Etsy sale!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of St. Paddy's, and spring, everything in the store is 30% off - just wait for a revised invoice before paying.

A quiet weekend meant I made some good progress on my Lady Eleanor - I'm on ball #7 of 10. I decided to take a break from knitting last night and weave in some of the ends - I know it would drive me crazy at the end otherwise! Progress on my dad's socks is still slow going. I tend to be in a hurry about wrapping up socks (esp. when they've been lingering as long as this pair) and now I'm a little worried I'm making it too short - anyone have a good rule of thumb for how tall they make socks for their guys? I'm going by the measurements in one of my sock books, but it still seems to short.

All in all, good progress on the March goals!

Little WIP update

Chevron scarf - I finished a skein of the blue (Sundara, in Dusk) and figured this was a good time to pause for a photo shoot.
And a close up. I've been playing with my camera more and trying to learn how to use all the different settings to make more of the light I have. The beauty of digital? Taking as many pictures as it takes to get it right. And then some more.
Little charms, shaped like hands, that say hand made. I spotted these on gradschoolknitter's blog and immediately headed over to etsy to hunt them down. Extra motivation for finishing things!
And finally, a hat to keep M warm (Thorpe) when he goes back home - his uncle died this weekend, so he may be going home sooner rather than later.

I'm off for an early night, after an incredibly early morning (6 am conference call. Seriously). Good night everyone!

Odds and ends

• Slow down, you move too fast

Yesterday I went to the post office after work to mail some destash yarn (more about this later) and of course chose the automated postal unit over the long line in the lobby. However, there were 2 people in front of me and an elderly man already using the machine. While talking himself through it. "No....no....enter zip.....wow that's expensive...go back.....no....no"

As the line grew and we all silently plotted to throttle him (I know I can't have been the only one), I realized this is what bugged me about my ex's apology. He had waited over a hear to apologize and acknowledge he had failed to treat me like a human being. But he couldn't be bothered to sit down and at least email me from a freaking computer.

We're all in such a hurry these days, and that's been part of the anxiety I've been feeling since the new year. Hurry up to define my relationship, hurry up to resurrect broken friendships, hurry up to get over my brother's death. I suspect all this hurrying is why I wake up before my alarm clock these days.

• Obligatory politics

I've been listening to Al Gore's The Assault on Reason the last couple of days. And a few things come to mind - one: Al Gore has a very distinctive writing style. It's like he's talking to you. And even though he's not the one narrating the book, you know it's him. Two: how the hell did we end up here? I'm not one to follow the news anymore, but listening to his accounts of the last few years have me up in arms. Though his account of hypnotizing a chicken is pretty funny.

• So, you call this a knitting blog?

Only very loosely. In my anxiety to clear out material goods (apparently I am not my mother's daughter on this score), I've managed to destash about half my stash. And made a vow not to buy any more new yarn until Easter. I've decided this applies to a wheel as well. By that time I should have my tax refund and feel a little more certain about this whole spinning thing. In the meantime, I am knitting from my stash, finishing up UFOs (or frogging them), and practicing on my spindle. Unfortunately all this WIP polygamy has slowed down progress on the Buttony Sweater (the Chevron scarf was too pretty to leave in the basket!), but it will be done.

Some day....

Busy with WIPs

Well, it's been crazy the last 3-4 weeks at work, so the motivation to blog has been steadily decreasing. Luckily, the motivation to curl up in front of the TV and knit hasn't :) First up, progress on the Buttony Sweater:

In spite of the weird looks I got yesterday when I pulled it out at a Super Bowl party, I knit for almost the entire game and made a ton of progress. A few more inches, and I think I'll be ready to bind off and start on the sleeves.

I also managed to make 2 trips to Anacapa Fine Yarns this weekend. One, just to get some Noro for the famous striped scarf, and the next day because they were having a Super Bowl sale (had I realized how late the game was starting and that I'd be able to go for the sale, I wouldn't have bought the first batch of Noro....). But, I also bought a new spindle:


My spinning is getting much more consistent, and I'm almost ready to break out the pretty roving I've been holding out on (until I got better. And stopped making slubby yarn)

And, finally, my sewing machine has been getting a workout. I made myself a circular needle holder awhile ago, but I decided I wanted one hold for all my DPNs and circular needles. So I came up with this:

Here it is, folded up in thirds (I still need to sew in some snaps, but you get the idea)
....and opened up. 9 pockets for circular needles.
...and here with one of the sets of circular pockets flipped over to reveal the DPN slots. I haven't used it yet (sew in snaps....must sew in snaps), but I'm pretty excited :)

Alright, that's it for me. Time to curl up in front of the TV (if only the TV put out heat too. Two birds with one stone there) and get to work on finishing that sweater. Happy Monday all!

