Skeins and Steins

New Beginnings: The Rebirth of the Mid-20's

2012-01-30T14:10:00.000Z

Thinking about blogging again, after years of taking a break.

Not to post photos of my projects, cooking or beer, but to reflect on them. As I have transitioned away from a college experience where I was surrounded by close friends and relationships conducive to Sunday barbecues and homemade pies to a professional life where my main support comes only from myself, leading the life I wanted has taken on a different scope.

Being a 25 year old women with a passion for business, entrepreneurship, non-profit work and a self sufficiency based on a do-it-yourself, simplistic lifestyle provides a complex balance between maintaining a feminist world-view, fighting for recognition in both work and hobbies, and striving to "become an adult" is challenging. Doing so when I look 18 proves even more difficult. Doing so while navigating a terrain of relationships, friendships, family and the emotional pitfalls complexities of any inter-personal relationship, romantic or platonic, has not only shifted the way I think about the world, but has dramatically altered my identity.

A homemade brunch with ingredients
from the Green City Market is a perfect morning

I still cook - a lot. I still brew beer, also quite often. I have 5 gallons of a Belgium strong ale fermenting in a carboy, just bottled an IPA, and enjoyed a Saison brewed last month. I spent Sunday roasting vegetables and making quiche. All of my important relationships focus on food and creation; I cook and eat and brew and sew and knit with the people I care about most, but those relationships are not so simple as they were even a few years ago.

I still knit and craft, though not as often. My etsy shop closed, making way for a freelance writing gig that drew in a larger and more realistic amount of money for the effort I was exerting. While I'd rather keep knitting hats and crocheting amigurumi dogs, freelance writing website content and press releases fits into my schedule and provides me with the financial stability I need.

I still love the things I loved in college, still want many of the same things. What has changed is this delicate balance; the precarious interweaving of passion and practicality, emotion and logic, trust and freefalling into one's own life.

The New Way

2011-07-04T17:18:00.000+01:00

In my last post I wrote about the tension between small acts of charity and the desire to execute large-scale charity events to show my support of any given issue or idea. How do we enact change in our own lives, how do we support causes we believe in, while also living a busy live? How do we embody the change we want to see in the world? These were some of the questions I struggle with, especially after a 9-5 job, an aging job, and a long distance relationship.

A lot of what I do does involve crafting.A lot of it involves writing and talking, like my work with Support1000. I plan outreach events. I write a blog. I knit hats for charity, or raise money for animal shelters. I do it all with friends and colleagues, often in my pajamas, from the comfort of my own house (like right now...).

But when one of my best friends asked me to sign up for the annual Ride for Aids Chicago, I said "sure!" There was not only something appealing about taking part of an event I was not organizing, but I looked forward to challenging myself physically. The Ride For Aids Chicago is a 200 mile, 2 day charity bicycling event, so in a mere 5 days I will set out with approximately 400 other riders to bike up to Wisconsin and back. 200 miles in 2 days has me slightly terrified, but I know this event will be amazingly life changing.

Riding in this event has asked more of me than I originally thought, and demanded I examine my own reasons for riding, for pushing my body to its physical limits, for asking my friends and family to help me raise $1000 for HIV/AIDS services (and I only have $195 to go!) I jumped at the chance to participate in this ride, but couldn't quite figure out why. Obviously being part of a group of people actively fighting to both find treatment for HIV/AIDS and fight the stigma against those diagnosed with it was appealing to me - I grew up in a community where an HIV/AIDS diagnosis was not uncommon,and many of the people I met had lost partners, but there was more. When asked "why are you riding?" or trying to explain to people why they should give me money for this ride, I tripped over explanations. I didn't know why, but I had to do this ride.

This was, coincidentally, happening on the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. NPR and other major news sources reflected on the last 30 years, the changing disease, treatments, and social reactions. The profound stories explored how in just 30 years, the HIV/AIDS epidemic had, in many ways, changed the world.

It hit me. I didn't know a world without HIV/AIDS. I was born in 1986, a few years after the initial outbreak of HIV/AIDS, when it was still a "gay disease",and people were dying, untreated and shamed. By the time I hit my late teens and started understanding how and why HIV/AIDS existed and spread, we were past the age of toxic cocktails and rampant disease. HIV was a way of life that we had come to accept - no matter how terrible the diagnosis was, it was no longer shocking or, sadly, even unexpected. I had grown up in a world where AIDS had a gravity unlike any other disease, and I had accepted that as a way of life.

As a 24 year old woman, I've grown up in the "in between" stages of HIV/AIDS. I will never experience the horror of the early 80's when, misunderstood, HIV/AIDS wreaked havoc on the gay community. Now, since I am able to take precautions, I don't have to worry as much about the spread of disease as it makes its way across Africa, where 2/3 of all HIV/AIDS cases are diagnosed. Now, in 2011, we say that an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence, and I know many healthy, happy friends who were diagnosed with HIV.

But it's there. And it's still an epidemic. It's an epidemic we've accepted, an epidemic that will be part of my life - and everyone else's - from now on. It's why we get tested regularly, are careful, and treat those three letters - HIV - like the new scarlet letter. That's why I'm riding - for a better future. I don't accept HIV/AIDS as a way of life for anyone. If we've come this far in 30 years, well, then let's keep riding forward until the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a memory.

Crafting for Charity: Part 1

2011-06-04T16:27:00.000+01:00

There is something about the knitting community, that while inherently generous, creative, kind, and warm has left me wanting more. This is, in part, due to the fact that for the last year or so the “knitting community” for me has existed almost entirely online, meaning my relationships with crafters are abstract, and relationships are simply exchanging comments and viewing pictures. I find myself pulling back from a community which once held a huge place in my daily life, and am wondering why.

As I become increasingly involved in the nonprofit world, I have a hard time switching from “problem-solving” nonprofit mode to “relax at the stitch ‘n bitch” mode. This is a key element as to why I stopped knitting as much; stopped seeking out fellow crafters, or lusting after new fiber-related experiences. I can’t separate my hobby from my vocation, leaving me yearning for crafting which ties directly into my own activism. Fiber festivals and yarn stores simply don’t have the appeal they used to. The question I keep asking myself is how do I combine these two? How can I combine activism with my love of knitting, spinning, and sewing?

Crafting for charity takes many forms; here is an example from flickr!

This is a huge question with as many answers as there are crafters. I do not mean to say that crafting for charity --donating hats, blankets, or clothing-- is not important. To disregard this as valuable work not only ignores the impact of the donation, but diminishes the significance of the hours of (mostly women’s) work and compassion that goes into crafting for charity. Further, dismissing the work as “just a hobby” fails to acknowledge the way traditional crafts and women’s work can have a major microeconomic impact. However, there is a balance between simply donating extra knit items at the holidays, and focusing one’s crafting efforts to assist an underserved population. Both have merit; I’m focusing on the latter.

For example, I have recently been asked to sew reusable sanitary pads for women in Zimbabwe. This may not seem to have the same impact as a Red Cross campaign, but each small act of compassion rooted in a crafter’s desire to give of themselves has fundamental and tangible impact on someone’s life, allowing the recipient to reclaim their dignity and begin to rebuild their life in the ways they want. For me, the highest act of compassion is the synthesis of large-scale NGO’s and nonprofits in tandem with the concerted efforts of individuals. Give money, but also give time, love, and energy. That’s what we do as crafters.

We can’t necessarily enact huge change with our needles while drinking coffee with friends. Sure, I could organize a mammoth “sanitary pad drive” and raise money for the women to send with the donation of the pads, and perhaps I still will, but right now I don’t want to plan a fundraiser in my spare time, I want to sew. Accepting that crafting on my couch will not raise money for huge change within a community, but that sending 100 sanitary pads will positively impact 100 women requires a shift in the way I approach the value of crafting, and opens up a larger discussion on charitable giving and what “real change” can mean.

As I get more involved in the non-profit sector this is something that rears its head a lot. I want to continue to discuss this: I believe focusing one’s creative talents outward, and seeing our work as a tool of empowerment allows crafting to be both a hobby and a way to enact change. Yet there remain questions. How do we craft for good? How do we engage in a discussion that gives merit to the handwork traditionally associated with women and the household sphere? How can we combine the two - traditional crafting and a demand for activism - into something tangible, digestible, and powerful?

Handknits: the dilemma

2011-05-24T14:59:00.001+01:00

I've realized something problematic over the past year that has made me shy away from knitting websites, conversations and sometimes knitting in general.

I don't like wearing handknits. I think I look frumpy in sweaters, I hate the feel of acrylic, but wool itches. Cotton sags and is unflattering. Overall I never feel satisfied.

I have a whole photo album dedicated to berets

I know this is entirely the fault of my own knitting. I an accomplished at heavy aran sweaters, but they make me look boxy. Whispy, lacy tunics look great on my 5'1" 105lb sister, but not me. So I knit sweaters for those I love, but for me...well why do you think I knit so many berets? It's hard to make a jaunty beret unflattering. Same with handwarmers.


It's hard to look bad in a lace scarf

I'd like to like handknits. I'd like to look stunning in colorwork cardigans and lacy tunics, but for whatever reason I have yet to find a handknit sweater that I feel entirely comfortable in. I'm hoping this fall can be the season of handknits, and I can wow myself and those around me with how effortlessly stunning I look in a heavily cabled tunic over leggings, with my frye boots.

I'm convinced it's my technique. I knit too loosely so things lose shape, but on smaller needles my hands and shoulders cramp up. I'm too lazy with swatching, and lose patience with dense fabric on small needles. However I can and have done all of that, to no avail. Why can't I knit a sweater I really like?

At least it's not sweater season any more.I've got a few months to figure this out.

On Spring

2011-05-24T14:33:00.000+01:00

Life gets hectic. It happens. I will stop making excuses for my sporadic posting and just revel in the sunshine, the natural winding down of the school year into the relaxed summer months, the lazy mornings meant for a french press of coffee and a challenging knitting patten, afternoon rainstorms marked by a glass of bourbon and an hour with my spinning wheel.

Springtime in Chicago!

But life is hectic. Settling down into a job that will last more than a season, an apartment with a re-signed lease, forming and nurturing new relationships and friendships are challenging and sometimes seem to defy the simplicity in life that I strive for. It's hard to remain grounded in simple values when I'm working 60+ hours a week with two incredibly dynamic nonprofit organizations, nurturing a long-distance relationship, training for a 200 mile charity bike ride, and a 12 year old dog to play with. Phew. But hectic is sometimes good.

For the past few months I've been hunkered down. Nose to the grindstone. Powering through. All those phrases that mean I've shut down entirely and done nothing but work but now that spring is here my creative juices are beginning to flow again. The notebooks have taken backseat to my spinning wheel, the computer used to stream podcasts and prime-time TV rather than write proposals. It's a welcome change, although finding that balance between work and play remains difficult.

Spring also is a time of creation for me. Not only is my house immaculately clean right now, I have thrown myself wholly into event planning for my nonprofit group. However, the events become more creatively focused and more in line with my passion for fiber arts, sewing, and women's crafts, bringing me to an exciting place of equilibrium. Spinning along with activism, sewing in order to change the world. How can you not like that?

beauty from discarded clothes...

But at the end of the day, it's still the simple act of creating something beautiful and new from something old. I've revisited my recycled yarn to update my Etsy shop, and churned out recycled market bags during meetings. I've created recycled art for my walls at work and my bookshelves at home, piecing together scraps of fabric into vibrant crazy quilt squares, and unraveled never-finished knitting projects to work them into something new and useful to me.

Spring is a time for creation. For me that means spinning, knitting, producing, and continuing to seek that elusive balance.

Winter Wonder(land)

2010-12-22T04:36:00.000Z

My one loyal reader (hi Barbara) pointed out to me that I had not posted for a while. She said this as we were sampling local homebrew brewed as part of a chemistry thesis.

I couldn't help but indulge her with a new post.

This is my first holiday season in over 4 years that I have been single. It's my first adult holiday in which I have not accompanied partners to in-laws, divided up time between households like a present-laden version of Romeo and Juliet. Gone are the midnight fights over who gets Christmas Day versus New Years Eve, and the frantic driving between Michigan and Illinois.

Of course along with the seemingly good (awkwardly schlepping 4 dozen Christmas cookies along state lines, from mother to mother? no more!) there's the bittersweet memories of Christmas Past. Like Scrooge, I can't help but soften when I think of the years spent at the Christkindlemarkt or the Marshall Fields Windows. The give and the take of a holiday alone is a profound change from where I was last year.

Which is, in part, why I have not gotten off the couch other than to cook macaroni and cheese all day. Why I went to Joanne's and bought 6 skeins of wool, cast on a sweater, and finished a sleeve, all within 12 hours. Why beer bottles trail from my couch to my kitchen, and why my phone is on silent.

This Holiday Season all I want is to be. To be single. To be independent. To be in a life that is, for the first time, entirely mine. My apartment; my animals; my car; my job; my yarn; my beer. There's a selfishness in claiming this, and I recoil from the list of "me! me! me!" but I think that to be, to revel in the silence of one's thoughts, history, future and present is not only important, it is essential.

So i'm sitting, drinking coffee until 2pm and beer until 2am, reading, writing, knitting, cooking, piecing together a puzzle. There are lots of pieces to fill in but the ones that are falling into place are painting a lovely picture.

Behind the Scenes at Skeins and Steins

2010-11-08T15:01:00.001Z

Still no camera charger, although according to USPS it's been scanned at my post office so I should get it today. Cue hours of photography and happy dancing!

In the meantime, knitting has become almost manic here at Chez Skeins and Steins. Due to some upset in my personal life involving Evil Men, Geriatric Dogs, Pesky Bills, and my own clumsiness which resulted in a Flat Tire of Doom and Bloody Toenail-less Toe, I've been stressed. Stressed enough that in the last 2 weeks I've knit:

-3.5 cabled berets.
-2 ribbed scarves.
-1 crocheted scarf
-and 2 pairs of cabled handwarmers. And going strong.

Luckily I do have the ability to put these on Etsy or my friends would all know what they were getting for Christmas. In some ways this manic energy seems like the most productive thing ever.

And because I have the Best Friends Ever, who help me photograph my knitting, model it for me, and bear with the craziness, we've had a lot of fun taking photos lately. Christine is a budding photographer so we've been having a great time doing the following:

As you can see, we are not always the most professional models. But somehow the combination of a great camera, a pot of coffee, and a clear blue sky led to this:

Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Recharging

2010-11-03T16:59:00.002Z

I've got a pile of knitting to share.

It's been months. MONTHS.

I finally ordered a new camera charger.

This is the dawning of a new age, y'all.

There's always something...

2010-08-22T17:05:00.000+01:00

I can't find my camera charger.

It's the one thing post-moving that i'd really like to locate. I'm about 99% unpacked at my new place. I've got luxuries like a bed skirt, candles and plants all taken care of. I'm in the process of hanging art.

And of course I can't share any of it because I can't find my camera charger! I've been knitting lots of small projects this summer; socks and market bags mostly. I've got sage green socks waiting to be photographed and a bright teal cotton bag on the needles. Of course, my camera is dead.

That's the thing about moving so much as a young 20-something college grad. 18 hits and you become a sort of transitive personality in so many way. Each year can bring an entirely different personality, group of friends and set of expectations. Freshman year quickly becomes a post-grad existence which consists of lugging Ikea furniture from dorm to studio apartment. Jobs change, friends take jobs in different states, and moving becomes a significant chore. Whether for a job, a significant other, or just because, moving is an upheaval. And let's face it, it really sucks.

This is the 4th time I've moved since graduating in June of '09. I am hoping that I will stay in my lovely studio apartment in Andersonville for at least 2 years. I'm nesting, so to speak - drilling holes in to the wall signifies a sort of permanence. My goal for today is to finish putting up shelves and finally unpack my yarn.

Once my crafting supplies are finally unpacked this place will be home. Hopefully for a while.

And hopefully I'll find that last missing piece...my camera charger!

I'm like Houdini, only more sporadic

2010-07-10T01:03:00.000+01:00

I'm back. Again. And guess what? I've moved, again. Life has been so crazy in the last year sometimes I feel like I'm just along for the ride, holding onto a run-away trainwreck for dear life.

In late March I realized I needed a change. Living alone in a rural area of Illinois was taking a toll on me, physically and emotionally. My friends were in Chicago and Michigan, my family in Evanston and my partner at the time in New Orleans. I thought I should "stick it out" and stay in Putnam, but after losing almost 35lbs I realized how unhappy I was.

So I moved. And started over again. That's one of the joys of being 23 -the only baggage I have is my student loans and mini-menagerie of animals. No mortgage, no kids, just aging dogs and a vague sense of what I wanted.

I'm getting there, finally. I just moved to a studio in Edgewater and am working two part time jobs. I'm trying to figure out how to organize my stash, sewing machine and spinning wheel into my "craft nook", already have my bookshelves in place and have found the closest (and truly amazing) place to find craft beer. I'm also a 20 minute walk away from Hopleaf, one of the most amazing beer bars I've ever seen and am fully enjoying eating and drinking my way through the North Side of Chicago.

My time in the country was certainly not ill spent. It gave me a lot of time to analyze what I want, to come to terms with my goals, feelings and outlook on life. It strengthened some relationships and illuminated the need to move on from others.

The biggest struggle I have faced since graduating in 2009 is how to synthesize all the aspects of my personality. I knit. I brew beer. I love living simply but I also love shoes. I am a feminist who likes gentlemently men and romance. I am a feminist who takes very little crap from people. I love dogs more than I like most people, but love dressing up and going to social functions. Like most people, I am full of contradictions. Trying to figure out who I am is an exciting and terrifying journey, but I am very glad to be able to do so in Chicago, surrounded by amazing friends and opportunities. And also really good yarn stores and bars.

Tips of the Trade - on Recycling Sweaters

2010-04-24T20:41:00.000+01:00

More from the sweater obsessed, recycling savvy, simple living girl currently buried under a pile of yarn. I've been doing nothing but working and spinning. Get up. Drink coffee and spin. Check email. Spin. Unravel sweater. Spin. Go to work and think about spinning. Come home and spin.

A year or so ago I posted some great links on how to unravel sweaters. Unfortunately I can't find that post now so I thought this topic was worth revisiting! So many of us are self-professed thrift store addicts, including whole groups on Ravelry dedicated to this very topic. Yet, if you are just joining the ~~dark side~~, er, the thrift store loving crowd it can be frustrating. Where to do you get the best sweaters? How do you know which ones are worth it?

You may be thinking, "This isn't fun! I just spent an entire episode of "Lost" trying to unravel a shoulder seam. I'm surrounded by pieces of yarn, scissors, and empty beer bottles. How am I ever going to get a skein of yarn out of this #$%^ing sweater?"
This is normal. First, pick up the beer bottles and put them in the recycling. Then, get more beer. We don't want people to think you're a lush or weird sweater crazed cat lady (glances at cats), so cleaning up is key!

Second, check out these links. Read them. Take them to heart. You don't have to learn from your mistakes, learn from ours.

Here is a GREAT and picture heavy tutorial. Read it and weep (with joy).
A great intro to recycling sweaters, including "good seams and bad seams" from the Twice Sheared Sheep.
A great Ravelry post from the Thrifty Knitters group to help guide your first cuts.
And yet another great tutorial!

Third, get another beer. Put on another episode of "Lost," and dive in. Here are some tips from the cave of sweaters past, and yarny goodness present!

It is okay to cut sweaters. Seriously. If you have weird shoulder angles, or a neckline that just won't cooperate don't beat yourself up over it. Shears are your friend. In drastic cases I'll cut a straight line across a sweater and just start unravelling from right above the armpits. The remainder can be felted and used for cat toys, quilts, or other small projects. It can even be *gasp* thrown away. Keep in mind wool can also be composted, and scraps can be thrown out for the birds to use in their nests!
Don't unravel sweaters you don't love. It's just a chore. If you can't wait to get the balls of yarn skeined and in your grubby little yarn loving hands, don't bother. Save the time for that deep blue, heavily cabled Aran sweater in men's XXL you saw at the Salvation Army. That is worth it.
Speaking of cables, they are your friend. As a knitter you know how much yarn cables take. So, if you can find a cabled sweater in a nice quality wool you've hit gold. Buy it. Have fun.
It is alright to buy sweaters with surged shoulder seams. You've already learned how to spot serged seams, and don't buy sweaters with surged side seams. Shoulder seams, can, however, be chopped off. See 1.
This is a great time of year to dive in. Everyone is going through their clothes and downsizing. Salvation Army and Goodwill are overflowing with clothing, furniture, and sweaters. Ask me how I know this.
. Most importantly, have fun. If you're unraveling sweaters and dreaming of Malabrigo, even your simple-living heart might not be contented by the outcome. However, if you can enjoy the process, save some money, and still love your new knitting yarn, recycling sweaters may be a new addiction.

