Terzetto

So, that sweater I’ve been working on is at the point where it’s so boring it’s driving me nuts. I finished the first sleeve and, as a reward, let myself pick up the sleeves for the collar/button bands (though there are no actual buttons). Of course, this is a huge number of stitches and my longest size 5 needle is only 32″ so I only picked up one side of them – the side with a sleeve. That part’s half done. That means one more sleeve plus 1.5 collars/button bands plus the little seaming required to attach the two button bands together at the back of the neck. But, it’s all ribbing and gets pretty repetitive.

I made the executive decision last night, while Matt was playing his latest violent video game (Battlefield 3) so start a new project: a hat for an unknown recipient. I should be working on finishing up the pair of socks or starting the pair of armwarmers I recently promised to my friend but, yeah, wasn’t feeling either (sorry, Lora!). This hat is perfect for what ails me: a small project and easily memorizable stitch pattern that’s still easy enough to do while watching TV/video games. I’ll be done with it by the weekend and ready to either go back to the sweater (doubtful), restart that second sock, or get started on the armwarmers. Or just move on to making another hat in a different yarn. We’ll see.

Pattern: Terzetto by Lisa Gutierrez (Rav link here)

Yarn: Stonehenge Fiber Mils Shepherd Worsted

Colorway: Dark blue? (never remember color names of non-variegated yarns)

Recipient: Someone amongst my friends and family who likes dark blue

Today shall be known as Awesome Day

Today was a great day.

I slept in until what is now known as 7:30.

I got all of my digital scrapbooking supplies organized and made it through four days worth of editing of my Europe photos to be scrapped.

The church service had an excellent sermon and communion.

A friend I knew at UF and haven’t seen since 2005 grabbed my attention after the service.

Sunday School was filled with people our age and at the same point on their lives (and this week was a good discussion on the purpose of prophecy).

Everyone from SS went and got burgers together.

I got through editing the rest of my Europe photos.

I kept Matt company while he canned veal stock and made dinner.

We watched lots of DVRed cooking shows.

Dinner of gnocchi.

Finished the first sleeve on my sweater.

Watched Ravens/Steelers football.

Yeah, it was an awesome day.

More Digi Pages (and Actual Knitting Content)

First off, two more pages I made earlier when I got home from work, both using elements from the Design House Digital’s Digital Scrapbooking Day Blog Hop. I really love this year’s kit, with the turquoise, yellow, and brown elements. You have to visit each of eleven designer’s blogs in order to collect all the parts of the kit but it’s well worth the time for such a great freebie. I could easily see myself making an entire book worth of pages using only that kit (and some other fonts and templates, perhaps).

This first layout was made using the template created by Tiffany of Simply Tiffany. I recolored the elements to these grayed colors. I didn’t know quite what I wanted to scrap so I picked two of the many, many photos I’ve taken of myself with knitwear on my head.

This layout is my own design and I must say I really like it. I want to learn to embrace the white space, to be okay with a single photo. I thought it was a perfect way to scrap our new place.

(The other supplies I used were just the 2peas fonts Grandpa (on the 1st layout) and scrapbook (on the 2nd layout).)

Ok, now for the knitting content. After making two-thirds of a far too large sweater during our Europe trip, I pulled it all out and restarted another sweater. It took me awhile to pick exactly what I wanted but I turned to a design I’d queued months before: the Spring Ribbed Cardigan.

I’ve already completed most the body and just have the ribbing at the bottom, the sleeves, and the ribbed edging/button bands/collar. Between the neutral color and the simple, classic design, I’m sure to wear it all the time when it’s done. I just hope it fits me!

Yarn U: An iPhone app review

Disclaimer: I was provided a redemption code to download the app for free and asked, in return, to write a review via my blog. I received the code after responding to a request for reviews put out on Ravelry but the app’s creator. No other compensation was given.

Yarn U provides knitters with information on more than 100 yarns, along with photos, example projects, and user comments.

When you search by yarn company, you’re given a list of all of the yarns by that company (which are already in the database, of course).

When you click on a yarn, you’re shown a photo along with a brief description of the yarn.

Scroll down a bit and there’s the interesting bits about gauge, weight, yardage, and the weight of one ball / skein/ hank. Also, a pro con list that I think could really use some more substantive additions.

If you want to search by weight, that’s in the main listing. Here’s some of the already listed laceweight yarns.

