Neomera Knits

Well, folks. There comes a time in every project’s life where it just has to face the public and admit itself. This week is that time in the cycle of one project that is near and dear to my heart. A project that was, *ahem* suggested to me by Ananth. That project is City Limits. It’s a book that will compile the art and storytelling prowess of a number of different webcomics. It went on preorder this very week, and if you head over to look, the website has some detail on the actual project.
Here? Here I am going to tell you that I’m both excited past recognition and very nearly afraid for my life over this thing. It’s terrifying. Are you kidding me? I now get to learn all about Photoshop and In Design and layouts and fonts and all kinds of stuff. Paper. Easy, right? Do you have Any idea how many different shades of white there are? Good grief! I think my head may explode! ACK!

ok. I think I’m better now.

Ok, that’s a lie, I’m just going to distract you with a beautiful cover image (by Hawk) and hide somewhere till it’s printed.

The big drawback to the total immersion method of blocking is, of course, wool takes for FREAKING ever to dry. I think the sweater absorbed about 8 gallons of water. It’ll be dry enough to wear to work tomorrow and impress everyone, though, and that’s the important thing.! Mom and Dad went out today and on their errands decided that I needed a gold medal to wear, so they bought one! I was very confused at first- they woke me up from a nap for the medal ceremony. Man, do I look bewildered or what? They made me stand on a step stool, which is why I look so tall.






It’s my mom! She never ceases to amaze me. After all that she then managed to find- in our house- a gigantic Welsh flag for a victory lap. How does she do that?

I find that the day after I finish a big project I’m really restless. I can’t really settle into any other WIPs or any TV shows or anything, really. I guess I’m so pent up from going constantly on something that I can’t stop trying to work on the thing I just finished. Fortunately, it was also laundry day today. Laundry is a great restless activity because you do it in spurts. Of course, getting the laundry together made me think of the pile of books on the other side of my floor. Which made me realize how much knitting stuff I had strewn about. I found all this just kinda lying around under stuff, on top of stuff, wedged in corners… and this is just my bedroom! That is indeed Tubey in the back there. Also a bit of a lace shawl for which I have completely lost the pattern. the smaller bin in front has needles and crochet hooks and beads in it. It only looks empty…




There is just something about a clean room that settles a girl right down. I’m feeling like lighting some candles and snuggling down with a book to just relax for a while. Ahhhh….

Mmmm, medaling in the Olympics sure feels good. Yes, I have finished the Rogue. It is, if I may say, quite gorgeous. I have to say that the directions are very clear and straightforward, and it all made sense. I would totally recommend it to anyone and I might even go back and look at her other patterns. I will admit that the end of the hood and the second sleeve made trouble for me, but he hood was worked during Katsucon and the second sleeve during a tech rehearsal, so it was knitter fatigue. Lots of fatigue. But I got to sleep in this morning and with the aid of fun empty TV (Clean Sweep and What Not To Wear. mmmm worthless TV…) I got through the Sleeve Of Doom. Now, because I know you’re all dying to see it…


Here are the pieces awaiting the needle.



Mmm, the feeling of completion.

I am a big believer in the Total Immersion method for blocking. What can I say?



Hands off, complete. Gold medal, baby.




Here’s a close up of the cables on the sleeve and the right side of the body. It turned out pretty well, I think.




And now, time to celebrate. of course, what celebration would be complete without this?


I’m thinking socks.

HELP! I’m trapped in a neverending sleeve!! Send someone who can knit stockinette! ACK!

Oh man, rep shows and hauling the light board out of the booth and into the house for tech then putting it back for tomorrow’s show… I’m tired and still kinda ill, and I’m so ready for my week off in March. I think I can, I think I can…

BUT! I’m on the last sleeve for Rogue. I am so going to medal in these olympics. I can almost feel the sock yarn in my fingers now. Pictures tomorrow. If I can find the energy to take them.

And my neck. And right into my eyeballs at moments. I have been downed by a badass headache. Unfortunately, that is not enough to keep me from having to at least go to work in the morning for two days running. I did, however, manage to get home both yesterday and today and nap and knit a bit and rest under blankets while my mother (I love you Mom!) brought me things like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and freezing cold Cokes. More con reports are rolling off the webcomic presses, and I admit that I always find it amusing to see what other people remember and think to write about. I keep thinking that I’ll take notes so I don’t forget the great stuff that happens, but I never do. I swear. I’ll remember in May. Besides, that’ll be a few travel blog entries anyway- i get to go up to Boston early and hang out with Mookie: Supercool Dude! I warned him that I’d have to hit at least one yarn store while I’m up there and he glanced at the stack of hand crocheted (with love! By his aunt! Just for con!! How awesome is that?) scarves on his table and said “I don’t know how I can live through that sort of horror!” Perfect hair AND he’s from a Fiber Arts Family! Bonus.

