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April 28, 2006
First half of Orangina done!
That's right, I know I'm supposed to be taking it easy on the knitting these days, but I actually got out a meausring tape and checked the length, and I was sooooo close to finishing the first half of Orangina. So you know, just a few rows here and there. =) So here she is! I think it looks really good so far. (And I might have cast on the second half. Maybe.)
Posted by zarah at 6:36 AM | Comments (8)
April 27, 2006
Project Spectrum Postcard Swap!
Isn't this postcard beautiful? It's completely made of fabric by my extremely talented swap partner, Patricia. I love the color combo - very summery - and it also struck a sentimental chord. It looks really similar to the crazy quilts my grandma used to make. She was one of those thrifty, depression-era grandmas that never let anything go to waste, but she still had quite an eye for color. Her quilts were always made with scraps from dresses she had made for my mom and her sisters. I loved looking at the quilts as a kid, because my mom would point out the different quilt pieces and tell me whose dress it was and what occasion grandma made it for. Does crafty run in your family?
Posted by zarah at 7:00 AM | Comments (7)
April 26, 2006
On the Injured List
Thanks for all the advice on avoiding hand injuries. Just to be safe, I'm putting down the needles for a few days. I want to work on Orangina during my vacation next week, so I'm playing it safe now. In the meantime, I've been working on matching up the May swaps for the Project Spectrum hand-dyed Yarn Swap. We have one international participant this month, so if anyone is willing to do the international postage thing, please let me know (probably $10-15).
In other news, we have a sponsor for the swap! Wool2Dye4.com is going to donate a skein of undyed fingering-weight sock yarn each month - any ideas on how to award prizes? I can do a random drawing, unless anyone has a better idea.
I was also thinking it might be fun to add something to the yarn swap - maybe a little something else hand-made in the color of the month? You guys are so creative, you're probably already doing that. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw it out there. Edited: You don't have to send anything else handmade - but if you want to, go for it! Just communicate with your pal so no one is disappointed.
Posted by zarah at 6:40 AM | Comments (5)
April 25, 2006
PS Yarn Swap - last day to sign up
First of all, thanks to Lu (one of our swap members and my swap partner last time around) for the picture that I blatantly stole off flickr without asking. (Bad Zarah.)
The good news is, it's almost time for the next round of the PS Hand-Dyed Yarn Swap! (In hindsight, I should have come up with a catchier name. Suggestions anyone?) I will close entries from May at 6pm Central Standard Time (aka, when Zarah gets home from work).
As I'm sure you all know, the color for May is GREEN. There are so many different shades of green, from wild neon to green grass to avocado, and everything in between. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.
In knitting news here at Beautyschooldropout, not all is well. I'm almost finished with the front of Orangina, but my right hand is killing me. Typing all day at work and knitting with cotton in the evening does not suit Zarah well. It's really frustrating me because I want to wear Orangina. Also, I've knit and ripped it enough times that it would be done by now if I hadn't made so many mistakes. Argh....
Posted by zarah at 7:06 AM | Comments (6)
April 24, 2006
Rock'n Ribs Wrap-Up
Warning - no knitting content ahead.
A few days ago I mentioned that I wouldn't be blogging much since I was getting ready for a barbeque competition. I figured I would reward you with a mini-photo essay about how I spent my weekend.
First, you're probably wondering: how did she get involved in this in the first place? I am in Rotaract (which is basically Junior Rotary) and they compete every year in Rock'n Ribs, which is a barbeque competition and festival hosted by all the Rotary clubs of Springfield as a benefit for children's charities in the Ozarks. Last year we raised something like $70,000, so it's a pretty big deal.
A few months ago, we started looking for someone who wanted to be the head cook for the Rotaract team. My husband loves BBQ so he volunteered, even though he's not in the club. I helped organize all the other volunteers and everything was falling nicely into place. Then my husband discovered a minor problem - he had a conflict and wouldn't be able to cook. I am apparently the only person in the club with even passing knowledge of making barbeque, so I got the job.
