| 50bookchallenge 2008 |
[December 31, 2008 @ 12:00am] |
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I would like to take a moment to say it is amazing how much reading one can get through when confronted with an essay/reading deadline or an imminent book release.
83 / 100 (83%)
I'm trying for 100 books this year rather than 50. I think I can do it, too.
![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif) 50bookchallenge for 2008.
( The List )
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| Challenge for you all |
[July 23, 2008 @ 8:00pm] |
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The Harry Potter knitting and crochet house cup is starting up soon. Enrolling has begun and there's still stuff going on about house allocation and the exact start date for the first challenge, but it looks to be a lot of fun.
There will be trivia challenges, knit/crochet challenges, and other as-yet-undefined challenges happening, with house points allocated by the Headmistress, Filch and Hagrid. They aren't participating to keep things fair.
The houses are hopefully going to be divided up fairly equally, and will be led by the heads of houses (who do participate, yay!). I am Professor Flitwick :D
Anyway, if you want to take part, the group is here on ravelry, and here on blogspot. Have a look.
Plus, if you decide to enrol and tell them I sent you, my house get 5 points!
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| Exile's Valor |
[July 17, 2008 @ 8:28pm] |
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I've been reading some reviews of this book. And I am surprised.
This is probably my second-favourite of the Velgarth books, following Exile's Honour. I think Alberich is a fantastic character, and I welcome any scrap of information we recieve about him. I like Myste too. Alright, so she does seem to solve a huge amount of problems considering her lack of appearances in any other book, but the same can be said of any character - series' such as these need to allow characters to drop in and out of the spotlight. No one stays famous forever.
And the Mary-sue thing... well, perhaps it's true. Perhaps Myste really is Ms. Lackey down in print, but there is nothing wrong with that really. It was not obvious to me that she was meant to be the author, and this was one of the last ML books I read. I think only someone who followed Lackey's life quite closely would be able to tell while reading, and I don't think it's fair to hold that against the book.
The last argument - that the timeline, spelling etc. was a bit messed up - well, that's true enough. Although I didn't notice the switch between bard and herald, or the change between the exile series and the mage winds regarding the death of the Prince Consort, I noticed stuff like Talamir/Talamit. Typos, we all get them. To me, it is not a big deal. Lynn Flewelling does it too (as I mentioned earlier, Thasali/Thalassi). The sudden absence of editors in the publishing community seems to be making itself felt.
Regardless of all these problems, then, I still think everyone should read this series, and the Exile ones in particular. Who can resist Alberich? :D
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| WIP: Cobblestone, Shaped Lace and A'tuin |
[July 09, 2008 @ 12:08pm] |
I finished the Cobblestone Pullover for Dad last Friday. I'm really pleased! He loves it, he wears it (amazing in itself) and I loved knitting it. The yarn is James C. Brett Kool Kotton (an acrylic/cotton blend) because Dad prefers cotton to anything else, and wouldn't handwash anyway. He has other things to do with his time. Anyway, the point is that it was a huge success. Kudos to the designer :)
( 2 pics )
A'tuin has come to a bit of a halt. Not because I'm bored with it or anything, but Mmario is rewriting part of the pattern and I don't want to accidently go past what he's done. Plus, I realised that I was going to need another two balls of yarn. I asked PersianPenName if I could buy hers (even though it was stash yarn rather than selling/trading yarn, and not only did she agree, she is sending it free! The kindness of knitters always amazes me :) I've made a new friend!
Anyway, progress. This is up to about row 40:
( 1 pic )
And finally, yesterday I discovered the sale at John Lewis. I have come away with 5 balls of Rowan Damask in green (half-price!) and have cast on the Shaped Lace Tee by Joan McGowen-Michael. It looks lovely. I think the colourway actually works with this one. Normally variagated yarn tends to cancel out the lace, but I can still see it fine.
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| Oracle's Queen, Lynn Flewelling |
[July 01, 2008 @ 10:58am] |
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( Spoilers )
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| Shadows Return |
[June 22, 2008 @ 2:14pm] |
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Apparently loads of people have gotten advance copies of Shadows Return :( I'm dying to read it, but Amazon UK haven't even posted it yet. I bet it comes a week after the release date, just to spite me.
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| WIP: Andoa, Cobblestone Pullover, A'tuin, Olive Branch |
[June 15, 2008 @ 8:35pm] |
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Having frogged Andoa for good (it really was soul destroying work) and recast on for the Cobblestone pullover, it is going really well and really fast. In two days I have knit 8", which for me is pretty darn good.
