Monday, October 29, 2007

I went to Oregon!!!

Oregon is way better than Iowa. Seriously.




Friday, October 26, 2007

Painting vs Sculpting

When I say "Painting vs Sculpting," I am talking about knitting, of course. I've been thinking lately about different types of knitters and why I am drawn to some projects and not others. I think it comes down to whether people prefer to sculpt with their yarn or paint with their yarn.

Here's what I mean:
Often online, I will see blogs and forum postings from people who make nothing but socks. Gorgeous, hand-dyed, different intricate-lace-pattern-every-time socks. Or they make fair-isle scarves or sweaters which are a plain rectangle with very complex colorwork patterns. Or crazy aran blankets with a hundred different squiggles scattered across them. I am starting to think of this as "painting" fancy designs with the knitting.

I, on the other hand, am more interested in scuplting interesting shapes with my yarn. For awhile I thought that this was because of the fact that I am generally watching TV while I am knitting and I don't feel like counting every stitch. After mulling this over, however, I think really it's no less complex, and no more mindless to count the 6 stitches that come before a complicted increase that will eventually become the nose of some sort of hat creature (or whatever) than to count the 6 stitches that come before a color change or a yo, sl1, ssk, psso (or whatever) of a lace pattern.

It's not that I don't like fair-isle or aran knitting or lace. I've made perfectly good things using all of these techniques. It's just that when I find myself day-dreaming about knitting (yeah, I really do that) it's rarely because I am trying to figure out how to incorporate colorwork into a pattern. It's much more likely that I will fear my cat will get cold in the winter and so I will be trying to figure out how to knit a cat-cozy... or I will wonder how I would do the increases if I wanted a sweater with a zipper that went diagonally across the front... or I will wonder how to make the cuffs if I want to knit mittens that are also gloves (my new amazing project I mentioned in the last post).

Therefore, I think that there are two types of knitting, painting with color or lacework or cables, and sculpting with interesting shapes. In order to be a master of knitting, I feel like you have to be able to seamlessly integrate these two components into each other. This is what I strive for as a knitter.

Knitting

I really have been knitting, I swear. It's just that, well, I haven't been knitting a lot, you see. And for everything that I am knitting right now I am making up the pattern as I go along and writing it down. Which means I feel like at some point in my life I should send these patterns I am writing down to some sort of knitting publication and make them put them somewhere for people to see. Which means that I can't post it online if I want someone else to do it for me. Which is silly. I think I will post my project I am working on now, anyway. It is going to be very awesome when it's done. This may very well be the worst post ever.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Music

So, I was asked to make someone a CD of my favorite songs so they could "broaden their cultural awareness" or something. I had a lot of fun going through my music and putting this together, so I thought I'd share it!


3 Libras, A Perfect Circle
Lithium, Nirvana
Walking And Thinking, Ra
Road Trippin', Red Hot Chili Peppers
Realize, Colbie Caillat
Blackbird, The Beatles
Danny's Song, Kenny Loggins
The Only Living Boy In New York, Simon & Garfunkel
The Luckiest, Ben Folds
Wherever You Will Go, The Calling
Mad World, Gary Jules
New Slang , The Shins
All At Once, The Fray
Somewhere Only We Know, Keane
Ants Marching, Dave Matthews Band
Yellow, Coldplay
Float On, Modest Mouse
I Stand Alone, Godsmack
How Much Longer, Eve 6
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, Cake
Super Mario Bros, Boston Pops

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Mural

I finished my craft room! Here's the finished mural! I took me about 6 hours to do the whole thing. I love it! Note the heron on one of the rocks.

Here is the background on the wall
I mainly will use this room for homework, so I like that the table is big enough to spread all my papers out and still have a sewing machine on it.

Craft closet!!! It's truely amazing how much stuff I fit in there! There are containers for yarn, painting, beading, sewing/quilting, scrapbooking, rug hooking, embroidery.......

Best. Bookshelf. EVER.


I am so happy with how this turned out! I was pretty nervous painting on the wall, so I am glad it didn't like, drip black all over or something. At least I think it's fairly recognizable as some place with trees or something... Woooohoooo!!!!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Ravelry

I got invited to Ravelry! Finally! I am so excited! I think they do the whole wait lots of months for an invitation so that your will be so excited to use it when you finally get in! Actually it's really cool, though.

As far as crafts and me, I've sort of been trying to get my craft room painted and furnitured and prettified. I painted it on Saturday, a light lavender. It's not really what color I was going for, but I was all set to deal with it. Then I went to take down the tape and realized just what a crappy paint job it is. I think I may take this opportunity to do a second coat in a slightly different color. Darn it! I want to be done painting! Here is a preview of the beginning part of my practice for the mural I want to paint on the wall. I might be too sick of painting by then though...


Did I mention I started going to karate again? I love it! I worked out for 2 and a half hours today, which was great, because today really sucked. The first two things that happened to me today were I hit my head on the corner of my nightstand, then got up and hit my head on the corner of the wall! Arg!

I love The Preemie Project! It's so fun to hang out and knit with people!!!!!

Here is how awesome my cat is:

Monday, October 1, 2007

Something a bit sad

So here is a preemie set, all pretty and almost done. Except I ran out of yarn. Right before the toe of the second bootie. The only reason I started making the set was to get rid of yarn that's been in my stash forever, so I really really don't wanna go buy more. Does anyone have a few yards of fuschia Lion Brand Microspun they'd like to send me???

The hat is cute though, with a little cable pattern. I guess I will donate just the hat, and have a bootie and a half just sitting around for the rest of eternity.

Sunday college knit nights have been happening, and they are totally fun! I mostly haven't knit anything, because pretty much every week I've taught someone to knit or crochet, but presumably once the newbies get the hang of it (and they are! they are!) then they can help teach, too! It's hard to teach someone to knit, but I think I am getting better (at least I hope so!)

Yesterday I finally used my Christmas present gift certificate to a spa! Oh my goodness, that was the best thing ever! I got an hour long facial and an hour long massage, and played in their whirlpool and steam room. I felt very princess! (= Thanks Seany!