Summer Stash Down

This summer, I'll be in Norman for eight weeks, sans friends, family, and significant other. What I will have, however, are classes, books, cable, wifi, and best of all, yarn. Lots and lots of yarn.

I have grand plans for this summer in terms of productivity. I have morning classes so I'll be forced to get out of bed at a reasonable hour. After that, I'll skip to the library to do any homework and studying for the class. And after THAT, I'll change and hit the gym for an hour. Once I get those few things done, I'm going to be free as a bird to do whatever I want. I strongly suspect that whatever I want will include lots of knitting.

Obviously, I have high expectations. Given my level of sheer laziness, I'm going to be lucky if I get half as much done as I intend to.

Two (?) weeks ago, I at least managed to finish my Fable Mitts, but I gave them to my mom and forgot to snap a shot before I left. I'll update with more about them when I get a chance for a photo.

However, I'm not entirely without photos! Today I finished a hat and a hamster. Let's start with the hamster.



I'm not sure what his/her name is, I'm waiting for Monkey to get back from campus to name the hamster. What I do know about this hamster is that the yarn is from my SO's mom, who got it from her mom. The yarn is probably older than I am, scratchy as all hell, and generally awful to work with. It's no wonder it was pristine when I got it. But, it made a cute hamster, and I suspect the rest of the ball will be employed in a similar fashion. This little buddy is going to be stowed away in Monkey's things to keep him company when he's so far away.



The other thing I've finished is this hat! It's my Irish Hiking. After my initial attempt at casting on, I realized it was wide enough to fit around my waist and then some. So instead I CO 60 stitches. I used more caron one pound (ugh) and I still have a ridiculous amount left.



And now I'm off to knit more toys and to love on Monkey before he goes home. I think it's proabbly a bit telling that he's watching Planet of the Apes... And he makes fun of me for watching Doctor Who!

Meet the Hamsters Part 1

When I first came to Ravelry, I quickly fell in love with all of the toy patterns. One of the first that I found was Hamsterbeans! It took me quite a while to actually knit these, but once I did, I fell in love. I've probably knit around ten, though I've only kept three for myself. I've named them, and my SO and I pull them out to play with and project our own desires with.

His projections usually involve simulating hanky panky between the hamsters. Go figure.

First, we're going to meet Archibald.



Archibald was the first hamster I made for myself. He's the father of the family, and a real sweetheart. He cares about everyone and is just the kind of hamster you want to be around. His personality is usually relegated to the plucky sidekick, but don't let that fool you. He's not afraid to squeak his mind, and is ferociously loyal.


Clearly, I need some more outlets for my creativity. Or at least a life. Next thing you know, I'll be turning around and writing "books" about these hamsters like I did when I was a kid.

Stay tuned to meet Regina and Valentina, the women in Archibald's life!