So, perhaps not the most productive of weeks. I was supposed to get a large amount of coding done this week for three ongoing research projects, but it has only been superficially started. As well, the article that was due August 15, (then September 15, then October 15, then November 15) is still only 1/4 written, blah. I seem to need at least 3 days of downtime after finishing a large amount of anything - early this week it was grading. I can only hope that next week will be a better one, but the month so far hasn't been a promising trend. I absolutely cannot get enough sleep right now and I have had a continuous sinus headache going on 6 days. I really miss Daylight Savings Time.
I did finish putting together and distributing a much-needed survey (addressing computer use by the grad students in our department), and that has taken up a lot of time this past week. Remind me never to volunteer to do something like that again. Next week I have the happy task of backing up, reformatting and installing all software from scratch on 4 old IMacs. I am reminded that I volunteered for that, too. Really, hold me back, wheee.
But I do have one sleeve done for Shimmer! I'll bind it off tonight and maybe start the second one while I watch the CSI episode on the tape. Or not. *yawn* I haven't heard from the LYS about the yarn for the Dr. Who scarf yet, but I guess it can take a little while for special orders from Brown Sheep Co. to come in. For some really sick reason, I'm rather looking forward to making that obnoxiously huge garter stitch scarf. There's just such a geek aspect to it. And it is, unsurprisingly, the only KO (knitted object) that DH (dear husband, for the uninitiated) has requested. So, you know. Geek factor + DH factor = 14 ft., 60 stitch wide garter stitch Tom Baker scarf.
I must be insane.
Tomorrow - er, today, actually - is our 10th anniversary. Huh. How 'bout that? Dinner reservations are made, and all that. I'm tepted to crack open the cedar chest for nostalgia (it contains all our wedding memorabilia, only been opened once since). Hey, wait, does this mean I can officially break out some more of the towels I got as shower gifts and packed away unused? (I got a LOT of towels, folks. Really, we'll have fresh, new towels for the 25th anniversary. And some sheets.)
I would love to have a nice, quiet weekend that doesn't involve interaction with the outside world, but that is probably unlikely. I suspect the best we can hope for are a few uninterrupted games of Memoir 44 or Carcassonne on Saturday or Sunday. We also dug out his copy of the old board game "Survive", which is a hoot, so maybe we'll give that a go, too.
Wow, the geek alert is on full blast this week. And I used to think that my parents playing CrapPile (2-player card game taught to every member of our family at birth, probably goes by a different name According to Hoyle) or Backgammon in the evening was lame. Who am I kidding? Frankly, their backgammon board is nice, wish we had one like that...
OK, must have drugs before I go sit on the couch for a bit with Shimmer. Sinutab, yes. And Robaxacet. Two. Yes. Extra-strength, even.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Sunday, November 07, 2004
More Yarn: The Justification
The introduction of knitting to my list of fibre-hobbies has certainly been hard on the pocketbook and storage space. I haven't worked on the cross stitching since early September, even though I was nearly done with a Michael Powell piece (Mini Cottages IV) and making good progress on PT. Instead, I've been knitting with a vengence. Well, OK, I've been buying stash and starting things with a vengence.
Right now, I have on the go:
2 scarves: 1 Rowan biggy print (colour: Joker, garter stitch in 25mm needles), 1 in a grey kid mohair/pink rayon ("Faggot Lace scarf" from Knitting for Dummies)
1 bag: Tasha, from Knitty Magazine. It has cables. :) I'm using the recommended Rowan denim.
1 crochet sweater: The pattern is "Casual Chic", from Today's Crochet. I'm doing this one in Naturally Woodland mohair - the colour (08) is a very neat black with bright multicoloured flecks. The fringe edging on the neck, bottom & sleeves will be done in a bright rainbow-coloured mohair (Furrari M4405) that matches the colour flecks in the black yarn. Should be lovely (though perhaps a little itchy), if I ever get around to making the front. The back and both sleeves are done. Actually, they were done a year ago.
1 knit shawl: On Size 13 needles using some dark blue fuzzy eyelash stuff (it sheds! it sheds!) mixed with a dark blue/purple boucle. I seem to have thrown away the labels from the yarn, bad me. I think the boucle was Katia Nube(?). The eyelash stuff came in balls with a black label and sheds like a beast. Anyhow, the shawl is done, and the fringe is on - but I'm adding beads to it. I have these *perfect* teardrop crystal beads, and it's taking forever. Doesn't help that the hole in the beads is too small. I hate bruised fingers. But I hope to finally have it done for Mom for Christmas. I'm sure I have those labels around here somewhere, now it's going to drive me crazy.
Other yarn in the stash:
- 1 skein Fleece Artist kid mohair in a yellow/pink colourway. Goes with...
- 5 skeins Briggs & Little Regal "Yellow WO" for a lovely cowl-neck sweater pattern by my LYS owner.
- 9 balls of Paton's Divine "deep earth" and 1 ball "soft earth" for a big cable sweater, Paton's Canadian Living Collection, vol 100.
- 3 skeins Manos del Urugual in lilac, 1 skein of brown/gold multicolour. For ???
- 2 balls of Lion's Brand Homespun, colour Sierra for ??? - maybe a big shawl?
- Numerous skeins, many colours, of Paton's Classic Wool Merino. For gloves and hats.
