enthyme

...almost an entire year has passed without me blogging. Not that I think anyone expects me to, or... it's been an EVENTFUL year.

A happy year, for the most part.

I wish I could be creative all day and not accountant-y, because that would make me even happier.

To knit:

1. A pair of mittens for my friend in Estonia, the poor boy has cold fingers. So I designed a colourwork pattern for him (never mind that I've never done colourwork, OR mittens...) in our clan's theme so he'll have a giant "THE ORDER OF LIGHT" going around his wrists. Somehow that pleases me, and I hope it will please me to knit it. *crosses fingers*

2. After designing the above-mentioned mitts, I designed another pair for myself...also colourwork. But they fascinate me so! And colourwork is so much easier to chart than lace. Speaking of which...

3. Odd V-shaped Lace Shawl. Is on the needles now in Malabrigo Lace, which is a joy to knit with, aside from the fuzziness and the annoying propensity to felt together. But I'm already bored of knitting it. After charting several wildly ambitious lace stitches and encountering mild distress at the clumps of hair I pulled out, I decided to KISS. And now I am paying the price, in many many repeats of the same faggoting stitch. Sigh.

4. Also in the works is a peasant-style-ish top, blouson-ish, that I was inspired to sketch a schematic for based on someone's sweater that I saw. I don't adore short rows, which no doubt prompted me to add many of them in the shaping areas.

5. I didn't come up with this from scratch, but I have a bad case of startitis and craving to cast on the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark in my lovely Wollmeise Twin - yes, I felt that my Wollmeise wanted to be made into this shawl. It would look lovely. It will have that subtle gloss like so many of the beautiful FOs I saw... darn darn darn I'm at work now and I can neither wind my Wollmeise nor cast on for the shawl.

On the home front, the long-awaited holiday is coming up. I admit the first trip away is a little stressful but I have no fear that we can't make it because I want to make it and he wants to make it. So we will make it (or die trying, but let's not dwell on that possibility) What knitting project shall I bring?? Could I possibly wind the Wollmeise and CO for the Shetland shawl? I have too many UFOs now, but AUGHHHHHH.

UFOs
The Fountain Pen Shawl I got frustrated at when there was an unpickable knot and I had to cut and splice. The Malabrigo Mrs. Darcy cardigan that I got tired of 5 rows into the 25 rows of 1x1 rib. The FLS #2 that I got bored of because Cascade 220 doesn't feel that good on my fingers. (!!) The KAL Vortex Shawl with Rikki that I hate the yarn for, it keeps falling apart and felting together AT THE SAME TIME. The Pi Shawl I'm stuck on because I can't decide what pattern to put in the outermost ring - and the 576 stitches a round only fazes me a little. As does knitting on a border on those 576 stitches. And the current carry-around, the V shawl.

I'd say the Vortex shawl and the Pi shawl are in definite time out. I wouldn't bring the cardis along for a holiday as they're bulky and many-balled, neither of which is Good Travel Knitting. So... to bring the half of the V shawl I'm on, or the Fountain Pen, or to start on the Shetland Triangle? Or even... a Swallowtail shawl? (Serious salivation going on now)

While on the train of thought of possibilities, what to do with my I-Love-My-Mother-So Wollmeise Lace-Garn?? It's 300 grams of Miss World splendour. I would rather go to the Wollmeise shop than attend the Miss World pageant. *randoms* But it is beautiful, and perfect, and crying to be made into something wondrous. So I'll just keep it in its box for now and wait for a pattern to cry to me too. Perhaps one day when I move out (if, rather) I will place it in the middle of my living room table. Under a glass box. :D

For now, though (having completed evaded the decision of which UFO to bring), how long will it take me to finish the V shawl? Another couple weeks? It'd be nice to have something to wear to the familial Christmas dinner. ("Oh, this? I made it...") So I have to KNIT FASTER. Zomg the purl rows. Happy knitting!

I still cannot tell you what possessed me to post.

Well, while waiting for my photobucket to reluctantly upload my pictures, I have some good news!

I FINISHED KNITTING THE CARDIGAN!

Finished knitting. Not yet seamed. :p

In case you want to see the original cardigan, see http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTheyteach.html

It's blocking now... and the back seems quite large compared to the schematic :( it's a couple inches off. Which is quite a lot. Hopefully the seaming will go well!! and the button-banding will go well!!

Hope this works. The "img code" thing doesn't work, so.... direct links, here you go :p

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/mariateo/craft/heyteachcardigan001.jpg

In response to bad news (office changing a policy)

"(AIC - the accountant in charge)'s reaction was the best. He was the one with all the colourful language... what "shen me niao shen me niao" and all the Hokkien vulgarities I can't repeat..."

The shen me niao shen me niao part is what cracks me up, srsly. Heh.

The raglan is on hold... even though I got my 60 inch cables. Can you believe the whole cardi barely fits on that 60 inch monsta! Sheesh. Think of all the stitches.

Cast on for the "Hey, Teach" pattern. I love the lace part, it's easy to knit and pleasant to look at! *pleased* And I only had to rip back twice on the back, and not many rows each time. Finished the back over the weekend and CO'd for the front yesterday. Am working on endless stockinette for now.

