Let me start off by saying Happy New Year to all! I haven't been able to blog recently, due to some minor health issues as well as being busy, so I know I'm super late, but I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and new year. I know I did.
I decided to write this post because I have something to say about acrylic yarn. I learned on acrylic, I think acrylic has it's place, and I'm certainly not going to look down upon anyone who wants to use acrylic. That said, simply cannot do it anymore. I'm working on a hat for charity, and I'm about a quarter of the way through it. The texture of the yarn is alright (Caron Sayelle, in case anyone's curious), it's not rough or scratchy, and the stitch definition isn't all that bad. My issue is the lack of stretch. I'm a tight knitter, and this hat KILLED my hands after working on it for about an hour, which is an issue I've never had with natural fibers. Admittedly, cotton will kill my hands after a while too, but not like that. Not after an hour. I've knit dishcloths from start to finish in one sitting and my hands never hurt. I'm on the fence about what to do with the hat. On the one hand, I really want to frog it and do something else. On the other hand, I spent a bit of time on it, and I feel like it'd be a waste to go through all that pain for nothing.
I've been on a hat binge recently. The work up so fast! Except, of course, the hat pattern I chose. I chose the Druidess Beret, and I'm on round..... six of it? Maybe. Make one purlwise is a really frustrating stitch. I've been looking at other hat patterns, wondering if I can find one that satisfies me, but nothing quite does it for me like this beret does. It's got cables and bobbles, neither of which I'm particularly fond of, but for some reason... I love this hat. I can't explain it. It will be mine, I don't care how long it takes me.
I've been working a lot on my seed stitch kitchen towel, as that's really all my attention span can handle. I've had some major issues concentrating recently. My second sock sits in my needle drawer, along with it's friend the Druidess Beret. I also started a pair of plain fingerless gloves out of some Mini Mochi, but they're on hold because I haven't felt like counting. I dunno what my deal is. So not only have I had an attention span issue, clearly I've had some start-itis going on. I've been casting on, knitting for a bit, leaving it and casting on something else. Fail. I did finish one thing, however, and that was my first hat for charity. It was gratifying in the sense that it went to someone less fortunate and in need of a hat, and it was also nice because I cast something on and actually finished it. In one night, no less. Twas the Hat Fit For a Boyfriend, and I'm sort of in love with that pattern. It makes nice, stretchy hats and it's super simple and super fast. It's so wrong, as I'm sitting here typing this, I'm thinking, "Hmm... I really want to start a dishcloth..." But no! I will not. Not until I finish one of my many, many WIPs. That's going to be really hard to keep to when my two new books come in the mail. I ordered two, Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter as well as Knitting Lingerie Style. I am especially excited about the latter. I had been searching on Ravelry for tops that I could knit for the summer (like I need any more tops..) and I came across three or four that were from that book. So I looked at all the patterns in the book and I looooooove them! Out of the 34 patterns in it, I want to knit at least 15 of them.
That's about all in the knitting world. I'm still playing LOTRO, which just finished up the Yule Fest. I spent most of my time doing that while it was going on and not much else. Baking wise, I haven't done any. Budget doesn't permit it. However, I did get an interesting tool for Christmas that takes the center out of cupcakes so you can fill them with.. whatever, and I'm looking forward to using that. Right after I get my new KitchenAid standmixer, which I will be purchasing once budget permits me to do so. I've been saving up giftcards from Kohls for the past two years so I could get it, and I'm about 100 dollars short. You can't argue with 100 bucks for a KitchenAid.
That's all for now. Til next time!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, December 13, 2010
Two glasses of wine later...
And I've decided to blog.
I ripped out the leg warmers. It was a snap decision to do them, as it was to frog them. I just don't have time for them right now. I may make a pair of worsted socks out of the yarn. I should really have enough for both, but I feel like the socks will go faster. I can practically knit plain socks in my sleep.
I added a new project for Christmas knitting today. I'm up to five now. One for my mom, my dad, my lil girl and her sister, and my sister not by blood. I've started (almost completed, I keep telling myself) two of them. I haven't even cast on the rest. This is my first Christmas as a knitter, and I greatly underestimated my time. I'm going out of town in three days. I hope I'll have plenty of down time to knit.
