Soctoberfest, part 1

From Lolly, the Socktoberfest questionnaire:

• When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I started making socks a couple of years ago, and made pairs for two friends of mine from college. I taught myself, using the pattern in Weekend Knitting, and just sort of winged it (this is my approach to all knitting really).
• What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? I'm not sure if they've held up.
• What would you have done differently? I would have learned more about making heels and fitting to feet. I have vague recollections of them not fitting one of the intended recipients.
• What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I have to say I love Koigu, though I haven't made any socks from it yet. I've only actually made one pair of socks from sock yarn (and those have already been gifted by my ex - apparently there's a sock curse as well as a sweater curse!). I really like the chunky socks I made from some multicolored yarn I got on sale.
• Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I prefer DPNs, but I've been trying to get back into using 2 circulars. I made one pair that way and was really pleased with the results. I haven't tried the Magic Loop method yet, though I bought an extra long circular needle with my last KnitPicks order to try it out.
• Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I like the look of a flap heel, but I prefer to knit toe-up (as I have a problem sometimes with running out of yarn). The last 2 socks I've started are destined for experiments in toe-up flaps.
• How many pairs have you made? 6 - and I have 3 more on the needles! Pictures to follow soon.

I really have been knitting...

I promise I have been knitting. But with the new computer and the exploded social life, I haven't sat down to take pictures yet. More to come with pictures of FOs, WIPs, and SE. Oh, and that Socktoberfest questionnaire too!

Knitting Obsession

A video, found via the Yarn Harlot's blog.

I finished Claptois! I'm really pleased with it, and glad I finally finished it. It's been over a year since I dyed the yarn and started knitting it (it has oddly lasted as long my relationship that just ended.) (Yes, I do have too much time to think! It's only been a week.)

Yarn: Hmmm, merino? I can't find the tag. Hand-dyed in a dyeing class last spring.
Changes: I followed the pattern for the most part, except for cutting out a straight repeat. So it's 12 rows shorter than it would be otherwise. Still long enough
For the future: I don't know if I'd make this again. I love how it looks, but it felt like it took forever. Patience is not one of my virtues!

And just for my amusement:

My 10 Names Meme
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: ( pet and current street name) Marie Magnolia

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side, your favorite candy) Helga Rolo (that's my favorite candy today - had it been yesterday it might have been SourPatch Kid, KinderEi, who knows)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of last name, first three letters of your middle name) L. Joa

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dolphin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Joanna Bartlesville

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
Lewkascbar

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The”, your favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue Saketini

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of both your grandfathers) Robert Gerhard

9. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite shoes) Annie Oakely Sanku (I don't really have a favorite shoe...)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother/father’s middle name ) Johanna Edward

Stash enhancement and a few changes

Regia Canadian Fashion colors, from Petra. Thank goodness all forms look alike, the owner speaks English, and they accept Paypal. Such beautiful colors!

Stash enhancement from the Bay Area (see Teresa's blog for more details about the stores we visited) I loved Commuknitty (source of some of the Rowan tweed above) and Stash (source of much temptation).

The small bit of angora I got from Skein Lane's closing sale. I hadn't been there in years - Skein Lane was the first 'real' yarn store I visited, where I stood shaking as I handed over my credit card for my first yarn purchase :)

Sock yarn from sweetgeorgia yarns. I'm in love with their colorways - I can't wait to start working with these yarns!


Finally, more sale yarn from A Mano. After this, I'm going on a yarn diet. My personal yarn store is overflowing!

I finally did some reorganization of my blog - taking down all the other blog links and replacing them with patterns, tips, techniques, and stores. I may replace them, but I find there are so many on my NewsGator page, it would be almost unmangageable!

Finally finished

These socks were supposed to be done months ago. MONTHS ago. Just another ad for Knitter's ADD folks!


Yarn: Um, some navy blue sock yarn? The label is in the middle of the last ball....

Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks


Modifications: Oh, thousands. Modifications to make them the right size were countless. I didn't like the full length of the leg, so I cut out 30 rounds. The length was going to be for a foot size smaller than that of the intended recipient, so I added 10 rounds. However, the toe was the major problem. I didn't like the length of it - if I have something patterned I want to continue the pattern more than I want a plain toe. So I did decreases every round instead of every other - a look I generally prefer. I had to rip out the toes twice in order to get the length right (don't try picking up navy stitches in poor lighting. Unless you have a large glass of wine nearby).

