Happy Scarves and Shawls

I love this Modea Dream yarn. I blocked it last night, and am wearing it right now at school and I am in love with it. The yarn doesn't itch. It is wispy and airy. It is so dainty. I positively love it! Pictures to come later tonight.

In other news, I have picked up the Twizzler shawl. I have only done a row or two but I am aiming to finish it this century. I had originally stopped, because I had come to a knitting mistake, but I think I fixed it and am ready to continue knitting.

At the same time, I started another scarf last night with the blue LB Homespun yarn I was planning to use for a garter stitch scarf with the fun fur. Oh well. At the end of all this knitting, I will have a scarf or wrap or something.

Excitement! News! Amazement!

You will not believe the news I am about to tell you. Sit down. Seriously. In under 24 hours, I started and...ahem...finished (well, finished in the sense that I CO'ed) a scarf! Yes, I actually completed a scarf in a resonable period of time. Yes I knit a garter stitch scarf on size 13 needles; however, this was the type of scarf I was craving for at the moment. Yes, it won't keep me warm, but it looks so darn cute! I used Modea Dream and this stuff is great! It has the mohair feel without being itchy at all! I made another tiny scarf with mohair yarn and as much as I like it, it is pretty scratchy. This yarn is so freakin' soft and light. I haven't even blocked it and it is feathery soft and airy.

In other news, my amazing friend E has traded me tiger sock yarn for an exciting but yet to be named item. The important news is I have tiger yarn though! I now have new motivation to learn how to knit socks properly to use this lovely, happy yarn. Now some of you might be thinking that wool socks are silly in Florida, but let me tell you that it is chilly here. Weather.com currently says that it is 48 degrees out. My cotton socks just are cutting it anymore. I desperately need to learn how to knit wooly socks to keep my feet warm.

Must Make It to Friday

Hey kids. Guess what?! I think if I can make it to Thursday afternoon, I can knit! I am very excited about this turn of events. The past couple of weeks have been crazy with allergies and grad school stuff, but come this Thursday, the trauma is beginning to subside. ::sigh:: I want to just curl up with my knitting and some old school Jonny Quest. :)

-SAK

The Scarf

I have decided on a scarf pattern! Okay, I just decided on the yarn, but the pattern is coming to me! I have this fiesta fun fur (or something like that, it has confetti in it...hmm, maybe it is confetti fun fur...anyway) in bright blue and a cozy lighter blue in homespun. I am thinking of combining these two yarns into a yummy scarf to balance out my Harry Potter scarf wearing days. Granted, this scarf won't be 100% wool and keep me super warm, but I am willing to try it out at least. At the very least, I will be able to mix up my scarf sightings a bit. Now if I could just finish a scarf in a reasonable amount of time...

-SAK

Scarves

I have come to a startingly huge revelation. I do not have enough scarves. I know you must think I am crazy, besides the fact that I have several scarves, I dislike knitting scarves, because I get bored very quickly. Well here is the deal, in dear old Gainesville, FL, the weather can get rather chilly but not very chilly. Do you see the distinction? I have fall weather scarves and heavy winter scarves, but not enough of the in between weather scarves. My Harry Potter scarf is the only one that fits the bill. In RI, it was perfectly fine to just have one of these, because the winter weather would turn to very chilly pretty quickly, but here in Florida, not so much. Oh dear, I guess it is back to the pattern books for me! Now I just need to find a light, but not too light, heavy, but not too heavy, with no lace, and not too bulky knitting pattern to go with a yarn that goes with everything I have. Yea, the Gryffindor colors do look a bit odd with some of my outfits.

-SAK

Oh My

So, if you have sent me a comment/email in the past month, you probably haven't gotten a reply (if one was required), because with three email accounts, grad school, and a Harry Potter/Disney obsession, I haven't gotten around to reading all of my email. Tonight, I decided to look through it. Do you know what I found?! A friend of mine found Opal Tiger yarn and asked me if I wanted it. Do you understand this? Tiger sock yarn. I foolishly thought it was more important to check my UF email. Stupid. Stupid. My priorities are so messed up right now.

I have now cleaned out most of my listservs, so I can quickly review the important things in life.

-SAK

Hee Hee

So I decided to start another blog today. I must admit that the new blogger really makes editing your template soooo much easier than before. Yes, there are some things that are easier when working with HTML; however, this new blog was set up in minutes and not hours like this one!

I have decided to create a Walt Disney World blog. Hopefully, the Mouse's lawyers won't shut me down. :) I had to create it, once I came up with the best name ever. Check it out here!

-SAK

Everything Good in the World & Allergies

Hey everyone,

This is a very exciting post, because it has pictures! Hurrah! Granted, the pictures aren't related to current knitting projects, but the pictures are knitting related! The first one is my "finished" Glaistig. I was supposed to knit a band, but I got bored, so I used a sparkly ribbon instead. Everyone has complimented it, but I feel it is a bit strange, but I think I carry it off well. :) The only problem I have with the hat is that it is either too short or I knit it too tightly, because it tends to ride up and create a bit of a point on the top of my head. I also keep my hair in a bun and have large earphones, which might be causing part of the dilemma as well. The second picture is of the wonderful $1.50 balls of yarn! Remember I told you about my amazing deal! All of that yarn for $12 (plus tax)! No dinky balls of yarn for me (3oz each)! No siree!

In other news, Gainesville is not the place for allergies. For the past week, I have been out of commission. My doctor suggested I switch allergy meds, and, boy, was that a bad idea, because I literally spent the entire weekend in bed. The stuff zonked me out, so alas I am back on my old stuff that doesn't work as well, but at least I am awake. Oh! Another amusing story is that this is the first time that I bought sudafed since it went behind the pharmacist's counter (people use it to make crystal meth and whatnot). I sounded like the most suspicious person! I am sure I am now on all sorts of FBI lists. Here are just some of the perfectly reasonable yet highly suspicious questions I asked the pharmacist, (while the guy is typing my info into the computer) "So is my information in all of the Walmarts in the area or do you need to insert my information into each Walmart individually?" and my favorite, "How often can I come back and buy more sudafed?" My friend told me it would have been worse if I had been buying other crystal meth ingredients, so I guess the potato chips and socks were a good cover. :) BTW, I am really curious to see what google searches pop up for this blog now!

In far more entertaining news, I am going back to Disney World in March. I have decided the only thing that is going to keep me sane in grad school is a trip to the happiest place on earth as often as I can. In January I went with my friend K who was a Disney virgin; the trip was great since I got to see him experience the "magic." This time I am going with my parents who are old school Disney folks, so the experience will be entirely different. I know there are people out there who think it is totally commercialistic and expensive, and I totally agree, but even during the few bad experiences I have had at Disney, I never feel more relaxed or happier than when I am there. Life just seems so full of possibilities there. I just love watching the parades, fireworks, and the little kids meeting their favorite characters for the first time and really believing that they are meeting Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. Dreams can come true! Yes, I am already planning on writing my Master's at Epcot, probably at a cafe in "France."

BTW, did you see my wonderful Harry Potter clock? Yea! The excitement! I cannot even begin to contain it. Oh my! I need to start rereading the first six books!

-SAK

Yea!

This isn't knitting related, but I need to announce it anway.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is coming out July 21st, 2007!

Hurrah!

-SAK

The Name Is Smith, Mrs. Smith

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posting, but nothing really entertaining has been happening here in Gainesville. Oh! What am I talking about!? I got 10.5 16" circular needles at Jo-Ann's. For some reason the store had about five sizes of 16" circular needles. The sizes didn't make sense either, it was sizes 9-13 or something. Oh well, I am not complaining! Now I just need to find the perfect yarn and I will start on the Swirly Top hat from The Opinionated Knitter. FYI, that isn't the real name, but I am too lazy to see what the real name is even though the book is ten feet away.

