my mind is all scattered. even about knitting.
It was a pretty good holiday and I finished a bunch of projects. But I still have certain things on my needles that I want to finish. I am in a finishing mood--not a weaving in ends mood, but a checking things off the list mood.
I have a bulky cowl on the needles. I am going to go finish it. When I'm done with it, I'm going to pull out the last mitten I'm working on and try and finish it (and all the thumbs) today as well. It's a football day, so a lot of time to knit and watch. If I do finish both those things, then I've got socks to work on, I suppose. I've finished the first of two pairs, and have started the second of two pairs, but it's a slow slog from now on. meh.
I feel meh. I want to start a million new things and have them be finished.
maybe I'll bust out some spinning. It's usually what I do when I'm feeling all weird and floaty about my knitting.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Plans (surprised?) for 2015
Well I was just sitting around, planning out the work I need to do before I leave in ~1 week, and around that planning the knitting I need to do before seeing my relatives in ~1 week (there's far too much of both) and decided I wanted to plan some goals for next year as well.
my plans always get blown out of the water because Other Things to Knit always crop up, and those are always in the form of Stuff for Others. So I am going to try to limit myself to 6 Things for Others in 2015. Yes, including holiday knitting. woosh, this is gonna be tough.
1) Gene Tierney the Divine in that special yarn (laceweight, too. oosh!)
2) fingerless mitts with fingery stubs OR a poncho/capelet thing for mom, with her input on colors
3) socks for twin that I have not already cast on this year
4) socks for twin that I have not already cast on this year
5) somebody is gonna make a baby. I will make that baby a hat AND I want to make it booties. for the first time ever. they look... fun.
6) undetermined/free
this... yes, this should include shop samples. so #6 might be a shop sample, or a commission scarf, or something for the holidays.
Other than that, I want to knit up some of my (ridiculously huge) sock yarn collection into shawls. I've been waiting a while to make these shawls, and it's time to do so
1) purple malabrigo --> wine in summer replacement shawl or sugared violets
2) other mal sock + black sparkly dreamincolor --> nymphiladea
3) morgana --> trillian or brickless or other sideways shawl
Other than that, I want socks. I should continue to draw sock yarn at random from the sock club. I think I've only done one pair of socks for myself this year and I haven't even finished them yet. Of course I finished a bunch of shawls, so that's probably it :D
3 shawls for me. 3 pairs of socks for me. 6 things for other people. that's plenty. oh, but there's also the stuff I have on my needles:
2x pairs of socks for twin
shawl for me
2x sweaters for me
blanket for me
poncho for me
weird mitten things for me.
that I guess will continue to get worked on.
oh I should make myself some cowls too.
1) red cowl
2) fish bowl cowl
3) van gogh cowl
busybusy
my plans always get blown out of the water because Other Things to Knit always crop up, and those are always in the form of Stuff for Others. So I am going to try to limit myself to 6 Things for Others in 2015. Yes, including holiday knitting. woosh, this is gonna be tough.
1) Gene Tierney the Divine in that special yarn (laceweight, too. oosh!)
2) fingerless mitts with fingery stubs OR a poncho/capelet thing for mom, with her input on colors
3) socks for twin that I have not already cast on this year
4) socks for twin that I have not already cast on this year
5) somebody is gonna make a baby. I will make that baby a hat AND I want to make it booties. for the first time ever. they look... fun.
6) undetermined/free
this... yes, this should include shop samples. so #6 might be a shop sample, or a commission scarf, or something for the holidays.
Other than that, I want to knit up some of my (ridiculously huge) sock yarn collection into shawls. I've been waiting a while to make these shawls, and it's time to do so
1) purple malabrigo --> wine in summer replacement shawl or sugared violets
2) other mal sock + black sparkly dreamincolor --> nymphiladea
3) morgana --> trillian or brickless or other sideways shawl
Other than that, I want socks. I should continue to draw sock yarn at random from the sock club. I think I've only done one pair of socks for myself this year and I haven't even finished them yet. Of course I finished a bunch of shawls, so that's probably it :D
3 shawls for me. 3 pairs of socks for me. 6 things for other people. that's plenty. oh, but there's also the stuff I have on my needles:
2x pairs of socks for twin
shawl for me
2x sweaters for me
blanket for me
poncho for me
weird mitten things for me.
that I guess will continue to get worked on.
oh I should make myself some cowls too.
1) red cowl
2) fish bowl cowl
3) van gogh cowl
busybusy
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Shawls
You know what, for how much I love shawls and how much shawl yarn I have planned out--I really don't have a lot of shawls on the needles or completed.
I had a goal this year to knit six shawls. SIX. mostly for myself. I wanted to finish my Shipwreck Shawl, re-knit Maluka and Summer Flies, finally start a color affection and an estonian lace shawl, and do something simple with some deep stash to send to some friends.
How is this one going? By the numbers, I've worked on five shawls. But as to specifics, well, it's been utter crap. I started estonian lace in January. I finished Shipwreck over the summer. Everything else got ignored. I did knit myself a shawl that I hadn't planned to work on until next year (Quaker Ridge Shawlette) and finished it also over the summer, and I finished a stripey Zappow shawl of my own design to gift to a friend of mine. I also cast on a hitchhiker out of my own handspun, but I haven't touched it in a while (I don't know if a shawl is the right choice for this handspun).
Anyway, it seems that I set my goals too high--6 really complex shawls did not get completed. But 1 complicated one got finished and 3 easy ones got worked on. So I think next year I need some easier plans. That's not super surprising--I am, as always, crazy busy.
I had a goal this year to knit six shawls. SIX. mostly for myself. I wanted to finish my Shipwreck Shawl, re-knit Maluka and Summer Flies, finally start a color affection and an estonian lace shawl, and do something simple with some deep stash to send to some friends.
How is this one going? By the numbers, I've worked on five shawls. But as to specifics, well, it's been utter crap. I started estonian lace in January. I finished Shipwreck over the summer. Everything else got ignored. I did knit myself a shawl that I hadn't planned to work on until next year (Quaker Ridge Shawlette) and finished it also over the summer, and I finished a stripey Zappow shawl of my own design to gift to a friend of mine. I also cast on a hitchhiker out of my own handspun, but I haven't touched it in a while (I don't know if a shawl is the right choice for this handspun).
Anyway, it seems that I set my goals too high--6 really complex shawls did not get completed. But 1 complicated one got finished and 3 easy ones got worked on. So I think next year I need some easier plans. That's not super surprising--I am, as always, crazy busy.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Cowls
I really like cowls. They're like scarves that can't slip off or get lopsided or start to dangle too far over one shoulder and then stuck in the door of the subway without you noticing until you try to walk away and you get yanked back (this can still happen. it's just noticeable because the cowl stays on the front of you). A good cowl, in my opinion, can double as a hood-and-cowl if you've forgotten your hat. It also provides a layer of fabric right where I need it the most--over my chest and down to my belly. This is just about where all coats fail me (yes, I can get bigger coats. but then they're 4 feet too long. it's a matter of compromise), and I used to revert to wearing two shirts and a sweatshirt when I lived in Wisconsin, so the cold didn't bite as much (I would also wear a scarf. The scarf covers a similar vital area but has the aforementioned slippage problems). But that many layers is bulky and it makes the sleeves too tight... etc.
Anyway, I didn't really do cowls before I started knitting. I had (and still have) a half dozen scarves of various types that I employed. But now that I'm a knitter I've learned to love the cowl.
Despite this, I only have one cowl.
That's my friend L modelling it, because I am large and round and it's hard to take pictures of yourself. It is the Honey Cowl from ravelry, knit in Madelinetosh DK yarn in the logwood colorway. The pattern is a free one, and relatively easy. I think it took 2.5 skeins of yarn to make it its current width, about a foot and then some, and the length... which is... um... goes to about there on L and just past the boobs on me. It can be doubled up and it doesn't choke me. I think I knit the medium length that the pattern calls for.
I like purple, but I don't usually like light purple. Still, Madelinetosh does incredible colors and this has subtlety, tonality, depth, shades of dark and light... it's phenomenal stuff. Here's a close up that might do a better job of capturing it:
Anyway, this is my only cowl, and it gets a lot of wear once it gets cold here in the downsouth bits of the USA (it almost hit the 40s this weekend and for the first time I put on some hand knit socks and a sweater when I got up in the morning. downsouth sure is weird).
So, I've decided I need more cowls, since I wear this one so much. I've had this plan for over a year now, actually, and had some yarn balled up just waiting for the right time to cast on. In fact I balled it up back in December. Those of you who are astute will notice that it is November, so it's been nearly a year. I've got plans for doing some orange and blue colorwork that will look like a fishbowl when it's done (fun cowl, right? fishbowl? I love it), and some gorgeous stuff that stripes on itself in a Van Gogh colorway based on his Starry Night (which is so far my favorite... depth, texture, color, vibrancy.... unf) that I think I can make into a simple double knit tube. And when I was at the yarn store last month during their sale I picked up some Fibre Company Acadia to make myself another honey cowl (can't wait to knit and review this stuff). It's dark red, and I really need to get myself out of my color rut (I own way too much blue yarn. I don't look that good in blue, and I don't like blue knitted things that much--it's just that blue yarn calls to me. Like a siren.)
Casting on has been "on hold" for a while now while I finish up some gift knitting for a wedding and for the coming holidays. But I'm done with two of my three blankets and half the socks I need to knit, so I knew it would be soon that I would get to cast on, and I knew a cowl would be next.
As a matter of fact, it was. Did I do the double-knitted van-gogh inspired simple and perfect thing? No. Did I get creative and colorwork myself a fishbowl? Nope. Did I cast on the dark red Acadia, break my color rut, and do another Honey Cowl? No.
Instead I got cheap $4 yarn at Joann's with a friend and immediately cast on a garter stitch cowl that night.
weird impulse-buy yarn:
weird impulse-cast-on cowl:
Yep, it's almost two feet long in that photo and that's only one evening's worth of work. Yep, it's a boucle yarn in a gradient. Yes, it is once again blue and green, like so many other yarns I own. I am a fickle, fickle knitter.
but at least it's a cowl.
Anyway, I didn't really do cowls before I started knitting. I had (and still have) a half dozen scarves of various types that I employed. But now that I'm a knitter I've learned to love the cowl.
