The Hexipuff Blanket of Doom

Sorry to not update much. Right now my current obsession is the Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits. It has taken over my knitting time. Which is bad. Very bad. I have socks for my mother and my boyfriend to knit, thrummed mittens and a hat for my sister, hats for my boyfriend's little cousins, and a myriad of projects for me.

Anyways, about the quilt. I have 47 and 2  half puffs right now- here's the quilt so far.

It is firmly in the crazy quilt category, but I love it.

Project Proliferation- or the Pink Box of DOOM

I have a problem with project monogamy. I always have. My Mom would actually complain about why I had two or three projects going, and why couldn't I focus on one at a time.( She finally got it once she found a knitter friend of her own). I simply get bored with projects- or frustrated, or distracted by a pretty yarn or pattern.
  Currently, I am in the throws of intense startitis- a condition in which you desire to CAST ON ALL THE THINGS. Usually I'm not this bad. But I think I know what was the cause.  I knitted monogamously for almost three weeks when making a pair of Ravenclaw House knee socks for the Harry Potter 7.2 midnight movie showing. They're amazing socks(will post pictures later), but they took a lot of time, dedication, and focus to finish by the deadline. So now I'm knitting a lot of different projects. I have two socks on the needles, one sock sitting in a box waiting for its mate to be knit, a glove that needs fingers, a sweater, a coat, and a fake isle hat. THIS IS ALL KNIT OUT OF STASH. Its really bad. Its not as if I'm not completing projects however. But, that is a post for another day.

Caturday Cat Blogging

A new friend

Recently, my boyfriend and I adopted a lovely senior cat from The Lowell Humane Society. His name is Mitch, he is nine years old, and he definitely does not act his age. He is a sweet, affectionate and mouthy cat who loves to speak his mind and curl up on my lap. Best of all? He leaves my knitting alone for the most part.

Back!

Sorry for not posting for so long. The end of my final semester of school ended up being a very busy, very hard time for me.
 
I have moved in with the darling Snorlax, and we have adopted a lovely new cat named Mitch. He is the most sweet, gentle and lovey cat I have ever met. He's also fairly smart, as he quickly learned to not mess with my yarn.

I am currently looking for employment, and using my knitting to keep me from going insane/keep me motivated while I write endless cover letters.

This blog, now that I'm living in an apartment, will be getting a little busier. I'm a big fan of cooking, and intend to start blogging about recipes I've tried.

Stay tuned!

The dawning of spring, and a fickle knitter.

Most of my stash is wool. Yummy, soft, durable wool and wool blends. But, after several months of snow and ice( and a broken knee due to these conditions) I've felt a yearning for cooler, summery and springy yarns. Cotton, bamboo, silk. Stuff that runs through your fingers and feels like summer is already here. It's silly, I know. I'm the girl who knits a sweater every summer. When she's living in Las Vegas. Where its 110 degrees. And I knit it in wool.

But I just can't help wanting to play with something that feels like spring. Luckily, I have a UFO that fits the bill perfectly. A pink silk scarf kit that I got for my birthday, that was put on waste yarn so I could knit a Harry Potter scarf for my Uncle's friend for Christmas.* I'm going to go knit that now, and enjoy the feeling that ITS SPRINGTIME. Even if it is still 40 degrees. That just means I'll wear tights. And my cute new scarf/shawl.  It's a lovely Zoe knit in some Noro Silk Garden Sock I got at Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philadelphia last year. It's a little modified( I changed to garter or stockinette when I felt like it)[ It also has a smaller ruffle], but is lovely, It was the perfect antidote to simple, plain socks gone wrong.



* NEVER knit those ridiculous scarves on a deadline. Or monogamously. You will go insane. I can't look at red and gold yarn in the same area**. If I look at a slytherin scarf in one of the movies, I flinch.

** I will finish that scarf eventually. No knitting project can defeat me. Period. I will prevail.

A fling of sorts, or In defense of simple patterns

After ripping out the second sock for the February sock of the month 6 times, well, I just could not face the yarn anymore. So, instead, I cheated on the project. I cheated with a skein of Noro, and a lovely pattern called Zoe. It's simple, its pretty, and its the perfect fling after a failed project.

  I have never been a monogamous knitter. Its just not in my nature. I like having different things on the needles. And well, sometimes I have a case of 'startitis' because I get frustrated. Sweater not going well? Cast on a hat. Hat suck? Socks. Harry Potter scarf? Lace hat. These projects all serve to keep me entertained, happy, and give me a break from projects that drive me loony.

This is why I am not going to try to continue the sock of the month thing, or, at least, not  have such a strict deadline.

What I learn from knitting

Knitting in a way, can make you a better person.  It teaches you things. For instance, I am learning perseverance and patience right now. I have ripped out the second sock for my February socks of the month 6 times. I am so freaking sick of this project. But I will not let it beat me.

Sorry Ya'll

Hey guys- sorry I haven't posted lately. I had my leg surgery on the 15th, and had boyfriend here from the 11th to the 13th. Before that, I was in a deep hole of knitting for the boy, so I could finish his hat, scarf and gloves.
Here is a brief plan for the rest of February

1. To finish my February sock of the Month, I had issues with the January socks, and am trying to catch up.
2. Post about the boyfriends anniversary/ Valentines gift
3. Post about the knitting community- my knitting club, and knitters in the community, and knitters in the family
4. Musings on changing weather, fickle knitting, and that damn sock yarn that keeps distracting me from my nice, planned club.

Some of these may be pushed off into March. But, I am back, knitting with a vengeance, and teaching my knitting padawans to be crafty.

ETA: My camera is having issues with my laptop, so some of these are forth coming when I get my pictures uploaded.

