Have you noticed how uninspired my post has started out? Yeah, the aftermath of the thesis plus the heat plus the onslaught of revision plus work are all contributing nicely to turning my brain into One.Big.Mush.
Okay, okay, I've been enjoying my time with Dr. D for the past five days, too. We hardly got to see each other in the past three/four weeks. First, it was my mad-rush to finish off my thesis. Then there's my job at the hostel...I do the morning shifts and so I start at 7 a.m. This means I get up at 5 a.m....yeah, sure I can get up later and do a mad-dash to be in time for work, too...but that's not my style. I need my time in the morning chewing on my Muesli and taking a shower. So yeah, 5 a.m. to get up that is. And sure enough, that's not such an attractive time to get up if you were spending the night before at your boyfriend's, eh? So, in order to make up for the past weeks, I've been seeing Dr. D everyday for the past five days, which is a new record for us. It wasn't 24 hours spent together though. I had to leave to get home and do a couple of stuff in between, too. But the best surprise for me was on Friday evening when I wasn't expecting to go over to him because there was a knit-night...he rang me up and asked whether I wouldn't want to come over. Now, that was new for me. None of my previous boyfriends were like that. All they ever asked me was along the line of "Haven't you got somewhere else to go?". Yeah, Dr. D's definitely for keeping.
Anyhoo, Dr. D's leaving to go on a week long vacay with his family tomorrow....so I'll be all alone *queues "All By Myself"*. But fear not, for I have a whole load of stuff planned to do (well, work is still there to do and also revisions...but let's be honest, who would want to know about those?). And it's pretty sure that there will be blogger-visit on Thursday...not telling you which one though. ;-p Anyway, I got to meet up with Dr. D today after work for an afternoon tea (lawdy, that sounds absolutely bloody prissy, doesn't it?) at our favourite place: Victorian Tea House. So, that was extra nice to see him after such a nerve-wrecking day at the hostel (no, I'm not going to start telling you here about how dealing with international guests can really make one goes bonkers)....so yeah, I at least got to see him before he leaves tomorrow. ;-)
Apropos, blogger-visit. I was pleasantly surprised last Thursday when MunchOfLife really popped into Lanaiolo! He wrote to me a couple of weeks ago on Ravelry asking for some LYS suggestions in Munich and I told him a couple as well as my LYS...and he actually made it there! Great to have met you!
I've been feeling really bad about SP12, too. I haven't given that much thought as needed be for the package for my downstream pal. And being the perfectionist that I am, I don't want to give away any clues that might reveal anything about me. But it's just hard when you're living in a foreign country. Oh well, I guess at least revealing the country you're living in isn't going to hurt, eh? But because of this, I still haven't got everything together for the first package. I guess I should make it priority number one for this week to get the package together and finally send it off.
Talking about SP12, I guess I should answer the week's question, too: What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?
Now, that's one hard nut to crack. I used to think that I could never ever have enough yarn...but the confining space actually got me re-thinking about it and I'm happy with what I've got right now. I reckon that the perfect amount of stash is the amount that you feel comfortable with without having any guilt on "having too much". I always jokingly say that I have waaaay too much stash, but I know that it's puny comparing to some of you out there. Bottom line is, I'm happy with it and that's what counts. ;-)
So, that' all for now. I've got too many UFOs on the needles and the attempt to reduce them only mysteriously procures more new projects. Don't ask me how I managed to do that...but it just happened. Hopefully I will have a cute FO to show you soon. ;-)
Right now, I'm going to pop in a DVD (no hostel work tomorrow, since there's a guy coming to read last winter's heat usage in the building and I'm not leaving my keys with my so-called neighbours, since I don't know jack about them) and knit on one of the new UFO. Y'all have a great start to the week, eh?
(Oh, and one last thought thrown in: Boohoo on Germany for playing such a lousy game last night resulting in ending up being second for the European Cup. Junx, Ihr könnt echt viel besser als das gestern! - Don't know when I turned into such a footy. LOL.)
Current Mood: Missing Dr. D already...but I'm feeing good, as long as there is enough ice-cream. Food for the ears: Okay, okay, so this first clip is not music. Thanks to the Gal with the Orange Body-suit (TM - harhar, you know who you are), I'm now addicted to Jeffery and Cole on YouTube. They're absolutely hilarious and got me ROFLing every time I watch a new clip (besides, I think that Jeffery is such a QT!):
And in order to not leave you dry without music, here's what I'm...well, anticipating (OH.Mah.Gaaaaaaaaaawd, I'm so gay in this post!):
Yeah, and the song in my favourite mise-en-scenes:
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like? - Hmmm....my all time favourite would be Wollmeise. I have pretty much a good access to that. Otherwise I like to knit with natural fibres and I really do not like and tend to avoid man-made/synthetic fibres. When it's a blend, I try not to go over 30% mixture of man-made fibre content in the yarn. I also don't knit with fun-fur, novelty yarns, ribbon yarns and the like.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? - I have two needles/hooks rolls from Sew-Mad. I use one for circular knitting needles, while the other one holds DPNs and crochet hooks.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? - I've been knitting for about two and a half years (started in December 2005). I taught myself with the help of KnittingHelp Videos. I would consider myself to be an upper-intermediate knitter. (FYI, I started crocheting in June 2006, spindling in August 2007 and wheel spinning in January 2008.)
