Foster, Bananas Foster

There's a very good reason for the blog silence these past few days -- I've been finishing Mr. Foster, and in the nick of time! He'll be shipped out tomorrow morning to make it in time for Aidan's birthday.

Pattern: Mr. Foster [Ravelry link] by the Knit Picks Design Team
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential (75% superwash merino/25% nylon) in Buckskin, Cocoa, Burgundy, and Ash, one skein each
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns and 1.5 (2.5 mm) circs
Started/Completed: March 13/April 23
Mods: I used a three-stitch I-cord in place of a single crochet chain for the robe belt and made it a couple of inches longer than specified in order to have enough for the knots at the end

I have mixed feelings about this project. On the one hand, there's no denying that this is one extremely cute monkey.

On the other hand, he was kind of a pain in the you-know-what. The monkey wasn't too much of a pain until I got to the face and all those short rows. The robe really wasn't too bad. The pajamas, though, were a royal annoyance. I've realized that I feel the same way about moss stitch that I do about seed stitch -- I just don't care for it. In the case of the pjs, it made the project slow to the pace of cold molasses. I found this part of the pattern to be particularly -- and perhaps unnecessarily -- fiddly, to the point that I very nearly threw in the towel. I'm glad I didn't, though, because Mr. Foster really wouldn't feel complete without his clothes.

There is one feature of the pjs, though, that I absolutely adore: the rear flap, complete with a hole for his tail.

The one main failing of this kit, in my opinion, is that the yardage required for completing the pjs, at least, is vastly underestimated. I was fortunate in that I had some scraps of an earlier batch of the same yarn (from these socks) that were a close enough match in color that I could finish, but I can't imagine what I would have done if I hadn't. I certainly couldn't have waited to order another skein and still gotten the project done in time.

I had just enough to finish the robe, though it was a close one. Here's all the yarn I have left, just a few yards. (The robe obviously needs a good blocking, so kindly ignore the bottom edge's flipping up.)

Bottom line? While aggravating at times -- and it's certainly never fun knitting under a deadline -- I'm glad I made it through. I think Aidan will like him, and if he doesn't, he can always send Mr. Foster back to me!

That's all, folks!

The Slogfest

WARNING: The following blog post is likely to be dull and, due to a complete lack of sun, contain unimpressive photos.

So, the neverending knitting on Mr. Foster's clothing continues, and while the end is in sight, it seems like the slog just gets worse and worse. As of this moment, I am in the final section of the pajamas (which, of course, is the most fiddly) and am only a second sleeve, a belt, and some sewing up away from finishing the robe.

That little bit of burgundy yarn you see to the right of the PJs is all that's left of the original skein in the kit, and it's clearly not going to be enough. I was able to find some scraps of the same colorway buried in the stash, but of course they're very old and not likely to match perfectly. (I doubt Aidan will notice, though.) I'm also getting dangerously close to running out of gray yarn for the robe. I'm hoping at least to make it through the second sleeve; I can always use another similar yarn for the belt, if need be.

This whole project is really an exercise in perseverance. Last night I was completely ready to throw in the towel, but The Mister expressed serious doubts that I'd truly be able to abandon such vital parts of the project, and he's right. Mr. Foster is cute on his own, but he's really devastatingly adorable with his PJs and robe. And I do have an end date in sight -- he absolutely must be mailed by this Saturday at the latest to make it to Aidan for his birthday. So, slog I must. With any luck, the next blog post you see here will feature a fully dressed monkey.

Meanwhile, I did do some spinning this weekend, finishing up the second and third bobbins of my latest fiber.

Tonight, I started plying. I aim for about 30 minutes of spinning time on weekday evenings (I tend to spin more over the weekend), so I hope to have a finished yarn by this weekend.

Slow and Steady

I'm still slogging away at Mr. Foster's clothing. Over the weekend, I finished all four "tubes" that make up the sleeves and legs of his pajamas, and last night I got to the point where I joined the legs together and started working up the body. As you can see, he's a little anxious for me to finish his PJs so he can get to bed.


I am determined to finish the pajamas by this weekend, which will give me a week to knit his robe and package him up nicely for his trip to live with Aidan. I think the robe -- knit mostly in stockinette -- is going to go a lot faster.

I'm in sort of a weird place right now because I have only two projects on the needles: Mr. Foster and a pair of stockinette socks (which should be done shortly, as I'm on the gusset of the second sock and it's being worked on size 2 needles). I'm looking forward to getting this monkey business out of the way so I can start another big project, this one for me. Do you think it would be ridiculous to start a sweater in April? Hmm, maybe some lace is in order.

In any case, Mr. Foster and I will be meeting up with the Hurricane Knitters at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble tomorrow night, starting at about 7 p.m. Please come and join us if you're in the area!

We Have a Monkey

As my father would say, "He has the cutest little head!"

