Week 8...my toes are tingling!

"Eight days a week/Is not enough to show I care" -The Beatles ♪

Finally, finally, finally I have completed my sock. After much turmoil (dramatic!) I was able to finish up and then kitchener the toe. The class had SO many people in it this Tuesday that my teacher had to drag me to the silence of the back room and read the instructions to me. It was really funny- when I came back out wearing my new sock, everyone cheered and applauded. All the women in the class tease me and call me golden girl because I started socks so soon, but they were proud that I was able to do it!

Sock on.

Sock off.

Of course, after the excitement of finishing your sock fades away, you are left with the stark reality that you're only halfway done with this project...so they made me start my second sock right then and there to make sure I'd go through with it.

Aaaand back to f#ck!ng square one.

I also tried out one of the girls' knitpicks options nickel plated needles. I hate to say it buuut they're so much smoother than my acrylic ones. I'm wishing I had held off to buy these, but I thought I'd buy the acrylic as a starter set and then buy the addis as my set of wonderful heavenly needles. I didn't know that the nickel plated KPs would be just as nice as the addis at a fraction of the price.

As for the weight loss front, I lost one pound. *Yippee*. I'm hardcore diet and exercise for a day and then I lose all motivation. Maybe when I move back to school I'll have more control and only buy healthy foods. Until then, I'll try to run a little more and work on portion control. At least I no longer eat when I'm at work- that cut down on a lot of empty calories.

Week 7...turning heels and turning heads

"I'm gonna fight 'em off/A seven nation army couldn't hold me back" -The White Stripes ♪
I played a little hooky on Tuesday...instead of going to knitting, I spent some time with my mom and we went out to my favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, and then went shopping. So, for this week I attended the Thursday night knitting class and learned how to turn my first heel.

I'm evil.

First of all, turning a heel is really annoying. I couldn't figure out with the heel flap slip-one-knit-one thing if they were supposed to follow down the line like ribbing or alternate each row like seed stitch, so I kinda winged it. Then came the create-20-stitches-down-the-side thing, where you have to guess the placement of each create one so that it's even when you get to the bottom. I hate winging things and I hate guessing things, so this whole area of the sock SUCKED.

My desire to repeat this process is zero.

Now I'm at the point where I'm decreasing until both needles have the same number of stitches. This requires slip slip knit, which I'm glad I've learned. Then I knit until it is one inch shorter than my big toe. My goal is to do those two things before this Tuesday so I can finish the toe and be done with this sock- 3 classes is waaaay too much time to spend on ONE F#CK!NG SOCK!

Progress on the scarf continues each week. I'd say I'm 75% done at around 4 1/2 feet. I guess the rule of thumb is to make the scarf as tall as the person wearing it, so I've got less than a foot to go.

I'm making more of these puppies for my sister!

I knit the second mitten while nannying Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then finished the thing on my own on Thursday. This is my first object outside of class that I have cast on, knit successfully, bound off, and sewn in the ends without any help. I had my teachers attach them and now they are being proudly displayed, hanging off my moms curtain rod until winter.


In personal matters, I'd like to lose 10 pounds before I go back to school. I've got 5 weeks and a gym membership, so lets see where this goes. I'd like to be able to run a 5k in 30 minutes, so maybe "training" for that can help me lose weight. At this point in time I can run a mile in 9 1/2 minutes, but halfway through the mile I'm tired and by the end I'm miserable. I don't understand how people can enjoy running- I cramp up and because I have asthma it's hard to breathe.

I was so excited for the vibes, but the weekend was excruciatingly hot. Also, I'm pretty sure we were camped on the breeding ground of angry biting flies. With that combination, I was sweaty and annoyed for the majority of the trip- it was difficult to enjoy everything when that uncomfortable. I bought a new hoop and couldn't even play with it because it was sweltering.