For those of you who stick to knitting and are not familiar with the barbeque arts, here's the basic gist: Barbequeing is not grilling. Grilling is where you put meat directly over hot coals and it cooks pretty fast. In barbequeing, the meat is cooked slowly, at about 200-225 degrees, using indirect heat. Usually the coals/wood is in a separate compartment and it funnels through the cooking chamber then out a chimney pipe on the other end of the cooker. The result of this is extremely tender, flavorful meat. But the downside is that large cuts of meat can take 12-18 hours to cook.
That's why I was sleeping in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops on Friday night. We started the pork shoulders around midnight and staggered putting the rest of the meat on to cook between 2-8am. Some people in the competition are really serious - they travel all around the country entering BBQ contests. These people are also smart enough to bring a trailer or some sort of semi-comfortable place to sleep. I was fairly ill-prepared for my first competition. I did have a tent, but just a blanket to sleep on and a blanket to cover me. Luckily I conned a couple of people to come out and help me cook during the night, so I wasn't all alone. They monitored the smokers (you have to keep the temperature constant by opening/closing air vents and adding wood/charcoal) so I could get a few hours sleep.
The next morning, another crew of Rotaract club members came in to help me get the meat ready for the competition. (As you can see, we had a cowboy theme. There were many Brokeback jokes.)
We entered all four categories: chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. In addition, we cooked more meat for serving to the public after the competition. I thought our meat turned out pretty well, but I'm sure it wasn't anything compared to some of the serious competitors in the competition. (I went home to sleep before they passed out the awards.)
Here is my little smoker and our BBQ meat. Doesn't that chicken look tasty? The rest is wrapped up to keep warm so it doesn't burn.
All in all I had a fun weekend, even though I was exhausted from so little sleep. I made some great BBQ (if I do say so myself) and got to know some people that I wouldn't normally hang out with. As you can probably guess, BBQ competitions are generally a male-dominated arena, so I was proud to represent the ladies in some small way.
In case ANYONE had made it this far - no, I didn't bring my knitting, even though I had tons of downtime at this event. One word: smoke. There were about 50 teams all creating woodsmoke for a solid 12 hours. My hair still smells like BBQ, and I just couldn't do that to my knitting.
THE END.
Posted by zarah at 7:12 AM | Comments (4)
April 23, 2006
PS Yarn Swap Update
Thanks to all the current swap participants who have put the beautiful pictures of hand-dyed yarn up on their blogs. I love it all. For anyone who's been seeing these great dye-jobs and wants to join in the fun, it's not too late to join. Sign-ups for May end on the 25th, swaps to go out before the last day of May. Yarn should be dyed and mailed by May 15th.
If you signed up for April and haven't told me otherwise, I'm assuming you want to continue in May. Let me know ASAP if you don't want to play.
Posted by zarah at 5:03 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2006
Rock'n Ribs 2006
I will not be posting again until next week - I am the head cook for my Rotaract (Jr. Rotary) team in a local BBQ cook-off this weekend. I'll be camping in a Bass Pro Shops parking lot Friday night and running two large BBQ smokers all night to produce smoked ribs, beef brisket, pork, and chicken for the competition on Saturday, not to mention a bunch more pork & brisket for the public sampling Saturday afternoon.
So, if you're in the Springfield area, stop by Bass Pro Friday or Saturday - have some BBQ and support the children's charities of the Ozarks!
Posted by zarah at 7:05 AM | Comments (4)
April 19, 2006
Spring knitting
This is a bleeding heart bush in my backyard. When I moved into our house last summer, it was shriveled up like a dead twig. I actually ripped out a couple of the bushes, not realizing what they were. But this one managed to survive the Mad Gardener. =)
Lolly just emailed me and told me that my Washington DC trip coincides with Maryland Sheep & Wool.... but my husband isn't too keen on that idea. "We don't plan our vacation around yarn," he says. ("Ha!" I say to myself, but that's okay. We'll just let him go on believing that.)
Any ideas to convince him that I should go?
In other news, Orangina has been restarted and I've knit about 6 inches - only 11 more to go on the front! (Cringe.) The good thing is I will hopefully have lots of knitting time on our trip to Washington - I bought Addi Naturas just for the plane trip.
