I’m still in the process of growing my hair out, and it’s almost long enough for a ponytail. Almost. There are still chunks that don’t quite fit, so when I put my hair up (a necessity in this 100º+ weather) I need a headband or wrap to keep it all in place. Naturally I turned to knitting for help. In my last post I shared my Tweed Calorimetry, which has done well but I don’t want to wear green wool on my head every day. So I made one of these:

Bamboozled

Bamboozled

Bamboozled

Bamboozled

This is Bamboozled, by Cyn. A great little pattern, available in chart or prose form, and a very quick knit. It only took me an episode of Top Gear, four episodes of Futurama, and Space Jam to finish it. And you better not smack talk Space Jam. It’s, like, my favorite movie of all time.

I used almost a whole skein of SWTC Karaoke, a 50% wool/50% bamboo blend. It looks pretty good without blocking it, so I might not. We’ll see. It’s not as warm as wool, and is nice and smooth. There are also lots of eyelets in the pattern, so my head can breath a bit.  Which is good, because seriously it’s hot here, yo.

I also have this little former UFO and now FO to share. I started it back in, like, September, but shelved it because … hmm, not sure why. I just did. But anyway, I finished it.

Shoulderette

Shoulderette stitch detail

This is the Shoulderette, a pattern adapted from some vintage pattern collection or something. I used yarn a bit heavier than called for, and didn’t have nearly enough yarn to make it as long as it should be. I stretched the Sweet Zombie Jesus out of that thing, and it just barely goes past my elbows. Which is okay, I guess, for a shrug. I’m pretty sure this is in Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton. This stuff splits like nobody’s business, so don’t use Knit Picks Options when you knit it up. You’ll hate yourself while you’re knitting, which is never a good thing.

I went through yardage drama, like I always do. This pattern doesn’t call for a specific amount of yarn, and I thought two skeins might be enough. Which wasn’t. So I eventually picked up a third skein, and then knit too far with it and realized I wouldn’t have enough left over for the cuff and seaming. I ended up ripping back a few inches, finishing it up, and seaming it in two days. After it sat for like five months untouched. I always give up so close to the end. That must be a result of my fear of commitment or something. Oh well.

ek

In an earlier post I ranted quite extensively about my Lemongrass Bolero and how the pattern clearly does not give the right yarn amounts for some of the sizes. It really killed my groove. I was not feeling the cardigan and put off finishing it forever. While I was working on the neckline I ran out of my last bit of yarn and just threw my hands up in the air and said screw it. I cast off after 6 rows and the neckline was stupid and too thin. I was so tired of dealing with the yardage that I was determined to just live with it, but while working at the shop I discovered more of the colorway I was using in backstock. So yeah, I bought another skein, ripped out my cast-off edge, and did the full 14 rows of the neckline.

Now I love this thing to death.

blending in with the scenery

pretending I can be sassy

from the back

It ended up turning out SO WELL. I can’t wait for it to cool off a bit so that I can wear it. Ah yes, and I went out and took these photos in 102º weather. Texas is sick. But I didn’t break a sweat, so I must be acclimated or something.

I seem to be in a bit of a green phase, and I wanted something quick to knit last night (I like instant gratification), so I picked up some stashed Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed and made another Calorimetry.

green tweedy Calorimetry

If you’re a knitter you know that this thing almost always turns out to be mega huge. So I figured a way to make it The Right Size: cast on 96 sts instead of 120, and work in US7 needles. Works perfectly for me every time. I’m thinking about casting on another one in a minute here with something yellow to wear tomorrow …

ek

Oh. Your. God. I love this pattern and this hat.

Trilobite!

As soon as I saw this pattern I knew I had to make it, and I had to make it for one person in particular. Here’s how the story goes:

As people close to me know, I have a fanatical devotion to all things Futurama. When I’m sitting and knitting I put on Futurama. When I’m reading for school or writing up something for a class I put Futurama on in the background. I always start from the first episode and work my way through the four DVDs, each time through alternating between watching with or without the audio commentary tracks. Not only do I know each episode by heart, but I know each audio commentary by heart. It’s pretty ridiculous.

The crew reverted to younger ages.

On the commentary track for “Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles,” David (X.) Cohen talks about his love of trilobites and his trilobite rival, Nicholas Cage. The discussion was sparked by the character designs for Dr. Zoidberg in said episode; as he regresses through his larval stages one of them is much like a trilobite. Naturally, when I saw the Trilobite hat on the Summer 2009 edition of Knitty I immediately thought of David Cohen. Next thing I knew I cast on the hat and was working feverishly to finish it.

One of the trilobites

It only took two days to knit, maybe 6 or 7 hours. It probably would have gone a lot faster but there is a lot of cabling involved. I knit it up with Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool that I dyed with HEB’s housebrand koolaid. Isn’t that a great brown color? I seriously love this hat. (And don’t worry, I modeled it before I washed and blocked it, so it’ll be squeaky clean and nice before it hits the mail.) I’m going to cast on for another one for myself in the not-to-distant future. By the way, it was 96º outside when I put it on and went outside to take pictures. Sick.

Trilobites!

Inordinately Fond of Invertebrate

Arts and Crafts

I find myself now terribly fascinated by trilobites and other prehistoric invertebrates. Not that I wasn’t before, but I admit that when I knit something I go all out and do research into them. I have had a Nautilus in the works for some time now, but it’s sitting quietly in my WIP basket waiting for inspiration. I think it’s going to be one of my WIPs Wrestlemania projects. So I award this project, and by extension this pattern and further extension myself the Science Scouts badges for “Inordinately Fond of Invertebrates” and “Arts and Crafts.” You have to love scientific geekery through knitting. I know I also get some of it from the two biologists I live with.

