Lace Blocking and Why It's Fun

So I washed and blocked my first piece of lace. It's a shawl from a pattern I got from Creative Knitting magazine. The original pattern called for a silk ribbon yarn, but I used a plain red wool instead (I was stash-busting). It looked pretty good unblocked, and the pattern didn't call for blocking. But since I'm working on a more intricate lace scarf, I thought that this would be good practice! It looks even more amazing than I thought it would. The blocking has brought out the stitch definition, and you can see the pattern! You can also see some of the mistakes, but I don't think it's too bad for a first attempt at lace!

As to the other lace project I've got going on, it's still going great! I love the pattern. It's got enough variety that I'm not getting bored, and I'm absolutely charmed by the look of the yarn in pattern. I'm flying through it, which is good, because there are 17 repeats of the 28 row pattern. So far, I've completed 3 repeats of the pattern, and no mistakes yet! Bragging about that is inviting the wrath of the knitting fates, I know, but the pattern is easy enough to know where you are most of the time. Hopefully I will have this done soon, and have pictures posted of its charming loveliness.

What I've knit for me

These are two scarves that I made for myself after Christmas. It was a stash-busting exercise, since I have a lot of yarn, and wanted to use some of it before I could justify buying more. They are both the same pattern, just different yarn combinations. I used the one row scarf pattern from the Yarn Harlot, but I used two worsted weight yarns, knit together using US size 11 needles.

I used this same adapted pattern for Christmas gifts this past year, so if it looks familiar, then you probably got one!

The blue one is a variegated acrylic, combined with a fuzzy acrylic. The pink/brown one is a variegated wool, with pink, rose and brown, combined with a solid brown wool. I like that while they are the same pattern, they have different textures due to the different yarns.

I am currentl working on a lace scarf. The pattern is from 101 Designer one-skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant. It is the Oriel Lace Scarf, and I'm knitting in Koigu KPM, in a gorgeous gray/brown color. I think that when I'm done I will get more of this yarn to make fingerless gloves to match.

Today I will be blocking a bigger piece of lace. It's a shawl, knit from a worsted weight wool. I'm excited but also a little nervous, as this will be my first lace-blocking attempt. If it works out, there will be pictures up tomorrow. If there aren't any pictures, then we all know that it ended up looking like scrunched up wet noodles.

Lego Star Wars and why the Force holds the universe together

So I've never been a video gamer. I stopped playing video games when the controller got more complicated than a joystick. My brother, on the other hand, is a pro at it. Me? I don't seem to have the hand-eye coordination to be able to play the new games.
As Fate (or the Force, you decide) would have it, I fell in love with a man who likes to play video games. He's not obsessed by any means, but he enjoys a little Need for Speed or God of War every now and then.
Then I found the game that would change my mind forever. Lego Star Wars. I know, it's a game for children, which is probably why I can play it. It's awesome! It reminds of my childhood, when my brother played with both Legos and Star Wars figurines.
I'm hooked. The characters are little Lego people, and when you destroy something, it blows up into little Lego blocks!
So you see, the Force gave me something to share with the man I love. Now if only he would get off the Playstation so that I can play!

Why I knit

So I started knitting Thanksgiving, 2006. So I am a fairly new knitter. I've read that there are 2 types of knitters, process and product. I am definitely a product knitter. I love the feeling of making something out of a ball of yarn and some pointy sticks.
I got inspired to learn how to knit over a game of Scrabble. I was playing with my sister, my brother and his wife. She was crocheting something, a blanket I think, and I thought to myself, I want to learn how to knit. My mom had a book that teaches knitting, along with some yarn and needles. Thankfully, the book had instructions for left-handed people, otherwise who knows what hobby I would have picked up!
Since then, I've made scarves, socks, hats, baby toys, washcloths, and lots of mistakes. But I've learned more than just how to knit. I've learned patience, some math, and dedication. Knitting has given me focus and the ability to see things long term. It takes some imagination to look at a ball of wool and see a lace scarf hiding in there.
It also gives me a connection to my family that I didn't anticipate. My mom has always been crafty, and she makes some of the most beautiful needlepoint. My sister-in-law knits and crochets and is great at both. My sister does gorgeous orgami. We all have this creative drive in common. It also makes me so proud to see someone that I love wearing something that I made for them. There is something to be said for seeing your loved ones being sheltered from the cold by something that came from your hands.
I'm working on my first lace piece right now. It's coming along, but right now it looks more like wet noodles than lace. Patience is a virtue, right?
So that is the beginning of my knitting story. There will be more chapters to come.

I told you there would be pictures!

Okay, it's just one picture. These are the first socks I ever knit. I was pretty amazed at myself.

My First Blog Entry

Well, I've finally done it. I've joined the ranks of the technology-abled folks. I just bought my first computer, and I'm going to do more with it than play spider solitaire, I promise!
I've always wanted a blog, just so that I can share the wit and humor that is me with all the internet. Plus, I'm unemployed right now, so this has to be better than talking to the cats, right?
I plan on having pictures of my knitting on a regular basis, as well as pictures of my cute nephew.
Check back for more!