It's season premiere week ... and here I am

Um ... hi there. *wave* I'm um ... Carter. I know, it's been a while since I've posted or been around or what have you. Would you believe I was being held captive by Replicators? You know ... those baddies who are self replicating robot thingies that took on the aspect of being human but were really robots and who almost wiped out the Asgard and look like they're about to do a number on Atlantis? No? Okay then, long sob story short, the crap of doing a PhD got me. It all started with shutting down most of the stuff that I liked to do ... I stopped talking to people, and I didn't leave my apartment much. Finally, I went to visit my parents last Christmas and I just didn't come back for six months. But hey, now I'm back, I'm fighting (most of the time), and Ivanova and co. were kind enough to invite me back to contribute, which is awesome.

Without further ado I'll just get into the knitting talk. I'm sure I'll yap more about my problems later but I'm trying not to dwell on it all too much. Anyway, this is my latest sock project. I'm making it from some Trekking XXL that I shouldn't have picked up during one of my recent visits to the LYS. I have WAY too much unknitted yarn sitting around my place to be buying new stuff, but I sort of have this yarn shopping rule in my head that 'it's okay to buy sock yarn!' Anyway, the finished sock on the left there is too small. Also, I kinda whipped it up out of a toe up pattern that I found out there. While I was turning the heel I knew I was going to hate the sock, but I felt committed so I kept going. I thought maybe I'd end up liking it better? But nope. It's just not one of my favourite toe up patterns. The sock in progress on the right is Jaywalking from the Sept. 05 issue of MagKnits. I'm not actually crazy about the pattern because I don't like the structural element of the stand out stitch on the double decrease on the down side of the V (as seen in the picture), but I'm kinda tired of trying to figure out new patterns in a fly by the seat of my pants way. Plus, I think that the stitch does show off the yarn striping really nicely.

This is another sock destined for the frog pond. I love the stitch pattern (It's from Socks Socks Socks published by the folks who do um ... Knitter's Magazine) and the colour is great. The yarn is some Koigu Kersti that I had just sitting around looking for something to be done with it. Unfortunately, yet again the sock is too damn small. I swear I did a gauge swatch ... I still have it, in fact! I didn't think I had fat feet but ... dang, apparently I do. I love the pattern, though, so I'm going to redo it in a heavier yarn and a slightly bigger needle size.

Finally, here is the sleeve of a raglan cardi I'm knitting. I've been at work on this for two years now, I think, and I've been afraid to just take the plunge and finish it! The design is mine, and the yarn is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. I love this stuff. I pulled out the body today to finish up the last inch or so before I join up the sleeves and make a go on the yoke. I've been ruminating about stuff like 'what if it just doesn't turn out' or 'what if I hate it' or 'what if ...' and after some talking to Ivanova I've decided that I just have to bite the bullet. It needs to finish so I can at least move on to some other stuff! (Today's moral in the land of knitting as a metaphor for life.) Anyway, I'm kind of excited now about how it's going to turn out. It's going to be good. I look forward to sharing when I have a bit done on the yoke.

So there's the overview on what I'm up to knit wise these days. I'll stop hogging the screen space now and I look forward to sharing more.

--Carter.