I’ll say it right now, I know that Ravelry has this functionality and that you can use their site on your iPhone. I also know that I just about go batty when I try to use the Rav mobile site on my iPhone while out shopping for yarn. I usually have to borrow the kiosk at my LYS to get this sort of information. And, while I’m highly unlikely to actually purchase such an app myself (cheaper than I am lazy), I can see why many others, particularly those who aren’t familiar with Rav, would be excited to download it.

Now that that’s overwith, some specifics on what the app does do well (and those it doesn’t do well).

Things it does well:

Provide basic information on yarns such as gauge, weight, and fiber content.
Allows users easy access to this information with well-labeled icons, intuitive browsing, and a straight-forward interface.
Give ideas for what to make using yarns, complete with photos and links to patterns.

Things it could improve on:

Increased database size. While I understand that the app is pretty new (and the creators are the only ones entering items into the database), it was annoying how small the database was. [I'd recommend crowd-sourcing this. Not the coding part, but the gathering information, links, and pictures part.]
Another database thing – no indy dyers?? I know there are a million out there, but even including the top 25 lines would make it seem less like you only care about the Big Guys.
List yarns with the company name and yarn “model” name together. I’m often searching for Classic Elite Lush, not just Lush. And, for some common names, there are dozens of different companies (“Squishy Sock” returns 4 pages of results on Ravelry)
Separate the non-brands from the brands in the main listing on the app. You should go somewhere else to look at all laceweight yarns or to read about the app’s creator.

So, overall, I think it’s a decent app, though the lack of database entries is a definite hinderance to my personal adoption.

Blanket Re-Start

I started making a blanket to benefit Project Linus in Joplin, MO three weeks ago, which is an eternity in terms of my normal knitting pace. Sure, there’s no real deadline but I’m pretty sure the disaster victims need more help now, not in six months when I would finally finish it.

Then, there was another problem. It was never going to be large enough to meet the 36″ square requirement. Garter stitch takes more yarn to cover the same amount of space as stockinette (given the same gauge, that is). And I only have just over 1,000 yards of this yarn. Plus, the slog of knit back-and-forth garter was driving me crazy.

So, on Saturday, I frogged all of my progress thus far. I’ve always been one to frog and regret later, versus some of my knitting pals who will let a UFO languish for years, despite the fact it doesn’t work. Something in my personality just won’t let me do that. If something sits for more than a couple months, it’ll rarely get worked on again when I relocate it. The only except seems to be when the yarn is really, really amazing.

Back to the blanket. I have re-started. A simple stockinette square, worked from the inside out in the round. Because I have more gray than blue, it’s stripes but with a thick gray inside and, eventually, border. The previous blanket was at 24″ across after two and a half weeks of work. I’ve only been working on this version since Saturday and it’s already at 20″.

Unfortunately, though, it’s just about outgrown the 32″ needle I’m using to make it so it’s rather difficult to get a picture of anything but details. Maybe I’ll break down later this week and pick up a new needle but, for now, I’ll just continue chugging along and hope I finish before the end of June.

List 2: Things you are good at [30 Days of Lists]

What am I not good at?

Shush, I can hear you all laughing from here. Stop it.

In all seriousness, things I am good at:

Knitting lace shawls and socks
Making funny faces
Taking photos of my cats
Eating (you know it’s true if you’ve ever shared a meal with me)
Getting freaked out about things that don’t matter
Keeping perfectly calm with regards to things that do matter
Making lists, especially to do lists that get ignored
Cleaning toilets
Getting work done on time despite much procrastination

This was a really hard topic. No one wants to brag and I’m just starting my career so it’s not like I have any work-related things to mention. Plus, I tend to think I’m bad at everything (imagine that). But, still, I did manage to write the list.

Today’s unrelated photo: the street signs near where we had dinner last night. The location isn’t worth mentioning as it was pretty “eh,” overall.

WIP Wednesday

I have to be truthful. I’ve been far more distracted than productive the last week or so. Distracted by sewing and weather in the 90s and going to open houses and ending one job and starting another. Just distracted in general.

Though I have done a little bit of work on my various WIPs. And, of course, started a new one.

The Project Linus blanket is to that point where I’m totally slogging through it. I forgot, somehow, that a log cabin construction means you add more stitches each time, sure, but it’s not done that quickly. It’s for a really good cause so I’m sure to finish it but between the slogging feeling and the extreme warmth of having it sit on my lap, I’ve only worked on it maybe twice in the last week. Must pull it back out this weekend, perhaps when we’re on our way up to Baltimore. I can still work on it while I talk to Matt which means he doesn’t feel ignored and I make great progress without too much focus. In terms of progress, I’m almost done with the second “round” of additons beyond the second square, finishing up the second of five balls of Weekend I have set aside for it.

