stringthing's house of knitting

Moving

2009-09-14T22:32:00.003-04:00

I decided to move over to wordpress. Hopefully all will go well and you can all find me at http://stringthing1987.wordpress.com

New Computer

2009-09-08T22:20:00.002-04:00

The boy has built me a new desktop and I'm loving it so far. Its miles faster and better than my laptop and I'm enjoying playing the Sim 3 without lagging and I'm getting used to typing on a normal keyboard as well.

Sometimes it has a rough start

2009-08-24T21:33:00.002-04:00

This semester is only one day into the year and somehow I've had the roughest start I've ever had.

Becuase of the GF diet I moved to the on-campus apartments that have a full sized fridge and oven. And because I found out kinda last minute they shoved me into a handicap apartment. So I moved into a dorm with a half-size kitchen and half the cabinets because the bathroom is huge. Also I've got a pretty nasty cold.

Saturday I got a late start but mom and I got to the dorm to move my stuff in around 2. My roommate and her parents were already here and the dorm had evidently been lived in during the summer, but not cleaned or checked when the last person moved out. So they got housekeeping in and I got there just as they were leaving. The dorm is smaller than expected (because of the handicap size bathroom and really really run down. There are holes in the kitchen linoleum which I keep tripping on (they are supposed to fix that) and for the first 24 hours we had no hot water (guess how I found that out) My bed had also been set up upside down, which caused great discomfort before the source of the problem was discoverd and fixed by my fabulous boyfriend. The first night was miserable though. I slept curled up on the top half of the bed. Sunday was more settling in and going to buy books (and pay too much) and getting things the room needed (trash cans evidently went missing with last occupant) That night my new roommate went out and came back quite drunk and I had to deal with the guy she brought home (not rude, but kind of a jerk) evidently he didn't stay the night but he was there when I finally fell asleep.

Today was the first day of classes and I woke up at like 9:30 even though my one and only class for the day is at 2. I got some more unpacking done and washed the dishes and even worked on my thesis for a while before class. The class itself lasted for about 15 minutes and then I talked with people I hadn't seen since May and then got a friend to drive me to my dr appointment so I could get this cold/sinus infection cleared up. When I'm sick my brain totally checks out and I had no business driving even the 5 miles to the clinic. The rest of the day has been mostly taken up by resting and meeting my boyfriend's new roommates, who both seem pretty cool.

Anyway, boring blog, but i feel like posting is a reasonable distraction.

Moving again

2009-08-21T16:58:00.002-04:00

Today I have been packing the cars so I can move back to school. I am looking forward to going back, but at the same time I have a feeling this semester, my final one, will be very different than semesters I have had in the past. New dorm, new roommate (who I have doubts about based on communications from her so far) many of the friends I had at school left or graduated at the end of last semester and so it may be a whole new experience.

I was knitting on the scarf pictured above almost exclusively until yesterday, when I cast on a sock and a shopping bag so I could have some knitting which requires less concentration. The scarf is from Estonian Lace today, and I'm knitting it in Malabrigo lace. I think if the only yarn in the world was made by malabrigo I might be happy with it. This stuff is amazingly soft, easy to work with and so very pretty. Everyone who sees this project loves it, even manly men who normally ignore knitting.

How do you mourn a food group?

2009-08-19T10:11:00.004-04:00

I had this post entirely written out in my head late last night, but my computer was shut down, all the lights were off and I simply went to sleep. Because of this, I have ideas which were probably worded 100x better last night.

As I have gone back on a gluten free diet I find myself mourning the loss of an entire food group (or at least most of one.) I can eat a good meal without even eating any gluten replacements, I can eat a better one with some purchased or homemade treats that take away that need for bread. What I can't do is feel normal, especially when I am not home. I travel a lot, I don't go more than 2 hours away in general, but I'm gone much of the time. This makes food difficult. Instead of a joy its a struggle, that often leads to either an empty belly due to lack of food, non-filling foods or pain because somewhere someone made a mistake, probably me since I hate to make the wait staff answer questions or do special orders. Everything is a little harder and a little bit less normal.

I don't miss being sick, but I do miss light bread, or sandwhiches, doughnuts picked up when we are in the grocery store, italian food, pizza.... so many things. So how do you mourn a food group? It can't be like mourning a death, where you long for the loss to be returned and that is okay, because food will always be there, I will always have to look at it and watch people eat it and I will know I can't have it.

I think you have to mourn food like an ex boyfriend. When its still there you want it, you know its bad for you, but you still enjoy a wonderful pasta dinner, or extra cheesy bread. When its gone you miss it, but you remind yourself about how much better life is without this loser, or this evil gluten. I'm in the stage where their is grief and anger about the whole situation. I know that not eating gluten makes me feel better, I know it makes changes so drastic I went from walking with a cane because my joints hurt so bad to going without it. I also have doubt, the doctors put that doubt in my mind when I was so sure, and even though I know my body so much better than they do they keep the doubt going.

Images from the Google images Life magazine photo archive

Much happenings

2009-08-13T23:36:00.003-04:00

Many things have been going on in my life (as always.)

I have been diagnosed as not-a-celiac, but my doctor does acknowledge that not eating gluten makes me healthy, and by no means could I be considered a healthy person before. My joints hurt so badly I walked with a cane on bad days. I had IBS symptoms nearly every day. Just one flight of stairs made me out of breath and my heart would pound until it hurt. Anxiety attacks, depression and chronic fatigue completed the picture and we end up with a not-so hot mess. When I stopped eating gluten I felt heathy, and whole. I have no words for how drastic the changes were. I no longer felt old, broken and sick.

I have been offline for the most part too, as my laptop was broken. So I had time to finish some projects. I finished a scarf that I was weaving. The warp is from artsygal and the weft is her same base yarn only undyed. I borrowed a table loom to weave on, and this actually went very quickly.

After the scarf was done I finished a gift for an adopted nephew of mine. I hope he enjoys his nellyphant, he enjoys chewing on knitted things.

I also finished my purse socks. In all its been very productive.

Few words

2009-07-31T11:02:00.002-04:00

I seem to have become a blog reader, not a blog writer, nor a blog commenter.

My life has been busy, and many interesting things have occured but somehow even when I am bored the desire to write about them here is sapped.

I survived Pioneer life week for another year. The weather was cool with some rain, but we always have rain. I would so much prefer cool and rain to hot, humid and rain. The boy came out and visited, he said it was a little intimidating walking into a camp full of people who not only have known me all my life, but are also armed. Like a family reunion with knives.

Since getting back I have borrowed a table loom and have been enjoying playing with that. I

need to take pictures of the actual woven cloth soon, but here are pictures of the warped loom.

2009-07-09T23:15:00.002-04:00

So I’ve been researching grad schools again (mainly to procrastinate.)

My top 3 right now are
University of South Carolina
College of William and Mary
University of Maryland, College Park

The list is in order from cheapest to most expensive. All three seem to be good programs. I have things I like about all three and so far I have not found something I dislike about the first one, although its only been on the radar for two days. W&M has a fantastic location, but it’s expensive to live there and they don’t fund their master’s students. I have visited and I enjoyed the atmosphere but the city it is in is insane to drive and live in.

UMCP is in a suburb of DC… this is all wrong to me. I am a country girl and hate driving in town even in my own small town. However I love that the archaeology program is internship based instead of thesis based.

USC is in a smaller city, and in the South, which I like. Its about 2000 bucks cheaper per semester and the rent is a manageable level in the area. I think I may really like the idea of this school. Its not prestigious or all that fancy, but neither am I.

I guess I'm just putting it out there so if anybody has any input or knows more about the archaeology programs, the area near the schools or any other handy info I would appreciate it.

