I'm packing for a flight to Seattle this weekend, and one of the more important parts of packing is figuring out knitting.  (Well, that, and carefully calculating the number of pairs of underwear required for the time spent away.)

So, looking at knitting goals for the year:

-fornicating reindeer hat for coworker's brother-in-law
-fornicating ______ hat for coworker's husband - thinking horny toads? Not sure, may need to chart this
-socks for Tina
-socks for my sister
-socks for HWIA
-wrist warmers for ME, ALL MINE.
-wrist warmers for TSD
-sweater for me
-baby stuff galore!
-cowl for boss
-wrist warmers for A2
-socks for me
-repair all dying, holey socks on dresser

Fornicating reindeer hat would require the purchase of yarn.  No time for that, plus coworker's brother-in-law hasn't given me the money for said hat yet.

Fornicating _____ hat for coworker's husband:  I do have the yarn for this one, and I just spent quite a few hours figuring out the chart for the horny toads and toadstool(s).

Socks for Tina:  One done, about 2/3 of the way done the foot of the second.  These are toe-up, so I hate them.  Also, on  metal needles so not appropriate for plane knitting.

Socks for my sister: One done, dipped into second yarn ball to finish first, thus insuring that I will run out of yarn for the second.  Have yet to decide on solution, and also, on metal needles, even if I am very near the toe on the second sock.

Socks for HWIA: going to be modeled after socks knit for my father, so will be using same yarn/needles/pattern.  Again, that means metal needles.  ARGH.

Wrist warms for me: have yarn, have wooden needles, have idea of pattern.  Just not sure if I want to figure that out on a plane/train to airport.  Hrm.

Wrist warmers for TSD:  ALL DONE!  And even gifted to him already as well.

Sweater for me:  need to decide on pattern.

Baby stuff galore:  Hoping to pick up baby stuff yarn in Seattle.

Cowl for boss:  Boss got another pair of wrist warmers to replace the ones she lost.

Wrist warmers for A2:  ALL DONE! and gifted as well.  They've even been worn.

Socks for me:  One of the few projects already going AND on wooden needles! However, feel guilty for knitting stuff for me with all the above not done yet.

The other option is the second pair of Bayerische Socks, but I dug those out and appear to be missing a needle.  I have sock, I have yarn, I have pattern, I have only 4 needles and that pattern requires at least 5.

Brand New Day*

Knitting goals for the year:

-fornicating reindeer hat for coworker's brother-in-law
-fornicating ______ hat for coworker's husband - thinking horny toads?  Not sure, may need to chart this
-socks for Tina
-socks for my sister
-socks for HWIA
-wrist warmers for ME, ALL MINE.
-wrist warmers for TSD
-sweater for me
-baby stuff galore!
-cowl for boss
-wrist warmers for A2
-socks for me
-repair all dying, holey socks on dresser

*Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog

Man, when I decide to forget about something, I manage to forget about it.

In other news, I recently spent some $3,000.00 on a three year old cat.  The correlation between the two numbers has not been lost on me, and I fear what his old age will cost me.  However, he's rather cute and lovable and snuggly and I suppose I can forgive him for his stupidity.

(This is not the injured party, though she would like to get some share of his reward for pain and suffering for her life was also disrupted and that is Clearly Not Allowed.)

For, you see, he injured himself jumping off the kitchen counter.  Well, falling off, if I am to be honest.  He made a mad scramble to jump off because he knew he was about to be scolded for being where he KNOWS he does not belong, and chose a piece of paper on the corner of the counter as his launching pad.  It failed to provide the support he required and evidently cats need at least four feet vertical distance to get their feet back under them.

The more you know, I guess?



In other news, I have finished my father's Christmas Socks.  I still need to weave the ends in, but that shouldn't take too long.  I've also purchased my mother's yearly calendar (www.despair.com - love their stuff, as does my mother.) and a welcome mat for their new home.  Three Christmas gifts done, way too many to go.

I have, however, started figuring out my Christmas Knitting.  In theory, it would be a good idea to do that a bit earlier in the year, but I work best under pressure.  Or something.

I have to say, the iPhone 4 takes some very nice pictures.  I'm very interested in what the iPhone 5 will be capable of managing.

Other random observations:
- Beer is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
- My mind continues to be as weird and random as ever.

