Rin's Twisted Knits

New Socks!

2006-05-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

I received my Sockapaloooza socks yesterday... and then promptly left my pal's contact info on my kitchen table when I left this morning. I'm also waiting for the sun to re-visit central Virginia before I take a picture, but hopefully I'll have an update with photo by tomorrow.

Sockapaloooza Done!

2006-05-01T08:50:00.001-04:00

I finished my Sockapaloooza socks on Saturday night. Woo hoo! :) I've decided to rename them my "Palindrome Rib" socks. I cast on 88 stitches on size 0 needles, and did a "K8, P2, K2, P2, K8" pattern around the leg and on the top of the foot. The ribbing pattern makes for some nice stretch, and adds a bit of texture to the socks. The yarn was fun to work with (for reasons I mentioned in my previous Socka post), so it didn't get too monotonous as I was finishing up sock #2. I'll be mailing these out to my pal tomorrow afternoon at lunch.

Sockapaloooza Done!

2006-05-01T08:50:00.000-04:00

DONE!

2006-04-11T09:53:00.000-04:00

I finally, finally, finally! finished my Olympic Knitting project, after exactly 2 months. Whew!

The front:

The back:

Another view of the back:

I haven't blocked it yet (which I know was part of the official Olympic Knitting rules), but I'm not sure if I'm going to. I'd be happy with added length (it comes to about mid-thigh now), but I don't want to risk widening the sleeves at all, as they're already pretty big.

So do I love it? No, not really. The knitting got pretty tedious at the end, and the 10+ hours of weaving in ends and seaming didn't really help. The sleeves are a bit too long, so I might mess around with the cuffs a bit to prevent bagging, and the jacket has a bit too much ease and not quite enough definition, so it doesn't look quite right if I try to wrap it around me. The whole thing just has a bit more bulk than I had anticipated.

Am I completely dissatisfied? No. I did enjoy participating in the Knitting Olympics, and having a fixed goal while I watched the Games. I'm also really happy that I finally did something with the kit I purchased so many years ago. I have quite a bit of yarn left over - probably enough for one of the vests in Vivian Hoxbro's "Shadow Knitting," which would be a smaller project and one where it would probably be easier to control the size.

Overall, I'm really glad to be done, and I'm proud of myself for sticking with this project and finishing it up, even if I was way outside my original timeframe. Even if rarely wear this jacket, or land up giving it away, I certainly won't regret knitting it.

SockapalOOOza

2006-04-11T09:49:00.000-04:00

Finally, a long overdue Sockapaloooza update.

I've finished my pal's first sock:

This is the "old-school" Opal yarn, bought when the line first came to the US, and there weren't even set colorways yet. I bought it sight unseen, and it somehow managed to linger in my stash for several years. My sock pal was pretty vague with her preferences and foot measurements, so I decided to go with a variegated yarn and a simple ribbed pattern. Although I'm not completely in love with the yarn (which makes it easier to give away, I guess), I have had fun knitting these socks, since the old Opal yarns always have a few sections where the colors get a little funky, as you can see in the random green section just above the heel.

On to sock #2!

On to Beijing!

2006-02-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I definitely didn't win a gold medal at these Knitting Olympics. As of the closing ceremonies yesterday, I had completed the left half of the jacket and the right sleeve. I plan to take my time finishing it off, and to intersperse it with some other projects over the next 2 weeks or so.

The Rainbow Jacket was definitely a fun project, and I'm glad I started it - I had had the kit for 4 years and never really got anywhere with it. However, it definitely wasn't the best choice for me. I'm not a terribly fast knitter, and this project had far too much volume for someone like me. It also gets terribly monotonous once you finish the first sleeve, so it was (and still is!) hard to stay interested and motivated.

Overall, though, this was definitely a positive experience. I had fun watching other knitters' progress, and watching some exciting sports on TV. When I finish, I'll have a neat looking jacket to brighten up my wardrobe, and enough yarn left over for another, smaller project. This experience also helped me learn that my eyes are definitely bigger than my fingers, and that I should try to get a better sense of the volume involved in a project before committing to a deadline (though I do love the sound deadlines make as they fly by!).

Pictures tomorrow, and updates as I continue along towards the belated end.

Today's Photo

2006-02-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

Olympic Knitting progress as of this morning. Sorry for the dark photo, but there isn't much natural light in my living room at 7:00 am. :)

At this point, I'm 10 rows shy of completing this half of the jacket. I had hoped to power through and finish last night, but I was just too tired. So, today I will knit these last few rows, and then start on the second half of the jacket.

Obviously, I have no hope of completing this by Sunday afternoon. I've decided that I'll keep going until then, and then take a break from this project for a few days. I'm enjoying it, but the knitting is pretty monotonous and the yarn can be a bit frustrating at times. I calculated last night that there are about 60,000 stitches in each half of this jacket, and it'll take me about 50 hours to complete each half. This is definitely the biggest knitting projected I've ever taken on, and I'll be glad when it's finally complete. I think my overall goal is to be done by March 15th so it'll be available to wear as the weather gets warmer.

Photo Update II

2006-02-23T08:24:00.000-05:00

More Olympic Knitting photos:

Day 6 progress, cruising toward the collar.

Day 7, with another full color section done.

Day 9 (no day 8 photo, sorry). In this picture you can see the effects of the shadow technique quite nicely.

Day 10 - I've divided to knit the collar, and am now working on the front half.

Day 11 - just a few rows shy of casting off the front half.

Day 12 - I've finished the front half, and have moved on to completing the back.

Photo Update

2006-02-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

Finally, some photos of my Olympic Knitting progress.

End of Day One:

Cuff, and one color band done.

End of Day Two:

First set of sleeve increases done.

End of Day Three:

Second set of sleeve increases done, and body increases done.

End of Day Five (yup, no Day Four photo, sorry):

Continuing with the body; first color band done, second color band in progress.

The Day Five photo is where I was before I started knitting last night; I'll post a pic of last night's progress tomorrow or over the weekend.

At this point it seems pretty clear to me that I have no hope of finishing on time; I estimate that it'll take me between 5 and 7 days to finish the left half of the jacket (it takes about an hour to knit each 4-row repeat, there are 5 repeats per color band, and I have 5 1/2 bands to go), and then there's still the right half. I am not a fast knitter.

Oh, and sorry for the crappy photos. This thing is almost impossible to photograph well.

Olympic Update

2006-02-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm chugging along on my Rainbow Jacket. I plan to post pictures of my progress when I get home this evening. So far, I've completed the left sleeve and body increases, and I'm a few rows into the body of the jacket. This is where the long haul starts, with over 150 320-stitch rows to complete the half.

As much as I'm enjoying this project (and I'll be glad to finally complete the kit I bought 4 years ago), I'm wishing a little that I had picked a more technically challenging project, not one that was simple but with a large volume. More Process than Product, I guess. However, I'm absolutely going to keep going, and will just try to get as far as I can before the closing ceremonies.

My First Button

2006-01-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

I made my very first button today - for any Virginians participating in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics. It's over on my sidebar if anyone's interested. :)

(I know it's a little cruddy, but it's my first button. Be nice.)

Olympic Knitting

2006-01-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it's taking nothing short of the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics to get me to blog again. :)

I'll be knitting Vivian Hoxbro's Rainbow Jacket. I bought the kit about 4 years ago, and have started it twice only to have to frog everything. I'm hoping the Olympic spirit and the Knitting Goddess will smile favorably upon me. I also think that I'm nuts to try and knit this whole jacket in 16 days.

Hmm... this may call for a trip to the LYS for more needles....

45% Yankee

2005-10-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

45% Yankee

35% General American English

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

The Joys of New England

2005-10-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

Although I now live in Virginia, I grew up just north of Boston. Most of these things bring back fond memories... :)

(Copied from here)

Forget Rednecks...here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about New
Englanders:

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36
inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping it will swim by, you
might live in New England.

If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each
year because Mt. Washington is the coldest spot in the nation, and
Boston gets more snow than any other majority in the US, you live in New
England.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you
live in New England.

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the
year, you live in New England.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't
work there, you live in New England.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in New
England.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed
a wrong number, you live in New England.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A NEW ENGLANDER WHEN:

"Vacation" means going anywhere south of New York City for the weekend.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day, and back again.

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard
without flinching.

You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both
unlocked.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how
to use them.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with
snow.

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road
construction.

Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your
blue spruce.

"Down South" to you means Philadelphia.

Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."

You actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your New
England friends.

My Heater is Psychic

2005-10-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

I was lying in bed the other night, reading a book, when I suddenly thought to myself “it’s getting a bit chilly in here; it’d be nice if the heat kicked on soon.” No sooner does the thought leave my brain than WOOSH! the heat kicks on. Warm(er) air begins blowing throughout the house.

Not that that made a difference, since I have only a piddly little vent in the floor of the opposite corner of my bedroom, but I took the fact that it even turned on at all as progress. Progress toward what, I’m not sure, but progress just the same.

Socks!

2005-10-04T19:50:00.000-04:00

I received my Sockapal2za socks over the weekend (so apologies for the delayed posting).

My pal, Kristel, is in Finland, and she sent me a lovely postcard, and some yummy Finnish chocolate (yes, the wrapper was empty even as I took this picture). The socks themselves are wonderful - they fit perfectly, and are a lovely lace pattern (from Socks, Socks, Socks). I don't have any other socks this color in my wardrobe, so they're a perfect addition. Thanks, Kristel!

Thank you to everyone for the kind comments on the Sockapal2za socks I knitted. I didn't realize my dyeing venture was so brave - I'm even more relieved that it turned out well. My pal, Silke, also left a comment to let me know that she's received the socks. I'm glad to know that they made the long trek safely.

Have a great week, everyone!

Knitting tomorrow...

2005-09-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

... but today, something I found something else to post:

Another type of MEME
1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, liposuction and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans...
---
Re-post this if you believe in legalizing gay marriage

One Sock, Two Socks...

2005-09-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

White Sock...

Blue sock?

My sockapal2za socks are finally done, just a week short of the deadline. Since I ran out of yarn on both socks and had to use a different dyelot to finish (not to mention that the dyelot I started both socks with didn't seem to match, either), I decided to dye these socks after finishing them. I used 1 packet of Rit dye in "Navy Blue," though I either didn't leave them in long enough, or navy and cream makes indigo on someone's colorwheel. Either way, I love the color they turned out, and am really pleased with them overall. They went out in the mail today, Global Priority, to someone in Europe.

Summary: Unst socks from Nancy Bush's "Knitting on the Road." I cast on 90 stitches, adding an extra purl stitch after each 14-stitch pattern repeat, using Paton's Kroy in color 461 ("white" but really cream), eventually dyed using Rit in "Navy Blue." For the foot, I chose to switch to a ribbed pattern that mimicked the columns and arches of the lace and the purled columns I added. Started 7/9/05, finished 9/7/05.

New Orleans

2005-09-02T10:56:00.000-04:00

If you've got a few minutes, read this article.

Then read this one.

Am I missing something? If the president insists that we, as a country, can take care of ourselves... then why aren't we taking care of ourselves? Why are we turning down money and aid that we obviously need... since we just finished stripping that money and aid away from the place that is now a disaster area - away from the very thing that might have lessened the extent of this disaster? Can someone explain this to me in a rational way that doesn't involve the words "Iraq," "oil," or "war"? ('Cause I don't think Iraqi elections are a real comfort to the inhabitants of the Superdome at the moment...)

Donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Sockapal2za...

2005-08-28T15:04:00.000-04:00

Finally, photographic proof that I've been working on my Sockapal2za socks:

I'm using the "Unst" pattern from Knitting on the Road, in Patons Kroy. Unfortunately, I grossly underestimated how much yarn I would need for these socks - I made the leg shorter, thinking that would accomodate the fewer yards in the skeins of Kroy, but it totally didn't work - so I had to stop the first sock about an inch short of the toe while I waited for a rescuer from the Knitlist to send me a ball of Kroy out of their stash. The colors don't really match up, so I think I'm going to dye these after they've finished. Or, in an insane stroke of luck, the second skein will mysteriously have an extra 50 yards of yarn, and I'll be able to finish both socks from the same dyelot. Uh huh.

One of my coworkers is having a baby in a few weeks, so we had a shower for her in the office about 2 weeks ago. I used it as a good opportunity to knit up some fun, quick baby clothes:

(All together now... "Awww.")

I used Lion Brand MicroSpun, since it came in some great kiddie colors, and it was machine washable [I absolutely detest it for it's insane tendency to split all the time, but at least baby clothes are small projects]. The pattern for the jacket is in the Summer '05 Interweave Knits. The hat is just a smaller adaptation of any basic ribbed hat pattern. I plan to make one more set of these for a friend of Andrew's, who is also expecting a child in September.

This is one damn slow knitter, signing off... :)

Uhh... Excuse Me?

2005-08-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

Could someone please tell me where July went? And, while you're at it, could you look into the disappearance of those first two weeks of August? I think someone stole them from me, and I'd really like to have them back.

Thank you.

You Can Lead a Blogger to a Computer...

2005-07-26T10:23:00.000-04:00

... but you can't make them blog.

After seeing Alison's massive Sockapal2za update today, I realized it was high time I got off my lazy ass and updated my blog. Or some proverbial equivalent to that, since I am, in fact, still sitting on my lazy ass.

Anyhoo... yes I was driven to blog by the fear that in another week or two, I'd have my own special section on Alison's Knit-a-long-Tuesday update. "Here we have links to 349 Sockapal2za pals and their beautiful socks. And here we have a link to Cathy, the SockapalSlacker who hasn't updated her blog in a month-and-a-half."

Yes, I fear public humiliation.

Okay, so I don't really think anyone would ever do that (certainly not a friendly person like Alison who really doesn't know me from a hole in the wall), but in my own defense, I have, in fact, started my Sockapal2za socks.

Not that I have a picture of them or anything, 'cause that would make just too much sense.

What I do have is a picture of my first Vine Lace sock:

I have not yet started #2, but since these will probably be a birthday present for my mum, I've got a bit of time (famous last words).

Even better, my LL Fresh Stripe socks, fully completed:

I mailed these off to Val about 2 weeks ago, only missing her birthday by about 2 months. (Yeah, I'm a great friend.) She called me up, while laying on her kitchen floor, to let me know that she had gotten them and that they fit perfectly. And also that she'd had a few beers with friends earlier that evening. It was probably the most entertaining voicemail I've ever gotten. Which reminds me... I had meant to call Courtney and Val a few days after that to make sure they had survived that hurricane or whatever natural disaster had struck Georgia. Oops. Well, no news is good news... right?

Uhh... excuse me... I need to go catch up on my phonecalls....

Harry Potter and the Old-School Scarf

2005-07-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

Weed Trees

2005-06-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Clearly, Andrew and I have slacked off on weeding our garden recently:

No, that's not a huge stalk of basil. We've had a lot of sunny weather and a lot of rain over the last few weeks, so that monster pretty much sprang up over about a 2-week period. I wish my herbs would grow that fast. (Those are marigolds in the foreground.)

Of course, this is what the garden area looked like when we moved in:

Apparently the folks who lived here before us disliked weeding even more than we do.

Knitting progress has been slow this last week. I've been re-reading all the Harry Potter books before #6 comes out next month, so most of my spare time this week was engaged in the Order of the Phoenix. I think that's my favorite HP book so far. I did, though, manage to finish the first Fresh Stripe sock:

I haven't started #2 yet, as I'm trying to re-focus on the Georgetown vine lace sock I started earlier. I may be a sock whore, but I can't handle having so many pairs going at once for too long.

Oh, and a brief movie plug: Andrew and I say Batman Begins on Thursday night, and it was awesome, as both a Batman movie and as a movie in general. If you're at all a fan of the Batman series (comics or movies) I highly recommend this one.
I also saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith yesterday. I think the best way to describe it would be "fun." Not much really happened, and the whole concept was fairly implausible, but overall it was some exciting and funny mindless fun. Nothin' wrong with that on a Saturday afternoon. :) I also recommend this one if you're a fan of either Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. It's definitely worth it for the eye candy.

Sock Whore

2005-06-12T20:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm a sock whore, and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. (I do apologize for the lousy sock whore photos, though.)

LL Georgetown in the Vine Lace pattern from Socks, Socks, Socks. The lace pattern is very simple and easy to memorize, but since it comes in a 4-row repeat, it's also very easy to put down. :)

LL Fresh Stripe, all knit, all the time. I actually think I may have made these a bit too small, so I'll probably give them away. I'd love to keep them for myself, but I've already got quite a bit of blue and purple in my sock wardrobe, so they won't be sorely missed. I'm sure they'll be well loved on another's foot, though.

Finally, my computer sock. I play Settlers of Catan for a few hours during the week, and this gives me something to work on between turns. This is, of course, just a temporary solution until I can reinstall Civ III on my computer. World domination, anyone? (Andrew and I are currently sharing my computer since his died a few months ago, so I'm low on space. Pity.)

As a side note, I find it particularly funny that I received, by far, my largest number of comments when I displayed my overindulgence in LL sock yarn. I'm glad to know I'm not the only knitter/blogger out there who begins to salivate at the sight of someone else's yarn binge. ;)

I'm off to watch Family Guy. Have a good week, everyone!

(P.S. Any bets on what kind of weird hits I get this week after saying "whore" three times in this post?)

Yarnish Goodness

2005-06-02T18:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, the Yarn Diet is definitely over (though it may be time for a new one):

A close-up:

From left to right: a wound ball of Georgetown (the other is on the needles), then Sherbert, Sassy Stripe, Ice House, Douglas Fir, Fresh Stripe, and Daffodil. I'm going to have some sockin' fun this summer. (I am, of course, overlooking the fact that I don't tend to knit in the summer. I'm hoping for an air conditioning miracle, and a lack of interest in cross-stitching.)

I finally finished my Multi Effects socks:

Summary: Regia Multi Effects #5375. 88 stitches cast on size 0 needles. K2P2 ribbing for 5 inches, then the usual business for the heel and foot. I have this yarn in two other colorways, and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of them (so much yarn, so little time...).

I also finished the first turquoise Regia sock:

I haven't started the second one yet, and probably won't for a while. I'm just not currently interested in knitting it. I won't let it become too much of a UFO, though. Only the Lone Pink Sock can hold that title. :)

Lastly, I've made a bit more progress on the purple Koigu Chevron scarf:

In other news, I'm a bit disappointed in the Deep Throat revelation. I must confess, I was hoping for someone whose name I recognized. Then again, Nora Ephron seems to have figured it out on her own, so maybe I just didn't pay enough attention to Watergate in history class. Blah. But, a generational mystery has been cleared up. Now I'm waiting to hear who killed JFK.

The CIA is Visiting...

2005-05-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

According to MSNBC, the CIA is conducting cyberterrorism simulations here in Charlottesville this week. (Go anonymous news sources!) You can read about it here.

Last summer I worked for the Vanderbilt University police department. A relatively unexciting job, I did ocassionally get to meet interesting people (these people do not include the tobacco-chewing mysoginist who was obsessed with Batman). My goal, by the end of the summer, was to meet an agent or officer from most of the major government conspiracy-farms (CIA, FBI, DoD, Secret Service). By the end of the summer I had met several Secret Service agents (who should really wear larger jackets to hide their guns), several FBI agents (who, sadly, were nothing like Mulder and Scully from X-Files. Damn TV and its illusions!), and people from a variety of branches in the Department of Defense. Oh, and one guy from the Dept. of Agriculture.

Sadly, though, I never met anyone in the CIA. At least that I was aware of. So now I'm tempted to go find these folks with their little InternetAttack game, and see if I can fulfill my lifelong ambition of meeting a CIA agent.

