Well, I handed in my thesis of doomy-doom-doom yesterday. So, now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that things will go fine and that I'll pass that first stage and get to the exams. This will also mean that I have to gear up for the revisions. *urgh* Can't it just all be over now?
I think that for the moment, I should answer the SP12 question from last week:
What is your favourite summer drink?
I really don't know. I just drink what I feel like. Some kind of fruity cocktail, I guess. And wine's always there....perhaps more cool white wine in the summer.
I just don't drink soft drinks any more apart from the Schorle stuff.
Hehe, yeah, that's all I can come up with. Sorry, but my brain's pretty useless at the moment. I took yesterday off and visited a friend who just recently had a baby....which reminded me of an FO that I haven't shown you:
Start: 23rd May 2008 Finish: 31st May 2008 Needles: 4 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace Yarn:Handgefaerbt.com, Winter Abo 2007 Pattern: Baby Surpise Jacket (BSJ) by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yup, I made my first BSJ. It's still too big for the little girl though.
Anyway, I think I'm going to retire for the day to just lounge around and do nothing apart from knitting and spinning and think about the first package for my downstream SP12. ;-)
Y'all have a great week out there!
Current Mood: Addle-brained Food for the ears: "Daschn" - Claudia Koreck
Still no time to really blog. Drowning with thesis stress right now. Just want to write here a bit, so that my Upstream SP12 doesn't think I've been sucked through the floor (although I really feel like that right now).
Peepz, tell me whether you hate the automatic numbering thing on Microsoft Words or not. It's driving me nuts right now because it's not doing what it should do. I got the sequence like: 1., 1.1, 1.1.1., 1.1.1.2, etc. Then suddenly I got 4. instead of 2.!
What.The.EFF?!
And it wouldn't let me change it. When I got around to change it, it consequently effed up the whole thing.
ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
Oh, yeah, just got off the phone with Dr. D. He's the one in a good mood right now (usually it's vice-versa). He laughed a bit when he heard about how down I am right now. No, no, I didn't take offense (his laughters did cheer me up a bit...exactly what I need right now). He said that it's because he really believe me now when I said that I understood him when he didn't have time for me because of his stuff at work/university. Apparently he didn't totally believe me before. LOL. Oh well, it's nice to know that he believes me.
Anyway, I'm absolutely knackered. My brain's just about to explode and I don't think I ever want to hear about Thai politics ever again after next week.
Drinking a big glass of Vintage Port right now and then I'll hit the hay.
I'm not even going to start about what's going on at the hostel at the moment. *sighs*
Hope your week has started off better than mine. Take care, y'all.
Current Mood: ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! *meh* Food for the ears:
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: 24th April 2007 Finished: 03rd April 2008 Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace circs Yarn:Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Lace-weight, 100% superwash merino, 300g Hank (530 m / 100 g), colour: "Poison No. 5" Pattern: "Icarus" by Miriam Felton from Interweave Knit Summer 2006
LOL, the wingspan part is a teaser. More to come. ;-)
"Icare, ubi es? Qua te regione requiram?"
Anyhow, yesterday, I was on the German...well, Bavarian telly knitting and spinning. It's kind weird seeing yourself like that. I reckon that I looked and sounded horrible....but it's a nice 5 minutes of fame.
They filmed me back towards the end of February and beginning of March. I was followed around on two days. The first day, I was filmed and interviewed at Lanaiolo, i.e. the LYS I work in...and they also interviewed the owner (Katharina Ritter). Then they did a shooting with me in downtown Munich...which was quite an experience, as the town was full of people and they just stared - which contributed to my nerve-wrecking nervousness. Then on the second day, they came and filmed me at my tiny flat while I spun on the wheel. After that, we went over to the SnB and filmed the whole group.
Anyway, I don't think that they put the video up on the web to see...but who knows, someone might put it on YouTube. Mind you though, the thing's in German. ;-)
ETA: Thanks to a friend on Ravelry, there's a YouTube video now:
And here's a translation/transcript of the text for those of you who don't speak German: Narrator: Too wacky or too corny. Too ordinary or too expensive. Victor W. from Thailand can’t do much with the normal mass products. But self-reliance is the name of the game.
Elemm: I always have my knitting with me. I knit various projects during the same time and this here is going to be a scarf.
Narrator: He started with the handiwork two years ago when there were problems in his relationship.
Knitting is not (well-)known in Thailand and so Victor taught himself how to knit with instructions from books and the internet. At first, he knit small squares and then also garments and accessories, which he either gives away or wears it himself.