The painfully hot sun sets on our almost fun trip

This weekend my boyfriend and I toured the Boston Harbor Islands, and it was a blast! We did a walking tour of Spectacle Island and then bumbled around Georges Island on our own. We had a groupon for Thai food in the area so we tried out some different cuisine. It was a great time, I was sad to leave! :(

Too bad that indian lady ruined our photo.

Week 6...chuggin' along

"Now, if six turned up to be nine, I don't mind, I don't mind/ If all the hippies cut off their hair, I don't care, I don't care." -Jimi Hendrix ♪

This lyric is so appropriate as I am heading to the Gathering of the Vibes music festival in 2 days! It's 4 days of camping, music, hooping, hippies, and sun. I can't wait! My dad has taken me/my sister/my boyfriend for the past 3 years, but this year my sister and boyfriend couldn't go, so I got to choose a friend from school. Not anyone can handle this festival- you have to choose the right personality. Someone who wouldn't bring a hair straightener.

Anyways, I don't have many cool updates from week 6 of class. I'm simply chugging along. I'm working on the second mitten while my sock and scarf are in progress. I also learned how to change skeins to connect more yarn to my project, and discovered the wonders of the row counter for my cable.

In shopping news, I bought a Vera Bradley bag to hold all of my knitting supplies. Check it out! 

It was on sale!

A look inside

When my mom and I were antique shopping, I came across this handy travel bag to hold all of my notions! It's not antique (so I don't know why it was there) but it is perfect for this!

And since this is such a short post, I leave you with a picture of our dog...you know, the one I'm allergic to!

Why don't you ever pet me? :(

Week 5...sock it to me!

"Well in five years time we could be walking round a zoo/With the sun shining down over me and you" -Noah and the Whale ♪

We're sharp!

I have finally won the battle of the socks! I was emailed a flyer announcing my LYS was having a 20% off everything sale, so I moseyed on down to grab sock knitting materials. Because my knitpicks set (and most other interchangeable sets, for that matter) only goes down to a size 4 needle, I knew I'd have to buy another, smaller pair of addis to make these socks. After doing all my research, I had the intense desire to try out the addi lace needles, which have a pointier tip. This way when I finally buy the addi interchangeables, I'll know whether I want turbos or the lace set. I bought a size 3, 40" circ.

Magical self-striping yarn

I also bought one skein of sock weight yarn ($18...cringe). This is enough yarn to make both socks.

I've made it up to the heel turn, and am going to need help with that. So far, it's easy...the same as the mitten, really. A couple inches 2x2 ribbing and then plain old stockinette. I love love LOVE the sharp, pointy needles and the stretchiness of the thin yarn. Not to mention the fact that this yarn is self-striping, making all these nice lines and patterns by itself.

I also received my package of notions from knitpicks!

Everybody likes getting packages. Don't lie.

I love trinkets and knick-knacks and knitting supplies are so cute. In my shipment, I got: point protectors, stitch markers, locking stitch markers, a needle gauge, a yarn threader thingy, and most importantly, cable connectors to make my interchangeable cords longer.

But where will we live?

Since class 5 was supposed to be my last class, I made the executive decision to purchase another pack of 5 lessons to continue this hobby through the summer. I'm loving it too much to stop now...there is so much to learn!

Week 4...shittin' mittens

"Will you still need me, will you still feed me/When I'm sixty-four?" -The Beatles ♪

Since my cable scarf is taking a while to finish, we decided to start another project in the mean time. I've been begging my teachers to start socks, but they wanted to teach me something else magic loop before delving into sockworld.

Originally, we were going to make fingerless gloves, but then decided to stick to regular mittens. The mittens are knit in magic loop with-you guessed it-remainder yarn! These required a size 7 needle on 40" cords...another $16 pair? No thank you. I decided I needed to buy a set of interchangeable circs, but since I hadn't ordered them yet the teacher let me borrow hers.

Completed glove number 1. 

