Last Minute Knits

So, I'm rushing to finish little things before the new year... Sad, isn't it? Well, you'll hear more about that later.

Someone please settle that kitten down! Wahhh... it's clawing at my slippers! Anyway, now that I've distracted it with a plastic bag, I thought I'd show off my pitiful attempt at assuming a cat-mother role.

Okay, okay, stop laughing! My camera is almost out of batteries, and I've lost the charger, so I've resorted to Photo Booth pictures. Hey, even amazing photographers like moi (snort) need a break, right?

Urgh! I can't get the pictures to not be annoyingly huge. Sorry, internet, I'm having technical difficulties. Anyway, the pattern is from last fall's Knitscene, which was actually pretty good, for knitting magazines. Usually I can't find anything interesting from Knit Magazines, only boring things that I could figure out how to do on my own, but the bumps on this hat intrigued me. And the ears. I was a bit of a cat-shaped-hat-fanatic in my day. Anyway, it was a nice pattern.

HUH!? What!?!!!!! z0mg!!

I got into the Honorable Mention Gallery for Knitty's Calendar! Really! Truly! I'm like, about to die...

I can't believe it :3 Why didn't anyone tell me!?

Well, here I am... <3

I'm a little bummed that I didn't get actually ON the Knitty site... and I thought honorable mentions got like, listed and linked to somewhere... but, oh well ... I'm still super proud!

TaDaaa.... and, crappy turns of events.

So, I finished the hat! late last night, I wove in the ends and forced the boyfriend to wear it around to that it would block to his head. I've yet to snap a good picture of him, but here's evidence of how much bigger his head is than mine!

A little pity party note... Sadly, I would've published this post sooner... but I was at the Student Health Center all day. It turns out my right wrist is badly sprained (okay, it's not like surgery bad, but it's grade II.) How it happened, I have no idea. I'm hoping knitting more won't harm this, but you never know :D I've got a nice Ace bandage around it, and I'm trying to find a ride to somewhere I can buy a proper brace... that's proving to be a little tough. I have such bad luck!

Spur O' the Moment Knitting

All right! So, I usually spend quite some time thinking out projects. There's usually I doodle I have in my head for a few months. Then, I spend about a week or so shopping around for yarn that will work. After that, swatching, and casting on, and tearing off the cast on because I don't like how it looks, and on and on.

If I had to label myself, I'd say I was a perfectionist knitter. Slow, steady, and meticulous. The past twenty-four hours, however, have seen a drastic change in this routine.

I'm making a hat. From a pattern. Online. Guess when I bought the yarn? Yesterday at around 1. Guess when I cast on for the project? Yesterday at around 6. (I probably would've cast on earlier, but I was at the Strong Museum of Play... don't snicker. I'm a big person! ) Oh which leads me to... PHOTO PLUG!!!1:







Anyway, back on topic. Guess how far I am on the hat? About 2/3! What's come over me? Maybe it's the fact that I'm not really challenging myself with this pattern. The needles are big and the yarn is bulky.

It just feel so strange... I'm so used to size 1's and 2's, this size 8 hat seems like it's knitting itself!

Hopefully it'll be done by Tuesday :)

Crazy College Crazy

So, between classes going at 200 mph, drama out the llama, and a sea of sunken expectations, I have not been blogging ever so much lately. Hopefully that will change, when the industry picks up a little (I haven't found very many good patterns lately...)

Anyway, I've been knittin' up a storm, and I've got some awesome projects underway. I'm still waiting for 11/11, when I can order more sock for my Dude pattern but I've also got several other patts in the works, most of them socks. The one I'm working on now is AMAZING; I love it so much. I've also got a Hat from a magazine for a certain someone, that I wanted finished like 3 WEEKS ago, but alas that never happened... for depressing reasons, it was separated from me. Hopefully we'll be reunited this weekend, though.

