So you want proof, eh?

Warning: Word and picture heavy post ahead!

My last few days have had a theme: proof. It started Friday with a knock on the door. I had a registered letter that I had to sign for, thus proving that I had received it. The letter was from the Universidad de Huelva, demanding proof that I had paid my tuition for the year. (Those of you who are new: I'm technically doing two PhDs right now... one in the States and one overseas... it's a long story.) The problem is that I didn't actually pay my tuition, someone else did it for me. Because in Spain you can't just give them a visa number or fill out a form online... you have to show up, pick up a letter from the University, take it to a certain bank and pay it in person. So I don't have the receipt. Long story short: sometimes my luck amazes me. The girl who paid my tuition because she was there on exchange last semester still had the receipt (despite the fact that all this happened back in Sept and she's moved back to Canada since then) and emailed me a scanned copy. I've emailed it on to them in the hopes that it is enough proof to satisfy them.

And now, I present to you, the proof that I do still knit! In no particular order we have:


The beginnings of a log cabin baby blanket for a new baby in the OSCBF's family in Berroco Touché;


A kerchief scarf based on the one in Last Minute Knitted Gifts in the linen/cotton (unsure, but most think it is linen) from my first SP10 package;





Two views of an anklet sock (and my extremely white leg): toe-up, short row heel, lace pattern adapted from Vogue Stitchonary in the KnitPicks Merino from Kniterations (only one is done... I figure I'll cast on the second next Saturday while waiting for planes trains and automobiles...);


A detail of a secret present for a friend's wedding shower (no out-loud guesses if you know what it is!)... this project is finished except for blocking and weaving in of ends;


And finally, a detail of the scarf that I'm currently blocking for a friend's birthday.

No progress has been made in FOREVER on the Hourglass sweater, the Graknitti Strip, or the Red-Cross Army vest. Here's the deal though: I'm moving, for the summer. I'm going back to Canada so that I can get a job in which I will actually make money. I didn't get any summer teaching at school and I love helping out at the yarn store and teaching classes there, but technically I can't work there. I can "volunteer" (in exchange for the occasional skein of free yarn) but (no matter how much we might want to) a girl can't live on yarn alone. Plus, I'll be with the OSCBF for 4 whole months. I'm pretty sure we haven't actually lived in the same country for that much time (consecutively I mean) in almost 2 years. So, the plan is to take the vest and some stash with me, and try to use some of it up over the next 4 months. I'm sure I'll eventually have to break down and buy some yarn there, but not without some guilt... I feel very loyal to my wonderful, friendly LYS here. I love going every Saturday to knit with the regulars, and I'm going to miss them, and Sue a LOT. But I'll be back!!

P.S. To my secret pal coordinator - I wasn't sure that whether I would be moving at all, or for part of the summer when I signed up for SP10. But my secret spoiler has already agreed to send my packages to my new address in Canada and I will continue to spoil my pal from abroad.

grand opening!

If anyone is in the Bmore area and wants to check out the new and improved Lovelyarns today would be a great day! Not only is it gorgeous and sunny out, but today is her grand re-opening!

P.S. I promise, photo proof that I do still knit later today or tomorrow at the latest!

a bounty of buttons!

Sorry if you've seen this before, but it's so well done and so cute! I think by the writing that it was done in Russia, but I could be wrong. I think my favorite button is the old soviet symbol that gets knocked down and has to be carried away on a stretcher. Enjoy!

I am a lucky, lucky girl!

I am super lucky... last night a friend said that he needed a place to stay, so he's taking my apartment for most of the summer. It's a huge load off my mind 'cause I know I'll have the majority of the money I need to pay for the apt. for the summer and I know that he'll treat my stuff and my roommate with respect. Phew!

Then, I came home today to find a small padded envelope with my name on it! Another package from my pal! This one was a special extra package in honour of my birthday (which, if anyone cares to know, is actually this coming Monday) with the following contents:


A very cute postcard of Paris (my pal is from France) and a little crochet bag and earrings, all of which were handmade by my pal! Thanks pal! You're the awesomest!

And now, a close up on the earrings:

Hanging from the bottom are little charms, including a heart with a lock and a key, a little Eiffel Tower, a butterfly, a star and a silver ball, along with some bits of what look like shell. They are so cute and I'm going to wear them to my bday party tomorrow night.


And since I get to post about birthday gifts, here are some pictures of bday goodies I bought myself with the money my grandmother gave me for my birthday and made me promise I would spend on myself and not on bills or groceries!

A luggage tag in the shape of an icecream cone... I know it's dorky but I travel a lot and it's cute and fun and it will help me identify my luggage quickly, so really, it serves a functional purpose... uh, yeah!


And a new purse! 'Cause really, what I really need is another purse... I have a slight addiction problem, but it's only with shoes and purses, so I figure it could be a lot worse...


Sorry about the crookedness of the last picture... I'm still getting used to the "take a self portrait in the mirror" concept. And I couldn't figure out how to turn it on my mac... If I could wish for one more thing for my birthday (other than the obvious wish that the OSCBF could be here too) it would be that google would make Picasa for Macs!

subletting

Sorry I haven't posted much lately... I haven't had much time for knitting. I'm trying to sublet my room for the summer and it has become a full time job. I wouldn't worry about it, except that it's going to save me so much money and, being that I'm a poor grad student, I can definitely use the extra $$...

So, hopefully some knitting will get done over the weekend... I'm helping out at the LYS 'cause she's moving and she needs someone to man the old shop while she paints and replaces the floors in the new one. Of course, the whole time I'm there, knitting away, I'll probably be freaking out about the apartment. Hopefully the girl who's coming to see it on Friday will take it and I can relax about it a bit...