If I Had More Time*

Last summer, I attended the wedding of a CPaAGer.  Some time in June, I think.  Shortly after the wedding, I put a sock-in-progress in a Very Safe Place, as the kitten had been finding it in the various hiding spots.  Hiding spots such as on top of the fridge (he's not supposed to be up there..) and behind the microwave (he's not supposed to be on the kitchen counters.)

Evidently, it truly was a Very Safe Place, as I have since looked in places such as the bread machine, the freezer, all kitchen cabinets, all closets, the oven, etc.  No dice.



Wednesday, I was cleaning and dusting and vacuuming and filing and other boring, adult like things that I should probably do a bit more often, and found the sock-in-progress.  In a lunch box.

Incidentally, that lunch box was borrowed from a friend and used to transport some freshly fallen snow to TheUrmily during THON our senior year when she danced and was upset that she couldn't see the fresh snow.  I have no idea who lent me the lunch box, no one has claimed it, and uh... that was three years ago.  I guess they don't need it back any time soon.

Anyway, that sock was supposed to be a finished ahead of time giftmoose gift for my sister.  (She got wristwarmers instead.  She was very happy with them.)  Wednesday was her birthday.  Odd, that.



I started an eye of partridge heel and ... yeah, I hate heel flaps.  I really do.  I ought to spend more time with Cat Bordhi's books and memorize the various different ways to knit heels on cuff-down socks.  Or just continue to be happy with my short-row heels.

In other knitting news:  Finished dad's first sock.  Had enough yarn AND it fits him.  (he did ask if I could make the leg longer.  I flat-out refused.)  Happily for me, the sock ALSO fits HWIA, so that will make it a bit easier to knit socks for him, as I'll have some idea of the insane number of stitches needed.



The kitten is lucky I love him because I ended up spending more than 2.5 hours on Wednesday evening untangling the yarn of my sister's sock.  I ended up cutting the yarn and just winding little balls from each end of the original ball of yarn.  I put them on Sharpies and would work a bit on one end and then slip the yarn under the clip of the cap when I went to work on the other end.  Worked very well.

*Tarkio

Brainy*

My father has very large feet.  At least, compared to the people for whom I normally knit socks, he has large feet.  Plus, he has trouble bending over to REACH his feet, meaning all of his current socks (none handknit, thankfully) are all stretched out and resemble tube socks.



I feel like I've been knitting socks for him for ever and ever and ever and ever, but it can't have been that long.  Ravelry tells me I started January 6th and I'm on the toe of the first sock.  I texted my mother - there is something so very weird about that statement - to ask the length of dad's feet, in inches.  I have decided not to think about the fact that she had an answer for me in under two minutes.  If nothing else, I knew that dad was nearby to offer up a foot for measurement.



I'm a bit concerned, though, as I am only a quarter of the way through the toe, and ... well, see?



6 grams.  I do have two extra skeins of yarn, if needed, but HWIA also requested socks and he also has large feet (oh, be quite, 12 year old male who lives in my head).  He approved of this yarn and I was kinda hoping to make socks for him with the same yarn.  Because that wouldn't be weird at all.

Also? I don't recommend pulling a sock on for a photo shoot and then suddenly realizing that you didn't put the memory card in the camera.  And then hobbling over to get the card and hobbling back.  At least, not if you love to knit socks on DPNs.

Much better to just get the card in the first place OR remove the sock while retrieving the card.

*The National

King of Anything

I have been having a lot of fun with a photo app lately. It is making me wonder if there's a pin-hole camera app out there yet.



I've also been trying to run again. Motivation is difficult to come by, after a day at the barn. But I've been borrowing my neighbor's dog and my best friend's husband and between the two, I manage to get out at least twice a week, if not three times. I hate running during a run, but I love it afterwards. My shins continue to hate me afterwards, but I think they'll eventually shut up.



I've been knitting more. It is weird to realize that I keep thinking I need to watch more tv, but that means more knitting time. I left the tv on the other night when I went to do night check and when I came back inside and open the door, I froze for a second at the sound of voices upstairs.



Rumor has it that we're in spring. I'm not convinced, given the number of days I've spent cold. But things are blooming and the world looks pretty again. Plus, it keeps raining rather than snowing, so there's that.

