aswim in knits

a year in socks

2009-12-29T22:21:00.004-05:00

I was surprised to see that I only knit 5 pairs of socks this year. I would have thought it was more than that. And only 2 were for me!

The year started with these socks:

"Commissioned" by my mom for my sister-in-law's Christmas gift.
(Raveled here.)

Next came a pair of Monkey socks for my mother-in-law's Christmas gift. Finished in mumblety-May-mumblety. Oops.

(Raveled here.)

Also finished in May were the Mystery Socks from Kirsten/Through the Loops. For me!

(Raveled here.)

Then, in early June, a pair of simple stockinette GREEEEEEEN socks for Kellee, as a thanks for several nice things she did for me.

(Yep, Raveled over here.)

Then, after a sock dry spell of about 6 months, I finished this pair, for me:

(Yo, over here, on Ravelry.)

I love my handknit socks. I'd like to make a few more pairs for myself in 2010. Maybe some from this yarn:

It looks like I have at least 20 sock yarns in the stash. Let's get cracking, self.

these are not just shoes ...

2009-11-22T23:38:00.001-05:00

these are not just shoes ...
Originally uploaded by aswim in knits

No, they are a whole lot more than that. They represent discipline, pride, motivation, challenge, friendship, strength, and accomplishment ... all of the things I have gained this year through running.

When I added running to my workouts this spring/summer, it was mostly because I wanted to get in better shape, and knew that swimming wasn't enough (for me) on its own.

I didn't expect to love running so much.

On Thanksgiving morning, I will run the Feaster Five, a 5 mile road race in my community. No matter what my results are, I will be proud of what I have accomplished this year.

I am a runner.

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-05T16:52:00.005-05:00

At the behest of Carole, I am jumping on the "Thankful Thursday" bandwagon ...

I am thankful for good friends. In the past year or two, I have learned how much I rely on my friends -- to celebrate with in times of joy and to lean on in times of sadness, to listen to and to listen to me, to give me a word of advice when I need it and a kick in the pants when I deserve it.

The best kind of friends are not necessarily those who I might have expected to walk into my life, but those who have changed my life in ways that I couldn't have imagined.

These flowers are from one of those friends. This summer, I spent a week in New York. When we got to the city, M (my friend and traveling companion for the week) decided we needed some flowers at the place we were staying, and left these on my windowsill. Sometimes, it's the littlest gestures that say "you are important to me."

To all of my friends -- including those of you who are part of my online world -- you are important to me, and I am grateful that I have you in my life!

Amy's yarn

2009-10-26T14:01:00.002-04:00

Amy's yarn
Originally uploaded by aswim in knits

Dear Schacht,

Did you know that you can fit 7.75 ounces on a 4-ounce bobbin?

Here's what you need to make it work:
800ish yards of heavy laceweight yarn
1 WooLee Winder,
1 determined and competitive spinner
1 room full of friends *encouraging* me to make it happen and
1 MamaCate to manually turn the overly full bobbin for the last 4 yards or so.

So, Amy, here's an unbroken skein of about 800 yards for you. Have at it!

Love,
Danielle

Ishbel is finished

2009-10-23T16:33:00.001-04:00

Ishbel is finished
Originally uploaded by aswim in knits

So, umm, maybe I'll blog more regularly if I post right from Flickr? Maybe?

Just because I'm not knitblogging doesn't mean that I'm not knitting. In fact, I'm so thrilled with my most recent FO that I've been inspired to *gasp!* blog about it!

What's so special, you might ask? Well, for starters, it's a cute pattern. Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague. It's also my first lace shawl. I've knit lace in socks and sweaters, and in scarves and baby blankets, but never in a shawl.

And I'm kind of in love with this particular shawl because it's knit from my very own handspun. I've knit plenty of things with my handspun before, but this skein just amazed me. It's a merino/tencel blend, and not even spun especially well, but it was just a perfect match for the pattern.

I just keep looking at it and saying "wow, I made this. No, I really MADE this." It's freakin' rad.

More photos and such on Ravelry, of course.

2009-07-30T14:49:00.002-04:00

You know, I kind of miss blogging, every once in a while.

I'm swiping this meme from Carole. Who knows? I might blog a bit more frequently in the next couple of months. Or not.

What time did you get up this morning? 4:55 am
How do you like your steak? I don't eat red meat
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Ummmm ... ? I guess it's been a while.
What is your favorite TV show? Law and Order
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? where I live now.
What did you have for breakfast? peanut butter and jelly sandwich
What is your favorite cuisine? French
What foods do you dislike? nothing, really. maybe tripe?
Favorite Place to Eat? any fine restaurant
Favorite dressing? blue cheese
What kind of vehicle do you drive? Honda Accord
What are your favorite clothes? sweats (for comfort), black pants and heels (for looking good)
Where would you visit if you had the chance? Europe ... all over.
Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full
Where would you want to retire? somewhere on the ocean
Favorite time of day? late night
Where were you born? Massachusetts
What is your favorite sport to watch? hockey
Bird watcher? no
Are you a morning person or a night person? night
Do you have any pets? nope
Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? nope - it's pretty quiet around here
What is your favorite childhood memory? Playing in the snow.
Always wear your seat belt? yes, always!
Been in a car accident? no
Any pet peeves? too many to list!
Favorite pizza toppings? mushroom
Favorite Flower? lilies
Favorite ice cream? anything with chocolate
Favorite fast food restaurant? Dunkin Donuts
How many times did you fail your driver’s test? none
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I have no idea!
Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope. And all of you who have met me will understand this :)
Broccoli? hell, yeah!
What was your favorite vacation? honeymoon cruise
Last person you went out to dinner with? my knitnight girls
What are you listening to right now? The sweetly humming a/c.
What is your favorite color? blue
How many tattoos do you have? none, and never will
Coffee Drinker? yes. iced, with milk and sugar, year round.

And there you have it. Did you learn anything new about me?

hi blog, I miss you!

2009-04-08T22:45:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I spent some time around here. {Wipes a few cobwebs away ...}

I keep thinking of posts in my head, and then wondering how I could possibly catch up on everything I've done in the months that I've missed. Well, I guess I have to start somewhere.

So where?

Let's see ...

I taught myself how to crochet for the potholder swap!

After a four+ year hiatus, I started swimming again. And lost ten+ pounds. (Many more to go!)

I knit a sock.

And made some other stuff too.

I'm up to Day 191 on my Project 365 over on Flickr, and I'm having a ball with it. Drop by if you want to see what I've been up to! I do miss blogging, though. Mainly because I miss all of you who aren't on Flickr. I read your blogs, but I also like to tell you what I've been doing :) So, I'm going to try to pop in here a bit more regularly.

on blogging ... and knitting

2009-01-02T10:35:00.002-05:00

Welcome, 2009! How ya doin'? Me, I'm good. I've been enjoying a nice few days off this week, and not looking forward to restarting life-as-usual soon.

In the meantime, I noticed that this here blog has been rather neglected (only 5 posts since October!). I've instead been spending most of my internets time reading your blogs, and playing on flickr and ravelry and twitter.

I mentioned a while ago that I've been doing a project 365 over on Flickr. I'm having a good time with it, and have finished the first 3 months or so. I've also started to write a whole lot more on my pics over there. Mini-blogging, I guess.

And then, despite my best attempts to avoid it, I got sucked into twitter too. Micro-blogging.

I really don't have enough time to be quite so socially-networked, or enough discipline to walk away when I shouldn't be playing around online.

Anyways, back to this blog, which is ostensibly a knitting blog. So, what have I knit recently? Lots of good stuff! (FYI, I'll spare you the details, and just post pretty pics. But if you want more info, it's all on my Ravelry projects page.)

I've been test-knitting Elinor's Grow Like a Weed Jacket, and it's almost done!

At my mom's request, I made her an eggplant hat. Of course, now she wants mittens to match!

Dad got a pair of socks for Christmas:

My FIL got a single mitten. I still need to knit the other one!

My MIL got some socks ... well, a promise to knit socks. She picked the Conwy pattern from Knitting on the Road, and I think it will work well with this yarn, although I'm already afraid of running out when I get to the toes.

I'm swatching for a sweater for my dad. I'm designing it myself, so it's not going anywhere fast.

I also started a pair of socks for my sister-in-law, with some yarn that MiniKate gave me for my 30th birthday last year.

Whew! I guess I have actually been knitting! I have lots of other projects calling out for attention, but I want to finish these ones first. Then, in 2009, a stranded yoke sweater for me, and some more socks. That's as close to a knitting resolution as you're going to get.

can't talk, busy knitting

2008-12-07T23:19:00.003-05:00

Silly me decided to knit Christmas gifts for all 4 parents this year. I'm not sure how that's going to work out, but here are some sneak previews:

Socks for my dad:

A lined hat for my mom (click through to Flickr for details):

Socks for my MIL:
I think I need to buy yarn for these. See, she's a sock knitter too, so I want to make sure to use something really nice. And then I need to choose a pattern! Hmmm...

Mittens for my FIL:
These ones were a well-received gift 3 years ago, but apparently he doesn't wear them much because he's afraid of ruining them! I'm thinking of a pair of simple stranded mittens. Maybe these, no pompoms? Any other suggestions?

a triple win - you, me, and those in need

2008-11-20T11:38:00.004-05:00

Around the holidays each year, my thoughts turn to charitable giving. I am blessed to live a comfortable life, and I am grateful that I have enough discretionary income to knit, spin, take photos, and travel to see my fiber friends. Yet I know that there are many who struggle to afford even the basic needs of life.

This year, with especially difficult economic circumstances, food banks are anticipating greater demand for their services this winter. In lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts, my extended family is donating cash to a food bank instead.

I thought this would also be a good opportunity to do some destashing. I've gone through my stash to see what I can part with, and I will donate 50% of the asking price to a food bank.

This is a triple win!

A win for you, because you get some new yarn but know that half of that price will go to feed the hungry.
A win for me, because I get to clear out my stash and make a bigger charitable donation this year.
A win for the food banks, because cash is the most valuable donation they can receive. With cash, they can buy food at wholesale prices. Not only can they get more "bang for the buck" at wholesale prices, but they can also buy items that they need the most.

Take a look at what I’ve got for sale in my stash for sale page on Ravelry, and remember that half of that price will go directly to a food bank to help the hungry during the holiday season!

Lots of good stuff is there ...

And more!

PM/email for more info or shipping prices. Thanks for looking!

last seen on September 23 ...

2008-11-17T17:36:00.004-05:00

... the Orange Julius socks.

I'm pleased to say that they are now done!

These are part of my rainbow of socks:

And I'm onto the yellow ones now ...

rockin' the vote

2008-11-04T21:28:00.003-05:00

I voted today, and I hope you did too. I won't say much, because Carolyn and Carole said it better than I could.

At 7:15 this morning, we waited in traffic that stretched for nearly a mile. (8/10 to be exact).

We cast our votes. But stickers were not given out at our polling place. I think I'm the only knitter who didn't get a sticker.

Maybe I should follow Maritza's lead and make my own.

{Oh, breaking news, Obama just projected to take Ohio! Back to CNN ... see you tomorrow, to celebrate, I certainly hope!}

you would think ...

2008-11-03T15:12:00.003-05:00

... that with a shiny new camera, I would take more photos of the knitting, yes?

Sadly, no. I've been taking lots of photos of myself, but not so much of the knitting. I've finished a sweater and a pair of socks that you've seen in progress, but no photos. I also whipped up a quick hat for charity and started swatching for a sweater, but no new pictures of these either.

I'll make it my mission to get some decent pics in the next few days, but these dark days are such an obstacle ... (Hey, a photo of me modeling an FO counts as a self-portrait too, right? It's a two-fer!)

What else have I been up to recently?

Well, laundry, for starters ...

And yardwork ...

And a bit of quilting ...

Tonight, I'm off to go knit with friends, and I am SO looking forward to an evening of friends, food, and fiber. Ciao!

bleargh

2008-10-24T10:23:00.003-04:00

So, you were all looking for a Rhinebeck wrap-up, right? Here's the quick version: I went, I saw friends, had drinks, bought yarn, and came home. Last year, I was all about the fiber buying, as I had a new wheel at the time. This year, it was about seeing friends and perhaps making a few new ones.

I had a fabulous time. And now I'm paying the price ...

... home sick with a cup of tea.

Thank goodness for Flickr, Ravelry, and Bloglines to keep me amused, because daytime television is crap.

Oh, and what did I buy? Not much! I'm fairly restrained at festivals.

These skeins from Zeilinger's are destined to be a stranded yoke sweater, along with another darker color for the body.

I also got a single skein of some yummy, squishy soft merino from Punta Yarns:

And some sheep:

Also, although not shown, 4 ounces of natural colored merino roving to practice woolen-style drafting.

Now, back to loafing on the couch. I think it's time for another cup of tea.

stand up and be counted

2008-10-14T18:17:00.003-04:00

Yeah, so I guess I never mentioned that I'm going to Rhinebeck this year. I have a sweater that is incredibly close to done (as in, just a few buttons to sew down), and I'm hoping to finish it tonight. Maybe photos tomorrow?

Who else will I see? I know from conversations (irl, or over email) that many of you are coming, but I'm not exactly sure who. So, leave a comment if you'll be there!

I told a colleague about plans for Rhinebeck. I may have mentioned that there would be yarn, wool, and adult beverages. Her comment was

Sheep and booze don't mix well. Be careful.

In the meantime, I've been playing with these ...

Details later, or click over to Flickr for more pics.

And, umm, did I mention that I decided to join Project 365?

wrapping up the Mafghan

2008-10-01T14:00:00.004-04:00

A long time ago, I told you about a project that I started for a friend. An afghan, made with love by friends near and far. An expression of support during a tough time. A Mafghan, if you will.

It was supposed to be a surprise, but I gave it to her before it was finished, because she needed to know about it and about all the people who cared about her. I think she liked it. Then I took it back to complete.

Well, I finished the Mafghan a long time ago, but never posted. And I never thanked all of you who contributed to the project. The final result was a huge blanket (and 2 pillows!), and it is more beautiful than I ever could have hoped. Yes, I think she really liked it.

A big THANK YOU to all of the following wonderful people:
Erin Abby Debbi Annie Suzanne PatchesMom1973 Manise
Bertha Suzanne Kathode Ray Tube Sparkles Alison Becca Deidre Anne
Maryse Thorny Jess Mel somebunnyslove Beth S. Wenders Sneaksleep
Elinor DeltaDawn Maryse Pam Femiknitter Kelly Suzanne Julia FC
Lucy Chris Q Laura Sharon Haddy Etherknitter Emily Karen
Kelly Kathy Lucy Alex Lucia Kat Claudia Britt Suzanne
Suzanne Katie Christy Cetta Alison no-blog-Rachel PumpkinMama Cynical Knitting Gal
Brenda Ruth Kit Britt Amy PiGrrrl LauraC Erica
Katie Lisa Annie Francesca Kate Danielle Julie Kim
Sara Mary Lindsey Knitopia roro HoneyBee Rhonda the Stitchingnut Linda

In case you are wondering about the order in which the names are listed ... they are arranged according to the layout of the squares. So, Erin made the square at the top left, Manise at the top right, Linda at the bottom right, etc. If you click the photo, it will bring you to the Flickr photo -- leave a note with which one is yours if you want! (Also, there is a Flickr set with photos of each individual square up close.)

