New Stuff

Well, a belated update... Christmas vacation has been fine so far, and I have been especially productive on the knitting front, if not so much on the writing.

After I finished the garter rib sweater, I wanted to do a small project and so I taught myself the brioche stitch from EZ's Knitting Without Tears. It's incredibly quick and fun once you get the hang of it, and I love the fabric it produces. So I used that to whip up several watchcaps for presents and for personal use. Later, I discovered this website, which sparked my imagination even more with ideas of what to do with this stitch.

I have also been working on two sweaters: one Wonderful Wallaby hoodie in orange, for a friend, and another Lopi-style seamless yoke in fall colors for me. They are both proceeding apace. I expect that the Lopi will probably be done by the second week of the new year and the Wallaby hopefully by the end of January.

After I finish those, I have another sweater project lined up -- a Celtic Aran, but I haven't yet worked out the design or calculations for that one.

While working on the sleeves for the Lopi, I had a little bit of a brainstorm for a way to do mittens and gloves, two at a time, seamlessly. I haven't seen the method that I am thinking of described anywhere in the literature, so I want to research a little bit to see if this is really original or not. I also want to do a test knit to verify that the method will work, but it seems like it should.

My other knitting resolutions for the new year? To clear out some UFO's lurking in my project area... in particular there are two hats that I need to finish, and a pair of socks. Plus, I want to start exploring Cat Bordhi's books. In non-knitting but still fiber-related resolutions, I really want to learn to weave, both on the traditional loom as well as card/tablet weaving. I think that non-fiber resolutions should probably go into a separate post...

I guess that that's probably enough for now, so I will sign off and wish everyone a very Happy 2009!

Mail2Blogger Test

This is a test of the mail to blogger gateway service, so I can easily
post updates while we are away. I mainly want to make sure that the
formatting works alright, without spurious line breaks and such.

I know that the blog has not been very active lately, and for this I
apologize. The last couple of weeks have been very busy. I did
successfully finish NaNoWriMo '08 though!

NaNoWriMo update #2

I have broken the 5000 word mark, so I am more than 10% of the way thru this crazy project!

NaNoWriMo update

So far so good with the writing. I am at 2128 words after about 24 hours and have a good idea of what writing I want to do tomorrow. I am trying to build up a cushion for later in the month. The widgets over in the sidebar have been kind of sketchy, because the main site is working under quite a load at the moment. That's why they don't always reflect the most up-to-date word count.

Bring On The Craziness!

NaNoWriMo 2008 has officially begun! I am at 403 words so far; 49,597 to go!

Go Crash, Go! A Retro Gamer's Delight (was a treasure-guarding dragon)

Hi again everybody! Well, I am glad to report that I have taken another step towards my goal of a car, and the dragon has found a new happy home. He was last seen heading towards his new abode with wings unfurled in the brisk October breeze...

In his place I am now pleased to offer you a retro video gamer's delight! Up for trading is an original Sony Playstation, complete with all cables and a controller. The system is in excellent condition; very clean. In addition to the console, I will include a copy of the "Greatest Hits" edition of Crash Bandicoot (which I am told is semi-rare). See how Crash's story began! Defeat the evil Doctor Neo Cortex and his henchmen! Save your girlfriend Tawna from nearly-certain doom!

All this can be yours! Just contact me via email with your offers to trade. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,
Jon

A Fierce Treasure-Guarding Dragon

Hey again everybody. Well I am happy to report that I got an offer for my brand-new pack of gum and so I am one step closer to my goal of trading up to a car! I was offered a solid pewter dragon statue for the gum by a guy who had heard about both my project as well as one red paperclip and wanted to help out.

So, today I swapped the gum for the dragon, which is pretty sweet, I gotta say! It's a hand-carved and hand-cast figure of a dragon guarding his gold with a sword and a bad-ass sneer (see pics).

In other circumstances, I would keep him and feed him the charred remains of all who dared trespass our domain. But, I am a man on a mission and so the dragon's gotta find a new home with anyone who loves dragons and is willing to trade something bigger and/or better for him. Contact me thru the same means as before.