Making

2010-04-20T02:26:00.000+01:00

I don't buy yarn, I buy sweaters.

I realized during this move that I can't remember the last time I went to a yarn store. I ordered some yarn from knitpicks.com, but it was for a Christmas present. As a general rule, the only way I "buy" yarn is from recycling sweaters.

Clearly I am not at a loss for yarn: I have skeins of wool, silk, linen and cotton stacked in boxes and stuffed into corners. Yarn turns up in unexpected places. I seriously don't need more yarn, and yet I keep finding myself unraveling another cardigan and carefully skeining the reclaimed wool.

It's the process. I like making. I like creating something beautiful from something decidedly unattractive. I like admiring cables, or lace, only to see it melt into a pool of kinky, soft wool, then knit back into an afghan or a stole. I like thinking outside the box, and taking the simple act of reusing and reducing to a new and creative level.

For me, it's the ultimate act of simple living to give something a new purpose; to make something beautiful out of an every day object. But it also guides me to attempt this on my own life. I quit my job because I wasn't happy and now I must examine the parts of my personality and put them back together. What do you want? What are your goals, your desires, your abilities? How we knit these pieces together is as simple and essential an act as putting needle to wool, and creating.

The idea of breaking something apart, admiring it, and then rebuilding it seems like an important life lesson. Too often we reach for what is simply on the shelf, or what is popular, or perhaps what is familiar. This has gotten me into trouble throughout my life. We follow roads that are expected, and stock our lives with finished products. Now that I find myself soul-searching, unraveling each sweater is an act of meditation and rebirth. I examine the whole, question the parts, and put it back together as something new, something exciting, and something I have created.

I don't buy yarn, I buy sweaters. And from those sweaters, anything is possible.

A time of growth

2010-04-16T01:53:00.000+01:00

The last few months have been insane. Hectic, wild, wonderful, horrible…overall a bittersweet learning experience that continues every second of every day. I’ve made a lot of decisions and continue to live in a state of flux.

This state of confusion, flux, transition and learning has brought me back to Chicago six months after I left. Under-employed and frustrated with my mother after only a week of staying with her while I get back on my feet, I feel I am the wiser for the decisions I have made and the events of the past six months.

Photo courtesy of jpctalbot via Flickr.com

Living in Putnam was a wonderful experience and I am already missing the starry sky, abundance of deer, and horse farm. However, I have learned the hard way that I am not cut out for the idyllic country life, if it means living alone. With Morgana’s broken leg, Merlin’s old age (he’s now 13), and Eric being in New Orleans, I found myself incredibly isolated, with too much responsibility and too many commitments. Too many bills, not enough friends. Too many hours at work because I had nothing else to do. I spent a lot of time joking that 2010 was the worst year ever. After all I had been (badly) bitten by a dog on New Year’s Eve, Morgana broke her leg in January, and it only seemed to go downhill from there. But, it was a heavy realization to comprehend that it would stay this way until I changed something. Armed with the William Blake line from “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” I kept in mind that “he who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence,” and gave my notice, packed up, and moved back to the city to seek new employment, eat new food, and drink new beer.

I am glad to be back. I did downsize drastically, and now find myself in a state of rebirth. It’s spring, after all. Spring is a time for the new and the exciting. I am a wiser person, whatever that means. And I feel a sense of true excitement in a way I haven’t felt for a while. I’ve already found a great knitting group, reconnected with some old friends, and started a joint blog with Eric that I think will motivate me to new knowledge and make me get out more.

Spring has sprung, and I’m on my way up!

Stashbusting

2010-04-05T01:29:00.000+01:00

I am a knitter who does not like to have "stash." As a general rule I do not like a lot of clutter in my life, although I am predisposed to fold up brown paper bags for later use, save beer bottles for homebrew, and use old spaghetti sauce jars for everything from cat food containers to planters. I love reusing and repurposing, but I hate clutter.

This is a hard balance to find, and I often begin to err on the side of stuff. This is especially true when it comes to yarn. One ball turns into five; the box of yarn I've been carting around for the past several years is suddenly a 20 gallon Tupperware with the lid busting off. This yarn is saved for a sweater, that ball of wool for a certain hat pattern. Too quickly the beloved "stash" becomes "clutter", and a sense of horrid obligation replaces any actual enjoyment.

The bane of my existence is partial balls of yarn. What do you do with those balls that are too small for a whole project, but too big to throw away? Recently I have been favoring the put-them-all-in-a-big-ziploc-and-donate-them approach, but this is only due to serious spring cleaning, and a move in my near future.A lot of projects I see for stashbusting are again for things. I don't want a beer bottle cozy, or a cat toy or a headband. Those are simply more things I will forget to put away and that will end up in the box the cats drag their "prey" to. I want projects with a purpose.

Lately I have been favoring two major ways to de-stash, de-clutter, an really craft. The first is the Log Cabin square. Make a pillow, make a blanket, whatever you'd like. Just start knitting until you run out of yarn! The beauty of the log cabin technique is that it works beautifully with knitting, crocheting, quilting, and probably many other crafts as well! It's perfect for beautiful scraps of fabric, or those left-over stunning balls of hand-dyed yarn you've been hanging on to. My goal for the month of April is to knit another log cabin blanket like this one, and use up even more scraps. For now, gather up those odds and ends and check out some of these great log cabin instructions!

Knitting-And.com has very clear instructions for a basic log-cabin square: http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/log-cabin-square.htm

A great you-tube video from Mason Dixon Knitting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phn76Pt6ypY

And more great instructions from Mason Dixon Knitting, one of my favorite blogs! http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2004_02.html

What are you waiting for? Log cabin blankets are perfect for stash busting. Pour yourself a glass of wine or a pint of beer, pop in your favorite DVD, and just start knitting!

Oh, Say, Can You See?

2010-03-24T23:51:00.000Z

There are a lot of things I miss now that I live in the middle of nowhere. Most of them are food and beer related. I miss Uncommon Ground and their $4 Craft Beer night, their live bluegrass, and amazing appetizers. I miss Ethiopian Food in a way that is causing serious withdrawal. And I miss the beer selection at my local store. I miss a lot of things.

But one thing that continues to take my breathe away out here is the animals that pop up when you least expect it. Turning into the horse farm where I ride and seeing the yearlings racing through a field is inspiring. Nearly running over a pack of 40 wild turkeys on the way home from work is epic and memorable.

Seeing bald eagles continues to be a blessing. The amazing bird is certainly a rarity, and practically a myth when you grow up in Chicago. Seeing these huge predatory birds still amazes me: i'll pull over the car to watch them circle, or sit outside at night looking for them in the trees.
Well, I have a new neighbor. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

It doesn't get more picturesque than that, does it?

Now I'm off to vaccuum up 4 tons of Asian Lady Beetles, feed the squawking sparrows, and hope that crazed opposum doesn't sit on my porch all night and peer in at me.

Spring into Spring with yarn

2010-03-22T00:51:00.000Z

A few weeks ago I had spring fever in a major way. I started making insane claims like "I will spin ten skeins of recycled yarn today," and "I will list all these skeins of yarn on Etsy before bed," or "I will do all my laundry, walk the dogs, and then rewrite all my Etsy listings.

But you know what? I got it all done. The last few weeks have been an illuminating experience. As the weather warmed up, the ground thawed into a soggy, disgusting mess. Birds took to the trees, cheering me on. And I sat, and spun. Got home from work and spun. Watched TV and spun. Talked on the phone and spun. In two weeks I've gone from a huge box of sweaters and balls of yarn, a tangle of odds and ends and a daunting list of skeins to ply to a small milk carton of balls and a shelf that at last count held approximately 30 skeins of plied, recycled yarn.

Excuse that thumping sound, it's just me patting myself on the back.

In all seriousness, it feels great to be nearing what seemed like such a ridiculous goal. In another day or two I'll have spun and plied my entire upcycled yarn stash, and by the week the whole shelf will be listed on Etsy, destined for new homes as hats and scarves and stylish handknit accessories. The gigantic pile of yarn that has haunted me all winter will be transformed.

I feel like an alchemist. Give me an ugly, 80's sweater with too many bobbles, and I'll give you this:

A smorgasbord of color; wool, acrylic, silk and cotton plied together artfully and to the tune of cheery birds and Disney-like dancing animals. This is how I feel.

What are you doing to welcome in this spring? Cleaning your house? Airing out your stash? Shaving your dog and spinning the fiber? (this thought has seriously crossed my mind...)

Out with the Old

2010-02-28T20:54:00.000Z

Spring is approaching. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. No matter how much snow is on the ground, March is tomorrow!

Remember that saying about March? "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Of course, here in the Midwest that saying could as well be "In like a lion, out like a rabid pack of lions tearing apart your frozen flesh," or "in like a lion, out like a lamb who just kicked you in the groin after escaping from the pasture." I'm sincerely hoping and praying that this lion and lamb of a month will prove to be at least a little less snowy than February.

In the meantime my cabin fever has metamorphosed into an urgent need to finish things. Any thing. I'm nearly unpacked and the last finishing touches, such as furnishing my guest bedroom, are in full swing. The dogs have been unwillingly groomed, the cats are, well, cats. The car is scheduled for an oil change and a carwash,and my dishes are all washed and dried.

All that leaves is knitting. Knitting, spinning, crocheting, and above all...finishing. Over the past several months (years...ahem) I have begun more projects than I care to mention. They've moved with me across the country, and now remain in boxes that may as well be their coffins. They lay in wait, calling out to me every time I dare open a box of yarn. My father's "Christmas" sweater, for instance, needs to be seamed and blocked. A scarf design for the Persistent Pooch needs a lace edging. My spinning wheel has been consumed by an ever growing pile of roving and unraveled sweaters.

Now, with the snow still piled at the door but the sweet promise of spring in the air, I'm turning my attention to finishing things. My spinning wheel was the first to come out of purgatory, as was the box of sweaters to unravel, half unraveled sleeves, and carelessly wound balls of yarn. My goal? to get at least 10 skeins of yarn plied, washed, and either listed on Etsy or carefully put away for future knitting. I want this done soon, so i'm hoping to have all ten skeins plied and washed by the end of the day.

Two down...eight more to go!

I've already unraveled a stunning green/teal sweater my grandmother handed down to me precisely for this purpose. The resulting yarn is a fingering/DK weight 100% wool in a beautiful rich teal color. I was originally going to ply it with a light blue wool, but quickly fell in love with the simple, rich, single. So this jade Uruguayan yarn stands along, and is destined for Etsy in the near future. It will feel good to cross that off my every-growing fibery to to do list!

What are you doing to prepare for spring?

I'm considering this a spring cleaning of sorts. The stash must go. The yarn must be turned over and tilled to make way for new projects, ideas, and creativity. Remember, March is in like a lion and out like a lamb. And that lamb brings more wool.

Singing the winter Blues

2010-02-21T22:22:00.000Z

February. March. This is the time of year when the drollness of snow and ice, slushy streets and plummeting temperatures begin to take their toll on us all. “Not again,” we find ourselves saying when white flakes appear. “Not again” to the icy streets and snowplows. The childish indulgences of playing in the snow with our dogs, the joy of waking up to a world covered in white, these are long gone.

February depresses me and do I ever have cabin fever! Even my “Happy Light deluxe” can't cheer me up when yet another day is filled with grey skies and heavy snowfall. February sucks.

But February is here to stay, at least for a few more days, and I'm sure March will be no different. Each sign of spring is squashed with a freezing night or heavy snow. I'm ready to shed snowboots for Birkenstocks but that would be insane.

So instead we live with winter, and we cope. How to handle cabin fever? How can we enjoy the beauty of this (seemingly neverending) season? As I sit tucked into my chair under several blankets and a cat, I have given this a lot of thought.

I long to be active this time of year. I want to run and bike and swim, but instead I find myself confined to the couch. Here are a few things I've found helpful for me-- simple, inexpensive, and holistic ways to bring some joy into a winter day: every Sunday night and several times during the week I dedicate an hour or so to yoga time. Rather than my quick 10 minute stretches in the morning and before bed this time is for serious reflection and work.

Idea One: Do Yoga

First, turn off your cell phone. Nothing like being interrupted during meditation to ruin the effect!

Turn off all but a few lights and light a few candles. Meditating and yoga by candle light always relaxes me immensely.

Put on some relaxing music. Now is the time for that Enya CD. I have a Pandora station specifically for such occasions.

Begin with several minutes of mindful breathing and breathing exercises. Use the candles as a focal point and really work at relaxing and getting your mind and body to slow.

Enter your yoga practice slowly and deliberately, and work until you are tired. An hour of slow-paced yoga with each pose taking several breathes is a great way for me to not only work my body but calm my mind.

Cool down with some more meditation.

If you are new to yoga, try some of the guided podcasts online or catch a local class. You're sure to appreciate the benefits!

Idea Two: Design a Knitting or Crochet Pattern

This is a knitting blog after all (at least in theory!) For my overactive mind, the hours in front of the television or listing to NPR become a lot more focused and fruitful when I feel I am working on something tangible. Design a knitting pattern, however easy. Maybe you'd have a cute hat in mind, or even a lacy scarf? This is a great way to flex your knitting muscles and perhaps learn something new if you've never designed before! Check out The Knitting Penguin for some great tips (http://kristlechester.com/diy-knitting-charts-and-openoffice) and a way to make free charts using Open Office!

I'm currently working on a scarf for The Persistent Pooch. It's the first time I've ever designed or charted lace, and it's quite an adventure!

Idea Three: Tackle a Household Project
Tackle a project you've been putting off-- weekends are usually pretty dull for me. By the time I get home on Friday the last thing I want to do is drive half an hour to the closest town. So I find myself spending a lot of time in my house rather than on the icy roads. Since my dogs are too old for much walking or playing, and my cats are well, cats, I'll have several hours to myself. One can only knit so much! My weekends are perfect for large projects. While you might not have a whole lot of time on your hands, even a small project can reinvigorate you, and the feeling of accomplishment should beat away some of the winter boredom. Get started!

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes should be enough for a small project!

Pick a goal that you can get done in 15 minutes. This morning I finally finished unpacking my bathroom. This does not mean it is clean, or finished. Cleaning, unpacking and decorating would have taken a day but just unpacking was quick. This means I have a garbage bag to take out, boxes to break down, and some furniture to move around. Yet, the task of unpacking and organizing all those hair products, bandaids, and dog shampoos had been on my to do list for months. Now they're done!

After 15 minutes is done, take a break. Grab a beer, knit a few rows, or read a book.

Set the timer for another 15 minutes and get some more done.

Since you're not dedicating an entire day to those projects you won't feel a sense of cleaning doom, nor will your entire day be eaten by such tasks. Just a few intervals will get a lot done!

Idea Four: Cook Something
When I get bored, I cook. Grab you favorite cookbook or hit allrecipes.com and tackle that elusive cooking goal you've had for a while! Two weekends ago I made soft prezels, and last weekend it was bagels! Not only did I make really tasty snacks, I was incredibly happy to finally have tackled this goal! And, I had a great breakfast the next day!

Try this soft pretzel recipe, or this bagel recipe for a delicious treat!

Idea Five: Give Something Away
Go through your clothes to make room for spring items! – Even if you're not planning a spring shopping spree, go through your clothes and get rid of a few things. You'll be happy for the extra space in your closet, and a trip to Goodwill (which is tax deductible) will be a nice pick-me-up. Plus, when spring finally comes around you'll be able to pick up a few new things without overloading your current space!

Idea Six: Recycle Something

Grab that old dress you never wear, and turn it into something new. Much like culling your closet, this will not only be satisfying and fun, it will be an afternoon of creativity and focus. Nothing like staying in the house on a snowy Sunday when you can put on a pot of coffee and create something entirely new, and totally unique!

With that, I think I am going to go make some more bagels! They were so delicious last week I need them for breakfast tomorrow! My favorite--as always--were the cinnamon sugar bagels so I think I'm going to make a whole batch of them this week!

If you have any great “beat the winter blues” suggestions please let me know! Winter, you're going down!

A New Neighbor - lessons in country living

2010-02-07T00:03:00.003Z

Since I moved to rural Illinois, to what can only be described as “the country” there have been a few moments in which the reality of this move have dawned on me. Moments when I say “holy crap, I'm living in the woods 15 miles from the nearest town surrounded by deer and coyotes. What is a city born-and-bred girl like me doing in a woodland cabin?”
The first of these moments was the day I turned onto route IL-29 during corn harvesting season only to find myself stuck behind two huge pieces of farm machinery driving down the highway at a whopping 20mph. I spent the next 4 miles trying to pass them. You don't pass like that in the city. There aren't even one-lane highways around Chicago OR Kalamazoo!

The second came during deer-hunting season. Again, no deer hunting in the suburbs of Chicago or the student ghetto of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I'm sitting on a horse; a gun goes off in the woods. I practically fall off the horse while the horse—the highly anxious, incredibly wired Saddlebred horse—does not move. He's not afraid of the guns in the woods, why should he be?

Since then I've come in contact with more deer than I've seen in my entire life before the age of 23. I've dragged my too-brave (or too-stupid) dog into the house against his will when the pack of coyotes gets a little close to the house. I've driven 40 miles to get to the closest Chase bank, and found the best burritos you can imagine.

All in all, I'd say the transition from city to country has been surprisingly easy. Until the other morning when I looked outside and saw him. My car was being carjacked, so it appeared. A dark, large figure lurked next to my car, shielded by the trees. Imagine my surprise – there are three houses on my street so I don't often see random strangers!

The cats were going wild with the thought of a stranger at their doorstep and I couldn't blame them. Still in my pyjamas I grabbed a blanket to wrap around my shoulders, and threw on my shoes. I ran outside into the snow, a cup of coffee in my hand and came face to face with...

..the biggest wild turkey I have ever seen. Three feet of ugly feathers and weird dangly bits stood next to the car, looking conspiratorial and evil. The cats were now throwing themselves against the glass doors in excitement as the turkey and I faced off. Me, coffee in hand, speechless. Turkey, standing by the car looking ugly as sin, also speechless. Without a word he ran off and bolted into the woods. So much for the car-jacking.

I have a certain prejudice against wild turkeys, having had a run in with one as a small child. I've been tracking this bastard for days now,hoping to get a shot to prove his ugliness. I'll walk outside and he'll pop his head out of the woods and glare at me. I'll take the dogs out and find wild turkey footprints by my doorsteps. The other morning I even caught him looking in at me while I drank my coffee!

He must be stopped. I think I have officially moved to the country.

I've Got the January Blues

2010-01-30T02:28:00.000Z

Hey folks, know what's a riot?

-15 windchill. Love it. So cold I can't feel my feet in the car, or my fingers when I'm walking the dogs. So cold horseback riding has been canceled for two weeks in a row! So cold I'm fairly convinced that Illinois fell asleep one night and woke up in the tundra!

Rawr. I am a penguin. Maybe like this little guy:

In all seriousness, I've got a bad case of winter fever which is why I've been lying low lately. I haven't been inspired to haul my ass to work in the morning, much less write! However, that cabin fever is getting to a point that if I don't break out of the cabin I may end up becoming a little insane.

Courtesy of winter in the Midwest!

Luckily winter leaves much time for knitting, couching,and cuddling. Most nights find me cuddled on the couch with the two dogs and two cats draped creatively over me. There are certainly worse things!

I'm a little ashamed to say I'm still finishing my "Christmas" knitting. It's turned into New Years knitting, and may soon become Valentines Day Knitting! But, my recipients are generous in their waiting and little by little the gifts are growing.

The Binary Scarf in particular is one of my favorite projects to date. Maybe it's because as I age I embrace my geekiness more and more, or maybe it's the incredible satisfaction all the little carefully knit 1s and 0s line up, making a perfectionist giddy with glee.

It's also taking me a damn long time to work on this scarf! Since it's knit in the round it's taking twice as long as it would if it were knit flat. However, knitting it in the round is infinitely quicker than double knitting, at least for me! I shudder to think how slowly I'd be going if this scarf were double knit rather than knit in the round.

I'm also using Worsted Weight wool on size 5(US) needles for this project. I knit loosely, so for most people that might be like using size 4's. The pattern is coming out beautiful, and the fabric is dense while still having a nice drape. The whole thing is turning out quite well -- it's just slow!

