Finished Object: Urban Aran

The Specs:

Pattern: Urban Aran by Jared Flood

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted

Color: Jalapeno green

Amount: 11 skeins, 1210 yards, 550gm

Size: me-sized

Needles: US 5, 3.75mm

For: me.  ALLL MINE

Start to Finish: August 2008 to 2009?  2010?  Seaming takes forever

Notes: This was a fun knit!  It went way faster than I expected it, once I account for the delay that always happens when it comes to finishing the seams and so on.  Even sewing in the zipper wasn't too bad, since I got to hang out with other CPaAG people in a Panera in Chicago and borrowed a sewing machine then and there.

Unfortunately, I washed it in the washer a few too many times and it felted and shrunk too much to fit anymore.  I still have my paper copy of the pattern and I think I might end up re-knitting this one in a super-wash option at some point.

And The World Is Made of Engery*

I had the best weekend in quite a while. Drove up to Chicago-land, to spend the weekend with Farmer John. We watched lots of How I Met Your Mother, made yummy food, and went hiking in the Greene Vally Forest Preserve. Sadly, it was not quite spring yet, so there was a lack of pretty flowering stuff and the day was kinda cloudy and overcast, but at the very least it was warm.

We saw a baby snake! He wouldn't stick his tongue out for the camera though. Maybe he was actually a teenage snake?

I got kinda frustrated as many of my shots didn't turn out as I had them in my head. However, I think a lot of things could be quickly solved with some cropping and other simple editing. One of these days, I'll get around to doing that sort of thing in iPhoto. Til then, will be lazy and just post pictures anyway.


PLUS, I got to meet up with a few Chicago-land CPaAGers from Ravelry, and I got to spend the morning (while Farmer John was, of course, playing frisbee) knitting and sewing the zipper into my Urban Aran. I need to pretty up the zipper, but other than that, the cardigan is mostly done. You know, just in time for spring. I'll need to ask those who took pictures if it is ok if I steal them and put them up here. So more on that topic later. At the very least, I promise FO pictures of the Urban Aran.

Now, to face/deal with the homework, etc. that I ignored in favor of actually relaxing. I made the mistake of making a list of EVERYTHING that needs to be done between now and the end of the semester. It didn't fit on one page. However, three things have since been finished and crossed off the list.

Why I never manage to get anything done: There is always a cat that wants to sit on me. But she was purring. (And as I type this, the kitten is curled up and using my left arm as a pillow. [snickers: I have Zombie Nation playing, as I am missing PSU football lately, and he's looking around for the source of teh noize. I don't think he likes Zombie Nation.])


Also: I knit Sheldon for a coworker's baby. Another coworker is pregnant with twins. Two girls. I want to knit her something similar in cute- and -easyiness levels. Sugguestions? I found a cute goldfish (ravelry link) which I think would be cute in a slightly varigated yarn. Any one known of another cute, easy, and free fishy pattern?

*The Apples in Stereo

Maybe It's Time*

As it is the weekend, I put clean sheets on the bed today. (Ok, fine. I also am avoiding a paper. Whatever.) I'm not sure how it works, but no matter how dead to the world both cats are when I go get the clean sheets out of the closet....they are both awake and want to help make the bed seconds later. Kit, per usual, ended up under the sheet and blanket, and was willing to play. Schrodie sat and watched the lump under the blanket move around, but never thought to play with it. When he finally would have been able to actually play with Kit.. he didn't even think to do so. Kit is currently curled up right in front of me, using my left arm as a pillow. Schrodie, feeling left out, has moved from the floor by my feet, to the top of the printer, to the stand for my iMac. He doesn't quite fit as well as he used to, so he keeps stretch and shifting to get comfy. And then the tail twitches. Silly kitty.

and people wonder why I wanted three comfy seats just for me? there always seems to be a kitty occupying at least one of them, meaning I would have to sit on the floor if I didn't have three.

I am nearly done the Urban Aran. HURRAH! (that's what Kit is sleeping on, above.) I need to finish seaming the sleeves, sew them in, and find and sew in a zipper. I might also need to make the sleeve cap a bit longer, as I am certain that my row gague is off and things don't look like they will work out well. I am certain that truely Spring Weather will arrive the second the thing is complete, so I am trying very hard to finish NOW.

