REVENGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some time ago, in an alternate universe, I purchased some geek yarn with the intent of making Evad some socks. A while passed by; comic plot lines came and went; geek movies were made and panned; then finally, the time was right, and I struck with socky vengeance!!

Name: REVENGE!!!

Yarn: Dyeabolical Yarns Alter Ego sock yarn in colorway "Luthor's Revenge"

Pattern: My own top down Evad size basic sock

Needles: Knit Picks classic circs size 0

Notes: Evad is not one to wear his "geek" on his sleeve. He likes to keep his "geek profile" low, so that the average person on the street won't instantly know he likes Star Wars, or LOTR, or Discworld, or Warhammer, or Comic Books, or......well, the list goes on. The thing is, he DOES like all those things, and ALL those things have built in gift potential, providing said person likes to wear t-shirts with Orcs emblazoned on them! Evad does not. On occasion you might find him in a hat or shirt with a small emblem, but that is about it. Really. What is a wife to do? Why, knit geek socks!! Of course!

This way, he can still wear a little geek, and not give away his secret identity to the world. Smarty smart! The colorway is quite eye popping, and chock full of Lex Luthor's 1970's Uniform colors, and "kryptonite" green. Seriously, can you imagine trying to take over the world in these colors? Talk about standing out...

But Luthor wasn't about taking over the world, all the time. Sometimes it was about unadulterated REVENGE! Seeing as Evad's motto is "revenge is a bitch.", I just couldn't resist buying this yarn when I saw it on Etsy. Turns out, the base yarn is fabulous. It is soft, squishy, and totally unsplitty. Sweet.

I hope he likes his socks as much as others seem to! I also hope he gets to wear them before it warms up too much!!

Vernal Equinox Shawl!

Really, I am sorry about the FO only posts, but I'm having trouble keeping up with life right now. But, I have managed to finish the latest in my Mystery Shawl KALs. (and only a week late!)
Name: Vernal Equinox Shawl Surprise
Yarn: Winterbury Hill Farm Coopworth Yarn 2 ply Lace weight
Needles: KnitPicks Harmony interchangeables, size 5
Notes: This shawl was knit in 7 clues, and uses the "pi" method to increase. It was quite fun, easy to follow, and the clues were of a manageable size.

I've never knit a half circle shawl before, so I was excited to see that I was when I finished clue 1! It really does stay on the shoulders well, and covers your whole arm, with out having a point down to the back of your knees - like a triangle. I might be a half circle convert.

The yarn is a little stiff when you knit with it, but it softens wonderfully after a wash. I was afraid that the added "sparkles" would make it scratchy, but it really isn't. The natural color of the wool is beautiful, and is not too warm or cool. The bonus is that is is from CT! Home grown, spun and knit!

I decided to do the crocheted cast off instead of the knit cast off variation. I don't mind a crochet now and then.

Pinning this sucker was quite the adventure. A billionty pins later, I really like the outcome. Be prepared if you knit this one. buy stock in pins.
Well, I shooould go. I need to get back to making armor. Woo Hoo!

tap... tap... is this thing on?

Ladies and gentlemen, I interrupt your regularly scheduled radio silence, to bring yu a brief update.
Since I last posted on the blog - ten years ago - I have been a busy gal.
*Mr. Ship came to visit.
*I went to see WWE Raw at Mohegan Sun

*I teched and opened a play called "Death Dances the Tarantella"
*I had an oral implant removed
*I started and finished one knitting project, knit half of another, and have almost finished my Equinox shawl.
Unfortunately, I expect that my quiet blog will continue until the middle of May. I have four shows between now and then. One new play, one old play, one opera, and one Shakespeare. I'm going to try to keep you updated with at least FO pics....
My latest FO - Migrations Scarf!

Look familiar? Well, it's because I've knit it again for Schaefer Yarn's. This time in Susan, in (I think) Elizabeth Blackwell colorway. I had to go the whole way down to size 4 needles, but it was worth it!

I also might finally have the gist of grafting "in pattern". What do you think?

The 100% cotton was a little slower in the knitting, since I had to take more breaks, well, and I was a little slower due to the pain meds from the oral surgery.

All in all, still a fun knit, and still addictive!

She's ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!

Really, truly, I am. I've just been really really busy. It's not about to let up anytime soon, so ya'll will just have to bear with me.
In all the busy, I did manage to knit a little. I finished the "Blackhearted" Socks.