Despite this, I only have one cowl.
I like purple, but I don't usually like light purple. Still, Madelinetosh does incredible colors and this has subtlety, tonality, depth, shades of dark and light... it's phenomenal stuff. Here's a close up that might do a better job of capturing it:
So, I've decided I need more cowls, since I wear this one so much. I've had this plan for over a year now, actually, and had some yarn balled up just waiting for the right time to cast on. In fact I balled it up back in December. Those of you who are astute will notice that it is November, so it's been nearly a year. I've got plans for doing some orange and blue colorwork that will look like a fishbowl when it's done (fun cowl, right? fishbowl? I love it), and some gorgeous stuff that stripes on itself in a Van Gogh colorway based on his Starry Night (which is so far my favorite... depth, texture, color, vibrancy.... unf) that I think I can make into a simple double knit tube. And when I was at the yarn store last month during their sale I picked up some Fibre Company Acadia to make myself another honey cowl (can't wait to knit and review this stuff). It's dark red, and I really need to get myself out of my color rut (I own way too much blue yarn. I don't look that good in blue, and I don't like blue knitted things that much--it's just that blue yarn calls to me. Like a siren.)
Casting on has been "on hold" for a while now while I finish up some gift knitting for a wedding and for the coming holidays. But I'm done with two of my three blankets and half the socks I need to knit, so I knew it would be soon that I would get to cast on, and I knew a cowl would be next.
As a matter of fact, it was. Did I do the double-knitted van-gogh inspired simple and perfect thing? No. Did I get creative and colorwork myself a fishbowl? Nope. Did I cast on the dark red Acadia, break my color rut, and do another Honey Cowl? No.
Instead I got cheap $4 yarn at Joann's with a friend and immediately cast on a garter stitch cowl that night.
weird impulse-buy yarn:
weird impulse-cast-on cowl:
Yep, it's almost two feet long in that photo and that's only one evening's worth of work. Yep, it's a boucle yarn in a gradient. Yes, it is once again blue and green, like so many other yarns I own. I am a fickle, fickle knitter.
but at least it's a cowl.
Monday, October 27, 2014
I can't fucking believe we still have something named the Eskimo Nebula
seriously how fuckin racist is that?
why, my fellow astronomers asked me, why is that racist? it's just that it looks like, you know, the fluffy hood of a jacket or a parka, and the Eskimo live in cold areas and wear clothes like that. And Eskimo itself isn't a bad word, and might be the only proper way to discuss some of the northern Native tribes. So why is this racist?
Well, I went spelunking on the internets, knowing that someone in NotAstronomy had already looked into this as an expert in one fashion or another, and I found (among plenty of other things) this: http://posterromance.com/2013/12/30/ice-cream-air-conditioners-and-anti-freeze/
which features a collection of stereotypical images used in marketing and advertising
why, my fellow astronomers asked me, why is that racist? it's just that it looks like, you know, the fluffy hood of a jacket or a parka, and the Eskimo live in cold areas and wear clothes like that. And Eskimo itself isn't a bad word, and might be the only proper way to discuss some of the northern Native tribes. So why is this racist?
Well, I went spelunking on the internets, knowing that someone in NotAstronomy had already looked into this as an expert in one fashion or another, and I found (among plenty of other things) this: http://posterromance.com/2013/12/30/ice-cream-air-conditioners-and-anti-freeze/
which features a collection of stereotypical images used in marketing and advertising
At the very least, you can recognize how the use of a furred hood and a simple face is done as a stereotype. It has as much or as little to do with the actual Eskimo people as, for example, Mrs. Butterworth has to do with African Americans. The stereotype is used (in both cases) to sell a product; it reinforces simplistic ideas that white people have about "others" and then profits off of that. In this Eskimo case, the stereotypical image sells the idea of cold and hardiness--the implication that this ice cream is the best and this antigel is the best comes from the simplistic idea that all Eskimos do is survive in cold climates. In the case of Mrs. Buttersworth, the product reinforces the idea of "simple" or "down-home" country cooking, selling deliciousness and ease--implied from the stereotypical image of the comforting, food-serving mammy.
Anyway, the Eskimo nebula was probably named in the 1920s or 30s and I'm hoping we can maybe update it so we don't have to reinforce the same tired stupid stereotypes.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
plots within plots
I need more time to commit to knitting because progress is slow, and therefore boring for you guys.
Of course the real-life thing is getting in the way.
0) prep public night talk!!
1) finish edits to Reber
2) finish edits to LIRG
3) edit K2.0
4) make bgq plots
5) make list of things to fix for more accurate bgq
6) make list of things to fix for more accurate agq
7) email about my office hours on friday
8) read up on steve's lectures pre office hours (um friday is TOMORROW)
9) figure out if I can help CVGS at all
10) spend weekend fixing/filling out TPT stuff
11) update calendar with new slew of deadlines/fellowships etc
12) read Mark's emails about SERVs
13) prep public night talk eeeek that's tomorrow!
knitting to do:
1) green socks
2) bright sport socks
3) witchy mitts
4) skyp socks
5) hot water bottle cover
6) figure out gift for Louise and start
7) figure out gift for Patrick and start
8) after 3 or 4 of the former things have been crossed off, start van gogh cowl
Of course the real-life thing is getting in the way.
0) prep public night talk!!
1) finish edits to Reber
2) finish edits to LIRG
3) edit K2.0
4) make bgq plots
5) make list of things to fix for more accurate bgq
6) make list of things to fix for more accurate agq
7) email about my office hours on friday
8) read up on steve's lectures pre office hours (um friday is TOMORROW)
9) figure out if I can help CVGS at all
10) spend weekend fixing/filling out TPT stuff
11) update calendar with new slew of deadlines/fellowships etc
12) read Mark's emails about SERVs
13) prep public night talk eeeek that's tomorrow!
knitting to do:
1) green socks
2) bright sport socks
3) witchy mitts
4) skyp socks
5) hot water bottle cover
6) figure out gift for Louise and start
7) figure out gift for Patrick and start
8) after 3 or 4 of the former things have been crossed off, start van gogh cowl
Monday, October 13, 2014
just ... keep.. knitting
deadline knitting for November is coming up. I have calculated that I need 10 rows a day to finish on time, but gosh do I want to start something else. Or at least work on something like my sweater or socks.
I sneakily picked up some old spinning. It's a bunch of green pencil roving of mysterious fiber source that I was gifted by an LSG friend some time ago. I've been spinning it pretty thin and I think this might end up as my first true laceweight, even if it fluctuates between light and heavy laceweight.
The spindle I am using is really too heavy for it which is part of why it is taking me so long--with how thin I'm drafting it, the staple length of the mystery fiber, the partially felted status of the fiber, and the medium/heavy spindle (I think it's 1-1.5 oz?), I draft only about an inch or two of fiber at a time. I put lots of twist in it, drafting carefully (I think... I'm doing a short backwards draw? long draw works as well but doesn't seem to hold the twist and I'm not as consistent in thickness with long draw), until I've got a foot or so and then I usually put it down (on the bed), prop my foot on it gently, and finish drafting until I've got the amount of twist I want in it. So, park-and-draft, essentially. It's been a while since I've done that but it works well with this stuff. I also didn't do much prep at all with it. Normally I divide the fiber, then open it up a bit, then usually I open it up again before I spin it. This time I divided the fiber and I may have done just a wee bit of adjusting. Mostly I am drafting from the dense, partially felted fiber. Which is useful because the short staple means that the felting helps keep it from breaking.
every once and a while I get distracted, don't put in enough twist, try to make it too thin (especially now as the spindle is getting heavier), and the whole thing snaps and rolls off under the bed, shaking off twist as it goes. and the cats get interested.
holiday gifts planned: 7
holiday gifts finished: 1
holiday gifts started: 3
holiday gifts unplanned: 2
um. eep.
I sneakily picked up some old spinning. It's a bunch of green pencil roving of mysterious fiber source that I was gifted by an LSG friend some time ago. I've been spinning it pretty thin and I think this might end up as my first true laceweight, even if it fluctuates between light and heavy laceweight.
The spindle I am using is really too heavy for it which is part of why it is taking me so long--with how thin I'm drafting it, the staple length of the mystery fiber, the partially felted status of the fiber, and the medium/heavy spindle (I think it's 1-1.5 oz?), I draft only about an inch or two of fiber at a time. I put lots of twist in it, drafting carefully (I think... I'm doing a short backwards draw? long draw works as well but doesn't seem to hold the twist and I'm not as consistent in thickness with long draw), until I've got a foot or so and then I usually put it down (on the bed), prop my foot on it gently, and finish drafting until I've got the amount of twist I want in it. So, park-and-draft, essentially. It's been a while since I've done that but it works well with this stuff. I also didn't do much prep at all with it. Normally I divide the fiber, then open it up a bit, then usually I open it up again before I spin it. This time I divided the fiber and I may have done just a wee bit of adjusting. Mostly I am drafting from the dense, partially felted fiber. Which is useful because the short staple means that the felting helps keep it from breaking.
every once and a while I get distracted, don't put in enough twist, try to make it too thin (especially now as the spindle is getting heavier), and the whole thing snaps and rolls off under the bed, shaking off twist as it goes. and the cats get interested.
holiday gifts planned: 7
holiday gifts finished: 1
holiday gifts started: 3
holiday gifts unplanned: 2
um. eep.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
and life goes on
I've wrestled down some work stuff and some other stuff. Still on top, and it doesn't *quite* feel like I'm riding a wave that'll kill me as soon as I fall. I still have a lot of work to do on various topics.
and some secret knitting: 25/60. woot.
and some secret knitting: 25/60. woot.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
everything sucks forever
Too busy. forget having goals, I want to have a normal sleep schedule and a pain-free throat.
doc wants to do diabetes screening. fuck that noise. What good is it going to do me to hear "you're pre-diabetic" or diabetic or whatever? Every doctor I've ever met has told me to lose weight and it's still the hardest fucking thing in the world to do.
I wonder if someday I might get a handle on my life. chores, food, health, money, work, friends, sleep. all spiraling around me out of my control.
doc wants to do diabetes screening. fuck that noise. What good is it going to do me to hear "you're pre-diabetic" or diabetic or whatever? Every doctor I've ever met has told me to lose weight and it's still the hardest fucking thing in the world to do.
