I still play with yarn. I swear.

I finished Lane and Mike's granny square afghan last night, weaving the last of the loose ends (and there were a lot of loose ends!) into the blanket. It was about four months in the making and I'm thrilled to ship it out to the newlyweds. I think it will be an excellent - and colorful - afghan to cuddle beneath during the grey Wisconsin winter. 

I've also had a few moment to finish the thumb (why is it always - ALWAYS! - the thumb?) on this pair of squirrel mittens. They are, unfortunately, the last of my holiday 2010 knits. Yes, that's right - 2010. I am a horrible dissertating graduate student. That's my story and I'm planning on sticking to it.

Snow Day

This is my road, just a few minutes ago. It started snowing last night and hasn't quite let up yet. This is unfortunate as I have several meetings to make this afternoon, but hopefully the snowplow will have been through at least once by the time I need to leave. 

I did spend some time this morning, once my class syllabus was finished, putting the final touches on Captain Jack's hat. (Yes, I am still knitting things for the holidays. Still. Shameful, I know.) 

It's something of an adaptation of the Cheery Scrap Hat from the Winter 2009 issue of Petite Purls. With a nickname like Captain Jack, I figured a hat with skulls on it is appropriate, although that was about where my following a pattern ended. While I like the skulls, I'm not in love with them; rather, I found myself more enamored with the impromptu colorwork I did above, drawing partially from the chart provided and imagining some while watching It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. (Yes, it's been sitting in my bag awaiting finishing for that long... double shame!) I did crochet a single edging all the way around the hat (flaps are a little wonky - it's homemade and I'm a new crocheter. That is my story and I am sticking to it), and finally had a chance to use my Clover pom-pom maker, which might be my new favoritest thing ever. 

Now to finish the good Captain's sister's mittens. They just need thumbs and then can be shipped on their way. 

Now Containing Actual Knitting Content

Oh, Monday. How I love you for starting the week off. I returned last night from a weekend in Michigan, where I got to eat donuts at the apple orchard, watch soccer games, and wander around a flea market... good times, I say. I also finally got around to taking a few final photos of the Lizard Ridge, which I am officially declaring done. 

Overall, I love how this turned out, aside from the fact that it took so long to actually finish. It's a great in-between project, however, as the blocks were ultra-portable but something of a pain to seam together. I really love the edging color - Cascade 220 in Como Blue. It's a simple garter stitch, but it makes the colors really pop. I've spent several cold afternoons cuddled up beneath it on the couch and it was worth all the time and energy. 

This is actually only the second thing I've knitted for myself and I imagine it sticking around for a while. Oh with the holiday knitting in these spare moments of fall. 

Oh, also? I am in love with the fall weather. IN LOVE. 

Linky Love: Lizard Ridge Edition

With qualifying exams behind me and proposal breathing down my neck, I've been attempting to relax at the end of the day with a little knitting. Well, not exactly knitting. More sewing than knitting as I've continued to make progress on the Lizard Ridge. All the blocks are officially seamed together. I finished it at 1:30 this morning and promptly did something of a happy dance. All that is left to do is to pick up the stitches on the edges and knit a border... after some sleep as I was wide awake at 6:30 this morning. Why does my body hate me?

Yet another project nearing completion. Not so good for my motivation today, so I leave you with links.

I want to collect every single one of these My Little Ponies For Geeks, but would totally settle for the My Little He-Man and Orko.

These photographs are testaments to creativity and Mila's ability to sleep deeply.

If only news media actually used such warning stickers.

I can't help but take some glee in these photos from Westboro Baptist Church protests.

To try and be productive now...

Lizard Ridging Along

Prior to leaving for the weekend, I spent a few nights weaving in and trimming the ends from the Lizard Ridge blocks. A few episodes of Mary Tyler Moore a night and it was done rather quickly. Brainless activity. That's a beautiful thing. I even started sewing them together but, after a weekend away, ripped it out last night and started again.

Part of the glitch was how the blocks were laying. I was seeing one of the cast-off edges and it just bothered me to no end. I also wanted to think of a way to seam as continuously as possible. I took a note from quilting and chain-pieced the bottom two rows of blocks together. It's a little awkward to handle, but I like the idea of stitching together all the horizontal seams in one general movement. It's also turned out to go a little faster than I thought it would. I pieced the first twelve blocks together in the course of two episodes of Family Guy.