Now I'm back to that puppy pileup on the couch! I've got my knitting, my beer, and my animals. Bring on the Friday movie watching!

happy weekend to all!

the Christmas Parade

2009-12-13T19:29:00.000Z

The Christmas parade this year is not anything like last years, when I knit EVERYONE fantastic sweaters and blankets and amazingness, and was clearly occupie by some freak knitting spirit.

Last year--no joke--I started my Christmas knitting in January with the cozy shawl for my grandma Jean and this Japanese Feather and Fan shawl for my maternal grandmother. Last year I clearly had too much time on my hands.

Or something. (not that I'm bitter).

This year, however, Christmas seems right around the corner and I currently have 3 UFOs sitting next to my armchair, several more hanks of yarn stashed in the corner next to my snowboots, waiting to become a scarf, and a coupon/IOU for another sweater. This year things are not going to be quite as industrious.

Sorry, family, Santa's Little Helper is taking the year off. you're all lucky you're not getting gift certificates to Wal-Mart at this point!

But, the knitting IS coming along and quite well. Season 7 of Buffy sees this little helper being quite busy, even if she is very behind. The Christmas Parade of presents is as follows:

A crazy cool scarf

Another crazy and cool scarf

A warm, cozy, and yummy sweater in recycled yarn

uber-socks.

And there, I draw the line. The rest of you are getting t-shirts.

Keep knitting, everyone. The end is near!

RIP

2009-12-10T23:48:00.002Z

Shockingly, I am here to say I have to disappear for a while. Who can believe it? I'm a knitting, beer drinking (and overworked) Houdini!

*POOF!*

Unfortunately, my laptop has died. After almost 5 years of school, traveling around the world, and about 1,000,000 streaming movies, it kicked the bucket and will only turn on for half an hour at a time. There hopefully will be a laptop in my Christmas stocking, but until then I'm busy communing with nature and watching Buffy.

And, you know, CHristmas knitting.

Also, who would have thought that working in a retail industry would be busy around Christmas? Who would have thought that people think t-shirts are good presents? Huh? After a week and a half of 12 hour days I've entered into a semi-delrious state in which I feel I am in t-shirt purgatory. Work, shovel car out of snow, drive home, watch buffy, sleep, wake up, shovel car out of snow,jump car to get it started, work. Rinse, repeat.

So, dear lovelies, keep on knitting! I'll be back with uber photos and knitted goodness, some beer reviews, and other exciting suprises once I break the vicious christmas cycle. Or you know, CHristmas gets here!

A Splash of Color

2009-11-23T02:24:00.004Z

Every year for Christmas, I struggle with what to get those friends and family members with which I am not close, but for whom I'd still like to give a token of my appreciation, affection and love.

Two years ago I made these adorable felted soaps for all the women in my life. They were a great hit! They were also inexpensive and easy to make, and let me check about 10 people off my Christmas list in just one weekend!

Last year I wanted to to branch out a little bit--impart a little holiday cheer to men and women of all ages. Teenagers? Grandma? A little browsing on Crafster and Ravelry inspired me, and armed with my leftover sock yarn and some shatterproof plastic ornaments from Target I started crocheting.

These ornaments are easy to make, although little fiddly. The best part is, however, it's a great way for us craftsters to showcase beautiful yarn, and it's a funky, unique, and beautiful inexpensive gift we can give to those we love!

I've also got them listed in my Etsy shop for any non-crocheters who want a little splash of color on their tree this year!

'Tis the Season...

2009-11-22T03:16:00.005Z

...for geeky patterns!

Lately my friend Ryan and I have been discussing the absolute madness of all the fan-fic patterns/clothes/toys available. He found this website devoted to the now-viral Doctor Who Scarf, and was amazed that fandom had spread to the knitting world.

What's dorkier, he asked, a Bladerunner trenchcoat, or a Jayne hat? You tell me!

However, both of us being big dorks, we couldn't help but secretly be tickled by the whole idea. That led me to ask myself just how many fandom/geeky/dorky knitting patterns are out there?

The answer is, quite simply, an epic shit ton of them. A whole lot of Doctor Who related pieces, lots of Jayne hats, and a lot of Battlestar Galatica inspired wear. Not to mention the various incarnations of Harry Potter paraphernalia, amugurumi Yodas, and various video game allusions.

With Christmas around the corner (...sigh...) I thought it would be fun to do a few features over the next weeks. I'll be featuring my top ten dorky patterns by category; make sure to let me know of any you think should be on the list!

First, let's take a look at some good old geeky. Mathematicians and technophiles will like this category, along with scientists and students. I could probably break this down into even more categories (math patterns! science patterns!) but let's just dip our toes in the water!

The Binary Scarf is pretty much just awesome, and since it knits up in worsted-weight yarn, won't kill you with all that intarsia!
This DNA scarf is one of my favorites: I've given it as christmas presents twice in the past, and will do so again this year! Again, worsted weight yarn makes it a quick knit. And the cable is beyond awesome. This is an old favorite online, but I figured it's worth posting again!
An awesome hat for all the math geeks out there! It's geeky without being too over the top, and it looks really cozy to boot.
Another great hat is the Chromosome Cap which looks like a really quick knit; garter stitch and some well placed cables mean you could whip this up as a last minute stocking stuffer for the scientist in your life!
Everyone loves robots, and this Robosocks pattern (a paid rav download) is just plain awesome. A little more complicated than some of the other links, but I think the fair-isle looks like a lot of fun. She's also got a matching mitten pattern, if you want to flaunt the robots rather than hide them under your pants!
Another great computer-inspired scarf is the Secret Admirer scarf. I love cables, so this one looks like a lot of fun to me! What a great way to give your technophile partner a gift that's super geeky, yet subtly so? It's pretty much geek in disguise, which is awesome.
These awesome BMP socks look like normal fair-isle at first glance, but upon closer examination reveal them to be adorably dorky.
I don't even understand what is going on with these Irrationally Constant mittens, having graduated with an English degree. But I'm pretty sure my math-inclined friends would *squee* on sight!
Techguy socks are pretty much just awesome. Geeky. Awesome. I have nothing more to say!
This pattern actually makes bacteria cute. I'd totally love to whip some of these up as stocking stuffers. I'm thinking the bacteria that contaminates our homebrew might be a fun one to sneak into Eric's homebrew equipment, or leave on his pillow with threatening notes.

If you have any other patterns you think I should post, let me know! Also, if you have knit any of these and have pictures, I'd love to post some FOs!

Happy knitting!

City Mouse, Country Mouse

2009-11-16T02:35:00.002Z

How exactly, I can imagine you are asking after my last brief post, did I end up moving from an apartment in Kalamazoo, Michigan to a house in Lake Thunderbird, Putnam, Illinois? Moving from the kind of urban environment I grew up in, with opera and museums and take-out (take-out you can even order online!!) to the smallest county in Illinois, where the nearest gas station is about 10 miles from me, and the nearest bar has a giant Budweiser decal with an image of a buck and the message "Welcome Hunters!" (I'm not joking, i'll take pictures or something.)

How exactly indeed. It has blessed little to do with steins, and even less to do with skeins. I hope to change the former; the latter, however, will continue to be a hobby.

About 2 1/2 months ago, after graduating, moving back in with my mother (the horror!) and resuming my high school job as a hostess in an upscale gay bar and restaurant I got a call from the aforementioned mother who is nothing if not connected.

The conversation went something like this:

Mom- "Catherine, I just got this email. You won't believe it! You're going to be so tickled. You're going to love it!"
Me- "Awesome, but I'm on the train. Can you forward it to me?"
Mom - "No, just let me read it! Okay, 'Hi Sarah...' Oh wait, someone is calling me on the other line. Hold on..."
Me- "Mom, just call me back. This is wasting my cell phone min...Mom? Are you there?"
Mom- "Okay, I'm back. Sorry. 'Hi Sarah..."
Me-"seriously, just email me"
Mom -"No, I'm reading it!"

Needless to say, I lost that battle. Flash forward about 10 minutes, several more times being put on hold, and me transferring from the El to the bus.

Me-" Wait, so Ryan and Josh are opening a restaurant in Princeton [IL]?"
Mom- "Yes"
Me- "Like, for real? For real, 100%, opening a restaurant?"
Mom-"YES"
Me- "AND THEY WANT ME TO RUN IT? THEY WANT ME TO RUN THEIR RESTAURANT AND POSSIBLY BREWERY JUST FULFILLING MY LIFELONG DREAM AT THE AGE OF 23?"
Mom "Yes. I rock."
Me "OH MY GOD I HAVE TO CALL ERIC AND TELL HIM I GET TO RUN A RESTAURANT."

So, the plan was, obviously, that I would run a restaurant. However, I'm not sure if you noticed that we are in a recession. Unfortunately the bank seemed to remember that fact and would not lend us the amount to purchase the building we wanted the restaurant to be in. I go back to Chicago and twiddle my thumbs for a bit until Josh calls in the midst of a nervous breakdown, overstressed, overworked, and understaffed at their online t-shirt company, Babbletees.com.

So, with the restaurant on hold for the moment, I moved to the country and stepped into the role of Customer Service woman extraordinaire, wholesale manager, and t-shirt trainee. I'm learning about business just as much as I'm learning about not hitting deer while driving 80 mph down route IL-29 once the sun goes down. I answer phones, I spearhead sales, I ride horses, and listen to coyotes.

It's a change. A huge fucking change, and I never saw it coming. But the more I settle in, the more I'm enjoying this change. I'm working in the kind of position I wanted to --with a small, vital company, great people, and ample pay. I'm living an adorable A-frame house (more on that to come) with my two dogs and two cats. I'm horseback riding seriously again for the first time in close to eight years, and I even have a knitting/fiber arts studio, and room enough to spin, dye, and design!

Phew, so there's the story. I've even been knitting a little bit through this crazy move, but I'll have to share that later!

Movin' On, Movin' Out

2009-11-12T17:05:00.006Z

I finally got internet at my house last night. Yep, new house. New job. New life. New...no, the rest is pretty much the same. Of course i have no furniture, one cat is still in Chicago (yep, got a new cat), and my fridge is half empty. But, more on that later.

For now, a quick overview: in the last 4 months I've gone from here

where I was an undergrad, and where my significant other, friends, and mentors lived;

to here: where I lived on the couch, knit too much, and thrifted like a madwoman, before moving here:

Yep, I moved to the country.Putnam,Il, the smallest county in IL. I've already started horseback riding again, and spend my evenings watching deer, listening to coyotes, and being serenaded by the sound of gunshots during hunting season.

I'm sure there will be tons of stories to share as I embark on this adventure, because that's what it is; an adventure. It's corny to think of a "city girl moves to the country" scenario, but sometimes I do feel like a city mouse. We'll see how it goes!

Once More with Feeling

2009-10-08T18:30:00.009+01:00

I finished the second of the emoticon hats just as the temperature plummeted and every leaf in Chicago leaped to its death. Overnight it became autumn. The sky is grey, people are cranky, and I have gorged myself on pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks until my blood flows with nutmeg and allspice.

Thank goodness I have a hat to keep me warm!

Like I said in my previous post, when this hat finally materialized--when I finally found the right yarn and the right chart and had the patience to really work out the ins and outs of the pattern--it turned out so much better than I imagined. And the response it evokes from people is incredible. Something about the carefree silliness of emoticons mixed with the coziness of a snug winter cap catches peoples eyes. Even Eric who mocked the idea when I first proposed it has begrudgingly admitted these hats are cute!

I finally posted the pattern last night, after wading through about 20 different versions of the smiley-face charts, a million proofreads, and the other woes that come with copyediting anything. In a fit of insomnia I managed to post it on both Ravelry and Etsy so you, too, can have a smile on your face and your head!

Pattern Specifics:

Once More with Feeling:
a distinctive winter hat with modern flair

Size: one

Measurements: apr. 18" in diameter, unstreched

materials: Caron Country: 25% wool, 75% acrylic. 3 oz/ 85g, 185 yds/170m. 1 ball Claret (#0017), 1 ball Naturally #0007).

Size 3 16" circular needles
Size 3 DPNs

Gauge: 6 st and 8 rows / 1" in stockinette
Not only is this hat super cute and incredibly fun to knit, it's a great stash buster. I got 3 adult hats out of 3 skeins of Naturally Caron Country; two red earflap hats and one white beanie. I'll definitely be making more of these in the future!

I'll probably try to release a child's version of the beanie in the near future, but for now I'm happy keeping this hat all to myself. I hope you enjoy it too!

Emote

2009-10-05T22:48:00.004+01:00

I've been house-sitting this week, and will be for a few more days. Even though I'm not working much right now (more on that later!) housesitting is a bit of a vacation. Lots of cable TV, wine, and takeout food. Most importantly, however, housesitting has allowed an idea that's been bouncing around my head for ages to finally materialize.

Smiley faces. On hats. What could be better?

Probably six months ago (if not longer!)I had the inspiration to knit a hat with emoticon symbols on it, taking the idea of a traditional fair-isle earflap hat and/or beanie, and turn it into something uniquely modern. I actually knit the whole hat, earflaps and all, in a dark blue and light lavender, which in retrospect was the start of the failure. The hat ended up too big, I hated the colors, and I frogged the whole project, forgetting about it until a few weeks ago.

I still had the emoticon symbols charted out on my computer, however, so starting last Wednesday I began playing around with a few balls of yarn. All I can say is I'm in love! The pictures here are of the beanie version of the hat; the earflap version is on the way. I've already gotten two custom orders from family friends, and I'm hoping to post the pattern on ravelry and etsy soon enough.

Stay tuned for a more detailed post, but in the meantime, don't forget to smile! (or frown, or wear sunglasses, or gasp, or cry, or be angry, or...just emote!)

Rebirth

2009-09-27T02:52:00.002+01:00

It's been over 2 months since I've posted, which is an awfully long time. About three months ago I wrote this:

"I never thought of what would happen to the blog after I graduated college. It seemed so far away."

and since then I haven't known where I wanted this blog to go. I've thought about scrapping it and starting a new blog; I thought about just continuing to blog sporadically about my life; I've though about changing the focus and the theme of the whole damn thing. I've thought, and I've written, but I haven't posted.

Ultimately, I decided I want several things out of this blog. How and if they evolve remains to be seen. Life continues to be in flux, and there are several big events, changes, and moves on my horizon, so to commit to a writing schedule, theme, or idea is impossible! It's all very exciting, but it's quite frustrating as well.

I want this blog to be a place of inspiration, a place where I can share the creative impulses that fuel me. More than anything creativity--in the form of fiber arts, creatively reusing materials, and of course beer--are what drives me. This is why I have this blog.

I also want to be able to share that creativity with you. Share ideas, pictures, projects...all the things that make the blogsphere and the internet such a vibrant place. Share knitting, share stories, share beer recipes, you name it.

I want a place to talk about the struggles of being a 23 year old knitter, beer drinker, environmentalist, etc, who is struggling to pay off her college debt, raise two dogs and a cat, and continue a long distance relationship.

I want to talk about beer more. After all, this is skeins AND steins. Often the latter is forgotten...no more!

So, with that, I declare Skeins and Steins reborn, in a post-college life. I have some huge, exciting, and wonderful news to share in the near future!

For now, happy crafting, and happy drinking!

Summer Bounty

2009-07-14T02:29:00.008+01:00

A while ago I planted a "garden". This garden consists of 6 plastic pots on the side of my house--an old Victorian house broken up into 4 apartments, with no yard, and no sun. The sunny spot beneath my neighbor's window is about the only place I could find for a few plants, and there they live.

Petite bell peppers, green tomatoes, and cucumber blossoms. A sea of green.

Imagine my excitement yesterday when I got home from walking the dogs, and noticed a flash of red amongst the small green tomatoes, curling cucumber vines, and yellow blossoms. Summer has arrived.

Today, with the small gem swollen to a deeper red, I couldn't resist. I plucked it off the vine, popped it into my mouth, and enjoyed the first taste of fresh tomatoes. My first tomato. The first garden I've ever had. It's a wonderful feeling.

I am fairly obsessed with the promise of having a garden all my own in the near future. I belong to a community garden, and am a farmer's market devotee, but something about creating food from the land immediately around me is both rewarding and vital. I want to give back to the community around me in the form of beautiful gardens, and to enrich my own life with fresh food that I grew. It's a dream, but with this first small tomato I'm one step closer to that dream!

Three day weekends and the joy of the sewing machine

2009-07-12T03:42:00.005+01:00

You heard it right. Three day weekends, every weekend. At least for 4 more weeks, when my summer job as VISTA volunteer with Kalamazoo Public Schools ends. Until then, I've been enjoying a nice schedule: 4 days of work, which leaves me drained but fairly happy, then three days of time to craft, bike ride, cook, and play with my dogs.

And have I ever been crafting. I seem to come out of my knitting slump with a vengeance: now all I want to do is knit. And sew. And crochet. And spin. Today saw a good 7 hours straight of crafting, photographing, and generally maintaining a consistent level of productivity that I haven't had for a long time.

It's great! I love getting into that zone, where 7 hours can go by, and not only am I not tired, I'm enthused and ready for more. A bit like a zombie on yarn fumes, I suppose. It's the kind of focus that sat me down at a sewing machine with a pile of old jeans, ripped t-shirts, leftover fabric scraps, and an ugly tweed jacket last weekend. And the same productivity that produced these five patchwork squares in a little over two days of focused work:These five squares will be paired with squares of felted turquoise cashmere (from a recycled sweater, of course!), backed with a magenta flannel sheet (also recycled), and made into a wonderful, funky, and completely upcycled baby blanket. If only I had a baby to give it to!

The idea came from a jacket my mother made me: about 10 years ago she discovered a book on crazy quilting, at the same time my grandmother was going crazy for silk ribbon embroidery. The two were a match made in heaven. Using old scraps of fabric my grandmother had, my mother made a funky and completely decadent jacket. All sort of silk, velvet, and colorful prints of fabric went into the body of the jacket. Then, using beads, buttons, old jewelry and anything that glittered she embroidered the jacket to the nth degree. Of course, I was 12 and had to be forced to wear it. Now, 10 years later, I'm wondering if I can get her to overnight it to Kalamazoo!

The technique she had used stuck in my mind: take any piece of fabric and cut it so it has 5 sides. Sew a strip of fabric to one side; trim; turn; repeat. Continue until you have a big piece of fabric, and trim to be square (if you desire). And so I sewed, trimmed, and turned, using every scrap of fabric from the pile of clothes up.

And I couldn't be happier with the results! I'm not sure I'm going to embroider this blanket. I think the colors are loud enough that anything else might be overkill. And, I tend to like simplicity, even if it is funky,loud simplicity. That being said, this blanket is going to be fantastic. Anyone have a baby in need of a blanket, cause I'm going to have a blanket in dire need of a good home probably, oh, tomorrow at this rate! I'm so happy that my first major sewing project on my new machine is turning out so well!

Skeins and Steins grows up

2009-07-07T02:58:00.004+01:00

I've been wanting to post for a while. I'm full of blog posts, projects, and ideas I'm just dying to share, but I've run into a little bit of a writing roadblock. For the past three years this blog has been "one woman's guide to college." I started it with two other girls as a first-year, and actually started writing around my sophomore year. The rest, as they say, is history.

I never thought of what would happen to the blog after I graduated college. It seemed so far away. My entire identity was one of a Kalamazoo College student; I was defined by the fair arcadian hill, the music building, and the English department. And so was my blog, for the most part.

And then, on June 14th, that deadline arrived.

I graduated college, cum laude! (pardon the unflattering photo of me, and oh, yes, Eric graduated too!)

Since then, I feel I need to redo the idea of the blog a little bit. I'm not sure where it's going to go, but it can no longer be "one woman's guide to college," since I'm no longer in college. The blog (and perhaps I) seem to be having a bit of an identity crisis.

But now that I've at least said it, I promise to share more projects and ideas soon!

the cutest herb garden

2009-05-25T02:06:00.006+01:00

I love the idea of container gardens for city-dwellers. Since last summer (our first summer in this apartment, and my first summer not living in a dorm or with my parents), I have desperately wanted a garden. Last summer we had a window box filled with herbs but they never really yielded enough herbs to do anything with, and since I sprouted them from Meijer seeds they were really nothing special.

This year however, I decided to maximize my space and commit a little more energy to a garden, starting with revamping my herb garden. I recently found I was accepted to a VISTA summer program in Kalamazoo called "Parent Involvement Makes a Difference" working with the Kalamazoo Promise, which means two things for my living situation: I will be living in Kalamazoo at least until August 14th; and I will only have to work 32 hours a week, meaning I'll have more energy than last summer when I was working 40 hours a week, and then on my thesis. With that in mind I bought several herbs from the People's Food Co-op yesterday, and came up with this adorable garden.

