I've Got the January Blues

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!

'Tis the Season...

...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!

1. 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!
   
2. 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!
   
3. 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.
   
4. 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!
   
5. 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!
   
6. 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.
7. These awesome BMP socks look like normal fair-isle at first glance, but upon closer examination reveal them to be adorably dorky.
8. 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!
9. Techguy socks are pretty much just awesome. Geeky. Awesome. I have nothing more to say!
10. 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!