I'm unsure I'm in love with the gray as a border, but I'll have to wait and see what it all looks like put together. I refuse to pull any more sewing apart so the gray stitches, they stay.

Last Lizard Ridge Block

Every night during this qualifying exam process, I have been spending that last hour of my waking day in front of the television and knitting. It gives me a chance to think about the progress of the day (never enough) and plan for the day to come while creating something I can hold in my hands. That's the thing about qualifying exams: you exert so much energy on them but never actually produce anything, at least until you print it out. I haven't printed anything out yet, primarily because I'm avoiding any and all editing until closer to Friday, when these writings are due. 

Ah, but I digress. That picture above? That's my last Lizard Ridge square. Two years later and all the blocks will be knit. Well, knit soon enough. I'm hoping it will be done by Friday. That would be two large projects off my hands by the time 11:59pm rolls around. 

Lists rather than actual posts.

I've been meaning to post for about four days now but haven't seemed to find the time. As such, I have a ton of stuff in my head that I need to get out, which will result in the following list:

I have the best roomies ever. This past week was filled with anxiety and woe as I had... 

...a keynote address to give on Friday. Don't I look all scholarly-like? I was asked to give the keynote at a small conference here on campus, the only directive was to make it inspirational. When I signed on, I figured I could pull it off without a problem. Only when I realized the Dean of the School of Ed was last year's speaker (and my course supervisor and on of my teacher heroes was the speaker the year before that) did I start falling apart a bit. As I wrote last entry (which also consisted of a list - let's hope this is not a habit I'm starting here), who am I to give this talk at a conference about exemplary? Crap. So I avoided myself all together and talked about my kids, our time together, and how important they are to me still. I talked about exemplary work in college as a contract for future exemplary work, binding them to providing students with thoughtful, deliberate instruction while still being aware of who their students are as people. Reviews have been positive, which is good. (Notes to self for future speeches, should I ever be asked again: you over-plan. Remember thinking you had about ten minutes of dead air time so you hurried up and wrote more? Yeah, don't do that. You forget that people need time to laugh, time to think. Oh, and just put notes on your PPT slides. You are not a reader of the screen. You know this, trust yourself.) 

I finished Sweater Quest, by the hilarious Adrienne Martini, a week or so ago and it inspired me to try knitting socks again. My first summer of knitting, about two years ago, I managed to work my way through a sock from the top-down, which was an unnerving project - what if I run out of yarn? what if they don't fit? OMG, WHAT AM I DOING!? Not a pleasant project. So for two years, I've had this skein of Harry Potter sock yarn in my stash, taunting me (particularly because I had to search high and low and across three states for the blasted thing). Using some mad Google skills, I located some tutorials (here and here and here for those interested) and cast on. A little over a week later, I've a sock! And it fits! No pictures, though... I'm trying to wait until I have them both done... It could be a while. 

Mmmm... a quilt top. It's so much better than the first one. The seams on this one (kinda) match up. This is a good thing, no? 

Okay. I feel better. Now to finish taxes, figure out why my data set is out of numerical order, and plan for tomorrow's class. Perhaps all of this can be done out in the sun, yes? 

First Knit of 2010

After unwrapping my holiday present to her, my aunt's face went from excitement to confusion. Inside the wrappings she found cosmicpluto's Simple-Yet-Effective shawl, which I had started way back during the summer months, had to rip out when I realized it was way too small, and had just gotten back on the needles the month before. In short, I wasn't done yet and had given her the shawl still on my circular needles, two balls of yarn nestled in the middle of it. "You know I can't knit, right?" she said, laughing.

I grabbed it back from her. "It's just so I can work on it in front of you without feeling badly about it."

And work I did. I spent four days with my aunt and uncle and was knitting during any moment of down time. The shawl itself is alternating stockinette and garter stitches using two different types of yarn, making for a really easy, if not sometimes boring pattern. The striping is nice, however, and I am surprised by how warm the shawl is. But the knitting! I thought it would never end! This is why I do not knit lace or anything in general that requires me to use needles smaller than size six. The night before I left, I finally cast it off the needles and had blocked it overnight so my aunt could have it in the morning. A time-consuming but good knit.

One thing to be noted about this pattern: it's small if you use the yarn as directed in the pattern. I ended up ordering extra skeins and the final product was a bit larger than the original. Unfortunately, I have a skein of the blasted fingering weight left and will have to find a project to use it up in. I have the funniest feeling that project will involved small needles. This is not good.