No, I'm not really serious about that - I have no intention of squirreling out a secret CIA office (something that would surely get me arrested, or at least body-cavity-searched), nor is it my lifelong ambition to meet a CIA agent (who, I'm sure, are nothing like the ones on TV). While it would be a neat experience, it's not something worthy of my tombstone (Here Lies Cathy: She Met An Obscure CIA Agent 50 Years Ago, And Wouldn't Shut Up About It). So no worries; the next update of my blog will not be from prison (or an undisclosable location, where I'm sure they wouldn't let me have a computer anyway).

I'm taking this too far. I should get back to work. Have a good day everyone. Maybe tomorrow I'll guide this back to knitting and talk about yarn-based government conspiracies.

Have Blog, Will...

2005-05-25T11:21:00.000-04:00

... Update? Apparently not. :)

Nothing exciting going on right now. Andrew and I went to see Star Wars last week, at the midnight showing on Wednesday night/ Thursday morning. I really liked it. Yes, the acting was less-than-stellar, and the dialogue downright bad, but I don't watch Star Wars for an Oscar-winning screenplay. Episode III definitely gives a new perspective to the original Trilogy, and makes the character of Darth Vader quite tragic. I'm looking foward to the release of all 6 movies in a box set so I can have a Star Wars watching marathon (maybe over 2 or 3 days) to see how it all really ties together.

Knitting hasn't been too exciting lately, although I did finally buy yarn:

This is from Blackberry Ridge. I also bought two patterns from them, one for the Evening in Eden stole (burgandy yarn), and one for the Falling Leaves scarf (green yarn). Because, yes, I need more scarves and shawls.

Of course, I am not working on either one of those things right now.

(Thank you to Jon Stewart and his book for modeling my scarf.)

This is the Chevron Scarf, from Scarf Style, in 5 different shades of purple Koigu. The yarn was originally purchased to make a Charlotte's Web, but I've already got one of those on the needles (in Helen's Lace, naturally), so I decided to put this to other use. What I'm most looking forward to, though, is weaving in all those ends. Oh yeah, someone pass me a darning needle!

While waiting in line for Star Wars, I worked on the second Multi Effects sock:

I'm now half done with the heel flap. No real pressing urge to finish these, as it's pretty warm outside, and I already have a full sock drawer.

I started knitting the cover scarf from Knitting on the Edge, but I couldn't get my cables to cooperate (or I was just being overly negative and sensitive), and I wasn't sure I really wanted that scarf in red, and blah, blah, blah, I frogged it. Then I started the Chevron Scarf. So much for cables.

The Yarn Diet Has Left The Building...

2005-05-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

My yarn diet officially ended yesterday. It's now been 5 months and 1 day since I purchased any yarn. Naturally, my stash hasn't shrunk much during all that time.

I haven't bought any yarn yet. Not that the thought hasn't crossed my mind, but I'm just not sure what I want to buy. I haven't been all that interested in my knitting over the last week (I didn't knit at all yesterday), and I'm not sure if it's because it's time to start my Summer Cross-stitching Phase, or if I'm just bored with my mostly-mindless projects (everything I'm working on involves stockinette or ribbing; a bit of a letdown after the slightly more complex FBS). So... I'm debating - do I abandon my current projects and start something complex and cable-y, or do I abandon my current projects and just pick up my cross-stitching again? (Notice the project abandonment theme here.) Meh. We'll see how I feel when I get home tonight. In the meantime, the Yarn Diet continues.

I'd also like to give a big wave to Val, whose birthday was on Saturday. Happy Birthday, Val!

Show Your Tattoo Day

2005-05-13T10:11:00.000-04:00

Never someone to pass up the opportunity to show off my body art (so long as I don't have to peel off clothing), I couldn't pass up Nancy's open invitation to participate in Show Your Tattoo Day.

So here are my tattoos:

I got this one during my sophmore year of college, way back in 1999. A bunch of friends were all planning to go just before Spring Break, and I didn't want to miss out on the chance. I'd been wanting a tattoo for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity. This one took about 45 minutes, and is on my back, on my right shoulder blade.

About 6 months later, in October of 1999, I decided to get another one:

This one also took about 45 minutes, and is on my upper right arm. I was originally thinking about an eyebrow ring, but decided it might not look too good on me. That, and I'm reluctant to pierce anything but my ears. The dragon's tail shows under the edge of the sleeve of some of the shirts I wear to work, but I haven't gotten any complaints from my boss yet. I went by myself to get this one, since I was housesitting for a weekend and had a car to use. It was probably more fun to go as part of a group (and I'm glad I did for my first one), but I wouldn't mind going alone again, either.

I'm contemplating a third tattoo, but have no definite plans right now. For now I'm content with the two that I have, and my 10 earrings. ;)

Oh, and I've definitely learned something from this experience. Trying to take a decent picture of your own upper back, even with the help of the bathroom mirror, requires feats of contortion that I never again want to attempt. Next time, I will enlist Andrew's help (even if it means enduring the 10 minute conversation in which he expresses bafflement at why I would want to post pictures of my tattoos on my blog).

Knitting progress has been slow this week. I've started the second Multi Effects sock, and am almost done with the toe of the blue/green sock for Val (and obviously have no hope of completing them for her birthday, which is tomorrow). Hopefully I'll get a bit done this weekend while Andrew is grading exams.

Sockapalooza!

2005-05-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

Well, almost 2 months after the end date, I finally received my pair of Sockapalooza socks in the mail. It turns out my original buddy waffled on me, so a generous knitter named Marti stepped up to knit me a substitute pair. Thanks, Marti!

I love these socks! They're knitted in Koigu, in the diagonal rib pattern from Interweave Knits. Needless to say, they fit perfectly, and are super comfortable. I couldn't have asked for a better pair of socks to be knit for me. :)

I also finished my Flower Basket Shawl over the weekend while Andrew and I were up in Woodbridge spending Mother's Day with Marcia (sigh, only mere miles from MDS&W). The weekend was a bit long and tiring, but at least I had plenty of knitting time. I need to get some blocking pins and give it a good soaking, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Not that I have any idea what I'll do with it. I know I'd never wear it, and can't think of anyone I know who would want it. I'll hang on to it and see if a good recipient appears....

Sorry for the long gap between posts - it was a long weekend, and the week itself has been a bit busy. I hope the rest of the week goes well for everyone. :)

Somewhere Out There...

2005-05-06T10:38:00.000-04:00

... a plastic bird has taken flight.

666... no, wait, 616... no, um...

2005-05-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it looks like 666 is no longer the mark of "The Beast." Check out this article. (I especially love the quote from the Satanist at the end.)

Biblical scholars, rejoice!

[Knitting progress slow. 20 rows to go on FBS, and a foot on the blue Regia sock.]

The Blog Next Door

2005-05-01T18:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, no political or religious rants today, I promise.

Meet my Flower Basket Shawl. No clue what I'll actually do with this when it's done (I'm 90% sure I'll never wear it), but I had a sudden urge to make one, and it's a great way to use up the cotton yarn that's been lingering in my stash for several years. Maybe I'll give it to my mother for Mother's Day. Which reminds me, I should buy her a card this week....

I started a new pair of socks, these with a double strand of Regia (sorry, the color number is downstairs with the yarn). They knit up awfully quick on size 2's, although I'm a bit concerned they'll be slightly too large for the intended recipient. We'll see. The pattern is very simple: k4,p4 for 4 rows, then k 4 rows. I liked the chunky/boxy look the pattern gave, while still having a bit of stretch (which is irrelevant, since I think the socks might be too big. Welcome to my life).

Finally, my first complete Multi Effects sock. I love this yarn. I finished this sock last weekend, and haven't started the second one yet. It's not in danger of becoming a UFO, I'm just realistic about the fact that it's too warm for wool socks now, and I've got other things to knit that are slightly more pressing. (In the meantime, I've started another pair of wool socks for a gift. What was I saying about the weather?)

No pictures of Charlotte, since there's not much to show at present. I put her down to work on the Flower Basket Shawl, which I think was a good idea. I haven't done a whole lot of lace knitting, so the FBS with the thicker yarn on bigger needles will be a good learning experience before I try to continue on with Charlotte. In the meantime, she's resting happily at row 26 with her first lifeline in.

Okay, that's all folks! I'm off to make dinner, and prepare for the return of Family Guy.

It's Friday...

2005-04-29T13:55:00.000-04:00

I seem to have developed a Tuesday-Friday posting pattern. I'll see if I can break that up this weekend with some pictures.

The people who commented on my last post all seemed to agree: the nipple fuzzing on Dr. 90210 was weirdly inconsistent, but, as one commenter pointed out, this is America, and we're weird about sex in America. We're obsessed with getting it, having it, wanting it, needing it, and damn well making sure that kids are completely clueless about it until they get married. But hey, what you don't know can't hurt you, right?

[Okay, I had a really bitter rant here about the dismal state of sex education in this country, but then I decided I wouldn't be saying anything that can't be read in a newspaper, so I deleted it. If you really want to know what I think, leave a comment.]

Anyway, the real point of my post today was not to sound off about Conservative Christians and their frigidity, but this article by Anna Quindlen in Newsweek. (Go read it, I'll wait.)

This article really reminded me of a series of essays I had to read for a class by several Catholic femenist theologians. The overarching question of the essays was: Could Jesus, as a man, really serve as a salvific figure for women? There was a biblical quote (which I can't remember now) that supported their main thesis, which was that the Catholic church's intense focus on the masculinity of Jesus essentially excluded women from being included in Jesus' sacrifice for "humanity."

To me, this is all academic; I'm not even a Christian. But it seems obvious to me that the church's intense emphasis on an all-male hierarchy and priesthood really does prevent women from receiving the spirtual guidance and connection that might otherwise be achieved with female spiritual advisor. I'm not saying that women are incapable of being spiritually guided by men, but I'm sure there are times where a female Catholic would prefer to talk to another woman (even if she's called to celibacy) about sex, rather than a celibate man. Sometimes, it's just a comfort thing.

Look at the Episocopal/Anglican church - they have gay priests, married priests, and female priests. They haven't fallen to the dogs yet (and they also seem to be lacking in sex scandals). I'm not trying to suggest that all Catholics should convert to Episcopalianism, or even that Catholics should immediately embrace married or female clergy (although that day will come, I'm sure). I'm merely saying that now is the time to embrace a previously ignored set of voices, and engage in a dialogue with all believers by talking to those who spiritually resemble Jesus, even if not physically.

(I'm sorry - did you come here looking for knitting? I think that's the blog next door...)

It Is, Ocassionally, A Small World (Among Other Things)

2005-04-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

I was sitting at my desk yesterday, drinking tea out of my TSF mug, when my boss's 11:00 appointment came in. I had met this woman before, and chatted with her briefly, but never had any kind of a serious conversation. She's sitting in the waiting area when I notice her peering at my desk. All of a sudden she says "I couldn't help but noticing your Knitter's Without Borders mug; do you also read the Yarn Harlot's blog?" I said yes, and we started chatting about how funny Stephanie is and what other knitting blogs we like to read (I also directed her to the Barnes and Noble here to pick up the bookbookbook). Then she asked me what I liked to knit. Well, socks, of course! Come to find out, she is also an avid socknitter, and is just about to start a cabled pair (ooh... cabled socks... one of these days). At that point she had to go into the meeting, but that was the first time I've run into another more-than-casual knitter here, and certainly the first time anyone's recongnized my TSF mug. How great. :)

In knitting news, I finished the first Multi Effects sock on Saturday night. Andrew and I spent too much time watching the NFL draft on Saturday, so I got oddles of knitting done. I also started a Flower Basket Shawl from the Fall '04 IK; I have 2 repeats of the middle section done, and hope to finish by the end of the week. Pictures one of these days.

I was finally able to give the Spiral Blankie to my expecting co-worker. She loved it, and everyone she showed it to loved it as well, and they all exclaimed how they had never seen a circular baby blanket before. Maybe I'll start a new trend... :)

Oh, one other thing. This is totally not knitting-related, so skip over this if you're bored by my meandering curiosity.

Andrew and I happened to catch a few minutes of Dr. 90210 last night. The segment we saw the most of featured a woman who was interested in gender reassignment surgery. The patient had already obviously started the process, since he (I'll refer to him as "he" since that is his sexual identity and chosen appearance) had facial hair and was about to undergo surgery for breast removal.

The part I found interesting is that when the doctor was examing his breasts and marking him up for surgery, the nipple area was fuzzed out. During surgery when the breast tissue was being removed, the nipple areas was still fuzzed out. However, at the end when the surgery was complete and the doctor was doing final suturing, the nipples were not fuzzed out. And, later in the episode, when the patient took his shirt off, there was no fuzzing out.

So I'm curious - what's so offensive about the female nipple? "NippleGate" at the Superbowl comes to mind, but I think these are actually two different issues. On the TV show, the nipple was fuzzed out, but no attempt was made to actually diguise the breast itself. At the Superbowl, Janet Jackson's nipple was more than covered by her piercing (or whatever that was), but the public was still outraged (after all, a violent sport like football is clearly a family sport, as evidenced by the number of Erectile Dysfunction Drugs so prominently featured during commercials). I'm wondering -- If I were to wear a shirt that covered everything but my nipples, would I be arrested, or would I have to be completely topless? (No, I will not do an experiment to find out.) It just seems like the really offensive part of showing female nipples is that the breast must also be exposed at the same time. But why, then, do they only fuzz out the nipple on TV shows, yet make no attempt to disuguise the breasts? In the meantime, men are taking off their shirts with no fuzzing at all... meaning that nipples aren't offensive unless they have developed breasts attached... even though the breasts aren't fuzzed out... and you can see where I'm going with this. It just seems a bit paradoxical to me.

I can't wait to see what kind of hits I'll get after this post!

Have a good week, everyone.

I Am An Idiot!

2005-04-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

OR: "How I Was So Ambivalent About The Spring Interweave Knits That I Bought It Twice."

I am a creature of habit. Every few weeks I make a point to stop in Barnes and Noble and Michaels to check for new knitting magazines. I like to flip through all the ones I can find, although Vogue and IK are my favorites. I've thought about getting a subscription, but for me it's equal parts process and product, so I'm willing to pay the few extra bucks a year to go to the store and browse around.

I usually flip through the magazine in the store, and if there are 5 patterns that I'd either consider knitting or adapting into other knits, then I'll buy it. Ocassionally I'll make an allowance for a really good sock pattern or something.

I guess back in February I must've gone to Barnes and Noble and found the Spring IK. I remember it now, naturally, because it's too late. I flipped through it, didn't see too much that I was thrilled with, but bought it anyway. It had a nice sock pattern, and a few other things that I thought could easily be adapted into a non-shrug creation. I brought it home, flipped through it again, and not being immediately inspired, put it upstairs with my other knitting magazines.

In the meantime the Spring Vogue came out, which I found much more exciting. Even though it now also resides upstairs with my other magazines, I still remember it because of the nifty leaf-patterned scarves at the end. Yes, I love leaves. :)

Over the past 3 weeks or so, I've seen a lot of people talking about patterns from the Spring IK on their blogs or on the Knitlist. I went to the website and looked at the magazine, and thought "Oh shit, how did I miss that one?"

I went to Barnes and Noble and Michaels, and was definitely annoyed that they both seemed to be lacking in such a popular knitting magazine. I looked around online, but wasn't willing to pay $6.00 for shipping on a $6.99 magazine. So I decided to suck it up and go to the snooty LYS here in town, hoping they'd have this magazine that I had somehow managed to miss on the shelves of my usual haunts.

Last night Andrew and I went to the LYS, on our way to the mall for him to buy a hat. Luck of lucks, they had one last copy of the Spring IK. They also had the Summer one, which I immediately snapped up. Did I flip through either one of them first? No, of course not. Now the Summer one I am sure I do not own, as it's only been out for a few days. The Spring one on the other hand...

In the car, on the way to the mall, Andrew asks me how much I'll actually use these magazines, given what I paid for them. I start flipping through the Spring mag, pointing out the socks... and a few shrugs that I thing could be modified into cardigans... and then I notice the section on brioche stitch... and I realize "Oh shit, I bought the same magazine twice, and now I remember why I forgot about it."

There has to be a cosmic joke in there somewhere.

Of course, I couldn't bring myself to admit this to Andrew, so I pretended all was fine. However, I know that here in blogworld many of you will laugh along with my stupidity, and perhaps have similar stories of your own.

In the meantime, if anyone out there is looking for the Spring '05 IK, I'd be happy to sell you a copy for cover price plus shipping.

I'm so glad it's Friday.

Pictures! (and...) I'm Feeling Better

2005-04-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those of you who sent along "feel better" wishes. I am definitely feeling much less cruddy today, although that didn't stop me from dragging my feet enough to be 10 minutes late for work this morning. It's okay, though - my boss doesn't come in until 9. :)

Yes, I have pictures today. I parked myself in front of the computer last night to play some Settlers of Catan while Andrew made dinner (mashed potatoes and broccoli), and made myself upload my pictures before trying to take over the world.

First, the Spiral Blankie:

The coffee table in action!

Summary: Spiral Blanket Pattern, knit flat on size 8 needles with 5 skeins of Patons Grace in the color Ginger, and a double-crochet cast off. The pattern calls to cast on and knit in the round on dpns, but I couldn't get the slippery yarn and slippery needles to cooperate with the small number of stitches and all the yo's. So I seamed it up at the end. Overall, I'm really pleased with how it turned out, but I doubt that I'd try to make another one. At over 400 stitches per row by the end, it just got too mind-numbing to want to do again. Still, it makes for a great gift.

On to socks...

Nothing exciting to report about this sock so far. I'm doing a k2p2 rib on the leg, and knitting plain for the foot. Pretty mindless, but the yarn repeats fast enough that it's quite fun to watch.

No work on Charlotte last night since I was feeling off-kilter. Andrew has a paper due later this week, so maybe while he's writing I'll get in some good lace knitting time. We'll see.

Happy Tuesday!

I Feel A Sick Day Coming On...

2005-04-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

You know, given the amount of free time I ocassionally find myself with at work (let's not mention that to my boss, okay?), you'd think I'd be a little more on top of this whole blogging thing. I've been knitting my usual 2-3 hours a day, and even taking lots of blog-worthy photos, but I just can't seem to actually get them up to the blog. Ugh.

Yeah, I feel cruddy today. I slept for 12 hours Friday night, which should've been a sign that I wasn't up to speed. Now it's Monday, and I really wish I wasn't at work. I plan to bolster myself with sugar and caffiene from Starbucks during my lunch hour.

Knitting continues.... I finished the spiral blanket, just in time for my co-worker to go on maternity leave, so I'm hoping she'll stop by the office later this week. If not, it's off to the post office.

Charlotte has been re-re-started. I'm up to row 20 right now. Yep, blazin' along on that one.

I started a new pair of socks, using Regia Multi-Effects. I love that stuff. I'm at the gussett decreases on the first sock, so I should have the pair done just in time for it to be too warm out for wool socks. Oh well.

The Rainbow Jacket is officially stalled. Damn increases. It's not abandoned, just in a very lengthy kind of time-out as I try to decide what kind of creative math I want to use for the shoulders. :)

I finished watching Season 4 of Buffy last night (which is probably another reason I haven't been blogging - too much TV). I wasn't so thrilled with this season. I'm sure part of it is due to the absence of Angel (Riley is too "Iowa farm boy" for me), but mostly it just felt like a filler season to me. Oh, and while Adam was a great Frankenstein's Monster-redux, as the Big Bad, he wasn't so hot. Yeah, it's profound that he waxes philosophical about the nature of his existence and exacts all kinds of covert plans, but really, I just want a good bare-knuckle fist-fight from time to time. Loved the final episode, though. Now I must save up the money for season's 5-7, and since I just bought new sandals, that may be a little while.

Okay, I've definitely rambled on enough. I blame it on the general cruddy feeling which is currently pervading my skull. Hopefully sugar and caffiene will help. Pictures one of these days...

