Monday, November 30, 2009

Check In

Just wanted to post a quick note so no one thinks I've fallen off the face of the planet. I'm still here, I have been knitting (a little bit) but mostly I'm working on finishing up two involved term papers. My last one is due a week from tomorrow, after which I'll have 8 days of FREEDOM before I fly south for my annual winter flee (during which I will also have lots of knitting time).

I do have several pictures that are just waiting to be uploaded. Suffice it to say, the next post is going to be a monster.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

So Good

I finally managed to finish a project! I got the earflap hat (lovingly named "!@#$%^& hat" on Ravelry) done today, ends all woven in and steam blocked.

I like how the yarn knit up in a stripey pattern. The yarn is red, blue and yellow, but with the double stranding I ended up with a "green" section and a few spots that look "orange." I would love to work with this yarn again and make something for myself.
























In other news, I also have progress pictures of my Hot Pink and Vintage sweater. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the front right section of the sweater. It goes quickly when I actually work on it, but it will sit idle for days so this sweater is really taking longer than in should.

I'm really liking how the cabled button band is knitting up, even if the 12 stitch cable is a bit arduous to execute. The yarn is also knitting up wonderfully well, I think it was just the right pick for this sweater.

In other yarn related news, I finally broke down and got a big clear plastic bin to corral the yarn that doesn't fit in my hanging organizer, storage ottoman, or in my "wall of yarn" decoration. My yarn stash has gone from looking like this:


(It's not just my yarn stash, but also where I keep my mending and some random fabric that I end up with.)











To this:

Not all of the yarn fit in the box (obviously) but at least it's nice and neat, now. If I'd just get out my sewing machine I could drastically clean this up, since most of the mending is easy stuff, like hemming or easy seam mending. Also, that plastic bag has an empty shoebox that I need to deconstruct and put in the recycle.

Now it's time to go warm up dinner. I'm having tacos, which is all part of a Day in the Life.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Stupid Batteries

I was planning on doing a longer picture update, but my camera batteries died before I could get all of the photos taken. Stupid dollar store batteries (but I can afford better now, so I'll get new batteries tomorrow afternoon).

What I do have so far is an update on a couple of projects that I've never photoed before. First is the !@#$%^& hat (that's honestly the name I gave it on Ravelry) that I am making for one of my roommates. He purchased the yarn (Jojoland Melody) and payment is still being hammered out.

His specifications were for an earflap hat, and that is what I am making.

This:
Is being magically transformed into this:


That's the last picture I got before the batteries died, or I'd have managed more detailed shots. It keeps rolling up on me like a slap bracelet, though.

Second is a project that I started tonight. A friend of me provided yarn to make two hand warmers and head band sets for Christmas for her nieces, and a set of hand warmers for her. The yarn got lost in my yarn mess, but I cleaned that up recently and refound the yarn. These things knit up almost faster than Superman so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge to get them done before my annual flee to warmer/sunnier climes at winter break.

The yarn is Louisa Harding "Jasmine" which is 48% cotton, 39% bamboo, 10% silk, and 3% polyester (in the form of a silver thread), and the color is a lovely "Cinderella" (the Disney version) blue. I'm using 3.00 mm needles.















Lastly, I'm almost done assembling the kits for my class this weekend. I'm teaching crochet wire buttons at our annual regional ASG meeting, and I've got a whopping (and probably record) 15 people enrolled. I just need 1 more reel of wire for the kits and one for my demos (I'm not about to use my expensive wire for a class I'm teaching pro bono). I'll pick those up tomorrow (the wire section at Joanns won't be the same for weeks) and whip up some samples. I got some great beads for my attendees. It should be fun.



I haven't worked on my Hot Pink and Vintage sweater since Wednesday of last week, and there are no new photos. Mostly I'm sticking to small portable projects that are good for bus knitting and a few stolen moments before class. It also didn't help that I had a horrible migraine last night and spent 4.5 hours in bed before I went to sleep. If nothing else I'll have plenty of time to work on it during my southward fleeing in December.

That's all I've got right now, so I'm going to log off and turn in (still tired from the migraine).

Keep stitching, and stay tuned for more A Day in the Life.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Random Thoughts

If the Yarn Harlot can do this, so can I.

1. Working 3 hours over a four hour stretch means that I was bored and stuck on campus for an hour.

2. I read faster than I think I do, which is saying something because I think I read fast.

3. It smells like gravy down here in the computer lab.

4. I now want gravy. And meat. I wish there were Luby's in Oregon.

5. I neglected to bring the !@#$%^& hat that I'm working on (yes, that is the official name I've given it. I love the yarn, I love the needles, but I hate knitting hats at such small gauge.)

6. Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine rocks my socks (even though I don't have hand knit socks on today, they were all in the wash).

7. Graduate school is not conducive to knitting time. Or yarn budgets.

8. I got my floor stash of yarn organized into one bin so it isn't collecting dust and leaves and tripping me anymore. Pictures forthcoming.

9. I need a knitting project that is knit on needles larger than size 3 US. It'd be nice to feel like I was making progress in some aspect of my life.

10. This gravy smell is getting out of hand.