Ahem

Well, this is the longest I have ever gone before without blogging a thing. Things have been rather hectic over at chez MagicKnitter the past couple of months to say the least, so let me catch you up.

I got a new full time job with a college in town doing their accounts payable. I like it quite a lot.

I still work part time at the gym, in the early hours of the morning, before going into the full time job.

I was taking a class in medical coding until last week. I passed the certification exam, so now I don't have to cram quite as much time into that.

Now I'm looking for part time work in the medical coding field to get my apprenticeship taken care of. Can you say glutton for punishment?

I have actually been knitting, but no documentation. I made a slew of Intwined Hats for my family for Christmas, a few scarves, a different couple of hats, cowls, shawls, and now am knitting the Central Park Hoodie for myself now that the holiday is over.

That just about catches you up I think. I hope to be back in about a week with another update, and hopefully some pictures. I miss blogging about my knitting successes and fails, so I'll be back, when I have some free time (Ha!)

Knit on...

Birthdays

You know, it's funny how birthdays come around the same time every year. This one kind of snuck up on me since I'm really still in transition mode from living overseas to now living back in my home country. The past couple of months have been super busy between working odd hours at the gym, launching Fiber Fiction, knitting for new babies in the family, seeing older members of my family so I can spend time with them as much as possible, and finally, getting to see my friends on occasion. It's been a whole season of transitions, so when November 6 popped up, I was caught off guard.

Thankfully, my family and friends were not. Let me start with my wonderful fiance, who is always referred to as DF on my blog. He knows me well and went onto my KnitPicks wishlist and sent me 10 balls of Merino Style in a lovely green color:Forgive the dark colors on these pictures. I took them with my camera phone because I had nothing else around me to grab. He also got me a fix it keychain with a tiny double ended crochet hook attached to it. It's very cute.

My grandparents got me a Bodum teapot which I will be using a whole lot right now since it's 20 degrees F outside right now:And yes, this teapot needs a cozy I think. I'm browsing patterns for tea cozies and sweaters right now.

My parents sent me cash, which will be put to good use and my other grandmother sent me a gift card to Dillards. I see some new clothes in my future.

My awesome friend Renee took me out for a lovely brunch yesterday morning for my birthday. Looking back, I should have totally taken a picture of this massive plate of food, but my word it was good. Good food, good company, and a good mood: does it get much better than that?

My mother-in-law-to-be gave me a gift certificate to my LYS, so I'm looking forward to browsing and figuring out what I want. I am thinking some noro may come home with me so I can finish my noro blanket this year :o)

I also finished the log cabin baby blanket yesterday and gave it to the new baby at dinner last night:The blanket is a little wonky in the picture, but I can assure you, it's not wonky in real life. I gave it to the new mom and dad last night and the baby was nestled cozily in it by the time they left and had a deathgrip on it. I started another one last night, but I'm just improving the design on it. I'll post pictures when I get more than one block into it.

The only thing that could have made the day better was if DF was here. His birthday is on Monday, so I'm wishing him a happy birthday from here! Distances can suck, but love rocks. I love you, DF, and I hope that you have a great day, even if we're away for the birthdays this year!

Knit on...

Endings and Beginnings

Yesterday, I finished the rainbow scarf for my cousin, and I still think it looks rather like clown vomit. But besides that, I'm happy with how it came out. It's just a simple 1x1 ribbed scarf:This picture shows you most of the color progression throughout the scarf. I like having finished pieces that started out as roving. Really is fun to see your babies grow.

And speaking of babies, we have a new one on DF's side of the family. This little one wasn't supposed to make her appearance for another few weeks, but you know how babies are. You don't always get to plan for when they come out (just ask my mother!), so we welcomed Lexi into the world this week. And, since the scarf ended, the parade of baby items will begin. I'm finally making one of the Moderne Baby Blankets from Mason Dixon Knitting. I finished two blocks yesterday:And now I knit like the wind and try to get the blanket done before Lexi is allowed to come home on Sunday!

Knit on...

What I Can Show You

I've been knitting quite a bit the past couple of weeks, but most of it I can't show you until Sunday, and then November 30. It's been hectic at Fiber Fiction headquarters, but I'm looking forward to the response from the release coming up in a few more days.

