Finals and Foliage

So it's final exam time and I'm a little stressed. Not over classes so much, I've only got two finals. I've also got an essay due tomorrow, but I have less than half a page to completion. I'm also almost finished with a hot pink malabrigo foliage...which I will finish before I resume working on my essay to continue blowing off steam.

Finals time means a few things. End of term, of course, lots of tests and cramming, no sleep...and the announcement of next schedule's semester. My advisor is a bit of a dumbass and fails at life when it comes to scheduling. Of the 8 classes I signed up for, I got into 1. And it's my elective. I am so screwed. I don't think I'm going to make him a scarf after all.

I'm also planning on studying abroad next year, but have no idea where to go. Wherever I go, only one or two classes with transfer back to Purdue, so I might as well go wherever I want. Does anyone know of an interesting place to study abroad? I'd love to hear your input...

There will be pictures soon, I promise. Happy knitting to all and have a great day.

Boob Needles

This post isn't going to be nearly as odd as the title suggests. Whew.

Firstly, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of happiness and free from unwanted relatives.

Secondly, I ventured to Broadripple with my mum today to go to the new knitting store! Very fun! It was a bit tricky to find but once I got there it was just lovely. They oohed and ahhed over this:

and I bought only a pair of Boob Needles (Needles with a pink bead and a pearl on the tips that say "find a cure" on them with a pink ribbon.) and a single button for the Ipod case I haven't made yet.

I also have FINALLY updated Ravelry with pics and all sorts and have also created an etsy site! It's at www.darlingknits.etsy.com and you can buy my new Christmas Stocking pattern there, as well as other things. That's about it for now. Oh! I've finally finished the GDMFing Birthday Shawl, just need to get a decent picture of it...

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend!

Progress!

Just letting everyone know, I have finished the body of the bright pink malabrigo sweater and have moved on to the sleeves.( This sweater is moving at record-speed. I love it!) They are only going to be 3/4 length, so they might get done this year. The goal is to wear the sweater on Thanksgiving.

There will be pics the day I go home and am able to load all the pics on my camera onto facebook, ravelry, and the blog!

Also, my knitting-friend Dana crocheted me a bath loofah thingy...it's lovely! It's the perfect colors. So you can have something to look at, I'm going to steal her pic from ravelry until I can post my own of it. Thanks again Dana! You rock my socks off!

Procrastination and halloween parties

Wow....it's been a crazy weekend. Between friday and saturday night, I hit 7 parties dressed as both a vampire and Marie Antionette, met 3 guys, and broke 2 toes after slipping while dancing on a bar. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to knit the past couple days. (pictures soon... there's a great one of me as Marie Antionette drinking a margarita straight from the blender)

I'm still trucking along on the birthday stole, I want to get it done something this century. I'm down to a yarnball and 1/4 to put in it, but it seems to be moving at glacier-speed. I've gotten to the body part of the pink malabrigo sweater and forgotten where I've put it...note to self...clean room before it swallows me whole.

I also need to whip up a cup cozy tonight that I've messed up on at least 5 times. I'm dropping it off tomorrow to be sold..yay! money!

That's about it for right now. Sometime this week (probably friday or next monday) I've got to send a knit-package home containing the glacier-speed stole, a Kate (kitten in britches) for the neighbor, a baby kimono for the girl at work (was supposed to be done by beginning of august) and the colts purse. So I've got my work cut out for me!

Will keep you guys updated on the progress...and until then... a strange picture.

Fighting = Speed knitting

I've been fighting alot with my roommate lately over the typical, money, her f*&^ing Diet Coke cans laying all over the appartment, and that she wants me to get a dog (and pay for a dog) after she made me get rid of my cat, Roxstar. So, instead of letting my tongue fly and say what I really want to (which is mostly screaming puncutated with F words) I'm taking it out on a new project. I know, I swore no new projects but desperate times call for desperate measures, and if this stops me from breaking her nose, then it will have served its purpose.

The project is a top-down raglan sweater with no actual pattern, just increase for sleeves and front and back when you feel like it, and when it meets under your armpits, start making a tube for the body, then tubes for the sleeves. No counting, no carrying patterns around, just plain old knitting that goes a mile a minute on magenta malabrigo (it's right next to orgasmic.....grrrr...love it!) No working camera today, so no knit pics, but here is your moment of zen... an alpaca.

The Countdown begins

So I've set a time and a place for studying abroad...August '08, Cork, Ireland. So what does this mean? I've got less than a year to finish ALL my projects, because I plan on coming home with a giant pile of yarn and a new love for aran sweaters in green and creme.

