Wednesday, November 28

And then a month goes by...

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I now I'm just making excuses.

First, with the holiday in there, I had lots of extra work around my office. Planning to be away for 3 days caused an extra week's worth of preparation. The time was much needed away from my town. It was great.

Also, right before the holiday, we bought a new car - a 2008 Toyota Corolla. We really needed this one. Back in June, the car we were driving - a '96 Mercury Tracer - was finally kicking the bucket. This car was bought brand new, off the lot by my mom, and we put over 140K miles on it. It served us well. However, in June, DH and I weren't exactly in a position to buy a car. So, we've been borrowing a car since then. It's a Saturn SL1, and a bit snug to fit into.

When DH got his awesome job in September, I knew we were on our way. Finally, we hit that point where all of our finances were flowing well with a bit of excess now, so we dove in. I had been researching the Corollas for quite a long time now, and feel totally confident in what we got. Eeeee!

In knitting news, my camera is kinda broken. It turns out that I have a defective battery. Thankfully, this is something that the manufacturer is aware of, and I should have a replacement soon. Then I can take way more pictures. In the meantime, I have been using my phone's camera, which actually takes quite good pictures. However, it doesn't transfer to my computer very easily and my work computer is kinda on the fritz (where I normally transfer everything). So, I have lots of shots, but haven't gotten around to posting them.

I have, however, been knitting up a storm. I joined the NaKnitSweMo group on Ravelry to challenge myself into knitting a sweater in a month. Well, November is almost over, but my sweater's only half done. On the other hand, my sweater's half done!! It seriously took me forever to make the last sweater that I worked on, so this is amazing to me. I'm knitting it in Cascade 220, and I bought a simple top-down v-neck raglan pattern to follow since I'm designing a full-coverage intarsia pattern as I go along. My dad is really into tigers - all kinds, too. Siberian tigers with green eyes especially, but Tigger too. I figured that I would knit him a sweater with a full body tiger-stripe pattern to it. It's taking a while, but the shaping is already done, and the stripes look awesome. Actually last night, I had it off the needles on a lifeline just to check a few things, and I'm really impressed with myself right now. The way the I'm building the stripes could have been totally disastrous. I have been taking lots of pictures, and as soon as I can get them on a computer, I will post them here, and on Ravelry.

I've covered a lot, and I will be posting more. Stay tuned...

Thursday, October 25

Broad Street, Philadelphia

I love that these mittens are based in a town I know. Having grown up near Philly, I know the coldness that the designer speaks of, therefore necessitating these mittens.

Broad Street Mittens

I am plodding ahead with these babies. I am making them with Patons Shetland Tweed, though, instead of the merino that the pattern was written for. However, a bulkier yarn means that my gauge is much larger, and less stitches are needed to fit around my skinny little fingers. These babies, though, are a gift. I'm not saying who for though.

Also just about finished: Knucks, my blended-pattern socks of Anastasia and Widdershins, and a blanket that I started over the summer. Plenty of pictures coming soon.

Wednesday, October 24

Rhinebeck and lack of pics

So, my camera battery died, and I haven't charged it yet. When I do, pics will be here again.

I did get to attend the wonderful Rhinebeck, and got to visit with old friends. I picked up a few things:
- two 325-yard skeins of Organic Cotton ( I'll have to reference the actual label for the farm name) for baby sweaters.
- a Kromski Niddy-noddy.
- two small bags of purple-dyed wool roving for hopefully my first felting project.
- a copy of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears.
- a notecard of an alpaca.

This last item was bought for a specific purpose. I framed it and hung it up...in my bathroom. I have a number of fun pictures - including a hand-drawn rendering of Abraham Lincoln - hung in my bathroom, since I feel they are most appreciated in there. Sometimes I crack me up.

Monday, October 8

Not exhausted yet

On Wednesday night, all other pastimes and hobbies came to a halt.

I bought a Wii.

Oh man, how fun. I play a mean game of tennis, and I'm the top bowler in my house. Plus, I bought the Zelda game, too, so that is totally time-consuming.

I haven't actually played a new game system since my Nintendo was bought when I was 6. I have always just stuck with that one. I have never needed better graphics or killer role-playing scenarios. Tetris rules. Now, I feel like I'm doing really well with this game, and I feel really smart about it. Hahaha, smart.

This weekend, I went down to NYC for the Audio Engineers Society convention at the Javits center. So many audio nerds. I was one of so many. Great Thai food for dinner, too. I also got to see a lot of old friends and visit with some new friends.

In knitting, I have almost finished my Broad Street Mittens, made two new Round Dishcloths, and finished my first Knuck. Small projects are swell.

