Everwhelming Liz

Married!

2008-04-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm back at last from a wonderful week with my family, a weekend of insanity and joy and, well, marriage, and a five-day cruise to Mexico and back. You can see three pictures so far that Christine/BigPinkCookie/PointySticks has released to the world.

I was typing up a post on the Ravelry wedding planning board about everything that went wrong and everything that was unusual and everything that went really well, when I realized that my blog was probably a better place for this nearly full-length novel than the Ravelry forums. So if you are completely uninterested in wedding stuff you should probably skip to the next blog on your feed reader, because there aren't even any pictures here. Well, except this one of the queso fountain.

It's something you actually can pull off if you're serving TexMex at your wedding, it turns out. I think my caterer may be the first one to think of it, so you saw it first here. Any standard chocolate fountain can be converted to a queso fountain, but hint: puree the rotel.

Ok, here's the scoop:

First piece of advice: make up a schedule for all the wedding events and a map with all the relevant locations. Out of our rather large wedding party, only three people were even remotely familiar with the town where we held the wedding. I sent a schedule to the bridesmaids in an overly wordy email. Not so easy to print out and carry around. And I sent it to Dave so he could consider sending something similar to his guys, but he never took the time to read it.

Second piece of advice: if you ask someone, say an FSIL, to be a bridesmaid so you can get to know her better, make an effort to actually include her with the bridesmaids activities during the weekend. Do not forget about her in favor of more talkative people you know better. This is something I'm really upset with myself for doing. Somehow she didn't even find out where the bridesmaids were getting ready and was completely left out of that. If I could go back in time I don't think I would have asked her at all. I think she would have enjoyed herself more as the best man's date than as one of the bridesmaids. But I really should have worked harder to include her.

First triumph: our amazing friends, along with some amazing relatives and some amazing friends of my parents, managed to set everything up at our reception site in less than two hours and everything was completely stunning. I hope you are all lucky enough to have willing and able friends like ours.

First hiccup: not having anybody call FSIL to tell her where the bridesmaids were getting ready, but we covered that already

Second hiccup: forgetting the beautiful heirloom handkerchief that MIL gave me, which had once been Dave's christening bonnet.

Third and biggest hiccup, with some advice: forgetting to get everything set on the ipods (one for ceremony, one for reception) before I even left home a week before the wedding. One of the ipods didn't have any of the wedding music on it at all, so I spent a lot of extra time on the day of my wedding trying to get the d*mn ipod synced so we'd have music at the reception. Then, when we got to the church, it turned out I didn't actually have all my ceremony music.

Let me just say a word about my ceremony music. My father is a musician, and he wrote a song for me when my mom was pregnant, and named it Elizabeth Jeanne (just like me). This was to be my processional. There are two recordings of this song, one very casual which he did for a cd he sells at his gigs, and one more elegant version he recorded just for my wedding. Guess what wasn't on the ipod? The second one. The other was there because it was on the reception playlist, so we made do with the other and nobody knew the difference. Dad was a little upset because he'd put so much effort into the pretty version, but he got many compliments on the song and I think that helped. (I had, of course, put a very sweet summary of the song in the program to make sure everybody else was crying too)

But if you decide to self-dj, make sure you have all the music right!

Second triumph: we wanted to do our pictures before the ceremony, but we got started a bit late. Our church doesn't have any good ways of entering or exiting without everybody seeing. So just about the whole wedding party, plus a good chunk of family, was at the church before I even got there, and Christine the WonderPhotographer had to convince everybody to leave the marginally comfortable seats of the air conditioned church to go outside. We did this so that when Dave and I saw each other for the first time, it would just be us and the photographer and not fifty other chattering people. But it meant that pretty much the whole world saw me outside the church before I got to go in. Still, our quiet time in the church was very nice.

Then we let everybody else in so we could take pictures, and pretty much everybody came in. Including all the guests, pretty much. And there I was, not cloistered away like brides are supposed to be, but up in front of everybody. I wound up seeing some old friends who'd traveled for the wedding and went to go mingle. I know not every bride would be willing to skip the big reveal, but I am SO glad I got to talk to people before the ceremony. There were quite a few guests I wouldn't have been able to spend any time with at all had I not been out there in front of everybody.

Fourth hiccup: We got married. It was awesome. We went outside. It started to rain. It rained for a half an hour--the entire time needed for everybody to move from the ceremony to the reception. Thanks, weather, that was super brilliant. Also: if you're going to dye your shoes to be your something blue, SCOTCH GUARD. I didn't think of it till today, but it would have saved the dye from running. My shoes look pretty awful now.

Third and biggest triumph: Ninja Attack! Because there was only food and no dancing, pretty much everybody split after cake. By the time Dave and I were ready to go, only the wedding party was left to shower us with flower petals or whatever, or to catch the garter and bouquet. We decided to just go ahead and leave, and handed out our special showering apparati: Ninja Attack!

We'd only gotten enough for the wedding party but since that was pretty much everybody who was still there, they all got 'em. I think those pictures are going to come out really well. And after Dave and I had run the gauntlet, he turned around and threw my garter, secretly removed so they wouldn't suspect anything, at the group of guys. Surprise!

Well, in my list the hiccups outnumber the triumphs but really the triumphs far overshadow any problems we had. The food was great, and I think everybody had a great time. Plus Dave and I couldn't be happier together. So, yay!

If you ask nicely maybe I'll pick out some good honeymoon pictures to post.

I made yarn!

2008-03-06T13:49:00.001-08:00

Because I SO need a new hobby right now, with the wedding going on and the dissertation and all.

I took a class through the local Parks board, which was run at the LYS. There was only one other student in the class, and we had a pretty good time. I'm still getting the hang of things, but my yarn so far does not look too hideous. I think I've settled at a mostly-consistent heavy worsted weight, but that's just me eyeballing it.

(Isn't my spindle pretty?)

Dave's afghan is moving shockingly fast. I cast on for the fourth block today. Here's Section C, a neat scale-like motif.

And to continue the "things Liz has made out of natural-colored wool" motif, this week I finally attached my veil to the comb. I had my hair trial yesterday (where we tested out my desired hairdo) and here's how the two look together:

24 days till I get to wear all that stuff again!

Update-o-Rama

2008-02-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not have noticed, it's been a long time since I updated. I've been really busy, and my rechargeable batteries gave up the ghost so I couldn't post pictures anymore. So here's what's going on with me.

1) The wedding is a month away! I have a long to-do list but most everything is minor. It's been coming together very well and I'm really looking forward to the big day and being MARRIED! And I got a really cute bathing suit for the honeymoon cruise, so that's taken care of.

2) School stuff is coming along slowly but surely. Nothing interesting to say on that subject, though.

3) Dave is, by far, the best roommate I've ever had. And I've had a lot of roommates, some very good and some very bad. And he's definitely the cutest.

4) The Ivy League Vest is very nearly done. I mean, I am very very close to being done. But it's been in the 80s here, so I'm unmotivated again. I hear there's a cold front coming in this weekend, though, so maybe I'll try to finish it.

Here's what it looked like just before steeking:

I'll have modeled FO shots soon.

5) Because I am a madwoman, I decided to knit little purses for my five bridesmaids. I have the knitting done on 4.5, but haven't done any finishing at all. Well, that's not true, I think I wove in 2 ends. Here are the bags. They're all done in the same linen yarn.

6) Because there's only so much blue linen a girl can stand, I made a pink burp cloth for a friend's baby. I am calling this project "good enough to puke on."

7) In anticipation of finally being done with the bags, I cast on for an afghan for Dave. This is the Sampler Afghan from Cables Untangled, and you knit 26 patches of different sizes, sew them all up, and then knit on a border. This is a marathon project, but I'm loving it so far. I'm using Knitpicks Bare Superwash Merino worsted weight, so it's white and soft and cuddly.

Been so busy!

2008-01-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had a very merry Christmas and a great New Year. And I hope that your new year continues to be great.

As the post title says, I have been sooooo busy. My grad school career has gotten to the point where all I really need to do is write my dissertation, and I don't really need to show up on campus every day. So Dave and I have upgraded from a medium distance relationship (1.5 hour drive each way) and we moved in together. In just three months we'll be married, and we wanted to get all the crazy moving stuff out of the way before the crazy wedding stuff happened.

So, how about a tour? You walk in the front door and the living room is on your left. There you see the couch that gives our apartment its name, Orange Couch Land.

On your right is the dining room and the closet that I guess is supposed to be a kitchen. I mean, there's a fridge and a range and a sink in there, but not much else. Some freshly baked cookies are cooling on the table. That's Dave's doing. The man can really bake!

As we go down the hall we pass the 1.5 baths. I didn't take any pictures of the bathrooms, but it's kind of a funny layout. The first bathroom is a tiny sink and toilet, with a door to the second bathroom which has a tiny sink, a toilet, a tiny cabinet over the toilet, and a shower. Having them connected has been pretty convenient, though. It means you can put the extra toilet paper in just one bathroom and you don't have to go running across the apartment to get it for the other bathroom. It also means that if the shower has steamed up one mirror you can use the other bathroom to do your hair and makeup.

Anyway, here's the bedroom.

And, my favorite, the "study." Dave is hard at work, but most of the books in here are mine.

Here's the other side of the study. More of my books (all the knitting ones are on the bottom shelf) and a futon for overnight guests.

Back in the living room, this shot contains some of our favorite things in the new apartment. There's Banjo, my wooden drawing figure; a really sweet lamp that I've had for ages but could never find the right size lightbulbs for; and Dave's new rapier. Some friends and I got him that for Christmas. It's very nice, but I don't think Banjo likes it much.

I have an FO to show you but I think I'll wait until I've presented it to the recipient. Here are my works in progress.

A Coriolis Sock from New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I love the way this thing looks, but I'm gonna have to frog it I think. It's too small for my feet, and I don't know anybody with smaller feet that I'd want to give such cool socks to.

And here's a swatch for my new Fair Isle. These are six natural Shetland sheep colors. I've always wanted to knit FI using only natural colors because I think they're just gorgeous. To think that there are sheep running around in so many beautiful colors! These will become a very subtle, earthy version of the Ivy League Vest from IK Winter 2007. Yum.

So many socks and sweaters

2007-12-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

My little ornaments are getting popular! Several people on Ravelry have posted projects. Wild Tomato made a bunch and had the funniest blog post about them. And yesterday I made it onto Lime and Violet's Daily Chum!

I've been making so many, and they'll soon start leaving, so last week I took some time and made a Flickr gallery. With the exception of two stripey socks, all of these are plain stockinette with no fancy techniques. Imagine what you could do with a little color work or cables. I'll have to try it next year.

I am hard at work on the socks for Dave's mom. I took pictures on Thursday and I was this far along:

By the time I went to bed Friday I'd gotten over half of the second foot done, but I wasn't able to work on them at all over the weekend. I need to get these done tonight so I can mail them off tomorrow, and I think it's perfectly doable.

I love the way the star toe looks, but I don't know if it'll be as comfortable because the purls make a ridge on the inside. Anybody have any experience wearing these socks?

The state of my Christmas

2007-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming. Are you ready? I... might be.

I've got my tree up now, and I seem to have just the right number of tiny socks and sweaters for the two sides that face the room. I'd like to cover the rest of the tree if I can, but I'm happy with the state of things so far.

Many thanks to my mom and Noricum for donating sock yarn scraps. I think I am set. Noricum sent me yarn all the way from Canada! In return, I'll be sending some her way that she can use in her beautiful sock yarn blanket. There are quite a few balls of varying sizes, but the smallest one was also my favorite. And just enough for a sock.

Any idea what this one is? It's so pretty!

Last year I wrapped garland around the balcony rail, but it didn't seem worth the effort this year. On December 26 Dave and I are moving into a new apartment together. I have gotten to the point in my academic career where I do not need to be on campus more than once a week, so I'm moving to his town an hour and a half away. It's been two and a half years since we lived in the same town, and I am really looking forward to seeing him every day.

But anyway, it didn't seem like I should put forth all the effort to put garland up outside, but I didn't want to just keep it in the box, so I got out one piece and draped it over my bookshelf. Festive, no?

I've helpfully labeled each section over on the flickr page, if you want any insight into my library.

As for gifts? I have two completed pairs of socks to give away. But the gifts I most wanted to finish are giving me fits.

I was going to make Dave an afghan. Over Thanksgiving he decided he wanted color work, so we picked out a second color and... it is backordered. Until December 21. Gonna have to think of something else.

I've been working on Tom's Comet Gauntlets on and off. Over Thanksgiving I got the hand done and knit the first finger, then stopped so Tom would have something to try on. The danged thing is way, way too small in the wrist. Still. Even after I frogged like halfway down the arm and reknit it, leaving out the final six decreases. This thing is going to need major surgery, and I am Not In The Mood. Any ideas what to get a seventeen year old boy who really would've liked a pair of knit gloves for Christmas?

With the failure of these two projects, I decided to go ahead and make a pair of socks for Dave's mom. This project had been on the back burner because I really wanted to do the other two, but since I was not destined to make either of those boys anything I decided to turn my attentions to something I already knew how to do and already had the yarn for. And I'd use a real pattern instead of writing one, because I have had enough of designing for a little while.

These are the Embossed Leaves socks from Favorite Socks, and I love them so. The pattern is relatively easy and the yarn is soft and lovely. I am so much happier knitting these than I was struggling with the gauntlets. The gauntlets will happen, for Tom's August birthday at the latest, but for now I am content to relax and let somebody else do the thinking for me.

The sweater it wanted to be

2007-11-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Before I show you how my cardigan turned out, let's review.

This yarn began its life intended for the Origami Cardi from IK Summer '07, but I was having Gauge Issues and decided that I didn't want something that weird and boxy and bobbled after all.

In this post I showed you how the back, which was supposed to be one Liz wide, turned out to be nearly one Liz long. So it got frogged and I started turning it into the Equestrian Blazer. I'm still too traumatized by all the problems I had there, so I won't recap in too much detail, but all the entries are here.

So I started working on a version of Glampyre's Minisweater and modified it almost into oblivion. I didn't post much about the knitting because it wasn't nearly as interesting as the other stuff I've been working on.

I finished knitting it the Monday before Thanksgiving and washed and blocked it right away so that I'd be able to wear it in my future BIL's freezing house in Oklahoma. But when it was time to leave on Tuesday, it still wasn't dry! What to do?

Bring the blocking with you, of course.

The sweater, pinned to the blocking board, resting in the back seat of my car. (I really hate how the picture came out so blurry but you can still see all those dings in my door!)

I'd bought some nice metal buttons but they were too big for the button holes, so Wednesday morning before Dave and I left his apartment for his brother's house I stopped at Hobby Lobby and found some buttons that made my geeky heart sing for joy.

Having done some checking, this turns out to be a pretty inaccurate reproduction of several different German coins, but heck, I'm a historian, not a coin collector. The Vereinsthaler was the coin used by the German trade confederation in the 1850s and 1860s, and after the birth of the German empire in 1871 (see the year on the coin?) it was used to represent three marks, or so Wikipedia tells me. "Ein Pfund Fein" means "one pound exactly."

At FBIL's, when the sweater was finally dry and I sat down to sew on the buttons, I realized that I'd left the yarn at home, so I made due and sewed them on with some of the green sock yarn, which is probably not going to last very long as the knots keep slipping. You can actually see a bit peeking out from behind that button.

With the buttons on and everything finally ready, the yarn had finally become the sweater it wanted to be. I love it so!

The Specs
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Spruce
Pattern: Minisweater/Boobholder
Mods: I think the only thing I didn't change was the cast on numbers and the raglan increases. I changed the rate of neckline increases and made it a full-sized sweater with waist shaping and 3/4 sleeves. Oh, and as a somewhat tall girl, these are my first ever actual 3/4 length sleeves: they actually hit where they're supposed to, instead of right at the elbow! I love knitting.

It may not be too obvious in these pictures, but I knit the garter edging at the hems on sideways rather than normally. I think it's a nice touch.

I heart my new sweater!

Tiny sweater: with pattern!

2007-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

This will take you a bit longer than the little sock, but the sweater is rather charming. As always, if you knit this and find any errors or weirdness in the pattern, please tell me!

(updated 12/15, and I'll continue to fix problems as people report them to me, so check back and make sure you've got the best version before casting on!)

CO 24 sts and join to knit in the round. Knit 2 rows in k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 10 rows in st st and set aside.

Sleeves: CO 10 sts and join to knit in the round. Knit 1 row in k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 14 rows in st st.

Now, since I knit my sweaters on 2 circs I think of the front and back of the sweater as separate entities. Each round starts on one "shoulder" and the midway point is opposite that on the other shoulder.

Choose a sleeve to start with, and knit the first four stitches. Knit the next stitch together with a body stitch. Knit 10 body stitches, knit the last body stitch together tbl with the first stitch of the other sleeve, knit the remaining 4 sleeve stitches. Repeat for the other side of the sweater: k4, k2tog, k10, k2tog tbl, k4.

The yoke decreases will work like this: every row will contain four decreases, one at each side of each armpit. On even rows, the decreases will “eat” body stitches, and on odd rows, the decreases will eat sleeve stitches. Still with me?
Yoke row 2: knit 4 sleeve sts, ssk, knit 8 body stitches, k2tog, knit 4 sleeve sts, repeat for other side
Yoke row 3: knit 3 sleeve sts, k2tog, knit 8 body stitches, ssk, knit 3 sleeve sts, repeat for other side
Yoke row 4: knit 3 sleeve sts, ssk, knit 6 body stitches, k2tog, knit 3 sleeve sts, repeat for other side

(you may want to pause here to sew up the underarms before the neck hole gets too small)

Yoke row 5: knit 2 sleeve sts, k2tog, knit 6 body stitches, ssk, knit 2 sleeve sts, repeat for other side
Yoke row 6: knit 2 sleeve sts, ssk, knit 4 body stitches, k2tog, knit 2 sleeve sts, repeat for other side
Yoke row 7: knit 1 sleeve st, k2tog, knit 4 body stitches, ssk, knit 1 sleeve st, repeat for other side

Collar: 1x1 rib for 1 row, BO in patt. Weave in all ends.

I'm making these from sock yarn on US 1s, and as you can see the latest one has about a 4" wingspan.

In order to get stuff all lined up on Ravelry they want me to give them my real last name. But it's a secret! What to do?

The madness continues

2007-11-11T15:13:00.001-08:00

I can't stop. And I've branched out a little.

Meet Banjo the Wood Boy, my drawing figure. He's holding the three socks from last post on his left arm and two new socks on his right arm. And I made him a Santa hat.

Yes, in fact, I have become a little obsessed with tiny things. Why do you ask?

Check out the improved version of the mini sweater. I decided to leave the letter off because the attitude really says it all. (The truth is, I pinned that arm down because the arms were just sticking out way too far. I'll have to figure out a way to improve on that for the later versions.)

