One Crazy Fiber Lady

As I approach the end of my two year contract with AT&T, naturally I’m considering the next cellphone.  Do I get the new iPhone 4 or do I try something else?  While I love my iPhone and will keep this 3g around at the end of the contract and use it like a iPod Touch (handy for handing to a bored kid), I’m not sure if I want to replace it with the new iPhone.  I’m not that much of a fangirl that I HAVE to replace the old iPhone with a new one.  Yes it has been a fave tech toy since I bought it almost two years ago.

What am I considering?  The Motorola Droid X.

I read an excellent review of it here.  As a developer, this phone has two advantages for me over the iPhone:

1. Apps are written in Java – which as a C# developer I pretty much already know as opposed to Objective-C which has some similarities but is far more different and is a far bigger learning curve.  While learning yet another language is not a bad thing, I could be up and developing Android apps far faster.
2. The distribution of Droid apps is an open market – not closed like Apple.   I don’t believe I would have to pay $100 to even get the SDK let alone distribute any application I do happen to eventually turn out.
3. Since the language is Java, I could develop apps either on my Macs or a PC, depending on how the mood was flowing and which computer I actually felt like carrying around.  With the iPhone, I was locked into a Mac.  Now this is not necessarily a bad thing as I do heart my Macs, but my netbook is far lighter to schlep carry than my MacBook.

That’s the short list.  I’m sure, given enough time, I can come up with a few more reasons.  On the other hand, I’ve invested a bunch in iPhone apps.  Fortunately, that won’t go to waste as I’m still holding onto the 3G and I’ve got the beloved iPad that can take advantage of all. 

Anyone have an android phone and can offer up advice either way?  I have some time to do further research as my contract ends in early August and the X ships finally in mid-July.  I don’t want to be paying early termination like I did when I made the jump from Sprint to AT&T (though it was worth it for the iPhone).  I wonder if I could get a temporary number from Verizon and then port the old number from AT&T when that contract ends… hmmmm. 

Oh and since the iOS4 update, my battery indicator is flaky.  Unless I reboot the phone, the indicator is pretty much stuck.  Awesome.  Hope that patch fix is soon.

Wait, what is that you’re saying?  This is a crafty blog?  Hmm.  I better show some crafty pictures then post haste!  Would a picture of two different crafts make up for the geektalk above? 

The sock is the Roundabout Socks (rav).  I finished the first one on Saturday and started the second yesterday during my morning commute.  The yarn is mmMalabrigo Sock in Stonechat colorway.

The spinning is ITW Merino-Silk in the Autumn in Burgundy colorway.  I’ve moved to the high speed whorl and bobbins on my Matchless.  I’m going to two ply this stuff and hopefully get enough yardage for a decent lace project.

Okay, that’s all for today.

Craft on!

There’s been a number of requests for more information regarding the newest wheel in the herd. It is a double treadle Merlin Tree Roadbug.  Here is another shot of her nestled in her bag:

The pocket on the front of the bag is her second treadle.  When Dave modified his little portable wheels from single to double treadle, he didn’t modify its overall footprint.  Instead, he designed a removable second treadle.

You can just see the “left” foot off to the side here in this picture.  Also included for scale is my Van Eaton production wheel in the background (with the endless bag of CVM fleece).  I love the green monstah wheel on the Bug.

Here she is with both her treadles and set to spin:

From this picture you can see how her left treadle attaches.    She makes for a pleasant (if a smidge noisy) little spinner that fits perfectly on the boat.  I also like how the flyer poses no danger to anyone wandering too close to the wheel (beyond them hitting my leg and making me get whacked with the flyer) which was a concern with the Sonata and how her flyer was out back.

On other fronts, I finished the latest pair of socks at SnB on Thursday.

I decided not to reknit the first sock as there is so little difference between the pair, beyond actual stitch count (52 v. 56) and needles used (both US1 – dpn v. circ). At this point, I can’t tell which is which.

Craft on!

