Mara, Music

Copycat, copycat. That’s me. 

Since I’m on my sock knitting sabbatical till the end of the month, I needed something else to haul around with me. Instead of a hat or a pair of mitts, I chose a shawl. My only defense was that 3 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool were calling my name.  I settled on Mara mainly because Brokeknits made one from 3 skeins of Nature Wool and it looked wonderful. Plus, garter stitch is easy knitting when out and about. 

Yep, total copycat. At least it's a different color.

Saturday Morning

Tuesday Morning

I’ve gotten a bit further since Tuesday and am a few rows into the second skein. It doesn’t particularly fit in my purse anymore but I stuff it in all the same. It would probably help if I could stop knitting on this when I get home. No luck there since I can’t seem to put it down. Ah well, might just have to switch to a bigger purse.

||||

I go through music phases every couple of days/weeks. This year has already seen marathon listening sessions of Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, KT Tunstall, and Fleet Foxes. The latest marathon started out innocently enough by watching The Local Natives on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts podcast. The video wasn’t even over and I was perusing Amazon for their music. In the end, I ended up with a copy of the FrenchKiss Records Super Sampler. It starts off with Local Natives’ “Sun Hands” and showcases 7 other bands. Definitely good listening. Good knitting music too. And free. I’m currently on day 3.

I think my next music marathon will involve and Yoko Kanno and all of the Cowboy Bebop soundtracks. Tank! will kick everything off. Then the Ghost In The Shell soundtracks, then Wolf’s Rain, and Escaflowne. Sounds like a plan to me.

Before, After

Before

After

4 stitches. That’s the difference between a snug, well fitting sock and a baggy mess. I ignored this fact for 3 weeks or a foot, a gusset, a heel, and 4” of cuff. For a brief moment, I half-heartedly considered finishing the sock. Though, what’s the point in knitting an ill-fitting pair of socks? So, I ripped it all out.* Didn’t even bother to save the toe and stick it back on the needles. I’m over the whole thing. The yarn and the pattern are going into time out. Eventually, I’ll pull them back out. Not any time soon though.

So, no pair of socks for February. My year of socks isn’t looking so good; however, I’m going to enjoy my sock knitting sabbatical and knit something else instead. A freeing thought actually. 

*But only after a good night’s sleep. It took the sting out of the whole affair. The night before, ripping would have been aggravating and demotivating instead of necessary and right.

To The Library!

For the last week or two, I thought my mojo had taken a vacation without me. Or maybe the cat had dragged it off. He does that sort of thing. I could manage all the necessities like laundry and the dishes without skipping a beat. But knitting? Meh. I knit because there were due dates. Bookbinding? After cutting and and gluing the pages for a basic accordion sketchbook, it just sat - unfinished - on my desk. So, today, I put the crafty stuff aside and focused on other things. The other things turned out to be the jumble of books, computers, yarn, and boxes that I have the nerve to call an office.

I pushed play on the 98th episode of Cast-On and got down to work. Then I got distracted by a not-so-giant pile of knitting books. At first, my intention was to put them neatly away but I couldn’t keep myself from cracking them open. Weekend Knitting was first and it made me smile. Soon, there was a whole pile of books that made me happy. They ended up on the shelf next to my desk for easy reading.

I guess I just needed a bit of inspiration since my mojo decided to come around. The little accordion books are a little closer to being finished. I’m contemplating a few more sets of stitch markers. Plus, this month’s pair of socks - Dotty - don’t feel like such a chore anymore.

I could wax poetic about the inherent goodness of books, but I’ll leave that for another time and just get back to my reading. Then, knit night. Can’t forget about knit night.

A bit more snow

Since moving from south from New Jersey, I do miss snow on occasion. And snow days. I really miss snow days since they’re a wonderful excuse to hunker down at home and do nothing or everything. Whatever.

