25 Days

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

Tassel Malfunctions

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.

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.

Project 365 1/3/09

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).

Sharing and Follow Up to Yarnevangelism

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

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 am a bad blogger.

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.

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

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

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...

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.

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.

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