Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Again...

instead of real content, another quiz/test/meme:






Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury


Another piece of information that I probably never wanted/needed to know. Real content (on a ton of books I bought recently - eBay, I love you!) should follow on the weekend, the latest.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Meme Time: 7 Random Facts

I've been tagged by KC with the 7 Random Facts Meme... I think I saw an "8 Random Facts" meme somewhere... maybe the bloggosphere is getting meme'd out. Anyways, here are the rules:

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blog the 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you are tagging a note in their comments so they know they have been tagged and to read your blog. Have fun!

Okay, I will answer this meme but I won't tag anyone because I think everyone's been tagged with this one already. I'll try to keep it random because I think I did a weird-things-meme before. So, here are my 7 random facts:

  1. When I drink hot drinks, I like them really hot. I get pissed off when I'm served lukewarm coffee and I'm very likely to return it.
  2. I absolutely love dairy products: milk, cheese (couldn't live without it), yogurt (if it's with fruit, then only organic yogurt), just about anything.
  3. A book I read fairly recently influenced me quite a bit.
  4. I get a sunburn pretty easily because I have quite fair skin.
  5. Despite this, I want to live in Australia for a while.
  6. I wear glasses and wouldn't want to trade them for contact lenses.
  7. I started wearing my glasses all day long only when I moved to Melbourne for a year. I didn't want to look like a tourist when I was trying to find my way around the city.
I hope this was random, but not too random!

Should I be worried about me?



Funny, the first time I took this test (with less questions), I was Platoon... hmmm... what does this say about me?

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Knitting on TV

I just found this video on YouTube - it's in German only though. It's a report on a local public TV station on a knitting group in Cologne, saying that knitting was en vogue again. I'm just wondering who was convinced by this statement...

More news some time soon, I'm trying to stay focused on my thesis (not that that would happen much). I'd have lots to post about, but not the time. Oh well... some day!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Surprise, surprise

...the new Summer '07 Interweave Knits arrived yesterday! Wow, they're actually (almost) on time, I can't believe it. Seems like the nagging has finally paid off. I still have to take a closer look though. The patterns in the preview weren't so great, but who knows?

One thing that confused me a bit though were the two-color (or so) hats. They look really warm, and the models in the pictures wear warm jackets as well. So, why publish such a pattern in the summer issue?

Stolen List

You've probably seen this list somewhere before, as it's doing its round on the interweb... but my last post was kinda meh and I don't really find the time to write a real, knitting-related post, so I thought I'd post this instead. As close to knitting as I can get these days! (I've been seaming the second sleeve on the K_sweater lately, and that doesn't really count as knitting). But I've decided to add comments to the list, I think that's a tad more interesting to read than just the list.

Anyways, I stole this list from the knitty professor; bold is for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing and red underneath you'll find my two cents. Here we go!

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
I-cord rocks!
Garter stitch
oh come on, who hasn't done this?
Knitting with metal wire
sounds painful to me...
Shawl (wrap?)
where's the difference anyway?
Stockinette stitch
yeah, and next you'll ask me if I ever made a knit and a purl stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
just doing so
Knitting with camel yarn
I once smoked a Camel, does this count?
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Baby you can leave your hat on...
Knitting with silk
mmh... silk!
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
I guess I did a few of those unintentionally when I learned to knit
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
I prefer eating bananas
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
I already forgot what this is, but it sounds interesting!
Charity knitting
I have to put it in the mail... should do that soon.
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
yeah right... and then it didn't fit me. Gauge matters!
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
I don't spin. My head does sometimes, though
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
this is how we do it here
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
love it... the more complicated, the better!
Lace patterns
see above
Publishing a knitting book
come on, who doesn't want to do this?!
Scarf
that's how I started
Teaching a child to knit
depends on the kid, I guess
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
nah... not really. (sorry guys!) Continental is way faster
Knitting to make money
sort of - I knitted some hats and got some money for it, but it wasn't much
Button holes
the cardigan had buttons
Knitting with alpaca
this is heaven! If I could afford it, I would always knit with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
I have to be careful with my tension
Norwegian knitting
the first things I made after scarves and hats were Norwegian mittens
Dying with plant colors
dying in general, yes; doesn't HAVE to be plant colors though
Knitting items for a wedding
maybe for my own... but as this is still a long time from now, I'll have plenty of time
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
I'd like to make a tea cozy, but I don't have a tea pot (yet)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
reminds me that I should get some more circulars
Olympic knitting
yes, I was one of the - how many people took part?
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
like Christmas-themed knitting???
Teaching a male how to knit
K was the lucky one... but I don't know how much he remembers
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
I'm not THAT crazy!
Knitting with cotton
That's nice in summer!
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
I already have the yarn for this, hehe!
Steeks
that would be too much for my nerves!
Knitting art
isn't all knitting art?
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
the basics
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
me likey!
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Yeah! Gauge matters!
Long Tail CO
... also called German CO...
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backward
tink, tink, tink...
Machine knitting
I've been told that my knitted stuff looks like from a machine... but I'm not sure if this is a compliment
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
who hasn't?
Stuffed toys
Baby items
instant gratification - they're so tiny!
Knitting with cashmere
does a cashmere mix count?
Darning
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
isn't this the same as designing knitted garments?
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
definitely!
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
pulse warmers rock for cold hands!
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
I love knitty!
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
...almost always...
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
???
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Yep! Once or twice a week

