Whining, etc.

So, I know I'm sort of sucking at this blog thing. I got all inspired by a bunch of beautiful blogs- and then I feel like I failed to live up to the example that was set for me.
For one thing, my inability to figure out how to get my pictures where I want them is driving me nuts. Other bloggers don't seem to have this problem. It is a BIG problem, because I want to talk about stuff in the pics, and it is very hard to do when I can't get the pics and the text where I want them in relationship to one another.
For another thing, I don't seem to be able to adequately express my personality through this medium. (It could be my frustration with the pictures that's holding me back) But maybe I just need to work more at it. Maybe I need to blog every other day for a month, no matter what, just so I get into the groove and remember what it is to write. Which I have just barely done since leaving college.
For some reason I just remembered that when I was in school, I came across a volume of William Blake's work that included his "Marginalia"- which is stuff he wrote in the margins of other people's work; a commentary. Now, I would never dream of blogging like that, but it might be a good writing exercise, a brain and thinking exercise.
I used to write poetry. I used to think about all kinds of things that are almost completely irrelevant to daily existence. How can I hang onto that part of myself without continually being enrolled in college classes? I could teach, (and desperately want to) but I teach middle school, not exactly a bastion for higher thinking. Maybe I need to join a book club or something. Or listen to public radio? I can't be the only person with this problem.
My knitting life is going pretty well lately. I finally closed the toes on a pair of socks that's been sitting around since June, and finished a lacy scarf, knit in deep purple haiku (from Alchemy) and fuschia Rowan Kid-Silk Spray. It is lovely and cloud-like and intensely soft and luxurious. The way it caresses the back of my neck is pure heaven!
I started Marnie McLean's "Asets of Evo" yesterday and I've almost finished the waistband. I've also got a scarf, The Chevron Scarf, (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts) on the needles.
I love having choices in my knitting projects.
I would love to show you all these projects, but I'm unwilling to risk the emotional devastation that comes with trying to properly insert photos into my post.

Back to School

As a recently graduated wanna-be language arts teacher, I'm hoping to reconnect to the substitute teacher I became last spring. That is, I hope I haven't forgotten how to survive subbing. I spent summer praying to get a full-time position, to no avail. It is disheartening and discouraging to be facing a whole year of subbing after working my tail off to get my degree and license.
Luckily I have my yarn obsession to keep me sane, even if it looks like crazy to the non-knits of the world.
Also I'm happy happy happy that my bellydance teacher, Razia is back from her tour of London and I get to start shimmying under her guidance again next week. I want to knit a dancing skirt or hip shawl, but my pile of UFO's keeps me from casting on another project.

I've been doing small projects, hats and mitts, to have a feeling of accomplishment on a regular basis. The top picture is of the "Gwen Slouchy Beret" knit in Bearfoot sock yarn. The model and recipient is my lovely Mom-in-law, Mary.
It was fun and quick to knit. It's basically Vine lace in beret form, and I'm a vine lace devotee.

I'm experiencing frustration with my blog, in that I can't figure out how to get my pictures where i want them. So even tho' I have a lot more to share, I'm gonna stop before I end up throwing my computer across the room.

Apparently, and Unsurprisingly, i am blueviolet

you are blueviolet #8A2BE2

Your dominant hues are blue and magenta. You're the one who goes to all the parties but doesn't quite fit in at every one... you know what you want, but are afraid of what the world might think of it. You're a little different and that's okay with them, and if you're smart it's okay with you too. Your saturation level is higher than average - You know what you want, but sometimes know not to tell everyone. You value accomplishments and know you can get the job done, so don't be afraid to run out and make things happen. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

McKenzie Completed

The McKenzie has not turned out as I envisioned, but that is part of the learning experience of Knitting. For my first "design," I'm feeling okay about it. It's neither a startling success nor an abject failure. I do think I will lengthen it by an inch or so and add a tie closure. Some things I've learned:
1) It's good to pick-up and knit on edgings ( rather than knitting it as part of each row)because if you want to change them in anyway, you have to reknit the entire garment. Ouch!
2) Intarsia is not to be feared.
3) Always make stripes in rows of even numbers to avoid lots of ends, as you can just run the unused color up the side and pick it up when you're ready.
4) Often knitting a yarn at a larger gauge than suggested may result in a garment with less body.

