Cheeky Red Head at Get a Clew tagged me for the 7 things meme and since I have not posted since last Monday, I figured my 7 facts would be 7 reasons why I have not been online lately. Here goes:
The rules: Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven other people and list their names on your blog. Then you leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.
1. Friday afternoon I graduated from law school.
2. Friday afternoon I also moved back home to Connecticut.
3. My parents gave me my very own digital camera as my graduation gift -- Dad even showed me some pointers about how to set it up to take pics for my blog. I had been borrowing their old one, which works fine, but it is definitely nice to have one of my own.
4. I spent Saturday unpacking a portion of my stuff -- the first priority being organizing my yarn stash, of course :-)
5. Saturday night my BF and I saw Pirates 3. Carlos did not like it at first, but keep reading.
6. Sunday afternoon we had some close friends and family over to celebrate my brother's and my graduations. The weather was beautiful and fun was had by all.
7. Monday the BF and I took my youngest brother to see Pirates 3. This time Carlos liked it.
As you can see, there has not been much knitting going on as of late. Today Carlos and I went down into NYC and I brought my May Day Sockamania Club sock with me on the train, but only got a few rounds done. Not sure if I will finish before the end of the month, but we shall see.
I do believe that most of the blogs I read have already done this meme, as it has been floating around blogland for a couple weeks now. So, as many others have done, I will simply say: If you have not already done this meme and you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.
Time to get back to the unpacking.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Of socks and other ramblings
There really isn't much in the way of knitting about which to update. Basically because I haven't done much knitting in the last few days (mostly because I need to get away from the computer). Well, I take that back. I have been working on more preemie hats and I did (finally) cast on my second May Day Sock for the Sockamania Club. I had cast on a few days ago, but had to frog about 1/2 way through the ribbed cuff because I somehow messed it up. Serves me right for trying to knit while on the phone and in poor lighting. Yesterday I made it through the cuff and started the first repeat and today I all but finished the first repeat -- I think I have 2 more rounds to go. This second sock is going much faster than the first. I've reached the point where I don't have to rely so much on the chart and don't have to be meticulous about marking the spot where I am. Anyway, one more repeat, turn the heel, 2.5 repeats on the foot and then onto the toe. Should have it finished by the time I receive my J.D. on Friday.
Yes, that's right. I graduate on Friday. That reminds me.... I have to change the header of the blog -- I am no longer a "3L", so this really isn't a "3L's Adventures in Knitting" anymore. And technically I am not a lawyer until I pass the bar in July. Hmmm... I'll have to think about that one...
Back to the knitting. Lately I have been fascinated with the idea of toe-up socks. Mostly due to my other fascination with knee socks. (I know, a little warm to wear knee socks in the summer, but at my pace, I should start them now and they'll be finished by the time cold weather arrives...) I'm a fairly short gal at 5'3" (give or take) and might be able to eke out a pair of knee socks out of 430 yards of yarn, don't ya think? I'm going to try to anyway. I have a decent number of skeins of Lorna's Laces in my stash, which would be perfect as they are already divided into 2 separate equally long skeins. If I start at the toe and just knit until I run out of yarn in one ball, I should get pretty close to a knee sock out of it.... I hope. Maybe?
The problem is that I have a lot of sock yarn despite the facts that 1. I only started knitting socks in February; and 2. I have finished only 1 pair of socks, even though I currently have 2 pairs OTN's right now and one pair recently frogged. So I weigh my desire to knit knee socks with my need to not buy any more yarn and I get the crazy plan to try and get a pair of knee socks from yarn that is sufficient to knit 1 pair of medium adult socks. Actually... Now that I think about it and as I browse through the pictures of my stash (stash is at home in CT -- far away where I cannot pet it and stare at it and play with it)... the Lorna's Laces Lilac complements the Iris Garden. I could do contrasting color toes, heels, and cuffs to make the yardage stretch a little more. Hmm... Now we're going somewhere:
And I was going somewhere with this, now that it has turned into a marathon post. But alas, it is late and I have lost my train of thought. Which is fine by me because I solved the conundrum I was having over this knee sock business.
