Things have been busy knitwise at Casa del Random.
The Lace Panel Sweater is in a lovely pile of blocked pieces.

Not seamed yet. It often takes me a while to work up the seaming bit. Like the Nundle Sweater. Yes, I finished knitting it on June 15. Well, while I was waiting for the LPS to dry, i finally decided that it was past time to finish the Nundle Sweater.
It took 2 hours on Tuesday night and all day Wednesday, but it’s done.

Six months later. Yes, I’m ashamed of myself. This is how many ends I got from just one side seam.

No wonder I put it off. Too hot for modelled shots yesterday, and no-one here to take pics today. I blocked all the pieces back in June when I finished it, but I think it needs to be blocked again. It went together beautifully, but there’s something funky going on in the top of the sleeve. See where it looks all puffy? It’s a drop shoulder sweater, so it looks funny to have the sleeves puffing up like that. I’m hoping a blocking will help.
And that’s not all.
P-p-p-p sock number one is up to the toe shaping!

And there’s one other thing that I’m saving for another blog entry. But here’s a hint. I love Calmer.
It’s raining here today again. But Twinkie still wanted to go play outside.

So she found the only dry spot in the yard.

Thanks to everyone who offered a ball of Calmer.
A prettily wrapped ball arrived today from a friend.

And look at the colour!

Perfect for a pair of ballet slippers! I’m itching to cast them on, I even raced off to block the Lace Panel Sweater. As soon as it’s done, I’m casting on for Twinkletoes. Or maybe earlier. It was 37C here yesterday, sticking hot, and today is cold and grey and drizzly. Bad day for blocking, so the Twinkletoes may hit the needles a little earlier, if I really can’t resist!
This arrived today as well, and has my fingers itching.

It’s a cashmere scarf kit from Rabbit Tree Farm. I first saw it on Kim’s blog, and she helped me track down the seller, as they don’t have a website. Wonderful service, with the whole transaction done by email, with just one quick phone call to provide my cc details.
The yarn is 80% cashmere and 20% silk, and just feels heavenly.
And we finally did it.

The tree is finally up.

Saturday again, they sure do come around quick, don’t they?

Another beautiful day, although it had started out gloomy and grey.
I have sleevage.

Two sleeves, knit exactly as the pattern said. They look very narrow, but I’m too lazy to adjust the pattern, and frankly, I’m already over this sweater. They go around my arm, but I don’t have skinny little arms anymore, and I think they’re going to be fairly fitted. I’m hoping they’ll loosen up a little with blocking.
After much consideration, I ripped the front back to the mistakes.

I have to admit that I was very tempted to just leave it as it was, but it would have driven me mad knowing the mistakes were there. It’s not too bad, I’m at the armhole shaping, so there’s not too much to be done.
I have a blocking question for everyone.
The back neck has some live stitches sitting on a stitch holder, waiting to do the neckband. Do you prefer to block it, live stitches and all, then seam and do the neckband, or do you seam, do the neckband, then block?
Usually I seam the shoulders, then do the neckband, then block it as one piece before puttng in the sleeves and doing the side seams, but I was interested to see what everyone else does.
New Knitty!
David loves this, but I think I’m too lazy.

For myself, I like the monkey socks. (There’s a surprise!)

And the Argosy scarf.

And Em likes the Piggle hat.

And I haven’t shown her Twinkletoes, but don’t they just have her name all over them?

And they were designed by Chloe, who was my lace swap pal!
However, I have no Calmer. I’ve never knit with Calmer before, though have heard all good things. I don’t suppose anyone has a lonely ball laying about in a girly colour that they want to offload? 😉
Is it worth buying just one ball for them? Like I’ve ever needed too much of an armtwisting when it comes to yarn buying!
A Twinkie photo. She’s found a new hiding place.

Still no green christmas tree, but I bought a new Christmas candle.

Pretty!

So the dance concert is over, and for a little while I have my life back. Or so I thought. My just-barely-teenaged daughter has gone and got herself a social life. Stuck to my fridge are four party invitations. There’s also the senior’s night out for dancing coming up, and a multitude of other social events, including my niece’s dance concert this weekend. All before Christmas, bar one of the parties.
She has a better social life than I do!
Some pics from the concert.

I actually took heaps more photos, but they all have other kids in them, and I don’t have permission to put them up here. I’d hate for someone to come across a picture of themselves. Although seeing as no-one I know knows about this blog, it’s highly unlikely.
Knitting! Isn’t that what this blog used to be about?
There’s been a little. Hopefully now there can be a lot more.
The Lace Panel Sweater sleeves are growing.

They’re looking very narrow. I don’t have skinny little stick arms. I’m getting worried. Nat? You knit the other cardi from the book, and the sleeves look similar. Opinions?
However, I’m going to ignore than gut feeling and knit on. Bet I’ll regret that later on.
What else?
P-p-p-p-p-socks.

I was charging on down the leg to the hell, with only 12 rows to geo, when I realised that I’d forgotten to move the stitches around at the start of the last repeat, and 12 rows had to be frogged. Live and learn.
The other side looks like a totally different sock.

And the purple blob, previously known as Spring Blossoms.

Looks exactly the same as the last time I showed it. I’ve not touched it at all. I’m not even sure what I’ve done with my chart which shows me where I’m up to, which may be a problem. I’m sure it’s here somewhere.
Christmas? I’m in denial.

That’s where the christmas tree should be. I’m having some anxiety issues with putting it up. Earlier in the year, we replaced our end tables with these stash boxes. The tree goes on the table. There’s nowhere else to put the tree in our little house. So, it has to go onto my stash box.
What if I want something from in there? All my sock yarn is in there. I had a fleeting moment where I considered emptying the box, just in case, but I realised I have nowhere to put the yarn. Maybe I can use it to decorate the tree. Then it’ll be right at hand!
Mind you, it’ll only be up for three weeks or so, and I’m sure that the other yarn around the house will keep me busy until then. But what if??
So I got some more yarn, just in case.

Because you never know. 3 skeins of Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette, intended for Faina’s Scarf, and a skein of Merino Cashmere Sock, in “Water Lilies”, both from The Knittery. Like I said, just in case.

Saturday sky.

Grey, rainy, taken from the roof of Jussi’s building. What a hostess! We had a lovely soiree, complete with wonderful company and yummy food. Jus can cook as well as she can knit, it was a feast of gastronomic excellence.
She even served yarn.


As modelled by Ailsa. It’s Iranian fairy floss, called Pashmak. (I think). Yummy, and definitely looked like yarn.
There was cheesecake.

Donni ate all that. Seriously. Or not.
Then she tried to show us precisely how Em leapt over the step.

There was some delightful company.

Lara.

Sandra, Mary-Helen, and Ailsa.

Em, Ailsa, Donni, and the lovely Jussi herself.
And one more blurry pic of everyone in attendance.

We had a great time, it was just a shame that more people didn’t make it.
There was knitting.
I should never have said that the Lace Panel Sweater was going too well. It’s done nothing but stuff me around ever since.
At some point yesterday, I realized that I was short a stitch in one of the lace panels. Emily insisted that it was because of the wine I’d drunk, but in fact the mistake was made before I’d even left for Jussi’s party, and I’d just blindly knitted for 10 rows past the mistake.
That may have been the fault of the wine.
So most of the work I did yesterday was frogging.
I’m beginning to dislike this sweater.