primary

primary, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

It's not that I don't have lots to tell, but time, and the desire to keep the details of what is above a little bit secret, I'll tell all later.

so much going on

IMG_0089, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Sorry, I know I've been a bad blogger, but things are crazy busy. I'm in Spain, teaching a course for Canadian students. We left last Sunday (although it seems like so much longer already) and will be here for another 2 weeks. I'm having a great time (and I think all my students are too) but not much time for knitting or blogging. (Or yogaing for that matter!)

Anywho, above is the seed stitch baby jacket that I made for my soon-to-be niece/nephew. I made the 6-9 month size so that it will be useful around Christmas time/early Spring, hopefully. I used Universal Yarn Classic Worsted Tapestry (wool/acrylic blend... aka machine washable and dryable!). The buttons are super cute, but sadly hard to see in the picture. They're little sheep (if you couldn't tell). Fortunately I finished it last Saturday and was visiting my family so I could gift it to my brother and sister-in-law before I left. Not pictured was another meepcraft baby stuffy (this one, to be exact). I love their stuff and it supports some good friends of mine, so buy meep!craft!!

In other knitting news, I got my Sock Swap Package mere days before I left for Spain! I got an amazing package, as you can see for yourself:


(Not pictured: delicious, delicious baked goods...)

I love everything about them and the socks fit perfectly:



The pattern for the socks is apparently grace from Knitty Winter 2011. So lovely!

If you are interested in swapping, the sign ups are open (see the link above) for the next swap until June 1. I won't be participating this time because of all my travel, etc... but I know that I'll miss it!

Coming along

Coming along, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

It might not look like much, but this baby sweater is really flying off the needles. One front and the back are complete, and the second front piece is about 1/2 done.

I'm posting this from my newest "toy".... er, "productivity tool".... My new iPad!! I've already downloaded goodreader on the advice of the yarn harlot, which is a great PDF reader, that should be useful for making annotations on knitting patterns and academic articles alike.

If anyone has any suggestions as to other apps that might be useful, I'd be happy to hear about them!!!

lavender and plum

swap socks 2012 #1, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Finally! My swap socks for the first swap of 2012 are finished! I started these Feb 20, but other, bigger projects (aka the dissertation and defense) took precedence and so the second sock, especially, hit the back burner for a while. Coupled with my forgetfulness (I was nervous and didn't pack ANY knitting for the defense trip!), these poor socks languished on the needles longer than necessary.

But no more! They're done and I'm quite happy with the way they turned out.

Pattern is Feather and Fan Socks (Rav link; also available online and free w/o rav login).
Yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Deep Waters and Blue Violet. (Approx. .5 of a skein each.)
Needles are US 1.5 dpns.
Mods: Decreased to 68 sts over foot... 72 just seemed like too much. Decreased to 16 before grafting toe.
My pair raveled here.

Hope my partner enjoys her new socks!!

ETA: The next swap is fast approaching. Sign-ups will begin in early May. If you want to take part, check out the International Sock Swap Group on ravelry!

coming up for air

Red Thread Front, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

My apologies for the long, unannounced break... it wasn't planned, but a mixture of unseasonably warm weather (and therefore a lack of desire to knit) and then a flurry in work-related crazy (more about that shortly), meant that I was really without much to post about in the past few weeks!

This past week and a half I was back visiting friends and colleagues at my home-institution. I had a phone interview (fingers crossed) and, more importantly, I defended my thesis! Successfully, even! So it's been a whirlwind, with little time to knit. In fact... I was so nervous, packing to go to my defense that I forgot to pack any knitting! I didn't even realize until I was on my way to the airport!!

So, what's that up there, you ask? Well, I got to visit my favorite LYS while I was there and I picked up a few things to keep my mind occupied as I counted down the days... above is the front side of aphrodite in Neighborhood Fibre Co's Studio Sock. And here's the back:



I also picked up something for another special baby about to come into my life:



I'm not going to say which special baby it is, or what it is, since there are a couple and I think that some of the mommas read along.

Speaking of special babies and mommas, we had a baby shower for one of our other soon-to-bes. I made sure that baby got some hand-made love (although his momma is also an excellent knitter!):



Super Easy Baby Blanket in rainbow colours of Knit Picks Stroll Tonal.

and:



A super cute baby friend from Meep!Craft.

Ok, sorry for the super long post, but I need to make up for such a long period of absence! I promise it won't be such a long time before I post again!

the effects of global warming

celtic knot glove, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I finished up the first of the knotty gloves a while ago, but couldn't find batteries for my camera (not that I was looking super hard...). Anyway, the batteries showed up last night, so I took this picture this morning.