And thank you also to PainterWoman JulieFrick and Julie S. who weren't able to knit a square, but sent yarn for the borders and seams. And to Cheryl, who taught several of us a new way to seam :)

Indeed, she liked it.

Some of you have asked me recently about the Mafia and wondered how she was doing. Some of you were concerned because she hasn't been around online very much. Rest assured that things are going well for her! If you want to leave her a note in the comments, I'll nudge her to stop by and check them out.

So, with this post, I now consider this WIP to be a FO.

Mafia, with best wishes for much happiness and good health -- enjoy!

help! calling all creative sorts!

2008-09-30T15:22:00.010-04:00

Thanks for your comments on yesterday's post about the how and the why of the ways in which we present ourselves online. Elisa put it nicely:

"reading blogs takes time, so there needs to be something compelling in the blog to keep us coming back. People who are real, and who post about their real lives, are much more compelling than those who stick to knitting, only knitting, just the knitting."

So, more on the coaching, sort of ...

This is G. She and I joined the team the same year, G. as a brand-new coach and me as a 10 year old swimmer.

Over the past two decades, G. has become not just my coach, but also a friend, a mentor, a sounding board and confidante, and the dispenser of sage advice and the occasional much-needed kick in the ass.

In one month, she will turn 50. G. is creative, and perhaps even a bit sentimental. She definitely appreciates the time and the thought that go into special gifts and recognitions. When her daughter graduated from high school she commissioned a friend of mine to make this quilt with photos and memories from her daughter's years on our team.

So, I'd like to do something special for her 50th birthday, which happens to coincide with her 20th anniversary of coaching. I'd also like to get our swimmers and other coaches (and perhaps even our alumni swimmers) involved.

• • • HELP! • • •

Here's where I need your help coming up with ideas! I can sew, I can do basic quilting, and I'm fairly handy with paper (I designed and made custom invitations for our wedding!). And of course I can knit and spin.

I would love in some way to incorporate the words of our swimmers, since that's sort of a team tradition. Our athletes are all ages, from elementary school through high school. I was thinking of asking them to respond to one or more of the following prompts:

why G. is a good coach
what you have learned from G.
an adjective to describe her, and why
a memory you have of a team activity that involves her
something special or unique about G.

I can then work some of those words into whatever I do. I'm leaning towards something quilt-y, but I'm not sure what. Probably not in the team colors, which are bright pink, white, and royal blue -- all of already us have so much in those colors, and they're not really colors that she would choose for her own style.

Oh, one more thing ... our swimmers' suits are all decorated with handsewn sequins, rhinestones, and beads, so a small amount of embellishment like that would make any quilt a "synchro" quilt.

Any ideas? Help me brainstorm in the comments!

P.S. This is me today, at the same age as G. was when I met her. I've learned so much from her in the past twenty years, and I only hope that someday I can return that favor to someone else.

the posts in my head

2008-09-29T09:45:00.003-04:00

Last week, Phoe wrote about blogging, as seen through her eyes. Her post, and the comments that followed, made me think.

Bertha asked "Why do I love reading about other people’s lives (good and bad) but assume they’d have zero interest in mine? I don’t know."

And I agree with her. I love reading about other people's lives. I'll admit that part of it is probably just voyeurism. But I also like to read the little vignettes from everyday life. Family, work, health, the occasional forays into politics or religion, and the photos and words about the things we see every day. (Like, who would have thought that a rusty backhoe could be so beautiful?)

Like all bloggers, I compose posts in my head as I go through the day. I rarely sit down and write them, though. While I'm not interested in daily blogging, I do think I may write a bit more in the coming weeks. Maybe. Because I'm noncommittal like that.

***

Tonight is the first practice for the season. As a lot of you know, I coach a synchronized swim team in my hometown. Last week, I realized that this fall marks 20 years of my involvement with the team. I started competing in 5th grade, and started coaching when I was in college. In addition to coaching, I'm also a certified zone judge, and will start working on my national level judge's rating this year.

I love the girls that I coach, and I love the sport. Although it is a second job, and I do get paid, I don't coach for the money. (It's a YMCA team. The pay is not huge!) But I take my commitment to the team very seriously, and spend 10-15 hours a week at the pool, in meetings, or on the phone or email related to coaching.

This year, because it's the right thing for the team, I will be coaching 10-14 year olds. I'm a little bit apprehensive. This age group usually has a lot of *ahem* personality! Let's see how it goes ... I'm sure I'll blog more about it.

the post in which I discuss politics. briefly.

2008-09-25T13:54:00.006-04:00

I've never been one to blog about politics. I'll make an exception today, to announce that if I could, I would (re)elect Jed Bartlet for President.

But, since I'm on the topic of politics, let me opine on Massachusetts Question 1, a ballot initiative to abolish the state income tax. What kind of crack are these people smoking? And could the opponents please add some substance to their website (perhaps the fine folks at MassBudget could give them some talking points*)? And while you're at it, do a little search engine optimization so people could actually FIND the site?

* This is an old link, and the specific figures are out of date, but the principles are still good. If anyone can point me to newer substantive discussion of why to vote no on question 1, please do the linky-link in the comments. I'm hoping that the failure of my google-fu is due to the fact that no sane person would vote for question 1, and therefore there are few sites discussing this in any serious manner. Please let this be the truth.

OK, on to the shiny! happy! fun! part of the post.

I got my graduation present! Thanks for all the good advice about cameras. I got the best one I could afford, and will also invest in some lenses, etc. over time. I've been so busy, I've only just started to figure out how use it. Stay tuned for more photos. {Photos from the camera, that is, not photos of the camera!} Oh, and check out this photography tutorial. It's for food bloggers, but I think would apply well to craft bloggers too.

I effed an o, or maybe two

2008-09-23T15:24:00.005-04:00

It's been a long time since any finished objects were shown around here. Upon closer inspection of Ye Olde Blogge Archive, it seems that not only have I not finished anything in a while, I also haven't shown you the things I did manage to finish!

Don't get your hopes up - it's just socks.

Way back in early July, I knit some handspun socks. Then I took a really craptacular photo of them. And posted the photo to Flickr. And updated Ravelry. And after all that, I promptly forgot to blog about them.

Why yes, they ARE pinned to the fabric walls of my ~~cube~~ open office at work, thankyouverymuch.

Last week, I also finished my Traveler's Stockings.

I absolutely HATED knitting these. I knit tightly, and that made the twisted stitches at the top quite beastly. Plus, I had the patterns *almost* memorized, but not quite - it was annoying to have to look at the chart when I almost didn't need it.

I have a theory about the twisted stitch cuff. I think Nancy Bush designed a sock that would be full of beautiful twisted stitch patterns that would extend down the whole leg of the sock. Then she knit three inches of it and wanted to slit her wrists. So, she threw in a purl round and some leg decreases, kept one tiny pattern on the sides, and called it a day. (Ok, not really, but let me make myself feel better, ok?)

I usually knit pretty socks for others and plain ones for myself, but I decided to start making myself some fancy ones. I do love how these look, and I am glad that I persevered. I can't wait to wear them this fall and winter!

Back in February, I decided to knit a rainbow of socks. In color order.

After finishing the red ones, I've (obviously) moved onto my orange ones.

I'm calling these my "Orange Julius" socks. (Brownie points to the first person who can guess where the name came from!)

Whoops, gotta go to a meeting now ...

karma sometimes works in my favor

2008-09-21T18:58:00.003-04:00

Last year, I set out to knit a sweater for Rhinebeck. I did not finish it for Rhinebeck. But I did finish it. And, although I got gauge and the sweater ended up exactly the size and shape I intended, it wasn't the right size and shape for me! So it's going to my mother-in-law because it looks perfect on her.

PumpkinMama had a very similar experience recently with her Sunrise Circle jacket.

Guess who the sweater fit? Yes, me! I went over to her house to try it on, not really expecting it to be the right size. But, it looked like it was made for me!

I do need to reposition the buttons and button loops a bit, but otherwise it's just right. So, I'll be buying PumpkinMama some yarn to make a new one for herself, and keeping this one for me!

Since my Rhinebeck 2007 sweater didn't work out, I think I can use the good karma points I earned in giving it to MIL and call the Sunrise Circle jacket my Rhinebeck 2008 sweater, right? Maybe I need to wear a button that says "handknit, but not by me"?

PS -- If you're wondering about that pile of rocks, the story is here.

overextended

2008-09-17T23:17:00.003-04:00

OK, kids, that's your vocabulary word of the week.

Overextended: to impose on someone an excessive burden of work or commitments.

Apparently, I'm not the only one in this boat. I was talking with the Mafia about this yesterday, and Kellee feels kinda the same, I think.

Being overextended has kept me offline more than usual. I miss you guys out there. Hi! {waves!}

Oh, and do you think that the overextendedness has anything to do with the TMJ? (Umm, is the Pope Catholic?) BTW, thanks for the good suggestions about how to deal with this. I'm seeing my awesome chiropractor, which I think will really help. I've also seen a naturopathic doctor, and got some good advice on things I ought to change in my life style for overall healthier living. And, I got a referral to a mind-body program that offers medical symptom reduction classes. I'm actually pretty excited to check this one out. I think some coping strategies would be a good thing, and am 100% behind the idea of the power of the mind-body connection.

Anyways, since I had back-to-back work, appts, and meetings from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. tonight, and have to be at a working breakfast early tomorrow morning, I should go to bed now. (See, overextended!)

this week's edition of ask the internets

2008-09-15T23:20:00.005-04:00

Hey, I'm back from vacation. More details to follow -- re-entry is tough. If I owe you an email, I'm getting to it, I promise.

In the meantime, I thought I'd throw out a few questions for the advice of all the wise people out there in online-land.

1) Does anyone know of a good *free or inexpensive* sound editing software that runs on a Mac? I'm mixing music for the kids I coach, and my version of my old software is for a PC. Here's the kicker -- I need to be able to import and manipulate stuff I buy from iTunes, and many programs make that impossible.

2) Any words of advice for treating TMJ pain? I've had a delightful earache for the past three weeks as a result of clenching/grinding my teeth. I think it's a stress response, but I'm very confused about why the pain didn't show up until after grad school - aren't I less stressed now than I was for the previous 15 months?

The site linked above describes me perfectly, including the part about NSAIDs not really working well. Those 800mg tabs of ibuprofin? Nothing useful there. The NP prescribed Percocet, but I haven't filled the script, as Percocet makes me a little loopy. Ahem.

I have a nightguard fitted by the dentist, but it makes the problem worse rather than better. Chiropractic treatment is showing some promise. I'm going to see a naturopathic doctor later this week. I'm leery of acupuncture (fear of needles) but if someone out there tells me that their brother-in-law's accountant's wife was successfully treated this way, I might try that too. Anything else I'm missing?

vacation!!!

2008-09-08T09:46:00.006-04:00

Is it still a vacation when you have wireless internet access? I think so.

This week, I'm here.

I brought these two along for company:

And a whole lotta wool.

Yesterday Thom and I took a drive down to Kennebunkport. I could very easily live here.

View of the ocean from the aptly named Ocean Avenue.

Wildwood Baptist Chapel

Quote of the day, from Thom of course: "There are a lot of Quebec-ians on vacation here."

Quebecois, Thom, Quebecois.

His response: "Quebec-ians is easier to say."

(Note: he is reading over my shoulder as I type. Say hi to him!)

serious cleaning, and a new sweater

2008-08-31T11:54:00.006-04:00

Happy Labor Day weekend! We've been laboring -- we spent 7 hours cleaning the house yesterday. For reference, see Thom's opinion of my housecleaning skills here, near the bottom.

We're still cleaning today ... serious cleaning. I just vacuumed the lint filter in the dryer, and Thom is scrubbing the sump pump as I type. He's afraid that the mold on it is toxic, and has asked me repeatedly if I think it will make him sick. He just came upstairs to ask if I'm blogging about his fear of the mold. (I wasn't, but of course now I am!)

Dude, I don't plan to clean like this again for at least another six months.

Labor Day always feels like the last day of summer to me, regardless of when the season really ends. And once fall rolls around ... it's sweater season!

So, last week, I cast on for a new cardigan. I'm really working to ~~eliminate~~ keep the stash from expanding, and hopefully get it to shrink a bit. You may have forgotten about this, since this was a resolution that I made way back in January 2007. Since then, I've only purchased a few skeins of sock yarn, and yarn to make gifts, which are both allowable exceptions. Somehow, the stash seems even bigger than when I started, though. I guess that's because I've also received yarn as gifts, and in swaps, and when other people have destashed. Oh, and that spinning habit that I picked up seems to add yarn to the stash, and take away from the time needed to knit and eliminate stash!

Anyways, there will be NO yarn purchases for myself (except sock yarn, and I don't need any more of that, since I have enough for 26 pairs in the stash!) until ... umm .... a long time from now! Needless to say, the new sweater comes from the stash.

This is the Apricot Jacket (Rav link), knit in Cotton Ease. $1.39/ball back in 2005. Or 2004? A $10 sweater, woo hoo!

Technically, it's not really the Apricot Jacket. I'm using a yarn at a smaller gauge, and wanted a larger sweater than the pattern was designed for. Basically, I took an Ann Budd cardigan pattern (all hail Ann Budd), tweaked it a bit for my preferences, and threw in the design features from the Apricot Jacket. We'll see how that all works out. So far, so good, though.

Last night, I finished the back, and cast on for the two fronts. We're taking a vacation next week -- spending a week in Maine -- and I hope I can finish this in time to have some FO shots on the beach. Let's see how that works out.

Whoops -- gotta run. Off to a cookout, and then picnic with Thom on the beach. Toxic mold not included :)

sock-a-doodle-doo

2008-08-25T23:23:00.004-04:00

There's been a bit of sock knitting around these parts.

First is the Traveler's Stocking from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush:

I started these back in May, according to Ravelry. The pattern is really pretty, and I love the yarn (Dream in Color Smooshy, In Vino Veritas). And the one I finished fits great. What's the problem? I HATE knitting the twisted stitch part at the top!! I knit tightly, so it's a real exercise in dexterity to try to work the stitches. But, I'm through the tough part now, so these should move pretty quickly now.

The sock below is Spunky Eclectic sock yarn (color, Pop) with a modified version of a stitch pattern that I found somewhere online.