Lessons learned: After completing the first heel, I learned what that little spool of yarn I'd thrown aside was for. Needless to say, only 1 heel is reinforced :) This was also my first heel flap cuff down that wasn't done in a bulky yarn (for a sock to later be felted).

Stash enhancement photos coming soon!

Why buy clothes....

When you can spend all your money on fabric to make clothes?

Or multiple orders of the same yarn because you forgot you'd already ordered it a month ago. Something to be said about slow shipping....I now have enough Regia Nations to make 3 pairs of socks. Or maybe a pair of knee highs.

Musing

Potential. I think women in general see potential (maybe men too. Not being one, I can't speak to that). For instance, my shelf of yarn. When I look at the collection of wool and cotton and mohair and nylon, I see more than just the colors and textures and fibers (though the colors are pretty distracting). I see more than the work that went into making each yarn. I see the work going into them to make something new - another step in the transition from wool on a sheep's back to a sweater on my back. I see socks, scarves, shawls, sweaters, and undefined finished objects. The more dangerous place to focus on potential is relationships. As I filled in a friend on what happened last year, I think about this. I think about it alot when I'm writing songs, as I'm stuck in a bitter relationship song rut. There are other references - skin and bones of love won't make a meal. You can never love enough for two people. You can never change people. You can stretch them like a rubber band to make them hold you, but as the years go by (and the rubber undergoes irreversible transitions to a more brittle state) the initial infatuation dies up and they snap. And you fall. Sometimes you fall hard. You learn not to fall in without looking, and that the only person you can change is yourself. And that sometimes it's not worth it to change yourself. It's better to spend time with those who accept who you are and make no complaints that you are too dramatic, too clingy, too demanding. It's better to stand up and say, "I deserve better. I'm not demanding, I'm saying I'm worth more than this." When you are endlessly impressed that you get a phone call every night, you realize you spent 5 years settling. You spent 5 years neglecting yourself and maybe that's why you haven't been happy. You've been going through the growing pains of re-learning to prioritize yourself before others. And it's a good thing. To look around a new place and see all the potential for what you could do for yourself. The things you want to create, the changes you want to bring, the lofty goals. It's a good realization. And about time.

Stash enhancement

There's been a mad rush of stash enhancement lately (and a rediscovered desire to take more pictures)

From Sundara Yarns:

Beautiful colorways - always sells out fast!

From La Petite Knitterie:

The green yarn is some of their hand-dyed yarn. They have a beautiful selection of colors - rekindled my interest in dyeing yarn. The black and grey is for a Debblie Bliss sweater - hugely on sale and in the right guage!

From Unraveled:

From their fishbowl sale. I finally broke down and bought some Koigu KPPM, probably for some socks. I still haven't decided what to do with the black and red - but I loved the colors.

From Carodan Farms:

I'm half German, so I've been thinking about making my mom some German socks :) Since everyone seems to be running out of the Nations yarns, I went ahead and got some. In theory, it's only August. December is a long ways off.

From Buy.com:

After seeing this posted by Grumperina, I went ahead and ordered it. I'm a big fan of Nancy Bush's books - having Vintage Socks and Folk Socks already. It just came today, and I'm looking forward to browsing through it over my morning (ok, afternoon now) cup of tea.

Sadly (sort of) - there's more to come. I broke down and ordered from sweetgeorgia yarns (though I'm wondering if my order fell through the cracks - I haven't received an invoice yet. Has anyone else ordered from them?) and some Regia Canadian Colors (my Kinderscheissdeutsch was good enough to figure out the order form, and they accept Paypal!). And then there's the trip to the Bay Area next weekend...

Path to Kniterations

Let's go over some of the more amusing ways people have found my blog:

Search for "knit doll clothes" leads to this post.

Search for "obscene knitting" leads to this post.

Search for "you've had a bad day song" leads to this post. (I'm guessing the user was somewhat disappointed)

Search for "generate a paystub" leads to this post.

Any my old favorite? Kate rubber T-shirt. I can't figure out where that led them :)

Help!

After years of everyone else doing it, I started working on Clapotis (which I have to look up every time and still haven't been able to say properly). It's been a love-hate project - love the yarn and stitching. Hate because, well, it's taking forever.

