I’m a cyber stalker! Watch out!

So, according to a person in this thread on ravelry, I’m a cyber stalker, because I clicked over to a person’s profile and looked at their yarns and projects. Which is actually sort of the point of ravelry - sharing your projects with people. I mean, someone I know from Stitch doesn’t want people to be able to ID her based on projects, so she doesn’t upload any projects. Very simple. When I joked about how had I gone from LiveJournal to ravelry, and then commented back on LiveJournal about what I saw on Ravelry then they could call me creepy, some people did not find it amusing (however, I made 8 new friends in two days, so other people did find it very amusing. Who knew being a smart ass was a good way to make friends?).

But it doesn’t really cover the ACTUAL creepy things I’ve done - when people comment with fake email addresses (ABBY!) or forget to sign comments on posts on other sites (AMBER!) I typically use IP look ups, and figure out who the person was in order to write back. Which all my friends probably think is way creepier than looking at projects on ravelry.

Anyway. I just wanted to warn all of you: I’m a cyber stalker. So watch it! I’ll see your projects and answer your comments in an email! Fear me!

(ETA: And now, a cat-napper.  I found my neighbor’s [declawed] cat in the hall, so I scooped her up to put her in my apartment - figuring yarn and electric cords were safer than dogs and raccoons. I made it one flight up (I live in a walkup) before my neighbor came up from the laundry room, right as Buttons-the-cat was sinking her fangs into my arm.  Teach me to help out kitties.)

Summer of Socks!

Hey! It’s summer! And that means it’s summer of socks! I got started Saturday at Stitch with some Koigu I picked up when we first got it in (February?):

It’s KPPPPPPPPPPPPPM, P630-24.

I was going to do plain old stockinette; but instead I went with MintyFresh’s Anastasia Socks:

I know a lot of people have been buying sock yarn for Summer of Socks … I think I could knit entirely from my stash and win the most socks contest. I was playing with ravelry’s stash output-to-Excel feature… and um … I might have more than 14 miles of sock yarn at home. BUT! I still wanted to get on the consumer bandwagon, so a few weeks ago I got - Sock Blockers!

I found them on etsy, from seller thankewe. Super fast shipping and she adjusted the shipping estimate and refunded some of my money after they mailed! I guess I’m jaded - I expect people to hold the entire amount and say “Handling.” So it always makes me happy with these little things. And they sock blockers are really nice - lots of varnish and very smooth on the edges!

I love the blossoms!
I doubt I’ll finish sock #2 in two days, but I think these are going to be great bus-knitting, so maybe by Friday!

Maryland Sheep & Wool 2008!

Yay for new yarns!

This year was very much like years past — drove up with my friend bloglessStephanie and her friend bloglessCristie; saw lots of fun things, ate a delicious lamb sandwich, and then promptly fell asleep on the way home.

I didn’t hit any of the meetups, and for a change only ran into a few people I knew (instead of EVERYONE).  I also didn’t go as crazy buying yarn - I just have so much at home that I can’t wait to knit up; so adding more super cool yarn (especially when I couldn’t/wouldn’t cast on for new projects until returning from Texas; and already had a project earmarked).

Spirit Trail Fiberworks;100% Bombyx Silk Laceweight:

I sent my mom the URL for that photo; she asked me “what’s that giant silver Kentucky thing under the yarn?”  … “A quarter.”  My mom’s not one to read the spinning blogs :-)

Brooks Farm, Willow (30/70 bamboo/wool):

I’m thinking of making a cute summery cardigan. Probably top down, so I can get as much sleeve as possible.

Green Mountain Spinnery, Sylvan Spirit (50/50 wool/tencel):

Although it’s a single ply, I’m going to use it to make the Tangled Yoke.

So that’s it.  I figure I still have a few things (actually, pretty much everything…) from the last sheep and wool.  Must get knitting!!  The yarn needs to fulfill its yarny destiny!

Food is always good

I keep forgetting about these two websites, so if I share them with my blog, then I’ll be able to remember them later:

Kitchen Cow

Cooking Cute

They’re both rather bento-centric, but I like that - most recipes tell you how to make 12 servings, and it just doesn’t ever work (for me) to scale it down to 1 or 2.  Plus, I hate leftovers, and almost never reheat them, which is sort of a waste.