How to make your own city-dweller herb garden:
1. Look around at the multitude of possibilities to plant things in. To date I have planted lavender in a broken stein, and an African violet in a cracked French Press. I also have a rusty colander awaiting some herbs. I was frustrated by the amount of dog food cans I had, so I decided they would be my garden.

2. make sure your containers have ample drainage. I poked at least 5 holes in the bottom of each can, simply using a nail and hammer.
3. Spraypaint/decorate if you'd like. I had a can of old spraypaint left over from another project, and gave each can one of each.
4. Decide if you'd like to hang your cans/jars/containers. I used about 9" of wire, and wrapped it around each can at the top, then twisted it into a loop. Really simple, and fairly foolproof.
5. fill bottom with gravel/rocks or other drainage. Half of these are filled with broken glass, since I'm thrifty to a T.
6. Fill bottom with potting soil.
7. Plant your herbs!

8. Configure them the way you'd like. For me this meant getting Eric to nail 6 nails into our porch while I eyeballed the distance and hung herbs from them.
9. Water and enjoy!

I can't wait to see how this works out. I also planted some other vegetables in containers, but I'll blog about that soon. For now, I'm going to get the dirt out from under my nails, and say goodnight to my new garden before having a beer!

A brief hiatus

2009-05-17T16:41:00.001+01:00

Hey peeps,

My internet is down and my computer is making hideous clicking noises whenever I start it. So, until both of these problems are resolved I probably won't be online much in the next week or so.

But, at least it's more time to knit!

Oh Dear Abandoned Store...

2009-05-05T00:49:00.003+01:00

Please forgive me dear Etsy! After a few great months, and nearly 20 seamless and wonderful sales I really let the ball drop.

I stopped listing Etsy items because I didn't have time. I stopped Tweeting and blogging and talking because I was so stressed out about school and singing. And I stopped even thinking about my poor little store!

Of course, it reflected. My hits went from 150+ a day to about 5 overnight (amazing how that can happen), and I haven't had a sale in weeks. But, now that school is winding down I have two main focuses: getting a job (only sort of a big goal) and taking care of my little etsy store!

Finally, while I'm enjoying a cup of tea in the late light of the evening, I got around to listing some new items:

Some really lovely Tee Shirt yarn...

and some really great silk/acrylic recycled wool. It's a really wonderful, high quality acrylic so this yarn would be perfect for someone with a wool allergy who couldn't buy my other silk blends.

It feels good to be back on this particular horse!

Another Great Thrift Store Find

2009-04-28T13:35:00.004+01:00

I haven't been spending a lot of time online lately, or had a lot of time to take pictures and write. So, while I am halfway done with my butterfly dress, pictures will have to wait for another (and sunnier) day!

This weekend may be the busiest and most important weekend in a long time, and I am beginning to get stressed out. It also doesn't help that I want this damn dress finished, so I am going back and forth between massive amounts of work, and massive amounts of singing.

Right now it's looking like this:

Friday Night; Keynote speaker for the annual Hillberry symposium, the symposium of English Department theses
Saturday morning, 11-12:30: emergency rehearsal for Bach Choir. Our concert is may 9th and due to a conflict with the hired concertmaster we had to program another song to fill time. We got it 3 weeks ago!
Saturday afternoon 1:00-4:30: The Symposium! My presentation is at 1:45, and is called "Lesser culture, silenced voices: how the Gothic novel became a tool of female subversion"
4:30-7. Young Vocalist Competition Winners Concert and reception. Singing!
7:30- Fancy dinner for the English majors
Sunday morning- Go out to breakfast with my mom for her birthday
Sunday at 3:00 MY FREAKING RECITAL!
Sunday at 5:00 go to Bells and RELAX.

Okay, I just started to hyperventilate a little bit while writing that. So moving on...(must start knitting!)

Last week , when Eric and I were thrift shopping on a rainy Monday afternoon we found what may have been the best thrift find ever.

A Fuji women's roadbike, in nearly perfect shape. The seat is brand new, as is the chain. Ditto brand new brake pads, and wonderfully working breaks. Having just put a new chain on my other Trek hybrid bike, I know they are not cheap. Neither are seats.

So imagine my amazement and delight when this bike was priced for...
...$30. How could I not buy it? I am loving having it--it's fast, light, and like I said, in great shape. Whoever had this bike before took wonderful care of it, and I feel so lucky to be its next owner!

Now if only it would stop raining so I could go riding! I guess I really should be writing my thesis presentation...ugh.

Toys and necessities every college student should have

2009-04-16T14:00:00.006+01:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while but somehow life manages to get away from me, and weeks have flown by faster than I would like!

I am an avid thrift shopper. It took me a while but I have scoped out all the thrift shops around me, and know which ones have the best sweaters (for the wool) and which ones have the best kitchen appliances. Today, I found a wonderful bike for $30, which i promise I will blog about tomorrow!

A month or two ago Eric decided he wanted a typewriter. We bundled up (since it was in the middle of a blizzard as became the standard in the Midwest this winter) and headed to Goodwill. After about five minutes Eric had found several typewriters, and I found my eyes locked on a certain item.

There, surrounded by old curling irons and outdated technology was a large, plastic box in that familiar shape that can only mean one thing. I beelined across the messy store and $15 later owned my first sewing machine.

It's an old Signature machine made by Montgomery Ward in the 1960's (although feel free to correct me on this information!) And, even though it is old and clunky, and a little dusty, it's built in a way that the new machines I'd be able to afford on my college student budget just simply aren't. A $200 machine at Joanns or Meijer would last me a year or two, but I'm pretty sure this beautiful 40 year old machine could last another few decades.

I've been using this machine like crazy. Like any good college student I instantly employed it to make some extra money, and have been hemming pants and repairing tears for other K college students.

But the really great thing is just having a machine like this! And you can't beat $15. Thank you thrift shopping!

A Bouquet of Baby Hats

2009-04-11T18:51:00.008+01:00

I just launched a new line to my etsy shop. I am so excited! The idea first came to me on a bus ride from London to Canterbury over a year ago, and was reignited within the past few months.

With the idea of and inspiration for baby hats burned in my mind I dove into my stash, came up with various odd-balls of yarn, and started knitting. All colors; all sizes; all sorts of baby hats flew off my needles.

And now, here are the first 18 hats listed in the shop!

The whole idea was to have a gift for babies that was fun, funky, and original. For $50 (including shipping) people will receive a beautiful and original gift ready to go! Each basket has 6 hats nestled tissue paper, creating a "bouquet" of baby hats in similar colors, although each hat is unique.

Let me know what you think I can do to make these even cuter! Like I said, the idea has been percolating for a while but I am still struggling with the best presentation for these adorable hats!

(The listing is here!)

Spring, Hurry UP

2009-04-07T13:15:00.009+01:00

I've currently got a baby kitty rolling all over my keyboard, climbing on my knees, and nibbling on my fingers so excuse any typos. Roo has gotten very affectionate.

So, it's April 7th, and this is the second day we woke up, looked out the window, and instead of seeing budding trees and birds, were greeted with the sight of snow.

SNOW!?! Oh Midwest. Oh Global Warming.

Luckily it's been warm enough for the past few weeks that I finally got to wear my Whisper Cardigan!

I love this sweater. I fell in love with the pattern instantly, but as the knitting progressed I began to question the fit, shape, and overall style. But when I cast off and put it on, I knew it was a winner. I don't think I've ever worn my own knitting this much.
The yarn was a Valentine's Day present from my boss. It's Artful yarns fragrance, and is a wool alpaca blend. SO soft, drapes wonderfully, and is quite warm for such a small cardigan.

I made some pretty big modifications, the largest being a yarn with 16st/4inch which was a much larger gauge than the pattern called for. I cast on 60 stitches instead of 90 for the sleeves, and kind of fudged the rest. This did mean I had to pull out the entire body once, but I'm glad I got to use this yarn!

I also hemmed both sleeves by knitting them an inch longer, and inserting a purl turn row. You can see how they flare just the littlest bit, which I prefer over rolling.

I also began and ended every row of the body, which is plain stockinette, with 3 ribbed stitches, and increased after them. This gave it a nice, neat border that also doesn't roll.

And to finish? A crochet cast-off that makes the whole thing nice and tidy.

Overall, this pattern was a huge success. Easy-peasy, cute, comfortable, and so wearable! Once it stops snowing, I'll be wearing it everywhere.

Spring into Spring

2009-03-25T03:59:00.007Z

With Spring upon us and finals thankfully a memory of last week, here are some lovelies I managed to finish in between finals, and a mini road trip to Kentucky (more on that later).

First, some crocheted armwarmers, made from 100% recycled yarn and reclaimed buttons.

I really adore buttons. Really adore them. And I am head over heels for these little fellas.

Next are probably the most elegant pair of armwarmers I've ever made or seen, and they are PERFECT for spring. 100% acrylic (leftover from the Madeleine Tam), upcycled lace, and beads from my stash make a lovely combo.

So does the picot edging! it really turned these into something beautiful, rather than the original simple armwarmers I had planned.

Mmm, lace! The lace is girly, but the deep blue gives it a funky edge.

Flirtatious, funky, feminine, and all around awesome.

More on my rav page, and if you want these to be your very own, check them out on etsy!

I promise to blog more later this week. Next up, the whisper cardigan, and (hopefully) a sneak preview of the launch of a new etsy line/brainchild!

Don't Do it!

2009-03-11T00:48:00.002Z

Okay, another post today. Someone posted this on Ravelry, and I found it too funy not to share it.

Here is the original text from NPR, and here are my favorite points, the discussions I shy away from the most, the ones that make me reach for a beer.

by Linda Holmes

Don't do it. You may want to do it, but don't do it. You may think you are among friends, but you only think that because you have not brought up any of these topics yet. Tempers will flare. Nothing good will come of it.

1. Home schooling. This one combines the explosive issue of child-rearing with religion and stay-at-home versus work-outside-the-home parents. Always a delicious stew of vitriol. Wait for the moment when someone brings up that girl who spelled "euonym" to win the National Spelling Bee.

2. Bikes versus cars versus pedestrians. In this discussion, every car is that one that opened its door and almost clobbered you while you were ferrying a basket of native prairie grasses for replanting in an urban greenway, and every bike-rider is that one that swerved in front of you while giving you the finger and wearing a T-shirt that says "Anarchy." Eventually, someone will wish broken bones upon someone else, and it's all downhill from there.

4. Declawing cats. I am seriously not even going to describe this debate, because I am that afraid of it.

The last six, including an HBO cliffhanger, the clash of the titans, and that one band you hate, after the jump...

5. Music piracy/copying/sharing/theft/freedom. Go ahead and try. You're better off trying to get people to reach consensus about Star Trek and Star Wars.

6. Breastfeeding. All the emotional complexity of motherhood, all the economic complexity of work arrangements, and all the idiot-attracting power of anything that has anything to do with breasts. Avoid at all costs.

8. Twitter. One important thing about this list is that it is a living thing. If this were 2000, it would include Elian Gonzalez. The most recent addition is Twitter, which is a good example of something you should never attempt to debate, because it generally morphs into a heated argument about the merits of something between people who use and people who don't -- it's like arguing about a movie with people who haven't seen it. They know they haven't seen it, they don't want to see it, and the more you say "But you haven't seen it!", the more they will say, "THAT'S RIGHT, AND I NEVER WILL." And thus do you go round and round and round in the circle game.

The plarn continues

2009-03-10T20:23:00.002Z

In awesome ways! Look at this plarn! Given, the only thing it makes me think of is muppets, or pubes, or muppet pubes, as I posted about in another forum. Which kind of gives me the willies.

Oh, the things you can do with plarn. I think this yarn is another great example of the unlimited nature of alternative yarns. This yarn is most definitely art yarn, but can also be used to crochet with. It's amazingly funky, and it makes me look at the materials around me in a whole new way.

When I started spinning it I had no idea it would end up like this. I envisioned the onion bags (the orange mesh) to stay, well, mesh, and to lie neatly next to the plastic bag. Clearly it did not.

It's crazy and spiky and kind of reminds me of cacti. The orange mesh sticks up every which way, and is very tactile. Surprisingly, though, it's not painful! I can't stop touching it.

I am not sure what to DO with such an invention though. Any ideas? All I can think of is muppets, and that is not productive. I'm already amassing more onion bags, in the hopes of getting another skein of this spun up this weekend.

I'm thinking it would make good:
-Cat toys
-scrubbies
-crazy bags

but that's all I've got. All suggestions are recommended! You know how I love crocheting with plarn.

There is some more info on my rav page, in the stash section as well!

Of Plarn and Kittens

2009-03-08T22:15:00.003Z

I'm having so much fun with the alternative yarns I've been spinning. I picked up several t-shirts this weekend for more t-shirt yarn, and spent a good chunk of today making plarn.

After homework, vacuuming, and laundry, I sat down with a huge pile of plastic bags. A little while later, I got this:

Several balls of plarn, ready to ply with other reused materials, and the rest of the bags neatly stacked, ready to be cut.

There are a lot of great tutorials on how to make plastic bags into plarn. If you are interested, I suggest doing a google search, as well as a you-tube search. It took me a long time to find the way that works best for me, but when I did, it was such a revelation.

And, now that I have all these bags ready to go (and some even spun already!) I'm ready to start hunting for more. It's nice to get them in colors--like the B&N bag you can see in the picture, and I'm toying with the idea of plying colored bags with white bags to create a more interesting yarn. As I keep saying, the sky is the limit with these sorts of things!

And, here is a gratuitous picture of Roo-san, with his favorite toy (much to my chagrin).

Have a good Sunday afternoon everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm missing that hour of sleep we sacrificed this morning.

Whisper

2009-03-05T03:54:00.003Z

With Spring on the way (maybe? It is Michigan after all, it may not be spring until July) I am feeling the urge to knit cardigans. Airy, open cardigans with single buttons. Three-quarter length sleeves, with lacy repeats. Cardigans that, paired with casual jeans and ballet flats, lend themselves to barbecues and sitting on the porch. Cardigans as cheery as the spring.

Which is why, when I got the Spring Interweave Knits a few weeks ago, I was instantly drawn to the Whisper Cardigan, by Hannah Fettig. And, a few nights ago, on a whim, I cast on. Yesterday I "finished" but decided I wanted it to be a little longer, so now I'm just working in stockinette, and hoping spring will come.
The yarn I'm using,Artful Yarns Fragrance, is a heavier weight than the pattern called for, so my cardigan may not be the airy, dreamy, ephemeral one in the picture, but it is soft, cozy, and perfect for sitting on the porch with a cold beer.

Now, if only it weren't 25 degrees out, I'd be doing just that!

Woo!

2009-03-01T00:05:00.002Z

Hey,

Psst...

Look at the sidebar...

I finally got some items listed on etsy! I'm super excited.

Now to go ply more yarn, and play with my Roo!

Roo, meet your adoring public

2009-02-27T13:30:00.002Z

A week ago on Wednesday we brought home the newest member of our little family. Our elderly cat, who we had been taking care of while her mom (and Eric's mom) recovered from cancer, had enough of our two-bedroom college apartment, and let us know by gaining a ton of weight, screaming incessantly, and becoming depressed.

I was depressed to see her go, but apparently she is much happier back with her mom, who is also happy to have her back in Lansing.

But there was a kitten shaped hole in my heart, so without more ado, I introduce...

From Winter 2009

The wonderful tabby-cat, Haruki Murakami, or "Roo".

He's a rescue kitten, and he couldn't be more loving or fun. Or cuter!

From Winter 2009

He also thought that my camera was the coolest toy ever, making most of the pictures blurry.

Roo was born in August, and lived in a garage with his brother until January. Luckily, before the temperature plummeted here in Michigan, the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue snatched him up, and placed him with a wonderful foster mom. And now he's in his forever-home, and we love him!

From Winter 2009

Chaaa-cha-cha-changes

2009-02-25T00:12:00.002Z

There are some pretty obvious changes going on here at Skeins and Steins, ones which I am thrilled about.

A few hours fiddling with Picasa got me a new banner
Twitter means I am having more fun staying in touch with the fiber and craft community, and meeting lots of like-minded people
The Etsy Shop in the corner will be updated soon. I'm pretty excited about being able to offer my recycled yarn to more customers than my kitten Haruki. He's highly disinterested.

Soon I may even get back to posting about knitting, but for now I'm having fun playing in the tech world :)

Recycle that!

2009-02-19T16:06:00.002Z

More and more I'm discovering people who, like me, are obsessed with recycling sweaters. We buy them buy the armful, stash them in corners of our house, and may or may not have panicked when the cat mistook them for a bed. We fill up the bathtub to wash them, and prioritize sweaters before showers.

There are SO many great resources out there. The more time I spend thinking about recycling sweaters, the more amazed I am at the resources. I am going to work on compiling them over the next few weeks, but for now I thought I'd show you my favorites.

The Twice Sheared Sheep has a great tutorial and also great yarn for sale.

Of course there is a yahoo group for everything...

This downloadable booklet is GREAT. I highly recommend it.

There are also a ton of resources on Ravelry, including:

Thrifty Knitters

Unravelers

and Raveler's Recycled Knits and Crochets, just for starts!

There are also great youtube videos that show you how to start seams, and other techniques.

And, of course, once you get all that yarn you have to store it. Mysticspiral.com has a great yarn label to print out, and organize your new stash with!

If you have other resources, let me know, and I'll start making that list!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2009-02-17T23:01:00.003Z

I'm pretty sure I've used that title before. What does that say about me? Oh well...

I have continued to binge on thrift store sweaters and recycled materials. It's an addiction, and it's weird. I enjoy thrifting more than shopping at yarn stores, and lately I've enjoyed the process of reclaiming the yarn more than I have actually enjoyed knitting it.

Part the First of this bizarre obsession:

From Winter 2009

The gigantic bag of yarn sitting on my living room floor waiting to be measured and skeined. I'm ashamed to admit how big the bag is, but let's just say that it usually carries half my groceries. I'm not going to do anything with it until I get my new swift!

Part the 2nd:

I may or may not have gone thrifting yesterday. For $1.09 a sweater, who would have been able to say no?

Certainly not me...

They're all wool blends. No acrylic. All soft and luxurious and HUGE. I can't wait to sink my little fingers into them.

And, perhaps the most exciting thing I've done in a while...

Part the Third:

Yarn from a t-shirt, lightly plied, and

AWESOME plarn. Plastic bags and casette tapes spun together. I love it. LOVE it.

Tonight I have 2.5 hours of Bach Choir, but hopefully I'll be able to post a tutorial on making plarn and t-shirt yarn in the near future. It's seriously addicting.

Squeeeeee!

2009-02-16T00:05:00.002Z

Okay, I know it's only halfway through February, but Joanne's was having a President's Da y Sale, and they had a 50% off coupon and shipping was only $2.95, and, and, and...

...I ordered a swift.

It will be here in 5-10 days. I promise I'll keep my no-coffee pledge. Really! I just really really really wanted a swift.

I am weak. I am also excited!

Loose Ends

2009-02-14T14:21:00.002Z

I've been binging on sweaters from the thrift store lately. Seriously, it's getting to be a problem. I have a wicker laundry basket that contains no less than 10 sweaters waiting to be unraveled, plus a pile of half-unraveled sweaters, plus another pile of recycled skeins of yarn. The problem is, I never really DO anything with the sweaters once I unravel them.

From Skeins and Steins

But I can't stop! There is something addicting about the process--washing, unraveling, and skeining the yarn. Right now I'm ripping apart (with a great amount of satisfaction)a men's XL sweater, 70% wool and 30% nylon. I love the feeling of the stitches succumbing to the ball of yarn in my hands, and unventing the cables as I go. I love stretching the sweater out and thinking what its next life will be. I really just love every step of the process.

From Skeins and Steins

I'm not sure what this lovely brown yarn will turn into, but I do know that it is a fun weekend project! I'm so close to having it all unraveled, then I just have to put it on my Niddy-Noddy, skein it, and figure out the yardage.

A commemorative moment

2009-02-09T14:29:00.003Z

Finally.

After over a year of thinking about it (May of 2007 to now...), and 8 months of writing, editing, writing more, editing more, and more reading than I care to think about, I turned in my Senior Individualized Project.

Which means, as long as I don't flat out fail anything in the next 5 months, I am for all intensive purposes done with my undergrad degree. I have finished my English major, all my pre-requisite courses, including but not limited to: two religion classes, several econ classes, three Spanish classes, and a stats course. Now, I need one more PE credit, and I'm done.

