Checking in

Not a long entry but checking in to let you know that I'm still living. I got my honours thesis handed in on Thursday even if it nearly killed me to do so. Wrote my first exam today and will continue to write them into next week.
In stolen moments and a Jenna day post thesis handing in I did some of the following knitting:

Monkey socks made out of Yarntini in the Sangria colourway. I've had this wound for casting on since probably back in December, atleast. Now I can finally have them. The knitting is going really quickly. The pattern is just so easy to get into the knitting zone with.
Then there's the baby bib that I've been saying that I wanted to try. And yes, I made it from the Mason Dixon knitting book, the baby bib of love I believe it's called. Super cute, just perfect for baby J.

There's also been a small project for my Ravelry college knitters swap. It's not a secret swap so I best not be saying what it is or posting pictures. Though I will say that I've never knit it before and that I wound up like two rows short of yarn and had to go back to the yarn store today to buy a new skein. (Funny story too, I walk in to the yarn store and right in front of me is my department head at the university with another professor. She convinced him to let her stop on their way to lunch. It was fun, we gabbed about knitting. But I told the dept. head that he was definitely the last person I ever expected to see in the yarn store, weird. Math is everywhere I tell you!)
Oh, and work continues on the bunting. It will be finished in good course for the first week of May as long as the mother doesn't go into labour too early but I've been lucky so far. Wish me luck getting through these last few weeks so that I can get back to posting and finishing VIP knitting projects.

I heart committee 177

Well, if it hasn't been a week of good news mixed in with my sleepless nights of work filled delirium! I am alive and many big things have been happening for me. First:
My Sock It To Me Twice socks swaps socks arrived:

They are super cute fraternal self patterning socks in all of my favourite colours! I totally love them. My wonderful partner this whole time has been CynicalKnittingGal a.k.a. AJ. Thank you very much AJ! I'm not too sure what the yarn is so perhaps you could let us know? :) Misty also sends her approval. No word from my downstream pal yet so I assume she hasn't received the socks yet. I'll keep you posted!
Next, I got some of the best news I've ever been given and just at the right time when I need that extra bit of motivation to get through what will be a brutal last two weeks of term:


I *heart* committee 177! I received my NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship for my masters degree, woo hoo!!!! I'm all set for grad school. It's worth $17,500 and is renewable for a second year pending continued academic performance and no sudden slashes to the budget. Hooray! You should have seen me jumping up and down and screaming on Thursday when this arrived. The poor kitties were terrified :)
On the knitting front I am almost done one half of the front of the baby bunting so that's well on its way for the due date of early May. Last night I was over at my friend Corey's house for a craft night and decided to make some baby socks from Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby. Now, the troubles just knew no end. I somehow didn't realize the socks were supposed to be knit flat and then seamed down the center of the foot and up the back. So when I started purling on top of knit stitches when the picture clearly was in stockinette I knew that was a sign something was wrong. So I ripped it and decided to modify the sock to knit in the round as I hate seaming and don't think babies really want seams on the bottoms of their feet. I keep knitting, cabled three cables in the wrong direction which results in ripping. Then in the picture, it has the top of the socks rolled over with the pattern facing outward. As I knit them in the round, I suddenly realized several repeats after where you roll it, that my sock would be inside out if rolled. Ripped the extra repeats and decided mine would be an unrolled top so fewer repeats. Did the heel, only it came out funny with all the decreases straight across. So I ripped, started again modifying the heel when I realized that the seam was down the middle so those direction were for only half the heel. Rip back the heel flap to double the number of stitches. This time I modify the heel for the appropriate number of stitches but realize I failed to do the heel flap. Rip again. Knit the heel flap, knit the heel and then the rest of the sock was easy sailing. 5 hours later I had accomplished a single baby sock:

Now it's a very pretty sock except one thing. I have no idea what planet Debbie Bliss lives on but there's no way these would ever fit a 3-6 month old. And before anyone starts shouting gauge at me, I was getting 6.5 stitches to the inch, the gauge in the pattern was 5.5 stitches to the inch so I was actually knitting at a tighter gauge and came up with smaller socks that the pattern called for (and yes, I took off two stitches to allow for the fact that I eliminated the seam). So, I don't quite know what to do. I will steal a baby at the university on Monday and see how terribly off these are but I'm guessing the answer is... very. *sigh* Do I really need my knits revolting on me right now?