The knitting has been slow, but that is mainly because I have actually been busy with work. My Master's project has taken this weird turn and it involves thousands of excel graphs. I kid not. Thousands of graphs. I now dream of dash blue lines and dot red lines. Don't I live a wild and exciting life? :)

I think I also need to start a new project. Right now, all I have on the needles are partly done socks and scarves/shawls. I need a quick pick-me-up project like a hat or dishcloth. Did I mention the fabulous deal I got on Peaches and Cream (or Sugar and Cream, or whatever)? I got 2 for $3. Now I know you are scoffing at this price, but I haven't got to the best part yet. These were the ordinary puny sized balls of Peaches and Cream. These were the extra large ones (no...not the cones...the big sized ones)! This is especially a great deal, because the puny sized one are usually about $1.25, so this is the ultimate deal! I got 8 balls of yarn and I am pumped for dishcloths or maybe even some darling baby kimonos. Okay, I don't know anyone with a baby, but hey, it could happen and then I could be ready! I will be the only person in my cohort with hordes of baby kimonos in her closet.

Oh, I must relate this amusing story. So I got my Brown Alumni Magazine (or BAM! as Emeril would call it) in the mail the other day, in the class updates was an update I made. This wouldn't normally be amusing; HOWEVER, there was a typo in it! Not a spelling error or a grammatical error, which would have just been embarrassing, but a mistake in my name! The editors must have felt that I should have gotten married by the tender age of 25, and after my lovely last name is another last name. Instead of Silver Arrow, there was Silver Arrow "Smith!" I kinda wonder now if there are people I don't keep in contact with from college who think I tied the knot. There is a really big part of me who has no desire to correct the mistake. I feel like I am living this alternate life now. I am not just a single and carefree grad student, but I am now also "Mrs. Smith" married and dutiful wife. When I get bored in class, I wonder what Mrs. Smith is doing. Is she having trouble balancing school and married life? Will she get pregnant and have to take time off of school? Only BAM! knows what will happen to her!

-SAK

Cotton Ease Countdown

So I was at Michael's the other day and I noticed that they don't have Lion Brand Cotton Ease yet. I was going to ask one of the employees when they would be getting the yarn, but I figured that they wouldn't know. It made me kinda sad that people weren't having Cotton Ease new release parties like many people will be having for the seventh Harry Potter book. I realized that I even fell into this group. I know that I will be waiting in line at midnight of whatever the release date for the final Harry Potter book, but I am in no hurry to order Cotton Ease off a website. I am perfectly content to wait until my local Michael's (not my LYS, mind you) gets this fabulous product in stock. It made me realize that as much as I love knitting, I am not as hardcore as (just as an example really) my Harry Potter obsession. I have to wonder if there are people out there, the more hardcore fiber lovers, counting down to new and exciting yarn lines. To be honest, I wish I was a bit more of a hardcore fiber love, but at the same time, I know that if I was I would be constantly sad that I couldn't afford the good stuff. Oh well, at least there are only seven Harry Potter books. :-/

-SAK

Epcot

Hey! So I am going to be a bit busy for the next couple of days, so I thought I would tell you about some of my adventures one at a time. The best knitting related one is the following...

When I went to Epcot, I made sure to ride the "Tricky Troll Ride" in Norway. The ride has a real name, but that is what my family calls it. Anyway, after the ride, I was ceremonially dumped in the Norway store. When I was browsing the store, I found Dale of Norway knitting kits! They were a bit on the expensive side, since all I really wanted to buy was the yarn and I can get that separately. I also found in the store Dale of Norway knitted goods! I didn't know that Dale of Norway actually made knitted goods! I thought the company just sold yarn. There were beautiful hats and sweaters. They too were expensive but worth every penny. I really wanted to buy one of the hats, but I couldn't justify the price since the hats were pretty heavy for Florida winters. I was going to take a picture, but I figured, the "cast members" wouldn't appreciate my phototaking in the store.

-SAK

Wow

Hey everyone,

This is just a quick post to say that I am back from Disney World and it was the most amazing vacation I have been on ever! I am not sure if it was the actual vacation or the extreme need for a vacation from grad school life that made me feel so refreshed, but either way I am not complaining about the utter euphoria I am feeling now. I have a couple of pics and lots of stories to tell, but for now I must sleep.

Happy January!

-SAK

Cotton Ease Is Back!

I just got an email from Lion Brand. Cotton Ease is back! Let the true Floridian knitting begin!

iPods Are Fun and Tiring

Hi!

Posts with pictures are coming soon. I got an iPod for Christmas and I am currently converting my music from wma to mp3 files. I have 24 gigs of music and this is taking a while. In fear that uploading pictures will freak my computer out and cause me to restart this whole process. You think I am acting a bit silly? Well, I have been converting files for 22hours 45minutes and I am at 13.61 gigs. The good news is that once I do this, I won't have to do it again. Phew.

I am so excited that I will be able to listen to Cast On on the drive down to Orlando (since I have missed the past 10 podcasts). Oh for all you Harry Potter fans, I downloaded a few Mugglecasts and Pottercasts before I started this conversion thing (it makes sense, trust me) and they are absolutely entertaining and informative. :)

-SAK

Yarn & Needles

OMG, so I was at the Dollar Store killing time while I was getting my car's oil changed and tires rotated when I saw yarn! The Dollar Store had Lion Brand Fancy Fur and Boucle for a $1. I simply couldn't believe it! The unfortuneate part is that I don't like either of these yarns. The Fancy Fur creeps me out and the Boucle is too rough for me. Now, however, I am going to have to make weekly trips to the Dollar Store to see if they get any other yarn brands in though. If you are in the Gainesville area and like these yarns, this Dollar Store is near the Kmart by the Oaks Mall.

A sad thing happened today. I need 10 1/2 16in circular needles to make some hats and when I went to JoAnns, I discovered that this store like Michaels only sells 29in circular needles. I know that I can knit hats on two circular needles or on DPNs (which I did purchase), but I want my 16in circulars! They make me happy! I like the fluid motion of knitting on the 16in needles. There is not stopping to pick up the other set of circular needles or to tighten a few stitches at the beginning of a new DPN. I have two options now: 1) go to the mean LYS or 2) pay crazy S&H fees for some needles. Hmmm, maybe it is time to make a WEBS order...

-SAK

PS I am going to Disney World this coming weekend! Look forward to UFOs with Mickey!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good holiday. I just got back from home and finally had a moment to post on my holiday knitting. I was pretty productive. I finished all but the band for Glaistig and I am a bit more than halfway done with Argosy. I have learned two valuable lessons while working on these two projects. One, Koigu is amazing yarn (Glaistig). It felt heavenly in my hands. If I could, I would knit in only Koigu for the rest of my life. Two, yarn with more than one color (striping, varigated, etc) are very painful when there is a knot in the yarn or you have to change skeins, because as much as you want a "smoothness" to the color transistions, you are NEVER going to get it. It made me sad. :(

The Christmas holiday left me with quite a few additions to my knitting library. I got a few Barbara Walker books (treasuries 2-4) and EZ's "Knitting Around" and "The Opinionated Knitter." I also got "Loop-d-Loop" and "Knitting Sweaters in Plain English." Oh! I also got a pair of the glow in the dark needles (size 10 1/2).

-SAK

Happy December 24th!

Well I hope you enjoyed the Advent Calendar! It was definitely fun to make and search through the youtube videos.

