Shine!

[Music: Aaron Howard - Shining]
(You can download this song 100% legally at Garageband.com)

This weekend was quite enjoyable. I didn't do much productive homework, although I finished a response paper well in advance, to make the week from hell less, well, hellish. And I knit. I'm over halfway done with my buddy Steph's Slytherin Scarf. Since I hung out with Laura all weekend, we ended up watching all six hours of the Pride and Prejudice miniseries, and swooned over Colin Firth for just as long. (On an amusing side note, I saw a newspaper advertising the new version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley... and it called the movie "Pride and Perjudice" tee hee!).

(Image snagged from here, an awesome P & P Site)

On Saturday, as part of Freecycle, Laura and I got over 200 books! After searching through, I managed to get quite a few gems: some children's books, some old-school classics, such as a 1972 edition of Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles and other classics to enhance my collection! And I also snagged some old back issues of Martha Stewart Living! By no means a complete collection, but a few sweet issues with ideas and colors that make me weak at the knees. Whee!

Yesterday, Steph's wonderful parents took a group of us to the Hyde Park Bar and Grill (THANKS!!!!) and then to Quack's Bakery, which is just around the corner from HP B&G. OH. MY. GOD! The pumpkin cheesecake, the brownies, the pumpkin tea bread, the old fashioned oatmeal cookies! If you live in the Austin area, definitely check it out! (Corner of 43rd and Duval, I believe).

Finally, this morning is chilly and cold... so it's most definitely time to bust out the knitwear. I'm donning my Jayne hat, dragon scale gauntlets, and perhaps one of my handknit scarves to pull together the doubtlessly mismatched nature of it all. ;-) And to top it off, my first class today was cancelled! Free T-Shirts and a little bit of knitting before my other class of the day makes me so happy!

Have a Great Day!

Google Print - Yes, Please!

(swiped from Google last Haloween)

In my various wanderings thorough the infinite bookshelves of the internet, I've discovered many a gem hidden within the multitude of pages. Many discoveries I've made have been through the wondrous entity of Google. Just as many have been links I've discovered on blogs, which, in turn, I discovered serendipitously through Google. Their special-event logos make me smile when I chance upon them, their webmail interface is insanely easy and wonderful, (since I often find that as soon as I delete an e-mail, I need to reference it), and doing random searches such as "[Your name] needs..." offer no end of amusement. All in all, Google is glorious. And they're constantly thinking up new ways to make information accessible to the world. And that's a good thing.

Google is now working on a new project called GooglePrint-- basically, access to every book ever written via the Google search bar. You search for something, and your search results consist of lines from every book on the planet that mentions it. You can then choose to access the actual text of the book from there. Out of print books, books that only exist in a few libraries or private collections, or books you saw once but have no idea where to get them are at your fingertips.

Imagine, being able to write a research paper and acquire obscure and out-of-print sources that aren't available in your local library or on websites. Professors could also easily spot plaigarism, since they could access the material just as easily as students. Imagine that you read a book as a child, and only remember a line or two, and want to find it again... GooglePrint could make that happen. An Online Card Catalog... with an infinite number of cards. A universal library, where none of the books are checked out! All with Google's marvelous simplicity.

On the flip side, publishers or authors have the right to withold their books from GooglePrint, if they wish, although having it available on the web gets the word out and provides millions of people with access to texts that otherwise would have a very narrow audience. Google's respect of copyright makes it so that you can't access the *entire* book if it's under copyright. Thus you can browse, but you don't get the books for free. On this note, as inevitably happens, people try to hack/steal books-- there was an article on Kuro5hin on how to hack GooglePrint, but Google obviously read it and fixed that. As tempting as getting "free" books are, I will inevitably amass hard copies of the books myself, cuz I'm a paper and ink sort of girl.

The only (quasi-) drawback to this project would be the strain on my wallet. ^_^ With an infinite amount of books available, I'd be able to look through knitting books and see just how wonderful many of them are, and then I'd have to go out and purchase them. To be able to peruse books before purchasing them, to be able to read and access old books just as you could in a library... That's my idea of heaven on earth.

Here are the links I found referencing GooglePrint and exposing me to this wonderful project:
Google Print site
Google Print Information Site (FAQ)
Google Blog - Editorial explaining GooglePrint written by CEO of Google in the Wall Street Journal (what spurred this entry)
Google Blog - Why Google believes in Google Print
(You may need to create a Google account... do it! Gmail is so worth it, and GooglePrint is the icing on the cake!)