Thanks!

A Shiny Pack of Gum

I recently came across the website one red paperclip and was inspired by the story of a guy who started with the titular paperclip and traded his way up to a house.

My goals are more modest: Right now we are a one car family and another vehicle would be great to have right now. I have a brand-new, never opened pack of Orbit Spearmint Gum that I would like to trade for something bigger and/or better.

Ideally, I would like to trade my way into a Toyota Prius, but I am flexible about that.

So, I am willing to consider any serious offers to trade for the pack of gum pictured below for something bigger or better, as I mentioned above. Contact me thru the comments section here, or email to jon.stevenson AT gmail DOT com.



I am looking forward to trading with you!

Thanks and all the best,
Jon

Getting settled back in

Well, obviously we are back home... the journey back was long and mostly uneventful, although we did have a delay in Paris. The very next day, we had to get back to work, which went fine, although we were tired.

Now we've been able to catch up a little bit on sleep and are looking forward to the weekend! Also, I finally had a chance to go thru the photos and select some good ones to put up on the web. They can be found here. I haven't had time to put individual descriptions on them yet, though. Just ask if you have any questions about them...

Heading Home

Hey everybody,

I apologize for not being more punctual with my blog posts. It's been a busy end to the trip. We are back in Cairo and heading out tomorrow for home. We should be back by late tomorrow afternoon EST.

I plan to write more after we get back safely home!

The Island at the End of the Road

We have found a place with better net access and so I figured that I should write a little more about our journey thus far.

We are still in Siwa Oasis and will be here for a couple more days. We are planning on going out into the desert -- the dunes of the Great Sand Sea -- tomorrow night and camping. On Friday we head back towards Alexandria for the weekend, then Cairo at the beginning of next week and then homewards.

This places is truly unlike anywhere else I have been before. I would love to return here. This journey has convinced me of two things: 1) I think I'm part desert rat and mountain goat, 2) I think that I take after my ancestor Sir Francis Drake. I love wandering and think that I have a natural talent for it. I am seriously thinking about how to do a round-the-world voyage!

Yesterday we explored the area surrounding Siwa. There is a small mountain north of town named Jebel Mawta -- the Mountain of the Dead. When the Romans had an outpost here, they buried their dead in niches cut into the rock. The topography of the land here makes catacombs unfeasible. During the battles fought between the Libyans and the Egyptians for control of the oasis, the Siwans would also hide in these niches.

We also went to see two ruined temples nearby: Alexander's temple and the Temple of the Oracle. Frankly these were kind of disappointing, although the story connected with them is interesting. Alexander the Great came here when he was in Egypt and sought the advice of the oracle of Zeus Ammon. Exactly what the oracle said is lost to time, but Alexander took it as comfirmation that he was a demigod and meant to establish an empire.

After the temples, we took a break at the pool known as Cleopatra's Spring (although there is no evidence she ever visited it). This is one of the most popular places that locals come to cool off. A lot of them wanted me to take pictures of them diving and so on. I didn't jump in, because I'm not a good diver, but Dave did and had a great time.

After that, we took the caretta back to town via a scenic route that goes by another mountain -- Jebel Dakhrour. Then we needed a siesta! I wasn't actually very sleepy, but I rested and finished the basketwork socks and cast on for the green King Charles socks that I had mentioned before.

In the evening, we hung out in the market square for a bit, had coffee and smoked the sheesha. Then we ate in a restaurant Albabenshal atop the ruined fortress Shali that overlooks the town. I had camel stew, which was very tasty!

In the next few days, I will try to fill in the gaps about our time in Alexandria, as well as updating on our current activity.

Siwa Oasis

Hi there. We've arrived safely in Siwa after a ten-hour bus ride. The place is beautiful and I plan to say more about it after we get back to Alex and Cairo. The only net access here is dial-up...

...To Alexandria

We have safely arrived in Alexandria after a very smooth and relaxing train ride thru the Nile Delta. The Delta is very flat and green and dotted with small villages. When we were in-between inhabited areas, the landscape could just as well have been located in Iowa or Indiana! The area we went thru was mostly dedicated to growing corn.