Last night’s snow wasn’t enough for a snow day but I spent the morning pretending it was by sleeping in and knitting. I did finally get around to a few household chores but only because I had too. This afternoon, I’ll brave the cold, wet stuff for lunch with friends and maybe even knit night. Snow days rock.

It's a hat!

You can blame this one on a freezing, early morning. A few weeks ago, I was working an early shift that had me out of bed at 4:45 AM and out the door an hour later. I had a hat, a heavy coat, and a pair of fingerless gloves. These things were not enough protection from the 19º temperatures. After a 5 minute drive to work, an altercation with a security guard that I’m not going to go into, and walking into the building, I was freezing. My hands were so cold that it felt like my fingers were burning off. It was at that moment that I decided to make that pair of convertible mitts. This particular pair had only been in my queue since before Ravelry.

Pattern: Squares Squared Hat by Cosette Cornelius-Bates | ravelry |

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool - Curry, Heath, and Amethyst

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm)

Dates: Jan 14 - 17, 2011

@Ravelry (public link)

Obviously, this is a hat and not a pair of mitts. This is also a hat that matches those mitts. The hat came first since I knew how much yarn it would use and it would make a good swatch. Plus, two layers of wool is warmer than one. It’s oversized, slouchy, soft, and I love wearing it even on days when it’s not 19º outside. The Bearded One thinks it’s one of the coolest hats I’ve ever made and he’s not the only one complementing. I’m kicking myself for not starting this (and the mitts) sooner. 

When I finished the hat, there was more than enough yarn left for a pair of mitts. I’ve almost finished the first one too. It might be not be cold enough again to wear them this winter but I’ll be ready for next time.

My boss. He's a demanding taskmaster.

Almost a year of socks

Last year, I decided to knit a pair of socks a month for three very good reasons. One, hand knit socks are awesome. Enough said. Two, it usually takes me a month to knit a pair of socks anyway. Three, I had a lot of sock yarn. While I only managed to knit ten pairs and probably have more sock yarn now then I did a year ago, I’d call it a good year.

From left to right:

January: Center Stage | ravelry | download |

February: Konnichiwa by Judy Summer | ravelry | 

March: Gentleman’s Fancy Socks by Nancy Bush | ravelry | 

April: Alternates | ravelry | download |

May: Diamond Gansey Socks by Wendy Johnson | ravelry | 

June: Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green | ravelry | 

July: Two Toes Tabi

August: Alternates.V2

September: Charade by Sandra Park | ravelry |

Three of the patterns - Center Stage, Alternates, and Two Toes Tabi - are my own designs which makes me really happy. Center Stage and Alternates are freely available here. Two Toes is still in prototype form. Hopefully not for too much longer though. 

Birthday Socks

Yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes - 715 (discontinued)

Needles: 2.25 mm

Date: Sept 27, 2010 - Jan 5, 2011

My last pair of the year, which I actually finished this year (but don’t tell anyone), was supposed to be a birthday present in October. I mixed up my usual sock pattern a little bit and then added a 3x2 rib. With self striping yarn, you don’t have to do anything more than that. With a little work, I even managed to get the stripes to match. Besides from that, I really liked this yarn and the Bearded One does too. They’re his socks after all so he’d better like them.

My three reasons for knitting a pair of socks a month in 2010 still seems totally reasonable and I’m in for another year. Maybe I’ll knit 12 pairs and put a dent in my stash. Maybe not but it’ll be fun all the same. Here’s to a new year of socks!

In 2011

I’m usually not one to set New Year’s resolutions but the start of a new decade was too good to pass up on. Once I wrote down one goal, I just couldn’t help myself and soon I had almost ten things on my list. They’re things that I’ve wanted to do for a while and just keep putting off because I was too tired, too busy, too...something. Thanks to this timely post on Yarn-A-Go-Go (scroll down to 4. No Excuses), I’ve come to realize that I’ve been saying, “yes, but...” and stopping myself from doing what’s important. I suppose that not saying, “yes, but...” is my number one goal for 2011. Hopefully, it’ll make my remaining goals just a little bit easier.

