Studying is not an act that has ever come naturally to me.  I didn’t even think of it as a concept until I was seventeen or so and classmates started studying for exams in high school.  I tried it once in high school and sat down to do a practice maths exam.  The teacher estimated it to be around three hours of work and it took me twelve.  Of course, that may have been to do with the fact my maths skills by year 12 had dwindled to some pen sketches in the margins on my notebook, so I had hardly blame the providers for that one.

(I can hear people whispering now — “And she does engineering?” I know, don’t worry.  I got faced with a DCT equation a couple of weeks ago and it was like a slap in the face with a textbook.  I concentrated this time.  I’m in your JPEG’s, compressing your pixels.)

It is exam time in RMIT-Land and I’m throwing up in excitement.  Or nerves.  I think it’s nerves.  Trying to find the best and most effective way to study has been really hard.  The most accepted way to study is, of course, to lock yourself away from civilisation and read until your eyes fall out.  I just end up imagining myself in Franz Ferdinand videos, I’m very good at that.

Tonight, Mum, Dad and I are going to experiment with a new method.  They’re going to read the questions out to me and I’m going to answer them.  They haven’t decided what will happen if I get them wrong, but I guess they can’t do worse than sending me to the guestroom to think about what I’ve done.

xoxo Nyssa on the 28th October, 2009 | 1 comment
filed under uni
and tagged with |

Running across errata in knitting — where the printed pattern is incorrect — it seems, at least in the world of Ravelry, is either slightly annoying, or a reason to frog work in progress and choose something new, depending on skill level.  I’ve never run across it, because I’ve often worked from free internet patterns, which means any errors were fixed long before I knew there were any there.  Today, I casted on an “Amusing Cap for Under Twenties”, which is from a vintage Stitchcraft magazine (I pitch it at perhaps 50′s?).  See if you can spot the error:

“… TENSION: 7 sts. and 9 rows to an inch on No. 11 needles…

… With No.11 needles and dark shade, cast on 32 sts…”

I wish I had thought about this earlier, when I was doing the insane thing of making a gauge swatch, that 32 stitches would mean my head was roughly around 4 inches round.  I counted up how much pattern went into a stitch and looked at the accompanying photograph to see that this kind of cast on was impossible.

I’m not sure where one gets errata for Stitchcraft numer 212, but I’m letting you know now, for an “average” size head, you’d want to be casting on around 140 stitches, plus any more you needed to make pattern.

In other news, I have exams this week and my brain has already decided to wig out on me.  Previously, I have baked like a crazed woman.  Seems I’m finding vintage errata instead.

xoxo Nyssa on the 26th October, 2009 | no comments
filed under knitting
and tagged with | , ,

… other than studying very hard at uni, of course.  The semester is over and I am now settling into studying for my exams.  At least trying to study.  The actual act of sitting down, with notes and books and doing… doing what?  What is it that makes you prepared for sweating your guts out for two hours?  I hope to find out.

Diving back into uni definitely through my for a loop, and despite certain challenges, including a very stressful design project, I have loved it.  Returning was nothing like I expected — I was not the oldest, the nana, or the nerd, but in fact of average age with lots of street cred.  Who knew?  Obviously, studying as taken away from other things I like, such as music and knitting, but I have still managed to get those things in, as we start of the LIST OF THINGS THAT AREN’T BLOGGING (unfortunately, I enjoy this too!):

- Formed a band.  We’re called Velcro Hawk, and at the moment, it’s my old workmate Steve and another friend of his.  It could be hilarious, terrible or fucking awesome, but I know it will be a heap of fun.

- Entertaing the boy’s Mum and Dad who are over from England for four weeks.  It’s always hard work sharing your house, but seeing them so rapt to see their son again is pretty awesome.  Plus, I get to do lots of touristy things guilt free, the biggest one probably being the restaurant tram.  I was expecting airplane food and I got an alright meal, which is always a bonus.

- Because the defacto in laws are in town and our home, Neil and I have been going out more often to have quality time.  I honestly thought I would be spending four weeks without alcohol but a lot of meat and three veg meals, but it turns out I’ve become quite a lush.  Kids, it’s not good for you, but the result of all these pub nights and talking bullshit has resulted in Neil and I planning a…

- … trivia night!  I mean, ideas thought up in pubs never usually come to fruitition, but thanks to aligned stars and carrying a pen with me, we’re hosting a trivia night!  There is an invite on Facebook with details on how to form a team, but on the 12th of November at Dirty Secrets, we’re going to test people’s knowledge on contemporary music.  I even overcame some serious shyness and so far have organised accoustic performances from the Skybombers and Johnny Rock, plus prizes from Polyester Records, MagNation and Dirty Secrets.  All the proceeds go to The Girls Night In and Movember, and it’s turning out to be very exciting indeed.

- And, if you’re into seeing rad interactive design work, come by the Horse Bazaar on the 16th of November to see work done by my fellow RMIT-ites.

xoxo Nyssa on the 19th October, 2009 | no comments
filed under housekeeping | stuff
and tagged with |