Meh

I have been...
Knitting
Procrastinating
Working
Riding my bike
Not sleeping
Visiting with Nick
Reading stupid books
Freezing
Playing Softball
...and more for the last few weeks.

In the summer, I always get the standard lack-of-something-due-RIGHT-NOW! type of ennui that leads me to get nothing done. I really don't work well without a schedule. I have been getting stuff done, just not like I normally would.

I bailed on the Ziggy socks. The tightness of the foot was tolerable since I have narrow feet, but I do not have narrow ankles, and I could not reconcile them. I will end up making nice socks out of the Kureyon, and I have realized that I really like this stuff. The colors are still stunning, and the yarn does soften up quite a bit once it's in sock form.

I got my latest Rockin' Sock Club package, but wasn't an outright fan of the pattern. However the absolutely stunning color has made me want to make socks of the yarn, but I have to find a rather plain pattern for it. The colors range from very pale to very dark, and with stripes that will result, I want to keep it simple. Still looking for that perfect pattern...

To carry around in the meantime, I started churning out some new dishcloths for the kitchen. I had been given some great brick red and turquoise Nashua Handknits cotton, which is working nicely. To them, I added some Mission Falls 1824 cotton in violet, lime and a camel color. I had to replace the other ones I had in my kitchen. Since they had been my first dishcloths back in the day, I thought "I should make them in a neutral cream," which has now aged in to a gross drab.

Our friend Nick was up to visit this past weekend, and we were complete nine-year-olds as a result. The days were spent playing outside or riding bikes around town, and then evenings were spent playing video games. The only differences between us and actual nine-year-olds was our afternoon drive to ikea, and we eat a lot better and drink a lot of beer. I'm still recovering from such a great weekend.

I have started the Ziggys, but I can't really get a good pic of them here in my office. Let me just say, they look amazing. Seriously, look at the colors:



Gorgeous, right?

Also, I finished the Broadripple socks. Love them!

The new Knitty is out, and I am smitten. I am totally enraptured by the Ziggy socks. I have been on a socks binge lately, but I can't seem to find complicated socks to work on. In my opinion, the whole point (other than the luxury of wearing finished handknit socks) is to have a portable project that you can whip off a few rows on without having a huge issue with a book or a pattern that needs to be pulled out to follow. I have mostly been working on simpler, two-row sock patterns, and I've been very happy with the results.

I received my latest package for the Rockin' Sock Club, and while I absolutely love love love the pattern and the yarn (SUCH a gorgeous colorway) I really have to be ready to sit down and knit these up. I'm not there yet. The Ziggy socks though have a rather simple color-changing pattern that I should be able to memorize fairly quickly. Plus, these socks remind me a lot of the Yarn Harlot's Kauni, which is just gorgeous. I have yet to complete a cardigan of any sort yet - let alone a double-stranded wonder like that.

I already have the yarn for Ziggys though:

Noro's Kureyon Sock in no. 182. It seems a little rough for socks, but we'll see how it is once it's knit up.

In other knews: I noticed on my Ravelry page (knitkatknit) that the 11th was my one-year anniversary. Wooohoo!! I never really make a big deal about anniversaries in general, but I thought this was pretty nice since I've actually used my Ravelry page and stuck with it. Also while I was on Ravelry in general, I signed up for the next Malabrigo swap. This should be exciting too, since the theme is magic yarn balls - as you unwind a ball of yarn from your spoiler, little treats and gifts fall out: buttons, stitch markers, maybe a row counter. Sweet and useful stuff, too. I just happened to check out the swap sign-ups as a result of my last PRGE spoilee, Carly, who was part of the last swap. I am looking forward to this.

TTFN.

Seriously

29 days since I last posted. Amazing.

Here's what I've been up to:

First, I received the amazing package from my PRGE pal, Rachel

It was full of everything I love - dishcloth cotton (in awesome new colors), Selena's hand-dyed yarn (in a luscious purple), stickers, a mini-puzzle (which I have left at work), awesome coffee (which was promptly consumed during Sunday knitting, of which there have been 3 already since I received said coffee), fake tattoos and an adorable card, which got hung on my side of our back room. My side is for knitting, and honey's side is for paintings - of which there are many. The room just looks a mess since we both have quite a bit amassed in here. That's what back rooms are for.

I finally wound up some Unwind Yarn Company superwash merino that I had found on etsy, and then it just happened that it got a mention from the Yarn Harlot herself.