Yesterday while shopping with Jo at Vivo I spotted a really nice long vest from Fox, but it cost 60 bucks. Or was it 50 bucks. Whatever, a lot of bucks. So I came home and drew up a design for it... but I don't know if I really want to make it, or the Printed Silk Cardi, or a nice lace shawl... DECISIONS, DECISIONS.

I sowwy, imouto. I has no time to click on neobux... too many things to knit!!

I want a lot of things for Christmas! *wistful*

Things like "more yarn, more cloth, more time" come to mind... Any one of the three, I will gladly take (except if it's more acrylic, in which case it will be returned to you next year in the form of a hat/sweater)

I've been eyeing up Canon cameras after I read a few articles on them (No, not all timed to come out at Christmas, I'm sure.)

More shoes. Nice shoes with manageable heels and which don't go "clok" SO loudly.

New clothes!! Sheesh. I have tons of clothes.

Really, all I want for Christmas is to survive this internship :p

NEXT MATTER OF THE DAY!

Internship week 2 is over... uneventfully. I know I'm a pessimistic paranoid freak (my best feature) but it didn't turn out as bad as I thought. In fact, it was more or less the ideal first engagement team to go on. Besides the fact that they have ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SUBSIDIARIES. What do you need that many for?!

Knitting furiously on the cardigan (but I took out minutes to post this :x) because I finally managed to finish one sleeve, and I have an insane desire to finish this before I end work so I can wear it to work in all its acrylic-y autumny tackiness. Wish me luck!

I can't help but plan the next five sweaters I want to make already! Seamed ones - for mom to seam. Seamless ones - for me to design! *jumps around*

I picked the mood "exanimate"... just because I wanted to know what it is, but the emoticon isn't dreadfully expressive. *ponders*

Nine more weeks of internship to go! I tried to conscientiously document every day of my *cough* learning process, but... Well!

I've had about two modules' worth of knowledge CRAMMED into my little vacuum of a brain in five days AND was tested on it! And I'm so sleepy now because yesterday we went to Kbox till THREE x.x but it was fun. Although at the end of it I got drowsy and correspondingly more "anti-social" :p

So now, I'm really sleepy. The next nine weeks of my internship are packed with engagements to audit this and that. I hope my seniors are nice. My mentor group in Deloitte invited me to a Christmas gathering... I hope that everything goes well with that.

I HAVE GRIPES WITH WINDOWS.

1. My hotmail account decided to go on a holiday to Hawaii and didn't invite me. Consequently, it's next to impossible to access my hotmail on either firefox or IE, and I can't send emails, I can't attach things to my emails, etc, etc.

2. The office laptop I have been assigned runs on Vista. *screams* I hate Vista, I hate it, I hate it! So difficult, so un-user-friendly and generally obstructive! It really made me want to bang the laptop on the table *mutters*

On top of this, I suddenly remember how the stupid windows live msn BSOD'd my computer REPEATEDLY and caused me much headache.

*mutters*

My favourite advertisement cheers me somewhat though... the "Nespresso" ad. Supah kewt! *sniggers to self*

Anyways. Back to knitting. I think I'm almost down to the 'pits, but I hate measuring. :p

I don't like Thursday, hence it's Duhhhsday today. It's Corporate Accounting and Reporting Day. I was once so pleased to be sick because I got to skip a CARD.

I wish I was home knitting! I want to finish my cardigan. The horrible rain and cold makes me want to finish it faster and get cozy (even if it's acrylic). Actually, I also have Gerard's sweater on my needles. And I'm supposed to sew up Mom's sweater, but... *hates sewing up*

My yarn's arriving soon, I hope! Ordered off ebay (again) two lots of yarn from yarnparadise. Black/cream/white linen and blue/black yarn to make Madele's scarf for her. I still remember the conversation I had with her, it went something like

Me: I'll make you a scarf for Christmas!
Madele: ORLY! YAY! I'll make you a scarf too!
Me: I live in Singapore, we don't use scarves.
Madele: Oh. Then I'll make you a hat.
Me: We don't wear hats either (At least, I don't XD)
Madele: Oh, okay... I"ll make you socks then! Surely you wear socks!

Nothing to say to THAT.

Me: I didn't know you knit.
Madele: I don't!

Wonder what she's going to make the socks out of. Hopefully not plastic bags XD

... I convert thee, LJ blog, into a knitting blog.

I figure since I have nobody to talk to about knitting, really, I might as well vent to cyberspace *halo*

Currently working on a seamless raglan cardigan adapted from Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top *ponders* I don't really like acrylic, but this Red Heart Autumn Blend is a really nice combination. (apart from the acrylic!) and it's a simple pattern. I love doing seamless knits and raglans are fun but it's taking awhile. -is a slow knitter-

Can't wait for Mom to finish crocheting my bolero. She accidentally slammed her toilet door on her finger so she's out of commission for awhile, and then today she sprained her other wrist. *comfies mother* Poor Mumma.

Knitting while pretending to read notes is not surprisingly, neither good for my studies nor my knitting. Alas!

I wish I had a cat. A cat like Maru. A squooshy cuddly cat who did dumb things. *daydreams*