Yarn diet!

Remember how I said I was going on a yarn diet after my trip to Scotland? (except for baby yarn....because there is none in the stash and there are babies to knit for) So I needed to share how well I'm doing. I almost cheated.....did you catch the almost? Saturday night, after a blissful day of spinning, I saw Wollemeise available at The Loopy Ewe. People go crazy for this yarn (sock yarn) absolutely crazy and I saw 13 colorways available.....they always sell out within a few hours.....if they last that long. I almost gave in.....but I have no guilt and am happy to report I have no Wollemeise. I don't know if it would live up to the hype, but the diet is going strong at the moment! Just thought you should know. :)

Of course...

....I'm knitting socks too! Can I ever not have a pair of socks on the needles? This is another pattern from Wendy Johnson's "Socks From the Toe Up." Love this book, if I haven't mentioned that before.

So far so good. Not the fastest pattern out there with cables and twisted stitches and all, but I'm loving these socks! and they have a heel flap! Yep! there it is!

A very different construction compared with top down heel flaps, but ends up the same! I just trusted Wendy and followed the directions to a t and they worked. I'm going to pay attention on the next sock to see how to modify it to be a deeper flap...me and my big feet prefer that...but I think that shouldn't be too hard! Enjoy the weekend! I'm off for some spinning fun Saturday and relaxing!

More baby knitting!

I'm not quite sure why school has seemed so stressful this week. It isn't like I'm taking tons of classes or teaching, but my routine has changed. I do best with a routine, I need it, it makes me happy. I'm still sorting out my routine right now. I guess it doesn't help that parking is crazy (no one is skipping classes yet....it will settle down in a couple of weeks)!

Here is some cuteness from the weekend. Knox climbed into DH's old backpack....now a gym bag....it smells....she didn't mind. She slept most of the afternoon there....occasionally getting up, stretching, and repositioning!

Here is my progress on the first baby blanket! I'm loving it, although it is slow going! I set up a rav page if you want more details. Oh and in case you are interested....I made a web page for myself last week (a necessity when going on the academic job market) you can view it here if you like!

Yikes it's been awhile!

I didn't mean to disappear from blogland again, but I am trying to get my priorities straight. You know, like why should I blog if I am not taking care of my family (cooking, cleaning) or so exhausted I don't want to go to Bible study let alone daily quiet time, or just out of check with the world I live in.

But I think I've gotten some balance! Things are good at home and my new office at school! Math is progressing, so now the blogging. Don't worry I have been knitting...it is a must for relaxation! I think I mentioned that I have some serious baby knitting to do (two maybe three different babies to knit for....not my own....just don't want rumors starting)

Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Cottonease (1 skein!)

Needles: US 8

Mods: Well the ribbing is supposed to be a little longer (3 cm more) but I ran out of yarn and thought it looked fine shorter so I just called it done. I made a simple crochet loop for the button instead of a snap!

I don't know if this is going to a girl or boy....but I thought it was a fun gender neutral color. Not the standard green/yellow but not blue enough to have to be on a boy :)

and then the perfect button! This is going to a friend....she knows me so well and knows my love of giraffes so I thought it would make her smile!

K1 Yarn Trunk show

While in Glasgow I had the great treat of visiting a trunk show at the local yarn store K1 Yarns! The knitting goddess came to showcase her gorgeous hand dying!! She was a sweetie too! Needless to say....all my birthday money is gone....and I'm on a yarn diet! (Except for some baby knitting which there is no yarn in the stash to accommodate.....not for me, but some dear friends)

100% silk, 4-ply....I think a heavy lace weight...700m....violets!

Sock yarn (BFL superwash) in pinks!

Sock yarn (BFL superwash) in sweetpea

100% cashmere, 25g of lace weight, 350m, in Scottish Thistle! (a nice souvenir!)
and there is more to show you....not from the trunk show, but regular merchandise from the LYS! :)

ps-today I feel human! Jet lag is finally going away. Allergies are causing me a little problem, but I can deal with that! So now I need to get to work!

No SSS Here!

In math world "SSS" is a test to see if two triangles are congruent (could the be stacked on each other and match up exactly). The SSS test says if the sides of two triangles measure the same then the triangles are congruent---Side-Side-Side.

In knitting world "SSS" means Single Sock Syndrome. A condition where knitters only knit one sock and fail to complete the other sock in a timely fashion if at all!

When I first started making socks I perceived this could be an area of weakness for me....and I knew the ever DH wouldn't be happy if he found out about it. And for the most part I have been disciplined and not let it happen.

But then there was the one sock I completed on my last trip to Scotland....that has sat lonely! and there was another socks that I had just finished and wasn't too eager to start the second one. So then I had to decide what knitting to take on my 3 week trip. Socks sound perfect...I could start a brand new pair!!!! Instead I took the singletons and made their matches. It wasn't excited, but it does feel good to have them done and now I can start a new pair guilt free.

Pattern: Leyburn by Mintyfresh (Socks #5)

Yarn: Lorna's Laces

Needles: US 1's dpn

Time: Mid February-Mid August :)

Mods: Yep....used more stitches (I think I had 69 around the foot) Then I increased as directed for the leg....I could tell I had too many stitches so I cheated and decreased a few stitches mid leg....which looks weird when you aren't wearing the socks, but who looks at them then.

I think part of the reason I had trouble finishing these is that they have short row heels and toes. They fit fine, but I don't enjoy making them that way. Now that I have Wendy Johnson's new book I know other ways and doubt I will do this construction again!

So on to the other pair (Socks #10) They are actually a test knit...and I really like them! I feel safe to post about them because she wanted us to make rav project pages! This was the first time I had done a test knit and it went well. I'm not totally sure I'm willing to do it often....so many things I want to make, but occasionally I like to help out!

Pattern: Cloverleaf Cables (I'll link in rav when the pattern becomes available)

Yarn: Opal that I got on my first Scotland trip

Needles: US 1.5 magic loop

Size: Medium

Mods: None. I'm not sure why I didn't want to start the second one either....not the fastest knit with the cables and all but I enjoyed it!

On a personal note...Jetlag and I are at war. I'm so thankful that when I fly east I'm okay....I have work and limited time....but flying west....oh my. For the day when I want to sleep at night time, wake at day time, not have a roaring headache!! You would think after several days I would be fine....maybe it is because I thrive on routine and have always had very regular sleep patterns....who knows, but I'm okay from 6 am-9 am. After that....it is a gamble. I'm going to try to work today (I tried Friday and fell asleep in the middle of it) and see how it goes.

Bicycle Ride

***warning: a little bit of a mathy post, with no fiber content...sorry...soon normal content will return***

So as I'm on the home stretch of visit #2 to Scotland (where my phd advisor now lives) I get to enjoy a "bike ride!"  Let me explain....

In mathematics (and most academic disciplines) there is a genealogy of sorts.  Your advisor is your parent so to speak.  Their advisor your grandparent.  Other students they advise your siblings.  So I am blessed to have an awesome advisor who happens to be a woman!  Not something I sought out, but cool none the less.  But it goes further I also have a mathematical grandma!  In a field very dominated by men in the past, I think this is rather cool!  

Saturday night my math mom told me the following about my mathematical grandma:  She says when she proves something, she always stops and goes on a bike ride to enjoy the moment.  She knows tomorrow there will be gaps to patch and new problems to solve, but she takes the time to savor the feeling of solving something with a bike ride. 

So at the end of this trip, I get a math bike ride!  Woohoo!  God has answered my prayers!