As it stands I have
Two hello kitty hats for the girls
a lighthouse dishcloth for my mom (my very first purchased pattern)
a scarf for my dad
and a pair of plain vanilla socks for my sister
I feel like all of these will go rather quickly. The scarf will certainly take the longest, then the socks. The dishcloth I feel like I could do in a day or two, and the hats are almost done. I spent a good portion of the evening making little ears for them. Sixteen ears! I'm making two child sized hats which require four ears each (they're stockinette and sewn together so they look the same on both sides), and two doll size hats which also require four ears each. Tomorrow I'll finish the ears (I have nine out of sixteen so far), make the four bows, and hopefully start the faces. I'm thinking I may also cast on the scarf and take it to the doctors office with me. The wait is always obscenely long, so hopefully I can get some good work done on it. Or perhaps I'll bring the socks.. I don't know. I'd like to fly with as few balls of yarn as possible, so I definitely want to get through at least one ball before I leave.. I'll HAVE TO bring that scarf to the doctors office. It's four balls, I think. Lol, welcome to my thought process. Also, I have my very first knit group tonight, which I'm super excited about. I got invited midway through the semester this year and unfortunately I had a class on the night they met, so I was unable to attend. Now that the semester is over, I can finally go. Colour me stoked.
LOTRO is still going strong. My character is a level 26; half way to 27 really. I'm enjoying it a bunch more than I anticipated I would. This is my first real MMORPG. I played an RPG as a kid (name will not be mentioned because it's holy embarrassing), so I have a general idea of what to expect. This is so much more involved though. I keep asking my boyfriend (who I play with generally, although I do play alone quite a bit) "Seriously, what CAN'T you level in this game?". Because really, you can level your character, your crafting ability, legendary items which I don't have yet.. its ridiculous. Still working on my jewelry craft. I'm finally able to mine gold as a prospector, which opens up a whole new world of things to do for me.
I cheated on my own recipes the other day. I broke, and I bought pre-made cookie dough. I rolled it and cut it, but it was pre-packaged and I feel awful. I did make from scratch pumpkin bread, though. I took my grandmothers recipe, and she's the reason I love pumpkin bread. I think she lied to me though, its not nearly as good as hers. It's good, no doubt, but its certainly not her pumpkin bread. I found a better recipe on the internet, a recipe I used once before. That was closer to her pumpkin bread than the recipe she gave me. I think she doesn't want me to know her secret lol. Thats okay, I can let her have it.
Thats about all thats new for now. Until next time!
I ripped out the leg warmers. It was a snap decision to do them, as it was to frog them. I just don't have time for them right now. I may make a pair of worsted socks out of the yarn. I should really have enough for both, but I feel like the socks will go faster. I can practically knit plain socks in my sleep.
I added a new project for Christmas knitting today. I'm up to five now. One for my mom, my dad, my lil girl and her sister, and my sister not by blood. I've started (almost completed, I keep telling myself) two of them. I haven't even cast on the rest. This is my first Christmas as a knitter, and I greatly underestimated my time. I'm going out of town in three days. I hope I'll have plenty of down time to knit.
As it stands I have
Two hello kitty hats for the girls
a lighthouse dishcloth for my mom (my very first purchased pattern)
a scarf for my dad
and a pair of plain vanilla socks for my sister
I feel like all of these will go rather quickly. The scarf will certainly take the longest, then the socks. The dishcloth I feel like I could do in a day or two, and the hats are almost done. I spent a good portion of the evening making little ears for them. Sixteen ears! I'm making two child sized hats which require four ears each (they're stockinette and sewn together so they look the same on both sides), and two doll size hats which also require four ears each. Tomorrow I'll finish the ears (I have nine out of sixteen so far), make the four bows, and hopefully start the faces. I'm thinking I may also cast on the scarf and take it to the doctors office with me. The wait is always obscenely long, so hopefully I can get some good work done on it. Or perhaps I'll bring the socks.. I don't know. I'd like to fly with as few balls of yarn as possible, so I definitely want to get through at least one ball before I leave.. I'll HAVE TO bring that scarf to the doctors office. It's four balls, I think. Lol, welcome to my thought process. Also, I have my very first knit group tonight, which I'm super excited about. I got invited midway through the semester this year and unfortunately I had a class on the night they met, so I was unable to attend. Now that the semester is over, I can finally go. Colour me stoked.