These are pair #1 and #2 of my rainbow of socks. I started the yellow ones too, but I tried two different patterns and neither worked. But it's probably better that way. I should finish these ones first!

I have another pair of socks finished too, but I need to take some better pictures first. Oh, and I might have started a sweater too :)

friends and family

2008-08-18T14:32:00.003-04:00

I had a delightful weekend, full of friends and family. I spent Saturday at the Fiber Revival. I was having such a good time that I forgot to stop and take photos.

I saw many wonderful people, but this lady is one of my favorites. Oh yeah, and her mom Ruth is pretty nice too :)

(Photo ~~lifted~~ borrowed from Julia.)

On Sunday, Thom and I went to Wells Beach, Maine, with his brother's family.

Our niece Gracie:

Our other niece Jane:

Sisterly fun:

And the love of my life:

A very good weekend.

all done!

2008-08-15T13:44:00.007-04:00

Last Friday, August 8, I finished grad school!

An auspicious day -- 8-8-08.

I am thrilled to be done. I'm a wee bit of a perfectionist (stop laughing, all of you!) so it was tough for me to balance grad school with a full time job and a part time coaching job and do a good job in all of them. I'm still waiting for my final grade, and then I'll get a diploma in September.

Our synchro season is also done for the year. Well, the kids have most of July and August off, although I'm busy planning for next year.

Last year, because of my school schedule, I didn't coach every practice. I assisted with our oldest teams, mostly high school girls.

This year, because I'll be able to coach more, I'll take on full responsibility for our 11-12 and 13-15 year old teams. It's been a few years since I worked with this age group. These swimmers will need to build strong basic skills, which is why I'm taking them on. Plus, there are some real personalities in the group, from what I hear, and they need some strong guidance :)

Here are a few photos of our older swimmers from competitions this past year. Remember that they never touch the bottom of the pool -- they're treading water, or doing the equivalent with their hands/arms when they are upside down.

Our "B" team does a lift.

They look something like this when they set up underwater, although our "flyer" starts with her head near the surface, not her feet. (This photo is of Team USA.)

Same team, heads up. They are swimming to music from the movie "Prince of Egypt."One of our duets ... remember, this is without touching the bottom!
Same girls, end of the routine.
One of our soloists:
And another younger one ... nice flexibility :)
We train for flexibility ... and I do some of the exercises with the girls. Some of you know that I can still do a flat split. And have been known to demonstrate at fiber festivals, but only when plied with adult beverages...

I wish I could show you some photos of their beautiful custom-made swimsuits, but I try not to post closeups where you can see their faces ...

If anyone wants to watch the synchro competition in the Olympics, team finals will be televised on Saturday, August 23. Duet competition and team prelims are shown Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday on a minor network -- Oxygen, I think, how appropriate for swimmers who hold their breath! :)

I have a few more things "all done" to show you, but I think this post is long enough. Maybe this weekend :)

Speaking of which, I hope to see my local peeps at tomorrow's Fiber Revival!

if everyone else's husband jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you push yours too?

2008-08-07T23:04:00.004-04:00

Pete did it. So did Dale. And Scott.

Obviously, it was Thom's turn.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: It’s made with love.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: The clutter and the crap.

Me: That's two things. Anyway, what is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Him: My hat.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Him: I don’t know. I don’t think so. Although the trip to get your wheel in NY was expensive. And long.
(Last year we drove from his parents’ house in Western MA to Syracuse in order for me to buy a wheel. In my defense, it was a damn good price, and a lovely scenic drive.)

Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Him: No not really. (Pause.) Picking up after your clutter?

Me: Wait a second, you have a collection of expensive German toys in the other room.

Him: That’s true. I do have a good collection of them. But I don’t know how to make a comparison. What’s the fair market value of your wool?

Me: Moving right along … Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
Him: (Long pause). No, I don’t think so.

Me: You can't remember any times in particular?

Him: No, honestly I don’t. It’s never really bothered me. It’s annoyed me but it hasn’t embarrassed me.

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Him: (Longer pause). Merino?

Me: Good answer!

(Ah, but he wasn’t done answering yet!)

Him: Two-ply … Umm, you really like those sheep from Iceland but I have no idea what they’re fucking called.

Me: So, can you name another blog?

Him: The Femme Nazi?

Me: (Hysterical laugher)

Him: Oh, Knit Mafia ... or something like that. Hey! Are you typing that? Don’t write that -- she’ll be insulted!

(pause)

Wait, Ravelry! I know Ravelry!!

Me: So, do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?

Him: No, not really.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
Him: Yes. You test to make sure that your rows and crap are all lined up and you’re using the right stitch and counts. And then you wrap it around my head to make sure that the texture is correct.
(I believe he is referring to the time when I couldn’t believe that when given an entire yarn store to select from, he asked me to knit a hat made out of Lopi. So I rubbed the swatch on his forehead to make sure it wasn't too itchy. Apparently, this was a traumatic experience.)

Me: Do you read Aswim in Knits?
Him: No. Not in a long time.

Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Him: Yes, when you put that photo up of me burning my pants. Which you’ll probably hyperlink to this fucking thing, right?
(Note: comments lost in an upgrade, but I think he did leave one!)

Me: ~~Damn straight I will!~~ Umm, maybe…

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?
Him: No, I think the house would be cleaner if you cleaned.

Me: It’s not so much about the knitting, huh?

Him: No.

Me: Thanks so much for playing along, is there anything you would like to add in closing?
Him: My wife is a wonderful knitter. She gives me street cred when I hang out with my friends in the department of agriculture*. And, let your friends know that I was raised right. I know how to cart wool. Damn, I mean card. Whatever, I did it once at summer camp. Yeah, that’s about it.

* I think he’s referring to the spinning here, and maybe the sheep and wool festivals.

I think I'll keep him.

oh look, more yarn

2008-08-05T10:40:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I never blogged about this yarn.

The fiber is some targhee top from Susan's Spinning Bunny. I'm not sure of the colorway, but I call it "Lilly Pulitzer." I got the fiber in a destash from Kari/Up The Mud Creek.

I spun it for Phoe in exchange for a beautiful chevron scarf. I haven't measured WPI yet, but it's the same fiber spun to the same specs as this yarn, and feels pretty similar.

I still need to mail this to Phoe, but my office moved and I no longer have a post office conveniently located near my office. And I've been spending most of my weekends doing homework, not errands. As soon as I'm done with school (three more days, not that I'm counting!), then I'll package this up and pop it into the mail for Phoe!

I want a new camera!

2008-07-29T09:29:00.010-04:00

In 10 days, I will be done grad school. I cannot wait!!!

Last night, I hinted to Thom that I would like a new camera as a graduation present. If by hint, you understand this to mean "I told him that I would send him an email with links to the camera he should buy me," then you would be correct.

Right now, I am using a three+ year old Nikon Coolpix E5600 point and shoot camera. I'm ready to play with the big kids, though, and get something with more capability and versatility. I'm thinking a DSLR, or as I still think of them "a big black camera with cool accessories."

So, since you, my fair readers, tend towards the opinionated side (yes, you! ... and you ... you too!), I thought I'd ask what you think of your DSLR camera(s). What camera do you have? What features do you like? What do you find irksome about your model? What do you wish your camera could do that it doesn't do?

I'm not sure exactly what I am looking for in a camera, but here are a few things that I know I want to do with it:

I want a camera that I can use indoors without a flash.
When I do use the flash, I want it to recharge quickly. (Right now, it takes my camera 3 seconds to save an image and 5 seconds to recharge the flash, so I miss lots of good photos.)
I'd like to be able to add a lens that I can use to take decent photos at a distance. Not really far, but maybe 100 meters? (Like, say, taking photos of my swimmers at meets!)
I want to take candid photos of kids (like this one or this one), so I want to be able to use an auto mode, or have a manual mode that is pretty easy to set up/adjust so that I don't miss the good photos!

I'm not afraid to read a manual, or buy a book, or take a class, or ask advice, in order to learn how to get a camera to do what I want it to. That said, I'm not looking to be a super highly technical photographer, so I don't need the fanciest or best possible camera out there.

Really, what do I want to do? I want to learn to take beautiful pictures like Ashley, Maryse, Caro, PumpkinMama, Phoe, Cheryl, Maritza, Adrian, and Tiennie. (And, umm, like lots more of you talented peeps out there. I'd link to all of you, but I do need to return to my paid employment momentarily.) Clearly, these individuals all have an artistic eye, which is the biggest part of their photo-taking ability. But I bet a good camera helps too :)

What cameras should I be looking at? What kind of questions do I need to think about? What features will I want?

Opinions, please. Bring it.
(And, umm, if you have other friends who like to take photos with their DSLRs, send 'em this way to share their thoughts!)

no internet!

2008-07-25T16:55:00.002-04:00

What a week. First our shower sprung a leak, and then our internet service went on the fritz. Hopefully it's just a modem problem. Our cable modem from Comcast has a panel of LED lights, including one for the power, and none are lighting up. At lunch today, I went out and exchanged it for a new unit, so hopefully that will solve the problem. If so, I'll post more this weekend. If not, I'll be back next week!

crappers

2008-07-19T00:11:00.002-04:00

Remember earlier this week when I had trouble sleeping? Yep, it's happening again. I slept until 11:0o this morning (I took a vacation day) and now I am WIDE awake. I finished watching Season 3 of The Closer but I'm bored with watching tv. I knit for a while, but I'm bored of knitting. The horror! I did homework earlier and I just can't bring myself to read any more about strategic budget planning this evening. So I screwed around online for a while. And I found this, which killed some time. And now I'm back to being bored. Crappers.

the post in which I talk about things for my feet

2008-07-14T01:03:00.003-04:00

It's 1:00 in the morning and I can't sleep. This NEVER happens to me. I'm a damn good sleeper. In fact, I slept 9 hours last night, and napped for another hour or two late this afternoon. Oh, maybe that's why I'm awake now....

So, I guess it's a good time to pop by the blog for a visit.

What have I been up to? Let's see, I knit a sock:

(Traveler's Stocking, from Knitting on the Road. Raveled.)

I started the second one, but I have to follow the chart for the top part of the leg, and I have no attention span right now.

So I started more socks, this time with some handspun(!).

I'm up to the heels now, and I'm enjoying them immensely. I love them so much that I don't even mind their fraternal-ness.

Oh, and these have been getting some use:

I've started the Couch to 5K running plan. Weeks 1-3 were ok, but week 4 is kicking my ass. In a good way. I am waaaay out of shape, and it's time to do something about it. I'm aiming to run a 5K around Labor Day, or just before or after. I'd like to lose 30 pounds too, and I'm hoping this will help.

Well, I should probably wander back to bed. See if I can fall asleep, since the alarm will go off in less than 5 hours. Nighty night!

Elisa made me do it

2008-07-02T20:20:00.003-04:00

Elisa posted her answers to this meme and, because she said that we are all fascinating, I got a big ego and decided that y'all needed to know more about me. So, here goes:

1. Where was I 10 years ago.
I was an undergrad at BU and living in Boston. I worked for the school's orientation program, so at this exact moment I was probably dressed in a red polo shirt and ushering entering freshmen round campus. Such a great job -- we worked nonstop for a 48 hour period each week, got paid pretty well, and got free housing. Fifty-odd sassy college students in an apartment building, working only 2 days a week. If you guessed that there was a lot of partying on the other 5 days, you'd probably be right.

2. Five things on today’s to-do list.
~~Meet a friend/former colleague for lunch/socializing/networking~~.
~~Buy food for dinner~~.
Revise my independent study syllabus. (Next on the agenda.)
Clean the living room. (Probably not gonna happen.)
Do laundry for tomorrow. (In progress now.)

3. Snacks I enjoy.
Chocolate. Fruit smoothies. Cheese and crackers.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire.
Give money to my alma mater. I think I'd like a building named after me :)
Give money to my YMCA to build a new pool.
Take a really long vacation and travel.
Pay off our mortgage and Thom's student loans. (Sorry, my practical side is escaping...)
Buy a new car. A hybrid, most likely. Or a Volvo. I learned to drive on a 1975 Volvo, and I still have a soft spot for them. (Umm, yes, the car was older than me at the time!)

5. Places I have lived.
Massachusetts, all my life. A native Mass-hole.

6. Jobs I have had.
Lifeguard. Swim instructor. Synchronized swim coach. Babysitter/nanny. Orientation leader. Research assistant. Program assistant at a small academic institute at one university. Fundraiser at another university.

7. Who would I like to know more about.
As Elisa says, "Everyone. You're all just so fascinating. Seriously."

targhee sock yarn

2008-07-01T13:27:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday was my last classroom session for my master's degree. I still have one course to finish, but it's an independent study, so I get to do it on my own schedule. Well, as much as I can keep "my own schedule" between now and August 8.

As soon as that class ended, I got in some good time at the wheel and made this:

This is 376 yards of 2-ply targhee sock yarn. It's just a bit thicker than the mill-spun yellow sock yarn shown above from Kim at the Woolen Rabbit -- 14-15 WPI as compared to 16-17 WPI. The fiber came from another spinner's destash sale, although I believe it is originally from Susan's Spinning Bunny.

I have another braid of this fiber in another color. I'm not sure of the color name, but in my head, I call it "Lilly Pulitzer".

I'll be spinning this fiber as part of a swap with Phoe. She sent me a beautiful chevron scarf ...

(I borrowed this photo from Phoe -- I can't get a shot that does justice to the colors!)

... and I offered to spin her some yarn in exchange. She picked the pink and green stuff, which I adore! Phoe asked for a heavy fingering/light sport weight yarn, and I wanted to be sure that I could produce the right weight. So, I spun the pink/orange/brown braid first as a practice run. Well, I got just what I was aiming for, so I'm ready to go with Phoe's yarn! I think I'll start it tonight ...

crazy storms

2008-06-24T23:20:00.005-04:00

This is what the view from my office normally looks like:

Just before leaving today, it looked like this:

And about 3 minutes later, the rain came down, and I could barely see across the river:

My FWW got the play-by-play over the phone, so I thought she ought to get to see the photos too. Local peeps: this storm lasted about 15 minutes and took down 2 trees on M-Drive.

still here, but surprisingly quiet

2008-06-23T23:32:00.003-04:00

Test, test ... is this thing still on?

Oh, hi!

Yeah, I'm still here, even if I haven't been saying much. I've been keeping busy with work (new office location!) and school (6 weeks to go before I finish my degree!) and coaching (almost at the end of the season!), like always. I've been remarkably content for the past couple of weeks, and spending time away from the computer. Nothing special going on, just a convergence of lots of little things that have made me happy. And the nice weather never hurts!

Oh, and hey ... I've been spinning!

About 500 yards of heavy laceweight/light fingering weight. Merino/tencel blend. Good spinning, craptacular plying...

Some fluffy targhee on its way to becoming yarn ...

