Skirt & Derby, and A Tale of Greens

Saturday night I went up to the city for a roller derby bout, and I brought along my Cherry Pie skirt to work on. It turned out to be a perfect choice-all stockinette, all the time, and I didn't have to look at it once. Which worked out, since I was too busy watching us lose spectacularly: 128-241 at the end, but it was stacked pretty heavily in the visiting teams's favor pretty early on. They really skated well, and it was still a fun bout, but ouch.

Anyway, the skirt started out as a little narrow loop of stockinette, and by the end it was a slightly wider loop of stockinette, so I'm pleased. During the bout, the photographer swung around to my seat and said, "You have no idea how happy I am that you're knitting," so there you go. Kat Riddell, bringing joy to the people, one knitting project at a time.

Also, because I love sharing my shortcomings with you all (and it's a really funny story), here's a little anecdote from yesterday. Mum and I were making burrito bowls for lunch, and she asked me to get veggies out, including lettuce. We'd just gotten a bunch of greens on Saturday from our produce subscription (we thought we got spinach, green leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce and cabbage), so I asked what kind of lettuce she wanted. "Doesn't matter," she replied, so I pulled out the iceberg lettuce.

I should have realized that something was up when it took me six whacks to even start getting the core out, and I ended up having to tear the whole head apart to get at the core. I tore the whole head up to rinse, and spread it out to dry. A few minutes later, Mum looks at it, and the center was a bit yellow, so she looked at me "What the heck did you do?"

"I rinsed lettuce!"

She picked through it a bit, "Oh, the color just looked a bit off. You're fine." She started chopping up some lettuce. "Hey, Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure this is lettuce?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"Yeah. At least, I think so." I went to the fridge. "Yeah, the cabbage is on the bottom shelf there, so that's definitely the lettuce."

"I don't think so."

"What do you mean you don't think so, it's definitely lettuce."

"It feels a bit off." At this point I finally pick up a piece and eat it.

"Huh. Nope, that's cabbage."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah."

"So is the lettuce still in the fridge?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that one was cabbage. Did we get two cabbages?" I pulled out the fridge cabbage and ate a piece of that as well. "Huh, we got two cabbages."

SO I am a perfectly functioning intelligent adult and I tore up an entire cabbage thinking it was lettuce. And I will never live that down.

FO: From Another Place

I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to blog about this until next week, but I ended up being able to grab pictures quick yesterday, so here we go! My From Another Place Crop Top is complete and perfect and I love it.

I had a bit of a tough time choosing yarn for this, and I'm so happy I went with the Knit Picks Stroll Tonal. The colors are so rich and vibrant, and I can already tell that I'm going to be wearing this top often, so I'm really glad of the nylon content in the yarn.

I knit the size Large, which worked out perfectly for my measurements (43" bust and 35" waist). The colorwork is like a nice warm hug around my ribcage, and I think the ribbing hits at just the right spot on my torso. I did eyeball a few of the measurements (mostly just when to start the waist decreases) because I didn't have a measuring tape handy and the first joint of my thumb is about an inch-ish anyway. Whatevs, it worked out perfectly.

Other than that I don't have too much to say. I did use less yarn than I thought I'd need-I managed to eke my top out in just 300g, so this is definitely a great top to try out if you have smaller amounts to use up. All in all, this was a whole lot of fun to knit, super fun to wear, and I had a lot of fun! And now, onto #GreatNorthernKAL Part 2, Cherry Pie.

Ravelry Page: From Another Place Crop Top

Pattern: From Another Place Crop Top by Leah Coccari-Swift

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal "Inverness" and "Pearlescent"

This Week in Numbers

This week feels like it's going to be really long. I mean, I'm getting a ton of stuff done, and I'm more productive than I've been in weeks, but I had a really bad case of "It feels like Friday" at about 2pm on Monday, so that's a big red flag right there. I'm immensely grateful that I have a three-day weekend this week, because I feel like I may need it.

Anyway. Numbers, because that's how this week is going so far:

1. My From Another Place Crop Top is Done (note the capital D). It's blocking now, and I am so excited to wear it and hopefully I'll have pictures for you soon.

