Knits Vehemently

2008-07-28T16:26:00.002-03:00

I am extremely not impressed by my Toronto roommate situation. One roommate in particular keeps ingesting everything anyone leaves in the fridge. I have been avoiding this by keeping my stuff in my own little fridge in my room, but I have this big pitcher that doesn't fit in my little fridge. The other day, I was feeling crappy, and desirous of pink lemonade. I desperately miss Nova Scotia, and pink lemonade is becoming a lifeline. Don't ask me why. It's happy and pink.

I made it extra-strong, just the way I like it (and just perfect for mixing with a little tequila when the Greek homework is weighing me down). I got home from Greek class today, and I felt like crap, and it's hot and gross here, and I wanted some lemonade. It is gone. My freaking roommate drank nearly an entire pitcher of extra-strong pink lemonade.

I think I'm going to kill him.

And then I'm going to come home.
33 days, 7 hours, 46 min, 44 seconds.

Somebody pinch me 'cause--

2008-03-31T04:03:00.004-03:00

I just wrote 2,603 words of research paper on...

The Knitting Cottage Industry in the Shetland Islands Between 1833 and 2005.

Oh yes I did.
For my "Shaping of Modern Britain" course, for a professor whose specialty is naval mutinies in WWII.

I hope he doesn't die of "bwuh?" when he reads it. I've really enjoyed his class, and I don't want to disappoint!

Also--I kinda want to write a book about Shetland knitting or something. This was by far the most fun I've ever had writing a research paper.
So why did I put it off until I had 16 hours to go?
I'm a bright one.

Help with Yarn Identification

2008-03-22T01:54:00.004-03:00

Hey KOL girls:
At the yarn swap this summer I picked up a partial ball of something. I used it to make a tea cozy around Christmastime, and have since written up the pattern for the cozy (linked in last post), but as much as I'd love to recommend this yarn to people (and use it again, myself!) I don't actually know what it is!

It was a thick-and-thin single, dk/light worsted, navy/blue/green with hints of bronze and flecks of white. It's at least mostly wool, probably all wool, and it's fairly soft. There was probably 40g, and it was wound in a center-pull ball. Due to my terrific planning-ahead skillz, I don't have a picture of it before I knit it up, but here are a few pictures of the finished project. The color, on my monitor, is right in between that of these pictures. The colors are saturated, like in the first picture, but the navy is a little more prominent, like in the second. Anybody recognise it?

Tea Mitten Pattern finished!

2008-03-20T01:03:00.002-03:00

About three months ago I made a tea cozy for my Brown Betty, and I was so delighted with it that I immediately posted it on Ravelry, promising to write up the pattern as soon as possible.

Well, it seems that tonight was the soonest possible, but this pattern is finally available in .pdf format from my sidebar on the right. It has not yet been test knit by someone-not-me, however, so if anybody reading this does decide to make it, and finds there to be oddities and confusions, I ask them to let me know right away so that I can fix it.

Tea Mitten on Ravelry
Download the PDF

A Query...

2008-02-27T01:06:00.002-04:00

I know a few people who read this ride their bikes somewhat regularely in town, and I've got a question about an altercation I witnessed today:

I was waiting on Robie St. across from the old QEH for bus 42. When the bus in question began up the slight incline to the bus stop, there was a man on his bicycle even with the back curbside wheels of the bus. Since I was standing there, wanting a ride, the bus needed to pull towards the curb, meaning the fellow on his bike was in an awkward position, his road narrowing and then disappearing. I didn't see exactly what he did, but as soon as the bus stopped, he pulled around and stuck his head in the door saying things like "Come on, man, you totally cut me off back there." The bus driver just denied having done anything of the sort, and after a couple exchanges of these phrases, the 42 pulled away down Robie.

(Completely unrelatedly, the bicycle beat us to the other end of Robie, primarily due to not having to wait all stacked up at traffic lights.)

So...what would have been correct procedure for both vehicles in that situation? Clearly the cyclist was in the awkward position of the disappearing lane, which would definitely be unpleasant, but the bus couldn't really have just not picked me up, because the entire point of the bus is to pick up and deposit passengers. It didn't appear that the bus was at all racing the guy--it was just an unfortunate bit of timing.

Who was in the wrong? What would have been the best procedure in that instance? Oh cyclists of the world, I ask you what you think!

The electronic family grows...

2008-02-20T19:57:00.003-04:00

I interrupt this entrancing blogging silence to report:
My dear laptop, Olivia, has been limping along since Christmas. Finally, I have caved, wrestled with Futureshop and the Visa people for a week (I have the safest credit card in the world. Not even I can use it!), and I am pleased to report that Madeleine has begun her journey from Mississauga today.

Huzzah!

Batter my heart...

2008-02-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

Though I am a day late for the Feast of St. Brigid, here is my contribution to the Silent Poetry Reading.

John Donne was always dear to my mother's heart, and she had us memorise many of his poems when I was growing up. Here is a sonnet that battered my heart last semester, and I hope that these "best words in the best order" speak to you, too.

Holy Sonnet XIV
John Donne

Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy:
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Metal-on-pavement is the new Mozart!

2008-01-23T01:12:00.001-04:00

Dear Dalhousie,

I appreciate that you must have the parking lot outside my window cleared for tomorrow morning--really, I do. What I object to is the necessity to plow it after 1am outside of a residence that houses 100 of your students. This is an extremely unfortunate situation for all those already sleep-deprived and health-ailing students that give you so much money.

No love,
Sleep-deprived and ailing student #0442680

Disgraceful!

2007-12-20T17:12:00.000-04:00

Yes, disgraceful. This blogging thing has gotten out of hand--or should I say that school has gotten out of hand! I was able to make it to KOL only once this semester, after choir let out for the year. See, I have choir practice from 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday nights, and by the time I would get out of practice and down to the Wired Monk it's closing time. It won't change next semester, either, so until the Monk's hours go longer for the summer, I'm going to be KOL-less! Nevertheless, I'm reading everyone's blogs, and I'm even teaching myself to be a well-behaved reader and comment!

I'm in Iowa now visiting family for Christmas, and yes, I had something of an eventful trip down. Fortunately I got out on Sunday morning before the nasty weather. I had connections through Washington DC and Chicago, so I was steeling myself for an overnight in O'Hare. Ironically, the only delay I experience had nothing to do with weather at all!

I got out of Halifax just fine, and we made it to Washington in a more or less timely manner. We boarded the plane on time, and settled into our seats. I even struck up a conversation with my seat partner, a charming man with distinguishedly graying temples and two children my age. We sat at the gate for ten minutes or so, but weren't showing any signs of moving. Then the intercom crackles, and the stewardess informs us that we are missing the First Flight Officer, which seems to be something of a co-pilot. They're sure he must be around here somewhere, and they're doing everything they can to locate him.

Fifteen minutes pass.

The stewardess addresses us again, sounding considerably more agitated. The First Flight Officer--she here gives his full name--has not shown up for work this morning. They are very sorry for this delay, and they will be snatching an officer off an incoming flight as soon as possible. Apparently the soonest possible was coming in in an hour, and were were welcome to deboard and get some lunch while we waited.

This delay, naturally, resulted in missed connections for at least a third of the plane. Still, the stewardesses were remarking as we deboarded just how good everyone was being about it. For some reason, this guy not coming to work made a whole lot more sense than ice storms. When, an hour later, the new First Flight Officer stepped on board, he was greeted with applause.

(must run, will update shortly)

FO! The Snowdrop Shawl

2007-11-02T21:46:00.000-03:00

FO: Snowdrop Shawl

Pattern: Snowdrop Shawl, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow, in "Sunset Heather." (100% merino)
Needles: 4.5mm Addi Turbo Lace Needles
Mods: None (wow!)
The Making Of:
Pattern -- This was my first laceweight project, and my first shawl. I'm hopelessly addicted now, and I'm already drowning in laceweight! The pattern is great for beginners, because it's an easily-memorized repeat, and purling back across the back. I love the i-cord bindoff along the top, and the clean but sturdy edge it makes! I think the skeleton of this shawl will easily become my shawl recipe.
[NOTE: The edging was a pain!, but adds so much. I'm glad I did it!]
Yarn -- I've already ordered more! The heathered yarn looks amazing in almost any light. Under natural sunlight the blue and gold and purple fibres in the predominately burgundy yarn really pop. This is a truly gorgeous Autumn shade! The yarn knit up well and remains very soft, not at all scratchy. It blocked quite comfortably, too, and remains sharp even after heavy use the last couple months.

Le Sad

2007-10-03T00:31:00.000-03:00

Alas, another Tuesday and I am not joining my comrades at the Wired Monk. I'm holding out for next Tuesday (hope that springs eternal, and all that.)

Just a quick note to say I'm alive, that I think contrary to to everything I was warned, third year university is definitely harder than second, though this may have to do with me actually working this year.

I have so much to learn! There's no way I can possibly be half-done this degree.

I am working on a witty blogpost, however, dedicated to my relationship with Latin. It will likely amuse only myself, but oh, how it does!

And with that, I'm ridiculously behind in Tom Jones (already! We've only been reading it two days!), and I want to get some sleep tonight, so I'll revert to starting longingly at my sock-in-progress over a rum 'n coke and occasionally digesting pages of 18th century snark.

List? What list?

2007-09-09T01:37:00.001-03:00

1. I was kinda rude to the loud people when I went up to my room after work at midnight. After getting into my PJ's, I went back down to apologise, and tell them I'm not just a crazy lady who lives above them. The too-short housecoat and the pink striped pyjama pants might not have helped me convince them of this, but if they objected to my choice of words, they wisely kept silent. Don't encourage the crazy lady. They were pretty cool about it once I talked to them like a human being, and not a sleep-deprived crazed Latin flashcard-maker (oh, the shenanigans last night...). I hope this is the beginning of a groovy relationship.

2. I still feel guilty about being rude to them. I have a highly developed sense of guilt. If I know you in person, chances are I am living in terror that you will realise all the wrongs I have done you.. Some call this insecurity, but I am convinced it's just me trying to be nice. Yep.

3. No matter how early I intend to go to bed (and tell the ~~Loud~~ Groovy People Below I am going to bed), I will stay up for at least another hour, or until my contacts begin to eat my eyes.

4. Against my intentions, I worked tonight. I got a phone call this afternoon, saying that no one had signed up for this shift. I am very easy to convince to take shifts. (See #2)

5. All my photos are on my external hard drive. Which is currently not being recognised by my USB ports. I'm trying not to think about it. Or cry.

6. I really really need to figure out a graceful way of replying to comments. I'm used to Livejournal, which has a thread-based, incredibly civilized way of handling it. As it is, I am being horribly neglectful to those who are kind enough to leave me feedback and commentary. I'm sure you can imagine how I feel about my behaviour. (see #2).

