Why?

So I was laying in bed last night, and I think to myself "oh dear, I feel kind of congested". I chalked it up to I don't know, humidity and lying down?

Oh yeah. I'm sick baby. Cough, sneeze, constant throat tickle, I can feel every inch of my sinuses!

It gets better.

I have a job interview today. In 20 minutes actually. And then a doctor's appointment, and I was hoping to get a few hours in the art room up on campus before my THREE-HOUR lecture. Which was supposed to be followed by meeting some friends and going to see the Lorax Opera (which is ONLY playing tonight).

What the beans, body. What. The. Beans.

(also, Wee Beastie #2 of 9, not 10, 9)

Wee Beastie

I would just like to say how awesome you all are. I love how the one passing line (which I didn't intend to come across as a whinge!) got all the comments! On that note, I am trying to get a Knit Night organised (probably mostly university students), so if by some freakish coincidence, you know a knitter or someone who wants to learn in the Victoria area, send them my way! I'll keep mentioning this if it manages to go anywhere (I have the organisational skills of a pineapple).

I said I might put up some of my old doodles from class. As a disclaimer, I am not as crazy as they would indicate, I just got really really bored in that class, and this is how it got manifested! (As a sidenote, I point to Andrew Bell)
*deep breath* here goes, don't judge me! (this was the first of ten, and is still my favourite)

Beach Stories

It is sunny! And in my eyes. Ow.

Don't worry, I'm not just sitting here complaining, I actually spent the last few hours out enjoying it. First, I visited my LYS, since I haven't been in for ages (no money for yarn). Then I went to cafe nearly next door to grab a cup of their super-good coffee (local roastery) and one of their homemade blue cheese scones. So. Damn. Good. And, because I am knitter, hear me roar, I headed down to the beach to get some quality knitting time in, and am now halfway through the thumb gusset decreases on the second Snow Tiger. It feel like a day at the zoo...

I suppose I had it coming, it's been ages since I've had a comment about Knitting In Public (except for the lady who decided to knit alongside me on the bus during exam week, that was cool), but today, the crowds were out in full force. Again, I shouldn't be surprised, as what with the gorgeous (and first day of decent) weather, everyone and their mother was down at the beach.

I have named the various encounters: (please note, these took place in the following order, and all while I was sitting on the same bench, I was there for about 30 minutes)
- Counter Culture
- Corrupted Kids
- Crones
- K-nitting Compliments
and
- Checked Out (couldn't make it fit, damn)

Firstly, Counter Culture, or how I can justify anything.
I am sitting. And knitting. And knitting. And sitting. When a dude walks up to me. I know he is a dude, because he says 'dude' a lot. I have a number of dude friends and acquaintances, so I think nothing of it. But then, he speaks.
"Dude, what are you doing?"
*I look up*
"Knitting. Hello."
"What?"
"...Nevermind."
"Dude, isn't knitting, like, for chicks or I dunno, preps or something?"
"Not as far as I know. Are you trying to tell me I'm giving into a cultural stereotype?" (I live in what is often acknowledged as a rich and pretentious neihgbourhood.)
"Well, dude..."
*I cut him off*
"Because, if that's all you're trying to say, you're way off the mark, man. This, this is COUNTER-culture. You see, nobody excepts a guy to be knitting. I'm really just sticking it to them, making them think, man."
"...Dude."
The dude walks off. I return to my knitting, thinking about counter-culture movements that a lot of my friends are into. You know, I'm not COUNTER-culture, I like culture, it can be a useful thing. But I would say it's a sub-culture thing I do. Go figure.

Corrupted Kids
Still knitting, but my ears are cold, and I forgot a hat. Thankfully, I brought my portable music device which has a nice big set of warm headphones, which I slip on without turning the device on as I like the sound of the ocean. I hear, and see out of the corner of my eye, a small contingent of children (maybe four or five of them) watching me. Cool, I like kids, and so far they're not getting in the way of the yarn. But then I hear their parents.
"What is he doing?" (Valid. Small knitting, and I was kind of hunched over.)
"Don't let the kids watch" (What, did I do something indecent?)
And so on. And then...
A shadow is cast over me, I only assume that it is some misguided parent chiding me for corrupting their children.

Crones (and Compliments)
But I was mistaken, it was a very sweet old lady.
"What are you making there, young man?"
"Me? Oh, sorry. I'm knitting some gloves."
"Those don't look live gloves." (Thanks lady, thanks.) "Oh, I'm sorry, they don't have fingers! Well they look very good, and so complicated."
*I drop into a whisper*
"Thank you ma'am. It's really not so hard..."
*Trail off into incoherency* (I am bad with compliments. Critiques and stabs I can take till the cows come home, but compliments trouble me.)
"Well, have a nice day, young man."
"You too, ma'am."

