Finally! (I know you've all been waiting...)

After 12 long days (that is almost two weeks!) I'm back to post again.

I've been doing TONS of stuff, including my trip to Joseph, OR and a trip to Boise, ID. I knitted practically the whole time I was in Oregon, and a day in Boise with my gal pal Mal(orie).

I also conquered a couple of tribulations I encountered. I started going to a knitting group here in Moscow (at the Needle Nook...they meet twice a week, and it's great fun. :-D). That is awesome, and it's very close to where I'm living. During my time in Joseph I had a cataclysmic problem with the baby blanket...I messed up one of the cables! And it was nothing to scoff at...we're talking six rows back I put one cable over instead of under, and now I was paying the ultimate price. What was I going to do...unravel SIX ROWS of 190 stitches? At that point, I had half a mind to frog the WHOLE THING.

Well, let me tell you. I really almost did it. But thankfully a wonderful woman in the knitting group (I forget her name, to be honest, but I'm sure I'll remember shortly) spent an hour with me, a crochet hook and a cable needle and we fixed that blanket right up. I use the term 'we' very lightly, as she did all of the work and I watched and referred to the pattern for her. What a wonderful experience it was to see everything that I had managed to destroy get cleared right up. Thank goodness for knitters and the knowledge they willingly dispense. Since then I've been following my pattern religiously so as to avoid a similar incident!

I finished Whitney's scarf...photos on Ravelry. But here's a teaser:Gorgeous, right? :-) I know. It was the talk of the knitting group, let me tell you. :-D

No new photos of the blanket, but I promise you're not missing much. She's on the back burner for me...I'm certain that during the rest of my life, if I manage to finish this blanket at some point, someone that I know will have a child. My heart can rest until then.

I'm planning on starting Elefante tonight. So cute, and Whitney (big sis Whitney, not Spokane friend Whitney) will love it. She loves elephants, and I'm making it in a pink-ish yarn. I'm a little nervous that the yarn is too thick, actually,but I'm certain that if it is, I can find something else to do with it.

What else...OH! I got my dishcloth exchange package. I was so excited that I think I scared the UPS man. :-) And let me tell you, Jenny M. gave me everything I could have asked for and more. I have since creepily stalked her on Ravelry and read the last month or so of her blog. I find her very witty and really interesting, so I recommend you all go check her out. (I love writing like I have a huge army of readers...even though I know it's only like two people. ;-D)

Here are a couple of photos of the awesome package that I got yesterday:
From left to right let me explain what all these things are. :-D

-The white card I knew right when I saw it...Starbucks card!! :-D
-Underneath it are six 'pick of the week' songs from Starbucks. These are free downloads of music. I haven't gotten around to downloading any of them yet, but I'm excited for that. :-)
-A little envelope that says "For keeping track of stitches and rows!" Inside were what I assume to be handmade stitch markers, shown below. They are SO CUTE, and I'm very excited to have some adorable ones instead of my (let's face it) bland green and purple ones.-Next, an envelope that says "Time to make your own!" This came with travel bug tags...and she is RIGHT...I have never made a travel bug, but it is definitely time, haha. I'm itching to go geocaching now, but my GPS is still out of commission. Hopefully I can get it working again (or get a friend to 'tag' along, haha).
-(NOT SHOWN) An envelope that says "For summer fun!" on it. Inside this was a GEOCOIN from IRELAND. She recently returned home from a trip, and this is SO cool (see photo below). At this point, I was ecstatic. It's really cute and really thoughtful. :-)-"For summer relief!" --this contained the Starbucks card. :-D
-"For your ears!" --this contained the 'Pick of the Week' cards. :-D
-Here we get to the dishcloth itself (see below). This is SO scrubby and cute, I can't wait to use it...but my roommate and I can't seem to bring ourself to wash our gross dishes with such a pretty cloth. :-) I'm thinking I might be able to convince myself to use it in the shower though?-Along the bottom she included not one, not two, but THREE balls of yarn. Two are Sugar n' Cream (always reliable and cute!), but the third is a brand I have not heard of before. It's a fingering weight, too, so I'm trying to plan something really adorable for it. And it's purple/blue tones, so very nice. :-)
-Also along the bottom is a cute little plastic container with four slots. :-) I'm thinking my stitch markers can go in here. :-)

All in all, I plan to do this again and consider it such an awesome first experience. How much fun it has been, and now I want to read her blog regularly! :-) Thank you so much, my dear dishcloth pal! :-)

I'm sending my dishcloth package tomorrow. I've been a very bad pal, and I should be thusly punished, but I swear her stuff is awesome and I know she will love it! Next time I will be more hasty with my choices, but I wanted to make sure to get just the right things...and Moscow is not super big for this kind of stuff. :-( I'll post a photo of the stuff I sent her once I'm certain she has it...the dishcloth I made is awesome...probably one of the coolest I've made so far.