This week

2009-07-07T23:46:00.002-04:00

I have done quite a bit of knitting, mostly due to WIP Wrestling Madness over on ravelry. Before then I managed to finish a pair of socks, but I did not get them photographed until it cooled off a bit around here. I won't even put on thick wool socks long enough to take a picture if its over 90F here.

Once WWM started I finish my wisp scarf, its possibly a little shorter than planned, but long enough to be a cute acessory once it gets cool enough to let mohair touch me.

I spent the weekend of the 4th with my boy and his family. We made things go splody.

Something to report

2009-06-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

This picture is an older one, but I finished this pair of socks today. I have not taken finished pictures or put on the pair, mostly because I cannot even think of putting on heavy wool socks in this heat.

I have been staying days with my great grandma, listening to her tell stories (over and over), fixing her meals and generally just being there to be sure she is safe and well. I have been doing a lot of spinning this week. In the last 3 days I have spun a full pound of wool, and today I was feeling bad when I was getting my things together because I had not plied and wound my yarn to clear up bobbins. I realized then that I had spun nearly continuously from 10 AM until about 4:30 PM with a lunch break and a few breaks to stretch. I had spun over 8oz of yarn and if I didn't feel like plying up all of that yarn and putting it into skeins it was okay.

I really haven't felt very well today. I think this is due to me eating quite a bit of dairy, in spite of a lifetime sensitivity to milkfat. It is also possible that some of the leftovers I ate at grandma's could have had gluten cooties but it is hard to say what caused it. I was well enough to bake my weekly loaf of bread though, once dad had cleaned up his mess in the kitchen. Sadly my new mixer was not delivered to the house to help me. UPS claims they delivered it so I will have to see if they put it at my neighbor's (trailer is unoccupied due to renovation and the former and future occupant is a dealer...) so I may have to wait much longer and get a reimbursement from UPS. I hate how it seems that only USPS is capable of a simple delivery, yet not all companies give you that option.

Not a food blog

2009-06-16T19:14:00.003-04:00

But everybody eats right? And tonight I feel like I eat like a normal person. Behold...

Mac and Cheese. Corn elbow noodles and with GF bread mix instead of the flour.

the real proof this isn't a food blog.

Most of those show pictures of beautifully set tables and neat place settings,

but the truth of the matter is that I eat my mac and cheese in a plastic bowl sitting on the bed. and I eat pickles straight out of the jar.

2009-06-16T13:56:00.003-04:00

You might ask what has been taking up so much time that the internet no longer gets regular updates on your boredom. Mainly it has been this project.

This is the first section of the woven project, where I used a woolen weft

Then I used worsted yarn leftover from the warp for the rest of the weft, and I much preferred the effect.

The final piece is about 3 yards long and is hemmed on all sides to keep it from unraveling and to hide my unsightly selvedges

I am still here

2009-06-16T00:43:00.002-04:00

I haven't dissapeared or anything like that. I have merely been alternately lazy and busy. My neice turned two last week and the boy was available to come in for the party so I was happy about that. He avoided the camera but the birthday girl did not.

Strange Impulses

2009-06-03T18:21:00.003-04:00

I am still doing very well on my diet, although I have been fantasizing about homemade mac and cheese. With bacon and real cheese in it. Happily we don't have the ingredients to make me fall down.

Today I have spent the day finishing reading all of a webcomic I decided to read from the beginning, hanging out with a handsome, blonde blue eyed young man. Who had a wonderful time playing with legos and cars. (My nephew is visiting.)

While he played I cut warp for my capstone project. Like the couch? Futon with a pink sheet and a buffalo hide on it.

The true impulse was when Mom and I stopped at a yard sale on the way to fetch the dear boy. We spotted this lovely rocking chair and managed to purchase it for $39 and assorted change. It weighs a ton and is solid oak. My grandchildren will be rocked in this chair (to the tones of bob dylan, johnny cash and classic rock and roll, just like me) The chair is massive and can only be gotten in the house via the front door, which we never use.

For scale understand that those two tupperware boxes are next to the chair,

not further behind it, and they are as tall as the bottom of my rump.

2009-05-30T17:31:00.002-04:00

The diet is nearly two weeks old and I think I am feeling a difference. I've felt well, and I've not been nearly so tired and depressed.

new things

2009-05-26T16:03:00.002-04:00

I suppose food and yarn go together well. Its all in that creative domestic homeade sprit.

A week ago I decided to experiment with a gluten free diet, pending some medical tests that can't be done for another few months. The first week has been interesting. The first couple day went great, I scrounged and was able to eat a good lunch and dinner. Day 2, I had a car wreck and I went to stay with the boyfriend's family for a bit. My car looks like this...

I was able to eat that night, thanks to thai food, but the thai place goofed and put spices on mine and I'm pretty sure it had some soy sauce (on the no-no list) too. Close enough for day 2 though.

Day 3, a friend's birthday so I get to sit and watch the boy and his best friend eat pizza and drink guiness. Followed by more watching other people eat really tasty things and being stuck with scrounged food from the menu. Most of which was suspect. It was still a good day, I bought noro silk garden sock yarn and new sock needles.

From there on things have gotten a bit easier, I have found some basic foods I can eat and I'm planning on focusing on foods that are naturally gluten free. Today I tried out a GF bread mix (see results above) and it is currently cooling in the kitchen. I have a feeling it won't turn out as expected, but that would be due to user error more than anything else.

Camping in the rain, funner than singing

2009-05-19T19:01:00.003-04:00

I spent a long weekend out at Point Pleasant reenacting the Battle of Fort Randolph. Mom and I drove out Thursday evening, leaving Dad to work on Friday and follow us up. On Friday we presented to school children about history and crafts and that sort of thing. They loved it and I loved the looks on their faces as the entered the fort. Aside from the children about it was like stepping out of one age and into another.

The fort itself has had a rough year, the building which I am in front of in this picture was burned by arson in February and while it was nearly completed for the event the loss of many of the items inside was certainly felt. The fire brought blessings in the form of helping hands and new interest from all over the state of West Virgina.

While I was presenting I was also able to finish spinning the warp for my capstone project, which is a big milestone and to me means a whole new step in the process of creating this textile.

On Saturday the rain came, but we held the battle and the drills in spite of this. The guns still fired and the indians still lost. One of these years they will manage to take us out ;) My job in the battle is to load guns and the rain made that a bit tricky. My dad and Henry only got about 90 shots fired this year. That is me in the wet red skirt below, there was one other woman fighting on this side, but she is hidden in the men.
Here is dad in the smoke working to load up while still keeping the rain out of the barrel and lock.

2009-05-11T22:45:00.002-04:00

today has been pretty productive. I did not wake up at the time I had planned, but considering how I felt yesterday that was okay. I spun most the day, working at a pretty good pace too. Then I cleaned and knit some and did a little drop spindling. I also made dinner and washed the dog today.

This is what I'm working on with the drop spindle

things you do not want to find in your yarn

2009-05-09T18:09:00.003-04:00

So I have been doing (and am still doing) a major clean in my room at home. Its so full of crap that I can’t move or do any of the things I want to do so I’m doing the old box and toss routine with a vengence. In doing so I found a bag tossed in a corner (far from other yarn) containing some very very tangled hemp thread from my weaving days. I pulled a handful out of the bag to access the tangles and immediately jumped when I saw this.

Yes, a snake shed its skin in my bag of yarn. This may have been the single most horrifying moment of my life. I’m not normally squeamish but if I find the snake that goes with it I may not set foot in my room ever again. Snakes are fine, OUTSIDE!

