I did my first Strong Heel last night and I like it a lot, both in the making and the looks of it when it's made. The experience was somewhat soured by the fact that it took FOUR TIMES to get it right. My first short row shaping was lopsided and I still had too many stitches after it was done. I thought for a while I had gotten messed up because I was watching Final Destination and it is Pretty Darn Scary. As I concentrated on my second attempt, though, it really seemed like there might be an error in the pattern. Getting it right was trial and error after that. I still don't know if the problem was all me or if there is an error. I'm going to do my next pair on 64 stitches as written in the pattern so I should know after that.

Final Destination is an old movie, but I hadn't managed to see it all the way through before. The opening scenes were what really had my heart pounding and I wanted to hide under a blanket. I am so scared of flying that I was feeling every bit of what that boy felt in the airport and down into the plane and on it as he got more and more anxious. I thought I was going to have to do my Deep Breathing like I do when I really am on a plane. And, of course the plane blows up, so I am so glad I'm not supposed to be flying anywhere soon.

Took the Clock Vest pattern to the office with me today and worked out my row problems on coffee break. I finally know where to start the neck shaping in the pattern sequence by my gauge instead of the given gauge. Now I should be able to get over the hump and finish this. And start the next vest!

I'm thinking of vests because...

I am in love with the Fall Knitter's magazine.

Cables make me swoon.

Kureyon makes me sigh.

Immediately I want to make the little orange vest with cable knots and the Kureyon striped jacket. And I was really intrigued by the sock article. I think I'll make my next pair with the "strong heel" and see how it goes. I love the retro-diamond socks. I have a pile of vintage sock patterns with those old fashioned men's socks in wild colors and patterns. I've thought for a long time it would be fun to make a bunch, and won't they look cute with a short denim skirt?

Both fronts of the Bliss Ruffley Cardy are done and bound off to the shoulders. I'm thinking of going ahead and doing the front and neck ruffle sequence before the second sleeve to get it out of the way.

My Yarndiva cousin Lana wanted more detail about why I preferred the garter selvedge to the plain stockinette I used to like best.

An important point is that both recent instances where I used the garter selvedge, the piece itself was stockinette. When I really think about it, I believe the main advantage was the contrast between the selvedge and the main body of the knitting. It really stood out while I was seaming and I didn’t have any of that trouble where I accidentally poke my needle into the NEXT column of stitches and get an uneven seam.

Another good point about the garter selvedge is the Bumps. There are distinct, evenly spaced, bumps at the end of every row which are very nice to match up when seaming two pieces the same length (like the front and back), or to count for drawing in one piece that is a different length from one you are seaming it with (like the sleeve cap.)

That said, I think if I were doing a garment of garter stitch, I’d go back to the stockinette selvedge. Again, because of the contrast.

By the way, LANA has finished all the pieces of Scamp, started the IWK Mandalay Medallions pullover and recently purchased, on sale, some Rowan Summer Tweed in GREEN (of which I am quite envious) but you won't read about any of it in her BLOG because it has now been a WHOLE MONTH since she's posted.

Speaking of going insane with the Capital Letters (I know I do), I was reading on-line reviews at Amazon about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer book, Chosen, over which I am vacillating. One of the primary criticisms about it is the terrible editing. They say it looks like the publishers just ran a cursory spell-check over it and ran it into the bookstores. My favorite example was that every instance of the word "first" is capitalized. Not only when referring to THE First (the First Evil) but also in sentences like "the First of September," or "let's try this First." Isn't that AWFUL?

It was half-price needles and hooks week at Hobby Lobby this week, so I figured it would be a good time to try out the new Lion Brand plastic needles. I got dpns because I don't use long straights much anymore and they didn't have circs. When I got home, I introduced the new dpns immediately into the Crazy Sock.

I have to say I like them a lot. They are VERY light, which is one of the things I appreciate about my true love, bamboo. Also smooth and the color I bought (pink) is bright and pretty. They look like toys, really. One negative: the dpns aren’t made in any size smaller than US 5. Perhaps that is the case with all plastic needles, I don’t know. Previously, my only plastic needles were pairs I have that belonged to my husband’s grandmother and I don’t use them much.

I still love bamboo best.

Would have the right front of the Ruffley Cardy done by now, if I hadn’t made a mistake in the armhole shaping and had to rip back. Grrrrrr. Should be done tomorrow, then I only have one more arm to go. Then the ruffle, which means I get to pick up 433 stitches (neck and fronts), AND THEN pick up 239 (bottom edge.) Woo, hoo!

Aaaah, Bliss.

Not only does my Ruffley Cardy look so pretty and nice, but the Bliss Noro book with the Silk Garden Cardy arrived from Threadbear this past weekend. You may recall I bought a big pile of Silk Garden a while back from Threadbear for just that little striped sweater. Naturally, I want to cast aside every other thing I'm working on and start it right away.