And now it has a problem. You can't really see it from here:

But it developed a hole. So, I cut some spare yarn, wove around the hole, and then tied knots:

The question is - was that the right thing to do? How do I secure the knots? The yarn itself is somewhat slippery, I'm not convinced the knots will hold. Any ideas?

Road trippin'

Teresa and I took a little road trip down to La Petite Knitterie in Ladera Ranch. I'd never been before, but they were having a sale and also have amazing hand-dyed yarn. As I'm planning another foray into yarn-dyeing, I couldn't resist. I've been buying alot of sock yarns lately, so it was no surprise that I bought another couple of skeins yesterday. At some point I'll actually finish some socks instead of buying more yarn :) I also managed to pick up some silky tweed to substitute for one of Debbie Bliss' patterns - Rio. In spite of the overwhelming amount of projects I have in mind (I started transferring them to a little notebook to take with me to yarn stores - I'm only through sweaters right now), I'm staying focused and trying to finish the WIPs I have.

We'll see how that goes.

Flashin' my stash

I know I'm ages behind, but I finally have all (well, most) of my yarn out on display. One of my favorite things about my new place!

And a bit of my sock stash:

Too hot

After 17 years in Oklahoma, I really can't say it's too hot here in LA. It's under 100. It isn't 80% humidity.

But the power's out and I have no fan, no breeze, and no desire to work on the wool socks. So I packed up my computer and headed over to the Talking Stick, the knitter's coffee shop. To kill time until my spinning class at 2 at my favorite LYS. It's been amusing telling people I'm taking a spinning class today and then explaining it doesn't involve a bike. I've done that kind of spinning before. Not for me - leads to heat rash. More than you wanted to know I'm sure :)

I like this coffee shop, but it seems to attract the strangest men. There's a guy who is here Tuesday nights, SnB nights, who can always be overheard to be hitting on women in the strangest ways. "I tell them the truth, because that's what they want to hear" "I'm sure it is"

The only woman he doesn't really hit on is the one who seems to keep throwing herself out there.

Knitting's been going well - I finally refinished the navy sock I've been making from Vintage Socks and started the second. I've been refraining from starting any new projects before the move. I should also have refrained from buying new yarn but I can't resist a sale :) My friends who are helping me move will finally see just how deep the stash is....

Laughing and knitting

Do you own Monsters, Inc.? If you do, go get it. It's ok, I'll wait. Put in the bonus/special features disc. Watch the short, Mike's New Car. Funny huh? Now go back and watch it again, with the commentary.

I hope you weren't trying to drink a juice box or anything. You may need to wipe off your moniter.

If you don't own Monsters, Inc. I recommend you make friends with someone who does. Funniest 7 minutes ever.

In knitting news, I've just been plugging away on my navy blue projects. Well, frogging and restarting more so than anything else. Very frustrating. I should just lower my standards :) I've also been cleaning out my stash in preparation for the move at the end of the month - I know, it's early July still. I like to plan ahead. I went to Target last weekend and bought some under-the-bed containers to store yarn in - I managed to fit most of my stash into 4. Not counting WIPs and some laceweight I've stuck in with the fabric. Not bad, considering....It'll be alot easier to move than those stupid drawers....

I haven't had a ton of time to knit lately, with the full time and part time jobs. Thankfully I haven't had to do any nannying this weekend - I'm feeling overwhelmed with work as it is. But in a good way - I like the new job (just not the commute). People are nice, I feel like I'm adding something of value. There's free coffee.

I'm so easy to please.

But it's late, and time for rest. Hope you all are having a happy weekend!

The continuing story

Of a quack who's gone to the dogs. Brownie points if you know where that's from.

(Lifted from my personal blog) (Knitting content to resume soonish)

Let's talk about housing and life changes shall we? The chaos that comes after deciding to drop out with a masters (sorry, leave early writing a long thesis to graduate with a masters). The rush to write a document summarizing a year and a half of work in words big enough to impress people who have the degree you were supposed to get. The hurry to finish experiments and analyze results and make charts that make sense. Finding the right grade of paper and quality of printer to avoid any confrontations at the research library. Edits. Revisions. The thesis that never ends.

