The Chronicles of Lady Octavia

So long and thanks for all the fish

2008-02-23T11:56:00.002-05:00

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

2008-02-22T11:25:00.006-05:00

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!!

2008-02-21T21:14:00.006-05:00

*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

2008-02-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

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...

squee

2008-01-28T16:21:00.000-05:00

I have Wollemeise!!

My Loopy Ewe order arrived.

I got Wollemeise sock in Gewitterhimmel.

It is really vibrant and pretty. I'm planning to knit a Clapotis with it (since I'm having a hard time thinking of using it for socks... and since, I haven't knit a Clap yet, - and now I have plans for two...)

And the Pretty as a Peacock shawl pattern.

While I was working

2008-01-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to be a good girl... really... and do work... and stuff. I have actually managed to get a little bit of work done, and even have something written which will eventually be part of a thesis.

My birthday is coming up (never sure how I feel about that, but I digress) so I have been, um, treating myself. I bought books!! The Knitter's Book of Yarn; Knitting Lingerie Style; and Romantic Hand Knits. I like them all, but haven't had time to do much more than look at pictures. Then, I got a last minute (and by that I mean 3 days and week into the semester already) teaching job. So I needed to get a copy of the text book - so I ordered more books... to get the free shipping of course... (keep telling yourself that) - which means I should be getting more knitting books, possibly even on my birthday.

I've also been opening and closing my knit picks cart, though I haven't placed an order...yet.... I'm determined to wait to order more yarn until the Loopy Ewe and Webs orders actually get here.

I'm on the lower body of the Coachella, everything is a bit funky with mine due to the yarn I'm using, I added a whack more body shaping, we'll see how that works out.

I'm nearly halfway through my test knitting project, but I need to do something a bit fiddly so I'm waiting on that a bit (as I need to do some research on the necessary technique).

I cast on Feb's Thrifty Knitter's Sock Club sock - Sydney, and um, I'm only 1 chart repeat and the ribbing on each sock away from being done ... I think I'll have to knit a different pair of socks for my Feb socks in sock a month... I've been working on these while listening to back eps of L&V and because I'm doing them at the same time (fyi I think the pattern way over estimates how much yarn is needed) and don't want to leave one at a different stage than the other I'm whizzing through them much faster than I expected to.

Gratuitious baby picture- my God-daughter was baptized this weekend, she makes this face a lot...

Football, Spinning, and Net Browsing

2008-01-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

Football playoffs are in full swing, which means the swearing at the screen and screaming at the defence is getting louder and more intense. And my special Pats' games socks are at the heel turn of the second sock and can't be knit at any time other than during the game lest I upset the delicate balance of the football universe.

I finished spinning and plying the green Fleece Artist merino/alpaca. I think it is about a DK weight, but it varries, not very good at spinning consistently. I have been trying to find a pattern to knit with it, and I'm leaning towards Foliage at this point.

Today I downloaded all the early eps of Lime and Violet (1-35) from before I started listening to it in the Summer. I've been listening to these all day (as I translated Middle Welsh). Once I got that done (it took all day, but I'm blaming that on the fact that I tweaked my neck and leaning over the table to translate was causing my neck great pain) I sat down, with L&V and got working on my second Bellatrix sock. And I was browsing the Loopy Ewe (as I am wont to do) and suddenly some new roving appeared. So I went back to the main page and oh.look. the Wollmeise had updated! So I managed to get a skein of Gewitterhimmel and also a pattern I've had on my wishlist for awhile. Wasn't planning to buy yarn for awhile, but - dude- when the knitting gods send you Wollmeise you do not spit in their faces! One good thing about ordering from the Loopy Ewe is that- given I end up paying duty on their packages - I am very restrained in my purchases so as to mitigate additional charges (yarn money going to the government is bad - better to spread the purchase out over time).

Queen St is a wonderful place

2008-01-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

Today I spent the morning dutifully writing in my carrel and spent the afternoon ttc-ing up and down Queen St.

I went to check out the Purple Purl on Queen E. (For the record, WAY further E than I normally get). It had a great layout, very open and bright. Not a lot of stock, which is sensible given they only opened in November. They did a better job than many a yarn shop of labeling and pricing things clearly, but still not as well as I'd like (honestly in my world, if there is no price to be found it's free people). I picked up some wool for some mittens, 3 compact needle size thing-ies, and a purty skein of pink-purple-black tofutsies (note to the world - I didn't realize there is 400+ yards in ONE skein of this!!)

Then I hopped back on the ttc and went to nearly the opposite end of Queen (well not quite but you know) and picked up a couple of things from Romni - some back fingering to heel my Bellatrix socks, some yarn for a present, and some SOAK.

From Romni (back on to the ttc) to Arton Beads, where I bought: beads for the shawl my dad is giving my mom for her birthday (score - I knit, he pays), beads for me one day to do one of the Ice Queen with the dark mohair from Aunt Shirley, beads to go with the present, some more stitch marker fixtures, stuff for St. Valentines sts markers, and some more assorted charms for sts markers. Including 2 sets of Zodiac ones, I haven't decided whether to make them all the same bead or to try to match beads to months.... I am beginning to wonder what to do with all of the sts markers I'm making. I mean, I don't use that many of them and my few knitting friends can only use so many (esp. when at least one also makes her own), so other than swaps (whereby I still end up with more markers) I'm kind of at a loss...

(this is only about half of my bead haul....)

I finished up the day with a trip to LUSH (oh - dear - they were having a sale.... is it a bad thing when you save nearly $100.... I swear most of it was for my mother!!)

Jan lull

2008-01-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

It is Jan. The Christmas knitting rush is over as are my hopes of getting various things done for Christmas/New Years for myself.

I'm settling nicely into some sock knitting for me (one pair of Slippery Socks done, half + of a pair of plain old wonderful generic stockinette socks in Austermann Step for watching football, and a pair of Bellatrix underway - more below). I am slowly replacing all my non-athletic socks with hand knit ones.

There are a few other things, some left overs from last year, most especially a shawl in my first skein of mini-maiden, and the mohair shrug - currently in a shoe box under the chair in the living room. Plus the spinning that is out on my desk. I'm spinning up the green Fleece Artist (merino/alpaca blend), which is pretty but I'm not sure I like the put up, it got very, um, gnarly, just sitting in the basket. I'd also like to ply what I've got of the cosmic blue and spin up some more of it - when I get better I'll tackle the luscious purple bamboo from Glenna. And then there are the things I have yarn for I want to knit - the red carpet convertible -which I started but frogged because I did something backwards and then forgot where I was... and Cochella, and oh, another half a dozen sock patterns/yarns or so including: Thelonius, Gothic Spires, and Esther.

The Bellatrix socks are the January project for the Thrifty Knitters Sock Club on Ravelry. I'm using the hideous yarn I overdyed, which turned out a great emerald and black - perfect Slytherin socks. Only problem, I knit the leg - great, heel - great and I even did the flap, and foot - problem ... not enough yardage oops! So I frogged back to the leg and set up for an after-thought heel (a la after-thought thumbs on mittens, as in I'm not gonna cut anything, I used waste yarn to knit across the sts I'll want when I go back to do the heel). I'm nearly through the foot now and will have to see whether I will: a) have enough yarn and b) want to do the toes in the main colour, I'll probably find myself some black for the heels (and toes if need be).

I'll be slowing down a lot for the next while knittingwise as I try to get serious with my thesis (aka- the shirts will keep waiting and the socks will go more slowly and the mittens I want to knit will take a couple weeks instead of two days). My goal is to have 25-ish pgs for the 5th of Feb when I have to meet with my supervisor and give some kind of account of my last several months. Somehow I don't think my FO list will go over well as an explaination of where last semester went...

Happy Christmas to all

2007-12-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

Things have calmed down around here (yesterday was, well, what do you think Christmas in a family of 7 kids is like?!)

I finished the first of my Slippery Socks yesterday and promptly cast on for the second in the grand tradition of avoiding second sock syndrome, because it is worth xp on knit wars, and because I need more knitted socks now! I really like the pattern and it worked up nicely. I was worried about whether the darkness of the yarn would be a problem but it turned out lovely. There was some pooling of the darkest colour on the leg, and it striped vertically on the leg and horizontally after the heel - I think I like the horizontal better. The slipped st heel looks really neat with this colourway. And I did it with a heel flap, which I normally avoid, but I rather like the way this one turned out.

My Hand-dyed yarn swap package arrived from Australia - yeah my sock yarn! and fun stuff.

I got two knitting books for Christmas:

*Stunning Shawls and Wraps by Scarlett Taylor - all shawls with beads, there are a couple that I really like, and a few other that I'd like to modify into sweaters/tops. Several different techniques for adding beads are included and patterns range from simple garter sts triangular shall to shrugs and caplets, colour work, and cables.

This is one of my favourites, and as my mother rather likes it... (I think I'll have to tell dad that she wants it for her birthday... - what is it they say, find a pattern you love and get someone else to pay for it...)

I liked the creative use of self-striping yarn in this one.

And these two I'd like to take and turn into tops.

This one would make a nice pull over.

And this one I'd like to turn into a sleeveless top, but adding arm holes (between the collar and the body) and extending the body.

*At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - always hilarious, my family has been enjoying it (though they haven't exactally gotten the mohair jokes...)

My Grandmother gave me the sock needle set of Harmony dpns. And two antique metal circs - they belonged to my great-great grandmother Annie (Grandma's father's mother). They are pretty heavy duty - as in if I ever needed to garotte someone... I'll be interested to see how they work.

My Christmas knitting was distributed, and much enjoyed. Mom is now wearing both the socks and the shawl and L. carried around the Dr. Who scarf all day yesterday, while T. wore his hat -inside- all day.

A couple more for the pile

2007-12-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

So in addition to the two things from last post (socks and hat), I've finished another hat (for me) and a scarf and hat (for my uncle as requested by my aunt).

I used SWS Natural Garden for my hat, and the modified tea cozy pattern.

The scarf is A Scarf Askew from Magknits, in Patons Classic Wool in Dark Grey Mix, using about 1.25-1.5 skeins.

The hat is SWS Natural Coal, same pattern.

