What do you think? Should I do it? Should I make a list and put it out there with only a teensy hope of doing what I say I will? Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to do it. Then, I decide that I'll make a list, but that rule #1 is that I will take it easy on myself...ahimsa, people...ahimsa. Puh-shaw! Whatever! It never turns out that way. I make my list, I take it easy on myself, and then at the end of the year, it hits me like an aluminum baseball bat to a tee. I'm feeling the wind from the childish swing as I type.
It's troubling when you know there are many things you want to do, but you lack the determination. This has always been my problem. I walked the mile in gym. I'm usually walking when I should be running. I quit choir before high school. I'm usually humming silently in corners when I should be singing the melody. I wanted to be a ballerina. Now, I don't dance unless I've had a few and I'm in the right company.
I've always been scared. I've always been terrified. Of what? You name the juvenile fear and it's in me. I still sometimes shiver at the thought of something grabbing my ankles when I step out of bed, of hearing my own voice, of being forgotten.
This post is a downer...but it's how I feel.
31.12.08
28.12.08
More Christmas Knittings
Well, I finished the things I was knitting for the In-laws this Christmas.
The first is a Sideways Grande Cloche from the incredible book Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin. I used Catalina Baby Alpaca Chunky which was super soft and nice to work with. I'm going to make another one with the same yarn (because I have a ton left still) for myself eventually!
The second is a We Call Them Pirates by Adrian Bizilia. This one goes to Max's dad and was knit using Knit Picks Telemark.
With that I end my Christmas knitting! I confess that I did not finish the Father-in-law's hat until today...but I did get the other one done in time!
More progress has been made on the Snowdrop Jacket. It is BLOCKING!! Whee!
The first is a Sideways Grande Cloche from the incredible book Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin. I used Catalina Baby Alpaca Chunky which was super soft and nice to work with. I'm going to make another one with the same yarn (because I have a ton left still) for myself eventually!
The second is a We Call Them Pirates by Adrian Bizilia. This one goes to Max's dad and was knit using Knit Picks Telemark.
With that I end my Christmas knitting! I confess that I did not finish the Father-in-law's hat until today...but I did get the other one done in time!
More progress has been made on the Snowdrop Jacket. It is BLOCKING!! Whee!
23.12.08
'Tis Christmas Eve-Eve (a Picture-heavy Post)
I don't know about all y'all, but I love me some single digit temperatures with snow and Christmas. New Year's too. The colder and snowier, the better. I can do without the wind, but really it's tolerable. I would love to live in the mountains way up North and spend my life celebrating holidays. Is that an option? I guess it isn't.
My mom and kid brother came to visit over the weekend and we went to Chinatown for dinner and fun.
I gave my mom this scarf and bag as Christmas gifts:
She wore the scarf from the moment she opened it and didn't take it off all weekend. To be honest, I'm not even sure she took it off when she went to bed.
I call that a "win." It's the oh so very popular Montego Bay scarf knit out of KnitPicks Shine Sport. It was an easy knit and FAST, FAST, FAST!! It took a few days of sporadic knitting.
...but not so fast! There is more to show!
This is a progress shot of my Thrummed Mittens:
They are stupid warm and pretty adorable if you ask me, although they do not have thumbs yet. I'm going to finish the thumbs once Christmas knitting is done. I still wear them without the thumbs though, even though my husband makes fun of me. I don't care! Thumbless thrummies are perfect for wearing while you are warming up the car (a nice long process around here, especially lately).
Although, nothing is warmer than my obnoxiously Russian husband this winter:
He added to the warmest hat in the universe the warmest coat in the western hemisphere. That's a thick real shearling coat that his parents gave him. If you didn't know he was Russian, it should be completely obvious by now. In fact, he told me that he overheard Russians talking about him and his hat/coat combo while walking around the city on Monday. lol :)
Ok, that's the post. I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. God bless!
My mom and kid brother came to visit over the weekend and we went to Chinatown for dinner and fun.
I gave my mom this scarf and bag as Christmas gifts:
She wore the scarf from the moment she opened it and didn't take it off all weekend. To be honest, I'm not even sure she took it off when she went to bed.
I call that a "win." It's the oh so very popular Montego Bay scarf knit out of KnitPicks Shine Sport. It was an easy knit and FAST, FAST, FAST!! It took a few days of sporadic knitting.
...but not so fast! There is more to show!
This is a progress shot of my Thrummed Mittens:
They are stupid warm and pretty adorable if you ask me, although they do not have thumbs yet. I'm going to finish the thumbs once Christmas knitting is done. I still wear them without the thumbs though, even though my husband makes fun of me. I don't care! Thumbless thrummies are perfect for wearing while you are warming up the car (a nice long process around here, especially lately).