Elemm: This, for example, is my scarf. I knit this about a year ago and it is….well, yes, I wear it pretty much all the time.
For me, knitting is an addiction…but a good kind of addiction, because it’s meditative, relaxing, creative and very productive.
Narrator: Victor can’t get enough of his object of desire: The wool/yarn. The solution? He works at a shop of another birds of a feather, Katharina Ritter.
Elemm: To work here is like a dream come true, because I’m at the source. There so many different kinds of yarns here that I can try out. And I also get to know the different kinds of yarn.
Katharina: Here we knit with high-quality yarns, a lot of which are from organic cultivation. The customers ask about it. Say, if the yarn comes from China, then they don’t want to have it. However, the products that we have here are geared more towards (producing) ready-to-wear garments. It’s a fashion that you can really wear.
Elemm: …it has to be soft and not scratchy. I would say that good quality can be found in a wool that’s not scratchy.
Narrator: To produce a knitted garment by yourself is a lot more fun than just buying clothes off the rack. It just takes longer.
Katharina: I want to have a beautiful jacket that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. This is half wool, half silk and it feels great. And it is really mine. I made it and it’s probably one-of-a-kind in the whole world. You wear it with a matching pride, because you made it yourself. I also found out about a nice side-effect and that is the fact that it makes me feel good, because I did something using my own two hands…on the contrary of my normal office job that I have. And I end up with something to wear.
Narrator: Victor can speak 12 languages (LIIIIESSSS!!!! – it’s just 6). He has lived in Germany for 8 years, but it’s through his hobby that he has found a lot of friends (also a lie!). He takes care of 3 knitting groups. Chit chat at the SnB
Petra (short blonde hair): …and if you have to tink back and have to frog because something didn’t work out then it’s pretty nerve-wrecking but you get over it.
Narrator: Victor and his friends stand by their hobby. To knit in a café you need to have some guts…especially as a guy.
Elemm: I think that guys just aren’t brave enough to knit in the public…especially in the midst of women.
Marion (blonde with glasses): …it’s not something that a man would normally do. It’s a typical female work. If a guy were to stand there with a saw and do some woodworks, then that would probably be more accepted in the public than a guy knitting.
Petra: There are people who say some stupid things to us. There are people who want to order something from us. A lot just come to the group and so there are always new people coming to the group because they can see us and suddenly go: “Oh, I also knit, too. When do you usually meet?”
Narrator: And here is Victor with his new passion: Spinning. The hobbies have changed his life.
Elemm: I would say that it has made me more colourful. I feel more confident wearing more colourful stuff…well, good, at the moment it’s more with the socks. But also scarves and mittens have become more colourful. And through spinning and knitting, I’ve also become more patient.
Well, that's all I've got for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Current Mood: Good Food for the Ears: "In the Deep" - Bird York (from "Crash" Soundtrack)
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.
So, this is what you do when you work in a LYS...you go around posing with yourself in the photo because you have been waiting for this moment for the past two years.
I was there today because I had to fill in for someone. The owner had to go to a funeral and the other lady who works there couldn't come in today.
Anyway, it's good for me because Dr. D's not here this weekend and I would have been lost by myself. Besides KnitLady came and knit with me and kept me company. Today was the fourth time I've worked there. FYI, if you feel so inclined to come visit me, I work part-time there Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m....
Up until this moment there's nothing much going on. I mean, the shop's new and so it still needs to be noticed. There is going to be a Knit-Night next Friday (15th February 2008) from 7 p.m. on. The catch is that, the owner's asking for a participation fee of EUR 10. There's a free soft-drink included....and also a surprise. ;-) I know part of the content of the surprise. Anyhow, she's offering non-alcoholic drinks and toasted sandwiches. If you're new to knitting and want to learn, you can on that evening. You need to register for it, the contact info is as follows:
When you register to come, you'll also receive a 5% discount on the yarn you buy before and on the Knit-Night. We stock the most GGH in Munich and we also carry Gedifra, Lang, Schachenmayr Nomotta, Regia and On Line.
(Rant in)
Anyhow, the only thing that happened today was a lady who came in with her husband. It was obvious that the husband didn't want to come...but she probably had dragged him in.
She came in and wanted me to help her fix her short-row heel ("Boomerangferse" in German) which was full of holes. I asked her whether she did the wrapping ("Umschlag" in German, which also means YO), she said no "because it's not in the instruction". So, I tried explaining to her that she needs to do this wrap-and-turn in order to prevent the holes, instead of just do a k2tog.