Get in shape and lose 50 pounds: Late last December, I started reading The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris. On January 1, I started on the following the Slow-Carb diet and I’m making good progress. I’ve also developed a deep love for black beans. Next thing on the list to try from that book: kettle bells. 

Have less stuff: When I moved, I saw how much stuff I really had. Most of it, I still have and rarely use. Time to cut the load a bit.

Read more books: When I was a kid, I read all the time. Reading a book or 2 a week wasn’t uncommon. Knitting and school really cut back on that number. Time to change that.

Write 750 words a day: I did this for a few months last year and really enjoyed it. At the time, I was using 750words.com. Then server problems and a general “I’ll do it later” attitude quashed it. So far this year, I’ve been mostly keeping up with it. 

Sketch on a regular basis: I used to sketch all the time and I’ve gotten rusty. Time to dig out my collection of sketchbooks.

Knit more for charity: I’ve got a few groups in mind and hats will figure prominently.

Finish up all the knitting still on the needles: I cast on for a Dr Who Scarf (and lots of other stuff) ages ago and they’re way past due.

Knit 12 pairs of socks: I didn’t manage this last year so I want to try again. Plus, my sock yarn stash hasn’t gotten any smaller. Ahem.

Explore other crafts: Spinning, kumihimo, temari, and bookbinding are all on the list.

Snowmageddon

For the past few days, The Beaded One (aka: The Boy) and I have been debating which term is better: Snowpocalypse or Snowmageddon? In my mind, Snowmageddon reigns supreme.

The storm that came through last night with its 3" of snow and sleet wouldn't meet my South Jersey definition of the term in any way. In Alabama though, Snowmageddon works. Shops close, highways shut down, and everything is quiet.* I plan on spending a quiet day inside with my knitting, podcasts/Netflix, and some hot mint tea.

We got a pretty even coating and, thanks to the freezing rain, it's formed a nice hard crust. Shadow found it a bit disconcerting at first but that didn't stop him from exploring. After spending most of last night and this morning inside, he was going a bit stir crazy. 

*Except for that ATV that keeps driving past my house.

Knitting Review

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas or your own favorite winter holiday. I know I enjoyed mine even if I was frenetically knitting right up to the last second and only slightly slower once the deadline passed. In fact, this lone ornament, also masquerading as a pair of mittens, wasn't even started until the 26th. Sill, I'm calling it on time since ye old Christmas bush is still decorated. I did actually finish other things in time to go under the bush though.

Maddox, Albert, and Beatrice by Rebecca Danger

Who knew that less than a skein of Noro Kochoran, some safety eyes, felt, stuffing, and a bit of thread would make 3 totally different monsters? I could hardly believe they were all made from the same skein. 

Wee Mushrooms by Ysolda Teague

The mushrooms were a last minute addition to the list but were still pretty fun to make. I used the pattern more as inspiration and made each of the 8 shrooms different. Instead of using coins, I put magnets in the bottom to weight them down and make them stick to random metal surfaces. Playing darts with these things was way too fun.

Also, to make realistic looking mushrooms, just barely stuff the cap and then sew down the center using the end. All the mushrooms I made before I figured this out, look more like topiaries than fungi. I would also recommend listening to this song.

Windschief by Stephen West

Another last minute addition to the queue and how I spent most of my lunch breaks during the week before Christmas. I didn't finish the cowl until a few days later even though I knit most of it in front of the recipient. He's arguing that it's the best gift of the year which makes all that work worthwhile. 

A pair of KIS mitts, some Spring Cleaning cloths, and a Triforce washcloth made the deadline too.

Besides from an unfinished blanket and a yet to be started scarf, I managed to complete everything even if I did have to shorten that list in the final days. Once I knew something wouldn't be finished on time, I stopped worrying about it and reached for something I could finish instead. Still, the rushing and complete takeover of my free time made the process far from stress free. I knew I'd turned a corner when, reading yet another make this in time for Xmas post, my first thought was, "It's the 22nd, just buy something." With that thought, my 2011 Christmas knit list got a lot shorter. I'm not going through this again next year.

