Welcome to the blog of a young male knitter!



Wednesday, March 30, 2011

All right, you guys know that I watch way more TV than is really healthy, or normal, or sane. So I am just going to say a few things about last night, and then I will move on.

1. Mike Catherwood was robbed. I may have never heard of him before this, but I really liked him and thought that he was the most improved out of all the cast of Dancing with the Stars. I will speak no more of this, not another word. (Maybe a few more words, I have to leave it open)

2. Watch Body of Proof. I may be slightly biased because the star of this show was on Desperate Housewives, (And she also answered the phone when I voted for Mike) but I really liked this show. I laughed, cried, and went "ewww" several times, (each) and if that isn't the making for a great show, then I don't know what is.

Moving on!!

I woke up in a very odd way yesterday. Around five o'clock in the morning, I rolled over and heard a popping noise. (Looking back on it that was probably the sheet popping of the bed) I didn't think anything of it. I finished rolling over and looked over by the fish tank to make sure that there wasn't a cat on top of it. I saw a small red-ish light coming from underneath the fish tank. That coupled with the popping noise made my insane brain immediately think, FIRE!! I race (or as close to racing that I can get) over to the fish tank, and see that there is no fire, but there was a the red light coming from the power strip underneath it. I stare at that power strip for almost ten minutes, almost wishing that it would have been a fire, I was all geared up to put it out.

By that time I was wide awake, and figured that I might as well get up. It was nice to have a little extra time to play with. I would get up that early every day, but that would entail me getting out of bed that early.

About to start the last sleeve of the top-down gray sweater that I'm making. I don't have any books on top-down knitting, so I'm just whining it. That usually doesn't work, but today it does.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Did you here it?

Well, around one p.m. you may have heard a faint shrieking sound coming from the direction of Ohio. I apologize if that affected your day, and/or your hearing.

I wasn't really that upset, it is only yarn after all, and I was only half heartedly attempting this whole dying thing anyways. I got the yarn washed and in the end that was all that I really needed to do. I could have lived with the original color of the yarn. (which is also the dyed color of the yarn) I wanted something a little darker, and a little thicker, but I wasn't able to get it. Oh well, this will be a Zimmermann Sweater, and I could easily modify the gauge and number of stitches to cast on. (Oh. thank you knitting goddess, a.k.a Elizabeth Zimmermann.) I still have the thrifty feeling that comes with unraveling anything at all, and at the end of the day, that thrifty feeling will keep me warmer than any sweater ever could. (Ask me again when I am in the middle of a blizzard, trying to stay warm with that thrifty feeling. Better yet, take me inside, and don't ask me any questions, that could result in my getting rather violent.)

Speaking of Thrifty, I have been extremely Thrifty here lately. (note the capital T in Thrifty) Thrifty like I went down to a Free Store, (A charity where you can take a certain amount of items per week without any charge) where I used to volunteer, and got four sweaters to unravel for the yarn. Well, I got four, but I will only take three out. I put one of them on and found out that I LOVE it, so that one will stay until I get the frugal feeling again. I took one out, and I've yet to start on the other two. I'm winding up the one that I already took out, that's about half done. I think that I will try steaming this yarn instead of washing it. Washing is a kind of drawn out process, and I've never tried steaming. I think that I'll just hang this yarn up in the bathroom while I shower. (There is something new, showering with yarn, it was bound to happen to me one of these days.)

Yesterday, I had a cat get stuck behind our TV stand. He was stuck back there for about two hours. I ended up pulling him out from behind there by the scruff of his neck. That was only after trying to coax him out, on and off, for several hours.  Does Anybody have any good ways to keep a cat out of places where he shouldn't be. . .

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Tales of coffee and EZ

I recently discovered Elizabeth Zimmermann. (By recently I mean about three months ago, I am just now able to afford two of her books, I didn't think I should mention it until now)