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? - Yes, you can find the it HERE(or the German Amazon list HERE). You can also find both lists on my sidebar towards the bottom.
5. What’s your favorite scent? - Hmmm...I don't know exactly. I like spring and fresh (but not citrus) scents when it's warmer and in winter I like sultry but fresh and not heavy scent. If we're talking about perfume, then right now I mainly use DKNY's "Be Delicious" for men, because it's entering summer time. Otherwise I have Issey Miyake's men, Jean-Paul Gautier "Power of 2", Zegna's "Z" (Ducati version) and Carolina Herrera's "Chic". I've also used Giorgio Armani's "Aqua di Giò" and Cerruti's "Image" (discontinued).
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? - Yup, (dark) chocolate works well with me, as well as chocolate-mint combination.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? - I guess crochet, but I don't do that so much. Yes, I spin and LOVE it. I have quite a collection of drop spindles (mainly from Butterfly Girl Designs) and I have a Kromski Minstrel. Would you consider photography a craft?
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) - I mainly listen to classical music, jazz, swing and oldies, but I also listen to other stuff, too. Just can't stand heavy metal and all those. I like indie music as well. Yes, my computer/stereo can play MP3s. I have an iPod 5th Generation (video).
9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? - All shades of blue. Brown, white/cream, grey, black, green. I don't have a colour I can't stand, but there are certain colours that I just don't wear (hand-knit socks are an exception), which are yellow and reds.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? - I'm gay and I have a boyfriend (Dr. D). No, I don't have any pets.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? - Yes to scarves and mittens. Hats only when it's extremely cold and my ears will drop off (you know, hats/beanies will only just give you hat-hair...and so I don't really wear hats). Ponchos are a No-No.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? - For myself, I would say socks. But I also love knitting lace shawls...but well, I can't really wear those (except at home).
13. What are you knitting right now? - Socks (multiples), Hemlock Ring Blanket, Baby Surprise Jacket, Swallowtail Shawl, Flower Basket Shawl, Clapotis....otherwise, just visit my Ravelry's Project Page.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? - Yup! I've hardly ever got any hand-made gifts before.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? - Circular, aluminium (the kinds from Addi, Knit Picks)
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? - Yes, both ball winder and a swift.
17. How old is your oldest UFO? - Hmmmm...probably about a year or a year and a half old.
18. What is your favorite holiday? - I don't really celebrate holidays...but I guess Christmas. Any day that I get to spend with Dr. D is my favourite. :-p
19. Is there anything that you collect? - Spinning fibre and yarns...oh, and perhaps drop spindles.
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? - Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters! :-p As for yarns...I don't know. Probably some new colourways and the Ravens series from BMFA's Socks-That-Rock. Knit-Picks Options set. I used to have Vogue Knitting subscription, but didn't renew it, but to be honest, I'd rather be subscribing to Interweave Knits and Spin Off.
21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? - All those in Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters book. Otherwise I'd say spinning techniques, both on spindles and on a wheel. Although I have to admit that I don't really go technical when it comes for me to do it, I just do it and if it works, then it works, if not then I'll try something else and come back to it and perhaps it'll dawn on me what I did wrong the last time. :-p Otherwise, perhaps weaving?
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? - Yes, I guess I could call myself a sock knitter. Tip of toe to end of heel = 27 cm/10.5 inches; foot arch/instep to heel circumference = 33.5 cm/13 inches
Started: 19th April 2008 Finished: 30th April 2008 Yarn:Wollmeise 100% superwash merino Sockenwolle in "Koralle im Meer" (light) Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm / 80 cm Pattern:Mystic Light Shawl by Anna Dalvi (aka Knit & Knag)
At last I got around to taking some photos of the Mystic Light Shawl. I surprised myself knitting this whole thing in only 11 days. Admittedly, the shawl's not that huge...but it's still a good sizes shawl.
I have problem with the colourway though. It is pretty busy that it obscures the lace pattern. But thanks to clever photography tricks, I can get the lace pattern to show on the photos.
I might knit this shawl again in a more solid colourway. I'll see.
All in all, I reckons that the shawl is beautiful and it wasn't such a hard pattern to knit like the Mystic Waters. The cables that run down the middle and along the top edge of the shawl as well as the true lace border add an interesting point in the knitting.
I was racking my brain trying to think of a nice setting to take photos of the shawl because I had to represent light somehow. I started out thinking about taking the photo of the shawl with a lamp post...but that was tacky and out of the question because I couldn't reach up the lamp post anyway to hang up the shawl. :-p I settled for the small park around my flat and hung the shawl up on the tree with the sunlight streaming through the shawl to represent the light. The branches of the tree created shadows and helped representing the mystical part of it.