V is for Victory

2007-12-13T16:31:00.000-05:00

I have officially completed not only my list but bouns items.

Dad's socks - the end of the list

Nick's hat - the first 'list is finished' bonus (it was a hat based on Em's Tea Cozy pattern).

I've already started another hat like the one for Nick, this one for me. I've also realized, I would have failed all my students on the last two assignments if I didn't have my knitting (WTF! Why can't they analize the text I gave them instead of importing all sorts of irrelevant shit!? And where the frak did he get the idea that Antony was one of the conspirators and that he was arguing to justify Caesar's death?! - grrr- *breathes deeply and pets yarn*)

[Blogger is being stupid and won't let me add pictures...]

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

2007-12-11T16:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas knitting victory is in sight. I'm not sure why I keep hearing about the stressy-ness of Christmas knitting (despite last year), but I've loved it this year, and actually it has been less stressy because I haven't been running all over hell's half acre looking for things.

I ended up with:

*finishing the purple diamond shawl for my mom

*three shawls for my girlfriends

*hedera for mom

*3 pairs of mittens

* 4 Koolhaas hats

*a tea cozy

*a teddy bear

* Dr. Who scarf

* multiple face-cloths

*a pair of fetching

I have yet to finish-

*dad's Phineas socks - I'm now doing the ribbing on each, having knit both to 4.5 diamonds and not having enough yarn for ribbing so I frogged back the .5 and cut the yarn in half, balled it back up and am now going to rib each little ball for each sock.

I'm also giving knitting gifts

* two hand-dyed skeins

* two kits (needles, yarn, pattern)

It is a very knitterly Christmas! Once everythings is done, I have a couple of lacey things for myself that I'm working on and a half dozen pairs of socks I want to make (as well as a Koolhaas for myself - I LOVE THAT PATTERN!)

For next year there are two things I really want to knit that I don't have the yarn for: one will probably involve needing to buy 2 full bags of the bare Wool of the Andes worsted and the other is the Ivy League vest (which my plan is to knit in pallett).

I have the yarn for and will knit before ordering more yarn:

*the Cochella

*the Red Carpet Convertible top (not the dress)

*a shawl - either the Spanish Christening one or the Feather and Fan one

*I also have all but one or two balls of the calmer for a Nothin' but a t-shirt (I need another one or two of gold as an accent colour)

Final cool thing:

I have a friend who just came back from a trip to Australia and New Zealand and she brought me back four worsted weight skeins of Merino/Possum(!) blend.

Ouch - my hands

2007-12-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

Soooo - only part of a pair of socks, one pair of mittens, and part of a hat to go...

I finished 3 Koolhaas hats - in Red, Blue, and Teal-ish... to be variously distributed and am working on a 4th. At some point in the new year, I'm going to have to knit myself one - I really like them.

I finished Bertie's mitts, but the last pair of mittens has yet to be cast on, I'm thinking of just doing the same as the other two but on much larger needles, esp. since the cart itself is actually written for adult size... we'll see, I could just use the chart from the other pattern, but knit the same mitten pattern as I'm now very familiar with...

I also cast on a scarf/shawl for me, since I found a pattern that calls for about the yardage of my Mini-maiden. (Though my shrug hasn't seen any action since I started it... oops.)

My hands are a bit sore, I've been pushing it a bit - and I did a power point presentation for a talk at school last week and my laptop mouse is really hard on my hands. So I'll take it easy for a bit... (well, at least until tomorrow night...)

Mittens and 5 things...

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

I finished the mittens for my sister. They were a huge pain in the ass (well, hands actually). I had ordered yarn in appropriate shades of pink/purple of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, worsted, and wanted to knit her Norwegian style mitts (originally from the mitten shaped mitten book... title escapes me, book burried somewhere, but ultimately from the Generic Mitten Pattern). The problem was the only pattern I had was for adults, so I sized it - way down- based on some measurements, and they were WAY too small, so I frogged, changed needles sizes, and did it again, also WAY too small. So I gave up and worked an adult sized pattern on teeny-tiny needles (2.5mm). The restul is a pair of decent looking, well fitting, bullet proof mittens on which I intend to blame any future arthiritis in my hands.

I've started a pair for my youngest brother, these with Telemark, I'm planning to make them the same (but not inverted) and am hoping the difference in yarn weight will make up any sizing difference... (yeah, right...).

Said youngest brother with yarn for mittens.

Today my Cro-hook came! I am soo excited, I want to run right out and order me a fair isle project. But I will wait... must finish Christmas knitting and knit at least one of the tops I have the yarn for first...

As per the Hand-dyed Yarn Swap...

(5 favourite things - in no particular order)

1. naps

2. late 1960s American muscle cars

3. hanging out with friends, esp. when my bar is invovled

4. North American Football

5. good Tiramisu

(honourable mention to: bubble baths, fire, snow, rum, milk chocolate, action movies, and red lipstick)

Socks, fingerless gloves, and shopping

2007-11-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today I (finally) finished mom's Hedera socks and also finished a pair of Fetching for my cousin. The Hedera are in Louet Gems Sage, they are sized for ladies 9 narrow and they should fit her fine. I could have made them longer and between the left over of the two skeins I used and the extra one I bought I should be able to make another complete pair of socks. I did a short row heel, because I like them better.

For the Fetching I used SWS in Natural Violet. I love the way the pinks work in it but I'm not sure about the greenish sections. They are much bigger than the other pairs I've made, which makes me think I'd used smaller needles for the others and that the yarn is definately smaller guage. But I like the extra length and will be making myself a pair, probably in Natural Garden. It is a bit scratchy so I'm thinking maybe I should wash them...

When I picked up the SWS (in Violet, Garden, Plum, and Navy) I also picked up a skein of Mini-Maiden in a beautiful green-brown colourway, I will be making something shawl-scarf-ish out of it eventually. I also got the new IK, and will be doing the Ivy League Vest as soon as my Christmas knitting is out of the way (and KP gets more of the Tidepool Heather...). I ordered a Cro-hook too, which I hope to get in the next week or so. I heard about it on David Reidy's Podcast Sticks & String, it is a circular needle where one of the points is a crochet hook, great for picking up stitches along arm-holes and neck edges. I like toys, this is an exciting one.

Just keep knitting...

2007-11-05T16:24:00.001-05:00

Question:

Do I want Emerald, Plum, or Ruby zephyr or similar colours of the Elann peruvian baby lace merino for knitting the Mediterannean Shawl? (Now if I can manage to get some Wollmeise lace weight all bets are off... and if it rains blue cheese ...)

I've finished another dish cloth (of which I will spare you yet another picture), and the Baby Bobbi Bear and I've nearly finished one Phineas sock - I'm keeping it on the needles until I knit the other one (the first one is to the ribbing) so that I make sure I have enough yarn for both of them.

The bear will be a Christmas present and was knit with about 4 skeins of fingering weight Katia alpaca (double stranded) on 5.5mm. It is super soft. The pattern was fairly easy to follow though the head does end up a little oddly shaped, mostly in the back -my mom suggested it needed a hat...

In other news, the Crazy Knitting Lady brought me a present from Rhinebeck - the most beautiful lilac bamboo roving!! I am soo excited. Spinning has always fascinated me, but since I've really started to look at it, it has been the thought of spinning bamboo, silk, and flax that have excited me most. Ergo, much squee! I am saving it for the moment until I get a bit better, and trying to decide whether I might not try spinning it with some silk...

Also, I have my new swap partner for the next round of the Hand-dyed yarn swap. This time all the way from Australia - which is very exciting to me. I think given the icky wet cool weather we've started to have, I'll have to do the dying this week to give it time to dry properly, now I just have to figure out what my dad did with all my dying stuff when he cleaned the garage...

Done!!

2007-10-20T12:12:00.000-04:00

The shawl - the purple monster- is done, blocked, and nicely wrapped in tissue paper and stored away for Christmas wrapping. I finished knitting it on Thursday and blocked it Thursday night (I left it soaking while I chatted on the phone... there was no water left in the sink when I got back!! NTS- wool is absorbant, if you don't want to be wringing water out of lace for hours don't abandon it in the sink....). I had to fold it in half to block it and then it only just fit on the towel/foam mats combo that I wanted to use.

Yesterday I started on my mitten blitz. I'm doing three pairs for my sibs - not really that big of a deal. But naturally I decided to try stranded colour work (which I rarely do and never do well) and that I wanted to do Norwegian style stars on them. Unfortunately the only patterns I have are for adults (one pair is for a 7 year old girl and one for a 3 year old boy - adult sizes not so much). So generic mitten pattern to the rescue... sort of... I used the template to create a scaled down template in excel and then did the design on that. Then I tried knitting it, first version too small... even for Bertie, so I frogged back to the ribbing and knit again using larger needles, which seems to have worked.

Last night, for some variety, I cast on the tea-cozy. The pattern was great, very easy, and I finished it last night before I went to bed. I really liked the picot hem, I've never done a hem before but this was easy and very smart looking. I think I may modify the pattern in future to make a toque.

Today, more mittens, and maybe working on the socks. Phineas is going slow, the needles are tiny!! So I've been leaving it to the side in favour of projects with greater instant gratification potential. I'm thinking maybe I'll cast on the Hedera for mom....

In my last KP order (which I was waiting for for my mitten yarn and sock needles) I also got the set of metal options. I have loved them, I actually knit the tea cozy on two cables and one set of 5mm tips (I had to switch tips at the end of each half row, but it worked really well anyway). I'm going to have to get more tips (and some doubles I think) and more storage and cables.... (obsessive compulsive much ....) I also got the Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning book. I really like it, though to my mind there is too much attention devoted to spinning novelty yarn. I'd have liked more space given to non-wool fibers (like bamboo), though I did like the sections on flax and silk, and to the properties of different fibers in general. The result has been, the plying of two spindles of singles that I had and pricing spinning wheels. Oh, how I want a Kromski Symphony...

*pout* My connection is being stupid so I can't upload pictures right now...

Progress

2007-10-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

Dr. Who scarf - Done (the ends are now sewn in)

Shawl 3 - Done

Facecloth #7 - Done

Two posts in one day... (or my afternoon in pictures)

2007-10-05T18:30:00.000-04:00

So, I checked out some older spinning material on Knitty and found a link to a DIY lazy kate, which I modified.

