Tuesday, October 23, 2007

I'm on Ravelry!!!

Yay! I'm in - username Cheryl21
This has proven to be a great distraction to all the studying that I should be doing, but I really don't care!
(Update: I replaced the crappy photos from yesterday after my camera batteries recharged, it looks a lot better now.)

Monday, October 22, 2007

Ravelry! Uh Oh....

Ok, so not only should I not be anywhere near a computer, I have been checking the Ravelry list excitedly today, because usually check on Mondays, just to see where I am and I started the morning with around 400 people in front of me, and now there are 96(96!!!!!). This is not good. Not only have I been spending WAY too much time knitting on the blanket.

There is also a 4th square done which I finished on my commute to help coach Special Olympic Curling yesterday. I know, they aren't really square, but I'm hoping a really good blocking will help fix that, otherwise Gwen will just have a slightly non-geometrical blanket.
Ok, I really need to study now (presentation and 3 midterms over the next week - wish me luck!) - hopefully I will be able to resist ravelry for at least a little bit.
Oh - and to make matters a little bit worse (for the studying anyways) my landlord says he finally has my new stove and hopes to get it installed sometime this week, Yay!
I will leave you with a beautiful fall scene I took in while hiking up Mount Royal on Saturday...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Mid-term time!!


Ok, so, sorry in advance for the lack of posts in the next few weeks. Anyone else somehow involved with university students will know - it's midterm time!! Whoo!
Pictured above is my favourite new knitting tool - and the exam I'm supposed to be studying for and can't quite drag myself to.
But the bobby pin - I discovered it by accident, I found myself in class without a cable needle, and am doing a cable like the one on my sweater on a baby blanket square. What I came up with was what I had in my purse - a bobby pin. I've never really been a fan of using a cable needle, but I don't like cabling without one either, it doesn't look as nice to me. But with the bobby pin, I slide the stitches off onto it, and then when it's time, slide them back onto the left needle, that way, I'm not fiddling with a cable needle, the stitches aren't going to unravel (as they often did with my other method, just sliding the stitches off the needle and coming back to them), and they're kept safe clipped in the bobby pin. The bobby pin is also very slim, making it easy to slide the stitches on and off.
This is working great with the cotton I'm knitting the blanket with, but I'm not sure how well it would work with other yarns. I guess I'll find out, because I love this!

(sorry for the crappy photo, I was too lazy to get out my real camera...)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

So Close!!

Well, ripping that couple inches out sure paid off, finished the yoke up, bound off and tried it on, and IT FITS! I'm so excited and happy! Wow! Now I'm just going to knit an inch or so in ribbing on the bottom, and then I have to seam up the armpits, but look, it's a real sweater!!!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Sweater blues...


Well, the sweater is finally at the stage where the yoke would be done, and it looks great. However, the key words in that sentence being "would be"... I took it off the needles to try it on, and the length is great, but I think it would fit better if the decreases were worked more frequently and the top was about 2" smaller around. I did leave in the string from last time I tried it on, so I could just rip it out back to there - but that makes me really nervous - I don't know how that will go, I can just see my sweater coming completely apart in front of my eyes.
But the 2 1/2" is just way to much for me to consider tinking, although I have done very long sections in the past. I think I will have a drink with supper tonight to help this along a bit...


EDIT: Well, I got up the courage to rip it all back, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, thank goodness I had that string in there!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Knitting is taking over...

Well, exams are creeping up and the work is piling up, but I can't seem to stop knitting...
The sweater is all in one piece, but doesn't seem to be ending.

I've also picked up all the stitches along the bottom to knit ribbing, it's a really short sweater, and I'm hating the way the stockinette is rolling up, so hopefully putting ribbing along the bottom will help. Design-wise I think it will be alright because the sleeves are cuffed with ribbing so it will match.

Otherwise I've cast on for a baby blanket that I'm designing on the fly for my aunt's brand new little girl, she's so cute, but unfortunately living in Bermuda where I can't just pop over and visit. I'm knitting the blanket in Coolspun Cotton so that it won't be too warm for the climate there and so that it will wash nicely.

(bear with my Paint skills, they're not that great, but it kind of gives you an idea of what I hope it will look like)
It's is going to be made up of squares in different stitch patterns, so I can take those to class and hopefully they'll be simple enough to stay in pattern with.

