The House of Geeks

Say you put two geeks in a house and tell them to make it their own. What do you think will happen?

My girlfriend and I have been living together for over a week now, but we cohabited for the entirety of 2012 too so we’ve had some practice. The most stressful transition by far has been trying to figure out which comics to keep and which to ditch for now on our budget. I instantly said I wanted to keep:

1. Black Widow
2. She-Hulk
3. Ms. Marvel
4. Captain Marvel

They are my favourite comics apparently, or at least the ones that mean the most to me. Because if pressed I would say Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye is my favourite. We’re keeping that too, along with Young Avengers and Iron Man. But it’s the female-fronted comics that mean the most to me because not only do they have good stories (at least these ones do, especially Ms. Marvel) they also stand for increased diversity in Marvel comics and I’m a feminist as much as I’m a nerd.

Aside from masses of comics, there are a few other signs around the house that we might be of a geek persuasion.

Hawkeye and Cyclops are hanging out there happily. If we had a little more cash during our trip to Toronto on our 4 year anniversary, I’m sure my girlfriend would have brought home the Daryl (from Walking Dead) bust we saw at the Silver Snail.

In terms of knitting, I’m currently job-hunting (read: unemployed) so I’ve had a little extra time. I’m most of the way through a bright pink sock for my girlfriend which really just shows how much I love her since I really, really don’t like knitting with pink. The only one who has been granted such an honour before was my little sister who is awesome.

The pattern is Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder. If you’ve been on Ravelry you’ve seen them; they’re the most popular sock pattern, at least in the free category which is all I can look at until I get a job. It’s such a simple pattern but very satisfying.

As for the yarn, it was my last purchase from The Knit Studio in Newcastle. It’s Lang Jawoll Superwash in brain-searing pink which will go quite nicely with most of my girlfriend’s clothes, including her work uniform. And I’m the feminine one.

In a final bout of exciting news, I finished the Avengers blanket of doom. It took me a year but I did it. I also realised I spent about three months knitting the thing and then, in an absolutely nonsensical chain of events, took nine bloody months to sew it together and weave in the ends. I never thought of myself as one of those knitters but apparently I am.

I’ll be posting pictures of that next week when I can talk someone into helping me. It’s almost as tall as me.

The Trials of Emigrating

I’m going to miss my mini garden here.

It turns out preparing to emigrate is a lot more hard work than I remember from my last time leaving the country, but then last time I was extremely ill with IIH and on some rather potent medication so it’s honestly a bit of a blur. Seeing as I turned up in Canada with a few items of clothing and all of my yarn, including my crappy stuff, I don’t think I was all there during the process.

This time I’m going to send all but my most expensive, treasured yarn ahead of me or just get rid of it (/donate it to friends). I can only bring one suitcase. The most difficult part will be my comics, of which I have many. It’s looking like the only option is to send them ahead which is going to be expensive but less expensive than buying them all over again. Most of my things I can stand to get rid of; I have deliberately not acquired many books or DVDs this year which has meant purchasing a kindle and living off Netflix. Yarn and comics? Those are too important to me.

Due to the rest of my brain power being thoroughly taken up by the stress (and sheer bloody elation) of moving back to Canada to my wonderful girlfriend and all our pets, the rest of this entry can be in bullet points.

• The necklace I made with Supremily is getting a lot of compliments. Someone even said it looks professionally made. It doesn’t but I’m still very proud of it.
• I am reading a book called Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes. It is one I downloaded onto my kindle at some point then forgot about but I’m enjoying it immensely. It is a crime novel about a man who talks people into giving up life, then watches their bodies after they’ve starved to death. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
• I have a week left at work. I deliberately gave notice for the Friday of next week so I can definitely go to the last Saturday knitting group at the Knit Studio. My friend Rachael and I (who have had adventures before) are going to make a yarny day of it. More on that next week.
• Knitting is difficult right now because I’m so distracted. I have, however, been finishing off a large worsted-weight shawl in TARDIS blue. Soon there will be pictures.
• Some friends joined me for goodbye drinks at the wonderful Bar Loco which does the best pizzas ever. It was a great night and I’m honoured to have met so many lovely people in this fine city. I’ll miss them. Thankfully we live in 2014, not 1814; I can use Facebook to communicate with them instead of writing longhand letters and destroying my tendons. Woo modern times!

That’s it for now. What are you guys up to at the moment? Anyone started their summer knitting? I’ve been meaning to start some socks – perfect lightweight knitting!

