emily k(nits, watches, and writes)

I have been knitting and stuff. Really.

Proof:

Octopus Cephalopod Amigurumi

Cactus

They were made for the shop as samples. We started balling up Ella Rae Classic into mini balls of yarn (about 73 yds) to sell as our own little version of small balls. The yarn just wasn’t selling, as people tend to gravitate towards Cascade 220. So Suzanne asked if Brenda could crochet up something to help sell the yarn and generate more interest in crochet. I took over and made some amis. I think they’re pretty cute!

Now I’m back on a crocheting kick and want to make every ami pattern in my queue. And I may just do that, too. They are so quick and easy to make!

And if you couldn’t tell from the top of the page, I have re-embarked on a Season 12 scarf, this time around following the directions from WLK. It’s going swimmingly, and I have to admit, it’s getting to the point that its difficult to transport comfortably. Which is unfortunate because it has been my go-to bus ride project.

I’d say more but I’m pra tired. BYE.

We knitters sure know how to spice things up!

Where my stitches at?

The Knitters were out in full-force at Gallifrey One this year. Tara Wheeler, known for her amazing Fourth Doctor scarves and her life-sized TARDIS replica, commandeered half of the Philadelphia room at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel and Conference Center and claimed it for her TARDIS and for Ravelry.com.

Practically a 24/7 stitch 'n' bitch

As soon as the doors opened on Friday morning there was a group of knitters in the TARDIS room, helping Tara mind her TARDIS, offering to take pictures of people with said TARDIS, and showcasing amazing scarves and Doctor Who-related knittery. One brilliant knitter even shared her fantastic illusion-knit Doctor Who blanket with us. From straight-on, the scarf looks pretty much like a bunch of garter stitch stripes.

Fantastic illusion-knit Doctor Who blanket

But at an angle, you can see Cybermen, Daleks, the letters W H O, and a ?. Simply stunning.

What the illusion knitting illuded to ...

And on Saturday the proud participants of the GOTSCARF Traveling Fourth Doctor Scarf KAL got together for a picture with the finished scarf and the TARDIS:

The Scarf KAL knitters (can you find me?)

We put the scarf in the auction on Sunday, which raised $250 for charity! Go us!

Other Fourth Doctor scarves were found all over the place during Gally. I saw over a dozen different versions, though most of them were either season 12 or 15 from what I could tell. When the wonderful Mr. Javier Grillo-Marxuach (creator of The Middleman, writer/producer of the first two seasons of Lost, etc.) arrived on Friday he was sporting his own (bought, based on the tag I remember seeing on it) Fourth Doctor scarf:

Michelle/Michelf with Javier GM!

Ravelry members also at the conference got our own ribbons, which were plotted on the Who Knits? forums and brought by Nancy/tigereye:

The Ravelers of Rassilon

Our hang-out spot in the Philadelphia room was also the “official” meetup spot for the lovely gentlemen behind the Doctor Who: Podshock podcast:

Unofficial DW podcast meeting spot

James Naughton, pictured on the right above and one part of the international Podshock crew, was sporting a lovely Fourth Doctor Scarf-inspired tie which I believe was made for him by Tara:

James and his ScarfTie

We even dominated the latest episode of The Happiness Patrol, a DW podcast co-staring the aforementioned Tara Wheeler!

The Happiness Patrol, ep. 15: “Gallifrey 21″

We also got a great shoutout (a few, actually) on the Gallifrey One edition of the 2 Minute Timelord podcast:

2MTL 106: Gallifrey One Wrap-up with Shaun Lyon (TIME DILATION)

The knitting love was all around at Gally this year. And it sounds like nearly all of us will be back again next year, ready to share the DW-inspired knitting love in 2011. I’m already plotting to make a knit Eleventh Doctor bowtie …

Check back soon for part 2 of my Gallifrey One: 21 recap!

Welp. A year has passed and what have I actually accomplished? I learned how to spin, I work at a yarn shop, I made a new pattern, I’ve done test knitting, I’ve unsuccessfully busted my yarn stash, and I’m just as disorganized as ever.

But.

It’s the future now and I feel like I have this magical clean slate to work from. Or maybe all the time I spent cleaning my house today has clouded my judgment.

Basically, my goal for this year is to Think Big and be more independent. I want to knit bigger projects: cardigans, pullovers, lace shawls, etc. I want to make staple foods on my own: breads, jam, canned veggies and fruits, etc. I want to try to make everything on my own at least once. Even if I do so poorly, at least I’ve tried.

I also really want to organize and pare myself down. I have SO many old video game systems and games that I haven’t touched in years. I’m just going to sell it all off. I have tons of old yarn that I have no desire to touch. I’m going to send more stuff to charity organizations. I’m going to get new organizers from the Container Store and I’m going to clean up my room and house more often.

It’s time to grow up and take care of myself. You know?

There are quite a few non-me related things that I am totally stoked about this year:
- NEW FUTURAMA EPISODES GOOD LORD IN HEAVEN YES
- Matt Smith taking over as The Doctor
- The Grand Moff taking over as show runner on Doctor Who
- A new Alkaline Trio album in February
- Alkaline Trio/Cursive tour (seeing them at Emo’s in Austin in late March)
- Going to Gallifrey One in February

Less talk, more rock soon.
- ek

Hello 2010! How are you? You seem to be doing well so far.

