HSKS 5 SIGN UPS TOMORROW!

Yay! I get to sign up for the HSKS 5 swap TO-MOR-OW! I'm so psyched, if you can't already tell. The people who were in the last swap got to sign up today, and I'm very jealous of them. Gah, I can't wait to start! I've been looking at the sign-up sheet, so I can have the new students' version filled out EXACTLY at 11:00 tomorrow night (whoo-hoo, staying up late...hope the rents' will approve). I REALLY want to get into Ravenclaw, but since they are only 25 allowed in each house and, oh, 20 returning Ravies have signed up already, I think I'm going to be a Gryff or Puff. Oh wells. I think I'll belong anywhere.

My character blog for the knitting swap is set up at www.daisy-finnigan.blogspot.com. I'll fix it up nicely when I get sorted into a house. I would put a link to HSKS 5 on this blog and my character blog, but I'll wait until I actually sign up first. I can't decide what I'm going to ask my spoiler for--options are a knitting bag, journal or needleholder. Such a big decision! Gah. Obviously I'm going to ask for stitch-markers, though, and a cool sock pattern (my first pair of socks will be made from the yarn I hopefully get in return...I can't wait!) And DPNs, though I think I'm learning to kinda hate them--circular needles rock, but I will NEVER figure out how the magic-loop thing works.

As far as the upcoming weekend goes, I've got Friday off, and will be spending it knitting in a cozy coffee shop. Then TONS of homework Saturday--THREE WEEKS LEFT OF SCHOOL, DUDES! This means that the teachers are loading us up with:

*A huge essay on Tess of D'Urbervilles , a huge 200+ word vocab test and another test essay to study for [Brit Lit]
*A french composistion (Comment-vous preparez pour l'ecole?) [French]
*A World History project on the country of Algeria [World History]
*Chemistry workpages [Chem]
*Christian Scriptures end-of-year project [CS]
*Piano
*Girl Scout Gold Award proposal [secret project YO!]
and...
*Reading 60 pages per night of Lord Jim, worst book in the world. Not joking. [Brit Lit again]

Yeah. I can do it.
But this means no knitting.
Sob.

Blocking Time

Lots of little updates in the knitting world! Item #1: Mom's Mother's Day Eyemask Thing!


Here it is! And DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT'S TOO BIG! It fit my face perfectly fine...although I DO have a tiny face...whatever. It's cute, and my first time purling/increasing/decreasing (yes, I know, I'm pathetic).



A lipgloss case for Mom's B-day (May 31st) that's blocking.I KNOW IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A CASE, ALRIGHT? My little sis is coming up to me all the time going "That doesn't look right, Becky! That looks STU-PID!" SHUT UP! It took me, like, less than a half an hour to knit and, little sis? It's called seaming. I sew the thing up and it magically becomes a case for mom's lipgloss, which always finds itself in the bottom of her bottomless purse.

This is Bob the Elephant-Shaped-Tape-Measure-That-Was-99-Cents-At-Michaels. Say hi to Bob. Bob has become my new best friend. I mean, the tape measure comes out of his TRUNK! How cool is that? I've already used him dozens of times to measure the first addition to the SUPER SECRET PROJECT, which will be revealed in due time...

Little sis is trying to learn how to knit. Aww, how cute. Despite choosing the most annoying, pastal-y yarn possible, and the fact that she got only a centimeter done before getting bored, she's doing pretty good.

And what is this? Part of the secret project, although you can probably tell what it is =) All will be revealed soon enough. I have to keep it kind of secret because I technically aren't supposed to start the project yet, not until I get it approved sometime this week, but I couldn't help it. I'm a little bit excited and overwhelmed! Don't worry, this makes NO SENSE at all right now, but it will soon. Very soon.

Patience is a virtue...a virtue I don't have!

I officially hate Lionbrand.

Whew. It seems like a long time since I blogged, and it's only been--what, four days? Wow, I got a lot done in four days.

The main thing I've been working on is the *SUPERSECRETPROJECT* I've been making for Mutti's Mother's Day (my mom..."Mutti" is the German verison of "Mommy"...yeah, I'm a freak, but Mutti sounds cute). It's an aromic sleepmask, you know, one of those masks you put around your head to fall asleep? Yeah, it's cute, and easy to make. I learned how to purl, increase and decrease during the project. Things are looking good.