PS - there was an etsy update this weekend. Just so you know :)

Wicker

Wicker
Seaming in progress - use #26 for hair clips!

Artistically draped over the back of my couch

...and on me (courtesy of the self timer - Marie hasn't learned how to work the camera yet)

I'm proud of myself for finally finishing it - it took over a year and almost 8 balls of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk. I've learned my lesson about Rowan patterns - sit down and write out all the instructions, line by line. Be more realistic about gauge - especially row gauge. And understand your own measurements better - without blocking, the sweater is a little short on me. We'll see how blocking takes care of that.

And new on the needles:

Buttony Sweater. I redrafted the pattern last night to be more specific to my size and gauge and cast on. I'm using Malabrigo Chunky, in the colorway Charrua. I love the look of brown and blue on the skein, but I'm not sure how a whole sweater of it will look - thoughts? My LYS has a spectacular selection of Malabrigo Chunky, and I'm sort of tempted to exchange what I haven't knit up for another color....

In other news, work is still stressful. My computer started acting up last week, so I had to get my hard drive replaced. I got my computer back with the new hard drive today, and hardly anything has gone right. Email, Word, Excel, and printers all not working properly. Some have been fixed, but it put me a solid day behind. And with one report due Friday and a set of experiments due the 31st....I need a break. Unfortunately, it's going to keep on at this pace with two new sets of experiments next month and 4 or 5 reports to write around the middle of the month. And I found out today that my grandmother in Germany passed away yesterday. It's not surprise (we found out when my brother died she was sick), and I haven't seen her since I was 13, but with all the thoughts about trips there as a child, I'm a little sad.

Seriously, I need a break :)

Back to knitting!

WIP update

It feels like I'm a little overdue for a picture post of all the WIPs that are currently getting some attention. So, here goes!
My dad's socks are coming along slowly, as to be expected for knitting two socks at once. The Regia's alright, though I think I'm developing a bias for softer sock yarns. These were supposed to be done in June, and I may be pushing it to get them and my mom's shawl done by the end of the month. But maybe with some focus....
My mom's shawl. I've got one more pattern repeat, 14 knit rows, and then come the border challenge. I've never done a knitted on border and I'm having trouble visualizing how it'll all go down. But, as I always do, I figure I'll just start and wing it. I don't know what it is about lace, but it seems to go so quickly!
This was started as a "Oh! I should make a hat for my trip to Yosemite this weekend!" project. Famous last words! It took me a couple of hours to modify the pattern I'd chosen to a) make it into an adult sized hat and b) make it work with the Malabrigo I wanted to use. At the end of it all, M's roommates were convinced that knitting required some kind of special degree....(eventually I will use my own stitch markers. Well, the ones you see above are mine, but I made them 3 years ago before I really learned what I was doing.)
The languishing Lady E I started in May - I'm on my 7th or 8th ball of Silk Garden, and only a couple more to go. I started this to distract me through the funeral preparations, so I sort of have mixed feelings about finishing it. But after seeing the one I made for my mom, I'm looking forward to having one of my own.
And finally, taking these.....
to these! My friend Michelle gave me Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and it couldn't have been a more perfect birthday present. These were a huge hit this weekend, and I'm excited to try more of the recipes!

Time to walk away from the TV and get some sleep - have a good night!

...in which I whine a little

Friday I had a mini breakdown as I was driving down to LA to a slumber party with my knitting friends. I was on the phone with M, and about to cry because he had just told me to relax and not worry.

Something so simple (and so true) shouldn't drive me to tears. But last week, or more accurately last Friday, sucked.

• I passed the 6 month anniversary of my brother's death with nothing more than an empty feeling - which was quickly replaced with a guilty feeling. And communication with my parents has been falsely cheery (on both ends) at best lately.
  
