Silver Arrow Knits!

Random Wednesday

2010-04-21T12:25:00.002-04:00

The spring has finally come to Florida! Woo hoo! Contrary to popular belief, Florida does get cold (the temperature got to the 30s in North Central Florida). I made good use of my scarves, sweaters, hats, and other wooly goods this winter (and far into the month of March too). Of course now that winter is over, it is time to put this lovely items away and keep them safe for next year.

Here is my process...

Convince myself that I should wash my knits now and not next week (this step takes a few weeks).
Gather all of my knitted items, my wash bin, salad spinner, wool wash (whatever wash that was on sale or that I have a free sample of), trash bags, towels, and pins.
Pick out a few items that are similar in color that will fit in my wash bin.
Take the items, wash bin, salad spinner, and wool wash to the bathroom.
Fill the wash bin with water and a bit of wool wash.
AFTER the tepid water is in the bin, I place the items in the water. NEVER put the items in first and then turn the water on unless you like felting your items.
While the items are soaking, I clean up my living room a bit, and place trash bags on the floor and then towels on top of them. I have allergy problems, so I don't like the idea of the carpets getting damp.
After 30ish minutes, I take one item (or so) out of the bin, squeeze gently to get out some of the water.
Then I place the item in the salad spinner, and spin the item damp.
Finally, I gently take the item over to the living room and place it on the towel.
If the item requires blocking, I proceed to pin the item into shape.
After several hours (usually overnight) I flip the item over, so it dries thoroughly.

NEVER, place a damp item in a drawer, unless you are a fan of moldy clothes. After this is all done, I have all of my knitted items tucked away with a bit of lavender to keep the bugs away. I haven't had a problem here in Florida, but I like to be prepared.

Monday: WIP Day!

2010-04-19T14:10:00.003-04:00

Another Monday, another go at the Boyfriend Socks otherwise known as the Blackrose socks in Knitty. I am working the decreases on the gusset now. I must admit that I was really confused by the instructions for the gusset decreases, but like many knitting instructions, if you just do what they say, it will all make sense. So in the case of these socks, the designer wants you to do a k2tog with one of the lace pattern stitches. I was horrified. Wasn't that going to move the whole pattern and make it look weird? Well, yes and no. Yes, the pattern does move down the side of the foot, but no the pattern doesn't really move. The whole thing was so clever. Now I understand why no one was posting on ravelry that the pattern needed errata.

Saturday Book Review: Stitch 'n Bitch

2010-04-17T00:08:00.001-04:00

For Christmas 2004, I decided that if I was going to live in New England, I should learn how to knit and make myself some scarves. After a quick review of the knitting books on Amazon, I bought myself the book Stitch n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller. I loved this book, because I felt that Stoller and I were on the same wavelength. She was edgy, funny, and educational all in one. I taught myself how to knit with this book. I went chapter by chapter and did all the projects from the garter stitch scarf to the ribbed scarf (the final beginner project was a kerchief and that did not appeal to me at all). Although I did go to a few other books for additional diagrams, Stoller's book had great drawings of everything. In addition, I really liked a ton of the patterns in the book. Unlike some of the other beginner knitter books, I have returned to this book again and again for both basic patterns and for more advanced patterns. This book has scarf, sock, hat, sweater, and a variety of other patterns. Most of these patterns are not for the conservative, but you can definitely tone down the "hipness" of the patterns, if you want.

My knitting projects from this book: 1 Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf, 2 Ribbed-for-Her-Pleasure Scarves, 1 Hot Head hat, and I am currently working on the Alien Illusion Scarf.

Errata

Random Wednesday

2010-04-15T00:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know it is Thursday, but I had to watch LOST and Glee, so time got away from me. My lovely sock is coming along, and I am ready to pick up stitches for the gusset. I hate picking up stitches for the gusset and the decreases that come next. I feel like it goes really slowly, because I have several more stitches that I had been working with. Then, (have you noticed this too?), the foot seems to take ten times longer than the leg, even though it shouldn't. I am a fan of just knitting the leg and heel. I don't really need a toe or leg or gusset when it comes down to it. I mean, no one is going to see those parts anyway. :)

Alright, I better hit the sack, so I can be awake enough tomorrow to pick up my gusset stitches. I never seem to be able to pick up the same number of gusset stitches on both sides!

Monday: WIP Day!

2010-04-12T23:59:00.003-04:00

I have been bitten by the sock bug. I cannot believe that I keep wanting to knit the same thing over and over again, okay just twice, but still it is wacky for me. The only item I have knit twice is the Yo Drop It! scarf, because I can knit one in a sitting. What is that saying again? Madness is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result?

I started the Blackrose socks on Saturday, and I just cannot stop knitting them. I think this is because everything else I have been knitting recently has had a somewhat complicated pattern to follow and so far this pattern requires a 17 stitch lace pattern and a lot of simple stockinette. I like stockinette. I am three repeats away from the gusset!

The yarn that I am using is Tosh Sock. My boyfriend bought me the yarn when he was away on spring break. Yep, he's a keeper! Going back to the yarn, this yarn is amazing. It is so cushy and soft. I want to cuddle with it. The yarn is 100% merino with no nylon, so I am a little worried about holes. At the same time, I have a darning egg, so I might as well learn to use it if it comes to that. My other concern is the crazy pooling that is going on. I think I am going to have two vertical stripes on this sock, one green/blue streak and one black/bronze streak. I am just going to hope for the best, because the pooling doesn't really bother me too much. Once I finish the sock, I will have a better picture of the pooling.

Book Review: Knit Socks!

2010-04-10T20:10:00.001-04:00

I remember buying Knit Socks! as a present for myself. I bought the book, because I liked the shape (the book is shaped like a sock!) and because the patterns are written very simply with very little for the knitter to have to figure out on her/himself. I should note that I bought this book as a beginning knitter and instructions that didn't require me to figure anything out was a plus (the patterns even list how many stitches I should have on each needle (the patterns are written for 5 DPNs, but that is easily converted). While I am at it, all of the socks are written from the cuff down.

The first part of the book goes into detail about how to knit socks and sock anatomy. The rest of the book is a set of 13 patterns. What I like about the patterns is that there is a variety of plain socks, kid socks, fun socks, "technical socks" (i.e., intarsia), and more conservative socks. Also, some of the socks are written for worsted weight, some are for fingering weight, and others are written for both worsted and fingering. This is one of the few sock books that I have that has such a large range of sock types.

I have not completed a pair of socks from this book; however, I did start two pairs of socks from this book. I started them before I had a real understanding of sock construction, and they lingered for a while, before I just gave up and frogged them. With that said, the patterns were well written.

Tools of the Trade

2010-04-08T13:21:00.005-04:00

I have been relistening to the KnitPicks podcasts recently and rediscovered a great podcast on knitting tools. I am the knitter so is always bringing her WIP with her but always forgetting the important essentials like a ruler to see when I can stop doing garter stitch or extra stitch markers or moisturizer (my hands seem to dry out when I want to knit and have no moisturizer). Anyway, the KnitPicks podcast inspired me not only to create a tool kit to keep with me, but to create three tool kits, so I always have one. I keep one in my living room, one in my purse, and one with my knitting stuff as an emergency back up. I cannot tell you how pleased I have been with my kit! It has almost everything I need (more on that later).

Here is what my kit contains:

a collection of darning needles in various sizes so I can graft, darn, or weave in ends
two different sizes of post-it notes (normal and tiny), so I can write notes or track progress on a chart or set of instructions
a measuring tape
a bottle of travel sized moisturizer so my hands are never dry when I want to knit (I take them from hotels when I travel)
a needle gauge, stitch measurer, and ruler so I can double check that my needle is really a 2.25mm, that my gauge is correct, and that my cloth measuring tape is giving me proper measurements even though it is old and worn
two row counters One attaches to the needle, the other one attaches to me.
a black pen so I always know that I have one because I always seem to need one when I don't have one
two cable needles so that I can cable with a variety of yarn weights. I am a fan of the ones that are shaped like a J; they seem to get the job done without getting in my way
a few price tags (white piece of paper attached to string) so that I can mark a swatch with the gauge or a knitted piece with information that needs to stay with the garment. These are really great to attach to a garment if you know that it is going to the retired WIPs for gauge issues, missing pattern, whatever. This way, when you pick it back up, you can quickly see why you stopped working on it in the first place.
a variety of stitch markers including brass rings, locking stitch markers, and flexible stitch markers (NOTE: I do not keep my fancy stitch markers in these kits just in case they go missing.)
point protectors so I can keep my stitches on the needle when I am not working on my project
a yarn cutter so that I always have something sharp with me to cut the yarn. I like the yarn cutter better than scissors, because it is smaller and cuts better.
a small crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches and for beading
two "ends" and a key to my KnitPicks interchangeable needle set, so that I can take the needles off or un/tighten my needles whenever I need to do so

Believe it or not, but all of these objects fit into a pretty small bag and many of the items fit into an altoid container. Now, there are a few things that I am currently still adding to my kit: (1) I need to add basic knitting instructions like the Kitchener stitch so I have it when I am ready to graft a sock and (2) a bobbin of crochet thread for provisional cast ons and lifeline.

What do you keep in your tool bag?

Hi Again...

2010-04-08T13:15:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I posted here. Life (and more importantly graduate school) has gotten in the way. For the past several months, however, I have been thinking about this blog and different types of posts that I would like to do. I realized that when I used to blog, I was knitting fairly often, so I could show off a lot of progress. Now, I do not have as much time as I used to have, so I my progress is slower and I hate to show pictures of the same thing over and over again. Also, after I found Ravelry, I felt that I didn't need to reinvent the wheel over here. Things have changed for me now. I am knitting more, and I have realized that there are other knitting related topics I want to post.

So what does this mean? This means that I am going to start posting on a regular basis about current WIPs, FOs, knitting books, and other knitting related topics.

Enjoy!

First Socks!

2009-06-27T23:01:00.001-04:00

About three years ago, I cast on a pair of socks. Since that time I have cast on six pairs of socks, until today I have never finished a pair. I am a process knitter and the idea of knitting two of the same thing makes me tremble. This month though I decided to try something new. I decided to finish something I started even if every fiber of my being makes me want to run in the opposite direction screaming. Wow, that is a bit dramatic, huh? Let me explain. As I have discussed in previous posts, I am in the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup. This month for the Defense of the Dark Arts class, I needed to finish a WIP and not just any WIP but one that is quite painful and uncomfortable. After reviewing all of my projects, I decided my Heelless Sleeping Socks would be the perfect, painful project. It was amazing that the more I knit, the more painful the project became. It was almost like I didn't want to finish the project. I guess that is the process knitter in me; I don't want to finish a project because that means that the knitting is over for it. Don't feel too bad for me though, I have 14 other projects on the needles. ;)

Now without any further ado, let me give you my very first pair of COMPLETED socks!

Why Are We Whispering?

