Along The Way

Swaps, Designs, and Dyeing!!!!

2011-06-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I finished two adorable washcloths to send off in a "Hands that Do Dishes" on the "A Swap In Time" group on ravelry.

And they were received by the lovely moderator! Which was fun and exciting.

Next up, I did some dyeing, preparing fleece and anticipating the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry, I'm on the rookies team this year, as this will be the first year I will be participating.

I dyed it with koolaid, in a variety of pink, red and orange tones. It smelled awful, as if a very oily sheep was being bathed in fruit punch.

Now here comes the funny part, I want it to dry faster, so it is outside in the sweltering heat, sandwiched between two stacking patio chairs so they can be outside and hopefully dry faster.

It looks like my wool was very very baaaad, and got sent to wooly prison... oh noes!

And then last, but not least, I dyed some wool yarn that I got from a surprise box from etsy that was a really gross melon color... but now it is a happier pink and red mixture.

I am going to knit up a stole for the Project Yarnway, this month it is based on a book that you have read, and I just finished reading "The Grand Finale" by Janet Evanovich. It will be wavy with some type of scallop or fish or nautical theme, I haven't hashed it all out yet.

In other news... I am out of the hospital (yay, all around!) and will be following a slightly different course regarding my education. I will be hopefully going to get my CNA and then go to work. School is just too overwhelming to even think about right now. So, that is my life, not a lot going on, just taking things really slow and allowing my time to heal and get better, and of course, fiber fun!

Prioritizing

2011-05-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

So for the last couple of days I was working an eight hour night shift and then going to school, I have decided that this does not work for me, and have quit the eight hour night shift gig. I have finished a sock, as I knit during class and it offers quite a bit of time. I will post pictures later. I have a mid-term today, and hopefully all will go well. I decided that school is far more important than work, and its not worth driving myself insane trying to do both.

I finished the lining of the cape, and have felted it. I will take pictures soon of both the finished sock and the cape. The cape turned out well, and fits my sister, who will be modeling for me.

What's On and Off My Needles

2011-05-14T05:48:00.001-07:00

OK, so in addition to the Project Yarnway cape, that is becoming all consuming, I also have several (too many) projects on the needles, and I thought I would share them with you.

First off, a Hat that I am making with some awesome handpainted yarn I got from a swap around two years ago, I am designing the pattern, which is cables up a reverse stockinette body. This was my go-to in class project for a good portion of the end of this past semester, so it is my "on the go" project so to speak.

This sock is being made from Patons Sock FX, and I love, love, love this yarn, there are four plies that change color on their own schedule, so you get very soft blended striping, which I think is really cool looking. I started this sock because I needed something to knit in the dark of the film class I am taking right now. So this is my "on the go" project number 2.
This will eventually be a sweater, hopefully for me, although I fear it will turn out too massive (I am making up the pattern as I go, and wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the increases). It is a top down raglan, and the lace pattern, that you can't see because it is so bunched up is from Cadence which was in Knitty, although I don't remember which month. The yarn is upcycled yarn from two sweaters that I unraveled and am now knitting back together.
This is a sock that went into hibernation when I lost my sock knitting mojo there for a while, it is almost to the toe, and thus almost done, it has been languishing here and there, and waiting for me to just hurry up and finish it. Because it is worked on four needles, instead of five, it doesn't fold up to travel as well, so it is just a mindless knitting project that wishes it could be "on the go".
This is a shawl that I found hibernating when I went stash diving. I have no idea what I was thinking, but since it is just simple garter stitch it is mindless knitting at its worst. I may add a border to it, to spice things up a bit, this comes from when I discovered shawls around two years ago, and I honestly don't know what I was thinking.
This is a sweater for my yet-to-be-born first cousin once removed. Baby M will be born in August, and all the is missing is the button band, I already have the buttons, so just need to get around to finishing this one up, since it is almost there.

This is another shawl that I have started, although this one is made from handspun silk, and is going to get some sort of mesh stitch very shortly, so although it is mindless knitting at the moment, it is about to get much more interesting.

That's all that's on the needles right now, I have a million more ideas bouncing around in my head, and last night I finished up two washcloths or dishcloths for a swap. The problem is these projects aren't finished because I lose the inspiration on them (especially the two that have been in and out of hibernation). Its hard for me to knit just to knit, I have to have something that I want to watch grow on my needles, and see where it takes me. So I'll keep you updated on how these projects grow, and whether any of them end up in the frog pond (I'm looking at you big blue fluffy shawl).

