One Crazy Fiber Lady

Time for the annual pilgrimage to the Caribbean. Due to the delay we lose one day and one stop (Labadee) but we are getting a refund of 15%.

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Location:Port Terminal Blvd,Bayonne,United States

 

I was busy minding my own business at work this morning.   I had FB open, because, really, who doesn’t?  I might not like the thing, but its amazing how much information is contained right there and then.   I “Liked” Royal Caribbean a while back.  And it’s a good thing I did because I spotted an important update with a link that lead to this page:

And yes, I’m booked on the affected sailing.  My 10 night cruise just became a 9 night cruise.  No idea yet if they are changing the itinerary to that of the 9 night cruise that we’ve now taken twice, or just cutting out a port-of-call.  We’ll find out Saturday when we get there.

Still, could be worse.  The boat is still afloat and I *will* be going on her, just a little later and for not quite as long as I’d planned.  Also messes with some preparatory scheduling.  So much for the Friday morning pedicure.  Good thing I hadn’t called the salon on that one yet.  On the up side, I just got back one of my vacation days leaving me more time to use later in the year.

Yup, glass half full.  That’s me.

Craft on!

 

Look who asked me for a refresher course in knitting on Sunday night…

He’s doing very well at it and has already managed to figure out how to increase stitches !  He managed to increase from 20 to 35 in two rows!  After school yesterday, he sat with Mom to knit for a while.  After dinner and homework, he got ready for bed and then we sat and knitted until bedtime.  It was sweet.  He’s picked it up rather well.  He wants to make my mom a scarf for her birthday.  No idea what year he’s targeting

Craft on!

In order to keep up with the steading incoming supply of sock yarn, I decided that I need to knit at least one pair a month.  Towards that end I have two pairs of socks that are complete.  The first is a the last FO for 2011:

These socks are Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.  I’m pretty sure this is my first completed pair out of that yarn.  I’ve purchased other skeins, but I don’t recall actually finishing anything before.  These are pretty nifty.  I actually finished these guys on New Years Eve, shortly before midnight.  That made my total production for 2011 higher than it has been in a long time.

I just finished these socks this evening.

I would have finished these earlier, except I futzed up the second sock.  For some odd reason, while I had no problem increasing the toe to 56st for the first sock, I couldn’t quite manage that on its mate.  Took me to having finished the heel to realize it though.  I ripped it out and started again.  The yarn is Pakokku sock yarn from ITW in Minotaur color way. I picked this up at NYSW this yearn and really liked it.  The base is a fine multi-plied yarn which reminds me of Lorna’s.

Finally, another FO to show off, but not knitting this time.  Most know that I’ve been working on a iOS version of my KnitCounter app.  I submitted it to the Apple App Store on 1/2 and it was approved.  It is available for $.99 (just like the droid version)

It is available here.  I’m quite proud of it and would welcome comments and suggestions!

Now to decide which yarn is next.  Will be important as on Friday we’re off on our annual family vacation on the Explorer of the Seas.  The trip is very similar to this one, but one day longer and with one stop different.  We’re going to St. Martin instead of Dominican Republic this time and the islands are in a different order.  Labadee, Haiti is our first stop.

Craft on!

Once again a prolonged silence. I’ve been busy with work, family and still getting some hobby time. I also think I finally have the perfect traveling wheel.

My Bosworth Book Charkha. Go figure what with all the wheels I’ve purchased and sold over the years that this one has been in the herd since fall of 2002. Never really spent much time with it which is not surprising to anyone who knows how I feel about knitting with cotton. Last week I decided to try it again but used wool. It works! I’m sold. Charkha is going on the cruise next week

Charkha spun Shetland: 83 yards at 12 grams. Now that’s some fine arsed yarn

Have to get back to work. Just wanted to check in. Craft on!

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Time for one last post this year.  Well, technically not the very last opportunity, but I wouldn’t bank on me posting tomorrow.  I’ve been on vacation this week and well, pretty busy.  I alternated between knitting:

I finished Caroline!  Finally.  A year later (details here).  I’m embarrassed that it took so very long to finish.  It’s an excellent design and I can’t wait to wear it.

When I wasn’t knitting,  I was writing code.  The iOS version of KnitCounter is just about done.  I’ve been using it to finish Caroline actually.

This is a slightly outdated screenshot from the simulator.  Somehow I lost the one I took on my phone.  Oh well.    I’ve got a beta tester playing with it and when her feedback is in, I’ll submit it to the app store.  Exciting!

Since Caroline is now done, I needed to start a new project.  Last week I got the evil email from Webs that their year end sale was underway.  I couldn’t help myself and went scanning the sale items.  I picked up some Noro Shirakaba and made my way through the patterns in Ravelry to find something to knit out of it.  I settled on a Comfy Cardi.  I have the back done.