Friday, May 11, 2007

I am Yarn


What kind of yarn are you?





You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
Take this quiz!








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Saturday, May 05, 2007

Film and Books

K and I are going to see this film tonight... should be interesting. There's a documentary film festival going on in Munich right now until Thursday, maybe we'll find the time to see a few more. Even though we have lived here for a couple of years now, we never went to see a film of that festival. It's not that we don't like documentaries; I don't even know why we never went so far.

Yesterday, I spent half the afternoon hunting down a couple of knitting books on the internet. One is a series of 3 books called "Bäuerliches Stricken" (= rural knitting), and it shows patterns and socks and vests and and and of rural Bavaria and Austria. It's been out of print for a while now, since it had been first published in the 1970s. I heard a lot of great things about these books and almost bought them while they were still in regular bookshops (as opposed to second hand bookshops), as they were (actually, they still are) among the best knitting books in German.
The other book I've been searching is called "Omas Strickgeheimnisse" (= Nana's knitting secrets), and it's also out of print. But I found a bookshop (in Munich!) that apparently can order this one from the publisher. I'm going there on monday, so keep your fingers crossed they told me the truth! And if you can get hold on one of those books, grab one! They're supposed to be really really good; and even though there's rumors every now and then (like last summer) that a new edition is coming out, so far there isnt.

Baudelaire is coming along quite well, I pretty much finished the foot part and am into the heel now. Sorry, no pic, I'm knitting it on dpn's and it's getting harder to try it on.
Baudelaire is also something I might consider making for my sock pal. As for colors, I'm still not decided, but I gave contacting her another thought. I guess that she didn't give me much specifications so that I had some freedom regarding color and pattern, so that's what I'm doing. As for the yarn I still have no idea, but I've only been to one yarn shop (inside a department store) so far. I'll definitely take a look at wool/bamboo and wool/cotton mixes; if I can find a nice color, then I'll go for a mix. If not, then I'll take a look at a 3- or 4-ply wool yarn. Thanks for all your comments, they really helped me! And just in case I'm not making Baudelaire, it's definitely going to be a lace pattern.

Do you still remember this sweater? In this color?


I finally came to sense again and decided it's not a color for me. I like it because it's bright, but I have a pale complexion (sometimes in school, my teachers would ask me if I was sick because I was so pale. But I wasn't sick.) and blonde hair. So, there you go, and now I have 9 balls (I'm pretty sure it's 9) of GGH Solitaire in color #34 sitting around. One ball has been touched as I made a gauge swatch, but the others are just like when the shop mailed them to me. If there's anyone out there wanting to give the yarn a new home and take them off my hands in exchange for a few $$, then email me at knitfreak@web.de.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Sockthinking

Finally, I have my sockapalooza pal's details... and now I'm as clever as I was before. Well, I have her size and everything, but no color preferences (nothing! nada!) and there's now way I can find that out on her blog. Grrr! The only thing I know is that the socks shouldn't be too warm as she lives somewhere warm. And now I'm thinking cotton yarn, even though I haven't knitted socks with cotton before. I only heard that it's not ideal as it wears out easily, and I don't want that to happen.

So, what to do? Knit woolen socks anyway, but in a lace pattern with lots of holes? Or try and find some microfibre-kinda yarn? What other materials are good for socks? I found some soy silk mix (with wool) yarn but didn't like the colors much...
Seems like I have some thinking to do.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

hush!

One Day Blog Silence