New Fiber!

2011-05-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

I got new fiber today from Etsy!!! They are wooly cupcakes from Wooly Peddler.... I love them, this is the third time I've gotten them, I think...

The whole package all together...

And the blues and greens....

And the multi-colored bits...
And the reds and pinks and purples....
These have already been spun up, but I am going to save pictures, because I think I am going to use the yarn for a Project Yarnway project (do I sound obsessed?)

In other news, I have another week of work, yay!!! Also, I am a third of the way through my first summer school class!

Getting There...

2011-05-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Only one more skein to go on the cape before it gets felted....

BUT! In adult news.... I got called in to work tonight (which is a good thing for the unemployed, such as myself), so no time to post pictures, just a quick "hey" to let you know I am still working

Also, my grandmother was counting with me today, and not counting my spinning, I have 7 WIPS on the needles right now.... I need to take pictures and get them up here, maybe that would inspire me to get them done and not cast on for something else (which I am always tempted to do), this will be a project for tomorrow.

And... I went to my summer intersession class for the first time today, and it is watching movies in a theatre, and is incredibly dull, but will give me lots of time for sock knitting... so silver lining, yay!

WIP Update for Project Yarnway

2011-05-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

So.... I have been knitting like a machine!!! I am almost done with the lining for the gathering cape that will be felted, and then covered with a mystery yarn.... I have one more skein of cascade 220 left, and then it will be ready to go into the washing machine! I am so excited, about this, I have never felted anything before.... I have been basically consumed by the project yarnway project, all my other WIPs are currently hibernating.... After I finish this project I will be making two washcloths/ dishcloths to send along on another swap... I keep thinking that I should make some nifty things for the swaps I am signed up for while I am at my parents' house (there are many more craft supplies here....)

OK.... now... drumroll please...

And we have pictures!!!!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin

2011-05-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Soooo, basically i cannot sleep for reasons unknown to me, this is highly dysfunctional, BUT highly productive! I have only one and a half skeins left out of five to knit up for the lining of my Project Yarnway project... I am still searching for a perfect name, and hoping that I don't shrink it too much when I felt it... Oh, and trying to get my sister to model it when it is done, I think she is more photogenic, and once it is felted I don't know that it will fit me all that great....

Joined Team Crazypants forum.... looks like a good place to chill, not going into details on here, too long...

I also joined two swaps, well two and a half... no one wanted my dishcloth goodness.... ::sniff::.... oh well, the moderator is going to get two amazing dishcloths knit by yours truly. The other two swaps are the full blown, price limit, and packing and planning and spoiling goodness kind... One is themed around Alice in Wonderland, which should be a blast, and the other is themed around Bollywood, which I am really excited about- I am really excited about both of them actually, both are hitting the nail on the head as far as swaps go... now I must be secretive of stuffs I get if they are destined for swappy goodness.... (sneaks away, but trips on something, ruining everything)...

And...

I watched some Dr. Who last night, the new one, tried an old movie, I couldn't do it, no way, no how.... The new TV show is interesting to me the same way that the firstgen Star Trek shows are interesting to me... but no real hook, line, and sinker as of yet

That and I was rewatching some Project Runway, the really dramatic season with Santino in it... you know the one I'm talking about... Interesting to look at it and think... "If this were a project yarnway challenge, and I had a month, what would I do?"... fun little games i play with myself.

Interesting Nothingness

2011-05-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

If you are not interesting in reading my random thoughts, please feel free to skip this post....

Oh good, you're still here!

I ordered etsy yumminess.... now just waiting for it to arrive... I will post pics when it gets here,

I have gone through a skein and a half of Cascade 220 working on my Project Yarnway design... I'm so excited about this competition!

I think spinning my own yarn has ruined me... I went to Hobby Lobby to look for new yarn, and saw NOTHING that I wanted... so to Etsy I went... for yummy wool!

I will post pictures of the Project Yarnway project when it is a little further along... its coming along great!