This yarn is amazing. The colors are rich and blend wonderfully from one to the next. With this yarn, I am making a pair of Broadripple socks . I am on my third try with them though, since I really want to use this yarn, but the gauge is different from the pattern suggestion. Not different enough to warrant an extra pattern repeat, just enough to make a different size needle necessary, and then adding a few strategically-placed extra stitches into the pattern. Not awful though, and the color changes are completely in sync with this pattern.

We had a weekend in Allentown, the place of our birth. We meandered over the to Allentown Art Museum and met up with some friends. After schmoozing with high school teachers there, we all walked over to the Allentown Brewworks for dinner. A pleasant place to eat - of which Allentown always had too few. Walking back to the car, I got an awesome picture of the boys climbing on the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in the middle of downtown.

I love these guys.

For Memorial Day weekend, I got some long-awaited baking done. Using this recipe, I made petits fours! They have always looked so hard to make, but they are always a treat. So, I dove in.
I made the batter, baked it, layered it, coated it in marzipan, and then refrigerated it.

I really should have stopped there. They tasted amazing at this point. I wanted to follow the whole recipe though. I now know that the poured fondant icing on the top was just too much sweet. The cake tasted like a fortune cookie, and I used Raspberry Polaner, so they were already sweet enough - didn't need the fondant. Also, next time I will cut them larger.

They sure were pretty. I had leftover chocolate that I had melted for the drizzle, so I dipped some strawberries to take along as well.


My next experiment will be creme-filled mini cupcakes!

Yarny weekend

It was quite a long weekend, and has taken me until now to even comprehend it to write about it. Especially since I had to get over my allergies that attacked full strength on Saturday.

Allergies or not, my MIL and her friend were in town for a visit. Since it was a bit chilly and gloomy, but not raining, we headed over to Old Wethersfield. This is the more historical section of Wethersfield proper. Most New England towns either have an old section, or they share an old section with the towns near them. This is the area where the earliest Americans lived. All the buildings have plaques on them announcing who used to live there. I love these kind of places. Now they mostly have charming cafes and knick-knack stores in them.

Behind one of these old homes, a barn sale was being held. We got into the barn, and lo-and-behold there it was:

My new Charming Rocker. That's what the tag said. I immediately sat down, and wanted to pull out my traveling sock. I sent a picture of it to my honey to make sure he liked it too, and 15 minutes later, we were loading it into my MIL's Trailblazer. It looks adorable in my living room now.

Also in Old Wethersfield, I visited Sit N Knit, too. I had never been to this location, and I really enjoyed myself there. The staff was so upbeat and friendly, and the knitters that were working at a table off to the side were also very lively and charming. I loved the arrangement of the store, and intend to go back there again. On this visit, though, I found their clearance room. In there, I found YARN WITH MY NAME ON IT:


This is a close up of the gorgeous saturation of colors:


I got two balls (skeins? hanks? it's too bulky to tell) of it. I have looked on Ravelry, and not really been too impressed with Super Bulky projects. I think I may want to do some kind of open-work scarf with it all. I'll know the right project for it when I see it.

Also on Saturday, we headed down to Mystic Seaport. I had never actually been there. Like, not around the tall ships and the museum aspect of Mystic. It was lovely, actually. I got pictures of my tall guy near the tall ships, but forgot to upload them from my camera. I will do that tonight.

Then there was Sunday.

I woke up early and dropped honey off to spend some more time with his mom, and then I headed to Northampton, Massachusetts. A wonderful town on its own, but now it's a wonderful town that just crawling with Knitters. Amazing.
I wandered my way into WEBS and it was just about packed with people. And Yarn, of course. I meandered around for a bit, and then I turned around:

Surprise! I knew Stephanie was going to be there (that's why I drove up) but I didn't expect her to be in that spot. I picked up a copy of her book, and waited patiently in line.

I even got to hold the Traveling Sock.

I got stopped by a number of knitters during the day, too, who commented on my t-shirt. It is the infamous Natalie Dee holding a sign that reads, "Will Knit for Tattoos." And I will.

I bought some sock yarn, and some other yarn, then forced myself into line to pay for it all and stop fondling skeins. Then, I popped in my iPod headphones and headed up to The Calvin.


I got inside, got a beer, found a seat, and pulled out my sock to work on. It was amazing. Another amazing thing is that from donations and purchases at WEBS, $4698.00 was raised for the Cooley Dickinson Center for Midwifery Care.