I'm making it using some really cheap Vanna White Lionbrand yarn, in a self-striping violet color. My sister and I both went to the store, and I was broke, so I promised my little sis that if she pays for the yarn and needles I'll sign her name on the project too. She was all for it--so I spotted some really nice bamboo needles and was like "PLEASE KATIE PLEASE LET ME HAVE THEM!"...and so, the story of how I snagged a pair of lovely bamboo knitting needles Size 6 out of the deal.

Anyway, it's been really warm here (which we deserve--we got 101.5 inches of snow this year. Think that's fun? It's not. Wisconsin sucks, trust me) so I've been knitting at the park and getting all these weird stares from parents and kids. OHMYGODLOOKAKNITTERSTAYAWAYSTAYAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obsessive, rich, preppy mother, what do you think I'm going to do? Stab your kids with the needles? Puh-lease. Knitting isn't really as dangerous as it looks.

I was halfway through the backside of the sleepmask (which was a pattern I got off of Lionbrand, did I mention that?) and ran into a problem. The pattern is screwed up. Seriously, tell me if this sounds screwed up or not:

Cast on 20 stitches. Do 22 rows of sockinette. Then--
K12 K2tog K1

Um, excuse me, Lionbrand? 12+1 is NOT equal to 20.
Oh, and Lionbrand's curtly reply? "The pattern is correct."
Uh, NO. It took me a while, but there were some really helpful people on Ravelry that told me, basically, Lionbrand's screwed up and to never trust their patterns. I rewrote the pattern and finished the second half. I'm now waiting to block them and sew them up, and then I'll have the pics.

Next up is a small pouch to carry Mom's chapstick in, because she just so happens to lose them all the time. It's for her B-day, which is May 31st. Yeah, it just so happens that her b-day fell two weeks after Mother's Day--so that gives me less time to make something for her. But I don't mind.

So there you have it. Four days in the life of Becky and her knitting adventures.

Oh, and that HP bookmark? Forget about it--I won't be finishing it anytime soon. Too many other projects (SECRET projects--I'll mention them later) to worry about.

Au revoir.

13 MORE DAYS UNTIL HSKS5!

Yes, I am counting the days. No, I am not a freak. I'm just REALLY excited, and totally ready to stay up till midnight for signups on May 1st bewcause we luckily have a day off the next day.

Anyway, I got that life-changing email. And a lot of crazy things have happened the past few days, so not much knitting has gotten done. I had to go buy another set of size 0 DPNs, since I still can't find that last needle (yes, I lose a lot of things, if you can't tell) and I cast on the first few rows of the next bookmark last night.

Now, however, I've got to look ahead to Mother's Day, which is coming up May 11th. I didn't realize how much people get into it--I found a countdown clock on a website today:

Today is Saturday April 19, 2008. There are 21 days 11 hours 10 minutes left until Mother's Day.

So! I've got 21 days to knit my mom something for mother's day. And she's totally expecting it, too--she's been dropping hints ever since I first started to knit. I think I'm knitting her an easy, quick sleep-mask, but I need supplies and...okay, this is embarressing...I need to learn how to purl first.

OKAY, I HAVEN'T LEARNED HOW TO PURL YET! I've been doing everything in the round and never needed it.

I also need to buy size 6 needles and a skein of comfy yarn. And, after Mother's Day, there's another thing coming up: my mom's b-day.

Yeah, just my luck that it falls on May 31st, two weeks after Mother's Day. I'm totally lost for ideas on that one. I have about a month and a week left for that one, so maybe I can do something a little bigger? I don't know. I'm off to Ravelry to look for some ideas.

So, about that bookscarf...

...yeah, the bookscarf didn't really turn out so hot. Really, it didn't. Okay, it's not my fault! I wasn't used to DPNs, let alone tiny ones (I've said that about five times now, but really, they were REALLY small!) So I added on a few stitches by accident, I got some of them twisted carrying the yarn over, yada yada yada...

Wanna see? Probably not, but you will anyway. I'm waiting for a very important, possibly high-school-life-changing email, and taking pics will keep my mind content.



See? Not exactly great. It got WAY to thick and lumpy on one end.