2 packages in 1 week!

MMMM! I've been spoiled! I got home late last night to find my SP10 package waiting for me outside the door! And what a great little package it was! Let's check out the contents...


2 skeins of PINK! I <3 me some pink. On the left we have a pink cotton (I'm guessing... the tags seem to have gone missing but my pal says in her letter that it is from a shop called la droguerie) (I think the link is right) and the other is a thick and thin variegated pinks and oranges and I think that it is wool. About this one she only said that it is from a shop in Paris.


The black is 100% wool, quite thick, so I'll have to think of something to do with that... hmmm... ideas are forming!


And the "goodies": 2 shower gels, one vanilla and one raspberry (yum!), as well as a vanilla body lotion, a lindt bunny (double yum!), some incense and a pretty blue bag, perfect for carrying a couple of skeins or some travel bath stuff!

And, since I seem to be improving at my picture taking skills, here are some close ups on the pink skeins:

Ooooooh! A prize!

I got an honourable mention over at Kniterations in her contest regarding how many movies she's seen... I guessed low and I guess that endeared me to her! So yesterday in the mail I found this:


A skein of Knitpicks Memories (100% Merino) in Redwood Forest and a little Winnie the Pooh in a bumblebee outfit! I've never actually ordered any Knit Picks Yarn before (I like to feel it and see the *true* colours ahead of time... I'm picky like that) but this is so soft and the colours are really pretty. The skein is 220 yards, more than enough for a small pair of socks or perhaps these? Or maybe these<? I got really sick of making fingerless gloves after Christmas when I made a total of 9 (or was it 10??) pairs... but not in either of these patterns. Plus I find them really useful here. We'll see... I'm going to search a bit for the perfect pattern to use for this... it could be totally different tomorrow!

And now, for the extreme close-ups! (Apologies in advance, the weather here today is ick and my camera doesn't seem to like taking yarn pr0n pics... but these were the best I got.)



As you can see, it has all the colours of an autumn forest... my fav season, btw. Red, Green, Orange and a bit of brown... I think I'm in yarn lust!

Thanks again Knitty K8!

new post and a new technique!

Well, I survived a weekend with my parents... but barely! (I kid, it was great, even if I still didn't get to D.C.) I've decided to post the pictures of my notions bag, plus the no-seams technique that I used to make it. Most of you have probably done it before, but hey, I took pictures of it, so I'll post them and perhaps, someday it will be useful to someone... or not...

So, here are the before and after photos of the notions bag (remember, this was my first try at felting and it was totally by hand... I don't think there's any difference...)

So, without further ado: Before:



And after:



I stupidly forgot to put in a quarter for sizing purposes, I now realize why people do that (not that I didn't really get it before, but now I will forever remember to do so...). In any case, it looks exactly the same to me, except that the dye ran a little and the colours are now softer... and possibly the edges and the triangle lie down more smoothly from having been semi-blocked during the drying process. Any suggestions on how to re-felt???

OK, and now for technique. I believe that it's called double knitting, and what you do is cast on double the amount of stitches that you would want for one side of your bag (thus it must be an even amount of stitches). Every row is the same: *K1, Sl1 pwise*. Once you have worked this row enough that your bag is the depth that you want (leaving room for shrinkage if you are going to felt) take 2 dpns and hold them together opposite the needle with all the stitches on it. Slip (pwise) the first stitch onto the front needle and the 2nd stitch to the back needle. Continue to alternate stitches from front to back needle like this: (apologies ahead of time for the blurriness of the picture)



I lucked out - because this was a variegated yarn the red stitches were all going to the back of the bag and the purple to the front in this row. when you have all the stitches on the two dpns your bag will magically open up and you can flip it inside out so that you see the right side of a stockinette stitch (up until now you would have only seen the inside of the bag, which would look like reverse stockinette or garter stitch). Now you can cast off the front of your bag and continue to make a flap on the back!

As I always ask at the end of class: Any questions??

2 bits of sp good news

I got two emails today with SP news. The first, that my secret pal spoiler has sent my package and expects it to get here in a week... I can't wait to see what goodies I'll get from France! The second, that my spoilee received her package today and that she really likes her stuff and already has project plans for it. She also said she would post soon about it... I can't wait to see what she's going to do with it! I wish I could give more details but this is supposed to remain as secret as possible, right?!

In non-knitting related news, my family is coming to visit and should be landing within the next hour or so... they'll be here until Monday afternoon, so I'm doubting that I'll find a whole lot of time for knitting between now and then. So, if I don't post for a few days, don't worry, I'll be back!

P.S. I just realized that I've probably been boring you all with picture-less posts since flash your stash on Monday so I promise some knitting related pictures when I get back into things next week!

hmmmm....

Well, I just tried my first foray into felting, but I don't think it really worked. First of all, we live in an apt. complex so I don't have access to a machine that would be very good for felting. So I tried boiling the wool on my stove (which, by the way, makes your house smell lovely... I'd totally try it if you like the sent of wet dog but can't find the right scented candle!) and I don't think I was agitating hard enough... of course, I didn't really want to splash boiling water all over myself either. I took a before picture... we'll see what it it looks like after it dries, hopefully by tomorrow... but seriously, it looks the same size to me as it did beforehand.

sp package

No, I haven't received one yet, but I did send one today! I can't wait to see if my pal enjoys her goodies... the only thing I'm worried about is that I didn't put a return address... I'm paranoid, you know? And the woman at the counter told me I had to and I was resigned to it, but then she put the postage on and threw it in the outgoing bin anyway... I was a bit confused but since I don't want to give too much info away about myself, I figure, what the heck?! If I don't see my pal post about it in a few days I'll start to worry though... I did pay for 2 day priority post.

