Pyrite & Shawls

I thought it was time to update on what's been going on in life. Last time I posted (August) I was going through a rough time but getting by with a lil help of my friends (sorry if you have that song stuck in your head now). Things are getting better though; I got back together with Steven (again) and hopefully this time it'll stick. We're working hard to make this long distance thing work. I'm on some new meds which seem to help my day to day functions. Work is going really well; we'll be fully staffed soon! I adopted a kitty, Pyrite, from the Humane Society who's adorable and super soft.

Bubba & Pyrite Cuddle Time

I finally finished (August) and took pictures (October) and uploaded pictures (December) of the test knit Bellatrix shawl. Here's a couple of the good ones:

Jen and I went up to Door County for my birthday weekend. We discovered an amazing yarn store -- Spin of Door County -- where we fondled lots of amazing yarn and discovered a bunch of great patterns. It's the best yarn store in 50 miles I'm pretty sure. While we hiked some bluffs near the top of the peninsula, I took some pictures of the shawl. It turned out well and is currently decorating my office. I think I'm going to take a break from test knitting for a while since I completed this nearly a year after the designer wanted. :/ 

Other things I'm working on: a shawl for Steven's grandmother (hopefully completed by Christmas), socks for his mom (so not going to be completed by Christmas); the Squall Line Shawl; my earth stole; Kyle's socks; and my sweater. I'll post pictures soon.

That's about all I can muster for now. I'll try to post more regularly in the vain hope it helps my knitting mojo. I really need to find a knitting group...or start one. Happy Holidays everyone!

Overcoming Great Adversity

Despite my cute cat trying to eat the yarn all through this project...

Strange short row wrap and turn that took me an hour to figure out (counting the ripping and reknitting)...

Getting up every four hours to change the I Love Lucy disc...

I finished it...

I adjusted this pattern a lot...because the original was weird...

And now it's filled and under the tree waiting for Scott.

Poetic Holiday Cleaning (if only)

Well, I woke up really early thinking I was running late and now I have time for tea and blogging. Yay! I've been crafting up a storm -- sort of. I made gifts for my co-workers (which I will post a picture of after they get their gifts today). And I was feeling rather ambitious and started making a Christmas stocking for my brother. Not that he needs a Christmas stocking. I'm fairly certain my mother purchased about five every other year. We may have left a lot of them in the Frankfort house, but I imagine there are plenty hiding away in a box somewhere in Northern Wisconsin. But it seemed like a good idea at the time.

This week is fairly awesome so far...in that we have shortened hours at work. Don't get me wrong...I love my job, but I get to go in at 9am and leave at 3pm. How lovely! I have a lot of work to do while the residential students are away. I'm also trying to think of an article topic so I get get published sometime soon. That would really bump up my resume. But I don't feel qualified...I've been a student so long. I'm finding the transition to professional rather bumpy.

Maybe that's why I signed up for a class next semester. I decided to take an advanced poetry workshop because I really want to get back into writing. I kind of stopped after my mom died with a few poetic exceptions here and there. Writing has always been a comfort to me, and it may help with the processing of my grief for my dad. Both of my parents actually. So we'll see. I thought about taking a computer class because there are two or three that might help in my goal of getting an IT degree. I'm learning that a lot of my job requires technology...which I knew...and I thought I was fairly tech-savvy. And I am compared to some people, but I could be a lot better if I understood more about how information technology worked. My only hesitation is that I'm not an analytical type person...I'm not good at understanding complex mechanisms. Or maybe I am...I just never gave myself the chance? I figure a few (free!) computer classes at least will help me approach all this technology a bit better. I'll stick with poetry this semester and work on computers next fall.

For the next few days, it's going to be busy busy as I clean my apartment (which desperately needs cleaning) and prepare for Scott's visit. He's coming down Christmas Eve so hopefully I'll have everything cleared up before he gets here. One of my goals was to finish decorating my apartment by the time he came for Christmas and I've only hung one picture so far. I need to buy more picture hanger thingers. We'll see how far I get. I'll update this post later to show you the cute lil Christmas gifts I made for my co-workers. And maybe the beginning of Scott's stocking. Maybe.

