Back on Track

I hate this new Blogger; I can't get any of my rings to work! I'm getting to the point where I'd like to swap servers... Any suggestions?

I don't know if it's the end of January, my upcoming Birthday holiday, or the fact that I got to lay in bed and do absolutely nothing for a whole day, but I feel pretty spiffy. It is like my psyche got a hardcore reboot when the Calimari took me down. It gave me a chance to remember why we're going through all this nightmare planning:

1. Boy cooks for me. Yummy yummy things like Lemon Brocolli soup.
2. Boy lets me knit as much as I want and buy extensive amounts of yarn.
3. Boy encourages me to continue going to school and would like me to return to my photography career eventually (it's a crappy digital, I'm much better in large format!).
4. Boy has been in like/love with me for almost 10 years. While this is not important in and of itself, the fact that this love has not diminished over the 4 four years we have been together is.

There's more, of course, but one can only make oneself so sweetly-sick in one blog entry.

For my Yarn Yenta, the in-progress Chuppah:

The chuppah has become more of an adventure since getting a crocheting Tote Exchange buddy. It's funny how things just pop up after hiding them in a trunk for so long...

And some faboo news!

This very blurry line from a letter I received an hour ago and states that, if I can keep it together and finish my astronomy class, I will finally, finally, f.i.n.a.l.l.y. get my AA degree. After all the setbacks, detours, and false starts my post-secondary education has had, I am very proud to be getting any degree before I turn 30. I'm going to go work on the chuppah and study!

Knitter 1 Calimari 0

I've had a strange weekend. Our families met for the first time and hit it off splendidly, I had the worst case of food poisoning ever, and my folks have decided that we have to change the wedding venue with 82 days to go. I was actually thankful for the break that two straight days of extreme icky-sickiness afforded me away from the planning nonsense. Pity us, the poor wretches in wedding hell...

To try to relieve some of the stress, I am fullfilling my blogly obligations with an update post. I don't like posting in update format. It means that I've neglected you all so long and have so much to tell you that I can only hit the highlights. I also think I'm not as funny in update format, but I will make a special effort today!

Swaps

I participated in the Knitter's Review Holiday Gift Exchange this year, though with everything going on around the holidays this year I forgot to blog about it. I had a great time putting together a cute little package for my partner, I even forced myself not to read the book I got her. Then I never heard anything back. I have been in a few exchanges and have met some wonderful folks; I've never been forgotten before... Good news is, an angel has already volunteered to send me a little something to take a way the sting of rejection.

The best thing to do in these situations is to jump back on the horse. Enter the International Tote Exchange!

Luckily, my tote-ee has simular tastes to me, so I'm really looking forward to making her something spiffy!

Project Shuffle

I am taking a break from the chuppah in order to work on this:

This is the beginnings of the Heart Tank from the Winter Knit.1. I haven't picked this magazine up before; the projects just didn't appeal to me. Mid-January I was suffering from wedding burnout and needed a knitting fix, so I picked this up. Though I was originally attracted to the smaller format, the new format uses a more diverse selection of yarns and has some really neat patterns in it. I was also a ball short on the K1CToo Angora Soft I wanted for this project, so I get to trade with Stacey of On & Off the Needles. I am meeting so many nifty people lately!

I would also like to introduce the first FO of the year, the Fantasia Feather & Fan Socks!

I thought it was really nifty that the socks matched the colors of sports drink Boy got to prevent me from dehydrating into a yarn-grasping husk. I'm seriously hoping that, once the nuptial insanity subsides, I will be able to whip out a FO faster than one a month. I'm crawling along with the matching beaded wristwarmers, seen blurrily below:

I'm off to look at some cabled tote patterns and work on my little tank sweater. Stay out of the rain!

Knitter Down!

I don't mean to neglect you, my 3 loyal blog readers, really I don't. I've been super-busy, then super-sick. I've been too sick to knit for goodness sake. I'll try to pop on tomorrow and give a more thorough update.

Rate of Exchange

It seems so silly that I'm not buying yarn this year, especially now that I have a car and can drive to the yarn shop whenever I want. It's probably all for the best though, I seem to be spending my money other places these days...

For example, I worked on this sock while waiting at the dentist's office (it's amazing how fast you can knit when sitting terrified in a tooth-drilling chair with a mouth full of Novacaine). Dentist's visit, with discount, came to almost 7 skeins of Noro Silk Garden at Webs. That's enough for a little sweater at least.

Then there was my wedding dress (sorry for no pictures, but Boy sometimes reads the blog; I'd hate to have to kill him for accidently seeing the dress). I made a very sensible choice and picked up the perfect dress for, (drumroll please), 12.5 skeins of Koigu KPPPM at Simply Socks Yarn Company. The trick will be maintaining my weight so that it will still fit in April. The dress fits me perfectly now, so if I keep losing weight like I have it might be a bit too loose day of. I could stand a bit of toning (especially my flabby arms), but no dropping 15 pounds.

It tickles me to death that most of the wedding stuff will be more expensive than my dress. The cake? 33 skeins of Knitpicks Decadence. The groom's suit? Probably around 15 skeins of RubySapphire sock yarn. I shouldn't gloat though, I did try on a dress that cost 128 skeins of Qivuit from Yarn Market, that's a whole damn afghan. Which reminds me, back to my little acrylic chuppah...

Blah

I apologize (once again) for my extended absence, but I've been feeling, well, blah lately. I haven't been checking the blogs lately, haven't been posting, haven't really felt like doing anything....

