Spring Street

So the sun is actually shining today. There are birds singing. Okay, not here, but you know, they exist. The grass is getting green, and you know what that means - paying the people to mow my lawn again.

What I'm saying, basically, is that it's almost summer, and thank whatever gods may be for that!

Since I work in the school system, my work ends on June 3rd, and I get a few weeks to myself. Of course, I'm working summer school this year, but that's like 6 hours a week for five weeks. So this is going to leave me a lot of time for the knitting, spinning, and drinking. Also, SSK! WOO! I was too late to get in last time, and didn't have the money anyway, but this time, I will be there!

In the last forever since I posted, things have happened. Projects have been started and finished. I've basically stopped taking pictures of finished projects except for dyed fiber for my Etsy shop. That's going swimmingly, by the way. I love dyeing fiber, and apparently other people like dyed fiber. I figure it's a match made in... you know, somewhere with sheep and happy spinning people.

I made this for a swap:

It came out great, and I kind of want to make one for myself. Except, you know, toward the end it made me want to cry and throw it across the room in that special way that lace does. (have I posted this picture before? I'm just so darn pround of it...)

This pile of green is now an actual sweater that I have not bothered to take real pictures of. Or make a Ravelry page for. (That's two horribly composed sentences in a row. Count them, two! Wow!)

It's a Calligraphy Cardigan, in Madelinetosh DK Twist malachite.

Yes, that makes it the most ridiculously expensive, yet plain sweater I've ever made. But it's so pretty, and SO warm. Just in time for summer!

The Harry Dresden Fiber Club, heretofore unheard of in this place, is about to start its second incarnation. I'm pretty excited about it, since I really quite like the way the first one went. It's a little club, but so far that's allowing me to make sure all the details are perfect. Also, with work and school, a small club is all I could do, unless I want to go for an exended stay at the funny farm, which is neither funny, nor a farm. So, no sheep.

Graduating college (for now) on May 18th. Should be excited about that. More relieved, really. And not looking forward to school: the empire strikes back. I really do want that BA, though. The AA just feels a little like it qualifies me to flip burgers. No offense to anyone happy with their AA. I'm just a whiner who will never be happy with what she has. I could seriously have a Doctorate and be whining that it really should be two.

Anyway, before I let my rant take hold and go on about how a 33 year old woman should be finished with school years ago, I think I'll shut up and go knit for a while before tackling the last of my Statistics homework.

Miss me?

Okay, I'm sure none all of you have been wondering what I've been up to in the last month, so I figured I had better check in.

The shop is open and has been doing quite well, thanks to the awesome Beck - aka Lemonhalf on Ravelry, and Leslie - aka udontcallmeles. Beck not only made my awesome logo, but she's been one of the most supportive people ever. She even pointed out that I should have a presence on Ravelry so that people could enter their fiber in the database. Leslie kindly ordered something from the shop on the very first day, and then told everyone that I dye lovely fiber. Twice. The two busiest days the shop has had, can't imagine why...

Okay, enough shameless shilling.

In the knitting world, what have I been up to?

Well, there's this:

The Raspberry Dream Stole, by Dagmara. It was for the Schmutzerella swap, and while there were a few issues with my comprehension of the translation, it's a great pattern, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to knit a beautiful lace stole. And doesn't mind k7tog. I recommend doing at least one, probably multiple extra repeats of the lace pattern.

Then I made a few pair of socks, nothing amazing or admirable, just everyday wear socks.

Which brings me to the fact that I needed to make some non-pink socks. So I did, out of handspun. But I haven't taken pictures yet. Maybe I'll have that for next month...

Anyway, last and never least, I'm 3/4 done with my 2nd Camp Loopy project, and have bought the yarn for the third:

And wit the yarns, I will be joining the cult of the Color Affection. I would be ashamed, but... I like Vera Valimaki patterns, and I won't apologize for that. This will be my third pattern from her, and I expect to make more in the future. She is awesome.

I exist outside my own mind!

What am I so excited about that I had to post in the middle of the night?

The lovely and personable Mary from America's Knitting contacted me yesterday to ask to post my Stripe Study shawl as an example of their shawl and beading projects.

After nine months of occasionally being convinced that I was largely talking to myself here, I have proof that there is life in the universe! A picture of my shawl has been posted, along with some of the loveliest things anyone has ever said of my crafting ability. Personally, I blame Madelinetosh, who makes incredible vibrant colors that are impossible to dislike.

Speaking of which, I think I need some more Madtosh sock yarn.Maybe some green. And purple. And blue.

What about torture?

Okay, I'd like to preface this entry by saying that I love this knitted item, I'm sure some people would enjoy knitting it, and I have nothing but respect for the designer. The pattern is pure elegance in its simplicity.

Here's my finished project:

Beautiful, no? Not to toot my own horn at all; I honestly don't think it took any effort on my part to make it lovely. The yarn is Madelinetosh Merino Light from The Loopy Ewe, for their 4th quarter project. The pattern is the Stripe Study Shawl by Veera Välimäki. The yarn is a stunningly dyed multi-dimensional single-ply, but quite sturdy - case in point is that it was supposed to be a Catkin. When I got to row seventy of said Catkin, I realized that I'd made a mistake early on and would have to start over. Needless to say, I was not keen on starting the same pattern over. I'll go back and make a Catkin someday, but I think not too soon. So I frogged the whole thing. I decided that since I was going into finals week, I needed something simple to take my mind off tests. This pattern fit the bill and then some. During finals week, it was amazing and meditative. Afterward, I quickly lost patience with garter stitch over and over and over and over and... you get the point.

It turns out that eight hundred yards of garter stitch is not for me. So much for my plans to make a log cabin blanket. (disclaimer: I love Mason Dixon, but I honestly never had plans to make one of these after watching Carin from Round the Twist working on the same project forever. I am so impressed that she just keeps going on it. I'd be in a fetal position crying about how my brain has abandoned me in rebellion.)

I don't know why the Yvaine I'm currently working on isn't making my brain melt, but I really want to get back to it now. Hopefully, there will be a long post in the near future about the adventure it has been.