Ha, if you look REALLY closely you can see that this book is New Moon, second book of the uber-awesome Twilight series. Okay, sidenote, but I promised myself that I wouldn't become the picture of a cliche teen girl, that I wouldn't read these books because they were over-popularized (is that a word). But...I caved. And they really are amazing, despite how the main character is unbearable. The hot vampire guys make up for her. I'm starting the third book soon.

Here is all that I have to make the second bookmark. Yeah, I'm going to try this again (the thread was, like, 99 cents a piece) only the third DPN is misplaced, sadly. I'll start again shortly.

Now to off to homework. All this blogging business provides a good distraction, and I have pages of Chem still to do. Eh, only six more weeks...

MY LAPTOP IS BACK!

YAYNESS!

Here's the deal. My laptop was broken for, oh, the last eight months or so. Since school started last fall. I turned it on one morning, but it wouldn't boot up. I was pissed. I took the battery in and out a billion times, but that made it worse. I was more pissed. I took it to the parents, who were pissed that the $1000 laptop they gave their lovely daughter for her last birthday was dead. Would not fix it or pay to fix it. I was SO PISSED at this point (being broke and not able to pay to get one of those Geek Squad people to fix it) that I worked on it for a FULL month before giving up and stashing it under my bed.

But Becky, Becky, just a few posts back you were saying how much of a techie godess you are!

I KNOW! Okay, I fix things by breaking them. That's how my luck runs, okay?

Because now, what do I do? I'm bored, struck with spring fever and no homework, so I go "You know what? Maybe I can get my laptop to work?" I turn it on, hoping for the best--and WHAT DO YOU KNOW? IT WORKS FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I have no idea why it works, but yay. Now I don't have to borrow the 'rents computers anymore. I have my own back!

But it's weird. See, I always have a bunch of sites bookmarked that I visit for updates everyday. And I was looking through all my old bookmarks, going THAT IS SO NOT ME anymore. I don't visit any of these sites anymore--I'm not interested in any of these things--wow, I just think it's weird that I've changed so much in eight months...
*end melancholy rant*

Anyway, the real reason why I posted today?
The stupid Griffindor bookscarf looks like crap. Shit. Whatever you want to call it.
OKAY, NOT MY FAULT. I'm calling it a learning lesson, okay? I learned how to use double pointed needles...and knit really tiny thread...who cares if it looks like a box? You know what they say...you learn from your mistakes. Although I've never believed that.

Seriously, I'm so embarressed to put a pic up. But maybe I will. To show it's true crappiness. And then I'll get started on another one (fixing my gauge) to show the world that I CAN DO IT!

...and my little sis. 'Cause she laughed when I showed to her. You know what, Katie? If you think you can do it any better, show me! SHOW ME! Oh, that tacky, garter-stitch FunFur scarf you made that sheds all over the house? You think THAT'S hard? TRY THIS!!!!!

ETA: I'm sorry. I usually wouldn't post one of those dorky quiz results thingies, but I'm really bored and I love the fanart used for this one:

Find Out Which Disney Girl You Are! created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Belle Dancing furniture, singing spoons, and a man who needs a serious haircut - sound familiar? Well it should! Belle was a very independent spirit with alot on her mind, much like you are! But in life, there is a needed balance - learn when to speak your mind, and when to hold it back. Sometimes offending someone isn't the best way to go! Belle 96% Jasmine 88% Violet 79% Jane 79% Tinkerbell 75% Megara 71% Pocahontas 71% Alice 67% Snow White 58% Cinderella 50% Ariel 50% Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) 42% Mulan 42% Esmerelda 38%

Pic spam of WIP and (Almost) FO

I decided to get off the couch, despite my runny, gross, icky nose and head, and hop around the house taking pictures.
Yep, here we go: spam of my recently (almost, still have to do the tassles) Hufflepuff scarf.






Hope you don't mind the feet and sweatpants. I'm keeping the scarf above my bed like this--it looks nice there.

Yes, I know my bed isn't made or anything. I've been laying in it all day long, okay, and it usually looks a lot better than this! And, as comfy as sweatpants are, I usually don't wear them too often--school dress code=jeans and khakis as my garments of choice. And skirts on the stupid dress-up liturgy days we have.

See? Told you it was freaking hard. LOOK HOW SMALL THOSE NEEDLES ARE! Okay, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't my first time using DPNs in the first place. A word of caution: don't try this unless you want your fingers to ache and feel like you're weaving dental floss. Do as I say, not as I do.