A-tuin is on hold until I finish something for Dad, but I have started trying to decide what yarn to use for Olive Branch. I'd like to use the superwash merino they have for sale at Boyes, but I don't think I can afford it. I may fall back on the wool/acrylic blend I used and then ripped for the second CPH. I gave Mum the purple because the fit wasn't great on me. A pity, considering how long I've been wanting to make it.
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| Meh |
[June 03, 2008 @ 10:34am] |
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Failed my driving test again. 4 minors, 2 serious faults. The serious ones were a misjudged gap (of course it's not too small!) and a missed speed change sign that had me going 60 in a 30 zone.
Meh.
In happier news, the post just arrived, and I am now the proud owner of a harmony circular (so pretty!) and needle size ID tags, which I desperately need to cope with the increasing number of projects on my Denise interchangables.
So overall, disappointed, but still pretty happy. Getknitted.com gets my thumbs up too. They even gave me sweets and a pen :D
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| Swap pictures from my end |
[June 02, 2008 @ 6:14pm] |
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Okay, Amanda. I did pretty much the same as I did with the parcel you sent me. The big picture and then dramatic close ups :D Take your pick!
( Amanda's parcel )
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| Lost and Found |
[May 29, 2008 @ 11:17am] |
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mood |
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cheerful |
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music |
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Soundtrack to The Lion King |
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Stuff to locate:
- 5mm bamboo dpns
- 10mm denise tips
- the remaining ball of RYC Cashsoft DK (Colourway 505)
- my calculator
- Emma's address
- driving licence (test on Wednesday eeek!)
- 4mm circ (I think it's pointier than my dpns) - not pointier, unfortunately. Have ordered a harmony circ from getknitted.com
- The Children of Hurin by J.R.R.Tolkien
- Rogue. It's cold and I want to wear it.
- jelly babies; I know I've got some somewhere
Or I could just tidy my room :o)
I sent off my swap package this morning. Amanda should have it within a week or so. I'm holding out no hopes for the post office. On that topic, my (second) copy of the Complete Shakespeare should arrive today. Bring on the critical essays!
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| WIP: A-Tuin |
[May 28, 2008 @ 5:44pm] |
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I cast on A-Tuin this morning using 3.75mm needles (that's all I had in both DPN and circular). I've ripped it back again. The needles just aren't pointy enough. I'm going to get a new set in 4mm for both, since I know I'll use them again. For Vkandis, for starters.
Darn. I was so excited too. Excited enough to spend another 3 hours unwinding that skien of blue laceweight last night.
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| Decisions made |
[May 27, 2008 @ 8:13pm] |
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I have been rereading the Arrows triolgy by Mercedes Lackey. Having reread the first one, I thought I'd do a google search to see is ML had anything new in the works (she does have more Velgarth books coming. Yay!) but what really excited me was the discovery of a ML shawl pattern. Lace, and everything. It is called Vkandis Sunlord, by MMario, and I have fallen in love. So my brown/gold yarn is going to that. I'm going with the seaweedy shawl that I can't spell for the blue.
I am also going to look for some white or pale yellow for the Rosa and octarine yarn (is the any such thing?) for the upcoming release of the A-Tuin shawl pattern. So far, we only have one chart and I hate just having part of the instructions for something. More often than not it means sacrificing my needles to the hibernate pile until the rest is released :D
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| I'm back! |
[May 26, 2008 @ 1:52pm] |
I know it's been a week and a half since the exam, but I've pretty much just recovered. That was a hellish week.
In the meantime, I have started the roped tank and a couple of Time Lord Technology projects, which are coming along pretty well. I have never knit a sweater on 3.25mm needles before - this will take a while. After three days, I am 20 rows in :) I need 108 before starting the neckline. Phew. It'll be worth it, though.
I have decided not to go ahead with Aspen Grove. Not only does it look complicated, but I don't really wear shawls that often, so it would be a lot of effort and ripping back for something that might be worn 2-3 weeks of the year. It rains too much here.
I am still going to make a shawl though. I was thinking of starting either Laminaria or Rona Lace. I've never knit a circular shawl before, so I might go with that one. I don't know. I have blue and brown/gold laceweight yarn, which would look better with which pattern, do you think?
In the meantime, US culture essay was returned. 2.1. I knew that one would trip me up. My average is now 69.2, as opposed to 70.25 like it was before. I have three essays and the exam still to be returned. Can I finish the year with a first? It's not looking likely, but I hope so.
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| Kiri and Socks |
[May 16, 2008 @ 10:15pm] |
( I finished Kiri! )
Yay. I also did some test knitting for The Natural Dye Studio. Note for people: the merino chunky loop is the softest yarn I've ever come across, and this sock pattern is incredibly fast. I knit the whole sock, including winding the skien into a ball, during The Golden Compass. One film, that's all it took.