The bad thing is, I'm running out of sock yarn. I could have a tree full of identical ornaments, but the color palette is neither Christmasy enough nor random enough. So I have a proposal for those of you reading this who go to my SnB. Can I have some of your leftovers? If you bring me some on Thursday, I'll make two socks--one for you, and one for my tree. If I can. If not I will probably fill the void left by your lack of a tiny sock with some chocolate or maybe a candy cane. Sound like a deal?

Rockin' the macro setting

2007-11-08T08:38:00.001-08:00

Having finally discovered the macro setting, I have a lot of tiny things to show you! (And a pattern at the end!)

I made this Little Coriolis sock like a month ago but never took a picture. It's really cute, and I can't wait to try the pattern on a human-sized sock.

I will be hanging this Mini Weasley Sweater from Charmed Knits on my tree. The M is for "Macro Setting." Not really, Dave and I both have last names starting with M so I can either keep it for us or give it to my parents.

I would like to take a moment to say that while I think this sweater is seriously adorable, this is probably the stupidest pattern I've ever knit. I probably brought a little of the grief upon myself by doing it in sock yarn and 1s instead of DK weight yarn and 5s, but still. This tiny sweater ornament is constructed in exactly the same way as the real Weasley sweater: knit a back, knit a front with neck shaping, pick up stitches for a flat sleeve on either side, sew side seams, pick up and knit collar stitches, embroider the M. It was a lot of work for something I won't even see the inside of again. I did tiny mattress stitch! I kind of like the result, but if I decide to make any more they will be seamless raglans. I spent an hour doing one sleeve and sleeve/side seam. Life's too short.

Anyway!

This trio of tiny socks is the start of my Christmas ornaments for the year. The goal is to fill up my entire tree with tiny socks, and then give them away. Regular readers may note that generally I have been giving them away *before* putting them on the tree. But I think these three will stick around until Christmas.

I've been promising to post the pattern for a while, so here goes.

Cast on 16 stitches, leaving a generous tail (6" at least). Divide stitches onto two circular needles and join for knitting in the round. Knit three rows in 1x1 ribbing. Switch to st st and knit about 12 rows.

I like to have my heel centered over the back "seam" (it makes the CO tail in just the right place for hanging), so knit the next four stitches and transfer these four, plus the four just before them, onto one needle. Leave the other 8 on a separate needle. The two striped socks have slip stitch heels, but I've decided I don't like that as much, so knit 8 rows in st st, ending with a RS row. Are you ready for the fastest heel turn ever?

P4, p2tog, p1, turn
sl1, k1, ssk, k1, turn
sl1, p2, p2tog, turn
sl1, k2, ssk

Pick up five stitches along each side of the heel flap and rearrange your needles so that the round starts at the bottom of the heel. On the next round, k5, k2tog, k8, ssk, k5. Knit one round plain. Then k4, k2tog, k8, ssk, k4. Knit another plain round. Then k3, k2tog, k8, ssk, k3. You'll have 16 stitches again.

Knit the foot plain for several rounds. I like having about 15 total rounds from gusset pickup to toe decreases. For the toe, *k2, k2tog, ssk, k2* twice. Knit a round plain. *k1, k2tog, ssk, k1* twice. Now rearrange the needles so that the top of the foot has four stitches on one needle and the sole stitches are all on the other, and knit two stitches so your yarn is in prime kitchenering position. Graft the stitches together, hide the yarn end inside the sock, and cut it so it doesn't try to pop out.

Now comes the part where you convert your tiny sock into a tiny sock ornament. Cut a length of yarn just over twice as long as your cast on tail. Using your darning needle, thread it into a stitch near the co tail. When you have the yarn about halfway through (so two equal pieces of yarn, about equal to the co tail, are also hanging off the back of the sock), braid the three strands together. When you are nearly to the end of your braid knot it, and use one of the loose pieces to sew the end of the braid into the inside of the sock, two or three rows down. Ta-da!

Life interrupts Halloween

2007-11-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

My Halloween did not go as expected. The Plan was to wear the Luna earrings to class, then hang out for a bit showing them off and studying, and then come home to help my family with the trick or treaters (their neighborhood is quite the hub). I had a dress fitting scheduled for this morning at 10am.

First, I woke up late, but not so late that I wouldn't make it to class. I had stayed up till 3 the night before, grading and procrastinating the grading. The phone was what actually got me out of bed. It was Dad, calling from the hospital to say that Mom had appendicitis and they were going to have to operate.

And that was when I knew, Halloween was not going to be quite so awesome this year.

Class didn't go smoothly for me, the TA, but that is a slightly duller story. It involved me tripping in front of the class. I did wear the Luna earrings, with a gray sweater and a black skirt which I thought sort of resembled an undercover Hogwarts uniform.

I headed down to Galveston, where my parents live, a little before noon and got there a little before one. Mom's appendectomy started just before 11, but the hospital took its sweet time in getting her from recovery to her actual hospital bed, so she was still in the surgery area when I got there just after 2 (Dad said they didn't need me just then, so I took a nap at their house). To give a little more information, she had gone home sick on Tuesday, thinking she just had some minor intestinal issues, but it kept getting worse so after midnight she and Dad went to the ER. She works at this hospital and knows a lot of people, so she gets pretty good treatment, but they're still pretty slow. Dad's glad that her surgery was done by the day staff, though. Everyone keeps asking, so they didn't do it laproscopically, or however you spell that. The surgeon she got was highly skilled and respected, and he doesn't like it, so he just went in the normal way.

Dad and I hung out with her for a few hours, and then I stayed there and Dad went home to pick up my brother and deal with the trick or treaters. His totally sweet setup for scaring children and dispensing of candy involved a few tealights on the stoop which my brother didn't see, so he caught his enormous baggy pants on fire. I was on the phone with Dad at the time and heard Tom say "why am I on fire?" Dad put it out with his "spooky" black gloves, now also singed, and there's about a 5" hole in one leg of Tom's pants.

Mom was very sensitive to the drugs they had her on, so she pretty much slept all day yesterday. I brought her some little satyr horns so she'd have a costume, but she couldn't keep them on very well so we gave up. It was pretty funny when the nurse noticed, though. I got a bunch of knitting done.

I got home at 9. Dad had been out of candy for an hour and a half (they never, ever have enough, so I'm glad I stole some candy corn before going to the hospital). I got into costume anyway so I'd at least have some pictures. The robe is my Dad's from when he got his master's, and the "wand" is one of Mom's long cooking chopsticks.

Mom was much better today, and she'll be discharged this evening. But this recovery will not be quick. So we could use some vibes. The dress fitting went pretty well, but I have no new pictures for me. She did give me the leftover scraps including the still-intact bodice. Tomorrow when the light is better and my batteries are charged I'll try to get you a closeup of the material.

I'll close with a bit more Luna.

Dirigible Plums

2007-10-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm dressing up as Luna Lovegood for Halloween. I've got the scarf, and now I have the earrings.

Luna was wearing what looked like a pair of orange radishes for earrings, a fact that Parvati and Lavender seemed to have noticed, as they were both giggling and pointing at her earlobes.

"You can laugh!" Luna said, her voice rising, apparently under the impression that Parvati and Lavender were laughing at what she had said rather than what she was wearing. "But people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"

"Well, they were right, weren't they?" said Hermione impatiently. There weren't any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Luna gave her a withering look and flounced away, radishes swinging madly.

-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I forgot to include something in the picture for scale, but they're about an inch and a quarter tall and 3/4 of an inch wide.

I didn't have any exclusively orange yarn, so I cut the orange stretches out of my Yarn Pirate Punkin Head yarn. Each radish took two orange stretches, a bit of white undyed knitpicks, and the leaves are from leftovers of those socks I just finished.

Sundries

2007-10-28T09:27:00.001-07:00

I find it a little ironic that just after I started acquiring a pretty decent readership to this blog, I suddenly became unable to maintain regular blogging habits. Part of me hopes that you are all reading this through bloglines so you don't waste a lot of time each day clicking through favorites, only to see that once again, Liz has not updated. I used to do that before I found bloglines, and the one that sticks out most is Eunny's blog, which dropped off around the same time that I started reading it. (hope that wasn't my fault!)

Anyway, here is a brief update on where we stand with the wedding plans.
-The cake has been arranged and is going to be delicious
-The rehearsal dinner has nearly been arranged and is going to be delicious
-The flowers have been arranged and are going to be beautiful. We're using blue and white hydrangeas--white for me with a little blue, and blue for the bridesmaids. I showed the florist my veil and he immediately pulled out some Queen Anne's Lace, which will pop out of the hydrangea bouquets in a most attractive way.
-The dress. I am so excited about the dress! When my grandparents got married in 1948 my grandmother wore this dress.

My aunt wore it, then my mother wore it, and then my uncle's wife wore it. And as much as I loved the idea of being the fifth bride in my family to wear such a special dress, I could not get past that shoulder ruffle and the giant butt bow, not shown.

To make a long story short, we're taking apart that enormous skirt and turning it into another dress entirely. I had my second fitting last week and have the third on Thursday, and it's coming together beautifully. I may post pictures later, provided my fiance will agree not to look. It's not the bad luck aspect I'm worried about, it's the ruined surprise.

I have been knitting, too! Those Christmas socks are done.

Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in DF Green
Needles: US 1
Pattern: nothin special in the toe and foot, Baudelaire heel, 3x1 ribbing in the cuff.

I still need to give these a vinegar bath so they don't bleed on the recipient's feet. I think he's going to love them, though.

Much progress has been made on the cardigan front, and I am working on the bottom of the sweater right now. I am making things more complicated than they need to be, but I think the final result will be worthwhile. I couldn't get a good picture, though, so you will have to wait. I haven't knit on the gauntlets at all, but anticipate picking those up as soon as the cardi sleeves get boring.

Something for me

2007-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

My Christmas knitting list is very ambitious this year, but it is on hold for now because dangit, I want a cardigan!

The Equestrian Blazer has been frogged once and for all and is now on its way to becoming something else entirely:

A top-down, raglan sleeve cardigan that may slightly resemble the Glampyre Minisweater, but without the ruffled edge or the puffed sleeves and regular-cardigan length. Basically the only resemblance will be in the cast-on numbers, the garter edges, and the neckline (but that's got mods of its own). So far I'm a lot happier with this than I was with the first two renditions of this yarn. Will the third time be the charm?

I should also say that Ravelry was a huge help here. I would not make a sweater like the one in the Glampyre pattern. But if you look up the dozens of Minisweaters on Ravelry, many people have omitted the puffed sleeves and the edging doesn't appear at all. I certainly won't be the first one to make it full length, either. And I noticed that the less busty girls wound up having to put two buttons on (think double-breasted jackets) because the increases were too much, so I modified the neckline increases for a sweater more suited to my smaller chest.

Tom's gauntlets are looking more awesome, but are slightly stalled because he wants the arms two inches longer than they came out, so I'll need to modify the pattern some to add two inches worth of swirly comet tail.

Liz invents a new kind of knitting (maybe)

2007-10-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm working on another Christmas project right now. My little brother asked for a new pair of elbow-length fingerless gloves like the ones I made him last year for his birthday (never blogged, long story), but with several changes. He wanted these made from yarn that wasn't itchy (and that gorgeous merino was? shoulda kept it for myself!), and in a black-and-white pattern that looked sort of "tribal." Oh, and he wants separate fingers this time.

I began to think about what I could do within these parameters. I bought four skeins of Dale of Norway Svale (cotton, viscose, and silk) in black and white--hopefully this won't be itchy, but if he thinks it is he is obviously insane. And I landed on the idea of a comet design, with the ball of ice and dirt on the back of the hand and the tail streaming down the arm.

How to convey the sleek lines of a tribal-style comet in knitting, where two-color designs almost by nature end up looking geometric? I started to think about the way lace creates pictures. Increases and decreases, negative space and positive space. The yarn over holes create negative space--an absence of fabric--and the knits and purls create the positive space, usually the picture itself. Lines of increases and decreases can look like stems or can firm up edges.

Can these principles be applied to two-color knitting? I hoped they could, even though I wasn't sure I'd seen it done before. We don't have positive and negative, we have main color and contrast color. What if the streaks of the comet's tail were shaped by decreasing on one side and increasing on the other?

Not only is it possible, it is awesome.

I began with a gauge swatch, and then I cast on, deciding to use the bottom of the piece as the "real" swatch. I did a turned hem and began a 1x1 stripe at the bottom edge. Hate knitting a turned hem together with live stitches? Try it in fair isle! Anyway, yarn dominance is especially important if all you're doing is stripes. By holding the black yarn in my left hand and bringing it from underneath, while the white was in the right and came from above, I ensured that the gauntlets would be, as it were, black with white stripes instead of white with black stripes.

Once I had enough to get started, and to know for sure what kind of gauge I'd have, I figured out how big an area I'd have for the pattern itself. Then I freehanded my comet on graph paper, and then filled in the black squares with a pencil.

Knitting from this chart and trying to take notes of where my increases and decreases were started to get a little scary, so I started filling in a new chart as I go. After all, I'm going to have to flip this around and do it again on the left gauntlet. This second chart also increases the chances that I'll be able to write up the pattern for others to use.

This is the result, now just over halfway to the wrist:

This picture, taken with flash, will hopefully show you the interesting twists and curves created by increasing and decreasing in the black zones.

And this last picture, taken without, kind of shows how this really is black with white stripes instead of the other way around.

I have two questions for you, dear readers.

First, have you seen knitted goodies like this before? I haven't except maybe those crazy kneesocks from Knitters? Vogue Knitting? with the circles? Anybody know what I'm talking about? If I'm the first to do this I'd like to be solid in my bragging rights. If I'm not, I'd like to see how smarter people than myself have done it and, especially, written directions.

Second, what should I call them? I spent some time on Wikipedia looking for cool comet names, but none really stuck out, though I guess I could live with Halley's Gauntlets. I also kinda like the German word for fireball, Feuerkugel (foy-yer koo gull). Any other suggestions?

What have I been working on?

2007-10-04T11:53:00.002-07:00

It feels like I haven't been doing much knitting lately, but somehow I still have tons to show off. Mostly, I've been knitting socks.

-Big socks on tiny needles

(Those same Christmas present socks, nearly to the heel turn on #2 right now)

-Tiny socks on tiny needles

(Finished the purple one recently, the turquoise one has already been given away, and I plan to give the purple one away soon. I'll never make it to a full Christmas tree at this rate!)

-Big sock on big needles

(Hopefully this will be Dave's Christmas stocking, but there may not be enough yarn for a decent-sized stocking, in which case I plan to frog and make myself a hat. Oh, and these "big needles" are 13s and they feel SO weird after using 1s)

-Tiny sock on big needles

(Little Sky Sock from New Pathways for Sock Knitters, I used the wrong sized needles so this one is way too big to serve properly as a baby sock, but whatever.)

I haven't attempted the second learning sock yet, but I'm thinking that the next pair of socks I make will be from this book. I'm curious, I know a few of you have been knitting from her patterns so far, do you use the decreases (edit: I mean INCREASES) she recommends? I didn't really like them.

A big order from Knitpicks came in yesterday and I am muchly pleased. I am now using those new wooden needles on a non-sock project and I *LOVE* them. I also got a set in sock sizes, plus some cable needles for the upcoming cabled afghan.

Stephanie freakin' Pearl-McPhee

2007-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Arr, matey, today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, but I be too much of a scurvy cur to talk like a pirate fer a whole blog post. Arrr. Oh well.

Harlot!

What an awesome, awesome time. I rode up and back with Susan/Plum Texan and Meredith/Mer Knits! You know you've found cool people when they can make a drive on North 45 at rush hour seem like a grand old time. If you aren't from Houston, think of a highway in a metropolis with bad traffic and really ugly scenery. Yeah. Anyway.

We got there a good hour and a half before the talk was supposed to start and headed to the hosting LYS, Twisted Yarns. Mmm, so much good stuff. I bought a set of cable needles because I'm supposed to teach somebody how to cable soon, but managed to get out of there (that time) without buying anything else. I saw Cat Bordhi's new sock book, but managed to be virtuous and put it back even though I'd promised myself that I would buy it as soon as I saw it. $30, dude! I'm a grad student!

The high school where they had the talk was "next door," but this school was ginormous and we had to walk all the way to the far side, jumping ditches and anthills on the way. While we waited to get started they had door prizes and I won one of the last ones: a baby knits book with some really, really cute stuff (note to self: find babies to clothe) and two skeins of bright orange yarn. Orange isn't my color, so I may give it away. Still, the prizes were amazing and I was glad I won one.

Stephanie's talk was soooo good. What a smart, funny lady she is. She talked for an hour and a half, but she was so interesting that my butt never got tired. My fingers did, though, and I had to stop knitting toward the end.

Afterward, we went back to Twisted Yarns for the signing. I tried to take a picture of the line, but I mostly got this bookshelf.

Meredith and I were in line for ages, but we finally got up to get our books signed, and I got to hold The Sock! It was soft. Stephanie said it was the mojo of hundreds of knitters, but it may also have been a high-quality merino.

She complimented my Venezia *blush* and then said "I'm going to see Eunny this week, I'll tell her I saw one!" If she remembers, this means that the freakin' Yarn Harlot and the freakin' editor of Interweave Knits and designer of my Venezia sweater will be talking about ME! I feel so special.

So, that excitement over with we had to loiter around the store for another half hour or so, as Susan had gotten in line way behind us. Not too bad, but I was unable to resist Cat Bordhi's sock book after a second perusal, and it came home with me. I'll just eat ramen this week, it'll be fine. If I get really hungry I'll distract myself by looking at the AWESOME SOCKS.

We're off to see the Harlot!

2007-09-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Expect an update tonight or tomorrow. The Yarn Harlot is coming to town today! Or, well, to be more accurate she is coming to a suburb way on the North side of town. Fortunately for me, I have knitting friends now, and I will be riding up with at least one, maybe two.

The super-organized organizers are giving out tickets for the book signing, so we know where we have to stand in line (hopefully this will prevent a big rush, which could be very dangerous with all those knitting needles around). I went up on Friday to get some tickets and came home with yarn for three Christmas projects. I cast on immediately for the first one, modeled here by Banjo the Wood Boy.

I'll be knitting on that tonight. I'm almost done with the heel now. These are a surprise Christmas gift for someone who almost never reads my blog, but I won't say who just in case. The yarn is Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in "DF Green," a bit darker than the pic shows. She uses Louet Gems as her base yarn, so y'all know how much I love it. Oddly, though, the yarn is shedding bluey-purple dye all over me. Any thoughts on how to set it?

Houston knitters, if you're gonna be at the Harlot tonight, look for me! I'll be wearing the Venezia pullover, damn the 96 degree heat index!

Ketchup

2007-09-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Did you guys miss me? I have been so freakin' busy. And it's funny how going more than two weeks without blogging about current projects means you have a TON to talk about, even if it's been light knitting.

1) I got into Ravelry at last! I've found some of you already, but you can look for me as EverwhelmingLiz.

