So...It's been awhile!

I have been so busy with various things since leaving Sakeji that blogging just hasn't been at the top of the priority list. That doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything; I've been cataloging my parent's books and DVD's on Libib, I have been cleaning and sorting, I have been doing Christmas shopping and related projects, and I have been spending time with my family. Because, I've missed them terribly these last two years. So, here are the highlights of the last few weeks.

During my whirlwind London trip, I decided to swing past Kings Cross Station and find this rather unusual platform. If only!

I worked on my pink lemonade Slide sock as I traveled by plane and train.

I made some project bags with the nerdy fabric I ordered a few months ago. I'm made a few of the reversible ones too, but for now I'll just post pictures of the zippered ones.

My Desert Vista Dyeworks Firefly yarn came and I'm trying to be good and not cast on a pair of Vanilla is the New Black socks until after my Christmas knitting is done.

And yesterday afternoon my family and I went to see Rogue One together--loved it! That being said, I am not much of a Star Wars fan, so if you didn't like it I can understand why. While I'm glad that they let the movie be about sacrifice for the greater good, I am sorry that those characters are gone.

While I was watching, I was knitting! I got 1 1/2 dishcloths done during the movie. Yay for peppermint mocha dishcloths!

Well, that's plenty for now. I really aught to start wrapping my presents... No matter how much more fun knitting is!

Knitting Lite

This week there wasn't a whole lot of knitting that got done, because there was this little thing called exam week that happened, and my life was a little insane. So, to counter the insanity, I indulged in tiny stockings. Almost instant gratification, a nerd twist, and not too big of a strain on my arm and shoulder. Everybody wins! So, I finished two Hufflepuff, one for me one for a friend,

Gryffindor and Slytherin. I have to wait to do Ravenclaw till I get home; I think I have something in my 'home' stash that will work nicely.

I need to swatch for my travel socks, as well as several other school things to finish off before I leave. I'm looking up directions to Loop in London, and my bags are mostly packed! Just have to figure out the best way to use those last 1.4 kg... Next time I blog I'll be home!

Java had a very stressful week; she hard core napped beside me while I wrote my reports and marked exams. You can see that it really took it out of her!

Instant Gratification is a wonderful thing

Due to having to be super careful to not stress my shoulder, arm, and hand, things have been pretty quiet on the knitting front. I did finish my Monkey socks--yay! And, I finished two sock luggage tags to go with them. One sock, two sock, pink sock, blue sock!

Said luggage tags are parts of sets for some special short termers--the pink,

and the blue set. Yes, I'm trying to use up the Monkey yarn!

I am also totally indulging in lots of mini stockings--great way to use up ends of sock yarn, and very therapeutic.

And, since I am currently on a Harry Potter kick in part because there is someone here right now to talk about it with, and in part because I am so excited about the new movie because the main actor is adorable, I've embarked on some House stockings. Here is a Hufflepuff, sans duplicate stitch. I think I have close enough colors to do all four... Yay--more for the nerd tree!

The Squircle socks suffered a crippling setback when I realized that they will fit me...not the intended recipient, so I am going to have to re-start them. That might have to wait for awhile... I'm having too much fun with my mini stockings!

The Name of the Doctor

The big news of this week--the epic double knit scarf is DONE!

10 massive charts, 2 colors of laceweight silk and wool, and thousands of stitches. Dramatic stitch rescues, and then the final crochet edging that finished it off in such a professional way. I'm in love.

I also got some good work done on my Squircle socks. These aren't quite as high priority as they were, but the charms of learning anew join and how to 'un-jog' my stripes has lent them fire. I think next time I'll do slightly wider stripes. I also hope the bottom of the foot isn't too annoying as that is where the joins are. Stripes are so compelling!

I am getting close to finished on the last pair of furlough socks and a gift, and I think I've finally settled on a plan for my travel sock. I was going to do one pattern, but I fear the yarn will be a smidge too loud for that pattern, so I'll do the same one I knit in Kenya.

I'm packing my bags y'all--there are only 17 more days before I start my journey home!

