Random Things

It is a simple exercise. List 25 random facts about yourself and send it to 25 friends. Have them to do the same. You can be as revealing or as superficial as you want. I don't really want to give too much away to all of the people on my list, but those who know me well already know the in-depth tidbits about my life.
I thought that the responses would give fun information. They did, but I was happy to see responses that gave me a chance to talk about the past.
I learned so much. I was able to know new friends better and to know old friends again. I found that the old friends were still as loved as they were in the past. The new friends are worth hanging on to.
I was happy to put water under a with a friend. There was no anger between us, but we finally had the opportunity to say things that have never been said. We said, "I'm sorry," "I love you," and "I'm glad to have you in my life." Things that have been said before, but not they mean so much more.
I have new friends. Friends that I have recently met, but have quickly learned to like. I will enjoy their company more now. I have learned things that will allow me to keep my foot OUT of my mouth.
I should like to require this exercise at the beginning of each new friendship. Sure, the best part about a new relationship is learning about the person, but how much more conversation starters will we have if we expound more on someone's #13 or #21.

Here are mine:

1. I was raised without cartoons and video games. I was not allowed to watch movies or TV shows that had to do with a lot of fantasy, magic, etc. Yet I have always been fascinated with magical things.

2. I have broken my little toe on my right foot twice, my little toe on my left foot once, and the outside of my right foot once (had to wear a cast for that one). All incidents happened when I was barefooted on a carpeted floor because that is how much skill I have.

3. I used to sing a lot in choirs and in for church. I really miss doing that, but not enough to join a church.

4. I never went out on a single date with a member of the opposite sex until I was 20 years old. He turned out to be a jerk.

5. I am really a huge grammar Nazi. Sorry.

6. Contrary to popular belief, my undergraduate degree was not in English, it was in Public Relations. But it should have been in English.

7. I hate being overheated, but it is hard for me to stay warm. Summer in Texas is a little miserable for me.

8. I have never, ever seen the movie Titanic, nor do I ever intend to. There is no need for it.

9. I do not like the actor Robert Duvall. I think that he is a good actor, and possibly even a good person, but there is something about him that just rubs me the wrong way.

10. I do not generally like chick flicks, but I will stand in line with you at midnight for a superhero, comic book, sci fi, or fantasy movie.

11. I believe that Star Wars is part of our modern mythology.

12. I hate the poetry of Emily Dickinson. One cannot be an expert on life by staying cloistered in her house and running from visitors. The fact that we regard her as much as we do is insane. If you want to revere someone for writing about American life, try Walt Whitman. He was a Civil War nurse for pete's sake.

13. I have never read a textbook all the way through, and I rarely fully read articles that I use for research.

14. I have worn glasses since I was 10 years old. Though I may complain about them, I feel that they are part of my identity, so I am hesitant to wear contacts or get lasik.

15. I do not, under any circumstances, like raisins. Especially in my cookies. There is no reason to spoil a perfectly good oatmeal cookie with gross little grape turds.

16. I do not trust most organized religions. Some people find peace and comfort there, but not I. I have a fear that organized religion will be our downfall.

17. I am a fiercely devoted friend. This has been the cause of much pain in my life.

18. I have dis-proportionally long arms. This make finding a comfortable jacket or coat difficult.

19. It took me almost 25 years to come to terms with the fact that I am a great big geek. I had no base of comparison when I was younger: my parents were the same way, and everyone else was not. But I am a bigger geek than both of my parents.

20. Being an Army brat was the greatest experience of my life, and it prepared me for more challenges in my life than I would have realized.

21. I do not recognize the Army we have now. A lot of times, it shames me to see it so touchy-feely. You joined the Army, there might be a war, people get killed. It's not fun or pretty, but it happens.

22. However, I am glad that the military is recognizing that PTSD is a real problem and they are taking efforts to help those who have it.

23. It is hard for me to talk about myself. This is becoming more evident the further I get into this list.

24. I am one of the most patient, forgiving, and accepting people I know. This is a hard thing to come to terms with when people hurt me.

25. I am not a morning person, but I love the time of day when I get up, the house is quiet, and you can feel the earth getting ready for a new day. It is beautiful, peaceful, and perfect.

Summer Heat

Those horrible socks for mom's associate are done. I hated making them. Here's a pic of them when they were halfway done. I didn't care enough to take a FO pic. I'm bad I know, but they caused me so much trouble.







On a good note, here are some socks for DS.




And some gloves for her BF.




Finally, a pic of my new baby:




Another term has started, and I should be writing for my class, but I had to get in some blogging. Mom and BF have convinced me to start a LYS. It will be a while still, but I'll soon start some research on overhead, rent, business plans, etc, etc, etc.

I'm already exhausted, and I haven't started anything yet!
We'll see how it goes.

