Misa knits!

Scarf still isn't done

2004-11-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ugh.

It isn't that I don't want to do the scarf. I just have time management problems. I miss being able to knit for as long as I want. I miss having days with nothing to do besides knit. *sigh*

There's a big project due at school on Tuesday. I've not done nearly as much as I should have on it, which means I'll probably be missing my knitting group on Sunday.

I'm hoping to have the scarf done by the end of the month.

I'm sorry I've been ignoring this blog. I'm sorry I've not been reading as many other knitting blogs as I'd like to have been.

Nellie's Scarf

2004-11-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

I think Nellie's scarf is almost finished!

I want to do a project on bigger needles, with a few strands of chunky chunky yarn held together.

I had to work the pastry case at school today.

2004-10-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, I had to work the pastry case at school today. And one woman came up with a snazzy looking scarf on and I asked her if she knitted it. She said no, but a friend did. I got all touchy-feely with her scarf, then remembered "Whoops! I'm supposed to be doing case-business-type-stuff." 'Twas nice, though.

2004-10-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at my knitting group, Trina gave me some yarn!

And here are the boys checking the yarn out:

Some of the girls at school want to learn to knit, so I might have them go buy some needles and let them use some of this.

I've been horribly busy with school

2004-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

If you want to see what I'm up to, my school blog is Sweet Misa.

I'm still working on my sister's birthday scarf... I showed what I had of it to her, and she seemed to like it a lot. I'm getting some done at school, on the days that I have a break between two of my classes. There are a couple of girls who'd like me to teach them to knit. I'd like to, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to start showing others how to do it yet.

2004-10-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

I got to go to my knitting group yesterday, which makes me happy. I'm still working on my sister's birthday scarf - even though her birthday was on the 23rd of September. If I set aside time every day to work on it, I will have it done within a few days.

And therein lies my problem.

School is way more work than I thought it would be. No, let me rephrase that - school is more work out of class than I thought it would be. I kind of thought that almost everything would be in-class because I assumed most of it would just be hands-on. While I do have the hands on stuff, I've also got a math class, a sanitation class, a baking/desserts theory class, and a cooking theory class.

This has seriously put a damper on everything else I'm doing. I don't have time to knit, make my ATCs, or anything, really. I'm always tired. I can't imagine what it is like for people who work full-time and go to school.

But then again, I think that part of my problem is that I went from having 99% of my time being "free time" to having very little free time. Thusly, my time management skills aren't so great right now. But, I'm starting to get a bit better about it. So, I think that I'll be able to get "back into the swing of things" within a few weeks.

Started school this week

2004-09-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I started pastry school this week, so I've not had much chance to be knitting. I'm sure that I'll be able to do more after I get used to having this schedule.

My goodness!

2004-09-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

So, I'm surfing my livejournal communities and I'm looking at the foodporn community (no, not actual porn involving food, be not frightened). I see a bikini bottom - using a pattern that I distinctly recognize from knitty.com.

And I said to myself, "Ho! Self! "Isn't that the pattern from knitty? Isn't this the wrong community? Hmm. You know, that looks like licorice, I wonder what was used. Oh! Wait! That IS licorice!"

You really should go see it.

No Sunday KR Knitters Today

2004-09-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

The group went on a field trip yesterday - unfortunately, I couldn't go - so they didn't meetup today. In some ways, it worked out well for me. I start school on Tuesday and this gave me a mostly-rest-day. I've got lots of things to do tomorrow, so having this day to just chill out was really helpful.

I'm still working on the scarf. It is past the intended recipient's birthday, but that's ok - I'll not see her for a couple of weeks (probably) and will most likely end up sending it home with Megan, who is the sister inbetween Nellie (the one who'll be given this scarf) and myself. I'm going to be very busy this week, but I've scheduled in some knitting time. I'm hoping to get the scarf done either this week or the next.

If I don't post much in the next two or three weeks...

2004-09-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

... worry not. I've not forgotten my blog.

School is about to start (next Tuesday, the 27th) and it'll take some time for me to adjust to the new schedule. Plus, I've got a bunch of stuff to do before school starts. I'm sure things will be back to normal by the second or third week of school, though.

I'm planning on keeping up with my knitting and posting but... it might get sidetracked a bit. If so, y'all know why.

Lots of pics

2004-09-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I went to my knitting group, I was gifted. Zola gave me a magazine and yarn. Vicki gave me some needles. Also, Sarah loaned me a book that has stitch patterns in it. I immediately set to work knitting up a scarf from some of the yarn on some of the needles that Vicki gave me. I've still not decided what to do with the alpaca that Lizzi gave me. (I'm thinking of a couple of projects and all of them require a circular, so I'll have to wait a few weeks until this paying-for-school-business is out the way.) But the scarf I started working on is knitting up very quickly! If I get it fairly quickly, it'll be a birthday present for my sister, Nellie, who is turning 16.

