2009 - Fearless knitting

I know that last year, knittingdaily.com started the whole idea of knitting fearlessly and whatnot, but I'm always late to jump on a bandwagon, so here we are.

Besides, I was talking to Tamar and told her that 2009 would be the year I give up mindless knitting and try some challenges. Her and I both need shawls, and of course *she* wants a mohair one and I really have a terrible time with that stuff. I guess I can try again.

The other reason for this year of challenges is, well, I'm kinda getting bored. I've knit four headbands in the past month. Mainly cause they're quick and people love them. But it is SOOOOO mindless. I'm knitting socks now that is the second time I'm using this pattern. Mind you, I'm using a much smaller yarn than called for, so there was some math, but really - k3, P1 over 80 sts. makes me want to stab my eyes out a little bit.

So yeah. I figured I would make my point/resolve here - so it makes for some sort of accountability. I guess...

More spontaneous blogging

I know, I know. i post, what, 4 times a year? Maybe? It's really not you, it's me. I don't have the internets at home anymore, and have about an hour a day at work to play and that time's usually spent over there at the Ravelry. I heart Ravelry <3 So, that means, that I never post here. You don't know of my knitty adventures, (or lack thereof) or of my knitty progress (again, or lack thereof). But have no fear - I shall update you on everything, and it will be like we're old friends :)

So, where to start... well, my Left thumb decided to say "To hell with this!" and stopped working for a few months. I tried Physical Therapy, and ice, and heat, and rest, and not rest, and FINALLY got a cortisone shot in there about a week ago, and my hand finally is functional enough that I can knit again. So in the last 6 months, I haven't done a whole lot other than cry cause I couldn't knit, and read books cause what else am I going to do if I can't knit?

In the 6 months prior to that, I was knitting about 16 hours a day, since I was out of work and could do that. Lots of stuff got knitted then (pics of which are over there at the Ravelry). Now, I'm playing catch up - trying to finish stuff started 6 months ago, and trying to finish things for Birthdays and Christmas. Right now, I'm making the BF a another pair of socks (which I was trying to take a picture of and the batteries just died in the camera. Argh!) and am trying to finish me mum's sweater. I made myself a sweater, and now sweater's are my favorite things to knit right now. I have this wonderful woolly brown yarn at home and I am DYING to make that into a wonderful sweater.

With moving, and now having to COMMUTE (which I've never had to do before) I'm only home and awake for about 4 hours in an evening. There goes my amazing amounts of knitting time. Hopefully Santa will bring me more time or something to help me out.

Free therapy

By which, I mean knitting. (duh :P)

I'm having computer issues at home (I think computer from 1972 finally died), so please forgive me for the lack of photos.

I'm currently working on something that I have no business knitting. Rather, I'm knitting *for* someone that I have no business knitting for. A very near and dear (ex boy)friend of mine has asked for a pair of black fingerless gloves. Mind you, I took up knitting because of the stress of the break up, I mean, because I had so much free time after we parted ways. And one of the first things I made after I started down my crafty road, was a blanket for him, made of about 20 granny squares (since I was convinced that no one would worry about him being warm after I left.)

And here we are , two some odd years later, new boyfriend, and much more crafty skills, so what do I do? i ask the ex "What can I knit for you?" Why? Well, (leaving out the hundreds of reasons of why I shouldn't even be entertaining this idea), I think I need to make one more thing, to put all my good wishes in, and then I might be done. With the ex, not knitting, or course.

I mean, even though it wasn't the best of situations for a very long time, I did have a lot of fun with him, and still get along with him on the few occasions that we happen to run into each other. And I still worry about him, and worry = knitting. I tend to think about whoever I'm knitting for at the time, and thinking about how helpful/useful the item is that I'm making and how (hopefully) the person will be happy with what I make, and maybe thing fondly of me, since I was so awesome and made it :P But with the ex, I just worry lot about him, and really and truly want him to be happy in his new life. And that's what I think abut when I work on his gloves. I want him to look at/use these gloves, and know I wish good things for him, that I worry about him, and that I want him to be happy. And making these gloves... the time that I've spent on them, has given me time to figure all this out, and realize that I'm in a good place now in my own life, and that worrying abut him, and dwelling on the ickyness that was that old relationship, isn't going to change what happen, and really only going to hurt what could happen tomorrow.

So, I'm making these gloves, and he'll get them, and with them, all my good thoughts and hopes for him and his tomorrow.

Godspeed - Dorothy Parker
Oh, seek my love, your newer way
I'll not be left in sorrow.
So long as I have yesterday,
Go take your damned tomorrow!

(won't be one bit surprised if that's the email I get sent to me, should he ever read this blog :P)

Goes to show what can happen in five months

Well, I'm back. I guess. Not that I ever really went anywhere. Well, I kinda did. Argh. Let's start again.