Life is looking a little less stressful!

But now, onto the thesis. 69 pages of literary analysis. 69 pages of the words "patriarchy," "Gothic heroine," "Ann Radcliffe" and "Maternal Figure." You don't know how lovely it is not to have to repeatedly type those words again. And again. And again. It was a labor of love, but the feeling of turning it in on Friday was wonderful. I simply couldn't stop smiling!

Kind of like this:

From Winter 2009

Or like this:

Now I might have time to do other things. Like knit, and run with my dogs, and play in the spring-like weather we are having!

Also, see that thermos? It's helping me a lot in the no-coffee-February. I just bring tea bags, and fill it with hot water throughout the day. It's lovely!

One more picture, just because I can. Look how confused Melissa looks as to why I am taking macro shots of my thesis...

Look how big it is!

Hard to beleive it's really done!

Writing it down makes it real

2009-02-04T16:35:00.003Z

February Goal--

For the month of February I am attempting to not buy coffee. It's an effort to wean myself away from the caffeine addiction and simultaneously save money. While a refill of my 16oz travel mug at Biggby's is only $1.25, it really adds up.
So, no coffee for the rest of February means I will have saved $1.25 X 28, or $25. And you know what that money is going towards?

A yarn swift...

The thought of winding all my recycled yarn off a swift is making not buying coffee very easy...

In the Bleak Midwinter

2009-02-01T01:39:00.003Z

IMG_4882, originally uploaded by littlemissmuffet.

This winter, as anyone in the Midwest will attest to, has been brutal. We have reached record snowfall, roads are treacherous, and quite frankly, morale is low.

Every day is filled with the cacophonous cries of animals whose cabin fever is worse than mine. Merlin, Wheaten Terrier Extraordinaire, is not handling the winter well. He's 11, and his joints are achy, his spirit is low, and he looks old. His 9 year old "sister" is in better shape, but due to her brother's old age and my lack of energy just sulks all day. I'm sure she'd like to be out in the snow for hours, but by the time I get home from class/work/voice lessons/choir/etc I am too tired to play,and too worn out to walk for a mile in the unshoveled snow. I'm sure they will be just as happy as me when the snow finally gives way to Spring.

Too bad that won't be for a while.

To pass the time, I have been doing nothing but knitting and reading. And singing, and helping Eric brew beer, but mostly just knitting. Christmas knitting led into New Year's knitting, which is leading into just plain ol' knitting. And, it's been a while since I posted so I figured it was time to emerge from that snowy hole, like the groundhog will hopefully do on Monday, and say hello.

I was lucky enough to have LOTS of time over Christmas break to knit. One of my favorite projects was the Swallowtail Shawl from IK. It was a quick knit, since the shawl itself is small, and I really enjoyed it. The finished product was stunning; the recycled silk/cotton I used lent itself well to the subtlety and depth of the lace pattern, and I love the ice-blue color, especially knit up into something so delicate.

The shawl, knit up, blocked, and ready to be given to Eric's mom, seemed to cast a spell over me for a brief moment. At this point we had nearly 18" of snow. We were snowed into our driveway. The city of Kalamazoo was at a standstill, and the whole world seemed to be silenced under a think blanket of Christmas precipitation. Standing outsidewith snow past my boots, I laid the Swallowtail shawl over the white snow to take a picture. The beauty created--the synthesis of art, nature, and silence--made me forget that I was standing in a dirty parking lot in a student ghetto. The snow hid all of that. The shawl simply amplified the beauty of winter.

No-one lock me in an attic...

2008-10-19T21:22:00.008+01:00

So, yeah, we finally got internet.

So, I'm back with no excuses. The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful, and they show no signs of getting less so. 100 pages of Sense and Sensibility for my Women's Lit class tomorrow, along with a paper on Conrad's Lord Jim by noon, and all I want to do is knit.

I need to knit, and more importantly, I need to share my knitting. And wear it, and think about it, and talk about it. Otherwise I do nothing but read and write, and I start to go a little nuts. Like Bertha Mason, except less violent. Please, no one lock me in an attic unless I have my knitting!

First, it's autumn, which is one of my favorite seasons. Actually, I suppose it would be safe to say they are all my favorite seasons, but I have been relishing in long walks through maple leaves, and the smell of pumpkin in the oven, and the crisp morning weather...and...ah, Fall!

And with Fall comes, of course, Oktoberfest! Eric and I headed to Lansing a few weeks ago for their Oktoberfest celebration in Old Town. It wasn't quite what we expected--not enough people, not enough beer, too much money. Yet, with the chill in the air, the leaves on the ground, and the smell of beer in the tent, it was a perfect fall afternoon.

Fall has also seen the release of Olde Peninsula's Pumpkin Ale. OP is a microbrewery/restaurant right downtown Kalamazoo, and has absolutely some of the best food and beer ever. Their seasonal releases may be up their with pumpkin muffins and apple cider!

But on to knitting: Last time I was in Chicago I had a mole removed from my chest. After a bad reaction to the anesthesia, not to mention the searing pain for the rest of the day, I felt I needed a treat. Barnes and Noble provided one in the form of the Fall Vogue Knitting. I picked it up, and promptly fell in love with this sweater, the Vihervaara-uppari/Green gable hoodie, picked up some of the required yarn, and started knitting.

Butg, with school starting, my senior thesis looming, as well as the literary magazine, writing center, and trying to maintain a social life, the sweater fell by the wayside. It was done--it just needed the ends sewn in and buttons sewn on. It sat on the couch for about 4 weeks, and I would look sadly at it every morning as I bolted out of the house in less stylish sweaters, or sometimes no sweater at all.

Yesterday I finally finished the sweater, sewed on the last buttons, and slipped it over my head. I LOVE IT. I can't remember the last time I loved a finished object so much, or even any sweater in the store. It's warm, soft, and incredibly comfortable. It fits well, looks great, and is a wonderful, beautiful pattern.

Details on this to come: for now, I've got to get back to reading Austen and trying to catch up with the rest of my life. Yikes.

What I've Been Doing

2008-08-17T14:46:00.003+01:00

...in this long absence.

No internet is getting to me, guys. I'm ashamed to say it, but I want internet! I also desperately don't want internet. I could go on for days with a pro and con list (more quality time in the apartment vs. harder to check email/contact people, more reading vs. less blogging) but that would just be another lame excuse as to why I've fallen off the face of the earth for nearly two months!

Eric is wearing down too, however, so we may soon be calling AT&T with pathetic pleas.

It has, however, been a good summer. I've been working hard and playing hard.

Have you seen Tastespotting? This website has done nothing but feed my cooking obsession. When I do get internet (at our local cafe or restaurant) half of my time is spent gawking and drooling. Especially with summer berries upon us, all I want to do is make pies!
I've signed up for Mystery Stole 4! I had so much fun last year that I can't wait to start again. After stash diving, I realized I would need yarn and beads. Luckily, this weekend has been spent in Lansing, and Eric promised we could stop at Threadbear at the way out of town.
I've also been working on the Babette Afghan from IK crochet. It's taken a hiatus as of late, as the temperatures soar and my attention turns to schoolwork, but I'm hoping to have it done for Christmas. I'm using a medly of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in purples and greens, and am in love!

The rest of my time has been spent on less pleasant (albeit perhaps more important) pursuits. I'll be back soon to post about segways in Chicago, family reunions, and more cooking and knitting!

In the Kitchen

2008-06-25T00:46:00.004+01:00

What a lovely weekend here in Kalamazoo.

I met a friend through our mutual love of cooking, in particular baking bread. So, take summer, check out a few books on baking bread (such as Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice) and in a weekend, many wonderful things will happen.

The purpose of this post was to share the French bread we made. It was my first attempt at "real" bread, instead of my normal throw things in a bowl, knead, rise, cook approach that has yielded good, but not great, loaves. So, we set out to create artisan bread. And we did.

And it's gone. Two one pound loaves have been devoured since we took them out of the oven late Sunday. I guess I'll have to wait until next time we bake to share photos. But man was that bread good!

So, instead of bread, I have farmer's market goodies to share. Such as a simple salad, with just a bit of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The tomatoes are so good I've been eating them on their own, just as a snack.

Or how about some onion and portobello mushroom risotto?

Tonight, I'm going to get a starter ready for a whole wheat bread from Reinhart's book. I'm a whole wheat devotee, and while the French bread knocked my socks off, it wasn't very filling. I want a big slice of whole wheat bread, a slice of cheese, and I'm in heaven.

I'm off to make dinner! I'll return soon with some knitting, crocheting, and animal tales.

Changing it Up

2008-06-15T18:18:00.006+01:00

Now that I am done with classes for a few months, I've had time to catch my breathe, and turn my attention to things I want to do.

Goodbye finals, hello spinning!

I've had a few blissful nights with a pot of tea (even in 85 degree weather I drink tea,) dogs at my feet, cats lurking angrily in a corner, and the radio on. Listening to A Prairie Home Companion, the news, or music, I've managed to plow through several bobbins in a few nights. How lovely!

The red yarn you see on the bobbin has been with me for a ridiculously long time. Years. Seriously. Remember when I blogged about my trip to the Fold last summer? Haven't even touched that lovely stuff, since this red merino has been hogging my bobbins for what seems like eons.

But now, with my spinning wheel easily accessible for the first time since I started college (right next to the TV!) and some spare time on my hands, it seems like the end may be in sight! The more I spin, the faster it goes, and the faster it goes, the less daunting it seems. I've gone from about 1.5lbs of wool to about .25lbs! Of course, that's still a good chunk of spinning, and with the weather hovering between 80 and 90 degrees lately, who knows how motivated I'll be.

See how big that bag was? See how much fiber is left?

But the point is, I'm spinning. You probably didn't even know I spun, I speak of it so rarely! But, I'm back at it, after false starts, long lapses, and lots of fights with my wool. It's wonderful to see the progress, and I am looking forward to knitting myself a sweater from all this wonderful, luscious, woolly goodness.

Also on my needles? (hooks?)

Babette (ravelry link) is coming along quite nicely.
Two chemo caps for Eric's mom. One of the original ones got lost in the hospital, so I'm working on some to replace it. More on that later.
the Hemlock Ring Blanket is still waiting to be blocked. I don't have a space big enough to block it in the apartment, and have been too lazy to lug it elsewhere.

Until next time, hope you are all keeping cool. If you are in the Midwest, I hope you are safe from tornadoes/torrential rainstorms/etc. It's pretty scary!

Finally!

2008-06-06T14:03:00.007+01:00

Finally back with some knitting!

I feel like I've turned over a new leaf now that it is June. This happily coincides with the last day of classes, and a week (mostly) off before work starts. Thank goodness! It's a week I will spend catching up on cleaning, crafting, and reading. I can't wait.

It's 90 degrees Fahrenheit out today, which does not bode well for the rest of my air-conditioner-less summer.

Convenient time to finish a cabled, worsted weight wool sweater, no? I thought so.

Luckily this sweater is destined for greater things than languishing in my wardrobe in Kalamazoo, while the cats shed in desperation, and I wipe sweat from my brow. We live in a very dramatic household.

Forecast, by Stephanie Japel, has been on my radar for a while. I love cables, buttons and cardigans, and the marriage of the three has always intrigued me. It was one of those things I've been meaning to knit since way back when, but just never got around to starting.

But after the tragic death of the pinwheel sweater which came about as soon as I tried the work in progress on and saw how badly it fit me, I was left with several balls of a tweedy, worsted weight yarn, an itch to knit a sweater, and conveniently, a sister graduating from high school and starting at University in the fall.

She's tragically hip, always wears high heels, dyes her hair incessantly, and would probably tell you she's way cooler than me. (One might not disagree with that statement.) I wanted something for her that didn't scream handknit, but that was unique, funky, and versatile. Forecast seemed to be all of those things. Plus, it was easy to knit, and an excuse to go to the fabric store and pick out the amazing buttons. (I love them. Mmm, buttons.)

I think this sweater is best kept a present for later. Her birthday is in October, so just as the Chicago weather begins to turn, this sweater may come in handy. I doubt she'll have any use for it until then.

Like many other knitters, (212 on Ravelry!) I made some heavy modifications to the pattern. I think if I were to knit it again (perhaps for myself) I would go so far as to change the cabled pattern to an aran-style braid, but overall I am incredibly pleased with this sweater. What a lovely little thing she is.

Forecast:

3 skeins Plyouth Encore Worsted. The pattern calls for more yardage than I had but my sister is tiny. I ended up with only a small ball left over.
Size 6 DPN's and Denise interchangeable circs. Not my favorite, but so convenient that I am forever loyal to them.
Took me about a week to complete. Once you get started, this sweater just rips along.

Modifications:

Notice the lack of bobbles? This seems to be the most frequent mod i've seen, and I agree. I think they look like a ton of little nipples.
Bigger buttons = less buttonholes. 5 instead of 10, but I like the look of the bolder, wooden buttons.
Started the body ribbing several inches higher, as many other knitters have done.

I'll make sure to get some pictures of the sweater in action, but like I said, it may be a while.

Until next time, which hopefully won't be too far off, now that I have clearly found my camera charger. (It WAS in a great place...)

M.I.A...That's me

2008-05-30T21:29:00.002+01:00

Sheesh. Been a long time. Sound like the last post?

The problem is, I can't find my damn camera charger. I remember putting it away while I was unpacking, and thinking to myself "Ah! What a brilliant place for devices such as this here camera charger!"

But now that I need the thing, I cannot find it anywhere. To be honest, I haven't looked all that hard, but that's only because my spare room is a mess, and I am afraid of it. So, my exciting plans for tomorrow include finding aforementioned camera charger, and then documenting the last month of my knitting life. I have lots to share, including a finished sweater, a half finished blanket, and some ideas.

Another reason I haven't been posting much lately is that my focus has shifted away from knitting towards other intrigues. And, I've always thought of this as a knitting blog, thus my hesitation to post on say, the whole wheat bread I cooked yesterday, or the cornbread muffins. (Okay, you caught me. I really like bread. And baking bread.)

But I realized, this is my blog, and I am going to expand, and allow it to grow with me. Since coming home from London I've made so many changes to my lifestyle. I cook incessantly (sometimes for hours), which means I have less time to knit. I've made the commitment to biking, rather than driving, which gets me outside more. I've planted a garden, adopted two cats, and slipcovered (half of) the couch.

I hope in the next few weeks to be able to share that with you all. It's been a fun quarter, but quite stressful. With just two weeks of school left I am looking forward to having more time to knit, cook, blog, and drink microbrews on the front porch with Eric, and the addition to our little family that will be appearing shortly. (stay tuned!!!)

If I can find the damn camera charger, I will regale you all with pictures from the farmer's market tomorrow. If not, well, i'll just keep looking for it!

~catherine

I need a drink...

2008-05-05T22:33:00.002+01:00

*Pant, pant*

I'm here. Really. But only for a second. As it turns out, school is also (and always) here, just a step behind me, waiting until I let my guard down and think "oh wouldn't it be lovely to knit" and then it will snap me up in it's academic jaws and shake me until #2 pencils fall out of my pockets.

I'm here, but my knitting isn't. The pinwheel jacket is frogged. The Hemlock Ring Blanket is done, awaiting blocking. More chemo caps are on the needles.

I'm here, but so are 3 papers to be turned in tomorrow, a thesis proposal due the 14th, and all the reading normally due.

I'm here, but now I must go. Hopefully I'll really be here sometime soon. I sure could use a break to talk about some knitting.

Centering

2008-04-11T15:34:00.004+01:00

I have an east facing bedroom window. It's one of the most glorious things about this little apartment, and it completely makes the shitty painting job disappear into the glow of morning light. (Of course, if you look at the ceiling, you can still see that someone painted over those stupid glow stars, but I am willing to forgive even that at this time of the day). Right now the cats are basking in the sun, and I have spent the morning lying in bed reading and writing.

I have come to the conclusion that the only way writing an essays is fun is if you are lying in the morning sun, and petting a cat. It makes the process much less painful.

But, this blog is not about my love of vitamin D, or lying in bed. It's about knitting, and reading. ("What?" you say, "reading? Could've fooled us!" To that I say "...shhhh.")

Lately the idea of concentric circles has been figuring into life as a symbol for the individual's position in society. In my literary theory class, concentric circles have been used to illustrate how each of us stand in relationship to other ideas, languages, and communities. I stand in the middle, and from my fixed point of identity, reach outwards. The farther away from that fixed center the harder it may be to understand,and to be true, perhaps those outermost circles are simply impossible to grasp. But the concentric circles that fall close to me are my foundation: friends, family, cats basking in the morning life. All those familiar, comforting attributes are as different as if they are a foreign language or culture, but they lay closer to my understanding.

The same could be said about knitting, or at least my two current projects. Both the Hemlock Ring Blanket and the Pinwheel Sweater are made up of concentric cirlces (the pinwheel sweater has somewhere around 130 rounds, and I'm sure the blanket has many more.) You cast on a foundation, a small number of stitches,and from that center point your work grows outwards. As the stitches increase, they can become unwieldy, hard to manage. The rows stretch out to incomprehensible numbers of individual stitches, and you trudge on, for the most part blindly trusting they are doing the right thing, interacting with the middle as they should.

The greatest leap of faith is to assume that when you cast off those 500 stitches (or however many you have) that everything has worked. That the pile of fabric hanging heavy on the needles will indeed transform into a cohesive whole. But in order to get to that point you have to put faith in the power of concentric circles to interact in a way we are used to. There must always be a center, and only from that fixed point can the design radiate outwards.

A representation of my week in pictures could look something like below:

Lucy has decided her favorite place is the bathtub. I have no idea why. But if concentric circles are a symbol of stability and individuality, these photographs can be symbolic of how hilarious life can be.

Spring Fever!

2008-04-04T17:29:00.003+01:00

It's been nearly two weeks since my return to the United States, but it feels like an eternity already! There have been a million things going on, a lot of lifestyle changes, and an insane amount of reading. And it's only the first week back at school.

Besides moving into my new apartment and getting back to K College, the biggest change has been the decision to not have internet in our home. Eric and I both have a propensity to spend too much time online, and when faced with the decision to order and pay for internet, we decided to see what would happen if we lived without it.

I love it. I've had so much more time for me, for knitting, spinning, cooking, and playing with the cats. Instead of surfing online at night, we walk to a friend's house and have a beer, or bake bread, or play a game. Or gasp read.

Of course, this has affected my blogging. It's been two weeks since I hurriedly said goodbye in London, and it's not that I haven't wanted to blog, I just have to put more effort into finding the time to sit down and write. I am going to keep blogging, but I think I shall continue to only blog once a week (maybe throw a few tidbits in during the week as they come up.) This way, I'll have more time to knit and spin, and actually have a nice post to show it off at the end of the week.

And now, a note on stash. It's a word knitters throw around. We either love the idea of stash, or hate it. People "stash bust" or go on "stash enhancing expeditions". We are obsessed with collecting the latest fiber, the luxurious colorways, and the expensive, indie sock yarn. On any knitting forum or board you will inevitably find some griping about a lack of room, a disgruntled roommate or partner, and some sense of guilt that we have too much yarn. And yet, we keep buying it.

I've always found the "stashing" mentality a bit silly. I had yarn I liked, most of it was intended for projects, and I never really felt guilty about how much I had. Until I moved. For the first time in about 3 years I had all my possessions under one roof. Books, yarn, clothes, scrapbooking supplies, cookbooks. All arrived in Kalamazoo and were unloaded onto my living room floor. It was at that moment that I realized a devastating truth. I have way too much yarn. It's not that I feel guilty about it, not at all, but I don't really feel that I need six boxes of yarn.

I don't even like some of it. Why would I have yarn I don't like, or am indifferent towards?
I do not want to live in a cluttered environment, and no matter how you look at it, six boxes of yarn is just clutter.
I want to be organized. Bar covering our entire spare room in shelves, and stacking them with yarn, I will have to keep my yarn in boxes for now.
I cannot feasibly knit through six boxes of yarn in the next 4 months (which is when our lease is up), so come August I'll be lugging the same six boxes to another living room floor, and again wondering as to why I have them.

Again, I shy away from words like "stashbust", or "yarn diet", but I think that for the rest of the academic year at least, I will try not to buy yarn. It was with this resolve that I ordered Eric to just drive by Threadbear, even though I wanted to stop. (I did press my nose against the glass the entire way, but the memory of the six boxes taking up the space where I wanted to do yoga kept me strong.) So:

I will go to my stash and see what I have.
I will organize it, and discover what yarns I have forgotten about.
I will knit presents for people, and look in my stash before buying more yarn.
If I can knit something, rather than buy it, I will.
I will look on Ravelry to see what other people have done with the yarn.