LOTRO is still going strong. My character is a level 26; half way to 27 really. I'm enjoying it a bunch more than I anticipated I would. This is my first real MMORPG. I played an RPG as a kid (name will not be mentioned because it's holy embarrassing), so I have a general idea of what to expect. This is so much more involved though. I keep asking my boyfriend (who I play with generally, although I do play alone quite a bit) "Seriously, what CAN'T you level in this game?". Because really, you can level your character, your crafting ability, legendary items which I don't have yet.. its ridiculous. Still working on my jewelry craft. I'm finally able to mine gold as a prospector, which opens up a whole new world of things to do for me.
I cheated on my own recipes the other day. I broke, and I bought pre-made cookie dough. I rolled it and cut it, but it was pre-packaged and I feel awful. I did make from scratch pumpkin bread, though. I took my grandmothers recipe, and she's the reason I love pumpkin bread. I think she lied to me though, its not nearly as good as hers. It's good, no doubt, but its certainly not her pumpkin bread. I found a better recipe on the internet, a recipe I used once before. That was closer to her pumpkin bread than the recipe she gave me. I think she doesn't want me to know her secret lol. Thats okay, I can let her have it.
Thats about all thats new for now. Until next time!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Spontaneous
I have done two spontaneous things this week (well, okay, probably more than two. But two that are knitting related)
1. I spontaneously ordered a bit from KnitPicks. Mostly sock yarn, as well as some new size 1 needles and sock blockers. Oh, and a stranding guide for my Endpaper Mitts. One skein of the sock yarn is for a Christmas present. The rest are for me. This is a bit funny, as I have finished two socks, but lets note that they don't match. I've cast on the second sock for one pair, the other has the needles for it stuck in a half ball in the first drawer of my needle stand. I will not fall victim to Second Sock Syndrome. I promise.
2. I decided to spontaneously cast on for some leg warmers. This urge hit me at 3AM. I couldn't tell you why. I was simply sitting here, checking my e-mail and a couple of Ravelry forum boards, and suddenly... BAM! I need leg warmers. I searched a bit and found Karen's Extravagant Legwarmers and decided this was the pattern for me. I will be using some lovely Malabrigo Worsted in the Velvet Grapes colourway, and they will be delicious. I have a couple skeins of Malabrigo that I had originally purchased for a sweater, but after being pretty unhappy with the measurements for said sweater, I nixed the idea. Since it's in no way the Malabrigo's fault, I've still been happily using it.
The other day, I finished my two aforementioned socks. One of these has taken me over a month. It's not that they're difficult. I got a bit frustrated with the 11 stitch repeat after a while. I also stared at them for a bit and thought to myself over and over again "This cuff is just too big." Finally, I tried them on. The cuff fits great. The socks themselves are a bit large, and I think from now on if I use this yarn (Stroll Tonal) I'll cast on a few less stitches. I'll also be making heel flaps a bit shorter. But all in all, I'm happy with them. The second pair I've started were some random anklet socks from my basic sock pattern. I used the pattern as a guideline, but I greatly reduced the inch-age (welcome to me making up words) before doing the heel flap. They're simply five rows of ribbing, five rows plain stockinette, and then heel flap. I picked up the yarn at Joannes, because it was soft. Certainly not because it was pretty. I have dubbed these my ugly socks. They are, in fact, super ugly. They have little green and blue speckles for a while, then a giant stripe of red, then a small stripe of purple.. ugh. That said, I have put it on a couple times since finishing and the colours.. they're starting to grow on me. I can't explain it. Perhaps I will learn to love them.
Not much else is going on needlewise. I have the WIPs mentioned in my previous post, but they haven't gotten any real work done on them. It's been mostly these socks. I'm okay with that. I've knit two full pairs of socks since learning to knit them, and both have been gifts. It's time for a pair (or two, or six) for me.
Tomorrow marks the first day of December, and I've gotten exactly zero Christmas knitting done. I don't have much to do, but really, did I need to cast on those leg warmers? I did not. But it's Malabrigo. How could I turn that down? Once it was in my head (even though it's unknown to me how it got there), it's a done deal. Oh well.
I baked my first apple pie this evening. I admit, I cheated a bit and bought pre-made pie dough. I've got a cold, as well as two projects and a final, so really I didn't have time to make pie crust. It turned out... okay. I guess. I wasn't too thrilled with it. The apples were too tart, certainly needed more sugar. My apple slices were far too big. And the crust... it was so bland. I shouldn't have cut that corner. Everyone else who ate it seemed to enjoy it, so I suppose it wasn't a total disaster. And I learned what not to do next time. So all in all, a relatively successful experience.