Until then.

Moving On...

So I haven't updated in a while. A few reasons for my absence include lack of knitting mojo, comps, school, work, and the intense desire to sleep. To sum it up, I have last-semester-itis. You'll be happy to hear I passed my comprehensive exams despite the awful questions and the complete void of comprehensive ability needed to complete them. Now that it's over...I have no ambition for anything else. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to work on other projects, papers, and anything school related. I do go to work. Mainly because I need the money and I can read a novel in between helping patrons. My hope is that the weeks will blur together and before you know it I'll wake up and it'll be May 19th (the day I graduate). In the mean time, I have to pass my classes so I work on stuff as needed.

Unfortunately, my lack of school motivation has crossed over into my knitting life. I completed all but one Christmas gift (I hate that hat) and I have yet to give Emma her gift (it's on my couch waiting to be wrapped). So I've moved on to the second part of my New Year's Resolution: gifts I've promised to people. You'll remember that the list is long and diverse. And there's no rhyme or reason for the order of the making of these gifts. So I cast on Andrew's socks a couple nights ago. He wanted a dark red and grey yarn and despite all the websites I searched, I couldn't find one that fit that description. I thought I found one, so I bought it but when I received it (in like 2 days, go Jimmy Bean Wool!) it was more red and purple so I lamented for a bit then put it away in my stash for a pair of socks for yours truly. (Why let the yarn go to waste?) When Jen was in town, we went to Ruhama's in Whitefish Bay and found a lovely dark red and blue yarn that reminded me of Andrew and his red plaid shirts. To add a touch of grey, when I was in Duluth at Yarn Harbor I got a lovely skein of grey yarn to use for the cuffs, heels, and toes. I wasn't sure how it was going to look at first, but now that I have an inch of the grey cuff and a few rounds of the red/blue skein I kind of like it. Hopefully Andrew will too.

I also started Jen's 1977 McCall's sweater with the yarn I bought last spring. I really like the pattern because it's simple and I can watch copious amounts of I Love Lucy while working on it. I do have to change colors every few rows, but that's alright. I do not have enough yarn though. I blame the amounts given...it's amazing how different instructions were written just 30 or 40 years ago. I'll be making a trip to Michael's soon to pick up more yarn despite Jen's suggestion to use the yarn I have lying around. I want it to be cohesive and I'm not that creative when it comes to colors. I don't have an eye for them like some of my other friends who are extremely artistic. (I always thought it was interesting how impressed people are when I show them something I've knit. It's really just a skill. I don't design the pattern and I simply pick colors I like to use in the pattern.) Hopefully it goes well.

That's all the knitting news I have for you. I'll try to keep you posted as things progress. Happy Yarn Folks!

New New Year's February Resolution

I’ve learned a valuable lesson regarding school and knitting: the two cannot possibly coexist. It's been over six months since I last updated my knitting blog. Before, it was work and class and driving to/from said work that kept me from posting. Now it's class and homework and driving to/from fieldwork and the utter lack of motivation and gumption to pick up a project. Don't get me wrong, I have knitted and crocheted at some point in these past six months. I made a few things for Christmas. I even used a glue gun to make a non-knitting but definitely pro-yarn wreath. But I have so much left to do and when I get home at the end of the day I look at my knitting basket and I can't pick anything up. Woe.