Random thought: how many people actually scrub their ears when they bathe? I remember reading about mothers nagging their children to scrub their ears (and behind their ears) when they took their weekly bath... but I don't know if I have ever actually scrubbed behind my ears.

I'll have to start doing so lest I feel dirty.

Gotta Stay Postive

I evidently very much fail at this whole "keeping a blog" thing. I think I'm supposed to actually post on a regular basis. Much like I'm supposed to actually water my plants. Instead, I seem to carrying out a not-very-well-regulated experiment on how many times one can bring basil back from the brink of death.

Life ... continues. I work, I eat, I shower, I knit, I read, I waste hours online, I go to bed way too late. Lather, rinse, repeat. (How many people actually do repeat?)

I have two scratches caused by a cat chasing another cat.

I am evidently a grown-up in that I want a vacuum cleaner attachment for my birthday.

I have now played laser tag while wearing a suit twice. Some of my friends are crazy enough to not only indulge me with such hair-brained ideas, but to do so twice. And to eat dinner at strange places such as a pub located inside a grocery store. In suits.

My family spends way too much time at IKEA. I realized this when a few of us randomly decided to go tonight ... and ran into two more. Either that, or we're all part of a hive mind and should start to wear tin-foil hats.

My best friend is getting married in October. I am maid of honor. This means that one: YAY! Wedding! and that two: I have to plan a bridal shower and a bachelorette party. I think I have a better handle on the bachelorette party. Alcohol, a penis-shaped object or five, make t-shirts before heading out. Bridal shower, however, will require invitations and a location and a date and and and. Blargh. I'd say good thing I love her, but she's helped me move many, many times. Even helped me get a couch stuck halfway in and halfway out of my apartment. (And thankfully, unstuck once we sawed off 1/2" of a corner...) I guess I owe her. And hey, excuse to wear a awesome dress! And maybe even some pearls.

I need to start taking pictures again.

Camera Obscura

Really, I need to get off my lazy butt and take pictures. And then find the 12-in-1 card reader and upload them to the computer. To upload them to the internet.

No wonder I'm so lazy. Too many steps involved!

But there is a finished pair of Monkey socks, toe-up, in yummy alpaca, that need to be photographed. The ends are already woven in and everything.

There is nearly a finished pair of fingerless gloves, but I'm gonna have to break into the second ball of yarn to finish the last inch or two of the hand and to knit the thumb. And then weave in the ends.

And then knit a second pair, and fine-tune the pattern that I made up on the fly. Or I could just buy a third ball and call it even. I think the yarn is like, $4 a ball. I can afford that. I think.

Also, pictures of the fornicating reindeer hat. And I need to cast on a second pair of socks, which are a Christmas gift for a not-family member. Which means they actually need to be done somewhat on time.

Good thing I have dad's new toy to play with, then ... a Canon EOS Rebel Ti1. Or something like that. Pictures tomorrow, I think. For tomorrow is play-with-new-toy day!

Orts and Bits

Really, do I ever write anything that is not some sort of random collection of the things floating around in my head? Finished Object posts, you say? Those don't happen all that often anymore, so I'm going to say "not really."

That said, on to the random collection of stuff that is floating around my head:

Sleep: I have gone to bed after 6:30am more times this semester than I have before midnight. This is not cool. This needs to change. (I do not see how this could change in oh, a month and a half.) If I am not asleep by 1:30am, I am considering just not sleeping tonight. I woke up around 2pm, so really, it would only be at the start of a three hour class that I would be awake for over 24 hours - that's totally doable. And then I can nap for an hour on the way to a rock climbing field trip and then climb for three hours. I SEE NO FLAWS WITH THIS PLAN.

School: Ugh. Do not care. I graduate in a month and a half. GRADUATE. They'll give me pieces of paper that make it official and everything! (Fools.) However, there are some ... 55 pages that need to be written between now and then. GAH. On one hand, I want to graduate and not thing about papers or anything, on the other hand? Graduate? Only real people, ready to face the real world graduate. Also, those people have learned something in the last four years or so. Have I learned anything? I do not know.

Ballet: Was awesome. I probably would have gone to that show even if I weren't taking a class that required me to do so. TheUrmily, however, ditched me in favor of BATTLESTAR GALATICA. There is nothing more that I can say here, other than to also mention that she canceled Thursday plans for Mad Mex because it was raining. Just .. fail.

