Nothin' But Knit

Change of Address

2006-03-24T17:06:00.000-05:00

http://doggedknits.com

Y'all come on over!

Beginnings

2006-03-20T14:22:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the feedback on the socks, y'all! I am inclined to bow to the common wisdom on this one (current tally--43 votes for; 3 against; and 9 "meh"), but we'll wait and see what the Sockapalooza hordes have to say tomorrow. Not that I don't trust my regular readers ;)

Knitting the sock of possibly-not-hideousness so quickly gave me a little hand pain--the kind that seems to be going around--so for the rest of the weekend I did other things. For example, I picked flowers!

They're only measly little snowdrops, and there aren't that many of them, but they give me hope (for the flowers, as it were). The crocuses should be up any minute now.

(How charming are my salz und pfefferstruers, by the way? My friend Vimala gave them to me once when I was having a poopy day, and they cheered me up immensely and still do. They had German on the box, rather than English, so I always think of them as my salz und pfefferstruers, but in Googling to make sure I was spelling it right I realized that I like the Norwegian (Norwegian? Right?) even better: Pepperbøsser.)

And I also started figuring out my quilt!

Mistakes may or may not have been made that require me to make a return trip to the fabric store this afternoon. Let's just say that math is not my strong suit, and neither, apparently, is cutting a straight line. But that's OK--it's a nice day out, and somebody would like very much to go for a car ride.

Sockapaloooza Crisis

2006-03-19T08:44:00.000-05:00

To refresh.

First we had this:

Yay! So pretty! So colorful! I have nothing but love for this yarn!

Then we had this:

Pretty pattern, but ow--impossible with the sproing-less yarn. Also, it was pooling ickily, which, as we know, I hate.

Then, we had this:

Which grew and grew, until I had turned the heel and was a full pattern repeat up the leg, until suddenly, on Thursday night, my hate for its pooling (one side red and purple, the other side blue and green) caused the white-hot heat of a thousand suns to blaze forth from my eyes and incinerate it. Or I ripped it out, whichever.

Now we have this:

and hi, guess what? I HATE IT. I fixed the pooling problem, but I think I just hate all the colors mashed up together. Hate, hate, hate. But here's the thing; these socks aren't for me. They're for a pal who specified bright, unique colors (and a short leg, thank heavens), and who maybe won't hate them, but rather love them and think that they are beautiful. But I don't know, because if somebody made these socks for me, I would be very, very sad. So I put it to all of you:

Cherries in the Snow

2006-03-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

Isn't it poignant, the contrast between the delicate, flowerlike Cherry Blossom Jaywalkers, and the snow falling all around them? (OK, it would be more poignant if you could see the snow in the photograph. I don't know why it didn't show up. But it's there, I promise, and we're supposed to get 4 inches' worth tonight. Sigh.)

You also can't quite see in the photo how different the two socks are in color. Really, to call these socks fraternal would be generous--they're more like second cousins. It's more obvious in their formal portrait:

I should have knit these by alternating from both skeins, like smartie Carola is doing right now. But I didn't. Oh well.

Oh and hey, guess what? These are my very first heel-flap-and-gusset socks! I've only ever made short-rows before. I think they are quite gussetlicious:

Am I a convert? I don't know--toe-up has the so obvious appeal of guaranteeing that you don't run out of yarn (I actually made the ribbing of the second sock 2 rows shorter than the first, since I was so afraid that I would)--but these do fit pretty darn well on the foot, I have to say, and I like how they look. You know, socky. We'll see...

Roundup
Pattern: Oh my god, do I have to tell you? I know--we'll rename them the Bandwagon. (But, Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the Clapotis party.) And yes, Grumperina is a genius. I can barely get these over my heel, but once I do, the fit is superb.
Yarn: Cherry Blossom Sock Yarn, from Sundara Yarn. Honestly I thought each of the skeins was beautiful; I just wish they had matched a little better. But that's hand-dyes for you.
Needles: Clover babmoo DPNs, size 1
Begun: Thursday, March 9
Finished: Thursday, March 16. My fastest socks ever! Woot! Thanks, Spring Break!

Juicy

2006-03-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

"Kneeling in the keeping room where she usually went to talk-think it was clear why Baby Suggs was so starved for color. There was't any except for two orange squares in a quilt that made the absence shout. The walls of the room were slate-colored, the floor earth-brown, the wooden dresser the color of itself, curtains white, and the dominating feature, the quilt over an iron cot, was made up of scraps of blue serge, black, brown and gray wool--the full range of the dark and the muted that thrift and modesty allowed. In that sober field, two patches of orange looked wild--like life in the raw."

--Toni Morrison, Beloved

Like petals on a wet, black bough

2006-03-11T18:13:00.001-05:00

I made it to Austin just in time for my beloved redbuds:

That made me happy.

Coming back to Michigan? That made me sad.

Although the temperatures have been pleasantly springlike since I’ve been back, there’s nary a flower in sight. But—serendipity or foresight?—waiting for me in the mailbox was some Cherry Blossom sock yarn from Sundara. So I knit my own. Behold: Prunus serrulata sockensis.

Yeah, just one so far (and yeah, it’s a little more “pink tiger” than “cherry blossom” with the Jaywalker pattern). But I’ll be casting on for the next tonight, although I think it will be a slightly different color than the first: the second skein seems to have much less the brightest of the pinks.

But, such is the way of nature, and such is the nature of hand-dyed yarns.

If you have a moment tonight, offer up a small sacrifice to the Yarn Goddess on my behalf. Here, with a Sheepy tape measure for scale, are the leftovers from the first sock:

It was kind of a Yarnukkah miracle: I kept knitting, and kept knitting, and the yarn held out, But just barely. Can I get so lucky a second time?

Homeward Bound

2006-03-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

Today:

Tomorrow:

Gone to Austin, y'all--see you next week!

(That's right, I'm not from Texas. But Texas wants me anyway.)

Promising

2006-03-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Look what I saw when I got up this morning:

Rosy-fingered dawn! Do you know how long it's been since I woke up to natural light? [ETA, per Amanda's and Cordelia's comments, that I do not get up particularly early at all (by objective standards. By my own standards, anything before 9 is early). This sunrise was approx 7:15 this morning.]

So that's exciting. Also exciting? The Amazing Race is back! And I do mean BACK--no stupid families, excellent challenges, and HELICOPTERS. And the nerdiest little couple with whom I am totally in love. Happy happy happy. Plus, the season premire was 2 hours long, so that meant lots of knitting time.

Pomatomus? Frogged. Wyvern? Well underway. Thanks for the suggestion, Olga! I have to say, I don't like the pattern itself nearly as much as Pomatomus--I miss the pop of the twisted sitches--but it is not crippling my hands, which makes it a winner in my book. And as Olga wisely observed, fish? Dragons? Both scaly.

(Note that the Wyvern reposes on a stack of blue books. Which remained ungraded while I watched TAR and knitted. Priorities, mes amis, priorities.)

Pomatomyuck

2006-02-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

In search of a little color in my life, last night I cast on for Pomatomi for my Sockapaloooza socks. This activity was accompanied by a rousing rendition of the Pomatomus Chorus. Handel rolled in his grave; Bailey covered her ears. But can I help it if Pomatomus and Hallelujah have the same number of syllables?

Anyway, I am discontent. The Pomatomus has a prettyish side:

and a decidedly yucky side:

Now, as it turns out, I have to frog this little cufflet anyway. (Because I am too stupid to read a pattern, that's why. Oh wait, you mean you want me to knit with a particular size of needle? How unusual!) And it is possible that if I knit this pattern on #2s, instead of #1s, that the blue might disperse itself more widey through the sock, and I might be more pleased with the result. On the other hand, it might not. Also, the Bearfoot is not particularly sproingy, and the K2togTBL which you have to do 6 times every round? Murderous on the hands, and on the needles. So I'm wondering if this is really the best pattern.

Options:
1) Cast on for Pomatomus w/#2s, see where it takes me.
2) Go back to the Stitchionary and make up my own pattern. Which I already did try, but failed to produce anthing satisfactorily fishy, "tiny scales" notwithstanding.
3) Give up on the fish themed socks entirely and begin what will no doubt be a long and fruitless search for a pattern that encourages striping in variegated yarns. Hmm. I wonder where on earth I could find a pattern that does that?

bleurgh

2006-02-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Will it never end?

No wonder my knitting's been so drab lately.

Clockwise from bottom left:

1) The neck hug, worn daily since its completion.

2) Black watch cap, which exists as of this morning. Literally every single day this winter I have been irritated that I did not have a warm black hat, and literally every morning, my id and my superego would have the following conversation: "Dammit! I wish I had a black hat. I should just go buy one. No! You are not allowed to buy accessories when you have yarn for 1000000 hats in stash. But I don't have any blaaaaaaaaaaaack yarn. YES YOU DO. But it's not soooooooooooooooft enough. Dammit!" And then I would put on my crappy white hat from Target that doesn't fit and go about my day. Yesterday, I finally got fed up, parted with some of the Christmas gift certificate and picked up some more of that wildly overpriced but sinfully, insanely, addictively soft Rio de la Plata at the LYS. And voila, black hat. No pattern; I just, you know, knit a hat. With decreases and stuff.

3) A second pair of the Almost-Knee socks, in Lorna's semi-solid Chocolate. This is so I can take notes and write down the recipe to share. Also so that I can have a second pair.

And 4) The body of Hourglass, Part Deux, which has only been a sleeve since last you saw it.

So, individually, all things that I like a lot. But all together? What a pile of blah.

At least one of us has some color in her life:

Snake lifespan: three days and counting. Running a close second to Purple Squeaky Man in the Length of Time Before Eviscerated category.

In which we conclusively establish that the true beauty of silk cannot be captured by my crappy camera.

2006-02-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

Back in August, Bailey's Uncle Marc (because you break up with your partner, not with the kids, you know) sent me for my birthday a pair of beautiful Lantern Moon needles and a skein of Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. Even at the time (a time during which I was not laughing much), this cracked me up, because I could imagine the dialogue at Hill Country Weavers:

Marc: "Hi, I wanted to get a present for someone who knits, but I don't really know what I'm looking for."
HCW Sales Clerk, internally: "YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"
HCW Sales Clerk, externally: "Well, we have some lovely items over in the, er, Luxury Corner. Don't you think she deserves something very, very special?"

And I do. And really, if you're going to spend the money, I must say that I have gotten enormous aesthetic pleasure--both visual and tactile--out of the ebony Lantern Moons, to the point that I am considering splurging on a set of DPNs, although I'm not sure they make 1s, which would be the most practical size for me to buy.

But the Lantern Moons? People, they are nothing compared to the Lion & Lamb. I'd let it marinate in stash for a while, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to make with it, and now I am sad, because I could have had this luxury all winter. I have never felt anything as soft as this, and I'm sure I've never knit with anything as beautiful. The silk...the silk. I fell asleep on the couch last night clinging to a little scrap of it, like it was the softest, most beautiful security blanket ever. This yarn--and I think this is the highest compliment I can give it, considering that I have no other inclinations in this directions--this yarn made me want to learn to spin.

Anyhoo, what I made. The simplest, most utilitarian thing, but the yarn elevates it into something else again. It's just a neck gaiter, a little wabi-sabi, since I was paying more attention to the yarn than to counting rows.

The buttons are the find of the century (and the work of a moment at Jo-Ann's); they pick up both the color and the luster of the Mineshaft exactly.

Yup, just a neck gaiter. But I like to think of it as the softest hug my neck ever got.

Neck Hug Recipe:
Yarn: 1 skein Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb
Needles: Size 10
Notions: Buttons, needle that will fit through buttons.
Gauge: With yarn held doubled, 4 stitches and 6 rows per inch

With yarn held doubled, CO 25 stitches. Use a loose cast-on, as your CO row will be your buttonholes later. CO more or less depending on the length of your neck.

Slip first stitch at beginning of each row.
Row 1: K
Row 2: P
Row 3: K
Row 4: P
Row 5: P
Row 6: K
Pow 7: P
Pow 8: K

Repeat Rows 1-8 15 times, or as many times as your neck requires.

Switch to seed stitch:
Row 1 *K1, P1*, K1
Row 2 *P1 K1*, P1

Repeat rows 1 & 2 4 times, decreasing 1 stitch at end of every other row while maintaining pattern. (This will form a seed stitch flap that will lie flat and prevent drafts.)

Cast off. Weave in ends.

Find 3 or 4 appropriately-colored buttons that will fit through the stitches on your cast-on row. (My buttons are 3/4 inch.) Wrap gaiter around neck to determine button placement; gaiter should be snug, but not tight. Seed Stitch flap should be underneath cast-on edge. Mark location of overlap. Sew buttons securely. Button up and enjoy the luxury!

NB. You could certainly knit a version of this in the round with no fuss. I like the buttoned version a) for the aesthetics and b) because I'll be able to move the butons over if the gaiter gets stretched out, extending its useful life. You could also knit in buttonholes so that you don't have to use the CO stitches. I didn't do this a) because I am lazy and b) because I didn't have my buttons in advance. You, on the other hand, might be more industrious and more prepared than I am. In fact, it's highly likely that you're both.

Snug

2006-02-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

It was 8 degrees outside today. Bailey and I stayed snug inside.

Specs:
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, colorway Black Purl, 2 skeins
Needles: Clover Bamboo, size 2 for feet, 3 for legs and 7 for bindoff.
Pattern: My own.
Begun: January 23rd
Finished: February 17th
Notes: Next time, I will be investigating elastic thread to carry along with the ribbing.

This concludes our experiment, never to be repeated, with Lorna's variegated colorways. Except for something utterly beautiful, which I will show you tomorrow. In the meantime, go say hello to Philippa. She's new in town.

Hurry UP, Spring!

2006-02-16T12:53:00.000-05:00

Bringing me down:

Bailey often hangs out in the tree at the park so the other dogs can't get her. She is afeared of them.

Perhaps you cannot tell, but the air in that picture is full of freezing rain, the worst kind of rain there is.

Cheering me up:

A lovely hand-hooked rug, a Christmas gift from Courker and the Pinto Bean

Sweet little birds, bought for a song from the lovely and talented Anna.

A cheery pink bag. It feels wrong to carry it yet, but soon it wil be time.

Candy.

Life.

Could be worse, I guess.

2006-02-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

Well, if they've gotta pool, at least they're pooling kind of identically:

I am SO excited for these socks to be done; it has taken a turn for the freezing here, and I want to wear them ALL the time. Luckily, I have another pair's worth of Shepherd Sport (in a solid colorway, thank Pete) stashed away.

Amanda reminded me that there has really been a dearth of Bailey on the blog lately. So, for Amanda, whose pup is far away, and for my BFF (nom de blog: Puppy) who came to visit me this weekend:

BaileyCozy!

(Puppy emailed me mid-Eleanor because he could not figure out what I was making: "but what is it going to be? A scarf? A giant tea cozy? A bailey cozy?")

Out of the mouths of babes...

2006-02-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

A student, upon my arrival, wrapped in Eleanor, in class this morning:

"That's.....a really big scarf."

It Came From The Seventies....

2006-02-09T12:21:00.000-05:00

Yup, El's done. I'm not quite sure about her.

I feel like I'm channeling either Braveheart or your frizzy-haired, kooktastic art teacher from high school who also ran Drama Club.

One thing I'm quite happy with: I just did tassels at the ends as opposed to the knotted fringe.

Oh, and another thing: one finished project, three new skills! With Lady Eleanor, I learned entrelac, knitting backwards and crochet. Huzzah!

