wednesday! September 27, 2006

so, last night was an accounting test of dooooom. my cash flow statement wouldn’t balance and it made me so very sad… BUT i am not going to dwell on it right now, because i can’t do anything about it at the moment and we’ll know our grades on friday and i have so much other accounting work to do that i don’t have much time to slow down. yes, this entry is part of the it’s-not-fair-that-i-have-more-homework relaxation/procrastination time. oh, and about my speech? it went well, as far as i know. going absolutely first at 9:35 on a monday morning seems to give the professor a bit of sympathy. or i hope it does, anyway.

i am finally getting to send off the baby items and scarves that i’ve been posting about recently. it’s pretty exciting because not only will they be out of my little room, they will be getting to the baby before he has grown out of them. yaaay!

the purpose of today’s entry is actually to post about an mp3 player cozy i knit up last month for a friend…

RCA lyra cozy
pattern: http://www.grumperina.com/ipodcozy.htm
yarn: patons classic wool color bright red (and some bits of embroidery floss)
needles: size 3 straights
size: to fit the lyra (3.2in x 2in x .5in)
modifications: umm… LOTS. heck, i even made a new chart for this thing.. my first chart ever, i might add. the lyra has lots of buttons… each requiring a hole… on the top, bottom, side, front, everywhere! mostly i used the pattern for the general idea and had to modify everything else (it’s a really good pattern, though, and helped me along immensely).
comments: my best friend, paola, wanted a cozy for her crazily non-ipod mp3 player, so i directed her to the knitting pattern central site and told her to choose something that she’d like. of course she had to pick the most complicated pattern available, right? but she wanted to be able to use her player while it was in the case and, not having an ipod, there weren’t really any commercially made. because i am so sweet (HAHAHA, mostly because i SO love to knit), i agreed and this cozy was born. in those pictures, it isn’t her actual lyra, because she lives in texas… i made a true scale model out of balsa wood and pictures she sent (yes, i’m crazy). i’m really pretty happy with it… the click wheel is a bit strange, because it stretches width wise but is already long enough length wise, but it’s ok. my favorite part is the embroidery. ^___^ oh, and she said she hasn’t taken it off since i sent it, which is probably the highest sort of compliment. yay!

ok, it’s now back to that awful homework stuff. blah.

yes, this is procrastination speaking. September 24, 2006

i have to give a speech tomorrow morning. my speech is about “the ways of wal-mart.” it is not very nice to wal-mart. i feel like i should at least feel bad when i shop there after my research, but i don’t. i was there on saturday. i bought things. i won’t lie. yes, i would go to joanns for fabric if i could get to joanns. yes, i would buy a hammer at lowe’s if wasn’t so far to walk. i would also frequent target if it wasn’t so far away. there is even a yarn store in gainesille, but it is pretty far away. i don’t have a car… i have lots of things to carry a very long way. so i shop at wal-mart. fine, maybe i was a bit guilty.

i spent friday knitting like crazy. well, i spend a lot of time knitting like crazy, but i have a whole bunch of finished objects for you (as usual). i started a handtowel from mason-dixon (moss grid), using dishcloth cotton, for use as a dishtowel, but it’s probably going to take a little while to finish (i’m 1/12 of the way there, yay!) so i may post some things i’ve finished in the past that i want to be able to send into galleries of those patterns. depends on how ambitious i am. or how much more i want to procrastinate.

saturday market bag (#2)
pattern: http://magknits.com/June06/patterns/market.htm
yarn: lily sugar ‘n cream color sage (as far as i know, since it’s a mill end)
needles: size 15 straights and size 11 circulars
size: it stretches like CRAZY… you should see market bag #1’s current load
modifications: just the needles, like i mentioned last time
comments: the colors of the pics don’t really seem to do this bag justice… its a darker green, and very pretty. this bag is going to be part of my grandma’s christmas present, along with the dishtowel i mentioned starting and some dishcloths. i must be crazy for starting this early, haha. BUT i love this bag, too. except i can’t keep it… *sniffle*

neckwarmer!
pattern: just garter stitch shashbuster
yarn: lion brand wool-ease thick ‘n quick color sky blue; the collection SRK it’s kool shade 7013 (don’t worry, i’d never heard of this stuff either… it was gifted to me), both held together
needles: size 35 straights
size: umm… i didn’t measure. but it’s pretty short and fairly wide
comments: this actually makes a very nice looking neckwarmer… i was iffy (as i often am) and just knitted until there was no more yarn. two less skeins in my bin now! i’m going to add a button so it will stay closed and warm.

evita scarf
pattern: http://mnsfibers.livejournal.com/49044.html
yarn: patons evita color costa (one skein)
needles: size 15 straights
size: very very long. and thin. (yes, i’m lazy with the tape measure tonight)
modifications?: um, basically i used the stitch pattern and modified the rest
comments: this yarn was pretty hard to work with, actually, because the little squares tended to catch and stuff… but this yarn FEELS so good that it was worth it. this scarf would probably be for a mildly cold day, but that’s ok because it’s florida and florida is like that. oh, and it matches my winter blazer. ^^ (thanks, linda!)