The Coffee Table

2005-04-08T20:51:00.000-04:00

I'm devoting an entire post to my new coffee table. One, because it was a gift. Two, because I have no real knitting news.

Andrew's brother Matt offered to buy us a coffee table as a birthday present to Andrew last July (or maybe it was a housewarming gift - sources conflict). Needless to say, it took us a short while to actually pick one out. Finally, after months of "you know, we really should get Matt to buy us that coffee table one of these days," Andrew and I finally picked one out. It arrived on Wednesday night (hence my previous post), and is now put together and gracing our now fully-furnished living room.

Notice what's on the TV. Yeah, it's baseball.

The finished product:

Pardon the phonebooks. We just bought the rug to go under the table, and it's still in that "wavy" stage. The table looks awesome, and is already serving its purpose beautifully. Even better, given that there are two humanities scholars in the house, we already have a ton of coffee-table books laying around. I'm resisting the urge to spice things up with "Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare." ;)

And just for the record, I did help a little with the assembly. I do, after all, have to remind Andrew that I'm not completely helpless when it comes to furniture assembly, just reluctant to get my hands dirty. :)

Thanks Matt!

Bookbookbook!

2005-04-06T19:31:00.000-04:00

It's official - the bookbookbook has arrived in Charlottesville.

I'm about 2/3rds through right now. Page 41 is currently my favorite (in which it is suggested that we should remind our significant others, when they complain about our yarn stashes, that we could be collecting cabbage instead).

A later page, discussing the need to accept the consequences of knitting lace without a lifeline, spoke to me while knitting this:

Wait, says you, that's not a knitted object, it's a ball of yarn all by itself. Yes, says I, that is indeed what it is. Hopefully the third time's the charm for me, Helen's Lace, and Charlotte's Web. So far we've stalled out twice, this last time at row 35. Apparently knitting lace and I don't go well together when Buffy is involved. I guess three really is a crowd. :)

One of my co-workers is having a baby in about 6 weeks, so I decided to knit her a baby blanket. It's a great way for me to use up that Patons Grace yarn I bought about 4 months ago.

I'm knitting it flat since I had serious issues with the set-up rows, and I'll seam it up at the end. Right now it's about 26 inches wide, and I'd like to get to at least 40 if possible. Or just knit until I run out of yarn, whichever comes first. Right now I have about 300 stitches per row, so I can only manage about 10 rows per night, but I have 6 days until the baby shower, so... well, I was about to say something upbeat and optimistic here, but I guess that would be misguided. Yeah...

And for tonight's adventure, Andrew and I are putting together our new coffee table:

Okay, okay, I'll be honest. Andrew is putting together the table while he watches baseball, and I'm up here blogging. But I'm providing moral support by not telling him how he's obviously doing it wrong, nor criticizing him for watching baseball when he should so clearly be doing homework. (See all those bluebooks on the kitchen table in the top right of the photo? My darling TA needs to grade all those suckers.)

Okay, back to the baby blanket... maybe I can eek out another inch tonight.

Yarn Porn

2005-04-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

Due to the number of photos I took, I've decided to divide my flashing into three parts: Odd Lots, Projects, and Sock Yarn. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and I apologize in advance for the less-than-stellar quality of my photos. I put off the picture-taking until the last minute, so I didn't really have a chance to get creative - such as arranging my yarn into truly suggestive 'yarn porn' poses. :)

Odd Lots Porn:

5 skeins of Patons "Look at Me" and some Peter Pan acrylic sock yarn. Both bought before I knew better. The other 5 skeins of the LaM (yes, I bought a whole bag) became a pair of socks and a baby sweater.

Two large balls. Ahem! Two large balls of mercerized cotton yarn, bought while I was living in Cleveland. The intention was scarves, but I probably don't have enough yardage of either color to make that a reality. Any brilliant suggestions?

Ah, the bag abandoned-but-not-yet-frogged projects. Some leftover Lion Bran Homespun (gak!), the Patons Grace I never used (which will probably become a baby blanket), and the Wool in the Woods silk that was once attempting to become the muti-directional scarf.

Some more Wool in the Wood yarn, this time Wiggly Wool. No clue what I'll use it for, or why I bought it. Some acrylic sock yarn, and lots of laceweight merino bought for a long-abandoned project idea (socks for my cousin's American Girls doll). Maybe I'll get a bit more for a shawl or something. More cotton yarn bought on a whim, and in the middle a wee little bit of glow in the dark yarn.

Finally, the Knit Picks Andean Silk I traded Lauren for. This will actually probably become a scarf of some kind, but right now it's on a back burner.

On to Project Porn!

Project Porn

2005-04-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

The Rainbow Jacket, and its accompanying 16 balls of yarn, including small bits where I started this project before.

The contents of my totebag downstairs (minus some cross-stitching stuff). Sock yarn, sock yarn ends, Helen's Lace (destined to become Charlotte), enough Luna for a hat, and more sock yarn.

The contents of my CIC bag. All the yarn in this bag is destined to become CIC items.

My three bags of Koigu for Charlotte's Web(s). God only knows what I'll actually use this yarn for. Probably not Charlotte, though. :)

Twenty skeins of Luna for a VK sweater.

The remainder of my Wool in the Woods yarn. The other 4 balls of the yarn in the middle was used for my Clapotis, and the yarn on the outside is a complementary slubby nylon. No definite ideas on what I'll use this for, but I'd like to keep it all together for one project.

Way Too Damn Much Patons Impressions (and I'm pretty sure that's not all of it). The top 7 skeins are a lighter version of the bottom 18. I'm thinking all of this will become a cardigan or 2.

Sock Yarn Porn

2005-04-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

Sock Porn

Ah, my beloved sock yarn. Where would I be without you? (Probably several hundred, if not thousand, dollars richer, and standing in a WalMart.)

My Lorna's Laces and Opal stash. Not much of either, but I've been on a yarn diet. I actually have 2 more skeins of Socknitter's Rainbow, but they wandered off during photo time.

The top 6 (blue and gray) balls are Patons Kroy 4-ply. The rest is all Regia, all the time. (Obviously, I went on a Clown kick at some point.)

The rest of my Kroy (with 4 skeins of 3-ply on top), and 2 token skeins of cotton sock yarn on the top left. I love the color, hate the cotton. They'll probably become baby booties at some point.

What's left? Well several Frankensocks, of course:

Yup. Yarn enough for several Frankensocks. Or several dozen mini-socks. Or one wacky-ass sweater.

Finally:

The end. Three 14x14x14 boxes, one tote bag, and one shopping bag, all full of yarny goodness (some with more goodness than others).

An FO and 2 WIPs

2005-03-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I actually have knitting photos tonight. Whoda thunk? :)

In prep for Flashing My Stash, I've taken oodles of photos tonight. To start off our show, I've got an FO, and two works-in-progress.

I finished the Opal 5001 socks on Sunday night, and happily wore them to work on Monday. They fit very well, and I'm really happy with them.

Yes, those are my feet.
Summary: Opal Brasil 5001 Cast on 90 stitches on size 0 needles. Knit until the cows come home. The amazing thing about these socks is that they're absolutely identical (well, okay, except for one small spot). I wasn't even trying to get them to match - it just turned out that way. Pretty cool.

My CIC stripey scarf has acquired a few more rows:

This scarf is slow going, but it's not really my primary project at the moment.

I've finally picked up the Rainbow Jacket again, and am chugging along at a steady pace.

I'm almost ready to start adding stitches for the body of the jacket. Then progress will really slow to a crawl. :)

Up next? Yarn Porn!

Leftover Pizza

2005-03-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

I meant to post this about a week ago, but never quite got my hands on the computer for long enough. :)

Andrew and I are big fans of pizza. We eat it with regular frequency. When we first moved in here, Andrew suggested we leave the pizza box in the oven to retain heat, so if you wanted another slice later, it'd still be pretty hot. It's been a regular practice in our house since then.

Andrew and I ordered pizza on a Thursday night, and I never quite got around to finishing my leftovers. Last Saturday we decided to broil some fish for dinner. Yummy. We started preheating the oven, and after a few minutes noticed a faint odor in the kitchen. Smelled vaguely like something was burning. We assumed it was grease or whatever on the broiler pan and ignored it.

The smell increases.

We put the fish in the broiler and start the first 5 minutes of cooking. About 4 minutes into it, we both agree the smoke has gotten really bad, and that something must be wrong with the broiler. We turn it off.

The smell increases, as does the amount of smoke in the kitchen.

I notice smoke pouring our of the back of the stove, and tell Andrew. He opens up the oven, and what do we find? The pizza box. Naturally, by opening up the oven, we fed the smouldering box with lots of oxygen, so it really burst into flames.

By this point all three smoke alarms had gone off and were taken down. Now we open all the windows and doors (it's 40 outside), and try desperately to fan some of the smoke out the door. I go upstairs, and realize the smoke has completely filled the bedroom and library, and open the windows up there too. Meanwhile, we're both desperately hoping that none of our neighbors get freaked out and call the firedepartment.

We agree that trying to get the pizza box out of the oven is an excercise in foolishness, and leave it in there to burn out. In the meantime, we've taken the half-cooked fish out of the broiler, and it's sitting on top of the stove.

15 minutes later, this is what the oven looks like:

Where's the pizza you ask? Here:

The red arrows are pointing to what's left of my two slices of pepperoni/mushroom pizza. Yummy. Andrew says there's also a jalapeno in that picture somewhere, but I can't find it.

We eventually finished cooking dinner (it was still fairly edible), and, a week later, the smoke smell is mostly gone from the house. We haven't ordered pizza since then, though. :)

****
For a brief knitting update, I'm onto the instep of the second 5001 sock. It doesn't look too different from the other one, so I won't post a pic until it's done. I've also worked on the Rainbow Jacket a bit, but don't have anything too impressive to report.

Have a good (leftover pizza-free) weekend! Happy Easter to anyone who observes. :)

Not Quite

2005-03-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

I was going to wait and do a real post tonight about how Andrew and I almost burned the house down, and knitting progress and the like, but then I ran across this:

Congratulations. You are the "You smell like butt" bunny. You are brutally honest and always say what's on your mind.

which happy bunny are you? brought to you by Quizilla

The sad thing? Most of my friends would probably agree with the classification. At least I don't smell like butt, though. ;)

Hmm...

2005-03-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

I wrote this great ranting post on Wednesday about the evilness of the Senate's approval of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then Blogger ate my post. I've since concluded that Blogger must be run by Republicans. Okay, not really, but the thought made me feel better for a while.

Anyhoo, I finished the first of the Opal 5001 socks on Wednesday night:

I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out. I haven't started the second one yet (I worked on my striped CIC scarf last night), but I'm going to try and have the pair done by next weekend to give me good luck for my NCAA picks.

Speaking of my picks, you can see a screenshot of my bracket here. Andrew set up an online group with Yahoo that automatically keeps track of our points as each game ends. Right now I have 11 points, Matt has 13, and Andrew has 15. Andrew and I have a bet going; if he wins, I buy him a season of ER. If I win, he buys me a season of Buffy.

Speaking of Buffy... I find myself getting more and more hooked on the show, but I can't decide if I'm actually hooked on the show itself, or just on the doomed romance between Angel and Buffy. I watched two episodes last night (I'm on the second season). The first involved Xander falling for some re-embodied Incan mummy girl (he has terrible, terrible tase in women), and wasn't (in my opinion) all that good of an episode. The second one involved Buffy's inability to ask Angel on a date, thus leading her (eventually) to get drugged at a frat party where the brothers try to sacrifice her to some wierd worm/human/demon thing that's living in a well in the basement of their house (I knew there was a reason I didn't date frat guys). That one I liked. I think my favorite part was the scene where Willow is staring intently at the window that Angel is standing in front of (and not reflecting in), and then she suddenly blurts out "Angel, how do you shave?" Which, now that I think about it, is a really good question.

Okay, moving on with my life. My Sockapalooza pal left me a comment saying that she had gotten her socks, and that they fit well. (Feel that big sigh of relief?) I was very glad to hear that they arrived safely, and were the appropriate size. My socks still haven't appeared yet, but I'm hopeful for today or over the weekend.

Socks Away!

2005-03-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

No pictures today, since I was too busy watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer last night. I have to say, this whole "TV shows on DVD" thing has really been my undoing over the last few months. I forsee the acquiring of many discs of Buffy in my future. (I can't believe I just said that in public.) In my defense, I'm also a Family Guy and Sex in the City fan. I'm not completely hopeless.

Okay, enough about me...

The Sockapalooza socks are away! I posted them this afternoon, and as my buddy is just up in Baltimore, I think she'll have them by Thursday at the latest. I put a little note in there, and tried to think of something funny and witty to say, but my wit always seems to fail me when I'm under pressure. Which probably says a lot about this blog.

In other news, the new Star Wars trailer is online, and free now (thank you, George. As if you didn't already have enough money...). As a Star Wars fan, I have already watched the trailer more than once, and anticipate watching it several more times between now and May 19. May 19, of course, being a vacation day from work, given that I couldn't possibly wait until 7:00 pm to see Star Wars. What did I say about not being completely hopeless? And yes, it is entirely possible that I will also take July 18th off from work so I can finish reading the newly-released Harry Potter. Depends on how verbose Ms. Rowling got in this one.

I did my bracket for the men's NCAA tournament. Not that I'm a basketball fan, or that I in any way want to encourage Andrew to watch more basketball, but since I have watched quite a bit of b-ball this season, and I enjoy a good puzzle-ish challenge, I thought I'd give this a whirl. I'll post a link to my bracket later, and keep a running commentary on my successes. I'm tempted to reward myself for getting sections right, but honestly - it's all dumb luck for me, so it wouldn't be quite fair.

Back to knitting! Today marks the 3-month anniversary of my Yarn Non-Buying Agreement. So far, I haven't died from withdrawl, although I have acquired a suspicious number of knitting books over the last few months. I chalk that up to the broadening that knitblogs have done to my horizons, not a displaced need for yarn. Besides, buying knitting books gives me new ways to use up yarn, so (in the words of my old roommate), it's all good. ;)

Oh, and for real knitting news, I have 1 1/2 inches to go on the foot of my first 5001 sock, then on to the toe. Barring disasters, I think it'll be done tomorrow night.

Slump? What Slump?

2005-03-11T12:54:00.000-05:00

I debated about posting one last picture of my Sockapalooza socks before shipping them off. I have today off from work, and tried to take advantage of the natural light. I was moderately successful:

In one of those bizarre twists of photo-taking, my camera seemed to pick up more of the detail of the towel the socks are drying on than of the socks themselves. Hence the debate about posting the picture. Oh, and although the sock on the right looks smaller than the one on the left for some reason, I assure you they are indeed the same size.

Final summary of the Sockapalooza sock: Regia 4-ply in color #2139, a heathered dark berry-ish color. 88 sts cast on size 0 needles, at 11 sts per inch. Pattern is Kit Zerbe's Dimple pattern from www.knitnet.com.

Anyhoo, I seem to have recovered from my knitting slump. This is what I've been up to the last 2 days:

That's Opal Brasil 5001. It produces some groovy rainbow and fair isle stripes. Even better, it's all stockinette all the time, baby! This is the first pair of machine-dyed self-stripers I've knit in about 9 months, and it's actually kind of nice to go back to a bit of mindless - yet exciting looking - sock knitting.

I was thinking about it the other day, and I realized that since I started sock knitting 4 years ago, I've knit 43 pairs total, with 24 of those pairs being knit on size 0 needles, at the gauge of 10 1/2 - 11 stitches per inch. The majority of the rest were worsted-weight socks for CIC, although my first pair of socks were knit on size 3. Pair 2 was on size 1, pair 3 on size 0. I progressed down the scale pretty fast. :) Only one pair of my socks have ever grown holes; they were knit from a single-ply yarn on size 1 needles. I have, unfortunately, been unsuccessful in my attempts to darn them so they can be returned to the original recipient. Whoops. :)

Anyway, there was no point to all that, just something I was thinking about the other day.

The Rainbow Jacket has had zero attention since I frogged back to the cuff. I don't have the heart to ask how it's dealing with the neglect.

Part of Andrew's anniversary gift was ordered from Amazon.com, so I took advantage of it and ordered myself a two new knitting books (which I needed like another hole in my head):

I've been wanting to try mittens for a while now (having been inspired by the Yarn Harlot), and Scarf Style has gotten lots of rave reviews, so they both seemed like good choices. I'd also like to acquire Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia at some point, but I've had difficulty finding it used or on Amazon. No hurry, though. Andrew also gave me a copy of Knit Lit Too for our anniversary, which I've been having a great time reading over the last few days. I'm really amazed at some of the stories in these books - it's amazing how much knitting has meant to some of the authors and the people in their lives. I feel privildged to belong to such a group of wonderful, thoughtful, and kind-hearted people.

Hot Off The Needles!

2005-03-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

My Sockapalooza socks are done!

[Does the happy jig...]

First, Some Snow

2005-03-05T18:18:00.000-05:00

I just like this picture because the table looks like a big Hershey's Kiss. :)

I do actually have some knitting progress to report. I took yesterday off from work, and spent far too much time watching King Arthur, which I definitely suggest that everyone not rent. If it wasn't for the knitting, it would've been a wasted 2 1/2 hours.

This picture is actually a bit old. I've now finished the gusset, so I have about 4 inches to go until the toe. I'd like to be done in time for Alison's Tuesday Knitalong update, which I think I can do. Now all I need is a postcard from Charlottesville.

Since I somehow can't live without 3 projects going at once, I cast on this scarf:

I plan on donating this one to CIC when it's done. It's a basic 4-row rib stitch, from Knitting On The Edge.

Finally, I had a package waiting for me when I got home on Thursday evening:

Lauren, of Almost Felted, was knitting a scarf for her boyfriend's friend, only to have him decide (halfway into the project) that what he said he wanted (which she had dutifully knitted) wasn't what he really wanted, and now he wasn't so interested. So poor Lauren got stuck with 7 balls of yarn in colors that she wasn't too interested in, either. I've been wanting to try some of the KnitPicks yarn for a while (but can't, because of the yarn diet), so I offered to trade her some Filatura di Crosa Luna for her abandoned scarf. It's Andean Silk, an alpaca/merino/silk blend, which I think will make a great scarf for windy winter days, and I love the colors (the red is a nice tomato/brick shade), so I think we both came out of this trade happy. Thanks Lauren!

In other news, Andrew and I are celebrating our third anniversary today. I bought him a ring (at his request - he wanted some bling), after having him measure his ring size. He did the little thing with the piece of string and a ruler, and said he was a size 13. No problem. I go to the jewelry store, pick out a nice, manly ring, and ask them to size it up to a 12 1/2 (I was skeptical of the size 13 measurement). The jeweler assures me they can size it up again if it's still too small. I give it to Andrew today, he tries it on, and let's just say it was in no danger of being too small. That thing was hanging off of his finger. We went back to the jewelry store to have his finger measured under more accurate settings, and to have the ring re-sized. Turns out his finger is actually a size 9. Apparently Andrew has some difficulty measuring things in units smaller than square feet or megahertz. But I love him anyway. :)

Still Slumping, and The Legend of the VFS

2005-03-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

The knitting slump seems to continue. I didn't knit at all last night. I really can't remember the last time I was healthy and didn't do something crafty all day (barring extenuating circumstances, of course). Although I don't usually knit during the summer (too hot for me), I do cross-stitch avidly, but there was none of that yesterday, either.

However, to keep my blog from becoming either totally boring, or totally whiney, I present you with pictures of My Very First Sweater:

(Click for a close-up if you're feeling brave.)

My VFS started off back in the Fall of 1999. I was taking a textiles class in college, and, having finally discovered that I was a left-handed knitter, decided my first major project should be a sweater. (This was after the standard scarf, of course.)

