adventures in knitting and other geeky mishaps

So many words for a universal occurrence....

2011-09-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

Life's about to change a lot!

Yarn Shop Politics

2011-08-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

Over on Ravelry this week, our local board blew up over a local yarn shop (lys) starting a new policy. Long story short, the shop has said that it will start charging knitters a $10 fee to come to "Open Stitch" (Knit Night, Stitch and Bitch etc.) if you weren't knitting with yarn you had at some point purchased there. This has cause a flurry of comments to the point where the Mod. decided to shut down the thread. It's an interesting issue- on one hand, it's a business and they need to make income. On the other, I've found that more often than not, with the shop I tend to frequent, while I don't buy something all the time, I do buy a lot from them and it's often when I'm there to sit and knit with friends. I see this with all of my friends as well.
It seems the knitting community is also drawn down the middle on this one. Personally, with the shop in question, I've had 2 occasions when I've been there in the last year and felt a definite chill in the air. In one instance, there was a group knitting at the community table, talking about a particular yarn that none of them were familiar with and I, while browsing nearby casually commented as I had knit with it/had it in my stash. Even though I commented at a totally appropriate time, didn't interrupt anyone and didn't say anything weird, instead of a response, I received frosty stares and no comments. It was so unnerving! Another time was also similar. I guess my point is that was the last time I was there and implementing a fee for me to come back is not going to help foster good will in a community that puts a great deal of stock into a shops "personality", "style" and general vibe.

Anyway, now that I'm done thinking out loud about that, I'll share a recent finished object... This is for a dear friend's new little one.

Pattern: Maile (Free!)

Yarn: Scout's sock yarn, in June's Semi Solid Sock club colorway-Yellow Submarine

Buttons from Looped Yarn Works in Downtown DC

Thanks ,Dad

2011-06-17T21:19:00.005-05:00

I tell him all the time how great he is, but just in case I don't say it enough...

My Dad is amazing, awesome, compassionate, kind and what my Mom once called a Gentle Soul.

He's always the first person I've turned to when I sought solid, honest advice, a hug and support or simply needed someone to kick me in the pants and tell me to "pull it together".

He's been a Mom when I've needed one and every day, I am grateful to have such a great Father. I'm so excited that he and my Step-Mom are coming to visit in a few weeks, even though we did just see them last weekend!

Happy Father's Day, Dad...even if your card is still sitting in my purse, you're still my faves!

MDSW Meet up?!?!

2011-04-28T20:25:00.005-05:00

Hello all!
We've been tossing a Maryland Sheep and Wool Meet Up around on Twitter for the last week or so and I'm finally just going to put it out there and say "Let's meet!"
Details:
Day: Saturday
Time: 1pm
Place: The grassy area outside of the Main Exhibition Hall (to the right of the stage/left of the restrooms-ish)
Link to a handy map.

In case you haven't met me (or Jessie) yet, here's a picture I snagged from Lolly's Flickr stream. Thanks Lolly!

We're both short, so you may have to look around a little to find us :-)

l. Jessie, r. Me

At this point (over a week away) I don't have a rain plan. It probably will just involve an umbrella..we'll see and I'll update if that's the case!

Any questions?

Hello Spring

2011-04-03T15:48:00.002-05:00

We're waiting with bated breath for spring to arrive. It's really been touch and go around here with freezing temps, hail and the like this week. Today, however there is hope.

This seemed liked a good time to take a finished object photo. This sweater caught my eye when Stephanie Perl-McPhee blogged about it and I have to say, I agree with most of what she had to say.
I finished it right around Christmas and from the time it was damp from it's first wash, I have reached for it every time I wanted a quick, going out the door sweater. I did get lazy and didn't knit the belt part and really, I'm okay with that.

Details

Yarn- Madelinetosh dk, 4 skeins (900yds, I knit to about two yards left in the 4th skein), colorway Toast

Smallest size and still had a bit of positive ease.

Pattern is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern, #263

And for those paying attention, yes my hair is a drastically different color... I've decided to return to my roots (hehe) and go a bit more natural. We'll see how that works out.

Helping a friend of a friend

2011-03-23T09:43:00.005-05:00

Recently, my friend Ann told me about her bestest friend's sister and the struggle she was going through.

To put it succinctly Emily is:

In a fight against liver cancer and when that fight is won, she'll need a liver transplant
Has health insurance which does not cover prescription medication, thus running her approximately $1,000 a month
Is a public school teacher (i.e. she's not raking in loads of cash, people)
And, and the state she lives in doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, so she can't be on her spouse's health insurance which is better than her own because...her spouse is also a woman.

In the 10 minutes it took Ann to tell me the story, I was in tears myself and wanted to do whatever I could to help with Emily's mounting health care bills. The fight against cancer is close to my heart and the government's (unfair) right to decide the gender of a person one must fall in love with in order to be considered a legitimate relationship is a close second. I lost my mom to breast cancer 15 years ago and a saving grace over those tough years was that my parents had great health insurance covered by my dad's job, not my Mom's (who was generally self employed).

Being the awesome person that she is, Ann decided to hold a raffle. Ann is much more eloquent in the story then I am and all the details can be found here. Not only is this a good cause, but whoo boy if you are even casually interested in all things fiber related (or if you aren't, but you know/love a person that is...) it's more than enough incentive to donate.

Rockstar knitter Elspeth will knit a custom sweater for a winner, there's tons of awesome yarn prizes including some impossible to get your hands on skeins, sweet project bags, and more.

I know there is A LOT going on in the world right now so this isn't meant to be pressure to not donate elsewhere, but I think it's nice to know that anything you give will be going straight to a person who I think really needs some help right now.

So, please go read Ann's post and think about even a small donation.
Thanks!

A quilt in the making!

2011-03-04T19:24:00.001-05:00

YIP 75, originally uploaded by sparklypia.

I mentioned a few posts back that I was in a New Bee this year. Well, November was my month and I got all my blocks back. Aren't they awesome? Now, I'm still trying to decide what to sash it with...blue? Light mocha? Thoughts?

Bi-craftual

2011-02-27T11:09:00.004-05:00

Over the last few years, I've dabbled with crochet. One good friend taught me enough to chain stitch around a neckline (as detailed here and here). Basically, I knew just enough to be dangerous. Over the past few weeks over on Twitter, I was tempted by the upcoming crochet potholder swap and suddenly I was being convinced that I could learn to crochet and join the swap as well! I'm tellin' ya, these ladies are nothing if not the biggest bunch of enablers around!

While I'm not sure I'll be able to pull this off, Lolly, Wrypunster, Emily and I had a great afternoon yesterday hanging out at Looped, learning to crochet, visiting and laughing a lot. Now, while I have plenty of knitting in progress lying around the house, all I can think about are fun, crazy color combos and making afghans and granny squares. Chances are, I won't actually go too far with this, but it was so much fun to learn a new skill! I couldn't help but giggle when I was sitting with yarn in one hand, a crochet hook in the other and zero clue what I was doing.

Thanks ladies for a great afternoon, now I'm off to work on my NewBee squares!

We'll miss you, Gert

2011-02-01T15:52:00.003-05:00

YIP 80, originally uploaded by sparklypia.