This is the mindset that caused me to grab a ball of purple tweed someone had given me, stare at it, and go "A blanket! A Hemlock Ring Blanket!" For who? "For Carol!" (who had given me the yarn a year earlier.) I am knitting the blanket because I enjoy knitting lace, particularly heavyweight lace, and I am giving it to carol to thank her for all her help over the years. It's really a win-win situation. For me, for Carol, for the purple tweed, and for my stash.

It looks like a purple lump to me too. We'll have to wait and see.

Adieu, London

2008-03-20T22:30:00.004Z

A few highlights from a very busy week...

Packing tip. You can fit approximately 50-100 grams of worsted weight wool in the average shoe. Remember to check for "air bubbles" in your suitcase. These can be stuffed with wool.
Banksy is awesome, and so is Camden. He's huge in the U.K., but not so much in the U.S. I really suggest checking him out - he's quite an artist.

One of these pictures was taken in Black and White. One of them was not. Can you tell which is which? (I'm not even sure I can anymore.) Depressing much? (I still love London, though, even on days like today.

Now, back to packing! Less than 48 hours until I'm in Chicago!

Counting Down...again

2008-03-14T13:20:00.004Z

Well, I seem to have regained my knitting mojo, but not my blogging mojo.

I bid farewell to London in 7 days. One week. (Insert sad, panicked faces here.) The past few weeks have been essay writin' time, and cleanin' and freecyclin' time. Now it's time for packin' time and FUN. I plan on spending every moment possible out in the city doing things. And probably knitting.

Freedom, thy name is knitting. And you are mine!

I've got to get a move on, to start my Final Extravaganza Week in London. But I leave you with a preview, and a smile.Hm. Looks a little demonic... not sure about that!

Time Flies

2008-03-05T18:04:00.005Z

Happy March, everyone.

It's been two weeks since the last time I posted. Oops! I'm not going to apologize, because frankly I had nothing to say. And that would have been quite boring.

To be honest, I just haven't felt like knitting much, lately. Or blogging. We have 17 more days in London, and today is nearly over. So make that 16. It's a little stressful, and I have spent most of my time out in the city, or sitting on my bed typing ~~furiously away~~ painfully and slowly as I work on my paper.

But today I did pick up some knitting, and I even have photographic proof. Crappy photographic proof, but it's that awkward time of night where it's not yet dark, but not light enough to take decent pictures. Oh yah, dusk.
The pattern is Cozy, from knitty.com. So far, it's delightful. Of course, I'm only about 4 repeats into it, and I have a feeling that after about 500 more, I'll be ready to shoot someone. (That's the kind of mood I've been in lately.)

The yarn is "Life" by stylecroft. I kind of love the name. I bought it in Bath, from a store that sold EVERYTHING. I've got a sixth sense for yarn, and have been known to spot haberdashery signs from across malls. No, really. It's kind of a problem. I think I'm going to have to de-stash some of my yarn before I leave! Thank goodness for freecycle.

I've got class in 45 minutes, so that's all for me today. I'll try not to be so delinquent in the next few weeks, but I make no promises. Really, I don't think things will settle down until April. Yeesh.

A ton of bricks

2008-02-21T12:27:00.004Z

Oh. My. God. The last few days have been rough. I feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks, or been on the receiving end of an falling anvil, Looney Toons style.

As a result, I've sort of stalled. For those of you currently swamped with snow, you know what I mean. I feel like a car trying to get out of a parking space, and I am just sitting there rocking to and fro, but getting nowhere.

Eric's car was totaled yesterday. Well, to be more specific, Eric's mother's car was totaled yesterday. He's fine (thank goodness!) but they're not sure about the car. To make matters worse, the same thing happened last year. Someone slammed into Eric last December, completely totaling his car, and the fact that it happened again almost makes me want to laugh. He was rear-ended on the highway by a pickup going 45 MPH.

Thank goodness they weren't going faster. Thank goodness he's alright. That's really all that matters right now, but it's sort of a slap in the face on top of everything else. His mom is having major surgery in about a month, and so dealing with insurance, cars, (and the lacktherof) and everything else seems like a cruel cosmic joke!

I can't wait to get back. It's heartbreaking hearing all this when all I can do is send emails, and occasionally call.

My contribution to all of this is to adopt Eric's two cats while his mom is recovering. He'll be living with both of us, with me when he can, but mostly with his mother in Lansing. She can't have any pets until she recovers, and since I'll be living alone, I decided I wanted a cat. As of yesterday, I will be living with Thumbelina and Lucy, two of my favorite kitties ever! I can't wait to introduce them on the blog.

I've been trying to knit, but even that seems stalled. I've got a pile of WIP's taking over my desk, and it's stressing me out. My time in London is quickly getting shorter, and I don't want to be taking back bags of yarn! I need to finish them, and I need to finish them soon.

-I have about an inch left on a baby hat I'm knitting (my own made up design)
-I cast on a hat for a swap partner over on Ravelry. (The College Knitters Group is doing a swap.)
-I need 3 more squares for my super secret project! Just 3 more! Two more really, and one needs to be embroidered. It's almost painful, I'm so close.
-I've started a present for my cousin, and stalled halfway through.
-I've been asked to knit another amigurumi penguin for a friend, and I'd like to get it done before I leave.

I did finish a little something...

...a chemo cap for Eric's mom. (Uplifting, no?) I'm kind of in love with it, even if it looks beyond terrible on me. (Hence the cropped pictures. All you get to see is my unplucked eyebrows!)

The pattern is from Elann.com, found here. (Or on Ravelry.) It was a quick knit, and the way you assemble it is pretty awesome. I'll explain it terribly, I suggest looking at the pattern. It took two balls of Esprit cotton, which is kind of a pain to work with, but the finished pattern stretches beautifully, and seems like it will be very comfortable. Not incredibly soft, but I think it will breathe a lot, so no sweaty heads under this turban.

Now, I'm going to listen to some music and try to plan the rest of my life. No really. Any ideas where a girl should go to grad school? Any one have any connections in the publishing world?

Amiguwhatnow?

2008-02-17T13:41:00.003Z

May I introduce the latest members of the Skeins and Steins family...
...these two little cuties from the Lion Brand website (!).

Ravelry continues to prove dangerous. A few nights ago, I was bored of working on my Super Secret project, didn't want to work on my dad's Sweater O' Doom, and didn't have any other projects available.

And then I searched for "toys". And then "amigurumi". Next thing I know, I'm crocheting and sewing together a little penguin. And then another one.

I don't even crochet.

I learned to crochet back in grade school, around the time I learned to knit, but it never really clicked. I could single crochet until the cows came home, but ask for another stitch, or mention a pattern and all you would have is a big old tangle, artistically arranged around a metal hook.

But when I saw the Amigurumi Penguin on Ravelry, I was enthralled. I was enamored of their cute little beaks, and beady little eyes, and I wanted one. Or two. I was able to brush up on crochet terms online, and by the end of the night, I had one little critter tucked into bed with me.

It's really nice to have rediscovered an old skill, one that I never really appreciated. I don't know how many more toys I'll crochet, or how much use my crochet hooks will get, but I am so pleased with these little guys (and with myself!)

I made them even more special by filling the bottom half of their bodies with rice, and added a few drops of lavender essential oils. So, not only are they cute, they smell good too!

A purse full of beer, a bag full of yarn....and some penguins

2008-02-15T12:58:00.005Z

"Finally, the blog name makes some sense." Too bad I do not have a picture of the copious amounts of beer I lugged around on Tuesday to prove it. Imagination time!

There are some really great yarn stores in London, and lately I have had some (hopefully) really great pattern ideas, so Tuesday afternoon Justine and I set out on an Official Yarn Crawl of London, sponsored by a day pass on the Tube, and my wailing wallet.

First? Liberty's of London, AKA Consumerist Heaven. For those of you who have never heard of Liberty's (I hadn't until I went there!), they stock about 99% Rowan. All Rowan. Back issues of magazines, piles of Kidsilk Haze, and other stock that reduces any knitter to a pile of lustful mush. The rest of the store is the same, just not with yarn.

I proudly report I bought nothing. This time anyways. I've really been trying to cut back on what I buy. I have too many things, too much yarn (even since I moved to London), and the feeling of guilt at having to lug all this stuff around. Since I've been moving pretty much every 3 months, I'd like to have less stuff, not more.

It's hard to stick to that resolution when yarn shopping, though. Stopping a few blocks away at All The Fun of the Fair, I saw they had some yarn on sale. 3 quid for 4 oz. of beautiful, variegated laceweight wool. I bought both balls. And you know what? No guilt here. I can't wait to knit this up, although I still have no idea what to make. I'm thinking a shawl of some sort, maybe something with trinity stitch? If you have any ideas, by all means, help a girl out!

Justine bought some lovely Noro, also on sale. It's hard to resist a sale wall of beautiful yarn. The store itself is adorable, although I rarely buy things from them. A lot of what they sell are little knit toys, arigurumi cacti and cupcakes, and little doodads. I don't buy, but I do drool quite a bit. It's a lovely little place, and if you happen to be around Oxford Circus, I definitely suggest stopping by.

Third stop, also right by Oxford Circus was John Lewis. I'd never been there, but I loved it. They have a huge craft section. (why don't we sell yarn at department stores in the US? I'd like to write letters to Macy's, demanding they follow the example of John Lewis and Liberty's.) We picked up some yarn for a project in the works. I was really pleased to find some mid-range yarn; I was able to pick up about 5 balls of a wool/acrylic blend for about 12 quid. Before John Lewis, I'd only seen Rowan Vs. Acrylic, something that gets quite old.

By the end of the day, Justine and I both had bags full of yarn. And, after another quick stop (at Lidl) I had a purse full of beer. Lidl is a discount supermarket, so I was able to get 8 pints for much cheaper than I've ever seen. They also charge you for bags though, and I didn't want to spend 3 p on a carrier bag that would just end up in the recycling. And that is how, at the end of a long day, I ended up with a purse full of Carlsberg beer, and a bag full of yarn.

Oh, and a penguin, who rode the tube with us. (more on him later!)

Of Stones and Sheep

2008-02-13T17:18:00.007Z

On Sunday, I took my second trip out to the western part of England to visit the city of Salisbury, and to see Stonehenge. We hopped on a train from Waterloo, and a little over 2 hours later pulled into Salisbury station. What occupied our time during that two hours varied from me knitting baby booties, playing Trivial Pursuit, and general chitchat, but ended with raucous laughing as we tried to design a certain toy. I diligently sketched and took notes. Justine and John contributed by creating a "Prawn Maid", their version of a mermaid. Don't worry, I will not be knitting a prawn maid.

How surreal to see Stonehenge, one of the most iconic images in England, possibly the world. A long and bumpy bus ride ended spectacularly as we spotted the stones out the window, and spent the next hour walking around, in awe. Our cameras were never shut off, and I believe our mouths were never closed. We were too busy gaping.

Me and some stones

More stones!

To get to Stonehenge, you have to walk under the highway, and past the gift shop. On the way there, I noticed some adorable stuffed sheep perched in the window. There was some general squealing at their cuteness (to say I was overly caffeinated would be an understatement. Did I mention we had left early?), and I didn't even stop to wonder why they were selling sheep at the Stonehenge gift shop.

It became quite clear as we emerged from the tunnel, and walked towards the stones. Next to Stonehenge is another iconic English image.

A whole flock of fluffy, woolly, and entirely disinterested sheep. We ate lunch among them (Or really, admiring them from across an electric fence), but they still remained quite bored with the whole scene. I must say, these sheep are jaded. I'd move to the English countryside in a heartbeat, and who wouldn't like Stonehenge in their back yard?

I believe these sheep were planted for tourist purposes. There is a highway that separates their little pasture from the rest of the farmland around Stonehenge, and it seems quite impractical to herd sheep across a major street and back, when you could just put them on the other side and be done with it. I believe these sheep are meant to lure tourists, like myself, into becoming infatuated with their fluffy little selves, and enamored of the general picture. Stonehenge looms behind, casting huge shadows, while in the sunlight, sheep graze. How picturesque. How English.

Well, if the sheep were a trap, it certainly worked. Justine bought 7. (I should add they are gifts for nieces and nephews, and thus not completely insane.) They rode the bus with us, and accompanied us on the rest of our trip. 7 fluffy little sheep. Oh my. Never have I been more tempted in a gift shop, but I remained strong, and sadly went home sheepless. Now, if they'd had a live sheep, it might have been a different story...or some wool...or some yarn. I guess I should be glad they didn't!

We were able to recreate our time at Stonehenge. If you've never been there, or have forgotten what it looks like, the sheep are more than willing to help. This adventure sheep seems to be grazing in front of Stonehenge at sunset. He does look quite content!

Market Days

2008-02-11T17:25:00.000Z

Yikes, I'm about 3 days behind in blogging. (I took pictures on Saturday with the intention of showing you, and now it's already Monday evening!) It was an eventful, and wonderful weekend here in London.

This week is our "Reading Week", where students either study and write essays, or go home. If you are an international student (like moi), it means you travel. Or, like me, spend your days wandering around London, enjoying the freakishly warm weather and blue sky.

Exhibit A:
(Okay, so that picture wasn't actually taken in London. It's a cathedral somewhere in Western England...consider it a hint. It's from where I went on Sunday! But the point is...that sky...oh that sky.)

What with the weather around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) and the sky devoid of all clouds, I headed to Greenwich, to walk in the park and browse the market, my normal weekend morning activities. I try to go to Greenwich market often; my flatmate thinks it's "touristy" but hey, I'm a tourist, and I couldn't love it more. I rarely buy things, but spend a lot of time wandering around the booths.

Saturday however, I was pleasantly surprised to round a corner and find yarn. A lot of yarn, and very nice yarn. Apparently, Knitshop has had a booth in Greenwich since June, and I've just missed it! It was definitely a nice find, and to make up for having missed the vendor before, I bought two small balls of yarn, for some charity projects I've been working on.

I couldn't pass up the adorable ball of handspun wool. It's about 2.2 ounces of soft, grey wool, and I was so tickled by the label, as well as how cute the ball was itself! The other purchase was some light blue, fingering weight Caline yarn from Bergere de France. I have never heard of the yarn, but I found it on Ravelry and I am really enjoying working with it! It's quite soft, and I've already gotten two pairs of baby booties out of it, with a ton left.

The next stop of my Market visit was to a vendor who sells handmade glass jewelry.

I got this beautiful pendant for my Grandmother's birthday. I swear, I probably stood around staring at all the glass pieces for 15 minutes before I could finally make a decision! This piece was only about $25, which, considering the quality, is great! I am really excited to give it to her.

There was one more non-crafty treat before I left the market, in the shape of a bag of coffee. Specifically, 114 grams (1/4 lb) of Butterscotch Toffee Coffee,which smells divine. I pass the coffee vendor every time I leave the market, and after 4 months I cracked and bought some. It's such a nice treat!

Market days are always my favorite, especially with a long walk in Greenwich park afterwards. I can't really put into words how excited I was to find a yarn vendor at the market! Their prices were reasonable, they had a great selection, and beautiful yarn. I can't wait to get back there. In the meantime, I'm going to keep knitting baby booties and drinking my coffee.

Oh my!

2008-02-06T15:19:00.000Z

I thought this was too cute not to share.

moar funny pictures

Not much knitting content today. I'm trying to finish up my sooper-sekrit project (I'm over 50% of the way there!) so I am watching Heroes and knitting many, many 12" squares. I think I need 5 or 6 more, and then I it's just the (massive) assembly. Only 6 weeks until the secret project boards a plane with me, moves into an apartment, and can be unveiled to the world.

Woo!

All finished - Japanese Feather and Fan Shawl

2008-02-05T14:37:00.001Z

It's amazing what three or four days of crazed knitting will get you. I knit in front of the TV, knit while I read Macbeth, knit while I sat with friends,and knit while I listened to podcasts. The shawl flew off the needles, the stitches multiplied like rabbits in springtime. I went from a cast on of 13 stitches to a cast off of around 440. And yet, I enjoyed ever stitch and every second. No wonder it went so fast.

Japanese Feather and Fan shawl, a free pattern found via Ravelry.

This shawl is my fourth FO of the new year, and destined for my Grandmother as a Christmas present. Now, before you all think I've totally lost it when it comes to Christmas knitting in February, let me explain.

I had two balls of Knitpicks palette in my stash (I was a little overzealous when ordering for my Q socks) and a hankering for lace. But, I don't need another lace shawl. I don't wear the ones I have, and I didn't really want another one especially out of fingering weight wool.
And that is why this shawl has taken it's place in the Christmas '08 pile. No foresight or brilliance on my part. Just a whim, really. I do feel great to have gotten such a nice gift out of the way. I normally don't have the time or money to give my grandmother much around Christmas, and I am already looking forward to her reaction on Christmas day.

My grandmother is a textile artist, and it due in part to her influence that my passion for the fiber arts has blossomed into what it is today. She lives under my parents, and has a textile studio in the front apartment, where she teaches young kids (girls mostly) how to paint and sew.

And she is nothing if not creative. Bright red hair, a flair for the dramatic, and an eye for color have made for an interesting maternal grandmother, but through it all I have always been in awe of her wonderful artwork. She taught me to embroider and sew, and I am thrilled to be able to return to her the fruit of 21 years of artistic growth in the form of a shawl. I've come a long way since she sat me in front of the sewing machine at age 3.

And, it's a pretty fantastic pattern. I love this shawl.

Madeleine

2008-02-03T18:37:00.000Z

I'm still churning out hats like nobody's business, but this time I did it with a goal in mind. The Madeleine Tam was knit for my sister, Madeleine. (Creative naming, huh?) I figure I'll give it to her for her birthday, or some other holiday which occasions gifts. And to make sure I keep knitting for those around me, and not just for my closet (which is where most of my hand knits end up), I joined the Year Long Gift-A-Thon.

You're looking at my first present of 2008, completed with 9 months and 1 week to spare. I am clearly kicking ass.You just have to imagine it on someone blonder, skinnier, younger, and much more fashionable than myself. I am the fashionable black sheep in my family. Both of my younger sisters (age 15 and 18) are tres chic, whereas I have been known to wear Birkenstocks, sweatpants, and a hippie t-shirt out in public. At times like those, they were sure to walk two blocks ahead of me, which is quite a feat if you consider the three inch heels they always wear.

But I'll never say goodbye to my Birks, no matter how much they laugh and prod. I am, after all, the token Hippie Daughter, and I have a reputation to live up to!

the Madeleine Tam was quite a fun little project. The brim is stockinette, with a picot edge, and a dashing flower. The body of the hat is knit in three stitches, a zigzag stitch, brioche or prime rib , and stockinette. I wasn't sure how it was all going to fit together, but as soon as I put it on, it was love.

Stats for this lovely hat:

I used an acrylic/wool blend I had picked up in Bath. I ended up using a little more than half of the 100 gram ball.
I used size 5 circulars for the whole thing (my Denise Interchangeables as always)
Took about two days of knitting, but only because I got off to several rocky starts. I think I ended up ripping back three or four times until I was satisfied. It easily could have been more. Thank goodness for whiskey.

I like to imagine that Madeline, from Ludwig Bemelman's children's books would have worn a hat like this when she grew up. She wears that adorable yellow one in the books, but as soon as the uniform was off, and she was free to roam Paris and Europe, I bet she would have donned something jaunty and fun, not unlike the Madeleine Beret. Who knows!

I still can't stop knitting on the Japanese Fan and Feather shawl. In fact, I am nearly ashamed to say I'm nearly done. I'm on the 4th chart, about row 92 of 133. That's a lot of knitting in two days! The rows are now epically long, so each one is clocking in at around 10 minutes, but yet I just cannot put it down. I think I was starved for lace!

The shawl will also be going on the Gift-A-Long as a present for my Grandmother. I feel so damn productive, starting my knitting now!

Can't Stop

2008-02-02T11:43:00.001Z

Holy mother of yarn, is it really February already? February 2nd, to boot, which means we're already about 1/14 the way through this thankfully short month?

Time is flying here in London.

I have about 7 weeks left before I head back to Michigan, and then I'll have just a short 9 days to spend with some friends and family, move in to a new apartment, and get ready to return to Kalamazoo College. That means I have about 8 weeks before Spring Quarter starts, and I am far from ready.