I know it has been a while and I won’t begin to apologize. Work has been seriously kicking my butt for the last month. We had a service pack release that I was the lead developer (and for a while the only developer) on, as well as the build specialist compiling the package for deployment. I’ve put in a bulk of extra hours with little desire to spend additional tine with a computer. The beloved iPad has seen most usage as a book reader with bejeweled thrown in when the brain was totally fried

While I haven’t been doing much else at night before collapsing into bed, there has been spinning while watching the Red Sox on Extra Innings. The pictured skein is from the monthly spin-a-long with Into The Whirled fiber. If I remember correctly, this fiber was the April-May offering of “Just Fig” color way in Falklands wool. If I’m wrong would someone comment with the corrected info please? I spun it three ply (like the last selection – return to warmth) on the new CPW that I bought at MDSW. Love that wheel, as well as Cris’ fibers. She does a beautiful job. Again, the day it was plied it was skeined up and washed. Two days after that – when I had finished the Pink Cadillac socks – the yarn met the needles.

I have a small problem though. I started the sock using my new Signature dpn needles. Love the needles but they are a tad too short so I’m going to return them for the 8″ set. Instead of waiting to finish the remaining 1/4 of the first sock like a sane person, I swapped in the knitpicks circular and went back to magic looping. When I tried on the finished sock I found that my gauge had changed with the needles. The circs was a tad looser and I have to admit that I like it better. Soooo this pair of socks will actually be three. I started the second sock (pictured) and am creeping up on the heel now. When I’m done, I’ll rip out the first one and re-knit it. Sigh.

That’s about it for now. Train is almost in Hoboken.

Craft on!

I do indeed still knit! I finished that lovely ITW “Return to Warmth” merino on the Canadian Production Wheel (which has totally spoiled me). It turned into a skein of yummy yarn measuring 538 yards and weighing in at 98 grams. Three ply.

I know. I’m kind of impressed myself.

I almost immediately broke out the ball winder and made to knit with it.   I started the first sock last Wednesday evening.  I just grafted the toe closed using a method I read about here.  I have to admit, I kind of liked this method!

You can see my purty new Stitched by JessaLu bag.  I got it this weekend at Tina’s shindig upstate.

This is going to be a short post. Rough day at work. I’m off to start the second sock.

Craft on!

Every other week, we have a big planning meeting at the office.   These meetings can be marathon as we discuss the previous iteration (two week development/testing cycle), touching on the highs and lows of it.  Touching might be an understatement.  Some meetings there is blood.  After that fun, we detail what needs to be done over the next iteration, breaking down each item on the schedule into the component tasks that are necessary to make it happen.  Each item then gets a time estimate for how long we think it would take to accomplish.

These meetings can go on and on.  Today’s started at 9:30 and because there was little to show for the last iteration, there were no highs.  Only lows.  We didn’t finish the meeting until after 1.

There is an up side to these meetings.  Anything that can help you pay better attention during the meeting is allowed.  This means knitting (and spindle spinning) have been condoned.   Of course, this was somewhat moot as I was working remotely, but still, I wasn’t doing anything at home that wouldn’t be legal at the office.

I would say it was a productive meeting!

I really like the pattern.  It is essentially a 3×1 rib with one 4st cable running towards the outside of the foot.  I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of the yarn though.  I don’t like the thick/thin aspects of the Noro.  The texture is not my favorite either, especially in the thinner spots.  Ouch.

Time to enjoy the American Idol auditions and knit some lace.

Craft on!

Well today was an interesting one.  Since there’s still pain in my foot, especially at the base of the big toe, Dr. S sent me for x-rays prior to an office visit today.   He left a Rx at the imaging center down the block from his office.  I called them first thing this morning that I needed an x-ray and they directed me to come in anytime.

So mom and I dropped the twins at school at headed to the imaging center.  We got there right around 9AM.  After filling out the paper work, I was directed to take a seat.  I started doing a little sock knitting (utter failure but that’s another story) and watched Hoarders on the TV in the waiting room.  At 10AM, mom notices that everyone who was there before us had gone, as well as lots of people who’d come after.  She went to ask the receptionist how much longer it might be.

“We don’t know.”  Was the answer.  Why you ask?  They didn’t have an x-ray tech and didn’t know when one would show up.  Could be an hour, two, three, or not at all today.  Joy.