Speaking of the Other Knitting, so accustomed am I to the formula "1 ball of Regia = 1 sock" that I got surprised by the Regia 6. When I was reading the ballband prior to beginning the first sock, I saw the manufacturer had noted 150gms for a pair of socks. Having ordered two balls, I had only 100gms. I went ahead and started (toe-up), figuring I'd see how far it took me and I got a whole sock. When I started the second sock, I understood why the recommended three balls: the pattern repeat sequences are so far apart for the Crazy Stripes that three balls would be necessary to insure matching socks. If I had tried to start the second sock at the same point in the pattern as the first sock, I would have had to dig halfway into the ball. I suppose I could have tried doing that, then taking what I had pulled from the beginning of the ball and joining it onto the sock midway, but why bother when I don’t mind non-matching socks?

Got back today and found an e-mail note worth noting from the Gypsywoman RE: ponchos and campfires. I'm adjusting my plans accordingly.

Speaking of plan adjustments, I made a sock this weekend. It was not the second Dresser Scarf Sock, or the Purple and Blue Regia Jacquard sock. The Regia 6 Crazy arrived in the mail on Friday with the long #3 circular needle I ordered (can other people place a catalog order WITHOUT ordering sock yarn? Because I can't. It is completely impossible for me.) It sat in my tote bag all day at work Friday, calling to me.

Do I have willpower? I think we've established the answer to that many times in this forum.

The Regia 6 works up into a sock lightening quick (I did 24sts/4") and it's Crazy bright, all right. I bought colorway bubblegum, azure, violet, pea green, and orange stripes. I’m glad it only takes 1.5 days to make a sock because I may make it over: it seems a little big.

Bliss Ruffley Cardy should be done soon!

So, I'm thinkin' I want a poncho. It's going to be boiling hot at the campsite this weekend, but last weekend was cool and I had trouble finding the right combination of clothes for comfort. I decided last night a poncho was the way to go, and now I see the drawbacks of my magazine database -- by not including EVERY pattern in every magazine, I only have record of things I thought I'd want and who knew I'd want a poncho? Certainly not me.

Who knew I was going to spend fall camping? Again, not ME.

Someone I read about, either on the knitlist or in a magazine or blog, kept a record of magazine patterns by making a copy of the table of contents of each magazine and collecting them in a binder. That is certainly more comprehensive, but Vogue doesn't record each pattern, just the name of each "collection" plus I wanted my database to have the materials needed for each garment. That way I could use it with my stash list to join yarns to patterns.

Is any system flawless?

At Stitches Midwest last year, I heard a Knitter of Note lamenting the “good old days” of fitting sweaters: the garment was knit to the span of the midriff, instead of the chest, and the natural give of the fabric stretched and contracted over the contours of the body for a close fit. Nowadays, of course, we have “waist shaping.”

This has been on my mind lately as I’ve done a lot of Waist Shaping. I wonder if this is Progress or Regress. In a way, the old way makes sense and is easier, but what did women who were blessed up top do? Now, though, we are inundated with sweaters that cinch in at the waist, which is a problem for those who have none. I hope it occurs to them to just leave out the waist shaping and go straight up.

I forgot how much cotton yarn pulls at my arms. I won’t have the second Dresser Scarf Sock done by the weekend, but I may have it done by the time we break camp Sunday. Meanwhile, making progress on the Waist Shaping of the right front Bliss Ruffley Cardy.

Really enjoyed wearing my Opal Remnant Socks around the campground this weekend. They are quite mismatched and looked pretty snazzy with my big ole Wal-Mart sandals (my dad calls those sandals Cheapenstocks.) After a long nap, the Sock Beast is once more active inside my knitting mind. I am going to FINISH the Dresser Scarf Socks THIS WEEK and have a new pair on the needles to take camping next weekend.

With that in mind, I rolled out my sock stash a couple hours ago and admired all my pretties. I've decided my next socks will be Regia Jacquard #5270 Blues-Purples-Black, which I think I bought last year during the Great Election Day Shopping Spree. It was a hard decision to make, but I haven't used the Regia Jacquard yet, just the Mini Ringel, so that's why I picked it. Also I have a purple tee shirt that I like to wear on the weekends.

Finished the left front of the Bliss Ruffley Cardy and I have an embarrassing thing to admit. I attached the front to the back with the 3-needle-bindoff Saturday night by the campfire, and when I held it up, I had attached it to the WRONG SIDE. Note to self: firelight is Not Enough Light.

It’s fixed now.

Almost done with the waist shaping on the left front of the Bliss Ruffley Cardy; closing in on the armhole and neck shaping. Got a lot done today due to WAITING at different places and times while my car was being dropped off, looked at and sort-of fixed.