Specs:
Pattern: Lady Eleanor, by Kathleen Powers Johnson, form Scarf Style
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden; 10 skeins 82; 3 skeins 86
Needles: Size 9 Lantern Moon straights
Started: January 10, 2006
Finished: February 7, 2006

In which I make an ass of myself at the Gap.

2006-02-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

So I've been on a little clothing-buying spree lately, thanks to the Gap's debut of its new tall clothes--I know, I know, short people: it's hard for you too. But YOU CAN TAKE YOUR HEMS UP. I cannot magically add fabric where there is none. So, sweatshops shmeatshops: I've been buying a lot of stuff at the Gap.

The other day, the UPS man showed up with my new Curvy Flare Double Button Cords (hi, Curvy Flare fit! Love you!) but, to my dismay, they had obviously been returned-they were squished up inside already-ripped packaging, and, horrors, had been EMBROIDERED on. As in, somebody had started a half-assed embroidery project on the back pockets, got tired of it, and returned the pants. See?

So today, since I don't teach, I marched over to the Gap in the mall (and don't get me started about how I have to order my clothes online, like some circus sideshow freak, rather than just buying them in the store in the first place, like normal people are allowed to do), plunked the pants down on the counter, and ranted about customer service and quality control and blah dee blah. To which the man behind the counter calmly replied, "Actually, they just come like that."

dammit.

But I ask you. First, does that embroidery look remotely professional, or like something you would want adorning your ass? And second, is there even one tiny word about back-pocket embroidery in the description?

I'm heading off to tackle that shit with my seam ripper.

Oh, and Lady Eleanor? She's blocking.

Fishy

2006-02-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

I left that Mountain Colors out on the dining room table so that I could ponder the perfect pattern for it, and it's been nagging at me: the colors remind me of something, but what?

Then, this morning, I got it:

Hmm. This calls for a fish-themed sock pattern, I think. Vogue Stitchionary, here I come!

Let the socking begin!

2006-02-02T17:55:00.000-05:00

Gee. I hope I can find some yarn for my sock pal.

Heh. Actually, the frontrunner right now is the Mountain Colors Bearfoot up there in front, in Bitterroot Rainbow. Natural fibers? Check. Bright colors? Check. Now I just have to decide on a stitch pattern.

And by the way, welcome to those of you who are popping by because I'm your Sock Sister. I'll be sending out an email when Alison forwards me the final list, but in the meantime, I'll just say that I'm looking forward to meeting all of you through your blogs (or by email, if you're blogless) and seeing what kind of sock creations you come up with!

Oh, and also, as part of the Silent Poetry Reading, via Sydney:

More Snow Falling

One huge hush the whole day.
No wind. Just endless in-
exorable cliche,
the same old stuff again

and again. . . . We need old stuff
sometimes. As in liturgy.
Or a declaration of love.
No frills, just infinity.

-Peter Kane Dufault

Isn't it enough that I can't buy pants?

2006-01-28T12:33:00.000-05:00

So, basically, if you are a person who does not have freakishly long legs? You will be able to make a pair of knee socks out of two skeins of Lorna's Shepherd Sport.

Me, on the other hand? I have made a fattest-part-of-my-calf sock.

Sigh. But seriously, if it is less than 22 inches from the floor to your kneecap, you should start some of these right away, because they are super warm and cozy. I've been flat out with the flu for the past few days, but I've been plugging away at these, because I am so convinced that wearing them will cure me of all sickness--that is how cozy they are.

While I keep going on the other one, a meme from Elizabeth:

4 jobs you have had in your life

Lifeguard
Book buyer
General lackey for a labor union's PAC
Admin assistant for The McLauglin Group (Ok, that was a temp job and I was only there for a week and a half, but it was HI-larious)

4 movies you could watch over and over

Bull Durham
Say Anything
The English Patient (but only when I need cathartic weeping)
Clueless

4 places you have lived

London
Washington, DC
South Bend, IN
Austin, TX

4 TV shows you love to watch

What Not to Wear
24 (a new addiction)
Nature
Nova
(N.B. I am kind of a dork)

4 places you have been on vacation

Eagles Mere, PA
London
Paris
Prince Edward Island. (worst. vacation. ever.)

4 websites you visit daily
I Blame the Patriarchy
The Vine
Go Fug Yourself
Cute Overload

4 of your favorite foods

Breakfast tacos from Mi Madre's
Kraft mac & cheese
Pie
anything with goat cheese, pretty much

4 places you would rather be right now

Austin
Austin
Austin
London (just to shake things up a bit)

4 bloggers you are tagging

Has anyone not done this? If not, you're tagged.

The bullet I thought I could dodge.

2006-01-26T16:06:00.000-05:00

Dear Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, Colorway Black Pearl,

I thought we could work things out. I swatched with you so dilligently, trying to find a pattern that would make us both happy: I'd get your pretty colors and insane softness, you'd get to display those colors in stripes, rather than big, ugly pools that would make me hate you and wish you'd never been born. And for a time, I thought we'd figured it out. You, me, the size two needles, the tuck-and-rib pattern from the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary--we had chemistry. It was beautiful.

But then. Oh, then. I had to go and switch things up. I was just looking for a little variety, a little novelty in our relationship. I mean, I know we'd only been together for a couple of days at that point, but it was time to try something new and exciting, something that would help us move forward together even faster. It was time for size three needles.

Why? Did it really make that much of a difference to you? It was such a small change, such a little thing. And yet it totally changed our relationship. It was, as they say, a rough patch. Frankly, I wasn't sure we were going to make it. But we'd come that far together, and I guess I thought I owed it to both of us to keep going. After all, relationships are about compromise, right?

I've gotta say, though, I'm glad you came back to your senses when I threw in some calf increases.

Because really, there's only so much I can give.

Love,
Ashley

******************

Dear knitting socks with sport-weight wool as opposed to fingering,

I love you. Will you marry me?

Love, Ashley

******************

Dear Bailey,

I'm not at all sorry that I put my super extra long sock on your snoot to try to make you look like an elephant for my blog.

I'm only sorry that you couldn't hold still for one goddamn second while I took a picture.

But if you could please not eat me in my sleep, I'd appreciate it.

Love,
Ashley

Who can wait for natural light?

2006-01-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

Done!

Pattern: Broadripple, by Rob Matyska. There used to be a Koigu adaptation on the Threadbear website, but I can’t find it there anymore. Essentially, you cast on 72 stitches instead of 56 and distribute the extras evenly.

Yarn: Koigu 411, 2 skeins. Although you can’t really see it in the photo, the 2 socks, although ostensibly from the same dyelot, are pretty different in color. Go figure.

Needles: Clover Bamboo Size 1s, my standard for Koigu socks. Bound off with Bryspun 3s.

Notes: When I first saw the Jaywalkers (do I even need to link?), I (like Olga) thought, hey! Those are just like Broadripples! Well, they’re similar, but I think, in the end, Broadripples have a big advantage. Word on the blog street is that the Jaywalkers don’t have a lot of give to them. The Broadripples have that straight section between the chevron bits, which has a more give than the slanted stitches, and if you really wanted to up the stretch quotient, you could even rib that part. They don’t look as cool as the Jaywalkers, maybe, but they have more fit options, which is what you want in a sock.

Begun: July 2005
Finished: January 22, 2006, during the Steelers’ AFC Championship victory. Which rocks because I heart Jerome Bettis.

Entrelac and a Meme

2006-01-21T11:14:00.000-05:00

Several people have commented or mentioned in email that entrelac looks hard. Well, as I or anyone who's knitted Lady E or a Market Squares bag or Danica can tell you, it's actually easy as pie. What it is, at least for me, is really hard to visualize, just from looking at the patterns, which are all "tier 2" and "side triangle" and "huh?" So. Here's what entrelac looks like.

Essentially, you're making short rows without the wraps, so that little sections of your knitting can grow up independently of each other. Once you've got the set-up row done (just follow the pattern; it won't seem like it makes sense, but it does in the end) you'll start building some little blocks, which, again, exist separately of one another, like crenellations, as long as we're being medieval about it:

To build the next tier, you'll be picking up stitches between those crenellations, along the top of the block below:

Then you SSK (or p2tog on the WS) to join this new block to the next crenellation.

Then you can either turn your work and purl back over the new stitches, or if you are smart you will learn to knit backwards, which I did not until about 40 inches in, because I am dumb. I'm smart now though.

Then, knit back over the new stitches, slipping the first stitch, SSK, and repeat. Gradually, the new block will incorporate the stitches from its neighbor:

Once you've got that block done, just move to the next. See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

*****
Olga tagged me for a meme, so here goes:

The Quirk Meme: Things You May Not Need to Know About Me:

1. I have the ashes of my before-Bailey dog, Snickers, in a can inside of a shoebox in my closet.

2. I am seriously addicted to Diet Coke. I'm a four-can-a-day drinker.

3. I'm actually a pretty good cook, and can make perfectly yummy food (like the lovely chicken piccatta I made last night), but I have a serious soft spot for incredibly disgusting white trash food like Hamburger Helper, or my favorite-heh-casserole: spaghetti with canned turkey gravy and french cut (because then it's fancy) green beans. Or this awesome white-trash version of pain au chocolat: Nutella rolled up in Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Admit it: you want to go make them right now.

4. I hate feet. Like, skin-crawling, stomach-turning hate. Please, internets: stop showing me pictures of half-knitted socks with people's feet sticking out of them.

5. I always get a milk (wine, juice, coffee...) mustache. I think my mouth might be shaped funny.

Welcome Back IK!

2006-01-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

The IK Spring Preview is up, and I can see about 6 patterns that I LOVE. (As opposed to the Winter IK, in which there were about 6 patterns that I would rather put my eyes out than wear, and the rest of which were meh at best.)

But oh, IK. Really?

A knitted fanny pack?

Find Me a RenFaire, Stat!

2006-01-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

As Cordelia and Elizabeth guessed, the mysterious piece of entrelac from my last post is indeed Lady Eleanor. Six-and-three-quarters balls of Noro Silk Garden in, she is a respectable 43 inches--just over halfway to go:

(Look! The sun was out! It's an MLK Day miracle!)

The Silk Garden has a little bit of a saga behind it; I became quite obsessed with the colorway I knit my wristwarmers with, so when I saw 10 balls of it on Ebay for half price, I couldn't resist. Yay! Except, boo. Because I got the number wrong: I liked 86, and I accidentally got 82, which, although it has similar colors--blue, green, purple, berry, brown, grey--is quite a bit less vibrant:

In the end, I decided that a more muted colorway was probably fine for Lady E, since she is a piece with quite a bit of inherent drama, but, as a compromise, I got 3 balls of 86, thanks to the lovely gift certificate to my local that Santa brought me, and am adding it here and there for a pop of color:

So. There's that. But now she's too big for bus knitting, and, since one of my New Year's resolutions is to take the bus to school instead of driving, I had to start a second project.

Remember this? After 6 mateless months, it's finally getting a friend.

Can't talk now...

2006-01-13T18:29:00.000-05:00

...knitting obsessively.

(ow my hands)

Holiday Knitting

2006-01-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

What else did I knit over break?

A majority of my knitting time was spent on my Dad's Secret Gift Vest--he asked for it to be made about two inches longer, so I ripped back to the armholes and added in a repeat and a half of the cable pattern. Et voila:

(My dad: "Are you going to put that on the internet?"
Bailey: "Iloveyouiloveyoupleasepayattentiontomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!")

It was a pain to redo, but he wore it like 8 times after I finished it, so I'm glad I put the work in. I also renewed my obsessive love of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed--I must make myself something out of it.

I also knit but did not photograph a final minisweater, with a Texas Longhorn on it (although it kind of maybe looked more like a reindeer) and, as very last-minute Christmas gift, a pair of LMKG armwarmers in the leftover Rio de la Plata from my sister's hat.

Then I spent many hours on these:

Which are really these:

I just liked that closeup. Both of these hats were attempts to knit myself something that I loved as much as my sister's hat. I totally failed. The striped one--cute, but not for me. Plus it doesn't fit; I think I might send it to Dulaan or something. It's knit, incidentally, out of some totally sketchy Debbie Bliss Cashmerino knockoff I picked up at my parents' local craft store, AC Moore:

We don't have AC Moore here, but I wish we did, because I would Live the Fantasy ALL THE TIME. OMG so soft. I like calling acrylic microfiber, don't you? It makes it sound so much classier.

The maroon hat I actually have been wearing quite a bit, but I've decided it needs a makeover. First of all, it's a bit airy: it's Lorna's Shepherd Worsted (in Manzanita) which I love love love--so soft and cuddly--but I knit it on 7s, and I think it really wants to be on 6s or maybe even 5s. And second, the teeny tiny stripe in it is the last scraps of the Manos from my sister's hat and scarf and I want MORE.

So I got more.

Bwahahahaha. Soon my hat too will be insanely cute.

Dammit

2006-01-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

I had a long and witty post about where I'd been (Pennsylvania) and why I hadn't been blogging (dial-up. Hate you dial-up! Hate you so much!) and then Blogger ate it. Hate you Blogger!

Here's what was important:

The Hawk Will Never Die, last seen with one sleeve left to go, was completed, with much ripping and reknitting of the above-the-armpits stuff, on the 23rd--two whole days before Christmas!

Unfortunately, I'm not super excited about the finished product. I really wish I had used a worsted-weight yarn, rather than a bulky, not least because when I was doing the raglan decreases, I ended up having to K3 (or SSSK, depending) to get the appropriate combination of length and width, and it looks lumpy:

Blech. Problem two, it's hella hot. Nevertheless, the Pinto Bean (my BIL) seemed really excited about it, and put it on right away, as did my sister with my much-coveted hat and scarf set. Aren't they cute?

Sadly, this is not yet quite an FO, since it binds a little in the pits--I'm going to rip the top back again and do some adjusting--but it's near enough for an FO Roundup.

The Hawk Will Never Die
Pattern: My own. (although next time? Just get a freakin' pattern.)
Yarn: Lambs Pride Bulky; 4 skeins Medieval Red, 5 skeins Creme
Needles: 10.5: Brittany DPNs for sleeves and collar; random plastic circs for body
Started: December 6, 2005
Finished: December 23, 2005

Now that's depressing.

2005-12-18T13:51:00.000-05:00

According to the news last night, since the snow started in November, the sun has been out for only 9% of the daytime hours.

In the bleak midwinter, indeed.

It's sunnier at the Secret Gift Blog.

Gifties!

2005-12-16T15:10:00.000-05:00

People, it is so snowy and crappy out today, and I had to do all kinds of miserable errands, and wait in line for 16 hours at the post office and stuff, but when I got home I had gifties, and then everything was better.

First, my excellent friends Vim and Kristi sent me a little arctic menagerie of ornaments for my tree. Aren't they charming?

They made them themselves, except for the glass ones. Vim and Kristi, I think you should have crafty blogs.

(They also sent some gummi penguins, but it is hard to photograph things that are inside your stomach without specialized equipment.)

And then Parikha and I were doing a little pattern swap, and she sent a whole pretty box with a wicked cool record bowl (The Eurythmics, if you were wondering, like I always do when I see record bowls) full of candy.

As I said to the student who brought me a Diet Coke to drink while they were taking their final last week, "it's like you know me!" Thanks, Parikha!

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go eat some chocolate and hang some penguins on my tree. But you can stick around and go over to the Secret Gift Blog if you want, UNLESS YOUR NAME IS VIMALA.

The first Christmas Debacle

2005-12-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

I planned to make these charming marshmallows to send to my friends in Austin:

Yum! Peppermint marshmallows! How good would that be in cocoa? Alas, the morning after the marshmallows were made and bagged (although luckily not sent), here is what I have:

A bag of pepto-bismol colored smush. Not very gifty. Thanks a LOT, Family Circle.

