Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Ketchup pics

I have to play a little catch up here. I blocked my AC shawl (aka Not-Knit-Round Scarf) a couple weeks ago and have been wearing it about for some time now. I'll take a headless Mafia photo soon, I promise. As for the finished product - I love it 95%.


It's soft, warm, cute and attention-getting.

I'm not so sure about that last one, not being a big attention person myself, but at least it's flattering. On the day I finished it, a friend of Wifey's stopped by the house while I was experimenting with how my new toy could sit on my shoulders. She said I looked "cute." I almost gagged. She was confused. She wanted to know what the appropriate reaction was. I said the perfect response is "impressive." There you have it -- I'd rather have people impressed that I can create something magnificent from sticks and fiber. I don't really care if they like the end product. I especially don't want to hear the word "cute." I am so very not cute.

Anyway ... the Not-Knit-Round Scarf has a great stitch pattern. Easy to remember (which is especially good after the Branching Out fiasco of 2005), hypnotic and beautiful. The only problem is the neckline. It's big. And I have big shoulders. Yes, I measured. Yes, I compared the measurements to the schematic in the book. Yes, I checked my gauge. Yes, I checked it again and again. But it's still kinda big at the top. I can't imagine it would fit an average woman, let alone a petite one. My advice -- if you make this, add a few more decreases in the pattern to pull the top in more.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Magic

After a thoroughly refreshing mini-vacation from work, I have plenty to report.

First of all, my dear sweet Little Man delivered his first spurt of pee into the little potty. Wee! This does not mean that we're potty training. This guy is way too stubborn to accept such prodding. [it's genetic, and in spite of being a fairly stubborn person, my skinny-weak stubborn gene pales in comparison to Wifey's uber-buff stubborn gene. aka - it's her fault.] He will potty train on his own damned schedule, or he'll attend college with Elmo on his Pull-Ups. So sayeth Little Man.

We trekked through the Harold Parker State Forest in the wee hours of the morning, encountering only two souls (a cutie Dad and his cutie son taking a morning dip in the pond) and much wildlife. We hiked. We sat and stared at nature. We snacked. We splashed in the pond. I was feeling very zen until Little Man threw a temper tantrum and refused to walk. How does one deal with that? Well ... whatever you pack in, you must pack out. It's a simple rule of hippie outdoorsy people, right? Yeah. All snarkyness aside, I enjoyed tossing his pissy little ass on my shoulders and feeling tough and strong. Not surprisingly he perked right up and enjoyed the trip out. I remember this from childhood. There is something magical about the shoulders.

The glory of life is summed up in two words: Plum Island. In my fantasy world, I own a home on Plum Island. I have a seriously kick-ass internet connection and a fast laptop. My job allows me to work remotely. I have an endless supply of yarn. My child grows up in the sand dunes. I sit on the beach and look for seals. I have a steady supply of sand in every bodily orifice. We spent two days on Plum Island this week and it was magical.

In addition, we spent tons of wonderful time with KangaRoo and Baby G. Love them. Glad they're healthy. All you knitters will understand this -- how happy was I when Roo asked me if she could borrow some big fat needles? So happy. She makes these chunky garter stitch scarves in cool colors, and only buys yarn for one project at a time (no stash!!) Then the kicker - unique little felt flowers. I have two flowers from the first season of flower-making, and as of Thursday, I have this season's flower. This evolution includes a button and stitching. Pictures to come. Wunderbar!

Now for FOs.

I fina-fucking-ly finished my Branching Out. The Wifey loves it. I like the finished product, but the knitting was a beast. I should listen to Dilettante Debutante's theory -- don't knit lace while parenting wee ones. Here she is -- the Beast:


In extraordinary news, I am also finished with my SockPal socks! Hooray! Here they are:

Yeah, OK, so it's not the most artistic photo. Nor is it taken in natural light. But hell, I wanted to mark the occasion in time to get onto Alison's Tuesday update. Artistry plays second fiddle to braggery. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. And I love this yarn! Please note: the majority of the pooling was herded to the soles. Also, my SockPal's feet are both shorter and narrower than mine, so the socks should be snug on her, but not pull the stitches like on my canoes.

As proof that I loved the ArtYarns SuperMerino, I spent early Sunday clicking away at these for a little guy's 1st birthday:


More pics tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Monday, August 15, 2005

Dreaming ...