origami pocket pouch
pattern: here (it’s too long to fit on one line and messes blogger up O_O)
comments: this was a little sewing project that i saw and realized i had to do! its gingham and little bees (mary engelbreit). what’s really cool (and it’s hard to see in the pics, note the eraser in the pocket in the first pic) is that there are little triangular pockets. mm, i love it. AND i did the sewing entirely by hand (i have no machine here), which makes it even better. AND i’m going to give it to a friend who’s birthday was today. it’s great all around! oh, the bag is about 5in square and it’s pretty reversible, as you can see. ^_________^

more finished objects ^^ September 18, 2006

so, i’m sick. i woke up yesterday with a runny, stuffy nose and it has only worsened. luckily, it’s still just a nose thing. i will probably get lucky enough that it progresses, though. blaaaah. i hate being sick! i did have chicken noodle soup for dinner, though, and had juice with lots of vitamin c in it. then i ate a little bit of chocolate ice cream… but it was SO sad because i couldn’t even taste it *sniffles.* hopefully it will be over soon!

i got a sweet thank-you note from sydney, coordinator for the think pink challenge, in the mail today for the scarves i sent in. i really didn’t expect that! ^___^ i sure hope she meets her goal!

and now for the knitting:

infant cotton hat (#2)
pattern: children’s cotton hats from last minute knitted gifts by joelle hoverson
yarn: lily sugar ‘n cream color jewels and a hot pink i-cord
needles: size 7dpns
size: baby
modifications?: i used the dishcloth cotton instead of the cotton the pattern called for and the i-cord was probably a bit thicker than the pattern, but oh well!
comments: i was SO iffy about the colors of this hat (would they look tie-dye?) and if the i-cord would match (thanks linda!) but it turned out so well! i really like it and think it would look pretty cute on a little baby girl.

baby booties
pattern: baby’s best booties from knitting the easy way by terry kimbrough (i think?)
yarn: lily sugar ‘n cream color navy
needles: size 5 straights
size: 3-6 months
modifications?: n/a
comments: they are going to have a ribbon or something around the ankle so they’ll stay on the baby’s foot better, but other than that i really like them! they’re cute and soft and cushy. ^^

red scarf
pattern: n/a, just garter stitch (one strand of each yarn all held together)
yarn: lion brand fun fur red, lion brand wool-ease red (with speckles), random horribly red acrylic
needles: size 35 straights
size: 4.5in x 58in (but it’s really stretchy)
comments: i’ll admit… i knit this scarf up simply because i wanted to try out the size 35s that mom sent me. i had all this red yarn in my stash from my grandma’s failed attempt at learning to knit, and i figured what the heck. there’s gotta be someone out there who would like a fun fur scarf. but here’s the thing: i kinda like it now. no, i wouldn’t wear it, but it isn’t horrendous, the bright red acrylic is well hidden, the fun fur isn’t particularly itchy (at all!), AND i finished off the entire rest of the fun fur skein, leaving only semi-minimal amounts of the other two yarns. i love stash reduction (and i need to do a lot more of it! my goal is to be able to get all the knitting stuff in my one tub again!) and i LOVE how quickly the scarf goes on the 35s. a scarf in under two hours? knowing it only really took that long because the fur got tangled up a bunch of times? exciting! i was thinking i’d send this scarf home and see if mom can find someone who wants it… or maybe she could sell it at her next santa show? she sculps gorgeous santas. i’ll have to post one sometime. ^^

finally! September 16, 2006

has it really been a week since i posted last? as paola would say, the karmic gods have been very angry with me. there have been many knitting-related mishaps in the last week, but there are finally some new finished objects. yay!

OH! and i got my surprises from linda and robin on monday; they are wonderful! linda sent five skeins of various lovely yarns (2 skeins patons evita, and 1 skein each of knitpicks palette, bernat frenzy, and sugar ‘n cream) that i can’t wait to find projects for! robin sent a bar of “lemon drop” soap and a sliver of “an apple a day” soap and they smell and feel wonderful! it was all very exciting!

cable purse
pattern: http://spytastic.blogspot.com/2005/07/cable-knit-purse.html
yarn: lion brand wool-ease thick & quick color navy
needles: size 15 straights
size: 10in x 7in (not including handles)
modifications?: um, i used different yarn and went up a needle size to accomodate that. i also added about 16 extra rows for a larger size.
comments: the knitting went quite smoothly. everything else… well. there were problems. i ran out of yarn (note the use of ribbon to attach the handles), i managed to cut a bit of the knitting trying to get some seaming out (but it’s all hidden under the lining), the thread i was using to hand-sew all of this kept breaking (i scowled and continued on after knotting it off in various ways), i poked myself with my sewing needle multiple times (*points to cuts on thumb*), and, of course, there were other problems. BUT i love the end result and can’t wait to use it! mom sent me the handles and lining cloth (which is actually flowers) and i wasn’t 100% sure i liked them, but they’ve definitely grown on me! i’m glad to have this project finally completed!