Murray and Joey tag teamed me and demanded that I post pictures of them today! What's a mom to do? Post the pics!

2004-09-16T02:42:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have decided NOT to do the baby blanket. We don't really have the time and we weren't using a yarn that'd be very comfortable for a baby.

I showed her how to bind off, though, on Tuesday night. When I showed her, we both had a laugh over how incredibly easy it is... she seemed to think it was going to be hard.

Pics!

2004-09-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

Ha! I didn't find the card reader, but I DID find the USB port on the camera. Then, it still wouldn't work but I figured out that the back of the cord wasn't plugged into the computer. Oops. So now, I have pics!

Here's a couple of pictures of the yarn from Lizzi:

I'm still not sure what to do with it. I've never worked with anything that nice before, and I know I'll need to purchase another set of kneedles - I just need to find a pattern that I want to use the yarn with. I'm almost afraid to use it.

I didn't get to go to my usual Sunday Knitting today because I wasn't feeling well. It's something I look forward to every week, so that kinda depressed me. I can't wait until next week.

This week will be fairly busy for me. As will next week. The week after that, school starts. I'm going to need to brush up on my time management stills. ;o)

And now, a pic of my finished scarf. Joey insisted on being in the picture, too.

New Yarn

2004-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Lizzi sent me eight skeins of Alpaca yarn. She's such a sweetie.

And I'd post a picture of it, but I can't find the card reader for my camera.

2004-09-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was knitting with the KR ladies. It has quickly become something that I look forward to all week. Yesterday, we got to sit in the comfy chairs at Starbucks - they're armchairs, right next to the fireplace. It was nice. I kept frogging my work, though, because it didn't look right. Maybe I was just imagining things.

School starts three weeks from today. I'm very excited to be going. However, it does cut down on the amount of time that I can devote to various different things. I'm a member of several different blog services, mainly so that I can read various blogs and have the ability to comment. But, I'm going to have to cut down on the amount of blog reading/web surfing that I do. I've already started making a few trims. It isn't a very fun activity, because there's nobody that I really WANT to stop reading, but I want to stay updated with the ones that I do keep up on, rather than having a bunch that I might get around to once a week.

I'm still working on the 6x6 squares, though, as I said, I'm not getting much progress done because it always "doesn't look right." I think I'm going to try a different pattern, though. See if that helps. Come back later to the one that's giving me so much trouble.

Baby afghan

2004-09-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

My sister, Megan, and I are knitting a baby afghan for our aunt Kristi (and, as yet, unborn child). This'll be her fifth child. It's the first "pregnancy" announcement since I've learned to knit. (My aunt Stacey and one of my cousins have both had babies in the last month or two, but that doesn't count because I'd just learned to knit.) Anyway, she's due on December 26th, so we have plenty of time. We're doing 6x6inch squares.

And, I have to admit, I feel very weird about doing this.

I should probably explain why it "feels weird". I'm childfree by choice and a lot of children really bother me. I know this wasn't so once upon a time, but it is now. Why? A lot of children are horribly behaved. It isn't THEIR fault. It is the parents' fault. The parents are the one who teach behavior. But, that doesn't mean it is any easier for me to tolerate. So, I don't spend a lot of time around young kids. It wouldn't be fair to them and it wouldn't be fair to me if I spent a lot of time around them, being irritated. There are exceptions. Well-behaved children I have no problem with. I still wouldn't wouldn't want one of my own even if I was guaranteed that they'd be very well-behaved (plus, I think I'd make a horrible mother and would pass on a ton of defective genes, something I don't want on my conscience, but that's another story). And when I AM around kids, if I start to get irritated, I stop and ask myself "Is it because they aren't well behaved or is it because they're just being a kid?" And it helps. It puts things in perspective for me, and I'm a lot more tolerant that way.

But anyway, what I'd started to say was that I was extremely weirded out when, upon the last set of births (my aunt's and my cousin's babies), I thought to myself "I'd really like to knit something for them." I saw some cute fruit hats (the strawberry is just adorable!) that I'd love to knit for them. I probably won't, because I've got tons of other knitting projects planned, but still...

I suppose knitting just makes me feel very domestic. I've been feeling more and more "domestic" over the past year or two and perhaps knitting is just the latest development in all of this. It may even be because then I've got a "reason" to knit so I don't feel selfish just doing it because I want to... I can tell myself "Hey, I'm knitting a GIFT for somebody ELSE. It isn't just because I want to knit," and not feel guilty.