Although, nothing is warmer than my obnoxiously Russian husband this winter:
He added to the warmest hat in the universe the warmest coat in the western hemisphere. That's a thick real shearling coat that his parents gave him. If you didn't know he was Russian, it should be completely obvious by now. In fact, he told me that he overheard Russians talking about him and his hat/coat combo while walking around the city on Monday. lol :)
Ok, that's the post. I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. God bless!
16.12.08
If Progress Were a City...
...I'd live there.
My Snowdrop Jacket is ready to block! Woot! Now, just because it needs to block does not mean that I am done with the knitting for it. I have knit the main body pieces (fronts, back, sleeves, and sleeve cuffs) but once it is all seamed together I will have to pick up for a collar and a border around all the raw edges. I also have to finish off the pockets (they just need a border knit onto them and then must be carefully attached to the fronts). But seriously, guys? I'm close. I'm very close. I never expected to GET this close so soon with this crazy sweater. I half expected that I would lose interest somewhere along the way because it is a somewhat complicated ("tedious" might be a better word, actually) pattern.
I'm going to say it again: Yay. Double Yay.
In other news, no yarn has arrived for the Christmas knitting extravaganza that I will be participating in. The site says it should arrive on the 18th! AHHHHHH! That pretty much gives me no time at all to get these projects done! I will not admit defeat until I am defeated! And that can't possibly happen until December 25th!
In other other news, my mom is coming up to visit for the weekend. She will be arriving on Friday. On Saturday, we intend to be geeky tourists in Chinatown. lol I'll never grow out of being a geeky tourist in Chinatown.
Big Trouble in Little China was an awesome movie, by the way. I say so only in case you didn't know that already.
Oh, and one more thing. I have decided that I want a knitting machine. I know. Blasphemy. But I'm always seeing sweaters that I want to buy in the store...then I don't because I know that I could knit them...then I don't knit them because they are SUPER DUPER boring. So, in the end, I don't get the sweater because I'm a snob...and I don't get the sweater because I am lazy. Lazy snobs such as myself benefit from knitting machines. lol And actually, they are still a great deal of work to operate. It's not like you flip a switch and leave it alone for a while, returning to a sweater. From what I hear, it's more like weaving on a loom...and no one ever calls a weaver lazy. No one I know would, anyway.
My Snowdrop Jacket is ready to block! Woot! Now, just because it needs to block does not mean that I am done with the knitting for it. I have knit the main body pieces (fronts, back, sleeves, and sleeve cuffs) but once it is all seamed together I will have to pick up for a collar and a border around all the raw edges. I also have to finish off the pockets (they just need a border knit onto them and then must be carefully attached to the fronts). But seriously, guys? I'm close. I'm very close. I never expected to GET this close so soon with this crazy sweater. I half expected that I would lose interest somewhere along the way because it is a somewhat complicated ("tedious" might be a better word, actually) pattern.
I'm going to say it again: Yay. Double Yay.
In other news, no yarn has arrived for the Christmas knitting extravaganza that I will be participating in. The site says it should arrive on the 18th! AHHHHHH! That pretty much gives me no time at all to get these projects done! I will not admit defeat until I am defeated! And that can't possibly happen until December 25th!
In other other news, my mom is coming up to visit for the weekend. She will be arriving on Friday. On Saturday, we intend to be geeky tourists in Chinatown. lol I'll never grow out of being a geeky tourist in Chinatown.
Big Trouble in Little China was an awesome movie, by the way. I say so only in case you didn't know that already.
Oh, and one more thing. I have decided that I want a knitting machine. I know. Blasphemy. But I'm always seeing sweaters that I want to buy in the store...then I don't because I know that I could knit them...then I don't knit them because they are SUPER DUPER boring. So, in the end, I don't get the sweater because I'm a snob...and I don't get the sweater because I am lazy. Lazy snobs such as myself benefit from knitting machines. lol And actually, they are still a great deal of work to operate. It's not like you flip a switch and leave it alone for a while, returning to a sweater. From what I hear, it's more like weaving on a loom...and no one ever calls a weaver lazy. No one I know would, anyway.
12.12.08
Christmas Knitting
I always say I'm not going to do any, but then December comes and I feel the urge. So, what does a silly girl like me do? She waits until the 11th of December to place a Knitpicks order for three and a half projects that will need to be finished by December 25th...and she doesn't use the fastest delivery option, being cheap, so now has to wait about a week before even starting those projects.
Why, oh, why do I do this?