I finished clue 5 on the current mystery shawl. Still no pictures, but I am so close to the end, I might as well wait for the money shot at this point.
And... that's it. Sadly. I'm mostly working on costume designs right now. Sewing and sewing and sewing.
Later!

It made me cry

I was going to post about the super bowl party and sale last weekend. Then I saw this:

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.
It made me cry.
If you feel the same way, please consider taking the action proposed at the end of the video. Much love.

Da Cutez Bebes!

It's been a week since I posted last, and I'm feeling mighty behind. I have so much knitting stuff to show you, and not enough time to post about it. Part of the problem is that my Pirated Internet is shoddy at best, so I can't post from home. At work, I've been crazy busy - between actual work and teaching 4 days a week, so posting here is hard too. (Sheesh. Making me work at work. Lame.)
The bad thing is that I don't think my busy schedule is going to slow down anytime soon. I'm an insane woman, evidently, because between now and May 16 I am designing a 20 person play, an opera, and Midsummer Night's Dream. Frankly, I only have myself to blame, but if I still have hair in June I will consider myself lucky.
In knitting news, I have competed clue #3 on my equinox shawl. I really need to take some pictures of it. So far, I like it very much. I plan to give it to the Gala Silent Auction at LWT, so I have to stay on track! When I start getting hella busy, it might be the only thing I am working on!
My Black Hearted Socks are coming along. I have reached the stage in sock knitting where you knit and knit but the sock doesn't grow. The gnomes are ripping it at night.

Mr. Ships Mittens have stalled again. I'm just not sure they are going to fit. hem haw. hem haw.
But, in the midst of all my slow progress, I managed to knit three baby hats for Charity!

Name: The Cutez Bebe hatz evah!
Pattern: Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, basic hat 6-12 month
Yarn: Naturally Caron Spa in "Ocean Spray"
Needles: 4mm DPNs
Notes: Aww da wittle bebes are da cutez! Making baby hats always insights choruses of "awwww!!" and "OOOOOOOO!". Unfortunately, it also invites the "Are you pregnant!?!" question and the dreaded, "OMG! WHEN ARE YOU DUE??!!?!?" (Yeah thanks for thinking I look pregnant. Makes me feel awesome about my body.) But, they really are fun to make, even with the comments and questions.
The first one was seed stitch and stockinette.

#2 is a slip stitch pattern.

The third is seed stitch ribbing.

I am surprised I got three hats form this one skein of yarn, and I still have left overs! It was nice to knit with, but a lot splitty. The end result is so very soft, and since it is mostly bamboo, it should wear well. I don't know that I'd want to knit a big project out of Caron Spa, but it was fine for a small project like this.
I have another skein of yarn at home that I think would be great for baby hats, but I'm not sure that I am going to get to it in the next week. The hat collection is next Thursday, and I'm booked a little tight until then. You never know though!

Rok Star in my Rokchoke

Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away called "Rhinebeck", Costumechick came across some back wool yarn with bits of silver melted onto it. She fell in love with the yarn, and just KNEW that she had to make a neck warmer for herself. The yarn was called "Heavy Metal Wool", and it needed a rock star pattern to truly do justice to the totally rock star name of the yarn.
Costumechick set off on a mission into the bowels of Ravelry to find a suitable rock star pattern to compliment her rock star yarn. She searched and searched, only to be disappointed in the level of rock star-dom of neck warmers. Finally she stumbled upon the coolest of cool; the rockingest of rocking; and the most pattern less of patterns. From it was born.... Rokchoke.

Pattern: Blakchoke by John Brinegar was my "muse"
Yarn: Heavy Metal Wool by "Little Barn Yarns"
Needles: 10.5 knitpicks harmony interchangeables
Notes: The original "pattern" isn't really a pattern at all. It is more of an explanation of an idea. I gave credit to the pattern because it was my inspiration. In all honesty, I fell in love with the closure and the asymmetry.

I felted the piece, like the original, but that is the end of the similarity in construction. Blakchoke was knit as a stockinette rectangle, then felted into a asymmetrical shape. I just knit up an asymmetrical shape to begin with. I added safety pins to clip my "dog clip" to, and to hold my "dog clip" on. What is more rock star than safety pins and dog clips?

I like to wear it folded down in a fashion I think of as "new wave" style, as opposed to the above picture that I took to show off the closure. (I think that makes it look like a neck brace.) The yarn was a little scratchy before I felted the piece, mostly due to the silver bits, but after felting, it is soooo soft. It still looks bad ass, but it is really cushy. Oh, and warm too!