I've also been playing a bit of LOTRO (which I will probably log on to once this blog post is through). I decided my crafting specialty would be a jeweler, and I've been mining like a madwoman. I have so much ore I hardly know what to do with it. So far I haven't done much with it (see?), no real jewelry made, but I am enjoying the process.
I suppose that's all for now. Until next time!
1. I spontaneously ordered a bit from KnitPicks. Mostly sock yarn, as well as some new size 1 needles and sock blockers. Oh, and a stranding guide for my Endpaper Mitts. One skein of the sock yarn is for a Christmas present. The rest are for me. This is a bit funny, as I have finished two socks, but lets note that they don't match. I've cast on the second sock for one pair, the other has the needles for it stuck in a half ball in the first drawer of my needle stand. I will not fall victim to Second Sock Syndrome. I promise.
2. I decided to spontaneously cast on for some leg warmers. This urge hit me at 3AM. I couldn't tell you why. I was simply sitting here, checking my e-mail and a couple of Ravelry forum boards, and suddenly... BAM! I need leg warmers. I searched a bit and found Karen's Extravagant Legwarmers and decided this was the pattern for me. I will be using some lovely Malabrigo Worsted in the Velvet Grapes colourway, and they will be delicious. I have a couple skeins of Malabrigo that I had originally purchased for a sweater, but after being pretty unhappy with the measurements for said sweater, I nixed the idea. Since it's in no way the Malabrigo's fault, I've still been happily using it.
The other day, I finished my two aforementioned socks. One of these has taken me over a month. It's not that they're difficult. I got a bit frustrated with the 11 stitch repeat after a while. I also stared at them for a bit and thought to myself over and over again "This cuff is just too big." Finally, I tried them on. The cuff fits great. The socks themselves are a bit large, and I think from now on if I use this yarn (Stroll Tonal) I'll cast on a few less stitches. I'll also be making heel flaps a bit shorter. But all in all, I'm happy with them. The second pair I've started were some random anklet socks from my basic sock pattern. I used the pattern as a guideline, but I greatly reduced the inch-age (welcome to me making up words) before doing the heel flap. They're simply five rows of ribbing, five rows plain stockinette, and then heel flap. I picked up the yarn at Joannes, because it was soft. Certainly not because it was pretty. I have dubbed these my ugly socks. They are, in fact, super ugly. They have little green and blue speckles for a while, then a giant stripe of red, then a small stripe of purple.. ugh. That said, I have put it on a couple times since finishing and the colours.. they're starting to grow on me. I can't explain it. Perhaps I will learn to love them.
Not much else is going on needlewise. I have the WIPs mentioned in my previous post, but they haven't gotten any real work done on them. It's been mostly these socks. I'm okay with that. I've knit two full pairs of socks since learning to knit them, and both have been gifts. It's time for a pair (or two, or six) for me.
Tomorrow marks the first day of December, and I've gotten exactly zero Christmas knitting done. I don't have much to do, but really, did I need to cast on those leg warmers? I did not. But it's Malabrigo. How could I turn that down? Once it was in my head (even though it's unknown to me how it got there), it's a done deal. Oh well.
I baked my first apple pie this evening. I admit, I cheated a bit and bought pre-made pie dough. I've got a cold, as well as two projects and a final, so really I didn't have time to make pie crust. It turned out... okay. I guess. I wasn't too thrilled with it. The apples were too tart, certainly needed more sugar. My apple slices were far too big. And the crust... it was so bland. I shouldn't have cut that corner. Everyone else who ate it seemed to enjoy it, so I suppose it wasn't a total disaster. And I learned what not to do next time. So all in all, a relatively successful experience.
I've also been playing a bit of LOTRO (which I will probably log on to once this blog post is through). I decided my crafting specialty would be a jeweler, and I've been mining like a madwoman. I have so much ore I hardly know what to do with it. So far I haven't done much with it (see?), no real jewelry made, but I am enjoying the process.
I suppose that's all for now. Until next time!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Inaugural post
I guess I'd like to start this blog by introducing myself. It seems appropriate.
My name is Kali. I'm a new gamer, a relatively new knitter, and an old baker. Baking was my very first hobby, and for many years my only hobby. I was introduced to knitting at 22 (almost a year ago) and picked it up pretty naturally. My biological mom taught me, so I guess it must be in my blood. And let me just tell you, her genes are fuckin strong.