I did recently finish reading Hanging by a Thread: a Betsy Devonshire Needlework Mystery. Monica Ferris was a guest celeb at Stitches Midwest in Minneapolis when I was there, but I hadn’t read any of her books at that time, so I didn’t stop for her. I have to say I like these books. I enjoy the detail about being a shopowner and hearing what her customers and friends are working on. My only complaints are her pacing is a little slower than I like and all the brand-name dropping bugs me. The stories like Framed In Lace, where the clue in the needlework is the key to the mystery, are the most amusing.

In case anyone has wondered, my gauge issues are what have caused the Clock Vest Stall. I was working my way up the left front when I realized it was almost time to make adjustments to the pattern so I could start the neck shaping in the right place, when I put it in a bag and Walked Away. Meanwhile, I’ve been on such a tear with Ruffley Cardy, I figured I ought to just go with it.

Bonne Marie was talking last week about just the problem I had with the Clock Vest: When Row Gauge Is Critical. The stitch gauge is always important for proper fit around, but only in pieces with precise patterning or shaping is row gauge equally important (most written patterns just say “work to X length.) I had decided after the Clock Vest, that when doing these kinds of patterns in the future I would not substitute yarn, because that is when I have gauge discrepancies. Right after that I lighted upon the Garbo Set in Sculptured Knits.

The Garbo Set has a pattern in the cardigan that does a cool biasing thing whereby it marches up the front to the breast then veers off at a slant. It is also worked in Classic Elite Tapestry, which has since been discontinued. I think when I’m ready to make it, I will adjust my needle size for optimum row gauge, the, make adjustments to the pattern for width to match my stitch gauge, which is the opposite of the way I usually do it. That project is pretty far in the future, though.

Tonight I was going to do a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode 6:11 (the part where she makes a radical change in her hairstyle -- not the part where she becomes invisible) but I chickened out. I did get about four inches cut off, though, so it is just below my shoulders. I’d still like to get it bobbed off chin-length for autumn and winter so it will look sporty and cute beneath my knit hats.

This is the lace pattern on my new store-bought sweater (I'm pretty sure -- I haven't done a real good swatch yet):

1. K1, K2togtbl, Yo, P2, [Yo, K2tog, K1, K2togtbl, Yo, P2] Yo, K2tog, K1
2. P3, K2, [P5, K2] P3
3. K3, P2, [K5, P2] K3
4. P3, K2, [P5, K2] P3
5. K3, P2, [K5, P2] K3
6. P3, K2, [P5, K2] P3
7. K1, K2togtbl, Yo, P2, [Yo, K2tog, K1, K2togtbl, Yo, P2] Yo, K2tog, K1

Repeat 2-7 for pattern, repeating [] sequence for width.

I think these eyelets and ribs would make gorgeous socks.

I'm having an unfortunately hard time finding the needle I'm going to need to finish the Bliss Ruffley Cardy (I know, I'm not there yet.) Super-long #3 circulars don't seem to be thick on the ground. What I find in my catalogues is upwards from $10 and I just hate to spend a lot because I don't think I'll need this needle Ever Again. I've about decided to order an Inox even though I hate the one I have (the "plate" flaked off both ends and is even now knitted into my striped chenille bag.)

According to last week’s TV Guide, on Stargate SG:1 this season, “Col. Jack O’Neill and Maj. Samantha Carter will get closer....” and next season O’Neill is going to get a promotion. A promotion, of course, may take him outside Carter’s immediate command and (I don’t know a lot about military protocol) perhaps make a relationship between them un-icky.

That said, Amanda Tapping (Carter) told an interviewer before Season 7 started that Carter was probably going to have a love interest this year, but she didn’t think it would be Col. O’Neill. And, frankly, has he really been bitchy with her lately or is it me? On the season premiere, when Daniel asked Sam if they had ever been involved, it occurred to me to wonder if the producers were going to go a complete wild direction and match up the two of them. Wouldn’t that be interesting?

I got a SPOT on the back shoulder of the Bliss Ruffley Cardy while at the campsite. It was a tiny spot, and odd: sticky and a little greasy, like hair gel (which I did NOT take camping.) It also discolored the yarn -- made it look green. It was almost unnoticeable, but it irked me so that I ripped back to it and deleted it like I would a knot in the yarn and, I have to say, I feel So Much Better.

The back of the Bliss Cardy is now DONE, and I've started the left front. Blogger still won't let me make changes to my template, so my current status is: Bliss Ruffley Cardy 40%, Clock Vest 75%, Cuddly Bears 30%, and Dresser Scarf Socks 55%. Of course, the Corset Pullover is Still Done (and it is still too hot to wear it.)

We watched Daredevil on DVD Saturday night in the camper. Great movie. Not only is it a super-cool standout in the genre of Comic Book Action Hero Movie, but it also makes a great party game: What Other Comic Book Action Hero Movie Did The Director Of Daredevil Crib THAT Bit From? This game can be refined into Spot That Batman Reference.

And YES! I did remember to set the VCR to tape Stargate. Hooray!