8/14/14

So, I've been busy trying to find a full time job and failing to do so it seems. What makes this suck is by the end of the month I don't have a place to live, so I need to scrabble and find something or quit my current job and live with my parents. Not ideal.

In other news, i've been making a few rings, so look at those pretties.

5/14/14

So, On Sunday

We had  a major thunderstorm pass through. (For those who don't know, I live in eastern Nebraska right by the Iowa border.) It had a history of producing tornadoes, but was more producing strong winds and straight line winds by the time it hit us. Monday I went for a walk in the park nearby, I had a feeling I'd find a fallen tree. I found it towards the end of the walk, I didn't get good pictures until yesterday (and today, they've cleaned it all up for the most part, the only remains are the stump.)




Yeah, this young tree is gone too. It was mauled by the falling tree, practically all it's branches were striped off by the bigger tree. Some of the reason I was looking was I'm always awed by the power of something that seems so insubstantial to batter and move something that seems so sturdy and unmoving. Then again, I have two pictures up there showing the fallen tree was clearly rotten, and needed to be removed before there was any chance for it to fall.

Bright Blessings.

5/9/14

Some actual knitting, madness


Granted, you haven't seen this since October (or it's been longer than that and I just have the picture for a random reason). It's just hard fro me to sit down and work on this for long periods of time. Some of it is the two balls of yarn that are changed out ever other row. I don't know why that makes any real difference. I like the way it's looking. Yes, it might have looked nicer if I didn't have the colors making diagonal lines, but I didn't want a billion ends to weave in when I was done, but even the way it is there's going to be a lot of ends to weave in by the time I'm done.

I finally got around to making a photo copy of the pattern, all 8 pages of it. You can see the markings that I've made on the page. You've probably heard it enough, be we are allowed a copy of the pattern, especially if you make notes on it. I kept getting confused where I was and what I was suppose to be doing. So having the page that I can mark on to show where I am should help me keep track of where I am. Yes, I'm making it a bit shorter than the pattern says I should. I was thinking that it was going to be too long, even after I figured out that I was holding the strips at the wrong angle.

Bright Blessings!

5/8/14

For lack of anything better

I didn't really get much knitting done last night, and don't have much witchy to be talking about right now. Though I did get the latest copy of Interweave Knits on my nook this morning. I might have been distracted by knitting porn at work this morning. I keep my nook hidden away in a drawer next to me, as I don't think it'd be that wise to get caught reading on an electronic device at work. There's about two items in this issue that I really want to make. One is to the right, the Ocracoke Cardigan. I don't know, I think it looks really pretty and would probably look really nice on me. Who knows when I'll get around to making it. I should finish up the top I'm working on right now. I know that I tend to be a fickle, fickle knitter and will abandon things if they just aren't what I want to be making at that time. But I do think that this looks really nice.

Next up is the Kayleen Pullover. Not that I need the detail around the neckline to draw attention to my bust. But I still think that it looks nice. Maybe I'm going completely crazy. Though maybe I'm not completely sane in the first place. Evidence? I'm going to go on a quest to figure how much money it would take to make all the sweaters I want with the recommended yarn. I may go through and par down my raverly queue first before I do that, but that's me.

Bright Blessings!

5/7/14

 So, I have been knitting. I finished the last pair of auction socks and started on another pair for the auction. I've gotten pretty far on this pair. Shouldn't really be too much longer before I can start the cuff and be done with the first. (Then I'll need to figure out what I did with other ball of yarn. But shh, don't let anyone else know about that.) I've gotten back into watching shows on hulu as well as watching some of my game people on youtube (not to mention science news stuff) so I should be able to work out a lot of time to work on this. I should probably put that sock on and see if someone would help me get a good picture of it.

And because at one point I lost one of the needles I needed to work on the sock i picked up this thing again. It's going to be a hat. I probably talked about this before, but around thanksgiving I lost my favorite hat. I was wearing it when I went someplace and when I got home I wasn't wearing it, and haven't been able to find it since. So, yeah, I'm working on the band part right now. Then I'll pick up stitches around one edge and work up for the top. Pretty simple when you actually do it. My top will be done in the cable color. Mainly because I think it looks nice that way.

Bright Blessings!