7. School has officially started, and now I can dive into a terrifying amount of reading. Fortunately, it involves the likes of Robinson Crusoe, so arduous it will not be. I will have to lay off the Terry Pratchett audiobooks for a while. And my knitting will suffer. So far, though, Tuesdays look good, and I may make it to KOL vaguely consistently after all! I miss you girls!

Woe

2007-09-05T16:13:00.000-03:00

There's a guy downstairs who thinks singing with his door open is a great idea. "Singing," really, because it honestly sounds more like howling. His voice keeps breaking mid-lyric...and I think that's what he wants it to sound like. I think I'll go elsewhere until he shuts up.

Calling

2007-09-02T18:29:00.000-03:00

The sound of the pipes is drifting over the buildings. Time for supper!

Truly Noiseless

2007-08-29T00:00:00.000-03:00

I had a fantastic time at camp, and a fantastic time at the KOL Yarn Swap, but I am far too exhausted right now to detail either.

Instead, I leave you with this: The Felted Underwood Typewriter

Seriously nuts. In the good way.

Gallavant! Gallavant!

2007-08-20T05:36:00.000-03:00

I've got two more hours of work left this summer, and we're closing up the Alex Hall hostel to guests this morning. When I get off shift at 8am, I'm going to have about an hour and a half to get a weekbag together from my almost-unpacked boxes, because...

I'm going to be off gallavanting the New Brunswick wilderness for the rest of the week, as a counsellor at a youth conference. I don't feel nearly old enough to be a counsellor--don't tell the parents!

Back this Saturday!

When did I accumulate all this STUFF?

2007-08-19T04:45:00.000-03:00

I'd like to announce another arrival to the "Comrades" links in the sidebar! My friend K. is crashing on Blogspot's couch until he moves into his own place, and he's keeping track of it all at Nothing Personal, where he promises to "rant, dither, philosophize and waste your time."

In other news, I've not been posting the last few days because I've been moving stuff in earnest. I really meant to have a lot more of my stuff moved sooner, but I was obviously being too gentle with my stuff-transporting. ~~My crack team of movers~~ Shawn showed up this weekend and carried more junk than he ever ought to have had to. At one point I even fell asleep on the bed, and he kept carting stuff! He wins at life.

No matter what happens, I'll be moved in by Monday morning, because then I leave to be a counsellor at St. Michael's Youth Conference. I'll be back from that sometime on Saturday. I've been working overnights this week, but my last one--and, coincidnetally, my last day of work--is tomorrow's, and then I'm free to freak out until school starts. In theory, I will be studying up on Latin.

Adventures in Identity Fraud

2007-08-14T16:02:00.001-03:00

I somehow failed to write about this in my 4 July Post, which is unfortunate, as I now have follow-up information on the story. What is to be done? I shall have to set the whole story straight now:

I've been working at the Alex Hall Front Desk this summer, and obviously we get
a lot of phone calls. One caller, however, really stands out for me, and I
think you'll get a kick out of this story.

It was a little after one in the afternoon on July 4, and I was working a fairly
uneventful shift. The phone rang, as it is wont to do, and the caller shouted
that she was from Bulgaria and 'Cold Case' was her "favourite movie." I wasn't
quite sure what to make of this, and after trying in vain to communicate, I
hung up, thinking it was a prank call.

Moments later, the phone rang again. This time she had calmed down a bit,
though she was still obviously distressed. She explained to me with great
difficulty that she was a university student in Bulgaria, and she wanted to
become an actress. She was sure that I could help her realise this dream, even
though her parents did not believe in her. They wanted her to study economics.
She begged me, she was desperate, I must help her! I couldn't really blame
her--I'd probably feel the same way about econ.

I explained to poor Maria that I was the receptionist in a university, and tried
to figure out where she wanted to be calling. She was adamant that this was
the correct number, and that if I did not help her, she would die. She said
that if I helped her I would become her favourite actress, and she would tell
everyone she knew that I was wonderful and beautiful. While this is a tempting
offer, I haven't done any acting since middle school, and my meagre connections
would get her into Latin class, not movies. I explained to her for the twelfth
time that I could not help her, and she should go to acting school. Finally, I
had to hang up on her.

No doubt you are wiser than I am, and have made the connection already. I
couldn't figure out why she was calling us, and I wrote it off as a bad day for
Bulgaria. I never assumed I would hear from her again.

Today, however, about a month and a half after the first call, the loud and
broken English crackled through the receiver again.

"I am Maria, I am in Bulgaria, and I want you to come to visit me for my
birthday. You can stay with me in Bulgaria, and with my family. I want to be
an actress!"

I was prepared this time, and I tried to ask her who she was calling. "Maria,"
she told me.

"No, no, who is the person you want to talk to?"

"I want to be an actress! You will help me!"

"Okay. Um. What is my name?"

"Kathryn Morris!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm not Kathryn Morris." My first thought was that Dr. Morris must
have a secret talent scout life that I know nothing about. My second thought
involved frantically Googling 'Kathryn Morris,' and then it all fell into
place. Of course. 'Cold Case.' Acting.

Interestingly enough, the second hit on Google for "Kathryn Morris phone" is Dr. Morris's King's contact info page.

I don't think Maria ever did understand that she got her Kathryns mixed up. She
had a pretty fixed vocabulary, and "wrong number" didn't seem to have any
effect. When I told her she had called the University of King's College, she
replied "Yes, yes, I am in university!" In the end, I had to hang up on her
again, ending what must have been a ridiculously expensive call. Poor girl. I
hope she manages to do some acting.

Movingface

2007-08-11T13:56:00.000-03:00

I'm busy packing up all of my earthly possessions and moving them 150ft. to my new home on the 4th floor of Chapel Bay. Whoo! The problem with moving into Chapel Bay is that there is no elevator. Now, I would not normally object to walking four flights of stairs to get to one's home. It builds character for those not confined to wheelchairs, crutches, or puddles of sweat. The problem is that I have to carry all of my stuff up those stairs. Bah. Fortunately I have about a week and a half to move my things, so I'm just doing a little a day.

I managed to get my bed set up in there, after stealing some hex keys and open-end wrenches from Maintenance. (I gave them back!) For my future reference, my bed needs a 3/16th hex key, and a 7/16th wrench. I think I'll write that down and tape it to the back of the headboard.

Almost all of the yarn and fibre is over there now, and about half the books. Some clothing, too, and I managed to shove the furniture in the room where I want it to go. I still have a small bookshelf I'll have to lug up, but perhaps that can wait until next weekend when Shawn can help me out. It's not a heavy bookshelf, really, but it would be awkward to navigate the stairs nonetheless.

I'm paring down to what I'll need in the next week. I'll probably move in for "good" on the 18th or 19th, because I'll be out of town the week of the 20th. By then they'll be needing to clean out the room I've been in for the summer, to prepare for entering students.

In other news, Picnicface is filming something on the library steps, which is always cool. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Frosh Video?

I'm avoiding buying groceries because anything I get I'll have to lug over to Chapel Bay in a few days. I do kinda need milk, though. Perhaps I'll make a milk run.

Harlotry

2007-08-09T02:07:00.000-03:00

August 7th will be remembered in the great days of my life. After the crazy ordeal in the airports, I showered and headed back to The Loop to spell Mimi off so she could start setting up at the Lord Nelson for the Yarn Harlot event. Naturally, no one came in after 5. I bet you know where they were camped. No last-minute yarn purchases were required, and 45 minutes later I put the sign in the window and took off, slipping into a corner seat with just enough time to exchange joyful looks with Rho and steal off to the bathroom to switch shirts.

You can't see it, but the sign says "Gone Yarn Harloting. Join us! Hurry!"
(For those not in the know, Knit Out Loud made shirts for the event. More properly, illustrator extraordinaire Rhonda made shirts with her team of elves. Rhonda is wicked awesome. Her elves aren't bad either.)

My photos of the talk are pretty sparse, though I managed to catch the whole thing on video. The actual picture is not fantastic, but the audio came through well. The video on my camera kept timing out, so there will be weird leaps every 3 minutes, but if there's anyone who missed it, there is still hope.
[I've dropped her a note to see if this recording is kosher. I can't recall any warnings to the contrary, but I don't want anyone in trouble about this. I won't be sharing it until I hear back.]

In the question time at the end, I asked what I should say to my miscreant Shawn when he mutters against "Crazy Yarn Ladies." Her reply was clever and obvious: Take away his yarn. He was (unwisely, I suppose) informed of this, and is now living in fear of my vindictive ways. Let him fear.

After the (lovely!) talk, there were door prizes handed out, and then Mimi and I manned the book table. There was definitely some OMG-I-NEED-THIS-BOOK-NOW-BRAINS-GHRREAAH! going on at first, when frantic people were thrusting credit cards at us and seizing bookpiles. After the initial surge, it was all pretty cool, and Mimi and I hit our seat-of-the-pants bookselling stride. Due to the sudden demand and the crazy schedule mishaps, we hadn't had a moment to discuss how we were going to go about selling the books, and though it didn't go as we expected, it went very well indeed. A huge thank-you to those who waited patiently in the line for books. So much love to you!

The Harlot Line snaked back through the room, and she dutifully did her author thing.

The clever KOLers hung back to attack her en masse, doing what they do best.

Henry got some Harloting in, and Moe gave Stephanie some goodies. Yes, that is a real life green KOL shirt for her on the table.

Deb had some treats for Stephanie, too. (Gabe can be seen, exhausted from his exciting day rubbing elbows with the Knitting and Famous, in the arms of the lovely Cate.)

J. kept busy, hobknobbing with not only the Yarn Harlot but Ilga Leja, and knitting beautifully the whole time. (She was swatching for that hat before the talk!) Unfortunately, I managed to make both Ilga and J. look quite odd in this picture. I'll pretend it was a clever artsy move.

I had cast on this pair of Jaywalkers at the store before heading over to the Lord Nelson, and that is how far I got during the talk, despite hands that shook with excitement and my attempt to reinvent Magic Loop knitting because I had neglected to bring a photo of the process with me (this being my first time using circs on a sock).

I eagerly await the Halifax update on the Yarn Harlot blog, and I hope Stephanie enjoyed her sadly brief stay in Halifax as much as we enjoyed having her here. It's entirely possible we overlapped at terminal in Pearson for a while, and I did look around for her. How perfect would it have been to have cautiously approached and announced Shawn and I were the advance welcome party! Still, the woman was just trying to have a cup of coffee or six, and it wouldn't necessarily have been welcoming at all to invade on her last moments of pseudo-privacy. Alas! And then there would have been awkward conversation, and "I think my gate is calling me!" It all worked out.

I didn't make it back to the Victory Arms to have a pint with Stephanie, Tim, and KOLers, due to wrapping up bookselling fun at The Loop. From the pictures, it looks like it was a great time, and I'm sorry I was so antisocial! The good news is that when I left Mimi and I were fairly confident that we hadn't utterly botched the money-for-books thing, which is always nice.

