A Rogue and a scoundrel

So, here's my progress.

Day 1: unphotographed, but all you missed was the tedious k1p1. Oh, prior to that was rolling some skeins into 'balls'. One on my hand, one on a toilet paper roll (after I was struck by a stray bit of intelligence...geez, the hand-ball looks like a tumor gone terribly...terribly wrong). Not so interesting, but I was sick, so it was a miracle that I got off my deathbed to do that. Knitting can create miracles, folks.

Day 2: I finally brave the chart. You can see the little bit of progress in here...and the skeins. The toiletpaper roll skein is sitting neatly on a CD spindle which has been most useful from keeping it rolling madly everywhere.

You can also see the tumoresque hand-ball. Scary, no?

Day 3: I get a bit more progress, and look, we can see some of the Aran popping out already!

I'm very proud of my aran. It is a most lovely aran and I think I want to do more. Much, much more. Aran socks, aran hats, aran scarves...yes, this is a mighty healthy addiction.

I also got some novelty brown yarn from Michaels and learned the secret technique of getting through tedious movies...by knitting scarves in the dark with yarn that feels like well-conditioned hair (like mine!). Very silken polyester/nylon mix from Paton's. It's very eyelash-ish and is called chocolate.

Want to know what I call it?

The Wookie Scarf.

I'll take pictures soon, but I forgot to take them when taking pictures of Rogue and I'm too lazy weak with illness to do all that again.

squee! pt. deux

My Cascade 220 came in for Rogue! I am now ready to start the process of swatching and blocking (I have never blocked before and I'm not exactly sure how to do so...do I need a special blocking table or something?). It's so pretty, have a look!

Here's the first skein sitting in the sun looking absolutely gorgeous.


And here are its brothers and sisters (so 8 skeins in total).


And this picture is much closer to the true color, this is a rather dark purple:


It'll be just awesome, I can't wait!

And I also have obligatory cat picture. Please enjoy the obligatory picture of Pikachu on her very favorite-ist perch (she's not my cat, she's my uncle and aunt's cat, but she loves me best):

*squee!*

I got my SP5 assignment! Hurrah! And I have a new gmail address for incognito-ness so I'm ready to go. Now, what to start off with, hm? I wonder. This is like Visiting Teaching only...

Oh crap! I need to call my Companion so we can let our Visit Taught know that we do care and love them and are sick or busy or off in Australia. Bother bother fuss and more bother.

But right now my throat is sore, my uvula is still swollen and threatening to cause asphyxiating doom. I think I'll watch me some Good Eats (Alton Brown Is Love) and knit this sock and wish I had more yarn and another set of DPNs so I could start new socks already!

dilemmas

1. I have lots of yarn to swap out, but I can't find mr. camera!!!

2. I am worried that I may not have enough Moda Dea.

3. Never mind, I found the camera.

4. I want to attend a Stitch & Bitch!!! But if there are any in Utah, they're far far away from Mapleton and gas is expensive.

5. I want chocolate so bad, why am I doing this to myself by banning any sweets to pass my lips (unless it's chai, life is easier with the decaf chai)? I WILL make it to Saturday. Saturday Splurge Day and Real Belgian Waffles. And Belgian chocolate. Oh man, that sounds so good.

6. I want to start whining less. *coff* However, I must still complain about the hazards of not sweeping.

Those are a row of staples I found embedded this morning in my plastic-soled slippers that I Never Leave My Room Without. Now you know why.

On a happy note...my feet feel festive and naked!

I'm a lousy toenail painter, but wow, it's weird to feel so barefoot, I *had* to celebrate.

madness

I'm hating the camisole now. No, the cotton does not disappoint (except I'm not done with the bottom and I'm already almost out!) but...it's those demmed repeats! And I'm not sure what is making me have total brain seizures and causing me to lose my beginning and middle stitch markers which are the most IMPORTANT part of the repeats (because they orient you to where you're at, either row 2 or row 4), but it's not nice and it's screwing me up and making me very frustrated because I find my stitches off. Very off. I may just toss this thing to the wind and make my own, dangit! I have a neat dragon-scale pattern to put all the way up and there are plenty of edgings on the bottom that won't make me want to eat my size 5 circulars. So, sorry Cotton Camisole I v.3. You will be taken off my needles and wound for Cotton Camisole II.

The Bride of Pinkie is coming along nicely except...except...I fear I may run out of the Moda Dea Sassy Stripes in pink. Drat! Must things not go my way? I will have to cry and plead with the people of the knitting community at livejournal to see if any of them may be able to help the Bride of Pinkie. Otherwise...I don't know. I'll have to use the other colorway of Moda Dea that is so NOT anywhere close to pink. My mother may either laugh or cry, but she may not want to wear the Pinkies if The Bride has a heel/cuff of . Botheration.

