I have to start by saying I was chastised for knitting in a movie tonight. Very rudely. Apparently the infinitely quiet sound of my needles clicking had the potential to ruin her viewing experience, so she made me stop during the preview. Happily, we decided to leave and get our money back because the movie was showing in the horrible, tiny digital screening room and the picture was terrible. So I left and am now happily knitting away on the couch and watching Midsomer Murders on DVD. Hmph. I mean, if she'd asked nicely, I wouldn't have really minded, although I did think it was silly because really, movies are loud. But she was so stinkin' rude!
Anyway, the good news is that I'm making loads of progress on my Traveling Sweater now that it's cooled down enough to make that pile of lap-wool delightful instead of oppressive. I might be a bit unfaithful to it over the next week or so in the hopes of finally finishing up my stripey socks during the month of Socktober. But I'm nearly done with the big arc of knitting that makes up most of the sweater and then there's just a couple of upper back/sleeve pieces to knit and the daunting assembly process and then I'll have what has the potential to be the coziest sweater in my wardrobe.
The bad news is potentially very, very bad. I pulled out my improperly-stored and long-ignored WIP the Gooseberry Cardi and there was evidence of moth activity! Why, oh why, didn't I just stick it all in a ziploc and put it away when it went into hibernation? Oh, I could just kick myself. I didn't have the heart to examine it closely just then, so I popped it all into the blasted ziploc at last and put it straight into the freezer. After a few days when I can be sure everything's all nice and dead, I'll get my nerve up to wash and inspect. But in my heart I think I know there's going to be damage and the whole thing will go into the trash. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Those hateful moths that invaded the Mr's studio and ate up his Oriental rug and then moved downstairs!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Nerd Alert
No new knitting to show because it's the beginning of the school year, which means two things. One: I've been super busy getting the classroom set up, planning curriculum, getting to know new kids and families, and just generally eating, sleeping, and breathing preschool. Two: I've got my first cold of the year, and it's a whopper. I had to call in sick yesterday and didn't knit more than a couple of rows on my Traveling Sweater all day long. Pitiful.
But I did just get a happy little piece of news: I won a skein of yarn hand-dyed by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Tina Newton (of Blue Moon Fiber Arts fame)! They cooked up a bunch of beautiful yellow and orange colorways, and Tina posted on her blog asking for name suggestions. I only had a few, and I got them in just under the wire, but she picked one! And I get the original prototype! And it's orange, one of my very favorite colors! So, when you hit the BMFA site in a week or two when the new colors go up, and you see a pretty pretty orange called "Darlin' Clementine," think of me! (And when you look at that luscious pink/purple number "Truly, Madly, Deeply" cause I named that one in the last contest!) Me and Tina - same wavelength. (I should be so lucky as to stumble upon her creative genius wavelength!)
Other knitting news: I'm headed to Stitches East at the end of October for a few classes, and then in January I've signed up for a one-day class taught by the Yarn Harlot herself, the aforementioned Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Very, very excited for that and for the excuse to take a long weekend trip to NYC with the Mr. just a couple weeks after our 5th anniversary. I'm already planning where I want to eat, because clearly the point of NYC is food. Lots and lots and lots of food. I think a repeat visit to S'mac is in order, as well as a dessert-athon at Rice to Riches... Plus I read about an all-vegetarian Korean place that sounds good... Hmm, maybe I'm getting my appetite back!?!
But I did just get a happy little piece of news: I won a skein of yarn hand-dyed by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Tina Newton (of Blue Moon Fiber Arts fame)! They cooked up a bunch of beautiful yellow and orange colorways, and Tina posted on her blog asking for name suggestions. I only had a few, and I got them in just under the wire, but she picked one! And I get the original prototype! And it's orange, one of my very favorite colors! So, when you hit the BMFA site in a week or two when the new colors go up, and you see a pretty pretty orange called "Darlin' Clementine," think of me! (And when you look at that luscious pink/purple number "Truly, Madly, Deeply" cause I named that one in the last contest!) Me and Tina - same wavelength. (I should be so lucky as to stumble upon her creative genius wavelength!)
Other knitting news: I'm headed to Stitches East at the end of October for a few classes, and then in January I've signed up for a one-day class taught by the Yarn Harlot herself, the aforementioned Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Very, very excited for that and for the excuse to take a long weekend trip to NYC with the Mr. just a couple weeks after our 5th anniversary. I'm already planning where I want to eat, because clearly the point of NYC is food. Lots and lots and lots of food. I think a repeat visit to S'mac is in order, as well as a dessert-athon at Rice to Riches... Plus I read about an all-vegetarian Korean place that sounds good... Hmm, maybe I'm getting my appetite back!?!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
FO 1-6 for the big 6-0
August 29th, 2010 is my Mama's 60th birthday. I don't think she'd mind me announcing it to the world, because she is almost as proud of herself as I am for being as happy and healthy and vital a 60 year old as the world has seen. I could write a million words about how inspiring, beautiful, beloved, and heroic my mother is and still not scratch the surface. She has come through her life's (far too many) challenges with such grace, positivity, and goodness, I aspire to walk in her intrepid footsteps every day. And I can't speak about her fierce devotion to my well-being without mentioning that she gave me life twice, first when I was born almost 34 years ago, and again five and a half years ago when she gave me most of her liver for my lifesaving transplant. My own sweet Mama.