I did plan to write about my spring/summer knitting plans when I started this post... let's see:
1. Orangina - This has been started (and restarted) in Rowan 4-ply cotton. I have done several blocking sessions and this yarn doesn't seem to "grow" like other cottons I've used. Maybe because it's such a tight ply.
2. I bought some pink Rowan Cotton Tape from Elann (50% off until they run out!) - I have big plans to make a tank top of some sort. My friend Meredith has the Cotton Tape Collection book, so I'll see what my options are. That should be a quick knit.
3. I have some cotton/nylon sock yarn to try out summer sock knitting - I've only ever used superwash wool. Hopefully they won't be too baggy.
4. Last but not least, I got 3 skeins of navy Cotton Fleece from my secret pal... another tank top? I'm thinking about playing around with designing something myself. I have an idea in my head, I'm just not sure how to go about getting it out into stitches.
Posted by zarah at 7:03 AM | Comments (12)
April 18, 2006
Lincoln Memorial
Oh, I can’t wait. My husband and I are taking a vacation to DC in less than two weeks. I’ve never been there before, so I’m really excited about seeing the White House and all the monuments, not to mention the Smithsonian and maybe the Zoo! I also might get to meet up with some bloggers and tour the DC yarn shops…. right, Lolly?
Anyway, if anyone lives in DC or has visited recently, let me know what I should do! I will be there for a week in early May.
Posted by zarah at 4:17 PM | Comments (10)
April 17, 2006
Orangina revisited
I have made quite a bit of progress since I took this picture - it is over 12 inches long now... but I slipped it off the needle and held it up to check the sizing. Bad news. It is WAY too small. Lots of people over at the SKC KAL were having gauge issues, so I figured I would beat the system and size down accordingly. This just goes to show you that even gauge swatches can be deceiving, because I actually knit the correct size once, and it looked way too big. Or maybe I just think I'm skinnier than I really am. =)
So, to make a long story short... I have cast on AGAIN for this project. I just hope it will work this time. I think one of my problems is figuring out the right amount of ease - my last wearable knit was Picovoli, which was meant to be knit about 2 inches smaller than your actual bust measurement, but I think this should actually be a little loose. Suggestions, anyone?
Posted by zarah at 10:10 AM | Comments (4)
April 16, 2006
peepmobile
Happy Easter everyone!
My husband has had a really long week at work (he works at our church. Easter week = 7 services = tired) so we decided to forgo out-of-town Easter celebrations with family this year. We ended up deciding to celebrat with some friends in Springfield. It will be interesting - it is a totally potluck meal. I talked to the hostess yesterday, and she said her contribution was cleaning her house. =) I'm working on a blackberry cobbler while I wrote this post. I hope it turns out well!
Posted by zarah at 7:30 AM | Comments (2)
April 14, 2006
OSW Swap - complete!
I got a package in the mail yesterday from Jeannine! It is the long-awaited conclusion to our two-woman international One-Skein Wonder swap. We started them as Olympic Knitting projects, but sometimes things don't turn out the way you planned. Plus, shipping from the Netherlands takes a while. But didn't it turn out beautifully?
It's made from a Lana Grossa yarn that I haven't seen before - in case you can't tell from the picture, there is a shiny strand running through the yarn. This will be great for wearing with summer tank tops.
Jeannine totally spoiled me with goodies on top of the OSW: gobs of dark chocolate (YUM) and more yarn! The cool thing about doing an international exchange is that you get yarns that aren't available in your area. We've got 2 skeins of Lana Grossa merino big and two skeins on DGB Confetti sock yarn in various shades of blue. Absolutely beautiful - just what I would have chosen if I were on a yarn spree in Amsterdam. (I was tempted to say a "yarn high" - is that tacky? Cause drugs and yarn... practically the same, right? They're both addictive!)
Anyhoo.... I participated in SP7 this year and was totally spoiled as well, but there's something really neat about arranging your own swap with a blog-friend and getting to know them throughouot the process. Jeannine actually called me from Amsterdam a couple of times to talk knitting! Anyway, I would definitely encourage you to reach out to those bloggers that you always comment on and see if they's like to do a swap with you! (international shipping rates are a b**ch, but you do get some cool stuff out of the deal.)