I feel like I am the only one in the knitting world that feels like yarn diet support groups/ threads are silly. If you have too much yarn/ no money... don't buy yarn.... problem solved! All the whining and moaning about "oh, I want this yarn, oh, I bought too much yarn" seems really silly to me. It just seems... I don't know, like exaggerating a problem, or making a problem up that really doesn't exist.

In other news, looked up interpreter certification program today, and I could totally work while I got the certification, which will be sweet, because I could have a grown-up job, and save money for my next grand adventure... moving out, again! (Hopefully to somewhere North, that is rainy and has a space needle.... if you catch my drift)

ETA: I blogged to early today, and had more ideas that needed airing....

Trying to Keep Busy

2011-05-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was wandering around the interwebs, and found a wonderful group on ravelry called.....

drum roll please.....

Project Yarnway!!!

How awesomesauce is that?!?! I will be trying to enter every month for this "season", creating twelve original pieces and entering into the finale where you design a collection- just like the show! I am super excited, and hope that everything will go well. I am going to cast on for my first design tonight, and will be posting progress on here, because very few (read none), so I don't think I have much to worry about people stealing my design, not that they would anyways.

In other news, I am going to start going to church with cousin E, because DBF of E is mexican and the whole church service and congregational activities are in Spanish, and it is GREAT practice for interpreting, and I seriously need more hours of that activity under my belt.

Lets see if there are any interesting photos I can put up here......

Ok, here is a picture montage, add them all up, and you get my new design! Good luck on guessing....

Any guesses?

I'm Alive Again

2011-05-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

I decided to start up the old blog again, am getting back to being online.... Its been such a trip to be away for so long, and now it feels right to get back. I am almost done with school, am married, don't know how much longer i will stay that way though, and am contemplating moving to Seattle once I get my Medical Interpreter Certification.

I love Seattle, it is so chill and awesome, all I can think of is how I didn't want to go home when I went there for a band trip sophomore year. I was going to go to college there, but got scared and ended up staying closer to home. I think I am ready for the big plunge now, having traveled out of the country, and lived by myself, and had a go at things in general.

I recently went through the library's CD collection, and checked out like 30 CDs to upload to my computer, so now I have lots of lovely new music, like Mates of State, Lily Allen, Crystal Castles, and Michael Buble, just to name a few.

Oh yeah, and I've been knitting, and spinning. I think that fiber and yarn are magnetically attracted to me somehow. I went to a craft show and was showing some beddy buddies that I have made (stuffed animals made from upcycled sweaters) with my mom, and there was an alpaca farmer there that just wanted to get rid of the end of a fleece, so i got three pounds of alpaca for $30! Awesome! Then I went to a knitting group in Wichita when I was visiting DH, and when I was walking out a lady said "you mentioned you spin, I don't have time for this" and went to her trunk and pulled out around another 3lbs of icelandic, sweet! And then I went to a knitting group in Blue Springs, and there was a lady that had found gobs of acrylic at an estate type sale, and was dispersing it- so my stash has been well replenished.

The alpaca has all been spun, I haven't started in on the icelandic, and the acrylic is being turned into blankets for Project Linus- its been forever since I did anything for them either. I am making a shawl out of Lion Brand Homespun, and another out of my own handspun silk. I am also working on a sock that has been taking me ffooooorrrrreeeevvveerrr..... my sock mojo has been hindered somewhere along the way, although I did finally finish off a pair of socks for my cousin #3 recently, she had been waiting for quite sometime. I recently finished a blanket/ afghan for Project Linus, the ends are woven in and everything! And I am working on a hat from the same thick sock yarn that I made my cousin's socks. Oh, and I am knitting a sweater, for me, a top down raglan from yarn salvaged from sweaters at a thrift store. I think that is it... although there may be something more, I always seem to have a ton of projects on the needles and hooks, I can't help it.

I am thinking about making some bowls out of T-yarn to post on etsy. I already have beddy buddies, and the handspun alpaca up there, as well as two baby playmats that are handmade chenille... Cutting chenille takes a looooooooooooonnnnnng time, and it makes your hands hurt, just FYI.

Well, I think that is all from me, I will be trying to post more regularly and be back online again! Ciao!

Ice Cream Swap

2009-07-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Look at how great my partner was! This was an awesome package, I love it SO much!

Sorry About That...

2009-07-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence, anyone who reads this. No pictures today, sorry about that. Forgot my cord to connect my camera at home.