A (Nerdy) Day in Durham

It’s one thing to meet someone with one similar interest to you; it’s quite another to meet someone with lots. That’s how I feel about quite a few people I’ve met in Newcastle since I moved up here a year and a bit ago. I never expected to meet people who share both my love of comics and my love of knitting/fibre in general but I have multiple yarn/nerd friends up here and they’re all wonderful.

One of these friends is Rachael. We met at my first or second trip to the Knit Studio for the Saturday knitting group (currently suspended) and hit it off, eventually deciding that we needed to hang out outside of the knit group.

A couple of weeks ago we decided to go to Durham to see the new yarn store (The Woolly Workshop) and to go the comic book cafe (Dark Matter Cafe). SUCH A GOOD IDEA. I bought some lovely Cashmerino from the yarn store – yes, the one that made the baby hat/booties – and marvelled over the sheep model outside it. We went TWICE to Dark Matter Cafe because their peanut butter hot chocolate is utterly divine and we could not resist going back for more.

As Rachael said, THE FACE(s) OF PURE JOY!

Rachael is the one with the blue mask and fabulous hair; I’m the one with the rather dashing jawline and sparkling whites.

It’s so refreshing to go to a place where you feel comfortable and like you’re in the majority rather than the minority. People were sitting playing Pokemon and making awful Pokemon/Doctor Who puns. The walls were filled with posters and interesting comic art. These were our people. I wish I’d had somewhere like that to go as a teenager; I woulda been much happier.

Plus it’s super pretty.

Of course we got a little knitting done whilst enjoying our drinks. Rachael is making her first socks; they’re amazing because she is an over-acheiver when it comes to knitting new things, seriously. And I knitted some more of a scarf I’m making out of some beautiful blue silk.

Left: Fishnet lace scarf. Right: FABULOUS first sock.

All this in the beautiful surroundings of Durham which is one of my favourite places in the world. Sure, you go home with super sore muscles from walking up and down all the ridiculous hills but it’s gorgeous and full of interesting things as well as the famous Cathedral which is older than my brain can compute and drenched in history.

Just look at that. So cool.

It’s days like these that fill me up with happiness and inspiration. I’m lucky to have such interesting and awesome people in life. Since today I’m going to eat lunch with another fellow knitter/nerd (hello Jen!) I’m feeling especially pleased with my lot in life.

Except for that part where I’m still waiting to hear back from the Canadian Embassy. Hurry up, guys.

At least I have fun things to do and nice people to see while I wait to go home!

Second Swap: Suitably Nerdy

Last week I got my parcel from my latest swap partner on Nerdy Swaps (Ravelry), Dorkwats. I was completely spoiled with the things she sent me, I am overwhelmed with how much I love it all.

The hoard. LOOK AT THE PRECIOUS.

The cowl at the top has spiders on it and little Claddagh buttons – the theme is Joss Whedon, so it’s like the ring Angel gave Buffy. I love that detail and I love spiders so I’ve been wearing it constantly since. I can’t remember the make of the yarn right now but will no doubt post about it later when I transform it into something awesome. It’s alpaca sock yarn and is very squishy and good! There are rose sweets too which are my favourite things ever, as well as lots of little treats.

A close up.

The Firefly key fob is adorable. I need to attach my keys to it tonight. I also got a bunch of cute little magnets.

Yarn!

My favourite (non-handmade) thing is in the first picture: the Hawkeye bag. It’s huge and fits all my ridiculous stuff in it to carry around. I tend to carry around way too much stuff, especially yarn and needles etc so it’s absolutely perfect.

I adored participating in this swap, though it was perhaps bad timing around Christmas which is a stressful time for anyone. Thank you to my lovely swap partner; let’s hope she likes me package too!

Follow Your Arrow: Ysolda Mystery KAL

There’s something fun and interesting going down in the world of knitting.

It’s the Follow Your Arrow Mystery Knit-a-Long. For those of you who haven’t encountered such a thing before, it’s when a designer – in this case the adored Ysolda Teague – puts together a pattern than is completed in parts. They release the pattern bit by bit over the course of a few weeks until a gorgeous mystery pattern is revealed in its entirety.

This one has a twist. This Mystery KAL involves choosing your own path at each point so there are 32 possible shawls at the end of it. This has appealed to me like no other KAL has so I signed up and ordered myself some yarn.

Quite fittingly I did so whilst slightly inebriated and couldn’t remember doing so until an email popped up saying it had been dispatched. Apparently drunk-me decided that the best thing to do would be to pick out pale green merino/angora 4-ply. Now… I really like merino and angora, though angora is a pain in my behind. But pale green? Really?