• My new and improved allergy meds are not doing anything for the cough that brought me to the allergist in the first place (and my nose is running).
  
• I have had credit card fraud for the second time in 2 months - making me worried that my information is out there for the taking. It's strange - the first time someone charged alot of gas to my card, the second time they tried to buy alot of clothes with my other card. I'm not sure what to do at this point.
• Work. Oh work, how you stretch me. There have been structure changes in the last week that directly affected me. There's a trip to Puerto Rico (tonight, actually) to learn about the new process that's stressing me out because a) it's happening relatively quickly and b) the plan keeps changing. Originally one of the more senior group members was going to go, but that got nixed Friday and until about an hour ago it looked like I might be going by myself.
  

/whine.

It's been a rollercoaster weekend, trying to pack and repack and clean and run errands, but it's not all bad. The slumber party was fun, and the food was tasty. Knitting has been happening - I have made some good progress on the Hourglass Sweater, finishing up the lower part of the body and starting on one of the sleeves. Though I think the Claptois, Chevron Scarf, and my mom's shawl will be the projects coming along with me this week. And I've decided to treat myself with the overtime I'll be earning and get some STR - the only hard part is narrowing down my choices!

Etsy update and WIP Wednesday

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New stitch markers have been uploaded to the shop! And, in honor of Thanksgiving, shipping is free all of this month :) Enjoy!

Here's a shot of the shawl I'm working on, in an attempt to capture how close to Marie's eye color this yarn is. The picture came out reddish because I tried to block the flash, which makes for an interesting shot....


Here's a closeup of the shawl itself - I'm only on the 3rd repeat, and I can tell it's going to be fairly large when blocked!

I do believe there's been some knitting....

I gave in. I started a new project - but, to be fair, it's a gift for my mom and if I don't start it now it may never be done. And I wanted to start another lace project ;) The Misti Alpaca Lace is absolutely wonderful - so incredibly soft. And while it may be a bit thin to knit single stranded, I'm loving how delicate the shawl is turning out. Good thing I have some more yarn for myself!

I've been carefully resisting all the sales and blog contests lately - I really have more yarn than I can use up any time in the near future. Which may lead to some more destashing.....

It was a quiet weekend. Friday's party was a little disappointing - it ended up just being my boyfriend and a couple of our friends from SB. It seems as we get older everyone has a harder and harder time a) committing to plans and b) showing up. I would much rather people said no in advance than the day of (or via messenger the hour of), when I've already gone out and gotten food and drinks etc. I'm guilty of it myself - thinking I'll really want to go or might want to go and then deciding that I'm too tired. In reality, I'm always tired. But usually when I push myself to go, I end up having a good time and was glad I went.

Sorry, this wasn't supposed to turn into a rant :)

Saturday I did a little shopping - I got an award at work that I turned into a Banana Republic gift card. Which meant an immediate (if not sooner!) trip to the outlet. Saturdays aren't the best days for a trip to the outlet, but I managed to make it in and out with only minor damage (2 sweaters and another pair of work pants which I absolutely adore). M and I went to see American Gangster, which was good, but not as good as the previews had led me to believe. There were definitely some interesting previews before the movie - alot of scary movies coming out!

Sunday we drove up to SB to go sailing. We were short staffed that day, there being only 4 of us to crew, but somehow we pulled it off (and I managed not to get any new bruises!). It was a long race out to the platforms, and bitterly cold with the fog rolling in. However, it was all worth it when we found out we'd gotten 2nd place. A very rare feat for our boat!

In other news, I'll be updating my etsy shop this week with a few more sets of stitch markers. Additionally, it'll be free shipping for the entire month! So stop by and take a look!

Happy Monday - made better by the extra hour we got back this weekend ;)

Wednesday WIPs....on a Sunday?

I'm making a valiant push for the final days of Socktoberfest. I've noticed a trend this year - of making plans for knitting and blatantly ignoring them (Summer knitting goals, summer of socks, etc) But no! I will knit socks in October (and move on to something else come November)


First up, socks for my dad. I'm really loving the yarn, and the pattern (from More Sensational Socks). They're for his birthday, which was in June. So much for timing (Teresa, your gloves WILL be refinished. Promise. Definitely by your next birthday....)


