I Should Have Paid Better Attention in 1st Grade...

So I have been working on Argosy for the past two days and I have been spending more time tinking than knitting. At first I was just tinking to fix a slip up on a row (I missed one pattern row and made a row of squares into rectangles). After I got to the right row and was all set to starting kniting (and not tinking) but then I counted the number of stitches. I had 33. This was a problem. I was supposed to have either 41 or 49. So then I proceeded to keep tinking. I tinked and tinked. I tinked for 45 minutes waiting to a late supervisor. I tinked while watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I tinked while just sitting on my futon. No matter how much I tinked, I kept getting 33 stitches. I was about to throw this project to the knitting gods when I thought to add. After so many rows, I am supposed to cast on 8 stitches. 8+ 33 = 41. Yeah. Exactly. I have been tinking for no good reason.

How Do I Do That Again?

While waiting for a meeting to start, I pulled out my knitting today. Even though I really want to start a new project, Argosy called to me. The Noro Silk Garden Lite kept yelling at me to finish the scarf so I can wear it next winter. The colors and scarf shape are just so sexy that I got distracted by it and couldn't see another skein of yarn or another pattern.

Anyway, I was sitting in a nice shady spot outside and I was enjoying the fresh air (I had spent the day in the basement of the hospital doing a psych assessment with the cutest kid ever), when I pulled out the pattern. At the end of the row, I was going to need to cast on 8 stitches. I couldn't remember how to cast on. I took a breath put the knitting away and pulled out a book. When I got home, I sat down with Argosy. I looked up how to do the proper cast on for the patter (cable cast on) and journeyed on...for about 6ish stitches. I need to do a ssk. Again I had to look it up. By the way, I used The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques for my memory lapses. I love Ms. Wiseman.

Two hours later, I had tinked back more than I had knit (I did remember how to tink like it was yesterday), but ended up with more knit scarf. I would have rejoiced; however, I had managed to miss a vital row or two. It doesn't look horrible or anything. I just turned a row of squares into rectangles. Oh well, this setback gives me something to do tomorrow. :)

Hello Again

Hello. Hi. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

It's been a while huh? Almost one year. You were probably surprised to see me pop up on your bloglines account. Where has she been? She hasn't been posting. Did she fall off the face of the earth? Well...sort of...not exactly...but yeah...I did.

Let me explain, please...won't you let me? I can understand if you don't. I just walked out of your life with no warning. One minute I was promising to write and the next I was on the next train to Wonderland. The truth of the matter is that I got stressed. I was working on my Master's degree, starting to seeing therapy patients, and was still trying to keep my life going, and so I got stressed and...you won't believe this...I stopped knitting. Did I mention it is ridiculously hot here in Florida?

Anyway, things have changed recently, really...I am not just saying this. I recently received my Master's degree, so some of my stress has dissipated. I switched mentors, so the majority of my stress dissipated. She was a very nice woman, but our personality styles were just a wee bit different. Also, my clinic requirements have finally slowed down. You must be saying to yourselves, "But most of these things have already occurred, why now?" I can't really say. This weekend, I started rereading the Yarn Harlot website and I realized I missed knitting and the community. I realized that I missed knitting scarves and hats (I really love hats) and Mason-Dixon washcloths (I can't believe I knit about 25 of those for the holidays a couple years ago). I missed having something to do, while I watched television. I ended up reading all of my Stephanie Pearl-McPhee books this weekend. I also started brainstorming new projects to do, because my previous projects should remain works in progress for the moment. I need a fresh start.Oh, I also ordered yarn and some knitting books that I had been wanting. BTW, I can't believe which knitting books have been discontinued and which knitting books are soon to be on the market.

I promise I really am back. I am willing to commit, really. No weekends only type of dating. I am willing to go all the way. How can I show my love to you? How can I reassure you that I am back for the long haul? I can prove it to you, because I did something crazy. I keep telling myself it is an investment in my knitting education and has no time limit. I can keep trying until I die. You guessed it. Why I do these things to myself I have no idea. Okay, I do. I need a goal. I need something to push me to the next level. I requested the Level 1 material for the Master Knitting Program.

Viva la Revolucion!

Hey,

I just got back from my conference a few days ago and apparently I didn't get enough sleep, because I have been spending a chunk of time sleeping instead of blogging!

Here is a quick update....

The second Hermione hat is going well. I am still working on the double ribbing, but it is going quickly. Pictures to come.

In my own life, I have an amusing story. I think I mentioned a few months ago that my undergrad alumni magazine misprinted a class note of mine, so it appeared that I had gotten married. In the most recent edition of the magazine, I had the note corrected. To be honest, I cringed when I saw it, because the magazine had gotten rid of the humor and just stated the fact that I was neither engaged nor married. Apparently, the magazine wasn't keen on admitting the misprint. Anyway, since the magazine came out, I have been getting stacks of people thanking me for the note! Everyone was so happy that I printed something that did not involve a wedding or engagement. They stated that they were going to start writing in notes too even though they weren't getting married/engaged. Apparently I started a revolution in alumni class notes!