What I can show you is what the rainbow yarn is turning into:Just a simple 1x1 ribbed scarf for my cousin for Christmas. Gotta love handspun when you never know what color sequence is coming up next.

Also, I've been spinning some alpaca/merino blend roving:It's not a bad blend, but the merino seems to be adding quite a few nepps which are driving me insane right now. I'm pulling most of them out, but it does slow down the spinning process dramatically when I have to do that. At least it's buttery soft!

Knit on...

Picture Proof

I can't remember if I mentioned last week that I finished the Ice Queen Cowl from Knitty.com or not, but I did. I had no proof of finishing though since stupid me had forgotten to take a picture after finishing it 30 minutes before giving it to the recipient for her birthday. Anyways, behold the proof that I finished the cowl:And here it is being used as a hood:The woman in the picture is my dear friend. Actually, she is the one who first taught me to crochet 7 years ago now. She laughed when I gave her the cowl, because she could remember when I was getting so frustrated just trying to crochet a straight row, and now I'm crocheting and knitting intricate beaded lace designs and anything else I really want to make. Happy birthday to my mentor and good friend!

Knit on...

Finished Yarn and Finished Body

Yesterday, I finished the rainbow yarn I have been spinning since the Insubordiknit Drunken Sunset came off the wheel. The yarn spun up to be a decent worsted weight yarn and I'm going to be making this into a scarf for a cousin of mine. Here's the yarn:It's still a little over twisted. One of these days I'll get the right amount of twist into a yarn that's navajo plied...

Also, I finally got the zipper installed in my Vivian cardigan, and after taking a couple of pictures of it today, I realize that yeah, I've lost 81 pounds...Here's the cardigan and me from the front:And here's the sweater from the side:
Squeee!

Knit on...

Fiber, Fiber, Everywhere!

Another week has flown by, and I have no idea where it went. It was an interesting week though, so here are the highlights:

Monday: Fiber Fiction Patterns
Tuesday: Fiber Fiction Patterns
Wednesday: Fiber Fiction Patterns
Thursday: Fiber Fiction Patterns
Friday: Kim's Birthday
Saturday: Renee's Party
Today: Downtown and Fiber!

So if you didn't notice the trend for the first 4 days of the week, Fiber Fiction launched and all the free dishcloth patterns are now up.

Today I went downtown to the Spotlight Lexington exhibition. I had heard from my grandparents that there was an alpaca lady out there, and I thought it would be fun to talk to a local fiber farmer. Turns out it was fun, and she, who happens to have a name and it's Sandy, had some nice rovings and yarns. I ended up coming home with a 4 ounce bump of roving:Her farm is S & S Camelid Co and her stuff was nice. If you're in the central Kentucky region, you should check her out. Also, I talked to a local fiber mill who happened to be the mill responsible for the roving I picked up. The mill was Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works and I'm looking forward to sending some stuff over to Shawn and Lori to have processed.

I'll review the roving once I get it all spun up. I think it's going to spin quite nicely after inspecting it some at home.

Can I Interest You in a Dishcloth?

So yeah, if you asked me what I've been up to the past week, I would have to say this:Yeah, I've made 20 dishcloths in a week. Those are 12 of them, all crocheted. The other 8 were some test knits for Fiber Fiction that you'll be able to see if you head over there.

Speaking of, there are now 3 patterns up, and the 4th will be up today, so keep an eye out.

And for those who care, I also bought this today:Cascade 220 Sportweight in the color 2452. I also bought this:Lanaloft sport weight by Brown Sheep Company in the color Violet Shimmer. Yeah, not sure what happened with the picture, but it's purple and not blue at all.

Hm, wonder what I could be doing with sport weight yarn? Perhaps you will find out on October 31? Hint, hint, wink wink, say no more!

Knit on...

Mystery Journaling Prompt

Since I asked everyone to try and write a short piece of fiction for their first prompt on Fiber Fiction, I thought I would share mine here:

The Mystery of Obi

The young woman jerked upright, sweat covering her body. She heard that noise again and it terrified her. The snorting, the rapid inhaling of breath cut the silence in her bedroom. She tried to pull the covers over her head and ignore the noise, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t ignore the heavy breathing and the little snorts coming down the hallway. What was she going to do, she wondered. She couldn’t close the door in time. She couldn’t run away from the being behind the snorts, sniffs, and heavy breathing. She was trapped.