2009-06-15T19:36:00.003-04:00

My, I didn't realize how quiet this blog has been until a friend made a comment on a post and I realized that the last post was ages ago. Now before you think that I have been just sitting around watching episodes of Doctor Who (okay I have been doing this) and trying to keep my ahead above water at school (okay I have been doing this too), I have ALSO been knitting. Really. No, really. Really. I am not kidding. Truly!

Anyway, I have fallen in love with the lost art of washcloths. Washcloths are the most amazing projects ever. 1) You can knit one in a day. 2) You can knit almost anything on a washcloth (anything, seriously). 3). They are cheap! You can knit one for less than $1. 4) They are super useful! You can use them in the kitchen, you can use them in the bathroom, you can use them with a fox, and you can use them in a box.

So here are some of my recent favorites (in no particular order): Hedwig Illusion (you need to try illusion knitting, if you haven't tried it before, it will blow your mind), TARDIS, and Exfoliate! (I TOLD you I have been watching a ton of Doctor Who).

Another FO!

2009-05-26T00:09:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I finished another project! Check out my Spiral Hat (101 Designer One-Skein Wonders)! It was fun to knit plus the yarn was super dreamy. If you haven't knit with Dream in Color. I highly recommend it. The colors are gorgeous! The worsted weight is called Classy. I should note, however, that I haven't washed my hat yet, so you will have to wait and see how well the color holds.

This hat brings my total FOs of the months to SEVEN! This is all thanks to the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. I was hoping to knit 52 projects in 2009, and it now looks like that might actually happen! I think I will definitely pull through since my OWL consists of 20 Mason-Dixon Washcloths. If I only knit 1 project in June (real life might get in the way of House Cup knitting) and six projects again in July (for my 6 classes), I will have knit 34 items for the House Cup! Wow. I guess I need to go buy more yarn! ;)

Color Stranding Here I Come

2009-05-21T23:31:00.003-04:00

I just knit my very first color stranding project! This this little baby hat turned out well, I am inspired to knit the Knit Picks Andean Chullo hat kit I purchased a few months ago.

I started knitting this hat at the perfect time too. I found out recently that my friend's wife is pregnant! I foresee myself knitting more baby stuff in the near future. I do feel limited by knitting only lightweight non-wool items though, since the family lives in Florida though. Hmmm.

Look At That Girl Go!

2009-05-21T01:45:00.004-04:00

Wow, I can't believe how much the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup is keeping me motivated to knit! I have made 4 projects this month and I am planning on finishing 3 more projects before the end of the month! I am really loving seeing the finished products. Here is a little Gryffindor Bookmark I knit from Charmed Knits. I left off the fringe, because I detest making fringe. I always seem to make a mess and the product always seems bunched and sloppy. I knit the bookmark in worsted weight, so it is too bulky for most of my (fiction) books, but it is perfect for textbooks and other books, which I am not concerned about putting force on the binding.

Felting Is Fun!

2009-05-19T01:22:00.003-04:00

Last night I finished my very first felted project! I made a Royal Crown for my Ancient Runes class for the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup. I was super nervous about the whole felting process. I was concerned that (1) the project wouldn't felt too well and I would have to wash the project a couple of times (which would have been expensive since I pay by the load at my complex), (2) I would break the washer with excess lint (yes, the project was in a zippered bag that had a safety pin holding the zipper and a rubber band tying the bag tight, but I was still concerned), and (3) the tennis balls I put in the washer would go crazy and bounce out of the washer. Yeah, none of my worries came true. Maybe I should stop worrying about zombies taking over the world.

Anyway, felting is so much fun! I highly recommend it! I am now inspired to finish my Christmas Rainbow Surprise stocking (all I need to do is the stupid i-cord, I hate i-cord, it is so boring). I want to see the project shrink and be super cute like my crown.

Keeping Up with Class

2009-05-13T08:58:00.006-04:00

As I blogged about previously, I have been quite busy with classwork for the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. This group has really lit that fire beneath me to not only start projects but to finish them! I have been working on a few exciting numbers including the Hurry Up Spring! Armwarmers. I am loving this project. I remember when I first saw this pattern in Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, I thought I would never be able to knit them. A year or so later, I bought the Noro yarn for the project, but I still only looked at the pattern in awe. This pattern had several intimidating factors to it including having to knit 2 similar objects and having to knit thumb gussets (what in the world is a thumb gusset? I kept asking myself). Well, it has been about 4 years since I first looked at the pattern, I knit one armwarmer. Parts of the pattern are challenging (I do need to doublecheck the pattern chart with every cable, so I make sure if I am supposed to have the cable needle in front or behind), but it is doable. I must admit that I keep putting on the one armwarmer and admiring my handiwork. I can't wait to see what "impossible project" I decide to knit next!

The Times They Are A Changin'

2009-05-04T13:04:00.004-04:00

If you asked me two weeks ago how I felt about KALs, I would have said they are good for some people, but not for me. Normally, I can't keep up with them (if there is a deadline) or I immediately tire of the project at hand (nothing is more aversive for me than everyone knitting the same thing). Well, I must admit that my tune has changed thanks to the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. I think a healthy dose of competition is encouraging me to knit like the wind. I finished my Bella's Fingerless Mittens yesterday and am now starting the Hurry Up It's Spring Armwarmers. I just keep thinking about how I can earn my house (Gryffindor) more house points.

Okay, enough chitchat! Back to knitting!

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

2009-05-02T00:12:00.005-04:00

Phew! This has been a ridiculously long week. I returned to Gainesville at 3AM on Monday and proceeded to have a clinic assessment on Monday, my tbi (traumatic brain injury) final exam on Tuesday, and my multivariate statistics final exam on Wednesday. Oh yeah, and I had a stack of therapy patients throughout the week too. Anyway, now that the weekend is here I can focus on what is important, namely knitting. :) A few months ago, I joined the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. Today was the first day of the (summer) semester. I joined the Muggle Studies class and am now working on Bella's Fingerless Mittens. The assignment is to knit/crochet a project based on a muggle television or movie. For the five of you who don't know, Bella is a character in the Twilight book (and now movie) series. As someone who spends an obscene amount of time in heavily air conditioned buildings, these fingerless mittens will be a godsend this summer. The hotter it is outside, the colder it is inside.

Also, I promised some pictures from my latest Wool Girl Sock Club kit. Here is a picture of all the goodies! Ain't it awesome! The yarn is Curious Creek Fibers and there is a whopping 493 yards in that skein. I am excited to knit the kit's sock pattern, but I also want to buy some more and make other projects, since the color is gorgeous and has amazing yardage.

Super Fabulous

2009-04-29T18:45:00.001-04:00

Busy Busy

2009-04-29T10:20:00.004-04:00

Last night I got distracted by my huge multivariate stats exam I have tonight, so I didn't have time to post. I am still trucking along with my Branching Out scarf. I didn't bring it with me to Montreal, since I am using aluminum needles and didn't want to chance TSA. It is just as well, because I really didn't have any time to knit with going to the conference and climbing mountains (well, one mountain at least). When I came home, my WoolGirl Sock Club kit was there. I haven't uploaded the pictures for the latest kit, but in an effort to have SOME eye candy in this post, take a peek at my first kit. Ain't it gorgeous? It is like Christmas morning when I get a WoolGirl package. The yarn is Zen Garden and it is the most luscious stuff you have ever felt!

Everyone Should Move to Montreal

2009-04-28T01:35:00.003-04:00

Hi all. Just a quick note so you know that I am alive. :) I just spend 5 glorious days in Montreal (for a conference). I am in the midst of crazy finals, but I should have a few great pictures of my latest WoolGirl Sock Club kit tomorrow for you. It is the best kit yet!

Clean Knits Are Happy Knits

2009-04-17T00:07:00.005-04:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I am quite proud of my current knitting status. I am in the process of washing (and blocking) all of my knitting goods. I just did my fourth load (I wash my goods in a basin for the sink, so these are small loads) and I just have one load of scarves and three store bought sweaters and I shall be done! It is super nice to have my knits clean folded nicely in drawers than dirty and in a canvas bag. As an added bonus, the desire to clean my knits, pushed me to finish up some projects and weave in the ends! I FINALLY finished Argosy and a couple of other projects. Like any annoying project, if I just sit and do it, the project only takes a few minutes. BTW, check out my very pretty and flowy Argosy, now that I have woven in the ends and blocked it within an inch of its life. Now that I see Argosy in all of its glory, I kind of want to knit another one. ::sigh:: Must...remember...how...painful...this...project...was...the...first...time!

I am still working on Branching Out. I have done 15 pattern repeats (in 1 week no less!), and have (according to the pattern mind you) 12 more repeats to go. I must admit that I am a bit skeptical about this, because the ball of yarn from which I am working is pretty small for 12 more repeats. The scarf is long enough now that I know I will be happy with just a 1 skein scarf (which is good, because I don't have another ball of this yarn), but I am a little surprised about the discrepancy between how much yarn I need and how much yarn the designer needed (yes, it is the same yarn brand and whatnot). Of course, this discrepancy between the knitter and the designer is quite common in the knitting world, but it is the first time it happened to me, so I am still getting over my naivete about patterns. ;)

On a personal note, I am off to Montreal next week for a conference! I am super excited to check out the knitting scene up north.

Look How Far We've Come

2009-04-14T00:10:00.003-04:00

Every so often, I think back to how I felt about knitting when I first learned how to knit. I especially remember feeling frustrated when I had to frog an entire project, because I did not know how to rip or tink. For the past three years, I have let my Branching Out scarf sit in No Man's Land, because I got so annoyed at the pattern and my constant errors. I distinctly remember writing a post about how I was going to live with the errors in the scarf and chalk them up to "Design Elements." Ha! I am a perfectionist. What on earth made me think that I would believe my errors were design elements? Of course, as soon as I wrote that post, I stuffed this project in the back of my WIPs drawer.

The scarf stayed dormant until last Friday. I decided I needed to finish it and get on with my life. I figured that I needed to push through some of my current WIPs, so I could move on to other projects. (I recently got into spring cleaning mode and organized all of my planned projects - very daunting let me tell you. Thus, I realized that I need to finish some of my current projects so I have room to store new WIPs.) Anyway, I ripped back the entire project and recast on. I came to grips with my OCD and decided that I could not live with the "serious errors" of the beginning knitter that I was when I first tried this pattern. Oh my goodness. How do I describe this project today? It is easy. Granted, there is a bit of thinking, but it is far easier now that it was three years ago. I just am just plowing through it. Do I make mistakes? Yes, but I am able to tink back a row and fix the error quickly. This project is not frustrating like it was the first time I attempted to knit it. In four days, I finished half of the scarf! Plus, I can see myself knitting this scarf again in different yarns and colors, because it is a fun pattern. Craziness.

Here is hoping that this new love for a hated project vibe continues when I restart Odessa. ::shudder::

Success Is Mine!

2009-04-10T19:36:00.003-04:00

I am so excited! I finally finished my Fish Net scarf! I had some friends over last night for a craft night and pushed through the pain and bound off last night. I really love the finished product. It is going to look fabulous with a black dress or another dark, plain color. My one concern is that I think if it not being held taut, the scarf twists on itself. If you ignored all the YOs and decreases, it is a stockinette scarf and therefore subject to twisting and curling. If only I could find a nice opera to which I could bring my scarf...

