Summer's over?!?

I can't believe it's already the middle of August. I haven't posted since...well since my last day at USEF, so what does that tell you about the difference in my lifestyle working there and working exclusively as a waitress?

Anyway, a lot has happened this summer, including NERD WARS! As I wrote before, I'm on Team Bite Me, which is showing impressively around the middle of the table. Instead of recounting all of my projects for the tournament (some of which are pretty pathetic), I think I'll just share the highlights. (If you're unfamiliar with the tournament and want to learn more about it, check out their website).

Tournament 2, Round 1
For the 3D challenge in the Technical Category, I made an anatomically correct heart:

It was a really quick project that turned out very well. Project page here.

For the Team Spirit challenge, I made my first ever pair of socks, entitled My Vampire Boyfriend, in honor of my vampire boyfriend, Spike:

Mmmmm....man candy.

I completed three other project for that round, so if you're really interested, you can find them here.

Tournament 2, Round 2

This round, I managed to complete all six challenges and my dissertation mid-point check in. 

The Nerd Culture challenge was to show your love for another nerdom. I had just gotten a Kindle for my birthday, which I named the TARDIS (it's bigger on the inside, and it allows you to travel in time and space). With that kind of name, it needed an appropriate cover:

The Scientific challenge asked us to create an experiment and use the scientific method to report on the results. My experiment answered the age old question, which is cooler, sparkly vampires or sparkly socks? The socks won:

The last highlight I want to share didn't fit into the challenge very well (I didn't get a lot of bonus points), but the result is super cute so I want to share it anyway:

Isn't he adorable? I'm going to put him up for sale on etsy.

Tournament 2, Dissertation Mid-Point Check In
This was the halfway point for my Gwendolyn Shawl, until I decided that I wanted to do the big version after all, since I hadn't even used one ball of yarn by the halfway point. So now this more like the 1/3 check in. It's still pretty!

Alright folks, that's my link- and picture-heavy check in from the last days of summer!

No Longer Temping, More Knitting, and the beginning of Nerd Wars

I'm super stoked for nerd wars. Like, I'm giddy about it. I'm doing a dissertation (a large, 3 month long project). If I had been more on the ball, I may have been able to order my yarn and complete my swatch before the tournament begins in about an hour, but I'm a slacker, so I have to wait for my yarn to come in the mail before I can cast on. I'm making this shawl with this yarn. I've never made a shawl before, so that'll be interesting. I also spent several hours today bookmarking patterns and projects that might prove useful during the tournament. And I bought the book Vampire Knits. Like I said, I'm giddy.

In addition to my Nerd Wars insanity today, I also worked on blocking 3 projects that will be for sale on Miss Anthropy Knits. Here are photos of my adventures in blocking:

They're all wrong-side up for the blocking process, so it's not really a pretty sight. I'll post pictures when they're all finished. In fact, I'll be listing them on Etsy once they're all finished.

I also have pictures of Sarah Bee's messenger bag, finally:

If I made one of these again, I'd probably make it taller and narrower. Not by much, but the proportions seemed a little off to me. My first adventure into fulling went well regardless! I'm proud of the finished product!

Well, that's all for now, but stay tuned for updates on Nerd Wars and Miss Anthropy Knits. 45 minutes until the tournament opens!

Quick Friday Post

I only have time for a quick post, but it is of upmost importance that I discuss my team posting for Rav Nerd Wars. I applied for team Hellmouth (Buffy & Angel) with team Browncoat (Firefly/Serenity) as my back up. Clearly my loyalty to Joss Whedon runs deep. In the comment box I also listed a number of other teams I would be happy to be on (Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Battlestar Galactica, Bones, Psych...) but I don't think I listed Team Bite Me. Maybe I did. But pretty much everyone who listed Hellmouth as their #1 choice and didn't make the cut got Bite Me instead. So anyway, I was marginally bummed when I saw my placement.

Then I got to thinking, the new season of True Blood starts this summer. And they're doing my favorite story line from the books as the major theme for this upcoming season. And I'm almost as obsessed with the Southern Vampire mysteries as I am with Buffy. So maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all. I was bummed because the group category isn't as specific as I would like. I prefered Hellmouth to Bite Me in the first place because I love Joss Whedon and the characters he created and wanted to showcase my fangirldom. However, the broad category is likely to be a boon rather than a burden when I'm trying to come up with project ideas that are not only fitting for the competition, but also sellable. And not all vampires are red and black, although I have plenty of red and black yarn. So I've rationalized myself into approving of my team assignment. And you bet your ass I'm gonna knit like hell to beat the pants off of team Hellmouth. Bam.

