People think I’m insane

I pretty much spent the last two days doing… nothing. Well, nothing the rest of the world would deem particularly productive.

I did cook – and pretty splendidly so. I’d bought a rather large savoy cabbage (or at least that’s what I think it is in English – I’m referring to Wirsing) that I made half of into my favorite dish, with mince and béchamel sauce. The other half is still hanging around in the fridge, I’m not sure what I’ll do with that, but, eh. Then, today, I made beef broth from scratch, and added tons of veggies and tried my hand at marrow dumplings since I’d bought two marrow bones for the soup. So, yeah, I’ve been feeling a bit like an epicurean, and I’m loving it. I’ll make that soup again, just with fewer veggies.

Seriously, I bought marrow bones. I’m feeling like a 1950s housewife. Just a bit.

To offset that, when I wasn’t eating or cooking, I spent my time knitting – the endless Muir, which is up to I think 13 or 14 repeats. (Had I known how much time I’d spend on the bus in London, I’d’ve taken it with me. Lost opportunity there.) But it’s good TV knitting, which is just as well, since I’m developing new fandoms.

As if I need any more geekery in my life.

But I’ve started with Merlin (which is fantabulous) and I’m halfway through the first season of Supernatural, which is even better. Because there’s random pop culture and geekery, and awesome old music like Black Sabbath (who I stole this post’s title from), and demons galore. Big ol’ oil tanker full of nightmare fuel, but entertainingly so. Plus, even in the first season, they have this insane tendency to fanservice, which in later seasons (as far as I’ve seen) reaches almost ridiculous proportions. Awesome, I say.

And… it’s funny, but in a way, there’s a lot of parallels between Doctor Who and Supernatural. I mean, we have two people zooming from one place to another to solve mysteries and keep the apocalypse from happening. And making, let’s face it, somewhat morally dubious choices all over the place. Nevermind the whole money thing (credit card fraud vs. sonicing ATMs), or the brilliant taste in music. And very intimate relationships that don’t feature sex. Not that I’m opposed to that (and I do admit to having checked out naughty SPN fic on more than one occasion, to say nothing of DW), but it’s nice to have a dynamic that is subtly different from about any other dynamic on TV.

So, yeah.

Merlin, on the other hand, is just plain fun. I mean, come on. You’ve got a cute, gangly  and snarky Merlin, a bratty but sometimes surprisingly insightful Prince Arthur, you have Giles as King Uther, AND there’s some dragons and other mythical shit thrown in for good measure. Not to mention Gwenhyfar twisted into a rather likable servant girl to Morgana, and some pretty awesome guest stars. Like Eve Myles in the first episode, and that chick from the last DW Christmas Special as super-hot evil witch.

And obviously, because I’m back home and have access to a host of fabulous yarns… I’m dragging out sock yarn leftovers and knitting the Quant headband from what I didn’t use for these two pairs of socks, held together.

And let me tell ya – I’m having a blast with the entrelac. It’s kind of a scary concept, which is why I’d queued it more than a year and a half ago (Feb 13, 2008 to be precise) but never actually worked up the courage to start it. Well… it’s great. It’s a way to hone my mad knitting-backwards-English-style skillz, and it’s so entertaining! Cause you have tons of stitches on the needle (well, 18) but you only work a maximum of six at a time, and all these small squares are done in what feels like no time at all. And a couple of Supernatural episodes later, you’ve got yourself three quarters of a headband and a new knitting skill. Honestly, I can only recommend it. It’s not nearly as hard as it looks, though you do have to keep an eye on it, and it’s super-impressive. And the wrong side doesn’t really look as wonky as everyone keeps saying, either; I find it more intriguing. I’ll take pictures tomorrow, when there’s actual daylight.

Is it a monster?

I always felt like most of my projects have taught me something.

My first scarf taught me to knit. My first hat taught me to join carefully, without twisting, and for god’s sake double-check that. The teal hat taught me that thinking you know the right number of stitches to cast on can result in gorgeous accidents.

My fair isle fingerless mitts taught me the importance of tension. Different socks taught me different heels and toes, and the importance of casting off loosely when you’re doing toe-up. My shrug showed me there are things worth knitting through the night.

Christian’s pixie shoes taught me there is such a thing as too many bells. My first lace taught me to not follow patterns blindly, check what other people have to say about a project, and not worry too much if there’s one row doubled up by accident – nobody’s gonna notice in a shawl that size.

My ambitious Christmas projects attempted to teach me that you shouldn’t start in October if you want to have 11 pairs of socks by Christmas, but unfortunately failed to have any lasting impact. Likewise, the Sock Yarn Shawl failed to teach me to weave in ends as I go.

But no project, ever, has taught me the simple, exquisite joy of binding off after having plowed through 11 feet of garter stitch that are gonna end up even longer once I wash and steam it.