I wound my singles onto 'bobbins' (aka straws on knitting needles).

And plyed it. I must have divided the original pretty evenly (or had the dumbest luck in the spinning) since I only had around a foot extra.

It looks a little like yarn barf, but oh well.

Then I skeined it around a chair.

Soaked it in my sink.

(Wacked the snot out of it against my shower wall - as instructed in Spin to Knit).

Now it is hanging up in the shower drying.

Once it is dry I have two things to figure out - 1. how much of it is there ('cuz, dude, I need that information to enter it into Ravelry) and 2. WTF am I supposed to make out of it?!

So, now if only I could spin something remotely consistent... (on the other hand, the current situation might prevent me from buying lbs and lbs of fiber...)

Spinning and Dr. Who

2007-10-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

My most recent trip to yarn store also included a side trip to the bead store. Among the various things I picked up were some beads intended for use as spindle whorls. Last night I went to the dollar store in search of cheap wooden handled paintbrushes.

This is what I came home with (the paint brushes and eye hooks, everything else I already had).

And this is what I made. It spins pretty nicely, with only a bit of wobble at the end of a spin, the only real problem with it is that the handle is too short to hold what I was trying to use it for last night. I'm going to need to hit Curry's downtown to find something with a longer handle (and a wider circumference as the hole in the flat beads was too big). But over all I am pleased.

I spun all of the purple/brown/pink fiber yesterday, trying to do so according to the article on fractal self striping yarns in one of the Spin-Offs from earlier this year. This is what I ended up with.

Now I just have to figure out how to ply these singles...(and also to figure out if I spun one of them the wrong way... should I have done one S and one Z or do I do both the same and then ply them the other way... guess I should have checked that first huh...). I did spin some of the one with my DIY spindle, but ended up transfering the singles to the ashford and finishing it with that. It is uneven and wretched, but an improvement over the last time, so I count that as a small victory.

This week, knitting wise, I've been focusing on the Dr. Who scarf I'm knitting for my sister for Christmas. It is now significantly taller than I am... and I'm only about half way through. She is coming home this weekend so I won't be able to work on it then, but I should be able to finish it up next week. By which time the needles and yarn I need to move on to the next batch of Christmas things will have arrived. (If only my school work were this productive and well organized....)

Fiber, facecloths, and footwear

2007-10-02T17:30:00.000-04:00

oh my!

Soo - today I was supposed to go fiber crawling with a friend, but she had to bail - so I went alone.

I visited:

Lettuce Knit - where I picked up: 3 patterns (Thelonius Socks, Gothic Spire Socks, and Baby Bobbi Bear); a Go Knit Yourself magnet; and a pair of 5.5mm circs

Arton Beads- which really is AMAZING - where I got um.. beads... and some charms, I'm hoping maybe I can find some appropriate cheap paint brushes and make some spindles a la Em.

Romni - where I wandered at length and left with fiber - though I did leave the merino silk where I found it...

I have some serious online shopping to do, so I can get into the main portion of my Christmas stuff.

ION- My hand-dyed yarn swap package arrived today:

On Saturday and Today, I finished another couple of face-cloths. I've also charted a design I want to do for one, if it works I'd like to post it somewhere... anyone know of a good way of doing that?

This was my, knitting during parade one.

Here is the 3rd Martini one, finished this morning (cast-on last night).

(Also, I got shoes over the weekend - aren't they fab?!)

Life, don't talk to me about life.

2007-09-21T21:34:00.000-04:00

What do you do if you are a football headed manically depressed robot?

Marvin lives - well, technically, he's not alive, but he is done - stuffed, armed, seamed, and ready for giving.

Still here

2007-09-19T19:44:00.000-04:00

Christmas Knitting up-date:

* Christmas shawl 1 is done

* Christmas shawl 2 is done

* Christmas shawl 3 is paused for now, since I screwed something up and need to pick back a couple of rows

* I've been working mostly on my lace shawl (for Mom), I'm on repeat #14 (of 11... *sigh*) I'm going to do at least 15, then check how long it is then.

I've started working on the Marvin I want to knit for my sister for her birthday in early October. I knit it in the round instead of flat, and now I need to stuff it before I can do the arms.

The yarn arrived today (my first order from the Loopy Ewe) for my Dad's socks - I'm thinking I'm going to do the Phineas socks. I'm now trying to decide whether to do them in Cherry Tree Hill (navy) or the Fleece Artist (midnight).

I really like the Loopy Ewe, and want to keep ordering from her, but I have a slightly problem - customs. The duty I had to pay was actually more than the shipping, which is a pain. I order lots of things from all over, and a fair amount of stuff from the states. I've never had to pay duty on yarn before, I'm trying to figure out what the difference is that makes this package require it vs. others. Ideas anyone?

To block or not to block

2007-09-05T17:01:00.000-04:00

that is the question! The one I usually try to pretend doesn't exist, I mean, I think I've blocked a grand total of one sweater, I never block socks and my first real lace project is still on the needles.

But I just finished my first Christmas present, and it is a shawl. A lace pattern (basically like the lower edge lace of the After Dark Nightie). It was knit in a fingering weight superwash - so do I have to block it? Will it really look better if I wet it and pin it out?

(I can't find the camera cable or I'd add pictures at this point). Whether I have to block it or not, I'm very excited to have it done. I'm started already on the second one (which is going to be a slightly narrower chevron lace shawl). I've also planned out the third which I really don't know what to expect from, but it should be interesting at any rate.

Forget Jan, the new year is just around the corner

2007-08-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

September is the real new year, summer ends, the weather changes, and school and work pick up again. It is the time of year when I make my resolutions and refocus on what needs to be accomplished. (Which is consequently, why I am in pain right now - stupid new exercise programme). It is also the point by which I absolutely have to have begun my Christmas knitting, or things like last years - finished two hours after Amy left- senario.

I am doing much better this year. I have projects planned (for 3 friends - who never read my knitting blog so I can post all I want) and my sister (who is in the army and has better things to do than scope out Christmas and birthday present spoilers on a knitting blog she doesn't know exists).

Plans are as follows:

*3 shawls for the girls in Sea of No Cares, California Dreaming, and something I haven't dyed yet, because Boston and St. John's didn't work out. Sea of No Cares Shawl is cast on and 1/4 finished - if only I could keep up this pace, I'd be done no sweat.

*I'll be knitting a Marvin doll (from Hitchhikers Guide - see here - amazing what you can find on Ravelry!) for Leah's birthday

*She'll be getting a Dr. Who scarf for Christmas, and possibly I'll use the Boston and St. John's to knit her something, socks maybe or even a stuffed animal of some description).

I also have to finish my Socks for Solider's socks (the legs of both socks are done, and I'm through the heel and gusset on one, hopefully it'll be done in the next week or so) - NTS: these socks are huge!! (oh, and the socks for Nonna...)

I've also bought yarn to make my Coachella, which I have been resisting casting on, though as it will be quick I'm sorely tempted. I may even be able to do a smallish size, given that the comments seem to be that it runs big.

Spinning... sort of...

2007-08-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, I finally went and did it. I made kind of a mess of it. The first try (on the pencil in the picture) is really thick and parts of it took no twist at all. The second one (on the spindle) was slightly better, at least parts of it begin to approximate a useful thickness. It is a mess, but it was fun, and fairly simple.

My biggest problem (ergo question) is how one makes a smooth transition at the bottom of a batt when drafting (ie. the way I was going about it the fiber basically needs to be pulled out in strips and then attached - which is not the way it looks in any of the books!!)

My other problem is that I'm not drafting it thin enough, which will just be a matter of practice and chutzpha, because it is already drafted pretty darn thin and I just need to trust that it won't all fall apart.

Any recommendations or words of advice?

Also - I've frogged the first Christmas shawl - I didn't like how the colours were working, it was not the right feel, so I'll do up another colourway and try again. I do like the yarn, however, so I'll be saving it for something else, maybe socks for a guy.

I've cast on the second Christmas shawl, and it is looking really good. I worked on it a bit on the steps of the library at WLU yesterday and a woman, who teaches in my old department - but even when I was there I don't think ever knew who I was (*this is actually rather amusing, since our dept was very small and I was really well known, not to mention I carried all the graduating prizes they could bestow*) - walked by and commented (apparently she used to knit Icelandic sweaters, but doesn't have time to knit now).

Last night I knit a pair of Fetching, in a lovely blue, they will be given as a gift today (3 cheers for simple projects and stash!!)

During dinner, or well, started before, simmered during, I dyed up some more of the Knit Picks bare worsted I had in my stash (last one, guess I'll be needing to order some more....) in a mossy green. I'm going to knit a pair of Dashing for a friend. I was hoping to get started last night as it was super sunny and hot when I hung the yarn up - but I went downstairs for a few minutes and it rained :( - so now it is almost dry, and hopefully I'll get it started today.

Whoa...

2007-08-22T15:27:00.000-04:00

The wedding is over - it was wonderful:

Monday- 8-10hrs of dyeing yarn!!

There are many many pictures here are a few:

Sea of No Cares colourway (there are 4 skeins)

Boston and St. John's (also 4)

California Dreaming (4 more)

I also finished my hand-dyed yarn swap yarn too.

I'm exhausted.

Whee - yarny goodness

2007-08-15T08:29:00.000-04:00

It arrived, FINALLY!!

Those two outstanding yarn orders of mass proportions - they got here on the same day.

See ->

(photographed next to the file of stuff for the article I'm writing and season 5 of X-files - for which I only have one episode left to watch).

There is the 20 balls of lanett from Ram Wools out in Winnipeg.

And 10 skeins of Knit Picks bare

superwash fingering weight.

12 of the lanett are for Christmas knitting (as in I know what they are for, vs the others which might end up Christmas knitting but I'm not sure as what...), they are going to be hand-dyed and made into shawls (3shawls x4balls) so I played with my swift for the first time and skeined all 12 last night for dyeing next week (most of this week coming will be wedding related, as one of my girl-friends is getting married). I'm hoping to find some merino/tencel on our yarn crawl on Thrusday and dye that at the same time for the Hand-dyed yarn swap, if I can't I'll either use more of the lanett or the KP for that I'm thinking that on that crawl we also need to hit the bead store(s) and the dye store.

