Knit 1, Purl 2, Stab

Blogging as Journaling

2011-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, if anyone is reading,

I know you wouldn't come here to listen to me whine, but right now, I need an outlet.

Back in December, my husband accepted a job with a company that provides geologists to oil and natural gas rigs. The job can take him away for more than a month at a time with unpredictable returns home. Sometimes this is pretty good for us financially even though it's rough emotionally. But more often, it's just plain stressful in the way that your typical 9-5 job isn't. For example, he worked 3 days last month. That means that I got to have plenty of time with him, but this month is financially screwed as we cling to my paycheck to make things work. We seem to be pretty good at setting ourselves up for failure as we recently purchased new furniture on a payment plan (a very nice, very expensive bedroom set) and we are still working on paying off the credit card we got before he managed to land a job.

The long and short of it is that I have 3 bills to pay this week with next to no money and we've both got to feed ourselves until payday on the 15th. He's looking for a more consistent job that would be closer to home, but right now he's in Oklahoma, and might not be able to afford to come back!

I know I've been blessed in many things, but sometimes, life just sucks.

Spoiled by Ravelry

2010-12-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

So folks, have you missed me?

I blame Ravelry and depression for keeping me from blogging. Ravelry for being, in my mind, a sufficient place to communicate what's going on in my life, and depression for making me not care whether or not it was.

Right now, I'm deep in the midst of Christmas knitting, and thinking that I'm way behind. But completed so far, we have:

Savanna's Jayne Hat

Hillorie's Monkeys

Lizzie's Pat-a-Cake Mittens

And I think that's it. Eeek!

Does this Post Make Me Look Emo?

2009-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Cincinnati as a city is a great place for Ben and me. Or at least, it would be, if we could get jobs. We've now been here almost two full months unemployed. Money has effectively run out, and we are locked in a one-year lease. I'm now on the roster of substitute teachers in Brown County, but am yet to be called upon. I'm working on being added in Clermont County.

We love it here. The great grocery stores, access to just about any amenity you could ask for, my family nearby to help us when there's car trouble, but no work. It's really beginning to wear on the both of us. We don't have any fights or problems between us, but we are both rather depressed most of the time. Is there any hope out there?

My Blog: Now in Cincinnati!

2009-09-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm technically in Eastgate/Batavia, but I'm not that far away from the city. Ben and I are happily moved in. Now we're just desperate for jobs, any jobs. I've had more interviews than I can count, and at least two more tomorrow. The positive side of all this is that I've had oodles of knitting time. This is even better considering my new approach to stash acquisition: will knit for yarn. That's right. I'm earning yarn by knitting socks for people. And I have plenty to do, so I best get my butt moving. Perhaps sometime soon I'll share pictures. Right now I'm too discombobulated.

What have I been up to?

2009-06-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Entirely too much, and nothing all at the same time. As per usual, there has been some knitting, with very little in the way of life to supplement it. I'm in a race against time to compete in Sock Showdown, a little contest in the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Swap Group on Ravelry, knit a shawl for someone else in said group, knit a pair of Anglo-Saxon--looking socks for Melisande by Pennsic, and finish a Mary Poppins themed swap package by the end of July. And all I really want to do is knit for me. Selfish, aren't I?

Pictures you say? Here are a few:

A Sagrantino Shawl slowly being knit up in Jojoland Melody Superwash. I love the construction and watching the colors change.

The completed Sock Showdown socks for my partner, whose name I will not divulge yet. Made in overdyed Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet.

And finally, some socks I started in January and only recently finished. Shur'tugal in Dream in Color Smooshy in Black Parade. Love the yarn and the pattern, but I knit them a little too short for me. Will probably go to my sister for Christmas.

And that's all for now, folks!

P.S. I will be moving to Cincinnati in August. I am quietly freaking out. That is all.

A Lazy Bum, That's What I Am

2009-04-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

So obviously I haven't been around for a while. Largely because I got married March 28.