As many of you know, I've been in New Hampshire spending my Grandmother's last days with her and then celebrating her life in the traditional Catholic fashion.
Gram was a truly special woman to me and many others and I had the honor of giving the eulogy at her funeral today. I'm sharing my notes (this isn't perfect, but a good outline of what I said) simply because so many of you have been so supportive the last few weeks, it seems only fitting.
~~~~~

Grandma and Grandpa came to live with us in New Hampshire when I was 12. It wasn’t easy for them to uproot their lives here in Cambridge; my grandmother had spent close to 75 years living on the SAME street, just blocks from here surrounded by both family and friends. As the years went by New Hampshire became home for Grandma and, if there was nothing else I could count on, I always knew that Gert would be at the dinner table every night with her quick wit and reassuring words. You wouldn’t know it from looking at a woman who always appeared a bit frail, but she truly was my rock.

Gert lived a simple life. She wasn’t out to save the world, wasn’t rich and wasn’t looking to be famous. She did, however affect every person who met her. She had a wicked sense of humor, a good dose of Yankee spunk and a strong Catholic faith that kept her going through times when others may have called it quits.

While our immediate family was small, she adored all of her extended family and lit up when she talked about her various nieces, nephews, great and great-grand nieces and nephews. Summers at the Lake were her favorite times when she was able to see so much of the extended family.

As anyone who descends from this part of the Finnegan bloodline (or has married into the family!) knows, Newfound Lake is a special place for all of us. I would spend weeks at a time up at the Lake with my grandparents when I was young. Grandma and I would spend hours on the porch each reading our own books and then talking Grandpa into taking us for ice cream. As anyone who knew Gert was well aware, my Grandmother always had an extreme weakness for coffee ice cream.

She constantly surprised me, and everyone around her with what she decided to do or what would come out of her mouth. She had only been on a plane once or twice prior the 1990’s and then one day decided it was time to become an air traveler so she would stop missing out on family events. She traveled to Disney World several times, well into her 70’s and flew to Georgia and South Carolina for family weddings, loving every adventure as it came, whether it was a family meet-up in the Magic Kingdom or racing along in her wheelchair trying to make a connection in the Charlotte airport with the rest of us in tow.

Gert kept on continuing to surprise us. Just a few years ago I came home with a new tattoo across my shoulders and my dad, not overly thrilled with my newest artwork, threatened, “Just wait ‘til your grandmother sees that!!!” Later that day, while visiting with grandma, I turned around and showed her what I had done, and heard her suck in her breath. As I braced myself for an onslaught of reprimands, Grandma just said “That IS beautiful!!”

For someone who was not well educated, she was extremely well read and always wanted to know all about what I was studying in school. One time, when home from college for the weekend, I was telling Gram about a class I was taking and how the paper I was writing focused on the Women’s Suffrage Movement. To this day, I will never forget how nonchalantly Gert looked at me and said, “Oh, I remember when Nana (her mother) went to vote for the first time…I was what…7 or 8? So, don’t forget to vote, sweetie”. The fact that my grandmother had such a memory of women being granted the right to vote in the US and was able to share that with me always amazed me and gave me pause for how much she saw during her lifetime.

As far as I’m concerned, Gram wasn’t the best cook, she didn’t drive (being my dad’s only failure when it comes to teaching someone to drive), was a chronic worrier and she had a body that always seemed to be failing on her… but, she was truly one of the funniest, sweetest and strongest people I knew. She had an intense will to live, constantly looking toward the next milestone. Gert regularly challenged the norms of what one thinks a Grandmother should be and I adored her for this.

When we lost my Mom, Gert made it her mission to ensure that she was at my high school graduation, then my college graduation and while she wasn’t up for coming to our wedding, she was thrilled when Aaron and I went straight to see her after our wedding reception. I like to think that she stayed with us until she knew I would be okay without her and this past week I was able to visit with her, telling her that not only would I be okay, but she had done her job in taking care of all of us.
It’s hard to believe my grandmother turned ninety-seven this past July and selfish of me to have wanted more time with her. From family to near strangers everyone that crossed paths with my Grandmother loved her from the first meeting. It was impossible not to.

Other avenues

2010-10-18T09:04:00.002-05:00

Hi there,

I've been out of touch lately and frankly, there are only so many hours in the day. If you're looking to keep up with me on a more regular basis, check out my flickr stream. I'll be back to check in, though. Don't you worry!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparklypia/

Wordless Friday?

2010-09-17T19:35:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I haven't gone missing altogether.

I started a new job on Monday and while I think I'm really going to like it... dudes, I'm tired!

Friends keep getting pregnant:

(Offset wraplan in STR Medium "Spacedust")

Friends keep getting Married

(Alyssa and Uzo, Labor Day weekend)

And I keep working on my sewing skills

(Project bag for Kim, a going away present at my old job)

I'll be back, I promise, life is just a bit chaotic right now!

It's not all knitting...

2010-08-27T11:17:00.004-05:00

but it's crafty!
As I mentioned in passing, I was coerced into joining a "NewBee" via Twitter friends. The first month's blocks are complete and mailed out...
They may not look square, but trust me, they are. 12.5x12.5 inches! I'm no quilting expert, but I think I did okay!
Speaking of quilting and fabric (whoo boy, my fabric stash may soon outpace my yarn one...don't tell the Tall Guy!), I just discovered Spoonflower.com yesterday (in time for free swatch day). If you have any great fabric websites you'd like to share, please feel free!

In the meantime, I'm continuing to churn out the baby knits as friends are coming up on their due dates...
Technically, you're spose' to turn down the cuff, but I like the full length look myself!

Saturday adventure

2010-08-17T15:13:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, the Tall Guy and I took a road trip to Richmond. I'd never been there, except when passing through on the way south and was pleasantly surprised with the city we found!

The reason for our trip was to go to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art for a special exhibit of Tiffany Glass. We realized at the last minute that it was leaving on Sunday, so we made quick plans and headed down.

The museum itself was quite nice and I'm pretty much in love with most pieces that came out of the Tiffany collection (I'm a glass medium fan in general).

Here's one of my favorites:

(Photo credit noted: from the VMFA website, saved to my server)

And some other great examples are here. I love it all...

After we finished at the museum, we wandered down the street and found ourselves in Carytown. We had a nice lunch at an Italian Deli, did some window shopping, found a yarn shop(while shopping around a bit, I didn't actually buy anything!)

And the Tall Guy bought me a new necklace! Pretty cute, huh?

Stormy morning

2010-08-12T08:11:00.002-05:00

The Tall Guy and I got ready for work this morning as the sky went black and thunder rumbled. By the time my teeth were brushed hail was coming down with full force! It was quite an exciting way to start the morning! Of course, without coffee, I didn't even think to try to take a photo. Right now, we're both working from home as we wait for the Red Line delays to go away and we can make our way into the office.
I don't know about you, but early morning thunder storms are always a funny way to start the day. You would think with the crazy summer we were having, we would be ready for anything! Earthquakes, tornadoes, snowstorms...we've had it all this year!
I was going through my photos this morning and ran into the below video... Yes. Our dog is insane. Especially when you've just put her "Frontline" flea and tick repellent on her. Never a dull moment around here, folks!
Happy Thursday!

Babies, sewing and a special guest hello...

2010-08-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

All my friends are pregnant.
Okay, that's not quite true. I should say, it would seem that a majority of my female friends that live in my neighborhood are expecting. As in, four in five months! The first one in a few weeks and downhill from there!

As a result, I'm doing a lot of baby knitting. At this point, it's sort of scattered, a pair of booties here, a hat there, but it's coming together so that all of my friends will be getting nice little bundles of handknits in bright, cheery, gender neutral colors. So much fun!

In my spare time (ha!), I've started playing with sewing again and have even joined a "New Bee" Quilting group. I sewed this bag a few weeks ago to test out my skills.
The verdict? I need to practice more, but that's okay!

And... Annie says hello.
This is her "New Hampshire" bandanna. My sister wears a lot of tie dye and I make fun of her for this alllll the time. She retaliated by putting some of her style on my poor dog. Annie seems to like it a bit more than the Harley Davidson one my dad bought for her. Bright orange isn't really her color.

A few more Midwest comments

2010-08-06T09:39:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had frozen custard? It's amazing. I mean, I've never met a frozen dairy treat I didn't like, but this stuff? Tasty!

The Tall Guy's uncle, upon hearing my lack of frozen custard knowledge brought us straight to Kopp's.
It comes out of machines like this: I love it.
And, finally, my last comment about my Midwest adventure:

After passing through security at the Milwaukee Airport, you see this sign where there are a number of benches etc. At that moment, I fell deep in love with Wisconsin. Not only do they have an area for you to put your belt and shoes back on, but they made up a name for it. LOVE.

Playing tourist

2010-08-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

It seems that most people that actually live/work in the DC area never actually go to the hot spots in the Nation's Capital (unless we're talking about a new bar or restaurant!) The Tall Guy's sister and her husband were in town earlier this summer from Seattle so, we took advantage of their time in town to do a bit of exploring. We have a friend that works on the Hill and he hooked us up with a tour and gallery passes. Very cool indeed even for those of us desensitized to the "Big P politics" in DC.

Midwest adventures

2010-08-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

The Tall Guy and I took a trip out to the burbs of Chicago and Milwaukee recently.

Mostly, the trip was about visiting family, but I must say I have the best husband and Mother-in-Law around because guess where this girl got to go? You got it....
I must say, if you're ever in the neighborhood, you need to stop in to The Fold...what a great yarn shop! Though, truth be told, I'm not sure how anyone would be in the neighborhood, the shop is in the middle of a corn field and is miles from the nearest town. But, it's still worth the drive out of your way. I came way with a variety of good stuff and a canvas tote bag to boot!

After The Fold, we drove up to Lake Geneva and stopped in Williams Bay for lunch at this place.

After growing up on the Maine border my entire life, I have never seen such a contraption. I had to go to Wisconsin. Bizarre, no? Yes, it's a claw game where you catch a lobster that they'll cook for you. In Wisconsin. I'm still perplexed.

2010-08-03T21:24:00.004-05:00

Howdy! How's your summer going? I can't believe it's August already. Pretty sure last I checked it was May!
Things have been moving right along around here, so don't mind the lack of chatter!

These are a few pics from the garden... we've had the most luck with hot peppers and tomatoes this year.

2010-06-11T13:20:00.004-05:00

I don't have a whole lot to say today, so in case you haven't seen them elsewhere...here's a few quick photos from our trip to see family on Memorial Day.