If i learn from my mistakes then it's all worth it, especially as I have a sweet little sweater to wear too! I still love the yarn, Dream-in-Color's "Smooshy" I have a lot leftover and I'm planning some cabled mitts.

The McKenzie, ripped and re-knitted

Aaargh! I got to the lower edge of my cardi, and it was too big. Worse yet, the arm holes were too big- by an inch and a half. that meant ripping back 4 inches and re-knitting. So I did it, and I decided to finish with ribbing instead of seed stitch, because even when I reduced my stitch count, the seed stitch still seemed to flare out. This experience has convinced me that the top-down method is the way to go, because if I'd done it bottom-up, I wouldn't have found out about the sizing issue until it was finished and sewn up. And I would have had a too big cardigan to never wear. So despite the extra work, I'm still happy. Plus, Since I made the sweater 2 inches smaller around, it took less time to re -knit. I'm working on the sleeves now, and I still love the yarn.

McKenzie Cardi

Still trying to figure out how to get my posts the way I want them. Until then, I'll show my McKenzie in this post instead of in that post.
I'm excited about this project! I hope it turns out the way I envision it. Or that I love what I end up with as much as I love my fantasy.

Laminaria Stole cast-on

I broke down or bucked -up and recharted the laminaria shawl to a stole. If the knitting is successful I will post my chart when the stole is complete. So far I've knitted about 24 rows, and the lace is really beautiful. It takes a great deal of attention to not mess it up. I'm one of those knitters who needs my lace to come out right, so I always search for the reason for my missing or extra stitches. This habit has paid off already as I've saved myself some ripping back. The beginning is always the hardest part, while you're getting used to how the pattern works and the way it all fits together. It gets easier to find and fix mistakes after a couple of repeats. So-onward. It is slow work though!

Rethinking my Season of Lace project

So i took another look at Laminaria- the project that I'd decided on for the SoL, and it looks complex to a level which is causing me anxiety. However, my biggest problem is that I don't really wear shawls, and I would be super-bummed to knit a lovely lacy beauty only to have it sit there looking gorgeous where no one will ever see it. So I'm considering trying to rechart the pattern for a stole- which I know I would wear and even if I didn't I have a lot of loved ones who would. I'm thinking that the re-charting would be a challenge- and that's my happy euphemism for humongous pain in the booty! Still, it would be a worthy effort and amazing to accomplish.
Of course I'm contemplating this all while knitting my cardi which I'm calling the McKenzie because the stripes of color remind me of the way sunlight and shade play with the colors in the river as they move across the water. I'm knitting from the top down and I joined the fronts and back at the underarm about an inch and a half ago and I'm cruising down. Since it is going to be a cropped, tie- front style that means I'm about 1/2 way done. I'm knitting it in Smooshy Dream-in-Color and the yarn is wonderful- squishy, soft, and stretchy. It's a dream to knit with!

My New Philosophy-Love every second

I've had a blog for awhile but I didn't feel like it was really me- that it reflected my sense of humor, sense of style (or lack thereof) or my complete addiction to yummy yarns. I wanted to create a place where I can be myself, even if I'm not completely "finished" - I've got a few dropped stitches here and there and unravelling edges. I prefer to think of it as personalization, rather than flaws, but it all depends on your perspective, right?
Making this blog means abandoning my old blog, as I'm not yet geeky enough (in the right way, at least) to figure out how to transfer my old content. I'm going to try copying and pasting my old blog, as it wasn't huge or anything, but we'll see.
I know this is beyond sappy to admit, but I really don't want to give up the virtual pet that I've adopted to my old blog, but I don't know how to move him. Yeah, I know he's really just some computer code that was cleverly written and that I can get a new one any time. That's just the sort of sap that I am I guess.
I joined the Seasons of Lace KAL, and it is a very cool thing. I'm going to knit a Laminaria
(from Spring '08 knitty.com) in Alpaca Cloud (from Knit Picks). I'm going to start swatching today or maybe tomorrow.
I'm also working diligently on the cropped cardi that I'm designing. It feels very woo-hoo to write that. In any case, I've had to rip back a few times as I figure it out. It's fun though, and an easy knit, if I didn't have to think about everything I'm doing so dang much.
I finished my "Sahara" and I'll have pics soon!