The lack of blogging ability

And yet again the fiberelf proves her lack of skill in remembering to blog. Lots of knitting projects and major life events (okay maybe not major but events nonetheless) have come and gone and yet the blog still remains ignorant and uninformed to the progress of life. So here is the best recap I can muster in the afterglow of the end of school:

I have ripped back the textured tunic for the second time, however this time it will stay that way. The first knitting rendered the garment too small and the second one, for which I could not bring myself to knit the last sleeve, appeared to be too big. Although even if it would have blocked bigger I was done. I no longer loved the sweater and harbored no more than feelings of contempt towards it. I knew that even if I had finished I would never have worn it and the bad karma now associated with it probably would have brought me nothing but heartbreak in the off chance I had decided to wear the demon tweed sweater. I came to grips with eh fact that this sweater had a different knitting destiny when I could not bring myself to finish it and found myself daydreaming about knitting a matching beret with the leftovers but in said fantasy the sweater the hat would match never appeared.
Therefore the tunic has been frogged back within an inch of its life waiting for its new project destiny to appear. Perhaps it will become a sweater, the February Lady perhaps, or maybe something completely different. For now the future of the gorgeous tweed yarn is up in the air and I love the view.

Spiderweb of issues

Last summer in an attempt for a quick, easy and feminine project i cast on The Spiderweb Capelet from Stitch ‘n’ bitch Nation. It was everything i was looking for in a project and the yarn i chose was divine and a heavenly experience to knit with. The yardage of the project dictated that i use two balls of my chosen yarn, that yarn being Blue Sky Alpaca’s Suri Alpaca in a gorgeous cherry color. However something appeared wrong. It was coming out much bigger than it appeared in the picture and was taking twice the amount of yarn as it was supposed to.
Seeing as i was knitting with alpaca in the middle of July i payed little attention to this. I figured i was overheated.
After a while and lack of funds to continue buying more of the required yarn i but it away for a while. Yesterday i found the beauty in the back of my closet where i had angrily shoved it all those months ago.
I knitted happily on it for about an hour when i became fed up with it taking 2 hours to knit one row(yes that is how massive this thing was). I searched the project on Ravelry trying to see if others were having similar problems. It turns out that there was errata in the stitch pattern that was making my capelet HUGE!
After reading that i immediately began ripping out the project. but not before taking pictures of the monstrosity.

before the frogging

that thing is bigger than my WINGSPAN! granted my wingspan isn’t that big to begin with but still.

So after hitting the frog pond i recast on the project and withing a matter of hours with my new instructions i got the pretty capelet shown above. sadly i am still figuring out how to insert pics so they are all next to each other.
I am very pleased with the end result and it truly is a quick and easy project! Plus i have tons of the yarn left to make matching lace gauntlets!
Next up….CUPCAKES!

The Elf Wishes She Could Enjoy the Weather

Presently the Elf has notices a very peculiar phenomenon that comes and goes rather quickly in New England. In a region where winter seems to last forever, fall is more of a preparation time for winter rather than a mild relief from summer, and summer beats down on us with ferocity, Spring is like a breathe of fresh air. Finally a time to bring our knitting outside and enjoy the birds chirping with content.

However, the elf does not have time to enjoy these pleasantries. Why you may ask? Because the Fiber elf is costuming a play. She has temporarily put down her wool and circular needles to take up a sewing machine and miles and miles of thread. At first the Elf was as thrilled as could be. She loves sewing and play productions and after the last play she acted in costuming would be a pleasant change. All was well for several weeks…until he costuming began to consume her life more than knitting ever has. (And that’s saying something) Instead of her dreams being filled with sheepy goodness they are now filled with nightmares or seams ripping on stage and of boys, who in their inability to hang anything up, lost all if their pant and they have to go on in nothing but a short kimono. And the worst horror of all, not having time to knit of visit her favorite place of all time…THE YARN SHOP!

For a brief while the work subsided and she worried less. The guys looked great and their kimono’s and everything seemed to be running smoothly and right on schedule. Now that the performance competition was approaching all that was left was for the fiber elf was to sit back and watch the show. Obviously there were a few roadblocks that will be discussed in a later post because she is still in denial that the events in question ever happened.But now…we won the first phase of the competition and as we left the theatre, walking away with many awards, including one for costumes, the director tells The Elf that all of the costumes need some sort of adjustment!!! Ones that are completely unnecessary but she has to do anyway.

Excuse me the Fiber Elf needs some wool therapy.

War of the Roses

Currently I am unbelievably fascinated by the York and Lancaster Socks by Lisa Grossman. They are an interpretation on the War of the Roses and inspired by the play Richard the third. As it so happens I am currently costuming a production of Richard The Third. I am fantasizing about these gorgeous socks and how I desperately want to make a pair for myself. But alas the pattern won’t be released to the general public until July.

So as I await the release I have decided to design my own interpretation of the War of the Roses. Not sure what kind of a garment it will be or if it will even come to fruition , but I am sure that it will be in red and white.