 
Let's go over what I have done in the last six months to see if that helps. One big accomplishment: I finished those damn socks! That's right. I cast-off sock number one last semester sometime and in December I cast-off sock number two.  They're all wrapped up now. And have been sitting on my plastic bin dresser for the last two months. I made a hat for Megan which turned out really small so I gave to to Kayla and it sort of fits (it's the pattern, not their heads, that's the problem). Then I made Kayla a cowl for Christmas that was very Kayla-esque in color (one of our co-workers was jealous. I love a bit of knitting envy). For Mary I made these awesome colorwork mittens which I freaked out about because I never made colorwork mittens before but they were actually quite easy (except picking up stitches for the thumbs...that was terrifying).  I crocheted Andrew an awesome scarf with a simple but manly-elegant X pattern in brown and teal. I still have something I'm working on for Megan, but it's challengingly simple (or simply challenging?) and not turning out how I'd like. She picked out a pink yarn, but I don't think it's working for the pattern. I may revisit and change the color. Make her something else fabulous and pink. I made Erin a simple but lovely honeycomb scarf in a pink/white yarn. I love the honeycomb stitch...cabling and simple. And people look at it and go, "Oh my goodness! It must have taken you forever! It's so beautiful!" And I'm all..."Yea, but my knitting skills are just that awesome." Okay. I'm not that pompous about my abilities, but just go with it. Oh, and as I referred to earlier, I made Jen a yarnball wreath! It took a long time and a lot of styrofoam balls (I couldn't believe how expensive styrofoam was!) and a bit of trial and error with wires and glue guns but it's lovely. Last time I was at Jen's it was up on the wall and looked amazing!

It's been so blustery around Milwaukee that my earlobes and my nose have threatened to fall off. I don't know why my body is complaining...my outer wear in Northern Wisconsin consisted of a sweatshirt and a scarf. But since I misplaced all my knitted outerwear (or found some of my earliest knitting attempts at outerwear with unpleasent, scratchy redheart yarn) I have nothing that helps keep the cold at bay. I even had to break down and purchase...I'm sad to report...knitted mittens. I can't find my alpaca mittens. These store bought *scoff* mittens have ladders and don't fit right. And cost $12! I could have bought two skeins of yarn or one really nice skein and made my own damn mittens. But between my lack of ambition and the dropping temperatures I caved and bought a pair. Now I'm working on a scarf to match the hat I just crocheted with the much needed/appreciated assistance of Megan. So...crocheting. I know how to crochet. Apparently I crochet like a knitter (whatever that means). And the pattern I found was free (thanks Ravelry) but the diamond instructions were confusing. Cause, ya see...in Crochetland you build off what you crocheted the row before. So indead of just worrying about the row and the stitch you're working with, you single/double/half double/treble etc. into the single/double/half double/treble etc. stitch from the row before. Which makes things confusing to my knitter's brain. Thankfully I have a go-to crocheter to help me with such things. In college it was Courtney. In grad school it's Megan. I love my hookers (not that kind of hooker...).

I’m trying to get back to my knitting roots. To get back to that energy and excitement that comes from a new project! So I have a new New Year’s resolution: finish Christmas knitting by March and then start and/or finish all the gifts I’ve promised people by the end of 2013. That’s a hefty goal. And to make sure I don’t forget as much as I’m bound to…I’ll make a list:

Megan: palmless (fingerless?) gloves, lotus hat that was too small
Jen: crochet 70’s sweater, epic socks I promised three years ago
Dad: blaze orange fingerless gloves and gater
Memo: sharks and a new scarf (piano?) since she only has the one I made her several years ago
Andrew: socks
Mary: birthday capelet, knitted headband (turning out more challenging than I thought)
Scott: Civil War socks 

I'm probably forgetting something for someone. But it's a list in progress so I can add and adjust as need be. Once I finish all these gifts I'm hoping to dedicate 2014 to me. That may sound selfish but I haven't spent time on my knitting gifts to myself in a while (with the exception of a few necessary items like my outer wear or my sock motivation shawl). ...I don't remember if I talked about my motivation shawl. So last semester I was having trouble with my knitting ambition (what else is new?) so I decided to start this beautiful shawl I saw in Jane Austen Knits. It's incredibly daunting because you cast-on a bunch of stitches and work with insanely long circular needles. I knitted like two rows and I think my cast-on count was wrong or I accidentally missed an increase so the stitch count is off. Everytime I'd become frustrated with the socks I was working on I'd start my sock motivation shawl and suddenly - like magick - the socks wouldn't seem so bad. And poof! socks are done! (maybe not like "poof!" but poof-like).

That should do for now. I'll post pictures later tonight probably when I have time/find them. I'll also work on my excessive use of parenthesis.