Here you see me showing off the garter I made. I'm really also too lazy to post all kinds of pictures here, too, so this is the only shot you get, unless of course you're my friend on facebook.

Knitting-wise, I've accomplished a bit:

Meredith's Blackrose socks. Raveled here.

Liz's Wicked Witch socks. Raveled here.

And finally, Nicole's Leyburns. Raveled here.

Oh, and Molly's Hanging Vines are still in progress. I just couldn't get it all done in time. I am, however, taking a break from them with a pair of Heath's Socks for me, which are over half done now. Then I'll get back to Molly's. Other than getting hitched and spring quarter (my last one!) getting started, I don't have much else to report.

P.S. Enough pictures for ya?

Full Speed Ahead

2009-01-27T14:50:00.001-08:00

What I've finished:

A pair of socks for Ben, known as Masonic Lodge, in Knit Picks Essential in Pine. Gigantor socks they are, and they fit him just right. My big accomplishment was knitting the foot of one, heel turn and all, in one day. Size 11EEEE? No problem.

What I've started:

A pair of Blackrose socks for Meredith, one of my bridesmaids in the wedding that is to take place March 28 (!). I've decided to knit a pair of socks for all four of my maids. This may have been downright silly, but I'm doing it anyway. So to recap, that is four pairs of socks plus a giant Princess Bride-themed project, all due by March 28. Oh dear.

Just in time for the first day of school...

2009-01-04T16:03:00.001-08:00

...This Year! Finished them about 3:30 in the afternoon today, and I will probably wear them tomorrow to class. They're a bit darker in real life. Glad to have my own Zombies, but I probably won't knit that pattern again for a long while.

A friend and I went to Market Street Yarns yesterday. It was her first decent-sized yarn shop and she went a bit overboard. I picked up yarn for a swap partner, a gift for a friend, and of course, myself. I got some gorgeous Trekking Hand Art.

I've decided to knit socks for my bridesmaids, and I also have a goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks for myself, not counting the Zombies I just finished. This may be a bit ambitious, but I want to replace my storebought socks with handmade ones, so I've got to start somewhere!

Yay for Christmas!

2008-12-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty magnificent Christmas, even if it did mean running all over creation. See this?

This is the gorgeous sock yarn that Ben picked out for me for Christmas, in addition to Lantern Moon Ebony Sox Stixx. It's the Alpaca Yarn Co.'s Paca Peds Heels and Toes in Harvest. Now, add to that the fact that my winder tried to eat the yarn, and he spent 3 hours helping me untangle it! How could I not love this man? As a reward, I'm knitting him Masonic Lodge socks in Knit Picks Essential in Pine. He picked the color. Someone was hoping the words "masonic lodge" led to some secret site, weren't they?

As my reward for not killing anyone over Christmas, I'm knitting myself these Zombies in Ironstone Yarns Sock, a line that has been discontinued and I luckily managed to adopt at the local yarn store. That may tell you what kind of patronage they get...Anyway, I love the colors!

On a Christmas related note, that hat I designed for my brother? He didn't take it off all day Christmas Day. What do you know about a 14 year old boy who appreciates things like that? Who is this guy and where did he put my apathetic brother? More importantly, can I keep him?

Christmas knitting finished!

2008-12-24T19:25:00.001-08:00

Read the title. It says all I have to say.

A new project, a new pattern - Barbed Wire

2008-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

So I just knit this hat for my brother for Christmas from a stitch pattern in Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Design. The cable is called Toggle Knot, but I think it looks like the knots on strands of barbed wire, hence the name. Someone on Ravelry asked for a pattern, so here it is!

This hat is made up of four 3 stitch ribs and four repeats of the Toggle Knot pattern. It is very stretchy, and should fit most adult heads.