Apartment: In theory, they have mailed the lease to me. I have not yet had it show up in my mailbox, but they most certainly went ahead and cashed the check I sent them. However, we suddenly have a new problem: Any assistantship I might get would start on August 16 - the lease starts August 18th. Tomorrow, I shall beg them to let me move in three days early. They keep claiming that they'll have plenty of time to clean and paint and remodel between July and August 18th, so what would three days be, now really?

Running: After trying to be nice and offer someone an onion ring, I have been roped into a weight loss challenge. Apparently, the goal is to lose 9lbs by the end of April. That's about 21lbs a week, which I think is pushing it a bit. I think I have talked the rules committee into accepting a weight loss goal of 7lbs for me, which I fee is much more reasonable and also, healthy. But, if by the end of the month, you have not met your goal of 9lbs, you owe $5 per pound remaining. Those who do make their goal get to split the pot. (Also, I find it interesting that a) I am the only female involved and b) this is a challenge set up to work best if some fail and some don't fail. We don't like it when everyone succeeds, it would seem.) So far, I have no idea how this is going, as I have eaten chocolate in some form or another every single day. And on Monday I had a milkshake.

However, in hopes to not owe $45 at the end of the month, I have started the Couch to 5K program.  Someone else has already done all the thinking, I just have to follow instructions.  To help me do so, I purchased an Eddie Izzard show in CD and have been running to that.  I will admit, it is somewhat difficult to run when you are laughing, but it is much more fun.  Also, you get great looks as you jog along, giggling merrily to yourself.  As you pass all the frat houses.  Ah, college towns.

Knitting:  Oh, right - the theoretical point of this blog.  I stopped by the yarn store the other day to purchase what I THINK are the correct size needles for the ill-fated Eagle's Flight Socks.  Only, they didn't have them.  No, seriously- they did not have them.  WTF, world?  Apparently, US2, 2.75mm, have been on backorder for some time.

So I came home and very carefully redisprited the tail I had left myself during my cast on.  And now, I can wear the sock without cutting off circulation to that foot.  I am still debating if I want to rip out the toe and reknit a slightly longer toe, so that the foot will be the correct length.  I think I will end up doing so, I just can't face the idea of messing with that sock anymore.

I am also currently turning the heel of the second KnitPicks sock that I am knitting for Klunk- that one should be done in a week or two, and then I get to play a new pair of socks!  I am excited.

Time to wrte another to-do list.  I write a mean list - pity I rarely manage to cross anything off.  And I can't even add things like "eat chocolate" to my list anymore.

Lost: One Sock in Progress

I lost my sock, people. Sock, the rest of the yarn, and a set of bamboo double pointed needles. I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

I know for sure that I had the sock with me in class last Monday. I have a memory of shoving it (gently) into my bookbag at the end of class, but not of zipping up my bookbag. Then, I took my bookbag to work on Tuesday and pulled out two books and the newspaper, but not the sock. I suppose the sock could have fallen out while doing so, but ... I think I would have seen that happen, as my bookbag was hanging on a coat rack at the time.

I didn't realize my sock was missing until Wednesday, when I went to leave for class and checked to make sure that I had something to knit during class. I haven't found it in my shoe box of an apartment, so I'm thinking I lost it.

I went to Lost and Found on Thursday, but explaining what a sock in progress looks like to the clueless girl behind the counter? Was not easy. Tomorrow, I shall return again, with the completed sock and say "It looks like this. Just without a toe. And 5 needles. And a ball of yarn (hopefully) attached."

I looked around at work, no luck. I think they have a separate lost and found, but I'm not sure if anyone would have .. found it. It would have been under the coat rack and that's not a regularly cleaned place.

What does one do with a completed sock, when one has literally LOST THE YARN for the second sock? I think I wrote down the color for the yarn, but not the dye-lot. Also? Am not checking for I do not wish to learn that I did not record the color in any way, shape, or fashion.

I'm thinking I shall have to beg for someone else's remains of said color of yarn. And hope that dye-lots are not too far apart. I think I might weigh the completed sock so I know about how much yarn I would need, plus a bit for casting on and grafting the toes. Think I can do that at the post office and take a picture without getting in trouble?