( 2 pics )
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| Yarn for the Roped Shell |
[May 12, 2008 @ 11:02am] |
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The yarn I ordered arrived this morning. It is beautiful colours (earthy brown and rusty red) and could not possibly be more perfect for Project Spectrum. On the other hand, it is much warmer than I expected such lightweight wool to be. It comes from living in a town of acrylic, I think. I have had very little contact with wool :D
I have decided to go ahead and use it for the Roped Shell anyway, though. I always intended to add sleeves so it can just become an autumn/winter sweater rather than a spring/summer top. I want to finish Kiri first, though. I'm up to repeat 6 of the second chart. I think I'll go up to 8 repeats and then start the bind off section.
Still all hyper over the swap parcel lol
To Do List:
- Things Fall Apart revision - almost complete
- Northern Lights revision notes
- Wide Sargasso Sea revision notes
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| Words and Bookmark Swap |
[May 11, 2008 @ 10:00am] |
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My swap parcel arrived yesterday. I'm overwhelmed. Amanda, you are wonderful. ( Lookie at the parcel! )
The book is Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann, and I have to say it looks right up my alley. I can't wait to get started reading it. I also got three gorgeous bookmarks: a little man, who is now keeping place in my copy of the complete Shakespeare; a lovely purple lace (I recognise the pattern but can't remember what it is called); and a card Paddington one. They are brilliant, and I know they'll all be in use within the week. I read far too many things at once :) ( I think the purple is probably my favourite. )
Chocolate! Who doesn't love chocolate? Amanda has sent me a bar of Fairtrade dark chocolate (yum, and hooray for ethical buying!), and fairtrade chocolate eggs (more yum!). ( Yum, yum, yum. )
And finally, yarn. Oh, lovely pretty cuddly yarn. Two balls of Rowan Tapestry and one of Opal. First of all, I have been lusting after Rowan Tapestry for almost a year now. Not just Tapestry, but that colourway. I could never afford to buy it, so you have made almost a year of wishes come true. Thank you so much! And I was wanting more sock yarn too, since I don't have anything to make the Esther Socks out of. So hooray!
The Rowan book is fantastic too. I've been having great fun working out what I'd wear and what I could make for my family. It has been proving a great (but very welcome) distraction from the pile of revision notes that have been haunting my desk :D ( Just one more picture, I promise. )
So there you have it. My swap parcel, bring me future weeks (and weeks and weeks) of joy. I can't possibly thank you enough.
I have almost finished your swap parcel. It should be on its way to you sometime next week, assuming that the revision goes as planned.
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| Spring photographs part 2 |
[May 07, 2008 @ 9:47pm] |
Flowers and birds this time. The garden is so beautiful this time of year.
( 4 pics )
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| Lace |
[May 07, 2008 @ 8:26pm] |
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Finished fourth repeat of Kiri. I've been reading people's entries for it on ravelry, and there's one thing I don't get. This repetition of 'the yarn is so thin! It's scary.
' and 'lace is scary'.
Steeks are scary. Needles thin enough to skewer you are scary. Yarn and lace are not scary.
Thin yarn is the same as any other yarn. It doesn't even behave differently. Why is it scary?
And lace is just a series of buttonholes. In fact, it is simpler than that. It is knitting as we saw it when we first started learning. Holey knitting, batman! It's holey knitting!
So... ummm. New stuff is nerve wracking, but not terrifying I don't think. And yarn has never been scary, just pretty :D
And on that topic, hooray for ebay purchases. I hope the colour is as pretty as I think it is.
EDIT: Okay, managed to get both cones of yarn. Rowan lightweight DK, roughly 2000 yards by my estimation, in red and brown. Yay! I'll probably use it for the rope top and add arms.
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| WIP: Kiri and Bookmark and revision |
[May 06, 2008 @ 10:52am] |
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Spring is here. The sun is shining, the birds are going nuts outside my window. It's lovely.
I have my swap partner for the Words and Bookmark swap. The bookmark is about 50% done, but I've been working on it less because of the upcoming deadlines at uni. Fortunately, I have until the end of the month.
Having ripped back Kiri (again) all the way to the beginning, I have discovered where I went wrong. I was slipping one and knitting two instead of slipping one and knitting two together for sk2p. This meant I was decreasing far enough, and that was what caused my stitch count malfunction. This time I've been using stitch markers for each repeat and to mark the centre, checking my stitch count along every purl row, and doing the decreases right. I've just finished the second repeat of chart 2, and it looks great.
(Photos will follow)
To Do List:
1) Adrienne Rich essay - final draft
2) Tolkien essay - second draft - final draft
3) Reflection essay - first draft
All for Friday.
4) Pullman notes
5) Rhys notes
6) Revision
All for following Thursday.
God help me.
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