I pulled out the trusty iPhone and surfed through the provider list for United Healthcare for another radiology center in the area.  I made a phone call and was told to come on over.  I got my Rx and headed out.  At 11AM, I was having both feet x-rayed at the radiology department at Mountainview Hospital.  Took half and hour to get copies of the films.

I finally get to see Dr. S and there’s no fracture in my foot at all.  He had shots of both feet for comparison.  Soft tissue damage.  Big toe is weak and the focus of the pain at present.  He put on a compression bandage that reminds me of casting material, though it doesn’t harden.  I then put my fancy boot back on.  If its not better in a week, I get to go for a MRI.  Oh yay!

I’ll be working remotely again this week.  I might work a longer day remotely, but there are upsides.

1. I get to sleep later.  Alarm is at 7:15 rather than 6
2. Don’t have to buy lunch!  (big money saver)
3. Shorter commuter

I did get some spinning this weekend.  Was tough using the foot that has been avoiding spinning as the primary treadler.  But I was able to do it.  YAY!  Filled up another bobbin on the Vermont wheel while watching UP with the boy.  Someday the CVM roving bag will be empty and I can start plying.  I’m up to 11 bobbin’s worth of singles and the bag barely looks touched.  Sigh.  Magic fleece bag it is.

I have fought the lace bug (and single project bug) for as long as I could.  I’ve been hearing the siren’s call of lace for a while now.  The WRS has been especially loud as I see new and exciting lace patterns appear.  I remember that sweetie sitting and waiting for me.  I could withstand it no longer.  I pulled WRS out of her slumber and got back to work on her yesterday.  I’m now through the first repeat.  Woot.  I think there are 13 more to go.

I hadn’t quite finished the first repeat when I took this picture but have since.

I also realized that I don’t have a purse project.  I grabbed some yarn and needles to take with me this morning.  But it was handspun, right off the bobbin.  It was overtwisted.  Maybe.  Whatever it was, it needed a good soaking and was producing a biased sock.   I pulled the needle out and spent from 10AM this morning onwards with no knitting project.  I KNOW.  It was hard.  I did have my iPhone with the Kindle app so I didn’t need to chew my foot off.

So as to avoid this happening again, time for a real sock project.  I picked the yarn and the pattern.  Getting there

I’ll be using this brightly colored Noro Kureyon Sock and US1 to knit So Simple Silk Gardens. (Rav link) by Glenna.

Time to get the monkeys ready for bed.

Craft on!

I’m still off my foot but I’m getting way better with the crutches

All photos courtesy of the iPhone as the other cameras are still across the room.

I consider it fortuitous that I switched that Jenny Lund armchair in my bedroom for the Poang chair and ottoman that it had once replaced.  I realized over Christmas weekend that I couldn’t spin in the Jenny Lund any better than I could in the Poang.  So I swapped them, putting the Poang back in my room and the armchair into the den.  So at least I’ve been comfy the last few days.    As a plus, I found I can attach my ballwinder to the arm of the Poang!  Came in handy…

Yesterday, after knitting incessantly on the Red Tweed sweater, I found the darn thing was far too big.  My gauge was off.  Instead of the 6st/in that I initially got, I measured 5.5st/in.  Turned my 38″ sweater into something that I could felt or frog…

Felting Rowan Felted Tweed didn’t seem right.  So I frogged.

I cast on for Redhook with the same yarn.  I did a huge gauge swatch for this one and am getting the requisite 5.5 st/in

Two finished objects to show off now.  Not too long ago, Alex requested hand knit socks.  That is a request that this knitting mama could seriously oblige.  I went stash diving and came up with a skein of Opal Rainforest in blues.  While I had the first one half done during a work planning meeting, and finished shortly thereafter, the project has languished while I finished up the gift knitting and a variety of other things.  I pulled it out yesterday after deciding the red tweed was DOA.  I knit the second sock yesterday.  Just in time too, it is FREEZING out there.  Boy wore them to school this morning.

Fraternal twins.  My favorite!  They are toe-up, 12 st turkish cast on, increased to 48 stitches on a US0.

