Survival of the Knittest

3:47 AM

2009-08-27T03:47:00.003-04:00

It is 3:47 am. I started dyeing at around midnight with a plan to get through 44 skeins: 14 for the September club shipment, 16 of a new superwash BFL base, 8 Elementary, 2 Elementary DK, and 4 skeins of laceweight-just a fraction of the 24 lbs I started with at the beginning of the summer. Now, 38 skeins in and three days away from leaving for college, I sit here typing away at something I may very well not remember when I wake up in just a few hours to continue packing my entire life into boxes and spacebags. So, should I wake up in the morning wondering why I'm so tired and my entire house smells of vinegar, here's a little "note to self": Congratulations, Molly. You have conquered the 24 lb yarn pile.

Alright, I'm off to go finish up the last 6 skeins. Let's just hope I can get these all photographed and sold before I run out of food money. I haven't heard good things about the meal plan.

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavorite Thing!

2009-08-24T12:58:00.002-04:00

I am not Meghan from Stitch It, but there are times when I wish I was. Those times are usually when I'm spinning and realize I don't know something, but right now, I wish I were Meghan because I have a faaaaaaaaaavorite thing to share, and it sounds so much cooler when she says "faaaaaaaaavorite things" than when I do.

Anyway, my favorite thing this week is (drumroll): Greek Yogurt!

This stuff just showed up in my fridge yesterday (which means my mom bought it), and I decided to give it a try. I'm not a huge yogurt person in general, but it's yuuuuummy. It's a lot thicker and creamier than regular yogurt, and it seems a little sweeter, too (note: I'm eating the fruit kinds, which are unflavored except for the fruit). It's also non-fat and has only 140 calories in a pretty satisfyingly-sized container.

Now, not being Meghan, I don't know how to conclude this sort of thing, so I guess what I'm really trying to say is: Go eat yogurt.

Also...

2009-08-15T21:09:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking of branching out into food. How do you all feel about food?

Holy skeins, Batman!

2009-08-15T21:04:00.003-04:00

I dyed 30+ skeins of yarn today, and I am dead tired and not finished. Need to either get more efficient or start considering slave labor.

I did all of the new sport weight bamboo blend (still haven't decided on a name) and some Elementary and Elementary DK (which may be renamed...if I feel like it).

I'll take pictures of the drying yarn when the sun comes out and start doing shop photos as soon as I get a chance. Keep an eye out for the upcoming moving sale ;)

25 Days

2009-08-06T15:47:00.005-04:00

So I'm leaving in 25 days. I started packing up some sweaters, some handknit hats and scarves, and other things I won't need for the rest of the summer, but as of now, there isn't much else I can pack. One would think, with all my supplies (yarn, beads, paints, etc.) just waiting to be used, I'd be busy all the time, and I have been. I've been knitting like crazy, spending time with friends, shopping for dorm stuff, and (finally) shopping for some new and much-needed clothes that, get this, aren't covered in paint...yet. That said, I can't seem to figure out what to do with myself. Sure, this week I helped throw a birthday party for my grandma, went to see Funny People, threw a quasi-spontaneous dinner party, and invited some friends over for pizza and movies, but when I look at the New Student Orientation website or talk to my new college friends, I feel like I'm just sitting around waiting to get in the car and go. I feel like I won't truly be productive until all of my clothes, books, and yarn have been packed away into boxes, my new, polka-dotted laptop has arrived and been outfitted with the latest version of photoshop, and my wheel has been safely tucked into the seat next to me.

On that note, here's the shawl I'm working on:

Fountain Pen Shawl - Interweave Knits Spring 2009 out of Knit Picks Gloss Lace

Here's where it gets deep.

2009-07-27T12:04:00.004-04:00

The day I realized there'd be 52 days left before I left for college, I started counting down with a deck of playing cards, arranged from 2s to aces: spades, diamonds, clubs, hearts. When I first clipped the two of spades to a hanging magnetic basket next to my monitor, I was about as gung-ho about leaving as anyone could be. I was going to Philly, my already-adopted new home, and away from everything I considered a "problem". In Philly, my mom couldn't get mad at me for not putting away the laundry, my art teacher couldn't tell me I was devoting too much time to academics (even if I take an art class, I'm going to an Ivy League school...), and I wouldn't have to watch my grandparents suffer and die. In Philly, I'll have a great gelato place within walking distance, classes that interest me, opportunities to date some of the brightest young gentlemen in existence, and a roommate who has agreed to put up with my yarn stash.

I'm up to the five of hearts now, and I'm not so sure. I don't know what it is that prompted such a change. Maybe it's noticing how sick my grandma is or how much I miss my friends, even when I've only not seen them in a few weeks. Hell, maybe it's the idea that my entire stash just can't come with me. I can just envision it: My parents show up after a 3-hour car ride, bag of yarn in hand. "Nooooooo, mom! It's not THAT purple merino. It's the superwash! Now I won't be able to start my sweater for another month!" Perhaps, though, it's the idea that I'm going to have to start over again. Everything I've established during the last 18 years just won't mean much. It's time to start over, make new friends, develop new interests, and prove myself to a whole new set of people.