One last thing before I sign off: I did a little spring cleaning of the sidebar. Moved some things around, deleted some things etc. I also updated my list of blogs I read and the podcasts to which I listen, as they both have grown in numbers since the last time I did a major update of the list awhile back.
Good night all!
Yes, that's right. I graduate on Friday. That reminds me.... I have to change the header of the blog -- I am no longer a "3L", so this really isn't a "3L's Adventures in Knitting" anymore. And technically I am not a lawyer until I pass the bar in July. Hmmm... I'll have to think about that one...
Back to the knitting. Lately I have been fascinated with the idea of toe-up socks. Mostly due to my other fascination with knee socks. (I know, a little warm to wear knee socks in the summer, but at my pace, I should start them now and they'll be finished by the time cold weather arrives...) I'm a fairly short gal at 5'3" (give or take) and might be able to eke out a pair of knee socks out of 430 yards of yarn, don't ya think? I'm going to try to anyway. I have a decent number of skeins of Lorna's Laces in my stash, which would be perfect as they are already divided into 2 separate equally long skeins. If I start at the toe and just knit until I run out of yarn in one ball, I should get pretty close to a knee sock out of it.... I hope. Maybe?
The problem is that I have a lot of sock yarn despite the facts that 1. I only started knitting socks in February; and 2. I have finished only 1 pair of socks, even though I currently have 2 pairs OTN's right now and one pair recently frogged. So I weigh my desire to knit knee socks with my need to not buy any more yarn and I get the crazy plan to try and get a pair of knee socks from yarn that is sufficient to knit 1 pair of medium adult socks. Actually... Now that I think about it and as I browse through the pictures of my stash (stash is at home in CT -- far away where I cannot pet it and stare at it and play with it)... the Lorna's Laces Lilac complements the Iris Garden. I could do contrasting color toes, heels, and cuffs to make the yardage stretch a little more. Hmm... Now we're going somewhere:
And I was going somewhere with this, now that it has turned into a marathon post. But alas, it is late and I have lost my train of thought. Which is fine by me because I solved the conundrum I was having over this knee sock business.
One last thing before I sign off: I did a little spring cleaning of the sidebar. Moved some things around, deleted some things etc. I also updated my list of blogs I read and the podcasts to which I listen, as they both have grown in numbers since the last time I did a major update of the list awhile back.
Good night all!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
It's been awhile...
...well, almost a week since my last post. Things have been pretty hectic between going back home to CT for the weekend, then starting the first round of bar review classes this week, and oh yeah, packing. In the not-busy moments I do stop and think to myself, "Wow, at the end of next week I will be a law school graduate."
While I was home I cleaned out my room to get it ready for my return on the 25th; threw away a lot of junk, organized TONS of crafting stuff: scrapbooking, pictures, and don't forget the STASH. Ravelry actually aided in my organizing the stash because I started taking pictures of it to post in my notebook there. It isn't all up yet, but most of the sock yarn is. The rest will have to wait for another day. (For those of you who are on Ravelry, I am "ndjen04" over there too if you'd like to friend me)
Dad drove me back to Boston on Sunday. He and my brother loaded up the truck with a ton of stuff from my apartment here to bring back to CT -- furniture, my bed (I am sleeping on an air mattress for the remaining weeks here), pots and pans, TV cart (but left the TV), desk. Basically if I don't need it up here and it fit in the truck, they took it. When my stuff got home, my mom put my desk and small dresser in their den. I will have my own little crafting corner in there and am soooo excited about it! Especially because I will have a space to work on my other craft: scrapbooking. I have never really had my own crafting space before. I've always spread out on the kitchen table only to have to pack it all up and lug it back upstairs when I was finished. Now I can have it all organized in plastic drawers and cubbies and have my workspace right there! Oh how wonderful!
Let's see... what else? Oh! In knitting news, I finished my first preemie hat. Take a look:
Knit with Caron Simply Soft in Soft Pink on US 6 DPN's. I adapted the pattern from Newborns in Need so that it was knit in the round as I am not a fan of seaming. Also, I added shaping on the top to make it more fitted. Basically the pattern came out something like this:
CO 40 sts; Join in the round
K1, P1 rib for 1 inch
Switch to st st for 12 rounds
Decrease for the top as follows:
Round 1: *K8, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 2: K
Round 3: *K7, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 4: K
Round 5: *K6, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 6: K
Then I drew the yarn through the remaining stitches to close off the top.
