Spittin' Pretty

At least that's what the baby is doing on the floor, wrestling a water bottle into submission and kicking her heels while I try to get down some of what's been happening. She is supposed to be asleep, but she's motorboating instead.

First off, precious little knitting. I wish I could make a little sped-up video of me casting on, trying to work, ripping out, and repeating over and over and over again. That's what it feels like I've been doing.

One of the reasons I finally began blogging was to prioritize my knitting, to make it important in an external, as well as internal way. I also wanted some incentive to make more finished products. Therefore, I made a mental note to try to always have a pair of socks, a sweater, and a something lacy on the needles. [This does not count the things that have languished half-finished for over 6 months.] I've been knitting for years, years, I tell you -- albeit until three years ago rather intermittently. I read blogs of people who have just started knitting (it seems) and they just intuitively "get it." They churn out lovely product after lovely product, and I'm ripping out as much as I'm making. Frustrating. I know envy is counterproductive, and I do enjoy the process of knitting, but I enjoy it when it is process, not effort for no reason. I'm not interested in simply swatching to no end. At least that's how I'm feeling tonight. It's been raining. Maybe that has something to do with it.

So I figured I'd make a pair of Jaywalkers. It seems that everyone else in blogland has. They're obviously not beyond my reach, right? Well, three times 'round now, I've started with 76 stitches, and after one round of pattern, ended up with either four extra stitches or three too few stitches, depending on how you look at it. Instead of weeping with frustration, I thought I'd ask here. Has anyone else had this problem? Help! Help!

This is what my socks ended up looking like after a few tries:

Nice yarn, huh? It's Lorna's Laces, in a colorway called Opal something or something Opal. They'll be lovely if I ever make them.

I may end up emailing poor Grumperina and asking, or going over to the Knitty boards and asking. Or I might try it again -- tomorrow is the day the Sainted Miguel comes for a bit, and I may have time. It kills me that this isn't working. I feel as though I'm just, well, dumb.

So I decided to finally begin working up a sweater that Thing 1 has requested ever since I can remember: a cabled sweater with leaves, in green. I got books made notes and measurements, and got this far:I think I'm going to love this project, IF I ever get it arranged. Pretty wool, pretty patterns, the possibility it will look just fabulous on the wearer. I even learned how to purl without bringing the yarn forward, which makes seed stitch panels a distinct possibility.

Meanwhile, the household continues to obstacalize (if that's not a word, it should be) my knitting. The spouse is very sick, despite badgering a doctor into prescribing antibiotics sight unseen -- a very impressive feat! The kids are. . . well, they're my kids, and that's just the way it goes. Fortunately, I'm well, and have that, plus myriad other things, to be thankful for.

I'm starting to wonder what else I can give up to free up more time to knit. I tried to bring up an old small playpen to put Thing 4 in so I could stop sweeping, but we couldn't get it set up. It's probably a good thing, really. It's only six inches off the ground, and that's only a day or two without sweeping's worth.