Decisions, Finally

I’m very close to finishing my Starburst shrug(?). I sewed on the sleeve last night. I was only going to watch one episode of Scrubs (minus commercials) and then go to bed, but I hadn’t finished sewing it on, so I had to stay up until it was done so that I knew if my crazy sleeve cap pattern worked. Fiveepisodes of Scrubs later (supplied by my awesome brother) the sleeve was done and looks gorgeous! I was reading about the yarn that I’m using, KnitPicks Gloss, and found out that it stretches a bit (or a lot) when it’s washed. Well, I don’t think it will be much a a problem, because Starburst was made to be small, and because it’s not a full length sweater, it can’t grow all that much.

The decision that I made is that it will not be submitted to Knitty, it will be published as soon as I finish and get some pictures. I figure that it’s definitely a fall garment, and I’m waaay too impatient to leave it unpublished until spring. My next project is Working Diamond, which I’ll be swatching soon. Because it’s the same yarn as Starburst I could just use the same gauge, but I’m not sure that I want to. I might go up a needle size, I don’t know, but that’s what swatches are for.

Another decision that I made is that my lace shirt/dress idea (Cable Me Pink) will be submitted to Knitty for their spring issue. I’ll probably be ordering the yarn in the next month, and starting it once I finish Working Diamonds. I’ve never worked with lace weight yarn before, but how different can it be? Besides, if all goes horribly wrong, I don’t have to submit it.

Hard Work

I spent most of this past weekend in the basement with my dad working on my new umbrella swift! It’s not quite finished yet, but the important parts are put together and I tested it out last night. It definitely makes winding the yarn go faster, but I’ll probably start looking for a cheap ball winder. While I was testing it out, my mom says to me, ‘why don’t they just sell it like that to begin with?’ The answer? I’m not sure. All I know is that some come in a skein, and some come in a hank, but all need love.

My test skein was of my knitpicks gloss for my Working Diamonds, which I’m sure I’ll be starting sometime this week. Starburst is coming along very nicely. Once I figure out the sleeve, all I’ll have left is to sew them on and sew in the ends! Although I do need to remember some way to fasten it… Perhaps a crocheted on button hole and a little bobble? I know that it’s going to look amazing once it’s done. Although it is a bit small for me, but that was the point, so that it wouldn’t be huge for someone else. I’m still not sure if I want to submit it to knitty for the spring issue. Especially because if it gets in, I’ll have to wait so long until it’s published! And I’m rather impatient. I’m still slightly confused as to what to call it. Is a sweater that has the bottom cut off called a shrug or is it still a sweater? And because it has a split front is it therefore a cardigan? or a jacket? I guess it doesn’t really matter, but I would like to know how everything is classified.

On other exciting news, I got my hair cut! It’s pretty short now, just barely touching my shoulders. And I have bangs! It’s so much fun to play with, and it curls up super short if I don’t do anything to it after I shower. Yesterday I decided that I look like Baby, from Dirty Dancing.

Roller Coaster

I’m not sure what it is, but my emotions have been on bit of a roller coaster lately. And not just this past week. I know that some of the downs are being away from Ty, living at home, summer doldrums (despite the job), and things of that nature. But also I will occasionally have really good times, when I’m happy for no reason. Although I’m definitely happiest when I’m near Ty, or at least forget that he’ll be gone soon. Another big part of it is just being alone. Which I think I’ve already mentioned, but I miss all of the random people at school. And it’s weird, because I’m alone, but not necessarily by myself. My parents are at home, there are people on the train, people at work, etc, but I don’t have much time to be completely by myself, to have any privacy. Not that I need to do something private, but every once and a while it’s nice to relax and not have to think about anyone or anything but yourself.

I have three weeks until I go back to school, and I’ll finish up work a few days before then. Ty’s coming this weekend, and then again in two weeks. Andrea is leaving this weekend, and Claire’s leaving next weekend. Eliza and Zara will both be gone for a week, then back for a few days before school. The summer’s definitely ending, but I feel less like it is than a week ago, which is odd. I definitely think I’m ready for change, but kind of scared of this upcoming semester. I signed up for all science classes, and way too many credits. Ty wont be here, two of my other friends will be gone for the semester. I really want to get my SnB going this year, and do more with tech, but I’m afraid that I’ll have little time, and no motivation.

In happier news, my Starburst Shrug is coming along nicely. I won’t put up any pictures yet because I might actually submit it to knitty for the spring issue, I’ll definitely finish in time for that deadline. I think my peacoat is a bust. I still haven’t felted that piece, and now I kinda don’t want to. Though I still really want a peacoat. I’ll probably just by a cheap one somewhere this fall, before it gets too cold.