Pics to follow!

Tuesday, October 2

Catching Up

I actually have a few things to type about this evening.

First, I received my PRGE package today. Well, it actually got here yesterday, but as I live in an apartment, and the mail carrier doesn't feel comfortable leaving packages, I got it at the Post Office this morning.



Included are a set of #4 dpn's, a skein of purple KnitPicks Cotlin, Rowan Wool & Cotton, patterns for a Round Dishcloth, Knucks from Knitty, awesome Cherry lip balm, and Pop Rocks! Amazing.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure who my Secret Pal is, they didn't give their name. Hopefully, all will be revealed with the November package.

In other news, I did just start work on a pair of Broad Street Mittens. I chose to use a chunky Wool instead of a fingering weight yarn.



I have the left one done, and I'm up to the fingers for the right one. I will, of course, post a "finished" pic. This is slightly irinic since my Secret PRGE Pal just happen to pick Knucks as the pattern to send me, and I kinda have a pair on the needles - which is totally ok, since the Broad Street's are being knitted as a gift! Now I get to make a pair for myself!

Happy Knitting!

Monday, October 1

Cleaning house

In the spirit of re-arranging two rooms of our apartment, I decided to finally do something about the state of my blog. I have switched styles of template, and I'm hoping that will help my considerably. Please feel free to let me know if there's anything unsightly that I may not have noticed for myself. I will also be working on updating links and whatnot.

So much time, so little to do...

Wait. Strike that. Reverse it.

Wednesday, September 26

UFO sightings

It's amazing to read other people's blogs and realize that I am not the only person on earth who has trouble finishing what I start. Thank goodness! I have an honest-to-goodness basket for projects that I start with the absolute best intention to finish right away. But then I find the prettiest yarn on sale.... Everyone does this, I now see.

brooklyntweed is describing his current move, which has un-earthed a number of UFOs. This has subsequently led to quite a bit of patient frogging. Maybe I should take a page from his book, and do the same myself. Like that sweater that I started out of dishcloth cotton two years ago - A) dishcloth cotton should probably not be used to make sweaters, as I realized when I went to make a baby sweater of said material, and B) dishcloth cotton doesn't feel very nice when you're making an ultimately heavy garment like a sweater. That's probably why it's referred to as 'dishcloth' cotton - tiny projects, please.

brooklyntweed has also pointed out that in his cleaning out process, he has located a project that he is loving working on again. Maybe I could also find something like that for myself???

Regardless, I need to work on my UFOs and be honest with myself. Am I really going to make that? If the answer is even 'maybe' then frogging is most likely inevitable. Stash space is prime real estate in our tiny place.

**
In other news, a few posts back, I included a picture from my hometown, Allentown - Allen High Fighting Canaries!! (I will never cease to laugh at my h.s. mascot, regardless of the point of its origination) - and I got a great comment from a woman named Sally who shared that she knew of the Public Storage location in the picture, and recognized it. I wanted to thank Sally for commenting. She let me know that there are more people reading this blog than I thought. I love it!! Thank you, Sally, and all the other lovely people that I write this for.

Thursday, September 20

Officially addicted.

So, every time that I have sat down at a computer in the last three days, I have logged in to Ravelry. I knew it was going to happen, so I just let it suck me in. I have made significant headway, and I am very proud of my progress. Now, if only I could get this page under control...

In reading knitgrrl's page, as well as Rilana's page, I have found the NaKniSweMo project. Knit a Sweater in a month. Hmmmm. The last sweater I knit took me 8 months, give or take. I think I'll do well with the pressure. So now to find a men's pullover pattern that works well with a beer gut...

Wednesday, September 19

I love stuff like this

From Shadkitty's page:
SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up.Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total:10

(x) The Princess Bride (so many times!)
(x) AnchorMan (ugh - I know too many of the lines....)
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 18

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 24

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 31

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 36

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (I LOVE this movie!)
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 47

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 56

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 64

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 73

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 85

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds (the original and not the crappy remake with Tom Cruise)
(x) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 95

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 105

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Spider-Man 3
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2 (lame)
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 120

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 126

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 132

(x) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 139

(x) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 144

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
(x) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 149

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 153

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 159

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 168

There are clearly a number of movies that I have seen that are not on this list. I easily own over 239 DVD/VHS movies. I'm not kidding.


In Ravelry news, I set up my Flickr account, got some photos uploaded, and made some headway filling in a few blanks that I had already created on my page. Things are looking a bit more filled in, and have yet to expand. Woohoo!

