Wednesday, June 29, 2005

My Ball Winder Is Out To Get Me

It's true, I'm convinced of it at this point. The last two times I used it the thing ate my yarn. Got it tangled up in the gears and took delicate work to untangle it. This time it happened with my precious Koigu that my Secret Pal sent, and ended up breaking one of the skeins *sigh*. I don't know if it's my technique with the stupid thing, or it's just not a very good one but it keeps on happening. My gut feeling is that the winder just isn't very good. I just have to be ultra careful when I use it I guess. Part of the issue may also be that I don't own a swift right now so I use DD's out stretched hands most of the time. I've tried a lampshade and that works too. I guess I will have to start hinting heavily around DH as my birthday is at the end of the summer and I've a swift on my Knitpiks wishlist.

As you may have guessed I am stating work on the Koigu socks at last. Right now I'm doing a gauge swatch using the lovely bamboo #2's SP sent me. Nice yarn this Koigu, lovely pattern it knits to. But I cant help thinking it wants to be on number 1's. I have to knit some more of it to be sure. It could just be that the current pair I'm doing is on number 1's so I'm used to the feel of them. I'm using all five needles in the set which is unusual for me. I almost always only knit on four needles. I just prefer it as there are fewer to manipulate that way. Yes I know people say that they get fewer ladders with five but I am actually having more trouble with ladders on this gauge swatch then I usually have with four needles. In fact, I almost never have ladders, or they are slight and not too noticeable. Not so with five. I suppose it's from unfamiliarity with the rhythm of the work. One of these days I will bite the bullet and try two circs and check out how that works as well. I just have to have someone show me how it's done. Although I've been told that it's easy to learn form Cat Bordi's book. These socks are going to be for me. The next pair is for DH, and after that I want to make a pair for one of my brothers.

I've been bad about working on the sweater and really haven't touched it in a while. So I am mentioning it here in the hope that if I do it will get me moving. Usually when I mention a project on the blog I seem to develop a new desire to work on it, even if it's only a few rows. With the sweater it's a question of time. I just don't have it right now. Especially this week with DS in town.

Got a job doing steady merchandising work. If I've not explained about merchandising it's going into stores setting up displays, reworking displays, setting products on shelves in a particular order and related tasks. Bet you didn't know people got paid to do that did you? Well they do and I've been doing it off and on for a bit over 5 years. I will be working for a good firm that will employ me four days a week, (M-Th) 8-4 32 hours a week. In and around the area where I live. Couldn't be better. I get to be home most of the time with my daughter after school, get paid fairly well and have a three day weekend each week. Can't go wrong with this one at all. Think good thoughts for me. I don't start right away, but soon.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the merchandising job - I did it and liked it several years ago for a phama company that made nose spray among other things - LOL. But it was too much travel for me, as my territory included southern Connecticut, southern New York and northern NJ, so I quit after two months.

As for the Koigu, I do mine on 1's. 2's knit too loosely for me. You got a great gift - what a pal!