Okay, it's Friday afternoon and I'm leaving soon, so that's all I wanted to post. Look for future vampy knittings!

85% of College Grads Moving Back Home

Saw this story on this video on PJTV about how 85% of college grads are moving back in with their parents. I did that for about 2 months and I was ready to kill myself. My life is no bed of roses and it certainly hasn't turned out the way I expected, but I'm am really fraking proud that I'm doing better than 85% of my peers. I'm working my butt off to have my independence and self worth and pride. I may not be doing what I want with my life yet, but I'm certainly moving towards it a lot faster and effectively than 85% of people in my same circumstances.

On that note...BOOYAH!

This whole waitressing thing ain't so bad

I'm going through an optimistic phase. Probably because I'm actually succeeding in my waitressing job. It's amazing how much succeeding or not will affect my mood. I don't like not being good at something...it's not a bad foible to have.


That being said, I do have two days off from O'Charley's in a row, starting tonight. Additionally, this is my last full week at my temp job. I'll probably work one or two days next week. Then it'll be summer! And I'll be waitressing, and hopefully bartending, full time. So it's easy to be optimistic.


Let's see...this is a knitting blog, I should probably put some knitting stuff in here... I'm currently working on this tunic from Stefanie Japel's amazing book Fitted Knits. I'm so glad I picked that book up. In the grand scheme of my evolution as a knitter, books like Fitted Knits are a huge help in my eventual goal to become a published designer. I'm enjoying making the tunic too. I'm learning a lot about short rows and how they shape a garment, as they're used to shape the hips and neckline of the tunic. I'm also enjoying the nontraditional construction, as it's knit lengthwise instead of top to bottom or bottom-up. And what shapely girl doesn't love vertical lines?


Sarah's messenger bag (see last post) is still drying with my books inside it, and as I left my camera in my car, I couldn't take pictures again this morning. They will happen eventually though, I promise! I messed up a bit by sewing the inside pocket in before fulling, and I didn't sew it in very straight (I kind of suck at the whole construction thing...) so there's a bit of a wonky line in the back. I'm not too stressed though since that's the side that's closest to your body, you'd really have to be looking for it to notice. Overall I'm pretty proud of the bag.


I also forgot to mention that I finished a gift for my friend Nick and his wife Rachel, who are expecting another baby any day now. Nick is a huge Cincinnati Reds fan, and wanted to name their second son Votto for his favorite player. Rachel wasn't hearing it, though (no, not even for the middle name), so I made them a little baseball shirt for Caleb Patrick that says Votto on the back. This I do have pictures for:

From Apprivoise-moi

From Apprivoise-moi

I think that's enough to be getting on with. Until next time!

Almost Summer!

Okay, for almost everyone, it is officially summer. I've decided that summer will begin for me once this temp job is over and I'm back to serving (watiressing, and possibly bartending?!) full time. It's nice to have goals.

My summer plans include lots of laying by the pool, lots of knitting, and adventures in techniques heretofore unexplored. To begin this project, I've just felted/fulled my first project.

My washer is the epitome of what not to use for fulling. (I'm going to use the correct term even though I don't really understand the difference.) It's a front-loader, it's a stacked washer/dryer unit (read: really tiny) and it's temperatures settings are: Warm/Warm, Cold/Cold, Warm/Cold, and Hot/Cold. I tried Hot/Cold for about half an hour and only got cold, then switched to Warm/Warm and only got cold. After about 2 hours of starting, stopping mid-cycle, and restarting the cycle, all the while crouched in front of the washer alternating between reading Harry Potter and staring transfixedly through the washer door,  I realized that while my fabric was indeed starting to get the texture I wanted, the bag was NOT shrinking even a little. It was time to take more drastic measures.

Thankfully, I had found this article on felting/fulling on Knitty. It mentions pouring boiling water into your washer. Granted, it advises against it because your washer should produce hot enough water, but clearly my washer was not. So I started another cycle, put some water on to boil, then stopped it midspin, inserted the entire pot of boiling water into the washer's drum and quickly restarted the cycle before all my hot water escaped. I did that a couple of times, got the door lock stuck, and hoped against hope that while I was trying to convince the door to open again that the bag wouldn't shrink too much.

Success! It looked more or less like what I wanted. While it dripped profusely over my (thankfully, laminate) floor, I ran to get my blocking materials. I rolled it up in a towel, then proceeded to stretch and stab until I figured it was more or less what it should look like. Add a couple of Harry Potter books and Atlas Shrugged to give it shape and make pretty corners, and find some almost out of the way place to let it dry for the next couple of days, and I'd finished my first fulling project! Go me!