All in all, a great memory of a wonderful time. Cheers!

Delay Delay Delay

2007-08-07T14:19:00.000-03:00

Wow. The saga of our flights is long an exciting. Actually, mostly nerve-wracking. I've just walked into my room, waved goodbye to Shawn and his mother, and plugged in the computer.

We must have gotten out of Des Moines before the terror alert, because I don't recall hearing anything about it. Yikes! We got through security just fine, and sat down at our gate in Des Moines. We were supposed to start boarding at 3:05pm, and 3:15 comes and goes without any word. Then they call the other flight that's headed to Chicago up to have a quiet talk. There are whispers that that flight (supposed to leave at 4:30ish) was going to be delayed until 6pm. 3:35pm, our departure time, arrives...there is no plane sitting on the other end of the ramp. 3:45....the plane lands. They unload. They load us, saying we have 16 minutes to board if everyone is to make their connections. We don't make it in 16 minutes. At 4:25 the plane leaps into the skies, and an hour later lands in Chicago.

Our connection is scheduled at 6pm, in another terminal. We have no idea if we're supposed to pick up our luggage to go through customs (on the way down I did U.S. customs in Montreal...weird), but we know that we have half an hour to make it to our next flight. We dash, hoping that our luggage will show up. O'Hare is thick with milling, panicking passengers. It's thunderstorming.

We get to our gate...but rather than the fully loaded plane we expected, we find the plane has been delayed 40 minutes. That's just fine. Our layover can handle that. We settle down. 40 minutes pass...once again the plane has not shown up. After about an hour the attendant gets on the loudspeaker and tells us that the plane we'll be getting on has arrived (it ran into a lot of bad weather coming in to Chicago), and will be unloaded soon. They tell us it will be ten minutes. We've heard this before.

The plane comes into sight around the corner, but suddenly stops about 50ft from the ramp. The attendant tells us that the air traffic control tower has started flashing a white light, which means lightning has been spotted in the area, and no attendants can touch the planes from the ground. The plane stays parked 50ft from the airport gate for nearly an hour.

Finally, we load our Chicago-Toronto flight. We taxi out to the runway. We taxi for a very long time. Then the pilot comes on the intercom. Due to bad weather, air traffic control has grounded all flights. We will sit on the runway until we get the go-ahead. He puts on the entertainment system, and 45 minutes pass. At this point it is 9:15, and we are more than three hours late departing. Our connection is loading in Toronto as we take off from Chicago.

Due to the detouring around bad weather, the flight to Toronto cannot make ideal time. We land in Toronto at 11:30, Toronto time. Our connection left at 9:50. They tell us we have been bumped to the next flight to Halifax--the last one in that night. It has been delayed, and will leave at 12:15am. We rush through customs and to the connections counter, where they tell us it is ludicrous to expect to get on the next flight with only 15 minutes to spare. We offer to go without our luggage. The fellow at the gate won't let us on without our checked luggage.

Our only option, we are told, is to camp out in the airport overnight, check in at 4am, and stand by for the next flights to Halifax. They have booked us for sure on the next available flight--9:05am. I have to open the yarn store at 11am, one hour after we load. It is a two-hour flight, plus another hour to get bags and drive in to Halifax. There is no way I can do that and get to work. And we have no way of contacting Mimi, my boss. Shawn calls his mother to let her know she can go to bed, and we hunker down in front of the check-in counters and sleep in shifts.

At 4:30am, the attendant tells us that they have oversold all the flights to Halifax, and there is no way we could make it on standby. We have to wait for the 9:05am flight. The day dawns sunny and clear, and this flight at least has no more hurdles than a quick gate-change at the last minute. We arrived in Halifax at 12:06pm, and drove straight to the Loop, where Mimi has just opened the store. She didn't get the message Shawn's mother tried to leave for her, because the lady whose answering machine it was off work this morning. Still, she was very kind, and sympathizes, offering her own airline mishaps. "Go home and shower," she says, "get some sleep, and come back at 4:30."

So here I am, nearly 24 hours after we drove out of Pella. That was an adventure I am not keen to repeat.

And now for showering and unpacking. :D

KOL GIRLS:
I will be heading down to the Loop between 4 and 4:30, and after that I thinkhopepray I will be selling books at the event. I'll stop at the Moustache just in case, on my way. My shirt is a small Gildan navy one (brought by J.D.) If someone (Rho, I think?) could slip me the shirt, I'd be delighted! I'm sure I'll spot you guys, though I have no idea at the moment exactly what and where my free time is going to be. I will be representing, however, to the extent of my abilities! Whoo!!!

LOVES to the Desk Girls

2007-08-06T02:54:00.001-03:00

Just a quick note to say that we'll be headed back in to Halifax tomorrow afternoon, getting in just after one AM. In more exciting news, I think I will be able to both work at The Loop in the morning and attend the Harlot event that evening, and I would like it to be publicly known that my co-workers at King's have some seriously good karma headed their way veeeery soonly. I honestly cannot thank them enough for helping me with this shift RIGHT after I get back from vacation, which I certainly did not deserve. Shout it from the rooftops!

Wheee!

See you soon, Nova Scotia!

Bah!

2007-08-04T03:49:00.000-03:00

Due to tomfoolery on the part of Air Canada*, Shawn wasn't able to join us in Pella tonight. He called around 6pm, Pellatime, to say that he'd just spent five or so hours waiting for a flight, which was ultimately cancelled. He was still in Halifax! The airline put him up in a hotel, and he'll be heading out this morning, we hope! We'll get him around 11am tomorrow. It's too bad one sixth of his stay was lost due to airplane breakage, but we'll be glad to see him. Cross your fingers that it works out!

*actually, there appeared to be some mechanical problem, and we certainly would rather have him stay in Halifax than fly in a broken plane. Still.

Home of the Big Fat Corn

2007-08-01T23:07:00.000-03:00

Naturally, I forgot to bring my camera in my carryon, so I didn't manage to get any pictures mid-trip on Monday. Nevertheless, I have successfully made my way across the sky to Iowa, and along the ground to Pella, and I'm currently languishing in the heat of a prairie summer. I'm languishing in good company, however, and had a great time today at the zoo for my youngest brother's 7th birthday.

Harry Potter is the unofficial book of the skies at the moment. I wish I'd had a camera to document all the people who were narrowly avoiding walking into signs and luggage because their eyes were glued to the page. Two people in line would start discussing it, and the person behind them would politely tap them on the shoulder and request that they "watch the spoilers, okay?" Little children clamoured for their mother's attention with phrases like, "Is Snape bad? Is he? Who's the headmaster at Hogwarts now?" These were often ignored, because the mothers were busy devouring the tome of Potter.

I was able to get through with my sock in progress just fine. I went through security in Halifax and in Montreal, and both times they didn't even ask about the bamboo DPN's. A fellow traveler approached me at my first gate and demanded to know how I "snuck" them in, but I explained that bamboo offered no more threat than a pencil, and she seemed satisfied.

Oddly, the second sock of this pair (Hedera) is going very quickly. I turned the heel while waiting for my checked luggage in Montreal so I could go through customs, and chatted with a nice Kiwi couple and their newly wed son and daughter-in-law. They had a 15-hour flight ahead of them! My nine-hour transit time seemed like nothing at all, suddenly! I've worked somewhat steadily on the socks since I arrived, and I'm ready to start the toe decreases now.

A nice present was waiting for me when I arrived--my Knit Picks order, which had been free shipping anywhere in the U.S., was sitting on the kitchen table. I am now the proud owner of A Gathering of Lace and Victorian Lace Today, and my 12-year-old sister and I poured through the photographs together. My mother--the woman responsible for teaching me the knit stitch--was inspired, and picked up the needles to try her hand at the Snowdrop Shawl. She clucks her tongue at the thought of making something that's not "useful," but she can't deny that the Mystery Stole is gorgeous.

Dentist appointment today, and Shawn arrives tomorrow night! I can't believe that three days of my holiday are already over!

Close Call

2007-07-26T14:46:00.000-03:00

Occasionally I like to pretend I am a reasonably independent adult, and I make breakfast. Today, breakfast involved the complicated world of boiling water.

No matter, says I, for I have a Magic Kettle, into which I pour the cold water, and out of which blossometh the boiling water!

Beware, saith the packet of instant oatmeal. Be sure to put no more than 2/3 cup of water, or we shall be a soggy mess!

What have I that is approximate a cup?, I pondered. I produced a nice waterproof glass, held it over the bowl of instant oatmeal, and poured.

There was a loud cracking noise, and the bottom of the glass fell into the bowl. The top remained in my hand. I didn't move for several tens of seconds, not entirely sure what had just taken place. Then my mother's warnings about drastically changing the temperature of something glass came to mind. Ah. I see.

To my delight, the break was clean, and there were no little bits of glass in my bowl. Still, I flushed that oatmeal in favour of new stuff, as micro-glass did not seem like a good passenger for my intestinal tract.

And the next time? I poured it without measuring.

Exultation!

2007-07-24T22:58:00.000-03:00

Guess who just got her Ravelry invite?

Yeah, I guess I got horribly confused. I thought there were 6-7,000 people ahead of me. Apparently not? Whoo!

I know what I'll be up to tonight! And I hadn't gotten my flickr account ready yet...

Anyway, for any on there already, I'm affabletoaster. For those still waiting--soon! :D

48 hours later....

2007-07-22T23:35:00.000-03:00

I have now finished Deathly Hallows. Internet life (and other general life) may return to normal. Now...where did I put those knitting projects?

Have book.

2007-07-21T00:30:00.001-03:00

Yee!

The Amazing Yarning Adventures of Boba Fett: Bounty Hunter of Halifax

2007-07-20T15:38:00.001-03:00

Now that Shawn has twisted his truth sufficiently, the regularly scheduled blogging of truthiness can continue. (What he meant to say, with that long-winded account, was that I totally won. In total. You know.) Whether Shawn will be making his appearance at KOL in the future is iffy. He may have uttered something like "over my dead body," and then whimpered something about "craziness" and "yarn ladies." Clearly, he is prejudiced. I don't know any crazy yarn ladies. Do you?

In honour of the Harry Potter book that is going to hit fandom tomorrow like an atom bomb, I give you...

Star Wars: The Knitted Boba Fett

What? You say Star Wars has no place on Harry Potter Day? Hush. I'm giving myself other fandom to tide me over until midnight.

I had a lot of questions about Boba, about whom I blogged for the first time in my Things I Should Be Doing Instead of Rising to Shawn's Challenges post. I didn't really mean to blog about him, originally, as he's a rather tardy gift for a friend, but...anyway.

