TAKING BACK [THE KNIT]

I'm listening to the new HorrorPops album right now. I wasn't a big fan of it at first, but it has really grown on me! I'm not sure if I like it even half as much as I like the first one, but still, it's pretty damned good. Just in case you were wondering my opinion on it, I thought I would tell you.

I'm knitting a scarf right now. Why? Because I get really good ideas for scarves and then forget how much I hate making them because they are so fucking boring. Unless they're totally mindless. But I'm doing one with a cable pattern (the " simple Celtic Cable" which is the same as the Saxon Braid from "Knitting on the Edge) that's just complicated enough that I have to pay attention but not hard enough to make things interesting. UGH. I do this every time I make a scarf! I get about 6 inches in, and I'm really bored with the whole damned thing. And the particular scarf I'm working on is beautiful, but I can basically only do one repeat of the cable at a sitting. I used to be bored with the afghan I'm working on, but now I keep going back to that instead of the scarf! And I'm pretty much doing the second most boring square, the Horseshoe cable. Speaking of that, I've got six squares done and I'm tearing through he one I'm working on now. Only ten left to go! Hopefully I'll be able to give this to my mom for Christmas ... At this rate it will be Christmas 2010!

I have several small quantities of yarn that I'm trying to find things to do with, and I'm starting to get frustrated. I was thinking about mittens, and I was going to use the design-your-own-mittens thing in the newest knitty, but I am just too lazy for that. I can't find a good mitten pattern! Plus, I do NOT want to do them flat and I only have DPNs in two sizes at this point. That's probably the biggest limitation. (They're 7 and 8, in case anyone has a pattern that would work, but I'm past the point of looking for one.)

I swear, one day I will take pictures of things like the Amerlia Erhart cap and the scarves I've finished recently and put them up. One day ...

Once again I'm in the library at school and once again people don't understand that it's supposed to be quiet in here so one can study and concentrate. I'm not quite sure why that's so hard to understand ...

Man, I had quite a weekend. Friday night 80s party was crazy and so fun I can't even begin to discribe it. So I'll include pictures!

 

Notice everyone has a cup but me, hahahah! I think I was one of like 4 people at the whole party that wasn't drinking. However, Saturday my friend took me to a party with a bunch of people she works with. And I ended up drinking. Yep. So much for straight edge. I didn't really take it seriously anyway, and it seemed like as good a time as any!

Gratuitous picture from that party. I don't really know that guy. I wasn't drinking yet, notice the coke can in front of me. And I love pictures where I look chubby. Seriously, I'm not fishing for compliments, I really like it. Also, the real reason I included this is you can see I'm wearing my halter top Lelah! I know only a couple of inches of lace are showing, but I was freezing my ass off!

 

Let's see ... as knitting goes, I finished the body of my Fiery Bolero yesterday. I don't have #3 circs so I'm going to have to wait to finish it until I can get over to the LYS to pick some up. But it looks great and it worked really well with the cotton ease. I can't wait to finish it because I really want to wear it! I'm a layer-er and it's perfect.

I've got 600 yards of blue cotton ease that I'm trying to figure out something to do with. Any ideas?

to blog mainly because I haven't been knitting that much. I've just been working on the same old stuff for a while and it's not really very interesting to read or even write about.

In other news, I'm seeing Journey tonight! The first "concert" I've been to in years. (I go to shows like twice a week but a concert is a whole other story!) And then I'm going to an 80s party tonight. I almost knit myself legwarmers for it but I didn't quite have the time. I've actually been kind of partying a lot lately, which is weird for me. I'm not usually a big partyer and I don't drink.

Minor rant: I'm  in the library at school and people are talkng on their cell phones hella loud, like we're in someplace that behavior like that would be appropirate. And people are also listening to music but not through headphones, through the speakers of the computers! I'm sorry but I do now want to listen to someone else's shitty music. I manage to keep mine to myself so everyone else should have the common decency to be able to do it, too!

Sometimes I really forget how much I hate other people. And then I go out in public. I'm at school right now and really, you'd think people trying to get a college education would be more ... intelligent? Well mannered? Less ape-like? They're all morons. I guess I should be optimisitic and think at least they're trying to better themselves.