She pulled the covers off her, slid her feet out of the bed and onto the cold wooden floor, and stood up slowly. The snorts were getting closer and she knew she didn’t have much time. She reached in her purse and grabbed the one thing that would appease the beast that was approaching.

“Obi!” she exclaimed as she held her hand out to the tiny shitzu and gave him the treat he was seeking out. “You silly old dog! You scared me with all that snorting!”

Obi, with his ancient eyes, simply took the treat, stared at the woman, and then walked out the door, moving on to bigger and better things. What those things could be was a mystery to the young red head.

For those of you who remember, Obi is my cousin's dog. I'm once again dog sitting for her, so Obi is snoring next to me while I write this. I'm finally going to be able to knit something else aside from dishcloths now, so look for some progress on that fair isle vest here soon!

Knit on...

It's Live!

Fiber Fiction has launched! The first free pattern is up and ready for you to enjoy. Here it is:The pattern is based on the genre of mystery. It's illusion knit, but it reveals the manifying glass with the letter M for Mystery next to it. I hope you all enjoy it!

Oh, and you should totally tell people about Fiber Fiction. All the cool kids are doing it :oP

Who Needs Sleep?

That's going to be my motto for the next few days. Between work, school, and launching Fiber Fiction, I'm going to be seriously sleep deprived I think. But, it's totally worth it and I'm looking forward to having some submissions coming in and getting to pair them up with designers and some of my own designs.

I wish I had something to show you today. Since I don't, I'm just going to give you a teaser photo of the first pattern that will launch on Friday. And yeah, looks can be very deceiving!Knit on...

Burning The Candle At Both Ends

That's what I've been doing as of late it seems. First off, I'm working more since a few people needed time off or quit at work. Secondly, the stuff I've been knitting recently, I can't show you until Friday when the website launches. Lastly, between the first two things, I haven't had much time to do anything except work, come home and knit on Fiber Fiction stuff, and sleep!

But, so as not to disappoint, I did get something done. I took the finished Drunken Sunset yarn I spun up and Navajo plyed and made A Noble Cowl out of it. Here's the finished project:I also started on a new Fair Isle Vest from Knit Picks called the Corrie Vest. Here's what I have so far:That's it for now. Check back in a few more days for more fun stuff, perhaps a contest, and the formal launch of Fiber Fiction!

Life

Sometimes life gets in the way of my posting stuff. This week, life is deciding that my hormone levels are fun to play with.

For those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I do on occassion (read: all the freaking time) have some issues with being an estrogen factory. Well, turns out I'm now lacking a lot of it, from get this, losing weight! Stored fat apparently produces estrogens and since I have 80 pounds less of it, I'm not quite the factory I used to be.

So, this week I saw my wonderful doctor-who-keeps-me-regulated-and-sane, and we changed meds. For the first two days, I was nauseous as hell. And I was cranky. And tired. And, well, just feeling rather crummy. On the third day (today actually) I have started feeling wonderful. I'm regulated again, thank goodness.

So in the past week, I have knit a heel flap and turned the heel on the second red sock. That's it. I did do some spinning, and tonight I'm going to do some more before going to bed. So, since I did promise you pictures, here is the pair of worsted weight green socks I made for the family friend with cancer:That's it for tonight. Hopefully this next week is much more fiber-friendly and less hot-flash related!

Knit on...

Spinning, Knitting, and Fiber Fun

I have been spinning, and in fact, I managed to go ahead and finish up the last of the Insubordiknit roving. It's sitting here staring at me, wondering what it will be. Anyone have any suggestions? I have about 250 yards of sport weight yarn in a nice varigated purple colorway. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow.

I finished the worsted weights socks and will also post pictures of that tomorrow.

And I'm getting there on the red socks too. I've been working on some writing for Fiber Fiction and working on some more designing for it. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should totally go look. It's not ready to launch yet, but there's going to be some fun stuff in October.

And for more fibery-fun, I think I finally got the hang of navajo plying. The second skein of yarn is much less over-twisted than the first one, so I think I'll be ok on it from now on.

