Legwarmers, a play in 3 acts

Act 1

Me: Legwarmers are stupid! How often do your calves get cold, amirite?? Lulz.
Beth: I wear leg warmers.
Me: ...really?
Beth: Yeah, they really help keep me warm.

(later)

Me: Man, the boot-cut jeans are letting breezes in under the cuffs! They're making my... calves... cold...

(light bulb overhead)

Me: I've been such a fool!

Act 2

Me: I will make some plain legwarmers! Just 1x1 ribbing! Basic tubes, for my legs! But how much yarn will I need?

(sits at computer quietly)

Me: But all these patterns are giving wildly different yardages! I have no idea how much yarn I'll need!

(cue: dramatic music)

Me: I shouldn't buy new yarn. I have so much already! But no! There is not enough of any of my superwash wools! And I can't use non-washable, for the leg warmers will get dirty, and I don't want to hand wash them!

Perhaps I will do some colorwork, and since I have superwash wools in different colors! No, the colors I have are ugly together, and I want these to be simple. What about this yarn, whose colors are kind of ugly, but the yarn is so soft? No! Not superwash! And this? No! Ugly!

(days of constant researching later, complete with rings under eyes and crazyhair)

Me: Maybe... maybe just a little colorwork... With this hand-dyed wool -- it's not superwash I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT. And this nice... black Lana Grossa Cool Wool... The one skein should be enough... But there's that... pretty... pretty... star pattern from those socks... I could just... do some math...

(hours later, happily knitting along)

Me: [frown] Something doesn't seem right... *gasp!* The chart has an error!

(cue: dramatic music)

Me: Do I rip back? Or keep going? Rip back? Keep going? Rip back? Keep going... Keep going... Keep going...

(hours later)

Me: Shit, it's too small! NOOOOOOOOOO! [rips out back to the top band] How will I ever, ever finish these?

Act 3

Me: Finally! I have the first leg warmer! And it fits! But wait! What's this?! I'm out of the black wool?! Which I bought in Philly? Even though I'm living in North Carolina?! NOOOOOOO!

Me: Mom? Dad? I thought I'd come up to Philly for a visit! No no, no particular reason. Just to visit. Yessssss, to visit... heh heh heh... What? No, I'm fine.

(days later)

Me: Almost... there... just have to... sew down hem with elastic in...

Me: Could it be? It COULD! They're done! They're done! (prances around)

(later)

Me: Ahh, how did I live my life without leg warmers? I will wear them all the time! I will wear skirts in winter! I will wear them with impunity, and ward off the cold with my LEG WARMERS!

(cue: triumphant music)





(days later)

Me: Man, my knees are really cold.

(cue: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNN)

A second gold!

With two days to spare I finished the acrylic monstrosity!



It needs buttons still but WHATEVER, I'm calling it done.

For the record, it's definitely still a monstrosity. Here! A list of annoying things regarding the "Ready to Play" jumper.

1. It's acrylic.
1b. crappy acrylic. Really crappy acrylic.
2. Flat-knit fair isle. Purling with two colors sucks.
3. The original knitter did a float on every stitch on the purled row, not every 3rd or 4th stitch, which takes approximately FOREVER. So I didn't do it. So it doesn't match on the inside. Shhh.
4. Not only are the colors unappealing, but the pattern itself... not so great. However, I'm open to the option that it might not be horrible if done differently.
5. Since it's acrylic you can't really block it (as far as I can tell). It looks a little wonky, and I don't know if I can fix it.

Knitting Olympics

In which I attempt to use the word "olympics" as much as possible.

Something about job hunting and having so much free time makes blogging seem rather unappealing. I have been knitting -- I have a sock done and its mate on the needles, but it's been put away because it's Knitlympics time!

I haven't done the Knitting Olympics before, but I have the Print O' The Wave stole for Paige's wedding, and since I'm not feeling the lace love I needed encouragement. Plus, two weeks ago I decided that if I designated it as "Olympic knitting" then I could work on something else until then.

And so here it is, and I've started working on the shawl, and ugghhhhh. Maybe the magic will come when I block it, but for now it's not my favorite thing ever.



As it's not a new project I'm in the WIPs Wrestling group, (also known as endurance trials). I have a second project in case I finish the shawl early. It's another project I need an outside deadline for. Have a gander:



Bernat "Ready To Play." Not my usual style, eh? Much too big for my nephew. Kitchy. Sigh. See, when I was young my next door neighbors were my second family. My brother and I were always over there being fed amazing food and playing with the kids. Maria makes the best pizza you have ever eaten.

Last time I was in Philly my dad and I went to visit, and Maria showed me the romper. It was started and mostly accomplished by a friend of hers who was very sick, who then gave it to Maria to finish it. Maria thought it beyond her abilities, and so gave it to me to finish. If I wanted to. It'd mean a lot to her friend to know it was finished. I promised to give it a shot, even though it's so many things I don't like in a project (acrylic, neon, colorwork knit flat). It means a lot to her, and she means a lot to me, so it's project 2.

Well. I'm starting to see a real problem with having the Knitting Olympics during the actual Olympics, because -- and this is especially true during the opening ceremonies -- all I want to do is watch the olympics. I mean really. Did you see those drummers? I'm supposed to pay attention to lace while that's on? HAH!