It's just a little something, but I hope it'll feel like a hug on those chilly nights when she's out walking my brother-dog, Grayson.
The info:
Fidget for my Mama
Pattern: Fidget, by Robin Dodge
Yarn: Fiesta Boomerang
Colorway: Madrid
Yardage: 150
2010 so far:
Finished Objects: 16
Yards knit: 4000
And for her birthday, I am sending her (among other things) a cozy neckwarmer that looks like this:
The info:
Fidget for my Mama
Pattern: Fidget, by Robin Dodge
Yarn: Fiesta Boomerang
Colorway: Madrid
Yardage: 150
2010 so far:
Finished Objects: 16
Yards knit: 4000
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Time has flown (FO# 15)
Wow, I never posted after my last FO! Possibly because it's a hat, and it's been so darn hot that the thought of a hat hasn't crossed my mind since I bound off the last stitch. But it exists, and it's hardly fair to ignore the poor thing.
As per usual, it's a crummy PhotoBooth pic, and you can't see how beautiful the yarn is. It's from Gaslight Dyeworks, one of my favorite indies, and I'd had it in the stash for a while, just waiting for the right kind of project, and I do think I found it in this cozy, lightweight hat for autumn. This was my beach-knitting project for this year's family vacation to Ocean City, MD. It was simple enough to knit while watching my nieces play in the surf without paying it a whole lot of attention, and despite the fact that my hyper-sensitivity to the sun kept me from spending as much time on the beach as I'd have liked, I still managed to finish all but the last few rounds by the time I got home.
My other vacation knits remain unfinished. I knit nearly the whole leg of a Pomatomus sock out of one of my new favorite yarns, Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock, before noticing a dropped stitch a good 2.5" back, and have been so bummed at the thought of frogging it that it's just been sulking on the end table, waiting for a miraculous fix-by-fairies.
I knit the back of my Concur cardigan, but kind of lost steam on that one, and have put it aside for the moment. Photos to come of that one when I return to it...
Since I got home I have been doing sporadic work on the Traveling Sweater whenever the weather has been cool enough to allow the lap-full of wool, and on a super-fun project that looks a little something like this:
More to come on that cutie soon...
As summer comes to an end, I am thrilled to look at my stash of wooly scrumptiousness and imagine crisp days and cool evenings spent creating beautiful, useful knits for myself and my loves. I'm a little worried that I will have less time to knit this coming school year, as I'll be taking on some greater responsibilities at work while also just teaching more hours per week, but that's all positive, so I can't be too upset. Plus, I've renewed my commitment to practicing yoga, which means a few less knitting hours per week, but more stretching and breathing to make everything else better. I think I tend to make resolutions like this at the end of summer ("This is the year I'm going to be more organized! Read all my assigned chapters on time! Finish papers before the middle of the night before they're due!") and now that I'm teaching instead of student-ing, it's no different. The promise of unused school supplies always sparks my optimism.
Anyway, in the meantime, here's the detailios on the hat:
Ocean City Slouch
Pattern: Pinstripe Slouch Hat by Veronik Avery, from her lovely book Knitting 24/7
Yarn: Gaslight Dyeworks Superwash Fingering
Colorway: Bad Moon Rising
Yardage: around 300?
2010 so far:
FOs: 15
Yards knit: 3850
My other vacation knits remain unfinished. I knit nearly the whole leg of a Pomatomus sock out of one of my new favorite yarns, Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock, before noticing a dropped stitch a good 2.5" back, and have been so bummed at the thought of frogging it that it's just been sulking on the end table, waiting for a miraculous fix-by-fairies.
I knit the back of my Concur cardigan, but kind of lost steam on that one, and have put it aside for the moment. Photos to come of that one when I return to it...
Since I got home I have been doing sporadic work on the Traveling Sweater whenever the weather has been cool enough to allow the lap-full of wool, and on a super-fun project that looks a little something like this:
As summer comes to an end, I am thrilled to look at my stash of wooly scrumptiousness and imagine crisp days and cool evenings spent creating beautiful, useful knits for myself and my loves. I'm a little worried that I will have less time to knit this coming school year, as I'll be taking on some greater responsibilities at work while also just teaching more hours per week, but that's all positive, so I can't be too upset. Plus, I've renewed my commitment to practicing yoga, which means a few less knitting hours per week, but more stretching and breathing to make everything else better. I think I tend to make resolutions like this at the end of summer ("This is the year I'm going to be more organized! Read all my assigned chapters on time! Finish papers before the middle of the night before they're due!") and now that I'm teaching instead of student-ing, it's no different. The promise of unused school supplies always sparks my optimism.
Anyway, in the meantime, here's the detailios on the hat:
Ocean City Slouch
Pattern: Pinstripe Slouch Hat by Veronik Avery, from her lovely book Knitting 24/7
Yarn: Gaslight Dyeworks Superwash Fingering
Colorway: Bad Moon Rising
Yardage: around 300?
2010 so far:
FOs: 15
Yards knit: 3850
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