Singles for a 2-ply fingering-to-sport weight.

I need a nap

2008-06-12T15:36:00.004-04:00

Every feel mentally exhausted for no particular reason? Yeah, that's me.

Last week, I traveled to Chicago for work. I presented my first-ever talk at a national conference. I was one of 6 speakers on a one-hour panel, so it was hardly earth-shattering, but I was still pretty proud of myself!

Then I had a nice long weekend. My office relocated, so we had Tuesday off, and I took Monday as a vacation day. On Monday, I did some studying, but on Tuesday I just hung out, knit, spun, and watched DVDs. But I'm still tired.

Now I'm back at work. Here are my two favorite views from my new office:

(Out my windows)

(In my fridge)

I'll be back with knitting and spinning updates when I muster up some more energy.

the end of an era

2008-05-30T13:57:00.004-04:00

Have I mentioned before that I don't like change? Yeah, I really don't, especially when it's not in my control.

This afternoon, my long-time across-the-hall/over-the-cubicle-walls/lets-go-knit-at-lunchtime colleague moved out.

She's got some really great things happening, and exciting new opportunities ....

Still, my stapler's gonna be lonely.

what I did on my long weekend

2008-05-27T12:46:00.003-04:00

This weekend was the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival, a lovely fiber festival in my home state. I did not go.

Instead, Thom and I cleaned the house. We have been extraordinarily lazy recently, and the house was a pit of filth. Every pot was dirty, as were all of the drinking glasses. The dust bunnies under the beds were the size of softballs.

And the lawn ... well, the lawn is the bane of my home-owning existence. I'm rather afraid of gas-powered lawn-mowers (big! noisy! sharp blades!) and therefore have very little interest in learning how to use ours. And my darling husband is no more fond of them than I am, although he's not a scaredy-cat like me. After we he the landscapers that were there to remove the pool from the backyard mowed for the first time this year, a friend who lives in another part of town said "hey, I was over by your house and saw that you guys cut the lawn this week!" It was embarrassingly bad. Now it's merely a little scruffy looking. That I can live with.

So, we devoted this weekend to some serious cleaning. And, thanks to George Bush's misguided economic stimulus package, we splurged on a new vacuum cleaner. A Dyson DC25. And by "we", I do mean "Thom." He is the vacuumer-in-chief in our household. I use the vacuum cleaner about as often as the lawnmower.
Before you think that I am a total pig, I'll have you know that I do all of the laundry and ironing, most of the organizing tasks, and most of the bathroom cleaning. Anyways, we now have a sparkling clean house. Except for the craft room. I didn't touch that one yet!!

Since I didn't get to hang out with friends at the festival, I did treat myself to a little bit of spinning time at night.

This is a 70/30 merino/tencel blend that I picked up at Mind's Eye Yarns last year. I got 12 ounces with no particular plans for it. It's a lovely purple, very vibrant. It's a true purple -- not blue-ish or pink-ish, just purple.

This weekend, I pulled it out of the stash and after some sampling, I determined that it wanted to be a laceweight 2-ply.

Who am I to argue?

I'm sure I won't need all 12 ounces!! I'll see what kind of yardage I get from 4 ounces, and pick a pattern. If I need more, then I can spin more.

So, since I've never knit a lace shawl or stole, I'm open to suggestions. I have no fear of lace, and I've knit lace in sweaters and socks. Beth, Carole, Terry, Cheryl, anyone else who likes lace ... any recommendations?

how many times can I blog about the same thing?

2008-05-22T16:40:00.003-04:00

Apparently, several! (I swear, Carole, this really is a new post!)

I finished the cowl that I showed you yesterday. I put it on in the car this morning so that I could take a photo, and I haven't taken it off yet! It's warm and snuggly and I lurve it. This surprises me greatly, since I didn't think I was a cowl person. Now I want to make cowls out of all my single skeins!

This one was really simple. A tube, about 20" around, with seed stitch borders. I threw in a row of decreases in the middle (decreased about 10% of the stitches) so that the top would be snugger and the bottom would flare over my collar bones. I love the stripeyness.

And a gratuitous closeup.

There might well be more cowls in my future.

from start to finish

2008-05-21T14:23:00.004-04:00

Tonight, I go back to school. I've enjoyed a lovely two-week vacation, but now the summer session is upon us. I have one course to take for 6 weeks, and then an independent study for the next 6 weeks, and then I'm done!

Over my break I was busy with fibery stuff. I went to NHS&W, but was struck with a terrible case of camnesia, so no photos to share.

I finished up some secret knitting, which was my last remaining WIP! (We'll not speak of the UFOs, though.)

So, with a clean slate, I got busy with some other things...

Last week, I showed you this fiber (BFL top from FatCatKnits that I got in a destash from MudCreek Kari) and the yarn that it turned into.

This week, I took the yarn out for a night on the town (pictured below getting up close and personal with some handspun from Ms. Obsession du Jour).

And, because JulieFrick has amazing powers of persuasion, I cast on for a cowl. Mmm, stripey.

More WIPs to follow at a later date.

sometimes I surprise myself

2008-05-15T13:45:00.003-04:00

Just before going to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend, I decided that I ought to finish up what was on the wheel.

I started with this BFL top from Fat Cat Knits:

And made this yarn:

All the details are Raveled here.

I didn't love the colors of the fiber, but wanted to explore outside of my typical comfort zone. I like the spun yarn better than the unspun fiber. I swatched a little bit last night, and I think like how it looks. Maybe a cowl, à la JulieFrick? Or fingerless mittens. Or maybe a scarf like Caro's beautiful not-Noro one.

sweet anticipation

2008-05-08T17:23:00.003-04:00

Every once in a while I feel like life is getting just a bit crazy, and I need to refocus. But, since I can't control most of the things that are making my head spin right now, I'm taking it out on my knitting. I decided that I needed to clear the decks, clean the slate, start anew ... and get rid of all my WIPs!

For the past three weeks, I've been devoting all my knitting time to two projects. One is done, but needs a photo shoot. The other one is close to being done, but it's seekrit, so I can't show you. Once I finish this second project, all my WIPs will be FOs! (In the interest of full disclosure, I do have one sock toe that should be ripped and an ancient UFO sweater, but I'm not counting either as a WIP... )

While project monogamy is good for creating FO's -- go figure! -- I'm dreaming of other knits. I'm hankering to knit up my rainbow of socks next. Last night I wound the red yarn. Mmmm ....

Patterns in contention include:
Hedera
Hedgerow
Bayerische
Traveler's Stocking
Latvian socks
Socks for Veronik
Lombard Street
Azure
Twinkleberry
Chalet socks
Leyburn
Whisper Lace
Froot Loop

Any recommendations, for these or others?

things to do when I graduate

2008-05-04T13:41:00.004-04:00

I'm half an exam away from finishing this semester, and only have 2 more summer classes left before I finish my degree. There are so many things I want to do that I keep putting off until I'm done with school ...

1) sew curtains for the bedrooms, office, and bathroom.

2) exercise more regularly.

3) explore where in my area I can buy local produce, dairy, eggs, etc. I'm totally inspired by the photos Maryse, Elisa, and Ashley have posted recently, as well as the discussion about local foods that seems to be all over the blogosphere recently.

4) read for fun. Read a whole bunch of books that I stumbled across in grad school and never read. Read some of the classics that I missed as an undergrad/high school student.

5) Spin more.

6) Spend more time with friends.

7) Go on vacation with Thom. We've talked about Iceland for a few years, and he even told me that I can bring back several pounds of wool.

8) Cook more.

9) Have kid(s). I think. Not quite yet, but someday soon, I hope.

I guess if I want to do all of this, I'd best get back to my exam now.

need your color ideas

2008-04-29T14:49:00.003-04:00

I have seven skeins of some Dale Baby Ull in the stash, but I don't like the color. It looks like toothpaste to me.

I'd like to overdye it. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of using it for some baby knitting, or maybe for some lace knitting for me. I could make socks with it, but 7 skeins is a lot of socks in the same yarn.

Also, does anyone know if there is an online color tool that I could use to figure this out?

maf-ghan update

2008-04-28T15:56:00.003-04:00

I'm a bad, bad, friend. I've neglected the Maf-ghan for quite some time. Well, I'm back at it again, and it's almost complete.

I've got all of the squares seamed into two halves. I'm putting a border on the top and the bottom edges, and then I'll seam the halves together and add the side borders.

Mafia, one woolly blanket, coming right up. Just in time for summer.

my virtual refrigerator door

2008-04-26T19:58:00.003-04:00

Approximately thirty seconds ago, I finished writing up a semester's worth of work on "service learning and the millennial student." I still have to do some final editing and come up with a better title, but the hardest part is done, and I have until Thursday to finish the rest.

Right when I start wonder why I spend so much time agonizing over my schoolwork, I get back papers with comments like "Excellent job! A joy to read due to your writing style and the perfect balance of summary and analysis." And then I remember that a job worth doing is worth doing ~~perfectly~~ very well. And, hell, I learned a lot along the way.

Thusly, I am off to reward myself with ice cream and a movie.

it's finally springtime!

2008-04-25T09:37:00.003-04:00

Just the right time for a new pair of wool socks, right?

These are just a basic pair of socks in Kaffe Fassett Regia sock yarn. I love the colors, and the stripes amuse me. Yes, I am a bit obsessive about matching the stripes. I finished them a week or two ago, and they went right into my drawer for next fall. Details Raveled.

This leaves me with 2 WIPs on the needles -- a secret project and a very large and overdue project nearing completion. I am really, really, really trying to finish both of these projects before starting anything else. Let's see how long that lasts -- I have a rainbow calling my name.

if it's Wednesday, it must be random

2008-04-23T15:36:00.004-04:00

Just a few things today ...

1) Have you heard about PopKnits yet? This is a new project from the very talented Steph at Gleek.net. She's launched an online knitting magazine focused on vintage and vintage-inspired styles. Go forth, read, and design! (I'm noodling around with an idea for a baby sweater ...)

2) Want an afghan? Too lazy to knit your own? The lovely ladies at MDK are auctioning one off. Check it out.

3) The countdown has started -- two more weeks of school for the semester, and then two summer classes, and then I'm done with my master's degree! But the next two weeks will be b.u.s.y. -- I have a big research paper to finish, and a take-home exam that I think will be more like a series of short essays. Sigh.

4) I'm knitting something I can't blog about. It is not mindless knitting. There has been frogging. All of this makes for boring blogging.

5) Therefore, I shall find some other kind of image to blog.
Hmmm .... I have a lot of things I should be doing right now. But this is how I feel instead.

clapette

2008-04-20T17:59:00.004-04:00

Remember this? Yep, it's that time of the semester again. This time around, it's 15 pages on service-learning and the millennial student.

So, to distract you from the frightening lack of knitting around these parts, let me show you a FO that I eff-ed last week and never blogged - Clapette!

Trust me, I am much happier about this project than the photo above would lead you to believe.

This is the first project that I knit for myself with my own handspun. I bought the fiber at Rhinebeck with the intention of making yarn for a Clapotis, and I am pleasantly surprised that it all worked out as I hoped. I did make a narrower version, more scarf-like than wrap-like, and it's perfect! I even had yarn left over.

More info on Ravelry.

a week, already?

2008-04-16T15:15:00.002-04:00

I really thought I had posted more recently. Sigh. I've been spinning and knitting, though. I finished a few batches of fiber.

This is some merino-silk fiber in the Harvest colorway from Spunky Eclectic. It's not a color I would normally pick, but I've been trying to move outside my comfort zone. I got 130+ yards of aran weight yarn. I used the wet-finishing method I described recently. However, when I measured before finishing, I got 160+ yards. That seems like a lot of shrinkage to me. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Or did I just count wrong?

Details Raveled.

And this is some sock yarn, approx 380 yards, 4 oz. Spun from batts from Enchanted Knoll. It's a little less plied than I would like, but not bad. I'm looking forward to knitting with this. Maybe just some simple stockinette socks?

Details Raveled.

babies and puppies

2008-04-08T21:26:00.000-04:00

I finished the sweater for Baby K last weekend.

We don't know the gender, so I went with a nice gender neutral brown color. (Thanks for the inspiration, PumpkinMama!)

The sweater closes with three buttons on top.

Three very cute puppy dog buttons! (The K family has a much-loved dog, who joined the family before the birth of their first baby, now 2 1/2. They'll dig the puppies.)

Pattern: Daisy
Yarn: Dive Zenith
Raveled.

I am probably the only person ...

2008-04-07T21:58:00.003-04:00

... to knit a sock during a performance by Chuck D.

(This is the before photo. The second sock is about an inch longer now.)

The MLK event on Friday night was great. A wonderful line-up of artists who talked about their work and then read their poetry, performed music, etc.

(Derek Walcott, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli; photo by Allen E. Dines)

I don't know if I've ever read anything by Nikki Giovanni before, but now I really must find one of her books.

I almost didn't go, but this post, plus a colleague who decided to join me, sealed the deal. I'm glad I went. I should do things like this more often.

getting cultured

2008-04-04T13:33:00.006-04:00

One of the things I love best about living in the Boston area is that we have so many cultural events and institutions. A world-class art museum, an innovative science museum, a couple of good theater companies, a professional ballet, and an internationally successful orchestra are the best known cultural offerings, but hardly the only ones. Yet, I hardly ever take advantage of all these great things in my own backyard. I think 2008 should be my year to get some culture.

With that in mind, I'm off to hear a poetry reading tonight to commemorate of the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Local, free, and I even have parking privileges across the street. No excuse not to go!

one WIP, one FO

2008-03-31T16:45:00.004-04:00

Remember the sweater with puppy dog buttons?

I finished it this weekend! It desperately needs blocking, though, so no FO pictures yet. Maybe later this week. Hey, the kid's not even born yet, so I'm ahead of the game on this one!!

Since I finished one project, I felt completely justified in casting on for another.

I present: CLAPETTE.

(Thanks for the name, Maryse. Way to put those French language skills to work!)

She's a mini-version of the infinitely popular Clapotis. Using purls for the stitches to be dropped, rather than knit stitches and stitch markers.

She's knit with my very own handspun, spun with this pattern in mind.

Have I mentioned that I love this yarn?

And, because inquiring minds want to know, here's how I wet-finished the yarn.

Tie each of the two skeins in eight places, using figure-8 ties.
Drape yarn in strategic locations all over the house for most of a week.
Right before leaving for a trip to the in-laws, decide that wet-finishing must happen NOW.
Fill a very large bowl with very cold water.
Fill the bathroom sink with the hottest possible tap water and a squirt of Soak, and let the yarn sit for 20 minutes.
Drain sink and squeeze out yarn.
Dunk in cold water, agitate with hands.
Return to sink, and fill with fresh hot tap water. Agitate with hands, squealing because the water is HOT! (Yeah, I know you can use a small sink plunger, but remember, I wanted to do this NOW and I didn't have a clean plunger.)
Squeeze out hot water, dunk in cold for another minute or so.
Repeat hot water/cold water cycle once more, and then one more hot cycle (that's 3 hots, not including the initial soak).
Drain sink, squeeze out as much water as possible from the skeins.
Roll in a beach towel and stomp aggressively to get rid of more water.
Lay the towel on the kitchen floor. Whack each end of the skein against the towel a couple of times.
Hang yarn to dry. I put coat hangers on the ends of the skeins, and draped a towel over the coat hangers for some extra weight. This probably wasn't necessary.