On the other hand, that is probably what I get for making a recipe from Family Circle. I looked on Epicurious, and their marshmallow recipe is basically the same, but adds egg whites, which, I think, would make quite a difference.

Anyhoo, things are much more satisfying over at the Secret Gift Blog.

I heart nature.

2005-12-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

Look--LOOK--at what showed up in my friend Vim's parents' back yard.

It's a snow weasel! Why are there no snow weasels in my back yard? If there were, I would certainly let them read my Secret Gift Blog.

My dog is cute.

2005-12-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

When you have absorbed the cuteness of the chin resting on the back feet and the nose tucked under the tail, please proceed, as appropriate, to the Secret Gift Blog.

Hello! I'm a pretty picture of nature!

2005-12-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

Dear family and close personal friends, please take a moment to observe this quiet moment of tranquility:

OK--I've got them distracted. The rest of you, Quick! To the Secret Gift Blog!

Christmas Knitting.

2005-12-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

Look. I can't talk about it here. And yet, I must talk about it.

So.

If you feel that there is a chance that I might be giving you a present that is made of yarn, DO NOT under any circumstances click on the link below. Just...don't. Unless you want your whole entire Christmas to be ruined.

The rest of you? Clickez-vous, s'il vous plait.

Secret Gift Blog.

Knits in action

2005-11-28T18:23:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said that I would get some better shots of Rogue over Thanksgiving, since my FO pics were so crappy? Well, I did my best. I said to my sister Courtney, aka Courker, "I need you to model your sweater so that I can take good pictures of all the cables." Here's the first attempt:

"No, no," I said, "be normal. This is for the Internets." Silly me. I forgot the Cardinal Rule of Courkerdom: Never be normal.

That's the best I could do. At least the color is fairly true in these.

Later, all the knits got in on the action.

Rogue helped Courker clean us all out at poker, even though she had to use sugar packets as chips.

Hourglass got its groove on in a heated Dance Dance Revolution competition with my brother-in-law while we waited in line for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (Tip: Don't play DDR in an overcrowded theater lobby while wearing a wool sweater and Uggs, especially if you are prone to overheating.)

And many, many assorted knits showed up for the traditional family Christmas picture.

Five people, six knits (and an uncooperative dog). Not half bad.

Oops.

2005-11-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

I did it again. (Apologies for the sucky no-natural-light photography.)

The Shedir, she is in wool this time. And I still heart it just as much if not more. This will probably be passed on to my mom, as it is a titch big for me, but you know I'll make another one for myself.

Specs
Pattern: Shedir, by Jenna Wilson, from the Knitty Surprise, Fall '04
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Aran (creamy white, rather than the yellow of the photo), less than one skein. Splitty as hell, but what do you want for 223 yards of 100% merino for $5.49 at the Meijer?
Needles: Size 3 bamboo circs and dpns
Mods: Knit 20 brim rounds, plus a turning row. Note to self: don't knit the turning row. It makes it impossible to turn the brim up farther if, say, your hat is slightly too big.

I also re-knit my Silk Garden mitts, which, as it turned out, were absolutely too big. I reknit them on 7s instead of 8s and took out 4 stitches. Then I got craaaaaazy and improvised some thumbs:

(When I put out my hand to take a picture of the mitt, Bailey gave me five. Awww.) I haven't woven in the ends yet because I'm not sure if they look very good, but in the end I probably won't care very much, since they add some cozy warmth, which I am so down with these days.

I'm off for Thanksgiving with the fam tomorrow and likely won't post again until next week. Happy leftovers, everybody!

SnowWatch 2005: It Begins

2005-11-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

And here we go. Someone wake me when it's May.

The winner of the SnowWatch Contest is Olga! She guessed November 13--closest without going over. (Right? Nobody guessed later, did they?) Olga, email me your address. I have some yarn that wants to go home to Austin!

Update, 10:20 pm. Still snowing. Probably going to snow all night. Hmm. Perhaps you would like to see Bailey try to figure out whether she should play with snow or fight it? Of course you would.

(Thanks, Amanda, for the info on the video upload!)

OH CRAP, or, Mom Always Said, Don't Run Around on the Slightly Splintery Hardwoods Playing Soccer With the Dog in Your Favorite Koigu Socks

2005-11-15T23:19:00.000-05:00

(please excuse the dog hair)

Anybody know what exactly you're supposed to do with one of those darning egg thingies?

No love for the haters.

2005-11-15T00:57:00.000-05:00

There was some major dog-hating going on in knitblogland today. It made Bailey anxious.

Then again, maybe it was the humiliation of outerwear.

A very knitful weekend

2005-11-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

I am newly obsessed with Noro. I resisted for so long--like I don't have enough yarn obsessions?--but then my mom picked out the Kureyon, and what could I do? I had her scarf almost finished Friday night, but realized that I wanted it a bit longer than it was going to be with only 3 skeins, so I decided to take a trip to the yarn store for another skein on Saturday morning. Then (because you need to know all about my Friday night) I watched a fascinating documentary on WWII carrier pigeons on Animal Planet, which was completely enrossing, except for when the narrator would refer to The Pigeons of War, which made me giggle and not take the whole thing as seriously as I could have. Anyhoo, as I was watching The Pigeons of War, I realized that I would have a lot of yarn left over from a fourth skein so I decided to make my mom some matching handwarmers to go with her scarf. And so I did!

These are Ann Budd's fingerless mitts from Weekend Knitting. To make sure that I would have enough yarn for them, I knitted them first, and then finished the scarf (which ended up being the perfect length) with the fourth skein.

All well and good. But by then I was obsessed with Noro, and a little jealous of my mom's handwarmers. So, like any normal person, I went back to the yarn store and emerged with a skein of Silk Garden. Voila, the Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:

So soft and warm and shiny. I actually need these desperately because my office is not unlike the arctic tundra--yet I need to type and write there. Fingerless gloves to the rescue!

What I found fascinating about the Silk Garden is that, unlike the Kureyon, there were no color repeats at all.

The skein started and ended with purple, so apparently each skein is roughly one repeat long. I kind of dig it, although if you had asked me beforehand I'd have said that I wouldn't.

Specs

Kureyon Scarf and Mitts
Pattern: Stacey's My So-Called Scarf and Ann Budd's Fingerless Mitts from Weekend Knitting.
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, Color 150, pretty much every last scrap of 4 skeins.
Needles: Random plastic 11s (scarf) and beautiful ebony Lantern Moon 9s (mitts).
Mods: None for scarf; mitts lengthened from 28 to 35 stitches.
Started: Wednesday, November 9
Finished: Saturday, November 12

Silk Garden Mitts
Pattern: Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Jolle Hoverson (women's version).
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, Color 82, 1 skein.
Needles: Bamboo Size 8 DPNs.
Mods: Knit upside down. I used the cast-on edge as the top, knit the first 32 rows, divided for thumb, then kept going in pattern until I had used up all the yarn. The equivalent of knitting a sock toe-up instead of top-down, really.
Notes: Don't forget to check errata.
Started:Saturday, November 12
Finished: Saturday, November 12

The good kind of self-striping

2005-11-10T19:19:00.000-05:00

My parents have been in town for the last few days, which has been nice but tiring, in the way that parental visits can be, especially when you have to fit in your own work after they go to bed. But many good things arose from the visit, not the least of which was I finally confessed to my mom that I found myself completely unable to knit her socks from yarn that was as aesthetically displeasing to me as the yarn she had picked out was. To which she said that she really hadn't wanted socks at all, and that she would rather have a scarf, and could I knit her a scarf out of the sock yarn? To which I said no, because it would still be black with neon pink, green, and yellow stripes, but that I was happy to take her to the yarn store to pick out another yarn for her scarf, and the much more aesthetic result was a few skeins of Kureyon, which I am happily working up into a My So-Called Scarf:

The pattern is easy and pretty--I really like it. But mostly I love this particular shade of Kureyon (Color 150). Here's my favorite bit so far, where it shades from greyish-brown to turquoise, by way of a kind of verdigris.

So pretty. This will be my go-to if I ever get around to a Lady Eleanor, I think.

*************

I've been remiss in not blogging about the yarn I got from Kat as part of Katie's Sock Scrap Swap:

There's Blackberry Ridge (the turquoise), Wildfoote (the small ones in front) and Running Wild (the variegated). Thanks, Kat and Katie, for the chance to try some new yarns!

Rogue, Completed

2005-11-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

Now that my sister has opened Rogue and pronounced it "a perfect fit" (she also said, "I kind of feel like a Star Wars character with the hood up!"--I'm not sure it that's good or bad), I can show you the worst FO pic ever.

I had it all wrapped up and was about to put tape on the package when I realized I hadn't taken of a picture of it assembled. I only had about 5 minutes before I had to leave the house, so I just dropped it on the floor, pointed, and clicked. Nothing artistic to see here.* I'll do a better job at Thanksgiving, when I can actually get a picture of my sister wearing it.

Specs:
Pattern: Rogue, by Jenna Wilson
Yarn: Bartlett Rangeley 2-Ply, in Blackberry, 6 skeins. Purchased from the online shop formerly known as Knitpixie. (Shut up, Knitpicks.) I loved the sheepy, lanolin-y goodness of this yarn, and have already bought more for MY Rogue. The color was all but impossible to photograph--here it's too blue; in other shots it's too pink--but suffice it to say I made blackberry cobbler more than once when I was knitting this sweater because the color was so delicious-looking.
Needles: Addi Turbos, size 7, 32"
Mods:Added length to both sleeves and body--although not enough on th body, as it turned out. You might notice above that I left the bottom ribbing down rather than hemming it up--I was convinced, even after I added 2 cable repeats to the body, that it would be too short, and as it turns out I would have been right. When I make mine I will add 4 cable repeats; possibly even 5.
Started: Tuesday, September 14
Finished: Saturday, October 15
Recipient: Courtney, for her 28th birthday.

*Except possibly the charming gift tag I made.

Meemers

2005-11-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Olga (my only real-life blog friend!) tagged me with Carolyn’s meme. Aren’t you so proud of your little meme, Carolyn? It’s been all over the blogosphere!

1. What is your all-time favorite yarn to knit with?

Um um um. I’m in love with everything lately. I’ve gotta go with Calmer, I think—I just binged on eBay and picked up a bunch half-price, so expect to see more Shedirs in the future. But I also truly, madly, deeply love Koigu—it is just pure pleasure on the hands.

2. Favorite needles?

Ask me this a month ago and I would have said all bamboo, all the time. But my dad’s vest, Rogue, and Hourglass were all knit on Addis. I think I’m converted.

3. What's the worst thing you ever knit?

Oh, easy. The infamous To Dye For, still sitting in the UFO pile like a nasty gorilla pelt. Anybody want some free mohair?

4. Favorite knit pattern? The most fun to knit?

Well, the fact that I’ve already started a second Hourglass argues for that, but I think the most fun to knit has been Shedir. Advantages: small size & low cost combined with enough technical difficulty to make the knitter feel accomplished, without wanting to tear her hair out.

5. Most valuable knitting technique?

I forget whose blog I saw this answer on, but I totally agree: the ability to fix things. I.e. knowing when a stitch is wonky, and being able to diagnose why it is; seeing a flub in your cabling 4 rows back and being able to drop down and fix it, etc.

6. Best knit book or magazine?

Mag: Interweave Knits (me and everybody in blogland)
Book: I’ve yet to make anything from Last Minute Knitted Gifts that hasn’t been a smash hit.

7. Favorite knitalong?

Sockapal2za, for sure, and I would say that even if it weren’t the only KAL I’ve ever participated it.

8. Favorite knitblogs?

Wendy’s was the first blog I ever read, and although we have very different tastes in sweaters, I keep reading for the sheer awe of seeing someone bang out an intricate Aran in less time than it takes me to make a sock. The gals at Mason-Dixon are not only great knitters but great writers—I can’t wait for the book. Anna is such an inspired designer and a bastion of excellent taste, and I always learn something new over at Nona’s. Finally, Eunny is a new fave, and Franklin’s Man vs. Sweater is an instant classic.

9. Favorite knitwear designer?

To look at? Rowan (yes, they’re a company, not a designer, but their aesthetic is pretty unified), although they do get some doozies in on occasion. I have never knitted a Rowan pattern, however, so I can’t say for sure. Jenna Wilson’s patterns have been the best-written I’ve ever worked with, and there are a lot of better-known designers out there who could take a lesson, is all I’m saying (yeah, I’m looking at you, Debbie Bliss).

10. The knit item that you wear the most?

The knit item that I wear most often was actually not knitted by me, but by my sister, who bravely, after having just learned to knit, made each of her bridesmaids (all 8 of us) a scarf as a thank-you gift, and personalized all of them by picking yarns that reminded her of the recipient. Here’s mine.

Gray and nubbly, it is my constant winter companion. Thanks, Courker! Happy Birthday!

UFOs On Parade

2005-11-03T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've had a little case of knitting ADD since finishing Hourglass. There's been a lot to do at work lately, and my free time has been somewhat limited, which has made it hard for me to commit to much of anything. There's lots of things I should be doing, but although I've picked all of them up, I haven't really been feeling any of them.

I could finish up The World's Worst Mittens,

which I began last Thanksgiving. Don't think they're The World's Worst Mittens?

What about now? Those are headed for the frog pond, I think.

Instead, I could pick up my poor neglected Ruffles,

which I would like to finish before spiral scarves are no longer trendy, but I've had to screen a lot of movies for my classes lately, and knitting in the dark isn't conducive to short rows.

On the Dutiful Daughter front, I really should get back to work on my dad's birthday vest,

which has been frogged back to the armhole shaping, and now needs to be re-knit with 2 extra inches.

But first, I should get going on the socks I promised my mom for Mother's Day. Unfortunately I let her pick out her own yarn

and it kind of makes me want to die.

So instead, je vous presente:

H2. Hourglass the Second. In Elann's Peruvian Collection Baby Cashmere, held doubled. This time, with the folded-over hems.

Joelle Hoverson, you have created a monster.

lovelovelovelovelove.

2005-10-29T16:13:00.000-04:00

Oh. my. god. Could I love this sweater any more? Dear Joelle Hoverson, you are a genius, and Last Minute Knitted Gifts is my favorite book ever, errata notwithstanding. I feel like someone should tell all the Future Search participants over at Mason-Dixon to throw in the towel, because the perfect sweater? It already exists. And its name is Hourglass.

I mean really. How flattering! How comfortable! How perfect in its simplicity! How completely devoid of fiddly sewing-together! It's not really any sort of technical accomplishment, I know--but didn't I just earn my chops with Rogue? I deserve an easy knit. And did I mention the comfortable? And the flattering? And the lack of finishing? J'adore.

Specs:
Pattern: Hourglass Sweater, by Joelle Hoverson. From Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
Yarn: Rowanspun Aran in Autumn, all of 5 skeins plus (grr) ten rows' worth from a 6th. Bought on sale from Jimmy Beans Wool. Enjoyable yarn, although very full of nature--lots of bramble bits to be picked out. Sort of a felt-y quality to the yarn. Did not take well to spit-splicing; Russian join was better, although slightly bulkier.
Needles Addi Turbos, size 7, 32" (body) and 12" (sleeves). The 12" took some geting used to but was ever so much quicker than DPNs would hav been.
Mods Replaced folded-over hems with slip-stitch edging to reduce bulk (and finishing). Also, I knit only 8 rows between increase and decrease rounds on the body and increased/decreased 2 more times than called for, making the body 2" longer and a bit more fitted. Added 2" to sleeves as well.
StartedTuesday, October 18
Finished Saturday, October 29.