Next up, Red Sox. No, really. If I'm going to watch all this sports on TV, I am going to knit appropriately (until they're done - then I'll move back to my overflowing WIP basket). M didn't think I was serious when I said I was going to knit some Red Sox socks....well, that'll show him :) I've finished the toe, the foot, and the heel. Why did I ever think knitting socks on anything less than a US 6 was a good idea?

So, if you'll excuse me, there's all sorts of football on right now and perhaps a baseball game tonight....

Monday Monday

Image found on Apartment Therapy

Well, another week back at work. The weekend was nice, I went wine tasting with a friend and her boyfriend, picking up a few nice dessert wines. I used to go tasting more often, but with all that's been going on with sailing and hiking I haven't had as much time. And now there's college football....

I picked up my Hourglass Sweater again, in hopes of finishing it up before my birthday in November (it's good to have goals) So far my wrists/forearms still ache a little, but it's significantly better than it was before. I've also gotten a new keyboard tray and mouse at work, since my physical therapist thinks the tendinitis is more due to mousing than knitting (I tend to agree with her, since I haven't knit more than an hour is the last 3 weeks!).

I've been listening to the Omnivore's Dilemma again, and I'm in the section about organic farming. While I still got a little queasy listening to the slaughtering description, I realized the rest of the chapter really appealed to me in contrast to the first section about industrial farming. This year seems to be the year for thinking greener (my Nellie's Dryerballs arrived last week!) and reducing your footprint, but it's also becoming the year for thinking about what you eat (and not just in a caloric sense). I've always remained blissfully unaware of where my food came from, and I'm beginning to question that...

Happy Monday all!

Almost Wednesday WIPs

The Swallowtail Shawl, in Malabrigo lace. I can't get over how soft the yarn is! It's addictive - more so than KSH :)
Argosy - this one's been hibernating for awhile. I'm using some yarn that's been hiding out in the stash for awhile (me? Stash busting? What are the odds!)
Clapotis, using the STR Lucy colorway. This one, for some reason, seems to be easiest on my arms. Maybe all the variation in stitches.....
And finally, the Chevron scarf. I really love how the colors go together, though they don't contrast as much as I'd hoped. It's slow going on this one, but I'm really loving it so far.

Time for me to get back to catching up on the first season of Heroes....

FO, WIPs, and moving on

The manly socks are finally done and have been gifted to their owner. A few months late of his birthday, but he seems pleased with them. And decided not to take them on his latest camping trip, because he didn't want to "get them dirty." I wonder how much use they'll see with that philosophy!

I'm dividing my time now between some gloves and socks. With a little work on the Hourglass Sweater to give my hands/wrists a break. I've been noticing some tingling in my arms and some back pain, so I'm trying to take it easy. Of course, this rules out making stitch markers as well, so I really don't know what to do with myself! The testing is going well, as far as getting feedback on how the first set of markers work out. After some initial results, I'm thinking the method Teresa taught me may be more knitter-friendly and that the method I use is probably better suited to earrings and the like.

This past weekend was full of football and movies (and eating!) I watched way more college football than I intended, but really enjoyed the Cal game (I may have to organize a viewing at some sports bar for the next one!) M and I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum on Sunday, which I liked quite a bit. I wasn't as much of a fan of the second in the series, but the third was right up there with the first. If you like action and twists, I'd recommend checking it out while it's still in theater (unless you have a big screen TV and surround sound. In which case, invite me over some time)

My parents seem to be doing well after the letter was published. The Napa paper has a censoring policy on all comments submitted to their site (which the other papers don't seem to be as strict with, given some of the responses to my dad's letter earlier this year) and all the comments I've seen are positive and reaffirm the fact that not much is known about the possible side effects. I'm still trying to deal - feeling somewhat deserted, though I realize no one really knows what to say to me. I'm told this is the awkward point in the timeline - where it's been long enough that other people have moved on and you're just starting to deal with it. Or where people are still giving you distance when you're finally ready to talk. It's been frustrating to an extent - the times I do mention it, no one knows what to say and the atmosphere gets awkward. Society has a hard time acknowledging death and its aftermath in general, at least in a way that doesn't leave the survivors feeling like they should be keeping quiet about how they're feeling.