Pattern writing is hard!!

2007-08-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

Designing the pattern is a piece of cake compared to writing it up (and then making it meet style sheets).

My pattern just needs a name now, which I can't solicit help for because I can't talk about the nature of the project. *sigh*

Yesterday I was looking for an old text book, and found a box of yarn I forgot I had...

Xfiles and Sock Combat

2007-08-11T13:36:00.001-04:00

My first BBS is now into the gusset decreases. (Three cheers for the YH's guidelines, because my pattern left ALOT to be desired - as in it is really more like confused guidelines than anything resembling useful instructions... but the sock is turning out a sock so oh well).

It took a full ball to get through the leg, the heel and the first 8 or so rows of the gusset, I've cast on the second one and am hoping to get to the same place -yeah right- and that 1 ball will be enough for both feet - which is a whole helluva lot of hoping...

My shawl is still no where near done, not much farther ahead - probably because I've been living and breathing these socks for the last few days. But I've discovered that the xfiles mak excellent sock knitting back ground (so apparently does pre-season football...)

Pretty good, for a Wednesday

2007-08-08T19:45:00.000-04:00

* I made a dent in the annoying little things that have to be done to my paper, (the plan is to add a wee section before bed and then have nought but a trip to the library and editing to do).

* My Socks for Soldiers kit arrived today and I cast on my very first pair of Big Black Socks. I've been thinking about doing this for awhile, and finally got around to it at the end of my vacation a couple of weeks ago.

- it also came with 4 stitch markers; a cute little monkey ruler thingy, a couple of plastic darning needles, and some really really flexible plastic dpns (I tried using them and it made me feel twitchy -weird- so I switched back to my bamboos).

* I played more on Ravelry. I now have several things I'd like to try.

QUESTION: as cotton shrinks, what can I use or how do I modify (ie. how much bigger do I make it) if I'm trying to knit a hat (not for myself that will definately get washed hot) that calls for cotton?

* I had a couple more adventures on Lime and Violet's KnitWars.

Tuesday... right?

2007-08-07T13:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a holiday Monday, so that makes it Tuesday, right?

I'm trying to make sure and work for at least 3 to 4 hours a day on my article. I think most of it is coherent now, so it is just editing and annotating (which I really really hate).

I read Deathly Hallows yesterday, I was satisfied (and mostly right).

I have now finished the number of repeats for the shawl, but my guage must be waaaay off because it says it is supposed to be 87" and I've got 51" - I guess I'll do another 4 repeates and take it to 15 and see where it is at then. :( I was so looking forward to being able to block it and photograph it and tuck it away until it is time to give it a Christmas :(

*sigh* Must. get. back. to. article.

(But I would rather play with the ravelry pattern library...)

I'm in!!

2007-08-04T12:47:00.000-04:00

I got my invite, it is awesome!!!

I got my name LadyOctavia. I am a happy camper (I just wish that today wasn't the day we have 70 people over so I could sit and play with it all day).

10 people!!!

2007-08-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

TEN PEOPLE!! Only ten people in front of me!!!

WAHHHH

2007-08-03T08:59:00.000-04:00

Found you!
You signed up on June 7, 2007
You are #7610 on the list.
80 people are ahead of you in line.
14790 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

It's been like this since the day before yesterday... antsy is right, I'm doing a very good impression of a 5 year old that has to good to the bathroom or a 7 year old trying to wake up dad on Christmas morning.

Oh, that was really not the wisest thing ever...

2007-07-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

:D

Knitpicks has superwash fingering in stock again - or they did until I placed my order... maybe not anymore... .... ....

Also, my swift arrived. It is cute metal and blue vinyl and made in Japan and called a 'reeling machine' the instructions are the cutest thing ever. Now if only my yarn would arrive to allow me to skein it....

Also - anyone know off hand whether white/white-ish/natural merino-tencel fingering weight is to be found at any of the shops in Toronto?

Cottage Knitting

2007-07-26T11:51:00.000-04:00

So I've finished the Fawkes, and here they are. They are in Koigu, which was nice to knit with, but I think I'm missing something since I'm at a loss to know what is so special about it (please don't hit me...). Like I said, they turned out a little short and next time I'll make them longer.

and I taught my sister to knit! And here is her first project, she is knitting Fetching in some yarn I hand-dyed.

So much knitting, so little vacation

2007-07-25T01:40:00.000-04:00

But I am making the most of it.

Fawkes is done. I like the pattern, but the leg ended up a touch on the short side. If I make them again I'll add at least one repeat of the chart, 4 just wasn't enough for me.

The thing I can't talk about is also done.

I'm thinking tomorrow might be a good day to cast on the Clessidra (or I could do some work... nay!!)

Vacation knitting

2007-07-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow my family leaves for vacation, a week at a rented cottage.

So I've been preping and packing all the knitting I will need.

Thus far I've got:
* my shawl, which I'd love to finish
* the Red Carpet Convertible, which I need to finish for the july KAL at Sexy Knitters Club
* a random hand towel in elann's Camila for testing that yarn with
* the first of a pair of knee socks for Nonna (I'll leave the other one until she's tried the first one on)
* something I'm thinking I might try submitting to Knitty and therefore can't talk about...
* a pair of Fawkes to be knit with some Koigu from my stash
* a pair of Clessidra to be knit with the green below
* and I've also thrown in a ball of Austermann to maybe try the Monkey socks with

oh and my little sister wants to knit a pair of Fetching, so we'll be using some leftovers from my stash for that - which I dyed red for her earlier this week.

Yesterday and today I've done some last minute dyeing.

Yesterday was this for the thing I can't talk about, the colour is irrelevant to the project in many ways, I just wanted to see what would happen if I combined Tropical Punch with Cherry:

And today I did up this, for my Clessidra socks, it is Emerald Green with some Jet Black of the Jacquard dyes, I need to find my sister to help me wind it...

Also: I broke down and ordered a swift, which should be here when I get home and the fabulous Captain will hopefully bring me my very own ball winder when she comes up next month. So now that I've gotten pretty good at winding respectable cakes I won't have to do it myself anymore - go figure!

(*Pets VISA and promises to be good in the fall). I may also have ordered 20 balls of off white superwash to dye up for various things, including some Christmas knitting.... and decided that come the fall I'll order the necessary wool to knit my sister the Dr Who scarf she has long desired...

um.... look isnt' it pretty!!
[EDIT] After posting the above I walked to the mail box and found...

fashion accessories from Australia!!!

And now the After Dark Nightie is finis! The blue doesn't match exactly, but it isn't horrible. The red I think will match the Euro-flax exactly, the purple is beautiful, but very dark and the olive is quite bright. I'm even thinking that maybe the clear printed ones might be an nice alternative. But I am pleased with them over all. (They are from Strap Me Up, and the girl there was friendly and prompt, so if you are looking for something... NB: When I ordered shipping to Canada was $10AUD, so you might want to order a few things at once).

Here is the finished Nightie, straps attached:

varia

2007-07-19T22:55:00.000-04:00

Socks - they are going to be knee highs for my nonna (bed socks since her feet get cold), I dyed the yarn myself and am quite happy with the way it has turned out.

And - the needles -I made them too!! How awesome is that?!

And I just finished convincing a friend to try the two in one socks - Rock on!!

Gaaahhh!

2007-07-17T18:41:00.000-04:00

Kristen, your package is in the mail!

I've been AWOL for awhile, as I am the maid of honour made of awesome. I hope to be back to knitting and blogging soon.

Victory!

2007-07-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

It is done! Well, the knitting and the seaming is done. I'm trying to figure out what I should do about straps as the only ones I can find are white and that would look horrible on my lovely blue handknit. Suggestions would be much appreciated. (I'm looking into http://www.strapmeup.com.au/ - they have neat stuff, but I'm not sure what shipping prices/turn around times are like). It feels silly to order one bra strap to be sent all the way from Australia.

Pictures:

Back pinned down.

front and back

seamed!!!

detail of lower edge lace

detail top edge lace

I'm going to cast on the Red Carpet Convertible tonight while I watch movies with my lil' sis - Kowalski (my camo goknit pouch) is all loaded up with the various necessities and the pattern is printed out. Tomorrow the knitting will take a backseat to all things Parzival for a little while.

I got my new printer so yeah, I can print patterns (and other stuff too, but mostly patterns). My blanket chart looks so cool all printed out.

HSKS Trivia 1

2007-07-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

Trivia

1. "What happens if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" "Throw it away and punch him on the nose." Which two people are talking?
Harry and Ron

2."If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest." Who say this?
Ron Weasley

3. When sitting on the wall next to Professor Dumbledore at the beginning of the book, who does Professor McGonagall bet was the wizard responsible for the shooting stars seen by Muggles over Kent?
Dedalus Diggle

4. Known by the students as Nearly Headless Nick, what was Nick's actual name?
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington

5. When venturing into the Dark Forest with Hagrid for their detention, who is the first centaur Harry and Hermione see?
Ronan

6. We know that Parvati Patil was sorted into Gryffindor house, but what house was her twin Padma sorted into?
Ravenclaw

7. What colour do the flames turn when you use Floo powder?
Emerald green

8. What colour tie was Cornelius Fudge wearing when he came to take Hagrid to Azkaban?
Scarlet

9. After running away from the Dursley's, Harry took up a room at the Leaky Cauldron. What number room did he stay in?
11

10. While Ron, Hermione, and his other classmates are in Hogsmeade, Harry stops in for a chat with Professor Lupin. What did Lupin tell Harry he had just taken delivery of for their next lesson?
Grindylows

Picture Scavenger Hunt
The pictures can either be posted on your blog or you can link to them from your blog.

Harry's Aunt
Whomping Willow
Cornelius Fudge
Buckbeak
Emma Watson

Kool

2007-07-03T14:22:00.000-04:00

I've finished the back of the nightie, and started the front. So (*touch wood*) I might actually get it done in time - even in lots of time.

Yesterday I taught a friend how to knit, she was very persevering and now has a couple of cms of ribbing (well, not even ribbing but ribbing) for a pair of socks - as she got bored with flat knitting.