2) I forgot to say, but I passed my comps. I am now ABD (all but dissertation), and once I fill out a form and turn in a transcript I will have completed the requirements for a Bonus Master's Degree. But now I'm frantically working on a dissertation proposal and, soon, grant proposals. I should be doing that right now, but I missed you guys!

3) The wedding plans are... progressing. Slowly. Hopefully on Friday we'll get the final news about whether the seamstress can do the dress I want. I'll post about that later, if it works out it is going to be really awesome.

4) If you guys pray, please pray for my grandmother and our family. If you don't, send us some good thoughts. She has Alzheimer's and finally had to go into a nursing home last week. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry, it was so sad to see her there, with her mind essentially gone.

Ok, and the knitting.

1) I've mostly been working on the second Twisted Flower sock, which is done at last. In a fit of generosity last weekend I offered these to my aunt, but I don't know how well they will wash, so I guess I ought to test a swatch.

These were some very challenging socks, but so much fun. Also, Dave had better keep an eye on me, because I am tempted to run away with Louet Gems and have its babies. Softest, prettiest yarn EVER.

2) With the socks winding down, I started working on smaller things. I made a baby hat with some leftover 1824 Wool. The Yarn Harlot is coming to town next Tuesday, and this is my contribution to the representation.

The pattern is the Umbilical Cord hat from Stitch n Bitch. This was my first ever baby knit, and it is so freaking cute. I hope it makes somebody's baby very happy and warm.

3) With the baby hat done, I went even smaller.

The plan is to make enough of these to cover my entire Christmas tree, then have a Christmas party and let everybody take one home. They're lots of fun to make. Would you guys be interested in a pattern? They're pretty basic, just the normal sock on normal US1s, except only 16 stitches around.

4) This post is quickly approaching critical mass, but I need to include the status of the Equestrian Blazer. I am really not happy with this thing. My row gauge is off and it's coming out too long. I made some adjustments and lowered the armpit a couple inches. It was still too long, and then the other front came out about a half inch longer. Groan.

I have the back and both fronts done (they're those long skinny curled up things), but now that I can see other people's finished blazers on Ravelry I am falling more out of love with this project. It is just not as tailored or sleek as I had hoped.

I think it is destined for the frog pond. I want to make a cardigan with the same lines as the Tangled Yoke cardigan from the latest IK, but maybe without the cable. Any thoughts?

Cap Shawl from Victorian Lace Today

2007-09-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am probably the laziest blogger in the world, but now, two weeks after finishing the shawl, here are the pretty pictures I promised.

Pattern: Cap Shawl from Victorian Lace Today
Yarn: Merino Oro in natural
Needles: US 7s
Modifications: I omitted twelve rows from both chart A and chart B so that I wouldn't run out of yarn.
Finished size: about 60" in diameter, 14" smaller than the pattern says. Too short to be a shawl, but I don't mind: that's not what it's for!

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this project. It stayed entertaining even when there were more than 600 stitches in a row. The thing is just gorgeous, and I can't wait to wear it. You know, partly because it's pretty, and partly because if I'm wearing it that also means I'm marrying Dave. :D

I brought it to knitting night on Thursday and the lovely and talented Katharine took some pictures for me. I am very grateful for her help, as y'all know I can't photograph my way out of a paper bag (unless the way out involves an off-center self portrait). This picture is my absolute favorite:

Lovely!

Mmmerino

2007-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of knitting with Merino here in Orange Couch Land.

I'm working on the second Twisted Flower sock, finally.

I also whipped up this project for a dear friend who spends her days in a refrigerated lab.

Pattern: Hermione's Cable and Bobble Hat, Charmed Knits
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa Zara (100% merino), just under 2 balls.

I am obviously no good at this "self-portrait" thing. Let's pretend the off-centeredness is me being arty.

This post contains another shot of me dressed as a ghost

2007-08-18T16:32:00.001-07:00

I'd like to start off by thanking Amanda of K is for Knitter for nominating me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger award!

These awards were started by Roberta Ferguson, and now I am supposed to 1) give her credit, 2) put up the badge and 3) add 5 other rockin' girl bloggers to the list.

Here are my nominees. This is hard!
Auntie Ann, my bestest blogging buddy, and her totally sweet socks.
Sherri, who knits beautiful things and has a beautiful outlook on her faith and family.
Amy of Sea Anemone, because she finds such awesome fabrics and colors and OMG I wish I could sew as well as her (or at all).
Melissa of Indigo Mouse, who has great taste in sweaters and writes about her projects so well.
Heather of Knitting and Reading, because I love reading about fun books when I don't have time to read the books themselves.

Whew, that was a lot of HTML. Ok, well Amanda nominated me because (blush) I "always [have] amazing projects to show off." Lucky for you guys, I plan on living up to that in this post!

I finished the knitting on Wednesday...

...but it still wasn't looking great as a veil.

Before, with yardstick for scale: about 38" across.

And after, about 60" across.

Click to embiggen. The only detail shot I took was a closeup of the thing's one flaw, and I don't really feel the need to show that one around ;-)

In this blog's long tradition of crap photography, that's all I have for you right now. But I should be able to get better pictures next weekend, so stay tuned.

Oh, and you will have to wait until March to see me play ghostie again.

Comps!

2007-08-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

I am remembering this girl scout song I used to love:

I am slowly going crazy
1 2 3 4 5 6 switch
Slowly am I crazy going
6 5 4 3 2 1 switch

And with all girl scout songs, you sing it overandover, getting faster and higher pitched with each verse. It's got a good tune.

So today my comprehensive exams started. These work differently in every school and in every department, so here's a brief description:

You enter the program, and you take classes for two years. Then you spend one summer studying everything you learned in those two years over again, and then some. At the end of the summer you take your exams, and then you get to start working on your dissertation. There are three written exams, one for each of your three fields. Then the next week, your three professors ask you questions about your written exam and everything else you have learned in the last two years.

It is a stressful time. I think today went OK, but I'm waiting to look over my answers until I've finished all three exams. But if I don't get around to reading your blog or responding to your emails any time soon, please forgive me.

Luckily the mailman brought me something to snuggle while I stress. Lime N Violet Sasquatch Sock yarn in Snow Lake. Sadly, I apparently take bad pictures when under stress.

Wish me luck!

Edging!

2007-08-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

1/3 of the edging is done, and it's lookin good!

If I don't run out of yarn I will be cutting it veeerrrry fine. Cross your fingers!

A real veil update

2007-08-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

I've finished the center pattern and the first 2 of the 11 "plain stuff before you attach the edging" rows. I just LOVE the way the viney parts look.

Still, there's a long way before this becomes something I can wear to my wedding without everybody being really, really embarrassed for me.

(wow, is that lifeline ugly and obvious or *what*?)

And here's how much yarn I have to get there:

Can you believe that the whole project will (hopefully) only be one skein? That is a whole lot of yarn, guys!

I have been the very fortunate recipient of another great knitting gift! My fellow gamer friend Liz (who is always very nice about my knitting and even wears the socks I made her) brought me these great needles with dice on the ends!

They're sparkly and thus a little hard to catch with my sad little camera. I have to find something to knit with them during DnD games, because how great would that be?

Anklets

2007-07-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to spare you further shots of my veil, which could also currently be identified as "giant fuzzy shower cap". I will be done with the lace pattern for the center in just nine more rows.

The blazer finally got frogged a little, but not as much as it needs to be. I'm just way more interested in the veil right now, which isn't such a bad thing. If you're going to practice project monogamy with any project, wouldn't your wedding veil be the most fitting thing to get such devotion?

But I finished something, amazingly enough. These were actually a half-row and bindoff from being done for nearly a week, but the veil (ok, and Harry Potter) kept me away.

The yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes, about 2/3 a skein
The pattern: my own invention
The stripes: deliberately asymmetrical
The weird ribbing around the feet: "arch support", or a nice socky hug for your feet.

The heel: my upside-down dutch heel, which I decided I don't actually like that much. It doesn't fit well, and you don't wind up with enough stitches for the sock to go all the way around your upper heel. I had to do the decreases very gradually, and the stitches are still very spread out around the upper heel.
The verdict: very cute, very fun stripes, but not my best work.

In other news, my good buddy Kate brought me yarn from Ireland! It's green, "like Ireland."

It's 100g pure wool and feels great, with a cool thick-and-thin texture. What should I do with it? It would make a really cute hat with plenty left over, but I'm not sure if there's enough for a scarf. It also looks like it would felt really well, so maybe a bag? Or I could use it as the thick yarn in some scribble knitting... (example)

hmmm...

Obviously you guys are trying to kill me

2007-07-24T10:58:00.003-07:00

Back from Dave's high school reunion, trying to get caught up. No one is making this easy for me.

It actually started at six hundred something, but I didn't quite have the presence of mind at that point to take a screenshot. I am still a little overwhelmed.

(if you were curious, I've *only* got about 70 feeds. Just some people have like 50 posts they edited.)

Back to normal

2007-07-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

(or as close to it as we usually get)

The internet has been working for all of fifteen minutes, and I feel sooooo much better. But, before I can get caught up on blogs I will be leaving town for about a week. Dave's having his high school reunion this weekend and it is my job to tell everyone how successful and well-known in his field he is. Hee hee.

Things have been moving quickly this week (which makes it even more annoying not to have the internet), and we now have a date, a site, and a honeymoon all in line. Squee!

Also: I heart chart B.

Smooshed but pretty! And way more interesting than chart A!

Not so Comcastic After All

2007-07-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

Internet is down. Thanks to the transition from Time Warner to Comcast. I am furious. Sorry if I don't read your blog for a while, this does not look like it will be ending too soon.
(too bad I feel guilty about blogging/reading blogs from school!)

I'm glad you guys liked the lace! I've been getting tons done on it lately, mostly because I can't use the internet.

Heart-stopping lace moments

2007-07-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Based on my limited experience, I think there are two kinds of heart-stopping lace moments. The *good* kind is when it's blocked and it looks amazing. The bad kind is when you have a Lace Knitting Accident and you nearly pass out from shock.

We're fine now, of course.

I wanted to see how big the thing was getting and how it looks so far, so I devised a complicated plan involving 4 knitpicks cables (only 2 40-inchers, one short one and one middle-length one. note to self: get more 40-inch cables for stretching out lace pieces) to hold all the stitches with enough room to actually lay the thing flat. I am just over the halfway mark if you count by rows (sadly, only about 1/4 the total area) and have started the second (interesting) lace chart.

I have a handy tip for everybody. When using multiple knitpicks cables to hold your stitches and using those plastic caps to make sure they don't fall off, if you have an odd number of caps left over then you probably have an end that is not capped. Each cable has two ends, and so each cable needs two caps. Not one. Check several times.

Fortunately only about 1/2 of a repeat fell off the needle, and few stitches were dropped. The ones that were dropped were only yarnovers and with careful reference to the chart I made sure I had all my stitches where I needed them. But damn, was that scary.

I am hoping this starts to look more interesting soon.

Save this blazer!

2007-07-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Along with the purple socks and veil, I've been working on the Equestrian Blazer from Interweave Knits (for pic click and scroll down). There is a LOT going on in this blazer. I have one of the fronts done, but sadly I do not think I will "have it going on" while wearing this blazer. Namely, Liz's Crazy Row Gauge has conspired to make this sweater two inches longer than it's supposed to be. And I'm pretty sure that will make the hem hit somewhere closer to the "dumpy" range than the "smokin'" range.

Here's a picture, you'll probably have to click for big to see everything I'm talking about.

The bottom, to the waist, is shaped with short rows and decreases along a seam line, highlighted in yellow (ok, they're all yellow, but you can spot the lowest one, right?) You knit straight for just a few rows, giving a place to attach the button, and then start the Interesting Upper Half, where you simultaneously a) increase along the bust dart line, b) decrease where you want the neck to widen and c) increase the number of stitches in the collar, which will fold over when you're done.

(that tab at the top is where the collar wraps around the back of your neck. Ignore it for now)

Still with me? I want to make it two inches shorter from armpit to hem. As far as I can tell, these are my options:

1) Frog to two inches below where I started the armhole and start the armhole there instead
advantages: easier
disadvantages: will it look weird to have the bust dart right on top of my bust? Aren't those supposed to be below the bust?

2) Frog to the waist and redo everything, working the collar and neck the same way I did before but putting more "slope" in the bust line. To do this I'd work the increases every three rows instead of every four, and I'd need about 10 rows fewer--just under 2"
advantages: might look better
disadvantages: more thinking required, and I'd have to figure out how to make a perfect M1 from the purl side

I suppose a third option would be to work with gauge and needle size until my row gauge is right and then maybe make a bigger size? But that sounds like such a PIA, plus the bigger sizes come out longer (the whole problem in the first place), plus I also have most of the back done.

A fourth, of course, would be to give up. But I'm not that desperate yet.

Help! Advice, tips, tutorials, more options are welcome!

Loony?

2007-07-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a steady mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind...

(Sorting Hat song, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Though some have questioned the wisdom of knitting oneself a doubly-thick wool scarf (it's done in stockinette in the round) to wear while standing in line for a movie, outside, in Texas, in July. But I wouldn't put it past my favorite Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood--especially if it was supposed to protect against Nargles or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

I finished the first Twisted Flower sock, but I'll take a picture later. That thing is so hard to capture! I can't start the second because I need to wind the yarn, and my ball winder is currently holding the laceweight merino for my veil. I'm worried about tangles, so I'm putting off taking it off the ballwinder core until I have an empty paper towel roll I can use instead.

I wish you could feel how soft and squishy this is.

And because I can't wind the yarn for the second Twisted Flower, I started another sock.

This is in Cascade Sassy Stripes Superwash--the same yarn Mom used for her sock-in-a-day sock. One of the stores downtown that sells cool "sundries" has started selling yarn recently, and a lot of it is really gorgeous. Also among their stock are beads, purses, funny books, tiny catapults that launch tiny pigs or ninjas, fake cockroaches, antique ribbons, nativity scenes... it's a great store. And they were hiring, so my little brother has his first job working there. Dave and I made a trip down to look at wedding places (omg) and stopped in the store, where he bought a nice pair of chopsticks, a hackey-sack, some little tin soldiers, and a skein of purple sock yarn for me. Yay!

These are going to be little anklets, and I think I'm going to go for that sporty arch-support style, with ribbing around the middle of the foot. I can't decide if I should do plan 1x1 ribbing or a 1x1 twisted rib. If I go plain, I'll probably have to transfer to 0's. Any thoughts? And should I do slip stitch all over the heel to make it extra cushy and sporty, or just go for sleek? It's not like I'll be running in these, of course.

Math Problem

2007-06-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

I hated math until I finished high school and no longer had to do it on a regular basis. When I do math now, it is on my own terms, no teacher is looking over my shoulder and making me feel self-conscious. I was never *that* bad at math, but I was generally pretty slow about it. Now that I'm not timed anymore, it doesn't even matter. So these days math and I get along pretty well.

This is especially good when it comes to knitting, as we often deal with math. I do all sorts of division and multiplication these days. This weekend I ran into a particularly cool math problem, and I thought I'd share it with you.

A knitter wants to make the Cap Shawl from Victorian Lace Today. This shawl calls for 1700 yds of yarn to make a shawl 74" across (radius: 37"). The knitter finds a skein of Merino Oro laceweight with just 1375 yards. How big a shawl can she make?

To solve: the first step is to figure out the area of the pattern shawl, so we know how far 1700 yards gets us. (we are rounding for sanity's sake)

A=πr^2
r=37
A=π * 37^2
A=π * 1367
A=4300 in^2

Ok, so 1700 yards makes 4300 square inches of lace. Now we need to find out how many square inches of lace (x) we can make with 1375 yards of yarn. My algebra here gets kind of ugly, but bear with me.

(4300 in^2)/(1700yds)= x/(1375 yds)

Remember your algebra steps! Multiply across...

1700x = 4300 * 1375
1700x = 5,912,500
x = 5,912,500/1700
x = 3478 in^2

So the new shawl will have an area of 3478 square inches. What's the radius of our new shawl?

A = πr^2
3478 = πr^2
r^2 = 3478/π
r^2 = 1108
(Not even gonna attempt the square root sign)
r = 33 in

So the new shawl will be 66" across, which I think is perfectly acceptable, as I am 66" tall.

Once I've made a swatch of the pattern I'll figure out how many rows I need to leave off in order to reduce the radius by 4". I'll edit the lace pattern from there (more math!)

So, wasn't that fun? Here's something even more fun, for those of you who've made it this far: this yarn ($16.50) was my first wedding-related purchase. 3478 square inches of knitting from now, I'll have my veil done!

It's not easy being green...

2007-06-21T08:13:00.001-07:00

This is how far I got on my Origami Cardi before giving up. That very loooooong, skinny strip is supposed to be the back. Like, it is supposed to go sideways across my back and not swallow me like a tent. Obviously the "not swallowing me" was not going to happen. I got gauge when I swatched, but I never bothered to check on the sweater itself because I could see that it just wasn't working. Plus, I left the pattern at home when I went on a long-weekend trip to visit scenic Oklahoma. I knew the lace pattern well enough to knit without it, but I totally botched the edge treatment.

By the time I was reunited with the pattern and understood what I'd done wrong (and how big it was turning out) I was kind of sick of the whole idea anyway. I decided that the yarn wanted to be something much more classic.

It is now turning into the Equestrian Blazer from the Winter IK. And MAN is it going quickly! This is basically one evening of knitting, and I am already to the bust increases. My row gauge is off so the sweater's going to be a lot longer than called for, but I'm tall so I think I can live with it. (Note: this color is "Spruce" and is a much deeper green than the pictures would have you believe)

Something green also came off the needles yesterday:

(and my cool heel)

To recap, this is Artyarns Supermerino, US 6s, for my brother. Now I have to decide whether to give him the socks next time I see him or to make him wait until his August birthday.

Not everything around here has been green, though.

Wow is this pattern (Cookie A's Twisted Flower) ever complicated! But soooo pretty. The heel flap nearly killed me, though--it's lace patterned every row, so I had to do backwards ssk's and all that craziness. But I'm getting close to the end on the foot! Wheeeeeee...

Good year

2007-06-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday last week! That's part of the reason I haven't been posting much lately... all sorts of running around. Weekend before last I went home to celebrate with my family.

I got a big box.

What's this? (seriously, count the arms)

It's a swift! Squee!

Even better, this swift was the product of much scheming between my parents and my buddy Auntie Ann. Not to mention, it's a really sweet Mama Bear swift from The Oregon Wood Worker

When I got home I made cupcakes for my friends, but I am lazy and made them ice their own. The croissants really wanted to be in this picture too.

Oh, and notice that I'm wearing the Cherry Leaf shawl in the pics above. I LOOOOOVe it! I've never had a triangular shawl before, but I really like the way they hang on the shoulders. I bet one of those curvy Faroese ones would be even cooler.

I still hope to take better pics of it eventually, but i think this one shows the drape and the pattern reasonably well.

