Kel Knits: My life in Stitches

Getting Closer

Kel — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 07:05:24 +0000

Wow… apparently I haven’t updated my blogroll in like… years. Because I just deleted over half of my links because they were out of date. More proof that Ravelry killed the knit bloggers. hehe…

Anyway… it’s been a while since my last big post of how I was going to get back into my art and conquer the world. I haven’t really done either. I have however made a step in the right direction (or at least that’s my plan). In the next few weeks I’ll be transitioning from the job that robbed me of my personal life and my creative time, and replacing it with one that will put me back on a regular schedule and not require me to be on call. Yay! So my hope is that once I’m in said position I’ll be able to have a personal life again, stop canceling on my friends and family because I get a last minute emergency call, and actually spend time on things that I enjoy and want to do for a change. This includes writing, blogging, reading, knitting, and all the other artsy fartsy stuff I enjoy doing.

And to prove that I do in fact still know how to knit… I give you one finished sock.

One Day

Kel — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:51:54 +0000

So if video killed the radio star, then social work surely killed the creativity star. It’s been nearly 7 months since I updated this blog and the lack of knitting that’s been done in that time just makes me sad.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to have a job when so many do not, and I’m also happy to be able to help my clients (well, the ones who actually want the help)… I just miss being able to do the artistic things that are such a huge part of who I am. My knitting, writing, blogging, beading and scrapbooking have all been seriously neglected since I started this job a year and almost four months ago. Sure, I’m creative on the job, thinking on my feet and all that jazz… but it’s not the same. I NEED art in my life, and more than the random half hour of writing in a notebook here and there between home visits or knitting at night until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

I heard a great quote today (while working, on a Saturday, thus missing Ravyn’s birthday party)… I took my client who has hoarding problems to listen to a presentation on decluttering. The presenter shared the following quote (which I’m totally paraphrasing): “Waiting for the perfect time to do something is like waiting to take a vacation until all of the stoplights are green.”

That quote hit home because with my lack of art lately I keep telling myself that “one day” I’ll find the time again. “One day” I’ll be able to use my art regularly again whether it be personally or professionally. Well damn it, I think it’s time.

I don’t know HOW I’ll do it, but I’m going to. I’m sick of waiting, sick of putting myself second to everything (and everyone) else all of the time, and sick of the absence of Creative Me. It’s time for “one day” to be today.

A Review in Pictures

Kel — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:05:02 +0000

So let’s see… when I last left off I’d begun dyeing yarn and was knitting a set of Noro socks. I finished the socks and Sock #2 turned out with less of a wonky stripe at the heel thankfully. I’m still not thrilled with the thick and thin of Noro especially when dealing with something as fine as sock yarn, but the color is so worth it, I WILL be trying to figure out how they get such beautiful colorways in their dyeing.

Noro socks

I dyed this…

Hand-dyed by me.

…to finally make my sister a stole/scarf/wrap thingy. I’m using the One Skein: A Stole pattern which is free in Ravelry and uber easy yet lovely.

I treated myself to a new camera for my upcoming birthday so I can now take pictures like these…

4th of July

St. Joe at Sunset

Lola

There’s been more yarn dyeing…

Hand Dyed by Me

Rainbow sock flat hand dyed by me

I went on a much needed vacation during which I fell in love again with St. Joe, MI and taking photographs of it’s beautiful scenery.

Lookout Point

And finally, I saw the latest Harry Potter movie at 12:01 a.m. this morning with a theater full of diehard Potter-Heads.

HBP

Tis all for now!

Yay me!

Kel — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:49:21 +0000

I mentioned the other day that I have entered the world of yarn dyeing. It’s seeping into my daily thoughts and all I want to do is create more of The Pretty! My skein of Bare showed up in the mail Saturday morning along with some other yarny goodies that I couldn’t help but buy during the Knitpicks sale last week. It’s sitting on the dining room table mocking me. It’s taunting me and begging me to give it some color! But… it’ll have to wait.

Until I have time to dye again though check this out… my big skein finally dried out (dang humidity!) and I caked it up tonight. Presenting… Superman!

Superman, you ask? Yes, because if you look closely, it’s wearing a cape and tights and it can fly! Hehe just kidding. Actually I’ve named it Superman because it reminds me of Superman ice cream (yum!) Now all I can think of is hot summer days Up North getting a cone of Superman ice cream after swimming all afternoon in Crystal Lake. I can’t wait to knit with it and see what it looks like!

The Pretty Continues

Kel — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:32:15 +0000

Check out the beauty that is my first completed Noro sock. Yeah, I still wish I’d done an afterthought heel but too freaking bad. I’m a frog lover not a frogger. hehe

Finished!!

In other yarny news… I learned how to dye yarn today and am in LOVE!!

Look at the COLOR!!