In honor of the new Harry Potter title coming out, I leave this Christmas Countdown with a fabulous Dumbledore quotation as well: "I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Harry stared. "One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a pair. People will insist on giving me books." --"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"

I cannot believe I found this. It is simply perfect for Christmas Eve. Now keep in mind, it is not the most accurate depiction, but it is meant in all good knitted fun.

Enjoy! I hope you are having a happy holiday season!

-SAK

Happy December 23rd!

Sorry for the lateness, when I am at home I have to fight for the computer!

I am sure you have seen/heard this story before, but it continues to amuse me.

Enjoy!

-SAK

Happy December 22nd!

K is for Knitting!

Enjoy!

-SAK

And I Am Off!

In just a few hours I will be airport bound! I have decided on my two holiday knitting projects. I am bringing along Argosy and Glaistig (well they are currently in the conception phase). These two projects are the two most unlikely projects for me but nevertheless I have become attached to them. In the case of Argosy, I took one look at this scarf and decided I needed to knit it. At the same time, a voice in the back of my head kept saying, "but SAK, it is entrelac! Are you ready for entrelac?" Well somehow I was able to ignore this voice, neglect to read the word entrelac in the intro, and somehow ignored the repeated mentioning of casting on during the course of the project. After falling in love with the project, the instructions came into focus and I realized that yes, entrelac is required. When I saw this, I could only mutter, "the things we do for love."

In regards to Glaistig, my first thought was, "now that is an interesting and quite unusual hat." These are not the words of someone who would knit this hat. Recently, however, I looked at the hat again, and it began to grow on me. I noticed that I had the needles and the yarn suggested and something in me shouted, "the cabling doesn't look too bad! Let's do it."

It is these random and illogical statements that get me into trouble all the time. At this point though, I must at least attempt to cast on for these two projects.

Here goes nothing!

-SAK

Happy December 21st!

Another tale of knitters and crocheters and the great divide. This movie is a bit slow, but worth every minute of it.

Enjoy!

-SAK

Happy December 20th!

Can I pick youtube videos or what? My December 1st video was picked as the Good Morning YouTube video of the week!

Enjoy!

-SAK

Midas Touch

Okay, I don't normally post my responses to online quizzes (because what is the need to brag that I was sorted into Gryffindor House or I am Optimus Prime), but I found this response particularly amusing and felt the need to share it with all of you. I am not sure how "The Midas Touch" equals seduction style, but the rest of it is entertaining.

-SAK

Happy December 19th!

Because what the world needs now is more naked hands...Flashdance style.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 18th!

Phew, I think I am officially done with "stuff" for the semester. Yes, I still need to go to lab and yes, I still need to see participants, but I think I finally have time to sit and watch Christmas movies (Rankin & Bass I are tight!) and Christmas shop and maybe answer some email that I haven't really responded to in...months. Hey! I have been busy! Okay, I have issues regarding responding to emails and phone calls...I am sure Freud would say something about an intense fear of rejection or something...note to self: never psychoanalyze yourself...::shivers::.

ANYWAY...I still like sheep.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 17th!

It just entrances me.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 8th!

Because we all knit...naked. Nothing x-rated, just amusing.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 15th!

Maybe Knitters Anonymous isn't a bad idea after all...

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 14th!

Can't stop watching...it keeps spinning and spinning and spinning...

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 13th!

Please do not try this at home...

Enjoy!



-SAK

Cohort Presents -- Check!

So here is the cohort cuteness factor! I finished all fourteen washcloths with required chocolate and candy canes and studied for my adulthood exam by last Monday. Phew! I told everyone if I failed out of grad school, because I spent too much time finishing the gifts, to keep the washcloths in a sacred space for all of time. :) For things that took a good amount of time to knit, they certainly took up a tiny amount of space once they were ready to be gifted! On the brightside, I am definitely beginning to knit faster. I think it takes me about two and a half hours per washcloth now.


Now I just need to block a scarf and knit three more washcloths for Thursday and I am golden. ::sigh:: Must...knit...through...the...pain.

Happy Holiday Knitting!

-SAK

Happy December 12th!

Because everyone likes to knit...

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 11th!

Can't we all just get along?

Enjoy!



-SAK

Phew

In the nick of time, I finished studying for my adult psychopathology course and knitting my cohort's holiday presents for today (now that it is past midnight). I will show some pictures of the 14 washcloths and candies later today. Note to self: do not wait until the day before to weave in all the ends (you will be very cranky). I am really proud of the cuteness factor going on with them. Now if I can just crank out 5 more by Thursday, I will be golden...then I just need to worry about my family's Christmas presents. ::sigh:: When does the stress go away and I start feeling the holly jolly Christmas feelings? WHEN??? :)

-SAK

Happy December 10th!

I haven't seen a Pee Wee Herman movie in a while, so I don't know the context of it, but it is just amusing and I don't know why.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 9th!

Because if we really want our holiday knitting gifts to be done in time, we need to knit everywhere, even at disco bowling parties.

Enjoy!



-SAK

New Knitty! More Presents!

Hi!

The new Knitty came out today, and I totally fell in love with Argosy. I neeeeeeed to knit this. I have some Noro Silk Garden Lite that is burning a hole in my stash (thank goodness not literally) that I can use. I thought I was going knit the infamous Clapotis, but I think I am coming to realize that I just don't like the Clapotis even though everyone in the world has knit one. At the same time, I am a little hesitant to start on Argosy. I like scarves. I like how scarves look. I like wearing scarves that I knit. The problem I have is once I am halfway done, I get horribly bored and put the poor half-knitted scarf away. Branching Out and my corkscrew scarves are testaments to this fact. I am going to have to stare at Argosy some more and think about whether I can make a commitment to her or not. ::sigh:: Why didn't I like any of the hats in Knitty?

So I finally realized today that if I want to give everyone their holiday present, I am going to have to finish SEVEN more MD washcloths and weave in the ends of EIGHTEEN washcloths by Monday. Okay, I just need three more by Monday and fourteen washcloths' ends weaved in and four totally complete washcloths by Thursday. I am more than happy to knit the washcloths, I am just not too keen on spending a couple of hours weaving in ends. Do you think I can get away with saying that it is an artistic element? I didn't think so.

To bed I go!

-SAK

Happy December 8th!

Nascar knitting! I love it! Enjoy! -SAK

Happy December 7th!

Sorry this is a bit late!

Upset that your gauge was a bit off on that sweater? It's okay! Just make it bigger.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 6th!

I hope you are enjoying the youtube video advent calendar. You won't believe all the crazy stuff people upload. Also, if you are having trouble knitting backwards, forwards, or any combination in between someone has made a video to explain it to you. There is even a video of someone knitting Icarus. There is no sound and all you see are the needles knitting away. Youtube is a crazy world.

Anyway, back to business!

Sheep are cute. That is all.

Enjoy!



-SAK

Happy December 5th!

After about the tenth time of watching this, I finally realized what amuses me about it. Who were the "genius ad writers" who decided to make a knitting needle commercial sound like a condom commercial?

Enjoy!



-SAK

ETA: Sorry if there was any confusion regarding this post. With finals and all I made some of these posts early and I neglected to change the date.

Happy December 4th!

When I was watching this, all I could think was..."when fun fur attacks!"

Enjoy!



-SAK

Fun in Waldo

The girls in my class and I made a run to the Waldo Flea Market on Sunday. If you live in the nearby Waldo, Florida area, you must go. It is just about as much fun as one can have on a Sunday in the Gainesville area. I am not sure if that is saying much, but it is fun. Anyway, the reason I am mentioning this is because I got Knit Mittens! for $3 at one of my favorite book tables at the market. I could have also gotten Knit Hats! for $3 too but there are some fugly hats in there so I ignored it, which is sad since I like to knit hats.

