holy crap, Knitpicks. I love you.
So I ordered my big massive "I'm going to get this needle set and finally feel like a capable and prepared knitter" order, and I did that on the fourth, and spent my christmas gift card on it and it was lovely and wonderful and I also ordered The Knitter's Book Of Yarn, which I adooooore and I'm so glad to have a copy of my own. Also assorted sundries, but no actual yarn since...I have a ton of stash overflowing a dresser drawer and I need to bust that thing.
anyway, I placed this order late at night on the 4th and it came TODAY!!! super quick, I'm amazed at the service, and the needles (Options Harmony set) are gloriously perfect and look to have no faults or splinters or anything. YUM. Also there are sock blockers. SOCK BLOCKERS. Literally nothing in standing in the way of my making a ton of socks and never stopping.
Knitter's Book Of Yarn: said softcover on the website, and I was like errr, okay, that's a big honking book and paperback would be chancy since the binding could start to fail, with that many pages, but at that price I was not going to quibble. (I love their book sale) aaand I get the book? IT'S HARDCOVER. JOY OF JOYS.
Basically right now I'm high on knitting supplies and just bouncing off the walls and I want to nom on things and go YAAAAARN like some knitting zombie. it's not a pretty sight. oh wait I mean it's an AWESOME sight.
Also later today I'm gonna make a freaking brownie pie. I feel great. YARN YARN YARN.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Back to Knitting
NaNo went off pretty much without a hitch, I've been doing a bit of editing here and there, mostly to just fill in scenes that I had to skip over in order to get to the end of m story by the end of November. I had a great time visiting home for a few days for christmas, and now I'm back to a lace knitting binge that I just adore. I'm determined to finish this Triinu scarf within the next few days, possibly get it done before Girlfriend gets back from visiting her relatives in Minnesota.
Triinu Progress:
I'm on lace repeat 23 out of 29. After that I have to set up and do the top edging, and then, ACK, unravel the provisional cast-on and pick up those stitches and do the bottom edging. That part is terrifying to me, as I've never really done a provisional cast on before.
Well, that's a lie, I tried one recently to make a little model top-down in the round sweater that was doll-sized, and that worked out fine, but the Cashwool I'm making the scarf with is SO SO FINE and I'm worried about the cotton I used for the provisional. I hope it doesn't destroy my stitches, because that would kill me. I will just have to take deep calming breaths and possibly have a glass of wine handy when the time comes. I can do this.
Meanwhile I will return to sitting in one place for hours on end, making nupps. HOORAY NUPPS.
Triinu Progress:
I'm on lace repeat 23 out of 29. After that I have to set up and do the top edging, and then, ACK, unravel the provisional cast-on and pick up those stitches and do the bottom edging. That part is terrifying to me, as I've never really done a provisional cast on before.
Well, that's a lie, I tried one recently to make a little model top-down in the round sweater that was doll-sized, and that worked out fine, but the Cashwool I'm making the scarf with is SO SO FINE and I'm worried about the cotton I used for the provisional. I hope it doesn't destroy my stitches, because that would kill me. I will just have to take deep calming breaths and possibly have a glass of wine handy when the time comes. I can do this.
Meanwhile I will return to sitting in one place for hours on end, making nupps. HOORAY NUPPS.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Day 2
So I burned through day 1 of NaNo, and I'm feeling fairly good about that. I have a lot, a LOT of rambly biographical stuff for my MC Clyde, and I've gotten him to the point where he meet-cutes my other MC, Paul, and I have discovered that they have truly excellent banter together. It's going better than I could have hoped.
BUT!!! At this point, after doing 6K yesterday I'm very much slowed today, and I'm trying to get to 1667 but it's taking longer now that I actually have to think about conversation and such.
and it's really starting to bother me that I don't have a title. this is not good. I'm worrying about things coming up, like how to transition from random meeting to working partnership to something like friendship and then insane scientific discovery. Maybe I should plan to get THAT, which is the most important thing, really, in the entire plot, done in the next....I don't know, 3K? I'd hate to have a fifth of the book gone by before the driving action occurs, but....meeeeh...maybe that'll work? Although I plan when this is done to cut most of Clyde's background or at least trim it into something not rambling and crazy anyway, so that'll take it down to a manageable size and then the discovery will be earlier. Okay. That works.
