I eat like I knit - I tend to scarf

I'm off to L.A. this weekend for the second round of the Jeopardy college tournament! I'm so excited to compete! All week I've been studying for classes, and answering queries in the form of a question. I am ready!

I will definitely be taking my knitting on the airplane. Here are two scarves that are WIPs (I guess it would be more correct to abbreviate it as WsIP, but WIPs can be spoken as "whips" in conversation, so I'll stick with that):

Yale scarf:
so named because I was thinking of applying there for graduate school (I decided not to), but mostly because I wanted a navy blue and white extra-chunky scarf (five out of the six schools I'm applying to are on the very cold East coast, so this will be worth my while). I need to buy an extra skein of navy blue because I ran out, and there seems to be more white bars than navy blue; then again, this is another "dice" scarf where the number of rows I knit is determined by the throwing of two die.

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease thick and quick
Type: super chunky
Needles: size 13 bamboo circs

Irish Hiking scarf:
The first one I did (well, it's nearly 75% done; it'll be a Christmas gift for my grandmother) turned out really well, so I decided to make a big ass one for me. I envision this scarf to be big, black, and chunktastic. And I will definitely add fringe to the end. I like cabling, it just takes awhile sometimes (even the simple 2 strand cable "C6F" that this pattern calls for).

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease
Type: bulky worsted
Color: Charcoal
Needles: size 10.5 bamboo straights

Stop the world, I want to get off!

School is definitely getting in the way of my knitting! I'm enjoying Latin and environmental ethics, but applying to grad school is a full time job. I joined a LiveJournal community yarn swap! I'm really excited to meet new knitters and see what other people mail to others. I *love* getting mail, and having a winter secret yarn buddy will be just the thing to perk up cold days (in addition to chai tea and toe socks). Pictures of recent WIPs and FOs to come very soon.

It's hard to knit across a black hole

Wow! Graduate school applications really do rip a hole in the fabric of space-time. Hence, there has been little progress on most of my WIPs - but then again, I tend to start twice as many projects as finish them. Here are photos of all my WIPs and FOs since the last time I posted.

Irish Walking Hat:


Yarn: Lamb's Pride
Type: Worsted
Color: dusty blue
Needles: size 8 circ, dpns, U cable needle

Homespun lap blanket:


a close-up of my seed-stitch border:

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
Type: bulky worsted
Color: various
Needles: 24" size 8 circ

"Coca-Cola" dice scarf (and matching hat!):

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease
Type: worsted
Colors: Ranch red and oxford grey
Needles: size 8 straights and dpns

Homebody hat:

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
Type: bulky worsted
Color: Lavender

Coming soon: a snap of my Yale scarf (Lion Brand Thick and Quick garter stitch scarf in navy and white)

Project updates

Augh! I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. I've been distracted with school ;)

Here are all the projects I'm working on currently; this doesn't include projects I've "bagged" to work on many months from now, even if they're on needles already.

1. Yale scarf: super chunky wool/acrylic blend (Lion Brand Thick n' Quick) on a size 13 bamboo circ. Colors: blue and near-white (technically, "wheat", but it's really white with some light tan and very thin brown thread accents)

2. Lap blanket: Homespun yarn, various colors, size 8 INOX circ

3. Jig socks: I cast on for the first one a few nights ago, and will be working a very basic 2x2 rib pattern. I can hardly wait to finish this sock (I'm doing the 2 circ needle method on size 2 Addi Turbos, but only working one sock at a time since I hate having to switch between the yarn balls and needles) and do the next so I can order more "Dancing" or "Simple Stripes" yarn from KnitPicks.com!

WIP: Lap Blanket

I have no desire to knit a baby blanket, as there are no whippersnappers in my life or any of my friends'. However, I do love the feeling of being snuggy and comfy where I knit, whether it's in a sofa chair at Starbucks, or the restaurant iron chairs at Mimi's Cafe, where my knitting circle meets. I bought a 29" circular needle yesterday, and am going to start my personal lap blanket with a seed stitch border.



Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
Type: light bulky
Colors: Hepplewhite, Gothic, Regency, Waterfall

Needle and project inventory

Circular needles:

size 1 29" INOX (2, for socks)
size 2 24" Addi turbo (2, for socks) - currently with blue/white striped sock project
size 4 29" INOX - currently with Monk's Travel Satchel project
size 8 16" Addi turbo - currently with Irish Walking Hat project
size 8 20" INOX - currently with Liesel scarf project
size 8 29" INOX - currently with lap blanket project (I bought the needle yesterday and just started it last night!)
size 9 16" Clover bamboo
size 10 24" metal
size 10.5 16" INOX

Double pointed needles:

size 3 Clover bamboo (5)
size 5 Susan Bates metal (4)
size 8 Clover bamboo (5) - currently MISSING :(
size 10.5 Brittany hard birch (5)

I rarely use straight needles anymore, but my dice scarf project is being worked on size 8 Clover bamboo straights.

Notions I need from my LYS or craft store:

-at least three sets of point protectors; my WIPs tend to slide off the needles if I'm not careful
-something to hold my dpns and crochet hooks until I make the circ/dpn holder from Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitter's Handbook

WIP: Dice scarf

I'm really liking how this scarf is turning out. As I've been going along, I like the "Coca-Cola" effect the red and grey is producing, but I thought about dividing the scarf into thirds, and adding the other primary colors (yellow and blue) CCs for the second and third sections, respectively. The MC would still be grey. I'll think about it some more.



I finished Stefan's iPod sock necklace yesterday for his birthday, but forgot to take a photo of the FO. Rest assured, it seems sturdy, and I think the cotton yarn will go a long way as far as longevity.

WIP: Go-Go Garter Stitch scarf - Dice edition!

Last night, I had to worke an overnight shift at my job. Ordinarily, this is prime time to get really far on a project I'm working on, but like a doofus, I didn't pack my Irish hiking hat or any of my knitting materials. In a pinch, I bought some bamboo straight needles (very nice quality for only $5 at Jo-Ann Crafts; a chain store, not a LYS) and three skeins of basic all-purpose light wool yarn, not really knowing what I was going to knit. I love scarves, even though I don't get much of a chance to sport them here in Arizona. Still, I decided to branch out from my normal geometric blocked stripe routine, and throw caution to the wind. I decided to knit the basic Go-Go Garter stitch scarf from Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitter's Handbook, but with a couple of interesting twists: I'll use a light worsted weight yarn, and throw a pair of dice to determine how long each stripe will be. I want the scarf to be more grey than red, so whatever I throw for the grey, I double. I think it'll be fun.



Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease
Type: worsted
Colors: ranch red and oxford grey

WIP: Irish Walking Hat

I'm now at the main cable pattern of the hat! I had only my skinny U-cable needle instead of my thick U-cable (which would have been more appropriate to use, since I'm using a bulky worsted wool blend yarn), but I obtained another one last night, so that should make the cabling more easier before I decrease.