I knelt on the sidewalk in front of a random house to get this shot.. had to use the macro function, meaning I was only a few inches from the flower. I got a number of funny looks. I giggled.

In other news, I have finished all homework for this week, minus a 40 minute play-with-online-games-and-such-for-museums assignment and above paper. I have also made brownies and baked yummy bread. (Note to self: hide bread AND brownies from kitten.) And cleaned. And wasted time online. What fun! I also read God Bless you, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut. I had forgotten how much I love Vonnegut's humor and outlook on life. 

I'm Not Dead Yet!

Um.  Hi.

I am (finally) back from the dead.  Well, mostly.  I ended up rather sick over spring break, and ended up spending 3-4 days in bed.  Sleeping.  Eventually, I got bored enough of the view of my room to start sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed. 

As a result, spring break was kinda a wash.  I  basically got nothing done, other than a few fun things that I refused to give up, such as a trip into Philly with a certain person, nommy sushi with barn people, and my half/un birthday party.  Totally worth it, I think.  I shall continue to celebrate my half-birthday, as that one evening - still kinda sick, very very tired, and not drinking - was more fun than my last four birthdays combined.  And I didn't even get any presents! (although, Sister made me a PB&J sandwich the next day, which was awesome.)

I knew I was sick when I didn't want to go to the barn.  Or knit.  And fell asleep after every two or three paragraphs, no matter what I was reading.

I am back to knitting, now, though.  I have a completed back, two completed (and matching) fronts, one completed sleeve, and one almost-completed sleeve (only 18 rows to go, and decreases on most of those rows).  Soon, I will have to start sewing things together and then knit the collar.  I think I shall totally not follow the directions for that and just start somewhere.  Oh, and I suppose I ought to get a zipper or something.  Since I really kinda don't wanna do button bands and stuff.  We shall see, I suppose.

My sister ripped a hole in her Bayerische Socks.  Too big to simply repair, too central a spot to just mend and not care how it looks.  Thankfully, it is rather near the toe of cuff-down socks, so I was able to just unravel from the toe and re-knit.  I didn't bother to wash the yarn or anything, and it looks rather funky.  I am a little afraid, as I am ready to kitchner the toe shut again .... and I never ran out of yarn.  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?   I will need to check it against it's mate and make sure that I (mostly) did the same things as before.

Schroedie, playing fetch:

(it is hard to hold a camera steady and throw a fuzzy pink mouse.)

Coloured Plastics*

I am sick, and while still able to breathe, am regularly attempting to cough up a lung or two.  And cold meds?  They tend to make me kinda loopy.  Honestly, I'd rather be drunk - then I'd at least have had the chance to enjoy a few good beers or whiskeys or what-have-yous.  (Is there a drink called "what have you"?  If not, I should create it and lo, it shall be awesome.)

So, I'm home, sick from work, losing my voice just in time for a presentation that I have to give in class on Monday morning.  Should be fun.

Look, knitting (and a kitten...)

Urban Aran, with kitten for scale.  Fronts, back, and most of the sleeves are complete.  I still need to order more yarn to finish the sleeves and collar... Something tells me that I won't be wearing this til the fall.  Which is really no surprise.

Print O the Wave:

Basically, it is a large lump on the floor, as I am sloooooooowly working my way around, attaching the boarder.  Had a few complete brain meltdowns in my attempts to figure out what, exactly, I was supposed to be doing.  Not sure that I'm completely correct, but so far, I like what I see.  (well, minus the endless repeats of this over and over and over again, for the rest of all time.)

OpArt: 

I have started this like, seven times. Not even kidding.  And ... first, I am NOT going to be knitting garter stitch in the round on a blanket that has at least 700+ stitches on the last couple of rows.  Nope, not happening.  Secondly, it puckers and no matter what I did, I could never find a way to join the new color that I liked.  And when I went back and wove the ends in, no matter what I did, it looked bad and felt worse.  I love the concept though, and I think I've figured out a way to translate it into crochet.  

Oh, yes.  I've gone over to the dark side.  I have become a hooker.  But only for this one baby blanket.

Yarn:

I came home one day to find a skein of Lorna's Laces forming a yarn puddle on the carpet.  The kitten had gotten bored and basically, gutted the skein.  I'm still finding bits and pieces of the label here and there, but managed to untangle the whole thing and wind it into a ball.

The yarn basket now lives on top of the fridge.  I'm hoping he doesn't figure out how to climb up there. 