Arriving in Alex was a bit interesting, because we didn't know that there are two train stations. We got off at the first one instead of going to the end of the line. This meant that we got a little lost on the way to our hotel. Fortunately, we flagged down a motorist to ask directions and he insisted on taking us to the right place. He didn't even want gas money... We're planning on taking him out for dinner to say thanks!

The hotel here is twice as expensive as the one in Cairo but still only $30/night. We get more than twice the value though, because this one has AC, bathroom en suite, satellite TV and a fridge!

This evening we ate at a kebab place kitty-corner to the hotel. The place has great food for really cheap prices... the combined bill for our meals came to just over $8! I discovered a new thing: Fayrouz pineapple soda, which I found quite refreshing. I think I'll miss that when we return...

After the meal, we decided to walk some of it off along the Corniche along the sea. We walked over to and around Midan Sa'ad Zaagloul, which is the main hub of activity around this part of town. There were lots of folks walking and sitting along the wall overlooking the water. The beach right here is rather rocky, so tomorrow we intend to check out the sandy beaches further east.

Onward...

Greetings!

We are still in Cairo but are about to head over to Ramses Station after getting a little something to eat. We are looking forward to checking out Alexandria. Pretty much every Egyptian that we've talked with says it's a beautiful, great place.

Yesterday afternoon didn't totally go as planned. The Arabesque was closed, and so we ducked into the courtyard cafe at the Nile Hilton, which was good, although expensive by local standards. Afterward, we went to Ramses Station to buy our train tickets, which was a tricky process. First, you have to figure out the proper window to go to, and then you have to communicate with an agent who basically doesn't give a damn. Our first choice of train was sold out, so we got one a little bit later in the afternoon. It's still going to be express and aircon, which I am looking forward to!

Hot Time in Cairo...

After two long but uneventful flights, we landed in Cairo yesterday evening. The first thing that struck me is that the airport has been modernized a lot from when we were here 6 years ago. The airport road seems to have been upgraded as well. The El Hussein Hotel, on the other hand, has not. The only rooms available had the bathroom down the hall. But it's alright for a couple of nights...

We checked in and rested for an hour or so, then hit the square. Midan Hussein is where the Mosque of Hussein is located. Hussein was one of the Prophet Muhammad's grandsons who was martyred. He's very important to the Shi'a, but ordinary Egyptians who are Sunni regard him highly too. Unbeknownst to us, there was a festival in his honor in the square last night, so the mosque was all lit up and there was music and dancing in the square. We soaked it all up, and I wound up dancing with some of the dervishes who were there. I got all hot and sweaty (and thus the title).

We also got a little something to eat at the Egyptian Pancake House. The "pancakes" are known as fiteer in Arabic and are really more like crepes stuffed with whatever sweet or savory fillings you'd like. I had mine with meat, cheese and veggies... yum!
After all that we slept very well...

Today so far we changed money and walked along El Mouski, which is a pedestrian alleyway with all sorts of shopping along it. We bought some fresh baked bread and bottled water from street vendors for breakfast. After finishing up here, we intend to go to the Arabesque Restaurant for lunch (nearby) and then go to Ramses Station to buy our tickets for the train to Alexandria.

I'd say the trip is off to a good start!

Ready Teddy Go!

Today is the big day that we've been waiting for for months now... we're about to take off on our trip to Egypt! I intend to keep posting updates as we go, and of course take lots of pictures too!

The Buddha Does Not Sleep

The raglan is done and it turned out very nice! I am glad that my calculations for the sizing and gauge worked out well.

I have gone back to working on the basketweave socks. I am knitting my way down the foot and probably have about 2.5" before the toes. Also, I've decided on a texture for the green socks: King Charles brocade.

Blue Raglan Progress

I'm happy to report that the yoke has gone quicker than I anticipated and I have just begun the back of neck shaping on Dave's raglan. At this rate, I imagine that I'll be done with the whole thing in a day or so!

The finishing should go quickly too, because of the felted joins that I've been using. I will have only six ends to weave in instead of the dozen or so that I usually have.