So I've removed the chip from my shoulder and have been harassing people to hang out with me until they feel comfortable enough to do it on their own :)

And in the interim, I'm getting caught up on my Netflix subscription....I'm still coming up to movies I queued back in grad school!

Weekend update

I've been somewhat remiss in updating lately, so here's a stash enhancement, WIP, and misc. update :)

• Stash enhancement

A gift from Molly, Sundara Yarn. Spunky Eclectic yarn, a prize from Claudia's MS Ride Raffle. STR Lagoon, a purchase off the new Destash blog. Yarns from Handpaintedyarn.com for hats. Bought from Lotus Yarns, who has great names for colorways :) Bought from Paradise Fibers (who were really great to deal with)

• WIP

Manly sock, still going strong. Swallowtail shawl, intended to be worn at a wedding that's already occured (oops!). Generic ribbed hat, can never have too many. Lady Eleanor stole, a prayer shawl of sorts started in May.

• Misc.

My newfound interest in making stitch markers


A new mixer, with which to make more pies (and other things too I'm sure)


Anyone want a one person tea set?

Have a good weekend all!!

Contests and knitting

Knittinggal is having a contest - go check it out! And don't forget the contest here! For those of you who don't want to be entered for the teapot but rather the yarny goodness let me know. I'm planning on uploading some pictures tonight, including pictures of the other prizes. In addition to whatever else may be lurking on my camera.....

I'm still slowly chugging away at the manly sock, in hopes of finishing it this summer. Seriously - what happened to my knitting? Looking at my everpresent stash is causing a slight panic. I went to SnB in Santa Monica for the first time in over 2 months last night. It feels strange to go back after so long - you worry that things will be awkward when you haven't been there, especially for the reasons I stopped going anywhere. But I needn't have worried. Though only a few of the people I know were there, the group was still the same :) Mirkins, birthing, and of course knitting conversation still abounds. Unfortunately I won't be able to go back until my class ends :(

Time to get to work so I can leave early and do laundry and read Harry Potter. I have my priorities :)

Bleh

My knitting mojo is totally gone - I had a whole week off last week and only managed to finish a couple of hats! I took a look at my summer knitting goals....hmm. Nothing. Took a look at my queue on Ravelry. Nothing. I've joined Summer of Socks and Mystery Stole 3 and haven't started either.

It's times like these when I look at my stash of yarn, books, and WIPs and start to panic slightly. Will I ever get it all done?

Right now the priority is to finish the knits for other people (who are thankfully flexible about the idea of receiving birthday gifts post-birthday). Next, WIPs for me. It will be a day of ruthless evaluation of WIPs and frogging those I don't think I'll ever finish. Blinders to new projects!

On my drive home Monday, my friendly voicemail voice informed me my mailbox was full and I had to clear out some of the old messages in order to keep the new ones coming in. Yes, I had about 18 saved voicemails. I do that from time to time - but most of these were from when my brother died. Many calls saying, "I'm sorry, call if you want, but you don't have to." I've come some way from 2 months ago when he died. I happened to catch Veronica Mars last night, the episode where her boyfriend breaks up with her and she holds it all in until she gets in the shower and just breaks down. Apparently I'm not the only one :) I wouldn't say I'm totally happy now or that I never think about it. I think about it every day. But it doesn't feel like it's controlling my life anymore. And that's huge.

On a happier note, my 3 year blogiversary is coming up on the 27th. Keep your eye out for a contest - I'm working on coming up with a fabulous prize :)

FOs and Destash

Two FOs that I've been waiting on posting about until they were mailed off - the top is the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting (I think the title is appropriate) and the bottom is another pair of Roll Top Bootees from 50 Baby Bootees to Knit - by far one of my favorite patterns. You just can't be unhappy when you have a pair of baby bootees. I see what Stephanie is talking about (the Bee Shoes are also on my list)


I'm still plugging away at the manly socks - the first was finished last night (not pictured) and has been tried on to confirm fit before starting with the 2nd. I need to figure out what knitting to bring along with me this weekend to Vegas. I imagine the grad students will look at me funny if I start knitting while they gamble, but I'll need something to do on the drive out there at least :) I received my copy of Knitting Lingerie Style, and I absolutely love it. I haven't looked too much into the specifics of the patterns (sizing, difficulty, yarn requirements), but at first glance it's one of my favorite books. There's alot in there I could see myself making (if I ever get through the huge cache of projects I already have....)