Alas, it does kind of smell funny. I think that's because of my washer. Every time I walk by, I spray it with Febreeze.

I was going to take pictures this morning before work, but I forgot in my hurry to get out the door. I'll get some soon!

Rollercoaster

Lately I've had a bout of pity-me, hate-my-life, waaa, waaa, waaa....so I've been actively trying to be positive. Here's a positive: my best friend from college, Miss Cori Miller, will be moving to Lexington for the summer - TODAY! And I don't work at O'Charley's tonight, so I'll actually get to hang out with her. Woo!

Still working on the messanger bag for my sister, and no, it still doesn't look like a bag. However, once I finish the strap piece, I'll assemble it, knit the big pocket that also needs to be felted, and embark on my first felting adventure. That could be interesting ☺

Also, I am the laziest blocker ever. It is a massive pain. I have all my tools, I tried to block one scarf, but apparently there wasn't enough steam. And since I already pulled out the wires, I am really reluctant to do it again. Which of course is what is preventing me from listing anything on Etsy.

Yeah, I really need to stop slacking. Oh wait, I work 70 hours a week. I guess I'm allowed to slack a little.

Happy Weekend!

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo (which, I feel was totally eclipsed by Star Wars day preceding it, May the Fourth be with you) and I was serving at O'Charley's, like I do. It was insanely busy and we were down a server, so, while I walked out with lots of cash, I was exhausted when I got home and am likewise exhausted this morning as I sit in front of my computer and think about how I need to write these meeting minutes. Not gonna happen.

The point of this story is that it has been a really long week, but now it's Friday and I get to leave a little more than an hour early because I had a late conference call on Tuesday. I'm forgoing the extra $18 in overtime, because, my friends, I have a plan. A very good, Friday night plan.

Patrick's working all day today. I feel a little bad because he's not used to it, and a 12-13 hour day is really rough. I did it yesterday. And roughly 3-4 times a week. The result of his working, and my day off, is that I get to do anything I want tonight. Hence the birth of the plan. As soon as I scoot out of here at 3:45, I'm going to pick up a ridiculous amount of chinese take out (remember all that money I made last night?!), maybe a six-pack or a bottle of wine, and return home to do laundry and block my FOs and watch Battle Star Galactica. Words cannot describe how much I am looking forward to this. Especially considering that it is currently 10:45 (I'm starting my countdown - 5 hours to go) and I am not doing to do those minutes.

My plan is yummy, steamy and dirty, and that's just BSG. Yay Friday night.


PS-I'll probably go out with work friends around midnight or so when they get off, which brings my nerd quotient down a bit, but not a whole lot.

Harry Potter and the Prolific Purls

I've been listening to Harry Potter audio books during work for the last week. It's Friday, and I'm on book 3. You know I've gotten a lot of knitting done! I made another floppy hat yesterday (I took pictures but have no way to get them on the computer at work as I forgot my micro usb cable at home. I'll update soon.) The bag I'm making for Sarah is coming along nicely, and I believe I'll be ready to felt it in the next few days.

Sarah found this amazing etsy store that turns printers drawers/shadow boxes in to jewelry holders. Since my family has a bajillion shadowboxes laying around, she said she'd make one for me!

Once I finish her bag, I plan on working on some more color work scarves, and maybe some pillow cases for sale. My blocking boards came in the mail today, so I'll be finishing up some projects, taking pictures, and listing them on etsy. Keep an eye out!

Pints & Purls

I've bought a lot of knitting books in the last couple months. One that I'm particularly fond of is Pints & Purls. I was meant to make a messenger bag for my sister for her birthday back in July, and the pattern and/or yarn wasn't working out, so I basically gave it up. Fortunately, she has persistantly pestered me about it, and a couple of happy consequences have come about. First, I found a pattern I liked in Pints & Purls. Then I decided, for about the first time EVER, that I'd actually use the yarn suggested by the pattern. So I bought five skeins of Cascade 220 in plum (Itallian, perhaps?) and re-started the whole project today. I'm about 6 inches in on the front panel, which isn't bad progress for a day at work :)

Coincidentally, everyone I work with keeps telling me how efficient and wonderful I am. I feel like the only thing I ever accomplish is getting a lot done on my bajillion WIPs. In fact, since I started this temp job, I've finished two items and started two more. I've been working here for four weeks. Hmmm...