Materials:

app. 170 yards worsted weight yarn (it might be significantly less than this, but I used a 7 oz. skein of Vanna's choice that contains 340 yards, and I didn't use half)
size 7 or 8 16" circular needle AND/OR five dpns of the same size (dpns will be necessary for decreases
a cable needle if desired
a tapestry needle for finishing

Basic abbreviations required:

di: Double increase, represented by the flower-stem image in rows 2 and 6 of the cable chart - created by knitting into the back loop, then front loop, passing the stitches onto the right needle, then using the left needle to pick up the vertical strand created by the 2 stitches and knitting it
dd: Double decrease, represented by the ^ symbol in rows 23 and 27 of the cable chart and referred to in decrease instructions - created by slipping 2 stitches as if to knit, knit 1 stitch, pass 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch and off the needle
p2tog: Purl 2 together
p3tog: Purl 3 together
k2tog: Knit 2 together

Instructions:

Cast on 96 stitches (divide evenly if working on dpns - 24 to a needle) and join to work in the round.

K3, P3 to end for 10 rows.

Next 2 rows: K3, P9 to end

Next 28 rows: K3, work corresponding row of cable chart to end.

Toggle Knot chart:

The dots refer to purls, the x's refer to stitches that are not there for that line of the pattern. (My apologies for the poor chart and explanation, I will try to get up my own chart when I can, for now we'll have to use a picture of the page from Charted Knitting Design.

After completing the chart, revert to K3, P9 to end for 5 rows.

Decrease Rows (These are intuitive decreases, but here are row by row instructions for those who would like them):

Decrease Row 1: K3, P1, P2tog, P3, P2tog, P1 to end
Knit one row in pattern.

Decrease Row 2: K3, P1, P2tog, P1, P2tog, P1 to end
Knit one row in pattern.

Decrease Row 3: K3, P1, P3tog, P1 to end
Knit one row in pattern.

Decrease Row 4: K3, P3tog to end
Knit one row in pattern.

Decrease Row 5: DD, P1 to end
Knit one row in pattern

Decrease Row 6: K2tog to end

Cut yarn, leaving at least a 6" tail. Using a tapestry needle, thread yarn through live stitches twice, then secure. Weave in your cast-on tail, and ta-da, you have a hat!

Any comments on how to improve this pattern would be greatly appreciated, especially since I'm still new at this pattern stuff! You can leave them here or send them to me on Ravelry: I'm swordsandneedles.

Christmas Diversion Complete

2008-12-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finished my fun knitting, and now I have to seriously get down to the Christmas stuff. I'm not pleased, but hopefully everyone else will be. I'm still waiting on my swap package, so I hope it arrives soon. For now, all I've got is a pictures of my finished scarf that I love to pieces.

Mmm....warm and fuzzy...

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Christmas Knitting...

2008-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

For a belated jump onto the bandwagon!

So, I went to Bellevue, Kentucky while I was home for Thanksgiving and hit up a yarn store called Knit On. Amazing stuff they had there. And since I'm setting up a moratorium on yarn purchases until March, I indulged one last time. What you see above is my version of the Noro Striped Scarf done up in a slightly cheaper fashion. I'm using Noro Taiyo and Harrisville Designs Wool and Flax Blend and enjoying knitting a 1x1 rib scarf entirely too much. Don't get me wrong, there is other knitting happening, just not so much while I enjoy myself. I did finish a couple of dishcloths for my step-aunt, though.

Now to just motivate myself on the other Christmas projects instead of the scarf...

Swap project finished!

2008-11-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last night I completed my big project for the Odd Ducks 30s and 40s Hollywood Glamour Swap! It took me almost a month of nearly continuous knitting, but it is complete. Too bad you won't see anything of it until my partner receives it. I couldn't get any decent pictures, so hopefully her camera is more effective, as I've already packaged it up. I'm just waiting on address confirmation before sending it off. I hope she likes her package. I can't wait to get mine!

I feel sorry for my swap partner.