Home again

2009-05-08T16:32:00.002-04:00

I have moved from my life being ruled by and surrounded by this

to be surrounded by all of this

and this

Finals

2009-05-04T23:40:00.002-04:00

Two down, one to go, but not for another two days. Which means I'm kinda bored. I can't do much more packing without removing my few remaining amusements and I am not studying for the next exam until tomorrow.

I've knit the body of a sweater and half a sleeve, filled a bobbin on the wheel, finished two finals, packed and watched TV on my laptop (TV is home). I'm bored. I should read a book

2009-04-30T14:01:00.002-04:00

The good Life:

Birch Beer, soft stick candy and good tea

The last week has been the good, the bad and teh stressful. Its the last week of classes so everything is going on at once it seems. I've written a couple papers, and I finally finished combing out the wool for my capstone project. I have a really busy day tomorrow and then it will be time for finals mode.

Today I was going to meet with my capstone mentor and I stopped to say something to one of my other professors about the mildew-y smell in the classroom and the Head of the Anthro/Philosophy/Sociology department happend to remember my name and he told me that I won a scholarship because of something I did over the semester (Dr. V. my mentor swears she told me I would be eligable but I don't remember that.) From what I could find out this scholarship is a pretty sweet deal. I'm very pleased. I need to spend the next week studying, cleaning and packing so I'll probably be procrasti-blogging.

In other news the boy got me Half Life 2, Half life 2 episodes 1 &2, Half Life 2: lost coast, Portal and Team Fortress 2. This means that I will be busy for a while killing alien zombies and solving puzzles. I've only played with Halflife 2 and Portal so far and I'm holding off on TF2 until I get me some skillz.

Spindle

2009-04-22T17:41:00.003-04:00

This lovely made by the fantastic Jesh arrived in the mail today as the result of a swap. Its totally different than anything else in my collection and I love that. The photograph I took does not do it justice, even when I make the colors more true I can't capture the luminosity and richness of this whorl.

I want to have a faboulous collection of spindles. I think if one could collect anything spindles are small, useful, beautiful and relatively inexpensive. I hate lugging useless items around from place to place and I love how beauty and practicality can be combined, making art out of life. This is my fourth spindle and I love every one. They have a different use and meaning than my wheel lately, the wheel has come to be a symbol of projects and work to be done, the spindles are simply to make yarn and to keep my hands forever moving.

On another note: my dad met the new pastor and he feels she will be well suited for our church. I've never had a lady pastor before, it should be interesting. We will see in May how it all pans out.

Changes

2009-04-20T22:04:00.002-04:00

I just got some news about a big change coming to my home community, the news is somewhat sad but mostly just scary.

I have gone to the same church with my parents since I was 4 years old, Bagby Memorial United Methodist Church. From the time we started until I was in highschool we had a wonderful pastor who really is legendary in how much good he was able to do in his tenure at Bagby. When I was in middle school our church hired a Youth minister, who started to bring in kids from all over the community, not just from the families in the church. This started a pattern and a reputation that our church was a welcoming place to highschool students who weren't getting what they wanted out of where they were. They came because they wanted to be there, not because their parents made them.

In time, the pastor moved on to do a bigger job and take care of a whole district and a young pastor and his family came to us. This pastor shared a welcoming spirit and a love for youth with the rest of the church leaders and he has become well loved. Not long after he came to the church a couple that was already well established began to bring some kids from their community with them to church, there were only a few at first but they came from troubled homes and had no idea about the church. Their numbers grew, and grew and are still growing.

Every Sunday there are several rows full of these children. They are wild, and usually somewhat dirty. They don't have parents that actually do what parents should, many come from broken, neglectful and abusive homes. All are low income and have little hope for their futures. However, they are the future, not only of the church, but of the community. This very special church took them in, we throw baby showers for teenage moms and give hugs to children whose parents don't bother to give them a bath often enough. I've seen them come and go, I've heard a little boy talk about how he called 911 because his mommy took too much medicine and she got angry and hit him with a belt. I've held a baby whose mother is only 14 and she has already raised her two younger siblings.

Today I learned that our wonderful, accepting, funny and wise pastor is moving on. Another church needs his care, and someone unknown will be moving into his house and his shoes. This guy will need to have that love and acceptance and that understanding I have seen in the pastors I grew up with, and I truly hope they send someone who not only is what we need, but who also needs us. It is a change, and a scary one, but it will be a good one.

Bond, James Bond... might I suggest the merlot.

2009-04-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

This weekend was busy and definately interesting, chinese proverb interesting. My boy's sister got married, and I was there supporting the family. I met a ton of relatives and honestly had fun with them. I like the boy's family more and more as I become a part of it.

I never got my camera out on the day of the wedding but I took this in the suit shop when the boy was trying it on. He doesn't have the bow tie on, but he looks so handsome. We decided it was a little James Bond but mostly waiter.

Big Yarn

2009-04-17T22:13:00.002-04:00

Results

2009-04-13T15:14:00.002-04:00

I'm spinning up that heathered fiber into a thicker yarn than usual, I might even do a 3 ply.

This is some yarn spun on a different spindle which I plied on my wheel. I wound it into a skein and forgot to write down the yardage, but its 4oz of sport/fingering weight merino tencel. I have not decided just what it is destined for.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T15:29:00.002-04:00

I'm spending the weekend at the boy's house and this morning his mom and I went to the Woolery. That place is fantastic. I have a certain system for visiting a yarn store. I go through the whole thing twice then I go back to the things that attract me most. I looked at some wheels and some looms, and some yarn and books, but I kept returning to the drop spindles, and you know if you buy a spindle you need some fiber to go with it right? I ended up with a maple Kundert spindle and some lovely heathered merino.

Feet

2009-04-08T16:31:00.002-04:00

I spent all day today walking and standing in heels. I had to be dressed nicely for a event at school, where I stood by a poster about my research and talked to people. I brought a drop spindle which was a pretty good draw to get people to look at my poster and to keep me busy but my poor feet are screaming about the standing on a hard tile floor for hours on end.

Darn!

2009-04-05T00:35:00.001-04:00

Before...

After...

2009-04-02T16:14:00.002-04:00

I've gotten through my birthday, which was a very very nice and relaxing day. It began at midnight when Boy brought me ice cream cake and the Dr Horrible DVD, then I crashed and had a great night's sleep (Ice cream is good for that) and went to class the next morning. I got messages all over Ravelry and Facebook, as well as phone calls wishing me well. After class I settled in and knit for a while, just enjoying some free time. Then Boy took me out for a very good late lunch and we visited the pet store. In all it was an excellent day.

April Fools was pretty uneventful as far as trickery went, I did my taxes and the CPAGG group on Rav is helping me destash some of my extras. There really is a group of amazing people over there.

Today I did the class thing and am studying for my Exam tomorrow. I also updated some items in the etsy shop so check it out.

Its My Birthday!

2009-03-31T10:06:00.001-04:00

I'll post if I want to.

2009-03-29T17:51:00.002-04:00

I spent the weekend with my parents so they could be birthday stuff, since I have class on my Birthday. There's something about grownup birthdays that are kinda dissapointing. No cookout, or even anybody but my Mom and Dad at my "birthday dinner" which was more like a normal Sunday lunch out. The presents are all grown up and practical, an ironing board (which I needed) a very useful book I've been having to borrow from interlibrary loan, a check... I guess once you get older birthdays become a lot more practical.

This week will be a busy one, with two exams, my birthday and just a generally busy Monday. However there is a silver lining, Sunday the Yarn Harlot will be in Lexington and I've made plans to be there. I'll be buying her newest book with that birthday check, and getting my collection signed.