I feel like there are a lot of things to talk about, but at the same time nothing to talk about. I guess that’s what vacation is like. I survived the semester, survived Ten regenerating into Eleven, and have so far survived being around my family every day. I’ll spare you the school nonsense, and reserve my Doctor Who discussion for a separate post. For now, how about some knitting?

I’ve actually done quite a bit of knitting over the last few weeks. And I finally got around to uploading a few images.

First up, washcloths. I think I brought up before that I decided to make my aunties washcloths for Xmas. Well, I did. I ordered some nice soaps to give them, but they never showed up. So I didn’t take pictures. I just gave them all the Body Shop soaps I ordered for myself. I guess the fancy stuff will be for me! I did stumble upon a different pattern, though: the Mason Dixon washcloth.

Mason Dixon Washcloths

Pattern: Mason Dixon Washcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Tahki Sky
Needles: addiTurbo US8 16″ circular needle; Susan Bates US8 double pointed needles
Thoughts: Love this pattern, love this yarn! This has to be the best cotton to knit with EVER. I want to knit every cotton thing ever with this yarn. Seriously.

A Hat Fit for a Ruth

Pattern: A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend by Stephanie Nicole
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Stonechat
Needles: addiNatura US8 16″ circular needle; Clover bamboo US8 double pointed needles
Modifications/Thoughts: I changed the decrease rounds a bit so that the edges would be smoother. Basically I made every odd round (starting with round 3) a SSK rather than a K2TOG. I also knit 6.5″ before decreasing, which ended up being the perfect size for Nate (the recipient). Also, I LOVE these needles! The smooth joins and cord of addiTurbos with the warmth of bamboo. Totally awesome.

I’ve been putting thought into resolutions for the year—well, more like goals than resolutions—some knitting related, some not. When I decide what they are I may have to say something about it here. In the meantime, happy new year. Enjoy a bowl of ozoni … here’s to good health and good luck in 2010.

ek

I live in a house with a ridiculously huge backyard. The yard is fenced in, and even has a separate, fenced-off area that I’m pretty sure was used to keep animals of some kind. Well, ever since I’ve moved in those of us in the house have talked about planting a garden out back … and my newish housemates actually did it! Check it out!

The fenced in area, finally cleaned up!

They marked off the different plants with string, all professional-like.

Potted plants left behind by previous tennants were salvaged and put in the garden area as well.

The lawn furniture fit in perfectly, making it a lovely little place to retreat.

I had absolutely nothing to do with this garden; it was all the housemates. But they did an amazing job and I can’t wait to have homegrown veggies to cook with!

As long as I’m here I have quite a bit of knitting to report on.

1. I finished my Napoleon vest:

Napoleon

I never got around to taking a picture other than that one, late at night in my room just after I finished putting it together. I’ve worn it a few times and I always get nice compliments. The Hillside Linen ended up being a nice choice; it’s light and breathable, and after a quick tumble in the dryer it softened up wonderfully. It’s a bit on the warm side, but not too much.

2. Soft Linen Shawl:

Soft Linen Shawl

I really just wanted an excuse to knit this pattern, which I thought was gorgeous due to its simplicity. It knit up super quickly. I used the Classic Elite Soft Linen, which was amazing to knit with. This will be used as a birthday gift for a family member.

3. Grrr:

Grrr

Knitty’s Grrr, a pattern for a co-worker at the yarn shop that is having a baby at some point in December. We had a baby shower last week with the ladies at the shop. It was nice to get out and spend time with them outside of the store! I used Mission Falls 1824 cotton, which really looks fantastic for this pattern. The texture of the cotton adds a lot of interest to the loops that make the mane.

4–6. Turn a Square:
I decided to make one for my dad for his upcoming birthday, but my gauge is always a bit on the tight side so it ended up too small.

Turn a Square 1

It fits me perfectly but I think it’d be too snug for him. So I decided to keep it and make another one on bigger needles.

Turn a Square 2

I kind of fell in love with this one. The blues and greens are fantastic. Alas, it heads off to Dad later this week. After making two I thought, what the hell, I’ll make another one! These first two are both made with Cascade 220 and the same skein of Noro Silk Garden.

Turn a Square 3

For this last one I used Cascade 220 and some crappy acrylic stuff from JoAnn Fabrics. I actually kind of like it. The color changes are a bit too slow, though. I wish I would have made it back to the red at some point in the striping.

7. Quincy:

Quincy

This is a hat from Jared Flood’s pattern booklet through Classic Elite. I used some Araucania Azapa, which is a fantastic yarn. The hat stretched out a bit too much while blocking, though … mostly due to my cat Ronnie getting a hold of it and dragging it around the house. SIGH. Stupid cats. I’ll probably make another one of these soon. I really love the twist (which you can’t really see in the picture unfortunately).

8. Zoe:

Zoe

While I was test-knitting this pattern I made another version, half for the test-knitting and half to do some stash-busting. The yarn is a bit too busy for me, but I like the way the ruffle turned out this time around.

So there you have it. Lots of knitting and a pretty garden. Now if only school was as pleasant …
ek

p.s. Beatles Rockband is AMAZING.
p.p.s. Beatles Remastered Stereo Set is also amazing.
p.p.p.s. Futurama Complete Collection: i haz it. Nothing like a life-sized Bender head in my living room.