2008-10-30T14:12:00.001-07:00

Whoever she is, she hasn't had much to read recently. I'm part of a Hollywood Glamour Swap on Ravelry. I won't post any project pictures here until after I've mailed off my package, in case my receiving partner might be watching. Let's just say there's a lot of effort going into this project.

Classes are starting to wind down for fall quarter, and we're preparing for finals and winter break, which means real knitting time. However, I have finished another interesting project.

It's my first colorwork! Not spectacular, but I'm quite proud of my mittens. Now, back to I can't remember how many other projects. Happy Halloween!

Some projects will drive you crazy...

2008-09-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ask 'Bine. This owl has threatened my patience and my sanity. But he is darn cute. He's for my friend Tim, in exchange for turning a broken epee blade into a dagger blade for me. I'm quite proud of this little guy, but I never intend to knit another owl ever again. So there.

Anyway, school has started back up and I've managed to already bury myself in homework even though it sounds like I'm only taking fun classes. Does History through Star Trek sound like I should be reading essays on anti-colonialism? I didn't think so. It's also the only class where I'm not allowed to knit. So boo. Nonetheless much knitting has been done, but has already been shipped off without pictures, and some projects I'm just too lazy to take pictures of, like a Manos del Uruguay hat I made for myself. Mine. All mine. So pretty and mine....

What? Two Posts in One Month?

2008-08-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

A fairly productive Olympics if I do say so myself. I made a scarf and a pair of socks. Now to finish those deadline socks that I should have been working on. I've cast on for the second, does that count?

Anyway, I love these socks, I knitted them on the Magic Loop (Knit Picks Harmony circulars, 40", size 2) in the Jaywalker pattern that originally came from MagKnits. They fit just right. I did a stretchy cast-on to be sure, though, since I'd read about some of them being tight. The yarn is great fun to work with. Lion Brand Sock-Ease in Rock Candy. (All of their colors are named after candies.) There's aloe in the yarn, good for the hands. Not much else going on, though. Trying to convince myself to do some wedding planning. Not working out so well. I'm definitely ready for school to start back.

For Judi

2008-08-11T20:29:00.001-07:00

So I don't have pictures of the bag I made, but I do have pictures of a new FO. I signed up to join Ravelympics, a knitting challenge that runs through the Olympics. I signed up to finish a sweater (that I've already started), a pair of socks (still not started yet), and a scarf (just completed). And since my camera is somewhat cooperating with my computer, I have a picture.

Specs: worked on 10s in Mainstays (Wal-Mart brand) acrylic yarn, color is Vallejo Tan. Based on the Komet sock pattern with a 4 st seed stitch border. Apologies to the non-Ravelers on the link. Anyway, it's for my cousin Jenny for Christmas.

Other than that, life proceeds as usual, with some discussion of wedding plans and lots of Olympics watching. Particularly volleyball. And some fencing. The gold medal match for sabre was pretty cool.

Honest, I haven't fallen off the edge of the world...

2008-06-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm still here and still knitting. But schoolwork and then lack of reliable internet have not permitted me to blog as I would like. I'm at work now, but everyone else is gone. I finished a pair of monstersocks for my brother, and a Hedwig the Owl for my boss's daughter. In progress is a Brea Bag out of Red Heart Supersaver. Knitting double with that will hurt your hands, but it promises to be a very sturdy bag. I'm also over half done with an Urban Aran cardigan, but that's been put away until the weather cools down.

Ben and I have also moved in together, much to my parents' dismay, but we're learning how to make a life together work. Doesn't everyone need a practice run?

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but when my camera and the internet can get together again, I promise some.

Sock Victorious!

2008-04-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

You know what these are? That's right, finished!!!!!!!!!

Can I add a few more exclamation points? !!!!!!!!

Now to figure out what to do next.

Sock pictures and a random inserted project...

2008-03-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

So, I did finally finish one stocking, though I'm piddling on the second. I'm quite proud of it and like to show it off. So I will show it off here, too. Ha.