I wonder if someday I might get a handle on my life. chores, food, health, money, work, friends, sleep. all spiraling around me out of my control.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Knitting Accomplishments Thus Far (2014):
[x] Surprised my older sister with a pair of socks
[x] knit a pair of socks for my twin (in progress)
[] knit another pair of socks for my twin
[] knit Takoma (in progress... barely)
[] reknit myself a Wine In Summer
[x] try Estonian lace (I should put some more time into this; can't wait to see how it turns out)
[x] finish Shipwreck Shawl
[x] finish at least three shawls (though one is for someone else)
[x] ply waiting singles (started. I think I still have 2 or 3 more projects left to ply, though)
[] knit some specific gifts (hot water bottle cover; fuck cancer hats; owl puffs)
[x] knit some monsters
[x] knit some animals
[] steek. this will come when I finish Takoma
[x] finish pieced blanket (this is sort of finished. I have decided to add a border to it, so I need to get some needles and take a stab at that.)
not a bad bit of progress, for getting distracted by two other blankets in there.
any goals for yourself this year? how are they going?
[x] Surprised my older sister with a pair of socks
[x] knit a pair of socks for my twin (in progress)
[] knit another pair of socks for my twin
[] knit Takoma (in progress... barely)
[] reknit myself a Wine In Summer
[x] try Estonian lace (I should put some more time into this; can't wait to see how it turns out)
[x] finish Shipwreck Shawl
[x] finish at least three shawls (though one is for someone else)
[x] ply waiting singles (started. I think I still have 2 or 3 more projects left to ply, though)
[] knit some specific gifts (hot water bottle cover; fuck cancer hats; owl puffs)
[x] knit some monsters
[x] knit some animals
[] steek. this will come when I finish Takoma
[x] finish pieced blanket (this is sort of finished. I have decided to add a border to it, so I need to get some needles and take a stab at that.)
not a bad bit of progress, for getting distracted by two other blankets in there.
any goals for yourself this year? how are they going?
Cloudy
Can't teach Astronomy labs if it's cloudy out. It's been cloudy for 3 solid weeks now. No labs. Students (and professor) getting anxious. I try to be optimistic but full overcast isn't gonna just magically clear up for viewing. *sigh*
I need to buckle down on research. Hard when the teaching stuff involves me running around and putting out a lot of fires. Still, I'm really going to have to smack down on myself and make sure I spend four or five working hours just getting the research done. I don't have too much time to screw around on things that are NotThesisWork.
Knitting has been a mixture of focused and crazy. How is it that I still have two--no, wait, three blankets still on the needles? No wonder I am not making a lot of progress. I put one of them in the corner but two blankets is still a lot to work on! I'm 2/3 done with each of them.
I ripped out an old half-knit sweater and started something new with the yarn, too. This thing looks like it will actually fit me, so that's better than the half-finished-thing. Still, casting on another sweater isn't exactly helping the "get things finished" list. I have a sleeve of Takoma half knit, too, so that project's waiting for me to pay attention to it. For smaller things, I also have two socks on different needles--again, neither of them garnering much progress.
Finally, I have three (or four) hats I want to knit for the holidays, one a commission knit so it comes with extra responsibility. And there's the plans for the hot water bottle cover and slipper socks for my mom, and the colorwork thing for my older sister, and as many socks as I can churn out for my twin. These haven't been dented yet! and I've got two cowls I want to make for myself--TWO. And that estonian lace and those witchy fingerless mitts I want to make myself... and more fiber to spin than I can look at.
Anyway, long story short, I'm busy. busy busy busy. Also I appear to have a problem prioritizing things (especially now that stash dash is over). How do you prioritize your knitting? How do you decide what to work on next, at any given moment, or over the course of the year?
I need to buckle down on research. Hard when the teaching stuff involves me running around and putting out a lot of fires. Still, I'm really going to have to smack down on myself and make sure I spend four or five working hours just getting the research done. I don't have too much time to screw around on things that are NotThesisWork.
Knitting has been a mixture of focused and crazy. How is it that I still have two--no, wait, three blankets still on the needles? No wonder I am not making a lot of progress. I put one of them in the corner but two blankets is still a lot to work on! I'm 2/3 done with each of them.
I ripped out an old half-knit sweater and started something new with the yarn, too. This thing looks like it will actually fit me, so that's better than the half-finished-thing. Still, casting on another sweater isn't exactly helping the "get things finished" list. I have a sleeve of Takoma half knit, too, so that project's waiting for me to pay attention to it. For smaller things, I also have two socks on different needles--again, neither of them garnering much progress.
Finally, I have three (or four) hats I want to knit for the holidays, one a commission knit so it comes with extra responsibility. And there's the plans for the hot water bottle cover and slipper socks for my mom, and the colorwork thing for my older sister, and as many socks as I can churn out for my twin. These haven't been dented yet! and I've got two cowls I want to make for myself--TWO. And that estonian lace and those witchy fingerless mitts I want to make myself... and more fiber to spin than I can look at.
Anyway, long story short, I'm busy. busy busy busy. Also I appear to have a problem prioritizing things (especially now that stash dash is over). How do you prioritize your knitting? How do you decide what to work on next, at any given moment, or over the course of the year?
Monday, September 1, 2014
Freight Train
And with that all dreams of a sweet summer are over. Classes have begun, my teaching load is quite heavy (3 nights a week I'll be teaching lab, which basically makes 7-12 pm completely useless on M, T, and H), and I've got a bunch of stuff to do managing things for one of the profs I am TAing for. I like teaching, so I am sure I'll enjoy the work when I'm actually out at the telescope, but it's a big chunk of time. And then there's grading, and the second job if I can get one. I thought I could do tutoring/grading for the department but there's been a mix up and no positions seem to be available.
I am contemplating teaching some courses at my LYS. I was thinking about doing a beginning crochet course--taking people through chaining, slip stitch, single, double, and half double crochet, hook positioning, and how to turn back--by doing a simple washcloth, and culminating in crocheting granny squares, possibly followed by a granny square exchange for a blanket or bag. I think also an introduction to Ravelry class would be a good idea--since I know the ins and outs of it pretty well ;). Intro to rav could be a one week course; intro to crochet could be a 2 week course, the second week being the granny square stuff. Might be fun, and would certainly help the bank account!
Meanwhile, the full responsibilities of the semester (in the form of meetings) has hit me like the proverbial freight train. Seriously, I spend hours answering emails, organizing times and places, giving my expert opinion on things, and working towards conclusions (that only lead to more work :P). I am going to have to assign myself some very specific email hours and then escape for the rest of them.
First thing on the to-do list: apply for various forms of funding.
Second thing on the to-do list: edit my paper. I received referee comments! it wasn't outwardly rejected! I just have to make changes and resubmit, probably several times! Very excited... this means it could be published soon!
Third thing on the to-do list: get my stupid bgq program to work, make some graphs, and basically get back into research so I can do this second paper and have it ready to submit by Dec 1st.
busy, busy, busy. Hmm... I think I love my job again, yarn-glee aside.
Knitting to-do:
1) finish test blanket (meep)
2) finish holiday gifts
3) knit for me. Isn't this always the way it goes? I bet I'll give up on everything and make mitts for me this month anyway.
I am contemplating teaching some courses at my LYS. I was thinking about doing a beginning crochet course--taking people through chaining, slip stitch, single, double, and half double crochet, hook positioning, and how to turn back--by doing a simple washcloth, and culminating in crocheting granny squares, possibly followed by a granny square exchange for a blanket or bag. I think also an introduction to Ravelry class would be a good idea--since I know the ins and outs of it pretty well ;). Intro to rav could be a one week course; intro to crochet could be a 2 week course, the second week being the granny square stuff. Might be fun, and would certainly help the bank account!
Meanwhile, the full responsibilities of the semester (in the form of meetings) has hit me like the proverbial freight train. Seriously, I spend hours answering emails, organizing times and places, giving my expert opinion on things, and working towards conclusions (that only lead to more work :P). I am going to have to assign myself some very specific email hours and then escape for the rest of them.
First thing on the to-do list: apply for various forms of funding.
Second thing on the to-do list: edit my paper. I received referee comments! it wasn't outwardly rejected! I just have to make changes and resubmit, probably several times! Very excited... this means it could be published soon!
Third thing on the to-do list: get my stupid bgq program to work, make some graphs, and basically get back into research so I can do this second paper and have it ready to submit by Dec 1st.
busy, busy, busy. Hmm... I think I love my job again, yarn-glee aside.
Knitting to-do:
1) finish test blanket (meep)
2) finish holiday gifts
3) knit for me. Isn't this always the way it goes? I bet I'll give up on everything and make mitts for me this month anyway.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
"responsible"
cast on the secret/test knit for a friend. It's cute, I think--as long as I choose the colors correctly. We'll see how it turns out and if I want to share pictures.
Here's a pic of the blanket I'm making for my girlfriend. it's more neon than it appears.
Here's a pic of the blanket I'm making for my girlfriend. it's more neon than it appears.
The last day of sweet freedom
Between finishing classes, visiting the family, and the beginning of my new teaching duties for fall, I've had a wee nubbin of time to myself. I got back Friday afternoon, gave a public lecture Friday night, and then spent some hours with a good friend at his going away party (until 2am). Saturday I had time to myself; slept in, and went to the knitting group, and tried to piece my life back together. Sunday my free time got eaten by a ridiculous headache so I spent most of it asleep, and a wee bit of it on the internets with my twin, and saw my going away friend for one last dinner and a hug. Monday and Tuesday I saw my girlfriend for the first time in seven weeks... ngh. too long. We had a great time: we hung out with her family, went to see Guardians of the Galaxy, had a fancy dinner, played Diablo III, got to snuggle--all the good stuff. Also I got to meet one of her friends who was super sweet--and also a knitter! glee! we geeked out a bit (though I was somewhat zoned out--if the TV is on it really mindcontrols me and I don't pay attention to other things).
So, today is the last of it. And it's not really a full day of freedom because I have a meeting at 1pm and then some telescope training in the evening, but I'm going to take the time to finish getting my life back together rather than spending the full 12 hours at the office. I'm going to do laundry, vacuum my bedroom, try to clean out my bags and my car, and move my stuff to my new desk, plus do some care-time with the poor abandoned kitties. and maybe try to do some cooking and grocery shopping and mailing things... eep. it's gonna be busy.