Our niece...she never.stops.moving. Except while sleeping. I adore her.

The Tall Guy (yes, he's wearing a Rav T, isn't he awesome?) and I at the Reynolda Gardens . They were so pretty!

Baby H. is awesome. I really didn't want to put him down all weekend.

Happy Friday ya'll! Stay cool!!!!

The world's fastest sock and a recipe

2010-06-10T11:47:00.004-05:00

I've been working on a variety of projects that I've either a) been too lazy to take a picture of or b) are gifts that will remain un-blogged until the intended receiver has the goods. So, in the meantime, I've been working on a sock that seems to be knitting itself!

Strange angle, I know, but that's what you get when I take a picture at work with my phone... I'll try harder in the future... if you're looking closely you'll notice that I'm using a Knitpicks harmony needle (birthday gift). My first time using one and so far, so good! I like how sharp the needle is and the join is smooth! Thanks Kim!
I'll share all the details when the socks are complete, but I must say, my friend Woolarina hit this color/base combo out of the park! I love it!

Other things that are making me happy at the moment are the fruits of our "farm". The Tall Guy is most assuredly in charge, but I've been having fun cooking with the veggies that come out of our garden. The broccoli came from our neighbor's garden and the radishes and snap peas from ours.

I improvise recipes a lot... probably why I'm a better cook then baker, but here's the gist of what I did.

Summer Salad
Ingredients
Broccoli
Sugar snap peas
radishes
sliced almonds
I used about a full head of broccoli, 1/2 cup of snap peas, a reallllly big radish and about 1/2 cup of almonds... It was what I had on hand and I went with it!
Dressing
I'm guessing on the amounts here...so, like with any homemade dressing, taste as you go!
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I normally use olive oil, but sometimes the flavor is too overpowering and I wanted the focus to be on the veggies)
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar (I like how "bright" this vinegar tastes, you could also use apple cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon honey (Also locally sourced! This old guy down the street has bee hives! And yes, we do live in a city environment!)
Lawry's seasoning salt and garlic powder. I added these until I liked the taste.. a few shakes of the salt and about the same for the garlic. You can use fresh minced garlic too, but I was being lazy.

What to do...
*Boil some water, throw in the broccoli and peas until they turn bright green.. truly, no more then 30 seconds.
*Drain and rinse w/cold water or plunge into an ice bath to chill very quickly.
*Slice the radish thinly
*Toast the almonds until brown (I use our toaster oven for everything!)
*Toss all the veggies/almonds together and then whisk the dressing together, pour over and serve or chill until time to eat!

This is a pretty forgiving recipe which I think I'll be using a lot this summer as various veggies come up in the garden. Are you gardening this summer? Do you prefer flowers to veggies? I'm always curious what others are up to!

Nom nom nom

2010-05-27T11:52:00.005-05:00

So, for a moment we'll depart from our normal crafty talk and focus on one of my other loves. Food. Or food and beer...or food and beer and coffee. And by talk, really I mean show with a few needed captions. It's that sort of day.

Redhook went and stopped making my favorite beer this year (Sun Rye). It's been replaced by Rope Swing. I'm not happy, but it's not stopping me from drinking it. (Pretty tasty)

The Tall Guy and I walked into a coffee shop last week and this was on the front entrance. I was mesmerized by the idea of a bacon latte. While you may or may not be aware that bacon is the one thing that will always keep me from being vegetarian, I couldn't bring myself to order it. Plain ol' iced skim latte for this girl.

This is the said caffe, if you're interested in getting one yourself.

A few weeks ago I made dinner and I thought it was pretty, so I took a picture.

Potato leek soup and a green salad with toasted almonds and sauteed lemon soy tempeh. Pretty tasty!

Which then leads me to my final thought for the day... I'm in love with this cookbook, called Clean Food. The website is here. I don't normally push products, but this one is a winner. My HLP sent it to me for my birthday and I've spent quite a bit of time reading it the past few months. The maple mustard tempeh was a hit and there are plenty of other "normal" but, still vegetarian dishes in there for those that are not quite down with tofu/tempeh etc.

The Tall Guy and I are off on an adventure this weekend to see a bunch of family. I'm happy to report this includes the two cutest little ones on the planet! (As proven here).

And the summer begins...

2010-05-04T11:13:00.004-05:00

Summer is always a crazy time around here for us. The bed and breakfast (our guest room) opens and it's non stop from May til November with traveling and visitors. This year, things started a little early with a trip to Aruba for Jessie and K's wedding. Mentally, I'm still there!

Here's a photo of the Tall Guy and I from the rehearsal dinner. The light was amazing that evening and our new friend Brian was an amazing photographer!

En route to Aruba I started the Traveling Woman shawl-ette. It seemed fitting for the travel that will be happening this spring and I thought it would be a good take-along project. Frankly, it's going faster then expected, so it may not be making it on to any other planes!

I've knit another 5 or 6 rows since this photo.

The yarn is The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Cowkiller (I really don't like the name...) and let me tell you something. This is the first time I've knit with Bugga! and I can say that I understand the hype. Holy amazing yarn. I can't say I've ever understood what people meant when they said a yarn felt amazing to knit with until this shawl.

In the meantime, we have the Tall Guys's sister and her husband in town for a few days. I'm looking forward to good food, some tourist visiting and then this weekend? Nothing. A nice quiet weekend ahead and one of the few of this sort for a very, very long time. Hurray Summer!

Knit knit knit

2010-04-18T19:35:00.003-05:00

This project has been a slow-going sort of knit.

The Featherweight Cardigan! I just got through the shoulder increases today and divided for the sleeves. At this point, I hope to have it done before it gets chilly again! I'm knitting with Malabrigo sock (the pattern calls for lace).

Me? Obsess? Never....

2010-04-12T09:36:00.008-05:00

So, a few of you asked me about what sort of material I'm using for my napkin quest. I made my decision on this one pretty easily and for a few reasons... 100% cotton all the way! Basically, it's easy to care for, I like the way cotton feels, there are a million and one fabric choices out there and, it's a bit more friendly on the enviornment then poly blends. Sure, poly blends don't wrinkle and may not hold a stain as quick but, cotton is more absorbent and doesn't have that weird smell and feel a lot of other materials have. I'm going with wild prints to hide any stains that may pop up in time.

This little project is also a great excuse for me to purchase really cute and random fabric. Or at least use the cute and random fabric I've purchased in the past....
And if you happen to be keeping count, I'm up to 10... I haven't decided what my goal is at this point, we'll have to see...

Exhausted, but in that good Sunday evening sort of way

2010-04-11T19:26:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy weekend from beginning to end, celebrating the Tall Guy's birthday, playing outside, going for my first run/jog in a verrrrrry long time and even doing some crafting. Frankly I'm too tired to tell you a ton, so I'll just show you a few highlights instead. I hope everyone enjoyed the nice weather, wherever you are!

This Damson is for Jessie. She's getting married in a few weeks and I helped her out by knitting this up in the yarn of her choice (Neighborhood Fiber Co. sock in Palisades). As always this is one of my favorite little shawl patterns.

And after a very long hiatus away from a sewing machine, I pulled one out and hemmed some "fat quarters" today... Taa Daa, we have napkins!

While far from perfect, these will do just the job I want them to... I've been obsessing over how much paper we toss, so I made a plan to buy up a bunch of fun fabric to make everyday napkins. This blog was my inspiration awhile ago Four down and I have a stack of fabric to go! I used this tutorial here.

A year later...

2010-03-27T14:04:00.003-05:00

One of my resolutions this year was to work my way through the UFO's (unfinished objects) that were floating around the house.

A few weeks ago when digging around, looking for something else, I found a one completed sock and one at the heel turn. I had bought this wee skeins kit at last year's Homespun Yarn Party! I quickly recalled that about a year ago I had thrown down the second sock, completely annoyed by the short row heel.
Picking back up and taking my time, I found this to be a super easy issue to overcome and yes, they look crazy, but fun, right? Right?

I love our garden gnome! (Yes, he's riding a pig, no idea why)

Gratuitous kid shot

2010-03-25T19:06:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've shown off my adorable niece, long enough that you haven't seen my equally handsome new nephew.

Pretty sure they are reason alone for the Tall Guy and I to stick to a dog... really, how can our potential offspring be any more gorgeous then these two!?!?

Embracing the world in wool...

2010-03-15T15:05:00.007-05:00

It seems I've lamented time and again, that while I do have some amazingly cool friends in DC, my nearest and dearest are spread all over the country and world nowadays... this caused me to realize recently that since I don't see these friends as often as I'd like (as in, they're not at my house for dinner nightly and I'm not meeting them for happy hour every Thursday) I've subconsciously started to wrap them in wool as a long distance hug when I'm missing them. Sometimes I don't even realize what I'm doing as I cast on a project and decide "this is going to X" with no holiday in mind. It simply means I miss them and this is the best way I can show it.
The point of my little ramble is this "shawl-ette".

As you may have noticed, I'm not really a purple person, but my best friend is and she lives in San Francisco. One of the great things about being a knitter is that that city is a place where you can always use a little light something around your neck, even in the "warmest" of months. Details:
Pattern: Citron
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Velvet Grapes. Took about 3/4 of a skein
Needles: Size 5
Mods: None.
Comments: This pattern went fairly fast when I put my mind to it, but the last repeat has a sort of out of control stitch count, so it took awhile to get through them!

So, HLP, here's a hug for you, and can't wait to see you soon-ish!

Embracing the pink

2010-03-13T14:28:00.004-05:00

Last year, around this time, I had a new favorite sweater. Shortly after finishing, I ran into a deal on the Dizzy Sheep and bought another sweater's worth in a different colorway. It's only taken a year for me to knit it again, with just a few modifications!
Over time I realize that my favorite sweater construction not just for its ease of knitting, but how it also fits me is the top-down raglan. It has everything I like in a sweater...clean, classic lines, easy knit and a million ways to customize it!
Details:
Pattern: Francis revisited
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, about 3.9 skeins
Needles: Size 10.5
Modifications: I knit the body about 3 inches longer the the pattern called for and only one increase/decrease on the body. I knit the sleeves a bit longer as well. In addition, I didn't do any increasing on the sleeves and did a garter ridge on the sleeves, collar and hemline instead of seed stitch. The most obvious mod, of course is that I left the cowl neck off on this one.

I've already started another top down raglan again! This time, it will be a v-neck. What can I say, for my day-t0-day clothes I am nothing, if not a creature of habit.

Restocking the supply

2010-03-06T11:46:00.004-05:00

Over the last year or so, I've knit a decent amount of sweaters and shawls. When asked, though by a non-knitter what my favorite thing to knit is, I'll always reply the same... socks. Sure, they wear out faster then a sweater and won't become a family heirloom, but I truly believe, unless you're "blessed" with feet that run hot (like the Tall Guy) there's nothing that feels more cozy then a pair of hand knit socks on your feet! I also noticed over the last few weeks that the cold weather and my near lack of sock knitting over the last season has left me with a lot of tired looking socks.