Tuesday, September 18

Ravelry-er

So, I've had my Ravelry page - KnitKatKnit - for more than a few weeks now, and I have been pretty bad about doing anything with it. My biggest reason for this is that I usually throw up a blog post during a quiet time at work, or on my lunch. However, not only have I been working through my lunches, I haven't been taking any knitting to work with me - I just don't really have any time. As a result, my blog has been rather slow to be updated, and I have all but forgotten Ravelry.

Times change.

I have taken pics of my stash, such as it is, and I will be updating like a fiend. It may just take some time.

For now, here's the culmination of much cleaning:



We have a kind of small apartment, so my stash and accessories stay in this cabinet and the tubs on top of it. It's great to be able to stay organized with it.

On with Ravelry!!

Tuesday, September 11

From sunne's blog

SCATTERGORIES ... and it's harder than it looks! Here are the rules:

* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.

* They MUST be real places, names, things ... NOTHING made up!

* If you can't think of anything, skip it.

* You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

* If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!


My name: Kat


1. Famous Singer/Band: Kiss

2. Four letter word: kick

3. Street: Knollwood Road

4. Color: khaki

5. Gifts/Presents: kisses - both smootches and chocolates!

6. Vehicle: Kia

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: keychains!

8. Boy Name: Keith

9. Girl Name: Kathryn

10. Movie Title: Kill Bill, Vol 1 & 2

11. Drink: Kahlua

12. Occupation: Killer

13. Celebrity: Kevin Kline

14. Magazine: Knitter's!

15. U.S. City: Kalamazoo

16. Pro Sports Teams: Knicks

17. Fruit: Kumquat

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Kicking ass

19. Something You Throw Away: Kleenex, used

20. Things You Shout: KICK ASS!

21. Cartoon Character: Kimber, from Jem and the Holograms

Mountain Laurel

I never realized what a pretty flower this is.



The Mountain Laurel, Kalmia Latifolia, is not only the state flower of Pennnsylvania, where I'm from, but also Connecticut, where I am. It's lovely.

I know this is a short post, but it's raining a lot outside, and I have pretty flowers on my brain. Plus, on a day like today, when so many people are observing in different memorial ways, it's nice to think about flowers instead of destruction and loss.

Thursday, September 6

Silly blog.

So, I tried to tweak a few things on my sidebar to make them a bit more streamlined so I could add my badges to it, and the whole thing ended up buggered. The font has changed, as well as the sizing, but only for part of it. I also have a funny line going across the top of the posting part.

Does anyone out there know of a good resource to assist me with figuring out enough of the html to clean this up? I am basically figuring things out myself through trial-and-error. I change something, and then preview it. If the result is not what I want, I revert back. Most of the time, I'm doing ok, but not this time.

In knitting news, I finished a pair or fingerless gloves that I designed myself. They're gorgeous (to me), very soft, and fit wonderfully. As soon as I have a picture, I will post it, along with the pattern.

Yesterday, however, I cut the pad of my right thumb on a pair of scissors. Knitting has been halted. That does not mean I'm wasting my time - no, no - it's PRGE TIME!! I can still shop with a wounded thumb. I'm totally planning to spoil my spoilee! I cannot say anymore! Woohoo!

For your viewing pleasure, a sad sight that DH and I frequently pass when we're visiting our parents in PA. I think I drove by this sight every day for over 10 years before I realized the hilarity.

Friday, August 24

Badges

I was never a Brownie or Girl Scout when I was younger, and the only part that I was ever yearning to join in on was the earning of badges. I always thought they were great - small embroidered representations of your achievements. I even found some of my aunt's badges from her Girl Scout years, and added one or two to my backpack in high school.

Now, I am adding the badges which I believe I have earned, from the Illustrious Order of Cast On Knitting Scouts

Proselytize Knitting Badge

I do enjoy sharing tips about knitting, as well as spouting about how much I love the sport. I rarely shut up about it. For anyone who wants to learn, I have extra needles and practice yarn in my desk drawer.

I've Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application For Them Badge

First of all, I love knitting stuffed animals. Unless they go to someone right away, though, I keep them around to love them, and they end up in my "China Cabinet of Things That We Cannot Throw Away, But Really Have No Other Function." Second of all, I end up un-raveling so many things and looking at them with the WTF-stare, and no concept of what they were supposed to be.


Knitting Whilst Under the Influence Badge

Who doesn't knit with a gin and tonic next to them? Most often, I put down the needles when I know there will be significant distraction, so as to avoid a morning of woeful ripping back.

MacGyver Badge, Level I

This level is attained when a Knitter uses non-knitting-related objects to serve a knitting purpose. I have often used plastic-coated paper clips as stitch markers and cable needles, a dollar bill as a measuring tape (6"), as well as a number of other office supplies since I am often knitting in my office.

