Monday, October 27, 2008

But the Christmas knitting...

On the other hand, my Christmas knitting is going along quite well and on schedule for the moment! I've even figured out just how I am going to distribute the gifts. I don't know if the family will like any of it, but it should be a fun experiment. :)

I'll post some pictures here eventually, maybe when it's all knitted up.

What a (insert approproate expletive) week!

I was over the moon last week with the success of my first pattern posted on Ravelry. To date, over 150 people have downloaded my houndstooth scarf pattern there and a few more here. It is an awesome feeling! So, my confidence up, I contacted an old friend to see about borrowing a substantial sum of money. M's legal issues may result in his being jailed, possibly as soon as January, so I desperately need to make some preparations for my future. This friend had previously offered to lend me the funds necessary to take classes in order to get my Java J2EE certification. I emailed him and asked if the offer still stood. He emailed back in a less than promising manner so I assumed it was a "no". I told him not to worry about it, that it wasn't a big deal, but I was crushed. That was last Monday.

Tuesday, things are going as usual; M left for work a little early and I got up a trifle earlier than usual, but that was because I expected the old friend to call and make his refusal official. (He works nights so early morning calls are more practical for him.) He did call, but not until M had arrived home with the news that he was out of a job. Great. Things were financially just about to look up for us since his oldest child will be turning 18 in November, so no more child support and his car will be paid off in December... but I guess that would have been too easy. He did get a reasonable severance package, so things aren't as dire as they would have otherwise been, but it's still not good news by any stretch of the imagination.

Then my phone call came. The old friend said that he would loan me the money after all. As grateful as I was, I couldn't exactly talk to him long since M had just been laid off and needed me. Still, on the off chance that he ever reads this, Bruce, you truly are a life saver.

So M was at home all week, which I both love and hate. It's so hard for me to get any of my usual work done with him here. Still, it's kind of nice having him around. Saturday he had agreed to accompany me on my errands (which I had put off all week). As always, we took his car since it is in much better shape than mine (oh, my poor car... but that is a story of another day). The dry cleaner we use (had to get his suit interview ready) is basically next door to the apartment complex. So we went and picked up his suit and then his car just...failed. I don't know, it's supposedly something about a vacuum leak. Apparently it's okay once it's warmed up. I certainly hope so since he took it today to an appointment with a headhunter. Keep your fingers crossed that it is going well. With any luck he'll have a job by this time tomorrow. God, I hope so. Please.

It just seems like in the time we've been together (3.5 years come Nov. 1) we have had more than our share of crap like this happen. I am so sick of all the drama and waiting for yet another shoe to drop. Oddly, considering the rest of my life, none of the drama has been mine. His legal stuff, his job problems, his freaking kids and ex-wives, his car repossession, his house foreclosure... I must really love him a lot to stay through all of this. Or maybe I just figure that eventually things will have to start going our way. Surely this streak will have to end soon?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I am a designer :D

 I was fiddling around on Ravelry last night and added a few of my original pieces to the "my original designs" section. I put comments that I would make patterns available if anyone was interested. One of my posted designs was for a houndstooth scarf I made for myself last winter. This morning when I was looking at Ravelry, I was shocked to see that I had 38 new messages in my inbox. All but 2 of these were people requesting, asking, one even begging, that I make this pattern avaiable. One lovely lady even said that she would pay! So I immediately got out the scarf and my dismal notes and fixed it up into a real, bona fide pattern. You can see it posted below. I also finally managed to get it posted as a PDF on Ravelry (you can find the link to download the PDF in the post below as well) .

  I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to have so many other people, complete strangers, interested in knitting my design. It is a lovely scarf, but for so many people to be interested just boggles my mind and makes me wonder if maybe I could sell some of my designs after all. 40 people have it favorited as a design and another 11 as a project. Wow! I know to some those numbers aren't impressive, but for me that is huge.

Bicolour tweed stitch scarf


Hey, that's just what the stitch pattern was called in the book. 
download the PDF

BiColour Tweed Stitch Scarf

 

By Eve Self


 

Using MC, CO 35

 

Row 1: using MC K1,  *sl 1 purlwise, K2; rep from * to last stitch  K1
Row 2: K
Row 3: using CC K1, *K2, sl 1 purlwise; rep from * to last stitch,  K1
Row 4: K

 

Repeat these 4 rows until scarf is desired length. BO using MC.

The only problem I had was when I moved on to my next project. After so many hundreds of repeats of slipping p-wise while making the scarf I found myself forgetting to actually make my purl stitches when I started something else! Oops...

