January Wrap-Up

socks!, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

No, I did not knit all of those in January.

I purposefully did not pick a January SIAC project, as I needed some time to work on some UFOs, as well as a few other things I had going on.

In terms of knitting UFOs I did finish a sweater for me and a pair of socks for DH (and yes, I did go back and rip out the first toe and re-knit it). I did not finish DH's colourwork mittens, in part because they're too complex to work on during thesis time, but the extra yarn did arrive.

And: the biggest UFO of all: my dissertation. I sent a revised draft of all of my chapters to my thesis advisor and second reader on Saturday night. Now I just need to whip up an introduction and conclusion and I should be set to defend—soon. It's exciting and scary and everything all at once!

Other January news: I had my 5 year blogiversary. I'm a little sad because I just found out this morning that the first prize winner received her prize package last night and it was empty. The card was there but the yarn was gone. Way to go USPS. I'm so disappointed and angry and I'm going to call them later and give them a real earful. I'm also going to try and call the distributing centers near to us both and see if they can't locate it. The silly thing is that the package was sealed back up, so it makes me wonder if someone noticed it was open. Or opened it. In any case, I'm once again disappointed in USPS. This is not the first time something in a package I've sent went missing, or took WAY TOO LONG to get to it's destination (disqualifying me from a job in Canada I would have died for)... the list goes on and on. I guess one of these times I'll learn my lesson and switch to fed ex or ups.

But let's end this on a happy note, and the reason for the many many socks pictured above: the international sock swap starts tomorrow!!! Which means you still have until tonight at midnight to sign up. (Probably really until tomorrow morning... I most likely won't be up at midnight to shut down the sign ups.) So if you're still on the fence COME JOIN US! It's a fun group and I have several pairs now of awesome socks that I love to wear all the more because they were made FOR me, instead of by me. I love my own socks too, of course (and really need to make a few more pairs soon as some of the older ones are getting threadbare), but there's something special about wearing socks that someone made especially for you.

Hope your January was just as good, and here's to an even better February!

WIPs on a weekend

all you need is rainbow, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

The rainbow baby blanket is well over half way finished, in part thanks to the ease with which garter stitch can be accomplished even when reading complex passages of psychoanalysis!
Pattern is the Super Easy Baby Blanket, which clearly lives up to its name.

Another new WIP I'm working on is Argo:



Obviously I've only just started, and so far I am loving it (and especially the yarn, which is Cascade Indulgence (70% alpaca, 30% angora... what's not to love?) that I got on a a craftsy deal for a great price). I'm a little worried, though, since I'm using a worsted weight (and a light one at that), while the original pattern calls for aran... I did get gauge on 8s but the fabric was very hole-y and I didn't like it at all... so I went down a needle size and up a pattern size and am crossing my fingers that it'll all work out for the best... also worrying is the reports of pilling for this yarn... alpaca and angora, two of the hairiest yarns out there... of course there will be pilling... let's just hope I can control it with a sweater shaver!

the post you actually wanted to read this morning

Drum roll please.......

The winner for best answer (because it involved yaks and the phrase "hot knitting" which probably will generate me lots of google hits) goes to: Kate!

And the 2 random draws go to: Kim and Elinor! (Yes, the random number generator really chose 1 and 2. I guess that's why they call it random!)

I'll contact you guys shortly on ravelry, unless you see this first and then feel free to send me a message with the name of the pattern you want me to gift to you!

really finished this time

gartery buttony swingy, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I finally sewed on a button and made a loop for my garter stitch swingy sweater last night. Don't mind my hair.... or my face... it's still early, ok?

So now it's really, really finished and I'm going to wear it out of the house this morning! I'm still thinking about adding another button or two, I have three of these that I bought ages ago without any plan, I just thought they were kind of awesome. Anyway, we'll try one this morning and see how that goes.

Comments have been (or at least will be momentarily) closed for the 5 year blogiversary contest. Winners will be announced later when I'm not about to run out the door for yoga.

one of these things is not quite like the other

not quite, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

As you may be able to tell, upon not-so-close inspection, one of these socks is longer than the other. I made the first one some time ago and did not really pay attention to the length (something about boredom and not loving the yarn might have been involved) and so it really wasn't long enough for DH. The second one fits better (truth be told it is still snug, but Cascade Fixation is nothing if not stretchy) so all that's left to call these finished is cutting out the toe of the first and knitting a little more length. I also decreased more on the second which makes for a pointier (and therefore also longer) toe.

