Kniterature

I arrived home yesterday to two glossy packages awaiting my avid attention! Both my knit-mag subscriptions arrived on the same day - How's that?!

I've only had time for a quick browse through eac over my dinner, and they look great - as always! I think I'll pick up a second copy of Yarn too, to put in my package for my Secret Pal, seeing as it's an Aussie mag and she mightn't have access to it in Alaska, or even know it exists!!

My lace has reached an unfortunate halt :( I can't figure out part of the pattern. It wants me to knit rows 1-6 of the Budding Lace Chart 2 fourteen times.... but how does that work?! I start with about 31 stitches on the needle at row 1, and by the end of row 6 the increases leave me with 39 stitches or so on the needle. So how do I then return to row 1 which requires 31 stitches - what happens to the left over 8?! I'm so confuuuuuuused! I've tried to bend my mind around it and figure out what I'vedone wrong - have I started it wrong altogether from the start of the Budding chart 2. Maybe it's 14 times row 1, then 14 times row 2... but that wouldn't work either!! Gah!

So in the mean time I'm working on the measurements for those secret socks for skoot *wink* Trying to figure out what I should cast on for his foot size etc.. using the toe up version of the Jaywalker pattern.

But seeing as I can't knit THAT either when I'm with him watching tellie int he evenings etc.. and lace is stalled now too... I've had to pick up ANOTHER project to do mindlessly as I wind down in the evenings. Skoot suggested some stash-busting and taht is a FABULOUS idea! If I work through some of the yarn I've had for ages, and knit up a whole bunch of brilliant things, I won't feel so restricted in my acquisition of new yarns *grin* So there are 15 or 20 balls or so of wool/acrylic sitting stashed deep in my seagrass stash and I think it's time for those little suckers to make their debut! I bought them when I first took up knitting with the plan of knitting a large afghan with rainbow coloured squares. Skoot suggested doing blankie squares while I watched tellie as I can just "crank them out" and he's exactly right -it's perfect! So I've started with some semi-flussy wool/polymide/acrylic in a purpley shade to make cushion covers - or maybe incorporate into the rainbow blankie - we'll see :)

So at least I'm knitting SOMETHING of all the stalled projects! hehe

If you have any hot tips for clarifying that part of the Swallowtail shawl pattern please PLEASE let me know - I don't know how much longer I can survive without a hit for my addiction *wink*