Next is the Textured Shawl. No reason to show a pic because, well, it’s still in the same exact shape that it was in last week, more or less. I probably knit 10 or so rows on it but I just don’t feel like working on it right now. Likely to pick this back up when the blanket is finished as it’s now in the 200+ stitches per row stage. That means less than 100 yards of yarn left so it’s already 75% complete. When I pick it up to seriously work on it, again, I’ll likely finish it in a weekend.

The new WIP is a pair of Monkey socks in Malabrigo sock. I started knitting these last weekend when I was tired of my large WIPs, thinking I would work on knitting them as we went around and did our weekend errands. I love the pattern which is why I’ve made several pairs of them in the past. And the color of the yarn reminds me of the colors in Van Gogh’s Starry Night, one of my favorite patterns. I may keep these for myself or give them to Alison or someone who would enjoy them. For now, they’re just keeping my hands busy anytime I don’t have the time or the patience for the larger WIPs.

What are you guys working on?

Stash Pact

[Sorry for anyone who read this earlier. There are now pretty photos instead of just a bunch of my rambling. That'll teach me to schedule a post!]

Don’t think I told you all about this so I’ll give you the quick and dirty summary. On January 1st I, along with many others on Flickr, made a pact to work from our repsective craft supply stashes this year. I’m one of the few who was eaten alive by yarn versus fabric so things are a little different for me but it’s the same issue: too much buying, too little using.

Each of us wrote our own list of rules and caveats. Mine was pretty short:
1. Super, super special stuff that comes in my LYS. Malabrigo and Miss Babs are not in this category, no matter how much I try to convince myself. They are almost always in stock.
2. For gift for friend/family member. Must be made at the request of said friend/family member, not because I decide to make them something.
3. Once all sweater quantities are gone and I really, really, really want to make a sweater can I buy more sweater quantities.
4. Once stash gets below 1,000 yards (with yarn in active WIPs not included) – can then purchase as needed to start something immediately.

So, how have I done? Well, I’ve done what I would call decently. I’ve purchased 9 hanks, was given 1, and received 6 in trades. Compared to my ball a week habit in 2010, it’s amazing; compared to my rules, not so much.

The first purchase of the year was yarn for a baby blanket for good friends. They didn’t ask for it but, well, I had to make them something, right? And the extra was used for a BSJ, also for them. It was all knit up in less than 3 weeks (though the FOs have yet to leave my house as the baby isn’t due until early August).

The second was the bright yellow Miss Babs Northumbria I purchased at her color workshop. Sure, I said Miss Babs isn’t special but, honestly, the Northumbria isn’t in stock that often and there were only three or four hanks of it.

The Bugga, well, who can blame me. It’s Bugga. I was going to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool and spend a ton of money but decided, instead, to just support my LYS. I probably would have purchased far more had I gone so I see this purchase as a win.

On the other side of things, I’ve gotten rid of a ton of yarn. I wrote down somewhere that I had close to 15,000 yards in my stash at the beginning of the year. I’m down to just over 6500 if you count yarn to be used in WIPs as stash (and 2740 if you don’t).

So what, may you ask, do I actually have left?

In WIPs:

5 skeins of Berroco Weekend (Project Linus blanket)
1 skein of Bugga (Textured Shawl)
1 skein of Dragonfly Lace (Pinkerton)
1 skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (Damson that you haven’t seen).

Otherwise:

1 skein of Eco Wool (will get used up next winter for quick-knit accessories or a scarf)
1 skein of Neighorhood Fibre Company Studio Sport
3 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool Chunky (will get used up next winter for quick-knit accessories)
2 skeins of Berroco Weekend (1 of each of 2 colors that don’t go together at all)
1 skein of Berroco Vintage
1 skein of Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd Wool
2 skeins OWool Sport (in the world’s most perfect blue)
2 skeins of bright pink acrylic (will become a shawl for a friend’s neice who LOVES shawls)
1 skein of Yarn Pirate (for socks, maybe even socks for me)
1 skein of Malabrigo sock (for socks, maybe even socks for me)

What’s going on

Had this song in my head the last few days though I can’t recall what first made me think of it. And I thought I may as well listen to the voices in my head (or is it voice?) and explain what’s going on in my life now, my knitting life, specifically. I’m not in the mood to talk more about my graduation or plans for the summer or future. I’ve had too many people asking all the details the last few days; a chance to temporarily forget my life is changing is a welcome one.

