Knit On, Cast Off

Hello? Blog?

2009-12-03T19:50:00.001-08:00

This post is from 11/23/2008 and refers to the events of summer 2008. (do I win the award for worst blogger or what???)

I'm back... for now anyway.
Much has happened since May! R and I went on an awesome summer vacation in late June. Much climbing, rafting, hiking, camping, more hiking, climbing and visiting was done. And also lots of knitting.
I worked on a paint crew for the school district for the summer.
My friend Jessi had a tiny cute baby girl.
My friend Priscilla moved to Arizona :-P.
THEN I moved to Portland. I live downtown, which has it's good sides (close to school, the streetcar, stealing the internet) and bad sides (too many starbucks, expensive bars, very noisy). I do live a short streetcar ride away from Knit/Purl, which is a treat. I've read reviews saying they aren't very nice, but I find them to be very helpful.
And now I'm just a few weeks away from my being finished with my first term of grad school!!
I've also done some spinning. I'm borrowing the wheel semi indefinitely, until the owner gets a student she needs to teach.
Now to the pics!!
End

Now whats happening in late 2009?
Well I'm finishing up the Fall term of my second and LAST year of grad school.
I moved out of downtown Portland and now live on Mt Tabor.
I have been working at a daycare. :-P
I have done almost no hiking, rock climbing or camping since I moved to Portland last fall.
AND I rarely have time for knitting. Though I should be finishing up a pair of argyles for Rob... soon?
The spinning wheel and I got into a fight. I think I out grew it. So my graduation present to myself will be a spinning wheel. Assuming I have a job when I graduate!
Maybe I can resurrect this blog?
Who knows!

blankie!!

2008-05-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the update on the blanket:

Ta Da!! Mine is the lower right corner. The ends are woven in and it should go out this weekend in a box laden with goodies for Kyle and his family.
Things I'm not proud of... the knots. Honestly... after this I will severly limit my use of cotton, because I detest weaving it in and destest that it won't remain woven in. Stupid cotton blend... How dare you defy me!!! Most of the knots are part of the mitered square and hide under the seam. So there.

socks

2008-05-04T12:07:00.001-07:00

Hurrah! Another finished pair of socks! At 4 months per pair it is truly an occasion.
Pattern: Rudy Got Sole by Amy Klimt
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport (it turns out... I thought it was sock yarn) in Stone
Needles: US 1, 2.25mm
Size: mens 10.5 (US).
R wore them right away and his only complaint was that they made his feet sweat, but it is spring here, so the time for wool socks is over... Especially since both of us wear Chacos all summer long.
I didn't bother blocking them since R wanted to wear them as soon as I wove in the last end. What is interesting is that the second sock came out just a tad bigger. Everything was the same (needles, cast on stitches etc), I just think I was just more relaxed when I did number 2.

Saartjie bootie.
I also started and finished this a few evenings ago. I hope to finish the second tonight or tomorrow.
I still need some cute buttons. The nice thing about baby stuff is that is goes so quickly! One evening = one bootie!

socks done

2008-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Favorite Friday doesn't seem to work since I don't have internet access consistently. Heh.
The Rudy Got Sole socks are done, but I have no pictures since my camera is in Portland without me (another reason fave friday wouldn't have worked). The socks were well received and R has been wearing them ever since I finished them.
Hurrah!

Favorite Friday- The Strange Disappearance of Arthur Cluck

2008-04-18T13:59:00.001-07:00

This was my favorite book as a small child. I asked my grandmother to read it so many times over the course of the day that she took to hiding it from me.It is the story of Arthur, the chick who rides on his mother's head, who goes missing one day. His mother enlists the help of an owl named Ralph to help her recover Arthur. In the end, Arthur is discovered, rescued and reunited with his mother.During the course of his investigation Ralph follows and questions a pack-rat. My favorite illustration has always been this one, depicting the pack-rat's horde of stolen treasures. I've been taking good care of this book since I became an adult because I look forward to sharing it with my children someday.

On the knitting front, I've been slowly making progress on the Rudy socks and hope to have pictures of Sizzle up soon.

Happy Friday!!

Favorite thing Friday on Saturday

2008-04-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know it's been longer than a week. But I'm going start doing "favorite Fridays" and post a picture of something very important to me. At least. Hopefully this will encourage me to blog other things.
I didn't actually blog this yesterday because I didn't have internet access after I took pictures... Next week I promise I'll plan better.
This week's favorite seemed appropriate because I read on Blue Blog this week that Sockapalooza 5 is in the planning stage!! And what says sockapalooza better than a sock monkey!

This sock monkey was made for me by my grandmother when I was a tiny baby. Between the construction of this monkey and the birth of my brother 5 years later, sock monkey socks became scarce (I remember the drama of no sock monkey socks quite well) so my brother ended up with a blue sock monkey.

I think this sock monkey has weathered 26 years well. Good job sock monkey! Here he is enjoying one of the end of one of the first spring days of the year.

Here is the square I'm working on for the charity blanket. Hello mitered square.
I love mitered squares. This is Knit Picks Shine worsted in "Crocus" and "Wave", both left over from the FT two-toned shrug.

I'm back...

2008-03-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well things have been busy since Thanksgiving. My goal was to post here during spring break and continue at least once a week after that.
Some updates are:
1) J squared for whom (in part) this blog was started have opted to stay in Montana, and are expecting their first child (a girl) in August. This of course demands lots of baby-type knitting.
2) I've applied to graduate school at Portland State. But just last night I had a dream that I received a hand-written rejection letter... and a check for $116, so we'll see how that turns out.
3) I have finished a bunch o' knitting. The majority of it is posted on Ravelry (knitonRachel).
4) I learned the basics of hand-dying over Easter weekend from Jodie at strings and yarn. Which was wonderfully fun and fulfilling.
Now on to some knitting!

pattern: The One-Piece Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon.
yarn: Sugar and Cream Twists.
needles: US 6
I added garter stitch at the hem and cuffs because I thought it looked nice. Of course this is for the upcoming August baby.

