stuff

Update.



No, it's not a Monkey, it's a Fawkes. 1 sock down, 1 to go. Well I am actually halfway through the second sock, so hopefully I'll get it done by the March 31st Sockdown deadline. It's got an Eye of Partridge heel that is also a band heel, cause I roll like that. I'm worried I won't finish it in time, then again it's actually pretty good transit knitting. It's sort of mindless, but has a complicated but not too complicated stitch pattern to keep me interested.

Actually, I was knitting these on my way home from work one night and this middle aged man in a big turban moved from across the car to sit beside me and ask me all about what I was doing. then he started to tell me about some sort of embroidery technique or something, maybe crochet. I couldn't really understand him but it was pleasant all the same. Unfortunately I had to get off at the next stop so I never did figure out exactly what he was talking about.



Oh yeah... the socks. The socks are tiny but they seem to fit my feets just fine.


Moving to another topic...



Last Saturday or maybe it was the Saturday before that, the weather was clement so I decided to go for a walk in High Park. there was snow. I went to the Zoo. There were animals... I think these are llamas. There were also *legions of wretched children running around

*not pictured






Yay, Mountain goat... and snow



Some sort of tiny white deer....and snow



trees... and snow.



more trees... and *snow and sky.

*not pictured



more snow




Socks in their natural habitat...and snow







these socks are the compete opposite of the other socks and are going to be gianormous... even though I'm making the smallest size


EDIT: The socks, they are finished. They are comfy but I'm not in love. They are rather large and make my ankles look fat. Also this yarn (Premier yarns: Eco) is split-y as heck. I'm also not sure how in love I am with the pattern or the two-at-a-time sock method in general. It seemed like it would take forever to make these socks. I just kept slogging on and on. I do think that if I had been doing these socks one-at-a-time, I never would have finished them. I just can't do a plain sock. I don't have the patience. I am going to try the two at a time thing again, but with a more interesting pattern.



Do these socks make my feet look fat?

Speaking of socks, I have just cast on Leyburn socks, using Knitpicks: Palette in Clematis Heather. They are toe up so I am going to knit until I run out of yarn. Yay, Knee socks.

In other news, I have come down with this plague thing that is going around. It is pretty much kicking my ass. I have a fridge full of groceries going bad because I have no appetite and even if I did, I can't taste much. Tomorrow I plan to make a big veggie and fish stew/soup thing to use every thing up and then stick it in the freezer. Hmm perhaps I'd better invest in more tupperware when I go to the store for more drugs.

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday. It's the same only maybe a little shorter. Nathaniel (my hair guy) was amazed at how fast my hair grew since my last visit 6 weeks ago (probably about an inch). He was also amazed at how well my hair colour lasted. Yay world's more Aveda expensive conditioner. Which interestingly costs twice as much in the store than online. Doh!. In any case, I have booked my next appointment for 4 weeks from now so that I don't feel tempted to cut my own bangs.

I can has cheezburger

I am exhausted. I want my hour back. Alright, it's not just the time change although truth be told even 1 hour time difference does a real number on my delicate system. I'm old school like that- I will never be an international jet setter. I am perhaps more suited to travelling by horse and buggy (although I imagine I probably get buggy sick) or perhaps by steam ship. But yes, I am exhausted. So exhausted in fact that I am making more coffee.


Speaking of exhausting; work was horrific on Sunday. I was on the phones and I was dialing all over the continental U.S for 6 hours and fifteen excruitiating minutes trying to entice angry Americans to take the damn survey. (it is actually a pretty important survey as opposed to the kind that ask about Uncle Ben's Rice(TM) or cell phones) In the whole time I was dialing I only got 4 people to agree to do the survey and only one of those people qualified. (and he was lovely BTW) Don't get me wrong here, I am not anti-American, and perhaps I should be thankful that the people were more "abrupt" than the average wishy-washy Canadian, however I have to say the experience was draining. It was also interesting because other people were getting surveys, so perhaps the problem is me. I generally have no problem getting people to talk to me in Canada, so I'm wondering if there is something about my voice (too Canadian? too British inflection-y? too theatrical? too CBC? too William Shatneresque? not mid-atlantic flat- enough) that was causing the Americans to hang up on me. Or perhaps I am just able to appeal to lonely old Canadians who want to talk. I should mention that after being switched to Canada, I got 2 surveys and several non-qualifiers in one hour and 15 minutes.... and I have to say, never have I been happier to be calling Vancouver in my life. At least these are friendly Canadian refusals. If I am on the phones and have to call the U.S. again today I may kill someone.



This is my life


Oh and on the way home the King streetcar got stuck because some idiot had parked really close to the track. I got out and tried to get a cab and these stupid men kept jumping in front of me and stealing cabs. When I finally got one, he was nice and got me home quickly so I gave him a large tip.



On the projects front:

I have a new knitting bag prototype in pieces, but I am not feeling coherant or awake enough to sew vinyl on a sewing machine or use "Loudy" the serger. I am going to hold off until tomorrow. (unless I am dialing the U.S. tonight, in which case it will have to wait until I get out of prison)

Socks.