Her talk was inspiring, as always. I felt at home among all the Knitters.

After the talk, I walked back down to WEBS, and pondering some Ella Rae Bamboo Silk, but ended up putting it down because I just wasn't sure what I would do with it. I have now purchased it since being home again and confirmed the scarf pattern that I had in mind.

It was a great weekend, and my fingers are starting to calm down from their Spring Start-itis that I developed in March. I have a package to get in the mail to Carly tomorrow, and lots of sock yarn to work up!

Couple-a things

First, pseudobunny sent me Dethklok's "Decapitated" , which I will finish up with "Dragula," by Rob Zombie.

I really love the video, LOVE Rob Zombie's work (the stuff of White Zombie too), and this song happens to be the one if the husband and I have 'a song'. Yes, we danced to it at our wedding, though much later than our first dance together. It's sentimental.

Second, of course, is an update on the Central Park Hoodie. So, I am working on the front left panel, zooming right along, and discover that I have an oops. I knew that that 4 stitches that seem to be making up the inside edge looked out of place. I know that later on, I am supposed to pick up along that edge for the buttonhole band, but I kept going anyway. Once I got all the way up to the arm shaping, 16 inches after noticing this funny thing, I realize that I made the most classic of errors. In a pattern that offers 7 sizes, the cardinal rule is to go through and circle all of the size directions that pertain to what you need. I missed one. D'oh! Needless to say, I ripped it all back, and I am doing it again. If I want to make this thing look right, I have to make it right. Sigh.

Thirdly, a random question. Is anyone else in the New England area going to WEBS on Sunday to see the Yarn Harlot? I registered a while ago, and didn't think to ask ahead of time. If you're going, let me know. I plan to check my e-mail before I leave here, and I would love to meet up with you, as I'm going alone. Not that I mind, either. Honey was great about going to see the Yarn Harlot with me when she had her Represent tour kickoff last year in NYC at FIT. However, given that he would most likely rather spend his day in his painting studio, and I'm a big girl and can handle myself, I'm driving myself to Northampton. Plus, then I have no sighing and eye-rolling when I wander around petting all the pretty yarns.

Ok, Lemme know. knitkat1[at]yahoo[dot]com.

PRGE to Carly

Carly has given back, "Mommy's Little Monster," by Social Distortion.

So, for my R, I am sending....



...because I LOVE the video. Enjoy.

For the PRGE contest...

From my spoiler, pseudobunny, I was given "Boat of Car," by They Might Be Giants.

A short, fun song. I like that it sounds like video game music.

In response, I give her "Roam," by the B-52's, one of my all-time favorite bands.


I seriously remember my mom bringing this album home when I was a little kid, and my sister and I just loved it. I've never outgrown it.


Then, to pass along to Carly:

Tegan & Sara - Living Room. I really like these girls. I'll expound later.

Finished the back of the CPH. Now onto the left-front.

Monty's sick - whoa, boy. He still seems happy though. The vet said that the garbage outside probably upset his system - awesome. Something I can do nothing about.

I'm also grading papers. So. Many. Pages.

At least work is fun so far today. Good music, happy rested students.

This past weekend, I was very much a homebody. It was beautiful outside, so I took Monty for a nice, long walk. It was still cold out, though, so we came back in when we were done.

To warm things up, I thought about making cupcakes. I also got to thinking about Red Velvet cake. I had had it once before, and I really liked it. I pulled out "The Joy of Cooking" aka, the food bible, and lo-and-behold there was NO ENTRY for Red Velvet cake. I was shocked. So I looked it up online (I <3 the internet). I used this recipe, and my oh my, were they good!

I was handing them out as fast as I could since there was no way I was going to eat them all, and I also didn't want to throw any out!

In between making the cupcakes, I got quite a bit done on the Central Park Hoodie.
I've got almost the whole back done.

I love how evenly this yarn is working for me. I was given this yarn, so I don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure there's some acrylic in it. It's kitting up very nicely, and when I look at the charts, I feel like the cables are giving me just enough inspiration to keep going with it.


Now, on with my day.

By the by...

In lieu of adding all of the pictures that I took this weekend, I have been tagged by pseudobunny:


1) Link to the person who tagged you.--> Rachel
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.



1) I was that little kid that couldn't see and had coke-bottle glasses, and still fell down a lot. Then I got LASIK in 2004. I love it, and I fall down a lot less.

2) I'm always the oddball. I'm taller than most people, and I usually find the inappropriate thing to say. Most of the time though I can make people laugh.