And my Cascade 220 is STILL not in for Rogue. My fingers are getting itchy and I'm sure futile, my Rogue Cardi buddy, is getting very impatient (I told her to wait till I got my wool or I would cry).

I did get sock yarn at Heindselmann's and for the first time, I was actually quite cheerfully greeted! And the nice brunette lady talked to me about sock yarn and I almost lost my soul to some handpainted stuff for $27. So pretty...wow. I think I want more Mountain Color Bearfoot yarn. I bought some for muy cheap and...I love the colors so much. No socks for mum from THAT! Mine mine mine! However, I do only have yarn for, uh, another pair of socks for my mom because I can't think of good colors. But I'm thinking lace with these, they're very pretty, a nice dark red. Mom's favorite color be red, y'know.

Maybe I should get a sock book. Naw, I prefer being more original.

This is for my Secret Pal 5 Pal!

First off, I love you. Anyone who gifts me with things that are yarn-related have earned my undying love.
Secondly, feel free to be creative and give what you want to give and not what I may wish to receive.
Thirdly...uh...I forget. Here's the 'meme' instead.

Kit's Happy Yarn-ho Survey

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

It's amazing what they can do with acrylic. But right now, I love this cotton Shine yarn from Knitpicks and when I'm done with this camisole, I think I'm going to have to find another project or suffer separation anxiety. So, um, yes? Yes, I think I am a "yarn snob" because acrylic just doesn't make me go to sleep and wake up a mere six hours later, eager to work with it again.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I want to learn spinning, but I'm not doing that yet. And though I crochet, I just really like knitting more.


3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

Smoke is nasty stuff, but I'm not allergic to it. Heh. Cats are not so nice, I'm allergic to them (though I tend to get acclimated after a while). And no perfume please, I think that's a bit of a personal thing, like underwear. Besides, I'm so terribly picky...let's stay away from that unless you know me really well. ;)

4. How long have you been knitting?

I've been knitting hardcore since I finished nursing school (that's been 2 years now? Something like that). It kept me out of the mental institutions (well, at least as a patient. I'm working as a nurse at one right now).

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
This one's for Amazon.com. If it don't work, let me know. And I have another on Half.com, search for kitan_dragoness at yahoo dot com (see if this works).


6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Something that isn't food-based. I'm trying to watch what I eat, why do I want to be tormented by such smells as Warm Vanilla Sugar and Gingersnap Cookies? It's cruel. I am fond of water-based scents. For instance, anything to do with Rain, Ocean, Mist. Nice smells.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

It's not just a sweet tooth, it's an alternate personality that I'm trying very hard to suppress. Consider this when you get me something (alt personality: SEND CHOCOLATE!).

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I love to draw. ^^ I'm just not really as passionate about it as I am about knitting (and I get worse reactions when I draw than when I knit. Odd, huh?).

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I love Celtic music, classical, and rock. What a mix, eh? I tend towards female singers more than male (like Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, etc.) And yes, my computer is my music machine.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love peacock colors...blue, green, and purple. I love wine, too...the color, not the drink. I'm not fond of the colors they have that are "popular" like the dark pinks, sky blues and lime greens. Also not too fond of orange or rust colors.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I currently live with my uncle, aunt, and their children. I don't have any pets of my own, but there is the resident cat and yellow lab.

12. What are your life dreams?

I'm working on becoming a nurse and if I fail to ever attract anyone of the masculine persuasion, I am happy enough to become an eccentric old woman who lives in a big house, like Aunt Mae from Twister. *grin* Except, instead of cows in the front yard that get blown away by storms, I'll have alpacas and I'll bring them indoors if it ever storms.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I have no real bias. I love just about anything, really. Though now that things are getting cooler, I'm more into making Aran-knit things.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I'm falling away from acrylics. They're ick. Itchy wools too.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Just knitting in general. I'm currently all about Arans, but that's because it's getting cooler out.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I'm an innovative knitter. So if I see something I like that I want to knit, I'll give it a shot. I don't exactly have a "favorite" because anything repetitive tends to become highly and maddeningly dull. So things like lace and Arans. I haven't tried Intarsia or Fair Isle yet, but I'm sure I will soon now that I have a copy of The Tap Dancing Lizard.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Oh, you can pick that up from the right hand sidebar there. ;) I love those Flash! progress bars.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

"Why?" I'm in the poncho-hater group, sorry. I find it to hide too much without flattering at all.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I luuuv circulars. And DPNs. I have most sizes, too.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Anything that gets the job done without driving me batty (I've yet to be exposed to anything other than aluminum to really be a fan of anythiing else). I have noticed that those Addis (not Turbos) on eBay are inexpensive and possibly just like the Turbos.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Indeedly!