This resulted in my kicking into high gear a pair of socks that I had been knitting a row here or there on and had managed to knit one of the socks a total of three times before getting it right. If you know this pattern, you will understand why this is funny. The Jaywalker, while notoriously a problem causer in the way of biasing=tight fit is not a difficult or challenging knit. At all.

The first time I knit the on size zero needles that I thought were ones. An entire sock. I don't know why I didn't try it on, this is not like me! The second time, I got 90% down the leg/cuff only to notice a major major error about three rows after the cuff. The third time I got it right and the second sock pretty much flew off the needles. Thank goodness.
I've already cast on for another pair of jays which will be my commuting/work knitting for the time being.

Details:
Pattern: Grumperina's Jaywalker
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Sock in Amy's Vintage Office
Needle: Size one magic loop
Mods: None. I knit the 76 stitch version and I think it's a pretty perfect pattern w/out me messing with it.
In the meantime, today is the first day where spring may actually be starting to poke its head out of the dirty leftover snowbanks. I am cautiously optimistic.

Clean slate?

2010-03-03T21:32:00.003-05:00

I was just thinking about how much I have to tell you and/or what I haven't shown "the blog" that I've knit or baked . Back in the day, it was just the blog. Now, there's ravelry, there's twitter and for times when it's a random thought, it may even be Facebook. So, I try to blog, but this is my moment to say I refuse to feel bad when I don't post for awhile because dudes, there's a good chance you've already seen the picture!

This just went in the mail tonight and is bound for my new nephew, H.
The colors are a little off but, it was an iPhone photo at night, in my bedroom. Sorry about that!
A basic top-down V-neck raglan, I looked at pattern, but really, I didn't need one.
I hope it either a) still fits or b) is big enough for next winter!

Keeping busy

2010-02-11T11:31:00.005-05:00

When Mother Nature hands you record breaking snow....

(the Tall Guy's car at about 2pm yesterday)

I knit socks.

Details:

Yarn: Miss Babs Sportweight in Cleopatra

Pattern: Sell your sole socks, (on the right side, pdf)

Needles: Size three Addis

I'm bundling up and heading to shovel out the car! It's been nearly a week since I've been to work, I'm starting to forget what my office looks like!

And it continues

2010-02-08T09:35:00.004-05:00

Feds are home today as the area continues to dig out. I'm not sure I've ever seen a storm dump so much all at once. I've been knitting in fits and starts this weekend, but we've been

surprisingly social in our neighborhood with board games, an outdoor party (photos below) and a relaxing Superbowl get-together (good job, Saints)

If you haven't seen it already on Twitter, or Facebook or I've emailed it to you, here are a few pictures from *Snow*bar.

The Tall Guy built a snow fort during the last storm in December and in discussion with the neighborhood guys, the snow bar was conceived and built over the course of the day Saturday. It opened Saturday evening and people flocked to see what the crazy kids down the street were doing outside in the cold. At one point, management showed up to shut us down, and before you know it, they had beers in their hands and were checking out the creation. I love our neighbors!

And here's one last shot at some point in the night that you can see the group and the size of the structure... so much fun!

We will now begin to brace for yet another storm that's due to hit us sometime tomorrow into Wednesday. The Tall Guy is expected to fly out for work tomorrow night and we're hoping he can make it in...at the same time, we have friends scheduled to fly back in to DC tonight (their car is parked here at our house) and my hopes are not high for them making it. This snow, it's getting a little ridiculous, folks.

Holy snow, batman

2010-02-06T13:14:00.003-05:00

So, this is sort of an insane amount of snow, kids even for this girl from NH. Like, really insane. I decided last night this called for a cowl/neck warmer because a scarf bunches up too much sometimes under my coat and I've been looking for an excuse to knit up this yarn. The Tall Guy waited patiently for me to finish it this morning and off we went in the snow!

The hat, if you're curious was knit for me by a friend, isn't it cute? I love it! It was made from the same yarn/colorway as my gathered pullover and fits me just right! Thanks NeedleBeedle!

As for the cowl, it was pretty simple... I pulled out my discontinued, Bluemoon Fiber Arts skein of Leticia, a superbulky single ply in Sapphire. I used size 11 needles, cast on 51 or 53 stitches in the round, did a bit of garter ridge, then stockinette til I started running low on yarn, then switched to a garter ridge for the end. I knit til I ran out of yarn which was about 80yds. Easy and warm!

(This is looking up the street towards the metro tracks at about 1pm today)

We tried to take a family picture, but the snow was too much for Annie to handle. She's worse then a toddler with too much sugar in this sort of weather!

Hope you're all safe and staying warm, I'm off to make some chicken noodle soup!

Perfect timing

2010-02-05T15:13:00.004-05:00

As the snow rolled in this afternoon, I was furiously sewing on the buttons of my newest finished object. I don't normally wear this sort of red, but something about this color with this base yarn just struck me as a must-have.Details:
Pattern: A nice, simple pattern, the B.O.B (short for button on blanket) is just that. Warm, cozy and not anything one would go clubbing in, just a good winter sweater!
Yarn: Lorna's Laces, Swirl Chunky in Cranberry. I think I ended up using about 5.5 skeins, but I wasn't frugal in my yarn usage. This was my first time using this Lorna's base and sadly, it's being discontinued. I may buy more before this happens. (It's a silk/merino blend which is what gives it that two tone look)
Needles: Size 10.5

Mods?- I think I went up half a needle size and I knit everything about an inch longer then the pattern called for. I also didn't sew all the buttons on yet, but partially that's to hide my screw up on one of the button bands (sssshhh)
In other news, we're about to be slammed by a decent snow storm. We'll see if it lives up to its predictions but the latest from NOAA.Gov was coming in at 30 inches. Yikes! If you're curious, an interesting fact this season is that the DC area has seen more snow then my family in NH! Insane.
I know what I'll be wearing all weekend.
Stay warm!

Something silly

2010-01-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

Last year, in an attempt to add something cute to a friends wedding gift I knit up what I thought would be the first of a set of "Beer Sweaters", a sort of cozy for their beer, but silly.
Well, it came out waaaaayy to wide for a bottle of beer and too small for a bottle of wine. It floated around in my stash for quite awhile until the other day.

She seems to be enjoying it in this cold weather.

(The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock, Heavyweight)

Christmas is finally over!

2010-01-10T21:43:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I met up with some of my work-girl-friends for lunch and an annual tradition; a holiday gift exchange where whatever you give must be handmade! Everyone had come up with some great ideas including a selection of infused vodkas, a serving set made with wine bottle corks, a cute collage, handmade bath products, a handsewn bath towel wrap and I received a gorgeous necklace and earring set.

Needless to say, I knit, as that's what I do. Originally, I had considered trying to branch out, but when I drew my friend Liz's name, I knew she would want a handknit scarf, so that's what I

delivered.

The details:

Pattern: Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf, found at the bottom of this post.

Yarn: Manos Silk Blend, Color 3116 (thanks, so descriptive)

Needles While the yarn calls for 4-6, I went with a 7 for a slightly more airy, less dense fabric.

Starting tomorrow night, we'll be having house guests for the next 8 days or so, starting with Tall Guys friend and ending with some of mine friends from Boston. Can't wait for a good visit, but it means I won't be here too much for the next week or two! Hope everyone is staying warm!

Back to Reality

2010-01-08T11:49:00.002-05:00

After over two weeks off from work, it had to happen. I had to come back. Oh well.
In the meantime, I had a very fibery Christmas, receiving lots of knitting related gifts from the Tall Guy and my parents. Details to follow, but until then...my parents gave me a gift certificate to The Loopy Ewe! What shall I buy?!? Decisions, decisions...

Tidings and joy and all that junk

2009-12-29T21:57:00.002-05:00

Hi there!
The Tall Guy, Annie and I have been in NH since last Wednesday and will be heading back to DC after a New Years eve in Boston with friends. I just realized that I knit a good amount of gifts this year and managed to take NO photos of the projects! Alas, two pairs of socks, a few pairs of mitts, a hat (I'll get a photo of that soon!) and nothing to show for it. Oh well.
In the meantime, I have plenty of vacation time knitting happening right now, so hopefully there will be something to talk about soon!
I hope everyone is having a happy, fun and safe holiday season!

Do you remember this sweater?

2009-12-20T15:42:00.001-05:00

In February, 2008 I was packing boxes, dealing with a very neurotic dog (no, really, trust me), newly engaged and was a wee bit stressed out. So, as any good knitter would do, I cast on a sweater.
And for the last 22 months or so, I would pick it up, knit a bit and forget about it. I've knit a lot since then, but haven't seemed to be able to finish this sweater until now.
Just a few days ago, I needed a mindless hanging out with friends straight knit no counting sort of project and I dug up the second sleeve and knit a bit. I then looked at what I had and realized I was about 30 rounds of a sleeve and a bit of seaming away from a sweater! How sad that I had let this languish for so long, but so exciting to see that with little effort I'll have another garment to bring to NH for what I expect to be a chilly Christmas!
Details:
Pattern: Gathered Pullover, Interweave Winter 2007
Yarn: As in the published pattern, Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb Sport (100% wool; 154 yd [141 m]/50 g): in the Peacock colorway... I'm not sure how much I used I need go back and see if I have any stray balls lying around!
Needles: I think size 7's.
Modifications: I made everything longer by at least two inches. If you look at the photos in the pattern, it's a bit cropped looking, which isn't what I was looking for. I wanted something I could pull over my hands and be cozy in. This is perfect!
In general this was not a difficult knit at all. I got bored in a few places and was freaked out at prospect of seaming a sweater... I now know that was a silly thing, as the seaming was really not that bad at all!
Ps... for those of you not in the DC area... yes, this is a TON of snow for here! We got at least 18 inches this weekend, which I've only seen one other time in my 7+ years here. A great way to put us into the holiday spirit!

My little monster

2009-12-14T10:23:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe we've had Annie for two years now! So much has happened in such a short amount of time...
This photo is from Saturday. The Tall Guy took her on a (chilly!) birthday mountain bike adventure.

Happy "Birthday" Annabelle!

Fall Shawl

2009-12-02T22:16:00.003-05:00

My Mother-in-law is one of the nicest, sweetest people I know (no, really, I'm super lucky to have married into a great family). While in Detroit this past weekend, we exchanged Christmas gifts with the Tall Guy's parents. So, what does a girl give her mother-in-law? A shawl, of course!

Details: Pattern is the Forest Canopy
Yarn is Misti Alpaca's sport weight silk/baby alpaca I used about a skein and a half and I have no memory of the number of repeats I did... I think about 11.
It's a pretty fast knit that's easily memorized (this is the second time I've knit it) and I didn't do any modifications on it.
These pictures are leaving me thinking I should have kept it! (I kid I kid...)

Whew

