It's frosh week over here chez moi. I am moved into res (mostly). The sweater only lacks a hood, one button band and some buttons. Due to an unfortunate dancing injury I have sprained my right thumb. Vair sad, but no knitting for me for now. Must dance more!
See y'all at the end of the week!
8/27/2006
8/24/2006
Boxes, Boxes everywhere.
Isn't it amazing all the little places that yarn can build up? It finds ways to hide behind boxes and piles of laundry, behind stacks of magazines, in the bottom of bins. I've been packing up my room since Monday and I just keep finding it. I've got a huge bin under my bed of yarn, but there's at least a ball of yarn in each of the 6 boxes I've packed since I started. Only the duffel bag of shoes has been spared from yarn. Ummm, yeah. I do have a duffel bag of shoes. This years estimate is probably about 15 pairs. In my defence, some of them are boots, and that includes heels. You can never have enough heels, since they are all different. The scarier thing is that I have far more that aren't coming with me. But this is a post about stash, not shoes. Though maybe that's why they've sneeked in unanounced, I've got a very visible shoe stash.
8/20/2006
Weddings and hey, it's my dinner on the ground!
So my stupidity reared it's really ugly head on Friday night. A friend was having a party at his house, so I was discussing my curfew with my mom. I said 3am, she said 1am. We argued a lot. I got to the party and just drank way to much way to fast. I got home at 2am and puked my brains out until 3:30am. Very very very stupid. Made even stupider by the fact that my cousin got married on Saturday. I was fine all day until about 11, when I just got really nauseus. I was okay until 1:30 when I demanded that my dad pull over in the car so that I could dispense the contents of my stomach on the road. That method actually worked better than the bathroom, since there's way less clean up.
But hey, this is a knitting blog! So no more talk of loosing my cookies. The wedding was lots of fun. It was held in my Aunt and Uncle's crazy huge old house. The ceremony was held in the front part, which used to be a one room school house, and the reception was in the back, which is a massive addition. I'm kind of the odd cousin out with all the cousin's my age, made even more apparent by the fact that they were all bridesmaids and wore black, and I was wearing powder blue. My mom suggested that I just wear my black dress, but I knew they would all be in black, and I refuse to be the same as them. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but I have a reputation to keep up!
There was a brunch today for everyone, so I brought along my sweater to work on. The father of the groom was taking pictures of me knitting and talking to other people. He thought it was a hoot that I was able to not look at what I was doing. One of my Aunts asked me if I could give her knitting lessons, and the Aunt who's house I was at said that there was a whole stash of yarn from her recently deceased mother-in-law, and that she would put in a bid to give it to me. Apparently there's some mohair in there. My mom said that it would be good to give to me in order to keep down my school year expenses. Which is very true.
I knit a few inches on the first sleeve of the sweater, but I ripped it all out when I got home. It was all too big. I had to do some decreases at the beginning. It's going along well now. I've realised that in order for this to be finished by Sunday (ahem, so not happening) I need to finish the first sleeve tomorrow. I also need buttons, which maybe can happen on Thursday morning. Bah, so much to work on! Tomorrow evening is going to be devoted to packing. Otherwise I may not get it all done.
But hey, this is a knitting blog! So no more talk of loosing my cookies. The wedding was lots of fun. It was held in my Aunt and Uncle's crazy huge old house. The ceremony was held in the front part, which used to be a one room school house, and the reception was in the back, which is a massive addition. I'm kind of the odd cousin out with all the cousin's my age, made even more apparent by the fact that they were all bridesmaids and wore black, and I was wearing powder blue. My mom suggested that I just wear my black dress, but I knew they would all be in black, and I refuse to be the same as them. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but I have a reputation to keep up!
There was a brunch today for everyone, so I brought along my sweater to work on. The father of the groom was taking pictures of me knitting and talking to other people. He thought it was a hoot that I was able to not look at what I was doing. One of my Aunts asked me if I could give her knitting lessons, and the Aunt who's house I was at said that there was a whole stash of yarn from her recently deceased mother-in-law, and that she would put in a bid to give it to me. Apparently there's some mohair in there. My mom said that it would be good to give to me in order to keep down my school year expenses. Which is very true.