Hand dyed BFL roving and some Knit Picks Essential sock yarn (red/brown/white) and Knit Picks Swish worsted (orange/white)

Pattern: Rudy Got Sole by Amy Klimt, http://spinalcat.blogspot.com
Yarn: Brown Sheep, sport? sock?, a brownish/gray color
Needles: 2.25mm, two circs
This pair is for the bf. He pretends to be aloof about knitting, but randomly nags about the second getting finished, so I know he is smitten. This only took me about a month to finish (ha!!) because I'm slow... I'm making okay headway on the second.
Speaking of the bf...

Isn't this a handsome young man? Only made more so by the beautiful hat. mmhmm.
(seaman's cap by needle beetle, cascade 220 heathers, size US 7)

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for:
1) My family. Not everyone is so lucky to have a immediate family as supportive as mine. My parents and brother are supportive of everything I do, even if they don't agree with it.
2) My friends, most of whom are like family. Even if they are busy and hard to get a hold of, I know my leetle friendies have my back. And even if we spend a year apart, when we are together things pick-up like we just saw each other yesterday. Go friends!!
3) My boyfriend. Even if he is a little poo sometimes and even if we break up tomorrow, he has made the last two and a half years (most of which were kind of crappy) fly by and has made me the happiest I've ever been in my life. I hope that someday he realizes how amazing he is and why I can't help but be smitten.
4) My job(s). One job is finally paying enough to almost make it worth my time and is teaching me how to be patient and leave work at work. The other job is very flexible and full of good people to talk to and be friends with. Plus, work 1 is loaning me this computer!
5) My finances. Are finally working out so I'm not a nervous wreck constantly. I'm still living check to check, but I don't have a gap of three weeks when I'm overdrawn and starving.
6) Having awesome vets that helped me make the decision not to let my little dog suffer too long.
7) Eugene, Oregon. I have lived in other places, but I can definitely say that I grew up in Eugene.
8) My students. They remind me how important it is to stay human and be kind and supportive to each other.
9) My new apartment (or how Rachel got her sanity back). Even if it has only been about 55 degrees in there lately... it is my space and I love it and the cats love it.
10) Knitting. Because it gives me a creative outlet and keeps me calm(er).

still blocked but with spinning!! lots o' pics.

2007-11-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, am I a horrible blogger or what?

So I'm still in a knitting funk. I have started the bobblicious twice but can't seem to make the super cheap circular needle I bought work. The cable has too much memory and just makes things a mess. But I have been doing a fair amount of spinning.

Here is my second yarn attempt. It is the colorway "Elgar Cello Concerto" from Strings and Yarn, spun thick and thin (unfortunately not on purpose) and plied with cotton sewing thread. I'm quite pleased with it. Plying with a thinner weight thread, however, made me horribly dizzy while it was happening. And I was kind of tired when I did it. I need to be reminded that spinning is not something to be done when tired and wanting to relax... At least not at this point in my spinning career.

I'm using it to make the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf. I'm so delighted with the self striping! I just hope the skein from the next bobbin stripes the same (ie. I hope I spun the colors up the same way!) I really like this colorway. I like the play of the scarlet with the coral and purple... gorgeous.

These are my friends from Great Falls, Montana. They were city shopping in Oregon and spent a few days with me checking out Eugene. We ate at The Keystone, Fisherman's Market, Ron's Island Grill, Ta Ra Rin, had some beer/played pool at The Jackalope and had treats at Sweet Life and coffee at The Wandering Goat. Great Falls doesn't have much in the way of cuisine, think Applebee's and semi-hip sandwich shops and wimpy coffee, so we loaded up on interesting things. We also visited 5th Street Market (they arrived on Saturday night, so no Saturday Market), Skinner's Butte, Goldbeach Oregon, Valley River Center, Mount Pisgah, Sunrise Asian Market, The University of Oregon and the Bookstore, and the Supreme Bean. I'm sure we went other places that I can't remember. It was fun. If only my friends lived here all the time.

Here is a gratuitous cat picture with an almost finished jaywalker. I'm very lucky to have cats that don't care about yarn or string. This cat will even sit in my lap while I knit, the yarn dragging over his little shiny body.

This is more fiber from Strings and Yarn in the colorway "Elves Dance-Jenkinson" It is very pretty when spun up (no pictures, alas) but with some long stretches of creamy, greeny, white. So I had to buy the second 4 ounces so that I could ply them together. Sigh. Life is rough.
My spinning is getting better, I just have to remember not to spin when I'm tired. Knitting while tired can work, but for spinning I need to be sprightly and ready to work.

Here is a picture of a mushroom we saw at Skinner's Butte.

knitters block 2

2007-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I need to knit faster...
Of course nothing is really striking my fancy at the moment. I'm done with the fetching for my mom but no pictures yet, and I'm slogging away on the first jaywalker... still.
In my defense I have been busy lately. My friends from Montana visited this weekend+Mon and Tues so I was busy with that. Actually the two people to whom part of this site is dedicated, even though they never see it being without a computer.
I've also been working the second job a lot which is prime knitting time, but not without distractions. Distractions include: working, surfing the internet looking at knitting things, working, staring into space etc.
I'm really trying to learn the continental style because I can see that it is faster, but I have trouble with tension, my yarn gets all swirly and when I purl the stitches end up backwards. So I have some work to do.
I'm a few inches away from starting the toe of the jaywalkers. I have a list of yarns I want and a friend should be buying some yarn so I can make a Bobblicious for her before she goes to Korea. A quick project on huge needles with huge yarn is just what I need.
I have found that the queue function on Ravelry has helped me immensely with my backlog of wants and needs.