I'm sitting in the kitchen waiting for the timer to go off so I can remove the yarn from the dye pot and set up the next one. I'm dyeing 3 skeins of fingering - two superwash and one not. I'm going to try to do one in Ravenclaw to throw in with my HSKS, but it turns out that the one dye I was going to use which comes in a blue package is in fact red (?!) and so I'll be doing that in a mixture of the acid dyes I had in my stash. The non-superwash is going to be green and orange (kool aid); the other superwash is in the pot now and is purple, pink, orange (kool aid) and natural. The purple looks like it will be quite patchy. I am very slowly learning things that I should be able to realize before I do them with each dye attempt (like you need ample space for the yarn if you want it all to have colour...).

The weather is nice though, and I've set the drying rack up out in the back so I'm hoping that it won't take as long for things to dry as they did last time when I had vinegar scented yarn in my shower for ages.

I'm hoping that the self-stripping thing will work again this time, I tried to replicate the conditions from last time, but I altered the stripes a bit so I don't know how it will work out.

Also, I need a *&%^*%*&*(-ing swift. I think my next knitpicks order is going to include one.

sort of like swatching..

2007-07-01T15:21:00.000-04:00

Today I worked on my bag for the swap, it is all done but for a fixture I need to pick up on Tuesday (when the stores reopen).

Since I was drafting the pattern myself, I had to go search the house for a geometry set (you'd think with all the math being done around here that wouldn't be hard). Right angles confirmed I made a mock up out of an old shirt that didn't work out quite right. It was definitely worth doing the mock up (which I almost never do), it enabled me to work out what kind of seams to use where - though I did have to make a few more modifications on the final project. Then I took out the fabric for the project, (why did I buy 1.5m of it when I hardly needed a foot....). I learned some interesting things while working with the actual bag material:

1- I like natural fibers best even in sewing
2- fray check will actually re-solidify on this stuff and peel off
3- circles suck (well I figured that out with the mock up, but they really suck with slippery, synthetics)

But the bag looks lovely - though I'm not sure if I should/am allowed to post pictures if it is for a swap... I'll put some up eventually. And now I have enough material to make another 6 at least.

Anyway, back to the nightie I go, I'm nearly to the waist shaping.

Question and pictures

2007-06-30T13:43:00.001-04:00

Would anyone find these interesting? Or am I just going crazy from the yarn and bead fumes?

Since I'm doing the picture thing:

More stitch markers (with the dowel rods in the background)

The nightie in progress

softness in a skein

{update} Since posting the above, I made the following*:

US size 2 (they are 2.75mm)

US size 1 (they are about 2.25mm)

See Em's blog.

Wool gathering

2007-06-30T00:32:00.001-04:00

Today was a good day - as most of it was spent shopping or knitting (and I finished Iter, bonus).

I went to Lettuce Knit to pick up some of the necessaries for a couple of projects and my HSKS2. I noticed a red in the Euroflax I didn't see before, I think that is what I want to use when I do one for myself. I also picked up some Mini Maiden (half silk, half wool) it is soooo soft. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, I'll probably stash it and then collect a few more in matching colours then maybe do a shawl or some such.

My next stop was Lee Valley, where I got dowel rods to make into needles (and a book on the navy). I am ever so excited to try it, I love the idea of being as involved in the total knitting process as possible so making the tools ranks way up there on the 'how cool is that' scale. [It remains to be seen if I can execute, but I look forward to trying anyway]. BTW: that store is amazing! It was a very dangerous place to go into, I'm terribly lucky I didn't leave with plans for a roll top desk or a boat...

Question: could pen blanks be used to make effective spindle shafts?

Later I went back to Michael's for a few things and hit up Fabricland for bag making supplies - I think ours might be closing. After that I found a few things I still lacked at Zellers.

The rest of the night was knitting- I've finally got started knitting the nightie from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I am very much enjoying it, I'm nearly finished the lace at the bottom for the back. (Which is a good thing since I need to have it done soon, very soon...)

HSKS Questionnaire

2007-06-26T08:26:00.000-04:00

And it begins! My first swap and swap-y (-ish?) stuff.

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Ravenclaw

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars? um, I hadn't thought about it. I've been using clover bamboo ones and the knitpicks ones of late. I guess I like the bamboo better, but I'm not terribly fussy. I usually use either 2.25mm or 2.75mm (sometimes 3mm) at 6inches long.

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? I've been thinking about trying some of the other woods. I like to knit with something between 2.25mm and 2.75mm for socks, and probably 6 inches long.

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? I don't have really strong preference, but if pressed I like the movie colours better.

5. Do you have any allergies? Nope (though I may claim tarantulas, liver or squash if cornered)

CHOKE strikes

2007-06-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

The Yarn Harlot has described the 'group' called CHOKE (Cultural humiliation of knitters everywhere) and this week I discovered that one of my cousins is a charter member.

First off cousins- I am the oldest in my family (of 7) and of all the cousins (15 total on dad's side). Sam is the next oldest girl (at 18). She is a dear creature with whom I usually get on quite well, so I was surprised to learn that she would align herself with such an organization.

Normally she ignores my knitting, but since that is what most people do I didn't think much of it. But this week we went on a shopping expedition, Sam, two of my sisters and I. My family is used to me knitting, pretty much everywhere, and I think they get as much of a kick out of the strange reactions of bystanders in the mall when I walk by knitting socks and chatting with whomever I'm with as I do. But then we are generally unphased by gawking since it is a fairly standard reaction from people when we tell them either : a. there are 7 of us; b. we were homeschooled; c. that we nicknamed the youngest Bertie after our favourite Wodehouse character, or d. that L. is heading off to the Royal Military College or A. has diabetes and celiacs or I am doing a doctorate in Old Norse.... you get the picture. Sam however was not only phased, she was positively distressed and practically tried to forbid me from it (which as I'm the oldest - and bigger, stronger, and smarter- I'd like to see her actually try).

My aunt was over on the weekend, as we hosted Nonno's 75th birthday celebration, and was laughing about just how stressed Sam was over the whole 'ordeal' of being seen with me knitting in public (BTW - on this trip I only knit while we sat in the food court and then while she tried something on at American Eagle).

All I can say, it that while I fully understood that CHOKE was out there, I never expected it so close to home. I guess it just shows that they are everywhere, that knitter's need to be clam in the face of their bigotry, patient and charitable in our responses, supportive of one another, and appreciative of the non-knitters who support us in the face of such a pervasive antagonism.

Dishcloths and beads

2007-06-20T11:18:00.000-04:00

First off: Tomorrow is the last day for sign-ups at the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap so go sign up!

So yesterday I finally got the car and made it to Michaels - which in my humble opinion is generally useless for knitting - but it is not bad for beads and baking stuff and it carries Bernat craft cotton, which most real yarn stores do not carry.

Bernat is wonderful for dishcloths, so I picked up a whack of it, in solids and some matching variegated colours and started making my first Ballband dishcloths from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I have one done already (well except for weaving in the ends) and another more than half done. I'm thinking I'll now start a Bernat stash for the sake of dishcloths...

But mostly I wanted to get to Michael's for beads and assorted bead related things. For you see, the HSKS kit includes stitch markers and I figured that was the perfect excuse for me to make some. I've never used fancy ones myself - usually just plain jump rings or the little plastic disks, but I'm always game to try something new. And I now have - um- 6 sets of either 6 or 4 markers, and plans for more. I made them in Ravenclaw colours (see previous post about why I'm in Ravenclaw) and Slytherin (because that is my real house) and purple (because my birthstone is amethyst). I have plans for ones in Gryffindor and Huffelpuff colours too, but I need to get back to Michael's first. I'll try to make that trip tonight or on the weekend, and pick up some more stuff because my OC personality has decided this is fun and therefore I need to make dozens and dozens of them.

(fun and pretty)

(and apparently I was having a problem with the focus....)

Socks socks and more... socks

2007-06-17T19:01:00.000-04:00

I finished my first knee high! (also my first garment of my own design to be completed - if a sock can be said to be of my design....) It fits and is - amazingly- knee high. Now I need to knit the other one and then I'll do the post pictures and put the pattern into some semblance of sense and post that too. (Writing up patterns = way harder than designing and knitting it in the first place). Unfortunately it is June and the humidity has hit ergo I have little desire to wear socks at all let alone knee highs.

I've also started knitting the Chevron socks from elann.com. The initial cast on is a bitch, but it seems to be knitting up nicely. I'm using some self patterning blues and white that I had in my stash (the selection of this yarn being inspired by the next section). This is my second toe up sock, the first having been the test knee high (which is why it didn't have a mate). I'm not sure how I feel about this method - I don't think it was the best for me for knee highs -shapely thighs do not accommodate dpns (and I don't have enough circs in small/same sizes to knit them that way). I like top down, but I was stubbornly determined that I would not let the pattern defeat me. So I managed the toe shaping and learned how to make left and right leaning increases in the process. Anyway I'm liking the pattern and since fit beyond the foot is not my issue on this sock I don't think the toe up is going to matter much going forward.

(Here's what the sock looks like:)

And the last socks - I went and signed up for the Hogwart's Sock Kit Swap 2. I heard about it while listening to the SSK podcast (BTW - those things need warning labels the number of KALs etc. that I've wanted to join and yarn/roving to buy is just scary!) I joined, I am excited. I get to make up a package of goodies centered around sock knitting goodness and connect with other knitters. This makes me happier than it ought to, but it's been (and promises to continue to be) a stressy summer so I figured why not have the fun anyway. In order to participate I had to first be sorted, there were 5 quizzes listed on the side bar for that sort of thing, I did them all, I was sorted into all 4 houses!! I went with Ravenclaw, since it won the tie breaker - hence the blue based socks-, but I found it terribly amusing. FYI- if you are interested sign-ups are open until June 21.

When you can't knit...

2007-06-13T17:53:00.000-04:00

you can always listen to someone else talk about it.

As I've been doing a marathon of RA hours I've been listening to knitting podcasts - lots and lots of podcasts.