Way back at the Garden State fiber festival, the twins each picked a braid of BFL from SeeKay.  I intended to make this year’s hats from the spun fiber.  I spun up the blue/yellow/green braid (Sunshine Day) that Alex picked way back in November.   Its been finished for ages now.  This morning I started a hat for him,  Hurricane Hat.

I finished it about an hour ago while watching season 1 disk 3 of Big Bang Theory (OMG that show is so frakkin’ funny! )  Today was a planned day off, using up my last day from 2009 so I tried to make the most of it.  The pattern is an easy one and I cranked it out in about 3 hours.  Maybe less.  Hope boy likes it.

The last 4 or 5 days have been primarily about finishing off projects.  Partly because it is a new year, but mostly because NYSW is coming up and I need to justify the purchases

Thursday night at SnB, I finished the socks from the Into the Whirled that I apparently bought from Cris at the Clermont festival during the spring.  As a reminder, I spun it on the Victoria over the July 4th holiday.  I just loved working with it!

Full project details are here (Ravelry).  This means I can buy more fiber from her

Saturday, I spent the day with an old hobby that has gotten the short straw. ¬†Every now and again I really get the weaving bug. ¬†Well, I got it again. ¬†Nope, didn’t get the big floor loom out of storage, nor did I use the table top loom I bought last fall. ¬†I did get my Kromski Harp Rigid Heddle out of storage and used that. ¬†As a matter of full disclosure, I’ve placed an order for a 20″ Schacht Flip RH loop with stand that should be delivered tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait. ¬†We’ll also ignore the 16″ Ashford RH that I have still in the box. ¬†I have since sold the Kromski and am debating selling the Ashford. ¬†But I might keep it for the kids to use. ¬†We’ll see.

Anyway, I had picked up at MY from the 50% off shelf a couple of skeins of Rowan Handknit Cotton. ¬†I know, Risa bought cotton. ¬† I still won’t knit with it, but weaving is a different story ¬† I warped up the Kromski using the 10 dent heddle with 160 ends approx 62″ each. ¬†That direct warping method is amazing. ¬†I had it fully dressed and ready to weave in an hour and a half. ¬†AMAZING! ¬†Even more amazing, I finished weaving by dinner time. ¬†I had a miscalculation somewhere and while I was aiming for two kitchen towels, I wound up with one 14.5″ x 25″ (plus fringe) and one that was quite a bit shorter at washcloth length. ¬†I ran it through the sewing machine on Sunday to zigzag the ends in place.

I’m pleased. ¬†Looking forward to the new loom to arrive so I can eat up some more yarn. ¬†I’m thinking this year’s teacher gifts will be woven scarf/shawls. ¬†I saw examples on Ravelry of gorgeous scarves woven from one skein of Noro Sock. ¬†I have a few of them skeins! ¬†Though I figure for teacher gifts that I was thinking a sock yarn that is soft and squooshy and kettle dyed. ¬†Tina, you have anything like that?

While I had the sewing machine out, I remembered the fair isle cardigan that has been moldering waiting for me to sew the steek.  So I pulled it out and finally did it.  After cleaning up the sewing area of lots of cut yarn (think fringe), I grabbed the button tin and picked out some lovelies for the sweater.  By dinner the bands had been knitted and the buttons sewed on.

I said I had been busy.  Full project details are here.

While I was busy finishing things, there was something else that needed finishing. ¬†Ballerina. ¬†Over the last couple of weeks I’d finished the last short row triangle for the front, picked up and knitted the front band. ¬†The only thing remaining was the white bands at the ends of the sleeves, sewing the arm and weaving in ends. ¬†By 1opm last night, I was done.

Now I have my choice of Rhinebeck sweater  Project details are here.

This meant I had no active knitting projects. ¬†That just isn’t acceptable! ¬†So today while trying to keep my mind off food, I pulled out the border leicester yarn. ¬†I spun this yarn on the Van Eaton wheel and plied a couple of weekends ago on the Womack. ¬†That was ALOT of plying. ¬†Two bumps of roving purchased last year at NYSW translated into 1500 yards of worsted weight yarn.