I was so bored with the (stockinette) Ravenclaw scarf and the (garter rib) camo socks that I had to start something interesting, for fear that my brain would melt. These are Cookie A's twisted flower socks, and they definitely got my brain moving again. Also, Louet Gems is such great yarn that, if I didn't think Dave would object, I'd marry it and have its babies.

Up to something

2007-06-04T12:52:00.001-07:00

I've been up to something. Up to a few things, to be more accurate.

I blocked my shawl. I did it at night, so all the pictures are terrible, but they're the best I've got. It went from this:

To this:

I like the way it turned out, from top:

to bottom:

But I am not happy with the "Real" FO shots so I will try to get those sometime soon. Special thanks to Kelp! for letting me borrow the blocking wires!

I've also been making socks for my brother.

In camoflage, as he requested. I'm using Artyarns Supermerino, which is as expensive as it is luscious, so I'm knitting them toe-up in hopes that I won't have to dip into the third skein I bought. I have been experimenting with heels for toe-up socks.

I did my first (real) short-row heel ever. The yarnover one, from the latest IK. I hated it, so then I did my second short-row heel ever. The w&t one from SKS. I hated it, too. (it's the one on the right) Proponents of the short-row heel will no doubt be looking up the links to their favorite hole-free short row pages, which I gladly welcome. But I decided not to wait for such a thing, and that I would make my own heel.

The heel on the left is knit to about 3" short of the total length of the foot, then you knit a heel flap on half the stitches. Something odd was going on with my gauge, so instead of the usual as-many-rows-as-there-are-stitches-total heel flap, I only did 22 rows (it's a 36-st sock). Then I turned the heel using the dutch heel-ish method, which goes like this:

slip 1, purl 11 (of 18), p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn
slip 1, purl 6, p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn
slip 1, purl 6, p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn

and so on until all the stitches are worked. It creates a narrow band up the back of the heel that I like. Then you pick up the stitches and work the gusset like normal, though I added nearly an inch of plain stockinette before starting the back-of-leg pattern, so it wouldn't look too weird. I hope.

Shiny

2007-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

I had probably the best weekend in the history of weekends. I know it's Wednesday now, but there were lots of people I had to call before I could post about it.

Dave and I are engaged! Yes, it was a surprise, and no, we haven't set a date yet (but we're thinking about 2 years from now).

On Thursday I found out that my usual Saturday fencing class was cancelled, so I could go up to visit Dave a day early. When I told him, he said he wanted to take me out for a nice dinner "for my birthday." "My birthday isn't for another two weeks," I said. "Yeah, well, I really want a good steak."

So I headed down Friday afternoon, managed to get myself caught in the mother of all Memorial Day Weekend Rush Hours, and after two long hours arrived at his house. It was sprinkling, but he said he wanted to go for a walk anyway. So we parked about halfway across the Texas A&M campus from the restaurant and then walked from there. As we walked by the bell tower, he asked me if I'd like to go in.

And there under the arches he asked me to marry him. I said yes. Of course. Hurray!

The ring is beautiful but I guess you'll have to click for a big version since my camera takes terrible closeups. It's prettier than anything I could have imagined, and I love the sapphire side stones. I keep missing green lights because I'll gaze at it while stopped at intersections. Ooops.

So yeah, in all, a very good weekend.

Turning a Corner

2007-05-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a loooooooong time since I posted about the Cherry Leaf Shawl. This is how it looks right now:

The bindoff I did was the suspended bindoff, the only bindoff mentioned in Victorian Lace Today, which they promise "makes it very difficult to bind off too tightly." Well, I call BS on that. I even went up a needle size or three (really I can't remember if I used the 6 or the 8, so literally a size or three).

Then I started attaching the edging backwards. At first I thought I could deal with both of these things, but eventually I decided that the bindoff had to go, and as long as I was ripping stuff out I might as well also rip the border and do it right.

The top of the center triangle is now a bunch of live stitches held on an Options cable. When I finish the edging I plan to put the stitches at the start and end of the edging on the same cable and use a crochet bindoff I've been playing with that, hopefully, will make an edge that actually stretches and looks pretty. The top edge is supposed to be done in crochet anyway, so I think it will go nicely. Hope so, anyway.

Yesterday I worked the bottom corner of the edging, and man was that a PIA. Got it right on my third try, but notice the lifelines in red--one to secure all my hard work before the turn, and one to make sure that if something happens on this side of the triangle nothing will happen to those three aggravating repeats.

I have also been making

A Ravenclaw scarf in anticipation of the latest movie and the newest book, both due out in July (oh the suspense!)

Oh, and I finished my socks. These don't fit as well as the other socks I've made myself. The cuff and heel are too loose, and then somehow the toe is a little too tight. They aren't uncomfortable, but it bugs me. Still, the yarn (Bearfoot) is awesome and makes up for any flaws in the knitting.

I'm down to two projects on the needles, which is the lowest I've gone in months. I think once the shawl is done I'll start thinking about the Origami Cardi again. Oh, and I'm supposed to be making some socks for my brother.

Who won a tiny pair of socks?

2007-05-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ann of Clumberknits won a tiny pair of socks!

(I assigned everybody who finished their socks a number, then used the random number generator from random.org to select the winner)

Here's a picture of the pair I made for Auntie Ann last month:

See that quarter for scale? Yup, they're tiny!

Possible uses for two socks on a string:
-Bookmark
-Christmas tree ornament
-Hang over doorknob to let muggles know you're knitting
-Hang on rearview mirror as the knitter's answer to fuzzy dice
-Nunchuck to fend off muggles who bug you while you're knitting--a good bonk with a little sock should run them off!
-And much, much more!

Ann/Clumberknits, you get to choose which of my leftover sock yarns you'd like for your two socks on a string.

Options: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Purple Mountain; Koigu in a raspberry semi-solid; Koigu in variegated blues; Yarn Pirate in Punkin Head; Cherry Tree Hill in Bark; Cherry Tree Hill in Burgundy; Knitpicks Essential in Dusk.

Email me your choice or leave it in the comments, and I'll get started! Congratulations again to everybody who finished a sock!

Seventeen socks in a day

2007-05-21T17:05:00.001-07:00

I did not finish mine, because I got lazy. I'll show you the other cool stuff I worked on instead later. It's been fun.

So far I have seventeen people down as being done with their socks. If you are on this list and shouldn't be, or should be and aren't, please email me soon so I can get the drawing underway and send the prize off.

Sandykins
Carola
Maia
Laurabell
Cece
Heather/Jr Mints
Paula
LizzieK8
Ann/clumberknits
Rachel/Raeknits
Pixieriot
Peri/lainch
Cindiluhu
Paula/bellystitch
Cynthia/Jespere
Jenneke/Nebbus
AuntieAnn

Zoom zoom

2007-05-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Quick note to let you guys know that I'm heading out of town and will probably be away from the computer until Sunday afternoon. But keep knitting your socks, and anybody who wants to sign up and gets an email to me before midnight can still join. Don't forget to email me when you've finished your sock!

Have a nice weekend!

I got meme'd

2007-05-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

AuntieAnn has tagged me with the "8 random facts," so here I go. I think I avoided doing this one (despite being repeatedly tagged) back when it was only 5 things, so I guess my punishment is having to figure out even more stuff to say.

Rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.

2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their 8 random things and post the rules.

3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and post their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ok, here goes:

1) Two of my bottom teeth are still baby teeth. The adult ones never showed up. I am supposed to be taking good care of them, but somehow they manage to get cavities anyway. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they were supposed to have fallen out like 15 years ago. Also, I have no bottom wisdom teeth, and the top ones are too small to matter.

2) It's been a while since I mentioned this, but I'm a fencer. That's kind of weird, isn't it? I haven't competed in a tournament in almost two years, but before I stopped I managed to get a pretty decent national rating. And my senior year in college, I made it to the top tier at collegiate nationals.

3) I have wanted to teach history since 10th grade--thanks Mr. Hardaway! Before that I wanted to be an architect for several years, and actually spent a lot of time drawing up floor plans. Then I took geometry and hated it, and decided not to be an architect.

4) When I was trying to choose between two rival colleges (Texas A&M and the University of Texas) my senior year, I told everybody I was going to base it on the outcome of the big football game. In reality, I based it on the due dates for their honors program applications. This is probably lucky, because A&M lost that year and the five years after that. But we beat 'em in 06! Whoop!

5) I have never broken a bone in my body, but I once broke my best friend's arm. (It was an accident I sweeeeeeaaaaaaaaaar!)

6) When I was a baby I understood Spanish (too young to speak it though) and in elementary school I knew a decent amount of Japanese (we lived there), but I can't speak either of these languages to save my life anymore. I do know French, German and Italian, though.

7) In high school I was really into Anne Rice's vampires, and I even named my car the Mustang Lestie after Lestat. It was a volvo, not a mustang. My best friend followed suit and called her car the Tom Cruiser, cause, you know, Lestat was played by Tom Cruise... This was before Tom Cruise got all creepy and crazy, of course.

8) Since then I have driven a VW Beetle named the Stealthbug (all black) and a Civic named Arthur Robinson, after the guy in the Counting Crows song "St. Robinson in his Cadillac Dream." I always forget to call the new car Arthur, but I think naming cars is important.

I can't bring myself to pick on specific people, but if you're in the Sock in a Day Challenge consider yourself tagged!

Housekeeping

2007-05-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it, but it appears that the less schoolwork I'm supposed to be doing, the less time I spend on the internet. I am having a helluva time getting caught up on my interneting.

Deepest apologies to everyone who emailed me in the last couple of days to get added to the Sock in a Day Challenge. I have added you now. Here are some IMPORTANT THINGS FOR SOCK-IN-A-DAY PARTICIPANTS

-I am going to close signups at midnight on Friday,* so for those of you wondering: no, it is not too late to join, but it will be soon.

-The challenge ends at midnight on May 20.*

-Some of you have already finished your socks. Congratulations! As I have said, I am way behind on my interneting, so as a way of making sure everybody gets proper credit I am asking you to email me when you finish your sock. (everwhelmingliz at gmail, if you'll recall). If you finish it within the time frame, of course. I know I've already acknowledged several completed socks, but really, if you want to get your name in the drawing I need you to email me.

-To the three of you who posted to our Flickr group, thanks! Anybody else with progress or finished socks, we'd love to have pictures posted there!

*All times are central, because I am. And the earth revolves around the central time zone--that's why they named it that, isn't it?

Now for some stuff that isn't related to socks

I want to thank you guys so, so much for the compliments on Venezia. Really, I have enjoyed every single thing you said about it, and getting that feedback is almost as fun as having the finished sweater to stare at all day.

And my deepest apologies to those who experienced a loss of breath or irregular heartbeat. I hope you sustained no lasting damage ;-)

Sock in a Mother's Day wrapup: pride cometh before a cramp

2007-05-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

I had to admit defeat last night. I tried, really I did. I even took the sock with me when we went on a walk *in the dark* and knit most of the heel flap then. The neighbors made fun.

Mom's new stockinette sock is now as far as she got before frogging, maybe farther. But yeah, neither of us made it. Sigh.

I kinda feel like a failure, but the truth is I decided about halfway down the cuff that I would not stay up all night knitting, and I would not permanently injure myself. My hands were really starting to hurt by the time I finished the cuff. The whole point of this challenge was to see if I *could* do it, not to make myself do it at the expense of having a good time (not to mention at the expense of my joints). Still, there are others out there who have already completed a sock, so don't get discouraged. And take some ibuprofen.

Sock in a Mother's Day, 6:00 pm

2007-05-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

I am about to start the heel flap. Left hand is starting to cramp up. I may not finish today.

Mom's sock has been reborn as a plain ol' stockinette sock. She's pretty certain she won't finish today.

As you can see, I am taking full advantage of the presence of an interesting yard to take these pictures. Do you guys miss the white pillow on the orange couch that I usually use? :-D

Sock in a Mother's Day, 2:30 pm

2007-05-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

We're working away, but progress is slow. I'm about halfway done with my sock cuff, and mom has maybe 2" that are about to get frogged. Poor thing has been frogging and tinking the infernal sock all day, and the latest version is too small to fit over her foot. She's regrouping now and we're considering plain stockinette.

Last night we did a little boob assembly for her friend's tit bits, and I finished one completely before realizing I had forgotten to put the weight in it that prevents it from working its way out of your bra. I'll probably deal with that tomorrow.

Back to knitting!

Holy Freaking Cow--Venezia is done at last!

2007-05-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this sock challenge to bring you the moment you've all been waiting for.

Ta da!

Closer, but with the colors a little more yellow.

Detail shot: See my seams? Not bad, huh?

Especially considering they used to look like this:

Way back when it was blocking...

The details:
Pattern: Venezia Pullover by Eunny Jang, IK Fall Winter 2006.
Yarn: Jamieson's 2-ply Spindrift in all the lovely recommended colors, all ten of them
Needles: US 2s in various lengths for the fair isle part, US1s for the hems and neckband.
Started December 24, 2006 and finished May 11, 2007
See all the entries that mention the Venezia Pullover.
Mods: I made the bottom a little longer than the pattern called for, though apparently still not long enough for my low-rise jeans. I do also plan to wear it with skirts that come up considerably higher.

Maybe I should have tightened the belt a bit?

This sweater has been so freaking awesome to knit. But, as I've said, the next one will be easier. I'm looking at the Origami Cardi in the latest IK. The yarn will arrive tomorrow, I think, along with some other goodies from Knitpicks. Exciting!

How's your speed knitting coming?

Get your needles ready! (plus participant list)

2007-05-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

In hindsight, it would appear that if one does not have enough time to sew up and photograph a sweater, one probably also does not have enough time to administer a knitting challenge. Lesson learned.

But while I was stressing about finals, you guys were getting excited about speed knitting! So far we have fifteen participants. I don't think I'm missing anybody but if I am please let me know in the comments or by email.

Note the button in the sidebar -----> made by the lovely and talented Yarn Bee. Grab the image from there or from our flickr page. If you've already got your stuff picked out, we'd love to see pictures over there!

Many of you have opted to do the sock in 18 hours rather than in one day, which is totally fine (and probably better for your hands). Everybody with a completed sock (within the time frame) will be entered in the drawing, which will take place on Monday, May 21.

Here's the participant list, vaguely in order of when I got their email. I will keep on updating this if anybody else wants to join. Updated 5/16: we're up to 27 participants!

Me
Da Gu Ma (that's my mom!)
AuntieAnn
Sea Anemone
Sandykins
Ann/Clumberknits
Jenneke/Nebbus
Heather/Celtic Coyote
Melissa/IndigoMouse
Maia
Cynthia/Jespere
Laura Bell, who'll be posting to flickr
Lizzie K8
AllieSW
Cindiluhu
Amanda
Laura/amazingwoman, also to flickr
Nona
Heather
Cece
Daniella, more flickr
Raeknits! and spins!
Cat
Becky/creativepassage
Peri/lainch
Paula/bellystitch
Carola

A few people are going to start this weekend. Keep us updated!

I've decided to do mine on Sunday. As my mother's day gift to my mom (cheap bastard that I am) I'm going to go home this weekend, mooch off their food and washing machine, and then Mom and I are going to take over the family room and knit together alllllll day. Brother and Dad, as their mothers' day gifts to my mom, are going to feed us and cater to our every whim. Ok, maybe not the last part, but we definitely won't give Dad the remote!

Sock in a Day!

2007-05-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. Today is my blogiversary--the first anniversary of those first two awkward posts. It's been quite a ride! I had every intention of marking the day with a bunch of fabulous shots of my finished Venezia, which is funny considering that IT IS FINALS and I have no time to finish and photograph Venezia as well as she deserves. Anyway. Look for that later this week.

So, in lieu of that, let's talk about the Sock in a Day Challenge!

Sock in a Day Challenge--Rules and Signups

I want to knit a sock in a day. The Yarn Harlot did it, several days in a row, so why can't I? I want you to join me in this insanity!

Here are the Rules:

-Email me with your signup info (below) if you want in.

-Join our Flickr group if you're a Flickr type person. (so, no blog required!)

-The Challenge will last from Friday, May 11 to Sunday, May 20. Look, there are two weekends in there!

-Pick one of those days. You can take up to eighteen hours.

-If you don't think you can handle it all in one day, you may work on your sock for a total of eighteen hours during the Challenge week.

-Those who will insist on knitting two-at-a-time can have two days, but do please sleep at some point.

-You can do any kind of sock you want, yes even worsted-weight ankle socks. But what's the challenge in that? US 1s for me, baby! (I would kind of prefer no baby socks or the keychain-sized ones. Sorry, but it's my party.)

-When you're done with your sock post it on the Flickr site and I'll enter your name in a random drawing for a fabulous prize--two adorable little socks on a string, just like the ones I gave AuntieAnn recently. Except I'll give you the pick of all my leftover sock yarns, how's that sound? (I know, I'm cheap. But I promise you they're really cute.)

Interested? If so, email me at everwhelmingliz at gmail. Tell me:
-Your name/alias
-Your blog address, if you have one
-What you're knitting, if you know yet
-What day you're knitting on, if you know yet, or what other arrangements you'd like to make.
I'd love any additional input you guys have.

It's on my calendar! Is it on yours?

Update! As of 9am we have eight participants (including me). I'm so happy to have some company! Also, Clumberknits has made us a pretty picture. Does anybody know how to make a button? You can probably see from my sidebar that I have no idea how to use them >_<

This is just a tribute

2007-05-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

I want to say happy birthday to the greatest boyfriend in the whole world.

You listened to my constant waffling over whether I should do this hat in allover cables or mostly stockinette.

You comforted me as I panicked and despaired over the total bitch that is the edging for my shawl, which tried to detach itself last night. I am sorry if I scared you while I was hyperventilating.

(knitters--it turns out I am attaching it backwards, and there's a visible seam. I am tempted to like it, but I kinda can't decide. Any thoughts?)

You cheered me on as I blocked "that brown thing," and then you learned the difference between "feral"

...and "fair isle."

Runner up socks win; $12 blocking board how-to

2007-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my friend, the other Liz, modeling her new socks.

Me: Ok, Liz, I finally have your birthday present, sort of. See, I made you these *produce socks* but they came out different sizes, so tell me which one fits better and I'll make another one to match.
Other Liz: They look like they're the same size...
Me: Perfect!

Her husband thought it was terribly silly to take pictures of feet for a knitting blog* so he's the one giving bunny ears.

In other news, the blocking board has blocked a swatch. So far it seems to be working out. So without further ado, here's my tutorial on how to make a cheapass blocking board.

Step 1: go to Hobby Lobby and purchase a Pattern Cutting board. Mine is 36 by 60" and made by Wrights. cost: $6

Step 2: go to Home Depot or similar store and ask about 5 people for help before finding what you needed on your own anyway. Purchase one roll of Clear Laminate adhesive, mine is Duck brand and was also about $6. This is sheets of clear plastic that you can use to laminate kids' projects, maps, things you don't want wet, family pets, etc.

Step 3, Prep: assemble board, laminate roll, at least 2 heavy books, and scissors. Unfold board.