The pattern? It's not out yet, but I promise that once I get all the bugs worked out, it will be up for you guys. The reason he's going so slowly is that he's not really a good portable project, and I get most of my knitting done not-at-home (my work at front desk, coffee shops, on the bus, etc.) He's been a lot of fun, though, and I have more plans where he came from. I hope to have the pattern all written up by September.

Boba had an interesting trip with me a few weeks ago, when I was testing his portability. I had never been to Tangled Skeins, a LYS across the harbour from Halifax, for those not familiar. There's a ferry that docks very near Tangled Skeins, and I packed Boba up for the trip.

He got comfortable on a ferry seat, one of the only two on the top level of the ferry that didn't have a puddle in it. It was a muggy, Haligonian day, when it's about 143% humidity, but pretends that it doesn't know what that means.

Remembering that Shawn was trapped in an office building on the harbour, Boba Fett decided to do a little reconaissance. He spied upon Shawn in his workplace.

Upon entering Tangled Skeins, the bounty hunter slunk off to the worsted weights section and tried to blend in. He was quickly recaptured, to his shame. One really ought not to blame him--he hasn't yet been knit any appendages, so his ability to resist was severely handicapped.

I spent a long time inspecting the sock yarn, and while my back was turned the little bugger beetled off again. I can't really throw too much of a fit about this travel, though.

He hit up the cashmere.

-----
Have a great time with your Harry Pottering! I'll be working at the Loop tomorrow from 10-2, and I reallyreally hope nobody tries to be smart and shout out spoilers. Apparently someone has been putting up spoiler posters on lightpoles. They've been ripped down equally quickly by concerned citizens, but really, people. Be like Snape. Don't be evil. ;)

In a few short hours I will crack open my own Deathly Hallows! Eee!

The Secret Race Part 2; The Exciting[?] Conclusion

2007-07-17T22:21:00.000-03:00

Just ignore Elisabeth's lies. She just makes up stories sometimes... it's really just best to humour her, smile and nod, and perhaps even pop in with the occasional "Oh, isn't that nice," if you're feeling adventurous.

Now, where I left off last day the conditions were as follows. The setting was the library steps at King's, late Friday afternoon. My Hufflepuff scarf was a bit behind Elisabeth's Ravenclaw; however, Elisabeth had a hat to finish before our deadline of sometime on Saturday when we'd go see Order of the Phoenix.

We furiously knit away the evening, and when the opportunity came up to go out to a pub with a hard-to-get-a-hold-of friend of ours, we agreed, but as the committed knitters and unyielding competitors we were, we both brought our projects with us.

If we got any odd looks for knitting in a pub late on a Friday night, we did not see them. Our eyes were focused on our knitting. Elisabeth was still working on finishing up her hat, so I was free to catch up as much as I could in the little time I had. Of course we also socialized with our friend and did not neglect her, but both Elisabeth and I knew that our deadline was looming, and neither had the intention of losing.

Unbeknownst to me at the time until it was discovered the next morning, the yellow ball of yarn for my scarf somehow in either a desperate bid for freedom or a causality of kinematics slipped out from my backpack and had to be retrieved later. Thankfully it was found and kept by the staff, and shortly found its way back into my possession. Personally I suspect sabotage by a certain Ravenclaw-ish individual...

The rest of the day was occupied with zealous knitting by the two of us. We had decided that a 6:50 showing of the film would be best for us, and so our deadline had numerical form at last. Just hours away from the showtime and with Elisabeth's scarf on its last block of colour, desperate thoughts revealed themselves from shadows in my mind.

Elisabeth's Ravenclaw scarf. What is to be done?

Some would contend that stabbing a piece of knitting with a knitting needle would hardly be lethal; but I think the secret is in the wrist
In the end I could not bring myself to commit the deed, and Elisabeth's scarf remained unstabbed. Now, there is some contention about the next series of events. And indeed, perhaps we shall never know what truly happened... some time after the nigh-stabbing incident Elisabeth claims she bound off, and although we plan on adding tassels later, the race was to bind off. She claimed she had won, and began to celebrate.

The face of a cheater?
Others were not so convinced that any victory had taken place

The face of incredulity
The technicalities of this 'supposed' victory are still under investigation by committee, so it is not just to say that Elisabeth/Ravenclaw won over Me/Hufflepuff. On account of what, if I may speak freely, I am sure was a complicated team of knitters working through the night on Elisabeth's behalf, I was still working on my scarf when the theatre lights dimmed too low to continue.

After a very wonderful movie, we moved out of the theatre and Elisabeth prompted me to wear my not-yet-finished scarf out as we walked home, so I did so. not having anything else to do with my hands, and the needle still being in the scarf, I knit as we strolled home

Ambulatory AND knitting prowess
The next day I finished the few remaining rows of my scarf, and pending the aforementioned committee’s findings on the matter, won the race began late Tuesday night. Or came second place. But let's not get into all the minute details here and now.

In any case, I now had a Hufflepuff scarf before me, so majestic posing while pretending I was an aviator was obviously my next course of action. And yes, I'm sure many Hogwarts graduates go on into careers in aviation. It probably just involves more dragons.

Elisabeth might claim that there's a cieling lamp behind my head, but I'm really just that awesome
And so concludes the great Hogwarts house Scarf Race of 2007. In the end, in deference to the wise words of one Albus Dumbledore, I decided to put aside the rivalry that the contest had wrought, a division that had so driven apart the noble houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and embraced a unity of all Hogwarts [Or half of it]. And after all, isn't that the true meaning of randomly knitting scarves based on a children's book series in the summer in time for the release of a film adaptation of one such book?

I think it is

Brain Error. Replace and strike any key when ready.

2007-07-17T06:47:00.000-03:00

If you've read the post below, remember that Shawn lies. A lot. Frequently and in excess, in fact. The gods of lying worship him. It's beginning to be a problem. We're going to talk about this.

I intend to be at KoL tonight, unless I should have another alarm clock malfunction. I'm operating on veeery little sleep for the last 48 hours (working overnights this week) and I do intend to sleep until it's time to leave for KoL. Hence my posting here, as the KoL group post isn't up yet (with good reason. It's 6:52am!)

The Unusually Anticipated Chronicles of The Secret Project Race

2007-07-16T21:56:00.000-03:00

This marks the first occasion of my writing on this strange contraption, so all of this shall serve dually as an enlightenment as to the exact nature of the Secret Race---and the victor---as well as some sort of introduction to the guy whose name gets dropped a lot here and whose visage can be seen just a few inches to your right. I'm the one near the top. And if you happen to be reading this after Elisabeth no doubts writes a rebuttal to all of what I am about to say, just scroll up a lot and you should be able to find what I'm talking about.

Alright then. The Secret Project Race of Secretive Secret Secrets. Elisabeth has not provided many details, so let me first establish quickly the exact nature of this contest. As a startling number of knitters are no doubt well-aware by now, last Wednesday marked the theatrical release of The Order of the Phoenix. Many weeks ago, Elisabeth and I decided that in preparation for this release, we would watch all of the previously released Harry Potter films in a sort of marathon. Since we only see each other on weekends, this was a rather tame marathon compared both the Ancient Greek variety, and the modern ones where a lot less people get stabbed but there is just as much running. In any case, we successfully watched Philosopher's Stone through to Goblet of Fire, and the plan was to watch Order of the Phoenix sometime on Saturday.

All was well in the world at this point, but on Monday the 9th, during an online conversation with Elisabeth, I passingly lamented my lack of a Hufflepuff scarf for the film watching we had planned for that coming Saturday. A few months earlier I had determined myself to of the Hufflepuffic persuasion, and the idea to make a house-coloured scarf had been a quiet idea in the back of my mind ever since. At this moment, Elisabeth replies to my half-hearted and wholly inconsequential remark with the enthusiastic suggestion that I could "Dash one off!" in time for Saturday. I pointed out that I had no suitable yarn, and she, SHE was the one who reminded me that there is a yarn store close to where I work, how with ease I could drop in on my way home the next day. Against all of my concerns of how little time there was for impulse scarfing she encouraged me, relentlessly encouraged me to drift dangerously close to cosplay. I am not to blame for anything that this contest resulted in. Know that.

After detailing what type of yarn I would want I was all set to pick some up the next day. I was still having some hesitancy about dressing up for a film, so I, just as innocently and demurely as I had brought up the Hufflepuff scarf, made a comment about her knitting up a Ravenclaw scarf so I wouldn't be alone. Elisabeth is a self-professed Ravenclaw, you see. Quickly we developed a contract where one would make a scarf if the other did too, and after we had both picked out our yarns---Gold and black for Hufflepuff, bronze and dark blue for Ravenclaw---we furthered our contract by not showing photos to one another of our respective progresses. This way it'd be a surprise when we'd see each other's scarves on Friday when I'd arrive. So we merrily knit away. I had opted to find out what a seed stitch scarf would look like, and Elisabeth took a more traditionalist route and I believe used 1x1 ribbing for hers. We sent messages back and forth stating where we were at in the pattern. Despite some minor aesthetic differences the dimensions of our scarves were similar enough that I, thinking it'd be a fun incentive, suggested we race.

From here things got a bit out of hand, and the tale of which I shall detail below.

With the glory of House Hufflepuff providing me motivation, I zealously threw myself into the project. For two evenings I came home and knit until I went to bed. The frenzied scramble of seed stitching was punctuated by the occasional message from or sent to Elisabeth, where we'd detail our current status for the other. On account of several re-casting-ons and pulling back, She was a fair bit ahead of me; but, she also had a for-commission hat to finish for Saturday too, which evened things out a tad.

As there was an ocean between us [Or as some would call it, a harbour with two bridges and a regular ferry service across it], the intensity of the competition did not mature to its full form until, on Friday, I arrived in Halifax after work with my scarf in hand. I already had a good chunk of it done, but the journey in my backpack did not treat the yarn well, and soon the black was becoming so tangled that even my usual tactic of flailing the scarf and clump of unyielding yarn about was not working. The untangling time was seized by Elisabeth to further her lead.

It usually does work, really
Undisuaded by this temporary obstacle I threw myself into the scarfing once again with all of the worth ethic of a true Hufflepuff. As I laboured away, Elisabeth worked on her hat beside me. Spurred on my this opportunity to quickly catch up to her, I knit furiously, and true to form vehemently. Take a look at the burning passion with these eyes---I was not going to lose.

Helga Hufflepuff would be proud
As this has gone on for quiet long enough now I shall compose the next, probably shorter, and final installment in this saga tomorrow. In the meantime, puzzle yourselves over who the victor will be, myself, or Elisabeth? The answer shall soon be revealed!

Made You Look

2007-07-15T01:54:00.000-03:00

I don't know if I can call this a real update. I cannot disclose anything about the Secret Project Race, as that is not my responsibility, but I assure you that he is well-equipped with photographic evidence of our adventure.

