I'm a Copycat, It's a Birthday Present

When I saw this, I knew I had to make one. This happened to coincide nicely with the nearing of my dad's birthday. Now, wool scarves may not be the best things in May, but it will be a nice piece of hanging art until October rolls around.

My photos are nowhere near the quality of Jared's, ever, and these are no exception - I shot them in a rush to get out the door to go to my dad's party. They pictures are not very representative of the actual colors, but they should give you an idea.

Please ignore the random stuff on the floor. I've been sick, I need to clean.

Pattern: brooklyntweed's Noro Scarf

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, 2 x #047, 2 x #211? (I'll check the band when I get a chance)

Needles: Size 7 Inox Circulars

Comments: This pattern is great. It's simple, elegant and interesting. I am, however, conflicted about the yarn. While the colors can be amazing, the yarn has a ton of non-fiber stuff in it (twigs, threads, etc.). This seems to be a relatively common problem, and makes the yarn less fun to work with and kind of itchy. Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out. It took about two weeks of evening knitting, is a little over 7 feet long, and 5-6 inches wide. The ribbing looks like stockinette, and makes the scarf thicker and reversible. Slipping the first and last stitches of the second row of each stripe hides the non-working yarn on the side, and makes a nice edge. The changing colors are fun - I found myself getting all excited for the next big change, and it helped to get through the more boring spots. I may eventually make another for a gift - next time I may choose a second yarn with more of the bright colors, without the darker intervals.

Yards of Stripey Fun

I sometimes get overwhelmed with things to post, and wind up posting nothing at all. That pretty much sums up most of my absence. I'm trying, once again, to catch my blog up with my life.

So here I present you with everything I have pictures of online. Other things have been finished, but I haven't gone so far as to actually take pictures AND upload them. I will do my best to add those, and the finished versions of some of these, eventually.

"My So-Called Scarf"

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Manos Del Uruguay in "Mulled Wine", 2 skeins
Needles: Size 11 bamboo circulars
Comments: I love this stitch pattern! It's relatively simple to learn and looks more woven than knit. I'm thinking of trying to make a pillow cover out of it at some point. I didn't change the pattern at all, and I'm completly happy with how it turned out.


Fiber!

I finally ordered fiber to use with my new(ish) spindle. They're both from Chameleon Colorworks. There was a problem with the initial shipping, but it was all sorted out, and they were kind enough to give me a gift certificate for my trouble.

The first is a 50/50 Merino Tencel Roving in "Indian Wedding":

The second is 100% Bombyx silk. I'm not sure what colorway at the moment, I found it through some sort of "secret" link - I don't think I was suposed to be able to order it, but she shipped it anyway:

The actual color is a little more red than it looks in the picture. It's gorgeous.

I've already spun and knit the Merino/Tencel, it will be a present for my friend in June, so the finished object won't be revealed until then (not that she reads this, more that it's not so much finished as of now...)

Spinning reject

One of my earliest attempts at spinning, this was actually me pretending to "ply" the yarn. I didn't know what I was doing, still don't really, and it shows. It was a big fibery mess, and not even very soft. Berkley didn't even want to play with it. It's in the trash now.

Previews

Here are a couple of projects I've actually finished, though I only have in-progress pictures.

"Simply Marilyn"

"Print O'the Wave Stole"

Detail:

One is the Loneliest Number

I may have said it before, but I have a little crush on Eunny Jang (who is about to become the newest editor of IK, congrats!). Before her, I had never felt the need to try colorwork. I also never thought about making mittens, let alone fingerless ones.

But then along comes Eunny with her Endpaper Mitts and suddenly I NEEDED fingerless mittens, fingerless mittens knit in Fair Isle.

And hence my Endpaper Mitt was born. It was so fun to knit - even given my dislike of dpns - and went quickly. It was extremely gratifying with relatively little effort. A perfect project.

There's just one problem - the pattern is for Endpaper Mitts - plural, as in you need to make more than one in order to not unintentionelly mimic Michael Jackson. Usually, knitting another wouldn't have been a problem, as the first was so satisfying. Berkley, however, had other plans.

Before I could even finish the thumb on Mitt 1, he stole both balls of yarn, and proceded to wind them around the condo. I eventually retreived the yarn and re-wound the balls, which should have been enough. Unfortuantely, Berkley REALLY liked the yarn. No matter where I hid it, he found it, and I returned home each day to a freshly decorated condo.

In the end, out of busyness and laziness, I gave up. The mangled pile went into the trash upon the arrival of the new roommate (who aparently didn't find the yarn maze terribly decorative), and the last little bit of purple was locked away.

So the mitt is all alone, but will remain for now if only for bragging rights.

What If?

What if I didn't finish my program?

Would life fall apart? Would I ever get a good job? Could I still accomplish what I want to? Do I really need the extra initials after my name?

I'm tired. I've stopped going to all but the most necessary classes. I do not want to finish this paper, and it's for the only course I even like.

I'm burning out and I'm not even half way done.


Pictures coming, promise.

Bizarre

Yet oddly mesmerizing.
At least Pathophysiology was useful for something...