Project Update: Longest Scarf Ever

Before I started sewing for a living, I’d spend much of my free time knitting. Now my creative brain is all used up on the job and there’s little left at the end of the day to put into complicated wooly pursuits. Luckily, this garter stitch scarf is waiting for me whenever I have a spare moment to knit a few rows. It requires little thought at all and I can shut off my brain while simultaneously channeling my nervous energy into something productive.

I began it in October 2013 and I’m quite close to being 3/4 of the way through it. I’ve been weaving in the ends as I go (every couple of feet), so I won’t have those looming over me at the end of the project. Once I’m through the knitting, I just have to add the fringe, then BOOM. DONE.

If you’re on Ravelry, the yarn and pattern details are here. As I’ve mentioned in previous project posts, I’m using a pattern from (now defunct) Witty Little Knitter and working in Valley Yarns Northampton in the (approximately) appropriate colorways, though my red isn’t orange enough, and my tan is too grey. Those are the only two colors that really bother me. The rest are passable. Thus far I’ve made do with one ball of each color, though I will have to order more of some colors before the end. I’m terrible at yarn estimating and I’ve been putting it off.

My probably-making-things-harder-than-they-need-to-be plan is to knit until I run out of one color, add up all the rows I’ve knit in that color, and figure out how much of each of the other colors I’ve already gone through. Then I’ll probably panic and just order one more ball of each, spending more money than I have to, and be stuck with a bunch of yarn in 1970s colors.

Until then? I knit.

Merry PAXmas!

Greetings, PAX-goers!

I’m looking forward to a weekend full of amazing games and tens of thousands of fellow game-type-people!

I’ll be there all weekend, knitting my way through the crowds. If you see me, please say hello. I’ll have some Cunning Hats and Dice/Gaming Bags on hand if you want to pick up an order at the show. Order from the shop just like normal, using coupon code PICKUP at checkout to waive the shipping fee. We’ll make arrangements to meet up so you can pick up your order. Please note this applies ONLY to dice bags and cunning hats. All other orders will have to be shipped to you. I need to save room in my bag for games!

See you there!

Running with Sticks: one down, five to go.

It’s finished! Well, the first pair are done, anyway. I started them mid February and just wove in the ends yesterday. Considering I took two weeks off in March, that’s not too shabby. Each legwarmer took 10 knitting gym sessions to complete. I started at a knitting rate of 12 rows per mile and have increased to 17 rows per mile. I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed with myself.

That said, while being impressed with my knitting and walking prowess yesterday I got cocky, lost focus, and didn’t notice when the last remnants of the last ball of yarn pulled out of the knitting bag, tumbled to my feet and got swept behind me on the treadmill. I didn’t trip, but I did utter a few profane oaths and turn several shades of red not related to the physical exertion at hand. Way to keep me grounded, Universe.

On to the next pair! These ones will be shades of green and yellow. Everyone else chose more shades of blue, grey, and black. I just can’t with those colors right now, so green and yellow it is.

Bags for all!

A customer recently told me she uses her lunch bag as a knitting bag for socks on the go. How clever is that? I was so focused on food, I never even thought of using the lunch bags for anything else. Thanks to her genius, I’m now using one of my old lunch bags (v 1.0) to bring my leg warmer knitting with me to the gym. Thanks, Candice! It really was a great idea.

What about dice bags? Do you like my dice bags but have no dice to call your own? As sad as your paucity of dice makes my wee, game-loving heart, I sympathize with your predicament. You don’t have to use the dice bags for dice, though. Did you know I first made those dice bags to accompany the lunch bags? Yes! Their original purpose was as receptacles for snacks. They’re still quite useful for that purpose, so you might as well grab a couple for yourself. One for your snacks, one for your dice. Just don’t mix up the two. I shall not be responsible for your dentist bills.

Got any clever ideas of your own? Do let me know! I’d love to hear how you’re making use of these bags.

