Bi-craftual (Day 6 KEDfaY)

I, like many of my fellow crafters, have dabbled a bit into the world of crochet. I am by no means an expert and it isn't something I make a habit of but every once in a while, I feel the need to crochet. 

So I did. Don't worry! I knit today as well. I worked a few rows on the sock prototype but today I just felt like crocheting. I finished a blanket that I've been working on for a while. It is a scrap blanket, made up of leftovers given to me mostly and some that I had left over from my own projects. I'm planning on giving it to charity because, while I do love blankets, I like mine to be big enough to cover more than my lap, especially since I now live in Florida where it doesn't get below 75* ever. (Don't try to argue me on this. I am now an expert on all things Florida. I have been to the beach and live in a swamp [sorta]. Seriously, there was a wild boar big enough to eat me killed less than two miles from where we live and there is a hurricane that is coming [nowhere] near us later this week. I think I can call myself an expert now.) The lap/baby blanket is going to be donated to a local cancer center because I figure they will find someone who can use it. I think I'm going to do an edging on it because, like I said, I'm no expert and my edges look atrocious. 

The hexagon blanket that's also pictured up there had some work done on it the other day. I'm about 7 hexes away from finishing it! Whoo hoo! 

So here's my proof! 6 days in a row of knitting and I didn't even fake it! I did like 10 whole rows of this sock! Whoo! (I had coffee late today so excuse the extra excitement.) I'd like to finish this sock this week and start writing up the pattern and possibly start the third sock in a third yarn to see how it works with variegated yarn. I think some of the patterns will work but the cables might get lost. We shall see! 

My name is Leigh, and I have an addiction (Day 5 KEDfaY)

So that small mitered square I made yesterday? I blame it.

It's probably my fault since I'm the one that decided to knit it and I'm the one who actually knit it and I'm the one who picked out more yarn and made a small log cabin-type square out of it but I blame that little square.

I have a problem.

For any of you who don't know me, I kinda have a problem with scrap blankets. I love them. I love everything about them. I love picking out the colors, I love going through my stash of scraps, I love finding new patterns. I just love them SO MUCH. I save every bit of yarn I have, no matter how small it is because if it isn't going to one of my numerous blankets I have started then it's used for stuffing toys if/when I ever make one. You could call me a hoarder or obsessive but really I'm just being smart. I'm using all of the bits that others don't want or would throw away and I'm using them to make blankets. I have at least four right now (all under the Charity Blanket project title) that I'm planning on donating as soon as I finish them. I'm also saving money because as a broke ass-post-college grad who has no job and still can't find one, my yarn budget is nonexistent. I don't buy yarn, especially not for myself or for any project that I want to make for me. All of the yarn I buy goes towards presents for other people.

You could say I'm selfless but really I'm just broke.

So instead of working on another prototype sock so I can type up another pattern and get it out to test knitters, I am playing with scraps and making squares for a completely new blanket.

My name is Leigh and I have a problem.

Off Day, Not a Day Off (Day 4 KEDfaY)

You have one of those days when you try something, try to work on something or make something or do something, and you just fail? Today was one of those days for me in the knitting realm.

I pulled out some scrap yarn because I was going to make some baby booties to donate to charity. I've made this pattern before and I blew through both of them in about an hour so I was pretty confident. I glanced at the pattern again to remind myself what I had done because I didn't follow the pattern exactly. And when I finished the baby bootie, it didn't look at all like a cute little bootie but a misshapen blob of yarn that wouldn't be able to used as a bootie but more of a coin purse if you didn't mind all of your change falling out and it not really be able to be used as a coin purse at all.

So I ripped it.

I wanted to do something though, something small and intant gratification-y because I haven't finished something in a few days and I haven't finished something that wasn't a sock in even longer so after looking through my queue on Ravelry for a bit, I decided on a square for a blanket. It isn't for any blanket I'm working on right now, it's just a square. Why? Because we all have that pile of squares that we're going to make into a blanket eventually one day, right? Of course you do! If not, then you should.

