Camp & ...Christmas?

Two days left until camp! I just have to make sure my yarn is delivered before I leave on Saturday morning. I plan on casting on at camp for the Ravelympics (Afghan Marathon!) next Friday evening when the opening ceremony is on TV at home. ..Though I won't be watching it.

But I digress.

I have found the perfect Christmas gift for all of my friends. Scarves, hats, etc. are costly and time-consuming to make (especially for over 25 people not including family - yikes!). I thought I was going to make coin purses, but I decided against it. I have guy friends too, and I'm not sure my hardcore guitarist guy friend would particularly enjoy a small feminine coin purse. So I made my way over to Lion Brand, where I saw a link for Amigurumi toys! My mind was made up. These are the things I'm possibly going to make for people on my list (I'll probably condense the list more later):

+ Berry-Topped Cake
+ Hi-Life Cupcake
+ Love Birds (matching ones for a couple)
+ Frosted Doughnut
+ Little Lamb
+ Turtle
+ Cat
+ Penguin
+ Lion
+ Guy
+ Gnome (one of my personal favorites)
+ Pig
+ Bear
+ Alien
+ Elephant
+ Octopus
+ Panda
+ Snowman
+ Holiday Penguin
+ Best Bunny

They're cute, simple, and though not very practical, they're sure to touch the receivers' hearts.

If you are a knitter, crocheter, seamstress, or anyone else who makes all holiday gifts, then this whole "Christmas in July" planning thing is nothing new. However, for my fellow classmates, this is what we do. We plan ahead.

Off to go pack for camp.

The Final Word:
+ "We're halfway there, livin' on a prayer." Livin' on a Prayer, Bon Jovi


Updated at 3:55 to include:

I just made my list of people I need to give gifts to this holiday season. I'm currently at an astounding 58, and I still haven't counted family yet. I have no idea how I'm going to swing this. 58 gifts! Pure insanity. Maybe I'll just make around 30 bears and pigs, and then make the rest of them specialized to fit the recipient.

Yes, 58 is not a final number. Later on during the year, I'll probably look back at the list and delete about a dozen or so and add another dozen, or maybe I'll end up deleting more than I add. 58 is simply an estimate, but still - that's almost 60 toys I have to make! I am overwhelmed. I don't know how I'll ever get them done.

One of my favorite quotes, from the Andy Griffith Show, Opie's Charity:

Andy: I’s a readin’ here jus’ the other day where’s there’s somethin’ like four hundred needy boys in this county alone, or one and a half boys per square mile.

Opie: There is?

Andy: There sho’ is.

Opie: I never seen one, Pa.

Andy: Never seen one what?

Opie: A half boy.

Andy: Well, it’s not really a half a boy, it’s a ratio.

Opie: Horatio who?

Andy: Not Horatio – a ratio. It’s mathematics. ‘Rithmetic. Look, now, Opie. Just fergit that part of it. Fergit the part about the half a boy.

Opie: It’s purty hard to fergit a thing like that, Pa.

Andy: Well, try!

Opie: Poor Horatio.

Nifty House Sock #1

I was lucky to get online this morning. We have to get Comcast and fast.

I've been working on my Nifty House Socks. They're really coming along. :) I couldn't resist trying them on.


I'm so proud of them! I can't wait until I'm actually done with this one and the second sock. Hopefully this one will be finished today, and the second sock later this week.


Updated at 11:54am to include:

I found this picture somewhere on my computer earlier today. I'd have to say it's my favorite picture of all time.

In orchestra this year, bassist Kyle pushes fellow bassist David into a band locker.

AT&T IS THE WORST

It's been difficult to post lately because our internet keeps going down. We have AT&T. I have this to say: NEVER EVER GET AT&T! Expensive and useless. Pathetic. We're getting hooked up with Comcast soon.

CI-655313 <- Something I need to remember. :)

Happenings

My violin teacher got mad at me for not telling him that I had an audition next week for camp. Oops. :)

Surprise surprise. Here are what I've been working on:

First official sock! :) Way too big, but I'm still proud of it.

