Size it up...

I decided last night, on the way out the door to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that I should take advantage of the opportunity for good "Harry Mojo" and knit a house hat for the Charmed Knits KAL while watching the newest release. I cast on in the car, knit the ribbing while waiting in line, and started the stockinette when the movie began. I knit and knit, and occasionally my Mother in Law would ask how I was watching the movie. Thing is, when it's just simple stockinette in the round, who needs to look down? So, I didn't. This turned out to be a horrible mistake. I got a lot accomplished, but the hat is gigantic.


I used my husbands head as a reference, keeping in mind that his cranium is of an unusually large size, and was shocked to see that the hat was too big for him. I thought for a moment that there may be some kids who have a lot of hair, or simply like large hats, or maybe even Sideshow Bob himself would need to keep warm this Winter? But, no. It was a bust. I will rip out and begin again as soon as possible.
In other knitting news, fortunately of the more posivite kind, I have a progress photo of my Bed Shrug. When last we saw this shrug, it was only a few repeats big, quite puny really. Since the knitting-the-pattern-too-short-then-deciding-to-make-it-a-design-feature debacle, I have added several repeats - many of them in the car on the way to or from Michigan. I think it is coming along really well and I am pleased with the fact that my gauge was DEAD ON. It makes me feel like doing long division...but I won't.


Here is a lovely shot of the subtle color variations in the yarn. It is a little stripey, but the colors are so light you almost can't see it. There are steely blues, shell pinks and pale pale yellows. I simply love this yarn...so much so that I am hoping there are leftovers so that I can make something for me. Selfish? Yes indeed.


I also have another photo of the Sockapalooza progress. I am doing OK, but not as well as I'd hoped. I have five more repeats left in the leg and then I can turn the heel. I am well aware of how fast socks are completed once the heel is turned, so I have hope. Well, they will be done by the mail date...they have to be. I haven't actually worried about who was knitting for me (well, I wondered about it and stalked other peoples blogs looking for clues that would point to me, but I didn't worry per se.) Thing is, I haven't heard word one. Now, this doesn't mean a single thing, a lot of people participating in this swap aren't contacting their pals at all, and that is completely fine with me. It's possible that some one of the pairs of beautiful socks I've seen on the Pligg are in fact for me...and it's also possible that my pal decided to drop out of the swap all together. Fortunately, I am a laid back gal, and more than anything I did this swap for fun...so I am just as excited about it as I was the day I began.
I do hope I get a pair of socks though.
There, I said it.


They look like they are moving right along...sorry for the crap photos, I am shooting them in the basement (lovely room, bad lighting.) More artistic ones will follow...once the projects are complete.
In unknitting news, I have to ask for some "pet prayers". I don't usually go in for this sort of thing, but I am desperate. My beautiful kitty Isabella was just diagnosed with kidney failure and I am beside myself. Looking past the fact that I love her immensely, and can't imagine life without her, we just lost a cat to kidney failure about two months ago. Not only does this cause me greif, but it troubles me...the pet food scare rearing it's ugly head again? Who knows. For now all I know is that she goes into the hospital tomorrow to be assessed and hopefully they will be able to prescribe some medication to manage her condition. She is only seven, and not at all done living.