I have also started working on an old WIP that it needs to see the light of day. I frogged Branching Out and restarted the pattern. When I started this project years ago, I didn't read the instructions before I started and my interpretation of the pattern is a bit different. The scarf looked okay, but this time around it looks better. I am really enjoying knitting this scarf, because the pattern repeat is pretty quick (only 10 rows and 30ish live stitches), so I feel like I am accomplishing something. Of course this sense of accomplishment only comes when I pay attention to the pattern and remember which row I am on. I have a hard time reading my stitches, so many times I rip back to a row that I can recognize if I get mixed up with the pattern.

The Neverending Scarf

2009-04-07T18:18:00.004-04:00

I am nothing if not stubborn! I have been working on this scarf for ten million years. Okay, that may not be exactly true. I think it has been 9,543 days 10 hours 14 minutes and 32 seconds. Don't get me wrong. I love the Fish Net pattern from Ocean Breezes: Scarves Inspired by the Sea. In fact, I love the entire book, and if you love scarf patterns, I highly recommend this book. The issue I am having is that no matter how much time I spend on this scarf, I still have a big old ball of yarn that needs to be knit up. ::sigh:: In all honesty, I would like the scarf to be a bit longer than it is, so I do like the fact I have enough yarn to get a nice long scarf, but, really, how much more time do need to put into this scarf? It is a simple two pattern stitch AND has lots of YOs. I should be using up yarn like crazy! Alas that is not the case. I guess I will continue to knit while waiting for therapy patients, while watching second years do clinic intakes, while waiting for lab meetings to begin, and while doing everything else. As much as I moan though, I do love how the scarf is turning out. Isn't it so pretty? I need to find a nice, neutral dress to make this scarf pop!

A Finished Object! Finally!

2009-04-04T21:54:00.005-04:00

Long time no see. Things have been a bit crazy here, since I haven't had a computer and well my life kinda exploded with work. Note to the wise, do not try to do 2 classes, an advanced practicum, and study for qualifying exams in the same semester. Apparently it is a bad idea.

I am proud to say that I FINALLY finished a project this year. Yeah, it's April, but I have been busy (with my best and whine-iest voice). In my own defense I have started a ton of projects this semester, I just couldn't seem to finish them. What saved me from a world of UFOs? Coach Taylor and Friday Night Lights. OMGoodness. Have you seen this show? I just watched the first season and knit a hat (pattern: Butterfly Hat). The plots are compelling and believable. Plus, several of the male leads are not too hard on the eyes. ;)

Okay, enough tv! Let's see some knitting! Here is the lovely Butterfly Hat!

The Magic Loop Is...well...Magical!

2009-02-07T19:27:00.002-05:00

Zoinks! It has been a long time since I posted! I do have some very good reasons for the lack of posting though...1) I took my theory OWLs (written qualifying exams) a week ago, 2) I take my practical OWLs (oral qualifying exams) on Tuesday, and 3) my home computer is not playing nicely with others, so I don't have a computer with which to upload photos. I have been knitting a bit though! Last Wednesday, I finally had it with the amount of work I was doing and went over to Hanks to buy some 40in circular needles in 2.25mm. I had ordered some from KnitPicks, but they were taking too long. I had decided last week that my Simplicity socks were going to be too big on the 2.5mm needles I was using and I needed to frog before I went any farther. To be perfectly honest, I think I need to go down another size, but I can't emotionally handle doing that. I decided that if the socks are too big for me, I will FIND someone who can wear these socks or I will wear them as bed socks. I realized that my perfectionist tendencies are preventing me from finishing a pair of socks and this has got to stop. The only way I am going to learn how I like my socks is if I finish a pair or two.

In happier news regarding my Simplicity socks. I love Yarn Love yarn. The yarn is so cheery and holds up well to frogging (yarn: Juliet; colorway: Maiden). I also LOVE knitting socks on one circular needle. The project is far more portable than any DPN project I have ever done. I have also noticed that I am knitting faster and with a more "normal" gauge for me. With one circular needle, I only stop once per round and there are only two possible ladders. With the evil DPNs, I have to stop three times per round, plus I have to worry about four possible ladders. Since I am not as worried about ladders with the one circular needle, I am not knitting so tightly, which is really improving my gauge numbers. Now that I have gone magic loop, I am never going back. Now, what am I going to do with all those DPNs I own???

Long Week...

2009-01-31T16:46:00.002-05:00

Wow, this has been long week. I had my written quals (aka my theory OWLs) on Friday, and I am quite exhausted now. The week hasn't been all work though. I received my very first Rockin' Sock Club kit. The yarn is so pretty, the pattern is fun, and there is beading to be had! Although my first beading/knitting project was a bit temperamental (Odessa), I am pumped to try this one. I also received my welcome to the Wooly WoolGirl club (after making 7 purchases, you become a frequent flyer of sorts and get all sorts of goodies). If you haven't check out WoolGirl's shop. You are seriously missing out. She has some great Indie dyers plus she wraps all your yarn purchases in tissue paper and gives you all sorts of goodies (stitch markers, sample size wool wash, etc).

You are probably wondering where all the pictures are. Well, my computer and I aren't on speaking terms right now, so I can't upload pictures. As soon as everything gets worked out, I promise you some times!

Those Blasted OWLs!

2009-01-25T13:15:00.002-05:00

Starting this coming Saturday, I will be more talkative. I have my real life OWLs (quals) coming up and studying is taking up most of my time. I am taking my theoretical OWLs (written quals) this Friday and my practicals (oral quals) in two weeks. To be honest, once I reframed my thinking with Harry-Potter speak, the studying became far more enjoyable.

See ya on the flipside!

Reading, Reading, Reading

2009-01-20T00:38:00.005-05:00

Hey all. This has not been the most exciting MLK weekend. The reason for the quietness on the blog is that I have my qualifying exams (eek!) in 10 days. What are qualifying exams? Well, on January 30th, I will sit in a tiny room for 8 hours and answer 6 questions. Two weeks later, I meet with my dissertation committee and talk about my answers for 2 hours. Yeah, it is as awesome as it sounds. I have been doing a little bit of knitting. I was rewarding myself for reading an article with knitting a round of my Heelless Bed Socks. This picture is a bit old, but the progress doesn't make the sock more interesting. Just imagine it longer. These are classic tube socks, so there is no exciting heel or gusset or anything. The yarn is KnitPicks Imagination: Seven Dwarves. I am really enjoying the colors. I heard that this yarn felts a bit, so I was hoping that the heeless-ness and the bed-focusness of the socks will slow the feltyness of the socks. Well, you know what I mean.

Best Day Ever...

2009-01-12T20:45:00.003-05:00

I had a pretty good day on Saturday. I woke up at 3AM, froze for 2hrs, ran and walked with a massive crowd for 13.1 miles, and endured a good amount of aches and pains. Oh yeah, it was a good day. It is amazing to see how far (literally and figuratively) we can push ourselves when we have our eyes on the prize.

New Skill!

2009-01-11T20:09:00.006-05:00

2009 has started off with a knitting boom! All of my yarn and knitting pattern books are now on ravelry! I feel like I can be a much more efficient knitter now. When I am in the mood for a type of yarn or project, I can easily see what is in my yarn and pattern stash.

I have also taught myself a new skill! I now can knit socks (and other small round objects) on 1 long circular needle (aka the magic loop method). I learned the skill with 2-at-a-Time Socks. I haven't learned how to knit 2 socks at a time yet. I thought it was be less stressful to learn how to knit just one sock first. Also I felt that knitting two socks at the same time as my around the town knitting might prove to be disastrous (I can envision balls of yarn rolling all over the psych clinic and research meetings).

I have already two socks with this new technique. I first started with the Heelless Sleeping Socks from Vintage Socks. I thought it would be good to try the magic loop with a very simple pattern. I got a few rows in and decided that I could totally do the magic loop regular sock style. I promptly start Simplicity from The Eclectic Sole. I am really loving the magic loop method for socks. I don't have to worry about tons of ladders (just two, not four). Plus, since I only worry about "two needles" instead of four, I am much faster. There isn't the stop and go that dpns require. Of course I haven't finished a sock with this method yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to like it! BTW, the pic is of Simplicity.

Cuteness!

2009-01-05T21:46:00.005-05:00

The day before I went home for vacation, I hit Michael's for some needles. A ton of the yarn was on sale, and I picked up a ball of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, which was on sale for $2. I made a cute little airy scarf that used the entire ball of yarn! I haven't weaved in the ends or blocked it yet, but if you click the picture, you can get a good idea of the final product.

Here is the pattern

Lacy Scarf

1 ball of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair
US 13; 9.0mm

CO 13

Row 1: K5

Row 2: (K2tog, YO) until the end, k1
Row 3: K 3 rows
Row 4: (K2tog, YO) until the end, k1
Row 5: K 3 rows
Row 6: (K2tog, YO) until the end, k1
Row 7: K 15 rows

Repeat rows 2-7 four more times. Then repeat rows 2-6 one more time.

K5

Bind Off

The Boy Who Lived

2009-01-04T22:23:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of weeks, I have been listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on my iPod. It is the Jim Dale version. It has been such an experience! When I got the book, I stayed up all night reading it. There was no savoring. The goal of reading the book was simply to find out what happens in the end! My goals for listening to the book were very different: 1. to knit (and do other things) while enjoying Harry's adventures, 2. really understand what the whole Elder wand thing was about (around 4AM, my logic turned off), and 3. really savor the story and enjoy the little details. Up until today, I was enjoying the book like I enjoy any other audio book or podcast. Today, however, was a different story. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the story, but today I heard all the painful bits like Severus Snape's sad tale and Fred Weasley dying right after Percy tells a joke. It was gut wrenching to listen to it, because I could not speed ahead. I had to stay with Jim Dale's slow (but not too slow) reading. Jim Dale was not horribly upset and didn't need to read faster, he just kept reading at the same pace. Listening to the book affected me much more than reading the book. All the sad bits seemed so much sadder hearing them, because I could not ignore them, I could not read over them. This was a great experience.

I will post some of my exciting FOs from my break tomorrow. The Harry Potter experience was just too much for me today. ;)

Isn't She Lovely?

2009-01-03T20:19:00.003-05:00

Unpacking and prepping for the coming semester has been taking up most of my time, since I came back to Florida. This is going to be a very, very, very busy semester. I have my qualifying exams, my current research study will be ending, I will be jumping onto a new (and massive) study, and I will be starting one of my advanced practicums. Oh yeah, I am also supposed to be proposing my dissertation. I am starting to get the idea that grad school is busy.

I haven't been able to work too much on Birch, since I returned. I am probably 1/3 of the way through the shawl. I love that feeling of accomplishment I get with removing a stitch marker every 8 rows. Anyway, here is the shawl. Isn't it pretty? I love the color and how delicate it is.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:38:00.005-05:00

Happy 2009 Everyone!