I leave you with the obligatory just-like-the-book shot.

Oh Hourglass. I will knit you again, oh yes I will.

P.S. No snow yet. The latest guess I have in Nov. 3. Perhaps we were all too eager? Keep guessing. And if you want to guess again? I believe in do-overs.

49 degrees, clear skies

2005-10-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

Nary a snowflake in sight. Keep guessing!

I made decent progress on Hourglass over the weekend: I finished the body (a second time) and one sleeve:

The folded-over hems on Rogue made me realize that I didn't want the bulk of two layers of aran-weight yarn around my middle, so I went looking for an edging that would lie flat but not be too obtrusive--I really like the clean simplicity of Hourglass and didn't want to do anything too fiddly on the edges--even seed stitch seemed disruptive. Luckily Anna posted the other day about Annie Modesitt's slip-stitch edging on the Backyard Leaves scarf from Scarf Style, so I adapted that for working in the round, and it looks pretty good, I think.

The working-in-the-round adaptations are
Row 1: *K1, slip 1 yif* to last st, K1
Row 2: slip 1 yib, *P1, slip 1 yib* to end.

It's not quite as elegant as it would be in a finer yarn (see Anna's silk Trudie edging), but it's stockinette-y enough that it blends naturally into the body of the sweater, and it does lie flat. Hurrah!

I made Bailey model the beginning of the second sleeve for you. Disregard the still-unpacked boxes of books in the background.

SnowWatch 2005

2005-10-20T19:30:00.000-04:00

The weather.com? It displays this icon for my Monday forecast:

Can you see? It is petite, I know. But it is an image of a cloud with SNOW falling out of it. SNOW. In October. I mentioned this to one of my colleagues and she said "oh, I know--it's so late this year." GAH!

Now, here's the thing. I heart snow, I really do, and one of the things I found most consoling about moving to Michigan was the prospect of living in a winter wonderland. You know--no friends, no boyfriend, no tacos, but at least I would have nice snowy romps with my dog. But now that it appears that winter here starts in the fall (and lasts right on through spring), I find I'm just not ready. I'm really not. I do find it hard to believe that it actually will snow on Monday, given that the forecasted low is 38, but it will be here soon, so to prepare myself with cheerfulness, I announce: A Contest.

WHEN WILL THE FIRST SNOWFALL BE?

To enter, leave your guess in the comments by Oct 25. Winner will receive nice yarny prizes, (if they are a yarny friend) or something nice and not yarny (if they are a not-yarny friend). The first snowfall, by the way, is to be construed as the first snowfall that is actually seen by me, i.e. the first time I personally witness snow falling, or the first time there is indisputable visual evidence that snow has fallen overnight.

Whenever it is, I hope I have Hourglass done by then.

There's actually less of it now than there is in that picture, since I frogged back to add more decrease rounds--it was just too big. It's also a darker orange than it appears in the picture. It's Rowanspun Aran in Autumn: burnt orange with nice tweedy flecks.

And for those keeping track?

"ARRRR! I'm a scary pirate now, mateys!"

amandamonkey noted that Bailey seems to be bearing up cheerfully despite the injury. It's the drugs, people, the drugs. And the fact that she is a total ham for the camera, which might be due to the fact that she usually gets a biscuit for posing.

Finally, speaking of amandamonkey and contests, check out "What Would You Do For Your Knits?". Would you fish your mitten out of a toilet? I sure as hell would not, and that is why I will not win Amanda's contest.

In which my dog is treated like a piece of knitting.

2005-10-16T18:29:00.000-04:00

At the vet's office on Saturday morning:

Vet: So, her paw is looking much much better--the incision is starting to heal really well.
Me: Wow, that's great. Why do you think the stitches took this time? Luck? Time?
Vet: Well, we used a different type of stitch to hold the pad closed this time. It's called mattress suturing? It holds things together really tightly, and tucks the edges of the cut under.
Me: Oh, mattress stitch. I was just doing that last night.
Vet: ???

Go figure. I actually feel reassured by this, since if I am ever in a situation where somebody needs emergency stitches, and I am the only person around, I can just mattress-stitch them up and call it a day. Knitters: good to have around in a crisis.

Also at the vet's office on Saturday, Bailey got some seasonal decorations:

And this is why I love my vet: When the techs brought Bailey out, she was like, "a spooky boo monster! you made her a spooky boo monster!"

Not at the vet's office, but also on Saturday, I finished the Rogue.

At least the knitting part. But in a few days I will be able to sew it up (with mattress stitch!) and send it off, after which there will be proper photos. Wasn't I so totally secretive about my secret gift project? Luckily, the recipient is not a computer-y person.

Two good things, and one bad thing

2005-10-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

Good Thing #1: A while ago I donated a basket to the Give a Little prize pool, and sent it off to Sara in Oregon, who appears, sadly, to be blogless. When I got home from work today there was a wee envelope in my mailbox, and I thought to myself "oh, a thank-you note. How nice!" And indeed it was, but Sara also included these gorgeous stitch markers, which literally made me catch my breath they're so pretty.

Thank you Sara! These are going to be right up there with my hands-down favorite stitch markers, which I got in trade from Gaile. (Gaile sells hers on Etsy--go see!)

Good Thing #2: There are three yarn shops in my relatively immediate area--one is right in my neighborhood, and the other two are each about 15 minutes away, in opposite directions. I've been to the neighborhood one, and one of the far away ones, and decided, because it is grey and crappy, that I should stop at the third one on my way home from school, you know, just to see. And pet. (There was a funny sign on the loom in the store that said "Student work in progress! Please do not pet!" Becuase they know how we are.) Of course I meandered over to the sale bin right away, stuck my hand in, encountered extreme softness, and pulled out this:

Mountain Colors 100% Superfine Cashmere. For 30 percent off! When is cashmere 30 percent off? So I bought it. There's only 96 yards, but I think that should be enough to do some little fingerless gloves with, or maybe a tiny kerchief a la Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Or I might never knit it at all, and instead just pet it and pet it. I heart you cashmere!

Bad Thing: Bailey has to have a THIRD surgery! Her little pad is cut right in half, and it just won't heal--so on Thursday they are going to put her under and stitch it up AGAIN and then put her in some kind of compression mitt that hopefully will keep her foot immobile. Sigh. But in the meantime, she is sporting a new stylish wrap over her cast:

Purple and stars is ever so much better than neon pink and hearts, if you ask me.

Weekend Knitting

2005-10-09T20:15:00.000-04:00

In between bouts of grading, exam writing, and keeping-up-with-the-syllabus reading this weekend, I've been quite the tricoteuse. First, I started my Rogue sleeves. In the end I decided not to do them in the round, but only because it turns out that I only have one size 7 circ, and I was too lazy to go buy another one. Sad but true. Instead I decided to knit both sleeves at one time. Since I'm going to be tinkering with length (I need to add about 2 inches) I thought it would be a good idea to make sure I tinker at the same time and in the same places on both, and there is no guarantee that I will do that if I knit the sleeves separately, because y'all know that I am challenged with the maths. I'm at row 35 of the chart, which doesn't look like much, I have to confess. I console myself with remembering that if I were only knitting one sleeve I would have gotten twice as far.

I also would've gotten quite a bit farther if I had not digressed into a new project:

Ruffles! This was originally intended as a gift, but I am obsessed with it and feel that I might very well keep it for myself.

You might wonder why my radiator features so prominently in these pictures. It is to mark the fact that, much to my shame and disgust, I turned on my heat this weekend. The heat! At the beginning of October! But when you're sitting around the house in wool socks, a fleece jacket and a hat, and you're still cold? The heat must be turned on. But for the record, I only turned it up to 64. Take that, winter.

Can I get a hell yeah?

2005-10-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

The hood of the Rogue, she is successfully grafted.

I would be lying if I said that I had not been fearing this step, but you know what this sweater is teaching me? That if I stop working myself up about things that seem too hard, I can do them perfectly well. This, actually, is one of the things that blogging is not good for--if there is a collective internet freakout (shall we call it an anxiety meme?) about, say, grafting the hood of Rogue, then I think it is somewhat natural for me to also freak out. But there is no need. My tension is a teeny bit wonky in some places, but overall it looks great, if I do say so.

Of course blogging is also good for many things, one of which is seeing how other people dealt with their Rogue-hood-grafting anxieties, and luckily, Lauren kept excellent notes which reassured me a) that the offset stitch at the stockinette/reverse stockinette transitions is inevitable, and b) that I was Kitchenering the rev st st sections the proper way, which is to reverse the directions for st st Kitchener (i.e. if it says "as if to purl," work as if to knit, and vice versa).

Can we take a moment, by the way, to marvel at Kitchener stitch? I don't do it very often, since my socks are toe-up usually, and I like mattress stitch at the shoulders of sweaters for stability, but it is really an amazing thing. Kind of a pain in the ass to do, but an amazing thing.

It just keeps getting better.

2005-10-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

Please note that the vet techs put that heart on the cast of their own accord, and did not consult me first. If they had, I would have told them to wrap her up in green and put a big fat dollar sign on instead.

All right, already.

2005-10-04T01:19:00.000-04:00

Look, Ma--I can smile nicely and shower!

Glad I took this second round of photos, though, because I caught a goof in Shedir. Can you spot it?

Another goof, that is--the one I knew about and chose to ignore is in the brim, and the new one is in the hat proper. Still, three days, two goofs, one Shedir--I can live with that.

Project wrapup, since I was too perturbed by the not-smiling yesterday to do a proper one:

Pattern: Shedir, by Jenna Wilson
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Coffee Bean. I said 1.5 balls yesterday, but I think if it was over 1 ball, it was barely. It's hard to say since this was a stashbusting project--I was using up leftovers from the Regency Shrug. Should've weighed them. Didn't. (Edited: Weigh the hat, Dumbass McDumberson. 60 grams, or 1.2 balls of Calmer)
Needles Size 3 bamboo circs for body of hat and DPNs for top.
Mods: Added 10 brim rows plus a turning row; completed only 2 repeats of the initial cabling. (Edited once more for future ref: this was a mistake. Should've done 3 reps so as not to be continually tugging the hat down around my ears.)
Dates: Started 9/30/05, completed 10/2/05
Notes: I love this project. I felt so accomplished when I finished my first one, and all the more so now, since it was so much easier this time around. (Post-its? We don't need no stinkin' post-its.) I will make it again and again, and will hoard Calmer so I can contine to make it forever. Such a great gift, either as a chemo cap or a cap cap, and the Calmer makes it the perfect transitional hat for fall.

Those of you tuning in for Bailey updates, be advised that my wicked, ungrateful animal cost me further hundreds of dollars this week by actually chewing off her bandage and gnawing out her stitches (GNAWING OUT HER STITCHES! What kind of insane animal does that?), which required more anaesthesia and more surgery and more followup visits. In punishment for her wickedness, she is also decked out in a new hat.

HA! It's like she's in the stocks! Those Puritans knew what it was all about, man--public humiliation and the inability to scratch your nose if you need to. That'll teach her.

And this is why, in real life, people sometimes perceive me as unfriendly.

2005-10-03T00:38:00.000-04:00

In this picture?

I was making a conscious effort to smile. And yet all I have on is bitchface. Sigh.

Oh. I also have on my new Shedir, made of 1.5 balls of Rowan Calmer in Coffee Bean. I doubled the 1x1 ribbing at the bottom and threw in a turning row to make it less chemo cap and more watch cap. I like it quite a bit. As you can tell from how much I'm smiling.

SGP: All Is Revealed

2005-09-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

So the Secret Gift Project that I've been showing you dribs and drabs of for the past couple of months? Now that my dad has officially opened the box, here's the whole thing:

Surprise! It's a cabled vest! I'm going to do the final project wrapup here, although, now that my dad has tried it on and proclaimed it "just a little bit too short" it's not quite finalized. Sigh.

Pattern: Donegal Tweed Vest, by Kathy Zimmerman, from Spring '05 Interweave Knits.
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Granary (brown with multicolored tweedy flecks)
Needles: Size 6 Addis for body, size 5 Addis for bottom, neck, and armhole ribbing.
Alterations: None so far, but I'll be ripping back to the armholes and adding in 2 inches to the torso.
Recipient: My dad, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.
Notes: I love, love, love the fabric that this yarn produced. I didn't love the yarn itself so much, and in fact it felt kind of acrylic-y and not so soft when I started working with it, but after spending some quality time with Eucalan, the vest itself is super, super soft (as befits the yarn's silk and cashmere content) and kind of felty (which I'm hoping won't impede the ripping back). I'm really (sniff) happy, in fact, that this yarn is discontinured because otherwise I would be compelled to buy thousands of dollars' worth. Stitch markers made all the difference on this project--I made a few stupid pattern mistakes at first but once I figured out that I should use markers between every pattern repeat it was totally intuitive and easy. I could see adapting the cable pattern here to a cardigan in the future...

Slobbery Kisses

2005-09-27T22:17:00.000-04:00

That is what Bailey sends to all of you to thank you for all the virtual love. She is doing fine now, and putting some weight on the paw (more than I'd like her to actually; I'm not sure she knows her own limits). We had a followup visit at the vet yesterday, during which she was rebandaged in stylish pink, and she has learned to put the padded club that is her right paw to excellent use as a rawhide holder:

Because if you're Bailey, it's all about how best to cram your face full of the cured skin of a cow.

In knitting news, I am about 28 rows into the first hood chart of Rogue, and I think it's looking pretty good:

The body absolutely flew compared to the hood though, so I think I'm going to knit the sleeves in the round. I've decided I'm not a slow knitter, I'm a slow purler. Why is that? It's basically the same motion. Maybe I should learn continental. Anyhoo, I don't have an immediate deadline for this Rogue, but I'd like to get it finished as quickly as possible so that I can start mine! (Or some other sweater for me.) Because people? It's fall.

Mmmmmmm. Fall.

A Bad Day for Bailey

2005-09-25T13:13:00.000-04:00

We had quite an adventure yesterday, the little one and I--we were going for our usual morning walk on a wooded path where she is allowed to be off leash. It's about a mile around, there's a pond with ducks in the middle, and the woods are full of squirrels and chipmunks; it's really everything that a dog could want. But as we found out yesterday, it's also full of sharp things: about a quarter of a mile in, Bailey jumped over a log and landed on something that severed an artery in her paw. Let me tell you--carrying a 55-pound, frightened, squirming dog who is spurting blood for a quarter of a mile is not something I wish on anyone. I had ripped some strips of cloth off my t-shirt and tried to tie up her paw, but it wasn't making the least difference, and by the time we got back to the road, I was soaked in blood and actually starting to worry that she was going to bleed to death, since there was still half a mile back to my car, plus going home and finding an emergency vet, plus getting to the vet. Luckily, a man pulled over and gave me a ride back to the car, and then not only knew where an emergency vet was, but offered to have me follow him there, called ahead so that they knew I was coming, and then waited with me in the office until we knew that she was going to be ok--restored my faith in humanity, especially because I must have looked like an insane, possibly murderous person coming out of the woods, given the amount of blood that was on me.

The upshot, after $500 and five hours at the vet, is that she will be fine: she had to be anesthetized so they could go in and suture the artery, but the sutures worked, and although she lost a good bit of blood--seriously, when I carried her in, the vet tech took one look at me and went straight to the back and came out with a pair of scrubs and some rubbing alcohol and made me go to the bathroom and take my clothes off and clean all the blood off and wear the scrubs instead--she seems to be bouncing back. But yesterday she was so groggy from the anesthesia and the morphine they gave her that she lay like this

for five straight hours, just staring at nothing and crying. It worried me. So of course I channeled my anxiety into knitting, and finally finished Cozy, all, er, 9 feet of it. I might have gone a little overboard:

I was going to do a modeled shot, but I was too lazy to shower, and my hair is sticking up in all kinds of weird places. Plus, I put it around my neck and got really hot, and had to take it off right away. I think this is going to be a winter scarf, not a fall one, or else it is going to take up residence in the coldest place on earth, also known as my office.