Okay, time to go back to the couch. I think I feel a big sneeze coming on.

I be sick.

I'm always sick, it seems. Some virius is going around--my mom has the stomach flu, sister and dad have a BAD cold like me, and all my friends seem to catching the same thing as well. It's not fun, as you can imagine.

SO...no pics of the scarf today. Maybe later, when I feel like getting up from the couch. Instead, I'm content by doing homework and reading New Moon. And starting a new knitting project!

I drove to our Michaels and bought the laceweight, DMC thread needed to make one of those super-uber awesome Harry Potter bookscarfs! Only the thing is, Michaels doesn't have size 0 DPNS. So I've spent the past week going to LYS after LYS looking for a set and finally found some nice aluminum ones.

Little did I know how freaking hard knitting with DPNs would be. And size 0, come on...it doesn't even feel like knitting anymore! The needles are WAYYYYYYY too small.

Oh well. I'll work on it. A few more tries and I'll hopefully get it.

Until I get better, see ya.

It is done.

As of 10:10 P.M. last night, the 'Puffed scarf is complete!!!!!!!!

I am SO happy. You should've seen me yesterday--hardcore knitting, completely. My eyes and fingers were sore by the time I bound off the last stitch. Okay, so it STILL has to be blocked, STILL needs the tassles put on, but as of right now, it's resting peacefully on my bed.

And isn't this a huge accomplishment??? My first official complete project, yo! Who cares if it was flippin' easy? I HAVE A HARRY POTTER HUFFLYPUFFY SCARF!!!!!!!!!11111

Pics will be up soon, I promise (now that I know how to post them).

And, in other AMAZING, CAPSLOCK WORTHY NEWS:

http://www.oclumencia.com.br/galeria/albums/userpics/edpposterduvido%7E1.jpg

HARRY POTTER YARN! FROM OPAL! With all the characters faces plastered across the tags and everything--they look sa-weeet!

Yeah, I'll end this post before I die from a total spazz fest. See you later with the pics of my brand, newly finished scarf!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY figured out how to post these pics! I have to go quick, because we're heading out to go somewhere, but here they are: My scarf laid out the best I could get it. It's still connected to the needles, so it's hard to get it straightened. I'm almost done, though!

Pic of it still all balled up and tangled (and my homework in the background).

This was at the beginning of the scarf with only a few stripes done. It looks so small...compared to now...

Ah. There. I feel so accomplished, now able to post pics (and do my french homework *groans*). Anyhow, there you there! I'm off to get these onto Ravelry.

I Hate Technology.

Dude, I'm like the technology saint in this family of mine. I can fix any problem anyone has--the evil Windows Vista, Sims for my little sis, the video recorder.

But I can't fix the damn DIGITAL CAMERA!

My little sis FOUND the cable but shoved it in too far into the camera. So now the camera is completely broke, and we won't be able to plug it into the computer anymore. I've tried removing the memory card and putting it into our nifty 50-bajillion-things-in-one printer and transfering the photos to our computer, but NOOOO, our evil Vista computer can't be recognized.

Three hours. Spent three hours trying to get it to work (because I not only need the camera for knitting but also a dreadful French project coming up) and I ended up uninstalling the printer. Guess what? Can't reinstall it now. UGH.

And it's Friday, which is good. But it's depressing because I can't go and hang out with my friends as my parents are retards and won't let me go to the concert that EVERYBODY else is going to. Just because the concert goes until midnight isn't that BAD. Homecoming and TWIRP has gone to midnight, and have they cared then? What happened to the "When you get your license, we feel that you will be responsible enough to make your own decisions and decide where the right places and wrong places to go are"???? I HAVE the license, but now you won't let me go use it?

...okay, so it MIGHT have something to do with the fact that the concert is on a college campus, and there will be college kids and drugs and beer and EVIL THINGS going on, so...I kind of see their point. But come ON. "Oh, don't worry, Becky. Next time you and your friends want to get together for a school project or studying you can drive yourself!" School project. Seriously.

And so ends the typical teenage angsty rant. Just had to get that out of my system.

I'll probably give up with the computer and go upstairs to read. Knit a few rows of the 'Puffed scarf. And go to bed by nine. A dorky Friday night spent fiddling with the computer, but c'est la vie.