I knit a few inches on the first sleeve of the sweater, but I ripped it all out when I got home. It was all too big. I had to do some decreases at the beginning. It's going along well now. I've realised that in order for this to be finished by Sunday (ahem, so not happening) I need to finish the first sleeve tomorrow. I also need buttons, which maybe can happen on Thursday morning. Bah, so much to work on! Tomorrow evening is going to be devoted to packing. Otherwise I may not get it all done.
8/16/2006
Monkeys monkeys everywhere
I went to the Stitch 'n Bitch again today, very fun. There were about half the amount of people that there were last week, but it was still cool. I've got about 2 inches of ribbing left on the body before I move onto the sleeves. I'm almost there! Victory will be mine....
I've almost finished the second strap of the monkey back-pack. However, I was sitting around and realised that a monkey back-pack would be perfect for being a Frosh Boss. But green does not go with my pink sparkly princess cowboy hat, what I really need is a pink monkey back-pack. I think that I may be insane, but I may try and knit one for next week. And knit my sweater. The thing about the sweater is that I can't take it anywhere unless I know that I'll have a good half hour to work on it. The monkey back-pack can be knit anywhere since it's mostly just stockinette. I'll just give the one I'm making now to one of my cousins, they'd love it. The even brillianter thing is that I already have all the necessary colours for the monkey bits, all I need to get is the pink. Perfect, it will be done. I think I can get to Romni's on Friday.
I ordered the colour cards from KnitPicks, vair exciting. I'll be knitting that pullover in no time. After I finish a bunch of other things first, I should finish my chocolate mittens, since they're out of the same colours as the monkey face.
I got a new haircut yesterday, so I'm enjoying the amazing feel of my silky hair. I don't know how much I like it. It's a good cut, but I'm not sure if it's me. We'll just have to see how it washes tomorrow. It's a bunch shorter than it was, and I may have to learn how to do the whole flat iron thing. Also have to pick up hair dye for the red. Woot! 8 days and I move into res, I need to find boxes.
I've almost finished the second strap of the monkey back-pack. However, I was sitting around and realised that a monkey back-pack would be perfect for being a Frosh Boss. But green does not go with my pink sparkly princess cowboy hat, what I really need is a pink monkey back-pack. I think that I may be insane, but I may try and knit one for next week. And knit my sweater. The thing about the sweater is that I can't take it anywhere unless I know that I'll have a good half hour to work on it. The monkey back-pack can be knit anywhere since it's mostly just stockinette. I'll just give the one I'm making now to one of my cousins, they'd love it. The even brillianter thing is that I already have all the necessary colours for the monkey bits, all I need to get is the pink. Perfect, it will be done. I think I can get to Romni's on Friday.
I ordered the colour cards from KnitPicks, vair exciting. I'll be knitting that pullover in no time. After I finish a bunch of other things first, I should finish my chocolate mittens, since they're out of the same colours as the monkey face.
I got a new haircut yesterday, so I'm enjoying the amazing feel of my silky hair. I don't know how much I like it. It's a good cut, but I'm not sure if it's me. We'll just have to see how it washes tomorrow. It's a bunch shorter than it was, and I may have to learn how to do the whole flat iron thing. Also have to pick up hair dye for the red. Woot! 8 days and I move into res, I need to find boxes.
8/14/2006
Bunny Knits
Today I taught the girl how to knit. She actually picked it up pretty quickly, and is totally into it. The day had a lot of NatalieNatalieNatalieNATALIE!!! screaming while she yelled for me to help her with a slipped stitch or having just forgotten what she was supposed to do. At one point she was sitting there complaining and whining that she had no idea what she was doing, all while knitting perfectly fine. And everytime anything went wrong she would sit and call her needles stupid, which I find amusing. In order for her to remember what she was doing I told her a little phrase to say while she knit. I'm pretty sure that the same thing has been said all over the place and has existed forever, but it was what I thought of when I showed her. It was:
In the Bunny hole (for picking up the first stitch)
Around the bunny ear (for throwing the yarn around the needle)
Back out the bunny hole (for pulling the new stitch through)
Running away (for pulling the stitch off the left hand needle)
I just told her to say that to herself over and over again, so that she wouldn't forget what to do next.