Final Project Details
Pattern: Cozy, by Danielle Schoonover, published at knitty.com
Size: width 18 inches; length about 9 feet.
Alterations: 7 repeats rather than 14
Yarn: Misti Chunky Baby Alpaca, Shade 707, purchased at Threadbear Fiber Arts, 4.5 skeins
Needles: Size 15 bamboo circs
Recipient: Me!
Notes: I like the lace pattern, and would definitely make it again, but if I were using the same yarn, I would use size 13s rather than 15s and go wider and shorter--more of a stole than a scarf. I would also like to try it in a finer yarn, as in the original pattern.

This also just in: Treats from my pal!

2005-09-23T12:07:00.000-04:00

While I was still basking in the excitement of my new socks and assorted treats yesterday, the dorbell rang again--and it was so thundery that Bailey did not even crawl out from under the bed to confront her perpeual nemesis, UPS Man. Lucky thing too, because then he might have taken away my package, which contained even more treats--this time from my secret pal:

There's a fun Halloween bag, which I will be using to hand out the candy next month (and by "hand out" I mean "buy lots and eat it all myself"), hand lotion, lip balm and a candle in Warm Vanilla Sugar, one of my favorite smells, and some gorgeous fall sock yarn. See how fall-appropriate it is?

I'm thinking this might be just the thing for some dad socks. Hmm.

Thanks pal! You made my day twice over!

A final note, to be filed under "Things That Are Annoying About Moving": I have no matches. I know I had matches at my old house in Austin, but now I have none. Where did they go? And how am I supposed to light candles? Dammit.

This Just In: Socks!

2005-09-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

A super-soggy, super-crappy first day of fall:

What could make it better? Why, socks, of course!

My sock pal turned out to be Beth, and she sent some incredibly pretty and comfy socks. Thay are made of Cascade Fixation, which I am a fan of, and they have a lovely lacy pattern:

And as if such awesome socks were not a sufficient treat, Beth also included lots of little gifties with them:

The Harlot's second bookbookbook, fun sticky stars to use on student papers (well, she didn't say they were for that, but I might just do it to be funny), a pretty blue pouch, perfect for knitting accoutrements, and best of all, sone extremely useful miniature things:

A tiny calculator, perfect for those of us who cannot do the maths, a super-handy retractable tape measure, and a little pair of safety scissors, all of which were immediately transferred to my knitting bag after the photo shoot.

In short, Beth ROCKS, and also, she is redesigning the Union Square Pullover to get rid of the one feature I didn't like in that pattern, i.e. the weird flap on the neck. So not only is she a great sock pal, she is a woman of excellent taste.

Also rockin' and tasteful is , of course, Alison, who organized the whole shebang. Thanks Alison! I'm ready for Round 3!

Skill Set: Experienced, with Advanced Cables

2005-09-18T17:56:00.000-04:00

I've been slogging through loads of work this week, and spent all of yesterday at a football game (since I am now just two hours away from the dear alma mater), but I have still been finding time here and there to get a start on my newest gift project. Is it starting to look familiar?

All I have to say about it so far is that I feel like a complete ass for not knitting one sooner. A, it's so much fun to knit, what with seeing what the cables will do next; B, the pattern is so clearly written; and C, with Shedir and the Pretzel Cable Socks under my belt, I can actually read the charts, rather than having to look up each symbol as I come across it. Hey--I am experienced with advanced cables! I'll be knitting myself one as well, I think--I have some Aurora 8 stashed away that would make a delightful version.

Bailey says: "Compulsively lick your lovely sheepy knitting, with delicious lanolin and interesting bits of nature in it? I wouldn't dream of it."

Bailey is a liar.

Secrets

2005-09-15T02:59:00.000-04:00

First, now that I know that my Secret Pal 5 Pal got her final package, I can say that it was knitting dentist Aimee. And I owe a huge thanks to Melissa, who sent me such lovely gifties, and who, randomly, is also a Massachusetts girl like me! Thanks Melissa!

Update: As of this morning, my secret sock pal has also recieved her socks--very impressive, USPS, less than a week to get to.....Norway! My pal was Helene, and you should really go look at her blog--she is an amazing knitter (I was so intimidated at the thought of knitting for her!), and does traditional Viking crafts as well! (Plus she blogs in English as well as Norwegian.)

And, with apologies to my new Secret Pal 6 Pal for not posting it sooner, here's an updated version of the SP questionnaire:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I am indeed a bit of a snob. Not, like, a total snobby-snob-only-use-rowan brand-snob (Knitpicks? Elann? Bring it on!), but an all-natural-fibers snob (for the most part—see my recent love affair with the 25% acrylic Calmer). For sock yarns I don’t mind a little unnatural mixed in, for stretch & strength.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Nope.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Smoke makes me sneezy and cranky, heavy perfumes make me headachy.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Since 2002

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yep—one at Amazon and one at wishlist.com (both lists are general wishes, not secret-pal oriented necessarily).

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love the Warm Vanilla Sugar line at Bath & Bodyworks, and anything citrus-scented, esp. grapefruit, is yummy.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Does this question even need to be asked?

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I am trying to kick my sewing into gear—but beyond that, I try not to develop more hobbies because I barely have enough time for this one!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my computer can play mp3s. I don’t know how to reliably describe my musical tastes generically—pop, but not top-40 radio pop. Post-White Stripes rock & roll-y pop, brit pop, alt country pop. Austin City Limits Festival pop. That sort of thing. Lately, The Shins, Franz Ferdinand, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, the Decemberists, The Postal Service. (Apparently if it’s on one of the O.C. compilations, I’ll like it. I’m such a moody teenage boy.)

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Right now I am absolutely obsessed with fall colors--spiced orange, blackberry, moss greens, deep reds. Yay fall! Not loving yellow, or super-bright colors.

Generally, I tend not to like variegated yarns all that much, except for in small things like socks, and even then, I prefer the colors to be pretty close to each other.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Just me and the Bay.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To finish a goddamn sweater for MYSELF!!! (still.) And wear it on a nature cruise to Alaska.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Koigu, Calmer and Debbie Bliss’s Alpaca Silk have been recent favorites. To no one’s surprise, really.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Mohair. HATE YOU MOHAIR. And it’s not a fiber so much as a weight, but laceweight and I don’t have a lot of use for each other. Also novelty yarns and I don’t really get along so well. And cotton makes my hands hurt. Man, am I fussy.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Socks! And cables.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Hmm. Socks and Shedir have been my favorite knits of late.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Cozy, from Knitty; the other half of a pair of Broadripples; and a mysterious sweater.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Over. So sayeth Manolo.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circs. But it depends on the project a little.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Depends on the project. Most of my needles are bamboo, but sometimes you want the speed of aluminum. However I hate metal dpns with a deathly hatred.

22. How did you learn to knit?
My mom and my aunt taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
3.5 years and counting! Hate you To Dye For!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Wombats. And ponies.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas, hands-down.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
No. And yet my house is so full of crap. Whyyyyy?

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Interweave Knits.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
They’re on the wishlists.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Not really...maybe the Almost Argyle socks from KnitPicks?

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I like all the socks! But I am too lazy to go measure my foot right now...if you really want to knit me a pair of socks let me know and I'll send the measurements!

Done ahead of time!

2005-09-13T14:20:00.000-04:00

A full 12 days before the mailing date, no less--I won't even have to send it priority! (I am a notorious late sender of all presents, not just hand-knit ones.) Here's a mysteriously blurry glimpse; the whole thing will make its debut in a couple of weeks.

That ribbing made my hands cry, by the way. I know I promised to work only on the SGP until it was done, but I had to keep stopping and working on Cozy instead, just so I wouldn't get tendonitis. I'm almost done with Cozy too; I'm in the last ball of yarn, so I should finish that up soon--which means it is time to start something new! So last night I swatched, dutifully:

From right to left: 8s, 7s, 6s, 5s. Shooting for 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch. On the 8s, I got 3.5 stitches and 5 rows per inch. On the 7s 4 stitches, 5 rows. On the 6s, 4 stitches, 6 rows. On the 5s? 4 stitches, 6 rows. WTF? How can I have absolutely no change in stitch gauge, and barely any in row gauge between a 7 and a 5? (Yes yes, that 1 stitch will add up, I know.) HATE YOU GAUGE. I refuse to go down to a 4; I just refuse. What I am going to do is some maths to see if I can knit a smaller size in the bigger gauge. Hopefully that will work out.

What's the project? Wait and see, my pretties, wait and see. As a hint, I will say that the yarn is Bartlett's Rangeley 2-ply in Blackberry (so pretty! scratchy, but pretty), and that I am scared but so excited to start this sweater!

Secret Gift Project, and a Rant

2005-09-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

First, thank you all so very much for the nice comments on my sock...although I regret to say that nobody who commented was my pal. Faraway land, in this case, actually means somewhere in continental Europe, so abandon hope all ye Americans, Canadians, and UKers.

With the socks done, I'm now turning my fulltime attention to my SGP, which has a Priority Mail-induced deadline of September 24. Have you forgotten SGP? Here's a glimpse:

It's coming along pretty well, and I think I can be done before schedule, slow knitting and all. (You want evidence that I am a super-slow knitter? Carolyn is making the same project (with the same yarn even!), and emailed me the other day that it takes her about an hour to complete one of the diamond repeats, which is 12 rows. You know how long it takes me? 2 hours. I.e. twice as long. And that's on Addis, without a cable needle. I sincerely hope, Carolyn, that you are making a smaller size than I am.) But I will have to devote most, if not all, of my knitting time between now and then to it, which means not so much blog fodder. So I may be scarce for a while.

I did stop by my brand new LYS this afternoon to check out their wares. They're a little understocked, I think, and very heavy on the luxury brands, but I grabbed some sportweight merino in the perfect mossy green for Anna's Elfines, and I also got a Lantern Moon tote that I am going to donate to the Give a Little prize pot. You can see it below, with the yarn and a tired Weiner:

Which brings me to my rant. It is truly inspiring to see how much the knitblog community (which is only a a drop in the blog bucket, which is only a drop in the national bucket) has given to the Red Cross so far. But it also worries me, as it gives credence to one of the big administration talking points right now, which is that we should all be excited and proud at how well the American people are coming together to support each other. Please: don't be fooled by this rhetoric. Look past it and see it for what it is: an attempt to deflect criticism of the administration's (at best) wildly mismanaged or (at worst) deliberately callous response to Katrina. Amanda Marcotte, at Pandagon, has an excellent explication of this attempt at wiggling out of blame.

And, similarly, don't be fooled by the claim that this is "just" a humanitarian crisis. It is a political crisis. It is a crisis that highlights exactly how racist and classist our current administration is, and how much its foreign policy is directly compromising domestic safety (and don't get me STARTED on terrorism et al).

Daily Kos has chronicled numerous instances of officials actually turning away aid. So has Lauren, whose friend Chris has firsthand knowledge of it.

We should all be sick and sad at the devastation wrought by Katrina, but we should be horrified and outraged at BushCo's response to it. If this doesn't make us all activists, I don't know what can.

If you only have knitting blogs on your Bloglines, here are some you should add:

Pandagon
Daily Kos
Atrios
Talking Points Memo

Sockapal-2-za: Done and Done.

2005-09-03T15:22:00.000-04:00

So let's say you want to block some cabled socks, but you refuse to lay out $30 for plastic sock-blockers, and your closets are devoid of wire hangers. What to do?

Meh. In the end, you just block them like any other damn thing:

Yes indeed, my Sockapal2za socks are finally done. I ripped out the 2x2 ribbing at the top of sock 2 last night and redid it as 1x1, then decided I had made the ribbing too short and doubled the length, meaning that I also had to undo Sock #1's bindoff and add there as well. Let me tell you all: Lorna's Shepherd Sock on size 0 needles is not something you want to try picking up a whole lot of loose stitches in, because man, is it splitty. All its little plies separate with a vengeance, and it's never quite clear whether you're getting them all back on the needle because the stitches are tee-tiny. Not fun. And yet that is how I spent my Friday night.

Here's the final product, posing with a geranium. They're still slightly damp, but they have the weekend to dry, and then on Tuesday they will be in the mail to a faraway land.

(I have no idea, by the way, why they look like they have weird striations in them in the photo. Things have not seemed quite right with my iPhoto since the Great Hard Drive Crash of '05.)

Final Project Details:

Name: Pretzel Cable Socks
Pattern: My own, with cable borrowed from Jenna Wilson's Shedir Hat (12 cable repeats)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Periwinkle, 2 skeins (with a good bit left over)
Needles: Size 0 Bamboos
Started: 7/11
Finished 9/2 (Shameful, yes--but I moved in the middle!)
Make it again? Probably, but I would add in some ribbing between the cables to increase elasticity.

Crapweasels.

2005-09-02T01:43:00.000-04:00

Lookee here:

A finished pair of Sockapal-2-za Socks! Yes, indeedy. All done. No problems here.

Except...

Hmm....

Sock 1 sports a lovely 1x1 rib at the top. See how nice it looks?

And yet, inexplicably, Sock 2 has instead a 2x2 rib.

Whyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeee? HATE YOU SOCKS.

(Sorry about the dark muddy photos. Turns out having a job does not so much always allow for photographing in natural light. Perhaps you would prefer the scary overexposed flash photos?

Thought not.)

The joy, the pain, and the meme

2005-08-31T00:54:00.000-04:00

The Joy:

Walking distance, people. Walking distance. I peeked in the window the other day--there's shades, but with little spaces between them--and saw giant piles of Lorna's. I'll be needing some in green, please, for Anna's beautiful Elfines.

The Pain:

Oh my god. May I be a total girl for the moment, and say I. Have. Nothing. To. Wear.

Seriously. Closets full of clothes, and not a thing to wear, because all of a sudden, I have to dress like a grownup three days a week, and it is so not working out for me. Part of the problem (and it must be faced) is that I am in my fat jeans right now, so some of my wardrobe is out of rotation. Another part is that I actually have a decent fall/winter grownup wardrobe, but summer? Not so much. And the third part is, and I was discussing this with my friend Vim the other day (hi Vim!), I am in clothing limbo. I'm no longer the same age as my students, and therefore shouldn't really be dressing like them, but neither am I at the momly age of Eddie Bauer/J.Jill/Chico's. And I can't afford to shop at Banana or J Crew, which seem like the best in-between options. Dammit.

I tried today. I really did. I spent 3 hours at the mall, in an attempt to find something presentable to wear in the classroom tomorrow. This is what I came home with:

Ah, jewelry. It never makes you look fat.

Finally, The Meme:

Cordelia tagged me with this one. I don't have time to do the whole thing now, but I'll try to work the rest into subsequent posts:

10 years ago: I was just starting my senior year of college, happy as a clam to have my own car and my own apartment off-campus. Also, I was probably drinking a beer, since that is what I mostly did during my senior year of college. (Lest I sound like a total wastrel I will also point out that I pulled down 4.0 GPAs and played a varsity sport.)

5 years ago: Starting my second year of grad school at UT. Finally finding my feet in Austin, partly because I had moved out of my craptastic little apartment that overlooked the highway into a lovely house in Hyde Park with fun roommates, and partly because I was finally making good friends. Note to self: that is how long it takes.

