Category Archives: knitting

weekend.

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I’ve got something to say. All weekends are better with homemade french fries. My weekend is only half over, and these have already made it extra awesome. Another high five to Kaela over at local kitchen for these spicy oven fries. I used my first farm potatoes of the season. After I took this picture, I may have poured myself a generous amount of ketchup for dipping.

And then I finished the first Lucy sock, so named for the colorway, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Why have I not been knitting handspun socks all this time? I am in love with this sock. I cannot wait for there to be two.

Motivated by the awesomeness of my handspun sock, I sat back down at my wheel. You know, to finish whatever I’ve been spinning so that I can get started on another 3-ply. For more socks. It is a vicious, vicious cycle. This is an in progress shot of the second bobbin of whatever delicious Hello Yarn Fiber Club fiber I was spinning. (I just looked — Finn in the Shaking Leaves colorway, from January 2011.)

And here’s a picture of it plied. More of this soon, once it’s dry!

Can this dog get any sweeter? I managed to grab the camera with my right hand today after Boh put his paw on my left. He must have been transmitting some good, productive vibes, because even with all the fibery goodness, I managed to write a few pages today. And now it is bedtime.

writing is hard.

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Extra hard, you might say, with a work companion like this guy. I swear he gets cuter all the time. The good news? All those hours spent staring at my screen yesterday are turning into a bit more productivity today. And that’s despite having an absolutely lovely handspun sock to work on:

This might be the prettiest sock I’ve ever knit. It makes me want to spin sock yarn. Which I’ll do. After I’m done with this prospectus. Back to it!

the ninety-nine percent.

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I know you don’t come here for the politics, but bear with me. I’m not in NYC, but today I participated in a virtual march together with #occupywallstreet and a whole host of organizations supporting the folks down at Liberty Square. For more, try here, here, and here.

My sign?

I am 29. Grad student. No debt, but minimal savings. My parents paid for college — I won’t be able to do the same for my children someday. I’m not sure that there will be a job for me when I earn my PhD. I know that in many ways, I am lucky. But I am the 99%.

That college education? The most important gift I imagine I will ever receive. It made it possible for me to make choices about my life that had nothing to do with paying back loans. The future? As an academic, very scary. We’re practically tripping over articles and books about the crisis of the American university. I am well aware that the world I am preparing for is changing rapidly. The increasing adjunctification and corporatization of the university have me seriously concerned about what lies ahead. Despite these worries, I know I’m lucky. I grew up comfortably, with access to good healthcare and educational opportunities. (I’m also an adopted kid. Lucky.)

In a system that does not prioritize the needs of the majority of its people, I am lucky. We have serious inequity and injustice. Here. At home. And I appreciate those standing up, in New York and across the country, to advocate for the 99%. #occupywallstreet.

Now, did you want to see another picture of that sock?

I spun this CMF superwash merino in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds a long time ago, and it has just been sitting, waiting, in my handspun stash. Last night, slowly recovering from the stomach bug, I wound it up and cast on another unfancy sock: 64 st, size 1 dpns. I’m hoping I’ll have enough yarn for a full pair! (My notes say I have 325 yards. I divided the yarn into 2 balls, roughly, and I’m weighing it as I go to get a sense for when I should turn the heel. The answer is soon.)

Today’s breakfast. A good sign. I am feeling much better!

FO: a pair of unfancy socks.

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I’ve finished a pair of socks, and it happens to be socktober. (How did I manage that?) I might like these so much that I’m going to cast on another equally unfancy sock or two. These are 64 st socks with 2×2 rib at the cuff, knit from the cuff down. I loosely followed the Knitmore Girls Vanilla Sock pattern after abandoning the Gentleman’s Fancy Sock I began with.)

Honestly, I wish I hadn’t finished knitting sock #2 quite so soon. See, I’ve spent my morning dealing with an unpleasant stomach bug, and all I’ve been able to do thus far today is sit quietly and knit. (No coffee, even!) I just ate some oatmeal, and so far, it seems to be staying right where I want it. (TMI?) I’m hoping to swap knitting for writing this afternoon — but I guess if working is impossible, knitting is the next best thing. And now I’ve got a new pair of socks!

Also, a new pair of glasses. What do you think? (Can this rooster pull off this look?)

Boh doesn’t seem to mind the new frames — so long as he can stay curled up on the couch. I’m happy to let him handle that part of today’s to-do list!

 

agnes in action.

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I’ve been wearing Agnes pretty much since I returned home from last week’s research trip to the land of Mick. (How great is it that knitting friends live near archives?!) The weather has turned chilly and extremely fall-like, and Agnes is serving exactly the purpose I imagined for her: a cozy warm layer for mornings and evenings. (I’m wearing Agnes right now, and if I weren’t typing, my hands would be in the pockets.)