I think that is everything. I know, it's a lot, but I tried to include pictures and keep it uplifting and short! So many cool things going on in the knitting realm of my life...and I found a pattern for a gift for Krysta for Christmas. Hooray! And potentially a pattern for my little bro, Collin. Better get started on that stuff, because with school right around the corner, Christmas is going to be here in a snap as far as my free time goes. :-D

Post!

I'm writing about my discovery via dishcloth trade for the summer.

I discovered Darcy's Knotty Knitter. It's a blog that drew me in from the very get-go. I enjoy the photos and the stories, so you should go check it out!!!

I was reminded of a note I send my friends these days: "Beer: Now cheaper than gas, so drink, don't drive!" and she's sending a felted purse to Idaho (my state!)!!!

I was drawn in. And some of the posts are quite charming! :-) And a dishcloth down the page a little (right now) is absolutely adorable!!! So check it out! :-D

Now! :-) My suggestion!

Welcome to July!

July is the hottest part of the summer yet, where we're averaging somewhere around 88-90 degrees. Phew! Saturday we went back to the pool, but I spent a lot of Sunday inside with my roommate just wishing it would stop being so hot! We don't have an air conditioner, but we did pull out the boxed fan to try and suck the cool night air in once the sun goes down. We made do with an abc.com marathon and a game night with Rainier and Aneel (just met Aneel on Saturday, and he seems quite acceptable! :-)).

As far as knitting goes, I finished Rainier's bag dispenser about a week ago. They're just so easy! This time I put on the extra inch of ribbing at the bottom...it makes a huge difference. The seam turned out better too.

But my more exciting news is that I started Whitney's scarf! I decided last week that I was done avoiding finding her a pattern, and I discovered a great one...the 'Cherry Leaf' pattern (it's in my WIPs on Ravelry). It comes with a simple chart to follow, and it is knitting up beautifully...I'm probably close to 1/3 done. I removed one of the pattern repeats (it says to make three sets of leaves across for a 9" wide scarf, but I was thinking smaller, so it will be around 7" instead). It's a short scarf (48"), but that's what I wanted for her...like a little neck scarf. I have pictures, but I'm being lazy about uploading them....so I'll get to it later, I swear. :-) I'm so excited about it!

It makes me really interested in doing lace knitting. I like the fragile nature of it. Such small stitches and so many purposeful holes...it's just pretty and delicate. Which, if you know a fair amount about me, is definitely not a word typically used to describe me or anything about me. But I can't help what I like. :-)

Haven't done my pattern repeat for the blanket this week yet. I'm going to Joseph, OR for the 4th of July, and I'm hoping to get a lot of knitting while I'm there. My extended family (two uncles, one aunt, 4 cousins and one set of grandparents) are going to some RV resort there, and I was extended an invitation. Initially I had been thinking I might go to Boise to visit all my dear friends there, but I owe the family some attention and I'm planning on visiting Boise the weekend of the 11th...it's one of my best friend's 21st birthday and I want to be there. So much travel these next couple of weeks. But I really enjoy the driving...with a good mix on my iPod and the windows down, it's hard to be unhappy.

On that note, it's time to go to work! :-D

Week #3 topic

Week 3 of Dishcloth Exchange!

Well now that Summer has OFFICIALLY begun.. what do you do to beat the heat? A nice tall glass of lemonade? Frozen Coffee? A dip in the pool? What's your favorite way to keep cool this summer as things heat up?