In the morning the boycousin was sitting watching the girl and I knit and he said that one of the reasons that he doesn't get people who knit is that he doesn't understand how knitting works, how the fabric is created. So I explained that it is just loops on top of loops, and that knitting in the round is just one big spiral. It seemed to have helped him understand because later in the day the girl and I came downstairs and found the boycousin sitting staring at the girls bright pink rag that she had abandoned mid row and asked her to show him what to do. Which greatly amused her. There was the, "no let me do it", and "you're doing it wrong!" Very funny. He insisted on finishing the row, much to her chagrin. I'm going to bring the ball of black yarn I have, and see if I have some other big needles, and see if he'll go for it. He swore he won't knit, can't see the draw in knitting all day and would only see the amusement for rainy days, which today was. Besides, he doesn't wear scarves. Well only when he skis. But he does have a black knit hat that it would match....
We'll have to see what happens. We may make a convert of him yet.
In my own knitting news, the sock is a few rows and a cast-off from completion. I'm almost done the first strap of the back-pack. I'm making it 17 inches long instead of 16, since the 16 just looks just so tiny. I've started to knit the ribbing on my sweater, only 4.25 inches left! I don't think I'm going to double up the ribbing on this one, a total of 30 inches of ribbing may kill me (again). I'm also thinking of attaching yarn for one of the sleeves before I finish the body ribbing, just to break the monotony. I'm going to see how much I can get through today, since I told the girl that I would bring the sweater in to show her tomorrow and don't really fancy carrying around too many balls of yarn.
In the Bunny hole (for picking up the first stitch)
Around the bunny ear (for throwing the yarn around the needle)
Back out the bunny hole (for pulling the new stitch through)
Running away (for pulling the stitch off the left hand needle)
I just told her to say that to herself over and over again, so that she wouldn't forget what to do next.
In the morning the boycousin was sitting watching the girl and I knit and he said that one of the reasons that he doesn't get people who knit is that he doesn't understand how knitting works, how the fabric is created. So I explained that it is just loops on top of loops, and that knitting in the round is just one big spiral. It seemed to have helped him understand because later in the day the girl and I came downstairs and found the boycousin sitting staring at the girls bright pink rag that she had abandoned mid row and asked her to show him what to do. Which greatly amused her. There was the, "no let me do it", and "you're doing it wrong!" Very funny. He insisted on finishing the row, much to her chagrin. I'm going to bring the ball of black yarn I have, and see if I have some other big needles, and see if he'll go for it. He swore he won't knit, can't see the draw in knitting all day and would only see the amusement for rainy days, which today was. Besides, he doesn't wear scarves. Well only when he skis. But he does have a black knit hat that it would match....
We'll have to see what happens. We may make a convert of him yet.
In my own knitting news, the sock is a few rows and a cast-off from completion. I'm almost done the first strap of the back-pack. I'm making it 17 inches long instead of 16, since the 16 just looks just so tiny. I've started to knit the ribbing on my sweater, only 4.25 inches left! I don't think I'm going to double up the ribbing on this one, a total of 30 inches of ribbing may kill me (again). I'm also thinking of attaching yarn for one of the sleeves before I finish the body ribbing, just to break the monotony. I'm going to see how much I can get through today, since I told the girl that I would bring the sweater in to show her tomorrow and don't really fancy carrying around too many balls of yarn.
8/13/2006
Slow slow knitting
Well today saw me being a bit slugish. I think it might have been from the sushi outing with Mira and Griffin last night, but hopefully not. I'm not nauseus, but there is some odd stomach crampyness. Despite feeling slow, I did knit about five inches on my Punk-Ass Skully Sweater. I brought it to the Stitch 'n Bitch on Wednesday, and with this coolish weather I really want to have it done soon. Like by Frosh Week. Which is in two weeks. I only have to do five inches on the body, and then the arms, and the hood, and the button band, and the pockets. Totally do-able. I mean people did more in 16 days for the Olympics.
I also have been trying to finish up some projects. I have an inch and a half left on my Secret Pal socks, and then they're all done. Today's sluggishness just means that they've been going nowhere. I started the second Chocolate Mitten, which has been going very quickly. I also did a few rows on the first strap of the Monkey back-pack from the Stitch 'n Bitch book. I think that will be relegated to subway knitting once my sock is done. I can't really transport my sweater because it's knit all in one piece, and it's pretty big. Plus it's a little difficult to just pull out for a few rows when the kids are quiet for a few minutes.