Repeat the conversation about three minutes later with another cute old lady.

Checked Out.
I pulled my headphones back on to keep my ears warm, and keep on knitting. A short time later, I hear two people walking past behind me. One is a young mother (I assume, judging by the stroller with the very little infant in it that she wa pushing) and I presume her friend. Both look to be in their mid-twenties.
"Hey look, is he knitting?" Mutters the woman with the stroller.
"Yeah, I think so. Man, guys who can knit, well, that's just hot." Replies her companion.

Thanks. Now, why can't any cute girls MY age agree? Stupid world.

No photos today, but all is well with the knitting. Have a good weekend y'all!

Let's Play

Thank you Shash for calling us all out to play the other day, this is my contribution.



So, what was going on while I was taking this photo...
I actually took it yesterday, as I (corectly) anticipated a busy one today. It was taken in the late afternoon.
The same time the day before, the view outside my window was mostly snow-covered. Some rain took care of that.
It was dead quiet. Thursday's are my day off, my father was at my work, my brother at school, and my mother out for coffee with friends. I love this house when it is (rarely) quiet.
Those salt shakers were picked up in Quebec by my father and brother on a bike trip last spring, and I love them, so fun.
The fern was given to me by a childhood friend a few years ago. We are not really in touch much anymore.
There was also a laptop and a stack of picture books on the dining room table, I was working on the paper for my Art Education class.
Speaking of the table, we have had it for longer than I can remember, but we are getting it replaced. The new table was inspired by 5 table legs that belonged to a table my great-grandfather had (apparently) and will be used in it. The table in the photo will become mine, I have needed a real workspace for a long time.
I love working in the main room, but I usually can only get it every week or two for a few hours (public space and all). It is much nicer than my bedroom in the basement with no natural light.

It's been fun playing, and I suggest you go check out Shash's site, and I hope you all play along too, if you can. I plan to do this every week if I can.

I Like My Coffee Like Me: Bitter.

So I picked up the Snow Tigers and knit the first 3 rows of colourwork. The gaps between fingers looked worse on this one, I can't remember if I did anything different last time... It was the first time I've even touched yarn since Saturday, but I don't seem to have forgotten how to knit... I don't think my knitting mojo is fully back though.



And because this is in the background of that photo, I figured I may as well show it. It's ink on canvas board. I did a few like it, just started smooshing the ink around with a scruddy old brush until I got an idea, then ran with it and started refining the image. Until a few days ago, it was buried under a huge pile of junk on my floor. Normally I am never happy with my 'real' art work (I do not consider my knitting to be art, it is something else), but this guy makes me grin for some odd reason. I think it is his eyebrows, nose and teeth. Hmm, I also unearthed a small series of ink drawings I did last year in my French class (and one or two in English). I don't know if they are really what anyone who reads this are into, but I might put them up over the next few days, as I kind of want to do something with them.

Red Riding Hood as The Thrice Told Tale: An Apparently Alliterative And Assonant Analysis

I just handed a paper in today, and save for a physiotherapy appointment and some scrambling to get some preliminary research cobbled together for a course on Friday, I shall have some time to knit and to blog. I hope. I have been feeling really... not terribly well put together lately, which has impacted school, and of course, knitting. The first Snow Tiger is done, as are the knucks of the second (which are joined, and waiting for me to show some love and get going on the colourwork). I am still very much worried that they will not fit, but time will tell.

I really like this idea by Shash over at Mecozy. I hope to give it a go (maybe make it a recurring theme if I like), and I hope you all try it as well. http://mecozy.blogspot.com/2007/01/wanna-play.html

I promise to try to make this blogspace a little more interesting in the forseeable future.

Meow. Meow? Meow!

Oh, what's that over there?

What is it that I see? Could it... it IS!

A snow tiger! Incredibly rare in these climes, but not entirely unheard of, they are always a sight to behold. The majesty, the grace, the *slips on ice*. Well, more of a snow kitten at this point.

I will save the well-lit, detail oriented shots until I get through the thumb gusset (going to start it tonight), but since I am adding colourwork into a solid-colour item I need to graph out the stupid gusset (first I've ever knit) to make sure the decreases don't mess up the striping. And today gives me reason to be meek and not trust this project, so we shall see. Adieu!

