Dollar and a Half Cardigan: sleeves

The WGA Strike is still going strong, which means my already small amount of weekly TV views (ie knitting) time is shinking to nothing.

Luckily, I have started watching the very compelling The Wire, so am making good progress on the sleeves for the Dollar and a Half Cardigan.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a sweater with long sleeves. I am always a bit distressed when I realize how much time it takes to actually finish a sleeve, but I’m hoping that by the time we eventually watch all 4 seasons of the show, I will be near completion. Hopefully, just in time for the weather to be warm enough to wear the sweater.

Monday January 7, 2008 : Comment

Grooviest Yarn Ad Ever

I stumbled across a small used Japanese book sale at a mini mall in El Cerrito one day, and found a bunch of old Japanese knitting magazines. They were extremely cheap so I picked up a bunch just for the heck of it.

Although there is almost nothing in the magazines I would want to make, it was all made worth it by this incredible advertisement I found in one of them for Nikke Hand-Knit.

While generally awesome, due to its psychedelic visuals, I think it wins the award from me, because of the incredible yarn wig the woman is wearing.

What happened to the days when knitting was this far out and groovy?

Thursday December 6, 2007 : Comment

TV Season is Knitting Season

Though we are pathetic at watching TV (we only have basic cable and no TiVo), we are nevertheless watching enough TV lately that I am finally well past the halfway point on the Dollar and a Half Cardigan. I can thank our time spent catching up with the first season of Heroes on DVD for the fact that I now have a solid 2-3 hours a week of TV shows I can watch and knit to: Heroes, 30 Rock, and The Office.

Meanwhile, I have struck the knitting compatible DVD motherlode with a British documentary called The First World War. Not only am I learning a ton about a war I previously knew almost nothing about, but the images in the documentary are slow moving enough that I am missing very little due to knitting. I look forward to catching up with what is surely another knitting compatible DVD: The War.

I wish I could say that Life in the Undergrowth was equally beneficial for my knitting, but it was not. The David Attenborough series was filled with so many mind bending visuals, that there were too many times when I had to put the knitting down and just stare slack-jawed at the incredible world being revealed to me. I highly recommend it, but don’t expect to get much knitting done while watching it.

Wednesday October 17, 2007 : Comment

Dollar and a Half Cardigan progress

After a busy summer of eloping and then travelling to Thailand and Japan I am finally getting back into the job of knitting. Finally, I finished the back of this sweater that I started in March.

So far, the Rowan Classic Yarns RYC Luxury Cotton DK is working out well for this pattern. I am finding that the gauge is almost perfect. Who knows how it will work out after blocking, but so far, so good.

What I love about cardigans is that the front panels knit up so quickly, because the rows are so short. I am on the front left panel now. It will be done in no time, if I can just continue to find some more knitting compatible DVDs. There is however also the small problem of Samus Aran’s latest adventure. If only I could knit and play video games at the same time.

Friday September 14, 2007 : Comment

World's Slowest Knitter

In case anyone is wondering. I am the world’s slowest knitter. In 19 years, I have made about 8 sweaters a few mittens and maybe 5 or 6 pairs of socks. Right now, I am working on the dollar and a half cardigan. I am about to finish the back piece, which leaves “just” the left-front, right-front and sleeves.

The problem in my life right now, is that I just am not watching enough TV, movies or sports. Without those three things, I have no knitting time. Our life has been hectic with getting married and planning our honeymoon.

I have finally picked up the needles again after maybe 6 weeks of downtime. Hopefully, I will get back into a groove again, so the sweater is finished in time for Summer … 2008.

Tuesday August 7, 2007 : Comment [2]