Trying to keep myself entertained is becoming a struggle. A real struggle.

I have started Christmas knitting, I have a pair of mittens, 4 pairs of handwarmers, and 2 pairs of socks done. Another pair of handwarmers is almost done.

I made a hat and scarf set yesterday, they are actually cute, and match each other. I think I will keep them.

I started on a shawl last night. It is going to be so delicate, but super gorgeous when it is done.

I am going to go purchase spinning fiber today. To spin yarn for Katy, and then for my color swap partner, since the yarn I had picked out for her didn't match her color well.

I need to write 3 patterns for Etsy orders. That I need to do, before this week is done.

I also need to sew up the present for my color swap buddy, b/c no matter how cute it is, I doubt she will adore it if it's not sewn together.

Only a couple more weeks left! Still, almost a month.

I am going to check out work-out DVDs from the library today. Yes, I am THAT bored.

By the end of this week I will hopefully hear back from my potential new job. I hope, either that or I am desperate enough to go and work at Gerbes, or Schnucks, or even * gasp * a fast food chain, anything but where I am now.

That's about it for me right now.

Give Up The Funk!

2009-06-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

Ow, we want the funk

Give up the funk
Ow, we need the funk
We gotta have that funkI made this VERY funky hat out of some hand spun that just got done drying!!
I had to frog it 2x, because I was running out to quickly, its roughly based off the Divine Hat design by Rheatheylia, but I then changed to knitting to do the body of the hat.

And it looks really funny not on my head. I think I have about 2 yds left- 3 at most.
In other news- I am almost done with the striped jacket that I have been working on making out of Lion Brand Magic Stripe sock yarn. It will probably be gifted to somebody...
And here are the reasons why my knitting did not get a whole lot of attention the yesterday and today. Yesterday I made this little fun thing. I cut up a map of Thailand, wove it back together, sewed around the sides to hold the weaving together, and then glued on little pictures from my collection of National Geographic pictures.
Then I drew all over a paper bag that I had used as a drop cloth when I painted some shoes. I used colored pencils, crayons and a Mark-A-Lot marker.
And then I decided the first one was so much fun that I should do another, and so this one was born, out of another paper bag, with crayons and the same Mark-A-Lot marker.
In other news- my roommate is staying the night with me tomorrow night, and a couple that I am friends with are moving into town next Wednesday! In a week!

That, and I have been catching up on my knitting podcasts, and these podcast lectures that I downloaded from a French University, so I won't lose my language skills over the summer.

Oh! AND- I changed around my schedule, once again, so that I now I will be in a 2-D art class, because it is a prerequisite for the fiber arts class, where they teach you how to weave, make paper, and do dying techniques, and I will be able to take that whenever I come back from studying abroad- I am really excited about this prospect- AND since I changed that aspect of my schedule, I will not have ANY classes on Friday!! Which most likely means I will have to work all day, but hey, you win some, you lose some.
And finally- my yarn moved, since the couple spent the night, and wanted to use my shower, so now I have a yarn tree! Except, that I normally used it for light, and I am afraid of catching my yarn on fire- so I will live in slight dimness.

Things that will drive my roommate nuts.

2009-06-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I hope she knows what she is getting into. I am just thinking that most normal human beings may be a little upset at the prospect of the shower being out of commission for a couple days- due to yarn needing to dry..... Oh, and the apartment smells like vinegar because of those two very skinny skeins that happen to be silk, and need to be dipped in vinegar to feel silky...
Me cooking my yarn- OK, I'm not really cooking it, I'm setting it.

Pulling a different skein out of the pot- look! There's steam rising off of it! It's super hot!

And then it gets drained, like yarn pasta- yum!
Oh, and I am almost done with this striped sweater made from yarn that my Aunt gave me for Christmas- it is a little short, but I'm sure there will be some one that wants to wear it. :-D
Oh, that's my foot sneaking into the picture- In other news- I have just found a TON of knitting podcasts- as well as re-listening to all the free music I have gotten from being a fan of iTunes on facebook. Yesterday I was video stumbling, and like everything that came up was about how everything is being controlled- conspiracy sorta stuff, so I guess yesterday was conspiracy day. And tonight I am going to a house dinner. I am going to bring the home made pickles my mom made last year, and the veggie/barley soup that I made a while ago that really needs to be eaten, and I think I am going to try to fry up some tofu for lunch. That's it!

