gli alberi sono gialli

Yeah, that’s the only Italian I remember. It means, “the trees are yellow.” Oh wait - and this: L’uomo non puó parlare perché é sottacqua. That means, “the man cannot speak because he is underwater.”

Don’t laugh. That could be really helpful someday.

So what’s up, all of my knitting lovelies? I haven’t posted since the 6th. I know, I suck. The truth is that despite our best efforts our house will NOT freakin’ sell, and we’re considering staying here now. We’ve both put our lives on hold waiting for this move (we each want to go back to school) and the longer we wait the more annoyed and bored we are.

So. We might be braving more Chicago winters (and we’re definitely stuck here for another one unless someone waltzes in here tomorrow with an offer). This has been depressing.

I adore this city with all of my heart. I was just ready for a change. I’m a nomad.

Eh - everything happens for a reason. Even if it’s a crappy reason, it’s a reason nonetheless.

On the cheerier side of things, I’ve got some knitting. Nothing finished yet, but Wanda is coming along nicely:

It’s still not anything I’d knit for myself, but that’s kind of fun - plus, the tension is nearly impossible to maintain, so I’m getting really good at knitting evenly.

I’ve got to knit and sew on the front bands, and I have to take out the bind off and add some inches to the bottom, but that’s about it. Oh, and sew in the other sleeve. But I HATE doing that. So it’s going to wait. Here’s the link to the Ravelry page, if you’re interested. I’ll post the final pattern specs here, as always, when I’m finished.

I also started the Seamless Hybrid. Look familiar? If you read Jared’s blog, it should.

P. Knitty has been begging me for “that exact sweater that tweed guy knit” for ages now, but I couldn’t find any of that colorway anywhere. And he wouldn’t hear of anything else.

Finally, after hunting for it everywhere, an incredibly generous woman on Ravelry sold me hers. I’ve got 14 balls of the stuff, way more than I need, and I’m psyched to knit this up. We had a slight mishap with the body which we won’t discuss here, but here’s a sleeve to keep you tantalized. And the lining? Yeah. Exactly what Jared used as well. P. Knitty’s a demanding little snot, eh? He’s lucky he’s cute.

I’ve started planning out my Holiday Knitting. You might think it’s a bit late for that, but I decided that this year no one is getting anything bigger than a hat. It’s enough already. Some fingerless mitts, some actual mitts, a hat, a stuffed bear, whatever. No scarves, no sweaters, no shawls. I need my sanity, after all.

I might be applying to portfolio school. Have any of you done that? I’d love to know.

I also started the Master Knitter program. I’m terrified. Any of you done that? I’ll have pictures of the swatches shortly.

Open house this weekend. Please oh please oh please. Keep your needles crossed for me.

I leave you now with my new favorite picture of Schroeder. Be back soon!