Winner!

Hey Y'all!  I thought I would be in better touch over the weekend, but Christmas got in the way.  Just wanted to stop in to announce the winner of my hat giveaway.  The random number generator came up with the number 4.  The fourth comment on my blog post was:

Stephanie said...

Once upon a time I knit a scarf. It took me seven years.

Amen.  The only reason I ever get a scarf knit is because Civil Procedure is the most boring class on Earth.  I will be reaching out to Stephanie to see where I should be sending her hat.

My favorite poem was by Katie who said:

Hats don't suck out souls.
Unlike law school, they just
Keep souls (or brains) warm.

I might just have to make her a hat, too....

Happy Holidays!!

Graffiti

Reminder:  Comment on this post for a VERY good chance to win a hand-knit hat.  To clarify, you all have until Monday noon to comment, then I'm picking a winner.  Deal?

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I LOVE when knitting makes it into the mainstream media.  Graffiti is apparently a mainstream issue because earlier this year the NY Times did a piece on the "more feminine side" or graffiti.  Not so pleased that they call knitting feminine (I personally feel pretty butch in my hand-knit watchman's cap_ but whatevs.  The Torontoist did an article about "99 Problems But a Stitch Ain't One" talking about yarn bombing.  NPR did an article, too, although they call crochet a grandmas' activity.

HI've talked about yarn bombing before, but here are a few more of my favorites:

In Paris, one artist has filled sidewalk cracks with bright yarn.  More pictures here.

This one is less graffiti and more awesome:

From Living Crafts

Stairs!  I also really like the links on these metal chains.

From FlickaMag

And look at these trees!

From Knit Hacker

Can you picture these in DC?  Or how about these at the bus stops?

From

There is a fun video of subway yarn bombing:



I especially appreciate the masked yarn bombers.  This would make my MARTA experiences a little less sad.  Maybe every time my bus is late, I will spend that wasted time yarn-graffiting the bus stop.

I really need to learn how to make knitting in the shape of cracks and bus stop benches and light posts.  I am considering yarn bombing the front pillars of my apartment building.  Anyone wanna help out?

Hello There/Blog Recap

Hello IComLeavWe Folks!  Thanks for dropping by.   For all the rest of you, thanks for coming back again and again even though I know you aren't even knitters.  That's love, and I appreciate it.

Reminder:  I announced a hat give away yesterday for those of you who comment on this post.

For you newer folks, I thought it would be helpful to do a little blog recap of what's been going on:

• You can find out more about why I started this blog (and, you know, look at my beautiful picture) here.
• You can learn about what it's like to be a doula (a birth support person) here and about what I keep in my birth bag here.
• You can learn about Atlanta and law school here.
• And you can learn about knitting/wool/crafting pretty much everywhere else.  Specifically: 
• Spinning with a wheel or spindle
• Extreme Knitting and other knitting inspiration
• Dying yarn  in a kitchen sink
• Weaving and other very slow hobbies
• Sheep, sheep, and more sheep
• My latest knitting-so-I-don't-have-to-study projects
• Oh, and for info on my on-going uncomfortable relationship with squirrels, you can see here, here, here, and here.

Enjoy!

Hat Competition

I've been on a hat-making jag lately.  I've made about 10 of them this fall.  There was a blue one, a red one, a turquoise one, a green one, two gray ones, a black one, a brown one, a purple one in progress and this stripey one.

Hats are like crack with the much more pleasing side affects of warmth and fuzziness.

In honor of my hat-making obsession, I would like to offer one to you!  Leave a comment on this post saying why knitting is awesome (or why law school is lame) and I will choose one of the commentors at random to get a hand-knit hat.  If the winning entry is in poetry form (the worse the poetry, the better), they will have input on what kind of hat it is (otherwise, I get to choose, and you KNOW it will include a pom-pom).

Ok?  Go!

Truly Ambitious

I over-packed for winter break.*  And by over-packed, I mean that I put, like, five random, unmatching outfits and a sweater into my giant suitcase that was supposed to hold three weeks worth of clothing and Christmas presents. 

