Classes have Begun

Well, I emerged from the beginning of classes feeling thoroughly exhausted. Not to mention that after braving the zoo, er, Co-op for textbooks, my energy for the rest of the day was totally sapped. I had returned some books and got substantial store credit to buy more books at the Co-op, but still had to pay 50 dollars out of pocket. And I still haven't bought 100 dollars worth of books, because the Co-op ran out!!! Overpriced textbooks should not be allowed. But oh well. Now I just have to get on with the reading that has already begun to accumulate... bleh.

Yes. Those are my books. I realize several are concerning Jesus. They are for my Jesus in American Culture class. It should be fun, since the professor is a former baptist, gay, and a total hoot! He's very knowledgeable, funny, and still apparently quite strict. Laura, darling that she is, recommended the class to me (this is her 3rd or 4th class with the man already). It promises to be like one of my religion classes from high school. Provided Dr. Miller is anything like Mr. Tony Cantu, I will be delighted with the class.

This semester is going to be FREAKING busy, I can feel it. I have a habit of writing my reading assignments/tests/etc in my planner at the beginning of each semester, so that I can see at a glance when an extra-special week from hell will appear. It's also useful to have all assignments in one place, as opposed to skimming through syllabi, which tend to disappear when they're most needed.

I think I've spoiled myself by taking relatively enjoyable and light-workload courses throughout my previous semesters, and not to mention 4 classes per semester for two of three semesters. This semester, I have 5, and I can predict the stress levels will skyrocket. Lots of reading, plenty of papers, and hopefully, fewer core-curriculum courses to take later on.

I fear what implications this will have for my knitting time...

Knitting Parade Part 2

Continuing the Knitting Parade:

The next project on the needles is the Saxon Braid Scarf. It has been completed since the taking of these pictures (read: 3-hour meeting to sit through) and just needs a bit of blocking to fix the fringe. However, it is deliciously soft, and the color is quite fun! (And quite a bit brighter than in the picture).

The pattern is quite easy once you get the hang of the cables, and even I, who have had only mild cabling experience in the Vintage Velvet scarf was able to figure it out. It looks really complex, and just requires a little bit of attention so that you don't mis-cross cables at any point. One thing you must do if you have Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein is to check the Vogue Knitting errata.

I made the scarf out of a recycled L.L. Bean sweater, a cotton/mohair/nylon blend. I hadn't quite gotten down the way to "unzip" the crocheted seams when I unravel, so there are a few little snipped strands here and there, as the twist is not very tight in this yarn.

Click Here for an alternate texture view.

Finally, the back part of Salina. I loved this sweater from the moment I saw it. Hopefully, it will turn out as beautifully as it did in the Rowan Vintage Style book. I'm using some of the marvellous blue alpaca I bought in Spain this summer. Hopefully there will be enough yarn for it, since I can't do much if I run out. It's very soft and holds texture very well. However, the back part needs a thorough blocking before I seam it. And seaming, I predict, will be just as much of an adventure as knitting it.

I knit most of this whilst watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and about 10 episodes of Yakitate Japan, an adorable bread-making anime.

The new semester is starting up, so please bear with me as I get adjusted to more classes and continue to unravel sweaters.

Speaking of which... I bought a GORGEOUSLY SOFT men's XL Banana Republic sweater. It's a deep, dark olive green, was purchased for $3.50, and was unravelled perfectly and without incident (read: one knot and no accidentally cut strands). It is now in 7 balls, waiting for the perfect pattern, probably Teva Durham's lace leaf pullover from Interweave. Though Demi from Rowan Vintage Style has struck my fancy as well.

Sigh. I love thinking of the possibilities of cheap, high-quality recycled yarn!

Back to School and the Knitting Parade

Two days till the first day of classes of semester number 4 at UT Austin. It's so exciting!! I just witnessed a lovely display of fireworks outside my window, since the Texas Longhorns are National Football champions this season, and of course, we have to celebrate it.

My dad is doing much better with his eye, though his vision improves quite slowly day by day, and his frustration at not being fully recovered was palpable in the week I took care of him.

In that week, not much of anything got finished, though a little progress was made on several WIPS, and now, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you a long-promised project parade. (All pictures taken about 3 or 4 days ago, when there was sunshine at home in Brownsville).

My super luxurious silk/ cashsoft/ alpaca minisweater deux is coming right along. I've personalized it a bit from number 1, including the seed-stitch edges, and bust coverage that begins a bit earlier. I also have some gorgeous vintage mother-of-pearl buttons purchased at an antiques store in Houston on our way back from Disney. I'm so excited about finishing this, and wearing it.

A few other alterations include lenghtening the sleeves a tad to about the middle of the upper arm, instead of cute capped sleeves. One thing you might notice is that I'm using cream-colored alpaca and cashsoft, and the minty green silk. I was initially going to use some lovely lime green alpaca, but the two shades of green clashed a little. This white with subtle green has equal the softness, and a bit more elegance than the other combination. I think I have to purchase another skein of white alpaca, in order to make a lacy-spiderweb something-or-other at some point.

Here's another view of the lovely texture as well as some beautiful get-well flowers my dad's boss sent him upon hearing of his surgery. (His boss is such a nice guy, I made him some cookies!) I also really like this picture too. :)

Next in line is the Natalya gauntlet. I've completed number one, and have not progressed too much on number 2. Second Sock/Gauntlet/Mitten syndrome is well an evil to avoid. However, my dorm room gets so freaking freezing that I might need to get my butt in gear just so that I don't get frostbite. The cables and thumb gusset are really spectacular addition to the pattern. Although the gauntlet reminds me of hobo gloves, the warmth and beauty of it quickly dispels that thought from my mind.


Alright, part 2 will come tomorrow!!! I even have it written already, all I need to do is post it! So hold on to your seats and watch the knits continue!

Happy New Year

It sure has been awhile since I updated. Let's see, between then and now, several events transpired, both good and bad.

1. Christmas
- Presents included four puff-balls of baby blue angora yarn, Vintage Knits, Marie Claire Idees, the 2006 Knitting-Pattern-a-Day calendar, some clothes, and tea.

2. Disney World
- We explored all the parks, watched fireworks at Magic Kingdom that made me cry with emotion at the beauty of it all, ate at the Japanese Pavillion (and squealed with delight at the knitting kits available at the Norwegian Pavillion) in Epcot, and got a little queasy on the Star Wars ride in Disney-MGM studios.

3. New Year's
- We saw one of the most fabulous displays of fireworks at the Disney-MGM Studios park, and then my brother and I decided to be clever and take a "short-cut" to avoid the collossally long lines for the buses back to our hotel, and ended up spending an extra hour in line. But at least the fireworks were lovely.

4. Emergency eye surgery
- My dad had a detached retina, and all went well with the surgery. Now he's recovering, but if you can, send good vibes this way for his full and perfect recovery.

5. Knitting and New Year's resolutions.
- Pictures will come for these soon, including photos from Disney, as well as photos of the 4 projects that I have going at once. Not to mention some descriptions of the books I'm trying to get under my belt before the new semester starts in a little over a week.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas, a safe and happy New Year, and are excited about what 2006 has to bring!