I spent the past twenty minutes writing a post about how my Macbook was dying and on it's last leg.  I wrote about the method in which I decided what kind of laptop I could get and what I expected out of it.  Then I acidentally hit the 'back' button without saving my work.

Anyway, the point of the story is that I got a netbook to replace my Macbook.  His name is Niblet.  I like him a lot.

After taking several placement test, asking several favors from professors and enrolling in a last minute Critical Thinking class over the summer, I'm finally a Junior chemistry major at CSUN (California State University: Northridge).  I'll likely be there for more than two years, but I should finish my degree here.  I really hope so anyway.

The university mascot is the Matador, hence the title.  Our mascot's name is Matty.

Since I'm on a sort of schedule now, I'm going to try to regularly update.  I'd like to try and post Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but that all depends on how busy I get.  I only have two classes this semester, but they are five credits each and I expect them to demand a lot of my time.

Today wasn't so bad though.  First days of a class usually aren't; most of the time is spent on the professor's policies.  I'm trying to get a head start by reading about limits for tomorrow.

In the course of a couple hours, I have turned my very first handspun yarn into a hat.

I decided to call it my Sloppy Hat because it's knitted a bit loose.  I used size 11 needles to knit it up since my wraps per inch tests came out to about ten.  I could have easily knitted this more consistently with a size 9 or 10 needle.

I don't mind.

For the most part it fits and it didn't come apart while knitting it up.

I used the Big Bulky Bucket Hat pattern for this, but instead of crocheting an edge I did a few rows of seed stitch.  I don't have a crochet hook big enough for this yarn.  I had a little bit left of my estimated 80 yards of yarn.

In other news, Jake and I went to the local quilt shop for the first time.  They were having a Fat Quarter Frenzy sale for President's Day.  25 fat quarters for $25 and any more were just a dollar each.  Jake, ever the enabler, helped me pick some out.  I also got a little kit for a future gift.

I ordered a book of fat quarter patterns using the Amazon gift certificate that my uncles gave me for my birthday.  Yay!

Surprise!  We now live in Southern California; the Santa Clarita Valley to be exact.  I love it here so far, except that there are NO knitting shops anywhere.  They've all shut down over the past few years.  The closest one is about half an hour south

Then again, we're not dealing with the snow like Illinois and my home state of Maryland is.  A small price to pay depending on who you ask.

While I'm waiting to be accepted at CSUN, I've been using the free time to catch up on projects and getting re-acquainted with my wheel.  The really neat thing about living in our new place is, I get my own crafting table and space!  I'm working on getting an entire bedroom to myself, but for now the extra space is awesome.  I can leave my sewing machine out...yes I got a sewing machine.

I now own a Bernina Activa 220 and I've already made a small quilt with it.

I pieced it together and sent it away to be quilted.  This turned into a Christmas gift for my parents.

The Paintbox Hat way back in August was frogged because it was too big for Jake.  Instead, he got this.

I call it the Sunset hat, which is really the Pismo Hat.  Jake dyed this yarn back at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival.  He's not into socks, so I decided on this instead.  It's obviously a bit big for me, but it's a nice skullcap for Jake that doesn't keep him too warm.  We're in California now after all.  It's February and sixty degrees out as I write.

The decreases for the top make the hat a bit pointy, but it smooshes out when Jake wears it.

This is for a friend.

It is 50% complete, has cables, and is made with superwash.   That is all I will say about this...for now.

I also spun up some yarn that didn't fall apart...for the first time!

It's about 80 yards of 3-ply.  The white singles are wool and the green is alpaca.  I don't know how many stitches per inch I can get with it, but I'm determined to turn this into something.

I hope it holds up

Lastly, I've started my own Noro striped sock.  Jake picked out the colors.

This is a fun knit to watch because the colors gradually change.  I'll keep the cuff, heel, and toe as one yarn.  It's a little itchy to work with, but I'm certain it'll soften up a bit in the wash.

For those of you out in all of the snow, stay safe!

I'm knitting a hat for Jake, but I wanted to try it on for myself.

It looks like a painting, so Paintbox Hat is an appropriate name.  I'll take this and my sock to Lake of Egypt this weekend.  I'll probably be too busy to work on either, but one should never leave home without any knitting.