I'm Knitting....Really!

Just in case you were wondering about the knitting, here are the fruits of my labor (or at least my The Nightmare before Christmas and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest watching labor). I am one round away from starting the fun and exciting cables and bobbles. I am a bit torn though. I am going away for a conference for five days and I am not sure if I should stick with this hat or start another Hermione hat for the trip. The mindless double rib would be nice for the airport; however, starting a new hat would require me to take this hat off the needles, which is never fun. Blah. Maybe I can find yet another project to start...or maybe another project to finish. Wait! Finish a project! That is a silly idea! Hmm, back to the books (knitting books that is).

Just a Normal Monday

No real knitting news to report. I seem to have gotten busy with all sorts of errands for school. In a couple of days I am going to a conference and am looking forward to some uninterrupted knitting time on the plane and waiting for seminars to begin. I am thinking that I might start a new Hermione hat for the conference, since I was torn between two different yarns and this way I can get the best of both yarns. I could start baby things, but I figure I would need multiple baby projects and one hat with cables will hold me for the entire conference (I am assuming I will only to be able to knit a bit here and there throughout my "vacation").

MeMe

So with the return to knitting, I thought this meme would do me a load of good. I had to bold everything I have ever done in the world of knitting (which was a surprisingly long list), italicize all the things I want to do (which is a long list), and do nothing to the items I have no desire to do (which were very few items).

I liked this meme, because it is a to do list for me. If I can't think of something I want to try, I can go back to this. If I feel I haven't done many exciting things in the world of knitting, I can go back to this list. It supports AND challenges me all at once.

Key: Bold=done, Italics=Will Do, Normal=No Desire

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting Knitting with soy yarn Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes Knitting with alpaca Fair Isle knitting Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks Knitting art Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items Knitting with cashmere Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia Knitting with linen Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers Pillows Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Like Riding a Bicycle

I have to admit that when I picked up my knitting this past weekend, I thought that I would have lost my touch. I figured I wouldn't remember how to cast on and it would take me thirty seconds for each knit stitch. Well, was I wrong! I watched The Nightmare before Christmas last night with a friend and was able to watch the movie AND keep up with the double rib I was working on for Hermione's hat (it is in the new Charmed Knits). I knit about ten rounds during the movie, which was a typical speed for me. I was quite impressed with myself, if I do say so myself. I would post a picture, but I am lazy and 14 rounds of double rib in burgundy isn't the most exciting thing in the world. Once I get to more exciting stitches, I will post a picture, I promise!

Speaking of all things Harry Potter, last Friday I pre-ordered my book! Yes, I am one of the nerds who is going to pick up her book at 12:01 AM on July 21st. I don't want to be concerned about finding out what happens in the book before I get to read it. All I need to do now is pick up the book on the release day and then I can lock myself up in my apartment with no internet, phone, or television until I get to the final page. Hey, I have invested six years in this series! I can't have a random news report ruin the ending for me. ;)

I'm Back!

Hey everyone!

So I just wanted to let everyone know that I am back! What has brought on this return to knitting? Well a few things have been happening. First, one of the guys in my cohort is having his second child! Well, his wife technically is having the baby, but you know what I mean. I am now in the process of finding some sort of cute baby knitting project for the new baby (he/she is due in October). This is posing to be a challenge, since I keep finding adorable cold weather projects, but no warm weather projects. Oh, I am also worrying about how machine washable any of my knits are, since I always hand wash my knitted goods, and parents of a toddler and a newborn don't seem like people who are going to want to hand wash baby booties or bibs. Second, I recently bought Charmed Knits, and am in the process of knitting Hermione's hat from Goblet of Fire. Third, the summer is posing to be significantly less stressful in regards to my time. I only have two classes, plus lab, and research, and halfway through the summer one of my classes will end and I will start treating people in clinic instead. See! Tons of time!

Ta Ta for Now!

As you may have noticed, I have not been posting very much recently. The knitting has come to a sudden halt with school work and a busy schedule. I am going to take a brief hiatus from this blog for a little bit. I am going to reassess in May. In the mean time, you can check out my Disney blog if you want. I know you must be wondering why I am keeping up with that blog. The truth is that it is far less time intensive. It was really great getting to know many of you and I will try to catch up on my blog reading and post some comments.

Happy Knitting! & See you in a month!

-SAK

It Was A Real Nice Computer...