So I brought a sweater I liked into class, measured, knitted a swatch (at least, I think I did), and cast on. I should mention at this point that the yarn I bought was Paton's Decor, which is mostly acrylic. At the time, I didn't know better. I knitted away quite merrily on this sweater for a great deal of time. At what seemed like a good spot, I started decreasing for the neck edge. After lots more knitting, I had what was most definitely a V-neck sweater. That would be fine except that I look terrible in V-necks, and had most definitely set out to knit a crew neck.

I did some whining in class, and my teacher assured me that it would stretch out when I wore it, and the ribbing for the crew neck would round it out. Okay, okay. So I cast on for the back, and continued knitting away. I finished the back, and about 2/3rds of what would've been an ENORMOUS sleeve, and then life intervened so I put the sweater down.

About a year later, I taught myself to knit socks, and then I really forgot about the sweater. On ocassion I'd pick up the sweater, look at it's various parts, and then stick it back into my (ever-growing) stash. Finally, during my last semester of college, I decided it was high time to finish my VFS, and so I ordered a pattern book with some nice simple crew neck options (Paton's Back to Basics II). Backordering meant I got the book in April, just in time for final exams and packing to move out of the dorms.

It wasn't until 2003 that I actually picked the VFS up again with any seriousness. I realized that I really didn't like the yarn, having become a true yarn snob in the intervening years, but that I really needed to finish the VFS to feel like any sort of a successful knitter. It was just too much of a UFO hanging over my head. So I frogged everything I had knit, and then left the yarn to sit next to my bed for several months (eventually resulting in my spilling milk on it all one night).

I eventually cast on, and began working on my VFS again. Of course, I was maintaining my sock obsession on the side, so the VFS didn't get a huge ammount of attention. Finally, in early Fall of 2003, I finished the VFS, and seamed it together.

I was still knitting ignorant enough at that time to not really know about the benefits of blocking, or the proper way to effectively seam a sweater.

As soon as I finished seaming and weaving in my ends (or maybe I just knotted them off), I pulled the sweater on, and ran to the mirror.

I hated it. It had several inches too much ease (now that I know about ease), the shoulders puffed up in a most unbecoming way, and the color was all wrong for me.

I took off the VFS, took some pictures of it (since it was a FO, after all), folded it up, and hid it in the closet. I mentioned my failure to a few people, and even tried to give it away, but there were no takers. At a Stitch-and-Bitch night at school I even managed to get rid of all the extra yarn I had left over from the VFS, donating it to the group's common stash.

Finally, in May of 2004, my mother came to visit. She tried on the VFS and didn't mind the excess of ease (a little less on her than on me), or the uber-puffy shoulders. So now the VFS lives in Iowa with my mum. I've never asked her if she's worn it.

Since the VFS, I've knitted one other sweater, a child's cardigan (pictures of that some other time). I've got my fingers crossed that my next sweater venture (involving lots of cables and some very nice non-acrylic yarn) will turn out a little more favorably.

A Comment Apology

2005-03-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

I would like to apologize to everyone who has left a comment on my blog that I haven't responded to (which, I think, would be all of you). It's only mostly my fault, I swear. :)

A while back I switched from the Blogspot comments (which I really didn't like) to HaloScan (which I really did like). I went with the free HaloScan membership, meaning I was never notified when a new comment was left. No biggie, I check my most recent post each day when I went to read the blogs on my sidebar. Sadly, it didn't occur to me that someone would leave a comment on an old post. Much to my horror, I discovered about a week ago, that there were comments on old posts that I had never read or responded to.

Back to HaloScan I went, and I donated $15 to upgrade to their "premium" membership, which includes an email whenever a new comment is left. I upgraded, did all my confirmation stuff, and it was smooth sailling from there. I was a little disappointed though, that in the last week there have been no new comments on my blog.

Uh, no. To my further horror, this morning I discovered three comments on my most recent post. Of course, I had received no emails letting me know about the new comments. I thought that maybe the notifications were landing up in my junk mail, so I left myself a test comment, and waited to see what would happen.

No email, that's what.

Back to HaloScan I went. I confirmed that I was, indeed, signed up for the premium membership. I read all kinds of help things and FAQ's. Nothing conclusive. Then I checked my account settings, thinking that maybe there was some freaky problem that allowed me to receive all emails from HaloScan, except the ones letting me know I had comments. There I found it.

It turns out that after you sign up for the premium membership, you then have to go in and actually activate the email-me-when-I-have-comments feature. I guess I missed that step last week. So now, Buddha willing, all should be well in my comment world.

Because of all this, I would like to apolgize to anyone who has left a comment on my blog. I do greatly appreciate all the kind words you've said, from compliments on my knitting, to sympathy for my knittng slump, to admiration of the lovely spring flowers (now burried under 6 inches of snow) here on campus. I, like most bloggers, love to receive comments and know that someone out there in cyberspace is actually reading my words and viewing my pictures. Please know that my lack of response isn't because I'm rude or don't care, but because I'm not thorough. So thank you all, and I promise I'll try to do better in the future.

Finally, Some Pictures

2005-02-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

Andrew's gone out for dishwasher detergent, so I finally get to sneak some computer time. :)

Pictures of le Clapotis:

I didn't do much in the way of blocking (I never do), but it was only afterwards that I realized that submerging the scarf in water, and then spreading it out to dry might have an adverse effect on the twist. Oops. I try to encourage it back into a more twisty shape whenever I wear it, and I've been mostly succesful. Every now and then, though, the ends untwist and just sort of flap around. At that point I just want to throw them over my shoulders and pretend I have wings. :)

Token Artsy Shot:

Finally, I've gotten a bit more work done on my Sockapalooza socks. I definitely won't be done by Tuesday, but they are coming along nicely. I have another half-repeat (4 rows) for the leg, and then I'll work on the heel during the Oscars tonight (go Don Cheadle!).

I must confess that I'm rapidly losing interest in these socks. It's not that they're boring to knit, I think I'm just hitting a bit of a knitting slump. I really want to work on my Rainbow Jacket (which has now been frogged back to the cuff), but I know if I focus on that project, the socks will never get done by the deadline. This is, of course, compounded by the fact that a pair of socks usually takes me only two weeks, but I'm dragging this pair out because I don't really want to work on them, but the longer I drag out the process, the longer I have to keep them as my primary project. Yeah, I hate that.

Off to drink some tea. Happy Oscar watching!

Snow!

2005-02-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

It's snowing here in Charlottesville today. I suspect this will be the last snowfall of the season, so I'm determined to enjoy it as much as possible. If only I weren't stuck in my office all day... maybe I'll make some snow angels on the Lawn during lunch. :)

Andrew and I watched the finale of Project Runway last night. We were both a little disappointed since we felt that Wendy had the most wearable collection (well, except for the "boobie dress"), but the judges dismissed her, it seemed, without any real consideration or substantial criticism. We both got a kick out of Jay's final dress (a feathery fuschia creation). I said it looked like he skinned a Muppet. Andrew said (and I quote) "She [the model] looks like a pinata. You could hang her up, beat her to death, and candy would fall out of her vagina." We weren't too keen on Kara Suan's designs, either. They were beautifully constructed, but too Gucci-esque (as one of the judges said), and reminded us both too much of some kind of a retro 20's flapper movement. I honestly can't picture anyone other than Gwen Stefani wearing any of those outfits (I'm not sure why, but her image kept popping in my head when I saw Kara Suan's outfits).

Anyhoo, no pictures of Clapotis yet, as they're still trapped on my camera. If I'm feeling motivated I'll try to post them tonight. If not, then probably over the weekend.

I've officially started my second Sockapalooza sock. I've only done the ribbing and first repeat, since my elbow was bothering me last night. I'd still like to have it done by March 1 so I can move on to other things (like the other 6 billion pairs of socks I have yarn for).

I also picked up my Rainbow Jacket for the first time in over a month. I knit 4 rows, and then decided I really did need to drop a needle size since my row gauge is just too far off (I'm geting 40 rows to 4", and the pattern calls for 46), and I'm not willing to spend the time adjusting the pattern to my new gauge. So I'm going to frog back to the cuff (only about 2 hours work), and re-start on size 4 needles.

It's a little strange having only 2 WIP's right now. I usually try to keep a steady rotation of three: one pair of socks or other portable project, one bigger project that isn't too difficult for low-concentration days, and one more complex multi-month project. Right now I only have the Sockapalooza sock and the Rainbow Jacket, so maybe I'll start a scarf for CIC or something for my unmotivated knitting days. :)

Off to go play in the snow! (Okay, not really. But I'll dream of it as I sit at my desk.)

Sucked In...

2005-02-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

I got sucked in by reality TV yesterday. I've never been addicted to a TV show that fast before.

It all started off innocently enough. Andrew and I went grocery shopping, came home, and watched a bit of TV while he ate lunch. He went upstairs to do work, and I started station hopping. I was really contemplating a movie, but couldn't decide which one, so I was hopping until I made up my mind. And then I got caught. It was like a whirlpool - slower around the edges, until you're so far in there's no hope of escape.

The sad part? It was Project Runway on Bravo that caught my attention. I managed to tune in to the last 10 minutes of an episode. The pretty lady on the runway was telling a group of strangely dressed people that their final designs for the Bannana Republic holiday dress challenge would be worn on the runway, and then judged. I like fashion, even if I'm not fashionable. I like Bannana Republic, even if I don't shop there. So I was curious to see what these people would come up with. Big mistake.

The clothes were so-so. Even with the pieces I liked the most, there were still design elements that would stop me from buying them. That's okay, though, since I don't shop at Bannana Republic (I'm a JCrew woman). The really engaging part wasn't the designs, though, but the designers. They were all characters. There was the gay male primadonna and the straight male primadonna, and the snarky mom-type, and the wannabe punk chick, and the token foreign ladies with charming accents. Oh, and the brooding artist-type, of course. Individually they were all annoying and uninteresting, but together they were fascinating. The show is just like The Apprentice, but they're making clothing instead of renovating motels and running a Burger King.

Anyway, the show ended, and whaddya know - there was another one on immediately afterwards. Turns out the series finale is Wednesday, so they were doing a marthon of the previous 11 shows. Oh God.

I watched two more episodes before Andrew came downstairs. He was hooked too, though not as badly as I was. The really pathetic thing was that I told him that each show was 30 minutes - after all I had just watched 2, and I surely hadn't spent two hours watching TV... had I? I had. An hour later Andrew tore himself away to do more work... and I kept watching. At 5:00 I had to force myself to turn it off so I could go do laundry. I swear, I started to suffer from withdrawl almost instantly.

Fortunately, there was a basketball game on that Andrew wanted to watch, and then he suggested we put Aladdin on (one of his Valentine's Day gifts), so I was forced into going cold turkey. Secretly, I kept hoping he'd go do more work after the movie so I could watch another episode. He didn't, which was probably for the best. :(

After the movie we watched more basketball, and Andrew would ocassionally flip through the channels... he'd pass Bravo, and I catch a glimpse of the show, and I'd have to stop myself from telling him to go back so I could find out what was happening. It was so humiliating.

So yes, I spent I'm-not-sure how many hours watching TV yesterday. So much for my planned walk around the park across the street. I did manage to do laundry, but only with a great exercise of willpower.

This morning when I got to work, one of the first things I did was go to the Project Runway website to read synopses of the other shows I had missed. I'm also hoping to watch the finale on Wednesday, provided there isn't another basketball game on (I'm living with a sports addict. His addiction is worse than mine.).

The only good that came out of this single-day brush with addiction? I finished Clapotis. Somehow, though, the circumstances keep me from feeling proud of myself. Pictures of the lovely lady later. :)

Tea-licious!

2005-02-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

2/21 Edit: I tried to post this message on Saturday, and blogger ate it. I signed on this morning to re-post it, as well as some diatribe-ish things about blogger, and here it is, patiently wating as a drafted post. Who knew?

Yarngirl posted a message on her blog a few days ago about this promotion Adagio Teas was running. In exchange for placing a button from their website on your website or blog, they'll send you a free gift based on your Google Page Rank (I have no idea what that is). I love tea, and I also love free stuff, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I put the button on my page, submitted my info, and (after a few glitches on my part) got my free gift 2 days later. These folks are fast!

How cool is that? All in exchange for putting a button on my page. The teas are (from l-r): Ginseng Green, Citron Green, Green Pekoe Blues, and Cocomint Green. (I signed up for the green tea package). Even better, you get a free tea maker, which is probably the best part. You can boil the water directly in the teapot, then add the leaves, let it steep, and then put it directly on top of your tea mug. The lever at the bottom is depressed by the rim of the mug, and the tea streams out the bottom, with the leaves strained out by the filter inside!

Off to drink some tea. Have a great weekend everyone!

Just Some Pics...

2005-02-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

No real knitting news today. I messed around with some patterns from Knitting on the Edge last night, but didn't really knit anything worth mentioning. Andrew took me out for sushi last night, which was really fun. It must've been fraternity prom night or something, because there were multiple groups of under-age undergrads slamming back Sake (of all things) while in their J-Crew finery. Really, what's the point of going to a sushi bar to get trashed? Sure, it's great if you're looking for a nice restaurant for a special evening, but if your whole goal is just to see how much Sake you can drink before getting carded, wouldn't you just be better off with Bud Light? Especially considering that sushi (and Sake) are not cheap. Andrew and I spent $50 for the two of us, which included only a $5 half-bottle of Sake. A four-top of undergrads near us went through at least 3 or 4 ten-dollar bottles of Sake. What a waste.

Anyway, enough about the annoying undergrads. On to the pictures!

This is the needleholder Andrew gave me for Valentine's Day. It's been a great help in neatening up my knitting table, which could use all the help it can get. :)

Lots of moving and shaking is going on at UVa these days:

This is Varsity hall. It was built back in the late 1800's, and is now resting solely on some cinderblock pylons (or something like that). Part of the new Master Plan involves moving this building down the hill it's on, and renovating and expanding it for administrative and classroom space. I guess supporting beams are inserted throughout the building, and then it's lifted off its foundation, which is then demolished. A new foundation for the the building is constructed at its new home, and then the building is veerrryy sloowwwly moved to the new location, all the while being monitered by a computer connected to the stabilizing beams to check for structural instability and possible problems. Basically, it's like watching grass grow.

Speaking of grass, Spring seems to be well on its way here. This is the cute plant in my office, which was a gift from one of my co-workers:

The buds just started blooming about a week ago. It looks like I'll have one more set of buds in a few weeks on a different part of the plant.

Finally, the flowers in the Garden's are finally starting to bloom. I took some shots of these purple pretties on Wednesday:

Of course, I'm still holding out for more snow.

Yay!

2005-02-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

Happy news in the sock world: I finished my first Sockapalooza sock last night, and I have a decent picture to show:

(Click for another shot that better shows the color, but is a bit fuzzier.)

I've really enjoyed knitting these socks. The yarn and the pattern seem to be working together really well, and I can only hope my pal likes them as much as I do. Fortunately, her foot is a bit longer than mine, so there's no chance of me keeping them for myself. :)

I have lots of other fun news and pics to share, but they'll have to wait until I get home from work tonight (or tomorrow morning if I'm feeling especially lazy this evening). Happy Friday!

No Pictures Today

2005-02-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

No pictures today. That may be a good thing right now, though. :)

I actually had wanted to bring my camera to work today - since the weather's been so warm, the flowers are starting to bloom in several of the Gardens, and I wanted to get a few shots of the crocuses and snowdrops before they get frozen by the snowstorm that I'm still convinced we're going to get. :)

But... I forgot my camera, so no pictures on the blog, no pictures on the camera, just... no pictures.

Clapotis is still on hold, as I rev myself up for more of Section 3. Maybe this weekend. Andrew's mom and Aunt Julie are coming to visit on Saturday, so knitting time will be at a minimum while we do touristy things with them, but I've still got Friday and Saturday nights, and all day Sunday. (In the meantime, it's rapidly becoming too warm for me to wear a wool scarf. I must have more snow!)

Spent a good deal of time last night working on my Sockapalooza socks. I now have 6 inches of the foot done, with about 2 more and a toe to go. My pal's feet are slightly longer than mine (10" to my 9 1/2"), but the same otherwise, so I haven't had to do any tricky math or pattern adjustments. I should have this sock done in two more evenings, barring knitting disasters.

The last part of my Valentine's Day gift arrived yesterday. I had told Andrew about a needle holder from Patternworks a while ago as a gift idea, and it came yesterday. Yay! The last few projects I've done have necessitated me buying more straight needles in different sizes, and they were quickly becoming a nuisance to store. I put all my needles in the case last night, and it's exactly what I needed. Thanks sweetie!

Pictures (good ones, I hope) soon. :)

Yikes!

2005-02-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

After so many days without a substantive post, and no pictures, you'd think I'd come back with a real zinger.

Uh, no, I guess not. Here is the most craptastic picture of my Sockapalooza sock. It's poorness is embarassing, but I figure better to show lousy progress than no progress at all.

Despite the picture, I can assure you the sock is turning out quite nicely; I finished the gusset decreases last night, and hope to be done with this first sock by the end of the week.

I spent quite a bit of time working on my Clapotis, as well. This picture is a good deal better:

This is where she is at the end of the 13th repeat of section 3. I'm not too happy with the length (~46 inches right now), so I'm going to add another 3-6 repeats of section 3 before moving on to the decrease rows. I estimate that the decrease rows will add about 8 inches of length, so right now I'm aiming to have a scarf of about 60 - 66 inches. The length it is right now is just too short for me to get any real wear out of it. Of course, I must admit that I'm getting a bit sick of section 3, so I'm none to happy to have to go back and do a few more, but them's the breaks. Fortunately, with the Sockapalooza deadline approaching, it's a good motivator for me to put down Clapotis for a few days, and just focus on socks.

I'm Hermione!

2005-02-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

A Case of the Blah's

2005-02-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling a bit cruddy lately - off-kilter enough to notice, but not enough to really justify staying home from work - so knitting has been a bit slow the last few days.

I knitted the heel flap for the Sockapalooza sock, and started turning the heel, but I wasn't too happy with how it was coming out. So... I ripped, and I'll try a slightly different decrease for a smoother bottom. We'll see.

I worked on my Clapotis last night while watching (still more) documentaries from Return of the King. While learning about digital effects and musical scoring, I knitted two more repeats of Section 3, and dropped 2 more stitches. I've now dropped 6 stitches, which I guess means I'm 1/3rd done with the scarf. I'm loving the way this is turning out and can't wait to wear it. However, I must still temper my desire for Clapotis with my need to finish my Sockapalooza socks on time. I think I'm still in good shape, though.

Not much else going on. The weather here has been insanely warm the last few days, and I find myself longing for one more good snow storm before Spring really starts. Everyone around me seems to think I'm a bit nuts, but I really feel like I got cheated this winter. Oh well. There's still a few weeks left in February to hope for. :)

Things I Didn't Know About Myself

2005-02-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

You're The Poisonwood Bible!

by Barbara Kingsolver

Deeply rooted in a religious background, you have since become both isolated and schizophrenic. You were naively sure that your actions would help people, but of course they were resistant to your message and ultimately disaster ensued. Since you can see so many sides of the same issue, you are both wise beyond your years and tied to worthless perspectives. If you were a type of waffle, it would be Belgian.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

[The Sockapalooza sock now has half a heel flap, and I've dropped 2 more sitches on Clapotis. Sock pictures soon.]

Sockapalooza (and a bit o' the Clap...)

2005-02-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

First, here's a quick update shot of my Clapotis (which, yes, looks exactly like every other Clapotis you can currently find on the internet. That won't stop me from posting new photos, though.).

I've dropped my second stitch, and so far it's been smooth sailing. I'm nearly at the end of my first ball of yarn, so I'm estimating I'll use between 4 and 5 for the whole project. No problem, as I have 7 more in my stash. (So I guess I could make a giant sized Clapper if I wanted...)