I do have one small announcement to make, however. I have been hired at The Loop yarn store! It's very part time--one or two shifts a week--but that's exactly what I'd want. I went in for my first taste of LYSwork on Friday morning, and I'd like to shoutout to Mimi for being unendingly chill and patient with my ineptitude. You'd think I knew the store well enough from the customer end, eh?

It would be uncool of me to gush about The Loop and its owners, because it's dangerously easy to start sucking up to people who control my Cashmere Consumption Rate. I did, however, promise that I would link to Cathy's Etsy site weeks ago if I liked the stuff (the stipulation was placed to stop myself from the Gratutious Suck-Up Factor, and the weeks ago means it was before they could dangle things like "Being Paid to Hang Around Yarn" in front of my link-typing fingers). Unsurprisingly, I love her work! When you've got a minute, do pop on over to the Vivero Glass Etsy and admire it. Glass buttons and pendants--like this one with yarn and needles in it! Too cute!

Suddenly I feel like I don't know anything about knitting. Darn, I'm going to have to read a lot of blogs and forums to "research." Life is rough.

It will be Cathy's turn to endure my blunders on Monday afternoon. I wish her the best of luck.

In other news, I am working overnights this week (hence the 2am post, though it's not as telling as it ought to be). This means I will, barring more ill-planned sleeping on my part, make it to KOL. Huzzah!

In which I am vague. Sort of.

2007-07-13T01:07:00.000-03:00

I write this post as a broken woman. Nearly. My loyalties have been shaken, my fingers have been rubbed raw, and my little grey cells have signed up for yoga. Why, you ask? I cannot tell you.

It's Shawn's fault. On Monday he frets to me about his lack of WIP's, due to his having finished the hat he was working on. Maybe, he muses, he could make Something, and perhaps even make it before Saturday night. Being the encouraging girlfriend and all-around wonderful personage that I am, I give him the ole' "I support you! Go for it! You're insane!"

You see, being such a wonderful Elisabeth, I did not suspect the evil that lurked behind those innocent blue eyes.

"I'll race you," he says.

The Snowdrop Shawl.
What can I say to a face like that? I cast aside all of my WIPs, ignoring the little piles of yarn in various stages of knitting that have accumulated in all corners of my room. I tripped down to my LYS. I returned with two skeins of Cascade Sierra (80% pima cotton/20% wool) in two lovely shades. And I set to work.

He has promised that if we both finish in time he will chronicle the event in his first ever Knits Vehemently post. The somewhat makeshift rules are as follows:
1. We are not to post pictures of the Somethings, as we are currently knitting from opposing sides of Halifax Harbour, and these Somethings are to be something of a surprise.
2. We are to be done by mid-afternoon Saturday, though we hope to finish them during our re-watching of Goblet of Fire on Friday night.
3. We are to win.

I am actually astonished at how feverishly we have been duking this one out. As I worked this afternoon, an MSN window open for taunting, my fingers alternately flew and stumbled. I cursed the hated cotton, and jabbed my tender fingers with the needles. The balls of yarn fell on the floor again and again as I yanked, but I refused to move them to an easier perch. Far be it from me to let yarn languish on the floor if I can help it, but cotton deserves a little punishment regardless.

We knit on.

Around 11pm we both agreed that our fingers and eyes were getting sore. (This is after approximately 6 hours of energetic knitting, punctuated occasionally on my part by my job.)

Tomorrow it will begin again.

- - -

Due to the lack of beautiful and calming pictures of knitting, I leave you with a few gratuitous WIP's. Abandoned due to Shawn's challenge, this yarn weeps gently.

*You'll notice that ~~several~~ most of these projects do not appear on my sidebar. I maintain that socks are perpetual projects, and therefore are generally not sidebar material. One ought always to have a sock ~~or six~~ on the needles. As for the rest...it's pure shame.

Hedera

Fleece Artist Sea Wool Ribbed Sock

Mystery Stole 3

Tendrils

Double-sided Commission Hat (due Saturday morning, 1/2 done)

Basket o'Spinning

Boba Fett
- - -

More to come, Shawn promises. We shall see. In the meantime, I will go massage my wrists. Ow.

Oops

2007-07-04T09:36:00.000-03:00

For the second day in a row I fell asleep at some crazy early hour (5:30pm last night) and slept much longer than I intended. Certainly, I had intended to go to KOL, so I set my alarm for 6:30. I woke up at 9:30, and made menacing eyes at my alarm clock, which I had apparently forgot to arm. Bah. At this point, I'm rather tired, but I promised a friend I'd go knit and chatter at her around 10pm, so I set my alarm for another half hour, arm it, and go to sleep.

I wake up at 1:30am. This is getting troublesome.

At this point, I might as well go to sleep. I changed into my PJ's and drifted off to have a bizarre dream that involved living in something resembling a beaver dam, having an orca/dolphin pool, and going to war in my marching band. There was also a dragon guy who I seemed to have some sort of crush on, and though he was imprisoned in his human form for a bit whilst some toad made him hold iron ("to bind the fey"), a nice guy named Wyatt came along and set it all right.

I woke up with the impression that it would have made a great fantasy novel, and a reconfirmed agreement with this.

I also woke up with a temple-pounding headache, which is equally bizarre, as I was incredibly well-rested. My close friend Advil helped me out with that one, and I'm having a great day now! Everyone is in such a fabulous mood!

Only one things keeps me from delerious happiness: I am not yet on Ravelry. In fact, I am certain that I am ridiculously far back on the waiting list. I couldn't remember if I had signed up for a notification before, so I did it again. I probably had. We wants it!

In which I aplogize profusely...

2007-07-03T05:33:00.000-03:00

My blog performance has been absolutely disgraceful. The first step is admitting you have a problem, and, as Dad would say, "Buck up." Consider this my overdue up-bucking.

Summer is progressing steadily, and I'm only just getting the hang of this four-month summer business that is so foreign to my 12-year-old mind. It's approximately the halfway point, though the savings I had hoped to accumulate by this point have been mostly drained by school fees (they suck you year-round!) and plane tickets to my parents' house in early August.
(There might also have been some gratuitious yarn purchasing which affected the savings, and there might even be evidence of that in this post, but if you mention it I will still pretend not to know what you are talking about.)
The good news is that I have finally figured out how to live on a much reduced grocery list, so that foolish fund-drain will be appeased. Incidentally, I will be the queen of canned soup!

Shawn and I took a walk down to the Northwest Arm today, got caught on the end of a dock in the rain, and took refuge to watch the deluge. Our sheltering tree failed us almost immediately after this picture was taken, and we were thoroughly soaked by the time we traipsed back to King's and the dryer. Still, it was an enchanting sight.

My floormate has moved out, leaving me a Box o' Cool Stuff to peruse, enabling my packrat lifestyle (alternately, I like to call it "minimalism impaired" or, on an particularly indulgent day, "prepared for the apocalypse and/or roving bands of children.") Though there was a lot of nifty stuff, the real prizes were, naturally, office supplies! Four snap-ring binders, a 3-hole punch, and 1100 ruled index cards in white, yellow, and blue (Latin flashcards, here I come!) have entered my protective embrace, as well as some tealite holders, a stripey vase, a sock yarn-sized basket (score!), and one of those plastic drawer things to help me hide everything I just got. Another gem in the pile was this book on egg decorating, which I hope to delve into for the Handcrafting Initiative next year.

In other news, the divine Heather Dale is in town on July 11! I missed her last time she was here, so I very much hope I can make it to this one. I won't know my schedule for that week for another few days, though. To folk/Celtic music lovers who can make it, I highly recommend her stuff.

Shawn's first online yarn order arrived on Friday from Knitpicks, and he poked it this weekend. I had some laceweight arrive with it, so I will blog about my new acquisitions, and let Shawn detail his own at his leisure.

Knit Picks Gossamer
100% Merino, 440yds per 50g skein
Leprechaun
Though it may be tricky to find a suitable pattern for the colourway, I just couldn't resist the adorable name. I've worked with Gossamer in the past, and it knit up very nicely on my Addi Lace needles, so I'm looking forward to trying this one out.

Knit Picks Shimmer
70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk, 440yds per 50g skein
Maple Leaf
Though the fiber content itself was luscious enough to get my attention, I fell for the colourway name (again). I'd really like to make something like Lucy Neatby's Maple Leaf Lace with it, but I've got a few other things in mind, too.

Tune in next time for: muffins! A beached priest! Snowdrop Shawl! Spinning content!

Spotted on Kijiji

2007-05-27T22:18:00.000-03:00

For any of you in the area that spin:
Llama and Alpaca fleece for sale!

Memesheepage!

2007-05-27T20:35:00.000-03:00

Would you believe that I had an entire week of overnight shifts and I didn't update once? Bad me, no cookies.

To make up for it, I'm going to do a meme. Yeah, a cop-out. :P

7 Random Things About Me: (surprisingly enough, in all my internet years I have never done this meme)

1. I was born with both my feet clubfooted, as were my two next-in-line brothers. We were all three part of that annoying 5% that needed surgery to correct it. Christopher and I have each had surgery twice on each foot, once as infants, and then again in Grade 2. I got to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks, and I enjoyed it immensely. When I got my casts off my feet felt so light that they kept flying up off the floor! Fortunately I had a walker until I got my balance again.

2. I started at the French Lycee de Jerusalem for grade 1 knowing only one phrase of French. As I walked through the gate the first day I remember whispering to myself, "Bonjour, comment allez-vous?" over and over again. I was fluent enough in a few months to argue with a boy who was trying to steal my pottery creation. Six-year-olds are amazing. After we moved back to Canada I stayed in French schools for two more years until my parents pulled me out so that I could learn my native tongue. :P I've lost a lot since then, but my accent is pretty good, and I can make idle conversation.

3. I've been treated for mild OCD, but it's the least useful sort. No matter how much I clean it, my room is always a mess.

4. For the first nine years of my life we moved almost every year (four of those years we moved within the city). Then we stayed put for the better part of a decade. It was bewildering. I've lived in Dundas, ON; Boston, MA; St. John's, NL; Jerusalem, Israel; back to St. John's; Pella, IA; Cairo, Egypt; back to Pella; and then out to Halifax for school.

5. I'd wanted to go to King's for years, since my mum suggested it in Grade 8. For five years I dreamed about King's, memorized its website, talked to my parents' friends' kids who had gone there, and I only applied there and a place I really didn't want to go to, but I still didn't think I'd ever actually go. I got accepted...and then Dad sat down to work out finances with me! I was over the moon! I sent in my acceptance just a few days after my 18th birthday. I'm actually living my dream!

6. I've played clarinet for ten years, piano for four, cello for two, and I've sung all my life. I quit piano lessons in grade 6, but I can still play with some difficulty. I quit cello when our orchestra teacher moved in grade 8. I still play clarinet, though not formally at the moment, and I was second chair all through high school (more through talent than work). I currently sing in the King's Chapel Choir and the St. George's choir.