1,2,3,4,5,6 SWITCH!

So, if anyone wants to start taking bets on when I fall asleep mid walk, now would be a good time to start :) If there's been no blogging here, it's because there's been no sleeping either. Usually 4 hours a night if I'm lucky for a good two weeks now. There is just that much work to do between now and the last day of classes April 4th. I could work 24/7 and I'm having my doubts that all would get done. But I will persevere. I may die trying, but I'll try none the less!
Whilst I wait for my baking for the bake sale to cook so that I can go to bed, here is what's been going on in the very rare stolen moments:
1) I finished my Sock It To Me Twice swap socks and they've been mailed off. I love them to death and wish they were mine but alas, it's just not meant to be. They're too big for me anyways. I love how they turned out and cannot wait for my partner to get them. Pretty no?

I have also been getting tempted by Robyn on her blog. Last week she kept talking about cucumber sandwhiches which happen to be a great love of mine. I always feel posh and English when I eat them, like I'm straight out of "The Importance of Being Earnest". Now having no time myself to go to the store, I did convince the parents to pick up the cucumber and creme cheese for me. Here's proof I did feed myself at some point last week (ignore the horrid cutting job, the bread wasn't anything near what I'd consider fresh):

And as a little day brightener, I got a little present about two weeks ago from my knitting partner in crime from the university Julie. I adore it

Awwww!
Well, I hope that you are all having a better time no going crazy than I am. I will return with more frequent content and some sanity come the end of the month, until then, excuse the sporadicness of my posting.

Presents!

I've been bad. Last week was reading week and I got so bogged down in work that I didn't get to post about the lovely presents that found their way to my doorstep!

My Sock It To Me Twice pal sent my these lovely gifties as a Valentines Day gift. There was stationary, cute kitty kleenex, candy hearts, pens, body lotion and unpictured is yummy chocolate and another tape measure (good thing, I lose them like crazy!). It was just the perfect pick me up gift in the middle of a crazy week. Thank you!!!!
Plus I've also received word that my socks are done, eek! Thanks so much pal, can't wait to see them!

Thinking to spring

As I get bogged down in two promises of socks (though I have nothing but warm and fuzzy feelings for the recipients and do wish to finish them), I can't help but let my mind wander to the projects that I want to get accomplished once those are done. Come mid-April I will actually have real time to myself and all my knitting can get restarted in earnest again (it was confirmed unofficially Friday that I got my summer research grant so I'm secure in my day job for the summer, hooray!). Here's what's in the plans for post sock finishing:
1) Baby bunting for my supervisor's baby-to-be which I have blogged about before. I'm about 1/3 of the way done right now but not touching it again until all is out of the way.
2) Baby bibs. I found another friend having a baby and a growing stash of discloth cotton so I'll be making her some bibs and a few test bib's for Baby J who received the cabled baby blanket.
3)A Baby Surprise Jacket. Seeing all the crazy pictures of its construction I'm dying to try it out so I bought a kit for it from Blue Moon Fibre Arts. The colours are for a girl so hopefully one of the two upcoming babies will be a little girl to wear it. Isn't the yarn too cute?

4) Next socks on my list to make are some Monkeys from Yarntini in "Sangria"

5) Embossed leaves in some newly acquired Socks That Rock (You really didn't think I couldn't order from them and not get any STR did you?) in the Backstabber colourway

6) Finish the mystery stole from last summer (oops!)
7) The start of a long term mitered square blanket project
Hopefully that will be keeping me occupied for a while. I'm sure there will be many other socks and various sundry baby things thrown out but it keeps me with something to look forward to as an incentive to finish the two gift socks. Wish me luck!

Happy V-Day!