Sometimes it isn’t finesse or a particularly well-thought stitch pattern.

Sometimes it’s perseverance, and a good bit of old-fashioned stubbornness.

Of course, it helps if you’re really, really entertained by the stripes.

**

Edit from August 12, 2009: I just linked this post to all the Ravelry project pages mentioned in here, and it’s hilariously overreferenced. And I didn’t even link all Christmas projects, or all socks I have ever made.

Ya hear that? That’s the sound of dragon’s wings… no wait, it’s a fangirl

FAPFAPFAP!!!

Okay, I’m positively fapping, yes, fapping, over the Selbu Modern pattern (PDF link) for the last half hour or so, since I discovered it.

Fapfapfap…

It’s been a while since I’ve done Fair Isle, but man do I want to do this hat, and I wrote to the designer if 40g would be enough for the CC. Cause if it is, I’m totally making this from the leftover Drachenwolle, on an MC of black. And it’s gonna be GORGEOUS.

Except I have 8 3/4 pairs of socks to knit till Christmas, and that shawl, and the gloves. Either it’s Knitting ADD or just the temptation of too many shiny patterns and yarns and everything and too little time :P

ETA: She says she used about 25g of the CC… yessssssssssssssssssss!!!

A week in knitting

Well – the last week has been truly knittastic! I’ve barely done anything else I didn’t have to, which surprisingly enough does include swimming, shopping and cooking as well as bathroom breaks.

But. I made two pairs of Dashing mitts, one for myself and one for my sister’s birthday. I attempted to make a matching hat for my pair, but when I was almost done I realized that a) I had run out of yarn and b) that it was too small and I had to rip it back up anyway.

Then I started the Elf Socks a couple of times and ripped them up almost as often – in fact, I think I’ll frog the current attempt too.

Frogged the yellow hat as well, might start it again on bigger needles, though it’s getting a little chilly for a thin hat like that.

And – I started the Aerang Shawl. In the 5-ply Micro Bamboo Spray that I had lying around, except I bought 200 g more cause it was on sale? I was halfway through the first Chart 2 repeat when I realized I’d fucked the left side up and had to rip it apart again, but it was worth it. I started the  second Chart 2 repeat today and it’s starting to look pretty amazing.

TV was at the Strickcafe today, v. exciting. I blabbed something about how knitting used to be men’s work in 18th century Scotland and attempted to work a heel over the stitches of one needle, and generally had a blast.

Man, knitting! I get all jittery when I don’t have anything in my hands when I watch something, and believe me, I’ve watched a crapload. Including Seasons 3 and 4 of Queer as Folk.

Good lord.

First sock syndrome

I turned the heel on my Sun and Water sock (Firestarter pattern with handpainted yarn) about three weeks ago, I believe… and I’m so dissatisfied. It just doesn’t fit, any way I turn it. Plus the toe is kinda funky and short. But on the other hand, I don’t want to frog half a sock… :/ Especially since I wasted about an hour of precious, precious time with my LDR girlfriend winding that ball, and since it’s center pull, I’d have to rewind all of it, and… meh.

So I guess I’ll just thread some string through the stitches and let it rest for a while. I’m gonna start a hat in yellow sock yarn soonish, though I think 20cms would be better for that amount of stitches, so I could probably leave the knitpicks in there.

Sigh.

Hat! Hathathat!

I finished the teal hat today. This is my first project that was largely done in public, due to a very frustrating shoe shopping trip with my dainty-footed mother and sister. Sigh.

Any way, this hat doesn’t look anything like the Odessa hats I’ve made before, and I have no idea why. Although… I only CO 85 stitches instead of 110 cause the yarn was thicker. Maybe you’re supposed to use a number divisible by ten? Or eleven? (the decreases go in steps of eleven) Yeah, that might be it… oh well. It’s all pretty and girly though (not that the Odessa hat isn’t). The decrease looks like a star, or the sun, especially cause I felt I’d screwed them up so royally that for the last couple of rows, I ditched the pattern and decreased in stockinette. So… yay!

Plus, it looks pretty cool inside out, which is another advantage over the Odessa hat.

Honestly, I should make this into a pattern. There’s no copyright on stitch sequences.

Pictures? Pictures!

inside out

the crown

Mmmmh knitting

Seriously I knit too much. But not enough, obviously, since I have 4 1/2 WIPs at the moment: the kneesocks, two pairs of gloves, a scarf, and a hat I forgot I started about 4 months ago because it disappeared in my stash box, haha. And I want to do so much more… yes, practically all my money these days disappears in the hungry maws of my yarn store. Good thing I have my grandma’s box full of needles that I only had to add to with DPNs in several sizes, or I’d spend even more money I don’t really have. But knitting is addictive, and I already have thirty projects queued in my Ravelry notebook.