10.28.2006

What to do with my day

Yahoo!!!! My 4-hour class was canceled at the last minute. What am I doing with that spare time? Sitting at my work desk, trying to add changes to my Blogger template, of course. Grrr! Blogger let me save my changes, but won't "publish" them. I don't know what that means. Sigh.

No photos right now, just a quick note to say that I've joined the Purling Puppies web ring (for knitters who love their dogs...I "guess" I fit into that category), and the Knitters Review web ring. I hope I'll get some new visitors...although I'll have to start posting more often if that's going to be the case!

Tomorrow's the big Pumpkin Festival at Chester Farms. A tour of a working yarn mill--yahoo!! Maybe I'll just have to investigate their wool and see if some might fit into my purse...paid for first, of course, you sillies!

posted by Nerdy Knitter @ 12:39 PM 0 comments

10.24.2006

What have I been doing?!

So this is going to be a bit photo-heavy, since I haven't posted in for-evar.

I was a participant in the Sock Wars, which are still waging, but I'm now listed as "fallen."

I made a pair of socks for my "target," Julie. Socks can be seen here:

Sock Wars weapons

I was "killed" by my lovely British assassin, whose user name is Heraldis. Here are my beautiful, perfectly stripey socks of doom (the focus is a little off...sorry):


The socks of doom

I also finished my pomatomus socks:

Pomatomus socks are done!


And I played with another knitty pattern that I can't find on the site...it's called Perdita, and it has 3 variations for lacy bracelets with beads. I made the one called "Lilacs." I haven't blocked it yet because I'm not quite sure how to go about blocking silk. But here it is in its unblocked version:


This is my unblocked bracelet


And now I'm focusing all of my energies on finishing this project, which will someday be Annie Modesitt's Ballet Neck Cardigan, which originally appeared in Interweave Knits, and is now available as a download (it's a pdf file) from Tahki-Charles. Here's what it looked like a few days ago:



Guess what this is


The construction is odd, and it's a cropped design, so it feels like it's going to be way too short. I hope not. I'm not sure it will be that flattering on me, miss chunky-figure, but we won't know until it's done. It's a fun knit, and the yarn (Lullaby) is nice and soft. The one I'm making is the second-to-last size, and it says the body should measure 8.5" before you start the sleeves. Then the sleeves are another 8" at the shoulder/arm pit. Does the one on the model look like the body is only 8.5" long from under the arm pit? And does the sleeve look like it's 8" deep? AND does that model look like she needs to be wearing the same size as me? I think not--on all counts. Hmmm...this might not be a good thing.

So that's my knitting history...

Oh, I almost forgot the really fun thing! I went to the Fall Fiber Festival with my friend, D, who I've known since the 4th grade (Hi, Darc!), and my local friend, E. We tramped through inches of mud to see lovely, lovely, tempting yarns, fibers, and finished goods. We munched on kettle corn (the whole reason I attend most rural fairs in VA), and ate sweet potato fries. Bliss, I tell you!

I stalked a knitting blogger, Bess, but didn't get a chance to talk to her. It was fun "eavesdropping" on her conversation, though, being a former children's book editor...she & her friends were having a spirited conversation about children's books that deal with mud. I knew what they were talking about as soon as I heard their quotations. Sigh. Sometimes I miss that life.

I also had a mini-lesson in spinning with a spindle, and left the tent thinking, "I can so do that!" I was ready to go right home and put my learning into practice, but didn't get a chance to (can't remember why). Now I feel like I can't get started again...I need a spinner to move in with me for a week or so. Any takers? Please!?

Anyway, I went to the festival with a goal: to find yarn for The Perfect Vest (well, in my opinion, right now, at least). I think I found it! I bought this sumptuous alpaca that's black, gray, and natural, all plied together. The knitted fabric should be nice and tweedy, yet not too distracting that it won't look weird if I wear it over a patterned top. I think that will be the case; we'll see.

I have that project burning a hole in my pocket, but my good friend, T, just requested a new pair of mittens. My mother has made her a few pair, but I think she's feeling guilty asking for another one, and now that I knit, she can just ask me.

And I want to make a Wonderful Wallaby for my friend's 3-year old son for Christmas (okay, he's not quite 3, but I'm going to make a size 4 for him anyway, so what does it matter?).

I have a feeling the vest is going to have to wait on the back burner for a little while. . .

What else did I buy at the festival, you ask? Not too much...a skein of beautiful something-or-other from Pat at Kid Hollow Farm, 2 skeins of silk thread/yarn (used in the aforementioned Perdita pattern), a skein of sherbet-toned sock yarn, and a pattern for a shawl that I think I'm going to give to my mother (the pattern, not the shawl). Not too bad, no?

Emily did the best buying--she bought a spinning wheel!!!

The best part, though, was watching my friend, D, the knitting rookie, go nuts buying yarn for future projects. She's hooked! And it's great fun to talk knitting with her. Hooray for D!

My circle of knitting friends is widening--my sister-in-law-in-law (she's married to my brother-in-law) is also my college friend and former post-college roommate. Well, she's a beginner knitter, too. She learned to knit very quickly and has made baby blankets and baby sweaters. It's great fun to have knitting consultations with her--we have been discussing her next project and the yarn she wants to use, all over email. Hooray for email!

So now I'm going to go spend the last 30 minutes of my lunch hour knitting on my sweater. Must finish soon. Plus, I have major homework to do for my art class (Drawing I), which will suck up my whole day off on Friday. No knitting. Very, very sad. But art class is fun, too, so doing the homework isn't that painful (except that I'm not a prodigy or anything like it, so making an egg look like an egg on paper isn't as easy as it might sound to some).

Happy Autumn, everyone! I'll leave you with a pretty photo of the mountains near our home (no, this is not what I see when I look out my window, but it is within 20 minutes of my house):


We went leaf peeping yesterday


You might want to go to my flickr page and see a few more foliage photos. Here you go. Enjoy!

posted by Nerdy Knitter @ 2:36 PM 2 comments

10.05.2006

Senseless violence touches the Nerdy Household

A local student was found murdered last weekend, and it turned out she had been one of Nerdy Hubby's students two years ago. Our sympathies go out to her family and friends.

posted by Nerdy Knitter @ 7:55 PM 3 comments

10.02.2006

Sock Wars sock project almost there

I wish I had a photo to show (later this week, honest), but I will still give my report on my sock war arsenal:

1 sock complete; 2nd sock at the heel (working top-down).
project started Saturday night

These socks move pretty quickly compared to my Poma-ta-whatsis socks (size 5 needles vs size 1 needles...what a difference!). I had Nerdy Hubby try the first sock on since his foot is close to a woman's size 11, and it fits him very nicely. I just hope my "target" doesn't have really skinny feet!

posted by Nerdy Knitter @ 2:56 PM 0 comments