HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays to all. I hope 2008 is great for everyone!! And here's to lots of great knitting over the holiday break. Woohoo!!

Updated dead tree count

Continuing my little project of counting the accumulated catalogs for the holiday season, 4 more arrived Friday. One arrived Saturday, so that brings the total so far to 17 catalogs since Nov. 29. My little recycling crate is already 25% full!

It's a wonder we still have trees...

This lovely selection of catalogs is what was in my mailbox when I came home last night. I think it was about two pounds of paper. Count them - 12 catalogs!!! All trying to persuade me to buy crappy, overpriced Christmas gifts no one needs or wants. And I have been receiving similar amounts of catalogs for the past few weeks, and will continue, I imagine, for the next few weeks. I really need to figure our how to get off some of these mailing lists!!!!

In other news, here's a picture of the finished baby sweater and hat, complete with buttons:
The color's not at all accurate, and you'll have to excuse the lamp base taking up valuable photo real estate. It was a cloudy afternoon, and my office is pretty dark. Here's a close-up of the button. The color's much more accurate here:I was really pleased with the outcome. The buttons, from M & J, really brought the finished product together. The were more than I was hoping to spend, and cost more than the yarn used in the project, but they were worth it. And the recipient LOVED it. Yay!!!

So Cute!

One of my co-workers is having a baby in a few weeks, and her shower is tomorrow night, so I made a little baby sweater for the occasion. I used the patter for a Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater from Carole's Baby Knits. I still need to get buttons, but I think it turned out really well.

It's hard to see in this picture, but there's a cute stitch detail at the yoke, hem and cuffs.

Details:

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK - Eggplant - 2.5 sk.

Needles: #5 - Denise

Started: Nov.15

Finished: Nov. 24

This was a great subway knitting project, and I was able to knit it almost exclusively while on my way to and from work. I think I'm going to knock out a quick Umbilical Cord Hat tonight, since I've got plenty of the yarn left.

In other news, Thanksgiving was awesome, as was the whole past weekend.

Here is a picture of the wonderful meal we had over at my friends Kristen and Matthew's apartment. There were 12 of us crammed around the table, and it was a lot of fun. As you can see above, we had delicious turkey (roasted by Matthew), mashed potatoes with gravy, cornbread stuffing (both vegetarian and non), roast veggies, macaroni & cheese (both vegetarian and non), green bean casserole, butternut squash and spinach gratin and cranberry sauce. I took the cranberries and the squash/spinach gratin. Everyone seemed to like the gratin, though I thought it was quite flat. And I do think the cranberries were the highlight of the meal!

WTF, Eunny?

Have you seen the Winter 2007 Interweave Knits yet? This looks to be Eunny's first entirely solo issue, as Pam Allen had already planned through the Fall issue prior to her departure, and I have to say I'm not pleased. I grudgingly accepted the re-design in the fall issue that made Interweave look more like Vogue Knitting, but then Winter's issue hits and I'm smacked with a whole batch of ugly! HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW MODELS? Where did they find these women? What I have always liked so much about IK is they used young, fresh faces. They looked natural and wholesome. And they were diverse, and ATTRACTIVE. The women in the Winter issue are nothing like the models I have come to expect in an IK publication. The cover model isn't terrible, but strikes me a bit as a poor man's Jennifer Garner. But the others? Yuck. I know they have hair stylists at these photo shoots, so what the hell happened to the blond chick? She looks like she should be modeling for the Sag Harbor line at JCPenney. And the chick in the Selva Skirt and Henley Perfected? Well, I just have nothing good to say. She's all forehead and sneer. Add to that the locations/settings of the pictures are all bad, and it just makes me sad. I really thought Eunny, considering her age, would keep IK on a youthful path. But this issue suggests otherwise. I look forward to seeing if this new look continues in the future. Because it may influence whether I renew my subscription.

Doo Doo Doo...

