01.23.07
Knitty Kitty
This gives me a warm, fuzzy, knitty kitty feeling! Wait, there’s more!
p.s. And muchas gracias to the to the Em, Oh, Em for this new knit-friendly addition for my desk decor.
01.21.07
Blog Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry - NOT
I feel the need to apologize for the state my blog is in - Comments not working, my Pages and my Archives not linking. It is a daunting problem for me. I am really feeling my non-techie-ness with this. My procrastinating did not help either. In my defense, I had some problems that took priority - the leaking ceiling, the broken refrigerator, the medical procedure, and then the holidays seemed to suck away any free time.
The last two weekends I’ve made the time to do some research on the blog issue. While I haven’t quite figured out how to fix it, I have gleaned a couple of useful things. I learned that my iBook has a program called Automator. Now I can resize or rename a bunch of photos in one big batch. If only I had known - and to think of the time spent labeling 395 photos from my trip to Hawaii! In a totally non-blog related find, I discovered I also have Quicken on my computer, now I’m using it to keep track of my expenses. And really cool - I learned how to do a Google search for a specific website - type in the keywords and then this - “site:nameofsite.com.”
I used that search tip to try and find answers on WordPress.org for the “404 Not Found” message that one receives after clicking on my comments and broken links. I have been reading the webpages and I think I’m beginning to understand the problem (fingers-crossed!). And if I can’t figure this out on my own, I may have to just grit my teeth and pay someone to fix it.
Throughout all this, I have been knitting, just not very successfully. The second lace wrap swatch I have been working on is driving me crazy. I am stuck on a row - I start with 34 stitches, complete the next row, and end up with 38 stitches. I pull it out, do it again, and yup, still 38 stitches. So I decide to put that to the side and start knitting the Short-Row Hat, because I love how Alex’s looks on her. I am stuck on that too - I started section 3 when I realized it doesn’t look right. I put that to the side and decided to lay on the couch, under my fleece throw, and watch Seabiscuit on tv. I also ate a couple Girl Scout thin mints I keep in the freezer for these types of knitting situations.
It’s not all knitting frustration here - I am looking forward to Subversive Knitting and I enrolled in SXW 200. Goodie for me!
01.15.07
Let Things Happen As They May
I had the best three day weekend - I did not plan anything and let things happen as they may.
The weekend started on Friday night when Alex suggested knitting after work at The Point - always an excellent idea. (Ran into Veronique while there too!) I planned to start a swatch for a lace wrap from the Vogue Fall 2005 issue. I hauled my huge, bad mammer-jammer cone of yarn with me (see previous post photo, left-most yarn), and when I pulled it out of my bag with the rest of my gear, OH NO, no knitting needles! Luckily, Alex lent me her double-pointed number sevens to start my swatch. That was all well and good until it was time to go home - she needed her needles back so she could finish her project. What to do? I transferred the stitches to my aventurine shawl stick, took the rubber band out of my hair, and wrapped it around the end of the shawl stick so the stitches wouldn’t drop off. Brilliant!
I think I like.
On to Saturday: My girlfriend and I wanted to see a movie. I’ve been jonesing to see Children of Men but I didn’t feel like trekking into the city to watch it. So we went to BAM Rose Cinemas instead and saw DreamGirls. Jennifer Hudson is mouth-dropping amazing in it - I’ve got my fingers crossed for her at the Golden Globes. (Whoowhoowhoo - she won!)
Sunday started as loll around day: Staying in the pj’s and watching the second disc of the Complete First Season of The Gilmore Girls, but then I got a spontaneous invite to go brandy tasting at LeNell’s in Red Hook. Now brandy is not my thing, but it was interesting to compare. My friends and I sampled 17, 20 and 23 year-old bottles of brandy. When I think brandy, I think of 19th century literature when the women faints and someone forces her to drink brandy. I guess the burning sensation is supposed to revive you.