-SAK

PS Have I mentioned the lack of Christmas knitting motivation? ::sigh::

Happy December 3rd!

Because when Neo and Trinity weren't trying to save mankind from crazy intelligent computers, they were knitting...

Yet another youtube find.

Enjoy! (Is it just me or is everyone else putting off their holiday knitting?



-SAK

Happy December 2nd!

Here is a ditty from the Electric Company (found on youtube). Hope you enjoy it!



-SAK

December 1st

Hurrah! It is December 1st and you know what that means! The holiday season is upon us! I thought it would be fun to turn my blog into an Advent Calendar of sorts. Tune in every day from now until Christmas for a fun and random knitting event!

This is a video I found on youtube. What could be a better way to start the holiday knitting season than with a video of men who knit? Enjoy!



-SAK

I Want That Shirt (Because I Already Have The Swift)!

Hey,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I stayed here in Gainesville and had a delicious dinner with my cohort. :) There was even a crochet burn at the dinner table! M was looking for ideas for homemade Christmas gifts, R mentioned that she knits gifts for her family, M replied that knitting would be too hard for her, R then said, "You should try crocheting then." Burn! Oh, I love my fellow crocheters, my Grandma is one and my Mom is learning how to crochet. At the same time, it was quite the clever comment. ;)

The knitting has been slow with the upcoming exams and presentations; however, that doesn't mean that I haven't been paying attention to knitting references around me. Did you check out the Gilmore Girls this past Tuesday? Well, there was a Knitathon! Here is a picture of Lorelai winding yarn (her shirt says...I think...Knit or Go Home) and the totally awesome yarn and needles display at the Knitathon.


-SAK

Harry Potter & Mason-Dixon

So I don't know about you, but I was super excited that the teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out this weekend! The movie is coming out July 2007. Dozens of pictures are now out on the internet and the one I kept looking over was this one. What can I say, I really like Hermione's sweater. BTW, where are the fabulous Gryffindor scarves? I love seeing the wooly goods in the Harry Potter movies!

Oh, in knitting related news, I knit two and a half MD dishcloths. I have made the decision to gift them; however, now that I have made this decision, I have now realized that I need to make about ten or so more. Let's hope that the MD dishcloth addiction keeps me going!

-SAK

More Dishcloths!

Ahh, my first weekend without any real stress in a while. It was nice to know that I didn't have an exam or a project looming over my head. Okay, I need to work on my Master's research, but that is an on-going thorn in my side (a cute, lovable, and interesting thorn). I spent the weekend watching This Old House on PBS (yeah, I know it sounds corny but OMG they do some cool construction work on that show), knitting Mason-Dixon washcloths, and (this is the embarassing kicker) buying a scrapbook kit. Why did I buy a scrapbooking kit you ask? Well, I am getting sentimental about my knitting and decided it would be nice to have a collection of memories after projects have long since fallen apart or have been gifted to others. I also thought it would be fun to have picture of my knitting adventures (WEBS tent sale, meeting the Yarn Harlot, Sock's adventures in Florida). Yeah, I know it is kinda cutsey but as much as I love mafia movies, I like the Chipmunk Adventure movie just as much. :)

Here are pics of my three new MD dishcloths. At this point I am trying to use up the odd bits I have left from previous dishcloths, so my stash looks a tad bit more respectable. I don't know why I am thinking this, but I need to fulfill this craving! As you can see, I am definitely building my supply of dishcloths. I am not sure whether to gift them to multiple people or to make a lap blanket. I guess I will see how the holiday knitting works out and go from there!

-SAK

Florida Is Weird

So I was reading my knitting blogs with the local news on the tv in the background, this isn't strange normally but then I haven't always lived in Florida. The "Health Tracker" on the CBS local news felt a need to report sinus infections, bronchitis, sore throats, flus, and colds in Alachua County. No, they didn't report numbers but the reporter did list the main diagnoses for various towns. I am an AVID local news person, I loved my local Providence newscasters; HOWEVER, I have never had a play-by-play of local people's colds. This is my new favorite local news moment of all time.

I know it isn't knitting-related, but aren't you glad you know that Florida cares about your health?

-SAK

Knits & Votes

Hello all!

So I don't know if any of you have noticed but it is November. Do you KNOW what this means? The holidays are just around the corner and I have yet to begin holiday knitting. This would not be so bad; however, against my preconceived notions about Florida, it is COLD here (not super cold, but cold enough to be annoying and require jacket planning), and I am needing to start some personal winter knitting. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Maybe I will let myself knit a hat for me for every five holiday presents? Oh yeah, that seems like a good motivator. ::rolling eyes:: Knowing me, this will end with me running around like a crazy person days before I am supposed to go home for vacation.

Oh, I want to thank everyone who went out yesterday and voted! Whether your candidates won, lost, or are still in murky water, you won since you voted. Yea for getting your voice heard! As a side note, I am really pumped that I am 25 this year and am not being called a young apathetic nonvoter anymore. As a footnote to that, from my knowledge none of the gubernatorial candidates for Florida came to the University of Florida to speak.

Alright, back to the Master's,

-SAK

Better Late than Never!

I've been bad, I know. I can't even give a good excuse for the lack of posting. I finished with midterms and I have been spending my time watching The X-Files. Why haven't I been knitting while watching The X-Files, you ask? Well, I have been going through the piles of papers around my apartment. I have piles of class notes, random fliers from plays I have seen, and important papers (like my electoral ID). It doesn't promote easy access I will tell you.

To earn your love again, I give you pictures of the ongoing happy yellow scarf. I now remember why I got tired of knitting scarves and started on hats. Scarves start fast and then they drag on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. OMG, I can't seem to finish the first ball. How I despise the very nature of the scarf.

Oh, here is the fabulous yarn I got at Walmart a few weeks ago. The Homespun was only $2 each, the Chenille was $2 each too, and the neon hot pink yarn was $3 each. The only sad part about the yarn is that I am going to make scarves out it. As you read above, I don't like knitting scarves. Will wonders never cease!

Oh, have you seen this commercial with Ellen? She praises the awesomeness of argyle socks! How cool is that. You must respect the old school traditional argyle sock knitter with the intarsia and all. :)



Enjoy and have a lovely Tuesday night and Wednesday day (and night)!

-SAK

Wishin' I Had Gone to School in Upstate NY (AKA Being Closer to Rhinebeck!)

I know, I know. I promised pictures, I promised a more exciting and exotic lifestyle. What have I been doing instead, you might ask? Lazying about. Yep, that is the answer in a nut shell. I wish I could say that I have been cleaning, playing gin rummy, or learning how to bake bread, but no, I have been coming home and taking naps that lasted too long and messed with my sleep-wake cycle (let me tell you, when you do sleep research for a living, you feel ten times more guilty about those late afternoon naps, because you know exactly what you are doing to your sleep-wake cycle).

I guess the lazying about is expected since I had a round of midterms last Monday and really needed to recuperate from the stress (well, I would have needed the time, if I had actually felt stressed about the incident...maybe I will feel more stressed after I get my grade).

Even with the lazying about I did have time for knitting related endeavors. I have been diligently knitting my yellow scarf while waiting for participants to show and sometimes while waiting for other events to occur as well (like class). The scarf isn't getting miraculously longer, but that might be because I know that once it gets to a certain length, it won't be a fun and easy to truck along project as it is now. More now than ever, I am impressed that Mrs. Weasley finds the time to knit all those sweaters for her family. Her motivation never falters!

Speaking of motivation, I finally took a stroll over to bloglines. I had over one hundred posts to read. I know I am behind when people who post less often than I normally do had 5 posts waiting for me to read. I do read all the posts eventually, okay, I at least skim the pictures, but the posting has been at a sorry state. I think my creativity curled up and died at some point while I was in the middle of memorizing the differences between delirium, dementia, and amnesia.

