Classic Jolt-Fueled Midnight Hacker

Classic Jolt-Fueled Midnight Hacker http://www.cybermenology.com The collected rants, recipes, reviews and rambling of a 20-something geek. en-us Copyright 2007, Laura Thurber laura@cybermenology.com laura@cybermenology.com Personal Blog Unexpected Knitting http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000814 It occurs to me that lately, my Ravelry feed is a more useful barometer of my continued productive existence than my own website. Maybe one of these days I'll try to code a WordPress-esque system for uploading photos and creating a WYSIWYG editor for myself; that might ease the process some. So, have I been designing anything lately? No, not so much. My job started out stressful and has become more so over the months and years, which sadly leaves me with little appetite for more work in Excel when I get home. I have sketches, but nothing to show you, dear readers. An argument for design could be made for the rather large purple shawl which is now (finally) finished, but which I will claim no designer credit for as it was made up entirely of bits and pieces from Heirloom Knitting and an edging from Victorian Lace Today glued together by math. <center><img src="images/2011-11-12/IMG_3911_medium2.JPG" width="500" border="1"></center> Nevertheless, I'm happier with it now than I was when I finished it. It's big - easily 70" across - but wears rather well, I think. The yarn is a milk protein/silk blend, and I think... Tour de Fleece 2011 Wrapup http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000813 While my original game plan was to spin a two-ply laceweight from half a merino/??? fleece which I have in the closet, I soon realized that just sorting the fleece and dividing it in half would take the best part of a month's free time. So, midway through, I switched plans. I've had this muga silk sitting on my desk downstairs on a little tiny Golding for probably a year now. It's been worked on bit by bit, but I wasn't making any real headway and was getting decidedly tired of having it stare at me. (Fiber guilt trips are the worst!) <center><img src="images/2011-07-24/converted_img_2481_medium.jpg" border="1"></center> So, with about two weeks to go, two long weekend overnights to work and two weekdays off to compensate, I pulled out all the stops! Not counting the initial spindleful, the first 2oz was spun last week. The second I wasn't sure I could manage between going out on Thursday night and my wrists already not being in the best shape, but between staying home on Friday and working Saturday night, I was done by just about midnight. Plying started around 3:30am and was finished by... Tour de Fleece 2011 http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000812 Now that it's, er, almost done, I've finally gotten some photos together of the very limited progress that I've managed to make during this year's tour! In the very first days I plied up 380 yards of Mountain Colors BFL. This was officially my fastest fiber-to-yarn achievement. I started on a Wednesday night and finished plying on Sunday. Yay! (Granted, some of the ridiculous rate was because I had to work that Wednesday night so there was some extra "awake" time...) There are looooooong color repeats; I did my level best to keep the colors in sync, but had to do some monkeying about in places while plying. I think that I'll use the final product in a Stripe Study shawl along with some grey handspun alpaca. <center><img src="images/2011-07-17/016_medium2.JPG" width="500" border="1"></center> My original goal was to spin up the half fleece which my friend Scylla from Knit Night gave me. It's a merino/something cross (parentage is a wee bit unknown) but it's very fine and spins easily from the lock. Luckily for me the fleece was washed already, because if there's anything that I don't have time for these days, it's scouring fleece. It migrates from a very... Wings Shawl pattern released http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000811 I don't have much time left before I have to leave for the Knitters' Guild meeting, but as I have accomplished something this morning I would like to tell you about it. <center><img src="images/2011-06-11/Wings 011_sm.png" border="1"></center> The pattern for my Wings Shawl has been released. I'm quite proud of this one - it was a lot of work. Many thanks to all of my test knitters poppyred, WOWWOOL, makneta, lindse, Sajina, Valentina777, EveKnitter, and aliiceinahearse! The Wings Shawl pattern is written for two yarn weights and four sizes: Shawlette, Small, Medium, and <strike>Are You Sure?