Fail Week

2009-03-26T13:26:00.003-04:00

This week has been kind of a flop. Monday was uneventful I suppose. Tuesday was insanely busy along with a huge attack of the pollen which left me in bed incapable of doing anything because I was on anihistimines. Wednesday I got through class, and forgot to pick up a book I needed from the library. I got combing and spinning done and then ended up not doing anything later because I didn't feel like it. Today class was fine, despite temptation to stay in out of the rain. After class I went to give blood and was turned down due to low blood pressure. After them calling me several times asking for my blood type too. My plan for the rest of today is to get some homework done so I don't have to do as much over the weekend and I will have time to study for the two exams I have Wednesday.

Plans

2009-03-22T12:54:00.002-04:00

It seems like a good day to go over my immediate future in some detail. The next year is going to be pretty insane.

For the rest of this semester:
Finishing my graduation paperwork, probably over the next week and get that turned in.
Pass all my classes brilliantly, I am doing very well so far and I would really love another 4.0.
Capstone: finish combing the wool and spin the worsted warp. Make a big-ass poster for celebrations in April and just make Dr. V. happy in general.

Summer:
Work: I have a goal of finishing a pound a week. We will see how that one goes.
Capstone: Spin the woolen weft and weave the textile. Do research and have a paper ready for a conference when I get back to school.
School: GRE practice, I would like to be able to take the GRE as early as September. That way I have time to rustle up more $$ and take it again if I need to. Possible late-summer course.
Personal: I'll be spending time at the boy's I'm sure, and covering my job from last summer on some Saturdays. Otherwise I'd like to do a major book purge and have the ones I'm keeping in tupperware containers and have a spreadsheet made so I can find them.

Fall Semester:
Capstone: Write the paper, do research and present whenever possible. Also, build a small display for the museum of anthropology.
School: take the GRE, pass all classes brilliantly. Pass the 480 test as soon as I possibly can, I have to get 100% to graduate, but I can take is as many times as I need to do so.
Personal: I have learned not to plan my personal life this far. I think things will be much as they are now, which I am happy with.

Anxiety

2009-03-20T22:37:00.002-04:00

I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder for several years now. It runs in my family and while I am very high functioning I still always have a certain undercurrent of fear in my system. I do well, because I am afraid of what might happen if I were merely mediocre. Anxiety makes me obsess about my future, and to balance out that fear I turn my obssessive nature to fiber arts, which calm me and don't really have a capability to stress me out. Knitting can be frogged, projects set aside.

Closer to the beginning of this year I was struggling with more anxiety than usual, and I forced myself to stay away from the constant future-planning that triggered attacks. I've done better, I have managed to plan my last semester of school, make decisions about after I graduate and even take some personal risks without crumbling. However, disorders being disorders, the pent up fear bleeds into the other areas of my life.

Driving. It scares me, not so much on the highway, not on back roads, so I guess the root of the fear is traffic. It scared me before I had a fender bender this summer, where a car changed lanes without a signal as I was pulling out. I don't feel like I can make the right decisions, much less make them fast enough. Even if I knew what to do I don't feel like I can make the car go where I want it to naturally. When I ride with others they drive like they know exactly where the car is on the road and how to get it to move exactly how they want it to. When I drive I shake. I get scared in traffic when others are driving. Traffic is not in my control.

Simple decisions, like where to eat out end up paralyzing me. I know that there really is no wrong choice, but I panic anyway. Its frustrating for my friends and family, probably because it makes no sense why I panic over these things. I have no control over when it happens. Less if it is someone I am very comfortable with.

Anxiety is selfish. Everything is your own fault. This person is grouchy? You must have done something wrong. Its all about you, and at the same time its self hating. You mess something wrong, your brain tells you its going to screw you over for life. Its hell on every relationship and it is not fair to those you love.

Disorientation

2009-03-20T09:42:00.003-04:00

My body has not adjusted to the time change, in spite of all the time it has been. I don't fall asleep until one and then I sleep restlessly, dreaming and waking up in the early hours of morning. I miss good sleep. I don't see a reason for the time change in modern America, it was originally thought up to aid farmers and make them feel better for getting up before dawn in the summer. I'm not a farmer, I shouldn't have to have my body disrupted like this.

In knitting news, I cast on a lace shawl. I'm designing this as I go, but keeping good notes and when it is done I will have 3 options.

Submit it to knitty (which is why the yarn is the last you will see)
Offer it through a friend's website for sale
make it a free ravelry download

I know every knitter wants freebies, but I think it will all depend on the level of difficulty I experience as I go along.

The blooms of spring

2009-03-18T12:30:00.002-04:00

They keep coming, improving my mood as they do. Today the sun is shining yet again, but tomorrow it is supposed to get chilly again. I don't mind so much if the sun will just keep shining.
this is from a flowering tree below my window, does anybody know what it is?

Life is funny sometimes

2009-03-17T10:11:00.002-04:00

You think you are ok with something and you've moved on, then something reminds you. I don't blame the reminders, they are usually innocent things, like people who care or numbers on a calender that mean nothing to anybody else.

March 31st, my birthday is also the anniversary of the worst decision I ever made. I was 18, and I don't really blame anybody else. I made the decision, although another gave me the opportunity. Yesterday was the anniversary of my un-doing that decision. Or another date close by, I try not to remember. I didn't think about it at all yesterday I had class and other things on my mind.

Today, nearly immediately after waking up I was reminded of another bad situation. Getting into the situation there were a few signs it wasn't going to be the wonderful thing I thought it was, but I didn't worry about those. I forged ahead, until my birthday, yet again. Things began to come crashing down around me. I struggled to keep them together long after they had fallen apart. Only two other people knew what a hell it was, my best friend and the person who had put all reliance on me, instead of on his God and himself. I could not fail, a god does not fail. So the times that I did I hurt him, but I was human, I needed sleep, I got pms and was grouchy, I had a life and separate goals and I wasn't willing to hold the very same opinions about everything.

Both situations I got myself out of them, but the others involved seem to still be lying in the ashes. I cannot let myself feel guilty, March of 2007 and June of 2008 are both far away, and I am not the person to slap them and tell them to live their lives with joy and love.

Joy and love are the things I aspire to. I think I'm better at loving than I am being joyful. I tend to take in the unloved, and to care for them until they can love themselves. In those two cases I mentioned they didn't move on and begin to love themselves. Instead they sank into depression and mania or became so fixated on a need for the love of others that they lost all perspective.

I don't know how to end this post... but I'm going to because I have class in less than 20 minutes and I'm not out of bed or dressed.

The Surest Sign...

2009-03-16T13:29:00.003-04:00

Of Spring.
Just a few blooms in the flowerbeds on campus, but it is enough to brighten my day. Spring break is over, and I'm working on getting settled back into campus and classes. Its a relief to be back, honestly, because family and home are best in small doses. I love them, but I am far too accustomed to the relative quiet and freedom available here.

Finished Sewing Project

2009-03-14T12:03:00.002-04:00

Watermarked black fabric with satin ribbon and lining. Blue buttons and plain old iron on interfacing. Just a quick purse that actually will match the rest of my clothes.

Spring Break

2009-03-11T13:11:00.004-04:00

I'm enjoying my break so far, we celebrated the boy's 21st birthday on Sunday.
He got a car
And then I came home on Tuesday to work on homework and spend time with the family. I finally got a chance to give my niece the sideways hat I knit her. She is adorable in it, as always.

Finished Socks

2009-03-07T16:14:00.002-05:00

Pattern: Efine's Socks
Yarn: Collinette Jitterbug in "Salty Dog"
Needle: knitpicks US0 circular needle, 2 at a time on the cuff.
Mods: I chopped out a whole repeat of the lace pattern, but still very loose on my foot.