Speaking of memorizing, did I mention I have another exam on Monday? I simply do not understand why I need to memorize all this information! It is not like in the real world I won't have this info at my fingertips. I can see it now, "I am sorry Ted I can't decide if you have Schizophrenia or just the case of the blues because you couldn't afford to go to Rhinebeck, because looking in a book would be cheating!" Yeah, I know the reason for exams, but really, memorizing stuff is boring.

-SAK

No Pictures

Sorry about the lack of pictures. :( I apparently let both of my camera batteries die and now I can't show you my amazing Walmart yarn purchases. I got two Chenille thick and quick skeins for $2 each! I got two skeine of Homespun for $2 each! I got some fabulous hot pink Red Heart for $3 each! Wait until you see the pictures! The colors are faboo and the prices couldn't be beat.

I am still working on the fabulously happy yellow scarf, but it is coming along slowly now that I have midterms and whatnot to do. I just don't have enough time to knit anymore! How sad is that?

Oh, I must tell you, yesterday the temperature was 37 degrees! Time to pull out the wool!

-SAK

Whoo Hoo!

So I just finished my slew of midterms. Okay, I have another one next week, but that won't stop me from knitting until I have to crack down and study this weekend! I got myself the new Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, and Creative Knitting as a reward. It was nice to go home and curl up with the magazines and watch my Netflix movies (I am currently hooked on Alias). Pictures of exciting knitting goods to come tomorrow!

-SAK

My Dishcloth Confession

So I have a confession to make, yes I might have made four MD dishcloths in four days time, yes I have never knit so fast and with so much enjoyment (I like when the rows get smaller with each round), yes I love the fact I am using super cheap P & C yarn to make my colorful creations; HOWEVER, I don't like using wash cloths. I never know what to do with them when they are drying. I never have a rod in the bathroom to keep them try in between face washes or showers, so they are always damp when I go to use them again. This same problem arises in the kitchen. My spout isn't long enough for a dishcloth, so where will it dry? Then comes the problem of washing them. If they are still damp, I don't want to dump them in with the rest of the dirty clothes if I am not planning on doing laundry soon and I am not capable of planning my wash around dishcloths, I wish I could but I can't keep a proper wash schedule to save my life.

You might be asking yourself if I am going to stop knitting MD dishcloths, well I might for the next few days since I put off some work that needs to be done by Thursday (stats homework and Master's Introduction) and Friday (paper on ethics and the law and a quick write up on conversion disorder), but after that I am going full steam ahead. At this point I am curious as to how many dishcloths I can knit before I get tired of them.

Oh! I finally decorated my sad looking office. I have my cosy potholder loop rug under my desk and I can attest to the happy feeling my feet got when I worked at the desk this afternoon. I also left my grey scarf there to keep me busy when I lose inspiration and I need a moment with something fiber-related to keep me motivated. I brought some other decorations but these sadly enough were not knitting related.

-SAK

Knitting Reading
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - The fabulous Mrs. Weasley knits sweaters for her family (and Harry, of course). Don't you just love Mrs. Weasley? :)

I Think I Have a Problem

So I spent the day knitting washcloths. Yea, I think it is starting to become a problem. I finished the forest green one I started Friday night and I made a blue and rainbow one today too. Pictures to come. At this point, if I knit enough of them, I can make a blanket!

-SAK

Knitting Television:
Monty Python's Flying Circus - little old lady is knitting while her husband revels over the 3 million kilts ordered from some extraterrestrials.

Can't Stop...

So I worked on the happy-go-lucky yellow scarf some more today. In fact, I walked around campus while knitting! I am not sure if it is the easy pattern or the happy yellow, but it is quite addictive.

Oh, should I mention that I started another Mason-Dixon washcloth? I love this pattern because each round gets smaller and I know I just need to knit 26 rows and I can cast off!

Off to bed!

-SAK

A Fabulous MD Washcloth

I cannot believe how quickly the MD washcloth knit up! I had cast on and started the second round (the bobbles) and went to bed last night. I finished the rest tonight! Isn't it the happiest thing you have ever seen in your life? I think I might need to make a few more of these! Thank goodness I bought so much Peaches and Cream.

Oh, random note, if you have never done bobbles before, but want to try your hand, this is the perfect project. This was my first go at bobbles and it was nice that the bobbles were at the very beginning (second round) and then there were no more. I got to try my hand with bobbles without haven't to do ten million for the finished project.

-SAK

The Horror!

I found a knot in my happy yellow Lion Brand Cotton Ease yarn! I guess this means I need to start that MD washcloth! ;)

-SAK

Happy Chilly Day!

Hello! I have been hit with the knitting bug! Not only have I been knitting every possible second today, I knit during my silly little stats section and I knit some while WALKING. That's right. I am just that cool. The scarf is coming along well and now I am even inclined to try knitting a MD washcloth. Now a MD washcloth isn't the brick-looking one. It is a pentagony-looking thing with BOBBLES. And yes, I feel so inspired that I think I can conquer bobbles. I think I can rock the popcorn of knitting (at least, that is my plan if another word for bobbles is popcorn and not that popcorn is just one type of bobble, because if that is true, then that isn't what I mean at all).

This was also an exciting day, because I got an Amazon package in the mail. Cox cable/internet/big huge telecommunications' conglomerate gave me a $50 gift certificate to Amazon just for signing up for internet! I purchased the first Barabara Walker treasury, the third volume of the Harmony Guides (I just need the color work guide to round out my collection, okay I also technically need the two crochet books, but I don't crochet so I don't feel I neeeeeed them), and Zoolander on DVD. I have Zoolander on VHS, but alas I don't have a VHS player anymore and everyone needs a working copy of Zoolander. It is an all-time classic, if you haven't seen it and realized the utter brillance of this movie. The world of male modeling...who knew that there was so much intrigue? ;)

Anyway, the happy mojo scarf is going smoothly and has inspired me to knit at all times. Oh, have I mentioned that it is getting "chilly" here in Florida. Right now, the weather channel has pegged Gainesville at 63 degrees! Oh joy! Bring out the wooly knitted goods!

Also, have I mentioned how much I am loving Lion's Brand Cotton Ease? This stuff is amazing! Maybe it is because I have been working with so much lace weight yarn that I forgot what worsted weight feels like, but this stuff is sent from the gods. It has a great weight, feel, and the yellow color just makes me oh so happy.

Go out and enjoy the chilly weather with a happy, basic garter stitch scarf!

-SAK

Welcome Back!

Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since I last posted, and even longer since I have commented on someone’s blog. You see, until recently I have been hit by a lack of creativity and motivation. I haven’t been inclined to think about my Master’s Thesis, blog, read others’ blogs, write amusing little stories, or knit. I have had a serious case of the blahs.

I will admit that I had been rather frustrated by this. I think my lack of motivation had been stemming from fear that I haven’t been settling into the grad student lifestyle. Two of my friends have taken this frustration to a higher level with serious consideration of leaving their graduate schools. This got me thinking. Do I lack motivation because I don’t want to be here? When I thought about this, I realized that my concerns about my future all revolve around clinical psychology. My main problems seem to be about deciding whether I want to work with an elderly population or what sort of career I want (but always within a clinical psychology field).

After making the realization that I am really happy where I am even if I do get bored with my classes sometimes (never mind the fact that my abnormal psychology for children class has turned me off to ever having children), inspiration has seemed to hit me full force. After perusing my knitting books, I found a pattern that I wanted to do. It is Ruffles from ScarfStyle. It is the “potato chip scarf.” With only 22 stitches, I am making progress fairly quickly and am enjoying myself. Since I had been hit with the blahs, even knitting had been viewed as an annoyance. I am using Lion’s Bran Cotton Ease and I can understand why some people love it. The texture is cottony but has just enough lightness to it to make the ruffles ruffle. This project has also been good for me coming to terms that I won’t need my wooly goods for a nice long while. Who knows, maybe cotton will become my friend?