Posted by zarah at 7:18 AM | Comments (6)
April 12, 2006
The Dogwoods are Blooming in the Ozarks!
What a beautiful time of year. Today the temperatures hit 80 degrees, and the dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom.
I am at home enjoying the weather, after two days of nearly non-stop work. Just sitting on the patio, drinking a beer and eating some tortilla chips. (yum) No, it's not the healthiest thing, but I figure I deserve it!
Several of the Project Spectrum yarn swappers have asked me if they need to sign up for next month's swap. The general sentiment of the people who have emailed me is that they want to be in every month's swap. So, if you are currently signed up and do not want to participate in May's swap - leave a comment or email me and let me know.
Otherwise, if you aren't signed up for May and want to be, email me by APRIL 25. For all the info on the swap, click here.
I had a "layover" in Bolivar MO for a couple of hours today (waiting between my court appearances) and I had a chance to knit on Orangina - I made up my progress that I had to rip out last weekend. Yippee!
Posted by zarah at 6:20 PM | Comments (7)
April 11, 2006
Campo di granturcos
I have to admit - I have no idea what that means, either.... my guess: big country turkeys! (or perhaps field of daffodils?)
But whatever you call it, you have to admit - this yarn is beautiful! I received it in the mail a few days ago from my Project Spectrum Hand-dyed yarn Swap pal, Lu. I am really swamped with work these days, but in my head I am casting on for a pair of socks out of Knitting Vintage Socks... maybe something a little lacey.
Just as a reminder (to myself and everyone else in the yarn swap), yarn should be mailed out by April 15th (this weekend) so it arrives in time for the recipient to enjoy it during April!
I think I've mentioned before that I'm knitting Orangina as part of the Sexy Knitter's Club Knitalong. I had a chance to work on this in the car on the way to St. Louis this weekend - I did make some progress but I also had to rip back quite a bit after realizing I had dropped a stitch. That seems to be the purpose of this project - to remind me that I still make mistakes... a LOT of them! I love the pattern, and it's not complicated, but this is my first time knitting a lace pattern and it's so easy to get off track.
I tried using stitch markers to keep track of the stitches, but the pattern moves around - every other knit row is offset by one stitch. Any advice?
Posted by zarah at 7:04 AM | Comments (8)
April 10, 2006
Half-Marathon Recovery
Well, I'm back in Springfield after a weekend in St. Louis. I ran the Spirit of St. Louis Half-Marathon yesterday. I didn't get a record-breaking time (2:35 if anyone cares) but I had a great time running with my friend and first time half-marathoner Emily.
On the trip to St. Louis, I had some time to knit on Orangina, our current KAL over at the Sexy Knitter's Club. I thought I had finally figured out the pattern, but then I discovered a dropped stitch and had to rip it out AGAIN. Now that I am several inches into the pattern, I think it needs to be the next bigger size.... So I think I will be completely starting over. Third time's a charm, right? I'll post some pictures tomorrow and you can all make fun of my pathetic lace-knitting skillz.
Posted by zarah at 6:30 AM | Comments (4)
April 7, 2006
FO: Stripey Socks
Voila! A finished pair of red & yellow socks for Project Spectrum!
Project Details:
Pattern: Universal Sock Pattern, with an eight stitch pattern - stockinette for 5 sts, seed stitch for 3 sts.
Yarn: Lana Grossa superwash.
Needle Size: Size 2, 5 DPNs
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, slip stitches, decrease, picking up stitches.
Pattern Modifications: I added my own ribbing pattern to the basic Universal Sock Pattern.
Time to knit: My first post about these socks was March 15... so I'm going to say they took about a month. That is BY FAR the fastest I've ever knit a pair of socks.
Final impressions: Fun & quick-to-knit socks. I got this yarn from my Secret Pal. The socks are for my sister, and she really liked the first sock I did, so hopefully she will get a lot of wear out of them. Probably not until fall, though - it looks like warm weather has moved in to stay.