Just call me Joan Jett

I started a pair of socks yesterday. (A big surprise, I know.) They are a heavily modified version of a pattern form the book 'Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn". I think I will name them 'Blackhearted Socks' after the color way I choose, and they will probably be finished around Valentine's Day.

Now I just need to keep weighing my little ball of pink and purple yarn so I don't make sock #1 too long, and have an anklet for sock #2....

Migrations

Schaefer Yarn sent me another project last week, and this one had beeeeeaaaaaddddds. I don't want to send it off!

Pattern: Migrations Scarf
Yarn: Scahefer Yarn's Nichole, in "Indira Gandhi"
Needles: US 6, knitpicks harmony interchangeables
Notes: I love beaded things, and it has been a while since I knit a beaded anything, so I was happy to have this as my next project! It is knit from the ends, then grafted in the center back. The beads are only on the ends, as it would be really heavy with beads throughout.

The yarn is wonderful. It is so springy and next to un-splitable. I love the colorway as well. Ya'll know I'm not a "bright color" gal, so I was excited to see a color way that was colorful, but muted. Complex colors make me happy. I really like that even on the wrong side of the knitting, the yarn knits up into a pleasing mix.

Also, the yarn is superwash! Now, I know that nobody in their right mind would throw a beaded scarf in the washing machine, since glass beads and agitation seem like a remarkably bad idea, but I can envision lots of uses for it! It is soft enough for baby things too!

Overall, this was a very quick project. I knit side one on Thursday and Friday. Side two worked up quickly on Saturday. I waited to graft it until Monday, and a good block on Tuesday. I suppose, I could have done it in three days if I tried. I'm not that crazy. (usually) I just had some good free time for once!

I've also started the Vernal Equinox Shawl. 2 clues down! Some pics to come!

Call me Ms.Fitzgerald

I went to WEBS, and I fell in love with some yarn. That isn't really a surprise, is it? I also fell in love with a pattern. I bought the book "Boutique Knits", a while ago, for a bunch of patterns, but mostly for one "to die for" hat. But, when I went to WEBS, and saw another hat from the book, knit up in the most beautiful yarn I have ever seen, I knew I had to knit it. I had to knit it RIGHT NOW. I had to knit it in THAT YARN, RIGHT NOW! The end result is my Silk Slip Cloche.

Pattern: Side Slip Cloche, from Boutique Knits
Yarn: Plymouth Mulberry Silk - 52% mulberry silk, 48% merino
Needles: Size 4 DPNs and Knitpicks Harmony circs
Notes: Let me say it one more time... I LOVE THIS YARN. It is the softest, shiniest, prettiest yarn in the whole world. (Until I fall in love again.) Love love love love love.

This hat pattern, like most of the patterns in this book, is not fundamentally "easy". It has some advanced techniques. It isn't "hard" per se, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first hat to someone. I decided to knit my hat on smaller than called for needles, since I have an ubertiny head. I also knit only 3.5" of crown before decreasing. The results were a great fitting hat!

You can wear this little slice of heaven with the ruffle on either side. I can't decide which way I like better. Opinions?

Frankly, this was some great instant gratification knitting. Oh, and I can't beat the fact that I feel like Zelda Fitzgerald with it on. I love cloches.
I almost forgot! I took a picture of Denise, knitting with her beaver. Aww... pretty beaver.

Organization

In my heart, I am an organized person. If you were to visit my office or home on any given day you wouldn't think so, but I really am. I swear. I think it stems from my love of containers. You see, I LOVE me some containers. Tins, bins, baskets, bottles, shelving, bags - I'm a container whore. All my containers do actually contain stuff - unlike those sick people on HGTV that use them purely as "decoration". I am banned from the container store. I've never even been in one. It is too dangerous. The last thing I need, aside from more yarn, is more containers.
So guess what I did yesterday, with my day off?
Bought Containers. How did you know?
But, these are important and useful containers! They are for yaaaaaaaaaaaaaarn.

I took all my yarn out of the closet, and reorganized. I am insane, but soooo happy.
I found the bags at target for 3 bucks each! I have two more. I am not using them for yarn. I plan to use them for bed linens. Not yarn. (at least for now....)

Not so black Blackroses

Actually, "black" is the furthest from accurate description you could give these socks.

