New domain - peachyknits.com!

For forwarding purposes - I can be found at www.peachyknits.com/blog !

on the move, again!

But this time, not fleeing, just changing my blog!

From now on, you'll find all knittery things here:

http://peachyknits.wordpress.com/

It's just a matter of layout and so on - I'm a bit unhappy with the new blogger, so wordpress it is from now on. Hope to see you there!

Lala la la Lala

Reporting which that is finished: the melon Shawl!!

It is still blocking in my room, taking up all the floor space thgere is, and I have to reblock the points on one of the small sides again - because I ran out of pins! But it is more than a whopping 2 meters long (I blocked it for length as it was already wide enough), and when wet the KSH smelled like wet cat. Mew.

So the first lace project for the year is done, only two more to go (but I fear more will likely come!), at least to go with my total for the year. I won't cast on anything til Friday, as today I have to figure out how to get the underskirt of my ball gown sewn inside - the pattern called for the skirt just to hold up with a rubber band inside, which was theoretically fine - onlyx when I have that around my hips they flare, and one of the things I definitely don't need is flaring hips. So last year I had it tugged up underneath my breasts, but that kep slipping, ending with me tangling my legs in the skirt - not pretty. And as the bodice is sewn exactly there to the main outer skirt, I could easily sew in the underskirt there - just that it is nearly 4m of fabric bunched together with said rubber band.
I guess the easiest way would be to get the rubber out, minimize the circumference of the skirt to just what I need around my torso, and sew that inside. Should be done in under two hours, I hope. Haven't been sewing latley, so that might take a while to get into it again. But luckily the only pats of the underskirt visible are below my knee where there is a dramatic gap in the outer skirt to let the underskirt peek through. I will post pics tomorrow from the whole ensemble with stole, me inside, so that you can get a better grasp on what I am rambling about here.

Hm, dragons?

First, about the title - I have the pattern for the Heere be Dragone Shawl at home for like half a year, and still haven't cast on. I might do the hidcote garden shawl before that, but it definitely shouts at me to be knit. And Lime & Violet featured a song in their podcast about the old Dragons & Virgins thing - I just love that song. Just cannot remember the URL of the great bards who sang it now. Just fitting, isn't it?

Yesterday I went out and got myself some running gear. And I tried on my ball gown - I sewed it last year all by myself, and somehow had strange nightmares about it not fitting anymore - but it's perfect. I still have about 10 cm of edging to do, but tonight the melon shawl will be done, and ready for wear on Thursday. Yay!

reading too much fantasy epics is bad for me - now all kinds of strange ideas for shawl pattern run rampant in my mind. I've long been planning to design my own shawls, or generally patterns, but now this becomes sort of an obsession. Maybe I'll make one or two during the time I won't be able to knit nearing summer ... don't know yet. And just maybe I'll finally buy a domain for myself, put of a good homepage, blog there and should I ever get good patterns together, maybe sell them there. So many options, so little time ... But that's really for the far away future, not like next month or so.

Why did I even start this post today? There's not really anything of value to write. Nothing much happens these days ...

reflections

I just posted an update post of my melon shawl on the Victorian Lace KAL - for more details on that, just go there.
As a teaser, here's a pic of the eding progress:

There isn't much more visible than the actual yarn, as the pattern will only come out when stretched - but I should finish it this weekend! Yesterday has been a bit too troubled, but I only have to go like 15 cm on the side, then the lower border, and the 32 repeats to the beginning, and I'm done! That should be about the time I catch up on all the Knitty D and the City episodes I somehow lost in iTunes. And forgot about. Comepletely. I'm such a dork ...

From here on, no knittery yarn porn thingy. I have warned you, now comes something personal, so if you don't want to get into my crappy reflections - LEAVE!

Now, I do really like to ramble on in my posts here, rambling being one of my great passions. And this time the title really has a purpose (as to all other times, usually) - because I spent the last week reflectingt my life. And playing Mah Jongg excessively, but that's not worthy being talked about. And just shortly before taking the pics of the stole one thing hit me:

I'm the only one responsible for making my life miserable.

Now you will say, Duh! So let me explain:

Now, I just deleted baout 20 mins of rambling, so I'll be cutting this short: I've been deceiving myself. I'm perfectly happy with my life, my study, my boyfriend, and fuck all those people who brought me to think I'm too fat! Hell, if that's my only fault, I can slim down to 50 kg easily within 2 years, but can you cgange a crappy character as easily?

What all this is about is that during the course of the last year I rediscovered a side of myself that has been laying dorment for years, having been repressed by others for a while - my creativity. Writing is my true passion, and has been okay with people for years, but actually creating something crafted has not been wanted in my surroundings for years.

Now I found knitting, I really like it, and somehow it all screwed over my life, with the only strong wish to change my lifeand just be creative as the lone driving force. It has made my 8 hour days a neverending string of unendurable slow minutes ticking by, making all other things muted.

But that is so wrong - no one will ever take my creativity from me, it's a part of me the same as my inner force to study things, working in science - the second passion I harbour, and are going to make to my job, being nearly destroyed during the last months, just because everyone always expected me to just want that. I want both, and from now on will love both, as both will define me.