I ran out of yarn just after I passed the heel.

Lace Ribbon Scarf.

Nifty House Socks!

Plus Shades of Green and Snow Blocks Afghan. Lots to keep me busy. I love the way the yellow looks on that last picture. It looks so bright and sunny, though it's really a mustard yellow.

The Final Word:
+ Are you ready for this?


Updated a few seconds later to include:

That's right, I have camp next week! I leave Saturday morning and return Sunday afternoon (of the following week; it's a nine-day camp, not two). :) I'm excited. I plan on getting a lot of knitting done before I even go to camp (like get the yarn, start, and FINISH a crochet cotton scarf). I wonder if I'll even get the yarn at all before I leave.

My friend's birthday is August 2nd, the day I leave, so I'll be dropping off Seeing Green at her house on Friday.

Now to get red yarn for the scarf my mom's friend requested.

Sockey?

Class is over. Yay!

I made a sock. My very first. :) Made from worsted weight (scrap acryllic that was bugging me), it's too baggy to wear around the house (or at all). At least now I know what to do for the next pair.

The pdf of the pattern I used is found here.

I made several modifications, including the number of stitches I picked up. I picked up fewer than were recommended, but it worked out in the end.

Progress

Guess what finished blocking today. :)


Pattern: Woven Transverse Herringbone from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, 604 - Golden Ochre
Yardage: 100 grams, 216 yards per skein
Yarn Source: ImagiKnit, San Francisco
Needles: 14" size 8's
Gauge: 16 sts x 28 rows = 4" x 4"
Modifications: selvage: sl 1, work in pattern until last st, k1.

I'm amazingly happy with this scarf. :)

Stripey

Such beautiful shorts, right? :) They're my house shorts.

Inside-out in my very girly room.

Pattern: 13. Tassled Earflap Hat from KnitSimple Magazine (I don't know the issue number; sorry!)
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, half skein each in Sky Blue and Charcoal
Yardage: 170 gram skeins (106 yards)
Yarn Source: Leftovers from other hats (birthday presents); stash
Needles: 10mm, 24" Addi Turbo Circulars
Gauge: 2 sts/inch over stockinette
Modifications: switch to cc on Row 3, alternating mc and cc throughout; border in cc; ties are basically thick cords

It's my newest project, Stripey! :) I love it! ("Too bad I have all these extras. One of these would only make half a hat. Wait a second...!") The tassel's a bit short, but overall, I'm overjoyed. I realized that I had never done multicolor knitting before this. I was so thrilled watching it come along, that I took many pictures, all of which are posted on Ravelry.

I'm willing to bet that Mary Weaver will be the next Eunny Jang, and hopefully I'll be her right-hand, er, lady. I definitely want to be the next Kim Werker. Now that would be awesome.

The Final Word:
+ "Really? I thought it would be yellow. She reminds me of butterflies." Friend's Grandpa

Wanted: 200 Hours of Community Service

Junior in high school, and 0 hours of community service. Pathetic. Ah, but I have things to show you:

I made this for Mom some time in elementary school. :) I had skills in needlecraft even then.

Status: Finished!

Mom and I were talking at dinner last night, contemplating how I could get the 200 hours of community service recommended for college-bound students. All I could talk about were my projects (Progress, Shades of Green [now finished!], Snow Blocks Afghan, and other planned projects for the future), which got her thinking: why can't I knit or crochet for community service? We talked it over briefly, and I figured that if it took me two hours to make one hat, I could probably make 100 hats in a year and a half. That would get me my 200 hours! Now I just have to make a deal with a hospital that can give me two hours for every hat I send in (and maybe three for every scarf...).

I really like the Stitches from the Heart program, so if I can guarantee that they will give me community service hours, I'll be knitting/crocheting up a storm in the next year and a half.


Updated at 1:18pm to include:

New wanna-do: Square Lattice Afghan from freepatterns.com with this yarn (Jiffy by Lion Brand).

La Vie

I took pictures!

