Sakura of DOOM

And now I am not behind anymore!

Anyway, thistleingrey requested "knitting," which seemed to logically follow from the previous post on sheep.

I learned how to knit when I was fairly young, maybe around 8 or 9 years old? My cousin's grandmother (the one not related to me) taught me how to cast on, knit, and purl, although I didn't know the terms of any of it, so all I could do was knit long swatches of stockinette that inevitably curled in on itself. I made up my own method for casting off by just stringing yarn through the final loops and tying a knot; learning how to actually do it was nice! I also figured out that you could alternate knit and purl to make patterns, and I figured out the hard way that you had to change the yarn from the front of the needle to the back or vice versa if you wanted to switch between knit and purl.

I more officially learned how to knit around 2004 or 2005, when my sister was knitting a simple garter stitch scarf and I decided to grab it from her to see if I still remembered how to do it. I then found Stitch n' Bitch and learned that there were things like needle sizes, different weights of yarn, and etc. It was kind of mind-boggling! I gave myself a little time to learn how to increase and decrease, and then I decided to jump right into lace.

I have discovered that I'm better with small projects that give me a chance of finishing; I've actually finished knitting all the pieces of a top, but I've yet to seam them. Scarves are best for knitting with TV with subtitles, and I love socks because there's enough variation to be interesting (sometimes scarves just... never end). I would knit tons and tons of hats except I don't actually wear them. I love how many hats you can make with a fairly minimal amount of yarn, and like socks, there's enough variation to be interesting, especially the crown. I also love love love knitting lace; making a pattern and watching it grow row by row is so satisfying. Of course, getting it wrong and having to tink five rows of sticky mohair or wool is WORST.

I am terrible at gauge and swatching. Of course, this always ends up biting me in the ass when I have to knit up the top of a sock five billion times so the multicolored yarn doesn't pool unattractively, but at least undoing rows of sock is much less annoying than anything bigger. But that's also why hats and scarves and socks are my go to. I also usually enjoy troubleshooting knitting unless something has gone dramatically wrong (see: tinking over five rows of sticky mohair) and I'm not particularly afraid of messing up knitting. I didn't think that was odd until I was in some knitting circles and taught other people to knit; I think having to knit by myself as a kid basically forced me to not be scared of mucking around with the yarn and stitches.

Despite all this, I don't think I've finished any knitting for a couple of years now =(. I blame grad school? I wanted to knit a fancy lace shawl for my sister for her wedding, and then hopefully for her first year anniversary. Now I am just hoping I finish.

Maybe this will actually inspire me to start again! So far, I have the fancy lace shawl, a half finished pair of socks, colorwork mittens, another shawl, and probably a lot of other things I don't even remember any more. I'm a little wary of going back to the socks and mittens, since my gauge has probably changed, and then I'll have to tear them out and start over. Ugh.

There's something about making something tangible when I spend so much time in the digital world, and I kind of miss having something to do with my hands.

It's been forever since I've knit! Last year school was basically too busy, and I just got out of the habit during the summer. But then I finished the socks I started at Wiscon, started a baby hat for my high school teacher, and proceeded to cast on a billion projects.

Well, two socks. But it still feels like a lot!

And now, I have started a Fair Isle tam! OMG people! I have avoided doing it for years after promising my sister one because I was scared of stranded knitting, but it is much easier than I thought! I feel so accomplished! Exclamation point!

Of course, I am sure I will discover in a few rows that my gauge is completely wrong, that I am pulling too tight on the strands, and that I'm holding the yarn wrong or something. But right now, I AM DOING STRANDED KNITTING!

(Also, 1x1 rib in stranded knitting? Sucks!)

• desdenova has started to watch Damo! Whoo! I pet my shiny new obsession and beam as it spreads. Come on, people, make me feel better -- who else is out there watching kdramas?
  
  My current kdrama sources are meganbmoore, shewhohashope, rilina, vonnie_k, The Stack, Dramabeans, and of course d-addicts for information.