2009-11-30T20:30:00.002-05:00

Somehow, while having a hundred funny/silly/fantastic moments this weekend between my 20 month old niece streaking through the house post-bath, to finding ourselves at a warehouse- underground-totally-illegal-concert I have zero pictures to show for it.
I have more to say tonight, but truthfully... we drove 500 miles today, unloaded a very full car, picked up Annie from the boarder and came home to discover that mice had turned our kitchen and pantry into a party location with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Thus, we've pulled things apart, cleaned and cursed and the Tall Guy went to bed at 730pm. Whewwww!

Thanks.. a year in review

2009-11-24T21:48:00.008-05:00

A year ago I paused to think about all that I was thankful for, namely family and friends. I'll spare you my ramblings with a "wordless wednesday" post.
Happy Thanksgiving all! We are off to Detroit for a few days...

Hey there Lady

2009-11-22T09:26:00.004-05:00

I finished and started wearing my February Lady Sweater over a week ago. Just yesterday, the Tall Guy and I got around to taking pictures. It's so comfortable!Details:
Pattern: February Lady Sweater
Yarn: Miss Bab's "Yowza What a Skein" about 700 yards
Needles: Size 8
Mods: I didn't do too much to this pattern. I made the second to smallest size and decided not to cast on an extra 7 stitches when I separated for the sleeves. A smart move that kept everything from not being too big.
I would def. knit this or an incarnation of it again.

Make this recipe.

2009-11-16T09:47:00.002-05:00

Our travels this holiday season will be landing us home late on Wednesday night in MI for Thanksgiving and in the afternoon on Christmas eve in NH. I always like to contribute something sweet and homemade to the festivities, so whatever I make this year needs to be able to travel well in the car.
Last week around twitter, a number of people were tossing around comments about the most amazing rice crispy treats EVER and, well, I got curious. Last night, I made them using Smitten Kitchen's recipe and really, they are super tasty. So, I'm distracting you from the lack of knitting content (I'll show off a sweater this week, I promise!) to tell you to go to the store, buy the ingredients and make them. Really, it will only take you about 7 minutes longer then it does to make the normal ones.
Off to eat another one!!

knit worthy

2009-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've recently had a few people ask me why I'm not selling my handknits or if I ever plan to. While I understand the natural thought towards selling what you love to do, I just can't seem to come up with any reason for me to do so. When you consider how much time you spend knitting a project and multiply it by what would be a reasonable hourly wage for yourself AND then add in the cost of yarn, it makes zero sense for me to knit for anything but love for those that are "knit worthy". Really, all that means is that you'll appreciate the knit good, wear it, or at least tell me you wear it and are not scoffing at the time I spend on my hobby.

For some of my friends, knitters and non-knitters alike, this have become somewhat of a joke (do you remember the Seinfeld episode about being worthy of a contraceptive? hehe).
Anyway.. I just gifted this shawl-ette to one of my girls who will always be knit worthy. Not only does she appreciate a good scarf, but her husband's Mom owns an alpaca farm (I'm still holding on to the yarn they brought me for just the right project), so she gets it.

Details:
Pattern: Gaenor
Yarn: Koigu, KPPM about 300 yards.
Needle: Size Six
Mods/Comments/Notes: Nothing. You start at one end and work to the halfway point and start decreasing back down. I thought that I was going to have less left over, but I somehow managed to have about 1/3 of a skein left over. Odd. Otherwise, this was a pretty simple, 12 row repeat that you knit the edging on as you went. Great commuting project and I'll be likely casting one on for myself. I'm torn for my next one if I should stick with the garter throughout, if if I'll purl back on the wrong sides... thoughts? I'm not sure it will stretch out as much if it's not in garter.

What? You still knit?

2009-11-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

I realized as we were packing for our Fall trip, that I had no hat that worked just right with what I was bringing. It's sort of amazing how many of "us" knitters often are the ones lacking in the handknits! (The Yarn Harlot was just talking about this). So, I found the right yarn and knitter-friend Anne steered me toward a pattern she had written.
Perfect!
The hat took me just a little bit longer then the flight to Seattle to complete and I love the combination of the yarn and pattern.
Details:
Pattern: Kanikara (The Monk Hat) Rav link here.
Yarn: Be Sweet, Thin "Black Light" (i.e. Grey to the normal person) 1.25 skeins, about 125 yards, give or take.
Needles: Size 8
Notes/Mods: I decreased the pattern by one repeat, and went down a needle size. I'm not the biggest person and I wanted a fitted hat. Perfect! The yarn is not spun consistently, so it's perfect for a hat/mitt/scarf type project, I would never knit a sweater from it, as I hit some reallllly thin spots along the way.
Overall, I would and will be using this pattern again, the Tall Guy picked out a skein of Malabrigo in the Sealing Wax colorway while we were on vacation and I think this pattern will be just right for what he wants. Thanks Anne!

Pac Mid West...

2009-11-08T11:28:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to bore you with too many photos of our vacation... here are just a couple for you to see why I was so enamored with this part of North America...

We were in Seattle for three days (no photos here) and then took the scenic route from Seattle to Vancouver. The pics above and below are from this drive... It was a gorgeous day and we were in awe of the views...
On our first day in Vancouver, we took a drive (we could have walked, but didn't quite realize that until we got there!) over to Stanley Park. This is a very large park where the aquarium, several boat clubs and other outdoor activities for the city are (think Central Park with better views) are. The below photo is looking towards North Vancouver and is a completely "normal" view for the citizens of the city.
Since we were so close to the site of the 2010 Olympics, we decided to take a day trip up to Whistler/Blackcomb and check it out. Really, it was a normal ski town, but it was still cool to see the work going into the area for the upcoming events, and even saw a team having lunch! Overall, the trip was a great adventure. We spent time with family, saw parts of the world we hadn't seen before, met some very nice Canadians (If ever in Vancouver, hit the bar named "The Greedy Pig", trust me!) and came back recharged and ready to go for the holidays. Or so I hope.

What's in a name?

2009-11-06T16:06:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I got married over a year ago and while I hadn't thought that much about it, I've spent the last year working up to changing my name. What a painful process!
I know full well that the Tall Guy could give two hoots about what I did with my name, but finally, after the 5th or 6th (or 12th...) time of having confusion about what name a given joint account was under (vet, car repair, etc.etc.etc) I decided to bite the bullet and today was my big adventure to shed the name.
Truth be told, my now maiden name has never held a big place in my heart. That part of our family is small, and really with a first name of Pia (a family name), I'm somewhat convinced that half of the people I know rarely even ever use my last name. Still, it feels a little funny to suddenly have to start signing my name with four less letters and three less syllables. When hyphenation was suggested, all I could do was laugh! Talk about painful!
Anyway, when the decision came down to it, I really don't see my feminism as defined by retaining my last name. As the man at the bank quipped today "So you're just changing from one man's last name to another", the whole thought was put fully into perspective.
Thanks, Edwin at the bank.

hello hello!

2009-11-04T10:07:00.002-05:00

I am, indeed alive.
I just haven't had a ton to say, and have spent a weekend in Detroit and a week in Seattle and Vancouver since we last spoke.
I have, however been knitting and promise to share as I start gearing up for the cold weather and holiday knitting is in full swing.
Pictures and fun stories coming, pinky swear!

Mmmm dinner

2009-10-05T17:44:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to get in the habit of cooking ahead/prepping ahead and all round more organized dinner eating. The Tall Guy and I get home from work about 6ish, which isn't late, but when I cook from scratch, as I try to do more of now, dinner doesn't hit the table til close to 8pm some nights and what one doesn't need is me hannngry! (hungry=angry for me!)
Last night while cooking one dinner, I prepped for tonight as well. The Tall Guy thought this made for a cool picture, so now you also get to see inside our refrigerator. Yikes!
The recipe is from Food Network's Cooking with the Neely's and is here. I did sub Soy Chorzio for the real stuff which you can now find in not just Whole Foods or Trader Joe's but I found it at Giant!The great thing about making a casserole tray for dinner for the two of us is that even though the Tall Guy eats a decent amount...there's plenty for leftovers for the rest of the week!

Anyone have any recipes that stay happy in the fridge for a few days (i.e. cooking on a Sunday for dinner Wednesday?)

The February Bandwagon

2009-10-05T10:16:00.000-05:00

7,008 (and I'm sure more as I hit "publish") knitters can't be wrong... After years of toying with yarn choices, I finally cast on for my own February Lady Sweater.
Here's a photo of the original from Pam's website Flint Knits.
(saved to my server)

While I don't wear the vintage clothing I did back in high school anymore, I love this sweater's nod to the 70's, especially in this color.

Here's my version in progress...
While I've played with the color some, I don't think my camera is doing this any justice, it's a bit more kelly in person. The yarn is Miss Bab's worsted weight in the verdigris colorway (I think).

So far, I can see why there are over 7000 of these babies on Ravelry alone. It's a great pattern, based off of Elizabeth Zimmermann's baby sweater that is holding my interest, but is also just right for couch/TV knitting. I'm so excited to get this done as Fall has arrived in D.C. with a bang!

Hello Fall!!!

2009-10-04T10:01:00.005-05:00

Crafty Bastards was yesterday and the weather could not have been more perfect. Of course, this also made for some super crazy crowds, but I was happy to see the vendors appeared to be doing well, and I ran into lots of people I hadn't seen in some time. I was sad to miss Paula Woolarina with her new baby, but will hope to track her down soon!
When I ran into Malia, she had a special treat for me!How gorgeous is this handspun?
It's 100% Alpaca and I think it will become either a cowl or a pair of mitts. Check out more of her handspun and other creations here!

Whew...

2009-09-29T19:39:00.004-05:00

Well, it's official, the third of my best girls is all married, meaning that the last wedding of the season is done. Whew. Yve and Al's wedding was in Hampton Beach NH, about 15 minutes from my Dad's house. It was such a fun night! We don't have another wedding until April and while they have been tons and tons of fun, dudes. I'm tired!

Highlights included a mashed potato bar at the cocktail hour (yes, exactly what you would think, mashed potato in a martini glass and you put a huge assortment of toppings on it)
Seeing my bestest friends (I've been so spoiled this year!!!) and a general all around good time.

If you had looked closely, you would notice that in the mashed potato picture, I'm wearing the newest Damson. You can't knit just one.

Of course, the Tall Guy and I can't sit still long, so we'll be in Detroit for Columbus Day and Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria the last week in October. Lots of plane knitting time!

The cupcake quest continues

2009-09-13T10:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Jessie and I had a grand adventure. It pretty much revolved around food and knitting all day. Awesome. In between some quality couch time, we walked to Georgetown so I could have my fist Baked and Wired cupcake. Not only do I think I've found the absolute winner of the best cupcake in DC, but this is a great coffee house and full range pastry shop that won't be kaput the day the cupcake bubble bursts.My cupcake was vanilla with chocolate frosting. Yum. The ingredients tasted fresh and were definitely decent quality. The cake was dense, moist and just right. It also wasn't super sweet. Here's Jessie with her Red Velvet cupcake as well.