On to my socks!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was having some angst about yarn choice and pattern. I got to working on the socks, and had made a good bit of progress by Friday night. See?

(Click for a fuzzy shot that better reflects the actual yarn color.)

This sock is, sadly, no more. I frogged again, for several reasons. First, I made the same mistake (an extra YO) twice on the same side of the sock. Once I could've successfully hidden (which I did), but a second time 6 rows later was just too much. On top of that, I really didn't like the way the pattern was looking with the variegated yarn. I felt the yarn was somewhere between not variegated enough and too variegated to work with the Dimple pattern. So I frogged, and decided to try again with a solid color:

This is a nice heathered purple/redish Regia I bought off Ebay several years ago. (The pic is actually pretty accurate; just imagine a bit more saturation.) So I re-started (that would actually be re-re-re-started, I guess) these socks earlier today. I've got the ribbing and a bit of the first repeat done. I'd like to have the leg done by tomorrow night, which I don't think is completely unreasonable, given that the Superbowl is on tomorrow night, so I'll be busy entertaining myself between commercials. (That was a really long run-on sentence. Sorry.)

So that's my knitting news for the day. The Rainbow Jacket is definitely on the back burner at the moment, but I'm still hoping to have it done in time to wear for Spring (which is rapidly approaching here in Virginia).

Have a good weekend, everyone. Go Patriots!

Clapotis-lightful

2005-02-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

I dropped the first stitch on my Clapotis last night. It was quite exciting, and I'm definitely looking forward to dropping a few more.

Click to see a better shot of my first dropped stitch.

As it stands, I still have 12 repeats of section 3 left, so it'll be a little bit longer before this one is off the needles. I am, however, eagerly looking forward to it.

I also started my Sockapalooza socks last night. And frogged them. And started them, and frogged them. I'm giving myself a headache. I think I'm stressing out too much over these socks. The big problem was that I was going to do a cuffed version of the Ocean Socks, since my pal prefers ankle-length socks. The baby cable rib was my undoing. I am willing to state here that baby cable rib on size 0 needles is the invention of the devil. After several frustrated attempts, I gave up, and tried to do regular 1x1 cables. Just as devilish. So I frogged, and gave up for the night.

This morning, I decided to try the Dimple Socks (available here), and rummaged in my stash for different yarn. But now I'm having doubts again. Dammit, I knew there was a reason I seldom knit for other people!

The good thing is is that I've knit the Dimple pattern several times now, so I may just suck it up and go ahead with it. The important thing for me to remember is that even if I'm not thrilled with the combination of yarn/pattern, as long as the socks are well constructed and wearable, I shouldn't be afraid of sending them off to a complete stranger. Right? Then again, if I wouldn't wear them (and I'll wear just about any kind of sock), am I really to expect that someone else will? Grrr. I may just rummage through my stash tonight until I find a yarn to fit the pattern.

Details on my success/failure on Saturday.

Clapotis-ing Along

2005-02-01T09:39:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update today. Work continues on my Clapotis. I've been wanting to knit one for a while, and was finally galvanized by the chilly temperatures in my office. Of course, now that I'm at a point where I have the knitting time to make the Clapotis, it's not longer frigid in my office. However, that won't stop me from knitting myself another scarf. I have two repeats in the 2nd section left, so I'm hoping I'll get to drop my first stitch tonight. Of course, I also said I was going to start my Sockapalooza socks today, so I may have to make a knitting compromise with myself.

I'm knitting the Clapotis with some wool from Wool in the Woods, in the "Tahitan Sunset" colorway. I bought it off Ebay several years ago, and never did anything with it. The yarn is just the right weight (dk, maybe a bit heavier) for the scarf, and I easily get gauge on size 7 needles. I was a little concerned about the yarn being too scratchy for my neck, but I washed my test swatch and it seems fine.

I wasn't too thrilled with this yarn when I first got it, since the colors were a good bit darker than what was shown on the auction site - I was expecting a muted yellow/purple/red mix, and what I have is more of a dark gold/rust/dark lavendar mix, which just didn't thrill me (which is why it sat in my stash for so many years). I decided to take a chance on it for this project, though, since I'm on the yarn diet, and didn't have anything else really suitable. I was pleasantly surprised. Knitted up, the colors work beautifully together, and I think this will turn into a great Fall scarf.

Pictures!

2005-01-31T17:42:00.000-05:00

As not-quite-promised, here are pics of my weekend FO's.

First, the Crusoe socks:

Pardon the crappy lighting. I was trying for an artsy outdoor shot, but there was freezing rain falling, and little natural light. You can get an idea of the real loudness of the yarn from my previous pics of these socks.
Summary: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in "Sweetie," with the Crusoe pattern from Knitty. 88 stitches cast on size 0 needles.

Mum's Pocket Scarf:

Another crappy picture. Although it's nearly impossible to tell, the right side is the "right" side of the scarf. The left side is the "wrong" side, with the pocket. I chose to put the pockets on the inside of the scarf for a few reasons: 1) it looked better with the pattern; 2)you can keep your arms warm inside the scarf while still having your hands in the pockets; 3) if the scarf is just hanging around your neck, you can use the pockets for kleenex (very important for my mum), without having them bulge out on the outside. I also discovered that the pockets are very good weights to hold the scarf in place when it's wrapped around your neck.
Summary: Filatura di Crosa Luna in my own pattern (k 1 row, p1 row, k 3 rows; repeat) on size 11 needles.

Finally, the Hat (not the NippleHat, just the Hat):

Yup, another crappy photo. Natural light has been at a real minimum the last few days. I'm thrilled with the way this hat turned out, but I'll definitely knit the next one in the round.
Summary: Filatura di Crosa Luna in a cable pattern from Winter 03/04 Vogue Knitting. 3 inches of ribbing on size 7 needles, pattern in size 11.

My only complaint about this pattern is the way it grooooows when washed. The magazine explains the need to use the big needles because of all the tension created by the intense cableing. However, that also means the yarn (normally knit on size 7 or so) has plenty of room to grow. This hat really tried to stretch itself out when I went to block it. Only some serious smushing effort on my part kept it a normal, snug size. I'm a bit concerned about making a sweater in this pattern, since I get perfect gauge, and I don't want to land up with a sweater that is suddenly two sizes too big just because I tried to wash it. It's a bit irritating, since this is the yarn called for by the pattern, and no mention of this issue is made (though I certainly can't be the only person to notice it). I'll probably knit a test swatch and wash it to get an exact idea of the growth percentage. Then I'll adjust the sweater accordingly. What a pain in the ass.

That's all for now. I'm going to work on my Clapotis a bit more tonight. Details tomorrow or Wednesday.

An FO Kind of Weekend...

2005-01-31T09:08:00.000-05:00

Pictures when I get home from work tonight.

I knocked three projects off my WIP list, and then added one more last night.

I finished the Crusoe socks on Thursday night. I love the way they turned out. They fit perfectly, and are just the kind of funky, brightly-colored socks I love. I wore them to work on Friday, where they got quite a bit of attention.

I hurt my wrist at work on Thursday, so knitting was at a minimum on Thursday and Friday. I finished the sock on Thursday (about an hour), and then did some simple 2x2 ribbing on Friday (another hour). By Saturday I was back to normal, so I got cracking on Mum's replacement hat.

Knitting 3 inches less certainly made the hat knit up much faster (about 12 hours, total). I finished it around 5:00 on Sunday, and immediately seamed it up. While it was upstairs soaking in the sink, I seamed up the pockets on her matching scarf as well. I wasn't too thrilled with the way the seam on the hat turned out. When I knit one for myself, I'll definitely do it in the round. There's really no reason to ruin such lovely cable work with my amateur seaming skills.

After my seaming fun, I cast on for a Clapotis while Andrew and I watched the last 4 episodes of Sex and the City. We've been working our way through the series for the last few months, so it was pretty exciting to reach the end. Anyway, I made it through two repeats of the second part, and then it was time for bed. I really should've cast on for my Sockapalooza socks (I've already picked out yarn and a pattern), but I think I'll wait and start them on February 1st (which yes, I know, is tomorrow).

I took pictures of everything as it was finished, but didn't get around to uploading them to the computer. It was either post pictures, or watch Sex and the City, and well... we know which one won. I really needed to see if Carrie landed up with Big.

Have a good day, everyone!

Measuring Time by Knitting...

2005-01-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I watched Alien vs Predator last night. I don't know that I was quite as keen to see this one as he was, but I can always appreciate a brainless sci-fi/action movie with good special effects. This one certainly qualified. Having watched it, though, I can honestly say that I have little desire to ever see it again. The movie was oddly pointless, and by the time it was finished, I honestly felt as though I had fallen into a time warp and lost 90 minutes of my life.

I know this didn't happen because 1) I'm not enough of a conspiracy theorist to belive in random spatial annomalies; 2) Andrew was there with me, and didn't have the same feeling; and 3) I got a good bit of knitting done on the Crusoe sock.

Speaking of the sock, I have another 1/4" to go on the foot, then the toe. I think I could be finished tonight, while Andrew and I watch Predator. (We're going through the series a little backwards. I've never seen Predator, but I'm a big fan of the Alien series- okay, just Alien 1-3. 4 sucked. So I'll be playing catch-up tonight.)

Just out of curiosity - do you think the Alien series is better classified as sci-fi or horror? I prefer to call it a suspenseful sci-fi movie, while Andrew classifies it as a horror movie with sci-fi overtones. Because of this, he has great difficulty understanding why I like the series so much, yet hate horror movies. I insist that Alien is a sci-fi classic, and that I've seen it so many times from such a young age (my mom was a big fan too), that while it may be suspenseful, it is no longer scary. Thus, I can watch and enjoy Alien while still wanting to avoid things like "The Ring" with a passion.

It makes sense to me, at least. :)

Ah, yes...

2005-01-22T17:48:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's another monster update from me. So much for the more-frequent-blogging resolution. Although, for the record, I did manage to send out all my thank-you notes early last week. So I'm only a partial slacker.

To start things off, this is what greeted me when I opened up the shades in the living room on Thursday morning:

Lovely, isn't it? It snowed again today, so there's a nice powdered sugar dusting on everything.

Now, on to the knitting.......

First, the NippleHat. Here it is laying flat on the kitchen table:

And here it is stuffed with some random paper:

Now, remember that I said it was 3 inches too tall. So just imagine a round head in that shape, with 3 inches stick up on the top. Get the name now? And no, I will not post a picture of myself wearing the NippleHat.

Here's how it spent most of the week:

And here's how it looks today, after a little quality time:

I busted out 3 new skeins of yarn to re-knit this. I'll used the recycled yarn to knit my own hat. Either way, this will be the THIRD time I've started this hat. Maybe I should just give in and accept the message that is clearly being sent to me. Nah.

Speaking of hats, here's Andrew's hat as it looked last Saturday:

And here's how it looks as of noon today:

He loves it. Thank god. He wore it to the grocery store today, and it didn't look goofy, or especially homemade. The only change I'd make is to move the stripes a bit lower, and to duplicate stitch at the seam to disguise the half-stitch jog at the join. Otherwise, I'm thrilled with the way it turned out, and would definitely knit another one.
Details: Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport, Orange and Navy, 2 skeins each, with yarn doubled throughout. Needles: Size 8 24" circulars, and size 8 dpn's at end. Pattern: Alison's Double-knit hat pattern. This pattern was excellent, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to make a similarly-styled hat. I had enough yarn left over that I think I can make a matching pair of socks. We'll see.

On to other things...

My Crusoe socks are moving along nicely:

This pic is a bit old; I'm now done with the gusset decreases, and about 1/2" down the instep. I don't anticipate any problems with being done by the end of the month so I can start my Sockapalooza socks (see sidebar for link and details).

Mum's scarf, meant to match the hat, is still waiting for its pockets to be sewn up. Andrew's hat has been front and center all week, but now that it's done, I plan to finish the scarf this weekend.

This is how it looked blocking in the library:

(Pardon the mess. I was cleaning out my old student loan stuff, and it didn't quite make it to the trash before I took the pic.)

Here's a better, more "artsy" photo:

I really loved working with the yarn for this scarf, but I was really surprised at how drastically it stretched out after washing. I guess I should've used smaller needles. ;)

Finally, since I forgot to post it before, here's a quick shot of the yarn Courtney and Val gave me for Christmas:

I don't own much yarn in the red/pink spectrum, so this is a great addition to my stash. And even better - it was a gift, so I didn't break my yarn diet (which is now into month 2).

Okay! So there's my week in a nutshell. Have a great weekend everyone.

I'm Not Embarassed to Admit This...

2005-01-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

I Don't Promise

2005-01-18T11:38:00.000-05:00

It's just occurred to me that every time I say that "I promise" to do something on this blog, I don't. So I won't do that anymore. I'm not sure why I felt the need to in the first place, probably the part of me that craves approval, but too bad now. No more promising.

Actually, I did take a bunch of pictures yesterday to post, but never quite made it up to the computer. Maybe tonight, maybe not.

A quick progress rundown:

1. Mum's replacement scarf is done. I used more Luna in a simple knit 1 row, purl 1 row, knit 2 rows, repeat until done pattern. The scarf was about 5 1/2 feet off the needles. I washed and blocked, and it stretched (very unintentionally) to over 7 feet. So now the scarf will have pockets.

2. I frogged the NippleHat. I did it before bed one night, so I could just feel depressed and go to sleep. I started again last night, and finished about 1 1/2 inches of ribbing.

3. Finished turning the heel on the Crusoe sock.

4. Worked a few more rounds on Andrew's WaHoo hat. It's progressing much slower than I'd like (and I haven't had much time to work on it), so since it just dropped to 20F here (during the day), I may have to suck it up and work on it in front of him so I can finish quickly.

Today's also one of those peverse knitting days. I brought the rest of my thank-you cards (yeah, I'm way behind) to finish during my lunch hour (after getting a prompting phone call from my mother. What am I, like 12?), and then had to deal with a really nasty, rude call this morning at work. Now I desperately want to knit to de-stress, but feel guilty about not finishing the cards. Maybe I'll go half-and-half.

Happy Tuesday!

It's Friday...

2005-01-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's Friday... and that is definitely a good thing.

I made some more updates on my blog yesterday - I've switched to Haloscan for my comments (I'm hoping this might cut down on the number of Anonymous comments I get), added some new buttons to my sidebar, and also added an "Alongs" section to my sidebar where I have the buttons to my knit-alongs and yarn-non-buying-along.

Knitting has been a little slow this week. I'm still a bit demoralized over the whole "NippleHat" issue. It's currently sitting upstairs on Andrew's desk next to my computer (I don't have a desk, but he had two). I may suck it up and frog this weekend, but I know that's going to be a bit of a nightmare, so I'm fully immersed in avoidance behavior right now.

I started the replacement scarf for Mum on Tuesday. The one I made for her birthday (from a Patons yarn whose name I don't remember) was just too scratchy to be worn, so I'm making a replacement from the Filitura di Crosa Luna I have. The plan was for a matching hat and scarf set, which will still happen, as soon as I get up the motivation to either frog the current hat, or just suck it up and make her a new one. Anyway, I have about 12" on the scarf done. (I told you knitting progress was slow.)

I've been reading quite a bit over the last few days. I finished Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Firebrand" on Tuesday night, and then spent Wednesday and Thursday nights reading Anne Bishop's "Dreams Made Flesh," a collection of short stories to follow her Black Jewels trilogy. I couldn't put the book down, and stayed up reading until 12:00 on Wednesday night. I started a bit earlier last night, and finished the book around 10:30. Next, I'll be reading "Love in a Dead Language," which Andrew gave me for Christmas.

In other news, Stephanie's MSF drive has passed the $47,000 mark, as of yesterday afternoon. The generosity of people continues to amaze me.

Tomorrow, Andrew and I are off to Orange, VA for his grandfather's 80th (85th?) birthday party. It should be a fairly casual affair, and it'll give me plenty of time to work on the second Crusoe sock in the car.

Pictures of the NippleHat and other fun stuff this weekend, I promise.

It's Too Big!!

2005-01-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

::cries:: It doesn't fit! It's too big!!

I seamed up Mum's hat last night, and ran into the bathroom to try it on. Some people say that hats make them look phallic. Well, this hat made my head look like a big nipple. I'm calling it the NippleHat from now on.

Supposedly, the hat is supposed to be a cute cap that rests just above your eyebrows after you fold up half the ribbing. I've instead discovered that if you only fold up half the ribbing, the hat makes a great nosewarmer. Literally - it covers your nose. I could have easily cut 3 inches - THREE INCHES - from the pattern, and it would've been so much better.

You know what's even worse? This isn't my fault (well, not really). My gauge is spot-on. I knit the pattern exactly as I was supposed to.

::cries::

I've learned three things from this experience:

1. Even if you're right, you can still get screwed.

2. Photos LIE!!! Especially photos with models in them, since we all know they live in the lying liarly world of airbrushing and invisible pinning. It was only after the fact that I noticed that the top of the model's head is never shown in the hat photo.

3. Never trust a garment pattern with no schematic. I kept hoping I was overlooking it somehow, but it definitely wasn't there. If it had been, I would've thought twice before knitting the NippleHat as written. Thus, from now on, if a garment is lacking a schematic, I'm drawing my own. (Which is what I should've done in the first place. Ah well... hindsight, and all that.)

The funny thing is, as I was knitting the hat, I kept thinking how much I loved it, and how I might just keep it for myself and knit my mum another. Well, it looks like I got exactly what I wished for. I've decided to try and salvage it, instead of ripping out all my beautiful cable work. I can't bear to destroy it. Instead, I think I'm going to fold the ribbing to the inside, sew it down, and then when I wear it, I'll fold it again halfway to the outside - thereby still showing the ribbing, but also shortening the hat by about 4 inches.

Who knows... it probably was my fault and I'm just not seeing it. Maybe I will frog, so I deny all knowledge of such a disastrous project.

Ugh. At least it was good practice for the sweater I'm planning to make with the same stitch design.

Day 10

2005-01-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

Before I get to the point of today's post (so in another 10,000 words or so), I just need to say three quick things:

1. The Yarn Harlot's MSF fundraiser has passed the $37,000 mark. I think something really cool should be planned for $50,000. It will not, however, involve naked snow angels (especially since there is no snow here yet).

2. Speaking of a lack of snow, it's about 60F here today, so I busted out The Shawl again. I got a very nice compliment from the barrista at Starbucks who was making my caramel frappuccino. It made me feel good, and a little less guilty that I spent the whole weekend knitting, and not doing housework, etc.

3. Someone has apparently gotten to my blog by searching for "dust" "knit" and "mittens" via Dogpile. I'm #64 on the list. I wonder if this post will move me up at all?

(You know, if I were a good blogger, this post would be 50% done. Instead, I'm a slacker blogger, and you'll be reading this for at least another 10 minutes, should you stick with it to the end. You don't have to. I won't be offended.)

Since it's day 10 of the New Year, and I still haven't talked about my resolutions (I prefer to call them "life improving suggestions") or my after-Christmas activities, I thought I should get that done now.

First, my Life Improving Suggestions:

1. Excercise more. I now have a desk job, and I take the bus to work everyday. My ass has gotten bigger, and I don't necessarily need my slightly-snugger jeans to tell me that. Thus, I'm going to try to move around a bit more. Progress: minimal. I've walked home from work once, but have made few (okay, no) attempts at using the free gym in my apartment complex. The only thing stopping me (okay, my major excuse) is that I haven't gone to the mall yet to get some sweatpants/yoga pants/excercise pants. That's a lame excuse, and I know it.

2. Be better about staying in touch with friends and remembering birthdays. Last year I think I missed every single one of my friend's birthdays, or at least called them several days late. I like having my birthday remembered, and I know everyone else does too. Thus, I will make a stronger effort to write or call on the appointed day. If I were really good, I'd do both. Progress: neutral. None of my friends have had birthdays yet. However, in a related venue, I still haven't sent any of my thank-you cards from my birthday/Christmas. Thus, progress is really poor.