In my own knitting news, I cast on the mystery present in the pink berroco touché for my friend. I'm really excited to see how it turns out... I might just want one for myself! (Geez I'm a greedy knitter...)

Flash Your Stash

OK, here it is... I'm going to flash like it's mardi gras!

First up, the "serious potential" stash:


Four balls of Lily Chin superwash merino. Destined to become the Space Invader Socks from Knitty Spring '07 for my little bro. (Whom I'm like 99% sure doesn't read this but if you do, try to act surprised....)


Schafer Yarns "Anne", wound with a single strand of bamboo in the same teal colour I made my lace capin. I've had this since just before christmas (I bought it with a gift certificate my lovely roommate got me) and I really want to make it into the Last Minute Knitted Gifts Tank top. (the only picture I could find is here) I'm worried about the weight of the yarn though, I think it might still be too thin, so I may have to double strand the bamboo. I should really get around to at least trying a gauge swatch on this someday! Also, the picture really doesn't do justice to the variegations in the schafer anne yarn.


Finally in the "serious potential" category is 5 skeins of pink Berroco Touché. This project will probably be on the needles soon, because it is a gift for a friend that needs to be done before mid-May. But the potential that she reads this blog is proportionally higher than my brother, so I can't say too much about it right now!

In the "full (or practically full) skeins with little to no current potential" category we have:


Oh dear... 1400 yards of Rayon. Yep, you read that right. Bought at stitches, I had plans to make Viveka from knitty fall 06... but it just sort of never happened and I've lost interest. I'm sure at some point I'll figure out what to do with 1400 yards of hot pink rayon...


2 skeins of bamboo... the pink is triple stranded (also from my roomie for christmas) and the left overs of the teal from the lace cap... at least 3/4 of a single stranded 50g skein. I might have to use the teal to gauge swatch for the LMKG tank, just to see... but other than that I have no plans for these right now... but I'm thinking, 'cause I did like working with the bamboo a lot.


3 skeins of christmas-y coloured cascade 220. I used these to make a stocking for the OSCBF for Christmas... sadly I don't have a picture of any of the things I made him this year. I keep bugging him, maybe I'll finally get some when I go home for the summer! (Same with my family, actually... I forgot my camera at Christmas time, so I didn't get any pictures of people wearing their knitted gifts...)

Now for the "leftovers":


I pictured all the little bits of leftovers from projects past together, so I'll do my best to explain what is what.
Top row (left to right): Some icky acrylic something (I can't even decide what pukey colour it is...) that I've had for ages and somehow moved across the ocean and then again down the coast with me; Sprinkles left over from the blue baby booties; Some variegated wool/metallic I found at home at Xmas time; blue Berroco Touché left over from my mom's Xmas present; black acrylic; Malabrigo Aquarella left over from the ribbed scarf; a 1/4 skein of brown sport weight superwash merino and a tiny bit of brown wool/sari silk used in the OSCBF's Xmas gifts; a tiny bit of purple Berroco Pure Merino left over from the sample scarf for Lovelyarns; about 1/2 a skein of Trendsetter's Dune, used for the skinny scarf

Bottom Row: 2 tiny bits of Cascade Fixation left over from socks made for christmas (1 black, 1 variegated blues); a bit of berroco touché in black; some handpainted ribbon yarn purchased at stitches and made into the drop stitch scarf from SnB 2 for my Nana; Berroco Ultra Alpaca wound with Blue Heron's Metallic Rayon in Blueberry, used for the cindy lou who mittens; the rest of the blue heron metallic; Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Grey wound with Crystal Palace Kid Merino (note to self: do NOT wind together anything with a mohair again... use two separate balls held together while knitting) used for leg warmers; Berroco Ultra Alpaca use for the brim/top of the birthday hat for my dad as well as some wrist warmers; a teeny tiny bit of Ice Yarn leftover from another pair of baby booties.

And finally(!) the "stash on needles" category:


2 skeins of Red Heart + a bit of some fun fur, donated to the owner of the LYS, who then gave it to me to participate in the Graknitti experience(last time touched: approx 1.5 weeks ago); a skein of Irish Aran Wool, being used for the LMKG Hourglass sweater (last time touched: approx. 1 month ago... I don't think my gauge is right :S); 3 skeins of Cascade pima silk being used for a toe-up sock (last time touched: couple months ago, maybe? I don't think I'll have enough and I'm not sure I really like the colours); grey Lett Lopi for the OSCBF's vest (last time touched: technically yesterday, but it was only one row and I don't think I'm going to have enough to finish... I'll need another skein but it can wait until May); 1 skein Classic Elite Inca Print being used to make a felted notions purse (so I stop losing tapestry needles and measuring tapes) (last time touched: about 2 minutes ago while waiting for the pictures to load... it's 100% Alpaca and I can't stop touching it... yum!) I wish I could afford enough of this to wrap myself in... it's so soft and the colours are gorgeous!


WHEW! That was a lot of work. Now, I've shown you mine... it's only fair that you show me yours!

I've got a secret...

First off, thanks for all the nice comments on the graknitti... sadly both times that cozies were put up they had been removed by the next morning... so I've been putting off working on mine. We're going to save them for when she moves the LYS into the new space down the street in a month.

Next... there's a reason I haven't posted in a week and it isn't because I haven't been knitting... in fact, I've been knitting feverishly. And I've been hiding something:

Green Bonzai Tunic, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

I started working on this last Friday and could not put it down. I cast on Friday evening and finished it up this morning. So this picture is was taken inside Lovelyarns by the lovelyowner, Sue, during Saturday SnB. (Note the lovely skeins of Malabrigo behind me? I have plans for those... oh yes, many many plans...) Anyways, back to the tunic... I loved making this, so it was about process, but I also really REALLY wanted it... so it was at least partially a product knit too. (I haven't yet decided if I'm a "process" or "product" knitter... I love to knit, I love the process, but I also generally pick projects that I can't wait to wear/use either.

