25 December 2007

Christmas!

I hope your Christmas was as good as mine! Usually holidays, and especially The Holidays, go terribly for me but I have had a pretty good last couple of days.

I'm currently typing this on my brand new laptop. Santa brought it for me. It's a Compaq Presario something or other; I don't pay attention because it's all binary to me. But hopefully it will help me be a little more consistent with my blogging. We still only have dial-up, so I don't know how much it will help. Anyway, I am happy as a clam! Especially because the monitor on our desktop sucks, so now I can actually see pictures as they're meant to be seen! yay!

If I don't post again before then, have a happy New Year too!

13 December 2007

Christmas meme, and some thoughts about ornaments.

This Christmas meme was stolen from Amy at Boogie Knits.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, most of the time. I enjoy tearing open paper and opening a box much more than reaching into a bag.
2. Real or artificial tree? Real! And Noble firs only. I don't want a Charlie Brown-looking Christmas tree.
3. When do you put up the tree? Beginning of December. We got ours the 2nd this year and it was up later that week.
4. When do you take it down? New Years-ish.
5. Do you like eggnog? Not even Silk Nog.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A little aquarium. I accidentally leaving it on my window sill when we went on vacation later that year, and I ended up frying the poor fish.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My mom. Or the boyfriend's relatives.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Me! All of the guys are easy to buy/knit for.
10. Worst Christmas present you ever got? Plastic makeup caddy-thing from my grandparents. It look like it costed $2 and there was no thought at all put into it.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? I don't send out my own cards but I should. My mother sends them to just about everyone she's ever met.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story. And Meet Me in St. Louis, which is not 100% Christmas movie.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start crafting as early as possible. I crocheted my mom a couple of scarves months ago, and I had forgotten that I'd even made them. I hate running around on the 23rd trying to wash/block/wrap/finish things.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? In a gift exchange last year, I got Santa Claus boxer shorts (furry red with white trim) and I regifted them to a male friend.
15. Favorite thing to eat on Christmas? Ham! We have ham on Christmas Eve and turkey on Christmas. Needless to say, Christmas Eve is my favorite.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear. A couple of years ago my mom did a tree with colored C9s, which are the big ones you usually see outside. I was not a fan.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas sung by Judy Garland. Also anything from the Judy Garland Christmas Special, which I have on cassette tape and VHS. Old school!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. Or rather go next door to my grandparents.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph. And it's definitely "Donder" and not "Donner". Donder and Blitzen (I'm not sure if those are both spelled properly) are thunder and lightning in German.
20. Angel or star on top of tree? Angel! And she's redheaded, of course!
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning at home, and at my grandma's we have to wait until after dinner on Christmas Day. Combine that with me hating turkey and it's a pretty suck day. Especially when I was a kid and bored with my new toys in about 36 seconds.
22. Most annoying thing this time of year? Shitty music on repeat. I like Christmas music (check last.fm!) but I hate hearing the same crappy songs over and over again.
23. Do you decorate your tree in any theme or color? Last year our tree had an Irish theme. (I will find picture and post them. It was tacky but good.) This year no theme. My mom has done shells, bows, and I'm sure some other stuff over the years. My grandma's tree is always flocked with all silver and some gold. It's gorgeous.
24. What do you leave for Santa? Cookies and milk. My mom has an amazing sugar cookie recipe. They're the yummiest sugar cookies I've ever had, but then again they might be the only ones I've ever had from scratch. Cookie making is a big ordeal every year. But it's worth it for those cookies!

I really should have gotten stuff to make ornaments at the craft store when I went earlier this month. I thought about it, but the Christmas section was such a zoo I just avoided it. This meme really got me thinking about ornaments and stuff like that. Everyone has their favorites. I think a cool thing would be for everyone to take pictures of their favorite ornaments and decorations and post them! Definitely share the stories behind them, too. Everyone has their little traditions. I would love to look at stuff that you guys like and to share mine. I might start doing this tonight.

All this said, I've watched too much Futurama lately and wanted to call it "X-mas" he whole time but in any context other than a Futurama reference it just sucks. Being too lazy to type that out is crazy.

Thank goodness for blogger saving my post as I type it. If I was still at blogspirit. you wouldn't be reading this right now! yay!

10 December 2007

bummer time!

I brought my yarn, needles, and pattern with me to the Boy's house today so I could start working on my Quant, which I might give to my sister for Christmas. Then I realized, I forgot DPNs. And it's really hard to do i-cord on straight needles. It's actually impossible.

06 December 2007

Back With a Bang

It's the most wonderful timw of the year. Everyone's stressed. I always get really depressed during wintertime. I think that's because I get outside so much less and don't get to enjoy the sun. What I'm trying to say is the holidays suck! And they're just starting.