MacGyver Badge, Level II

This badge is attained when knitting-related items are used for non-knitting purposes. I know there is at least a rogue US4 needle holding our important receipts together. I'll edit this when I can think of other instances around my house.


I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess Badge

This is probably the only area of my life where I actually try and succeed at using math. Most other areas, I try and fall flat on my face.

Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention Badge, Level I

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, baby. I was at the doctor anyway for something else, and I inquired about my computer usage combined with my knitting time. She informed me that as long as those movements didn't start to mimic each other, and I was moving my hands in different ways, then I should be fine.

I have earned quite a few already, but I still have more to do! That's another great thing about badges - you have goals!

Tuesday, August 21

PRGE Questionnaire

Now I have a reason to blog again. Not that I haven't been knitting, but I haven't been working on anything interesting with enough progress to write about.

Why are you punk?
Hmmmm. I have the standard favorite colors - purple and black. I prefer the non-traditional in most situations: dress, actions, hair color, etc. I have a number of tattoos and piercings. I prefer punk and hard rock music. I'm sure there are other reasons.

What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related)
OOOoooh...
1. Reading - mostly fiction, but I also enjoy historical non-fiction about glamorous famous people (Jackie O, Judy Garland, Jayne Mansfield, etc.)
2. Music - seriously, I work in music, and I love to surround myself with it.
3. Coffee - sweet elixir of life.
4. Pajamas - 'nuff said.
5. Days when I can watch movies all day, in my pajamas, and knit with a cup of coffee next to me.

What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?
1. Christmas stockings
2. Adam's Octopus sweater (even though it's falling apart)
3. Anything practical - I love my dishcloths, a teacozy that I know my SIL uses often, etc.

What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?
Heehee
1. Hot-pink light-up needles.
2. Something small knit just for me. I knit for other people and give things away, so it would be nice to receive something already made with me in mind.
3. In the last prge, my spoiler sent me a box of her favorite things - it opened my eyes to some really yummy yarns.
4. The Baby Surprise Jacket pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
5. Knitting-related shirt or necklace. So nerdy and so funny.

What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?
Faves
1. Anything Merino - I'm partial to Morehouse
2. Hand-dyed Fearless Fibers, from the etsy shop of the same name.
3. Bamboo - I now love this material, omg.

Not-so-fave
1. Red Heart - too scratchy
2. Anything that pills easily
3. Mohair

What are your five favorite delicacies?
1. Chocolate cordial cherries
2. Pepperidge Farm Pirouette sticks
3. Cheesecake
4. Cappuccino
5. My mom's Chocolate chip cookies - they're the basic Toll House recipe, but she makes them just right.
(Can you tell I'm a sugar junkie?)

What are your three favorite guilty pleasures?
1. Bubble baths
2. National holidays - like, when it's two o'clock in the afternoon, and I feel like I should be at work, and I'm playing hooky, but I'm not really.
3. A nicely chilled gin and tonic.

What are the five things you look forward to every week?
1. Grocery shopping - I love a fully stocked kitchen, and going shopping alone means I can go at my own pace and wear my iPod ;)
2. Fresh flowers bought at the grocery store.
3. Kinda sleeping in for an extra hour on the weekends, and then not having the alarm wake me up, just Monty(my dog).
4. I really like my job, so I never dread going to work.
5. Weekends are just nice.

What do you collect?
I have been a collector of pigs since I was much younger. They're really adorable, and have a rather sweet disposition, and they're very smart, even if not all of them are the most attractive beings. My favorite (and now only) stuffed animal is a pig named Morgan. I used to have a lot of pigs around, but now that I'm technically an adult, they're only in quirky places, like on my socks or on my ice cream scoop.

When is your birthday?
It just passed. July 22nd.

Do you have any wishlists?
Yes, I have one on amazon.com.

What would you like your pal to know that is not covered here?
I'm ridiculously easy to please.

Tuesday, July 31

And it's hot, hot, hot.

The dog-days of summer. Humid outside, freezing inside. Neither condition is particularly conducive to knitting. Either my yarn is too hot, or my needles are too cold.

I did have a birthday, and had a lovely time with it. We hosted our first shindig at our place and it worked out really well. We thought our home might be too small, but everyone got along, and Monty didn't get stepped on! It was pretty great.


My friend Emily found this lovely teacup for me. I now have a mug alternative for my peach tea. Pinky up!

Also for my birthday, my love got me an adorable pink iPod shuffle.