However, it was 79 degrees out when I took the picture, so there was no way that I was keeping it on! In fact, it's too hot to even knit right now, especially since I can't fathom putting in the airconditioner in March. It's just wrong!

It's supposed to cool down this weekend, so maybe I'll cast on the second one then...

Raveled here.

very knotty

knotty gloves, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

you know, because the pattern is called knotty gloves...

So I decided to throw caution to the wind and start something new! A pair of gloves for me, my first gloves for me, surprisingly enough... although I am more of a mitten kind of gal. But gloves have their purposes and I have some of the conductive thread left over so I can sew some in to the fingers and use my phone without freezing my hands!

And, I ended up going down a needles size (I have small hands and the pattern suggests a smaller gauge to compensate) so my 1.5 dpns are still free to make socks should I feel some pangs of guilt.

(Requisite apologies for the mac-cam photo... my camera batteries died this morning and while I know we have more somewhere around here, I couldn't find them and wanted some instant-photo-gratification...)

one down, oooooooh shiny....

lavender and plum times one, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I finished up the first of my sock swap socks this morning... and decided that instead of casting on the second, I'd really rather get going on my March SIAC project. I know I should finish up these first... but I really want to make something different right now. The worst part is that they both require the same set of DPNs (which, of course, is the only set I have in 1.5US, shockingly enough), so I have a really quandary on my hands.

What would you do? Finish up the socks first, or throw caution to the wind and cast on something else? The socks don't have to be mailed until the end of April, so time is not really a factor...

moonwalking on eggshells

moonwalking on eggshells, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

What a lovely surprise! I just ran out to get some things from the grocery, and upon my return what should be sitting on top of my mailbox but my much anticipated final (sniffle!) package from SpaceCadet Creations!

The colourway is called "Eggshells" (hence the blog title... space[cadet] + eggshells... welcome to my brain), and is dyed onto her "Celeste" finger weight base. (490 yards of 100% Superwash Merino!)

Sitting underneath the yarn is a project bag made out of exclusive SpaceCadet fabric! I love the look of the little space dude, so this bag will get lots of use, I'm sure!

I think I might love this package most of all, which is going to make it super hard to not sign up again... but given my looming (potential... fingers crossed that something will come around for September) unemployment, it's probably best to abstain for a round or two... but if you're interested, I happen to know that sign-ups will be open for the second half of march and can be found over at SpaceCadet Headquarters.

As for me... I have plans for this yarn already brewing in my head... we'll just have to see which one wins out!

etsy goodness!

I'm not going to post what I bought, because I want it to be a surprise for the future mamas, but I just bought some adorable baby stuff from my good friends at MeepCraft! Everything is organic or upcycled, or organic AND upcycled. It arrived today and it's cute. SO CUTE.

Thanks ladies!

What I'm Working on, Weekend Edition

googly eyes, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Remember the Argo Sweater I started a few weeks ago? I've been slowly plucking away at it, although I had some issues with the contiguous sleeve instructions. I finally worked it all out (I think) and and now working on the sleeve increases. It's slow, but I think it'll be a great sweater when it's done.

What I've really been working on the last week or so, is a pair of socks for the international sock swap:



I hope my partner likes them!

mojo times two

mojo times two, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Almost the same, but not quite. Mojo #1 is on the left foot, #2 on the right. #1 has the inside out toe and heel.

Pattern is mojo, on size 1.5 US dpns and using some lovely Socks that Rock lightweight in "My Wild Irish Girlie".

These are pretty crazy socks, with the pooling and the slightly mis-mashed/reversed ribbing, but I like 'em. I like 'em a lot.

mojo number 1

mojo number 1, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

These socks are so crazy. But comfy! The yarn is pooling strangely, I think in part because the changing ribbings makes things move around a bit differently (if that makes sense... I can't really find the right words to explain it, except that purling takes up a little more yarn than knitting so depending on what part of the sock you're on you'll get different amounts of yardage used).

I worked the afterthought heel with the sock inside out for this sock so that it would mirror the inside-out toe. Since the two socks are not identical, I'm excited to see how the second one will work up. Could be similar, could be totally different...

Wild Weekend WIPs

wild irish sockies, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I've made mojos before, for the first sock swap and I loved them so much I swore I'd make myself a pair, eventually.

So, here we are, a pair of mojo socks for me, in Socks That Rock Lightweight, colourway "My Wild Irish Girlie". Love the colours in this sock and it's too wild to be in a sock with intricate lace or cable patterns, so I think mojo suits it just fine.

The rest of my wips (argo and dh's crazy mittens) haven't changed at all in the last week... maybe I'll have more to report in a week's time (especially since I'm almost done with my intro to the thesis and will have a lot of free time on my hands!).

rainbows and babies!

rainbows and babies!, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Need I say more?

Raveled here.

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...