A Sighing Slump

Definitely in a slump.  I even had a chance to knit while uploading cd's to my mothers itunes yesterday, but all I wanted to do was watch the little orange circles turn green....When I bring knitting to work, all I want to do is jab a needle into this one guy who just wants to complain about the price of coffee, doesn't want to go through the proper channels, go somewhere else or buy a travel mug to get the price he wants. For a middle aged man to harrange the wrong bloody people like he was 6 is just not right.  Would that be justifyable battery?  So the Urbana has gotten a little bit of love and the purple people eater colored Hitchhiker has gotten a couple of teeth.    Just not feeling it but hear them calling. 
Am I bad in feeling that funk of wanting to knit but not wanting to actually pick anything up?

Got to at least the urbana done for camping and for my mother to use on her cruise when she is out on the deck...

Squirrel!!!!!

Sorry, when I logged into blogspot I saw a WEBs picture of the Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend variegated yarn and started clicking the links.....  It seems like all the vidcasters who are doing the Hitchhiker (want to call it the Traveller), seem larger than mine.  Guess it didn't help that when I washed my ugly acyllic version, it shrunk because I didn't realize that the washer was on hot....  Murphy's Law I guess. 

Decided to knit the Urbana in the red heart oatmeal aran fleck yarn.  I am using a size 4 (3.5 mm) needle instead of the 9, I didn't like how it looked. I like the keyhole but the keyhole is a pain in my tuckus.  It's like thumbholes in fingerless mitts.    /Tried doing the keyhole via a youtube tutorial but did my own caston, guess I wasn't patient enough.  If there are 'gusset' type holes I will just do a little sewing on it.

But  I am doing another hitchhiker out of some thinner nicer mystery yarn.  And yes, it is the purple people eater colorway.  Found three balls of the stuff and I might as well try to get it out of my stash.  Yeah still allergic to purple.  But just want to get it out of my drawer!

First One Down

After having a brain freeze on finishing the Hitchhiker last night, I finished it today.  Even though I did it out of acrylic scrap yarn, I will wash it, take a picture, take care of all the knots before hand, and upload the picture.  I am now trying one in, I think it is, red heart wool ease aran fleck oatmeal color.  The band is totally gone, but the wool feels sooo different than the acrylic.  I know its not the top shelf wool but I am just trying this pattern in different yarns.  But in all the funness of this pattern, my wrists, shoulders, and back are feeling it.  I know this isn't a really hard pattern after you figure out the translation of binding off, I just feel I need to get one more tooth done.

Am listening to the goodies part of Diane of Knitabulls vidcast from stuff of SSK.  Think I need to save my pennies for a couple of years to see if I can do one of these retreats.  I know I am pretty unskilled, self taught knitter but I would sometime see what these are all about. 

Gotta go to bed early tonight....allergies are playing havoc with me.  Damn cottonwood floating out there like summertime flurries. 

Hitchhiker Angst, ps

after much angst on Ravelry, the flap part comes off of the last row bind off.  The repeat wasn't the flogging row 8 but just repeat the bindoff of stitchs. Dear god almighty, I might need to open the german version and do a google translate and see if it confuses me the same way!  Gotta laugh at myself! 

Screaming Hitchhiker!!!!!!!! Argggghhhhhh!!!!!

Am about a tooth and a half to the decreases and I am a bit confused..... I can't tell by the english pattern, if after I knit the 7 rows and decrease on the 8th, if I repeat the whole 8 rows or just the 8th row.  I had posted another question on Dramaticknits asking and I think Steve had said its the whole 8 rows.    But still am unsure.  So I give a shoutout to all 5 people who read this, if you have done the hitchhiker, private message me on ravelry as knitinrosecity.  Any suggestions will be very helpful. I just don't want to screw something up and have to frog back.  I might want to put in a lifeline (have to youtube it since I have never done it before).  Might have to figure it out tomorow because today was a very slow day at work and I feel like I haven't slept a wink in a week (even though I had two naps yesterday).  In advance, if anyone can help me, thank you!

Hitchhiker and some banter (trying not to sound like George Carlin)

Well I am up to 36 teeth.  Still not sure why the hitchhiker has only 41 teeth. Was a wisdom tooth pulled?  (joke)  Not sure about the decrease instructions.  Sort of seems like you do the 7 rows, decrease on the 8th.  But the way the pattern is written (not sure if was translated right or I am not translating the instructions right), it sounds like you knit the 7 and keep on doing the row 8.  But that would look wonky, so I posted on dramatic knits rav page just to make sure its the whole 8 rows.  But I am in no rush since still have a couple of more teeth to take care of.    Might test out a couple of different yarns, since I am doing it in acrylic right now, gonna try the red heart aran flecked yarn next (actually started it and have done 3 teeth already), and some thin yarn (maybe get rid of that martha stewart yarn in the process.

I will be so happy when I get through all the podcasts with the word SSK in it.  I am glad that people got to go but I am soooooTIRED of listening to people who are going, who are there, who wished they could, or those who wished they actually got picked.  But Leslie, Laura, and Carin have been the talk of the town until the whole Ravalympics/Olympics debaucle.  What the heck is up with that???  How can people get confused between people going to London to compete in sports events with people bloody knitting?  Grow up olympics!  Wonder when the Tour de France people will start having a hissy fit about the Tour de Fleece that's going on.  I would rather think that the olympics would be flattered that a bunch of knitters and crocheters are paying a tribute to the ruddy event.  (sorry).

My step mother actually got her cartridge stitch cowl and she loves it.  Actually loves the color and figured out that you can pull it up over the head to keep warm.  She got it and the power went on in the same day....Good thing.  Shame that it is butt hot in the DC area and she can't wear it.  I am so thankfull that we don't get the same heat and humidity out here.  don't miss that a bit!
Well its late and have to start thinking about crawling into bed with my fuzzball.