Finishing is good for the soul

Last week s*cked. Like major lemons. Like, I wasn't sure I could make it to Saturday when I would be off. So what did I do, some furious knitting to keep myself from killing someone--student or me, the jury was out.

I finally got to the next interesting bit on my Bluebell cardigan at the crazy gauge; this is a picture right before I started the lace band. Once that is done, it's going back into hybernation until the next chapter of my life. I feel ready to pull Hitofude out again!

I took a potholder loom home this weekend and found weaving squares with dishcloth cotton theraputic. Here are a few of my results:

Not a huge fan of the single crochet to put them together; maybe if I used two strands of yarn? I'm going to try again and just whip stitch the edges to see if I like that more.

I also sewed together all the squares I have finished of my twill weaving project--getting close!

On Sunday I finished my Tintern Abbey socks--love them! They are now blocked and just need ends woven in before being put in the 'home' box.

I also finished my first project with my own handspun; a lovely squishy cowl in all the fall colors I adore and miss so much right now.

So, since I finished to projects, today I cast on a new pair of socks and a blanket, 'cause that's what you do! Here's hoping this is a better week, and that the holiday this week won't throw my kids for too much of a loop.

Parting shot: Frankinbooties because I need me some Halloween whimsey about now.

Very few pictures to document not enough (for my sanity) knitting

So, since my life has been insane/frustrating for the last few weeks, a whole lot of interesting knitting has not been done. I’m going to be lazy and you’ll just have to take my word for it, but I am almost done with the first sleeve of the baby vertebra, and I started the cuff patterning on the second Tintern Abbey sock. I got through the second ‘swish’ on the second sock of another pair of Mystik Spirals, and I put down a few rows on my handspun cowl.

The big thing I’ve been working on is getting my long hibernating Bluebells past the lace detail at the waist, so I can take it and the yarn home with me (hopefully) in December. Miles and miles and MILES of stockinette in a plain yarn is not rivetingly exciting, but I am just about to decrease for the bust and at long last start that lace band. I haven’t decided if I’m going to make it wider; we’ll have to see what it looks like as written. I guess I aught to re-check my row gauge… I’m not thrilled with the yarn; Loops and Threads Wool-like. The problem with this second ball is the yarn is plied funny and a strand stretches and bunches as you go. I ended up ripping back quite a bit on Friday where it was actually affecting the garment, but now things seem to be at least knitting in well even if they are awkward in the hand. So, yes, it was super cheap, but I don’t think I’ll rush out to buy it again.

Oh—I was weak and snagged some yarn I’ve been wanting for over a year—Nomadic Fiber’s “Sirius.” Not all her dyed to order colors are available at all times, and I just happened to see this one was up again. I personally wish the name of this colorway was Lupin as he is my favorite character in Harry Potter, so maybe I’ll knit Lupin socks with the Sirius yarn. So pretty!

I just finished First Lord’s Fury, the last of the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. I’m glad I finished the series; there were some interesting elements of world building, and I like the protagonist, Tavi. I almost abandoned the series after reading book 2, then book 1, but a friend said she had enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a proper go. I find it slightly hard to believe that no major characters died in the cataclysmic battle at the end, but I like this series well enough to finish purchasing them for my Kindle eventually. Now to indulge in a mystery!

The one piece of knitting I actually have a picture for, is this cat hat for Java (yes, she deserves it!). Yes, there will be a picture of my little punk rocker soon, but for right now here it is in all it’s improvised glory. Some short rows on the top of the head might be good for next time… That’s what you get for tearing up my things!

Parting shot: Trying my hand at some paper flowers for a sister--not half bad, but much harder when your floral tape is dead!

Some soaking, weaving, and dying

Once again, my life kind of exploded. Go figure--I'm a teacher! Over the very busy, stressful, and draining last two weeks, I have managed to get a bit of crafting in. I'm still sane enough to type, aren't I?

I citric acid soaked some cotton because I have a project that I don't want to bleed at the end; we shall see how that goes. Oddly enough it was the blue that gave off a little color, not the green...

After early experiments with cotton yarn, I switched to some Red Heart (Gasp! I know!) and some gray that I had just got on the container, and started weaving chevrons following the modern directions on the old loom. I have only had to rip back once--so far, and I am really happy with the results. I now have 5.6 squares finished--still enjoying the process! 6 more of the two color twill, then 3 solid I think?

I finally got the heel turned on my second Tinturn Abbey sock; we won't talk about how I bungled it royally... In the home stretch!

I also am just about ready to cast off the bottom ribbing of my Baby Vertebra that I'm working on; I love how these colors are knitting up!

