Knit’s the Word

This holiday has been full of so many things – family, fun, food, puzzles, gaming, shopping – but one thing stands out above the rest.  Knitting.  I have knit almost everyday of this break.  I have knit several pair of mitts, mittens, socks, a hat, and a reindeer.  In the queue are more mitts and mittens, a couple more pair of socks, about three sweaters, and a cardigan.  Based on my schedule thus far for the upcoming semester, it looks as though all of those projects will at least be started, if not finished.  If you know me, you know that I have great patience when it comes to knitting but that I also need great variety, so I have a funny feeling that I will have around four projects on my needles at any one given time.  I quite look forward to it.

 

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Also, my old camera crapped out on me, so I bought a new one.  It’s a Nikon Coolpix L100.  Wide 15x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, 5.0-75.0mm lens, 3-inch screen, 4 GB memory card… basically more than I actually need.  My old camera had 10x optical and 3x digital zoom, which is hard to find now a-days in that small of a camera, which is why I went with a slightly larger camera.  I have taken quite a few pictures with this new camera, and I quite like it.  It’s easy to use and responsive.  My only beef is that it doesn’t focus on everything that I think it should.  Not a huge deal and something I can adapt to, but I’m used to my old camera which focused on just about anything.  However, that’s sitting here beside me as I wait for its last photo transfer to complete.  Its “ok” button became unresponsive but, no big deal, there are workarounds.  Then it lost response in its “BS” (Best Shot) button.  That was harder to deal with because setting everything manually without an “ok” button takes a lot more time and patience.  The death knoll sounded when its zoom quit.  For the photography that I do, zoom is essential.  Which is why I bought the camera that I did.  The new one also does really well in dim areas without giving me too grainy of a picture.

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Let it snow, let it Reindeer

I have finished my cutest creation ever, just in time for our family Christmas gift exchange.  It is a reindeer, and it is utterly adorable.  I almost don’t want to give him up.  He is my very own creation. No pattern, no model, just my imagination and knitting skill.  I’m kind of attached to the little guy.  Mom says she may have to fight for him from whomever gets him. Our Christmas gift exchanges work like this: first person draws from the pile and opens a gift. Second person may either choose a new gift or steal someone else’s.  If your gift is stolen you may steal or draw from the pile. And it goes on until everyone has a gift.  There may or may not be bartering afterward.  It’s always fun and, this year, I finally have something to bring that I truly like.

 

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Later that evening….

And now that it is all over and the family has gone home… the reindeer has managed to stay with us.  Dad took it from the pile.  I ended up with two mugs and a basket.  The mugs will be perfect for my tea, and the basket can hold small balls of yarn.  All in all, it was time well spent with family and food.

Mitt Madness, Pt. 2

 

Here is the other pattern, as promised!  My hands run on the medium to small size, so if this doesn’t fit you, try adding a multiple of 4 stitches to the cast on, and then work the appropriate number of DCRs and SCRs.  And, if after reading the pattern all of the way through, you think my method of thumb hole will be too small, try making your round of DLs into triple loops for your thumb round.  Or, if you’re not that good at improvising, leave me a message in the comments with your hand measurements and include your email in the field, and I’ll attempt to write the pattern to fit your size.

 

Tree Beard

So called, because the color way is “Dark Forest” and the texture makes me think of tree bark, which makes me think of Tree Beard from Lord of the Rings.

Double Loop (DL): Put needle through loop as if to knit.  Wrap yarn twice around needle, pull through.

Single Cable Right (SCR): Slip first stitch to cable needle and hold to front. Knit next stitch. Knit stitch from cable needle.

Double Cable Right (DCR): Slip next two stitches to cable needle and hold to front. Knit next two stitches. Knit both stitches from cable needle.

 

Make 2 alike.

Using bulky weight yarn and size 10.5 DPNs, cast on 24 stitches.

Knit 2 rounds.

Next round: *Knit 3, K2T* repeat between *’s until 4 stitches remain. K4.  20 stitches remaining.

R1: DL in every stitch.

R2: DCR 5 times.

R3-4: Knit.

R5: DL in every stitch.

R6: SCR 10 times.

R7-8: Knit.

Repeat R1-8 two more times (or until desired length reached).