Tomorrow should have a fair amount of knitting time, since I bought needles and am going to bring some pink acrylic from my stash to teach the girl how to knit. I need something to keep her occupied for my last 7-8 days of work. I'm hoping for seven, but it all depends on when they go up to the cottage this weekend. It will probably be at least seven and a half. Other thing to make the week more enjoyable is the presence of the boycousin, who is my age, and with whom my employers were going to set me up with last summer. It makes the day go by so much more quickly when you've got another adult to talk to, instead of vaguely complaining to the baby, who can't talk back. The girl is also a lot less annoying since boycousin is her way cool older cousin, and while he and I are the same age, he doesn't tell her what not to do all the time. So in general, she's a lot less complainey.
In knitted news, I really really want to knit the Fair Isle U-Neck Pullover, from this issue of Vogue Knitting. I think my best bet for yarn is KnitPicks Telemark, but I'm going to get a colour card to see which colours will work best for substitutions. I'm also going to get a card for Wool of the Andes to knit the Hooded Jacket from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2005, which is gorgeous. I can't wait!
I also have been trying to finish up some projects. I have an inch and a half left on my Secret Pal socks, and then they're all done. Today's sluggishness just means that they've been going nowhere. I started the second Chocolate Mitten, which has been going very quickly. I also did a few rows on the first strap of the Monkey back-pack from the Stitch 'n Bitch book. I think that will be relegated to subway knitting once my sock is done. I can't really transport my sweater because it's knit all in one piece, and it's pretty big. Plus it's a little difficult to just pull out for a few rows when the kids are quiet for a few minutes.
Tomorrow should have a fair amount of knitting time, since I bought needles and am going to bring some pink acrylic from my stash to teach the girl how to knit. I need something to keep her occupied for my last 7-8 days of work. I'm hoping for seven, but it all depends on when they go up to the cottage this weekend. It will probably be at least seven and a half. Other thing to make the week more enjoyable is the presence of the boycousin, who is my age, and with whom my employers were going to set me up with last summer. It makes the day go by so much more quickly when you've got another adult to talk to, instead of vaguely complaining to the baby, who can't talk back. The girl is also a lot less annoying since boycousin is her way cool older cousin, and while he and I are the same age, he doesn't tell her what not to do all the time. So in general, she's a lot less complainey.
In knitted news, I really really want to knit the Fair Isle U-Neck Pullover, from this issue of Vogue Knitting. I think my best bet for yarn is KnitPicks Telemark, but I'm going to get a colour card to see which colours will work best for substitutions. I'm also going to get a card for Wool of the Andes to knit the Hooded Jacket from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2005, which is gorgeous. I can't wait!
8/12/2006
North and South
I just watched the BBC miniseries North and South with my friend Claire. Well Claire and Kim came over on Tuesday and we watched the first three episodes, but we didn't have time for the forth, so Claire came over to finish it today. I think I almost died. It was so good, I could feel my heart break at the end. It sounds really sappy, but it's spectacular. It was amazing. We had to watch the end twice, and it was even better the second time. Mr Thorton now joins the ranks of Mr Darcy in my love of period drama heros. Yes, he's that good.
I also watched The Devil Wears Prada last night with my parents, which has given my mom and I the sudden urge to go out and buy purses.
I must go to Lettuce Knit, and the maybe to a bookstore to find the book of North and South.
I also watched The Devil Wears Prada last night with my parents, which has given my mom and I the sudden urge to go out and buy purses.
I must go to Lettuce Knit, and the maybe to a bookstore to find the book of North and South.
8/10/2006
Lettuce Knit Stitch and Bitch
Well I finally made it out to the Stitch and Bitch. I had been meaning to all summer, but I finally just did it yesterday. It was muchly fun. I talked to a girl named Zoe (who really has umlauts on her name, but my computer skills are less than that.) and Michelle, who was working on her 2nd Pomotomus sock, which matched the t-shirt I was wearing. Hot pink was a popular colour, there was some yarn, a suitcase and a guy (plus me and the socks). Very cool.