Back to Our Irregularly Scheduled Knitting

So, knitting.. I've been doing a bit of that of late.

First, I finished a hat in a few days:


Odessa, by Grumperina. I used left-over Andean Treasure from knitting Blaze. Less than one ball later, I have a warm and fuzzy head covering. Only problem, it doesn't cover my ears. I'm considering picking up and knitting a longer ribbed band, to hopefully cover my ears. So far, I've just been wearing the hat.

I omitted the beads because I didn't have any and I wanted a hat NOW. I love the different orientation the stripes take, just by the increases and decreases. It was a fun, quick knit and I got to try out my new KnitPick Options kit. (Which, by the way, I LOVE. LOVE.)

And then.. the first of the Eagle's Flight Socks:

I've even cast on for the second sock. I really like this pattern - it is a six round repeat, and half of the repeat is simply knitting or purling the stitches as they appear. I tried something different on the heels for this sock - I like the results.


It is a little hard to tell in that picture, so I highlighted the changes with blue in this one:Looking at all of my purchased socks, I realized that many of them had a weird y-shape in their short-row heels. I figured that they knit a normal short row heel as normal, wrapping and turning as they worked towards the middle. When I had about 1/3 of the stitches wrapped, I started working back out the normal way - double wrapping, then picking up and knitting the two wraps and double wrapping the next stitch. I did that for four stitches total - two on each side, and then started decreasing again - single wrap and then turn around and head back to the other side again. I re-worked the four stitches I had worked earlier, then continued normally again.

I realize that doesn't exactly make sense, but I'm not sure how else to explain it. Has anyone seen this type of heel before? Instructions for it? Once you understand how to knit a short row heel, I think it makes sense.

But that results in the y-shape and helps the heel really cup around your heel. It isn't that much more work, but the sock fits a bit better. A few socks I've knit with short-row heels ended up a little tight in the heel/instep area, and this seems to fix that problem. All in all, I'm looking forward to wearing these socks.

I realize that there are holes in my heel. I've only recently realized that you're supposed to knit the wraps as you work back out. I've tried it a few times, and never liked the look. So I tend not to do so. I recently got a copy of New Pathways For Sock Knitters, so I'm going to try those instructions and try that. But the holes are a result of the way I personally deal with the wraps, not the addition of my "y." So don't like that keep you from trying it yourself.

Look at the pretty scalloped edges that the pattern creates at the top, too:

Of Mice and Men

What I planned on doing today:

• riding lesson
  
• clean bathroom
  
• clean kitchen
  
• take out recycling
  
• straighten room
  
• knit
  
• read three chapters of my book
  
• go to the gym and kick my own ass
  

What I will Most Likely End up Doing Today:

• read half a chapter of my book and fall asleep
  
• attempt to straighten my room and give up half way
  
• curse a lot
  
• attempt to knit and discover that your middle finger is really quite required for the whole process
  

And the reason my to-do list will end up so very NOT to-did?

But there's a valid reason for drinking before noon on a Thursday:

You see that line about a third of the way down my nail?  It was bent backwards - and STUCK - at that line.  I managed to rip off a large portion of my nail during my lesson this morning.

Doesn't it look pretty?

Good thing I went bowling last night, otherwise I'd be bowling left-handed.  Also, that happens to be my middle finger, so I've been walking around like I'm giving people the middle finger.

Yesterday, I was bucked off.  Twice.  By the same horse.  I had bruises by the time I got home.  They look funny (but don't photograph well - believe me, I tried) because the surface of the ring is uneven, so I have "dotted" bruises.  A couple scrapes as well and some really nice and sore muscles to boot.

I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow when I ride.

In knitting news, I tore out the majority of Sizzle.  I tried it on again and finally convinced myself that it is too short, too wide, and not something I would wear.  So, back to the seed stitch border to start again.  I went down a needle size, figuring that will help with the "too wide" part.  I also knit an extra inch before starting the decreasing darts and will knit an extra inch or two in the shoulder straps, I think.  Also, I knit that back when I was twisting my purl stitches by purling incorrectly for the way I knit (or vice versa, depending on how you want to look at it.)