Back to those 6x6 squares. I'd meant to make the one that I'm working on right now a 2x2 ribbing, but it didn't work out that way. I'm thinking that the problem is that I started out with (k2,p2) repeat until last two stitches, then k2. Last time I did 2x2 ribbing, and it came out okay, the first row was (k2,p2) the second was (p2,k2). It still looks good, but not what I'd meant to do.

At Zola's suggestion, I'm copying down a bunch of stitch patterns and using those as the 6x6 squares. I think it'll turn out nice. So far, we're using purple and blue yarn, but we may add more as time goes on.

I've GOT to get batteries for my camera so I can post pictures.

That'll teach me...

2004-08-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

Late last night (or, rather, early this morning, if you want to get technical), I heard this "clink clink clink" sound. "Whatever," I think to myself, "The cat is playing with something again. No big deal." I hear it again. And again. This time however, followed by a "grr." So, I go to investigate.

My cat, Joey, was playing with my knitting (the clinking noise came from the needles). He'd knocked it off the table (with the exception of the ball of yarn) and was playing with it on the ground. Apparently, Murray, my dog, got irritated because the cat was doing this almost on top of the dog. And, while Murray wants to be friends, the cat is randomly mean to him, so he knows to defend himself.

Luckily, my knitting is okay. Nothing was pulled off. He was just batting it around.

Here are pictures of my babies:

And what have I learned from this? Nothing, probably. Inevitably, I will leave my knitting on the table again. But for now, it is on top of the chest of drawers.

Knitting at Starbucks

2004-08-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I went up to the Starbucks on Queen Anne to meet up with the KR ladies. They're so nice!

I took Megan, one of my little sisters, with me. She is the one who taught me how to knit. Zola asked "How is it that she taught you to knit and yet you knit with your left hand and she knits with her right?" Honestly, I don't know. I also don't know how it is that we knit backwards from each other, but we do. I imagine it is because she taught me how to knit while we were camping and I promptly forgot how by the time that I got home. So, I looked on the internet and checked out a bunch of libary books.

Zola taught me how to do the long tail cast on. I'm very appreciative... it looks so much better than the way that I was doing it (which was a knit-on type of cast on). Plus, it is faster.

After we left Starbucks, I took Megan up to Hilltop Yarns to look at all the gorgeous yarns that they have. If I had money to spend, I could find a million ways to do it there.

Yesterday, I'd taken her to Weaving Works where she bought some needles. They're shorter than mine and made of wood. Her old ones went missing, so they needed to be replaced.

Two yarn shops in one weekend! Lots of fun, indeed.

I finished my scarf!

2004-08-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I finished the scarf. I decided to add a bit of fringe to it. I think, for a first project, it doesn't look bad! I'll post pics as soon as I get batteries. I finished it while we were at the card shop today... I was sitting in front of a computer (which was on power save mode), snipping away with scissors. I heard a couple of chuckles. I don't mind.

I've still not figured out what I'm going to do next. I've only got this blue yarn and I cannot really afford to go spend a lot of money on yarn.

Hoping to finish the scarf tonight

2004-08-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to finish my scarf tonight. I'm seriously considering adding some tassels, though, to "spiff" it up a bit. I'm still not sure what my next project will be. And I don't have camera batteries, still.

But, in non-knitting related news, I got enough funding to go to school! I'm so excited! I've got a lot to do before school starts next month.

Almost done with my scarf

2004-08-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with my scarf! In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what I want to tackle next.

Meetup with some of the KR ladies

2004-08-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today, I met some of the local knitters from the KR forums. I have to admit that I was really nervous - as I usually am about meeting new people - but they were really nice. We met up at Starbucks, talked and knit for a while, then walked over to Hilltop Yarn. It's a nice store. I'll have to go back when I have some money with me. I got a decent amount of knitting done. After they had done some show-and-tell of what they were knitting, they asked what I was knitting. I was embarassed... just a plain little garter scarf. They still said nice things about it. I guess everybody has to start somewhere, right?

2004-08-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

This was the scarf as of Tuesday. I have made progress on it since then, and it shows, but my camera batteries are dead. The camera won't even turn on.

Semi-frustrated

2004-08-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sort of frustrated. Not a lot, but a little. I read a lot of knitting blogs now and it seems to me that everybody else makes a lot more progress on their knitting than I do. And I don't even have a job. Not, of course, that I knit all day, but... I can't understand it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy knitting. Even if I never produce much, I still enjoy it. But... I would like to be able to say I've knit a few things. Instead of "Yep. Still workin' on that scarf."

Knitting

2004-08-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I knit off and on for about three or so hours. I went with DH to the Magic tournament. He played, I ran it (you can't play if you're the tournament organizer). However, this DID mean that I got to sit in a comfy chair and talk with some people I know. Mostly, though, I just knit. I get so absorbed in the knitting. I'd look up, and twenty minutes would have passed. I thought "Where did the time go?"

