Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunday Afternoon Rambling

No posts in a month. It's not surprising. I've been fighting this infection and everything else got swept to one side. I think this is the longest I've gone without knitting in over a decade. No worries, though. I'm on the mend. I got myself this groovy cane with a pink flower print all over it. Since it is my frequent Companion, I've named it Sarah Jane.

Nerd Wars update: I melted all my cubes (completed 18 projects for Tournament 2). I think Team Tardis placed third. It is strange to think that had I gotten even halfway on that darn afghan, we could've been second. Nobody blames me but me, but I still feel a little bad. I did decide to play in the next tournament, but I'm putting less pressure on myself. I'm even volunteering to give up my place on Team Tardis so that one of the kids on the waiting list can have a go. I've also decided that the afghan is not going to be part of the tournament in any way. I'll finish it when I finish it.

Elyse and her volunteers have been making Nerd Wars extra fun. I participated in a Nerd Pride swap. I hope the person who got the stuff I put together had half the fun I had with what I got. Among the excellent prezzies was a hand-knit scarflet. I discovered that I really like these things. They're kind of halfway between a scarf and a shawl and drape nicely around the neck. My other most favorite-ist thing from the swap was limited-edition Hello Kitty Duck Tape. I have no plans for it at the moment. It's pink and printed with Hello Kitty and needs no other reason to exist.

The other fun thing right now is a hilarious nerdy battle whose name escapes me. You know how kids will argue about who would win in a battle (Spiderman vs. Batman for example)? The Nerd Wars crew has picked up a tough person from each of the teams' fandoms and set them up in this tournament bracket thing. They did a writeup on each participant. Based on that and prior knowledge, we worked out how we think who would win each encounter. I'm not doing badly so far. It is probably because I end up with River Song winning. She's too much of a badass and a wildcard for anybody to do much of anything against her.

Yarn indulgences have been minimal, but I have managed two. Knit Picks has re-released Time Traveler (self-striping, 6 of the 7 colors of the original Doctor Who scarf). I'm stashing a bunch because I don't trust them not to take it away again. The other is a yarn club. It's my birthday present to myself. I think it is called the Smartass Yarn Club or something like that. Yarn weights vary. You get a pattern. You get something yarn-related that is artisan made. It comes from Canada so who knows when it'll show up. It'll be a nice surprise when it does.

Knitting, yeah, that was what this was all supposed to be about.

  • Jim the Fish socks. A Cookie A pattern knit from ooak Schmutzerella Yarns. Completed just before my leg started to misbehave, these just need a wash and a block.
  • Tardis Afghan. Untouched in a month.
  • Beekeeper Quilt. 45 units. This is mindless knitting that I keep next to the computer. Computer becomes slow, Paula picks up knitting to keep from breaking computer. Many units are completed.
  • Pair 1 of the current Cookie A sock club have been cast on. That's up to the point where they are joined in a round. They've been set aside for higher priority work.
  • Shedir cap. I'm using the softest, smoothest cotton silk blend yarn for this. The big C has come back to visit Cousin Patty and I'm pissed off. If you say prayers, visualize healing light, make wishes, or anything else of a positive nature, please include Pat the next time you do.