I finished the sock I started while watching Knocked Up and offered the pair - once I finish it - to my sister.  I'm knocking around ideas for my sock pal's socks, but I want to start at the toes and knit my way up.  And use little to no lace.  I'm thinking of modifying the Bayerische pattern to use the two cable patterns that I really like.  I think I'd have time to finish them.  Right?

Random Monday

Really, if I change the day of the week of my random posts, that means nothing, right? Right.

• Downtown is DEAD. And it is AWESOME. I love State College without all the people. Sadly, classes have begun and there are some more people around now, mostly those who will be freshmen in the fall and I'm remembering why freshmen are annoying. But oh well.'
• I've been knitting. A lot. I finally started the second Bayerische sock and am at the point where I need to start looking at charts again. Hopefully this one will be faster than the first, so long as I can dedicate time just to this sock. Maybe one hour of tv three nights a week shall be for this sock? I'd like to finish it uh, soon.

• I finished one sock with my awesome Claudia's HandPainted yarn. I am SO TOTALLY in love. The colors rock, the yarn rocks... Oddly, this is the first time I have EVER gotten 8sts/inch for a pair of socks. It seems very weird to hit gauge. I'm using Cookie A.'s "Monkey" pattern from Knitty. I really like it with this yarn. However, I'm in the middle of a swatch altering her pattern.. If I like that, I might use it for my Sockpalooooza pal socks. I can't decide if it is "overly lacey" though. Any input?

• Oh, yeah. I think I finally found a yarn for my sock pal. Now I just need to wait for a pay check to be able to buy the yarn. She likes very deep, saturated colors and I tend more towards pastels and the like. Picking a color has been HARD.
• I've decide to take only the Bayerische socks, the second monkey sock (I'm halfway done the cuff already) and the Branching Out Scarf home. Not that I ever have time to knit, but you know. That way I'll HAVE to knit on Branching Out. And then I might finish it.
• I went to the library today. Main Campus libraries don't have anything by Neil Gaiman, yet branch campuses have Nora Roberts. WHAT IN THE WORLD? Tomorrow, I'll stop by the library downtown, which actually has a contemporary fiction section.
• I got Guilliver's Travels, a couple of Jane Austen books, Weithering Heights by one of the Bronte sisters, I can never remember which one, and a few Philip Roth books, which for some WEIRD reason, the library actually had. I find it amusing that my "pleasure" reading includes books the average person would never think to read.

• And that's all, folks. Bed time for me.
  

Random Thursday

I am done. DONE. No more finals, no more papers. I am currently waiting for grades to come in, but at this point I can't do anything about it, so who cares?

Reasons why today rocked:

• I slept until I woke up. I know, I know. But I woke me up, not the alarm clock, not the trucks emptying the dumpsters (very loudly) at 8am. This is a new and novel concept and I enjoyed it very much.
• It rained today, a pouring torrential downpour. I had already shut the windows of my car, so I just enjoyed the rain storm, thunder included.
• My riding lesson was awesome. Timmy was calm, collected, and focused throughout ... oh, let's be honest - throughout the beginning. But he was very fancy for those 10 minutes of warm up.
• I'm realizing that my confidence level has skyrocketed, as I didn't blink at Earl's .. creation of a hogback jump using the ring fence again. Of course, I still grab a few handfuls of mane as we approach that jump, but that's ok
• The baby was in a very frisky mood, cantering, rearing, and bucking. So cute to watch! She's gonna be a handful as she gets older, as she's so independent already. Lady has to call the baby back, since the baby has no problem wandering away.
• I only had one final today and I barely had to study for it. All told, I need a 95 on the final to get an A for the class and I'm pretty sure I pulled that off.
• I have 9 pattern repeats and the toe to finish up the waffleweave socks. I think that might happen tonight.
• I bought yarn! I shall share details later.
• Grey's Anatomy starts ... now.
  

Getting There

Both sleeves for Blaze are completed! I sat down today and finished the right sleeve because Blaze goes with me to class on Wednesdays and I wanted to be sure that I'd have something to do. (Ok, so that sentence doesn't QUITE make sense...) But now one sleeve is attached to Blaze. See?



Right after I took that picture, I realized that I had started in the wrong point of the stitch pattern.. and had to tink my way back to the starting point. I have managed to catch up back to were I was, however. And I am slowly realizing that the rest of this sweater is going to take longer because, dude - there are a LOT of stitches in each round.