22. How did you learn to knit?

I learned a few basics in sixth grade, but after nursing school, I re-taught myself. I'm pretty good at learning things if there are clear instructions, and I'm not afraid of math or anything.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I have a few things that I started in May and are waiting for some free time.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I'm mad about dragons. I love dragons and collect them. I even bought a dragon pattern online for $1. I'll make it one day and alter it so it's not so, uh, goofy looking. Shh.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

My cousin was right about Thanksgiving. It's one of those that you celebrate for an extended amount of time, isn't overly commercialized (for once I'm glad for football to distract from obnoxious Hallmark crap for Thanksgiving) and it focuses on one of the best aspects of human nature, the ability to be thankful.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Dust. Heh, kidding...other than yarn, I can't really collect too much since most of my worldly possessions are sitting in the basement in boxes. :( But I love to collect manga, though I'm kind of picky about that.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I actually don't have any *subscriptions*, I just head to the bookstore and if I like what I see, I grab it.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
You can look at Amazon.com for that. ;) Enchanted Knitting sounds really fun, though.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Oh yes, good question! Only because I can't find them locally (I may not have been looking hard enough).
HeartString's Hanging Vines
HeartString's Lead Or Follow Lace Scarf

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
Heh, I'm a size 7 (wee feet!) and gosh, I don't really have a preference! I like all sorts of socks, particularly the kind that wick away moisture.

Blog #something where Kit forgets count and is lazy.

The sock, oh the sock. It is now called Pinkie the Mateless Sock and I am still wondering if I ought to just let it REMAIN mateless. I can't be cajoled into working on it for much longer, especially when my camisole is calling to me.

All hail the camisole and not enough stitch-markers, thus making do with office supplies!


And I could make stitch-markers, but...see second half of the subject. It has a little to do with not counting and more to do with laziness.

However, the camisole and I have a love affair that makes Pinkie burn with jealousy. Look at these stitches!

And the stuff is so...so soft. Knitpicks has spoiled me dreadfully, where would I be without a low-price source of yarn one can only dream of, only it's NOT dream and I have a hard time sleeping because I want to work on it so bad.

Let's take a look at projects Kit has abandoned for this thing:
Mum's socks.
A potential wrap with the Alpaca Cloud
Things for Vermillion Skies (well, actually, I just changed my mind on what I'll make...I think a drop stitch waist tie would be more along the lines of easy to make than anything else:
)

But once the yarn comes in for Rogue, I'm afraid CC will have to also languish by the wayside. Though, I still have to ponder what project I will take with me to Kansas. I have an 18 hour ride and though I'll have Mom's laptop (who needs a name, Anasthesia refuses to have it called MiniAna and since Anasthesia is a good computer, I should let her have her way), I can only be entertained by scanlations and anime for so long. I may just pop Rogue on there and work on that...hmm. Oh what the heck, I'll bring them both since working on one thing can drive a person justifiably batty.

I am afraid I am turning out to be a bit like the Yarn Harlot. Only, my yarn stash consists of a drawer of Nice Yarn and a plastic bin of acrylics. No, the bag by the television is to be swapped out! I wonder if anyone would consider taking the full thing. Hmm. I'm quite pleased with what I've gotten from swaps...like the Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005 (ooh, I want to make quite a bit of stuff in there!). I love the concept.

Anyways, I'm waiting with baited breath for Secret Pal 5 not because of what I might potentially get, but what I plan on giving, hoohoo! I love giving stuff. It makes Christmas fun. Getting stuff is awesome, but I love the reaction of people who get stuff from me. Makes me all warm and squishy inside! ^^

Well, time to get ready for church. Heh, still gotta sew up that thing along the side of my dress because I hate crossing my legs and suddenly feeling a draft. And then I'm sooo embarrassed and yeah, it's not a good thing, especially with my glow-in-the-dark legs. ;)

another update from yours truly.

And truly, I should have done this a while ago. But right now I am incapacitated by some sort of strange plague. This exchange illustrates how my day has gone so far:

Jesse (mr. cousin guy): "Hey, I didn't know you were here!" (this said as I stumble into the kitchen, fully clothed and looking like Dawn of the Living Dead.)
Me: "I didn't know I'd be here either..."
Jesse: "I thought you were at work."
Me: "I thought I would be at work too."

Nnng. Sometimes illness strikes at the most inconvenient times. But when I'm feeling so weak I can barely do my hair and have stomach cramps fit to bend me over double and feeling like I'm about to do a technicolor yawn all over potential meds, I decided to stay home.

This is good for you because I have updates!

The Study Sock
Once upon a time, my mother sent me 7 pairs of socks. They were a range of colors and styles and it was right in time for summer.