Oh! I must show a gratuitous picture of the University of Florida’s 2006 Homecoming Parade. Brown was very low key in the Homecoming department, so this was an experience! The UF parade consisted of TWO HOURS of non-stop floats and marching bands. If you can’t tell from the photo, UF was going to play LSU (the tigers) and most of the floats very delicately hinted that UF might win. UF did win, by the way. ;)

-SAK

A Grey Scarf for Grey's Anatomy

Wow, I can't believe it is Thursday already! This week has been moving faster than I would like! The knitting, alas, had to take a back burner to the Master's Thesis research that my mentor wanted done, but I am definitely planning a therapeutic weekend of knitting to calm my fears of this whole grad school thing. I have yet to get used to the whole homework thing.

Just in case you were wondering though, I was able to squeeze some knitting in tonight, while watching Grey's Anatomy. I am working on my scarf of random desires. Since I got tired of making mistakes and not counting rows, I decided that I needed a project that relied only what I was currently thinking. If I want to do YOs, I am doing YOs. If I want to do k2togs, then I do them! I feel so empowered. I think I was starting to feel constrained by the knitting and grad school at the same time and everything got too stressful. Now, the knitting is setting me free!

-SAK

Even Rainbow Brite Knits!

Even when I am not knitting, I am on a constant knitting patrol. I was looking for news on whether the Rainbow Brite tv show was ever going to come to DVD when I came across pages from Rainbow Brite coloring books. Yes, this is an official disclaimer that the following picture is not my own and owned by someone who has far more legal power than I do. Anyway, I have been super busy and have been sadly ignoring my blog. I promise that this Thursday I will respond to emails and post a picture of my current knitting project. Until then, let Rainbow Brite bring a little more color and happiness to your life. ::sigh:: Wasn't Rainbow Brite the best?!

-SAK

Silly Grad School

So the whole grad school thing is starting to really take over my life. I am meeting with my advisor tomorrow and I am not real pumped about what I have to show her after a week of lit searches. This whole thing has really reminded me why I like knitting. With knitting you have so many choices. You can design your own project or pick out a pattern. Even with a pattern, a knitter has the option of making the pattern his/her own. With a thesis, you are on your own. You might have a mentor and your colleagues, but there are no step-by-step instructions, no hand holding, no charts. I wonder if it's not too late to drop this whole grad school thing and open a yarn store. Well, maybe I should wait and finish a pair of socks first.

-SAK

We All Love Caffeine

So instead of going to bed like a good girl, I am going to be an awesome blogger and post! Okay, this decision mainly came about because I drank THREE sodas today after being almost caffeine free and I am pumping energy.

I have to tell you that I am just completely frustrated with my knitting. I can't seem to accomplish anything. I frogged a bit of the sock and continued to make the same mistakes. I took out a worsted weight scarf I was working on with just simple purls and knits to make blocks. I continued to mess this up. I couldn't keep track of what row I was on. I got so frustrated that I frogged the five inches I had and cast on 40 stitches. I am proceeding to knit whatever I feel like. If I feel like garter stitch, I knit garter stitch. If I feel like doing YOs and k2togs or YOs and ssk's, I do them. I even did some YOs and dropped stitches. The only requirement is that I try to keep the number of stitches at 40. I think all of this thinking during the school hours has blown my knitting concentration. Hmmm...maybe this school thing isn't for me. I would love to see the look on my mentor's face, if I told her that I had to quit grad school, because it was taking out too much time from my knitting.

In other news, I watched this PBS special on Quilts today (I think it was called "A Century of Fabric" or something like that). What was most fascinating was how innovative quilt makers are. One woman used crayon to create a gossamer effect, and another used embroidery to make her images pop. Even with these new and different methods of creating a quilt, the documentors still thought of the quilts of today and yesterday as equal. Looking at them, I had to wonder if the quilters of today are making some new, something different, a new textile art of sorts. This made me wonder about knitting. Are we as knitters branching out with something new too? With the millions of knitters in the world, are we too on the breaking point of creating something beyond or equal to knitting? Will there be a point where one does not just using knitting needles for knitting but also for a different textile art, which had its origins in knitting?

-SAK

PS If you sent me a comment/email, answers are on their way, I am just entrenched in paper writing and stats homework at the moment.

PPS Pictures are on their way too!

Knitted Televison:
State Fair (Ma knits on the last night of the fair.)

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a wonderful birthday today! My wonderful classmates threw me a surprise birthday party. It was really sweet of them considering we all just met less than one month ago. Anyway, we had a blast talking research (yeah, we're nerds) and movies. :)

I opened up my birthday presents too. Here is a picture of the loot. My parents sent me a glass Dopey figurine (I collect them) and I bought myself a few knitting magazines (okay, I would have bought them anyhow, but at least I had an excuse with the birthday and all), a few necessary movies (musicals are a staple in my DVD collection), Opal yarn (flamingo, fish, and a petticoat colorway), Paton, and a cooking magazine (I will learn to cook if it kills me).

I promise to return to knitting content soon! I am thinking the beautiful Opal yarn will motivate me.

Alright, back to birthday fun!

-SAK

Knitted Television:
Monty Python's Flying Circus (I am not sure which episode, but there was a cartoon woman knitting who was later placed into a suitcase and taken elsewhere. This description makes sense if you have ever seen a Monty Python show).

Still No Pics

So I have decided why I haven't been knitting as much as I usually do, I simply did not have the knitting in easy access to the futon I collapse onto when I get home. I found a variety of UFOs and placed them in a plastic container (wanted wood, but I was afraid that it would snag the yarn). Soon I will be posting pictures of tons of UFOs again!

I am sorry I haven't been posting pictures, but there really hasn't been anything to show. On Thursday, though, I will break the cycle. Thursday is my birthday and I bought myself some yarn and I will show it off when I officially "open" my presents. I use my birthday and Christmas as an excuse to buy a few fun items (I cannot exceed $100) that I normally wouldn't buy for myself. Now that I am a poor graduate student, I really need to keep to a budget so the yarn and other presents were a real treat. That's right, I have imposed a knit from the stash only policy unless money falls from the sky. I guess I can't feel too constrained by this, since I do have a large variety of yarn for multiple projects. But don't we all love our cozy and large stashes? :)

-SAK

Long Time No See

Hi everyone! I know I haven't posted in about four days and it probably seems like I have dropped off the face of the planet, but alas, I have been living my own crazy little life. I spent most of the week going to class and doing research on my Master's Thesis and then this weekend I had bonding time with my lab, I went to the fabulous Waldo Flea Market, and attended a play (Moonlight and Magnolias).

Don't worry though, I did get some knitting time in this week. I ended up frogging the gusset and have started picking up the stitches again. I also picked up my Moss Grid Hand Towel from the M-D book. I couldn't stand looking at the sock again, so the towel was almost like a comfort food for me. Hey, it was better than eating a batch of brownies.

Even though my knitting time has been rapidly shrinking, I have been reading "A History of Handknitting" by Richard Rutt. It is utterly fabulous. The most fascinating part is Rutt talking about how other historians have misread poems, stories, diaries, etc and translated X for knitting when in fact X meant something else entirely. He also mentions how various fiber goods were originally thought to be knitted but in fact they were made via some other technique. I never thought that the history of knitting was so ambigous and in some ways controversial. In addition, it amazes me to think about how knitting (and other fiber-related techniques) have been around for centuries. I never thought about people centuries ago needing mittens and socks. Didn't they all wear togas until the invention of Macy's? ;)

-SAK

Knitted Television:
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Holly Golightly knits!)