Promptly into the New Year, I got fired from my job. Which caused me to have to move from my apartment and back home to my mom's house, and killed what little yarn budget I had. So, with that being said, I was not really in the best of places to be blogging about anything really, so I didn't. I Just sent out resumes and knitted. Alot. I start a new job on Monday, and feel much better about, well, everything! I'm hoping that i won't disappear from the blogosphere again.

So what have I been up too... a lot of knitting. Everything that was on my needles at last count is done, AND I even bought yarn for, and knitted my long awaited Lil Red Riding Hoodie. I don't have photos of it yet, since wearing it in May isn't really something that needs to be done since it's 60 some odd degrees out. I've got a good number of things on the needles now, two of which are sweaters. Come to find out, i really like knitting sweaters. I loved socks for a long time, being so easy to take everywhere and work on. But the sweaters are starting to win me over. I don't know if it's because I like how relaxing knitting for miles in the round can be, or if it's because Lorrine from A Good Yarn has been so kind as to teach me the sweater pattern for the past few weeks, in hopes that I can help her at the shop. Since I'm working now, I don't know what will happen with that, but I'll talk to her soon, see what the deal is. I'd love to still learn from her, and I'd love to help out, but I don't know how much time she will need from me.

I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival for the first time last weekend.
Went with the Little Bro and Tamar. Ravelry was there, and I spoke to Jess, thanking her for my user pic sticker, since they had printed a bunch of pics and were going to hand out buttons to go with pics, but ran out well before Sunday, when I was able to get there. I also fell madly in love with this "mini" spinning wheel, called a HitchHiker. I'm soooooo getting one, once I get some of my back debt taken care of. I also found a super nice guy by the name of Pat Russo who restores old spinning wheels, and would be able to make me some bobbins. Eeeeee!

It's great that I can spend my first seven paychecks before I get them. *sigh*

Knit Fearlessly... Or Rather, Spin Fearlessly... I guess...

he, he. I got a spinning wheel. See?

It's got pretty stars on it and everything. Now if i could just figure out how to use the darn thing...

I have purple wool roving that I got one day at a street fair on an adventure with Paul, but I stored it all wrong and it really feels like it should be brushed or something. So I went to Clover Hill Yarns and picked up some pretty, new, soft wool that they got from Maryland Sheep and Wool from a sheep named Oreo. I also have a few tuffs of wool to play with that came with my spindle that I ordered for my Birthday, and DBF said that he got some sample fibers when he ordered the driveband (but didn't bring them over to my house. Strange...). So, in other words, i have more than enough fibers to keep me busy for a while. But again, i just need to learn how to use this darn thing!!! *sigh*

But i didn't want to just boo who about my spinning (or lack thereof). i have books coming in the mail t o help with that, and i should be able to head back to Clover Hill and meet other nice spinners who won't mind helping me out. What i did want to do is, in the spirit of 2008, list my current projects, and my to do list for the year (so far). With the Xmas knitting taking over for a while there, I've kinda lost touch with what all I *am* working on. So here are the list...

On the Needles

*Carter's Blanket - baby blanket for a kid born already. I'm ready for it to be done, cause, well, i need the cables.

*Brooke's mittens - i mean really!!! I've only been listing these darn things since August, so they need to be done by now.

*DBF's Winter socks - a very nice Xmas elf got me sock yarn to have something knitted for my honey and the socks just turned out too big. gotta do some fudging here and there.

*Tamar's mittens - words can not express what this girl has done for me over the years, and not ONCE has she even asked for anything from me - not even gas money!!! So I've started some mittens for her, and then i owe here bag that she was been waiting on since July.

*Mystery Shawl KAL - i just started Clue 2. All the clues are out now, but I didn't get my yarn until Clue 3 or so. Needless to say, I'm a bit behind.

*Michele's scarf - Started Christmas Eve Eve. With it being thick yarn, I thought I would have it done by now. It tricked me!

*Irish Hiking scarf - i casted on a few rows of this, but i don't know that i like it, let alone if i want to keep working on it. May get frogged.

*Paul's sweater - Just need more yarn.

Waiting to Cast On

*Butterfly knee highs

*Heidi's sweater

*Hemlock lap blanket

*arm warmers

*blue throw

*red sweater?- i haven't decided if i am going to make this or not yet.

And at Some Point

MY HOODIE!!!! - this will be done soon!!! i think i found the yarn i want for it. i just haven't swatched yet.

Jr's Mohawk hat

DBF's Mohawk hat

the dozen or so things in my queue over at Ravelry - but in all fairness, some of those things are listed above.

*****************

I think that maybe everything. Or at least, everything that I can think of off the top of my head. I need to update my Ravelry page with yarns and such, and I need to track down a manual and foot pedal for the old Singer I have at home so I can start *that* whole adventure. And at some point i would like to read a book or two that *isn't* fiber related. And go back to school. Dear god I've got a long To Do list.