Rain and Errands

There is nothing like a good morning rain to clear the senses. It rained this morning, just after the full moon. I always have the best of intentions to lie awake and listen, but I always fall asleep. It is so calming and peaceful, and I awake feeling refreshed.

My new love is Ravelry. I have joined so many groups I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep up with them all. There is a group or ten for everyone.

Today though, I'll be sitting trying to finish a pair of socks for an associate of my mom's. After a trip to the grocery store to get some items I can't get in my new town, it will be a lazy Friday compared to last Friday. I was trying to write eight pages of a twelve page paper. Whew!
I still don't know what I got on that paper.

Scarborough Faire

I love the smell of a ren fest: all dirt and air and sweat and smoke and wood. I went aone this year, but I still had a good time doing so. I made a pair of socks for Trese McKay of rhagdolls (see June 2007). I think that she liked the socks; they were soft and cozy in a lovely green-Huron colorway by Lorna's Laces. I still have some left over: I'm making an mp3 player holder for myself.

Here is a pic of Trese with her new socks and my new doll. She makes these wonderful dolls by hand and gives them such charming names and personalities.

I'm in the process of knitting my first big lace project: swallowtail shawl from a booklet from Knitting Daily. I already about halfway done with it. I'm using Be Sweet yarn-it has just a slight boucle, and the color is a lovely denim.

I finished some lacey gloves for me; a copy of those I made for my sister. Made with Louet sock yarn.

Lynn

new things

Many new things:

I'm on ravelry: stitchtwister

I'm moving in with my boyfriend

I won the Adjunct Faculty member of the year award at my school

I'm three classes closer to my master's degree, and I hope to graduate in June of next year.

Here are some new completed projects:

Lacy fingerless gloves for my sister made with Trekking wool/bamboo blend. My own variation on a feather and fan pattern:

Baby blanket for my bf's sister's baby: started from the center with Cotton Tots yarn. Pattern from Vogue baby blankets:

More things too, but nothing spectacular. I'm making a commitment to write more frequently.

Bootie-wootie-cuties

My year has been incredibly busy: a wedding, more classes, and now a baby shower. I made these booties and this hat for a preemie. He's not even home yet, but he should be soon. I just cast on some yarn and out these came. No pattern, no swatch, and all love. I love the outcome. Here they are in my mom's hands. They're soooo tiny!

Perfect socks

This is pair nine for the 52PP, and they are beautiful. They are EXACTLY the same size and my first pair knit with more than 48 sts (64 actually) and knit on five needles. I used 2.25 mm bamboo needles from Clover and Regia Crazy colors yarn. I love the colorway and can't wait for winter so I can wear them more often.




This is Sylvanus from anticraft.com. Sylvanus was the Roman god of the forest, and from where we get the word 'sylvan' meaning 'woods' or 'forest.' I started to make this bag, but I stopped because it was creeping me out. The eyes were so piercing. It was to be felted, but instead I knit a triangular felted bag from the yarn.


And here's the bag with some lovely fresh herbs in it.


I had to include the picture of Sylvanus though because I did such a great job on it even though I ripped it out. I like my triangular herb-gathering bag better.

After a posting hiatus...lots of photos

Here are some of the things I've been working on:

A make your own rhagdoll named Anwyn (gift maiden in Tolkien languages). The shop owner at the ren fest gave me some benadryl and saved my day. She's sitting on a baby blanket I made, and I knitted her shawl.

Socks, socks, and more socks.

Baby socks:

Monkey socks of different sizes. The short ones have a spare yarn toe because I ran out. The long ones are knit on 48 stitches instead of the required 64; I call them "Neanderthal" because they are 'evolved.' Get it.

Some feather and fan on 64 sts on the left (one of my favorite patterns); and a gansey sock (on 52 sts) pattern that I'm trying out with the blue yarn on the right. I took it from a student's knitting pattern a day calendar. She said, "I guarantee that I'll never make it. You can make it, show us, and tell us how easy it was, and we won't believe you." Thanks, Beth.

And check out these really cute finger puppets I found in a shop in Fredericksburg. They were so cute, but I wasn't going to pay 12 bucks a piece for them. I thought I'd take a pic and steal the idea for myself and any little ones I know.

Uh-Oh

I forgot to add a pic of this lovely scarf (same as Jan 13 post, but without the fringe). Enjoy it, Brit!





And a pic of pair #2. (heeheehee, I'm on track...for now.)