Still need a title though. When this was just an idea for a graphic novel I was calling it "Elite Syncopations" after a Joplin piece, but that really doesn't work well, I think. we'll see.
UPDATE 4:20 pm: I'm distracted by googling 19th century prosthetic limbs, since I want to get a good idea of what Paul's working with and what could potentially be created for him later in the story. And I found THIS THING, which is pretty much the most awesome/horrifying steamy looking piece of metal gorgeousness I have ever seen. UNF.
BUT!!! At this point, after doing 6K yesterday I'm very much slowed today, and I'm trying to get to 1667 but it's taking longer now that I actually have to think about conversation and such.
and it's really starting to bother me that I don't have a title. this is not good. I'm worrying about things coming up, like how to transition from random meeting to working partnership to something like friendship and then insane scientific discovery. Maybe I should plan to get THAT, which is the most important thing, really, in the entire plot, done in the next....I don't know, 3K? I'd hate to have a fifth of the book gone by before the driving action occurs, but....meeeeh...maybe that'll work? Although I plan when this is done to cut most of Clyde's background or at least trim it into something not rambling and crazy anyway, so that'll take it down to a manageable size and then the discovery will be earlier. Okay. That works.
Still need a title though. When this was just an idea for a graphic novel I was calling it "Elite Syncopations" after a Joplin piece, but that really doesn't work well, I think. we'll see.
UPDATE 4:20 pm: I'm distracted by googling 19th century prosthetic limbs, since I want to get a good idea of what Paul's working with and what could potentially be created for him later in the story. And I found THIS THING, which is pretty much the most awesome/horrifying steamy looking piece of metal gorgeousness I have ever seen. UNF.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Last-Minute NaNo jitters.
So, two and a half hours to go until I can start writing my....gay musical steampunk buddy road adventure supernatural novel, and I'm feeling antsy. I don't feel like I've prepared enough, and at the same time I've made a concerted effort to keep my mind open and allow the characters to take on a life of their own, etc. I have the vaguest idea of an outline, but the idea for this story has been in my head for a couple years, so it's fairly defined. I'm a little worried that because I already know these characters and their situations well, I'm going to run out of story. All the pep talks on the NaNo site, and all the forums I've read talk about just continuing to plug away until inspiration comes back, and at some magical point the story will just start to GO, and go in unexpected directions, and I'm getting neurotic about that and trying to make sure that happens, and oh god I'm a such a perfectionist control freak.
I really don't know if I'm going to make it past...three days. I can barely write 500 words in one sitting, how the heck am I supposed to do 1667 a day?
But! I've got a loose sort of reward system. If I reach my wordcount I can work on one of my knitting projects. And if I do EXTRA well on my wordcount for the day I can watch an episode of Deadwood, since I didn't get a chance to watch the discs I have from netflix before today. And hopefully that will work?
In any case, I don't expect that I'll get much sleep tonight. I will spend my last hours of freedom watching anime. As it should be!
I really don't know if I'm going to make it past...three days. I can barely write 500 words in one sitting, how the heck am I supposed to do 1667 a day?
But! I've got a loose sort of reward system. If I reach my wordcount I can work on one of my knitting projects. And if I do EXTRA well on my wordcount for the day I can watch an episode of Deadwood, since I didn't get a chance to watch the discs I have from netflix before today. And hopefully that will work?
In any case, I don't expect that I'll get much sleep tonight. I will spend my last hours of freedom watching anime. As it should be!
Monday, October 11, 2010
What. WHAT.
I have gone off the deep end. I am going to go completely insane. This is now absolutely certain.
I have signed up for NaNoWriMo. Every year I think about it, like "oh, wouldn't that be crazy/great if I could do that" but every year I talk myself out of it. No more! I am going to try to write 50,000 words of awful unorganized nonsense in a month, and I will do my level best to turn off my inner perfectionist that normally keeps me from writing anything longer than three pages.
....This is going to be really, really difficult. Oh god, WHAT HAVE I DONE?
I have signed up for NaNoWriMo. Every year I think about it, like "oh, wouldn't that be crazy/great if I could do that" but every year I talk myself out of it. No more! I am going to try to write 50,000 words of awful unorganized nonsense in a month, and I will do my level best to turn off my inner perfectionist that normally keeps me from writing anything longer than three pages.