On a better note, Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2011.

Still Knitting

There are 21 days until Christmas and I have a feeling that I'll be furiously knitting through all of them. My list includes monsters, a blanket, washcloths, hats, fingerless mitts, a scarf, and a bunch of Christmas ornaments. I tried starting early*, in September, but there was no urgency, no looming deadline and I kept putting stuff off. Now, things are starting to get hairy but I have a plan: urgent monogamous knitting. This is isn't how I usually do things but I actually seem to be finishing stuff. Who would have guessed?

The first project to get this treatment was the Circle Stripe Scarf (@ravelry) out of the book One More Skein by Leigh Radford. It's going to charity so I can't exactly give them a half finished scarf and an IOU. So, I put the scarf at the top of my list an only knit it for a few days. I managed to finish with time to spare and was even able to block it too.

I've since moved on to my next project, a very late pair of birthday socks, which I hope to finish this weekend. No rest for the wicked after all. If things keep going this well, I'm going to keep up the monogamous knitting until I finish up all of my gift knitting...or, at least, until Christmas. 

*I even had a spreadsheet.

Black Friday

It's Black Friday and I'm working Midnight Madness at the local mall. It's going to be a busy morning. Since it is Black Friday and I'm up, there's going to be a sale here too. The Sapling Baby Hat and the Diagonal Socks are on sale for $1 off through Sunday the 28th. No coupon code or ravelry account needed.

Good luck with your early morning shopping!

Sapling | $4.00

Diagonal Socks | $4.00

Pattern: KIS Mitts

KeepItSimple Mitts | download | @ravelry |

Way,way back in the beginning of September, I started planning the rest of the year's gift knitting. These were grand plans but I thought I could pull it off. As it turns out, not so much. Part of the plan was a pair of lace wristlets for my mom and she only requested them in time for last Christmas. Up until a few weeks ago, I was under the delusion that Christmas was still far off. There was stil plenty of time for knitting and finishing a pair of lace weight wristlets. All the holiday music at the mall set me straight. Those wristlets? Totally not going to happen. Again.

Enter Plan B. Around this time I was listening to the 150th episode of the Knit Picks podcast and the end of the episode really struck home. In a nutshell, it said: Christmas with all of its crazy knitting deadlines is not the time to prove that you know how to knit. Stick with something simple that you know the recipient will like. The gift doesn't have to be complicated and it'll be loved just as much as something more complex.

I ran with the idea and sketched up a simple color work pattern. I cast on for a pair of fingerless mitts soon after. The first pair, grey and orange, turned out big enough to fit me. The second pair, grey and gold, should fit my mom. On US 7 needles, they both knitted up quickly and didn't take too much yarn. My mom's 7" pair only took a little over 100 yds for the main color and only 12 for the contrast. 

In the end, Mom gets a Christmas present, the knitting list is a little shorter, and there's a new pattern to knit. Sounds like a good start to Thanksgiving to me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Mystery!

*Warning! Spoilers ahead!*

I've never done a mystery knit along before since it's hard for me to follow most knitting patterns blindly. Changing large and small details is usually the name of the game. I just can't help myself.  This time though, I decided to not worry so much about the small stuff and let Leethal do all the work. I don't even know what I'm making...except that it's an accessory of some sort. I could peak but where's the fun in that. Guessing is half the adventure.

The first clue arrived last Thursday and it wasn't long before I cast on. It helped that I had already surveyed the stash and knit up a swatch. Anyway,The pattern uses a waving rib and suggests randomly moving the 'waves' up and down, or side to side as I've been seeing it, without any set repeat. I couldn't help but make a game out it since Lee also pushed the concept of game knitting awhile back. For this pattern, I didn't stick to any particular show just general tv watching. Commercial Break (or fast forwarding through one)? Changed direction. Changed the channel? Changed direction. New show coming on? Changed direction. I did knit, just a little bit, along with the shows I was watching too.