And of course, continuing my habit of coming home and checking under the bed to see what, exactly, is not supposed to be under there.  Current list includes the following:

-one tomato

-one plum

-one tupperware container that had held lunch and had been sitting in the sink, waiting for me to empty the dishwasher so I could reload it.  He managed to pry the lid off and eat all the left-over rice from that particular lunch.

-four or five different skeins or balls of yarn, stolen from my stash.

-various articles of clothing, dug out of the dirty laundry pile

-my glasses - luckily for him, they never seem to land lens-side down

Of course, he is currently curled up on the desk in front of me, using my left arm as a pillow.  Good thing he's so cute.

*Doug Randle

Hello, My Name is Grumpy

I feel like I spend all weekend trying to Get Stuff Done for the coming week, only to then spend the week Trying To Catch Up.  No wonder I never want to do anything on a Friday night - my one and only chance to sit back and relax for a few hours, without feeling  guilty.

This is what I get for taking a crazy course load and refusing to sacrifice (all of) my sanity.  (Just most of it.)

In other news, the weather has been crazy up-and-down lately, going from beautiful blue skies one day to cold, damp, and rainy but still with hints of blue another.

notice the rubber ducky? He? She? lives on the dash of my car and I have not been able to figure out if it is a
 male or a female.  Shirt is cut rather ... risque for a female, but those eyelashes are just not male.

I just want spring - to be able to go outside and enjoy nice weather on my lunch breaks, to walk to and from Thursday nights without risking slipping on ice, breaking a leg, and freezing to death.  

That is the weather I want - picture is from something in the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection, but hell if I can remember anything about it.  (Hrm, possible final project for Museum Informatics?  Upload your pictures from the museum, and the site will (hopefully) give you information about the art?)

In happier news, I have solved the problem in Print O The Wave, turned the heel in the second sock, and gotten around to ordering more yarn for Urban Aran.  And started OpArt, for the same classmate/coworker as Sheldon.  (The baby was born last night, 11:05pm, 7lbs, 7oz, 21".  How big does the blanket need to be then?)

Hrm.  I seem to be all over the place tonight, writing is uber-sloppy, AND I'm grumpy.  Hello, February, how are you?

why I need to buy more yarn:

I need a new project, and soon.

I ought to finish Sizzle, so I can wear it this spring/summer.  But eh.  I don't wanna knit 1.5" of seed stitch on the neckline and sleeves.  Plus, I feel like I messed up when sewing up the sides, so I'll have to re-do that as well.

I messed up somewhere on attaching the border to Print O the Wave, and have a devil of a time when I attempt to tink back, let alone rip back, the edging.  This, of course, is a fairly easy fix - I just need to sit down for a few minutes and take care of 16 stitches.  

I don't want to start another Sheldon, because that's TV knitting - I need to be able to look at the pattern, count stitches and rows.  

I ran out of yarn for Urban Aran, sadly - fronts and back are complete and I'm halfway done the sleeves.  I might be able to finish ONE sleeve with the yarn I have left, but that leaves me with half a sleeve and the collar to finish and Knitpicks isn't shipping more of that particular color until the 16th.  I should consider checking Ravelry, but I think I need three more balls and that might be hard to find there.

The gloves are frustrating me - I don't know the magical formula for knitting fingers and messed up.  But ripping back and starting all over is SO ANNOYING.   That one can just go sit in time out for a while as I try to figure out the trick.

The socks I'm currently knitting in class, at the movies, while reading, are coming along very well.  However, that means that I will soon be done and ... well.  Then I need to find another boring project to work on.  But I'll also have another pair of socks.  Hrm.

I swatched for a baby blanket with shiny new metal DPNs from Knitpicks... and I'm going to blame a certain young kitten for the fact that one of those needles is missing.  No idea where it is.  I even crawled along the floor for a while, checking to see if it fell into any of the cracks in the floor.

I came home the other day to find that he had pulled 13 of my bamboo DPNs out of my knitting basket.  THIRTEEN. Luckily, I managed to find all of them - most had been batted under the rug.  Of course, I'm missing three - but I think they are back in PA - and have no idea which ones are what size, between US 1, 2, and 2.5.  Now would be a good time to buy a gauge, I suppose.

Pictures to come later, of all my projects.  You know, when I'm bored and avoiding homework this weekend.