So much tired and soreness…

A very knit-tastic Friday night (that’s my top down raglan on me and a drunken bee on the needles).  What you don’t see: my handknit socks that I was wearing; the giant bag of ice on my knees (keep reading).

There has been knitting, and I even have an FO and a half to show off if I could get off the couch for one minute.

The tired stems from going back to school (this semester + 1 more to go!  So close … and yet, so far).  Statistical Inference is hard and I can barely follow the professor, and while sampling II isn’t hard it is on Monday, which is not a day I like to have classes.

I’m also tired because I’ve started taking ice skating lessons at the Kettler Ice Complex at Ballston Commons with Rebecca.  The lessons are Wednesday, and then we’ve also been going to the free skate on Friday.  Small children are terrifying at the free skate.  I keep wanting to stay for the adult only free skate on Wednesdays, but I haven’t yet (my knee hurts, I need to do laundry…)

Children are terrifying also brings us to why I’m sore - two Fridays ago a kid cut me off, and I lost my balance and I fell straight onto my knees, then continued forward onto my forearm, which I hit with enough force to make my shoulder blade vibrate.  I’m still bruised.  What was extra fun was working at the store the next day, a sale day no less, and not being able to kneel down to help people find pattern books.  After hobbling off the ice Rebecca and I went to the Ballston Starbucks, where they gave me a trash bag with lots and lots of ice for my knees.

Interesting Observations

I got a spam comment on a post about my blog stats the other day.  The only thing in the message was “Interesting.  But I don’t agree with you.”  Which part exactly is there to not agree with?  My sweaters are not lovely?  Magknits is good about responding?  Come on spam, if you’re not going to provide links to porn or cars, what’s the point??

Also, there are no ravelry groups for yarn snobs, yet there are three groups for justifying cheap ass yarn.  (Frugal Knitters, with topics like “I found red heart soft!” and “Block or not to block” [because heat kills acrylic]; Equal Opportunity Yarn Consumers, with topics like Vanna White, Caron Simply Soft, and Red Heart SuperSaver; and finally Indiscriminate Yarn Lover; with a post about Lion Jiffy and someone commented “Mohair … that’s one of those fun fur like yarns, right”).  I think I need to go make a group for the loud and proud luxury yarn lovers (come on, a group for each type of yarn just isn’t enough).  (It will end up just like I was going to make a group for Arlington Stitch & Bitch!)

While the battery charges…

After a fun trip back from NYC (eventful trip up there … I should take up running, sprinting across Dulles at 5:30 is a great way to confirm your out of shape-ness; less eventful trip back) I went to G Street today to buy buttons.  I browsed and browsed, then snagged a sales woman (loose buttons are kept in boxes behind the counter).  I pulled out my sweater so that I could make sure the colors matched (so many shell buttons are more green than blue).  She says to me:

“Wow, that’s beautiful.  And it doesn’t look like it would be hard to modify to be an adult size!”

I paused, trying to decide if I wanted to be outright mean or just a little mean.  Then I said:

“Thanks.  It’s for me.  I guess this sweatshirt that I’m wearing adds a lot of bulk.”  [Typical college style hoodie]

What, cute fitted handknits?  Never!

Oh Noes! I dyed today!

And it was really awesome!  I totally want to take this up, even though I really don’t need (or even have space) a new hobby.  But I can’t wait to make some pillows, and maybe some sort messenger bag/tote (hey, fabric is made to be used - just like knits are made to be worn).

Grr!

I went out and I bought a great new camera, and I’ve managed to upload like one day’s worth of photos before I managed to loose the cord to connect the camera to the computer.

You should see my Wicked!  It’s looking great.  And my seamless yoke - I’m over half done with the torso!  I have these great new socks - Embossed Leaves -in some stashed Socks that Rock that has the greatest subtle shading.

Okay camera gremlins, you’ve had your fun.  Bring it back!!  I want to take pictures of my herringbone hat.

Stop the presses and go look!

Rainbow Socks at Magknits!

I guess I usually think Magknits is nice, but doesn’t really have anything truely innovative.  Nice, clean, sometimes a little random.  But this - this really impresses me, and I can’t wait to try it out!