It is awfully sedate for Noro.  Loving it too.  It is a cotton/silk/wool blend and it is excellent to work with.  I’ve made a good bit of progress on one of the cardi fronts and if I buckle down can get it done today.  (Spent the morning futzing with the app again. )

There hasn’t been much spinning around these parts.  Can’t remember the last time I touched the wheel, but it was more than likely when I finished up the Cupcake Fiber batts.  I enjoyed the spinning of the batts into singles…

But the plied yarn?  Doesn’t speak so much to me.  It’s been sitting on the bobbin now for over a month.  I really do need to wind it off at least.

I need to get back to the wheels.  So many hobbies, so little time.

Finally, wanted to share the sweet note I got from Alexander yesterday:

Gotta love those monkeys of mine.

Happy New Year!

While balancing the need to knit and the desire to port my counter app from the android to iOS platform, a long weekend followed by vacation came at an opportune time. Yesterday I was able to put the finishing functional code in place and have knitcounter done. I’m getting ready to submit it to the app store

Good timing too. Because I need a good counter app when working on Leann’s design: Caroline. And as of a few moments ago I hit the end of the base knitting.

My least favorite part is left: assembly. Blech. Then I need to do the finishing touch of I-cord around the neckline.

I want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season.

Craft on!

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I know it has been a long time since my last post. And no, my prolonged silence does not indicate that I’ve been job hunting again! I am quite happy at my new job. While I won’t go into all the reasons why I could be lured into interviewing by the recruiter in this very public of fora, if you should really want to know, email me or leave a comment.  Suffice it to say, the things I didn’t like are no longer a problem.  I hit the one month mark today.  Yay!  I’m still loving it.

However, the learning a new company and new gig has me somewhat, well quite exhausted by the end of the day.  When the kids go to sleep, I’m ready to call it a day, which is why you haven’t seen a post from me in a bit.  It also means that the development work that I had started on the iOS port of KnitCounter is once again on hold.  I’m still plodding through the books, but not writing anything yet.  Soon.  Be patient grasshopper.

I am knitting though!  And I have lots to show progress-wise since my last posting.  Right before leaving the last job, I needed a bus project.  Enter another pair of basic socks.  This is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock that I got from Deb when we went to visit her towards the end of October.

I had even made some decent progress before ending that job.  I vaguely recall finishing the first sock and then the knitting sat and sat in my bag untouched.  I’ve been reading on the train/path (yes shorter commute!) and had other portable projects steal this one’s thunder.

Having finished the boy’s DriveThru, it was time to make the girl one.  Since she kvetched that the last one made from 220 was itchy, it also meant a trip to the yarn store for something “softer” for my princess.  She picked ack-rylic.  Decent ack-rylic, but still ack-rylic all the same.  It was Patons Canadiana at least, and not something terrible.  Glad I took her to a real yarn store and not a big-box. Goodness only knows what she’d pick there!  Anyway, here’s her finished DriveThru:

Drive Thru

• Size:  10
• Yarn: Patons Canadiana
• Needles: US7 & 8
• Started: November 12 2011
• Completed: December 4 2011

The kid is happy.  And mommy is happy that the kid wish list is now complete!  I can go back to knitting for me

I have a couple more that are finished in name only.  One is waiting on a picture of the finished item:

The yarn is some Jade Sapphire 2ply Cashmere lace weight that I tried to knit a number of items out of but the original color just made me ill working with it.  It was a clown-barf inspired bright pinks and greens.  Don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it but it was cashmere in the 50% bin at the yarn store.  Leann was awesome enough to overdye it and make it useable and gorgeous!  It is now a finished cowl that I’ve been wearing daily since the weather got cold.  Thanks Leann!

The other is waiting for a trip to the washing machine to felt.  I’ll give the project deets when all is done.

It will end life as a felted hat for Alexander’s teacher.

Finally, I just need to show this!  It made me smile when I saw the request to follow my twitter feed…

So say we all!

Craft on

I started the new job today. Most of it was spent in orientation. I’m tired now but wanted to say hi and show the view from the window behind my cubicle.

Not too shabby if you ask me.

Craft on!

I think, for a change, I made some productive use of my couple of days off between jobs.  As I start the new job tomorrow, the time for getting things done is quickly dwindling to an end.  While one of the options for the last couple of days was to work on the iPhone app, I decided to take  a vacation from the computer.  So beyond checking email and doing a little online shopping (new shoes from Zappos are on their way!), I stayed away.  I spent my time in a decidedly fiberlicious way.

I spun:

• Fiber:  Forbidden Woolery - Falkland
• Colorway:  Tabula Rasa
• Yardage:  438 yds / 4oz
• Spun/Plied on the Matchless – 2 ply

It wasn’t all finished yarn around here.  I started a new project on a wheel that you’ll probably see more of again.  I forgot how much I loved this wheel:  The Vermont Wheel!  Not sure how that happened, but there you have it.  I brought her back upstairs to my room a few weeks ago and have gotten back into using it.  I’ve finally gotten around to trying a fiber that’s been marinating for a little while.