This should be interesting.

Tassel Malfunctions

2009-06-28T17:26:00.004-04:00

Yep, there's me fourth from the right in the front not throwing my cap because I couldn't get the tassel off. Sometimes I question the Ivy League acceptance. But hey, I GRADUATED!

And now I shall knit.

I'M BACK!...and I have a shameless plug.

2009-06-17T18:33:00.005-04:00

I've out-nerded myself once again. I'm doing a Shakespeare-themed yarn club as a last hoorah before I go off to college. The club will last three months and will include sock yarn and some stitch markers, and it should be a ton of fun! More info can be found here.

Aside from that, I don't have much to talk about. I finished school last Friday, but graduation isn't until the 28th, so mostly I've been trying to relax and start getting ready for college. I already met my pre-major adviser, peer adviser, and RA via email, and I got my roommate assignment a few weeks back. She's really cool, and she wants to learn how to knit!

I've decided to set a knitting goal for this summer, since my knitting goal last summer was, well...just a little unattainable (Ravelympics, first sweater/really big project, giant summer assignment...yeah, that didn't work out). This summer I am F-ing Os. That's finishing objects. Get your minds out of the gutter. I'm also going to try to blog more, especially since I hope to get into writing more in college, and I figure writing little bits about knitting isn't a terrible place to start.

Pithy

2009-03-01T00:39:00.003-05:00

I've always loved those pithy little blog posts people do on the fly just because they feel like sharing. So here it is. This is my pithy blog post. Um...

Yarnal Desires

2009-02-25T02:18:00.002-05:00

RogueNineteen (2:12:13 AM): my carnal desire for yarn
Pythagoras116061 (2:12:19 AM): oooh, carnal
RogueNineteen (2:12:20 AM): would eliminate all other emotions
RogueNineteen (2:12:24 AM): yarnal?

2009-01-09T02:46:00.003-05:00

My grandpa died this morning. After about three years of terrible sickness that transformed him from the 78-year-old man who beat 35-year-olds at tennis into someone who could not walk, could not swallow, and could not leave his bed, he is finally not suffering any more. I love him with all my heart, and right now I'm just too sad to be thinking about Project 365, which will return as soon as everything has settled down.

I intended to write more, but I don't know if I really have much to say right now. Thanks, everyone, for reading, and I'll be back with more pictures soon.

I had a bad day.

2009-01-06T01:20:00.002-05:00

Family stuff.

Project 365 will return tomorrow (today, actually) with a backdated entry that includes a photo I took on the 5th and/or a photo of an art project I finished on the 5th that used a photo I took that day.

Project 365 1/5/09

2009-01-05T23:59:00.002-05:00

A little late, but here it is. This is just a part of a mixed media piece that I did (perhaps I'll share a picture of that later!). I'm not crazy. I know there's no yarn there.

Project 365 1/4/09

2009-01-04T23:59:00.003-05:00

Photo of the bread my mom and I made today that I'm painting for AP art. Proooobably not going to be done on time. *snoooore*

P.S. I'm totally cheating. It's actually 2:41 AM on the 5th, but I forgot to post earlier. I did take the photo on the 4th though!

Project 365 1/3/09

2009-01-03T23:47:00.004-05:00

This picture is kind of a cop-out. All it is is a slightly blurred (lighting was bad, and I don't have a tripod) photo of my physics homework and some of the knitting I've done today. On the left is my basic sock with a short row heel using Yarn Zombie DK weight yarn in the colorway Highway 9, which I looooooooooooooooove, and a teeny tiny sweater called Cheers made in a random sample of yarn from a dyer, but I don't recall which one. Technically it's supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but I don't celebrate Christmas, so it's just a tiny sweater. It'd be neat if I could find a way to use them as swatches. It'd be wayyyy more fun than knitting rectangles every time I wanted to figure out gauge...not that I ever knit a whole swatch (except when I'm making an actual sweater).

Project 365 1/2/09

2009-01-02T23:42:00.007-05:00

Here's a picture of the drawing I did today instead of going to the Penn meetup like I had planned (long story). It needs some finishing up, and the photo isn't great because I mostly took it to ask a friend for input, but it is what it is.

Project 365 1/1/09

2009-01-01T01:13:00.004-05:00

A photo a day keeps the...

never mind.

This year I will be taking at least one photograph every single day and posting it to the blog. It may be artsy, or it may be a snapshot, but at the end of the year I want to have a set of 365 photos that will essentially cover all of 2009. I think this will be a bit of a challenge, seeing as this year will be very busy, but I also think it'll be really fun and worth while, and it might even provide inspiration for my artwork.

I'll come back to this entry later in the day once I have my photo.

