I'M BAAAAACK!!! - Part Three

Being loved by knitterly people....for no reason other than you knit.

And last, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST!!! I got my first RAK today!! The wonderful Momma Monkey from Hawaii sent me a lovely package: (details) For non-knittys, an RAK is a random act of kindness. Someone from the board can send you a package just to be nice and brighten the day of a lovely knitster. Thank you so much!!

Turns out, Momma Monkey was my Winter SP!! But the same thanks go none the less!!

I'M BAAAAAAAACK!!! - Part Two

Off to Vegas.......I'm leaving on a jet plane........

These are the Jaywalkers I finished and wore them on the way to Vegas. Hey, how many of you can say you have a piture of your knitting in the DFW airport? :-P

Here is the first thing that catches my eye:

This is the Christmas tree in front of Caesar's Palace. It has fiber optics in it and constantly changed color....it was awesome.

I didnt' get much knitting time in Vegas except on the ride there and back. I casted on the Fair Isle socks from Knit Picks, which is what I am working on here:

For those of you who have never been to Vegas, yes, those are slot machines in the background....at the airport. We finally got into Vegas at 6:30am Friday morning. For those of you who live anywhere from Austin to Gainsville, you can bet how fun that was. We had huge storms cxome through and the turbulance was awful.

Back to knitting...so I mentioned the Fair Isle socks:

They were coming along nicely, until I noticed something....they were coming out too SMALL!!!! All of that Fair Isle....wasted.......However, after I got done cursing up a storm, I noticed something else...they fit my hand NICELY! So, they are now fingerless gloves. No, of course they were never going to be socks....that was me fooling you....um, yeah!

I'm BAAAAACK!!! - Part One

As most of you know, My family went to Las Vegas right after Christmas. We had a great time and I am now trying to get back to the real-ish world. I haven't been to my computer in a week, so I have a TON to share, so bear with me.

First, CHRISTMAS!!!

We had wonderful fun and everyone loved their gifts. There was a little of this going on, I had to admit...

But there were no KUI (knitting under the influence) mishaps. I just quit when it got too hard to concentrate!

I made my brother a Fake Isle Hat from MagKnits (details):

Doesn't he look excited? Plus, he's single gals!!

My Mom and Dad both got a pair of Fuzzy Feet:

Here's Dad, modelling his pair (he wore them for two days, God bless him!)

I received some lovely knitting books, including At Knit's End, Dyeing to Knit, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting, a Joann's Gift Card (yes, it's already spent!), the Seventh (and final, sniff) season of The West Wing, yummy candy and.....a ticket to see Jerry Seinfeld in Vegas! My brother is a HUGE fan!

Next, since blogger is being stupid and will only let me upload a certain number of pictures at a time, will be VEGAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

.....It's the mooost wonderful tiiiiimmmmmme....of the yeeeeeaaarr!!!!!

I love Christmas, if you can't tell. I am currently at my grandparents house, so no pictures, but a little update.

The Brea Bag is 95% done....as in I finished knitting it right before I got one the road, so it needs to be sewn together and a handle attached.

I finished my Jaywalkers....and they will be worn tomorrow on our family trip to Las Vegas. I need good vibes from ya'll.....I need yarn money....and maybe a spinning wheel......sush!....don't tell Mom!....she thinks I have enough "crap" :-P j/k Mom!!

My next socks are the Simple Stripes Fair Isle socks from KnitPicks. Those will get casted on on the 4.5 hour drive back to DFW for our flight out.....woo....hoo...

Everyone loved their knitted gifts, which was nice. I made some felted slippers for my parents and my Dad has been wearing them all day....bless him....and I made my brother a "fake isle" hat, to which he was grateful, but gave me construction tips for next time.

Allright.....must go back to packing up and trying to fit all of my liquids into a quart size ziploc.

I love the holidays, especially this time of year. I love getting together with the family and being a family. It makes you reflect on your life and what is in it.

