Flying the Friendly Skies

Plan on flying with your knitting/ crochet or needle point? No problem according to our friends at the TSA:

Knitting needles are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage. However, there is a possibility that the needles can be perceived as a possible weapon by one of our Security Officers. Our Security Officers have the authority to determine if an item could be used as a weapon and may not allow said item to pass through security. We recommend the following when bring knitting needles on an airplane:

• Circular knitting needles are recommended to be less than 31 inches in total length
• We recommend that the needles be made of bamboo or plastic (Not Metal)
• Scissors must have blunt points
• In case a Security Officer does not allow your knitting tools through security it is recommended that you carry a self addressed envelope so that you can mail your tools back to yourself as opposed to surrendering them at the security check point.
• As a precautionary measure we recommend that you carry a crochet hook with yarn to save the work you have already done in case your knitting tools are surrendered at the checkpoint

Most of the items needed to pursue a Needlepoint project are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage with the exception of circular thread cutters or any cutter with a blade contained inside. These items cannot be taken through a security checkpoint. They must go in your checked baggage.

Now, what I don't undertand is this statement "As a precautionary measure we recommend that you carry a crochet hook with yarn to save the work you have already done in case your knitting tools are surrendered at the checkpoint." What does this mean exactly? So if you've started a knitting project on 36" steel size 2 needles and they're confiscated in fear that, in a knitterly rage over a stitch dropped when the plane hit an air pocket, you'll garrotte the pilot after stabbing out the flight attendant's eyes for spilling ginger ale on your project that you can simply continue working on said project with a crochet hook?? Do they think knitting and crochet are totally interchangable? Oh that's just ignorant! While I'm bicraftual and I am a strong proponent of knowing both skill sets, I know plenty of knitters who aren't. What are they supposed to do, use the hook as a stitchholder?

Anyway, thank goodness I converted most of my needles to bamboo, except for the Boye needle master cicular set. So I'm going to Mexico for a science conference friday. I hope to find some great yarn there, oh and learn sciencie-stuff too of course.

Spinning DNA

Yes, DNA: the new all natural fiber! I was in my biology lab class today and our objective was to retrieve the chromosmal DNA from an E. coli culture. I had done something similar in my first year biology lab, but this process was more invovled and the DNA should hopefully be quite pure. So we did all the mixing and setting and out cae this lovely, bubbly, snot-like residue. hen we had to extract it from the test tube, being sure not to contaminate the "fibers" with the newly separated proteins and such. Once safely transferred, we had to spin it onto glass rods, or spindles as I like to think of them, and leave them out to dry. It's remarkable how the single chromosome of millions and millions of E. coli stick together like the individal hairs of (insert name of favorite fiber animal here). I don't know whether it's nerdy or just obsessive and disturbing, but I really wished that I could knit it up. But i do get to play with it. In 2 weeks it's gel electrophoresis. Hooray!

Moving, Homework, & Lace Work

Well, we've been moving for the last week or so now. Almost done. In the meantime there has been a lot of homework to do even in the 3rd week of class. This is because almost all the classes I'm taking are heavily math oriented: Calculus I, Physics II, and Quantitative Chemical Analysis. I'm also taking a biology class that's only a lab once a week and pottery. The wheel is a tricky beast. We'll be doing coils next week and I think I'll have better luck with that.I'm glad that I'm auditing the pottery class and not having to worry about a grade. Overall, I'm not comfortable being graded on such subjective things as "creativity." That's why I'm a science major dammit! A science major who is not at all on comfortable terms with math. How unfortunate for me.

Anyway, with all the chaos of moving and homework and labs and such, I have not worked on much. I finished my second feather & fan stitch muffler from Knit 2 Together in Malabrigo. This is the first time that I worked with Malabrigo and, if I could only knit with one yarn for the rest of my life that would be it. The easy of knitting, the texture and the colors would be worth it. Just what do they feed those merino sheep in Uraguay anyway?? What fabulous wool!!
I'm now starting the South Seas Table runner from the K2Tog book in Maggie Knits Irish Linen/Cotton blend for our new table. Between this and the muffer, I think that I may like lacework. Something about those big open stitches that are just so lovely. Oh, oh, oh! And my cashmere came in today for making the Gym Slip Dress from the K2Tog book! I is so excited!! I can't wait to swatch it!