I slept on these for two nights straight with a sleeping bag and duvet underneath. We still have yet to get the pillows.

It's sort of hard to see, but our backyard is basically a big patio connected to a smaller patio by a narrow pathway, with grass and an unseemly hill.

The garbage truck scraped up our garbage can. =/

I drive this thing every so often.

Hello, feet.

My cup runneth over. :)

The Final Word:
+ "Do you remember the 21st night of September?" September, Earth, Wind, and Fire

Travail

Progress is really coming along. I'm pleased with it, and I'd say that I'm almost halfway done.


Currently measures 5" x 34.5". I guess I'm planning on a 70" scarf. I'm really excited about blocking it.

We watched Hellboy II last night. I thought I would hate it because it's not really my kind of movie. But it turned out to be not so bad and I actually somewhat liked it. The two girls I went with are the two girls I carpool to class with, and we couldn't really see anything else because either one of us had already seen it with another group or the showtimes were too late (that's what happened with Get Smart; we would have seen it, but we would have had to wait two hours for the next show).

Before the movie, while me and one of the girls were waiting for the other, we dropped by Barnes & Noble. I walked around with my friend while she searched for teen books, and surprisingly, she asked me for suggestions. I told her I read books by Ayn Rand, and that they were hardcore novels. I was shocked when she said that she wanted to look into them. We walked around the store, and she ended up buying what looked like three teen romance books. Fiction, of course. As she checked out, what did my little eye spy? Only SnB the Happy Hooker! I had been looking through the book through a copy I had borrowed from the library, and I was ecstatic to see it lying casually on a nearby table, labeled "Gift Ideas". A moment of indecision aroused (should I get it and finally own this wondrous book, or should I not, and please my mother? [she's not too happy about the inappropriate title, and I can't say that I blame her]). I bought it anyway, but haven't shown it to her. I'm kind of afraid of her reaction.

The Final Word:
+ "I can't smile without you... can't smile without you" Hellboy II

Ambitions

These are the projects I really want to complete before the summer's out:
+ Prepster: Preppy Spring Jacket - SnB the Happy Hooker
+ Knee Socks - online pattern; HJS Studio
+ Transition Scarf - mapped out on Excel
+ Progress - Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Woven Transverse Herringbone

If I do end up finishing all of those before the summer's out (which looks extremely unlikely), I plan on creating my own pattern to resemble a breast cancer ribbon.

I'm taking my scarf to class with me every day so I can work on it in the car on the way to and from. It's going well so far.




I love the bag. I got it from my mom's friend (it's from Bath & Body Works). Inside, there were four tiny lotions. There was supposed to be another woman to join them, but she didn't show so I got a part of her present: body scrub.

Movies tonight with some friends from class, and I'm so disappointed that I don't have a cute handmade handbag to bring. But I have a feeling we'll be sneaking food in there anyway, so I guess a bigger canvas bag would be a better idea. Frankly, $7 for a small popcorn is outrageous. I can get that same thing for less than $1 at the grocery store.

But enough of my ranting. I have to study for the final exam next Thursday.


Updated at 2:27pm to include:

I'm just dying to go to San Francisco and get some yarn (ImagiKnit!). Luckily, I found a crocheting friend who I've known for some time now, but never really knew that she crocheted. :) I'm so excited now. I thought she just barely knitted.

The Final Word:
+ "Oh, so you crochet too!" "Yeah, I do." "Just like Kashi!" "No, not like Kashi." -Mom and friend in the car this morning
+ "Dude, crochet is so badass!" -other friend I carpool with, in response to SnB the Happy Hooker
+ "I never could understand knitting." -first friend, in the car this morning