Finally! Summer! I am a big fan of iced americanos and trips to the community pool. I like to geocache during the summer (my GPS is still not working though), and I love the evening time when the sun is going down...after 5-ish at night, because it takes the sun until around 10 to actually be down. I have a basement apartment which stays relatively cool, and my favorite coffeehouse in town has some pretty sweet air conditioning, so I often go there and knit. :-) Oh, and I bought these popsicle-makers from the dollar store that are really awesome! My roommate and I use Crystal Light to make DELICIOUS popsicles! :-D

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I am doing pretty good on the knitting side of things. Just a little short of finishing Rainier's bag dispenser...will probably wrap that up after I finish writing, actually. :-) Still no pattern for Rainier's scarf, but it's because I haven't been very diligent about looking. I've been thinking about just making him a ribbed scarf...boring for me, but I think he'd like the simplicity of the lines. No pattern for Whitney yet either..again, kinda haven't been looking. Lots of LIFE has been coming my way, which leaves me little time to sit around and knit. It's all positive stuff though...knitting is fun when I have time to spend on it, but it is certainly not the only enjoyable thing I do! :-)

Finished!

I love short projects!
Hung it from the light switch to get it up and displayed. :-) We're planning on hanging it on the door to the cabinet under the sink. Such a FAST project, and so adorable when finished. My favorite part? No binding off! :-) You just feed the tail end through the final stitches a few times and pull it tight....then seam the back with the tail yarn. It was beautiful in it's simplicity. Oh, and the directions call for creating an i-cord loop on the top to hang it from...but for me, the last stitch in the second to last row was big enough that with a little tugging I got it free to be the hanging loop. What a delightful project! I have other friends that now want one because they've seen this one while it was on the needles. :-) First time that has happened to me.

Working on the blanket again while I finally force myself to find scarf patterns for Rainier and Whitney. I'm more excited for Whitney's...that Regalia Silk is just calling my name from my stash! So soft and beautiful. ;-)

Quick update :-)

I definitely miscalculated how long it would take me to finish the dishcloth, but regardless, it is DONE! And so pretty. :-) The colors and the pattern...oh, I am just so thrilled about it. Now I guess it's time for me to finish out the rest of the goodies I'm sending my pal and get it all boxed up for him or her. ;-) I'm not giving any secrets away!

Also started on Krysta's bag dispenser last night, and am actually almost done. It looks VERY cool...I'll post pictures soon. I'm taking it with me to work today so I can work on it during lunch. I'm feeling very inspired, I guess! The color...a hot pink caron's simply soft...is beautiful all knit up. PERFECT for my pink-loving roommate!

That marks TWO things that were on my list that were dragging me down. I just have way too many projects going on in my head right now. One I want to make for myself...the Namaste yoga mat bag.

My queue and my excitement for new projects is just too big. I need to scale myself back and calm down. :-) I've been watching knittinghelp.com lately...very helpful stuff. Some of the videos don't even apply to what I'm working on right now, but I like knowing that I know what is out there...even if I don't know how to do it (yet). ;-)

Week #2 (and a brief update!)

This week's topic for the dishcloth exchange:

Living in Atlanta, I know Summer has truly 'arrived' when it begins to get humid. Blech. When I was a kid, I knew Summer was starting the easy way - School was out!! Share with us how you know that summer has truly 'arrived', or something that signifies the start of Summer in your world.

Well, I'm a student (U of I, woo!), so for me, summer hasn't started until finals are OVER! I would comment a little on the beautiful weather that comes to Northern Idaho when the summer comes around, but this year it managed to SNOW a week ago, so I'm not sure how true that is these days. I live in an area called the Palouse, a flat rolling-hills kind of landscape. There are a ton of farms (let me stress that none of them are potato farms...it's mostly wheat, lentils and canola) that turn green this time of year, so it's like having a huge lawn. :-) I live in Moscow, a tiny college town on the western border (9 miles away from Pullman, WA, home of Washington State University), and I'm living in an apartment with one of my sorority sisters. It's a basement apartment of a complex on a hill, but we don't have a very good view of the fields. Just more apartments. ;-)

Another good indication of summer for me is starting whatever internship I'm doing that year. This year I'm staying in Moscow, last year I moved north to Coeur d'Alene (a resort town about 90 miles north of here). The year before that I was in my hometown: Boise, ID. I visit both often, as I have family and friends in Boise and just friends in CdA. :-)

Flip-flops too. I love wearing flip-flops. And tanning....in the real sun, but not TOO long, because I don't want to get hurt. AND I geocache during the summer...not really during the winter. I haven't this summer, however...my GPS seems to be broken. :-( Add that to my list of things I want to get for my birthday...which, by the way, indicates the beginning of fall for me, since it's at the end of September. ;-)

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Now, on to my knitting stuff! So I am probably 30 minutes away from being done with my dishcloth for the exchange! I am hoping it is a gorgeous as I think it will be when it is all completed...then I will be done with that step. :-) If not, I might have to go to the LYS and find some more yarn, because I didn't get a full skein of what I made this first one with.