Later in the evening we went to the AFI to see Julie and Julia. Funny enough, I like the movie SO much more then the book. I think Meryl Streep did an amazing job. Amy Adams? Eh. Could take her or leave her.

Random aside: A few weeks ago I was trying to put a bandanna around Annie's neck (something she normally loves). This day, however, she was clearly annoyed with me and didn't want me to finish putting it on. I left her like this for awhile.

Why Hello

2009-09-11T21:24:00.006-05:00

It would be fair to say that on Sept 1, in DC, autumn arrived with a bang. It's been brisk, chilly and rainy the last week and a half or so. I suppose this bodes well for my knitting projects, but really, did we have a summer?

I have been knitting, even if I haven't been blogging.
This is from my friends Mike and Shel's wedding last weekend. For knitters, the shawl I'm wearing is Damson by Ysolda Teague. It's a fantastic knit and I'm about to cast a second one on as we speak. It only took a week, a skein of sock yarn and not a lot of concentration. All of these things make it a great knit right now as my brain continues to be overwhelmed by the daily chores of being a Federal employee. (Please don't think all feds don't work, some of us are getting are butts kicked right now!)
It would appear that a large number of my friends have decided recently to take the next step. Congrats to those who have gotten engaged recently, especially today's addition. I don't think it's super public yet, so I won't name names... only know that I couldn't be happier for you both! Yay!
And in the meantime, those of you that really only read this to look at pictures of my crazy dog.. here's Annie from a recent day where she decided the blanket was on the couch not as a means to keep the dog hair off the furniture, but as a way to keep her toasty. Awesome. Anyone want a free dog?

A year

2009-08-30T08:50:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary, Tall Guy!

I cannot believe how quickly a year goes!

Here's to many more.

Daydreaming

2009-08-17T11:41:00.004-05:00

The Tall Guy and I are brainstorming for a destination for a trip in late October. Any good ideas? The Islands are pretty much ruled out due to the risk of a hurricane, but otherwise, we're thinking a week off, some relaxing and some adventuring. I'm leaning towards not going to Europe since I'd rather have more then a week there, but my arm can be twisted for the right locale and price.
As you may be able to tell, my brain is in serious need of a vacation right now as is displayed by one of my current works-in-progress.

Jaywalkers. (You can find a link to the pattern on her site as well) Such a great pattern, in that they always look so much harder then they are, and they produce a sturdy, fun fabric.
These one's are in Lorna's Lace's, Amy's Vintage Office, sock weight.
This is my go-to pattern when my hands need me to be knitting, but my brain wants to wander a bit. And the yarn, well, you know my love of LL's.

A stealth revealed

2009-08-13T20:44:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I alluded to a project I couldn't talk about yet so, I've been without a good bit of knitting material to talk about as a result. My friend (who's getting married to another close friend of mine in a few short weeks) Shel got the package today!!

Details:
Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky, about 1.6 skeins, in Grey-Green
Needles: Size 8 (or 9?)
Mods: None, I decided to stick to the pattern as written. I probably could have done another repeat, but the silk content of the yarn makes it annoying to rip back. It wasn't worth the potential stress.

This was a straightforward knit that will fit the bride just about the same way it fits me. Not too big/unwieldy if she decides to wear it on her wedding day, and will make a good scarf as well all wrapped up in a New England winter.
At this point in our photo shoot, I was telling the Tall Guy that it was a good thing I like Shel so much and that this yarn was a perfect match for her blue-blue eyes... or I would be keeping the shawl for myself! We have a friend in town this weekend, so I'll be sharing what's on the needles now in a few days.
Happy weekend!

Animal stuff

2009-08-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

I'm not usually one for pushing people to feel bad about one thing or another, but the Washington Humane Society (where we adopted Annie from) recieved a good bit of press this week on a rescue they did on a victim of dog fighting. This sort of stuff just boils my blood.
No need to feel like you have to make a donation (though I did), but please take a moment to read this article. Or don't. Either way, do I think cruelty to animals (esp to this extent) should be a felony? Heck. Yes.
Here's the link to the WHS article.

Things that make me happy

2009-07-26T16:55:00.005-05:00

I think I'm a pretty easy-to-please girl. Perhaps the Tall Guy or my Dad or Er (my HLP) would say differently... but really, here's a super quick view of what has made this a pretty awesome weekend in my world.

We had a last minute, overnight visit from the Tall Guy's brother, his wife and most importantly.. my peanut. Perhaps I'm biased, but she's the cutest 16 month old I know! We were sad to see them head on to the rest of their vacation.

There's been knitting, reading and a package arrival! My first Sundara yarn! (In Prickly Pear)
The blue project is a gift, which you'll see the finished product and details in the not-so-distant future.

Sunburst tomatoes from the Farmer's Market are amazingly tasty. I ended up tossing them with a cucumber, a can of heart of palm that I chopped and a light vinaigrette. So good!

And these cherries were about to become sorbet. Refreshing and easy!

Not pictured? An adventure with Jessie to check out Knit-a-Go-Go's new shop, Fibre Space, dinner and hanging out with the neighbors, a baby shower for Woolarina and some actual down time with the Tall Guy. All in all, a great weekend.
Hope you're enjoying the summer as well!

What a chore

2009-07-22T11:46:00.001-05:00

Supporting local business and eating locally made food sure is a chore.
But, I suppose I can try.
Moorenkos ice cream is pretty tasty in my book, with fun flavors to boot. This recent purchase (from the local Whole Foods, though we do take regular trips to the shop on Georgia Ave as well) was a pint of Orange Chocolate Chip and a pint of Red Hot Chocolate (complete with cayenne pepper!)

Another Ishbel?

2009-07-21T14:59:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was a weekend dedicated to my hanging out with friends, neighbors, the Tall Guy and knitting. Lots of knitting. I had had so many projects that seemed to all be half done and it was driving me crazy.(Case in point, yesterday's Whisper). A lot of it, I haven't even blogged for one reason or another.
This project is part of a spring (okay, fine it's July, whatever) craft swap with my sister-in-law in Seattle. She's a sewer, I'm a knitter and we decided to trade gifts.To me, it's always really stressful to knit for someone you know, but don't know SUPER well. I made her approve the hanks of Claudia's and she liked them and then I made her okay the swatches, because I'm not a pastel girl. I really couldn't tell if this was pretty or not! That was, until it was done, and I blocked and pinned it out. For a teeny tiny second, I completely regretted the fact that I would be mailing her this piece. Once I came to my non pastel senses, I realized that she will wear this far more then I would and really, it has her name all over it.
I love it when that happens.

See, I told you I was knitting!

2009-07-20T19:46:00.003-05:00

The Whisper Cardigan, finally done!
I realize the background isn't exactly meant for the pages of Vogue, and yes, I just got home from work, but just look at the sweater, okay?

Here's a close up of the knit fabric.

When I purchased this yarn at the Homespun Yarn Party in March, most of the light blue/teal was actually wrapped into the center of the skein, so I thought it was a mostly brown/dark blue hank. I love this finished fabric, but may not have bought it if I had known the true colors. Funny how much of knitting is serendipitous/happenstance.
The last time I mentioned this piece was probably in May! I had been working on it regularly, but mostly on commutes and the like. The only mod I really made was to knit the bottom section about two inches longer, since I had the yarn. I probably could have squeaked out another inch but, truthfully, with the every other row increase, I was getting reallllly sick of the long rows.
Overall, a great knit, but I think I'll like the overall shape of Hannah Fettig's other light cardi, the Featherweight Cardigan. I have some Malabrigo (okay, more the one option, really) that should be just right for this.

Edit: For those asking, the yarn I used was Sanguine Gryphon, Sappho base (a laceweight) in the colorway The Black Earth. Amazing yarn, it's like buttah :)

Yummmmm

2009-07-17T18:28:00.001-05:00

What I have for dinner when the Tall Guy isn't around.
Personally, nothing says summer like a good, local, vine ripened tomato. *Love*
(Finished objects coming soon!)

If not knitting...then food!

2009-07-11T08:16:00.004-05:00

I don't have much to show you in terms of knitting this morning. Everything is in limbo, or is lace, which always looks like a pile of yarn vomit until off the needles and blocked. So, instead, here's a picture of my breakfast.
As I mentioned the other day, I'm just trying to be an all round better food eater. This morning I made a smoothie with a banana, some frozen pineapple, a handful of frozen peaches I cut up last night before they started to go bad, about a half cup of greek yogurt (so good) and some orange juice. So easy, so yummy and a good amount of protein thanks to the yogurt (one serving has 23g of protein!). I love a bowl of Lucky Charms as much as anyone, but wow, this is just as easy as pouring a bowl of cereal.

I promise to not sabotage my blog in the name of food, but I'm currently reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and even if you don't decide to move to the country and eat only locally sourced food for a year, it's definitely worth a read! I'm learning a lot and the conversational tone of the book is allowing for me to still be able to read it at the end of a long day. I'm sure it helps that the author, Barbara Kingsolver is someone who's fiction I've enjoyed for some time.

And, last but not least on my food rant today... if you're ever in the Columbia, MD area, check out Great Sage. I read about this Vegetarian Restaurant on Lolly's blog ages ago and in the past month or so have made it there twice. It's tasty, organic and even the less adventurous will find something yummy to eat. I've tried a variety of things there and all of it has been very good!

Happy Saturday! I'm off on a walk; the weather in DC has been unseasonably amazing right now. Breezy, 70's and a total lack of humidity. Hopefully this will stay into August!

2009-07-06T19:11:00.005-05:00

This holiday weekend was spent much more quietly then originally expected, but I didn't really have an issue with this. My poor Dad had injured his back right before the drive down to the DC area, making our 4th of July a calm day of hanging out, bbq-ing and super new puppy cuddling.
(Meet Sophie)
Needless to say, Annie was not happy when I returned home from my Aunt and Uncle's with the scent of another "woman" on me. The Tall Guy seemed to get off scot free, however.. in Annie's book, he can do no wrong.
This is one of the first pictures I took with my iPhone, so please excuse the quality. It's two skeins of Malabrigo Silky. I bought it without a clue of what I would do with it. Soon after, inspiration struck. Unfortunately, this will be a secret project, so you'll have to wait a bit to see the results.
Over the past few months, the Tall Guy and I been working to eat a healthier diet (we were already pretty good, but just taking it even further) and I've been experimenting with a variety of vegetables through our vegetable delivery service. Sure, it's not a CSA , but we're taking it one step a time here. Last week I opted for a pound of brussel sprouts. I've never cooked brussel sprouts in my life, but I was feeling brave and took the guidance of the Barefoot Contessa. Oh Lord. All I have been able to think of since Friday, was making this recipe again. So yummy. I wish I had taken a picture! At some point, I'm pretty sure I'll make the step to being fully vegetarian but, I'm not quite there yet and frankly, titles stress me out. All in good time.

