Two little FOs, safe arrival?

I think the move went smoothly. At any rate, I got out of a lot of the heavy lifting when we realized that someone needed to pick up the keys to the place by 4:00. This was at 2:30, and we were approximately 1 1/2 hours away. Yeah. I got to drive (with the kittens) like a bat out of hell, after frantically calling the leasing office and telling them I'd be there RIGHT AT 4:00. I made it at 3:45. I rule.

We used to rely on roommates for a lot of random things that we never thought about. Pots and pans, knives, vacuums, lamps, and the list goes on. The last couple of days have been frantic trips to Lowe's, Target, Meijer, and Ikea. (The Ikea expedition and subsequent assembly woes could be its own entry.) Consequently, Steve and I have been whittling away our savings on all sort of exciting townhouse-stuff. Yes, you read that right: townhouse. Cheaper than the old two-bedroom, this time with central air and cats.

I'm not sure where I packed my Kitty Pi WIP. I know where Mariah is, but there has just been so much other stuff to do, that I haven't knit since Tuesday. I think I'm going to explode. I have to find Kitty Pi tonight, because those rats NEED a place to lay down!

The only real knitting progress in the past week are a couple of dishcloths that were inspired by my Sugar 'n' Cream shopping spree.



This is the ubiquitous Ballband Dishcloth. I've made a bunch of these before, but this one is a bit more rectangular (read: shorter) than others. I basically went in pattern until I was out of the pink ombre, which was a small ball in the stash.



This is a Three and One Checkered Cloth out of chocolate brown sugar 'n' cream and beige/white sugar 'n' cream twists. The pattern was easily memorized, and makes for an interesting texture. I was getting sick of Ballband cloths, as those have been my standard for two-color dishcloths. This pattern worked out well enough that I might try to make a couple of more... until I get sick of this pattern also. Anyone have any other two-color dishcloth patterns? I may just make one up, or adapt a garterlac or something.

Anyhow, I need to get back to work making things look like home around here. The pile of boxes is slowly shrinking, and soon our front room WILL be usable... Much to the chagrin of the kittens, I'm sure, who think it is their personal playground.

I may talk about the Ikea expedition tomorrow. It made for a really entertaining waste of a day...

Politics, cars, and knitting

I have to say, the direction that my country is headed in is absolutely astounding. I feel like it will take decades to undo the damage that has been done by our current administration. Take the Supreme Court's recent ruling on pay discrimination. (Not that this decision was the administration's doing directly, but two of the nine justices were appointed by Bush and therefore in on this decision...) Ignoring how pay inequalities usually occur (slowly over time), the court decided absurdly that one has to figure out that they're being discriminated against in the first place and file suit within six months of being given unequal pay. That is, the day you start getting paid unequally. Until we can openly know what our co-workers doing the same job are making, we have little protection under the law.

Suffice to say, the linked articles discuss the matter much better than I do.

In happier knitting-related news, I made yet another garterlac dishcloth.



Dishcloths never seem to photograph well, but I never bother to block them or anything; I'm going to be getting this guy wet and stretched out in no time, so why bother? I don't think I'll ever get tired of this pattern. It seems to knit up in no time. It's cute. It looks more complicated than it is. It's a good size. It shows off the Sugar 'n' Creme ombres nicely. I could go on.

I've also been trying to work on the UFOs in my stash. The exchecquered is coming along nicely, but as usual, dragging along slowly. I have, however, made remarkable progress on the interminable gray thing:



The miles of mock ribbing will really only equate to two balls of caron simply soft, but still. It's mock 1 x 1 ribbing. What is this gray object, you ask? I will show it off when I'm finished... hopefully soon.

I've also been commissioned by a coworker to make a beanie for him. He is a very large guy (a former football player), and says that many beanies are just too small for his head. This is exciting to me, somehow. It's rare that someone who isn't close to me takes such an interest in my work! I was going to use Lion Brand Wool-ease because it's washable and inexpensive... However, he wanted navy blue, and my local Michael's was out. Go figure. I'm going to check Joann tomorrow. My backup plan is Plymouth Encore from my LYS. Hopefully both backup plans don't fall through!