Mad genetic engineer designing knitting patterns before going to bed, doing naughty things ;)

heck, that's just me! And I'm proud of it!

And tomorrow, I'll go out, find myself some nicely fiting running clothes, and go for a run, ehm, wlak with some fatsre steps, in the evening. Not because I want to slim - butbecause I've always loved being out in nature on my own, letting my body drive itself to exhaustion. So I'm fat and I haven't been doing sports for years, so the first few trips will be awful, but do I really care? No, they won't be awful, because I will be outside, and will be happy. that I won't be running 10 miles in one hour is clear to me - why should that even be my goal? My goal is just to be outside, sweat a bit, get those lumpy muscles moving, and have fun! Running has always been such a strange competition for me, like, okay, now I'm on the road, I should jjust run verey day now and slim down, because they expect it of me - now is this strange, or just plainly fucked off?

Oh, and as an ulterior motive - should I really take up jogging regularly, I will inevitable slim a bit, and then I will need less time and yarn for projects, so that's definitely a motivation.

Now, two adorable cats:


end of rave. start of happy life.

Tinkering again

I'm just a little peeved today - with everything. But in a good vibes way. I guess I'm already halfway into the weekend, and now doing nohting, sitting raound here, that's making me mad.

I guess that's why I retinkered on my template again. I soo cannot decide whether I want the sidebar to be on the left or right side, and the colours - oh well. I guess tinkering with the template is my number one reason why I even blog. Sounds strange? So what, I'm a geek.

After complaining so much about the waxed paper and the knitting needles, I have to admid that when I changed dpns yesterday (because the cat attacked me and one of the two I'm using for the edging got stuck between the chair and its armrets and was unfindable for hours, so I had to get another one) I realized that after knitting for 3 hours with it it had already smoothed significantly, so I guess I don't need that stupid paper anyway, just time for knitting. Meh.

This then inevitable led to further considerations - why buy needles for 9 EUR a pair when I can get 15 for 15 EUR? Yes, talking again of the ebay shop of my doom, although there is a new one,t oo, here. At least new to me. But the needles from the needle shop are great - just not all soo smooth as some of the more expensive ones. But ... I just saw that I also carry their sets for circular needles with 100cm and 150cm length (39'' and 59'') - the latter one with 3.25 and 3.75mm needles, too! That means - lace knitting needles!! I just hate it to knit my lace on a 60cm or 80cm needle, as it all bunches up and until binding off I won't se a singe detail - those would surely make that easier. And they are soo cheap!

Ok, stop. I guess I spent enough on needles already to buy yarn for like 2 pullovers. But ... well. I honestly don't know what to do now. I'd so like circs with fancy coloured cables, and they do have that, too. And for knitting in one piece but not in the round my 80cm are waaay too short - the provincial waistcoat would get even more of a problem that way. But can I justify buying at least one set of needles, again?

I guess I should cast on for that damn project before buying ANY new needles. But as I don't intend to buy any yarn right now, apparently I have to buy needles. Stupid.

Still not extinct!

Now exactly what I thought would happen, happened - where I and the various parts of my family lived nothing really happened. Even a plastic bag I forgot on the balcony was still there, this morning.

At my mother's, there were some problems, but considering that she lives just near the territory where the damage was worst, a few fallen trees are nearly nothing. Hurricanes are just not the same here as anywhere else. But then my country wasn't the worst afflicted, either.

Now to more knittery things - I nearly completed the first side of edging on my shawl yesterday, just when the howling of the storm became too loud I went to sleep - I seem to sleep best in bad weather, and when I woke up in the morning, everything was fine. Apart from the cats looking rather sleepy, but I guess they had their fun, looking out the window watching the trees for the better part of the night.

I guess that the way the edging progresses, I will be done tomorrow evening, should nothing big interfere. I even found more cat food, so I can go shopping saturdays. Oh, I'm writing from work, as the storm died down to a breeze this morning, not even more than slightly windy.

Thanks to all people leaving comments about my needle problem - I asked some people in the lab, and got the adress of a craft store that should have some wax paper. I still don't know why it's so hard to find anything here, but taken how long I had to search for good yarn stores I should not be so surprised. Most things crafty are not en vogue around here, still. I guess by the time I get this paper I will have used the needles long enough so that the usage alone will have softened the surface.

Here it comes ...

Kyrill has reached us, finally. I guess all people in the western / middle european regions know what I'm talking about. We just happen to be visited by a hurricane - from Britain and Germany the reports have been worsening during the day, now it's comeing to us. I'm still believing that we will not be hit quite as hard, but I'm living on the outskirts of the city, there are a lot of trees around here - if we really get up to 120 kilometers per hour wind speed here, I'm so not leaving the house tomorrow. If I ration it, I still have enough cat food until saturday, so no need to risk anything.

When I left work today, there wasn't even the slightest breeze at the city core. One hour later, at home, it was already windy. Two hours ago now I went outside on the balcony, secured the flower pods underneath the chairs, and brought anything less stable in with me. For the first eve since months the cats showed no notions of going outside with me, the usual highlight of the day ...