Mythbusters: Myth intros, high speed video, "confirmed or busted", and explosions (of course)

Good Eats: Puppets, explanations, new recipes, and whenever something comes out of the oven

The Simpsons: The couch gag, pop culture references, guest stars, and internal monologues

The first clue was a pretty quick knit so I'm catching up on my gift knitting until this Thursday and clue #2 rolls around. Can't wait.

P.S. Stayed tuned for something awesome tomorrow.

Settling In

Yeesh! Has it really been 2 weeks since I lasted posted? Shame on me. 

Anyway, thanks for all the advice and commiseration with the last post. It's nice to know that I'm not to only one trying to keep up with the day to day.

Being the list maker that I am, I wrote down everything important that I wanted to do. This list included everything from spending time with family and friends, to blogging, playing with the cat, and relaxing with video games. At first, this was just supposed to be my wild wishful list. I thought I'd take a second look at it and cross a few items off later; however, everything seems totally doable and I don't want to cut a thing. Fortunately, I've settled into my ever changing schedule and I'm actually getting things done without falling behind too much. My wild list doesn't seem so wild now.

It should be no surprise that knitting is on my wild list of priorities. One of my many current projects is this pair of socks. They were supposed to be a birthday present almost a month ago. I didn't meet that deadline or finish this pair for my Sock-A-Month challenge. At this point, I think it's safe to say that that challenge bit the dust. Still, I'm slogging through them and, since I'm working on the cuffs right now, they shouldn't take too much longer.

Blogging is on my wild list too. You should be seeing a bit more of me around here.

Priorities?

There's been a few changes here at Chez Strategos. The biggest change? I got a job. I officially started over a week ago and everything besides from eating, and falling asleep in front of the television slowly dropped off. I was so tired that didn't even feel like knitting once I got home after long days. Spinning? Reading? Drawing? Didn't happen at all. I just didn't have the energy to put into them. It seems like an age since I spun up this green and white beauty. Haven't picked up my spindle since. Bah.

Happily, I didn't have to go into work today and I'm catching up on everything from banal chores to belated birthday socks. There's a problem with this though. I don't want to play catch up and constantly worry about what's falling through the cracks. So, I'm munching through the leftover Halloween candy* and trying to figure out my top priorities. I've got this wild list going in my head of everything I want to do. Even when all of my time was my own, I could never cross everything off. It's definitely time to pare down to the important stuff. Still not sure how I'm going to do it. Any suggestions?

*Pomegranate Tootsie Pops are actually pretty good.

Recently...

Over the past 2 weeks or so, I've been spending a fair amount of time with my new spindle, a 3" and 2.2 oz Schacht Hi-Lo. It's so much better than my old spindle and I'm really enjoying it. So far, my forays into spinning have included lots of youtube videos and two awesome books: Spinning in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and Respect the Spindle by Abby Franquemont. Both cover spindle spinning and, while there is a bit of overlap, come at the subject from very different directions. I've been reading and referring to both of them a lot in the past few weeks and they've been very helpful.

In Respect the Spindle, one of the tips, when trying to learn how to use a spindle, is to spend 15-30 minutes a day spinning. I've managed to stick with it pretty well and, at this point, I've spun about 140 yards. Most of it has been thick and thin singles which I'm totally in love with and completely in awe of. It's hard for me to believe that I made this awesome, mostly cushy stuff.  It's even usable and I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a way to use it. Especially that brown skein. It's 54 yards of awesome.

All this this practice spinning seems to working. My hands are better at drafting the fiber and my singles are much more consistent. I'm even moving beyond "park and draft" if only for a few seconds at a time. I can't wait to see how this will progress over the next 2 weeks.

A Long Time Ago...