Step 4: Cut a strip of laminate that will go across the board the short way, plus about 2". Lay laminate down across the far right edge and use books to keep it from rolling up on itself.

Step 5: Peel back paper from laminate and fold the paper under, while carefully sticking the sticky sticky laminate to the board. Leave an inch or so hanging over the sides. Secure with book, I used Barrington Moore's Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Very useful and heavy.

(nice carpet, huh?)
Step 6: Press on laminate and smooth it out. Now pull the paper backing away and under Moore's book, pressing and smoothing as you go. Try to avoid wrinkles, but it's not that big a deal if some get in there. At least I hope not, because mine has several.

Step 7: Once you've pulled all the paper backing off, smooth it over with your hands again and then fold the edges of the laminate down, cutting off excess at the corners.

Step 8: Repeat as necessary to cover the board. Make sure that each sheet overlaps the one before it just a bit. I wound up needing three full sheets and a bit of change.

Step 9: Clean up trash and admire shiny new blocking board.

Because this is made with plastic that doesn't breathe well, I imagine it would be important not to put down any soaking wet knitted items for blocking, so don't forget to squeeze out excess moisture.

*I think he finds the knitting thing in general to be pretty silly, but that's muggles for ya.

Sock in a Day

2007-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been over at the Knitty message boards, concocting a plan. A challenge.

Is it possible (for me) to knit a sock in a day?

Readers of the Yarn Harlot may recall when she went through a couple of weeks, knitting an entire sock each day. The bulk of her discussion is here.

You guys may recall the Bearfoot sock I finished a while back (holy crap was that a month ago?!). Since then I have been working on lots of other things--Venezia, the shawl, the boobies, the large but unsuccessful swatch for a chemo cap, something else I can't reveal yet, and so on and so forth--and haven't even been able to cast on for the other sock. And I WANT that sock.

So! Finals will be over in two weeks (faints) and I've decided to take a day and make myself a sock. In a day. Just to see if it's possible, you know?

Anybody want to join me? I've been talking to interested parties over on the Knitty message boards (I'm aggie epee, if you didn't know) and we're going to set aside a week, and you get to pick your day. I'll put up a more formal post with the rules and all in a couple days.

Start warming up your needles!

p.s. Happy birthday. You know who you are.

Knitting boobs

2007-04-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the comments on the socks. I have decided that y'all, especially Bradyphrenia, are smart (I guess realized would be more accurate) and the next time I see the recipient (hopefully Friday) I will present her with the mismatched socks, ask her to pick which fits better, and then confiscate the better sock so I can make another to match it. I have a sinking feeling that she will want the bigger size (harder to reproduce), but I will jump off that bridge when I come to it, as Dave always says. (me: Cross! cross that bridge!)

There was some curiosity about my thoughts on the Knitpicks DPNs. In all, I liked them. These are size 5, and they are 8" long--much longer than any other DPNs I've worked with. They are hard and shiny and long and look particularly wicked. It took me some time to get used to them, and even now that I am used to them I consider the length a little annoying and inconvenient. You could easily make an adult-sized hat without having to ever use a circular, but is that really necessary? Still, I think I will buy other sizes of them if I need them in the future. That or magic loop my Options, which I've also been doing lately.

Now for the task at hand. The blocking board actually came in third in the poll, but I decided it would be better to wait until I'd actually used it before bragging about how awesome and easy it is. You know, in case it spontaneously combusts on the first try or something.

So in the meantime, you get boobies.

I'm using Knitty's Tit Bits pattern, and as you can see I haven't assembled this first one yet. The yarn is Ornagi filati "Praemium" mercerized cotton. The one with more hot pink is the inner shell. I thought it would be fun to have a little hidden burst of color, plus it would save the fleshy color and I wouldn't have to worry about running out. Now I worry that it looks like the boob's "guts," but let's pretend that's what I was going for.

These are for a dear friend of my mother's, who is also the mother of one of my friends from high school. She was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer and had a double mastectomy last week. She'll go through chemo for a while and then have reconstructive surgery, but she hasn't decided yet what size she wants her new bosom to be. Mom and I, with another of their friends, are planning to make her a few pairs of these in different sizes so she can "try them on," so to speak. I made mine DD, which will probably be closest to her old size. The pen is in that picture for scale.

Here is something you should all know about this Knitty pattern. If you do the knotted I-cord nipple, it will look sweet when you have knotted it...

...but fairly disturbing before you do so.

Just to warn you. And don't forget to do your breast self-exam!

Runner Up

2007-04-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed reading all your comments on the Journeyman Piece. I'm glad it gave you guys some food for thought.

Coming in at second place in the poll:

I'm glad the voting came out the way it did, because it gave me a great idea for the name for these socks: the Runner-Up Socks. Cute, huh?

These are for the February birthday of a good friend of mine. Sadly, they may not be done yet. Due to changing needles and changing stress levels, the second sock is *significantly* smaller than the first sock. Before you get on me about changing needles partway through a project (actually halfway through sock 1), I have to say that the Lantern Moon dpns I bought for this originally are the devil incarnate, and I would have lost my mind if I hadn't bought the Knitpicks ones and switched. For $25, I should not get two needles with splintered tips. (Yeah, I know I need to talk to the company or the LYS, but I really don't want them replaced. I want to forget they ever happened. I like metal now.)

I'm going to see if they block to the same size, and if not I'll just knit a third one. That'll be extra fun.

These socks were wonderful and simple, and I plan to use the pattern again to make footies for other people as Christmas gifts. I know it's only April, but what do you have to give your parents for their respective Mother's and Father's days?

Yay for free (copyrighted) patterns! Use it, love it, tell me if I made a boo-boo, tell me if you make some, but don't sell them!

Runner Up Socks: Worsted Weight Footies

Requirements: Mission Falls 1824 Wool, 2 skeins in your main color (MC) and 1 skein in the contrast color (CC) for heels and toes; any worsted weight yarn should work. The Mission Falls is superwash: bonus!
US 5 double-pointed needles

Gauge: 22 sts =4” (5.5 sts=1”)

CO 40 sts in MC and join to work in the round.

Work 6 rounds in 2x2 rib.

Work four rows in stockinette. Break MC. (I actually think these would work well if you added a few more rows of stockinette before starting the heel.)

Begin heel flap: Turn work and purl 20 sts in CC.
Row 2: *Sl1, K1* to end of row.
Row 3: Sl1, p across
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until you have 22 total rows in heel flap, end with a RS row.

Heel turn:
Row 1: sl 1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 2: sl1, k3, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, purl to within 1 st of gap, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 4: sl 1, k to within 1 st of gap, ssk, k1, turn
Rep rows 3 and 4 until all sts are worked, end after row 4. Break yarn.

Gusset:
With MC, starting just to the left of the last stitch you worked, PU about 13 or 14 sts on side of gusset. Knit across top of foot, then pick up the same number of sts on the other side of the gusset. Work across heel flap, then arrange needles so that the round begins in the middle of the heel flap.

Gusset decreases:
Row 1: Knit to last 2 sts of needle 1, ssk. Knit across top of foot. On needle 4, k2tog, then knit to end of needle.
Row 2: Knit to last 3 sts of needle 1, k2tog, k1. Knit across top of foot. On needle 4, k1, ssk, then knit to end.
Row 3: K all sts.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 10 sts remain on all needles.

Foot: Knit to 2” short of the length of the foot. Break yarn.

Toe: Join CC for toe
Row 1: K all sts
Row 2 (decrease round): K to last 3 sts of needle 1, k2tog, k1. On needle 2, k1, ssk, k to end of needle. On needle 3, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. On needle 4, k1, ssk, k to end. 36 sts rem.
Rows 3 and 4: K all sts
Row 5: Decrease round. 32 sts.
Rows 6 and 7: k all sts
Row 8: Decrease round. 28 sts.
Row 9: K all sts
Row 10: Decrease round. 24 sts.
Row 11: k all sts
Row 12: Decrease round. 20 sts.
Row 13: Decrease round. 16 sts.

Knit across needle 1. Break yarn, leaving a long tail. Transfer stitches from needle 4 to needle 1 and from needle 2 to needle 3 so that all the stitches from the top of the foot are on one needle and all the stitches from the bottom of the foot are on the other. Graft the remaining stitches together.

I hope you like them!

Journeyman piece

2007-04-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, you guys voted, so here they are: all the ends I have woven in and cut off of Venezia. I haven't done anything yet with the ends that will be in the steeks, as I plan to take care of those after the armholes are seamed.

I forgot to put anything in the picture for scale, but each of the squares on that mat are 1/2" square. Those ends fill a space about 6.5" by 7".

Yall, that is like 300 bits of yarn.

So, I've been thinking about Venezia, and I've been thinking about what it means for me as a knitter to have knit something like this. Six months ago, when people said that I was a really good knitter or an advanced knitter, I didn't think it was true. I'd never knit a sweater, I'd never done a real lace project, and there were a million other things I'd never mastered either. I had a long way to go, and I knew it.

Now I'm nearly done with my third sweater, and this third one really isn't just any sweater. It's a completely patterned fair isle on size 2 needles, with cap sleeves and steeks and shaping, and it's taken me over four months. I seem to have gotten a big head about my knitting. I don't protest as much when people call me an advanced knitter. I mean, maybe I am. I'm no Yarn Harlot and I'm no Eunny, but among us mortals I'm probably somewhere above average.

And then, because I'm a history dork, I started thinking about guilds. Not your local knitting guild where you meet up to talk about finished objects and lace and what charity needs what item. Medieval craft guilds. Mastercraftsmen formed the membership of these guilds, and they had an exclusive monopoly to practice their craft in their city. Some of these guilds were incredibly powerful. The wool guild in Florence basically funded the construction of the famous cathedral, and then they got this street named after them (via of the art of wool).

Families who wanted their sons to learn a craft sent them to work for masters at a fairly young age, and the boys spent several years learning the basics and then the finer points of the craft. When the master deemed them ready, they were promoted to journeyman after completing a piece that demonstrated that they had mastered all the necessary skills.

Journeymen are called that both because they traveled around, learning new tricks and skills from other masters, and because they were essentially day laborers (day=journée). When they had learned as much as they could, and the local guild decided they were ready, the journeyman would complete a new piece, the master piece. Upon its completion he became, not just a master of his craft and a full member of the guild, but legally an adult. He could finally marry and own property.

(Of course, by the time I start studying European history them this last bit, promotion to master, wasn't working so well as masters tried to protect their economic positions. Journeymen got really bitter, and they make up most of the mobs in any major revolution of the 18th and early 19th centuries.)

But back to me. Venezia is not my masterpiece. There are mistakes in it. I still have a lot to learn before I might feel like I've mastered this craft. Entrelac. Intarsia. Provisional cast-ons. Purling in continental style. How to shape a cap sleeve, without a pattern. How to write a really good pattern. How to weave in an end on a scarf so it never shows up again.

But for all the skills I'm lacking, there is a lot that I know now that I didn't know a year ago. And really, I have gotten pretty good at a few things. I have started thinking of Venezia as my journeyman piece. It's a symbol that even though I still have a long ways to go, I do have a grasp of most of the important knitting skills. I have completed my apprenticeship.

Poll

2007-04-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've got a bunch of stuff going right now, and each thing seems to deserve its own blog post. So here's a question: which would you like to see first?

1) FO report on the blue and white anklets, with free pattern.

2) How I made (will make, if you choose this option) my $10 blocking board.

3) A beautiful picture of all the ends I cut off of Venezia, with some musings on it.

4) Why I'm knitting prosthetic breasts.

You will get all of these eventually, it's just a question of what you want to see first.

Edited so I don't get your hopes up: The upcoming Venezia post will not contain a finished Venezia. It will just be about "the finishing".

The next sweater will be easier...

2007-04-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, you guys sure do respond to dramatic reenactments of steeking!

Which is why I thought I'd let you know: the neckband is done. I have finished all the knitting.

Once I've woven in all the ends on the body I will take a picture of my assembled piles of ends (THOUSANDS.) for your mind-boggling pleasure. Then it's blocking and sewing time!

Eeek! Steeks!

2007-04-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Dramatic re-enactment. Of course I was way too nervous during the process to document it properly.

Hoppy Easter

2007-04-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's 40 degrees outside. In Texas. In April. Man, wouldn't this be a perfect day to wear a cute little fair isle sweater? Too bad somebody hasn't finished hers! Too bad the mid-80s temps of the last month sucked away her motivation to finish it, even though she knew that these cold snaps are actually pretty common! Oops!

In a fit of cold-induced motivation yesterday I finished Left Sleeve v 2.0 and then wove in all the ends that won't be involved in the steek. I managed to do this all in one sitting, which made me kind of happy. I only have the ends from the body left to do, and I'm saving them all so I can show you guys how insane this pile of ends is.

The real reason I'm posting right now is to show you how far I got on the Cherry Leaf Shawl while I was ignoring Venezia (with sunglasses for scale).

And the flash-free closeup so you can see the crumply crumples:

Amazing how I can't capture the colors here with or without flash, but both ways pretty much capture the shade of my Orange Couch. Are you surprised to hear that when my friends and I discuss possible locations for hanging out, my place is generally referred to as Orange Couch Land? And, if you've ever wondered about the white background in most of my pics, those are the pillows I put on top of the couch so the orange doesn't detract from the rest of the picture.

I will say, this couch is hella comfortable.

Anyway, back to the knitting. I am now 18 repeats in and only just had to switch to the second ball of yarn. I am aiming for at least 25 repeats, but it's only 40" across right now (unstretched) so even that may be too small. It does get annoying how every row takes a little longer than the one before. I wish I'd done the shawl in the recommended needle size (7, not 5), as I think I'd be a lot closer to being done. Oh well, at least I have some intense Venezia finishing to distract me!

Happy Easter, guys.

I want

2007-04-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

I want a swift. I went to visit with Dave this week and he got to play yarn swift for the first time. He turned out to be better at turning the crank on the ball winder, so then I got to play swift. Still easier than using my knees, but oh that tool would be nice. I told him that if he needs ideas for my birthday (June) he should look into swifts, because isn't this a pain in the butt?

I also want some socks colored like Bluebonnets. I have procured some Easter Egg Dye and plan to get some more when everything goes on sale. I want them to be that deep blue with white spots. Anybody know how to get white spots on your yarn dye job?

Frolicking and Flashing

2007-04-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Check out my mom's blog! She promises to post pictures eventually. Décousue.

It's been a fun weekend, but soon I will have to go back to studying and learn what Max Weber has to say about vocations.

On Friday I decided, at the last minute, to head home and say hello to the fambly. My grandparents, aunt, cousin, cousin's wife and kid all came down to cheer my cousin on in a sprint triathalon. He came in 3rd among all the first-time competitors. Yay! And I got tasty food.

On Saturday I headed up to my dear friend Vera's family ranch, about an hour northwest of here. This is absolutely the best time of year to drive through Texas. All the wildflowers are blooming, and OMG it was gorgeous. On the road to her house I saw some alpacas! One of their neighbors, who apparently has "more money than he knows what to do with," had a pair of alpacas. They were frolicking about, probably working on producing some babies, but nothing x-rated was happening as I drove by. This guy apparently has plenty of interesting animals, including gazelles or something of that sort.

We had a great time catching up, and I finally gave her the little bear I made back in October. I pretended it was for Christmas, which was only slightly less embarrassing.

I came home today and discovered that April 1st is the day you flash your stash.

Thanks, flash, for totally washing out all that undyed knitpicks stuff.

Zoom in on all the partially used skeins. Sock yarn is on the right.

And all the ones I haven't used yet. Wool and animal fibers on the right (including that expanse of white), acrylics on the left. Somehow my one unused ball of dishcloth cotton has escaped, so it isn't in the picture.

There's a good chance I'll use about half the yarn in this picture *eventually*. There are some really pretty novelty yarns in there I want to use as trim on some things I'm working on, but most of it will, sadly, probably continue to languish. A lot of the other stuff I may eventually donate to charity or sell on Ebay or something.

I was feeling bad about the amount of yarn I have that I may never use, and about the fact that it wouldn't fit in my little plastic drawers anymore, until I decided to see how much I could get in one of my empty dresser drawers and it all fit.

So I guess that's happy ending, right?

Two completed socks does not equal one pair

2007-03-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

The colors are pretty close in this pic. I may reknit the toe on the short sock, starting it sooner so there's more white and then tapering it so it isn't quite so pointy at the tip.

This picture actually shows some of the texture on the Roza's Socks. This is the Mountain Colors Bearfoot that Heather, my sock swap partner, sent me. Argh, it's awfully washed out though, isn't it? My legs are practically glowing!

I am utterly fascinated by the Cherry Leaf shawl, which is probably a good thing--I'm using smaller needles than the pattern calls for and may have to add quite a few more repeats. Right now I'm 10 repeats in and have used a little over half of the first skein. Pattern calls for 15, but I'll have to do at least 20.

Venezia Update

2007-03-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Wanna see some pictures of Venezia?

The Bridge of Sighs.

Oh, wait, you wanted to see the *sweater!* Ok, bad joke.

I have finished knitting the body. Next I need to cut the steeks and work the neck. Looks a little dumb in that picture, doesn't it? Hopefully once I cut the steeks I will actually be able to fit my head through the hole.

Stripey!

But I am not as close to done as I was before.

If you look closely at the pic above, notice how much darker the first repeat is than any of the other repeats. This is because of a little phenomenon that, funnily enough, is called yarn dominance.

Yarn dominance means that in two-handed fair isle it matters which hand you hold which color in. I learned the hard way that the color you want to pop more--in this case, the lighter colors--needs to be in the right hand. Ugh. (Edit: LEFT! the Left hand! this is the same confusion that got me in trouble the first time!)

Now look closely at the top of that sleeve and notice that there are no needles in it, and that it is considerably less "done" than it was when you last saw it.

Frog frog frog.

Here's how much I've made up so far. I often tolerate mistakes in my knitting, but this one bugged me and seriously? I have spent way too much time on Venezia for it not to be completely, 100% perfect. So I will spend some more time on it, just to get it there.

In other news, happy birthday Mom! We celebrated tonight.

In which Liz acquires several bad habits

2007-03-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have acquired several bad habits recently. Venezia and I are having some minor issues, and this is probably motivating some of my bad behavior.

A disclaimer: I know that for many of you, these things are not bad habits, or at the very least are fairly normal and acceptable. But the truth is, I've been avoiding them for some time now, and it pains me that they've all snuck up on me at once.

Bad Habit #1--Stashing

Three skeins of CTH in the bluegreen colorway for the Cherry Leaf shawl in Victorian Lace Today, acquired two or three weeks ago.

Two skeins of Louet Gems in burgundy and the Twisted Flower Sock Pattern by Cookie A., who is now selling her fantabulous designs here. Now this one actually has a pretty cool story behind it. I fell in mad mad love with the sock when Cookie posted it on her blog. She would be selling it at Stitches West. Now my good buddy Auntie Ann was going to Stitches, and I thought about asking her to pick it up for me because I was in such mad mad love with the pattern. But I hesitated, as I hate buying yarn without knowing I'll get to it really soon. I resigned myself to hoping Cookie would sell the pattern online.