(Later) Here it is! I meant for this to be a simple photo of some of the yarn I dyed today, but I wasn't paying attention to my camera settings and it came out all...uh, interesting!

From Now On

2008-12-28T17:12:00.004-05:00

I think that I have not blogged to my full potential. Having read some truly excellent blogs lately, I've been coming up with tons of ideas, and I have decided to try going in a new direction. Instead of just trying to post about projects or the yarns and rovings I've dyed with occasional interjections of (gasp!) real life, I think I'll spend a bit more time discussing exactly how knitting relates to the things I, a 17-year-old "yarn tycoon" (thank you, Valin), do every day.

In the same vein, I present Molly 2009, as inspired by the Knitmore Girls.

But first: Molly 2008. Molly 2008 was generally pretty unhappy, disorganized in certain respects, and unusually forgetful (for me). Molly 2008 focused too much on the things that weren't working out for her and let her stresses get the best of her. In order to remedy the shortcomings of Molly 2008 and become a generally happier human being, Molly 2009 will do the following:

Enjoy my artwork.
I remember there being a point at which I would draw and paint because it was something I loved to do rather than something I knew I loved but wasn't enjoying. I have chosen my AP art concentration, and I will stick with it until pigs fly. That's right, no more caring when people tell me that certain pieces aren't good enough. What I get on the AP doesn't mean anything if I hate working on the pieces because it's hard to really like a piece that you didn't enjoy making.

Take more photos.
The last year has gone strangely undocumented, especially for someone who always used to carry around a camera. Yeah...think that about covers that one.

Spend more time with friends.
'Nuff said.

Read at least one book from "the stack" each month.
When you have a huge stack of books that you bought because you want to read them, it doesn't make much sense that you're too busy to do it because you have too much (school) reading to do. I think I'll start with The Other Boleyn Girl even though my copy has the movie cover, and I hate movie covers.

Find and catalogue every. single. skein. of. yarn.
Because it's a mess. Really, that's all. And my room looks like a yarn shop (not that that's a bad thing!).

Wear colors that make me happy.
Being a colorful sort of person (note the yarn that I dye), I find that wearing colors I like tends to generally brighten my day. More hot pink. More brown. More of the Knit Picks colorway Asparagus (in WoTA) even though they don't make it any more.

More orange juice!

More PJs!

Spend more quality time with my mom before I leave.
Because now that the adjacent room is clean, she likes me better.

Think more productively.
Because for someone who thinks all the time (all the time.), I don't tend to think of anything all that useful. Less thinking about bad stuff.

Lighten up.

Project 365
More about that tomorrow.

Aaaand that's all I've got for now. Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Edited to add!
Molly 2009 will learn more of the things she wants to learn and teach the things she knows to other people who want to know them. This year I will teach one of my friends basic photo skills (he asked), I will teach someone to knit (if it kills me), and I will tell everyone who asks everything they want to hear about all the "weird" stuff I do (because wool is a "weird" thing to like when you're 17). I will learn intarsia, how to spin on a wheel, and how to cook new and interesting things, especially ones that'll be easy to cook in college kitchens. I will take a class at Penn that's totally impractical but that I know I'll love, and if I can get my hands on a loom, I'll learn to weave. I might even try to learn to sew something that isn't made out of an old t-shirt or jeans. Who knows?

The Best Nondenominational Winter Celebration Gift EVER!

2008-12-24T17:24:00.006-05:00

I got a wheel! Well, I ordered one, and it should arrive hopefully in not too long. With the help of my parents and my grandma, I was able to order a Schacht Ladybug from The Loopy Ewe partially as a holiday present and partially as a YAAAAY! COLLEGE! present. I still have to pay for some of it and figure out how it works, but YAYAYAYAYY!

More on this later.

I also saw Slumdog Millionaire with the boyfriend today. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The ending is a little bit cheesy and easy to guess, but the end end after the story actually ends was totally unexpected and hilarious. The movie itself was absolutely fabulous, and the sets were, as is to be expected from a movie shot in India, absolutely beautiful. If anyone was looking for a movie to go see on Christmas while everyone else celebrates, this one is a great choice. I can't, however, help you with Chinese food.

And a short post just to say...

2008-12-14T15:38:00.002-05:00

I GOT INTO COLLEGE!!!!!

(University of Pennsylvania, in case you were wondering :D )

I only blog when I have homework.

2008-11-16T15:23:00.003-05:00

So it seems I only blog when I have homework and don't want to do it. Oh well, here goes.

I recently started looking at base yarn to order for dyeing over winter break. Just a couple months ago, I figured I'd be spending winter break putting together a yarn club for the new year. I then, of course, realized that I couldn't do a yarn club this year because any club requiring me to send out a monthly package wouldn't fit in with my school schedule, and any club requiring me to send out a package every other month would mean that I'd have to be dyeing and sending out yarn as I prepare to leave.