Speaking of the holidays, I went so San Francisco to do a little Christmas shopping yesterday with the ladies from the Elks Lodge down the street. And I managed to forget my camera! I did get some shopping done and I finally found a pair of grey Chuck Taylors in my size! I've been looking for some for years. I wanted to check out the yarn shops in the city, but didn't have time. I did, however, pick up the newest Debbie Stoller book, Son of Stitch n Bitch. I just picked it up on a whim with no intention to buy it at all, (I haven't been very impressed with the manly patterns in her other books) and I loved it! The 'Lucha Libre' pattern sealed the deal for me. I'm not entirely sure I would want to wear a wool mask, but it made me immediately think of a couple of friends who would love it. There are a couple of other patterns I like a lot, like the Ernie sweater and the argyle scarf. The stripper illusion scarf is just classic. A must-knit.

Since it's the holiday season, I'm knitting a lot of smaller stuff. Most of it is generic and could be given to a lot of different people. There is always at least one time where I kick myself and think, "How could I have forgotten about ____?!"


My So-Called Scarf
pattern: My So-Called Scarf, still a WIP
yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in a colorway I can't remember
needles: US #10s

This is one of those things that I have no idea what I'm going to do with. Give as a gift, but I don't know to whom. Best case scenario: I don't have anyone to give it to and I can sell it. (With most patterns one couldn't do that, but this is just based on a stitch pattern! whoo!)


Little Dress dishcloth
yarn: Peaches n Cream in Daisy
hook: I-9, I think
pattern: Little Dress Dishcloth
mods: i used a small elastic hairband instead of a plastic ring in the center.

I don't know what I'm doing with this, but I know I'm not keeping it. Definitely a grandma-type gift. Way too cutesy for my taste, but it's fun to make.
I'm actually thinking about making a bunch of dishtowels for people. The kind with the little loop for hanging. You don't have to hang it from your oven (reccomended) but everyone uses towels in the kitchen!


DSCN7364 DSCN7365
pattern: Seaman's Cap
needles: US #7s (4.5mm)
yarn: LB Wool Ease
mods: On this hat, I did the ribbing the opposite of the pattern (k2, p1 instead of k1, p2) and I did the ribbing on the same size needles.
I've also made a TON of these hats (I'm on #4 or 5 right now, but haven't photographed those yet.). They are pretty much the perfect knit hat. I wish I didn't feel like such a homeless man wearing one, otherwiseyou would probably never get it off my head.Maybe I need to make a more feminine one. Anyway, Dad and Grandpa are all getting these for Christmas. Boyfriend already has two. The best part is, these take very little time to make. I just wish I could find a CO that I really like on reversed ribbing. I like the front of the double CO (also known as the thumb method) but the back is just purl bumps which is not my favorite. I might try a cable CO with the next hat.

I did a little dyeing last weekend while the rest of the family was out picking out a Christmas tree and it turned out rather crappily, if I do say so myself. More on that, and pictures! in the future. It was probably the worst dyeing experience I've had to date. And let me tell you, hot Kool-Aid stinks!

14 November 2007

A million voices with nothing to say.

It has been a long time since I've posted, and it really should have been. I have had a TON of stuff to blog about, and I have thought about it a lot! I'd really like to get back to posting at least once a week. That really shouldn't be too hard.


I've add a couple of current projects to ravelry that I haven't talked about here. First off, there's the grey and black ripple afghan that will go to my boyfriend once it's done. It's Red Heart Supersaver in grey heather and Caron One Pound in black. For something like this, I think an acrylic/wool blend would even be too warm, because this thing is heavy. I love it, though! It's super wide, and is really going to take a lot of yarn.

blurry ripple afghan-in-progress Caught in the act ripple up close.
Basically, I love crocheting afghans. While sitting and working on this, I make plans for who I can make these for in the future. I really enjoy working on things where you're not obsessively counting rows, and worrying about the pattern. This is big enough that I really get into the rhythym during the row, and I am not counting the number of stitches left 'til the end. It's kind of like how it seems like it takes less time to finish a scarf when you work it long-wise instead of short-wise.

I'm also working on some Charade socks with my favorite yarn ever! The wool/elastic combination is AMAZING! So comfortable! I have one sock done, but I'm working on some Holiday socks for the boyfriend before I finish the second one. I only have one #1 circular, damn it!

Charade It's all a Charade.

I highly reccomend this yarn; I will definitely be using it again. It's Knit One Crochet Too's Soxx Appeal, by the way.

I'm working on a little Christmas knitting, if you must know. A couple of scarves and some pairs of Knucks. Maybe a dishcloth here and there, too.

And, as always I have been making a square now and then for the granny afghan. I found and old picture I took with all my squares laid out. This was what I had as of July 30th:

granny squares!

Check it out on flickr, I'm pretty sure the original is huge. Tell me which ones are your favorite, because i know I have mine. I'm doing a lot more squares with 3 or 4 different colors, now. I've already run out of a couple of yarns which is fantastic because my goal is to use it all!