Anyway, I picked up knitting for joy and pleasure on Saturday for the first time in a long time. The Stash Dash is over, and I hit the 5km goal, totalling 5600 yards of completed work. That doesn't count how much I put into other shiny things I didn't complete (I would've added those up if I hadn't met it otherwise). I'm very pleased with the outcome--the event served as a motivator for forcing myself to work on some big projects that have been lingering on the needles for a couple of years. I've two new shawls (quite large ones, too), and a throw-blanket that I've been wanting. I also got a head start on a gift for my girlfriend, and used up quite a bit of deep stash, and worked on some socks and hats and mitts (my usual pleasures).
I think I've finally come to the conclusion that I want and need a spinning wheel. Right now I'm looking at the Ladybug and the Sidekick but I want to test more wheels out first. I've had a very fun time spinning on my spindles and making yarn--I made three beautiful skeins during the Stash Dash--but I am feeling the need for speed. and quantity. I want to make a lot of things into yarn now that my fiber stash has grown. Additionally, I'm beginning to have goals for the fiber I acquire. Not nebulous "make a skinny three-ply" and "make a skinnier two ply" and "make this one skinny and then chain ply it" goals, but really specific goals like "try to get at least 350 yards of a sock-weight yarn from this one and don't mute the colors too much because I have a shawl or pair of socks in mind for it". I think the wheel helps with the goals--not in the least because it's fast rather than dreadfully slow and requiring patience.
After Stash Dash finished I threw myself into other projects. I'm feeling a bit of ennui, though--I think I need to start something simple and gratifying that I can carry with me. The socks would be all right, but only for another 2 inches before I have to shape and do the heel; the other socks and shawls and hats are all patterned, and the simple wristwarmer mitts require free drafting of mawata silk--not exactly portable, though the color depth is stunning. And the big crochet blanket is too big to carry around and the other secret project--oh... I should get stared on that.
But I think I'll cast on a Hitchhiker scarf/shawl in some handspun instead, and watch knitting podcasts while I do laundry until my meeting.
What are you dreaming about knitting now that fall is so darn close?
What are you dreaming about knitting now that fall is so darn close?
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Teaching is kicking my butt
My daily schedule consists of: waking up exhausted, hurrying into the office, trying to get a lecture together before 1pm, often without having remembered lunch, running short on material at about 2:40, scraping class along until 3:00 or 3:05, turning into a vegetable and scarfing down food while staring numbly at email until about 5pm, trying to grade until 9pm, frantically trying to balance grading and making a new homework with the need to prep lecture + the desire for some in class activity, and passing out at midnight.
one night this week I skipped the grading thing and just knitted. Now I'm behind 2 assignments (for only 6 students, agh, what do people with 20 students or 400 students do??) and I haven't had more than 6 hours of sleep since.
plus side: only 4 days left of class, the blanket is finished, and I"m onto the beaded bindoff of my shawl. So when I finish this, stash dash'll be met!
down side: wellllllll 5 days. Hopefully I can scrape enough time out of them to hit this point.
After I'm done teaching I imagine I'll just melt into a puddle for a few days. Hah. But on the knitting plate is:
1) a shop sample hat
2) finishing up some 3 ply spinning
3) starting the next part of the test blanket
4) starting mom's holiday gift
5) working on socks for the twin
6) secret for the other sister (hmmm...)
and a million other things I want to cast on all at once because they're shiny. *sigh*
one night this week I skipped the grading thing and just knitted. Now I'm behind 2 assignments (for only 6 students, agh, what do people with 20 students or 400 students do??) and I haven't had more than 6 hours of sleep since.
plus side: only 4 days left of class, the blanket is finished, and I"m onto the beaded bindoff of my shawl. So when I finish this, stash dash'll be met!
down side: wellllllll 5 days. Hopefully I can scrape enough time out of them to hit this point.
After I'm done teaching I imagine I'll just melt into a puddle for a few days. Hah. But on the knitting plate is:
1) a shop sample hat
2) finishing up some 3 ply spinning
3) starting the next part of the test blanket
4) starting mom's holiday gift
5) working on socks for the twin
6) secret for the other sister (hmmm...)
and a million other things I want to cast on all at once because they're shiny. *sigh*
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Stash Dash 2014 update
Shipwreck is finished! I need to take a weekend to block it and get good pictures.
Lightning on Quaker Ridge is now 2/3 done.
I am working on the last square of my Mock Cornerstone blanket (Rothko blanket? that's what I think of it as...), but I will have to attach them all and then pick up to do the border.
Those are probably the only major things I'll finish for StashDash14. My class starts tomorrow and I've got a lot of work left to do. freaking out a bit. ngh. let me make a list.
1) draft the first lecture or two/edit H's lectures into mine (1st one: modern, modern way of thinking, scientific method, testability, etc; 2nd one: chinese, greek, roman, medieval way of thinking, understanding the universe)
2) come up with actual in class assignments for students to do for 1 hour out of the 2 hours.
3) figure out point distribution and intended assignments throughout class
4) finish polishing syllabus: set office hours and online-help hours, lay out the intended class work for each day/week, lay out the intended assignments and duedates
5) figure out what final project will really be??? or at least write it up so it sounds reasonable.
6) figure out first week of readings: from book, from articles, from other sources. make copies
7) panic
must absolutely do 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 today. great.
Lightning on Quaker Ridge is now 2/3 done.
I am working on the last square of my Mock Cornerstone blanket (Rothko blanket? that's what I think of it as...), but I will have to attach them all and then pick up to do the border.
Those are probably the only major things I'll finish for StashDash14. My class starts tomorrow and I've got a lot of work left to do. freaking out a bit. ngh. let me make a list.
1) draft the first lecture or two/edit H's lectures into mine (1st one: modern, modern way of thinking, scientific method, testability, etc; 2nd one: chinese, greek, roman, medieval way of thinking, understanding the universe)
2) come up with actual in class assignments for students to do for 1 hour out of the 2 hours.
3) figure out point distribution and intended assignments throughout class
4) finish polishing syllabus: set office hours and online-help hours, lay out the intended class work for each day/week, lay out the intended assignments and duedates
5) figure out what final project will really be??? or at least write it up so it sounds reasonable.
6) figure out first week of readings: from book, from articles, from other sources. make copies
7) panic
must absolutely do 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 today. great.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
of course of course
now that I did all that thinking and convincing, I went on Ravelry and read a lot of peoples' notes. EVERYBODY seems to have done the increase row, even when they cut a few rounds off.
I bet it helps the bindoff be nice and drapey and not tight.
I bet it helps the bindoff be nice and drapey and not tight.
of course
I've spent 2 years knitting a very large shawl. It's taken a lot of patience because it involves beading. I am not patient, and more often than not the project was stuffed in a bag and ignored. But I am determined to finish it this summer for Stash Dash, and so I have been working on it with a vengeance this past spring.
And of course, I am now ~13 rounds from the end of it, and I really, really, reallyreallyreally don't think I'm going to have enough yarn.
So, a shawl like this, a circular or pi-shawl, is created by doubling the number of stitches every time the radius doubles. Because the circumference of a circle = 2pir. The pattern, Shipwreck Shawl from Knitty, requires me to knit 12 rows, do an increase round where the number of stitches is doubled (yo, k1, essentially, all the way around), and then bind off loosely. My question is--if I trim the number of rows I do (down to say, three, because that might be all the yarn I've got), do I still need to increase before I bind off? or because I haven't hit the important radius yet, will it not matter?
Part of me says "if the number of rows has doubled (the radius), then increase. since I won't be quite doubled the number of rows, then I shouldn't increase."
The other part of me says that the radius has certainly increased a great deal since the last time I doubled the stitches, and that it's really *close* to having been doubled, so I should increase.
....
now that I type it out, though, I begin to think of it a bit more. when you do this type of shawl, there's a sort of jog or jump on the increase rows. If you spread it out in a half circle, you'll see that jog. that comes from adding a whole bunch of fabric at once to your garment/object/whatever you wanna call it. Adding those stitches *prepares* the project for the knitting that comes *after* it. It doesn't have an influence on the knitting that came before it. In that case, since I'm not prepping for anything to come after the doubled radius, but am instead just working on the stuff that came after the last doubling, still, even if I end it early--then I shouldn't increase.
and I don't think I will. thanks blog. Now I just need to figure out how many more rounds I can get through before I need to save the rest of the yarn for binding off.
And of course, I am now ~13 rounds from the end of it, and I really, really, reallyreallyreally don't think I'm going to have enough yarn.
So, a shawl like this, a circular or pi-shawl, is created by doubling the number of stitches every time the radius doubles. Because the circumference of a circle = 2pir. The pattern, Shipwreck Shawl from Knitty, requires me to knit 12 rows, do an increase round where the number of stitches is doubled (yo, k1, essentially, all the way around), and then bind off loosely. My question is--if I trim the number of rows I do (down to say, three, because that might be all the yarn I've got), do I still need to increase before I bind off? or because I haven't hit the important radius yet, will it not matter?
Part of me says "if the number of rows has doubled (the radius), then increase. since I won't be quite doubled the number of rows, then I shouldn't increase."
The other part of me says that the radius has certainly increased a great deal since the last time I doubled the stitches, and that it's really *close* to having been doubled, so I should increase.
....
now that I type it out, though, I begin to think of it a bit more. when you do this type of shawl, there's a sort of jog or jump on the increase rows. If you spread it out in a half circle, you'll see that jog. that comes from adding a whole bunch of fabric at once to your garment/object/whatever you wanna call it. Adding those stitches *prepares* the project for the knitting that comes *after* it. It doesn't have an influence on the knitting that came before it. In that case, since I'm not prepping for anything to come after the doubled radius, but am instead just working on the stuff that came after the last doubling, still, even if I end it early--then I shouldn't increase.
and I don't think I will. thanks blog. Now I just need to figure out how many more rounds I can get through before I need to save the rest of the yarn for binding off.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Stash Dash 2014 Begins!
Not with a bang, as it were--an entire day of knitting. Quite the opposite; I don't think I got so much as a stitch done on Friday. Too busy with work (but much work progress! glee!)