Still Being Productive....

2009-06-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey , so I have been working on swap boxes, and so didn't want to post pictures because that would spoil the surprise for my swap buddies. :-D
This is a side shot of my hat, I modified an old doily pattern that I have from a book/ pamphlet I got from my grandmother- or maybe they're from my great-grandmother, I don't really know.

In this shot you can see how lovely and frumpy it is.

The top of the hat, you can really see the spiral, that came from the doily pattern.

Here you can see the mesh that I improvised on the sides of the hat. It turned out quite well, I think. I still need to weave in the end... oops.

This is a cardigan that I am making from my handspun, I've dyed it with kool-aid. Its way old, I have sadly run out of this yarn, so I am trying to figure out what yarn I will need to spin in order to complete it.

Close up, you can see the irregularities of the yarn, because its handspun, about a year old, maybe a little older.

The jacket on me. As you can see, a little short, huh? I definitely need to make more yarn... I just don't know what yet.

Umm... in other news, there isn't really any other news. I've been hanging out, not doing a whole lot of anything. I missed WWKIP Day, because I was working, and I went home to see my family for two days. That's about it. Oh, there is another sweater that I am working on that I am not quite done yet, I'll put up pictures tomorrow, probably.

EDIT- The shawl was given to my friend- I owed her a gift since she got married, and I hadn't gotten her anything.

Another Day... Spent

2009-06-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't have to work today. I watched a few documentaries. One about raw food curing diabetes, another about gay orthodox Jews, one about the hajj, and another one about the Vatican.

Last night I finished the shawl!!

I also started and finished a grocery bag out of some hand-dyed worsted weight mercerized cotton. It has a funny shape, it could probably work as a yoga mat bag, honestly. I filled it up with like 8 cans and a bottle of febreeze, so it is sturdy, but it has some design flaws... mainly that it is long and skinny.

And, since I have no life, and am just producing away over here I have started a sweater. I spun the yarn, and dyed them with koolaid, so it is exciting...

That is about all from me for today. I have a conference call tonight... oh boy.

A New Project

2009-06-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, look at me, adding pictures and what not.... it's probably bad that I am fairly proud of myself for this small accomplishment.

At any rate. this ----->
around 16 hours of knitting. The top of the shawl (the bottom of the picture) is my own handspun, and then it ran out, of course... (I should learn better than so start a full grown project with only 1 skein.... 1 skein never goes as far as I wish it to)... so, a mad dash to the local yarnerie!! With help of the amazing helper lady I was able to obtain similar yarn. (Which I love!!... seriously, this is going to be an investment). I am just making this up as I go, which I think makes it more addicting.is the shawl that I started on Thursday night. May I just say, that shawls are potentially the most addicting piece of knitting every. I have probably put around.... oh, 16 hours into it so far. I am making up my own pattern, which I think makes it more addicting.... Close up----->

In other news... We got our assignments for the ice cream swap yesterday, on ravelry... so, logically that will be my next primary project... I've never done a swap before, so this is really exciting to me. I can't wait to make a special something to send to my buddy, and get a special something in the mail!!

In other other news. I am a dork. This should come as no surprise, yet. So, on Friday I saw the new Star Trek movie, and I am hooked!! I am watching the original series online, (thank you CBS for posting these), and I am through episode 14 as of right now... That's a lot of Star Trek in the last two days.... so, yeah.

Hello Everybody!

2009-06-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first blog, which I am honestly only setting up in order to blog about knitting, and to rant, and to pretend to feel important, knowing full well that my readership will be slim to none. That's fine.

I am currently working on my striped jacket, I have finished it all the way to the last sleeve, and having it twist around in such an annoying way on the first one has not inspired me to pick up the stitches for the second one.

I also started a shawl, vaguely based on EZ's shawl from her Knitting Workshop that I got on DVD from the library like three months ago, it is running out of yarn though, and since it is my handspun that I am using it will take some very clever work from the lys lady to help me with an appropriate additional yarn.

I am going on a mini-roadtrip today, so that should be fun. A two hour drive just to see one of my buddies from school. All will be well.

Oh, and I have been reading the yarn harlot and mason-dixon knitting books, and figured that I could place words on a screen in a relatively fluent manner, so why not?