 ...I caught the spinning bug. I got a book, a spindle, and some wool. I even managed to clumsily spin a pair of singles and ply them together. Unfortunately, school took over my free time so the spindle and the yarn went back into their box. I didn't even set the twist. I wish I could tell you how long ago that was but...I really don't know. Maybe it was 3 years. Maybe it was 4. I have no idea.

Recently, the spinning bug bit again and I remembered that poor, lonely bit of yarn wrapped around that spindle. I couldn't care less about the spindle but the yarn should definitely see the light of day. So, I skeined it, gave it a bath, a good twack, and let it dry. I ended up with 3 yards of yarn that ranges from bulky to far beyond super bulky. Seriously, parts of this yarn are thicker than my fingers.  

Maybe it's just because it's my first skein of handspun, but I find this yarn and all of its inconsistencies intolerably cute. I love to hold it in my hands and look at it from every angle noticing every detail. I look at it with wonder and think, "I made this." It just seems so right. I haven't had the feeling from knitting in awhile. I make a pair of socks and I think, "Woot! A new pair of socks. What next?" Making this yarn is different though. Still, I have to wonder how long this feeling with last. Not long enough in any case.

September Socks

Pattern: Charade Socks by Sandra Park |

Ravelry

|

Yarn: Lion Brand Sock-Ease - Lemon Drop

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) DPN's

Date: Sept 3 - 27, 2010

@Ravelry (public link)

Back when I lived in New Jersey, school always started right after Labor Day and I came to think of September 1st as the start of Fall. Who goes to school in the summer anyway? It wasn't until I moved south and school started in early August that I did. Even after years of heading back to school in August, August is still summer and September is still Fall. So, I happily contented myself with casting on for a pair of woolly socks with the mistaken thought that cooler weather would soon arrive. How wrong I was. It wasn't until the Equinox, September 22, that the temps weren't in the triple digits. Today, my thermometer read 67 degrees which feels almost chilly. Maybe woolly Fall socks weren't a bad idea after all.

Besides from being woolly, these socks are YELLOW. They're so yellow that they practically give off their own light. If I hung one from each of my shoulders, I could probably read by the light they give off. They are that yellow. The photos make the yellow less apparent. Do not believe them.  They lie. As for the pattern, I used Charade which works wonderfully well with all that yellow. Plus, I've wanted a pair ever since I made the boy some. Woolly, yellow, Fall socks for the win.

P.S. I found that the easiest and fastest way to fix a missed yarn over in this pattern is, on the next row, to knit into the front and back of the stitch where the yo should have been. Once the pattern is worked on the next row, no one will be able to tell the difference. 

Pattern: Laddered Cloths

It started innocently enough with a trip to the store and the random urge to walk by the yarn. I just so happened to see a lovely ball of innocent cotton yarn with an innocent name, York Town. It was light blue, dark blue, and red. I was quite smitten and I promised myself that, if I bought this yarn, it would not be buried in the stash. Indeed, the ball was out of my stash quickly but it did take me a few tries to come up with the right pattern. This pattern happened to include US 6 needles, slipped stitches, a lot of garter, and only 2 rows. It also looks like a series of ladders.

The Laddered Cloth | Ravelry | Download | 

It turned out to be such an easy knit that I had to dig through the stash to make a few more. So, next up there were a few washcloths...

...and then a coaster for the boy.

After all this knitting, there's slightly less cotton in the stash, another towel for the kitchen, and a few gifts waiting for the right occasion. Oh, innocent ball of yarn, you've been quite helpful. Hopefully, I have a few other skeins of your ilk hiding in my stash. 

RIP

...one of my favorite sock knitting DPN's, a 2.25mm Harmony.

I'm sorry I rolled over you with my chair - several times - before I realized you had decided to roll off my desk. I'm also sorry that I thought that cracking sound meant something was wrong with my chair. Really, I am.

Your absence will be felt whenever I turn the heel of sock and don't have you to hold my middle stitches. At least you won't be alone since I snapped one of your brethren in my purse a few years back.

Good bye, my trusty friend. I hardly knew ye.