I don't really fear for my life - I'm quite save here, even more so if I really stay inside. But we are really not used to such weather, and just now I'm all alone. Maybe if the howling gets worse in the night I'll get the cats to join me in the bedroom - comfort for everyone. I just hope that my collegue who is heading to the airport tomorrow to fly to colorado to a meeting is on the save side, too.

Uhm ...

A lot of people are writing about knitting said provincial waistcoat - but I couldn't find a single blog entry or pic of anyone starting it. Meh! I'd so need a report for possible damage assessment. And to know which needles to buy.

Okay, just after writing that I did another search, and even found 1 entry plus comments - and now I'm scared. I think my yarn might not be up to the gauge anyways, and the needle sizes ... oh well. Size US 10 (6mm) are way too large for me - I measn for calbes? Are those people insane? I guess I'll just go with the yarn requirements.

Talking about obsessive ...

After getting the good, good news that my mum only drops in for like 30 min. today, I yesterday had the whole vening for just loading the dishwasher, concerning housewifey things - which I did today in the morning. The cats were also kind of crazy, running around in the bookshelves (near the top of course), not needing to lie on my knitting, the best place a cat can be - so I sat down at around 7 p.m., did the last repeats on the melon shawl, and started the edging.

I was really kind of scared of that edging. The shawl is my 4th lace project, after Scheherazade (Mystery Stole 2), birch bottom-up, and Icarus. I did edgings before with the MS2, but that was with life stitches from the last row still active, no borders etc.. Yet after reading the instructions for like 5 times and not comprehending much, I decided to do that what a friend of mine always told me when I messed upo the choreography in aerobics classes - don't think, just do it (with a hint at a major stortswear manufacturer, to be true). It worked then, and it also worked with the edging.

I've already about 20 edge repeats, and the pattern I already memorized pretty well, although I tend to forget the 3 BOs in the third WS row (row 6). And now I also understand what I have to do once I get the the turning points at the corners. Pretty simple, now that I have deciphered that mystery.

Really, the longer I knit lace, the easier it seems to get - and I don't think it's practice. I guess it's just loosing the fear and knowing that after blocking catyack - as the lovely Misses Lime & Violet put it - blooms up into the most wonderful pieces of lacework that just look like I never could have possibly knit them. The only thing about lace is that depending on the pattern you just have to keep alert while knitting, and have to know your place. With the shawl here it's easy - the pattern repeats are small both in size and row numbers, and after like 3 repeats in every direction it's easy to just read the lace and know just where you are and what you have to do next. The edging is pretty much the same, just small enough that it goes waaay faster ;)
With MS2, where there were no pattern repeats, I just worked in 10 stitch squares with lines drawn on the chart and stitch markers within the work that I slipped every row. The worst I ever got lost was about 9 stitches either right or left - easy enough to recount and move on. And until now I have not yet found a pattern where that method would not work. I might need more stitch markers, but with enough time every lace piece should be conquerable!

Talking of said lace pieces, I guess the way it goes the malon shawl will be done beofre the end of the weekend, probably already in the wee hours of Saturday morning should I choose to stay up tomorrow. I tend to do such things when I'm hooked on something. And I have about 12 DVDs I'd like to rewatch, so ... well. We'll see.

Thinking about what to do next, I'm a bit in a conflict there. I'd really like to start the Hidcot Garden shawl, as the KAL is already up and running, and the first pics I saw online made me drool a bit. On the other hand, I wanted to knit the Forest Path Stole for months, I'm signed up for that KAL, too, and although they officially start on February 1st, I'm not really in the mood to wait very long. BUT I would need good dpns for that, and the bamboo ones I work the edging now, well, for KSH they are good as the yarn tends to slip a bit and on the edging I wouldn't want to pick up fallen stitches - but for a whole stole that would likely make me crazy, that unslippage. I have a good source for wooden needles, I guess I might even order today. The last time they arrived pretty fast ...

So I guess in the end I will end of with the Hidcot Garden Shawl - for that I do have everything I need, I just have to decide on a yarn. I guess I will be using my Jaggerspun Zephyr, same as I plan for the Forest Path Stole, too - I just have to decide on the colour. I guess blue for Hidcot and green for the Forest - it's just soooo hard if you have the choice!

Now that was irony.

Speaking of my bamboo dpns, I tried to make them slicker yesterday, using furniture polish, but that did not really work out. I read online that peaple used wax, but I don't know where to get any (I guess rubbing on candles won't work either). I even tried skiing wax - don't ask. But at least the needles did not change for the worse, either. So should anyone havce a good suggestion - please drop me a line.

Well, and still no sock knitting yesterday. I just didn't want to cast on for the Kews. Maybe I should just take another yarn and save the STR for later. And I soo want to start the Provincial waistcoat. Maybe I should order needles for that, too. My bamboo circs are not all that good - the others are just so much smoother. We'll see.

So I guess that's it for now. Seeing that so many people have those "100 things about me" lists, I might do one too, and backdate it so it is not too obvious. But should I do that, I will post a link, both in text and sidebar.