All Hail Teh Google!

Needle Fiend

It feels like Christmas here! Why? I just received a lovely set of vintage needles all the way from Australia! There are so many, they put my current needle collection to utter shame. (Though the variance of sizes is not as wide as my current collection).

To the left is a picture of my "before collection." I have a pair of needles in almost every size from size US 4 to US 15, and a few double pairs. My DPNS don't show that well, but they're there!

Next, the lovely package that was waiting for me in the mail--
There are so many of them, and they're virtually all aluminum. Much as bamboo holds a special place close to my heart, I simply can't beat the speed of aluminum. And here are some lovely Aero's and Queen Bee needles among others. I can't wait till I get my replacement set of bamboo needles from England soon! Whee! I won't feel so bad about lending out a set of neeles or two, when I have so many now to replace any that get lost. And finally, all together, the beautiful, the lovely, the complete needle collection, displayed in their respective free drinking cups from various Austin businesses.

(Click here for an open shot of the needle case)

Hooray for mail days that make it feel like Christmas!

On Tea and its Miraculous Healing Properties

Or perhaps the miraculous ability to keep one awake and sane.

Wow. Almost a week since I posted last... I haven't done that in awhile. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I am seriously overwhelmed. And it doesn't look like the pressure is going to let up for a few weeks, even. The past three weekends I've gotten behind on my readings (Saturday and Sunday usually are spent in the loving arms of the library), and haven't caught up. Normally, I would just be lazy and forget them and forge ahead, but what with text identifications coming up in a midterm next week, I can't really pull it off.

But I have discovered my new favorite tea. Two weeks ago, my dad came up to Austin for some meetings. (Yes, I took him to the LYS, he was amazed at the fiber Mecca, and he bought me yarn). We went to P.F. Chang's one night and had the most amazing ginger peach oolong tea that I've ever tasted. I asked the waiter where I could get some, and he told me Revolution Tea was their supplier. So. Tasty. And the food was great too! I know some people have their issues with P.F. Chang's not being "true chinese" and blah blah blah, but come on, they call themselves a "China Bistro." They virtually shout out that they're whitewashed Chinese food. But they're tasty, so I love 'em.
But back to tea. I went to Central Market with my friend Jan on Saturday, and found Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach. I've found it to be as good as the Revolution Tea one, and plus, it's probably my favorite tea vendor. I also like how they support both breast and prostate cancer research. Having known victims of both types, I think it's important that both types of cancer get funding, since they're gender-specific diseases. Just as it's important for a cure to be found for breast cancer that affects women, I think equal funding and press should go to finding a cure for prostate cancer, since, after all, half the world does consist of men.

And with regard to knitting, I just got a set of needles I won off e-bay! There was a little misunderstanding about them (I thought they were bamboo, but they turned out to be a mix of aluminum and plastic), but the seller is being really great and sending me the set of bamboo. Now to wait for my set of vintage needles to come from Australia, and I should have a complete set of straights! (Now to work on the DPN and Circular needle collection)

But before I peruse the infinite "shelves" of e-bay, I definitely need to read the Odyssey.

As promised...

This post contains many needed pictures! I was able to pull a small photo shoot this morning, as some lovely natural light made it through my window.

To start us off, Sock Pal Socks!

They're so lovely! My Sock Pal did an amazing job. She's wonderful and sweet and knit the most perfect socks on the planet! Whee! I'm taking them out to show them off today. I don't care if you're not supposed to wear socks with a skirt... these are too awesome to keep 'em hidden under jeans.

They're super-soft, and the fit is absolutely perfect. They're also the perfect height, since I love calf-high socks. These socks have also convinced me to invest in "Knitting on the Road" by Nancy Bush. So many knitters knitting so many absolutely delightful socks, I can't say no! ;-)

Next, my Glampyre Minisweater:

Sorry for the blurry photo, it was pretty much the only one I could get with good light. I may have to get my roommate to photograph me, rather than the self-portrait mirror shot.

I used Cascade 220 held together with Misti Alpaca laceweight in a light pink on size 9 circulars. The fabric produced is so yummy and soft, and feels delicious on my skin. I did a few more pattern repeats and modified the sleeves a little--puffy sleeves didn't appeal to me. As you can tell from the picture, I still have an end or two to weave in, tee hee! I'll get to it. *yeah, right*
Last but not least, I present my work in progress, Weasley:
It's not much, just the back of the sweater. I have about ten inches to go, but I'm hoping to at least get that piece done this weekend watching lots of bad movies with my friends. And perhaps at the UT vs. Colorado football game this weekend! Hooray for student tickets!

