2008 Goal Results

Took awhile to find the post where I discussed them but here they are. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to accomplish most of them and make decent progress on the others. Of course, now I have to come up with my goals for 2009!

1. Blog: Write in here four days a week, on average.

Well, that certainly didn’t happen. Barely wrote one entry a week, never mind four. Actual post total – 57

2. Knitting: Finish ten knitting projects; two must be larger projects (think sweater or lace shawl). End the year with less stash yarn than I had to start with.

I finished 18 projects, three of which were pairs of socks. Sure, I said large = sweater or shawl but socks have just as many stitches (right?). I think I can say this was successfully completed.

3. School: Keep grades up (aka higher than 3.0 GPA).

Only wound up with one semester of school in 2008 but I did take home a 3.3 GPA that one semester.

4. Photos: Take an average of four photos a week.

According to Flickr my 2008 total is 1,273 photos which averages about 25 per week. A European vacation and lots of knitting shots did a lot to raise those numbers.

5. Friends/Family: Make the most of the postal service by writing more letters and sending care packages to friends and family just because.

I sent some letters and packages but not nearly as many as I anticipated. This goal will be re-written in a more specific way and turned into an ’09 goal, I’m sure.

6. Work: Be the best employee I can be in the new work group. Take tasks outside my comfort zone.

I think I did this though, really, only my fellow employees can say either way. I’ve tried to take tasks that are more “out there” though there wasn’t always the opportunity to do so.

FO: Clapotis One

It’s done! I finished knitting this afternoon and worked on dropping all of the ladders while in the car on the way to the wine shop then from the wine shop to the Lebanese restaurant where we had dinner. Anyway, I started this project in late August then put it aside in early September to work on other projects. Then last week I picked it up again because I’d decided it was long enough already. I’d prefer if it were a bit longer but it works well as is. There’s just one very odd thing about it, the one part comes to a strange narrow point (where the finishing rows were). Not that big of a deal when I actually wear it (which I did tonight at dinner) but looks quite strange when it’s just sitting there. Thanks again, Susan, for giving me the strength to tackle this in the first place.

Here’s the details:

Pattern: Clapotis
Source: Knitty
Designer: Katie Gilbert
Alterations: One less increase repeat, four less straight repeats
Recipient: Moi!

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Colorway: Dk Country Blue
Amount Used: Approx 500 yards
Needles: Size 7 32″ Addi Turbos

Note: I’ll add photos to this post sometime this weekend. It’s too late for any photo-taking.

The Great Ikea Trip

One of the almost required actions following moving into a new place as a 20-something is running to Ikea to buy furniture or storage items you’re now convinced you cannot live without. Right after we signed the lease and got the keys, we headed to Ikea. Although we got a decent amount of stuff, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as we thought.

1. Scissors – Okay, not excited but I really needed some heavy duty scissors.

2. Trash can – Threw out a few of ‘em pre-move.

3. Light bulbs – Most of the house still has incandescent bulbs still so we picked up tons of CFLs.

4. Pillows – Another thing that got tossed pre-move. I got a fancy one designed for side sleepers like myself.

5. Desk – Matt’s was in great need of replacement as his was a flat pack that had been taken apart and put together at least three times. This is exactly the same as mine which I love.

6. Metal table w/wire shelves – This’ll be used for kitchen prep and storage as our kitchen is rather small. The metal makes it super easy to clean.

7. Metal rack with plastic tubs – More kitchen and food storage

FO: Baby Poncho

I spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws which is sort of in the middle of nowhere north of Baltimore. I brought with me yarn to finish the red cowl (which resulted in 30 or so leftover yards) and this ball of superwash merino that apparently hates me. After ten attempts at trying to make something out of it, I went searching for something else to work on.
I’ve always been a fan of the free patterns Drops releases every season. I was searching through their Winter 08/09 line when I came across the baby poncho. I instantly knew I had to make it for Izzy. With a moss stitch hoot and raglan design, it was a perfect quick knit to keep her warm. It knit up super fast, just 48 hours of somewhat intense knitting and it was complete. I cannot wait to give it to her during our special cousins-only Christmas (Izzy’s Matt’s cousin, Jeremy’s, four month old daughter).

What the dirty details? Those are on Ravelry here.

FO: Red Cowl

It’s cold here in Northern Virginia. Really cold. Thankfully there are tons of warm-weather knitting patterns that don’t take long at all. My first warm weather knit (to be finished) is this red cowl. A simple pseudo-lace pattern and a bright red yarn were a great combination. I feel seeing wearing the cowl but, hey, I’m nice and warm!

Want the dirty details? Ravelry project page is here.

I Knit Funny

(Hi, Mom. You can stop reading now. This is one of my knitting geek posts. And, no, I’m not trying to hide a discussion of your Christmas gifts.)