I haven't touched the baby blanket in probably a week. Too caught up with the dishcloth and visiting my friend in Coeur d'Alene. Ah well. The baby is getting a little older, but I know toddlers still enjoy blankets. And if Abby gets too old, I'm sure I could give it to someone else. :-P I mostly wanted to make it and was looking for an excuse...Abby is a very adorable one.

Also haven't found a pattern for the beautiful Regalia silk I bought for Whitney's scarf. Soon, I tell myself...her birthday is at the end of August. No pattern for Rainier's scarf either...but that doesn't need to be done until October at the earliest (assuming we don't have an Indian fall...which would be typical after such a rough winter). He's in no hurry and neither am I.

Officially hibernated the backpack, and haven't started on Krysta's bag dispenser. Like I said, I have not done a lot lately! :-) But I did buy an actual cable needle (it was like $2 at LYS and SO worth it!) and REAL stitch markers (those yarn tail markers were driving me NUTS). I'm starting to hoard my stash too...it's now a basket and a bag. Uh-oh... ;-)

Need to make an official Christmas list for everyone too...so I know exactly what I'm doing for whom. I need to stop caring about so many people...it's getting to be difficult! ;-) Just kidding, of course. I will be very busy this fall, is all....especially because I need to start studying for the GRE! And fill out my applications for grad school. *gulp!*

:-)

Dishcloth Exchange! :-D

So week 1 is a discussion of your favorite patterns. My favorite dishcloth pattern is the one in my profile pic (a better shot is on my Ravelry account). :-) I don't really make many dishcloths...so I don't have a bunch that I love, but I will give it a shot!

I really like the way the Pi Openwork Dishcloth looks. Other than that...well, I like the weave look in the NMCRS Basketweave Baby Blanket from Wishing I Was Knitting At The Lake. I like the idea of entrelac but I've never actually attempted. I enjoy argyle a lot, but again have never made it....oh, and illusion knitting...I think that's pretty rad. I've been thinking about taking a swing at that.

I like KarWar's Lace Cloth as well, but something a little tougher and a tad bit more practical...though of course we all love pretty things, practical or not. ;-)

But enough of that! I found out who my partner is in the exchange...and after some careful studying and a LOT of thinking and searching, I've found a pattern AND I went to the LYS and bought some sweet yarn for my partner's dishcloth! Yay! Productive day for me. :-) I'm hoping to get it done soon so (just in case) it doesn't work out the first time, I'll have plenty of time to redo it. But I'm not telling what it is or even what color it is! Just that I think I will end up making one for myself too. ;-D

I ALSO bought my US 17 needles for a project I have waiting in the wings, and I bought some beautiful Regalia Silk for a scarf I want to make for a friend of mine. Either for her birthday or Christmas...kinda depending on my timeline. ;-) Did some yarn-groping for a fairly long time today to find these gems in the store...my first time visiting the locally-owned shop, and definitely not my last! The US 17's, by the way, are HUGE. I can't even imagine what else I will ever possibly make on them....except those chunky fuzzy scarves, and I NEVER wear or give those, so...not those.

Apparently there is a big 'Knitting in Public' movement in my town this weekend at the local farmer's market. I'm a little bummed because I can't go---I'm leaving town to drive north to Spokane to visit a friend. I'm trying to find a group of similar knitters in the Moscow area so I can have some knit-friends...I never go out to find people so vigorously, but I keep thinking that it would sure be nice to have people that I could meet with for coffee and knit. :-P Maybe I'll just keep knitting in public and they will find me. :-)

The blanket restart is going well...I'm one row away from finishing my first pattern repeat since the restart, and that's some good progress as far as I'm concerned. Getting one repeat done a week seems like a fairly reasonable goal...it's 190 stitches 11 times...that's over 2000 stitches a week on that silly blanket. I have other short-term projects to attempt, so I figure with a pace like that I should be good to get the thing done in the next few months (which is soon enough for me, as I am in no rush).

