Life...

...is getting in the way of life right now...but thankfully, life is working with knitting to keep me from going insane. ;) My enter key is not working, so there are going to be less paragraphs than there should be today.

Using a compilation of different fibers from my spinning career, I created a little shrug. It was just a rectangular piece of fabric that I sewed part of the long ways together. None of the fibers are dyed other than that big brown strip; that yarn was from a pair of socks I made for my mom a while ago. I am finding out I am actually quite enamored with the natural colors; I should buy more "regular" fiber! Every other strip was in k 2 rows, p 2 rows, and the intermittent strips were in garter stitch. It turned out rather well; this is the first shrug I've made that I wouldn't mind wearing in public.

I am also knitting a vest from the fall issue of Interweave knits; as you can see, the body is done. I just have to block it (the stockinette stitch really rolls!) and add the edging in the neck and arms. There also is supposed to be a strip to tie it off. I have found my interchangeable set, so the confusion of a straight needle being able to go around in a circle will not happen again. For anyone who is being super kind to me and continuing to read this blog, thanks so much for bearing with me. I have lots of other yarny "stuff" I'm working on, and will try to post as often as possible. I don't know how you seniors do blogging and knitting and school; I can barely keep up and I'm just a sophomore!

Priorities

School is turning into one big priority that, unfortunately, can not be ignored or pushed aside for a simple blog post. My goal was to post every day in December; I'm currently using borrowed time even as we speak.

How does posting every weekend sound? (WARNING: Feburary is going to be hectic.)

No blogging time does not mean no knitting time, however. 

I knitted 2 scarves for two separate friends of mine; pictures were not taken.

I have finished the super-secret presents, but haven't given them yet, so pictures will have to wait.

I am almost done with Ryan's vest, as you can see:

Unfortunately, the neckline is supposed to have ribbing. The pattern called for a circular knitting needle.

"No problem," thought I. "I can just use my straight needles. The fabric will be a bit stretched, but it will bounce back."

Allow me to illustrate. I thought that a straight needle could go around this.

I guess I figured it would bend or something.

which would you choose?

Right.

It's a good thing my birthday is tomorrow; I believe I need a size 3 circular knitting needle.

Knitting to Show!

My history teacher joked that he knew my position on an issue we were debating by the speed of my knitting!

This is the same teacher that has a cut out of Mr Rogers (maybe two index cards big) that I knitted a mini vest for :)

Enough about school.

How about some knitting?

The top picture is of a ski headband I knitted off the top of my head (no pun intended) one day. I think I used around 16 stitches, 1X1 ribbing tightly till it fit around my head. it's a handspun merino/silk blend. It kept my ears warm during color guard today, so that means it is doing its job!

The second picture is the first of my own fingerless gloves. This was another Fiber Chic exclusive; I'll post the pattern when I am done with them.

And the TV in the background? That's the World Series game-Phillies against the Tampa Bay RAys. My brother and dad are glued to the game. We've never lived in Philadelphia, but my dad has, so they are "the team" our family watches.

Ryan's vest is still underway--the book had to go to the library, so I had to wait a week (read as I only go to the library once a week now-waaah!) before getting the book again, and it's been too busy since.

The last Color Guard game is this Friday, and I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait till next year already-our captain says we might do cool show makeup every game! We did do fancy makeup for homecoming--I'll check to see if that's legit to go on the internet. If so, it'll be in this post, right here!

I'll leave you with the coolest things in the world. The henna that was on my ankle for two weeks, put on by my best friend:

And what my little brother told me to say:

OOOOGGGA OOOGGGA!

Update

The goal is to keep the blog aware of my goings-on at least once a month. There is a lot more homework this year than last, but I'm doing OK. I only had 10 minutes of homework today, so I have time for a short post!

I have not brought my knitting to school for the past couple of weeks, but before that, I did get Riley's bolero done:

It's packed away for Christmas now.

I'm barely more than halfway done with Ryan's vest; the argyle was fun to do, but a little confusing. I used 5 different balls of the dark blue yarn for the CC, and pulled behind the MC.The library book is due soon, so that's my first priority now.

After that, it's on the the Super Secret Presents, then a scarf for a friend, then maybe I can get started on spinning for that dress!

Off to enjoy my day of No Homework!

And I Thought I Would Post More Often!

Color guard (not me in the video; I just youtubed it) was as tiring as I thought it would be. We have the two songs (both by Queen: Don't Stop Me Now and Bohemian Rhapsody) choreographed for the flags, but now we have to work it into the band's routine.

I also went to the State Fair with my cardigan, and got a superior, which I'm really happy about. The judge said that I had my work cut out for me to top this next year. I thought that was nice of her.

And what is my plan for next year, you might ask?

Well, it includes:

-roughly 1,000 yards of handspun silk with gradual color changes

-a mesh ruffle at the hem,

-and a ribbon at the waist!

Yep, a dress. This is going to be my ideal prom dress. I am not planning on going to any proms any time soon, and may not, even in the very far future, but at least I'll know I can make a dress!