I guess I should probably put out a little disclaimer now that I curse like a sailor, and can get pretty vulgar at times. Consider yourselves warned.
At any rate, I've always been fascinated by games as well, but I never believed that I had the hand-eye coordination in which to play them. I played my first first person shooter, and I was pretty hooked from there on in.
When I'm not knitting, baking or gaming, I'm a full time psychology student at my local university. I plan to graduate this time next year with my bachelors in psych and move on to grad school. My dream schools are UCSD and Berkeley.
This blog will most likely be mostly knitting based, with a light focus on what I may be playing at the moment and a few baking recipes here and there. Thats my plan, but hey, lets see how it goes. It'll be fun.
So, you may ask, what have I been up to? Well, lets start with whats on my needles. I should note that I get all of my patterns on Ravelry, so if you're interested in seeing the pattern before I post my FO's, be sure to head over there and check it out. I'll post patterns with my FO's.
Currently, I'm working on:
October is for Spinners, a lovely laceweight scarf
A Pair Of Hearts, socks
a towel that I'm currently winging and
two Christmas hats sized for American Girl Dolls, meant to look like Hello Kitty. These will be gifted with the child sized hats.
Next, what am I playing? Currently I have a game of Civilization IV going (being pretty much my very first game, except a test game where I got my bearings and then started over once I knew what I was doing), and I've recently started playing LOTRO. Both of these games are out of character for me. For one, I'm not big on turn based games (Civ IV), but I find this one to be quite addicting. I hear that Sid Meier's games tend to be that way. As far as LOTRO... well... I've never really been interested in the LOTR series. Sorry guys, it's just not my deal. You'll catch me reading a psych related book or a vampire novel (Note: NOT FUCKIN TWILIGHT! VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE) before you'll see me reading LOTR. I'm not huge on fiction, so sue me.
I suppose that's about all I have for now. I promise future entries will be far less bland, but introductions are seldom entertaining.
Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you soon!
Kali
My name is Kali. I'm a new gamer, a relatively new knitter, and an old baker. Baking was my very first hobby, and for many years my only hobby. I was introduced to knitting at 22 (almost a year ago) and picked it up pretty naturally. My biological mom taught me, so I guess it must be in my blood. And let me just tell you, her genes are fuckin strong.
I guess I should probably put out a little disclaimer now that I curse like a sailor, and can get pretty vulgar at times. Consider yourselves warned.
At any rate, I've always been fascinated by games as well, but I never believed that I had the hand-eye coordination in which to play them. I played my first first person shooter, and I was pretty hooked from there on in.
When I'm not knitting, baking or gaming, I'm a full time psychology student at my local university. I plan to graduate this time next year with my bachelors in psych and move on to grad school. My dream schools are UCSD and Berkeley.
This blog will most likely be mostly knitting based, with a light focus on what I may be playing at the moment and a few baking recipes here and there. Thats my plan, but hey, lets see how it goes. It'll be fun.
So, you may ask, what have I been up to? Well, lets start with whats on my needles. I should note that I get all of my patterns on Ravelry, so if you're interested in seeing the pattern before I post my FO's, be sure to head over there and check it out. I'll post patterns with my FO's.
Currently, I'm working on:
October is for Spinners, a lovely laceweight scarf
A Pair Of Hearts, socks
a towel that I'm currently winging and
two Christmas hats sized for American Girl Dolls, meant to look like Hello Kitty. These will be gifted with the child sized hats.
Next, what am I playing? Currently I have a game of Civilization IV going (being pretty much my very first game, except a test game where I got my bearings and then started over once I knew what I was doing), and I've recently started playing LOTRO. Both of these games are out of character for me. For one, I'm not big on turn based games (Civ IV), but I find this one to be quite addicting. I hear that Sid Meier's games tend to be that way. As far as LOTRO... well... I've never really been interested in the LOTR series. Sorry guys, it's just not my deal. You'll catch me reading a psych related book or a vampire novel (Note: NOT FUCKIN TWILIGHT! VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE) before you'll see me reading LOTR. I'm not huge on fiction, so sue me.
I suppose that's about all I have for now. I promise future entries will be far less bland, but introductions are seldom entertaining.
Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you soon!
Kali
Thursday, November 11, 2010
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