ARDIRI

Slowly coming back to life (my life!).

Big, rather new, life-pattern observed (two years strong now): Whenever a new school year starts (a la teacher-mode), I sort of lose part of myself to teaching.  I pretty much stop doing any thing crafty (no knitting, no sewing, no weird bursts of creativity), and I disengage from the internet (reading, commenting, communicating).  Finally, when things slow down and settle in at school, I burst from my cocoon like a metaphorical moth starving for connection and creativity. And now, I sew (ha-ha!) want to make this and this!  Mellow yellow, sugar!  I am more likely to make the quilt as I am in a nesting mood as of late.

I am actually knitting the Felicity Hat right this moment in Cash Vero (Charcoal grey color 29, Lot 3887).  OK, so I am not exactly knitting  right this moment, but in little spurts between typing and drooling over the pretty things I see on the internet. 

Thinking ahead, I see myself knitting up at least one little cap for the Save the Children's "Knit One, Save One" campaign (postmark due date December 31, 2008).  Two years ago, I managed to crank out 7, but at that time I was commuting on the BART a lot.  I have decided to let go and to be content with just one.

And--OMG!--there are only 9 days left till THE   ELECTION! 

Squares & Rectangles

And in another Homer Simpson-ish moment, I made five squares for the Hokie Healing project, but failed to fully read the directions which instruct the knitter to make squares in the following colors: "Maroon, Burnt Orange, White, Black".  DOH!  I made the following:

Luckily, one of them--the one that sort of has all the colors they requested--fits the bill and has been sent off to the Hokie Healing project.  The other four squares have been sent off to the students at the Kentucky Country Day School's Stitch for a Cause.

I made one last neckwarmer for the Dulaan Project out of some Rowan Biggie yarn.  Lemme tell you--Rowan Biggie does NOT want to be hand-painted or hand-dyed!  It simply turns into chunky dreadlocked yarn.  I literally had to give it a human hair conditioner bath to soften it up and to separate some of the pieces from each other!  Anyhoo, here's the third neckwarmer that is in the mail headed towards the folks running the Dulaan Project:

Up next:

• Knitting--Finish up a teacher's gift for a teacher I've had for a two semester long course and return to working on the Fitted Knits Boatneck Bluebell Sweater.
• A Book Review Post!
• Responding to all the wonderful comments you, dear readers, have left here at HollYarns.
• Major, massive, grade-defining final projects due on the 15th and 24th of May!
• PACK! PACK! PACK!  I am moving in eleven--oh, shit, just 11?--days!

Donations for the Dulaan Project

I've knit two kid-size neckwarmers (which also fit adults, as you can see) for the Dulaan Project.  Here's one:

It also fits cats!  Here's Mamoko modeling the above scarf:

This one is a little mismatchy since I ran out of yarn, but the mismatchiness isn't as obvious in in person:

And yes, we have more obligatory cat photos--POST-BATH!  The Shame, the SHAME I say, for a kitty to be captured in such a state!  And Zoe would like to express her complete dismay and disgust at being photographed post-bath (Truthfully, I just caught her in the midst of cleaning herself; she is not possessed by Mephistopheles.  She's also not angry about the bath.  Unlike Mamoko, Zoe's one chill-kitty when it comes to bathtime and puts up no fight at all.):

Mamoko bathing himself post-bath, trying to reclaim his kitty dignity:

A Blankie for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive!!!

Cathy Westbury--who appears to be blogless and hails from Colorado--sent in this LOVELY blanket for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive:

Zoe would like everyone to know that she does NOT have a big butt and she is not a running-back for football, despite those huge shoulders,  and that it's all about perspective in getting a nice, slenderizing picture.  And dammit, she doesn't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a modeling shoot and she really just wanted to smell the fresh air, not take photos, thank you!

Up next--an update on the AWESOME final package--the BIG reveal--I received from my Sockret Pal,  Hope, of the blog Procrastinknitter.

Also, I've made two little neckwarmers for The Dulaan Project

Finally, there's another group who needs 8x8 inch squares--Hokie Healing--for the families of the victims of the VA Tech shooting.  I shall definitely be making at least two.

Up Next--The Dulaan Project

In my quest to bust my stash and to quell my ever-present guilty feelings of being a selfish knitter (mainly 'cause all of my projects are for myself, hardly ever for friends or family),  I am constantly on the lookout for charity knitting projects...

So up next is the Dulaan Project: Knitting to Warm Mongolia (packages must arrive by the deadline of July 1st).   

 

Lookout Mongolia, here comes some warm beanies and neck gaiters!

