Nearly Perfect Moments

I am writing this at the library, at which I am on pretext of doing research for several school projects (I was assigned quite a few at once). This library is a very lovely one, and has a reading garden, where I was doing my algebra homework.

*Be forewarned that this post contains little knitting content*

My favorite month is March, though I was born in the other M month, May. March is named for the Latin god of war, Mars, apparently because it was the time to resume war after winter. But today felt like March. I couldn't take a picture, but it wouldn't be adequate anyway. Neither words nor pictures can exactly describe it. There is a very certain charm that I love to a day when the wind is blowing, it's cool, and the sun is out. It's my favorite sort of day. And sitting and snacking on pistachios and trail mix and doing my algebra was pleasant in the atmosphere. Nearly perfect. But all lovely things come to an end, and I came in halfway through my history because it had gotten colder and clouds were blowing in. (Also, I wanted a pretext to write this blog entry).

The funny thing is, I didn't want to go to school or leave the house this morning. I've had some problems going to school very much since the beginning of the year, because I've been sick, or exhausted, or there's been snow. I was very tired this morning, but when I came into school, I determined that if Eponine could make it through her conditions, I could make it through the day. And if I hadn't, I would have missed this. If you are worn out and hesitant to go out today, whatever day you're reading this, I hope you'll be encouraged and have a good time anyway.

As for knitting... I probably have way too many projects started, though nowhere near 52 projects :). I knitted on Eucrite/Jade today during biology class, since we were just reading, and my extremely nice* biology teacher didn't seem to mind. It is a mindless rib. I got about halfway through the heel turn on my DKed socks while I was at Knit-Wit's yarn shop last Saturday, and I've enjoyed my time there the past two Saturdays immensely. The only problem is, I see more and more stuff I want every time I go in there. Mini Mochi! Some sort of cotton boucle that I could use for one of those scarfs from Knitting New Scarves! Araucania Itata! Jojoland Melody! Lang JaWoll! with like colored reinforcement thread! Size 0000 4" dpns! ChiaGoo bamboo straights feel really nice. Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool!... Oh. I'd better stop, as I don't want to make you dwell on yarn you don't have the rest of the day, like I might. In any case, I won't be there next Saturday because I have to be at a play practice for a school production of Annie.

I would love to put on Les Misérables (there's a school version), but it wouldn't work out. We don't have enough boys that would take on all the serious parts. I'd want Eponine, because I don't feel that I fit Fantine or Cosette.

*He's very, very kind. Really. Like he bought 20+ people lunch and a late breakfast on a field trip with only a $3.00 contribution from each. I thanked him, and I hope everyone else did.

PS. I've one of the Coriolis socks done, as, once I got to the beginning of the band, I just kept working on it, but I wasn't blogging. I may do more Coriolis diaries though.
PPS: I'm a bit annoyed at Blogger because this originally posted on the wrong blog, partially due to user error, but partially because Blogger wouldn't unhide one of my blogs at one point. (!)

The Coriolis Diaries, Part II

Due to the title of this post, my first object of discussion is the Coriolis socks I started a week ago tonight.

Perhaps I was really too tired to be starting another pair of socks late at night, but I made the choice. When it came time to start the Coriolis band (digression: I keep trying to type that "Coreolis") I discovered an oddity: I was minus three of the seventy-two stitches I should have(or so I thought). "Oh well," I thought. "I'll just have another repeat of the Coriolis band rows to add in the missing stitches." I placed my marker and started knitting a whole repeat of the three band rows, but without any decreases. Okay, I should have 72 stitches now. Guess what? I didn't. It seems I was missing 5 stitches in the first place.

Upon investigating the mystery, it seems that my inaugural experience with the JMCO did not work out so well; I lost a pair of stitches, so that there were only seventeen stitches on two edges of the garter square toe. Next, it seems that I didn't pick up enough stitches on the other two sides; leaving me with (3x17)+16=67 stitches. Now, I'm not really sure what I should do, so I'm putting up a poll on my blog as to what I should do:

(Hopefully this will work--this is the first time I've used Bravenet)

In other news, I have finished two other pairs of socks recently, and started several others. I took a picture of all 14 pairs of socks I've made for myself, but at the moment it isn't convenient to attempt to upload pictures.

As well, I got to visit my "L"YS today, and I bought the following:

• 3 skeins Reynolds Soft Sea Wool in Color #0320 (which is a plummy purple) for the Spiral Boot Socks (Link to Ravelry; non-Ravelers can see the design on this page--scroll down.)
• 2 skeins hemp for knitting allhemp6, in what I think might be color #102 for the Everlasting Bagstopper (This link is to Knitty--no Ravelry membership necessary)
  
  
  
  

January thinks it's March!

The weather is balmy and perfect for even short sleeves right here today (albeit perhaps a bit on the cool side). In fact, I wonder what I'm doing sitting here at the computer typing this when I should be outside. Anyway, you deserve the first blog entry of 2008.

Question:
How many socks do I have in progress?

The answer--enough to keep most of my needles busy
(but no pictures)
Let's see-one set of 0's, two sets of 1's, one set of 2's, and one set of 00's.

The 0's are occupied with my variation on the cable design, the set of four 1's in the Austrian socks(which are suffering from my SSS), the set of five 1's in my pair of Meida's socks, the 2's in a pair of socks I frogged back in September and am now restarting, and the 00's in my second attempt at Extreme Knitting.

and

Question: What sock stuff do I have on order?

The answer: 22 items that are related to socks-enough yarn for 9 pairs (one of which is for Eunny Jang's Entrelac Socks from Spring 2007 Interweave Knits) and Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1. (I also order some undyed worsted weight, which I will elaborate on further, shortly, and a couple skeins of laceweight that I felt were quite truly a bargain. )

The worsted weight, well... My knitting group meets tonight, and we are supposed to be starting a class on making a sweater without a pattern. I am not sure whether I will participate or not. I am a quasi-non-sweater knitter, and I think I would prefer an EZ style sweater even though I think the class is for sweaters knit in the flat. Additionally, I've never tried a wool sweater, though I love Tangled Yoke and think most of the sweaters from winter's Interweave are absolutely exquisite. Speaking of magazines and catalogs, I recieved a seed catalog the other day. Really very little space for a garden at the moment, but a girl can dream, can't she?

In any case, I'll make myself some more wristwarmers.

Postscript: If you're on Ravelry, you may have noticed how tags are sorted into alphabetical order. I find it rather funny. As well, I'm glad Blogger doesn't do so. Otherwise, I'm afraid I should have tagged this post "for, knitters, new, pathways, sock"