I should probably go do that right now before I remember how much I dislike the yarn and cast them off for something newer and shinier...

Reminders!

Just wanted to remind everyone that they have until tomorrow night to enter the blogiversary contest and 10 days to sign up for the next international sock swap!

5 years

I thought about not posting today, in solidarity with other sites that have gone dark against sopa (see wikipedia today for info and how you can speak out against it, and the oatmeal for an amusing but informative explanation) but since I generally only post my own images, I'm most likely exempt. And... blogiversary! So... SOPA bad, knitting good.

5 years ago today, I started this blog. Looking back on it is a bit strange... it's like a timeline of my life... in yarn. Sure, lots of other stuff has happened to me, but much like last year's SIAC projects, I can pick out the different phases of my life in the last 5 years and many of the projects bring back memories tied to them and the people for whom they were intended.

5 years is both a long time and a short time. I'm still in grad school (but not for long, suckas!) but yet I also met, and married, the love of my life in that period. I have more than 200 projects (211 to be exact) in my Ravelry notebook, and I'm sure there are a few that didn't make it on there, especially since I actually joined Ravelry a few months after starting this blog. This will be post 550 on the blog (just a coincidence, that).

I like blogging. I'm not sure how relevant my little knit-blog is to the world, but it's fun and affords more space for me to talk about my projects in a way I somehow don't see as appropriate in the ravelry notebook space. I like blogging so much that I recently started a new blog: Bikram, begin again to document my progress in yoga. Last October I decided that I was putting off feeling healthy and happy to work on the thesis, but that if I wasn't healthy and happy my work was suffering for it. It's one of the vicious cycles of grad school: you don't think you should do things that make you feel good because you think you should be solely focusing on work... but solely focusing on work is not healthy or happy and eventually the whole thing just falls apart on you. So taking the time out of my day a few times a week to do something I a) love and b) makes me feel better mentally, emotionally and physically is actually helping my work, not hindering it. Sort of like knitting while I read, I guess!

Anyway, if you've gotten this far, here's the deal: to celebrate my 5 year blogiversary there will be prizes! To enter, comment on this post with answers to the following 2 questions:

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (Knitting, life, love, whatever)

2. If you could suggest a rename for this blog, what would it be and why?

As for me, in 5 years I'm pretty sure I'll still be knitting, I really hope I'll still be practicing yoga, and with any luck, holding down the elusive tenure-track job. As for the rename, well, as I mentioned before, the grad school thing won't last forever... in fact, I'm getting close to the point where I can confidently say it should be over much sooner, rather than later. So I think that it's time to start considering a graduation of sorts for my blog and my ravelry persona. Something that encompasses not just my love of knitting but perhaps a mishmash of the other aspects of my life as well. One day, perhaps I'll incorporate Bikram, begin again and a knitting blog into one... we shall see.

But really, let's face it. You're still here because you want to know what the prizes are:



First place (for best answers, as deemed by myself and perhaps DH, if I need some help deciding) will get one skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co's studio sock in "Thomas Circle". I bought two with the idea that I would make some kind of striped sweater but I don't really think I have enough. I do have enough for socks though, even out of one, or perhaps a small shawl? In any case, I think the other will be put to good use by one of you good people.

Two more commenters will be chosen at random and I'll gift them the paid-for ravelry pattern of their choice.

Comments will be open on this post from now (Jan 18, 7:30-ish AM) until the end of the weekend (Jan 22nd, midnight-ish). Please make sure you leave your ravelry name in your comment so I can contact you!

OK, that's it, commence commenting!

things to do with sock yarn

2/7 of a rainbow, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Since I "finished" my sweater the other day (buttons notwithstanding), I figured it would be ok to cast-on for another project. Also, colourwork mittens are not exactly great a great project for knitting-while-reading/watching tv. They are dedicated concentration knitting and I needed something a little more simple.

I have a couple of very close friends who are expecting this year and so it's time for the invasion of the baby knits! Above is the beginnings of a Super Easy Baby Blanket from Purl Soho. The original calls for sport weight but since most of the babies I'm about to meet are due in the summer, I though finger weight would be more appropriate. I also wanted something fun, gender neutral and happy so I'm going with ROYGBIV: all the colours of the rainbow. I just started on yellow, right after this picture was taken, and I'm loving this blanket. Squishy garter stitch in soft knit picks stroll tonal (looks like I ordered at just the right time as several of the colours I chose are no longer available) make for a yummy knit. And, of course, washable. I have no romantic notions that my baby knits will not get spit up on at some point in their lives.