Lots and not much happening around these parts. Just when I thought I was showing some interest in finally finishing Sunrise Circles, I started on The Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 07. It's going swimmingly, I must say. I'm using Elsebeth Lavold Classic Al in Burgundy. It's nice. Cast on last Thursday night, finished the back on Wednesday, cast on the right front yesterday morning on the way to work, and its nearly done. I should have it finished on the commute home tonight, and probably do most of the left front tonight while catching up on television. I'm shooting to finish the sleeves this weekend as well. Who knows? I could have a finished sweater this time next week, which would be awesome. But I guess I shouldn't count my chickens, huh? I've taken a couple of progress shots, but left my camera at home.

I think I'm going to place an order from Webs, though I'm trying to talk myself out of it. I've got my eye on some Ella Rae Classic, and I'm thinking of picking up some more Classic Al while it's at the rock bottom price. Oh, temptation!

Hey, Me. Welcome back!

Phew! What a summer. Can you believe it's nearly gone already? Tomorrow brings the last half-day Friday of the season at my office, and let me just say they'll be sorely missed come September. *Sigh!*

But on the bright side, what this really means is the weather is starting to cool off, and I'm actually interested in knitting again. Woohoo!!! I picked up Sunrise Circles Wednesday night, and knit about 15 rows on the back, and another dozen last night. When was the last time I worked on Sunrise Circles you might ask? Oh, maybe February? March? Regardless, it's been a while. I'm working it up in Dale of Norway Sisik. Nice yarn to the touch, but a little shed-y. I'm not sure I'm going to like the finished product, but I feel like I need to see it through to the end. Or at least to the piecing-it-together stage, when I can decide if I like the fit enough to seam it. My finishing skills are, shall we say, underdeveloped. So the closer I come to the end of the knitting, the more dread I feel. Which just causes me to have start-itis. And a gaggle of projects in various stages of un-completion. What can I say? People taught me knitting, not finishing. And not knowing an other knitters to ask for help doesn't help.

Anyway, on to other topics. I had a great summer. I hope you all did too. Shall we re-cap the highlights? OK!
- Lonely, Dear and The Sea & Cake at Sound Fix. Loved Lonely, Dear. Bought his album Lonely, Noir, and you should too. It's truly amazing!
- Built to Spill at McCarren Pool. Good show. Haven't seen them in years. Hoped they would play Cortez the Killer, my fave song of theirs, but alas they did not. And Cat Power? Sober or not, I still think she sucks.
- Got to see Frost/Nixon and Grey Gardens before they closed. Both great, but my seat for Grey Gardens was way up in the rafters and kinda ruined it for me because the sound sucked.
- Band of Horses at McCarren Pool. Good show, but spoiled a little because the friends I was with kept talking.
- Trail of Dead at Luna Lounge. F'ing awesome!! I can't get enough of those guys. They could have played 4 hours and it still wouldn't have been enough for me. :) And when was the last time you saw a band for $5. Nice gesture guys, thanks!
- I'm from Barcelona and Blonde Redhead at McCarren Pool. Both good, but I had to listen to I'm from Barcelona from outside the pool as the line to get in was impossibly long. And again the friend I was with talked through the entire show.
- Beastie Boys at McCarren Pool. Who would have thought I'd finally get the chance to see them somewhere besides a huge arena? And in Brooklyn no less? They were great. Their set was great. The mobile/stabile on stage was really cool. Brought back fond memories of being 10 and hearing "Brass Monkey" and "You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party" at the roller rink.
- The hottest 10 days of the summer spent in Missouri, with my family who don't believe in air conditioning. Can you say ouch? I love my parents, and always love being home, but 100+ degrees and high humidity does not a relaxing vacation make.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I actually put off reading this for a few weeks after I got it because I wasn't ready for the Harry Potter world to come to a close. But it was a fitting end to a truly wonderful series that I'm already ready to re-read.
- Superbad. The best movie I saw this summer. Hilarious. Almost unspeakably so. Followed by The Simpsons Movie. I was greatly relieved that it was good. And not just good, but GOOD.

