Hot Mass Murderers

Finally they've found a mass murderer who I don't find attractive.

Green River Killer
This guy has confessed to killing around 50 woman, and I don't even think I'd look twice if I saw him in a g-string in my local gay bar.



So there's hope for me yet that I'll recover from this obsession with hot looking mass murderers.

Interesting Comments
I have to say, the comments from both the regular readers and the new readers have been very interesting lately. They have kept me highly entertained throughout my work day. Thanks to Lisa, I have been fortunate enough to actually see the infamous "Butt Bra"

Click here to see -

Knitting Progress
I kept meaning to take a picture, and I never got around to it. But I've finished a third repeat of the 18 row pattern on Ronas Hill. I'll have an updated picture in the next blog entry.

I didn't do any work on the Regia sock.

I didn't do any work on the Janis project.

I completed the other secret project. This project is a possible business venture. A friend asked if I would knit a prototype product that he'd like to have commercially made and sold.

I think the idea is excellent, so hopefully he'll like the prototype. I finished knitting it, but I have a little finishing to do on it.

Readers Comments/Questions
Marilyn mentioned: "Although I do recall Joe's problem with a certain Fair Isle and screwing up the armhole steek placement...."

Thank you Marilyn for you timely reminder. That was a tragedy, and I still have the four inches of knitted, Fair Isle fabric tube to torture myself when I get cocky with my knitting.

The good end to that story is that I did finish that Fair Isle, it came out great, and it didn't stop me for starting a new one. Yes, I do make mistakes, and some monumental ones. I just don't let it hinder my growth in the avocation of knitting.

Knitting Excitement

I know when I sit at work dreaming about working on my current projects, my excitement level for knitting is high.

Knitting Projects
I am truly enjoying how Ronas Hill is progressing. In addition, I like the work I'm doing on the Regia sock as well. But if that weren't enough, I'm working on two projects that I can't discuss or show pictures of in the blog, and both of them are keeping my interest as well.

I truly do sit at work a lot thinking about working on one or more of my current projects.

Knitting Progress
As mentioned, I'm continuing progress on Ronas Hill. The pattern repeats are only 18 stitches wide, so I memorize them after the first or second repeat. Not having to refer back to the graphic in the pattern makes it much easier and quicker to complete a rown. It also increases my eagerness to continue onto the next row.

You'll see in the picture for today that I've finished another half a pattern repeat which is extremely good progress for a "school night".



All this success on a Fair Isle progress is giving me hope that I will design a Fair Isle of my own as one of my next design projects.

I'm confident that I could come up with an interesting colorway for the design, but it will be a challenge for me to come up with a pattern repeat that I can fit into a standard pullover or cardigan pattern.

I'll also take a lot of care in how I frame the design with ribbing, collar and/or button band. The success of many of Ron Schweitzer's designs are in how he frames them, so I've realized how important that is.

Sock Knitting
Since I haven't needed the distraction of mindless knitting in the last couple of days, I haven't done any additional knitting on the Regia sock.

Readers Comments/Questions
Barb mentions that she thinks I'd look hot in fishnets.

I have always had great legs, and they look amazing in fishnets. I've always thought it would be fun to knit a pair, but I honestly don't think I'd put so much work into something so impractical.

Jojo mentions that she's waiting for the Simply Knit 2 book from ThreadBear and hoping there are interesting, easily knit items in it.

The good news is that Simply Knit (the store) just got their copies, so Matt/Rob's should be there by now or if not very soon. The original Simply Knit 2 books that were sold at Stitches were ordered via FedEx airmail at an outrageous cost so they could have the patterns to go with the kits. Anyone that bought them there paid cost for their books, I think.

The bad news is that the two most simply patterns in the book aren't designed by the ladies at Simply Knit. But I'm sure you'll find a lot of patterns that you'll want to knit anyway. The book is as good as the first one.

Deb ask how the thumb is (out of hand therapist concern).

As Kathy quite correctly surmised, even a "sports" injury doesn't stop me from knitting. The swelling went down in two days, and the pain was gone the day after that. Nothing traumatic or causing anything chronic. Thanks for asking.

Linda mentioned the Sandness sweater by Ron Schweitzer in the Jamieson 2 book.



I can't see the pattern very well in the one web pic I can find of this sweater, but the colors are stunning. I'll have to take a closer look at both the pattern and the yarn when I get home. Plus the Jamieson Spindrift is a helluva lot cheaper than the Shetland 2000. My vest kit cost US$50 more than the same size pullover kit for Sandness.

Hits on the Rise

I'm not sure if it's just a general rise in interest for knitting blogs, or due to the post from the other day, and your comments, but my average hits per day have gone up about 22%.

