Two completed socks does not equal one pair

The colors are pretty close in this pic. I may reknit the toe on the short sock, starting it sooner so there's more white and then tapering it so it isn't quite so pointy at the tip.

This picture actually shows some of the texture on the Roza's Socks. This is the Mountain Colors Bearfoot that Heather, my sock swap partner, sent me. Argh, it's awfully washed out though, isn't it? My legs are practically glowing!


I am utterly fascinated by the Cherry Leaf shawl, which is probably a good thing--I'm using smaller needles than the pattern calls for and may have to add quite a few more repeats. Right now I'm 10 repeats in and have used a little over half of the first skein. Pattern calls for 15, but I'll have to do at least 20.

Venezia Update

Wanna see some pictures of Venezia?


The Bridge of Sighs.

Oh, wait, you wanted to see the *sweater!* Ok, bad joke.


I have finished knitting the body. Next I need to cut the steeks and work the neck. Looks a little dumb in that picture, doesn't it? Hopefully once I cut the steeks I will actually be able to fit my head through the hole.


Stripey!

But I am not as close to done as I was before.


If you look closely at the pic above, notice how much darker the first repeat is than any of the other repeats. This is because of a little phenomenon that, funnily enough, is called yarn dominance.

Yarn dominance means that in two-handed fair isle it matters which hand you hold which color in. I learned the hard way that the color you want to pop more--in this case, the lighter colors--needs to be in the right hand. Ugh. (Edit: LEFT! the Left hand! this is the same confusion that got me in trouble the first time!)

Now look closely at the top of that sleeve and notice that there are no needles in it, and that it is considerably less "done" than it was when you last saw it.

Frog frog frog.


Here's how much I've made up so far. I often tolerate mistakes in my knitting, but this one bugged me and seriously? I have spent way too much time on Venezia for it not to be completely, 100% perfect. So I will spend some more time on it, just to get it there.

In other news, happy birthday Mom! We celebrated tonight.

In which Liz acquires several bad habits

I have acquired several bad habits recently. Venezia and I are having some minor issues, and this is probably motivating some of my bad behavior.

A disclaimer: I know that for many of you, these things are not bad habits, or at the very least are fairly normal and acceptable. But the truth is, I've been avoiding them for some time now, and it pains me that they've all snuck up on me at once.

Bad Habit #1--Stashing

Three skeins of CTH in the bluegreen colorway for the Cherry Leaf shawl in Victorian Lace Today, acquired two or three weeks ago.

Two skeins of Louet Gems in burgundy and the Twisted Flower Sock Pattern by Cookie A., who is now selling her fantabulous designs here. Now this one actually has a pretty cool story behind it. I fell in mad mad love with the sock when Cookie posted it on her blog. She would be selling it at Stitches West. Now my good buddy Auntie Ann was going to Stitches, and I thought about asking her to pick it up for me because I was in such mad mad love with the pattern. But I hesitated, as I hate buying yarn without knowing I'll get to it really soon. I resigned myself to hoping Cookie would sell the pattern online.

The Friday before Stitches I listened to Lime n Violet's podcast and they, too, are in mad mad love with the Twisted Flower sock, and I took it as a sign. I emailed Ann and asked her to get it for me, but alas! she was off having a fabulous time and didn't get the email until she got home. But, knitbloggers to the rescue, she asked her friend Deepa to save me from the torment of not having Twisted Flowers on my feet. Deepa gets a gold star for being awesome and an extra gold star for picking such a gorgeous color yarn. Yay! Thanks again!

Bad Habit #2--Working on too many projects at once.

There's Venezia. And the Bearfoot socks. Usually, that would be more than enough for me.

Then there was a dishrag. And another, and a third. And another random project with the same dishcloth cotton that, if it ever becomes interesting, I will let you guys know, but for now it isn't very interesting.

Then a friend had a birthday and I decided said friend needed some socks. Thick, squishy, washable socks made out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool on big needles so I could finish them quickly.

Then those were too big, so I frogged them, and then I needed something else to cheer me up, so I cast on for:

Click for big so you can see my pretty Cherry Leaf pattern.
Bad Liz! I still haven't finished the Moebius, which I promised myself I would do before starting the sweet sweet lace. Which I love. A lot.

Bad Habit #3--Warshrags.


Warshrag #1 is mine, and oooh I love it. Warshrag #2 is circular and kinda lacy and wound up going home with a friend who likes it so much she's afraid to use it. Hmm, I think this friend needs to be rewarded for her Appreciation of The Knitting. Maybe with something she will use. Maybe thick, squishy and washable, made out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool.

Does she read this blog? I'm not sure! Takin risks here!

Anyway the above is Warshrag #3, destined for the kitchen of Dave's aunt where it will totally clash with everything, but she said she loved knitted dishrags and hadn't found them in years, and what can I say, if you tasted this lady's cookies you'd fall all over yourself to knit for her, so before I knew it I'd cast on for her own Warshrag.

Do you guys like the crochet edging? I've never done shells before, but they make me smile.

Movie Meme

It's Spring Break this week and I'm hanging out at my boyfriend's, which has been very nice. I am very, very near to the end on Venezia. On Saturday I made it to the armpits:



I won't be able to try it on again until it's all steeked and sewn up. Scary, huh?

I found a meme here and would much rather do this than read any more, for a while at least. So I give you, the movie meme.

"It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it."

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
(X) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(X) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(X)13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
(X) Robots
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
(X) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(X) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
(X) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
(X) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
( ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(X) Lucky Number SlevIn
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(X) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That
(X) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X)The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(X) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
(X) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(X) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal



My count, which could be off by a couple, leaves me at 104. I have no idea who alleges that having watched over 82 movies might mean I have no life, but I think it's crap because most of the time I watch movies *with* people. My count would probably be a lot higher if this list weren't so skewed toward horror movies, by the way. I rarely watch horror, and when i do it's only because somebody else made me. Also there were a few movies that I didn't count because I fell asleep or turned them off halfway through, including but not limited to the Animatrix and Ocean's Twelve.