ps. I realized after initially posting this that it was the second post titled "knitters block" in a row. Yowza. Maybe I should take up sewing (i.e. learning to sew) for a week or two.

knitters block

2007-10-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

It doesn't seem like it's been that long since I posted last... oops.
I have knitters block. What I need is a large gratifying project to work on. Right now I have two different socks started. I have one Jaywalker and one Spiralling Sock sitting on the needles.
I was really excited about the Jaywalkers until I realized they don't stretch that much and might not fit the intended recipient. So I put laid them on the coffee table and there they have stayed, mocking me everytime I turn on the TV.
Then I started a pair of spiralling socks in OnLine Supersocke, but the yarn annoys me because it is too visually busy to see how spirals are coming out.
I need something other than socks for a while, I also need to get some size 1 and 2 circulars because doing socks on double-pointed needles is getting old.
So last night I started a pair of fetching for my mom. Which helps, the needles are double-pointed, but size 4s so not too, too tiny. Plus the pattern is immediately gratifying and doing cables without a cable needle makes me feel clever.
I'm also making a present for the b/f for his birthday. It is very silly, but I need orange yarn before I can continue working on it.
I want to start working on either the Airy Wrap-around Sweater from fitted knits or Sizzle from Knit and Tonic. But I don't have yarn for either.
In spinning news:
I finished spinning the last of the Strings and Yarn fiber this weekend. I've learned that you should draft all of your fiber at the same time, because waiting a week between halves makes it hard to remember what you did. But everything turned out fine.
But now I'm out of fiber too. Ahhh!
I need a third job so all of that money can go toward knitting pursuits only.
P.S. I'm on Ravelry now! I'm knitonRachel!

Spinner-ific

2007-09-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

I finished spinning up about two ounces of the roving. The color way is "Elgar Cello Concerto". Spinning hand dyed fiber is a lot of fun. I really enjoy watching the colors mix and blend as they come into my hands. My spinning still isn't as even as I would like, but pre-drafting helped a lot.

I especially like how the colors twist around each other and look almost plied together.
Ahhh, how fulfilling a little colored wool can be!!

Handknit handspun

2007-09-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have finished my One Skein Wonder made from hand spun. Yes, I know I need some different patterns, but if people would stop buying yarn to make them stuff with...
It is now a bit too chilly to wear the shrug, but it layers well under other things.
Here are the pictures, taken by my very obliging sweetie:

Hurray for finished objects!!
I cast off this little number as we were headed home from Sisters, OR and a day of bouldering.

Obviously the person in the top photo is not me...

Back to knitting/spinning. I pre-drafted half of the 4 ounces of fiber from Strings and Yarn and spun a bit of it up yesterday. It is so beautiful. I forgot to get pictures of the fiber pre-drafting and during spinning, but I will try to remember. My hope is to get it even enough in thickness I can ply it with some silk thread or something and make it come out light worsted or so. I already have some thin spots.... but I'm going to try and get better.
And now a gratuitous frog picture. We found this guy when we were climbing near Bend the weekend before last. Photo credits go to my sweetie again.

two-tone shrug reveal

2007-09-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

I was going to take pictures of the shrug with the dress I had planned on wearing it with, but it didn't happen. So here are some pictures taken at the school. I look strange because it was about 80 something degrees and very bright outside, so I was straight out of air conditioning and squinting my eyeballs out. But the shrug looks nice. We shot the pictures in
the shade because it was too bright everywhere else.

FYI
It is the Two-tone Shrug from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel in KnitPicks Shine Worsted (cotton/modal), colors wave and crocus.

patterns for the future

2007-09-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really taken with this pattern from MagKnits (http://magknits.com/July06/ballet.htm), but not excited about the KnitPicks Shine Sport it's made out of. I just can't get past the way the two tone shrug hangs. The shrug I haven't posted pictures of yet. heh.
But I really like the Ballet Camisole. Perhaps at some point I'll give Shine another chance.

At last! Socks and FO's

2007-09-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not dead. I moved and don't have the internet right now. Which is funny since I just got an invitation to Ravelry. It came about 2 days after I lost internet access. Ha!

So much has happened. Socks were sent off on August 15th. My sock pal posted her love for them on the sockapalooza website and even started herown blog to show them off... but it is in Swedish mostly.

http://liteommycket.blogspot.com/2007/08/min-blogg.html

http://sockapaloozafour.blogspot.com/2007/08/thank-you-dear-sockpal.html

I was so releived that she liked them AND that they fit! Especially since they fit my like support hose!

And my socks were received soon after:

Along with some wool soak, fancy buttons, ginger candies, some hand dyed sock yarn and some tea. Oh, and a fabulous post card. I can't remember the names of the sock pattern or either of the yarns, because all of that info is at my internet-less home. But they are lovely and I can't wait to wear them when it gets cooler. And so freaking pretty! I love blue. Nothing is so gratifying as getting goodies in the mail.

The weekend after I mailed the socks I finished the dream swatch from knit and tonic (100% superwash merino from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio 150 yards, don't know the colorway). It is very pretty and surprisingly toasty for a little thing.

Before I even sent the socks off I finished the two-tone shrug from fitted knits. I don't have any pictures of it yet though. I used Shine Worsted from KnitPicks, 100% cotton in "wave" and "crocus". It was really fun and quick to knit (not quick enough that I wore it to the show I wanted it for), but I don't think cotton was right for it. Not for me anyways. I don't like the way that cotton drapes and it doesn't hold up to wearing very well. So I haven't worn it much. But the shrug has recieved some favorable male attention (i.e. a young man at a bar telling a friend he had a crush on the girl with "pink sleeves" while I was in the bathroom). I think it's because the wide ribbing accentuates the waist. Hopefully I will get pictures of it this week and maybe they will get posted next month! :-)

And to round everything out a gratuitous pet picture illustrating how happy my kitties are in our new space!