Neglect & Progress

I've been neglecting this poor blog. Unintentionally, of course. There's been so much going on: hanging out with my aunt from the 3rd - 5th (the fair, the chili contest at the park in Mountain View, etc.), hanging out with Mom's friends she hasn't seen for ten years, and going crazy with new books. We went to Borders on Saturday, where I bought The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I just finished it today at around 2. I have to say that it was very difficult to put it down, especially to study, and honestly, obsessively reading the book caused my B- on a quiz this morning (thankfully, though, it's my lowest score [others were A+'s :) ] so this one will be dropped and consequently won't affect my grade). At Borders, I also bought The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and Anthem by Ayn Rand. Then, on Sunday, my mom reconnected with some of her old friends from work at the Cheesecake Factory in Palo Alto (10 years had passed since they had last seen each other). Then we went shopping (still in the group) at the Stanford Center, meeting up at Neiman Marcus at first, then realized that we couldn't afford anything there. We moved on to Bloomingdale's, then Macy's, but didn't end up buying anything. Then Mom realized she had to go to Santana Row in Santa Clara to return some things. After the return, we wandered into the Borders there, where I (happily) purchased the first installment in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind. I had read the first part of it after being loaned the book from a friend of mine, but soon gave it back feeling guilty of separating him from his beloved book.

Class is boring as ever, but almost over. Just seven days of it left, then it's over and done with. Then, after one week to chill, I get shipped off to band camp! More specifically, La Honda, located in the forresty mountains off of Highway 1. Then two weeks right after that, when I should be going to school band camp, but since my parents forbid me from taking part in Marching Band next year, I don't have to go to school band camp. But I'm going anyway on the first and last days just to watch (and hopefully some more in between) with a friend who was in Marching Band both last year and the year before, but couldn't due to his obsessing over AP classes (he's taking a crazy SIX!).

Ah yes. I'm going to make knee socks! I've finally decided that this is what I really want to make. Also, I want to make sure my first socks are special, so that's why I'm taking the trouble to make them go all the way up to just below my knees (+ extra ribbing). Inspired by these, I'll be following this pattern using this yarn (Lion Brand's [New!] Sock-Ease in Lemon Drop). I'm so excited. Now I just have to get the yarn. And the needles. And the measurements. :) I can't wait until I actually start!


Updated at 8:08pm to include:

I want to call this "Progress" because I finally am making progress on this scarf (simply adore the yarn, which is from my trip to San Francisco over Spring Break '08).



I absolutely adore this stitch (Woven Transverse Herringbone from Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns), though I don't knit evenly enough for the scarf not to be a little ripply. Looks like this will be my first project I actually take the time to block.

The Final Word:
+ "Wow. It's huge. Is it a blanket?" -Fellow CalTrain rider

Currently: packing for my aunt's house. She's coming to our house on BART tomorrow, and then we're going to the county fair to see my items I entered. I dread having to stand near manure-filled pens of hogs while my mother oohs and ahs about how adorable the little piglets look. But hopefully it will end swiftly and I'll be on my way to my aunt's house.

The parents ultimately said no to marching band for next year. Crushed as I am, I guess I had it coming. I will have to learn not to love things so much, especially unattainable things. But hopefully I'll be able to sponsor the sweepstakes trophy.

I took a few random pictures yesterday. I'm putting them on flickr. They're loading... 25% complete now.
The pitcher in my bathroom. It's all slanty because I was leaning over to avoid my legs from getting in the reflection of the mirror.



Lights in my bathroom. They remind me of some backstage dressing room kind of thing.



I "created" these two Birthday Books. I just got two regular notebooks with the cool & fancy designs, then added stick-on tabs. Every single day of the year has its own special page, including leap day!

March first. And those are the two people whose birthdays are on that day.



Bath stuff from my neighbor. I took care of her animals for over two weeks, and I received these fancy bath items, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and $60. :) Not too shabby.

I GOT TO SEE WALL-E! It was amazingly adorable, and, according to a friend, apparently Yahoo! users gave it an A; one of the extremely rare A's in the history of Yahoo!.

One of my friends is coming back home tomorrow from his engineering camp thing at UC - Berkeley. I guess I'll just have to wait until after the weekend to "pimp him out" with another friend.

We didn't have class at the community college today. We had our midterm yesterday, and everyone received an e-mail saying that class was canceled for today. But we had tons of work to do, and I'm still not done with it.