballs without the aid of the $40 winder...... and finally, after perusing the knitting forums, I had come to several conclusions:

1. There is a way.
   
2. It involves a cardboard tube (paper towel, toilet tissue, map tube, lint roller tube).
3. The secret will never be clear enough for me to understand.

And then along came Theresa. (Cue the celestial choir.)
With pictures, no less! I now can do this without whining about how I really ought to get the winder.

Cardi-wise:
I've decided to begin the left panel before I get too far with the right panel, so that I can match size. Mom, God bless her, has an extra size 11 needle so that this can be accomplished. She really ought to pick out a pattern so that I can repay her knitting materials generosity.

Thing I've been wondering about: Does the Boyfriend Sweater Curse extend to any knit/crocheted project- like a hat or mittens- or does it only invoke on a certain complexity level? 'cause I'd love to knit a hat for Vin Diesel...
*snerk*

Who lets a little ignorance stop them?

Not me!
I'm done with the required 7 1/2 inches of the stockinette for Right Panel, but it doesn't seem long enough for Dad, so I'll be adding another inch to inch and a half. But I was right, since it wasn't 92 sts cast on, the work on Right Panel has gone rapidly.
I'm getting a bit conscious of my freewheeling style of "to heck with the proscibed pattern" ways, but if I bluster on I ought to bluff my way through this thing.

As for the Knit/Sip: due to errand-running problems, I was an hour late to the sitting, but they're perfectly content to hang there until the Library staff boots them out, so I got in an hour of knit-time. They haven't begun the child's sweater yet, so I'm still in the running to have a concurrent project! Yay!
The Knitters there are such a GRAND bunch. They are pleased that I've come so far in my project- it helps to have positive feedback!
I'm actually off to email a few of them- I'm trying to get a list organized, so people can stay connected and maybe take field trips to Bette Bornside or even Quarter Stitch someday.

Next on the Cardi:
Decreasing so as to create the V of the neck. Eeeeee!

For those of you playing along at home:

the secret word of the day is "procrastinate."

OK. Here's what I've accomplished so far.
From the knitting-crochet.com website.

These directions are for small size (36-38).
Changes for medium size (40-42) and large size (44-46) are in parentheses.
MATERIALS
Worsted weight yarn
(2 oz. skeins)- 14 (15-16),
1 pair each straight knitting needles Nos. 4 and 9 OR ANY SIZE NEEDLES WHICH WILL GIVE THE STITCH GAUGE GIVEN BELOW
1 steel
crochet hook No. 2
4 buttons
GAUGE: 4 sts = 1 inch 6 rows -- 1 inch
BACK: Using No. 4 needles, cast on 76 (84-92) sts
K 1, P 1 in ribbing for 1 inch.
Change to No. 9 needles and work even in stockinette st until piece measures 16(16 ½, 16 ½ ) inches:
SHAPE ARMHOLES: At the beg of each of the next 2 rows bind off 4 (5 6) sts. Dec 1 st each end of needle every other row 2 (3-4) times. Work even on 64 (68-72) sts until armholes measure 8 ½ (9-9 ½ ) inches.
SHAPE SHOULDERS: At the beg of each of the next 4 rows bind off 7 (7-8) sts. At the beg of each of the next 2 rows bind off 6 (8-8) sts. Bind off remaining 24 sts.

So I've managed to accomplish all of that bit. Huzzah!
Then I was a procrastinator and took time off to read a gob of books, catch up on Battlestar Galactica, CSI, West Wing, et alia.
But last night, I took up needle and wool again, and have begun the Right Front Panel; instructions following here:

RIGHT FRONT: Using No. 4 needles, cast on 44(48-52) sts. K 1, P 1 in ribbing for 1 inch. Change to No. 9 needles. P 36 (40-44) sts and sl remaining 8 sts onto a holder to be worked later for front band. Work even on 36 (40-44) sts until piece measures 7 (7 ½, 7 ½ ) inches.

I've gotten the ribbed inch along the bottom done, slipped the 8 sts onto a wee precious stitch holder of Mom's, and am proceding apace with the stockinette stitch.

Today is also another Knit & Sip Thursday at the Library; I must needs go out for other errands, too.

Barnes and Noble are having a crafts sale this week, if I had cash, I'd get a few books at up to 50% off.

The Knitter/Sippers are going to be starting a child sweater pattern; since I missed last week, I may have missed out on getting a project kit or instructions or what have they.

Wish me luck - 7 1/2 inches should go like billy-ho.