Now I need to get started on xmas knitting. Sigh. But first I want to finish the one skein wonder I've started for myself from my handspun, which I've also finished spinning and plying. I even set the twist in the bathtub, which was very gratifying!

I also ordered some hand dyed roving from stringsandyarn etsy. I haven't started spinning it yet because it is so pretty! I feel like I need to pre-draft it, but don't know exactly how to do that!

I will post pictures of all the rest soon!!

Sockapalooza finale!

2007-08-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! Finished socks!

Pattern: Anastasia by Pepperknit (couldn't find and actual name on pattern)
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in "rainforest" toes reinforced with something or other...
Needles: Size US 1 Clover Bamboo DPNs
Hurray!
This pattern wasn't too hard and taught me:
1) how to make toe up socks
2) how to read a simple chart
3) how to wrap short rows
4) that knitting can in fact cause repeated motion injuries.

More sock porn... the toe

the heel...

the lovely spiral stripes.

And all the goodies that are going to my over-seas sockpal!
I am a bit concerned about the postage... but I assume it is worth it.

In other news I've started/almost completed the fitted knits two-tone shrug. I want to have it done by tomorrow, but my shoulder hurts from 7 hours of continuous knitting today. We shall see.
Now I'm off to a baseball game!

spin me a river...

2007-07-20T08:24:00.001-07:00

I love spinning. It is so calming. It is even closer to meditation than knitting is.
I'm getting better at joining roving (insert technical name here) while spinning and this last bobbin (the one shown) didn't break at all when I wound it off the bobbin. I'm going to wait until I have more before I ply it this time. The little cake of yarn is my first bobbin of hand spun ever. It is so full of knots where the singles broke it's unreal. I don't think I'll use it for anything. I'll just keep it for posterity. What I really need is more than one bobbin. My friend is ordering another, but I'm hesitant to get too many for this wheel because I'd like to get a different one at some point. I'd like to try something other than Scotch tension to see how that works. Also there is much to learn about ratios and other stuff that concerns numbers. I hate the numbers.

This is how interested my cats are in yarn. I love this picture because he looks very bashful. His shiny black fur makes and excellent backdrop for pictures.
This should be evidence to everyone the kind of environment I live in. If you get anything from me that is knitted, chances are it has some cat hair in it. Not because everything snuggles with my cats, but because they snuggle everywhere and then the hair ends up in my knitting...

Here is a finished object picture for the latest One-Skein wonder. For hers Yuki picked Crystal Palace Bamboozle (bamboo/cotton/elastic) in "royal purple". This yarn is perfect for shrugs. It is nice and stretchy, so you don't have to worry about straining your back while shrugging into your shrug.

And I love how great the raglan shaping looks. Many people at work complemented Yuki on her fabulous new look. I can't think of a better home for a cute purple shrug!
I've ordered some Knit Picks Shine Worsted for the Two-Tone shrug from Fitted Knits. Hopefully it will get here soon. I'm not super excited about knitting cotton again, because I've heard it can be difficult to knit, but we shall see. The Shine colors were lovely.

And now to the sock! The first Anastasia Sock is finally done! Hurrah! It is knit in Knit Picks Palette in Rain Forest. The toe and heel are reinforced with Fortissima Socka thread #1088, it didn't match perfectly, but gives the sock a little extra green in the heel and toe.
I swear to you dear, sweet sockpal that, though it may appear otherwise, I will not let you down! You will get a pair of socks from me! I really like this pattern, size ones take a long time but I think it is worth it. My boss (work 1) said this is the first hand knit sock she'd seen that she would actually put on her foot.

The sad thing is I've knit so much in the past week that my shoulder hurts. That's right, I've got a knitting related injury. When I move it around it twinges and is all hurty. I need to cast on the next sock today though. I tried last night, but the provisional cast on was giving me problems... again. I like how this cast on works later, but getting it going in the first place makes me a little crazy.
Now on to pressing questions. How does one block socks without those fancy sock blockers? these desperately need to be washed (!!) and blocked before they are sent. Should I just pin them and put a fan on to facilitate two layer drying?
That is all for now.

goings on...

2007-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Much has happened in the last few weeks. Quite a lot of it was crappy, but I'll start with the good stuff first.
Let us begin with Black Sheep shall we?
I went to Black Sheep with a teacher I work with who is an accomplished spinner/knitter/weaver/crocheter/teacher. She bought me this:

And with the help of a somewhat geriatric Ashford wheel that she is lending me, I turned it into this:

May I just say that I am quite taken with this thing called spinning. It is very relaxing and a bit like meditation. Except the joining in more roving... that part is still a bit frustrating. Workable though.

I also got this:

It is 100% superwash merino from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio. 150 yards was $12.95, so I'm making the dream swatch from Knit and Tonic. It is coming out quite beautifully.

And last but not least my sockapalooza sock. This is the first one... sigh. So far to go. But the pattern is going well.

And last but not least the really shitty shit news. My dear, sweet, best friend Bonny had to be put to sleep due to acute kidney failure on the 3rd of July. She had just turned 15 in June.

Funny how something like a pair of socks suddenly seems inconsequential when you have a big Bonny shaped hole in your heart.

so much has happened, fo's

2007-06-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

I finished the wrist warmers just in time. The sizes turned out a little funky, but they appeared to be we received.

There are a few tiny mistakes, since I worked on a couple in near darkness. There are two wrist bands who weren't claimed by their intended owners and they disappeared with the other students before I could get pictures of them in action. Working on these just reminded me how much I dislike Red Heart acrylic. Yuck!

I have much to say about Black Sheep, but I must go for now... more pictures tonight (hopefully)!

sock pattern choosen

2007-06-02T00:43:00.001-07:00

I have chosen the Anastasia Socks for my (the green toes pictured at left) sock pal.