I also ordered another size 4 needle tip and a 24'' cable. I gave them a note with my order because, while I love my interchangeable needles, I have had an issue with every single cable popping out of the metal casing. They aren't coming unscrewed, they are DETACHING. I have had to do them up with super glue, and when I do that, the glue always dries before I can get them in as deep as they will go, leaving a little ledge for finer yarns to get stuck on. I asked them to please make sure my needle and cable go through some sort of quality control before they are sent to me. All I'm asking for is a little tug before dropping the sucker in the box. Is that so much to ask? I've been hearing a lot of people complaining about this lately on blogs and podcasts and such. So, while it's horrible in some ways to say it, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
But as for the planned Christmas knitting and why I think I can do it, the answer is that I became unrealistically optimistic having just finished my first term of library school. The final grades are not in yet, and I'm sure I didn't do as well I had hoped I would...but all the same, I feel accomplished. Next term will be better, I hope. I'm taking an online course, which is kind of scary because I've never done one before. I will need to activate my self-motivating gene, which oh so very difficult to do. I've never been diagnosed with anything, but let's just say I come from a line with an interesting mix of psychological barriers to success (ADD, ADHD, bipolar disorder) and I am in no way a "go-getter" without an enormous amount of outside pressure and motivation. See why I might be nervous about an online class? Yeah. It was the only one that did not conflict with my busy, sit-at-home, knitting, housewifely schedule. In other words, I didn't want to take a class on the weekend and the only other class was with the dude who's course I dropped previously...which ruled that one out. Still, I'm excited about a new term. I think I might like change. As in the Fiona Apple song, "I'm good at being uncomfortable so I can't stop changing all the time."
So, until my Christmas yarn arrives, I will work on other projects. I should be able to finish my mittens and at least finish the sleeve for my Snowdrop Jacket by the time it arrives. Max's Cobblestone Pullover needs about 4" before the body is finished. Then, that gets put on scrap yarn while I knit the sleeves. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the sleeves one at a time or simultaneously. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
If anyone loves spaghetti westerns, Tarantino cameos, and awkward English from the mouths of Japanese people...Sukiyaki Western Django might be the way to go. It's on Netflix as an instant watch (which is pretty much the best thing ever).
Ok, that's enough rambling...and that truly is what I have done here. I'm going to make my sick husband kasha and eggs, finish a mitten cuff, and spin a million yards of pink laceweight.
Why, oh, why do I do this?
I also ordered another size 4 needle tip and a 24'' cable. I gave them a note with my order because, while I love my interchangeable needles, I have had an issue with every single cable popping out of the metal casing. They aren't coming unscrewed, they are DETACHING. I have had to do them up with super glue, and when I do that, the glue always dries before I can get them in as deep as they will go, leaving a little ledge for finer yarns to get stuck on. I asked them to please make sure my needle and cable go through some sort of quality control before they are sent to me. All I'm asking for is a little tug before dropping the sucker in the box. Is that so much to ask? I've been hearing a lot of people complaining about this lately on blogs and podcasts and such. So, while it's horrible in some ways to say it, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
But as for the planned Christmas knitting and why I think I can do it, the answer is that I became unrealistically optimistic having just finished my first term of library school. The final grades are not in yet, and I'm sure I didn't do as well I had hoped I would...but all the same, I feel accomplished. Next term will be better, I hope. I'm taking an online course, which is kind of scary because I've never done one before. I will need to activate my self-motivating gene, which oh so very difficult to do. I've never been diagnosed with anything, but let's just say I come from a line with an interesting mix of psychological barriers to success (ADD, ADHD, bipolar disorder) and I am in no way a "go-getter" without an enormous amount of outside pressure and motivation. See why I might be nervous about an online class? Yeah. It was the only one that did not conflict with my busy, sit-at-home, knitting, housewifely schedule. In other words, I didn't want to take a class on the weekend and the only other class was with the dude who's course I dropped previously...which ruled that one out. Still, I'm excited about a new term. I think I might like change. As in the Fiona Apple song, "I'm good at being uncomfortable so I can't stop changing all the time."
So, until my Christmas yarn arrives, I will work on other projects. I should be able to finish my mittens and at least finish the sleeve for my Snowdrop Jacket by the time it arrives. Max's Cobblestone Pullover needs about 4" before the body is finished. Then, that gets put on scrap yarn while I knit the sleeves. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the sleeves one at a time or simultaneously. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
If anyone loves spaghetti westerns, Tarantino cameos, and awkward English from the mouths of Japanese people...Sukiyaki Western Django might be the way to go. It's on Netflix as an instant watch (which is pretty much the best thing ever).
Ok, that's enough rambling...and that truly is what I have done here. I'm going to make my sick husband kasha and eggs, finish a mitten cuff, and spin a million yards of pink laceweight.