New

It's the eve before a new semester and the kitchen in the House of Whelmed smells like brownies. I have this thought that a ten-page syllabus is somehow more manageable when introduced in conjunction with sweets. Brownies are my spring semester treat, chocolate chip cookies in the fall. I love the possibility of the night before the new semester: the weight of assignments and meetings hasn't yet found my shoulders and I'm preoccupied with all the goodness this semester will be. I forget that goodness comes from all that behind-the-scenes work, the grading of papers late on Friday nights, the chains of emails from undergrads who are simply trying to find their way in a classroom. This is good but arduous work. It will be a good semester.

Prior to throwing together my brownie batter, I visited a friend's new baby. He's a darling little boy with intense brown eyes and the ability to stretch his body like a rubber band. I knit him a Baby Sophisticate, which has indeed turned into my go-to baby sweater pattern. It makes me happy to think it will keep that new little life warm during these cold winter months.

Making the Habitat a Habit

With school in session, my knitting time has decreased in dramatic ways. It makes me sad as the chilly weather has descended on Indiana, totally putting me in the mood for wool. I do sneak in a little knitting here and there in between classes, carrying small projects with me that I can finish a row or two on when I have a spare five or ten minutes.

One of my recent favorites is the Habitat by Jared Flood, the infamous Brooklyn Tweed. Hats in general, I have found, make great knitting projects for those in between times, but the Habitat is a great cabled knit that makes a beautiful product while being interesting enough to keep me from getting bored. I've knit three of these hats thus far and have a fourth on the needles. I think this next one may very well be for me.

But for now, must go read. And write. Lots of that going on today.

Ketchup

There's a lovely vase of zinnias on the kitchen table, obtained from this morning's Farmer's Market. They're bright and cheery and make me think of this little old lady who would come into the flower shop I worked in as a high school student. Every Saturday, she would stop after grocery shopping and she would purchase five dollars worth of flowers, usually daisies and alstro, often stating that it would make sense for a woman on a fixed budget to spend that five dollars on food but the flowers fed her soul. She had to have them, especially when the dreary UP winter descended. I looked forward to her weekly visits, which continued through my last summer working at that small shop in college and hope she's still making her weekly floral purchases.

The zinnias got me thinking about my poor, neglected Lizard Ridge. They share quite a bit in common: brilliant color and a generalized feeling of happiness, save for the fact my poor Lizard Ridge squares are sitting in a pile. I'm still nine squares short, still have to weave in the ends of the squares already finished, and the blocking! Oh, I don't even want to think about the blocking!

The stack of knitted squares is indicative of a larger problem: I have far too many unfinished projects. Mittens that need thumbs, shawls in need of another skein of yarn, a half-finished baby blanket that might be complete by the time the intended child goes to college. I've made a list of all these projects and will, hopefully begin finishing them off in these first few weeks of school. The Lizard Ridge, I am hoping, will be done for December movie viewing... and then onto more holiday knitting. So much to be done, so much to be done.

Jumping the Pumpkin

School starts up in two weeks; I keep referring to this fact in order to remind myself to spend these waning hours of summer doing fun things, things I may not have time to do once my nose is stuck in piles of books and my fingers are flying across the keyboard writing papers. Yesterday, I feel, was a good use of time, engaged in some crafty goodness for the little ones in my life.

Up first: the candy corn hat. Quite a few of my friends have babies and these small knit candy corn hats are irresistible as well as a quick, quick knit. I think this hat encompassed a whole hour and a half of mindless knitting while watching season two of Mad Men. I did deviate from the pattern a bit: rather than k1p1 ribbing, I made it a k2p2. I like the look of the k2p2 ribbing much more than the k1p1 - simply an aesthetic change. Another aesthetic change was to finish the hat after the k1k2tog decrease; when knit according to the pattern, the hat becomes really pointy. I wanted the top of the hat to be more rounded and finishing after that particular decrease accomplished the task.

This is a great project to use up odds and ends, should one have bright yellow, bright orange, and white yarn in their stash. I did not but collected said shades in Plymouth Encore Worsted at my LYS. I used so little of the yarn to make this one hat, I'm thinking one skein of each will be enough to make seven more. Or, at least, I hope.