This surprises me because it require I do two things I wasn't very excited about.
1) Toe-up socks
2) Reading a chart
But so far (Row 7 of chart) I really like it. I also like the way the size 1 needles knit up fabric.
Now I just need to find the right yarn. I have looked everywhere and solid color sock yarn is hard to find. Why can't I use the green yarn in the picture? Well I had considered that. It's the Peruvian wool from Knit Picks and I really like it, but there are two things...
1) It is dirt cheap at $1.99 a skein, and I don't want my sock pal to feel cheap
2)It is 100% wool and I feel like it would wear out really fast or felt

So the search for the perfect sock yarn continues. I'm ordering something the evening of the 5th though... Green something. I really liked Lorna's Laces, but I can't find anything green enough... Hmmm.

I like the monkey socks, but they are coming out really big I think... I'm worried about what will happen when they get blocked. They will be pretty silken man socks. Hmmm... would he wear silk/wool lace man socks??? Probably...
I do like the pattern though... When I start another pair I'll try to use the chart.

It is late... away to bed I go.

the yarn stork delivered!

2007-05-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

I can see that getting yarn in the mail can be addictive! Thanks Knit Picks!! I'm very excited, but sad because I have to do a wrist warmer at work tonight instead of new yarn things... :-(
I don't really know what to do with the hanks... I know I need to wind them, but drawing straight off the hank is supposed to be a bad idea. Hmmm...
I really like the peruvian wool (in the middle, color: rainforest heather). That is something for me I think. The gloss (bottom, dusk) is for trying out sock patterns and the bare (top) is to dye. Now I just need to be brave and actually dye it!!

Four fetchings right in a row. My personal pair are on the left. I guess they aren't as fuzzy as I had thought, just loved.

I threw some cables into a sock I'm knitting. They are a bit too far down to be artistically pleasing, but I don't think R will mind. With pants no one will see the tops anyways. Now that I can do cables without a needle I love them even more than I already did!! I want to cable everything! Now I must leave all my pretty new yarn at home and go to work2. Poo!!

Nothing at all to do with knitting...

2007-05-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite editorial cartoon ever! I even made copies for all the feminist teachers at my school.

Ha!!

It makes me think to myself, "Oh thats right! Take that! God is a she conservative religio-facists! Won't you be surprised when you die! Neener neener neener!"

That said, I do send my condolences to his family. Even if he was a stinker it is very sad and unfortunate to lose a loved one.

No pics again

2007-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with the second fetching for the student at work2. They are the exact same color as the ones I made myself, so I'm ready to be done. I might post a picture of mine vs. the new ones. Mine pilled and got fuzzy really fast.

Hopefully my yarn order will get here soon. I am either going to make my sock pal:
monkey socks or
Anastasia Socks
Maybe. Or I might decide that lace and charted patterns are the devil and go for some good old:
plain socks.
I've never done toe up socks before, but hopefully it won't be too horrible. I'm thinking about some Lorna's Laces for yarn. I feel like I'm late to the party for choosing a pattern and yarn, but I want make sure I can actually do more complicated socks before I have any lofty aspirations.

In other news I used grumperina's tutorial on cabling without a cable needle and I am now cable needle free! Hooray! Someday perhaps (in the far future) I will be able to take on Clessidra from Knitty. Those are the sexiest socks ever!!

And did I mention that I told the students in my 6th period class that I would knit them all wrist bands? There are only five students left at this point, but that is still something I have to keep in mind. I'm going to use the pattern from Stitch N' Bitch, only in the round, with two colors each. Luckily they won't mind acrylic yarn... So five wrist bands are needed by June 14. I wonder if I could do one in about 4 hours? Then I could do one a night at work2. hmmmm.

Also on the to do list are sockapalooza socks (duh), two more One Skein Wonders (one for me, one for another friend), the Two Tone Shrug from "Fitted Knits" if the book ever gets to the library, and some wedding gift socks-gloves-slippers-or-something. Thats for now... of course the list is really much longer than that, and will have some man socks and other things slipped in I'm sure.

yarn online

2007-05-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

I placed my first online yarn order yesterday. I got Knit Picks gloss (merino/silk), a hank of bare superwash fingering to kool aid dye and... some palette (100% peruvian wool). I almost bought some more yarn for man socks, but then realized I'd better get crackin' on socks more difficult than 3x1 rib for sockapalooza practice. So more boy socks will have to wait... besides the pair I'm already knitting. The thing that scares me is... guage. Eek! Rachel is not so good at the swatching and gauging.

I've also finished one fetching done for the work2 student. She brought me a set of Brittany US 6 dpn's the other day, which was very nice of her.

And... I have an job interview tomorrow! It is for a Applied Science/Research place and I'm pretty excited. It would be nice to get a higher paying job that is related to my Psych degree. Wish me luck! With just one job I would have time to do crazy things like... join a knitting group, learn to spin, exercise regularly, ride a bike to work, walk my dog. The mind boggles!

FO thuja pattern!

2007-05-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post a link to this. It is the pattern I used for the grey socks knitted on size 6 needles.
Thuja from Knitty!
I have yet to hear from the new master of these socks, but the weather has been very warm, so I doubt they've gotten a lot of wear. A black pair of dress-ish socks have been requested!

FO socks!!

2007-05-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hoorah!!
R says that they "feel funny" like he can "feel the stitches or something". They were knitted on size 6 needles. Perhaps that is why most sock yarn is tiny.
I think they will be fine once they are washed a couple of times.

comment land

2007-05-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've found the way to get comments one's blog is to join swap things. It is very exciting. Now I feel I just have to stay interesting.
Due to losing my fourth needle in SO's (significant other's) couch for half the day, the socks are not accompanying him to Couer d' Alene. Towards the end he was asking and asking if they would be done... Hopefully he wasn't just being nice :-)
I could have stayed up late last night and maybe finished them, but the 4:30 am appointment with the airport terminal dissuaded me. Now I can block them like a good little knitter.
I hardly ever block things... blocking things that are partially synthetic (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, Encore DK & Worsted) doesn't seem to do a lot of good, but maybe thats just an excuse for me being impatient. Also, laying things out flat is an invitation for animals to lie on it (like the brown armwarmers I blocked).
The second day it was finished I took the hoodie off and put it on the bed to go for a run and when I turned around Ezekiel (the black one) was kneading (!) it and purring at me! So I can imagine leaving things unattended to block..

socks... again.

