Monday, December 28, 2009
Merry belated Christmas!
Monday, December 07, 2009
Hello, December!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Exhaustion
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Just because...
But I fear my stash is right where it started--because a store near me is goin out of business on September 30th, and the yarn is 40% off currently, so I just HAD to go over there--and buy the Habu yarn that I was coveting. At the end of my spending spree, I have tons of Tsumigi yarn in Whiskey (which I will double up to make a lovely sweater), a couple kits, some merino yarn (quite a bit, too), and a cone of stainless yarn. I can't wait to knit it up. So after I finish this and my zebra mittens, I'm going to cast on for something (I also picked up some red sock yarn -- 3 skeins worth--and I think I may knit myself a cute top (short sleeved, with a lace pattern) for Christmas/new year--it actually has silver running through it!--so I think for the holidays, it will look incredible.
And of course, I walked away with 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden sock yarn, so I can make a neat pair of knee high socks. That is, if I don't get second sock syndrome...All right...I ought to prep a little more for my lecture today...even though I'd rather stay home on this drizzling day and do other things, even work on dissertation.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Progress--even more!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Back to September
1) I went to one of the craziest, over-the-top birthday parties I've ever attended. Truly, it was like going to a kid's birthday party (but it was for a 50 year old guy). Anyway, the party had everything but the kitchen sink--including an ice cream truck, drag queens, psychics, and male strippers (the party was for a gay man). There was more stuff, too.
At the party, I had my palm read by a psychic, who told me the following:
- I like to read thrillers (true)
- My dream is to write a novel
- I will own my own business in the future
- I will be wealthy
- I will have 2 children, one boy and one girl
- I like kids
- I work with computers (?)
- I will be teaching within the next three months
- I will be traveling a lot within the next year or two, but not sure why
These were the main things that I remember her saying. I laughed at the teaching thing though, because I didn't see that in my future (well, I see teaching in my future, but figured it would take some time to get the job I want). I'm keeping tabs on these to see if any of these do come true at all.
2) A week or so later, I got an urgent sounding voice mail from the chair of the department, asking me to call her back. I called her, wondering if I did something wrong, and basically, she said, "Dr. X is on emergency medical leave and will not be able to teach at all the semester. Could you teach his class the rest of the semester?" Please look at the prediction that I laughed at. I didn't really compute that till this morning.
3) My poor little baby brother had his wisdom teeth pulled out today. Poor thing. He's so miserable right now.
4) I'm working on a cowl right now and have finished a hat but just need to put on a button. Also have received some of the most awesome knitting books in the mail today (japanese knitting books with amazing patterns). I'll post pictures later. At the moment need to do some things and check on poor baby brother.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Right now...
Saturday, August 01, 2009
1:25 AM
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Missing sweater
I am officially losing it. Today, I have been knitting Akegeomi but am a little tired of knitting the same pink yarn, so I was going to pick up an old sweater (well, not really old, but one I was working on)...but...while I found the bag of yarn for the sweater, and the book with the pattern, I cannot figure out where this sweater is! I give up. I've looked in all my bags where I keep my knitting, on my yarn shelves, and my yarn tote in the living room. No sweater! Argh!
The only thing I can think of is that maybe it got moved somewhere and hidden in some box during The Great Flood in our house. But I am not sure.
In Akegeomi sweater news, though, I am working on the first fold of the sweater, so it is pretty exciting. Although I am still wondering where that sweater is...Hmm.
Dissertation progress: I have written one page of my prospectus. Plus a rough outline of what I want to cover in my prospectus. My goal is to write as much as I can during the last few days of summer, because in the words of a former professor (well, he wasn't my prof, but a chair of the department), I would have a greater advantage at getting a job with a PhD than with ABD, and I'm hoping that certain things will line up correctly the next few months or year. We shall see, and I shall not say too much for fear I would jinx something.
Friday, July 17, 2009
The tunic progress
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Progress
Thursday, July 02, 2009
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really love Noro yarns, but also love yarns that are very soft, such as alpaca or merino wool (examples include Malabrigo, some Debbie Bliss, Ella Rae, etc...). I'm trying to break the Noro addiction, though. I hate knitting with squeaky acrylic (I prefer natural fibers).
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have this old Winnie-the-Pooh makeup bag from high school that I use, plus a few other random bags for different needles.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?
I've been knitting since college (since I was 18), even though I learned how to knit and purl before that (but it wasn't till college that I learned to do things like make scarves). My mom taught me how to knit and purl, and I made things up in college, and finally took a few classes in grad school to learn how to make a sweater, do entrelac, and to do fair isle knitting.
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'd say I'm intermediate, but am pretty adventurous, though some pattern charts nearly give me heart attacks.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, but I don't even remember what's on it anymore!
5. What's your favorite scent? Patchouli, also citrusy scents.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? YES. I love chocolates (dark) and I work at a store that sells gourmet chocolates, so that can be a bad thing! Also love peppermints.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I used to do a lot of jewelry making, but knitting requires a lot less clean-up. Does cooking also count? Do I spin? I have a drop spindle and a little fiber, but have not quite got the hang of it.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I listen to folk rock and indie rock, so some good examples are: Lisa Loeb, Jill Sobule, The Decemberists, Jill Tracy, Laura Viers, Over the Rhine
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I like purple, green, red, blue...hate pale/pastel colors and absolutely loathe yellow.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live at home and do not have pets
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats, and mittens.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I knit scarves and sweaters. Once in a while I get in the mood to knit mittens, hats, or socks.
13. What are you knitting right now?
I am working on the Squirrelly Mittens (2 years in the making...), the Akeogomi Tunic, and a pair of socks from Cookie A's book.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circulars, and bamboo
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
2 years!