That's when it hit me. In less than a year, I'm leaving. It's one thing when you're a freshman or sophomore and the people you occasionally hung out with leave, and it's another thing entirely when you're a junior and some of your oldest and closest friends leave (My boyfriend leaving at the beginning of this year wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be, since he's only a half hour away, but still...), but being a senior and realizing that you're going to be leaving your home, your family, the ability to drive for five minutes to see your best friends, and the easy 30-minute wait to see your boyfriend...

What if I get to school and can't find other knitters? What if my roommate or suitemates don't understand the big piles of stash or envelopes? What if somebody sees my dyepots and decides to make pasta and then everybody gets sick and there's a lawsuit and GAHHHHH!

Anyway! What was it like when you left home? Share your stories, advice, stash space-reducing (not stash-reducing!) secrets?

While I was gone...

2008-11-02T21:41:00.003-05:00

The last month and a half have been busy. During that time, I did a ton of schoolwork, produced ridiculous amounts of art, applied to college, not slept enough, and definitely not done enough knitting or dyeing. Actually, I haven't done any dyeing in a really long time. In conclusion, I'm just really tired, but I wanted to let you know I'm still out here and see how the rest of you are doing.

So...let me know!

How have I failed you? Let me count the ways.

2008-09-16T03:20:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm actually not going to count anything, but okay, I'll admit it. I fail as a blogger. My knitting is too disjointed (14 WIPs, anyone?) and my photos too infrequent to warrant posting about what I'm working on, and most of my knitting stories just aren't that exciting. On top of that, my life has become incredibly hectic. My To Do list has more than 40 things on it, and the issues I'm currently having with exhaustion, aching everywhere, and very frequent and painful headaches may or may not be due to the fact that I'm overextending myself.

Now, I'm not asking for anyone's pity, but I am asking for your suggestions. What should I blog about? What do you want to hear?...and most of all, how do you unclog your brain?

nerdclub2000 writes about herself in the third person.

2008-07-14T21:40:00.003-04:00

Oooh, that's right, Plurk. Plurk has eaten my life just a tiny bit. It's a ton of fun, and where else do you get to talk to Miss Violet about acrylic sex swings? Seriously. You can find me on Plurk here!

Now, for the shop updates!
These can all be found in my shop. The rovings are all 4 oz. of a superwash wool blend and cost $16. Shipping is FREE for a limited time! If you don't have an etsy account and want one of these, send an email to nerdclub2000@hotmail.com.

Ravenclaw - Movie Colors

Cream Tangerine

Watching the Sunrise - Bulky 100% Wool - $17

The Skein that Broke My Heart - 75% Superwash Merino/25% Nylon Fingering Weight Sock Yarn - $21

Ravenclaw - Book Colors

Hufflepuff

Penny Lane

Raspberries and Yum

That's all for now! More updates to come in the near future and possibly a craft fair and a WHOLE LOT of sock yarn!

The Blog-a-Day Thing...

2008-06-28T23:42:00.002-04:00

Yeah...that isn't working out...I'd rather wait until I have something important to say to everyone than to try to post something and end up with a mediocre half a paragraph. I hope nobody minds...

The Knitting Olympics

2008-06-25T22:44:00.003-04:00

So...Knitting Olympics...I can't decide what to knit! I could, of course, try to knock out a pair of socks, but I could also do my first sweater. I want to do a CPH, so it's worsted weight, and I might be cutting out a cable or two that I don't like...but a whole sweater? Suggestions, anyone? Send your pattern ideas!

Yeah...so this counts as the 24th...why do I suck at this so much?

2008-06-25T01:21:00.003-04:00

I didn't knit at all today. Really! I spun a bit, made some jewelry, and took tons of jewelry photos. I've finally got the etsy photo thing down.

Pics:

I'm not sleeping yet, so it still counts as the 23rd.

2008-06-24T00:32:00.004-04:00

Yarn, no matter how inexpensive single skeins may seem, is not cheap stuff. Yarn is eating my money, and my dear, enabling friends are not helping at all. I just ordered $70 worth of stuff from Knit Picks (some gift yarn, yarn for a shrug, and a bunch of needles I need) and am about to spend another 70 on Peace Fleece. Oh, and my parents aren't helping me pay for prom, so I'm going to need to go on a massive yarn diet after this.

I've decided to "give" myself $2 to spend on yarn for every 15 minutes I spend doing some sort of exercise so that I don't turn into a giant lump this summer. As of this morning, I have $4 to spend, and it's all going toward the Peace Fleece. I'll have to find a way to keep track of this on the blog or something.

Anyway, prom is this weekend, and I am determined to have at least one photo that includes me knitting something...any suggestions for something that might fit into my too-small clutch? I tried fitting a sock, but that didn't work out too well. The actual sock fit in just fine, but the yarn took up too much space. Suggestions, anyone?

