NRDA 2010

One of the joys of being a grad student is that I get paid to travel to conferences! I already talked about my trip to Halifax, but this more recent conference didn't take me quite as far afield. The last week of June, I went to NRDA (Numerical Relativity and Data Analysis) at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, only an hour's drive from Toronto.

This conference is meant to bring together the gravitational wave community, so those people who study the gravitational effects of black holes (and other compact objects) crashing into each other. This includes numerical relativity, gravitational wave detector data analysis, theoretical models of gravitational waves, etc. It was associated with CAPRA, which was more on the theoretical side, and which I skipped most of. It was great going to all these talks in my field and learning about what other people are doing. I found it much more interesting than CASCA where the majority of talks weren't in my field. I also got to meet most of the authors of the various papers I've been reading for my research. It's really cool to put faces to all those names.

I presented a poster with my research so far:



Another couple of people are actually working on the same thing (error estimation for hybrid waveforms), so I've got to get my butt in gear and actually publish. Too bad I have the second part of my qual in less than 2 weeks!

Other highlights included a nearby lake (more like a pond) and petting zoo with baby ducks!



Really fancy lunches



Really fancy desserts at out-of-the-way vegetarian restaurants



Interesting architecture at the Perimeter Institute



And knitting an entire baby sweater in four days (more on this later)



The world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is also visiting the PI right now, and I did in fact get a chance to see him. However, I was way too shy to talk to him or take a picture... oh well.

Two Socks at a Time!

So, when people knit two socks at once, it's usually with the Magic Loop technique or with two long circular needles. However, there's a certain elegant aesthetic that comes with knitting socks on double-pointed needles that you don't get when there are mad wires flying everywhere. But all is not lost! You can have the best of both worlds when you learn how to do double knitting!

I've mentioned a couple of times that Knitty article which deals with knitting two socks at once, one inside the other, on double-pointed needles, and also the pattern from Knitting Traditions Magazine which explained a similar technique. Well, I thought it was about high time I tried this interesting and intriguing sock-knitting method.



I started off with this deliciously colourful, yet wonderfully cheap, acrylic/polyester yarn (called Gala Mixed Fibre from Mary Maxim). It was so on sale that it would have been crazy to pass it up... something like $1.50 a ball. At that price, I was pretty sure it would be super crappy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. A teensy bit on the scratchy side, and really pilly when it rubs against things, but the colours are super fun.



I used the cast-on method from the Knitty article, and knit the ribbings on the needles together. I then continued in the manner of the Knitting Traditions article by purling the outside sock and knitting the inside sock. I'm not sure if this is the best method, since I knit much looser than I purl, but the socks ended up being roughly the same size, and it was easier to keep track of the different threads this way. I didn't hold one yarn in each hand as recommended by both articles, but instead had them over my left index finger, and though the separate threads twisted together a bit, it didn't bother me too much. The only time I mixed up the front sock thread and the back sock thread was when I was knitting the ribbing.



Even after four pairs of socks, I've never knit a heel flap, and this time was no different. The Knitty article indicated that short row heels were the easiest to do in double-knit socks, and so I stuck with that. I'm fairly happy with the result... and I only screwed up one wrap and turn when knitting at a dark and drunken party. The stitches ended up being a little loose, and the same happened for the toe decrease, but that worked itself out after washing.



And so, I ended up with these crazy striped, super fun-looking socks! They feel a little funny on my feet, I think because of the fibre, but I'm sure they'll soften up as I wear them more. They're definitely socks I would wear regularly, and they fit nicely. This was an interesting experiment, and I'm happy that I got something wearable in the end... I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I'm pretty sure that I would do socks like this again. Now, if only I could figure out a way to double-knit socks toe-up!

Pretty earrings for Mom

Things, as usual, have been very busy. I found out that I did indeed pass my general qual (like there was ever any doubt!), and then rushed to get my research poster finished and printed for the NRDA conference last week. I'll save the details of that trip for a separate post. I got back into the city Saturday evening among all the G20 craziness, but fortunately, my supervisor gave me a ride in his rented car, and I was able to avoid downtown. Now, I should be rewriting my code to be able to accept multiple hybrid combinations in a row, but I've come down with a terrible headache and so I'm blogging instead. May as well be sort of productive!

Today I thought I'd show you some pictures of these earrings I made my mom back in February (better late than never, right?), which I had intended to also act as stitch markers, though I don't think Mom's used them in that capacity, which is fine. I bought a couple of sets of clip-on earring findings at Mary Maxim, one gold set and one silver set. For the gold ones, I decided to make it simple, and just thread a few beads onto a headpin and make a loop with my trusty needle-nose pliers.



I think they're actually quite cute, and I really like the look of gold and red together... it's got something of the regal to it. For the silver earrings, I decided to go a little more on the fancy side. I based these on the Chandeliers from the Anticraft, but I didn't have enough jump rings to do the pattern suggested in the book, so I made it up a little as I went along.



Making chainmail is kind of frustrating since if you put a ring through the wrong way, it totally doesn't work anymore, but I guess that's more or less true of any craft. Even though it's not terribly forgiving, I think I would try it again, just gotta buy me more jump rings.

So, that was my latest jewellery-making extravaganza. I should really do more of it. Next time we speak, I will probably show you some amazing baby knitting! Oh the cuteness!

And hey, the drugs just kicked in and my headache's gone! Woo!