However, I am happy to report that one ball of yarn gives you this:


That's right folks. I knit my sleeves a bit longer than called for in the pattern and was wary about the amount of yarn I'd need. I to knit about 5.5" after this point and I have 3 full balls and most of a 4th. I'm fairly certain I'm going to have enough yarn, even with a longer body and sleeves.

The Pawprint socks are also well on their way. This is what happens when one has three hours (or more) of Paradise Lost to read each week:

That, by the way, is my knit/read set up. My laptop is propped up by two stacks of two Altoids tins in the back. I put my stapler on top of the closed laptop lid and then prop my HUGE text book up against that whole contraption. So far, the two socks are matching fairly well. I'll have to check in a little bit if that's still the case up the leg.

I also kinda feel the need to figure out my next big project. I need to finish Sizzle, which only needs a neckband and finishing touches at the sleeves. Branching Out could be finished. I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now, but I also have an empty set of DPNs. Hrm...

I think I shall be signing up for Sockapalooza this year. I figure, free socks in exchange for a pair of socks! I'm hoping that my pal likes the color blue, because then I can use stash sock yarn - which is pretty much the ONLY yarn in my stash.

In other news, I shall be in Lyndhurst, OH this weekend! I'm so excited! If any of the other many knitters planning to be there reads this, will someone say Hi to me that day? I'm guessing that I'm going to be in hermit mode and also, scared witless because I WON'T KNOW ANYONE. And we all know that's how nightmares start. (Well, either that, or you know EVERYONE. And you are in your underwear, for some reason.) The Urmila will visit the bookstore with me, but she doesn't deal with people. I'll post a picture of myself later this week and which ever project I decide to take with me!

Procrastination, how I love thee

I'm currently at the top of page 4 of a 5 page paper. So I need to come up with another 1.5 pages or so. Clearly it is time for a blog posting.

I spent very little time knitting this weekend, as I'm working next weekend and needed to get ahead to be able to finish everything on time. However, two three-hour-long classes really adds to the knitting time. Reading Milton's Paradise Lost also really helps.

I've been knitting Bayerische during Hist 409Y:

Six inch DPN included for scale

A close up of the pattern:

the actual color is somewhere between the two. For some reason,
this color is very hard to capture with my camera in artificial light.

And Blaze during Eng 497C and watching movies for Fr 497B:


That's actually the third attempt at Blaze. I didn't like how the pattern incorporated the increased stitches - purled until all were added, then a new zig-zag just started up - so I started those stitches in pattern a little early. Given that this will be the bottom of the sleeve, I don't think it will make much of a difference, but I like it. I'm really hoping the sleeves won't take too long, but I'm not holding my breath.



And when I remember, I've been working on the second PawPrint sock while reading Milton at my desk. So far, not too bad. I've finished the toe and have just started the majority of the foot portion, pattern included.



Other than the fact that I could be found at 10pm both Friday and Saturday still doing homework, the weekend was good. I managed to get a decent amount of work done, minus this paper that I have no desire to actually work on, minus the fact that I could then go to bed.

Finished Object: Meagan's Scarf!

The Specs:
Pattern: Basketweave pattern. 15 stitches across, switching between knit and purl every 3 stitches and four rows.
Yarn: Lion Brand Jiffy, Thick & Quick, two skeins
Colors: #214, Berkshires, lot 60519
Needles: size 15 Boye straights, 14" long
Start to Finish: Started over Christmas Break, finished on 2/21/07
For: My sister, Meagan

(sorry, forgot to rotate that and am too lazy to fix it)

Notes: I hate the yarn. I hate the color. And I hate the needles. That said, this was a fairly quick knit. In less than a month, I had managed to knit the first half of the scarf and then had to put it down while waiting for the other skein to show up. I think I started it again last Wednesday, the snow day, and I finished tonight. Meagan loves the color and the pattern, so I'd call this a successful project. I think it is a little over five feet long, which is perfect as my sister is a little over five feet tall.

I was too lazy to find my needle and also figured that the yarn, as bulky as it it, wouldn't fit in the eye of the needle. So I used a paper clip. Oddly enough, this worked super well. I will have to keep this idea in mind for the future.

Signs of life

I'm alive. No, really. And now it looks like I might even be alive for a while longer.