Loose on my foot and while the yarn was squooshy in the skein, it was almost hard to knit and I did not care for the gauge and the way it felt in the socks. We will see how it washes and if I can get it to shrink a bit.

The Reading List

2009-03-04T13:30:00.002-05:00

The Big Read (http://www.neabigread.org/) said that, on average, adults have only read six books on this list. So ... copy this list, remove my yeses and nos, and add your comments (favourable or otherwise) about the ones you have read. Don't forget to include a total.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - Yes
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – Yes
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - YES
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling – The first 3, I got bored.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - YES
6 The Bible –yes
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - YES
8 1984 - George Orwell - No
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman - No
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Maybe? I've read a few Dickens and I can't remember if this is one
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - YES
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy – No
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller – No
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare –I've read several Shakespeare's but not all. Its a goal of mine.
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier - No
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - Yes
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks - No
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - No
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - No
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot- No
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - No
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - No
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens-No
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - No
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - YES
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh -
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky -
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - YES
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - YES - this was the first chapter book I ever read, I was 5.
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - No
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - Yes
33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - Yes
34 Emma - Jane Austen - YES
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen - YES
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - YES
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini -
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres-
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden -
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne – YES
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell -
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - No
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving -
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins -
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - YES
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy -
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood -
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding -
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan -
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel -
52 Dune - Frank Herbert- YES
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons -
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - YES
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth -
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - Yes
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley -
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon -
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck –
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov -
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt -
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold –
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas -
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac -
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy -
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding -
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie -
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - yes
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - yes
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker -
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - yes
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson -
75 Ulysses - James Joyce -
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath -
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome -
78 Germinal - Emile Zola -
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray -
80 Possession - AS Byatt-
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - Yes
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell -
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker -
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro -
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert -
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White - YES
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom -
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Yes
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton –
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad -
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupe –
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks -
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams -
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole -
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute -
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas - YES
98 Hamlet – Shakespeare – YES

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl -
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo -Yes

I actually got my camera out

2009-03-03T13:36:00.003-05:00

I finally got pictures of some of my recent personal spinning. First is some corridale I stuck in a ziploc with blue dye and microwaved. I spun it into a somewhat lumpy light fingering weight single.

Next up is the Mountain Colors Roving I got in Williamsburg. This I finished up last night to make room on my bobbins. Its a bulky weight and I got about 225 yards total out of it. Its amazingly soft and plushy, if not very even.

I'm still working on the jitterbug socks in class and I'm getting up the leg. I haven't decided how long I will make these but I still have quite a bit of yarn left over. These may end up quite tall after all.

Midterms

2009-03-01T20:20:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged much last week because Andrew and I both had a nasty virusy-cough-sinus thing which either knocked me out or had me taking care of him in his fevered state. Tomorrow marks the beginning of midterms so I will either be posting excessively in order to procrastinate from doing other, important tasks (as I am now) or not posting at all.

I have been spinning my fingers off, and I got a shipment of yarn for work done nice and early. In between, to keep myself out of a rut I've been spinning up the Targhee I got in Williamsburg and it is just as delicious as I remembered it, if I am struggling to not spin it fine.

I worked on the jitterbug socks too, but on the leg rounds seem to be going slower. However I have both socks on the same needle, so when I finish I will have a pair, which is avoiding making yet another idle sock in the pile. Also I will be able to knit until I'm basically out of yarn or happy with the length, which is a plus.

Jitterbug socks

2009-02-25T15:18:00.002-05:00

This is my current obsessive project. I'm having to totally re-write this pattern because it was way to big for my narrow feet but I am loving how it is turning out. I'm going to put this sock on hold and work on the second one to this point so I can do the cuffs 2 at a time. I'm also going to have to make all the numbers work on the cuff since I removed a whole repeat from the foot and stuck in some stitches on the sides.

I have a cold so I'm pretty much doing the minimum required and attempting to not fall behind because of it. That's basically all with my life.

Not good for a sucessful college career

2009-02-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

Space Invaders made by Neave Games

Stash Aquisition

2009-02-20T13:53:00.002-05:00

I of course tracked down the LYS in Williamsburg and I ended up coming home with a skein of Collinette Jitterbug in Salty Dog. I've heard some less than good things about the color fastness and the yardage accuracy of this yarn, but its softness was just too tempting.
This is Mountain Colors Targhee roving that my dad bought me for Valentine's day. I can't wait until I can play with this. I spent part of the ride home from Williamsburg thinking of how I would like to prep this.

Travel is good for the soul, and the knitting

2009-02-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

This was my clapotis before I left to go to Williamsburg. It was with me on the 9 hour drive there, I carried it with me nearly every day, worked on it in the hotel during conversations, and worked on it on the drive home. Since I got back it has been to class, and I'm not decreasing toward the end. I can see the addictive power of this scarf, but I don't know that its a pattern I could make over and over.

Since getting back I've been catching up on classes, spending time with the people I missed, and trying to get caught up on combing and spinning. Not much else.

Big Week

2009-02-16T16:26:00.003-05:00

I spent my week in Williamsburg Virgina, Researching my honors thesis in Colonial Williamsburg and its associated museums and libraries.

I also visited the College of William and Mary, which is on my list of possible grad schools to apply to.
I even saw some 18th century hand knitting. This is a mans glove, the picture of the whole glove is on my flickr page.

Out of Town

2009-02-06T13:23:00.001-05:00

I'm heading home today and then on to Colonial Williamsburg on Monday. I'll try and keep posting but if not. I'll be back on campus a week from Sunday.

Have a cuppa

2009-02-05T16:38:00.003-05:00

Tea and knitting. Does it get better? Oh wait... add chocolate.

Today I had a little trouble getting awake but I swear one a 1-10 scale, 1o being worst I've been about a 2 today. We watched part of Rabbit Proof Fence in class (I'm gonna miss the rest of it :( ) and I've been packing for my trip.

I've been in a list making mood. Making lists for when I move into a graduate dorm or an apartment. Lists of what I need to do. Lists of lists of lists. Its a mildly OCD coping mechanisim and I don't really mind. Lists make me calmer when planning makes me insane.

If Barbie could spin...

2009-02-04T15:08:00.002-05:00

She would spin this colorway.
I've been working on this batch of wool from CMF for about a week and the more I spin it the more pretty-princess-8-year-old-girl-obsessed-with-Barbies it is. If I were going to knit something for a little girl, I would have to use this yarn. It's not ugly or blaring, in fact I really like how the plies work together for a more subtle yarn than many sock hop colorways. Its just quintessentially girly.

I had an exam today, which I already got an email that it's graded (bloody fast) but I don't know how well I did yet. I hope the professor could read my handwriting, its particularly bad today. (edit: I just got an email that I got an A)

On the pain charts today was about a 6 or 7, I could barely sit up this morning because of a pain in my back/side. It sorta feels like a pulled muscle, but its different too. It hurts to breathe too deeply, and sitting up is simply not good. I went to my classes, picked up paper work, managed to eat a little lunch, and I spun for an hour, but I almost didn't make it through my hour of spinning. I'm resting at a reasonably pain free angle for a while before I have to get up again.

As far as comments, I'll post replies to stuff here on the blog, its easiest to do since blogger doesn't work well with replying by email. I might have a setting wrong too.

As far as blood work, I've been turned into a pincushion and they couldn't figure a darn thing out.

2009-02-03T21:34:00.002-05:00

I have been neglecting this blog, not really by not updating it, but by not sharing my life. I guess I had a turn where my thoughts and actions seemed extremely private and personal. Maybe it just threw me that people I knew in person read this, rather than a nebulous body of internet only friends if anybody at all.