That's it for the knitting world...and since that's my primary use for this blog, I'd call that an end to my entry. :-)

After some serious consideration...

...I've decided to restart the blanket. I feel a little foolish, and a little shot down, but I'm trying not to let that get to me.

It's not really because of the dropped stitch, either. In fact, I'm feeling pretty sure that I'm going to kick that stitch out of the pattern anyway...it just seemed to complicate the work with no noticeable benefit to the overall beauty of the blanket. Made it harder to remember as I worked through pattern repeat #2...which I never did finish.

No, the real reason I want to restart the project is that I messed up one of the cables on the side. Would Kristen notice? Probably not. Would Abby notice? Definitely not. But would I spend the rest of my time not only while working on this piece but AFTER finishing it concerned about this silly inch of cable that didn't match up...well, the truth is, yes, and I don't want to feel that way about it.

I'm going to try and frog back to the end of the first pattern, but I'm not holding my breath. Plus saving 190 (maybe 191 by that point? :-P) stitches is probably going to be more hassle than it's worth. There are just too many slipped and cabled stitches...I could re-knit most of what I have in the time it would take to try and save the work I've done. Plus everybody knows that when you restart you feel way more comfortable about the pattern. :-) I think it could turn out better if I restarted with 190 stitches anyhow, and I would feel more confident about it.

In other news, I've decided to take on a new project (like I need ANOTHER one on my needles...I'm fairly overloaded as it is...and still avoiding the backpack I started in February...:-x). It's a bag dispenser I found on Ravelry (in my queue). It's adorable, knits up really fast and with very little yarn. The pattern calls for some fairly enormous needles though (10.5 and 17 US). This is okay, but I'm going to have to buy them, and I don't know when I will ever use them again. Maybe when I need to knit up some quick scarves or something? :-P Those chunky fuzzy ones?...haha, I've never been able to wear those seriously. This project is still in my queue, however, and I'll try and leave it there until I get back up to speed on the blanket. Or maybe I should promise to myself to start it if I finish that darn backpack...maybe that will be enough of an incentive.

I think I'm avoiding the backpack because I decided awhile ago to redo the front using fair isle. It seems a little silly....I finished the darn thing with intarsia, and I absolutely hate the idea of starting the SAME piece over again with fair isle. It looks so cute....but the excess yarn on the back is just..wow. It is more than I can fathom....and I keep telling myself I'll weave all the ends in, but I spent some time on it and it is an impossible task.

It's tough sometimes to work through these stumbling blocks because it can make you frustrated. I remember trying to teach myself the seed stitch when I first started, and I got so angry I quit knitting for a month. It wasn't about the knitting of course; I was frustrated about a lot of school stuff at the time...and we all know the seed stitch isn't really THAT hard. ;-) But it sure can be a slippery slope. I tend to throw myself at tasks and drown myself in them, but I'm trying to take it slow so I don't suffocate and want out.

Oh, the bag dispenser, by the way, uses i-cord, which I have never done either. Maybe I would benefit from a list! ;-)

1) Learn the fair isle method for backpack
2) Learn i-cord for bag dispenser
3) Restart blanket (try not to cry, and a get a little coffee before this)
4) Finish backpack (at least START on that darn front again)
5) Start bag dispenser*
* - only if backpack is DONE (or has at least been STARTED!)

As it stands, my pal Malorie is one of the few people that I can find solace in for my knitting. Which is okay, but I'm starting to feel like I need to find a knitting group of my own. The trouble is that I live in Moscow, ID. Let's face it...it's a college town (on SUMMER break!), and I can't seem to find any group. The closest that I've seen is in LEWISTON, which is a good 45 minute drive south. And with gas prices the way they are...well, I'm trying to SAVE money for school...not spend it all on driving so I can knit. ;-)

There is this adorable group of women that hang out in one of my favorite coffeeshops and knit for a few hours (some of them spin, even!). I would love to just sit with them and ask questions if I get stuck or something...but I feel creepy just jumping in on their group. I've had little ideas of just 'happening' to be there around the time that they are (which would be oddly convenient, since I'm not sure when they meet) and having them be interested in what I'm doing.