On order:
- 20 balls of Brown Sheep Nature spun in various colours to make a Tom Baker Dr. Who Scarf
I have recently finished:
4 hats: 1 Coronet in Paton's Classic Wool Merino "rich red", with "old gold" for the cable band); 1 knit-from-the-top-down hat with I-cord, from Knitting for Dummies, in Paton's Decor "rich aubergine", with lace band near the bottom "pale sage green"; 1 Sparkle Hat from Stich 'N Bitch, minus the sparkles and far too small for an adult, in Paton's UpCountry "charcoal"; and one hat of my own design, borrowing liberally from the previous three, in Paton's UpCountry "silver mist", with a band of "charcoal" for contrast containing a single row of cob nut stitch from Knitting on the Edge.
1 felted bag: Meema's marsupial tote, minus the keyholder, from Stitch 'N Bitch, using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Aubergine and Sunburst Gold.
--------------------------------------------------
Why the summary, we ask? Because just when I said I would buy no more yarn (see above list), I realized I needed to make Shimmer, so that I would have something dark to wear over my sleeveless black concert dress, which is a great dress, except for the sleeveless thing. I originally bought a tan/black crochet shell to wear with it, but once I got on stage today I realized it was far too light in colour. So, off to the LYS, and I now have 6 balls of Patons Brilliant (black) with some Patons Kroy (black). I'd like to have this done before the next band concert in February.
Further rationalization: I've been too intimidated to start the sweaters, and this will give me a stepping-up project. It's more than a bag, scarf or hat, and less than a full sweater. Right? RIGHT?
So now I will really not be buying any more yarn, not even the Briggs & Little for Rogue, until I've finished at least the two scarves and the bag. And begun working on the crochet sweater again. And gotten somewhere on Shimmer.
Really.
Right now, I have on the go:
2 scarves: 1 Rowan biggy print (colour: Joker, garter stitch in 25mm needles), 1 in a grey kid mohair/pink rayon ("Faggot Lace scarf" from Knitting for Dummies)
1 bag: Tasha, from Knitty Magazine. It has cables. :) I'm using the recommended Rowan denim.
1 crochet sweater: The pattern is "Casual Chic", from Today's Crochet. I'm doing this one in Naturally Woodland mohair - the colour (08) is a very neat black with bright multicoloured flecks. The fringe edging on the neck, bottom & sleeves will be done in a bright rainbow-coloured mohair (Furrari M4405) that matches the colour flecks in the black yarn. Should be lovely (though perhaps a little itchy), if I ever get around to making the front. The back and both sleeves are done. Actually, they were done a year ago.
1 knit shawl: On Size 13 needles using some dark blue fuzzy eyelash stuff (it sheds! it sheds!) mixed with a dark blue/purple boucle. I seem to have thrown away the labels from the yarn, bad me. I think the boucle was Katia Nube(?). The eyelash stuff came in balls with a black label and sheds like a beast. Anyhow, the shawl is done, and the fringe is on - but I'm adding beads to it. I have these *perfect* teardrop crystal beads, and it's taking forever. Doesn't help that the hole in the beads is too small. I hate bruised fingers. But I hope to finally have it done for Mom for Christmas. I'm sure I have those labels around here somewhere, now it's going to drive me crazy.
Other yarn in the stash:
- 1 skein Fleece Artist kid mohair in a yellow/pink colourway. Goes with...
- 5 skeins Briggs & Little Regal "Yellow WO" for a lovely cowl-neck sweater pattern by my LYS owner.
- 9 balls of Paton's Divine "deep earth" and 1 ball "soft earth" for a big cable sweater, Paton's Canadian Living Collection, vol 100.
- 3 skeins Manos del Urugual in lilac, 1 skein of brown/gold multicolour. For ???
- 2 balls of Lion's Brand Homespun, colour Sierra for ??? - maybe a big shawl?
- Numerous skeins, many colours, of Paton's Classic Wool Merino. For gloves and hats.
On order:
- 20 balls of Brown Sheep Nature spun in various colours to make a Tom Baker Dr. Who Scarf
I have recently finished:
4 hats: 1 Coronet in Paton's Classic Wool Merino "rich red", with "old gold" for the cable band); 1 knit-from-the-top-down hat with I-cord, from Knitting for Dummies, in Paton's Decor "rich aubergine", with lace band near the bottom "pale sage green"; 1 Sparkle Hat from Stich 'N Bitch, minus the sparkles and far too small for an adult, in Paton's UpCountry "charcoal"; and one hat of my own design, borrowing liberally from the previous three, in Paton's UpCountry "silver mist", with a band of "charcoal" for contrast containing a single row of cob nut stitch from Knitting on the Edge.
1 felted bag: Meema's marsupial tote, minus the keyholder, from Stitch 'N Bitch, using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Aubergine and Sunburst Gold.
--------------------------------------------------
Why the summary, we ask? Because just when I said I would buy no more yarn (see above list), I realized I needed to make Shimmer, so that I would have something dark to wear over my sleeveless black concert dress, which is a great dress, except for the sleeveless thing. I originally bought a tan/black crochet shell to wear with it, but once I got on stage today I realized it was far too light in colour. So, off to the LYS, and I now have 6 balls of Patons Brilliant (black) with some Patons Kroy (black). I'd like to have this done before the next band concert in February.
Further rationalization: I've been too intimidated to start the sweaters, and this will give me a stepping-up project. It's more than a bag, scarf or hat, and less than a full sweater. Right? RIGHT?
So now I will really not be buying any more yarn, not even the Briggs & Little for Rogue, until I've finished at least the two scarves and the bag. And begun working on the crochet sweater again. And gotten somewhere on Shimmer.
Really.
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