Still, Saturday is my day off, so I spent the morning knitting on the Shipwreck Shawl that is my first major goal for the stash dash. I finally broke into the third ball and got started on the size 10 needles at about the same time. So I've... 20 or so rows to go. Of course there are some odd 400 stitches per row... so it's not quick going. But I am enjoying it again. The next question is, of course, whether I should endeavor to use up the whole third ball or if I should end the pattern where it tells me to end it.
We'll see how it looks when I get to the bindoff. I think I want to add beads to the bind off so I'll have to look into it.
Other than that, not much knitting has happened. I've had a few great evenings with friends that have taken up my non-work time.
Instead, I'm finishing up (nnnghaflkjakljfl) the First Paper and doing data reduction and programming and writing for the Second Paper and working on a fellowship application, wee. so, as always, work is keeping me busy.
Oh! but, a pretty yarn (or yarn-to-be) picture for ya'll. When I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool I got some crazy batts as a gift from a friend. These are Hobbledehoy Compost Batts, which are amazing and textured and crazy and beautiful. I can't wait to spin some art yarn out of these suckers. They're 2.5 ounces so I don't expect a lot of yardage but the texture and color are gonna make them POP.
I'll try to post some more MDSW pics at another time
Still, Saturday is my day off, so I spent the morning knitting on the Shipwreck Shawl that is my first major goal for the stash dash. I finally broke into the third ball and got started on the size 10 needles at about the same time. So I've... 20 or so rows to go. Of course there are some odd 400 stitches per row... so it's not quick going. But I am enjoying it again. The next question is, of course, whether I should endeavor to use up the whole third ball or if I should end the pattern where it tells me to end it.
We'll see how it looks when I get to the bindoff. I think I want to add beads to the bind off so I'll have to look into it.
Other than that, not much knitting has happened. I've had a few great evenings with friends that have taken up my non-work time.
Instead, I'm finishing up (nnnghaflkjakljfl) the First Paper and doing data reduction and programming and writing for the Second Paper and working on a fellowship application, wee. so, as always, work is keeping me busy.
Oh! but, a pretty yarn (or yarn-to-be) picture for ya'll. When I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool I got some crazy batts as a gift from a friend. These are Hobbledehoy Compost Batts, which are amazing and textured and crazy and beautiful. I can't wait to spin some art yarn out of these suckers. They're 2.5 ounces so I don't expect a lot of yardage but the texture and color are gonna make them POP.
I'll try to post some more MDSW pics at another time
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Three days later and I already want to throw everything out the window
and cast on something completely new.
I recently went through my ravelry stash and sorted it into "will not part with" and "would part with, given sufficient or ample monetary incentive". I've sold $100 of yarn and traded at least as much for new, more exciting things. However, I still have 35 things left in my "trade or sale" tab, and I want them to go. since no one is interested in purchasing them I want to knit them all up. Of course that's 30 odd projects that'd be taking time away from the other things I want to knit... so I'm not doing it. but the urge to throw down these fingering weight, lacy shawls and pick up the neon worsted to make a Fuck Cancer hat is really high.
Still, I am gonna remain committed to the Stash Dash. It starts in 5 days, so that gives me that much time to cast on anything I want before it begins--afterwards, strict monogamy.
I do owe someone a knitted bunny, though, so I suppose I should make sure to cast that on first.
I recently went through my ravelry stash and sorted it into "will not part with" and "would part with, given sufficient or ample monetary incentive". I've sold $100 of yarn and traded at least as much for new, more exciting things. However, I still have 35 things left in my "trade or sale" tab, and I want them to go. since no one is interested in purchasing them I want to knit them all up. Of course that's 30 odd projects that'd be taking time away from the other things I want to knit... so I'm not doing it. but the urge to throw down these fingering weight, lacy shawls and pick up the neon worsted to make a Fuck Cancer hat is really high.
Still, I am gonna remain committed to the Stash Dash. It starts in 5 days, so that gives me that much time to cast on anything I want before it begins--afterwards, strict monogamy.
I do owe someone a knitted bunny, though, so I suppose I should make sure to cast that on first.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Stash Dash 2014 prep
The Knit Girllls are having their annual Stash Dash. It starts, this year, on May 23rd--a week from today! I'm always excited about this event because I love plotting and planning my own knitting--as you probably know by now.
This year they're doing the marathon style again, which means one joins with a goal of knitting 5000 meters (~5500 yards) from stash. Stash is stash as soon as it enters your home (so new purchases during the event also count). Spinning counts. Crocheting counts. Weaving counts. They usually count sewing as well but I always consider that a bit cheating since cloth yardage is not as directly related to effort put in. On the other hand, it's a cheating-friendly event so who cares? That is, it's open to as many people with as many passions as possible.
I am setting myself a couple of important rules.
First and foremost, I will only work on WIPs during the entire Stash Dash. There is no miracle on earth that will let me finish 12 WIPs in 3 months so I'm not precisely worried about it.
Secondly, I must finish Silver Sea. My sea silk WIP has been in progress for 2 years now. I am, it looks like, just about done with the beading (unless I add some to a further skein) so it's just k2tog YO on different needle sizes forever. I am almost done with my second skein. I have an entire third skein. I need to figure out if a) I want to add the third skein, [aii) if I do, do I want to use the Peridot or get another silver] b) if I do, how much of the third I want to add, c) if I do, whether or not I should add more beads, d) if I do, how I wish to add them. So it's got a bit of thinking going into it.
Thirdly, I must use current stash yarn. The only exception being my Trial Blanket and that's only because it's a test knit so I can't abandon it. I have so many possible projects--I do not need more stash. This includes halting my swapping on the Karma Yarn Swap board.
Fourthly, I will ply before spinning something new. I have been saving my single plys for almost a year, and I can't wait to see how they look when they're finished. I have my first 3 ply waiting! and another navajo ply, and several 2 plys... they're going to be lovely.
Now, I have a plan. Silver Sea will be 1300 yards when I'm done. If I finish my ~2/5 done Lightning on Quaker Ridge shawl, that'll be an additional 1700 yards (holding laceweight double was a really smart move). That's 3000 yards already! My goal is then to finish one of the other big projects--the trial blanket, the mock cornerstone blanket, the takoma sweater--and to ply my singles. That should be enough to hit the goal, and will also be personally quite satisfying.
Of course I have some cheater things lurking around. A hat that only needs ends woven in. Some slippers that just need to be sewn up. A colorwork cowl in bulky. If it begins to look like I will not make it, I may cast on something bulky just to power through it for the satisfaction.
Finally, I have to teach in July. sooooo that may take up a great deal of time :)
This year they're doing the marathon style again, which means one joins with a goal of knitting 5000 meters (~5500 yards) from stash. Stash is stash as soon as it enters your home (so new purchases during the event also count). Spinning counts. Crocheting counts. Weaving counts. They usually count sewing as well but I always consider that a bit cheating since cloth yardage is not as directly related to effort put in. On the other hand, it's a cheating-friendly event so who cares? That is, it's open to as many people with as many passions as possible.
I am setting myself a couple of important rules.
First and foremost, I will only work on WIPs during the entire Stash Dash. There is no miracle on earth that will let me finish 12 WIPs in 3 months so I'm not precisely worried about it.
Secondly, I must finish Silver Sea. My sea silk WIP has been in progress for 2 years now. I am, it looks like, just about done with the beading (unless I add some to a further skein) so it's just k2tog YO on different needle sizes forever. I am almost done with my second skein. I have an entire third skein. I need to figure out if a) I want to add the third skein, [aii) if I do, do I want to use the Peridot or get another silver] b) if I do, how much of the third I want to add, c) if I do, whether or not I should add more beads, d) if I do, how I wish to add them. So it's got a bit of thinking going into it.
Thirdly, I must use current stash yarn. The only exception being my Trial Blanket and that's only because it's a test knit so I can't abandon it. I have so many possible projects--I do not need more stash. This includes halting my swapping on the Karma Yarn Swap board.
Fourthly, I will ply before spinning something new. I have been saving my single plys for almost a year, and I can't wait to see how they look when they're finished. I have my first 3 ply waiting! and another navajo ply, and several 2 plys... they're going to be lovely.
Now, I have a plan. Silver Sea will be 1300 yards when I'm done. If I finish my ~2/5 done Lightning on Quaker Ridge shawl, that'll be an additional 1700 yards (holding laceweight double was a really smart move). That's 3000 yards already! My goal is then to finish one of the other big projects--the trial blanket, the mock cornerstone blanket, the takoma sweater--and to ply my singles. That should be enough to hit the goal, and will also be personally quite satisfying.
Of course I have some cheater things lurking around. A hat that only needs ends woven in. Some slippers that just need to be sewn up. A colorwork cowl in bulky. If it begins to look like I will not make it, I may cast on something bulky just to power through it for the satisfaction.
Finally, I have to teach in July. sooooo that may take up a great deal of time :)
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Whew
Presentation is over, and it went (decently) well. An entire day on pedagogy is also over, and it was also (fairly) useful.
It feels like Saturday, even though it's Wednesday. I'm having a hard time not tossing aside the day's work for playing with yarn, doing some planting, spinning up my new fiber haul, and reading. But these are joys that must be set aside for another day. I have a passel of bills to pay, new feedback on The Old Paper to work on, and a thousand and one ideas for The New Paper which is still in the frenetically researching stage. Next week I'm spending 4 hours a day prepping my class, so this is the big week to get things done.
Let me set a few goals today:
household: charge phone! call/text victoria/heather! pay all bills. Prep packages to be mailed, and mail them whilst picking up another package. order new tags for car. pick up more cat food and a trowel for planting (plus, maybe more dirt? yeah. more dirt. and a tomato support system). if time and desire, sweep kitchen and put away last batch of laundry. and clean cat litter. (sigh). do not purchase food but eat the food left in the house (plenty!). take out trash.
work: go through Aaron's edits for the paper. Calculate SFR surface density and include it in one of the tables. get more info on internal mechanisms/fueling of smbh, make sure the connection between lirgs-are-cool and here-are-fueling-mechs is clear (if it is). update references. clean up desktop.
work 2.0: re to differentiate between statistical analysis work for clustering and alternate clustering mechanisms. focus on one or the other, not both simultaneously. finish close-pairs program. create a better background estimator program or at least get one started. look up KS test and the other one (???). email K.H. and at least thank her for her help.
self: try not to panic.