So there it is. My sorry excuse for an attempt to get something done. It's not even a really big square. I casted on 27 sts on size 8s and k3tog every other row. It's about 3"x3". I have no idea what I'm going to use it for but, dammit, I finished something and most importantly, I knit today.

Injury Time (Day 3 KEDfaY)

I don't know if it's because I've been over doing it lately or if I have returned to my old bad habits of slouching with my hands right in front of my face but my elbow has been bothering me today. I blame a lot but it all comes down to me having awful posture and not correcting it. I've tried, it just hasn't worked out so well.

It's gotten to the point where I can't even finish the row I'm one because my arm hurts so much. I did knit today though. I knit a lot more yesterday when I finished the foot and turned the heel on the sock I am working on. That might have been what did it though. I was determined to finish the heel no matter what and I did and now my right arm hurts.

If you have suggestions that might help the pain or help me kick the bad habits of horrible posture, it would be awesome if you would share them. Or not. You can keep them to yourself if you're selfish that way.

Ow.

Bad Juju (Day 2 of KEDfaY)

You ever have one of those days where you just hate everything and you don't know why? And nothing works to make you feel better? Eating, a nap, a glass of water, nothing? Today is one of those days.

Even knitting is sorta frustrating me. I'm working on a new pattern that I flew through the on the first prototype but now I just kinda want to throw it across the room when I get to a pattern row. I also hate how the cables are turning out on this one.

Today I just hate everything. Deal with it.

Of goals and ambitions (Day 1 of Knitting Every Day for a Year)

Day One

I make a lot of goals for myself. Small things like "I will exercise every day this week," or "I will write one journal entry every day," or "I will do dishes every evening." Most of the time, I actually do these things for about three or four days and then quit. 

I was up to about three weeks on the "write a new journal entry every day" thing before a bad case of depression took over and I didn't want to write down that today was another shitty day for no apparent reason. 

And I don't work out every day but I am getting good at working out every other day which, hey, I'll take. 

And dishes are getting done every day but only because I have nothing else to do while waiting for food to cook and it takes just a few minutes to throw some plates into the dish washer.

There are a few people about the internet who are doing neat projects like 100 sewn dresses in a year  or creating something small every day for a year. It's projects like these that make me want to accomplish something similar. 

I knit every day. There are very, very few days where I haven't knit anything and most of those days were because I was resting my wrist because I have terrible posture and form. So I figured why not actually prove that I knit every day. Show some progress that isn't just me tweeting about random complaints I have about the pattern or yarn or my own cock ups. I already knit all of the time so why not try to make a project out of it? 

And if I make a blog post to go with it, I figure then I am forcing myself to write every day too which, as someone who calls herself a writer, I should really do more often. 

So here it is. The first post in my attempt to knit and record my knitting every day for a year. 

Should be fun, right?

Not Even Socks

I finished my pattern this week. It felt awesome. It is currently being tested by some test knitters and I might be looking for more to test the other sizes. Right now I'm feeling mostly terrified. This is my first pattern and I want it to be perfect even though I know it won't be. I hope I did my math correctly even though history has shown that I can't do math to save my life. 

But I'm trying not to think about that right now. 

I've already started another sock prototype. I like how it's going so far even though you can't really see the pattern in this yarn. I'm also choosing to do a different heel so that the math will hopefully be easier. 

So that's where I'm at right now. Lots of knitting and doodling and scribbling and freaking out about math.

I did make myself some sock blockers. I used this tutorial and some place mats I got from Target. I've needed sock blockers for a while but now that I'm actually taking pictures of my socks and putting them in patterns, I need them to look a bit nicer than what I was doing which was hand washing or throwing them in the regular wash, depending on the yarn, and hoping for the best. So far, the socks look much nicer. Definitely worth the $4 and about 15 minutes it took to make them. I recommend every le broke knitter to make their own blockers to use until they can afford the really nice wood ones. 

Mmm. Wood sock blockers.