This is the first one I've been working on - yes it's the same pattern as my Icehouse socks, but it took some figuring out to make the pattern work flat, some figuring which I did during stats class and ended up frogging my first attempt - hey maybe this is why I'm totally unprepared for the midterm that's less than two weeks away, huh.
The centre panel though is going to have the name of the baby - Gwendolyn Jane - yes it's one heck of a name for a tiny little baby. This is my first time knitting with more than one colour, and after researching intarsia and stranding techniques, I decided that neither of them would really work for this project and so I've combined the two weirdly, but fingers crossed that it works because the name strip is 127 sts long, and going to be ~40 rows, I've already done 12 and I would REALLY not want to frog it and start over.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Stupid, stupid me

So I said last night that I had finally finished my blog assignment about emerging technologies, I was feeling good about it, I gave myself a break from homework to knit, I did eventually finish my other homework.

BUT - I just realized this morning that even though I had finished posting the assignment on my blog I had completely forgotten to submit it online, and now I'm feeling stupid and crappy.
Luckily I'm under the 24 hour cut-off period, but still the penalty for late submission is 50% and that's a lot of marks - hence the feeling really crappy about it, because I did finish it under the deadline, I just completely forgot about the submitting part.
I do understand the penalty and the need for it, it was explained and written in the assignment, I just feel incredibly dumb.

But hey, at least I remembered this morning, any marks I may get are better than none at all.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Sweater - good, homework - not so much

Ok, so the good news is that I have finished my Info Systems project, so no more talk of emerging technologies on the blog. Yay!
However, other homework is not so up to date, and piling up fast. I promise I will do that as soon as I type this up.
In sweater news, I'm finished the body up to the point where you need to join all the sides and the sleeves, so no more on that until I finish the sleeves. But I did get a good start on one of them during my managerial economics class (it's the one thing that keeps me awake through that class). I forced myself to learn the Magic Loop method just before class because I don't currently have any size 7 dpns, and I'm really glad, I like it a lot, and the KnitPicks needles make it really easy.


I did try the body part on, and it is short and curling a lot at the bottom, so I think I will follow someone's modification from the KAL and knit some ribbing on the bottom to make it lie flat - because short sweaters and rolling edges just really bother me. I think it will look alright because the sleeves are all ribbed too.

Emerging Technology 3

Intranet

The Intranet is an IT tool that organizations have been using for some time now, and is constantly evolving in its uses and abilities, in a similar way to the Internet.

The intranet is like a version of the internet that is restricted to only authorized users. For example, in an organization the intranet is a network that only employees have access to. The main goal is to share information and resources between all members of a company.

It is very useful for companies in many ways. It can help a company keep employees up-to-date with the latest information from and decisions of management. It is also a lot more efficient than always emailing employees. Email takes time for employees to pick up and read, and employees can also become overwhelmed with the volume of emails they receive and keeping the information organized requires large amounts of time which can cut down on employee productivity.

The intranet has been evolving and is now working very well with groupware, such as document sharing, combined authorship documents, messaging, as well as others. (Intranet Journal) Because a company’s intranet is a private protected network, security concerns that may be worrisome when using groupware on the internet are lessened. Also, the intranet can assist employees working on group projects and facilitate teleconferences. (Whatis.com)

However, maintaining a corporate intranet can be a disadvantage to its use. To maintain the advantages of having up-to-date information available to employees, the information must be updated quite frequently. Also, information that is no longer necessary to have on the intranet must be sorted through and removed so that overloading the system can be avoided.

Developing an intranet for a company requires knowledgeable IT staff to build and maintain it. Also, in order to be able to use the intranet employees require a computer, or reasonable access to a shared one. Supplying this to all employees expected to use the intranet could be very costly for a company that doesn’t normally do so.

Although it is a very good advantage, the security of an intranet also requires a great deal of upkeep. It needs to be monitored and updated frequently. Employees having access to sensitive information through the intranet is also a security concern. Companies with high employee turnover rates may have more concerns about these issues. (Wikipedia)


References

Intranet Journal Intranet FAQ. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from Intranet Journal Website: http://www.intranetjournal.com/faqs/whatis/index.html

What is Intranet?. (October 12, 2006). Retrieved October 2, 2007, from Searchvb.com Website: http://searchvb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid8_gci212377,00.html

Intranet. (September 30, 2007). Retrieved October 2, 2007, from Wikipedia Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet

Knitting Experiences

I've seen this around on a couple knitting blogs I've read, and always enjoy looking through them to "get to know" the blogger a bit better, maybe some of their likes and dislikes, etc. So I thought I'd go ahead and post it myself to share with all of you.

Mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch

Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up

Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting

Participating in a KAL
Sweater
(previous two are both current projects)
Drop stitch patterns (sounds somewhat frightening)
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn

Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan

Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding

Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting

Knitting with someone eles's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks

Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously (would love to try this, it sounds so intriguing, and efficient)
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting

Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intrasia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO

Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers

Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Monday, October 1, 2007

Wow that went fast...

Ok, so I received the wool for my sweater Wednesday afternoon and was very glad that it arrived, so I swatched right away and then cast on. So this is what it looked like Wednesday afternoon:


So, it's not like I didn't have lots of school work to do, you've seen the posts for my Info Systems class, and I had an exam on Friday in Japanese, and I did get some of that done - even managed to do a bunch of readings for my classes, but somehow just knitting round and round in stockinette went really, really fast. By Friday morning I was finished the decreases up the side and ready to start into the increases. It was this big:


Luckily, I had a good friend visiting over the weekend and spent most of my time otherwise occupied, because I don't think I would have accomplished anything else. Even still we watched a couple movies and I am now beginning the cable repeats for the top of the sweater. Unfortunately reality has set in going back to classes today (not so happily, my friend and I went out last night, there was a 4L pitcher of beer involved, and then she had to leave to catch a train at 6am this morning - it was a rough day), and I am realizing how much work I actually have to get done, and so can't commit the time and energy required for the cables... I'm considering starting a sleeve - this is not good...

Emerging Technology 2

Office Live Workspace

Microsoft announced this week that they are preparing to launch a beta version of a new online tool, “Office Live Workspace”. This is a tool designed to help Microsoft users store, share and access files online. It allows users to have access to business documents they may store there while they are away from the office. This means that workers can stay productive, even if they are caught out of the office. Also, it allows easier sharing of documents between co-workers, meaning that co-workers can collaborate on projects and reports much easier.

Office Live Workspace is not currently going to be allowing users to edit or create documents online, but instead is intended to work alongside a desktop version of Microsoft Office (The Associated Press). This can be seen as an advantage because it will use programs many people already use in their everyday work and that they are comfortable and familiar with. This could also be seen as a bit of a drawback, as organizations wishing to make use of it will have to be using Microsoft Office, as will all of their employees who may want to access their documents at home.

Some organizations may feel more secure using an online document sharing system offered by Microsoft, as opposed to others that are currently available. Microsoft will be offering virus and security protection for documents stored in the workspace. Also, users will be able to control who may access, edit or only review and comment on a particular document. This means that even while in the editing stage, employees could get input from co-workers, without giving them the opportunity to edit a document themselves.

Office Live Workspace is going to be accessible only with a Windows Live ID, meaning all companies wanting to take advantage of this tool will need to allow their employees to have a Windows Live ID, possibly a one that is solely for work purposes so that this tool will not be utilised for non-work related things during working hours.

Microsoft also has plans to possibly integrate this system with other products that utilise Windows Live IDs, such as Hotmail or Windows Live Messenger (CNET News). While these developments could improve employee productivity with the ability to contact co-workers and instant message each other in real time, as opposed to email which can cause delays and hold-ups in communication, they could also present problems with personal use conflicts. Using all of this interconnected software will require organizations to have very good IT use policies in place to diminish the number of people who may begin to abuse the use of these programs in the workplace.


References

Fried, Ina. (September 30, 2007). Microsoft Office heads to the Web. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from CNET News.com Website: http://www.news.com/Microsoft-Office-heads-to-the-Web/2100-1012_3-6210696.html?tag=nefd.lede

Microsoft Office Live Workspace. (2007). Retrieved October 1, 2007, from Microsoft Corporation Website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX102394081033.aspx

Mintz, Jessica. (October 1, 2007). Microsoft to Unveil Microsoft Live Workspace. Retrieved October 1, 2007 from The Associated Press Website: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hiiOCMPC5XQNJkiuNOzZDAUFCVFAD8S08TA80