The best thing about my week: I went to my cousin's wedding over the weekend and caught the bouquet! whoo! I won't be the next own the get married, but I was pretty excited. Pictures to come from that soon.

04 October 2007

"My favorite punk band is My Chemical Romance."*

One of the absolute most annoying things about going to community college is that there is always someone trying to hand you a flyer, get you to sign a petition, sell you something, or the like. It is so frustrating. In less than a half hour while trying to have lunch, I was bothered by two different dudes trying to get me to buy magazines under the guise of voting for them in some "communications" class. wtf?!
I wish I were a little scarier looking! I need face tattoos or something. I look way too nice and these people always make a beeline to me!

The other annoying thing about community college is that there is a high percentage of people in places like the library, computer lab, and cafeteria with offensive body odor.

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I really have been trying to make an effort to post more than once a month. Clearly, that has not panned out. But I have been incredibly busy lately. I have thought a lot about blogging, but hadn't put finger to the keyboard 'til now.

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I've been doing a little more embroidery, with the swallow again. I love him! I put him on a quilt square, and on a hoodie! He's on the left front.

a whole flock of swallows!
There's a blue bird on my shoulder.

The quilt square isn't done but the hoodie is, and I really need to take a FO shot. I was planning on doing that today, but plans have changed a bit.
I really enjoy embroidery quite a bit, and the results are fantastic. I just wish things came a little more naturally to me. For some reason, chain stitch is just not my friend. Nor is stem stitch. And those are the pretty ones!

I've been doing a bit of knitting (to be discussed in a future entry concerning Socktoberfest) and quite a bit of crocheting, that really deserves its own post.

I actually really need to go through and photograph all my WIPs and update them here and on Ravelry. I feel like the stuff that I talk/photograph/post a lot about while it is in progress never goes well. (i.e. Mariah!) I never want t jinx it!

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*This is what the first guy trying to hit me up for cash said today, when he asked me what kind of music I listen to and my response was punk rock. I told him that I didn't think My Chemical Romance was a punk band. Then, I asked him if he'd heard of Rancid, he said yeah. (Who hasn't heard of Rancid?!) His response: "So you listed to like that screamo stuff?" Uh, no.
I should have told him I listen to death metal ...

20 September 2007

In the Garden.

AN FO! (It's only been done since mid-July ...)

My nameless socks.

my socks. nameless socks.
the only thing harder than photographing these ... how I see it ...

Specs:
YARN: Cherry Tree Hill SuperSock in Country Garden.
PATTERN: generic toe-up stockinette sock, with short-row toes and heels and a 1x1 ribbed leg.
NEEDLES: US #2s, 2.75mm

I like these socks a lot, although they ended up a little bit small for me. I have enough left over to make another sock, if it's a simple one. I'm actually considering frogging these and making something prettier. Maybe a Charade or anoher pair of Jaywalkers. I think I would use a smaller needle, as well. Overall, I'm happy with these socks, but I think they could be better. At this point, I'm just glad I will have a pair of woll socks for winter!

Since I mentioned my Jaywalkers-in-progress I thought I should tell you that I've picked them up again after months of not even looking at them, and I am about a third of the way up the leg on the second sock. I just need to keep working on them, and they should be done soon! (Hopefully I won't wait to post about them for months.)

18 September 2007

The way things are going, they won't be going far.

We are getting a new roof. Which will be great, when it starts raining and we won't have to worry about having a leaky roof anymore. But at this point, it just means a bunch of sweaty guys on my roof at all hours of the morning making all kinds of noise. And, you may not know this, but I am NOT a morning person. I should already be in bed so as to get sufficient sleep before they show up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.
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I keep reading about the ideas for next year's Project Spectrum (okay, maybe just ravelry and flickr, but what else matters?!). I must say, I really dislike the "elements" scheme. I think it works better to just look at a color, and then find all the little things of that color in your life. If you set out with it already relating to something, say blue for water, then someone else is doing the creative thinking for you. Also, if it's called Project Spectrum, it should focus more on the colors themselves and how they relate to each other. I am a big fan of the complementary colors scheme. Though no one else seems to be. ...

I'm really not sure where that rant came from.
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Since the weather 'round these parts is finally bearable, I've been doing a lot more gardening. For a while, I was really having to force myself to even go out and water. It's just about the time to start planting winter/fall stuff. We have such a mild winter that a lot of plants used as annuals other places are perennials here. Everything picks up a little bit around here at this time of the year, mostly because it's still warm but no longer so opressively hot. Sadly, that means everything is covered in whiteflies and caterpillars. But it also means everything is doing well and doesn't need to be watered twice a day.

DSCN7163.jpg

The morning glories are taking over. I absolutely love these purple ones, called "Star of Yelta". They also have pretty foliage; the leaves look like hearts!