A few weeks ago, I did "Christmas Baking", which consisted of fudge, peanut brittle, haystacks, and cookies. I loaded it up and delivered it to a bunch of people at school. This is a tradition that I love that goes back MANY a moon. I can remember my lovely mom slaving over the hot stove doing racks of peanut brittle, trays of fudge, and sheets of millionares. All of this would go to the neighbors, friends, and the teachers for my brother and I.

In my new research group, I am the only native graduate student. We have two from India and one from Taiwan. This wasn't necessarily a "Christmas" thing, more of a "goodwill towards men" thing. I didn't hesitate giving each one of them their share of the booty. It took some explaining that it wasn't Christmas or anything. They were in awe...they didn't know what to say. One of the guys told me later that in they four years he had been there, that was the first gift anyone had given him. Makes you feel all warms and fuzzy inside, huh?

For those not curious about my life, here is some knitting!

This is the Brea Bag, side one...or it would be if I could get the light right. I was sifting through patterns I wanted to do and my roommate commented that she loved this one....plus she is a purse person. So, I obliginingly began to knit it up. The first side took about a day-ish in front of the TV. (For more curious folk it took My Fair Lady, Pirates 2, The Devil Wears Prada, and Christmas Vacation.)

WOO HOO!!!! Let me say that again.... WOO!!!! HOO!!!!!

Classes are over and my Christmas knitting is complete!!!

...but you won't see them until after Christmas!! :-P

But, for your veiwing pleasure, I have been spinning a bit. Sunday, I went to my first meeting of the Denton Spinning Guild. It was exciting and I met alot of people and got to see some great wheels in action. Here's what I worked on:
It is spinning up wonderfully, very barber-pole-ish. The pictures don't do it justice.
At the meeting, we also had a gift exchange and I got some hand-dyed Tussah silk roving in peaches, oranges, and rust colors. It will be beautiful spun up.
During a study break, Kerry and I finally got around to felting her bag, which is her first knitting project. I think it turned out great!

The pictures were taken pre- and post-felting, with the lovely Microwave Spectroscopy book for scale. Hey, we're chemists....it's what was handy!

Now, back to the regularly scheduled knitting.....

FINALS ARE OVER!!!!

...at least for me. My roomie still has two more.

That is about all of the good news. My final was awful....dreadful....but it is over and there is nothing else I can do about it now. I do have some nice knitterly content, but I will save it for later. I am off to drink my sorrows away with my fellow classmates.

Ahh...Dead week....

For those non-academics, that would be the week before finals when all loose ends are tied up from classes. But in grad student land, this just means more time to focus on research, or so my boss tells me. :-P

The good part is that my work consists of sitting in front of the NMR, monitoring experiments for hours. Hmmm...hours of sitting aimlessly, what to do, what to do....yep, I knit.

So, since I can't show you any knitting pics, enjoy a nice meme from Trillian42:

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Lifeguard
2. Phlebotomist
3. Winn Dixie Cashier
4. Research Assistant

B) Four movies I would watch over and over
1. Harry Potter (any of them)
2. The Princess Bride
3. The American President
4. Galaxy Quest

C) Four places I have lived
1. Sweetwater, TX
2. Shawnee, KS
3. Omaha, NE
4. Denton, TX

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. The West Wing
2. Little House on the Prarie
3. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
4. Star Trek: TNG

E) I have been on vacation:
1. Florida
2. Cozemel, Mexico
3. Ruidoso, NM
4. Las Vegas, NV

F) Websites visited daily:
1. Hotmail
2. Knitty Coffeeshop
3. Yahoo
4. Yarn Harlot

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Potatoes (any make or model)
2. Steak
3. Beans 'N Cornbread
4. My Grandmother's Chicken Fried Steak

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In bed, asleep
2. Las Vegas
3. Italy
4. Anywhere with all of my family

I) Four people I’m tagging with this questionnaire:In the spirit of the holidays and giving, I'm not tagging anyone specific. If you want to post this one, go right ahead! :D

Home Stretch....
...both for holiday knitting and school, both to which this blog is dedicated. Next week is Dead Week and then my one final is next Tuesday. I am ready for my class to be OVER!!! But I won't rant....yet....

