So long and thanks for all the fish

I've given in and gone over to the dark side, I'll no longer be blogging from here but rather from my shinny new blog over on WordPress.

Small Victories

My little sister has become a knitter - or is on her way to doing so (it is amazing what a knitted beer bottle pattern and a ball winder can do). I present to you her reflections on the happy event:

Oh sheep. So often over looked. So oft taken for granted. It should not be so, for the fluff which adorns their exterior (I was going to be poetic and put an adjective like 'fanciful' before that...but I'm not really sure that is a good way to describe the appearance of a sheep...) is used to supply the world with wool which is the cause of countless minor (almost not worth mentioning) crimes never being committed simply due to the fact that the people who might otherwise have been lying about idle were knitting.

As I type this I have to satisfy my self with only gazing longingly at the piece of work which I cast to the ground in order to write this note instead of picking it up and knitting 'just one more row'. Indeed, it was a challenge simply to begin this piece in the first place as when I sat in front of my computer I took up my knitting and said to myself "well, just one row..." and then, while engaged in said row, another part of me replied "just finish this section leah...you know you want to...." And I did.

For those of you who thought you knew me and by reading this are becoming befuddled, don't worry, I have not been a closet knitter, I took up the art less than 24 hours ago when Kate showed me a book that had some patterns that peaked my interest. After a hurried run to Michaels we sat in the basement, the credits of Shooter bursting to run as it lay paused and neglected on the screen while Kate taught me how to knit and purl my way through a few rows.

Of course, being me, I picked a pattern which was made entirely of the world's thickest thread. It's a major character flaw of mine to never want to do anything easy while being incredibly lazy (it might be the reason why I rarely seem to finish anything). So I sat on the very edge of my seat painstakingly inserting the needle and wrapping the yarn around, pulling it out and exclaiming my dismay at having dropped a stitch. On the purl rows I repeated over and over and over again "over under, over under, over under..." My expression was one of determined anguish, but soon I saw my piece beginning to take shape. Maybe, just maybe, it's all worth it. And probably, just probably, I have joined the ranks of those whose nicotine is knitting.

And now I have a question - should I do 1 scarf in two shades of brown (or rather taupe and dark taupe...) and 1 in blue and grey, or should I do grey and one of the taupes and blue and the other...

Ack it can't be only a few hours til Friday!!

*deep breath*

So, yeah, didn't get as much done on the Thesis front as I meant too this week... oh well... it is not quite over yet.

On the knitting front:

*Jaywalkers in Shepherd Sock (Lorna's Laces) Pin Stripe are coming along nicely - a pattern I can knit in the movie theatre... while watching Rambo... and even get the heel started is always a plus in my book. I'm doing them toe up and I used a short row heel, because - dude, you ever try to knit a heel flap toe up in the theatre watching Rambo?! I seriously lucked out because the Thrifty Knitter's Sock Club decided to have Jaywalkers be one of the options for March - so I'll actually get to partially knit them in March (as I don't think I'll be finishing them in the next week), which is cool because I finished the February ones... before February started....

*My first stitch markers from a swap over at Stuff Knitters Want arrived (this is the blog link but the whole thing is actually run via a yahoo group). They are adorable hearts with words on them - I've already got two on the shawl I'm knitting now.
*Mom's birthday shawl is more than half done. I've got another 5 bead rows (of 15 with 31 rows between the 3 rows which in my head constitute 'a' bead row). I screwed up the third bead row so I'm going to screw up the same way on the 13th. It is knitting up really nice - the pattern is super easy - 5sts of seed st on each end, every thing else is mindless stockinette. The yarn is really soft (Suri Merino) and it is going to be really warm. I needs to be finished for the 8th and I think I can manage that.*I found a pattern I think will solve my left over sock yarn 'problem' - it is a cushion pattern based on different geometric shapes, I'm starting with the pattern and I'll be expanding (I've already altered the scale - to be about 3x larger) to make a blanket.

*My little sister - the one at the military college - wants to learn to knit. She bought stuff today to knit the Hangover Helpers from Son of SnB, which is the project which has inspired her desire to learn.

February: chapter 1

February is Chpt 1, Draft 1, Thesis month for me, so, less knitting more reading. But there are a few things that have yet to go up into Blogland.

1. I finished my Sydney socks. The construction is really interesting, the pattern is good, but they don't fit. I haven't got particularly high arches, but I couldn't get the socks over my heels, nor could the first friend I offered them to (though I did eventually find someone they fit). All a bit disappointing.

2. Mittens. I test knit the Ice Wine Mittens by Em (of Not Another Knit Blog). Great pattern, with amazing charts. The mittens are quite long, giving you lots of space for design and a really great long gauntlet for keeping the snow off your arms if it gets under your sleeve and keeping wrists warm.

3. I've been kind of click happy over on the Loopy Ewe over the last little while. I ordered the Wollmeise, and then a medium wooden sock blocker and a skein of Duet's Skinny (which came today) and then I signed up for the Mystic Lights KAL and realized I have a skein of Fleece Artist 2/6 Merino and so... I ordered another one and another sock blocker... (so I'll have two...)

4. I've started my mother's birthday shawl (and already managed to screw up the bead row - though not enough to go back and take it out, I'll just repeat the screw up at the other end of the shawl and no one will know.... right....). I'm enjoying it and the yarn is a really nice colour, despite the fact that it is shedding worse than a long haired cat.

5. I'm currently a level 41 Barbarian over on KnitWars...