The Wild Goose Chase Ends!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the two most difficult things to find in my town: Russian Standard vodka, and Lion Brand Wool-Ease color #179.

 

I'm not joking.  Finding each of these items required trips to at least three different stores over the course of the last two weeks, and in each case, I got the last one the store had.  Watching Iron Man 2 was particularly difficult, because I couldn't help but notice what brand of vodka Whiplash was drinking...it's a distinctive bottle.  All I can assume is that a strangely large number of people in my area are sitting around drinking vodka and knitting Dr. Who scarves.  I wish I knew who they were, they sound like they'd be fun to hang out with.

Regardless, the expedition has finally ended in success, and I can take my Fourth Doctor scarf off hold! And have a screwdriver, since for once I actually have good vodka and orange juice in the house at the same time.

Spaced Stripe Scarf

This scarf is something I've been carrying around as my lunchtime project for a while, and even though it's a fairly simple stitch pattern everyone seems to like it so much, I thought I'd put up a pattern.

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn, 190 yards each of a self-striping yarn and a solid contrast yarn (in a color that's not part of the striping pattern). You may need more if you want fringe on your scarf.
• Size 10 US (6mm) knitting needles.

Cast on 31 stitches with striped yarn.

Mistake Rib: *[k2, p2] repeat from * until 3 stitches remain, k2, p1.

Work two rows in Mistake Rib using striped yarn.
Work two rows in Mistake Rib using solid yarn.

Continue, alternating colors every two rows until yarn runs out.

For a tidier edge when changing yarns, bring the yarn you are about to use up from under the yarn you have just finished using.

Look on my scarf, ye Mighty, and despair... (part 6)

It's been slow going between various injuries, new pattern ideas, and generally a metric shitload of other stuff that I needed to work on, but the scarf is up to 26 inches. On the one hand, I want to see just how fast I can get this thing done (is there a record for fastest Dr. Who scarf ever knit?). On the other hand, since it's all garter stitch it makes a great breather from my more complex projects.

The Endpaper Mitts in particular require frequent breathers. The pattern isn't hard, but since I hold both colors and work the fairisle pattern in German and English style with one color in each hand, I can only work on them for about a half-hour at a time before my left arm starts killing me. (Granted, at the moment both arms are killing me from all the yardwork lately, but even so...)

Of course, I just got my partner assignment for the Venture Bros. swap on Craftster, so everything will be going on hold for a little bit while I get my craftin' on for that. I've got a full sheet of paper covered in ideas, I just need to go stalk my partner for a bit and get the list pared down.

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Now playing: Depeche Mode - The Sun & The Rainfall
via FoxyTunes

Look on my scarf, ye Mighty, and despair... (part 5)

I've re-started the scarf, this time in a mix of Wool-Ease and Signature (mostly because there was a KICK-ASS sale on it). I was originally going to make it about 3/4 the width the pattern calls for, because last time it seemed really wide, but in the better quality yarn, it's so much softer that it really does need to be that wide.

Just updated the laptop to Ubuntu, BTW - very very happy with it in general, but I haven't found a music player I really like for it yet. Just a matter of trial and error, I suppose. Grand scheme of things, I suppose it doesn't really matter, as the whole reason behind getting the laptop back up is so that I can watch TV and generally be sociable while I'm on the computer.

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Now playing: Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (2006 Remastered)
via FoxyTunes

Look on my scarf, ye Mighty, and despair... (part 4)

Well, the time may have come to start the scarf over. Turns out that what with having used up a fair amount of the cheap acrylic on other projects, there's probably not going to quite be enough for an entire second scarf. I suppose I could just make it narrower, but I'll be damned if I'm buying any more of this particular yarn (the best comparison I can think of is that it's the Coors Light of yarn). I do have most of the colors I need in Lamb's Pride, though. I did the math today, and realized that it would only take about $20 worth of yarn to make up the missing colors. Technically, the goal *was* to use up the stash acrylic so I could justify buying the yarn to make myself a nice version....

I suppose I could just use the acrylic to whip up some little plushies for Etsy, or hold it back for a stash-clearing swap...I was really hoping that this would be a fairly cheap project, though.

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Now playing: Depeche Mode - Miles Away / The Truth Is
via FoxyTunes

Look on my scarf, ye Mighty, and despair... (part 3)

The soldering class this morning went fantastic, but I started to lose my voice about halfway through. I thought at the time it was just because I'd only brought a cup of tea that lasted barely a half hour into the 3-hour class, and I was talking pretty much the entire three hours straight, but it really didn't improve even after I got a soda. Then I went and got some more painting done, and the cool breeze picking up really didn't help. I'm thinking I may have caught a touch of the sore throat one of my co-workers had a week or so ago.

Regardless, feeling a bit out of it has slowed progress on the scarf a bit. I'm only up to 20 inches, though I think I can get it to a full 2 feet before bed. I was really hoping to be further in by now. At least this time I'm remembering to go through and sew in the ends as I change colors. Last scarf, I'm pretty sure it took me longer to sew all the ends in afterwards than it did to actually knit the thing.



I should get all my yarns together and print out another copy of the pattern so I can bring it along to work on during the traditional post-holiday dinner couch coma. I wonder what the record time for knitting a Dr. Who scarf is?

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Now playing: Alice Cooper - Clowns Will Eat Me
via FoxyTunes

Look on my scarf, ye Mighty, and despair... (part 2)

Huh...was scrounging around for the next color in the sequence for the Scarf, and discovered that apparantly I'd started another scarf some time ago. Long enough ago that I didn't remember having started it...or these two single socks...or this other scarf...or that hideous sweater out of Lion Brand Homespun...

It seems I need to keep a better eye on my stash/projects. This is where Ravelry comes in handy, I would've forgotten about half the projects I have going at the moment without it.

I've just reached the one foot mark...I think 20 feet finished length may have been underestimating a bit...

(no FoxyTunes sig today - iheartmusic.com has a preview of Sounds of the Universe up!)