Pattern: Blackrose Socks, Knitty winter 08-09
Yarn: Knit one, crochet too, Ty-Dy in color 1574
Needles: US0, Knit Picks classic circs
Notes: I had a great time knitting these socks! even though they are in the "Knitty spin" section of Knitty, commercial yarn works just fine, imho. I knit them as written - with the lace panels different on each sock, except for the heels. I did my trusty short row heel - it just seams to fit me better.

The yarn looks great, and as usual, I love waiting for the next stripe. I am easy to please, I guess. My only caution would be the splitty factor. It could be because I was using super pointy needles, but I think that was a small part (if a part if all). The splits didn't prevent me from loving the yarn and the knitting of said yarn, but I did have to pay attention more.

I do think it is funny that the stripes almost line up exactly opposite each other. I couldn't have done that if I tried.

I'm looking forward to wearing these! They are really soft, and fit like a glove. Hopefully they wear well. Oh, and they are my January Socktopia submission!

A post from the dark

Technical rehearsals, also known as 'tech', can be four days of crazy stress inducing panic... or four days of the most boring, mind numbing droaning. Rarely is it anything in between. Today I'm sitting through a whole lot of the second kind. Blergggghhhhhhhhhhh.
I am using the time to do some boring work paperwork, but soon, soon...... I will be knitting.
Anyway, I have no pics, but I popped on to tell you about a Mystery Lace KAL, just in case you are interested. No need to sign up, just watch the blog for the clues.

Equinox

Criss Cross Crossed off!

I finished up the Criss Cross Wrap for Schaefer Yarns last night!

Pattern: #299 Laurel Criss Cross Wrap
Yarn: Laurel from Schaefer Yarn Company
Needles: US 9
Notes: I knit this for Schaefer Yarn Company as a model. Overall, a very simple pattern that shows of the variegation in the yarn really nicely.

The criss crosses are made by dropping yo's and criss crossing them. It is garter stitch based- so no purling! A little fiddly, but definitely not a hard project to accomplish.

The fringe was the hardest part. Honestly. It was only hard to do because it required a little finesse.

Overall though, a very satisfying project, quickly knit up, and easy to finish!

WIP Roundup!

Yee HAW! I'm starting the new year off with a BANG!
Ok. Enough of that. It's quite irritating.
Really, I needed to post about three projects that are currently OTN, that never made it to the blog. Sad, but true. (ooo. Good Metallica song)
First up, the Three Cornered Lace Shawl in Clover Pattern, from Victorian Lace Today.

I started this ambitious project for work. (I know. My job sucks.) There was a possibility that we would need a Civil war era lace shawl for our World Premier production of Paula Vogel's "A Civil War Christmas." I don't know if you realize this, but real shawls from the civil war aren't easy to find - at least in usable condition. I realized that if that scene stayed in the play I needed to start knitting NOW. (This was the end of October) I started. Somewhere about the week before Thanksgiving-ish time it became apparent that the shawl was cut and was going to stay cut from the show. I stopped working on it. It has been sitting on my desk waiting for me to knit the last chart since then.

I got a little busy with Holiday gifts, but I am coming back to it soon. I think I am going to donate it to the Theatre Silent auction when I finish it.
In the midst of the final Holiday gift rush, I got an e-mail from the nice lady at Schaefer Yarn Company. She needed emergency model knitters. So I took on the "#299 Laurel Criss Cross Wrap".

It was not super easy to knit, cause it was a bit fiddly, but it wasn't hard to knit either. I was on a quick deadline to finish, so I didn't even post about it at all.

It is blocking now, and only needs the fringe detail to be a FO. If only it would dry....
Finally, I started a pair of socks for me. These will be my January Socktopia socks, should I actually finish them in January. I see no reason that I won't, but you never know. The pattern in Blackrose from the new Winter Knitty.

And... that's it! Not to shabby. I'll try to keep ya'll updated better. I promise.
I have a big boring tech coming up this weekend. Most likely, I'll be doing a lot of sitting. Hopefully, lots of knitting will accompany the aforementioned sitting.

2008 in review.

Well my peeps, another year is coming to a close. It has been a hectic year in some ways, and a relaxing year in others. Gotta love the roller coaster ride of life!