Small projects, socks, and Star Wars

This last week did not exactly lend itself to knitting, but where there’s a will there’s a way, so knitting happened! I reached the half-way point in the last chart on my Doctor Who scarf, I finished two gift coffee cozies,

and I finished this, Aviatrix for my cousin’s little boy, Anton. I just need to give it a bath, weave in the ends, and find a suitably cute button to go with it. *squee!*

While it’s not that exciting to look at yet, my knit-resistant sister asked for socks because she is likely going to be spending two years in a rather cold place, so I was able to with glee cast on the Squircle sock that I have been itching to try ever since I heard about it on the Knitmore girls podcast. I'm using yarn that I bought because a) it was on sale, b) it was a nice name brand and c) there were wool fumes a few years ago; while they are not my colors at all, I think my sister can rock them. So, double points! Loving the construction.

Something I have been slowly working through over these last few weeks is an audio book of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Verily A New Hope.

When I first came across this, I knew I had to give it a listen, and I was not disappointed. Dude, listening to C3-PO whine in Shakespearean English is pretty bearable, and they did a great job of incorporating sound effects and casting great actors. I will say that there were some points where I felt they overplayed the ‘stuff Shakespeare quotes into Star Wars’ card, and there were lots of inner dialogues that hinted at material from the other movies, but overall it was a lot of fun to listen to, and I might get some of the other ones one day. So, if you want enjoy mixing your nerd fandoms, this is an enjoyable listen.

I decided to make some of my favorite molasses spice cookies this weekend, and while they turned out quite well, I sadly burned a whole pan of them into oblivion. *sigh* At least I have a tray and a half of edible ones!

Also this weekend, I finally took the plunge from head packing to real packing by starting to pack some breakables and make lists of my wardrobe for travel. I have a place to stay in Lusaka now, so there is just a detail or two of my exciting the country to work out. Just over three more weeks till I start on my journey home! And yes, I have my travel knitting planned!

Why yes, that is the yarn name. 'Cuase ain't I just.

I did not get a lot of knitting done this week; after some bonefire lit knitting on my Monkey socks I mainly worked on quick, instant gratification in the form of cup cuddlers. So, I re-knit my pumpkin cabled one; I still need to tweak the pattern, but I like this version much better.

I used some yarn from the lovely Annie to make this loud broken rib cuddler,

and some leftover yarn in a lovely bluey-heather to make one of my favorites, the cabled one.

Oh, I did manage to finish the ninth chart on my Names of the Doctor scarf! Only one more to go! Remember, the goal on this is to be able to wear it in London.

Today, Halloween/Reformation Day was a bad day of epic proportions, so I decided that looking at Desert Vista Dyeworks would help make up for the mighty vacuum debacle of 2016 (don’t ask). Oh boy did it ever! Meet my October pick, just under the wire. “Big Damn Heroes” six color self stripping. You can’t take the sky from me!

My sister who is hopefully heading to a very cold place next year dropped a sock request…so I might need to tackle my first ever pair of stranded colorwork socks. Why yes, this IS what love looks like!

There are only 30 more days until freedom y’all…

Parting shot:

Trying to channel fall...

I have very little to show for this past week on the handwork front. I finished two more luggage tags and used up completely the lovely friend dyed yarn that has been sitting in my stash for years,

And I got well into the ninth chart of my Doctor Who scarf. I knit on my Monkey sock by bonfire light,

And that’s about it. However, a few other things were finished.

As soon as I saw that Garth Nix had written another Old Kingdom book, Goldenhand, I pre-ordered it so I could enjoy it as soon as it came out. While I felt it was better than Clariel, the fourth book, I was disappointed that it wasn’t as good as the first three. This story picks up with the novella published in Across the Wall and the chapters alternate between two main storylines until they unit about a third of the way through the book. At this point I almost wish Nix would stop writing Old Kingdom books, since he doesn’t seem to have anything much new to say. Also, the increasing liberalism sneaking into his novels is annoying. A fun read, but not as good as the first three books.

I also finished an audio book this week, The View From the Cheap Seats read by the author, Neil Gaiman. There was a great variety of essays, forwards and articles in here, and I really enjoyed the fact that they were being written by the author. While there are several areas where I can’t condone Gaiman’s lifestyle and tastes, he has written several excellent essays on being an artist, what makes certain people so gifted, and appreciating the world around you. It gave me some new ideas of people to check out, and several hours of good listening. Keep writing Neil—the world needs more people who can tell as story like you!