In other news, the Destash blog is closing down today. I can't blame the moderators - Blogger has been exceptionally buggy with that blog and it's caused alot of problems of multiple posts or posts not appearing or who knows what. Plus it's a huge endeavor to manage. There's already at least 2 wordpress blogs reserved to replace it, plus some discussion on Ravelry to start a sell/trade page with links to people's stashes.

Knitting content

The last few weeks, in addition to bringing a ton of emotion and change, have also been full of alot of knitting. I started another Lady E shawl, as a sort of meditative/prayer shawl for my first visit up here (I'm back in Napa for the weekend). I started another Clapotis from STR in Lucy, after seeing the Clapotis Teresa knit in a weekend (the gift of the Clapotis she made for me sort of slowed down my progress). Some baby gifts have been made, and two Black Sheep Knittery visits have completely decimated my resolution of being on a stash diet.

This is the point where I say rules are made to be broken.

I did take pictures of most of these things, and left my camera at home. So I'll have to ask you to imagine all of this for the time being :)

Aside from knitting, I'm doing alright. I believe this stage may be denial, anger, or something. People tell you it takes awhile to understand what happened, and I believe it. Most days seem fine - I started going back to work last week, which has been nice. I haven't seen much of people outside of work, but for now that's what I want. Knitting, writing, and just thinking.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments. The blogging community never ceases to amaze me - you guys are great. Take care everyone, and have a good weekend!

WIP Wednesday

Actually, I haven't been doing so much knitting as I have been driving lately. I have, however, been stocking up on the sock yarn. I bought some STR this weekend in Lucy, to make another Clapotis (after seeing Peggy and Teresa's, I couldn't resist) I've also bought some Lorna's Laces in somewhat solid colorways to make socks with more emphasis on stitch detail than color. I have seen a few examples of socks that have both color varigation and stitch pattern, but for me I really like one or the other.
I have been making excellent progress on the baby knit and my knee sock. Last night I also finally picked up Wicker again. This month, as I say every month, will be about finishing things. And hopefully less yarn shopping :) After a lapse in the yarn diet (though sock yarn technically doesn't count), it's time to get back on the wagon. My checkbook will thank me later.


I've added a few new links to the side for stores and tutorials. Check out Abby's Yarns post about making a tweed blend! And Ravelry - another way to organize my WIPs?

ETA: Amazon is having a Kitchen and Home Mother's Day Sale.

Still plugging away

In the midst of all the destashing I've been doing, I've still been doing some knitting. I apologize for the lack of pictures, I'll update those later.

There are still a number of WIPs on the needles, some of which I've actually worked on. And in the long-awaited department, I finally know people who are pregnant and can get some of those cute baby patterns I've been eyeing on the needles.

Tell me I didn't just say that....

Anyways - still a multitude of socks. I finished my Trekking socks using the "You're putting me on" pattern, only to decide the foot was too long and frog back. I've been plugging away at my knee socks (using this and this tutorial) while in the lab (which led to finally getting a chance to meet the other knitters at work!) and am quite pleased so far. The hiking and Jaywalker socks have sadly been neglected, but the lace knee highs from Interweave can be resurrected, now that I finally found the pattern (it was in the shawl section of my pattern files. Go figure).

Sweaters still abound as well. Wicker has been horribly neglected in favor of the Hourglass Sweater. However, after having to rip back 24 rows, Hourglass may have lost her privileged place. The yarn for Rapunzel came in, and I plan to be swatching for that soon to add to the list of planned sweaters (Ariann, Wicked, Loop-d-Loop Lace Leaf Pullover, Thermal, and many more)

And finally, I gave in to the mitre (thanks to january one) and ordered some cotton for Elann to make my own blanket. I'm still recovering from the large order :)

Oh - watch this. I'm really intrigued to see the final version now. And check out this. Finally, a whole book :) I can't wait. (If you haven't seen her blog, I command you to stop reading now and head over there).