2. I cast on for my Cherry Pie Skirt on Monday night, but I'm just a couple rounds into the waistband. I know this one is going to take longer than the crop top (mostly because it's bigger), and like I mentioned Monday, I have a couple other small things to catch up on, like...

3. The short sample for Old Davis is also done and blocking. I have the pattern is on schedule for release next Wednesday, so definitely keep an eye out for that.

4. I cast on for Anemone's Portsmouth last night-I want to hurry up and get this done so it can be blocked and ready before Saturday night. I'm driving into the city to meet her for dinner and a roller derby bout, and it would be awesome if I could give this to her then. Besides, if I write here that it will get done, she'll read this and won't stop texting me until it is done, and that can't hurt.

5. Not knitting-related, but I'm getting a new stationary bike (Amazon says it will be delivered tomorrow, but sometimes that's a lie since I'm in a small town in the middle of nowhere) and I'm super excited.

Most of a Crop Top, and Half a Cowl

Well, I probably could have finished my From Another Place Crop Top over the weekend, but instead I got into a bit of a cleaning tizzy and only snuck a couple of hours of knitting in. I got the colorwork done and the ribbing started on Friday night, and I finished up the rest of the body at knit group on Saturday. I grabbed this picture while it was still light yesterday, but I also managed to get the collar knit during the first half of the Superbowl, so now it just needs sleeves!

I also cheated on my top a little-I've been uncharacteristically monogamous with it since cast-on, so I don't feel too bad. But I've got Old Davis slated for release next week, and I need to finish the short sample and get a photoshoot done, so I brought it along to lunch on Saturday and choir on Sunday and I'm almost halfway through. The short sample is in Malabrigo Rios in Sand Bank, and this is probably one of my new favorite neutrals. I love the bright golden orange of the long sample like life itself, but this one has a lot going for it so far also. 

WIP: From Another Place Crop Top

I knew that my From Another Place Crop Top was going to go quickly, but thanks to a sick day and a day and a half of being snowed in, this thing is really zooming along! We got seventeen inches of snow on Tuesday, and it took most of the day Wednesday to dig out our driveway, so I've had way more knitting time than usual this week.

I'm loving seeing this yarn knit up so much-the colors are even richer and more tonal than I thought from seeing the skeins, and the Pearlescent pops so brightly against the Inverness. Part of me wants to slow down a bit to savor the knitting more (what little there is left), but I have Cherry Pie to start once this is done, and I know that might take me most of the rest of the KAL to get through. I have a couple of side projects that I hope to be working on soon too, so I'm pleased with my progress here.

And, honestly, look at those colors. I cannot wait to get this top off the needles and on my body!

KAL Yarns

Since I've been talking up these KALs, I thought I might as well show off the yarns I'm using. I love all the yarns I'm working with (Pro Tip: Only work with yarns you love. Life is too short for shitty yarn). I dove into some deep stash for the SpringTastic Socks KAL, then placed a Knit Picks order for both of the Great Northern KALs.

For the Cherry Pie KAL, I've got the Knit Picks Swish in "Squirrel Heather" and "Hot Tamale". I have very cleverly gone completely off-script for this KAL and instead of a zippered cardigan, I will be knitting a skirt! I have all the numbers figured out, and I'm super looking forward to it. Plus, look at how much that Hot Tamale pops!

For the From Another Place KAL, I will be knitting the crop top version in the Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in "Inverness" and "Pearlescent," with the yarn held double. I'm loving all the greens and blues in that Inverness, and I'm super excited to get it on my torso.

Finally, for the Holla Knits! SpringTastic Socks KAL, I am using one lone ball of Patons North America Kroy Stripes in "Sailor Stripes." I love the bright colors in this yarn, and I'm thrilled to finally knit it up.

In terms of knitting order, I'm working on From Another Place right now, and once that's done I'll cast on for Cherry Pie, since they require the same needles. I'm taking my time with SpringTastic and generally working on them whenever I need a break from the larger projects.

