Mailer Daemon Unknown

Signed, sealed and delivered. Finally. 


On Thursday I stood in line at the post office to send my package of gifts including the Mixed Message Scarf for Eileen. After half an hour and a triple the size charge of what would have been 2-day delivery, I was told that the package would arrive the next day by 3 PM. GP would be leaving for Vermont on Sunday, so I left relaxed and feeling that everything should go fine.


Skip scene to Friday, 3:34 PM. I call GP to see if anything has arrived. He walks out to the mailbox, though he would have had to sign for the package. Mailbox empty. Though I'm annoyed that it is after 3PM and nothing has arrived, I feel secure in the fact that "Hey. It HAS to get there today, it's Express Shipping to Albany, NY. How long could it actually take?" 


Fast forward to Friday, 4:32PM. GP calls me starting off with "Those bastards!" I know it is either another rant on Walmart, or something has gone wrong with my package. Though GP was home all day, they decided that he wasn't home as there was no cars in the drive way. Never mind the fact that no one came up to the door, there were no footprints in the snow. No signs of any attempt to verify if anyone was home whatsoever. Just a "Sorry we missed you slip" in the mailbox across the street. Shoot!


But, thankfully today I get a call telling me that my fears may be calmed, as the gifts were received and much appreciated. And now that Eileen has gotten her gift, I can showcase the finished piece here: 

 

As my first adventure into the land of cables, I am rather enamored with them. Though it would not be approved of by Stafford, so I'll try to not go overboard with them.


A sidenote: I was on the subway two weeks ago, knitting the last leg of the scarf, when I noticed the a woman watching and half smiling from the corner of my eye. She continued to watch me until we hit 42nd Street--Times Square. I had put my knitting away just before we reached the stop. She walked toward the door to exit, but right before, she came over to me to commend me for my cable work. She said that it was such a delight to watch me make them. Though her mothered had tried to teach her how to make them, she never got the grasp of them. I thanked her and was left with a smile on my face as she got off the train.

Late Night

I should be asleep right now (I have work and a training to run tomorrow) but first I wanted to write up a quick post before I got to sleep.


I finished knitting, weaving in ends and steam blocking the scarf I've been working on. Feels great to have another finished piece, and it is definitely driving me to work on it even more. I'd go into why I enjoy knitting so much, but I just yawned again. (I know I'm tired cause  just wrote "yarned" instead of "yawned"). I'll be sure to muse and post photos tomorrow. I really need to get to sleep. All I need to do now is find a box to package it in and off it goes!


Good night, all.

Distractions

It's nearly the new year, and I've certainly not maintained this blog as much as I've wanted. And while I may feel cliche enough to try and make it a New Year's resolution, I think I'll skip it and just try and do better. Especially when I have a master who looks like this:

How hard can it be? Then again, It might be yet another reason to do nothing...

More knitting-related distractions:

I have still not finished the gift I started working on nearly a month ago. While earlier this year it felt like I had no time, currently it's more like a lack of discipline when I do have time. I succumb very easily to new videos I get to watch (lately it's been a marathon of Sex and the City followed by Disney movies) and so I choose to watch instead of pulling out my knitting on the subway, during my lunch break or once I get home. Perhaps that iPod Touch was not such a good idea...

And then there is the newest addition to my satchel arsenal:

I received it as a gift for my birthday this past weekend from my friend, Stevie. I believe that she purchased it at a holiday market they do in several locations in the city. This one in particular most likely came from the one in Union Square, where I have always drooled over their wares, but never bought any as they tend to be very out of my volunteer salary. But as I am a "bag whore" as Stevie refers to it, she knew I would love it. Which I do.

Only one problem (which brings us to the next distraction): It is a bit small to carry around knitting in. Any of my bigger knitting projects are out of the question. However, it is just the right size to bring about my newest book purchase:

A fellow knitter friend of mine suggested this book to me. After reading the intro- duction online, I couldn't help but go and pick it up from the closest store that had it in stock. I haven't gotten to far, so I'll have to post my thoughts on it later, but I think I may have found my self a mistress. And this one comes with a riding crop from what I've read.

Lessons in Cables

I've been working on Lion Brand's Mixed Message Scarf for a few days. It's the first time I've ever followed a pattern that wasn't just ions of stockinette, or just doing a garter stitch. And this is what I've learned (so far):

1) Following a pattern can be easy. Despite that it is my first time ever doing a pattern of this level, I must say that it is fairly easy to follow. Now, that may depend on one's ability to adapt, but so far I've gone along without too many tribulations.