And hey, if you want to keep your sock yarn for socks and socks alone, you should totally come join us over at the international sock swap! Sign-ups are still open and will be until the end of January! Knit a pair of socks for someone else and get a pair in return. You get the joy of knitting and gifting to someone who will really understand and appreciate the work you put into it AND receive a handknit gift yourself (something that I don't get very often... although I do love to gift my knits too).

maybe now it'll snow?

garter stitch swingy sweater, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I started this in late September, hoping that I'd finish it in time for fall... but now it's January and we've barely had a winter. It is supposed to snow quite a bit this weekend though, so maybe I'll get some buttons on by then and I'll get some use out of it after all!

When I get buttons on I'll take pictures in some better light. Raveled here.

this is not the stash you're looking for

space cadet lucina, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I swear, I'm knitting from stash. And finishing up old UFOs. And I didn't buy that yarn.

Ok, I did. But it was months ago, as part of the SpaceCadet Creations' Interstellar Yarn Alliance Yarn Club. I had almost completely forgotten about it, until it showed up on my doorstep last night! So no, just like the mittens, this doesn't count.

In other news: I love this yarn! LOVE! I love the semi-strange mix of colours and the subtle sparkle. The base is Lucina and the colour name is "Selfish". Which is the perfect name, because this is MINE! ALL MINE!!

Does it count as stash enhancement if you run out of yarn?

so close, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

In my attempt to finish up some UFOs, as per my knitterly resolutions, I have come across an issue pertaining to yet another of said resolutions. See that picture of yarn up there? That's the yarn I'm using to make DH some mittens. I have one complete (minus the thumb) and there is a total of 48g of yarn left. (I know you can't really see it, but I promise, that's what it says on the scale.)

As for the mitten itself:



Yep, you guessed it, 48 grams. And no thumb. Which means that if I were to add the thumb, the mitten would have to weigh more than 48 grams and the yarn would therefore weigh less. Science? (Actually, math, but you get my point.)

So, I found out that webs sells the same icelandic wool and ordered another two skeins of the same yarn. I think what I'm going to do is knit the second mitten out of the yarn I already have and then use the new yarn for the thumbs, just in case it's not a total dyelot match.

So, what do you think? Does buying yarn to complete a project count as stash enhancement? Have I already broken my resolutions? Or am I in the clear?

Happy New Year!

owl heels!, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone out there got to spend it with the people they love. DH and I mostly just spent it at home, drinking a little champers and watching the ball drop from the comfort of our couch. We thought about going out to see some fireworks but it was kind of a dreary day, so home seemed like the best option.

So, what does a sock have to do with the New Year, you might ask... well, it's also time for another International Sock Swap! That is one of the socks I made for my last partner, back in the summer swap. (I sat out the Christmas swap so that I could focus on school work and such... but I just missed the group so much that I'm back for the 2012 swaps!) If you want to join up, check out the group (linked above but here it is again for good measure!) and fill in the questionnaire. These socks went all the way to Italy, and my own package came to me from Texas.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2012... and that you have lots of time for crafting this year!!

resolve

Roy G Biv, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

For 2012 I have a few knitting-related resolutions that I'm hoping to keep.

For starters: I want to finish some long languishing projects before starting anything new. This includes the sweater that only needs one more (3/4 length) sleeve, a sock to match it's already finished partner, and a pair of possibly insanity inducing mittens. The only other UFO I have lying around that can't be included in this resolution is the never ending blanket. This is mostly due to the fact that I have used up all of the bits of left-over sock yarn that I have for the moment, and therefore it will actually have to wait until there are more bits available to add to it.

My second knitterly resolution is to stash down. As you can see from the above photo, as well as this recent post, the stash has been on the rise as of late... and you haven't even seen this:



or this:



yet... and there's enough of each for a sweater, at least. Damn you, internets.

So, knitting from the stash, and, if possible, keeping up the SIAC (self-imposed-accessory-club) for 2012. 12 projects, direct from stash yarn and ravelry queued patterns. As for that top picture (which is knit picks' stroll tonal in ROYGBIV) I have plans... oh, do I have rainbowy, beautiful plans. But you'll just have to wait to see those!