So, thanks to ravelry, I've decided what I'm going to do with the yarn from the million projects I have frogged over the past couple years. So, here's the plan as of 4 minutes ago.

5 skiens hot pink malabrigo worsted...will become a plain old top down cardigan with flower buttons. Serisouly...a hot pink cardigan needs something a little cooler than plain buttons.

6 skiens turquoise lamb's pride worsted...will become a central park hoodie. Same with 5 skiens of off-white Classic Merino from Pattons. Buttons will be shell and coconut.

I will finish that damn birthday shawl. Hopefully in the next week sometime.

I will also finish that damn baby kimono...maybe during Gray's anatomy tonight. I've only been working on it for 3 months now. It's about time to suck it up and finish it...and tell my mum to drop it off at the appropriate recipient on saturday when she comes to Purdue to see me!

I will finish my 2 blankets. This is problematic as I know someone else who really wants on right now, which I really don't feel like starting another blanket for.

I will hope my cousin does not get pregnant before I leave. She has way too many baby knits picked out.

I will finish Mariah. I got close this summer but ended up ripping the most time consuming sleeve in the world out. I will hopefully finish her over Christmas Break.

I will finish all the other sweaters I've started, like Isolde and the Tomboy sweater. Hopefully they will both be done before December, as it is getting to be a bit chilly on campus.

Will also start over on the lotus top that I failed at this summer.

Then I will use up all my sock yarn. That shouldn't actually be too hard, I've only got 6 or 7 different sock pairs I want to make before I go.

I will finish up all my baby yarn and try to Ebay my blankets so I have the money to blow on yarn in Ireland.

That's my knitting goals from now until next August. Completely diminish all projects and stash. That being said, I should note that all of my lace-weight is an exception. I've learned to NEVER EVER EVER rush the lace. Ever. Good thing I've only got 4 skeins.

1 FO, 1 UFO

Firstly, I'm pleased to say that I finally found the pattern I was using for the Panda Cotton socks and have actually finished them! I finished the actual knitting two weeks ago but finally grafted the toe the other day, taking a 2 minute break from the GD MF-ing Birthday shawl. So, here is a picture of the FINALLY finished Panda socks. I also wore them today and got tons of compliments while running around the dance building in them.

On to the dissapointment. I knitted very long into saturday night but just couldn't get to five feet in the birthday shawl. So, I gave it to my mother on Sunday with the needles still in it, explaining that I just needed another day. Then she told me that she wanted it to be more like 7 or 8 feet. I told her it would have to be her Christmas present then. So here it is, the GD MF-ing Christmas shawl, in all it's cat-hair covered glory.

My mum is coming up to go to the Purdue game on Saturday, so I will try to have this and the Colts purse done for her to take home with her. I will make her take pictures of the FOs so I can put them on Ravelry. That's all for now! Have a great day and go and get your knit on!

Project Manogomy

SUCKS! At least it did at first. Now this staying loyal to one project is growing on me, and I'm starting to understand why people do it! You get farther every day!

So how far am I?

Not nearly far enough. My mum's birthday is tomorrow, she will open the wrap on sunday and it is supposed to be around 5 feet long (that's average wrap-size, right?). Right now it is almost 3 feet. I would knit all tonight but I'm teaching classes, and tomorrow is filled with Feast of the Hunter's Moon and then the drive back to Indy for the B-day bash.

So, being true to the wrap I haven't touched anything else....but I'm working on a couple patterns to post on the blog so I can be a ravelry designer too!

More soon...including some pictures!

ps. I got an A on my Beowulf/Chaucer exam...yay!
pps. Robert just e-mailed me. Is that regret Robert? It might be...

things I've learned

Things I've learned about knitting lace:

1. It requires 110% of your attention. So don't knit during lectures or you'll have to frog it.

2. It does not make good television knitting. I just want to watch my McDreamy and knit my flippin' lace but I had to frog it again.

3. Lace requires it's own traveling bag... where car keys can't catch it and destroy your two feet of lace.

4. Don't knit black lace. You can't see when you screw up.

5. Don't knit lace on a deadline. Especially one that is less than a week away and you are starting over for the 6th time.

6. Don't knit lace for non-knitters (aka muggles) because they have NO IDEA how much you will hate lace by the time you present thier lace stole to them on thier 50th birthday. Not to mention they have no idea how much a cashmere/merino blend costs...especially when you are buying 11 of them. Then there's the time....but I'm not going there.