7. I was one of the last people in my immediate family who learned how to knit. My oldest little brother and two little sisters both learned before I succumbed. After they shamed me into it, I sat down at the computer one night and learned how to cast on (the long-tail CO), and then pestered my mother while the family watched Unsolved Mysteries. In the middle of the night, I found that I had reached a tangled point of no return, and had to frog it, but I couldn't remember how to cast on again. Ashamed of waking my mother up to do it again for me, I went to bed and toddled off to the library the next day for rescources. Everything after that came from the internet or a book. My first project was a 9-foot-long, 70-stitches-in-the-round Harry Potter Ravelclaw scarf.
(Incidentally, I'm the only one that still knits with any regularity.)
So, there you go, more than you ever wanted to know.

Part Tew!

2007-05-14T00:12:00.000-03:00

Hello, world! Okay, let's see, what did I promise in this update?

Section A: FO! The Mystery Project Revealed!

Pattern: "Louise's Sock Pattern" in the size "Martha and Jamie."
Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock 4-Ply in "Glencheck." (75% superwash wool/25% nylon)
Needles: 2.75mm (US 2) bamboo
Mods: Fewer 2x2 rib rows (20 rather than 50)
The Making Of:
Pattern -- I love this pattern. My roommate gave it to me last year, and it's from her Louise. The Word document it comes in says that it is "adapted from [Louise's mother and...a couple of Paton's patterns." It is essentially 2x2 rib for the top, switching to 3x1 for the rest of the leg, then an eye of patridge heel, continuing the 3x1 ribbing on the top of the foot into the grafted toe. I used bigger needles (2.75mm instead of 2.25mm) and bigger yarn (4-ply, not 3-ply) than the pattern called for, but I was making socks for size 11 feet. I was pleased with the springiness and stretchiness. The socks made it over his ankles just right!
Yarn -- I'm not sure if I'm a Kroy fan, after this. It was my first foray, and I found the yarn had a very obvious halo for such a fine strand. I fear it looking ratty and pilled before too long. This colour, however, was exactly what I'd wanted to use, and the gray/tan/blue twist made a distinguished-looking sock for my lawyer-to-be friend.
The Story-- Before Christmas holiday I went down to a LYS and ordered some aran-coloured Kroy. After Christmas (and every few weeks after that) I stopped by at the LYS, hoping it might be in. No luck. As of right now I have yet to hear anything about it. I gave up and went the extra 20min to L.K.Yarns, which has something of a mini-sock-yarn-Mecca going on in the back corner. I chose this stuff (three balls of it, just to be safe), and sized up .75mm for the project.

Alas, I am an impatient knitter. Desirous to get to the heel--my favourite part--I made the leg far too short. I knit these socks constantly--in class, church, after meals in the cafeteria, anywhere that the recipient was not. Even so, my time was limited, and it took a solid month to churn both of these babies out.

The second sock was made with a proper-length leg, and you can see from this picture what a problem that introduced:

Of course, such a short leg could not be allowed! This knowledge, combined with the mad rib-grafting mojo I had left over from Esmerelda, granted me the courage to do this:

The damage done, I picked out all the little bitty threads that were in the way, and cast on the top of the first sock again, knitting down to a good grafting spot. I'm sure you can all appreciate, gentle readers, how much I regretted my initial impatience.

The grafting was begun shortly, and as I have failed in finding off-the-needle instructions for grafting ribbing, it involved the 'ole follow-the-yarn-path' grafting technique. This was slow going, and took a portion of several afternoons.

They were finally finished, and handed over, and photographed with...Shawn's camera? At any rate, I don't have the very final pictures, as they were packed up and given away immediately upon end-weaving-innage. I must admit to having been incredibly proud of the seamless grafting that resulted from my perilous venture.

The Gifting: My friend was thrilled! He is one of those gems who has a deep longing for wool socks, and truly understands the effort put into handmade socks. He had pestered me on and off all year for a pair, and every time I told him it would be too time-consuming, and I had other projects. He was graduating, and I probably wouldn't get them done in time, I explained. But lo! A graduation gift! He was thoroughly surprised, and wore them the next day as he moved out of King's Residence for the last time! Success!

Section B: Elisabeth Moves A Whole Bunch!

Naturally, as my stay in 305 Alexandra Hall drew to a close, I had to move out. It was a lovely little room, with an excellent view, but it was time to move on. My employers had told me that I could choose any room in the basement as my living quarters for the summer, and since the students working Grounds and Maintenance for the summer were allowed double rooms to themselves, I blithely scoped out the basement rooms, choosing a double room near the stairs (so as not to be down the Long, Dark, Goblin Tunnels of Moria and Ghostage). It just so happened, to my great glee, to be the only residence room in the basement with its own half-bath, and a walk-in closet, so I was looking forward to a very spoiled Summer stay.

Shawn carried 90% of my stuff down three flights of stairs (including my poor, Dying-of-Old Age desktop computer Dobby, with whom he has a somewhat strained relationship). With his help, this bare and somewhat chilly basement room was transformed.
Before:

After:

It was cozy. It was like a little bachelor apartment. I had a kitchen (complete with cuboards and pantry) on the extra desk, a little bedroom hereafter referred to as the "Nook," and a living room, with the extra bed as my couch. I even separated my books, moving the "respectable" schoolbooks and philosophy to the more public "living room" shelf, and keeping my Terry Pratchetts and "B is for Bethlehem" nearer my bedside.

Unspeakable luxury. Then tragedy struck.

You see, explained my boss, we need that double room for a large booking we have coming in. Middle school band camp, you understand.

No, says I. You said I could have any room. I...I just moved! Woe!

Apologetic smile, says Boss. You can move back after they go.

I secured her promise on that point, and then, I moved.
To the single room next door.

It was...considerably smaller. Perhaps a third the size. And of course, it contained no in-wall closet, and no bathroom. These I could live without. This was a curious room. The ceiling was much more distant from the ground than any of the walls were from each other. It created the illusion of largess by adding useless airspace 12ft over one's head. As Shawn noted, it would be a lovely room in which to display one's model airplane collection, but for ground-living, it was very cramped indeed. In the picture above, there is a mountain of Elisabeth's Belongings boxed, piled, and held down with the clever use of blankets. I succeeded in not having it fall on anyone during my weeklong stay.

Yes, that is correct, I lived in such disorganized squalor for only a week before I could return one door over to my palace again. I was fortunate enough to have Shawn present at the time, and he, the expert mover that he is, helped me to transport all my earthly possessions back into the Hidey-Hole to which I had previously become too-quickly attached. As far as I can tell, it is mine for keeps now, or at least until I move into my new room in September. Though it is in some disarray right now, with all the boxed/unboxed/reboxed stuff everywhere, my Nook has been returned to its former glory. I am pleased, and At Home.

Goodnight!

A quick note from work...

2007-05-11T11:30:00.000-03:00

I just spent the last hour of my life typing up an email to explain to someone in China how to get to King's, specifically from the airport. I really hope I did it right!

Come Thou, Long-Expected Post!

2007-05-09T03:35:00.000-03:00

'Allo, dear blog! Here I am, at long last. I blame my new friends at Knit Out Loud for the compulsion to write. I've been picture-taking diligently for the last couple weeks just to have blog fodder, and I haven't been posting them. This means that today will be an enormous post. As a result I shall once again push the Unveiling of the Mystery Project back a post. It's for your own good. Really.

Okay, I'll try to go in chronological order, more for my own sake than yours.

FO: Monkey Socks
Pattern: Monkey, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Celestial Fingering Weight Merino by Lucy Neatby, in "Bottle." (100% hand-dyed merino)
Needles: 2.75mm (US 2) bamboo
Mods: I couldn't tell in the picture if the stitches along the side of the foot after the turning of the heel were twisted or not, so I decided to twist them on a whim. I also did only 6 repeats of the pattern on the leg of the sock, rather than 7.
The Making Of:
Pattern -- These socks just flew off the needles! They were a joy to knit--the pattern was easy to memorize and made the knitting go very quickly. I was able to watch the entire Eccleston season of Doctor Who whilst knitting these, and they traveled well, too. I'm definitely going to make these again!
Yarn -- The yarn is a dream in your fingers. It looks thicker than a usual sockweight, and it is, though if you knit it more tightly the yarn is very springy, and will squwoosh into a smaller stitch. I usually like thinner fabric than this for socks, and next time I will probably go down to a 2.5/2.25mm needle. I had a solid colourway, but there was still a noticeable variation in the colours (a charming, deliberate effect). The variation made the pattern a little less noticeable, though a thorough blocking might be more useful to make the simple lace "pop." They're a little bigger than I would like, too, as I have pretty small feet. For my size 7 (US/CA) feet, I used about 75g of the two 50g skeins I purchased, and I'm looking forward to a lovely small something I can create with the rest of this. If the colour in the photos looks much more vibrant than the shade card in the yarn link, it is accurate. This yarn caught my eye because the green was so deep and so alive. There were two different dyelots of this yarn, but both had the same vibrant colour.

And I had my first taste of how difficult it is to photograph socks properly!

~~~

My KnittersTreat packet has arrived! Many, MANY thanks to Stacey for her kind gifting! It truly was a treat!

Enclosed:
3 lovely-smelling sachets (currently in my closet and dresser)
a jar of Maine blueberry preserves (delicious!)
a tuberose votive candle
"just add water" scones mix (yum!)
a handmade bar of soap (to be used as soon as my icky dispenser is through)
a tin of tea from a cool-sounding artists' shop
Burt's Bees cuticle and hand salve tins
a skein of deliciously soft Bearfoot Varigated in "Olive," though it's more of a Shamrock-y shade.
A Cook's magazine

I am thrilled! The scones were Sunday's lunch. Shawn, myself, and several of our friends got together and gobbled them up, topped with the excellent blueberry preserves. I have yet to perfect the amount of tea to put in my tea ball, but what I have had so far has been very good indeed. I've never seen a magazine like the Cook's one before, and it has some really great recipes, including a parmesean chicken one I'm tempted to make this Saturday when Shawn's over. The knife and cheese grater reviews were suprisingly interesting. I had no idea such a world of chef-ery existed!

The rest shall be put to good use and subject to much admiration. The candle pre-lighting smell delightful, and I can't wait to wind up the skein and make me some socks! Thank you again, Stacey!