So there you have it. As soon as this badboy is dry I’m shipping it off to David X. Cohen, c/o Twentieth Television in Los Angeles. I hope it gets to him, as his birthday is July 13th, and he definitely deserves awesome things. Especially now that new Futurama episodes are in the works and will be airing on Comedy Central in 2010! (The day I heard that news was one of the happiest days of my life. It’s all I could talk about for like three days. Not joking.)

ek

Hey look at my flashy new digs! The wonderfully amazing Iko gave me some server space and installed WordPress so that I could have a self-hosted WP account. And I love it. And I love her. It should be illegal to be that awesome.

I’m holding onto the same theme that I used before, Simpla by Phu Ly. The self-hosted version doesn’t come with support for widgets (unlike the WordPress.com version, which does), so I used some modifications by Typpz. I cooked up a header image in Photoshop, shoved it up top, changed the font around, and viola! A one of a kind blog.

Yay!

So anyway, I have been knee-deep in UFOs lately, trying to finish up stuff. I keep getting frustrated with the Lemongrass Bolero, as I’m in constant fear of running out of yarn. I bought more than enough for what was called for, but I had to buy an extra skein and may have to buy another one to finish the damn neckline. I’ve also noticed that the pattern calls for more repeats of things than the original version did. Not that it’s bad or wrong, but it does seem like the sleeves and body are longer than the pictures show. So I cut out a pattern repeat on both sleeves and half of a repeat on the body. I’m hoping this will help me with the yarn yardage issue too.

Lemongrass Bolero, sans neckline

Lemongrass Bolero, detail

So the pattern doesn’t call for how many stitches to pick up around the neck, and that really annoys me. I think I’ll mark off four inch sections and try to pick up as many stitches as the gauge says make up a four-inch swatch. That makes sense, right? I mean, I want the neck to lay flat and not be bunched up.

I’m also still trucking along on my Abby cowl. It’s so hard to take a picture that shows how gorgeous the purple is, and how ridiculously soft this yarn is. I <3 Malabrigo.

Abby

ek

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Passion Flower Hand Painted Roving by Chimera

on the bobbin

laceweight single

laceweight single

The roving was dyed by Chimera on Etsy. <3

And my current WIP: Abby by Amy Singer.

Abby

I’m knitting it up with Malabrigo Lace 100% Baby Merino on US6 Addi Turbos. I am so in love with it. If only Austin weather permitted more time for cowl wearing.

–video
Heroes (last few eps of season 1 and all of season 2 … so sue me, it’s summer break!)
Cubs & White Sox baseball on mlb.tv
So NoTORIous (what a gem of a show)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (just started season 4)

–audio
my “Glamorous Indie Rock N Roll” station on Pandora
still hooked on M.I.A.
still hooked on The Asteroid Galaxy Tour
www.kcrw.com (particularly Henry Rollins and Anne Litt)

–knitting
jellyfish amigurumi
Just Enough Ruffles scarf
picked up my Abby cowl (WIP)

–spinning
almost finished with some 2ply worsted weight blue/yellow/gold yarn, I think I’m going to call it “Sunshowers”

–other stuff
Still desperately trying to find a part-time and/or summer job. One would think that having a masters degree would make this easier.

Here is proof that I can actually get stuff done. Really.

cafe kurage (jellyfish)

Pattern from Leisurely Amigurumi 「あみぐるみでゆるり」by Sachiyo Fukao (深尾幸世). Knit with hand dyed Lion Brand Fisherman’s Yarn.

Just Enough Ruffles

Just Enough Ruffles

Pattern by Laura Chau. Totally rockin’ and fast to knit. Knit up with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Candy Apple.

I love this time I have to do stuff now. Summer! Now I just need to get this job situation sorted out. *sigh* Also I seem to be going through a red phase right now. That may just be because I have lots of red yarn in my stash for some reason.

Oh! And I have declared this summer DeStash Summer. No new yarn. Ever. I can only knit with what I have. We’ll see how resourceful I get.

I feel this strange urge to update this thing. The semester is finally over and grades are trickling in (A- and A so far, one more to go that’ll probably be a B). Lots of rehearsals this week, as the choir I’m in is singing at Commencement on Saturday. I had no idea that many songs about Texas existed.

Anyway.

I’ve been slowly trucking along on some of the knitting I have going. I went to LA a few weekends ago (in the midst of finals, because I’m smart like that) and took my mom’s Lace Ribbon Scarf with me. The color is turning out to be a bit boring, which is bumming me out. But I wanted something that could go with lots of different outfits/colors, so I went with a neutral silver/greyish color. If I can get my pictures to work I’ll share a few. You can always look at my flickr stuff too.

And just to keep the music vid thing going, here is one of my all-time favorite music moments from Scrubs. Grab some tissues.

Nos da, cariads.

Life has been a big pile of crazy lately. So I’m here only to share a fantastic song with you. Enjoi!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogJQgo0QpSs]

–video
Bulls 2OT win !!!
Cubbies snapping the Cards’ 9 game home win streak
Futurama Season 2 (yeah, pretty much the whole thing)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyhhFzE5O5U]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O23EzxT-Ug]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9TZ79Vcl8Y]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxQnuMGyPJs]
Star Trek episodes:
“The Cage”
“The Man Trap”
“The Corbomite Maneuver”
“The Balance of Terror”
“Amok Time”
“Mirror, Mirror”
“The Gamesters of Triskelion”
“The Omega Glory”
“Bread and Circuses”

–audio
… pretty much what is listed above

–knitting
Not much, busy with Star Trek

–spinning
Again, not much, busy with Star Trek

–other stuff
Did I mention that I’m working on an article about Star Trek?