I 'm very happy with the new place, but I must confess that I miss my knitting knook at the old apartment. But I look forward to spring and knitting one the screened-in porch listening to Lime 'n' Violet, Cast-On and other knitting podcasts. Now, if I could only fully unpack my stash box.

First Day of School, Happy Mail Day, & I Need an Umbrella Swift

Today was the first day of the new semester, but more importantly it was a happy mail day! Not only did I get the high whorl drop spindle from this eBay store which, by the way, came with a bit of free roving (very nice!), but the Lime & Violet yarn came in too! Yea! Lookit all the goodies!
So I started balling up the Bizarre Love Triangle on my new X-mas present so I can work with it ASAP. As you can see, I have to clamp it to a chair since the table we have is not designed for the ball winder. I was using the back of the chair to keep the yarn straight.


Unfortunately.....


... about a third of it now resembles the Flying Spagetti Monster.

I am now attacking the Bizarre Love Tangle from the other end. I realize that an umbrella swift is a necessary companion to the ball winder. I'll be waiting to wind the other hank when I go to Wild Fibre on saturday, if not sooner.

But I love the yarn, so thank you thank you thank you L & V !!!

Runagogo

The other day I signed up for Runagogo , the fitness challenge by knitters for knitters: 100 miles by April 1st. I found out about it on a link on the Adam Knits! blog. I have to say that it is a fabulous idea! I was a avid runner for the first half of 2006. I'm lucky to live in a city that hosts so many 5K's. But in May it got too ridiculously hot, and with that the racing season ended, as did some of my enthusiam for running. The gym at my school was recently renovated with all new fitness gear, but without the races I stopped pushing myself like I had before. Then I took up crochet, then knitting and, well, that hobby is the antithesis of training for races. So I am very glad that this came about. No longer do I have to wrestle with conflicting hobbies (not that the truly conflict, never blame the yarn!). Yesterday I got in my first 2.1 miles and today I made Lifetime at my WeightWatchers meeting. So far this yea is off to a good start! I think I'll go treat myself to a WW ice cream sandwich now.

SCORE!

So last night I was listening to the latest, freshly downloaded podcast of Lime & Violet while working on my very easy ever-increasing garter stitch shawl in green (color 504) Atacama 100% alpaca (I have 10 balls of the stuff thanks to a sale at AC Moore and it's knitting up to look a bit like moldy ramen noodles, but I mean that in a good way), when they announced that they had some of their hand-dyed yarn for sale on Etsy. Having recently opened an account with Etsy thanks to their show, I darted in on their Etsy store to check it out. I am now the future owner of podcast-famous yarn!! I was able to get the last skein of Bizarre Love Triangle (the one Miss Lime was dancing to while dying the yarn)...

... and colorway 1963 which is a lovely-looking blend of "Light lime, peachy orange, and luscious raspberry come together to make a totally lick-able yarn."
I am so psyched! Now I just have to learn how to knit socks!

Ah, the First Completed Projects of the New Year

The fingerless garter mitts from the One Skein book are finally done. I finished the second one on the 1st and sewed them up the next morning. I got to show them off at the tuesday S&B at Wild Fibre.


I also stopped putting it off and finally finished the basket weave scarf that I started for my mom back in November. It wasn't difficult or boring, it's just that I kept putting it off to finish the local people's X-mas gifts (yes, I know, I'm a bad daughter). I used Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran Color #6. It's a wonderfully soft braided yarn, so it's split resistant. I chose this yarn for my mom since she is somewhat "sensitive" to wool and it is a cashmir/ microfiber/ merino blend. She'll never be able to tell that there's wool in it. HA! She lives in LA, so I made it short. I'll either make or find a nice little brooch so that she can pin it loosely around her neck.