Enough about that. I've been knitting like fucking crazy lately! (Although I still don't have any fucking pictures! Blame Toni who borrows things and never returns them!) I started the Fiery Bolero from Summer (?) '05 Interweave Knits. I like how it's going so far. It seems like one of those things that would be easily changeable and easy to add to, which means I may do it again differently, if I like it. I might use it as the basis for the best knitting idea I've ever had. (More on that idea should I ever actually get around to doing it.) I'm about 3" into the sleeve section, and all is going well. I'm also still slaving away at my mom's afghan, although I'm finally done with the goddamned honeycomb cable square. I'm onto Moss Stitch Diamonds, which I'm liking a little more. I'm thinking since that original pattern only has 7 squares and I want to make the afghan 16 squares, I might just design a couple of squares of my own. I have a couple of books with cable patterns that I like but have never gotten around to using so I've already got some ideas. Speaking of cable patterns I like, a while ago I was looking for someone with the Saxon Braid cable panel used on the scarf of the cover of Knitting on the Edge, which I didn't want to buy because it's $30 and HELLO! I babysit for a living! So I found a book that was $15 with it in there. And now I'm finally making a scarf with it. I think it's one of my over-all favorite cable patterns. It is so much fun to work. (Also, if I had really been cheap and not bought this book, the pattern's in the new knitty, on Samus. I could have had it for free!)

I'm sitting at school and I just got the worst wave of cramps. Oh shit. I think I'm going to skip ballet and just take the bus home now. FUCK. Being female = super lame. I'm thinking about getting put on The Pill so that I can just skip my period every month. That would be great. Anyway, yeah. I'm leaving.

Does anyone know of a site with knitter's graph paper that ISN'T in .pdf format? Or could someone with the know-how possibly convert a .pdf into .bmp or .jpeg for me? (If you can please do, and send it to me, my email is at the right.) I'm trying to help a couple of people out and make a chart of my TONI illusion scarf and a couple of other things but I've not been able to. I would love ya forever if anyone could aid me.

the SP questionnaire even though I'm not participating in SP6. I just don't have the time, money, and effort, to put forth at this point. But I really like reading everyone's answers, so here are mine:

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?

I'm not really a snob, but I realize that Red Heart isn't going to be good for something that you wear. I like cheaper yarn, because I'm way broke. It's a good thing I loooove cotton, hahah!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

Nope, neither.

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

Cats. I think I'm pretty much one of the only knitters who doesn't have a cat and talk about it/post pictures. Nothing personal, but it's rather taxing after a while to look at pictures of people's cats.

4. How long have you been knitting?

Three years, almost four.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope. I should, though.

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

Vanilla. I don't really wear perfume and smelly lotion, because I do tend to be allergic, and I don't like to smell.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Definitely!

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

Cross-stitch, collage, sewing, general crafty stuff.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?

I listen to mostly hardcore and punk (as I type this I'm listening to Dead Kennedys), but I like a lot of other stuff. I really cannot listen to anything mellow at all. If it's acoustic, I probably won't like it very much.  

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

Jewel tones, and rich colors. I'm not real big on pastels or stuff like that.

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

I live with my parents, sister, and two black Labradors.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

At this point, I don't really have any. Hopefully to find a job I can be happy with. I really just want to enjoy life.

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

Lion Brand cotton ease. I'm not sure why, but I love the feel of it.

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

Wool that makes my hands itch is the worst. But that doesn't happen too often.

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

CABLES! And textured knitting in general. I like lace a lot, too.

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

Not so much clothing as stuff. I'm working on an afghan for my mom right now and I love it. Purses are a lot of fun, too.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Just the afghan. I need to do a little stash-busting next.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I have never worn or knit one, but I don't hate them. They're really just not my style.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Circulars, most of the time.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Aluminum, although I do like bamboo too.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Not yet, although I'd really like to start. It's just one of those things I haven't gotten around to.

22. How did you learn to knit?

I taught myself. I took a "fashion" class and figured out I SUCK at sewing so I learned to knit. It clicked (no pun intended) immediately. (Funny related note: I taught myself to knit out of an issue of Marthe Stewart Living.)

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

Six months or so. I have a couple of scarves that I didn't have enough yarn for, and just never got around to getting more.

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

Bender on Futurama.
25. What is your favorite holiday?

St. Patrick's Day and HALLOWEEEEEEN!

