Welcome to the blog of a young male knitter!



Friday, December 31, 2010

A whole lot of finished stuff!!

And a whole lot of finished stuff is what I have. I have been knitting my brains out trying to get my self down to as few WIPs as possible. It has worked for the most part, I have been knitting my brains out, more than usual. (I can't spare any brains to knit out, I need every brain cell that I can get, I am almost out) I have subtracted the one project that I know that will not be finished this year, It was a blanket about one quarter of the way done. I didn't quit working on it because I didn't want to, quite the oppiste of that, but because I wanted to clear the decks of all the knitting, for the new year, and to keep the number of WIPs around five. I want to type up some New Years Resolutions and post them here. That way if I slip up I have you to yell at me. And I want for you to yell at me to, I'm talking about all caps people, or to really pound it into your brain: I WANT YOU TO YELL AT ME!!

Wow, do my paragraphs ramble! I hope that you don't mind, It kind of bothers me, just a little.

So, on with the knitting, be prepared for even more rambling paragraphs.

I will start with the oldest un-blogged finished object, the Thoroughbred Sweater (Ravelry link, and thank you ravelry for the photo) (Just picture mine with a black backround, with a white stripe)

This was great knit and I really enjoyed making it, even though it took me so long. It was started back in July, and finished earlier this month. I apologize for waiting so long to blog this, but I am a really big procrastinator.

Alright, what is next... I blogged about all of the christmas knitting, so thats done, so now I move on to....

The Perfect Sweater!

That's right, the Perfect Sweater from the side bar at Mason-Dixon knitting! Sorry no pictures of this on, because of how heavily altered it is. Lets just say, that I turned the Pullover Pattern into a cardigan. Need I say more. But anyway, I love the way that this one feels and wears. Its the wool yarn I tell you, it can make anything great. On even a natural fiber, they're all great.

I finished yet another one of my goals, the only one left, # 4, Finish Abby's poncho. I made this one out of some acrylic, mostly odd balls left in the stash. I edged this with some feather and fan stitch so I could avoid the dreaded fringe. Hope you like it Abby.

I also finished a pair of fingerless gloves that I love to absolutely no end. This was a pattern I made up using some of my own Handspun. They are so warm and soft, and I can't get enough of them.

To match the fingerless gloves (that I always want to call mitts, but I'm the only one who knows what this means, so I keep trying to call them fingerless gloves) I made the most beauuuutiful cowl ever. It starts with a half inch or so of 1x1 ribbing, fallowed by seed stitch striped with my hand spun and a single skin of Jan Yarn that I just love. (For those of you who don't know, there is some Lady I know, who gives me a lot of her own yarn, and I'm talkin about, goooooood yarn, not the odd balls of acrylic that Connie gives me) (But I am grateful for any yarn I get) ( you know, I  have a lot of people who give me yarn, I have trained them well) I finished of the cowl with more ribbing, and I love it. just love it, like a lot of stuff I have knit lately.

After I finished the cowl I pulled out a WIP that is older than this blog, a dishcloth rug from the first Mason-Dixon knitting. (I'm not going to post a link, because you should own that book already) That had three of the squares done, and I finished it off with three squares that I made using the log cabin method. The reason that this project got waylaid was because of the yarn that I was using. It was Aunt Lydia craft and rug yarn. Now I'm sure that Aunt Lydia was a lovely person, but she must have had a mean side to inflict this upon innocent knitters. I finished the rug off with a border of applied I-cord and love it to no end. One of our cats was afraid to walk on it. he just walked around it and smelled it, Never setting paw on it.

I guess that December was a very productive month, so I give myself and A+ for this one. 

So, it's New Years Eve, this year, I think that I will make some resolutions. The knitting ones will be posted on the side bar, and the personal ones will be in tomorrows post with January goals. Have a great New Year

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Julie and Julia

So, last night I thought that that the thing that I needed most would be a good movie to finish off yet another WIP. ( Fun Fact, this one involves log cabining, ballband dishcloths, craft and rug yarn, and applied I-cord) Enter Netflix. Let me just tell you know that I love Netflix with the white-hot-burning-love-of-a-thousand-suns. It is just so handy having all of those movie right there at your fingertips. Anyway back to what I watched. I finally saw Julie and Julia, and I fell in love. That is a movie I have been waiting to see for a really long time now, and I'm glad that I finally did it. Now, you know that I'm a big sap, and I love a Romantic Comedy, but this one was better somehow. I think that it was because they didn't have two star crossed lover getting together in romantic moment at the end, it also helped that the heroine had a crappy job and a small apartment, so it made her seem more real. This movie was more about finding yourself, then finding love. It helped that the blog software that she used was the exact same that I use,only it was older.

