2008-09 BJP

Well, I signed up for the 2008-09 BJP, now I have to come up with some kind of coherent plan for it, which just isn't how I usually function. Which is probably why I have so much trouble following through and staying focused on my projects. Ooooh, shiney! is my motto!

Artificial Nails

Aargh!

I'm a nail biter . . . and a cuticle biter.

But I've always wanted nice nails, not long, not bright red or purple nail polish, just nice nails. And one of my co-workers uses the glue on kind--so I thought I'd try them.

I have a new job that's over the week-end, 4 days on, 3 days off--and I'm sitting here Sunday evening with absolutely nothing to do and I decided to try putting on the glue-on nails I bought yesterday.

BIG MISTAKE! The thumbnail went on just fine, if you ignore the little spot where I got some glue on the top side. And I didn't actually glue my fingers together--oh, yeah, the glue you use? It's superglue.

But my index finger? Not so good. It's crooked, and I almost glued my other finger to it. And I don't have any nail polish remover.

I checked my watch and the CVS was still open --ran down and bought a bottle of nailpolish remover. That's when I realized that one of the partners was coming in to pick up a document and might walk in on me--not a good thing if she does.

So I went to the back and started soaking the nails off--guess what? It takes a lot of soaking -- in acetone. After half an hour I finally got both those nails peeled off and I will never, ever do that again!

Anyway. I have almost finished the Pi Shawl--it has not really been a fun knit, I'm using nylong circulars and the superwash sock yarn I'm using seems to kind of squeak against the needles, more like acrylic. But I do think the results are pretty nice and I'm slogging through the last 3/16ths of the endless edging -- which means that I can actually spread it out and get a good idea of what it's going to look like.

I'm having an awful time positioning the pictures, but here they are. The color is truest in the big picture.

EZ as Pi Mystery Shawl

I'm going to try to revive this blog, if it was ever actually alive to begin with.

I think I'll just plunge in and write about what I'm working on now and see what develops.

My main project at the moment is the EZasPi Mystery Adventure knitalong. This is intended for a friend's baby--due in this month.

I started it about a month ago using KnitPicks sock Essential in fawn which is the lightest color they make. I overdyed it with Wiltons cake icing dye in rose--I had ordered 8 skeins, I used two to test colors and decided that pink (Easter egg dyed) worked better than blue (Berry Blue koolaid). So I bought one little glass jar of Rose, mixed it with water so I could portion it out more equally and dyed the rest of the skeins with it.

I'm a little doubtful about the color, but everyone else seems to like it.

The photo was take when I had finished the first 3 clues and was about to start the 4th. I'm now done with body and am putting on the edging, I started out using the Rosebud edging but at the 1/4 mark realized I didn't have enough yarn and decided to rip rather than trying to dye the pink trial skein to match the rest of the yarn.

Tried a leaf edging that I didn't like and after surfing around looking picked the Belmina lace edging from Sarah Bradbury's website.

Specifications:

Clue #1: 3x3 leaf
Clue #2: Snowdrop
Clue #3: Daffodil
Clue #4: Wandering Vine, got terminally bored with the pattern and continued with one repeat of the Tulips and Paths.

I was somewhat limited in my choice of patterns because I want to avoid double yarnovers to prevent large holes that might catch little fingers.

I'm using size 3 needles, much smaller than what a lot of the other participants are using, but I prefer the fabric I get with this size needle rather than using a larger size. It's making a substantial shawl/blanket.

I'll have to wash it thoroughly because the dye is coming off on my hands as I knit, so I'll soak it in very hot water with vinegar to see if I can get more to adhere to the yarn, then run it through the machine. I'm planning to block it moderately, but I want it to look good if the baby's mom just throws it in the washer and dryer. That's why I picked superwash wool. My socks survive the dryer just fine, so I expect this will too, and I find the dryer softens up the yarn some. Right now it's a bit hard feeling for my taste.

Christmas knitting

I'm going to try again on blogging.


I was pretty busy before Christmas--I didn't knit presents on the scale of Yarn Harlot--but I'm pretty happy with the couple of things I did do and pictures will be coming soon. I made a pair of felted fezzes for my stepson and his girlfriend. His is a foot tall and the classic maroon color with matching tassel, hers is leopard "print" and of a size that's wearable. I made a matching tassel with beaded top and a beaded bee attached to it. Both came out the right size which I consider a major achievement.


Also made a felted Bucket'o Chick hat out of Noro Kuryon for me that isn't the right size. Looks great but a bit loose and doesn't cover my ears. I have a very small head and couldn't get the hat to shrink enough, also ran out of yarn and made it too short. I guess I need to make a child's size hat and watch the felting process very closely.


I just finished knitting one in one of the natural colorways for my stepmother. But don't need to get it felted and dry until Saturday--oops! that's not long and I probably won't be able to get to it until Friday. I guess it's going to dry on the radiator.


Otherwise, had a great Christmas, very quiet, stayed home and had only immediate family so little stress. But talk about great minds think alike--I got 3 car mugs, well, actually 4 and a thermos--one set with 2 mugs and a thermos, one of those mugs that plugs in and keeps your coffee warm and one individual mug. Plus a Starbucks card. Guess my family does know I have to have my coffee!


Best present--my husband the gadget nut got the as seen on TV bullet blender. It's great and he's using it for every meal and in between too! It remains to be seen how long it'll keep working, but it is being used!


More tomorrow, I'll try to get the pics off the camera and post them.

Just a quick update--

I've started experimenting with natural dyeing. I tried using poke berries using vinegar--but the instructions I had weren't clear that you also need to use alum or some other mortdant and color rinsed out. I'm going to try again, but with premordented fiber. The vinegar is supposed to make the color lightfast. We'll see.

I began knitting my sweater from all the different yarns I've spun since Maryland Sheep & Wool festival last May. My plan is to make a flared swing jacket. I started at the back of the neck with a triangle with the increases on each side of the center stitch--this worked even better than I thought it would. Instead of having to cast off and pick up stitches at the edges, I can just keep right on knitting and make stripes.

As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I'll put some up.

Okay, this is my first blog.

Today I did a lot of spinning. I'm still spinning Patsy Z's "illegal" yarn which is one ply spun thick and Z, another ply of silk or cotton or other kind of limp fiber spun just enough to hold it together spun S--then the two plyed S.

I've done a bunch and I'm ultimately planning to knit a kimono style jacket from all of them. I'm about to the point where I need to start knitting. All these lumpy bumpy yarns should look really good in mitered garter stitch, whis is what I plan to make my strips with. But we'll see how it evolves.