Can you believe it?

I was (and am) working on a sock design I call Homograph currently. It's a toe up sock pattern with a special twist I was working on. However, when I looked at Widdershins again, I realized that my idea was devestatingly similar to a feature in Widdershins. I was thinking about maybe submitting it to Knitty or MagKnits, and who knows, I might still. But that might not happen because of this. Darn it!

Excitement with Rosa

Who the heck is Rosa, you ask? Rosa is the crocheted doily I am making from the Leisure Arts booklet Doilies with a Twist. Why am I excited? I found out today that I got the part I wanted in a school musical! Rosa is very beautiful, although I am not yet finished. I also have an idea for an blog-zine entry, possibly later.

Bye for now,
Arachnera

ETA: Here's the link to the first blog-zine entry: Ribbon Baroque.

Fiber Views

I am feeling talkative right now and here is what I have to say:

I know of at least two views on what beginners should do in their projects:

Sally Melville implies with her books that the beginner should learn the knit stitch, maybe decreases and slip stitches, and churn out lots of knitting using those before moving on to lots of basic purl/ purl-knit combination garments, then move onto color knitting, and apparently texture in next. (However, if you google her, at least if you google "sally melville" by mistake (I forgot to capitalize) there is some sort of review or interview where she says stuff that leans toward the other side, so we'll call this the Knitting Experience style.)

Barbara Walker, on the other hand: Learn knit and purl stitches and start being adventurous! You can make simple patterns on your first garment!
( And I don't know where I read it or heard it, but I'll throw it in: Knitting will not kill or maim you unless extremely unusual and highly unlikely circumstances occur.)

I lean toward the Walker side fairly extremely. I love pattern stitches, I get darned bored with stretches of plain stockinette or garter. I do believe that a beginner should make one or two projects with the knit stitch to master it before moving to purl stitch, but I mean things like potholders or eyeglass/pen cases where knitting is not measured in square footage. Then, make a few small things with purl and knit or just purl to master it, then jump into the pattern stitches! To tell the truth, (*knitting *secret* divulged here*) cables are not that hard. They are just stitches with their knitting order changed!

I found out that I am very conservative (Note that I live in the United States when you read this; I am working on a project on Russia and reading about it this weekend, and I was confused because the conservatives supported the Communists. Huh? So remember to note that the descriptives "liberal" and "conservative" will mean different opinions depending upon what exactly the state of the place is. That is, those who wanted to overthrow Communists in Russia several years ago might be called liberals, while we in the U.S would lean toward a description of conservative for an Anti-Communism opinion. That's one example.) Perhaps I will create a similar quiz to tell you which side of this knitting opinion you are on. And, no I don't know exactly which of those conservative/liberal quizzes I took, but the other quizzes told me I was strongly conservative also.

Oh well, good bye!

Barbie Failure

About, the title, let it suffice to say that if you drop stitches while working fun fur type yarn on size 3 needles for Nicky Epstein's fur coat in Knits for Barbie (Or is that the title? I'm not sure), a fairly sane knitter will not be all fine and dandy. The story is this: I was working on several Barbie garments for a young girl I know and this coat was about half complete. Stitches fall off needle. Knitter is frustrated, mad, nearly curses this project mentally and tries to get it out of her sight. Coat is doomed to a painful (because of fun-fur type yarn, not knitterly attraction to project) frogging.

Why are you getting an early morning entry? Well, regardless of what time Blogger says I posted this, it's early morning for me. And I get an hour delay at school because of the 4 or so inches of snow we got yesterday. Perhaps you'll get more of an entry later...

No Knitting...

You will notice that this blog has a slightly new look. I am working on a few improvements to the blog and such. The header picture could still use some improvement, but it's there. It was odd, I filled out a survey about Blogger for Google and that was my chief complaint; that I could not figure out how to do that, but now I know how. I guess there might be a bit better way, but I'll post instructions on this at the bottom of the post.

I am also starting something I call a Blog-zine. It is not up and running yet, but it will include articles I write for that purpose, the yarn reviews, and any patterns I make up.

There has been no knitting for a bit...

I am afraid there is no time to go on further, so ignore my promise and try to find some time to go and knit.

A Bit of Snow and Two FOs

We got a bit of snow today. It has been raining the past few days. Unfortunately the snow stuck very little if at all, but it was snow. I like seasons.