Hey guys,

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was out of town for a couple of days and then my hard drive died last night. :( I am getting a new one on Monday, but until then I need to do all my computer stuff at school. Since my entire life revolves around the computer, I have been spending a bit more time knitting and watching TV. With the weather getting warmer and warmer, my desire to knit a scarf seems to be diminishing on a rapid basis. I did get my new Vogue Knitting the other day though, and am currently looking through it for lace inspiration. Hmmm, it is time to start looking through the stash again!

-SAK

Falling in Love with More Hat Patterns

Wow, I just had the longest weekend ever. Visitation Week for the Clinical Psych program is over and my friend who stayed with me for his interview has gone home. After living by myself for several months, it was weird sharing my apartment with someone. The main thought that went through my head was, "What do you mean I have to let T sleep now? I want to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" Of course, I let T get sleep (I should note, he was sleeping in my living room, which prevented the TV watching) before his interviews and it was nice to catch up on Brown gossip, but I would be lying if I said that I was sad to have my apartment to myself again.

Not too much knitting got done with the interviews. I spent the weekend hanging out with applicants and shuttling people back and forth between houses and the department. I did get my Vogue Knitting magazine though (it got lost in the mail and this was my replacement). The patterns were nice enough, but I fell in love with a hat in a pattern book that was advertised on page 42. It is in the "Artwork Knitting in Africa" for elle yarn. It is a lot like a hat in loop-d-loop, so I am going to see if I can modify the loop-d-loop pattern (since I own that book). There is a big floppy flower on the hat in the VK pattern, but I don't think I would look good with it, so the transformed loop-d-loop pattern seems like the best bet for now.

-SAK

Loooong Week

Phew, I just finished a very scary Child Assessment Midterm and am ready to RELAX. I have nothing planned for the next week except to go to lab, work on my Master's, go through a stack of papers that have found their way into my happy home, and catch up on errands that I have been avoiding like the plague. SO, as you correctly guessed I am going to be knitting and getting prepped for my next Disney trip. :)

Okay, must get going, but I will have more to say on Saturday.

-SAK

Scarves and Things

Hey gang,

Here is an itty bitty update on my ribbed scarf: I am still knitting slowly yet surely away on it. It isn't the most interesting scarf in the world, but it is pretty and will come in handy next winter, since Florida seems to be getting spring weather now. There is something pretty comforting about picking this scarf up every so often and know exactly where I am in terms of the pattern. It is comforting to know that even though my life is pretty chaotic; I have a cozy blue ribbed scarf at home.

This Friday and Saturday is "Visitation Weekend" for UF's Clinical and Health Psychology Department. Doesn't it sound like the applicants are visiting inmates at the local prison? Well, they kinda are...but that doesn't make it less funny! :) I can't believe this time last year, I had just broken my wrist and was upset that I couldn't participate in the Knitting Olympics and was freaking out about getting into a graduate program. Now I am barely keeping up with my knitting and fantasizing about dropping out of grad school and going back to work (I'm just joking Dad!).

In more exciting news, in less than 2 weeks I will be at Disney and will be enjoying the lights and sounds of the most enchanting and magical place on earth. ::sigh:: I need my Disney magic rush. I want to sing with the little kids on "It's a Small World" and fly high with Dumbo. Plus, with all those long queue lines, I might even get some knitting done! ;)

-SAK

Post? Me Post?

Wow, this has been a crazy week! I have been knitting, and exercising, and avoiding vending machine candy, and all sorts of other exciting things! Over the past year with all the upheaval of moving, breaking my wrist, and other major life events, I seem to have falllen off the healthy bandwagon. I have tried multiple times to restart healthy habits, but alas, nothing stuck. Nothing stuck until now, however. :) I am going to Disney World (surprise, surprise) for a bit of my Spring Break and I really want to give Disney some of my money and get silly ridiculous things in return. So I devised a plan, a great, amazing plan, if you will. Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its...wait that's not it. Every time I do something I am supposed to be doing (exercising, taking my multi-vitamin, avoiding vending machine candy, going to be bed before 1AM, etc), I get a sticker. Each sticker represents $1 I can spend at Disney. Right now, I am positively reinforcing a million and one activities, but after a few weeks, I will begin to rein back some of the activities as they become second nature to me and reinforced by their own goodness.

So, what has this got to do with knitting, since this is a knitting blog and not a Disney blog? Well, I seem to have more time to knit. I don't know how this is working out exactly, but after I exercise, eat dinner, do some research, and vaccuum, I seem to have time to knit. I guess all the extra activity is inspiring me to keep busy when I am sitting! Speaking of knitting, here is the ribbed scarf (LB Homespun) I am working on now. The blue is making me so happy and cuddly. It is finally getting warm here in Florida, which doesn't really inspire me to knit heavy scarves, but we will see how far the exercise inspires me to knit. :)

For those of you who wanted to see the finished airy, pink, happy scarf, here it is! It is sadly getting too warm even to wear this, but every morning, I am still whipping this around my neck! :)

-SAK

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!)