Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah , Happy Kwanza and Merry Winter Solstice!

This has been the craziest semester that I've ever had. I was finally admitted into the education department at Local University, however because I'm a transfer I was forced to redo my educational hours of observation. This was on top of a month of lacrosse, 17 credits and forced voluntarism. I was sick three different times, which I hope I'm now getting over because as if that wasn't enough my winter break is week shorter than usual because the university is giving us two, separate (not consecutive) breaks this upcoming semester.

So, no trip to see Dad in Florida which I'm upset about, but I got a hat finished tonight and! my Smittens nearly a month ago! I also purchased a new camera because I grew tired of my old camera. The batteries also crapped out during the Rhinebeck trip so I have limited pictures which bums me out. I was also in NYC for Halloween, with the boyfriend and another friend dressed as the Incredible's. We had awesome costumes!

Anyway this is a simple update because its apparently 1am on Christmas morning, but I'm taking some time off from work to knit, relax and de-stress so I have every intention of making more posts.

-jersey

Getting Ready

I'm getting ready for my trip to Rhinebeck, NY. Which, if you don't already know is where the New York Sheep and Wool Festival is held! I'm so excited. We are planning to get there around 10 am, which is when the festival opens. I have two projects that I'm buying for. One of the girls that I play lacrosse with at Local University asked me to knit her an ear flap hat. I have previously used the pattern "Red Baron Flys Again" with great results. She wants it in a rainbow color scheme so my hope is to purchase some yarn for her hat. Now that I think about it I may actually buy some yarn to make myself a new hat.

Thats about it. I've been working on Smittens with no real progress. Hopefully I'll have them done soon. It's starting to get cold here. Tonight we finally got our first frost advisory!

This is it, I'll have Rhinebeck pictures up soon!

I'm frustrated.

Pictures of the Smittens are up on Ravelry, but I'm not going to bother posting them on here because I don't really know how to do it correctly.

I'm frustrated. I feel like I make the same mistakes over and over in my knitting. I feel like I'm not progressing. I feel like my thumbs are all over the place in these stupid Smittens and its not their fault, its a good pattern, but I dont know, I don't know how to be a better knitter.

I want to be a teacher. In fact I wouldn't mind teaching knitting eventually. But I need to be soooo much better. I'm not satisfied with my skills.

Thoughts?

-jerseyyy

ps: local university's lacrosse team is going to be going to two tournaments in the tri-state area AND! hosting our own!

Hihihi

The only reason my head isn't lost is because its attached to my shoulders. I've been so out of it with the start of the semester (three weeks strong ::gag::), a car accident, redoing my room and a semi-vacation I'm surprised I have knitting in hand. In fact! I finished a basketweave scarf (awesome!) and I am in the process of knitting what I call, Smittens. Smittens are actually the Urban Necessity Gloves by Colleen Michele Meagher and the pattern is great, easy and I'm about halfway done with my first pair and I'm sure not to be the last pair.

I decided to knit both of the glove parts first and knit the mitten caps second. I'll have pictures up I promise, the semester kind of took me by storm, and the car accident, well.. that just took me by surprise. (I was rear ended leaving my job, I serve aka waitress but not at a diner, I KNOW! you would think I would, living in New Jersey and all...)

thanks friends for reading, if you still read :)

-j-unit.

PS: I MAY HAVE TALKED THE BF INTO GOING TO RHINEBECK. (just for Sunday, I have a lacrosse tournament Saturday)

All Summer Long

All summer long I've been knitting, reading, thinking about knitting and in the process of redoing my room(new paint, new bed, new shevling, more conducive all around to studying). I have a cute scarf I'm working on, I'll post pictures. I also took a class this past Wednesday where I am learning how to knit socks from *the toe up, on *two circular needles, *two at a time. The astricks are simply pointing out the things that I don't know how to do. We were taught how to use a provisional cast on which I finally got the hang of, and I can't get over what a beautiful, absolutely BEAUTIFUL, seamless, wonderful! cast on it is. We're making a baby sock, and the second/final class is on Monday so I PROMISE to post pictures because I've been a horrible knit-blogger this summer.

I also found the pattern while cleaning my room, of the Boyfriend Scarf, so I'm posting that on Ravelry right after I post this. I have also gotten into loose leaf tea with my Bodum tea press tea pot. I love, love, love, love my tea pot. The Boyfriend bought me a 1-liter tea pot, which after I used it three times, my mom broke it. So she paid for me to get another, and this time I ordered the .5-liter tea pot and let me tell you- I haven't looked back. I love the size, it makes two perfect cups (I have large mugs that I drink out of) and I PROMISE to post pictures of my wee tea pot. Its beautiful, I love it.

I've been working at a local chain restaurant that opened up and I've been so busy. Between trying to get a loan for school and working and paying off my credit card debit(which I successfully did in 4 weeks) and last night I actually got rear-ended so now I've got to call insurance companies and I'm heading to the doctor's office in a few because my neck & toosh are hurting. It's been a wild, wild, awesome and crazy summer and sadly, I start school August 25th but I will post pictures, and I may even have a new pair of socks by the end of the month.