7 weeks is just enough time for the anxiety of returning to become a reality. I have lots to do! Paperwork to send, people to contact, plans to be made, and still while I'm here, books to be read, papers to be written, and most importantly, a list of things to see and do in this amazing city before I leave.

The last year has had a lot of ups and downs, and London has been a respite from them, but at the same time, being thousands of miles away from those you love during rough times is one of the hardest things I've dealt with while I was here. Financial problems, cancer diagnoses, depression, and my ever constant migraines have been a few of the things overshadowing my time here, and returning to it, while a relief in many ways, is also a scary thing.

And I just can't stop knitting. I've finished three different items since January began, cast on for two more, and find myself making substantial progress in this Japanese Feather and Fan shawl. (Since yesterday...it's a little scary how much I got done.) I'm halfway through the 2nd chart, and still going strong.

It's just been me, my music, and my knitting for the last few days, at least when I'm not wandering around London. I've downloaded Wuthering Heights from Librovix, and seem to have seem some sort of zen knitting state. All I want to do is knit and relax. Knitting seems to be the only way I can relax.

My third FO of January? This little hat, hopefully destined for my sister. I'm calling it
Madeleine Tam. I'll have more about it later, but for now it is just resting on my desk while I continue to work away at my zen shawl.

More housekeeping

2008-01-30T15:42:00.000Z

I am so exciting. More housekeeping on the blog, because cleaning and organizing is all I want to do lately. I even spent a good chunk of time a few nights ago organizing the photos on my computer.

I need a life.

But, instead of a life, I have lots of knitting, and that's good enough for me! I have rewritten the Cabled Goodness Beret pattern, and also put that up as a free Ravelry download.*

Boy that pattern needed a lot of work! It was the first pattern I had ever written, but it was sloppy, and confusing. And yet people have knit it. I feel sorry for them!

I am much happier with it now that I spent the night tweaking, rewriting, and formatting. I'm sure there is still a mistake or two, but not such glaring ones as "Continue decreasing at each marker EOR until X stitches remain", which I kid you not, I somehow missed in the first draft of the pattern. Bad knitter! no cookie!

That's really all here. Surprisingly, I haven't had the urge to knit. The weather in London has been beautiful, and I've been spending my days running, reading, and feeding ducks. And, actually, finally doing some writing. Hopefully I'll soon have some knitting to report, but for now I am more than content to plop down with a good book, and some music.

The Ravelry download is here if you want to see the fruit of my housekeeping labours, and for those of you in the Midwest, please do stay warm. The weather reports look dreadful!

*Again, I am really sorry to the people who aren't on Ravelry yet. I am more than happy to email you the oh so purty PDF if you'd like! Just email me at c.b.herzog@gmail.com, or leave a note in the comments.

"In Clover" Cabled Mitts

2008-01-28T16:28:00.000Z

I put up a new pattern on Ravelry last night, a pair of cabled handwarmers that I'd been working on. They were a quick knit, with the leftover Sirdar Denim from my cabled tunic. (Hmm, cables and denim. I'm sensing a theme.) I quite love these little mitts, and am currently torn as to whether to keep them, or send to a friend who I promised handwarmers a while ago.

These mitts have 7 cables starting at the wrist that are staggered, like steps. Each cable is a bit longer, until a graceful triangle of cables is made. The edge is finished with a row of small, delicate twists and a double crochet bind off. Overall quite simple, but very lovely.

I know many people think the idea of handwarmers, armwarmers, and fingerless gloves in general is quite stupid, and I can see where they're coming from. But I am a person who gets cold a lot. I am also a person who loves to spend time outside, and hates having to take off gloves to answer the phone, open my wallet, etc.

This is why I've had a long love affair with fingerless gloves of all sorts. That, and I think they look cool! And once again, the Sirdar Denim is awesome to work with. I love the color so much! And the weight of the yarn is perfect for a little project like this!

There's not much more to say about a little project like this, but yet it is these little projects and quick knits that I really enjoy. Hats, scarves, mittens, handwarmers, you name it. Call me accessory girl.

Unlike the sweater, I used size 5 dpns. It's a little bit firmer fabric, which I liked for this project.
Like I said, this was a great stashbuster. I used just one leftover ball of the Sirdar Denim, and I'd venture to guess it was about 50 grams. Not much yarn at all!
If I were to knit them again, I might make the thumb gusset a bit smaller. It fits well, but if it stretches, I'll have some cold thumbs and some baggy gussets!

Please do go check out the pattern on Ravelry! I'm loving the free PDF downloads as it gives those of us who are less than technologically brilliant a chance to share our work.

Oh, and the name? Well, I'd wanted to call these little beauties "Cozy Cabled Mitts", but a quick search on Ravelry told me I wasn't the first to think that was a cute name. I ended up going for "In Clover" because of the beautiful, cozy images it conjures, of springtime, happiness, plenty, and of overall comfort! I wish I were lying in some clover now! And of course, if you happen to find that four leafed clover, you'll be even luckier.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2008-01-27T23:09:00.000Z

Phew! Two posts in one day? I really have been a busy little bee today. It's exhausting.

Yesterday, I went to a cute little Organic cafe in Greenwich, and wrote and read for several hours, and after that went to see Sweeney Todd. And what made the evening even better was that I was able to wear my finished tunic/sweater! Definitely loving this FO.

It still needs to be washed, so that it can shrink a bit. (The Sirdar denim is supposed to shrink about 10% when washed). I'm contemplating throwing it in the washing machine tomorrow,but the thought of all those beautiful cables and delicate picot edging getting abused in a front load washer makes me cringe!

How long did this take me? Maybe 4 or 5 days? It was incredibly quick, especially considering how long it turned out, and how many cables there are! But when you think about it, it's a simple shape, simple cables, and minimum shaping.

I've really been returning to a "less is more" mindset lately, and I think it's not only reflected in my life, but in my knitting as well. I want to knit small, simple things, and give them to people. It's been the process that I enjoy: I've spent the last few days simply lost in my knitting. I'll put on music and pick on my needles, and two hours later look down to see how much time has flown by. It's a nice feeling to have, and I am glad to have reclaimed it. I find simplicity so easy to lose these days, whether in my knitting, or my life.

You have to promise me you'll ignore the wacky look on my tired face, or my crazy hair, and just focus on the knitting! Promise?

Okay. Specs for the project...

I think it took about 7 balls of Sirdar Indigo Pure Cotton Denim DK to finish this baby. It's such a relief to have it all knit up.I can't wait to see how it wears.
Knit on US size 6 Denise interchangeable needles. I know some people hate them, but I have quite a fondness for them. They're so convenient, especially when one's room is the size of a porthole.
Started as a v-neck top down raglan. The cables start right under the bustline, and continue down the body. I split the tunic after about several inches, and knit the front and back flat for a few more inches.
The sleeves are simple and loose, but each has a cabled inlay on it. Very cute, and quite possibly my favorite part. I'm putting another picture of it up, I love it so much!

Now, a question. Please help! What would you call these darling mitts, knit out of the leftover Sirdar Denim? Someone on Craftster had the great idea to call them "Cozy Cabled Mitts" but that name is taken. (A tear has been shed. It was so perfect!)

My creative juices are not flowing today. Any ideas?

Housekeeping

2008-01-27T16:51:00.000Z

Today has been all about housekeeping in the Flat Le Skeins and Steins, much of it in the virtual sense. (also vacuumed and dusted, so there was some real housekeeping too!)

That's why I am excited to announce that I started moving my two (soon to be three) patterns over to Ravelry, as a free Ravelry PDF download. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but hadn't gotten around to.

I also rewrote the Slouchy Cabled Beret pattern, and worked out all the kinks, especially around the decreases (hopefully!). The first version was quite sloppy - I'm hoping this one is easier to follow. I also renamed it: now it is the Slouchy Springtime Beret, because the birds are chirping and I'd like spring to hurry up. (See? Photographic evidence of me reworking the pattern!)

So by all means, pop over to ravelry and check it out! If you aren't on ravelry yet,and still want to knit the "Slouchy Cabled Beret", just email me and I"ll send you the PDF.

P.S. I wore my new sweater (which needs a name!) out to see Sweeney Todd, and had a blast. Not only was the movie amazing, but I felt very chic and fun in my little tunic! I'll post about it later, maybe even tonight!

Rollin', rollin'...rollin' with the sweater

2008-01-25T21:54:00.000Z

First, my amusing University anecdote, which has little to do with the fact that I am at Uni, but more with the fact that I am at this Uni.

Walking across New Cross Road the other day, (the main road by my flat), I caught the eye of a girl who looked incredibly familiar. So familiar that I nearly stopped in the road, to say hi. I caught myself, thinking "there is no way that is Jane!* I must be going insane.**"

Two days later, I get a facebook message from the aforementioned Jane, along the lines of "Saw you walking across New Cross Rd. yesterday...I'm at Goldsmiths!"

So yah...small world? I think so.

But now to the good stuff, the stuff that knitters dreams are made of. A sweater that behaves, and seems to nearly knit itself. That's what I'm talking about folks! After I frogged the Sirdar denim yarn about a gazillion times I was beginning to lose faith in the whole thing, and beginning to get quite bored of it.

But, (sadly) I do not have the funds to buy more yarn right now, or the room for it, and as I only have 8 more weeks in London, I really don't want to be shipping yarn back to the United States. I'm saving those boxes for more important things, like all the books I have acquired. ***

I let this sweater speak for itself. And I am always amazed at what you can produce when you throw plans out the window and just roll with it! A few increases here, some cables here, and voila! A sweater! I was so thrilled to be producing a fabric with the Sirdar denim that I didn't hate that I didn't really put much thought into the process. I started a top down raglan, and just let 'er rip!

What I ended up was a tunic-length sweater with cables starting right below the bust, and loose 3/4 length sleeves. I really love the detail of the sweater, as simple as it is. The cables are over 4 stitches, so they are quite small, and make the sweater really hug my curves (even the ones I'd like to hide...). It has sort of a Grecian flair to it that I love, and I am excited for Spring to come, because I think the denim will be a lovely spring-time sweater.

The sweater still needs to be blocked, and I want to get some "action shots" for y'all, but I couldn't help but share the loveliness! Even if it does clash like something else against that blanket! ****

*Girl I had European History with in high school...seems like ages ago. Oh,I am getting so old!
** I keep thinking I see people I know. 99.9% of the time I'm completely wrong.
***I may or may not have broken down in Waterstones, and bought "Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake. In my defense, it has his original etched illustrations, and Blake is one of my favorite poets. So there.
***BLATANT ABUSE OF ASTERISKS TODAY! WHEEE!

Denim Deja -Vous

2008-01-21T18:31:00.000Z

Back in October, when I attended the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace, I snagged an entire bag of Sirdar denim. Since then, it has been a roller coaster ride of lovely blue cotton, and I have yet to reach the end. (Although at certain points, I have been quite naseated and even frightened.)

At first I wanted a regent-style, Austen-esque sweater. (Insert *what was she thinking* here.) After knitting the whoooole thing, I realized a drapy, empire waist sweater in DK weight cotton was actually insanity. I still maintain that it was the English weather that made me pull a King Lear, and no fault of my own.

And, through it all, over the past 3 months, through Saga Sweater and Final Paper, I have wondered what to do. I sucked it up and frogged the Austen disaster a few weeks ago, then swatched and doodled, and generally decided I hated this yarn and wanted to throw it out the window. I started about 3 separate sweaters, and all of them shared the same fate as the first, misguided attempt.

Now though, I think I might be getting somewhere. I scrapped originality, designing, and having a goal. Those were not helping. I cast on for a top-down raglan, and started knitting. Three days later, I have what appears to resemble a sweater. It fits. It's progressing. I hardly know what to do with myself!

This sweater, if it continues to fly off the needles as wonderfully as it has been, will be a wonderful Spring piece. The denim is so nice and casual, but I think the cables add a little bit of flair, just enough to make it not boring. I'm not sure how long it should be, or what to do about the sleeves. That's the beauty of not planning though, ain't it.

Happy knitting everyone. I hope winter isn't being too hard! The weather in London has been so mild I forget what a real Chicago (or Michigan winter) is like. Yesterday my parents didn't have heat, and a friend called saying he had 15 cm of snow at his University. (Times like this, I love London weather!)

Just in case you forgot...

2008-01-18T12:34:00.000Z

Just in case those of you who have graduated from College/Uni, and moved on to the real world have forgotten what it is like, I have a story.

See, I have a theory that the longer you are out of college, the more you manage to block things out. My mother looks at me in horror when I relate roommate catastrophes, Residential Life snafus, or other gems of college living, even though I am sure she herself experienced similar sagas. I don't think my experience is worse, I think she's just managed to slowly erase all the scaring memories of writing papers at 3 am or the massive amount of Ramen one can consume in just 4 short years, rendering one's self a walking salt cube.

So, let's recap a night or two over at Chez Skeins and Steins (if only there had been more beer, it might have been better.) I promise, there will be knitting at the end.

Wednesday night, around 11 PM. I enter room, fully intending to go to sleep since I have a 9 AM lecture on Modern Literature. I notice my flatmate has some people over.

Wednesday night, 12 AM. They are loud. Oh well, it's early right? I can still get a good 8 hours of sleep.

Wednesday night, 1 AM. I fall asleep. Yay sleep. I have been slightly sleep deprived lately. I suspect I may be either malnourished or developing an iron deficiency, since my cooking is mostly veggies. Too healthy for my own good? Anyways, yay sleep.

Wednesday night. Undetermined time. I suspect around 3 AM. WHAT? A PARTY? I HAVE CLASS.

Wednesday night. Another, later, undetermined time. Still partying. Loudly. Loud music + thin walls = no sleep. Even with ear plugs. I did not want to confront 20+ drunk people about the fact that I could hear their conversations through the walls. I pull the blanket over my head and dread waking up for my lecture.

Wednesday night. Still later. Some guy WALKS INTO MY ROOM. For serious people. Closed door + lights off+ 4 am. What could be in there? Possibly someone sleeping?

Finally, everyone left. I woke up about 3 or 4 hours later and spent the day really, really caffeinated.

So last night?

Thursday night: 12 AM. I go to bed.
Friday morning: 11 AM. I wake up.

Thank goodness the only thing I have to do today is laundry, and go to the gym.

Now, returning to our regularly scheduled knitting content. Lately I have rediscovered a skill I loved as a kid. A skill I seemed to have forgotten. It lay by the wayside, languishing, and I was so excited when I rediscovered it that I started mixing mediums like a mad woman.

That skill? Embroidery. I know it's a simple idea, embroidering one's knitting, but for some reason it never crossed my mind. Until a few days ago, when it sort of paraded across my mind, blowing horns, full fanfare, throwing flowers, and making a generally grand entrance. Embroidery is here to stay.

Exhibit one:

I wanted to knit a duck, since I love ducks. Every time I see them I am overwhelmed with the desire to pick them up and hold them. Sadly, the ducks find this idea not only extremely underwhelmed, but stupid.

Knitting a duck was much easier than trying to convince one to let me pick it up. First step, Google images. I found a suitable duck. Second step, plug it into knitpro to graph it. (The best website ever for those of you who haven't used it. Check it out.) Third step. Knit brown blob.

Step 3 is where it got a little complicated. I wanted to knit a male Mallard duck, but my gauge was too big to really knit fine details without it being a huge pain. I couldn't figure out what colors to use, where to switch, and the thought of fighting with several different strands of yarn on one little square made my head spin. So, I made it brown. And blob like. In the picture above, I started embroidering the head and beak, but you can see how brown and blobby it truly is.

Step 4. Embroider! This part was fun. After a few episodes of Buffy, and lots of chain and feather stitch, may I present you with...
A duck! He still needs eyes, and maybe a little work on his weirdly shaped feet, but overall, I am really quite enamored of this little guy.

The Story of the Squishy Scarf - illiteration 101

2008-01-15T19:16:00.001Z

In my last post I introduced, albeit briefly, the wonders of the reversible scarf.

What is this scarf, you might be asking yourself. From where did it come from? Who designed it? And, why is it so squooshy you want to bury your face in it,or use it as a pillow, or simple squeeze it repeatedly?

All valid questions my friends.

This scarf came to me via Ravelry, as most wonderful knitted goodness does these days. (I've noticed that most of the blog-sphere is singing the praises of Ravelry, and with good reason. I even told my mother to sign up.) It is a pattern called Palidrome (since it's reversible!) found here. As soon as I saw it, I was in love. More obsessed than Spike in season 5 of Buffy (yes, still watching Buffy) I ran for my yarn drawer, and to my delight, discovered I had two balls of Rowan wool left over from my dad's sweater.

Two days later (and several episodes of Buffy later) I cast off. And then I smooshed my face into...okay not really. But, I do really love this scarf. The reversible cables, cleverly done by working an 8 stitch cable (4 over 4) while maintaining 2x2 rib makes a really thick, soft fabric. The Rowan wool is light and airy, but also incredibly warm. So all in all, this scarf is heavenly. Light, but thick and squishy, and warm enough that, wrapped around my neck, no wind can harm me!

The scarf is also the reason for the slightly delinquent blogging lately. Other than this lovely piece of squooshiness, I haven't been doing much. A little bit of reading here, a little bit of walking around London, but I have little to show. I guess getting back to London killed any motivation I had.

But my squooshy scarf and I are ready to go out into the windy, blustery London weather. Just look at it! (And how grey it is...)

Out with the old, in with the new

2008-01-11T15:15:00.000Z

Eric and I spent one lovely evening at an amusement park, while I was in Japan. In the dark. And the rain. In case you were wondering, riding a roller coaster in the dark and the rain is terrifying, but riding a ferris wheel is worse. I would not recommend it, unless you like freezing your arse off. But I digress.

While walking to aforementioned crazy Japanese amusement park in the rain, I noticed Eric did not have a scarf. Ludicrous! How does one date a knitter for so long and not even have a scarf? In about three seconds, he was wearing a scarf I had tucked away in my backpack, a lovely green scarf I had knit a long time ago. My only recollection of the yarn is that it was expensive, but logic tells me it may be Manos De Uraguay. My only recollection of the pattern is...well, no actually, it's a very easy pattern. Just your basic multi-directional garter stitch scarf.

That scarf served me well for about two years, but now it has taken up residence in Japan. Eric is "borrowing" it until we get back, but occasionally I get such emails as "I wore your scarf to sleep tonight! It's just so cold in my room, and it was like having a stuffed animal," or, "Wore your scarf today, got so many compliments! It kept me nice and warm." I think borrowed may have turned into given, but that is perfectly okay with me! (Even if he does insist on calling it a muffler.)

The point of all of this is not to bore you to death. No, the point is, I came back from London wondering why I had thought it was a good idea to let my nice, woolly, warm scarf leave me. I came back to London a little shivering ball of coldness. And then I cast on.

I have only two words for this scarf. The first one is squooshy. The second one? Reversible.

Brilliant. (Also, not blue at all in real life. Damn English weather and lack of sunlight.)

Back for real

2008-01-09T09:24:00.001Z

Phew. What an exhausting three weeks. After Bath-London-Madrid-Venice-Rome, I collapsed into my sweet, sweet bed in London, swearing never to move again.

I have broken my resolve to stay in bed for the next week, only getting up long enough to a) get more food, b) queue more Buffy, or c) get another ball of yarn. I have broken it for you, because I feel pictures of baby Japanese deer must be shared!

So here is (knitting free) recap of my vacation, Japan style. Europe will come soon, but I don't want to drown you in photos. Also, it would take foreeeeever to upload them all. Knitting free because I decided I didn't want to have to deal with security and knitting needles. Also, because in the last two days I have knit approximately 1" of 2x2 ribbing. No one needs to see that. Baby deer are much better.

Day 1.
Can you believe this is where the Atom Bomb fell, years ago? This park, the Peace Park in Hiroshima, is one of the most beautiful, serene, and well, peaceful places I've ever been. The only reminder is the A-bomb dome, peeking up in the middle there. It left me speechless, and an emotional wreck. I think everyone should be required to go to Hiroshima.

Day 2.Tokyo. Big City. Big lights. We ate sushi off a conveyor belt and walked around. It was awesome! But big cities are not my favorite places, and Tokyo is really quite busy. I was glad to leave, although I am glad I got to see it!

Day 3.
We went to an amusement park, where Eric insisted we go into the -30 degrees (Celsius) room. I don't know why. I also don't know why there was a gigantic fake polar bear, but here you go.

Day 4.Kyoto is stunningly beautiful. So is the Golden Pavilion. It was truly breathtaking. The Kyoto landscape made me melt into a little puddle, and I wanted to go roll around in the amazingly green moss. I didn't, but I wanted to. (Ah, what academic, informed commentary on these photos.)