So what's up for the fall, you ask? Well, not much. I've started saving for a trip to Japan in the spring, so I'm supposed to be on a really tight budget. So it looks like a lot of knitting to pass the time. And trust me, I've got a lot to do. Just this week, even on my new budget, I bought yarn for 2 projects. First, I got some Elsebeth Lavold Classic Al for The Minimalist Cardigan in the Fall issue of Interweave Knits. It was on sale at Webs for $3.49, so how could I resist? Then I got some Filature di Crosa Zara from Elann for $3.98. It's for the Cabled Spiral Pullover from Knitting Nature. The pattern called for Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK, but they're the same yarn, and the Zara was cheaper than the Jaeger at Webs, and there was a better color selection. So that brings my gut wrenching total of sweaters in queue to 19!! And that doesn't even include other projects, like gift knitting, scarves, hats, bags, etc. I should probably un-subscribe to Interweave so I stop seeing nice projects and stop feeling tempted, but the web is such an enabler!!

A lot more of the same old same old

So it's the last day of May. An old friend from college is visiting the city and sleeping on my couch for the next few days. It's really great to see him, it really has been years, but I hate having house guests. It's terrible to say that, I think, but I'm such a homebody, and I love living alone, and suddenly having another body in your space is a little annoying. I did lots of cleaning in anticipation of his visit, but it's still not as clean as I would like. I should have mopped. But ugh, I hate mopping. And I was thinking about painting my bedroom this weekend, but now I can't, because I have to play host. On the bright side, check out what I bought for my bedroom once it gets a new coat of paint. I'm so excited!

In knitting news, I'm still kind of ignoring the Purple Cabled Cardigan. It's looking like we may be broken up for a few more weeks. I'm nearly finished with a Kittyville hat, but need to make the pompoms and attach the ears. I wanted a quick project, and this one was. I think I had the hat and the i-cords done in about 3 hours. Pics of finished stuff next time.

I'm thinking I might start the Garden Path Shawl next. I'm planning on giving it to my Mom for christmas, and it would be nice to finish it really early. And I'm planning to make a Clapotis for my Aunt, and assorted gifts for friends, so I feel like I need to get cracking.

I hate it when...

People clip their nails in public. Something about that sound just drives me nuts.

Anyhoot, I haven't been up to much these last few weeks. The cold I contracted over Easter weekend morphed into tonsillitis and a weak flu, and it took me forever to get over. I'm just finally feeling like my old self again. I had to mostly put the knitting on hold, because by the time I would get home from work, I would be too tired to be able to concentrate on anything. So I slowly finished the My So-Called Scarf, and worked up a Republic Hat out of some KnitPicks Panache I had in my stash. I'll post pictures soon. And I got to make a trip to M & J Trimmings to find a button for the hat. Yay! The woman in front of me at the register bought $241 worth of ribbon. Yikes. Must have been some f'ing awesome ribbon.

By the way, did I mention what I got to see the other day?

Holy tea cakes was it fun. They stick really closely to the plot of the movie, and Laura Bell Bundy could almost be a double for Reese Witherspoon. I definitely give it a "See It".

Such a long day...

So I come back from a long weekend visiting my family, and what do I get but a nasty cold/flu/tonsillitis thingy. Stupid airplanes! I was out from work yesterday with a fever and awful muscle/joint aches, but I'm feeling well enough to at least be at work today. Ugh, I made it all winter with nary a sneeze, and once spring hits I'm completely leveled. At least I'll have the weekend to rest.

In knitting news, things go not well at all. Much to my shame and embarrassment, the picture I posted of my progress on the Vogue Cabled Cardi contains an unsightly error. I'm disheartened that I didn't notice it earlier, and it means I'm going to have to rip back another EIGHT INCHES!!! Again! For the FOURTH TIME!!!! I am so tired of making mistakes on this sweater. And it pains me even more, because I thought I was being so diligent. So I set it aside for my trip, and took along a little travel project.



I had some Debbie Bliss Soho in my stash, and finally started on the My So-Called Scarf I've been meaning to make for, oh, 2 years? It's a fun, easily memorized pattern. Perfect for airports and airplanes. I like the end results, and it's going to be one awfully warm scarf. I think I'm also going to make a matching hat from the My Herringbone Hat pattern, since I've got 2 more skeins of the Soho. These might end up as a gift, but considering it's now mid-April, I've got plenty of time to decide, right?