It was so windy when I was doing the photoshoot that I thought the shawl would fly away. Alala reckons that the colourway reminds her of Superman. LOL, imagine if the shawl had really blown away and flew around in the wind. It's a Superman Shawl! Thank goodness the tree barks were so rough that the shawl hung on to it very well.
Started: 22nd April 2008 Finished: 05th May 2008 Yardage: approx. 412.5 m WPI: 18 WPI (plied) Fibre: "Tahiti", 4 oz/113 g merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks given to me by ClaudiaWarner Wheel & Settings: Kromski Minstrel, spun worsted on 12:1 ratio in double-drive mode, navajo-plied on 16:1 ratio in double-drive mode.
There are some super thin parts on the finished yarn...I just hope it won't break because I'm already knitting with it:
I'm knitting a Swallowtail out of my "Tahiti" optim hand-spun.
"Flambé" is French for the Scarce Swallowtail...it's native to Europe and not the Pacific. I chose the name "Le Flambé du Pacifique" (Scarce Swallowtail of the Pacific) because the colourway "Tahiti". Besides, I reckon that the colours on the Flambé's wings also reflects the colourway of this shawl.
Lastly, Dr. D and I went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber together last Saturday. It was our first trip alone together to somewhere, where both of us haven't yet been.
Nice picturesque hamlet....but it has unfortunately turned into such a tourist trap. Things are overpriced and everywhere there are only shops selling knick-knacks to fill the clichés but that nobody actually needs.
We went to two museums there: Reichstadt Museum and the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum. Otherwise we just walked around town and looked at this and that.
Oh, and I got to try some "Schneeball" (it's a kind of snack and a specialty of Mittelfranken), which kind of made me sick afterwards because it's so fatty.
Very last thing though, I really would like to thank every single one of you who sent me words of encouragements and understandings concerning my last post. I'm feeling a lot better now that those things are out of my system. I have to make it clear though that when I talked about the negativity on Ravelry...or rather about HipKnits, it wasn't about the customers or something like that as some of you might have thought (well, those of you who knows the story wouldn't have needed any explanation anyway), but it's about the scandal that came with the shop's closing down a whole load of other things - no idea why I thought the shop had closed. I won't go into detail about it here since it doesn't really concern me (I never bought anything from there)...but if you're curious, I'm sure you can find information about it all over the net anyway. ;-)
ETA: Oh, dear Eru! Now there are even people copying spindles! That's getting kinda bad....if not very bad.
Well, so now you've caught up on everything. Have a great week, everyone!
Current Mood: Good Food for the Ears: (If you listen to the Knitters Uncensored Podcast, you might remember this song....oh, and the video might not be very kid/work-safe.)
I'm still here...just not really saying much. There are things that have been bothering me so bad and I have been on edge about whether I want to write about them or not and ended up chicken out and not blogging about it. There's some stuff on the internet and then there's some personal stuff. I'm not sure where to begin.
Let's start off so: Yes, I've been busy with work, boyfriend, thesis, studying, life....yeah, kind of in that order...and so I haven't been blogging. I skim through my bloglines, but I could hardly find inspiration to say something. I'm the kind of person who goes by the motto of "if you haven't got something nice to say, then just don't say anything". Lately though, I've come across so many things that just totally tick me off and I'm finding it harder and harder to hold back. I'm not a fan of critics, I don't like getting any (who does?). I know that constructive critics are good, but still, they will make you feel bad. I don't know whether it comes from my studying and writing my thesis that I've become more critical in most things I see. I start to analyse what people do and say....and I'm not sure whether I sometimes forget to analyse myself.
So, I'm laying my cards on the table and I'm open to the critics that definitely will ensue after this post. I'm sure that I'm bound to offend someone, if not a lot of people with what I'm about to say. I'm sure that people will turn the stick around and say that I'm doing the same thing, too. Perhaps, yes....but I'm just going to be dickhead and tell you that this is my space and I'm going to say what I want to say. I need a space to vent and I'm not going to do that in secrecy anymore.
Let's start off with the internet...or more specifically, Podcasts. In the past month, I found myself deleting some podcasts off my listening list, because I just can't stand the content any more. Yes, there were knitting podcasts that got scrapped because of the same reason...but there is one particular podcast that's not knitting related. I'm not going to do advertisement for this podcast and link to it. Here's the scoop: I started listening to this podcast back from its first episode. It is now up to its 476th episode and I must say that the content has deteriorated so much from when it started. It used to be about technology, news, movies...basically fun stuff and the host - I'll refer to the host as "he" - did a great job at presenting it in a fun way. Problem is, he started to expand and created several different podcasts based on the same line but on different stuff. All of them are well produced and entertaining. What happened was, he would do about 5-6 episodes and then just leave it off....whilst announcing in his main podcast that he will definitely continue doing those other podcasts. Yeah, that was like two years ago. He keeps doing that, i.e. creating new podcasts and then leave it. For goodness's sakes, follow up with your work!