Half-term is coming up, so I'm hoping to have a few minutes to call my own in which to do something other than marking. We shall see!

Weaving Endeavors

Picture-lit today, sorry! Now that term has started, I measure my knitting time in minutes rather than shows or hours. That being said, I have still managed to finish the first blue Mystik Spiral sock, and get a little bit done of the first Baby Vertebra I’m planning to knit this fall. I worked a bit more on my handspun scarf; I’m into the second full ball now, and I’m turning the heel of the second Tintern Abbey sock (appropriately while I re-watch through Downton Abbey).

This weekend I was digging in the craft container for more looms for the loops I was recently sent, and found an old 'magic loom' in the weaving box. Intrigued, I pulled one out that looked like it had all the pieces, and what I hoped was a full set of instructions (we’re not great about putting things away like that around here…). A little quick Googling turned up the full instructions, as well as some more complex patterns. Sunday in between duties I played around a bit, and ended up with this—the plain vanilla square.

A little more playing around Sunday afternoon in which I tried to do a chevron pattern resulted in this:

Conclusions? Cotton has no give, and thus does not ‘plump’ out very much when removed from the loom. Following the chevron pattern was harder than anticipated. This is oddly captivating as an activity. I have no intention of making an afghan this way. I want to know how those smart coats in the pamphlets were made from squares. I want to tackle the chevron again armed with springier yarn and more experience. I saw this bag made of woven squares on Pinterest that I am pretty interested in making—we shall see how it goes! Since I have so much free time just now…

Call me the finisher

In this last week before the chillin’s come back, I managed to get a LOT done! Too bad Stash Dash wasn’t going… Boy am I going to miss the knitting time now that term is starting…

First of all, I finished a the sherbet Mystik Spiral socks; here is a close up of the ‘fore-thought gusset’ I’m continuing to work on.

I also finished spinning up the (probably) alpaca that I used the dried up cake dye on a couple years ago. Very different to spin than the other fibers I have tried so far, but such beautiful yarn!

Then, on Saturday, I knocked out the first of my Fake Isle hats. I love the way it turned out—it was hard to see what all the colors were in the ball, but I took a leap of faith and am pretty pleased with the result.

Want to see the floats? I find the inside of colorwork fascinating in its own right…

On Sunday I finished my Apatosaurus while talking to my youngest brother; he thought it was funny that I was so stoked. Muggle!

On Tuesday I knocked out the second Fake Isle Hat; the color is now all gone. I like them both, but the first one is going to be mine I think…

Tonight, Wednesday, I caked up some of my lovely Indian Corn handspun,

and cast on a Bias Loop cowl. This is what the first ball (that didn’t fit with the repeats) looks like knit up. So squishy!

I have also made some good progress over the last three or four days on the Lost Lake Mystik Spiral socks. I think I might finally have the last lingering issues (mine) ironed out now.

Now if you'll excuse me, my life is about to explode.

If you need me, I'm probably still in the library...

So, what I was kind of thinking to myself would be a weeks worth of mornings job, is now looking like it will end up being 14 mornings worth of work to get to the stopping point I had set for myself. Today I fought the battle of Intermediate Biographies; much more fiddly than anticipated, and tomorrow I'm going to create and input for the first time (so I hope it goes faster!) the Senior Biography section. In between all the books I've managed to get some knitting and Great Courseing done! I finished Turning Points in Medieval History and am starting The High Middle Ages.

I enjoyed this course; I have studied quite a bit about the medieval period, so while many of the turning points were events and people I am familiar with, it was interesting to see what the 24 the professor picked as most critical were. While I was working through that course, I finished the first Mystic Spiral sock and started the second one. So now I have three single socks and am having to fight off the urge to cast on another. The other Tintern Abbey sock will make good mindless knitting for the beginning of term, and the second spiral sock should be done in a day or two.

I also made some good progress on my Apatosaurus scarf, but it was rather less than it should have been because I first knit this:

instead of this. Oddly enough, reading the directions gives better results. Free advice for the week!

I've also been spinning a bit while listening to an American history course for fun. This is possibly alpaca that I was given and dyed using the remnants of some dried up cake dye. It is spinning up very differently than the Targhee I was working with perviously; less 'bounce,' but beautiful yarn! I look forward to finding something special to use this on once it's all done...

See my awesome nails? I tried out the sponge trick for the first time and was quite pleased with the results. Note though, this uses up WAY more nail polish. Which makes sense when you think of it, but now you know.