Combine this with a job hunt. Research companies, rewriting your resume, coming up with a cover letter that balances selling yourself without sounding full of yourself (or other things). Signing up for job alerts, perusing the listings, applying like it's your job (don't let anyone tell you looking for a job isn't a job in itself). Waiting.

Add in nannying. Staying up late doing research and job hunting, getting up early to drive kids to school. Coming home from work early to a small room with no kitchen to switch bags to go pick up kids from school. Trying not to go crazy listening to teenagobabble on carpool days and listening to whatshisnames awful "So you've had a bad day" song or the new Green Day b/c they like it. Shudder.

Then the interviews and job offer. Accepting the offer. Looking for someone to replace me at the house. Looking for housing of my own.

I want to pause here and comment on the lack of intelligence of some of the replies I got to my ad on Craigslist for my place. If I say that you MUST be a UCLA grad student and that driving kids is NOT optional, do you think I'm going to reply to you when you tell me you're not in school and have a job that isn't flexible enough for you to be able to drive? Right. Probably not. So stop emailing me.

In short, it has been insane. And rather emotional. Graduation, whether I admit it or not, is a big deal. Even though I'm still working at UCLA (today's the last day), it's the end of an era (I think 8 years of education qualifies as an era). No more walking across campus to check out a book (or 40 in my case - I need to return those....). No more laughing at the undergrads walking by the window, having to turn off the 'A/C' so I can hear on the phone. No more late nights waiting for an NCA reaction to finish. No more working my own hours. Additionally, no more being poor. I won't be well off, but I'll be able to live on more substantial food and not feel like a charity case anymore.

It hasn't hit me really. I've been so busy worrying and stressing over finding a job and housing that I haven't realized in less than a week I'll be earning a paycheck. The housing hunt was awfully depressing. Not until you drive around to you learn what the different areas of the Valley are and which you should avoid. Then you realize why rent was so cheap when the interior looked so nice. Be prepared to slap down your life's savings and firstborn to get on a list of the desperate for housing. It's been such a struggle to find a place without a paystub. I know that there are some less than honest people out there who lie about their employment. But I'm not one of them. I have a job (actually 3 right now). I would put down an extra deposit just to get a place until I have a paystub. But no. The search went on.

Luckily, I had found someone to move into my place. The mom called her references to finalize things yesterday. The new nanny's apartment manager asked if she gave the new nanny a bad reference, would she get to keep her as a tenant. The mom told the manager she felt the same way about me. And, by the way, did they have any openings?

Turns out a studio had just come available that day. The mom called me, I called the manager, and I raced up to Sherman Oaks to get in an application before the girl the manager talked to could FedEx one in. What a nice surprise. Good area, gated building, gated parking. Within walking distance to Trader Joe's. Within 2 miles of Target, Costco, and BevMo (for the alcoholic in me). 500 square feet (4 times the space I have now), lots of cabinet space, built in shelves. Air conditioning. A bath tub. A FULL KITCHEN. Pool, sauna, gym, huge laundry room. And no problem about no paystub - she trusts me (as she should).

I was able to sleep.

In the last 10 days, I have interviewed, been offered a job, accepted a job, finished the final chapter of my thesis, made samples for our collaborators, found someone to take over my place, and found a place of my own (unless the credit check falls through).

Busy, no?

(From cleaning out my old class notes in my desk at work. Today's the last day)

Life in the city

I have seen some....how can I put this....TERRIBLE places to live. The apartment hunt continues. I know I'm staying close for some of the wrong reasons. But I'm not sold on living in Thousand Oaks just yet. I'm aiming for Sherman Oaks for now.

The thing that bothers me is the high percentage of concrete. I am going to miss grass. The place I saw yesterday in Sherman Oaks was probably the best (except for the parking - not gated). Unfortunately, someone put down a deposit on Sunday. Even though I had an appointment to see in Monday, no one told me (or showed up to the appointment for that matter). Sigh. I have to say I'm getting very discouraged with this housing search. I've seen neighborhoods with bars on the windows where I'm the only person who gets sunburned. I've seen a place where the previous tenant died in the room. I've seen hotels for WAY too much money. I've seen holes in the ceiling that are "being patched." I'm terrified I'm not going to find anything - leading to stress, problems sleeping, upset stomach, nonstop talking about apartment hunting. It's going to be much harder to look at apartments when I start my new job next Weds - I'll be working all day, when will I have time to view places?