Also, because I got sick of the Sock, I decided to make a snood! Don't ask why, I'm not sure either. Ta da!

Other than that, it's finals week, and a real pain. I go home Friday to celebrate a week off and Easter, have my wisdom teeth removed, and get glasses.

Camera Laziness and an Etsy Contest!

2008-03-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

So, my first stocking has rounded the heel and the foot is about two inches long. I am too lazy to take a picture until it is completely finished. So there. But I'm so proud of it and keep showing it off at SCA meetings.

Also, stop by NH Knitting Mama's blog or her etsy shop. She's running a contest and she sells beautiful yarn!

Progress and Domination!

2008-02-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

See this? This isn't even the updated picture!

What you see is the beginning of my Eleanora of Toledo sock, which is now a few inches longer and well into decrease territory. I'm too lazy to take a new picture, so this is what you get for now. I'm quite proud of my pattern alteration skills, as I've had to adjust for pattern mistakes and my own preferences. Perhaps there will be more to come on that.

Also, guess who won Top Female Player of the ACUI Division 7 Regional College Bowl Tournament? That would be me! (Or I, if you're grammatically insane.) We came in 4th overall, but I'm still so excited. It would have been an even better weekend if I'd gotten some homework done, but I guess I can't have it all.

YAY!

One Project Down, and a New One Up!

2008-02-12T20:10:00.001-08:00

So I finished the Green Tea socks, and now I've started the Eleanor of Toledo socks, mostly because Sabine gave me the pattern and I was amused, so we shall have to see how it works out. (It'll be funny to see what she thinks on Craft Night Thursday.) They're going slowly. I'm only knitting them on 1.5's, so I feel bad for those who used 0's. They will be a looonnng project. I'll probably have something else going at the same time, and I have no expectations of finishing them this quarter. Oh well. Just wanted to drop by and mention the newness!!!

Valentines!

2008-02-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

So, I know now that I'm not getting any Peace Fleece for V-Day, but I'm getting a schlager! Hooray swords for romantic occasions! Also, anyone reading might want to stop by Bark and Knit to enter a contest (ending on the 14th) by telling how they met their significant other. (And she sends honest to goodness responses.) Enjoy!

P.S. The second sock is almost done, but I have to stop and make myself read Native Son for English class.

P.P.S. Yay swords!

Continuing Progress

2008-02-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

First piece of evidence for why I shouldn't use a camera. And here is the second piece of evidence.

These are both shots of the first sock for my sister, made on 3's (they're actually too short for me). I just hope my sister likes them. Earl Grey by the Yarn Harlot in Cucumber Melon from Thank Ewe. I like the colors, but then, green is my thing.

Now I'm just hoping that the Cat gets me what he said he'd get me for Valentine's Day...Peace Fleece!!!

Work in Progress

2008-02-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

If my camera were more cooperative, I'd post a picture of the almost finished sock for my sister, based on Earl Grey by the Yarn Harlot. It's in a green handdyed yarn, so I'm calling it Green Tea, because I think it's funny. Then I intend to make some frankensocks for my brother, and then I might attempt Eleanora of Toledo's stockings, for the heck of it. I also entered a contest for the first time at My House of Wool, and I'm blindly hopeful, even though there are so many applicants. Right now the Cat and I are trying to find a place to live for next year, and it's not going too well, mostly because of arguments with the parents. Just keep hoping and praying.

Pictures!!!

2008-01-23T14:05:00.001-08:00

See, there it is, I actually finished it and got to take a picture, even if it's not spectacular. Grandma seems quite proud of it, though, which is all that really matters. I went home over MLK weekend to have Grandma take measurements for my wedding dress (she's going to make it) and I got to take this picture and eat some home-cooked food that I didn't have to prepare. Hurray for lazy college students. I really just want to show off my first lace project, so here's a fuzzy, but more color-accurate picture:

Grandma's chair is modeling with the assistance of some pillowcases. The pattern is available for free from MimKnits, and I made mine on KnitPicks Harmony Options, size 5, out of KnitPicks Shadow in Vineyard Heather.