I can't believe another year has come and gone! I swear the years seem to go faster and faster. Of course, it would be nice if grad school time would go as fast as real world time. If I continue with my current dissertation idea, I will be around for another year. Well, we won't think about that right now, I am still on holiday.

Anyway, besides freaking out about the speed of time, I am also thinking about New Year Resolutions. Yea!

Here are my knitting resolutions...

1. Keep my stash, knitting library, and needle collection updated on Ravelry. If I can see what I have, I am less likely to overbuy.
2. Only buy yarn with projects in mind (sock yarn doesn't count here).
3. Do the "finishing" part of a project within 2 months of the knitting. I have an entire bag of FOs that need ends weaved in.
4. Try 4 new techniques, maybe fair isle, intarsia, knitting socks on one/two circular needles, and knitting cables without cable needles.
5. Knit from 4 knitting books I own from which I have yet to knit.
6. Work on Level 1 of the Master's Knitting Program from TKGA, which I bought I at the beginning of LAST year.

I also have a knitting challenge! I decided to take on a challenge from one of the stash groups I am in on Ravelry. I pledged to knit 52 objects in 2009. Now these projects are probably going to be washcloths, but that is okay (I have a lot of cotton yarn). The primary objective is to knit from the stash.

This seems doable, right? ;) Yeah, it is a bit much, but as long as I keep knitting and have fun, I don't care how many resolutions I keep.

So Long 2008...

2008-12-31T20:57:00.002-05:00

Wow. Can you believe another year has come and gone? These years keep going faster and faster. This was a particularly interesting year for me. I have grown as a therapist, I received my Master's degree in psychology, I switched mentors, I started training for a half-marathon, and I learned a little bit more about myself.

I can't wait for 2009. I am a big fan of the unknown and that is what 2009 is right now. And worse case scenario? 2010 is only 365 days away! (I shake my head at my Pollyanna-ishness...why can't I be the evil cynic that I strive to be?)

Some of My Favorite Things

2008-12-30T22:20:00.002-05:00

I worked on Birch some more today. I am loving this shawl. It encompasses everything I like about knitting...

1. I am making a pretty new item.
2. I am learning a new technique (p2tog tbl is quite a feat!).
3. I am knitting with lovely yarn (Rowan Kidsilk Haze).
4. I am knitting with bright pink yarn (a color that both Dolores Umbridge and I love).
5. Every other row I get to decrease until there are no more stitches!

#5 is a huge thing for me for large projects. I am at a point that I don't see any significant growth in the shawl. It has passed "fuzzy beginning" and it is nowhere near "almost done." Each decrease reminds me that I am nearing my goal of only 1 stitch on the needles.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-29T00:54:00.003-05:00

I hope you are having a lovely holiday! I am definitely enjoying sleeping, knitting, running, and studying for quals (okay, I am not enjoying the studying so much).

I am enjoying the knitting though! I finished a Christmas stocking, a scarf, and I am making headway on Birch. I can sure get a lot of knitting done when I am not seeing therapy patients, bing in meetings, doing lab work, and running from one of the aforementioned activities to the next.

Anyway, I am very excited about Birch. I bought the yarn (Rowan Kidsilk Haze, btw, it totally deserves its drug-related nickname) and the pattern years ago. They have been simmering in yarn and pattern stash for a good long while. I decided before coming home for the holidays that this was the time to try the pattern. It is going very well so far. I had a few misteps along the way, but I think they have all been corrected. I only work on Birch when I can have total concentration (which definitely helps with limiting the number of human errors). Now I have only 25 pattern repeats to go and less than 200 rows. Each row goes faster and faster, since I keep becoming more comfortable with the pattern and because there are fewer stitches with every other row. Unlike other shawls I have started to knit, I think I may actually finish this one.

I know that you want pictures, sadly I brought my camera but no cord to connect it to my laptop. I will have pictures for you at the end of the week.

December 25th

2008-12-25T00:27:00.002-05:00

Happy Christmas everyone! If Christmas isn't your holiday, Happy Holidays! I hope you are having a lovely winter and having the opportunity to be with friends and family.

Enjoy!

December 24th

2008-12-24T20:45:00.002-05:00

How powerful are knitters? They can create new words!

December 23rd

2008-12-23T20:47:00.001-05:00

Do your family and friends get jealous when they see you knitting stuff that isn't for them? Well, here is a song for you to sing to them.

December 22nd

2008-12-22T00:35:00.001-05:00

Here is another bit from one of the Yarn Harlot's talks.

Enjoy!

December 21st!

2008-12-21T02:22:00.001-05:00

Unlike Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, we can't use magic to help us with our knitting; however, we can use LEGOs!

Enjoy!

December 20th!

2008-12-20T01:04:00.001-05:00

Look at all the pretty colors!

Enjoy!

December 19th!

2008-12-19T10:03:00.002-05:00

This is just ridiculously entertaining. BTW, Lion Brand has all sorts of videos on youtube.

Enjoy!

December 18th!

2008-12-18T00:02:00.002-05:00

Here is the lovely Yarn Harlot talking about funny things and about charity. I would like to take a moment today to encourage you to donate your time, extra belongings, and/or money to the charity of your choice. During this financial crisis, lots of non-profits are hurting and they can use all the help that you can offer. We are all going through a hard time right now, but there is always someone going through something worse than you. I know that sounds cliche, but it is true. There are still some shopping days before Christmas (or your respective holiday or we might be a little late here for your holiday...no matter), go and buy some food for a food bank, donate some clothes that you don't wear anymore, go help out at a soup kitchen, write out a check (even if it is for just a few bucks), or even go caroling and make someone smile. It's good for the karma and good for the soul.

Enjoy!

December 17th!

2008-12-17T02:32:00.001-05:00

Do you Harry Potter? Do you wish you could knit by magic?

Check out this great youtube video: LINK

I couldn't embed, but please check out the awesomeness.

Enjoy!

December 16th!

2008-12-16T02:27:00.001-05:00

I love these knitting nanas!

Enjoy!

December 15th!

2008-12-15T02:18:00.002-05:00

Are you on a tight budget? Do you like Ramen?

Enjoy!

December 14th!

2008-12-14T02:09:00.001-05:00

Because we should have more bands devoted to knitting...

Enjoy!

Quick & Fun Knit

2008-12-14T02:01:00.005-05:00

The weather has been chilly here in Florida, and I have been knitting up a storm! In two days (!), I started and finished Fetching (okay, I still need to weave in ends, but the fingerless mittens are done!). Aren't these the cutest fingerless mittens? They are super quick to knit up. I knit them in Malabrigo 100% Wool. They are a bit warm, but my office is freezing, so they will be useful. If you need a quick holiday present for people in cold weather (or cold offices), this is the gift for them!

I am very excited about this project, because it is the first time, I used waste yarn and picked up stitches (for the thumb). It went very smoothly. I didn't even need to practice!

December 13th!

2008-12-13T02:07:00.002-05:00

This is hilarious and I guarantee you that the chorus will get stuck in your head.

He knits and purls to earn his keep...err...I mean...

Enjoy!

December 12th!

2008-12-12T01:55:00.001-05:00

Phew, watching this video wears me out! Check out the world's fastest knitter!

Enjoy!

December 11th

2008-12-11T20:58:00.001-05:00

A bit from the Yarn Harlot...because she is funny...hee hee

Enjoy!

December 10th

2008-12-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

When you just can't stop knitting...

Enjoy!

December 9th

2008-12-09T20:37:00.001-05:00

Don't you love a bad joke?

Enjoy!

Christmas Stockings Are Fabulous

2008-12-09T00:24:00.005-05:00

I love Christmas stockings. They are like socks but use thicker yarn (faster to knit) and don't need to have a pair (no second sock syndrome). I am currently knitting two stockings from Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures to Knit. I am knitting Snowy Night Gansey Stocking and Christmas Rainbow Surprise. Today, I am going to show you my current favorite: Christmas Rainbow Surprise. I just got the yarn today (Kureyon) from Webs, and as soon as I saw the color I couldn't knit anything else. Isn't the color gorgeous? I can't stop touching this project. I just want to pet it. This is my second project with Noro and I must admit that I really like this yarn. It is easy to knit with and the colors are so freaking pretty.

This is a momentous knitting project for me (besides the second coming of Noro), because it is my first felting project! After I knit this beautiful yarn, I am going to smoosh, smash, and soak this yarn to within an inch of its life. To be honest, felting always freaked me out. I totally blame the Yarn Harlot on this. In one of her early blog posts, she wrote about how she broke her washer when making Fiber Trends' infamous clog pattern (which I also bought from Webs). I am terrified that I am going to break my washer. Now there are several things I can do to protect my washer (which isn't even mine but my apartment complex's), but until now I was too scared. This project called to me and I decided to throw caution to the wind. I also decided that since this is a small project, I could handfelt the stocking. I figure that if everything goes well, I could venture to a washing machine in the future. I am ridiculously excited now to finish knitting this stocking so I can take my (new) plunger to it. I must admit that I am loving the knitting process of a future felted item. I am not worried about my tension at all. The current ball of Kureyon from which I am knitting goes a bit thick to thin, so the stitches look a bit wonky. Normally I would care, but since I am felting it, I don't give a fig.

December 8th

2008-12-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

I guess people don't like to share...

Enjoy!

Knitting Update

2008-12-08T01:35:00.005-05:00

Wow, the weeks seem to speed by as we get closer to the holidays! I have about ten million and one things that need to be done prior to the holidays, and I only seem to be on item seven. Oh well, I have been known to pull off some fantastic feats at the last moment though, so we shall see what happens.

Before I talk about knitting, I need to tell you about sheep! Yes, that is right...sheep! I am training for the Disney Half-Marathon this January (for those of you who know me...isn't this crazy?! I ran in the Race the Taste 10K and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K this past October...what can I say, running at Walt Disney World is inspiring), and my running route takes me past the Veterinary School. Usually, I see some horses or cows in the pastures. The other day, while I was running past the fields, I saw SHEEP! As soon as I saw them, I started devising ways of getting at their fleece. I convinced myself that I could knit down my current stash (and 2009 knitting clubs I joined) to nothing and learn how to spin and make my own yarn. When I went back the next day to take some pictures, the sheep were gone. I wonder if the sheep sensed the fact that I wanted their fleece and they ran away and hid?

In regards to knitting, I have been going all crazy with starting projects. I can't seem to stick with a current project (like the Christmas gift knitting or the scarf that is like 20 very short rows from being done), but keep seeing projects I need to start. I decided last night that I need to use my Lion Brand Bolero yarn (do not buy this yarn unless you have a project in mind). This stuff is hard to find a pattern for, because it is a thick to thin yarn and therefore has crazy gauge issues. I started on a garter stitch scarf, but we will see how far this project goes. I can't seem to find a width that I like (this is due to the fact that the gauge is weird and casting on 10 stitches can be crazy different from casting on 12 stitches). Also, I only have two balls, so I don't know how long this scarf is going to be. The good news is that the scarf is 100% wool, so I can stretch (I mean block) this yarn within an inch of its life. In fact, as I write this, I decided to frog this scarf yet again and go from a CO of 15 stitches to 12. I think I like it. The picture you, however, is from the 15 stitch CO garter stitch scarf. ::sigh:: I think when it comes down to it, I like having a pattern tell me what to do. I like knowing how many stitches to cast on, even if it is just a garter stitch scarf. I find it comforting.

