I haven't done much knitting lately but I do have a new addition that I got for my birthday.



A kiwi spinning wheel! I soon realized that wood finishing is not for me. I do not have the patience or the talent. I think the extra money spent on a finished wheel is definitely worth it now..

I bought the wheel on eBay from Copper Moose, and they sent a pound of Corriedale fiber to practice on.



And this is the first skein I made from it. It ended up about 38 yards and is double-plied.



All skeined up..



I am definitely a newb. I've bought two books so far: Start Spinning and Intertwined. I look forward to getting good at the regular stuff so I can make the fancy art stuff. I know I need a lot of practice.

Also since I haven't been around for a long time here is a treat: Muse at the Fort Worth Convention Center last week. It was my third time seeing them and they get better every time!

I just got a lovely surprise in the mail today. It was the final package from my secret pal!



The hand knit cable scarf is gorgeous and just perfect for the chilly weather we've been having lately. I am shocked that it was made for me. I don't think I've ever gotten a knitted item as a gift before. Thank you for all the time you spent on it, Mioshee! It's hard to tell in the photo but it is a nice burnt orange color, which will help me to blend in with all the OSU fans I am surrounded by. :)

Also in the package was a really pretty silk covered address book, Mason Dixon Knitting (which was on my wishlist!), and some Patons dye-able sock yarn. What a great package. Thanks again!

I haven't been knitting lately but I only have 2 more weeks of school until Christmas break so I will surely get some stuff done then. Until then!

Last Thursday I finally got through with a very bad month in school and decided to take a nice week off from studying, so I got some knitting done. First I made a really cute present for a friend but I don't want to post about it until after I give it to her this Friday. Then I started back on the glittens I have been working on for a bit, with a new yarn - Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends - that the recipient and I picked out from Hobby Lobby. That yarn was working much better than the previous but one skein wasn't quite enough to finish so that project is on hold until I overcome my laziness and go back to buy another. :)

Finally, I decided to start the infamous Clapotis with the Kureyon sock yarn that my Secret Pal gifted me with. I have ordered another skein because this one is running out fast!



A good friend lent me her seasons of Supernatural so that has been great knitting material. I had been knitting so many socks and other items in the round lately that I find myself getting a little bored of purling.

There is a big knitting convention like thing (well, big for Oklahoma) going on next spring and I am debating signing up for a class or two. It's the weekend right before I start clinical rotations though so I'm not sure I want to make any plans this far ahead. Decisions decisions!

I was just thinking I needed to post a blog and that I didn't have much to say besides that I was studying all week and still haven't gotten a chance to knit. However, a package from my Secret Pal was waiting for me at home after a particularly long and tedious day at school!



The package contained a houndstooth/floral stationary/note set, a needle holder, some nice size 2 DPNs, an issue of knitscene, and some very lovely yarn: a skein of Noro Kureyon Sock and 2 skeins of Laines du Nord Baby Star. Thank you pal! It was definitely a nice surprise. Here's a closeup of the pretty yarn..

It's a Sunday post! I just watched Muse perform on the VMAs. They were awesome. I however have not watched that much MTV in years (waiting for them to come on) and I feel old and crotchety. I also wish they'd leave the Twilight references out of it because it shouldn't be considered their only claim to fame. How bout their talent? Don't shoot me. :)

I had a good weekend but after a little bit of studying my planner I realized I have several bad school weeks ahead of me. I don't have a test until next Monday but it's going to snowball after that so I need to keep up with it. So, no knitting this past week and I am still trying to arrange a time for me to teach a friend how to start on her scarf. Hopefully we can get to it this week and maybe I will continue my quest to finish my gift glittens. I am also rounding up a few odds and ends for the final package to my Secret Pal spoilee.

It's officially been a week since I stopped eating meat and I'm not looking back. Not only have I lost weight but it was also way cheaper when I went out for sushi. It's a new task for me and I'm not always good at keeping those kinds of things up when stuff gets stressful but I really want to.

Until next week.

Agh, I missed my Sunday post again! In defense, after last week I was trying to catch up on sleep all weekend. I am however still studying; I have an endocrine exam again tomorrow. After that I have a couple weeks with no exams so I am just doggy-paddling my way to the temporary finish line..

I worked on my friend's Urban Necessity glove over the weekend. I'm in a predicament that I think I might fix by changing yarn. I happen to be running out of this current skein after doing a couple trial gloves and I'm still having problems adjusting it to her hand size. Laziness is also becoming a factor.

I went to my parents for Labor Day weekend and hung out with their puppies. I should be able to post some pics in the next few days to make up for the lack of knitting.

I had a monster of an endocrinology exam on Friday and this week is going to be hell. There's a derm exam on Wednesday morning, then that and Thursday afternoons I have surgery that will take up all of the afternoon. Then on Friday morning I have a surgery lecture final. I wish I could be excited about doing my first spay and neuter but with this schedule I just know I will be exhausted and still have to go home and study afterward. So, no knitting to be done right now.

I did talk a couple friends into going to a LYS (well, if local includes 40 minutes of driving) and one of them decided she wanted to learn how to knit and bought some nice yarn for a scarf. The next time we have a free weekend (ha) I will give her a knitting lesson. I even talked her into knitting Continental even though she's right-handed. Ha! I could teach her the basics of English throwing but I'm super awkward with it and I kinda believe that Continental is just inherently faster, whether that's actually true or not, I dunno. :)

Finally, to contribute to my Secret Pal hostess's baby pattern frenzy, my favorite baby pattern that I've completed was the baby Chucks (Ravelry link) that I made for little Wayne. I have to say I had to make several just to get them perfect but the final product was so cute I was okay with that, and the other patterns I tried before I found that one were not so productive. Another easy favorite pattern would be the Umbilical Hat from Stitch 'n Bitch because they're super quick, and kitties don't mind trying them on for a few minutes (while they're napping.. see header photo).