As soon as this bag starts to look like a bag, I'll post pictures. I can't wait to felt it (another first!). That'll be fun to blog about.

Yep, I'm at work

We've been in Lexington for 9 months, and I've clearly been neglecting my blog. Please join me for a bit of rambling.

One thing about temping and waitressing after you graduate from college, is that you tend to experience a lot of ennui and general malaise about your life. Something in the vein of, I could be doing so much more with the abundance of energy and talent I have, and instead I'm wasting it listening to audio books, staring at computer screens and knitting (a lot) by day, and listening to whiny kids who make a giant mess at the table and their whinyer, more disgusting parents treat me like I'm the stupidest person they've ever met because I couldn't hear them tell me they wanted their ribeye cooked well with french fries and tater soup when the mumbled it into their menu instead of speaking clearly to me.

But that's mildly pessimistic. Let's talk about what I'm doing about it.

Like I said above, I've been knitting at work A LOT. When your primary responsibilities are to process paperwork that takes fifteen minutes of your day and hope that some confused horse person emails you so you can look up the response, you tend to have a lot of time on your hands. And by you, I mean me.

So for the last couple of months, I have made a concerted effort to knit things that are both interesting to me and that I will sell. I've bought books on color knitting techniques and cute accessory knitting and I've been combing Ravelry for charts and design ideas. I've learned how to knit continental style (whoa) so I could double knit a scarf, which turned out so well, I got another one commissioned on the spot. In the month of April, as my KnitMeter will tell you, I have knit 10.9 feet (as of this writing.) I'm a machine. I've started my etsy store. All that remains between me and spreading this knitting love around the world is some blocking and some photographs. I even chose a fantastic name for this enterprise: Miss Anthropy Knits. If you need an explanation, see the above paragraphs you knit wit.

I'm not going to link to the store or my facebook page (both of which are ready to go) until there's actually something to buy up on there. But that will be soon, dear readers. Very, very soon.

LexKnitterati and Current Projects

I've moved into my very own apartment in Lexington, KY, and so far I'm loving it! The most frequently asked question since I've gotten here is, "What brings you to Kentucky?" The short answer, my boyfriend, Patrick, is enrolled in the Patterson School at UK for graduate school, and I love him and we've been together for four years, so here I am with him.

I've started working at O'Charley's on Richmond Rd, as well as as a temp, although I haven't gotten any placements with them yet. I also am attending bartending classes five days a week (starting today) for three weeks, so I guess you could say my plate is pretty full!
I went to my first LexKnitterati get-together tonight at Panera on Richmond Rd, and the ladies there were fantastic! To sum up the evening: crafting, coffee, queer theory, British literature, education theory, and towards the end Joss Whedon nerding-out time. Seriously, could it get any better?

Since I last blogged, I've started about a million and one new projects. The bamboo vest I wrote about two entries ago has since become a messenger bag that I'm going to try to felt.
I also started a new purse that's brown and teal popcorn stitch,

an attempt at a pineapple pattern tankini for my sister, not to mention the continuing projects of Justin's Villa football scarf, my honeycomb cable black scarf, and teeny tiny crocheted flowers and such for jewelry.
The project I've been working on the most for the past few weeks is a series of three cross stitch pieces to hang in my kitchen: a green pepper, a carrot, and and an eggplant.
So I definitely have a lot to choose from for my LexKnitterati trips :)

Since I'm such a slacker at this whole blogging thing, I will try to make a point of writing a bit after every LexKnitterati evening. I get pretty jazzed when I have such good company, so it's just the inspiration I need to keep this thing updated! So on that note, à la prochaine!

I am the best person on earth

I am moving. It sucks. I hate moving.

Soooo....I'm putting a bunch of stuff in storage. I have this Rubbermaid 36" wardrobe that I've used in the past, but I lost the assembly instructions and all I had were a bunch of plastic pieces and poles and the blue fabric thing that covers the whole wardrobe when it's done. So I'm looking at all these poles and pieces, and thinking, maybe I should google the instructions to make this easier. Well they don't exist on the internet. But I figured it out, because I am God, basically, so I thought I'd post the instructions in case someone else is in the same pickle someday.

Assembly Instructions for Rubbermaid 36" Breathable Wardrobe:
Pieces:
4x "A" plastic endcaps
4x "B" poles
4x "C" poles
1x "D" pole
1x "E" pole
2x "F" poles
2x "G" poles
2x "I" plastic caps
1x cloth cover thingy

Step 1- Bottom:
Put 2 "A" plastic endcaps parallel to each other with the holes facing in and connect with 2 "C" bars.