DSCN7175.jpg

This lantana is going crazy. And these butterflies are around in flocks. There are probably 15 on this lantana at any given time. There are also a ton of damselflies around, which is great. They're hard to photograph, though.

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Knitting-wise, I was dying to kit with my newly acquired Soxx Appeal, so I cast on for knitty and Cookie A's Hedera socks.

Hedera-in-progress

I flew through it, turned the heel, and swiftly realized that I will run out of yarn before I have a finished sock. This is why I hate top-down socks! I am trying new things now, and they are te-up and not lace. Why wants socks that already have holes in them, anyway?
[photos and specifics to come.]
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A quick note: the one thing I dislike about blogger is that I can't email back when people comment. So if you leave a comment, I'll respond to it on my own commnets page. I just with there were an easy way to keep up with what you've said on other people's blogs (like flickr's 'comments you've made' feature. I love it.).

Also, if you can name the song I quoted, I might have a surprise for you. ( I should mention that it's the title that's lyrics. You don't have to hunt through the whole post to find it!)

27 August 2007

They're toe-up socks, without toes.

School starts tomorrow. It would have today, but I only have Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday classes. My Friday class is a "collage and assemblage" class that goes from 9AM to 2PM. I've never taken a formal art class, and I've never taken a class that lasts virtually all day. It should be interesting to say the least. I was thinking about taking slikscreening and lithography but chose collage instead. I'm thinking about taking ballet again, but I did some major flaking on the wonderful teacher two semesters ago, and I'm still feeling guilty =/

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Remember how I dyed yarn a long time ago? I finally did something with it! I had small amounts of a yellow, a pink, and a yellow and pink self-striping yarn. So, I put them all together, and came up with a pedicure sock.

pedicure sock - side view pedicure sock + pedicure sock back and heel

yarn: Patons Classic Merino in winter white that I dyed with foor coloring.

pattern: generic stockinette toe-up sock without the toe!

needles: US #3s. I love worsted weight on small needles.


I got a pedicure about a week and a half before making this. I need to make a mate before I get my next one! The mate won't match because I used all of these colors, but it will be the same pattern. It's kind of a goofy thing in the first place, so I could care less about matching.

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Isn't it funny how quickly a day can go from super to super shitty? In the course of trying to get this typed up and getting ready to go to bed, I managed to have to restart the computer, have flick not work, realize that I had not written down the classrooms for all my classes tomorrow, and to top it all I discovered that the needle had fallen out of my new lace project. Also, I now seem to have a headache. None of this is major, but I'm none too happy. All I can say is, thank god I switched to blogger which auotsaves my posts. If I were still over at blogspirit I would probably have added the frustration of losing my post in addition to all of that.

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I ventured to the downtown LYS Rumplestiltskin over the weekend. I haven't been there since early 2005. Let me tell you, I know so much more about yarn and knitting than I did the last time I was in there. It was almost like being in a different place. I think the big difference is that I have a lot more experience (a lot of it from reading what all you guys are knitting with and what you have to say about it) with yarn. Anyway, I finally got my hands on some addi Turbos, US #1. I have needed a pair of #1s for days, but tend to forget that.

swag

I also got my hands on some Soxx Appeal, from Knit One Crochet Too. It's part superwash wool, part elastic, and part nylon. It feels almost velvety. That's the only word I can come up with for it. I chose a puke-y green colorway, and then realized it matched my shirt.

yummy Sometimes I match the yarn I buy.

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Thanks to Pam for nominating me as a rockin' girl blogger. I will have more to say about that in the future. <3

15 August 2007

for all you fans of project spectrum ....

there is a flickr group doing a similar thing, only with days of the week. Rainbow week has assigned all seven colors of the Rainbow to the days of the week. They've even correctly used blue, indigo and violet, instead of just blue, and purple. I love this!

09 August 2007

not my typical crafts

I've been doing quite a bit of embroidery and crochet lately. I'm helping make a quilt for someone, and I have at least 2 squares to embroider. One's already done, and I have one to go.

quilt square detail


I'm thinking I might re-use the swallow from Sublime Stitching that I used on a hankie. It turned out so well, even the satin stitch which I had never really done before. I have yet to really master stem stitch, and chain stitch is just beyond me for some reason.

swallow hankie - steps

I've also been doing quite a bit of work on granny squares. I'm up to about 80. It's fun to be able to put together crazy color combinations without having to worry about it being "too much". It'll only be one square, after all! I'm still trying to figure out what yarn to use for the border. I'm planning on doing another granny row around each square and then a row of single crochet around the whole thing, all in black. The only question is which yarn to choose. I need it to be something cheap-ish because I am going to be using a lot, and acrylic blend at least for ease of washing, but who wants to snuggle with Red Heart?


various granny squares on the floor