More of the same

I was going to write about something else today. But then I remembered that I need to post some pictures, and I didn't have pictures for the other thing I was going to write about. So that will have to wait. Maybe tomorrow.

Today, I shall just say that my knitting continues apace. I got a fair amount of Abby's big ass scarf done today, because I had work and class, where I am able to knit more or less unmolested for large swathes of time.

It's overflowing my school bag in this picture. That should give you some idea of how much work I actually have to do for the MBA I'm working toward, i.e. NONE.

Caitlin and I started the fronts for our Runcorns, and I've already messed up some of the required decreases. Which is somewhat disheartening, since I hadn't even been drinking. Or doing anything else that required my attention. So bleh, and no picture of that because it's stuffed back in its bag until tomorrow. I'll just have to try harder. We decided that we would be happy if we finished the fronts before the end of the week. (Psst, Caitlin! What are we counting as the end of the week? Friday or Sunday?)







Also, I finished the cowl for my mother on Monday, but was too lazy to photograph it. And even having photographed it this evening, it doesn't look like much. I'm gonna make Abby come over and try it on anyway, so I'll make her pose for a picture when she does that. And I suppose I'll have to block it at some point, so it looks less like a lump of alpaca and more like the luscious, cozy winter accessory that it is!

We went to Texas Roadhouse for a fundraiser for Abby's sorority, btw. I ate too much, but it was delicious. And terribly unhealthy. I'd feel bad, but I love steak so much!



I worked a few rows on the melonstrosity this morning. It has been sadly neglected of late, because I had more exciting, and portable, things to do. Like scarves. And a cowl. So it hasn't seen much action and my efforts this morning were basically a drop in the bucket. I would vow to do better, but I have this thing about breaking vows, just because I object to making vows about things I enjoy. It's cuz I'm stubborn like that.

I think I need to do something to shake up my knitting in the near future. All this lazy k2, p2 rib nonsense is putting me in a coma. Suggest something exciting?

Not much knitting

I haven't gotten much knitting done today.

I got a few rows done on the Christmas cowl for my mother, but then we had to clean the house before she flew back from Iowa, so I helped with that. Then I had to get dressed, check on her flight status, find my dad and herd everyone out the front door so that we could pick her up from the airport in time. And, in case you were wondering, she wasn't flying in to DIA so there wasn't any knitting time in the car. Plus, the only things I had on the needles (that I wanted to work on) were her cowl, which she obviously doesn't know about and I'd like to keep it that way, and Abby's scarf, ditto. So, no knitting in the car.

Then we went on errands. And Wyatt was grumpy. And so was I. Then we came home, had lunch and watched some really stupid tv. Has anyone ever heard of American Ninja Warrior? It's a reality show about these guys who are basically insane and challenge themselves to undergo the world's most intense obstacle course. No American has ever achieved the title of "Ninja Warrior" but they still keep trying. Long story short, Wyatt had set up DVR for all the episodes of ANW that he was going to miss because he now lives 2 hours away, so we watched about 5 episodes of it this afternoon.

I'm beginning I have a strange addiction to reality tv. I end up watching a lot of it. I suppose it's related to the fact that my work and school schedules set me up to be home a lot during the day. When there's nothing else on. Anyway, I was strangely fascinated by Ninja Warrior, and therefore didn't seclude myself in my room to work on secret Christmas knitting. Plus, Wyatt no longer lives at home and I needed to spend time with him while he was here.

Yeah, that's a good excuse.

I was going to knit while my parents went to the store, but then I remembered some things that I needed there, so I ended up going with them. Then it was dinnertime. And now, I'm sitting on the couch, typing with some knitting in my lap. The Runcorn is officially back in business. I've knit all of 2 rows on them. I'm planning to knit maybe 2 more rows before I give up for the night and go hide in my room to knit on something else. But I'm going to start putting in some serious work on this sweater, because I have another sweater that I'd like to make and I feel like having more than 2 sweaters on the needles at the same time seems a bit like unfaithfulness. And lacking in stick-to-it-iveness. So I have vowed to finish the Runcorn before casting on the new sweater. That way I can feel good about myself. And not need more cables for my interchangeable needles. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

You can be the centerpiece of my obsession...