More than anything though, It made me want to cook, which is no small feat. It made me realize just how much I miss things like cooking, and doing dishes (dancing to music while I do it of course) and how much I want to do them again. Do you know how long it has been since I cooked some thing? Or even made coffee? Both have been way to long. (the coffee about six weeks, the cooking about tree and a half months) At this point I would take anything, even heating up boxed fish in the shape of a triangle. I thought that when I decided to have the surgery, that I would love to be able to spend all of my time writing, or knitting, but it really does suck, having to be in a sitting position all the time. I haven't really done that much writing, a lot less than you would expect anyway, I just haven't been inspired to write, you know, I just haven't gotten enough experience in the world here lately to come up with any decent story lines. I even miss volunteering, which is a sentence that I never thought in my entire life that I would end up uttering. That's how desperate I am for any sort of life outside of this house.

And if I'm not upset enough as it is the other day I googled myself and went through over twenty pages before I came up with my facebook page. How depressing was that. Then I googled Garret Knits Ohio, and I had to go through two pages of crap before I found this blog. Wow, is all that I could say, maybe if I try again, I could find me a lot faster.

(Sorry for the rant today, I just wanted to vent a little, stay tuned for more knitting)

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Knit picks are my knitting pick!

So guess what I got for Christmas? .....

Any Guesses? .....

Nope?

Alright, you wheedled it out of me. I got ....These. Thats right, I got the Knit Picks interchangeable circular needles. The Nickle Plated. These needles are the best by far, that I have ever knitted with. They have sharp points,  and smooth joins. I love them! I love them! I love them!! they are just fantastic, I am using two of them already. One for the fingerless gloves and one for the baby blanket Log cabin Blanket for some lucky recipient next Christmas. ( Now, thats planning ahead for  you, I started this as a baby blanket last June, Then when the parents moved away, I decided to finish it as a blanket) I love knitting all that garter stitch, it is just pure stinking fun. Fun in a blanket, made even more fun with my my new knitting needles.

I am trying to finish as many WIPs as I can before the end of the year. That has kind of fallen by the wayside since I re-discovered the blanket. But before the new year, I will do a post of a whole bunch of finished objects before the end of the year. I know that this falls directly against my save blog fodder ideals. That you never post about more that one FO in a post. but this time I am so far behind about posting that I may never get out of it without just posting a million links and stolen pictures at one time. So that is what I will do. Prepare your self for the link fest. This is your warning.

Eveyone loved their homemade Christmas presents, and they better, I worked Damn hard on them.

I hope that all of you had a merry Christmas and that all of your presents are well received. I advise you know to start knitting for next year, don't you think that all of close  family would love an afghan for Christmas, me and my bright Ideas, I'm only making two of them, I am getting a head start I tell you.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Stick a Fork in me, I'm done!!

That's Right, I've finished my Christmas knitting. I am done early (Or is this when everyone else is done, or am I the only one who even still bothers with Christmas knitting.) (and I haven't done the wrapping yet, so I guess I'm just as swamped as everyone else) So let me make a list (have you noticed that I love lists, lists and Parentheses) A list of the Christmas knitting. Here's the stats.

For Dad-
  • An Afghan, made from odd balls of acrylic.
  • A Hat, made out of Lion Brand Fishermans Wool.

For Mom-
  • A striped hat made out of some more acrylic.
  • A crappy pair of Fun Fur mitts, that I feel guilty about giving her.
  • A Firefly Scarf made out of some Rose colored acrylic in stash.
  • A few dishcloths and scrubbies.

For My Sister-
  • A Pair of Fair Isle Mittens. The Mitten Day Mittens if you ask. In purple and white.
  • A light blue and purple Scarf.
  • A purple and White Hat.
For My Grandmother-
  • A Citron in light blue.
  • A pair of Fair Isle Mittens. The Flower Mittens in red and white.
For my Grandfather-
  • A Hat.
  • A pair of plain black mittens.
  • A plain black scarf.

Do you think that I may have over done it a little? If yes then please don't say anything. And let me  carry on in my happy delusional way thinking that everyone like a homemade present, and that you can never have too many hats.