• For the other Sekrit LJ Smith fans out there, shewhohashope pointed me at this. New short stories! And a promise that Strange Fate is not dead yet.


• I'm not blogging about elections because most of the press surrounding them make me blow my top. Also, I assume everyone's already reading delux_vivens, but for those who aren't, she has been posting a lot of articles and links about Obama and race.


• Via rilina, who already highlighted Asia Pacific Arts' best music of 2007: best Asian films, best Asian-American films (I really want to see Munyurangabo now), best wordsmiths, and top 10 places to see Asian films in CA (most in Bay Area and LA). I'm just sad there aren't more in Bay Area and even more jealous of rachelmanija and her LA-ness.


• I've long been frustrated by the lack of visibility of non-East-Asian knitters of color in the knit blogosphere -- I'm sure POC knitters are there, but their blogs and designs and culture definitely get much less focus if they're not East Asian. So I was delighted when SistahCraft pointed out Black Purl Magazine and its venture into the print world.


• And David Welsh gives a wonderfully snarky tip sheet for journalists writing about women in comics. I hope they read it and actually listen.

I tend to forget that people don't read my mind and instantly realize what I'm reading; is anyone interested in knowing my blogroll? Also, since I can't telepathically figure out what you guys are reading, what are some of your favorite blogs?

I spam LJ today!

I found the SD card I thought I had lost, and so I have some old pictures, plus new ones of the rats and knitting.

( Giant food pics )

( Giant knitting pics )

( Giant rat pics )

Alas, no rats knitting.

( Knitting and rats )


( LA trip pictures! )

Wow, I feel like it's been a while since I've posted picture spam. Part of it is because I took some pictures, and then lost the memory card. ARGH.

Anyway, I actually finished some knitting!

( Knitting )

And here are some random dorky rat pictures.

( Rats )

Yaaay! I have finished the knitting part of rachelmanija's tatami kimono!

It still must be blocked and seamed, which may take a while, but the knitting part is done! I think that took roughly two-and-a-half months, since I didn't get the pattern till mid-April.

Pictures to come.

So, octopedingenue, I think you're next in line. Let me know if you're still interested, and if so, what size you think you are and what yarn you want. There are some suggested yarns and prices in the original post.

I missed swing again last night because I fell asleep in the bathtub with the rats. I awoke to panic -- there were two furry lumps huddled next to my feet, but where was the third? After depositing Bya and Ren back in the cage, I went around in what is now routine inspection, checking cables and cords and every nook and cranny I could think of.

Ru finally poked his little head out. I think he had been sleeping under my yarn stash, as he emerged from that corner of the closet. I am beginning to suspect that the Yarn Harlot is right about wool fumes, although I doubt she knew that they had effects on certain rats as well!

Thankfully, no yarn seemed to be harmed by this excursion.

Also, I am going to be in NYC for July 4! Whoo! Knitters and/or dancers of NY: where should I go? What yarn stores should I visit? What good lindy hop clubs are there?

Also also, I found some very old diary entries from my trip to Florence and Rome back in 2004. Would anyone be interested in reading them if I typed them up?

Not that I was gone long...

I finally went to my library knitting group on Friday, whereupon I learned that Saturday was Worldwide Knit in Public Day. (I am guessing that like so many worldwide and international things, this one is largely "worldwide" in America? Have not seen many knitting blog posts to the contrary.) And I actually went and knit in public with a local yarn store group (ok, largely because it meant I got a discount at said yarn store, and possibly that means I have increased my stash again, but I will not admit that).

And I ventured out to the farmer's market! The peaches are getting sweeter, so I bought some, and I got cherries and peas and white corn (!! finally out!) and blueberries, which are sadly nearing the end of their season. This farmer's market is smaller than my usual one, but it was still nice.

Then I headed up to visit sophia_helix, watched many, many episodes of Honey and Clover, knit a lot, and admired her many socks. And now, I think I shall collapse like Nomiya because my eyes hurt from the TV watching and from concentrating on the road.

Also, apparently I missed another fannish kerfuffle, but I am ok with that.