State of the List

All in all, I'm happy with how much I got done this weekend in between naps (Yup, still tired, turns out my thyroid is a dumb traitor and we should have it sorted out in a couple more weeks. Until then I am apparently Sleeping Beauty). I feel like I'm in a great place to start my KAL projects today.

So how much, in fact, did I get done? Well, first off, I wound a whole bunch of yarn-stuff for the KALs, some for a new design, and for a couple more small things I want ready to go, but it all totaled up to 2.93 miles of yarn. Yes, my arm feels like it's going to fall off. But back to the list:

1. Finish long Old Davis, send draft to editor, knit short Old Davis.

STATUS: The long version is done and blocked, the pattern is hanging out with Holly, and the short version is three rounds in:

2. Finish upper back of Que Sera and sew on buttons.

STATUS: I got nothing more knit on this than I had last week, but look, there's only a couple inches left:

3. Wind yarn for Anemone's Portsmouth

STATUS: Wound. Am contemplating casting on.

4. Cast on Mum's Kermit

STATUS: Oh, hey, it's 75% done already:

5. Finish Outlander

STATUS: Nope, still half-done. But to be fair, it's really bulky, and my hands are not made for knits this large. Nail polish bottle for scale, so you can see that crazy that I'm working with right now. Those are 19mm needles, and they're insane. So yes, this is slow going.

Catching Up and Gearing Up

The KALs I'm doing all start on Monday (eep!), and I am super duper excited to finally be able to cast on for them. I am in the throes of trying to get some stuff finished so I can put most of my focus on my KAL projects, and I'm starting to feel a little buried.

1. I need to finish my Old Davis sample, (just a few more rounds!) then send the pattern off to editing land. I'm planning a short version as well, but it should knit up quickly, and I have the yarn for it already.

2. I have just a few more rows on the upper back of Que Sera, and I want to sew the buttons on quick so I don't lose them, and then this is ready to set aside for me to do the sleeves in a couple of months.

3. I promised Anemone a Portsmouth hat ages ago, so I really ought to get the yarn wound for that so I'm more likely to knit it while it's still hat weather.

4. I also promised my mum a skinny Kermit. Fortunately, the yarn for that came in balls already, so I really just need to cast on and remember that the skinny version goes really quick.

5. I'm halfway through an Outlander-Inspired Cowl and I really want it done so I can wear it while it's still cold. The knitting is very slow going, though. My hands are not meant to knit things this bulky.

6. I really ought to get all my KAL yarn wound so it's ready to go :)

Part of why I'm feeling so rushed is that I've gotten so little actual knitting done the past week and a half-that Super Cold really knocked me out for a few days, and I really couldn't have cared less about doing anything that wasn't sleeping or petting a dog. But now that I'm back together, I'm excited to get caught up and move forward!

KALs, Socializing, and Shyness

Apparently I have poor impulse control, and I've somehow committed myself to three knit-a-longs that all start next Monday.

Seriously, Kat, pull yourself together.

I love the idea of KALs so much-everyone huddled around their computers, wearing their comfy pants and drinking fancy beverages, collectively ooh-ing and ahh-ing over each other's projects, giving each other tips on picking up stitches and tricks for keeping your colorwork even.

In reality, it usually turns into me knitting on my sofa, computer off, and then I finish, and maybe I'll post a picture in the FO thread, or maybe I won't, because I wasn't really engaged in the social/conversation part of the KAL, and who is this weird girl and why is her face in our thread all of a sudden?

Spoiler alert, I'm not very social. I've never really been, and I want to work on that more, but I have the unfortunate pairing of being hilariously introverted and painfully shy, and I could go talk to people or leave more adoring comments on people's things instead of just hitting "like," or I could stay in and watch crime dramas and eat soft cheese in my comfy pants.

I've always struggled with being shy and never feeling like I know what to say. I never talked in class, and I'm usually the quietest person in a group. I always feel like I don't know what to say, or when to say it, or how to say it, and most of the time I would rather have the ground swallow me up than have people direct their attention at me-which is rich, considering I do theater, and I sing, and I used to be in a band, and three days a week I come here and pour out all my thoughts for the world to see, and really I crave attention but I just don't know what to do with it.