Runs with Sticks Update

Things are moving along nicely in the Runs with Sticks department. I’m nearly done with the first legwarmer. I think I’m going to buy another set of circulars, though. I’m getting nervous I’ll run out of yarn before I make the second in this pair. I don’t mind that they won’t have identical stripes, but they should at least be the same length. My plan is to cast on for the second one the next time I go walk/running, then I’ll work until they’re even. After that I’ll just go back and forth between them until I run out of yarn.

My pace is holding steady at 3.2 mph. I am not ready to go faster yet, so to make the workout harder I’ve increased the incline. I start out flat and work up to 2% for the warmup, then work up to 5% for the most of the hour, then go back to flat for the cool-down. I’ve only done that for a week, but it’s really kicking my butt (in the best possible way). All of my workout days in February (minus one) were knitting days.

You know about my sticker rewards program, right? Basically, I treat myself like a kindergartener and give myself a sticker every time I go to the gym or do a significant home/outside workout. I hung the calendar in a place I walk past constantly so I get to enjoy my sticker collection. I did pretty well last month with 13/28 days. My goal is 3 gym visits per week & the outside stuff is a bonus. I only managed that once last month, so I’ll keep the same goal for March. Behold: my February 2014 sticker collection!

I knit and give myself stickers to stay motivated. What do you do to trick yourself into doing things you don’t really want to do but know you should anyway?

Quest: do something silly, avoid disaster

The treadmill is boring, right? I refuse to walk or run outside in the cold where there’s barely enough room on the roads what with the snow banks and all, so the treadmill is what I’ve got to work with until it stops snowing, which will probably be July.

I hate exercise. I love being active, though, and I miss being fit. I just don’t like the hamster wheel-ness of the treadmill, nor do I care for the music or television selection at my gym. Music on my headphones is great, but I still need something to look at and The View isn’t doing it for me. Reading on the treadmill is great, but I can’t listen to music when I read. Last time I tried that I ended up thinking about how awesome it would be if Freddy Mercury fought a bunch of orcs with his microphone stand, which IS awesome but I totally lost my place in the Hobbit and had to go back several pages. What I’m trying to say is that roller derby ruined me for every other fitness activity ever. If it’s not on wheels it is therefore wicked boring and I go out of my tree trying to stay focused.

Then I read this. There’s a world record for the longest scarf knitted while running a marathon, and this guy broke it. You can see where this is going, right? I’ll probably never be a marathoner, but I’m a pretty good knitter, and I’ve already mastered knitting-hats-while-walking-in-a-crowd-to-prevent-panic-attacks-at-large-conventions, so the treadmill should be easy, right?

RIGHT! You thought I was going to say “wrong” didn’t you? Turns out, I’m awesome at knitting and walking on a treadmill! I can knit and walk up to 3.5 mph, though it seems my best pace for walking and knitting is 3.2mph. As I level up I’ll try running, but for now I’ll continue to knit while I warm up and set the knitting aside for my run/walk intervals, then pick up the knitting for the cool down. I’ve only gotten a few funny looks from fellow gym-goers as there really aren’t that many people when I go. I’m sure the first time I have a major yarn disaster there will be a huge audience.

I didn’t want to do a scarf like the guy in that article. I don’t really need any more scarves and the thought of wrapping wool around myself while exercising makes me cringe. There are a few factors to consider when choosing a knitting project for treadmill walking. Small projects are best suited, but nothing fiddly or too small a gauge, especially if it involves tiny double pointed needles (thus ruling out socks). I have to be able to use only one ball of yarn at a time (which can fit in the cup holder) for the duration of a single walking session (thus no color work). I settled on leg warmers because I can knit a 1×1 ribbed tube easily while walking, and I can do them on circulars with a small enough cable.

I plan on bringing a different color of yarn to the gym each time I go, so they’ll end up being a kind of workout tracking system as well. The stripes won’t be of equal size as I’m sure my pace will fluctuate daily, and the pair certainly won’t be identical mates, but I’m fine with fraternal stripes. They’ll be unique and fun, and I’m sure I will love them.

Since I really don’t need more than a couple of pairs of leg warmers, I decided to ask my friends if they’d like to contribute to this ridiculous project. They buy the yarn, and I knit them leg warmers while keeping myself entertained on the treadmill. I figured I’d get a couple of my weirder friends interested, but I didn’t expect five people to sign up in less than an hour. I capped this round at five because I have no idea how long it’ll take me to knit 12 legwarmers (counting one pair for myself) while walking. If all goes smoothly, I’ll open things up for another round since I know there are a few people who are disappointed they missed the first round.