The plan is to knit up a whole bunch and donate them to a local hospital. My aunt also told me that she had information on other local places that take preemie hats and blankets too, so I will have to get that from her next time I see her. Speaking of charitable knitting, I did a bit of an update to the Knit for a Cause post, adding in more links and places to check out. And although I was already a member of the Crafting for a Cause blogspot page, I also joined their Livejournal Community too. If you already knit or do other crafts for charity, I highly recommend joining this group. Very inspiring and encouraging group of crafters! Hi to anyone who found my blog through there!
And last, but not least, I have been playing around with my blogger template. Mostly with the colors, starting off small. To change the background colors I actually had to edit the html of the template, which was a little scary at first. I know a tiny bit of HTML and could (sort of) figure out what I was doing, but at the same time I was a bit terrified that I would accidentally erase an essential part and my site would *POOF* disappear. Don't worry, I was smart enough to back up the template before playing around with it just in case, but it was still a scary process.
And now after this long rambling post, it is time to sign off and go knit some more.
Happy Knitting!
While I was home I cleaned out my room to get it ready for my return on the 25th; threw away a lot of junk, organized TONS of crafting stuff: scrapbooking, pictures, and don't forget the STASH. Ravelry actually aided in my organizing the stash because I started taking pictures of it to post in my notebook there. It isn't all up yet, but most of the sock yarn is. The rest will have to wait for another day. (For those of you who are on Ravelry, I am "ndjen04" over there too if you'd like to friend me)
Dad drove me back to Boston on Sunday. He and my brother loaded up the truck with a ton of stuff from my apartment here to bring back to CT -- furniture, my bed (I am sleeping on an air mattress for the remaining weeks here), pots and pans, TV cart (but left the TV), desk. Basically if I don't need it up here and it fit in the truck, they took it. When my stuff got home, my mom put my desk and small dresser in their den. I will have my own little crafting corner in there and am soooo excited about it! Especially because I will have a space to work on my other craft: scrapbooking. I have never really had my own crafting space before. I've always spread out on the kitchen table only to have to pack it all up and lug it back upstairs when I was finished. Now I can have it all organized in plastic drawers and cubbies and have my workspace right there! Oh how wonderful!
Let's see... what else? Oh! In knitting news, I finished my first preemie hat. Take a look:
Knit with Caron Simply Soft in Soft Pink on US 6 DPN's. I adapted the pattern from Newborns in Need so that it was knit in the round as I am not a fan of seaming. Also, I added shaping on the top to make it more fitted. Basically the pattern came out something like this:
CO 40 sts; Join in the round
K1, P1 rib for 1 inch
Switch to st st for 12 rounds
Decrease for the top as follows:
Round 1: *K8, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 2: K
Round 3: *K7, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 4: K
Round 5: *K6, K2tog repeat from * to end of round
Round 6: K
Then I drew the yarn through the remaining stitches to close off the top.
The plan is to knit up a whole bunch and donate them to a local hospital. My aunt also told me that she had information on other local places that take preemie hats and blankets too, so I will have to get that from her next time I see her. Speaking of charitable knitting, I did a bit of an update to the Knit for a Cause post, adding in more links and places to check out. And although I was already a member of the Crafting for a Cause blogspot page, I also joined their Livejournal Community too. If you already knit or do other crafts for charity, I highly recommend joining this group. Very inspiring and encouraging group of crafters! Hi to anyone who found my blog through there!
And last, but not least, I have been playing around with my blogger template. Mostly with the colors, starting off small. To change the background colors I actually had to edit the html of the template, which was a little scary at first. I know a tiny bit of HTML and could (sort of) figure out what I was doing, but at the same time I was a bit terrified that I would accidentally erase an essential part and my site would *POOF* disappear. Don't worry, I was smart enough to back up the template before playing around with it just in case, but it was still a scary process.
And now after this long rambling post, it is time to sign off and go knit some more.
Happy Knitting!