I will try to put pics up soon. Also, I am still looking for an appropriate pattern for the green Egyptian socks (which I think are going to be my project for Ravelympics 2008).

EDIT: The neck shaping is done and I have picked up the front of neck stitches. Six rounds of ribbing to go!

Another Status Report

Just a quick update on how things have been going... the blue raglan sweater is coming along. I finished the sleeves and have joined them to the body and am now doing the decrease rounds for the shoulders. From here on out, the rest should go pretty quickly. My goal is to have it completed before we take off for our trip, which gives me just over two weeks.

For knitting while we're away, I plan to finish the basketweave socks, which are hibernating, and start another pair in some KnitPicks Essentials in forest green. I just need to decide what pattern to use. I'm definitely thinking texture for this one; perhaps some kind of lattice work or arabesque pattern?

KnitML

So, I've been starting to play around with KnitML a little bit. For those who are not familiar with it, KnitML is an in-progress attempt to create an XML schema for knitting patterns. What?, I hear you ask. In other words, KnitML is a mark-up language for knitting, along with software to ensure that a pattern is actually knittable and to output the pattern in various human-readable forms. An example would probably be a good thing here, so...

The current version (0.3) of the software can take a pattern like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<pattern xmlns="http://www.knitml.com/schema/pattern"
 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
 xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.knitml.com/schema/pattern http://www.knitml.com/schema/pattern-0.3.xsd">
 <directives>
  <message-source>pattern-messages</message-source>
 </directives>
 <general-information xml:lang="en">
  <name>Basic socks</name>
  <description>A basic sock pattern with 2x2 ribbing</description>
  <dimensions/>
  <gauge type="stockinette">
   <stitch-gauge unit="st/in">8</stitch-gauge>
   <row-gauge unit="row/in">12</row-gauge>
  </gauge>
  <techniques>
   <technique>knitting-in-the-round</technique>
  </techniques>
  <author>
   <first-name>Jonathan</first-name>
   <last-name>Whitall</last-name>
  </author>
  <copyright-info/>
 </general-information>
 <supplies>
  <yarns>
   <yarn-type id="lornas-1" brand="Lorna's Laces" category="Shepherd Sock" weight="fingering" catalog-id="33032">
    <ball-weight unit="g">50</ball-weight>
    <thickness unit="wrap/in">12</thickness>
   </yarn-type>
   <yarn id="main-color" typeref="lornas-1" message-key="yarn.main-color">
    <total-length unit="m">300</total-length>
    <total-weight unit="g">100</total-weight>
    <color name="watercolor" description="" number="233"/>
   </yarn>
  </yarns>
  <needles>
   <needle-type id="size1circ" type="circular" brand="Addi Turbo">
    <length unit="in">24</length>
    <size unit="US">1</size>
   </needle-type>
   <needle id="needle1" typeref="size1circ" message-key="needle.needle1"/>
   <needle id="needle2" typeref="size1circ" message-key="needle.needle2"/>
  </needles>
  <accessories/>
 </supplies>
 <directions>
  <instruction-group id="start">
   <use-needles>
    <needle idref="needle1"/>
   </use-needles>
   <cast-on style="long-tail">72</cast-on>
   <use-needles silent="true">
    <needle idref="needle1"/>
    <needle idref="needle2"/>
   </use-needles>
   <arrange-stitches-on-needles>
    <needle idref="needle1">36</needle>
    <needle idref="needle2">36</needle>
   </arrange-stitches-on-needles>
   <join-in-round/>
   .
   .
   .
  </instruction-group>
 </directions>
</pattern>

And turn it into something like this:

Basic socks
A basic sock pattern with 2x2 ribbing
By Jonathan Whitall

Stitch Gauge: 8 st/in
Row Gauge: 12 row/in

Yarn:
    100 g (300 m) of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (fingering weight) in watercolor (233)

Needles:
    2 circular needles size 1 US (2.25 mm): Addi Turbo, 24 in

Directions
----------
Use Needle 1. Using the long-tail method, cast on 72 stitches.
Arrange stitches as follows:
    Needle 1: 36 sts
    Needle 2: 36 sts
Join in round, being careful not to twist stitches.

