new project

why am I CO another project? In my defense, I really want to knit these…Christmas is coming you know…I have the yarn…and I want to start moving yarn from my stash to buy more…I didn’t realize I was knitting on it until five minutes ago. Oh screw it, I just CO.  That’s all. Wanna see the photos?

3 toes…er, fingers

(Raverly link)

Pattern: Tridactyl by Tina Melvin

Yarn: Hacho by Mirasol Yarn (8 ply, DK weight, 100% hand-dyed merino wool)

Started: 22 Sept 2009

(believe it or not, the top photo is the back of the hand and the bottom photo is the palm of the hand)

in other news today, I think I am finished with baby things for the year. So if you are pregnant and have not told me, you have to wait until next year. I am done baby shopping. You should have kept your pants on.

sane again

last week was one big emotional tense episode. The Maternal Grandfather was in the VA hospital for a week. He has blood pressure problems that finials showed up during a stress test. After a week of tests, he is home with a new medicine and more salt in his diet. I know, blood pressure usually means less salt. This time, they want him on more. Ok.

but now everything is going better.

Christmas is coming! I have way too many non-gift projects OTN, mostly for me. And everything I want to start is for me. I may actually have to buy people’s gifts this year.

sadly, I still have lots of homework to get done.

finished object

I know I was not going to show any of my  finished knitting projects, but I can’t resist.

Jedi-in-Training

Pattern: Baby Yoda Sweater by Cari Luna

Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft

Needle: US size 6

Date Started: 31 Aug 2009

Date Complete: 13 Sept 2009

I’m worried that it won’t fit, but I always worry garments won’t fit.  The neck seems a bit stiffer than I’ve seen in other projects and I am hoping that is because I blocked it longer than I should have. Before I give it away, I will no doubt find a baby and try it on them.

for the knitters in the room, here is how I blocked it:

I pulled back the left side and placed a damp cloth down on the exposed right side, smoothing the edges as much as possible.

then, I put a second damp cloth on the left side. Again I smoothed down the edges and garment as much as possible.

I let the project dry overnight. The edges look nice and crisp. I used a thin lucet cord as trim, rather than an I-cord. Why? Because I have a lucet fork-thing and  I like to use it. The cord is stronger and easier to attach, which is always a bonus in my book given how I drag my feet when it comes to finishing garment.

knit brownie, knit!

post script

a little update on my square knitting needles…

I still love the shape. But the circs have horrible joins (the part where the needle meets the cord). The cord itself is wonderful. No memory or curling at all.

all in all, they are still worth the money in my opinion. In fact, I plan on buying another one when I can buy yarn again.

avoidance

I really need to knit a baby blanket. The kid is due in early December for screaming out loud! I’ve known the mom since Girl Scouts. Her mom had permission to lecture me as needed. Their family.

instead, I have knitted six scarves. One of which is beside me right now. It’s lace to take up more time and yarn. A baby sweater is almost finished.

three weeks ago I promised to Cast On the next day. Every day I tell myself how much I need to knit the blasted thing. And every day I never get around to it.

so, I will cast on. But first I need to finish something OTN.

long line

I have nothing against undergrads. Really, I don’t. I spent four years of my life as one. However, some of their antics are just astonishing.Sometimes even amusing. Like this incident from last week:

the University wants to “go green” and direct deposit excess aid checks to students. To ensure as many people sign-up as possible, they changed how students have to pick up physical checks.

before, we went to one of the ball rooms, stood in line with our photo IDs and waited for a table to call our name out. There were always multiple tables and signs so we knew whereabout to look and listen for our names. Whole ordeal took less than 10 mintues. I hardly got more than 20 stitches into my knitting before my name is called.

now, everyone goes to the Buster’s Office to wait in one big, long line. This is my eighth year in higher education, I know how things are going to work by this point. So when I got the email, I knew it was going to take an hour and the line would be very long. Naturally, I took my knitting in one of those handy “Knit On The Go” bags. There I was, happily knitting along and before I knew it I was close to the front of the line. Close enough to the lobby where people were coming in and out.