The title of today's post is particularly apt, since I'm feeling a bit obsessed this week. With many things: the song "All your life" by the Band Perry (if you haven't listened to it, I recommend it), the chunky scarves that never end (I started another one), and The Bridal Shower. There are often times that I find myself wholly taken up with a concept or activity. Therefore I know that these obsessions will pass, but for the moment, they are all-absorbing.






I had a good reason for casting on another of the big scarves, I swear! I was going to work, and I didn't have anything on the needles, because yesterday I finished Dj's scarf, and the day before that I finished the socks, and the Runcorn (what Runcorn?) isn't very portable or work friendly since it involves 3 colors and an ability to pay attention to the pattern, and... well, you get the idea. Anyway, since I have the yarn for 2 more of those giant scarves and Abby expressed an interest in one, and her birthday is in December... I cast another one on, just so I would have something to do at work.

Stop that laughing. I can quit whenever I want to. I just don't want to right now, ok?

The bridal shower, well, it's a big event, for one of my very close friends, who I haven't seen in a while, so of course I'm obsessed. Not to mention that I like girly things and decorating and baking and all that. So it's totally natural that I walked in to Michael's today and started freaking out about all the cute things that I could make from the baking section: cake pops, mini brownies, tiny cookies in the shape of her initials, little chocolate candy hearts... let's just leave it at that. I told my sister that I was going to open a bakery, so I could make those cute things all the time. She just laughed at me. Psh.

She's probably right, though. I'm more of a box-baker. Not that I can't make things from scratch, just that the box mixes are so much more convenient and quick! Anyway, probably not opening a bakery. But it's a fun thought!

Another of my totally fabulous obsessions is the fact that my friend Mariah is interested in learning to knit, and it's her birthday coming up, so...

I got her some yarn (Simply Soft and cotton, since they're both pretty accessible), and some needles (straights and circs in metal, and wooden straights). I'm planning on finding some pretty simple patterns too, maybe, and adding those to the bag of crac-- uh, I mean, her lovely birthday present. I'm such a good friend.

And, one last obsession that I forgot to mention up top: I'm knitting a cowl. Out of the most wonderful alpaca yarn that I got on sale from one of the LYSs where I live, because they are going out of business. I don't know about you guys, but when I'm confronted with the kind of closeouts these guys were offering on some absolutely wonderful yarns, my defenses crumbled! So I have a bunch of alpaca in this soft grey, and in a pale green. I'm not sure the green is really a color I would use, so I may be forced to over-dye it. Which will probably end up being another obsession. At least I can spot them coming?

The cowl will likely be done by the end of this weekend. I really like the pattern, A Noble Cowl (ravelry link, so if you don't have ravelry, it won't work). It's simple, easy to follow, easy to spot where you've made a mistake. Basically perfect. I hope my mom likes it. It's going to be her Christmas present.

Cravings

Do you know what I really wanted today? Sour Punch Straws. Any flavor would have done, really. I thought I would be able to find them at the 7-11 between where I was eating lunch and the place that I park for work. However, such was not the case. It was really very disappointing.

In order to cope with my disappointment and craving, I knit about 80% of a sock:

While I didn't actually finish the sock at work, enough of it was done that I didn't need to do much once I got home. Yay! So I've completed a pair. I'm not sure how I feel about them. They may need one or two repeats of the pattern to be removed. I worry that removing those repeats will make the top of the sock fit, but the bottom and heel of the sock be too short. Therefore, I've woven in the ends and am planning on wearing them around a little before I make a decision.

I also sent the invites for Shelby's bridal shower this afternoon! It was very exciting because, as I may have mentioned, I was getting a bit obsessive about them. I brought them to work with me, so I could finish writing things on the envelope and stamping the envelopes so they'd be as cute as possible. I posted a facebook status about being obsessive about "the invites," even. And apparently "invites" only means one thing to the facebook-verse: wedding invitations. I don't know why so many people assumed that it meant some portentous sort of invite, since it's not like I have a highly-active love life, but there you have it. This morning, I was forced to reassure several people that I wouldn't think of getting married in the near future. Ridiculous.