4 of my favourites are:
*Lime and Violet
*Sticks and Strings
*SSK
*Knitters Uncensored

Other randomness:
*Check this out, I totally don't have time for it but... (once I hear back I'll post more extensively)
*Also, I heard about Ravelry, I'm now on a waiting list - it looks like fun
*I'm almost to the heel of the first knee high - not sure if it might be a bit too tight...
*I bought Kool-aid, I feel like a 6 year old - so excited, there will be sock yarn dyeing with fruity smells (vs. vinegar-y ones) soon

Knee highs!!

2007-06-11T00:08:00.000-04:00

So I spent knit in public day knitting at home :( Though many people saw me doing so, as we were hosting a BBQ for my father's staff.

I finished knitting a test version of a knee high. Since I can't just follow a pattern on one because I have... um... shapely calves... so there is need for modification, but I also have gauge issues so I didn't know how much would be required. Ergo a test sock, which is done and now I know (and knowing is half the battle, Go Joe!!... wait, sorry, channeling my childhood...). I also tried out a couple of pattern options and used up some really really old sock yarn - bought before I understood about the wonder of knitting socks (or much about knitting in general - about oh, 7 years ago), but apparently I had decent taste when set loose in a real yarn store. The test sock, as a result, looks really funny. But it fits and is a sock so, go it!

Things I've learned:
*It is possible to memorize a lace pattern and to understand where to place what
*counting to seven is hard (or can be when also talking to people etc and trying to mentally keep track of rows)
*this merino/silk is really really nice to work with and the pattern is showing up so much better on the natural coloured wool than in the crazy variegated stuff
*writing out the pattern is hard! Trying to explain is so much harder than just doing! (Though working out the math so the pattern centres properly makes things much nicer)

Question:
*What does one do with a pattern once it is designed and knit?
*Who does one tell?
*How do you make the world understand how important and brilliant it is that there be a decrease on needle one and an increase on needle three to create a centre for the lace pattern and the decreases while facilitating the cool ribbing pattern on needles 2 and 4?

Now - bed
Tomorrow - Iter (my sock will just have to wait! *sniff*)

Since Friday...

2007-05-29T17:26:00.000-04:00

This has been a busy knitting weekend (well, extended weekend).

Friday was the Indigo appearance of the Yarn Harlot. I met up with Ms. M and the Crazy Knitting Lady and their parents around 6-6:10 and we promptly lined up, which was a good thing since if we'd been much later we would have been among the standing majority. Instead we sat and worked on socks and chatted and estimated how many people were standing up. It was lovely, the YH as hilarious (as could be expected), the crowd was huge, and there was so much knitting going on one could get giddy from the yarn fumes. M and G took many pictures, and M's were mentioned on the YH's blog - so exciting!! Friday night was spent knitting away at M and G's since tiredness and the amount of stuff I had to schlep around (being a turtle has serious disadvantages at times) prevented us from carrying on in public.

Saturday more knitting in the morning. Went home. more knitting - while entertaining company. Then read YH's new book (G - you shouldn't put ideas in my head without also reminding me to insure the water temperature be adjusted up to make sure it stays hot long enough!!)

Sunday - confirmation and first communion - followed by house full of company - followed by trip to Liz's where I - you guessed it - knit some more, as we watched movies until the wee hours.

Monday - tried to check out the yarn shop in Milton - it is closed Mondays. So we went back to Lizzie's and sewed and sewed and sewed - I now have a petticoat appropriate for 1812 and French/Indian and the pattern for a chemise appropriate for either and a serious problem with the pattern for the coat I'll be needing for July (geesh, all this for a camping trip!!) - patter was 3 sizes too small... so I don't have a jacket. Then we watched Pirates 1 and I ... knit (my shawl has gotten a lot of love lately).

Today - went back to yarn shop. I wanted to see if I could pick up or possibly substitute yarn for the nightie in Mason Dixon, however they didn't have the Euroflax or the book... (so I'm not the last person on the planet to get their copy). So that plan fell through. Instead I picked up some more sock yarn - cuz you always need more sock yarn... and a couple of odds and ends, a hard plastic gauge ruler, some stitch makers, and a 4.5mm-32" circular. The store is big and airy and the staff (I assume owner) was very nice. But I was disappointed on a couple of fronts. 1. Nothing irritates me more (well almost nothing) than a store that doesn't clearly price things. There was no system here, somethings had prices some didn't.
2. There didn't seem to be much by way of organization - sometimes it was all a designer (ie. Debbie Bliss) other times it was type (ie. baby yarn).
3. Pattern selection was crap. Lots of magazines, which was good, but almost no books and none of the ones I'd have liked to consult (ie. Mason Dixon...). Also poorly arranged, there might have been good stuff but I would have had to flip through all of the books.
I may end up back there again some time, but I'm not likely to take up residence.

Plans - I have two orders that need to go into knitpicks - with desperate hope that they will arrive in something resembling a timely fashion.
Want to knit-
* knee socks to go with the other re-enactment stuff (probably own design using the shaping from the Clessidra as a starting point) using the bare merino/silk from knitpicks.
*a baby blanket of my own design (with the superwash ww bare again knitpicks) it's going to have cables and a dragon...
*the nightie from MD, not sure whether I'll use the Euroflax or try to sub, we'll see (the book is in the first kp order)

Also - Friday I do my fields (eeek), I'm thinking since many of my friends aren't actually around to celebrate, and I'm planning to come home that night anyway, that I might just go yarn shopping afterwards...

So it starts, for real this time..

2007-05-23T01:26:00.000-04:00

I have decided to design a guernsey. I've never done anything other than socks except with a pattern, and usually those (in the sweater family) kind of suck, generally a little too big and I've had bad luck with yarn choices (I'm working the learning curve for all it's worth).

This sweater is going to be for my 10 year old brother and is going to use up at least some of the yarn I mis-dyed at Christmas last year. (Which means the final product is going to require a dye job of its own, I figure I'll dunk it in some black and let the grey mix with the various shades of turquoise - as long as it is greyish the 10 yr old won't care anyway!)

I was a good girl and did my swatch - see swatch-

Then I promptly did all my calculations and cast on twice as many stitches as I needed. So the sweater for the 28in chest 10yr old started life as if made for a 56in chest...

I thought something wasn't right, so last night when I ran out of the first skein about 4 inches in I rechecked the diagrams and realized I'd doubled the chest (no stupid M's chest is not 28 across it is 28 around!!) So today I frogged it all, rewound the ball, and cast on again - the right number of stitches this time. On the upside I'm getting much better at hand winding centre pull balls.

I'm now past the ribbing and first pattern band and into what I think I'll make a large section of stockinette on the body. It works up so much quicker this size... The patterning really can't be seen because of the yarn, which makes me think that my greyish finished product is just going to look greyish and hide all my cool designed patterning, but oh well it is a test garment after all.

(In unrelated news, I understand using the same actors/actresses as extras and bit parts, but come on X-files season 3 used one actor and one actress in two different episodes, I mean at least have them come a couple of seasons apart!! - also, when in HMV going to put seasons 4 and over on sale?! I am now finished 1-3 people!)

2007-05-15T18:32:00.000-04:00

Rather than read another article or book, I will post about knitting and yarn instead.

Kalamazoo proved particularly fruitful on the knitting front, as I finished the pirate socks and knit the other ball of hand-dyed into a pair for myself, which do indeed look like Christmas socks (and are already in the wash and therefore not available for photographing). I am also now approaching the half-way point of my lace shawl, I will hopefully have it done in a month or so.

This leaves me in the odd position of being a one WIP girl, I suppose I have sock yarn kicking around I could knit up, but still. I am thinking that I'll try and use up the stuff I botched the dying of last fall by designing a guernsey for my little brother. I have done the preliminary pattern planning, but still need to swatch, which is being held up by the fact that I have not decided yet whether to dye the yarn grey first or knit the sweater and then dye that. (Also, the yarn is all in skeins and needs ball-ifying before I can do anything with it.)

This project was inspired by reading (and inheriting) a book on the history and knitting of guernseys and jerseys. [The top book on the pile of inherited books]

No doubt the fair-isle book will have the same effect due course.

I'm also trying to see what to do with the yarn I inherited. This is the selection:
Three large cakes of a variegated purple/blue which I think is Fleece Artist and some darker purple mohair (one large one smaller ball) [these are the two back-centre purple things in the picture]. The texture isn't right for socks and it is a little too thick, I'm thinking some kind of lace/shawl, but I haven't found a patter that would show up the yarn to best advantage. There are 8 balls of the silver and 19 of the blue (Filatura Di Crosa, No Smoking), which I'm pretty sure will go into shawls or shrugs of some sort. The black blob in the front-left is boucle of some sort and there is a fair amount of it, I'm thinking afghan... The white off to the right is really nice mohair - sooo soft- in a natural colour, 9 balls worth; I have no idea what to do with it! The stuff in front is 100% alpaca, really soft, and a whole bag full, but the colour is - well - not something I'd have chosen... don't know what to do with that, maybe outer wear for a baby? (my sister suggested teddy bears) [Also, love that the picture captures the Icelandic law codes and box of Pop Tarts that are also on my bed right now...]

In other news, I learned over the week that one of my good friends knows how to spin (really who conceals that kind of talent?!) I will be making her teach me before the end of the year. To that end I've dredged up all my spinning links (from when I was looking into it after my masters) and have been ogling roving for the last couple of days.

Yo ho ho

2007-05-08T12:08:00.000-04:00

The shawl continues to progress, but since it is the same, but just (imperceptibly longer) I will be saving pictures for later.

But I've got back to socks, I wanted something calming that I didn't really need to pay attention to for the other night. So I grabbed some of that black Kroy I inherited, some of the left over from those 2in1s, season 3 of Xfiles and I hid in my room and knit and knit and knit.

This is the result... I just need to graft the toes and sew in ends, but you can ignore that part.

The socks are for a friend who loves all things pirate-y.

I have been doing a short-row heel of late on every sock, because after a couple of other projects using short rows and the 2in1 socks, I had the heel turn memorized. This one I did using a heel flap (based on the Yarn Harlot's guidelines in Knitting Rules), now I've got that memorized too, so bonus. The major difficulty with these was trying to centre it for doing the heel after I'd cast on with the set up for the skull motif on the sides.