I’ve got three WIPs going on but haven’t exactly taken any photos of the one (the blue, laceweight Pinkerton I last showed here). I keep getting distracted from working on it by other projects which are either out of less finiky (finicky? finacky?) yarn or more exciting project or, well, just about any sort of an excuse not to work on it. I’m sure I’ll be very happy wtih the finised result but, for now, just not what I want to work on.

The second WIP was started last Monday, right after I finshed my last final exam. I needed something easy yet pretty so I went back to an old favorite, the Textured Shawl Recipe. I made two of them in the past, one last summer and another the summer before that. Perhaps I’ll continue making one each summer until I, finally, get tired of the pattern. But that calm yet not boring combination of stitch patterns draws me in again and again. Now, if only I could actually convince myself to sit down and decide how many rows of each stitch pattern to do beforehand. The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in the aptly named Strawberry Crab colorway which makes me hungry for both strawberries and crabs everytime I say the name. Thankfully it’s already strawberry season and steamed crabs will be easily available in a week or two.

The last WIP is one of necessity. I’m sure you all know about the devastating tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri a few days ago. A good friend from my SWE days, Kerrie, is making blankets to send to the local Project Linus chapter which will be handed out in Joplin. While I wish I had the sewing skills to whip up a handful of quilts, I’ll have to stick to knitting a simple log cabin blanket with the Berroco Weekend I have left from various other projects. I know that a blanket won’t rebuild anyone’s life but I hope it can make someone’s day just a very tiny bit brighter. [If you make your own donation of a blanket, leave a comment with your email address and I'll tell you who to send the FO to.]

So, what are you all working on? Have any big summer knitting (or other crafting) plans?

Now what?

I’m now a college graduate. I knew I’d say that someday but it’s so strange to finally do so.

I spent eight years studying, working on projects, taking exams, and attending classes (and worrying about all of this in my downtime).

But now? Now I have loads of free time. And, of course, my mind is full of ideas of things I want to do more of, do again, or start doing.

Knitting: Obviously, I already do a lot of this. But I have big, specific goals for what I want to do. I want to knit colorwork mittens for everyone I know. I want to knit lace shawls for anyone who wants one. I want to make things for the children of friends, family, and coworkers. I want to maybe, someday, knit myself a sweater that fits and makes me feel great about my body (but doesn’t make it sweat like a pig every single time I wear it).
Sewing: I have a machine. I know basic construction. My husband’s boss got me a gift certificate to an excellent sewing shop for graduation. Heck, I even have a few friends who, I am sure, would be happy to share their fabric stash with me. And, well, I miss sewing, I really do. Even if my machine can’t be fixed (the tension cannot be adjusted correctly, no matter what I or my mother-in-law have done), I can still sew again. May even get back into quilting. Or just stick with making little bags and fun skirts and..
Running: I miss it. Even the agony of having to tell myself “just two more miles” and the possibility of having to do physical therapy. I don’t think I’ll ever run a half marathon or even train for one but this area is full of fun 5k, 10k and 10 mile races. I wasn’t built to be a runner but I really do enjoy it. And can you imagine the fun of going running when I’m in Europe in the fall? Talk about a great way to see a city!
Writing: Journaling, specifically. Actually writing down my thoughts on paper. I miss it even more than I miss sewing and running. I’ve been journaling since fourth grade, why did I stop?
Reading: I admitted to Jocelyn the other day that I haven’t really read anything in a long time. Sure, I read dozens of blogs and news websites and food magazines, but when was the last time I actually read a real, live book? We even have the Kindle. And the public libraries near here are great. And I’m pretty sure the DC public library will give cards to non-residents, as will Fairfax County.
Photography: Matt got me an amazing lens (which I must blog about later) for graduation. It’s an amazing macro lens, great for both super close up shots and the intimate portraits I love to take. And, well, it’s summer in the DC area. Perfect time and place for photography.
Cooking: I want to get more into cooking, not to the level that Matt is, but at least to the point where I can make us dinner once a week without freaking out halfway through. I know, generally, what I’m doing, just have to develop an intuition for it like Matt has.
Blogging: Both here and on Two Yolks, the food blog I made Matt start but that he hasn’t written in for almost a year. I have the great camera, he’s still cooking awesome (and pretty!) food. No excuses. There will be more food blogging (and more blogging here, like I said in a recent post). Hopefully blog both places once a week, even if it’s just a few photos with short descriptions. (Like the post I’ve already got in draft form on Two Yolks, just need to polish it a bit and press Publish.)

So, now what?

The rest of my life can start.

needles & vectors

an engineering gal who crafts her life away

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