2007-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of sad that the sockapalooza4 blog isn't working quite right. I'm scared of the pligg thing. I might have my tech guy explain it to me.
The second sock is coming along quite nicely. The tension is tighter, so I hope it fits okay. There isn't a mystery hole in this one either which makes me feel oh-so-clever.
I can't wait to get paid so I can buy some sock yarn via the internet.
Miss Diabetic Doggy is doing well. Now I just have to worry about her running herself to a heart attack. She's feeling better and sometimes forgets that she is old. I think I'll have a birthday party for her and invite a bunch of doggy friends.

gratuitous picture of baby squirrel

2007-05-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

I helped create this little guy by feeding the parents cracked corn bird food. That's right these little darlings are sleek all because of me...

Oh!
And I have a sock pal! I'm very busy devising all the things I can cram in with socks that will be interesting to someone overseas.
And I am a sock pal! I've heard from my sock pal!
Hi! Don't worry I'm easy to please!

sock the first is ready for take off!!

2007-05-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Sock the first has been completed thus (at work):

It looks great off the foot, but once on I see little bits of skin. My sweetie doesn't have enormous feet by any means and the gauge was right... maybe I knit it too tightly? The top of the sock is a little too loose. So I dunno. I'm just going to knit up the other one the same way(but tighter up top) and he can wear them as not quite so warm spring socks.

He does like it however, obligingly sticking his foot out whenever I take the sock (and a half) out to admire. I've tried it on and it is exceedingly comfortable.
I am also happy with the shape and really like the look of this type of heel. I'm about an inch from the heel of sock the second, but I've run out of yarn. So I must wait until tomorrow. :-P

Things I learned:
How to weave in ends for real, rather than just faking it.
More kitchener stitch. Some problems, but tolerable results.
Not to mention my first pair of socks!!
Hurrah!

sock n' dog

2007-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

I think I'm almost done with sock 1. I need to have Mr. recipient try it on for size.

But someone please tell me what this is?!? And where it came from?

I'm assuming it is a slight mix up during the heel flap making part of the journey. I think it's easily fixed with a little mattress stitching, but it still irks me because I was extra careful but still completely missed the hole until I was far far past fixing it. Oh well, that's why socks are knit in pairs right? There are some other minor hiccups in the moss stitch ribbing, but they are un-noticeable to the untrained (un-anal) eye.

This is the reason I haven't posted for a few days...

Miss Bonny is a brand new canine diabetic. So this weekend was spent freaking out over a severe bladder infection and the past few days have been spent freaking out over the diabetes diagnosis. Really it's fine, except for the fact that she now requires insulin every 10-12 hours. That will make the two job gig very difficult.

I also have received my sockapalooza pal information. It's on ladies and gentlemen!! So much to do between now and August!!

socks and pets

2007-04-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of my first sock!! Yay! I love knitting things on DPNs. The little beginning tube is so cute. I'm knitting Thuja from the Winter 05 knitty. I like that they are on size 6 needles... I don't know if I'm ready for size 2s! Since they are rugged man socks, I think I will give them to my sweetie.

Oh and out of the 6 days that the hoodie has been finished, I have worn it 4 days. I heart it!
I also forgot to mention my pets... so here is a picture of my dog and company.
This is Bonny. She is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi/Jack Russell Terrier cross and I have had her since she was about 6 weeks old (her mom's milk dried up). She will be 15 in June! Her hobbies include: eating, sleeping, snoodling around on the carpet, watching the world go by and eating.

This is Jonis. He is about 6 years old, though he doesn't look it, and has a little nubby tail. He was born to a feral cat colony in some blackberry bushes. His hobbies include: hiding from people he knows (but rarely me), hanging with his favorite pal Bonny, playing with my roommates dog, hogging the food dishes, posturing around outside, playing in the toilet and sleeping.

This is Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a shelter cat, is about 7 and thinks that I am a goddess. I am allergic to his saliva. His hobbies include: sleeping, trying to sneak outside, trying to get my attention by maowing and pawing at me, wiping his drool on my face, ignoring the dogs and harassing people (esp. my roommate) into feeding him.

This is Schwinn. He belongs to my roommate and is a labra-doodle. His hobbies include: chewing no-no things in an attempt to channel puppyish energy, running around like a maniac when he gets to go to the dog park, barking at the mail man, smashing himself into small spaces and showering the world with love.

sock progress

2007-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

1) cast on, knit two rows. cast on looks funny... rip out...
2) cast on, knit a row... cast on still looks funny... imagine living with it... rip out...
3) cast on with a different method... looks amazing... knit two rows... realize that there are only 43 stitches instead of 44... rip out...
4) cast on 44 again with preferred cast on... get bored... blog.

sigh... it's goint to be a long night at work2

Finished object!!! Hoodie love!!

2007-04-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is how it looked in the beginning... Like a placenta that would burst out of my bag occasionally to mock me. After it was seamed and I was knitting the hood it looked even more like a placenta. Then when I was finishing the ribbing it looked like a really ugly lumpy bag.

But now the placenta has blossomed into a beautiful hoodie!! hurrah!!

I love the length of the back.

And with a stylish pin option for those days when the girls need a little extra love!