Step 2:
Put the cloth cover thingy on top of the bottom structure. Put 2 "F" bars in the front holes of the "A" endcaps, and 2 "B" bars in the holes at the back. There are holes in the bottom of the blue cloth thingy to put the pole through.

Step 3:
Put the "I" plastic caps on top of the "B" bars with the long part with holes on both ends vertically, and the protruding part out, parallel with the "C" bars on the bottom structure. The "E" bar goes between the two protruding parts parallel with the "C" bars and the two remaining "B" bars go vertically into the top of the "I" caps.

Step 4:
Put the "G" bars into the top of the "F" bars.

Step 5 - Top:
Put the other two "A" endcaps parallel to each other with the holes facing in. Put the remaining two "C" bars in the holes to connect the "A" pieces. Put the "D" bar (should be thicker than the other bars) in the bottom middle hole. There's also a funny looking bar, that hooks over the top of the "C" bars and under the "D" bar that supports the middle bar when you put your heavy clothes on them.

Step 6 - Cloth cover:
Now you just have to shimmy the cloth cover thingy up the vertical bars until you can pull it over the top. Then just push it back down the rest of the way. Voila! You're done!

Bamboo Vest

So I started a new project, because apparently one or two or five is not enough. I have four balls of Moda Dea Bamboo Wool in a beautiful green color that I've been trying to find the perfect project for. Well I gave up on that, and decided to make a simple vest instead. I haven't ever made a garment like this before, so I figure I have to start somewhere, and I didn't want to be overly ambitious. Soo....hopefully I will have enough yarn, and when it starts to look more like something you'd actually wear, I'll post pictures.

Long time, no post

So I've frantically been trying to finish my undergraduate thesis, so I apparently haven't posted since November. Wow. That doesn't mean I haven't been knitting.

Let's see. I had some eBay bucks that needed to be used, so I bought some really fine crochet yarn to make jewelry. My favorite earrings I've made so far are here:


My sister is collaborating with me on these by adding beads and stuff.

Okay, next up, my mom bought me some great chunky yarn, so I made a vest and decided I didn't like it and frogged it, but I am going to make another vest out of it hopefully. Anyway, here are some pics pre-destruction.
Finally, I have made a lot of progress on Justin's Aston Villa scarf, but I don't have any pics of that.

As soon as my friend Megan buys some yarn, I plan to make a replica Winter Olympic hat for her sister, whose blog is over at http://myohsoexcitinglife.wordpress.com/ Check it out.

I think that'll do for now friends!

New Football Scarf

My friend Justin decided he really liked Patrick's Celtic scarf and asked me to make him an Aston Villa Scarf, so I've made charts for it, which are available here on Ravelry.

Here's a little peek for now; I've just started casting on (9 blocks x 48 st per block = 432 sts) so it might take awhile :)

New FO's!

I finished Patrick's Celtic Scarf (finally-only took three years!) and I have now perfected the methodology for executing a football scarf - or any color block knitting project, really. I also finished a very basic lace scarf that isn't much to look at but served the dual purpose of letting me play with bamboo yarn and practice lace. I did the lace on a stockinette background so I'll need to block it to make it wearable and I'm pretty lazy when it comes to blocking (I still haven't done Sami's halter).

Anyway, here are the pictures of the Celtic scarf, as well as a link to the charts on Ravelry.

Update on Patrick's Celtic Scarf

I'm moving along really well on Patrick's Celtic scarf, in fact, I'll probably be done within the week, depending on how much time I devote to it.

Long Overdue Update

These most adorable cute little monster things were the perfect way for me to use up some of my scrap yarn. Check them out!


The pattern was created by Rebecca Danger who creates some of the most impressive animal toys I've seen on ravelry.

I also finished knitting Sami's halter and all that remains is to block it.

And I made Patrick's sister a birthday/Christmas scarf.You may recognize some of that scrap yarn from the monster chunk project. Zona made this pattern or as she calls it, a recipe.


I also recently started making these gloves without the beads and re-planned Patrick's Celtic scarf to use the woven stitch I used in his sister's scarf. And my roommate Cori asked me to make her a hat with earflaps, tassels and a pom pom. :) I've done a lot since I last wrote!

I'll keep you updated!

Back in the USA

Hello faithful readers! <--That was a joke. I lol'd.

So I'm back in the States now, and I'll start to officially settle down on Wednesday, so expect some more knitting blogs soon!

I'm finishing up Sami's halter top right now, and I'll start making something with my colorful yarn scraps soon.

<3