Also, it is finally time for you to meet Dj's scarf.

Nice colors, right? It's just a shame about having to carry the yarn up the side so much... you can see that on the edge of the scarf in the picture. I'm not sure what to do about that unattractiveness yet. Abby approves of the scarf, though. It's not done yet, although I bet I can finish it before the end of the day tomorrow. She put it on today and started making very satisfied noises about how cozy it is. She often has to go sit outside for long sporting events (Dj plays baseball. In Nebraska.), so she needs cozy clothing, and she prefers to steal that sort of clothing from her boyfriend. I suspect that she will get a lot more use out of this scarf than he will...

Anyway, that's all the knitting that's fit to print. And for those of you who are curious, I managed to find some Sour Punch Straws on my way home from work. Success!

Mmm, tasty lotion

My dog believes that leg lotion is a delicious and nutritious snack. Every time I shave my legs, and therefore require lotion on my legs, she notes the fact that I smell tasty and licks it all off. It's kind of disgusting. And tickly. And that's all I can think about tonight, because she won't stop licking my leg!

This is Lucy, my dog, being adorable. Primarily because this is not a picture of her licking my leg free of lotion. Gah!

In other, knitting related, news I have accomplished very little. Or very little of interest, anyway. Primarily because I'm a tremendous slacker, but also because I was accomplishing a Very Important Task today.

That's right, folks, I'm nearly done with my major Maid of Honor duty for Shelby's wedding. I have decided on the wording for the invites, printed the invites, attached a small amount of tulle to the invites (I didn't have to cut the tulle or attach the little bows, just attach the tulle to the card), and I've stuffed them, along with various other bits of invite paraphernalia, into envelopes. I have furthermore printed address labels for the guests, because my handwriting sucks, and printed myself return address labels, because at that point I was on a roll. As of tomorrow (hopefully), I will have mailed the invites out so that the lucky party invitees can get back to me and we can start the next phase of getting Shelby married! Woo!

Sorry about the lack of knitting, for those of you who just come by to see that. I've accomplished a great deal today, though little of it had any knitting involved. Presumably tomorrow will be slightly better. Carry on!

Boredom

So, looking back over the posts in this blog, you might get the idea that I'm the kind of knitter who works on one project at a time, finishes the project and then moves on to the next. Nothing could be further from the truth. Depending on the project and the deadline (self-imposed or otherwise), I can work on one project until it's done. But mostly, I have enough projects cast on so that I can knit through any mood.

I've got a lace project (I tried to start a second one today, it didn't work out) to work on when I have lots of concentration or feel like working on something difficult, I have a little project (or two, or three) for when I need something that I can see real progress on and can bring it with me, if I'm going somewhere. And I have a really plain project, for those times that I feel like doing something that doesn't take much thought. These projects are not, by any means, the only projects I have cast on at the same time. They're just a general accounting of what kind of projects I have and why.

Right now, for instance, I have a lace project that I'm dragging my feet on because I'm a little intimidated by the border, even though I'm sure it will be pretty. Lace can be pretty discouraging, though. Because it mostly looks like crap before you block it, and you don't make much progress per row. And, let's face it, because I don't have much practice at knitting on a border.







Then I have my pair of socks. I recently got a little carried away with purchasing yarn for pairs of socks that I would conceivably want to knit. So I'm going to have a sock on the go for the next little while, until the sock to-do list is a little smaller. Usually my choice for this type of project is actually a fingerless mitt. It drives people nuts. They don't understand how wonderful fgs are. Anyway, it's a nice sock, but the effects of SSS can be felt even now. I'm a little fatigued with the little bugger. Not that the pattern isn't charming (I picked the stitch pattern myself), not that it doesn't go quickly (it's worsted weight yarn on size 4 needles, it knits up like lightning!), just that I kind of have a need for new knitting things in my life.