I'll try to get a good closeup of the finished yarn. The finishing did what you would expect -- the yarn fluffed out a little bit, and the plies became more integrated. The separate strands of yarn were fuzzed together like weak velcro as I was winding it off, but there was no felting.

I spun the yarn with a mostly worsted style, from a worsted prep roving. So, the wet-finishing probably didn't change the character of the yarn that much. In fact, I probably could have just soaked the skein and hung it to dry and called it a day. But, I had fun trying something new!

slippers and WIPs

2008-03-25T17:32:00.004-04:00

Last month, I showed you this pile of slippers, pre-felting.

They've been felted!

For my mother-in-law (modeled by me):

(on Ravelry)

For Thom:

(on Ravelry)

For the Mafia's Little Man (a little big, but he'll grow into them):

(on Ravelry)

The pink and red ones are Araucania Nature Wool. I'm not thrilled with this yarn for felting. The slippers came out fuzzy and linty and a bit hairy. They look a little scruffy.

The green ones are Cascade Ecological Wool, and I love this yarn as much as I love regular Cascade 220 for felting! It's a bit thicker, and the plies seem rounder and have more of a "beaded" look than the 220. It felts down to a dense, smooth, even, sturdy fabric.

I've had enough of this pattern for a while! But, finishing these puppies knocked my WIP list from 8 to 5. Here's what's left:

1) A pair of socks for me. Working top down. Done with the gussets of both, and almost at the toe of one of them.
2) Seekrit knitting. In time out. Over half done. Found a mistake about 2/3 of the way through the part I have finished. Need to rip back or perform complex knitting maneuvers to fix.
3) Baby sweater. Ran out of yarn!! First time this has happened, and one of the only times I've bought yarn on line. Now awaiting add'l yarn. Should arrive this week.
4) Mafghan. Not a portable project. Need to work on this at home. Need to finish before warm weather makes working on an afghan an unpleasant project!
5) Vinnland sock. Not feeling the love. Might rip out.

I have a serious case of finish-itis. A rare disease, far less common than its cousin, start-itis. I want to get these off the needles!!!

So, some goals:
1) Socks: No deadline. Simple and stockinette, they'll get done soon.
2) Seekrit project deadline: April 15.
3) Baby sweater: I'll probably finish this as soon as the yarn arrives.
4) Mafghan: Finish sewing squares together by April 10. Weave ends by end of April. Add borders in May. (Heh, I should be able to do this!)
5) Vinnland: Frog, I think.

No more new projects until I'm down to just the afghan!!

I made yarn!

2008-03-24T14:13:00.002-04:00

I've been spinning for almost a year now, but not as often as I would like. Because of this, I'm still thoroughly amused by the process. Start with fluff, add many (wo)man-hours, and end up with yarn. Amazing!

At Rhinebeck this fall, I bought 12 ounces of merino fiber in a nice range of greens/blues/purples. Over the past 3 months, I spun up some singles from the fiber. I really loved the colors, and I didn't want to muddy them up in plying, so I decided at the outset that I would chain-ply them. After some sampling, lots of spinning, and 2 nights of plying, I got 400+ yards of worsted-weight(?) wool -- 12 wpi.

Tonight, I shall wash/block/abuse it.

Somewhere along the way, I think I lost about 2 ounces of fiber and I'm not sure how. The final skeins weigh in at just over 10 ounces combined. I did lose a little bit to sampling, and another little bit of unspun fiber was saved for reference. I also lost little bits of fluff here and there, and a few yards of plied yarn was wasted due to a bad join. All together, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it adds up to almost 2 ounces.

I'm planning to make a Clapotis with this, but narrower than the pattern calls for. I think 400 yards should yield a good-sized Clapo-scarf, right?

springtime and rainbows

2008-03-22T20:19:00.004-04:00

I am so glad its finally starting to feel like spring! I'm itching to start my rainbow of socks but I want to finish up a few other projects first.

In the meantime, I've had rainbows on the brain, and bad. While talking to a colleague yesterday, I did this.

Lined up like little rainbow soldiers.

And then, on my lunch hour, I accidentally bought these:

I went to Winmil Fabrics, intending to buy some fabric to use to line a bag. I found what I wanted (gray linen) but I also kept looking at this print, which was stocked in at least 9 colors. I'm not sure what I'll do with these, but I bought a yard of each. 100% cotton at $2.98/yard? Can't be matched! And Winmil is the kind of place that doesn't necessarily keep things in stock, so once they're gone, they might never be seen again.

Now that it's spring, and days are longer, I'm hoping that I can get more decent photos. I hate blogging without a picture. My camera is a decent little point-and-shoot, but not a terrible fancy one, and it's now 3 years old. I can get good photos in the daylight, but not at night. Yeah, I could build a lightbox, but I just don't want to. I'd rather knit and spin.

So, since I was home this afternoon, I took a bunch of photos of knitting and spinning. Now I have fodder for at least 2 more posts!

swimming and reading, with a side of knitting

2008-03-13T21:55:00.005-04:00

It's been a week since I posted anything. I've been busy.

Last Friday-Saturday-Sunday, I took my synchro swimmers to a zone meet in Pennsylvania. There are 4 zones in the US, and we compete in the East Zone.

Our "A" team took home a bronze, swimming to Mardi Gras music.

(They're treading water. Well, everyone except the swimmer being lifted ...)

Our "B" team took 10th.

(They swim to music from Prince of Egypt. Sadly, they are all too young to know how to Walk Like an Egyptian. They looked at me like I had 3 heads when I first mentioned it. Yes, they do have a few pieces of choreography borrowed from that video!)

These are their practice suits, not their competition suits. I'll have to see if I can get photos of those too ...

While they were competing, I was being tested as a judge. I passed my final exam for my zone certification - this was the last of 2 written exams, 4 practical exams, and 4 oral defenses. This summer, I start the process of becoming a National level judge, which is likely to be a three year process. Sigh.

Oh, and in the middle of the meet, the power went out. You imagine the sound of 97 teenage girls shrieking in unison. Yep, it sounds just like you might imagine. But worse.

When not coaching, I read this book:

(Pretty good, for homework. Now I need to write a review of it.)

And I've been working on the seekrit knitting. It's half done. Working out well, but not so good for the blogging.

Now, another weekend coming up, and back to the homework. See you on the flip side.

because I obviously need one more thing to do ...

2008-03-06T15:02:00.003-05:00

As if blogging, bloglines, flickr, and Ravelry didn't keep me busy enough, I keep getting Facebook invitations from knitters (and others). I suppose it's time to update my profile there, too ...

with a little help from my friends

2008-03-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

A long time ago, I made a Booga Bag.

I know that I used this bag during the spring when I was at my last job. I left there in 2004, so this bag must be close to 4 years old. The left hand side of the green strap started wearing through recently (click to go to Flickr and see where), and I was afraid that I'd have to retire the bag, or at least buy more yarn and knit new straps.

Friends to the rescue!

The Mafia thought that needle felting might help fix the strap. Haddy had some needle felting needles that she was handing off to the Rhonda, and Rhonda kindly let me borrow them. I happened to have some spring green yarn that JulieFrick sent along as part of the Mafghan project. A few moments of vigorous stabbing later, I had a useable bag again. Yay for internet (and in-real-life) friends.

WIP wrangling

2008-02-29T18:03:00.003-05:00

Where do things stand in the world of wool? Ummm, unfinished.

The clogs of last week? Not only are they still unfelted, they are still sitting in the same place as last week. On the dining room sideboard. Yeah, I don't think hubby is thrilled with that location. (He's probably even less thrilled that my suitcase from SPA is still on the floor next to the dining table ... I'll have to do something about that ...)

I started some new stuff. A sock, for moments like these. (Please note the unintentional matching of the sweater and the sock in progress.)

(Regia sock yarn in one of the Kaffe Fassett -- rhymes with "safe asset" -- colorways. More deets on Ravelry.)

I also started a sweater for the little sibling of this dude. He's now two years old, and expecting a brother or sister in April. The parents are friends of mine from childhood. There were 4 of us who lifeguarded together, in three different class years, at two different schools. We all went in different directions for college. Several years later, Tracie and Chris ended up back in the same area, and coaching the swim team that practices at the pool where we all lifeguarded a decade ago. They fell in love and got married, and a year later had their first kid, and now #2 is on the way. (Can I get an awwww?)

Tracie and Chris are both teachers, and the whole family (including the much-loved dog) lives at camp for the summer, the same camp where Chris spent every summer of his childhood and college years. Tracie asked for a baby sweater that kid #2 can wear at camp when the evenings are chilly.

Chocolate brown superwash wool with puppy buttons? Check!

(on Ravelry)

I'm also doing some test knitting for a friend. I'll have to ask her how much I can say about it. Here's a teaser. I think she'll let me get away with this much. This one will take some time and a wee bit of brainpower, hence the stockinette projects featured above.

Oh, and ummm, I also have an afghan that needs some attention...

And another sock. Almost forgot about that one ... better get cracking.

taste the rainbow

2008-02-28T10:22:00.008-05:00

Like many other New England knitters, I spent last weekend at SPA in Freeport, ME. Many others posted photos (of which I have none) and did the linkfest (for which I have neither the time nor the patience right now). I won't be doing either. I had a great time, though! Hung out with friends, enjoyed good food and drink, and knit and spun. Oh yes, and there was a little shopping. Both in the vendor room, and in the outlets.

I also celebrated my 30th birthday some more. Kind friends bought me gifts and wished me well. I'm enjoying thirty quite a bit :)

I also acquired -- through purchases and gifts -- the rest of the sock yarn needed for a project I've had in mind for 2008 (ahem, and also 2009, most likely). I would like to knit a rainbow of socks.* Fun colors, good yarns, and interesting patterns. Here are my yarns:

Red: Dream in Color Smooshy, In Vino Veritas
Orange: Spunky Eclectic Skinny Sock in Pop
Yellow: The Woolen Rabbit Sock Yarn in Goldilocks
Green: Shibui Knits Sock in Wasabi
Blue: Wollmeise Sockenwolle in Vergißmeinnicht
Purple: Tess Designer Yarns Super Socks and Baby in an unnamed purple

Now, for the patterns. I have a gazillion socks queued in Ravelry. Any others I should know about? Any suggestions for a particular yarn, from my queue or elsewhere?

* And thanks to ~~Lucia~~ Terry for putting the idea in my head that I should start with red and work my way through in order ...

I've been busy

2008-02-22T10:45:00.003-05:00

I made my mother in law a pair of felted slippers (at her request) for Christmas.

I was afraid to felt them down too small, so I gave them to her with instructions to felt them down further if needed. She's a knitter, who has felted before, so I thought it would be OK. But, she was afraid that she'd make them too small and asked me to finish the felting and then return them to her. No problem ...

Until we had a power outage mid-felting. The machine turned back on when the power came back on, and I didn't remember to check the clogs right away. Ooops. They're too small now.

So, I made her another pair. Luckily, I had another skein of the upper color, and a similar color for the bottoms.

I figured that as long as I was felting one pair, I might as well felt some other stuff.

That's three pairs of clogs. The red ones on the bottom are for Thom, who tries to wear my clogs around the house, albeit with the back of his heels hanging out. I thought he needed some of his own. The green ones on top are for the Mafia's Little Man. She bought the yarn a while ago, and I volunteered to knit it up for her. (Who'd have guessed that she'd pick bright green yarn? Shocker, I tell you....)

I have more feltable wool in the stash (!) and was thinking that perhaps I ought to make another pair for me. You know, in case my current ones wear out. You'd think I'd be sick of this pattern by now, having knit 6 pairs, but I still like it :)

Bird in Hand mittens, complete

2008-02-20T12:29:00.002-05:00

I just remembered that I never posted finished photos of my Bird in Hand mittens.

I started these in December and finished them earlier this month. I remember why I don't knit mittens more often -- I hate knitting thumbs! Fiddly little things. (I don't know how Sandy makes so many mittens.)

These thumbs are worth the aggravation though. So cute!

(My birds each have their own personality...)

The palms are plain with little flecks of white ...

And the insides are almost as pretty as the outsides.

Full specs on Ravelry.

These are beautiful mittens, and Kate's non-repeating design was so fun to knit!

Unfortunately, I don't know when I will ever wear these. One of my many quirks is that I only like matched sets -- hat, scarf, and mittens. See my winter accessories, or my father-in-law's hat, scarf, and mittens, or Thom's hat and mittens. (Apparently, I knit both hats in the pre-blog period, so I'll have to get some photos of those. They match the mittens, suffice it to say.)

I guess I could buy more yarn and design a hat and scarf to knit, but I just don't see that happening. So, I'll just enjoy looking at them.

letting go of the rules

2008-02-14T14:50:00.003-05:00

You might have noticed that the last 3 posts were all about my birthday. I still have one more birthday post in my head, but I need to scan a photo first. Over the past week, the chances of me, the scanner, the photo and the laptop all being in the same room at the same time were hovering right between "when pigs fly" and "snowball in hell".

I also have a bazillion other posts in my head, but I have yet to write any of them because, well, I made myself the arbitrary rule that all 4 of my birthday posts needed to occur in sequence with no other posts in between. So, I haven't blogged about anything else because that would be breaking the rules. Dude, it's my own blog, and my own damn rules. Yet, it did not occur to me until a few minutes ago that I could actually break the rules with no negative consequences. Yeah, I'm a bit of an obsessive rule follower. (It has also been pointed out that I am a bit obsessive about, well, pretty much everything.)

Today, I wanted to show you two of my favorite pairs of socks. I love WIP posts, and FO-shows, but sometimes I wonder what happens after the blocking and photography are complete, and the paparazzi go home. So, I bring you two of my favorite pairs of socks in their everyday habitats.

First, my study break socks. I began these towards the end of last semester, and finished them up pretty quickly. The stripes and colors amuse me to no end. But, it's a truly special look when I wear these with my polka-dot pajamas.

(I do believe that I look a bit like Bubbo here.)

I also really like my STR Monkies. I can't take credit for these, as they were a gift from the Mafia. The flash muddied the colors, so you can see a better photo here. They are super snug, which is perfect (I hate saggy socks), and very comfortable and warm.

