Too many things to talk about

Hello! 
The first post is up for the Advent Calendar Scarf 2012, and it isn't even December.  I DON'T HAVE MY BEADS YET!  O!  Dear.  Can you all tell I am freaking out? I knew I should have run out today and bought some. Well, I actually stopped at Michael's but they did not have any 8/0  (not sure what the numbers mean or how they work, except that the beads get bigger as the number gets smaller.)  They had 11/0 and 6/0 and I was very tempted to get the 6/0 but they were just too big.  I am going to use the same Cascade Alpaca Lace yarn in Ecru

that I used to make my mom's Echo Flower Shawl.

I was going to just use the left over red beads from last year, but I can't find them... Sob.  Well, now I can use a different color.  I was thinking gold, but now I might use black.  I think that will look really nice with the ecru yarn.  Anyway, I am going to knit up the first 4 rows tonight, and then run out tomorrow morning (the shop opens at 10 am) and get some beads.

HPKCHC
I turned in everything today for my first term as a Gryffindor.  I managed to turn in something for EVERY class again this month, as well as a completed OWL and BROOM, and I participated in every Quidditch (except for the Hat  Time Trials - I wasn't selected, but I cheered the team on).  Honestly, I am exhausted.  I really want to participate again next "term" which starts in January, but, I need to let myself relax a bit.  Famous last words as I was already reading the OWL prompts and thinking about what I might propose!

Anyway, I really want to show the Snape's Stockings that I finished as the last part of my History of Magic OWL.

One of the things that Cat Bordhi talked about in her Sweet Tomato Heels Class, was the need to make socks with a really tight fabric.  These socks wear the best.  This is especially important in the heels. If you are a loose purler (I am), the heels won't have the same strength as the rest of the sock.  Cat gave us some tips on how to make better heels.  One was to drop down a needle size, another to just drop down the purling needle.  She also suggested learning how to knit left handed, so that you are never actually purling, just knitting back but left-handed.  I have always wanted to learn this, as one of my sisters is a leftie, so I taught myself with much awkwardness.  I am very slow at it, but wow, it works!  My left handed knitting is very very tight, and the heels on these new socks are the best I have ever knit.

I finished the socks on the flight back from Princeton University yesterday.  And United Airlines is still horrible.  Honestly, a 6 1/2 hour flight with not even a bag of pretzels.  Also, it cost $8.00 to watch the movie or TV on flight. Pookie and I didn't starve though, we had brought apples and protein bars. Then, we landed in Seattle and the pilot said,"we are 5 minutes early."  But, there was a plane at our gate, and we had to wait for them to move, so actually, we were 45 minutes late, just sitting on the tarmac, waiting to pull up. 

So the socks are wonderful:

I was knitting the last 2 projects and trying to get everything posted today, and my feet were freezing, so ... although these socks will be my Christmas present for the Doc (he never reads this blog, so I am safe writing that), I wore them!

They fit great and are super warm.

The last 2 projects/classes I knit for this term were a hat for Flying, and a sheep for Charms.  The Flying class prompt was to create something inspired by a forgotten aviator.  So I did some research into early Women Flyers, and made a stash busting baby hat that is is fun and bright and is supposed to represent Opal Kunz.  This might sound silly, but it was fun doing the research.  Here is the hat:

The sheep was for Charms.  We were supposed to "bring the outdoors in."  This is a great prompt, and I had thought of making something with a leaf pattern, or perhaps even some leaves, like leaf washcloths or leaf trivets, but I decided to try to knit a small animal toy.  I knit a sheep.

Super easy and cute.

Can you tell I am now obsessed with apples? It is apple season, and we have so many wonderful varieties at our grocery stores, all from local farms.

These are all different types that I have at the house right now.  And NONE is a Fuji (a variety that I love).

I didn't write much about our trip to Princeton, but that would make this post super long.  The photo at the top is from a series of Chinese Zodiac sculptures in front of the Engineering Building.

Any way, we love the school.  Everything we saw and everything we learned just made us love it more.

Keep your fingers crossed for Pookie.

Ok, that's all for now.  I need to cast on my Scarf!

Peace.
Yours,

f1bercat
shaping the planet with new socks and a sheep.