Wrapped in silent elegance...

( I made a shawl!! )


Yeah, I got Neall to model it briefly. Hee hee.

I didn't quite finish the pattern, I was running out of yarn and had to deal with a huge tangle near the end, but I think I adapted preetty well. I have to wind in the ends and block it so it stretches out to it's proper length, but I'm really happy with it. The yarn is much shinier than in the pictures and amazingly soft. I need to excuse to wear it with my LBD. And a pretty shawl pin for it. Yay.

I have a plan for my other Brooks Farm skein now, a shawl that's similar but a little more open than this one. I guess I'm on a shawl kick. ;-) Though I also want some cute armwarmers too. Hmmmmm.

My WEBS needle set is gorgeous. There were two bad needles but they sent me replacements right away. I used it at the end of the project so I could spread the shawl out and make sure the sizing was right. Beautimous. Love them. Good investment.

So Ravelry has a semi-yearly tradition of having a craft "competition" during the Olympics. I did not participate back in 2008 as I was not doing much knitting (I probably should have been, due to the amount of stress in my life at the time) but this year I wanted to use it as a motivator to complete a project that I would otherwise continually put off.

I've had some Brooks Farm yarn, silk and wool 50/50 in a gorgeous steel blue colorway, since MDS&W in 2008 and I wanted to use it in something elegant. Citron fit the bill, and this is how it looks so far after a few solid sessions of knitting:



I technically am a little short on yarn for the pattern and I'm using larger needles, so I may have to do the ruffle edging a little early BUT it's also already larger than typical versions. Playing it by ear. I can't follow a pattern verbatim to save my life, eh?

It's been really easy to work on while watching the actual Olympics, or moobies with Neall. Some people hate miles of stockinette, but I don't mind it so much as it's mindless and doesn't involve counting/remembering where I am so much. I sat down and knitted this morning when I was in a wretched mood and it calmed me down. Ahh, cheap therapy.

We're doing it as a KAL on one of the forums, as a number of other people on my "team" are working on it for Ravelympics, and it's really great seeing everyone else's progress as we coast along. Anyone wanna join in with me? ;-)

I put other projects on my original Ravelympics list but I have a feeling this will consume my time.

I ordered my WEBS Interchangeables, I can't wait to have a FULL knitting needle set! Then every project is at my fingertips, har har.

So excited: I have a finished object and a project to write about! Two entries in the same year, lol.

Firstly, I finished my Sporthead Hat.


I really loved the way the colors accidentally spiraled on the crown. It kept me pretty warm while snow shoveling. I wish I hadn't started decreasing as soon as I did, I had plenty of yarn left over. Oops.

I got inspired, picked yarn of a corresponding color, and started this during the Puppy Bowl:



Based on a 75-yard Fingerless Gloves pattern with minor editing. I still have to finish the thumb on this one and weave in some ends, then do the second one. The original idea was to a) use some of the leftover hat yarn to trim these to make them fully match, and b) test my WEBS needles for Magic Hat so I can decide whether to order the whole set. 1 out of 2 isn't bad: the WEBS were GREAT for ML on this project, but I haven't determined whether I actually want to use the hat yarn on it. Maybe I'll embroider something onto the back of them?

I'm also not a big "purple", person, so having a matching winter set of purple stuff is kind of blowing my mind. I might give them away once I do my Ravelympics knitting and have multiple choices.

I also have to debate if it's sealed the deal on the WEBS interchangeables or if I'm gonna order some Knitpicks needles and choose between them. I'm pretty sure the "tube" cord on these sold me on them. The tips are a bit on the blunt side, and while that wasn't a problem in the project I did, over time it could be an issue in a more complicated pattern. Hmm.

Just really glad that I'm sticking with it. I heart knitting.

After the gloves, my dad wants a hat, and then the Ravelympics will be starting. I REALLY want to do a Citron. We will see.

I'm going to start using this as a creative journal against, mostly to link to Ravelry when I'm working on a projct. Starting with the Sporthead Hat I'm currently working on.