Knitting along

Whenever I hit a lull in knitting, I'm always afraid that I'll give it up completely and never come back. Then, in 30 years I'll find UFOs from now, mothy yarn, and things that will make me scratch my head and ponder, "why did I do this?" But this KAL has fixed me up once again. I'm back to my knitting self, finishing wonderful items left and right. I stayed up late last night watching Stargate season 2 and finishing Mom's lovely lace scarf. Pics will be added after blocking has taken place. But, I must sleep at some point; I'm ahead of the 52 PP knitting curve now with pair three on the needles, planning a trip to LYS, but who knows when life will throw me a curve ball.
Lynn

My first KAL

Hooray! I've wanted to join a knit along for a while and I found one that happened to be opened when I was ready to join: the 52 Pair Plunge. I was having a hard time finishing a pair for me (why is it that I can make something really well for others, but anything for myself is crap?) so I made a small pair for a bookmark called Opal mini-socks. I'm excited, yet filled with dread over the fact that I have agree to this but have no idea if I can actually accomplish it. Here goes nothing....

It's...Surreal

IT SNOWED ON EASTER SATURDAY!!!!

Here's a snow bunny for Easter.

I love knitting lace! Here's a pic of "Print of the Wave" table runners that I'm doing for my set of antique bedside tables. It's not done yet, but I love the result so far.

Here are some socks from Christmas 2005. I just found the pics this week.

I have been inspired to make some more lace. I inherited some bedside tables from my great-grandmother's house and they are just SCREAMING for some custom lace runners. I'm going to modify a lovely pattern called Print o' the Wave. I found a great link to a lovely lace knitter here.
In the meantime, here are some photos of some work I did over the fall. I used Berroco for the sweater and the leftovers for the scarf.
I just threw in some yarn overs to make a kind of ladder and the threaded ribbon yarn through it. I love this sweater.

When it's warm, I wear it alone. When it gets cold I throw is on top of a long sleeved button up shirt. My boyfriend brags that it only took me 20 minutes to make. I actually had to start this about five times before I could decide on the size and pattern I wanted to use.

Here is some detail of the shoulder back. (My model is so easy to work with.)

Here are a few things I made around Christmas time. The blanket was made as a commission. Although the color isn't traditional, it's for a girl, and the cotton is so nice a cozy. I love the way the pattern came out.



The scarf and hat were made for the daughter of the same person who ordered the baby blanket. The girl likes red but her coat is pink, so it had to be just right.

The blue scarf was made from Lion Brand's Lion Wool. I got the pattern from Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge. The fringe was knit at the same time as the main cable pattern and unraveled at the end. I have to make another one without the fringe for a friend in Maryland. Hopefully it comes out as well.

Not knitting related but important:
A prayer of peace and understanding for my father and the frustration he's facing at work today...

Oh God,You are peace.
From you comes peace,
To you returns peace.
Revive us with a salutation of peace,
And lead us to your abode of peace.

Yea!
Kinky's on the ballot with more legitimate signatures than 'Grandma' Strayhorn!

Let's take him all the way to the mansion!

Well, it's been some time now since I've written. I created a class at my local community college to teach knitting: "Not your Grandma's knitting." NO ONE signed up. Since I also created an essay writing class at the same time and I have nine people enrolled in that class, I took it as a sign that I should teach to support my yarn habit.
I went to my sister's graduation from culinary school last week and I got to go to The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop in Ellicott City, Maryland. They told me of a yarn shop in Austin that's supposed to be great. Imagine that! I had no idea. I'm planning a trip soon. But in Maryland I got my first set of Addi Turbos. I was hesitant at first when I found that size 10, 24" circulars were $16!!!! but that was my reason for coming so I got them anyway...and now I'm in trouble. I LOVE THEM!! I don't want anything but them. They have re-inspired me to pick up the needles and be patient with the yarn.
(Finished blog 14 July 2006)
I also got some great yarn and have knit a lacy-esque sweater with it. Beautiful shades of blues. I'll enclose a picture later. For my birthday, my sister gave me a BEAUTIFUL skein of a dusty blue bulky alpaca yarn that I made a Tam and wrist warmers with. Can't wait for fall! The blue matches the Bluebonnet Tartan so I need a Tartan scarf to match it. The gathering is in November and I always get inspiration there. Here's the site: http://www.ctam-salado.org/Gathering/Gathering.htm And here's the tartan: http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_info.cfm?tartan_id=2303

Bears for Catie (on left-its name is Hannahlynn) and Sarah (on right-named Sam)

These two teddy bears were made from special requests from Catie and Sarah. They were so specific in what they wanted. Sarah told me she wanted a brown bear with a white circle on his belly. Like the colors I used in a ski cap for her brother. Just recently Catie asked me for a teddy with lots of colors. I found some of her favorites in a boucle yarn that I found at Target for a dollar a skein; I got the pattern from a book called Knitted Toys by Fiona McTague. I used about half of each color (yellow, pink, multi). With Sarah's, I used Lion Brand WoolEase that was leftover and I got the pattern from a link on About.com in the knitted toys section.