Just curious

2009-07-02T15:08:00.003-05:00

...can anyone tell me where June went? Really, I have no idea.
So far the summer is zipping along at a pace I'm not really fond of. Fast days in February? Sure, but now? When the weather has been okay for porch sitting? This makes me a bit salty.

Anyway, this loss of June is mostly what has caused a total lack of blogging. It has nothing to do with long busy work days , only made longer by commutes from hell (yeah, we live about a mile and a half mile from the Metro crash, so it's been a rough week +), a new toy, summer field trips, a terrible stomach bug and the usual assortment of trying to see friends. Nope. It all has to do with June disappearing.
In the meantime, here is some knitting to distract you.
This is the beginning of another Ishbel. This one is for my Sister-in-law. We're having a little craft swap; she's sewing for me, I'm knitting for her. It's Claudia's Handpainted fingering weight.
A few other yarn acquisitions have happened (Malabrigo keeps getting me while I'm down!) but, I haven't photoed any of it yet. Soon. I promise.

Checking in

2009-06-09T14:30:00.004-05:00

We've just returned from a whirlwind 5 days in New Hampshire. One of my best friends from college got married and we had a great time celebrating the happy couple (who both also graduated from Med. School the day before!)
Every time I get to see my girls from college, I'm reminded of how much I miss them, as we're all spread throughout the country.
We always have so much fun. The end of the party was spent with a walk on the beach, the boys smoking cigars and splashing around.
Knitting was happening in the car, but most of it has already been gifted! I seem to knit a lot of dish cloths during the summer, and they've all made their way to their new homes.

Need a laptop bag?

2009-05-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

For some reason, which I can only assume is related to phasing out a line or "last season's" style. A bunch of bags on the Timbuk2 website are on super sale.
I just got this bag and LOVE IT!

(Photo from Timbuk2.com, saved to my server)
More details are here but, for 38 bucks with shipping, it's a great deal for a solid bag.
I had been searching all over for a laptop bag for my new MacBook Air that protects the bag, is cute, not oversized, functional and, if needed, I can walk into a meeting with, without it being too ridiculous. So, yes, the bag is strawberry red, but I like it that way.
Happy Wednesday!

Justification for knitting

2009-05-26T18:39:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure much else needs to be said.
Liam is a great model!
Oh yeah, San Francisco was awesome as always, and Napa is one of my loves. I'll be giving more of a synopsis when my brain isn't quite so wracked with allergies/a cold.

Did you think I was kidding?

2009-05-16T15:06:00.003-05:00

Babies everywhere!
Granted, the intended recipient of this set was born last September... I mentioned work on this sweater a while ago and forgot to show you any progress as time went on.
The Tall Guy and I are heading to the West Coast this coming week and we're bringing a gift out to the littlest host.

I was having trouble with the colors this morning (overcast). So, they're probably the most accurate in the button photo (below) When Jessie was in Boston this spring she picked up buttons for me at Windsor Button. They're perfect!
I had plenty of left over yarn, so I couldn't resist making a matching hat. It's every parents duty to dress their child in something they'll be embarrassed about as a teenager. At least, that's what I think.

(Super) Local Craft Fair

2009-05-14T09:18:00.004-05:00

Mark your calendars for May 31. If you're in town, c'mon up to downtown Silver Spring for
the Handmade Mart!

For more details click here. I think I'll be helping Woolarina out, and otherwise shopping and wandering around... for those interested, perhaps I can talk the Tall Guy into firing up the grill for a post-craft-BBQ? (We live about 3 blocks from here).

The Goods

2009-05-12T19:20:00.003-05:00

I completely forgot to show off what I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool two weeks ago!
I was pretty restrained this year I think. I had a few projects in mind, picked up yarn for them and had only two impulse buys.. oh and fried dough and loaded ribbon chips... yum!

Socks that Rock, Medium weight Mill End. Not sure on the colorway, it seems to all be within the red, purple and pink family.

Two skeins of Malabrigo laceweight in Velvet Grapes... this is likely going to be the featherweight cardigan at some point.

And, lastly in yarn purchases, two skeins of Brooks Farm Willow. Not sure the colorway name, but its a grey/steel. I think it will be the Sahara top.

At the end of the day, we found Jennie The Potter's booth and I bought this necklace. How could I resist? I love unique pendants and this one was just too cute.

Overall, a great day, it's so easy to get overwhelmed, but Jessie and I had a great day of yarn and animals and managed to stay dry! (Jessie's recap of our day can be found here and here .)

2009-05-11T20:16:00.004-05:00

The weather was just about perfect this weekend so, we went to the National Arboretum on Saturday (after a stop at a reallllly good roast beef sammie joint here. Go there. Seriously).In the midst of our walk, we came upon a baby snake who didn't appear to have a good exit strategy from the concrete path. I was the brave one who was willing to pick up the little guy. He was inside my hands, but is near impossible to see.
And, finished baby knitting!

For as much as I'm not ready for my own, I sure do love knitting baby goods for others... This is one of my favorite quick knits. Using less then 50 yd of fingering weight, and only takes about two hours of solid knitting with a good "gift reaction" always of "Ohhh! So cute and tiny!"

And for today's domestic excitement? The Tall Guy is riding his bike to work a few days a week (about 8 miles each way). He came home to tell me this evening that while he was very much alive, a squirrel was likely not. Luckily, he was okay (it was a high traffic area) and there was no evidence of the departed IN the bike, so I may stick to the idea that perhaps there's just a little squirrel with a bit of a limp out there.

2009-05-10T20:08:00.003-05:00

Hooray Summer!!!!
Really, there's nothing better in my little world then the back porch, a summery beer, knitting, Annie and my Tall Guy.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Spring Sweater!

2009-05-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

The spring issue of Interweave had one pattern that really caught my eye (so far the Summer issue, not so much, but it often takes a little time for me to decide).
The Whisper Cardigan is light and airy which is great for a DC spring/summer, when moving between 90 degrees and humid to my 60 degree, frigid office.
I'm just about done with the first sleeve and moving on to the body. The construction is pretty interesting, yet it's plenty of stockinette to ease my otherwise scattered brain.
The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon, a lace weight called Sapphon (very similar to a Malabrigo lace weight base to me) and the colorway is The Black Earth.

So far, it's an easy knit and the yarn has been surprising me with a decent amount of teal/sea foam that I hadn't really noticed when I purchased at the Homespun Yarn Party in March.

This is pretty much a traveling/commuting/lunch project so I don't expect to finish it anytime soon...especially with all this baby knitting happening!

Finally, cooperation!

2009-05-08T12:27:00.005-05:00

The weather is finally working with me today. I haven't been able to photo much lately due to a lack of decent light.
This is my first "real" lace project. I managed to finish it in time for Maryland Sheep and Wool and was sort of amazed at the compliments it received.Details: Ishbel was knit from a bit less then a skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. "Watershed" base in the Logan Circle colorway. Knit on size six needles, it wasn't a difficult knit, but I'm not always the best at counting stitches while watching TV (with a glass of wine in my hand), so I know there are errors. A note on the yarn, my skein (as well as one that Jessie has too) has a good bit of blue in it, but the newer skeins we saw at Sheep and Wool didn't seem to have this.
What I think it pretty cool about the fiber-arts community, is that I managed to meet the designer, Ysolda at Sheep and Wool (I totally have a girl-crush on her) and have met Karida (who is Neighborhood Fiber Co) a number of times now. Personally, having a hobby that is not only productive and fun, but also means being able to support local and/or independent artists is a pretty cool thing.
While I'm expounding the virtues of local artists.. I picked this skein up at the Homespun Yarn Party back in March... Woolarina is a friend of mine and her colors are always vibrant and this base...which has a good bit of cashmere in it, is awesome.
And one final note for today... here's the hat I mentioned a couple of days ago.. I love this pattern, because not only does it make a super cute hat, but it's reallllllly fast. This was about an hour of knitting while watching Lost and it's time to start the decreases. Off to play outside! Hopefully the whole weekend is as nice as today!

Spring Chickens

2009-05-06T19:26:00.005-05:00

I just decided that I'm a baby-knitting sweatshop at the moment. A large number of women I know are pregnant and I'm not the type to let these poor little babies go without a hand knit good or three! I'm playing with the photo booth feature on my computer, so excuse the quality.
This little bit of knitting will be the Umbilical Cord hat from the first Stitch and Bitch book. It's a speedy knit that's also cute and seems to fit babies of various sizes. The yarn is stash leftover's from the socks I made the Tall Guy for Christmas.. it's Lorna's Lace Worsted in Edgewater. *love*.

I have lots of finished knits and more blocking now that as soon as I get some nice light, I'll photo. Currently, it's rained everyday for the last week.
I did not agree to live in Seattle.

Howdy. Stranger!

2009-04-26T16:36:00.003-05:00

While the blog doesn't seem to agree, all sorts of springtime busyness has been happening around these parts! Work, play, seeing friends and family, finding my way back to the yoga mat, house shopping and knitting have all been squeezed into the last month or so. It's all positive, so really, there's no complaining here.
We were in Detroit over Easter and we had a great time visiting with the Tall Guy's family. Have I mentioned that I have the world's cutest niece?

(Peanut with her Mom)
She's just starting walking, so it's pretty entertaining.

Knitting IS happening, but not a lot of it is picture worthy at this point. The best I have for you is this set of washcloths that are heading to my Seattle-based sister-in-law.
I had made her one for Christmas to go along with her gift and she recently asked for another one...

Details:
Yarn: Peaches and Creme, a variety of stash yarn
Needles: Size 7 Brittanys
Patterns: Ballband Dishcloth, Grandmother's Favorite (this is a fairly ubiquitous pattern, this was just the first link I grabbed), Nine Patch Dishcloth

I couldn't just send her one!!!!
Spring/Summer has hit DC hard this weekend and I can only hope that the weather will be nice for Maryland Sheep and Wool next weekend!

A spring Ishbel...

2009-04-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

In the midst of lots of other knitting, I've been casually working on Ishbel, by Ysolda
The problem with most lace is that it typically looks like yarn vomit until you're done and can block it out. At least, that's what I keep telling myself since this is my first real knit shawl like thing.
I'm doing the small size, so we'll see how it goes.
The Tall Guy and I just spent a lovely weekend with his family in Michigan, with plenty of adorable niece time included.
Off to finish our taxes...ugggh!
Happy Easter!

A Birthday

2009-04-09T21:16:00.006-05:00

The Tall Guy turns two years less then me tomorrow.
We'll be traveling tomorrow, so I won't be able to wish him a happy blog-birthday then.

Happy Birthday Buddy, I look forward to years of dock-sitting with vodka soda's.

Knitting for little peanuts

2009-04-08T20:06:00.003-05:00

is so much fun!!!
Doesn't every niece need a set of legwarmers?
Details
Pattern: Vickie Howell, Lolipop Leggies
Yarn: Woolarina, sport weight, superwash merino/cashmere/nylon
Needles: Size six magic loop
Mods: I didn't embroider on them, as they are already pretty bright.