I have finished Wheelie (the visor cover and the steering wheel cover) and the Storm socks, which I now call the Martin socks) {and a Knitty nosewarmer!}:

Specifics:

Wheelie:
Pattern from Knitty Spring '05
Any Modifications?
Not really. I used a whim of the moment method to attach the ends of the steering wheel cover and I made the visor cover to stretch about an inch over the whole of it. I crocheted a chain for the cord.
Yarn: Cascade Fixation color 9045. It's denim-y 1 and 1/2 to 3/4 balls used. I needed a bit of the second ball for the last bit of Wheelie, by the way.
Needles: Susan Bates size 7 metal needles if I recall the brand correctly.
Anything I would have changed?
Maybe try not to knit it in a hurry since it frustrated me when I tried. Or maybe mess around with the gauge because I got slightly strange results.

Martin socks:
Generic top down sock pattern with a pick and choose heel and toe
(Why did I call them the Martin socks? 1. I finished them on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. 2. I admire Martin Luther. Notice that there is no "King Jr." on his name, this is a totally different person, a German. 3. I think that certain characters named Martin from one of my favorite series of books would wear them if they were human. )
Specifically: 2x2 rib for leg and instep. Dutch heel from Folk Socks and a short row toe from Sensational Knitted Socks.
Any Modifications?
Um, no, since I basically made up the pattern, there weren't any.
Yarn: Moda Dea Sassy Stripes, which I reviewed in a previous post. Colorway: Storm About 3/4 each of two balls used.
Needles: Size 3, set of 4 metal dpns.
Anything I would have changed?
Perhaps moved the ribbing stitches to have one purl stitch on each side of the instep. And do something different with the short row toe because I did it wacky and I ended up with a hump at the grafting location.

Nosewarmer:
Pattern from Knitty Winter 2002, link above
Any Modifications?
No, I stuck to the pattern, although it really isn't quite an FO, (and I'm not sure I'd really quite consider it to be one regardless since it's so small) since I have yet to braid the ties. Also, I don't plan to put a tassel on it. I made the adult size.
Yarn: Cascade Fixation left over from Wheelie, very small amount.
Needles: Size 2, dpns
Anything I would have changed?
Not that I know of at this time.

I also finished the first "Christmas sock" Even though it was a good bit larger than the socks I usually make, I used only part of a ball of KnitPicks Palette. The sock was a tad large on the recipient, but I'm thinking I might put it in some warm water when I wash it and apply some agitation to it, making it felt a bit and hopefully shrink a tad.

I'll get back to you on something I'm thinking about, but for right now, bye!

Knit On!

Two Socks! At last!

No pics, but I have finished the Ash Braid and Garter Bead socks!
Specifics:
Needles: U.S. size 0, set of 4 dpns
Yarn: KnitPicks Essential Ash
Notes: Wearing them today as I type this, a tad itchy, but comfortable all the same. Stockinette heel flap and Round or Half Handkerchief heel (Nancy Bush (of Folk Socks, Knitting on the Road and Knitting Vintage Socks, which I have not peeked at yet since the library (ies) haven't gotten it to me) 's Heel turn classification.) Pattern from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Small error in heel flap instructions. The second sock went through a lot; its cuff was frogged, its heel flap had to be frogged and reknitted, needles seemed to be or were lost several times, it was knitted with my hands behind my neck or back.

Other news:

I have a bit of a rant about something that annoyed me today. We are going to be taking a science test on which we are allowed to use however many notes we can fit on a certain number of index cards. Well, I have finished maybe 1/2 of the chapter in notes in very tiny handwriting (4 lines to each index card ruling, and yes, I can read writing that's that small). I taped it to another index card (very lightly, only two little pieces of tape) to prevent it from getting too smudgey and placed it in my science book. It was there at science period today, but somehow it must have gotten dropped and gotten to the other side of the room. Someone pulled them apart (I foolishly didn't have a name on them) to see whose they were, and now there is a rip. I think it will have to be done over.

