Mittwoch, 31. Januar 2007

On...Knitting Content, Pointy Sticks Contest & executive decision

Sorry, keine Lust, das ganze Ding zu Übersetzen:


JayWalker #2, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 22nd December 2006
Finished: WIP
Yarn: Regia Canadian Colour 4-ply sock yarn, colour #4733 "Ottawa"
Needle: 2.5 mm/ US #1/#2 Inox dpns
Pattern: JayWalker by Grumperina on MagKnits
Modifications: Shorter leg, otherwise I'd run out of yarn for the second one

Sorry that I haven't been posting....life kinda got the overhand recently. Ever since I started teaching two more English classes it seems that I kind of fell into the state of constant Zombie-ness. Yeah, my problem, I just go to bed too late and have to get up early. Mea culpa.

Anyhow, the main reason I'm doing this post is to enter Christine's Pointy Sticks Podcast Podcastiversary Contest...and so I need to talk about socks, or to be more specific, hand-knit socks.

  • Why do I love/hate to knit socks?
    • I'm not so sure if I love knitting socks or not, definitely not hating it. But I'm sure that I kinda like it. It's small and portable and usually fits in the small-ish bag I normally carry around with me (I don't really like big messenger bags anymore, used to, but not anymore). It's quick enough to knit a couple of rows on my short tube rides and I get the kick out of people's reaction when they see an Asian guy knitting on the tube on something colourful, small and dainty. *LOL* And the end result is pretty amazing. I get some cozy warm socks for myself. By wearing my colourful socks I break out of the monotonous colour pits guys usually fall in with their colour preference on clothes, without me ending up looking like a clown (coz the socks are under my jeans, obviously!).
  • What sock yarns or patterns do I love?
    • Well, I haven't found a sock yarn that I love just yet (okay, maybe Wollmeise sock yarn, but I haven't ordered one to try out yet). I have heaps of the Regia Canadian Colour in my stash...one skein of each colour I could get my hands on. As for patterns, after I finished my first JayWalker before Christmas, I started looking around for another pattern to no avail...and just resorted to knitting another pair of JayWalker. So I guess that it's my favourite pattern for the moment.
  • My favourite sock method?
    • Well, I'm a traditional 5 dpns kind of guy. Tried the 2 socks on 2 circs one and the yarn from two balls twisting around each other just drive me nuts (*note to self: frog those socks soon*), but I'm sure that I'd find it pretty okay with just one sock on 2 circs. This morning I just succumbed and ordered two 100 cm (length) Addi Turbos in 2.00 mm and 2.5 mm each...so that I could try out the MagicLoop....so, the prognosis would be: Socks on the way!!!!


So that's all I could think about for now. Sock knitting is fun!!!


Sweet Pea Shawl #2, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: Beginning of July 2006
Finished: 22nd January 2007
Yarn: Wolle Rödel Toscana colour #13635, 50% cotton, 50% Polyacrylic Microfibre
Hook: 6 mm hook
Pattern: Sweet Pea Shawl by Amie Hirtes in Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker

I was talking about an FO last week, but that I can't post about it yet because it's going to someone? Well, that someone got sick and couldn't come to the SnB to receive the mysterious gift....and I'm just way too impatient to wait until I can post....coz I'm proud of the result. So, here it is!

The project had been sitting in the UFO box for more than half a year before it was completed. But well, it's finished now.

The shawl is huge....it spans about 1.80 m. The length is....oh, I don't know, but if I wrap it around myself, the bottom fringe just brushes the ground (and I'm 1.78 m tall).


Shedir, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 26th January 2007
Finished: WIP
Yarn: Wolle Rödel Soft Merino, 100% superwash merino, colour #359
Needle: Two 4.5 mm Addi Turbo circs (using 2 circs method)
Pattern: "Shedir" from Knitty's Breast-Cancer Awareness Mini-Issue
Modification: Since I'm using bigger yarn and needles than called for, I'll be doing only 3 repeats of the cable pattern before decreasing

Finally, last Friday while out on the yarn crawl with the SnB gals, my ears were hurting me because it was cold. Again, mea culpa for not having a beanie with me...but it ruins my hair! *Oh, vanity!* Okay, I have some headwear but I want something new...so I started Shedir after having seen so many people doing it...but the most inspiring was Brooklyntweed's version (also in brown, but with the right yarn).

However, the weather in Munich just got warmer again *drat!* But I'm determined to get Shedir finished soon.

Right now, I'm resisting a very strong bout of Cast-On-itis. But I think that I can only resist the urge until the Addi Turbos arrive. :-p

Lastly, in the lights of things that have started to dawn on me, I have made a radical decision and decided that I'm going to join the Knit From Your Stash 2007. I don't have a huge criteria just yet, but these are things I'll try to achieve:

  • I'm doing this on a month to month basis, starting with February, i.e. tomorrow.
  • This means that I won't be buying any yarn for February at all with the exception of:
    • If I don't have yarn for Project Spectrum 2.0 (but I think I have something Blue/White/Grey already) and want to knit something for the project, then I'm allowed to get something for it...however, I could resort to doing something else, too (translate: photography, for example)
    • I receive yarn as a gift
    • I need yarn to finish a WIP
  • Needles, patterns, books, etc. are not counted as yarn
  • I don't know about sock yarns, but I'm sure I have enough in my stash already


So, that's it....help me being strong by sending me yarns as presents and give me kind words. This month will be hard, but if I'm successful, I will probably carry on into March. ;-)

Y'all have a great week!

Current Mood: Good, with a touch of Zombie-ness....need my X-glass of coffee....*all hail Darth Senseo!*
Food for the ears: Bayern 4 Klassik

Donnerstag, 25. Januar 2007

Das Farbspektrum gemäß der Wollmeise

Probesträngchen von Rohrspatz & Wollmeise

Montag, 22. Januar 2007

Noch ein Schal: My So-Called Scarf #2


My So-Called Scarf #2, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 23rd December 2006
Finished: 20th January 2007
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Worsted Merino-Lambwool in the colourway "Rhabarber" ("Rhubarb")
Needles: 6 mm/US #10 Inox circs
Pattern: My So Called Scarf from Sheep in the City
Modifications: Instead of a 30-stitch pattern, I reduced it to 28 stitches and add the chain edge (4 stitches in total, so that adds up to 32 stitchs), because I have only one hank of the wool and the scarf's going to be short anyway.

Sonntag, 7. Januar 2007

Unbekanntlich bekannt geworden....


SZ-Extra from 16.11.2006, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.


SZ-Extra from 16.11.2006, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.


SZ-Extra from 16.11.2006, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.