Have actually been knitting & spinning.......

Still need to find just where the camera is hiding. Have managed not to do any stash enhancement. Only using what I have on hand, I have made one hat over Thanksgiving weekend: Ann Norling Big Hat.
Have also knit almost 1 sock using the Simple sock pattern from the Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordi. Since I don't currently know where my measurements for a custom sock are, and simply need to just KNIT to knit and finish something.....think it was a good choice. I am up to grafting the toe on the 1st sock. only took 5 days, not bad time considering I'm out of practice.
Have also been getting some spinning time in on the Minstrel. Having been frustrated by my own need for perfection instead of accepting that there is a learning/skill curve......I battled the wheel till recently. Realizing I would never get better if I couldn't get through simply spinning and letting come through what comes.
Yes, I am on the verge finally of having my 1st skein of wheel spun lumpy-bumpy 2-ply yarn! Just have to finish the second spool and ply together. Of course I lost label of just what I am spinning. (It's a beautiful soft natural brown, from Louet) *sigh* It's been a crazy year.

Firefly Mobius

Also on the needles is the Firefly Mobuis from the Fall 2007 Knitscene. Using yarn from the stash, Scottish Mohair in a charcoal grey.

• the back with arm hole shaping is complete.
• the front is in progress, maybe half way done.
• fear this may of become a UFO, I happened to have gotten a case of startitis and playing with yarn instead of finishing the boring stockinette fabric. It's sitting in the basket waiting to be picked up and worked on. just need to knit till it measures 44" then start the armhole shaping.....seam, block and wear. So close yet so far.

Update on the Penrose afghan

No pictures. not coordinated enough to get the knitting done and the pictures. lol. sorry.
When I last posted I stated how I was simply not happy with how my 1st segment came out. Plan to make some adjustments as I progress.

• first change so far is a reworking of the colors for the shapes. I swapped the pinkish red into the squares hat had been hot pink.
• Even though the squares are knit on the bias I am slipping the 1st stitch of every row as if to purl. Hoping this will be an asset when I knit on the parallelograms.
• Right now I am forcing myself to just stick knitting at least the 1st 8 squares I need for one segment. For the round basic size I need I believe 64 squares total. By doing this I hope to then soley focus on how to knit on the next pieces. I really hate how the seams looked on the sewn together areas. This will be an ultimate knitting challenge.

Oh! BTW, I am using Caron Simply Soft, 2 strands together on size 10.5 needles

Woolly Thoughts Penrose Afghan Pattern

I this started this afghan awhile ago, but somehow stalled.

• Pattern: Penrose by Wooly Thoughts
• Type: Modular Knit afghan, pattern is completely comprised of 3 basic shapes: Square, left leaning parallelogram, and right leaning parallelogram.
• Yarn: Caron Simply Soft. I chose this yarn for a few reasons: washability, affordability, and no dye lots.

Progress? Startedout making one slice of the basic pattarn......then stalled.

I now think of this "SLICE" as a swatch. I'm just not happy with how some of the shapes are sewn together. I am still learning how to properly pick up stitches along edges that do not match numerically. Also need to slip the first stitch every row to neaten up the selvages somehow, ecspecially on biasly knit units.

Planning on pinning what is done to the wall as a reminder of what I like about pattern and what will make it better. since they are small sized units I can knits these easily during a lecture in school without to much bulk as with other projects. It's just remembering the shaping on the bias.

Here is a picture rom Woolly Thoughts web site of a Penrose afghan.

testing....testing

I'm trying to see if I can get this up and running.

Surfing the blogosphere, venting on life's up and downs & my despise of my computer

Today after reading the latest newsletter from Knitters Review in my email, I proceeded to start a grade tour of hyperlinked blogs.

While this activity is not always recommended, as one can lose vast amounts of time they can not account for. Decided why not. Haven't allowed myself this luxury in a very long time and did lose all my bookmarks of favorite blogs in February. *Sigh*

It was great to see the modular knit blankets made entirely from those tiny balls always left over after knitting a sock. I dream of making one now. who knows, maybe it could happen. just one square at a time. Hard to really lose track of where you are when you re-pickup the project.

I'm realizing I've been lacking in my daily fiber tactile pleasure this semester. Was doing good in January, started feeling the pinch and pressure of school work going into February. Then the weekend of my birthday the drama began.

Is it too much to wish for a semester of college to go smoothly? I know school is about learning, and learning is and should be a challenge. What I'm talking about the personal side of life messing with school. Each semester has been marked with it's own unique crapstacular event.

