I'm not a complete moron this week!

last week, i was acting a complete moron. i couldn't do anything right.
i read my pattern wrong....
11 1/2 inches and then start the shaping!
sounds good to me.
i'm almost there.
1/4 inch left.

but this morning, i pulled out my pattern.
and i read it. smart move # 1.
with my glasses on. smart move #2.

and there, before my eyes not an 11, but a 14.
14 1/2 inches!
oh no, not 1/2 inch to go. 3 1/2 inches.
uuuug.
i was so ready to start shaping.
i'm tired of these HUGE circles with no progress!

but now, today, there was progress.
i had 2 classes cancel on me and i finished all my typing. and then i knit for almost my entire lunch hour.
that makes 3 inches today, so far. I intend to finish the last 1/2 inch tonight while watching Gilmore Girls.

and then i'll work on my socks tomorrow. i miss them.


oooooooooooooooh. i almost forgot.

YARN PORN!
This is Angelica. She arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

Isn't she pretty!!!!
I have vowed not to start anything new until i finish either my jaywalkers or my sweater. so for now Angelica shall sit with my sheep (still without names!) and be my little pet.

happy knitting!

YAY for Weekends

I love Thursday.
It is by far the best day of the week. And the start of my weekend.
I work until noon, grab a bite of lunch, run a few errands, take a nap, and by 6, I'm ready for a social life.

Thursday is knit night. A great group of women gather at our local yarn shop. It always seems to start off rather mild. Alot of knitting. Someone will inevitibly need help with a project, or technique, or picking out new yarn or a new pattern, or finding some else's pattern. And usually there are several gals ready to help out. We'll all do a progress check on whatever project has grabbed our attention the previous week. There is plenty of time for show and tell. And of course a basic catch-up on what happened in everyone's lives since the last time we got together. A typical knit night, I suppose.

And then, as time goes on, it all changes. A core group stays entirely too late talking and such. Last night we went on our first field trip. A naughty one. A lot of fun. A lot of giggling. Attempts to set one of the girls up with a rather hansom young security guard. She didn't go for it so we shall be slightly more devious next time, especially with plans for future fieldtrips.

Ah well, I should be going. It is Friday.
And we made plans last night for dinner and a drag queen show. it's been a while. should be fun.

LA

Rambling history of a sweater

I tried one sweater previously. But i was my usual moronic self. i tried a pattern that had extrememly complicated cables on front and back. and all pieces were made seperately. well, sure it wasn't all that, but with having not done cables before, the complexity of what i was doing was a bit overwhelming, especially when i realized my guage was off. i was 15 inches into the back and i was on my 9th repeat of the cabling pattern out of what seemed like 100 .... and then i was going to have to do the finishing too! it was endless and had lost all its appeal. i liked how it looked, but it wasn't quite what i wanted.
i finally said forget it. and i frogged the whole bloody thing. i liked the yarn alright, but it wasn't quite what i wanted in a sweater. it wasn't as soft as i hoped for. very very pretty though. a blue-grey. i still haven't decided what i'm going to do with it.... something lovely.


right, so on to the next sweater. but first some important information
I love my mom. She drives me up the wall, but still, she is the greatest.
I must say she is the best gift buyer in the history of this world! and even though i haven't tempted her to knit, yet, she understands the addiction.
for Christmas:
a gift certificate to my LYS.
2 skeins orange Alpaca Chunky.
knit picks options needle set
Knitting Nature
and these cute figuring because she though they would be cute next to my computer with some of my favorite yarn pets. i know this is about sweaters, but LOOK!

aren't they cute!!!!
unfortunately, the sheep still don't have names, but isn't Hilda (the cherished teddy) adorable.
(do you see the pygmy puff? he's the result of my post a few days ago! he doesn't have a name yet either. I'm open to suggestions!)

i am rambling again!

so anyways.
i stopped in my LYS for a chat the first week of January, and i realized that with the gift cert and the 2 skeins, it was almost the exact price of the yarn for the sweater that i'd been dying to do.
I bought all the Cascade Yarns Bollicine Dolly color 902 that she had. (and she is ordering a bit more for me)

this sweater is going to actually get finished.
it is the Phyllo Pullover from Knitting Nature.