A young knitter whom I taught finished his first project last Friday (it was a potholder that was supposed to be a Christmas present, but I couldn't help him over Christmas break) with some help from me and was proudly presented to the recipient. He had started a little strip of knitting that could have been a stuffed animal scarf, but it wasn't going fast and he wanted to make a Christmas Present, so, taking EZ's advice (I believe from the September or October chapter of Knitter's Almanac, anyway, it's the one with the pants-like garment. [I forget what she calls them]) I suggested he make a potholder. And so, with some help and some rows from me, it was completed. Yay! My first teaching success. (I tried to teach some of my classmates to knit once, but I'm not sure that they ever completed a project. )

I have started the other Storm sock, although I decided to make it ever so slightly different, making a very subtle change that no one will probably guess. (Guess if you wish)

Official six-month blog anniversery happens on January 13, 2007. I am having a little pre-anniversery party today at the blog. Really, it appears that the true blog aniversery must have been back on December 28, 2006. Why the discrepancy? Well, if you go back to the archive for July of 2006, you will see my only entry for that month here and it includes several entries that appear to have been posted previously somewhere. You see, I originally blogged with Ask's Bloglines, but the WKS that plagued my keyboard annoyed me. (What is WKS? Part of the letters would not appear except as capitals and I think "a" would not appear as a capital at all. It stands for Weird Keyboard Syndrome.) So I switched to the "old" Blogger in July and reposted all my old posts though I had to retype them because not only did Bloglines give me WKS, but the embleer blogging system would not let me copy the text of my posts. I think I am a Google girl all the way, as I highly recommend both the search engine and their Blogger and the Google-affiliated Mozilla Firefox. Anyway!

I did not tell you before, but I often read the blog of Grumperina . I do sew, and that is why in the world the coat is in the UFO list. I have a sewing background however, and a fine little Janome HF107. (I originally typed little fine, but that sounds bizarre...) I learned on a fancier Singer. I'm afraid I can't finish all I wanted to tell you, but this is a fairly long entry already.

(INSERT TITLE HERE)

I don't know what in the world to title this post.
I just discovered the Yarnivore blog. (ETA: And do you know, I just might tag her.) I did a blog search originating at the blogger bar at Lace Rox! (which I don't think I've linked to, yet.) for nalbinding. I was one of the listings! Speaking of the blog, I have to link to the picture I can't get up, so here it is.

Here is a poem I wrote that is pure fantasy because 1: It is not snowing here. It isn't even really cold. 2: I don't have a spinning wheel. I wish both things were different, though.

Winter Morning

Shimmering, glistening
Bare brown branches covered with ice
Under the pale winter sun
Wind cuts the stillness
Snowflakes fly on the gusts
Light glints off drifts of snow
Swept by the wind as dust by a broom
A bird sings its solitary song
Perched within the pine needles
Its feathers fluffed
The only creature to brave the cold

The fire crackles, the wheel hums,
Whirrs to my steady treadling
Pale gray-threaded wool flies
Through my fingers
My feet dance like the blowing flakes
I watch the wool twist,
The wool sheared in the green spring
Scoured and dried by hot summer sun
Carded while autumn's leaves fell
And now spun by the fire
On a winter morning.

And I think, if I have any time, I am going to go to a nearby coffee shop, drink some tea or hot chocolate and knit on the Ash Braid socks, which are nearing the toes. (Maybe 3 rounds before I start decreases and I may be overestimating.) I plan to have them finished to wear on Monday, which is the day the library knitting group I attend meets.

(ETA: If one or more of my weird things did not seem weird, here's something that you probably will think is weird:

I grew up drinking distilled water and skim milk. I never really liked the distilled water, so now I drink spring water, but only certain brands. I won't drink tap or other types of water or other types of milk! )

A New Year

Hi! Welcome to 2007. I haven't completed anything that I can think of, nor do I have pictures to show you. I can't even get the picture I designed for the blog header to get up. (If anyone knows how to do this, please tell me!) If you'd like to see it, I'll try to get a link up. I ran across the Lace Rox! blog a bit ago and I think I will tag her, and maybe a few others. (ETA: I just tagged her!) I just learned what "ETA" means, because it occured both in Jen's meme entry and in an entry at Wendy Knits. It is slightly confusing to figure out what it means...

I took this quiz because I read the first book and I encountered the quiz at Lace Rox!:

Which Chick Are You?

You are SCOTTIE. You live for order in your knitting bag, in your closet and most of all, in your life. You like your friends where you can see them, best friends here, lunch buddies there, and crushes safely admired from afar. Some day you'll come out of your shell, but until your moment comes, you're content to keep your nose low, observing the movers and shakers of the world and taking notes. Your favorite yarn is a nice, workable wool.
Take this quiz!








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Whoa! For some reason the font seems abnormally big, but I'm not going to mess with the HTML since I am terribly un-fluent. (ETA: You can't see this. At least, you shouldn't see it, because it seems to be unique to the editing/creating window)

Perhaps back with some more tags slightly later....

(By the way, ETA means Edited To Add)