Mir Ist Kalt and Other Quandaries

Wow, I’ve been away for some time. Well, “away” is the wrong word. Preoccupied is more appropriate.

 

I’ve had my plate pretty full during these past few months. Between making the Hobbes dolls, knitting for myself, crocheting for charity, sustaining my relationships with my guys, and learning German, I’ve barely had time to eat, let alone do anything else.

 

The Hobbes dolls are slowly being made. As I get a visit from one of the recipients, I complete one. It isn’t due to boredom that these are getting done so slowly but more due to preoccupation with the other subjects. I also may need more orange yarn. I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew but I’m still, stubbornly, trying to make it all work out for the best.

 

Mir Ist Kalt is my new blue sweater, though I am not directly knitting on it right now. This is due to the lack of a long enough circular knitting needle with which I may try the sweater on as I knit. The pattern I’m using is by Tin Can Knits and its called Flax. I’m hoping to get my new 60 inch needles by the thirteenth and get back to knitting on that same day. I am presently still knitting the yoke stitches.

 

 

Between Duolingo, books from the Library, my translation dictionary, and (to a lesser extent) Memrise, I’ve been really drilling the German language into my head. Thankfully, unlike past adventures with languages, this time, it has been sticking. I have only missed three days out of seventy-seven. I consider that a pretty good record. I just hope I can keep up the pace and continue to learn. I want to take classes at some point but I am struggling to find the money. I am hoping that one of those legendary Medical/Clinical/Research studies that pay a lot of money will present itself to me so I can test my abilities and, hopefully, grow in my learning capacity.

 

Charity wise, I am so far behind. While I am on hiatus for the sweater, I am crocheting this scarf. When I am crocheting the Hobbes dolls, to give myself a break, I plan on crocheting these scarves. When I am in the street, running various errands, I am meant to crochet still more scarves. In a few weeks, I hope to have at least twenty of them to turn in to the charity contact person, if not more. My deadline for this particular project is the end of October. At present, I have one completed and this pink one on the hook. Sisyphus is pushing that boulder uphill in my mind. Nevertheless, I am determined to do this.

 

Not only will I be giving to charity, but I’ll also be clearing my yarn of acrylics, thus enabling me to fulfill my promise of using only natural fibers in my knitting and crocheting. It’s also one hell of a destash if I can get it done like I want to.

 

NaNoWriMo is getting closer and I am still no closer to an idea for this year’s story. I am thinking of delving into my own life either past or present, but I’m wary of digging up emotional landmines I’d rather not deal with. So, I think, if nothing comes to me, I will be delving, just for the sake of change and challenge. Heck, it would be cheaper than therapy.

 

Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.

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I’ve Finally Found It…

My second language has finally been discovered. True, it took trepanning and a good deal of mental excavation to find it.

 

That language is…German. In truth, I should have known better. I did try to teach myself this language when I was ten. I have been practicing daily, about three hours per day, for thirty-seven days now. If you’d like, you can follow my progress on Duolingo. I’m now at the point where I can just barely make out what people are saying or what is written down. I definitely need to practice more if I’m going to be fluent but it is a good start.

 

I just need to find some Germans. Yoo hoo. Germans? Are you out there?

 

For that task, I’ve done the unbelievable. I’ve opened a new OKCupid account. This time around, my task isn’t really dating. It is finding a language pal/study buddy, so hopefully, I won’t have any trouble with anyone at all. Wishful thinking, I know. It is the seat of comedy but I’ve gotten rather a lot of matches to Dutch people. I don’t mind. It is a bit mentally rich carrying three languages around in my head at once in the name of politeness but you do what you do.

 

The friends I’ve made have gotten a hilarious chuckle out of this one. I’ve been learning a lot of German from the lyrics of Rammstein. Someone…might listen to them for more time in the day than they study on Duolingo.  

 

Those same friends suggested I expand my musical tastes, so they gave me a small listing of artists that they liked. I then combined their favorites with the Get Germanized listing of popular German music artists (YouTube Link) for later exploration. Some [who I won’t name] I really didn’t like, but others sound very good.

 

One group I’m going to be giving my ears next is Die Ärzte. They came up on multiple lists as highly recommended. Anyone out there have any other recommendations? Please, leave them in the comments.

 

Aside from the above, it has been a summer of Plantar Fasciitis in both feet, crochet, strange propositions, lather, rinse, Repeat.

 

Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.

Summer WIP Frogging

Apparently, I’m driven to eliminate languishing WIPs and destash my hoard of yarn. Why, I don’t know but it appears to be happening and I’m being quite cut throat, where before I was quite sentimental about my Works In Progress.