If there wasn't an odder holiday than Valentine's Day... After elementary school it falls off the radar, and then once you're old enough that you celebrate it again most people are either cynical of relationships or the commericalization of the holiday. And I'm sure not many of us have all that many memories of making Valentine's as children. So it might have been a challenge to do this week's contest for the Sock It To Me Twice Swap, share a memorable Valentine's Day memory. As far as the actual day is concerned, I have a very vague memory of being in elementary school and not remembering who I'd already given cards to which hardly counts, and since then I only remember one Valentine's Day. But it would happen to be one of the dearest memories I hold.
5 years ago I was a senior in high school. Valentine's Day was coming up in several weeks and I was tired of not being able to celebrate it. No boyfriends to speak of yet at that point so celebrating from that vantage point was a lost cause. So I decided to reclaim from the vantage point of my childhood. For several weeks leading up to the holiday I was hyping it like crazy. Reminding people about the holiday on a pretty much daily basis and cooking up schemes for a big celebration, most of which revolved around my french teacher Mr. A.
Now, you have to understand what a soft spot we had for him. I doubt there was a teacher that spent more time looking out for us than him. He was also our IB co-ordinator, grad committee advisor and fashion show advisor. We were constantly in his room. And we were a class of all girls except one guy. He was by far our favourite teacher. But he always liked to play this rough tough persona about hating holidays (every Christmas he'd hang a Santa by its neck from his cieling, I always said it wasn't really Christmas until it was up), so let's not get started about what he had to say about Valentine's Day.
A few days before the holiday a whole group of my friends and I got together and we made tons of decorations. Lots of cut out hearts, a heart mobile, everything bright pink and red. And all the hearts had ridiculous sayings like "Big IB thinks you're sexy" "Nothing says I love you like Monopoly". The night before V-Day we got a janitor to let us in to his room and we plastered it with decorations, heart confetti, candy hearts, you name it, we put it up. And the doorway into his room we hung heart garland all around it.
The next day on Valentines, I wore the brightest pink dress that you could possibly imagine and my tiara (which still holds a special spot in my heart). I brought all sorts of hershey's kisses to school. My friends all brought the kids Valentine's Day cards. We were giving them out all over the school.
But it was absolutely priceless on the way to first period walking by Mr A's room on my way to first period. Every day he stood in that hallway, perfectly straight, arms crossed on his chest. But that day he was surrounded by so much pink. I can only imagine what the students not in on it thought. Ofcourse it didn't take long for it to be pinpointed on me :) Then when we had french later that day, we walked into the room and announced to him that we were going to have a Valentine's Day party. We had drinks, baking, cd player, music, etc... and just started setting up. And I have to say that it's a true testament to the fondness that he had for our class that he didn't say a word and let us take over whatever class he had planned for us and let us have our party on what's probably his least favourite day of the year. We danced and danced to the cheesiest music. Best Valentine's Day party ever.
One of the best days I've had. The next day, I even had a different teacher pull me aside after class and thank me for what I did on Valentine's Day. We created a real celebration and different mood all throughout the school. This over commercialized, whatever holiday, took on something new that year. It was about fun and friendship and smiles.
And to this day, when I go to visit Mr A, he still has several of the hearts we made around his room, including one on his computer on his desk. I think that we perhaps gave him just as memorable of a Valentine's Day too...

Really, still alive

This is horrible! I haven't even posted this month. This is perhaps because I've been sucked back into the swamp vortex that is the end of the year stretch. Two months left of courses before I'm done my degrees. And the way I see it, I pretty much have to spend every remaining waking hour working if I want to get everything done that needs to be :) No pressure or anything...
There has been a bit of knitting going on. I was able to tick all that kitchenering off of my to do list since the last post. And my dad's first sock is done with the second one cast on the needles. (Though I fear the second will languish until April, oops). You can take a peek at the non woven in ends

(Julie, they almost fit the sock blocker but are a touch too big. Then again, my dad has smaller feet so that might not be the best indication)
I also got around to biting the bullet and finishing the mitt I cast on for months and months ago. It's super warm made from Blue Sky Alpaca's Melange (%100 baby alpaca). The mitt isn't too terribly nice but it's warm and soft and that's all I care about. The real question is, will I get the second one done before it's summer?

I've also gotten past the heel on my first SITMT Swap sock. This is quite the accomplishment as I had to rip the entire heel flap and heel about 3 times much to my total dismay as I was completely unable to follow the pattern. I seriously wanted to cry at the third ripping but all seems to be going well. My only fear is that I will be so tired of the ribbing by the end that I'll not want to knit these socks again for a very long time and I really want a pair for myself (I've had the yarn picked bought since the summer). Let's cross our fingers that come the end of April when I have real time again the tiring will pass.
If you worry for my sanity, please be aware that Mittens is protecting all of those intro calc students from having their papers graded when I'm delirious of angry. Good kitty!

P.S. Please be aware that Crazy Aunt Purl has put us all on notice that she's sending V.D. through the internet