Now it's all about the clothing. Stay tuned!

My Monkey Man

Mr. Foster is finally starting to resemble the monkey he is!


I should be able to finish up his head tonight, and then all he needs is a tail and two ears to be whole. Then it's on to his clothing. He is definitely getting some pajamas, but I still haven't decided whether or not I'll be making him a robe. I think it might be a little too Hugh Hefner for a two-year-old. What do you think?

Mission Not Quite Accomplished

So, it was quite a weekend. I was up early on Saturday morning to buy my DVD at Target. I watched it for the first time as soon as I was done with my grocery shopping and breakfast. I was productive while watching, too, as I finished plying up my March All Spun Up Spinalong fiber.

It turned out just as I wanted it to. This is BFL, and my 4-ish ounces yielded approximately 340 yards of Navajo-plied fingering weight. I went for a chain ply instead of a traditional three ply because I wanted to maintain these gorgeous colors.

I think this was my favorite spinalong colorway yet, which is good, because I think it might be the last one for a while. I have quite a fiber stash built up, so I think it's about time I got around to spinning it (and saved some money for when I'm done with what I've got in the meantime).

During my second viewing of the movie on Sunday, this time with The Mister also watching (he liked it!), I decided to ply up the leftovers I'd been building up on one of my bobbins. Again, I N-plied these singles, and this time I wound up with approximately 108 yards of mostly fingering weight. I'd been planning on adding to the bobbin until it was completely full, but I only have four regular-size bobbins and I'd like to start spinning traditional three plies again, so that necessitated emptying the fourth bobbin.

This is quite a mix of fiber. There's a fair amount of ASU in here -- superfine merino leftover from this yarn and some merino/bamboo -- as well as some leftover singles of Sleepy Doormouse and Cape Cod. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this yarn. Any ideas?

Meanwhile, I did do a little bit of knitting over the weekend. Look, Mr. Foster's legs are connected!

I have a feeling he'll be taking shape much faster after tonight. You see, despite my goal of finishing all the Twilight books over the weekend, I didn't quite do it (I suspect watching the movie twice had something to do with it). I finished Eclipse late Saturday night/early Sunday morning and promptly started Breaking Dawn before turning in for the night. I have about 200 pages left, so, soon, this obsession will be over. I hope.

Cheating

I have a confession to make: I've been cheating on my knitting.



But let's back up a bit. First you have to know that I've always had a bit of an obsessive personality. If there's something I like, I tend to fixate on it. Knitting is only the most recent obsession.

For years and years, my entire childhood and all the way through college, I was a voracious reader. I went through books quickly, sometimes getting through as many as one a day when I was on vacation. I frequently read more than one book at a time; even during high school, when I had a heavy English reading list, I was still reading for pleasure.

Then I started my current job. After reading all day, the last thing I wanted to do in the evening was look at more words, especially in the early days, when my eyes were still adjusting to work and often wouldn't focus at night. It was about this time that knitting started to consume me. I discovered knitting blogs, started one of my own, and amassed a rather impressive stash.

A year ago, I was bitten by the spinning bug. Fortunately, spinning didn't supplant my passion for knitting, so the two pursuits filled my free time nicely.

About two years ago, I started reading for pleasure again, from time to time. It would take me much longer to finish a book, however, because for one thing, I didn't want to put down my knitting, and for another, it was hard to read without subconsciously editing (so much for leaving work at work). I really needed a story that would grip me and make me forget about other things, even typos. The last book I'd read that did this was probably the last Harry Potter book.

So, last week, when I had my "spring break," I decided that it would be good to give my hands a break from the knitting and spinning I planned to do and add in a little reading for pleasure -- something light and entertaining. My friend had mentioned that she'd read some of the Twilight series and was willing to lend me the first book. So, last Thursday, I sat down to eat lunch and opened the book.

And then it was all over for me: I'd been sucked in (pun intended). By Saturday, I'd finished -- having not picked up my knitting all day. (And that should tell you something. The last time I'd put down my knitting for any significant period of time was when I had my appendix out.) Sunday morning, I went to buy the second book in the series. I finished it Tuesday night. Last night, before Hurricane Knitting, I bought the third and fourth books. I have no doubt both will be finished by the end of this weekend. I'd also say there's a very big chance I will have bought and watched the DVD.

Obsess much? Me?

Lest you think I've completely abandoned my knitting, here is some proof that I have not. I've insisted on keeping my reading at home and maintaining my practice of knitting during my lunch break, if only to give my eyes a rest. And look, a nearly complete Endpaper Mitt!

I also have some deadline knitting to do, in the form of a Mr. Foster that will be a birthday gift for my favorite little cousin. After last night's knitting group, he now has two arms and part of a leg.

I'll be chugging along on these, but if you don't see me on the blog or answering e-mail for the next several days, you'll know why.