 

My listing:

 

Blodeuwedd The Hat for me
Little Boy Blue Blanket (Loading…45%)
Cosmos Doily Madness: Doily Three (Loading…95%)
Child-bearer’s Cardigan (Frogged)
Boba Fett Amigurumi Doll
Rose Doily #804
Bigger on the Inside Shawl
Gloves for myself
Villimarjatar Shawl (Frogged)
Large Pineapple Doily (Loading…50%)
Monster Slippers for Valerie
Volunteer Scarves
Volunteer Baby Hats (Loading…5%)
Cardigan of the Progenitor (Loading…16%)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Hobbes – Yay! (Loading…53%)

 

If you’re wondering why I’m making five Hobbes dolls, it is due to the fact of a promissory backlog. I promised four people Hobbes dolls as gifts and figured there was no time like the present when, on hearing that the Pharmacy Delivery Driver’s birthday was upcoming, the Maternal Parental begged me to make him a Hobbes doll in appreciation. She actually pleaded with me to put aside the work I was doing on her cardigan and get working on the Hobbes doll as soon as possible.

 

So, knowing that I had this backlog growing, I figured I’d eliminate them all at once. I’m currently 53% completed with this task. At this point, I can do this pattern in my sleep, which is good because I have been falling asleep at the desk while working.

 

Onto Villimarjatar. I initially tried to make this shawl in a sock yarn. Until I saw an episode of Fruity Knitting where Romi Hill was interviewed, I was fully prepared to knit eight hundred yards into my shawl using said yarn despite being unhappy with the look of my progress. Let’s hope that the new yarn I’ll be using works more effectively.

 

The reclaimed sock yarn will be going into two projects. One cake will go into the Syncopation socks. The other cake will join my first attempt at Doublefun socks. I’ve been looking forward to making the Doublefun pattern for some time now. Some of the remainder may go into my take on the Find Your Fade shawl. We’ll see.

 

Into the destashing, one of my relatives has decided to rekindle her knitting skills and was fully prepared to go up to Joann’s to buy supplies with which to do so. I just couldn’t allow that seeing as I’ve got all this yarn and all these needles that hardly get use. So, I made her up a box that will, hopefully, make her happy.

 

What made me happy was, on seeing the depth and breadth of the box, the Maternal Parental decided that she wanted a batch of yarn as well. I really hope she means it this time. If they both keep at it, I’ll give them the more expensive yarns once I’ve fully divested of the less costly product. More people need to be knitting, crocheting, and weaving. That’s my philosophy.

 

My other philosophy is that, shock and awe, I’m moving away from acrylic. The more I work with wool and other natural fibers, the more I want to. Also, there is the environment to consider. Wool and natural fibers are…natural and biodegradable. As much as I like being the Empress of Economy, acrylic costs the environment in the long run even if it saves me money in the short term. So, in future, if I do buy acrylic yarn, it’ll most likely be a colorful wig project someone commissioned me for. Which is to say…not very likely.

 

About the only other thing on my RADAR is a story idea creeping on the periphery of my conscious thoughts. I dream it just fine but when I wake, the dream is gone from my mind like someone erased it. I’m determined to bang something out on this keyboard over the next few days. So, one way or another, something is getting into my OO.o Writer.

 

Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.

Swatching Is Essential

I neglected to swatch for the pair of socks I was making for the Maternal Parental. The bad news is that they were about two sizes too small. The good news is that not only didn’t she mind but she encouraged me to work on the Cardigan I’d started for her at around the same time I began wrestling with those socks. I’ve made about an inch of progress already on the back panel of the garment.

So…here is my updated list. Wah wah.

Blodeuwedd The Hat for me
Little Boy Blue Blanket (Loading…45%)
Cosmos Doily Madness: Doily Three (Loading…95%)
Child-bearer’s Cardigan (Hibernating at 90%)
Boba Fett Amigurumi Doll
Rose Doily #804
Bigger on the Inside Shawl
Gloves for myself
Villimarjatar Shawl (Loading…5%)
Large Pineapple Doily (Loading…50%)
Monster Slippers for Valerie
Hobbes Doll for April
Hobbes Doll for Darren
Volunteer Scarves
Volunteer Baby Hats (Loading…5%)
Cardigan of the Progenitor (Loading…16%)
Mommy Sox Junior (Frogged)

 

With the recent relocation of the main other person I was doing a rush project on, thus canceling/hibernating said project, I am left with a lot of free time. So, I am going to dedicate it to finishing this cardigan. This would be my first major non-winter accoutrement (hats/scarves/gloves) garment I will have made. My hopes for this are grand. Hopefully, it will last the Maternal Parental many years to come.

 

Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.