I hope!

-jersey

Summer time, and the living's easyy

This is a pictureless post, not because I haven't been knitting but because what I've been knitting is in the process of being frogged. I started socks a while ago and decided that I wanted to make this wintery socks, and use a basic sock pattern but have a long leg, one that is depicted in the books and that may start half way up my calf perhaps. So I knit diligently on my sock only to realize that I had made some seriously stupid mistakes.

It was ripped, and started over. No big deal. Well now my stupid sock has one, very large and very obstrusive ladder near where the row begins/ends. I don't know what I did or how to fix it, and I am again, not that far into the sock, so it will again be frogged. I have to get over to the knitter's review forum and look up some info about why I'm getting ladders - I should say: LADDER. Just one. And its annoying.

I have also been plagued by a weird anxiousness about my knitting abilities. I'd like to knit things that are really nice, you know? That don't scream homemade, or if they do, at least look really nice and classy. I currently don't feel like that. I suppose I have poor knitting self esteem?

In the meantime I started what I am going to call a Girlfriend Scarf, which is the equivolent of the Boyfriend Scarf I made for Boyfriend. I couldn't find my notes for Boyfriend scarf so I improvised slightly by googling [ definition ] some stitches and came out with the mistake rib, so I'm using that to knit some type of equivolent for the Girlfriend Scarf. Although the Boyfriend Scarf was much more complicated than the Girlfriend Scarf currently is, and I had such a difficult time remembering the stupid two rows that made up the entire stitch.

Anyway! That's about it, I'm taking two summer classes - which makes me very happy and I'm still waiting to hear from all of my professors for my grades, but of five classes (three of which are science-lab classes) I've got some seriously great grades and I'm just waiting to hear from chemistry. Six credits are NOTHING compared to 18.

Ok gotta run, I've got lots to do and hopefully I'll have some pictures of SOMETHING up.
-jerseyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Finals Week

Finals week is the best and the worst. It's the best because I can relax after this and knit all summer and its the worst because the entire semester can be riding on this week depending on the class.

I have to take a summer class (or two) and it requires me to take out loans. Any suggestions?

Thanks. I'll be back to knitblogging [only!] soon. May 13th is my freeeeeedom day! (yes even though i have to take summer classes... they aren't as bad when you study on the beach)

-jersey

Super Duper Quickie

I think I may have made it so my blogs are viewable on Ravelry but I'm not sure. Also, and this is why I'm actually blogging, two of projects that I created, start to finish all by myself have become "favorites" of other people. They have little hearts next to the picture and that makes me super duper warm and fuzzy inside.

I tried to explain it to the boyfriend, how I basically created these patterns into existing and other people LIKE THEM! He didn't get it, but I'm sure you will, Knit-Community. Things like this, where I make my own pattern out of thin air, but more importantly that other people like these random acts of my mind may be the most satisfying part of knitting. I know I like some crazy, silly things, but to know that my recipiants like what I've knit, and even OTHER PEOPLE who don't have to see me on a daily or semidaily basis and who don't care about my mental well being... (haha)

Okay I think I've killed this particular topic. But thank you, that really made my day:)

I wish school didn't rule my life

But it does, and this semester, so does lacrosse. I finished my first pair of socks over spring break which was two weeks ago, and sadly I have not had the time to post. This is all I'll share for now, because while I was sick I knit a hat for my grandma, but I'll put that picture up later.

These are socks that I FINALLY finished, using yarn that Shelia sent me. Its opal and its great. (I'm not sure how these pictures are going to load, bare with me)

Ok, so preview the pictures look great - awesome. I also included two pictures of my boyfriend modeling the scarf I finished over Christmas break for him, it was a very belated Christmas present (he didn't actually recieve it until Jan 17th) but I showed him the work in progress. He claims to really like it alot, and wore it several times around me, and not around me saying that he got a handful of comments.

I also told him that if we broke up for any reason, I get the scarf no matter what the circumstances, just in case he decided things were getting too serious, too fast. Although he did ASK for the scarf. Can't be too careful.

And! I also just added pictures of a hat I designed myself! and knit during the week I was [very] sick. I made it for my grandma and I did the decreases on three "sides" which gives it a Hershey's Kiss look. I like it. Granny likes it too. I used Lion Brand something or other, I don't know where the label is at, but I casted on three times and tried to knit something up that would block the wind (so I knit several sizes down from what the yarn called for) and randomly guessed the amount of cast on stitches. She also asked for the brim to be ribbed so that if her ears got cold she could pull the hat down over her ears. Hence, the design. Maybe not something I'd like for myself, but she's happy with the product and that's all I can ask for.