Luckily, it looks like the family has found a replacement for me that they like. I think they're just waiting to call her references. Also luckily, her move in date is flexible, giving me more time to find a place of my own.

I am learning all the surface streets and 'bad' streets. I have mixed feelings about living in gated complexes. I've never done it before. But where I've lived safety was never a huge concern. I'm hoping that the place I saw yesterday pans out - there's a chance another unit will open up. Pretty good location (near Target, Costco, Bevmo, 99 Ranch, Ralphs...), upstairs, AC in both living room AND bedroom (at least in the unit I saw). And a middle unit will be cheaper than a corner unit. And I have excellent credit. And the guy likes me and said not having pay stubs yet isn't a problem.

I've talked myself into it.

So cross your fingers for me. I'm going to be working my butt off the rest of this week in lab, doing ad rating, and trying to find a roof. No knitting for awhile....

I haven't been knitting....

What an insane week.

Mon - cut hand. Get tetanus shot. Get phone call about interview on Tues with biotech company through contract agency. Make monomers. Go home.

Tues - wake up 3 am with chills and fever. Damn shot. Pile on blankets, take warm shower, fall back to sleep. Go to interview, find out they want someone more immediately available. Go back to LA, decide I'm too sick to work in the lab, go home and sleep.

Weds - talk to the mom (not my mom) about prospect of moving out early July. Worry about getting out of current housing and closer to biotech company. Go to interview in Pasadena. Like the company, not the job. Talk to contract agency, find out biotech company wants to hire me for 6 months. Think on it.

Thurs - frantic calls to parents and friends about whether or not to take job. Decide to go for it. Get a call 2 hours later from biotech company about my application for fulltime positions. Damn it. Post ad for current housing on Craigslist. Receive 20 emails before midnight. Many from people who didn't read the ad. Stay up late working on thesis.

Fri - Go into work early to set up more reactions. Reply to housing emails. Call housing ads. Go to minimeeting. Field calls from people to see my place - show it to a musician. More chemistry. Get a call from biotech company from an engineer in process development who's doing phone interviews. Asks questions about units and things I haven't worked with. Sigh. More chemistry. More apartment showing.

I'm still here in lab. Totally drained and thinking of putting my stuff in storage for awhile to ease the stress of finding a place to live before I generate a paystub. It's been a crazy week. But at least I'm employed :)

Taking the plunge

After years of knitting from patterns, I'm finally trying to design my own. I saw a girl wearing a cute cardigan/jacket the other day and decided to start on one. Because I don't have enough projects going as it is. Or another thesis section to write. Yes, the thesis was filed, but my committee wants me to add more about poly(amino acid) degradation to compare my material with other materials currently being used. And let's just leave it at that.

Continuing my blue funk, I'm back to working on the socks from Knitting Vintage Socks and the sweater in Vintage Knits (both navy) now that I've finished the Somewhat Cowl (also navy). That and another pair of socks, Claptois, a third pair of socks, some fingerless gloves, and a knit tee from the other Vintage Knits. No, not too many projects at all. I haven't been able to work on them because I'm having problems with my wrists again - when I massage my arms I can feel it shoot up into my hand and tense up. Not sure what to do besides take a break from knitting for awhile.

Maybe do some reading :) Happy Sunday all!

Well, sort of a cowl...

My attempt to be somewhat creative this morning as I image my version of the Somewhat Cowl from Knit and Tonic - the Not Really a Cowl at All.

When I read that the collar was 6 inches of ribbing, I stopped at 3 and tried it on. After deciding I was ok with the idea of not knitting on the collar anymore, I bound off (only to find I hadn't picked up stitches very evenly. Frog away).

This time it's truly done and drying as we speak. I love the shape of this sweater, though if I were to make it again I'd knit the raglan to the full 10.5 inches (I think I stopped early, so the sweater is a little tight across the bust. Which for me is quite a feat).

Alright, back to revisions. So far only my advisor has been working with me, I have no idea what the other two think. And only 6 days left....Inhale, exhale. It's going well, just making time management a little more spontaneous. And causing problems for the family, since I'm going to have to bail on driving duty in the afternoons until Monday. It's for a good cause :)