~~~

There has been much moving of Elisabeth in the last two weeks. I can't fit it in this post, so I'll leave you with a tantalizing photo of Shawn in the least pleasant of my rooms, trying to get us some fresh air.

~~~

And finally, my first Knitting Out Loud with the Halifax/Dartmouth knitters! They meet every week at the Wired Monk cafe, and I will be quite happy to join them whenever I can. I showed up quite nervously, but my greeters made me feel welcome in the least awkward way possible. We pulled out our knitting, chatted, and I tried not to tell too many stories about people nobody knew. I'll try to be more witty next time, girls. ;) The rest of the crew who could make it were also lovely, and I was very quickly put at ease.

So friendly were they, in fact, that I didn't even cry in front of all the new faces when I found a knot in the Sirdar Cotton I'm using for my Tendrils, even though I spent all of my overnight shift several days ago stringing the beads onto the new ball of yarn. I just couldn't deal with doing it again, so I pulled out my backup project, "Sock-From-Hell," which I have til now called Cablenet. It takes so long to do a round, due to all the cabling, and the stitches are so small that cabling without a cable needle creates the tightest stitches in the history of ever (you think I exaggerate, hah!). I just use my extra dpn to cable, now, and it's actually going faster than cabling without the cable needle because I don't have to fight and cry for every stitch.

I'd somehow futzed the pattern, so I ripped back a few rows to where I knew I was correct, and went from there. Didn't get much inchage done tonight, but it's amazing what some company can do for the mistake-fixing end of things (whether it's the company's knot-in-yarn gaff or my own chart-reading skillz). I think Cabledemon Sock is back on track, so yay!

~~~

I then talked to my sister, who was officially the first to wish me Happy Birthday on my birthday (12:00:46ish!), and then went on a finding-people-from-my-past Facebook spree, joining groups for my elementary schools (Eugene Vaters Collegiate, Ecole St. Patrick, and Brinton Memorial, all in St. John's, and the Lycee Francais de Jerusalem). I found so many old classmates, some of which shaped my life in slight but firm ways (Jamie Piercey taught me the macarena, I married Stephen Glassman in the sandbox when we were four, and Juliette Delay was the elegant English-speaker that got me through Grade 1 at the lycee!). Found some people from my Sunday School classes, too. Wild. :) I realized how few last names I knew when I was younger, too. There are people I would love to find, but they look so different now than they did 15 years ago, and the pictures are so small...it's hard to tell. I just hope they remember me enough not to freak out about who this weird person is, friending them.

All right, off to bed! Cheers!

Next update: The Mystery Project Revealed! [and] Elisabeth Moves A Whole Bunch!

Knitpicks Ahoy!

2007-04-25T17:46:00.000-03:00

Ugh, first day of my summer job today. I'm working at the residences at King's, which should be mostly deskwork after the initial setup. During the summer the residences become something between a hotel and a youth hostel, and that means we did a lot of bedmaking today. We did all of Alex Hall today--probably about 150 beds? Tomorrow we do the bays, which will be another that many, except up and down stairs instead of in halls. Ick. So sore!

However, my day was made when I received my Knitpicks package! Essential in Grass, Dusk, and Burgundy, and Shadow in Sunset Heather. Lovely!

They're both so soft! I expected as much from the Shadow, but Essential was a nice surprise after working with the Kroy 4-ply that I used for the Mystery Project (to be unveiled in the next post!)

Alas, I cannot cast on any of the new yarn until I finish the Monkey socks. Those are going quite speedily, and I think I'll spend a quiet evening with Dr. Who tonight and turn the heel.

My pal in the Knitters Treat Exchange has reported a sending of my treat parcel, and I'm one magazine short of my own treatee's sending. Whoo! All this just in time for my birthday!

All Done!

2007-04-18T16:28:00.000-03:00

My second year of university is officially over! I've nearly finished the package for my treated knitter, and I'm slowly packing up my life to prepare to move three floors lower for the summer. Whee!

It's sunny today...

2007-04-15T10:30:00.000-03:00

...no excuse not to work!

Dying of Exam

2007-04-14T19:20:00.000-03:00

To my neglected friends and messages--I am, regrettably, dying of exam. This is a peculiar disease that will indeed pass away, but not for another two days. During this time I shall be confined to my room, bereft of internet for my own good, to suffer through the agonizing pangs of exams (accompanied, of course, by the post-nasal term paper drip). I am especially sad that I should fall ill at such a bad time, right when I was getting back in contact with the Egypt-ites, but rest assured, all of you, that I will be well and returned within a week.

Cheers, and 'til I can write again,
Elisabeth

To Go:
1 of 3 papers
0 of 3 exams
1 of 1 takehome exam

In other news, I've almost finished my Knitters Treat Exchange shopping, and I am already loathe to part with the yarn! I must keep assuring myself that I, too, am going to be the recipient of a package. I am, apparently, a very selfish giver.

I have begun an Exam Sock, using a truly lovely hand-dyed Lucy Neatby superwash and Cookie A's Monkey design from Knitty. As much as I love Cookie's designs (and intend to knit many more), I have to express disgruntlement about the pictures. Indeed, it is a lovely shoe, but never once do we have a picture of the sock un-shod (and two of the pictures are so far away that stitch definition is nonexistent). Agreed, the bottom of the sock is not nearly as interesting as the top, but for pattern-modification purposes we visual learners would love a real shot--especially as I had a momentary confusion about whether the sides were twisted stitches or not. The toe, also, is very mysterious indeed. Oh well, I'm enjoying this pattern immensely, and I'm already nearly at the toe (my small 6.5/7 feet make this less of an accomplishment than it may seem)!

Picture to come when I have time to clear off the camera's memory card, which won't be until Tuesday, when my last papers have been handed in (for better or worse).

Today was a typical grey Halifax day which creates a certain air of coziness, but alas, sunny days always feel more productive to me. I've had Great Big Sea on all day, having only this morning acquired Turn. Another lovely album by some of my favourite Newfies!

Back to work...or perhaps to start work. I've got about 4.4k words minimum to write before 11:59pm on Monday night. Hopefully I'll get about the first 1.5k of that done tonight, and be well on my way. Wish me luck! I'll close with an admonishment from knitting!Shawn at my lack of productivity today:

Yarn on the Way!

2007-04-13T08:58:00.000-03:00

I had a little money still in my American bank account, and this means I have a little I can spend on yarn! While procrastinating on my Plotinus paper yesterday I tripped on over to Knit Picks and ordered the following:

2 Balls each Knit Picks Essential in
Dusk (dark blue)
Grass (springy green)
Burgundy

And three skeins of Shadow in Sunset Heather, a lovely heathered deep red.

The Essential is a fingering weight superwash, and therefore will become more lovely sockage. I've got my eye on Cablenet from Knitty, Bayerische by Eunny, and (after all those cables) something lacy like Lomard Street or Falling In Love from MagKnits.

I've never ordered from Knit Picks to ship to Canada before, but they seem to be on top of the whole GST/customs thing. In fact, they said my order would be here in 14 business days! I was expecting to be getting it on my birthday or thereabouts in a little under a month, but it just might get here in time to make a pair of birthday socks! Huzzah!

Treat Exhange Update!

2007-04-09T00:35:00.000-03:00

I have received my assignment for the Knitters Treat Exchange, which means I can think more concretely about what I'd like to pack up and send...somewhere! I won't be able to do much shopping about until Thursday, due to exams the next three days, but I'm definitely going to be hitting up the market on Saturday! Does anybody know about sending home-made items across the border, customs-wise?

Knit-A-Thon 2007!

2007-04-07T21:12:00.000-03:00

I realise that something happened somewhat recently that has not yet graced my blog: The Loop's 24-hour Knit-A-Thon!

M contacted me at the beginning of March, telling me that she and some friends were working together with The Loop to have a Knit-A-Thon where we would knit for 24 hours straight and give the FO's to charity! I'm on the executive of the St. Andrew's Missionary Society (SAMS, the King's volunteering group), and she was wondering if we had ideas for where to send our donations. A little while later I poked the Loop's website and signed Shawn and I up for an afternoon slot. When it became clear that everyone wanted an afternoon slot, we also resolved to go back after my Patrol shift at King's was done--2am.

Check out the yarn that people donated!

The group was lively, and the conversation got increasingly silly as we wearied. (You'll see Geekzilla in the red sweater.)

Shawn made some friends on our way down at 3ish AM, and he made a lovely 2x2 rib hat out of some mohair/merino/acrylic brought by Corrie (the webmistress and friend of Lucy Neatby, and a fellow knitter that afternoon!).

At 10am the next morning Shawn and I set out again, allowing new blood (and a very dedicated Cathy and Bill!) to keep the vigil.

At around 5am Cathy (bless her fingers!) decided to give everyone who was there a door prize, which was, naturally, the whole point of being there. ;) Shawn got a gift certificate to The Freak Lunchbox, a local novelty/bulk candy store, and I got a skein of Manos Del Urugay, some Clover 9mm needles, and a 25m skein of handspun from Cape Breton. Whee!

The real, actual point of being there is best described in numbers and pictures:

11 scarves (some knit, some donated before the event)
8 pairs baby booties and mittens
6 pairs adult mittens and slippers
13 kids or babies hats
26 adult hats
2 headbands

And it went so well that The Loop wants to make it an annual type of thing, so success not only for this year, but years to come! Huzzah, Halifax knitters!

Last Week of Class! (Whoo!)

2007-04-04T13:29:00.000-03:00

Yes, I am indeed getting a little antsy about the fact that I'm one paper, one takehome exam, and three sitting exams away from the end of my second year of university. It might be fair to say I'm more worried about this than I am about studying for the aforementioned commitments, which is slightly problematic. Two weeks from now I will be a free, free bird of summer. Well, I hope to be working, but that's kind of like being a free bird of summer.

I apologise for the lack of posting--and yes, I know that apologies for lack of posting is usually the first step in Blog Death. Ack! I keep planning blog entries, but somehow they never quite make it to the page. Blah.

I've been working extensively on what will seem to you all to be a terribly boring project: The Mystery Project. It is boring because I cannot reveal the nature of it, and therefore there are no pictures and no technical musings, and (gasp!) not even any whining about swatches and yarn specs. Woe! You will notice, however, by the progress bars, that I am breezing through it. All that time spent not posting is time well-spent, knitting! The Mystery Project should be finished within the next week, and then it can be unveiled and gifted. Huzzah!

In terms of other projects, the Pomatomus socks have left the needles. After breezing through the first repeat, I noticed that they were curiously small. No problem, right? Socks are stretchy. But no, this won't even fit over my relatively small toes. Time to frog it.

I really love the pattern, though, and I bought this beautiful Opal colourway ages ago for the express purpose of making Pomas. Alas, they shall have to wait until my 3mm needles are free, as my usual sock needles, my 2mm's, are the cause of the too-small-ness. (Don't talk to me about swatching!)

Bye-bye, Pomas. You were beautiful!

Knitters Treat Survey!

2007-03-20T19:59:00.000-03:00

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
Fingering weight or laceweight natural fibres, especially Merino or Alpaca. Silk is lovely. Sock yarn makes me weak at the knees, but I buy almost exclusively superwash--my dorm lifestyle does not allow for much handwashing, and also, I'm lazy.