For a long time I avoided her. Partly due to the large cult like fallowing that surrounds her, and then I realized: They are talking about how much they love this woman for a reason, she might actually have something to teach me.
And look at that, she does, she is a knitting goddess, just like everyone says she is. Now, for the record, I only own Knitters Almanac and Knitting Without Tears but still, I can see myself owning all of them pretty soon.
It is because of this knitter par exelance, that I have on my basement landing a pot of yarn, cooling in a dye bath. Did I mention that this yarn was forty-eight hours ago a shawl, a nice one that I worked hard on. I fell in love with her seamless yoke sweater in Knitting Without Tears. I had to have this sweater, and none of the cotton that I had recycled would do (I unravel a lot of old sweaters in case you were wondering, I have one within arms reach of me right at this moment) this was a Zimmermann, so it must be made with wool.
I hunted around a little, but I came up with no wool that was A) the right weight or B) enough to make a sweater. So, because I was hell-bent to have this sweater, I started looking around for any thing that could be unraveled to get the yarn. After searching for several minutes, I found a shawl that I knit about a year ago when I was in the middle of hermit hell* It was large, and portions of it were chrochet so I thought that there should be enough of it. (Why did I say that, I will now run out in the middle of the second sleeve) So I pulled it out, and wound it up into skiens, Yes, you read me right, skiens. I usually just wind it into balls and call it a day, but no, this time I was doing it right. So I wound it into skiens, and started to wash the skiens. About mid-way through washing, I noticed that the color wasn't as dark as I would have liked it, so I made the bright idea to dye the yarn. I used coffee, and vinegar. I will let you know if it turns out, if it doesn't you will hear my anguished cries coming vaguely form the direction of northeast Ohio.
I'm off to go work on the novel a bit (gulp) I have to finish a scene where I have to kill of one of my favorite charecters. I'm so unsure of how to write it, that I am going to write two different chapters that tell the same story, and pick the one that I like the best. I will be sitting all alone, with tears pouring down my face (like they are now, dear God, how am I going to write this) chanting: "Fictious charecter, Fictious charecter."
I think that it will help if I just remember that all the great writers had to kill of charecters that they loved. Like L.M. Montgomery, (one of my favorite authors) do you think that she wanted Mathew to die, no, she didn't, but she knew that it was important to the plot of the story, it had to be done.
"Fictious charecter, Fictious charecter."
*Hermit Hell was a period last winter where I left the house about six times in three months. I am both glad that's over, and almost miss it a little, I go back and forth.

Friday, March 18, 2011

A whole bunch of stuff

Before I get started with the post of the week (I swear I always plan to have more than one post a week, but I for some odd reason always end up posting on the weekend, probably because I'm not with real friends, so I'll just be with the virtual ones, you guys are better, you actually read this blog) I just wanted to let you know that the Red Hots from the last post, they have meet their untimely end. No, I didn't eat all of them (my dearest wish in all the universe) But about ten minutes, after I had posted here, I grabbed the jar off of the end table, popped a few of the heavenly red orbs into my mouth. When I went to put the jar on the end table I missed the table, and the Red Hots went ALL OVER the floor. I mean that they went out of the jar in all directions, it took a good twenty minutes clean them up, and I'm still finding them all over the house. I wasn't too upset, I probably would have ended up in a sugar coma had I ate all of the Red Hots. When I first saw what I had done, I burst out laughing, and every time that I would find a Red Hot in my knitting bag, I would peal over laughing so hard. I must have looked like some sort of freak, sitting all alone, in the quiet living room, clutching a Red Hot and just giggling myself silly.

Now what was I going to say? I really don't remember. Okay, I'll just go with the flow, and see where it takes me.

I have a question for any writers out there. Do you like to write evil characters more than nice ones?

 I personally love a purely evil character, I think that they are just so easy to write. You can make them do anything, and they don't always have to be so ever loving perfect. (Well, none of my characters are perfect, I hate perfect characters) They are unpredictable, and unstable, and you can make them really sexy, with devilishly good looks.

And there are so many different words to describe a self-centered person in the English language. I mean there is a lot. You have vain, egotistic, narcissistic, shallow, arrogant, pompous, self absorbed, self-serving, selfish, self-loving, conceited, boastful, proud, and haughty just to name a few. There are so many different words that all mean the same thing.

I almost can't wait until it's time to introduce a narcissistic character into my novel again. The only drawback to that is I have kill off a character that I really don't want to. I love that character, I don't want him to die, and I really don't want to replace him with a total self-absorbed character like I have to. But if I don't that, then I won't have all of the characters in the right place for the big climax. But I'm trying to look forward to writing about the complete jerk, but that will not make up for having to kill off the other character.

Maybe I just need to get out a little more, maybe I should be doing something else on a Friday night, maybe I shouldn't care so much about a fictitious character. Maybe I should go and work on that novel . . . Nah.

Had a busy week this week, in addition to a whole bunch of academic stuff that I had to do, I got the brace for my other foot, and I also started Physical Therapy. All of that put together, plus all of the writing work, and my usual work, made me a very tired person, and a very busy one. I love being busy, I just hate how little free time it leaves me with.

Why do people find massages relaxing? That bothers me. I mean, whatever works for you, but I just do not get what the appeal is. When I go to PT, I have to get one on the back of both my legs. (Yes, I HAVE to, I asked the Physical Therapist, and he said that it was necessary, he also said that he would be tender on them, I'll believe that when I see it)

Someday I may be able to put all my weight on my right leg . . . Or at least that's what the Therapist said, I don't know is I believe him . .