I'm currently making a chevron scarf for a friend, and then I guess it will be socks for siblings, but it's up in the air, really.

Project finally complete!

2008-01-13T16:34:00.001-08:00

Finally I have finished my sister's Christmas socks. They are the Boyfriend Socks by slippedstitch worked on 1.5's in KnitPicks Essentials Bare (aka Confetti Socks). It's taken a while, but I am quite proud of them, and hopefully she will enjoy them! Now to figure out what my next project will be...

Back in School

2008-01-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

I now have regular computer access again, which makes me very happy, but nonetheless, I still have no pictures to put up. Christmas knitting got a little crazy, but I finished the Adamas shawl on Christmas Day by shortening it by 3 repeats. I also blocked something for the first time. I was very proud of it, and hopefully I can take pictures when I go home for MLKJ day. My sister's second sock is almost finished, and the atypically.knit-style scarf for my uncle is complete, along with a pair of simple hats for my roommate and her boyfriend. Classes are in full swing and are probably going to drive me crazy, so the only time I'll have to knit will be in class. Hopefully that means there will be some progress. I'm just worried that after I finish those socks I won't have anything to do, because I can't afford to buy yarn right now. :( Oh well, that's college life.

Slow Progress, but No Pics

2007-12-14T14:37:00.002-08:00

I wish I could give pictures of that shawl. I'm really proud of its progress so far (even if I'm only in #4 of 14 repeats of the second chart). For my first big lace project it's going well. I'm more interested in posting this questionnaire, even if no one here knows me well enough to answer. I loved the book and movie!

With Limited Computer Access

2007-11-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

At Ohio University we are now on Winter Break and will be so until January. I am remaining in Athens in order to work as a production assistant at a local publishing company. Hurray! However, my internet access is limited to the times I can go to the library, so no pictures until January unless things change. I did finish off my own pair of Rannoch gauntlets, and wear them every day at work (where the office is freezing!). I'm going to start the Adamas shawl for my grandmother and I ordered the new KnitPicks harmony wood needles! It will be my first shawl and I'm a bit nervous. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and I wish all a merry Christmas to come! (Just hopefully not to stressful with knitting gifts!)

Rannoch Pattern

2007-11-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

Apparently people are actually interested in this pattern. I've never written one out before, so hopefully this is intelligible and I don't over-explain everything.

Materials:
worsted weight yarn, roughly 180 yards on the safe side
U.S. size 7 dpns
bit of waste yarn (contrasting color helps)

Abbreviations:
CB: place next 2 stitches on dpn or cable needle, hold to back, K2, then K2 held stitches
CF: place next 2 stitches on dpn or cable needle, hold to front, K2, then K2 held stitches

Staghorn Cable:
Row 1 (and all other odd rows): P2, K16, P2
Row 2: P2, K4, CB, CF, K4, P2
Row 4: P2, K2, CB, K4, CF, K2, P2
Row 6: P2, CB, K8, CF, P2

Repeat rows 1-6 for Staghorn Cable

2x2 Garter Rib:
Row 1: K across needle
Row 2: K2, P2 to end of needle

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for Garter Rib

For both gloves:
CO 42 sts

Divide sts as follows: 10 on 1st needle (needle where your cast-on started), 20 on 2nd (this can be split to 10 & 10 if you prefer a set of 5), 12 on 3rd

Join to begin working in the round. K1, P1 ribbing for 4 rows or longer if you like.

Keep in mind that your join will be the center back (or underside) of your mitt.

When you have finished ribbing, begin working Garter Rib across needle 1. You should end on a knit stitch. On needle 2, work the first row of the Staghorn Cable. Needle 3 will be Garter Rib again, ending on a purl stitch. It helps me to remember that rows where I knit on needles 1 & 3 are the "simple" cable rows.