December 7th

2008-12-07T00:38:00.002-05:00

I like knitting. I like legos.

Enjoy!

December 6th

2008-12-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

This old commercial looks oddly familiar. I could swear that I saw a part of this advertisement as a child.

Enjoy!

December 5th

2008-12-05T00:22:00.001-05:00

Did you ever wonder how cereal is made? It's knitted, of course, my nanas!

Enjoy!

December 4th

2008-12-04T22:55:00.001-05:00

Do you love reality television? Do you love knitting? Well, check out So You Think You Can Knit!

Enjoy!

December 3rd

2008-12-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

This video always makes me laugh! If only I could knit a sweater in one sitting!

Enjoy!

It's Coming!

2008-12-02T23:57:00.000-05:00

When I first started knitting, I told myself that if I only knit scarves for the rest of my life I would be okay with that. I started knitting as a stress relief, a way to keep myself warm, and to learn a cool new thing. Now I have branched out to hats, purses, necklaces, socks, and fingerless mittens. Okay, the socks are a bit "in progress" if you will (I can't seem to finish a fingering weight sock). I have made one worsted weight sock and a Christmas stocking though!

Anyway, the major project bug has hit. I want to make the Box-the-Compass Pullover, Sylvi, Vivian, and Kingscot. Suddenly I have confidence to knit something substantial. I feel they are all within my grasp. There are challenges to all of them, but I know how to knit, purl, increase, and decrease. ::sigh:: Why do I always want to start projects that don't require any of the yarn in my sizable stash? It is the knitter's curse.

Here are pictures of the sweater, coat, jacket, and cardigan...Oh! By the way, the Box-the-Compass Pullover is an EZ and Meg Swansen design and the last three are in the Twist Collective Winter 2008. There are some very beautiful designs in this new e-zine.

December 2nd

2008-12-02T20:31:00.001-05:00

Although I have heard the Yarn Harlot say this bit and I have read this bit in her books, it always makes me laugh.

Enjoy!

December 1st!

2008-12-01T20:25:00.001-05:00

It is that time again! I have decided to resurrect the Knitting Advent Calendar! I have found a collection of fun, informative (in a cute way), and interesting youtube videos that commemorate knitting!

Here is a video that fits well with the theme of (spontaneous) good cheer. Enjoy!

Rippit...Rippit

2008-12-01T00:22:00.002-05:00

I have been staring at these Flame Wave Socks for a while. I like the concept behind them. I like the yarn. I like the pattern. I don't like the gauge though. As I have stated previously, they are way too big. After some investigating, I realized that Ann Budd apparently knits her socks with positive ease. I don't know why she does this, especially with a yarn that needs negative ease to work. Oh well. I had tried starting the second sock with smaller needles, but it wasn't coming together.

In a moment of clarity (desperation?), I frogged them. No one, except for you and me, needs to know about these socks. I will tackle them in the future after I use a pattern that doesn't require as much thinking (yeah, that's right, I am not a swatcher and must rely on needle suggestions).

This is the last known picture of these awful, awful socks:

Such a Good Stasher

2008-11-30T21:44:00.004-05:00

I have been cleaning out my stash this month. I sold a large quantity on ravelry in order to fundraise for the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon I am running this January. With the new room, I bought some more yarn (yeah, I know, not the point of destashing) and decided to re-organize my stash and make sure that I am storing my yarn properly. I have read in a few different sources (including The Best of Vogue Knitting) that you shouldn't store wool in airtight containers, because it will mess with the form/consistency (or something else important). Well, I had been storing most of my yarn in ziplock bags. Since I am terrified of moths and other yarn eating monsters, I decided that if I am going to let my yarn breath, there better be some superheroes around. I went to Target the other day and bought lots of lavendar items. I bought lavendar soap and lavendar/cedar chips to store in my central stash hub (a plastic trunk -for a real truck actually) and in the drawers where I keep my knitted goods. I probably went a little overboard with the soap and chips, but I am not losing my wonderful wool to monsters.

Old System...
Everything that could fit in a ziplock bag went in a ziplock bag.

New System...
All knitted items are in drawers with a bar of Dr. Brommer's lavendar soap. The soap is open but in an open ziplock bag, so the soap won't touch the items.

All natural (non-manmade) yarn are in open ziplock bags in my trunk. I should dump the ziplock bags, but I am not ready emotionally to let go of them. Also I feel that the bags keep the yarn "clean" (I don't know what I am keeping them clean from though). The trunk has several lavendar-cedar chips at the bottom. There is some tissue paper covering them, so the yarn has no chance of touching them. There is also an open Dr. Brommer soap in an open ziplock bag on top of everything.

I still need to work on the WiP drawer and the random leftover bits of yarn drawer, but I feel that this is a good start.

Hmm, I better get knitting and shrink this stash!

Under the Sea

2008-11-29T14:04:00.004-05:00

Have I told you about Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves Inspired by the Sea? I might have, but I know I haven't shown you pictures! I love this book. The scarves and shawls are beautiful but understated. We aren't talking post-modern craziness or needing a hip and trendy life to pull these off. I have started the Fish Net and the Fish Scales scarves. The Fish Net scarf is going to take a while, since although I enjoy the project, I get bored very quickly with it. The Fish Scales scarf is almost finished (it looks small because I had to shove lots of stitches onto a very small needle). I can't bear to finish it though, because...well, I can't think of a decent reason.

You should totally take a look at this book, if you are a fan of scarves. It is very inspiring.

Here is Fish Scales in Yoga...

Here is Fish Net in South West Trading Company Bamboo...

Shopping Fun!

2008-11-27T22:09:00.002-05:00

As much as I love Thanksgiving, it's the day after that is usually one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I love Black Friday. I love getting up ridiculously early in the morning, waiting in line in the "cold" (it's cold for Florida), and racing for the $5 DVDs.

This year though, I haven't had that urge. I haven't seen a $5 DVD that I need to have so much that I need to wake up at 3AM. Instead, this year, I am curling up on my futon with some Christmas movies, some knitting, and hot chocolate.

I got some possible WiP that need some loving like Branching Out and Classy Slip-Up Socks. Hmm, love. Maybe that is what the holiday season is about. Of course, please don't hate me if I break down and go shopping tomorrow. I do need Guitar Hero: World Tour and the guitar for 40% off the retail price!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:06:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving. I am off to my friend's house for a scrumptious Thanksgiving meal.

Have a gobble gobble Thanksgiving!

A Hat to Match!

2008-11-26T13:53:00.003-05:00

My first hat was the Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf from Stitch 'n Bitch. I knit it with 3 balls of Rowan Big Wool. I loved (still do in fact) this scarf. It is warm and quite happy with the blues, pinks, and white squares. Recently Florida had a bit of a cold snap. Yes! It does get cold in Florida! It has been in the 30s several nights recently. Of course I refuse to turn on the heat and prefer to put on a sweater. The cold weather inspired me to knit a winter hat. I wanted something fast and easy. I dug out the Rowan Big Wool bits I had left from the scarf and picked a pattern (Hot Head, which by the way looked a lot better in person than in Stitch n' Bitch). I must admit that I do love the match-yness of it all. I should also state that the hat keeps my head super warm.

Check out the cuteness and the warmness!

They Are Coming for You Barbara...

2008-11-25T13:40:00.003-05:00

Recently I joined Sunshine Yarns Harry Potter Sock Club. Every other month for 6 months, I will receive a colorway inspired by the Harry Potter books. The first colorway was "Invisibility Cloak." The colorway looks very similar to the cloak in the movies. It has dark blues and gold tones. It is gorgeous. After some careful thought, I went with the Zombie Socks pattern. I thought it would compliment the handpainted nature of the yarn. It is also a fun pattern with intentionally dropped stitches. Sometime in 2009, Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn comes out. There was a pattern from this book in the Interweave Knits Winter 2008 magazine, and it promises that the rest of the book will have great patterns for handpainted yarns.

I just turned the heel of the first sock and only have a little bit let to go. Of course, this is when I tend to get bored with sock knitting. I tend to do better with Christmas stockings, because I know I only have to knit one (and oh yeah, I get to knit them with worsted weight yarn). It has been quite chilly here in Florida, so I am hoping that this (and the zombies banging on my apartment door) will motivate me to finish the socks.

Rawr...Rawr...brains

My Very First Vogue

2008-11-24T13:13:00.004-05:00

This title reminds me of something Carrie from Sex and the City would say...

I have been subscribing to Vogue Knitting for a while now; however, I had never knit anything from the magazine. Everything seemed more advanced than what I was capable of knitting. Things changed, however, when I received the Holiday 2008 issue. I fell in love with the Bobbled Tam. It looked so cute! I reviewed the pattern and decided that I could totally knit this. I bought Merino Style, DK from Knit Picks in a lovely asparagus color and some needles. I then proceeded to ignore the pattern, yarn, and needles for several weeks. The idea of knitting something from Vogue Knitting scared me something terrible. Is my skill there? Will I be lost in the pattern? Will I totally fail? Finally after some uneasiness, I cast on. It was a quick knit and quite fun. I was so proud of myself when I cast off. Yes, there was a "design element" or two added, but nothing was worse for wear. I am not more confident in my ability to knit the "fancy shmancy" patterns. I don't need to just knit beginner patterns.

Okay, now that the confidence paragraph is over, let me be a bit honest with you about this pattern and Vogue Knitting. Sometimes the pictures in the magazine LIE! The Bobbled Tam looks like a hat in the magazine. Unfortunately, this is not a hat. It is a tam. The project came out much larger than I thought. Much larger. I knew something was off when I cast on so many stitches. I decided inperfect knitter denial, that everything would magically work out with the blocking. Yeah, that didn't happen much. I do like the look of this tam, but next time I will cast on fewer stitches and make it a hat.

Ribbon Yarn...Scarves...Fun

2008-11-23T12:43:00.007-05:00

Hey all!

I am so excited! On Friday, I got an early Christmas present from my parents. I received a new digital camera! My last one broke and so I could not take pictures of any of my knitted things. It has been quite sad. Now that I have a camera that works, I can show you lots of cute pretty knitted things! :)

I have recently been on a destashing binge. I pulled out all of my ribbon yarn and have been knitting Yo! Drop It! (rav link) scarves from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. I made 3 scarves with this pattern. I made 2 with Ticker Tape and 1 with Yoga. This is a fabulous pattern, because it is easy to remember and uses up some of the yarn I have, which had no purpose when I bought it. This is also a great mindless pattern. There is no thinking required. There are patterns that are easy to memorize, but you need to think about what you are doing. You don't need to do that with this pattern! Once a week, I have to drive out to rural areas of Florida. I have an hour drive out and an hour drive back to Gainesville. Since I need to keep the driver company, I bring this, because I can talk and knit (yep, it fits the mindless knitting category!).

