Smeekend

So do you remember how last week I titled my WIP post with "nothing much has changed"?  Well this week's might very well be "nothing much is inspiring".  I am at a weird point in my knitting where I love all of the projects I have on the needles, but I don't feel inspired to work on them. Surprisingly I am not suffering from startitis.  Instead, I am slogging along, hoping to hit that inspiration point again soon.

But do not dismay.  There are other works in progress going on here.

I visited my family over the weekend (Sunday and Monday, my version of the weekend.  I kind of want to call it a "smeekend").  My father's birthday was yesterday and I had to do a lot of wedding things that could only be done in person.  Now that the invitations are going out and the flowers are essentially done, we've hit that point when there is not much that can be done until the wedding gets closer.  And oh, boy, is it ever getting closer.

I did manage to finally finish the front of my Umbre Lovre while at home, and am now working my way up the back.  I really want to have it finished to wear on the honeymoon, which means it will probably never get done.

If you are looking for forward progression and inspiring knits, please go check out the lovely group over at Tami's Amis.

PS: On the way back I got caught in an apocalypticly bad storm, turning my 3.5 hour drive into almost six.  And a large part of my time was spent behind this guy:

Why yes, I indeed thought I was going to die.

Geektastic Thursday: The Proof is in the Socks

I finished the first of the Bitchin' Socks last night.  And then, rather than cast on the second, I went to my WIP shelf and grabbed the project bag with my Anywhere But Rio socks (I know I have an entire piece of furniture devoted to my WIPs. We'll discuss that later).  According to Ravelry I started these back in April but then I put them aside because I was torn as to how to do the heel.

As I sat working on them I realized, as if I could have forgotten, just how much my knitting and my geekiness are intertwined.  Both of these socks are themed for strong female characters.  And not just strong female characters, but ones connected to British sci-fi and fantasy media.  Both Molly Weasley and Amy Pond are stellar examples of why I connect so strongly to geek culture.  They're both *spoiler alert* amazing mothers.  They both protect their own.  And they both have powerful personalities that make them a force in their own right, separate from any of the male characters to which they play supporting roles.

My fondness for these two can probably also be attributed to my age.  I grew up reading about Molly Weasley the mother and am now close in age to Amy Pond, time traveler.  But it also says something about the current state of geek culture.  There is a market for strong female characters, and at least some people are realizing this.  I take the label of "feminist" gladly, and feel fully supported by the geek culture.  We are open to people of all sorts, because the world is made up of all sorts -- there is even room for strong, passionate mothers.

Some, when they first meet me, may be surprised to learn I am a geek.  But they really need only check out my knitting.  The proof is in the socks.

Nothing Much Has Changed -- In Knitting

How is it already Wednesday again?  I feel like all that I do is stand around and say "Wow. This wedding is coming up really soon! I need to get stuff done!"  But I do not actually accomplish anything (she says, glancing nervously at the boxes of invitations, poised to strike).  And then to procrastinate I knit.  But as you can see, there has not been much practice made here either.

I'm still knitting along on my Bitchin' Socks out of Gnome Acres sock yarn in the Molly Weasley colorway (hence the name).  I love the way the color is working up in the seed stitch panel.  Because of the way the yarn is dyed, every row has been different, which has been a lot of fun to watch.  Last night I finished the foot and got the first few rows of the toe done during the Pretty Little Liars season premier.  I probably could have accomplished more, but there was yelling and flailing and Toby in a towel.

I am also finally making progress on the Umbre Lovre now that I don't have Kaleidoscope to distract me.  But it is deceptive progress because though I am starting the patterned section at the top, the fact that humans generally have arms means that you have to split the front and back partway through.  So it feels like no progress at all because I know I'll just have to go back and knit up the other half.

So there you have it.  I'm still trying to use knitting to procrastinate and it is still not working.  The black hole of knitting may yet eat my soul if I don't feel any progress soon.

On the bright side, you can find more WIPs over on Tami's Amis, and I'm sure someone there has made progress of which they are proud.

Procrastinated Progress

Thank you to everyone who contacted me following my sock tragedy.  I'm glad to hear that others will learn from my example and avoid the less durable sock yarns for actual socks.  To console myself I have been watching Bones (I know, not on my list -- but season six is finally on Netflix) while working on these.

Clearly I am making a tone of progress because I am already into the third contrast color of my Umbre Lovre.

I love Mondays.  I get so much done when I'm procrastinating.

Tragically Finished

If you are of a weak constitution or prone to nausea, fainting, or horrendous flashbacks at the sight of another's knitting catastrophes, please do not read on.  Instead go find a happier FO post over at Tami's Amis.

Tragedy, dear knitters, has struck our happy home.  On Wednesday an event so distressing occurred that it even made me late for work (yes, you read that right).  For the first time in the three years that I have been knitting socks I suffered a heel blow out.