Deadly Nightshade sleeves

Ahhhh... the post-qual slump! Well, not quite. I did finish my general qualifying exam on Tuesday (and I won't know if I pass until next week, argh!), but I still have to pass a thesis qual which will involve presenting my thesis topic and answering questions related to it. I'm also attending a conference at the Perimeter Institute next week, and have to prepare a poster for that. Sooo... I'm not exactly going to be able to relax for the next month or so.

Anyway, I thought I'd talk to you today about a project that was the embodiment of how much I hate finishing. This is the Belladonna Sleeves (Ravelry link) by Erssie Major from Anticraft, a book I really can't praise enough... I mean, this is my second project from this book, which is more than I can say for most of my books (with the exception of Son of Stitch 'n Bitch and Crochet Me).



So the pattern is basically supposed to represent a belladonna (or deadly nightshade) plant with a fluted opening for the cuffs symbolizing the flower and these big ol' bobbles that are supposed to be like the berries. Well, I'm not so much into bobbles (they remind me too much of pimples), so I decided to forgo those in my version, and I'm very happy with that decision. I also didn't decrease for the ribbing (probably a mistake), or change needle size, but I did sew an elastic ribbon into the tops, which seems to prevent any slippage problems.



The yarn I used was Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Worsted Glow, a lovely lovely lovely soft worsted alpaca with little shiny threads woven throughout. The colour is a beautiful dark plum, but I don't know what the name of the colourway is. Unfortunately, I think this particular yarn has been discontinued, but I got it from WEBS at a discount.

The reason this project is the embodiment of how much I hate finishing is that it took me from April 14th to April 30th to actually knit the sleeves, but I didn't actually finish sewing in the elastics until May 19th... Yes, that's right. It took me longer to sew in a couple of elastic bands than to knit two whole sleeves. I don't know why... I already had all the materials, and when I actually sat down to do it, it probably took less than an hour. I guess this is why I should just stick to projects where it's done as soon as it comes off the needles with maybe a couple of ends to sew in. I just have no patience for all that non-knitting (or crocheting) stuff!

Interchangeable needles

A few days before I went to Halifax, it was my birthday. A few days before that, I was woken up by the boyfriend who unceremoniously plopped something on top of me and groggily mumbled, "Happy Birthday..." The briefly mysterious early birthday present looked like this:



And inside, it looked like this:



And in the side pouch, there were these:



Hurray! It's a KA bamboo interchangeable needle kit! It has 3.75mm to 10mm sized needles (10 sizes in total) with wire lengths 16 to 53 inches. With the exception of projects needing teeny tiny needles (like socks), I think I have all the needles I'll ever need just in that kit.

They're really high quality too. The boyfriend certainly did his research. The bamboo feels really nice to work with (I used to be an aluminium-only girl, but I think I've converted), and the screws to attach the needles to the cable are really high quality. They're designed so that they won't come unscrewed while you're knitting since the cable will twist independently of the screwing bit. It's a pretty good design.

I have the bestest boyfriend in the whole wide world!

My CASCA shawl

I'm completely unable to sit through scientific talks without falling asleep unless I'm doing something with my hands. Since I wasn't sure about bringing my knitting needles on the plane to Halifax, I decided to start a new crochet project during CASCA. I wanted to choose something that wouldn't require too much attention to gauge and that I wouldn't need to try on as I went, and so I picked the Sweet Pea shawl by Amie Hirtes from the Happy Hooker.



The yarn I chose was Vanna's Glamour from Lion Brand Yarns. This is my first time using a LB yarn, despite devoutly listening to every episode of Yarncraft, and I wasn't disappointed. I found it to be a little inconsistent in width, and it stained my new bamboo crochet hook blue, but I did like the sparkliness. Sparkliness is good.



Overall, I'm pretty happy with this pattern. It wasn't so easy that it was boring, but I was able to memorize the stitch pattern fairly easily. By the time I started getting sick of the pattern, I was almost done. The results were certainly good, and I didn't even have to block it. I was worried about using such a thin yarn with a 6mm hook, but it ended up ok in the end. Hurray!

CASCA 2010 a.k.a. Good times in Halifax!

One of the major reasons I haven't written in so long is that I've been working like a madwoman trying to get my research ready for CASCA, the annual conference of the Canadian Astronomical Society, which took place at Saint Mary's University in Halifax this year. It was mostly an excuse to travel a bit, meet some new people and drink a lot, but I also enjoyed being immersed in Astronomy.

I presented a poster on my current research, and also gave a talk about the monthly Astronomy Public Tours I help organize. The poster was rushed to the very last minute... I only finished it the afternoon before I got on the plane, and thus had to get it printed in Halifax. The print shop had it ready the half hour before they were closing for the day, and so I rushed to pick it up because I underestimated how much time it would take to walk there. Everything worked out in the end, and I was able to get my poster up by the first poster session. Phew! My talk was slightly less stressful, but only because I didn't have to rely as much on my science smarts. I was in communication with the previous graduate students in charge of the public tours, and so had lots of interesting information to present. People seemed impressed with how much the tours had grown over the last couple of years, since our attendance has more or less tripled in that time.

Highlights of the trip included eating lobster by the sea (I named her Eunice):



Drinking fancy alcoholic beverages:



Beautiful views:



And sitting next to the landing gear on the aeroplane (yay Porter!):