a possible dilemma June 30, 2007

ok, i have a bit of a dilemma. it’s really only a possible dilemma, but i’m not sure exactly what my next step should be. i know that many of you have knit big things like sweaters before and i thought (read: i really really hope) maybe someone can help me figure out what to do, since i have absolutely no experience in this area. i want to knit this:

it is the “fitted cardigan” from creative knitting (the australian version) issue 16 that i got as a prize from sharon for the soaring eagles project. we measured everything out and it should fit me. i want to knit it with this:

this is the five skeins of rowan felted tweed that i got as a prize from the red scarf project. it isn’t the yarn called for in the pattern, but it is a comperable weight and a somewhat comperable fiber.

what is the problem, you ask? i am 124 meters of yarn short for the pattern as written (as far as i can tell). i’d like to modify the cardigan to be about 10cm shorter with sleeves about 5cm longer. i also need enough yarn for a gauge swatch that i can wash and etc. i think it is possible that i have enough yarn to do what i want, but i’m really not sure. it could be that i’ll get to the end and be ten yards short, i just don’t know.

so, my question is this: what do i do now?

–i could order an extra skein online. it may end up being a very different dye lot and color from the skeins i have now. if that happened, which part of the cardigan would be best a slightly different color?

–i could call around to the yarn stores in my area and see if they carry my yarn. assuming someone does, i could go there and compare the colors myself. i haven’t ever been to any of these stores before (i know, it’s sad). if none of them have it, then i suppose i would have to revert to the first option.

–i could just jump in and worry about running out if/when the yarn is gone. i like this option because it requires the least amount of work right now, but i’m not a big risk taker. if i run out somewhere towards the end and have the dye lot problem, then things might look very strange.

–there could be a fourth option i haven’t thought of. since i haven’t thought of it, clearly i don’t know what it is. ^^

what do you think i should do? before you answer, have i mentioned recently the part where i’m petrified to call anywhere (like a yarn store) on the phone? that seems to be a part of what’s keeping me from making a decision. it may be that i just need a little push in the right direction. please help before i give myself a headache from thinking so much!

8 random things June 27, 2007

today, bittersweet tagged me for a meme and i realized that i never managed to do the 7/8 random things meme. as a testament to how much time has passed since then, i don’t even remember who tagged me for it, though i vaguely remember being tagged more than once. my plan is to get this one done tonight and do the new one soon. hopefully, soon will be a bit more timely than it has been for this. anyway, here goes:

1. there is not a single white/eggshell/cream wall in my family’s house (except in the closets). i can’t even remember a time when the walls weren’t painted various colors. i must add that it’s all very tasteful, not just randomly colorful.

2. our dog, shado, thinks she’s my sister and torments me endlessly trying to get higher on the family totem pole than i am (sibling rivalry at its best). she likes to lay in the doorway to my room and growl and bark when i try to leave it.

3. i love honey mustard.

4. i am dating my best friend’s ex-boyfriend. strangely enough, there was never really much drama associated with it; she and i are still best friends and she and the bf are on good terms, too.

5. i am very afraid of cockroaches. and needles. (among other things)

6. i really dislike blogger; i had prior blogs that i greatly preferred. my favorite was probably the one i coded myself (read: had total control over). i absolutely can’t stand blogger’s spacing problems. it irks me to no end. i switched to blogger because i liked how easy it was to access and update and it seemed like it had a better knitting community. or something like that.

7. i don’t like waking up early. some people think that i can’t get up early, but that’s not true. i just don’t prefer it.

8. i love to wear flip-flops. they are more comfortable to me than my tennis shoes. i even have a distinct flip-flop tan. i’m not so crazy that i wear them absolutely all the time (like when it gets really cold), though i know people who do. a random flip-floppy comment: some of my very closest friends (who are asian) call flip-flops “slippers.” to me, flip-flops and slippers are two very different things. oh well.

p.s. i just had the fleeting thought that i could add a picture of my recent trip to SeaWorld for some color. i quickly laughed the thought off because it would mean that i’d have to deal with #6 on my list. namely, blogger would mess all the spacing up if i added a picture. sorry, guys.

so lazy! June 20, 2007

today has been one of those days where i haven’t managed to accomplish anything at all. i’ve been aimlessly wandering around the house, thinking about things i should be doing but having no motivation to actually do them. it’s nice to laze around, but i like to think i’m generally at least a little bit productive. can i tell you that i don’t even have the motivation to take pictures of some of the other knitting projects i’ve finished in the last few days… how sad is that?! *sigh*

thanks for all the good luck wishes on my exam from last week. everything turned out fine with that and i was rather pleased with the exam grade. plus, the first exam is usually the worst because i never know quite what to expect, so hopefully i’ll be less stressed for the next exam, too.