This is the best companion player. It's so tiny, and I wear it when I'm running errands on campus and whatnot. I have a larger 60GB photo iPod, too, and I use that a lot too. Music, music, all the time.

This past Sunday, I got to visit with my mom's family at a baby shower held for one of my cousins. Very nice to see them all.

Monty is doing very well in his obedience class. His shyness is getting a lot better since he now seems to recognize the scents and actions of the other pups in his class. What a love he is.

Friday, July 20

Bad Blogger

It's been over two weeks, and I apologize.

I haven't really started anything new. I did get the Kimono done for Wendy's baby shower, though. I think it came out really well.

I used a little more than one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas 100% Organic Cotton. I loved the feeling of it's softness, plus it's machine washable and dryer safe. Necessary for baby clothes, in my opinion. She loved it.

In the meantime between posts, I have been working a lot, and it's definitely been busy. Our department is under construction, so I spent a few days just coordinating where all the stuff from those spaces was going to be kept during the renovations.

That's mostly why I haven't posted - I usually do it at work. I know that's awful, but I spend my entire day on the computer, and about 1/2 hour goes toward my blog. So, when I'm up and moving around, I'm not at my computer. I would work on it at home, except that I'm already on my computer all day, so I rarely sit on the computer in the evenings. I never even check my e-mail on the weekends.

To keep the knitting moving, I am also working on rows upon rows of stockinette for a plain Jane shawl. I got a whole bunch of Alpaca (the farm name escapes me right now) at the last CT Sheep & Wool, with the ntention of making a beautiful cabled scarf. I have since found that I have very little patience for even ribbing, and the concept of following a cart that closely boggles me. So, the Alpaca sat. In Greetings from Knit Cafe, there was a "pattern" for a shawl made up just for rainy/cold days. The description of this project was exactly my story: the designer had bought beautiful Alpaca and wanted to use it for something just right - nothing that would be destroyed, but something she could appreciate for a long time. Hence, the shawl with a simple fringe. So far, mine is only about 23" from cast-on point to the needles, but it's going well. I love how it feels like silk or someting equally gorgeous.

It's obviously curling because of the stockinette, but blocking and the weight of the fringe will help that once it's done.

Thursday, July 5

At home with Mama.

My mom had knee surgery two weeks ago, and like the great daughter that I am, I took some vacation from work (during the slow time anyway) to help her out with rides to therapy and doctor's appointments and whatnot. She's doing great, and I'm knitting a lot. I got a little bored on Monday night (my second evening here) and took a ride to my local Jo-Ann's and picked up a dozen balls of Wool-Ease and a US11 circular. I figured that I would make a plan for it before I got home again. I did. A large, corner-to-corner lap-sized blanket. In a dark green tweed and oatmeal. This has helped the time pass a bit more quickly.

I did bring material for knitting while I was here, but I lost interest now knowing there's no deadline. I'll pick it up again.

Yesterday, for the holiday, my sister and her husband came to visit. There was grilling, game-playing and much laughter over Pictionary. It was nice to have the four of us in the house again - me, Mom, my sister and mom's roommate, Karen - also known as my other mother. Mom and Karen got their house together when I was 9 years old, so I've always had Karen as a motherly influence. She's pretty great.

I do miss my honey and Monty very much. I will be back home this weekend, though. I will see them plenty. Very rarely do I get to spend so much uninterrupted time with my mom, so I'm taking advantage ;)

Friday, June 29

Babies!

No, not mine. I got invited to two baby showers yesterday. They are both for girls that I didn't know would even have showers. Yet, here they are.

The first is for an awesome, vegetarian, punk-ish, animal-lover who I have come to know over the last two years. She's pretty sure she's having a boy, but that is not confirmed. She's so thrilled, though. I'm so happy for her, too.

The second is for my cousin. She and I aren't all that close, even though we grew up in closer proximity than all of our other cousins. Regardless, since that one's a bit farther away (it's in PA, and it's two weeks after the first one), I have a bit more time to plan. On her registry, she has pink and purple pacifiers, so it looks like she thinks she's having a girl.

I thoroughly plan to knit beautiful baby things. Hopefully, I'll actually stick to that plan and get them done. I haven't completely decided on my projects, and I'm going yarn-hunting this afternoon. I don't quite have the right stuff in my minimal stash.

In the meantime, I cast on a sock...

This is the green Fearless Fibers skein. It's a lightweight sock yarn, and I plan to give the pair as a gift when they're done. Woohoo for awesome knitted gifts.

Monday, June 25

Long time, some progress

Ok, I have been busy, and I will post pictures tonight.