18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
It's a toss-up between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I observe Christmas
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Yes--postcards (I have a special collection of tacky postcards that are all black and say things like, "Cleveland at night")
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Berroco 288,
Berroco 289
A Stitch in Time Knitting and crochet Patterns, vol. 1
Little Birds (sweater pattern by Ysolda Teague)
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
steeking, even though it terrifies me!
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Sort of. I have lots of sock yarn. I wear a size US 9.
23. When is your birthday?
June 19
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes, I am jukeboxheroine
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Colors
Sunday, June 21, 2009
30+2
My birthday was relatively quiet (though busy with work), but we were busy, so I guess I can't complain. My best birthday haul was a copy of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" which was...incredible, even with the sucker punch at the end. I didn't even know Neil Patrick Harris could sing. Or Nathan Fillion. Awesome.
In knitting news, still working at the tunic, and took a break from knitting stockinette and made a cute hat with the yarn I dyed myself (no pics at the moment though). I decided that this hat will go to one of my friends. I hope she'll like it.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Exhaustion
So here is an update on the flooding: Not only did the water leak down into the basement, but it had to originate from the kitchen, which is this lovely hardwood floor. So the floor is now warped. And the water also leaked out in the dining room, which is carpeted. Unfortunately, the spot that got wet was also occuppied by these wood chairs (also stained a dark brown color), and these chairs have left brown rings on the carpet, which won't come out. We called Lowe's to complain, and they sent over a carpet cleaner thingy that we had to use ourselves to clean. Anyway, the house smells like cardboard and the books, boxes, and cards are still drying out. The stain still hasn't come out.
The guy from Lowe's came today and said they could cut out the square of carpet in the corner of the dining room, which mom refused (knitters know that yarn comes in different dye lots, and even carpet does, too! Plus the carpet is older, so if a new square of carpet is used with the old one, it's not going to match well. So of course the carpet is the same as the one in the formal living room attached to the dining room...which of course is the same carpet as the one on our stairs...and the whole upstairs. Sigh. More embarassing is that the upstairs was a total mess while the downstairs was pretty clean after all the cleaning and tidying up we were doing because of the flooding...and I am so embarassed that I've been too pooped to even put away my laundry and books in my room (argh). The insurance guy even went upstairs to take pictures of the rooms (how embarassing--I've never been a neatnik in any case, but oh my goodness). I think the next few days is going to be the best spring cleaning I've done in ages. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I have a feeling knitting is going to take a backseat for a little while. Too bad, since I started this cool tunic...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Catching up
Isn't it pretty?
I've also been trying to finish my scarf, made out of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, and it is absolutely wonderful to knit with. It is incredibly soft and it's also a lovely color.
For those of you wondering how awful it was in the basement--we have a little storage room where we have some things like books, old products, paper, etc, and everything was soaked through and through. It really sucked, but i am glad it wasn't worse. Like, it could have been pictures or my things for school, or heaven forbid--beloved collectibles.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Oy vey
I've also already finished the My-So-Called Scarf (photos coming soon), and I plan on sending it to a friend. I've also finished the Aegean Sea Shrug which is gorgeous, and am contemplating making one for myself in a different color. Not sure though. But it was an incredibly easy and quick knit.
I also went to Trollbeads University on Tuesday/Wednesday, and got a new limited glass bead which is really pretty. Also watched the finale of Dancing with the Stars, and while I'm happy for Shawn Johnson, I still think Gilles was a more consistent dancer. At the same time, I'm not terribly disappointed, as I was when Joey Fatone or Mario Lopez were robbed of the mirrorball trophy :)
Did any of you watch Ugly Betty this Thursday? Wow. It looks like everything is going to pot. And I love it!
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Ahhhh.
First thing that I did after I came home from my exams and yarn shopping was to cook. I forgot to take a picture of my chicken paprikash before I ate it all, but it was yum.
Then, I knitted a lot. I picked up my Squirrelly Mittens and started knitting the second mitten. But this is not what you'll see here! Despite the fact that I have a mitten to knit, I was just itching to get my hands into the Noro Silk Garden sock yarn, and so I started.
But, I actually had to rip it out several times, because the first time, I was dumb and didn't read instructions straight through. Second time, I ripped it out to the beginning (again) because the sock was too big, so I went down a size. Third time, the foot was still too saggy. Fourth time, I tinked back a couple rows because I missed a block. But right now it's looking good, but it's driving me nuts becuase all I've knitted so far has been purpled, blue, and grey, and I'm seeing some cool pinks and golden colors inside the ball of yarn, and I am dying to get to those...
Then, yesterday, I had a FREE DAY. And because my friend Juniper showed us all this awesome blog, Bakerella, so I bought myself some cake mix and melting chocolates, as well as some cake/candy sprinkles to decorate...
So my first attempt at making cake pops turned out to look like deformed chicks. But they were delish. With a little more experimentation, I made some bunny pops.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I am sick of this!
- Sleep
- Watch TV/movies/k-dramas for a week
- Spring clean
- Knit! Knit! Knit! without the guilt
- Work some more
- Sleep some more
- Buy myself a new Trollbead or two, plus Habu yarn and some cool sock yarn so I can make some awesome knee-high socks that I saw on Ravelry. And some new fun books to read!
But in other news, I finally finished Pomatomus last week. Since I'm also trying to not kill myself as I study, I take time off in the evenings and at lunchtime to relax, so I get to do things like work on a knitting project while watching mindlessly stupid (but fun) TV shows, such as Dancing with the Stars (even though the Woz is a horrid dancer, I want him to make it through another week or two. Goodness knows I need the smile). I am partial to Melissa Mycroft and Shawn Johnson, and surprisingly, I kind of like Steve-O. But there can only be one Steve, so I have to place my loyalties with Steve Wozniak, even though I'm a PC and not a Mac type of girl.