I wouldn't rant about this, but thing is, the expansion doesn't go to just new podcasts. But all the time, he keeps recruiting other podcasts to join up in his "network"....which IMHO is pretty much like a little empire. He got other podcasts to join him, whilst he himself is neglecting all the 10 other podcasts he created. He keeps those neglected podcast online saying that it's a good resource for newer people to find. Sure...but when you listen between the lines, it sounds pretty much like: "I'm leaving it up there like a fishing net, so that people would end up coming to me in the end." Sure, there's nothing wrong with doing that...but how he says it in the shroud of his sliminess is sickening.
Towards the end of every year, he would start this donation marathon, so that he would get money in for the podcast. Let me state here that he's doing the podcast as part of his job, but he's not getting paid for it. His employer tells him that he needs to come up with his own funding for it. Great, isn't it? In my case, I would do it, but I wouldn't go around begging for money in such an offensive way and giving reasons that just don't live up to what it's worth. I got so pissed off and disgusted two years ago at listening to 45 minutes (on a normally 30-minutes podcast) of why the heck we should "donate" the money to the podcast that I ended up writing an email to the podcaster telling him that I find his method ridiculous and that he should be ashamed of what he's asking. No answer. Last year, the same thing.
The only thing that happens now in his podcast are emails and messages that he would broadcast because they glorify his "success" and "how great the podcast" is. He says that he answers every email....yeah, so what the fuck happened to mine? He hardly comes up with new content for the podcast any more, apart from using listener's feedbacks to fill up about 90% of the podcast. The 10% left is used to glorify himself and advertise for his other hibernating podcasts and his minion podcasts.
Second thing on the internet involves knitting....more specifically stuff that's been going on in Ravelry. I'm amazed at how many bad stuff has been cropping up in the knitting community (Keywords: Mystical Creations Yarn, HipKnits, MagKnits to name just a few). Perhaps it's just the perception because with Ravelry, everything got thrown out in the pot and everyone can see them in one place....so that probably makes it more visible to me.
What I'm getting at though is about the craziness about Wollmeise yarns. Don't get me wrong here, I'm really happy about people loving Wollmeise. If you know me long enough, you know that I support her wholeheartedly and wouldn't give any second thoughts about doing advertisement for her. But what's really getting to me are 1) people who are trying to make profit out the demand from Wollmeise right nowm, i.e. eBay and 2) people who can't seem to know when it's enough and stop asking for more..
Let's make this clear here: I have enough Wollmeise with me. I hoard them. I have access to Wollmeise easily enough for you to tell me that I'm not in the position to say things like this. However, let me state that I'm not the one asking for more more more. I have them and I'm happy with what I have. I don't mind having more, or every colourways...but I don't go around trying it get it with every chance. I know there are people out there wanting to try some but weren't lucky enough to get some (yet). And that's why it adds to my loathing of people who got the Wollmeise and put them up on eBay to get profit out of it. Don't you dare tell me there are other reasons like you need the money immediately and need to de-stash. Because in that case you can just put it up on eBay for immediate sales and not for auction. I wouldn't argue either if you put it up for immediate sales and add your shipping costs that you've paid originally to your price. Oh, and yes, I know who you are.
I kept having to tell people that they need to realise it's just one person doing all this and that they should cut Wollmeise some slack. But no, all they want is more....never mind that the one person doing it might just as well drown and die.
I try to accommodate for everyone on the Wollmeiseholics group on Ravelry. I do realise that I can't please every single one of you....but I'm also getting vibes that all you want is more. Sometimes, I just feel really left out and lonely there. I'm still a human being and I do want some kind words and some recognition for organising things. But lately it seems like I'm being commandeered around to do this and that. Seems sometimes people don't realise they're actually dealing with a real person on the other end who is doing this thing in his own free time and getting nothing out of it apart from seeing some people being happy about it. I'm not asking you to write an apology in order to ask me to do something....but some nice words would have been nice.
Lately, I've been hearing more and more critics about Lanaiolo. Yeah, I know you guys read my blog, so please, do note of how I feel about all this. The shop is relatively new, we still need to acclimatise on how to run the shop most effectively. Yes, the yarns are over-priced in some views, but it's still only some amount. Yes, I know you can get probably the same yarn elsewhere for cheaper and I'm not going to say anything about it. However what I'm going to say here is that you've said all those things to me once and that's enough. No need to hammer it in on me. Do realise that I'm just an employee there and I'm not the one running the shop. I can mention it to my boss once, but that's all I can do. I can't tell her how to run the shop because I'm not in the position. You, as a customer, are in the position to criticise constructively to her. But it doesn't bring anything to try getting me relaying all those things to my boss, because I'm not going to do that and put myself in such an awkward position. Sure, I don't always agree with my boss and I'll tell her my opinions...but still she has the last word. If you've never run a shop yourself, then I would suggest you not to start telling other people how to run their shops - yes, constructive criticisms and suggestions are still welcomed...but don't just go right out and say that what she's doing is wrong, unless you really know better because you're in the business yourself.