Small groups terrify me. People actually knowing me and forming opinions of me terrifies me. I start feeling all chocked, and I get really tense, and it can take hours or days to calm down enough to feel like myself again. Instead of pushing myself to find a happy medium and actually create friendships that I will value and that will be beneficial and healthy for me, I chicken out and take the easy road of hiding in my house, making no noise, and pretending that I don't exist.

So I guess this is me pushing myself. I've come so far in the last two years-commenting on other people's blogs, making comments on people's Ravelry projects and in forums. There's just a bit more to go to get where I want to be, and I know I have to keep at it to get there. But it's hard, and it takes work and it takes time and there's no magic spell that can make it easier or quicker, and I know so many of you out there can relate to that.

BUT. This is me making my effort, and I'll hopefully soon have a little bit more experience talking to people that I don't know super-well yet as well as a pair of SpringTastic Socks, a From Another Place Crop Top, and my own little twist on Cherry Pie. 

The Care and Keeping of Your Stash

This post is intended for people who have just bought or adopted their first stash, but even longtime stash parents may find it helpful. If you are new to stashing, it is perfectly natural to feel a bit nervous, but there is a wide support network of fellow stashers who are willing to share tips and tricks. It is my hope that you find this new adventure enjoyable and pleasant, and that both you and your yarn have the most fulfilling relationship possible.

Being responsible for an entire stash can be an intimidating prospect, but do not fear! Your stash wants to make you happy, and with just minimal maintenance and training from you, your stash can become a good friend and companion for many years to come.

In the wild, stashes prefer dry environments out of direct sunlight. Get to know the personality of your stash, but many will be happy in a cozy den in a closet or a dim corner of a room. Some stashes are natural climbers, and you'll want to install plenty of shelving if that's the case for yours, so it can explore its new home.

Other stashes are lazier and would rather sprawl all over your furniture. It is important to set strict rules and boundaries with your stash while it is young, because once behavioral patterns have had a chance to establish it can be very difficult to re-train a stash. Allowing your stash free reign of its designated den and a few other delineated spaces in your home will give it plenty of room to wander and lie about without interfering with your lifestyle.

It is important to keep your stash away from direct sunlight. Some sun is fine, even healthy, for a strong stash, but just like us, your stash can be prematurely aged by too much sun exposure. Be sure to limit your stash's time in sunny patches, and keep an eye for any signs of dullness or fading, as those can be slowed by relocation to a darker habitat.

Stashes are also prone to infestation by any number of little parasites or other pests. Some of these can be warded off with pieces of cedar or lavender lining its den, but the best method to prevent your stash from becoming ill is to keep it in an airtight wrapping and do a thorough grooming twice a year.

To groom your stash, check over every inch for any signs of distress, aging, or infestation. Many stashes enjoy their owners' touch, so take this opportunity to pet your stash. Petting your stash also helps keep its coat free from dust and redistributes its natural oils, eliminating the need for harsher brushes or combs.

Most stashes are very playful creatures. It is likely that your stash will try to get your attention constantly. Pet it frequently, and praise it. It revels in your attention, and keeping it happy with small, frequent displays of pleasure and affection will help prevent outright attacks for attention-it is not uncommon for a bored stash to jump off its shelf and hit its owner in a bid for more attention.

Thankfully, stashes can be occupied with a wide range of toys that are readily available to stashers of all economic brackets. Most stashes enjoy spending time with a swift or ball winder, and nearly every stash can be pleasantly distracted with small notions such as buttons, ribbon, beads, and toggles.

As I mentioned earlier, it is very important to get to know the personality of your own stash, and that you allow it the proper room and attention for it to grow to its best potential. Your stash already thinks that you are the most incredibly person in the world. It will always be loyal and faithful to you, and with just a little bit of effort and attention on your part can turn your stash from a new acquaintance to a cherished lifelong companion. Congratulations, and enjoy the journey.