apparently, there were many, many undergrads who did not know what the email meant. The look on their faces was that of absolute horror when they stepped off the elevator to the Buster’s office. Their jaws dropped even more the farther back they walked to find the end of the line. I could hear them gasp when they found out the expecting wait time was half an hour.

needless to say, most of them are now signed up for direct deposit.

out of poetry

more specially, W.B. Yeats’ poem “Lapiz Lazuli,” third stanza’s line “All things fall and are built again.”

this line was running through my head all day, as I sat knitting at the mechanic. I took my car in for an oil change and to have the brakes and battery checked, on the very off chance I will be off on Labor Day. Well, turns out the breaks were about to go and there are a dozen or so other things that needed immediate attention. Great. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad these things are now taken care of.

however, on Saturday my laptop wall-charger started making an electrical crackling sound. I could not find a replacement cord (it’s only five years old!). I have to have a computer to keep up in Grad School. Therefore, I am now typing on a new laptop. Wow. This thing rocks.

my credit card cannot take much more of this. My belt is definitely much tighter. Sigh. “All things fall and are built again.”

it begins

I have spent this entire week going from one extreme to the next. First, I line up all my school books and pencils. Five minutes later I could throw a tantrum that puts three year-olds to shame, and using every bit of self-control I’ve ever had not to call my mother screaming “You can’t make me go to school.” And lets face it, I have years of practice over said three year olds.

a SIS friend NJ said, “People who don’t have ‘problems’ like we do, don’t understand how hard just going through the routines and acting normal.” I tell you that to tell you this, yesterday things finally hit me. It was just too much to act normal. I spent most of the day on the sofa reading non-class materials and knitting. Granted, I took Puppy for walks, did two loads of laundry, and attended class on-line from my apartment. Just the idea of interacting with others was too much. And I know that I can force myself to “be human” as it were; but if I possible, I try to avoid others on such days.

to end on a happy note, classes look good. The Brownies have taken pity on me and somehow finished that baby blanket from the last post. (They still don’t do dishes.) Oh! and I finished a hat.

quincy 01

Pattern: Quincy by Jared Flood from his debut booklet “Made in BROOKLYN”

Yarn: Lana Zoom (Aran / 10 ply Cotton, Nylon, Merino)

Needle size: U.S. size 10 and 10.5/6 and 6.5 mm

Started: 13 August 2009

Finished: 15 August 2009

on the needles

I took down that page because I never thought about updating it. So here it is a Knitting Update (both patterns my designs):

Baby Blanket

(For R.J.’s baby due in Nov)

Yarn: Plymouth Colorspun Encore

Weight & Fiber: 100% Acrylic Worsted

Needle Size: US size 9/Metric 5.5 mm

Started: July 2009

the widening gyre

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss (color dusk)

Weight & Fiber: Fingering 70% Merino/30% Silk

Needle Size: US size 0/ Metric 2.0 mm

Started: 07 August 2009

Notes: This gloves are inspired by W. B. Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming” and are using square metal needles. I received the yarn from a Ravelry Selfish Knitter swap.

I know what you’re thinking: square needles? Yes. They are divine. The grip is sturdy and the stitches stay where they should! I bought the smallest needle size Loopville had because my old size 0 needles are bamboo. I felt I could snap them in half if I was holding them too tightly. But I so wanted to knit on smaller-than-toothpick size needles! Hence, I put some yarn I was going to buy back on the shelf in order to stay relatively within budget.  Now I want more. Which I will buy as soon as my “Made in Brooklyn” booklet comes in. (I had the ladies at Loopville put my name on the list for it.) I am so excited.

There are more things I’m knitting on, but they are for Christmas and I don’t want the recipients to get a sneak-peak.

oh yeah. Grades are up an A and a B.