On No Fibre Content

Still-Life with Fountain (edited), originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

*Urgh* It's hot!

And what to do when it's hot?

This:

Summertime indulgence [141:366, 28.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Ahhhh....nice cool ice-cream.

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:

On Le Flambé du Pacifique

Le Flambé du Pacifique [138:366, 24.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May 2008
Finish: 17th June 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

Nothing much to talk about. Just wanted to show you guys my latest FO. It's the Swallowtail shawl knit from my own hand-spun yarn! I'm really proud of this project. ;-) It's the first FO that I've done with my own hand-spun.

Don't be fooled by the photos though, because the shawl's not that big. It measures to about 125 cm wingspan and 65 cm height.

"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.

Well, that's all I have to tell for now. Here are the rest of the photos:

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

All photos were taken @ the courtyard of "Prinzipal" (the restaurant at Prinzregententheater)

Have a great week everyone!

ETA: And here's also the Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny Questionaire:

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
- I started spindling back in August 2007 and wheel spinning in January 2008. I would consider myself an intermediate spinner.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
- I usually navajo-ply my yarn because I don't like having left-overs...but I've also started doing 2-ply. Never done any art yarns before though.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
- Both spindle and wheel. Usually if I want to finish something fast, then I would do it on the wheel. Spindling for me is for the real spinning pleasure and to refine the spinning techniques.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
- I haven't tried that many different fibres yet...but usually I don't have problems. The only one that I struggled with was a merino-silk blend. I've spun pure bamboo on a spindle before, too, and that didn't cause me any problems (until I went to Andean-ply it and lost the end somewhere in the bracelet...yeah, tragic.)

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
- No specific one yet...but I usually go to Etsy as the first source. Otherwise I would probably look at EGMTK....now, if only the Wollmeise would start to do rovings, too. She'll definitely be my favourite crack dealer. ;-p

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
- Hmmmm...anything that's natural. I've got yak down and linen flax here that I need to dab in. I sure would like to try qiviut, cashmere or angora!

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
- Errrr...not really sure. I just learned how to navajo-ply on the go on the spindle. Not sure what I would need to learn with the wheel though....perhaps attenuated long-draw when spinning with cotton...not that I have tried cotton yet.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
- Nope....I would try dyeing fibre just once to see what it's like. I dyed yarn once and found that the process was too tedious and I never did it again...but I at least tried my hands out at it.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
- I don't have any fibre prep tools....but if I had some, I would really want to try it out. Otherwise ready-to-spin fibres are definitely nice.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
- I keep saying that I will knit with my hand-spun...usually shawls, since I spin thin (even when plied). What projects have I completed? See above in this very same post. ;-p

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
- Ummm....not really. Perhaps fibre prep tools would be tempting (but that will mean that I will end up with more stuff in my over-flowing tiny flat). Perhaps a distaff for my wheel?

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
- Pretty much every colours. I tend to try out some new things...but I usually end up with something blue or green.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
- Haven't got anything on the wheel at the moment...although I'm tempted. I've just finished spinning up 50 g of the 100 g of singles of Ombria-dyed AustralMerino on my spindle. So, still have another half to go...not sure how I'll go about with it yet though.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
- I knit and crochet...although knitting is bigger than crochet for me.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
- My boyfriend. :-p LOL. I would guess music. I play piano (got Grade 8 performance from the Royal School of Music) and cello...but ever since I've been in Germany, I hardly have the chance to touch any instruments...and of course, my skill just dwindles.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
- Yes, my Amazon wishlists (English and German) can be found on my sidebar towards the bottom....or HERE (Eng) and HERE (Ger).

17. Is there anything that you collect?
- Not really, apart from yarns and fibres.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
- Cat Bordhi's "New Pathway for Sock knitters", Clara Parkes's "The Knitter's Book of Yarns",

19. When is your birthday?
- 3rd March

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
- Lawdy, can't think of one. I don't relate that much to this kind of things....hmmmm...but then again, perhaps Ally McBeal.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
- I'm in Munich, Germany. So, it does get pretty cold around here in winter.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
- LOL, go listen to the Knitters Uncensored podcast. We talked about that in one of the episodes. ;-p

Favorites

Favorite painting/picture(link): There are way too many. I like the Impressionists though.