I cast on for this hat on multiple occasions, but something always went wrong. I fudged it the first time while trying to show my aunt how to Magic Loop (her hat progressed beautifully, I somehow turned my row when I wasn't paying attention to my own project). Then I cast on but didn't cast on enough, so frog. Then I cast on at a friend's first knitting night, and everything was going great, but I somehow twisted my join despite knitting a few rows before joining. Sigh. We had a good collective knitters lament over my accidental moebius and I consoled myself with the beautiful Booga she gave me.

So, on January 28th, I was determined not to let a little ribbing get me down (har har). Cast on, knit, joined, voila. We can has hat.

I finished the ribbing and got pretty firmly into the body yesterday while watching 7+ hours of Star Trek the Next Generation, my favorite television show OF ALL TIME, then continued while watching Caprica. Probably 4 or 5 hours of work into the hat off and on.. and I'm a few inches into the stockinette. Hmm. I don't think I'm THAT slow of a knitter, especially in the round...

While inspired the thought: while it's nice to be able to use up this yarn and I'm going to have a nice warm hat when it's over.. it's not so nice to be making something so small with unnecessarily tiny yarn. I'm an impatient knitter, apparently, and have a hard time stomaching hours upon hours of labor for something that's only gonna be a few inches long (ba dum bum...) If it was lace or something intricate or had to fit into a shoe, sure, I get it, but a 2x2 and stockinette slouchy hat? Lesson learned, my friends. Lesson learned.

It is wonderfully mindless knitting. I switched from my Hiya Hiya 40" for Magic Loop to my new Webs interchangeable size 3/16". Pros: not having to stop to fiddle with cords, the Webs needle is as nice to work with as the Hiya Hiya texture-wise. Cons: the needles in the Webs interchangeables are slightly too long for a comfortable 16". Comfortable for your hands to have more needle length to grip, but the cord has to pull at the base a little to be worked with. However, it's standing up to the abuse very well so far, and I think the cord not only is quite flexible, but I like that it is the same width as the needle, so less pulling at the base. I wish there wasn't a bit of a bump at the join to pull the yarn over, but I understand why it's there.

I need to cast on a ML project with the 8/32" I purchased to see if I'm going to buy this set or not or if I want to try the Knitpicks needles. But that will be once this hat is done.

Until the FO...

I finally uploaded a finished object to my Ravelry! And I'll link it here, because it's ridiculously cute.

It started as a basic winter hat, but due to crazyness in oversized-ness and the absolute fluffy soft beauty of this yarn, I made it into a Fraggle Hat!

Made out of Caron Bliss, which is a ridiculously soft acrylic yarn. It's too purple for my own daily wear (and actually a little big for my small head), but hopefully I can gift it to someone.

This is what happens when I prop up my toe and watch football; I didn't feel like working on any recent projects, so I dragged one out of my bin. No idle hands here!

So my brains are finally mine again, and the creativity has been abundant. What does this mostly mean? Recovering the bum-load of projects that were put on hold while I was juggling two classes and full time work as well as Faire season and the FaerieCon and SunCon and.. and.. yeah.

Oh, and posting in here again. June 19th was the last time I put anything up. That's ridiculous.

I'm not making any specific resolutions in 2008 (and they've usually been pretty silly when I have), but I am enforcing a new pro-me mindset: I'm going to stop making excuses about taking care of myself and trying new things as well as spending time working on older ones. There's a diet and workout plan in scope for January and February (including Bellydancing Class!! Eeee!), and it's nothing I haven't restricted myself to before or anything too high in expectations.

And that's only a small portion of my life. My creativity has it's fingers in so many little things, and I'm hoping to keep them in motion throughout the new year, and somewhat focus on the ones that end up bringing me the most joy.

I have one large story and two small writing projects in progress right now, so even if one is stalled, I should be able to work on another. I have plenty of idle time at work in which I can do some writing too, so... no excuses.

I have two knitting projects in current progress and a great many "queued up"! (Seriously, if you're not on Ravelry yet, join!) I also plan on dissecting the great yarn bin the moment I have the space and can get it out of the closet and getting rid of, giving away, and then otherwise "stash"-ing the whole thing. I know I keep saying this, but it is becoming truth. I'm done, in general, of lugging around baggage that I don't need and doesn't do me any good. So it's part of the whole thing.