I'm still coughing and hacking up nasty stuff, but much less often than before. And the sore throat has retreated enough that I'm off enough drugs to be able to go out for a friend's 21st birthday and not die if I forget and have a drink.

That being said, being sick has been good for the knitting. See?
I suppose knitting in class also helps... I need to finish a repeat and a half of the pattern, then start the sleeves. I'm not in a hurry, because I can't seem to find a set of US 6 DPNs. A friend has a set of 5s that I can borrow for the cuffs and might have a set of 6s. I don't want to tie up her DPNs for the length of time I'd be knitting two sleeves, so I attempted to purchase a set for myself. Wal-Mart and Michael's were both a bust. I could drive to the LYS, but they don't have cheap needles and I'm a broke college student. However, I am in a hurry cause I want to wear the thing while it is still winter.

I also finally got around to starting the other paw-print sock:
I wasn't quite able to perfectly match up the color repeats, but all in all, it is looking pretty good. And it only took me 4 tries to manage Judy's Magic Cast-On, rather than the 6 for the first sock. I do think, however, that these will be my last pair of toe-up socks. I hate attempting to START the sock and I hate FINISHING the sock. So I put those off and that tends to mean that I don't have socks. And that's just not the whole point.


And while watching a movie last night (Serenity, the movie based off of FireFly), I managed 5 rounds of Bayerische socks.
They aren't looking as clean and crisp as Eunny's but that's ok. Blocking shall solve the problem!

Wishful thinking, much?

It's the fever talking

Well, I'm alive.  I still have yet to decide how I feel about that, but I am alive.

For some odd reason, I no longer get a stuffy nose or a runny nose when I get a cold.  Rather, I get post-nasal drip, a nasty sore throat, and pressure in my ears.  The sore throat gets worse when the coughing sets in, but then it tends to only be a few more days before I can swallow again.  There's no more tea left in the apartment, so I've been drinking hot water.  Yeah, I know.

To top it all off, I have to read a two page paper outloud in class tomorrow.  I can't stand the professor, so I would rather NOT have to explain in the beginning of class that I can't talk.  Also, the guy is going deaf, which does not help matters.

I've been knitting in one class - it is three hours long and discussion based, so he shouldn't be able to yell at me for it.  Or maybe he doesn't notice.  Who cares?

I tried Blaze on the other day, it DOES fit.  YAY!  I think I have about 6" done, only another foot or so to go.  I ought to measure the length of some of my favorite sweaters and figure out how long I want this one to be.

Ok, I can't seem to maintain brain function often enough to write a real post.  And Blogger hates pictures this evening, so no pictures for you.  Maybe, however, there will be pictures after the weekend, when I sit down and take pictures of everything that has changed since the last time I took pictures.

Last week? Not so good for the knitting.

I did, however, rip-out the sewn cast off of the paw print sock, knit another half inch or so of ribbing and then try a cast-off I saw on Wendy's blog. I like it MUCH better now. I'd take a picture, but really - it looks almost the same. Just better.

So now I can start the second sock. I'm trying to decide if I want to attempt to make the socks match or just go with it. I think I'll end up matching them. I couldn't bring myself to start the second one when I didn't like the first one.

I also got the second skein of yarn for my sister's scarf, so hopefully I'll be able to knock that thing out in a week or two, just to make myself feel better about the number of things on needles right now.

Blaze is moving along... It would make a semi decent tube top right about now, but not so sure about how much I like the idea of a cabled tube top. Or a tube top in general, so I'll just keep knitting. For the most part, I've memorized the pattern. I just have to stop and figure out if I'm knitting/purling each stitch or crossing them on each round. I've just joined the third ball of yarn, too.

Last week, I somehow forgot to cable and/or cabled when I shouldn't have and had to tink back 4-5 rows to find and fix the mistake. That actually took more time than knitting would have, which was rather annoying. But ah, well. At least it is correct now.

Other than that, working for the first time this weekend - stage crew for the Vagina Monologues. I love the show, but not sure how being present for 3 performances is going to pan out. At the very least, I'll be paid.

Other than that, feeling rather ... off. Somewhat feel like I'm forgetting to do something or am behind or something. Things with friends are weird, things in general feel weird. Not bad, just .. different. And I'm not sure I like it.