Saturday, November 29, 2008

hello again

So...briefly...I'm back stateside...back in school...back to knitting off and on...and back to not being able to get pictures to work to my satisfaction.

In approximately four days I'll be doing a knitting show as my final in my broadcast performance class. I'm presenting a tutorial on slipped stitch edges mostly because I'm too terrible at reading off a teleprompter to do a newscast as my final. So I've been knitting like a madwoman to get my sample scarves done in time. I finished the last one yesterday, but because I have a hard time just dropping off the knitting when I'm no longer under deadline, I've casted on a pair of Urban Rustic Gloves. I've already finished one, but the second one is going a little slowly. This in addition to the Regina Scarf that I started in Germany and am only half done with and the sadly abandoned Hadia KAL that never made it past the fourth installment. Oh and the circular shawl and the crocheted afghan and and and and and.....

Needless to say I have a severe case of project ADD.

Coming next time: pictures...I promise!!!
my first socks...the first installment

Friday, July 25, 2008

10 things I hate about iPhoto

So this was going to be a pretty post full of pictures and WIPs and whatnot. And then iPhoto decided it didn't want to play nice with Flickr (or the rest of my computer for that matter) today. So in lieu of pretty knitting, I give you the official list of the top 10 things I hate about iPhoto.

10. You can't make events within events. I'm an anal organizer type...one tier is just not enough!
9. It has its own trash can for no apparent reason.
8. Editing is non-destructive (great concept) which means it takes up twice as much space as necessary.
7. You can't get to the pictures in iPhoto without having the application open without minor hacking.
6. Major hacking for easy photo access, while less convenient is possible, until your computer randomly decides to reject the hack in every view except cover flow. Why does it make a difference how I'm looking at the same files?
5. It makes editing so easy that I don't want to not use it, even though it drives me crazy. Why can't it just be an all around icky program?
4. Tagging things so they're easy to find later takes FOREVER!
3. Some pictures can be copied to a folder somewhere else, but others just refuse to cooperate in the slightest.
2. It doesn't play nicely with Flickr on a good day.
1. It's broken when I really really really need to do things involving getting my pictures OUT of iPhoto! Not just for blogging; for class, too.

< /rant >

So knitting update minus visuals. My yarn to finish the monkey socks for my mom got here, so those will be done soon. I have a cables and bobbles scarf on the needles to match mitts I finished yesterday. Next up will be my first getting-paid-to-knit project! My mom's friend desperately wants stripy fall socks, and while I offered about four times to just make her some, she's insisting on paying me. I guess I can't complain too much. I just hope the yarn works out ok. Her request was for self striping socks, very plain (just rib and stockinette), and only a couple inches above the ankle. I'm not 100% sure this yarn is self striping, as my German is not really advanced enough for deciphering yarn labels. If it turns out not to be, I guess Mama Kellie can have them, and I'll go somewhere else to look for self striping fall yarn.

Monday, July 21, 2008

why is it called point-ed sticks?

Well as this is a knit blog, I would hope that pointed sticks are self explanatory. However, the joke lies in a fabulous Monty Python clip. If you haven't seen it, I think it's worth a gander. Link!

I suppose this should probably include something similar to an introduction, so here goes. I'm a fourth year college student (senior status but no graduation in sight *cry*) who's been knitting and crocheting off and on since first or second grade. In high school I turned mostly to knitting since there was a knitting club and no crochet club. Usually I don't have much time for crafts between school and work, but this summer I'm studying in Germany and have discovered the joy of knitting on the subway! Currently I'm specializing in socks due to my sadly limited stash of knitting supplies here, but I did spring for some larger needles to do scarves with, too.

You'll have to forgive my abysmal photography skills. Not only am I incredibly inept with a camera, but I have hideous floors and sheets and towels and everything that could possibly be used as a backdrop here. WIP pictures will be up soon, but to whet your appetite, here's a picture of the first pair of socks I made following a pattern. (The first pair and half of socks are a long story for another day.)



They're broadripple socks from Knitty. And for the record they were also my first venture into the fabulous world of grafting...and the toes turned out great even though you can't see it in the picture!