Stay tuned for some accidental socktober knitting — I’ve just turned the heel on my second unfancy sock!

sock satisfaction.

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Remember this sock? The decidedly unfancy sock (so named because it was once the beginning of a gentleman’s fancy sock, and then I needed something mindless to knit on during a lecture, so it became stockinette, or unfancy) that I think I said I was going to finish before my exams? Well, last night, I was rooting around in my knitting bags looking for something simple to work on, and I found this, a row or two away from kitchenering. Yes, that’s right: kitchenering.

So I did.

And it felt great. About as great as actually writing 500 or so words yesterday. So I cast on the second sock. In looking for something to knit on yesterday, I realized that I have a lot of sock yarn. And that I like big (read: larger than one skein) shawls. Which means lots of stripes in my future, but also that I should try to re-find my sock mojo. So I’m on that.

FO: agnes.

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Someday I hope to take pictures of this sweater in the wild (and in natural light). But for now, I think I have to accept that these pictures, snapped last night in my ugly hallway (and while the sweater was, to be honest, still a little damp) will have to do, because it is going to be almost 80 degrees outside today. Beautiful, but not Agnes weather. (And I might be pouting a little bit about that.)  Blocking has loosened up and evened out everything, of course, and now Agnes is perfectly cozy without being sloppy, if that makes sense. You can still see the spot where I dropped down to increase several times after the fact — on the back of the right shoulder (which is why I took that silly picture)– but it is way less noticeable than it was before blocking. When I make this again (because I could probably use at least two more of these sweaters), I might double up the purl rows at the pockets so that whatever contrast color I choose stands out even more. Also, I think this sweater will be an important part of my dissertation writing process.

On that note, here’s another installment of “fake-it-’til-you-make-it” here at Chez Rooster. On Saturday morning I realized that I needed to put on a button-down shirt to make myself do some writing. And it worked. Never have I been so happy to get 200 words out of my fingers and onto the screen.

And here’s my next project from Wool Book One: Avery. I’m making this cowl in two skeins of Malabrigo in the perfect shade of rusty red-orange. To wear with my Agnes, of course.

almost agnes.

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Here she is, with pockets, and all bound off. I’m not sure they’re visible in any of these pictures, but I decided to knit the pockets in grey Elsa Wool cormo leftover from my Idlewood.

There might be a glimpse of the grey contrast color in this shot.

A very happy rooster. Also, I’m going to pretend that I had just returned from yoga or something, which is why I’m wearing leggings. That I’m working from home, and not planning to see anyone but Boh most of the time might be closer to the truth…

Blocking on the dining room table. (Finally! I have somewhere to block things!) I keep going in there to see if Agnes is dry yet. I am incredibly impatient to wear this. And maybe to make another…

Also? Oatmeal with a dollop of homemade jam is delicious. I’m just saying.

Back to work. This dissertation prospectus is not writing itself, though I’ve given it plenty of opportunity…

a glimpse.

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Much more to come once I recover from a weekend that involved 1600+ miles of driving, 13 pies, several sips of moonshine, and more love than I know how to describe. For now, a few photos — of Agnes, bound off (but sans pockets). I left her here because she was unfinished, but it was cool in the mountains, and I certainly would’ve worn her.

Also, a glimpse of early morning. A handful of wedding guests stayed in rental houses near the top of the mountain where the festivities occurred. I was the lone early riser, which meant that on Friday and Saturday morning I had a beautiful view, pieces of “test” pie, and my french press all to myself. I even managed to get some solid work done.

Today I have plans to unpack, cuddle with Boh, and recover from yesterday’s very long drive. Stay tuned for photos of all of the pie!

arms of agnes.

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Sleeves, really, but arms just sounds better. Right?

I finished the first sleeve with my morning coffee. (Still a bit bleary-eyed here.)

And then I made an old school bowl of oatmeal, inspired by my empty fridge (tomorrow is farm day) and, as always, by Heidi and Super Natural Every Day. I added peanut butter, agave, yogurt, milk, and peanuts to my bowl. It was delicious. And deserving of hipstamatic iPhone photographs. (All that remained when I decided to snap a picture was Heidi’s cookbook and this pile of ingredients.)

Here’s a fancy shot of that first sleeve. The hipstamatic effects seem to lessen the impact of this particularly ugly corner of my house (just outside the bathroom door).

Boh seems pleased with my progress.

After a fairly productive day of reading, errands, and yoga, I knit a few inches of the second sleeve. I’m gearing up for a whirlwind weekend trip to the North Carolina mountains to bake the pies for a dear friend’s wedding. The forecast is for cooler weather, and it would be amazing to be able to take this sweater with me for early mornings/late evenings. And maybe to keep me company on the long drive — all the way there on Thursday, all the way back on Sunday. Boh will hold down the fort here with our friend R. while I’m gone. Lots to do before I leave — in addition to the rest of Agnes!