6/8

So I am sorry for the inundation of photos of one project, I do this all the time I know, it is my monogamous knitter self coming out. I will try to break it up, go easy on y'all, can't have you getting bored! This shouldn't be TOO difficult, because, once February (I love that word) rolls around, I will be participating in Project Spectrum 2.0, hooray! I don't know how much of a craft colour thing it will be for me, as my crafting is limited, but I do have some ideas, and this is the kind of project that really fires me up (and I followed it avidly last year).

Anyway, today's knitting content is the fact that I believe to have met gauge for the Princeton Knucks. I ended up doubling the yarn for a really dense and squooshy fabric (and I hear it gets cold there, so I'm not worried), the fabric I was getting from single-stranding was just getting way too light for my taste as I kept going up needle sizes to meet gauge, but we shall see. I think Ms. H. and I have settled on an acceptable design (but I'm going to review that because you know, midnight sketches and IM ideas aren't always the best) and it is sufficiently tiger-y without being tacky (no Fair Isle Princeton crests).

In short, if I can keep the energy levels up long enough to have this finished in good time... I am excited! Yay! Shiny! *runs off to chase yarn*
















(The ceramic piece in this photo is a little Greenman made by my aunt years ago. She may drive me crazy like my mother [her sister] but there is no denying the fact that they are both incredibly talented artists. And I love Greenmen, they are adorable.)

Lies, lies, they are all lies!

Well, the colours in these photos at least (are unthruthful, for those who don't read blog post titles). It is all a little red or yellow, but you see, I have been busy, and social, and busy, and busy, and hi, I'm Michael and I have the attention span of a gnat on speed and the organisational skills of a pineapple (nothing against pineapples, but they aren't know for being well organized). My point is, I never remember to take photos of things in the daylight, so I am stuck with poorly light shots on my shoddy little desk (which is going to be replaced with a nice big table, which I can actually work at, and I am so excited).

Likewise, The Helm is done, has been done for two days and has been worn for two days (and oh my bubbeleh , the double-thick brim is sooooo nice and warm right now) and as a result, I have no pictures I am willing to share. Yet. They will come, as my weekend is free enough to find some time I hope.

Oh, as an aside, the black and orange (which is more of a slightly dirty orange) are supposed to turn into Princeton Knucks, if I can figure the gauge out (and that deserves it's own rant, maybe tomorrow). I hope I got the orange close enough to Princeton orange, so if there are any Tigers out there, let me know when I upload the good photos, eh?

Hello January

Heh, it's resolution and list season! Neither of which I really do, but I do set goals.

Planned Knitting (in possibly chronological order)

• Pirate Mittens for Mr. vonA.
  
• Princeton Mittens for Ms. H.
  
• The (stupid...) Helm for me.
  
• Fingerless(?) Mittens for me.

Potential Knitting (in no order)

• A sweater, maybe for me (I am a large guy, it would not be cheap).
• Lace, probably not for me.
• Socks, likely some for me, and some not.
• A murse, I could use a new one (that would be a man-purse [or a messenger/satchel bag], NOT a male nurse).
• Something felted.
• An Angst Cozy (patent pending).
• More Swatch Monsters.
• That's Enough For Now, As I Will Be Eating This Later, I Know, And Besides, I Need a New Job Before I Can Even THINK Of Buying More Yarn.

More Me-lists.

• Get in The Shape (I know, everyone says it, but I need to, and have [hopefully] the motivation).
• Make friends! (Last term was very encouraging academically, but I am starting to feel lonely)
• A job, I need a new one to buy yarn. Also see below.
  
• Travel (I would like to fly out East, dip down into Princeton, then take my time and train back across Canada. Also, there is a potential road-trip down the West Coast into the States, maybe as fat as San Francisco or something, which might take place next Christmas, but it's on the radar).
• Get my driver's license (I have had my 'L' for just over a year, I don't want to get it, but it's time to do it). Also see above.
• Floss.
  

That's all really that comes to mind, I am a simple person. Random, irrelevant goals/semi-lists include, and are not limited to: growing a full beard (either I'm clever or lazy. Mostly I'm curious what it will look like.), really getting down with some art (something I always mean to do, but it's not terribly important), successfully keep up with Embodiment (didn't make it last year), cook like a bandit (and compile my cookbook), move out (this should be on the other list, but it is highly unlikely), decide on my Undergraduate major (also, that should be on the other list, but it's not really something I can not get done, they make sure of that, so it goes here).
That is all.

Hope you all have a great year.