Also: Why was I convinced that orange was the base color of a candy corn? Where did that come from?

Next: A trick-or-treat bag, or at least the prototype I will use to construct more later on. I've slowly but surely been spending some time in front of the sewing machine in order to build some skills. I was sick with mono when my classmates had sewing in Home Economics and my mom didn't think it wise to teach me, even when I asked. Hence, I've been reading, reading, reading, and attempting a few easy-peasy-lemon cheesey patterns. I had thought I'd found one such pattern in Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing - a tote pattern I figured would make a great tote for holiday-inspired candy gathering. I purchased fabric from the local Joanns, cut out all the pieces, ironed on interfacing, and prepared for an hour or so of sewing the next day.

Perhaps it's my lack of sewing schema or just a lack of comprehension period, but the directions lost me. I can read learning theory and have it make perfect sense but can't seem to follow directions for a simple tote bag. Epic fail on my behalf. Also: the interfacing I purchased wasn't so great, not adhering to the fabric completely and causing some issues with the sewing machine. So I improvised. Using some of the measurements provided in the book, I made the above tote: fully lined and reversible, ready for trick-or-treat goodness. My sewing skills still are not those of Adam, but I managed through a quilt top and now a tote-like bag. When can I start sewing coats and such?

I also managed, in course of yesterday, to make a pot of chicken noodle soup (to use up a stalk of celery - it made sense in my head when I woke up yesterday, but seems silly now) and a peach pie, which will be enjoyed tonight with vanilla ice cream. Not a lot of creating today, however: I have a syllabus that needs to be polished and at least three rubrics I need to write.

School starts in two weeks.

Baby Sweaters, Craigslist, and Settling In

One of my roomies is leaving for the weekend, which made me think that I would prepare some sort of baked good for her this morning before she left. So I gathered up baking ingredients last night and threw together a dough for cinnamon buns, allowing it to rise overnight so I might put the buns themselves together this morning. The alarm goes off, I get up, consult the recipe book, and realize that I made the wrong dough. The dough I made is for regular-type bread, which would make for some funky cinnamon buns. As soon as I post this, I am off to Dunkin Donuts to buy something sweet to send her on the road with. Drat.

Really, though, living in the house has been good. The third roomie has arrived home from Taiwan and we've managed to work with and around each other really well. There's a decent amount of space in the house, so it's not as though we are ever tripping over one another, which may be helping the "wow, I now live with two people" thing I've got going." It's good, this move into the house.

Also good: I met the Craigslist chap for coffee yesterday. Not a crazy, actually pretty interesting. I just hope I didn't babble too much... I'm a babbler in new social situations. I'm hoping there will be more coffee with this guy in my future. We shall see.

And the cute goodness above? That's the baby sweater I knit while on vacay in Michigan for my friend Emi's impending little person. I like to call it Baby's First Smoking Jacket. I'm a little in love with it, actually. It was a one day knit, moving pretty quickly on big needles, and I am absolutely in love with the color of the yarn, which reminded me of pickles. Who doesn't love pickles? I think one of my favorite features of the sweater might be the buttons, which my aunt gave me: vintage little Big Mac buttons from an old shirt of my cousin's. The perfect caramel color to complete the look. Adorkable.

Alright - off to Dunkin. While there will not be cinnamon buns this morning there will be sweetness. And bread.

What Have I Been Up To?

I had to empty out my backpack in order to find a cord for my iPod and realized how representative of my life the pile of junk on my table actually was. School has been dominating the schedule as of late - I've been trying to fit in the knitting where I can, but it's been slim. The Lizard Ridge blanket square is ready to be cast off - always a good thing. If only I could read around to actually finding time to do it.

Come the Snowy Weather

It's sort of snowing here in southern Indiana - sort of meaning something along the lines of it snowed last night, covering the ground in a lovely blanket of white, but the snow has since changed to a sleety substance. Regardless of the way precipitation manifests itself, it is cold, perfect weather for staying inside and knitting. Unfortunately, I'm inside but not knitting. I haven't been knitting a ton since the holiday rush, finishing those last few gifts before the big day. Too much going on, especially with the start of classes. Hopefully the insanity will die down a bit and I'll have a little more time to work with some needles and yarn soon.