It feels like Saturday, even though it's Wednesday. I'm having a hard time not tossing aside the day's work for playing with yarn, doing some planting, spinning up my new fiber haul, and reading. But these are joys that must be set aside for another day. I have a passel of bills to pay, new feedback on The Old Paper to work on, and a thousand and one ideas for The New Paper which is still in the frenetically researching stage. Next week I'm spending 4 hours a day prepping my class, so this is the big week to get things done.
Let me set a few goals today:
household: charge phone! call/text victoria/heather! pay all bills. Prep packages to be mailed, and mail them whilst picking up another package. order new tags for car. pick up more cat food and a trowel for planting (plus, maybe more dirt? yeah. more dirt. and a tomato support system). if time and desire, sweep kitchen and put away last batch of laundry. and clean cat litter. (sigh). do not purchase food but eat the food left in the house (plenty!). take out trash.
work: go through Aaron's edits for the paper. Calculate SFR surface density and include it in one of the tables. get more info on internal mechanisms/fueling of smbh, make sure the connection between lirgs-are-cool and here-are-fueling-mechs is clear (if it is). update references. clean up desktop.
work 2.0: re to differentiate between statistical analysis work for clustering and alternate clustering mechanisms. focus on one or the other, not both simultaneously. finish close-pairs program. create a better background estimator program or at least get one started. look up KS test and the other one (???). email K.H. and at least thank her for her help.
self: try not to panic.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Making Your Own
Hmm, just found this post saved in the drafts. I learned to spin in 2011, therefore it must have been written 2 years ago. here it is for your edification whilst I frantically finish a presentation.
I am a n00b spinner, a newbie, a novitiate. I got a drop spindle as a holiday gift in January and have been making little bumps of fibre into little bumps of yarn since then. I don't know if I'll ever be as into spinning as I am into knitting, but it is very interesting and transformative, and frankly the learning process of it is a lot more mechanical. That is, I am coming to understand in a very experimental, hands on way, what happens when I do X, Y, or Z with my spindle and with the yarn.
I am a n00b spinner, a newbie, a novitiate. I got a drop spindle as a holiday gift in January and have been making little bumps of fibre into little bumps of yarn since then. I don't know if I'll ever be as into spinning as I am into knitting, but it is very interesting and transformative, and frankly the learning process of it is a lot more mechanical. That is, I am coming to understand in a very experimental, hands on way, what happens when I do X, Y, or Z with my spindle and with the yarn.
So this weekend I had a bit of time to myself (only a bit. Busy, busy. Actually I had to steal it from my potential sleep hours but it was worth it), and I spun.
I made another wee bit of yarn. I think this is 2 to 5 yards--really need to get a niddy noddy .It’s from a Lorna’s Laces sampler package from my LYS that cost only $5.50.
A couple of things for newb spinners that I learned from this one:
1) pre-spinning prep makes a big difference.
2) you want your prepped fibre to be as even as possible if you want an even yarn
3) Navajo plying is fun and relatively easy and requires spinning in the opposite direction of the singles
1) pre-spinning prep makes a big difference.
2) you want your prepped fibre to be as even as possible if you want an even yarn
3) Navajo plying is fun and relatively easy and requires spinning in the opposite direction of the singles
Things I still need to figure out:
1) This leader yarn thing. What type should I use? how much? how should it attach to the shaft? how do I attach the yarn to it for spinning? for plying? do I cut it off when I am done or leave it be?
2) how to not overspin the singles/keep them fluffy (worsted?), without having the spindle unspin them all or having the whole thing fall apart. This one was good practice, though, and has some non-razor-wire-like bits.
3) how to reattach the damned fiber if it’s become separated.
4) What to do when there are still more singles to be spun but the spindle is getting too heavy and they keep breaking; similarly when plying, how to ply if my singles fill the spindle and at halfway through plying them I therefore have a full spindle again?
1) This leader yarn thing. What type should I use? how much? how should it attach to the shaft? how do I attach the yarn to it for spinning? for plying? do I cut it off when I am done or leave it be?
2) how to not overspin the singles/keep them fluffy (worsted?), without having the spindle unspin them all or having the whole thing fall apart. This one was good practice, though, and has some non-razor-wire-like bits.
3) how to reattach the damned fiber if it’s become separated.
4) What to do when there are still more singles to be spun but the spindle is getting too heavy and they keep breaking; similarly when plying, how to ply if my singles fill the spindle and at halfway through plying them I therefore have a full spindle again?
Oddly enough this is my 4th or 5th bit of yarn (some of them an order of magnitude more than this) and the first one that’s truly unbalanced. Just a bit. I think I overplied it, or simply applied as much ply as I have before but the singles weren’t so overspun this time.
I'll try to snag some pictures--the webcam is really not sufficient.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
ripped it all out
Stupid pillow plan. Instead of being a gorgeous waterfall of night artpiece to install in my kitchen, it looks... twee. Definitely twee. Like victorian sitting room twee. Fuck that noise. I'm ripping the whole thing out.
Wait. what if I tea-stained the white?
would that make a difference?
I kind of want to tea-stain it anyway.
Wait. what if I tea-stained the white?
would that make a difference?
I kind of want to tea-stain it anyway.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
found it
found the damn needle, but not before I'd sorted all the laundry that needed to be done, rearranged my bookshelves, tidied up the cat's area, made the bed, cut up a set of ripped sheets for maybe use as a couch cover, figured out which cross-stitching magazines I wanted to keep (not many of them; anybody want some magazines?), ripped out one unfinished object (mohair, too, and I kept it from tangling until I got to the cast on stitch, sigh), figured out what to *do* with the now-wound mohair (it's green; gonna knit a lacy green and purple shawl out of it. something striped and airy), worked three rows on another unfinished object and moved it back into the works-in-progress space, sorted out all the yarns I would be okay swapping or selling, and took out a load of trash.
If it'd been lost for a few more minutes I would've sorted the finished object pile and maybe started another load of laundry or vacuumed or something, but now I'm going to go cast on and knit to my heart's content.
If it'd been lost for a few more minutes I would've sorted the finished object pile and maybe started another load of laundry or vacuumed or something, but now I'm going to go cast on and knit to my heart's content.
I cannot find my 10" straight needles
To be precise, I can find *one* of them. But not the other.
I really badly want to cast on a facsimile of the Pillow of Sei Shonagon and finally (finally!) use the ribbon yarn that's been deep stash and untouchable for three straight years.
The photo doesn't remotely do it justice. It's 100% silk ribbon. The edges are frayed and disastrously catchy, but the color is a deep, deep purple and blue, and has tones and depths and layers like paint. I love it with an unholy passion, and this pattern actually might show it off. I'm not even sure if I'll make it into a pillow--I might just frame it.
Anyway, I can't cast the project on because I've only got one needle in the right size. I've spent two hours cleaning my bedroom in an attempt to find it, to no avail. It's more than a foot long--where the heck could it have gone?
I really badly want to cast on a facsimile of the Pillow of Sei Shonagon and finally (finally!) use the ribbon yarn that's been deep stash and untouchable for three straight years.
Anyway, I can't cast the project on because I've only got one needle in the right size. I've spent two hours cleaning my bedroom in an attempt to find it, to no avail. It's more than a foot long--where the heck could it have gone?
Friday, April 25, 2014
flail
If you don't know by now, it is the usual nature of me and this blog for there to be a lot of flailing about how much work I have to get done.
Anyway, I KNOW that if I don't work on a presentation ahead of time that it is crap. and I KNOW that I feel bad about how crappy it goes, and I get all awkward and flushed, and I fumble a lot of words and feel like a science failure.
Despite knowing this, my enormous 40-minute talk to the entire department for Monday is NOT. YET. DONE.
In fact it's barely started.
So I'm over here, flailing, but also planning simultaneously a million other things including trying to get someone to live with in fall and arranging to visit Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival next weekend. And, you know, worrying about money because taxes. etc.
Anyway, the best solution for flailing is burying my head in the sand until everything goes away, right? that's why I'm playing with yarns on ravelry and thinking of projects to knit. And actually knitting, and watching a podcast.
Lies. I keep wanting to do those things but I keep bouncing around off of them as I panic. So little bits and pieces of the presentation are done so far. I hope if I can get myself to crack down for an hour now that I can break the back of it
(hell, just structuring my thoughts for this should be easy enough; what take away points do I want to have? a talk should have just a few take-away points, not like 5 or anything. Hmmm, let's see, the most valuable output of my research is that high resolution imaging reveals diverse circumnuclear morphology in my objects, which suggests different stages or fueling mechanisms of the mid-infrared luminosity. Or really, that if this nesting of processes that somebody suggests is the thing going on, then the circumnuclear regions are in different points in their evolution/different stages. Point like circum-nuclei are settled/have not interacted with their surroundings in ... a while? and diffuse-emitting circum-nuclei have more recent interactions and may be funneling fuel into the very nuclear region OR preventing fuel from reaching it, or simply be influenced by the same process that does the funneling or preventing. but is that really what we can conclude from my results? no, will have to cast it in the bigger picture to be able to say anything like that. My results *support* but do not *create* this idea.)
my *conclusions* from my research are: we calculate 2-20 msol/yr sfr for these objects; this sf is not restricted to a central point source but can take a more extended/diffuse form, including a circumnuclear spiral; and this circumnuclear sf can account for a major portion (31% on average) of the total infrared luminosity of these objects.
my results are 1) pretty images of each object's circumnuclear region; 2) measured NeII flux and calculated SFR (use Ho+Keto graph! also Kennicutt graph!) 3) E_L_neii as measure of distribution of sf/morphological analogy or pt src/extended and 4) nuclear/total SFR
so then, I just need to think about: my sample/experiment design/observations; and the motivation behind this all. and right now I'm getting embedded in the motivation a lot but I've a lot more to write up. and I need graphs and equations and things to say and bullet points that don't cover everything but summarize them.
wow this was helpful. off to work. flailing reduced. thanks blogolandia!
 |
| basically this, but with less happy and more anxiety |
Despite knowing this, my enormous 40-minute talk to the entire department for Monday is NOT. YET. DONE.
In fact it's barely started.
So I'm over here, flailing, but also planning simultaneously a million other things including trying to get someone to live with in fall and arranging to visit Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival next weekend. And, you know, worrying about money because taxes. etc.