I'll graft the toes tonight, and then work on the other one over the next few days (ie. at K'zoo). I may bring the other ball of hand-dyed with me too, since while I love the shawl (and will probably tote it too) it doesn't make for very good conference knitting since there is no way to pretend to pay attention while reading a lace chart.

And so it goes...

2007-04-25T13:24:00.000-04:00

All socks have been completed and disbursed, a new round will start soon. - This is my good news.

My bad news - my Great Aunt Shirley passed away last week. She, along with my Grandma, taught me to knit. We've never been particularly close, and so the knitting was our major source of bonding and the primary source of those happy memories childhood is supposed to contain of such relatives. (I was much closer with her husband, Uncle Allan, also a knitter, who died 15 years ago).

The week has been busy with the various to and fro-ings associated with family deaths, and my mom has been more than usually busy with things as we are really the geographically closest and Aunt Shirley's kids are all in the States. I spent most of Tuesday moving things around the house and loading the van with the various things we've inherited (everything from fabric to dishes to books to ziplock bags). Most people remember my Aunt as a doctor, it was her dominate achievement in terms of how she presented herself (and given the givens not a small one), but I remember her as a knitter and have now discovered she also: sewed, tatted, and did various other sorts of needle work - all of the tools and remnants of which my mother has inherited. Grandma it seems got most of the yarn (as Mom doesn't know one end of a knitting needle from the other)- I have a few skeins of black Kroy and some new needles. It is interesting to reflect on knitting habits and preferences, it seems my Aunt liked straights (while I haven't used any in years - dpns and circulars all the way). I also cannot account for most of the yarn I've found. (ie. what does one do with bags and bags of hideous brown baby alpaca? or large quantities of very delicate bright red mohair? or random odd skeins of worsted 100% wool of the most Brillo pad like texture? well maybe that's why they are still stash...) I'm sure one day someone will wonder the same thing about all that blue Astra and some of that very random stuff I got last time I went into the store - (even I can't figure out what I bought half of it for!! - an ugly blanket some day I guess).

Middling News -

*My committee has decreed an end of May date for my fields

*I don't need an extension (yeah!! I hate such forms)

*my lace shawl continues to inch along (or rather to centimeter along) and I'm currently just past half way through the 3 (of 11) pattern repeats.

(between the webcam and the crappy lighting it doesn't look like much, but it I promise it is a lace shawl... sitting on top of some Old English next to a Christmas Tree...)

Question:

*Is it better to try and dye the yarn for a sweater first or knit it up and dye the whole garment? (in this case a sweater for a 10yr old boy on wool that is currently various shades of turquoise and will ultimately be a blackish-greyish-blue - among the other things I inherited was a book on knitting guernseys, and now I want to try and use up some wool by designing one for my little brother)

Knitting in translation

2007-04-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

*sigh* As April progresses stubbornly towards completion all life screams in my face about all the things that need doing - mostly the conference paper I have to write for early May and my fields in June.

So I plow through, hoping to remember something along the way.

My other two pairs of socks got finished at the conference in Boston - (one pair of well rinsed socks now hang in my bathroom, free of runny blue dye).

But now back to 'Juliana' - *10mins Old English, 1 row of knitting* repeat until line 246 is reached (or my head explodes, whichever).

I'm now in earnest working on the lace shawl I bought everything for in the fall. I started it once already and nearly gave myself a coronary trying to figure it out, so I put it away. But since I'm in stash knitting mode right now I figured I'd try it again, so far I've only screwed it up a couple of times, but each time I realized it and was able to figure out what was going on. But it remains to be seen how it will turn out.

Knitting and a Movie

2007-03-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I knit a the movie theatre for the first time - while watching 300.

The movie was great and the knitting went very well. I made one little mistake, which I thought was bigger than it was. My bigger goof was not turning the heel in such a way that the mistake would be on the back - instead it is going to be on the top of the sock. (And naturally it couldn't have happened in the middle of a block of colour, no it had to happen where there was just one row of a colour - geesh!)

But by the time I got home, the heel was turned and I was starting off down the foot.

(these socks are in Austermann Step, and are for moi)

The night before I'd cast on this sock, again for movie watching. It is the first ball of the hand-dyed stuff, and I'm making them up for a friend. NTS- ease up on the purple next time, blue finger tips are not sexy. I'm obviously going to need to do another rinse before I give them away... But I am rather excited about the fact that the stripes actually worked.

Socks have eaten my brain

2007-03-22T19:35:00.000-04:00

It's been um, a while...

But since last updating I have:

*Finished the dark blue Ivy
*Made a huge mess of the dying for the second one - I think this wool will need to be re-dyed and maybe made into a stripey sweater...
*and so knit the second one out of Inca Silk (in love light blue) from Ram Wools (I got it done - 2hrs after my cousin left our house on Christmas)
*dyed sock yarn - which I conned my cousin and Aunt into winding for me!
*learned to knit 2 socks at a time! (yes I am that awesome) - 3 pairs done that way (two went to a friend - whose cat's really like them... O.o)
*mastered the sizing of socks for myself - and finished a pair in Austermann Step today that prove it
*knit a pair of socks for another friend in a cotton/elastic blend.

So basically socks have eaten my brain. I am so pleased to be able to just knit them - I basically use the Yarn Harlot's basic sock instructions but with a short row heels (because I learned to do them for the 2in1 socks and if I was to use a heel flap I'd have to look up instructions). I still can't graft a toe worth a darn, but I can fake it well enough.

I have plans for some more socks, and am thinking I might need to just return a bunch of yarn I bought that I now don't really like... oops. Come summer I'll order some more yarn (superwash this time) to dye for socks so I know I'll like (or at least be to blame) for the colours.

Some one please tell me why chartreuse is in fashion this season?!

When Fandoms Collied Knit Happens

2006-10-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

Um... as it was knitting related, here is a Crossover FanFic I wrote for a friend's birthday this summer.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Entering the silent room, she looked around, taking in the surroundings. There was the bar – well stocked and fully manned – a few tables and a comfortable central sitting area with deep leather chairs and couches and low tables. It would work nicely.

Kara ordered a drink and selected a chair where she could await the arrival of the others.

Jack arrived next, looking relaxed – his top button, behind his tie, was undone, a clear indication that he was ready for a wild night. He collected a scotch and joining Kara, took one of the empty chairs.

“Not an overly punctual group, are we?” he observed.

“Whatever, it’s a bit early still,” Kara said, sprawled in her chair one leg hooked over the arm, her beer held loosely in her right hand, which was hanging behind her over the other arm of the chair.

A dark brooding figure in a long black coat sulked towards them, having come in some back way – probably via a shaded rear alley with sewer access. Following him was a similarly clad figure with platinum hair, who called to the bartender, “’Ey, mate, two pints of pig’s blood with a shot of otter in each. Oh, and one huge scotch.”

“Spike!” Kara drawled, “Glad you could make it.”

“Babe,” he smiled at her. “Jack, good to see you again,” he nodded to the older man, who acknowledged his greeting with a barely perceptible raising of his left eyebrow.

“Oh, I almost forgot, the skulking silent one here is Angel, he was bored so he figured on tagging along – seems to think I’d get into trouble if he didn’t.”

“Angel, this ‘ere is Kara Thrace, and that’s Jack Bristow. Kara and I are old drinking buddies and Fred introduced me to Jack couple years back.”

“And now you all gather here and…”

Angel’s question was interrupted by the arrival of several others. Giles and Lee had met just outside the doors and were already deep in discussion; they nodded in the general direction of the already assembled and headed straight for the bar.

Tara and Fred entered next. Laughing and chatting, they took up the rest of the couch Spike was lounging on.

The three Winchesters followed close behind, John and Sam joining the group, taking up the couch next to Jack, with whom John instantly fell into conversation. Dean rolled his eyes and took the stool next to Lee at the bar and ordered three pints, which he lined up and started into. “I can’t believe I’m here,” he muttered, picking up the closest pint and raising it in salute. “I may have to be here but nothing says I have to be sober.”

Kara looked around, “I think we’re all here now, so I guess we’ll get started. So, welcome to the first official fandom crossover Stitch ‘n Bitch. We have full run of the place, so make yourselves comfortable. The bar is fully stocked with the all the usual plus some excellent ambrosia and Spike assures me the plasma’s great – if that’s you’re thing. Yeah, so, get a drink and let’s get started.”

Apollo and Giles grabbed their drinks and bags and headed over to join the party, leaving Dean alone at the bar, now working on his second beer and complaining to no one in particular about the lack of hot bartenders.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Jack already had his project out, it was a bright – not neon, just bright – pink, “a sweater for my granddaughter” he explained in response to the question only Jack would have been able to read in the fractional tightening of John’s jaw.

“Afghan,” John offered of his project of thick wool all in neutral browns, “ it can get damn cold sleeping in the truck and I’m frigging sick and tired of bugs in the bedding of cheap motels in the southwest. ‘Sides I figure you never know when it might come in handy for camo.”

Both men relapsed into silence at this point, having pretty much exhausted their quota of words for the next week.

Sam hailed one of the bartenders, ordering himself a light beer and cosmos for Tara and Fred, whom he was engaging in discussion on the topic of textured versus color patterned knitting. “I’m partial to aran knits, but Jess always liked fair-isles,” he was explaining. “This is for my brother, Dean – the guy at the bar – just a ribbed, black touque; anything more elaborate and he’d never wear it,” he sighed.

Fred agreed with Sam about pattern preference and produced her project. “It’s a cable vest for Wes; this particular blue really brings out his eyes.”

Tara confessed a partiality to plain knits with a focus on the shape of the pieces and allowing the feel and appearance of the yarn to stand on its own, a philosophy her fitted, burgundy cashmere/silk mix, three quarter length sleeve sweater fully exemplified.

Lee produced two projects from the small duffle bag that served as his knitting repository, one he handed to Kara; it was the first, barely started, of a pair of fuzzy hot pink mittens. She and Lee had debated whether hot pink would be allowed under regulations, even if she only wore them when actually in the cockpit. In the end Lee said he expected that – allowed or not – Kara would get away with it, and he did concede that it was cold in the Viper and mittens were an excellent idea. It was a point he intended to address with his father the next time they met to discuss military issues. The other project, a plain grey tube on four double pointed needles, he kept for himself and proceeded to stare at and fiddle with, his face a knot of anxiety and puzzlement.