That being said, I'm almost a foot in. If I knock out another 2 feet today and have it about 4 feet by the time fall break is over...I should have a chance at having it done by the 13th...maybe? I will try to post pics before I head back of the recently finished Panda socks and wooly bowl and talk about the sudden (and unexpected) success of my knitting classes!

Knitvacation

Hey there everybody. I've really got to get better about not disapearing like that.

A couple things going on right now. I've been accepted into a program for my business school and will be spending this summer in shanghai. I'm pretty excited about that. I think I will call it the "Summer of Silk."

Seocndly...thing with Rob (subject of last post) is complicated as hell, but seems to be going okay for right now. We're "Just Friends" but honestly, not alot had changed since we broke up. Just to prove that I have been making things is this picture of a party we went to last night. He was Quailman from Doug and I was Poison Ivy from Batman. I sewed his cape and all the leaves onto my bra....does that count?

I also sewed a suede skirt on tuesday. I do love fall fabrics. I will post pictures on here eventually, as Ravelry has no place for sewing projects. I am also getting into sewing smallish bags to carry my sock projects around in....will post pics of those soon. Let me know if you would like one...I can make one up in no time!

My mummy's 50th birthday is October 13th, and I have frogged the stole she wants at least 5 times. Why she had to have black lace is beyond me...if you mess up there's no hope of fixing it...I can't even see it! So I've thrown the yarn into the naughty yarn pile and am going to finish up a few things before I go back to it. I've done the same with an entrelac stole that was supposed to be for the same event. The yarn is Noro Sakura and I think I may make a fan and feather stole in it. I just need a couple projects that I can knit in my lectures right now...lace requires too much concentration then ultimately frogging after I decide to knit it during lectures anyway. Who knows..maybe I can pull off a miracle and finish one of them. Pictures soon.

I've also found my pattern for the panda socks...it was a free pattern that I got when I ordered Step sock yarn and then left it at home when I went to Indy for Eric's Stitch and Sip. Thank goodness I've found it, because I've bought some lovely purple trekking that will be Hedera as soon as these panda socks are done!

All for right now...more updates when I have a usable camera!

Down with men

Dammit I just got dumped again. It was the typical "it's not you, it's me" speech.

But after how many of these does it actually become you?

In the meanwhile, for the knitting content, I have finished Odessa from Magknits out of green cashmerino baby and czech glass. It turned out quite well.

I started Coachella from knitty and didn't like the way it looked on me at all....so Fauxchella is going to be a halter top with glittery suede yarn. Should be a good time. Will probably watch it tomorrow with watching down with love movies.

I got the job teaching knitting classes at the Michaels in Lafayette. I have 2 classes lined up for October. Should be profitable, and most importantly, a good time.

As for now, I think spending some time with Ben and Jerry might help the situation a bit.

Spoke too soon!

Just got back from my first date in almost a year....and got kissed! Yay! It's been a while since that too.

How did I meet him you ask? He was also in Korea on the study abroad trip. Take that, army guy. Here is myself and a few others that got sufficiantly plastered in this particular bar (he's the guy that isn't blonde and almost squished out of the picture.)

Dating Failure

Okay...I'll be honest. I have knitted two rows since last saturday. And I don't see myself knitting until saturday's stitch and sip. I may be the only one without destroyed knitting, as I believe I am the only one not doing any sipping....but it's all good.

Some of you may know that while studying abroad in Korea, I met a really great guy. Well, he was great for the duration of the trip. He kinda sorta dumped me on the last day (which happened to be my birthday...dick.) So we talked over the summer and things were going pretty well...and lo and behold...we're in the same sociology class. Perfect! I'd get to see him on a regular basis (which was the reason he gave me for the dismissal...we wouldn't see each other enough) and if we didn't start dating again, then we could still be friends..right?

NOT! I saw him today said hi and he completely blew me off! Up yours, army guy. I'm totally going on a date with the guy in my dance class. Even if he is gay.

Any dating advice for the love pariah? I'd love to hear your oppinions and what you guys have done in the past...that has worked out (minor detail).

Photo-mania!!!

Okay...here is the framed Peace and Love (which I did myself for 9 dollars each...not bad). So that's the end of that!

Now...here are the state fair pics I've been talking about. This year I went with my grandparents and my mummy...and I had a good time. Whenever we go with my dad, we go right past the 4-H and Women's buildings, which are the highlights of my trip! I also stopped at the spinning display and chatted with the lady about how merino is far superior to romney....but romnay is still lovely. We went to the 4-H buildings after that and looked at all the knitted stuff. My first reaction..."Are you kidding? They got a blue ribbon for THAT?" Hello....plain stockinette is nothing to get a blue ribbon over. So next year I plan on entering a baby blanket, an afghan, a sweater, and a skien of handspun. Bring on the blue ribbons. Then we saw all the animals...which were cute and sometimes smelly.
That's all for now...need to get back to studying so I can go to Mad knitters tonight!!!