The Good, the Bad, and TV

So I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I finished the potholder loop rug! It isn't incredibly huge, mainly because I got tired of knitting the heavy monster, but also because I just need a tiny rug for under my desk. The rug is 31 by 22 inches. I have my feet in the picture to give you an idea, but you may be distracted by the very sexy sandal tan and blisters. I need to make my office homey or I may never get through grad school.

The bad news is that I frogged part of my sock. I am so amazed that I was able to frog the gusset with only a few problems even though I didn't go back stitch by stitch. I am going to look over the work and then retry the gusset this week. I am going to finish these socks if it kills me! The other bad news is that I didn't win anything on the Amazing Lace. I get these grandiose ideas of winning stuff and then I am surprised when I don't win. Oh well. Life goes on. Plus, I bought myself some snazzy knitting-related presents for my upcoming birthday, so life isn't so bad. :) Pictures to come when I "officially" get to open them.

-SAK

Movies/Shows with Knitting (since I haven't been knitting to the tv recently, but still seem to have been watching television)

The Greatest Show on Earth (one of the audience members knits during a dangerous acrobatic act)

All Hail the Powerful Knitting Gods!

Last night I got together with my cohort for a little dinner party (there are just 15 of us). It was great. We talked clinical psych, Project Runday, and everything in between. We are getting to be a pretty tight-knit group, which makes me happy, since we will be taking classes together for four years. At the dinner, I have potentially recruited two new knitters! I told them about all the creative and calming powers of knitting. Of course, I felt slightly guilty saying these things, when I haven't picked up my needles in several days. Once I start getting into the groove of this whole grad school thing, I will be able to fit the knitting in better. Right now, I only seem to be able to squeeze the knitting in on the weekends.

Oh! I was going to tell you that I told the two lovely ladies about my local SnB and one asked what we did at the meetings. This struck me as odd at first. I told her that we knit and talk about all sorts of stuff. She seemed happy with this response, but I started to wonder about my answer. Should we be doing a prayer to the knitting gods at the beginning of every meeting? Should there be some sort of induction ceremony involving acrylic worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles? Should people who don't attend meetings regularly be forced to knit a fugly object in penance?

-SAK

I Heart Ernesto

This is going to be a quickie, since there really isn't too much to say. I have been mad busy spending time in the lab and reading articles for my psychological disturbances of children course. Trust me, this all sounds a bit more exciting than it really is. I am holding out that things will get a lot more exciting once we get through the introductory material.

In other news, I have been keeping my eyes on Ernesto. I am not very nervous about it, it is just a tropical storm right now. I am really frustrated though, because the weathermen/women just talk about the storm going through Florida. I can't get any sort of specific information about Gainesville! Weather.com now says that there is just a 60% chance of rain. Ugh. I just want some basic information: will it rain? will it be windy? am I just being neurotic? I grew up in Puerto Rico, so I am used to getting prepped for hurricanes and getting actual information about what is happening. Here, no one seems the bit concerned or interested or even aware that a tropical storm is hitting.

Anyway, I have made the big decision about my current sock. I am going to hold off on sock #1 and start on sock #2. I think I have too many things going on in my life to think about gusset decreases. I can do ribbing and a basic slip stich pattern. At least I think I can.

To bed! To bed!

-SAK

Hurray for Sock!

Wow, this has been one crazy week. I started school on Wednesday and I feel like I have been going non-stop since. I am not stressed out just yet, but I can already forsee the stress with the load of reading, research, and early morning classes I have. Knitting has been pushed to the wayside a bit, but I am still plodding along as best as I can (I even made time to go to SnB).

My sock is coming along; however, I am having mixed feelings about it. I might frog back and redo the gusset and whatnot. I have a ladder at the bottom of my foot and I forgot to decrease a stitch at some point. None of it is really noticeable, but it is bothering me all the same. You see, as much as I would love to just continue and ignore the mistakes, my anal retentive tendencies suggest that I might regret this and prove further aggravation down the line. Tomorrow I am going to take a good hard look at my knitting and make a decision. I don't trust myself in the heat of frustration to make a big decision like frogging a couple of hours worth of work.

-SAK

What I Did on Summer Vacation...

Today was my first day of grad school! Yea! I am official grad student with syllabi and homework. Alas, I didn't have time to knit, but I was busy becoming friends with my cohort and working in my lab, so don't begrudge me too much. :)

Some people were interested in the socks I am knitting. I am using Lorna's Laces' Shepherd Sock #70 (Vera). The pattern is entitled "Classy Slip-Up" from the happy-go-lucky Knit Socks! book. Since the yarn has this varigated but not self-stripping effect, I thought this pattern would help lessen the pooling of colors. The pattern has been doing a pretty decent job of doing just that, plus the simple slip stitch pattern is pretty easy to memorize, so I don't need to carry the pattern with me.

-SAK

Look! A Sock!

I want to thank everyone for the positive support regarding the woman at my LYS. I might not be the fastest or most experienced knitter, but I thought I deserved a bit better than that. Luckily, when I went to my local SnB, the attitude was much better than at the LYS. All of the ladies were simply wonderful. They were nice and didn't base their opinion of me on the number of WIPS I have or the amount of yarn I own. I can't wait to go back next week! Yea! I am making friends outside of school! ::clap clap::

I worked on my sock at the SnB and it is coming along nicely (I have worked on it since this picture, but I have been too lazy to get my camera...there is just more leg pattern). I am super excited that this project is portable and it can come with me when I am waiting for meetings to start and participants to show up! Is there something wrong with me since I am really excited that I can knit before classes and meetings? This is something I couldn't do at work, so I am super pumped that I can knit when I want to now. :)

Oh, before I go, I must say, "HI KURT!" I promised him that I would drop his name on the very famous silverarrowknits blog, since he helped work on the Give It a Whirl Bag a while back.

-SAK

Knitting Television:
The Full Ten Yards
Under the Tuscan Sun

Final Amazing Lace Challenge

At first, I was going to post this picture as my official picture. Since Twizzler spent a good chunk of time in this ziploc bag, it seemed understandable that it was modeld in the ziploc bag.

After a while, I decided that this was a sad model for Twizzler, even when he was half finished. For this reason, I decided to use Rudolph as my model. I chose Rudolph for two main reasons. 1) Rudolph is extremely attractive (at least that is what all the female reindeer tell me). 2) Christmas time is an excellent time frame for finishing Twizzler. :)














-SAK

Was It Something I Said?

So I was having a pretty good day yesterday, I got keys to my office, I got data for my 1st year project/Master's Thesis, and I went out with my cohort (my class) and the 2nd year students. With all this happiness happening, I decided that I was going to go back to the LYS and find out about local knitting groups and check out the store again. ::sigh:: Why do I continue to have bad experiences at this store? When I asked a woman who appeared to work there/loiter about the local knitting groups, she immediately asked if I knew how to knit. This struck me as odd, since a) I asked about local knitting groups not about lessons, and b) I was holding my knitted bag! Granted it wasn't the most complicated knitted bag, but it was definitely holding its own (and my stuff). After this, she told me about two groups at the store and then told me to look around campus, that there were fliers around campus for knitting groups for younger people. Now this sort of statement could be said in a nice way, but the vibe I was getting was that I was not wanted there. Maybe she didn't like the Rainbow Brite shirt I was wearing, but I never said I wanted to knit with "young people." I might look young, but I didn't like being treated like I was a tween. I should also mention here that I haven't seen any posters for knitting groups at the University of Florida (thus my going to a YARN STORE).