Ok, I will probably curse myself by saying this, but I will do it anyway....the holiday knitting is acutally on schedule and coming along nicely....but another snow day wouldn't hurt either. I promise to have the pictures posted ASAP...I know Sarilyn is waiting patiently. :-)

Tomorrow, I am off to help Kerry grade two sets of exams and then we will be bums by knitting and finally felting her purse she finished last week. I will post pictures when I return.

Since my blog disaster a few weeks ago, I think I have finally put everything right. I had forgotten my yarn store links, which are now in place. So, you know, if anyone needed a gift certificate, um..yeah....so...how 'bout them Cowboys?

Hope everyone is staying warm!!!

Someone left their refridgerator door open!!

Brrr...it's cold outside....but this is Texas, it was 75 yesterday and 27 today. Here's what's outside my door:

Some of it is ice, but it is pretty anyway. We had actual snow around lunchtime when Kerry and I were off to lunch. Yep, UNT was open until 3pm...at least I got outta class tonight!!

So, what is good to do when your stuck at home? KNIT!!! I have spent my snowy hours at home knitting...and trying to turn the heater on without setting off the smoke detector.

And now, for your amusement, for one and all, I provide you with a laugh I came across on the knittyboards:

How To Felt with Acrylic Yarn by Gail
List of Materials Needed:
1. Some acrylic yarn. Make sure it doesn’t have any natural fiber content in it whatsoever. That would be bad.

2. An oversized stock pot. The one you attempted to use to Brine your turkey before you accidentally killed all your relatives will serve you well here. Plus, it’ll hide the evidence.

3. A blow torch.

4. An oven. Preferably one that you don’t plan on using much in the future.

5. A welding shield.

6. Some tongs.

7. Some leather gloves. Not the nice ones - the heat shielding kind.

Step 1:
Knit something out of that acrylic. Make it bigger than you want the final results to be.
Step 2:
Drinking some alcohol is probably a good idea here.
Step 3:
Turn on the oven as high as it will go. Throw your knitted acrylic garment into the oversized stock pot, and stick that in the oven. It is a matter of great debate on whether or not you should add water - water will probably slow the felting process, but may keep the yarn from melting to the bottom of the pot. Maybe you should add some canola oil or something.
Step 4:
Open a window. Take the batteries out of the fire alarm.
Step 5:
Check on your garment. If all is going well, it will become soft and melty. With the gloves and tongs, coax it into the shape you want. You may also want to stir it around to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
Step 6:
Once your garment has shrunk down and appears to be the correct shape, remove the stockpot from the oven. Throw a bunch of water into it. You might want to put on the welders shield now. Then, with the tongs, remove the item from the pot, and arrange it charmingly. You should no longer be able to see individual stitches. You may find that your garment is a bit inflexible - that is to be expected.
Step 7:
Once your garment has cooled, you can use the blow torch and tongs to make any last minute adjustments, such as creating holes in your slippers for the feet.
Step 8:
Enjoy your fabulous felted acrylic garment!

Ahh...the official post-Thanksgiving post...lets start at the beginning, shall we?

First, I finished my four pair of Fetching for my mother's coworkers. A nice pic is uploaded on the left! With those done, it is on to the Christmas knitting!! Of course, it can't be discussed too much! But the knittyheads know what I am making and for who! :-P

So, wonderful traditional Thanksgiving was going wonderful. The Dallas Cowboys won on Thursday, which was wonderful. Maybe I haven't been paying attention for a while, but it seemed like a surprise to me THAT they won...then I watched them play. 'Nuff said..

Then began Black Friday, which I certainly didn't go out in. I stayed in and grazed on leftovers...

...hmmm....leftovers.....Sorry, back to business. Wonderfulness all around, nice plate of leftovers, friends and family, so let's add some football!