I pulled out my favorite book, A Fine Fleece, ¬†and cast on for Rhinebeck. ¬† It tickles me no end to be knitting a sweater named that with fiber I bought there. ¬†There’s an outside chance I could finish it FOR Rhinebeck. ¬†Now wouldn’t that be something!

Craft on!

I’m going to skip the whole apology for not posting more often. ¬†I’d like to do so, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. ¬†This past week while I wasn’t at work but at home on a staycation, I was busier than if I had gone to work.

I gave the kids off as well because they haven’t had a vacation since last summer either. ¬†What with starting kindergarten {shudder} tomorrow, I figured they were due. ¬†We took a bunch of day trips including a visit to the Liberty Science Center and the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. ¬†I even got some bonus time to myself to sort through some of the clutter that is my space when the folks took the twins off to the boat Saturday morning returning for dinner on Sunday.

I have some pictures of the day trips but need to get them off the small camera. ¬†In the meantime, I’d like to catch up on the important stuff, the crafts! ¬†What with WOOL being a warm and fuzzy recent memory, I’ve been spurned to do some serious spinning, though these skeins aren’t necessarily limited to WOOL activity. ¬†This first skein is what I was spinning on the boat over July 4th weekend.

This is 8o’s merino wool top in colourway 9c09 that I bought from Cris. ¬†It is 40z spun up to 502 yards. ¬† If memory serves, I spun this on the Victoria and will be the last skein I get off her, but that’s a story for later.

This is superwash that I bought from Carolyn on Thursday at WOOL in the Moonflower colourway. ¬†I spun this on the Schacht. ¬†If I didn’t finish it at Lake George, I got most of it done there. ¬†If memory serves, and it kind of fuzzy at the moment, I finished it up Sunday night after getting home. ¬†It is navajo plied. I might have had a bit of a brain fart as the first half of the bobbin was done very fine while the second half wasn’t so much. ¬†I think I planned on plying from both ends of center pull to come out with an even yarn. ¬†As it stands now, almost half of the 316 yds is sock weight while the rest is a DK or so. ¬†I think I’ll fold in half and knit the boy a new hat from it.

This is 58’s Domestic Wool in colorway 9B16 that I bought from Cris at the Claremont festival back in April. ¬†I spun it on the Kromski Sonata after WOOL was over. ¬†It is 374 yards at just shy of 4 oz.

The last bit of spinning to show has also been knitted up.  I know a miracle has happened!  This is also superwash from Carolyn that I spun at WOOL.  It is the Superhero colorway.  This roving practically spun itself.  I still have a bit left (that little skein is about 100yds)  and will probably make the girl a pair of socks.

I have to admit, for all the spinning I do, I rarely knit with the stuff. Boy what a goof I’ve been for that. ¬†I loved knitting those socks and am now debating which skein sitting around here is next. ¬†I think that merino I showed above is next

I finished another pair of socks. ¬†These are the socks in my apology post from a couple of weeks ago. ¬†They are also from handspun. ¬†I haven’t a clue where the fiber is from nor what it is. ¬†It could be merino, but it could also be BFL. ¬†I think it is Spunky but won’t swear to it. ¬†I do remember spinning it over the course of several months on the Majacraft Rose after the move to the house so the timeframe is um, within the last 3 years. ¬†That’s about as far as I can narrow it down. ¬†Love em though. ¬†54st on US1 needles.

That’s it for now. ¬†Must go off an entertain the troops during our last day off. ¬†Happy Labor Day to those that are celebrating.

Craft on!

Dear blog,

I am very sorry that I have ignored you for quite some time. Again. Work has been crazy as development time on the new release has drawn towards a close to meet up with the beginning of the new school year. Good thing I prefer to be busy.

There’s also the summer travel thing that keeps us apart. A weekend at a dude ranch followed by one on the boat and then in Lake George for WOOL. This past weekend was spent in PA with the sister and her spawn.

I’ve bought stuff and have sold stuff that I need to bring you up to speed on too.

Anyway I still love you and miss you. Time will come soon when I will be able to spend more regular time with you again.

And yes, I still knit

Love,
Me