Hullo there. I bound off Basketcase a day or two ago, and am on the hunt for blocking materials that I might be able to borrow, as I have none of my own.

Have some photos of unblocked lace, please?









I am on the side of 'quite chuffed' with this project currently. Fingers crossed that I get it blocked ANYwhere in the near future.

Also, some yarn that fought it's way into my bag the other day.



I do love me some Mission Falls (it's a bit warmer in person). This is slated for the bear hat. I think I'll just knit the hat, affix (pick up stitches for?) the ears and... I'm not sure if I'm going to do any muzzle shaping or not yet. Ehhh, I'll think about it after work.

I am having a very hard time not casting on for the Swallowtail Shawl (Fall 2006 IK), because, well, the Sea Silk I have is just gawgeous. Wish me self-control!

As a final note, I shall remind ye all of this, http://thisboyknits.blogspot.com/2007/05/reply-e-mails.html

Reasserting Self Control

I will not go plunk myself back down in front of the TV and knit the last repeat on Basketcase before the edging (err, I might still add one more repeat, but I'm not thinking so currently). I will not be swayed by the lacey goodness on the couch. I will go to bed because I have to work and function tomorrow. You cannot sway me with your yarny siren song!

That being said, no photos because it is now a yet-larger beard cozy. And my LYS has a blocking mat that it seems I might be able to use. Which is good. Because I have, well, no blocking materials. As in none. As in... I have never blocked anything yet.

This Foolishness is brought to you by the rush of lace knitting when it doens't go wrong. Now I need to go huff some yarn, I have some Seasilk set aside just for that. I mean, I'm going to go read.

(and I still haven't started on the bear hat, but we're getting there)

Not much news

So, the Basketcase shawl is going fairly well, about a repeat an evening, with 4 or 5 (probably 5) to go until I begin the edging. I have learned to find and correct a number of lace mistakes (it's the making sure that I am a stitch off at the end of the row that's the trick). Ummm, it still kind of looks like a beard cozy, or just a big old brown blob. See?



But I am totally digging the single knit stitch spine, it just gives me gleeful little chills whenever I look at it. I don't know why, or if this makes me really strange (even for knitters), but I do know that it helps me keep happy with this project (which isn't hard, I have very little trouble sitting down and working on it, except for the knowledge that every row takes me a bit longer...) I am a few repeats behind my ideal schedule, what with actually leaving my home and socialising lately taking up some of my time, but I plan to remedy the horrid experience of being outgoing and hole up until it's done. And then I am going to knit a bear hat for a friend who is destined for a school far away next year (any patterns/suggestions are, as always appreciated). But I'm tired and a bit choked tonight, so have a look at that spine. Even a fuzzy, funnily lit photo makes me wiggle a little bit.

Basketcase Circus

First, lace. Apparently it's really hard to take photos of unblocked lace. Have some anyway.





And part of an assignment from this past year. My photos of the rest of it kind of suck, so I will work on that for tomorrow.

Reply E-Mails

So I love comments (and the progenitors of those comments, you, the commentors), and I really was choked when I discovered that New Blogger doesn't let me send e-mail replys to comments. Turns out, I was mistaken. From The LavenderSheep via Dave (http://criminyjickets.blogspot.com) I hear that New Blogger only reset the e-mail privacy setting. So. Anyone on New Blogger who wants to get e-mail replys from me (or from anyone using Blogger), go to your Edit Profile page (via your Dashboard) and select 'Show My E-Mail Address' (third line down the page). Of course, if you don't want your e-mail to be viewable, don't do this. But this way I can reply to people! (and I really really like to).

Err, hopefully a real post tomorrow (misread my work schedule, and apparently I am on)

Hullo blogland.
First, a few photos.
Let's see, we have... Fleece Artist, Fleece Artist, oh, and more Fleece Artist.

The result of some generic feather and fan experimentation in some leftover Merino Sock Kit from a gift that I finished up (no photos yet, you'll have to wait about a month). I might even have enough to make a full(smallish) scarf. It's a good on the road project.


This is some BiFfLe (Blue Face Leicester) 2/8 that is currently being worked into the Flowerbasket Shawl from Fibertrends. It's tiny, I just cast on this evening, so I'll spare photos until there is a little bit more progress. Please remind me to get either a sift or a ball winder before winding a kilometer of fingering weight yarn into a big cake. And it is BIG!


And there is some Handmaiden (ok, ok, Fleece Artist) Sea Silk. This is destined to be the Swallowtail Shawl from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. But currently, it is my pet. (Speaking of luxury, I fondled the Camelspin yarn yesterday. And oh my word. Way, way, WAY out of my price range, but it is mrrrrrrrowr soft.)

I guess I'm on a lace binge. But that's how I get comfortable with a new technique, immerse myself! (And apparently I have a thing for Evelyn A. Clark).