Colour-wise, I love subtle variegation, especially for larger lace projects. Self-striping sock yarn is lovely, but I also appreciate a single colour that really showcases lace and makes cables pop. I usually gravitate towards shades of blue and green, from navy to teal to grass green, but I appreciate sunrise shades and greys as well.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
I don't work much with cotton because I don't like the blocky, dry feel of it. Novelty yarns (eyelash, chenille, even boucle) put me off, as I can never think of a non-tacky way to incorporate them. I'm not a big fan of slubby yarns, either, or thick, scratchy singles. Neon colours, especially orange, frighten me.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
I automatically seek out any locally spun/handpainted wool, and then trip over to the sock yarn. Petting is tantamount.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I've purchased a spindle, though I haven't actually figured out how to use it yet, and this summer I will be experimenting extensively with carding, spinning, and dyeing so that I'll have the experience for a crafting programme I'm running at my university next year. I've done a small amount of sewing, making Renaissance Faire garb and bags, and I've dabbled in cross-stitch.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
None.

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:
Knitting / Home / Food / Other Craft / Fashion / Garden/ Celebrity Gossip / Crochet

7. What items do you like to knit?
I love to make lacy socks, wraps, and shawls. Beaded lace is always exciting! I'm on the search for the perfect shawl pattern, and I'm intrigued by Faroese techniques.

I can never just work on fine projects, however, and I love a strong, intricate cable or Celtic knot in some worsted weight Merino. I've made Mariah and I'm eyeing Rogue. I knit fair-isle hats on commission.

8. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope!

9. What do you like to* smell of?
(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)
In the winter I love a strong cabin-y or food-y scent: cranberry, evergreen, baking, woodsmoke. Now that spring is coming along, I want to throw open the windows and let in the breeze, especially ocean, field, or floral scents. Cinnamon, vanilla, and lavender I find very cloyig, but fruity things--citrus or melon--are lovely/

10. What's your favourite way to relax?
Tea! I almost always have a pot of tea brewing, both teabag and loose leaf. I like strong, sweet fruity blends, and the classics like Lady Grey or Constant Comment.
If I'm going to have a "Me Night In," I'll put on some Celtic music and a pot of tea, light the candles, and give myself a pedicure or knit. I love audiobooks. I've been doing less and less book-reading lately, as I haven't perfected knitting lace whilst reading, but I miss the stories.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
To the bakery!

12. What do you come out with?
At the bakery I'd get some sundried tomato bread with cheese melted to the top, or some cheesy croissants.

13. Where do you go next?
The tea room, definitely. I'd get a pot of blackberry tea and sit near a sunny window or outside to knit.

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
A ready "Thank You!" in advance! I'm not actually as picky as I sound, so please be creative and share with me what you love! I wish you a lovely spring!

Satchelery and Excuses

2007-03-19T02:48:00.000-03:00

Apologies for the long break in posts--the end of term is going to be upon us (is it two more weeks of classes? Crazy!) and I've had two papers this week. One a week for the next three, then some exams, and I'll be free to knit all day--when I'm not slaving at my as-yet-undisclosed summer job.

I'm poking around for good album I can embed/link to without too much commercial goop around the edges. I'd like to slip my FO's in there, specifically the ones that I'm not really emotionally invested in, but which pre-empt my Fun Knitting all too often: the commissioned knitting I do. I promise I'll say something more profound about it, but it's the Dead of Night, and I've got to wrap my mind around Aristotle and the Epicureans tomorrow morning. Hah!

To make this post not-altogether-bare, I'll leave you with pr0n of Shawn's knitting prowess. Last I blogged he was working on the strap for his Satchel, but since then he has finished the strap, cast on 100 stitches and knit for 20 rows, and then picked up stitches all around the edges of the rectangle and begun to knit these 240 stitches in the round. It's at least a good 50 stitches too big to make him a sweater, and still he's plowing through it. The man will be ready for a sweater in no time! I've been trying to convince him to make Leo since before he could knit, but only because it's the sexiest and simplest free pullover pattern I've seen. Rawr!

The careful observer will have spotted Shawn's project bars increasing as he breezes along. Indeed, the newest knitter in my acquaintance has been putting me to shame! Shame, I tell you!

He came out to his extended family as a knitter on Friday, when we went to supper at his uncle's house. They were delighted, though oddly disparaging in their projections of his colour choices and fashion sense. For someone as attentive to detail as Shawn, I find this disturbing, but nevertheless, families have been mistaken before.

The colours Shawn picked for Satchel were "Russet" and "Chestnut Brown," though we didn't get enough of either. When we went back to L.K. Yarns to pick up some more, we got the last ball of Russet and couldn't find any of the same dye lot of Chestnut Brown. (In fact, we'd lost the ball band and aren't even certain it was Chestnut Brown, as that colour seemed more like a Dark Russet than its own colour. In resignation at our own lack of foresight, we snagged the Dark Russet/Chestnut Brown, and Shawn worked it into the pattern as if he'd meant to change colours all along. It really does work, I think. Alas, those pictures are still on my camera. I'll upload them tomorrow, when I tinker more with albums and post a bit about the commissioned knitting.

Cheers!

A valiant rescue

2007-03-01T22:40:00.001-04:00

I'm writing this from Shawn's computer, though I've allowed him to post from his account. With any luck, he might start telling his own stories soon enough. *guilt guilt*

I have an announcement to make! Shawn has saved his first laddered stitch today! He had set aside his Satchel, certain that he would require my remedial attention and could knit no more until I returned from My Evil Thursday. But lo! I had left my knapsack in his room! A quick search revealed few useful knitting supplies. Alas. But lo²! I had left my messenger bag in his room! My messenger bag is usually my knitting bag, and the pen slots are filled with DPN's, a cable needle, and a crochet hook. He nabbed the latter effect and, as he put it, "rescued my small comrade."

This further cements my theory that one cannot learn to fix one's mistakes (and consequently cease making them) if one is too closely taught. Autonomous learning FTW!

2007-02-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

Look, I'm blogging!

Tendrils, Spindles, and Oxford Commas, oh my!

2007-02-20T17:10:00.000-04:00

When I was in Egypt I picked up some interesting cotton yarn for next to nothing (I think this stuff was the most expensive in the shop, at seven Egyptian Pounds, then less than an American dollar). I thought I'd make a shrug out of it. I'd already made one out of a different yarn for a friend, and that had gone well. I never got around to the shrug, and when I went to put the beads I had bought on a fingering weight mohair I realized they were too heavy for the floaty fabric. Out came the cotton, and I did some quick searching for defined-stitch bead patterns. Knitty's Tendrils was a logical choice.

I was excited to get going, which will cause me pain when I get through the beads that I have already threaded. I'll have to unravel the yarn and slide the beads on from the other end...ick...but I should get three-quarters through the ball before I need to do that. I have two balls of the Sirdar cotton, and at not-quite-halfway through the first one I'm about 1.5' into the pattern. I've cut it down to three repeats of the beaded wave, which makes it a little wider than a scarf and not quite as wide as a stole. I actually have no clue how I will use it. It's been a great learning experience, though. This knitting-with-beads thing is actually pretty easy, as long as you don't mind extensive bead-putting-on time. I used a dental floss threader to put the beads on the yarn, as advised on several websites, and it was very useful! Dental floss threaders have taken up their place in my knitting notions bag.

I have proof that the Brewery Market produces useful things that do not involve cider! After a few weeks in conversation with the friendly owners of a local sheep farm, I'm the proud new owner of a spindle! Handmade from birchwood, the same that they use to make their own knitting needles, in fact, the Yet-Unnamed Spindle awaits my little bag of roving and a great deal of trial and error.

And a last pair of beautiful pictures, for the appreciation of my friend's Valentine's Day present. P gave them to M, requesting lilies over roses in his desire to be original. The bouquet is quite lovely, and I'm secretly rejoicing that she had to leave town so shortly afterwards, leaving it in my care. I fear that it will have wilted completely before her return, though, so I'm recording its bloom in her absence. A peek:

Knitting With Balls and Addis

2007-02-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

Cabin Coffee this week was the site of yet another cast-on. Shawn is branching out from the scarf circuit (though he claims to have plans for an Indescribably Wonderful Scarf) and has decided to do something about his lack of knitting baggery. Knitty's Satchel seemed a likely choice, and the shades of Paton's Classic Wool were selected.

Naturally the striping will vary from the pattern (such as the stripe along the stap, above), and the needles, yarn, and stitch count are different, but the construction technique will be followed.

Here's his progress as of last night, pictured with the Knitting With Balls book I got him for Valentine's Day:

Inspired by his felting venture (which I have never before attempted), I've decided to knit Satchel, too, and took advantage of his new Addis (24", 5mm) to start the body.

I've never used Addis before, sticking with my beloved inherited Aeros. I'm not sure if I notice much of a difference from the Aeros, but they do knit quickly!

The Saga of Esmerelda

2007-02-20T14:41:00.000-04:00

The world of knitting is one convert richer, as of about two weeks ago. My boyfriend, Shawn, had put "learn to knit" on his desktop to-do list months ago, and I finally buckled down to teach him. He took off.

We've started something of a habit (is two-times-with-plans-for-more a habit?) of going down to the Brewery Market on Saturday mornings, getting some cider, and then spending a good part of the day in Cabin Coffee, knitting. KIPping always elicits some attention, and a man knitting in public, well! Shawn's enthusiasm paid off, and he finished his First Scarf on our first visit to Cabin Coffee. Though it started out somewhat perilously (at his request I showed him how to increase and decrease, and this led to interesting shaping, and he wanted to see what happened when you laddered a dropped stitch...which he certainly knows now. ;) Ferdinand Archduke Simpson was bound off promptly, wound 'round the neck, and a new addition to the family was cast on:

Shawn figured out the long-tail cast-on pretty quickly, snagged some navy and red yarn, and got to work on a birthay present for his mother: a ribbed, striped scarf.
It went speedily and smoothly:

By Thursday night it was finished, christened Esmerelda.

Unfortunately, the christening did indeed involve libations, when a healthy amount of tea was spilt on it by a passing drunk student. In an attempt to dry the maligned Esmerelda, I placed it over a space heater, with predictable results:

This called for repairs. I took a scissors to the burnt bits, then reknit the sections that had been assaulted.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of grafting is tenuous at the best of times, and when the god of knitting instruction availed me not in terms of 1x1 rib grafting, I spent a frustrated day at Cabin Coffee, with little result:

I had a brainwave to knit with a contrast colour and observe the way the yarn went through the stitches, but it took many tries for me to wrap my head fully around the concept. Finally, last night, Esmerelda lay securely grafted next to her brother on Shawn's floor:

Spot-the-grafting?

Hello!

2007-02-20T12:29:00.001-04:00

After lunch I shall begin the postage! Stay tuned for The Saga of Esmerelda, among other delicacies!