The biggest things going on in my life are my relationships, my education and my health.

The first is going pretty well, right now we are in the process of moving from new exciting person who we will skip everything to be with to being the person who will always be there, and that's a hard transition. That's the part that makes you see that even when they are your biggest priority you have to set them aside so other things get done. We're learning to communicate better, partly to prepare for the future when we won't see each other every day.

My education could be better. I am in a classic senior slump. I just want my undergrad to be over at this point. I have too much to do, too little time to do it in, and no will to get up and go. I'm preparing for a research trip to Williamsburg, VA so I can visit a grad school and do research on my capstone project. The planning is making me look a year and more in the future which for some reason hits a switch in my brain. Long term life planning = emotional breakdown and huge amounts of stress. After next week I hope I can go back to only planning a few months in advance in any detail and letting the distant future be a mere shadow plan to fill in later.

My heath is a whole different ballgame. For once its not my lungs, its not really any one thing. Its all of it. Mostly I have pain in my joints, when the stress kicks in I also add chest and muscular knots to the usual pain. I don't have any kind of diagnosis, but my symptoms mirror my dad's health issues in so many ways. He supposedly has asymptomatic rhumatoid arthitis. So eventually I will probably have the same diagnosis. Right now I have bad days and not so bad days. I haven't had a really good day in a long time. In fact, good days are when I can spend the entire day lying down propped at a 45 degree angle. So I don't get many of those. I walk with a cane a lot of days, because I hurt and because I tend to be off balance and falling on ice or water would be a very bad thing. My hands only hurt on really bad days, and those are the worst days. Those are the days when I can see a future being unable to spin, knit or even hold a pen without pain. Even though I don't know when that future will come.

Unstuck

2009-01-31T18:55:00.002-05:00

Due to the weather that caused this lovely image my car has been stuck for a few days now. Thursday I attacked the ice coating it and managed to get the whole thing cleaned off, only to discover that it was basically embedded in a puddle of ice. Today with more muscle, a dustpan and my old license plate I managed to dig it out and get it pushed out of its hole. It's tires were so cold that they had gone a little flat but now its sitting in a much better plowed area of the parking lot.

Having my car trapped made me feel trapped. I couldn't do the things I needed to do, I couldn't have gone anywhere had I even wanted to. Just knowing that made me crazy. Having my car free and spending a little time out of sight from campus for the first time since Sunday makes it better.

Arrows

2009-01-29T12:12:00.002-05:00

I made this hat over Christmas break and it has become one of my favorites. Its out of Cherry Tree Hill Merino and Silk Worsted and the yarn is fabulous. I used a basic hat with a arrow lace pattern from Barbra Walker's 2nd Treasury.

Back to classes today, but the halls are empty. Evidently the roads are still pretty icy and a lot of people don't have electric including both my parent's and the boy's parents.

Snow Day #2

2009-01-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

Please Please Keep up the cancellations. I need more vacation.

Meme for a snow day

2009-01-27T11:30:00.002-05:00

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think. Remember: one word answers to the following 34 questions.
1. Where is your mobile phone?: bed
2. Your significant other?: fuzzy
3. Your hair?: everywhere
4. Your mother?: capable
5. Your father?: senile
6. Your favourite thing?: knitting
7. Your dream last night?: frizbee
8. Your favourite drink?: Pepper
9. Your dream/goal?: graduate
10. The room you're in?: mine
11. Your ex?: pompous
12. Your fear?: failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?: home
14. Where were you last night?: bed
15. What you're not?: confident
16. Muffins?: nom
17. One of your wish list items?: yarn
18. Where you grew up?: east
19. The last thing you did?: tea
20. What are you wearing?: pajamas
21. Your TV?: tiny
22. Your pets?: fish
23. Your computer?: frustrating
24. Your life?: terrifying
25. Your mood?: good
26. Missing someone?: yes
27. Your car?: blue
28. Something you're not wearing?: bra
29. Favourite Store?: yarn
30. Your summer?: busy
31. Like someone?: yes
32. Your favourite colour?: green
33. When is the last time you laughed?: yesterday
34. Last time you cried?: yesterday

lace

2009-01-26T22:08:00.002-05:00

I am spinning silk straight from the cap on my drop spindle, no prep whatsoever. Its not smooth but this is what I'm getting. The yellow-green plied yarn is a light fingering weight. I didn't have a coin handy.

I haven't had a comment since the contest ended. I miss them. I would have another contest but I can't afford to right now.

2009-01-25T18:32:00.001-05:00

My newest and current favorite drop spindle, its an agate and the boy got it for me for Christmas. It spins like a dream and I like to just watch it twirl.

YPF

2009-01-23T09:10:00.002-05:00

This is some Artsygal 3 Ply Merino from my sock club. The softness of this yarn is not conveyed in the picture, probably because i think I kept the tension a little too tight when I wound it into a ball. Still getting used to the ball winder. Today I feel like this yarn; soft, blue and stretched.

Sunshine on a cloudy day

2009-01-21T14:31:00.002-05:00

I just finished a handspun hat for my etsy shop. Its just a simple cap but it shows off the unique texture and color patterning that spinning hand painted roving creates. I am really happy with the effect, and I might even have enough yarn to do another.

Old FO

2009-01-20T14:25:00.001-05:00

Here is a lacy tam I made over thanksgiving. Its way too big to be worn like a tam but it works ok as a floppy rasta hat.

Single sock

2009-01-18T23:17:00.002-05:00

I finished the first Nutkin and promptly laid the yarn aside so I could work on a secret project for a friend. I'm sure you will see it eventually but for now its under wraps.

In my non-knitting life my computer got fully re-installed and its running much more smoothly. However it seems that the wifi card may have crapped out. Further testing must follow.

Am I actually doing yarn p0rn on a Friday?

2009-01-16T15:03:00.003-05:00

It seems so. I have good stuff too. Handspun from superwash merino I dyed with Wiltons Cake coloring. Navaho plyed into a sportish weight.

One of those days

2009-01-14T17:52:00.002-05:00

I’ve had kinda a crappy day. Laptop was being a little whiny last night so the boy took it upstairs to fix it. So I crashed early (with no ravelry to keep me entertained and my current Buffy season being a digital one)

I woke up kinda freaked because its the first week of classes, nasty weather and I couldn’t check email. While trying to judge the tempature outside by the view out my window I discovered that the local cable switched their weather to a digital feed which the school doesn’t seem to subscribe to.

So I bundled up and realized that the boyfriend’s rubber bracelet that I always wear wasn’t on my wrist. It had come off when I’d stripped off my coat at some point yesterday. I went off to class, had to sit though my teacher making the class introduce each other (seriously its not University 101) and a reasonably confusing discussion in my Culture Theory class.

I walked home, had a crappy lunch in the cafe and called my mom. Mom had bad news. Our half-beagle-half-large mutt named Bob got in a fight. He didn’t make it home at all on Tuesday and he showed up this morning very beat up. He’s a super submissive dog so I think he got picked on. My dad was taking him to the vet today and He’ll probably have stitches at the least. Mom said he couldn’t lie down because he was hurting. I’m worried about my puppy.

I am so tired I wanna crash but I have homework and a late-night tradition that must be observed. 1-3AM Waffle house Wednesday must go on. The best thing is I found the bracelet later today in my coat sleeve.

Nutkin

2009-01-12T14:36:00.002-05:00

I hopped on another bandwagon and I am working on a Nutkin Sock. Its easy to see why its such a popular pattern. Simple, interesting, and not "lacy" in spite of the increases and decreases. I'm doing it in Louet Gems which I dyed with their kit. I really like how it has very short color spans which make a pebbly surface and very subtle variation.