I'm also feeling left out by some real life "friends" around here. Sure, I'm busy with other things and I'm doing a lot more with Dr. D than with you. But it just seems to me that I'm being left on the edge with things that you do. I've addressed this issue a couple of times now and I don't want to nag about it. But it's making me extremely sad that I'm not being included. Sure, mea culpa for always saying that I can't join...but at the least, I would appreciate the fact that at least I was asked. I do put on a brave face when I get to see you, but really, I'm wilting inside. I'm not sure whether it was because of what I've said or done in the past that you stop including me. I don't know whether you don't realise you're doing it. I don't know whether you don't see it as I do. But yes, it hurts.
Lastly, I'm terrified about the prospect that Dr. D might have to move away for his job. It's nothing specific yet...but still the thoughts just terrify me to no ends. I mean, it's not like he's going to be out of the picture....and it's not like I can't move with him. But at the moment, I can't imagine living in another city apart from Munich - although admittedly, I've been getting fed up with Munich lately. It's just that I'm the kind of person who needs a lot of close contact with my partner and I just can't imagine doing distant relationship.
I'm really grateful for having Dr. D...coming to think of it, he's actually the most considerable of boyfriends I've ever had so far and he's patient with me. I've learnt a lot about myself in the past 6 months that I've been with him and I notice changes in myself and my attitudes, however gradually it is. Even though I might not have said it or show it blatantly to him, but he's one of the very few things right now that really makes me happy and I sure hope he knows it.
Anyway, sorry about the gloomy, ranty and venting post. I've got fibre/knitting related stuff to show you, too...and that will come. My 4th blogiversary is coming up and I'm thinking of doing some kind of contests. I'll see.
Please, people, don't hate me for what I've said above...I've just come to the point that I can't hold it in any longer and need to make room for other things in my head....I just hope that I won't be regretting this post afterwards.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Current Mood: Pensive...I guess Food for the ears:
Started: 13th April 2008 Finished: WIP Yardage: n/a WPI: n/a Fibre:100 g of AustralMerino Ombria from Die Wollfabrik Spindle: Open work Italian Resin top-whorl spindle from Butterfly Girl Designs
You know, it's been quite a while ever since I actually just really blogged instead of copying whatever I've written on Flickr underneath the photos and just post it here. So, I guess I have a bit of catch-up to do.
I actually went off spindling for a while...or actually off the spinning at all. But thanks to Bockstark Knits, my spinning passion came to a new bloom. You see, Bockstark got into knitting with some hand-spun and now she just wants to spin herself. And from there, the spinning bug just jumped over and bit me again.
Another catalyst was the spindles that I ordered from Butterfly Girl Designs came in the post at last...and of course, I had to start spinning again.
The one that you see above is an Italian Resin top-whorl. It's really light (0.5 oz) and is really great for fine spinning. BGD has put up a tanned whorl colour and a white one....I had been eyeing the white one for quite a while but held myself back because I have so many spindles already, only to feel kinda disappointed when I saw that the white resin one was sold. I just found out that it was snatched from me by Stick and Whorl...*grrrrr* LOL. She sure does a great job with the spinning. ;-) And now I have new blog to read. Yay!
Then I also got this BGD spindle with Black Lip Mother of Pearl whorl. It's even lighter than the Italian resin one and is the lightest spindle I have around here. I'm resisting about spinning some random stuff up with this spindle, because I have just ordered some batts from Copperpot and I think I want to spin one of the batts up with this spindle. Not that I have any project in mind. I think that I'm also a process spinner. :-p
Right now my fingers are itching to just try out different fibres. I think that after I finish this entry, I'm going to break out some of the sample fibres I have here and then play with them a bit on one of my spindles.
Start: 06th April 2008 Finish: 12th April 2008 Yarn: Opal "Wintermärchen" ("winter fairy tale") sock yarn in colourway #2155 Needles: 2.75 mm Rosewood DPNs from Lanternmoon "Sox Stix" Pattern: None....just plain stockinette over 68 stitches, eye of partridge heel
I've also finished a pair of socks. Honestly, the colourway's not really my cup of tea..but hell, I'm not going to say no to a pair of hand-knit socks. I got the yarn as well as the DPNs from the Handarbeits- und Hobbymesse in Cologne that I went to a couple of weeks ago with my boss from Lanaiolo.
I've decided to follow Bockstark's footsteps in having simple mindless (read: stockinette) socks on the needle at all time. And this was one of the first pairs.
And so the second pairs of simple socks follows. I'm using the yarn I won from a contest over at Esoteric Knitter's almost a year ago. I really love how the colours are turning out knit up and the feel of the sock is also really great.
Wow, feels almost as though I've been unplugging from the blogosphere. I think I kind of lost a bit of my blogging mojo. But well, as the photos accumulated, I felt that I either need to blog off some of them or otherwise scrap a whole load.
Anyways, if you've been following, I've finished my Mystic Waters Shawl (yeah, that's the temporary photo. I still need to take an artsy one).
