"We're gonna have to ... persuade it to blow up."
Once again I got an idea for a knitted present at almost the last minute, with a limited amount of time to knit it. Last time I realized on the Friday before Mother's Day that I should make my mom one of these. Discovered I can indeed make one in two days, leaving enough time for it to be blocked* and dried before giving it to her.
This time I realized on, oh, last Sunday that I should make my dad a sweater for Father's Day**. Hit up the library for some dude sweater patterns and found one I liked. However, I don't generally keep a sweater's worth of bulky yarn just chilling in my stash, so I had to order some online and wait for it to arrive. It got here yesterday, and now we get to see whether I can knit an entire sweater in about two weeks. It's a simple pattern in bulky yarn, so I think I'll get it done. The other question is how sad I'll make my wrists and hands doing it.
It's kind of continuing my now-yearly tradition of knitting my dad something for Father's Day that he won't be able to use until winter. So far I've given him a sweater vest (was up till 3am that morning finishing it, still had fingertinglies the next day) and a pair of "cigar gloves" with no tips on the thumb, forefinger or middle finger (so he can still use a phone, tools, etc when he's up on a mountaintop wrangling a radio transmitter). Oh, and for his birthday I knitted him a hat that included yarn that was 30% possum. This adds to the pile of hats and scarves I've knitted for my family already.
It like when I worked at Starbucks and everyone I knew got coffee for every holiday. Now everyone's getting knitted things!***
* Translation for non-knitters: blocking is basically getting the knitted thing wet or steamy and then pinning it out like a bug in a collection, so when it dries all the stitches are even and any pretty lacework is opened up.
** I can safely post this because he doesn't read my LiveJournal. Well, as far as I know anyway.
*** Except my bro, mostly, because I need to get his measurements. Tall bastard.
This time I realized on, oh, last Sunday that I should make my dad a sweater for Father's Day**. Hit up the library for some dude sweater patterns and found one I liked. However, I don't generally keep a sweater's worth of bulky yarn just chilling in my stash, so I had to order some online and wait for it to arrive. It got here yesterday, and now we get to see whether I can knit an entire sweater in about two weeks. It's a simple pattern in bulky yarn, so I think I'll get it done. The other question is how sad I'll make my wrists and hands doing it.
It's kind of continuing my now-yearly tradition of knitting my dad something for Father's Day that he won't be able to use until winter. So far I've given him a sweater vest (was up till 3am that morning finishing it, still had fingertinglies the next day) and a pair of "cigar gloves" with no tips on the thumb, forefinger or middle finger (so he can still use a phone, tools, etc when he's up on a mountaintop wrangling a radio transmitter). Oh, and for his birthday I knitted him a hat that included yarn that was 30% possum. This adds to the pile of hats and scarves I've knitted for my family already.
It like when I worked at Starbucks and everyone I knew got coffee for every holiday. Now everyone's getting knitted things!***
* Translation for non-knitters: blocking is basically getting the knitted thing wet or steamy and then pinning it out like a bug in a collection, so when it dries all the stitches are even and any pretty lacework is opened up.
** I can safely post this because he doesn't read my LiveJournal. Well, as far as I know anyway.
*** Except my bro, mostly, because I need to get his measurements. Tall bastard.