I’ve started a Ravelry project page for this endeavor where you can check out all the specifics like the yarn and needles used, etc., should that sort of thing interest you. What do you think? Have you taken on a particularly silly project lately? What weird/fun/inspiring challenges have you attempted?

Valentinies!

Hello! Despite the lack of updates here, I’ve been quite busy crafting. We’re nearly buried in snow, so I’ve been at the knitting needles most of the time, as is my usual winter habit. If you want to see what sorts of crafty things I’ve been up to thus far this year, check out my Flickr set.

This recent bout of craftiness has been largely inspired by the wonderful Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land. I just can’t seem to stop knitting her little creatures. I just love them to bits. I’d forgotten just how much I like knitting little things on double pointed needles.

I was even inspired to write my own pattern! Of course, it borrows heavily from Anna’s technique, and is an obvious attempt to mimic her knit-flat-and-seam heart pattern into an in-the-round pattern, but I’m quite happy with it.

If you would like to knit some wee heart-shaped Valentinies like the ones above, here’s a free pattern (PDF) for you! If you notice any mistakes or if something doesn’t make sense, please feel free to leave a comment here letting me know.

Happy knitting!
(PS- Yes, this pattern is posted with Anna’s permission.)

Sweater Workshop sampler

It only took me five years to complete, but here it is! Jacqueline Fee wrote this great book called The Sweater Workshop. I bought it fiver years ago with the intention to knit my first sweater. I cast on the sampler hoping by constructing it I’d gain lots of worldly knitter knowledge. As is typical of my crafty endeavors, I petered out about half way through.

Fast forward five years to oh, about last week or so…

I was digging through my UFO (unfinished object) basket and found all sorts of treasures. Balls of yarn I’d forgotten about, circular needles I thought I’d lost, and projects that hadn’t seen the light of day in aeons. Among them I rediscovered the sad state of my sweater sampler and vowed to promptly get to work.

Being a procrastinator, I of course had to first put the kettle on, grab my slippers (the floor is really cold), get a snack (or two), play with the cat, gather my supplies, pick out which tea I wanted to drink, and THEN got down to work.

Once I got going I realized how much I’d actually learned in the last five years. I’ve done short rows, and all sorts of shaping, and even designed and tweaked my own patterns. Working on the second half of the sampler was fabulous! I learned all sorts of tricks for techniques I’d been using for ages. The tips for two-color knitting were especially helpful. It was one of those AHA! moments where you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself because it’s so obvious.

I worked on it a little bit each night this week and wove in the ends last night. It really is a neat little thing. When I do want to get to my first sweater (which I still haven’t cast on for yet), I’ll have this handy guide at my disposal. If I want to do a certain kind of raglan shaping, I just look at my sampler, then flip to the section in the book with those instructions and I can easily refresh my memory. Like so many knitters (and muggles) I’m a visual learner. If you’re the same, I highly recommend working this sampler before you tackle your next project.

Even if you’re not planning to make a sweater, the wisdom sprinkled throughout is well worth the price of the book. The author takes bits of Barbara Walker and Elizabeth Zimmermann’s advice and combines it with her own observations in the instructions for each section. I definitely recommend adding this to your library if you don’t have it already.

Scarf-O-Matic!

When I first wanted to knit a Doctor Who scarf (you know the one – worn by Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor) in high school, there were no resources for a fledgling knitter like myself. I had a “learn to knit” book, a lesson or two from a cousin, and a VHS tape of a couple of episodes of Doctor Who. That’s it.

Fast forward 15 years, and there are all sorts of tools available for the Whovian knitter. There’s the Witty Little Knitter and her seemingly endless observations and recommendations, and the gaggle of knitters on Ravelry‘s “Who Knits?” and “Doctor Who Scarf Support Group” forums. (Gaggle? What is the collective term for Whovian knitters?) Yarn suggestions, support groups for those of us crazy enough to take on such a project, places to share photos and to brag to one another. There’s even a really nifty tool that lets you share your progress with the world: The Scarf-O-Matic!