Make the Cuff
-------------
Round 1: Purl
Round 2: *k1, p1, repeat from * to end
Repeat round 2 for 1.5 in.

Knit the Leg
------------
Round 1: *p1, k2, p1, repeat from * to end
Round 2: Knit
Repeat rounds 1-2 until desired length.

Make Heel Flap
--------------
Use Needle 1. Begin knitting flat.
Row 1: *k1, sl 1, repeat from * to 2 sts before end, k2
Row 2: sl 1, p to end
Repeat rows 1-2 17 additional times.

Turn the Heel
-------------
Row 1: sl 1, k19, ssk, k1, turn. 13 unworked stitches.
Row 2: sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn. 13 unworked stitches.

For the next set of rows, you will be decreasing across a small gap. For each row, you will work one additional stitch from the previous row until you are one stitch before the gap. Then you will decrease across the gap and work one more stitch for that row.
Row 3: sl 1, k to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn. 11 unworked stitches.
Row 4: sl 1, p to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1, turn. 11 unworked stitches.
Repeat rows 3-4 5 additional times.

Row 15: sl 1, k18, ssk
Row 16: sl 1, p18, p2tog
Row 17: sl 1, k9. End of round.

Work Gusset
-----------
Use Needle 1 and Needle 2. Begin knitting-in-the-round.
Arrange stitches as follows:
    Needle 1: 28 sts
    Needle 2: 28 sts
Round 1: 
    Needle 1: k10, pick up 18 stitches knitwise, place marker, *p1, k2, p1, repeat from * 4 times, p1, k1
    Needle 2: k1, p1, *p1, k2, p1, repeat from * 4 times, place marker, pick up 18 stitches knitwise, k10
Round 2: 
    Needle 1: k to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1
    Needle 2: k1, ssk, k to end
Round 3: 
    Needle 1: k to marker
    Needle 2: k to end
Next round: 
    Needle 1: k to marker, remove marker. End of round.
Arrange stitches as follows:
    Needle 2: 36 sts
    Needle 1: 36 sts

Make the Foot
-------------
Round 1: 
    Instep Needle: p1, *k2, p2, repeat from * 8 times, k2, p1
    Sole Needle: k to end
Repeat round 1 until desired length.

Make the Toe
------------

Round 1: 
    Instep Needle: k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end, k2tog, k1
    Sole Needle: k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end, k2tog, k1
Round 2: Knit

Graft stitches together from Sole Needle and Instep Needle.

However, the same XML could be used to generate patterns in other languages, or even a graphical representation of the pattern. It could also be processed to account for changes in size or gauge. It's all pretty cool IMHO and has a lot of potential. Check out the site linked above if you're interested in learning more!

Sumer Is Icumen In

I have been feeling slightly guilty about not updating the blog more frequently, so here goes... it's not for lack of things to write about for sure! It's more a case of having lots going on at once.

First, we have finally changed over to the summer schedule at work and so I have been adjusting to that. It has actually been good to have morning sessions, even though I am not by nature a morning person. I have been using the impetus provided by getting up earlier to begin exercising a little bit every day. I have never succeeded with this when I have made it a formal resolution, but doing it this way seems to be working.

Second, I have been knitting along on my second sweater, which is going to be for Dave. It's a seamless bottom-up raglan in Lamb's Pride Bulky in blue. I have done the body up to the underarms and am now working on the sleeves.

Third, I have recently been taken by a fascination for weaving... I really want to learn how to do it but I'm not sure what's the best way to get started.

I've also been playing around with KnitML a little bit lately too. I'll talk more about that in another post.

Finally, here's a video from Circulus, a band that is entirely otherwise from anything you're familiar with, which explains the title of this post:

Sweater Pics

Here is the finished sweater drying after blocking. It is still close-fitting, but comfortable. I still wish that I had made it a little bit longer, perhaps just with short rows in the lower back. Lesson learned for next time! Overall, I am quite happy with it though.