Anyway, the best solution for flailing is burying my head in the sand until everything goes away, right? that's why I'm playing with yarns on ravelry and thinking of projects to knit. And actually knitting, and watching a podcast.
Lies. I keep wanting to do those things but I keep bouncing around off of them as I panic. So little bits and pieces of the presentation are done so far. I hope if I can get myself to crack down for an hour now that I can break the back of it
(hell, just structuring my thoughts for this should be easy enough; what take away points do I want to have? a talk should have just a few take-away points, not like 5 or anything. Hmmm, let's see, the most valuable output of my research is that high resolution imaging reveals diverse circumnuclear morphology in my objects, which suggests different stages or fueling mechanisms of the mid-infrared luminosity. Or really, that if this nesting of processes that somebody suggests is the thing going on, then the circumnuclear regions are in different points in their evolution/different stages. Point like circum-nuclei are settled/have not interacted with their surroundings in ... a while? and diffuse-emitting circum-nuclei have more recent interactions and may be funneling fuel into the very nuclear region OR preventing fuel from reaching it, or simply be influenced by the same process that does the funneling or preventing. but is that really what we can conclude from my results? no, will have to cast it in the bigger picture to be able to say anything like that. My results *support* but do not *create* this idea.)
my *conclusions* from my research are: we calculate 2-20 msol/yr sfr for these objects; this sf is not restricted to a central point source but can take a more extended/diffuse form, including a circumnuclear spiral; and this circumnuclear sf can account for a major portion (31% on average) of the total infrared luminosity of these objects.
my results are 1) pretty images of each object's circumnuclear region; 2) measured NeII flux and calculated SFR (use Ho+Keto graph! also Kennicutt graph!) 3) E_L_neii as measure of distribution of sf/morphological analogy or pt src/extended and 4) nuclear/total SFR
so then, I just need to think about: my sample/experiment design/observations; and the motivation behind this all. and right now I'm getting embedded in the motivation a lot but I've a lot more to write up. and I need graphs and equations and things to say and bullet points that don't cover everything but summarize them.
wow this was helpful. off to work. flailing reduced. thanks blogolandia!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Miscellany + Mavericks Review
1) Hubble Space Telescope proposal turned in Friday, plus a big meeting Tuesday. This past week has been nuts. But very science-y.
2) Not so much knitting lately--finishing up a few things here and there. I'll post more in a bit
3) Upgraded my computer to Mavericks, the new Mac OS. So far I am not a fan. There's still a way to do multiple desktops, though it's a bit trickier than before (also hard to make them have the same background image. Seriously?). My main complaint is the changes to Finder, which is the GUI that lets you browse your files. It is customizable, but my favorite thing to do was sort by date (on the Snow Leopard version, your options were Today, Yesterday, Last Week, and maybe Last Month, I don't really recall). Since I'm usually working on so many things at once (I used to have 6 desktops, for pete's sake), Today and Yesterday were essential for finding the latest draft or program. Now instead, one clicks on "All My Files", and indeed everything is listed. Then you can sort by date created or modified. Not a huge problem, just not as convenient.
They also seem to have made Photo Booth completely useless. Instead of holding the pictures in a folder that allows them to be, you know, uploaded, it holds them in the Photo Booth Library, which is... an application that displays them. So no uploading. You can click and drag them to the desktop and they'll become real files though, which is kind of funny and a huge clutter.
ALSO. If you use LaTeX or TeXWorks, be warned! putting Mavericks on my computer changed... something. So TeXWorks was no longer properly referencing the TeX folders, so basically it didn't run any more. I did download TeXShop instead and no problems yet (and it has the benefit of a) color coding your .tex file and b) putting FREAKING LINE NUMBERS on the page so when there's an error you can actually find it, hallelujah).
Now, for the pros of Mavericks...
well, it allowed me to download the proposing tool that submits proposals to StSci, so I guess that's good. And I'm sure it's nice to have the software up to date and not complaining. The new download notifications are less intrusive, appearing in the upper right corner. They seem to be more persistent. There's also this Notifications thing in the upper right corner that... might be useful. I haven't fully explored it yet.
2) Not so much knitting lately--finishing up a few things here and there. I'll post more in a bit
3) Upgraded my computer to Mavericks, the new Mac OS. So far I am not a fan. There's still a way to do multiple desktops, though it's a bit trickier than before (also hard to make them have the same background image. Seriously?). My main complaint is the changes to Finder, which is the GUI that lets you browse your files. It is customizable, but my favorite thing to do was sort by date (on the Snow Leopard version, your options were Today, Yesterday, Last Week, and maybe Last Month, I don't really recall). Since I'm usually working on so many things at once (I used to have 6 desktops, for pete's sake), Today and Yesterday were essential for finding the latest draft or program. Now instead, one clicks on "All My Files", and indeed everything is listed. Then you can sort by date created or modified. Not a huge problem, just not as convenient.
They also seem to have made Photo Booth completely useless. Instead of holding the pictures in a folder that allows them to be, you know, uploaded, it holds them in the Photo Booth Library, which is... an application that displays them. So no uploading. You can click and drag them to the desktop and they'll become real files though, which is kind of funny and a huge clutter.
ALSO. If you use LaTeX or TeXWorks, be warned! putting Mavericks on my computer changed... something. So TeXWorks was no longer properly referencing the TeX folders, so basically it didn't run any more. I did download TeXShop instead and no problems yet (and it has the benefit of a) color coding your .tex file and b) putting FREAKING LINE NUMBERS on the page so when there's an error you can actually find it, hallelujah).
Now, for the pros of Mavericks...
well, it allowed me to download the proposing tool that submits proposals to StSci, so I guess that's good. And I'm sure it's nice to have the software up to date and not complaining. The new download notifications are less intrusive, appearing in the upper right corner. They seem to be more persistent. There's also this Notifications thing in the upper right corner that... might be useful. I haven't fully explored it yet.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Rainbowy yarn of glee (Knit Picks Felici)
It's been a sort of miserably cold winter (for the south). Now don't get me wrong. I know the north has it worse. I grew up in the midwest, and I grew accustomed to snow from October to April. But after a while I grew disappointed in it, and bitter, and unhappy. Mostly because instead of staying inside I had to trek everywhere in it. Walking half an hour on fresh snow, or old snow, or snow packed down hard enough that it's icy and dangerous, but not remotely even because nobody shoveled it, or snow that sort of melted yesterday afternoon but has refrozen over night and has a hard crust on top of it that you have to stomp through or you'll slip off it, or snow that's hard and crinkly and gray because it's been half destroyed or buried by the disgusting filth left by traffic but it's too cold for it to actually melt so instead it's a field of razor blades--just to get to work or class--that took the love of winter out of me. And always being cold, and my feet always being wet, and having to prepare a half-dozen layers, put them all on, take them off at my destination, store them in a method that won't have them mold or let them stink or drip on something, then transport them between locations (if I was lucky enough to stay in one building for a whole day) so that I don't lose anything, always dropping a hat or scarf and having to go back for it, and then having to shove the sodden, cold, stinky gear back on for another half an hour trek back to the house... that, too, took the love of winter out of me.
and the gray sky and the gray snow banks. And cold so deep it makes your lungs ache, and makes your flesh cold for hours. Cold so deep it sucks the moisture from the air, and your face and your hands and your lips chap and peel and bleed. For months.
These things took the joy of winter out of me. I grew up with it, and I grew out of it, and I moved south. Not too far south (not far enough for fire ants), but far enough that winters are shorter, and spring exists, and the snow and the cold have their teeth removed.
Not this winter, though. This winter has had weeks where I look around and go "wait, didn't I move south?" My car's been snowed in for the past week and this has been one of them.
(although I will say being a knitter I'm now better prepared. Hand knit socks keep your feet warm after you've stepped in an icy puddle and it's soaked in through your boot and saturated your footwear, as long as you have the circulation to provide your own warmth.)
So what do you knit when that old gray misery is huddled round you and it's cold out?
Rainbow socks, of course.
and the gray sky and the gray snow banks. And cold so deep it makes your lungs ache, and makes your flesh cold for hours. Cold so deep it sucks the moisture from the air, and your face and your hands and your lips chap and peel and bleed. For months.
These things took the joy of winter out of me. I grew up with it, and I grew out of it, and I moved south. Not too far south (not far enough for fire ants), but far enough that winters are shorter, and spring exists, and the snow and the cold have their teeth removed.
Not this winter, though. This winter has had weeks where I look around and go "wait, didn't I move south?" My car's been snowed in for the past week and this has been one of them.
(although I will say being a knitter I'm now better prepared. Hand knit socks keep your feet warm after you've stepped in an icy puddle and it's soaked in through your boot and saturated your footwear, as long as you have the circulation to provide your own warmth.)
So what do you knit when that old gray misery is huddled round you and it's cold out?
Rainbow socks, of course.
This is Knit Picks Felici in the Rainbow colorway. It is as bright as Starbursts and utterly perfect (except for the purple. there's something off about it. But I don't mind) for knitting in winter. Especially because I have enough for knee-high socks out of it.
By the way, if you're wondering what one spins when it's gray and wintery out, the answer is this:
A bump of 100% merino in the Intrusive colorway from one of my favorite etsy sellers, Spinnerettas Studio. Half my fiber stash is from her shop and I'm eagerly awaiting new exciting colors. The prep and the dye job are always great and she does colors in blends that seem to speak to me.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed
I love tweedy yarns. There's something so very satisfying about their small flecks of colors bursting from the main plies of the yarn. These blobs give a bit of a different texture to the yarn but also to the knitted project, providing depth and dimension.
In my usual fashion, I've collected a bunch of tweedy yarns. Collected isn't really the right word. I've snatched them up gleefully at yarn stores. Spurned their plain cousins. Hoarded them with delight. And I haven't really knitted with any of my darlings yet--because I needed the right project.
The problem is, there's also something sort of utilitarian about tweedy yarns. Sure, they're flecked and delicious. But they're usually on a base of something very straightforward. Like these suckers:
Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed. A DK yarn that I picked up on sale at my LYS because TWEED. On a lovely teal (turquoise?) blue base, but it's pretty straightforward. No variegations. No melded tones of blue shading from one to another like liquid sky.