I probably won't start it until Christmas or so--I have a lot of other projects I need to catch up on, like this bolero....

.....which doesn't really look like a bolero yet, and I am kinda having some issues with the fact that the back (on top) is shorter than the left front (below the back). Since this is the second of my four Ravelympics projects, I'm going to have to pick up the pace a little to get everything (or at least Ryan and Riley's presents; they've been in the back of my head and my queue for too long) done by the end of the Olympics.

Did I mention I still have homework to do?

And a room to clean?

Yeah, umm....I'd best be off.

My Day In Pictures

Regarding the lace project: I didn't finish it, not even close. Will frog the several inches I did, since I misunderstood the pattern, as I so often do, and try again after life has settled down.
My brother's birthday went well. He got all sorts of cool sharp things to play with (seriously!) so I guess that's a sign he's growing up. He wants a black cape, and has given me time to make it past his birthday, especially since I don't have that kind of yarn right now. A guy friend at school wants a black cape too; not sure when I'll fit that in...I have plenty of other projects in my head, I hope to have a list tomorrow.
So. How was my day?
Well,
I went to school,

Made a lot of progress on my skirt (should be done by the end of the week)

(this was earlier than today) spun up all of that lovely silk, still deciding what to do with it,

When I got home, I:
Admired my new T-shirt (we all needed nicknames on the back, if you recall, my initials are HAH...my favorite that I know of is "Suspence" for a guy friend-not the same one who wants the cape; his name's Spencer...)


Played my cello

Now, instead of doing this:

I should be doing this:

Which is hard homework, but I'm rewarding myself with this:

I see lots of bitty knitted items in my future!(smiles)

As my dad would say, hasta lasagna!

Hello, World!

I'm sure we're all tired of me apologizing for not posting, so from now on, I won't. But you know I'll be thinking it.
Well, as you can guess, I've knitted enough mini sweaters for an army of Polly Pockets. If anybody has any funny way of setting them up as a gift, it would be appreciated, since these are going to my teachers as end-of-the-year presents. The winner so far is tied between putting it on a pencil with a head-eraser, and calling it a pinkie finger puppet stress reliever. :)
Here's the pattern:
Pattern for Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Little Sweater For To Knitty:
Needles: US size 5, any small size will do.
gauge: negligible
yarn: 20 yards sock weight, but I'm being very liberal on this

Body (front and back knitted as one piece)
CO 10 sts
Work 3 rows in k1, p1 ribbing
8 rows st st
k 3 sts, k2tog, turn work
p4 sts. turn work
k2 sts, k2tog, ssk across the "valley" that was created, leaving enough yarn to sew in the neck at the end, k3.
p 4
ssk, k2
p3, m4 across chasm, p3
work in st st as many rows as needed till, when folded over, head hole looks presentable and needle is even with beginning of ribbing
work 3 rows in k1, p1 ribbing
BO all sts

Sleeves (make two)
CO 10 sts
work 2 rows in k1, p1 ribbing
knit in st st 10 rows
BO all sts

Fold sleeves over with right side in and sew them up, then sew them to body (with right side in). Sew loop around v neck, sew sides of body together, turn right side out.
You're done!

With the leftovers from the mini sweaters (which totals at least 400 yards), I'm trying to make a skirt for myself. I have a garter stitch waistband (with a little hole for elastic, which is definitely going to be needed). It's going to be made completely in ribbing, except for a little bumpy thing on the hem, inspiration from the edging on the FO below.

Remember those wristlettos?
Well, they only took me two days to make. The yarn is (literally) corny-somehow made from fiber you can get from a corn plant. It's handspun; I got the fiber from the Fold.
At the end of Thursday, I had wristletto one,

and at the end of Friday, wristletto two!

As for current spinning, it's some Gypsy Girl silk!
I'm halfway done, hoping the resulting yarn will be more stripy than one single yellow, one single blue. Not sure what I'm going to make with it yet; I have this idea for a sweater/shrug thingy...drawings to come!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny...

....little sweaters for to knitty! (Hah, took me a while to come up with that!)
This is the yarn I have finished for the mini sweaters for my teacher's end of the year presents. I already have three done, two more to sew up. It's really nice to have some quick projects for a change; I knitted two up in one movie!
As you can see, they're larger than my prototype, but no biggie. They're still cute 'n' tiny, as you can see by how bitty they are compared to my lipstick (from the musical, I'm feeling a tad nostalgic).
I am sure I will have plenty of this yummy yarn left over, which means I'll be making something else for yours truly:
Wristlettos/Anklettos! I can't wait to start them; they'll be my first accessory in a while, other than socks. They'll be quite fun to knit (and wear!) at school.
Before I start anything for myself, however, I need to start my little brother's birthday present. He's a real gamer, so I'm going to make a relatively old pattern from Knitty: bmp socks. I'll be using this yarn I just got from this cool yarn shop right by my grandmother's.The grey is Cascade 220, and it'll be the background, whereas the green (which is actually multicolored-each single is a different shade of green) will be the little bad guys and high score and such.
I have simultaneously cast on a get-well scarf for my science teacher. She joked about me making her a scarf last October or so, she even told me she liked navy blue. Since it was a half-joke, I didn't really consider to make one until recently. I got some mercenized cotton, and am making her a simple cotton scarf with an edging of border lace. I'm running out of yarn, however--I probably should have gotten two skeins of the stuff--oh, well. I now have an excuse to go to my grandma's again!

