Amanda, I miss you.

Rampin'

This weekend didn't yield a lot of knitting, but I am about to start the toes on the second sock of two different pairs (if you follow). Instead of knitting, I was playing in the mountains, the flora is quite a bit behind up there and it is so much fun to see all of the spring flowers. There was loads of trilliums, violets, trout lilies, and others that I can't recall or didn't (couldn't) identify. I was helping to collect data on ramps (or wild leeks for us northerners). There are many people that collect leeks for personal use or festivals; the project monitors the ramp densities and it looks at the effects of harvesting along with other implications. For me it was a great chance to take a break from school and get out into the mountains. We also collected a few ramps and blue is getting set to make a ramp and potato soup. I'm looking forward to it. I will post some pictures when blue returns from the mountains with the camera.
Last friday I purchased the green gable pattern as well as the appropriate needles and yarn to go along with it. I can't wait for my yarn delivery so I can get started. We (the girls of for the love o' knit) along with madisonienne (hopefully) are going to have our own mini knit-along. Should be fun.
(This pic is a drawing I found online of a ramp)

knitting a PhD

I was thinking about school and how it distracts me from my knitting. For the last two weeks I have hardly worked on anything. My wobbly tote is still sitting there, looking at me every time I walk by. My jaywalkers... almost done, but I just haven't had time to finish them and then there are the others, they are behind the backburner. But all of this distraction, keeping me away from my knitting, it got me thinking- would I consider getting a PhD if there was a program for knitting? Honestly, if I could afford it (the yarn, books, etc...), I think I might actually do it. I guess that would put this master's in forest ecology a little out of place. Maybe I could just knit myself a PhD, how do you think that would go over? I have recently discovered (thanks to stitchkommander) that there is an academic knitting blog ring. I am contemplating joining, but they want you to talk about the world of academia that you are involved in, I guess complaining is talking (writing whatever) isn't it. Alright, I don't always complain about it, especially when I get to go and play in the woods. However, my classes have been bringing me down, not only do they distract me from my master's project (you know the whole reason I am here), but they have been keeping me away from my knitting for far too long. I think I might take Friday afternoon off (after I take my test and hand in my paper) to knit, hang out with skatergirl and stitchkommander (?) and maybe have a cocktail (gin&tonic and bloody mary sound equally good).

on the outs

Knitting and I were on the outs for a few days, not because we weren't getting along or anything. I was just really busy with school stuff and I stayed home to work. Usually when I stay home to work my knitting just stares at me until I sit down and knit a few rows or inches, but this time we had a little heart to heart and I let my knitting know that I had other really important things to do. But after a week long dull headache I decided to take a night off from the studying and reading and thinking. Instead, I sat down in my favorite spot and watched my Thursday night shows. I worked on the wobbly circles tote and my jaywalkers when I got sick of reading the chart. They are both coming along slowly due to the fact that I only worked on them twice last week. It might be a while until they are finished due to the end of the semester crunch I am experiencing. Thankfully this is my last semester of classes and I have next weekend to look forward to, I am supposed to go up to the mountains and help blue with some plant surveys!

knit 1, felt 2

This is my latest ( not accomplishment, project). I am using slightly different colors and it is only a few inches of confusing-looking-intarsia. So far no big hang-ups, but I did have to start over once due to doubling back on half of it. I think next time I try to watch a movie with subtitles I will knit something more simple, or at least something I am more familiar with (or maybe I just won't stop in the middle of a row ever again). When it is complete I will try and find an ikea-esque chair to set it on for the photo shoot, then we can do a comparison.

Over the weekend a lot of cleaning, a little schooling, a little knitting, and some felting took place. The patons wool I have been using lately has a worse smell than cascade 220, but wet wool never really smells that good. And the price difference ($2-4) is worth dealing with the temporary bad smell. It felts up pretty well and I am happy with the results.

Last night stitchkommander delivered gin and tonics right to my door. We ended up knitting, drinking g&t's and watching Breakfast at Tiffany's (due to the fact that Grey's Anatomy does not come in at my house and inspired by the 60's knitting mags). It is just one more reason that she is not allowed to move to Louisville!

Blue is out of town for most of the week, as is stitchkommander. Instead of getting lonely, I am going to get some work done. Hopefully it will be productive week (unfortunately I am not referencing knitting...).

Is walking and knitting really possible?

I received a walking and knitting sachel for xmas, thanks to (sweatergirl and her mom). I have used it a few times to knit in public (and on the couch too) and it works really well to contain the yarn and keep things untangled. But tonight is the relay for relay for life and I am wondering, is it really possible to walk and knit at the same time? I am thinking for a really simple pattern that it is possible, but not for anything that I am working on right now. I think the stitches on socks are just too small to concentrate on both the knitting and the walking. So I will have to leave my knitting aside tonight and just do some walking. Plus blue said that he will not walk with me if I am knitting, apparently he has to deal with that at home too much (the knitting, not the knitting and walking).

flea market

Yesterday morning I went to the flea market with stitchkommander and skatergirl. It was my first time and very entertaining. There was a suprising amount of guns, an expected amount of knives, and a lot of over the counter drugs. But best of all was the late sixties needlecraft magazine scores. I have only made it halfway through one of them, but the patterns look pretty sweet. There is this one hat pattern that looks like a helmet with a chin strap and I think it was in basketweave. I definitely plan on making that!
I also took my car in yesterday. Turns out that the horrible clunking noise coming from the front right wheel well was a rock stuck between some stuff. They took it out and I kept it. hee hee hee.
This is one of the magazine covers and my toes (see flickr for more images).

manic monday

Although I was at the library studying last night, I did manage to get a little knitting in before going to bed. A few more hours on the feet of these socks and they will be complete. After knitting them on one circular I am thinking about lifting one and finishing them one at a time, it's just getting annoying. I was also considering comparing my speed both with the magic loop and with double points. Not sure I want to get that involved though.
Last night some tremendous storms rolled through. I love listening to a hard downpour while drifting off to sleep. I am pretty sure it made for some crazy dreams though. It is still rainy today and I am not sure how long it will continue. This is what my backyard looked like this morning. You can't really tell it was raining. On a less knitting related topic, I officially joined the Natural Resources Graduate Student Relay for Life Team. I have been helping out with fundraising breakfasts, but I noticed today that they needed one more team member to reach their team member goal and I thought, "why not me?" So if you are able to donate click here to go to my donation page.
This weekend is the overnight event where we walk in circles for 12 hours (taking turns of course).

april already?

Once again april fools day escapes me without a prank. I always mean to plan ahead, but it never seems to work. Maybe next year.
Another, more recent, april 1 tradition is flash your stash which is what crazy yarn obsessed people do in order to make themselves feel better (or worse?) about their unhealthy obsession. My favorite yarn stash flash is this one. What a great photo, very American Beauty.
My most recent knitting project is the simply lovely lace socks in the newest interweave. I decided to use my debbie bliss cotton cashmere dk weight (purchased on sale of course). The dk weight is such a fast knit compared to the fingering weight I have been using for socks. The larger yarn added with the shorter sock pattern makes this pattern a quick knit. I am half way through with 2 socks. I would suggest that knitters apprehensive of sock knitting to try a dk weight pattern for their first attempt.
Now concerning my other love - burning the woods:
Last Thursday I got to participate in another burning of the woods. Instead of lecture and lab, we went out into the woods and watched it burn. Seeing fire instead of hearing about it in class was great.