Less than a week to go!

Hello peoples!
First to address some questions form my last post:
Carly, I am indeed on Ravelry. Under the name 'michael'
And Heather, the shop I got the yarn from doesn't label the colourways (and they don't do it at the FA HQ as I understand it) and as always, I cannot find anything on their site even resembling it, I am sorry!

Now, knitting. I have finished off 25 of the called-for 34 repeats, and I think I will probably go until the full 34, I think I should still have enough yarn left for the edging then. It's getting close! (on a good day I get about 5 repeats in)

And you all know how unblocked lace gets me going, so have some photos for now. (also, I love how much it looks like cables at this point. And I am still waiting on a photo that really shows the true greens in this yarn.)

Swiss Watch? No...

Swatch! This is for Eunny Jang's Print O' The Wave Stole, in Hand Maiden Mini Maiden. The colour is pretty darn poor (I swear, it has a different personality for every slight change in lighting).





Umm, more talk later. Last push in the final two weeks of class this term.

Doo-doo-Doo!

Ok. News. I grabbed the 'Filigree Shawl' from Alpaca with a Twist, and enough skacel Merino Lace to knit it. I am not sold on the yarn, it's too... flat (the yarn is a beautiful sage green, but it is completely solid, and I need some variety, baby!) So I am going to explore the other yarn store tomorrow in hopes of finding something more to my liking, or, if not, I might try to overdye the yarn just to add some depth, nothing crazy. (also, I might alter the pattern a bit, add something to the main squares, because you know, it's not hard enough as is or anything). And I need to get the yarn for tomorrow, because the day after I am hoping to head on a mini road trip up-island (just overnight) to unwind for two days, no computer, just my knitting, good local food, and maybe a travelling companion.

Also, Tomten photos! I will sya now that I am not super keen on these photos, but they will do the job (and I will attempt to get more, we are just out of sun lately). Er, I will do a complete FO write up tomorrow hopefully (cross your fingers for at least oooooone good photo)

Hrmph

Geez, by the sounds of things, you might think I haven't been knitting at all!
In fact I am done everything on the Tomten except for zipper bands (for which I need the zipper, you'll see why), and seaming the second sleeve (which I intend to do tomorrow). Since it is so so so close, I want to hold off and give y'all a real FO.
Just so this space stays semi-active, have a little wintery picture (hope you don't mind, Miss Kaity)



Oh, and I have been doodling variations of these little guys for a while now, but I can't shake the feeling that they are not mine! If you have seen anything like them on any other artists blog, ever, do let me know, I can't find where I would have got them, but I would love to give due credit if I stole them.

Used

I have this thing about used bookstores. I just cannot stay away. Some used bookstores hold more interest for me than others, and while I have nothing against 'The Classics', seeing shelves full of nothing other really doesn't do it for me.

A good way to win me over is interesting cooking books. (I have a... compulsion when it comes to buying cooking books, I think it's glandular or something). So you can imagine my excitement when I founda book which claims to "[explain] things you need to know, and things to watch out for. There are plenty of things left for you to discover, learn, stumble upon." In my subsequent internet forays, I found that I did not stumble across some super-valuable holy tome of cookery, or some hitherto undiscovered work of genius. No, I found a very well known instant classic, apparently. But I do seem to have found a less common edition, because it has different cover art. And Oh! The art in this book! It is adorable, there are illustrations on almost every page (in a style reminiscent of my mother's, actually), and I would have nabbed this sucker for nothing else other than the pictures. It also looks to be a solid vegetarian guidebook (I am notorious for being poor at inventing good vegetarian dishes. They are usually... green, and kind of soggy.)





















Also, a book for sneaky organic cooks? I am so there! I am no nutritionist, but it seems to have at least a goodly amount of simple, sane, helpful health advice (it is about half chatter, and half recipes). It also has a chapter about reinvigorating one's... personal life through change in diet, not partners. The writer (Jane Kinderlehrer) seems to be pleasantly witty, and I am *so* sold on the idea of a culinary guerilla now.

Now, if there was one more thing I needed to cement this bookstore in my list of favourite time-sinks downtown, it would be books about knitting. While I didn't find any of those, I did find 'an introduction to natural dyeing'. I am not a dyer myself, but I know that there are people out there who are very much into natural dyeing, and this 37 page pamphlet from 1972 Santa Rosa, California looks like quite the little treasure. Oh, and if the colour plate doesn't lie, I wonder why people don't do this more, I am very taken by some of the colours shown.
















And lastly, it's sock weather!

Not Knitting

I haven't knit in a while, really. But since I feel a tad guilty being so quiet here, I think I should share *some*thing. All I have are doodles though, sorry!

The first three are shamelessly inspired by some of Lisa's (http://www.monkeybrains.net/~dietrich/musings/) work. And the last is just a little fellow feeling the seasons change out here.

Tree!

-Am working on first sleeve of The Tomten
-Sock yarn is wound
-School has shifted from Open, I mean, Midterm Season to apparently mass freak-out time. Less than a month until reading break, we can do this! (despite the papers and exams before then, but shhhhhh). My point is, it's quiet around here. There is a lot of sleeping. And napping. Much more than there should be, I imagine.
-Has anyone seen my creativity lately? I have been perusing Lisa's old 'drawing a day' set on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisasolomon/sets/803513/). I am always [always!] hugely motivated and inspired by her work, and it usually gets me feeling like I could start putting some ideas together if I had the time.
-Have a tree?

A Knew Knitting Chapter?

The Tomten is now zipping along. I've finished one front and about half the back, and if I kepe putting off work tonight, I just might be bale to join for the hood this evening! (I'll grab some photos once it's more than a big hunk of garter stitch)

And is this not just beauteous? (and that spelling looks horrid, hmm)
It is Araucania Ranco Multy (colourway PT502, mrrrowr). At 344 metres, this just might become a pair of socks for *me*! I'm thinking toe-up (I hate to waste), with a reverse heel flap (always need to try out something new), and I might make up some simple patterning for the leg/instep.





I really do need to get a hold of a swift and ball-winder, because if this knits up as nice as it feels (75% wool, 25% polyamide) there might be more in my future.

Doodles

There are days where I just do not feel creative in the least. (This is one of those days) On those days, I usually end up filling a page with these funny little doodles. They originally started as greenmen (I can't find any of my old ones), but have since morphed into these squiggly, curlicue-heavy faces. They are all unique, and they all cheer me up a bit.





I have probably drawn a few hundred of these in the last few months, in all sizes and personalities.
I am thinking about mayhaps putting together some card packages (they are my standard gift accompaniments). At this point I am just a little bit curious if anyone would be interested in something like that.
Hopefully more news on that in the future.

I think I need to rip the Tomten. Serves me right for starting to knit before actually getting size measurements of the kid it's for. (speaking of which, what is a reasonable amount of ease for a toddler's jacket?)

The last thing I have tonight is a sketch of a discussion I had with a friend a little while ago.



(It was like there was an elephant in the room, smoking a cigarette and blowing smoke all about. He was wearing a purple leaisure suit, trackerd mud all over, and was humming a song that no-one else knew.)

(and yes, heavily inspired/partly copied from Gerard Hoffnung's 'Hoffnung in Harmony' which I love so much.)

Happy evening peoples!

Sniffle

It is cold and wet and nasty outside.
It is mucusy and sore in here.
It is also midterm week.

I am glad that I'm knitting garter stitch right now. (It's taking it's time, but should pick up once I get some academia out of the way)