Candy: Mint + Chocolate = Heaven!

Food: Thai food, of course. But I eat pretty much everything!

Drink: Wine, Portwine, Baileys, Kahlua

Movie(s): Harry Potter, Lord of the Ring, Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Sound of Music, Under the Tuscan Sun

TV Show(s): Heroes, Lost

Book(s): J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Ring), Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti), Henning Mankell (Wallander), Anne Rice (Mayfair Witches, Vampire chronicles), Jean M. Auel (Earth Children)

Guilty Pleasure(s): Procrastination. :-p

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears:

On Drunk Blogging

Ahhhh...such tantalising thought [132:366, 17.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

For some reason, I forgot to post this picture the last time I posted on my blog. No, I didn't burn the book...the picture's pretty symbolic on how I felt after having handed in my thesis.

Anyway, I'm not really drunk (yet). Just home alone this weekend, since Dr. D's away visiting his family for his uncle's birthday....it's been kind of a weird day. The weather is really warm. Would have been nice to go out and sit in a beer garden, but well, I'm kinda broke since I still haven't got paid yet.

Perfect summer drink, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Ended up being at home most of the day. I made Paella (not really, it's already made, I had to re-cook it....for those in Germany, it's the Frosta stuff) and felt like drinking something alcoholic and cool, since it's so hot today (I even got out my Capri pants to wear with my jandals today because I felt that I looked ridiculous in my jeans and proper shoes). Stupid me, however, forgot to get some beer earlier when I did my groceries. Luckily, I still have a semi-dry Riesling I got as a gift from my students back in the days when I was still teaching English at Siemens.

Anyway, while I'm at this, I might as well answer this week's SP12 question: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

I guess I actually looked forward to go off on the summer courses. That's when I got sent off into a foreign country with a group of youngsters to learn English. That way, I've ended up in and seen a lot of places in the world. I don't know, I just wanted to get away from home. Apart from that, I always looked forward to not having to worry about doing homework and all those stuff.

Le Flambé du Pacifique: Blocking, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May 2008
Finish: 17th June 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

I also wanted to update you on some of my knitting. I finished my latest Swallowtail out of my own handspun. I still need to do a proper photo shoot for it though, so you'll have to wait a bit more for the FO pictures. ;-)

Emil Clapotis [134:366, 20.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 24th March 2008
Finish: WIP
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, 100% Superwash Merino in Emil
Needles: 4.5 mm - 80 cm Addi Lace
Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert from Knitty Fall 2004

Also, in my attempt to reduce the numbers of WIPs I have around here, I picked up my Clapotis again.

Laminaria Shoulderette [135:366, 21.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 20th June 2008
Finish: WIP
Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace
Yarn: My own hand-spun: "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"
Pattern: Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman, from Knitty Spring 2008

And lastly, I frogged my Flower Basket Shawl because it was too boring and so I'm using the yarn to knit Laminaria instead.

This is all because Cashmere Dreams has egged me on with this pattern.

So, that's all for now. I'm getting drunk. :-p Have a great weekend, y'all!

Current Mood: Missing Dr. D and getting drunk
Food for the Ears: The following songs bring back some very fond memories to me....the second song pretty much outs me as child of the 80's. ;-)



Also listening to (can you remember the Listerine ad?):

On Some breathing space

Flowers [131:366, 15.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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:

Baby Surprise Jacket [123:366, 01.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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

On O, Microsoft, how I am coming to loathe thee....

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:

On Hey! What's the Big Ideaaaaa?!

First attempt at designing [105:366, 14.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 13th May 2008
Finish: WIP
Needles: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace
Yarn: Wollmeise 100% superwash Merino Sockenwolle, "Frosch"
Pattern: My own, based on a stitch pattern.

