Sunday, April 02, 2006

I Love It When They're Done!


For Anne - #34 really sucks the light onto it and appears very vivid; it is not as eye-popping in person as it appears here either, but definately not red. It's orange, but in a good way. #31 is more mellow, aged and heathery looking stuff.


!!UPDATE!!
Command Performance - Make Tracks up close and personal, or as close as I can get...





This is the second sweater in three weeks that has been completed and still loved. It's a new record for me, but I actually want this one for myself too! Welcome to "Make Tracks". Intended as a guy's garment, I think it's pretty gender neutral. It is knitted in Berkshire Bulky on size 10.5 US needles in color #33, knits up quickly and easily and was fun to knit because of the relief of the waffle and garter bands, which kept me from boredom. The designer of the garment really should not be bored to tears while knitting it. It does not bode well for the future of the piece. It will (eventually? soon? maybe mid-summer? I don't really know) be available from Webs in five sizes. Or six. I can't remember. Well, let's assume six, because now I have to do an XS so it can be comfortable on small women, because I think it's just a good sweater for anybody, and suspect some women may want it. I do!! In fact, I think I shall. Very soon. Just as soon as I get done with the rest of my May 1 deadline projects.

Mister Wonderful requested that I cut off his head, but I chose to blur it instead. I routinely rip his head off for little or no reason lately, so why go to the trouble of doing it in a photo? I am sure it will be severed soon enough without imaging. Poor Mr Wonderful. I am kind of mean when there's deadlines. If this is a problem, Mr. Wonderful (blurring v. removing), I am deeply sorry, and you may deduct your pain and suffering from my next week's wages when you pay me. This puppy has the perfect buttons, I love them. I am very much digging the macro thing now, thanks to Persnickety. That and the white balance thing - totally saving my butt.
Today we purged the stash (no, this is not it, this is just my crayons - my stash is seven...no, nine bins scattered about the house), and tidied my work space, and I put away my crayons like a good girl. I also eliminated all personal project material other than a few sock supplies from my knitting space so that I will not be tempted to cast on, say, my new Maureen Mason Jamieson Diagonal Delight vest - which I will be making in Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool (on sale! YIPPEE!!) just a freaking luscious yarn that makes me want to buy it by the bag, when I should be designing striped kids sweaters and father son cabled vests. I did not know about Flash Your Stash day or I would have while it was out and scattered around the basement.
I also made some progress on Mr. Wonderful's "Not Your Dale of Norway Sweater yet Hon, but the Colors Are Close" socks. This is my first date with Lorna's Laces, camouflage is the color, and I love the stuff. Just a nice basic 3:1 rib...Mr Wonderful never wears his Valentine socks, which I think may be a hint to me that maybe red cable socks are not his thing? Pity. They won't fit me, I have petite feet. Anyway, these socks have become a refuge from designing and knitting up, and they're serving that purpose well. I knit on them in the car last night while being a passenger on a shopping trip. My booklight is my good buddy!

I've begun the next project, father and son cabled vests, in Stockbridge. This is dad's underway, barely. I love this yarn. The size range on this is from a 2T to an adult 3XL. I can see a whole family decked out at Christmas though, dad and son/s in these vests, and it warms my little heart. Reminds me of when my kids were little and I dressed them all matchy at holidays in outfits I made myself. Poor little suckers.
Best of all - while I was at work Saturday teaching the making of socks, my sister in law called and announced that she had in her possession and on this side of the state her futon, which we have the use of for two years while she's in Germany - THANKS MOE!! GOOD-BYE PINK VELVET SOFA!! Hello wood and clean lines. Ahhh....I am going to get it a cover tomorrow to protect it from things like cats, dogs, and Typhoid. I am glad that she delivered it, because I am not certain our truck would have made it to Boston, but I feel badly that they did not call and get Mr. Wonderful to help.
And because this is too funny, Girl left Friday morning to help her grandmother pack and move. She'd been gone for about twenty minutes when I got up and saw this. Apparently Mel cannot abide loneliness. Hannah and Boo and I are not fit company. He must have his Girl, his soulmate, his personal chef, #1 companion, love of his short little cat life. He laid there for a long while, hours, before giving in and coming over to join the living in the living room. He's nothing short of hysterical, old Spalding-head. He's such a dog in a cat suit. Poooor Lassie...Timmy went off to play and left you home all alone!

12 comments:

Persnickety Knitter said...

If you have NINE bins of yarn, then there is no way I have more than you. I think that when you lay it out, it looks like a lot more than it does smooshed in the bins.

Lovely use of macro on that button pic -- and the button is very unique. Did you get them at WEBS?

Hey, any chance of a more detailed shot of "Make Tracks"? And, hey, it would be REALLY cool if you could link to your patterns on sale at WEBS.

MelissaKnits said...

The button is from webs, I think it was $3.30 a piece?

they don't sell my patterns - they're "free with yarn purchase", and not posted on the website, sadly.

They're flat bins. Narrow, skinny things. And if I did not have Typhoid here I might re-open the stash just for you...but I need a post shopping NAP!

Cirilia said...

Making Tracks is gorgeous! That chick though--he could do better!

I've been snappish lately too, but I haven't even been knitting as much as you. Snappish for no good reason!

I sent a couple quotes from your email to Matt, and he said that you sounded facinating and would love to interview you on the show!

MelissaKnits said...

I don't know - till May 1 the antique dress dummy might be preferable to the live wife.

LOL, that Matt, he's a riot...

But seriously, I can't see me being of interview quality. What would I have to share? My duplicitous values! Remember, I spend a week or two every year or three with my husband at Walt Disney World, the capitalist - well - capitol of the known universe. We actually go to Fantasyland on purpose, and even go on the Winnie the Pooh ride. Intentionally! But that's me, taking what I can get from the world in which I live - a week or two of utter surrender to a fantastical existance.

And you have every reason to be snappish - grad school or no grad school, and then the gray yarn I cannot remember the name of but am in love with and cannot wait to get in the store in multiple colors come in all wrong - you were all up for it, swatching and everything (and I still think it needs to happen, personally, and with the cobwebs)

Pennie said...

Enjoyed reading your blog you do lovely work.

MelissaKnits said...

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Is Mr. Wonderful pregnant ?

MelissaKnits said...

If he is, I hope he's prepared to be a single mother, cause my baby-rearing days are done.

Oh my gosh. I bet it's that gray and metal hussy that got him knocked up!! I'll kill her...I'll break her. . . umm . . . well, there'll be pain anyway.

Anonymous said...

hi melissa,
i went to the webs sale of the elsbeth lavold silky wool; i am torn between 2 colors (and feelin' like a fool . . .) (sorry), and wondered if you had seen them in person.
color 31 looks like a rich pumpkin and color 34 looks like a spicy red. since i don't want cherry red or safety orange, do you know if the colors are accurate in the chart?

MelissaKnits said...

Actually, I have both of them in front of me, and just went to the website. Allowing for differences in monitors, I would have to say that #31 is a heathery pumpkin and #34 is a rich pumpkin. #31 online looks more like #34 in person, while #34 is more of a bright pumpkin (but not in a safety orange way at all!) than red. I will add a pic of them to this post so you can see.

Anonymous said...

WOW, melissa! thank you for going to som much trouble on my behalf; i really appreciate it (and it answers my question!)

MelissaKnits said...

No problem - but if you'r going to order, order NOW, cause we're about out of the stuff! I was going to buy enough to knit Halle from Designer's Choice Book Four and there's not a lot left!