That need for newness makes really large projects, like the melonstrosity very difficult. You haven't met the melonstrosity yet. It's a blanket, made out of Caron Simply Soft. It's luscious and pretty and I like the colors. It's pretty simple, since the only patterning is k10, p10 on the wrong side rows. However, the important characteristic of this project is that it's HUGE. As in, 380 stitches across. And, as near as my calculations can get me, I'm only about halfway done. Yep. I've been working on it since March. Pretty good stuff. I'll try to post a better picture one of these days, when I find a way to do justice to its enormity.





I've also got another of the chunky, lovely scarves for my sister's boyfriend. He's lovely. Ask anyone who has met him. His birthday is coming up, and we (Abby, boyfriend and myself) were talking about scarves a while ago. I don't remember how it came up, just that it did and I promised him I'd make him a lovely scarf, knit with my own two hands. It's going pretty quick, and I like the colors. Aside from the fact that I have to carry strands of two of the colors up 6 rows of color changes... let's not talk about that part. Not pictured because it's in the dining room and I don't feel like going, digging it up and taking a picture of it.

Then I have the start of a tunic in chunky weight yarn, which I cast on in July because I was so excited that Caitlin gave me the pattern for my birthday. Unfortunately, the tunic takes the same size needles as the melonstrosity and so the choice is either to work on one thing or the other and switch the needles back and forth, as the mood takes me. It hasn't seen much work since the epic 9 day road trip to Hades. No picture because it's in my knitting bag and I don't feel like pulling it out. It'll make me feel guilty.

And then there's the Runcorn. It's a sweater. And it's lovely, even if I find the condensed version of all of the instructions a bit confusing and frustrating. It's really a nice sweater, and I think I'm going to love it. Caitlin and I even found some buttons that match our chosen colors perfectly. Which was totally random, but obviously it was meant to be!








Anyway, those are my projects, in the interest of full disclosure about my inability to knit all the way through a single project without even little breaks to knit other things. It doesn't make me a bad person, just means that I need a lot more sets of knitting needles. And rules about how many things I can have cast on at once.

PS. If the pictures suck, it's cuz I took them with my iPod. My camera is in my purse, in the kitchen. Again, laziness overpowers need for pictures.

New week, new work, new knitting

Hi friends! I started my new tutoring job today. I think I mentioned that I'm a tutor at several different schools, today I started work at the UCCS math center. It was pretty boring, since it was also the first day of class for many students, and therefore not many people are obsessive enough to come beg for help from the math center. Since there wasn't much to do, I knit half a sock:

Attractive, right? I think so. I knit the first half of the sock during tutor training (again for UCCS) last Tuesday. I can't even tell you how many people think it's fascinating to see people knitting in public. And how many people asked what I was knitting, whether it was a hat, who was it for, and then expressed surprise that the sock was for me! I suppose the sock looks a bit smaller off the foot than on, so that last part isn't as shocking as I like to think it is.

I can't even explain to you how clever I felt turning the heel of this sock. I mean, heels in general are pretty clever. But I was doing it from memory from the 2 pairs of socks that I've already knit. And it looked Just. Like. A Heel. While I was sitting surrounded by people whose qualifying feature is that they are good at math. I don't know why that last part made me feel clever. But it just did. 

I also cast on the second sock, in the hopes of staving off second sock syndrome. I am a frequent sufferer of second mitt syndrome for my fingerless mitts, so it's a technique that has worked before. But we shall see. I should have lots of time to work on it this week, since I'll also be working at the PPCC math lab, and I'll have class on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Who knows, I could have a new pair of socks before the end of the week!

P.S. Don't tell me how funny looking the sock is. I already know, and I'm not thinking about it. I have giant feet and as long as the socks look attractive on, what do I care if they look like they could hold the remote to every single one of your tvs?