Off to go stretch, or read blogs. . . Ah, the choices. . .

( ETA: I made the blog red, in the spirt of the Red Hots. I think that it looks classier, I'm not saying that I'll keep it like this, but life's to short not to change things up a little)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Boring or Simple?

I am sitting in my living room on a Saturday night. I am alone, not even a cat is here to keep me company. Neither the TV or the radio is on. Aside from the wind hitting the siding, and my typing, It is completely and utterly silent. It is a quarter to nine. I have been writing for an hour, and will probably pass at least the next hour doing so. (or I may break out the fortune cards, you never know what the future will hold) (Oh, wait, I could know what the future holds, what are the cards for) (On second though the cards are too much work, I will eat a fortune cookie, they are easier to use, and they always give nice fortunes) (Am I the only one who loves parentheses this much? They're like the writers form of the side bar)

I am eating Red Hot candies by the pound. Every year we by a bag of Red Hots that we use to make Christmas cookies, (Good ones too, they take frosted flakes, and yes, I will quite abusing parentheses) and every year we throw out at least half a bag out in June. This year it will be different, I will not let a single one go to waste. Please be kind and over look the fact that it is March and I am still eating away at them, slow and steady wins the race.

And I ask you, Is it pathetic the way that I am spending my Saturday night?  That I am sitting here typing, and eating my own body weight in Red Hots while everyone else my age goes out and has fun. Even the Dungeons and Dragons kids get to leave their house.

The thing is though, while I feel that I should feel sad and lonely, I don't. I feel perfectly happy and content. I could not possibly think of any better way to spend the night. (I could think of a few, but I'm not putting that smut on my blog) Really, The only times that I feel lonely is in a roomful of people. Odd, isn't it. That I could feel lonely in a room full of people, usually those people are talking about principle that I don't agree with, or topics about which I have no interest.

Either way, I don't feel sad or depressed at all, I am happy, perfectly happy, and I will no go to enjoy the silence  that is so precious to me. That, or I'll watch some TV.  I'll fun any way though.

Monday, March 7, 2011

I was right! Sort of

(Again, my apologies to those of you who don't care about Desperate Housewives. Move along now, there is no light of knitting content at the end of this tunnel)

I was kind of right, sort of. I guessed about my three most likely candidates for who would kill themselves. I said that it would either be Brie, Susan, or Beth. Brie because her boyfriend just left her to be with his son in Florida. Susan because she was dying, (not any more, she found two kidney donors) Or Beth because her husband left her. (Ordinarily, I would go into some long and painful rant about how we are teaching young children that with out anyone loving them that they are worthless, but I am already caught up in one long winded speech here)

Through out the whole episode I swayed about which one it would be. There was a minute where I thought it was Lynette (No! Take any one but Lynette) and there was even one minute where I thought it was Renee`. (Don't take Renee` either) But the one constant was Beth. There was always the possibility that it would be Beth. And When Brie told her that she was going to be Susan's donor, not Beth, well, I knew it exactly who it would be.

Beth had to have something to live for, even if she had to die for it.

And we all do take comfort in things, some of us like big things, some of us like small things. Some people take more pleasure in family, others prefer their friends.Some have their faith, and others, have their passions. It could be the love of another, or a fulfilling career. Everyone has something to live for.

(I was trying to be really morbid in the previous paragraph, was I?)

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Well, Lookie here!!

I know some thing you don't know.

No, I really do; honest!

I bet your dying to know aren't you, well, I guess that I'll tell you. I finished something. Something big! I hear by announce that the Bohemian Cardi is finished.

This was a little irregular sweater that I dreamed up as a way to use this really yummy yarn that I got at Goodwill a little while ago. The yarn is Reynold Kasura, and while I loved knitting with it when I first started, by the time that I got to the sleeves, I was more than done. The other yarn that I was using was not at all bothering me (well, the yarn was Red Heart Super Saver, so it wasn't annoying me more than usual) so I must not have been bored with the project, but just one of the yarns.

But all yarns aside, I really loved this knit. It was relatively quick to knit, though you wouldn't have guessed that to watch me knit it. I put beads all over it, whenever I wanted, and the result of that helped to back up that bohemian feel that it has to it.

And I made the pattern up myself too. That was the first time that I had ever done that. It had raglan sleeves, not because I prefer them, but because they are easier to design for. I gave it a jewel neck color, because I feel that that neck goes best with cardigans. I made a mistake with the button holes, and ended up having to put them on both side, and I will just sew up the holes on the wrong side whenever I buy buttons for it.

Pictures soon! As soon as I get a USB cord, whenever that may be. (I swear, when I do get this cord, I will end up taking so many pictures)