I tried the kitchener stitch on the hood. I really liked it. I ran into a couple problems so it isn't perfect, but from a reasonable distance it looks fabulous.

blogging is hard

2007-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know how people blog about knitting more than once or twice a week. The hoodie is progressing. I ran out of yarn about 2.5 inches into the hood. I managed to find the last skein of that dye lot at the LYS. I think it would have been okay though, the colors don't show that much difference. Hopefully I'll be done soon.

I'm teaching a student to knit right now. It's funny to see a guy wearing a Slayer shirt get so excited about learning to knit. I hate sticky acrylic yarn. I don't know how anyone learns on it.

Bleh.

Finished objects image heavy

2007-04-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Besides my obligatory garter stitch scarf (of my own design of course heh) this was my first finished object. I didn't block it properly because I was so excited and I didn't know the mattress stitch so it came out kind of wonky. But I slapped the grateful dead bear on it and a friend was more than happy to take it off my hands. It's supposed to be an ipod cozy from The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting an impulse buy that wasn't a very good learning book, but got the ball rolling. Mmmm acrylic self striping sock yarn sock yarn...

I got this free pattern from Ben Franklin's. This charming armwarmer is made of a wool/acrylic blend (Lion Brand something or other, I have the label somewhere). I also made a pair of these in black Bernat's satin. An easy (knitted flat) yet fulfilling second project.

ABC: Alison's beginners cap. This was an easy first in the round project. It was knitted of blue Bernat's satin.

The Umbilical Hat from Stitch and Bitch. Also in Bernat satin. At the time I was very broke and Bernat's was a) cheap b) pretty c) easy to work with d) super soft and e) has great stitch definition.

A garter stitch scarf (original design again heh) I made for my friend Kim on the train down to San Francisco. It was made out of... any guesses?? That's right!!! Black Bernat's satin and some delicious fluffy yarn I found on sale. She loved it. Or at least pretended to and I know she has worn it at least once since then.

This is a purse from the Cool Girl's book. The knitting pattern was okay, but the finishing up instructions (lining etc) were pretty bad. It's really hard to sew through two layers of knit fabric and two layers of lining on a sewing machine. Really really hard. But this was for my oldest bestest friend in the world and she loved it. How can you not love something with buttons? It is made out of Encore DK doubled up throughout. The picture doesn't show it, but with the doubled variegation it looks almost 3D.

Uni the Pocket Creature from Knitty. Knit in left over bits.

Fetching from Knitty. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. I didn't like the picot edging so I skipped it I also skipped blocking so the bottom edge curls, but they keep my hands super warm! I had been knitting for 7 months (finished in Feb 07) and these are the first things I made for myself and I love them. Wearing something you knit yourself is awesome. I *heart* knitting!!

This isn't everything I've done... I've meant to take pictures of everything, but sometimes people wore them or I gave them away too fast. I've also done Knucks and Calorimetry from Knitty. Knitty has saved me because I don't have a lot of knitting books and spend too much time surfing the web at work2. I did a lace beanie from Rowan that was horrible and I gave it to someone with big hair. I also started the Irish Hiking Scarf from ???, but haven't finished it. I have another ABC cap on the needles somewhere, an unfinished punked out Uni and need to put ears on a finished SnB's "Hot Head" hat for a friend. Knitting hats flat is wierd.

A Big Day!!

2007-04-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

1) I got my first comment today!!! Yay! Thanks Holly (should you ever decide to visit my poor upstart blog again)!
2) I have lost my mind. I signed up for the sockapalooza today. I've never knit a sock in my life... but I have faith in myself. This is in addition to the charity blanket swap... I can do it! I can do it!!
3) I learned how to put buttons in my sidebar.
4) I want to post pictures of all my FO from before I started the blog. I may try to do it after flute chior tonight.
5) Whew!

seaming is horrible

2007-04-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

So did I mention that the hoodie is my first seamed project? Yeah. So I didn't do it quite right and now it is really hard to get the arms on... I guess it looks okay though. I had to seam the one arm though to make sure it fit, so it seemed (heh) logical to just attach it in it's seamed state.
It looks okay. The teacher from the fiber arts class says that the seams look "great". The only picture I have so far is the whole mess lying on the floor in a pile after I threw it away in disgust. But I have hope.

I'm also working on the Dream Swatch from knit and tonic using some hand dyed, hand spun that the fiber arts teacher gave me. It has lots of texture so it doesn't look like the picture, but still quite lovely.
I need to start a pair of fetching mitts from knitty, but my roommates dog the entire set (hers) of Clover size 6 double points. And I haven't had the $$ to buy another set. :-P I need to get started on them though so I'll either cave and buy a set or go around to thrift shops this weekend.

yay

2007-04-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

Sleeve the second is completed!! I will seam everything this evening and hopefully everything will progress perfectly. This is my first truly seamed piece so I'm nervous about the sleeves getting set in properly.
Will post pictures when I can wear it's hoodless trimless self.

OSW

2007-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is what the OSW looks like on a charming model. A co-worker was nice enough to model for some pictures. I still love the color. I'm going to make this co-worker one despite her protests, probably in the same color. I need to pick a color for myself.

Work continues on never-ending sleeve the second. I have about 2 inches to go until I can begin the decreases. I feel like I'm racing the weather now. I want be able to wear it when I'm done.

And some pictures of the dogwood. I've been remiss in my goal of posting interesting pictures of Eugene, but it is pretty so I feel like posting spring wonderfulness. I love that dogwoods blossom before putting out any leaves.

And now for something completely different!! (image heavy)

2007-04-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

The story of a man and a stick... a really big stick.

The End!!!

And here's an inch worm that we found.

finished OSW!

2007-04-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hoorah! The One Skein Wonder that actually took about a skein and a half is done! Ready to be shipped off to parts unknown. I wanted to keep it for myself but it doesn't fit. I really like the colors, and it is super stretchy because of the elastic, it was really fun to knit. I realized about 2/3's of the way through the body that I was supposed to be knitting it on a circular rather than straight needles. That's what I get for starting a project while sick! But it turned out okay, it was just a tight fit for all the stitches towards the end. When I do one for myself it will go much faster with circular needles.