She looked at me and blinked.
And then she asked me whether I have never heard of the "Boomerangferse" before. I said, I know exactly what it is and how to do it and that there are variations on how you do it.
She looked me up and down again and blinked. The husband started huffing and shuffling around.
She gave me her socks on the needles and told me to frog it back and pick up the stitches for her.
I told her that the best way was to insert a life-line where the heel knitting begins and then frog down to that part and then pick up the stitches, do the short-row with W&T.
She looked at me, blinked and repeated her last sentence....slower this time. She also pulled out the copied page of how to knit the sock with short-row heel sans W&T. She jabbed at that piece of paper and said that there is nothing about the "Umschlag" on there and looked at me angrily as though I didn't understand a damn word she had been painstakingly enunciating to me. The husband opened his mouth but didn't say anything...so he resorted to shuffling around again.
I told her calmly that I can try tinking it back for her and show her. And so I tinked back a stitch, and showed her how to do the W&T....
....she snatched the sock out of my hands and stuffed it inside her bag and said that she would do it herself and that I don't have any idea about knitting socks and that she reckons that I don't even know how to knit.
I just smiled, said sorry that I couldn't help and showed them out.
After that I just sat there fuming and cursing her under my breath. How dare she?! If there was a person who had no idea, then it was her. If she reckons she can do it better herself, then fine. Suit yourself. But don't come accusing me that I didn't know how to knit. That was absolutely rude of her.
(Rant out)
So, that's what happened today. I better go knit a bit. :-p
Come around and visit me at the shop when I work there...or come to the Knit-Night!
Start: 25th December 2007 Finish: 27th December 2007 Yarn:The Fibre Bin Exotic Llama Yarn, 2-ply, 60% Llama, 40% Wool in black Needles: 4 mm Addi Lace for ribbing and 4.5 mm Addi Turbos for the pattern Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood from Brooklyntweed, in Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 Notes: I did the smaller version (4 pattern repeats instead of 5)
This is the first time that I can go stash shopping for a yarn that's not sock-weight or lace-weight (yes, my stash now consists mostly of those). I could have used some Wollmeise worsted that I have here (Iris Sibirica and Amazonas), but I wasn't quite brave enough yet to be sporting green hats. That was when I remembered the somewhat scratchy llama-wool blend I got from Cashyie back in the days prior to Knitters Uncensored. It was perfect.....apart from the fact that it felt pretty scratchy and it moulted like crazy while knitting (not to mention while making the yarn cake. It looked as though a black cat had been shedding off its coat on my desk). I hope for the best after the washing. :-p
Anyhow, I started the hat on Christmas and knit only for a couple of hours on it in the evening with lots of interruption (working - yes, I was knitting at work -, chatting, emailing, eating, watching TV, DVDs, reading for uni, etc.). Up until last night when I picked it up and finished it in one go....so I ended up finishing the hat in a matter of 3 days. I'm sure that I could crank one out in this gauge in one day.
I did only four repeats of the pattern, because I like hat and not woolen bag that goes over my whole head. I'm pleased with the result, even though I'm not a hat person (because I'm vain and I don't like my hair being messed up - unless it's by Dr. D. And admit it, no one likes hat-hair either).
The wool bloomed and softened after the washing....but it got even more fuzzier than before. It's still somewhat scratchy to the touch, but when it goes over my head and hair, it feels soft and lofty. The yarn is a 2-ply and I would dare say that it was hand-spun because of the slubby nature of the yarn and the loose ply.
This was also the first time I've ever knit with such exotic fibre as a llama blend. I have been wearing the Koolhaas around all morning long here at my tiny flat and I notice that it will certainly keep my head really toasty warm outside, but surprisingly, it's also very comfortable inside and it regulates the heat very well.
And so is my Koolhaas story.
No decision on the wheel yet....although I have to admit that I'm tending towards spoiling myself due to the fact that I didn't get to celebrate Christmas (damn work!) and that I will also have to work over New Year's Eve and New Year. Maybe I might ask what Dr. D thinks about it....not that he can decide for me. Perhaps, I'm waiting for some kinds of signs to tell me whether I should go ahead and get the wheel or just keep the money for other purposes. Who knows. ;-)
Have a nice and lovely weekend everyone, and if I don't get around to post before New Year (yeah, I don't know what's going on with the sudden burst of posting in the past week with me either): A very Happy New Year 2008 to all of you!