I spent last weekend in Boston with my awesome gal, Abbey. Much fun was had for her sister's 21st birthday. There was a limo. Everything was amazing.

During this last week, my car bit the dust. It currently has a flat tire, and it's parked in my parking lot at work. Good times then renting a car and driving to PA to pick up the family back-up car so Adam and I can still get to work. We don't actually know what is wrong with the car, but it's the same as a problem that we had been having in May, and we already tried the quick-fix on it. Something tells me that this will no longer be a quick fix.

Driving home to PA of course requires taking Monty with us, and he loves visitng, and does really well in the car. We have to break down his crate, though, and bring food and toys and blankets. We took more home for him than we did for ourselves. When we were told that having a dog was like practice for having kids, it's no joke. Now we definitely have a better idea of what will be required of us before we can completely devote ourselves to younglings. Monty's really great, though, so we have a positive outlook.

Seriously, I will post pictures later.

Friday, June 15

Plenty of Punk in the Package

From my punk-est pal, Shadkitty, I received a whole boat-load of goodies.









I was so excited to see all of these things! Especially the Yarns. She calls this package, "My Favorite Things." How awesome is that? Instead of trying to guess the cool things that your pal would love (which Crystal has done a great job with already), send off versions of your favorite things. I now know that Crystal and I share a similar affinity for the finer yarns in life, but not exclusively (She also loves Caron SS, my latst discovery). The Stephen King book is one of her favorites, that has clearly been read and re-read many times. I have a few books that are my absolute favorites, so I know how it must be to part with her copy. I have already started it, and I am already enjoying it. Who knows: maybe I'll read the rest of the Dark Tower series?


Back to the yarn: I find it interesting to get yarn and then try to figure out what to do with it. I'm still at the stage with my knitting where I'm not 100% sure how a yarn substitution will work out, or whether it'll totally bug out. That's part of my excitement at finally being added to Ravelry. I can search for the yarn I want to work with and hopefully I will find projects to work on with it.



I am really excited about the notions as well. STITCH MARKERS BY SUNNESHINE!! With pretty purple hearts! EEEeeee! Love them. The sheep ribbon is adorable too. I have to admit, though - I'm not sure what I'm going to use that for, either. I am a hoarder by nature - I have whole collections of cards/stickers/fancy papers that I collected during my scrapbooking days, and now that my books are completed, I don't use them. Hopefully, I won't fall into the same trap again.




Once I figure out the projects that I will be working on with these yarns, I will obviously produce an update.

Thursday, June 7

Confessional

Ok, so there's a reason why I've been avoiding my knitting as of late. I have developed a side passion. Not one that will overtake my love for the pointy sticks, but definitely sidetracking.

Crochet.

But not just crochet in general.

The Ripple.



I'm definitely not a granny-square gal in any manner, shape or form. I have never really seen the appeal of crochet, and I definitely turned my nose up to it. I mean, who wants to work in the same spot for so many stitches and end up with this knobbly little mass of yarn? Don't even get me started on little lace doilies - I inherited my great-grandmother's lace-knitting hooks, and they are so tiny! I can hardly even see them, let alone imagine working with them.

However, when I saw the pattern for the Ripple Afghan, I was smitten. Especially since it was done in such beautiful and vibrant colors! Then, I found a Ripple-Along, and realized that there are many, many people that are whipping these up. I went and perused the aisles at Michaels and found Caron Simply Soft in some beautiful colors to make up a queen-sized blanket for my bed. Adam likes the colors too, so it will definitely make it to the bed once it's done. Machine-washable, too.



It's a lot of work, I know. 3x the yarn. A small hook-type creature. I definitely feel like a traitor.

I also have a plain-knit stockinette shawl in gorgeous alpaca going right now, too. Just to remind me of my roots.

Wednesday, June 6

Dog Party


We took our little gentleman to a Dog Party on Sunday. This was a gathering of 17 or so dogs and their owners in a huge fenced-in backyard. Now, Monty loves people. Absolutely adores people. Wants to crawl into your lap and be hugged. Other dogs are a different story. He just wants to run and play alone, and other dogs crowd him out. Plus, he doesn't like to be part of the meet-and-greet ritual that dogs naturally assume. Plus, it was on and off drizzling all day, and his highness doesn't like wet paws - poor baby.





I have still been knitting - I swear. I just haven't made any progress that would be significant to post about. Especially since it's been warm and rainy up here, and tht is certainly not knitting weather.

Wednesday, May 30

Memorial Weekend...whew!

This past week has involved a lot of time focused on the new pooch. Having had him now for almost three weeks, we are learning his moods and needs. He loves to nap - preferably on someone's lap, redering them useless.