Picking up the stitches on the two fronts was kind of a pain... I couldn't get the right number of stitches... either ten or twelve too many or twenty short. There ended up being a small picked up stitch deficit on one side, but everything turned out fine. If I can find someone to model this, I will post a picture of it in action.

Now back to the pink hoodie. I have about 6 inches done on never-ending sleeve the second.
Yay. I really want to make some socks. The pattern for the clessidra socks on knitty is amazing. They are the sexiest socks I've ever seen! So I need to start practicing, practicing!!

cold magic

2007-03-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Rachel's magic lemon and honey cold fighting elixir (passed down from my mom, perfected by me):

Set the kettle on to boil.
Put 1 tablespoon of honey in a coffee mug.
Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (of course you should use fresh, but I often use bottled)
Fill mug with very hot or boiling water. Stir and then add more honey or lemon to taste.
It should taste like very lemony lemonade, but you shouldn't make a nasty face when you drink it.

This is good for: cotton mouth (from breathing through your mouth all night), sore/scratchy throat, tickling cough, minor congestion, raw voice, and that nasty taste colds leave in your mouth. It also helps clear up that fuzzy mouth feeling colds can cause. I love it but only really crave it when I'm sick.
I've been meaning to try it with whiskey instead of lemon juice. A honey hot toddy I guess it would be... not that I really know what a hot toddy is.

sleeve the first of hoodie the first

2007-03-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Never-ending sleeve the first is done!! And looking much better I might add!
(notice the lively ornaments in the background)

I also like admiring the fabulous seaming on this sleeve, hopefully it goes that well for the remainder of the hoodie.

I'm also working on the "one skein wonder" from glampyre knits. The Knit Shop didn't have the yarn asked for in the pattern, but they steered me towards Crystal Palace Yarns "Bamboozle" which is 55% Bamboo 24% Cotton and 21% Elastic Nylon. I choose rainforest and I love the way it is knitting up! What I don't like is how loosely it hangs together as yarn. It kind of unwinds all by itself, so I tied a knot in the cast-on tail to keep it from continued... unraveling? It behaves pretty well after you start kniiting it, but it tends to catch if you aren't careful, and the yarn shop ladies said they wouldn't suggest wooden or bamboo needles because it snags.

Luckily I started off spring break with a nasty cold which gave me a good reason to sit on my butt almost all day working on this little beauty. I need to get through it quickly, because I need my pair of 8's to begin never-ending sleeve the second. Do I have the patience for a full size sweater I wonder?? The hoodie is taking FOR. EV. ER. I guess the secret may be sprinkling in lots of smaller projects during a large project?
I need to learn to knit socks.

hiking buddy

2007-03-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is a hiking buddy we found the last time we were hiking over by Oakridge. Some newts are actually very poisonous. He was very excited to be photographed as you can imagine. I couldn't get the flash to stop going off the first few times, so I'm sure the whole event was erased from his newty little memory.
Reason to move to Oregon: abundant amphibian wildlife!!

list

2007-03-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

1) So I tried the offending hoodie sleeve on for a teacher on Monday and it looked better. Can one retain water in their arms? But still too short. So rather than starting a wider sleeve, I'm going to rip this one back and make it longer. (insert joke about girth vs length here). So yay.

2) I used a loom!!! I'm helping with a fiber arts class and she brought in her loom! It was so neat. The work it takes to get started is a mess, but once everything is ready it was really easy and fun. But knitting still wins the contest for affordability and portability. I'm trying to talk her into teaching classes at some point in the future. She's a whiz.

3) I'm making another pair of fetching wrist warmer/mits for a postal employee who takes lessons at work 2. They are quick and pretty. A nice break from pink acrylic/wool blend.

4) I got a sewing machine. A lady at work gave it to me because she has a new one. I took it into the shop to get some quirks worked on. I was really brave before it was fixed, now I don't know what to do with it. I want to make R some pajama pants... I think I'll start with that.

5) I signed up for a charity blanket swap, where a blanket gets passed to various knitters who knit a bit and pass it on. I'm a bit nervous since I've never done a pass along type thing, but it should be fine. heh. Perhaps I'll make the roomie knit some.

6) for Jessi: Toshi's Ramen is a good reason to come to Eugene. It is the best. I'll take a picture of it's deliciousness the next time we go.

sunshiny day

2007-03-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

My back yard..

sleeves in progress

2007-03-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

My latest exciting project is a cropped shrug/hoodie from craftster. I loved the look and even bought yarn in a similar color. Everything was going swimmingly until the sleeves. I finished one but it looked a little small, so I stitched it up. Well it fits... but I wouldn't be able to wear anything under it... ever. My gauge is the same as that on the pattern, so maybe I just have hulk-ish arms (I think, but gauge swatches are not my forte). If you look at the picture on the pattern, she even has some loose fabric around the elbow, I did not.
So I'm starting the next sleeve but cast on an extra ten stitches. If that is better I'll frog sleeve number one and re-do it. Wow. Modifying a pattern. I feel like a real live knitter. I think I might do three inches of rib instead of the two inches called for in the pattern also... hmmm.
I'm using budget yarn (Plymouth Encore worsted weight 75% acrylic 25% wool) which is kind of hairy so frogging is going to be a pain in my butt. My dream yarn would have been Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, but then I would have a $60 sweater rather than a $20 sweater. And who can afford that stuff!!

first post

2007-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

This blog has two purposes:
1) gratify my need to post my knitting experiences on the internet and maybe participate in some discussions, leading to new skill acquisition.
and
2) to use pictures and my amazing (ha!) writing ability to convince my bestfriend and her husband to move to Eugene, Oregon or the surrounding area.
Knit on so they will Cast off!!