The Leon Syndrome

I've got this mental block when it comes to letters.  If the order needs to be changed or the shapes reversed, odds are I'll screw it up.  I call it the Leon Syndrome.  When I was in junior high school, we were making  Christmas cards using linoleum block prints.  You carve out a design, ink it up, and then press it onto paper.  The one I was doing was meant to say noel at the top.  I did do the shapes correctly but I switched the order and ended up with leon.  I was humiliated when everyone laughed, but think it is pretty funny all these years later.

The Leon Syndrome struck again yesterday.  I was knitting several dishcloth squares at the same time.  I wanted to make a little rug for the kitchen.   The patterns I'm using were different sizes and not all of then had graphs.  I carefully worked out a consistent size and how each pattern would be placed.  I graphed the patterns that needed them.  I didn't remember that the design is knit from the back.  I didn't notice for about 20 rows.

I stuffed the whole thing in a bag and switched back to knitting a sock.

Fibery mail day

Happy fibery mail day, with a Knit Picks catalog and two skeins of yarn.  First is a trade:

This was a little risky because I never received the yarn in the last trade I did.  Not only did this arrive, the USPS says that the yarn I sent is out for delivery.  Whew!  This is The Sanguine Gryphon's Skinny Bugga.  I had hoped to get some more of this after I got some in the Cookie A sock club.  The most recent Cookie A offering was some really nice yarn except it was red.  I don't do red.  Life's too short to knit with yarn in a color I don't care for, so I was able to swap for this.  Thanks, Kathy!

The second skein is from Indigodragonfly's Smart Ass Knitters/World Domination Club.  I admit that I joined the club because the name made me laugh.  The yarns are no joke, though.

This is two ply organic merino in the colorway Goodbye Kitty.  The actual color's a bit lighter than the picture.  The kitty is on a project bag.  It is the same Eco produce bag that I've gotten from the Cookie A club.  They are more practical than the ones I have made.  They'll hold a pattern in a plastic sleeve without folding it and still have plenty of space for yarn and needles.  Two paws up!

Tournament 4, Round 1 (the rest of it)

They are cases for Sarah Jane's sonic lipstick.  She can use the clip to hook it to her keyring.  She needs the keyring for her car keys.  She drives the cutest little green car.

Not pictured is the final challenge.  I'll donate six hats and six pair of mittens that I made to charity.  I'll also donate a nice scarf that someone knit for me that I'll never use unless I move north.  Like that will happen.

Tournament 4 Round 1 (most of it)

T4R1, a photo by Paula knits on Flickr.

I have been knitting, just not finishing much. The two round things are hats. They will also be part of the Giving Geeks challenge. I'll gather up all of the extra hats and send them to a charity. The multicolored thing started out as a square I wove on my little Weave-It loom. The blurry blue thing is a tiny (about 3-4" tall) Tardis. Someday I hope to learn why I can take close up pictures correctly sometimes and not other times.

I've also finished one of the two shawlettes for my dissertation. It needs washing and blocking

The remaining challenge has something to do with love in your nerddom. I'm going to do other stuff for a week and see if an idea presents itself.

New Book

I was browsing my recommendations on Amazon and a new book came up for Arne and Carlos.  They're the guys who wrote the Christmas Balls book.  The cover of it looks like this:

The new book will be available in June. I thought it was clever of them to do a takeoff on the cover of the ornament book for this one:

Catchup

I've been staying away from posting stuff because I was dealing with people who were not playing nice.  Not here on the blog, but elsewhere online.  I have no patience with people who complain about things some people do and then turn around and do the same freaking thing themselves.  Okay, I've vented a bit and I'm over it.  Now onto my fibery mischief.

I signed up for the Rockin Sock Club and got my first shipment today.  I joined because the yardage on the skeins was supposed to go up over 400 yards, and the skein I got has the usual 360.  Sigh.  I wasn't going to complain, but I guess sometimes it just leaks out.  Never mind.  It turns out the label was wrong.

Nerd Wars tournament 4 starts today.  I submitted my dissertation (big project) and it was approved!  I've failed to complete it in the past two tournaments, so I submitted a much smaller big project (two shawlettes).  I wasn't sure they'd approve it but am happy they did.  I've started in on two of the little projects, have sort-of ideas for two more, and have no clue on the last ones.

I'm knee-deep in projects even without the Nerd Wars stuff, yet I keep coming up with more. Someone on Ravelry is doing a Nerd Garland, which gave me ideas.  I really like making itty bitty things, so a garland to hang them from would be good.  I'm thinking of a Doctor Who garland.  I'll knit the actual garland part from the Advent Garland pattern I did in December.  I'll use the pinback buttons on it instead of regular clothing buttons.  Maybe I can do some things to tie into Nerd Wars.  Hmmmmmm.