In other, sadder news, I'm starting to fear that my car's days are numbered. (Obviously the above photo is not my car but a stock photo; however, it looks just like that, down to the color!) A week ago, it started making a hideous noise. Steve's dad is extremely talented with all things mechanical (he builds custom motorcycles on the side!), and his prediction was either the serpentine belt or the air compressor. The diagnosis? Both, really. The belt needed changing and this was done, but did not fix the hideous noise. Therefore, no more AC for me until I get a nice, expensive repair done, if I do.

A new compressor would probably be about $400, which seems like a lot of money to put into a car equipped with a transmission that will likely die in another 13,000 miles or so. When that goes, that's it; that repair would run several thousands, more than the car would be worth.

I'm emotionally attached to it. It is, after all, my first car, which has been mine since I was fifteen.

Gothic washcloth?

Behold, the gothic washcloth!

I laughed for far to long at the meaning of a "Bauhaus washcloth."

But then, I came up with my own:



Much better.

A lot of small finished things.

Okay, so I'll admit it, I've been gearing up for the Dishcloth KAL. Big time. I've had so many people sign up that it's almost crazy. So when I found out that two friends of mine were holding an apartment-warming party in three days, I knew the only appropriate thing I could knit in time was, well, dishcloths.







These are the three I whipped up for them in as many days. From the top we have the Garterlac Dishcloth, the Petal Cloth, and the Bubble Wrap Dishcloth. The yarn is Lion Cotton in salt & pepper. When they got them, it was rather funny; they weren't sure if they were potholders, coasters, or what; although trying to balance a bottle of Smirnoff on the Bubble Wrap cloth proved amusing!

I also had a friend request blue dishcloths because she liked my first couple. I've only finished another Garterlac for her out of pool blue Sugar 'n' Cream Ombre:



I've got to finish one more and make a hat for her, as well; this friend is Claire, the recipient of the green knucks and scarf. She loved them, and I decided that I'd make her a hat out of the scrap Silky Wool left from her knucks and Steve's; problem is, I can't find the black 2/3 ball of Silky Wool ANYWHERE.

I also made one more just for me:



This is the Lacy Mock Cable cloth, which incidentally, I think, looks much better in a solid color. Oh well.

Amusingly enough, my mom has caught the dishcloth bug and made some for herself as well.

In non-dishcloth FOs, we have a third pair of knucks! These ones are mine, all mine! I made them out of Atacama Alpaca in this awesomely obnoxious bubblegum pink hand-dye. So delicious. So soft. No embroidery seems right on them, either.



And finally, I made a bag for my friend's birthday back in May, and submitted the pattern to Magknits. The editor magically started ignoring me, so I'll take it it was rejected without giving me the courtsey to say so:





You'd actually be pretty surprised how well grommits and a chain work as purse handles/closure. I quite liked the look, myself... I don't think Lisa hates it, either.

Now I've done it...

Okay all.

The dishcloth KAL is here.

Join and be merry. *Smacks head*

Dishcloth fanatic?

I blame Mason Dixon Knitting. I got that darn book in a swap, and I love looking through it at all the amazing, beautiful home decor that I don't really have a home to put in.

Enter my Clapotis. I'm in the infamous third section, which is literally miles and miles of stockinette stitch. I want a distraction. I was at Joann with my mom, and on a whim, I buy a brightly-colored ball of Lily Sugar 'n' Cream. Summer Splash is the color.

I decide to make a dishcloth out of Mason Dixon Knitting. My grandmother knits nothing but dishcloths, saying that she doesn't want to tackle anything larger. I can now see why; after all, I've now finished two in as many days, and they are just so darn easy! My ball of Sugar 'n' cream is down to a tiny, sad little ball, probably to be used with the other eight balls of dishcloth cotton I ordered from Joann. *Smacks head*



That's the Mason Dixon Knitting one, and even though it looks sort of small, this is the size it seriously said to make it. It's also pre-use.



This one is from the Dishcloth Boutique site. I think there were a couple of mistakes in the pattern (Double Diamond one), but I trudged my way through it...

Oh, I'm using them as washcloths in the shower, as opposed to dishcloths. They feel nice to me.

Now there are visions of washcloth knit alongs dancing through my head... I need to do something with the cotton I just ordered!