I researched everywhere. Between scouring random blogs, stalking ravelry forums, and a ridiculous amount of googling, I found my set! My main focus was to get as many needles for as little money as possible. To be completely honest, I was willing to sacrifice quality for price- I'm a brand new knitter,  and I'm not in the market for the addi set. If I continue knitting, I'll save up and invest in the set of clicks. I researched hiya hiya and darn pretty, but they were still out of my price range. The boye set had less than thrilling reviews. The denise set, though plastic, was inexpensive and an option. I nearly ordered them when I finally discovered knit picks- a happy medium between the lower class needles and the premium needles that I can't yet afford.

They offer great products and customer service is reported to be excellent. Their Options interchangeable set comes in 3 materials- wooden harmony, nickel plated, and acrylic zephrys. At 50$, the zephyr set fit into my price range and offered 9 sizes of needles. There are 2 24" and 2 32" cords that can be attached to any needle.

But why would anyone want to make see-through needles?
Oh well. It's plastic for me until I get a real job.

I was hesitant because I loved my metal addis so much- how could I now "downgrade" to acrylic? But I love them. The clearness of the acrylic doesn't bother me, either. Its the perfect beginner needle set and I'm glad I bought it. I switched my scarf over to my zephyrs and I haven't had any problems yet!

I'm using the same worsted weight skein as the kindle cozy. Ribbed cuff, stockinette body. I decreased the top all by myself, but needed help for the thumb. after learning how to do it, it wasn't that bad! My mom claimed them as her own and has asked me if she can hang them from her wall because they match her room so well. I crocheted a rope to attach them with.

Production was at a stand-still
when  I hit that thumb.

Success!!!

Week 3...how do knitters travel?

By cable car!
Ok ok, I know it's awkward! I just couldn't think of a clever way of introducing my latest lesson, cable knitting :)

Now for the lyric of the lesson:
"Rise up this mornin'; smiled with the risin' sun/Three little birds, pitch by my doorstep/Singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true; saying, This is my message to you-ou-ou” -Bob Marley ♪


I asked about cable knitting and I received. The teacher designed a nice scarf with a cable down the center to match my hat (white and sparkly). 

Like Edward Cullen.

One women in class told us how she donates her time teaching underprivileged women to knit and described how much joy they all get out of it. It sparked my interest- I would love to go to a women's shelter and bring them some happiness. Just something for me to look into in the future.

I'm using the same size 8, 24" addi turbos for the scarf as I did for the hat except I'm knitting it flat instead of in the round. I also learned how to join two skeins of yarn in this project.

I'm thinking it's going to need to be blocked to get rid of the curling effect of the stockinette. Another new lesson!

Week 2...once you go round you never rebound?

"Two of us riding nowhere/Spending someone's hard earned pay" -The Beatles ♪

Such a great photographer I am!

          Week two means upgrade! LYS decided it was time for me to graduate from flimsy cheap straights to circular metal addi turbos. Cha ching!

          I'm glad I bought these, because I learned that the quality of addi turbo needles are excellent. That being said, at about $16 a pop, there's no way I can afford to buy each needle in their varying lengths. Then the owner of the LYS showed me the interchangeable addi clicks. I was astonished- this is the perfect solution! One set of each size and choose whatever length cord you want! The one problem? The price tag. As a brand new knitter, I really don't want to sink $175 into a set of needles.

          The project chosen to christen my shiny new needles was a simple hat (again, yarn from the random family stash). My first project in the round started as 6 inches of 2x2 ribbing, continued as stockinette, and taught me how to decrease.

Yes, this yarn has a sparkle thread going through it.
I'm 20 and I love glitter, so what?

In case you wanted to kinda see the inside of it.

          Now, as I decreased I had to switch over to double pointed needles. What. The. Hell. Absolutely not! I can't afford to buy every size needle in DPN form! I borrowed the shops size 8 and I absolutely hated using 4 needles, switching after every 15 stiches, counting and recounting and coming out wrong every time...they were not for me. I needed a way to knit small things in the round without DPNs. Right then and there I decided learning magic loop was a must.