Sharing and Follow Up to Yarnevangelism

2008-06-22T02:43:00.003-04:00

There's something about knitting...When I meet knitters in person or through Ravelry, it seems that we've all shared information with each other right away that you might never share with an acquaintance. We've talked about our relationships, successful and failed. We talk about our families and the things they do that bug us. We talk at length about the almost embarrassing sizes our stashes have grown to. We talk about how we just don't have as much money as we'd like (to get all the yarn we want, of course!).

I know I wouldn't talk about these things with some person I met randomly on the street or at a party or even online through another site. With that sort of person, I'd talk about general interests or movies or something that really can't go wrong and doesn't delve too deep.

So what is it about knitting that makes knitters feel comfortable with each other as soon as they meet? Is it that we all have something in common? I'm not sure, really...I'd love to hear all of your thoughts.

As for Yarnevangelism, I have recruited one...and he loooves tea!

On that note...WIN!

Yarnevangelism

2008-06-20T23:43:00.004-04:00

Today I feel compelled to spread the yarn. I want to teach people to knit. I want to teach my friends to knit. I want to teach my friends' friends to knit. I want them to like it.

I want to go hang out in the coffee shop near school and drink tea while knitting. I would like to fill my "Make Tea Not War" tote bag with yarn and look like one of those obnoxious hipster kids who knits tons and tons of garter stitch scarves with Red Heart and then completely surprise everyone by pulling out an intricate sock or sweater made with gorgeous yarn. I want a quiet, relaxed group of tea-drinking young knitters, and I want them to love Peace Fleece before they've even tried it because, hey man, it's called Peace Fleece. It can't be bad.

I'm back!...uh...with a much needed update that I've been promising for...a while...

2008-06-05T23:16:00.011-04:00

Okay, so...update time!

Today I will be telling you about a most benevolent gift given by a most benevolent person! I was talking in a forum on Ravelry, and Beth of WhorlingTides mentioned that she didn't think anyone would want anything from her shop even if she gave it to them for free, and I jokingly said that I'd take anything for free. Then she actually offered to send me a free item from her shop and, when she found out my birthday was coming up, decided to send me an entire package and refused any compensation! I am totally overwhelmed by how kind she is, and I feel awful that I haven't gotten to post about it yet (it's only been like...3 weeks...*guilt*). Anyway! Here are all the goodies she sent:

Angora/Wool/Buffalo art yarn. This is GORGEOUS! I don't know what I want to do with it yet, though. It would make a really nice edging for something. Any suggestions?

Bamboo roving in 5 different colors! I spun this all up into two little skeins, one of pink/green/peach and one of black/white. I'll post pictures of those when I've resolved a little problem caused by me trying to use my arm as a knitty noddy after pulling an all-nighter.

A little bit of handspun bamboo called "Betrothed." This is so soft and shiny and reminds me a little bit of silk. I think I'm going to use it for a lacy pair of cuffs or a necklace if there's enough.

Alpaca. Roving. Need I say more?

Handspun superwash merino in blackish navy and grey. I think I'm going to use this to knit something for my dad. It looks like the sort of colors he'd like, and it should knit up all nice and tweedy.

And last, but certainly not least, mill end roving that she dyed using indigo. This was one of her first experiments with natural dyeing, and she gave it to me! I must say, I'm still overwhelmed by how kind she is! I'm about 3/4 of the way through spinning this. Pictures to follow...eventually...maybe...ehhhhhhhhh...

That said, go buy a million things from her shop because she is a wonderful person who makes wonderful things!

Yeah, so...that's all for now...good night, fair readers!

I am alive! I promise!

2008-05-20T03:37:00.002-04:00

It's just that...APs and my research paper kind of ate my life for a while.

But I am back!

Possibly with vengeance!

Or maybe I'll disappear for another two and a half weeks. It could go either way.

I think my problem is that this blog is really only about fiber, which doesn't suit my personality very well.

So...about me...lately (**WARNING** RANT **WARNING**). Honestly, everything here isn't so great. My family is a bit of a mess due to my grandma's fourth cancer surgery. There's been a lot of fighting, and, being a kid, there's nothing I can do but watch. On top of that, my favorite teacher refused to let me make up an essay because I missed it while I was sick and didn't know about it. I was really sick, and I missed school so that I could be there for HIS musical (I'm a techie). Now, no matter how hard I work, my well-deserved (I work hard. Really hard.) almost perfect average is going to decrease by several points. Right now it's more than ten points below where it should be because of the zero factored into my grade. There's nothing I can do about this either because I had planned on having him write one of my college recommendation letters. I can't go over his head, and I can't try to find a way around it. I've been sad almost non-stop for three days, and all I want to do is sit around and eat and buy several hundred dollars worth of stuff on etsy and listen to Pride and Prejudice on CraftLit. I don't want to knit, crochet, dye, spin, or make jewelry or stitch markers. I can't concentrate on my homework, and I can't fall asleep. My parents are sleeping, and my boyfriend's computer died in the middle of our conversation (again), and at 3:32 AM, there's no one to talk to. I don't feel like myself at all, and that's what I want more than anything.

