Episode 6: My Computer Ate My Podcast

This week was a bit of a doozy. Not only did I start my first week of school, which went reasonably well, all things considered, but I recorded an ENTIRE episode for the podcast, and then I went to open it up, and the file was corrupted, so I went and did a take two. Last week it was an editing issue, this week it was a corrupt file issue, I wonder what issues will await me next week.

So first off I talked about my grandfather passing, which was my storytime for this week, and then I talked about the past week at school. I also talked about processing my wool, which I got from a friend that raises sheep on her farm, and she had a lot of extra wool. It was a pretty awesome experience, because I actually got it clean, and now it is white and fluffy instead of beige, like it was before. I didn't get a picture of the wool, but I'll try and show a sample of it next week.

Then I talked about my lack of FOs (Finished Objects). I'm almost done with G's socks though, and hopefully I will get those done this week.

I am also a good way through my Stripey Socks, that I am making out of Berocco Sox yarn, with two different colorways, and I am striping the two colorways to make super stripey socks. Both yarns are self-striping themselves. I have turned the heel on the second sock, and just have the leg and cuff to finish.

I am also continuing to work on the Hippy Hippy shawl by Gabrielle Vezina. It's a free Ravelry download. I'm working it with KnitPicks Chroma and a mystery brown acrylic yarn. It's a slow going shawl, since it is fingering weight and I'm working it on Size US 2 needles.

I also continued working on the ballband dishcloth blanket for Project Linus, which is a charity that gives blankets to children that have been through some type of trauma, and are distributed by either hospitals or police and firemen. I think that it will probably be two to three more weeks until it is done, The variegated is Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway and the green is Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway.

Finally, I am making good progress on the sweater that I am making for Knit for Kids, which is a charity that collects sweaters, hats, and blankets for children in impoverished areas. The items are collected in Pennsylvania, and then once they have a pallet worth of items the items are shipped all over the world. I'm using Caron One Pound to make the sweater.

I also spun this week. I finished a skein of alpaca. The colorway is Murphy's Ocean, and there were 4oz. I got 168 yards and I'm going to say that it was between a sport and worsted weight. I plan to use it to make a cowl for someone for Christmas, since it's nice and soft.

I am also spinning some art yarn from an art batt. It too is 4oz. I am getting between a fingering and a lace weight, and I will be plying it with some reflective and metallic decorative thread that I got for another project, but I think that it will be really great with this wool.

And then I have just a bit of stash enhancement because of the great sales that they had at JoAnn's this week. I got a Caron One Pound skein in grey that I am going to use to make a sweater for one of my baby cousins for this Christmas, and then I got two skeins of Patons Kroy in the Meadowstripes colorway. I'm excited about working with this yarn, and I think it will be a blast.

I finished up the podcast by talking about the quilt that my mom made me for my high school graduation, and then my thought of the week was just musing about how great it is to be able to shop your stash and how I feel like it's an important part of the creative process for myself. Thanks for watching and reading, I'll see you next week.

Give Up The Funk!

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.

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!