Today was the first day of classes and I've still yet to go to my last class of the day. I have a 10 AM literature class, which will be ok I guess. Then at 11AM I have the mind numbing Dr Murphy. He talkes so disjointedly that I was literally disoriented by the time I left. Not looking forward to this, but on the bright side no term paper for that class. Later today I have a 3 hour night class and then my last class yet to go is tomorrow at 10:50AM. I've already got homework and I really want to devote quality time to spinning and my capstone every single day this semester.

Blog fodder

2009-01-11T15:14:00.002-05:00

The advantages of continuing to make and do things over break while not blogging means I have a backlog of cool stuff to talk about. So I'm going to try and blog something new every day for a while, but not put pressure on myself not to skip because I have enough stress as is.
This is some discontinued knitpicks sock yarn from a CPAASG swap.Its really pretty stuff and is a pretty basic sock yarn so I don't have any special ideas for it but I know the time will come when I will pull it out for some simple comfort knitting.

Just so you know, Sheep bounce when they run

2009-01-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

Its quite amusing.

Not much to show

2009-01-04T14:34:00.004-05:00

I have been busy, and busy with knitting. Sadly, I have little to show for it all. Christmas was lovely and I got a ball winder and swift which were exactly what I wanted. The day after Christmas I wound all the yarn I could get my paws on into center pull balls.Then I spent that weekend sick with the sore throat that was building up over the holiday. Yes I knit. I'm working on a v-neck raglan pullover in teal cascade 220. I went to a yarn store on saturday here where my parents live and hit a 50% off sale day. I got some Cherry Tree Hill Silk and Merino Worsted and some possum yarn.

Monday I headed west to purchase a fleece for my Honors thesis project and came back with 4lbs of Leicester Longwool fleece ready to be washed. I headed further west and spent time with the boyfriend and picked up a friend that is staying with me for the rest of break. We all headed home and yesterday I finally started the epic fleece washing. One batch down... too many yet to go.

I have knit two hats and most of a sock, and the yoke and part of the body of a sweater. None of this has been photographed at all. My bad.

I got a haircut

2008-12-22T16:37:00.001-05:00

Before
After

What I got

2008-12-18T11:54:00.002-05:00

I am a follower, I'm knitting jaywalker with the flat feet I got at ReBelle. I must say that this yarn is awesome for carrying around because the skein simply can't fall apart or get tangled in your keys.

Finals week is almost over, and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The hardest part will be going home. Christmas break this year is a frenzy of activity when what I need so badly is rest. Also I will be away from the people that are a huge part of my life, the ones I see every single day, eat my meals with and hang out with. Home is also a place where I have to fold myself into an old box, one that seems a little too small. I love my family, but here I am an adult who makes their own decisions and lives with the consequences.

I am blessed in this life, I have an education, two places I call home, a wonderful semi-functional family who will never cast me out, a sweet loving boyfriend who is my best friend, truly amazing friends all over the place, freedoms I could only dream of anyplace else in the world and more. Lately I've been thinking about the future and ways that I can improve my well being and be more aware of the wonderful life I have.

The view monday morning

2008-12-17T17:43:00.003-05:00

Can I get some of this every day?
Campus looks 99% prettier with snow on it. Which is sad because I realize that even with snow its butt-ugly.

Speed

2008-12-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

One fingerless glove complete one to go. Notes: kinda loose and the thumb hole needs to be smaller. Also the picot flares. Consider this pair a prototype for a future pattern.

Finish and Begin

2008-12-14T14:30:00.003-05:00

I tend to cast on a new project within hours or minutes of finishing the last one, So I never cut down on the number of WIPs lying around but the reason is pretty simple. While I am in the home stretch of finishing I am planning out the next project in my head. Its my reward for being done. Last night I finished my first pair of socks for the boy, and I got a picture of him lounging in them today. He seems to like them but based on the way he wears them I'll make his cuffs short from now on.Before I finished the socks we made a pre-finals trip to the LYS up here at school and I picked up a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport in Black Watch to make myself some fingerless mitts. I've started them and am currently debating whether or not I made the cuff too big.

Tools

2008-12-13T19:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I picked up the tools I needed to prepare a fleece for my capstone project. I hit an issue trying to figure out where to clamp my wool combs. finally I figured a spot out. Yes That is a chair turned on its side. Also as a note, wool combs are sharp, do not set them down point up or miss the wool and hit your leg.
This is the final product with them. I also got wool cards for the waste from combing, but I'm not very good with those.

Wonderful gift!

2008-12-11T14:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I got a wonderful gift in the mail of 7 happy housewives perfume samples. I'm wearing one now that is truly fantastic and I keep smelling myself. The boy has a different method of testing perfume though...

Swapilishous

2008-12-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

I am swapping out some of my less favorite yarns on ravelry and when I get home I'm going through the stash there, since 90% could be gotten rid of and I wouldn't miss it.

In which I want puppies and knit lace

2008-12-08T14:52:00.002-05:00

I'm about a dozen or less rows away from the end of the first section of Laminaria and I am still loving it. The star pattern is easy but not mind numbing.
We also made a visit to the pet store. We saw Welsh Corgis
Dachshunds
and bunnehs
I also saw a very sweet chocolate lab who seemed to be totally overwhelmed by the enviroment of the pet store. I would have loved to take her home and give her a calm place to live.

So it begins

2008-12-07T23:38:00.002-05:00

I heard somebody say recently (possibly on plurk) that when a woman changes her life she starts with her hair. Maybe that's true, it seems that I'm unconciously trying to do that, except until the semester ends I'm 100 miles from my hairdresser.

I've been feeling anxious, depressed and generally down lately and haven't known why or what to do about it. I came to realize this and that its time to snap out of it. I need some changes in my life or that negative voice in the back of my head is going to take over.

I need to make the focus of my life on God, I've been so busy and honestly not focused on anything at all.

I need to take better care of my body, I suffer chronic pain and that makes it harder but its not an excuse. I need to eat better and not snack on junk food and drink so much pop. I also need to try and be more active by taking walks and going swimming.

I need to stay busy in the day and sleep at night. I need to not give the minimum in school.

There are other changes, but those are the big ones. I'm still cutting my hair, but thats not all I'm doing.

For the first time this winter I woke up to see this

2008-12-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

Before

2008-12-05T21:58:00.003-05:00

I figured out that if I cut off 10 inches to donate to locks of love I would still have a bit over shoulder length hair. The line on the photo shows approximately where the cut would occur. Before I hack off my hair however I need to know what style I want.
My guidelines:
I don't want to lose more than an inch of length above that line.
I want to work with my natural curl.
I want to be able to style it in 5 minutes flat, and be able to do very little in the morning, as I shower at night and am NOT waking up earlier to fuss with my head fuzz.
I am trying to grown-up my wardrobe (just the school clothes and such) and my hair is scary heavy bohemian fluff, I need something more classy.

If you can make suggestions within those guidelines I'd appreciate it. Otherwise I'm gonna go to my usual hairdresser and tell her my guidelines and close my eyes until its over.

A new beginning and an ending

2008-12-04T22:01:00.002-05:00

I just grafted the pair of kilt hose which I have been making for what seems like forever. They need a good blocking but otherwise they are complete. Thus ending any guilt knitting for a while, I can knit what I want when I want and not worry about neglecting the commission.