I wouldn't make such a mountain out of this, but when I tried to make conversation about bringing my yarn to Gainesville and about all my WIP, she just said that one day I would catch up with everyone else. I didn't realize that I need to have a room filled with yarn and 50 WIP to be allowed into particular knitting groups! Since this was my second non-friendly experience at the LYS, I have had it. Online shopping is the way to go.

Even with the negative yarn experience, I am planning on going to a SnB tomorrow. My life is finally calm enough to go forth and check out knitting groups. :) I am a little nervous about meeting new people, but I think it will be fun. I started a sock in celebration! Isn't it cute? It's Lorna Laces in Vera. It reminds me of chocolate and cherries. I am using Susan Bates' sock knitting set and I wished I had some shorter needles. I keep thinking I am going to poke my eye out! I am also continuing to work on the rug. It doesn't look longer, but it is. Now that I started on this sock though, I don't have a real desire to continue with the painful and heavy knitting project.

-SAK

Knitting Television:
The Whole Nine Yards

Happy Rug

I am proud to say that even though it has been over 90 degrees every day for the past week with not one whisper of a breeze, I have continued to knit. Granted, I wasn't too keen to pick up a scarf or Twizzler (merino wook isn't what I want to touch right now), but I did pick up the potholder loop rug. The cotton loops are breathable and I don't break into a sweat knitting it. I might be getting tennis/knitter's elbow using the huge needles, but everything else is hunky doory. I am planning to use it in my office at school, so I will have a nice and cozy handknit to keep me sane. The cotton loops are soft and squishy, so my feet will stay happy when I am stressing about clients, theses (both the master's and doctoral), and classes.

-SAK

Knitting Televison:
Home Improvement

Exhausted

I can't believe it's Monday already! The days just seem to be slipping past me. Every day has been a new adventure: filing forms to start getting stipend checks, learning how to do neuropsych exams, going to orientations (with a decent breakfast spread,btw), and trying to outfit my apartment. How's the moving in going, you ask? I now dream of going to Wal-mart, Sam's Club, and Target. Most of the moving in has happened, but there are little things that require me to continue to going shopping: white-out, napkin holder, and bug spray (the bug are 10 times bigger than bugs in RI, I kid you not!) to name a few. I have almost finishing outfitting my kitchen. I just need to motivate myself to go to the grocery store for flour, sugar, and other basic staples. I currently have parts of meals that need a trip to the grocery store for the necessary carbs: buns (burgers), rice (stir-fry), and taco shells (well, I don't think I need to explain here). Anyway, soon everything will work itself out and I will just need to visit the grocery store to refill the supplies.

In knitting news, I finished the "Give It a Whirl Bag" from Creative Knitting. I enjoyed knitting it, since it was mindless knitting; however, I do have some problems with the finished product. The handles are too long and the bottom is a tad pointy. See that cone-shaped bag? Not the most attractive look, if I do say so myself. I need to learn to crochet, so I can have flatter purse bottoms.

I also got my public library card and checked out The Shop on Blossom Street and A Good Yarn. I have been wanting to read these, but wasn't really keen on purchasing them. When I found them at the public library, I figured it was a sign. Once I finish these, I want to read those knitting-murder books. I might have to visit another library, but it looks like the Alachua Public Library system has them! You got to love the public library, it lets you indulge in your guilty reading/music/movie pleasures without paying for them.

Alright, time to get ready for bed. One of these days, I am going to have time to read my emails and go to knitting groups and do all the things I planned to do when I got to Gainesville. Right now though, I am off to bed and then am going to buy some clothes that are better suited for 90 degree weather.

-SAK

Sooo Tired!

It has been a long couple of weeks. I dream of going to Walmart now. I am a little frustrated, because I can't seem to get enough sleep. I am not sure if it is because I am not getting enough sleep or because I am still getting used to the heat in Florida and am extremely dehydrated all the time. I am drinking water like it is going out of style.

Even with the craziness of moving (I am still making lists of stuff I need) and starting graduate school (I am already expected to know my Master's thesis topic?!), I have been working on my itty bitty purse. This purse is probably the size of a hat, but it seems to be taking twice as long! I keep measuring it and it does not seem to grow in length. I just need 1 1/2 inches and I will be done. It is all St st, so I am just using the knit stitch since it is in the round, but it does not grow! The frustrating part is that after I finish the purse, I need to knit two 30inch i-cord drawstring straps. As much as this project is slow-going. I don't need to bring the pattern with me, so it is working out great as the carry-along project, when I am waiting for the ten million meetings that I suddenly need to attend. (Did I already mention that I need to have a Master's thesis topic?!)

Oh! In crafty news, two of the ladies with whom I will work crochet! I know, I know, it isn't knitting, but I am excited that I am working with crafty ladies! It's nice to know that I will be in a supportive and fiber-loving environment. :)

-SAK

Weirdness

So I was checking my email last night and I got a piece of spam. Now this wouldn't be weird all by itself, but it was the "person" who sent me the email which was weird. The person was...Barbara Walker. Yeah, weird, I know. I can't seem to erase the email, because it is just too weird.

Today I bought the most perfect needle organizer ever! Isn't it awesome?! I have all the needles from size 000 up to size 11 in their own separate bins (10 and 10 and 1o 1/2 share the same bin with a divider), larger sizes share a bin, and then I have three bins for extra knitting stuff like row counters and Chibi needles. If you are curious, I decided to organize my needles by US sizes and not metric. I am not sure if I am going to stick with this plan for the long term, but I am happy with it for now. I do have an extensive excel worksheet listing all possible data per knitting needle, so if I do need a particular metric size, I can go to that and not have to go through all the bins.

Oh! I got my boxes from RI today! My knitting books arrived safely and tomorrow My Dad and I are going to buy industrial shelves that can take up to 600lbs per shelf (I have serious shelf wharping issues...I am completely dissillusioned with the entire bookshelf industry) to put my knitting books and other books (like school books, I guess) on it.

Alright, must get some sleep...I am going to the DMV at the crack of dawn tomorrow.

-SAK

Finally Home!

So here is the post I have been promising you guys! Things have been crazy for the past week. My Dad and I drove from RI to Florida, proceeded to fill our hotel room with furniture, kitchen supplies, and everything else one needs to start up an apartment, and finally on Friday we moved into the apartment and proceeded to build all the furniture we bought. Don't worry though, the yarn was considered during all the furniture purchasing. You see this living room? It may look like a normal living room, but wait! Check out the trunk! It has yarn! :) I also have yarn hidden in drawers intended for clothing as well. Thank goodness, I went through my clothes before moving to Florida, so I would have room for all the yarn! (Okay, in reality, a chunk of my clothing was stuff I have had since freshman year of college, which was over six years ago.)

Even though I have been spending the majority of my time moving and building, I have been working on a little purse. It is halfway done. After all the craziness is over with, I will finally have time to cozy up and knit again!

-SAK

I'm Home!

I finally made it to Gainesville and my apartment! Pictures to come tomorrow. My Dad and I have been super busy buying all sorts of stuff for the apartment. We even bought containers specifically for my knitting needles! I even have yarn hidden around the apartment.

The moving in has been going well, but here are some of the things my Dad and I learned about building desks, tables, and other pieces of furniture that must be built because you can't afford the "good stuff."

1) Pieces not in bags do not count as parts.
2) A pile of extra parts is expected after building a desk.
3) NEVER take off the numbers/letters on particle board pieces until you have completed the object. You might think you will remember the label for the piece but five instruction steps later, you won't.

Tomorrow, I promise to respond to emails and all of that, tonight is for sleeping.

-SAK