I have been debating with myself whether I wanted to blog about this one or not...but I guessed that since the picture's public on Flickr anyway, I might as well talk about it.

Anyway, so this is "Salomé (Dance of the Seven Veils)". Since I've taken this photo, the sock has grown to the point where I'm putting in my own design. But it has already come to a halt due to the fact that I still need to work on my thesis.

When do you start calling a design your own design? At the moment, this is a modification or a put-together of a pattern out of a pattern book. But I have plans for this one.

What do you think? I think that if I'm successful at figuring everything out with this pattern, the biggest problem would be sizing, since I wear EUR 44 / US Men 10.5....and the stitch count for the pattern adds up just perfect for my size. This will mean that there will be problem with sizing for smaller feet. Or maybe I should just do this for men only. ;-p Although I already have some great ideas for sizing down...however, I will be able to work that out only when I've finished this sock.

You wouldn't believe how many times I've frogged and restarted the sock before I settled on this. I started off with another yarn, then figured I should just use Wollmeise. Chose the wrong colourway, then another wrong colourway before I ended up with this one. (Not to mention the first try with that other yarn....it involved about 6 times of frogging...now I know the pain of designing.)

I'm still not sure what will happen with the design, i.e. whether I'm going to submit it or sell it or publish it for free. I'll have to see.

The Yarn Wench: "Feather" [111:366, 20.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 16th May 2008
Finish: first bobbin of singles on 17.05.2008; second bobbin of singles on 18.05.2008; Plied on 19th May 2008
WPI: 15 WPI
Yardage: Bobbin: 304 metres / 82 g; Spindle: 48 metres / 13 g
Fibre: 3.3 oz / 95 g of The Yarn Wench Domestic in "Feather", sent to me by KnottyNaomi
Wheel & Settings: Singles spun worsted and two-plied on Kromski Minstrel, 8.5:1 double-drive. Left-over singles Andean-plied on Butterflygirl Designs 1.6 oz carved Agate top-whorl

Anyhow, since I have no real knit FOs to show, here's at least a spinning FO.

I'm really happy with the result of this yarn. It's my first real 2-ply using my wheel and tensioned lazy kate.

I got the bobbin so full while plying that it wouldn't take on any more yarn, so I had to break off and make an Andean-bracelet to ply on the spindle.

Interestingly, the spindle plied yarn seems to turn out differently...probably because the two-ply resulted from the same singles and not from two strands of different singles. The colours are a bit heathered and the yarn is fuzzier. Mind you though, it might be the fact that I hit the singles in the part where the colours are lighter than other parts, too.

All in all, I'm happy with the yarn. I could probably get a decent size anklets out of the skein.

Here are some more photos:

The Yarn Wench: "Feather", originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

The Yarn Wench: "Feather", originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Anyway, it was my 4th Blogiversary on this past Sunday (18th May 2008). I said in a previous post that I would do some kind of contest. Well, I haven't thought of anything yet. So, it will be on hold for the moment until I can think of something. Then we'll have a contest. ;-)

Lastly, before I try getting back to my thesis, I'm going to share with you the real reason why I'm blogging right now instead of doing my thesis. Thing is, this morning, I heard a song that's been stuck in my head all day long now....and well, I can't concentrate because of it. Some of you might already have an inkling of the song from the title of the post...so be warned, you might get it stuck in your head, too. LOL. The song is at the end of the post. ;-p

Have a great week every one!

ETA: I might have a very exciting piece of news concerning myself soon. I don't want to reveal it at the moment - so not to jinx it. And just to be clear: No, Dr. D and I aren't getting married or anything like that. Just in case you were thinking along that line. :-p

Current Mood: Jiggly
Food for the Ears:

On Mystic Light Shawl, Optim and Rothenburg o.d. Tauber

Mystic Light Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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.

Mystic Light Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Light Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Light Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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.