3. Blog on a more regular basis, and thus have shorter posts. Let's face it - some of my posts are more like chapters. I'm a very good academic writer - I can craft 5 pages of content into 25 pages of end product and have it still look good. My blog, however, isn't a paper, and doesn't need to be done all in one massive sitting. Thus, I'm going to try to keep them short, sweet, and frequent from now on. Progress: see for yourself. Would this post be getting this long if I were doing well?

I'll get there. After all, it's only day 10. I have 355 to continue working on my "suggestions."

Oh, and before I do a post-holiday recap, for those of you actually interested in my knitting and not my verboseness, here's a quick rundown of my recent knitting:
1. Started the second Crusoe sock. My goal is to be done by the end of the month.
2. Joined Alison's Sockapalooza, and I'm looking forward to finding out about my secret pal. I'll start those socks when the Crusoe socks are finished, with and end goal of March 1.
3. Started Andrew's WaHoo hat. It was originally supposed to be a WaHoo scarf, but the dk weight yarn (Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport) was too thin, and my circs were too short. Thus, I'm using Alison's Double-Knit Hat pattern, with orange on one side and navy on the other. So far, so good. Depending on how much Andrew-free knitting time I can get, I may make this a lunchtime project, hopefully to be finished by the end of the weekend.
4. Knit my mum a hat over the weekend (mostly). It's from the Vogue Knitting Winter 03/04 issue that I'm planning to make a sweater out of. In fact, the hat is supposed to match the sweater, so it was good practice for me. The whole thing is cable knit, so I got really good at cableing without a cable needle (thanks wholly to some great directions here). The hat just needs to be seamed up, which I'll do tonight. I think my total knit time was about 15 hours, including frogging one row, with appropriate swearing.
5. Minimal progress on my Rainbow Jacket, which will probably stay on hold until I finish a new scarf for my mum. Maybe next weekend (you know - while I'm finishing Andrew's hat and knitting my socks).

Post-Christmas Adventures...

I opened gifts with Andrew's family on Sunday, the 26th. Matt headed back to DC for work, and Andrew and I loafed around Greg's house playing DS, knitting, and reading on Monday and Tuesday. We ran some minor errands, one of which included taking the DS back to Best Buy, since it had two blown pixels. Nintendo allows you to exchange them for free, so we just wanted to get one that was in perfect condition. This started a 10-day hunt for another DS, since EVERY Best Buy in Northern and Middle Virginia was out of stock. Andrew finally got a new one on January 5th. Poor guy. ;)

On Wednesday, the 30th, we went into DC on the Metro for some fun and excitement (more or less). First we went to visit Andrew's dad's office in the Golden Triangle. Greg's office was very nice, and we learned a lot more about the company (CSIS) and what they do. The whole experience actually reminded me a bit of a job interview. Anyway, Greg took us around to meet many of his co-workers, and I was introduced repeatedly as "Andrew's friend, Cathy." I'm not sure what, if anything, to make of this.

After we left, we walked a few blocks up 18th St. to DuPont Circle, and met Courtney, Val, Janice, and Melissa for lunch. The last time I had seen them all was at Janice and Melissa's wedding in May, and there hadn't been much time for group socializing then. This was also the first time Courtney and Val had met Andrew, so it was nice for them to see that he actually existed. The food at the restaurant was good (Mexican), although the service was a little shoddy. Fair enough to be remembered, but not laughably poor.

After lunch we walked throught the Circle to the Metro station, where Andrew left to go see Matt and his apartment. The ladies and I went into Krispy Kreme for some donuts to dip into chocolate fondue later that night. We all stood outside sharing a hot one afterwards, and Val commented that we looked like a bunch of anorexic sorority girls too afraid to eat a whole donut by themselves. At this point I had to comment that, although I didn't want to insult anyone, none of us could hardly be qualified as anorexic. Not that any of us are obese, or nearly so, but we're also not rail-thin, either.

After a quick stop in the gay bookstore (where I briefly looked at a book called "The Gay Man's Guide to Watersports"), we drove back to Janice and Melissa's apartment in their environment-friendly Hybrid car (as soon as I need and can afford a car, I'm getting a Hybrid Civic). Val, Janice and I immediately sat down for a game of Settler's of Catan. (You can google it for more info. It's basically a resource development/city building game. Way fun.) The rest of the night was filled with such fun things as Scattegories (which elicted such hit responses as "Annoying People: Politicians," "Part of Body: G-spot," and "Things you Find in the Ocean: Acorns." There were no points for the acorns.), and Pictionary, which I was painfully bad at (How would you draw Berlin?). It was interesting to discover, though, that Courtney can draw upsidedown amazingly well (she's an Art teacher). We also had cheese fondue, which was a first for me. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it was a neat experience.

Oh, and we also drank lots of champagne, and rum and coke, which made Pictionary way more fun than it normally would be. Towards the end of the night there was also much talk of the all-women-sleepover tradition of pillow-fighting in our underwear, but that just wouldn't work for a variety of reasons. This did prompt Val to tell us how some of her Res Life staff annually propose a Jello-wrestling match at the end of each school year. She keeps telling them that if they can propose a viable way to clean up the mess afterwards, she'll approve it, but it's yet to happen. Someone also proposed mud wrestling on the balcony, but that was just a bad idea for a whole lot of reasons (can you tell we'd all been drinking by that point?). (I should note that the underwear-pillow-fighting was completely a joke that I had inadvertantly started, and we were never serious about it. Sorry to all of you who are seriously interested in those kinds of things.)

The next morning involved the drinking of lots of rehydrating liquids and pancakes for breakfast while we all watched "The Dog Whisperer" which is an odd show about a Cuban dog psychologist. I must say, the guy was extremely skilled - at training both dogs and owners. We also watched a show about training dogs for the military, which was pretty interesting, although a bit sad at points, as some of the dogs succumbed to heat exhaustion during training.

After breakfast Janice, Val, and I squeezed in one last round of Settler's, and then it was off to the Metro for me. I met Andrew and Greg at Pentagon City where they had been suit shopping for Andrew. They had already picked everything out by the time I got there, so my presence was pretty superfluous, but I did get to have a tasty lunch at Au Bon Pain, so the afternoon wasn't a complete wash.

On Friday, Andrew and I headed back to C-ville, to re-settle into our house before I started work again on Monday. New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful. We actually almost gave up and went to bed at 10:00 (we were both pretty tired), but we persevered, and rang in the New Year while watching Sex and the City on DVD.

So there we are. All caught up on my post-holiday adventures. Shorter posts in the future, I promise. Have a good week, everyone!

The Lone Sock

2005-01-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

I got an email from my friend Val yesterday (hi Val!). Val has successfully completed her first (second?) pair of socks as of Tuesday night, using some yarn I gave her quite some time ago (Regia Ringle in Clown). Needless to say, this was an exciting moment for me, not only because I helped Val start the first sock (on July 4, 2003), but also because I have vague fantasies of socknitters taking over the world , since yarn is much more environmentally friendly than oil.

Anyhoo... having successfully finished a pair of socks, Val did what any good knitter would do, and immediately ran out to buy more yarn. She wrote to me to ask about a pattern I had used for a pair of socks I made for her wife back in 2001.

So, without further ado, I present Courtney's Socks:

(Sorry for the lousy picture. It's years old, taken with a crappy digital camera.)

I knit these with Regia Ringle, and used solid Regia in turquoise for the heel and toe. Beyond that, I can't tell you much, since these were knit in a time before it ocurred to me to write down my patterns. (Fortunately I've grown since then.) Courtney wanted slouchy socks, so I randomly picked a color repeat, and whenever it came up, I purled. It made for a neat effect, but there's no pattern, and the "technique" wouldn't really work for solid-colored yarns. Anyway, Val described the purling effect as "wave-like," and this reminded me of the Lone Pink Sock:

(Click for a fuzzy closeup of the leg patterning.)

I knit this sock early in 2004 with some Paton's Kroy. Great yarn - I have another pair (in the Winter Eclipse colorway) which softened nicely after washing. They'd be my favorite pair if I hadn't made them a bit too tight. Anyway, I knit the first Lone Pink Sock (although I didn't know it would be "lone" then), and immediately after finishing decided I didn't really like it.

I adapted the pattern on the leg from a book Val gave me (coincidentally) by Barbara Abbey, called "The Complete Book of Knitting." I don't know if I'd agree with the "complete" part of the title, but it has hundreds of stitch patterns in it, which is what makes it a real asset (at least to me). Anyway, the leg pattern is an adaptation of pattern #73, "Waved Welt," (page 173) but reworked to be knit in the round. I had knitted a scarf in this pattern (but flat), really like it, and thought it might look cool on a pair of socks. I didn't stop to think about how going from 5 spi to 11 spi might effect the asthetics. Rather than frog the whole sock (since it was very well made, if I do say so myself), I figured I'd knit the mate one day, and give the pair away. No biggie. So, now, lo and behold, here's Val referring to a wave pattern in another pair of socks. All I have to do now is find the pattern I wrote down (since it seems to have walked out of my knitting bag), and convince Val that her new favorite color is pink, not blue, so I can knit the second sock and will be freed from my obligation to her.

(This post is never going to end. You know that now, right?)

I owe Val a pair of socks because I knit her a pair back in 2001 (I went through a friend-knitting phase since they were all graduating from college/grad school at the same time), and they have since grown holes.

Cute, right? I used Paton's Classic Wool (same as The Shawl) on size 1 needles, and with laceweight merino in the heels and toes for reinforcement. I should've reinforced the whole damn sock.

Val gave these back to me at her wedding in February. That's how long they've been sitting in my knitting bag. And yes, I know the holes are fairly small (although bigger than shown in the pic), and that it wouldn't take too much work to fix them, but I'm a procrastinator by nature, which you should know just from reading this blog. If I didn't procrastinate so much, I'd post every day, and then each post wouldn't be the lenght of a novel. But I digress... I finally got around to trying to darn them shortly after Christmas (knowing that I'd be seeing her in a few days), and realized that either I am darning-impaired, or that this yarn just isn't darn-friendly. I suspect a bit of both. I'm contemplating just knitting a patch to put over the holey area, but I don't think that will solve the long-term problem. We'll see. Anyhoo, in my typical avoidance behavior, I decided that rather than try to persevere with the darning/patching, I'd just knit Val a new pair of socks out of more sock-appropriate yarn. (Have I ever mentioned that I'm a glutton for punnishment?) I am so smart. I am so smart. S-M-R-T.... I mean S-M-A-R-T. So then, of course, Val asks about a wave-like pattern for socks, and my conniving brain starts speculating how hard I'd have to work to get her to like the pink socks, thus fulfilling my obligation to her and doing away with the pink socks all at once, and with only a minimum of guilt.

Okay, so I'm not really serious about that. But the thought did cross my mind. Hey - does anyone out there like pink socks with a too-small-at-this-guage wave pattern on the legs?

Briefly, in other knitting news, I've re-cast on for Mum's hat. Andrew and I watched Seabiscut last night (great movie!), and I managed to get all the ribbing done, and start the first cable row (good work for me). I even have the right number of stitches this time. ;) No picture, since it's pretty much identical to the one I posted a few days ago, pre-frogging.

I also got more work done on my Rainbow Jacket:

So that's all she wrote (for now, since I still haven't mentioned the wackiness that happened after Christmas, but you'll just have to make do until then).

The Power of the Written Word

2005-01-04T14:40:00.000-05:00

Go check out the Yarn Harlot's blog for yesterday and today. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Now take a look at the number in her sidebar under "Donations to MSF."

See that? In 24 hours she has single-handedly inspired nearly $10,000 in donations to Doctors Without Borders.

Ten thousand dollars. In a single day. All from one post on a blog.

And people say nothing good is written anymore.

Post-Christmas Knitting

2005-01-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'll post more about last week's adventures tomorrow, but before I forget here's a (not so) quick rundown of what I've been knitting since finishing my Christmas knitting on the 24th.

First, I immediately cast on a pair of socks for me. The first one is done:

I used Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in "Sweetie" with the Crusoe pattern from Knitty. I absolutely love the way this sock has turned out. If it wasn't for the problems with the heel, this would've been a near-perfect socknitting experience.

I wanted to try branching out my sock knitting abilities, and throw some new heels and toes into my repetoire. So I flipped through Folk Socks and decided to give the half-handkerchief heel a whirl. No problem. Right? This is what I landed up with:

I got Eyore to help me model. Here's a better shot of what I think is the problem:

Now, keep in mind I've never knitted a half-handkerchief heel before, but is it supposed to be that pointy at the back? I tried slipping it on my foot, and no amount of stretching could get it to round out. It looked really, really bad. So what did I do wrong? I had 44 stitches for the heel, so I suspect that the large number of stitches just emphasized the triangle-nature of the heel - fewer stitches would've meant less of a point... I think. Anyway, if anyone out there with half-handkerchief heel experience can tell me what I did wrong (if anything), I'd appreciate the advice.

In the meantime, I frogged the heel, and went back to my usual band heel (or whatever the hell it's really called).

So that was my knitting minor disaster. Here's my major one:

Looks great, doesn't it? It's a cable-knit hat from the Winter 03/04 Vogue Knitting. No problem. Cast on 114, k2p2 for 3 inches, switch to size 11 needles, and cable until the cows come home.

After several hours of work, this is what I had to show for it:

What went wrong? Somewhere in my convoluted brain I forgot how to count while casting on. I cast on and on and on, and started to worry that I would run out of yarn. So I counted my stitches, cast on a few more, and had 90. And then somehow I made the logical jump that if I cast on 14 more stitches, I'd have the correct number of 114. So I did. And I counted them all. And somewhere in my brain, 114 began to turn into 104. So I started knitting, and did 3 inches of k2p2 rib on needles that are really too small for this yarn, and then I started to cable. 10 stitches from the end, I realized that I had too few stitches. Pattern error? Could it be? I had downloaded the errata for this pattern before the holidays... I didn't remember an error in the cap pattern. I scanned the pattern again, doing the math in my head, and it all seemed okay. Then I counted my stitches. 104. AArrggh!

I haven't yet re-cast on for that hat. Soon, but not today.

So that was my knitting major disaster. My knitting success came in the form of this:

It's the very beginnings of Vivian Hoxbro's Rainbow Jacket from Shadow Knitting. I bought it as a kit years ago, and am finally making the push to get it done before spring. I reversed the color scheme since I like the purple more than the lime, and wanted to have more of that showing. Otherwise, it's smooth sailing. My row gauge is a bit wonky (I went up 4 needle sizes to get stitch gauge), but I think I can accomodate for that at the shoulder. So stay tuned for this to potentially turn into another knitting disaster. ;)

Oh, I almost forgot. I tried to darn Val's socks (pictures later), and decided it would just be faster to knit her a new pair than to try and repair these. I must be darning impaired.

I think it's time for some post-Christmas chocolate. Happy knitting everyone!

Happy New Year

2005-01-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone! I hope 2005 is starting off on a positive note for everyone out there in blogland.

I had a great Christmas this year. It was the first holiday since 1996 that I wasn't traveling long-distance, and I must say I like it better this way. Andrew and I started off Christmas day by opening our "Santa" gifts (tea and a UVa hat for me; the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde for him). After that, we packed up the car, and headed off to Andrew's aunt and uncle's house in Orange, about 45 minutes from us. Besides Richard and Karen and their daughters Jessie and Eliza, Andrew's grandparents (John and Kitty) and dad (Greg) and brother (Matt) were there. We had a nice afternoon eating (the cookies were a big hit), playing games, and just chatting. After that, Andrew and I drove up to Woodbridge, dropped off our stuff at Greg's house, and then went to visit his mum, Marcia, for a bit.

Sunday we actually celebrated Christmas, and spent the better part of 4 hours opening gifts (they're a one-at-a-time-with-accompanying-story kind of family). We all had a really nice time. Here are a few highlight photos:

This is Marcia, with that hat I knitted her on. It matches a Homespun scarf I knitted for her last Christmas. That is absolutely the last hat I'll ever knit with Homespun. It is an evil and dastardly yarn. Marcia also loved the socks, and the fit perfectly (no picture, though. Oops.)

Speaking of socks:

Andrew loved the Schottische Kilt Hose, aka The Lunchtime Socks.

Maybe I should've called them the "carpet camouflage socks." :)

Finally, since this gift generated such joyous excitement, here's Andrew with the mystery gift I bought last week, a shiny new Nintendo DS:

It is important to note that this gift wasn't actually from me. I played personal shopper and bought it on behalf of Andrew's brother, Matt (thereby saving his ass, since he does all his shopping on the 24th). My big gift to Andrew (besides the socks) was Metroid Prime 2: Echoes for his GameCube. That was the gift I had been referring to as "Ball" in some of my previous posts. However, I've since discovered that Andrew definitely doesn't read my blog, so I guess the codenames were a waste of time. But, hey, spy games are fun every now and again. :)

As for me, everyone was very generous this year, and I got all kinds of neat gifts, including (but not limited to) the Matrix box set, Vivian Hoxbro's "Shadow Knitting", and Nancie Wiseman's "The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques." Andrew also gave me Alton Brown's new baking book "I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking." Obviously, you can see what I'll be spending the next few months doing. :)

I also used the Barnes and Noble gift card my boss gave me to buy Nicky Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge." What a cool book.

More about actual Christmas-week knitting in a bit!

One Last Thing...

2004-12-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

Regardless of your view of the war(s) the US is currently involved in, please take a few minutes to send a Happy Holidays email to some of the servicepeople overseas:

OperationDearAbby.Net

You can pick the branch of the military you like, and just send a nice supportive message for free. It'll only take a few minutes, and I'm sure it'll make a big difference for someone who can't be with their family at this time of year.

This will be my last post until the New Year. Andrew and I are off to Orange, VA to see his grandparents and aunt and uncle tomorrow, and then up to Woodbridge tomorrow night. We'll do Christmas with his family on Sunday, lollygag for a few days, and then on Wednesday we're going to meet Janice, Melissa, Courtney, and Val (all college friends of mine) in DC for lunch and a pre-New Year's Eve get-together. Then, either the 31st or 1st, we'll be back in Charlottesville.

Happy Holidays to everyone out there in blogland. Best wishes for a peaceful and bright New Year.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2004-12-24T17:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me!

Yup, today I turned the big 25. My first quarter-century. Honestly, it doesn't feel too different from 24. Give me a few weeks to confirm that though. So far, I haven't noticed too many great bonuses associated with turning 25. Andrew did mention one last night, but it's only semi-relevant to my life now: I can now rent a car without paying that stupid-ass $20-a-day under-25 fee. So as soon as I save up the money to travel somewhere, I'll be able to rent a car for a slightly less-obscene price.

My birthday has been great, so far. Andrew made me chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and I opened some gifts from my family. My grandmother sent me some cute PJ's and some money to treat myself, and my mum sent me the pastry dough blender I asked for (great for making pie crusts), candy, and also some money. In addition, my mum sent me the cake plate that belonged to my great-grandmother. People who know more about such things than I estimate it was made in 1870. 135 years old, and it looks brand new. I'll post a picture of it when I get back from the holidays. It's a beautiful piece, and it'll be great for displaying desserts and as a conversation piece.

Andrew and I ran some errands, and then we went to Panera to get lunch. After lunch, he let me open my gift:

I'm so excited about this one. Andrew bought me the last two, so it was really sweet of him to finish off the set for me. We're going to camp out and watch it a bit later tonight. I can't wait!

I was going to bake myself a cake today (Andrew's mum is going to make me a cake, but that won't be until Sunday), but I'm too tired of the kitchen to think about it. I'll wait until the post-holiday sugar-aversion has faded, and maybe we'll celebrate with cake on January 24th or something.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

Knitting

2004-12-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

The Christmas knitting is done. I finished the last sock this morning. I would've pushed through last night (since I only had 7 rows to go), but I was just too damn tired at 1:00 am. So this morning it was. For your viewing pleasure, here are some shots of the last few gifts:

Heidi's Scarf:

Bernat's Eyelash yarn on size 11 needles. About 8 hours, total.