Do I really like living here?

2009-04-01T09:31:00.002-05:00

Excuse the quick rant, but I just felt the need to share my (literal) pain from last evening.
I was heading over to meet Jessie at Teaism and stepped off the train at Gallery Place....
Now, I've been living in a city, taking public transportation for about 12 years now. I walk on the right side of sidewalks, stand on the right on escalators and generally try to stay out of the way (all 5'3' of me).
As I walked away from the train, towards the exits a man came running towards the train like he was about to miss the last chopper out of Saigon. I moved further out of the way and yet somehow, this man who was at least the size of the Tall Guy, was coming straight at me. I had no time to react as he bulldozed into me, shoulder checking me like a linebacker and continued on his way to dive onto the train.
My shoulder was throbbing for about an hour, and I still regret not having the wherewithall to yell an obsenity at this guy. I hope for his sake, there was an emergency he was trying to get to as otherwise, he was a real jerk for trying to make that train as opposed to the one right behind it a minute or so later (it was rush hour).

I feel like I should also note that this person was no "punk teen ager" up to no good, but was a well dressed, possibly in a suit middle-aged person. This is simply for the defense of the teens who get blamed for most things and instead were the ones asking me if I was okay last night.

All right.. I'm done. I just needed to express my brief displeasure in people's general lack of manners and courtesy.

Ooops! Where did that come from?

2009-03-29T19:02:00.004-05:00

The Tall Guy was on a bike mission today that involved Alexandria. Never one to turn down an opportunity to buy beer from a grocery story (doesn't happen in MD) and a chance to pop into Knit Happens, I hopped in the car for a ride.
We both came home happy, him with a new bicycle (don't ask me about storing it, it's currently in the living room) and me with some yarn and a book.
This is Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sport. I think the colorway is Kalorama Circle or something like that... This is a local dyer (Karida) and I love her stuff. It's pink and fun...
and yes. This is Cookie A's new book!!! The store got a handful of copies in early and I had been hoping they still had some by the time I got there. I was in luck!

In other news, the Tall Guy and I walked into an open house in Columbia Heights today. We fell in love with a row house (Wardman style, my favorite!) that had original wood flooring, a backyard and parking and well....Is just out of our budget. Sigh.

progress on a sock

2009-03-27T16:13:00.004-05:00

This has been my car and train and no thinking involved project this week that I mentioned on Monday. I think they're going so fast because I just keep wanting to knit til I see the next color!Also, I tried a new short row heel and I think I'm in love (sorry non knitters). You can see it explained here and there's even a YouTube video Basically? No wraps, no YO's... it's awesome, trust me. Personally, I think it may have just changed my life in terms of sock knitting. It will probably take a few more tries to make it super pretty, but for a first try? Not bad and the holes are minimal to zero. Yay! (Thanks to all who commented on their short row heel thoughts as well on Twitter)
Back to knitting the sock, sitting quietly for a bit (I have a killer knot in my shoulder, I'll blame work stress for it) and watching an episode of Gossip Girl (I know, I know, so bad.. but SO good!)

30?

2009-03-24T20:16:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that I'm 30 today. I'm not one to spend much time navel gazing, but it really is a weird thing to wrap my head around.(Hours after I made my entrance) I look real happy.

(First Grade) Every child should have puppies born in their garage to a stray dog... the one closest one to me, under the mom's paw is my "Max" who was with the family for 15 or so years.
Why did anyone let me wear those glasses? (Freshman year of high school)

Three days before the wedding. (Age 29.5)
Also, sorry about the quality of the photos. It's kind of a long story on how I got these onto my computer.
And... really why did I try to blog yesterday? That post was riddled with typos. Mea Culpa.

Okay. Back to knitting and no more navel gazing for at least a few years!

some knitting?

2009-03-23T15:46:00.006-05:00

Really?
Funny enough, the lack of my writing about EDIT: knitting, (not blogging) is not equal to the amount of knitting I'm actually doing right now. I'm actually knitting all the time, one thing or another, as usual.
See, here's some proof!
Last weekend I went to the HomespunYarnParty (it was awesome, of course) and while helping out at the Yarn Party booth, I picked up that super cute project bag.
Later on, while somehow staying within my budget, I bought a bunch of yarn. Whoo boy. I'm almost embarrassed to show you how much. That sock up there, though is what I'm obsessed with this week. It's the first section of striping for the Knitterly Things Wee Sock Kit in Vesper Yarn. I have no idea what kit I have and the package isn't in this room. So, I'll have to get back to you on that... but, what I can tell you is:
You should get one. The base is scrumptious and you can play with several of her colors, striping however you want. I'm casually lazy, so I'm going to split each of the four skeins in half, knit the sock toe up (using a variety of plain vanilla patterns), knit each color until I run out and then switch to the next. In theory, the two socks will be pretty closely matched and knitting toe up means I can knit til I'm out of yarn.
It's clear spring is here in DC... there's a hint of warmth in the air and my allergies have pretty much blown up. I'm going to stick to the stockinette projects for a bit here until the head starts to feel a bit less spacey.

Spring...

2009-03-19T17:57:00.002-05:00

First daffodil of the season

Daffodils were among my Mom's favorite flower, I always think of her (and miss her) when they first pop up this time of year.

Favorite new show...

2009-03-14T21:43:00.003-05:00

Or just new to me...
Flight of the Conchords. I'm in love. (just watching season one now)

Red Velvet

2009-03-13T12:14:00.002-05:00

So, I just remembered as I went to take a photo of this adorable baby sweater that I'm working on with this yarn that the Tall Guy took our camera w/him on his camping trip this weekend. I have no idea where my old camera is either. Sigh. So, instead, I'll bring up one of my other favorite topics.
Cupcakes.
See, I realized I was early for my haircut yesterday, so I wandered down the street in Chinatown, vaguely remembering a friend sending me a link (thanks Suzette!) about a new cupcake bakery opening in the last few months. I found Red Velvet catty corner to Jaleo.
It, like many of the cupcake shops in DC, is tiny. The selection was decent and I picked up one each of: Southern Belle, B-Day, Summertime and Vanilla Bean. The site is flash, so I can't seem to give you a direct link to the menu page.
The cupcakes were pretty tasty, seemed fresh and the lemon cake of the Summertime had just the right amount of zip. I can't say the to-go boxes were that good...though they had the little dividers in them for each cake and I was careful with the box, by the time I got home, the cupcakes were all over the place and therefore you don't get a pretty picture.
Overall, I would say they're fairly equal to Hello Cupcake, but still, not as good as Georgetown Cupcake. Red Velvet is, however a heck of lot more convenient, given the less-than-a-block walk from the Gallery Place metro.
As always, if you have a suggestion, send it my way!!!

Cut!!!

2009-03-12T20:28:00.003-05:00

My hair.
I just chopped off about 8 inches give or take...

Please excuse the photo quality, I took this while the Tall Guy was putting air in the tires, it was dark out and I was using a cell phone cam.
I love that light head/neck feeling after a big haircut!

Something about knitting? Really?

2009-03-09T17:35:00.003-05:00

So, I've had a minor loss in knitting mojo...sometimes when I finish things I love and I try to start something new, it's hard to find something that may be as good as what I just knit... so, while I was working on a baby sweater and was working on a chevron scarf (until I lost a needle on the metro) I was also casting around a bit, looking for a new sock, or something that just caught my fancy... lo and behold, in the depths of my pattern stash, I found the Firestarter Socks.
They are so pretty! And the construction is unique, so I'm giving it a go...
Here's the yarn..
Up until yesterday, I was planning on trading or selling this... it's Claudia's hand painted and I had swatched it a few times and hadn't really liked it... it seems to be working for now, and I think it may be a super early Christmas gift in the making...we'll see how I feel at the end.
It looks like there will be plenty of knitting/Pia Television time this week (I have two Tudors discs sitting here) ! The Tall Guy is off on a work adventure and Jessie will be over tomorrow evening!

pretty...

2009-03-09T14:13:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a cute, interesting gift that's jewelry like without being gemlike, check this site out. I LOVE it!

Ani....

2009-03-08T11:10:00.002-05:00

The Tall Guy and I went to see Ani DiFranco at the 930 Club last night... I love her so much.. I know she's not for everyone, but she holds a place close to my heart and it was great to see my 6' 4" husband rockin' out in a sea of women.
Because she has been writing and singing for so long, she mixes every set up, and it's not uncommon to not actually hear one of her "popular" songs at a show... last night, however was exciting because her second song was "As Is" which we used for part of our wedding. We probably would have used it for our first dance, but well.. not everyone would have quite got it (and maybe the word A#$hole in the first dance would have offended some folks, you never know)
The imbedded video is from when she played in DC last year, but you get the idea. The quality isn't fantastic, but that's all right.

The weather has turned amazing here in DC and we can only hope that it will continue. Keep your finger's crossed.

Light as a feather

2009-03-05T20:55:00.005-05:00

Yup, this new computer rocks. And I won't say anything else about it, I promise.

Today, Annie got a package in the mail. She's going camping with the Tall Guy and his friends next week, so it was decided she needs to "carry her own weight"...no joke.

I think this is hilarious.

I started on a new scarf last week as my purse project in lieu of a sock... it's a little longer then the photo shows today, and I apologize for the photo quality, but these colors were giving me trouble the other night... It's a skein of koigu and a skein of Interlacements...

For the first time I'm using the ubiquitous pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. So far, its pretty good...there's only one pattern row out of every four rows and easily memorized (key for purse projects).

I think it will be an early night... it has been a chaotic week so far!

Almost forgot to show you

2009-03-03T22:11:00.005-05:00

In the excitement of sweater knitting, computer buying, snow and all round craziness, I nearly forgot to show you my new socks!
Details:
Pattern: Ampersands (free!)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiberarts Socks That Rock, Mediumweight in Space Dust
Needles: Size two addi lace...Magic loop, of course...
Notes: I love the way these socks fit, this may be another "go-to" pattern. I didn't change any of the pattern; the only thing I regret is not doing the cuffs longer since I have close to half a skein left over..any thoughts on what to do with a half skein of STR Medium?

The more true colors are in the bottom photos, not the top one...

A baby sweater for a friend in CA (no, not Erica!) is nearing completion w/out me even telling you about it! I'll show you shortly...
In the meantime, the great thing about living in DC is that while today was icy cold (around 25 and dropping tonight), it is going to be close to 70 on Saturday! Yay!

The drama is over...

2009-03-02T14:52:00.002-05:00

For those following the computer excitement of this weekend, a decision and purchase was made.
After arduous debate, soul searching and the Tall Guy finding the refurbished section of the Apple website, I clicked purchase on a MacBookAir. Ahhhhh!!!! So excited.
So, I'll be sticking with Apple, getting a full size keyboard and having a computer that weighs 3 pounds and if I wanted to, I could stick in an interoffice envelope.
Today is looking much better.