And then I filled the rest with yarn (can you imagine what TSA is thinking right now?  Actually, I brought two frogs on the airplane with me once when I was a kid.  And a sewing machine.  And I know for a fact that my friend Michele carries her entire Passion Party consulting kit and a collapsible pole on the airplane with her, so maybe 35 pounds of yarn isn't that big of a deal to our loyal administrators of transportation security).

Because I am a good planner.  And there are only four yarn stores in the immediate vicinity, so where would I find any yarn if there was a wool emergency?

In any case, one of the things I brought with me was the pattern and yarn for a Twenty Ten Cardigan by Veera Välimäki 

It is supposed to look like this when it is done.  Currently it looks like this:

Basically, a bunch of nothing.

I did make a swatch, but hated the fabric that the particular gauge made (first world problems....), so am trying to figure out how to make the math work with a tighter gauge.  That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but what is holiday season without a little disaster?

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*In DC for three weeks.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me...

Prison Knitting

A couple of people sent me this article about Knitting Behind Bars, a program that teaches knitting to prison inmates.  Pretty interesting....the program attributes huge changes in behavior to knitting. 

My friend's aunt works with a group of crocheters at a Tennessee women's prison.  I just packaged up a box of yarn to send them.  Would be cool to learn about the people using my yarn (and also write a paper on the connections between knitting and the law).

V-Day (the organizers of The Vagina Monologues) did a writing project with women inmates to allow people to hear these women's stories.  They created a collection of monologue of the women's stories called "Anyone of Us."  They also created a documentary about the writing workshop called "What I Want My Word To Do To You."  Here's the trailer:



All of this is to say, I guess, that interesting things going on in prisons.

Done!

I'm done with my first semester of law school.  There was much merry-making last night.  Off to DC Friday!

The View From My Room

This is what my world looks like at the moment:

Four parts knitting : Nine parts Civil Procedure


And of course, one big part neon rainbow.

Procrastination Knitting Part II (of many, I'm sure)

I took a three and half hour exam today.  Three.  And a half.  Hours.  And it is just the first of four.

My brain is fried.  So I am making pop tarts (obviously) and continuing with my procrastination knitting.  This is what I made last night:

I'm kind of in love with it.

I started with 10 100yard balls of yarn.  It was a bit of a mess.

Most of it is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted...some of it was random wool I had (probably Cascade 220) and a little bit of the white is Red Heart Pound of Love acrylic because I ran out of white wool...shhhh...you can't even tell.

I wound it all up in a big ball.

So pretty!

A really big ball.

And then knit it up on my Size 50 knitting needles.  And got this:

I quite enjoy it.  Big and squishy.   I think I would use just eight strands next time because it is pretty bulky.  But it has also inspired a new idea.  I think I might see how some fat knitting like this felts up in the washer.  Rugs, maybe?  Also going to make headbands and a matching hat.  

Soooo many options for proscrastination.

Things I Knit to Keep From Studying

D moved to Florida.  I made her a gator.  The gator's eyes are kinda cataract-y but I hope he will keep D company until I can come visit! (pattern from Anna Hrachovec's Knitting Mochimochi).

I should be putting pencil to paper doing practice contracts problems.  Instead, I knit a pencil (also from Knitting Mochimochi).  It all makes sense in my head.

My roommie wore her hat to England with her over Thanksgiving.  Yup, that would be Stone Henge in the background.

She also wore the mitts I made her to match.  My own pattern.  I stole this picture from her Facebook page.  She will probably draw a mustache on me in my sleep tonight when she finds out I used it (she does know where I live), but this picture of her communing with the ducks just cracked me up.

It's That Time of the Year...

...for procrastinating studying for exams.

And Secret-Gift-Knitting-Which-Cannot-Be-Shown-Here-On-The-Off-Chance-People-Actually-Read-This

Which means I have very little to show you. Forgive me

More on Squirrels and Knitting

I like to give you regular updates** on squirrels and knitting.  Mostly because there is an on-going feud between me and those foul creatures (see this and this), and because a lot of other people really seem to like to knit squirrels.