The Friday before Stitches I listened to Lime n Violet's podcast and they, too, are in mad mad love with the Twisted Flower sock, and I took it as a sign. I emailed Ann and asked her to get it for me, but alas! she was off having a fabulous time and didn't get the email until she got home. But, knitbloggers to the rescue, she asked her friend Deepa to save me from the torment of not having Twisted Flowers on my feet. Deepa gets a gold star for being awesome and an extra gold star for picking such a gorgeous color yarn. Yay! Thanks again!

Bad Habit #2--Working on too many projects at once.

There's Venezia. And the Bearfoot socks. Usually, that would be more than enough for me.

Then there was a dishrag. And another, and a third. And another random project with the same dishcloth cotton that, if it ever becomes interesting, I will let you guys know, but for now it isn't very interesting.

Then a friend had a birthday and I decided said friend needed some socks. Thick, squishy, washable socks made out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool on big needles so I could finish them quickly.

Then those were too big, so I frogged them, and then I needed something else to cheer me up, so I cast on for:

Click for big so you can see my pretty Cherry Leaf pattern.
Bad Liz! I still haven't finished the Moebius, which I promised myself I would do before starting the sweet sweet lace. Which I love. A lot.

Bad Habit #3--Warshrags.

Warshrag #1 is mine, and oooh I love it. Warshrag #2 is circular and kinda lacy and wound up going home with a friend who likes it so much she's afraid to use it. Hmm, I think this friend needs to be rewarded for her Appreciation of The Knitting. Maybe with something she will use. Maybe thick, squishy and washable, made out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool.

Does she read this blog? I'm not sure! Takin risks here!

Anyway the above is Warshrag #3, destined for the kitchen of Dave's aunt where it will totally clash with everything, but she said she loved knitted dishrags and hadn't found them in years, and what can I say, if you tasted this lady's cookies you'd fall all over yourself to knit for her, so before I knew it I'd cast on for her own Warshrag.

Do you guys like the crochet edging? I've never done shells before, but they make me smile.

Movie Meme

2007-03-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's Spring Break this week and I'm hanging out at my boyfriend's, which has been very nice. I am very, very near to the end on Venezia. On Saturday I made it to the armpits:

I won't be able to try it on again until it's all steeked and sewn up. Scary, huh?

I found a meme here and would much rather do this than read any more, for a while at least. So I give you, the movie meme.

"It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it."

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
(X) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(X) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(X)13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
(X) Robots
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
(X) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(X) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
(X) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
(X) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
( ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(X) Lucky Number SlevIn
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(X) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That
(X) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X)The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(X) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
(X) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(X) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

My count, which could be off by a couple, leaves me at 104. I have no idea who alleges that having watched over 82 movies might mean I have no life, but I think it's crap because most of the time I watch movies *with* people. My count would probably be a lot higher if this list weren't so skewed toward horror movies, by the way. I rarely watch horror, and when i do it's only because somebody else made me. Also there were a few movies that I didn't count because I fell asleep or turned them off halfway through, including but not limited to the Animatrix and Ocean's Twelve.

Baudelaire arrives

2007-02-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

Heather/Jr. Mints has received her socks, so I can reveal them at last:

It's the Baudelaire pattern from Knitty!

This pattern is beautiful. Complicated, but totally worth it.

The first picture is probably truer to the color than this one, but you gotta show off the details!

At some point I hope to have pics of the socks on Heather's feet, which are slightly larger than mine (but only just, which helps when you're trying to size stuff). I added some calf shaping to the socks, adding a total of eight stitches into the purl sections bordering each cable. This is a good pattern for sneaking stuff like that in, but I don't think you could do more than two increase rounds.

In other news, I have cast on for Roza's Socks from the Spring IK using the yarn Heather sent me.

Again the color is off, these are much darker and bluer. The Roza's pattern has a brioche stitch, though I'm not 100% clear on what that means. There's a subtle something going on in the purl parts of the ribbing. It's not even clear what's going on in IK's picture, but if you like ribbed socks with a little interest you should try this pattern. It adds a nice texture but doesn't distract from the really subtle variegation of the gorgeous Bearfoot.

And we mustn't forget Venezia:

It's probably about an inch longer than it looks here, thanks to that curling at the top. I am now exactly one pattern repeat from the armpits. I am still so in love with this sweater. Every time I leave it somewhere and then glance at it, I'm just amazed that something like that came out of my hands. Makes me feel giddy.

In other news, there have been yarn acquisitions. I'll post about it later.

Need some restraint

2007-02-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

I finished my swap socks last night. Hurray! I won't be mailing them off until tomorrow or so, because I decided to wash and block them and they still aren't quite dry.

I really, really, really want to start a new project. And y'all, I am not that kind of knitter. Not that there's anything wrong with having five or ten things on the needles, but personally I prefer to have one WIP, *maybe* two if one isn't portable. Right now I have Venezia and that little mohair scarf on the needles. That ought to be enough for me, but I really want something new!

Namely, this:

Shoulder Shawl in Cherry Leaf Pattern from Victorian Lace Today.

As soon as Jr. Mints has received her package I'll post a picture of the yarn I'm sending her. It's been in my apartment for a month, infecting me with its beauty. I think it would be perfect for this. I really want to go to the LYS where I bought it, which had a whole lot of it at the time, and buy three skeins. Mmmm.

But! I already have a lace item on the needles, AND it's using up my good US 7s. I already have something complicated on the needles, and it's using up my complicated knitting concentration time. I don't usually buy yarn too much ahead of time, but I'm so worried that all this gorgeous stuff will be gone if I wait any longer.

I've made a deal with myself. I have to finish all this week's homework and do it well, and send Jr. Mints' package off tomorrow. Then I can go buy the yarn. But I can't cast on until I get to the armpits of Venezia, provided I have finished this:

Remember my Moebius? I didn't think so. Most of the time I don't either.

I started this last spring. The colors are a little washed out in this picture, but you get the idea. It's all seed stitch, except for a stockinette/reverse stockinette (depending on your angle) stripe in the middle. I got to the bindoff the week before I was supposed to leave for Italy, screwed up the bindoff, and couldn't fix it before I left. And I haven't touched it since, except to commandeer its needle and put the unbound stitches on a straight needle (that's what's giving it that exceptionally weird shape). It is, at most, an hour away from being done. And now that it's finally getting warm, I have some motivation to finish it.

So, those are all the measly things that stand in the way of me and this shawl. Better get back to work on the school stuff!

Loot

2007-02-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

I got a package! Jr. Mints (blogless) is a freakin' awesome swap buddy!

The loot: bar of Lindt milk chocolate (mmmmm) and eight Lindor truffles... no wait, seven... no, wait six... where are they all going and why are all these wrappers in my trash can?

Plus a very pretty card, a nifty little item for keeping track of my needles (thank goodness, as I have been tiring of the old system of "rummage around in the needle bag"), and some Bee Bar lotion... hang on, let me test it... ooh, very nice for my grody cuticles. And YARN! It's Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Purple Mountain. Sadly I couldn't get a very good picture of the color, but I'll experiment some more once I start knitting with it. It's really gorgeous and sooo soft. A friend of mine was knitting up some bearfoot recently, and now I can't wait to get it on my feet.

But the best part?

The socks! I'm not sure what yarn she used, but it appears to be a 2-ply, very similar in its base to Koigu or Cherry Tree Hill. Again, the color isn't perfect here, I'd say it's less pink and more red. Is it just me, or are socks warmer the first time you wear them? Maybe I'm just so excited that all the blood is rushing to my feet?

While we're having an actual knitting post, wanna see my Venezia progress? I knew you did.

It isn't much, as I've been knitting on the swap socks for the lovely and talented Jr. Mints, but I think it has been a while since I posted a picture.

It looks like a lot less when you can see how much I'm missing. Sigh. At least I have the sleeves done, though, right?

Bouquet update: There were two lilies that hadn't opened yet when the flowers first arrived. Two days later, the bouquet looks even better now! Dave gets even more boyfriend points!

Historiography is the history of history

2007-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

I am halfway done with the second swap pal sock, which I still cannot show you guys because shhh, it's a secret. But trust me when I say they are gorgeous. I'll be sad to see them go.

So! In the absence of knitting news I will talk about something else.

Two years ago today, I was sitting in English class when my phone rang. It was silenced, but you could still hear it vibrating, and I was like, geez dude, somebody needs to make that phone quit buzzi... oh crap is that mine? Oh wait it stopped...

I was meeting a friend for lunch after class on the other side of campus, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sometimes that happens in Texas, it's nice and warm in February. (Not today, sadly) I looked at my phone and saw that the call was from an unfamiliar number, and they'd left a message.

It was a professor at one of the best grad schools I'd applied to, and the only one within driving distance of my beloved sender-of-flowers. This professor was the one I'd wanted to work with, and more importantly he was (at the time) head of the department.

I got in. And they were going to pay me.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic. It was the first school I'd heard back from, so at that point I knew for sure that I would get to go to grad school and could stop worrying about a backup plan. I wouldn't have to take out student loans. And if I accepted, I'd get to see the sender-of-flowers on weekends.

There were other offers, but none of them was nearly as good. Here I am, two years later, working my butt off and almost done with the first phase of my schooling. It hasn't always been as easy or as fun or as glamorous as I wish it could be--hell, yesterday I wrote a paper containing the sentence "Historiography is the history of history." But I do like it. I'm glad I got that call, even if the buzzing disturbed my English class.

p.s. The lilies have opened. The bouquet is actually getting prettier.

Showing off

2007-02-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Look what I got today!

Thanks Dave. You're awesome. They're so pretty!

Liz, Liz, quite contrary

2007-02-07T20:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, that totally doesn't rhyme, but I'm about to do the meme I found over at Indigo Mouse, and I just don't feel like a Mary!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Under each category, the first item should be something negative (you dislike something that most others like) and the second item should be something positive (you like something that most others don’t). Obviously there are going to be some people in the world who agree with us, but it is all relative. These are things that make you feel different from others around you in your daily life.

Food/drinks:
1. I can't abide mayonnaise
2. Unlike most Americans I have met, I prefer milk chocolate to dark

Pop culture:
1. I think Sex and the City is lame
2. I do enjoy the occasional Star Trek episode (mostly NG)

Activities:
1. I think treadmills are pointless. You never get anywhere!
2. I fence. I play with swords and consider bruises to be trophies

Fashion:
1. Who the hell brought the high waist back!?!
2. I consider flip flops to be perfectly acceptable dress shoes

Authors/books:
1. I read for a living, so I haven't read for fun in over a year
2. I like reading Karl Marx

Music:
1. I listen to metal, but I hate Metallica
2. When I sing along to my metal or rock or whatever, I do so in my best choir-trained soprano voice

Knitting:
1. I don’t stash
2. I prefer to make up my own patterns rather than follow others' designs

Random:
1. I think my couch is ugly, but no one else does.
2. I think toads make good pets

I'm tagging everybody!

And since I hate to leave y'all without a picture, here's my brother "helping" me set up my bookshelf.

Bonus: Calorimetry Mods

2007-02-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I did modify Calorimetry. This pattern has come out much too big for a lot of people, and I definitely didn't want that. I was knitting when I should've been doing other stuff, so I wanted it to come out right the first time. You know, so I didn't waste the time I was already wasting.

I already knew I'd want to resize it anyway, as the pattern is for a 24" head and mine's only 22.5". It turns out that I have no straight or circular US 8s, so I used a US 9. I cast on 108 stitches instead of the pattern's 120, and it's loose but not too loose. I did the same number of repeats, though, because I did want it to be kind of wide. The yarn is Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride, in a skein I have used for four small projects now and just can't seem to get rid of.

Calorimetry, and Fair Isle February

2007-02-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

A new knitalong for me:

I'm hoping to get some inspiration and commiseration from these folks. I've been thinking about turning Venezia into a v-neck, so once I've formulated the idea a little more clearly maybe I'll hop over there for advice.

I switched patterns on the swap socks. I needed something more fun--I liked the old pattern, but I kept wanting to knit Venezia more. This one is awesome, and much harder to put down. I'm going toe-up this time, and am nearly done with the gusset on a Widdershins-type heel. I figure I have about four weeks left before these need to be in the mail, so this is the plan: Each week I have to knit half a sock--either the foot (with heel) or the cuff. Once I've finished that, I can knit on Venezia until the new week starts. I think poor Venezia won't be seeing much daylight till they're done, but she knows it will be worth the wait.

On Tuesday night, after I'd gotten the socks under way, I was browsing some flikr groups and suddenly could no longer resist-- I HAD to have a calorimetry. How the heck do you say that, anyway?

Short rows are like potato chips: you can't stop until you've finished them all. I had a really, really hard time putting the thing down at bedtime, and finished it early yesterday morning in time to wear to school.

I like it! Notice that I'm wearing my first sweater there.

Almost no knitting developments

2007-01-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

I ought to apologize now. For the next month or so, there probably won't be much interesting knitting content around here.

First, there are the sock swap socks for Jr. Mints over at the knittyboard. These are gorgeous and fun, but as Jr Mints and I have agreed to make the socks a surprise, I won't be able to show you any pictures until she's received hers. Get excited around the end of February.

Second, there's Venezia. Venezia is beautiful. Venezia is fun to work on.

Venezia is freaking slow.

I cast on for the body on January 11. In two and a half weeks, I have knit almost four inches of this sweater. I know Eunny did the whole sweater in five days, but I am not Eunny, and I must devote the majority of my energies to school right now. Sadly.

I started a third project, but I haven't been working on it much. I got Victorian Lace Today which is an absolutely fabulous book (lovelovelovelove) and started making a little scarf based on one of their patterns.

I got this yarn from Etsy last year and have wanted to do something lacy with it for a long time. This will someday be the "easy lace scarf," one of the first patterns in the book. Until then (and probably long after) it will look like I have a purple and silver cat who is particularly fond of shedding all over my lap.

If somebody could direct me to the origin of this meme I'd appreciate it. A knitter who might be named Kat started it, but I closed the window before I could link to it. They want to see your desktop background. Here's mine:

Florence from San Miniato

Legend of the patient boyfriend

2007-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

(my brother is trying to weasel his way into this picture)
Once upon a time (last December or so) our knitter was preparing to go on a wintry excursion with her handsome and patient boyfriend. As she donned several layers, her boyfriend noticed a small blue scarf with a slit in it.

The knitter explained that the slit was for her to slip the other end of the scarf in, and it would lay flat around her neck. This boyfriend, who never before had expressed any interest in having something knit by the knitter, was entranced by the scarf and, seemingly surprised by his own reaction, asked for one just like it.

"But longer. And twice--no, three times as wide. And purple."

Delighted, the knitter set out to create something worthy of the handsome boyfriend. She selected several balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in a deep maroon color and learned how to do cables so the scarf wouldn't bore her out of her mind.

(It's so much darker and manlier than in these pictures)

She added the slit and was tremendously pleased:

She finished the scarf in early February and gave it to her boyfriend for Valentine's Day. He loved it and actually wore it! Both knitter and boyfriend were tremendously pleased.

Until tragedy struck. The bajillion tails of the slippery smooth yarn began to work their way out. What had once been a beautiful scarf quickly transformed into a nice-ish scarf with little caterpillars hanging off all over the place.

The boyfriend, worried that the whole scarf would dissolve into pieces, returned the scarf to the knitter to repair. Months went by, and it was 90 degrees outside, and the knitter forgot about the project.

In the fall, when the first hint of cold weather arrived, the boyfriend ventured to ask about the scarf. The knitter eventually bought some sewing thread, which she had heard could be used to tack down the little ends. But she had other, more exciting things to knit, and the scarf was tucked away in her UFO drawer, and she kept forgetting.

Many months later (yesterday), the boyfriend kindly reminded the knitter of his scarf. And she suddenly became motivated! She got out the scarf, a sharp needle, and the sewing thread, and finished the scarf during two episodes of Futurama.

At long last, the knitter will be able to give the scarf to the wonderful and patient boyfriend, who first received this scarf 11 months ago.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Hey Monkey!

2007-01-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is. My first FO of 2007!

Pattern: Monkey from Knitty.
Yarn: Yarn Pirate in Punkin Head.

Omg omg omg. I love these socks. I love this yarn. I love this pattern. My toes are warm and pretty! And if y'all are thinking about Yarn Pirate yarn, you should go for it because it's great to work with. I need to weigh my leftover yarn and the socks to find out exactly how much I used, but I think these socks took only half the skein. I'm trying to decide if I want arm warmers or some other lovely matching accessory. Of course, by the time I finish the arm warmers it will surely be too hot for them. Yesterday morning it was in the 80s, but a front came through and dropped it to the high 30s. It's supposed to stay cold and wet for the rest of the week.

Here's a blurry closeup. Sorry, I suck at these kinds of pictures.

Now I know you all want more pictures of Venezia, but I really have nothing of interest to show you. I finished the second sleeve Wednesday night, and it looks just the same as the first sleeve (but slightly better).

On Thursday and Friday I spent some time playing yarn shop employee while my LYSO was out of town. (lots of fun!) I was in the shop for six hours on Thursday. I cast on 252 stitches and knit the first row and about 40 stitches of the second. There are few things more time consuming and tedious than knitting into a backwards loop cast on with blunt size 1 needles for 252 stitches (especially when you keep having to get up to "work"). I was afraid it would never end.

For anybody wondering, no the pattern does not say to use backwards loop. It says to use the invisible provisional cast on, which I hate and have never mastered. But this cast on gets folded up inside the hem and no one but me (and you guys, now that I've let it slip) will ever know that I cheated.

I've knit almost half of the hem now--later rows go much, much faster. I can't wait to switch to the size 2s and get crackin on the body. Maybe we'll have one of these crazy cold fronts in April or May and I'll actually get to wear it before next January.

Oh! In other exciting news, I signed up for a knittyboard sock exchange. My partner Jr. Mints and I will knit socks for each other and include a skein of sock yarn to swap. I'm so excited! But our socks are going to be kept secret from each other, so until the socks are safely in her hands I can't show you any pictures or reveal any details. Sorry!

Page 123 meme

2007-01-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

I saw this over at Kitten Knits Yarn and thought it sounded like fun.

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.
5. Tag 3 People.

When i first read it this morning I couldn't post, partly because I was running late and (as it turned out) my bagels were burning in my brand new toaster oven because I *totally* misinterpreted the little toast icon by the timer. (Second bagel turned out perfect. Thanks Mom and Dad!). Plus, there are 10 books on my desk right now and I couldn't figure out which one was closest. But when I went back to it one of the books had moved a little closer.

"Later even Portugal and San Marino entered the war; by 1917, with exception of the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain, all the European Nations were engaged on one side or the other. With the entry of the United States in April 1917, the war finally took on a global character. Then a number of Latin American states, among them Brazil, declared war on Germany, and others, such as Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, severed relations with Germany."