ETA: Here are a couple of things I want to set goal for in 2008:
Get rid of all those WIPs by either frogging them or finishing them off (namely: Mystic Waters, Icarus, Flower Basket, Firestarter, La Digitessa, Montego Bay, Vinnland, Beetlejuice JayWalkers, Blue JayWalkers, Silk Garden Kolenyas, Pro Natura Socks, Clapotis and Pink MSCS). Then I'll try to keep my UFOs to only 3....but looking at the list of my UFOs, the future seems pretty bleak. :-p
Knit at least one more sweater (this doesn't count to the point above)
Get a wheel (re: the whole post above...and yeah, I really think that I'm going to go for the wheel, despite what people say) DONE!
Finish off my thesis by April and study for my diploma
Get another job that's not so tolling on my schedule
Go jogging again once it gets warmer
Cook a proper meal at least once a week (probably will be doing that with Dr. D anyway)
Current Mood: Extremely good (coz Dr. D's going to be back in Munich this evening *yay!*) Food for the Ears: "Christmas Oratorio" - JS Bach
Quote: "Anand, through Pollwatch, was to secure an alliance that, despite tensions, would serve sections of the post-May liberal intelligentsia and bourgeoisie well."
Comment: I'm currently on page 93...but the quote from page 161 still means something to me. ;-)
Choco stat: Started: 22nd September 2007 Finished: 25 g, spun in single on 11th October 2007 Fibre:Anettes Wollwerkstatt merino roving, 19.5 microns Spindle:Anettes Wollwerkstatt Turkish Cross Spindle
Hokey Pokey stat: Started: 11th October 2007 Finished: 25 g, spun in single on 27th November 2007 Fibre:Anettes Wollwerkstatt merino roving, 19.5 microns Spindle:Anettes Wollwerkstatt Turkish Cross Spindle
Plying: Started and Finished: 01st December 2007 Yardage: approx. 300 m WPI: approx. 25 WPI Fibre: See above Spindle: Carved Agate top-whorl spindle from Butterfly Girl Designs
FYI, the title of the post means "So that something happens".
First, I've finished my spinning project that stretched over 3 months! What do you think of the Tiger's Eye? This yarn really made me work for it. The single took a long time in spinning, due to the fact that I got bored with it.
Nothing special about the plying. But when I went to re-skein the washed yarn, everything got tangled up so bad that I spent five hours playing kitty with it. I got really close to the point where I just wanted to throw the whole thing away. But I kept at it and the effort was well worth it!
300 metres of yarn is however not enough for a shawl...besides, I don't really think that I want a shawl in yellow either. Maybe I'll do a Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf (Ravelry link) out of it.
Anyway, there's something that really makes me feel elated today. I've been having some sleepless nights over the weekend due to my studies. Like I mentioned before, I was worried about my seminar paper marks not getting in to the uni in time for me to register for the diploma, which is this coming Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, I handed in my very last seminar paper and the prof marked it over the weekend. I got the result back and was already elated. I got 1.7! Now I have to explain the German marking system briefly here. Basically you can get marked from 1 to 5. With 1 being the best, like an A+ and 4.3-5 being the worst, i.e. an F. In my whole university career, I got another 1.7 only once before and that was ages and ages ago (yes, I've been digging around quite a bit). It's not so much the 1.7 for this paper ,"Defective Democracy: Theoretical Concept (with the example of Russia)", that got me in such a good mood, but the fact that I wrote the paper pretty much more or less in one single day....and I got such a high mark for it!
So, that was one paper down. I had 3 other papers that I handed in a semester before this semester, but I still haven't got the results for those ones back....until today.
I had been running around the past couple of weeks and had been trying to rouse the two profs who have my works (2 papers with one prof, and one more with the other). They both promised to get the markings to the university in time for the diploma registration.
It's just sooooo close to the registration now that I was getting really worried about it. Anyway, I had been at work all day today (early shift from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.)...and I got only two hours of sleep last night due to my worrying about what would happen if the my papers still haven't been marked.
Anyway, I made a bee-line to the university right after work. I got there and found the secretary and asked her whether she had got anything back from the profs. She told me that everything is there and that I can register for the diploma thesis and exams! *woohoo!* Then she told me that I could go pick up the two papers from the one prof, but the other one is still being processed into the system. Never mind that, it took a whole load off my heart to know that I've reached the next step.
That was one thing to be happy about.