As you can see, it wasn't just that the heel blew out, it was the back of the heel.  You may recognize these as my Nutkins that I knit not even a year ago out of Madelinetosh sock.  I should have listened to my inner knitter when I bought this yarn.  She's the rational one.  She's the one who knows that I wear socks at least five days a week even in the summer.  She's the one who knows that I love my handknit socks and would prefer to wear them over commercial socks.  And she's the one who knows that a yarn without nylon content, even if it is superwash, does not belong on my feet.

I didn't listen to her.  I ignored her warning with such arguments as "everyone else knits superwash merino socks and is fine" or my personal favorite "there's something very environmental about knitting socks without the synthetic.  I'm being a good person by buying this expensive yarn and putting it on my feet"  Clearly my inner knitter is way smarter than I, for not one year later I pulled on these socks, which I had carefully hand washed for months, only to find a gaping hole right where my shoe meets the back of my foot.

I could use this as a learning opportunity.  I could pull out my leftovers and find a way to darn the one sock and reinforce the heel of the other.  I could, but I won't.  I have a renewed commitment to knitting socks only out of yarns with nylon content, and I don't have the heart to repair these only to have them fall apart on me again. So for now I will put them aside and wait for the pain to lapse.  Then I will pick out the ends, frog them, and use the yarn for something else.  Maybe a new pair of mitts.  Surely my hands can handle 100% merino yarn.

Geektastic Thursday: Summer TV Plans

With Memorial Day now past it is for all intents and purposes officially summer here in the US.  I went for a run last night and I found that in the past week our humidity has jumped, making breathing a whole new pressing issue for anyone doing outdoor activities.  With summer also comes the end of the regular US tv schedule.  As a kid this meant reruns of all my favorite shows where I could catch up on episodes that I had missed or rewatch ones I loved before they were gone forever (I did not buy my first box set until I was 17).  However, now we are treated to a host of bad reality television.  And while I like my Real Housewives just as much as the next grad student, it is something I try to watch on a more occasional basis rather than every day.  But with all of the knitting wedding stuff I have to do this summer, I'm going to need something to play in the background.  With that in mind, here's a small list of what I plan to watch during the tv hiatus season:

1)  Pretty Little Liars

This one is a no-brainer.  I have been anxiously awaiting the return of this addiction ever since The Great Reveal at the end of last season.  Revenge offered a welcome distraction for a while, but now I'm back with great anticipation.  I cannot wait for more Evil Mona, more Jenna-Bot, and please oh please more Toby.  I would call this my guilty pleasure, but with writing that strong, there's nothing about this show that makes me feel ashamed.

2) Being Human (UK)

I know this one has already aired and I missed it, but I'm hoping it will be up on Netflix soon.  At the time of its return I had still not reconciled myself to the end of series three that left me curled in a ball on the couch sobbing.  The last thing to make me cry that hard during a tv show was when Fred said goodbye to Wesley, and I still haven't forgiven the writers of Angel for that one.  Series 4 has Being Human return without some of the major characters.  A part of me is really concerned it will be like when Supernatural got season 6 when it was supposed to be a five season show, but the writers managed to make that whole Master storyline work, so maybe I should trust them.

3) The Killing (US)

Yes, season two is now airing/has aired, so I am now way behind.  I started season one, but soon realized that it was going to be like Damages and there was just no way that I could sit and watch the entire season with the schedule on which I was living.  I am really looking forward to finally making the time (on a day off, I'm not crazy) to sit down and watch my way through the rest of the season.  Is it going to be super morbid of me to do this while I address invitations?  Well, if it is, that's just the way I operate.

4) Big Love

Don't judge me.  I see that judging you've got going on there.  But don't.  I never had the opportunity to watch this show when it first aired, starting in 2006, but Andrea and I recently started season one and we are completely addicted.  The storyline is fascinating, the writing is compelling, and it's like one big Veronica Mars reunion.  We are only a few episodes in, but I'm really hoping there will be a reason for Mac and Beaver to interact because that'd just be so weird.  I know, strange, but you remember what he did to her at prom.

This is my list so far.  I'm sure it will change as I move through the summer and discover that I really can't stand Being Human without a certain character or that Big Love has made me desperate for a Veronica Mars rewatch.  But it is nice to come into the summer with a plan for nights when there really is absolutely nothing on tv to tide me over until the return of Once Upon a Time and the premier of Arrow.  And before you ask, no I'm not watching True Blood.  I read the books and they were so much better.

So Far, Destined

Sometimes I find something I want to knit and it absolutely has to be this specific pattern and that specific yarn.  Forget the fact that the pattern has not come out yet.  It has to be this way and there's no convincing me otherwise.  Often this means that yarn is completely wrong for the pattern.  It doesn't have enough yardage, the verigation pools in unappealing ways, the pattern is complete chaos, etc.

Georgia on My Mind by Leslie Thompson in Gnome Acres Merino Nylon Fingering, Molly Weasley -- can you tell it is raining today?

So far that does not seem to be the case.  But then I've only been working on these socks for a day.  There's still plenty of time for user error.

For sunnier WIPS, check out Tami's Amis.