A Finished Foggy Dew

  I finished my Foggy Dew shawl the other day! It looks gorgeous!  I ended up running a bit short on the original color I was using and has to switch to another color, but the brief contrast on the edge really sets it off (in my opinion). I’m much happier with the color change, than I would have probably been if I didn’t run short. :D It worked out alright anyway.  I definitely want to do this pattern again some point in the future—sometime after I do a ton of the other patterns I have faved and/or queued. ::LOL::

   Speaking of said shawl, I’ve been wearing it quite frequently since I finished it. I get chilled easily and my bosses are adamant about running the ac once it hits 69°F or 70°F in the office. ::brrr:: Even though the vent next to me is closed, it doesn’t help much, especially since  it’s only about 18 to 24 inches away from me. ::lol:: It gives me a good reason to wear my shawl, but that’s about all I can say for it.  OK, enough whining about the cold. ::LOL::

   In lieu of the fact that I had quite a bit Mervielle du Jour Moth Skinny Bugga! leftover from the border of Foggy Dew, I decided to use it on Liz Abinate’s Traveling Woman shawl. It caught my eye sometime back and I have enough yarn to do it, but not so much that I’ll end up with a bunch of waste yarn. :)

Adventures with an XBox 360

    A friend convinced me to get an XBox 360 about 7 months ago. I'm really glad I listened, because I have a blast gaming on it. I never thought I'd enjoy online gaming, but with the right people, it really can be a lot of fun. There was just one minor downside to this that I discovered about a month later-- I couldn't game or talk to some people on the XBOX Live network. Now that might not sound like a big problem, but it can be. You can't hear certain people in the game unless you join a party hosted by someone else, heck you can't even join the same multiplayer match unless someone else hosts it. If you like gaming with the person that can be a huge problem.
   Well, it was a bit of an annoyance for some time, but we just got around it by having someone else host the games and join a party so we could hear what the other was saying. That worked well enough...until I got "Red Dead Redemption." If you invite someone to your multiplayer session that you can't connect to, it boots one of the "incompatible" players. Not much fun at all. That led a friend and I on a search as to how to fix that. He found a video that got me started in the right direction as to how to fix it. Well, after a few failed attempts, I got it sorted out. Here's how for those experiencing similar issues.
  1.  Opening ports is definitely the first place you want to start. It's not too difficult if you have a router that lets you forward ports. Portforward.com is a great place to learn from. You'll need to forward or open the ports listed on the XBox Live site-- basically TCP 80, UDP 88, TCP/UDP 3074, and TCP/UDP 53. Test the connection. It should tell you if you have a strict NAT or not when you test you XBOX Live connection (it won't always tell you and I'll explain that later). If you can connect to those you haven't been able to, then huzzah! :D If it doesn't work, you can try setting up a DMZ for your XBox's IP address. As for how to do it (if the router is capable of it), you'll have to look at the router manufacturer's site or google it.
   2. Well, I tried the above and it didn't work for me. XBox Live said the connection was fine, but I still couldn't connect to some. I figured "aww, screw it" and decided to connect directly to my modem, no router involved. I tested the connection and lo! Strict NAT. I get my internet through CenturyLink (formerly Embarq and CenturyTel). Apparently, there are XBox Live compatible ISPs (nuts, I know) and the modem I have through CenturyLink (a 660R) apparently causes trouble. After a bit of googling, I found that I didn't need to get a new modem, I just needed to put it in "bridge-mode". Bridging the modem was a piece of cake. MUCH easier than forwarding ports even. I don't totally understand how it works, I just know that it did work. ::LOL::    Sorry, this isn't really an exciting post, but I'm hoping that it helps someone else out. It's a flipping pain to search most of the known web and not find what you're needing. I'm one of those "hands on" people. I look at the piece of tech, goof with it, and sometimes I can get it to do what I want it to. If you have questions, I'll see what I can do to help. The links should help point you in the right direction though. :)

Happy Gaming!

Foggy, Foggy Dew

   This, my friends, is a completed Citron. :) A fun and easy knit, but it started to take a bit more time towards the end. A whopping 540 stitches per row on the ruffle! Happily, it’s done and blocked (unblocked in this photo). I was in too much of a hurry this morning and forgot it at home though. :( A pity, because I’d have loved to wear it today. As gloomy and rainy looking as it is right now, I could use something bright.

   Now that I’m done with one shawl, I’m starting another-- Spring is in the Air, although I’m naming it “Foggy Dew” since mine is a fog gray with clear beads. :D This is my first time beading while knitting and I rather like it so far. I just used some beading wire to pull the yarn through the bead since it’s what I had at the time and works really, really well. :) The pattern is quite simple too, so you can usually just memorize the line and glance at the chart or written directions for reference once in awhile. It’ll be awhile before I finish this one, but it’ll be quite pretty when it’s done. :)

Citron, Socks, and a Cup of Tea

   I probably would have had Citron done by now, but I stopped so I could make a pair of socks for my mom for Mother’s Day, do some yard work, and various other miscellaneous things. Yeah, I’m quite ambitious with the spring weather around here. ::lol:: I’ll just summarize everything in separate paragraphs and hopefully, I don’t bore anyone reading this. ;)

   I thought I gave myself plenty of time to get Mom’s socks done (2 weeks is enough, right?), but I was pushing the limit on getting them done and mailed to her on time. They should be there Saturday (I mailed them yesterday afternoon), but it might be Monday depending on how fast USPS moves. Close enough at any rate. I didn’t get them blocked, but that’s alright. Between the socks and the tasty coffee, I think she’ll like them. :)

    I’m almost done with section 3 of Citron at the moment. I’m excited to be that far into it and I can’t wait to finish it. I love the color green and with spring here, this is an excellent project to be working on right now. :D I’ve mentioned before that the pattern just caught my eye when I first saw it. It’s even lovelier when you’re seeing it in person.