I went to get my two papers, both in the area of political theory, and I almost dropped dead when I saw the marks:
"Theory of Power after Michel Foucault" - 1.3 "The Deconstruction after Michel Foucault" - 1
That's an A and a freaking A+! I've never got such marks before in my whole life! I just couldn't believe it! I guess that something did get stuck in my head after all these years of digging around at the university after all. I mean, I did go to all the seminars and lectures...but if you ask me whether I've been paying attention? Well, that would need a different kind of answer. ;-)
I just drifted out of the university with a stupid grin on my face. :-) Now, I'm just curious as what kind of marks I'd get on my last paper. But I can say that I'm really happy overall now. Things seem to be looking up with my studies. I had been digging around in the past two years because I just don't feel motivated any more and I started to dislike my studies. I felt as though I never could understand a thing they talked about in class....but well, my marks are showing me otherwise and now I'm feeling motivated again! So, diploma thesis and exams, here I come!
ETA: I thought I'd give you guys the marking system according to my university here:
1.0 - 1.3 = Very good 1.7 - 2.3 = Good 2.7 - 3.3 = Satisfactory 3.7 - 4.0 = Adequate 4.3 - 5.0 = Not adequate, i.e. failed
Start: 21st November 2007 Finish: WIP Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace Yarn: My own hand-spun lace-weight single, 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.
For some reasons, I feel as though I haven't been blogging for a long time...like months and months. But it's not even a week since I've blogged last. Something is wrong my inner clock. :-p
Anyway, I couldn't resist the start-itis and had to cast on for the Flower Basket Shawl using my own hand-spun. This is the very first time that I'm knitting something out of my own hand-spun.
Sorry about the photo. But well, it's Autumn-Winter now, which translates to bad light, so I needed extreme light sensitivity on my camera. Hence the extreme brightness around the subject. But the colours of the shawl itself are almost true. It's darker in real life, but I left it like that in the photo so that you can see the very subtle variation of the blue, dark navy and black (the green's still hiding in the yarn cake).
I've done two and a half repeats of the lower flower basket. I like how it's turning out, but I just can't memorise the 10 rows pattern repeat for the love of me.
Knitting this just feels so different. Not only because the fact that I'm using my own hand-spun, but the weight overall is just so light. It's also very warm and soft. I can't wait to get this all knit up and finished and blocked! I think that when I block it out, it will feel like air and nothingness...there is only 60 g of yarn after all. Apart from all that, knitting with my own hand-spun really gives me the satisfaction and the appreciation of having gone through the process of making the thing myself
Then I was also tagged by New York Minknit for the 8 random things about myself. This meme is somewhat a problem for me, because I'm so at a loss about what there is to tell about myself....but I'll give it a shot:
I'm an extreme procrastinator. I seriously would leave everything to the last minute. This usually applies to stuff concerning university, household chores, etc....you know, not so very life-pleasant stuff. E.g. my very last seminar paper...okay, there wasn't any deadline set to it, and the prof said that we can just write it up and hand it in any time we like. Well, I just handed it in last Friday....the seminar was in the winter semester of 2005-2006. Yeah, took me only two years. :-p I wrote it up and handed it in right now because it's the very last course requirement I need to register for my diploma. Oh, and I wrote the 20 odd pages of the whole paper in the course of just one day. :-p
Even though I'm originally from a tropical country....I LOVE LOVE LOVE cold winter with lots of snow. But I don't think I can live anywhere so cold that your exposed flesh can freeze and fall off within seconds.
When I was a kid and got the shots on my butt, I usually ended up giggling and wriggling, because apart from the initial needle prick, the shot actually "tickles" me.
People keep telling me that I'm intelligent. But really, you wouldn't believe how seriously dumb I actually am. :-p (okay, this is a joke. I can still count from 1 to 11, and I even use my toe to count, because we only have 10 fingers after all! Am I not sooooo clever?)
I'm also told that I'm good at cooking....but when it comes to baking, it usually turns into some kind of disaster....especially when it comes to cookies. I once tried to make low fat cookies....it looked fine when it came out of the oven, all round and smelling delicious. But it was very rubbery and it turned out hollow in the middle. I seriously don't know what went wrong there.
I have grey hairs dispersed throughout my hair ever since I was a kid (like, since I was 4). There are more of them the older I get. Right now, it's about 40% and I guess I could be completely white by the time I get to 35. I still don't know whether I should start sporting the salt-'n'-pepper look soon. Right now I still get my hair dyed.