Poor Hawk is listening to me whine about headaches and anime and the bloody infuriating hood on the Rogue sweater. It’s probably not the hood, really. I’m sure it’s me, being annoyed and headachey and just having a tough time, but the thing damn near kicked my butt right out of olympic contention! It took me almost as long to do just the hood as it did to do the whole body of the sweater. BUT! I have finished it and am now on Sleeve One. I got about 6ish inches done before my vision blurred again and I gave knitting up as a bad idea for the day. Speaking of bad ideas, I’m thinking that maybe staring at computer screens is probably not helping much either, so now I’m off to the Tylenol and the giant glass of water and a dark, dark room.

Well! One week to go and I spent the weekend knitting! Well… ok, so I spent the weekend at Katsucon 12 with the guys from Applegeeks. I also got to hang out with various Cool People! Aside from Hawk, Ananth and Shannon. I saw Mookie of Dominic Deegan. I was pummeled with rubber bands by Jami Noguchi of Angry Zen Master I caught Garth and Larom unawares over at Comedity. I got to harass Matt, Ian, and Jes at Mac Hall! I even got to see George, who is a General Hanger On like me! It was a wonderful con. Nice hotel (the Omni Shoreham in DC) and we got to meet some really awesome fans, as usual. And there was even an appearance Hawk’s Mac robot girl, Eve!


The decided, for some reason, to have a Photoshop panel Friday evening, when everyone was still kinda goofy from traveling. Needless to say there was much harassment of each other as Hawk had equipment issues (what can we say, it wasn’t a Mac,) and Jami started farming out the Q & A to other web artists in the audience. Afterward we managed to escape for some dinner at a thai place and the hotel bar for some Adult Drinks. Mookie and I have been trying to get out for Adult Drinks since LAST Katsucon! Saturday and Sunday were a blur of sitting at the tables selling tshirts and prints, meeting fans and even doing a bit of the fan thing ourselves. There are some very cool people out there. (Trish and Damien of Novablade Studios are definitely on the Top Ten Coolest People Ever list.)

I did manage to get some knitting done, though.

Due to a bit of a mistake reading the chart I had to rip back about an inch and a half, and due to the convention it took me most of Saturday to make it back up, so I’m only about half done with the hood. I also ran into OTHER anime knitters at the convention!


Here are Joel and Sarah with some awesome projects. There was even another one in her bag! Unfortunately, the giant window on the other side of the hallway overpowered my lame photographic skills, but there was Koigu, and soft mittens and fun talk of cable and of the fabulous Dominic Deegan scarf that was not knit, but hand croshed by Mookie’s wonderful aunt. As for the Rogue, just the rest of the hood and the sleeves left. I think I can, I think I can!

So the past few days have passed in a haze of knitting and snow. Ok, and a little work. Sunday morning I woke up to a great many inches of snow.

Around DC, more than a quarter of an inch is a blizzard, so everything was closed down and all activities were cancelled. This meant that I did not, in fact, have to put on nice grown-up clothes and work a gig. Instead I knit. And listened to NPR. And listened to a Librivox version of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. And knit some more.

And made a snowman homage to Calvin and Hobbes.

My friend Julie came over because her power had gone out in the wee hours of the morning and she was slowly freezing to death. Wine was had. And pizza, and some Cowboy Beebop . In all, I’d have to vote that this was the Best Snowey Weekend ever.
Yesterday, slightly less knitting as I had to come to work. Strike a show in our smaller theatre, have a 2 hour lunch with the rest of the tech staff. Oh yes, what a horrible day. How can I work for such people?! I had another gig last night- not cancelled. Lovely NSO chamber concert. Fun people, and I can run everything in the booth by myself with my eyes shut. During the concert I knit myself out of yarn. Oops! Ah well, I’m feeling very comfortable with my progress thus far. I think if I can be on to the sleeves by this weekend, I’ll get on the medal stand easy!

Day 3

Day 4

Today’s progress. Finished the pocket… not much else. Moved two sofas and three chairs though, and had a lovely snowy afternoon with some friends.

Today’s progress. I cast on at 2pm local time- the same time as the opening ceremonies started in Italy. They’re 6 hours ahead of me here in the DC area. I knit through the broadcast of the ceremonies this evening, and got almost 3.5 inches done! Pity half that is the hem facing!