Last week also marked the departure of our roommate, Brigette. She finished up her class at the University and headed back to Long Island to pursue her newest endeavors.

It's weird not to have that third person in your house, when you're used to them being there. Even Monty goes looking for her. We miss her dearly.

This past weekend, we packed Monty into the car and headed to PA to visit all of the parents and friends that we haven't seen since Christmas. It was quite a drive, but our little boy handled it like a champ. He just curled up on the back seat and fell asleep. He charmed everyone that he met, and he definitely met a lot of people.

Today, I got Monty signed up for an obedience class. He needs just a bit of training. He needs to learn a little bit more about what we try to do to get his attention, and then we can have a skill set to work with him. We want him to be proud of himself and the achivements that he will be able to master.

More pictures coming soon!

Wednesday, May 16

Playing tag

Really, it'll be fun. :D

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. Here are my facts:

1) I love knitting things that you can't buy in stores. Every FO is even more special then.

2) I have many piercings and a number of tattoos, but I'm a total girly-girl.

3) I read really fast. I can buy a 400-page novel and have it finished in less than two business days. I do the same thing with instruction manuals, how-to books, self-help books, etc.

4) I'm a size 14, and I love it.

5) I married my high-school sweetheart. He's great.

6) I was a spelling bee champion (nod to Shadkitty). I think this comes from reading so much - I've seen a lot of words, and so I can just see them to spell them.

7) I have 8 parents. Adam and I each come from divorced families that have expanded.

I tag,
Brenda, Gothknits, Kyira, Lana, and Jenn. Those are my only web-friends that haven't been tagged yet.

Monday, May 14

Long time, no blog.

So much has been going on.

First, I had ordered and received two skeins of Fearless Fibers sock yarn, which I ordered from Etsy.

I absolutely love this purple - Midnight Passion is it's official name.

Here's a closeup so you can see the loveliness:


I need to pick up another pair of #1 DPN's so I can work on more than one pair at a atime. And maybe one of those small sock project bags that dangles from your wrist.... I know Lantern Moon makes nice ones - does anyone else know of a kind that they like? I plan to wait on working on the purple socks though. I have to still finish my second STR (about half done) and then I'm going to knit up the green Fearless into a pair for a friend of mine.

In other news, we found a dog!! We've named him Montgomery, and he loves life. He's amazing in so many ways. We've had him home since Thursday, and he seems to really like us.




He has a bit of seperation anxiety, so he loves being with us at all times. Good for us, mostly.

Monday, May 7

Beautiful again

Worked a lot this week - and watched the beautiful day outside.

Adam and I have decided tht we're ready to adopt a puppy. Something small, something shorthaired, and gets along with Avery.

Otherwise, it's been busy as usual.

Tuesday, May 1

OK, real quick:

I got my package from my secret pal, SHADKITTY!

I'm so excited that it's her - I've actually been an avid reader of her site for quite some time now. I love Johnny Depp as well, so the page is worth visiting just for the montage. But then you're on this really well-written page that is funny and informative.

She sent me lovely stuff:





There are two skeins of Cascade Yarn - grey and red; Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme (luscious); two buttons (which are kinda hard to see in the picture) "Yarrn, ho!" and "Knit or Die", and an awesome t-shirt -> "I Knit, Therefore I ROCK!"




I so do.

So busy

With the semester wrapping up and a new phase at the store, I have been working like mad. I promise to blog really soon. I DID receive my second package from my secret pal - SHADKITTY!!! I already wore my new t-shirt to work. I have lots of new pictures, too.

I really want to do it now but I have to grade papers instead.

Saturday, April 21

It's so beautiful

First, it was gorgeous outside when I left the University, so I took a picture of Adam:

















Then, when I got to the car, Adam had brought with him a package that I received from Amazon:





I have looked through this book a couple of times, and I was so happy to have received it from my PRGE Secret Pal, Peppy. Thank you so much!!!












A few weeks ago, I had been working on a pair of Widdershins socks, but had a hard time with the bind-off. I wasn't making a loose enough top edge. Then, as part of the Anastasia pattern that I'm currently working on, I read the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn Bind-off. Very stretchy and pretty. So now I have a finished pair of Widdershins:



















Also in the sock realm, I have finished my first Anastasia/Widdershins hybrid:

My hybrid is built as follows: Judy's Magic Cast-On (from Knitty), which can be used for either sock; knit straight for an inch; start working the chart for the Anastasia swirls; I chose the gusset and heel from Widdershins; then the leg, cuff and bind-off from Anastasia.