I took a look back at my entry from last New Year's Eve, and I was very disappointed in myself. This is what I wrote:
I want 2008 to be the "year of peace". Of course I want world peace - don't be silly - but I really want to strive to be at peace with myself. We care all critical of ourselves in some way, I just want to try to minimize the criticism I lay on myself. I get enough of that crap from other people at work. To that end, I will try to go to the gym regularly, and therefore feel like I am making progress on my physical outlook. I will take better care of my kidneys. I really want to start evaluating why I choose to do things. I want to choose events to attend, projects to design, and even what to eat for dinner based on what I want, not on what I'm expected to do. My 2008 goal is to be happy in my skin and thankful for having the skin to be in.
Part of being at peace will be to keep learning and experiencing, like always. When I "pull up the learnin' stool" this year I want to come away with at least one Intarsia project, finish poor DH's Sweater of Doom, enter a lace piece in a fair, and learn to use the weight machines at the gym. I still want to go to Vermont. I want to continue to develop existing friendships and maybe create some new ones. Maybe this year I'll cross to the dark side and try spinning on a wheel!
ok. I did good at the first paragraph. I really feel like I've made progress in all of those areas. I haven't been perfect, but nobody is perfect. The second paragraph, however, I didn't do so well at. I went to Vermont, made some new friends, made tighter bonds with existing friends, I learned to use the weight machines at the gym, and um.... that's it. No Lace project entry. No Intarsia. The sweater is still in the bag, unfinished. No spinning wheel spinning either. Sigh.
On that note, why bother makng resolutions? I suppose it's to at least partially motivate us to do well and be better people. SO once again, I will make a list. Once again, I will try to accomplish the things on my list. Maybe this time I will succeed...
In 2009 I want to:
* Do a freaking Intarsia project
* Keep participating in Socktopia
* Go to another place I've never been
* Deal with the falling apart furniture in my apartment
* Design a lace something for me

This is not a big list. I just be able to do it!

Christmas Recap

I love going home to my parents' house! It's not because of the gifts, or the food - it's for the years worth of stories. This year was no exception in the story department!
My hand knits were well received, and much gushed over by a few specific people. I, or course, failed to get many FO with recipient pictures. I did get Mr. Ship with his socks though!

He is such a dork. Mr. Ship also received an "Emergency Jail Kit" since he is so "bad-ass". Included was a doo-rag, candy cigarettes, nail file/shiv, harmonica, metal cup, soap on a rope, "prison approved porn" (Victoria's Secret Catalog), and a mirror - among other things. Since we open our presents on Christmas Eve at about 1 am, the family is usually pretty slap happy by the time we get to the funny gifts. It isn't hard to get your brother to try on his Prison Survival Gear at 2am.

It also isn't hard to get your Dad to try on the "Learn to be a Princess" accessories from the joke gift you got your Mom.

Then you stop taking pictures because you are laughing so hard you think you might die when your other brother puts on his new "old fashioned" motorcycle goggles with his half helmet, that just happens to have a red Mohawk down the center. When the laughing subsides, you start to relive the evenings events for brother #1, since he was at his Fiance's house earlier. This year he missed going to Grandma R's. It is too bad because this year is the year my family decided to cause trouble.
Uncle Gene's family sits on the only couch in the basement every year. They ALWAYS sit on it. My family decided to see what would happen if we infiltrated the couch. Mom went first. Then I took another empty spot when one of them got up to get food. On and on it went. The whole night we were giggling like kids, gene's family was wandering around trying to decided what to do, and The rest of the people at the party were completely confused. You had to be there to truly appreciate the chaos we caused. It was great.
Now we are all wide awake, and our sides hurt from laughing, so we decided to make popcorn in Dad's new Popcorn cart. At 3am. Yep. All of us watched the second half of A Christmas Story and ate popcorn until 4am. Then we got the Christmas dinner ready so we could go to bed. Nothing beats sleeping in until 11am when guests are coming at noon! All we had to do was pop in the side dishes, The turkey was already cooking, all the sides were prepared to go in the oven, the potatoes needed to be cooked and mashed. It was awesome. Sleep deprivation makes everything funny - even Aunt Florence.
I received some very nice gifts this year, especially from Evad. He rocked the gift giving world with an Immersion Blender, an Aero Garden, and YARN! He also gave me two knitting books I have been lusting over - GlamKnits and Knitting Lace Triangles. Then the yarn kept coming! Princess Evangeline gave me yarn too! There is nothing like the scent of Christmas balls and cones!

The two cones of lace weight and the teal lace weight bison (!) yarn are from Evad. The rest is from Princess Evangeline. I am one lucky knitter!
All in all, we had a great Holiday this year. The gifts were great, but the laughs and fond memories will be what endures.
Till tomorrow!