The Land of the KnitaSaur

An erratic assortment of stitch markers :)
Quite a few are gonna be karma-d away. Now that I’ve finally got the rings, I’ve run out of head pins. Luckily, those are easily accessible. Most of those were made while InDesign loaded random things. Sad when your computer is slow enough for you to bead while it thinks. :D

The needle case is so close to being done

And the yarn that was supposed to be armwarmers actually turned into entrelac. Go figure

No sweater or sock progress

And for some reason I can’t seem to find Mario or the bag. They’re around, I’m sure,just not … around I guess.

First off, thanks for all the support and advice from everyone! I really needed to get that off my chest. Sorry to rainin9 who’s just found out that I’m her blog-buddy and the first post she reads was that rant! :D

I’ve done a bit of knitting on the bag and switched the needles so the cable is long enough:

That’s almost a full skein of yarn knitted in there.

Here’s the progress on the needle case

I think the stitch pattern looks nice in this yarn

I am soooo frustrated. Huge essay-rant to follow. No knitting.

On Sunday I get this phone call. It’s from the teacher sponsor of the student-run paper that my OLD (read: I dropped out mid-way) college puts out. I did the layout for the paper when I was there, and after dropping out agreed to continue doing so, as I didn’t have a job or anything else to take up my time. After putting out one issue, I got a job and applied to design school. Due to some misunderstandings, thought that I had a week to do my portfolio. Massive panic on my part, as the SUP (Students United Press) team wanted a paper out by the end of the week. Luckily, I didn’t need my laptop, which had the layout program. A bunch of them agreed to get together and muddle through it (Adobe InDesign. Not a single person with high Adobe, let alone Indesign experience) Really great of them to pull through like that IMO.

Back to the phone call. She was asking how layout for this issue was coming. I tell her it isn’t, I don’t have any articles. The editor doesn’t have them to me yet (again, but that’s a different issue. He came in at the beginning of the year, took on a whole bunch of responsibilities, edited the first issue, got a bunch of complaints ‘cause he changed some stuff drastically, totally didn’t edit the second, and in the third straight up told me he “refused to edit ___’s articles because they’d just whine about it anyway, and ___’s ‘cause he can’t stand their writing.” Since then, he’s edited on and off, every time taking at least three days longer than he said he would, then not making any effort to let me know he’s done or getting the edited articles to me.)

Lol, sidetracked again. Can you tell I’m not happy? Anyway, she says, “Oh. He was supposed to email those to you on Friday.” Yesterday, the normal “Hey, guys, we have a meeting at lunch tomorrow” goes out, along with a message saying “Editor–articles have been emailed to Dianna, yes? Ad-guy–get all the ads you sold together and batch-email them to her so she doesn’t have to search. We need this issue done by tomorrow, so it can be out by Friday. The advertisers are getting PO’d and are considering not paying since we are running so behind”

I go to the meeting at lunch. Teacher-sponsor isn’t there (not blaming her, she’s got a lot on her plate right now. But I’d have liked it if she was, as she can get the others on task, which no one else can do) The editor hands me the articles, all proud that he’s done the job well (half a week late, and all jumbled up on the flash drive.) Half the articles don’t have headlines, AND NONE have the articles have the author in the document, so I’ve got to find the email with the attachment that may or may not have the same title as the article on the drive and figure out who “angelgurl83 at whateraddy dot com” is in real life. None of the pictures have captions, so I’ve got to figure who sent them, what article they belong with and what’s going on in them. Ad-guy gives me a list of the ads, quite a nice one with the name of the company, their size specifications and if they have any requests for placement. However, all of the ads haven’t been gathered up and emailed to me, so I spent an hour digging through the badly labeled SUP email looking for them. Grr.

Paper is sooo not gonna be out by Friday. I’m just pissed that they are putting me into such a rush to get it done when I DON’T EVEN GO TO THE SCHOOL ANYMORE. I mean, the only reason I’m still doing this is because no one else will. The program is expensive and fiddly even if you know how to work it (which I’m not the best at, but I am the best they’ve got) I really wish that they’d at least make it easy on me! At least doing their own jobs properly–writers are told to provide headlines and to put their names into the word doc with the article. Photos are supposed to be labeled the same as the article, along with a quick blurb saying who’s in the photo, what’s going on in it. If they don’t, the editor is supposed to find out during editing. I just don’t understand. I don’t go to the school, yet they are putting it all on me and aren’t even doing their jobs. They want me to get 3 pages of poems (oh, did I mention like 3/4 of the articles for our newspaper are poetry) and 4 pages of ads into a 12 page spread IN AN EVENING?

You Snag, in Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals and Diamond Yarn Galway.

Hated knitting these, for no real reason. Pattern is fine, yarn is fine, didn’t enjoy. Ah well.

Here’s the beginning of a sleeve for Eiffel (and finally a pic that is true to color)

My compulsive startitis:

Princess Needle Cozy or something like that in Caron Simply Soft Brites.

And my soon-to-be compulsive startitis:

Stripy armwarmers.