5/1/14

Well

I was fighting with my printer last night, as I print out what I'm going to edit and then read it through for editing. Sometimes there's lots of marks, sometimes not. Just depends on the page and how critical I'm feeling. Last night, things just weren't going well. At best I got 3-4 pages to print without the thing jamming up. I couldn't figure out what the problem could be and went to bed frustrated.

Then my guy tells me to check the feeder out today. Umm, that's a pen. There was a pen in my printer causing all the problems. I kinda know how it got in there. My desk is a mess. But let that be a lesson learned to me to keep my printer all nice and folded up so that random objects don't migrate towards the back of the printer where they don't belong and will muck up the works. Yes, I've removed the pen, it took a chop stick (it was the closest skinny object at hand) and gravity. I can't really stick my hand in the feed slot, it's a little skinny, but at least my printer is behaving now. So, I fixed my printer because there was something in there that shouldn't be...

Bright Blessings!

4/29/14

I should be doing something constructive

Like working on my resume, or looking for a new job, but instead I'm here telling you that I'm going to try to make an attempt at posting more regularly. Instill a bit of discipline in my life. Gods know I need that.

I don't really have any reasons why I went quiet. Just wasn't actively remembering that I had this blog is all. I do that with a lot of things. I have been knitting on and off, finished mom's socks, finished the pair of auction socks you've seen. Now working on a new pair of auctions socks. Hopefully I can get my butt around to remembering to post something here somewhat regularly.

Bright Blessings!

1/23/14

Mom's Socks

So, here's what I had of my mom's socks. She had found the yarn at an art fair and called me up asking if what the dyer wanted was a fair price. Which got me to rambling, but in the end I did think it was a fair price, if not a little on the cheap side all things considered. And the sharp among you probably noticed that I talked about the progress of this project in the past tense. I decided to rip back and take the pattern out. Mom wants socks, and I figure it'll get more work on it if it's something that I can work on during the down times in my game that I've been playing a lot of. So, yeah, the progress in that picture is a lie
Something interesting about the color choices of my mom and myself? I came across the same dyer on my first solo trip to ND to visit my grandma. Not only did I pick up some all those years ago, but some how mom and I picked the same color way, Sky Blue Pink. My sock and yarn look different because the yarn is different between what mom bought and what I bought. Also, allow some variation because of dye lots. (Mom's is 100% superwash, mine is 70% wool, 20% bamboo, 10% nylon.)

Bright Blessings!

1/20/14

Sorry about the silence. I'm kinda at a point in my own personal cycle where I'm really into a game and that's about all I want to do with my free time. Probably not the most healthy thing, but I do try to regulate it, or at least do my best to make sure it's not interfering with work and that I'm exercising. I have been knitting in the down time of the game I'm really into. Granted, I started a random new project instead of looking for a project that I should have been working on in the first place. To top it all off? I wasn't happy with any of the ways it was looking and it's a pile of yarn and not anything that looks like there was any progress made.

I did pick up my dragon at one point with the intent of putting on the legs, but I'm being fussy about that too, and so nothing got done. I'll probably go find some scrap yarn to map out where I want to pick up the stitches and then do the work, but the way it looked after picking up with the knitting needle didn't impress me. We'll see what I can do for actual knitting tomorrow.

Bright Blessings!

1/14/14

Half Finished Project

So the other day I finished the first half of the auction socks. Yes, I have so many other things in mind for getting down for that. I still have close to two years so shush. And, after knitting so I can write up patterns, and mom's sock this is what I work on. (though, it doesn't help that my wrist keeps going ouchie lately. I've been trying to heal it when I have time to spare to focus on that.) So you've seen the completed sock. Wondering how far along on the next one I am? Don't hold your breath, the picture isn't that impressive. (Also? Ignore the date, my camera was being stupid. The date reset itself.)
There you go, that's how far along on the second one is. Sorry, the flash apparently goes crazy when I put my hand in the shot. (It wouldn't focus right when it was on my knee.) It is the same yarn as the other sock, so everything should work out alright.

Bright Blessings!

1/13/14

Here, have a dragon

Sort of. Sadly, I haven't gotten any progress past what you see in the picture since I took it. Mainly because I've been working really hard on finishing my dad's present so that maybe I could send that off to my parents and be done with that bit.