   I’m currently enjoying a cup of Mighty Leaf’s Pear Caramel Truffle. This stuff is incredible! A nice, rich black  tea that’s perfect for any occasion. Mmmmm. If my allergies weren’t wreaking so much havoc with me, I’d write a tea review as well, but it’s taking all my mental functions just to get this post written and not be incredibly dry. Hopefully, I get over the low brain power state of my allergy troubles soon. Until then, I have tasty caffeinated tea.

   I’ve been trying to make it outside lately--especially with the  warmer weather—and get some stuff done to my yard. I noticed a few weeks ago that there was something growing along the outside edge, but wasn’t sure if they were tulips or daffodils. Turns out they’re tulips. I moved in to this place during the fall last year, so I didn’t have a chance to see the tulips, but I’m happy they’re there because they brighten the whole place up. The yard has some dead patches, so I’ve been raking and trying to reseed it a little bit when it’s not too cold or windy out. I need to kill some dandelions as well, but at least I have my own yard to play with now. ::happy dance:: I already have the start of a small garden out there. Some cilantro, chives, dill, basil, and creeping phlox right now, but I’ll get some more stuff out when it warms up more and I don’t have to worry about snow.

   I’ve decided to give spinning a try. A drop spindle isn’t that much, so I won’t be out hardly anything if it doesn’t pan out. As for why I want to spin, well, I saw a colorway I loved on Etsy, but the fingering weight yarn was sold out. I could have asked if they’d dye some more for me, but since they had the roving in that colorway, I decided to give it a whirl (no pun intended). I ordered a Learn to Spin kit from another seller, so I had some short instructions and practice material. I got my lovely roving yesterday and I’m anxiously waiting on the spindle kit to arrive. It’ll take me a bit to get the hang of it, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun…if I can keep my dog away from it. ::lol:: I’m hoping he doesn’t decide that he should try and play with the spindle, and knowing him he might.

   Wow, this ended up being a lot longer than I thought. ::lol:: Yay for spring and summer! :D

Candied Orange Peels and Knitting Fun

     While meandering through Safeway last Friday, I found some rather large,rather lovely navel oranges on sale. This gave me an idea to do candied orange peels. I’d done them once before around Christmas, but they just sounded great then. I didn’t get the chance to do them last weekend, but I did get them done this time around. :) They’re not hard to do, just a bit time consuming with the boiling and rinsing three times, candying them, then letting them air dry. It’s worth the effort though!  The hardest part has to be letting them dry. They look so tasty and inviting that you can’t help but sneak a few now and then.

     Sometime back,  Citron caught my eye when I saw it on Yarn on the House's blog. It’s simple, vibrant, and  still incredibly elegant. I ordered the yarn last week, figuring that I’d pick up the needles at my local craft shop. No luck on getting the needles there, so I ordered them. However, that means that I have to find something small to keep me occupied while I wait for the needles.    

     After digging through my yarn stash, I got the idea to make a matching serviette type napkin to go with a tea cozy I made about a year ago. I  still had plenty of yarn left from the project to use up anyway. After combing through Ravelry, I found a pretty washcloth pattern that suited my needs. It’s my first attempt with yarn overs and this was an excellent way to fiddle with them. :D

My First Socks

   I just finished my first big knitted project besides washcloths-- socks. They're a gorgeous green/blue Knit Picks Gloss yarn in the Kenai colorway. I decided to for for a simple sock and try Silver's Toe-Up Sock on Two Circular Needles pattern. It's a great tutorial, especially for an adventurous newbie such as myself.  :) It's well explained and has pictures, which for me is great. If you're uncertain about knitting socks, this is a great place to start.

   Now the question is-- What sock pattern do I want to try next?

Adventures in Knitting

   Sometimes the office gets slow. No phone calls, no emails received or to send, no computer work, etc. So, I needed to find something to do with my hands when I’m done with everything else. I’ve crocheted a few things on and off throughout the past decade, but never really decided to do much with it. Most of the patterns for the cute things I see online are knitted. So after crocheting a rather large, gorgeous Claudia Scarf, I decided to give knitting a whirl. I tried knitting about a year or two ago (for the same dang reason too), but I got frustrated with trying to cast on, knit, purl, etc. so I set it aside kind-of-but-not-really-intending-to, pick it up again at a later date. Well, that later day came…with a vengeance.

   A few of the plurkers I follow are knitters. So I hear about these awesome socks (I love socks), gorgeous shawls, the fantastic yarns (I really like seeing all the colors!) they found, and so on. Well, I decided, “What the heck? Might as well give it another try.”  So I dug out what few knitting accouterments I had, discovered KnittingHelp.com, and gave it another try. After a while of cursing and frustrated sighs, I finally cast on some stitches and knit my first row. After that, it wasn’t too bad. “I can do this,” I thought. After I got about halfway done I was sidetracked by gaming on the XBox 360 and set the knitting aside (I’m easily sidetracked at times). I did pick it up again a month or so later and finished my first washcloth. :) And boy was I proud of that! I then started another washcloth. And another. Woohoo! I was making some progress.

   Well, after those first few washcloths I decided it was time to do what my little heart really desired—socks. I searched around Ravelry and found what looked like a fairly simple to understand sock pattern searched around online for some sock yarn—since we only have a WalMart with a small selection of yarn—and went for it. I’ve had some good learning experiences from it, like “Make sure you read the directions correctly” and “Oh, look! Tink it back about 10 rows because you misread the directions,” but I guess that’s something one needs to experience once in awhile. ::lol:: I’ve managed to finish one sock and start the next in the pair. Not a bad start I think.  Now to finish this last sock, so I can start the Citron Shawl…