Fun Experiment
That was a fun experiment, and you folks are funny as hell with your creative entries to the topic.

But honestly, I'm don't really care if hits are up or down. It's kind of flattering having a popular web site, but the truth is that I'd be writing this blog even if no one read it.

Knitting Progress
I've gotten another pattern repeat done on Ronas Hill, so it's moving along about as quickly as I had expected.



Two of the colors in this sweater are only used once every 18 rows. The lavendar and the red yarn are used very sparingly, and I'm liking the effect that has on the pattern.

Just confirms my theory that Ron Schweitzer is a genius at this stuff.

Sock Knitting
I've also been doing a little work on the Regia sock over the last week, when I don't feel like concentrating on Fair Isle. I got up to the point of doing a couple of rounds of ribbing.

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So, despite a stupid after-hours bowling injury, I've been able to continue knitting without too much difficulty or pain.

Readers Comments/Questions
Jennifer asks if I'd consider adding video instructions to my blog.

I have the technology to do that, but my blog site offers only limited storage space for files and pictures. I don't expect to be doing video in the foreseeable future.

MEA asks: "How does this from your Newcomers' Rules:

'First and foremost, I want this place to be a place where folks can feel comfortable expressing their opinions about knitting and all things related to it.'

relate to the subject of Naked Knitting etc.? Don't tell us it is another joke.

Fortunately, I'm not a Newcomer, so I'm not subject to those silly rules.

Naked Knitting

Do a Google search on Naked Knitting and it will amaze you how sites are out there.

Increase Web Hits
I've decided that I'm going to talk about naked, sex orgies regarding my day-to-day knitting so that my web site will appear in even more Google searches. Not that I ever mix the two, but the increased traffic of adolescents looking for porn sites might help me if I ever decide to go commercial with my blog.

I figure that if I add words like slut, and anal sex to my web site on a regular basis, it's bound to get the attention of the porn-starved masses who also like to knit.

Unfortunately, I can't add words that would attract the attention of the really hard core perverts, but I figure just these simple words will definitely get myself more Google attention.

Did you realize that if you put "Knitting Blog" in a Google search, mine is the first one to display? How cool is that.

I guess it helps that Google now owns Blogspot (the host of my blog).

Feel free to pepper your comments with indiscriminate sexual comments as well, since Google scans the comments for search words.

Knitting Progress
Large Breasts.

I did get a little bit more done on Ronas Hill, but not enough so that today's picture would look much different than the last picture you saw.

Here's the place that has been keeping me busy the last few weeks.



In addition to all the work I have during the day, they have also been scheduling a lot of after-hours events. Last night it was bowling.

Bowling and Knitting Don't Mix
I'm not a very good bowler. I don't own bowling shoes (unless you count the ones that look like bowling shoes). I don't own my own bowling ball.

Last night, using the only ball in the entire bowliing alley that would fit my fat fingers, I completely strained my knitting thumb.



My right thumb is bruised and swollen, which made for some painful knitting last night and this morning. It was bad enough that I had to subject myself to such a blue-collar "sport", but to have it cut into my knitting activity is just intolerable.

So this is just my warning to those would-be Pro Bowlers who also knit. Bowling can be dangerous to your knitting health.

Priorities

If you want to know what your priorities are, just look at what you focus on the majority of the day.

Knitting Priorities
I've heard a lot of people say that they wish they could knit all day, or find some way to work in a fiber-related business instead of what they currently do.

I admit, I have those dreams as well. But when I review what I end up doing on a day-to-day basis, the major focus of my life is generating money. Secondarily, that money is used to buy nice yarn and knitting paraphernalia, but the income comes first.

I'm also working toward amassing enough money so that in a handful of years I can affort to not work, and do something I'd like, such as owning a yarn store.

Knitting Progress
I got a few more rounds (five to be exact) done on Ronas Hill.



As the pattern starts to emerge, I like it more and more. I'm going to enjoy wearing this sweater vest a lot. The only thing that I've found odd about the pattern, is they he calls for you to place a stitch marker between the Right Front and Back, and then another one between the Back and the Left front, but you never really need to do anything at those parts of the sweater. Arm hole shaping starts 12 stitches before it.

I'm not complaining, the stitch markers help to show progress on these endless rounds, but it just seems odd to include them in the pattern instruction.

I thought you might want to see the reverse side of my work:



Knitting Lessons
A coworker has his wife in Albany for a few weeks, and she's a knitter and crocheter. I saw them in the concierge lounge of the hotel last night, and she and the Concierge were trying to remember how to do a seed stitch, but they had done three rows of garter instead.

Since I enjoy showing off, I ripped out the three rows for her (she's using a mohair blend that is VERY clingy), and I showed her how to do seed stitch.

All-in-all, a very ego-boosting evening.