You will notice in the pictures that I have neglected to weave in the ends. Yeah, I am not a fan of weaving in ends. They will get done...eventually. ;)

Interesting Month...

2008-09-17T01:17:00.004-04:00

Long time no see! When I logged into blogger, I realized that I have been gone for a month. I would love to say that I have been on an adventure around the world. Sadly, this has not been the case. The fall semester started and it has been pretty intense.

Case in point...

On the first week of the fall semester, I 1) started the second wave of the research study I work on, 2) started my pathophysiology course, 3) started my new psych rotation (I spend a day in one of the Florida rural counties seeing therapy patients), and 4) got very sick. How sick did I get? Well, on Friday, my body had enough of my busy schedule, lack of rest, and the rest of the nonsense that I passed out. I don't mean that I went home on Friday and took a nap. I mean I fainted in front of the cafeteria at the hospital at which I work. I ended up at the ER in full regalia (back board and neck brace, people get very excited at teaching hospitals). Oh, did I mention that someone thought I did not have a pulse and gave me compressions (6 to be exact)? Oh yeah, it was fun.

The semester has gotten better since being seriously ill. I went to Walt Disney World for my Birthday Weekend Extravaganza and I feel like things are clicking into place. I have also been knitting up a storm, because I decided that I need to go on a yarn diet. I have pulled out some of my odd balls of novelty yarns and have been knitting several Yo! Drop it! scarves from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. This is a fabulous pattern, because 1) I can wear these scarves in FL, 2) novelty ribbon yarns look great with the drop stitch pattern, and 3) I can totally multitask with this pattern (it looks complicated to the nonknitter, but is ridiculously easy to do).

The one big minus to the yarn diet is that I decided to follow the general yarn dieting rule: sock yarn doesn't count. I keep buying sock yarn. In fact, I can't stop. I bought the Opal Harry Potter yarn, I joined a Harry Potter sock club (Sunshine Yarns), and bought a few additional random skeins of fabulous sock yarn. I just really like sock yarn and sock patterns. They are all so pretty! Now, let me point out the ridiculousness of this situation. I have yet to knit a complete a pair of socks. Also, I keep buying wool sock yarn even though I live in FL. What can I say? I really like sock yarn!

Harry Potter Sock Yarn

2008-08-13T18:23:00.003-04:00

Do you like sock yarn? Do you like Harry Potter? Well check this out. You can pre-order the entire Opal Harry Potter sock yarn collection. You can get the yarn for 10% off and free shipping.

Decisions, Decisions

2008-08-11T23:19:00.002-04:00

Right now, I am watching the Olympics, and I am soooo happy that I didn't end up doing the Ravelympics. This would have been yet another KAL that I failed to complete. On Friday, I drove out to some campgrounds and spent the weekend volunteering as a counselor for a craniofacial camp. As you may guess, the 7-year old to teen crowd keeps you a bit busy. I didn't get any knitting done, but it was a totally worthwhile experience. These kids were awesome, fun, and very cute.

I am getting antsy to pick a new project. I am not happy with my Flame Wave socks and want to start a new project. I think I am going to knit some Mason-Dixon washcloths, since I can do the pattern in my sleep and know how they work out. At the same time, I would like to knit something new. ::sigh:: Too many decisions!

Very Interesting...

2008-08-07T00:33:00.004-04:00

The urge to knit socks hit me last week. Do you think it is because I surround myself with sock pattern books and never finish two matching socks? Nay! Last week I came across Ann Budd's Flame Wave Socks (Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave). The pattern was nice and I really wanted to try out my Cascade Fixation sock yarn. It is stretchy AND cotton! What could be better?

Everything started off fine. The pattern was simple. I had the yarn. I had the needles. I jumped right in. The thing is...I am not a fan of checking for gauge. I find it tedious. Okay, I also make a lot of scarves (gauge rarely matters) and hats (I have a basic idea of how many stitches I need for my head), so rarely have I truly needed to find gauge. ANYWAY, I start knitting these socks on size 5 DPNS. This just didn't seem right. I told myself that this was fine, because I was going to go down to size 4 after just a few inches of the leg. "I've been running, so my new muscular calves are going to need the extra room," is what I told myself. After about an inch at size 4, I realized this just wasn't working. The sock just slides onto my leg. The stretch of Cascade Fixation was not being used at all.

At this point I started doing a little more investigation into this pattern. According to Ravelry.com, tons of knitters used size 3 for the entire sock, because Ann Budd is a very tight knitter. With all of this information, I designed a new game plan. I started a new sock on size 3 needles. I decided I could compare the two socks. Well, that, in short, was depressing. There was a negligible difference between the two. At this point, I feel I need to work on the size 3 a bit more just in case the sock will tighten up a bit (I barely made a dent in the pattern). I am a bit worried that with the smaller needle size, I am going to need more yarn, which I don't have.

What's a knitter to do? Oh yeah, I think I should look at Knitting on the Road and find a new pattern and dig out some new yarn...

Dr. Horrible Is Fabulous

2008-08-02T18:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. It is a 45 minute free streaming movie directed by the fantastic Joss Whedon. It stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as the evil Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as the good Captain Hammer. The first couple of minutes are slow, but once the singing starts, you can't look away. The songs are catchy and the plot is new and engaging.

I will post knitting news tomorrow, but in the meantime go watch Dr. Horrible!

Running & Knitting

2008-07-27T22:49:00.002-04:00

I know! I know! It has been too long since I have posted and since I have posted pictures. I am here to end that tonight! I have words and pictures!

What in the world have I been doing that has been taking up all my time? Well, as I have mentioned before, I have started running...jogging really. I found a super beginner runner schedule online and I have been slowly building up my endurance. Today, I did 5 minutes walking/4 minutes running for 30 minutes. Starting in the next two weeks, I will be decreasing the walking time until all I am doing is running. It is so incredible to see how in just 3 weeks, I have moved from walking 30 minutes to running for 4 minute intervals. Since my friend S believes in goals, I signed up for the Race for the Taste 10K at Walt Disney World in October. I need to keep a 15 minutes mile, and I think with my mix of walking/running, I will be able to do it!

I have found running to be a lot like knitting. You start with something simple (garter stitch scarf vs. walking) and slowly increase your skills (mittens vs. running/walking combo) to the point of wicked awesomeness (entrelac socks vs. long distance running).

Anyway, the running and exhaustion which comes afterwards (you would be tired too if you were running in Florida in the summer) has taken precedence over my knitting. I know! Blasphemy! I really would like to get into shape though, so I am moving exercise to the top of the daily to do list.

Now, I have been doing some knitting. I am continuing to work on my Fun Fur Scarf. I realized as soon as I started that I don't like the sound of aluminum needles rubbing against one another. Since fun fur is a pain to wind and I don't feel like buying additional needles, I am just going to push through the pain.

Speaking of procrastination on pushing through the pain, aren't these the cutest fingerless mittens? The pattern is Filigree and is from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. This is my first pair of mittens and I am quite excited about how they turned out. Yes, there are a few places where I should of purled/knitted or vice versa and the right thumb hole isn't exactly big enough, BUT they are wearable and I wouldn't have them any other way. I can't wait to show them off tomorrow.

Finally, isn't this the cutest bag you ever saw?! I got this from the lovely Theresa who was one of the Summer of Lace sponsors. I need to find a cute, small project to put in it.

Where Are the Pictures?!

2008-07-18T02:06:00.002-04:00

Ack! Where do the days go!? I promise I will get some pictures posted very soon. I made some headway on my fun fur scarf that I need to show off. In the mean time, I want to brag that I got the fall Knitscene and it is as good as all the buzz it has been getting. There are some beautiful patterns in there. I really want to knit Riding to Avalon. It is the most beautiful sweater I have ever seen. I am a big fan of simple details.

Where Did the Time Go?

2008-07-14T00:21:00.003-04:00

Ack! Sorry for the long awaited post! The days seemed to zoom by this week. There hasn't been too much knitting going on lately. Instead I have been reviewing the knitting books I purchased in bulk from the KnitPicks summer book sale. I figured I should at least take a look at them, before the books I ordered from Interweave's sale come. I am such a book harlot, it is not even funny. Even when I wasn't knitting during the previous year, I would pull the knitting books out, look at the pictures, and read the patterns. My mom loves to read cook books and apparently the gene got passed on to me in the way of knitting books.

Tomorrow I promise to post a picture of the cutest little bag that I got from Theresa. It is an adorable Summer of Lace bag.

In other news, I have started running. No the bugs here in Florida haven't gotten that big. I (stupidly?) told a friend that I really want to do the Disney Half-Marathon. Instead of smiling and nodding at my pipe dream. She said "Okay, let's do it." Now that I have other people committed I realized that I need to start to get back into shape. I have started a super beginner training schedule and it has been going well so far. I completed the first week with only one hiccup (I switched my workout and rest days for Thursday and Friday because I was so tired on Thursday night). The only problem with this training schedule is less time for knitting! I am hoping that even though I will now have less knitting time, the knitting time will be more productive, because I will be in better shape.

P.S. You must go see WALL-E. It is the cutest movie ever, plus there are highlights from one of my favorite movies, Hello Dolly!

All Grown Up

2008-07-06T21:44:00.004-04:00

There was very little knitting this weekend. Although I was pumped to start a very cute knitted skirt and watch Bleak House (7.5 hours of BBC fun!), I ended up doing other things. Other things included going to a BBQ, watching season 1 of Lost with a friend, and doing a major overhaul of my apartment.

I am turning 27 this September and for some reason I am taking this rather hard. I am officially hitting my late 20s. I know deep down this isn't old, but deep down I feel that it is time to grow up. So you may be wondering what one does to grow up. I decided to clean my apartment in a very serious way. I spent serious time cleaning each room and then throwing things out/donating them, taking stock of what I need to buy (get plastic containers for yarn instead of keeping them in trash bags for the bedroom closet), and doing an extra thorough cleaning job. I am trying to declutter my apartment and make it look like a grownup lives here. Over the past couple of years some bad things happened in my life (i.e. very bad breakup with significant other, very bad breakup with mutual friends of significant other, and spending 2 years with a mentor who didn't mesh with me personality-wise and who I ultimately had to leave). I think I kept trying to cling to childish things, because I wasn't ready to admit that this was my life. I wasn't ready to say that this is my 20s, these are my college memories, and this is how it goes sometimes. Now I have a supportive mentor and friends who will be around when the going gets tough. I don't have a significant other, but the idea of dating doesn't scare me like it used to scare me. With all these positive changes in my life, I am ready to embrace adulthood and to illustrate this change, I am fixing up my apartment.

Of course, if you haven't already guessed...one of the great things about doing a thorough "summer cleaning" of my apartment and making it grownup is that with all the freed up space from "childish things" I can store more yarn, knitting books, and knitting accessories!