...the downfall of the joyfulness....We tend to be a UT family. A tradition that I can remember from WAAAY back is watching the UT vs. A&M game on Friday afternoon, while munching on leftovers. Rooting for UT, as we do, is usually quite nice because we tend to win...except for this year. We lost 12-7 because our QB wasn't 100% and, I will admit (sorry Lewis), that A&M played a great game. You would think that regaining the feeling in your throwing arm just last week would mean that you still weren't 100%. Thus endith the rant....and yes, the Texas flag is at half-mast.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for CHRISTMAS!!! And Santa brought me my first gift!!

Yummy roving sent by my lovely Aunt and Uncle who are in the wool biz. This was just something she had stashed, but I am working on trying to find out exactly what kind it is...it is quite yummy!

My friend Kerry, of the Kerry Bag, was quite the buzy bee and since she is, sadly, blogless, I will toot her horn! She finished her bag in record time...I hadn't even taught her to cast-off yet...she had bog panels still on needles when I came by! We then cranked out some i-cord for handles using a wonderful thing for the i-cord haters out there...Embellish-Knit. I will admit, you have to have a little patience with it at the start, but even if I only got it to work for this project, it was worth it (~$8 with 50% off coupon). I should mention that for this bag you need two straps of i-cord measuring 46" a piece. That's 92" of i-cord people. And we finished it while watching a movie.

Guess what I got in the mail today.......YARN!!! and BOOKS!!


On the lovely knittyboards, I am participating in what could be described as a non-denominational, non-holiday Secret Santa kinda thing. Some of you know about the person that I have been spoiling, but today I got spoiled!! Click here for more about the contents, but it is all yummy!! I got yarn to dye, a book about dyeing, a skein of Koigu (which I have been wanting to try FOREVER!), a spinning book and even some fat quarters to quilt with! Thanks so much Winter SP!!!!

Please welcome Ms. Elizabeth Zeta Enlow!!

She was born Friday night and is of course the cutest girl ever!! She also happens to be the recipeint of Gift #1 (aka Elizabeth's Set) over in my projects list.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

P.S. Three pairs of Fetching done, one to go!!

I have issues...no, wait, I have the whole subscription....

Well, you might have noticed the new digs around here. Just wanted a change...no biggie, right? So, I copy all of the customizations I made into Word and reformatted. Went over the the word doc to recopy all of my stuff...no, wait, where did all of the HTML code go? Yeah, apparently I didn't copy all of it, just the unimportant part!!

Alright, no biggie, I can redo it...it's only 11:00pm. Remember the first rule in composition: Constantly hit the save button. Why don't I listen.... After 90 minutes worth of work, which almost puts me done, I try to access a link in ANOTHER FREAKING WINDOW and it decides to open up the link in my blogger window, clearing out all of the changes I made.

I know, I know....I can only blame myself...but at least I didn't wash my hair with lotion (sorry, Ms. Harlot!)

So, I will eventually have everything back up (RingSurf police, please don't put me in Ring jail!!) and I will have some updates, including new pictures!

Now, it is 12:45am...I am off to get a beer out of the fridge and see if I can quit cursing blogger, itunes, and internet explorer and get some sleep.

'Night

Alright, here is the random post for the week!

