Finally, pictures :)

I finally have some photos taken of some of my works-in-progress (WIPs, for those of you that prefer shorthand).

The Icarus Shawl. I'm using Briar Rose that I bought at the Knit-In in March on #6 circulars (32"...I think). Yes, that's a lifeline in my shawl so don't panic. I didn't just decide that it needed a random white string hanging from the middle of it. So far, it's not a difficult pattern but I hate reading charts so I'm glad the line-by-line instructions were included.

This is the feather & fan shawl that I've been working on for almost a year. It's for one of my friends as a Christmas present...but she didn't specify which Christmas. It's made out of Knit One Crochet Too's Tye Dye...I think. Maybe I should check that label again. Anyway, it is as pink as it's coming out in the photograph, I swear! But, the green isn't showing up quite right. Oh well. It's not a colorway I would have picked for myself but, for this particular friend, it fits quite well :)

Ah, my sock. It's out of Trekking on #2-9" Hiya Hiya circulars. Since I detest DPNs (though I do know how to use them properly), these circulars were a Godsend for me. The "pattern" that I'm using is more of a guideline that you can mess with. I'll probably do this up a few times more (read: make two pairs of socks using the same framework), write the pattern up officially and be done with it. Or I might not. I don't know. The sock sits between mid-calf and ankle length. So...it's a mid-mid-calf-ankle sock? I don't know. I hope to finish this one up soon...I'd like to start on the other one now, if you don't mind.

And the last one...for now. This is my self-designed baby blanket. It's on #6-24" circulars (obviously knit flat). I'm working on writing up/charting the proper pattern. At some point, probably after I finish my own, I'm going to need some test knitters (at least one, preferably two or more), to make sure I'm not way off base with things like gauge. I probably am because I've been told I'm a tight knitter (though, I usually line up with what the labels say for stitch gauge...row gauge, on the other hand, isn't even close). I was also thinking about how I want to dispense this pattern to the masses. Do I want to keep it as a free pattern or do I want to sell it or what do I want to do with it? Part of me wants to keep it a free pattern because, well, free is good. But, part of me wants to take my hard work and get something out of it besides knowing that I'm dabbling in design.

Anyway, that's about all I have for right now. Somewhere, I have a hat that I'm working on but it's kind of boring right now (but don't tell Susan B. Anderson that...it's one of the hats from Itty-Bitty Hats, which, for me, was just a reason to force myself to learn to use DPNs properly). I also have a scarf going but I need to find my pattern for it. I know I have it somewhere...again, it's one of those pseudo-self-designed patterns so I don't know what I did just by looking at it. Oh well.

In other random "life news," I had my gestational diabetes test this morning. Really, I don't know what everyone was complaining about with that drink. Aside from the aftertaste, it was like drinking a little bottle of non-carbonated Fanta (or Orange Crush - take your pick). I won't know anything until tomorrow, if there's even anything wrong to begin with. They're also checking (again) to make sure I'm not anemic.

Oh, and my car is misbehaving...still. Normally, cars will run slower than what the speedometer says. So, if your car says you're going 60 mph, you're actually only going 56 or 57 mph. My car is doing the opposite and no one can figure out why (and it's a bit unnerving). When my car says I'm going 60 mph, I'm actually going something closer to 64 or 65 mph. But, it compounds with speed. In town, when it says 25 mph, my car says 25 mph and the GPS says the same. As I go up in speed, so does the difference. By the time I'm doing 70 mph on the Interstate, the GPS says I'm going something like 75-77 mph. I know this...but it shouldn't be happening this way. The other way is "normal" and expected...this way (the opposite) is not. I had an oil change after the doctor appointment. Yay, my car's first oil change...and then the "check engine" light came on. BOOOOOO! I'm willing to bet that they just didn't reset the "service now" feature after the oil change. But, tomorrow morning, I'm taking my car back up to Madison to the Volkswagon dealership, getting a loaner, and they're going to play with my car and try to figure out what's going on with it.

It's going to be a long few days.