Knit for a cause
Update: January 5, 2008
Homespun Helpers (formerly Crafting for a Cause) is an online community that has set a goal of donating 3000 handmade objects in the year 2007. Be sure to stop on over and join in on the fun! The community also has pages on Livejournal and Myspace, so check those out too. Also, just FYI, this group counts all sorts of handmade items toward the goal: knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, baking. There's no end to the creativity as long as it is made by hand!
Warm with Love has a directory of charities, both U.S. and International
Knitting for Charity.org has links to different projects as well as patterns and tips to help you out.
Wool Works provides lists of different organizations across the country.
The Daily Knitter is a comprehensive online resource for knitters that has a list of charitable organizations that accept knitted goods. The site is also great for general knitting information -- patterns, yarn info, etc.
Project Linus collects blankets for underprivileged children. There are over 350 chapters all across the country. Check out the website to find a local chapter near you.
The Snuggles Project collects "snuggles" security blankets for animals in shelters to keep them warm and provide comfort.
Newborns in Need provides care for premature and newborn babies and families. They have a few knitting, crochet, and sewing patterns here.
If you would like to donate items more locally, be sure to check with your local knitting groups or local hospitals to see what needs there are in your area.
Happy Knitting!
Homespun Helpers (formerly Crafting for a Cause) is an online community that has set a goal of donating 3000 handmade objects in the year 2007. Be sure to stop on over and join in on the fun! The community also has pages on Livejournal and Myspace, so check those out too. Also, just FYI, this group counts all sorts of handmade items toward the goal: knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, baking. There's no end to the creativity as long as it is made by hand!
Warm with Love has a directory of charities, both U.S. and International
Knitting for Charity.org has links to different projects as well as patterns and tips to help you out.
Wool Works provides lists of different organizations across the country.
The Daily Knitter is a comprehensive online resource for knitters that has a list of charitable organizations that accept knitted goods. The site is also great for general knitting information -- patterns, yarn info, etc.
Project Linus collects blankets for underprivileged children. There are over 350 chapters all across the country. Check out the website to find a local chapter near you.
The Snuggles Project collects "snuggles" security blankets for animals in shelters to keep them warm and provide comfort.
Newborns in Need provides care for premature and newborn babies and families. They have a few knitting, crochet, and sewing patterns here.
If you would like to donate items more locally, be sure to check with your local knitting groups or local hospitals to see what needs there are in your area.
Happy Knitting!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
And I'm done...
...with school that is. Handed in my last paper yesterday. What a relief. Now I'm home in CT for a few days before the first round of Bar Review classes start on the 14th up in Boston. Then Graduation on the 25th and home for good.
Hopefully over the next few days I can take pictures of my knitting and update the blog a little more. Even though I was on a bit of a blogging hiatus during the last week or so, I did tweak a few things here and there. For instance, I added a link to the side bar to the Knit for a Cause post that I will update from time to time. You may have noticed the newest addition to that list a couple days ago - Crafting for a Cause. Aimee from the Fairie Knits podcast helps run this group. Their goal is to donate 3000 handmade goods to charity this year. If you already knit things for charity, you should come on over and join to help the group reach its goal.
Let's see, what else? Oh! Many of you out there in blog land may have heard about Ravelry. It is a new community for knitters and crocheters to keep track of all their WIP's, FO's, future projects, stash, needles, as well as meet up with other fiber artists. Last week I signed up to be put on the waiting list and yesterday I received my invitation and already started adding in my projects and pictures -- it has become very addicting. I am in the process of cleaning out my closet getting ready to move back home for good, so it's been really helpful to keep track of my yarn and needles. I do have an excel spreadsheet, but I haven't updated it in awhile.
And last but not least, I have a finished object! Or I guess you could say half of an FO -- Yesterday on the train I finished the first May Day Sock for the Sockamania Club KAL. I really love this pattern -- very easy to follow and quick to knit up. I used Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Blues/Greens. I'm really pleased with how the striping in the yarn came out -- no pooling anywhere. :-) Take a look:
Hopefully over the next few days I can take pictures of my knitting and update the blog a little more. Even though I was on a bit of a blogging hiatus during the last week or so, I did tweak a few things here and there. For instance, I added a link to the side bar to the Knit for a Cause post that I will update from time to time. You may have noticed the newest addition to that list a couple days ago - Crafting for a Cause. Aimee from the Fairie Knits podcast helps run this group. Their goal is to donate 3000 handmade goods to charity this year. If you already knit things for charity, you should come on over and join to help the group reach its goal.