I have been having some wrist problems lately, and I think that it might help if I were to take a day off from knitting. So that day is today. I will try my best not to let you down, to preserve my wrists, and not knit at all today, so that my wrists will live to knit another day.

It is amazing that I have been knitting so much that I have wrist problem, but I am only knitting in my free time. I just have to realize that all my time is Free Time now. I thought that it would be great to be able to do nothing but knit all day, and it was pretty good at first, but then the strain on my wrist got to be too much, and now I have to be careful to prevent repetitive strain injuries. It also doesn't help that when I need to move anywhere, I have to use my wrist to  PUSH my self around the house. (don't even get me started on stairs, it make me wish I had started lifting weights when I was five) I just hope that at the end of today, (and it will be a LONG day) that my wrists will be good as new. Maybe Tomorrow, I won't have to wear my wrist brace when I knit. (I hate the wrist brace.) Wish me luck.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Blogversiary

It appears to be my one year Blogversiary. I started this blog one year ago today. This is my 65th post and I have got nothing else to say.

Well, I could say how much I hate people who change their minds, this close to Christmas, about what kind of gift they wanted. And it's not like they changed it from a hat to mittens, they stated a asking for a tote bag. KILL ME!!!! That person, who shall remain nameless, is on my naughty list this year and is lucky that I still am taking to year.

Oh, I also wanted to thank this blog for how fast I have gotten at typing from it. It took me from a hunt and pecker, to a person whose fingers fly across the keys, making about one mistake every other word. Well, like I always say" Ya win some, Ya lose some.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Mitten Hell

Mitten Hell is where I am. Are you in mitten hell as well? (Sock hell, and scarf hell are very similar as well)

Do you even know what mitten hell is? Well, if you don't then you have got very lucky this holiday season. I will explain to you what mitten hell is, because I feel that if I have to go through this, then so should you! Mitten hell, is where you knit on mittens (and knit, and knit) all day long and you still have a billion mittens to make (most of these mitten are for me, so I don't really have to make them, I just have really cold hands and one pair of really crappy mittens.) It is hard to get out of and while you still want to knit other stuff, you, for some reason will keep going back to the mittens.

Maybe it is because that Mittens are the Garments of the gods. Of course the garment of the gods changes quite often (the gods are fickle, I tell you, that is why we have that whole January thaw thing) Here recently the garment of the gods was socks, which didn't last for long. Last winter it was blankets.( I knit an afghan in a month, a month!) and this summer it was sweaters. (I knit about four and a half). So, how can Mittens be of the gods, and hell-like at the same time. This is because the gods are apparently mad at me and putting me through mitten hell for some previous offence against them. I don't know what offence this was, but I am on my knees, begging the gods for mercy.

At least I have good mitten paterns to knit, let me see if I can try to find some pictures  that at least resemble mine.    Thank you ravelry. (I barrowed this picture from ravelry)
Just picture mine with red flowers and a white backround. The pattern is the Flower Mittens from Norweigian Handknits by Sue Flanders and Janine Kosel. These were the ones that I made for my Grandmother, for Chrirtmas. (or as I have started calling it, Pagan ritual day, because that is what it is)

Here is mitten number two:

(Again, thank you ravelry)
This is the Mitten day Mittens from the same book. I made them for my sister, but I made the boys version, because I thought that ribbing on the cuff would be more practical than a lace cuff. I made them with a purple backround and a white foreground. I still have one thumb left to do, so that is what I will be doing once I get off of here.

And here is what I want to make for myself (after the Holiday knitting, of course)
 These 
and Thrummed mittens, (sorry, no link) and a pair of Fair Isle ones, but I still haven't found a pattern. (Yes, I may have a problem)

That's, a lot of mittens. I probrobly won't start until after the new year, I want to start 2011 with as few wips as possible. That will take a while.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Doing fine!

I have actually been going downstairs about every day now. It is so nice to be able to leave my little room every now and again. You know this whole foot having a million pins in it and not being able to walk thing, has taught me a whole lot about not taking things for granted. Things like going to the bathroom without help (no one saw me naked, I have to much pride for that one), or getting my own food. The pain isn't to bad, I am down to about two Advil and one pain pill a day. I had surgery a week ago, I don't think that that little medication is a bad thing. Not to mention that this has given me so much tile to knit, it is not even funny.