1. FIRST NAME? Jennifer
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? For once, I don't remember....
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I like it fine...it's other people who can't read it. Hence, why I type everything.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Cajun Turkey Breast
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so....
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This is as close I as I have gotten....but I have tried
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably yes.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios...with the occasional Froot Loops
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, but my shoes don't have laces.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Most of the time.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint Chocolate Chip
14. SHOE SIZE? 8.5 double wide
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My inability to focus.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Nope.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans, maroon shirt, and socks (shoes off for the night!)
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwhich.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The fan on my computer??
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Kiwi green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Lavender...outside....a good cup of tea or coffee
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? I dunno......maybe that's why I am single!! :-P
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I can't remember who I stole this from, but sure--it was a knit blogger and I love you all
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Shiner Bock, or Dt. Dr. Pepper during the day
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Football and swimming (yeah, I know)
29. EYE COLOR? blue. the shade changes depending on what I wear
30. HAT SIZE? Regular? I dunno, you think I have a tape measure just because I am a knitter? They all get stolen by the elves who hide my left filp-flop (long story)
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, but once I am away from the organic chemicals for a while, maybe I will try contacts again.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Potato chips and peanut butter (seperately, except for Fritos...hmm...Fritos and PB....hey, you should already now I am wierd.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, I guess.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Yes
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Key Lime Cheescake with Raspberry Topping.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not planning on anyone responding.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See #38
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, #4 in a series of 6 and counting (GREAT books)
41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Fake wood...oh, wait, that's the desk
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Galaxy Quest and 7th Heaven on Tivo.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Rain...laughter...an SnB group
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? I think D.C. is the farthest
46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I can be both girly girl and severe tomboy all in the same step...oh, and I knit :-P
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Sweetwater, Texas
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Nobody. I copied from one of my great friendly knitbloggers!!

I FINALLY got to dye my yarn! This was the yarn that I first spun out of silk hankies and dyed with Kool-aid:

Yarn: Spindle handspun - silk hankies

Dye: Kool-aid Lemon-Lime and Iced Blue Raspberry Lemonade

Method: Microwave!!

Okay, the picture is terrible. I promise the colors are brighter. It turned out pretty good. The green seemed to bind much better than the blue for some reason. Can't wait to knit it up!!

Knitting Quote of the Week
"Blast!! I am doing it wrong....eh, I'll just keep going..."
...and now the story. I began to teach my friend Kerry to knit socks. We began with Fuzzy Feet, which are felted slippers. You knit a big-a$$ sock, and then felt it. With that explained, let me initiates one of the cardinal rules of knitting:
"Friends don't let friends knit drunk"
Now, no one was drunk, per se, but we had been sampling the Sam Adams Seasonal Beers Collection. We will just leave it at that...but I do recommend them! Ok, so maybe it was funnier at the time...but, trust me, it was a visual thing.

Ok, so on to knitting!! Many people have noticed that Gift #1 is finished. Yes, the picture has been taken, but no it hasn't been given yet. I will post afterwards. :-P

I did get my Christmas shopping done this weekend!! Take a look:

What's that? It looks like a bunch of yarn? Well, it is...I said my Christmas SHOPPING was done...not my Christmas KNITTING!! I promise, everything will be photographed and posted in due time.

We had a wonderful thunderstorm last night with losts of rain and thunder and lightning...which was nice until the power went out. My roommate and I fumbled around for candles and got the living room quite nicely lit. What did I do for the hour the power was out? What do you think? Yep, I will proudly and geekily admit that I knitted by candlelight. It was quite relaxing knitting while surrounded by candlelight and the scents of apples and cinnamon, pumpkin spice, green apple, fresh comfort, lavender, and strawberry daiquiri. It was interesting...

I took my first steps into the dyeing world tonight. I finally dyed my first handspun with green and blue. It looks a little pale, but we will see once it dries. I will post pics once it does.

Happy knitting!!

It has been a LONG week...and what is a good thing to get after a long week? Not one box of yarn, but TWO!! And on the day I (finally) finish my first synthesis for Dr. R. It was a good thing to come home to. Well, here are my goodies.

(Click here for description) This was from Knit Picks, my first order, actually. I had gotten links to it from the KnittyBoard and couldn't believe the prices. I was thinking, surely, it must be bad to be that inexpensive. However, everyone RAVED about it. So, I gave it a try and boy was I wrong. This yarn is wonderful! I got a little laceweight and some sock yarn. The Gloss is a little thicker than I thought, but quite soft.

I am sure there are a few out there wondering why I would have gotten a yarn with the color name "Crayons". Let me explain: (1) it was on sale!! :-P (2) I came across a KP pattern for some fair isle socks that I fell in love with. I love fair isle/insarsia but I like it even more if I only have two strands of yarn to worry about! There were several different combos for this sock online, but this is the only on e they still had the yarn for...and I HAD to have those socks!!


