Freeee!!, Sock Summit, and My First Sweater

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Summer term is over (for me anyway). I've gone head-over-heels for linguistics. I'm going to try and do a minor in it. I'd love to make it mymajor but I've already finished my Anthro. one and I'd end up being here to long. (At some point I would like to graduate. ☺) I've signed up for Into. to Linguistic Analysis for the fall, we'll see how that goes.

I went to Sock Summit in Portland last week with M., a friend from knitting circle, and had a wonderful time. The market place was huge! I think we wandered by all the booths there. I got some BMFA Woobu for my first sweater, some more lace yarn from Tactile, and Turkish Drop Spindle, and some fiber for spinning. Speaking (or writing) of Tactile I took my finished Cold Mountain Stole to show of to them. (I'll post pictures of it when I take some good ones.) They gushed over it! I've had several people tell me, both at Sock Summit and knitting circle, that I should enter it in the fair next year. I'll have to think on it.

We also went to the Tao of Tea before heading back to Eugene. I had some wonderful English Breakfast tea, a very tasty hummus plate, and a baklava (also very tasty). I bought some of the English Breakfast tea and had some this morning. I think it's going to be my favorite tea for awhile.

I've started on my first sweater, a February Lady Sweater, earlier this week and I'm already finished with the yoke. I want to have it finished before Fall Term starts. At the rate I'm going I'll have it finished long before then. Here's a picture of it so far -

Black Sheep, Lace Bugs, and Summer School

Finally, I'm sitting down to write my Black Sheep post. Black Sheep was amazing! I spent too much money and therefore decided not to do Sock Summit. Besides I have enough sock yarn already to keep me in the sock until winter. I got five skeins of Socks That Rock (three are for another Clapotis), a skein of TOFUtsies, and a hank of lace yarn from Tactile. I finally got some HiyaHiya needles that I can't wait to try and a project bag from a friend of mine. I've been carrying it everywhere. My class with Joan was awesome. She brought several sweaters that she had knit to show us how some of the techniques she was teaching us could be used. I've decided that I will never be that prolific of a knitter, not for lack of trying though. ; )

Soft Horizons Stitch-a-thon was this last Friday and Saturday. I was only able to make if for a while on Friday afternoon and evening. I do have a hat that I need to take down to them tomorrow. It's made from virgin wool and it made me sneezy. Good thing it was from their donations bin, I'm taking the left overs back as well. Here's what it looks like -

I must also report that I've been bitten by the lace bug. I enjoyed making the Ice Queen Cowl (but the provisional cast-on has been a PITA to take out). I started the Cold Mountain Stole from Knitty the other day with the Tactile lace yarn I got at Black Sheep and I'm loving both the yarn and the pattern. Well, the pattern after I realized that some of the decreases are SSK instead of K2tog. You'd think that after 20+ years I'd have learned how to read things. Sigh I'll post a picture of it soon. I've also seen several other lace patterns that I really want to knit, hence the lace bug. We'll see how that turns out.

Summer classes have been going well. I'm loving the linguistics class, to the point where I'm wondering if I'm in the wrong field. Hmmm. The German Cinema class is pretty good as well and the short 'n' sweet Scandinavian Myth and Magic class left me wanting more... in a good way. I think these summer class are going to be better than the ones I took during the school year.

I Survived School (Among Other Things)

Wow, it's been a while since I written anything. School have kept me running around in circles.
But I survived Spring term and the 2008-09 school year. Woohoo!! I finished up my finals on Tuesday but I missed the last meeting for my Religion and Ecology class (stupid vertigo attack). I'm so happy to have gotten through this year, it was a really tough one. But I have found a new love - Tai Chi. I started taking it during Winter term and I moved to my teacher's community class just this week. I love it sooo much.

Black Sheep is looming closer and closer. I can't wait!!! And I got a Ravelry button to wear for it, especially for the Black Sheep Bingo. My knitting circle is having a potluck at one of the member's houses the day before. I need to start thinking of something to take for it. I'm counting down the days 'til fiber-y fun! After Black Sheep comes Summer classes. I'm looking forward to them, summer classes at UO are much more laid back than ones during the rest of the school year.