Purple Progress

Well, I got a few more rows in last night on the Cabled Cardigan, but I missed a decrease on my right front arm shaping, so I had to rip back a few rows to correct it. Otherwise, things continue to go pretty well. I'm starting to worry a little about how I'm going to maintain the continuity in the cables as I keep making the decreases. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes? Here's a less than stellar picture of the progress.

Knitty, knitty

I was trolling on Etsy this morning and was looking at the site of one of my favorite new artists, ashleyg, and I stumbled across this wonderful print. How can you not love it? I might just have to buy it. I have another print of hers, which I adore, but this might make a great addition to my walls.

In knitting news, nothing goes well. Friday night I decided I had made too many mistakes on the Vogue Cabled Cardigan, and frogged it back down to the ribbing at the hem. I don't know what kind of crack I was smoking, but I hadn't noticed I was knitting on the #8's instead of the #10's. And I had missed the point where I was supposed to start reducing on the fronts, by like 2". So I ripped back for the second time, and began anew. This time around, it seems things are going as planned. Everything is looking good, I got my waist shaping decreases and increases in the right places, I started my front decreases in the right place, and when I go home tonight I get to start decreasing for the armholes. After working on it most of the weekend and a little last night, I'm back up to 16". I'm going to try to continue to work all three pieces at once, and see how it goes, but I know I'm going to have to re-work my notes to keep everything straight. I'll try to post a picture soon.

Ps, I saw the YarnHarlot speak at FIT last week, and yes, she was awesome!

Crochet Wonders of the Deep

I just stumbled across this wonderment. A two sisters that head a collective called The Institute For Figuring is creating a crochet replica of the Great Barrier Reef. Unless you take a close look, you really wouldn't know it's not real coral. Awesome!

























In other news, I saw Edward Scissorhands last night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I was a bit unsure if I would really like it, since it's actually being staged as a ballet, but Matthew Bourne is a genius, and it was really interesting and accessible, and short enough that it kept me really interested.

And the best part? The wonderful Rosie O'Donnell was sitting right in front of me!! It was so funny. The people she was with were what first caught my eye, because one of the ladies in her entourage was wearing a sweater coat that was an awful zebra print, but in browns, not blacks, and had horrible Jersey hair and nails, not to mention the nasal voice, and sunglasses she never removed. And then there was Rosie, who looks so much better in person, even with very little makeup, and has really nice hair. I so wanted to talk to her, but I thought it would be rude. And PS, she really liked the show.

From cat, with love

OMG! Did anyone see The Today Show this morning? They had a very little piece of news about a woman who had knit a sweater solely with hair from her cat. So the lady was reading the news (not sure what her name was, she was filling in for Ann Curry at the news desk), and got to this piece about this woman who had knit this sweater with hair from her cat. They showed a picture of the woman and her cats and the sweater (which, by the way, looked immensely warm, and like the fuzziest angora you've ever seen), and this woman looked so proud, because it must have taken her a lot of time and work, and I felt terrible because the whole crew of The Today Show started laughing at this woman. And not just a little chuckle kind of laugh, but the kind of I-can't-catch-my-breath-and-now-I'm-crying-and-my-stomach-is-starting-to-hurt-but-I-can't-stop-laughing kind of laugh. And then Al Roker started making jokes about the poor cat hair sweater lady. Whatever, Al Roker! You looked nasty in your wet suit the other day!!!

In other news, I ripped back to the beginning on the Vogue cabled cardigan. It was going to be too big, especially once I added the button bands, so I started fresh, and went to the next smaller size down. I really like the color of the Highland Chunky Grape Heather. There are these little flecks of red every once in awhile. I don't know if they'll be visible once the sweater is whole, but I smile a little every time I see one.

Yummy Alpaca

Elann just posted some Araucania Atacama for sale and I snagged some with the idea of making a Calpotis or two. A few years late, I know. But how pretty are those colors?

I didn't get much knitting done over the weekend. Progress on the Cabled Cardigan is slow, as I'm working the fronts and back all in one piece for as far as I can. So I'm only about 5 inches into it. The cables are just starting to appear. But since I need the instructions in front of me to work the cables, and remember the decreases, it's not good subway knitting. So I'm wasting 2 hours a day when I could be knitting. Maybe Clapotis will be a good subway project?