*I HOPE these pictures look as good in the preview as they do when I post. You can also visit my flickr page too, I didn't post ALL of the pictures there, just some in case I royally screwed up the picture posting here. Just search for Jerseyknits on Flickr as well as Ravelry.

thanks!
jerseyknits

Not a Good Update

There is something about the way the school semester starts and sucks the life force out of you. I haven't even thought about knitting, let alone actually knit a stitch. I'm currently working on a hat for my grandma. It's taken me three times to get the right about of stitches for her head. I think the third time should be good. I'm knitting a few needles down so that it'll be nice and wind-resistant. It's a thicker yarn, I think something acrylic and fluffy.

Sadly, I have been sick, and so the knitting will come out in between breaks from homework.

This isn't a real update, I'm sorry but both lacrosse and school seem to get at me with a vengeance.

Hope all is well!

Anniversary

I know I was supposed to have posted this on the actual anniversary of my blog which was Friday, the 18th. But true to form that is my life, I am late and I apologize. My first day of classes and practice started today and I suppose I just got prematurely excited about it. So far, so good. The following is what I had written to be posted on the 15th, so please excuse the delay.


Today is the one year anniversary of my foray into knit blogging. What a year! I knit, I cried, and I ripped back quite a few things. I learned how to use DPN's, made mittens and socks (things I really wanted to do) and never finished a sweater. I knit for a boyfriend and for myself.

I figured out what blog rings are, and joined a few. I also figured out how to post pictures and make them look decent. I found neat knitting videos and traveled to NYC to see the Yarn Harlot speak and sign books. I won yarn from another knit blog, and even got presents from people I never met! (Thank you Sheila!)

I knit an ear flap hat, bought yarn from various locations throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. I dyed yarn and rekindled love with old knits. I found old knits that I plan to turn into new knits. The past year has been a wonderful learning experience, and I'm glad I shared it with you. Or attempted to.

I hope that later this year, I'll have the ability to have a give-away, but right now, I don't have the resources.

Thank you for sharing the past year with me while I knitblog!

Winter Break Knit-A-Thon

I have been a knitting machine. The break between semesters is such a genuine relief that I couldn't help but knit myself silly. I knit a scarf for my boyfriend for Christmas, but I didn't get it finished prior to exchanging, so I just showed him what I had finished. He said he liked it, and the yarn was soft but the real and true reaction was cemented when I gave it to him. I finished it on New Years Eve but due to being on vacation visiting my Dad in Florida, the boyfriend didn't get the scarf until Jan 10th, when I arrived home.

Meanwhile, I promised to show you a picture of my Class Sock which was knit from Sensational Knitted Socks.







While on vacation, I also knit my very own sock! Using the Opal that Sheila sent me(its so so so beautiful and a dream to work with) I knit anklet socks. Instead of knitting a long ribbed tube for tube-type socks, I worked about two inches of ribbing and then transitioned into the heel flap and other sock parts. There are obvious mistakes, but considering its my first, actually intended for wearing sock, I'm so pleased.












I'm not sure if the pictures are clear enough for you to see the mistakes, I suppose that is the upside of having a 4.1 megapixel camera :) It's been alittle slow on the second sock, but that's only because I've been home, running all kinds of errands and getting things ready for the begining of the lacrosse season, and the spring semester.


I also took some pictures of presents I got, for no good reason other than because my camera still had battery life and I have resolved this year to post more pictures on my blogs because I know I love seeing pictures on other people's blogs. Here is my attempt:)







I received a tea press and a small turkey ornament. I collect turkeys, and I've resolved that I want to drink whole leaf tea.



I love turkeys.





For my birthday wayyy back in November, I got a smaller, knitting sized version of my LL Bean boat & tote bag which I use to carry school books, beach accessories, overnight clothes, lunch.... you name it, I use the larger, dark green bag for it. Now I have a lime green, smaller, knitting bag, with matching long handles! I love green. It was a lovely present from my boyfriend for my 22nd birthday.




A shot at what I usually have inside:)






For Christmas my boyfriend got me a brand new case for my iPod. Both the screen and the wheel are covered, which is what I originally wanted, but couldn't find. I had a different case, but it wasn't what I wanted. My iPod turned 2 this past November. (I don't know why the one picture is tilted..)



My favorite baking type cookbook, my winter time reading and another great sock book posed with yarn I got from my boyfriend's mom for Christmas.





After I realized that they were going to be too bulky, I pulled the needles out. I'm going to rip this hat and reknit the fingerless gloves with this yarn. The only thing I can say about the yarn in the hat, is that it is wool and the purple yarn smelt like FruitLoops when I first bought it. The hat had both purple and grey yarns held together.


(I don't know why the picture is on its side.)

And finally:

It snowed today, so I took a few pictures of my backyard.











I wrote in the snow, but I don't know if you can tell.




I'm not sure why some of my pictures are tinier than others, so I hope this posts correctly.

My camera batteries have been completely recharged, so hopefully I'll get some nice modeling shots of the boyfriend in his Christmas scarf.


Thanks for checking in! This Friday is my 1 year anniversary of knitblogging, check back for a year in review!