I know the fabric might be a little looser than would be best with the yarn, but since the yarn is so very scratchy, I prefer it like this. I'm also fuddling my logic, but I believe that by using bigger needles, I'll be using less yarn, and therefore can actually pull a sweater out of another one. (It's yarn from a ripped sweater).

Sorry for the rushed post. I have class in 15 minutes, so my writing isn't what it could be. I just felt so inspired to share the lovely knitwear in my life. Have a great day everyone!

Indeed, I do concur

A nap today saved my sanity, and going out with my girls did as well. Doing no homework whatsoever is kind of stupid, but the results of this quiz are uncannily accurate. At first i was like, "Nah! not me!" And then it all falls into place. Crazy, isn't it?

The Priss Deliberate Brutal Love Dreamer (DBLDf) Mature. Responsible. Aristocratic. Excuse me. The Priss. Prisses are the smartest of all female types. You're highly perceptive, and confident in your judgements. You'd take brutal honesty over superficiality any time--your friends always know where they stand with you. You're completely unfake. Don't tell me that's not a word. You're also excellent at redirecting internal negative energy. These facts indicate people are often intimidated by you. They also fall for you, hard. You have a distant, composed allure that many find irresistible. If only more of them lived up to your standards. Your exact opposite: The Playstation Random Gentle Sex Master You were probably the last among your friends to have sex. And the first to pretend that you're pregnant. LOL. Though you're inclined to use sex as weapon, at least it's not as one of mass destruction. You're choosier than most about your partners. A supportive relationship is what you're really after. Whether you know it or not, you need something steady & long-term. And soothing. ALWAYS AVOID: The Playboy, The Loverboy CONSIDER: The Manchild

Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.

Ben Franklin Said...

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Let me tell you, I'm not feeling any of those things. Except perhaps the wealthy part. See, I finished my Glampyre Minisweater!!!!!! It's gorgeous and soft and I'm going to wear it out today.

Reason I'm feeling a little out of sorts? I finished the beauty at 2 AM. I'm hoping I can squeeze a nap in at some point, or else today will suck. Way more than it already does. *Yawn* I should probably heed good ol' Ben's advice at some point. At the very least I'll get enough sleep.

I know I've promised pictures of my finished objects, but the sky remains overcast and grey, ergo, not ideal photography weather. If all else fails, I may just have to settle for less-than-sunny documentation.

Today's goal is to catch up on most of my reading. Then I will allow myself the luxury of knitting on Weasley. November 18th is fast approaching, and I've got me a sweater and three scarves to crank out! O_O;;

I hate it when I procrastinate.

What Hat Are You?

Your Hat Personality Is A

Beret

What Hat Are You?

These quiz things are so fun! Funny when they're off the mark and fun when they're on it. This is further proof that I should knit and/or buy myself a nice beret.

Found via: Life and Such

Fall, Fall, Fall!

Fall has finally hit Austin. Both yesterday and today had sweater temperatures, and today was even cold enough to bust out the knitwear. I donned my Dragon Scale Gauntlets and Jayne hat, and was ready to take on the world. It's quite a beautiful feeling, knowing your knitwear is coming to use in a place that doesn't have a "real" continuous season for it.

To celebrate, Laura and I went to the yarn store. I was able to use the ballwinder and swift there to ball up a whole lotta hanks I had lying around, especially the ones for use in the Sesame Sweater from the September issue of MagKnits. I also happened to pick up some Dale of Norway yarn and some Katia mohair to make another pair of soft and subtle Dragon Scale Gauntlets that won't cause my arms to itch up a storm.

Last night was wonderful, though. My daddy's in Austin, and I showed him some of the Austin sights---including my LYS. He was quite amazed by the sheer quantity of fiber available, but he allowed me to enhance the stash a little bit. I got the desired yarn for another minisweater: Cashsoft, Misti Alpaca, and Habu Silk. Mmmm. Well, I'll post pictures when the sky ceases to be quite so overcast.

A revelatory post

I got inspired to make a list of things that bother and please me. I decided to post it to reveal a little bit about myself. These are in no particular order, except the order in which I thought of them. Be inspired to make one of your own (I am quite verbose, so feel free to reduce it to ten or even five things!)