I don't know why, but I love it when my bf hugs me from behind and just nuzzles my neck. That always makes me feel like melting every time. :-p (Okay, that's one darn very personal thing to tell you.)
I wish that money didn't exist in this world. And that, like Jean-Luc Picard said in Star Trek once, people would only work because it serves to their own personal development. I just don't want to work to live...and at the same time, I don't want to live to work either. ;-)
There you go. Now you know 8 more random things about me. I usually don't like tagging, but I think that this time, I'm going to make an exception and tag the following eight people:
Today didn't start out so well. Things chugged along well enough...up to the point when I was going to leave the house to become EUR 400 poorer due to the university tuition fee that they've just introduced this semester. *Urgh*
Anyhow, I put my earphones in with my iPod as I usually do when I leave the house...but the sound only came out of one ear-bud. Bloody hell, does that have to happen now?! If I remember correctly, I bought these new earphones back in April...and guess what? I can't find the receipt anymore. *sighs* And because I just paid for my tuition fee, I don't have any money for a new earphone either. So, no podcasts/music on the road for me for a while.
But well, that seemed to be just it. The day could only get better, right? And it did. First, I received an Amazon package. I was pretty perplexed at first...until I opened it up and saw my copy of Teach Yourself Visually: Handspinning! I heard Kelly reviewed this book on her podcast a couple of weeks ago and I just went straight to order it....and I promptly forgot about the order. And so it was a bit of a surprise at first.
Anyway, flipping through the book quickly, I really have to say wow! This book's really good for comprehensive information! I'll have to go through it thoroughly though. I really like it because it offers both hand spindle as well as wheel techniques. It also talks about fibre preparation, different types of fibre, plying techniques, making novelty yarns, dyeing, etc. etc.! GREAT book!
Then as I was just about to make my way out again, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, I was greeted by the hottest delivery man EVER! Seriously! I was considering putting down my phone number on the signed slip for him, too....but I thought better of it. :-p
Anyway, I got another package...of which I had absolutely no clue about. I looked at the sender's name and it rang some kind of bell...then I caught up with the facts and just ripped the box open to find these:
Back in April, I was egging on Bockstark Knits to do the subscription with me to try out the Handgefaerbt.com yarns. We sent in the order...and again, I totally forgot about it. :-p
I have to say that with the exception of the very first one, I like all the other colourways. The first one is just not very me...although it's very Christmasy. ETA: It's growing on me though...
So, yeah, that's all I have to share...two packages in a day really made me happy (I'm still waiting for some rovings to come in from Australia, as well as two new hand spindles I ordered from Etsy - yeah, I know, I went on a bit of a splurge there).
Before I go: Swallowtail is finished and blocked. Hopefully I'll get some nice photos tomorrow. ;-)
Okay, so there goes my idea of ever opening up the first Knit-Cafe here in Munich.....we'll get to that.
Anyway, yesterday I went down to my LYS and talked to the ladies there. I told them about the Lana Grossa ad I saw and they gave me a free booklet from Lana Grossa with all the shops that carry their products here in Germany. I turned to the page for Munich and there were of course all the shops that I knew of. But there was this one shop that I have never heard of before: "Lanaiolo", which apparently is in the same neighbourhood I live in. So, I thought that I was going to go check it out today.
Yesterday evening, HWMNBN rang me up for a chat....then he told me that his insurance agent is going to open up a knit-cafe around where I live. So, I told him that I think I might know who it is....and as it turned out, it is this new shop.
So, I just went out to go check out the shop. Nothing there yet, but the insurance agency is still there along with the name of the owner of the agency and also of Lanaiolo. There is a poster from Lana Grossa on the window though, so I guessed that I was at the right place but that it hasn't opened properly yet.
I walked back to take the tube home and as I was just crossing a side street there was a car that stopped and was letting me cross. The lady in the car rolled down her window and called out to me asking whether I was looking for the wool shop. Turned out she's the owner, i.e. HWMNBN's insurance agent....and obviously she knew who I was in regards to knitting, but not that I have association with HWMNBN. I told her that I was just talking to HWMNBN about the shop last night. Talk about coincidence!
She told me that the shop will be opened next week....so I told her that I'll be back to check it out. And hey, maybe I could ask her if I could work there! I mean, since my idea of a knit-cafe is taken, then I might as well just immerse myself in there anyway. :-p We'll see.
ETA: For those in Munich, the "Lanaiolo" is at Grillparzerstr. 35. And yes, Knitlady, we should go there together.