1 year ago: Starting my fellowship year, and delighting in the fact that I didn't have do anything for the forseeeable future except write and play with Bailey. (Hence, no grownup clothes.) Also facing the fact that I had to go on the job market, which, as my fellow academics know, is no picnic.

Yesterday: First day of school, i.e. first day of the REST OF MY LIFE. A bit daunting, when you think of it that way. Taught two of my three classes (the third is Wednesdays only) in what appears to have been my one grownup outfit. Um. Hung up a clock and some pictures in my office. Ate macaroni and cheese for dinner (see above re: fat jeans). Knit 3 repeats on the Sockapal2za sock. (Knit one more today: 9 down, 3 to go.)

Sockapal-2-za: So close! and yet so far...

2005-08-28T16:03:00.000-04:00

I was far too ambitious in my plan to complete my second Sockapal-2-za sock while I was on vacay. I did get the foot done while I was away, though, and now I'm five pattern repeats into the 12 that make up the leg. Voila:

7 repeats left is nice, because it means that even if I only do one a day, I'll still be done in a week. And I imagine that I'll do more than one a day, so I'm on schedule. They are being mailed abroad, so I'd like to be done sooner rather than later, but I have been swamped with real actual work for school. The first day is tomorrow, and I still have to finish the syllabi for two of my classes. Shameful really. Back to work for me...

Yarn-anza

2005-08-27T02:01:00.000-04:00

As some of you deduced from comments left by real-world friends, it was indeed my birthday last Friday: 31. Thank you for all the nice wishes! 31 was not quite the momentous occasion that 30 was, but that's really for the best; I have to admit that 30 was a little bit of a crisis birthday for me, although I'm not sure exactly why, but 31 just seemed like business as usual.

What was not business as usual is that on a usual day people don't just hand me buckets of yarn and yarn-related items, but last Friday they did:

In the back, Knitting on the Edge, which I'm excited about, and on the left, absolute piles of Koigu, all from my parents. Yay for wishlist.com! On the right, a skein of Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb in Mineshaft and a pair of ebony Lantern Moon needles from Marc. Hmm...does this mean I am destined to make....(dum dum dum) The Clap? I swore I wouldn't. But when someone just up and gives you some Lion & Lamb, it starts to seem fated. Of course, I'd have to track down 3 more skeins.... Anybody have any good ideas for one skein (205 yds) of L&L, other than holding it on my lap and petting it like a kitten, not that I or anyone I know would do that. (Meanwhile, when we're actually dating I get a crockpot for Valentine's Day, but now that we're broken up I get superfancy yarn and needles? Things are askew.)

But in the end, I think the best yarn-related gift of all, if only because it will save me so much time out of my life, is my lovely new umbrella swift, here seen happily churning out a center-pull ball of Koigu. Delightful!

Isn't that yellow paint cheerful, by the way? That is another good thing about my apartment: it has a cheerful yellow dining room. Unfortunately, all that dining room has in it now is a swift, but I'm hoping that will change soonishly.

And another good thing about Michigan in general: it gives me access to PONIES!! Bailey and I were invited today to the house of one of my new colleagues, who lives out in the country and has two dogs, a rabbit, two ponies and four horses (and a spinning wheel, a loom, and plenty of knitting accoutrements). Which really is my idea of paradise. So today Bailey met her first horse. You can see how thrilled about it she was:

Erm, not. However, she warmed up later when one of the horses slobbered his feed all over the barn floor and Bailey hoovered it right up. She was still a little afraid of him afterwards, but appeared to think he was giving her treats, which, in the end, is all you need to do to get Bailey on your side, because she is a little bit of a piglet. Anyhoo, we are invited back to go riding soon, so perhaps she become a horse dog in the end. Keep your fingers crossed....

Perks

2005-08-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

Lest y'all think it is nothing but doom and gloom around here, there are some things that I am very much enjoying about Michigan life, not least of which is my new apartment. Quite honestly, any apartment would be better than my rat-and-flea infested slum in Austin (no, I'm not joking--it's a wonder I don't have the Black Plague, honestly). But this place is really super-nice--it's an old Victorian that's been converted into two apartments. My landlords live upstairs, so the place is very well-cared for, and it's full of lovely architectural details that make me feel like a rich person, even though, well, not so much. Here's a detail of the carving on the living room fireplace:

And here's the bedroom:

Sadly, both are non-functional, but they're still pretty to look at. Even the door hinges are beautiful:

So that is one nice thing about Michigan. There are plenty more--I'll tell you about them later.

In the meantime, Cozy continues apace. Here is 1.5 skeins' worth as modeled by the Bean:

She is sitting on her fancy new bed, which cost an arm and a leg, and which I bought her specially so she would not have to lie on hardwoods all the time. Naturally, she hates it and won't go near it unless I bribe her with a treat. Damn dogs. So willful.

I'm off to Pennsylvania for a week, so expect intermittent blogging for the next little bit. Hopefully when I come back there will be a finished pair of Sockapal-2-za socks to show!

Yarn makes things better.

2005-08-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

Moving + breakup + sad family news + extremely vicious head cold have all conspired to keep me from blogging. Just haven't felt much like it, and haven't had much to blog about, knitwise. Not that I haven't been knitting--I finished the back of my Secret Gift Project, which felt accomplish-y (but perhaps I should finish the front before I feel truly accomplished), but since it's secret, it doesn't make for especially good blog fodder.

But yesterday, I thought to myself, "self, what cheers you up better than a trip to a yarn shop?" And since I have long thought that one of the big plusses to moving to Michigan was the relative proximity of the glorious Threadbear Fiber Arts, I hit up Mapquest, hopped in my car ($2.70 gas notwithstanding) and off I went to Lansing, Michigan. Yep, it's about an hour away. Yep, it's totally worth it. (Plus I used the time to listen to the ever-delightful Sarah Vowell's latest, Assassination Vacation, on the Pod.) First of all, Matt and Rob were just as nice as pie--I hadn't been in the store three minutes before Matt came up and to say hello and introduce himself and his little Tater Tot of a dog, who sat right down on my feet and demanded pats, which I was happy to provide. I love me a yarn store dog, I must say, although one time Stella at Hill Country Weavers did decide to use the skein of Koigu I was toting around as a tug toy. Anyway, super nice people, who UNDERSTOOD (Rob: "So where did you move from?" Me: "Austin" Rob: "Ohhhhhh. Sorry.") and who, I guess more importantly, had a phenomenal selection of yarn AND a phenomenal sale--15% off everything. Whee! Sale! I will admit that it crossed my mind to pick up a Colinette Ab-Fab throw kit, but I held firm. (Honestly I think most Colinette yarns look like expensive barf, but I, like my style guru Anna, love me an Ab-Fab throw.).
Instead I picked up a bunch of loot for my secret pal:

And, naturally, a bunch of very fall-themed loot for me:

Shepherd Sport in yummy yummy chocolate, and a buttload of Misti Chunky Alpaca in a sort of tomatoey-burnt orange color. This yarn--so soft, so lofty, so impossible to resist. Seriously, I touched it, and that was it. I had no choice. I drove home with my hand buried in the bag that it was in. I dare you: if you ever see some of this in a store, touch it, and then don't buy it. You won't be able to. Sure, it's sheddy and probably it's going to pill like a mofo, but I. Don't. Care.

It is becoming something that I have had bookmarked for a while, but hadn't found the right yarn for: Cozy

Mmmm. Cozy indeed. I can't wait to be snuggled up in this on a crisp fall day at the farmer's market.

141

2005-08-09T12:13:00.000-04:00

That is how many unread Bloglines entries I had waiting for me when I finally, last night, got back online after a very unplanned hiatus, which was long enough that I managed to forget which login/password combos I use for blogger and photobucket. Picture it: Two days before leaving your home of six years to move to a small and, it must be said, somewhat unappealing (by comparison anyway) midwestern city where you know not a single soul, your computer falls victim to an insanely intense thunderstorm EVEN THOUGH it was plugged into a surge protector which was supposed to PROTECT it from power surges that would knock out the logic board and, oops, the entire hard drive. (Lesson: turns out you are supposed to replace your surge protectors every one to two years. Who knew? Go do it now. Seriously. Also, back up your hard drive, including your email archives, your photos, and your music, because otherwise they might all be lost to you forever and you will be super, super sad.)

Anyhoo, long story short, the computer is back, with its handy internets, so that I can now find things like the other Target, which I hope is not quite so sucky as the one Target I found and have been spending money at all too regularly since I got here. Isn't it weird how some Targets are the shit, and some might as well be Kmarts? Crazy world we live in.

You might think that with no computer I would have found myself with quite a bit of knitting time, but truth be told I have knit nary a stitch in the past few weeks-before I left Austin I was either packing or spending as much time as I could with friends, and now that I'm in Grand Rapids I have been unpacking and going to Target obsessively (because material posessions are my only friends). But now I am slowly settling in, and, not only do I have my internets, I have--glorious day--CABLE! For the first time in six years. It is like candy. Candy which is, luckily, conducive to knitting. So hopefully I will make some progress on something soon, like maybe my other Sockapal2za sock.

Since I have no knitting progress to display, I will instead leave you with two final Things I Will Miss About Austin. Vegetarians, avert your eyes.

5. Meat, Glorious Meat

Austinites will recognize the pile of cow and pig here as a family-style plate at the Salt Lick. Sausage, ribs, and the best brisket ever anywhere. Love you meat! Luckily you can order it online, if you are feeling splurge-y and/or excessively sorry for yourself.

6. Friends

Sniff.

Where have I been?

2005-07-22T16:58:00.000-04:00

Well, a little bit here:

But mostly here:

Packing is a bitch. But, as you might notice, at least I have the happiness of packing in boxes that were once full of delicious yarn. I happened to show up at my LYS on recycling day, and snagged the giant pile of boxes they had sitting out from the fall shipments. I hope they have more when I go back because I have A LOT of stuff, as it turns out.

Case in point:

Yikes. Of course, organizing the stash is more pleasant than packing the stash, but it's all relative. It was kind of frightening to see how many projects I have in the pipeline because, yes, honestly, almost all of that yarn has a specific project attached to it, but apparently I have not had the gumption to knit any of them. Which means I better hurry up and finish my Sockpal Socks and my Secret Gift Project so that I can get some sweater-knitting underway.

To that end, after I sorted everything by weight and fiber, I left out the yarn that will be accompanying me to Michigan in the car:

Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed for SGP
Lorna's for Sockpal Sock #2
Koigu for Broadripple #2
Handpainted Yarn Bulky Merino in Rhodesian for Honey, from the Rowan Ribbon Twist collection. I.E. Winter Sweater #1. Should be a pretty quick knit, what with the size 17 needles and all. 17s! Ha!

I know I'm behind on answering emails and comments--I'll be back up to speed soon!

Things I Will Miss In Austin (Part 2), and a Finished Sock

2005-07-17T14:11:00.000-04:00

3. Bailey's Dog Parks

Austin has 13 leash-free parks, many of which incorporate creeks and lakes--just the thing for those 120-degree days. Our favorite is Redbud Island (pictured above), which is great because the dogs have the run of the whole entire island--play field, woody middle, and lots of mud (and ducks to chase) on the edges. As I've learned, Grand Rapids does have a dog park (and it even has its own blog), but it's only a fenced-off portion of a city park, and I'm afraid it just won't be the same.

4. Redbud Trees

Austin is covered with these in the spring (or the two brief weeks that pass for spring around here) and they make me so happy. I love a flowering tree. I know that there are actually plenty of equivalents in the north, so I won't feel totally deprived, but I will miss the redbuds.

*****

Sockapal-2-za sock #1 is finished!

Sorry the pic is so dark--it showed the cable better than the shot with truer color. I'm going to have to figure out how to block these before I send them out; when they're not filled with diet coke cans (the leg is exactly 2 cans tall, although they'll be shorter once they're stretched around something wider than a diet coke can, e.g. a leg), they look like a crumpled mess, since the braid section pulls in so much. Has anyone used those plastic sock blockers? Are they adjustable for size?

Off to pack 4 boxes, and then I can start toe #2 as a reward. Packing. Bah.

My Genius Dog

2005-07-13T14:20:00.000-04:00

For a graduation present, a bunch of my dear sweet friends gave me a month's worth of tuition to Bailey's dog school, which I was going to drop out of due to upcoming moving expenses. Well, their investment totally paid off. On Saturday, Bailey passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test, and last night she passed her dog school exam to officially graduate from the Humaner Trainer Canine Academy (I know, I know--not only am I dorky enough to send my dog to school, I am dorky enough to blog about it. You knew that though.)

Anyway she did so well last night that she was allowed to bring home Purple Squeaky Man.

Purple Squeaky Man was Bailey's absolute nemesis during focus exercises--squeak that thing near her and she'll break a stay every time. But not last night! No siree. Now she is carrying Man around with her constantly, and, shockingly, has not eviscerated him yet. Perhaps she is turning over a new leaf? Or perhaps she just loves Man.

The cables on the Sockapal2za socks are coming along--the Lorna's is showing them nicely, see?

I think I might be done with this one by the end of the week. I had a breakthrough yesterday where I realized I didn't need the chart any more--that was satisfying, since it lets me go faster. But unfortunately, since the stitches are so small and fiddly, I do need a cable needle, which is slowing things down a bit. And what, you might ask, am I using for a cable needle on those tiny stitches? Well, they don't call it toothpick knitting for nothing.

Priorities

2005-07-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

After surveying my vast sock wasteland (count: 1 finished Broadripple, 1.5 finished Red Sox Sox, .25 finished Earth Day Socks) over the weekend, I have realized that my compulsive sock startitis is going to have to take a backseat to my two deadline knitting projects: the Sockapal-2-za socks and a secret gift project, both of which should be finished by the beginning of September. Which, yes, that's a long way away, but here's the thing: I am a slooooow knitter. Dogged, but slow, especially when things involve cables and math and counting. So, to be on the safe side, I am temporarily setting aside all me-related sock projects and have gotten a move on the deadline projects. (Plus my hands hurt from all those tee-tiny needles.)

First, a periwinkle Lorna's foot:

I'm ready to start the cables up the sides, and will probably do so during Rockstar: INXS tonight. (Yay summer reality crap!)

And then the secret gift project. You won't see too much more of it than this until I actually get it to the recipient, but if you are in possession of the Spring 2005 IK, you can see the pattern on page 52.

I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Granary. This shot is pretty representative of color:

but you can see the pattern better here:

So, two good-faith starts; I'm envisioning devoing alternating knitting days to them so that neither project feels neglected. And also to give my hands a break--let me tell you, Addi 6s feel like heaven after the 0s I'm using for the socks.

Sockapal-whoops-a

2005-07-09T14:16:00.000-04:00

Why, it's a finished Broadripple!

Doesn't it fit me well?

Good thing it does, because it doesn't fit my pal. Whoops. I had a moment of clarity wherein I realized that I think of my foot-length measurement the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts way, i.e. from the tip of the longest toe to the ankle bone (since that is where you stop knitting the foot and start making the heel). The Sockapal-2-za measurement, however, encompasses the whole length of the foot. So my pal's feet are actually the same length as my foot from toe to anklebone. The circumference is the same though--I'm not totally crazy.

So, the cabled periwinkle Lorna's it is. Actually, I kind of like having fate (or stupid maths) make this decision for me, since now I don't have to.

Things I Will Miss in Austin (Part 1)

2005-07-07T20:20:00.000-04:00

Since I'm leaving here soon, I thought I should record some things that I will miss most when I am in Michigan (less than a month now!). Perhaps a weekly Thursday installment?