But Wait… There’s More

So, I’m already determined to do the Craft Yarn Council correspondence courses. However, the more I read into it (and believe me, I have been reading into it!), the more beneficial it appears to be for me to join The Crochet Guild of America and The Knitting Guild Association because…Networking opportunities and Discounts on all the courses.

 

They also have Master level courses in their respective craft’s proficiency. I would do well to take these courses too. While I get a lot of crafting in, and could certainly practice on my own, having a structured learning environment and someone to ask questions of would be very helpful for my academic growth and professional development. These courses offer both, as well as the Networking opportunities that someone just starting out would definitely need.

 

There’s also the social aspect. I’d finally have a group of people to hang around who share similar interests in Fiber Arts. That is to say outside of the realm of the Internet. I am determined to get this done, one step at a time, and successfully complete these goals. Then, and only then, I will take the Craft Yarn Council’s correspondence courses.

 

Again, this comes back to the big question: Cashy money. Barring supplies for the tests (assuming they don’t provide supplies), I’m just going to have to cut corners somewhere (mirthless chuckle) in order to provide the application fees for these courses.

 

My best bet is to start putting myself out there for neighborhood chores or something. I also have the ability to make afghans and blankets now. Those usually fetch a good price. I’ll just come up with my own take on a simple design like a Granny Square blanket or something.

 

You know, it is times like these that I wish I knew how to effectively knit fine lace? That never goes out of style. One shawl could go a long way towards paying for all of these classes.

 

I am determined to get these goals achieved. So, they will be achieved. Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.

Unfinished Projects List – 1 June 2017

Blodeuwedd The Hat for me
Little Boy Blue Blanket (Loading…45%)
Cosmos Doily Madness: Doily Three (Loading…95%)
Child-bearer’s Cardigan (Hibernating at 90%)
Boba Fett Amigurumi Doll
Rose Doily #804
In Love With Color Throw (Completed)
Bigger on the Inside Shawl
Gloves for myself
Villimarjatar Shawl (Loading…5%)
Large Pineapple Doily (Loading…50%)
Monster Slippers for Valerie
Hobbes Doll for April
Hobbes Doll for Darren
Volunteer Scarves
Volunteer Baby Hats (Loading…5%)
H2O Vessel Holder (Completed)
Cardigan of the Progenitor (Loading…15%)
Mommy Sox Junior (Loading…90%)

The Colors of the Best Laid Plans…

First, let me get this out of the way. I’ve finally completed the In Love With Color Throw designed by Jessie Rayot. This pattern took me a total time of six months to make. I got most of it done from 25 November 2016 through 31 December 2016. That was me crocheting the motifs. I then put this WIP down and didn’t pick it up again before May, when the bug finally bit me to get it completed.

 

At first, I was going to whipstitch it together but my more exhausted nature got the better of me and I single crocheted it all together instead. From there came the epic long crocheting of the border rounds. I love this pattern so much! I was up for three and a half days just non-stop crocheting. I was anxious to get it done. I watched documentary after documentary and podcast after podcast on YouTube to get me through. Finally, on the 13th of May, it was completed. Yay.

 

I can’t wait to do the next one.

 

Not much else is happening in the Realm of KaliTime. As I said earlier, I have been getting into YouTube more. I may even make a video. Who knows?

 

I’m back to volunteering. Though I will not say where. Technically, I am volunteering at four places. I am waiting for the call from one of the places. Two of the places are pretty much Homebound stuff that I, as a (struggling to not be an) agoraphobic can do with ease. It is mostly knitting and crocheting. The other two places are Brick and Mortar, so to speak, and I’m actually excited about participating with them.

 

Something did come up recently that made me give a second thought to an old idea I’d brushed aside as irrational years ago. I was watching a podcast interview where the interviewee mentioned the teaching certification classes offered by the Craft Yarn Council. I had considered doing this years ago but, due to my notoriously low self-esteem, I immediately pushed the idea away and went for everything else despite everything else not being as suitable. My self-esteem is better now. I’m not doing the Can-Can on a high-wire but I’m not in the dumps either.

 

So, I’m going to save up and do the correspondence courses.

 

I look at it like this:

• It will be skills under my belt.
• It will be bankable money.
• I can work my own hours.
• I can choose my own clientele.
• I can get a job at a yarn store.
• It’ll be enriching mentally.
• It’ll be a challenge intellectually.
• It’ll be psychologically boosting.
• It’ll expand my skills.

 

Now, I just have to find a way to pull this money together.

 

I think that might be enough writing for me tonight. As I mentioned previously, not much has been happening in my life. I’ll come back when something more has happened to warrant writing. Until the next time, have a safe and fantastic journey around the Sun. Take care, my friends.