Anyways, here are the details:

Pattern: Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Berroco Bonzai in Sage (9 skeins - the pattern in my size called for 10, which I bought, but I never touched the 10th one, so I traded it in for something else delicious!)
Needles: Bamboo straights, sizes 6 & 8, Inox DPNs size 6

I've also decided that I need to focus on some serious stash reduction before I can buy anything else for myself! I'm going to participate in Flash your Stash tomorrow (although I didn't see anywhere to officially sign up) and that will help me sort through a bit and see what exactly I have and remind myself what I had planned for it!

Graknitti

Tonight I took part in my first ever graffiti experience, as only a knitter could. Some local knitters made parking meter cosies and we put them up near a local yarn store. It was so hilarious and fun... especially when a cop walked by, wondered what all us women were giggling about and didn't even notice the fact that the parking meters were now covered in knitted stockings. He probably figured that we were drinking or something. I'm designing another one tonight and hopefully it will be up in a day or two.

Below are some pictures... one of the "anonymous" knitters sewing up a meter cosy and one of the other cosy. More to come in the following weeks, we hope!

FO: lace cap

lace hat, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

I finished the lace cap from knitty summer '03. I love it! I chose a single strand of teal bamboo and I have enough left over for another hat, at least. And it's warm enough here that I could wear it today with a new dress I bought a few weeks ago. Yay Spring!

And I got an email today from my secret pal! Exciting! She's in France, which means that maybe I'll get to see some interesting yarns and things that we don't always get on this side of the ocean! Maybe I'll even get to practice my (very rusty) French, too!

And I went to my fav LYS today and got the rest of the bonsai that I'll need to make bonsai tunic in the new interweaves, and I picked up some things for the first package for my secret pal! Unfortunately, there was a bit of a snafu with the vest for the oscbf, so I had to frog the hood and start over. My plan is to finish that up sometime soon, hopefully, and then cast on some summer projects! :D

Edit: here's a picture from the top... do you know how incredibly hard it is to take a picture of the top of your own head?!

surprise hat

surprise hat, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

I almost forgot that I can now blog the hat I made for my dad's birthday. It was finished quite a while ago, but I didn't give it to him until his birthday last Saturday. The brim and top are Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and the rest is Trendsetters Tonalita. Sorry about the lumpy look the hat has in the picture, I stuffed it with plastic bags and it didn't make for the most attractive shape... Someday perhaps I'll actually be able to get pictures of my family members wearing their FOs...

Oh, and the pattern is, as almost always, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

back to baltimore and a brand-new bag!

Whew, that was a lot of "b" words! I was home all week for spring break, and I am now back in Baltimore. I didn't get a whole lot of knitting done, or reading for that matter (whoops!) but I did find a new knitting bag at happysq's etsy shop. Here it is:


And the back - which I think is super awesome:


The back has instructions for casting on and the knit stitch. I think it's super cool anyways!

As for actual knitting this week, like I said, I didn't get a whole lot done. I've got a few inches on the lace cap now, and I "finished" the hood for the bf's vest. I say "finished" because now that it is done I think I might have to frog the whole hood. When I pull it over my head it doesn't even cover my ears. Oops. I have two options: 1. Pull the hood apart and start over, cast on closer to the centre of the neck, or, 2. Add a ribbed collar to the hood and sew it to the neckline afterwards. I'm leaning more towards option 1 now because it will look closer to what I was originally aiming for... but it means ripping out all that hard work and starting over on a bigger garter stitch hood. Oh well, that's the price you pay for love... and man is he lucky I love him after an entire garter stitched vest!

secret pal 10

Secret pal 10 matches are being made soon, and even though it's in my title bar, I though I'd post another link to my Secret Pal 10 Questionaire. I got a little gung-ho about it when I first signed up so it's now buried in my february archives. I'm really excited to start spoiling... and getting spoiled!

A new ssk, or, is it wrong to take shortcuts while knitting?

I'm still knitting the lace cap from knitty, but I traded in the berroco cotton twist for a single strand of bamboo. The cotton twist was not the right weight for the project, nor was it very fun to work with... the strands would split and fray really easily. Anyways, the pattern calls for a lot of ssk's and I'm not really a fan. Plus, with the tiny needles and bamboo yarn (it's sort of like working with toothpicks and floss...) it's really easy to drop a stitch and then it's pretty much gone forever, making you rip out and start all over again. So instead of ssk's I'm knitting 2 together through the back loops. Is this wrong? I mean, the final product looks the same to me. I haven't found anywhere else where someone mentions exchanging an ssk for k2togtbl...

In any case, while researching it I realized that I wasn't slipping my stitches correctly in the first place. I tend to slip as if to purl and all the blogs, instructions, etc that I found said to slip as if to knit. So far I'm happy with my method so I think I'll stick with it and we'll see how the final product turns out.

In other news, I went to this crafting warehouse in my parents town (I'm home in the land of snow for "spring" break) yesterday and picked up another skein of the Lett Lopi to finish off the vest for the OSCBF, and I got some superwash merino for the Space Invader socks. I can't wait to start working on them, 'cause there are some interesting colourway techniques that I want to try out. And if they turn out ok then I'll probably make a second pair for myself!

I take it back

The more I look at them, the cooler the space invader socks, featured on the cover page of the new knitty, become. I'm think I'll make them for my little bro, perhaps. And then maybe a pair for myself... but in shades of pink, of course!