Yesterday I couldn't bear anything but the truly simple, so what did I do? I swatched some Cascade 220 to test which size needles I will need to purchase to make my sweater. I got an even 5 sts per inch on size 4 needles. Yes I am that loose of a knitter. This is the closest picture I could get in the dark to capture the color, its not a shiny yarn so the color is right but imagine it as a more matte tone.
While I was knitting a swatch the boy took a picture of my hands while I worked. My first thought was how skelatal my hands look while I knit, all the bones seem to stand out, but at the same time my hands look strong. Its been so long since I felt truly strong so this picture makes me smile and remember that being able to lift heavy things isn't everything in life.

Busy brain

2008-12-03T17:26:00.002-05:00

I keep thinking totally random stuff but I've had a headache since Monday and I can't seem to focus on anything.

In class I thought about how its mean to play high pitched celtic music when people have migraines, and that florescent lights are evil. Then I thought about how my group project sucks, and after that I thought about how it was cold in the classroom and how much I just wanted to leave.

Then I thought about how much I wanted a nap while I waited for a meeting and during the meeting I thought about how much bureaucrats suck. Then I went home and thought about how messy my room is and how much of a slob I get to be when its busy time.

In the shower I was thinking about how knitting felt right in my hands when I first learned, and how its still seems to perfectly fill them. Right now I'm swatching and thinking about ideas for a comfy teal sweater and that I need a different needle size. Oh and cheap metal needles suck too.

Thanksgiving Break

2008-12-01T14:41:00.003-05:00

I snuggled small children, who were cute enough to discover the joy of crayons
and my moms cat who was playing with her own tail
I made a sewing area in my room at home too, so I don't have to dig stuff out of the closet every time I want to sew
and I made myself a new purse, Its navy watermarked fabric and I rather like how it turned out. I plan on making more and possibly adding them to my etsy shop.

And the lucky number is!

2008-12-01T11:28:00.003-05:00

14!
I randomly came up with the 14th comment on my blog this month and that would make the lucky winner Sade. With this comment.

She told me to surprise her so she will have something good in the mail as soon as I can scrounge some envelopes.

I will have to do more contests, this was fun.

Last day

2008-11-30T18:18:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day in November and tomorrow I count up all my comments and see who wins something nice in time for the holidays.

I drove home today through the rain and for a few short moments the light turned silver and the rain softened to a heavy mist and I could see the trees reflected on the water that was trapped in the corrugation in the middle of the road.

I'm smiling now, I am home after my favorite holiday preparing for a busy week and I can't help smiling at the sounds of my boyfriend's footsteps on the ceiling above. Sometimes the best part of vacation is coming home refreshed.

In which I ramble and you skim over it

2008-11-29T22:18:00.003-05:00

I have been thinking a lot, I think while I spin and while I knit and while I sew and this holiday I've been doing all three as much as possible. Also family conversations and comments have directed my thoughts.

As you probably know I'm dating someone, no shock, and while I am trying to not treat it as a casual relationship I am trying to avoid the pressures that my family puts on my relationships and the relationships of other people in the family. I've dated twice before and in some ways I blame the pressure for problems in the relationships, not all the issues, but some. I have seen the same pressures put upon my siblings and its almost a family tradition to marry the first person you date, or so it seems to hear people talk, even when thats not what usually happens.

The first guy I dated I ended up getting engaged to, not because I was madly in love but because I had to impression that I was supposed to say yes... I liked him, but I had hesitations and instead of listening to those hesitations I said yes and by the end it was a mess. The second wasn't healthy either, but my family was mad about him and I constantly felt like people made assumptions about my future with this guy when I wasn't so sure myself. I know that when it ended it disappointed many people in the family, but it wasn't worth it.

Now I'm in a relationship that really makes me happy, I am relaxed and Its a release from stress not a source of stress. My family have begun asking how serious I am with this guy and I find myself wanting to shut them out because I don't want pressure and expectations on my future relationships. I have enough pressures in my future. I am expected to excell at school and life and to be merely above average is not good enough. I am dating my best friend and I knew that when we took that step out of the friend zone it would be a risk and a challenge. I want a future with him, but I don't want to have to worry about it. My dream would be to keep on as things are for quite a while, I am content and I don't need more than a vague understanding of my life plan to be happy.

Black Friday

2008-11-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not one of the crazy people out at 5AM. But I am planning on going out. I have a goal of finishing my christmas shopping today, which is mostly done but it'd be nice to know I had that out of the way.

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T18:36:00.000-05:00

Long day, lots of food, very tired now

And you thought I forgot

2008-11-26T23:34:00.001-05:00

I'm home and I've been sewing, so I almost forgot.

Good News!

2008-11-25T18:58:00.002-05:00

My parents home is no longer the land of dial up! I am very pleased with this turn of events.

I was checking out my flickr stats and It seems that this photo has been more looked at than any other of my pictures.
I don't know why, its not a great picture by any means or of any great feat of knitting and spinning.

my life

2008-11-24T20:04:00.001-05:00

The last few days have been an endless cycle of sitting up until I can't handle the pain anymore and lying down waiting until I can be useful again. Right now I'm trying to clean to pile of junk on my floor that has accumulated.

Process pt 3

2008-11-23T13:43:00.002-05:00

I don't have a particular method of plying, but I do always do it on a larger ratio if possible to avoid over-plying which I have a bad habit of doing. This is the way it looks before it is soaked in water and thwacked on the side of the shower.

PS see my love buttons like ravelry!

2008-11-22T19:59:00.002-05:00

So it seems that the servers at the retarded university have a virus, yep. and so I can't do my homework I have what feels like a full body migraine and everybody I come near are either grouchy or sick, or both. My joy overflows

not a pretty picture

2008-11-21T22:02:00.003-05:00

Today I woke up already feeling yucky and stepping outside into the frigid wind didn't help that whatsoever. I didn't take pictures, I just did the absolute minimum of what I had to get done and went home and slept for a few hours. I still haven't gotten alert since I woke up 5 hours ago. I've cleaned my room, ate dinner, spun and knit but I feel fuzzy and I'll probably sleep early tonight.

I'm turning the doily into a tam I think, and one of the kilt hose tops is done. In other news I cast on a languishing second sock so that's progress toward the UFO guilt.

Startitis struck again

2008-11-20T18:21:00.003-05:00

I'm knitting a doily now, why? I don't know. I'm doing it with approximately fingering weight handspun falkland which I dyed a while back and on sock needles, so it may end up as a tam once its gotten good and round. Who knows, lace but not real lacy. I'm using this pattern (rav link) and its really quite easy to work as long as you don't mine M3 in one stitch.

PS. Remember comments make you win!

Instant gratification, like oatmeal... not like instant coffee

2008-11-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

The first time I really drank more than a sip of coffee was instant hospital coffee, it kept me awake but was not this kind of gratification. This is like instant oatmeal with the yummy flavors. Amazing on a cold day.

Anyway I bent to the call of the startitis last night and cast on a calorimetry. If I had kept knitting just one more hour it would have been a one night gift, as is, I finished it in my class this morning. Its out of leftover yarn so I'm not feeling too terribly guilty over this one. (Ignore my shiny forehead)

Blogging

2008-11-18T15:45:00.002-05:00

Honestly I am not sure if daily blogging makes me a better blogger or not. I know some days its a total cop out, other days I try to give a visual treat, rarely I have something to say. It might be easier with feedback, but then it might not. At the end of the month I'm going to count up all my comments, number them and use a random number generator (boyfriend) to pick one, that person will get a treat, I dunno what but I'll try to make it fit the person who left the comment, that way if they are a knitter they can get something for that, a spinner might get a spinny treat and a non knitter could get almost anything.

I'm getting back into a lace knitting mojo again and I pulled out a Handsome Triangle from Victorian lace today to work on.