Speaking of socks...a lovely knittyhead enabler made all of us aware of a special her LYS was having...8 skeins/4 pairs of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock yarn for $46. Okay, for you non-knitters out there, a skein of this stuff usually runs $10-12/skein...for IMO, the best sock yarn out there. So, along with every onther KH on the board, I placed my order and this is what I got: (Click here for details) Yummy, yummy....and, as the knitty sock knitters motto...

"Sock Yarn Doesn't Count As Stash!!"

Happy Halloween Week!!!

I am sure that most of you have gotten your Halloween candy for all the little ones...plus some extra that will be left over so you will "have" to eat it!

You may have noticed a few changes here. I have finally gotten around to posting my project list...at least the ones I will admit to. They include progress bars and pictures of the current work (you have to click the link!)

Everything is progressing nicely...except for poor Icarus. He's been getting neglected lately. I guess that is what happens during holiday time. I have been getting busy planning/starting the holiday knitting.

My gifts to me this year are two felted bags, the PG Bag and the Kerry Bag. The Kerry Bag originated as a kit which my friend Kerry and I both bought so that she could learn how to knit. Now it has become my new casino purse, since it will be nice and small. My PG bag (for purple and green) developed after the crazy Michael's sale a few weeks ago...the Knittyheads know what I am talking about! It was to be my first felted project and, well, who couldn't use another project bag. Hey, I am a bag-lady, what can I say?!?

As for non-knitting news, some of you knew that I was going to change advisors. That officially occurred last week...hey, check the website. My new advisor is Dr. Michael Richmond and I will be doing a little more organic chemistry than I was before...which is fine. It feels more along the lines of what I did at Austin College.

The powers that be finally hired a NMR Manager. I still ahven't met him yet, but he is supposed to start Nov. 1. I have been told that the new NMR is ordered and should arrive the first of the year.

TTFN!!

When I began to spin (on a spindle) a few weeks ago, one of the books I picked up was Spin to Knit, which I love by the way. One thing that completly engrossed me was the sweater made from yarn spin from BeautiCoil. That is that cotton roving looking stuff that hairdressers use during perms, coloring and whatnot. (The same thought acutally came to me at a pedicure a few weeks ago!)

After making a lighter spindle, I began to spin this. Trust me...it requires alot of patience....and then more patience. But, once I got the hang of drafting the small-staple fiber, it became what spinning should be...relaxing.

I know that some spinners here visiting are wondering what my sanity level is, but remember...I am a masochistic craftster...my first knitting project was a pair of socks.

I made yarn!!! I know that this may seem simplistic (or that maybe I could buy it at the store), but making your own yarn is quite satisfying. It is, of course, not like any store-bought yarn, but that is what is unique about it. I love it!! The was done with some silk hankies that I got from The Yarn Tree. I generally followed the instructions given in the Knitty article. I found it very self-explanatory. Ok...so here are the visuals...

Here is my makeshift lazy kate. Yes, mom, I know I need a pedicure!! :-) Took the whole knitting needles in a shoebox to knitting needles in between my toes. Hey, I was desperate to ply...gimmie a break.

Here is my plied yarn on my niddy noddy and a close-up. I happen to think that for my first spinning effort, this has turned out to be quite a useful yarn! Granted, the singles are lumpy, but the greatly even out in the plying.

I am planning on dyeing this yarn Koolaid style. If anyone has any suggestions, I would welcome them.

As for future ventures, I have obtained some roving when I got my spindle, from The Yarn Tree, and from a Dallas weaving store, White Rock Weaving. I was impressed with both establishments and would recommend them both.
At the bottom is actually a silk weaving thread in oranges, greens, and purples. It is a laceweight thread that I just fell in love with and I thought it would make a beautiful shawl, maybe and Icarus shawl. We will have to see, when I finish my first one!!

My aunt, who is married to someone in the wool business, plans to hook my up with some roving that she has. I will post as soon as it is spun, etc. Happy Knitting!!