Afterwards, my friends took me to the new Fairway. I had not been there yet. It’s a little overwhelming. I’ve been to the Fairway in the city, but this place seemed cavernous with aisle after aisle of food I want to buy and eat. It’s never a good idea to go shopping without a list. For some reason, except for the bunch of celery, everything else was breakfast food - buttermilk pancake mix, instant oatmeal, granola, yogurt, coffee.
Monday, another very good friend had me over for lunch. I, again, dragged the bad, mammer-jammer cone of yarn to start a swatch for the second lace pattern for the shawl. (Have now decided this project is not for the subway - I’ll end up with crooked shoulders if I do.) She served me a delicious meal - yummy zuchinni soup, and if that wasn’t enough, I went with her to Stinky Bklyn. Yet another store where I want to buy and eat everything in sight. She bought this incredible Jamon Serrano, sliced right off the bone. I walked out with a jar of fig spread. Fig spread! What am I going to do with this? Maybe it will go well spread over buttermilk pancakes, or maybe I’ll add a dollop of it to my oatmeal or swirl it into my yogurt.
But before I met up with my friend, I took a couple of photos. This was the best one out of the bunch.
Specs:
- Pattern - Cropped Cardigan by Amy O’Neill Houck, from Blue Sky Alpacas
- Yarn - Zara Merino Extra Fine
- Needles - size 11 Fiddlesticks and size 10 Clovers (circular & double-pointed)
Notes: This is a very quick knit. (Despite my running out of yarn, taking over a month to find more of the same dye lot and the holidays interrupting knitting time.) I loved that it was seamless, I love the raglan increases, I love the look of the ribbing. I changed the sleeves a tiny bit. Instead of knitting in stockinette for 7 rows then changing to the K1, P1 ribbing, I started right off with the ribbing. I thought the proportions looked better on my arms. Blocking had me worried - the yarn stretched so much when wet, and I had a difficult time arranging it on the sweater dryer to the recommended measurements. I was so happy that the cardigan dried to the right proportions. One mild frustration is the front of the cardigan - maybe it’s the yarn, but I cannot wear this without using the shawl stick. The cardi always falls open on its own without it, which would be okay if it draped open in an attractive, casual style . . but it doesn’t. I am debating with myself if I should add an I-cord tie or some other type of fastener. I foresee this being a staple for my wardrobe - perfect for casual Friday or with jeans on the weekend.
Yup, the best three day weekend.
01.07.07
Happiness Is . . .
. . . free yarn!
. . . and watching the first three episodes of The Gilmore Girls: The Complete First Season.
I’ve been gazing at these new additions to my stash all weekend. There is only one small thing - except for the orange lace mohair, the teal blue cone and the yarn threaded with black sequins, I don’t know the fiber content of the other yarns. Alex suggested the burn test.
Oh, the possibilities of new yarn - what to make? One thing is for certain, I really, really, really cannot buy any more yarn.
01.03.07
The End of the Holiday Mad Dash
Sometimes the holidays feel like a mad dash - running, running, running - the finish line is in sight - and then, pant, pant, pant - IT’S OVER - and when you’re trying to get rid of a cold and cough, your run out of breath fast.
But, oh, for the knitting goodness of Christmas! First, let’s show off what I knit for my honey.
Here he is (wearing last year’s My Guy Hat) with his Mom in front of GTS. His mother is wearing a crochet scarf of my design that I made for her.
This is the Rib & Cable Quartet pattern from One Skein. I used yarn from my stash - I don’t remember what kind of yarn it is (definitely wool content), but I do remember buying it from Habu during their yarn sale.
I started the scarf one night at The Point. That same night, Alex finished knitting her honey’s Christmas gift.
She came up with this pattern on her own and everyone in the store wanted to know how she did it. I can’t wait to see how it looks on her boyfriend.
Then there is this fun gift from my good friend:
And something I have always wanted and was sooo excited to get from my honey — It’s the Traveler Clutch from Offhand Designs!
It’s good to start the New Year organized!