Monday, February 13, 2006

Jaywalking Across the Room

I did it. It was a squeaker, but my very own Jaywalkers are finished. I completed in time to hit Cara's cutoff and send an email before her midnight, but I update the blog a little later out here on the West Coast. First the glory, then the terror.

Pattern: Jaywalker, by Grumperina
Yarn: Wildfoote Handpaint by Brown Sheep Company in Ragtime colorway
Needles: US1 dpns
Knit per pattern except for using a tubular cast on and k1p1 ribbing because I like it. Besides, my falling for the tubular cast on is all Kathy's (a.k.a. Grumperina's) fault.
I really enjoyed this pattern and I love the socks. They are a bit wild, but very fun. I had no problem with fit. If I end up doing these again, I may change the toes just a bit, but that would be my only modification.

In other news, we have headed full steam (okay, maybe half steam) into family room renovations. Oh, did you think I was only going to clean out a guest room before my sister arrived? Oh, no, I had to go completely crazy. We now have no more cottage cheese on our ceilings and I have completed one coat of topping compound on the ceiling to cover over the quickie job done by the original builders. Just why do you think they sprayed that nasty stuff all over the ceilings?

If anyone from my old playground days is reading (doubtful, but whatever) and you remember the swingset and really tall slide incidents, no, I have not overcome my issues with heights. I hate ladders and I do not want to be up near the tippy top of our tallest ladder. Unfortunately, I am the one with "the touch" for this work. This means that I gamely fill my tray with drywall mud and face my nemesis. Young Man cannot figure out why I don't want his help, but Mr. Engineer has been generous with the compliments. I don't think this ceiling will look as good as the living room, but then, this one is higher and imperfections will be harder to see. If anyone has complaints, they can take them to the complaint department (100 yards west of the end of Balboa Pier). Cue music from Psycho now...
All this fun explains why I did not enter the Knitting Olympics. I wanted to. I had nearly decided to go for Team Wales (to honor my dad's heritage) or Team Merlot. I had my project all picked out and all supplies ready. Then reality set in and I decided to concentrate on the projects already on my plate and this big one really cuts into the knitting. Maybe next time.

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

I love your Jaywalkers! I've been meaning to try the handpainted Wildefoote. BTW, my daughter is a senior in Chemical Engineering and I told her about your Engineers Anonymous. She is probably very much like yourself --- that "engineering" mind in a female! Thinks more like a guy than a girl but loves any kind of needlework.