Friday, March 28, 2008

geek squad activate: fighting migraine but still posting




As I martyr myself on a giant bamboo needle for the great goddess of knitting, I give thanks that the top I'm working on is red...the blood won't show. I'm fighting the migraine from Hades...two days and counting. What, you may ask, are you doing blogging then, you silly girl? I wonder the same thing. But I finally got a chance to take some pics of knitting in progress. Not all of it mind you, I don't have an image of the red top yet, but several things in progress, two which are new! First: I finally cast on for the Plimoth Plantation stockings! My first piece of "charity" knitting....interpreters need new stockings? Enter Ravelry and within about a week they had more knitters working on this than they could shake a stick at. I've been a bit remiss, as I just cast on for these and I got the yarn back in November. But I had holiday knitting, then deadlines hit, then I had to skein and wash the damn yarn, so here we finally are: the end of March and I've got 4" done. Of one stocking. Each one is 22" long plus an 11" foot. I'll get these done in time for fall. I hope.
Next: The project I'm calling "Embers for a lady." It's loosely based on the Lady Eleanor entrelac stole...but I didn't like the yarn or the final results all that much. But I did want an entrelac scarf/stole....starf??? so I cast on for this with the amazing Trekking Handpaint yarn in colorway "Feuderland" Yum. or maybe charcoal briquettes...you decide.
Finally, I'm making slooooooooow progress on the Cosmic handspun raglan cardie. Sloooooow. But I'm planning on spinning for most of the weekend, so that may help the yarn situation some.




So there you are: 4 projects hot on the needles, several more in slumber, and another pair of socks (I'm thinking Queen of Cups in Plymouth Happy Feet Burgundy) to come....now wish me luck on finding an apartment in Seville! (Yep, I'm agoing to Spain kittens!)

Friday, March 7, 2008

Dash it all and then some handspun


Well, I succumbed after all. I couldn't resist you see. I had to cast on for something and it simply would NOT be those d*mned socks. So I am beginning my top-down raglan again, using my merino handspun. I will have to spin up the entire pound in order to finish the sweater, but it will be worth it: a deep turned collar, tweedy soft yarn in my colors, a knitted-on button band...all perfect. simple. wearable. I hope.





PS: see what I mean? FUGLY yarn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Socking angst

So I have been trying to do the SKP 2008 but nothing I try (yarnwise) is working. Claudia's handpaints in bootcamp? Great yarn, good colors. fugly with this pattern. The handspun, handdyed yarn I was dreaming about? Note to self: do not depend on natural dyeing to produce acid dye results. Or anything predictable. Much less to be able to blend colors with great finesse on your first try. Result? fugly yarn. So where does that leave me? With a started sock in bootcamp and no pattern that I like. believe me, I've tried about 4 by now. So I'm making it up as I go along. It's looking like I'm doing a set of 4 cables across the instep and then will pick up the cables at the top of the heel flap when I get there. Or I may make them travel around to the back and leave the front in a plain stockinette 'V', I'm not sure. Fun! And it means that I haven't started the Jacobean sock, nor have I finished spinning my fugly yarn...which I will overdye to fix, nor have I started my charity knitting for Plimoth Plantation...which I should have started LAST YEAR. I'm a bad knitter, I am. I think my knitting mojo is on hiatus, because I keep picking up projects, knitting two rows, then putting them down again. I LONG to cast on for a big sweater project but I can't afford the yarn and keep telling myself that I should spin it rather than buy it. But I want instant gratification. Enter the knitting emo. ya, that's me.
In other news, I really really want to go to this: The browncoat ball. Yep, I'm that geeky. Off to try and write something. I have a presentation at the end of the month, I haven't picked my books for this summer's class yet, much less started to write the lectures yet....ack, where are my needles?

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

My celtic horoscope--scary accurate!




You Are A Pine Tree



You love agreeable company, peace, and harmony.

Compassionate and friendly, you love to help others.

A natural poet, you have a very active imagination.

You are very soft on the inside - needing affection and reassurance.

You can fall in love deeply, but you will leave if you feel betrayed.