I have not been totally abstinent, yarn-wise, and started on my Lizard Ridge (Ravelry link). What a delightful pattern! I wanted something quick and easy and this was definitely just the ticket. The blocks knit up quickly and I've managed to get three blocks from two balls of the same Noro Kureyon colorway. Thrifty (somewhat) and a great project for the small moments I've had to knit in the past few weeks. I'm up to seven blocks - only twenty-three to go.

The block of Noro 170, which were surprisingly different to one another. I found the key to be knit the blocks using two balls of yarn, knitting from the inside of one and the outside of another. It allowed for greater contrast, although the top block (heavy on the greens and oranges) was a fluke.

These blocks are from a ball of 185 and are my favorites thus far. I love the way the colors work together and how the blocks are similar to one another yet distinct - a much better illustration of the method behind my two-ball approach to knitting these.

The lone block made of 213. I like the watery feel of this colorway and am interested in how the other blocks will knit up. As I look at them in a pile on my desk, I'm excited to get them all finished so I can see how they fit together. Perhaps knitting time this weekend, part of which will be spent weaving in all these ends?

Preparing to Leave

I'm a little confused about the difference between fair isle, color work, and stranding. Are these all words for the same thing or are there subtle differences that define each practice?

Regardless, this is a photo (a bad photo, but a photo all the same) of my first fair isle/color work/stranding piece. This is the Leaping Stag hat from Nordic Heart Designs. I was looking for a hat for my stepdad and, being the hunter he is, thought this would be perfect. The hat was knit up in the course of about four weeks although I can honestly say I didn't spend a ton of time knitting at any one time. This is the piece I worked a row here and there as the end of the semester allowed. It could probably be finished in a fraction of the time if deliberate time were spent on it.

I loved the colors - it's knit up in Cascade 220 Superwash, colors straw and maroon - and matches a scarf his girlfriend brought back from Scotland for him this fall. I wish I had checked my gauge as I knit the piece - when I knit my swatch, it was perfect, but the hat itself is just a smidge too big. I used sevens but would probably change to a set of sixes the next time I make this pattern. Also: blocking this item was tricky... it's still not perfect, but it's something else to experiment with. Overall, a lovely pattern and a great first-time knit in this style.

Claire Boissevain-Crooke, the mind behind Nordic Heart Designs, has lots of lovely patterns for great hats. Unfortunately, her website isn't up yet but can be seen via Bloomington's Yarns Unlimited site here. I have a little crush on her Nordic Star pattern. I can definitely see one of those in my 2009.

When I left my one and only knitting class ten months ago, I felt strangely energized. In my hands, I held my Brittany needles, size eight, and a small square of gray scarf in garter stitch. The stitches were uneven, stitches had been picked up giving it an odd trapezoid shape, but it was, in all of its ugly beauty, mine.

The creation of something solid was refreshing. Entering my second semester of doctoral study, I had almost forgotten what it meant to create something physical. My creative energies were spent writing, making sense of ideas and fleshing out those of my own. Writing is as important as breathing but I missed creating things corporeal. I resolved, as I walked back to my car that February morning, to knit something for everyone on my holiday list. This resolution, with the holidays a not-so-distant memory, made sense in February. With Christmas currently right around the corner, it no longer seems like such a brilliant idea.

In the course of ten months, I've knit scarves, pairs of mittens, hats, and a single sock that has yet to have a mate. These gifts, soon to be sent out to loved friends and family, were spread out on my living room floor earlier this evening to be sorted into piles. These would go with me to Michigan. These would stay in Indiana. This would need to be mailed. These belonged in Wisconsin. These garments were a physical cartography of my knitting education: the scarf I first learned how to stripe, the mittens I first figured out color work, the very first hat I knit in the round. Each project has taught me something new about the craft, which makes total sense in light of my friendships.

Each friend has taught me something about how to be a good person in the world. It is only fitting that I give them a garment (albeit a small garment) that has taught me about moving string and needles to create something resembling beautiful. I have always struggled with the holiday season; it seems to have become simply a marketing machine with people trampling other people in Wal-Mart the day after Thanksgiving and exchanging gifts with close to no thought put into them. Knitting has reinforced my holiday spirit. When my friends and family open their presents, I hope they know how much I thought of them as I selected yarns, manipulated my needles, and wrapped their garment ever-so-carefully in brightly colored papers.

I will not be knitting for everyone on my list next year, though. After ten months of insane knitting, it will be nice to relax a bit. Perhaps I'll even cast on a square for a Lizard Ridge.