2011 in review

feb siac, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Earlier this year I decided to try and use up some of my stash by making sure that at least one project a month was knit only using stash yarn. To this end I completed 10 projects starting in February and ending in November. (Technically I made lots of projects in December and some of them even fit the criteria, but the whole Christmas rush thing was more important than picking a particular project to feature as the SIAC project du jour.)

Above are the first socks I made for the Self-Imposed-Accessory-Club in February. Their simplicity (but cute picot detail) was very satisfying at that point, and I still wear them often.



March was dedicated to the shawl I would wear on my wedding day. I don't count it technically finished until April 2, according to ravelry, but the knitting portion was finished long before that... I just waited around forever to block it.



April was a busy month (see previous project...) and I had fought with this yarn on previous occasions, trying to find a way to make it into something that looked good and was usable. Finally, in the last few days of the month (and possibly running into the next), this cowl came to light.



Can I just say that I looooooove the socks that May brought about? The yarn (knit picks stroll tonal) is so soft but strong, and the pattern was just the right amount of mindless and interest. I really need to make more socks with paneled patterns as opposed to pattern all over.



June took us to Iceland for our honeymoon (of which there are many, many pictures both on this blog and in my flickr stream), where I worked on these socks for DH as we drove around the island.



July was moving time, and I'm shocked that I actually finished a project in that time. It was a strange time for us, we moved to a temporary place with most of our stuff in storage, and then again a week or two later... most of it is a blur to me now, so I barely remember how or when I actually had the time to knit, but I did. I ended up gifting this shawl to my grandmother this Christmas. I'm just not a shawl person, but I'm more than happy to knit them for others!



It was so hot I don't know what possessed me to make this hat in August.... but it was quick and small, so I guess it was easier than a blanket? In any case, I love the hat (and the mitts I made to match for a later SIAC) and wore both for most of the late fall with a leather jacket that matched the tones perfectly.



Oh, monkey, how you torture me. I've made so many pairs of monkey socks and so many of them have come to ruin. I only got to wear these a few times before one accidentally made it into the dryer and felted beyond repair. Sigh.



Matching mittens! Sadly the manos is fuzzing a lot, especially on the palms, where they come into contact with things like steering wheels, but the hat is in great condition, and I think the mitts will be again soon, whenever I take the time to locate my sweater shaver...



November had me madly dashing to finish some socks for a friend, long promised. And I did it! I even was able to leave them for her in her mailbox while visiting so that I didn't have to risk mailing them. (The PO and I have been in disagreement lately as to how efficiently they should send my packages.)

And that was 2011. Obviously that was not everything that I made this year, but it was a good representation and funnily enough, many of the projects are connected deeply to the major events of my year. I plan to continue the SIAC/stash down (which has grown in spite of my valiant efforts) in 2012, but more on that later...

a very yarny christmas

claudia handpaints bootcamp, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

You've seen most of what I've knit for Christmas, but I wanted to share some yarny things that I received, as well as a few things I made that haven't yet debuted here.

But I'd also like to say that if you've never read hyperbole and a half, you really should go check out this is why I'll never be an adult and then sneaky hate spiral. Even if you never come back here, you'll understand how my morning has been. I really do want to clean all the things... but it's contending with my desire to stay wrapped up in a blanket on my couch, death-staring the Christmas presents that haven't found a home yet, as well as the unpacked suitcases of dirty clothes.

OK, back to the yarny bits: above is Claudia Hand Painted Fingering in Bootcamp. I love this colourway. I'm a little concerned about making it into socks, however, since it does say hand wash/machine wash delicate. We shall see. I'm sure it'll become something great, in any case.

Also in the stash-enhancing category:



More claudia handpainted fingering in Deep Blue. Both are from DH and both are much loved!

Of the things I knit-and-have-not-yet-been-seen:



A Dr. Bunsen Honeydew to hold DH's glasses! He really wanted it, and it's getting good use. The original pattern is crocheted, but I just converted the stitches one-to-one (if it said single crochet x stitches, I knit x stitches... etc).

I also knit yet another Oh, Christmas Tree:



And finally, my dad has spent a lot of time traveling for work this year, including some months in Australia. He brought back some little handmade goodies, including the snowman hanging in the background of the above photo and this:



We were all calling it a hedgehog, but it is apparently an "echidna". It (and I believe the ornaments... there is a Santa Claus somewhere too, but he's hiding in the dark depths of a bag I don't feel like unpacking right now) was made and sold by one of the crafters of the little glory gallery.