Well, now that I've shared way too many personal feelings with "teh interwebz," I'm going to go try and do a bit more work and maybe see if I can get some sleep. Hopefully my next post will be a bit happier in tone with pictures of the wonderful things Beth at WhorlingTides sent me for my birthday and news on new etsy posts (I plan to do a lot of them as soon as I get a chance).

Anyway, faithful readers: good night.

I am a bad blogger.

2008-05-04T01:56:00.007-04:00

I think about things to blog...then I don't blog them. Remember those yarn shop reviews...ehhh...yeah, maybe when I go back to revisit some schools.

So anyway, a LOT of stuff has happened lately. Last Saturday I started work at Knitting on the Lamb.

I love it. I love it. I love it.

I feel incredibly lucky to have a job doing something I love while my friends are off scooping ice cream or stacking cheesy romance novels with Fabio on the cover (and hiding my stuff while I look through the knitting books...clearly they don't have enough work to do). The people there are also exceptionally cool...and I get to arrange the sock yarn....and there's Schaefer Anne!!!!! I'll be going back on the 24th because I took some time off for APs, so if any of my local knitting buddies would like to drop by, I'd be happy to see you.

Hmm, what else?

Well, Pam at Yarny Goodness approached me asking me to sell my handpainted yarn and stitch markers in her shop, which I will be doing soon! You'll still be able to find my stuff on etsy, and my stitch markers will be available at Knitting on the Lamb. This is very, very exciting. It also means that I may be able to skip getting a second summer job and spend my extra days dyeing yarn and making stitch markers. I'm pretty thrilled.

As for my knitting: I recently finished my mom's first Mothers Day sock, and she's okay with getting the second one a little bit late, so I put that off for a bit in order to cast on my Snicket Socks (oh, go look them up yourself). I also received my yarn from Party 300 in the Teens Knit & Crochet group on Ravelry. Jeanie dyed a beautiful skein of yarn just for me! Her work is beautiful, and I recommend you check it out. Here's the skein she sent me:

The colorway is called Embers II. The photo really doesn't do it justice. It is gorgeous in real life. I'm going to use it for a pair of Bellatrix socks as soon as I get through another substantial chunk of my Jaywalkers (just finished the gusset). I can't wait!

Well, it's 2:08 am, and I have to be up by 10 or so tomorrow to try to get some work done before the Sheep to Shawl Festival (yay!). More on that after I go...maybe...you never know with me, do you?

Hmm...yeah...g'night.

I'd show you pictures of all the new things available in my etsy shop, except...

2008-04-21T16:24:00.003-04:00

most of them already sold! Yay for me!..okay...I'm excited. You don't have to be, but it's encouraged.

I spent some time dyeing on Friday before I had to show up for tech at my school's production of Guys and Dolls, and I think I'm getting the hang of it.

First I dyed some yarn for a sale I did through Ravelry. I call this one Hugs & Smooshes, and it's for bonnieshae. I love this skein, and I don't even like pink...

I also did some rovings, which I already sold on etsy. I think I'm going to have to buy some more base roving even though I haven't finished dyeing/selling all the sock weight base yarn I bought, but it comes from Nebraska, which is nowhere near here, so shipping is kind of a drag. Anyway, I call these colors Peel Me a Grape and Cherries Garcia, respectively *points at pictures* (the latter is named after my dad's favorite ice cream flavor...I personally don't like it that much, but the roving is nice...I'm kind of sad to see it go).

Last but not least, I dyed up some sock yarn that is currently available on etsy for $20. I call this colorway Rainforest. First I handpainted it, then I kettle dyed it.

That's all for now, but there'll be more updates...next time I do something worth posting about!

So I made some stuff!

2008-04-13T21:19:00.009-04:00

My new Jacquard acid dyes and base yarn came on Friday, and I made STUFF!

Here's a handpainted merino/silk blend that I dyed for a trade on Ravelry. The photo doesn't really do it justice. The colors are much brighter. It's called Flutterbies & Cuppycakes, all springy and just a bit too happy. I can't wait to send it and get my bright red Schaefer Anne (yay!) in return!

I also dyed up some fiber.

I was going to sell this one, but I love it too much! <3 style="text-align: left;">I call this one "Great Balls of Fire!" It's 3.5 oz of very soft superwash wool, and it is available in my etsy shop for $11.

As for what's on the needles, I just cast on my mom's mother's day present. She's getting some pretty simple socks in Louet Gems Sport Weight (crabapple and cream). I'm doing them on size 4 needles (3s for the ribbing) because she wanted house socks. I'm using my new Knit Picks Harmony DPNs, and I'm very happy with them. I usually don't like wooden needles, but these are sharp and pretty slippery, just the way I like. They're also really light, which feels very good when knitting for long periods of time. The 8 inch length is also very convenient, so these might replace some of my metal straights in the future.

So it seems I have been tagged.

