This shall begin with a story. I have this set-up for taking pictures that requires I take said pictures during the two or so hours of the day in which sunlight enters through a specific window. At the beginning of this window of window time, I placed Tigger on the photo-spot for the picture seen in the previous entry. Like any proper cat, Tigger responded with this:

If you could lick there, you would too.

Followed by this:


Nice spot for a nap.

And I haven't had the heart to wake him for anything less than a cuddle or pill all week. Whatever could I do?

Improvise.


First FO of the Blog! Don't mind the cat.

This was my first-ever cabling project. I'm hooked. I chose a darker Noro Kuryeon colorway -163- in hopes of hiding any beginner cabling mistakes. I failed to take into account just how horridly I would screw up, nor that (due to utter inexperience with cables and selective vision/comprehension) I would not recognize how badly I screwed up until I knit proper cables to compare to the improper.

What am I talking about? Look at the one on the left. Yeah, that one. The back might as well be straight garter stitch for how the cables kind of, well, don't exist. I had managed to convince myself that they were the sort of thing that showed up with blocking, like lace, but knitting the second armwarmer quickly taught me my error. Oops. Still, the dark colorway does do a reasonable job of hiding the giant issue from non-knitters, and I'm not sure if I could rip it out and re-knit it because I wouldn't be able to match the point in the colorway with the yarn I have left should a properly-knit armwarmer require more yarn than an improper one. This is because the scrap yarn for both balls went into the headband.

I didn't match the start points on the colorways for each yarn either. I blame a recent yen for a pair of gloriously mismatched knee socks, not laziness. Never laziness. (Actually, I couldn't find a matching start point in the second ball. They were the same dyelot, but cut differently and I just wasn't attentive enough when purchasing.)

I'm chalking this project up to a learning experience, both on cable knitting and picking out matching balls of Kuryeon, and that's the only reason I can stand to not tear out and re-knit, much less to wear them (and wear them I do- they're wonderful for keeping my hands warm in cold classrooms whilst still allowing me to take notes). Learning experiences should be proud things, I think, no matter how many embarrassing mistakes go along with them. If you can stand up at the end and say "I know how to not screw up anymore", it's a success.

It just means I might have to knit another pair later. Much, much later.

And I still want a pair of gloriously-mismatched knee socks.

Screw the Valentine’s Day hype; February 12 is Darwin Day. Mark your calendars.

In the same theme, how cool is this: the Beagle Project. The hope is to build a replica of the Beagle, the ship that bore a young Darwin around the world and thus birthed modern biology, and then launch said replica on a science-and-education laden mirror voyage by Darwin’s 200th, two years from now. You know I like biology and am, in fact, planning to dedicate my professional life to the topic. I also adore tallships. I’m looking to try and volunteer on Lady Washington this summer, and I’ve done enough book research to know my square-rigged from my fore-and-aft-rigged and my mizzenmast from my mainmast (thanks Dan- and just so you know, that book is the end-all reference on pirate life and is thus awesome). If the opportunity arises, I will apply to go on this journey, as by that point I’ll have both bachelors and hopefully some actual tallship crew experience. I know my chances are slim to none but hell, if I didn’t try I’d beat myself up for all eternity with regret.

But wait! This is a crafty blog! What is the crafty link in all this rambling? Why, that comes from the glorious MissPrism: make and sell stuff for the Beagle Project! I’m alight with fiery ideas of doom already. The trick will be finding the time.

I’ll leave you with a quick knitting update re: the sacrifice to the gods of Spring.

Progress!

I don’t have much further to go on this set, and I’m excited. Expect a FO post in the next few days with analysis of the project, and the next project in line.


Let's just pretend they're finished, okay?
Less than a half an inch from the end.

Hello world! Here I am and this is me and I’m excited and determined to give the grand tour of I and me to you, even though ‘you’ don’t exist at this precise moment. You are currently an audience of zero. This shall be remedied.

Excited, determined and optimistic; it’s a good note to start out on, no?

I never know quite what to say for introductory blurbs. Sure, I can tell you about me, but I doubt that’s why you’re here in the first place. It’s pretty basic anyway: I am 21, a Leo, and an undergraduate double majoring in Biological Sciences and Microbiology with a minor in Biomedical Sciences (read: geek). I’m a pirate in multiple senses of the word, and have the documentation to prove it. I knit, I crochet, I sculpt and paint and draw and sew. I make jewelry, I play violin and flute, I embroider and in general craft and create. Notice I have not claimed to do any of these things well. That doesn’t matter. I am an idea woman and dreamer, and this embryonic blog is the spawn of both.

And that, I think, is why you’re here. Blog! To be more precise, a blog which covers the last five sentences of the above paragraph (maybe six- Pirates are awesome).

Let’s just get started then.

Behold, my latest project:

Project- Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers
Noro Kuryeon Colorway 163.

The above are a pair (almost) of Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers from the book Stitch n Bitch Nation. Most of the knitting of the first armwarmer was done in various classes. Shhh. Don't tell my professors.

I've decided this particular project is a sacrifice of time and effort to whatever Weather Gods may be, begging for Spring to hurry it up already. Eostre? Brigid? Punxsutawney Phil? The first armwarmer used up enough of the Noro ball that I couldn't make its mate from the same ball, but left enough yarn that something had to be done. Armwarmers alone might impress some lower divinity, thought I, but a weather god? No, that requires something more impressive. That requires a coordinated set.


Noro Headband
My ears shall never be cold again.

Oft referred to on Craftster.org as a 'Panta', this headband design is available for free on the Garnstudio site.

And by and large, that's my current focus. My goal of the month is to get this set and two other projects off the needles and into the closet- and not only in the closet, but in the closet on hangers and in drawers of wearable stuff, not balled and hidden in a dark corner to languish unfinished until the end of time. (Oh, you know what I'm talking about. Deny it all you want- we've all had Monsters of Lost Momentum or Beasts of Big Fat Mistakes That are Easier to Ignore Than Fix hidden in our closets at some point.)

What might these two other projects be? Will your humble hero complete her goal of the month? What will come next into the wild and crazy world where Biology, College and Crafting meet? I'd say "tune in next time to find out", but this closing is cliche enough already. Ciao!