Tuesday, February 28, 2006

it happened on a monday...

Lucky made her debut yesterday morning, when I wore her to work! After months of anticipation, everything went over without a hitch. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a decent picture of myself before running out the door...For some reason every picture that I took with the auto-timer made me look like a deer caught in headlights. The ones that I took while pointing the camera at myself came out blurry. I was able to snap a decent picture this morning.


Pattern: Lucky from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation

Yarn: Silk City Perle 3/2 Cotton, color Silver Sage. Bought this yarn from Elann a while back, but never figured out what to do with it. I was still on the cone, which meant there were very few ends to weave in once I was done.

Needles: size 3 (3.0mm)

Size: I made the size small. Although the size is correct, the sweater is a little boxier than I thought it would be.

I don't want to pass too much judgment about the pattern. I will, however, say that I would not knit another one. In the future, I will think twice about making a sweater that includes any tied neck/waistband. I'm not sure which part was worse, knitting the neckband or sewing it onto the sweater.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome, but it took a lot of effort to finish this piece. And, it looks like I'm done just in time for Spring!

Friday, February 24, 2006

has anyone (in the US) received their Rowan?

I go through this every time...I see the preview and get excited, only to be let down by how long it takes to get the magazine delivered. The website lists February 1st as the release date. I understand that that date is for the UK. But, today is February 24th, three weeks later, and there's no sign of the new Rowan.

When this happened last year, I considered buying a copy of the magazine at my LYS, and then selling the new club copy once it arrived. I also considered not renewing my subscription.

What's a girl to do?

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

another slow week...

I haven't done much knitting since last week, even with a four-day weekend. I managed to finish the first piece of Butterfly. I even picked up the stitches for the second. I started working the lace pattern for about 10 rows before I noticed that I hadn't strung beads on the new ball of yarn that I was using...I minor speedbump really, but I haven't been in the mood to rip back yet.

I also spent a little time with Lucky. After knitting 1x1 rib for an hour, I tried the sweater on. I'm still about 5 inches short on one of the ties. This has really become a chore. I think I'll be sitting down with a movie (for entertainment) and drinks (to numb the pain of ribbing) this weekend in order to finish it.

I even started something new, then quickly set it aside. Last Wednesday, I started the Retro Rib Socks from Interweave (Winter04). I got off to a good start, then discovered that I had left the pattern at work over the weekend. Once I got to the start of the heel flap I had to stop. I have the pattern back now...just have to get the ball rolling again.

Friday, February 17, 2006

short attention span...

I have a lot of ground to cover today. AF and I are having some people over tonight for dinner, and before they get here, I need to:

  • hem and put up the curtains we bought at IKEA in January
  • Hang icicle lights around the living room
  • finish putting away the laundry I did earlier this week
  • have lunch with my parents
  • make a trip to the grocery store to figure out what I'm serving for dinner

    But I'd rather be enjoying the great gifts that AF got me for Festivus.


    AF did a great job this year...He finally listened when I told him that I always keep an Amazon wish list. Now, I need to talk him into making me this for our entryway.


    Thankfully, I'm off today and have time to do most of this stuff. And, maybe, I'll even be able to work in some knitting time, too.

  • Monday, February 13, 2006

    what have i done to deserve this...

    Up until now, I have escaped all memes, for which I am glad. They are interesting, but I'd rather let them go the way of the chain email...Read and then ignored.

    The main reason I have never been tagged is because I haven't advertised to friends that I have a blog...This thing has always be for my personal edification. The one friend I have who reads my blog has finally interrupted the delicate balance! So, Maya, this is for you!

    Four Jobs I've Had:
    Budget/Program Analyst
    Internet Media Planner/Buyer
    Building Manager of Student Center
    Barista

    Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
    Party Girl
    Nightmare Before Christmas
    Labyrinth
    High Fidelity

    Four Places I've Lived:
    Washington, DC
    Evanston, IL
    Bethesda, MD
    That's it...really!

    Four (or more) TV Shows I Love:
    Law & Order
    24
    Arrested Development
    CBS Sunday Morning

    Four Places I've Vacationed:
    San Francisco, CA
    Toronto, Canada
    Seattle, WA
    Outer Banks, NC

    Four of My Favorite Dishes:
    Peking Duck
    Drunken Chicken
    Shrimp w/ Lobster Sauce
    I really dig a good steak...