Making Odessa Jealous (AKA I Have a Ticket for the Crazy Train)

2008-07-02T01:37:00.005-04:00

Since having my "minor" freak out about Odessa, I have been working on a simple stockinette fun fur scarf. It takes a bit of concentration since I am knitting it with two strands of fun fur and it is easy to not knit both strands each time, but it is far superior to Odessa since I haven't had to tink back once. I am hoping that working on this scarf will make Odessa jealous. I usually keep her around when I am watching TV and working with the fun fur scarf. I think she is seeing the error of her ways and is going to be more amiable this time around. I think she looked a bit forlorn today when I got home. This is normal, right? Most people like to make their projects jealous of each other, right?

Ugh! Double Ugh!

2008-06-29T23:42:00.003-04:00

Frustrated is too kind of a word I have for Odessa right now. We are not talking right now. Remember how I got that huge knot in my yarn in preparation for knitting Odessa? Well, I had the bright idea of learning how to do a spit split join (I know that isn't the right name, but it sounds so much prettier than the actual act) and cut out the knot. I tried it out on Thursday. It isn't the prettiest join in the world, but it is strong, it works, and most importantly, you can't tell from afar or if you are a non-knitter. So what is the problem?

1. I have done a ton of tinking of this project, which hasn't endeared this project to my heart, but I accept tinking when I decide to use all my concentration on my BBC miniseries (Cranford is very good, btw).

2. I am running out of yarn on this ball (I found a second ball in my stash, thank goodness), but I want to try to undo the knot before going to the second ball. Watching my little ball of yarn get smaller and smaller is not only making me feel anxious but also extremely annoyed with this hat. I knew from the get go that this would be a tight project (that is why I bought a second ball in the first place), but this just hits home that I will need to untangle that yarn I made a mess of last week.

3. This is the worst. This was the cherry on the top. This is why I threw Odessa back in her bag and am considering a novelty garter stitch scarf. I didn't print out the directions for this hat. I decided I would just take some short notes. Well, I misread the pattern or my notes. I did 2 normal rounds and 1 bead round. I was supposed to do 3 normal rounds and then 1 bead round. It's not that big of a deal and I know I could change the decreasing rounds to match what I have been doing, but...it just broke me.

This is just a simple hat! I shouldn't be having this many issues! I think it is time to return to the world of garter and stockinette for the time being.

In the world of simple knits, I finished my ribbed scarf. It is just short of being twice my height. It was very entertaining binding off for this project. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how to do it, so I decided to let my fingers do the work for me. My brain couldn't remember the technique but my fingers did. I am quite happy with this scarf. The color and length suit me to a t. Now if only the temperature would drop to about 50F.

K...N...I...T...T...I...N............................

2008-06-25T09:41:00.004-04:00

Knitting has been at turtle slow speed. I sat down with Seascape last night and after 3 rows, I had to put it down, because I was so frustrated. I had an extra stitch and I couldn't figure out where it came from. I am knitting Seascape from a chart and it is causing me all sorts of problems. I already had to rip back a bit, because I miscounted little empty "knit" boxes. ::sigh:: I am beginning to remember why I never finished Mystery Shawl #2. Thin yarn, tiny needles, and super small charts (even after I enlarge them) are just too much for me during my evening knitting time. I guess this means that I will need to make special time for this shawl during the weekends when I am not so tired. Hmm, I wonder if I can work Starbucks into this special time?

Being Stubborn Is Bad

2008-06-23T22:32:00.002-04:00

I did a bad, stupid thing. Initially, it wasn't bad or stupid, but then I became incredibly stubborn and made the situation 10, 20, okay 100 times worse. I didn't need to tell you about my big mistake, but I have decided to embrace my stupidity and share. We all do things like this and I wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

So, what did I do? I decided to make Odessa by Grumperina my waiting to meetings knitting. It is small and compact plus I would get to knit with beads, which would be a new skill for me. It was already pretty late and I had already put away my Seasons of Lace KAL project (Seascape from Knitty), because I knew I was sleepy. I curled up with an episode of Campion (BBC detective-ish show) and began stringing the beads onto the yarn. Since it only took me a few minutes to string the beads, I decided to cast on and knit a few rows, so it would be easier to pick up at school. Well, that was where the problem started. I misread one line of the pattern. I knew I had misread it when I misread it. I knew how I interpreted the line didn't make a fig of sense. I knew that even if that is what Grumperina meant, it didn't make any sense. BUT, I did it anyway.

What did I do? ::sigh:: I strung the beads on one end of the ball of yarn and started knitting with the other end. I convinced myself this was a smart decision, since I didn't start using the beads until after I finished the 1 inch of ribbing and therefore wouldn't need the beads for a while. I should note that this isn't the stupid part. After knitting about two rows, I realized that this was stupid and that I should frog what I have done and start again with the piece of yarn that had the beads. I told myself that I just needed to slowly push the beads away from the end. Did I do this? No, I did not.

This is where I started being stubborn and stupid. I decided instead of frogging, I would wind the yarn and during this process slowly work the beads from one end of the 142 yards of yarn to the other end. That is right, I thought that tediously moving the beads across ~150 yards of yarn was better than frogging about 2 rows of knitting. For the most part, I was able to move the beads across the yarn until I got towards the end. I now have 2 yards of yarn in a huge tangled mess. I refuse to cut this yarn since I can only find this 1 ball of yarn and from what I understand, 1 ball is all you need. I can't lose those 2 yards to a knot.

Moral of the Story: Don't be stubborn. Just like loose lips sink ships, Being stubborn sinks knitting projects.

You might be wondering where the picture of the knitting disaster is, well, I am not ready to face the reality of the situation just yet.

Busy Knitting Weekend

2008-06-22T21:41:00.004-04:00

I have had the most wondrous weekend. I bonded with some friends, watched BBC detective shows, listened to some podcasts, and knit. It really doesn't get any better than that.

I finished Hermione's Cable and Bobble Hat. I have to be honest here. I really didn't like knitting this hat or the finished product. I have knit cables before, but the cables on this hat required me to pay a lot of attention to what was going on. I never felt I could just sit back and knit it. The big problem was the zig zag cable that goes around the bobbles. I had to remember when to put the cable needle in the front or the pack and whether to purl or knit the cable stitches. It wasn't a hard project, but I couldn't sit back and watch BBC mysteries and let the hat magically knit itself. In addition, although I found the hat very pretty on people's blogs and in Charmed Knits, in real life, I find the hat waaaay too busy and too tall. Again, it was the zig zags that I really didn't like. I should note that the hat is perfectly nice, but I am not sure it is my style. Once I weave in the ends and block it, my opinion might change.

I also started the Seasons of Lace KAL. I am knitting Seascape from Knitty. I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I am. I am using Knit Picks' Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor. It is 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk. I am really enjoying knitting with it. The color is just so pretty. I have knit several things now, but this shawl so far, is just so gorgeous. I have to stop at the end of every row and just enjoy my shawl so far. I know lace shawls are typically kinda ugly, since it is so scrunched up, but this shawl, if I do say so myself, is drop dead gorgeous. :)

Yahoo!

2008-06-20T23:02:00.003-04:00

I did it! I finished Argosy before it finished me! Okay, I still need to weave in the ends and block it, but I don't have to knit it anymore. I am so tired of ripping that scarf back to fix errors.

Here is what I didn't like about this project...

1. There were several knots in my Noro Silk Garden Lite, so I have more weaving than I want.
2. Umm, I can't think of anything else.

Here is what I liked about this project...

1. I became more comfortable with certain techniques like the cable cast on and ssk.
2. The Noro holds it own, so if I made a mistake, I didn't have to tink, I could rip back with no worries.
3. I look darn good in this scarf.

Since I finished my waiting for meetings project, I pulled out a WiP. I started working on Hermione's Cable and Bobble Hat. Although I love knitting hats, I got bored doing the ribbing, so I stopped abruptly. Well, while waiting for my lab meeting today, I finished the last 15 ribbing rounds (Another Ribbed Scarf got me in shape for this). I have gotten into the interesting part now. I have to admit that I really like cable work. I even enjoy an occasional bobble or two (never on a sweater though...::shudder::). I find cables and bobbles so magical, because you make them simply by "making mistakes:" twisting the order of stitches and knitting the wrong way.

Public Service Announcement

2008-06-19T18:30:00.003-04:00

KnitPicks is having a huge book sale. All of their books are 40% off until August 8th. Since I bought the books I wanted, I thought I would let you know. ;) Hey, I am nice, but not that nice!

Quick Note

2008-06-18T01:18:00.004-04:00

The beginning of the week is always so crazy for me. I spend my Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays madly doing work I should have done over the weekend. I also have my clinic day on Tuesday that is spent testing a child for any number of psychological concerns. This kills the whole day then I am too tired in the evening to really do too much. I know this sounds mean to the child, but I am a pretty fun person and the children usually feel that time flies by. Seriously, I have had kids (during the summer) that have told me that they had tons of fun and name their favorite parts of the day (and I am not talking lunch but different tests).

Anyway, I was able to get some work done on Argosy. I am seriously near the end. I am sooo happy. I have honestly enjoyed (some) of my time knitting this, but I am ready to move on. I don't want to put it aside because I have too many WiPs. As I do my very necessary summer cleaning, I keep finding WiPs around the house. I looked behind my futon and found a bag of yarn AND an unfinished hat. I don't mind having a couple WiPs, but I would like to be able to name them all and know where they are. That isn't too much to ask, is it?

Knitting Weekend Update

2008-06-15T21:56:00.004-04:00

This wasn't a super productive knitting weekend. I went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Orlando with some friends and then cleaned most of my apartment. I say most, because I successfully avoided my living room again. After pulling out all my yarn, I realized that I have a lot more yarn than room and don't know where to hide it properly. I need to hide it, because I need to keep all my yarn in ziploc bags, and the bags don't look glamorous. There are lots of bugs in Florida, and I don't want them crawling in my yarn. eek!

Argosy is coming along. I am almost to where I began ripping back. Although Argosy became a huge challenge since I took the needles back up, I have learned a lot with Argosy. I can read my knitting better and have fixed several mistakes (like forgetting a YO) without ripping back. I am now at a significant conundrum. I have almost made all of the repeats the pattern calls for, but I have enough yarn to go for a few more. Should I keep going? Since I still need to block this scarf, it is probably going to grow a bit. The question is how much. Should I keep going since I like long scarves or should I stop? Maybe more pattern repeats will cause the scarf to be too long for a lace scarf (since I like those to be a bit shorter than plain old ribbed scarf). ::sigh:: This scarf also reminds me that the only space available to block long items like scarves is the floor. Since I have a one bedroom apartment, I don't have too much space to keep empty (and therefore completely clean) for blocking. Hmmmm. Maybe I should start knitting this piece more slowly.

I have also worked on my ribbed scarf. I love this thing. It is so soft and comforting. It truly is my security scarf. Even though it is long enough, I am going to keep knitting it. It is just so comforting to knit. I think after I cast off, I am going to cast on another ribbed or garter stitch scarf. It is really nice to have some mindless knitting on the needles. Plus, even in the Florida heat, I can wear scarves (light, novelty scarves that is) from fall to early spring and not look crazy. I wear pretty much the same outfit every day (black/brown pants and some sort of pink blouse), the scarves would mix things up.