When I arrived I had enough time locking up my bike to calm myself down from the fact that there were knitters there whose blogs I read. Like YarnHarlot, Michelle, and Denny (who may have been quite drunk.) I had difficulty with my lock, so by the time I was ready, I had fully composed myself. I really wish I had a digital camera, then I could have taken pictures of everone, but I do not, so I could not. Perhaps I will hint at one for Chirstmas.
The Secret Pal socks are almost done, I just have a few inches on the ankle of the second. I think I'm going to nominate August to be finishing month, and try to have some FO's for my blogging. I have quite a few that will actually be usefull in the coming months. Plus I have to move into Res in two weeks, so I don't want to take anything up that isn't imediately needed. Like mittens. If they are finished they can wait at home until winter, but if they aren't then they will need to come along so that they can be finished. Plus finishing things is an excuse to start new things!
When I arrived I had enough time locking up my bike to calm myself down from the fact that there were knitters there whose blogs I read. Like YarnHarlot, Michelle, and Denny (who may have been quite drunk.) I had difficulty with my lock, so by the time I was ready, I had fully composed myself. I really wish I had a digital camera, then I could have taken pictures of everone, but I do not, so I could not. Perhaps I will hint at one for Chirstmas.
The Secret Pal socks are almost done, I just have a few inches on the ankle of the second. I think I'm going to nominate August to be finishing month, and try to have some FO's for my blogging. I have quite a few that will actually be usefull in the coming months. Plus I have to move into Res in two weeks, so I don't want to take anything up that isn't imediately needed. Like mittens. If they are finished they can wait at home until winter, but if they aren't then they will need to come along so that they can be finished. Plus finishing things is an excuse to start new things!
8/06/2006
Secret Pal, Michigan, and the Transformers
I got a package from my secret pal! I actually got it on Thursday, but haven't had access to the interweb since then. We went to my grandma's in Michigan, I thought the computer would spontaneously (I know that is spelt wrong, and yet cannot fathom how it would be spelt correctly) combust just trying to read my email, so I didn't try anything more. It was an excellent package though. A ball of blue Fleece Artist sock yarn, that has alread been made into a sock, with the second sock about to be started. Two pairs of needles, one 2.5, so that I could knit socks without worrying about my Waiting for Robin Socks, and 2.75 because I didn't have any of those. A box of Laura Secord chocolates because I said that I wanted to eat chocolate when Trevor left for camp. A bottle of vanilla perfume from the Body Shop. I think that was all of it, but I have a feeling that I'm missing something. The box of chocolates had a little teddy tied to it. I'm very excited about the socks. I have decided that short row toes fit me best, the other ones I have been doing are more pointy than my toes actually are.
It was lots of fun to go away for the weekend though. We went to my grandparents house in Michigan, though they were in Oregon visiting my uncle. It looks like they're going to be stuck there for a while. My grandpa has a bloodclot in his leg and some little ones in his lungs from the plane ride, and has been hospitalised. He'll be fine, but they're nervous about him travelling again and having the same thing happen. That's my tangent. The reason we went down to their house is that my aunt lives in Chicago and so she and her husband and my little cousins met us there. It was the only way we would have been able to see them. My cousin's are 4 and 5, and very cute. My other cousin Josh is from Rochester, so he took the bus to our house on Wednesday, and then went with us. He is 17 and my brother is 15, they tried to convince my little cousin's that their names were Megatron and Optimus Prime (as in Transformers). The five year old kept calling my brother Madison. To be fair, they are fairly tricky names to pronounce, especially when you still say things like "chlocolate".
It was lots of fun to go away for the weekend though. We went to my grandparents house in Michigan, though they were in Oregon visiting my uncle. It looks like they're going to be stuck there for a while. My grandpa has a bloodclot in his leg and some little ones in his lungs from the plane ride, and has been hospitalised. He'll be fine, but they're nervous about him travelling again and having the same thing happen. That's my tangent. The reason we went down to their house is that my aunt lives in Chicago and so she and her husband and my little cousins met us there. It was the only way we would have been able to see them. My cousin's are 4 and 5, and very cute. My other cousin Josh is from Rochester, so he took the bus to our house on Wednesday, and then went with us. He is 17 and my brother is 15, they tried to convince my little cousin's that their names were Megatron and Optimus Prime (as in Transformers). The five year old kept calling my brother Madison. To be fair, they are fairly tricky names to pronounce, especially when you still say things like "chlocolate".
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