I love the beautiful buttercup yellow merino. i'm so excited. it is so pretty! i'm doing it in the round so there will be no seeming. YAY! i'm horrible when it comes to seeming. grafting i can do no problem, but seeming. YIKES!

right now, i'm in the middle of that dead space where you knit and knit and knit and then you measure. and nothing. you've only gone a quarter of an inch since you last measured. and then you pull out a couple of hairs and keep going.
i am starting the 4th ball of yarn now. i have somewhere around 9 inches. i'm extremely excited that i get to do some shaping soon. i'm determined to finish this...and soon!

i'm going to stop my rambling now so that i can go and do a quarter of an inch of that sweater.
its growing! or atleast that's what i'm going to tell myself.

ta for now!

good intensions

i intended to spend this day recovering from my 3 day headache (it turnedout to be sinus).
well, that doesn't seem like its going to be happening. My mind is in overdrive.
i wanted to post here about my sweater, which is coming along slowly but surely.
now i'm not in the mood.

so i jump over to the YarnHarlot for my daily laugh fix (Steph is amazing if you haven't been over there!). and someone has asked her about a summer version of the Knitting Olympics.

my brain started spinning (not my hands, that is on Saturdays! well, atleast it will be soon.)

why not hold the Knitting Olympics as a forum. there has got to be a good place that can host it for free. sure, my previous forum experience was very small. and this would be HUGE.
and could a free server hold it all?

and do i really want to get myself into this???

i am realizing i really don't know nearly enough about it all.

BUT being a Friday

and me not having anything to do

i start looking up free hosting sites.

i fear this is getting dangerious.
our dearest YH, it seems, gets herself into trouble by coming up with great ideas and putting them straight into motion. a lack of planning if i recall properly. do i really want to do that?
or should i just keep my trap shut until i've really looked into it all????

i think i'll turn off my computer so as to not tempt myself.

but i'm sure i'll be back later to put up something about my sweater. as soon as i touch it i feel the need to talk about it. addiction.
that's what this is
pure addiction
atleast this one is productive!!

Current Sock Project

I thought that it is about time i start sharing what i'm working on now

it seems that i am always knitting stuff for other people. i decided to make a new years resolution to put myself first with my knitting. just for this year. and no large or tedious projects unless it is something that i will be wearing twice a week.
so far so good.

here are what will very soon be finished (i hope) my new favorite socks
(did i mention earlier that i have a great love...bordering on fetish... of socks?)

it is a pattern i have fallen in love with
JayWalker
it is fun and interesting
and with this yarn, i am never fully sure what is going ot come out next!

i'm using Trekking XXL. i think it is Ombre 101, but i can't seem to find the label.
i was stupid and started it on size 1 needles. i really should have done size 2s.
and instead of starting the heel flap for the first sock, i decided to start the leg of the second sock. even though this pattern is addictive, i do tend to get very serious cases of second sock syndrome and i'm attempting to prevent it. we shall see how that goes.


did i mention that i LOVE it?

really, i do. it makes me smile every time i think about knitting it.

i think i am going to start toe up socks with whatever is left over. i love this and want to squeeze every millimeter i can out of it.



next up?
my first sweater.
YAY!

Weekend Thoughts

Well, it has been a pretty good weekend as weekends go.
some of our neighbors came over for a game night. they are signing up for knitting classes this month. we shall see how that goes. they are making an attempt to talk my mother into going too. she really could use it, but i doubt that i'll ever be able to actually get her to start.

my grandmother, too, is contemplating taking knitting up again. i think it would be perfect for her. she really needs something to fill her time with. my grandfather died 2 1/2 months ago, and after 60 years of marriage and spontaneous travelling and constant intellectual conversation, grandma doesn't really know what to do with herself. i think knitting would keep her busy and make her feel productive.

i'm having my usual problem, as far as knitting problems go. i'm feeling the ADD.
any ideas on how to overcome this??
the projects on my needles are all going swimmingly.
the projects are all addictive.
they are extremely beautiful.
i can not wait to finish them.
i can not wait to wear them.
yet, for some reason, i feel the need to start something else.

and it didn't help that i went to a new yarn store today.
why
why on earth would i do that to myself?
sure, i didn't make any purchases.
i showed self restraint (all i have left until pay day is gas money, that helped)
but i saw 4 or 5 patters that i am absolutely DYING to try.
and i saw roving that is begging me to start spinning.

why
why do i do these things
i should know better

well, have a great week. i'm going to raid my stash and find something to start. . . . i'm really in a manos mood . . . . . . . maybe the purple and yellow . . . . . . somthing warm and pretty . . . . but what?
or some lovely colorwork
or another bag
or that stupid golf club cover i promised uglyMike.

somethign that i can finish today

aaaaaaaaah
PYGMY PUFFS!!!!!

i'm making myself a pygmypuff!!!

oh lord
what have i started this time?????