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Dust, hahahah! Wizard of Oz stuff.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

None, but I love Interweave Knits and sometimes Vogue Knitting.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

I like books in general and don't have very many. I'm not really coveting anything specific, though.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??

Nothing I can think of at the moment.

I have a bunch of pictures that I need to put up, but I lent Toni my camera and it has yet to be returned. And I love how the whole time I was going on about WIP pictures, I meant FO pictures. Der. I rarely take WIP pictures anymore.

I went to church on Sunday, for the first time since April. I used to be really into it, but it's just not for me. I can't call myself a Christian and live the life I do. And I'm not changing, so church is pretty much out. But it was fun. The thing is, I am so sick of Christian folks who donate shitloads of money and go to Africa to become missionaries. When I went, they were having a children's art auction with proceeds going not to hurricane victims, but a boys' home in Africa. My aunt and uncle went from normal people to whacky religious nuts who lectured us all the fucking time sold their house, quit their jobs, and moved to Africa to build a boys' home and ranch blah blah. And they constantly hit everyone up for money. (On Christmas a year or two ago my sister got new cleats for soccer and my aunt said to her, "How would you like it if you had to play soccer in the streets with no shoes like the boys in Africa?" My first thought was maybe they should pick a different sport. Thank God they have never tried to lecture me.) My whole probably with people becoming foreign missionaries is this: by going off to other countries, one is basically saying screw the poor, destitute, homeless in America. I think that as long as there are people HERE who are bad off, we need to work on that before going off to civilize the heathens somewhere else (because even if that isn't what they say they're there to do, it carries that undertone). Especially after the hurricane and all the death and destruction in the Gulf, I think it is stupid to be sending money and goods off to other countries when our own need the help. I think the problem of homelessness and people who are living out of dumpsters here in this country is downplayed so much that people fail to realize that there are folks here who need our help. It's really not that people in other countries don't deserve it, or anything at all like that. I will not support a cause sending money, goods, whatever, other places when there are people within my own community who are starving. And that seems another characteristic of religious people that absolutely drives me crazy: they worry about everyone else and never themselves. My other cousins are churchy too, and my little cousin has made several comments to my sister about her getting a bible, reading the bible, blah blah blah. I just think, worry about you and reading the bible yourself. I'll do what I want. I know you're trying to help me, but if I need spiritual guidance, I'll ask. Enough about this. And on another note, if you're not too busy sending your money to poor African street boys, check out Christine's page (www.knittingforboozehags.com) for information on how you can donate money and materials to hurricane relief!

I had a crazy weekend! (Maybe I'll scrounge up some pictures). Friday I hung out, ended up peeing in not a bathroom for the first time in like 10 years (meaning on a tree, not on myself, hahahah!). I went stargazing and actually looked at the stars. I hung out with some cool kids that I hope I become better friends with. And Saturday night! Wow. It was my friend Chris's birthday, and thus lots of partying ensued. Lots of drunken piñata action, discussions about giving head, hot oi/skinhead dudes (my personal favorite!), girls passing out in the middle of the living room while dancing, my friends wanting to fight a girl who's boyfriend lives in the house we were at, and me drinking 3/4 of a jug of cranberry-grape juice. Originally it was meant to mix with cranberry vodka, but somehow I started carrying it for Lynsey, and then I ended up drinking it. I thought I was going to pee my pants on the way home, hahahah. It was awesome. I love my friends, and all my friends' friends. They are the most fun ever!

I finished the Amelia Earhart cap. It rules. Pictures, like I said, when I get my camera baaaaacccckkkk!

I am loving the fall knitty! As you might have picked up, I am a fan of cables and aran knitting, so I really like a lot of stuff in this issue. Josephine especially. It's not really anything along the lines of what I would usually wear, but every time I watch Big Fish I think about what a beautiful sweater she wears and now I might just have to knit a similar one. As if my to-knit list wasn't already a mile long ... (btw, I'm going back to put links in later since blogspirit only gives you so long 'til you have to save it)