Liz's Scarf:

Yeah, I know - looks just like the Multidirectional Scarf I had shown last week, right? I wasn't too happy with the way that was turning out (surprise, surprise), so I frogged it. I cast on 21 stitches on 10 1/2 needles with the Filitura di Crosa Luna yarn I have for my sweater. I used up 3 balls, and managed to whip this out in 2 1/2 days - maybe 10 hours total. I landed up loving the final product, and am seriously considering making another one (maybe a bit more slowly) for my aunt Tricia. Certainly after the holidays, though.

Marcia's Hat:

Not the best shot, but. I used Alison's Beginner's Cap pattern. I cast on 96 stitches on size 8 20" circulars, with LionBrand Homespun. The hat was ultra-easy to make, thanks to the pattern. It was also a real bitch, since that yarn absolutely sucks. I'm sure Homespun is great for certain people and certain things, but I hate it. I am hereby making a resolution to knit with that and Bernat's Eyelash as little as possible for the rest of my knitting life. Anyhoo, the hat only took about 8 hours (including time to swear at the Homespun).

Marcia's Fluted Banister Socks:

I used the Fluted Banister pattern from the Six Socks Knitalong (see sidebar). The pattern looks nice, but got really boring after a while. However, I'm sure Marcia will love them. Just for the record, she only got two knitted gifts (compared to my Mum's one knitted gift) because she specifically requested the Hat. Under normal circumstances she would not receive more knitwear than my mom. (And yes, I know that it sounds bad that I put that disclaimer there, but I just want to quash and thoughts that I have a disfunctional relationship with my mother. I mean, my family is disfunctional, but I don't express it in passive-agressive knitwear ways. Usually I'll just bitch about it openly. So there.) :)

So, to recap the Knitting Christmas:
Scarves:
2 (although I should get triple credit for Liz's scarf)
Socks:
3 pairs (pictures of Andrew's Schottische Kilt Hose once they've been opened and put on his feet)
Hat:
1

That's it! It seemed like so much more as I was doing it. Then again, it's been a busy Fall, knitwise. Tonight I'm starting a pair of socks for me, me, me! in Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in the color "Sweetie." I'm deciding between the Crusoe pattern from knitty, or the Making Waves pattern from the Six Socks KAL. I also plan to start Vivian Hoxbro's Rainbow Jacket over the holidays. I bought this kit 3 years ago as a birthday present to myself, started it, messed it up, frogged it, and know I'm going to make a determined effort to re-start it and finish it for the Spring. Updates on that venture as they come!

Baking

2004-12-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, I went to a holiday party that the president of UVa threw at his "residence." (It's way too big to refer to it as a "house") Anyhoo, they had extremely tasty gingerbreadpersons there (I refuse to call them "men". They have no penises, and they're certainly not women since they're completely flatchested. Thus, persons. Gender neutral. Really, they're more like gingerbread-pre-pubescent-girls. Okay, this has gone too far. Back to my story...). The gingerbreadpersons were really good, and I decided that since I'm not doing any serious traveling for the holidays this year (the first time since the winter of 1996), I'd do a lot of baking, and make tons of gingerbread persons. Brilliant!

Andrew latched onto this idea, and we decided that my baking would become our present to his grandparents and aunt and uncle. I also decided to give cookies to my co-workers. It's so much easier than trying to find price-and-personality-appropriate gifts for people I've only known for 3 months. So a-baking I will go.

I planned on two kinds of cookies: gingerbreadpersons and sugar cookies, with varying kinds of frosting. I went shopping, and bought 5 pounds of confectioners sugar, and oodles of butter. And I hunted for a gingerbreadperson cutout. I waited too long. Andrew and I searched in at least 5 stores, and no gingerbreadpersons. So I settled for gingerbreadcircles. That's okay. I'm an alternative kind of person.

I start baking. I made about 8 dozen cookies last weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I mix, chill, cut out, bake, cool, frost, dry, and wrap. Then I gift. The cookies are a huge hit. I used up all my baked stash, and planned two more batches of gingerbread and three batches of sugar cookies (not to mention the two batches of peanutbutter balls) for Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, I took those two days off from work.

Three trips to the supermarket and god only knows how many hours of baking later, I had 20 dozen beautifully frosted cookies wrapped or drying in the kitchen last night. Here's a brief look at what I was up to:

The kitchen looked like this for 2 1/2 days. Bless Andrew's heart for being really nice about it (then again... what choice did he have? They were for his family. Either way, he's a sweetie.).

The fruits of my labors.

Today, there is no baking. I had one last project planned, but I've spent entirely too much time in the kitchen over the last few days. Don't get me wrong - I love to bake, and I love to give away stuff I bake (all the better for my ass), but this was way beyond excessive. Much like gift knitting, gift baking is better done in moderation. And, just for the record, Andrew did try to encourage me to bake a bit less, but it just didn't work with my grand plan. At the very least, I would've had to give up trying my hand at caramel frosting (which, also for the record, was a bit of a bust. I think it was a combination of me, the recipe, and the cookies.). Anyway, it's all done now, everything tastes great, and I will be the baking diva of Christmas, which, of course, is really what matters the most. :) Happy eating!

P.S. The final count was:
Used:
8 1/4 pounds of confectioners sugar, 3 bottles of molasses, 4 pounds of butter, 7 pounds of flour, 1 1/2 pounds of brown sugar, and a full bottle of vanilla, among other things.

Yield:
8 dozen peanutbutter balls, and 28 dozen cookies with various flavors of frosting.

Harry Potter Fans, Rejoice!

2004-12-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

An early Christmas present for all you HP fans out there:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will be published July 16, 2005.

That reminds me... I should post a picture of the wizard scarf I made myself for the premier of the first movie. That, and about a dozen other pictures.

In other knitting news, I finished Liz's scarf, and mailed it out Saturday morning. It could've used a blocking before mailing, but I figured since I was just going to fold it, wrap it, and stuff it into an envelope, I could get away without blocking. That, and I didn't have time. There was more drama with the scarf, but I'll detail that tomorrow when I post some pictures.

The last two Christmas gifts are still undone. I have about 3 inches to knit on the Hat, and another 5 inches and a toe on the Fluted Banister sock. They'll definitely be done by Friday, but I may be shaving it a bit close. Next year, fewer handknitted gifts. Everyone will get Susan's mini-stockings instead (12/21 entry).

More tomorrow, I promise. Today's my last day at work until January (WaHoo!), so the next two days will be consumed with baking, wrapping, knitting, wrapping, and watching some cheesy movies on TV.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Making Progress...

2004-12-15T15:03:00.000-05:00

First, I just have to say that I went to Best Buy yesterday to buy something (a Christmas gift for someone else to give to someone else), and don't you know... they had Ball in stock. Naturally, I bought one, and completely blew my Christmas budget out of the water. Damn. I hate giving in to rampant commercialism, even if it is to make someone else happy. My BB trip actually had a different goal, so finding Ball was just an added bonus. I was serving as a personal shopper for a friend, something I definitely enjoyed doing - who doesn't love to spend other people's money? :)

Christmas knitting is moving along. I started the Hat last night, and got about 2 inches done. I'm using Alison's super-duper Beginner's Cap. This pattern is great, especially for someone like me who has never knit a hat before. Strange, I know, but the whole idea of hats just never appealed to me. But Andrew's mother specifically requested one to match a scarf I made her, so here I go. It'll also give me a chance to prove to Andrew that I actually can knit a hat. And yes, I know I said I was going to finish the Multidirectional scarf before the weekend. I'll still get there, sooner or later.

Oh, and for all the Star Trek fans out there, definitely check out this link

Back Where I Started

2004-12-14T10:12:00.000-05:00

I was a knitting fiend last night (more or less). I stayed up late, and finished Heidi's scarf - made out of some Bernat Eyelash yarn in a pretty purple color. So that's one more bit of Christmas knitting to cross of the list. I'll be spending some quality time with the dentist (again!) this afternoon, so progress might be slow tonight. My new goal (since we all know how I love to set arbitrary goals for myself) is to have the Multidirectional Scarf done by Friday, so I can mail it out to Liz this weekend. I don't think that's too unreasonable of a goal. ;)

For fun, here are the results of a few quizzes I took recently:

Your Element Is Water

A bit of a contradiction, you can seem both lighthearted and serious. That's because you're good at going with the flow - but you also are deep. Highly intuitive, you tune in to people's emotions and moods easily. You are able to tap into deep emotional connections and connect with others. You prefer a smooth, harmonious life - but you can navigate your way around waves. You have a knack for getting people to get along and making life a little more peaceful.

What's Your Element?

And...

I AM 13% WHITE TRASH!

I, my friend, have class. I am so not white trash. I am more than likely Democrat, and my place is neat, and there is a good chance I may never drink wine from a box.

Take the WHITE TRASH test at Fuali.com

Last, but not least:

You Are From Saturn

You're steady, organized, and determined to achieve your dreams. You tend to play it conservative, going by the rules (at least the practical ones). You'll likely reach the top. And when you do, you'll be honorable and responsible. Focus on happiness. Don't let your goals distract you from fun! Don't be too set in your ways, and you'll be more of a success than you ever dreamed of.

What Planet Are You From?

Negative Progress

2004-12-13T14:14:00.000-05:00

Not only have I committed the sin of not updating my blog in a whole week, but I'm about to start griping about Christmas knitting.

I know, I know, I brought this all down on myself.

Riddle me this: How do you make negative knitting progress without frogging? By picking up more projects, naturally.

Before this weekend, I had three Christmas projects on the needles, and I was on a Yarn Diet. Now I have four Christmas projects on the needles, I've broken my yarn diet, and I'm getting more and more annoyed with the projects I'm working on. Not only are none of them for me (whoops - my inner toddler snuck out there), but they're all very b-o-r-i-n-g. Somehow it's not so mean if I spell it out. It's not even that they're boring. It's that all these projects are not-quite-mindless enough for me to forget I'm knitting them while I watch TV. They all require just enough concentration that I'm suddenly aware of my achingly slow progress and the miles of stockinette stitch I have left.

What's really strange is that in the last few months that I've been working on these plain vanilla projects, my knitting abilities really have grown a bit. I learned how to cable, with and without a cable needle, I knitted my first project from a (very simple) chart, and I became better friends with the SSK, which had previously haunted my knitting nightmares. I feel like I've become a bit more adventurous, all the while knitting away on lots of ribbed patterns.

For the record, here's the List (in order of age):
1. Marcia's Fluted Banister socks (60% complete)
2. Liz's Third Incarnation scarf (aka the MultiDirectional Scarf) (35% complete)
3. Heidi's scarf (50% complete)
4. The Hat (not yet started)

The Lunchtime Socks are conspicuously absent - I finished them over the weekend. Andrew was upstairs working on a paper, so I knit like a fiend on Sunday, and had them done around 5:00. Today was thus my first lunch hour in over a month that I wasn't knitting or thinking about the knitting I should be doing. I read a book, and it was very nice.

In other news, I'm very relieved to find that I don't have to make the trek up to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents this Christmas. I was contemplating driving up from D.C. the day after Christmas (it's 8 hours each way), staying for 3 days, and then making the trip back. It turns out that my aunt Tricia is flying in from Hawaii this week, so I'm off the hook to play chauffer for my grandmother.

This, of course, means I need to mail all my Christmas gifts out by the weekend to ensure their arrival in time for the Great Unwrapping. I got lucky on the shopping front this year. A Panera just opened up in Plymouth, not too far from where my grandparents live. My grandmother couldn't stop raving about the place when I talked to her on the phone last week, so I got them a gift card. Food of some kind seems to always be the best option for them - they're older, finicky, and don't have a lot of space for knicknacks.

My cousins, on the other hand, are always challenging. Well, two of them are. With my cousin Krystal, the biggest challenge is deciding which book to buy her. My cousin Cameron is only 6, and still obsessed with dinosaurs, so this year I went with coloring books and crayons. But Courtney and Whitney are always a challenge for me. Without sharing too much about family relations, lets just say that they don't really do any of the same things I did when I was their age (11 and 12) and that their mother has an oddly fluctuating sense of materialism. Oh well. Anyway, this year I went the DVD route again, and got them Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Two great classics. But I still wonder - would Mean Girls have been a better choice?

One last Christmas shopping story. There's this thing, which for the purposes of this story I will codename Ball, that I want to buy Andrew for Christmas. I went shopping on Saturday, with the desire to finish all my in-person shopping, and to do the online parts when I got home. Best Buy was one of my stops, and I borrowed Andrew's BB card (the one where they give you $5 if you spend $150. So peverse.) so I could earn him the points when I bought Ball. While out shopping I saw no less than three stores that had Ball. But, I was determined to buy it at BB. So I waited.

I get to BB, wander around, pick up a few other things that were on my list, and then go to get Ball. And don't you know - they're completely out of stock. The hot new thing-of-its-kind for Christmas, and they're out of stock. Dammit! I wandered, I searched, I moved things - no Ball. So I put back the other stuff, and left. I moved on to the next errand, buying non-denominational holiday cards. While at the Hallmark store, I remember that there's another store just around the corner that should have Ball - the same store in the mall had it, why not this one? Why not, indeed. They were also out of Ball. The did, however, have another gift that I had had in mind, but that Andrew's parents usurped away from me (okay, so usurped is a bad word. He didn't know I wanted to buy it for him, and told them about it first). So here I am, with my first gift idea right in front of me, but the thing I actually wanted to buy nowhere to be found. So peverse.

I briefly considered going back to one of the other stores that had Ball, but then decided this was a sign from some deity I don't believe in, and that maybe Andrew didn't really want Ball, it was just that I really wanted to give it to him. So I went home, with no Ball. While doing my shopping on Amazon, I again considered buying Ball, but again decided that maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, so I didn't buy it. Then, later that evening, Andrew and I are chatting about inocuous things, and the subject of Ball happens to come up. He mentions Ball, how interested he is in Ball, and how much he thinks he'll enjoy using Ball, as soon as he can afford to buy Ball.

Dammit!

(You know, it just ocurred to me how dirty this story could possibly sound. So let me add the disclaimer that Ball is not pornography, and has no relation to sex in any way. In addition, it has been rated appropriate for teenagers by people who don't want to get sued by angry conservative parents.) ;)

Pictures

2004-12-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

Having slacked off from blogging for the last few days, I thought it was time to catch up on my photo posting. That, and Andrew is at the library, so I have the computer all to myself. :)

First, more progress on the Fluted Bannister socks. These will definitely be done in time for Christmas, which is a relief.

Coming along nicely, if a bit slowly.

Liz's scarf (the third incarnation of it) is also moving. I originally stared the Multidirectional Scarf, but managed to forget to do the increases, so I had something that looks suspiciously like an elbow after a while. I also wasn't too keen on the garter-stitch look. So I frogged, altered the pattern a bit, and came up with this:

It's not the best of pictures. The colors are a bit more muted, and blend together much nicer in person. It's also in need of a good blocking. I don't love this scarf, but I'm pleased with how it's turning out, certainly more than the geometric scarf in Paton's Grace. Oh, and I never did find that 4th ball of Wool in the Woods silk. Grumble... grumble....

I finished the swatch for my Luna sweater. Before I forget, the "Luna sweater" is actually from the Winter 2003/2004 Vogue Knitting. It's pattern #12, subtitled "Dream Weaver." I don't think I'd call all this cable knitting a "dream" but the yarn is certainly wonderful. Beautiful color, nice hand, doesn't fuzz after repeated knitting and frogging. My only complaint would be it's slight tendency to split, probably due to the high number of plies (8, I think).

Here's the swatch I knit. I finally mastered... well, okay, not mastered, but at least became more proficient at... cabling without a cable needle. My gauge is still off, so I'll have to go up a needle size (at least), but I really enjoyed working with the yarn and the pattern, and I can't wait to get to work on a sweater. In the meantime, I think I might also do a scarf in this pattern, as further practice before tackling the actual sweater. We'll see.

Getting cozy in my knitting bag are two newly-wound balls of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport for the codenamed Fish Scarf:

I think they're looking forward to being knit. ;)

Finally, here's a sneak peak of the Lunchtime Sock. I've half the heel flap done on the second sock, so the end is in sight. This'll be another one that will definitely be done in time for Christmas, much to my relief.

Do you see the pain in the ass YO's and SSK's from Nancy Bush's Schottische Kilt Hose pattern? Yeah, neither do I. Damn variegated yarn. That won't stop me from making three Charlotte's though, of course. Note for 2005: work on yarn attitude consistency, and stop trying PITA patterns with yarns that will cruelly disguise it and make it look like something much simpler and less angst-inducing.

Yeah, I'm sure I'll succeed at that resolution.

Marginal Utility

2004-12-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

One of the few things I took away from my economics classes in college (and there wasn't much) was an appreciation of marginal utility. If I understand the concept correctly (please don't flame me if I don't. You'll crush my ego.), marginal utility is the relationship between price and satisfaction. If you're very thirsty, you'll pay $2.00 for a bottle of water. You'll get more satisfaction from the water than you would from using that $2.00 for another purpose. After you drink the water, you'll only be slightly thirsty, and probably wouldn't pay another $2.00 for a second bottle of water (for a bathroom however...). The marginal utility of the water has decreased since your consumption of the first bottle.

The only thing I can discover that marginal utility doesn't apply to is yarn. I think most knitters can agree that they can buy a shitload of yarn, and easily go out and buy more the next day. Pity we can't knit it that fast. It's one of the peversities of nature.

Anyhoo, I went to a craft fair last Friday. It was just a group of local artists who set up booths in the ball room of Newcomb Hall, not too far from my office. I wandered over, not really expecting to find much, but you never know. There was some neat pottery, a photographer, some jewelers, woodcarving, the usual craft fair fare. I saw a few things that interested me, but not enough to go to the ATM to come back with the cash.

There were also two knitting booths there, both of which disturbed me a bit. The first one was selling felted handbags. Booga bags, Constant Companions, call them what you will. I will admit, I've never done any serious felting since I don't have my own washer, and must use the coin-op in my complex. However, my understanding of the process is that it is fairly simple. Anyways, I didn't find these bags to be particularly intricate. They were all a single color, with Fun Fur (or similar) edging the top, and an I-cord handle. The smallest of the bags was slightly larger than a change purse, and was $30.00. The larger ones, more like a small ladies handbag (maybe 8"x6") was $60.00. There was also a middle size for $45.00. At another booth was a lady selling novelty yarn scarves. Fun Fur, eyelash yarn, whatever. They were very basic garter- or stockinette-stitch scarves (she was knitting one right there on at least US 10 needles), and were going for the bargain price of $30.00. Now a novelty yarn scarf I have made, and I know that I spent $7.00 on yarn, and it took me about 8 hours of mindless knitting to make.

I know how much work and time goes into knitting. But these prices really felt like a ripoff to me. Maybe it's a double standard- I feel okay charging $50.00 and up for a pair of my socks. (For the record, almost all my socks cost ~$15.00 in materials, are knit on US 0's, and take about 25-30 hours a pair.) But I'd never pay $60.00 for a felted handbag - especially one that I knew I could make myself for about $10.00 and a weekend. Same with the scarves. Do people out there really pay this much money for this stuff? Had it been me, I would've sold those scarves for half that price, and the bags for maybe $20.00 max (adjusting for cost of materials). Maybe I'm discounting too much, but I really think that if I tried to sell my socks based on their pricing scale, I'd be asking at least $150 a pair. We often have pricing conversations on the Socknitters list and the Knitlist. The rule of thumb traditionally tends to be three times the cost of materials, adjusting for a particularly onerous project. Going by that, $30.00 for a novelty yarn scarf doesn't seem so far out of whack. Yet, knowing the skill that (doesn't) go into them, I'd still be incredibly reluctant to buy one.