</strike> Large. Yardage requirements are between 450m and 1000m; the smallest size will fit into a single skein of Dream in Color Starry. Blocked size will vary between 60" x 30" to 90" x 40". <center><img src="images/2011-06-11/003.JPG" width="500" border="1"> The pattern is available via Ravelry for USD $3.99. <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/laura-helton-designs/68084"><img src="http://www.ravelry.com/images/shopping/buy-now.gif" border="0"/></a> <img src="images/2011-06-11/Wings 036.JPG" border="1" height="500"></center> Stringtopia Wrap-Up http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000810 Right off the bat, I should tell you that <a href="http://sewsweetstitches.blogspot.com/">Melissa</a> is doing a much better job than I will. She had her camera out all weekend - me, not so much! When Dan and I walked into the Golden Lamb, we were greeted by the sight of at least a dozen people sitting in the lobby, all spinning away on drop spindles. My first thought was "We're in the right place!" Shelly ran right up and found out who I was and gave me my goodie bag, which was chock full of amazing things from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/UglyShmugly">Ugly Schmugly</a>, Working Girl Handmade (can't find a link) and <a href="http://www.goodiesunlimited.com/">Goodies Unlimited</a>. Despite that, I still felt kind of out of place, so I sort of stood in a corner and pulled out the first spindle and fiber that came to my hand- a Trindle with some of the 'petrified' locks that Scylla gave me the other weekend when we were excavating her fiber stash. <a href="http://inaknitshell.blogspot.com/">LianaLi</a> solved my problem by immediately coming over and asking excitedly about the Trindle and making me feel right at home! <center><img src="images/2011-05-07/041_sm.jpg" border="1"></center> This was actually from our last day, when <a href="http://www.insubordiknit.com/">Jacey Boggs</a>... Stringtopia! http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000809 Stringtopia. In a word: epic. More later, once the cramp in my treadling leg has settled down, I've sorted and photographed the bag(s) of stash acquisitions, and attempted to organize the knowledge gained into some sort of logical order. We got back home at around midnight last night, and it's sort of weird to be back in a world where not everyone (and I do mean everyone) pulls a spindle and fiber out of their bag whenever a few moments of down time present themselves. It was truly an immersive experience, and one which I can't wait to repeat next year. (Stringtopia 2012, go!) My camera sat in its bag almost all weekend but it's a good bet that the fair <a href="http://sandiwiseheart.wordpress.com/">Sandi Wiseheart</a> will have some up soon! Something else... http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000808 Yesterday I transferred the muga silk that I've been working on from a Trindle to my itty bitty Golding. The Trindle, sorry to say, came out second best in an encounter with D's bowling bag. <img src="images/2011-03-20/001_sm.jpg" border="0"> I think I'm getting better at silk. More consistent, certainly, and between the last time I picked this up (months ago) to this weekend I've noticed a definite improvement in my control. It feels good to be moving in the right direction! I finished something! http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000807 I finished something! Well, half of something. Technically I still need to knit something from it ;-) <a href="images/2011-03-18/purple_collage.jpg"><img src="images/2011-03-18/purple_collage.jpg" border="1" width="500"></a> (Click to embiggen.) 70% Merino/30% Tencel from <a href="http://www.dyeabolicalyarns.com/">Dyeabolical</a>. 8oz 846 yards, 2 ply ~14wpi after washing It's not perfectly consistent, as fine as I'd hoped nor is it as tightly spun and plied as I'd like. I'm still learning a lot about how much twist makes it past the orifice on my wheel. (Stay tuned for the spam comments after -that- sentence!) I like to think that I learned a lot in the course of spinning this, and the Polwarth that I'm working on now is looking much more consistent. I'm rather paranoid that although I've signed up for Stringtopia, I'm not "good enough" to be going. I know that I'm better on spindles than on the wheel, but we'll be using both and I don't want to fall on my face in front of so many people who are fantastically amazing at this craft. The only real solution is practice, practice, practice ... I doubt there will be much knitting progress next month! Proof that the universe has a sense of humor: http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000806 I'm getting ready to leave for work, and what do I see outside? SNOW. I have attained Button Nirvana http://www.cybermenology.com/index.php?subid=0000000805 Greetings, friends. My, do I have a lot of pictures to show you! (This, o best beloved, is the down side of only sitting down to publish a blog post once a month or so: the photos do tend to pile up.) Most days it's still too chilly to go out on the motorcycle (50 yesterday, 30 today) but there are signs of life outside again! (Apologies for the photo, it's a cameraphone thing.) <img src="images/2011-03-13/IMG_20110303_170533.jpg" border="1" width="500"> I took a stab at the <a href="http://www.beckybakes.net/2011/01/20/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Oreo-stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies</a> which have been making their way around the cooking blogs lately. They turned out quite well, I think - I don't actually like Oreos, so I'm not the best judge, but those that do said that they were delicious. They're even better if you pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to restore that "fresh-baked" texture, too! <img src="images/2011-03-13/IMG_20110304_160629.jpg" border="1" width="500"> Both shawls have been progressing, slowly. I've put probably another 50-100 yards in on the Purple People Eater (working title) and a few rows here and there on Candlelight. I can't wait to overdye that thing the minute it's off the needles! I've started Sandi Wiseheart's Tundra Shawlette from...