Apart from that, my birthday has been a kind of extended one. What's with all the packages that came in in a period of every couple of days. The photo above is actually the second package. A good friend who wished to remain anonymous to the net sent me my much coveted Butterfly Girl Designs paua shell mosaic drop spindle.
I had been lusting after the paua shell version of her spindles ever since she made the first one and put it on the shop.
Apart from this, I also got the spindle with the new kind of swan neck hook, which really reduces the wobble when spinning to as much as none when comparing to the old style hooks that BGD used before (not that the wobbling ever bothered me at all).
Apart from that, the first birthday package that came in the mail was from Alala, who got me my birthday presents from my Amazon Wishlist (English one here).
A couple of days later, I received the next package. This time from Charles. He got me a small vintage Kromski Niddy-Noddy, 2 mixed CDs of Indie music (not in the picture) and his own hand-made card. Thank you very much!
The last package came from a collaboration between three dear friends of mine, two of which, I think, would prefer to be mentioned anonymously (but those in the knows can pretty easily guess who they are). Otherwise, the third one was BockstarkKnits. Thank you sooooo much!
So, I got the Kromski tensioned Lazy Kate with four extra bobbins. The Wollmeise Wellensittichvogelfeder in lace-weight for my Mystic Light KAL and a hank of worsted-weight each of Pfefferminz Prinz and Amazonas....and of course three test hanks.
That seems to conclude the birthday present bonanza.
I've otherwise been working on my thesis, as well as knitting and spinning.
Start: 06th March 2008 Finish: WIP Yarn: Gedifra Shetland Deluxe: 50% New Wool, 25% Baby Alpaca, 25% Mohair Needles: 4.5 mm / 100 cm Addi Turbos Pattern:Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood from Brooklyntweed
Started: 28th February 2008 Finished: Singles finished on 7th March 2008, Navajo-ply on 12th March 2008 Yardage: approx. 160 m / 50 g of light fingering-weight to almost DK-weight WPI: n/a Fibre: 50 g roving of extrafine merino in black with white mulberry silk Spindle: Singles spun worsted on carved Agate top-whorl spindle from Butterfly Girl Designs, Navajo-plied on Kromski Minstrel on 12:1 ratio in double-drive mode.
I'm pretty proud of this spin! It was just a test-spin for the roving that I bought in order to see what it would turn out like.
I spun the singles on the spindle and navajo-plied on the wheel...and it turned out soooo perfect!
The tweedy effect came from the un-dyed mulberry silk, which also in turns lent a certain shininess and sparkle to the whole appearance of the yarn.
The yarn's not staying with me though, because I'm going to give it away as a prize for the contest over at Knitters Uncensored. You can enter, too, even if you don't listen to the podcast. Just go and read the show notes for the latest episode to see what you have to do.
Started: 13tg February 2008 Finished: First bobbin of Singles on 10th March 2008 Yardage: n/a WPI: n/a (aiming for navajo-ply fingering-weight) Fibre: "Galway", 3.8 oz/108 g Domestic wool top from The Yarn Wench given to me by KnottyNaomi Wheel & Settings: Kromski Minstrel, spun worsted on 12:1 ratio in double-drive mode.
I also got halfway on this one. The spinning is taking f.o.r.e.v.e.r.!!!! The singles is really time consuming and the prospect of spinning another full bobbins of singles and then navajo-plying two bobbins full of it is pretty hair-raising already. But I'll persevere. :-)
I had been wanting to knit this pattern for myself for quite a while now (and yes, I'll buy myself the pattern...or the kit and knit another one). But WHOA, Alala used up th yarn and the leg's long. If I pull it up all the way, the cast-off edge touches the bottom of my kneecap! (You can see the curve of my calf covered by the sock...and I never had that before.)
Thank you so much!!!
And no worries, I've already started doing my first PIF project. It'll take some time though, because I've got a lot going on right now.
Well, that's all I have to tell you for now. Hope everybody's well!
So, there you have it. I'm now officially 26 years old. It doesn't feel any different at all, apart from the fact that I can feel more responsibilities looming over me. :-p
Thank you very much to everyone who have wished me happy birthday, either here, via email, on Ravelry or on Facebook. I really appreciated it.
I had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful birthday on Monday. I actually asked Dr. D to come around to the SnB group on Sunday evening a bit later on so that the camera crew would have finished filming and interviewing us (I was filmed and interview by a German TV channel on Thursday about my knitting and spinning, then they also did that on Sunday with the SnB group). He first said yes, but ended up not being able to come. So he sent me a message saying that he took Monday off work (mainly because he needed to do some work preparation for the day that follows) and will spend the day with me. That was actually the best birthday present ever for me already....