nine-patch dishcloth
pattern: mason-dixon knitting (http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2006_07.html#001600 then scroll down a bit) yarn: peaches & creme colors white and orange sherbet
needles: size 7 straights
size: um, typical dishcloth size
modifications: none, really
comments: this was my first experience with miters and i really liked them. i really prefer knitting ballband dishcloths, though, to me they go much faster and do have such a nice rhythm (plus there are WAY fewer ends to weave in). this cloth goes with a ballband in the same colors that (along with some not-yet-knit coasters) will be my great-aunt’s christmas present. her favorite colors are yellow and orange, so… i’m pretty sure she’ll like them. yay for getting a bit of a head start on christmas!

some baby things! September 10, 2006

so, i’ve had these things knit up for a few days now, but i was waiting for the whole little baby collection to be done. unfortunately, i ran out of yarn on my second bootie, so i’ll have to wait to finish those up and take pictures. i knit a purse yesterday, too, but i have to get handles and lining to finish up. mom’s actually sending me the stuff to get all this done, though, so that’s really exciting. ^^ wonder what she’ll pick out for me?

fluffy bunny
pattern: http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.shtm
yarn: lion brand wool-ease color white and darice dessert color white
needles: size 9 straights
size: umm… 6in long by 5in tall (w/ears)
modifications?: i used different yarn and needles to get a slightly larger, fluffy size
comments: this is my second one of these bunnies and they’re so cute, except they have big butts, HAHA. this one feels so soft and fluffy. oh, and i think he may get a bow around his neck, maybe, but mom will probably have to do that…

infant hat
pattern: children’s cotton hats from last minute knitted gifts (joelle hoverson)
yarn: bernat cotton tots color sunshine (hehehe, sunshine! ^^)
needles: size 7 double pointed (set of 5)
size: infant
modifications: nothing, really. just the yarn.
comments: it’s so soft and cottony. i really like it. it’s a bit girlier than i had intended, but i’m sure there’s a baby girl out there who could wear this hat, so… no worries.

the weekend is over already… can’t say it was the greatest, but oh well. a bunch of my white/light load of laundry got rust stains on them when i was washing, and one white shirt seems to be ruined-ish (there may be hope in bleach, but bleach is SCARY), but i suppose it will be ok.

pink scarves done! September 6, 2006

apparently, procrastinating on schoolwork provides the ideal backdrop for fanatic knitting. yes, i already knew this. yes, this is a bad habit. yes, friday morning in that accounting exam i may be regretting it. but, you see, the allure of a finished object is just too great for that to even matter. packaging up those finished pieces to send off is almost as satisfying. with that, i give you think pink scarf number four and the collection preparing to be mailed. yay!

garter scarf (pink scarf #4)
pattern: just garter stitch, 10 stitches cast on, worked till yarn was gone
yarn: lion brand homespun color cotton candy (double stranded)
needles: size 15
size: ~57 in x 4in
modifications: n/a
comments: basic, but functional.

and here, in case you missed them, are all four pink scarves together, awaiting transport to virginia in an inside-out toaster box.

aren’t the sweet, all lined up together? ^____^ makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

unfortunately, mom just HAD to mention that at church at home someone mentioned a family with a new little baby boy… the person at church was collecting things for the family, since they don’t have enough money for all the baby stuff. can you see where this is going yet? really, i do love knitting things for other people, but my christmas list of knitting is NOT getting any smaller this way. actually, i do adore knitting charity things (i mean, i’m not having a baby any time soon and i sure hope none of my friends are… so who else can i knit baby items for? and it sure doesn’t get cold enough here to warrant a scarf collection ^^), which may be why at this very moment i have finished one navy baby bootie and an adorable white bunny. one more bootie to go! and maybe a burp cloth or bib or kimono courtesy of my new mason-dixon book… hahahaha. i’m so addicted…

i won a contest!!!!!! September 4, 2006

so, i was at the mason-dixon KAL on saturday (i really should just join that thing, i read it so often!) and Splinderella was having a contest… AND I WON!! i’m really excited! i haven’t ever actually won a contest before… ^^ so, now i have all kinds of goodies coming in the mail soon (soap from robin, mason-dixon from amazon, a surprise from splinderella, postcards from friends for the swap)! i LOVE getting mail of all kinds and sizes!

in knitting news, i finished up a ballband dishcloth today, but i realize that maybe people don’t get quite as excited over my finishing a dischloth as i do… so i think i’m going to wait to post pictures of it until i finish up a few more or something. i have LOTS of sugar n’ cream and love to use it! since i finished that, i cast on for my fourth (and final) scarf for the think pink challenge. this one is just double stranded homespun in garter stitch, so its going really quickly. i’m probably at least halfway done already. it seems really basic, but i do like garter stitch scarves and the homespun makes it pretty soft, too. i hope to have that package out in the mail later this week. ^^