Comfort Knitting

2008-06-14T00:28:00.005-04:00

It has been a very busy week! Even though the summer is supposed to be more laid back (1 class instead of 2-3), I still have a full therapy load, 1 full day in the child clinic (I test children for ADHD, learning disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and other mental health concerns), 1/2 day at an asthma clinic, research, and a stack load of meetings. For every patient I see, I have at least 30 minutes of supervision and then about 3 hours of research meetings. ::sigh::

What has been getting me through this? Two things. First, every night before going to bed I work on my blue, ribbed, homespun scarf. I love this thing. It is soft and cozy and a quite large at this point (I am determined to finish two skeins of homespun for it even if that is a bit excessive). It is like the security blanket I had as a kid but it looks far more presentable than my blankie. I am so amazed how mindless the ribbing is. When I knit this scarf in Fiesta years ago, I had to rip back a million times. I needed stitch markers to remind me when to switch from purl to knit. Now I can read the stitches and I can knit this while watching my favorite BBC shows. I will have to take a picture tomorrow for you.

The second thing that got me through this week was my new favorite podcast. Now I have been out of the knitting community for a while, so this might be old hat to everyone, but I will share my new find just in case you haven't heard of this podcast. On Tuesday I cruised iTunes for new knitting podcasts (my backload of Cast On is gone, so I needed something new for my daily school commute) and found the KnitPicks podcast. Now I was unsure about trying this podcast since it was company sponsored, but the popularity level was high, so I decided to try it out. Please keep in mind that I have only listened to the first 15, but here is my opionion about the show.I love this podcast. The show is only 30ish minutes, so it is the perfect length for my walking commute around school. The woman who does the podcast keeps a nice flow to the show. She talks about her own knitting, talks about different knitting techniques (I learned something new about ribbing!), reviews a few knitting books (I love this since I am a knitting book harlot), and sometimes interviews coworkers or big name knitters (I am listening to an interview with Ann Budd now). Yes, she does refer to knitpicks yarn regularly (she does most of her knitting with knitpicks yarn), but this doesn't bother me. At least in these early episodes I haven't felt like I am listening to a commercial.

Things that Go Bump in the Night

2008-06-10T23:10:00.003-04:00

Although this is a knitting blog, I need to talk about things that go bump in the night right now. I live in an apartment complex, so I have to do the laundry in a common area. As you may remember from your college/apartment/Partridge Family days, you need to plan your laundry washing on everyone else's lives. I am a fan of doing my wash late at night or early Friday evenings. I don't mind missing out on potential social events, since me doing laundry means I have hit the dregs of my clothing (i.e. passing off a prom dress as being a trendy chic psychologist outfit). What I do mind are two things that go bump in the night.

The first thing that scares me when I am doing my laundry are the frogs/toads (I can't tell the difference...didn't read those Frog and Toad books when I was a kid) that come out at night. I am scared that I am going to step on one, squash it, and then fall on my bum. From afar the frogs and wet leaves look the same. Although the fear of frog slippage scares me, I feel if I remain vigilant I shall be safe.

The second thing, I must admit scares me much more. This is what keeps me from wearing my iPod while doing my laundry. This is what keeps me aware of my surroundings at all times. I am afraid of zombies. Yep, you read that right. Since I do my laundry at odd hours, there are rarely any people around. When I walk outside, it is like the beginning of a zombie movie: the surroundings look the same as usual, but everything is eerily quiet. If I see someone out in the distance I have to freeze for just a moment to see if he/she moves like a person or a zombie. What can I say? Irrational fears are my forte. I think I need to knit some sort of zombie talisman or is that an anti-zombie talisman?

Alright, I am going back to my classic talisman...brownies.

Knitting for Brains

2008-06-10T01:55:00.002-04:00

This weekend, while getting over a horrible head cold, I watched a lot of BBC mysteries. (I am seriously contemplating moving to England just for the BBC channels.) Since Poirot and Holmes weren't available through the InstaWatch feature on Netflix, I decided to try some Miss Marple episodes. For some reason I am not a fan of the female detective genre, so I really wasn't expecting much. I think I read too many Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a kid and my annoyance with her spread to the whole world of female detectives. My issues with Nancy? 1) The girl was NEVER in school. I wished for the amount of holidays she had. 2) Her boyfriend Ned was NEVER around. You would think Bess and George wouldn't have been her only means of social support when she was nearly killed by some crazy criminal. Anyway, I heard that Miss Marple knit and thought I would give her a try.

I have to admit that I enjoyed the Miss Marple mysteries I watched. She is quite feisty and I could see her and Poirot getting into some interesting debates about a crime. I also liked the fact that she seems to be a slow knitter like me! She had the same piece of knitting throughout each episode and didn't appear to make much headway. Okay, maybe the actress can't really knit, but I like to think I have something in common with a brilliant detective mind.

So why am I talking about Miss Marple? In one of the episodes I watched (A Caribbean Mystery, or something like that), one of the characters keeps making derogatory references to Miss Marple and her knitting. At one point he says he can't believe she came up with such a brilliant idea since he thought she had "knitting for brains." This comment "knitting for brains" struck a cord with me. Would knitting for brains always be a bad thing?

Lace: I wouldn't want knitted lace or lace knitting for my brains. Holes, generally, are a bad things in the neocortex. I want all the brain cells I can get.

Stockinette: I would have to veto this too. Stockinette curls and I need a straight laced brain for school.

Cabled: I think I might lose some of the valuable information in my brain if all the information had to travel down curvy roads all the time.

Entrelac: All the information would need to fit into tiny squares or else organization would be a disaster. This doesn't seem like a good idea, since I am a big picture type of girl.

Good ole' Garter Stitch: If our brains were spread out they would be huge, so to fit in our tiny skulls, they are folded up and smooshed in. In a way, the folds are just like garter stitch ridges and valleys. If someone told me that my brains were like garter stitch, I think I would smile and say okay, because I knew they weren't too far off from the truth.

Ribbed Stitch: With ribbing, you can get even more yarn (a.k.a. brain cells) into a small place. If I wanted to be completely inaccurate (and I do since it is 2AM), I would say if regular people have garter stitch for brains, Einstein and his genius pals have ribbing for brains: far more brain cells in the same amount of space.

So next time someone tells you that you have knitting for brains either 1) smile and take the compliment graciously because you know that they were referring to ribbing or 2) smile and very innocently ask them what type of knitting they are referring to. ;)

Sick as a Dog

2008-06-09T00:30:00.006-04:00

I have just gotten over a horrible cold. It was the type of cold that you drag yourself out of bed just to collapse on the couch in the living room and take a nap. I really need to buy stock in Alka-Seltzer Plus medications and Puffs with Lotion tissues. ::sigh::

As you may imagine I didn't start on the TKGA Master Knitting program this weekend. Before experiencing the worst of the cold, I did manage to hit Jo-Ann's and buy some Paton's Classic Merino Wool in white and Wal-mart and get a binder, page protectors, and a notebook. Once I finish the bulk of my schoolwork this week, I am going to start swatching or at the very least start with the research paper and questions.

I wasn't too sick that I couldn't knit at all this weekend though. I worked on my blue ribbed scarf. I got really far too! I knit almost an entire skein of Homespun. I have decided that I want to finish one of my WiPs each week or at the very least finish a large chunk of a project. I don't kid myself that I am going to finish a shawl in a week, but I could at least finish a section of it. I figure this is a doable goal, since several of my projects are pretty small (socks and hats, mostly) and with a little bit of attention, I could finish them). I really want to start some new projects (Pi Shawl, Birch, Icarus, etc), but I want to get some of the previous projects out of the way first. What can I say, raverly, is making me want to be more organized with my projects. (I started taking pictures of my stash and the organization side of me is wanting to make made love to this website. I realized that I officially have become addicted to this site, I think if something horrible happened to ravelry, I would fall into a deep depression. How did I keep my knitting/stash/projects organized before ravelry? I didn't. I didn't.)

Maybe Knitting with Wool Isn't Motivating in the Summer

2008-06-04T16:21:00.004-04:00

I didn't work on Argosy today. Losing so much length really put a damper on knitting it. I pulled out a ribbed scarf I had been knitting. It is a pretty blue and knit with Homespun (Lion Brand). The Homespun gives the scarf a nice texture. I also convinced myself that working on the ribbed scarf is like prepping for the Master's Knitting Program. For some of my swatches I will need to knit some k2p2 and k1p1 ribs. If I can do good looking ribs in Homespun, I can really rock it with plain white yarn, right? :)

On other knitting news, I am doing the Seasons of Lace KAL this summer. I am not sure exactly what I am going to do. Maybe I will finish the Sampler Shawl from the Summer of Lace challenge from the summer of 2006! Okay, maybe I will start a new lace pattern instead. I don't like the idea of starting a challenge with an old project (unless that is the purpose of the KAL). I am not sure if I am just a snob or am using KALs to promote my severe startitis.

Ripping, Tinking, Frogging

2008-06-04T00:00:00.004-04:00

There was knitting activity today, but sadly it went in the wrong direction. I ripped back to the row in which I didn't cast on 8 measly stitches. Although I was excited that I ripped back to my error as opposed to tinking back (I get really nervous I am going to lose my entire project), I was not pleased with the amount of ripping I had to do. Yesterday the scarf was about 3.5 feet long. Today, the scarf is 1 foot long. Yes, 1 foot long. I long about a skein's worth of knitting in a matter of 5 minutes. I am happy that I fixed the mistake and successfully ripped to where I wanted, but losing several feet of work does not make me a happy camper. Today has been a busy day, so I don't have pictures, but I will get some to you tomorrow.

In other news, I have recently discovered that I own more yarn that I thought. I know this is probably a common surprise for knitters, but really I don't have that much space. My stash list in ravelry is starting to freak me out a bit. I try to remind myself that my yarn can be split into three main categories: 1. yarn that was gifted to me (this is a lot of my acrylic yarn), 2. super pretty yarn that I figured I wouldn't be able to see in person ever again once I moved to Florida (this is my Fleece Artist, Lorna's Laces, and Rowan), and 3. yarn that I bought with a specific project in mind (keep in mind I bought most of this yarn right when I started knitting, so I have a lot of...what's the word?...decorative yarn...you know...fun fur, eyelash yarn, etc...I still like the funky scarves one can make from it but I would prefer not to own several pounds of the stuff). I am exaggerating a bit. I have some reasonably nice yarn that is plain enough for tops, hats, etc. It was just a bit of a shocker to see all my yarn in one place.

I think this organization of my yarn has inspired me to starting using up some of my stash. Don't worry! The Fleece Artist will be treasured for a bit longer, but I think I will use up some of my acrylic yarn. I am thinking of looking into charity knitting groups. The yarn is a bit too rough for newborns, but maybe I can donate knitted hats to homeless shelters or something of the like. I love the idea of using up my stash, knitting fun new hat patterns, and helping others all at the same time! Now if I just had the time...