Hey, can I tell you guys something? I'm sick of wedding planning already. Not that I've gotten anything done... I've picked out a bakery for the cake, but I haven't gone dress shopping, made arrangements with the cantor or the coffee shop where we're having the reception (they're both reserved for the day, but that's about it), or any of the other things I supposedly must do.

I have been working on the chuppah...


Trek asked, "How long on the afghan?" Now, I'm not sure which long she was asking about, so here's the information I've got: The pattern says it should end up 42" x 60" with the fringe. I started working on it the summer of 2004, I think. It is coming along pretty quickly, so it should be done in plenty of time, unless I drop it for another project... You see, I don't know if I've become a technique snob, but I swear that crocheting this afghan is sucking away my will to create. Last night I looked at Boy and said, "I'm sorry. I know I should be working on the chuppah, but I just want to knit."


Turning a heel has never been so satisfying!

Overdue Thank You's!

I have been uncharacteristically lax in my thanking of my trading buddies. And I have lots to be thankful for; I made out like a bandit!

Thanks to Naomi for the laceweight she spun up for me!

Thanks also to the Yarn Yenta for sending along the Knitting Nature book and offering to help me knit the kippahs. I apologize if I confused you, I thought I read chuppah instead...

Thanks also to Mikey (who does not read the blog, but I'll thank him anyhoo) for the MOKS book for Christmas!

In blog news, my links are still screwed up. I just learned how to use the old blogger and they switch it up on me! I'll try working on it this week (I should have really paid more attention in that programming class in high school instead of passing notes to Boy...).

So It's Come to This...

Wedding rubber duckies

Folks, if you had any doubt before, it should now be clear that your Knitting Wounded has become the Wedding Wounded...

For the record, yes, they make me a little nauseous too, but it's a good kind of nauseous.

Change of Plans

Wow, I haven't posted since last year! Happy 2007 y'all!

In characteristic Knitting Wounded style, I have changed my plans. Instead of agonizing about which yarn to get, figuring out how to pay for it, and then spending three (yes, I'm down to less than four) months knitting my chuppa, I have decided to go the more economical route.

I'm not sure if I've ever posted a picture the never-ending afghan, but here she is:

This is also a stunning photo of the cat giving me the stink eye, but she's smiling and probably doesn't mean anything by it.

This is a big change of plans in a few ways, but the way that will probably mean the most to you guys is this: the afghan is a crochet project...

I know, I know. I started it when I was young and naive and couldn't figure out how to purl. Anyway, the blue acrylic (I know, I know) is from Boy's aunt and deserves to see the light of day. I'll be getting a chronic WIP off my back, have a nice, if not quite as impressive, handmade chuppa, and be saving a bungload of money by using yarn I already have instead of buying more and swelling the stash. That's money that could be used to buy a bigger wedding cake, preprinted invitations (a girl can only be so crafty and keep her day job), and/or more rubber duckies! My only concern is that I'll somehow run short and be forced to search the internet for more colonial blue acrylic.

In the interest of saving money for the upcoming nuptuals and honeymoon (Boy and I have never even had a real vacation before!), I have decided to hop on yet another bandwagon:

I have discovered something about myself: I am a chronic joiner. I am often peeved when I find out that a nifty KAL or swap is going on and I've missed it because I'm not paying attention or not reading the right blogs. My involvement admittedly improves the frequency of my blogging, though the quality is always in question... My Summer of Stash experience was a good one, so I thought, hey, why not try a whole year? I more than enough yarn to last the rest of the decade:

Trust me, it's much more impressive once it's fluffed up. Heck, this doesn't even have the sweater yarns in it! I figure if there's anything I need for holiday gifting, I could pick it up in October. (It didn't seem so long until I typed in October. Whew boy.)

Since I have soooooo much sock yarn already, I've decided to trade in the sock yarn exception for a honeymoon exception. I already have a list of yarn shops I am planning to decimate while in San Francisco. And of course, I can always pick up more sock yarn while I'm there... Anyone have a favorite shop up there?

Anyone wondering why we're not doing something more traditional, like Hawaii? A) We both have family in Hawaii. It would be weird. B) SF is a whole lot easier on the old budget, and C) No yarn shops on Maui. Nuts to that.

I guess that's enough blathering for now. I think I'll snuggle in with a cup of tea and a hook now. Wish me luck!

2006 Finished Objects List

Mitzvah Red Scarf
Trekking F&F Socks
Laugh-In Armlets
Jellyfish Shawl
Pomatomusses
Kid Classic OSW
Angora Knitted Bodice
Cotton Candy Lace Scarf
Mystery KAL Socks
Shiver Lace Scarf
KidSeta Laceweight Scarf
Knitted Cupcake Trio
Simple Stripes Socks
Swell
Chocolate Mariah
Baby Yoda Sweater
More Leetle Shepherd Footies
Leetle Shepherd Footies
Pink Gumball Footies
Ann's Twisty Wrap
Pink Crusoe Socks
Jessie's Ribble Socks
Acrylic Nightmare Scarf
Sweet Pear Shawl
Jen's Bubby-Kitty
The Syracuse Socks
Janet's Farmhouse Scarf
Cashsoft Japanese Armlets
Dad's Birthday Socks
Noro 1-skein hat and Scarf
Winter Star-Beaded Hat
Roommate Headband
Roommate Hat
Boy's Socks #2 in Cashsoft
Knitty Kitty
Beaded/Felted Rowan Scarf
Boy's Socks #1