… but the podcast is finally up. *eek*

I submitted it to iTunes, and it is being ‘reviewed’. I have no idea how long that takes. But it is up! I’ve submitted it to various places, and now I guess I just sit back and wait to see what happens.

*double eek*

PS: no Bolero picks yet, and not likely until at least Saturday.

And I do have news! The Fiery Bolero is all finished, including blocking (shock, gasp). I just haven’t taken photos of me in it yet.

I think I like it. The truth will out when I put it on for said pictures (I’m hoping Monday).

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven’t posted in a couple weeks. I have a new job, in a real theatre, being a real apprentice (yeah, I have to join a union if I want work, so for now I’m a dogsbody), and working a real lot. I get Mondays off. I work about 9:30am-7pm right now, as we’re in rehearsal.

And crazy old me thought that this time, this I-have-a-new-and-demanding-job-I-love-time, would be the perfect time to start my own podcast. Yes, I have taken the plunge.

I can even give you the link for the website: here. So in the few stolen moments of internet time I get now, I set up that site.

A couple weeks ago, I recorded my first episode. I sat on it for a while, wondering if I really wanted to publish it, if I really wanted me out there. I think I do. Of course, since then, I’ve had all sorts of better ideas about how to do things, but I will publish that first episode (again, hoping Monday!) as I have it. Yes, I have edited out a lot. Mostly ‘um’ and ‘errr’. There is the odd annoying ‘thunk’ noise, but I know what does that now, and how to fix it. So yes. I am (almost) out there.

Will I be the next Lime and Violet? I highly doubt it (I mean, there’s only one of me!). But I’m going to try my hand at something new, which is always fun.

I finally have my shelves up on the wall. My wonderful boyfriend put them up for me this morning, and it is just how I imagined. Much less clutter on my desk now, and I’m feeling really crafty. It’s odd, but not having this area the way I wanted it really put a block on my urge to craft. Now it is just perfect.

 My favourite is the row of hooks for my scissors and cutting mats. The big one doesn’t have a hole for me to thread any ribbon through like I did for the other two though. I think I may just get my boyfriend to borrow a drill from work, to drill a smallish hole for that purpose.

This post has the links for things. As you can see, I didn’t use the glass drawers, or the glass shelf, but the other items are the same. I was very skeptical about how much weight the glass shelf could take, and there just wasn’t room for the drawers. I had thought about another big white shelf up above, but I wouldn’t be able to reach it, what with being short, and having to reach up over my big desk.

I love how there is very little clutter left on my desk now. And I just have to say again how much I love this desk. If I want to craft, I just stuff the computer under the glass, and I’m ready to go. I think I just need to get some small ipod speakers, so I can listen to music and craft.

PS: my old blogspot blog has been spamming bloglines with posts. I haven’t touched it since I moved, although I did try to log in on Thursday. Sorry if you got those, but why do you still have it in your reader? Change your links! That blog still gets lots of hits from google, even though all the same posts are over here now.

So I’ve been plugging away at my Millicent socks. I have changed, and am doing them one by one, as my circular is too short for two at a time on Magic Loop. Here is where I was yesterday morning:

Here is where I was yesterday evening:

Looks the same right? Wrong. The first picture has 7 lace motifs around the sock. The second picture has only 6. Yeah. I tried it around my leg, and even taking in to account the other layer of sock that will be under that cuff…. much too big. I could pink out one whole motif easily, so I ripped. And re-did. The lace has less mistakes now though.

Finished Vinnland Socks, started June 24th, 2007, finished August 3rd, 2007
Pattern: Vinnland Socks from The AntiCraft
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool, 1 skein, with golf ball-sized bit left over
Needles: 2.5mm all the way through
Dimensions: for my size 8 foot (cast on for 23cm (9″) size)
Pattern Notes: Exactly as written! Well, mostly.
Would I knit it again? I really liked it, but there are so many sock patterns out there, I don’t think I ever want to repeat myself. Then again, the ribbing is so stretchy, it’d make a great gift sock.

My first toe-up sock, and my first short row heel. I like it. I can’t say whether or not I like it better than the heel flap yet, but I like doing new techniques. I put my hand under my foot for that photo because I realised that photographing a grey sock against greyish concrete was not the best idea.

The yarn is lovely, it’s got a nice sheen and is very soft. Here’s hoping it holds up to being worn.

It took me a while to do these, mainly because I stopped partway through the first one and took a break. Can you guess why, looking at the photo above? Anyone? Here, let me zoom in:

Now you see it, don’t you? I use a little Post-it to mark my place on the chart, and one day I took the pattern out of the bag to find that the Post-it had fallen off. It was still early days in the knitting, and I wasn’t living and breathing the pattern yet, so as I was trying to figure out what row it was, I made a mistake. To be fair, this pattern has two rows (rows 8 and 16) that are just 2×2 ribbing. I just chose the wrong one. I didn’t notice until a few more repeats up, but I decided not to frog. It all blends, and I think the colour of the yarn helps hide it too. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I still like them, and find it sort of neat that they’re different. Of course, the pattern ends at different points at the cuffs now, as you are instructed to stop on row 8 or 16. The first sock (with its extra half a repeat) stops at 16, the correct sock stops at 8. Oh well.

Finished Two-Tone Shrug, started July 11th, 2007, finished July 18, 2007
Pattern: Stephanie Japel’s Two-Tone Shrug from Fitted Knits
Yarn: 1 skein Dream in Colour Classy in ‘Wisterious’, 1 skein Cascase 220 Heathers in ‘2441′
Needles: 3.75mm for the ribbing, 4.5mm for the body
Dimensions: 35.5cm (14″) shoulder measurement (I measured armpit to armpit across my back)
Pattern Notes: Exactly as written!
Would I knit it again? Definitely!

I finished this in the afternoon at work, and wore it on the plane to see my parents that evening. The airline stewardess commented on it, saying it was really nice. I got a few more compliments when I wore it out in Victoria too.

I did EZ’s sewn bind off, so it would be stretchy. I’m glad I did that, but it took AGES. And, because that long length of yarn went in and out of every stitch, it was really sheddy by the end. I felt very allergic, just because of all the teeny yarn particles.

And you guys have to know how much I like you all. It was 29C today, and not only did I put on a pair of wool socks to photograph, I put on a wool shrug! Immediately afterwards I had some medicinal ice cream.

All photos of the shrug courtesy of my camera’s self-timer.