“Lee, come on, it’s only a frakkin’ pair of socks, just finish it,” Kara pleaded. “You’ve restarted four times! You’re way over-thinking this project and completely killing the relaxation factor. Giles, help me out on this one.”

“Commander Adama, Lt. Trace makes an excellent point. And despite your persuasive arguments, I really do think that the simple pattern in the grey DK weight will be the most practical for your purposes. I know you are not often in a Viper these days, but I can’t believe that you will have no use for warm socks in your current role.” Giles counseled sagely, placing his own project – a highly complicated fair-isle scarf – in his lap and turning his full attention to the matter of persuading the young man that he was being anal.

Spike was quietly working on his project, which he kept hidden in the bag while he knitted.

“Spike, won’t you share with the group what you are working on?” Tara asked teasingly, noticing his secretive manner.

All eyes turned to him, and realizing he was cornered, he withdrew the tiny baby blue finger weight piece from its hiding place. “I’m making booties and mitts and little sweaters for the preemies at St. Mary’s, okay?” He asked in a voice that was a cross between embarrassment and defiance.

This revelation was met with smiles and giggles by all but John and Jack, who showed their amusement and surprise by the slightest of twitches at the sides of their mouths.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Angel, content that even Spike couldn’t get into trouble while knitting baby booties, made his way to the bar.

Dean had finished his first round of beers, and was tucking neatly into a second and he showed little sign of slowing, though he was eyeing the dart board on the far wall with some intensity.

Angel approached the young Winchester, in his awkward ‘won’t you be my neighbor’ way. Dean eyed him suspiciously and said nothing.

“You don’t knit?” Angel asked, attempting to engage Dean in conversation.

“Do I look to you like a guy who knits?” Dean asked.

Angel shrugged and glanced at the assembled crowd of knitters, none of them looked to him like the type of people who knit. Dean seemed to understand the look and so reluctantly explained his presence. “Dad’s been after Sam to find some way they could bond. Sam, who apparently learned to knit at Stanford – fuck, I can’t believe he left us to go learn to knit! – picked this knitting club thing that Andrea told us about, figuring Dad would say no. Turns out Dad learned to knit in the marines and said yes, so now they’re knitting and I’m drinking.”

“I came to make sure Spike stays out of trouble,” Angel explained, infusing the words with so much angst and meaning that Dean turned to look at the guy, who apparently needed a brooding shadow-guard in order to knit in public.

“The guy with the booties?” Dean asked skeptically.

Angel nodded and focused his brooding on his pint of blood. Taking a deep draught, he sighed, sounding so much older than his two centuries. It was then that Dean smelled it, the blood, and in a second he had leapt over the bar, yanked down a decorative bayonet, leapt back over the bar, and was inches away from slicing off the vampire’s head.

“Whoa, Dean, let’s not have any decapitation among friends,” Kara called out.

“Friends?” Dean expressed the common Winchester incredulity, “it’s a frigging vampire.”

“A vampire with a soul,” Spike corrected.

“So?” Dean was still not understanding why he should leave Angel’s head attached to his neck.

“He’s a champion, helper of the helpless, tool of the Powers That Be, saver of puppies. You know one of the good guys.” Spike rattled off, not taking his eyes from his project for fear of screwing up the eyelet row.

“What kind of fucked up ‘verse are you from where vampires are good guys?” Dean asked in disgust, before he shoved Angel and lowered the blade.

“Language, Dean!” His father called.

Dean ignored John and pointed the bayonet at Angel’s chest, “I’m watching you, fangs. You even look at anyone here the wrong way and you’ll be joining the headless hunt before you even have time to blink.” Having accompanied his threats with sufficient eye narrowing and lip curling to drive home the seriousness of his words, Dean stalked over to the dart board and proceeded to play several rounds of around the clock without a miss.

Angel sat and brooded, distressed that the young man wouldn’t be his friend and was clearly not helpless and therefore in no way in need of his assistance.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

“So, let me get this straight,” Sam said, “Tara, Fred, and Jack all died?”

“Yes, but my body still continued being used by an ancient powerful being with a violent streak and no sense of humor.” Fred explained.

“Personally, I think Jack got the best deal out of it,” Spike offered. “I mean, trapping his erstwhile best-friend become betrayer extraordinaire forever in a tomb in the middle o’ nowhere, saving his beloved daughter’s life, having her total love and affection when he died after a lifetime of misunderstanding and tension, doing all he could to ensure a happy and solid family for his granddaughter, and what bloody brilliant last words!”

Jack pursed his lips in grateful acknowledgement of Spike’s praise.

“I have to agree,” Tara said, “I didn’t really get last words and my death inspired my girlfriend to go on a killing spree and nearly destroy the world.”

“Well, at least your death had real context and motivation, and it was beautifully tragic in its understated way,” Fred insisted. “Mine was just so I could come back as someone different! And, my boyfriend, didn’t exactly go on a killing spree but he did stab my ex, kill my assistant, drown his sorrows in a bottle, and then spend the rest of his life teaching the bitch walking around in my body the days of the week.”

“Whoa, and I thought we were messed up,” Sam said to John.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Kara cast off the finished mitten, and shook her head as she looked at the sock on Lee’s needles, barely an inch further along. Intending to order another beer, she turned around and caught sight of the clock. “Frak! I’ve got twenty minutes to get back to Galactica or Tigh’s gonna bust my ass. Sorry to have to run guys. Same time next week good for you?”

“Fine by me,” Spike replied, “though I may try and leave tall, dark, and broody at home if Sparky over there is going to be here.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Spike,” Giles interposed. “This time and place works perfectly for me as well.”

“Tara and I will be here, but we might be a bit late next week, we have a double date with Willow and Wes for dinner,” Fred explained.

“I’m coming with you,” Lee shrugged to Kara, “if it works for you, works for me.”

“It’s fine with me,” Jack added.

“Dad?” Sam deferred to his father.

“We should be able to deal with that poltergeist in Rochester and be back by then,” John decided.

“Great, then it’s settled. See you all then.” Kara concluded, handing her project back to Lee, who returned it to the bag after first rewinding the yarn she sloppily balled together and placing the empty needles in their respective holders. After all was stored to his satisfaction, they both stood and bid the others farewell.

Spike returned his booties to their bag, saluted the gang, and collected Angel from the bar, “Let’s go find you someone to save, that’ll make you feel better, eh mate?”

Tara and Fred hugged Giles and their new friend Sam before heading out, bags weighed down by the substantial progress they had made that night.

Giles collected his things and headed out, wishing them all a good week.

“Dean, let’s roll,” John ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Dean practically saluted his father, heels together, back straight, before bounding out to the Impala.

Sam shrugged and said goodbye to Jack, who nodded to the boy.

Jack and John shook hands and parted.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

With their various departures the bar was left nearly empty; one bartender gathered up the glasses from the tables and lined them up for washing next to Dean’s collection of pint glasses already standing in neat rows on the bar. Another swept up the mess made when Dean leapt back and forth over the bar and straightened the stools and tables displaced by the natural operations of the bar and by the unusual altercation between the two civilians at the knitting function. Half an hour later and all traces of the evening’s events – yarn based and otherwise – had been removed, the lights were turned off and the bar was still and empty again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Ivy - the last lap is always the hardest

2006-10-14T22:24:00.000-04:00

I've been knitting Ivy since sometime in September (anxiously anticipating doing so for some time before then).

Today I have finally finished knitting the 'big' pieces and now have only

2 54" ties
the sewing up

left before I am finished and able to wear it. (partially because I am generally adverse to blocking and therefore am skipping that step - at least I am planning to skip it, we'll see.)

Here are a few of the pieces :

And some closer detail:

I'm working with Telemark, Skyline from knitpicks.com. I'm rather liking it. It is 100% wool, but feels a lot like cotton and it shows the cabling quite nicely.

Today I've placed an (other large) order with knitpicks for various things, including some undyed DK weight Merino to knit another Ivy - this one as a Christmas present. I couldn't find the colour I wanted any where in the right weight, so I'm going to try to make it myself.

Knitting plans continue to develop and I should have company when it comes time for dying. (there will also be sock wool dying... oh dear... grad students + dye + wool + some form of alcohol = a very very fun but also very very scary prospect)

The Beginning of Something

2006-10-14T15:08:00.000-04:00

What, I'm not quite sure.

I finally brokedown and moved into the Blog world. This is my hobby blog. It will be filled with knitting, sewing, leather working, book-binding and other related and unrelated hobbies.

Welcome aboard.

Lady O.

The Chronicles of Lady Octavia

So long and thanks for all the fish

Small Victories

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

February: chapter 1

*squee*

While I was working

Football, Spinning, and Net Browsing

Queen St is a wonderful place

Jan lull

Happy Christmas to all

A couple more for the pile

V is for Victory

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Ouch - my hands

Mittens and 5 things...

Socks, fingerless gloves, and shopping

Just keep knitting...

Done!!

Progress

Two posts in one day... (or my afternoon in pictures)

Spinning and Dr. Who

Fiber, facecloths, and footwear

Life, don't talk to me about life.

Still here

To block or not to block

Forget Jan, the new year is just around the corner

Spinning... sort of...

Whoa...

Whee - yarny goodness

Pattern writing is hard!!

Xfiles and Sock Combat

Pretty good, for a Wednesday

Tuesday... right?

I'm in!!

10 people!!!

WAHHHH

Oh, that was really not the wisest thing ever...

Cottage Knitting

So much knitting, so little vacation

Vacation knitting

varia

Gaaahhh!

Victory!

HSKS Trivia 1

Kool

sort of like swatching..

Question and pictures

Wool gathering

HSKS Questionnaire

CHOKE strikes

Dishcloths and beads

Socks socks and more... socks

When you can't knit...

Knee highs!!

Since Friday...

So it starts, for real this time..

Yo ho ho

And so it goes...

Knitting in translation

Knitting and a Movie

Socks have eaten my brain

When Fandoms Collied Knit Happens

Ivy - the last lap is always the hardest

The Beginning of Something

squee