My sweater is coming along at a decent pace... but I hate it. Really. I'm past the honeymoon period, and into that awkward year before an inevitable divorce where we sleep in separate rooms. I FORCE myself to work on this sweater, only because I don't want to work on it anymore, I just want to be done. It's bulky, and I want it off the needles. I'm not even sure if I'll actually end up wearing it at this rate... I might jsut give it away. BLEH!

Plus, I've started to think that the bobbles look like genitalia... *twitch* Maybe I just have a dirty mind...

DUDE! No way!

So, I absolutely love how this sock turned out, and so does the sweetie. It's comfy, with a tight fit.

The next sock will be the "test sock," I just need to stock up on the yarns. It was surprisingly more than I thought, sadly, because how foot is so darn big! Curse you, male feet. Though, I guess I really shouldn't be complaining... haha.

Anyway, I wuv it. Look for it soon, okay? ;)

Another Fetchingly Knit Fetching

So, last night I finished my latest WIP, the one that's been sitting in the bottom of my purse for several weeks.  Anyway, it's another Fetching for mommy dearest.

I love the pictures I took of this, and I'm thinking about entering them in Knitty's calendar contest.

What do you think? Should I give it a go?

 

 

Lazy Summer Victories!

I've been sitting around for the whole day, in my pyjamas. It's relaxing, but a little depressing. I realize that this might be the last time I can slack off and just be lazy. This may be the last backache I have from slouching in front of the couch. This might be the last time I look up at the TV and say "Gr. . . I just saw this documentary on Card Counters three hours ago. . ." Soon, I won't have enough room in my dorm room to fit a couch, and thus, will not be able to veg out in such a way.


But, I did manage to finish this little guy! Isn't he cute? Does he look familiar? He's my spin-off of the Ziggy Pattern that I posted earlier. For those of you who can't seem to keep up, it's from Clare Taylor's blog, Quilty's Corner.


Chuu! I'm so proud of the embroidery. See the back? It looks like a face, doesn't it?! I didn't mean that, swear. . . I realized it as I was taking that picture.


By the way, I plan on sending this guy off in a swap to you know who you are! If you are that person, pretend you didn't see this, okay!? Okay. Thank goodness that's out of the way.

I've also had another small victory in the realm of lady-ness. On top of the knitting project. . . the Sunflower Seeds I planted by the front stoop have sprouted! They look so nice. . . I danced like the girls from Totoro when I came home and saw these little guys. I've never had anything near a green thumb, I guess my mom took up all that genetic talent. I hope these flowers frow as much as I want them to! Maybe if this works out, next summer I can have some sort of a garden.


Speaking of Totoro. . . hmm, I think I have a nice idea for another Ziggy pattern attempt :3

Stay cool, Internet Land!

I don't! Really, I don't. . .

. . . so, I need some stash busting tips for my horrid acrylic yarn. I know in the blogosphere there are Yarn Nazis as well as Anti-Nazis, who can be more dictatorial then the nazis themselves. I consider myself a "Yarn Practicalist." I feel I should make this known at the beginning of my story, so as not to confuse you guys about my morals.

So, I'm sitting on the couch watching Doctor Phil not 20 minutes ago, and I think. "I'm going to knit something interesting. How about a wedding ring?" I don't think it's been done before, because I googled around and all I got were webrings, but I wouldn't be surprised. I used some yellow Red Heart, and some white Caron Simply Soft. By the end of the pattern, I realize why I wanted to get rid of the yarn. I broke two dpns because the yarn wouldn't give and I knit too quickly for my poor rosewoods to handle.

Thankfully one is definitely fixable with some glue. . . but OOOH, am I mad! I really want to burn this yarn. Truly. I think I can stare at it until it melts by the power of my will into a smelly, yellow puddle of carcinogenic ooze.

Anyway, that's my story. My advice for this pattern is, use a different yarn. Other then that, it's a five minute knit.

Have Needles, Will Conquer.

So, Yesterday the mother figure and I went out to Michael's. We bought yarn. 10 skeins of yarn. $30 in yarn.