Well, that's pretty much all there is to say about this week! This is my last week of 'real' holiday'; the week leading up to school will have some onerous meetings and such, so I'm trying to make the most of it. Just a few more days of freedom!

Books, Knitting, and Cooking

Boy is holiday nice! My students assume that I roam the station bored out of my tree, but so far I haven't had to resort to plastic canvass or lawn mowing... Having the time to inhale books is so nice, and while a much longer process than anticipated, I'm glad that I can now say I've made my own spaghetti sauce from scratch.

When I haven't been in the kitchen, napping, or in the library, I have been getting in some great knitting time. Here is what has been on my needles:

Here is what Magrathea looks like one me; it was already done, but the blocking photo really didn't do it justice.

I also finished my first Tintern Abbey sock and started the second one. All that was done in one day! To be fair, there were two Skype/FB chats with friends and family overseas and two Great Courses involved, but I'm still pretty impressed. At this point I might just get Judy's Magic Cast On memorized!

I also stumbled across a set of imaginative dinosaur patterns, and fell completely and devastatingly in love with the Apatosaurus Scarf. And, as I'm watching through the Jurassic Park Movies (2 & 3 for the first time), it was doubly serendipitous! This was the perfect chance to try out the skein of Preciousa that I got from Knit Picks to see if I'd like it. So far it is lovely and soft, and I was happy with how it held up when I pulled out the gauge swatch. I love things like this which let my inner geek flag wave in socially acceptable ways!

I also picked my Mystic Spiral sock back up and hope to get the first one finished tomorrow and get the second one going. At the moment I have almost three single socks sitting around--possibly a record for me. Before I can cast on another one, I feel I need to get a pair finished. I am starting to itch to cast another one on, so I guess I'll have lots of motivation!

Just in case you were wondering, my grand total meters for Stash Dash 2017 was 3,771. Woot! I'm trying to remember the last time my project page had so few WIPs on it. I think I might dig out a shawl from hibernation, and oh! I need to figure out a baby sweater. So many patterns, so little time!

Parting shot: Java is so CUTE!

In which I PWN Stash Dash!

As of yesterday, I stand at a beautiful 3,577 meters of knit/spun yarn, thus making my 3K goal over a week before the deadline! I now only have 5 true active projects on the go, and hope to finish a sock and a hat before August 20th. So I guess I'll be forced to cast on some new items; it's a hard knitting life...

I don't have a good picture of my Tintern Abbey sock, but it was my companion on the trip I took to town. It joined me for a 3 night Firefly marathon, and I'm now working on the decorative part of the leg. Loving this yarn--so lovely!

When I got back from Kitwe, I knocked out a largish drop spindle spinning project that has sat on the back burner for about a year--the lovely Mountain Colors roving in the Indian Corn colorway. So pretty! I can't wait to knit with the finished yarn!

Also yesterday I finished the last of the four squares I lacked for my Vivid blanket. Next time I'm Stateside I'll need to sew them together (ugh!), but for Stash Dash purposes, it's FINISHED! I washed and blocked those four squares as well as Magrathea this afternoon.

So, that's what I've been up to when I wasn't doing some extreme shopping or driving! I hope to have another FO for next week, but we'll have to see how things go. There are so many projects I'd like to get done this holiday...

Parting shot: I feel like a real, live adult, because I bought my first 1/2 gallon of fresh milk. It's those little milestones...

GOOD, they're GONE!

FREEDOOOOOOM!

Why yes, Term 2 is OVER and I have time to, I don’t know, do FUN things like a) sleep, b) read, c) knit, d) clean my house, and e) listen to Great Courses. I’ve got a few things I am responsible for before heading to town for a shopping (and some pampering!) trip, but I have so enjoyed getting to be in my house, and to think about something other than late/poorly done homework. So, to celebrate, I finished the “Curve of Pursuit” or Crazy blanket I’ve been working on for 2 ½ years! Yes, the angle is a little funny because I didn't want to get my shadow on the picture.

Knitting the boarder was a test in patience and endurance, but I’m glad I stuck it out—it looks so nice! Plus, that puts me at 1,630 meters for Stash Dash! So glad to get this off my needles, and soon to send it on its way to the dear friend who’s little girl needs this.

I am getting close to finishing my Magrathea scarf too; I weighed my yarn and found that it is time to start the edging! I’m still not sure why I bought this yarn, but I’m kind of liking this scarf… Not sure if this will be mine or a gift, but I’ll be glad to get it off the needles one way or another!

After 3 attempts at the Sherman toe, I finally got one that almost met up and decided I could live with it. I haven’t put loads and loads of time into this project as I’m trying to get my big-yardage ones done first, but this will be travel knitting when I head down to the Copper Belt.