So, I went over to his place afterwards. Earlier in the day, I told him that I don't really celebrate birthday (and yes, that's a fact). All I ever want to do on my birthday is spending it with people I love and care about and just being there. I don't need all the tra-la-la on birthday. Sure, I like to get presents and I like to get congratulated on my birthday...but I don't measure too much of a meaning into it, apart from the fact that this shows that people are thinking of me, and that's the most anybody should ask for on their birthday. So, I was surprised and really touched that Dr.D went over to cram out some stuff from his wardrobe when the clock hit midnight and presented me a profiterole with a candle on top and a box of my birthday present. He told me that I told him too late about the fact that I don't really celebrate. Anyway, I ended up crying a bit because I wasn't expecting this...
The present he got me was a mouth-blown glass fountain pen along with a bottle of green ink with green tea aroma and a cute card. The gift was really thoughtful. Two weeks ago when I went to the Deutsches Museum with Dr. D was the first time we saw this glass fountain pen. Dr. D said he wanted one but didn't buy it back then. I told him that I like it, too, but couldn't imagine having one because I can only use it at home (you have to keep dipping the tip into the ink, like the old fashion feather) and can't just take it to the university to use. Well, now I have one. :-) Dr. D bought himself one, too.
Anyway, Dr. D also treated me to a brunch yesterday before he had to start doing some work preparation. So, I left and met up with Celina, who I haven't seen since November last year. She treated me to an afternoon tea and then invited me over to her place to have dinner with her and her husband. And that rounded off my 26th birthday really well.
So all in all, I can say that I had a great birthday. :-)
Going back a bit further, we went to have breakfast/brunch with one of Dr. D's friends on Saturday. The weather was really weird. It was pretty mild, but was cold with the wind. When Dr. D and I went down to the tube, everything was fine. By the time we got out and came to the surface, the ground was covered with snow, frozen rain and water...and it was sleeting. We ended up trudging through everything and got our feet and shoes totally soaked.
The weather cleared up while we were in the restaurant, so we all decided to go for a stroll through town, which gave me the opportunity to take some photos. We went into Theatinerkirche which is one of my favourite photo motifs here in Munich.
Afterwards we went to have afternoon tea before heading back our own ways. By that time, the blue sky you could see from the few photos above was turning really murky again.
Time to act a bit more responsible and do some more work on my thesis. So, yeah, I've been good today and have been reading for my thesis....going to give up on the reading for the day now, because things are getting a bit jumbled up in my head.
Writing a political-scientific thesis on my own country actually opens up my eyes about a lot of things....most prominently about the lies and propagandas that were taught to us in school back in my childhood. Some of the things I'm finding out right now is pretty hair-raising.
All this instills in me a bit of a conflict. I know for sure that I really do not want to go back and live there ever again (or at least until some serious changes in attitude take place there...but I doubt that would happen for the next 20 years). But on the other hand, it does bring up a question whether I actually want to help develop it in the other way.
Knowing it as it really is and having lived there...I doubt that I could change much, were I ever to decide that I wanted to make a difference there.
Start: 21st November 2007 Finish: WIP Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace Yarn: My own hand-spun, 100% 18 micron merino, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" Pattern: (Ravelry links), Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits, Fall 2004 Modification: Since I have only 500 m of this single, I can't double the yarn up and use the bigger needle. So I'm just down-sizing the whole thing.
And it's not as though I haven't been knitting at all. I was getting bored with the stockinette knitting on my Clapotis and so I decided to dig another WIP out (okay, I actually have also started a new project, but that's another story).
This is actually the first project I started knitting using my very own hand-spun. I'm knitting this in singles and so it's going to turn out smaller than what is expected of the shawl, which supposed to use 2 strands held together. Maybe I'll add more repeats to the body...that depends on how much yarn I have though...I'll see.
Oh, and I'm also knitting this English style instead of my usual continental...so that I can practice at the style. ;-)
Started: 17th February 2008 Finished: 18th February 2008 Yarn:Wolle Rödel Sport & Strumpfwolle Maxi-Ringel, colour #17498 Needles: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace Pattern: Saartje's Bootees from Saartje Knits
I also made these for a friend who is expecting a baby soon. I just need to find buttons for them and present them to her. ;-)
Start & Finish: 19th February 2008 Needles: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Turbo Yarn: My own hand-spun, 100% Corriedale, "Heathland" Pattern: My own. 40 Stitches knitted in the round with 2x2 ribbing at the top.
And in the midst of my bigger projects I really felt like casting on for a new pair of socks - regardless of the twin-less socks I have around here -, I opted to a less damaging bail-out by casting on for a small instant gratification project and also using my own hand-spun.
I have had this project in mind ever since I've finished spinning up my Heathland. The yarn knits up surprisingly well. It has a rustic feel to the touch. The yarn itself didn't feel supple or stretchy, but it did behave like wool does: it stretches and thus was pleasant to knit with.
I usually keep this cellphone in my coat pocket for fear that the big screen might get scratched if I threw it in my bag. Now I have the cozy and it should protect the screen. However, I still keep the phone in the cozy in my pocket....because now I have to the advantage of fondling my own hand-spun knit up, too. ;-)
And after a long hiatus...I finally summed up enough courage to pick this project up again. Yeah, I finally fixed my Mystic Waters shawl.