I have a few other craft and even some sewing projects coming up. I'm still working on a pirate fairy costume to be used for either the spring fae festivals, or fall's FaerieCon 2. I've conceptualized 80% of an ice fairy/queen costume, including the concept of the wings (that happened while I was SUPPOSED to be studying for an exam, ugh). I've been encouraged to try doing fairy wings with yarn.

I'm sure there will be projects tied to RelaxiCon and Pirates 2008: Surrender the Booty next year.

And on top of all of that, I plan on finally building my websites. It shouldn't take me more than a solid day or two of work considering the ease of iWeb, but it's still going to be a labor of love where I'm tied to my computer for too many hours not knitting or writing or catching up with video games. ;-) I'm planning two sites, one personal and one professional.

That's all just the creative projects. Others including prepping for my first audition in almost 2 years, catching up with the assload of video games I've purchased and never played or beaten, moving in January, possibly getting a part-time job to save more money... and I could go on.

Even if I only get a fraction of any of this achieved, I will be happy. I like having options. And I think I let 2007's creative me slide under the radar with the personal disasters and problems I was coping with. I've been aching for an outlet of any kind, though, so I'm going to run with it. And hopefully keep the online world updated a bit more often.

But now... It's time to attend the annual Christmas Cookie Bake. I leave you with the quote that is becoming my Mantra.

Charlotte: I just don't know what I'm supposed to be.
Bob: You'll figure that out. The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.
Lost in Translation

So I got two new knitting books today! It's always exciting getting packages, but ESPECIALLY at work, and EXTRA ESPECIALLY when they cost me less than $10 together. (Amazon.com baby! I rarely give them business, but it was worth it.)

Stitch and Bitch Nation is pretty self-explanatory, but it was only $3.19 so I couldn't pass it up. Knit 2 Together is the Tracey Ullman/Mel Clark knitting book that had a few cute patterns, so I figured I'd check it out. I think I love about half of the patterns in the book, and, because it's Tracey Ullman, there's little jokes and funny stories spread through the whole thing, so I'm really enjoying it. There's a pair of knit britches AND a knit bodice that would both work really well for a Renn outfit. I can't sew worth the dickens, but a knit Renn outfit? May be possible...

I also went to Stitches with Style (no link), the local fancy yarn shoppe, yesterday. The had a change of ownership recently and the store has been cleaned up and streamlined a bit. It looked much more open and fun! And their whole "teaching" room is now the clearance room. I got overwhelmed! I broke my yarn diet, but Plymouth Elegante (which is a seriously cushy eyelash) was $1 a ball and they had it in the deepest royal blue that just made my eyes go "yay!".

I also got some in orange for my mother's Lopi Tote (which will also be in Patons SWS, Natural Green colorway). I cast on a test swatch for that last night and have to felt the test swatch and loosen my new Bamboo 13s' cord before that project is underway. The pattern is super-easy, though, and something I can dabble on here at work later this week.

That's the update for now, hopefully I'll have something to actually post soon. I have to find the battery charger for my digital camera, to start.

Edit:
It would be just my luck that the SAME DAY that I find the bodice and bloomers patterns in this book and get all excited, that two free patterns that are a bit nicer/lovelier come out on Knitty for free. Are you kidding me? Sigh.

The Original Hat.



Minus pom-pom, 'cause I haven't gotten that brave. Large and stretchy for a man-head (Secret Santa gift, and it's awesome I got this person, since he requested one o' these).

I've been told that I pull off the ear-flap thing well.

I will share pictures of the mass numbers of scarves and baby items that need to be finished in the next three days as they are completed. This was definitely my difficult project.

( Most recent finished knitted thing. It's sparkly. Literally. )

Pattern (self-made-up) found here.

Finally getting to use this journal. Yay.

What it's now for:
~Recipes
~Knitting Projects
~Written word (poems, lyrics, stories, monologues, etc.)
~Photography/Artwork
~Musings related to the crafting/artistic world

The rules:
~Constructive criticism is welcome. Constructive positivity is also welcome. It should be obvious what isn't welcome.
~Any recipes/patterns here, of course, are up for grabs, as long as you're not going to sell it or redistribute it without my permission.
~I might be posting gifts here from time to time; if anyone here is the receiver, I will edit them off of the posting for that entry. Please, no cross-entry posting so that no secrets are given away.
~Unsure? Ask.

Thanks for being part of my creative side.