I swear I'm not a lonely person! But I am one of the few knitters I know. It's nice to feel included and accepted among peers. :-) Knitting has become a solo hobby, but what I like about it is that it doesn't have to be! You can chat and knit...simultaneously! And...well, I love Mal for being there for me...but I can't type and knit at the same time. :-) Neither can she. Though I have genuinely enjoyed the times we have knitted together (she at least lets me complain and cry a little :-D). And I'm running out of movies to watch while I knit.

Tonight, I suppose, I christen the blog title...'Knit 'Til Dawn'....I put it because I know I'm a bit of a night owl, and I liked the idea of knitting for a long time...''Til Dawn' seemed like a good representation of that at the time. It is 4:30 AM here...maybe it's time for me to stop complaining about my silly knitting issues. I love it...whether or not I fall on my face from project to project. I learn something every time I pick up my needles. :-) It will probably look better after a couple hours of sleep.

Tragedy Strikes!

Working on the blanket today...and I'm missing a stitch. There were 191, and now there are 190. I panicked. What do you do in this situation? 191 stitches across, and I dropped one who knows how many rows ago...what do you do?

Well, I tried to find the stitch I dropped. Figured knowing where it was would help me assess how much work it would be to destroy my beautiful blanket until that point.

The catch? I can't find it. I can't find the dropped stitch anywhere. I can't find an accidental knit-together either...though how I would 'accidentally' 'knit-together' is beyond me.

So what happened to that stitch? God, where did it go?

The pattern works without that stitch. I know that sounds silly, but it was always a matter of "do this 32 times and then knit an extra stitch at the end." that 'extra' is gone now. Probably what makes it hard to find is the 'wild oat' stitch I was talking about...some crazy combo of about 6 rows that involves slipping stitches and cabling a couple here and there. I could keep knitting without it...but where did it go? I would rather start over (god forbid) than keep knitting and have it unravel before my eyes. :-( Where is that blasted stitch??

I combed my work thus far meticulously, and no indication of an error... :-( I guess I should just...keep going? Advice, anyone that reads this? :-P

Slow and Steady...

Just a quick update for the baby blanket's sake.


Since completing my wrist warmers, I've felt brave enough to tackle the cabled baby blanket I started a couple weeks ago. Just a little bit at a time, and someday I will be done. Now I'm starting to see that it will be a long road, but not an impossible one! :-D

I've been knitting between work and a little during work (only when I could, so don't worry, I'm not slacking off) and I've been thinking about knitting for like a week and a half straight. I can't wait to get my 'secret summer pal' from the dishcloth exchange...that will be a great smaller task with purpose to break up the (let's face it) monotony of my baby blanket.

At least I'm not BORED with the blanket. The cabling and 'wild oat' pattern keep it interesting. Which is good, and bad. It's just enough that I have to pay attention while I'm knitting...not quite instinctive.

There is a bit of a flaw with her pattern, I think. She says it came out of a Reader's Digest, so I guess I'm not stunned. There are two lines that seem to have too many stitches, and one that I can definitely say is missing a section (5 whole stitches). Anyway, it's going to be WAY cute when I'm done. I hope Kristen and Abby enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed working on it.

...'enjoyed' now. 'Hated' a month from now. ;-)

Summer Dishcloth Exchange!

While trying to find a clear explanation of the 'xo' cable pattern, I stumbled across the 'Summer Dishcloth Exchange' program, where you have a 'secret summer pal' and prepare a care package for them. AND you get one yourself! It sounds like a sweet deal, and I'm always looking for people to knit for...my friends are warming up to the idea, but most of the things they want are larger projects. I actually had someone ask me if I would knit them a sweater the other day. I told them if they were willing to buy the yarn, I would love to. :-P I've never done it, but I know I would learn if I had a reason!

Anyhow, I have to fill out a survey so my potential secret pal can find out a little info on me. So...here it goes:

1. Do you Knit or Crochet? For how long?
I knit. I am relatively new to the sport, however, and only taught myself this past December.