Knitting and a Dash of Cuddly-Cat-Cuteness

• I finished two squares for Betty's Blanket and am tempted to make more just to improve my ability to make 8inx8in squares--seriously!  I swear it took me three times to redo the tan square to actually make it a square and a square of the right size.  I am a knitting goofus-doofus! 

• No pictures of the Peekaboo mittens just yet, as I still have to finish the thumb on one.

• If you have extra yarn you don't need, you can send it to the non-profit organization Warm Woolies.  I am sending a big ol' bag as I am going to be moving soon and need to get rid of some excess yarn that is giving me guilt trips every time I look in my yarn stash.

• Here's the final pics of the 4 caps and 2 vests I sent off to Afghans for Afghans:

• And here's Zoe and Mamoko being utterly cuddle-liscious on a cold spring day:

Just in case...

Just in case you were worried that this was turning solely into a running blog, here's some knitting (and other fiber crafts) to prove otherwise:

One 8inx8in finished square for Betty's Blanket hosted and sewn-up by Noolie:

And the start of the Bluebell Boatneck Sweater from Fitted Knits:

(I am using Cascade 220 "The Heathers" in color 9448)

And 9 pieces of fabric cut for blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive (which also need me to cut 9 accompanying pieces of batting, and do all the sewing and finishing).  My personal goal for sewn blankies (made by me)  for Cyrano's drive is 50 total (at least!), plus whatever I can knit up.  These 9 will bring me to 37 thus far:

At long last--some knitting!

I finally finished the Sunflower Tam from Knitting Nature. 

Verdict: I look like a COMPLETE DORK in it. 

Therefore, it will either be going to a zen-full classmate that I really respect and admire from my Tuesday night class (and who happens to look gorgeous in berets and tams) or off to Afghanistan, Russia, or some other cold place that needs warm hats.

Here's a pic of it in progress during yesterday's rainy afternoon:

And here it is all finished (with lots of mistakes and a complete abandonment of the pattern near the center after I tried it on and realized I looked like a total goober nut in it):

And here's a square that is 6inX6.5in for Betty's Blanket that Noolie is collecting squares for:

The woman for whom this blanket is being made is suffering from multiple myelomas and thus could use soft, 8inX8in squares of yarn (washable or not) that will be sewn into a blanket by Noolie.  I will have to log cabin on some coordinating yarn to make an 8X8 square as I ran out of yarn to finish this one up.  The colorway is my own; one of my original Kool-Aid dyeing experiments made most likely with black cherry and grape flavors--always winners, IMO, whether for dyeing or drinking.  [Thanks goes out to Debby of She Knits by the Seashore for the heads-up on this charity knitting project!]

Now, I'm off for a four mile run, which will be followed by a in-the-shower meditation on my sanity ;-) !  And then trips to the library, Joanns, and Trader Joes (for nutritious, good eats) with my friend B.

Hello, there!

Just wanted to drop a line and say: "Hello, there!" 

Super busy playing catch-up with school and working after being so sick for too long.  Picked up three new students for tutoring whom I absolutely adore; they are all very studious and determined to improve their written and conversational English skills (they are all three each spending a year here in America as "exchange students*" from Korea).  Thus, yesterday, I worked a straight 7.5 hours with no break or lunch!  Mucho, mucho worn out!

Point is: I have so many people I want to visit at their blogs and re-delurk (I primarily went into lurking-mode while sick).  And soon, I shall.

I also want to do a quick photo/word "tutorial" on how I made my simple blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive.  I am hoping to do that tomorrow or Saturday. 

Then I promised a friend who happens to be a community college professor that I'd help grade her 90+  finals papers on Sunday.

Oh, and substitute half-day tomorrow as well as attend a party Saturday night at some hotel an hour or so away for one of John's relatives.

And there is YARN! coming in the mail!    Yippee! I ordered some yarn from Elann (in Milk Chocolate) to make the Roundabout Leaf Tank from Knitting Nature (I so hope it works as a good yarn substitution--eek!).

Finally, I have 4 beanies and 2 sweater vests that need to be photographed and sent to the Afghans for Afghans charity drive.

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

*As for "exchange students"--they are not what one would label traditionally as "exchange students" as they come here for a year with either one or both of their parents rather than living with an "American Family".  In my experience, this is very common for Korean students and their families.

My Fat Albert Cap

Here's my pre-felted "Feltie Chapeau" from Minnies:

It so reminds me of the character, from the cartoon Fat Albert, who wears a big ol' beanie with eye holes:

It could also be called 1920's sorta-cloche-ish, but I am not a milliner so don't hold me to that label:

No matter what it looks like now, hopefully it will work as a kid's or toddler's hat post-felting.  If it works out, it'll be going to Afghanistan for the Afghans for Afghans Charity Drive.

(All apologies for the sloppy, blurry pics!)