in which we dance

Frankie approves of this post (and just thought everyone should know).

So I got a call this afternoon and it was Jude’s friend come to deliver some Alpaca fleeces. I was tres excited when I found out about the alpaca and had no idea what to expect…

On the right is the bag of white/grey and on the left is the black.  One bag is twice the size of my dog (commence the dancing around in glee).

The black is a black brown and white spot mix. It’s so soft and yummy. I bet it could be spun in the grease… I bet it could be done from the lock….

yup, that grey white that kind of rocks in and of itself but could be overdyed so brilliantly….

Just for scale sake the bags reclining on my couch.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go play with the alpaca now.

sometimes

Okay so the gift was gifted, I think he liked it, and all is well on that.  Just in case anyone was wondering.

So sometimes the camera won’t do what you want it to (this is happening more and more these days, perhaps the ancient digicam needs to be retired) and dispite taking a bunch of shots you can not seem to find a way to show off the cables in the sock your knitting.

I’ve been working on Stephanie Japel’s Insomnia socks (<A Href=http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/insomnia-socks>Linky</A> ) lets see if the HTML works…

Anyway I’ve been working on them, and they are kind of mindblowing, the cables are easy / challenging enough that I can do the pattern when I’m in my classes, but not so easy that I want to fall asleep or bash myself over the head with a hammer.

I’m doing the two circ method and the yarn is cascade heritage (a good workhorse fall back yarn). Stephanie’s look amazing, I think I had the pattern in my queue as soon as I saw it, took me a while to get to knitting it but I digress. The pattern knits up so fast, it just zips along, which makes up for the fact that they’re toe up in my opinion (I am a cuff down whenever possible kinda gal). The one gripe I would have or would advise others about is the charts are small in the pattern, I recommend finding a photocopy machine and blowing them up (you may be more tech savvy than I and not require the photocopy machine). Blowing them up will save you heartache in the long run.

I might just break my no knitting school socks at home rule to get sock number one done as it requres the strechy sewn bind off.  For some reason I’ve got a massive wicked case of sock startitis (but lost my needle gauge so can’t really start another pair until this one is done).

Well I guess it is sunday, I should take a look at what I’m presenting on wednsday to class. PET scans and biomedical identity, good times.

an attempt of sorts

As a knitter I have come to understand many things about knitting for other people, if the knit is asked for then it’s relatively moot, one can assume and hope that it is enjoyed, as the asker actually wanted such a thing (it is rare that such a person crops up but they always do make me giddy). Sometimes it’s hit and miss, I know that when I knit for certain people (my mother or Stacy the SIL) no matter what I produce they will more than likely love it and wear the be-jesus out of it. This also gives me great knitterly glee.

Let’s face it as knitters we are a breed of people that love having durable things around (whether they be felted wine cozies or sweaters with intricate patterns), and we try often in vain to convert people to our ways of believing.  Sometimes this is accomplished (knitted socks are pretty much all you ever want after trying on a well made pair), sometimes it isn’t (generally I find it’s because it doesn’t have a name brand stamped on it but I digress). Either way, we put knitted love into the universe and that is pretty swank if I do say so myself.

Now I did think to myself briefly, I have talked about a specific object a few times now, and as it’s finished I would love to show it off. And then I thought to myself, well it’s going to be a gift (lets not get into an unsolicited knit gift arguement shall we), and does said individual read the blog?  Well my little stat bar tells me unless it’s in some blind and insideous way I probably not. And I am pretty chuffed at how well it turned out (I hate fiddly work, usually only reserved for projects that entertain me greatly).

So i give you the secret project (A D4 dice bag, because I rock the geek chic at all times) to be gifted saturday.

It also has a zipper:

I am loathe to zippers (that’s what buttons are for damnit) but there was no getting around it this time.

Pattern: <a Href=”http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/d4-shaped-dicebag“>D4 Dicebag</a> (Rav Link)

Yarn: Lime and Violet Intentions for the body, patons kroy 4ply for the numbers which I crocheted on

Almost finished the first insomnia sock, pictures forthcoming. Everything else is still being worked on, although the shawlette mostly because it’s easy and mindless and I like easy and mindless.

procrastination as an art form

Yes that’s right, inbetween all the papers and all the presentations, and fretting over what to wear friday (teaching/interview for the university), I apparently have found my calling as a stress cleaner. My yarn room has a floor (I should say that the yarn room is also the computer room but because there is more yarn than there is computer, yarn room is more apropo).

It may not seem like much to the untrained eye (see Frankie there hangin out), but I haven’t seen most of the floor in this room since I moved in, it seems to be the catch all room for everything because I live in here mostly).

Again maybe not so splendid to you but to me, Rock and roll!

Then I heard this loud thud and a bunch of rustleing and it turned out that Peatrie hat gotten into the hanging thing in the closet,

And there really is only one thing you can do when she does stuff like this, leave her be and she’ll figure out what she wants. After many clawings I have learned that Peatrie likes small spaces, and has no problem getting in and out of them on her own (unless she’s crying then you’re allowed to help her).

On the needles:

The secret project that shall be revealed in due time.

The weekend sweater (although I haven’t knit a stitch on it)

The insomnia school socks

Mom’s scarf (out of Wollmeise – I thought it warrented repeating)

Stacy’s yoga socks (basic top down sewn bind off)

and

The Handspun delight shawlette (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/handspun-delight-shawlette) *p.s. can someone tell me how to do links here because I hate having the big ol url sticking out everytime I want to link a pattern.*

I’m doing it out of the tri-color handspun I did a while back, so far the fatness of the ram is working great with the gauge of the pattern. I am in total love with it’s mindlessness as well, it’s far easier to take a break and work a few rows then put it down and go back to writing. And for that I thank the designer.

scarves, socks, sanity?

So finally (thank’s Canada post) my STR NSK package came and in it was:

Colorway: Happy go Lucky

I was so excited it boardered on the pathetic. But the long and short of it is, it’s got pretty colors, and it’s sprongy, which works with it being spring.

Also somewhere on the needles

The scarfulus momulus, finally settled on an Anne Hanson Scarf, I forget which one at the moment (Alhambra perhaps).  I’ve only done one repeat, it’s slow goings. But it’s Wollmeise and I am enjoying every minute of it.

Also on the needles:

Insomnia socks by Stephanie Japel in Cascade Heritage

The weekend sweater take two, on the back still.

And something that I shant document on the blog.