In other news, the second pair of Cindy Lou Who mittens are now completed. With any luck, pictures will be taken in full daylight tomorrow to be posted. And I've started the lace cap from knitty's summer '03 issue, although it's hard to tell right now how it's going to turn out... I think the yarn I'm using may be too stiff...

just in case you didn't already know...

The new Knitty issue is out for Spring. Check it out here.

I gotta be honest, I didn't see anything that I was really thrilled with except a cute skirt, made for little girls but with the idea that you could (if you check gauge and all that) size it out to any size you want.

In other news, the sample mitts for Lovelyarns are almost done... And I'll be teaching beginner lefties in April!

The underground world of crocheting...

weekend recap

I spent a lot of time on public transport and things this weekend (I was helping out at a conference downtown) and I went to my LYS's sit n' knit on Saturday. So I got a lot of knitting done, is what I'm trying to say. On Saturday I got these both started and finished:


For a friend back home in Canada who is having a baby boy in a couple of months. I used a yarn called Sprinkles by King Cole which is impossible to use on small needles, so they turned out a bit large. Oh well, maybe he can use them around 6months.

And for myself I finished up the legwarmers:




Both patterns are from Last Minute Knitted Gifts... if anyone's interested I post more specs later. (Must run to school and teach now...)

bad blogger

I've been a bad knitting blogger. But to be honest there hasn't been a whole lot of time for knitting lately... I finished one of the leg warmers and am about 3/4 of the way through the second. I hope to go to my fav LYS's Sit n' knit on Saturday and finish it up. I'll post pictures when it's done. Then I'm going to use the leftovers to make another pair of my mittens.

It's sad 'cause the weather is warming up significantly here in Bmore (whoever would have thought that I would lament the coming of warmer weather?!) but I am going back to Canada for March Break and I'm sure I'll have to show off my winter gear again!

Edit: Check it out: Protesting as only a knitter can!

WIPs update

It's been a few days and no new completed projects, so I thought I'd do a works in progress update. Apologies ahead of time for the bad lighting/flashes... it's dark out now so there's little natural light and our floor is extremely shiny! (Note: if you click to make the pictures bigger the colour and stitch definition is much more visible.)

First off we have the Red Cross Army Vest for the OSCBF:


Specs:
Pattern: WWI Red Cross Army Vest, available online
Yarn: Lett Lopi Mid Grey (0057)
Needles: US 6 / 4mm (straights for body, dpns for hood)
Modifications: Shortened the body, adding hood

Next up, leg warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:


Specs:
Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca 6289 Charcoal Mix + Crystal Palace Kid Merino 9801 Code Pink
Needles: US 9 / 5.5mm dpns
Modifications: none except for yarn substitutions

Next up, some socks:


Specs:
Pattern: none (toe-up, short row heel)
Yarn: Cascade Pima Silk 5134, 5136, 5139
Needles: US 3 / 3.25mm (2 circs)
Modifications: making the pattern up as I go

And finally, the Hourglass Sweater, also from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:



Specs:
Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Aran DK with flecks brought back from Ireland by a relative, given to my mom (10 years ago approx.) then given by mom to me this past January
Needles: US 9 / 5.5mm circ (I think)
Modifications: Needle size to obtain gauge, otherwise nothing so far...

The Vest for the OSCBF will have to be put aside for a bit... the squiggly grey line at the top of the picture is the last bit of yarn I have left as of right now. I ordered a new skein earlier this evening but sadly it could take 7-21 days to get here. Which is really unfortunate since it is his birthday this weekend and I was hoping to have it delivered to him for then, but that clearly isn't happening. With any luck the yarn will be here sometime next week and I should be able to finish it up before I go home for Spring Break mid-March.

The leg warmers I am loving, the colour, the yarn (sooooooo soft), and even though I never thought I'd be much of a leg warmer kind of gal, I think they're going to be a lot of fun.

The socks I'm not such a huge fan of, but perhaps I'll keep them aside for a gift. It's mostly the colours I'm not huge on... but they were started as a small, easily portable project until I found something more intriguing (i.e. the leg warmers)!

And finally, the hourglass sweater. I think it's cute (at least the pattern picture is...) and it's very cool to be knitting with wool from Ireland. :D I picked a size without really measuring (and why don't knitting books tell you where to measure?! I mean, is a 37" bust measured below, above or somewhere in between?!) so if it's too big I might give it to my mom. It was technically supposed to be wool for her own sweater.

argh

OK, I'm really frustrated. Or, at least, I was. Now that I've cast on a new *fun* project for myself, eaten home made pasta (by my awesome roommate) and had a beer and a glass of wine, I'm a bit more relaxed. But I worked the whole afternoon at sit n' knit at my LYS on a sample for the store and in the end neither I nor Sue (the owner) liked it. The yarn I was using just wasn't right for the pattern. Afterwards I picked up a skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Charcoal mix and wound it with Crystal Palace Kid Merino in self-striping pink to make myself the leg warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:



Oh, and then I found out that my peanut butter might be killing me...

yesterday...

all my troubles seemed so far away...

Or at least, school was closed so I didn't have to get off my butt and do anything extraordinarily special. So I knit, and got some (read: very little - in my defense it was Modern German Philosophy and not exactly my "thing") reading done and watched the film for class next week. But mostly I knit. In fact, I'm now almost done the main body for the Red Cross Army Vest for the OSCBF. And now I have to figure out how to attach a hood to it, as per his request. I'm trying to decide whether I should sew up the sides first (it is knit in one piece from the bottom of the front to the bottom of the back... go read the pattern (and make sure you scroll down and read the "Modern Version") here and you might understand what I mean a bit better) or pick up stitches around the neckline and knit up the hood first... any suggestions would be much appreciated. I'm probably going to have to order another skein of the wool before it can be finished in any case. I have about 1/2 a skein left and another inch or two of ribbing before the back is done. Something tells me that 1/2 a skein won't be quite enough to get the hood on too.

school's out for... winter!