On the other hand, people often pay thousands, if not millions, for paintings - which are essential canvas, oil, and pigment, applied with a hair-based brush. I guess my marginal utility regarding hand-knitted items has become skewed. Since it's something I can do on my own, I'm much less willing to pay others for providing the skill for me. That, and I've become more aware of how much some (certainly not all) knitters inflate the price of their work. Or maybe I'm just a cheapskate.

I hope this post doesn't make me sound like too much of a pricing snob. I guess the difference between me and those women is that I rarely work on comission, and prefer to knit only for my pleasure and the enjoyment of giving it away to those around me or a charity. I'm not trying to turn a profit or run a business, so I have a different set of priorities than they do. That still doesn't make me want to spend $30.00 on a novelty scarf, though.

Oh, and for the record, both the tables were still pretty full when I left the fair. I only saw one person buy a felted bag, and no buyers at the scarf table. Maybe I'm not the only one with an overdeveloped sense of marginal utility.

I've Lost It

2004-12-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not cracking up (although I really wonder sometimes). Of course, I can only speak for myself. God only knows what others think of my sanity.

Anyway...

I decided to knit the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf. I was surfing my daily dose of blogs today, and ran across someone who had just finished it. It looked cute, and very easy. Perfect for a Christmas gift, to replace the now-abandoned cotton geometric scarf for Andrew's aunt Liz.

I contemplated my stash while I was at work, trying to think of what variegated yarns I had at home in large enough quantity for this project. Fortunately, my stash is small enough (ha!) that I can scan through most of it mentally, and usually have a good idea of what's hidden in the boxes. I couldn't think of anything good. Damn.

Got home, and discovered Andrew napping on the couch (lucky!), so I came upstairs to go through my stash in person to see what could be found. Lo and behold, I stumbled across some silk I bought from Wool in the Woods ages ago off Ebay. At the time, I was going to make socks out of it, hoping they'd be thin enough to wear with a pair of shoes I had just bought. Never mind that the yarn and shoes clashed horribly, or that none of my other handmade socks could be worn with the shoes (too tight). It was a good excuse to buy yarn. Regardless, I'm sure I bought 4 hanks of the yarn. I've found three of them. For the life of me, I have no idea where that damn 4th hank is. I'm sure I bought it, and I'm sure I didn't use it. It must be in there. I only have 3 boxes of yarn - it's a finite space. Surely I should be able to find one ball of yarn.

It's gone. Just disappared into the vapor. My only thought is that it either didn't make the move with me from Nashville, or its still hanging out in the basement of my grandparents house with my cast-off acrylic yarn (left over from my early knitting days when I wasn't such a yarn snob). The point being, it's not here, in Charlottesville, where I need it to be. So my dilemma is... do I go ahead with the scarf, using the yarn I have (since the 600 yards I have is plenty), or do I wait until I'm in Boston next, and hope the hank turns up before then?

You know what's going to happen, too, don't you? If I wait, and search my grandparent's basement, I won't find the yarn. It really will be gone for good. If, however, I go ahead and make the scarf, the yarn will turn up quite mysteriously about 3 days after I've finished the scarf, thus leaving me with 200 yards of silk yarn, and really nothing to do with it. Grrr....

If I do knit this scarf from this yarn, I'm going to name the finished product "Clementine." As in the song. You know...
"Oh my darling,
Oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine.
You were lost and gone forever,
something, something,
Clementine."

Compounding all this is my questionable like of the colorway, and whether or not it'll look good 1) knit up in this pattern, and 2) on Liz after I give it to her. Ugh. Why couldn't the damn LYS have sold me the Rowan 4-ply soft I originally wanted for the advertized price? Then I wouldn't be having these angsty problems.

Oh well. I'm going to go wind yarn and hope some miracle will happen, either in the form of some magically reproducing hanks of silk yarn, or in the form of some kind of actual decision about what to do for this pain-in-the-ass-because-I-can't-decide-what-the-hell-to-do Christmas gift.

Maybe I should just buy her something. Isn't that what normal people do?

Playing Catch-up

2004-11-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

I had planned for an update yesterday afternoon when I got home from the dentist, but I was so worn out from getting 3 fillings that I just landed up crawling into bed for a nap. So, here I am today.

Andrew and I had a great Thanksgiving. We drove up to Woddbridge on Wednesday night after I got home from work. Traffic was a little wonky in points, but not horrible. We made the trip in about 2 1/2 hours. I tried to do a bit of knitting in the car, but it was just too dark to be reliable, so I landed up putting it away. We listened to several of our new CD's which was fun. After dinner that night we went grocery shopping, then I stayed up to bake some pumpkin bread for dinner on Thursday. I made a loaf of Pumpkin Swirl bread on Tuesday night, so the baking wasn't too overwhelming.

Thursday morning I got up and made zucchini bread, at Matt's request. There ended my involvement in preparing Thanksgiving dinner(!). I spent the rest of the day watching some aimless TV, knitting, and watching everyone else prepare their contributions to dinner. It was pretty fun to watch 4 people try to navigate in the kitche at once, and I was glad to be viewing only from the sidelines.

Dinner was excellent, and we all left the table in near food-comas. We watched The Apprentice later (and saw that stupid ass Pepsi bottle design), and tried to resist the lure of dessert. Friday involved leftovers, a game of Trivial Pursuit (I won) and video games. I got more knitting done.

Saturday we stayed to watch the UVa-Virginia Tech football game. We had such high hopes. It was really depressing to watch. However, the coolest part, by far, was watching Ahmad Brooks leap over the Tech linemen to sack the quarterback. It was an amazing display of athleticism.

Saturday night Andrew and I drove back to C-ville, and spent the evening relaxing and recovering from the past few days of shameful gluttony. :)

On to the knitting!

First, I finished the first Fluted Banister sock. Way too late to finish the pair for the Six Socks deadline, but with plenty of time to knit the second sock for Christmas.
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I also spent a lot of time messing around with my Filatura Di Crosa Luna yarn. I had intended to make it into a scarf, but wasn't happy with anything I was producing. So instead I started knitting up a swatch for the sweater I plan to make with it later.
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My stitch gauge is spot-on, but my row gauge is way off - 6 rows to the inch, and I should be getting 4.5. Not sure what to do here. I'm also learning to cable without a cable needle, which I'm not sure I like. It's certainly faster than using the cable needle, but it doesn't seem to look as good. I'm sure I just need more practice.

I also managed to finish the first Lunchtime Sock over the weekend. No pictures of that just yet, but I am quite pleased with the way it turned out, and I had more than enough yarn left over. I should probably be able to eek out a pair of baby booties for CIC or something.

Remeber the yarn binge I mentioned? Well, it all arrived on Wednesday, so I only got a quick peek at it before we left for Woodbridge. However, without further ado... here it all is.

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Yup, I bought yarn and the pattern to make Charlotte's Web from The Knitting Zone. Lovely people, with lovely yarns. Good prices, too.

Here's a closeup of the yarns:
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Oh, wait... what's this?
2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://www.geocities.com/avidknitter/Charblueyarn.JPG" border="0" />

Oh... and this.
2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://www.geocities.com/avidknitter/Charpurpleyarn.JPG" border="0" />

Yeah. The word overboard comes to mind. Wasn't I just discussing the unsuitability of variegated yarns for lace patterns? Did that encourage me to buy solid yarns to use with this pattern? Of course not. So, yes, 2005 will largely be dominated by knitting Charlottes. (Do I need 3 Charlottes? I'm like the Yarn Harlot with her mitten obsession, but only half as productive. It's shameful.)

I also bought some sock yarn:
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That's Opal 5001 and Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in "Sweetie." Lovely stuff.

Finally, from Ewe Knits, I ordered enough yarn to make the scarf code-named "Fish Scarf." (I'll explain the code name after it's done and been givent to the recipient.)
2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://www.geocities.com/avidknitter/Fishscarfyarn.JPG" border="0" />
This will be another project that will be photo-free, lest the intended recipient catch a glimpse of it before it's done. I was hoping for a Christmas debut for the Fish Scarf, but with the Lunchtime Sock still in the works, Valentine's Day will probably be more likely.

That's all! (And more than enough, certainly.)

A Non-Knitting Post

2004-11-23T14:33:00.000-05:00

This post will probably contain very little actual knitting content. You have been warned.

Today is New Music Tuesday at Best Buy. I haven't bought a new CD in at least 6 months, so I'm a bit excited about this one. Live is coming out with a CD/DVD combo, as is Sarah McLachlan. I'm also hoping to pick up the soundrack to Love, Actually. Now, naturally, I can afford to buy 3 new CD's because I just started a yarn diet. Never mind the fact that I stared the yarn diet because I just finished a yarn binge (which shipped out yesterday, by the way). So I may spend some quality time "massaging" my checkbook to see how much of New Music Tuesday I'll actually be partaking in. Andrew, in the meanwhile, has his eye on the new U2, Pearl Jam, and Goo Goo Dolls CD's. Luckily, Andrew isn't just coming off a yarn binge (we'd definitely need a 3rd bedroom if we both had fiber hobbies).

What's our justification for these purchases? We're driving up to Woodbridge for Thanksgiving on Wednesday night, and it would be nice to have some new music to listen to. Of course, we're ignoring the fact that we'll be potentially buying 6 CD's with close to 8 hours of music for 4-hour round-trip journey. I think we're being hypnotized by our capitalist society. (Of course, that knowledge probably won't stop me from buying new CD's tonight.)

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I've been assigned bread duty this year by Andrew's mother, which is a step up from the mashed potato duty I had last year. I was hoping for pie duty (since I'm keen to try out that apple pie recipie again), but it was not meant to be. Maybe next year. Anyway, given that I was on bread duty, and I had never made bread before (there's a joke in there, I'm sure), I decided to give my bread-making skills a go, and whipped up some Pumpkin Swirl bread on Saturday. Fortunately, it was a big hit. Andrew was (and still is) weirded out by the cream-cheese swirl in the middle of the bread, but says it tastes quite good. I believe him (having also enjoyed the bread myself), although I know he's gamely consumed large amounts of my less-than-stellar cooking productions, such as the Lasagna That Wouldn't Die (we ate it for 5 days, no joke), and the Apple Cake From Hell (it was fine on day one, but by day seven I "accidentally" dropped some in the garbage). Needless to say, I'm really glad the pumpkin bread turned out well, and continues to taste good, even after 4 days (c'mon -- there's only 2 of us. It takes time to get through these things.). So, tonight I get to make another swirl bread, and tomorrow after we get to Woodbridge, I'm trying my hand at zucchini and plain pumpkin. I am woman. Hear me bake. :)

I've reached that place in life again where I have to make Christmas Lists. It's kind of strange for me. For the past few years I think my mum's been a bit clueless about what to get me, so she's gone with the safer "I'm sure she'll like these no matter what" gifts - chocholate, money, earrings, etc. Finally, last year, she had the great idea to have me make a wishlist at amazon.com. What brilliance! Why didn't we think of this 5 years ago? Now I can get the knitting book I want without worrying about Vogue Scarves getting confused with Vogue Scarves 2, and my mom doesn't need to worry about whether or not she gave me the wrong book. I don't mean to make it sound like my mum's a bad gift-giver or something - she's been incredibly generous and thoughtful my whole life. But it's got to be a challenge to shop for your adult child who has different hobbies than you, and who lives 1,000 miles away. So for all of you with college-aged kids out there, I'd like to promote the use of the amazon.com wishlist for all its versatile wonderfulness.

As a note, though -- do be careful about how you use your wishlist. I looked at Andrew's last Christmas to see if there was a book he wanted that would fit in my budget. I saw The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. It looked really interesting, and I figured I'd borrow it from him once he was done. Christmas day arrives, and I'm opening my last gift from him, and he's opening his last gift from me. Don't you know it. We bought each other the same book. It turns out Andrew was using his wish list as a "things I'll buy in the future list" (I'm not clear on why his shopping cart didn't work for that function). So the book was actually on his list because he wanted to buy it for me, not because he wanted to recieve it. It worked out well, though. We were able to exchange his book for a set of Hemmingway short stories without any trouble.

It's ocurred to me that this post could potentially go on forever, so I'm going to just stop here. Tune in for more real life stories next week. :)

Knitting content: didn't get to work on the Lunchtime Sock today, since Andrew met me at work and took me out to Subway as a treat. I'll try to play catch-up tomorrow and during the holiday.

Finally, an Update

2004-11-22T20:23:00.000-05:00

Pictures over the weekend were held up by my own laziness/tiredness, and the fact that I found out on Sunday that my grandmother had been in the hospital since Friday night. (Yeah, communication in my family is that screwy.) She was apparently suffering from dehydration, which made her dizzy and pass out. They sent her home today, which is good news. It's usually my grandfather that has all the health problems, so this was a bit of a surprise to all of us. Maybe I should send her a Brita for Christmas. :)

On the knitting front, I've been pretty busy lately.

First, The Shawl:

Drying on the floor in the library. One of these days I'll upgrade to a blocking board and pins.

Here's a detail shot:

I wore The Shawl (you know, it really needs a better name...) to work today. It was perfect for the mid-50's weather, and my boss just gushed over it, which was flattering.

I also made progress on Marcia's Fluted Banister sock:

Now that I think about it, I still left the ball band downstairs, so I'm still not sure which Regia colorway that is.

Needing to fill the void left by The Shawl, I started a little scarf for CIC. I started with a double strand of yarn, but it was too big for my needles, and I was hung up on using circs this time, so I re-cast with a single strand, and now I alternate balls each row. Pointless, but it adds a new dimension to otherwise mindless knitting.

Finally, I got some more work done on Liz's geometric scarf, but the more I knit it, the less I like it, so I think I might frog it, and try something a little different with wool yarn. I've got 40 balls of Filatura Di Crosa Luna, so maybe I'll filch 3 for this project. I'm planning two sweaters from the yarn (Butterfly, and one from an IK last year), but I'm sure they won't begrudge 3 skeins for a worthy cause.

Oh, and last but not least, the Lunchtime Sock (also known as the Schottische Kilt Hose) has now finished it's gusset decreases, and is eagerly awaiting a foot and toe. I keep reassuring myself that 1) I won't run out of yarn (may be true, not sure), and 2)I have a month worth of lunch hours to finish this pair, and I won't run out of time (may also be true, equally not sure). What did I say before? Knitting's 50% ambition, 50% success.

As a last funny tidbit, here's some Thanksgiving humor for you. Last year a woman apparently called the Butterball 1-800 help line because she was having problems with her turkey. She wanted to cook it in an oven roasting bag, but didn't have any. She decided to improvise, and grabbed a dry cleaning bag from her husband's suit. The suit was fine, fortunately. Sadly, the turkey came out of the oven shrink-wrapped, as the bag melted right on to the bird. (But damn, I bet the moisture was locked into that sucker!)

Yarn Diet, and The Shawl

2004-11-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

All of you are my witnesses - I'm going on a yarn diet for at least the next six months (that would be until about May 15, 2005. Eek!). No excuses - no yarn that's "just what I need" for a specific project, no more ball or two of sock yarn (but it's so small...). I've had my binge, and now it's time to fast. Needles are, of course, excluded from this injunction. More details and pictures of my binge when it arrives here. Let's just say that Charlotte's Web and I are going to become really good friends over the next year or so.

In other news, the Lunchtime Sock now has a heel, and is slowly working it's way through the gusset decreases. Marcia's Fluted Banister sock now has a heel flap, and should be well on it's way down the foot by the end of the weekend. Liz's scarf hasn't progressed much since last weekend, but it'll be front and center now.

What else...

I was working on something else, wasn't I?

Oh yeah...

The Shawl is done!!!!!!!!!! 8 months after casting on, I've finally hit the end of the 8th skein of yarn. I finished binding off just about an hour ago. Now it's laying on the floor, slowly drying after its spray blocking. It finished off at just about 6 feet long, which was a little longer than I anticipated, but a welcome change. I'm contemplating getting a pin or something to secure it while I'm walking. We'll see. Pictures of the finished product sometime tomorrow.

I've Become Famous

2004-11-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

Just spotted this at the bottom of my blog (where the referring sites are listed):

Add Search

Yes, that's right. Someone got to my blog by searching for "black fetish foot sock." I'm #6 on the list.

I need to change the name of my blog. I'm getting too many weirdos around here.

(In knitting news, the Lunchtime Sock has 3/4 of a heel, and The Shawl is at repeat 85, on schedule for completion Friday night.)

The Lunchtime Sock

2004-11-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

Remember that Folk Socks sock I mentioned a while ago? The one whose name I couldn't remember? Well, I finally remembered to look it up this morning, and had to write it down. I remember why I couldn't remember it. The sock is the "Highland Schottische Kilt Hose," featured on pages 94-96 of Folk Socks. Highland Schottische Kilt Hose. Say that five times fast. It shall henceforth be known as "The Lunchtime Sock."

The Lunchtime Sock is progressing well. I have 5 repeats of the leg pattern done, and it now measures 5 1/4 inches, which makes no sense, because upon measuring, one full repeat seems to be 1 inch, and I have 1 1/2 inches of ribbing included in that 5 1/4. Must be a faulty ruler. Anyhoo... I'm debating whether to knit another half-repeat, or a full repeat, or no repeats. Thus making the sock 5 1/4, 5 3/4 or 6 1/4 inches, depending on the faultiness of your ruler. I have until lunchtime tomorrow to decide.

As for the pattern, the SSK's and I are getting along better. Not well, but better. I think our relationship would be improved by a lack of YO's just before the SSK (I don't do menage-a-trois with my knitting), but it is not meant to be.

I definitely have to agree with the Harlot (who wouldn't?). Variegated yarn and patterns just don't work well together (except in rare ocassions). The nice leg patterning is barely visible with the yarn (oh, right... I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport in Black Watch. Yes, I know the link goes to the Shepard Sock, but I couldn't find the link to the Shepard Sport in the right color, and does it really matter anyway?). Back to the yarn: it's a very nice black/blue/green combo. Very manly. My only concern is the lack of nylon, but I'm hoping they'll hold up to the usual wear-and-tear. I will continue along though, and hope for a miracle after blocking. If not... hey, at least they feel cool.

Oh, and as for a picture... there probably won't be one. They're intended for someone who might actually read this blog if I nagged him too much and he felt the need to one-up me. ;)

Quick Update

2004-11-16T10:44:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to say that.... joy of joys... I have made it to repeat 80 of The Shawl! Andrew was working on a paper last night, so I watched movies, and just knitted the hours away. I have a wee little bit of the 7th ball of yarn, then it's on to the 8th and final ball, baby! Three repeats a day means I'll be able to block over the weekend, for wearing on Monday!
(Now, of course, after working on this thing on and off for over 8 months, and steadily for the last 2, comes the intense fear that I won't like it when its done. Hmm... maybe I could submit it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Largest Swatch. Or maybe I should just finish it and see how it looks before panicking.) :)

Sliding Down the Banister

2004-11-15T15:09:00.000-05:00

The Fluted Banister socks are progressing nicely:

(One of these days I'll stop taking crappy pictures on my kitchen table, and you'll actually be able to see some detail. One of these days.)

I've finished the leg of the first sock, and have about half the heel done. My goal is to have this sock done by the end of the week. I'd like to have the pair done by Thanksgiving, but I think that's just a pipe dream.

In other knitting news, I've made it to repeat 76 of The Shawl. It's now about 5 1/2 feet, unblocked, which was bigger than I had expected. Not unwelcome, though. I'm trying to knit 3 repeats a day, which means I should be done by the end of the week. (How will I finish both The Shawl and the socks by the end of the week, you ask? No clue. I've discovered knitting is 50% ambition, 50% success. Every good knitter knows this.)