Quickie

I just wanted to share with all 3 of you that I have finished a pair of fingerless gloves (fgs, for future reference). They're a lot prettier when they're on, but I like them, cuz they sparkle. They shouldn't have taken so long to make, but I had some starting issues. Turns out, items fit a lot better/look a lot better if you use the correct needle size. Lesson learned, next time I will double check my needles when I think the fabric looks a bit strange.

Closet acrylic

I have a confession to make. Despite my penchant for luscious fibers such as alpaca and silk, I also secretly adore acrylic. Nice acrylic, of course. But I like the bright colors, and the fact that it's pretty cheap, and you can get a lot of yardage. It's just so easy. So I keep all my ends of simply soft, just in case I think of a project in which I can use them. And I've fallen deeply in love with Lion Brand's Hometown USA. 

It started with a scarf. A scarf for my brother, since he just started his first year at CU Boulder. And I decided, like any conscientious knitting big sister, that what he really requires is a school spirit related scarf, to wear to football games, and attract members of the opposite sex (or same sex, I'm not here to judge) by it's wonderful squishy coziness. Not so long ago, Caitlin made her brother a wonderful blanket out of Hometown USA. And with the leftovers, she made her sister a wonderful scarf. So wonderful. And I decided that is just what Wyatt needs.

This thing was so quick to knit up. And now I'm addicted. I'm making one for my sister's boyfriend, whose birthday is coming up, I've got the yarn for 2 other scarves that I'm not sure who they're for yet, but they will be WONDERFUL. Squishy and warm, really wide and long (I don't like bitty scarves. I suspect this is related to my horror of cold. More on this topic at a later date.), and so colorful! Really, it's a killer combination. 

Seriously, though. This scarf took me less than 2 days. And look how cozy it looks! And it's taller than I am (I'm almost 6 feet tall). This is the perfect scarf for cold sporting events. I just hope he loves it as much as I do. He doesn't really have a track record for being grateful for things that people give him that he didn't necessarily ask for. But I also gave him Wall-E for his birthday. So he can suck it up. This present is about me, not him. So there!

First time blogger

So, time for true confessions, I guess. I just wanted a blog so I could be like the cool kids. It seems like everyone's got a blog these days, and I feel a bit left out. Therefore, I'm gonna blog about mostly crafty-type stuff. Like my knitting, and spinning, and struggle to wait to buy a spinning wheel until I can actually afford it. But, fair warning, there might be some other stuff thrown in. Like commentary on my daily life. And things that regularly piss me off (might be a lot of these, I'm not sure yet, but I'll try to keep the whining to a minimum). I've never had a blog before, so there might be some issues with posting and other stuff. But I'll do my best.

For now, let's start with some stuff about me. I graduated in 2010 with a degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Since the economy is in the toilet, and I'd really like to stay in Colorado, I have yet to find an engineering-related job that wants me. Therefore, I'm working as a tutor for some local colleges in the Math Lab. It's a pretty interesting job, because I get ALL kinds of people asking me ALL kinds of questions. You'll probably hear a little bit about that later.

I'm a knitter. I taught myself when I was in middle school/high school, but didn't really get into it until I moved in with a bunch of other girls in college, one of whom was a crocheter and one of whom was a knitter. She's got a blog here, you should read it, she's really funny. Anyway, they used to sit and craft in front of the tv when we had downtime, and I started getting interested. I got into crochet first, because it looked a little less complex and I liked how easy it was to construct a hat. Then Caitlin made a clapotis, and I had to have one, so I picked up knitting again. And haven't stopped since.

I quickly moved through the phase where Simply Soft was good enough for me, and branched out to buying actual natural fibers from actual yarn stores. And then I encountered alpaca. Mmmm. Such lusciousness, I just couldn't resist. Ever since, I've had a complete love affair with any kind of alpaca yarn. And silk, and any combination of the two. It's a hazardous taste. Hence the name of this blog. Have I mentioned that I spin as well? Oh boy, let me tell you, the fiber stash is getting a little bit out of control.

Anyway, I'll probably get around to posting pictures of some of my projects in the near future. I've got quite a few things on the go at the moment, so look forward to seeing them. And thanks for dropping by!