Finished with Love

So I've finally finished the "Peace and Love" set, just in time for 50% off framing at Michaels! Yay! I love finishing things AND saving money. I'm having the pair matted on burgundy and framed separately and they will hang on under the other...or next to each other...or something.

I'm still knitting hats like a banshee for Little Women (scheduled drop-off; thursday, hats to make : 2 1/2.) Also have to make the 8 promised hats for MG Tates and try to convince them to pay me wholesale. I already get screwed by thier 50% commision. I'd be willing to go 45% if it was wholesale. I much prefer getting paid in full at time of drop off. I've been screwed over before by a store who "lost" several hundred dollars in my knitted things and I was never reimbursed. Needless to say...I'd much rather go wholesale and have some security.

I'm also getting ready for holiday mart and trying to get into Mount Vernon's holiday craft show...to sell the stuff I've made that Holiday Mart won't let me sell there. We'll see...they might be full already.

I need to get back to cramming right now...more later...including the trip to the state fair!

Peace & Socks

Hello there, I've been away for a while, haven't I? Sorry about that...it's not every week that I teach multiple classes, take multiple classes with multiple exams, work and most importantly, MOVE back to Purdue. I did the bulk of it today, and have spent what small amount of free time I have packing for it...at least I can have a break for a few days.

So, in my absence, I found my mojo in the strangest of places. Crochet cotton and panda cotton. This is rather amusing, as I think I may have burnt myself out on knitting by knitting dishrag cotton. And I never knit with cotton...makes my fingers feel funny. But crocheting it, with an eensy weensy hook is a much different story. In case the picture is terrible, the crocheted FO is done in a baby pink crochet cotton and it says "Peace". I will probably start "Love" tonight while ironically watching 300.

Oh, and I would like to thank my Aunt Neany for teaching me how to crochet letters and then telling me how to get them to behave.

As mentioned above, I made the first of a pair of Panda cotton socks...and I actually want to start the second one very soon! Typically, I have to take month long breaks between halves of the pair, but this one may only be a week...maybe less..you never know.

More good, news, I sold 8 hats to Little Women in Nora...very exciting. I'm almost finished with my fifth and would love to drop them off and get paid before I head back to old Purdizzle.

That's all for today...I'm going to watch gory movies and crochet pink doilies that say "Love."

I've lost my mojo

I have lost my knitting mojo. It's terrible! With holiday mart and the keystone thing coming up, I really don't feel like knitting anything right now. I reckon I lost it shortly after the trip to Mass Ave., but I have no idea where I've left it. Maybe I did leave it Mass Ave and didn't realize it until halfway through the next hat? I even unloaded the fall season's yarn today at work..and nothing. Normally, sorting new yarn is just short of orgasmic, but nothing. I didn't even buy any. I do have Mad knitting tonight...and I should be leaving in about 5 minutes, but I have no idea what to do. I'd love to take my painting or my woodworking, but I'm just not feeling the yarn today. Not even cross stitching.

Anyone else lost thier mojos lately? Any suggestions on where to look? Maybe I just need to take a knit-break and focus on my other crafts for a few days. But tonight I'm going to mad knitters...maybe I'll find it there. Then again...theres always those darn nargles taking my knitting things...but mostly they just stick to tape measures, stitch markers and cable needles. The nargles have certainly gone overboard this time.

I'd love to hear your suggestions on where to find my mojo and what I should do about it. Have a nice day!

Another wonderful day

Well....I'm very pleased to say that MG Tates at the Fashion mall has asked me to make 2 of every style of hat that I make...and they will be sold there for $14.95. I couldn't be happier.

I also met with Janet of eighteenstitches for a little math help, which was not nearly as painful as it normally is. We concluded the session with a trip to Mass Avenue Knit Shop...and I was *almost* responsible. I bought 3 different kinds of yarns, two for socks and one for a felted bag... I'm madly in love with my star yarn! Here is a picture from my stash enriching experience. I also finished a hat on the way home (Janet drove). Then, I casted on another one for the Keystone store and worked on that on the boat tonight...Toffee went too, but she didn't knit anything.