2. Do you enjoy using metal, wooden, or some other kind of needle\hook?
I use metal. I like the speed. But I also use bamboo needles, especially dpns and circulars. They're just so...organic. :-)

3. What are your favorite types of yarn? Any you just can't stand?
I'm still getting to know yarn. I enjoy wool and even alpaca, but I use a lot of acrylic, except for special projects. I am a college student after all. :-) I've heard bamboo is cool, but I've never been up close and personal with any bamboo.

4. When it comes to cotton, are there any brands you'd love to try and haven't?
Again, not terribly familiar with all the brands. I'm going to go with 'no', but I would love to discover some new material to fall in love with. :-)

5. When you make Dishcloths, do you use them yourself, or tend to give them as gifts?
I tend to make them for others. One of my first projects, however (after the obligatory garter stitch scarf) was a gorgeous maroon washcloth (it is in my photo up-top) that I still use today. I knit it just to try and get familiar with purling and following patterns, but it was the first piece I fell in love with. :-)

6. Do you have a favorite color? Any that you dislike?
I do not have a real favorite color. I don't dislike any either, but I do tend to shy away from the 'puke yellow' or 'vomit green' realm. It would like a lot of convincing for me to enjoy something like that. :-P

7. What color(s) (if any!) are your kitchen and bath decorated in?
I'm a bit of a vagrant these days. Being a college student means giving up on having a permanent home and owning a kitchen and/or bath. Even my bath towels don't have a consistent scheme: brown, white, orange, and purple. :-) I'm sure any addition would fit right in.

8. What are your favorite scents around the house?
I enjoy lavender the most.

9. What is your very favorite thing about summer?
I like having the extra time to study and pursue some of my own interests outside of the academic arena. I feel summer is the time I get to really discover what I love about life. :-) Plus, being outside is awesome!

10. What is your least favorite thing about summer?
Here in Northern Idaho, it gets REALLY hot. I don't like super hot days where you can hear the grasshoppers. The noise they make in the extreme heat really bugs me.

11. Do you use soap or body wash in the shower?
I use body wash. I also don't use a washcloth currently, but I'm hoping to be convinced otherwise!

12. What scents do you enjoy in the bath?
I use a body wash called 'sweet pea'....I like delicate floral scents OR the cucumber/melon side of things.

13. What is your favorite dishcloth pattern?
The one that I've used in the past so far as been my favorite. It has these little knit bars on a stockinette background with a garter stitch border...it's on my Ravelry account. I got the pattern from some 'how-to-knit' website.

14. What sort of treats do you enjoy? Sweet or Salty?
Sweet. :-) I'm a sucker for skittles and milk chocolate. But more than anything I enjoy coffee drinks as a treat.

15. Imagine today is one of the hottest days of the year - what do you do to keep cool? Or are you one of those folks who loves the hot weather?
I enjoy hot weather, but in the middle of the afternoon I will treat myself to an iced pomegranate tea (republic of tea makes a great one) or an iced americano. Then I duck for some shade and read a book (or knit, now, I suppose)!

16. What sorts of hobbies do you enjoy besides knitting or crocheting?
I read a lot when I have the time. I'm really into math and I'm studying to be an electrical engineer at the University of Idaho. I play a few video games (I guess I'm a bit of a nerd). I also like rock-climbing, and I'm trying to get into running (but I am so far not very good at it). I like geo-caching, too, if you know what that is. ;-) I'm really into music, and I play the drums (or used to; school has kept me pretty busy so I'm not quite as diligent about practicing these days).

17. Do you collect anything (besides yarn!)
I collect key chains!

18. Are you on Ravelry? If so, share your ID!
YES! My name is 'Xenophilia'. :-)

19. Do you have any allergies?
None!

20. Do you have any pets?
I have a beta fish named 'Laplace'...he's REALLY awesome. :-) The parents are taking care of the family dog...she is a beagle and her name is 'Honey.'

I've decided to get a Flickr account...

...but with a little protest. I just want to visually brag about the cool things I've been knitting up, but as it stands you have to make the effort to go to my blog to do that. Boo that I feel obligated. I have a photobucket...why doesn't that work? :-P

But many thanks to the Ravelry team for all they've done. I enjoy it, muchos! :-D

Just a couple more photos

One day I'll stop being lazy and take these photos with my real camera, but for now the built-in that came with my Mac is just more convenient.

Mattress stitch, for the first time ever for me!