I decided that there is a need for retaliation. I may just make my mother 7 pairs of socks as well. Acrylic socks (oh, must I punish myself for this too? Maybe I'll switch to merino eventually) of all colors and maybe styles. They will be good practice for me and good for studying since they tend to be knitknitknit.

So with this one, I did the short-row toe (note: use a *different* color waste yarn for the crochet part or end up losing lots and lots of stitches out of sheer confusion) and have been going for 8 inches. Why 8 inches? Because mum's got size 9 feet. You stop 2 inches short for the heel, hence the 8 inches rather than 10 full inches.

Anyways, I cast on Monday, been studying full Tuesday and Wednesday and turned the heel before dinner at C's.

See? Look how nice it looks...tight stitches because I didn't realize that size 2 dpns were too small. This is why we check gauge, yes. Let's just say that Kit likes very stiff socks to give to her mum for a present. They can be slippers or something! Doggy-kiss protectors for after she puts on lotion! Oh the variety of ideas that come forth from pink socks.


And here's a picture of it lazing in the sun with its half-finished skein.


And then, since Necessity is the mother of Invention, I made some Stitch Markers. Unfortunately, my camera is a poo, so you can't see them all that great. But they're quite fun and I even bought jewelry tools so I could make more! And once I get good, I may skip over to making earrings and such, too. I'd wear some of these as earrings!


And finally, since it's summer, I have to indulge in my favorite pasttime:

The gorey devouring of small red fruits.

Okay, Christina, you can look now.

Okay, Christina's birthday was yesterday and so I have a few pictures.

Here's Christina and her little Jordyn. C's wearing the shrug, J's wearing purple Top Model plastic shoes.


Trying those shoes on...the shrug fit and looked awesome and C love love loved it! *feels all warm and fuzzy*


No, unfortunately, I didn't take more pictures, though I wish I did. I'm a bad, bad photographer. u_u

Toe Up Socks
I was faced with leftover yarn from my cuff-down sock (see earlier post) and thought "Oh well, I might as well practice the toe-up and see how far I get".
So, here we see some progress:

Note: learn how to knit the wrap along with the stitch together...that was not so easy.

I love the magic of short-row heels...so nice and tidy lookin'!


And here's a better look at that heel...my leg is so nice and glow-in-the-darkish! The yarn didn't last far past this point...short short ankle socks!


Anyways, that's the end of my knitting excursion. I'm going to end up making Rogue for the fall and I've already ordered the yarn (phew, 8 skeins of Cascade 220 in a lovely purple for $4.70 a skein...a good deal, but that's still money!) and the pattern, I'm just waiting for it all to come in. Maybe I should get some needles too.

CHRISTINA, YOU BEST NOT SCROLL DOWN!

Okay, I'll be nice and just show off the highlights. If you want to see more, take a gander over yonder. ;)

We start off with, yes, the finished shrug.


I fully intend on losing some weight, but hey, nothing wrong with being full-figured. Anyways, yeah, that's the whole thing and the white spots are not from the yarn, they're from the dirty mirror (my bad!)

And now for some Yarn Porn(TM):

I'm a bit dismayed at how little of the Shine you get in a skein, but hey, it isn't terribly expensive, I don't mind buying more. I have also considered NOT using the Alpaca Cloud (the moth-colored reallyitsnotgrey! triplet of skeins) for a lacy shrug. This stuff would be much happier as a wrap or a beautiful shawl. So I think I'll make the shrug out of some of the leftover acrylic I've got in the big bins. Though, y'know, I find that shrugs are not for those with the big boobies. Maybe I'll just go ahead, make the silly wrap and Krista can opt yes or no on making one with me.

*Shrug made with Bernat Boucle and I have an extra skein if anyone wants to swap! :D

Kit and the LJ knitting community share their wisdom.

I had asked the LiveJournal Knitting community if they had any sage words of advice to share with other knitters.

This is what they came up with. Oh yes, do read the comments, that's where the tried and true gems are.

There are a few things in there that were new to me and other things that I whole-heartedly agree with (the whole disregard difficulty levels and just try it is so true. Nothing is difficult if you don't think it will be).

In other news, the shrug is so close to almost done that I think I'll just make a massive pic post of it in progress and then it finished. :) Sorry to disappoint, but my cousin's harddrive is hogging the last ISP port and I'm too lazy to switch it back and forth between that and my camera. Heehee.

Avast

Because I have a sore throat and this is psychologically affecting the rest of me, I will not post pictures of that shrug (not that it's sooo impressive, it's garter stitch...like making a big fat scarf and then stitching the ends together). However, please note the very large list of blogs I have set up. I guess I won't be bored during downtime at work, yarrharr.

Sometimes I wish this were LiveJournal, because Blogger does not have a very nice and handy To Do List. Bummer. But then again, it's not terribly necessary, right?

I'm so tired, I think I shall go now.