2008-04-10T21:03:00.003-04:00

This is My Brain on Crochet has tagged me in AJknitz's power-of-7 taggy game-like thing.

So...7 weird/something else that I forgot....things about MEEEEE!

1. I have two violas. One is too big for me (it's my old one), and her name (yes, her) is Charlie. The other is the smaller one I got when I realized that Charlie was too big, and his name is Lucius and I looove him. I should probably sell the old one (yarn money???), but it was the first instrument that was my very own, and I'm really attached to it.
2. I am never taking the SATs ever again!
3. My glasses fall down my face all the time, but I still haven't gotten around to getting them fixed.
4. I have about 300 vocab cards in front of me, and I should be studying them.
5. I do, however, know that "egregious" means "conspicuously bad or offensive."
6. I love show tunes.
7. I enjoy speaking lolcat whenever it is appropriate.

Now, I believe, I must tag 7 people. Sorry in advance if you've already been tagged!

Okay, here goes:
http://jeshknits.wordpress.com/
http://thelumpysweater.wordpress.com
http://nameisie90.blogspot.com
http://knitteddistraction.blogspot.com/
http://crochetcollection.blogspot.com
http://fiberfiend6891.wordpress.com/
http://teenspinyarn.blogspot.com/

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-28T21:20:00.006-04:00

My dad just agreed to get me a ball winder and swift for my birthday (I had a 40% off coupon to JoAnn)! This means I won't be spending several hours of my life winding up all the yummy new yarn I bought! Yay! Actually, I'm not sure "yay" can even begin to describe it.

This should also free up some cash for the purchase of base yarn and dyes (and possibly some new knit picks needles (they're my favorites) so that I can knit up all this yarn), so keep an eye out for my upcoming line of handpainted yarns. I think I'm going to start with just sock yarn (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon), but message me if you think I should do something else. I'm open to suggestions...at least until I've already ordered the supplies, which will be on Monday or later. If you're interested in purchasing some yarn, leave a comment. I'd be happy to custom dye some for you as long as you message me in advance. I'll probably be selling the skeins for $20. Each one is about 440 yards long, so there's plenty for any size pair of socks!

Also, I WILL get to those shop reviews, but right now I have two essays (four pages or so each) and a bunch of non-fiction to read, so they probably won't be happening. Then again, I'll be up for a while posting on the teen knitters and crochet-ers board for the raffly contesty thing, and it's tough to concentrate on anything but knitting when you're doing that, SO...maybe not so long?

Worst Blogger Ever

2008-03-24T02:11:00.005-04:00

So those shop reviews I promised...yeah, they'll come eventually. I've been to three shops so far, and each one has been wonderful in its own way. All three were very unique, and I have pictures of everything I bought. I haven't had a chance to upload them yet, and I want to be able to give each review the time it deserves, so they'll come as soon as I get a chance. I'll hopefully be going to at least three more shops (one or more for every place I visit!) before Round 2 of college visits are over.

I can't wait to upload the pictures. I scored big time on the free yarn because I did really well on the SAT (and I NEVER HAVE TO TAKE IT EVER AGAIN! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!), so my parents were more than happy to buy me all sorts of fun stuff.

I don't remember whether I mentioned the possiblity of starting my own handpainted yarn line or not, but I haven't bought the dye or base yarn yet...I'm not sure why. I could use a little bit of convincing (help would be welcome!). Any ideas as to where I could sell the yarn aside from my etsy shop would be really helpful, too.

Anyway, I have to be up at the crack of 8:30 for college visit #3 tomorrow, so I'll be leaving you for the evening.

Good night my yarny comrades!

So I haven't been here in a while, and I'm not really here now...

2008-03-19T23:14:00.005-04:00

Well HELLO, apparently nonexistent readers (anyone there?)! I haven't posted much lately because, well, high school is a busy place, and my teachers can't seem to understand that knitting is more important than their homework. I did, however, manage to get through a few inches of my first Jaywalker (pretend there's a link here) and plan on finishing the toe tonight before I pack for college visits starting tomorrow.

Speaking of college visits, I'm lucky enough to have a dad who understands...no...gets nervous about, maybe...my love for all things yarny and knows that saying no to yarn makes for one very disagreeable teenager, so he said we could, if time allows, go on a mini yarn crawl near Princeton and UPenn! Findings will be reported here!

Also, I get my SAT scores back tomorrow, so I'll be buying the yarn and dye to start my own line of handpainted sock yarn probably as soon as I find out (if I met my goal, it'll be a reward; if I didn't, I'll buy it to make myself feel better). I'm thinking of doing an artist series that translates the work of some of my favorite artists (mostly of the 20th century) into socks. Yay!...Well, I think so, at least. The yarn will be available on my etsy shop (link that-a-way) unless I find somewhere better to sell it. I really do need to sell it...I seem to be spending all of my money on yarn...better hope for that summer job at the LYS...