First, the #0 breakfast taco at Mi Madre's, aka Nature's Most Perfect Food:

I don't know where they get their bacon from, but my best guess is Heaven.

Also, the Michelada at El Chile:

If you aren't familiar, the michelada is a mixture of beer and lime juice, seasoned with chili rub. It is delicious, and at El Chile it comes in what is referred to as a "schooner." I will say only that I need two hands to lift the schooner safely.

You might have observed that the michelada is hanging out with my Dani's Earth Day Yarn sock. The Broadripples are coming along as well, but the Earth Days are better traveling companions since they are straight stockinette and require nothing in the way of maths. (Yes, I consider counting math. That is how I am.) I am currently carrying them around in a pencil case that I found at Borders and am completely enamored of:

It's the perfect size for 7" DPNs, and in case you didn't notice, it features a warthog wearing a dinner napkin:

Tres charmant!

(I'm focusing on charming and delicious things here as a means of forgetting what happened in London this AM. But in truth I have been sick and sad all day because of it. And listening to Bush pontificate about "bringing the culprits to justice" makes me feel nauseated and miserable--almost as miserable as the attacks themselves. These are not good times.)

Sock Whore! Sock Whore!

2005-07-05T22:39:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dani was auctioning off some of her beautiful hand-dyed sock yarn to benefit the Preemie Project, and I ended up as the high bidder. Which was awesome, because even though Dani posted the kool-aid formula for the yarn, let's face it: I'm way too lazy to do it myself, especially when somebody else has already done it for me. (And it helps charity, people. Charity!) Plus it was totally worth it because the yarn is so pretty. See?

I swear I only meant to wind it into two balls and put it in a ziploc so it could travel to Michigan safely, but I accidentally might have made a toe.

Because clearly, two pairs of socks going at once are not sufficient.

Weekend Stuff

2005-07-05T01:20:00.000-04:00

Texas. The Fourth of July. 1 zillion degrees outside. What are a very bored girl and boy to do with their day off?

Why, go ice skating, of course!

This was my genius idea, except that it turned out to be less than genius, because ice skating is HARD and makes you hot and sweaty, and even though you are standing on a giant ice cube, it is a giant ice cube in the middle of a mall, and it's still like 70 degrees in there. Afterwards we had to eat very big Blizzards to cool off.

I also worked in some knitting time this weekend. Having sat down with my sock pal's info and translated her measurements (centimetres) into American, I realized that, lo and behold, we have the same size feet! I don't know whether this is an astonishing coincidence, or a work of mad genius on Alison's part, but it is important information, because it helps me resolve my sock dilemma: I can make BOTH pairs, send my pal the pair that comes out better, and keep the other for myself! I started with the Koigu Broadripples:

I really like this pattern for this particular colorway, which I think of as very under-the-sea. I'm ready to work the heel, as soon as I rip and redo about six rows. (I tried to be all showoffy and knit in the dark as Marc and I plowed through Season 1 of Six Feet Under on DVD. Note to self: Don't do that anymore.)

Thanks Secret Pal!

2005-07-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Bailey and I came home from the dog park this morning to find a very exciting Secret Pal Package waiting for us! (I say "us" not (just) because I'm a crazy dog lady but because there were presents for Bailey too).

Look at that! Beautiful Mango Moon sari yarn, pretty cotton yarn in a tweedy teal (perfect for socks!, a set of homemade stitch markers, a cool card with a knitted border that will be very handy as a bookmark (pal, you're going to have to tell me how to do that!), and that puffy blue thing in front, which actually turns into a whole entire tank top!

And there was also salt water taffy, one of my faves, and something you don't really get in landlocked Austin, and best of all as far as Bailey is concerned, GREENIES! Bailey loves a greenie, but, since they cost an arm and a leg, is normally only allowed to have them after she eats gross stuff like cat poo because I cling to the belief that they actually clean her mouth out. Because they're toothbrushes, see?

That was a freebie, by the way--no cat poo was consumed before the eating of that greenie.

Thanks Secret Pal! I can't wait to figure out what I'm going to make with the yarns...

The yarn. It was definitely the yarn.

2005-06-30T15:41:00.000-04:00

Because I totally heart this version of the OSW:

I tinkered a bit with the pattern, too (longer sleeves and such), so maybe it was the pattern a little bit, but this yarn--I want to knit everything in it now. Don't you think it would look fab as an Hourglass? Although it would be a bit heavy, probably.

Anyhoo, it is Araucania Patagonia Nature Cotton in Colorway 204, according to the tag, although it looks like CM20 on their website, and it is gorgeous oranges and raspberries, like a blood orange. I saw it when I went to the store to get the yarn to finish the other OSW (which shall be frogged as my sister rejected the whole concept of the OSW) and was totally possessed by it. The only problem I had was that the skeins were so tangled that they were absolutely awful to wind--one took almost two hours, which, considering that there are only 100 yds/skein, is QUITE a long time. It did not reduce me to tears, but it was a close thing.

So, deets:
Pattern: Glampyre's "One" Skein Wonder Shrug. I added length to the sleeves and to the body by knitting back and forth on those sections after finishing the increases.
Yarn: Araucania Patagonia Nature Cotton, Colorway 204, 2 skeins and change
Needles: 8s for the main body and sleeves, 5s for the seed-stitch on the sleeves, and 6s for the ribbing.
Started: Tuesday, June 28
Finished: Thursday, June 30

And for those of you who enquired about the Key Lime Ice Cream, it is a recipe that I adapted from Cooking Light. You need an ice cream maker to make it, technically, although I've always wondered what would happen if you just whipped up the mixture in your kitchen-aid or something and then froze it. But I digress. You'll need:

2 cups total of variously fatty milks. I like to use 1 1/2 cups 1% milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream for reasonably good mouthfeel and slightly lower fat.
1/2 cup bottled key lime juice, unless you are feeling insane and want to squeeze your own.
1 can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk Don't forget to scrape out all the extra out of the can and eat it straight from the spoon, even though you will feel a little sick after.
dash of salt
1 box Junket Vanilla Ice Cream Mix* Usually available in supermarkets near the ice cream toppings section.
approx 3/4 cup crushed cookies. There is some debate over what kind of cookie works best. Some people are graham purists, although I really like it with Pepperidge Farms Gingermen. Pepperidge Farms Bordeaux are also good. Suit yourself. And put in more than 3/4 cup if you want--I usually do, but it seemed piggy to call for more than that in the recipe.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together, chill for an hour, then add to your ice cream maker. When the ice cream is almost frozen enough, mix in the cookies. Pour into a container and freeze for two hours, then eat.

*I personally do not find the ice cream mix to be an essential component of this recipe. But SOME PEOPLE, when the store is out of it and you make the ice cream anyway because it was their special birthday request, will be all "groooooooooooss!" and "why even booooooooother?" and "it's not the saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame" if it's not there, even though they are turning 29 and not 5. Ahem.

Me? Impatient?

2005-06-28T17:29:00.000-04:00

Yeah. To no one's surprise, there was no Pakucho Organic Cotton at the yarn store, but honestly, I did not feel one little bit like waiting around for it to be shipped (even from speedy Elann-love you Elann!), so I did what any sensible & impatient knitter would do: bought a skein of Knit 1 Crochet 2 Cottonade and just finished the thing off in a different color (a la Anna, but without the flair). The jury? Out.

I don't know if it's the pattern, the yarn combo, or what, but I'm just not really feeling it. I'll sit on it for a while, but I might send it to my sister to see if she likes it better than I do.

Speaking of my sister, June 28 is a double party in Nothin' But Knit-land: it's my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary

Who doesn't love a Duck Tour?

and Marc's birthday (29! Such an infant.)

Bailey says, "I love my Uncle Marc so much it makes me pee! But not on the couch."

I'm off to make some key lime ice cream to celebrate.

One skein my ass.

2005-06-27T04:56:00.000-04:00

This weekend I thought I'd jump on the knitblogger bandwagon-du-jour and whip out a One Skein Wonder (do you really need the link?). Alas, I was TOTALLY THWARTED. Because I did figure I would need more than one skein, so I bought two of the Pakucho Organic Cotton from Elann while I was buying some other stuff for a project to be discussed later, thinking that since I needed 175 yards for my size, and 2 skeins of the cotton was 176, I would be a-ok. Tight, but OK.

Nope.

Here's how far I got:

The seed stitch of one sleeve got done, but barely. Here's how much yarn was left after I bound off:

The other sleeve and the ribbing remain unfinished. I have to go out to do some errands this afternoon, so I think I'll pop into the yarn store to see if there is any chance that they carry this yarn, although I'm pretty sure they don't--so I'll have to wait for another shipment from Elann before I can finish this up. Luckily, they ship fast, because this is going to be a very cute and useful little shrug, albeit tee-tiny.

Hole-Free Short Rows: A Little Tutorial

2005-06-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

So if you've been here for a while, or if you've plowed through the archives, you might know that I used to have a big problem with holes in my short row toes and heels. Big holes. Gaping, ugly holes.

But no more!

Several people have emailed or commented and asked how I got over the hole problem, and I emailed them back, but realized that it might be easier to see what I'm talking about with pictures, so I made Marc take 186 pictures of me knitting and threw together a little tutorial.

First, three disclaimers.

a) I have no idea if what I'm doing here is "right"-but it works for me. Your mileage may vary.

b) This may be old news to many of you, in which case roll your eyes and go about your business--but I'm still such a newbie knitter, even after 4 years or so, that I need little tips and techniques like this, and I hope it's helpful to other people like me.

c) This is not a tutorial on wrapped short-rowing in general. For that, see Nona's excellent tutorial, Wendy's toe-up sock pattern, and many, many other sources. I'm just going to tell you what I do when I get to the wraps. Which is this.

1. Knit until you hit the wrapped stitch you want to work:

2. Slip the wrapped stitch to the right needle:

3. Use the LEFT needle to enter the two wraps from the LEFT:

4. Slip the wraps onto the right needle. All three stitches--the original stitch and two wraps--are now on the right needle:

5. Use the tip of the left needle to tease the original stitch out from under the wraps:

6. Replace the two wraps on the left needle: the three stitches should now be stitting separately:

7. Knit the three stitches together through their BACK loops:

8. Admire your neat decrease:

For the purl side, same deal, but purl normally, through the front loops.

This looks like a lot of annoying steps (Marc: "How do you remember all of that?" Me: "Because I'm a GENIUS, honey, that's how."), but it's really quite fluid once you get going. It does take a bit more time than just picking up the wraps with the right needle and K3-ing, but I think the finished effect is worth a little extra time. Because, you know--no holes.

Questions? Suggestions? Inprovements? Lay it on me.

Baby Knittin'

2005-06-22T17:51:00.000-04:00

My friend Jodi just sent me these pictures of her new little baby Arden all decked out in stuff I knit for her:

The baby hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (as with everything in that book, charming, but not really last-minute. You want me to make HOW much i-cord for that tie?) and

a cabled blanket of my own design, if by design you mean "I cast on a bunch of stitches and started cabling." Actually, that blanket represents my first extended experience with both cables and mattress stitch, and I feel like it taught me well. Both items are in the discontinued Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Lemongrass and Snow, and are nice and nubbly.

I also tie-dyed the t-shirt that Arden is wearing in the hat picture, because Jodi had a Very Crafty Baby Shower, which is the only kind to have really. Jodi is also the only person outside my family that I knew who knitted before I had the imaginary internet friends, so she is very reassuring to have around. We lived together for years and years until she left me and our other roommate Eliana and got married, and then we had the Worst Roommate Ever after that. Thanks a LOT, Jodi. But way to churn out the kid. I don't want any of my own, but it's nice to knit for other people's.

Rounding second....heading for home

2005-06-22T01:38:00.000-04:00

One down, one to go. Although I think I might redo the two-color ribbing: it's 4x2 right now, but I think it would be better as 3x1, and it maybe should be an inch longer for the proportions to be right. I already redid it from 2x2, though, so it might just stay as it is. We'll see how lazy I feel when I'm done with the second one.

Let it be noted that I was working diligently on this sock during the Sox-Indians game last night. I lapsed in the 8th, though, and put it down to rest my hands, at which point the Indians scored two runs to tie the game. I picked it back up and started knitting furiously, and as I did my boy Johnny Damon banged home two to cinch the win.

Behold: the power of the Red Sox Sox.

Not so knitty.

2005-06-20T17:40:00.000-04:00

First, apologies if you've commented/emailed in the past few days and haven't gotten a response--my gmail account is acting up (half the time I can't get it to load in either Firefox or Safari) and I haven't had the patience to deal with it recently. So, a general thanks for all the nice comments on Tim (who is now renamed Richard Parker, and is presently engaged in terrifying Vim's cat Friday) and on Bailey's b-day--I know I'm a dork, but it can't be helped. Everyone else who celebrates their pet's birthday, you have my full support.

This weekend was full of many things, but most of them were not knitty. Instead, there was eating and drinking and celebrating and realizing how much I'm going to miss all my friends when I leave Austin. Which is why I don't necessarily feel like knitting right now: what I really like about knitting (most of the time) is that it keeps the hands busy while leaving the mind free to think, which is great when you're trying to, say, write a dissertation. It's less good when all the things you're thinking about are sad.

That said, I did make progress on a Red Sock, and re-applied the i-cord to the top of Via, picking up only 3/4 of the stitches, which seems to have fixed some of the sloppy sagginess. We'll see once it's re-lined.

And I am also wrestling with an all-too-common dilemma these days: what on earth to make for my Sockapal-2-za pal? First of all is the issue that my pal is a SERIOUS knitter--like, so good that I probably wouldn't have even signed up if I knew I would get someone that good. But it is done now, so I will fight the intimidation. So I have to decide which way to go: my pal specifed that she mostly wears socks in a plainish color, and would like cables, but that a bright loud pair might be fun also. Enter the contestants (both from stash; I'm not ruling out a trip to the store, but it would be nice to use what I have):

Periwinkle Lorna's Shepherd Sock. I'm thinking for these I would borrow the pretzel cable from Shedir, and work it up the sides.

VS.

Koigu KPPPM Colorway 411. For these, Broadripple.

Either sock would be pleasing for me to make: I would like the cable practice, but I also do need to re-tackle lace as a concept, and Broadripple would be a good start.

What do you think? My feeling is that if someone says that they mostly wear plain socks, then they mostly wear plain socks, and that is what they should get, because they might think they want a bright loud pair, but they probably don't. Thoughts?

The Terrible Twos

2005-06-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

Today is the second birthday* of Miss Bailey Bean O'Sullivan**.

What did she get for a present, you ask? Well, some of you might have wondered what happened to the original flowered lining for Via Diagonale:

She's quite pleased with it.

*All they told me was "mid-June." So I arbitrarily picked the 16th. Because why not?
**Marc thinks it's weird that Bailey and I have different last names. That's just the way it is, buster. I can't explain it.

Crouching tiger, hidden...um, tiger?

2005-06-16T02:30:00.000-04:00

Is it? Could it be?

Ah, indeed. For the past five days we’ve been stalking this one, and here he is at last: the elusive Knitted Texan Tiger, in his natural jungle habitat.

Though he looks rather more like a large newt than the feline he is, the Tiger is fearless, and will face down even the fiercest canine predators.

Sadly, this Tiger is extremely endangered, due to his pain-in-the-ass pattern, because apparently women in the 1940s had nothing better to do while sitting around waiting for the war to end than weave in a zillion ends and figure out what embroidered chain stitch is.

Luckily for the species, however, this Tiger will be residing in a protected environment at the home of my friend Vimala, who will defend her dissertation tomorrow. Yay Vimala!