Stitch patterns

2004-08-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that I've found the right phrase for the title.

Last night/this morning, I spent quite a while copying out stitch patterns. And by that, I mean that I've got several index cards with various different stitches "patterns" on them. I've been calling them stitches, but I'm not sure if that is the right thing to call them.

(edit: They're called stitch patterns. Lizzi told me. I'm very very appreciative.)

I'm going to wait

2004-08-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sad as I am about waiting, I think it is a good idea. Our budget will be a little better known once I get word about how much aid that I'll be getting for school.

Oh, I do hope that I get enough. *hoping* I'm trying to get into the Pastry Arts program at Seattle Central but if I can't afford it, I can't go. So, I hope I get enough aid.

Torn...

2004-08-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to start school in September. If I get the aid that I need, then I'll need to pay the school anything extra within seven days. If I don't get the aid that I need, then I'll have to drop from the classes that I'm registered for. So, in some ways, I think I should hold off buying the yarn and needles for the next project I want to do until I know for sure about school.

In other ways ways, I'd like to get started now. I don't want to delay starting on my holiday gifts any longer. And, one of the LYSs in the area is having a sale, though I don't know if they have what I want.

Busy day yesterday

2004-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jeremy and I went to Weaving Works before going to play Magic. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time, so I wasn't able to find the yarn I wanted. But I didn't see the color of yarn I wanted - of course, I was being kind of rushed. I should have picked up the needles that I need while I was there, but it didn't occur to me.

I really liked the store, though, and saw a yarn that I'd like to use for another project I have planned. I'm glad I know that they have that variety so that I can pick some up later.

Then, after playing Magic, we went to go do some gaming (Lizzi - yes! D&D). I knit for most of the evening, while playing. I think that the GM realized that I can, indeed, pay attention and knit at the same time - last time I did that, he said that he'd like me to put away my knitting while we were playing.

People's Perception of Knitting

2004-08-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

One thing that I've found odd about people's perception of knitting... people often consider it frivolous. But, it used to be that almost every woman out there knew how to knit. She knit to keep her family warm in the winter and socks on their feet all year long.

Knitting

2004-08-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

I've decided that even the ribbing on that scarf must go. It is all coming out.

I'm going to make a plain, basic scarf. It will help me get practice knitting, will be more likely that I actually finish it, and might help me improve my knit speed.

Knitting

2004-08-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

That's how the scarf looks right now. Not for long... I'm going to either cast off or unravel it, the latter being the most likely option.

Why?

That's why. The edges are curling on part of it. That's the way stockinette works, I know, but I thought I could fix it by firmly anchoring the ends with another stitch. Apparently not.

However, I do love the look of the ribbing.

So, I'll call it a learning experience, and move on to the next project. I'm not sure that I want to do a scarf again right now, but maybe.

Knitting

2004-08-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last night, I knit while Jeremy (my husband) and a friend played cards. The scarf is coming along. I'm at a point where I have to decide if I want to add a third stitch pattern. I'm not sure yet.

Knitting

2004-08-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

So, I got irritated at what I was knitting before. There were holes and such. What I pretty much started doing was using it as a "try out different stitches" piece. You can see how it ended in the picture below this, though the picture isn't good enough quality to really see the different stitches, though you can see a couple of holes. My camera batteries are dying. I need to purchase new ones.

This next picture is what I'm working on now. It is going to be a scarf. The first several rows are done in garter stitch, then 10 rows of 2x2 ribbing, followed by a few more rows of garter, then more 2x2 ribbing. I'm still trying decide if I want to do any other stitch on the scarf besides these two.

I think I'm actually going at a fairly decent pace, considering I started on the morning of the third, which was less than fourty eight hours ago. What slows me down is that I have to switch between knitting and purling every two stitches. I also often forget what I've just done and have to go back and count to see if I should be purling or knitting.

Knitting

2004-08-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, my knitting annoyed me. Not in a "No, I don't want to do this" way. It was more of a "Argh! I don't like the way this looks" way. I must have ripped out all of my stitches five or six times. This morning, however, things are better. I'm knitting in garter stitch - knit every row - which is very simplistic, but will give me lots of practice with the knit stitch. I'm planning on making this into a scarf.

Knitting

2004-08-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

One of my little sisters, Megan, laughed when I told her that I brought my knitting to Denny's (where I was going to be gaming for a few hours) with me.

Is that really so funny?

Knitting

2004-07-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

I'm learning to knit. Some of the earlier rows look really bad, but I think that I'm starting to get the hang of it now.