Look What I've Got!

Ok, well you can't see the finished sock - it is drying. But here is all that remains of the hank of yarn.



Sure makes me nervous. What you see is some of the yarn split, and 109cm (43") from the cast off edge. I can see the beauty in doing toe up socks. I was antsy to block so I haven't weaved in the other end, but it isn't long either. I'm off to start the second sock.

CP

Actual Knitting Content

To prove that I do, in fact, knit here is a picture of one of my current works in progress. This is the first sock I've ever made and I am likeing it so much. I was worried until I tried it on that it was a wacked out shape but it fits so I'm happy.



The colour is off but this is the photo from the website Art Yarns



The yarn is Artyarns Supermerino that I bought at a LYS on boxing day here in Calgary. The colour is sm138 (dark purple/black).
The pattern is from Schafer Yarn: Miss Priss Ribbed Socks

In the interest of preserving my knitting and showing what I can do I will post previous FO soon. I am just excited about the socks and wanted to share.

How I Spend my Days

So I write a lot of stuff but what do I spend my days doing? The side bar says that I'm a graduate student and it may say in what, I just changed it and can't remember. So what do I do? Well I'm a graduate student at the University of Calgary (Alberta Canada) in the behavioural psychology graduate program. My supervisor is Dr. Richard Dyck and my lab mates are many (not tons but more than some other labs). My lab has no windows as it is in a basement so there are days where I come when it is dark and leave when it is dark and never see the sun. Those are few - usually I have something to do elsewhere and manage to see some sun. But still, the majority of my day is spent without natural light. The funniest is when it is sunny out when I come and sunny when I leave but sometime in between it snowed 2 cm. At this point I go "Dude, when did it snow?" but yeah. The weather can change and I never know it unless it leaves a calling card behind.

My research involves the behavioural and functional recovery from lesions to the medial prefrontal cortex in mice. The clincher is that some of the lesions are related to stroke. On most days I like what I do but when I get bit, well those days I'm not so happy and have been known to call the mouse a little f@#$er after it has bitten me. I also regulairly get urinated and deficated on but I wash well. What keeps me going is that I feel that my research is going to be useful in the battle against strokes. I am developing a tool that will help others study stroke topics and they can help fix people. Some days it is hard because I've been working without a break but that is a price I am willing to pay. Today (Wednesday) is my weekend. I worked all last week and over the weekend. Friday through Monday I was up at 5 and at work by 6:15 (that is early - no one else was in my lab or other labs until about 8:30) and then Tuesday I taught at 8 so I was up at 6. I could sleep later but I take the bus and that doubles or triples my commute time (I am an overachiver - I set my own hours). Another thing that I really enjoy is being around people who are genuinely interested in my research (and I in theirs). I am surrounded by smart people. I enjoy teaching my stats lab but I know I could not handle teaching highschool (Amy Lane you are awesome for being able to do that). A fault that I have, a personal problem that I know I should change but it isn't at all on my list of things to change, is that stupid people bug me. I'm not talking about the mentally disabled, or the uneducated. There are people who are just stupid - it is a way of thinking that just drives me insane when I have to deal with them. However, stupid people on TV are sometimes okay. I can't stand The Trailer Park Boys, felt dumber after Dazed and Confused, but adore My Name Is Earl.

A neat website

I like this dialogue and I am friends with both the kid and the father. Needless to say, the kid is now in grade 1 and finding most of the stuff boring. She already knows how to read and write...
Dialogue

kitties + yarn

So Julie seems to have a kitty who likes yarn. I too have feline helpers. One likes to ensure that the yarn is up to snuff. This is Zoie when she was just a little kitten.



And another kitty who NEEDS snuggles all the time. Knitting is not easy with a kitty in your arms. This is Ellie when she was just a big kitten...

Wedding Teasers

Here are some teaser photos from the wedding - I will post the rest in a folder on my ucalgary website in the near future.



Thank you for your awesome job Picture This Photography!!

Gauge Gripes

OK, most if not all of you are non-knitters and can zone out here but there might be a few knitters, or there will be eventually. And as I make reference to knitting in the title today I will piss and moan about getting the correct gauge (number of stiches per inch for all you non-knitters - very helpful if you are following a pattern and actually want the item to fit).

My piss and moan is because my gauge is always off. I knit too loose. Better than too tight I suppose. But this means that when I get yarn and a pattern I have to do several swatches. And when I buy yarn I don't know if I have the needles I need. So sometimes I go home, knit a swatch, find out that I don't have the correct needle and am stalled at the start line for a week or two before I can get Cory (husband) to drive me to the LYS. We have a car, I have a drivers licence, but the car is standard and I only know how to drive automatic right now. The car was way cheaper with standard. I will learn to drive standard. But it is icy and snowy and I have little time right now.

I knit tighter on my crystal palace bamboo dpns. This is good. I think. hmmm. not sure. All my other needles are metal...

In other news this is what I have on my needles right now:
socks by artyarns - either merino or supermerino, unsure
charcoal cardigan (still)
finished "my so called scarf" in manos de uruguay jungle (for step-mother in law)
finished plain garterstich scarf in lion brand stripes (6 year old girl... it will be a hit - but the yarn... well I think I'm becoming a yarn snob)

as soon as I get the concept of posting pictures I will post pictures.