2) Reading patterns on the subway is not easy. Perhaps one day, I will be the sort of knitter that can memorize a pattern and simply knit from memory. Until that day comes though, it will prove for some interesting subway rides with a lot of juggling and stitch-by-stitch progress.

3) Cables really do afford a lot of bang for very little work. I've always admired cables in knitted items, and almost find the idea of cables alone synonymous with knitwear. I was incredibly nervous about it at first, but it has proven to be pretty quick to pick up. It makes me want to learn how they truly work and master them.

4) How to go back in my work. I've had to undo one particular section, and seemed to start up again on the wrong row. This led to a longer than necessary cable, and since I am quickly becoming a Type A knitter (sorry Harlot) to me frogging back to before the mistake existed. Of course, this is what caused the problem to begin with. My boyfriend has been kind enough to deal with me as I talk to myself wondering "How could I have gone wrong with this? I know I did a knit there, so why does it look like a purl?" Hopefully he doesn't have me committed. Or worse, take my knitting away.

5) Velcro is your enemy. Though I'm sure the statement to anyone reading this must make sense immediately, let me explain my particular situation. I purposefully bought an extra-large sized messenger bag for when I'm working on my knitting. Between all the yarn, needles, other tools, my books, work-related items of the week, etc., it was just getting to crowded in my original messenger bag. However, with the new bag came not two, but four Velcro strips to keep it shut. And while I find those strips handy when wanting the enormous thing to remain closed, it is not very helpful when my yarn attaches itself to one of the higher strips.

Kindle Kover

As I mentioned before, knitting has been on a sort of a hiatus for the past couple of months. Between work and figuring out what it is that I would be doing after this year, there hasn’t been much time to do anything that takes real attention. I’ve resorted mostly to watching videos on my iPod Touch. I’m working on remedying that. I don’t want knitting to go down the same road that my reading has.

And this past Thanksgiving break may have just given me the recharge that I needed. Wanting a project to work on while I was visiting friends in Albany, I picked up a skein of Vanna’s Choice while shopping around and decided to make a cover for my beloved Kindle. And though to many knitters it would seem like something very simple, for me it was quite a step as I didn’t follow a pattern nor have I done anything other than a swatch in the round.

I started our by creating a swatch (yes Ms Stoller, I paid attention) and then calculated how many stitches it would take to cover both sides of my Kindle (thanks for reminding me that there are two sides to be covered Eileen). And then I started knitting in a rib stitch in the round. And two days later (possibly my quickest project ever) we have the piece below.

Kindle Kover:
























I thought of it sort of like the larger version of the iPod socks I've seen before. I'm rather pleased with how it came out. Now for the next knitting project.

Knitting Hiatus

Unfortunately I've taken a sort of involuntary hiatus from knitting. It's been two months now since I've updated this blog, and about as long since I've actively worked on a knitting project. Work and planning for the future has made this necessary to an extent.

But, the cold is setting in and hopefully I'll change my fingers' impending atropy. To anyone out there: wish me luck.

Delivery

Sorry for my non-presence lately. Though I've been keeping ties to the knitting world as of late, I haven't been doing a very good job of updating. Between starting the new job, having my boyfriend move in and just adjusting to everything, sitting down to type a entry just hasn't been something I could get off the list. A thing I really must remedy for the future.

I was finally able to give G the Big Bad Baby Blanket last night! Between her birthday, getting off maternity leave and going back to the office, it took awhile before we could actually set up a meeting for me to present the BBBB to her. On my way to meet her I was just so excited that I stopped by JAM to buy a box for it. When I finally got the chance to give her the dark red box after dinner, she seemed really pleased with it, which in turn made me even more happy. My second project completed and delivered. These are the moments that may very well become one of the reasons why I will continue to knit.

I enjoy the process of starting a piece (from shopping for the right yarn to casting on the first set of stitches), actually working on it, completing it and then giving it to someone. While I don't think I'll ever be a process knitter (at least I hope not to have a lot of UFOs lying about), and I don't think I'll ever knit too much for myself (eliminating some of the product part) I do know that I will continue to do this, and hopefully continue my plans of branching out into other textile arts.

However, here I sit with no project to speak of for the upcoming subway ride, and nothing that I'll be able to take with me to Men's Knit Night. We'll have to remedy that by the end of the day tomorrow.