Oh! I also saw The Yarn Harlot on Knitty Gritty! She did her socks presentation, and it was wonderful! Knitting socks looks so ridiculously easy when watching her do it.

Now I have a few hours to relax before I go back into work. I leave you with "Sunshine and Avery".

Tuesday, April 17

Too much Rain



There has been so much rain, that when I look out into the small yard in front of my apartment, it is clear the grass will not hold any more water. That was mostly on Sunday, when it was a heavy rain for 18 hours straight. I realize that was nothing compared to some areas of New York and New Jersey, but I stayed inside and off the roads nonetheless. I worked until 11:30am, and then went home and got back in my pajama pants - where I actually got to stay for the rest of the day. It was amazing, and I am totally energized as a result.

The first Anastasia/Widdershins sock is finished!! I actually finished it on Saturday. I know that I made a number of stylistic mistakes in it, but I know what they are, and once I knit those same mistakes into the second sock, they are no longer mistakes but rather strokes of uniqueness. It looks good, fits like a glove, and of course at home, where I can't take a picture of it right now.

A while ago, I fell in love with Yarnstorm's Ripple Blanket and I know she's working from a pattern and all, but I was smitten. I also knew that I would have to learn to crochet in order to get anywhere near the beauty of this blanket.
So, I picked up a copy of Stich & Bitch: The Happy Hooker and looked up the Double Crochet. And off I go. I have this soft 1970's acrylic yarn that fades from bright green to white and back. It's kinda neat, and honey likes it. The only issue is that I cannot crochet in public. I was working on this blanket at my Starbucks before a shift one day, and a woman came into the store, saw me working, and walked up and asked, "Is there a baby on the way?" I had to politely tell her no, and vowed that the blanket would not be leaving the house anymore.

In other news, I got a great postcard from my Punk Rock Gift Exchange Pal yeasterday. I never once mentioned The Labyrinth to her, so there's way she could have known how obsessed I was as a kid, but it arrived anyway.



Amazing.

Wednesday, April 11

Progress

First and foremost -> Happy Birthday, Denise!!!!


I have made progress. When I posted on Sunday, I was hoping that I would indeed be able to continually make progress on these socks, plural. I have turned the heel, and began working on the leg. 6 inches of the spirals - woohoo!!

Also in this picture, I have my Molskine book. I love these things. I get the graph paper books, and they are perfect for me for re-writing my patterns into. In this way, I have a smaller book to contain all of my notes. I copy the charts in there, and work them in where they belong as integrated into the pattern itself. I write the actual pattern in pen and marker, and then my row counts and whatnot can be in pencil. Also, the book is slim enough that I can actually bend it backwards and it's a small board to lay on my lap with my notes right there. Another fun perk: they come in 3 packs. I love 'em.

In work news, I am booked. I work every day at the Studio, and then I have a job every evening. I work both days this weekend, and then Monday and Tuesday night next week as well. *Sigh* If I really didn't love everything I was doing, I might be upset by this. Really, the only thing that's a bit disconcerting to me is that I wake up, get dressed and leave my house, and then don't return until it's time to change again and go to sleep. Once the semester is over, my time will free up, and be in softball season! Playing outside - Yeah!!

Sunday, April 8

New socks

First of all, I love-love-love this colorway!

I started knitting sock #1 with the Magic cast-on for toe-up according to Knitty. I love this cast-on since it feels like a really secure binding for keeping my toes covered. I wanted a pattern on the instep of these socks, but nothing too intricate. I found Anastasia by Perpperknits to be exactly what I was looking for. I love the swirls, and the way they integrate on the leg.

Also, I love the way the bright green of the wool just pops out very evenly through the work. The hot pink does this too. When I first looked at the colors before winding it, I don't even remember seeing these very bright colors in there at all.

I just started these late on Friday, so we'll see how far I can actually get on them.

Monday, April 2

Materials for the Beret

I realized from Peppy's comment that I neglected to reference my materials for making the beret. I suppose I was so deliriously happy to finish something, that it simply slipped my mind.

Using US 3 needles - first a 24" circular Addi turbo, and then DPN's - I used Frog Tree 100% Alpaca Wool in sport weight. I had two balls, each 130 yards, and used up the first one and then a bit of the second one. I don't actually remember buying this yarn, but when I found it in my stash, I really loved it. It matches my eyes pretty closely and looks good with my dark hair, so I knew deep down that it was hat material.

It's been so long since I've worn a hat for style rather than just function that I'm really looking forward to breaking it out - maybe tomorrow?!??!?!

Sunday, April 1

I Finished Something!!


From Greetings from Knit Cafe, I have completed:
Beret.


There's hope for me yet.