Like look at this dude from CraftGossip.com (looks like they even had a competition to make one...I missed it)

This is a conversation that happened today:

Me:  I think they should should do an episode with me and squirrels:
http://jezebel.com/5863026/meet-the-poor-lady-scared-to-death-of-kittens

Friend:  That would be frightening. If kittens are the devils pet, what does that make squirrels?

Me:  The devil incarnate

From thedailygreen.com  This one scares the bejesus out of me (mostly because it was identified as a knit squirrel when it is almost certainly crochet...or am I wrong?)

There used to be saber-toothed squirrels:  http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/1103/Saber-toothed-squirrel-from-age-of-dinosaurs-discovered

The reason squirrels freak me out is because they have personalities.  And apparently knitting circles.

And this is a really lucky squirrel.



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**update:  After posting this, MattC sent me this link to Squirrel Chips.  I do not condone violence against squirrels, but I'm told they taste like "sweet victory."  Good to know your culinary options.

Was also given this lovely link to a recent Flying Squirrel Invasion.  Now squirrels are even preventing people from seeking medical attention....  

Hey Jha!

Hey lady,

Remember that birthday request you made?  Five months ago?

Wise Owl Toy from lionbrand.com

Well, this is sort of it....He is a lot lumpier than I had imagined.  And his wings are very much lop-sided.  Oh, and he doesn't actually have a beak or even eyes (the eyes looked murder-me-in-my-sleep creepy when I sewed them on...figured it was best not to send you that message).

But!  He is my own color-work modification.  I think his face looks super awesomely owly.

Oh, and if all else fails, he will make a great dog chew toy.

Registered for Stitches South

Folks!  I got myself an EARLY birthday present and signed myself up for Stitches South!!

What is Stitches South, you ask?  Well, it's sort of a knitting...convention?  Happening on my birthday weekend (that would be April 20th, for those of you who like to plan ahead), there are three days of classes, a market, a fashion show, and other exciting events.  One of the only upsides to leaving DC is that I am now close enough to attend (although, I just checked, an it isn't very MARTA accessible so I might as well be coming in from out of state for all the help my proximity will provide...sigh).


I signed up for two classes:  Design Your Dream Sweater with Leslye Solomon and Entrelac Basics with Gwen Bortner.

Wanna join me?  Registration is open now!!

Root Beer Taste Test

The root beer I made turned out...okay.  I took it and a bucket of ice cream to Torts class last week when we were supposed to get our practice exams back.  I figured we would all feel better about the fact that the highest grade was a 36 (out of 100...yup the person with highest grade got a 36% and let me tell you that is sure wasn't me...thank the lord for the curve) if there was sugar involved.

The Tort Beer Floats were a hit with the class, but I wasn't super thrilled with the way the soda itself turned out.  First, it exploded all over me when I tried to open it...I think that means I let it ferment too long.  Also, it was overly yeasty.  Add some eau du hops and it would be reminiscence of our childhood trips to the Coors plant in Colorado (yea, some kids went to Disney Land, but that isn't how my family rolls).  Finally, it was EXTREMELY root beery.  Like, bathe-in-a-vat-of-melted-root-beer-barrel-candies strong.  Cough-syrup-disguising-itself-as-a-non-alcoholic-beverage strong.  Gonna have to figure out if it is how much extract I used or just the brand of extract.

I'm going to look around for a different recipe and then try again.  Will report back.  In the mean time, I have a sad 1/4 of a bottle of root beer left in my fridge if you want it...

Spring in the Fall

Yesterday's post (or my room, for that matter) probably gave you an indication that every day is a struggle not to be kidnapped by 1980's neon (at least until I see the accompanying shoulder pads and power suits).  A significant portion of my wardrobe features hot pink and spandex, thankfully not usually in the same article of clothing.

So, predictably, I was super excited when this came in the mail.

Don't judge.  There was a sale.  LB Superwash Merino

I immediately cast on one of these:

A swatch.  Or in this case, two swatches in one because I was lazy.  Had to go one size up for gauge as usual (that only make sense to you knitters.  For the rest of you, just know that it means I am high-strung/a tight knitter)

And then started on this:

A sleeve!  I am starting with the sleeve because swatches are lying liars and I wanted to see if the knitting would resemble a normal-sized sweater in any meaningful way before dedicating myself to the body.