i love the little mini-sock that i knit to fit on the mini sock blocker keychain from sophia. i used leftovers from my last pair of socks (in regia 4-ply color) and a combination of patterns (because, apparently, some of the directions confused me). the sock is just so adorable! i want to make more. ^^ i have to say, though, that i don’t think i’ve ever dropped as many stitches as i did with this on the size 1 needles. luckily, it’s an easy problem to fix.

here are the goodies i got from kelli. baby ull yarn, amish popcorn, and orange & spice tea. i’ve been so spoiled with wonderful goodies recently!

speaking of spoiled… rachel has recently started hand-dyeing yarn over at tallgrass yarns and there is a colorway named after me! isn’t it gorgeous?! those are so exactly my colors. ^^

slippers! June 9, 2007

time is going by so quickly now that i’m home. my first business law exam is tuesday already and i’m scrambling to catch up. i seem to have this problem where i procrastinate and end up having to work nearly constantly in the days leading up to the exams. it would be better if i did everything in the time i should, but it does always get done. at least, after this exam, i will be all caught up and ready to start the new material.

i went back to the specialist yesterday for my wrist. my tests and x-ray came back fine. he diagnosed me with focal dystonia, commonly called writer’s cramp. i just started a medicine for it, but if that doesn’t work, he recommended getting botox injections in my wrist to loosen the muscles up. i’d really rather not have to do that, so i’m crossing my fingers that the medicine works and i won’t have to do anything drastic (and expensive!) like botox. i guess we’ll see how it goes.

slippers
pattern: house slippers from knit 2 together by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark
yarn: patons classic merino wool in denim marl and bright red
needles: size 15 straights and size 13 16″ circular
size: medium (women’s 7-9)
comments: first, knit 2 together was $5.50 on amazon. 80% off the cover price?! i just couldn’t resist. i got that one and knitting for peace at $4.00. i really like how the slippers turned out, but i definitely had my doubts when i was knitting them because i messed them up in various non-uniform ways. they are super comfy and they actually stay on the back of my heel, which is great. they required winding triple balls, which was an interesting experience, to say the least. it was kind of hard to photograph the red properly; sorry if it looks bad!

i’ve been so lazy! June 2, 2007

i apologize to everyone who has sent me emails or left comments that i haven’t responded to. summer seems to have created utter laziness in me (and in my schoolwork as well!). in an attempt to get caught up, i’m going to answer some questions here rather than individually. i’ll try to be better about getting back to you in the future, though!

the graduate program i got accepted into is the accounting 3/2 combined degree program at the University of Florida (UF), where i’m currently attending. basically, at the end of five total years, you receive your bachelor’s and master’s degrees together. i’m a year ahead in school, so i’ll be getting those degrees together at the end of four years. upon receiving the master’s degree, i’ll be eligible to take the CPA exam and practice as an accountant. the whole thing is really good because it speeds up my time in school (getting me done in the same time as my friends but with a higher degree), my state scholarship will pay the undergraduate rate for my graduate classes (saving me some money), and UF has a pretty good program that the major national accounting firms recruit heavily from.

i went to the specialist about my wrist last week and he basically told me that it was “writer’s cramp” and nothing serious. what i seemed to be getting from him was that i was silly to go to the doctor about the problem and that i should just deal with it (granted, he didn’t say exactly that, but it was the feeling i got from what he was saying, you know?). he had me get a wrist x-ray and bloodwork just in case and i have to go back to see him in a few weeks. he wanted to wait and see if it clears up on its own, but i can tell you that it won’t, since i’ve had this problem for years now. it was aggrevated when i was at school, so now that i’m home it is a bit better, but what do i do when i’m back at school and it’s worse again? he didn’t seem to have an answer for that one. i suppose we’ll see how it turns out.

i’m trying to take it easy for the summer and so i don’t have too many plans. i’m taking business law through UF’s distance program (online-platform classes). i’m having a hard time getting motivated to do the coursework… it’s so much reading! but i am making some progress. i’ve also been doing a lot of knitting and video gaming and hanging out with family and friends. the last few days i’ve also been driving a little bit since i still don’t have a driver’s license and i really would like to get it by the end of summer (but we’ll see how that goes).

i won a little raffle over at bittersweet blog and it was an adorable strawberry tart. i’d take another photo of it to show here, but hannah did a much better job photographing it than i possibly could have, so i’ll just let you check it out there. i also won a contest over at kelli’s blog (in this post) and she is also currently having another contest, so if you’re interested, you should go check it out!

a while back, hakucho showed off some “double-woven” dishcloths that she made and i bookmarked the pattern because i really liked it. it does show off variegated yarn quite well.

i’ve also been working on some squares for rebuilding greensburg-block by block, but i’ll post pictures of those when i finish the little stack of them that i’m going to send.

oh, and i haven’t forgotten about the “8 random things meme,” i just haven’t gotten to it yet!