Ach, well. It’s soft and squishy and takes me out of my comfort zone just like this whole venture. And yes, we do need bars on our windows. It’s Newcastle, people. It’s a shocker the scrap metal folk haven’t tried to pry the bars out yet.

The journey begins on 13th January when we receive the first clue. I can hardly wait.

If you’re a member of LSG on Ravelry, come on over and join us. Uh, fair warning for those who don’t usually frequent LSG: we’re notoriously loud and obnoxious, if one can be loud on the interwebs. We’re also the friendliest group ever if you’re well-meaning and fond of swear words, so come on over.

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Geeky Crochet: Marvel’s Avengers

It’s been ages since The Avengers hit our screens and I’m still reeling. I’d been tentatively dipping my toes into the world of comics for a while before that but this movie flung me full pelt into it. Thanks, Joss. Another life ruined.

Anyway, I’ve been scouting Ravelry for Avengers-themed knits and crochet…ing. It’s what I do with my spare time, don’t judge.

I can’t believe I haven’t done one of these posts for Avengers yet.

Pattern Here

Yes, that’s right, you can get your very own ebook full of the Avengers cast as bunnies. Why, might you ask? Well… why not? This would be a perfect gift for anyone who is a fan of the film franchise and also small fluffy bunnies. The best is Fury. Fact.

 

Pattern here

Are you a member of Loki’s Army? Of course you are. The only thing to do is crack out your crochet hook and make yourself this adorable (and free!) amigurumi, complete with a little hat with adorable horns. Um, I mean terrifying. Terrifying horns. Sorry Loki.

Pattern here

Are you more of a Thor person? I don’t blame you. Look at those flowing blond locks, those rippling muscles. Mostly I just enjoy his almost oblivious humour; it cracks me up as surely as that coffee glass. Here’s another awesome pattern for you to hook.

Pattern here

Maybe you’re more of a Stark person. If you are, welcome to the club of which I am a founding member. Well, maybe not founding. He’s quite a bit older than me in terms of both chronological age and time since first comic was published. I think he’s older than at least one of my parents. Anyway, point is he’s great, and here’s a way to zoom around your school/workplace/parliament pretending to zap people with your repulsors. Or something.

Up next: Captain Marvel. Yes, she does deserve a post all of her own.

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End of the Year Post 2013

What did I do this year?

I ended up in Newcastle upon Tyne of all places thanks to a kind offer from a lovely friend (Lucy!) when I realised I was stuck in England again for a while. This was one of the most difficult times of my life to date but I’ve grown to love Newcastle even as I long to get home to Ontario.

Me in Durham; the Angel of the North; my good friend Lucy and I in Tynemouth; Tyne Bridge at sunset.

It’s a gorgeous city full of vibrant people and a great yarn shop, The Knit Studio. I’ve met some lovely people there and have really enjoyed my time getting to know them. If you’re in the Newcastle area look up The Knit Studio – it’s shut for a bit at the moment but it’s worth a visit if you get the time. Gorgeous yarn, brilliant people.

In September I went back to Canada. Hello, Ontario! I spent a week chilling with my lovely girlfriend and remembering my life there before we skipped over the border to head out to Las Vegas for a few days. It was one of the best holidays I’ve been on and it was brilliant getting to spend unadulterated time with her in such a vibrant place. We stayed in Circus Circus which meant a lot of walking and some rather disgusting blisters but it was worth it for the heat and the surreal beauty of the place. It took us a while to realise the grass was fake – makes sense in a desert!

We saw a few shows and also went to the Grand Canyon on my birthday. I’d always wanted to go there so I was thrilled. We had a really nice day even though the weather was being a bit weird – it was just before the floods around the area.

Nari and I at the Grand Canyon; dolphins showing off; a raven looking dramatic at the Grand Canyon; Las Vegas at night.

While I was in Oshawa I got to see the pets I left behind and to meet a new one. Van is Nari’s new puppy – quite big already and growing by the day. He’s a sweetheart.

Luna; Ninja; Van and Sandra Dee; Seanie. All the adorables.

I saw my family a few times. I went down to my hometown in spring and spent a week there, mostly with my little sister though I saw a lot of my mum and saw my big sister and my niece too, as well as my dad. Then I saw the paternal side of my lineage in London both in September and earlier in December. Both times were great and lots of alcohol was imbibed. My mum came up in autumn and we had a good time exploring Newcastle.