My latest project is, predictably, a lime green sweater.  In this case, the green is less "acid/nuclear reaction" green and more "first spring buds."  Actually, the colorway is literally called "Spring Leaf," which I chose because I refuse to have a sweater in the color "Dijon."

It's supposed to look like this when it's done:

Lion Brand Sketchbook Cardigan  In, coincidentally, Dijon.

Only, in neon.

Hey B!

Hey B!  Remember how you and Jess won my poetry contest ALMOST A YEAR AGO?  Yea, I finally finished your prizes.  I hope you don't mind lime green?

Hat pattern is my usual.  I swear that it looks cuter once it's on a head.  I just have difficulty taking a picture of my own head.  And I feel weird alone in my bathroom trying to get the angle right in my only mirror so that my entire head (which seems much larger when you are trying to fit it all, not just one side, or minus a chin) is in the picture

I made extra slippers (*cough*obsession*cough*, while I was at it.  Pattern is my usual.

Because once you make one pair, you really can't stop...

And I think they are just the cutest.

So, B, where should I send them?

One Bottle of Pop, Two Bottle of Pop

I could be doing my homework or looking for a summer job or something.*  Instead I'm picking up a new hobby.

Making Root Beer!!!

I found this recipe on-line and got it in my head that I wanted homemade root beer to add to my homemade ice cream to make home made root beer floats.  A law student friend went to great lengths to find the necessary Zataran's root beer extract (how do they not sell that at the grocery store?).

You just add sugar, yeast and the root beer extract together.

Shake to mix

Add some water.

Shake some more to mix it up.

Then you fill it full of water and let it sit for several days for the yeast to ferment the sugar.  Will do the taste-test next week and let you know how it goes.  In the mean time...

Look at my jugs!...heh, my jugs are on the internet...

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*November 1st was the first day that law schools can talk to their first year students about finding summer jobs.  It feels early to be thinking about plans for next summer already, but apparently it isn't if you want a good (read: paid) job.

Smartest. Gift. Ever.

Who wants one of these for the next gift-giving occasion?

From Failblog

Anyone?  Anyone?


Note:  Check out the comments on that link.  My favorites are:

hold on, let me put on my thinking cap…

maybe not the best cap to wear during the zombie apocalypse

Looks great when worn with the organs sweater. 

 Just sayin'.  I might be off to knit a brain and and an organs sweater now...

Espionage

Every year I go to Target and scope out what is new in knitwear fashion (a.k.a. to get mad that stores charge for something I could make myself and/or can charge so little for what would take me FOREVER to make myself)

More flip top mittens.  But these have entrelac on the hand.  Interesting.

Also seems to be a bunch of Fair Isle this year.  If I had the attention span, these are what I would make.

These, not so much.  You can't tell, but a couple of these are scarf/hood combinations.

Would look like this laid out flat.  Cool or not cool?

Vogue Knitting appears to agree with Target that fair isle is fashionable:

But I question the taste of that first hat and of wearing a wool cap with a tank top...but maybe that's just me.

Out of Touch

Hi!  It's been a while since we've talked.  What's up?  I've been at law school.

Law school requires a bunch of reading.  It's a good thing I have smart people to study with.

These are my classmates.  They are superheroes.  Or at least they dress like superheroes.

There are lots of things to see and do in Atlanta.  This is the Carter Center.  Where you can learn about...

President Carter.  He walked in front of the GA State Capital.

I think I look pretty good doing it, too.

If you wanted to come visit me, I would take you too see cool things, too.  Like the Ebenezer Baptist Church next to the MLK museum.

The only problem?  We would have to get there by bus because I don't have a car.  And Atlanta just HATES to put bus stops in accessible, pedestrian-friendly places.

And the wild-life is pretty wacko banunu as well.  The squirrels drink from sprinkler heads.

But the people are worth getting to know.

And there is plenty of yarn to go around...of course :-)