In knitting related news I made two dish/washcloths for the World Wide Knit in Public event today. I've been knitting for over a year now and these were the first ones I've made. Here's a picture of them. The top one is Tulip Washcloth (a pattern from Plymouth Yarn) and the one under it is Seed Stitch Windows Dishcloth (from Rav).

My (maternal) Grandma from Ontario was down for a visit over Memorial Day weekend. The whole family survived the visit. The Saturday after my Mom and I went on a we-survived-Grandma's-visit celebration trip to Portland. I got to go to both Twisted and Knit-Purl. I now has TOFUtsies! And my Mom saw a store display of some fingerless mitts at Twisted that she really liked, so I'm making her a pair out of Panda Soy. We also found out that navigating Portland can be made even more interesting by having roads block off for a parade. It took us close to half an hour to get from Knit-Purl to Powell's. Oh you wonderful one way streets, you make my life so interesting.

Oh Startits, Startitis

So I've been hit with startitis recently.  Usually I have only one or two projects going at a time and I try to finish one before starting another.  Right now I have five going (not counting the ever-ongoing-but-not-being-worked-on blanket).  I have two socks, one cowl (that may need to be ripped), and two shawls on the needles right now.  In one of the shawl's defense, it's a lace project and I haven't found good blocks of time to work on it.

On the other hand hitting a snag in the cowl made me go back to one of the socks and pick up the gusset stitches that I had been procrastinating on.  Now I want to finish things!  It's funny how that sort of cycles around.  Going from wanting to start things left and right to wanting to finish what I've already got going.  I figure that in a couple of weeks I'll be back to wanting to start things again.

In other news I signed up for the Black Sheep Bingo.  I think it's going be fun and be a good way to meet other Ravelers.  I am so looking forward to Black Sheep!  I'm already starting to make a mental shopping list of yarns that I want and things I want to make them with.  I may try to make the Whisper Cardigan from Spring 2009's Interweave Knits (see there goes the startitis again) and wear it to Black Sheep.  It should be light enough to wear over a tank top.  Off to finish socks so I can start the cardigan.  (Actually I have to go to Tai Chi first.  Oh well.)

The Knitting Retreat

I got back from my first knitting retreat ever Saturday.  It was absolutely fabulous!!  I can't wait for my next one.  It was with my Thursday knitting circle and we went to the Wayfayer.  I loved it there.  It was right on the McKenzie River and was so peaceful.  Here's what the place I stayed in looked like.  (Look ma, I can post pictures!)

In other Small Knit's news I broke my first sock needle while on the retreat.  It's not a happy thing to break a Lantern Moon Sox Stix.  Fortunaly, I can get it replaced at the LYS I bought them from.  I think I  need to cast on more loosely for socks or I just need to start them on metal needles.

I also took my Tuscany Shawl (from either No Sheep for You or according to J., No Wool to Knit ;) ),  with me and everyone loved it.  And now it's back to school and midterms (it's way to early for those IMHO).  But after that wonderful retreat I feel ready to tackle anything. :)

For trying to start a blog...

...I haven't been posting a lot.  I mean it's been about what, a week, since I started this?  And this is my second post.  Ah well, all good things come in time.  School and life have been keeping me busy, as usual.  Trying to keep myself motivated with a online class has been... interesting.  I don't know what else I can do besides read the book.  Which is hard when it's all stuff I've already learned at least twice.  But somewhere I will find what I need to get through it.

I've found the yarn I'm going to use for my Lady February sweater.  It Comfy from KnitPicks in a colour that's dying for me to do something with (Lilac Mist).  If it works, it's going to be beautiful.

On an exciting note tomorrow I'm leaving to go on a knitting retreat with some of my Thursday circle until Saturday (queue squeals of joy here).  I've also finished two projects. One was my Clapotis scarf that I finished last Saturday night and the other is my Tuscany shawl that I finally finished about, oh, 15 minutes ago.  Anyway, it's late, much to late for me to be very articulate, so I am going to bed (soon).

So I'm Starting a Blog

So I'm starting a blog.  For knitting and whatever else I feel like.  Part of it is because I've gotten tired of Facebook and all the crazy changes it gone through.  The other part is that I've become addicted to knitting and want to share it.  Well, all that and keeping a blog is something I've been interesting in trying to do for a while... and now I have things to share.  The name of the blog comes from the name my number is stored in a friend's phone.  I like it. : ) So here I go...