Super Mario is on hold ’cause there are sooo few stitches and the tiny needles poke and hurt me. Socks are on hold ’cause I can’t stand the yarn (but I can’t cast on socks I’ll love until these are done! :( ) And the Drops bag has been moved onto a more appropriately sized needle and has had a bit of progress, but nothing warranting a photo.

Just saying

YAAAAYYYY!!!

My portfolio is done. Well, minus the resume, the pants section (totally forgot the pictures of it :D) and the math test that I haven’t gotten yet. But that is gonna be faxed in.

I’m soooooo close.

Nope, no knitting for ya.

Yep. Acquired. Not bought (well, one was). Just…sent. Of course, I sent out some, too. But, I think I got the better part of the deal–I get rid of yarns I’m not gonna use, get yarn that I am (from people who aren’t gonna use it :D). For those interested and on Rav, check out the Karma Yarn Swap Group.

See, enough JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk to make Ice Queen from knitty:

And sock yarn! For Sidewinder, I believe.

And a super pretty shiny ribbon that I think will be the waistband in Stargazer

I also bought three skeins of Patons Shetland Chunky for 98-54 Drops Cabled Bag

Mmm,that’s gonna be nice.

I need to actually finish knitting stuff.

GlamCake <–PDF Download

I like cake. I like yarn cakes. To be more specific, I like yarn cakes that aren’t tangled or wet. And that are easily transportable. I’m also a little bit magpie-like. I like things that are shiny. Together, all of this created Glamcake.

It’s a little bag that fits a yarn cake perfectly. Holds it nice and snug, pulls closed at the top to keep out the rain that is inevitably falling if I ever take knitting out of my house. It attaches to my purse, so is easily carried about. And best of all, it’s shiny.

Difficulty Level
Easy

Techniques Used
Knit
Purl
Yarn Over
Knit 2 together
Crochet

Size
2 inch diameter
4 inches tall, not including strap

Materials
Michell & CIA Luxery Collection Fine Merino Superwash DK (100% Fine Superwash Merino wool; 125 meters per 50g skein); color black; 1 skein
Berroco Metallic FX (85% Rayon, 15% Metallic; 78 meters per 25g skein) color 1001; 1 skein

4 US size 9 double pointed needles
Tapestry needle
Button
Crochet hook

Gauge
17 sts and 24 rows = 4 inches

The Pattern
CO 6 sts. Distribute stitches evenly on 3 DPNs and oin in round, being careful to not twist.

Rnd 1 and all odd-numbered rounds: k all sts.
Rnd 2: (m1, k1) around
Rnd 4: (m1, k2) around
Rnd 6: (m1, k3) around
Rnd 8: (m1, k4) around
Rnd 10: (m1, k5) around
Rnd 12: (m1, k6) around
Rnd 14: (m1, k7) around (48 sts total)
Rnd 15: p all sts (this purl row will make a nice crisp edge around the bottom of the bag)

Work st st (k all sts) for 21 rounds.

Eyelet rnd: K2, yo, k2tog, (k6, yo, k2tog) 5 times, k to end (6 eyelets total)
Next 6 rnds: P 2, k41, p5

BO rnd: p2, move these two sts to the end of needle 3. BO all stitches but the last 7 (5 sts from needle 3, and the two from needle 1)

P remaining 7 sts.
Join other end of MC. From now on you will be working with two strands of MC and one strand of CC. This is to make the supporting strap a bit thicker and stronger.
Continue working reverse st st for 6 rounds.
Work 7 rnds in st st.

Eyelet rnd: k3, yo, k2tog, k3
Work 3 more rnds in st st.
BO all stitches. Weave in all ends.

Cord:
Crochet a chain approximately 1.5 feet long. Weave it in and out through the eyelets, leaving ends on the outside front. Tug tight and tie in a bow to keep your yarn-cake all cozy in the bag.

Sew button in corresponding spot to buttonhole.

And if you could tell me the title or painter of the original of this, you’ll be my best friend:

And some other stuff that I’m submitting as the “fine arts” of my portfolio:

You know, I think everything here is an imitation of something. I’m so totally not an original person. I promise to have some knitting content soon! Will a cat in a bag tide you over?

ETA: Heeheehee!

Sewing style photoshoot. :D
Jacket:

(I was attacked by a tiny dog)

Hoodie:

This one’s my favorite:

I’m gonna have to re-do these; I didn’t notice the uncut threads.

Shiny Shirt:

But, look! I’ve made it to the sleeves!

I’m now trying to figure out how the sleeves work and if I can actually modify them to be short sleeved. Flutter-sleeved short sleeved even . . . I think I can I think I can!

I kicked my butt into gear and pushed past the heel on the basket weave socks. Soo close!

Nothing like Red Heart to prove that it isn’t the socks you are addicted to, but the sock yarn . . .

And here’s a blurry random angle of You Snag. I don’t like working back and forth on DPN’s–It HURTS! Those needles are pokey!

And the start of a super-mario mushroom, just to add to the itsy-DPN trend I’ve got going . . .

And in RAK and Karma Swap news here’s the pretty Berroco Metallic FX that I was talking about, and a pic of what the beads are gonna turn into: