Oh SNAP!!

The flow chart - and the most important part of the flow chart, as demonstrated by a rather ill-feeling corporate automaton.

More recent knitting pictures

My two recent projects: a branching out scarf from Knitty.com and a viney looking scarf of my own devising.

Miss Kalendar, the victorian lady/ actress

And here we have Miss Kalendar, all decked out in her honest victorian spendour. I believe credit for the headshot, the one of Miss Kalendar and Gail Carriger, and the one of Miss Kalendar and Mr. Roger U. Rightley after their curtain calls belongs to RJ.

I believe the last one is by Brittney Hart.


Here we see Miss Kalendar in her somewhat authentic victorian state. Yes, those curls are actually hers, and yes, she is in correct dress, all the way to the bone.....but that is not what interests you. So let me tell you something that might, yes, she was knitting in every available moment, and yes, she may have been devising a lace corset-cover to steam-punk....

But then, you probably have guessed that....


Oh, off to the christmas party!

Knitting for the past week and a half:

I present a pair of socks that I improvised out of Trekking's Pro Natura. I learned to hate that colorway. The jury was out among those I polled, but the top two comparisons were either baby crap, or vomit. Personally, I thought it looked more like vomit. -however- because the socks I made up (I was backstage at Pirates of Penzance waiting for my cues) didn't take nearly all of the yarn, I also made up some simple wristers to go with. I have a candidate for the socks, who happens to love the browns, green, and mustard color...so she's getting both.

I also made two pairs of wristers in other sock yarns I had scraps of, or that hadn't made it into socks yet. The gorgeous cold blue and grey colorway (my favorite so far) is left over from a pair of monkeys made earlier this year. The other is a green, teal, and dark blue that I don't care for as much. Both of those pairs are also gifts - they are thank yous to a guy and girl who helped make my recent 29th birthday the spectacular success it was. It's hard to feel special when you're running around fair performing, so I really appreciate what they and my other friends did.
Why are they the only ones with thank you gifts at the moment? Because their generosity was really really really unexpected and touched me - and because I see them very rarely, and my other friends already just pipe up when they want something knitted.

So, I shall post additional pictures as soon as I can of other knits and things. I just wanted to be sure to get this one up before the work christmas party I am attending tonight.


I would also like to say: look at the photography. I'm 29 and, apparently, I have begun to actually learn to use a camera.

Knitting masters 1 update

Have finished all but the last swatch of the knitting masters level 1
Yay.

I have woven in the ends on 7 of the swatches so far. That is 14 ends woven in invisibly. Now I only have to weave in all the rest - which, once the color work swatch is completed, will be something like 30 more ends. Great.

Then I have to block them and write the essays/questions, prep into a binder, and send.

The only problem?
-- I have no blocking board of any sort.
The solution?
--I purchased one two days ago online after doing a google search. Online purchase, $55 dollars on sale with the shipping, but it is a small one: 20 something by 20 something inches. but large enough to block 4X4 squares.

Wish me luck - have about a million projects started and a wicked need to make a cardigan. Why? Because it's another project I don't need to get involved in right now, apparently.


Take care, drive safe in the rainy days. Now little drunkie pie me is going to start a branching out scarf in some Rowan "Cork" in bright green. (merino woveny yarn, yummy!)

~Miss Kalendar

Gooooooooooooal!

I have acquired the URL www.brassneedles.com

I am going to attempt to have this blog embedded into that site, as well as hosting email, a gallery, etc.

We'll see if it works. I have another URL that I will also purchase, probably tonight, to re-direct there.

Nothing is up on brass needles yet. Don't bother looking. This was just my personal squee.

-Miss Kalendar

Steampunk Con Pictures!

Miss Kalendar says:

So, here I have two pictures of each of the costumes I wore at the Steam Punk convention from 11/01-11/02/08

I had 4 costumes, but I didn't manage to get there before everything closed up on Friday night, and I opted out of the concert on Saturday night. So, you get two costumes: the Tally HO (named for the ho-ish-ness of the outfit), and the Black and White Eyestrain (named for the tiny stripes on the jacket). Note the steampunk armwarmers are being worn at con! I wore them all day, with the boots I accessorized, with no issue. Great accessory. I will do up the pattern for ravelry, as I was asked by about 6 people if I could make them some.

Also featured is a lovely woman, who is crocheting me a gorgeous necklace. I don't know what name she wants to go by, so we'll leave her anonymous for now.

There is currently no knitting for the Eyestrain outfit - I'm thinking a reticule. How about you?

And - true to form - here is a picture of me knitting in costume.

More hair pics - because I am vain

This is me before work a couple of days in the past week.
I hope you can see the red in these - and where it is placed.
I am still in love with this hair color. - But the countdown is going until I turn it back.

Steampunk armwarmers with boot accessories

These are pictures of steampunk armwarmers that I designed and the boots that I accessorized to match the arm warmers. These are for my Safari Outfit for Steamcon this weekend.

10 swatches down, 6 to go.

Calling it quits on that one for the night and will resume the masters tomorrow night.


Am going to pick up one of the scrap scarves and veg.

Still annoyed by the lack of coming up with a good lace for the corset cover. Blast!

Knitting Masters 1

Alright, now that Grad school is over, it's time to work on my Knitting Masters, Level 1.

I did 4 of the swatches out of 16 earlier this year as a stress-break during school when school wasn't that bad. So, this afternoon, after fruitlessly trying to make up a lace stitch for a corset coverup I am designing, I remembered that I only have until March or so to get all of these in. So, why not start them up again? I am hoping to learn a lot as I work my way through these levels.


Wish me luck.

4 down. 12 to go.

Sweaterboots and Arm-Warmers

Hello all,

I was thinking of putting up a sweater-boot tutorial. I have finished one self-improvized sweater-boot (except for the buttons, as it will be steampunked), and have begun my improvised steampunk arm warmers. While I had originally intended to make the Slither pattern from Knitty, as it is v. steampunk, I have both time constraints and yarn constraints.

- The time constraints are that con is on Halloween and I have to finish my armwarmers and a work costume by then, so something in Stk st that I can knit in the car is ideal (ie: no pattern)

- The yarn constraint is that I have one color to match what I am wearing (the green was matched wonderfully, the brown is both too cool and to grey to match any yarn in the store I looked). The slither pattern calls for three colors and butt-ton of buttons and snaps, which I frankly do not have the time to sew on (see time constraint above).

Thus, I am, again, improvising a design.


Current knitting goals:
- Finish armwarmers (which means more than the ribbing on one that I cast on last night) and attach buttons
- Begin and end 2nd sweater-boot (write up pattern into real language instead of Kalendar-scribble)
- Test out Gnome hat alternate patterns and post the PDF with pictures to Ravelry's free section
- Begin matching steampunk spat/boot and arm-warmer pattern. (this one I really hope works because it looks awesome in my little brain)
- Make some swatches to demonstrate knitting techniques usefull to steampunk for the Steampunk Convention's knitting How-To that I have been offered. (Because if people are interested, I am going to teach 'em everything I can!)


Wish me luck. Like my old Music Theory teacher said at a party right after our last final:
"Those of you passed should be proud. Those of you who failed, should be ashamed."

He, being a Russian ex-patriot also had this gem when it was suggested that a large lecture might intimidate those with low self-esteem:
"I don't believe in self-esteem. You think this is intimidating, try living in communist Russia!"

Sexy new Hair

Alright.....so, I've wanted crazy red hair since I was a kid. My favorite color is red and it appears I have a little bit of a red-fetish. Well, about half a year ago when I was really struggling with my engagement with the MBA program, I promised myself that when i graduated, I would dye my hair red - not normal red, a great not-natural red.

Well, today was two days after I finished grad school and earned my MBA. So....I went and got it done. Here are the pictures that are the proof. Yes, I do have awesome hair. Too bad I can only keep it for a month before I have to go on stage again (and it's victorian re-enactment). Besides, I work in the banking field - mortages - compliance - liaison with Law Enforcemnt, blah blah blah. Sooo......having fun hair is not really an option. I went through two levels of management for the approval to do this much. And when I start looking for a job next year, there's no way I can keep this sort of color. Too bad. I really really like it.

Haight Street

The Fiend and I went to Haight Street on Thursday, my first non-school day. I conveniently was able to take both Thursday and Friday off in order to mess around after I finished school.
There are pictures of the wierd traffic jam.....then of all the bags, of me passed out on those bags, and my Fiend ordering ice cream. We came, we saw, we conqured. As soon as we get the stuff steam-punked out, I will post it.

Hats hats hats

I made the Flowers on a Grave pattern into 2 hats, a grey and a pink.
I also made a hat for re-enacting that my friend will have to wear under his German Renn. armor.
I did not like the Flowers on a Grave hat as it was when finished, although I loved it pre-felted....so it got the brim turned-up into a cute different style of hat.

Alas, since all hats have been given away - I am left hat-less again. One of these days I will make one for me....but only after I get through some STEAMPUNK knitting. And I am now obsessed with turning my old high heels into sweater-boots, steam-punk style. Oh yes. I have caught the BUG. (the gear??)

(at the bottom here are some pictures of the un-felted hat to show the size. As you can see, it's pretty large pre-felting. It was actually sort of cute at that size, as well as very comfy. Being wool, it was still warm even with the gaps in the stitches - and it was comfy since the weave was loose)

Scarf and felted Hats

After a lot of work, and a lot of fascination with color, I finished my "scrap scarf 1."
This is the first in a set of scarves that I had planned as a way to get through a ton of (ROWAN!) stash that I inherited from my X-future-mother-in-law. It had originally been the makings of an outrageously difficult and ludicrously 80s sweater. I had decided, after the first few inches I did on the already-begun sweater (also begun in the 80s), that it just wasn't my sort of project, and that it would be too small for the intended recipient. SO, after shoving it guiltily in a bag where it sat during the majority of my MBA coursework, I finally took it out and began a scarf. Enjoy the finished project! I love the color changes!

Next up - the billions of hats I just made!

Knitting little bits here and there.

Well, here I am, again. Smiling at the camera after photographing my most recent finished object. It's a drop-stitch stole for my buddy, Frannish. The close-up is so that you can tell how shiny and how very vereigated the "yarn" is. It's a ribbon yarn, obviously. The Brand: Lucci. The colorway: Versacce. Not sure Versacce (or however that is supposed to be spelled) would like or want to be associated with a colorway so chaotic. But, oh well. I'm off to shower, and then to Faire again. Two weekends down, three to go.

The foxy knitter in pajamas and pigtails in her native habitat - giving the I-know-what-you're-doing-and-I-don't-think-I'd-approve look.




What else? How about some knitting pics?

And here I am on the blanket I just finished for Baby Melody.

And, lastly, the boyfriend playing with a gift I just finished for a friend. The other photos don't seem to want to post right now. Will try again later.

Working on what I am calling a "Stash Scarf." If this stops being so yarn-hungry, I will eventually have 6, all moving gradually through at least 3 colors. However, the stitch I'm using (From My-so-called scarf) is really really yarn-hungry. The small snippet to the right is almost 5 skeins. It began with a light olive green wool and moved into a greenish brown part mullberry silk, part mohair. After using a lot of the greenish brown, it is moving to a light brown wool. I might run out too soon and have to combine it with the colors picked out for the next scarf.

Overall, I've been really pleased with how it's turned out. These "Stash Scarves" are being made from the remnants of a sweater I was supposed to finish for my X-Finace's mom's friend. She had bought the pattern and yarn (over $300 dollars worth in the 80s, if I don't miss my guess) as her first project. It was, years later the sweater, the back partially done, backwards to the pattern, in too small a size, was given to me to finish. I began it last year - but only later realized that it wasn't going to work. Not only did I not want to weave in all of those ends (hundreds, literally), the sweater was too small for the recipient, with no good way to increase, and it seemed not quite enough yarn in any case. I also did not care for the pattern, which involved some very intense color work, and a carry along of 2 colors for every stitch. To make matters worse, I noted some holes which would have required ripping, which would have resulted in too little yarn. So, on Saturday a friend and I ripped and salvage what we could. I let her take any that she wanted, and I determined to make some scarfs with the leftovers. This is the first one I attempted, and I tried to use the two strand carry-along, swapping 1 at a time to gradually change color. This is the one element that I am keeping from the original sweater. The downside is that I had to rip a sweater in progress. The upside is a lot of free Rowan Stash in many assorted candy colors.