Hopkins FINALLY decided to close for the day. Every other school, university, college, etc in Baltimore decided hours ago to close, but JHU kept us hanging until 10 minutes ago. We were supposed to open at 10:30 (what was I supposed to do? I teach at 10... should I have taught from 10:30-10:50?!) but I guess they finally decided that it was just easier to close for the day. Wohoo! I plan on getting caught up on some readings and watching the movie (El hijo de la novia - Son of the Bride) that we're supposed to be showing in class next week (although now with the school closed we may need that time to catch up...), all while doing some serious knitting! I mean, what else do you do when there's 2 inches of ice covering a couple more inches of snow outside?!

dilemma

Sure I have 2 huge projects (Hourglass sweater from LMKG and the Red Cross Army Vest for the OSCBF) on the go, but I don't have anything small and simple that I can take with me anywhere. I'm still working on the sample of the modular scarf for my wonderful LYS but the pattern is too complicated to work on while reading / chatting in the TA room at school. So I'm thinking I might grab the leftover yarns from the wristwarmers I made to order, specifically the 3 pima silks, and start some socks today. Simple St st, toe-up, short heel (possibly with a garter heel like I read about over at Knitting in the Desert) ribbed top socks. Only they'll be stripped, because I don't have enough of any of the colours for 2 full socks.

OK, I guess it's not that big of a dilemma!

FO: hat

I finished the surprise hat in berroco ultra alpaca and trendsetters tonalita... but I can't reveal it until it has been given to it's intended receiver. Which, btw, won't be happening for about another month. Oops. It was a really quick project, and yet another of the patterns from Las Minute Knitted Gifts that I would definitely use again. I picked up this book at Stitches East back in November and it is an awesome, awesome book. I have used (or am currently using) a bunch of the patterns already and I have plans for several more. I would definitely recommend getting it... and no, I'm not going to get any commission or anything! :P

First class!

I taught my first class at Lovelyarns today and it was a lot of fun. No pictures though, 'cause it was just too insane and the time passed by so quickly that I didn't even think to stop and take any. And I ended up frogging my scarf because I really want to end up using the Berroco Bonsai to make this from the interweave spring 2007 magazine. I don't currently have a subscription but I think my LYS gets it in next week, so I might buy it as a trial copy... it looks like there's a lot of interesting patterns this issue. I'll need a few more skeins (like, say 7 or 8...) but I have the same colour and I think that this will be well worth it and something that I'll get a lot more use out of.

I ended up staying at the store from 11 - 5, except for lunch... and I got absolutely NO progress done on anything. I frogged the small bit of scarf I had started with my class, and ended up ripping out and starting over on the sample scarf I'm making for the store. First off, I brought the wrong needles somehow (one 6 and one 9) and then I dropped a stitch and the Waikiki is practically impossible to work with when trying to go back or pick up stitches in, so I ripped it out and started over. By 5:00 I had finally gotten back to the point that I was at at the beginning of the day, so I decided to call it even and pack it in. One of the other girls from my knitting group was there, so we grabbed a pizza and came back here to hang out, eat junky food and knit. I'm coming along nicely now on my Hourglass Sweater. I've started the decreases for the waist line.

I should be teaching another class next weekend, the basketweave scarf (check out the last class description on this page) if anyone signs up. There is apparently one woman who said she would tentatively like to sign up, so we'll see what happens...

India Purse

India Purse, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

I know, I know, third post today, this is getting ridiculous. BUT... it is Friday and I reserve the right to do some fun stuff. And I received the button I ordered to finally finish this purse I started back in October. So, of course, I had to sew it on immediately! It was really hard to get a detailed photo of the button, although I did try... you can see details of the button and handle (which I found at Stitches East last November) on my flickr photos or you can go to see the original photo on ebay here. The ebay picture is MUCH better than the ones I took.

Edit: strangely flickr cut off the right side of the photo when blogging, so if you click the photo it will take you to the original and show you the full purse.

Secret Pal 10 questionaire

I've never done one of these Secret Pal swaps before, but I keep reading about them on other knitter's blogs and it sounds like a lot of fun, so I've signed up for the latest, aka Secret Pal 10. You can click here to sign up before Feb. 28, 2007.

I also said that I would take a Spanish speaking pal (we'll see how good my Spanish vocabulary in fibers actually is...) and if this is the case I can re-write my answer en español.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I like Merino and Alpaca wools (or even these blended with other wools), silks, cottons... pretty much anything natural, even if it's blended with acrylic or other man-made materials. Not a huge fan of fun-furs or novelty yarns, although occasionally if mixed with something else they can give a project some extra fun!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

Right now I have a small bamboo basket beside my stash basket that holds all my needles.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned to knit as a child. I was taught by my paternal grandmother who was born in Ireland. My mom also helped me a lot in the early years! I've been taking knitting up and putting it down again off and on for well over 10 years now (maybe even closer to 15!). I'd say I'm probably intermediate, leaning towards advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes. You can find it under the email (removed)

5. What's your favorite scent?

Tough one. I like Green Tea scented things, as well as orange, lemon, lavender and vanilla, as long as it's not overpowering.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Yes... chocolate, of course, but I do like other candies too. As long as it's not fake cherry or banana flavored.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I have crocheted once or twice, but much prefer knitting. I do not spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like all kinds of music, from things like Frank Sinatra and the rat pack to modern rock and dance music, latin/salsa music, etc. And Yes, I could play MP3s on my computer.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like pink, and green, although not necessarily always together... I also like red, blue, purple... pretty much any colour. I'm not big on yellow or orange and I'm not huge on drab colours, like grey or tan, although sometimes earth-tones make for a very pretty knitted item.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

My family has a dog, but she is at home in Canada with my parents. I live with a roommate (male).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I definitely wear scarves, hats and mittens, but not very many ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Hmmm... I like knitting scarves as gifts since they are usually quick and easy. I also enjoy knitting mittens and the occasional sock. I've recently started on sweaters, but I tend to enjoy projects that allow for some quicker FO satisfaction!