Anyway, I'm not really here. I WILL finish the toe of the Jaywalker, pack, and find a good project to work on in the car tomorrow by...oh, I don't know, 2am?

Good night faithful yet apparently invisible readers. :)

I won't be getting any Knitwars points for this.

2008-03-05T20:32:00.007-05:00

No pictures today, so no Knitwars points for me. Hmmf.

Well, the last few days have been pretty uneventful in terms of knitting because I've been spending a lot of time in the hospital with my mom (who's fine now) and my grandpa (who's doing alright for now) . I did do some work on Shedir and will hopefully get around to posting some pictures soon. I hope I'll be able to finish it sometime before my friend's next birthday because it is the SLOWEST HAT EVER.

You meet interesting people when you knit in a hospital. One woman asked me whether what I was doing was knitting or crochet. This didn't come as a surprise to me, as I've heard many stories of this, though I've never been asked about it myself. What did surprise me was that the woman who asked me then said that she loved to knit. Another woman I spoke to had never seen a circular needle before, even though she had knit several sweaters. Are circular needles really that new? I guess, being a younger knitter, I take such things for granted. Some people I spoke to were impressed with the idea of DPNs, too, tough I'm sure they've been around for a long time. To be completely honest, I don't really want to think of a time when circular knitting wasn't an option...eeegh.

On a lighter note, I'll be starting the entrelac socks from Interweave Knits Spring 2007 in the not-too-distant future because a wonderful family friend (who also knits) offered (well, no...she kind of insisted, but I'm not complaining) to buy the sock yarn of my choice as a birthday present. My birthday is in May, but she said that's okay. At the moment I'm stuck between Louet Gems and Shibui Sock. Knitters are the nicest people in the whole entire world...for the most part...I've met some that aren't so nice, but they're definitely in the minority.

Well, I think it's time for me to have some ice cream and start getting ready for bed. If you read this, let me know what you think. I'm very new to this whole knitblogging thing.

Thank you, and have a nice day. :)

Bandwagon, Hive Mind, etc.

2008-03-02T23:59:00.007-05:00

So why a knitblog? Why just one more knitblog when there are so many perfectly good ones out there?

This is why:

Sure it's kind of creepy that I found one skein of ridiculously expensive sock yarn so gooooorgeous that inspired me to make a knitblog...but...but...but...yarnpr0nz!?!

No, that doesn't work for you?

Errr, well, it's pretty. It also made yesterday, which could have been a really bad day, a whole lot better. I won't bore you with the story of my whole day, but I will say that I took 4.5 hours worth of SAT, found out my mom was in the hospital for a minor surgery, and got in a pretty bad fight (verbal, I assure you, I'm far too weak and spazzy for any other type). After all that, my dad bought me girl scout cookies (mmm) and took me to the LYS, which was probably a bad idea on his part because I was mad, and he was paying. I bought two skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino to make Shedir from the Knitty breast cancer awareness mini issue for my best friend's birthday, four skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in navy for Henry (also) from Knitty, one skein of Reynold's Andean Alpaca Regal in the Cranberry colorway for a hat, and, of course, that Schaefer Anne, which I may use for a pair of Pomotomus...Pomotomi...something like that, which also comes from Knitty.

I should probably let you know about some of my WIPs, but that would take a while because I am definitely a process knitter. Check out my Ravelry page (link is that-a-way >>>) if you'd like to see some of my past and current projects.

So I guess a more in depth "About Me" than the one you'll see to your right is in order. My name is Molly. I am a young but very avid knitter who especially enjoys KIP-ing around high school and confusing those who don't know that knitting is actually very cool. It's possible that I'm really as big a dork as they think I am...in fact, I'm pretty sure I am. My mom likes to tell people the story of the time she walked into my room without knocking and found me abruptly turning off the monitor. Your average high schooler might be buying drugs or looking at pornography, but no, not I. My vice? Excessive stash, perhaps. Knitting when I'm supposed to be doing other things? Too many "Just one more row!"-s? I believe that was the time she realized I was an addict.

Now, I've only been knitting for about a year and a half, but when I start doing something, I get really, really into it. I'm almost entirely self-taught through various internet sources, so I was able to learn as quickly as I wanted. After about a three days, I bound off my first scarf (turquoise acrylic, some garter stitch, a bit of ribbing, and about six inches long) taught myself to cable, and made a belt...which I never finished because it's 80% acrylic. That's when I realized I was a fiber snob. Ever since then it's really been downhill. My stash has grown to fit a shelf and two drawers (not to mention the 10+ WIPs...), which is a lot when your stuff is confined to a room and a half or so, and I knit all the time and everywhere. Add this to an AP-heavy high school workload, and I don't get much sleep, so if my rambling is incoherent at times, that's why.

I think that's enough for now. I'll post...when I feel like it! Yeah, that sounds good. Questions, comments, concerns, etc.: leave a comment! Just don't ask if you can lick my Schaefer Anne. It is mine and all mine and no one else can lick it. :D