Hmmm, otherwise, I'm sure you have heard of Ravelry (www.ravelry.com), but if you haven't, go check them out, I don't feel like talking them up here, because I'm not so good with the words today, but trust me, it is SUPER cool! (And anyone waiting for an invite: Chill. They have over 3000 requests, and they are still afraid of making the server falldowngoboom if they opened the floodgates at once. Your patience is worth preventing that I think. And yes, if I hadn't lucked out on a beta invite, I would be as impatient as anyone, I know.)

And remember kids, play nice! (I have something fun and kind of goofy to post in the next few days, I hope)

oops?

*cough*
Er, hi. Again. Ok, I know I have been unfairly absent this past week. It has included a few days of cathartic doing nothing, a few days of crazy work (which there will be much, much more of), a little bit of knitting, and some cooking and stuff.

As for the knitting, I can't show you. Sorry. It's a gift, and it is so small that it should have been done ages ago... but right now I can't find any darning needles for some neccessary seaming and stitching.

I have been reading though! Take a look, won't you?



I am currently reading Gulliver's Travels, as I had never read the original, and now that I have the time, I'm enjoying a little Swiftian indulgence. (Anyone ever been driven positively *mad* by Swift's over Excessive Capitalization?)
Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death is a compilation of those two works (originally published separately), and I have had it open for almost a year now. I'll get through it soon, I promise! (Kierkegaard is heavy reading.)
Dracula. Also, another classic which I have never read in the original. I have yet to start it, but I will get there once Gulliver completes his travels.
And finally, some eye candy. I have a friend who works in a fahbulous local quilte shoppe (It's called Satin Moon, they have a website, check them out). And I went to visit her and now have an urge to... expand my textile repertoire... (Because I can afford another stashable hobby?)

Ooh, another small knitting note. I am looking for a new project. I am kicking around a ton of cabled designs and will likely make a big (BIG) pieced cabled afghan over time, as it's going to be just too darned hot to make one big blanket.

I also would like to maybe play with some lace this summer. Does anyone know of any good, not complete beginner, but obviously not Orenberg lace patterns? (Be they scarf, shawl, or whatever. I will probably just find someone to give it away to, since I have no personal need for lace, I am all about the technique and process with this project.)

More post sooner, I promise!

Freedoooooooooooooooooom!

And the school year is over, whew. And it is an incredibly beautiful day, to boot. I met up with some accomplices who also finished today and we went out for lunch. There is this tiny nook of a restaurant in town that serves... I think it is called Mayan somethingsomething. Anyway, traditional Mexican food. And just let me say that it is possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. We ordered 30 tacos (3 varieties) for the three of us, and they all disappeared. I'm not gonna say more, since I can't do it justice, but a dollar apiece for one of those tacos? I felt like we must have been completely ripping them off! It was astooooounding. I will go back. And hopefully get photos.
Anyway, when I get home, there is a package waiting for me! I ordered this on my last day of classes as a little treat for myself, and it showed up the day I finished exams. Serendipitous, no? I have been itching for some of Diana Fayt's pottery for ages now, but I can't really justify buying a big bowl or platter (cost and space reasons). But this little gem of a teabowl is worth every penny. Go check her site out, she does absolutely astounding work.
I'm just gonna give up some photos here. Knitting talk later.

checking in

I'll post once exams are over in... well, a week today. Sorry for the very sporadic posting, much studying and very little knitting/crafting going on, but I'm still around, just busy for another week!

[EDIT] It's not that I don't WANT to wear Dimples, or that I am not happy with it, but rather some completely unfounded fear of somehow ruining it. I wore it tonight to meet a friend for coffee. So far, so good.

Dimples, I presume

Well it's certainly no Skye Tweed Aran Cardigan,but Dimples is done! I even have some (pretty poor) photos of it. (What do you want? It's exam season, my brain is chained to my Latin textbook currently)



Name: Dimples (thanks Ellen!)
Pattern: Elizabth Zimmermann's percentage-based seamless saddle-shouldered sweater (I took it from The Opinionated Knitter)
Yarn: Mandarin Soft Cotton, about 17 balls
Needles: Aero 5mm, 80cm circulars (and some of my random assorted metal 5mm DPNs for the sleeves)
Knitting Time: Februrary 10th (give or take, there was some ripping a few days after to restart smaller), until April 10th (sewing on the last button). Not bad for a sweater in my size, I don't think. I watched A Lot of Battlestar Galactica and Heroes. I was tempted to name it something BSG related, but I really like Dimples.

What do I think? It's soft as all get out, mrowr, it fits (I am a shade leery of the stress that I think is on the back corner of the underarms, but I have no idea what I could even do to remedy that), I like the colours, I think it's fairly flattering, the shoulders worked out pretty well (I was sort of winging the colourwork at that point). I am however absolutely freaking paranoid of wearing/caring for it. I am afraid that it is going to wear out spontaneously or combust or fall apart when it has to get washed, Help!

I did some math, and there are nearly 30,000 stitches in the body below the arms alone (might figure out all the rest once I have some time for fun). But i'll toss up those photos, because I don't want to sit here and type (or study), I'm going biking, woo! (I will try to get good photos of it on me at some point, but it's kind of unlikely without an aide to assist me)