          So I started looking online, researching needles and techniques...and the natural OCD personality in me began writing a list of "things to learn". Yes, everybody in knitting class makes fun of me for it. But I want to learn as much as possible while I can!! In class, I write almost everything my knitting teachers say down. The teacher jokes that it makes her nervous, but as we learned in nursing 101 documentation is everything! Knowing me, if I don't write it down I will never remember it again.

Week 1...knit and purl, knit and purl

"One Love, One Heart/Let's get together and feel all right" -Bob Marley ♪
          My first knitting class FLEW.BY. I had a great time meeting the other women in the class (mostly middle-aged), learning my first stitches (knit purl knit purl), and of course, buying stuff (ok, not that much stuff because I'm broke)! Trust me, I was shocked when the girls started talking about vajazzling, but right then and there I knew I was at my knitting home away from home. I couldn't help but agree when one of them shouted, "This ain't your mommas knitting class!" You bet it ain't. My mom would actually probably enjoy this knitting class.

          So, my family likes to a) craft and b) not throw things away. So when I went to this first knitting class, I had a few skeins of yarn that I had found in a bag, probably from a failed attempt to knit when my sister or I were younger. I also had some crappy straight needles, which I used to create my first project: a cozy for my kindle 3! It's a modified pattern from ravelry because they wanted me to learn how to knit on straights before I moved on to circulars. One week and this bad boy was off the needles.

This pattern started off as the "MONSTER" kindle case,
because it looked like it was nomming your kindle. But mine
turned out too cuddly to be called a monster, so we call it Cozy.

          I learned how to cast on and off, pick up dropped stitches, and work with 3 strands at once (the pattern called for bulky yarn but I only had worsted). Sewed up the side and bottom with a button hook, I learned how to knit and purl this kindle cozy in garter and stockinette stitch.

          It was featured on the LYS's ta-da tuesday and yeah, I'll admit it. I felt special.

And the obsession begins...

"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see" -The Beatles ♪
*Cue Flashback*
          It's the 2nd week of summer vacation. I'm still all wound up from final exams, unable to relax and act like a normal person again. Nursing school takes a hard toll on your brain, and by finals you are stressed out, bitter towards the universe, and stuffed to the brim with facts. My mom makes a futile attempt to soothe my aching brain with a small shopping trip, and we head to one of our favorite antique shops. On the way, we- by chance- stop into a LYS called In The Loop. Browsing around, we notice they offer classes for beginners to experts. My mom nudges me. Hey, you should take lessons! That would be a good activity for you to learn through the summer! Hesitantly, I nod yes, yes this could be a good idea...
*End flashback*

          Once a week, on tuesdays, I head over to In The Loop to learn how to knit. I'm signed up for 5 lessons, and am going to blog about the experience of learning how to knit, showing off my finished objects, new techniques, and supplies I gather up. This is documentation of my successes, fails, and stories while learning a new skill as a 20 year old college student.

Disclaimer: hair is not naturally curly.

A little about me...
          I'm in the honors nursing program. It's 4 years of undergrad work and then I'll have my BSN. I'm focused, determined, and honest. I'm a perfectionist and spend 90% of my time in class and studying. I have friends, I'm in a sorority, but I don't spend much time participating in college activities. I'm lucky if I get to go to the gym or out to eat each week. Thanksgiving, Spring, and Summer breaks are the only time I get to unwind and be free. I'm no longer trapped in my room, memorizing information for exams and clinical. Knitting is something I hope to take back to school with me as a stress reliever.
          I spend more time searching for free e-books online than I do reading them on my kindle. My sense of direction (GPS style, not in life!) is heinous. I'm an atheist interested in philosophy and psychology. I have a mom (my best friend), a dad, a sister, a boyfriend (of 4 years), and a dog (that I am allergic to). I'm a hard-working and I relate more to adults than people my own age. I can't wait to graduate and start living in the real world.