Posted on June 11, 2007 in Books, Knitting & Crafting
Just some updates of what I have been up to. I started Watership Down today, am more than halfway now, and enjoying it immensely. I reread Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone this past weekend, as well as listening to Stephen Fry’s audiobook for it while I knitted the Rose Wrist Warmers.
During the narration, I finished the left glove. No photos until the complete project. It could have been longer, but it fits very well. I always worry about that sort of thing because I never make a gauge swatch. Gasp. I know. When I knit a sweater, I’ll do it then. Anyway, the only issue is that I forgot to BO the thumb loosely, and so right now it has a tube of lipstick in the thumb to stretch the BO edge. It’s actually working until I block it when I’m finished the right one. I’ve CO for that, but I won’t knit it for a couple more days methinks. Estimated time of FO: Two weeks. After that, back to socks.
Last week, I went to Michaels. They truly suck for needles selection because they didn’t have either of the circs I wanted. They only seem good for the yarn sales I’m waiting for, on Patons SWS and Classic Merino Wool.
As for the tangled pink Misti Lace Alpaca, I enlisted my mother to help me out and she helped detangle it out. It’s not perfect because we had to break it, but it’s now wound into two toilet paper roll. I just need the needles, and then I can start the Swallowtail Shawl.
Posted on May 29, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
 On your left, is the two balls of Wendy Merino DK that I bought an hour ago, and on your right is The Bane of My Existence: a tangled mess of the Misti Alpaca Lace that I posted about buying in this post. I starting putting it in a centre pull ball using the toilet paper roll method, but let’s be honest, I have never had to use a reshape a hank of yarn, and something went awry. It just got steadily worse. I believe I am a patient person, but I don’t think I can untangle all this yarn; there’s 400m in a hank and I doubt I’ve gotten far at all. I think I’m going to give up and just shell out for another hank, probably in another colour because I feel the pink was bad luck. I’m going to buy it this weekend with the needles, and roll it in the store under the supervision of knitters far advanced than me.
The Wendy Merino is for a project I am going to cast on fairly soon, this weekend probably. I’ll post more about it when I do. I also bought US3/3.0mm 16″ circs and DPNS today for other projects. I know, I’ve basically planned out five (almost six) projects until the winter! Well, at least none of them are scarves.
Dewey has a fun blogroll game going on.
Posted on May 27, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Here I am spending money again on yarn. One of my LYSs is having a clearance sale on Meilweneit Cotton sock yarn (45% cotton, 42% wool, 13% nylon) at 50% off so I bought a skein of the Spirit (knits wide stripes) yesterday. Who doesn’t like good, discounted sock yarn on sale? As for the Misti Alpaca Lace (100% baby alpaca), I bought that today because I was inspired this morning to start Swallowtail Shawl, I even joined the knitalong! The fact that it only requires one hank (must do centre-pull ball soon) and is affordable yet luxurious yarn sealed the deal. I got it in pink because I wanted a shawl on the pastel side and my wardrobe lacks the colour. I don’t know if it’ll be the best colour on me, but the woman at the LYS did say I could make just make another one. Will get the #4/3.5mm for it soon at the other LYS, but probably won’t start project for awhile. It’ll probably take some time to do since it’ll be my first lace shawl.
The socks are going very slowly as they should, but I had to recast on them a couple times. I’m very glad I got bamboo needles for them because they would have been slipping so much.
I actually have a lot of things to do offline and online this week which I’m not really looking forward to.
Posted on May 25, 2007 in Musings
My trip from the wilderness (cottage country) allocated me some wonderful souvenirs: big, itchy bug bites! I always seem particularly susceptible, and I don’t own bug spray since I don’t go to the country too much. I’m one of those people that bugs seem to be love to consume because even with a few people around me, I am the one that receives the most ugly of bites. I’m treating them with aloe vera and Asian Tiger balm. Other than the bites, we had a nice lazy day in which my friend and I planned to read, but ended up wading in water and watching My Best Friend’s Wedding very briefly.
My plans to knit and read these last couple of days have been thwarted. I haven’t exercised either. It’s been particular hot and humid. Tomorrow, I’m getting up bright and early for an annual garage sale to catch some deals. I’ll cast on Monkey socks tonight. I am pretty sure I can do everything; the only thing I am worried about is the gusset.
Here’s a book meme that I found from Dewey:
“You simply have to grab the book nearest to you (no cheating here), turn to page 161, and post the text of the fifth full sentence on the page along with the body of the instruction on your blog. Then you tag 3 people.â€
I haven’t started this book, but I will soon because it’s due next Friday. From Death by Black Hole by Neil Degrasse Tyson.
Glowing objects, like stars, come in three basic colors: red, white, and blue–a cosmic fact that would have pleased the founding fathers.
Heh. I’d be more amused if I was American, and it was weird for me to write the “color” because I am a staunch Queen’s English speller of “colour”. That’s for another post about my language idiosyncrasies.
Posted on May 23, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Socks: essential and addictive to some knitters, a road to be crossed for others. I decided to try my hand at this last winter. These socks will be my first, and I’ll be making them for myself. I have been sort of putting this off since I finished the clapotis. First, I got the Regia yarn from a closing yarn store. It was only off by a mere dollar or so compared to the others. Sock yarn is not cheap I must say so even if I do get addicted, I’m not sure I can afford to make so many pairs. Yesterday, I finally went to my LYS and bought a set of five 2.5mm bamboo dpns. They’re like toothpicks. I tried doing a gauge swatch today, but I gave up. That may bite me in the bottom later, but I’m trying to decide which pattern to use. Should I just use a really basic pattern that shows pictures or try myself at some lace while at it so I can go head on in? I’m leaning toward the latter as the lace may help make them stretchier. I have many browser tabs open at the moment with pictures of turning heels and decreasing gussets as support. This seems very daunting, but I must be brave and plunge head on I guess.
Posted on May 5, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Clapotis, started February 26th, 2007, finished May 4th, 2007
Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty
Yarn: 100% mercerized cotton DK
Needles: #8/5.0 mm straight bamboo
Cost of Project: $10 for the yarn
Pattern Notes and Comments: One of the most well known of online patterns. I’ve wanted to knit this for awhile, and considered a lot about the yarn. The pattern uses a lot of it. I found a discounted cone of DK cotton at my LYS. See pictures below to see how much yarn it used. I didn’t intend to to use cotton for this, but this was a great deal and the yarn was even variegated! For $10, I didn’t think it would be bad. The pattern was easy, and I knit it slowly as I would often only knit when watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. My clapotis turned out pretty big of course, and I think it’ll be nice as a shawl for evenings in the summer. Possibly a good heavy autumn scarf. It’s just plain big though so we’ll see how I’ll wear it come fall.
Would I knit it again? Yes, as mundane as it is, it’s a nice pattern. It’s a good to knit when watching TV or a movie. I want to use a wool mix (wool/silk) it for it next time, and if I don’t have #8 circs by then, I’m definitely buying them for this project next time. I love my bamboo needles though.
Next Projects: I need to learn how to knit a pair of socks. A tea cozy for tea drinking in winter, and possibly winter gloves and scarf. Oh yeah, my weird attraction to wrist warmers even though there isn’t much of a climate for them here.
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