Here's a close-up on the colorwork, just before joining in the fourth color.



Halfway thru the yoke.

Status Report

Well, the sweater is done, except for blocking! It is rather close fitting (but wearable) , and I hope it will expand a bit after a wash and some careful stretching.

What have I learned? The importance of swatching, for one thing, but more significantly, the importance of adding enough ease when designing a garment. I wound up casting on 128 stitches for the body, and probably should have cast on 135 instead and then increased up to 150. Lesson learned for the next one... which I am already dreaming about.

I want to do another seamless one with colorwork, but this time done in more earthtones with raglan shoulders. I am still not sure about what design to use. I thought about doing a Celtic frieze motif running all the way around under the armholes, but I'll play around to see what it looks like. I also have come up with some possible designs based off of the Rovaniemi mittens using the same technique. So many possibilities...!

In other knitting news, I taught myself the Mobius cast-on yesterday and did a practice piece. The cast-on is incredibly quick once you get the hang of it. I am looking forward to using it in a real project!'

My Brain Hurts

Today I had the pleasure of attending Susanna Hansson's workshop on Lapland Hand Garments over at Threadbear. My knitting buddy Cynthia was there too, and together we tried to wrap our heads around an intarsia-in-the-round technique unlike anything I'd seen before. We learned about traditional mitten designs of the Far North and worked on a class project to make wristwarmers with a traditional motif. I'll put up photos soon.

Overall, it was a good time and the 7 hours flew by. I am already thinking of ways that the special stitch used could be incorporated into other projects. I would love to do another class at Threadbear sometime soon!

I DID IT!

I won Script Frenzy! It feels a bit unreal to me still, but I did manage to create 100 pages of original writing in screenplay form this month. Is it everything I ever desired or dreamed of in a script? No way, but there are some good ideas in there and other seeds waiting to grow some more. I have the intention to first of all give myself a break and then to go back and revise and fully flesh out the ideas that I have so far.

In other news, the sweater is almost done! The colorwork is about done and I am about to start on the neck shaping. I am already dreaming about the next knitting project (Coriolis socks following Cat Bordhi's design).

New Determination

Time for an update on things... I must admit that I have been slacking on my ScriptFrenzy project. However, in the last 24 hours, I have experienced a surge of renewed determination to not just participate, but to win! There is just under a week remaining until the end of the month. So by my calculations, I need to write at least 10 pages a day for the coming week. In fact, as few as 11 pages a day would put me over the goal in style. Right before I wrote this blog post, I had a burst of activity and am happy to say that my page count is now up to 37!

In other news, the sweater is proceeding apace. I am about a third of the way thru the yoke, and deep in the middle of the colorwork. I do like how the various shades of blue and green play with each other, although the shading from one to the next is more subtle than I thought it was going to be. I think it is due to the fact that most of the colors of Lopi have about the same level of saturation, and therefore the contrast is low. I have also discovered that when the sweater is illuminated by any kind of light that is towards the yellow/ red end of the spectrum (like incandescent lightbulbs), the main blue for the body and the darker green blend right together. In daylight or full-spectrum artificial (or even under fluorescents), the colors stand out more.

In other knitting news, I have been working a bit on the third pair of socks for the year. I am on the heel flap and will soon turn the heel. This is really turning into my favorite part of sock knitting. It looks as impressive as hell to non-knitters, yet it goes fairly quickly. It also makes it clear exactly what is that you're working on.

One last bit of news and then I'll wrap this up. I am so happy that the guys at Threadbear came thru with more tickets for Stitch'n'Pitch with the Lugnuts! I am really looking forward to hanging out at Oldsmobile Park with Dave and my fellow crafters, eating lots of good food, catching a game, and of course the goodie bags! It all makes for a happy pup!

Promised Pix

It turns out that the hat I made for a friend's daughter is just about the perfect size for Teddy!



Here's the top of it so that the rest of the pattern can be seen:



And here's how it looks on a humanoid:



It's a bit tight on me but not uncomfortable. I would really like to make another one in a similar design and the right size for my noggin!