Day 5, AKA Christmas Eve.The town of Nara has some free roaming deer. A lot of deer. Really, really cute and smart deer who prey on the kindness of tourists. I was one of those tourists. I soon fell to their wily ways.
Eric also fell prey to their cuteness. (well, that guy's not so cute, but he had character.)

Ah! Deer in the shrines! Cute cute cute! (that one sort of looks like a Llama, doesn't he?)

Day 6, AKA Christmas. I took way too many pictures of ducks, but I will leave you with just this enduring message.

I have about, oh, 300 more pictures, so if anyone wants to see them, let me know. I didn't want to bore you all to death with the other 50 pictures of the deer, although I don't know why you wouldn't want to see them!

Happy 2008.

I'm Back!

2008-01-07T09:25:00.001Z

But oh so exhausted and hungry! Now I must jet off to an orientation meeting for an hour.

Just wait my friends, I have pictures of baby deer. Who can resist!

A Little Something

2007-12-18T19:15:00.000Z

I leave for Japan tomorrow! *gulp*.

Before I get to bed in preparation for my 5:30 train to Heathrow, here is a little something.
My Q socks are done, ready for a trip around the world!

Happy holidays everyone! I'll see you in the New Year!

Ways to enjoy a cold winter night

2007-12-14T21:16:00.000Z

It's been quite brisk in London. Nothing like the ice storms I am thankfully missing back in the Midwest, but still pretty cold. This means I have done absolutely nothing worth mentioning in the last week, besides catch a cold (great) and eat a box of cookies (about as great as the cold. Sugar makes me feel gross).

But last night I had quite an enjoyable evening. Here are some surefire ways to enjoy yourself when the mere thought of going outside makes you panic.

1. Queue up a bad movie such as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

2. Put on some handmade socks that you forgot you owned.
(I think these were some kind of Trekking. I made them last year, and the colors are so delicious I actually smile every time I see them. The whole time I was knitting them I just talked incessantly about how beautiful they were. I am so glad I found them)

3. Make a cup of peppermint tea.

4. Pop a Steak and Guinness pie in the oven. I've had Steak and Guinness pie about 3 times this week. It's bordering on an addiction. It's just such great comfort food, and the Guinness gravy makes it so delicious you can hardly stand it.

5. Need I even say it? Grab your knitting! I am alternating between finishing the foot of my SECOND Q sock and my super secret project. (For more on the super secret project, keep reading. I'm really bad at keeping secrets...)

And that, my friends, is a good night full of comforts. Bad TV, knitting, and warm, yummy food. a girl couldn't ask for more.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post was how I wrapped my dad's finished sweater. Keeping in the theme of free, recycled and interesting ways to wrap presents, I grabbed my ironing board and a huge stash of grocery bags. I fused them together while listening to a podcast, and voila...

...a sweater envelope. I love it!

I leave for Bath tomorrow at 8:00am and it will probably a long while before I have a chance to blog again. I'll definitely be back at the start of the new year (my flight into London will be on the 6th) with many stories to tell, but probably not too much knitting. According to Eric, Japanese yarn is cheap in Japan, but who knows what that means.

So I leave you with many well wishes for your holiday season, along with a revelation. You see, I'm no good at keeping secrets. And my super secret project most likely won't be blogworthy until I get back to the States and moved into a new apartment. The only reason it's a secret as all is because I don't want a certain someone to see it, someone who doesn't read this blog anyways. (I don't think). So, if you are curious, head on over to Ravelry.com. My username is chasingmyself. Within the confines of the knitting world, consider the cat out of the bag.

Christmas Knitting- Under the Tree

2007-12-12T16:42:00.000Z

It's all done. Today I paid a truly painful sum of money to have my presents shipped back to the United States, but I can't complain because it's done! Now all I have to do is knit, read, and sleep for the next few days, before my travels begin.

Can't complain there can I?

As you can see, my dad's sweater, which I suppose needs a name, is also done. Finito, as they say in Italy.

Forgive the craptastic photo. You know how it is.

I am really pleased with the way this sweater came out. Rowan wool is a dream to work with - all squishy and warm and fuzzy. Apart from the time crunch, I was practically squealing with delight while I knit this.

The durrow cable pattern from Girl From Auntie is a wonderful design, and definitely my favorite part of the sweater. It should be across the chest, but since I am much smaller than my father, it sort of falls below my boobs. Imagine it's up a few inches.

The sweater itself was ridiculously easy to make. The body was knit on size 7 (US that is) Denise interchangeable needles, and the sleeves on clover DPN's, my personal favorite. I'm a big fan of bamboo, and use it whenever I can.

This sweater is also good for jumping on the bed, as you can see.

I am truly surprised that this has been such a low stress Christmas season. I thought that I would be running around London, cursing the weak dollar as I elbowed my way down Oxford Street. Instead, I have been knitting contently and gorging myself on Steak and Guinness pies.

Part of it has to be the fact that I really stuck to small gifts this year, a few pairs of earrings for one sister, a scarf for the other, and part of it has to lie in the presents I finished in August. Whatever it was, I am going to remember this and hopefully apply it next year!

I hope everyone else is doing okay on their holiday knitting. If you do not celebrate Christmas, or have not decided it's a good idea to knit for everyone you've ever met, then you are probably laughing at me and all the other crazed knitters. Humph.

Christmas Knitting - Keep on trecking...

2007-12-11T19:31:00.000Z

Almost there people, almost there!

In 4 days I leave for a weekend in Bath, for some sightseeing and some hardcore Jane Austen worshiping.

In 8 days I leave for Japan! For Christmas! With my boyfriend! I am so excited. So, so, so excited.

In 16 days I leave for Madrid, from where I will go to Venice. I am so excited.

I am also, as a result of this, so broke. But, isn't traveling on the cheap what Study Abroad is supposed to be about? (Say yes...)

With the upcoming travels, I only have one chore left. That is, to ship my presents. Because, I finished my dad's sweater! It's happily blocking on the floor, taking it's sweet time to dry. But that's okay, because it's done. I am so relieved! I just really hope it fits, since I had no one to try it on. (Oh the woes of living alone.)

Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon it will be dry enough to properly photograph, then wrap up and ship. Whoohoo!

The finishing of the sweater also meant that I could get back to my own knitting.

I've loved this pattern for a long time, yet I can't remember what it's called. Some variation on a log cabin, I suppose. So, I made it up! (Which, I think you can tell). It's a bit uneven, the squares are not perfect, and there are many mistakes. But I had fun! I just knit a square, and started adding short row triangles to the sides. For my purposes, it works. This is square 3 of my super secret project, which I now have time to work on!

Sorry for the short post. I'm fighting off a migraine, so I think I'm headed back to my cozy bed, with a cup of tea.

Cheers!

Christmas Knitting- Let's wrap it all up!

2007-12-06T15:56:00.000Z

Since I am pretty much an archetype for "broke college student living in London", Christmas has been on the cheap side this year. Which is fine, because I enjoy crafting much more than buying, and I am always looking for ingenious and inexpensive gifts to give to people. Hence the felted soaps I am giving to grandmas, aunts, and other loved women, and the knitted gifts for my uncle, father, and grandmother.

Then came the question of wrapping, which honestly, I have never stewed over before in my life. Being the daughter of a Martha Stewart devotee, previous Christmases have been a flurry of paper, scissors, and curling ribbon as far as the eye can see. One could also say I am a bit obsessed with presentation, whether food, gift, or just my life in general. (This rule does not apply to my wardrobe. I have been wearing the same pair of jeans for 4 days. mmm, all nice and broken in.)

But, the fact that I don't want to waste money on a whole roll of wrapping paper for about 3 gifts made me think, no pun intended, outside the box. And then I started thinking about the bags of wrapping paper we throw away every year, and how environmentally irresponsible that is. I mean really, it just started to seem wasteful. Armed with that mentality I scoured my room.

It's amazing what some newspaper, copier paper, and a pen will get you. I mean, it ain't fancy, ritzy, and it certainly wouldn't meet my mother's standards, but for this broke, London-living college student, I'd say I've done quite well. *Dusts off hands.*

In other news, I am working on the yoke of my dad's sweater. It's gone quite fast! You know, if you don't take into consideration that I had to rip it out several times, make a special trip to Liberty's to buy the damn Rowan, and bankrupt my soul frogging the last disaster of a sweater. Yes, it's going swimmingly.

And with all that delicious blue, you almost could swim in it! I'm hoping I can somehow get it done by the end of the weekend, and have all my gifts in the mail by Monday. But, my best friend is on a plane right now, headed from Madrid to Jolly Ole England. I doubt we'll have much downtime, so wish me luck on getting this damn thing done!

Good luck on Christmas Knitting everyone! Remember, it's supposed to be fun. Or something like that.

No Christmas during Finals

2007-12-03T18:15:00.000Z

Phew.

Not much knitting today, but I did manage to finish two papers. After a week of tedious research, studying, and cursing my existence, my two essays are printed off, stapled, and sitting merrily on my desk.

So what will I do now that my life no longer contains 'Biography, Autobiography, and the "Narratable Self"' or 'A Woman's Reputation: Evelina, Jane Eyre and the Constructs of Society"?

Watch the episode of Desperate Housewives I've had queued in my Itunes all day, drink a big cup of tea, and settle down to some stockinette to ease my aching brain.

Here is a sneak preview of my dad's sweater, part the second. (Going much more smoothly than the sweater o' doomy doom doom that was the original Sweater 2007!)

1. A blinding shot of the color. Remember how I never ever get to take pictures in the daylight? The whole 5 hours of it?

Mmm. My favorite part. Luscious cables!

The whole kit and caboodle. Body of the sweater, patiently awaiting the company of arms.

Now, I am going to relax. And knit!

Family Love

2007-12-02T21:45:00.000Z

Completely, utterly and totally off the topic of knitting, I talked to my dad tonight. He directed me to YouTube.

A fantastic duet by my father, and my sort-of-unrelated cousin who has literally quadrupled in size since I have seen him last (about 5 years ago?)

My dad's been singing and playing the blues since I was a wee thing, and I will certainly miss his serenades this holiday season.

Christmas Knitting - For my Grandma

2007-12-02T17:27:00.000Z

22 days folks. Hanging in there? Cursing the Knitting Gods, your needles, and anyone who dares look at you, or even breathe in your general direction? If you, like me, seem to have fallen into a black hole consisting of coffee, Buffy (or insert favorite show, podcast, whatever, here), tea, Buffy, more coffee, Buffy, tea, all so you can maximize your knitting hours, don't despair.

22 days is longer than 3 weeks! See? You've got time!

I'm feeling optimistic because I've nearly finished the body of my father's fly by the seat of my pants sweater I started a few days ago. That's even with a false start which involved ripping out 38" of intricate cable.

Today's gift is destined for my grandmother, a woman I am very close to. The gift was not knit with her in mind. In fact, it was knit for me. I even wore it a few times. But, it's not my style, and it didn't take me long to realize she would probably appreciate it a lot more than I do.

I really do want my knitting to have a good home. On this note, I have given away sweaters, scarves, hats, all because someone said they liked them. Borrow something from me enough and it will probably end up yours.

But back to the knitting, which will undoubtedly have a very good home:

Sometime back in January, I picked up a ball of merino laceweight in the most beautiful rosy pink color. It sat in my stash for ages, until in a somewhat spur of the moment decision, I cast on for the Print O' The Waves Stole, provided graciously and freely by Eunny Jang. (Pre Interweave, that is). I had a mad love affair with it the whole time, and finished it around finals, wore it a few times, and then looked pitifully at it every time I opened my dresser drawers.
Clearly this picture was not taken recently. Mid-summer, I believe.

Sometime this year I realized I was never going to wear it. But I think my grandmother will love it. I hope she does anyways! She and I are close, and I love shopping for her and with her. Ours is an unconventional familial relationship,I am sure. It has to do in part because she's quite young - my grandfather married her when I was around 6. But regardless of the fact that we share no blood, she is one of the family members I am closest to. Over the years it's made me realize that "family", at least for me, has more to do with the people I surround myself with, and less with who I happen to be related to.

Of course, now I have a "family" spread over several continents,which can be quite frustrating and sad.

Happy knitting everyone!

Christmas Knitting - Let's Go!

2007-11-29T22:20:00.000Z

If you are still reeling from the horror that was last night's blog post, don't' worry. So am I. I spent the day alternating between essay writing and Buffy watching / knitting. At the end of it all, I have about 8 inches of a sweater, with only what, a million left?

I get a little insane around Christmas time. It is, by far, my favorite season/holiday of the year. There is nothing as magical to me as Christmas lights, trees laden with ornaments, and the thrill of watching people open their gifts.

This will be the first year of my life, that is 21 years of dutiful Christmas spirit, in which I have not made the small pilgrimage downtown to see the Marshall Fields Windows. (Now Macy's but I choose to forget that small fact...) This will be the first year I don't wake up to a general hubbub of stockings, Christmas breakfast, and a beautiful tree. I will be in Japan, so I am not complaining. I just get all teary thinking of those bright lights, so far away.

This is my first official Christmas Knitting Installment. Shall we see what Christmas 2007 is looking like?This is one of my all time favorite patterns, the DNA Double Helix Scarf. It's the second time I've knit the pattern, and it was just as much fun as before! It's ingenious really. People stare at it for a few seconds before something clicks and you hear a small gasp of recognition. This scarf, in short, rocks.

(Please forgive the craptastic photos. The sun sets at somewhere around 3:45, and the light in my room is truly terrible. But think! In just 4 months I'll be back in Michigan where I'll have both best friend and boyfriend at my picture taking disposal. It might help. Maybe.)

This rockin' scarf is for my uncle because my uncle is a rockin' man. It's not just a Christmas Present! It's also a big thank you, since my rockin' uncle co-signed my not so rockin' loan.

What better way to say "Thank you for placing your financial security in the hands of your 21 year old niece" than to give him a scarf? My thoughts exactly. Oh, paying the loan back is the other way I'm saying it. On time even!

My rockin' uncle used to be a large animal veterinarian.* Then he got his teeth kicked out by a horse. Pesky horses. He always told me it worked out though, since it gave him an advantage on the rugby field. (do you play rugby on a field? I am very uninformed.) You see, my rockin' uncle is not a small man. He's not a big man either. He's huge. Probably around 6'6", all of it muscle. On the rugby court he is a man to be feared. So, when the teeth were kicked out, he used it to his advantage. "I just pop out my fake teeth and go at the other team. They're always a little freaked out by this massive, toothless man coming at them." Or so he says.

*Now he is a veterinary consultant and animal nutritionist. It's all kind of science related, right? I just wanted to knit him a cool scarf.

It was a dark and dreary night, ages ago...

2007-11-28T22:12:00.000Z

Okay well, no it was about a week ago. But it was probably dark and dreary. And this is a horror story, so lets get in the mood. Conjure up Poe, light a few candles, and brace yourselves. This ain't for the faint of heart.

So, a few weeks ago I was merrily knitting away on a sweater for my father. It is a tradition: every year I give him a sweater and this year will not be different. I was dutiful, I ordered the yarn in August, cast on in September, and last week had the great pleasure of casting off the last stitches of the body.

There you see the sweater happily bathing, pre-blocking. People, this was a lot of yarn. A lot of knitting, and a lot of yarn. And, oh, about 3 months of my life.

And here we see lots and lots of teeny-tiny floats, a beauty in their own right.

*Sigh*. This sweater could have been so beautiful.

And then...Deep breath...unraveling.

I know! I know what must be running through the minds of every knitter right now, hands clutched to breasts in fear, or perhaps their own WIP. Thinking "Don't do it! Stop, you crazy bitch! What are you doing?"

The damn thing is too big.

And we're not talking a few inches of ease. No,I'm not that much of a perfectionist, and my father still abides by the rules that if I knit it, he must love it. But there are limits, and I could not give my father a sweater that could easily have fit two of him inside. His chest is about 42" around, and this sweater was pushing a 54" bust measurement post-blocking.

It's like the monster of knitting. I have created a monster!

I deliberated for days, (hence the lack of blogging). What to do? Give my father a sweater that he could also use as a tent in case of emergencies? Steek it and sew it? (Wouldn't have enough yarn for the sleeves...) Find a new pattern and commit myself to knitting another fair isle sweater in a few weeks? Rip out the sweater? Or even worse, buy my father a present?

In the end, I decided the sweater would be sent to the frog pond. Then there was some drinking and complaining. And then I went to Liberty's and bought 7 balls of Rowan Wool.

Stay tuned...Christmas is in less than a month, I'm on a trans-continental flight in 21 days, and I have two papers due next week. But Goddammit, my daddy is getting a sweater.

All I can say now is, I was so right in calling it the Sweater O' Doom.

Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T22:26:00.000Z

Happy Thanksgiving all you Americans! I know at least a few of you read my blog :) If you happen to be British, I ask you a simple question. WHY DON'T YOU HAVE PUMPKIN PIE OR CANNED PUMPKIN IN THIS COUNTRY?

No pictures or knitting for now...I've been swamped with an essay on James Joyce's Ulysses. I turned it in this morning and headed right for the kitchen...

....where I cooked my first Thanksgiving Dinner ever! I had a lot of help, and it was a wonderful affair.

I should mention, Thanksgiving is quite a celebration in my family. My mother was born and raised in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Enough said. So, it seems that deep in my veins runs the undying lust for perfect turkey and massive amounts of mashed potatoes. And pie. Lots of pie.

(I didn't do my own turkey -we bought pre-sliced breast and just marinated it and roasted it. Hey, it was my first thanksgiving!)

So eat well, drink well, and be thankful dear friends. Today is a day to be thankful for, and I am happily, and tipsily being thankful for all the good things in my life!

I do not have cankles

2007-11-16T22:05:00.000Z

Contrary to what these pictures may lead you to believe, I do not have cankles. Really. All ankles here.

But, we have a foot! Yes, my Q sock is the proud owner of both turned heel and beginning of a foot. You can see my mods - the slip stitch pattern on the bottom of the foot, and the continuation of the tumbling blocks on the top. I'm thrilled with it!

I pretty much can't wait to wear these, and I couldn't wait to declare my love to the whole world.

Q, I love you.

And now for something a bit different...

2007-11-13T23:51:00.000Z

May I present you with a rose?

Because as they say, a rose is a rose is a rose

and that which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet...

But when does it not? When is a rose not a rose? And I assure you, no sweet smelling roses here. Nope, just the earthy, damp smell of maple leaves.

You see, it all started with an innocuous project I spied over on Craftster. The goal was to make a bowl using only newspaper and glue.

I succeeded. See? A bowl.

Glamour shot of aforementioned bowl.

Aerial view.

And then I had a bowl. It sat on my desk for a few weeks, looking sad and lonely. I moved it around occasionally, but it remained empty. This bowl needed a purpose. Obviously I could not eat from it. I could not use it in the kitchen in any way. I could store things in it, but had nothing that needed storing. I couldn't put my basil plant in it, or I wouldn't be able to water the plant ever and it would die.

What is a girl with a bowl to do?

Pshaw. Go outside, and when she thinks no one is looking run around like a maniac picking up maple leaves. Rinse, repeat. (I got a few stares... no harm though. This isn't my real school. In six months I'll be gone and we'll all just be fond memories.)

And then, make flowers. There are 10 in the bowl, and maybe more on the way. There are a LOT of maple leaves here.

Now, the bowl has a purpose. The bowl has flowers. Lovely, antique looking flowers. Sort of vintage, literary roses that live a double life. Perfect for the desk of an English major with an affinity for Gothic literature. They are Gothic flowers. Gothic heroines in their own right.

But what really matters, is that they are flowers.

Q me, baby

2007-11-12T13:35:00.000Z

First off, this is what four episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer,and three episodes of Desperate Houswives will get you (besides a headache.)

14 inches of what well may be the Coolest Sock Ever To Grace This Planet. Or, Q from Knitty.com.

I am so in love. I finished up the leg on the first one, and am ready to start the heel, but this baby needed to be blocked badly. "Within an inch of it's life" would be an apt description. So to the floor she has gone, while her mate graces my very small needles.

I also want to try to modify the pattern a bit. I don't like the solid foot and ankle; it ruins the visual flow of the pattern, so I'm going to try to avoid them. I'm thinking solid heel and toe, with the pattern continuing on the foot. I wish I had thought of this before I ordered the yarn, so to make sure I have enough of the CC (peach), I'm going to knit both legs first.

Fun fun fun!