Totally Addicted

I don't know how it happened. Everything, and I mean everything, has taken a back seat to knitting. I know that I have an addictive personality, but this is ridiculous. I have stopped doing everything else. All I do is knit, hang out at ravelry or knitpicks.http://www.ravelry.com/people/Lisaduzhair, http://www.knitpicks.com/Knitting.cfm.
I have pushed aside cleaning, exercising, balancing the checkbook. It's like I totally hide from all of my respbosibilities by knitting one more row. It has gotten ridiculous. I need to find balance again. I just finished cleaning off the kitchen counter and I'm about to do my bookwork from my business. I am behind by three months. Crazy!!! I have gotten totally out of control with my fiber addiction.
I have that obsessive streak to a fault. I want everything perfect. I will do that thing where I work on my project until 1:00am. If I make a mistake I can't function until it's ripped and re-knit correctly. My projects are getting better and better. I am turning out beautiful stuff, but at what expense. Everything else it seems.
I've added a picture of my latest FO. I am very happy with it. I am now working on Ruby Redhttp://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/PATTrubyred.php from Knitty.com. I am adding bust darts. I will write about my adventures with that as I go.
I hope that I can find some balance and re-prioritize my life. I love knitting and I love being a knitter, but I need balance again. Knitting shouldn't cause guilt.

The Bust Line

The last couple of projects have all been about fitting me properly. I have a good sized chest, a small waist and some substantial hips. If I connect the bust to the hips with no shaping I might as well be wearing a garbage bag. So, my mission has been to figure out how to fit and to flatter.

I just finished Wicked by Zephyrstyle. I cast-on for a medium and did vertical bust darts and some waist shaping and wittled it down to an xs at the waist. It worked out very well. I love how it fits.

I am working on Green Gables also by Zephyrstyle right now. My Wicked is a little big at the top, so I cast-on for a small this time and added short-row shaping at the bust. ITR I couldn't figure out how to pick up the wrapped stitches on the second side. The first side was fine, it was like a short row heel of a sock, but after coming around the back and picking them up it was funky. I frogged back and tried again. It was better, but still funky. I took a crochet hook and at each wrap undid that row of stitches and made it flat and pulled the stitches back onto the needle. I know there is a better way. I've been reading blogs and posts on ravelry about Japanese short rows. That is the way to go ITR it looks like.

I'll post pictures of Green Gables soon.

Knitting Away

I haven't posted in such a long time. I have been knitting away. I am totally addicted to knitting socks. I am having so much fun and learning so much. They are so much fun to knit. I also knitted tams for all of the girls at work as well as my step mother. Sometimes knitting a handful of small projects can be quite satisfying. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

I made fair isle tams for the girls at work. They are so fun to knit. I used Noro silk garden with natural color Ella Rae. It gives them fabulous color and looks very complicated, when in reality it was pretty simple to do. I just had to throw with the color hand and pick with the natural undyed hand. Fun, Fun Fun!!

My mother-in-law bought me some fabulous hand-painted yarn for Christmas. It's a sweaters worth too. I am working on the "Hot Lava" cardigan by Jennifer Paulousky. It is a very clever design. All of my sock knitting has really helped work this sweater up. It is done magic loop, which is the only way I know how to work in a small diameter. I do all of my socks with magic loop. Anyway, it is a shrug where you pick up the stitches around the entire thing and add a bolero type front and back too it. It also has directions to accomodate a busty front. It is almost finished and I cast it on only a week ago. I will also have enough yarn left over to make a scarf and tam. I won't wear it altogether however because it would be total turquoise over load. Pictures are posted on Ravelry. I will post pictures when I finish on my next post.

I have joined the "Woolgirl Sock Club" this year, so I plan on doing more posting. I have also started my skating again, so I want to gab about that too. I want to talk about all of my endeavors in knitting this year along with the rest of my crazy world.