Finally, I did some baking this week. I made some pumpkin scones from the mix Beth sent me,

and since I had to open a tin of pumpkin anyway, I made pumpkin pie cupcakes. Because it’s fall and I refuse to give in and fight to enjoy it even in the bush!

I keep looking at my list of knitting and even a spinning goal for before I leave on furlough, and I’m not such that I’ll make them all. I want to finish the Doctor Who scarf, a pair of socks, a few small Christmas/leavers gifts for people here, and I would love to finish my Indian Corn handspun. There is a hat that I am resigned to finishing stateside, and of course the question of what yarn to take back with me! I have my audio book all picked out for my trip home as well as my knitting project and a backup sock pattern in case the yarn and pattern don’t play well together on the first one. So, some of the most important pieces are in place! Now to keep ‘head packing…’

In which I got some thing accomplished,

because I worked like a fiend during the week so I could enjoy the weekend!

I got the first of some little gift knit projects done; this will become a luggage tag (an excellent way to use up bits and bobs of yarn btw),

I also finished spinning the third fourth of my lovely Mountain Colors roving; plying on the fly is the way to go on a drop spindle. Now I really want a wheel so I can spin more, and so it isn't so hard on my shoulder... Here is the skein, 25g, after it's bath and whacking-

And lastly, I finished the 8th chart of my Names of the Doctor scarf, and have started the ninth. I'm in the home stretch y'all!

I wound up this yarn that a friend of mine dyed many moons ago, and I am starting to turn this into some small gifts-

I love being this productive; hopefully I can work hard and enjoy my weekend off equally as much.

Lots of stuff

So, two weeks, huh? What was I doing? Lots of 'teachery' things and a few bloggable things like...

Voting,

Enjoying a little ghost washcloth,

Making an amazing chocolate chip cookie dough birthday cake for a friend,

and fighting the dread ant rain in my living room.

I saw an amazing sunrise before early morning swim on half-term,

I finished a hat out of some lovely Round House Alpaca yarn,

and I got to the 'good bit' on another hat.

I bought some Halloween colored yarn from Knitpicks as well as some yarn for a Christmas gift 'cause I'm in the mood right now, and I am devouring the new Garth Nix book, Goldenhand. I started a small gift while chatting with a dear friend on Skype tonight, and I have a big pile of student stories ranging for awful to entertaining to keep wading through.

So, that's me right now. Here's to another busy week!

Stress Knitting, Hat Edition

It’s been two weeks, so I should probably write an entry before I get out of the habit. I was off this weekend which did result in some knitting time, but these last few weeks have been pretty spars knitting-wise. Since I last posted pictures of my knitting projects, I have,

Finished another chart on my Names of the Doctor scarf—only three more to go! As this is a bit more of a ‘brains’ knit, I don’t reach for it that often when I have a few spare minutes. However, I am determined to wear it in London in December.

I finished the first Monkey sock and started the second. In fact, the second Monkey sock was what I was doing when I did my ‘extreme knitting’ this weekend—knitting IN a river! My life is so on the edge…

Rather like Ned the Piemaker’s stress baking, I do stress knitting, and recently my flavor of choice has been hats. So, I have two new hats on the go. The first one is a free pattern that I was totally smitten with from the git-go, Picacho Peak. I just got past the extreme boredom of the ribbing (20 rows is DEATH) and started the fun bit. The yarn is Round House alpaca in fingering weight, though it’s rather closer to sports weight.

This is totally boring just yet, but the hat will be far from boring once I get into the ‘good stuff.’ It is Brilthor, a lovely beaded slouch hat; the name being in Elvish is a nice bonus. It’s been a long time since I did beaded knitting; should be fun!

Oh, and I finished the stocking for my friend's little girl. All except the hanger that is; I don't have anything suitable out here, so I'll sew that on before mailing in December. The first stocking done totally by me! Hence the lack of perfection, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Other than that I haven’t been doing much exciting. I am enjoying reading The Hobbit for literature class, and last night I was a total nerd and watch half a documentary on the Normans. Tomorrow is Birthday Party, so I’m trying to find a happy place. And yes, I am definitely taking knitting with me to the show!

Parting shot: Sometimes the Southern heart needs to hear the wind in the pine trees; they make a sound unlike any other.