This might sound gross, but I have to ask this ... when my feet sweat in wool socks, they smell different than in cotton or synthetic socks. But, when I wear my STR socks, they have their own unique smell, different than any other wool socks. Has this happened to anyone else? Or it is another one of those peculiar things that only happens to me?

And, with that lovely thought, I am off to class!

Upon turning 30, part III

2008-02-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

Normally, I try hard not to be too materialistic. (A battle I am ever losing, but that's another story for another day.) But, on my birthday, I am all about the gifts!! Today, the fibery gifts.

This year, I've met so many lovely bloggers in person for the first time ever. At Rhinebeck, I got to chat with Kate for a while, and we've exchanged some emails in the months since. We're both knitting from the stash in 2008, and trying to make a dent in the yarn piles. But, since yarn received as a gift is an exception to the stash rules, I can gratefully receive this lovely skein of sock yarn.

This is a new-to-me line of hand-dyed yarns called Dicentra Designs. The colors are gorgeous, and they remind me of Noro Kureyon, colorway 40. (One of my favorite handknits is my Klaralund sweater in color 40. I made this sweater pre-blog, so I'll have to go take a photo of it for Ravelry.) This skein of sock yarn is 476 yards, so it might also be a candidate for a baby sweater. Wouldn't this make a gorgeous BSJ? Thank you, Kate!!

This year, I've also made friends with new bloggers that I have yet to meet in person. Phoe is one of these new friends. Always a generous knitter (she gives away knitted gifts on her blog!), Phoe celebrated HER 30th birthday by giving gifts to others. I was lucky enough to win the turquoise prize, which arrived at the end of last week.

This is a skein of laceweight yarn from Yarn Ahoy. The color, Desert Wind, is a subtle blend of pale turquoise and shades of brown and gold. I'm considering using this to knit the Artemis stole, designed by Alison Green Will. (In case I don't knit that one, Phoe also included a pattern for a lovely triangular shawl.) This skein is somewhat different from my normal knitting color palette, yet I realized that it will match many items in my wardrobe. I love it. Thank you, Phoe!

I have one more post about turning 30 that is rattling around in my head. After that, back to my normal semi-lucid blogging.

Upon turning 30, part II

2008-02-06T13:18:00.001-05:00

Last week, I mentioned that Thom got me a new toy for my birthday.

I've never owned an iPod before, so this is all quite new to me. I do listen to podcasts on my laptop, but I don't have a huge list of favorites. And my music collection is, at best, pathetic.

So, enlighten me --

What are your favorite podcasts, knitting or otherwise?

What music should I check out -- new, classic, or inbetween? (My tastes are all over the map, so fire away!)

Upon turning 30, part I

2008-02-04T23:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes last week. Every time I got a comment, or an email, or a Ravelry message, I smiled and laughed. I feel lucky to be part of such a wonderful, and often irreverent, community.

So, this week, I shall post a bit more about turning 30. It's a big birthday, so let me milk it for a while, okay?

First, I must thank the Mafia, yet again. She was one of the ringleaders of a birthday celebration at work.

She had nothing to do with this lovely carrot cake. I repeatedly ~~demanded~~ expressed my fondness for carrot cake to our office's chief cake orderer several weeks ago. Apparently, I was successful in making my voice heard.

However, the Mafia may have had something to do with this gift ...

Pretty, huh? What was inside?

Apparently, turning 30 makes me officially geriatric. Although I can't ~~give her all the credit~~ hold her entirely responsible for this gift. I do believe that our Fearless Leader (that would be Boss Lady's boss, for those playing along at home) may have aided and abetted her. Luckily for me, there was a gift receipt included in the bottom of the bag :)

the sound of a thousand spanks

2008-02-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, the rumors are true. I turn 30 today.

I'm enjoying my day already. Thom got me one of these little lovelies.

Clever man that he is, he wrapped it up and put it in my knitting bag so that I would be sure to stumble upon it early in the day. Clearly, there will be some procrastinating happening at work today.

This evening, I intend to enjoy a lovely dinner at L'Espalier where I will ignore all of the good eating habits that I have been cultivating for the past month. I plan to indulge in all of my favorite food groups -- cheese, butter, chocolate, and alcohol. And then, get back up on the wagon tomorrow.

Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes in my comments, emails, and Ravelry. I'm feeling the love. I like 30 so far.

what a difference a day (or two) makes

2008-01-27T22:25:00.001-05:00

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my long and rambling post on Friday. It felt quite good to get it all out of my head. Parts of that post had been knocking around for days.

I think it also helped that I slept for 14 hours last night. Overtired? Not me!

Today I spent the entire day (13 hours) doing homework, with the occasional break to eat, pee, do laundry, and check email. I don't feel like I got that much done, but I'm on the right track, at least. Now I'm going back to bed.

the post in which I whine a lot and set forth several excuses and rants

2008-01-25T18:38:00.000-05:00

I feel a long post coming on. You might want to fetch a beverage.

OK, settled down? Let's begin ...
(I've interspersed some knitting photos and updates along the way as a reward for your patience in reading the rest. Or at least pretending to read. )

• • •

SCHOOL
(I'm adding some section headings, for the scanners out there...)

School started again last week. I'm taking classes #5 and #6 of the 8 I need to get my master's degree in Higher Education Administration. This semester seems like it will be more work than last, at least for the first several weeks. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

I really like one of the classes, an elective course on student affairs. The professor is more of a facilitator than a lecturer, which is exactly what I like. Lecturing has its place, but I learn so much more -- and have more fun -- in classes with a lot of discussion. In addition to the readings and papers, I'll be doing a semester "field research" project on service-learning and community service programs in local colleges and universities.

The other class ... eh. It also has a lot of discussion, but with a very different vibe. More of the "did you do the reading" kinds of discussion topics rather than "what do you think -- let's grapple with this question" kind of discussion.

In fairness to the professors -- and other students -- I must admit that I have high standards. I expect a lot of stimulation. I want to be challenged. And, not unreasonably I think, I expect that students seeking a degree in higher education should have some interest in the intellectual community of a campus, and should want to engage in the commerce of ideas. As opposed to the classmate from last semester who said "I think it's unfair that part of our grade includes class participation. Some of us just don't like to talk about stuff." Sorry, sweetie, but you're in the wrong line of work. Luckily, my student affairs class has a lot of student that I do like :)

• • •

KNITTING, THE FIRST

I finished some knitting this week! Thom now has a fine pair of Manly Mitts to keep his hands warm. These are knit in Lamb's Pride Naturespun yarn. Stranded knitting, worsted weight, knit smaller than 6 sts/in. He should be toasty warm. He likes them and has worn them several times (and even surrendered them one day so that I could take a photo in the daylight hours).

Details on Ravelry

• • •

WORK

Work has been busy. Nothing out of the ordinary, though, just an annual project that involves coordinating a grant proposal and a grant report with over 30 different people on campus, including several faculty members, a handful of fundraisers, a dean or two, some department heads, and the provost. Coordinating with faculty? Its like herding cats. Cats who have egos.

Some interesting possible career directions have surfaced recently. A conversation or two, nothing concrete. But, it's thrown me into a tizzy of re-evaluating my career path. I am simultaneously ambitious and complacent. It makes for some strange conversations in my head. But mostly, I am hesitant about change. It's easy to stand still, though I know that it's better to move ahead. Must think further, but not tonight.

• • •

HEY, LOOK, MORE KNITTING!

My Bird in Hand mittens are almost done, just one thumb to go.

What's that? You wanted to see the bird? Oh, ok.

On Ravelry.

I might redo the eye. It seems a bit large. Not as cute as Maryse's birds, but I like him. (It's a male bird. Not sure why, just is.)

• • •

INDECISION, PART I

I've been gripped by a serious case of indecision for the past month or two. I just cannot seem to make up my mind about anything.

I have $35 to spend at Amazon.com (gift certificate $). I should buy something for myself, but I could also save it in case I need to buy any more books for school. I want to get the Knitters Book of Yarn, and it only costs $20. So, I have another $15 to spend, and I'll throw in a little more if needed. What to get? There are so many books I want, but I can't choose.

Help me! Any good suggestions? I lean towards books that are technique heavy, or maybe something about stranded knitting. Oh, I know -- I want an Elizabeth Zimmerman book. Not Knitting without Tears, but any other one. Maybe that. Which one should I get?

• • •

IT'S A HAT!
Subtitle: No shit, Sherlock.

Ravelry, of course

A baby hat for Thom's cousin's new baby. I'll probably make booties or socks to match. I love baby hats. They're like the potato chips of the knitting world.

• • •

INDECISION, PART II

I need to buy some yarn at Webs. I promised my dad a sweater as a father's day gift last year. He's asked for a gray cardigan, so I'm buying some Cascade 220.

I also need to buy some Ultra Alpaca for a winter accessories set -- scarf, hat, mittens. I told Lucia that I would test knit a scarf she's designing, and it will look fabulous in the subtle colors of Ultra Alpaca. I just can't decide which color!

Turquoise, Yucca, and Lavender

I'm leaning towards Lavender. What do you think?

• • •

SQUARED UP

I'm knitting some squares for a blanket for Elisa's dad. Washable wool. Started at lunch today.

Leftover yarn from my Thujas. Less pink, more red, than the photo shows. Square is also on Ravelry.

• • •

INDECISION, PART III

The indecision has crept further into my knitting life. I can't settle on a project. In addition to the square above, and a second ball of plain gray yarn for another square, I also found the following items in my knitting bag while at work today.

In the top left corner, we have the baby hat shown above, plus yarn to make matching booties. Plus yarn in other colors. You know, just in case.

Next, the Bird in Hand mittens. Because nothing says "mindless lunch knitting" like two-color mitten thumb in a non-repeating pattern, complete with embroidered detail.

Next to that, a skein of Manos. As if I had a skein winder in my back pocket.

On the bottom, starting at the left ... some ShiBui sock yarn. For which I have not yet picked a pattern. Then, some handspun. I've not swatched, or picked a pattern. I think these are my security blanket. When in doubt, hug the yarn.

Finally, in the 6th position, a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy, which has started its transition to becoming a pair of Vinnland socks. Except that I don't like them. The pattern is great, the yarn fantastic, not a speck of pooling. But, even at 9 sts/in, I want a firmer fabric. So, I think they will get ripped. But I'm just not sure. They could be fabulous. Should I knit just a little more before I decide?

I have enough yarn with me at work to survive the Armageddon. Or at least a blizzard.

• • •

AND NOW FOR MORE WHINING...

I wish I did a better job leaving comments on all your posts. I am reading them, I just don't have the time to write much. I wish I wrote back to all of my nice commenters. I wish I could be more like Carole or Bertha or Chris or Phoe who all reply to every comment I leave for them! I wish I blogged more. See the School and Work section above for why I don't.

In the interests of maintaining sanity, I can only do so much. Know that I am reading when I can, and writing when I can. But, since this post has taken over an hour to write, I must now turn my attention to homework.

Thanks for listening, yo. It's been cathartic.

an impromptu stitch and bitch

2008-01-22T13:52:00.001-05:00

This was the scene over the weekend.

Me and the Manly Mitts on the left, Alison and a sweater project on the right.

Oh, and that hand with the hospital bracelet belongs to the Mafia. (Her project? Mittens, Cascade 220 and Ella Rae Palermo, for those who want to know.)

She's home resting now, after a nasty virus knocked her on her ass. Go send her some love, ok?

you know she's a knitter when ...

2008-01-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

... your mother-in-law sends you the following email about a cousin's new baby:

She arrived on 1/15. She, Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma are all doing fine. She arrived 2 sleeves too early. The sweater is really cute.

Needless to say, I cast on for a hat.

stranded

2008-01-17T20:36:00.000-05:00

Remember my Bird in Hand mittens? They are one and a half thumbs from completion. I stopped working on them when Thom, who never asks me to knit anything for him, told me that his Lopi mittens are not warm enough. (Technically, Lite Lopi. Still, though, not warm enough??)

So I cast on for some Manly Mitts for him in black and dark gray -- sedate enough for him to wear to work (state gov't, suit and tie every day). In addition to what you see below, I've also started the second one. They're pretty fast. And worsted weight stranded knitting at 6+ sts/in had better be warm enough for him. If not, I might take Kellee's suggestion and throw a pair of thin fleece running gloves inside for an extra layer of warmth.

Did I mention that I also cast on for some socks for me? No? Well then ... I cast on for a pair of socks on New Year's Day and finished them about a week later. Thujas, worsted weight :) Yummy, squooshy Artyarns Supermerino.

On Ravelry.

(I'm not going to post the project specs on the blog anymore. It was mostly for my own record-keeping anyways. If anyone wants more info, just email or comment. Or sign up for a Ravelry account ... only 7000 on the waiting list!)

The FO parade might have to slow down a bit over the next couple of months. Classes for spring semester started yesterday. I already have 2 book reviews to write and a group project due in the first month.* Yech. Plus, ~~my blogging venue of choice~~ work is busy. Oh, and did I mention that I turn 30 in the middle of the month? Feb 1, for those who want to send gifts! There might be a blog contest (with prizes) around that time. Yeah, I screw around online as a way to avoid homework

*Have I ever mentioned that while in theory I think group projects are the way to go, in practice I despise them? Yeah, it's a control issue thing. However, once we give our presentation on Feb 6, I am DONE with group work for the semester!!

on the bobbins

2008-01-11T16:23:00.000-05:00

As I proved last week, I can follow a crowd. In addition to the Bird in Hand craze, I also got on board with the NaSpiMoMo fun. (Side note: I always want to say "Nasty Momo." Call me juvenile ...)

I'm working on 12 oz of merino that I bought at Rhinebeck this year, in shades of green, blue, and purple.

(Pardon the flash. Winter days -- and the lack of daylight -- really suck.)

I'm spinning it thin enough to chain-ply into a worsted weight yarn that I will knit into a Clapotis. At least, that's the plan. I did some sampling and got pretty much what I wanted. Let's just see if I can stay consistent through all 12 ounces. Remember, I'm still pretty new at this!

if everyone else jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge ...

2008-01-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

So, I've hopped right up on the bandwagon and am working on a pair of Bird in Hand mittens. I love Kate's pattern -- it is beautiful and very well written.

I cast on for these on Christmas Eve at my in-laws. The photo above is from a few days ago. I'm almost up to the top flower on the second mitten now. Once I finish both, I'll do the thumbs. Mitten #1 already has all of its other ends woven in, though.

Alison gave me a good tip -- she said that she did the embroidery on the thumb before finishing the last few thumb rounds, and it made it easier to maneuver. If you're not familiar with this pattern then ~~stop hiding under that rock~~ you might not know that there is a little bird on the tip of the thumb, and you embroider his eye, beak, and wing onto the mitten.

I'm knitting these from stash -- Paton's Classic Merino (dark green) and Cascade 220 (white). Both of these were acquired in Ravelry trades earlier this year. Very good aquisitions, I would say!