Continue working in this manner until you have repeated the Staghorn Cable 9 times.

Right Glove:
Work across the first two needles in pattern. K the first 2 sts of needle 3, then, using waste yarn, work the next 6 sts in pattern. Then slip these 6 sts back to the left needle and using working yarn, work them again in pattern and finish round. Skip to both glove finish.

Left Glove:
K the first 2 sts on needle 1, then, using waste yarn, work the next 6 sts in pattern. The rest is the same as Right Glove.

Both Gloves:
Repeat the Staghorn Cable 2 more times, then switch back to K1, P1 ribbing for as many rows as you began with. BO all sts.

Carefully remove the waste yarn from your thumbholes. You should be able to find 6 sts on both top and bottom. Insert dpns. Join new yarn. You can work this in whatever pattern you want, but my thumbs were P2, K2, P2 (1st needle), pick up and K3 on first side, P2, K1 (2nd needle), K1, P2, pick up and K3 on other side (3rd needle).

Work in your chosen pattern 4 rounds, then switch to K1, P1 ribbing for 4 rounds. BO all sts. Repeat for other glove. Weave in all ends.

Enjoy!

Please let me know if there is any problem you find with this pattern. I appreciate positive and negative input. Thanks.

New Mitts for Me!

2007-11-18T20:05:00.001-08:00

So, today I finished this mitt. I made it up, though very loosely based on the Dashing pattern. I'm debating writing up the pattern for public use. Anybody actually want it? I'm still working on its mate, but I don't know if I'll be on the internet again any time soon, so I wanted to post it now. I'm calling it Rannoch, which if you've ever read Fire Bringer, you'll understand (Staghorn Cable). I'm cheap, so it's made from Caron Simply Soft in Deep Plum Heather. Enjoy!!!
P.S. Please excuse the crappy pictures...again. And yes, I am arranging my roommate's bonsai tree...

Product Plug

2007-11-12T16:02:00.001-08:00

So, I might end up working at Bath and Body Works, but this is not a mindless plug. If you are a knitter and your hands get seriously dried out by working with yarn, I would suggest this Rose Salve. It says it's mainly for lips and dried knees, elbows, etc., but it is great for hands!!! That is all.

Progress and Computer Fun

2007-11-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is part of a "Boyfriend Sock" designed by slippedstitch, but it's going to be a Christmas present for my sister. Sorry for poor pictures, but this is my first toe-up sock, and I did a short row heel! (After 3 tries) *grumble, grumble*. But I think it's pretty!

Also, please note the unfancy, but new banner!

Dashing, yes?

2007-11-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Life is currently crazy. I got an internship for winter break that will cost me more than I'll earn, but I'm thrilled. Wedding planning is beginning, and finals week is at hand. Christmas knitting is underway, particularly a pair of Boyfriend socks for my sister, a scarf for my uncle, and The Cat has asked for an aran sweater! Do I appear to be Wonder Woman? Mediocre knitter without much time. That's a big request. Anyway, an FO for my friend Sarah.

Dashing by: Cheryl Niamath for Knitty
Red Heart Super Saver in Real Teal and something cranberry-ish

Not so good with the pictures, but she loves them!

Socktoberfest Conquered!

2007-10-29T17:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I didn't conquer it quite as thoroughly as most people, but I consider my first pair of lacy socks knit during classes to be a sufficient accomplishment, even if there are only 2 days left. You'll humor me, right? Okay, everybody knows what these are. They're Monkeys, knit with Coleslaw colorway yarn from thankewe on size 3's. I know that's at least two sizes up, but my gauge with 1.5's was closer to a suggested 0 gauge, so I used the next size I had. So they look funny. Hopefully my friend with a love for mismatched socks will think they look funny enough by themselves? Also, I really need a better time and place for pictures...