3) I read quite a few blogs every day, but rarely comment on them. My opinion: who cares what I think?

4) I married my high school sweetheart. We've been together for almost 10 years.

5) I've developed an almost unhealthy obsession with cupcakes lately. Not just with all the cupcake-themed t-shirts there are, either. No, with MAKING cupcakes. This past weekend was red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting - so good. I've made them with avocado, lots of chocolate, and various other ingredients. So good. They are the best-sized treat, too. All the deliciousness, and not so much guilt.

6) 90% of the time, I am happy and perky. When I'm sad, I bounce back pretty quickly. As a result, I can listen to The Cure and Massive Attack and stuff and sing and bop along to the music. It also helps me love everything colorful.


So now I need to tag three people..... 1)Stella 2)Carly 3)Shadkitty

I picked these three ladies since I know them from the prge. I love reading their blogs already, so I want to see what they come up with.

Cheers!

Spoiled

I have been spoiled by Rachel of pseudobunny & co.!



It's kinda hard to tell from the picture, so here's a list of some of the wnderful items:
*Light-up Knitting needles!
*A beautiful needle case
*Origami paper
*Sheep-shaped magnetized clips for little papers
*Hedgehog-shaped push-pins
*Adorable puppy notebook
*Sew Subversive - a book on making neat sewing projects - looks interesting.
*Of course, yarn: but not just any yarn - ALPACA SOCK YARN!! So amazing. It's a beautiful colorway, and she also sent me a choice of two awesome sock patterns for it.
*This is a picture of the japanese candy that was also sent my way:


An amazing package.

Who doesn't love new yarn? I know I do. I received my 2nd Rockin' Sock Club package today, and it's beautiful! My photo of it doesn't do the colors justice - rich greens on a wide spectrum. I can't wait to work with it. I must confirm my needles and everything before I dive in though. I also have to finish the Knucks that I promised to one of my students. I should be able to know those out tonight.

Speaking of work - all my students started coming back in today. They were all on Spring Break last week, so there are lots of stories, tans, and presents. One student went to his parents' place in Seattle, WA, and came back with a pound of Stumptown coffee for me!! So wonderful. He also shared that the coffee made his entire suitcase and contents now smell like coffee. I could only be so lucky.

Also, this weekend, I got a new tattoo:

I'm really in love with it. It's on my right arm, just below my elbow. Yes, each of the stars has meaning to me, so I collectively call them my Guiding Stars. I went to the tatoo shop with a friend of ours, and we both got some work done. It was nice being able to share that with him. Such great times lately.

PRGE Contest

From my spoiler, her three favorite songs are:

Behind the Green Door, by The Cramps
California Uber Alles, by The Dead Kennedys
Elvis Needs Boats, by The Dead Milkmen

I have to admit that I've only heard the Dead Kennedys song, and neither of the others :(

For corresponding patterns, here's what I got.

Behind the Green Door
I actually want to knit a door - well, a screen door - myself one day. For that, I have already found a pattern in AlterKnits by Leigh Radford.


I also think I found an appropriate nylon thread:
Available in Olive GREEN.

California Uber Alles
For this, I already love the line, "Suede denim secret police."
To that end, I give you the Police Tape Scarf.


For Elvis Needs Boats, I was stuck for a bit. Then, I realized what I needed - a wig.

So, knit a wig, and hop in a canoe - Elvis no longer needs a boat.

Woohoo. What a great contest. Totally fun.

After 4 inches on the CPH, I already had to rip it out. Oh well, I'm already almost back to where I was.

I re-tooled this blog a bit today, and I already think it's looking better. I really liked my old page, but it was doing funny things that I didn't like.

Tonight, I am finishing up a complete makeover of my knitting area(s) of my home. I had bins, boxes, bags and a cabinet - and I was still spilling all over. Yes, I have been taking pictures, so this should be a nice long post when it happens.

This is why I join swaps/KALs

Because then I actually spend time on the interactive/technology side of knitting, and not just fretting over what's still on my needles. I surf Ravelry (way too much), check out other knitters' blogs, and find new and interesting ways to mentally bond with that projects that I'm slowly churning out. I feel a sense of responsibility to keep on chugging.