Gilbert and Large, Eds., The End of the European Era: 1890 to the Present, 5th ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2002), 123.

(I hope the folks over at the Red Marker Project like my use of Chicago style here)

In case you were wondering, the other books on my desk are:
Francois Furet, Revolutionary France 1770-1880
Hannah Arendt, On Revolution
Francois Furet, Interpreting the French Revolution
Jonathan Sperber, Revolutionary Europe 1780-1850
Benjamin Constant, Political Writings
Abbé Sieyès, Political Writings: Including the Debate between Sieyès and Tom Paine in 1791
Reinhard Rürup, ed., The Problem of Revolution in Germany
Langenscheidt German-English English-German Dictionary
Langenscheidt Grossworterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache

Plus, thanks to the way I've got my office set up, I could reach at least 100 books without moving from my chair. Pretty sweet, huh?

I'm gonna tag... umm...
1) All the grad students reading this.
2) Anybody else who wants to do it. Try it, it's fun!
3) Everybody who doesn't want to do it. (kidding.)

Christmas Gifts, part II

2007-01-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

Alas, I don't have pictures of my family modeling their gifts, but maybe I'll get those eventually.

I made this clapo-scarf using a modified version of the famous Clapotis. It's made with Colinette Prism in the Toscana colorway, which has a thin ply of cotton and a thick ply of loosely spun wool, dyed in very pretty colors.

I must say that Prism was not an ideal yarn for Clapotis, but Clapotis was an ideal pattern for Prism. How the heck does that work, you ask? Well, the loose wool kept grabbing itself, making the unraveling very deliberate and tedious. A smoother yarn would have unraveled much more easily. But the yarn is so *busy* that anything beyond stockinette is just too much for it--believe me, I tried.

(bottom to top: garter, stockinette, garter eyelet, modified stockinette eyelet; it looked like somebody had chewed on it)

The clap's wide bands of stockinette show off the knitted fabric, and the drop-stitch bits show off the yarn on its own. I am tremendously pleased with the way this turned out, and so was Mom.

Now on to my dad's Socks with Clocks. I plan to make this pattern available someday, because I think it's a great pattern for men--not so boring that the knitter falls into a dark yarn-stockinette coma, but simple and classic enough to pass for nice dress socks. (I was informed later that Dad couldn't wear these as dress socks because the cuff was too short. His dress socks must come all the way to the widest part of the calf. I told him to buy longer pants.)

My dad is the kind of guy who is really, really hard to shop for, especially if you want the gift to be somewhat of a surprise. He drops a lot of hints, but never for anything I could actually afford to buy him. If you ask him directly what he wants (and give him a price range) it loses all elements of surprise. (Hey Dad! Get an Amazon wishlist, PLEASE!) But when you get it right, he's one of the more grateful recipients you'll ever meet. These socks are for him to sleep in, and apparently he sleeps much better with them on. Especially when Mom "admires the yarn" by rubbing his feet. I'm really proud of the way they turned out and he's apparently pretty happy with the result, too.

When I can rip myself away from the beauty that is Venezia, I make pretty decent progress on the Monkey socks:

Christmas Gifts, part I

2007-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

It will take two posts to properly show off the knitting-related Christmas gifts I gave and received, and I'm gonna be greedy and show off the stuff I got first. Fear not, you will *eventually* see pictures of Dad's socks and Mom's scarf-sized Clapotis.

Several awesome family members helped me instantly double the size of my stash:

Four skeins of the pretty brown and light blue stuff, that fun bright boucle which just screams "Baby blanket!" (must find a baby) and two skeins of a boucle yarn. Two 300-gram skeins of boucle. OMG. Each one is bigger than my head! I measured, and it's 13 inches across and over 18 inches around. My home church is going to be starting a Prayer Shawl ministry soon and I think each of these will make a pretty generous shawl. Yay!

Mom gave me a couple of awesome treats:

Two skeins of DK weight Alpaca in a natural alpaca color. Really, really gorgeous stuff and buttery soft. It's actually a lot of yarn and I'm thinking hat and scarf or mittens.

The real prize:

All the yarn a girl needs to make the Venezia pullover in Winter 06 Interweave Knits her own. Squee! This sweater is SO much fun. Early into the knitting Dave decided it looked like a snout with wooly tongue:

I decided to do the sleeve-as-gauge-swatch thing, which allowed me to get right to the good stuff. As you can see, I certainly have:

Don't worry, I will post *plenty* more pictures of this as work continues. I'm in love.

Greetings from Oklahoma

2006-12-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how much I wish I had some pictures for y'all. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to find out if someone around here has a camera with a camera cord, or how to move pictures from my camera phone to the computer, but for now I am pictureless.

Since Christmas Eve, Dave and I have been hanging out in his hometown, an eensy dot on the map somewhere near some larger dots you've never heard of, in Oklahoma. We're guests of his brother and his girlfriend, both very good people with an enormous TV and lots of good food and patience. This is my first Christmas away from my parents and brother, but we had such a good visit a few days before Christmas, and I'm having a great time here.

This somewhat vacation has pretty much turned into a real vacation, as most of the books I brought have proven totally useless for the paper I wanted to write. Fortunately there should be some good stuff waiting for me in the libraries back home, and I think I can get through it pretty quickly. As I haven't been reading much I've been knitting a lot. I'm on the foot of the second Monkey sock and just finished part of something that will have to remain secret for now.

It was a very yarny Christmas for me. My grandparents and aunt and cousins got me a whole bunch of pretty stuff--so much I may have doubled the size of my (admittedly smallish) yarn stash in one swell foop. Among the goodies are two balls of boucle that, I swear, are almost twice the size of my head.

Mom got me two balls of alpaca DK that I'm gonna use for socks. She got some for herself, too, and is working on a pair loosely based on the pattern for dad's socks. She also got me the yarn for a sweater I've been wanting for a while, but I'm not going to tell you which one until I have pictures.

Dad loved his socks, and mom loved the mini-Clapotis I secretly knitted her (pictures someday, I promise!). I made a few extras of those sock ornaments while I was home and they were all very well-recieved. I plan to make bunches more next year--for myself and everybody else.

I'm having a great time but haven't been at the computer much, so sorry if I haven't been keeping up with your blogs! Hope everybody has a happy new year!

Bring on the fake vacation!

2006-12-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here's another FO from the stack:

That's my cousin Marianne, age 3.5, modeling the headband I made her from the leftovers of those mittens.

The other gifts are wrapped and ready to go. We're doing our gift exchange tonight, so if my parents' craptastic computer will allow it, you'll finally get to see Dad's finished Socks with Clocks. I'm hoping for some yarny goodness under the tree, so maybe I'll have good news there!

Monkey socks, "Monkey" socks, and a sock in a tree

2006-12-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

I like monkeys. I mean, what's not to like about monkeys? They're smart, they're funny, and in cartoon form they are oh-so-cute.

Knitty has a pattern for some Monkey socks. I saw them, and thought "those are nice, but I already have some Monkey socks."

I finished all my Christmas knitting and *finally* got a crack at the Yarn Pirate yarn I won in Socktoberfest. I tried a couple of things and decided that this yarn wanted to be some monkey socks.

Sure enough! And oh man, talk about an addiction. It's really, really hard to put these down, which is bad because I HAVE TO FINISH A PAPER BY TOMORROW! *dies.*

P.S. I hope someday soon that they come up with the technology so you guys can grope my knitting over the internet. Squishy soft!

With the sun out, and all, I got a picture of another of my eensy weensy FO's. Isn't this adorable?

You may recognize the koigu from my kneesocks. This 24-stitch wonder took almost no time to knit. If I hadn't been so anxious to get crackin on my pretty pretty monkeys I would have made enough for the whole tree, but alas I have only the two little circs. I think I will make a tree's worth for next year. I like the idea of doing like six at once on 2 circs so you have a bunch of eensy socks hanging off the needles at once.

It's a little tree, it won't take very many.

Too much

2006-12-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

I have too much to do. For one thing, I've got two days to finish a really dynamic final paper on that eternal question, "What is Revolution?" Ok, you have to read that with a really profound-sounding voice.

For another thing, the Powers That Be in the Administration Building have decided that we college students have become spoiled and lazy by the one-month winter break, and they need to break us of this attachment before we enter the "real world." We get two and a half weeks off. At the school where I did my undergrad we had *at least* 4.5 weeks off. I want to kick these guys, seriously. Also, I've decided that when I get a job in a university (note: *not* the "real world") I'm going to get something signed that the break will be 1 month long and will stay 1 month long until I retire.

I have two and a half weeks to a) celebrate my holidays, b) see my family, c) clean out the closet in my old bedroom so that its transformation to Dad's Music Room can be complete, d) spend a week in Oklahoma with my boyfriend's family, e) visit with various other friends while they're in town and f) write a whole nother paper. Sounds like a real great vacation, doesn't it?

For a third thing, I have all these great ideas for blog posts I want to do before the end of the year, like a year in review where I talk about stuff I've learned and stuff I want to learn next year, and I want to do something on "historians who knit" like I mentioned before. Maybe that will wait till next year. I can invite my historian knitting friends over for a stitch-n-bitch and then corner them and interview them. Muahahahaha!

And Fourth, I have 6 finished objects that haven't made it onto the blog yet. Four will have to wait till later-- two are Christmas presents I haven't given yet, and I don't have a picture of the third. I thought I had a picture of the fourth, but apparently I am a moron and shipped it off without taking a picture. Mom has a picture of the recipient modeling it, if we all bat our eyes at her maybe she'll send it to me ;-)

Here's the big one:

Mary Charles' Wardrobe Staple Sweater, otherwise known as "Blocking is Magic. Sometimes." This pic does a great job of showing off the sheen of the alpaca, but you'll have to fill in the halo yourself.

When we last left this sweater it had been completely knit as a set-in-sleeve v-neck, but the armholes were enormous. I ripped out the top of the sweater to where I'd divided for the armholes, and ripped out more than half the sleeve caps, then joined it all up to knit it as a raglan in the round.

The pattern itself worked out better than I could have imagined it in my wildest dreams. Pure luck got the v-neck to meet up with the raglan seam at exactly the right place. I swear I didn't even plan it. There was one problem, though. When you wet-block and then frog alpaca, it curls up more than my frizzy hair on a rainy day.

Click for big, so you can appreciate the difference. But! A gentle washing in the sink, five or six times, soothed out almost every kink, and now the difference is invisible to the untrained eye!

I am such a bad blogger because I totally didn't get a picture of Mary Charles modeling the sweater. But it fit her perfectly. She's about the same size as I am, but she's a good bit shorter. I knew the sweater would fit her width-wise, but I did get a bit nervous about the sleeves because they hit me *at* the elbow. But all is well, and she loves it, and that makes me pleased as punch. She wants me to write up the pattern to make it available for her customers. Add that to the list of stuff to do.

This is the other one. This little guy was knit with some leftover yarn. A 16-stitch sock, actually kind of challenging but very quick. He's on his way to my boyfriends' mom's Christmas tree.

Browsing blogland, it feels like I'm one of the few people left who actually likes Christmas. So here's my manifesto: I LOVE Christmas. I love the decorations, I love picking out (or making) the perfect gift for my nearest and dearest, I love the excitement of looking at wrapped presents and trying not to cheat by looking at my Amazon wishlist. I love stuffing my brother's gifts into really weird-shaped boxes so he can't guess what I got him. I love how people try a little harder to get in touch with old friends. I love the way my heart beats a little faster every time I see my little tree with its white lights sparkling like starlight. I love tying a big red bow on the wooden drawing dummy who lives on my TV. I love Mexican Wedding cookies. I love nativity scenes. I love the Coca-Cola Santa Claus. I love Christmas carols and the candlelight service on Christmas Eve.

There are plenty of things not to like about Christmas, but there are so many wonderful things about Christmas too. If you need a little Christmas cheer check out Joyeux Noël, a movie about the spontaneous cease-fire in the trenches in December 1914. Or just drink some eggnog.

Check it out, I'm definitely not a cannibal!

2006-12-12T20:49:00.001-08:00

I totally stole this from Philoscifi's Livejournal, otherwise known as my boyfriend's old roommate. As I was filling out the questions I could kinda tell where it was going and what my result would be.

(sorry about the formatting, I tried! really I did!)

Your results:
You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)
You are good at fixing things.
You are usually cheerful.
You appreciate being treated
with delicacy and specialness.

Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		80%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		75%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		75%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		75%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		65%
Inara Serra (Companion)		50%
River (Stowaway)		50%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		40%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		15%
Alliance		10%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		0%

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

On my last post Jane commented:

Liz, do you have a theory for the high numbers of knitters who are also history students/librarians and/or writers?

I keep waiting for a revelation (or a revolution)...

I've been thinking long and hard about this and am planning a post with an in-depth exploration of the question. I've noticed it too, and it would be fun to get a dialogue going.

I have some really top-quality knitting content for y'all but at the moment I'm hard at work on finals stuff. Not so hard at work that I can't find out which Serenity character I am, but whatever.

I've come undone

2006-12-05T19:47:00.000-08:00

Before we begin, go over to Google Video and check out Undone [the Sweater Song] by Weezer. You can ignore the goofy student film if you like and just have that playing in the background for this post, although there is some actual knitting in it and an odd take on the Boyfriend curse.

Anyway, remember this?

Ok sing it with me now

If you want to destroy my sweater
Hold this thread as I walk away
Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked
Lyin on the floor, I've come undone

I frogged a *whole lot* of that sweater. It took me three chapters of the Age of Innocence (read by Saint Brenda), which I calculate to be over an hour, to get it all ripped and those six lovely balls of yarn wound back into tight little balls. When I washed this sweater it grew. The arm holes were already too big, and this certainly did not help.

Watch me unravel.

With Mary Charles' approval the sweater has been converted to a raglan with 3/4 sleeves, which saves me a great deal of trouble. I've already knit two rounds of the yoke and will basically be fudging this as I go. I've never been so unaffected by the idea of ripping out so much knitting, I'm actually really happy to be getting back on track.

Dad's socks have reached the last row. I was getting on the computer to look up Peggy's Stretchy Bindoff for toe-up socks, as recommended by Saint Brenda, when I saw the email from Mary Charles ok'ing the raglan, and got distracted. But his socks will be done within a half hour the next time I can get to them, which is good news indeed.

Now I have that wonderfully catchy tune in my head. Yay.

A productive evening with Kaiser Wilhelm II

2006-12-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Before I get to my evening,
Here is most of the sweater that I knit in nine days, the other sleeve had to be blocked elsewhere. You know how a lot of times you *know* you ought not skip a crucial step like, say, washing your swatch, but you skip it anyway? And then your sweater grows to monstrous proportions? Must consult with Mary Charles but there will probably be some reknitting in my future.

No remarkable progress on Dad's socks, although progress has been made. I want to get at least five more repeats in before switching to the ribbing. Each repeat has six rows and each row takes like 8 minutes (2 socks on 2 circs) so if somebody cares to do the math on that and tell me if it's possible, I'd appreciate it.

I have a meme that totally ties into the knitting. I saw this on Adventures of a Knitting Naturalist. Apparently some guy is trying to track the speed of a meme. I'm participating because of some of the language.

Write a post linking to this one in which you explain the experiment. (All blogs count, be they TypePad, Blogger, MySpace, Facebook, &c.)
Ask your readers to do the same. Beg them. Relate sob stories about poor graduate students in desperate circumstances.
Ping Technorati.

Sob stories about poor graduate students in desperate circumstances? I'm so in. I myself, as I told Julia, happen to be a poor graduate student in desperate circumstances. Which is how we come to this hat:

Desperate circumstances were as follows:
1) Yesterday we got our first really good cold front of the year, and my head was cold.
2) I have had this yarn in my stash for over a year. I don't really stash. This (with the exception of some regrettable fun fur) is the only yarn in my stash that wasn't purchased with a specific purpose in mind. It makes me feel guilty, and it took up a lot of space.
3) I was writing a paper, and there's nothing a gal needs more for her "woo hoo! wrote another page!" breaks than some fast and easy knitting.

The actual desperate circumstance was that I had less than 24 hours to write a really good paper for my major professor and I was pretty intimidated. The paper was on German politics, especially Max Weber (political theorist and father of sociology), Otto von Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and all the German liberals ever.

Because I wanted this done and didn't want to swatch, I looked at the ball band, pulled out some Size 19 straights, and cast on 10 stitches for the band. This is Rowan Big Wool Fusion, btw. Those size 19 straights are ginormous, I had to support them by resting the ends on my lap. I knit a straight strip (stockinette with garter selvedge) until it was big enough to go around my head. Then I picked up stitches along one of the edges, knit the crown flat, and seamed it up. I tried it on midway down the seam and realized I had a slight problem.

The last hat I knit I think I was in 10th grade. I didn't know at what rate to do the decreases. This hat reminded me of the hats you always see WWI German soldiers and the Kaiser wearing, which I thought was very appropriate and awesome. I named it the Kaiser hat, undid the seaming, ripped back to where the increases started and did it again.
You can't tell in this picture but it's still a little pointy, but not half as bad as it was before. I am contemplating a pom-pom. It also wound up a little too short and it doesn't cover my earlobes. I'm trying to decide between a crochet edging, which will require more supplies, ear flaps, which have the potential to take this from classy to Fargo in less than 6 seconds, or to just use the other half a ball to make a hat that fits. Haven't decided yet.

The paper went reasonably well. According to the book I read on the Kaiser, he was a total nutjob and probably wouldn't have been stable enough to wear a wool hat. His mother certainly wouldn't have made him one. They didn't get along very well.

It was slightly warmer today but still cool enough to get away with wearing a big wool hat. When I got home I decided that since it's now officially December I can finally start decorating.

Just had to share

2006-11-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Have you guys heard about the Shrimp on a Treadmill?

Meme, two names I call myself

2006-11-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Nell of Nell Knits has tagged me with the Four Things thing. So here's a brief post before I show you the fabulous things flying off my needles.

I knit a sweater in nine days. Just gotta block and sew it up! Ohmigod wheeeeee!

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Docent (tour guide)
2. Hostess/macarena performer at Joe's Crab Shack
3. Undergraduate Research assistant
4. Graduate research assistant

B) Four movies I would watch over and over
1. Princess Bride
2. Lord of the Rings
3. The Incredibles
4. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

C) Four places I have lived
1. Suburbs of Washington, D.C.
2. Sasebo, Japan
3. San Diego
4. College Station, TX

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Law and Order (original)
2. House
3. Gilmore Girls
4. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

E) I have been on vacation:
1. Paris
2. Berlin
3. Rome
4. Seoul

F) Websites visited daily:
1. email
2. dearabby.com >_<
3. Bloglines
4. Slate.com

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Milk chocolate
2. Mom's sweet potato casserole (not the gross marshmellow kind!)
3. Chicken tempura
4. Chevre spreadable cheese, garlic and herb flavored.