....This is going to be really, really difficult. Oh god, WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Drop-Stitch Scarf Pattern
While I'm busting my stash, I decided to try my hand at making-it-up-as-I-go-along knitting and see if I could get a pattern out of it. And lo! something easy, fast, and really pretty, and I've found a great use for this random bargain bin yarn. It alternates large and small drop rows with large and small garter bands to produce a nice drapey, stretchy fabric with just the right amount of sparkle for an evening accessory. :)
Yarn: 1 ball Crystal Palace Yarns "Shimmer" 85% acrylic 14% nylon 90yrds/50gr in Indigo
Needles: US 10 1/2
Gauge: 16 sts/21 rows = 4" in stockinette st, but let's be honest here, it's a scarf. This isn't terribly important.
Finished size: 55" long, 3 1/2" wide
Cast on 14 sts: I prefer long-tail for a stretchy edge
Knit 2 rows in garter stitch
Row 3: *K1, YO, YO*, repeat until last st, K1
Row 4: *K1, drop YO loops*, repeat until last st, K1
Knit 4 rows garter stitch
Row 9: *K1, YO*, repeat until last st, K1
Row 10: *K1, drop YO loop*, repeat until last st, K1
Repeat Rows 1-10 until scarf is desired length, BO loosely. Add fringe if desired.
And I made it in about 3 hours. It probably would have gone faster if my fingers weren't freezing off. XD
Note: I used acrylic needles for this project since the yarn is fairly slippery tape-style, and this helped keep everything in place while dropping stitches.
Enjoy!
Yarn: 1 ball Crystal Palace Yarns "Shimmer" 85% acrylic 14% nylon 90yrds/50gr in Indigo
Needles: US 10 1/2
Gauge: 16 sts/21 rows = 4" in stockinette st, but let's be honest here, it's a scarf. This isn't terribly important.
Finished size: 55" long, 3 1/2" wide
Cast on 14 sts: I prefer long-tail for a stretchy edge
Knit 2 rows in garter stitch
Row 3: *K1, YO, YO*, repeat until last st, K1
Row 4: *K1, drop YO loops*, repeat until last st, K1
Knit 4 rows garter stitch
Row 9: *K1, YO*, repeat until last st, K1
Row 10: *K1, drop YO loop*, repeat until last st, K1
Repeat Rows 1-10 until scarf is desired length, BO loosely. Add fringe if desired.
And I made it in about 3 hours. It probably would have gone faster if my fingers weren't freezing off. XD
Note: I used acrylic needles for this project since the yarn is fairly slippery tape-style, and this helped keep everything in place while dropping stitches.
Enjoy!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Kitchen Witchery!
Or, No One Is Hiring Anywhere And I Have Got To Make Use Of These Leftovers To Save Money:
Today, I'm making soup stock. Yesterday Em and I got a delicious dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant down the street (called, of course, Vietnam Restaurant), and because I decided to branch out from my usual meat roll vermicelli and try their duck I was left with a lot of, well, duck bones. And gristle, and skin with tons and tons of delicious duck fat. Also, Em didn't finish her vegetables. So I'm making soup stock today, and it smells HEAVENLY.
Not sure what I'm going to do with it at the moment, though I do have some leftover sauce and thin slices of barbecued pork and a ton of rice, so I'm thinking some sort of....Risotto/pilaf/jambalaya/what-have-you.
ETA: This is freaking delicious. Here's a halfassed recipe so I can remember for next time.
Today, I'm making soup stock. Yesterday Em and I got a delicious dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant down the street (called, of course, Vietnam Restaurant), and because I decided to branch out from my usual meat roll vermicelli and try their duck I was left with a lot of, well, duck bones. And gristle, and skin with tons and tons of delicious duck fat. Also, Em didn't finish her vegetables. So I'm making soup stock today, and it smells HEAVENLY.
Not sure what I'm going to do with it at the moment, though I do have some leftover sauce and thin slices of barbecued pork and a ton of rice, so I'm thinking some sort of....Risotto/pilaf/jambalaya/what-have-you.
ETA: This is freaking delicious. Here's a halfassed recipe so I can remember for next time.
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