More Knitting Stuff

I forgot to mention that the Lopi sweater, which had stalled, is moving again. I decided how I want to do the little bit of shaping for the torso.

Also, I will put up pictures of the tam being modeled by Teddy soon too.

Steam Powered Aereo Plane

When it comes to music, I often tend to stick with my favorite familiar artists (which encompass a wide range of genres and styles). Sometimes, though, an out-of-the-ordinary mood will possess me and I will take a by-way off the usual road.

I appreciate bluegrass and old-timey music, but don't listen to them on a regular basis. Today, however, I felt like it and wound up listening to a lot of John Hartford tunes (mostly from Aereo-Plain). While searching for lyrics, I somehow stumbled across the Old Crow Medicine Show. I had heard of them before, but had never listened to any of their songs. Anyway, I got hooked and spent a large portion of the evening listening to their stuff on YouTube. Here's the video for their song "I Hear Them All".



Lovely stuff, and I really want to see them live now!

In other updates, Script Frenzy is going along alright, I guess. I am up to 20 pages and am figuring out how to patch plot holes as I go. I am also learning more about my characters, who are going in some surprising directions.

As far as knitting is concerned, I finished the stranded tam'o'shanter that was to be a birthday gift and delivered it to its recipient. I am still working on the intarsia-in-the-round hat. I'm about halfway thru the chart and then I'll do the crown shaping. After that I need to figure out how I want to use short rows to shape the brim and do the duplicate stitch for the smiley-face details. I am pleased that I've learned about this method of intarsia, but doubt that I'll use it again soon.

Further Evidence of my Insanity

The month of April may bring showers (although it's just as likely to bring snow around here), but it also brings a month-long feverish writing jag known as Script Frenzy. This contest challenges writers of all levels to draft a 100-page screen- or stage-play in 30 days or less. It is the brainchild of the same folks who thought up NaNoWriMo.

So, I have committed to participating in both contests, in the spirit of challenging myself to do things that I've never done before. I am going to try my hardest to emerge at the end of April, able to call myself a screenwriter!

Getting started on another one of my goals for '08

Today I have started on my first sweater. It's going to be a seamless Icelandic yoke style done in blue and green heathered Lopi yarn. I am going to use the Zimmerman Percentage System to get the sizing right and pretty much make it up as I go for the color patterning. The nice thing about Lopi yarn is that the knitting goes quickly, since the yarn is so bulky! I pretty much have the ribbing for the body done already.

UPDATE: I now have the body over halfway done.

UPDATE 2: I'm now working on the sleeves, using the same 2-on-2-circs technique that I've been using for socks. I'm past the forearm shaping and into the straight stretch up to the underarms.

Unventing Things

I have been on the hunt for copies of Elizabeth Zimmerman's books for a while now (I know, I know, Amazon; but I like to flip thru a book before I decide to buy it). Anyway, I recently found a copy of "Knitting Without Tears" and have read it cover to cover within the last couple of days. I love her writing style and agree with the idea that had EZ lived a few years later, she would have made an excellent blogger.

More than the writing, though, I appreciate her approach to seamless sweater design. I now feel like I can make my own Lopi-style sweater on the fly, without having to slavishly follow someone else's pattern. I am really itching to start, and think that I will begin as soon as the current socks (done in basket-weave pattern) are finished.

Sock Photos

Here are the photos of the new pair of socks, being modeled by Dave.

Moving Right Along

Well, the second pair of socks done using the "2 on 2 circs" technique are complete! I'm happy with how these turned out as well. (They are a gift for Dave and the fit is perfect.) They are done in Jawoll Jacquard yarn and look a lot more complicated than they really were. I'll try to get pics up soon.

This is also the first time I've experimented with "Mail2Blogger", which I can foresee being very handy when we're travelling!

Don't Call It a Conversion...

The socks are done, and now I see the light about why sock knitting is so addictive for some folks! The look and fit is great, and now I simply never want to be without hand-knitted wool stockings swaddling my feet!

Thank goodness for Elann and KnitPicks, so that there is affordable sock yarn out there. Otherwise, this has the potential to turn into a rather expensive habit...