Tuesday night (I failed to talk about this in my last entry for no apparent reason), I went to see the Warriors, Killing the Dream, Turmoil, Set Your Goals, and a couple of other bands at the Boardwalk. (random thought: what a shitty name for a venue. Every time I tell someone who isn't in the know that I'm going to the Boardwalk, they think of Santa Cruz. Yeah, not quite.) It was cool. I wish kids would be less lame about people dancing/moshing near them. I want to fucking scream at people and tell them that they're not going to die if someone dances within 10 feet of them. I'm a weak girl with no ability to tolerate pain and you don't see me running in the other direction when someone starts to move around. Anyway, since I could rant about that for weeks/months, it was a great show. Pretty packed for a weeknight. Someone stage dived into my head and I almost fell on my ass. I think if he had hit me any harder me forehead and the nape of my neck would have become very well acquianted. But I actually did not have much of a headache afterward and didn't feel it at all later in the night. And, shit, it was worth it. Killing the Dream is definitely worth it. Warriors were amazing, as always and during some sing-a-longs it sounded like the whole room was singing. That is probably the coolest fucking thing ever. Seriously, the feeling I get when everyone in the room singing is almost as loud as the band it totally indescribable.

I need to take WIP pictures of some scarves I have lying around, but I just can't remember to! Maybe I will do that later tonight or tomorrow after class ...

I decided today that I don't want to be a teacher. There is really no way that I can A) pull my shit together well enough to get lesson plans made (hello, I can't even remember WIP pictures!) and B) I am way to shy and my social anxiety with people I don't know well is too bad. So I really have no plans for my life anymore. Whatever. Who needs plans?

My attention span is shit lately ... I'm going to knit and watch some Family Guy and Futurama!

I am so sorry, but I have totally forgotten to blog. Yeah, as crazy as it sounds, it's true. ...

I've been rather busy (I'm babysitting as I type this) and I guess my mind has just been elsewhere. Where, I'm not really sure. Anyway, with school and all that shit I have a lot less time. Plus I had a big dance competition last weekend (a little more on that later) and my incredible social life (ha!) just get in the way of things. As knitting goes, I finished the came scarf I was working on, I'm still slaving away at the same old afghan panel (fuck honeycomb cable!) and I'm doing the Amelia Earhart cap in red cotton ease (soooo fucking cute!)

My dance competition ... WOW. The highland games in Pleasanton, CA on Labor Day weekend is the biggest games in the world, and a pretty popular competition. I decided to compete even though it's really tough because it's, uh, FUCKING HUGE, and people come from all over for it. I thought about just dancing sunday because that was all the fun dances but I ended up dancing both days. My first dance (Highland Fling) was great. I felt like a champion, and I was toally happy with it. Then we got to the Sword Dance. First of all, you do the dance over two swords on the ground laid perpendicular to each other. Not fun. Second of all, it uses some really hard movements. Third of all, it is tiring and just and all-around bitch to do. While I was doing the third step and trying not to DIE, the girl next to me rolls her ankle and falls down! Then she laid there and then started to crawl offstage, before the stewards came and helped her off. And I continued to dance. Yep. Such compassion, eh? Honestly, I was too shocked to be able to really decide what to do other than continue dancing. And I definitely did not want to have to re-dance it because I would have not made it through and probably collapsed myself. The worst thing about that is the poor girl came all the way from Canada to compete and she only got to do one dance before she got hurt. But whatever. By the time my third dance (Seann Triubhas) came around, I was super tired and feelin' not having taken consistent class since May. So I barely got through it. It was in the end the only dance I placed in the whole freakin' weekend, even though I wasn't that happy with it. I guess everyone else just hadn't practiced their S.T.s  very much, hahaha. Anyway, the next day I felt all my dancing was really good although I didn't place at all I wasn't upset because I had a fairly hard class and I really don't dance to win. I had a really fun time, though, and I've kind of fallen back in love with Highland Dancing.

I am still bored with life, and it's making me boring. Ugh. I think I'm off to go read craftster.

 

This has been one of my favorite things to actually knit, along with the Lelah top. I didn't really get bored making it. Although it was pretty tedious, it was so easy it required almost no concentration. I really like it, and I make might another one like I've said. I totally changed the sizing around because it was really to big for me, since I like my tops tight-fitting. And in doing that I ended up making the neck a lot wider, which was a good thing. I used Sugar 'n' Cream in Countryside Ombre for the MC and Ivory as the CC. I'm definitely a fan of this top, and I would reccomend it to anyone who is thinking about it.

I am in a very boring mood right now (as you could tell from reading ^), so I'm not even going to post further. I'll wait 'til I feel entertaining.