Let's see, what else? Oh! Many of you out there in blog land may have heard about Ravelry. It is a new community for knitters and crocheters to keep track of all their WIP's, FO's, future projects, stash, needles, as well as meet up with other fiber artists. Last week I signed up to be put on the waiting list and yesterday I received my invitation and already started adding in my projects and pictures -- it has become very addicting. I am in the process of cleaning out my closet getting ready to move back home for good, so it's been really helpful to keep track of my yarn and needles. I do have an excel spreadsheet, but I haven't updated it in awhile.
And last but not least, I have a finished object! Or I guess you could say half of an FO -- Yesterday on the train I finished the first May Day Sock for the Sockamania Club KAL. I really love this pattern -- very easy to follow and quick to knit up. I used Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Blues/Greens. I'm really pleased with how the striping in the yarn came out -- no pooling anywhere. :-) Take a look:
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Quick update
I am still in the midst of exams, papers, and other exciting end of the year stuff, but I decided that I'd take a quick break to do a little update. Despite the tight deadlines for papers, etc I have been able to knit quite a bit, and it has helped me to keep my sanity. Unfortunately though, I do not have the camera up in Boston with me. That just means there will be a monsoon of pictures once I get back home (which is VERY soon :-D). For now here is an unillustrated list of what I have been up to:
Wednesday I cast on the May Day socks for the Sockamania Club KAL, turned the heel on Friday and am about 2" into the foot already. Very fun and fast socks to knit. I chose Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Blues/Greens and US 2 needles.
The Pink Ribbon Sock finally has a heel flap and as soon as finals are over I will turn the heel. The foot should go rather quickly since it is straight stockinette.
The Jaywalkers may have to be frogged. I turned the heel and am well into the foot. I tried them on last weekend while I was home and they are a bit tight. An increase in the needle size should be enough to do the trick to make them fit.
I've been working on the Project Linus blanket when I can and am almost at the halfway point.
Carlos had given me his Borders rewards card and a 30% off coupon that was good for this weekend. Yesterday I went to hopefully pick up one or two of the books on my Amazon Wish List. I wrote down my top 5 titles, all of which were there last weekend when we went, none of which were still there yesterday. How sad! I did end up picking up One Skein Wonders, which was still on my list, just not in the top 5. Which is still OK because Amazon has most of them on sale with free shipping to boot, so it probably would be cheaper to buy from there anyway. I also picked up the HUGE Leisure Arts book Now You're Knitting from the bargain books section. It has 165 project patterns and 99 stitch patterns. None of the sweaters are really my style, but there are quite a few blanket patterns that piqued my interest -- well worth the $8.
Wednesday I cast on the May Day socks for the Sockamania Club KAL, turned the heel on Friday and am about 2" into the foot already. Very fun and fast socks to knit. I chose Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Blues/Greens and US 2 needles.
The Pink Ribbon Sock finally has a heel flap and as soon as finals are over I will turn the heel. The foot should go rather quickly since it is straight stockinette.
The Jaywalkers may have to be frogged. I turned the heel and am well into the foot. I tried them on last weekend while I was home and they are a bit tight. An increase in the needle size should be enough to do the trick to make them fit.
I've been working on the Project Linus blanket when I can and am almost at the halfway point.
Carlos had given me his Borders rewards card and a 30% off coupon that was good for this weekend. Yesterday I went to hopefully pick up one or two of the books on my Amazon Wish List. I wrote down my top 5 titles, all of which were there last weekend when we went, none of which were still there yesterday. How sad! I did end up picking up One Skein Wonders, which was still on my list, just not in the top 5. Which is still OK because Amazon has most of them on sale with free shipping to boot, so it probably would be cheaper to buy from there anyway. I also picked up the HUGE Leisure Arts book Now You're Knitting from the bargain books section. It has 165 project patterns and 99 stitch patterns. None of the sweaters are really my style, but there are quite a few blanket patterns that piqued my interest -- well worth the $8.
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