My yarn Stash

This is my yarn stash. It's not too large, and much of it is sock yarn. There's a frogged sweater in there, leftovers from other projects and Christmas gifts from family members.
 In a way, I think a stash says a lot about the knitter. It can show their tastes, their habits, and their personalities. It goes further than simple color and fiber choices though. For instance, when I look at my stash, I see its a little disorganized, eclectic. It's all over the place. It has lots of portable sock yarn for socks, and thick bulky yarn for a planned pair of legwarmers. It's mostly cheaper natural fibers- but has some blends because I can be flexible. It has yarn for gifts, or left overs from gifts, because I do enjoy choosing just the right project and yarn for the right person. Socks for my Mom, Glittens for my sister. A hat for my dear friend Kitty, who's been so very helpful, and didn't judge too much as I took this picture.
 All in all, this stash represents some one trying to be everywhere, and do everything. Someone who loves complicated color work (the black bagged yarn is for an argyle sweater vest), simple socks, and to knit quick gifts for those she loves.
What does your stash say about you?

Confessions

1. I am a selfish knitter. I love to knit- but knitting stuff for other people well, drives me batty. It's not that I don't want to, its that after the initial thrill wears off, it feels more like a chore. So, I turn to project polyamory. I'll have a pair of socks or a hat or a sweater on the needles for me, a project for my friend, and another project for when either of the first two make me angry.

2. I am a fickle knitter. If a project makes me angry, it will get put in a pile, waiting for me to not be angry anymore. For instance, I have a Cadence sweater in my yarn basket. I can never seem to knit it long enough. So there it sits, waiting to be ripped back so I can knit the final several inches to make it an acceptable sweater.

3. I'm a knitting evangelist. I KIP, I teach knitting in a club, I teach knitting to my friends. I find it fun- and I love to see what my students, or Padawans as I like to call them, can make.

4. I secretly want a pair of straight needles that look like lightsabers. Even though I never use straight needles.

5. I'm on Ravelry as lemurphilosopher.

6. I'm a bad ravelrer. Most of my projects don't have a picture up, or aren't even logged in. My goal is to take pictures of all of my old projects and put them up.

7. I love to knit socks.

8. I didn't finish my January sock of the Month. My size one needle broke. So I'm cheating and knitting my February socks with worsted weight yarn.

9.I gave my mom my first ever knitted pair of socks for Christmas. She loved them.

10. One of my favorite people to knit for is my sister. She willingly helps to pick the patterns, and loves having unique, warm things to wear.

Stuff Knitters like: #1 Knitting

It's kind of a cop out to create a list of what knitters like and to start off with knitting. But, it is true. Knitters like knitting, no, they LOVE knitting. They love it so much that it evolves into some eccentric practices. They collect yarn, with every intention in the world of knitting it into something useful. They plan projects months in advance. They find ways to buy more yarn and knit more by trying to knit a gift for every occasion. They swath themselves in their knitted items( I am very, very very guilty of this).
  In fact, many of them can't bear to be without a project with them at all times. They will knit on trains, in line at the grocery store, even on a gurney in the Emergency Room, waiting to be seen by a Doctor. (A friend did this, a very close friend who is now behind on the sock of the month challenge.  I'd never do such a thing...really, honest- even if my foot was really cold. And I was at a point I could start the ribbing. And the pattern was a lit of fun...) Many even have projects specifically for travel, like socks, and hats. These same knitters may also have projects for different occasions. Lace for silence, color work for bright light, and a Harry Potter scarf for when you want to numb your brain.
  These same knitters LOVE to promote knitting, They are knitting missionaries. They knit in public, hoping people ask questions. They offer to teach everyone, and often try to teach their children or grandchildren.(Note: If the training doesn't stick, wait until they are older. It took my grandmothers three tries to teach me, and I learned from a book.) The younger ones may go on to create a knitting club in college or high school, just so they can promote it, and talk about knitting.
  Knitting, in short, is a lifestyle to them. It provides warmth, clothing and company. It gives you a connection to your relatives, and gives you an opening to talk to people. This knitter would never dream of quitting. 

The Tale of the Colorwork Hat

Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right for your knitting? Last week I did. I was casting on for Tam C of Three Tams. I casted on the ribbing, four times. Each time, I twisted the cast on. Every. Single. Time. Now, a normal person would just not make the hat. Not me. I will not be defeated by some bloody ribbing. Even if it is two colors. So, I devised a cheat.
ETA: The yarns used are Full 'o Sheep, and Lion Brand Amazing. The Full o'Sheep is left over from a pair of mittens, and the Lion Brand was a Christmas gift from one of my enablers I mean Uncle.

I knitted the ribbing flat.  I just added one stitch extra on both ends, and used them to sew the brim together at the end. Made things much easier in the long run. Which turned out to be a while. The yarn I was using for the fake isle, Lion Brand Amazing, has some really, really, really long color changes. And, in a fit of knitterly OCD, I decided I wanted to control my colors.

 I ripped each color repeat out, and rolled it into an individual ball. Yes, its sad. It's anal retentive. But, my hat sure looks good.

And, a shot of the inside

A beginning

My dear friend and roommate, who we shall call Squirrel, has been telling me I should create a knitting blog for a long time. I always shrugged it off, saying I don't have time, or I'm not as funny or as good at writing as some of the greats are. But, as time went on, I realized I wanted a place to share my knitting triumphs, my projects, and my budding design skills, as well as interact with other knitters and crafters.
I also broke  my knee cap in half, leaving me hobbled for my final semester of college.
So, this blog is about my journeys with two different sets of sticks- my needles and my crutches. Hopefully, one will help me survive the other.