Anyway, I've also finished spinning up the Optim:

Chameleon Colorworks Optim: Tahiti, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Chameleon Colorworks Optim: Tahiti [97:366, 06.04.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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:

Le Flambé du Pacifique [100:366, 09.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May2008
Finish: WIP
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

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.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Plönlein [95:366, 03.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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.)

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On Telly and Wingspan

"Icare, ubi es? Qua te regione requiram?" [69:366, 03.04.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

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)

On..thanks, Crazy Aunt Purl....

...for making me bawling my eyes out.

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...

Well, Laurie, aka Crazy Aunt Purl had to go ahead and talk about the movie and post the YouTube video of the song that belongs to the latter categories of songs-that-make-me-cry-like-a-baby....so guess what happened? Yeah, and Dr. D's not here this weekend either.....

Here's the video...one of the best love songs of all time (yeah, I can be tacky and full of cliche some time):



Good night....

Current Mood: *meh*
Food for the ears: See the YouTube video above...

On wheel or no wheel?

Okay, I'm at a crossroad. Facing with a fibre stash that's vying for my living space in my tiny apartment (thank you, Claudia), some extra money I got for Christmas and once I get paid from work, I would have the chance to get a Kromski Minstrel (after looking at all the options, I think that for me the Minstrel is the best choice to go for. EUR 280 for a wheel for the start isn't that bad. Besides, Fbz and Jared both have a Minstrel and they are really satisfied with it) .

The problem I have now is whether I should put my money aside for something else (like next semester's tuition fee and paying off my credit card debt)....or should I be getting a wheel? I really can't decide. It's not that I would feel guilty spending the money on the wheel, au contraire, I would be extremely happy about it. But it just has the same weight as when I would spend the money paying off my debt....or going out with Dr. D (I already told him about my debt but I also told him that I will never compromise my happiness because of my debt).

Any advice?

ETA: Here's an FO

Baby Koolhaas #02, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 12th November 2007
Finish: 25th December 2007
Size: 18 x 18 cm (7 x 7 in) height and width unstretched
Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta "Alpaka", 100% Alpaca, in Grey (#0095, Lot. 864)
Needles: 3.5 mm Addi Turbos
Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood from Brooklyntween, in Interweave Knits Holiday 2007
Modification: I'm using thinner yarn and also smaller needles than what the original pattern calls for.

That was quite a close call with the yarn. The scrap you see there are what was left of the whole ball from the cast-on and bind-off.

This is for PhotoKnitNerd's little boy. She asked me for the last Koolhaas I made just after I've already given it to Minemma...so I told PhotoKnitNerd that I'll make her little boy another one. It took me quite a while to knit it up, because I was just busy with other stuff (i.e. diploma) and I just couldn't bring myself to knit the second one right after the first. Anyhow, now it's finished and I just need the address to send it off to. So, PhotoKnitNerd, please email me your address or contact me via Ravelry. :-)

ETA 2: And especially for those in Europe, can you still remember Verka Serduchka from this year's EuroVision? If not, go refresh your memories HERE! She's back with a new song and steamy video. It's just sooooo trashy that you have to LOVE it!

On A Diamond in the Rough

I saw this on David's Blog....and it's just truly amazing. I got goosebumps watching just this little clip and it actually brought tears to my eyes....okay, if you're not an opera fan you might feel a bit *meh* about this, but for me, it's just stunning:



You could see that the juries were pretty surprised by the first tone uttered from him.

"Vincerò...vincerò", indeed, for I surely hope that he will win. *chapeau* He gets a standing ovation from me.

Current Mood: Busy but procrastinating a bit
Food for the ears: "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's 'Turandot'

On my newest Gay-Trash addiction

That's Magnus Carlsson....you know, the sexy blond one from Alcazar.

I can't stop listening to the song...ended up just buying it from iTunes and now it's playing up and down on iPod.

Current Mood: Jitterbug
Food for the ears: Live Forever - Magnus Carlsson