First of all, look at my little angel, Isolde, helping me with my knitting. You can tell by the innocent look on her face that she has no idea that she's doing anything wrong!

I started the steeks! Check 'em out here.

I put the single stitch that marks each underarm on a safety pin, and cast on 10 stitches for each steek -- that's 8 steek stitches and two edge stitches on each side of the steek. The edge stitches are always done in the background color (the lighter color).

I took today off from work -- am making venison stew and chocolate mousse for my sweetie for dinner. Everything's done, so it's back to the knitting for a while. I want to get to it before Isolde does!

I'm taking a day off from work tomorrow and I plan to sleep late. So here's the update tonight!

I transferred my work to my 24" needle. Poor Luskie is looking a little crowded, all the stitches mushed up together on the short needle. But we'll survive.

I'm a row away from starting the armhole steeks -- here's how it looks now.

Knittin' happily away last night when I notice that the stitches aren't sliding nicely over one of the joins in my Addi Turbo circular needle. On closer scrutiny, I see that the needle is very close to breaking at the join. Yikes! So I stopped here last night. I'll transfer my work to my 24" Addi Turbo tonight. Gotta remember to order another 32-incher today. Blasted needle.

I had a needle snap last year (though not at the join) while working on Dale of Norway Thunder Bay. Little grey stitches everywhere! It was not pretty.

And speaking of not pretty . . .

Seen in the elevator at work the other day: a short overweight woman wearing a man's grey t-shirt several sizes too small for her and knee length leggings in pale pink cotton. She comes to the office dressed like this??!! A couple of years ago a columnist in The Washington Post cited the Department of Labor as being the worst government agency in DC for fashion faux pas. It was an honor not undeserved.

Thanks to all for the weaving comments yesterday! Does anyone else have a favorite method for dealing with all the ends of yarn you get when making a fair isle?

I remember years ago I took a class at a TKGA convention and the teacher showed a fair isle she was making. On the wrong side, she had carefully braided all the ends together so she had a series of tiny braids running down the inside of the sweater. I'd never seen that before and haven't seen it since.

Okay, I know you're just dying to see today's photo, so here it is (opens in new window).

I don't feel like I made much progress last night. Just one of those days. I've got a friend who is ill far away from me and I spent a fair amount of time last night running to the computer to see if there was any email with news of how she's doing. Sigh.

Well, I've finished two pattern repeats now -- 60 rows. I have to do another 27 rows before starting the steeks. The latest photo is here (opens in new window).

Kate asked how I weave in my ends. After I'm done with a color I break it off, leaving about a two inch tail. When I'm a few rows beyond that point, I pull the loose end gently to tighten up the last stitch knitted with that color, then weave the end in through the back of the work using a tapestry needle. I don't weave the end in right away, as soon as I break it off, because I find that knitting above it on the next round tends to loosen the last stitch knitted with the woven-in color. If you wait until you are a few rounds past it, there's no longer any strain on that last stitch.

Sock Update!

I finished my Lorna's Laces Purple Iris socks! Picture here (opens in new window). And started a sock in Regia Norweger Ringel, color 5158. There's a very early WIP photo on my knitting page here (opens in new window).

Before I start, an open letter to the jerk I was sitting next to on the train this morning:

Yes, I know you wanted to have the whole seat to yourself. We all do. But when the train is full, you gotta give a little. I hope that taking up three-quarters of the seat and sticking your elbow in my ribs made you feel better. Oh, and by the way? The long greasy ponytail to compensate for the fact that you are losing your hair? Not an attractive look.

Thank you.

Back to knitting!

I got a fair amount done over the weekend (considering the margaritas for Cinco de Mayo -- okay, I celebrated Cuatro de Mayo too) -- check out my knitting progress here (opens in new window).

I've been weaving in the ends as I go along so I don't have a trillion of them to do at the end. Every couple of inches I get out the tapestry needle and weave them in through the back of the stitches. Some people like to tie a knit and trim the ends, but I prefer to weave.