Pictures tomorrow! Or later tonight if I feel like getting on the small computer to get the pictures off the camera :oP

Knit on...

An Announcement

Ok, folks, I have been hinting that I've been working on something rather big the past few months. Well, I'm pleased to announce that I can finally talk about it some on here.

I have been working with a friend of mine to design a website that will pair short pieces of fiction with knitting patterns that somehow tie into the story. After taking over two months off from work and designing, writing, and working on the website stuff, Fiber Fiction was born.

The website is now up, but it is rough, so bear with us as we iron out the kinks and get it fully operational. The formal launch is in 3 weeks on October 1.

But for now, go check it out. It's fun :oP

Fiber Fiction: Where Fiber Has Character

Housekeeping

Ok, I'm doing some housekeeping today. First, I did actually finish two pairs of socks while on vacation in Bali. Here's the first one out of Sensations basic wool sock yarn:Then I made a pair of socks out of Plymouth Sockatta cotton blend yarn:And I did finish the first red sock. Red sock number two is currently being knit:Yep, lots of socks. And now to get back to the red one...

Knit on...

New Yarn

Hey, look, I have actually done fiber-related stuff! I spun up some singles out of the Insubordiknit humanely-raised merino cross in Drunken Sunset, then I practiced Navajo plying for the first time. I love how the finished product looks, but boy did I overtwist the yarn! That's why I wanted to get in some practice before doing a large project on the wheel that I want to Navajo ply. Anyways, here's the 155 yards of yarn:Knit on...

Catching Up

Ok, so this is going to be a fairly picture-heavy post as I catch up on what all I've been doing the past week. So without further blabbering, let me get to it.

First up, we have the finished Lumpy Bumpy scarf. It's lumpy, it's bumpy, and it's squishy soft:Sorry for the craptapulous pictures on here. I'm rushing to get this in, talk to DF, and get ready for my class tonight all before heading to work.
Next, I finished the first red sock last night and just have to graft the toe. I'll be doing that sometime this morning before work probably.And then last night at SnB (It was great seeing you guys again!), I started a pair of worsted weight bed socks for a friend of the family who has cancer. I didn't get too far, but worsted socks knit up so fast:And last, but not least, I have really enjoyed being back with my spinning wheel. Yesterday was one of the first times I've had some time to really sit down and spin, and I got through about 1.5 ounces of roving that has been in my stash for ages. This is Insubordiknit's Drunken Sunset:It started out rough, but now I'm getting a nice, even single and I love the colors. I'm going to use this as practice for navajo plying since I've yet to do that and I want to keep the colors in this roving together as much as possible.

There you have it! One week down, many more to come. I'll try to be a bit more consistent since I'm pretty well settled in now and will be working, studying, and knitting, all while seeing friends and family.

Knit on...

A Plate Full

Well, there has been quite a lot on my plate here recently, so that's why there have not been blog posts for the past couple of days. Here's just a few things:

Preparing for a garage sale

Getting a job (got one, albeit just part time)

Studying and doing homework for class (time suck!)

Having cavities filled in

Plus a few more things. So, knitting has not been going fast around chez Magic Knitter. I did finish the scarf and I almost finished a sock. I'll try to get a post up here soon about those.

Knit on...

WTF??!!....

Yes, that is what I am asking myself right now. What happened to me while I was in Korea? The reason I ask this is because I went to the dentist today to get a checkup and cleaning and came out knowing I had 8, yes count them, 8 cavities! WTF?

First, this more than triples the number of cavities I already have. The most I had ever had at one time was 2 and that was after 12 years of not going to the dentist. I had one other small one pop up a few laters, but to have 8, and possibly more weak spots that will eventually develop into cavities, was a shock to say the least.

So, I have been pissed all day because of this. I'll get over it, I know, but since finances are rather tight at the moment since I'm jobless, the last thing I needed was to have to sink almost 1000 bucks into my mouth. But, that's just what I'm going to do. I wonder if I chewed on the money directly it would fill in the teeth better?

So there's no knitting content today. I went running this afternoon and I applied for jobs online. I may knit a little bit tonight, but as of right now, I haven't knit a single stitch. Blah.

Knit on...

And floss. For the love of all that is good, floss!