I know I took I vow of class, against all that was acrylic, but we needed a lot of yarn. And I'm going to be a college student soon. Thirty Dollars is quite a bit.

Why, you may ask, did I need such a cyclopean amount of yarn? Well, internet, I plan on knitting a sweater.

That's right, a SWEATER. Not a robe, not a vest. Bona fide, cardigan, button sweater.

Perhaps Vanna's choice wasn't the greatest choice for yarn, but it was what I could afford. . . so let's hope it all turns out for the best.

Photograph Your Day Day!

Okay, so. . . the point of this post is to recap my day in photos. There are a lot of pictures, so, be

happy I didn't do anything more.

I woke up this morning at my sweetie's house. We hung out for a while. He checked his email. I knitted and watched TV.































The knitting, btw, is a surprise.
Anyway, He had to go to work. . . so off we went.


We stopped and got Burger King.

But eventually we had to drop him off.


And we drove. . . .

And drove.

There was a bit of driving, but eventually I made it to my mom's house.

I posted on this blog, and swooned over new alpaca yarn. <3>

I waited for my dad to come pick me up, I played Xbox . . . . with my cat.

Then I went home and did some crafty work.













Like cutting doll parts

And watching Indie and chatting.

Then, I made a breakthrough A. Break. Through.
















I called Sweetie and told him of the finish-ness that is the back of his kimono. He was pleased.


















I also finished something cute to be stocked in the shops later.

And now I'm too tired to take any more pictures. So I'm going to curl up on my couch and sleep.

I'm going to rest on the laurel of this milestone.

Another Notch on the Knitting Belt

I finished my Mom's Fetchings today! I'm so excited :3 I can't wait to see the look on her face when she wears them. There're a great color, too.
I love the yarn. Really, I'm gaga over it. I've been working with acrylics for a long time, and I keep telling myself that I'll stop buying cheap Caron and Red Heart. This project was jsut a step in the right direction for me- away from acrylics that make me quiver. I'm starting to be a Yarn Ho. . . *shiver*

Working the pattern I can definitely see why it's so popular. It worked up quickly and easily, and didn't use a lot of yarn. I still needed 2 skeins of yarn, though. I'm still uber proud of what I've done. . . I hope Mom is, too!

Sick, Man!

So yes. I stayed home sick today. . . (This is also known as "playing hookie" and "skivving.") I just felt really. . . crappy. . .

Anyway, I took the time to catch up on schoolwork that's piled over my head, and to knit some of sweetie's kimono. I'm almost done with the back! Look!

This kimono has been a boon to me for a while now. It's more like a lap blanket at this point then a project, so taking it around town has become painstaking. It's just so hard to whip out the two and a half feet of stockinette stitch and struggle to keep it on my lap when there's so many socks to make, and so many dolls to knit up! I usually stick to quick, easy things that I can cast on in the morning, and by the next day, show off to my friends. Lately, I've been a bit more daring.

Needless to say, this kimono better be a hundred times more rewarding. . . since it's taking a hundred times longer then anything else I've ever done!

Pocketfuls of Sunshine

So, I had the busiest weekend. My senior class retreat was on Friday, and all weekend, my little brother had an AAU tournament. I drove down to the Maple festival to meet sweetie. . . I ate a lot of fried food, and threw up just a few minutes ago.

But I'm also working on a wonderful present for my mother. Mother's day is coming up, yes, but there's another reason.


A few weeks ago my mom was diagnosed with palmar pustular psoriasis, which is pretty icky. She hates having to stretch out her palms to shake hands, take change in stores, and just to do everything. When she went to the doctor, the sores hurt so badly that she couldn't move her hands to write, wash dishes, type on the computer. . . anything, basically! She was so miserable.


So, this is the first of a few glove projects that I'm making using pesticide-free, chemical-free, cotton tahki yarns. I'm really excited to finish!


Also, I'm looking for some good glove patterns. If you have any, drop me a line.