    Four Places I'd Rather Be:
    At home, in bed
    Tryst
    New York City
    knitting

    Four Books I Could Read Over and Over:
    Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
    Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

    Four Albums I Couldn't Live Without:
    Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
    A Storm in Heaven - The Verve
    The Bends - Radiohead
    Parklife - Blur

    Four Bloggers I'm Tagging:
    No one...this too will go the way of the chain letter. The buck stops here.

    Four Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
    Vacation in Greece
    Own my own house
    Run a craft-related small business
    Win the lottery!

    Thursday, February 09, 2006

    hem frill...

    It didn't take long for me to start another project. It's especially easy becayse I already have them picked out and listed on the sidebar. The next item on that list is Crinkle, but I haven't received the new Rowan, so I couldn't start that.

    So, I moved to the next one...Butterfly! This was a pattern that I absolutely fell in love with when last year's Spring/Summer Rowan came out. Since it wasn't what I would call "practical," I put it on the back burner. But, now is the time!

    Image hosting by Photobucket
    It took me a while to get the hang of the lace pattern. I'm used to patterns where you always purl the wrong side...not so in this case. It wasn't until halfway through the second "hem frill" that I can say I memorized the lace pattern. I just picked up the stitches for the body.

    Wednesday, February 08, 2006

    moving right along...

    I seem to have a bug in my bonnet this month. Or, maybe, this version of a Yarn Diet is really motivating. I've made my way through three of my "1st six of '06"...Yup, I'd like to present my Jaywalkers:


    Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina

    Yarn: Woolarina Merino Sock Yarn. I bought this yarn last October at the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair. Orginally, I thought I would use it to make a scarf.

    Needles: size 2 dpns.

    Size: I started out making the larger size. I tried the sock on once I had finished the heel, and it felt fine. However, once I got a couple of inches into knitting the foot, I could tell that it was going to be much too big...I restarted the smaller size immediately.


    I have fallen in love with this pattern, and already have an itch to knit more socks. It absolutely amazes me that this is the first pair of socks that I knit! I think that I've decided that ribbed socks just aren't for me...Come to think of it, I never buy ribbed socks from stores. Why would I want to knit them?

    Monday, February 06, 2006

    a weekend debut...


    Pattern: Leaf Lace Sweater by Teva Durham

    Yarn: Lion Brand Kool Wool (50% Merino Wool, 50% Acrylic); color: Claret. I used exactly 10 skeins. I only had scraps left when I was done.

    Needles: Denise interchangeable needles, size 13.

    Size: I made the medium size because my gauge wasn't exactly 10 st per inch as the pattern calls for.

    I love the construction and design of this sweater. And, the Kool Wool is much nicer than I expected. It's very soft. The only thing that I would think about changing is the length of the sleeves. If I were to make this sweater again, I would shorten them by about two inches.

    Wednesday, February 01, 2006

    what's my motivation?

    If I had to grade myself, today, I would definitely consider an incomplete. I haven't worked on Lucky at all. This almost-finished sweater is still sitting in a laundry basket, waiting for another 20-some inches of 1x1 ribbing. This is just one of my shortcomings:


    I have also neglected my Lace Leaf Pullover. This one has a few ends that need to be woven in before her grand premier. I did, however, find a nice button for the neck closure.

    socks revisited...

    Last April I made my first attempt at sock knitting...It was even one of my "resolutions" for 2005. I figured I would start with a basic sock just to get a feel for how things work. Using a basic pattern, I set out to knit a pair of 2x2 ribbed socks. Things were going really well, until I turned the heel. The pattern that I was following used a "Sherman Heel," creating short rows. This process was very fiddley, and it took three tries before I had what looked like a heel.

    I pressed on, even though I hated the way the sock-in-progress looked. I just wanted to go through the process. After knitting the foot, still in 2x2 rib, it was time for a "Sherman toe." I fought my way through the toe shaping, only to find that the sock ended up too long! I thought that I would rip back an inch and finish the sock. Well, I just couldn't. There were just something about the sock that I disliked. For nearly a year, that sock has been sitting in a bag, in my stash, waiting to be ripped.

    After seeing all the hubbub about the Jaywalker socks--especially the knit along--I've gotten the itch to throw my hat into the ring. I cast on the first sock on Monday, and just finished the heel this morning!

    Here's my progress so far:

    And, the heel up-close:

    So far, I'm absolutely in love with this sock.