After lurking on the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry for a while, I am not feeling so bad about my most recent sock yarn acquisitions. I have enough sock yarn to make 8 pairs of socks (plus I could probably get another 1-2 pairs out of scrap sock yarn) and I have 2 pairs in progess. That's nothing. Really. Some of those people have enough for 90+ pairs of socks...not that I am judging.
But back to my socks...

I am still working on Fawkes for the February Sockdown. I've turned the heel and done two pattern repeat on the foot. I tried an Eye of Partridge heel in addition to the band heel. I actually started off with a linen stitch heel which looked great but was way too small... even now the socks are a little tight- which is a first for me and my super loose gauge. I have to finish this pair by March 31st. I wonder if it's going to happen.


I am also working on the Twilight socks from 2-at-a-time socks. I am using this yarn I picked up at Mary Maxim, It's Premier Yarns: Echo in colour way 42-208 and according to the picture on the label, it's supposed to do this crazy "Shazaam" style flashing, but it's not really happening in my socks, perhaps due to the knit/purl stitch pattern. These socks are most likely going to be gianormous though. I will probably still keep them because I am selfish like that, plus I don't like making socks for people because this would involve thinking about other people's feet.

I guess the socks are coming along, although the thing about the two-at-a-time technique is that is seems like they aren't growing. If I were doing them one at a time I probably would have turned the heel by now.



I've gotten further along than this, but for some reason this yarn does not want to be photographed


In other news I am feeling unhappy- in part due to my horrible job and in part due to PMS-y hormones coursing through my mopey veins. In an attept to cheer myself up, I went to the corner McDonalds and got a "Happy Meal". The fact that it no longer comes in the fancy cardboard box made me a bit unhappy. I had cheezburger. I opted out of the toy and got the McDonaldland cookies instead. Chomping down on cookies shaped like Grimace and the Fry Guys made me a little happy.

All is bleak....

Again I ave been remiss in my blogging duties. Due to familial (sp) duties, I have been back and forth to Kitchener to see my grandparents and to spend time with my father who flew in from Fiji for 1 week. Other than that I have been working- and that is pretty much my life at the moment. However, all the bus trips and sitting in the hospital and such afforded me a bit of knitting time.



Pinky the socks AKA Broadripples are finished. Hooray.
As usual my pictures leave a lot to be desired, however I assure you that the socks are finished and there are two of them. I have even worn them a few times. They are currently a little damp since I tried to shrink them a little because as usual my gauge was a little loose and my feet are a little small.





Notice the smallness. This is why I only make socks for me and my tiny feet.




Stripey the socks are also finished after this most recent day trip to Kitchener. They are also a little damp as I excitedly wore them with shoes yesterday and then had to trudge home from work in the snow. It wasn't far from the streetcar stop but it was WET.

Speaking of work, we have been losing supervisors left and right so I have sadly had to add on a Wednesday night shift which means I won't be making it to the Wednesday night SnB anymore. I'm keeping my fridays open though, so I can still do Drunken Knitters and get 2 days off in a row. Work is pretty exhausting because we are so short staffed and in addition to having to run projects, we have to supervise hoards of stupid new interviewers. Most of the time I feel like I'm re-enacting that scene from Jesus Christ Superstar with the lepers.... only the can't remember how to log in to their computers and they're begging for headsets and pens.... and there is no music. In conclusion, work is draining and depressing and my job description has changed from "quality controler/monitor" to "project manager, babysitter, ESL teacher and warden".




(photo taken pre-frogging)

Speaking of socks, I started these "Harry Potter inspired" Fawkes socks for the Sock Knitters Anonymous February Sockdown. I started off using 2.25mm needles because my gauge is so damn loose at the best of times, but this made them a little snug and I anticipated not being able to get them of my tiny feet so I frogged up to the ribbing and switched to to 2.5mm. I am using Estelle Arequipa and... it's ok. The yarn is really soft but not as elastic as wool. Must be the alpaca. I'm worried that the socks will lose their shape after a few wearings/washings, but we shall see. I do have 2 more hanks of this stuff so hopefully it will work out. I'm not in love with the colourway on these socks. I was hoping the orange and red would pop more, but it's sort of muddy. Perhaps I should have used a happier colour since at the moment, all is bleak, all is winter.






I crocheted this hat a little while ago. I'm sort of meh about it. The ribbon is too twee I think and I had some problems with the pattern since she didn't include the number of stitched you are supposed to have after each row. I got confused and then just made it up as I went along. It was a stash busting project.... and speaking of stash, I have been on a yarn binge. (although sock yarn doesn't count as cheating on your diet, right?)

I bought a couple of skeins of cheapish sock yarn at Mary Maxim yesterday and *gasp* included 4 skeins of Knitpicks Palette and 2 Skeins of Essential in with my most recent order. (that "knitting 2 socks at once" book and a couple of pairs of circs... see I need cheap yarn to practice with... so I can learn..and stuff...yeah that's a good excuse right?)

EDIT: My Knitpicks order has just arrived. I am feeling overwhelmed since in the past 2 days I've gotten enough yarn to make 5 pairs of socks (9 skeins total...whoops) Although hopefully I will successfully learn how to knit 2 socks at a time and will go through al that yarn in a month. *cough cough


EDIT 2: I have started sewing pinky the sweater together. Perhaps I'll finish it this year... perhaps not.