The other day I was sitting at my LYS and working on a swatch to make Wisteria from the Twist Collection. (Side note: The Wisteria model looks very similar to the Associate Pastor at our new church.) After a few inches, I measured my gauge and was annoyed to find it was 23 stitches per inch versus the eighteen required by the pattern. Just before I pulled all of my progress out, I asked Olga to look it over for me.

“I don’t mean to discourage you, but this isn’t stockinette…”

When I learned to knit, someone told me that purl and knit are opposite stitches. I assumed this also meant that you wrap the yarn opposite. I’m a bit strange so I “got” how to purl first then, applying the opposite concept, I usually wrap my yarn clockwise when I knit. I knew this was “wrong” and that it probably did something to the finished fabric but never worried about it.

What happens is that I twist the knit stitch once when I warp the yarn wrong and again when I knit on the next row which results in a really abnormal, highly textured fabric. As soon as Olga taught me to adjust for my odd wrapping (“Don’t reach yourself to change your wraps”), all was awesome. You can really tell the difference in my finished swatch.

FO Spoiler: Pair of Zeebees

When we were in Beaune in April, I promised my friend, Rendy, I would make him a hat if he bought the yarn. He selected a horrible acrylic in a great color. I cringed at the yarn and was terrified of knitting a hat. I’ve knit socks but a hat..ack! I chose the Zeebee pattern because it’s knit flat then seamed and customizable. My first attempt turned out way too small so I gave it to Nevaeh (fits her perfectly though she looks like a boy) and the second, correctly sized, attempt is in Rendy’s hands. Both were super quick to knit, only about four hours, and easy to follow. Just lots of short rows. I will be making one for myself and anyone else who requests one out of the various acrylics I’ve got lying around.

FO: Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf

Ever since I started knitting, I’ve been telling Matt that I would make him a scarf. In late September I was pretty certain that we’d hear news soon that we’d be moving to the DC area so I finally started a scarf for him. I chose the scrappy lengthwise scarf pattern by a women in the Orange County knitting group All Things String despite the fact it wasn’t going to be a true scrappy scarf. I used two acrylics I had in stash two make three bold stripes. I’ll likely make another one soon but I’ll be certain to make it much longer. (It’s a bit of a habit of mine to think scarfs need only been five or so feet long. I need to change that mindset to six feet as being the minimum length.)

Matt has only worn the scarf once but I blame that on the warm-ish temperatures and his lack of knowledge as to how to wear a scarf. I have no question that he’ll wear it when the time is right. He’s always really good about using the things I make for him, even my horrible first project (the unintentionally crescent-shaped bookmark).

Want the dirty details? Those are here

Quick Update

I hate to interrupt the Week of FOs, but I’ve got a few non-knitting updates to share.

We’ll be moving into the apartment early next week. I’m going nuts counting down the days until then. I can’t wait to unpack, decorate our (Real!) Christmas tree, and get out kitties back from the in-laws. I am so “over” living out of a hotel.
I got into George Mason’s Systems Engineering program. It would take me longer to complete but, well, many companies would rather hire a Systems Engineer than a Mechanical Engineer. I’m still waiting to hear from U of Maryland which has a true ME program. I’d likely graduate from there faster but, again, Sys Eng may be a better degree choice. I try not to think about it or I’d be going crazy worrying about what to pick. I’ve still got a few weeks.
My parents are coming here for Christmas. We’ll have Christmas dinner at our place then they’ll stay with us until the 29th or so. Then we’ll all head up to Matt’s parents until they head home New Year’s Day. I’m really excited that I’ll get to see them and that I won’t be in someone else’s home for Christmas Day.
I finally bought a Metro SmarTrip card. Silly thing to get excited about but I won’t have to calculate fares any longer. Just swipe and go.
We visited five Northern Virginia wineries on Saturday. Much better wines than we anticipated but still somewhat immature. I took zero photos, despite the beautiful views and Matt’s camera in the car. Thankfully Loudoun County is only an hour away so we can very easily return.

FO: Firey Clapotis

Casbah has got to be one of my most favorite yarns, ever. It’s a scrumptious blend of merino and cashmere in sock weight. That being said, I won’t be buying it again for a long while. It’s a splurge yarn and not available at my new LYS. I picked up the skein I used for this project at ImagiKnit during out last visit to San Francisco. I immediately knew what I wanted to make with it: a skinny Clapotis. The finished scarf wound up admittedly shorter than I anticipated but it’s still long enough to wrap around my neck and shove the ends into my jacket. Of course, this scarf was started before I was certain we would be moving to the cold “North” and it’s not nearly warm enough for the current temperatures. That being said, it should be perfect for the Spring and I can’t wait to get my hands on two skeins of Casbah to make a larger one.

Want more details? Ravelry project located here.

needles & vectors

an engineering gal who crafts her life away

Monthly Archives for December 2008