...I'm late. Is that an answer?

This week has been the Week from Hell, so I haven't been able to get this past week's theme for Blog Stalker 2 up until now. I blame midterms. Anyway, last week's theme was "Who am I?' I don't know if I can answer "who?," but I can answer "what?". Those are two different questions. Funny how we tend to define ourselves by roles we play.
Back on topic...
I am first and foremost a student at an Ohio college. And yes, I have three majors--BS in biology, BA in chemistry, and a second major for the BA in environmental studies. This means I'm insanely busy. The tools of the trade:
Calculator, pile of chemistry textbooks, homework, coffee cup, laptop, printer, iPod.
And all the rest of my books (apart from the ones in my backpack).


And a bag of Hershey's Kisses. I think I went picture-happy in this post. Incidentally, I hope you appreciate it--I cleaned especially for this! (Not that my room didn't need it.)

Since I got here last fall, I've become something of a chemistry nerd. I live on a floor full of chem nerds. You should hear the conversations. We somehow manage to compare things like homework and eating lunch to chemistry. It's terrible, and really funny at the same time.
My bulletin board, with pictures from home and something every chem major should have (in my opinion) on their wall--a periodic table.What? It's relevant to two of my majors!
Okay, I think I have a life outside schoolwork. I'm a fencer (with swords, not stolen objects, thanks). Fencing owns the part of my life that higher learning doesn't. Here's a picture from a tournament my college's team went to last year:

Terrible picture (I didn't take it, obviously), but not bad considering it was taken at about 7:30 on a Saturday morning, and I'd gotten three hours of sleep the night before. (I cropped it to remove my teammate who probably wouldn't want her picture plastered on the internets.) I'm primarily a sabre fencer, but I'm learning foil in my phys ed class.
I'm also a violist, and have been for the past...nine years. Well, nine years had I actually practiced for most of them. Unfortunately, this was the hobby that had to go when I came to college because practice time was so limited. I didn't even bring it up with me this year, so I don't have current pictures, but here's one from my high school "senior spotlight" concert from two years ago.That's all I can think of to say about me. I'll be back for this week's post on Thursday, probably. (Biology and o-chem exams next week.)

Oh yes. I knit too.
Sometimes.

AAAAH!

Okay, I am now thoroughly convinced that college is trying to either kill me or drive me insane, whichever comes first. My course load is not exactly taxing, it's just that my schedule sucks:

Calc II: MWF, 8:30-9:20; Tu 11:35-12:25
Bio 215: MWF 9:30-10:20, Th. 1:15-4:15
Fencing: MW 10:30-11:20
O-chem: MWF 11:30-12:20
Genetics: MW 12:30-1:45
Chem lab: M 2:00-5:00

On top of this, I have fencing practice (for the club) on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30, and Fridays at 3.
The work isn't hard (yet), but the volume of reading is huge. I have another chapter to read for bio, and 2.5 chapters of genetics to read. For Monday. As well as my o-chem homework to rewrite so it's actually legible (resonance structures are evil!), calc homework, and the video to watch for lab. For Monday. What HAVE I been doing all weekend?

The tale of the Second Hedgehog.

Yes, friends. I have another FO, and yet another stuffed hedgehog. Only this time, I documented the entire process. So, without further ado:
Here is the knitted-up, un-felted hedgehog. Poor thing, doesn't know what's coming.A watched pot never boils. Or does it? And is this going to turn out a bit like Schrodinger's cat? (I'm probably misremembering that...)

The tools of hedgehog torture--the shampoo and a potato masher. Don't worry, my friend. It won't take too long. I hope.

Since I shall refrain from quoting Macbeth (too easy), I shall instead quote The Goons. "He's fallen in the water!"A partially felted hedgie. Elapsed time between this picture and the last one: 1.5 hours. Yup.
And here he is, all finished!
Specs:
Everything is the same as the last one, except that I used both Copper and Chocolate Fun Fur for the back.
Comments: He didn't felt nearly as well as the last one. I don't know whether it was because I got sick of trying to felt it, or because I used Burt's Bees shampoo rather than dish soap or because of the much thicker fur on his back, or a combination of these. He is rather more huggable, though--I used up all my polyfil on him.


In other knitting news:
Periodic Table Scarf: Through knitting in lectures, I managed to get started on the bottom row of the main part of the table.
Mariah: Slowly working the sleeve again.

Sigh....

I had most of one sleeve of Mariah done this afternoon. Then I went back and looked at the pattern...and discovered that I had forgotten the increase stitches. So off to the frog pond with it. And it was working up so nicely too. Can I go cry now?

FO Friday!

Hedgehog

Pattern: Fiber Trends Huggable Hedgehog
Yarn: Patons' Classic Merino in Natural Mix (body), just under 1 skein; and Chestnut Brown (paws), leftovers; Lion Brand Fun Fur in Copper
Needles: Clover Bamboo circs in US 10.5 and 11
Started: July 2007
Finished: August 6, 2007
My first felted project! I washed the thing three times, and apparently the water temperature isn't high enough to felt anything. So, off to the boiling cauldron of death with him. It took about two hours of soaking in hot soapy water and rubbing the thing to death, but it felted. Eventually. I had to resort to a less dignified (but far more effective) method involving a towel and the family room carpet to get his back to felt under that fur.
Fun fur doesn't seem to have such a thick "eyelash" component as the recommended yarn. Hence the somewhat sparse fur on his back. So for the next one, I'm thinking of doubling it and then going up a needle size for the back.

My parents have dubbed him Ginger...

Irish Hiking Scarf

Pattern: Hello Yarn's Irish Hiking Scarf.
Yarn: The Alpaca Yarn Company Landscapes (70% baby alpaca, 30% silk) in Green Acres; just under 3 skeins
Needles: Bamboo US 8
Start Date: October 2006
Finish Date: August 3, 2007
Another one of those embarrassing range of dates, methinks. Good mindless knitting for lectures, though. I screwed up the cables because I just stopped counting rows, so they ended up being crossed when I thought it looked right, rather than every eight rows as the pattern says.
The yarn was nice to work with--nice and squishy, if a little splitty, but I'm not going to use it again for cables, and it's slightly itchy. There are a bunch of guard hairs in with it. I've found myself plucking them out of the scarf. Sigh.

A close up of the cables. The color's closer to the first picture.

And a WIP:
Gryffindor bookscarf!

Remind me never to do that again.

Stovetop felting, that is.

Details later, when my the skin on my fingers doesn't threaten to crack and bleed at every keystroke.

uh...

I want this shirt.
(or I could buy a cheap-o shirt from Target and freehand it...)