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At Dave's
2. someplace sunny
3. in a more comfortable desk chair
4. at my own graduation (can we skip ahead in time too?)

I) Four people I’m tagging with this questionnaire:
1. Auntie Ann
2. Pam of Lulah's Knits
3. Susie of the Knit Farm (just tryin to help you with your NaBlothingie!)
4. The Knotty Gnome

And since I hate to leave you guys without a picture, here's one of my Thanksgiving gathering. To tell you something about the size of this family... this was a small year.

Bonus points if you can find me.

picture-stravaganza

2006-11-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Wonderful things have been working their way into my home. I went to Target yesterday and found a needle case!

Ok, it's technically a case for makeup brushes, but it was THREE DOLLARS! Squeee! Someday when I have moneys I'd like to buy one that is actually big enough for my straight needles, but for now I'm way more organized than I used to be!

Here is is rolled up. What's that in the foreground, you ask? Why, it's my new Yarn Pirate! It showed up in the mail yesterday. OMG, I love this stuff so much.

So I went to my favorite LYS today to show it off (in the hopes that Mary Charles will finally carry lots of sock yarn) and we talked a little more about me knitting another store sample. So now this has come home with me:

She wants a very simple black pullover to wear around the shop and display when she isn't wearing it. This is Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande and I'm knitting it significantly looser than the recommended gauge, and it has just the most fabulous drape. Lovelovelove. The pattern she gave me calls for a much chunkier yarn and I'm getting 2.5 SPI instead of 2, but I think I can do some Maths and make a sweater that fits. I may see what it looks like on the next needle size up, too, and see if I get gauge with that.

Dad's socks are chugging along and look totally awesome. I think you guys will like these.

Sorry it's blurry, but use your imagination! I love how this angle hides the fact that the sock is at least a full inch longer than my foot and the toe is floppy.

I've been neglecting you

2006-11-14T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ack! School!

I'm still knitting, but I've been stressed with school and, as you can tell, my blogging has suffered because of it. Apparently my last post confused some people, but the yarn I won wasn't the yarn in the picture right below it, so I am sorry. As soon as the new yarn arrives I will take a pretty picture and show it to you in its new habitat.

I bought the yarn in the picture at an LYS I'd never visited before, but it's actually much closer to me than either of the ones I've visited before. It's called Nancy's Knits, I think, and is stuffed chock full of yarny goodness. They had some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn which is ever so delicious. I got this solid brown there for Dad's socks after he requested a pair. Like this:

Dad: I like those kneesocks you made
Me: (totally joking) Good, because I'm making you a pair just like them.
Dad: (kind of excited) really?

So, after that, I just *had* to make him a pair, right?

This is where I was a week ago, modeled by the handsome and charming Dave. That weird bit on Dave's ankle is just the other sock. I've since completed both heels and a few rows of the leg. When last we saw these socks I was going to do a 3x2 ribbing, but that really didn't work out either. For ribbing to work really well with this yarn I'd have to do it on size 0s, and I just don't want to. I ripped back what ribbing I'd done and started thinking.

I like the way clocks look. And I wanted something simple. I started flipping through Nancy Bush's book Folk Socks and really liked these Estonian Socks, at least the part of the clock that runs down the heel. (That's what clocks look like, if you haven't heard of them before) So I did a bit of thinking and a bit of stockinette and started knitting those clocks about 2" after the toe increases were finished. It's a little cable done in twisted stitches and works perfectly with the yarn.

I'm using the Baudelaire heel, but instead of plain I have the clock motif running up either side of the heel flap. It looks great, and I'm very sorry I don't have a picture for you fine folks.

My question is this: what do y'all think about socks with clocks? What about toe-up socks with clocks? I'm asking because I'm thinking about posting this pattern here for your own sock-knitting pleasure. I'm really starting to be sold on the whole toe-up thing, and I think clocks are something that can look sophisticated and dressy but not too "girly" if made in a manly color. Everybody loves manly sock patterns! Do you guys want to see this one?

I am teh winnAr

2006-11-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

Socktoberfest wound up being pretty great for me. Not only did I finish those fabulous kneesocks (and thank you guys so much for the compliments! warms my heart!) but I also won one of the prizes in the drawing! At some point the postman will bring me this 100% fabulous Yarn Pirate sock yarn. The colorway is called "Punkin Head." I'm so excited! These aren't normally colors I would choose for myself, so this is helping me get out of my "box" and I know I'll love them.

I've finally started my Christmas knitting. I started Dad's socks (the first time) Wednesday before last, the same day I finished my kneesocks. God willing and the creek don't flood these will be toe-up, two at a time on two circs. I started them this way twice, and got about ten rows into the foot the second time when I realized that the pattern I was using just wasn't working out. For one thing the socks were about an inch bigger around than my dad's foot, and the yarn was too dark to show the pattern (Stansfield #10 from Sensational Knitted Socks). I frogged again last night and started just one toe using a simple 3x2 ribbing. This way if I have to frog again, it'll be a smaller loss than the last two times. Eventually I will do the other toe, too, and will knit them mostly at the same time. Maximum yarn usage!

As further evidence that the third time is (hopefully) the charm, this is what I'm trying to knit for my three-year-old cousin. You may recognize this yarn as leftovers from my mitten project a while back.

It all started as a hat. I used my gauge notes from the mittens but TOTALLY BOTCHED THE MATH and wound up with a hat that was supposed to be 20" around but was, in fact, only 16". On top of all this, it was really obvious that I didn't have near enough yarn for a hat. Rather than buy more I decided that what Marianne really needed was one of those wide headbands that keeps your ears warm. And I liked the garter stitch stripes, so I went with that. On the second time, I think I got the math right but the gauge wrong, so now it's 24" around. It fits me perfectly, but I don't need a stripey headwarmer, I need a gift for my adorable cousin. So, that will get frogged again and hopefully the third time will be the charm.

Oh, and speaking of teh winnAr, I did the early voting thing today in a grocery store, and even though I am close to being out of food I didn't buy any food. No idea why. I doubt that too many of the guys I voted for will be winnArs except in all those uncontested elections.

Y'all don't forget to vote! It gives you the right to complain!

Best. Kneesocks. Ever.

2006-10-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

I actually finished these last Wednesday but have been lazy and busy (a weird combination, I know). Here they are at last!

For those who care, I knit them toe up on size 1's (started with DPNs, switched to two knitpicks circs) using Koigu KPPPPPPPPPM, dye code appears to be P423. It took about two and a half skeins. I used Widdershins to make the heel.

I invented the lace pattern, which grows wider as you go up the leg. I talked at one point about doing a tutorial on "kneesocks that fit your calves" but I am lazy and busy. So here's the no-picture version. Please remember I'm talking about a toe-up sock, so just exchange "decrease" for "increase" wherever you need it.

Look at your legs. Many (most) of the kneesock patterns out there put the decreases or increases (depending on which way you go) on either side of a seam right up the back of your leg. This can work sometimes, but the truth is, when my calves get bigger they get bigger all over, not just in the back. I want my motifs that run up the side of my leg to stay centered. To do this I'll need to increase all over the sock, not just in the back.

Hey, someone has already thought of this! In Nancy Bush's Folk Socks, the Norwegian stockings (top-down) have all their decreases in one round, below the widest part of the calf. But my calves aren't shaped like that. They change size gradually. Plus, the way that pattern is written you only change the circumference of the sock by about an inch, and I don't know about you guys but there's more than an inch difference in my shapely legs.

Here's what I did. I got out a tape measure and a pen that I knew would wash off. I marked the point on my ankle where you switch from the foot part to the leg part. I measured up to the top of my shin. 13". I then used the tape measure (a mirror is helpful here too) to put 13 lines at intervals of one inch all the way up my shin. Then I measured the circumference of my leg at each interval and marked it down, and then I made a little graph. I found out that there was a four inch difference between my ankle and the widest part of my calf.

Next I designed my motif. You can see how easy it would be to add an extra yarn-over in there to widen the pattern. (Can you? I can try to take better pictures) Each increase section was about eight rows, and increased the sock by 8 stitches. I wound up only needing two increase sections.

It's going to be a long time before I knit kneesocks again, because these took forEVER, but I know the next time I'll do something similar to this so that the motifs all line up and follow the curve of my leg. I think this is a lot more flattering and way more fun!

(Can you tell it's time to dust the mirror?)

Saruman is building an army

2006-10-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

My bear army is growing. You can see the makings of Bear #4 here. I just finished the faces of bears 2 and 3. I did Lumpy's about a week ago and then brought him around to my friends to ask their opinions ("does this look loveable or pathetic?"). They liked him, and his name, and the other two bears got names- bear 2, on the left, is the Everybear, and the bear on the right is the Carebear. I don't really have the time or energy to embroider a little heart or whatever for Carebear, so he'll just have to pretend that he can shoot lasers out of his belly.

An additional recipient has been added to the list, which is why I'm working on #4. I think I'm just going to keep making these until I run out of yarn because they're so easy and I think they'll make good gifts. Now that Lumpy has a face I am so in love with him and glad he's staying with me. I'm pretty smitten with all the bears, but Lumpy, in his misshapen glory, is my favorite. Maybe it's an underdog thing.

I have a finished object to report as soon as I can get some good pics. Sexy kneesocks!

I also started my dad's Christmas present, a pair of socks (to sleep in) in a lovely brown Cherry Tree Hill. So everything on my needles is brown, now that the kneesocks are done. Dad has agreed to make the great sacrifice of not reading my blog between now and Christmas so I can show y'all progress pics. These are my first two-at-a-time socks, woo hoo!

Hallelujah

2006-10-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

I finished the right kneesock tonight.

The reader thinks: how is this possible? Wasn't she going to do some crazy sideways knit cuff, knit right on to the sock? Last time we saw the socks, wasn't she not even done with the ribbing, which she kept complaining was taking forever?

Well, yeah. But I sat down to start on that part tonight, and before I knew it I was binding off. I don't regret it a bit.

Maybe I'm not such a fearless knitter. I started trying to do the cuff and just couldn't get my head around it. It was too much to deal with. But I've also been feeling really discouraged about my almost-nonexistent progress and the fact that there's a whole 'nother sock leg to knit. I was ready to be done with this sock, and now I am.

The next time I try a turn-down cuff, it will be a top-down sock. Easier to start with that rectangle, at least I think so. But that will be a long time from now.

Eliminating this step means that there is a chance I'll finish these by the end of Socktober, which is the most encouraging thing of all. I know Lolly says you don't even have to have a specific goal, but I did want something to show for a month's worth of sock knitting.

Also, I left my sock at school yesterday, which only made me more anxious about finishing them, but gave me time to finish these:

Cute, huh? The one on the right was my first try and I'm not terribly happy with the way he turned out. I named him Lumpy McLosingstuffing and he'll stay with me so that I don't have to choose which of my friends gets the crappy bear who will probably fall apart if he is loved too much.

It may not be snowing here, but we did have a rather spectacular Weather Event. It rained, hard, all day Sunday and most of Monday. Monday afternoon this is what the bayou (stream) less than one block from my apartment looked like:

I wish I had a before picture. This stream has a CONCRETE BOTTOM. And SIDES. Can you see the concrete? No, because it's flooded. Ten feet deeper is a conservative estimate. Fifteen feet is probably closer. It's also three times wider than usual. The water was moving fast, too. Scary stuff, but this makes me glad I'm on the second floor. I just wish my car was that high, too!

The rain has stopped and the water receded, but it's SO muggy and gross outside. In a couple of days we'll probably have the mother of all mosquito clouds. Good thing I never leave the house.

My finished sweater, and a visit from Mom

2006-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for all the suspense, guys!

I finished the sweater on Thursday night but didn't get the last of the ends in until about ten minutes before Mom showed up. She stopped by to visit on her way home from an exciting weekend of visiting relatives. Great news: my aunt finished her PhD!

I took advantage of the occasion to have her take pictures of me in my FIRST SWEATER EVER!

Not bad for a first try, eh?

The pattern is Licorice Whip by Blue Alvarez. Top-down raglan in one piece. I used the recommended yarn because it was free! Blue Sky Alpaca Dyed Cotton, a 2-ply very soft worsted yarn.

My modifications mostly happened in the collar. I started the collar with more stitches so that it would be wider. The original pattern calls for you to knit one round, then knit three rounds tbl, then k2tog, YO for a round, knit a round plain, and then knit another round tbl. I had just picked up addis for the first time and found knitting tbl to be horribly unpleasant, so I skipped two of the first three tbl rounds. Then I decided the designer was smarter than me, so I ripped out the first few rows (such a pain! omg!) and redid it to match the bottom and the sleeves. I guess that means there are no cast-on edges on the sweater at all. Crazy!

In all it's a great fit, a great pattern, and I'm super pleased with the result. Sadly a warm front is currently making my poor city very hot and soggy, so I'll have to wait till January (when winter gets here) to wear it. Ah, the pain of being a knitter in the South!

(Ok, I will totally wear it before then. The good thing about being a knitter in the South, especially a cold-natured knitter in the south, is that air conditioning does for us what the weather does everywhere else. All year round)

While Mom was here I forced her to model her socks so I could finally take a picture of them. Yay!

Student-teacher sock conference.

These are the bears I'm making. I'm doing the pattern kind of "freehand," which is to say I have no pattern at all. I'm calling them "raglan bears" because their shoulders use raglan shaping. I'm using the yarn left over from the sweater for cuddly little brown bears. Actual size without legs: 3" Yes, I will put legs on them. ;-)

Teaser

2006-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

I finished the sweater.

Knitting guild and a meme

2006-10-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last night my knitting buddy Ileana and I went to the Houston Knit at Night Guild's monthly meeting. What a blast!

We were pretty late because a) we didn't have directions and had to have my Mom look them up, with help/interference from my brother who didn't want to relinquish the computer and b) we didn't even call for directions until like five minutes before the meeting started.

Even though we came in late they wanted us to introduce ourselves, which I guess means we were forgiven, and I told them my good old joke about learning to knit when I was 8 and learning to purl when I was a sophomore in college. It's fun making a room full of about 40 knitters crack up. The problem with that joke is that I'd just said I was a student (didn't mention the "grad" part) and that I look like I'm about 16. They were probably thinking "gosh, she's a sophomore in college? she looks so young!" So they probably figured I'd been purling for all of a month.

At the break, though, about five women came over to see my kneesocks. (I'd meant to work on the sweater at the meeting, because I am *this close* to being done, but I forgot the extra DPN. Grr.) And they *loved* them. I felt like a rockstar.

The best part of the meeting was at the end when everybody showed off their finished objects. It was amazing to see the range of experience and all the beautiful things people were working on. There were women knitting variations on the garter stitch scarf and women knitting ganseys on size four needles, women knitting with Red Heart and one lady who said she'd just finished her first project with a synthetic yarn in the whole length of her knitting life. What was so great about this group was that they really celebrated each other. Ileana and I loved it, and we can't wait to go back.

Auntie Ann did this meme- "10 knitterly things you didn't know about me" and I am trying to come up with some things.

1) My first project, a pair of mittens to be felted, took me about six years to finish and i'd outgrown the mittens by the time they were done. By that time I'd also lost the book with the felting instructions, and never got around to felting them. So I guess that technically counts as my oldest unfinished object-- somewhere around 15 years old.

2) As much as I love knitting socks, I'm not sure that any of them will ever get worn in public more than once or twice. It's hard to say yet because I started knitting socks right when it got to be about 80 degrees last spring, so we'll see, but I just don't have the shoes or the style required for crazy handknit socks. And I hate clogs.

3) I knit a Fair Isle PDA cozy once, to practice my two-handed fair isle, but I made it with some slippery cotton yarn that stretched out too much to hold the PDA.

4) I don't want to knit anything that I wouldn't buy in a store, so I will never (I hope) knit shapeless, unflattering sweaters.

5) I will tolerate very small mistakes in my knitting, but only if they're almost completely unnoticeable. As much as I hate frogging, I hate obvious imperfections more.

6) I can't wait until I can knit a sweater for my boyfriend. Something with ribbing to show off his muscles. I'm not worried about the Curse as much as I'm worried about the Laundromat.

7) In case my advisor (with whom I took a class on the writings of Karl Marx last semester) ever gives me grief about knitting, I have devised an elaborate defense based on Marx as to why I should be able to knit. I think he will like it. ("This is labor from which I am not alienated!")

8) I kind of believe #7. My knitting is the only thing I have that's truly mine, that I do for myself and no one else. But maybe Marx would want me to knit for the common good? He's a little fuzzy on the details.

9) I am a fearless knitter--I'm never afraid to try anything (except knitting ugly things)--and I sometimes have a hard time understanding why people do fear things in knitting. Especially because they're always surprised when they realize how easy it really was.

10) My mom is my knitting hero, so I felt pretty L33T when I got her knitting socks.

A Socktoberfest Salute

2006-10-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Check me out!

I bought these socks at Target last year and whaddaya know, they're just like the ones in the Socktoberfest button! (which I ought to add, but I am laaaazy. and busy).

The socks and I have made up, and I'm more in love with them than ever. This does not mean that there will be no more frogging, though, as I made about three inches of progress and decided to revise the last two inches of lace pattern. Le Sigh.

A Dear Jane Letter

2006-10-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Around lunchtime I realized that the sock was trying to tell me something. Something along these lines:

Dear Liz,

We haven't been getting along very well lately. Don't you think that frogging the same inch three times in three days is too much? I think we should take a break.

Yours,
The right kneesock

I can see where the kneesock is coming from. I'm going to take some time to actually chart the pattern, and maybe finish up that sweater. It may be harder to carry around but wow, is it easier to knit on.

Socktoberfest homework

2006-10-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Socktoberfest is in full swing. Last night I celebrated by frogging those four rows I messed up on, re-knitting them, realizing I'd goofed again, then getting the ball of yarn all tangled up. Gotta frog again.

Anyway they asked us some questions. At Lolly's blog you can read the other responses.

* When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I started making socks around february. I learned from a pattern someone in the LYS gave me and from Sensational Knitted Socks. Great resource.

* What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

light blue baby cashmerino on size 3s. I gave them to my mom and she loved them. I think they're still in good shape but I don't know how often she wears them, since they're pretty warm.

* What would you have done differently?

I wish that yarn came in colors other than pastel and black. I wish I'd been able to do a better job tacking down the last two kitchenered stitches. I think I knit a purl somewhere. Other than that they were great socks.

* What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

Koigu, but I've decided to stick with solid yarn and complicated patterns from now on.

* Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

Crocheted socks don't sound very pleasant for feet. I knit on 5 dpns or 2 circs. I am lovin the 2 circs.

* Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

Heel flap and round heel. I like Widdershins' imitation too.

* How many pairs have you made?

Just 3! I am on pair 4 right now.

They didn't ask whether you prefer toe-up or top down. I am doing my first toe-ups right now and am glad to have this skill in my knitting arsenal, but there's something nice and straightforward about a top-down sock. It does leave you with a lot of extra yarn, though.