Quick Update

Okay, I finished the left front of Arwen... and I'm going to block it soon. Augh. Kate calls for a LOT of seaming before blocking and I guess I'd prefer to block the pieces separately. Here's the left front in all its glory:


It went by rather quickly, actually. It's strange to think I just got the yarn 20 days ago. And now I'm nearly done! I should really get on to blocking the left front and the back...

Anyway I started working on the right front. I think reversing the cable kinda threw me off.


(Can you spot the mistake?)

Luckily, I caught it early on so now it's been frogged and reknit. I think I'm hitting a bit of a dry spot with this though... I'm not quite as into it as I used to be. I guess that's to be expected though.

In other news, I finished a pair of socks... but no pictures yet. Maybe tomorrow. And my mum's birthday is coming up (mid-March) so I started some socks for her... Baudelaire from knitty.com.


I don't know how I feel about this. The pattern calls for 2.50 mm or "US 2" but it's not a US 2. I swatched (sorta... don't really swatch for socks) and was short a stitch with the 2.25 and the 2.75. Right now, it looks so big, and my mom has absolutely tiny feet. (One of the huge plusses of knitting socks for my mom... and the other being she likes short socks.) She wears a size 5 and her feet are narrow. I'm thinking I just frog the whole damn thing and knit it again on size 1's and see how it goes from there.

A List

I often use my journals as a way of "keeping track" - books I've read and would like to read, musicals I'd like to see, etc.

Currently I'm a very poor college student. Actually, I'm not that poor, and perhaps it's more psychological than not (the thought of my tuition and potential debt frightens me) but it's managed to prevent me from splurging on a lot of things. So, that said...

THINGS I WILL BUY ONCE I GET A JOB OR SOME OTHER SOURCE OF INCOME

• Swift - perhaps this will wait until I have my own place
• Ballwinder
• Really expensive yarn to make a sweater... not sure what kind of yarn or what sweater yet... and by expensive yarn I mean anything that's more than say $5 for 100 yards. God I'm cheap.
• Spindle - I REALLY want to learn how to spin
• Roving, of course
  
• Circulars and DPNs of all shapes and sizes (Addi and Clover, respectively, being my preference)
• Lots of knitting books - I have tons on my wishlist that no one bought for me for Christmas or my birthday. Sigh.
• Pretty yarn for lace knitting. Mmm.

I need a job. My two greatest interests are literature and knitting and GOD they're expensive to finance!

Oh, by the by, Arwen is still coming along. I'm still working on the left frong, but I'm at the hood now. I knew its exponential growth would have to level off some time. I think I'll finish it before spring - which is my goal anyway. Can't wear Arwen in this ridiculously cold weather.

What?! Another update?

Holy schmidt, another update so soon? Well, I thought I would share the progress of Arwen while I still could. The cable... it's seriously so addicting. I've been knitting away pretty methodically at it and I'd say I have a fair portion of it done. So much for savoring my first sweater.

I was going to wait for sunshine to take nicer pictures but I've come to the realization that artificial lighting is the best lighting I have in my dorm.


Pieces, lying on the empty mattress (which shall later serve as a blocking board. Muahuahua.)
Note the ruler... it wasn't until I was done lengthwise I decided to make sure I had the right width. Duh. Oh! And my swatch! I swatched! Full out swatched! I actually did it twice. I had to go down a needle size.


A look at the cable...


A CLOSER look at the cable.


LOOK AT THE PRETTY STOCKINETTE!!!!

Finally, my aunt had surgery today. Over half a year ago, she had a mastectomy, and this is just sort of a followup. It's strange; my aunt is probably the healthiest of all my mom's sisters. She eats well, exercises, doesn't smoke or drink excessively. But she's a fighter. According to my cousin, everything went well and my aunt should be home tomorrow.

Yarn type

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.
Take this quiz!

Amusing.

I'm deadly sick. Ugh. And I have a paper to write. Augh! But I took advantage of my sickness over the weekend to just work away at Arwen. I actually got a lot done (finished the back and am more than half done with the left front!) but alas, no pictures. Maybe next time!

By the way, the color of my STR is Cobalt Bloom and it's a mixture of greyish purple, tan, fuschia, pink, and rust. No clue what to knit with it yet, but right now I'm rather content just petting the beautiful skein!

Excitement!!

Blog and ye shall receive!

I was feeling REALLY sick today and pretty much slept until 5 (waking up only at 1 to take some cold medicine). I went down to the dining hall, ate, and then went to check my mail. I got two packages today:


Socks that Rock from Cara! And a really pretty card with yarn on it. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous. It looks SO amazingly beautiful. I love it. I want to hug it.


I won this in some contest Cara had a few weeks ago, her STR virgin contest. I wrote a stirring poem and Cara gifted me with this beautiful beautiful skein. I'm so in love.

I also got another package, this one from elann.com, and inside it was this:


13 skeins of Peruvian Highland Wool in Victorian Violet for my Cardigan for Arwen! AUGH. I'm going to go swatch.

I love socks

Yuum. Seriously. If in a pickle about what to get me, sock books or sock yarn. Fo sho.

Yeah. Anyway, pretty soon things will get exciting (?!)... at least to me. But here are some really old FOs that I never blogged about yet.


Snowflake Fair Isle Hat
pattern: my own
needles: 3.75 mm (US 5) Bryspun dpns
yarn: leftover Cascade 220 from the Scarf from Hell and some... I don't knwo what it is. My suitemate bought it for me.

It's a bit itchy... the Cascade, you know. I'm thinking about blocking it.


Twin Ribby Socks
pattern: my own... but they're just socks yo. With the twin rib motif.
needles: 2.25 mm (US 1) Clover dpns
yarn: Trekking XXL

I casted on 72 stitches. Uh? I don't know what I was thinking. It became pretty clear it was way way way too big... but instead of ripping out the whole thing I just decreased and gave it some "ankle shaping". Riiiight.

Fetching
pattern: Fetching from knitty.com
needles: 3.75 mm (US 5) Bryspun dpns
yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran Colour 330014

I only bought one ball which made it interesting as I ran out of yarn as I was finishing the last one. Um? Of course, being lazy, instead of returning to my LYS to buy another ball (and stingy) I ripped off one row from the top of the other one and did some spit splicing. Ugh. But the pattern is right - it finishes quickly. I cast on at 5 am in the morning (couldn't fall asleep) and finished by midnight the same day.