I love the future!

My scarf is at 0% at the moment, not having even purchased the yarn yet, but that’s my major project for the winter. I want to have it done in time for the convention circuit next spring, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to manage that, along with all the other projects I have going on.

The scarf I’m going to work on is based on the one Tom Baker wore in the 16th and 17th seasons, which is about 14 feet long. It’s not terribly wide, and it’s not the longest (that one was 26 feet long!). I’m using the Witty Little Knitter’s guide and with the help of my Ravelry pals, I think it’ll go smoothly enough. It’s just garter stitch after all. Not complicated, but it could get deadly dull if I’m not careful. I’ve always wanted one, and I think it’s time I had one.

Allons-y!

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Life reboot.

Summer has ended. Fall is nearly over. Winter will be upon us shortly.

My brain is permanently wired to the academic calendar. I was a student until I was 30 and now I work at an academic institution, so September always feels more like the start of a new year than January ever does.

Every fall I get a burst of energy and I have to constantly carry around a note pad because I can’t turn off my brain. (Alas, this renewed zest does nothing for the powers of my memory, hence the note pad.) The cooler temperatures allow my brain to actually engage in thought other than “Dear God, could it get any hotter and could I feel any more disgusting?” I’m finally able to accomplish things that had previously only been vague plans. The summer is always so busy what with parties and derby business and such, that I never get the time to work on any of my other fun projects.

The fall is actually even busier for me, but somehow everything seems easier than it does any other time of year. Fresh perspective, ideas, adventures, parties… it all seems to fit together so much better than in the spring or summer. I usually just feel overwhelmed with all of my obligations, but during the fall, I feel like I can accomplish it all and still maintain my sanity.

I have a zillion and one things going on as per usual, but I think it can still be managed. All it takes is planning. And stamina.

The last year has been very busy and still managed to have a flavor of stagnation about it. It’s been a very disorganized year, to the point where I have felt disconcertingly out of control at times – as if I were treading mud – wearing myself out and not really getting anywhere. It’s been an especially non-crafty year, too. I’ve had the odd project here and there, but I haven’t spent this long away from craftiness… ever, I think. I’m finally getting my crafty mojo back, about which I’m very happy, indeed. The same with reading.

Actually, it’s been more than just this past year. Maybe the last two years. I’ve been out of grad school, and playing roller derby. Two major events (one ending, and one starting), never mind the grueling (and seemingly never-ending) job search, so it’s no wonder it’s taken me a long while to figure out a good rhythm for my life. I use my commuting time to catch up on sleep, instead of reading and crafting as I had done before. Oh, and the place is a wreck, so nothing I need for various projects is within easy grasp. My default is to just zone out on the computer rather than to actually accomplish anything useful at home.

But I’m beginning to (slowly) get my life resembling some sort of slightly organized mess. Anyway, here’s a list of what’s been going on in the recent past, and what’s planned for the near future:

1. Rollah Derby, Hey! It was a great season. The Old Money Honeys made it to the home championship, but lost to the Rats. No worries, though, because I won MVP for my team. It was a pretty sweet moment. I wasn’t able to play in the last two Bees bouts (against Rochester and Pioneer Valley), so my season ended a wee bit earlier than everyone else. We’re in the off season now, tidying up the loose ends for this season and planning for the next. We’re in the height of recruiting at the moment, and I’m on the recruiting committee. It’s been crazy. I’m answering derby-related emails at least two or more hours each day. We’ve got over 100 people on our recruiting list, and at least 40 of them have been coming to our recruiting events, and will most likely stick around for tryouts in January. Yes, we’re having tryouts this year! We’ve got so may people interested that we can’t possibly take everyone. That means that only the most motivated will stick around, which is pretty sweet. I’m definitely looking forward to the 2010 season. I’m also going to Philadelphia for the National Championships. It’s going to be so much fun!

