Pretty Girls Make Graves

I was introduced to the band 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' a few years ago through The End, but I never really loved any of their music.

However, I knew that they were playing at Sasquatch, so I made my friend stay in the mosh pit with me during their set. I wanted to see if my liking for their music had increased.

Oh my god, they were phenomenal. Absolutely astounding. Great music. So great, that after their set and one other band's set, I was tired of moshing and decided to wander around. My friend stayed in the pit. While wandering, I decided to pick up their cd. With the cd, I got a free poster of the band.

And guess who was there, signing things? Pretty Girls Make Graves!!! I got to have them sign my poster and talk to them (they were really nice, btw) and now I have a pretty poster! Do you have a pretty poster? NO! :P

Anyways, my friend really liked them too, so when I met up with her a few hours later in the pit, she was not happy that I had gotten their cd, meet them, and get a signed poster. Come to think of it, neither was Mary when I told her (she's a big fan).

Oh well, it's me that's important. Just kidding.

I'll talk more about Sasquatch later, I really should be studying for the two tests I missed yesterday.

As for knitting, I'm working on a very cool Noni bag and I got the great reference 'Color in Spinning' by Deb Menz. Evidently, it is only recently that they've started reprinting it.

My first spun yarn!

My first handspun yarn is in the sink!

Instead of working on my Soc Psych paper, I decided to play around with my drop spindle. I had already completed a single in a light blue roving, so I wound that into a center pull ball, which freed up my spindle. Then I used the beautiful varigated roving I bought some time ago. It was a lot more slippery than the blue, although I found out it was easier to work with thinner chunks than I had been previously using. This meant I didn't have to monitor my draft for thickness nearly as much as the first single. However, as a whole it was a thicker single; I didn't want it to break apart as much as the first one did.

Once I finished that I wound it into another center-pull ball, then using my spindle, I plied the two together. The whole thing barely fit on my spindle; I think I need to consider purchasing a normal top whorl spindle if I want to make worsted or bulky weight yarns. In fact, I'm nearly a hundred percent positive that I need to.

So now my yarn is soaking in hot water (EEK! Wool+HotWater=SCARY), where it will remain for another 15 minutes. Then I'll take it and hang it up with a weight. Hopefully, it will be gorgeous, but I'm pretty sure I didn't ply it enough. Oh well. It's my first attempt. The final pictures will follow, and I'll post it on Spinning Fiber on LJ to see what the ladies there think.

I probably should go write my paper.

I got a great deal today!

I got a great deal today at Half Price Books. Until today, their selection of knitting books has been so sparse and old that I've never found anything that I was even remotely tempted to buy. In fact, I don't even look there anymore when I go into the store. I go straight to the DVD's, and try to find seasons of TV shows I like for great prices, or movies that I want to buy. I'm trying to increase my DVD selection for next year when I go off to college.

Anyways, back to the story. So I went into Half Price, looked at their DVD's, and found Butterfly Effect and Serenity (which I hunt for look for every single time I'm in that store). This made me incredibly happy, so as I look around the store, I figure, what the hey? I'll go check out their knitting section.

I go over there, and guess what I find? Books that I've been eyeing at my LYS, but were more of a 'future reference' sort of idea. You know that kind of idea, when you see something in the LYS or book store and are like, 'Oh, that's supposed to be a really great book, and it would be a great addition to my collection', but suddenly you find a book that just jumps out at you and begs you to take it home. Or you reason to yourself that you don't have enough money at the moment, and eventually it will be integrated into your library. Since I've been knitting since last year, there are a lot of books, such as great reference books, that I eventually want to add to my library, but I just haven't.

I didn't find just one, or two of these books, but three of them!

I am now the proud owner of Elizabeth Zimmermann, the all-wise knitting guru, book "Knitting Without Tears"; the great compendium of multiple gauge patterns "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns", by Ann Budd, and "Knit Christmas Stockings"!

If I had bought them normally, I would have paid $56+, but I paid less than half that for all three books.

I love it when this happens.

I also bought 'Big Girl Knits', and the new RYC summer pattern book.

It has been a good couple of days for my knitting library. Maybe now it will actually take up a whole shelf.

Oh, and I didn't buy the DVD's. :D

My Madil purse and life

This is going to be the third or fourth time today that I'm uploading pics from my camera; it's been a weird day. My dad is trying to sell his boat motor on craigslist, so he wanted me to take some pictures on my digital camera and upload them on the net for him. My mom wanted me to take pictures of my graduation quilt,which I absolutely love, and another one of her quilts she's making. Of course, she wanted me to upload those for her as well. I don't mind doing any of this, but I found it funny that everyone wanted it today!

I had a semi-productive knitting day today. Last night, well, technically this morning, I started and finished the entire bottom shaping for my Madil purse. Then later today I went to Joann's where I picked up the satin I'm going to use for the lining, a broach for the front, and some fringe that I hope to use. Aren't they pretty? I'm so happy I found this color of fabric, it's the exact color that's on my purse. I also bought wire to make an internal structure to give the box more weight and maintain it's shape, but that experiment didn't go to well. Instead, I decided to block the purse and see how sturdy it comes out. It's hanging from the towel rack in the bathroom right now. I still think I'll have to use a wire structure in between the knitting and the liner, but I'll find some other way to create it rather than trying to smooth out 20 gauge wire, that's been coiled for the last few months, by hand.

In RL, it's going pretty well. We had to do a group norms experiment for my soc psych class, which was very interesting and I'll discuss later. I turned in my Senior Project portfolio last week, so all that's left for that is the actual presentation on the 26th. Guitar classes are going well, ooh, and I'M OFFICIALLY GOING TO SASQUATCH! It makes me so happy! I bought a ticket for Sunday and have the weekend off from work, so I'm going to do my senior project presentation on the 26th, go see X-Men III with a friend, then be picked up late Friday or early Saturday by another friend who is going to drive me down to the Gorge. Then we're going to have a blast on both Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday there isn't any school, so hopefully I'll be able to recover from the weekend.

Throwing and Slytherin Scarf

I discovered that I am now extremely comfortable throwing. It is a completely random occurence. My boss taught me how to throw (hold the yarn in the right hand and 'throw it, aka English style) so that I might assist other English knitters who came into the store for help. Because of this, I became comfortable enough with throwing that I could assist someone who needed help. However, my speed was greatly diminished and you could kind of tell it wasn't my usual way to knit.

But yesterday I dredged the Slytherin scarf out of the darkness that is my closet, and while I was working merrily away on it, I decided I should practice my throwing. Yet when I tried it, I found that my speed had increased, and my awkwardness with it had decreased. It was the weirdest thing. I haven't practiced it at all since I was taught! What the heck is going on? It's good, but it's like my brain needed to process it before it could even resemble my picking.

Hmm. The mysteries of the brain.

Anyways, my Slytherin scarf is coming along well. It's now four feet long! Since I like scarves absurdly really long, it's going to be at least six feet before I stop. Then, once I block it, it'll be even longer! And with fringe.... Ssssooon I will be drowning in my ssssscarf!! ::Evil hiss::

::Coughs, slaps herself on the back:: Sorry, my evil side took over for a minute. I'm sane all better now.

Other than that, and distributing my survey for my soc psych class tomorrow, working on my senior project portfolio, and work, I hope to go to the I Heart Rummage this weekend at the Crocodile Cafe. I'll have to see who wants to go with.

See ya!

By the way

Oh, by the way, it snowed yesterday.