25 Things that bother me:

1. Greasy hair
2. Adults ridiculed or outwitted by their children
3. Being vain and thinking I know something, only to be proven dreadfully wrong
4. Pretentiousness
5. My haircut
6. Not being able to understand things easily
7. The taste of milk that’s beginning to turn slightly sour
8. Acne
9. Realizing I’m much stupider than I believed myself to be
10. Feeling fat
11. The feeling of spiderwebs on my skin, either real or imagined
12. When I make a fool of myself
13. Knowing I’ve made a mistake, ignoring it in the present, then in the future coming across it and remembering my laziness at not fixing it
14. How mean I was as a child
15. Being overly flattered or overly criticized
16. Humidity
17. Getting mango fibers stuck in my teeth
18. Poor grammar
19. Unrequited love
20. Unhappy endings
21. Naming someone Jesus
22. The totally irrelevant naming of subdivisions and street names, such as “The Woods” to describe a subdivision that is scrub brush and weeds
23. Extreme disorganization
24. How I’m always in love
25. The lack of inspiration for poetry I’ve suffered in recent years

25 Things that please me:

1. Wearing warm sweaters when it’s cold out
2. Listening to melancholic music and feeling a surge of melancholic emotion, even if I’m happy
3. Capturing an awesome photograph
4. Random acts of kindness
5. Waking up ½ an hour early, and then realizing I get to sleep that much longer
6. Ice Cream
7. Knitting
8. Bagpipes and violins
9. Blue eyes
10. Getting chills of excitement at a movie preview
11. Being a Spaniard
12. Fantasy worlds accessible only through literature
13. Music moving me to sing and dance
14. Long Hugs
15. Disney movies
16. Online games like Alchemy, Fowl Words, or Gold Miner
17. Unexpected but harmonious color combinations
18. Bargain shopping
19. Overstuffed chairs and cups of hot tea
20. How attached I am to my family
21. My ability to memorize and recite poetry
22. Looking at the scale and realizing I’ve lost weight
23. Cute artistry and stuffed animals
24. Teaching someone something they didn’t know
25. The smell of rain

Awwwwww....

You are Dishcloth Cotton.
You are a very hard worker, most at home when
you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly
born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain
Jane, but you are too practical to notice.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


*pouts* now THAT helps my self-esteem....

Home Again

I went home this past weekend, and had a pretty good time. I cut my hair (yes, shorter than it was, which is pretty short) and dyed it. I had initially planned to go blonde, but that ended up being the color of my cat. Yes. My hair was orange. So after that little mishap I went back to brown. I like it.

My haircut now looks like this:
I'm not 100 percent pleased with it, but I like that I have the option of bangs... something I haven't had for years. I will let my hair grow from now on, so maybe a talented and knowledgeable stylist somewhere can tell me what looks good for my face. Also, I think it's only fitting that they have more hair than I have right now to work with.

I finished some projects this weekend too! Clapotis got her ends woven in. No pictures, sorry, though my sister might send me some with her pretty new digicam. And speaking of her digicam... I got a commission from her to create a cute little iPod-like sweater for it. I've realized that wool has amazing scratching ability, so cotton it is. I just need to find some good and pretty cotton for a thick case. Rowan Calmer, anyone?

Among other finished objects is the Panta from Craftster. I liked the pattern, it was very easy and quick, though it needs a serious blocking. I used some of the leftover merino from my sister's Clapotis, and it turned out quite well. I might make another in green.

The pinaccle of excitement this weekend was when I got my Sock Pal socks! All I can say is WOW! My sock pal is truly amazing. She's wonderful, talented, and spectacular. The socks are soft, warm, and fit like a dream. The color is absolutely divine, the pattern beautiful, and her packaging splendid!I will post pictures when the light's better, but I am very much in love with them. Thank you Sock pal! And thank you Alison for the knitalong.

Last but not least, I cast on for Glampyre's Minisweater. Holding two strands of laceweight Misti Alpaca with Cascade 220 yields a deliciously soft and beautifully variegated fabric.
I don't have very much in the way of pink in my wardrobe, though I quite love dusty roses and baby pinks. This will coordinate nicely both with jeans and jean skirts, as well as with a few cute skirts I own with hints of pink in them. I can't wait to make another minisweater out of the most delicious yarns available: Cashsoft, Habu silk, and Misti Alpaca, all in glowy shades of mint and celery green. Mmmm. Oy that's going to break the bank!

Now I will stop procrastinating and finish writing a paper due tomorrow. I get to watch The Little Mermaid in class! How cool is that!?