6.12.08
More WIPS
I know...shocker, right?
Thrummed Mittens from the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits that look remarkably like a sea creature at this point:
Knit up in Silk Garden, which I'll admit, makes me feel decadent and self consumed.
Toe-Up Stripedies from my own brain (no pattern) that I will probably never finish, but I love the way they look so far:
And the other stuff is still being knit on...good times. But for now, I must quit procrastinating and get back to my take-home final exam for my cataloging course! Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Thrummed Mittens from the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits that look remarkably like a sea creature at this point:
Knit up in Silk Garden, which I'll admit, makes me feel decadent and self consumed.
Toe-Up Stripedies from my own brain (no pattern) that I will probably never finish, but I love the way they look so far:
And the other stuff is still being knit on...good times. But for now, I must quit procrastinating and get back to my take-home final exam for my cataloging course! Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
2.12.08
Lace Blouse
I would like to share my latest FO with you. That's right...I've finished something...and I'm not so humble that I'm not 100% proud of myself.
FO SPECS:
Pattern: Lace Blouse by Jennie Atkinson from the book Romantic Style.
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply Cotton
Started: 6.07!!!!
Finished: 11.28.08
Modifications: None to speak of. I have not added buttons. I kind of like it without them. I may add them later, but there is certainly no rush.
This damned thing (and I am comfortable calling it that. It likes it) took me forever to finish. That border around the neck and front basically killed me. It seemed like no matter how many times I estimated that I had only three or so repeats left, there were four more to go. Now that it is done, I am so happy that I put myself through the torture of finishing it. Good job, me.
Here is the Ravelry Link for you spiffy Ravelers out there. :)
Now for some WIP talk. Max's Cobblestone is about 10 inches long, at 16 I put it off on scrap yarn and start the sleeves. He's pretty much accepted that this thing will take me forever to finish. My snowdrop cardigan is moving along as well, but very slowly. I'm still finishing the second sleeve, then I have to do cuffs on both sleeves, the pockets, seaming of peices, and picking up around the whole darned thing for a collar and border. So, while I wish I could say I'm nearly finished as I usually do when finishing the sleeves, I am nowhere near finishing it. It might take another month at the rate I'm going now. :/
School has got me pretty busy. This week I have to work on a take-home final exam ("take-home test" in graduate school usually means a gazillion times more work intensive and time consuming than an in-class test. Sigh. I had two weeks to work on it (it's due next Monday), but I went to Saint Louis for Thanksgiving and, of course, did not hit the books. Not even once. I must study for the final in my other class (which will be on next week's Wednesday), write one more paper, and read a couple-hundred page book for class discussion (by tomorrow, I might add). I'm not complaining, not yet anyway. I just know that I won't get much knitting in until finals are finally over. Then, I will become a knitting and spinning fool!
That's right--a fool!
FO SPECS:
Pattern: Lace Blouse by Jennie Atkinson from the book Romantic Style.
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply Cotton
Started: 6.07!!!!
Finished: 11.28.08
Modifications: None to speak of. I have not added buttons. I kind of like it without them. I may add them later, but there is certainly no rush.
This damned thing (and I am comfortable calling it that. It likes it) took me forever to finish. That border around the neck and front basically killed me. It seemed like no matter how many times I estimated that I had only three or so repeats left, there were four more to go. Now that it is done, I am so happy that I put myself through the torture of finishing it. Good job, me.
Here is the Ravelry Link for you spiffy Ravelers out there. :)
Now for some WIP talk. Max's Cobblestone is about 10 inches long, at 16 I put it off on scrap yarn and start the sleeves. He's pretty much accepted that this thing will take me forever to finish. My snowdrop cardigan is moving along as well, but very slowly. I'm still finishing the second sleeve, then I have to do cuffs on both sleeves, the pockets, seaming of peices, and picking up around the whole darned thing for a collar and border. So, while I wish I could say I'm nearly finished as I usually do when finishing the sleeves, I am nowhere near finishing it. It might take another month at the rate I'm going now. :/
School has got me pretty busy. This week I have to work on a take-home final exam ("take-home test" in graduate school usually means a gazillion times more work intensive and time consuming than an in-class test. Sigh. I had two weeks to work on it (it's due next Monday), but I went to Saint Louis for Thanksgiving and, of course, did not hit the books. Not even once. I must study for the final in my other class (which will be on next week's Wednesday), write one more paper, and read a couple-hundred page book for class discussion (by tomorrow, I might add). I'm not complaining, not yet anyway. I just know that I won't get much knitting in until finals are finally over. Then, I will become a knitting and spinning fool!
That's right--a fool!
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