13. What are you knitting right now?

Well, I keep a running list in the sidebar as to what projects are being worked on, but currently the list is:

Hourglass Sweater in Aran DK from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (for myself)

Modular Scarf in Blue Heron's Blueberry (my pattern, finished except for blocking) (for myself)

Modular Scarf in Crystal Palace Yarns Waikiki (my pattern) (Sample for LYS)

Red Cross Army Vest in Létt-Lopi (pattern available online) (for boyfriend)

Rib-brimmed hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (for a surprise)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer Bamboo, I have a full set of straight bamboo needles up to size 17. I like using 2 circs for socks and mittens... anything that calls for DPNs really, but my collection of circs is greatly lacking...

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Sadly, no.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I started the Red Cross Army vest for my boyfriend about a month ago... I'm pretty sure that's the oldest UFO I have that I haven't either finished up recently or decided to frog.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Probably Christmas, because that's when I usually get to go home and see my family, boyfriend and friends.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Other than yarn?! Not really...

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Hmmmmm... Books: the art of knitting, The knitters book of finishing techniques...
I have a lot of knitting books with patterns though, so I don't really need any more of those.

I don't have any subscriptions to knitting magazines right now. But I would like to try out Interweave.

As for yarn: anything natural fibers in pretty colours, including self-striping, especially if handpainted...

Needles: almost any size circular

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

hmmm... fair isle eventually, although I'm pretty good at teaching myself new techniques... it's just a matter of finding enough time!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I have knit socks before, but I don't do them on a regular basis. I wear a size 6.5 or 7 shoe, depending on the maker.

23. When is your birthday?

April 23


*To my secret pal: if you want to know anything else about me, please check out the rest of the blog, or my photos on flickr to see what kinds of things I have been knitting recently. Or, feel free to email me!

Bamboo Bonzai Scarf Class

Tomorrow I'm teaching my first class over at Lovelyarns! I was supposed to teaching a beginners for kids class last friday but despite numerous requests in January, no one signed up for the February class. Oh well, we're leaving it open, so if anyone wants their child to learn the basics of knitting (in the Baltimore area, of course) you should talk to Sue.

But tomorrow I'm teaching (on request) a really pretty arrowhead scarf in Berroco Bonzai, a funky bamboo yarn. I'll post pictures and results tomorrow.

etsy

No new FOs over the last few days... but lots of new started projects...

I'm thinking about starting an etsy shop to sell some of my knitted items. It probably won't happen until the summer when things are a bit quieter on the grad school front, but I wanted to know what people think. I tried the ebay thing but on ebay people are just trying to get a deal... over at etsy it's all hand made items and it seems that people appreciate the handcrafted item and its true value. I'm also thinking about including a section to sell new patterns that I come up with. It's just a thought for now, like I said it would be a while before I could do anything about it seriously.

Ideas? Comments? Have you used etsy? And loved it? Hated it? Any info or advice would be much appreciated!

group blog!

The knitting group I'm in (the Hopkins Castoffs) has started a group blog! You can check it out at: http://jhucastoff.blogspot.com. Link is also posted in the sidebar.

Cindy-Lou Who cabled mittens

**ETA**Now a downloadable pdf hosted by ravelry.



Here is another picture of my cabled mittens. You can see the stitch definition much more clearly in this picture. For a more accurate representation of colour, check out the other picture (title cabled mittens2) on my flickr. I designed these from the top down, so that they are done in the round and have no seams whatsoever! I'm calling them the "Cindy-Lou Who" cabled mittens since the o-so-cute-bf thinks they're cute enough for Cindy-Lou Who from the Grinch who stole Christmas.

Sue, the owner of my LYS, whom I adore, liked them so much she might carry the pattern at the store!

Edit (July 17, 07): I'm adding the pattern here, for those who are interested, however, it has not been fully edited so please feel free to contact me with any questions:

These mittens knit up quickly (I cast on the first one Saturday night and cast off the second late Sunday night – I knew that Monday was supposed to be ridiculously cold…), are super soft and warm, and best of all, because they are knit top-down, in the round, there are NO SEAMS! Just knit ‘em up, weave in the ends and voila! mittens! The pattern can also be modified into just a simple mitten by knitting without cabling on cable rounds.

The pattern is written for women’s size small-medium, medium-large size can be found in [brackets].

Materials: 1 skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca (215 yards) + equal yardage of lace-weight or fingering weight accent (i.e. a lace-weight mohair or a single stranded bamboo in a complimentary color) I used Blue Heron Metallic in Blueberry colourway.
3 dpn size 6 (4mm)
1 cable needle
Scissors and tapestry needle

Notes:
CO – cast on
K1 – Knit one
P1 – Purl one
M1 – Make one: using right-hand needle, pick up yarn between last stitch on right needle and first stitch on left needle. Place on left needle and knit
CR – Cable Round: Unless otherwise stated, K5, slip 4 to cable needle, hold in back, K4 from left needle, k4 from cable needle, K across rest of round

Magic Cast-on instructions available here on knitty.com

Sewn Bind-Off instructions: BEFORE breaking yarn, wrap around circumference of mitten 4 times. Now break yarn and thread through tapestry needle. Pass tapestry needle through the first two stitches as if to purl without dropping stitches off left needle. Pass tapestry needle through first stitch as if to knit and drop stitch off needle. Repeat until there is one stitch left. Pull yarn through last stitch and weave in ends.