Anyway, I spent a long time with these in stash. They were beautiful, but they weren't ever quite what I wanted to be knitting. Instead I did things with lace, with colorwork; I made intricately cabled fingerless mitts and knitted plain socks.
This past week, I got sick. Just a cold, but I spent most of yesterday in bed, and I woke up craving simple things. Chicken soup. Orange juice. Tweedy yarn. And not just any pattern. Garter stitch. Something that I could let fall to my lap when I got tired.
Some time in the past year, someone had gifted me Piper's Journey: a simple crescent shawl with a knitted on lace edging. It'd been in my queue for a while (even at the top of my queue for a while) but I didn't quite have the perfect yarn for it and somehow other things always seemed more important. But when the tweedy yarn craving hit, so did the Piper's Journey call. Tweed. Garter stitch.
perfection.
(I only had size 8 needles on hand. So it's a bit looser than the pattern usually looks:
this image is from ravelry. pergola is the person to whom it belongs. please don't sue).
In my usual fashion, I've collected a bunch of tweedy yarns. Collected isn't really the right word. I've snatched them up gleefully at yarn stores. Spurned their plain cousins. Hoarded them with delight. And I haven't really knitted with any of my darlings yet--because I needed the right project.
The problem is, there's also something sort of utilitarian about tweedy yarns. Sure, they're flecked and delicious. But they're usually on a base of something very straightforward. Like these suckers:
Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed. A DK yarn that I picked up on sale at my LYS because TWEED. On a lovely teal (turquoise?) blue base, but it's pretty straightforward. No variegations. No melded tones of blue shading from one to another like liquid sky.
Anyway, I spent a long time with these in stash. They were beautiful, but they weren't ever quite what I wanted to be knitting. Instead I did things with lace, with colorwork; I made intricately cabled fingerless mitts and knitted plain socks.
This past week, I got sick. Just a cold, but I spent most of yesterday in bed, and I woke up craving simple things. Chicken soup. Orange juice. Tweedy yarn. And not just any pattern. Garter stitch. Something that I could let fall to my lap when I got tired.
Some time in the past year, someone had gifted me Piper's Journey: a simple crescent shawl with a knitted on lace edging. It'd been in my queue for a while (even at the top of my queue for a while) but I didn't quite have the perfect yarn for it and somehow other things always seemed more important. But when the tweedy yarn craving hit, so did the Piper's Journey call. Tweed. Garter stitch.
perfection.
(I only had size 8 needles on hand. So it's a bit looser than the pattern usually looks:
Friday, January 10, 2014
2014 in yarn: a preview
My knitting plan for this past year has been fairly successful. Planning which deep stash items I was going to use each month and what sort of project I would use it on was very satisfying. Some months it went better than others: January and February, July and September were all fantastic, while other months sucked balls (June and October, I'm looking at you). (December is still up in the air. I want to do some estonian lace but I sent my cashwool to a detangler in Maryland. It should be on its way back buuuut no sign of it yet).
I think what excited me most was finally getting to make some of the products that I really wanted. A shawl for Amanda. Socks that my sisters and I all have the yarn for (they'll catch up some day). A stuffed bunny rabbit that I improvised but that turned out well.
But the other exciting thing is, frankly, making myself use up and get rid of some of this deep stash. I think I've successfully used up or destashed more yarn than I've taken in this year. Well, maybe. But I've definitely used up more than the year before, so this is good!
SO! Knitting Goals for 2014:
exciting! my primary goal is to produce some knitted products that I've really wanted for along time. This means the yarn for it is pretty old too, so I can continue to use up my oldest stash.
January:
I picked up some red and yellow lopi wool (a thick, rough single ply, traditionally used in warm colorwork outdoor sweaters) back when I was in Denmark. Now I've decided at last that I want to make a dragon out of it. There's a (free?) alligator pattern on ravelry, and I'll have to improvise the wings. Haven't decided yet if I will felt it or not. Since I won't be at my yarn for a portion of January, I've chosen an easier project for this month.
February:
The Takoma Cardigan from Knitty several years back was what got me into knitting in the first place. I love it and I want it to be mine and I've always been too intimidated to try it, but this is the year! a short and busy month will make this a tough goal but I'll do some swatching in January and power through it in February. If I stay focused on it, I don't think it will be a problem at all.
March:
For ~ two years now I've had this Shipwreck Shawl on the needles. It's using sea silk and it requires beads. And I love it, I'm sure, but the beaded netting has defeated me. March will be the month that I kick its ass--I am requiring myself to work on the netting for 1 hour a day, every single day. That should make some serious progress on the thing.
April:
I really want to make a shawl for some of my more distant but wonderful friends, and I have a lovely green mohair that'd look great as some leaves. This'll be the month to start it! Maybe something simple, like birch or haruni--very leaf based.
May:
My Maluka from last year got demolished in an untangling incident so I want to take another stab at it. It was a pretty easy project and it looked great with the linen so I look forward to trying it again
June:
My Summer Flies from three years back got lost on a road trip last year. I finally found some yarn to recreate it, so I want to take a stab at it. That took me only a month and I didn't really know what I was doing then, so hopefully it'll be just as fast this year.
July:
I very badly want a color affection shawl. I've picked out the yarns and the order they go in but I haven't managed to start it yet. If I haven't worked my way around to it throughout the year, July is going to be my start date.
August:
The final lace shawl of the year is going to be a Queen Silvia shawl from my lovely red cashwool. I expect it to be fiddly and go on for a while, but my goal is to put a minimum of 40 hours into it throughout the month of August.
September:
This is when job-hunt season really starts up, and I have lots of holiday things to knit as well, so I'm going to keep it simple with a pair of Edwardian Boating Socks in september. I am thinking this might work nicely for my drachenblut wollmeise, or that satsuma colorway in LRB, or even my purple-black Happy Feet.
October:
Also busy. I don't want to count on getting anything done other than job applications, but I'm halfway done with a pair of mittens for a good friend so I suppose I'd best continue working on those and see if I can't finish them for the holidays
November:
Another insanely busy month. I'll work on my Berrocco Peruvia super-fuzzy cowl/cushion/cat bed thing-it's worsted weight and warm and quite soothing. Unless I churn it out earlier in the year.
December:
I'm a huge fan of fingerless mitts and love to make them for myself, even if I don't wear them enough. Anyway, I picked up some rowan felted tweed this past December and would like to finally make the punky stripey mitts I have planned in my head. At the very least I should have time over the holidays to get a bit done.
This is a pretty front-loaded year for finished objects. lace shawls for 6 months of the year. But I have the yarn for 30+ shawls, and I LOVE wearing them, so it is about time I started knitting and finishing them!
Do you have goals for the new year?
I think what excited me most was finally getting to make some of the products that I really wanted. A shawl for Amanda. Socks that my sisters and I all have the yarn for (they'll catch up some day). A stuffed bunny rabbit that I improvised but that turned out well.
But the other exciting thing is, frankly, making myself use up and get rid of some of this deep stash. I think I've successfully used up or destashed more yarn than I've taken in this year. Well, maybe. But I've definitely used up more than the year before, so this is good!
SO! Knitting Goals for 2014:
exciting! my primary goal is to produce some knitted products that I've really wanted for along time. This means the yarn for it is pretty old too, so I can continue to use up my oldest stash.
January:
I picked up some red and yellow lopi wool (a thick, rough single ply, traditionally used in warm colorwork outdoor sweaters) back when I was in Denmark. Now I've decided at last that I want to make a dragon out of it. There's a (free?) alligator pattern on ravelry, and I'll have to improvise the wings. Haven't decided yet if I will felt it or not. Since I won't be at my yarn for a portion of January, I've chosen an easier project for this month.
February:
The Takoma Cardigan from Knitty several years back was what got me into knitting in the first place. I love it and I want it to be mine and I've always been too intimidated to try it, but this is the year! a short and busy month will make this a tough goal but I'll do some swatching in January and power through it in February. If I stay focused on it, I don't think it will be a problem at all.
March:
For ~ two years now I've had this Shipwreck Shawl on the needles. It's using sea silk and it requires beads. And I love it, I'm sure, but the beaded netting has defeated me. March will be the month that I kick its ass--I am requiring myself to work on the netting for 1 hour a day, every single day. That should make some serious progress on the thing.
April:
I really want to make a shawl for some of my more distant but wonderful friends, and I have a lovely green mohair that'd look great as some leaves. This'll be the month to start it! Maybe something simple, like birch or haruni--very leaf based.
May:
My Maluka from last year got demolished in an untangling incident so I want to take another stab at it. It was a pretty easy project and it looked great with the linen so I look forward to trying it again
June:
My Summer Flies from three years back got lost on a road trip last year. I finally found some yarn to recreate it, so I want to take a stab at it. That took me only a month and I didn't really know what I was doing then, so hopefully it'll be just as fast this year.
July:
I very badly want a color affection shawl. I've picked out the yarns and the order they go in but I haven't managed to start it yet. If I haven't worked my way around to it throughout the year, July is going to be my start date.
August:
The final lace shawl of the year is going to be a Queen Silvia shawl from my lovely red cashwool. I expect it to be fiddly and go on for a while, but my goal is to put a minimum of 40 hours into it throughout the month of August.
September:
This is when job-hunt season really starts up, and I have lots of holiday things to knit as well, so I'm going to keep it simple with a pair of Edwardian Boating Socks in september. I am thinking this might work nicely for my drachenblut wollmeise, or that satsuma colorway in LRB, or even my purple-black Happy Feet.
October:
Also busy. I don't want to count on getting anything done other than job applications, but I'm halfway done with a pair of mittens for a good friend so I suppose I'd best continue working on those and see if I can't finish them for the holidays
November:
Another insanely busy month. I'll work on my Berrocco Peruvia super-fuzzy cowl/cushion/cat bed thing-it's worsted weight and warm and quite soothing. Unless I churn it out earlier in the year.
December:
I'm a huge fan of fingerless mitts and love to make them for myself, even if I don't wear them enough. Anyway, I picked up some rowan felted tweed this past December and would like to finally make the punky stripey mitts I have planned in my head. At the very least I should have time over the holidays to get a bit done.
This is a pretty front-loaded year for finished objects. lace shawls for 6 months of the year. But I have the yarn for 30+ shawls, and I LOVE wearing them, so it is about time I started knitting and finishing them!
Do you have goals for the new year?
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