Both wrists. My face, conveniently behind my hands (I was a little grungy in this photo).

They came out a little loose, but not so much that I can't wear them. I almost think I would use a smaller needle on another attempt.

Anyways, ta-da! :-D

Ignore that it is so early in the day!

I had a late night that turned into being up WAY into the AM...
but ta-da!
Warmer up-close...

I am a badass. :-)

The top could have been a little tighter...the top seam drifts a little as a grab things and move around.

But it is GORGEOUS, and I can't wait to finish it's twin up and have a set :-D I love this hobby...how did I ever live without knitting?

Today I spent around 6 hours in a coffeeshop downtown finishing these bad boys up and watching videos on TED. Seriously, how is life better than this? :-)

Oh, that's right, it doesn't. :-P

Quick update:

Wrist warmers = complete! :-D

I'm going to fix a small mistake in one of them, but here are a few photos from the process. :-D I'm so excited!


Me working on the cables!


Done! (Shot of one)


Close up of the cable-work. I am such a pro!

How relieving to complete a project in two days. :-D I'll post a few photos once I complete the finishing work. :-)

Big thanks to my pal Malorie for being my knit-a-thon buddy. :-)

Time!

Took a second look at my 'crazy hat'...and ended up frogging it. It was just...there were too many problems. I made it too early in my knitting life and then let it collect dust for awhile. I was just SO excited by circular needles at the time...anyway, it's gone, and I'm actually pretty glad, after having looked at it. :-P I'm saving the gorgeous wool I bought for it for my next hat attempt...I'm convinced that it will be a pretty hat.

I started a new project this past weekend....my baby blanket. The yarn is prettier than it looks (it's Bernat 'Soft Blue' - it has a thin silver/white line in it that looks gorgeous in the light), and I'm following a pattern I found at Wishing I was Knitting at the Lake. She makes it look SO pretty, and I have a friend that had a baby this past winter. Now that I've started it, though, I'm thinking I won't be done with it until this COMING winter! Let me show you:


Yeah. The pieces of brown yarn are just markers for the different sections. It's going to take a long time. I knew it would, but I stopped because I got cold feet for the cabling part. So I decided I needed to try a little cabling with my spare yarn before I get into it with this piece. That, so far, has not been very effective, but it's because I haven't spent much time working on it.

I have also been avoiding my backpack that I started back in January. I finished the knitting part about two weeks ago, but the finishing work looks daunting from here...there are several hours of finishing to do for all the pieces...mostly the front. I'm not sure, but I think I should have used fair isle instead of intarsia. Either way, I finished the knitting part, and now I have a lot of weaving and sewing to do.

The truth is, I don't have a TON of spare time to knit right now. I'm working a lot, and I'm helping my friend move this weekend. I'm studying some sound and acoustics stuff to prepare for a class I'm taking this fall, and I'm studying for the GRE, which I'm also taking this fall.

But I want to knit. I want it very badly. So I must find some time to squeeze it in. :-P The baby blanket is not something I can casually knit while I do something else either...it is a little too challenging and detailed for me to do that. Maybe after I get my friend moved in I will feel like I can spare the time.

Anyway, that's about it for my knitting update. :-) I might need to make another washcloth to feel better about myself during this baby blanket experience! ;-)

P.S. Tried knitting in the round for the first time this weekend (this was right before I killed the hat...I did a few rows with a set of double-pointed needles I bought last week). It was awesome. I think I like it better than circular needles. So efficient and rhythmic. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. :-)

Entry Uno

I don't really speak Spanish.

So...I've realized I don't have a nice open forum to display my knitting projects the way I would like to, and all my Ravelry friends have a blogger acount. I hopped on the bandwagon too. :-)

I've not done a lot of knitting, really. I made myself a scarf, I started some crazy hat (with no pattern), I'm almost done with a backpack, and I'm well-versed at completing adorable washcloths.

That's about it. I have pictures that I couldn't put on Ravelry, so I'll probably put them here.

My washcloth. :-)
My backpack (the pattern is from Stitch n' Bitch).
Me wearing my scarf. It was knit knit knit. Very boring. Really cute though. ;-)

No photos of my crazy hat exist. I don't want to confront it yet. :-P So that's where I am, knit-wise. I'm an electrical engineer by day, a knitter...well, also by day. :-)