Too tight

Josh and I played hooky from tkd last night and saw Transformers. The special effects were great and it had a decent plot.

I did the long graft on my Sidewinders Tuesday night and decided to try it on before I moved to the toe graft. First of all, I messed up the graft or my increases/decreases, either way, I ended up with 4 more stitches on one needle than the other. That really doesn't matter since even thought I knit the wide version, it was too tight in the foot. I guess my high arches are to blame since it fit well everywhere else. I am not too upset that I had to frog because now I can make my increases and decreases better and I can also use Maia's lovely modification which eliminates the sure to be messy toe graft.

Here it is before grafting




I started it with Maia's modifications on Tuesday night, but screwed up early on trying to add a heel gusset and gave up. I will try again this weekend when I have some time. I may also see about making my own swift.

Iced Coffee? No Sweat - New York Times

I think I may be making me some of this sometime soon.

Iced Coffee

Sockapalooza FO!

They really are the same length. I just can't take pictures upside down very well.



Pattern: Cable Twist modified for fingering weight yarn
Yarn: 2 skeins Koigu KPPM colorway #2233


ETA:
I love this pattern for fingering weight yarn. I may have to try it in worsted weight for the winter months. The yarn has a nice tight twist and doesn't split. it got a little fuzzy after frogging, but that's to be expected. I think the colors are nicely saturated, and I love the way it's not completely solid. I can't say I would use it again because for the price, the yardage is a little skimpy. I didn't run out of yarn, but I also didn't make them as tall as I was hoping to.

My changes (some stolen from other people):

I made it over 64 stitches with each repeat being k6p2. One sock has the cables twisting to the right while the other goes to the left. I used an eye of partridge heel.

My Sockapalooza pal's socks are done. After finishing the second sock I ripped back the toe of the first one and made it a little longer so it fits a little better. I haven't taken pics yet because I have been too lazy to weave in the ends. I also haven't finished grafting my first Sidewinder. I tried to on Friday night, but Josh kept talking to me and I kept losing my place so I gave up. I need an hour w/o him around to get it done, I think.

I don't have the energy to teach tkd tonight. I don't like teaching when I am tired. At least we don't have large classes. I think all Josh wants to do anymore is teach tkd and kickboxing. He talks about it all the time. I wish I had half his enthusiasm for it because I would enjoy teaching a lot more if I did.

My upstream sock pal is torturing me. She told me my socks are done and they are on Ravelry. That means I may have looked at them or could possibly find them and not know it! I just want to look at all the socks on there and figure out which ones are for me. Not that I think it's really possible, but you never know. We also have some of the same things in our queues so I could easily stumble across them while looking at other people's stuff. Torture!!!!

I meant to take pictures of my socks yesterday, but my camera batteries died and I didn't have any charged ones lying around. My computer is also driving me nuts. I need a new one but am not quite prepared to spend that much money right now.

I am so glad I took the 4th off. I almost started a project at work that would take 3 days, i.e. through Wednesday, but decided against it. I got to sleep in, play Zelda, and get a modest amount of knitting on my Sidewinders and Sockapalooza pal's socks done. I just need to graft the Sidewinders, and I am on the heel flap of the Cable Twist socks. I think I will wait to do my second Sidewinder until Maia writes her tutorial on how to eliminate one of the grafts by using two circs.

Act III Finished

May I present Act III of Sidewinders.



It took me a lot longer than it should have because of the addition of some stitches somehow, but I am back to where I was before frogging and hope to finish them tomorrow since I don't have to work! I love university holidays.

A lot happened this weekend. It was good, but also sad.

Josh and I got into a coaster fight Friday night before tae kwon do class and this is what happened.



I couldn't hit him, but apparently I can get coasters stuck in picture frames. It's still there because it's too funny to take it down.

After tae kwon do we went to The Vine for the second time in three days to see a friend who moved away about a year ago and was back for a night. It was good to see him and hear how he and his wife, also a good friend, are doing in Texas.

I am now co-owner of a motorcycle that doesn't run. It's an '83, good year by the way, Honda Shadow. It doesn't look that nice, nor does it run, but getting it to run, I believe, is a fairly simple fix and eventually we will get it all fixed up and shiny. We traded a new PS2 and a couple games and other accessories for it and I think it was a good deal even though the previous owner offered to just give it to us.

The sad part of getting the motorcycle was we got it from a good friend that is leaving today for Virginia. His wife a kids left for Virginia last month and he stayed behind to sell their house. Well, it sold and he is off to see his family and hopefully get a tae kwon do club/school going and find a new job that he likes better than the one he had here. I wish them luck even though I will miss them a lot.

Amanda and I went to the Iowa City Jazz Festival on Saturday afternoon and had a great time. The weather was ideal for sitting outside and doing a little crocheting and knitting. I made some progress on the Sidewinders and am almost back to where I was (I was actually a little farther than when the pic was taken) before I frogged back to the beginning of Act II. I also ate a lot of tasty food while I was there. Oasis had a stand set up and I got half a falafel pita then Pizza on Dubuque had their Pizza on Wheels set up, which I ate at all the time on RAGBRAI, and I got an excellent slice of their veggie pizza.

I finished one Sockapalooza sock before I went to the jazz festival, and I casted on for the second one yesterday afternoon. I might redo the toe graft because I messed it up a bit.





I have been to The Vine 3 time since Wednesday and to Old Capitol Brew Works once. That's a lot of beer.