For both mitts:
Using Magic Cast-on, and holding both strands of yarns together, CO 8 stitches (4 per needle)
Next Round: K all stitches
Next round: K1 M1, K3, M1K1, 2 times
Repeat these two rounds until there are 32 [36] stitches total

Next round: k all stitches
Cable Round: K4 slip 4 to cable needle hold in back, K4, K4 off CN, K4, K across back of rnd
Next Round: k all stitches
Next Round: K1 M1, K30[34], M1, K1, 2 times: 36 [40]stitches
Next 5 rounds: k all stitches
Next round: CR
Next 7 rnds: knit
Next Round: CR
Next 7 rnds: knit
Next Round: CR

[For larger sizes try on mitten as finished thus far: if it does not reach thumb joint you may want to add another 7 knit rounds + 1 cable round]

Thumb Gusset:
For Right Hand:
Next 4 rounds; knit
Turn and without joining:
P 1 Row (ws)
K 1 Row (rs)
P 1 Row
CR
P 1 Row
K 1 Row
P 1 Row
K 1 Row
Join again to knit in round

For left mitt:

Next 3 rounds: knit
Next round: knit 18 stitches
Turn to work back along ws of work without joining
Next row: P36
Next row: turn and k36 (rs)
Next row: turn and p36 (ws)
Next row: turn and work CR as follows: k23 sl4 to cable needle, hold in back, k4 from left needle, k4 from cable needle, k5 (rs)
Next row: turn and p26
Next row: turn and k36
Next row: turn and p36
Next row: turn and k36
Join again to knit in the round
Next round: without turning k18


For both mitts:
Next 3 rounds: knit
Next round: CR
Next 5 rnds: knit

Switch to faux cable rib (or ribbing of your choice):
Round 1: *P1, K2* repeat to end
Round 2: *P1, Knit into 2nd stitch w/o removing from left needle, K into 1st st, remove both from left needle* repeat to end
Repeat these two rows until cuff is desired length, ending w row 1 of faux cable rib (approximately 9 rounds)
Cast off using sewn bind off

Thumb (for both):

Pick up and knit 16 stitches (8 each side of thumb gusset) starting at bottom of gusset, join to knit in the round
Next 2 rounds: knit [on larger sizes add 1 or 2 extra knit rounds before each decrease]
Next round: k6, k2tog, k2tog, k6 (14 stitches)
Next 4 rounds: knit
Next round: k5, k2tog, k2tog, k5 (12 stitches)
Next 4 rounds: knit
Next round: k2tog, k4, k2tog, k4 (10 stitches)
Next 2 rounds: knit
Next round: k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog (8 stitches)
Next round: knit
Next round: k2tog 4 times (4 stitches)
Break yarn and bind off remaining 4 stitches using sewn bind off method.

Finishing: Weave in ends

'cause baby it's cold outside

I designed, cast-on and finished some mittens in berroco ultra alpaca mixed with some of the Blue Heron I had left over from the modular scarf I was working on. I actually finished the modular scarf the other day too, but it desperately needs to be blocked. Who knows when that will actually happen... In any case, here's a picture of one of the finished mittens... the colour is way off, and you can't really see the cabling, both of which are the result of the ridiculously bright flash on my digital. I'll try to take a better one with the daylight tomorrow.

my very own knitting corner!

I mentioned in my last post that we had 'found' a new side-table/lamp combo and rearranged our living room around it. It's the lamp between the two chairs on the right hand side of the photo. What happened was, one of our neighbours in the building was moving out and put a lot of furniture out back beside the dumpster. Speculation is that it was a couple who broke up, moved out and just got rid of everything they couldn't take or decide on ownership. Speculation aside, they threw out a lot of perfectly good stuff, i.e. this lamp/table. And because I'm totally and forever will be my father's daughter, (and fortunately my roommate is much of the same strain) we went down and grabbed it! There was actually a milk-crate looking bookshelf the night before that looked cool too, but someone else must have thought so 'cause it was gone in the morning. And as we were picking it up these guys pulled up in this huge car and started picking out stuff too... they were clearly not from the building... So we cleaned it up and placed all my knitting books on the bottom shelf and then I went to Target and got the wicker baskets to hold our stashes (thank goodness the roomie took to knitting so well, or I probably wouldn't have such a lovely knitting nook!). I'm so excited to have a comfy place to sit and knit, where I have access to all the required accessories... it's awesome!

it's amazing...

... how much you can accomplish in one day if you really, really want to!

Today I:

• did a load of laundry
• "found" and cleaned up a new side-table lamp combo thingy (more on this later...)
• reorganized the living room, which of course lead to reorganizing the dining room, which, of course.......
  
• read all of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans (while knitting the red cross army vest, of course!)
• gave a presentation on said Letter to the Romans, which basically turned into a two-hour class discussion led by me (eep!)
• took back a library book
• went to Target with some of the girls and got supplies to aid in the cleaning and reorganizing
• went to the mall with same girls to help 1 return a phone (trust me, this was much more complicated that it sounds) and ate dinner (ewww, dirty food court food...)
• went grocery shopping (again with same girls)
• shortened and translated an essay from English to Spanish for presentation in tomorrow's class...

Phew! And it's only 9:30. I can't believe it... now for some relaxing knitting time! Yay!

Edit: this just in at 10:00pm: I really want these new earrings that I found here:



How cute are these?!