On  a completely un-related note, did anyone see Desperate Housewives last night? Let me be the first to tell you that I was a little scared there for a minute. Really it was closer to about three minutes. Okay, five minutes. Well, when I think about it it was anywhere from seven to ten minutes. When Susan was trampled, and Gabi had to crawl under the car, and when the mod broke the car windows out of those guys car. ( I forgot their names, I just remember that one of them was on One Life to Live) I was petrified I tell you petrified. All because of that evil Paul Young. I am now very thankful that I do not have a Paul-like person on my street. Or at least I hope I don't have on on my street. I just wonder who shot him?

(I would like to take a minute to tell everyone that I am sorry if they don't watch Desperate Housewives, They will probrobly find this next part pretty boring, there will be minimal talk of knitting at the end of this post.) (And if you don't watch Desperate Housewives, I think that you should reconsider your TV viewing habits)

1. My first suspect is Paul himself, trying to frame anyone on Wisteria Lane. I am not quite sure how he would do this, but I wouldn't doubt him for a minute.

2.It could have been the realtor guy (the same one in the car) killing him trying to get revenge for tricking him. Or anger towards Paul. The possibilities are endless.

3.It could have been Felita Tillmans daughter. I don't know her name, (I am usually good with names, I don't like this)but the whole being in love with Paul could have been a clever ruse. She was sent there to get revenge on Paul, for her Aunts murder. (by Paul)

I think the answer will be a little clearer to me once I see what happend to Susan. Is she dead, or just knocked out, or did she just faint? And all of this brings up the question in me, Can I trust my neighbors? And also, who will move in the empty house next door, will it be my streets version fo Paul Young, I hope to Mother Earth no.

Can I trust my neighbors?

I knit a hat. I decided to make an amendment to my goals, Insted of the three scrubbies, I will knit two hats. The first one (the one I knit) is a plain black one, for Grandpa, to match his mittens and scarf ( did I remember to tell you about the scarf, oops. Must have slipped my mind) The next one will be a fancy-shmancy cable ordeal to make my sisters mittens, I still have to go though my patterns, to find this cabled hat. but I know that I have one. It is one of those free patterns, that they give a way at craft stores. And let me tell you know that Jo-Ann's has the best by far.

Less than one mitten to go. I am really loving this Fair Isle thing. And I can't wait till I finish all of my Christmas knitting, so I can knit myself some mitten for my cold hands. I will tell you about my mittens tomorrow. (or maybe the day after) I don't want to use up all the blog fodder at once. Must conserve blog fodder at all costs.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Haven't felt like typing much

And I haven't. The surgery went fine and I am home and only on two pain killers. That is good, when I was in the hospital I was on more than I could count. I am stuck in bed though, the living room is downstairs, and the bathroom is upstairs. It is very hard for me to get up the stairs, so I have gone up once and I am just staying in my bedroom. It isn't so bad, or at least thats what I keep telling myself. I have a lot of free time, and I wish I had set some more goals for myself. So, lets see what has been done so far this month.

The first finished goal is (Insert drum roll here)
3. Finish all the stuff for the swap partner.

I am done with this and I have sent it out last Saturday.

1. Finish dads afghan.

I am done, have washed it and woven in the ends. I feel really good now that I am done with it. I hope that he likes it.

I have also done half of my mittens. I finished one pair earlier today. I just need to make some decisions about the color of the next one. I have also decided that I need to make a hat to go with some other presents so that will be the next thing on my to do list.

I need to get in the habit of posting more often. I got so burt out on it during Nablopomo. I need to do it at least twice a week. This entry feels really forced, and I need to do it more often to keep from getting rusty at it.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

A Quckie

Just wanted to make a quick post to tell you that I have finished the Socks for my partner. I repeat, the socks are done. Thank you Polly for your wonderful sock pattern, Andromeda. They were a  really easy knit and a lot of fun.

Now I will be tackling Dad's afghan. I just have less than two borders to finish, I am anticipating this one to be finished around Saturday, so stay tuned. I really want this one to just be done already. I am so tired of looking at it. I am trying to keep the intrest level up with this one, but it is hard. Maybe you can consider the fact that I started it nine months ago, and am just now finishing it. I keep telling myself: Almost Done, Almost Done. I am beginning to wonder weather or not I really am almost done. I am starting to think that I am just knitting into a vortex, that I will never get out of.