I'm loving the stranded knitting. Should be nice and warm. I think I'll whip up a pair of Manly Mitts next. Thom said that the Lite Lopi mittens I made for him aren't warm enough. And, umm, he can't find them anyways. He's been wearing a pathetic little pair of cotton gloves, a freebie from an event during my college years (1999 to be exact). What's that about the cobbler's daughter having no shoes ...?

silver lining

2008-01-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

Do you remember my Nantucket Jacket? The one I started in 2006? It's finally finished.

(As always, click to Flickr-ize and embiggen.)

It fits exactly as I intended. However, it does not fit right, which is why there are no photos of it on me.

Bear with me while I explain ...
This is the cover sweater from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. I loved the pattern, but I knew I wanted to make some modifications.

I wanted long sleeves. It's an aran weight jacket, after all.
I changed the triangular gussets. In the larger sizes, the gussets don't make those nice triangles with a column of lace above. Instead, they decrease into large panels of seed stitch (see this example on Ravelry or on Flickr). But, I was drawn to the pattern because of the gusset/lace column detail. So, I knit the smaller size gusset but added additional cables to make up the width.
I then had to change the armhole shaping because of this. I'm a little fuzzy now on what I exactly did, although I have detailed notes in a notebook somewhere.
I made it a little longer than the pattern called for ... I'm not particularly tall, but I wanted it to cover the waistband of my pants so that I could wear it to work.
I grafted the seed stitch collar rather than three-needle bind off. I thought it would look more finished that way.

I swatched and calculated and worked out the maths to figure out exactly what size I wanted to make, and how to get that size. And, I got exactly what I calculated for. (Come on, did you expect anything less? I was on the math team in high school, for chrissake.)

But, I failed to take several things into account.

The fit of the garment. I thought that an aran weight jacket (i.e. that I could layer over other shirts) should have about 3-4" of ease. With 20-20 hindsight, I realize that the model is probably wearing a sweater with little or no ease, or perhaps even negative ease. (Side note: I wish that Knitting Daily would post one of its fit galleries for all of IK's sweaters! So useful to see how the same size sweater looks at different ranges of ease.)
The cabling details of the sweater. There are purl stitch columns between all of the cable details, which makes the overall design act a little like a ribbed fabric. I don't think I stretched it enough while measuring gauge. So, the edge of the armhole is about an inch or two down my arm instead of where it should be. And the whole sweater is wider than I planned. It's just a smidge big when it is laying flat to block, but it grows a lot when I put it on due to #3, below.
The sproing factor of the yarn -- Berroco Pure Merino. This is some seriously bouncy, springy, stretchy yarn. If typical wool yarn has the bounce of a tennis ball, this stuff acts like one of those crazy super bouncy balls that we played with as kids. You would think that this makes for a good garment -- and it does -- but it also means that the yarn stretches easily. It bounces back, but acts like a slinky -- stretches and springs back, stretches and springs back. Not quite what I expected.
Most importantly, I didn't think enough about how this design would look on my body. As Maryse and the Mafia and I discussed recently, I'm an apple. My waist is almost as large as my hips are. Because of the gussets, this jacket flares out along the bottom. So, on me, there is extra fabric at the bottom and it just hangs there. It almost looks ruffled. NOT the look I was going for! Waist shaping = good, but ruffles = bad.

But, every cloud has a silver lining, right? My mother-in-law -- the one who taught me to knit! whose LYS is Webs! -- tried it on. It looks like it was made for her!! I'll try to get a photo later -- she was sick when she was at our house last, so I couldn't inflict a photo shoot upon her at the time.

I'm going to give her the sweater. In return, she offered to buy me a sweater worth of a comparable quality yarn. Sounds like a good trade to me! And it works nicely with my Knit From the Stash 2008 rules!

But, before I give her the sweater, I might enter it in some fairs. It think it's one of my best pieces of work. I paid a lot of attention to the seaming and finishing. I crocheted that damn edging no less than 4 times before I liked how it looked. I also learned how to graft seed stitch for the collar. I found just the right buttons, and I very carefully wove in all the ends. Superwash wool + large sweater with large collar + 92 yard skeins = lots of ends!

While the sweater isn't what I hoped for, I learned a lot from the experience. I'm glad that it will go to someone who will love it.

I did it!! And I'm doing it again.

2008-01-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

Does anyone remember last year when I said that I was going to knit from my stash in 2007? I made a couple of exceptions to the rules at the outset. (1) Sock yarn was OK to buy. (2) I could also buy yarn to make gifts if I didn't have anything appropriate in the stash. (3) Yarn given to me wasn't counted.

Well, I DID IT!!! 12 months with no buying anything other than sock yarn. And only 8 pairs of sock yarn stashed. I did buy a few things to make gifts with -- a baby sweater and a pair of Sockapalooza socks -- but most of the gifts even came out of the stash.

I also sold some of the stash to buy a spinning wheel, or traded stuff I wouldn't likely use for things I could make gifts with. And, I did buy some fiber for the wheel -- plenty to keep me busy at least until the spring fiber festivals.

But, I still have a lot of stash. Apparently, I stashed at a rate far exceeding my ability to knit. So, 2008 will be another year of "KNIT (and spin) FROM YOUR STASH" for me.

Here are the slightly revised rules:

1) sock yarn is still an exception. However, as of right now, I have yarn for 18 pairs in the stash, 19 if you count the worsted weight that I have earmarked for another pair of Thujas, and 20 if you count the large ball of yarn that I have remaining from a pair of itty bitty leg warmers. I will get the sock stash down to 10 pairs before buying any more sock yarn.

2) Yarn to make gifts with is still OK. I love knitting for others, and I want to make sure that they love their knitted gifts, so the appropriate yarn is a must.

3) Souvenir yarn is OK. If I am on vacation or otherwise out of town, and I want to buy a special yarn that I can't get locally, that's souvenir yarn.

4) Yarn needed to finish a project is also OK. However, I always overbuy, so that's not likely to be an issue for me.

5) More spinning fiber is OK, once I spin at least half of what I have currently.

6) Yarn/fiber received as a gift is also OK.

I am really hoping that I can make it to the bottom of the stash, or at least close to it, sometime this year. Wish me luck!!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

Let's celebrate 2008 with some fiber. If you're in the area (northeastern Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley area), join me at my house on New Year's Day in the afternoon for knitting and spinning.
Send me an email for address and directions, or leave a comment (with your email address!).

Christmas recap

2007-12-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

Whew. It's been a while. Let me try to get through the last several days in one post, not too many words (yeah, right!).

I was paired with Yaga for the knitting wars. (Thanks, Yaga, for adding some posts in English!). Which means, I was busy knitting! Here's the final tally of 2007 Christmas gifts:

My in-laws get something knitted every year. This year, my FIL got some socks, and my MIL got felted slippers, both of which were requested, or at least strongly hinted at.

(Da's socks -- Spey Valley, from Knitting on the Road, in Regia 6 ply)

(Mim's slippers -- Fiber Trends' Felted Clogs, in 2 colors of Araucania Nature Wool)

Both were well received, although I need to felt Mim's slippers a little more -- I left them big on purpose, rather than felt them too much. So, back in the washing machine they shall go.

My boss, a.k.a. Boss Lady, requested some mittens this year. I opened up Ravelry at work (umm, because it wasn't open already, of course!) and we started looking for patterns. She saw a few convertible mitten patterns, and said "oooh, I want something like that -- I didn't know you could knit those!".

She traced her hand for me (teeny tiny little hands!) and I made these:

(My own pattern, Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL in black)
(Boss Lady would like you to know that she did not plan for a photo shoot and had not had her nails done recently. She apologizes for the chipped polish!)

I also knit some ornaments as gifts. I'd like to start a tradition of making an ornament for each parent, sibling, and grandparent every year. I forgot to label these with the date, but here are my 2007 ornaments:

For the following people, from the top left: Thom's sister and family, my brother and wife, my mom and dad, Thom's brother and family, my Grandma and Sam, and Thom's parents.)
(More details on Ravelry.)

The Mafia, in another command performance, decided that the leftover yarn from her fingerless mitts should not go to waste, and managed to convince me to knit this for her:

I'm calling it the "My So Called Scholar Collar", since the stitch pattern is from the My So Called Scarf but the button idea and approximate size are inspired by the Scholar Collar. I finished it before Christmas, but not in time to connect with her before she went away to visit her family, so she'll get it on New Year's.

So, 10 knit gifts -- not bad! Oh, and I made my mom her earrings, too. She and I picked the beads together, and I made them. I've been making her jewelry since I was in high school, or maybe even earlier. She loves the brightly colored earrings that I will never wear myself. So, it's a win-win. I get to play with beads, and she gets earrings (and necklaces, and bracelets) that she likes!

(Click to Flickr-ize for more detail.)

I also got some lovely crafty presents. My mom made a donation towards the "my crazy daughter decided to take up spinning" fund. My MIL gave me a copy of Knitting America, a history of knitting in the US, with loads of photos and 20 period patterns. I've only read the first few chapters, but it's fascinating.

My sister in law (my brother's wife) made us the cutest possible Christmas ornaments with polymer clay:

These guys are tiny -- only an inch and a half tall. Both the penguin (right) and Santa angel (left) are dusted with fine glitter powder, so they look like they've been out frolicking in the snow. So cute!! She also made my mom a little sculpture of a polar bear, seal, and penguin all pig-piled upon each other. She's quite talented!!

So, this post has now exhausted me. I'm off to go watch some DVDs and knit some more. I started a pair of mittens for me on Christmas Eve, and I'm cranking through them (one done, except for the thumb, and I've started the cuff of the second one). Any guesses as to the pattern?

FO, FO, FO, Merry Christmas!

2007-12-17T17:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I promised to give an update on my Christmas knitting. I don't have the name of my knitting war competitor yet, so I don't want to give away too much information. I will, however, tell you that I finished three projects since Wednesday. One is a Christmas gift, and 2 are not.

Not a gift #1: Socks for me! Insane and striped. Perfect antidote for the winter blues. (Regia self striping yarn, size 1 needles.)

Gift: Ornament, to be sent to my inlaws in Wisconsin. Looks much nicer in natural light, but we won't see that at home until next weekend.

Not a gift #2: Mittens for Soaring Eagles. (Debbie Bliss Chunky Donegal Tweed, size 7 and 9 needles.)

Back to the holiday knitting. I'm off for now. Ciao.

christmas knitting

2007-12-16T22:16:00.000-05:00

I'm in! I don't have a partner yet, but I will be participating in the 1, 2, 3, 4 Knitting War that I posted about yesterday! I'll be paired up against someone and we will race to finish our holiday knitting. Some anonymous donors are going to contribute $5 to charity for every item that the winner finishes.

So, for those following along at home, here is what I plan to knit for the holidays. I won't tell you what I have knit yet or not. I'll save that for the next post :)

1 pair of socks for Da (my FIL)
1 pair of felted slippers for Mim (my MIL)
1 pair of flip-top gloves for Boss Lady
6 knitted ornaments -- one each for the families of our parents and siblings, as well as my grandmother

In addition to that, I will be making beaded earrings for my mom (4 pairs, I think) and some beaded stitch markers for my MIL.

I made her these ones two years ago, and she really likes them.
On Friday night, I visited Beadworks and got some beads and crystals for this year's version.

What do you think? Can I do it? Any guesses on how much I've knit already?

mysterious ways

2007-12-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

I got a mysterious email ... apparently so did some others.

Hello Danielle,

SO you thought you could escape the knitting war 'eh *grin* nope, not so fast little one....YOU have been chosen.

Why you ask...........because of your gorgeous knits, and your great attitude even during the busiest time of the holiday season!!

sooooo should you accept, you must post this message on your blog, with my name blured please. All contributors will become known at the end of the game. You will also be given a website to go to for tracking your progress, for information and for your fans to follow you. You must also post the website:)

Well dear warrior, do you accept????

1,2,3,4 I declare a KNITTING WAR…………………………..YOU have been chosen…should you choose to accept this mission, you will receive your orders soon….via your blog….your war will be against another yet fun and famous knitter.
What are the details you say…..to see who can finish ALL Christmas knitting before Christmas……the reward for winning this war you ask……a donation of $5 per winners project to afore mentioned charity of their choice…….anyone wishing to join in must sign in to whomever’s blog they represent by stating “I’M IN” this means they too will meet with every finished project $5 to the charity of winners choice. The secret agents at hand will be keeping track of whose who. I cannot tell you who these 3 people are….well, I could, but then I would have to take all your stash so mumms the word ‘eh.
So strong warrior……………..do you choose or not!!!!

Your blog address:http://www.1234knittingwar.blogspot.com/

*****
I'm intrigued!! I do have a bit of a competitive streak (stop laughing, Mafia!). There's one little wrinkle that I need to get sorted out ... I've replied to the sender, so we'll have to see what happens next ...

about the white stuff ...

2007-12-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

Did you see the beautiful snow photos all over blogland today? Amanda posted some lovely ones, as did Julie and Caro. Fluffy white goodness, making everything clean and bright.

Let me present the alternative perspective.

(Thanks for the photo, Boston Globe.)

This is what we saw while driving home on Route 93 last night. Yes, that would be GRIDLOCK. People just stopping on the middle of the interstate highway to clean off their cars. My personal favorite was the guy in the panel van who reached out the window with a 6 floot long broom to clean his windshield. While driving. (Yeah, it was only 3 mph, but still...)

It took us FOUR AND A HALF hours to get home last night. Usually, the drive is about 50 minutes. Yesterday, the first 58 minutes of my commute were spent in here.

That's my parking garage on a sunnier day. See that street in the lower left hand corner? Completely backed up, which meant that NOBODY was getting out of the garage. Lucky for me, I had a sock to knit. I think I completed about 2" before getting out to the street. What did non-knitters do???

The Mafia parks in that garage too, but she got a 15-minute headstart on me, and there was no line when she left work. She lives about 15 minutes from me, and stayed ahead of me for the whole commute. She was my "advance man," calling from along the route to let me know which street or intersections to avoid. If it wasn't for her, I would probably have been on the road at least another half hour, maybe longer. Thanks, Mafia!

[I'm done whining now. Although, I hear that this weekend's expected storm is supposed to be equally messy ...]

snow day!

2007-12-13T13:35:00.001-05:00

The best news I heard all day ... pardon me while I go park my butt on the couch and knit.

It just started snowing an hour ago, but we are expected to get several inches. The state of MA sent its employees home at 11:30, and most schools and many businesses are also closing early, so the commute may still be pretty crappy. But, woo hoo for 3 extra hours of butt-parking!! I might need to go get some videos too ...

study break socks

2007-12-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

While I was studying for a final exam last week, I decided that I needed to take a little break and knit something. Unfortunately, none of my projects were at a stage where I could just pick up and knit mindlessly, so I started some socks. The yarn is some Regia Crazy Color that I picked up in the back room of Webs for $4/ball. Such cheerful colors!