Wonderful Day

Today was all and all wonderful in almost every way. Saw several friends at work today (I work at Micheals, and one of the advantages of hanging out with crafty people is that I see them at my work every so often.) Speaking of which, I teach my first classes on Saturday, I believe its four hours of kids club which is so exciting! Maybe my teaching job is closer than I think!

Another wonderful thing about today....I met my Aunts and my Grandma for lunch today at the Cheesecake Factory.....mmmm....and then browsed around the mall. After buying my brother is J. Crew birthday present, I was bumming around in MG Tates, which is one of my favourite stores because it's so artsy, thought, "what the hell" and told the lady working there that I knit and think my products would sell well in the store. That employee turned out to be the owner, and she wants me to come back tomorrow with my stuff! I've been trying to get my stuff into Keystone for years! I'm so pumped for tomorrow. So, I have a few of my hats ready to make the trip!

I've also started the baby kimono (Elphaba, my Jeep had an appointment today, allowing for an hour of uninhibited knitting time) from Mason Dixon Knitting to give to Emily, the girl at work who is having a girl. I've bought some very fun green and purple grosgrain ribbon to tie up the sides with...a little untraditional but I think she'll like it. I also plan on making her a hat, all depends on how much time I have to make hats before taking a load to Tates or (fingers crossed) Holiday Mart. A little birdy told me I was in today but still have not heard official word.

Another funny thing....yesterday my Grandma came over to drop some stuff off and saw my Ballband dishrags laying on the counter (see hot pink and lime green rags from last post) picked one up and said..."That's...(insult least offensive adjective here)....interesting." Great...she said the same thing when I died my hair purple. She hates them. Then? Surprising part? She then said..."Can I have one?" Uh....okay. I asked if she'd rather have something that wasn't magenta and lime...so I bought some more dishrag cotton that was a little more fitting for my Grandma and cast on yet another project. That brings the count up to 19. I can't decide if that's a sign of O.C.D. or just boredom. One last wonderful thing for today...my army guy sent me a naughty little note on facebook! It's a good day!

Harry Potter and a sunburn

Well....the vacation knitting bag was barely touched, but I am very glad (and a little bit sad) to say that I'm finally finished with the Harry Potter series. I must have bawled my eyes out at least 6 or 7 times in the last hundred pages.

Now on to the knitting segment of the knitting blog. I only finished two things on the entire trip, one of them being a set of washrags that are all mostly pink, the other being a black wool purse that I threw in the wash to be felted within n hour of returning home. The bag shrunk way more than I wanted it to, and I am now debating....child purse? set of coasters? hide it before anyone sees it? enlarging charms? I give up. Please leave suggestions on what to do with failed felting projects. On that note, here are the washrags. I used the same pink yarn ball for the "brick" parts of the rags, and a different varigated cotton for the the base yarns. Can you say "stash clearing?"

I also did a small bit of crocheting (top picture....blog was not cooperating)...I did take the white baby yarn and finished the yarn ball, which turned out to be almost a 2'x2' square, which is a great start! There is a girl at my work who is pregnant and she may be the recipient of this particular baby blanket...I have so much time in each of them, I prefer to give them away so I know where they are going. I know I could never possibly get my money's worth out of selling them to perfect strangers, so I prefer to just give them away. I crochet 3'x3' granny squares in a solid color and do a ruffled edge in a different or multi-colored yarn. They take a good long time, but they're worth it.

And quite possibly the biggest news yet! I have a tan. It's probably the first one in ten years, and I'm so proud of it. I'm showing it off as much as I possibly can before it peels away...

See you onThursday, Mad knitters, and to the rest of you, have a lovely day!

Ready for my vacation knitting

So, in less than 12 hours I will be headed out for a 7 hour road trip followed by a week long houseboat trip...and my biggest concern is which projects to take. I decided against taking the Aztek sweater, because after working on it for a straight week, I'm ready for a change. I know I'm taking the Rustic sweater in hopes of finally finishing those flippin' sleeves. For this same reason, I plan on throwing the Mountain Hoodie (there will be pictures next post so you guys know what I'm talking about) into the mix because I have nothing but time to finish that last aran cabled sleeve- and I really need to finish this, it's been almost a year! I'm also throwing in some black felting wool to make a "Cute as a button" purse....a pattern I shall post soon....

I'm also taking a crochet baby blanket and a Dolly Mama cross stitching set...hopefully I'll finish the set and I'll just go until I run out of yarn on the blanket...which shouldn't take too long!

I need to go pack up my knitting bag...I'll leave you with a moment of zen in place of current unfinished project picture. Here is my cat with some of my handspun.

Happy knitting and I'll be back in a week!