In other excitements

As you can see in the picture, Mott and I had a visit from our little squirrel buddy over the weekend. There's a tree outside my bedroom window (not such a common thing in Brooklyn), and there are a few squirrels that live in/occasionally hang out in the tree. The squirrels are completely unafraid of Mott and me, and will occasionally sun themselves on my fire escape, or try to chew their way into my apartment by gnawing on the window sill. I think they're hilariously cute, but Mott usually freaks out and wants to eat them. His calmness in this picture is wholly uncharacteristic.

In other news, I cast on last night for the cabled cardigan (#19) from the Fall '06 Vogue Knitting. Last Wednesday I placed an order from Elann for some of their Peruvian Highland Chunky in Grape Heather, and it showed up on Tuesday. How awesome is that? I also got some of the Peruvian Quechua in Saxony Teal, and the Peruvian Baby Silk in Oxblood.

I also finally finished the little poncho for my friend Kate. Her shoulders are a lot more narrow than mine, so I couldn't model it, and the yarn is nearly white, it was difficult to photograph, so this is the best picture I could get. It's got yarn-overs down one shoulder, and it laces closed down the other shoulder.

I think she'll like it, and she should be able to wear it at least occasionally in San Diego.

Looks like I need to take a vacation

I feel like I've traveled a fair amount in my life so far, especially having lived overseas and all, but it looks like I've been neglecting the west coast a bit. I mean, I'm thinking I'll probably never have much of a reason to make it up to North Dakota (though I guess you never know), but I think it's about time I visit the Pacific Northwest. And maybe throw a little Vancouver in the mix?

Create your own visited states map here.

Cleaning in style

I indulged a bit today and bought a new toilet brush. Some people might not think that's much of an indulgence, and some might even think it's a little odd to be posting about, but I'm awfully excited about my newest acquisition. Because it's not just any $5 Rubbermaid toilet brush from Target, nooo, it's a Vipp! And it's orange!!!! I'm a big fan of Danish design, and products from Vipp are top of the line. When I found this one on sale over at Garnet Hill, I couldn't pass it up.

Bad Weather Sucks

My office mate Brian was supposed to leave this morning for a much deserved vacation in New Orleans. He was a good boy, and called the airline to check on the flight status, and they said everything was fine. Everyone was reporting no delays at the airport. So he leaves super early to get his 7am flight. Gets to the airport, boards his flight as scheduled, the plane leaves the gate and makes its way to the runway, where they sit. They are told they can't take off because of the freezing rain, and they can't go back to a gate, because all the gates are full of arriving flights that now can't leave. They sit on the runway for the next 5 hours. 5 hellacious, stir-crazy-inducing hours. Finally, they get to go back to the gate, where they are told that due to the nasty weather his flight has been cancelled, and since there's not another flight available on JetBlue until Sunday (and he was supposed to come back Monday night), he can't go. Is that not the worst?

In knitting related news, I've been relatively unproductive. I'm almost finished with the convertible mittens for my friend, just the right thumb left to finish, and weaving in the ends.

But last night I got sidetracked, and decided to rip apart an old cashmere sweater that had developed a few holes. I'm hoping to recycle the yarn for a hat or something. It's so fine that it's going to be a complete pain in the ass, but I didn't want to just throw cashmere away.

I also think I'm going to take apart the Blackberry from Knitty that I made last year. I never really liked how the arms turned out. The bobbles make them really bulky. I would like them to be a bit more sleek. So I'm going to re-knit them sans bobbles.

I also think I'm going to order some of the Quechua that Elann posted today. I really like the Cabled Cardigan pattern they're offering free with purchase. And I've had my eye on some Highland Chunky for the Cabled Cardigan (#19) from the Fall 06 Vogue Knitting (so beautifully done by cosmicpluto), so I think I'll finally pick some of that up too.

Spiral Hat Pattern

I also wanted to post this pattern for a little hat I made recently. I really like it and wear it constantly, and thought there might be someone out there who might also like to make it. It's not exactly a huge departure from some hats already out there, but I cooked this one up out of my own noggin, so I like it especially well.