Repeat R1-4 once.

Bind off.

 

To wear, pull on and stick your thumb through one of the holes between two sets of DCRs. 

Mitt Madness

I have been on Break for a total of five days now, and what have I filled those days with? Knitting, of course!  (Well, I also took some time off from knitting to visit the BF.)  And what have I been knitting?  Mitts!  And socks, and a reindeer.  I have knit two pair of mitts, finished a sock, started another sock, and made it half-way through a reindeer/moose of my own design (depending on what its antlers look like in the end as to whether it will be called a moose or a reindeer).  For your viewing pleasure, I am posting pictures of my mitts.  For your knitting pleasure, I am posting their patterns.  Be aware, as always, that these patterns are not professional, there may be errors, and there may be terminology familiar only to myself.  That said, if you have questions, ask!

 

Remmy

My hands run on the medium to small size, so if it looks like these might be too small for you, try using a thicker yarn and/or a larger needle size.  You can also try casting on more stitches and working accordingly.  Or, if you’re not that good at improvising, leave me a message in the comments with your hand measurements and include your email in the field, and I’ll attempt to write the pattern to fit your size.

Single Cable to the Right (SCR): slip first stitch onto cable needle and hold to front, knit next stitch, knit stitch from cable needle.

These are knit in the round with size 8 DPNs.

 

Pattern:

Left mitt

Using a light worsted or DK weight yarn, cast on 28 stitches. Knit 9 rows k2p2 rib. Knit 1 round.

R1: P1, SCR, K6, purl remaining.

R2: P1, K1, SCR, K5, purl remaining.

R3: P1, K2, SCR, K4, purl remaining.

R4: P1, K3, SCR, K3, purl remaining.

R5: P1, SCR, K2, SCR, K2, purl remaining.

R6: P1, K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, purl remaining.

R7: P1, K2, SCR, K2, SCR, purl remaining.

R8: P1, K3, SCR, K3, purl remaining.

R9: P1, SCR, K2, SCR, K2, purl remaining.

R10: P1, K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, purl remaining.

R11: P1, K2, SCR, K2, SCR, purl until 4 stitches from end of round.  Bind off two stitches.  P2.

R12: P1, K3, SCR, K3, purl until bind off reached.  Wrap yarn 3 times around needle. P2.

R13: P1, SCR, K2, SCR, K2, purl until bind off reached.  Drop 3 wraps from previous round. Wrap yarn 2 times around needle. P2.

R14: P1, K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, purl until bind off reached.  Drop 2 wraps from previous round. Wrap yarn 1 time around needle. P2.

R15: P1, K2, SCR, K2, SCR, purl until bind off reached.  Drop 1 wrap from previous round.  Taking all of the excess yarn from previous wrappings, hold together as one strand and drape over needle, treating as one wrapped stitch.  Into wrap K1, P1.  P2.

R16: P1, K3, SCR, K3, purl remaining.

R17: Knit all.

Work 7 rounds K2P2 ribbing.

Bind off.

Right mitt

Using a light worsted or DK weight yarn, cast on 28 stitches. Knit 9 rows k2p2 rib. Knit 1 round.

R1: Purl until 9 stitches remain, place marker, SCR, K6, P1.

R2: Purl until marker, K1, SCR, K5, P1.

R3: Purl until marker, K2, SCR, K4, P1.

R4: Purl until marker, K3, SCR, K3, P1.

R5: Purl until marker, SCR, K2, SCR, K2, P1.

R6: Purl until marker, K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, P1.

R7: Purl until marker, K2, SCR, K2, SCR, P1.

R8: Purl until marker, K3, SCR, K3, P1.

R9: Purl until marker, SCR, K2, SCR, K2, P1.

R10: Purl until marker, K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, P1.

R11: P2. Bind off two stitches.  Purl until marker. K2, SCR, K2, SCR, P1. 

R12: P2. Wrap yarn 3 times around needle. Purl until marker. K3, SCR, K3, P1. 

R13: P2. Drop 3 wraps from previous round. Wrap yarn 2 times around needle. Purl until marker. SCR, K2, SCR, K2, P1.