One of my new found knitting resources is Knitty.com. It is a free online magazine that also has its own message boards. It's a place for knitters to meet, swap tips about knitting, spinning, dyeing, and life in general. It also has a nice little market place for swapping of supplies and whatnot. Ok, so there's the intro.

This past weekend I was cruising the boards and found a post labeled "Intarsia=Hell". I thought, hey, I like instarsia! I even did it as my second project ever! Hey, guys, don't forget, I am a masochistic knitter...my first project was socks. So, I check it out and see that our friend is frustrated over the million of ends to weave in. I sympathize...I hate it too.

I mention that I was taught by the lovely Terri Rank of Shaggy Sheep Yarn a technique on weaving them in as you go. They were ECSTATIC!! So, I said I would post a small tutorial with pictures. So, here you are fellow knitters!!

Ah, the beginning...here I have knit a bit in black and am switching to pastels. Hey, it was what was handy, ok? I have just attached my next yarn and taken that first stitch and am holding up my tails to be woven in in my hand.

The tails are flipped toward you IN BETWEEN THE LEFT NEEDLE AND WORKING YARN!! Why it that is CAPS? Because it is very important, as you will see later. You then wrap your yarn, over the ends, and finish your stitch.

Flip the ends back down, over the working yarn. Again, wrap your yarn, over the ends, and finish the stitch.

This continues until the ends are woven in "enough". Just keep flipping the tail ends up and down in between stitches. This will be easy for knitters who can carry one yarn in each hand and carry one behind as you go. Same principle.

So, the important part was in CAPS, right? So, what happens if you mess that up? Basically, if you put the tails on the LEFT side of the needle, it gets knitted into the stitch and it looks like you have a two stitch increase.

I hope this helps people and if you need any clarifications, post a comment or send an email. Good luck!!

Ahh...the weekend...a lovely time to play catch-up.

It has been a crazy week here, but all good things. I have gotten alot of secret knitting done and alot of things have happened at school. First, we have officially retired one of our NMRs, the one that never really worked. We were finally given permission to scrap it for parts. Please watch as Charles and I jump for joy! One of the PhD comics this week kindly summed up my NMR experience:

Here's the link to the comic.
The new NMR has been ordered and should be here by the end of the semester or beginning of next. Another happy event will have to wait for publication...to be continued.

Happy Sunday everyone!

I trust everyone had a good weekend...and got lots of knitting done! I had crafty weekend with not only Becky, but her mom (whose a potter) and sister (who is working on as a post-doc). We had fun going to LYS and the quilt store. Then we took in the almost-last Texas Ranger game. Yes, we all took our knitting.

Here's an update on my projects...at least the ones I can show you. Some are surprises for people, so forgive me for not putting them on. You will see them eventually!

Here is my Icarus shawl. Not as far as I would like, but chugging along, none the less. I have pinned it out a bit to show detail; some of the irregularities will block out...except for the accidental y.o...or whatever it is! :-)



Here are my Jaywalker socks. I was skeptical when I first started these and considered ripping them out. However, the pattern finally began to come out and I really like it! It's really simple and you don't need to pattern for most of it (i.e. easy to remember).

Yes, I am multitalented. I am not trying to be conceited or anything, but it is a topic that was quite popular this weekend. Saturday, our family participated in the Walk for PKD, which runs in our family.

So, there is our lovely group. So, there I was the knitter of the group and what do I do...I pull out my knitting. Yes, for the 100th time this weekend, I can knit and walk at the same time. I can even go farther and say that I can also talk while doing these things too. Yes, I kept up with everyone (and the conversations) and no, I did not stumble and impale myself with my size 19 bamboo needles.

For those wondering, I decided to knit my favorite idiot knitting scarf. Take Lion Brand Homespun double, CO 12, K until you run out of yarn. Conveniently, this always gives the proper length of scarf, which is why I love it so much. And yes, I did finish the scarf

So, back to the weekend. Checked out a new LYS and found some wonderfully soft baby alpaca laceweight that I can't wait to knit. My Icarus shawl is coming along great; I am almost done with chart 1. Let me tell you...I am in LOVE with my lifeline. If I didn't have it, my Lorna's would be back in the stash already. But I think I finally have it figured out and I am LOVING it.