Spiral Knit Hat

Knit Picks Andean Treasure – 1 sk. Mystery Heather (MC) & 1 sk. Lilac Heather (CC)

Double Pointed Needles – Size 4 & 5

Ribbed Band:
Using the smaller needles and main color, evenly cast on 108 stitches onto 3 double pointed needles, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place Marker and join, knitting in a 2x2 rib. Continue in ribbing until band is 1” (or desired length).

Spiral Body:
Switch to the larger needles, and with the CC, knit 2 st, beginning by knitting the first 2 st together (this will establish the spiral because there will now be an uneven number of stitches) continue knitting in a K2MC, K2CC, repeating the entire way around.

Continue in this 2 color pattern until the hat reaches nearly the desired length (about 6.5”). When hat seems long enough, and you are ready to reduce for the crown, with MC only, proceed to K2tog for the entire round. Knit 5 more rounds and repeat the K2tog round. K 3 more rounds and pull tail through remaining stitches to close top of cap.

Weave in ends, and you’re done! The hat will loosen a little bit with washing.

Gifts of Care

Well, the heat is finally back on in full. The office ended up closing at 1 on Monday, due to the cold. The past few days, the super claimed the boiler was up and working properly, but you sure couldn't feel it. If it wasn't for our trusty space heater, I'd have been seriously uncomfortable. As it was, my office mate Brian and I had to keep turning around to huddle around it like a tiny little bonfire.


In other news, my cousin's wife Kerry is not doing well, and is now in the hospital for a while. She is in her 7th month of pregnancy, and started hemorrhaging last Saturday, and has been ordered on long-term in-hospital bed rest. The baby's not due until mid-April, so she's facing 2+ months of purgatory. So to help her pass the time, I've put together a little care package. A few useful things like lotion and flip flops, a few fun thing like an assortment of nail polishes, a book of assorted puzzles and a digital solitaire game, and some warm hand knit slippers.




I used a pattern I found online at Knitting Pattern Central, for the Stash-busters Slippers. They were super easy to make up. I used some Elann Peruvian Collection Highland Wool I had in my stash in Oxford Grey Heather and Eggplant, and start to finish they were done in less than 3 hours. Gave them a quick rinse, let them dry overnight, and now they are a great little keep-me-warm gift.

Holy Cheese!

The heat is out at my office, and it's officially freezing here. I think it's about 12 degrees outside, with wind chills below zero, and it doesn't feel much better inside. I'm sitting at my desk in my coat, hat, scarf, and one mitten. My fingers are aching from typing (one handed), and my feet feel like little blocks of ice. Here's hoping things are fixed quickly, or this will be one miserably long day.

In knitting news, I finished the little wrap for my friend Kate, and I hope to post a picture tomorrow. It looks ok, but since it's in a cream color, all the irregularities show only too well. Other knitting has been slow going. My friend Anne liked the prototype for the convertible gloves I've been working on, but she wants the flip part a little different, so I have to rip that back to the join...again. She really wants a hooded scarf, but I've been procrastinating.

Beautiful Leaves

So I have any FO. Finally. I have the bad habit of starting a project, then setting it aside to start something else and repeating ad nauseum. But today, an actual finished project, which I am quite satisfied with. It's the Brooke's Column of Leaves Scarf . It's made with Knit Picks Andean Silk in Bluebell. It holds the pattern beautifully, but it came out a lot shorter than her pattern called for, since I only had 2 sk. But it's soft and warm, and I like it.

Other projects on the needles right now, the Sunrise Circle Jacket, a pair of convertible mittens for a friend, a little wrap-ette for another friend (which is off the needles and just needs to be blocked), the Silkroad Cardigan from Interweave, and probably a half dozen other projects I've forgotten about. I'm hoping having this blog will help me focus a bit more on completing projects, and not just starting them.

Hi everyone!

I've made it 30 years without needing to blog, but something has been working on my mind lately, and I thought it would be nice to have a place to think out loud, as it were. Here's hoping this is a gateway to new and interesting adventures. Until I get some thoughts together, I'll leave you with this picture of one of my favorite places in Brooklyn. On the Bay Ridge promenade near the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Isn't it lovely?

Laura