My niece and nephew got big. I’m not sure when this happened. I guess it’s because I only see them a few times each year; they seem to expand exponentially each time. I am an extremely proud aunty.

Rubi and Jayden. You can guess which is which.

It has been a tough year. I’m thousands of miles away from the person I love and only got to spend two weeks with her; that’s 50 weeks apart. On top of that I’ve been dealing with some pretty heavy mental health stuff and I’m emotionally exhausted. It hasn’t been easy but I think I did a good job of making the most of it: I started exercising, I’m in therapy, I knitted all the things.

Which brings me to my last awkward collage.

Happy new year one and all. Let’s hope 2014 is a corker!

 

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Socks Yay Socks

I’m so classy, jeez.

I’ve been knitting these socks from some really lovely yarn. It’s the stuff I got in the swap and I adore it; it’s soft, squishy and dyed in a beautiful way. I love the subtle changes in the yarn – the colour, that is, because the yarn is nicely balanced itself.

It was difficult choosing a pattern for the sock because I didn’t think a complicated pattern would look right on this kind of yarn. I browsed for a long time through patterns on Ravelry trying to decide what to do until I realised that the best thing for this yarn would be to knit a plain stockinette sock after all. There are some yarns that just have to be showcased for exactly what they are, and Jennifer’s stuff is one of them.

These socks have been with me through a lot in the last few weeks. I knitted pretty much the entire first sock while I was at an OCD conference. The second has been with me at work and at home and at my friend’s house while we learnt songs to sing to my visiting mother. I do love how a finished knitted object carries all these things with it long after they’re finished. It’s one of the reasons I love knitting for the people I care for; it feels like I’m giving a little piece of myself instead of just string in fancy patterns.

As an aside, I highly recommend the KnitPro DPNs. They’re smooth and warm and beautiful. I usually knit on bamboo DPNs, but I treated myself to some to match my KnitPro circular set.

Never have I made a pair of socks that have ended up actually belonging to me, but I’m determined not to give these away.

We’ll see.

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The Doctor’s Scarf

So Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary was all kinds of epic. I watched it at the cinema in 3D and loved it. However in the interest of avoiding spoilers for those unfortunates who haven’t watched it yet, I’m not going to speak about it here. YET. (Possibly ever, because I am easily distracted and will probably launch back into my Captain Marvel obsession any moment now.)

Instead I’m going to talk about the wonder that is The Doctor’s Scarf. Yes, that one. The ridiculously long iconic stripy thing that looks to be about the most boring thing to knit in the world, yet is on most Whovians’ Ravelry queue.

I think I can see the end of it!

Whilst wandering around the Interwebs wondering how everyone else felt about the brainmelting genius that was the recent episode, I found an article on the Guardian that had the most charming quote from our good old Tom Baker.

He gave it to a woman who was so excited at being asked to work for Doctor Who that she started knitting it and just didn’t stop. When we went to her room, it was so full of scarf, we couldn’t get in. She offered to cut it up, but Jim wanted to keep it. Other designers took over and, with each subsequent series, it got longer and longer and more operatic.

Bless. I can imagine the excitement of being asked to knit something like that. Honestly? It would be so boring to knit something that long and monotonous if it were for one of the greatest characters ever created!

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Knitting in the Cold

I knit through the summer but there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from knitting items when it’s already cold outside. There is something truly peaceful about sitting in a warm room with the rain and wind thrashing outside quietly knitting a hat for someone, knowing that it will make their winter a little more bearable.

It’s NaNoWriMo right now so, of course, knitting has suddenly become a desperate craving. It happens every November. In a bid to write as much as possible in one month (I’m aiming for 100,000 words this month instead of the usual 50,000!) everything else seems to be far more fun. Write? Nah. Knit another row of a hat I’d forgotten I cast on months ago? Sure why not!

The combination of the cold and procrastination make November one of the most productive months for me.

On the needles:

• A green hat for Lucy
• Spiderman hat (with eye holes!) for a small child’s birthday
• A blue cat teddy for my nephew
• A scarf for someone fancy and awesome
• Some red socks for myself with the yarn from the swap, and
• A scarf for the next swap I’m doing (this is technically on the hook; I’m crocheting it.)

And these are only the active ones, not the various things stashed away in my cupboards for later.

I do love feeling like I can’t get enough off the needles. It’s very satisfying to feel so productive. The best way to get me to do anything is if there’s something more urgent I should be doing; suddenly I can’t stop myself.

Are any of you charming knitters balancing a knitting life with Nanowrimo this year?

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