Athens Halloween

2007-10-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

As anyone who's really aware of the nature of Ohio University (that's OU, not OSU) knows, last night was Halloween. This means a small-scale Mardi Gras and wild, drunken revelry. For those of us who are not so alcoholically-inclined, not much is too be done but wander uptown and look at costumes. My camera wasn't cooperating, but I thought I would show someone else's picture of me as Medusa. I'm a cheapskate. My costume cost about 10 bucks, and I'm perfectly content with that.

I think I was at least sort of recognizable...

Knitting-wise, I knit through all my classes still, and have (finally) almost finished a pair of Monkeys for a friend, in addition to two never-ending scarves. That's what I get for knitting a double-thick scarf for my uncle for Christmas and knitting one for myself that I anticipate felting. Such is life...

A Meme...

2007-10-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

These are the top 106 books most often marked as “unread” by LibraryThing’s users (as of some days ago). Bold what you have read, italicize what you started but couldn’t finish, and strike through what you couldn’t stand. Add an asterisk to those you’ve read more than once. Underline those on your to-read list.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: a novel
The name of the rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey*
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad*
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran: a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked: the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury tales*
The historian: a novel
A portrait of the artist as a young man
Love in the time of cholera
Brave new world
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A clockwork orange
Anansi boys
The once and future king
The grapes of wrath
The Poisonwood Bible: a novel
1984
Angels and demons
The Inferno
The satanic verses
Sense and sensibility
The picture of Dorian Gray*
Mansfield Park
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
To the lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s travels*
Les misérables
The corrections
The amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime
Dune
The prince
The sound and the fury
Angela’s ashes: a memoir
The god of small things
A people’s history of the United States: 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A confederacy of dunces
A short history of nearly everything
Dubliners
The unbearable lightness of being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The scarlet letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake: a novel
Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the art of motocycle maintenance: an inquiry into values
The Aeneid*
Watership Down
Gravity’s rainbow
The Hobbit
In cold blood: a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The three musketeers

And gee, I thought I was a reader...

Another lovely day in the life of a college student...

2007-09-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, since last post I've finished my Jabberwock Socks and another pair of socks for a friend. I'm going to start making socks just to decrease my stash and practice new things.

The crummy thing about life is that it occasionally refuses to work with you. My car, my only form of off-campus transportation, as well as my fiancee's, has died. I don't specifically know how. It's bitterly unpleasant. I don't really worry about detailing too much here, because I know no one reads it, so I'll leave it at this and just feel better about telling someone. Wow. I sound like a 13-year old with a LiveJournal, with better spelling. Oh, woe is me...

Stabbity Fun!

2007-05-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I tested into schlager, the highest skill single weapon in our fencing organization. I'm thrilled, but nervous. I've only fought with it once, and it made my wrist rather sore. I'm also currently leading our club tourney by a few scant points. It's okay if I don't win, but I'd really like to...

Half an FO

2007-05-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

So today I finished my first Jabberwock sock. Nothing exciting, but made from valutree's Jabberwocky handpainted sock yarn. It's just a simple ribbed sock, but it fits and I'm proud of it. (Never mind the dorm room decor.)

Not much else is going on. We're entering a three-day weekend, and my roommate's out, so late hours will be a given. Much fun will be had by all. Too bad school is almost over. Among many other things, internet connection will be almost zilch. Not to mention leaving a certain someone 120 miles away...

In addition, on a rather odd note, this is what happens when you combine swords and knitting. I was rather amused...

Foray into Blogging

2007-05-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

So today I begin my first blog. I know it's dull. I don't know much yet. I really am not concerned with how many people come here to read, I just noticed how many knitters had their blogs to post pictures of WIPs and FOs. I wanted to be able to share my knitting pictures with the world as well. Never mind the fact that I'm still a relatively newbie knitter. I don't have any pictures yet, but it will happen soon. I foresee much knitting this summer. Hopefully someone will come along and read this, but if not, oh well.