I messed it up towards the end of last year and put it away until now. I decided that if I ever want it to be finished, I better give fixing it a try.
Basically, I lost a stitch or YO somewhere where there are YOs, k2tog's, ssk's left and right of that particular stitch. I tried fixing it and ending up losing 4 stitches. I tried fixing it back then but got really frustrated and that was why I had to put it away...to gain some distance from it. Otherwise I would get too frustrated with it and would probably have frogged the whole thing.
So, after about 2 months, I finally picked it back up again. I really spent the whole afternoon manipulating those four stitches...and after about 5 hours, I managed to get things to look pretty correct again. The YO over the fixed area seems bigger than the other YOs....but that's to be expected after much repeated pulling and tugging and frogging (thank goodness that Wollmeise yarn can take such harsh treatment). So, I'm just hoping that the unevenness there would be blocked out in the end.
So, we can expect a gorgeous FOs in the next few weeks!
And to close this one off, I better put up my questions for the people participating in PIF (Nikki, I know you're reading. So could you please also answer these questions and send them to me via E-mail):
1. Do you knit/crochet/spin? 2. Do you live in an area where you can get extreme coldness? 3. What are your favourite colours? 4. Are there any particular colours that you definitely will not wear? 5. Are you allergic to anything (particularly wool or something like that?) 6. Tea or coffee? 7. Dark or milk chocolate?
So, those are what I can come up with for now. There might be additional questions that I might post later on. But for now, this should suffice.
Have a great week everyone!
ETA:Oh, and the German lady with the Brooklyntweed Noro Scarf who popped in to Lanaiolo last Friday: You could have said hi to me and just say that you came because you read about the shop on my blog. I don't bite, you know? And you wouldn't have disturbed me at all (yes, I know, I was teaching someone at the moment). Yay, she wrote to me on Ravelry!
Current Mood: Calm Food for the Ears: "High & Dry" - Jamie Cullum
There are altogether 2 songs that can make me cry on the spot (usually I jump up in time to change the songs or leave before I have to hear them) and 2 other songs that after repeated hearing I'd start bawling...
Started: 14th January 2008 Finished: ca. 50g of single finished on 14th January 2008, second 50 g spun on 16th January 2008. Plied on 22nd January 2008 Yardage: 2-ply approx. 80 metres; Navajo-ply approx. 40 metres WPI: approx. 10 WPI Fibre: 22 micron Merino Top from Ewe Give Me The Knits, "Bracken Ridge" Wheel & Settings: Kromski Minstrel, spun worsted on 6.5:1 ratio in double-drive; 2-ply (right hank) 6.5:1 ratio in single-drive using Scotch tension and Navajo-ply (left hank) 6.5:1 ratio in single-drive using Scotch tension
OMG...I just can't keep away from blogging, because otherwise my photos will pile up and I just won't be able to fit them all in one post. Especially now that I've joined the Once A Day group on Flickr.
Anyhow, I've already mentioned that I was venturing out to spin enough heavy DK to make a scarf. Well, the dorkiness that is me spun the second lot of singles thinner than the first and ended up with more singles yardage. So when I went to do a 2-ply, I ended up with left-overs from the second batch. So, I ended up Navajo-ply what was left. Luckily, I ended up with pretty much the same weight yarns.
I found that as long as I don't have a Tensioned Lazy Kate, Navajo-ply was the way to go. Making 2+ ply out of multiple singles will leave me to a swearing kitty, because the singles keep twisting on to each other while I'm pulling them out. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at Navajo plying. ;-)
And because I've got so many photos to fit into this post, I need to select them carefully. So I won't be posting every single one of them. You can always check the rest of them out over on my Flickr anyway.
Started: 12th December 2007 Finished: single finished on 20th January 2008 Yardage: n/a WPI: n/a; Single seems to be very light lace-weight to cobweb Fibre: approx. 45 g of Merino batt with some sparkles (either nylon or Angelina) from Traveling Rhinos, sent to me by KnottyNaomi Spindle: Lapis Lazuli convertible spindle from Butterfly Girl Designs, used as top-whorl. Navajo-plied on Kromski Minstrel on 10:1 ratio double-drive
Yeah, I kinda cheated. If you remember, I spun the singles up using a drop spindle. Granted, I could have Navajo-ply it on a spindle, too...but I was in for instant gratification and chose to ply with Valrainë. It's still on the bobbin...still have to skein it and set the twist, then I'll know the yardage.
Started: 22nd January 2008 Finished: First bobbin of single spun on 23rd January 2008 Yardage: n/a WPI: n/a, I’m aiming for navajo-plied fingering-weight Fibre: "Grange", 3.7 oz/105 g Domestic wool top from The Yarn Wench given to me by KnottyNaomi Wheel & Settings: Kromski Minstrel, spun worsted on 8.5:1 ratio in double-drive mode.
Yeah, seriously, it seems that I just can't stop with the spinning. The Bracken Ridge from above hasn't even been cast-on yet and I've got another project in mind already. ;-p
