Long Time No See

Sorry it's been so long since I posted here. Between the move and finishing my thesis (which I passed with flying colors) I've been alternately busy beyond all reason or mentally comatose. But I'm (nearly) back to my normal self and I do have some things to show for myself.

First, the new apartment is a big improvement on the studio. For one thing, my bed isn't my couch. I have separate furniture for living and sleeping. It's wonderful, and, more importantly, Westley approved.



Westley also has his very own furniture that allows him to look out of two windows whenever he wants.





I have been doing some knitting, though my progress has been much slower than normal. First, two finished items.

This pattern is "Summer Vest" from Creative Knitting May 2010. The only mod I did was to omit the lace patterns, since I felt they would get lost in the color changes. The yarn is Crystal Palace Cotton Twirl.



The second is Flappy Flounder from the current issue of Knitty, knit with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Her name is Kevin.



Kevin isn't very big, in fact, she's quite pocket sized.



What I'm working on now is the Strafford Tee from the current issue of KnitScene. I'm using Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy.



That's all I've got for the knitting, but I have recently learned that the local library carries a current subscription of Burda Style. So yesterday I got out this...



...and made this...



It's a nice little summer top that will look lovely on my sister-in-law. Hopefully the next one will fit me.

That's all I've got for now, and so I'm going to go work on my Strafford Tee. I've been averaging one ball for week, with 5 balls required, so if I can get ahead it'll be done even sooner. Maybe I'll be able to wear it for my graduation party.

I'm Alive

Sorry it's been so long, bit I'm working on a great post that will be up soon.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

i shouldn't be left alone

with my crazyness for too long.




Cause that's when I physically cut up my thesis and rearrange it while whistling bits and pieces of songs to myself. I went from having an introduction and literature review to having a shorter introduction and literature review and part of my conclusion.

Now to reproduce the mixup on my computer.

DISASTER!!!

When I put these socks, that I knit with my own two hands, the very first pair of socks I knit that fit me, and the second ever pair of socks that I knit, these socks that I love and are beyond comfortable, when I put these socks in my laundry basket they were WHOLE SOCKS. When I pulled them out of the laundry basket to go into the laundry machine, they were HOLEY SOCKS. Gigantic holes in both heels, at the same spot, one slightly larger than the other.

These socks weren't wearing out. There were no thin spot, and if anything the heels had felted slightly and were quite sturdy. So the only thing I can figure is this.

SOMETHING ATE HOLES IN MY HAND KNIT SOCKS!!!!!

And just these socks. My other hand knit socks that were in the laundry are fine. I also didn't find any multi-legged culprits that would have eaten the same spot on each sock for just this pair of socks.

The damage is fairly extensive. There's a large chunk of the knitting missing from each area. I don't know if I'm going to be able to fix these poor socks. They've had such a short life, too. I finished knitting them in July of 2009, so they only had two seasons to keep my feet warm, which they did admirably.



And before you ask, no, I haven't found any yarny bits in a certain someone's litter box.

Things I Learned Today

1. Quarters are no longer the gold standard at the local laundromat.

2. Standing and typing makes me antsy.

3. It takes less than 30 minutes for my duvet to dry in a commercial dryer, and the spot came out even without detergent (which I forgot).

4. The coin machine at the bank eats money (I brought in $2.75 of carefully counted nickles and dimes and the machine said I had $2.55).

5. I shouldn't book things while in a vegetative state. Note to self, cancel study room for Friday, I'm already busy during that time.

6. Theses don't write themselves, no matter how hard you think about it and wish for it.

7. You can't get at a person's innermost workings through two vague questions.

8. I have the willpower to resist free popcorn while doing laundry. This will come in handy when I start doing my laundry here weekly.

It's Getting Busy

Sorry I missed last week's post. Things are starting to heat up around here, some things fell through the cracks.

I have two important announcements.

1) I have a set date for my thesis defense: Monday, April 25th.

2) I'm moving! Move date is set for March 26th. My new place is about half again as big as this little studio, and it has a separate bedroom, a real kitchen, and a SINK in the bathroom. I'm very excited, but moving out of a place this small is presenting some challenges.

These two things together have me in a near petrified brain state of "way too much" which is why some things have slipped. But I've got a list this week, I'm feeling energized (cleaning the kitchen last night helped) and I'm ready to do this thing.

I do have pictures for you, though, so don't despair. First up, an update on my WsIP. First off is the long anticipated (by me) Whale Watch Hat from New England Knits. I've made some progress on it since this picture, but you get the idea.



I'm using Louet Gems fingering. It is a very fun knit, and all of my floats along the back are just right to not pucker the knitting but not be loose and sloppy.

Next up is the start of my Summer Vest (ravelry link). I like this one for the shape, so I've ditched the lace and am working plain stocking stitch since my yarn is variegated. The yarn is Cotton Twirl by Crystal Palace Yarns (the same stuff in the last actual blog post).



The next series of pictures are my goodies from the Portland Yarn Crawl (whose website has mysteriously disappeared).











And finally, I'll leave you with a series of pictures of Westley helping to open a package that I got in the mail. He's such a good helper. I'm off to finish the results section of my thesis. Hope you're enjoying the start of spring, and stayed tuned for another day in the life.

Why does it have to be Monday?