I have lace!

So, persistent knitter that I am (*cough* yeah right *cough*), I gave up on Branching Out, maybe for now, maybe forever. There was something about row 5 that just got me every time. And I thought that I only had 2 weeks to make a scarf for the non-art student student art contest (or the NASSAC, for those of us who are lazy typists). But, upon careful reading of my email (highly recommended at least monthly), I learned that entries for the NASSAC are not due until February 20th. However, I don't really want to be trying to knit lace when I'm in school. You see, (a) I have to study, and (b) [sadly a far more persuasive reason], I know that I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to knit lace in class. And we all know where that ends up.

(As they specifically requested acknowledgement...the pic is from allaboutfrogs.org.)

So I've moved on...to the Diamond Lace Scarf, which is treating me far more kindly. The pattern's written a bit poorly -- I've had to rely on the picture a few times -- but overall (knock on wood) it's going well. I'll show pictures when it's a little further along and when I have a good background nearby.

I shall close with a few words from my lovely surrealism generator, which honestly, I could amuse myself with all day. No kidding.

"And I would have been able to duplicate it, too, if it wasn't for you fatal organs!"

Rule #1

Rule #1 is: No lace knitting after 10 PM.

Corollary to rule #1 is: Learn to use lifelines, so that when you ignore rule #1, you're not too screwed.

Because I will ignore rule #1...sadly, this has happened to me before. And right now, all that I have to show for about 3 hours of work is a pile of slightly crinkled yarn and some teeny tiny beads. Although, I've become far more proficient at getting the beads onto the yarn. (Positive thinking right there...aw yeah.)

Everyone Needs One Of These.

A Random Surrealism Generator, of course! Hours of not-quite-sure-why-it's amusing fun...mine's at the bottom of the page :)

Garter Stitch Gift Set

The scarf is a heavily modified version of the Windy City (Keyhole) Scarf from the first SnB. I knit in garter stitch for about 7", changed colors, knit about an inch, then made the split up the center by knitting with 2 balls of yarn at once. (Knit halfway across with one ball of yarn [#1], drop it, knit the rest of the way across with a new ball of yarn [#2], turn your knitting, work halfway across with #2, drop it, then work the rest of the way across with #1. Hopefully that makes sense...) I worked another inch in the contrast color, then switched back to the main color to knit the rest of the scarf. Mine's about 3 and a half feet long, but you can make it shorter. (Knit a shorter segment before you switch to the contrast color.) I cast on 22 stitches on size 11s and it's about 6" wide...but I'm a very tight knitter. You can make a narrower version...just make sure that there are an even number of stitches so that the split is in the center. Or you can make a split-less version.

The fingerless mitts are from Weekend Knitting. They actually use short-row shaping and a 3-needle bindoff -- that's the non-garter stitch part. If you want to do it the quick-n-dirty way...decide on the length that you want the mitts (I usually go from the bottom knuckle of my ring finger just past the bump on my wrist)...check your gauge and decide how many stitches to cast on. If you want them to be 6" long and you get 5 stitches/inch, then you'd cast on 30 stitches. Knit in garter stitch until it wraps around your hand (keep track of the number of rows so that you can do the same number for the other mitt), and then seam the cast-on edge to the bound-off edge, leaving a gap of about 3/4" for a thumb-hole.

I used Karabella Superyak (125 yards/ball), 2 balls of maroon and a little bit of one in grey. You can definitely do this with only 2 balls if you make the scarf narrower and/or shorter; I just wanted to use up all of the maroon. Superyak is expensive but I was lucky enough to find it in the clearance bin at my LYS.

If you're not in a garter-stitch mood, you could do ribs or stockinette or cables...or whatever. You can decorate with beads or crochet or embroidery...but it does become far less unisex at that point. Post a comment if you have questions!

I'm Going to Have Nightmares...

So I've never been bothered by clowns (at least not to the best of my recollections), but I'm terrified of mimes. And this video has done nothing to change that. Lots of other people like it though, so give it a shot if you have 10 minutes to waste and you're not at home in the dark by yourself. (It's windy too...so the howling and scratching noises outside are not helping.)

I'm also afraid of chickens, although that's another story...if I ever come across someone miming a chicken, I will be reduced to a twitching bundle of nerves and they will have to cart me off in a straitjacket.

Cooking!

So I've taken my last exam for 2006. And it feels very nice. I like. I've been cooking (and slacking) and generally enjoying my life...boring though it may be.

I made a chickpea pot pie, based loosely on Judy Krizmanic's recipe from A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian, which I almost picked up the other day at the bookstore. I didn't because (a) I'm not a teen (although I do have the sense of humor of a 13-year-old boy...) and (b) if I don't know how to be a vegetarian by now, I'm doing something wrong. But it's a good recipe. No pics, because I sank the crust into the filling and it looks rather unappealing.

Right now in the oven is a kale-and-potato loveliness, based loosely on a recipe from Recipezaar. I'm excited about it -- I rarely have kale and potatoes in the house at the same time. (And usually when I make this stuff, it's to use up leftovers...I was astonished at the number of dishes that it took to make from scratch all at once.)

And this morning for breakfast I had a bek-version of a mango lassi...mango, soymilk, ginger, cardamom, and a splash of OJ. All made in my early Hanukkah present from beast. I've bought her a gift but I can't share the details until she opens it. (And yes, I did want to keep it for myself, but I won't.)

And now, some long-awaited bootyfruits. I'm cheating a little, but w'ev. First the potato-butt...they have eyes, so why not butts?

And now (bad pun ahead) the mango assi :) Enjoy.