I also finished turning the heel on the Mystic Spiral sock, and am ready to start the next wedge section. Let’s see if I can count this time…

Oh—and I also finished the fourth and final fingering weight dishcloth made with some birthday yarn and some random stuff I happen to have out here. As a super picky about her dishcloths person, I am willing to knit them at such a tinny gauge because I like the results. And I hate dishcloths that are too big, so there was some trial and error on the correct size—65 stitches at the widest point of the diamond seemed to hit that for me. I think one will be a gift, but the others are MINE.

So, that’s what I’ve been knitting! I’ve been doing some really good reading too, but that will be another entry.

HOLIDAY!

Progress

Whew; I had a super busy weekend on, and I did not have very much time to do much other than work. However, I did manage to finish the second Realm Walker’s book, Two Renegade Realms by Donita K. Paul, and I finished reading a book I’ve heard a lot about, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, which was a delightful read. I’m now reading The Hidden Oracle, first in the Trials of Apollo series. I am LOVING the projecting of ancient Greek gods and demigods into our world today; I can’t wait to see how it all pans out! And, as we read The Eagle of the Ninth in literature class, I am enjoying it even more then the kids. I totally fall in love with Marcus all over again every time I read that book, and I must have read it somewhere close to 6 times now.

In addition to enjoying some excellent literature, I have reached some exciting points in my knitting projects. On Sunday I finished the fourth wedge on my Crazy blanket, and have started the border.

I am rather anxious about having enough yarn for a decent boarder, but we’ll see how it goes. Also, I only have one set of size 7 interchangeable needle tips, and this is so massive that I need two circulars to accommodate it. So, I’m doing something wild and crazy; I have a size 7 and a size 8 needle tip on each cable; the larger on the left side and the smaller on the right. My reasoning is that the right tip is more important as that actually forms the stitch, so we’ll see if my brilliant “I live the middle of nowhere and can’t get another needle tip until December” solution actually pans out! Note to self—get a longer cable or two while I’m at it…

I also swatched for and started my “Tintern Abbey” socks with the “Shrewd Lady Mary” yarn from One Twisted Tree that I won in a Downton Abbey trivia contest last year. This yarn is LOVELY, and feels wonderful to work with. I have a strong feeling that more One Twisted Tree yarn needs to become mine…I’ve been eyeing her “Rare Woman Clair,” and her sock knitter profile bag is now one of my favorites. I decided to start this because I need a plain project, and as this is pretty simple up until the cuff it fits the bill. Plus, SO PRETTY! No picture yet as the toe is just barely started—afternoons off sadly still mean very little time for knitting, but hopefully next week I’ll have something to show you!

I didn’t get around to doing an entry last week, so I didn’t get to celebrate last week’s addition to Stash Dash—the first of the Pink Lemonade socks was finished! I started these in the plane on my way home in December, and I’m sort of saving the second one in hopes of plane knitting this December again. However, HO’s count, so I’ll take all the meters I can get!

Also, I have just over 40g left on my “Magrathea” scarf, so it isn’t too long till I do the edging (around 25g). This is particularly appropriate to pick back up again as I am listening to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe just now. It is read by Martin Freeman, and while he does a good job, I have to say that Steven Fry’s rendition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was absolutely amazing and I wish he had read all three. It is also fitting to finish this because it was started during last year’s stash dash.

So, that’s what I’m up to. This is my exam week so I likely won’t get much done, but I am getting excited about having a month off!

Parting shot: Sockwash Sunday!

The Sock of Sports Day

Well, I’m comforting myself that my stash dash showing is about to improve, and that once I’m on holiday I should be able to make my 3k goal. Because, this is after all for made-up points on the internet…

I finished another wedge on my crazy spiral blanket, but it’s not significantly changed so I’m not posting another picture. I also finished a second fine dishcloth and got roughly half-way through another, but again, not terribly interesting. I got in another pattern repeat on my Hitofude, and you guessed it—not interesting! Here is something worth noting though, my view of Sports Day and my project.

I got all the way from the brown just after the heel turn during the course of Saturday! I love that I get good knitting time in on Sports Day. I guess it balances out being so far out of the action for most of the day. Being scorer has it’s perks…

So, I hope to have a FO by next week, and to finally be able to put a few things in. It’s been too long since I finished something—guess I shouldn’t knit so many long-haul projects... Until then-have a great week!

Oh, and don't throw away your shot and enjoy some 4th of July for me. It's going to be a pretty low-key celebration in the bush I fear!