And yes, I did match the stripes.

Obessive? Moi?

Maybe just a little!

One more pair towards my goal of having a month's worth of handknit socks (inspired by Margene). I don't much care for doing laundry.

I'm a little further along then when I took these photos. I'm about an inch past the gusset decreases on both socks. I'm going to take these to lunchtime SnB today, and work during the commute. It looks like we might get 2 good sized storms in the next 4 days, so I'm thinking I'll spend some time indoors this weekend! Maybe a new pair of socks by the weekend's end?

gifties

2007-12-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

I have been a lucky blogger this fall. I got all sorts of nice gifts and contest prizes recently. This is a long-overdue thanks for all of them! Sort of in chronological order, as best as I can remember ...

The first prize is from Susan from KitKatKnit, who had a contest to see who could guess how many photos she would take on her trip to Alaska. (By the way, her gorgeous photos, not all 830 of them, but many, can be seen in a Flickr set.) She sent me some squishy chunky tweed to make mittens with, and a cute sheepy tape measure. Oh, and some chocolate and candy, but that's long gone.

This morning, I used the yarn to cast on for a pair of mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project.

I'm shamelessly using blog-contest prizes to knit something to enter in another blog contest. If you knit a pair (or more!) Sandy will enter you in a contest -- she'll custom knit a pair of mittens for the contest winner!

Back to the prize patrol ...
Maryse sent me a skein of Mama-E C*EYE*BER Fiber sock yarn in the Jolene colorway after I donated some hats to the store where she volunteers. (I've used some of this already -- you may recognize the yarn from the Wooly Legs.)

Then, I won a contest at Bertha's blog for guessing the name and color of her yarn. In return, she sent me some yummy ShiBui sock yarn in the Wasabi color. And some chocolate with raspberries in it. Also gone :)

I think these will become socks for a friend who wears a lot of this shade of green.

Then, for no reason at all, Haddy brought me back a little present from a trip to Spunky Eclectic -- a sparkly yellow batt. It will match perfectly with some silk roving I got at Rhinebeck.

I also won a superwash sock batt from Farm Witch, who sells her batts and other fibers through her etsy shop. It too has a bit of glitz, and I can't wait to spin it!

Also, I won a contest at Cara's blog, and I'll be getting a skein of Socks That Rock from her.

THANK YOU ALL!!! (So much for stash busting, huh?)

stick a fork in me ...

2007-12-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

... I'm DONE!

As of yesterday at 8:30 pm, I am done with my classes for this semester, and don't go back until January 16. I took an exam on Wednesday night, and am still waiting for results. In my other class, remember that pesky little paper I whined about last week? I got an A on it, so I don't need to take the final exam for that class. Woo hoo! Thank you for listening to me obsess, and for sending me good vibes.

****

In honor of being done with class, and therefore in a generally festive mood, I've decided to host a knitting and spinning party on New Year's Day.

If you're local, and I know you, you probably got an email from me (umm, check your spam filter, Cheryl). Unless you're local, and I know you, but didn't have your email in my address book ... in which case, email me or leave a comment with an email address, and I'll forward you the details.

Or, if you're local (Boston/Southern NH area) and I don't know you, please introduce yourself :)

****

In between studying and whining, I've been knitting, and doing a teeny bit of spinning.

Last month, Meghann, Beth, and the Mafia came over for a spur-of-the-moment knitting and spinning evening. We taught Meghann how to spin, and she took to it like a duck to water.

(Julia, your wheel sure does get around!)

This is her first skein of yarn. Dude, it looks like yarn! My first skein looked more like something the cat had spit up.

While she was there, the Mafia took one look at a skein of BFL that I had spun and plied earlier that week, and decided that it was hers. Apparently, in her world, all green yarn belongs to her. Who am I to argue?

She ~~demanded~~ politely requested that I turn the yarn over to her. We tussled a bit, and the compromise solution was that I would get the pleasure of knitting with the yarn, and she would get the pleasure of telling me what to knit, and would own the end product.

Thus, I present "Mafia's Mitts."

(This image gives new meaning to "you're driving me up a tree".)

Project specs:
Yarn: Handspun BFL from Clover Leaf Farms
Pattern: improvised
Gauge: 17 sts/4 in
Needles: Size 7 Addis
On Ravelry.

****

I'm off for a computer-less weekend full of synchronized swimming and teenage girls. See you on the flip side.

the giving season

2007-11-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

So, I'll be sending something to Meghann, Megin, and Debbi ... sometime between now and next Thanksgiving :)

(Ladies, send me your mailing addresses -- my email is in the right sidebar.)

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2007-11-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

Terry posted yesterday about Pay It Forward:

The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog - this means you must have a blog, sorry blogless readers.

This has been making the bloggy rounds. I think I was one of the first three to ask Terry to play, and therefore will get something from Terry in the next year or so (wouldja confirm that for me, Terry dear?). In turn, I will send something to three of you. I'll take the first three commenters who request to be involved. (You can leave a comment without playing, so specify if you want me to send you something!)

*****

Also, some of you were amused by the conversation about heaven and hell that took place recently between me and the Mafia. You know, redheaded angels with cleavage and all that ... Well, the conversation continued in the comments and in emails. And someone wanted to hear the raunchy jokes, so here goes:

Lucia: (in the comments)
If hell is really more fun, why would anyone want to go to heaven? I think of heaven as an immense yarn store right next to the world's biggest bookstore, which in turn is right next to a food court of all the world's best cuisine (in my version Indian and Greek are featured). And all the stores give unlimited credit, and all the employees closely resemble either Harrison Ford or Dustin Hoffman in their younger days. (Except of course the ones looking after Mafia; she gets to decide whom they resemble.)
(Remind me to tell you all the raunchiest heaven and hell jokes I know.)

Danielle: (starts an email conversation)
Yeah, I don't think the Mafia goes for the Dustin Hoffman types -- old or young! More like the Angelina Jolie types.
The priest at our church told this (not at all raunchy) heaven joke in a sermon recently.

Lucia:
Oh, that was one of the ones I was going to tell you! (only in slightly different form.) Here's one my dad told me:
This macho playboy drives his Maserati over a cliff and wakes up to find himself surrounded by fiery pits, steaming cauldrons, the whole nine yards. "Oh, no," he moans, "I'm in Hell!"
"Now, now," says a large but friendly nearby demon consolingly, "Hell really isn't so bad. Take Mondays, for example. Tell me, did you smoke on Earth?"
"Well, yeah, um, I kept trying to quit..."
"You're gonna love Mondays. We have pipes, cigars, cigarettes, all with the finest tobacco, and you'll never get jittery, and you don't have to worry about emphysema or cancer or anything because you're already dead, right?"
"Um, right," says the playboy. "But what happens the rest of the time?"
"Tell me," says the demon, "did you drink on Earth?"
"Um, yeah..."
"Wait till you see what Tuesdays are like. We have all the best beers and wines, vodka, rum, tequila, gin, you name it, any mixed drink you can imagine, and you never get sick or hung over, and you never have to worry about cirrhosis or heart disease, because you're already dead."
"What about Wednesdays?"
"Did you do drugs on Earth?"
"Uh, yeah, sometimes..."
"We have every drug you could possibly think of, the old standards like marijuana, LSD, heroin, and some new designer drugs that'll knock your socks off, and you'll never get strung out or crash, and you don't have to worry about overdosing because..."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm already dead. So what do you do on Thursdays?"
"Ah, Thursdays! Thursday is my favorite day. Tell me, were you gay on Earth?"
"Certainly not!"
"Oh. Well... you may not care too much for Thursdays."

Danielle:
[Forwards the email to the Mafia]:
From Lucia ... I thought you might enjoy.

Mafia: (replies to both of us)
HHHHHAAAA!!!! Eggggggcellent. At least I know I'm going to the right place.
And Lucia - for the record, Angelina Jolie is #1 on my If Only List. Does Danielle know me or what? Or perhaps she's just emotionally scarred by the Jolie in a bathtub photo that I saved on my work computer? "Hello, Human Resources? Yeah, there's a hostile work
environment in progress on the 6th floor. Could you come up here and have someone take a look at this?"

*****

Off to class now. Over and out.

Knit (some more) Unto Others

2007-11-27T23:14:00.000-05:00

The hats and square I posted about yesterday were part of my knit unto others efforts.

Yesterday, multiple hats and one square. Today, multiple squares and one hat.

All from my bucket o' scraps. The hat will go to Lucy's mitten tree collection (scroll halfway down). The squares are for MDK Kay's American Blanket collection for Oliver.

There are 9 squares there. I had some help from Jane (niece, aged 9) and Mim (MIL, age unspecified!). This is us on Thanksgiving. Jane's mom, a decided muggle, took the photo.

So far, my tally is 3 hats and 10 squares. I'd like to add a pair of mittens too.

FYI, the paper is written. Still needs a heavy editing, but I've got another night for that!

ETA: The Mafia keeps telling me that I knit a lot for charity, but I don't feel like I do. Then I looked at my Ravelry projects page -- of my 88 projects, 18 are for me and 30 went to charity (the rest are gifts -- 40 of them!). However, I got most of the sweaters, and charities got most of the afghan squares and hats, so it's hardly fair to compare. But, I guess this explains why I've had the urge to make something for myself recently!

another episode of the "Danielle and Mafia Show"

2007-11-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

During a busy day at work...

The Mafia left a comment on the last post:
You make nicer hats for charity than most people make for themselves. That must count for extra going-to-heaven points, right? But don't get too many points, cuz you'll miss me when you get there. Or perhaps those points will be good for a weekend pass. Just a thought.

Danielle's reply:
Umm, hi, Saint Peter? I have some extra brownie points. Could I trade them in for a daypass for the Mafia? I promise to chaperone her while she is here. I can't promise that she won't make a pass at the redheaded angel (you know, the one with the cleavage), but I think I can keep her under control for 48 hours. Maybe.

The Mafia, again:
I was thinking that you'd need the weekend pass to get outta there periodically. And I didn't think they'd let me in, even on a weekend pass. Clearly you have more faith in me than I have in myself. Hmmm... you = more faith. I might be onto something there.

thanks, and some knitted stuff

2007-11-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your words of encouragement yesterday. The paper is going better today. In fact, it's going well enough for me to justify taking a break for a little while.

Thank you to the Mafia who talked me through some key points at lunch today. The conversation went something like this:

Mafia: Would it help you to talk it through out loud?

Danielle: No, probably not. I know what I want to say, I'm just having a hard time writing it. See, for this assignment I have to write about ... [insert 10 minutes of academic legal blah-blah-blabbity-blah here]. [pause to come up for a breath...] Oh, yeah, I guess it did help to talk it through.

Mafia: I thought it might.

******

In other news, I do still knit. Look, a hat!!

A square!

A hat with squares!

And thus concludes the Dr. Seuss part of this post.

(These are all part of my 2007 Knitting Unto Others. The hats will be donated to charities. The square is going to someone for a blanket to be auctioned off to raise money for an injured cyclist.)

we interrupt this blog silence ...

2007-11-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

... to bring you some bitching and moaning.

I have a paper due on Thursday. Instead of knitting and spinning, I am spending the weekend curled up on the guest room bed with my laptop and this:

I've been agonizing for days about what to write. It's keeping me from sleeping well. I am so stressed out about this stupid paper, it's brought me to tears. I've been mean to my very wonderful husband for no reason at all. I've clenched my teeth so tight that I'm getting headaches. My parents want to have dinner with us and I've refused, since every hour with them means time that I should be working on the paper.

I am a smart, capable, opinionated person. I should have no problem with this assignment. I got a "A" on the last paper for this professor, and this assignment is very similar. It's only 4 pages long. Yet, my brain has frozen. I can't seem to string together any coherent thoughts. Every time I think I've figured out how to approach the topic, I start to type and my mind turns to mush. Fear of failure.

I just want to finish this stupid assignment and sit on the couch and knit.

Why, why, why must I be such a perfectionist?

Back to the grindstone ...

so close, yet so far

2007-11-19T16:20:00.000-05:00

At Rhinebeck, I nearly finished my Nantucket Jacket. All I had left were the crocheted edges, and Lucia helped me figure out the instructions for those. Because the weather was so warm, I knew I wouldn't wear the sweater that weekend, so I didn't rush to finish it.

When I did finish the edging, it looked loose and wonky, so I ripped it out and redid it, but without a crochet expert by my side. It looked better the second time, until I put the sweater on ... the edging was way too tight. You can see in the photo below how the button bands pull the middle of the sweater upwards, and the collar won't stretch enough to fold down all the way in the back. I think part of the problem is the weight of the sweater itself ... it grows longer when it's worn, just because of its own weight.

Last night, I ripped out the edging again, and cut the buttons off. I decided that I didn't like the placement of the buttons and that if I was going to redo the edging and buttonholes, I'd move the buttons too.

The sweater is currently drying -- the poor selvedges needed a blocking after all that crocheting and ripping. I'm a little concerned, though ... the sweater seems to have grown quite a bit wider in blocking. Hopefully, it will still fit!!!

yarn/design suggestions needed

2007-11-14T15:23:00.000-05:00

So, Boss Lady has declined all of my Christmas gift suggestions. Instead, she's requested a pair of convertible or "flip-top" mittens, like these or these or these. And, like last year, she was specific in her yarn request -- soft, black, and not too bulky.

So, two questions:

1) Any suggestions for a good soft black yarn, probably DK or worsted, maybe aran? Yeah, I know there are tons out there, but I'm feeling lazy and I want to know what YOU think would be good. It would be even better if it is available widely, or at Webs (I'll be there soon.)

2) Again, being lazy, I'm thinking of making the "inside" part, underneath the mitten flip top, like mittens (i.e. all 4 fingers come through one opening) instead of the more popular "glitten" style of 4 separate finger tubes. Is there any reason NOT to do this? Do the individual glove fingers keep you warmer or function any better?

Inquiring minds want to know.

wooly legs

2007-11-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

Remember this WIP photo from Saturday?

It's sock yarn, but it's not socks. This is the finished product:

Still not sure what they are (turkey drumstick cozies??)? Let me call upon the able assistance of the Wooly Babe to model for you:

As you might know, the Wooly Babe will be wearing this harness for 6+ weeks to treat developmental dysplasia of the hip. Unfortunately, the harness makes her wardrobe choices somewhat limited, as she can't wear those cute little footie baby one-piece outfits. Or pants. So, she needs something to keep her both warm and fashionable.

Pattern: Wooly Legs (Ruth's improvised pattern ... scroll to the bottom)
Yarn: Mama-E C*EYE*BER Fiber Signature Sock Yarn in "Jolene"
Needles: Addi Turbo and Knitpicks DPNs, size 1.5
Gauge: close to 9 sts/in

Wooly Babe, hope you are warm and toasty!