I hate to waste a whole post just to tell you this, but the server that hosts my mail has been blacklisted (because of spammers). As a result, many of your servers are bouncing my email. If I don’t/haven’t respond(ed) to your comments, this is why! I am switching to gmail, but it takes time as I have many aliases!

*cue shifty eyes*

As Tracy pointed out, with the start of Hurricane season, Dish Rag Tag should be right around the corner! And it is, at least I want it to be, but I’ve got a problem to solve. Well, a couple of problems, but one is more difficult.

There has been a little bit of an economic downturn. The Miracle Economy is not quite as booming as it was this time two years ago – or even last year*. The cold, hard fact of the matter is that I either need to figure out a way to offset DRT expenses or I can’t run the race this year.

This is where I need your help, ideas and input. My current plan is two-fold:

A) Charge a $1 participation fee to cover postage. This also should help with the other problem: the people who sign up and then are never heard from again. Too many folks left their teammates in the lurch last year.

B) Design two patterns, one priced at $1 and one priced at $5. All the income from this “Knitting Bake Sale” will be used for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place team prizes.

I consider Dish Rag Tag to be a gift to the knitting community, and it really bothers me that I just can’t do it that way this year. Do you think there will be a major objection to the $1 “fee”? I wish I had more confidence in pattern sales alone, but I’m afraid that they won’t total enough to cover both shipping and prizes. Can you help a knitter out with some feedback?

*Thanks to the generosity of Kate, Alaina and Lisa and my Mom’s mad sewing skills, last year turned out wonderfully well!

Newsflash: I just had a great idea for the $5 sock pattern – you knew the patterns would be a dish rag and a sock, right?

Here’s your square. It was a nice change of pace.

one of twenty-six in 2009

And here is my practice top!

Simplicity 2931, here’s another view.

It’s too big because sewing patterns LIE about what size they are supposed to fit. I guess that’s why you’re supposed to make a cheap one (a muslin) first. At any rate, I learned a lot and the next one will be better!

Happy hurricane season, y’all.

To celebrate, I will knit one (1) CounterPain Square.

Alrighty. Both cats are complete (and I have moved on to a dog and a cashmere bear). Creamsicle with a Joggless Jog and Butterscotch with seaming.

From the front, they look about the same.

I enjoyed knitting Creamsicle Tabby much more, and I think his shape is cuter. I don’t really mind seaming as an activity, but it made Butterscotch harder to stuff – especially given the way I finish the arms and legs. Creamsicle’s arms and legs have a decided curve to them where the joggless jog pulls at them and also a raised ridge where the jogless jog actually happens. Both heads were knit in the round.

You can really see the difference from the back.

I used Meg’s method on Creamsicle Kitty, and opted to do them all in the same place (it made more sense than a raised spiral around the toy’s middle). That method is also decribed very clearly here. There are other ways to make jogless stripes in the round, (my favorite is this one) but none of them work on a toy when the stripes are only two rounds wide.

So which is better: Butterscotch where the stripes match or Creamsicle where the shapes look better. And does anyone have any other ideas?

There are no pictures of the single finished graduation sock. I was in such a hurry that I completely forgot to take them. I did manage to take a blurry camera phone picture of the bag. The sock is in the bag if that helps at all.

I made the gift bag.

My cousin’s instructions are to try on the sock and let me know if it fits. Then I’ll start the second one. I haven’t heard from him yet, so I’ve had time to finish a kitty.

The bell is to warn the birds.

I knit my toys in the round so I used a “jogless jog” to match Creamsicle Tabby’s stripes. I’m not over the moon with the result, his arms and legs are curved and have a raised line of stitches. It’s not unpleasant or ugly, but it is a ways from perfection. There seems to be some disagreement about how to accomplish a smooth stripe, so there are a couple of other things I can try. in the meantime, I’ve started on a flat Butterscotch Tabby to see if I can live with the seaming. So we’ll see which looks better. Maybe have a little vote.

heeheeheehee

**WEE TINY SWAPPERS: if you haven’t received your Wee Tiny Sock, please email my sister (annae0055 AT yahoo DOT com)!**

We now return to the regularly scheduled post.

I’ve always had a problem with summertime knitting. Wool is hot. I usually make a lot of CounterPain progress in the summer – which is good since my 2009 CounterPain Progress = ZERO. And the toy making is going well. And there is Son of Dish Rag Tag (more on that in another post, I need some ideas).

And.

In the summertime.

I remember that I have a sewing machine.

It started because Ellie needed new pajamas (without snaps, she learned how to work snaps). Then I made Spring Ruffled Top from Rae’s tutorial!

I don’t know why I look so cranky. Here’s the back.

Next time, I will taper the ruffles so there is room for arm divots and add the side shaping. I love it and it is comfy cool so there is a definitely a next time. Now I’ve got plans for all of this:

And more!

Tops, skirts, pajamas for everyone and shorts for Ellie!

I also really really need to get on Hunter’s Graduation Socks. It would be nice to be able to wrap at least one without the needles still in it. They are, however, made of wool. As we’ve already discussed: wool is hot.

PS If my long blog silences bother you, you should follow me on Twitter.