So as soon as my knitting for others has been completed aka my own personal hell [don't get me wrong I like giving people my knitted creations, but I hate when they are expecting them and you're put in a self imposed time crunch. I wanna design damn it!] I will start sketching my “masterpiece”.

Also lately I have been fascinated (also due to the play i am costuming) by kabuki style.  So I will be knitting Tabi Socks and designing a kimono style sweater (yes, i know that the fact that i will actually get around to designing a kimono style sweater is laughable. just go with me an my delusions for a while). Tabi socks are the really cool Japanese socks that are split to separate the big toe and the rest of the foot (example pictured here) I haven’t decided whether I will not those specific socks I linked to or a different pattern. However i think it is safe to say i will probably knit multiple in the tabi style because of my sock obsession.

Speaking of socks. I am going to go knit some. Yes I know that I should be finishing the stuff I promised others. Don’t look at me like that, it’s just to take the edge off I swear!

Behold the elf that no longer gives a damn.

Life has been crazy. I am currently buried in the biggest knitting deadline of all, Christmas. Have masses to knit with 2 weeks to go. Have college level finals to take that I feel seriously under prepared for, and I have play practices to attend and make costumes for. Sleeping is in there somewhere. This is the second play I have undertaken in 3 months having just finished the run of the last play last week. I am exhausted and no longer give a damn about whether i pass my damn finals.However i realize that this feeling is temporary and if i do actually fail i will spent my Christmas break in a ball rocking back and forth on the floor sobbing. i seriously do not want to have to take these classes again. All   to do is KNIT!! The problem is i want to knit for myself! and i don’t have time to knit for myself until January! I haven’t even Christmas shopped yet what with the no time to sleep thing. IO am still in denial that it is December. The last play threw off my internal Holiday Clock and distracted me so much that my body still thinks it’s November and I have plenty of time to get all this crap done.  I am at the end of my proverbial rope and am in serious need of a damn vacation. Luckily vacation starts in a day and a half and then I can knit for others to my hearts content. Hopefully I will finish but I seriously doubt it.

As of now I am just going to worry about passing my exams because if I don’t I will have to take the classes over and behold the wrath of the fiberelf mom. Not a pleasant idea. I am getting nauseous just thinking about it! Everyone cross your fingers and pray to the knitting gods and goddesses for me. I am gonna need all the help I can get.

P.S. the next post might actually be about what I am knitting!

the grellow

AHHH! the grellow shawl aka the honeycomb shawl is driving me MAD! I am test knitting is for Ann Weaver. You can get your own copy via ravelry. But my goal was to knit it in s timely manner, but it’s a charted pattern and the key to my fast knitting success stuff that I bring with me and knit on the fly. i can’t do that with a chart. It’s a great easy to read chart of simple lace so   hard, just time consuming. So I started this test knit in late June to check for errors [and there aren't any] and now it’s late October and I still haven’t finished it!! I am soooo used to knitting things that don’t take me more than a month MAX and those are HUGE projects! Grrr! i am almost done. So close that I can taste it! 2 more repeats!

In other news, the birthday went well. Feeling old and all “responsible” which is bumming me out. have combated by playing a lot of Disney music and dancing a round foolishly, but who are we kidding? I do that anyways.

Also saw the AMAZING Yarn Harlot in Cambridge last week. She is a Yarn GODDESS!

Time for me to go knit socks…I mean the shawl. Crap, I think we have found the problem.

Back

Months have gone by since my last post. Lots has changed. Writer girls blog isn’t really happening. I have decided now that I have time that i will reallllly try to blog! I have finished the textured tunic from fitted knits. pictures to come. Christmas knitting is underway. The only way I have found to aviod the IT of Christmas knitting is to start in October. Obviously cutting back on the amount of presents I give that are hand made never occurred to me! Knitting a sweater vest for my dad from men in knits, cashmere neck warmer for Mom and beret’s for my friends. School is going well and I am in a new play that is also going unbelievably! Must remember to take pictures of my knits to post but my camera is really sucky cause I dropped it so much. The pictures that I do have look like I’m in a dark alley. The quality is terrible! Got to go. Off to school in my new CAR!!

 

love the fiber elf

The Elf

The Elf can not sleep. Sleep is impossible.It’s 2 am am I am spazing. So ya thinking coherently is not gonna happen so you know what that means!!!!

RAMBLINGS!!!!

Finished a dress. Sewn not knit. Very pretty. OH and knee high socks. i am going through a knee high sock phase in a season when it is too hot for sockd. Go figure?

 

The elf needs fiber. Wool cashmere cotton angora I NEEEEEDDDD. okay i am of to read in the middle of the night while hopingnot to wake the rest of the house in the process.

Dare to dream

This Blogging Thing

So apparently i am completely useless at this blogging thing. and when i do blog its about how i can’t blog. trying towork on it. this is an incredibly boring post.

Ultra Femme

Yet again noticing how bad a speller I am.

I FINALLY finished the Ultra Femme sweater from Stitch n’ Bitch Nation.

It took longer than I expected becaue I order the wrong amout of yarn. So I had to reorder and wait till it got here. I will post a pic here soon.