Posted by zarah at 6:53 AM | Comments (7)
April 6, 2006
Bamboozled!
As promised, here is a close-up of my progress on the bamboo basket I'm knitting. It's orange and red, so it *kind of* counts for April's Project Spectrum.
Like I said yesterday, this stitch pattern looks cool, but it is a beast to knit. Especially since I'm trying not to break the little bamboo fibers in the yarn. It would probably be easier in yarn with a little more give, like wool or even a cotton blend.
I've ben really busy at work lately, so I haven't been knitting much. But when I do, I want a mindless knit, and this is not it..at least yet. I just do not have the "feel" of knitting this in my hands yet. So anway, I'll probably be casting on a pair of simple socks soon to feed the need for stockinette! (I got some Regia cotton/acrylic blend on elann for a pretty good price - you should check it out!)
Posted by zarah at 7:05 AM | Comments (6)
April 5, 2006
The Project Spectrum is blooming like crazy!
Is anyone else as impressed as I am at the rapid pace that orange and yellow are taking over blogland? I love that people are taking on the challenge of finding beauty in colors that they might otherwise overlook.
I harvested some lovely red and orange bamboo yarn from my garden last weekend (I wish!) and I have already cast on for one of my Project Spectrum-themed projects this April, Bamboozelle. It's knitted basket, made using a basket-weave stitch pattern. I love how it is knitting up, but I have to warn you - do NOT make this project if you don't like to wrestle with your knitting. I feel like I'm really getting a workout - lots of knitting through the back of the second stitch of other craziness. I'll post a progress pic tomorrow.
Thanks for all the suggestions for what to make with my new Cotton Fleece I got from Julie, my not-secret-anymore Secret Pal. Unfortunately I come up with new projects for myself much quicker than I actually finish the ones I have. I start to get confused and make lots of mistakes when I have more than three projects going, so the Cotton Fleece tank top will have to wait.
The good news is I have almost finished the second sock for my sister! (It's a March & April Project Spectrum project - red & yellow!) So that means I get to start a new project soon.
Posted by zarah at 7:24 AM | Comments (4)
April 4, 2006
SP7... revealed!
Here's the final package from my wonderful Secret Pal! I got three skeins of Cotton Fleece, a couple skeins of Cascade Fixation (plus pattern), plus some dark chocolate Kisses and Easter candy. I would like to take her suggestion and make a summer tank out of the Cotton Fleece. Any pattern recommendations?
My Secret Pal is JULIE from jujuknits.com. Go over and say hello!
The basket is posed next to my new flower arrangement that will be the background for many of my knitting photo shoots. I'm so excited that the weather is starting to get nice. I think I'm going to have a veggis garden this year, too.
Posted by zarah at 6:41 AM | Comments (4)
April 3, 2006
Super-naranja!
Ah, April is finally here and it is sock-yarn dyein' time! My friend Meredith (pictured here - tragically blogless!) and I got together last Sunday afternoon to dye some yarn for our Project Spectrum sock yarn swap pals. We used a combination of Easter Egg dye (yellow) and Drink-Aid (orange). It is now dried and still smelling quite fruity! Now we just have to hunt down a ball-winder (our LYS has its winder out of commission during the annual Spring clearance sale).
For more sock-dyeing fun, check out:
Maglia!
What's that? Did I mention a sale? I know you're wondering what I got. Cause you KNOW I can't pass up a yarn sale.
Truth be told, I was quite restrained this time around. All that stash-flashing really made me think.... she who dies with the most yarn wins? I only have only Rubbermaid container-full, but I should really work on some projects I already have ready before I buy MORE MORE MORE. (Unfortunately, I have champagne tastes when it comes to yarn.) I almost bought some 50% silk/50% wool that was 45% off, but to make a sleeveless shell it still would have cost $50... and I just can't justify that. So, what did I get? Just one book and some Regia self-striping sock yarn (one pair's worth).
I think there is a sweater in here that I can make for my husband. (The one on the front). Hopefully I won't screw it up this time. =)
Posted by zarah at 10:26 PM | Comments (2)