Layout Changes

I have spent today not knitting, but attempting to get this blog looking the way i want it.

i love sleep deprived ideas, they just come so fluidly.
at around 3am i had a bit of an epiphany. i remembered where i had put the html tags for linked buttons. yay! and then i figured out how to add them to this blog.

on the right there are lovely links to some of my favorite knitting websites, communities and such.

and i finally got my hands on some of the pictures of a few of my finished projects. they are now (after hours of trying to get them onto and off of my mini drive) up on flickr for your viewing pleasure. i intend to add more of my recent projects to the list, but it may take a while until i fix our digital camera.
and p00t sends me a picture of her in her scarf (hint hint hint hint)

i think that's it for now.
i'm going to put on a strange movie and enjoy my knitting
and the beauty of the ice covered trees

Saturday Morning Reflection

Well, it is Saturday.
the end of yet another week.
work is crazy.
the people in this house are crazy.
my friends are crazy.
nothing out of the ordinary.
which is why i've been knitting up a storm.

it is the only constant in my life right now.
that is, other than the insanity.
it is often the only thing i can make absolute esnes out of.

i put the needle through a loop.
i wrap the yarn around the needle.
i pull the yarn through the loop.
i make a stitch.
then i do it again.
and again.
and again.
until i have finished a row.
then i do it again.
until i can see an inch of work.

it grows.
it changes.
in ways that i can actually see.

if i don't like it.
i change it.
or i pick up a different project.
and do the same thing.
until my eyes hurt.
and i put on my glasses.
and do it again.
and again.
and again.

nothing else gives me the pleasure.
or the solitude.
even in a room full of people.
knitting grounds me.

it keeps me from pulling my hair out.
or strangling someone.
or screaming at the top of my lungs.

i think that i must leave you now.
there is a temper tantrum crashing up the stairs.
i think i need to knit.

Let me Introduce myself

I'm Megan, or Megs, or Daisee, or n00t (according to my darling friend Chris). yes, i said n00t.

you know, the first post always seems the hardest to write. there is always so much to say ... and i never know how to go about saying it.

now that i said that, here is an entire dissertation because i am horrible at editing my thoughts!

i think i'll start with the fact that i am a horrible typist. i can not spell. i hate capitalization. yes, as a teacher this is a horrible tragedy, but when it comes to my computer i don't care about these things. that is why i love grammar auto-correct on MSWord. i don't have to worry about those little things! now, when i write with a pencil and paper, everything is exactly perfect or the paper gets crumbles up and thrown in the recycle bin.
this leads me to another problem.... i am a perfectionist when it comes to some things (mainly things that are going to be seen by other people and therefore, in my head, automatically judged).

what else is important for you to know????
i am a geek to the core. i don't ever just do something. it always seems to either be thrown away after 5 minutes or becomes necessary to the process of breathing.
a few examples.

i knit.
obviously since this is a knitting blog.
i started about 18 months ago. i picked it up quickly. if i love something. i dive in head first. and hope i don't hit my head on a rock.
no rock here. my first scarf was just plain scary, but i learned how to avoid my mistakes. hats were easier. but i don't wear hats very much, and at the time, i didn't have any babies around to knit for (boy did that change!!!!!!). so i took a mitten class. i was fascinated watching other people knit! i hadn't taken classes or anything, just read a book, so it was a new thing. no two people knitted the same way! and nothing remotely close to all my horrible habits i had gotten from never seeing anyone else knit! and i found the wonders of patterns! following patterns is delightful if i can actually get through them. i'm not so good at following through. (i tend to make things up as i go along ... or when i get tired of something.)
well, that was it for me. i started going to knit night at my LYS. and met some wonderful people.
now i have commitment to thursday nights. friends, family, co-workers, all know not to bother me on thursdays or you are likely to get your head bitten of. every week it seems, the girls inspire me to try something new. a new pattern, some new yarn ... they are very expensive friends! but i wouldn't trade them, or my knitting, for anything in the world.

lets see, anything else you need to know??
ah, yes.
warning. i am in fact a true science geek. my BA is in natural science. i prefer biology, environmental science and zoology. which leads me to my most favorite thing of all. i volunteer as an educator at the local zoo! it is great fun! i walk around the grounds and talk to people about our animals or conservation work. sometimes i work in the children's zoo where i get to do a lot of animal contact. mainly goats, chickens, bearded dragons, snakes. it is lots of fun! and it even inspires my knitting. i made myself a beautiful bag to match my uniform. and i'm working on a couple of knitted items to use during my interpretations! i love the zoo!

i think that's about it for now.
my knitting stuff will hopefully follow soon. pictures and all. hopefully!

ta for now!

Welcome!

Wow, another year, another blog.
this time, a KNITTING blog! yay!

I suppose I should put something witty here to grab attention
or maybe explain myself?
but no
that would take time and thought, neither of which i have much of right now.
maybe tomorrow.

right now i just want to say hiyas to my silent fan club, p00t.
i dedicate this post to you, my non-knitting buddy (damn the muggles, we shall covert them all yet!) for helping me to select a witty title. and not one that had to do with balls or ribs (after that conversation, this is a miracle)