That’s just one of my pretties… I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of dyeing this summer and that sock blanket that stalled last summer will be revived.

Sock it to me

Kel — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:26:01 +0000

So I lied. Last time I updated I said that the Noro sock yarn was going to wait until vacation. It totally didn’t wait. I started a sock and I’m in love with it.

Pretty!

I should have done an afterthought heel so that there wasn’t that funky stripe at the ankle, but no way am I ripping it back. I’ll just make sure that the pair I make out of the other skein has an afterthought heel so that The Pretty isn’t interrupted.

In other knitterly news, I made it back to Thursday Knitting this week, finally. It was lovely to get back to a little Knit Therapy with the ladies. I’ve missed it. I’m also going to be trying yarn dyeing soon too thanks to the Thursday Girls. Like I need another hobby?! Photos will be shared, of course.

That’s about it… my movie is almost done, my hands are knitted out, and my bed is calling my name. Can you hear it? Kellieeeeeeee! hehe

Happy Knitting!

What the?

Kel — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:02:56 +0000

Where the heck is my blogroll? I know it’s been a while, but since when did WordPress take the blogroll off of the sidebar? Grr… anyone know how to get it back?

Nevemind… got it back.

Crack in a skein

Kel — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:52:06 +0000

So I bought some crack the other day… of course it came in the form of yarn.

That would be Noro sock yarn. *pauses to sigh* It’s so pretty I can’t wait to use it.

The purple mix is Kureyon.

And the green/blue/grey mix is Silk Garden.

I’ve been coveting this yarn since it first came out on the market but every time I was faced with it in a shop I either couldn’t decide on what color I wanted or I’d tell myself that I already had too much sock yarn sitting at home (which I still do but whatever…). But last week I was having a shitty week and felt like doing a little retail therapy and so I bought these online. Ahh…

I probably won’t get to use it until I’m on vacation because frankly I have like next to NO time to knit anymore. Plus I’ve already got a pair of socks on the needles and I haven’t yet been able to talk myself into justifying another WIP. That scarf I started in Feb… still not done. The throw that I started a month or so ago… Frogged and started over then stalled. My socks… sock one is to the heel flap but I screwed it up so I had to frog it back and I haven’t picked it up since. And then there’s this…

I can’t tell you what it is because it’s a gift. But the birthday it was for was over a week ago. So yeah. Like I said, no time to knit. But… 33 days til my vacation. Wahoo!

In other news, I’ve discovered Christopher Moore’s books and love them. He totally cracks me up. I finally saw Star Trek and I’m totally in love/lust with Chris Pine and his pretty eyes. I saw Up yesterday with the monsters too and it’s so freaking cute that I can’t put into words how much I loved it. I’m also now half moved from my house into my mom’s house which will prove to be a huge money saver when I can get rid of my house. Plus living here gives me internet access again which I’ve missed horribly!

Anywho… that’s the skinny. Nothing exciting, just the same old stuff.

Yup, I still knit.

Kel — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:00:58 +0000

So it’s been a while… I’m still knitting, I just am up to my eyeballs in paperwork and stuff that I don’t get to knit or blog nearly as much as I’d like. But… I can’t complain too much since this economy is shit and I have a job.

Anywho… I still haven’t finished my fake Noro scarf. I also have a pair of socks on the needles that are currently being ignored. My latest project though is a $4.00 project. A couple weeks ago I had a really really crappy day at work and I went to Wal Mart for some retail therapy and groceries. I came across a bin of yarn that had been discounted to one lonely dollar a skein. Yeah, it’s acrylic, but hello… one dollar! So I bought four skeins and bam… I’ve got myself a project.

Meet my first throw…

There’s still one more color missing (the last color is a natural linen sort of color), but so far I’m quite happy with the way it’s turning out. I might even go buy a regularly priced skein (or two) to add another color (or two) but I haven’t decided yet. It’s Vanna’s Choice. *wiggles eyebrows and oohs and ahhs* hehe Yeah, I know you’re jealous. *nods*

With that said… I have paperwork to do. p

Nice…

Kel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:18:34 +0000

I started working on my cartigan again after many months of hibernation (KPS241) and I was actually making some progress. Then a week ago I lost my pattern. So tonight I was online looking to see if KPS sells PDF files and I came across the erata for my pattern… The freaking thing was wrong from the cast on! Ugh! Might as well just rip the whole thing out now. *le sigh* Freaking hell. Maybe I’ll just make a blanket instead… Anyone want to swap some Cascade SW 220? I could give up 5 skeins in exchange for 5 as long as they go with the blue Quatro (#1929, the dark blue)… Or I could go multi colored and swap out one skein at a time… I wanted to do a rainbow blanket out of the SW Quatro colors… Hmm, make me an offer, we’ll talk!

Later…