R14: P2. Drop 2 wraps from previous round. Wrap yarn 1 time around needle. Purl until marker. K1, SCR, K2, SCR, K1, P1.

R15: P2. Drop 1 wrap from previous round.  Taking all of the excess yarn from previous wrappings, hold together as one strand and drape over needle, treating as one wrapped stitch.  Into wrap K1, P1. Purl until marker. K2, SCR, K2, SCR, P1.

R16: Purl until marker, K3, SCR, K3, P1.

R17: Knit all.

Work 7 rounds K2P2 ribbing.

Bind off.

Life and Death

Yesterday, a good friend passed away from complications from Lupus.  He was only 20.  He had been in the hospital more than out of it since the second week of October, so, while it was not something we wished for, his death was a constant thought in our minds.  Yet that did nothing to lessen the sick feeling in my gut and the sting of tears in my eyes when I received word that he had passed on.  When he went, he left not only all of his friends, but his family and fiancé as well.  And now we all struggle to make peace with his passing and to find comfort where we can.  Tonight a group of us traveled to visit his fiancé at her home.  It was a good time of remembering and laughter.  For a while, we were able to put aside grief as we talked with each other and played various games.  But it seems that every conversation comes back around to him.  We talked of his illness and of the young man that we knew before these last few months.  He had been diagnosed with Lupus four years ago, but if one did not know that he was sick, it took a while to figure out.  He was always full of laughter and had a particular brand of humour and sarcasm.  He never felt sorry for himself, and didn’t like it when others made a fuss over him.  He was fully determined to lead a full life and do the things he wanted to do.  He was someone whom I feel honoured to have shared a part of my life with, and he will be sorely missed.

Death, especially of one so young, always brings with it complex and contradictory emotions and lines of thought for me.  On the one hand, death is inevitable.  Life feels so futile.  What is the point of life if all we can look forward to is its end?  Why did God give man life if he knew he was just going to die?  It’s hard to wrap my mind around the purpose of living at a time like this.  On the other hand, I am reminded of the fragility of life.  It can be gone at any second and so we must treasure the life we are given and make the most of the time that we have.  For me, that means taking chances, taking the opportunities that are presented, and not letting fear or timidity stand in the way.

So, until we meet again, rest in peace my friend and thank you for the life that you lived.

Schooling will continue until knowledge improves

The final year of undergraduate studies has begun.  A year filled with knowledge gained and insights achieved.  Hopefully.  This year marks the completion of a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Theatre and a good dose of German.  ”Flash” and “Algorithms” will progress as every CS course before them.  ”German” will provide a greater grasp on the language, as well as a degree of independence and collaboration.  I meet with the professor every other week, with the lab assistants for two hours a week, and a friend and I are juggling the textbook between the two of us.  ”Classical Acting” will certainly stretch me.  It will stretch my capabilites as an actor (which are not so very great at present).  At present, my goals are to increase my range of emotions (to portray them as well as to actually feel them) and to learn to interpret the classical plays.  I was priviledged to attend a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” this summer, and the characters, movements, and vocal inflections of the actors were very different from what I imagined when I read the play.

The most exciting course of the semester comes in the form of an Independent Study on Arabic Theatre.  Since it is independent, I have been the one to do all of the research, to select and purchase relevent texts, and to choose the direction of my study.  For this course the roles will be reversed.  I will be teaching my professor.  (Yet I suspect that she will still teach me a great deal, as she has the greater knowledge of forms of theatre.)  I am rather absurdly excited for this course.  I expect to learn a great deal, both about Arabic theatre and their culture.  I know very little of the culture that we seem to always be at war with, and this course will give me a chance to expand my knowledge.  I have also decided to keep a blog of my reflections and musings on what I have read and experienced.  It can be found at An American in Arabia, and I hope to post two or three times a week, or as the inspiration strikes.

Of Strings and Things

First off, some of the things I’ve been working on as of late:

I might get around to posting patterns, I might not.  More probably the latter, but hopefully the former!

 

Second, I finally have time to dig out the bike.  After yesterday’s ride, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am out of shape.  Time for biking, running, rollerblading, and working out!

Third, I’m working on campus again this summer.  Several friends are on campus and in the area, so this means more adventures!  (and hopefully more updates)