2. Work – MIT has hired me nearly full-time (still a no-benefits part-timer, but it’s WAY better than before and I’m breathing a little easier for having the extra hours). I’m now doing more collections-type work, in addition to the reference assisting (which consists mostly of photocopying for researchers). I get to help with new accessions and some processing. So far the learning curve hasn’t been that steep, but it’s been a little wonky due to shifting work-flows and what not. The short version is that I’m really enjoying it and get to use my brain. I’m also there five days a week, and I’ve got my own desk in a cube with a big window. In other work-related news, I survived my first SeptOber working King Richard’s Faire. It was tremendously fun. I met some really great people and made a few new friends. I’ve even been invited to work at a few Cons next year (steampunk and sci-fi), which is probably one of the coolest and geekiest things ever. I plan on documenting those adventures in a photoblog of sorts.

3. Craftiness – After ages and ages of non-knitting, I’ve finally got projects on the needles (on which I’m actively working) and I’m finally back at the wheel. I ordered a bunch of fiber from Cranberry Moon Farm (a few different wools as well as a wool/alpaca blend) and have been getting back into the groove. I’ve been invited to do a spinning demo at AHA Night next week. On Thursday, November 12, from 6-9pm I’ll be at TL6 The Gallery (100 William Street, New Bedford, MA). If I get enough spun I’ll have a few skeins to sell (though I doubt I will). Maybe I’ll have some other things done up to sell (gnomes and mushrooms, perhaps?) The details are still loose at this time, but I’ve been invited to sell my stuff there, and I’ve got to put myself on a production schedule, because I’m absolutely useless without deadlines. I also borrowed a sewing machine and can therefore get caught up on some of the derby-related clothes I’ve been trying to make these last few months. I still haven’t gotten my screen printing stuff together, though, so they won’t be ready for sale until I get that all set up. Soon, though, especially now that I’m getting my work space a bit more useable. I sense an intense house-purge very soon. We have too much crap. We also have a ton of awesome stuff, which tends to get lost among the clutter. And Christmas will be upon us very soon. Luckily I’m only knitting for a few people, so it shouldn’t be too terribly taxing (she says with much trepidation).

4. Currently reading – Andromeda Klein (Frank Portman), Juliet, Naked (Nick Hornby), as well as a few others that I’ve picked up and put down in recent weeks. The first two, though, are ones that I’m actively reading. So far I love both. Portman is responsible for one of the best books about high school kids ever, King Dork. While KD was told from a teen boy’s perspective, AK has a girl protagonist, and I love her. It’s also got tarot cards, ghosts, and other spooky things. Plus it’s wicked funny. Juliet is great, too. Hornby does what he does very well, with the music and the characters and what not. I just have to remember to actually one of them on the train with me so I can actually finish reading them. I’m also starting a book club with a friend, so that’ll keep me reading. The first pick is Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. It looks like an interesting read. And if I hate it, at least I’ll have something to talk about at book club. (We’re also most likely going to be a rather boosey club, seeing as how the members thus far are fellow derby gals. Perhaps I should use one of the clever names I had on reserve for my non-existent booze blog? How about the Literale Society?)

5. Socialite – I have no unplanned weekends from here until after the New Year. It’s been that way since Labor Day. It’s insane. But I love it. I am much better about keeping my calendar and planner up to date these days to keep up with all the parties and stuff. Halloween was a blast! I’m so glad so many people made it to our party. I didn’t really know how many to expect, since there were birthday parties and other Halloween parties going on the same night. The next event Chez Nous will be a game night. I want to play Arkham Horror, but if there are more people coming than can play that game, we have a bunch of other games to have several going on at once. Plus, we have darts, too. Mark your calendars for Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm. Potluck. I’ll make a Facebook event invite thingie. I also have plans to travel to Maryland for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I was terribly homesick last year on my birthday and Christmas, so I’m planning ahead this year.

Whew. That’s the news for now. As usual, I have a bunch of pictures from this Fall but have not uploaded any of them to any sort of photo sharing site. I’m lame. I might get to it. Maybe. Pretty sure I need a functioning Time Turner to get all this done, but we’ll see how I do. Oh, and I could use an airship. Some jerk stole mine, and I haven’t gotten it back yet.

Chrononauts AWAY!