Also? it sounds like I get to make another bag for Matthias. We were talking and he's acquired a new thing that he needs a bag for. So I'll be doing that tonight. I have a few things I can think of showing you so it doesn't look like I've just been sewing and not doing much else. I have been knitting as my wrist allows. So there is some progress on that which hopefully you'll see tomorrow. Sorry, there's not much to talk about today. Maybe tomorrow.

Bright Blessings!

1/10/14

Crafting Crack

I have decided that sewing is crafting crack. I wasn't even close to having these done by the time I got home from work yesterday. Then shortly, I had four bags faster than if I had knit them. Though there was a bit of trail and error with these. One is completely hand sewn (it'll have dark stitches going across the top). One is completely sewn by machine. The other two are a combo. I found that for this project it was best to sew the bit for the drawstring and down the side on machine and then sewing the bottom of the bag on by hand. Completely by hand works, but this way sped up the process greatly. Now all I have to do is make the ties for the bags and all of his stuff can be packed up and sent of.

I did do a little knitting yesterday as well. Most of it you see in the picture on the right. Some how I managed to loose one of my most favorite hats, so I had a bit of spare money and picked up the yarn to make a similar one to the one I lost. Granted, I'm using a darker background yarn than I did originally, but I thought it might help the colors pop more. Though somehow I was able to forget the fact that the cable yarn has some very bright spots in it, even while I was at the store holding the yarn in question. Don't ask me how this escaped my attention. I don't know, it just did. But I still think it looks pretty. And a plus? My wrist didn't hurt or ache over having to do that much knitting! Yay for healing!

Bright Blessings!

1/9/14

And then I go silent for a little bit again. I've been meaning to talk to you guys, it's just that my head has been elsewhere lately. Like trying to figure out the best way to be productive and yet scratch my lazy itch at the same time. And that little nasty habit of setting aside all of the projects that even if they have a further away dead line probably should at least have a little work done on them daily. Like all of the auction stuff that I want to do for the family reunion. If I don't work on that a little bit each day it's just not going to happen. But getting the embroidery on my parent's presents and getting the socks done for my mom sound like those should be the priority. Not to mention that I should be getting my patterns written up, which means that I need to knit the darn things so that I can get them up and in a place for sale.

In that line, I'm a little sad. One of my knitting friends here in person is going to be giving it up. Not because it's hard for her, but because of some of her physical ailments and it's just not working out anymore. Given that we have similar problems from time to time and she's old enough to be my mom, it just kinda makes me stop and think about if I have to give up knitting at that age because my wrist won't allow me to get much knitting done anymore. Like yesterday she gave me a bag full of yarn that she's not going to use. I'm happy to get the yarn, don't get me wrong on that, but it's sad to know that it's because she's not going to be able to knit it herself. Anyhow, I'll do my best to get you some pictures for tomorrow. (Like maybe the head, torso, and tail of a pink dragon.)

Oh! For the accent color on my dragon, I can't decide if I want to use purple or a bright blue (I guess it would be called cyan or something similar). Leave a comment on your choice.

Bright Blessings.

1/6/14

Whoops

So, I didn't mean to go quiet there. Mainly because last Tuesday I smashed my fingers into a counter at work, which then made my wrist not happy. I did finish the knitting on my mother's present yesterday and got it all nicely bound off. Though I've got to warn that my updating for the next few days is probably going to be a bit spotty, this morning (because of the cold) I had to really yank on the wheel, which has upset my wrist again. I'll do what I can, but I'm not going to be stupid and try to do things that will make things get worse. Which sadly does mean that knitting progress for about a week or so will be quite a bit slower than usual. (Which kinda sucks, because I want to finish something I just started before I send off my parent's package.)

Yes, I know, I have my dad's cozie in that picture, and yes, there is wine in that bottle that I haven't drunk. But I thought it would be nice for you to see that it's not just a floppy thing. And Mom's is larger because it's for sparkling whine and such. Though I do have to say that I enjoyed using the black yarn more than the purple. Mostly because it's softer and I think just a tad thinner than the purple. I still have a bit more to do on these, so maybe I'll get on that while my wrist isn't being happy at knitting. Despite my wrist, I should at least be able to crochet or something of the like as well. So hopefully I'll be able to show progress on something in the mean time while I'm waiting for my wrist to start feeling better.

Bright Blessings!