Houndstooth scarf pattern

Okay, I figured out how to get this posted on Ravelry, but might as well have it here as well :)

Click here to download the PDF


(Note: I really don't update here anymore. I get quite a few questions about this pattern, but rarely am able to get to them anymore. I haven't knitted this in so long that it's hard for me to answer. I'll do my best, but I make no guarantees.)
Houndstooth Scarf
Designed by Eve Self



This is a pretty easy scarf but the result is stunning. I’ve had people stop me on the street and ask where they could buy one. It’s also a very thick scarf since it’s knit in the round. I used what I had on hand to make this scarf, but if you used a more luxurious yarn, this would be downright decadent! There are so many variations that could be made to this and I’d love to see what everyone comes up with. I was very pleasantly surprised by the number of people who asked for this pattern. So, by popular demand (!) here it is:
Materials needed:
2 skeins I love this Yarn! (from Hobby Lobby) in Cream (MC)
Just one skein and a teensy bit of the second are used
Any worsted weight will be fine, but make it something soft.
1 skein I Love this Yarn! In black (CC)
Size 8 circular needle or DPNs
Crochet hook (for attaching fringe)
Gauge isn’t critical here. My finished scarf is roughly 6” X 6’ excluding fringe.
With MC, cast on 58 stitches
1. (P1, K28) twice. Making sure your work isn’t twisted, join in the round.
2. (P1, K28) twice
3. {MC P1, (K2, CC K1, MC K1) X7} twice
4. {MC P1, (CC K3, MC K1) X7} twice
5. {MC P1, (K1, CC K3) X7} twice
6. {MC P1, (MC K1, CC K1, MC K2) X7} twice
Repeat rows 3 through 6 29 more times. Cut CC (or for a different look, cut MC and do ribbing in CC. You might need more than one skein if you do.)
Ribbing:
{(P1, K3) X7, P1} twice
Work this row 49 more times
1. {MC P1, (MC K1, CC K1, MC K2) X7} twice
2. {MC P1, (K1, CC K3) X7} twice
3. {MC P1, (CC K3, MC K1) X7} twice
4. {MC P1, (K2, CC K1, MC K1) X7} twice
5. (P1, K28) twice
6. (P1, K28) twice
Bind off.
Fringe:
Cut 56 strands of each color. Using crochet hook, pull one strand of each color through corresponding stitches on front and back of scarf to make a loop. Pull ends of strands through loop to knot. I find it works well to tie a knot at the ends of each strand. This adds a tiny bit of weight to the end and makes it hang better as well as keeping it from unraveling as quickly.

Copyright of this pattern is mine. All I ask is that if you make them to sell, give me some credit somehow. If you wanted to send me a buck or two that would be all right, too ;)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Depressed

I'm in the throes of a pretty severe depression these days so I've been doing little but knitting. Money is too tight for me to be able to afford the meds I need to treat the depression, so for now I'm just having to muddle through. M doesn't understand it, of course. And I am glad, in a way... the only way he could understand it is if he had gone through it himself. And I wouldn't wish clinical depression on anyone. Even myself. And these days I seem to hate myself. 

 Anyway, sorry for the extended absence here, I will attempt to write more frequently.  I'm working diligently on  my Christmas knitting. I need 6 pieces for females in my family and 5 for men. Plus stuff for a baby boy. Thus far I have an almost finished baby blanket, 2 hat and scarf/wrap sets for women, a hood for a man, and a scarf-in-progress for a man. I have most if not all of the yarn I'll need for these projects and I'm a little excited about giving my family things I've made. This is my first Christmas to attempt making things for everyone, so I'm also a little apprehensive.  We'll see how it goes.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Time off

M is taking Thursday and Friday off, so since it's a 3 day weekend we'll have 5 whole days of togetherness. I don't think he realizes how much more work he makes for me by staying home.

We had the boys this past weekend and it was NOT fun. The elder boy has a very distinct and unpleasant personality that I just can't stand. And the younger boy is becoming more like his brother. Admittedly I am not particularly fond of children in general, but with these two it's not just because they are kids, I dislike them as people. They are whiny, disrespectful, lazy and selfish. And they cry if they don't get their way.

The knitting is going well, although I'm not really doing much designing. I'm nearly finished with Tubey . And I'm planning to start on my Christmas knitting after that is complete. I just need a few more inches and then, finally, my first sweater will be complete. I'm also working on a capelet for myself, but that is a far more complex knit and will take some time.

My best friend's birthday is coming up at the end of the week and I need to finish several thinks I've been working on for him so I can get it all in the mail. I miss him so.