I hope you had a lovely and yarny Christmas too. Now, back to staring at the things, in the hopes that they will put themselves away.

dork meter: to the max

I've been trying to get this to work all day, and I think it's finally a go: a new Float-Weaving Tutorial! I put one up years ago: here, and I always wanted to update it for a variety of reasons. So, finally, here it is!

why didn't I think of this sooner?

pink christmas, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Ornaments are the perfect quick knit. You don't have to worry if they'll fit... and if the recipient hates it, you've only lost a couple hours knitting time, as opposed to a couple of weeks.

In the case of the above, it's entirely possible that someone could either LOVE it, or HATE it... but I kinda am leaning towards love. Oh, and it's not so much that the picture is blurry, as it is the fun fur. That's right. I used fun fur. And no, it was not fun.

Pattern is same as yesterday, my new Oh, Christmas Tree pattern, available for free on ravelry.

I also whipped up another little guy:



This one took slightly longer, if only to sew on the arms & legs and embroider the details. But still, a super quick knit. Pattern is part of the Merry Knitted Toy Trio. I'm going to add a hook and he'll be perfect ornament sized.

I think I'm done with all my Christmas knitting, except for a pair of mitts that I promised DH. They're colourwork (eep) so it might be pushing it to think that they could be done for the 25th, but I see him a little more often than I do the fam, so I think he'll forgive me the wait...

P.S. Apologies if you're seeing this twice... I accidentally hit post too quickly the first time around.

my christmas gift to the knitters

oh, christmas tree, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

No, it's not just that I'm posting twice in one day...

I was up rather early this morning (as evidenced by 2 posts pre-9:30am) and whipped up this little tree in less than 2 hours of total knitting time. I decided to write it up as I went and my gift to all the knitters is the pattern, free!

You can either: download now, or head on over to the ravelry pattern page for queuing and such.

Can't see it so well against the tree background?



Et voila. Happy Knitting and Merry Whatever-You-Like!

speaking of quick knits

winealicious, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Started this Thursday evening, knitting was done last night (Friday), just had to make the drawstring this morning.

DH suggested this as a good non-wearable (by humans anyway) knit for someone that I always find it hard to knit or shop for. This kind of kills 2 birds, one stone, right? A nice bottle of wine and a reusable cozy. (I'll replace the used bottle currently propping it up with a new, unopened one, promise!) The cozy is possibly the perfect idea for this person who is almost constantly traveling and likes to bring wines back from faraway lands. This way at least one bottle will be protected from any rough baggage handlers!

Pattern is Winecozy (that's a rav link, but it can also be found on knitty).
Yarn is Cascade 220/220 heathers, randomly striped.
Needles are US 3 dpns (4s are in use and that might be the only size I don't have multiples of...)
Mods are many:
- Used instructions to create in the round (found on the comments page on ravelry).

- Did not do any crochet edging.

- Used 2 colours for drawstring.

- Did a purl ridge at bottom rather than the ridge as described.

Last Minute Christmas Knits

Matching Mitts, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I thought I'd post about a few quick knits for which I have patterns on ravelry, just in case anyone out there is, like me, scrambling in the 9 days left til Christmas to find something quick but still cute to knit for everyone on their list. (Usually I'm much more organized, at least in the knitting category, but this year has been super busy between the dissertation and searching the job market...)

Above are my Garter Cuff Mitts available (for free!) on Ravelry. Knit in worsted weight (and great for getting rid of 1/2 balls or leftover scraps if you want to get stripey!) these are super quick and the pattern comes with 4 sizes.

Next up:



My Mittens Fit for French Cousins. Knit in bulky (even faster than worsted!), these shouldn't take more than a day or two of good knitting time to get under the tree! Also FREE on ravelry!

If you don't want to knit mittens there's always:



My Quicky Cowl pattern! Which is also free, knit in a heavy worsted and super quick. You don't even need to know how to knit in the round, since this is knit flat and then grafted at the end. (You could even cast on and off normally and sew it together if you want, although you'd see more of a seam that way.)

If you'd rather knit socks but think they'd take too long try a worsted weight pattern such as my Toasty Toes Worsted Weight Toe-Up Socks:



These ones are not free, but only $1.50 and I've done the math for 3 different sizes!

I have lots of other patterns, both free and for a small fee, but these are probably the quickest knits. You can see them all on my ravelry designer page.

If you're more organized than I am, what have you knit/are you knitting/will you knit for Christmas?? (I need some ideas too, ok?!)