Brrrr!

Well, it's the second day of spring. I left school with only my fleece windbreaker on. Now? It looks like this outside.Ick.

Well, at least I have some knitting and spinning I can get done. I don't have any school today or next week for "spring" break. I might get my cardigan done by the end of the week!

can you see the "wave" that I see in the ruffles from this angle?

The sleeves are already done, and I'm at the armholes with the body, which is being knit in one whole piece. I did a lot of knitting during school this week, since we didn't have much to do, it being the week before spring break and all. If I don't get this thing finished by the end of break, I'm not going to bring it to school. It's getting a tad bulky.
I'm having lots of fun with this. There's these really cool color variations popping up all over, like this:

I'm also getting some spinning done. 2 thirds done (above)

This is a silk/merino blend I got on my birthday. I'm thinking of making little sweaters (example picture at the end of the post) and giving them to my teachers at the end of the year, maybe with some sort of design on them depending on the teacher. I also might knit some for the teachers who helped out in the play. We'll see how much yarn this'll make.

3rd third (above)

In light of no school next week, I'll see if I can post more often. Who knows? Maybe I really will get 10 posts by the end of the month!

Oh, and whoever is hiding the second ball of yarn for my favorite socks? Can you get it to me ASAP? Sock 1 is getting lonely, and I won't be able to bear its sadness much longer before I crack and see if I can get another skein.

Take A Deep Breath...

***Note: This post was written on the 11 or 12 of March, not in Feburary. Just thought you might want to know.***
...because the Play is officially over! It was pretty freaky and hectic, but I lived through it, and I can say I'm the stronger because of it.
I feel like I have 50 new brothers and sisters. They are all so kind, it's really cool.
What was great was that all of the people who got the leads were really nice, kind people-it was fun putting them in the spotlight. It was especially entertaining when the main female lead came into the dressing room one night with a KNITTED scarf that she had made HERSELF!! I was so proud. Her boyfriend (who was the main male lead) took one look at me with my knitting on closing night and shook his head. "You're a real trooper, you know that? A real trooper," was all he said.
Good times.
Now, back to knitting.
I have the fantastic purse that I got as a sort of kit from my grandmother on Christmas-she bought me the wooden handles and everything. The color is a deep maroon-I didn't really like the yarn, it was itchy and a little too thick for my taste, but it made a pretty cool purse.
I am also spinning on and off this all-American roving I got from the Fold for my birthday. It's really pretty.
I also have had a change of plans. You know that blanket I wanted to make out of all that dyed superwash? And that yarn I bought off the internet that I wanted to make socks out of? Well, those two projects are now one. And that project is neither a blanket or socks; it's a cardigan.
I'm going to hold the handspun with the white yarn together, size 6 needles. Hopefully, I'll have enough to make the cardigan go past my hips to add a bit of style. I'm also planning on having ruffles (like in the skirt) on the cuffs and bottom of the body, as well as a ribbed collar.
With some help from the most recent Interweave Knits, it's designed. Let's just see if I can make it work!
Here's a sleeve already done:
I'm also a ways with the second sleeve.Sorry for being abrupt; I have some homework to do!
Hopefully, I'll get in the double digits with the number of posts I do this month.

Who Knows About Hydrocarbons? Raise Your Hand!

That's what my science quiz tomorrow is about, so this is going to be quick--
Nothing new on the blanket front, but I did get some knitting done!
Ta Daaaa!
Bye-and if you didn't notice, the January 12th post was published yesterday....that one is a whole lot longer and has a whole lot more pictures!

I Can't Talk Now...

I have finals tomorrow!
(edited: somehow, the most previous post is under this one, so keep on scrolling down!)

I'm Baaaack!

And hopefully, I'll post more often in the future.
Thanks for your encouragement; I got good grades on all but one midterm, and the bad one didn't even knock me down a grade level, so I'm good and happy.
I have not one, not two, but two and a half, count 'em, two and a half, pairs of socks.
The socks I made from yarn I got from Christmas from a friend:They have afterthought heels, which I won't be doing again any time soon, but it was fun.
These are for me:
A little big, but they are comfortable.
Currently, I'm knitting my mom's present.
See? I already have a sock done!...and a quarter!
I got a $25 ebay gift card, which I hope (since the money goes through paypal) that I can use on etsy to get sock yarn for my friends' presents, and white yarn for a surprise (for you guys) project.
I am also getting some progress on my blanket:
This is the second third, FINISHED!!
And this is how far I am on the 3rd third.
I'm crossing my fingers on getting all of the spinning done by the end of the month.
Hopefully sometime next week I'll have some information about my brother and his recent introduction to the spinning world. (!!)