I ordered the yarn for my Working Diamonds sweater, and I also bought some more sock yarn, and managed to come up with a color chart for it too! I’m actually really excited to work with color, because I haven’t done anything more exciting than stripes so far. This next weekend I’m hoping to make my homemade umbrella swift, which seems much nicer than my knees. Although I’ll still be winding by hand, but I’ll save up for a ball winder someday. I just hate spending money on stuff like that when I can spend it on yarn.

August? Really?

Ok, so I still have a few days, but it’s coming! I’m both excited and shocked at its early arrival, despite the fact that it’s right on time. My presentation for work is on Thursday, and I think it’s actually coming along nicely. The slides at least. I’m sure that once I stand up there in front of all those people, I’ll blank. Hopefully no one will laugh at me if I bring a little note card up to help me if I need it. Friday, the first day of August, is the company summer outing. It sounds fun, mostly, but I’m not sure if I’m going. Being stuck at some place all day with few people I know, and lots of people I don’t doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting thing.

This week’s big news, though, is Ty finally receiving some more concrete information on working in South Africa. Since they had started to talk about it, he found out that he would probably be sent down before Christmas, for two years. Now he knows that he’ll be going down in about two months (still for about two years). And no, I am not happy about this. So far, the only good thing to come out of this is him getting in one more visit to Boston in August. We’ve also been discussing me going down there for spring break, and possibly studying there for the summer, or finding an internship. He doesn’t know how much time he’ll have off, and therefore how often he can come back to the States.

Strangely enough, one of the things that’s been on my mind the most, is getting engaged. Because in my eyes, we both have to be in the States for that, it can’t happen in South Africa, simply because then it would be me going back to my parents and telling them alone. And we both know that we can’t wait until the two years are over. Of course one of the things he mentioned is that one of South Africa’s biggest exports is diamonds, and therefore they would be much cheaper down there, which I completely agree with. I’ve had fantasies of him surprising me with a ring on Labor Day when I’m moving back to school with my parents, but I’m almost 100% sure that that’s not going to happen, especially with the comment about diamonds. He also mentioned that he could just announce it when he’s up in Vermont with me and my parents, in two weeks. And as much as I would love that, the bottom line is that I don’t want to know about it. Because I won’t be able to handle worrying about it until then, or any other time. So even though I really want to get engaged before he goes (making him being gone a little easier), I need to have in my mind that it’s not going to happen, whether or not that’s true.

On a more light-hearted and knitting note, I’ve finally finished the first peacock sock!!! After multiple attempts and many weeks, it is done. And I’ve even started the second one, and I’m practically at the heel! Pictures and the pattern will be up soon. I’ve been so antsy to start new projects recently, which is why I want to finish this one so much. I finished another front panel for my peacoat, but am very apprehensive about felting it. Perhaps I will be up to the task tonight. I’ve pretty much decided that this is a definite no for submission to knitty, but maybe I’ll get something else done in time? September’s coming fast.

I Think Too Much

Almost done with the first panel of my peacoat. Almost. It’s down to my knees already! I really do hope that it shrinks to the size I think it’s gonna shrink to. And I’m really worried about the fact that it rolls up, cause it’s stockinette, I feel like it’s gonna felt onto itself into a big tube. Perhaps if I pin it to the pillow case? When people make felted bags do they ever felt together? I guess I’ll figure it out once I finish this first panel. If it works, great, if not, I might have a hissy fit and stop the project. Ugh.

Not sure if this is gonna be the amazing addition to Knitty that I thought before. Even if it all works out fine, there’s the whole issue of sewing it together, and I dunno if I can put that down in a pattern, or if I can assume that people will know how to sew the pieces together. Also, if I want to line it, I’m gonna have to figure that out too, even if I don’t put it in the pattern. Aahhh! Too much stress. I should move onto something else.

Oh, so I found out that I’m now on Knitting Pattern Central as of yesterday. And therefore have been getting a ton of hits, which makes me happy. I’ll probably put a link up on each pattern to it’s site on Ravelry. I would really like if people started making my stuff, but it only counts if I know about it, and I can see pictures and stuff. Hence needing ravelry to do my stalking for me.

Another pattern idea I had a little while back is a black half-zip sweater. The bottom five inches will be filled with simple 1×1 cables in different colors (red, yellow, blue, green, purple). The front center will be a DNA cable, also colored, which separates with the zipper. I’m gonna call the sweater Helicase. On the back I think I’m gonna have “A T C G and sometimes U”. I thought of that part because of working with oligonucleotides, and we use all five (although I think we use U more than T…). I don’t know if that part really fits in with the rest of it, because oligos are single stranded. But whatever, I’ll figure that out when I get there.