I'm getting past a mental block, too. I read more and more about certain projects that I or other people may get so excited about knitting, and something goes awry with it, and suddenly, it's unbearable to finish. Unbelievable. I used to think that made me a disappointing knitter. Now I've come to realize that it just makes me more realistic about my projects. For example: months and months and months ago, I started a Lucky Clover sweater. I got lots and lots of it done - one sleeve, back, and one front - and then stopped. I looked at it one day and honestly saw that I was never going to wear it. I had made it out of a cotton yarn that was rather stiff and heavy, and it only drooped when I pinned it together. I still have the pieces that I finished, since I'm just going to wait to frog it until I see a use for the yarn. I have officially discarded it as a WIP though.

Of course, over the weekend, I decided to start a new project. A Central Park Hoodie. Lots of people on Ravelry have knit this one, and I really like it. I just happen to have enough stash worsted in a deep purple color, too. It's a sign.

Gearing up

I'm in this state of waiting to Knit. Not fun. I'm waiting for the next Rockin' Sock Club package, and I'm also slowly putting together a box for my PRGE giftee. However, I don't want to start anything new, since I know that as soon as I get my RSC yarn, I'm going to want to cast on those new socks. Also, as soon as I get a package from my PRGE spoiler, I'm going to want to tear into whatever is in there as well. So, for now, I will display my finished January RSC socks:

PRGE Upgate

Everyone changes, and so do I, so I feel like my answers have changed a bit since the last time around.

1. Why did you join PRGE?
*I have participated in the last two rounds of this swap, and I feel like the punk-ness of it matches my alternative views toward Knitting.

2. What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related)
*1. Reading - all the time.
2. Music - listening, learning
3. Coffee
4. Lounging all day with a good movie, a good book, a sock to knit and good coffee.
5. My husband - my best friend.

3. What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?
*1. Socks - always a sense of accomplishment.
2. Adam's Octopus Sweater
3. Dishcloths

4. What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?
*1. Hot-pink light-up needles.
2. Something small knit just for me.
3. My spoiler's favorite yarn.
4. Baby Surprise Jacket pattern.
5. Knitting-related accessories, like a necklace - so great to wear to work.

5. What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?
*Faves: Wool, Merino, Noro
*Foes: Red Heart, anything scratchy, anything furry

6. What are your five favorite delicacies?
*1. Dark Chocolate
2. Dark cordial cherries
3. Cupcakes
4. Coffee that I can't normally get.
5. Location-specific treats.

7. What are your three favorite guilty pleasures?
*Naps, plush yarn, playing hooky from work.

8. What are the five things you look forward to every week?
*1. Grocery shopping
2. Yoga class on Wednesdays
3. My job
4. Getting the mail at work
5. Friday-night date night.

9. What do you collect?
*Pigs - in quirky ways. Like, I just found pink pig luggage tags - adorable.

10. When is your birthday?
*July 22.

11. Do you have any wishlists?
*Yes - amazon.com - Kathleen in Newington, CT

12. Do you have any allergies or health related conditions that your pal should know about?
*I'm allergic to tobacco smoke.

13. What do you do for work and what do you do for fun?
*I'm the manager of a recording studio, and that's pretty fun. I go out with my dog - which I'm look forward to doing more of now that it's getting warmer. I also like to go on short road trips around New England. Also for fun, I'm on a softball team.

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

DH doesn't buy into the holiday, but it's full of warm feelings anyway.

I have been very busy on the Knitting front:
I joined the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club, and my first package arrived two weeks ago. The yarn is gorgeous, of course, and I am hard at work on the first sock. The pattern moves quickly, too, so I'm not bored or allowing myself to get distracted.

I made an Unoriginal Hat (charted by the Yarn Harlot):

The yarn was given to me on Christmas Eve, and when I visited friends on Christmas Day (including the guy who gave me the yarn), I already had the hat done. I'm sure I have the band at home, but I remember that it's 100% wool, hand-dyed from a boutique in NYC. I'll figure it out, I'm sure.

I have also been plowing through on my father's sweater, but it's taking me so long, and I get easily distracted. *Sigh.

I also knit up all the pieces for the Winter Berries bag by Noni. I have yet to felt them, though, since I only have access to coin-operated washing machines, and I want to do my first felting project right, and then I can adapt it to what I have.

Things have been happy-busy at work. My responsibilities have been added to, so I have less free time (aka blogging time) and I still don't want to sit at a computer when I get home in the evenings. I have joined a yoga class, and I babysit often, so my time is still well-spent.

I will be back.

Amazing.

From www.icanhascheezburger.com - link is below the picture.


moar funny pictures

I will post again soon.