• Semester 1: Got fired from a job.
• Semester 2: Had to move QUICKLY after family member lost mind, made threats against my life and proved they were fully intending to follow through with it. Police called. etc.
• Semester 2 into 3: In temp housing, moving from one relatives extra bed to another while trying to figure out what I was gonna do in regards to housing, funds, and school.
• Semester 3: Moved into my apartment. not really drama, just the whole moving and unpacking your stuff as it comes helter skelter to me. As I couldn't simply get my stuff from it location cause of death threat ass, I had to depend on others bringing boxes of stuff. Any stuff. in no logical order. Books? sure. Bookcases? nope. you get the idea.
• Semester 4: Once the computer decided to end it all Feb 12th, my 35th bday.........I have been frantically trying to keep things together. As I admittedly do have ADD, paper can be a source of problems. Electronic organizers were created and highly recommended for the ADD population of society. Otherwise we are really unable to fully function within society. I know someone out there is now saying that I'm full of it. etc. OK. For me, it is better to have the least amount of loose paper around. Post its are the creation of the Devil. I must put things immediately into binders, or it will get crumpled, lost or worst.....put in a pile. Yes a pile. SOOOO. Basically all appointments, contacts, reminders, assignment due dates. Research papers, citations, everything was lost.

Enough said. That tired me out. Now I need a nap from just thinking about everything! lol!

I'll update you later on some good news in my life. Promise

Exciting NEWS!!!!

I got a WHEEL!!!!!!
After years of lusting after other peoples spinning wheels, have finally been able to acquire one of my own.

Actually, I forfeited my xmas and bday gifts last year. Made a deal with my family, if I continued to stay in college and not run away (LOL!) a wheel would be coming my way.

So I made the trip to the nearest shop with a selection of wheels.......75 milesaway. The Woolery

I came home with a Kromski Minstrel, in the beautiful Mahogany finish.

I will try to bring her outside in the sun to get a picture of her.

She still hasn't told me her name.

The Diva has been resurrected!

After a Hard drive transplant and a memory augmentation, Diva is back.
She is almost her old self. All files on the old hard drive were completely lost. We have tried to create her to the state she was in when removed from her box. A few quirks seem to exist. sigh. I think she is taking her new name seriously and has let it go to her memory chip.

We will continue to try to work together.

The demise of a Diva

Upon hearing the news of Anna Nicole Smith's demise my laptop decided it was just to much to handle. She tried to take her own life, with her hard drive she took with her my current semester's worth of planning, research and papers. She is currently in the hands of professionals on life support.

Yesterday it was confirmed........the hard drive was unrepairable and needs a transplant. An order has been placed. Since they needed to order the part, and would have their hands inside her, I figured it was also the time to increase her RAM. That also needed to be special ordered. When she is finally ready to come home she will have double her old RAM, and a new hard drive.

I have brought in her more dependable older sister in the meanwhile. This desktop made by Gateway has been very dependable and never a problem what so ever in the 6 years we have shared.

To prevent complete lose of files in the future, and to not clog up either machines memory space with my newest must have...........iTunes season pass to TV shows. I have no TV, and to keep up with online buddies I have started getting the show via iTunes. I have coming home with the laptop late next week........a shared network drive that also backs itself up! When everything comes home, I will show pictures and specs of this handy network drive.

I was Naughty, but let's hear a cheer for cashiers who don't care!

As former retail management, the cashier I came across would be worst nightmare.

Started my having a wonderful lunchout with my mom. Started driving home, traffic and not being familiar with where I was driving combined to my taking THE LONG WAY HOME. lol.

Not sure why, but I thought a shopping center looked familiar and pulled in. There was a Goodwill store. I picked up a samonite truck case, a small zippered suitcase both for storing and transporting my craft tools depending on the need. Sewing and tailing type for clothing versus laying tools and awls, wax tablet for embroidery. Small size weaving (using cardboard from back of legal pad for loom), tatting, etc.

Currently I have a shoe box system. Each box has a label with catagory of contects. I do try me best to make the most of my tools to be able to cross over between interests. Just because I bought a metal awl as a laying tool for needlepoint, doesn't mean that it doesn't get a work out when I create small booklets and sew the binding, and as I'm still a complete bobbin lace newbie (more of a wannabe than even a newbie) the same tool is my pricking tool. Hmmmm. you know I was looking for that particular tool this week and it was AWAL. I bet it's in a little box where I was trying to collect the basics for bobbin lace making. (of course that box is in storage and not here yet) *sigh*

Back to my goodwill shop-a-thon, the book section. I looked through the dusty shelves, for every craft related book. Looked through reference books, for history, the arts. I was a fiend!
I knew I had completely lost my mind and had a full cart. Enter the cashier who really doesn't give a crap. ahhhh! reminded myself I don't work there. I'm not her boss. She is not my problem. Thank you. I had been scared that oh no, don't have any cash. will the card go through? $19 dollars later to my relief I left. not sure what method of math the cashier used. but it did work out for me.