Pattern: Tim the Tiger, from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s online collection of knitting patterns from the 1940s
Modifications: I made his belly white, instead of orange. Much cuter, and more accurate.
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes. Two skeins Pumpkin, one skein each Cloud and Coal (These colors were perfectly tigery. But if I were making Tim again, which I wouldn’t, due to his pain-in-the-assiness and overall resemblance to a salamander, I would find a fingering-weight wool, because as Knitted Texan Tigers go, he is really quite ginormous: 2 feet long from snoot to tail tip.)
Started: June 10, 2005
Finished: June 15, 2005
Recipient: Dr. Vimala, PhD.

Via Meh-agonale

2005-06-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

So sad--I finished Via, but I am completely underwhelmed with my workmanship. Look:

It's saggy in weird places, the handles aren't centered, and it just feels sloppy. I am happier with the lining though. All it took was one person to outright not like it (thanks, Shelby!) and I was pushed over the edge. I ended up with a cream colored linen (or something linen-esque, anyway) which I think suits just fine:

But anyway, back to the problem. I guess I could give it to my advisor the way it is, but I think I would feel very "hey, mom, here's the lumpy ashtray I made you in kindergarten!" about it. Which leaves me with 1) not giving it at all or 2) doing a serious makeover on it. This would involve removing the lining and the handles and unsewing the bottom, and then ripping the 87 thousand miles of applied i-cord, and at least one pattern repeat, then re-sewing the bottom, re-applying the i-cord and re-lining the bag. That's not insurmountable, I guess, but it's not what you want to be faced with after finishing a project like this. I'm going to have to sleep on it.

In the meantime, I promise not to bore you with endless pictures of tote bags, but I am enjoying finding little ways to improve on them. Here's my most recent version, which I'm particularly pleased with:

So cute, right? It has cherries! And piping! And, best of all,

a fully functional, not entirely crappy zippered pocket! (I'm pretending that the visible pocket lining around the edges is a design choice.)

I also made some progress on the Red Sox Sox over the weekend, and, gloriously, the toe of the second, smaller version is just as good as the first one! Hurrah! (Although evidently I should have worked on them more to prevent the Sox from dropping 2 out of 3 to the stupid Cubs. Which, laugh all you want, but I was knitting them during the third game, which the Sox won 8-1, but not during the two losses. I blame myself.) But mostly I was knitting a Secret Gift Project, which will not have to be secret for much longer. So if I don't post over the next few days, it's because I'm being secretive and sneaky.

Finally, you've all gone to marvel at Sgt Pepper already, yes?

The Socks of Summer

2005-06-09T23:58:00.000-04:00

First, thanks to all who weighed in on the bag lining question. I know I'm being difficult and whiny. But I hate the feeling of giving a gift that's not quite right--especially after I went to all the bother of knitting the outside. So I've decided that I will make one more fabric expedition tomorrow, and look for something cream-colored, perhaps with small purple flowers, and if that doesn't work, I'll just go with what I have.

My sewing fervor has not abated over the past few days, and I have made a few things that I am pleased with, but I decided to venture into zippers yesterday and things got lumpy and botchy. I am determined to conquer the zipper (buying a zipper foot for the machine might help), but after a particularly disatrous stab at a zippered pouch, I decided I needed my feet on the ground again, and cast on for this totally fun project:

Red Sox Sox! I am so pleased at the thought of having them, which you will absolutely understand if you are part of the Nation, but will probably think I am crazy if you are not. I actually bought this yarn (Cascade Fixation) at the beginning of baseball season, but am just getting to them now. It's fine--they'll still be done in time for when it matters.

Now, the thing is, I think I'm going to rip them and start over--I forgot to compensate for the extreme stretchiness of Fixation when I calculated my cast-on, so they're just a bit too big. But before they go, I thought I would show you The Most Perfect Short-Row Toe Ever.

Isn't that pretty? I think I've finally got it nailed, which is good news for my Sockapal2za partner-to-be.

I'll leave you with an extra closeup, so you can admire its goodness. I'm actually a little afraid to rip, for fear that I'll never do such a good job again....

Opinions Please!

2005-06-08T13:53:00.000-04:00

I sewed up the lining for Via and pinned it in in preparation for (ick) hand-sewing it, but I'm still not sure it's quite the right thing. But I'm pretty sure that part of my hesitation is that I have a pair of pajamas that have a fairly similar print to the lining material, so every time I look at it I think, what are my pajamas doing in there? So, objective readers, what do y'all think?

Here's how it'll mostly look when it's being carried around (it looks a little lumpy b/c I need to shorten the lining a bit):

And here's a closeup.

So: Yuck? Good? Good enough?

Generally non-commenting Austin friends, feel free to weigh in here, since you actually know the recipient.

I'm SEW crafty!

2005-06-07T18:52:00.000-04:00

Come on, like you didn't see that one coming?

Last night I tackled the sewing. And here is what I have to say: Sewing is totally fun! And takes sooooo much less time than knitting! Why didn't anyone tell me about this before? Here's what I kicked out last night, with the help of Mariko's great pattern:

Two super-cute tote bags! The bigger one (about 12 x 18) was a practice project for me--I didn't want to mess around with the lining for my advisor's bag or with that Amy Butler fabric until I felt pretty sure that I wouldn't screw things up. I'm really happy with how it came out though, and I love the two fabrics together:

Then I got all show-offy and decided to make a second, smaller one (5 x 7) as a birthday present for a friend, and kicked it up with some decorative stitching:

Like little sharks' teeth! I'd take credit for the cute, but you know what? The sewing machine did it all. Yay sewing machine!

Next up: zippers. Wheeee!

No, seriously, ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME.

2005-06-06T20:06:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, after 8 years of graduate education (2 for my master's, 6 at UT), I am finally, officially, permanently done. As of Friday at 12:30, I'm an honest-to-goodness PhD. It's liberating, but also scary. Because now I'm a grownup, and grownups have to go to work and stuff and not spend whole days knitting. Which is what I'll be doing for the next little while, thanks very much, because did I mention? I'm done.

And how better to celebrate than with a little fiber shopping? Ah, but not my standard fiber. Nope. Today, it was all about fabric.

First, I wanted to find a lining for my now all-but-finished Via Diagonale. I've got everything done except one handle, and I need to take a break before doing that because I totally have knitter's claw, thanks to the unforgiving cotton plus the 18 miles of applied i-cord around the top of the bag. So here's the almost-done shell of Via, plus the fabric I chose for the lining.

I'm not 100% sure it's the right choice--but I looked at every single purple & green bolt at the Joanne's, and this was the only one that seemed close. So we'll see how it goes--if it's awful I'll go back to the drawing board, but I would like to give this to my adviser sometime this week, so I think I'll probably end up living with it.

So that was one fabric mission, but I also wanted to make a couple things for myself. First, what I think will be a tote bag a la Mariko. I need an official knitting bag, and this might be it:

I'm hoping there will be enough left over to make a little notions bag to go with it.

And then--I totally saved the best for last--this Amy Butler extravaganza to make a needle case for my DPNs, of which I have a rather rapidly growing number.

It'll be based on the one in Stitch 'n' Bitch--I made my sister one for Christmas and was pretty happy with how it turned out. But I think I want this one to be double-tiered, and maybe have some extra pockets for stitch holders and such like.

And then finally, because there hasn't been one for days and days, a gratuitous Bailey shot. She got her summer haircut today and looks small and naked and super-cute--and feels like a Steiff bear.

She won't be quite that cute for long though--her reward for undergoing the torture of the groomer is that I will tie that bandanna into a tug toy and she will destroy it. (Meanwhile, I'm all, that fabric is kinda cute...)

That's all for now--there was some fiber shopping of the other kind too, and some knitting- and Bailey-related graduation presents to talk about, but those will wait until I've caught up on all my emailing!

About freakin' time.

2005-06-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, Memorial Day weekend. What a lovely barbecue-y, mini-golf-y, poker-winning-y (ok, second place, but $10 is $10) weekend it was. And yet all those activities somehow prevented me from working as assiduously as I might have on my shrug. But last night I stayed up until 3 AM knitting and seaming, and finished everything up today while waiting to get my oil changed. Yay responsible multitasking! Here's the result (and please pardon the lint on the mirror--I actually bothered to wipe off the toothpaste spots for y'all but then forgot to do a second pass for paper--towel detritus):

I think it's very cute, although try explaining the shrug, as a concept, to a room full of non-knitters who don't shop much. (Marc, trying to be helpful: "So it's like a halter top that makes people look at your boobs!")

I also think the tank top I am wearing under it is cute, and damn if I didn't buy it yesterday at the Target specifically so I could wear it with the shrug. Come to think of it, I might have bought quite a few things yesterday at the Target, including the barette that I am temporarily using as a shrug pin:

I think it works, actually, although it is definitely more in dress-down mode. A fancier pin might make the shrug fancier as a whole, although Calmer really produces a more nubbly, homespun-looking fabric that probably isn't going to ever be super-dressy. I think this would have been a whole different garment if I had knitted it in the recommended Soy Silk.

Hmm, but perhaps a gerber daisy will dress it up?

Thanks secret pal!!

Final deets on the Regency Defense Shrug:
Pattern: Regency Shrug, by Mary Jane Mucklestone (from the Summer 2005 IK Staff Project), with modifications to make it fit a non-Olsen twin (so much so, in fact, that I added 10 inches across the pattern from cuff to cuff and about 3 inches vertically)
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, Coffee Bean, 4.5 balls
Started: May 25, 2005,
Finished: June 1, 2005
Recipient: ME! To wear to my dissertation defense.

Is it still Sleeve Island if you only have sleeves?

2005-05-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

Here I present evidence that I am indeed participating in what the fabulous Anna has referred to as our non-committal, "meh"-type shrug-along. Which I quote directly from her because it made me laugh and laugh. And is true.

The directions for this shrug say that it is sized for a "close, body-conscious fit." Yeah--if you're an Olsen twin, maybe, or Lindsay Lohan. Those of us with the boobies? Need to do a little work. So here we are, after much knitting, tinkering, resizing: the first half of the Regency Defense Shrug:

During the shoot that produced the above photo, Marc also captured this massively charming shot of Bailey, with which I will leave you for the time being.

"Please put treats in my red bone!"

Boring, unless you're my Secret Pal

2005-05-26T23:52:00.000-04:00

Hooo boy I have been a bad little blogger lately. Seriously, after all that time sitting at my computer trying to finish the diss, I have wanted nothing more than to be OUT of the office and AWAY from the computer. Which is not conducive to blogging. Also, I was waiting to have some non-boring progress shots of the Regency Defense Shrug to show, but they will have to wait for tomorrow, because I just got an email from my brand-new Secret Pal, reminding me to post my Secret Pal Questionnaire. So here it is!

(Haven't signed up for SP5 yet? You've got until 5/29!)

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I am indeed a bit of a snob. Not, like, a total snobby-snob-only-use-rowan brand-snob (Knitpicks? Elann? Bring it on!), but an all-natural-fibers snob (for the most part—see my recent love affair with the 25% acrylic Calmer). For sock yarns I don’t mind a little unnatural mixed in, for stretch.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Nope.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Smoke makes me sneezy and cranky, heavy perfumes make me headachy.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Since 2002

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yep—one at Amazon and one at wishlist.com (both lists are general wishes, not secret-pal oriented necessarily).

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I prefer more subtle scents for bath/body type product—the Warm Vanilla Sugar line at Bath & Bodyworks is really the only scented stuff I use, and not that often at that.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Does this question even need to be asked?

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I am trying to kick my sewing into gear—but beyond that, I try not to develop more hobbies because I barely have enough time for this one!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my computer can play mp3s. I don’t know how to reliably describe my musical tastes generically—pop, but not top-40 radio pop. Post-White Stripes rock & roll-y pop, brit pop, alt country pop. Austin City Limits Festival pop. That sort of thing. Lately, The Shins, Franz Ferdinand, Beck, Belle& Sebastian, the Decemberists, The Postal Service. (Apparently if it’s on one of the O.C. compilations, I’ll like it. I’m such a moody teenage boy.)

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I really can’t stand most yellows, and I don’t tend to have a lot of use for bright red or blue. Overall I tend to prefer more muted colors—think Rowan or Debbie Bliss palettes—with the occasional pop of vibrant pink, apple green, or orange.

Generally, I tend not to like variegated yarns all that much, except for in small things like socks, and even then, I prefer the colors to be pretty close to each other. The Dissertation Socks are a good example.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
My family is me and one bratty but adorable dog.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To finish a goddamn sweater for MYSELF!!! And wear it on a nature cruise to Alaska.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Koigu, Calmer and Debbie Bliss’s Alpaca Silk have been recent favorites. To no one’s surprise, really.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Mohair. HATE YOU MOHAIR. And it’s not a fiber so much as a weight, but laceweight and I don’t have a lot of use for each other. Also novelty yarns and I don’t really get along so well.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Socks! And knitted toys.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Hmm. Socks and Shedir have been my favorite knits of late.

17. What are you knitting right now?
The Regency Defense Shrug and Via Diagonale.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
So on the fence. Let’s just say that I didn’t take Manolo’s pledge, but I didn’t knit myself one either. But now it’s moot because it is summer, and shrugs, shrugs, shrugs are the new ponchos. And for the record I on the shrug bandwagon.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circs. But it depends on the project a little.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Depends on the project. Most of my needles are bamboo, but sometimes you want the speed of aluminum. However I hate metal dpns with a deathly hatred.

22. How did you learn to knit?
My mom and my aunt taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
3 years and counting! Hate you To Dye For!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I’m not really into animated characters, although I do have a soft spot for classic pooh and Hobbes. Favorite animal? You want me to pick one? When there are koalas and dik-diks and manatees and aardvarks and chipmunks and armadillos and the Asiatic Raccoon Dog in the world? Generally speaking if it is a mammal I am fond of it. Except for naked mole rats, which give me the willies.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas, hands-down.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
No. And yet my house is so full of crap. Whyyyyy?

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Interweave Knits.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
They’re on the wishlists.

HATE YOU TEXAS

2005-05-23T19:18:00.000-04:00

Here's a little snap of the thermometer in my car as Bailey and I returned from the park yesterday:

Why? Whyyeeeeeeeee? It is only MAY, people. It is not even SUMMER yet.

It is enough to make a girl not want to knit. But you know what's air conditioned? Yarn stores. Of which I went to two this weekend. I had to! Really! I needed more of the Reynolds Saucy for Via Diagonale, which they only have at the one store, and then I also needed Calmer, for my shrug, which they only have at the other store, so I was forced to visit both. I might maybe have picked up some other stuff too, like maybe some Lorna's Shepherd Sock and yet more Cascade, as a dissertation defense finishing present for myself:

Speaking of which, thank you all for your kinds words on the dissertation front. Y'all know, right, that Blogger is a pain in the ass and won't show email addresses for commenters who don't have Blogger accounts, and sometimes, even if you do have a Blogger account, it won't show your address? So if you leave a comment here and I don't respond, it's not that I hate you or am ignoring you--it's that Blogger hates you.

Anyhoo, after several false starts this weekend having to do with sizing issues (One size? Does not fit all.), I've made about 6 inches of progress on the Calmer shrug. Voila:

I think it is going to be snuggly and pleasing, if totally unneccessary in 103-degree weather.

Stick a fork in that dissertation.

2005-05-20T20:46:00.000-04:00

Because it is DONE. All 65,008 words of it:

The dissertation socks make a return appearance to say "nyah-nyah, we're prettier than a dissertation."

And now for some serious knitting time!

If these socks showed up in your mailbox, your response would be:
	Yay!
	Ew!
	Meh.

Free polls from Pollhost.com