I love crafting, especially knitting, and nothing is better than crafting with a great friend. Enter Becky. Several of you know that Becky and I routinely get together and do crafty things, like knitting, sewing, and quilting, all of this while we "watch" and endless marathon of Harry Potter movies, broken up by the occasional Disney movie. So, we craft alot...maybe too much. This past weekend we had a few "You know you craft too much when..." moments. I thought I would share them with you, since everyone loves a laugh, and unfortunately, these all really happened...

You know you craft too much when...
...you find fabric and yarn in your garbage disposal...and it's not from a kitchen towel
...when your guest bed and all of your clothes, no matter how clean, have pieces of thread all over them
...you start dreaming about a knitting pattern
...you wake up from said dream, and you work on that project

I hope to see folks out at the PKD Walk this Saturday. There is a handy link on the sidebar if you need any information.

Ok, back from crafty weekend with Becky and we had fun as always. Taught her how to crochet and we made some wonderful coozies. During this time we went to the yarn store, which most of ya'll know is not a good place for me to go. I did get some yarn and am starting on shawl, Icarus, that I have hear good things about, and a little sock yarn. Becky also got some sack yarn and will be attempting her first pair of socks. WOO HOO!!

My lovely Auntie Sarilyn informed me that only members get to comment on my blog. I sort of did this intentionally to keep spammers out, but I assumed (you know what happens when we assume) that there was some way of "requesting" to be a member of my blog. Apparently, I have to request that you be a member of my blog. So, send me an email and I will add you.

I hope that everyone saw Katie and Lew at the UT game this weekend. I was told that they were the ones in UT orange. Sadly, it did not end up as we had hoped, but we will beat them at the Rose Bowl!!! HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!

This has been a week of finishing projects. Unfortunately only in the knitting world.

In my research, I have been doing quite a bit of literary searching, which means spending a ton of time in front of a computer or trudging across campus to the library. In work, our big NMR (a.k.a. P.O.S.) "decided" to start working so I have been trying to get that up to par. In other words, I have gotten no where.

On the happier note, I have completed several projects this week. Now, far warning to the yarn snobs out there...these are done with the inexpensive yarn. Remember, I am a poor grad student...it's all I can afford!!

The first is a poncho made of Lion Brand "Homespun". It's quite warm and very soft.

The edging of this poncho came out great and even comes out on it's own without any blocking. I had a lot of fun crocheting this because it had some periods of repetition, but that it also has the periods of interesting pattern. Speaking of the pattern, it is the Martha Stewart inspired poncho. It was designed off of the one she had on when she came home (i.e. got out of jail). WARNING!! People that I have talked to who have done this pattern advised me to do it in a bigger hook size. No kidding....I ended up doing this on a size P hook and used the same amount of yarn and the poncho hits me about mid thigh. Just so you know...

I finally finished my striped socks!! As any knitter knows, when knitting socks, you must knit TWO of them. Therefore, it is kind of anticlimactic when you finish the first one, only to realize that you have to start all over on the second. So, here are my pretty socks done in Lion Brand "Magic Stripes". These came out wonderfully warm and comfortable. It almost makes me wish I lived in a colder climate....almost. The fun this about this type of the yarn is the striping that occurs while you knit. For knitters, it breaks up the monotony of the endless stockinette over the foot. But for the non-knitter who observes you, wonders how you can do such work with so many colors.

Well, time for Craft Weekend with Becky, so maybe I can get some sewing done!!

The Beginning

All right.... I have officially joined the blogger community. For anyone who wishes to know how things are going on around me, welcome. I will be chatting about...well...I guess everything, but the majority will be graduate school in chemistry and my knitting. I have had several people talk to me about what I am working on (in both arenas), so I am hoping this will be a good forum for that. Enjoy!