Updates

Time for another Saturday update. Right up front, I haven’t played WoW much at all. When I first took it up two years ago, it took a big chunk out of my knitting time. The past few weeks, it seems to be that my knitting is taking a big chunk out of my WoW time. Reckon the planets have just aligned in some knitting mojo for me or some such, I dunno. Or maybe it’s knowing that my stay-at-home days are dwindling to an end, with a new career looming. Like the Yarn Harlot said, “Life is short – knit fast!”

That and our guild’s recent raiding schedule hasn’t been good for me, so without those to prepare for and show up for, well . . . I just haven’t played much but to level my alt some.

So far I’ve gotten 9 preemie hats knitted up, with another quickie on the needles. I know the garter-stitch-on-the-straights version, from the Yarn Haven’s free preemie patterns, requires a seam. But when seaming garter stitch, if you do it right, you get a seam that can’t be felt. It can be seen, especially with variegated yarns, but it can’t be felt and won’t poke the baby’s head. Essentially you just connect up the garter ridges, but staggered, so that they interlock in a stair-stepping way, one above the other instead over top one another. This pattern is so easy and mindless that it’ll probably be my go-to pattern while I’m on my South Carolina trip.

Ya see that little gray bit of scrap yarn tied to the needle? That’s my marker for the goal of 4 ½ inches. When the knitting is as long as that measured waste yarn, I’m ready to decrease, and no more reaching for a ruler every few rows. Can’t remember which little book I learned that trick from, but I use it a lot for portable knitting projects.

I shoulda picked up some more oranges while I was at the store yesterday. I ate the other models I was using for these preemie cap photos.

And on a side note, which is how most future knitting projects begin, I clicked a link on the Yarn Haven’s blog that stirred something in me. Click it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean: CitizenSam. The LYS sponsors the Operation Helmet Liner as well as the east Tennessee chapter of Project Linus.

On Ravelry (don’t even tell me if you’re not yet on there; we’ve talked about that), I changed the shawl and blanket from a WiP to the status of ‘hibernating.’ Just being honest. Feeling guilty, but the reality is they’re just not seeing the light of day at all lately.

And the bag I finished knitting ages ago, but just haven’t gotten around to sewing in the fabric liner? That just might finally happen really soon. I gotta be in the right mood to fool around with the sewing machine and/or serger. And a couple of days ago, I got the notion to braid up some fabric rugs. There will be a small amount of sewing needed to prepare the strips I’ve done cut up. Hmmm . . . while I’m at it, and the machines are all set up for use, I might as well tuck in that liner right quick, too.

The socks have my attention right now; I can’t help it!

Some of this week’s knitting ear candy included the movie Marley & Me, to which I squalled and cried like a baby; spoiler alert, that damn dawg died.