I'm dreaming of Eris. Only Eris. Not the baby gifts being given in September. Not the SockPal socks being shipped out in September. Not the Little Man sweater for which there is beautiful Debbie Bliss yarn waiting in the stash. Nope. I dream of Eris in KnitPicks Merino Style in Hollyberry. Snuggle-icious.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Hooray for ...

GRYFFINDOR!
You scored 20% Slytherin, 16% Ravenclaw, 60% Gryffindor, and 36% Hufflepuff!
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart.


Gryffindors are known for their courage, audacity, and devotion to what is good and honest.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 31% on Slytherin
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 17% on Ravenclaw
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 72% on Gryffindor
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 70% on Hufflepuff


A shout out to Alison for sharing this fun test.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Eris Be Mine

My long-standing obsession with the Rogue might be trumped by the absolutely stunning Eris. While a hoodie would be seriously pushing the business casual dress code at work, a nice cardigan could be work appropriate. I love you Eris. Love you.


You will be mine.

Two-Zah

I finally found the perfect yarn for my sock pal. It's ArtYarns Supermerino from my lovely and local Windsor Button.


Thank god. I only have until Sept. 15th to finish these. eek! I'd better get crackin'.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Mom, don't look...

Have no fear, my Mom is neck deep in cardboard boxes, so she won't be reading the blog anytime soon. She's closing on her new house tomorrow and starting the move on Saturday. I'll be driving 6 hours tomorrow just so I can carry boxes and boss the packing of the UHaul. Sans kids and husband, Mom needs less house. She has less desire to clean and maintain a big house, and would prefer to spend her time scuba diving and skiing. These are both activities that she's become obsessed with lately, shortly after the demise of her marriage of 20+ years. Needless to say, Mom is having a joyful time with no kids at home and no couch potato husband. Isn't she cute and sassy?

Mom's on the left, in Key West this past winter


While Mom's not looking, I hereby present the completed Christmas present for 2005. During my trip to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, I picked up a hank of this amazing merino/tencel yarn with little tiny loops spaced about 1/2" apart. I saw it from across the field and knew it was perfect for my Mom. But after I got home, I worried that one hank wasn't enough for a good length scarf. So I consulted several experts and finally settled on a basic garter/drop stitch design to maximize the glory of this yarn. Here 'tis:



I'm jumping in the car at 8am tomorrow and heading off to Mom's. When I return midweek, I'll have some other fun pics to share. Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Forward

Finally I have some photos to share with honest-to-god finished objects. Whoah. With my head in a cardboard box for the last month, it's been a long time since I've posted FO pics.

First off -- the Little Man 2005-06 Winter Hat. Knit with a double strand of navy Cascade 220 and Crystal Palace Kid Merino, this hat was based on the Lil Art Critic Beanie. I love the pattern. I love the yarns. I love the tweedy and fuzzy fabric that comes off the needles. But alas, its too big for him. Will I ever learn to size properly? So I'll probably stash this hat for 2006-07, and use the Cascade 220 with some orange stash wool to make another version with two cute orange stripes. In other words, I'll stick to the damned pattern. Stay tuned.



FO #2 -- Little Man Striped Socks. Started and started and started and started, these socks represent the most ridiculous effort to wrap my brain around short rows. I am short row challenged. No amount of videos, patterns or explanations, could manage to twist my brain around the short row concept. But after an amazingly indulgent lesson from two wonderful MIT Stitch and Bitchers, I finally got it. Hooray! So I knit these little babies through an entire work conference. I became known as "the knitter" by all who attended. There were also several requests for handknit socks.

However, once again ... they don't fit. They're too small. Yes, I measured. Yes, I measured again and again. Yes, I was on gauge ... the whole time. What I didn't account for was the annual Little Man Summer Feet Growth Festival. This is only the second summer that we've experienced the joy of this Festival. During his first summer, those teeny newborn feet were downright edible. Last summer, he grew through 5 shoe sizes! (but still edible) I thought it was a fluke because the winter was a little less extreme. But we quickly learned that along with tulips and bean sprouts comes Feet. And shoes. Lots of them. In extra wide, which are hard to find and Expensive. We've started asking for gift certificates for all gift giving occassions. So here are the cutie little socks. I love them, so I'll find another little kid with smaller feet who will love them as much as I do. Perhaps Ms. G.



For one final dose of cuteness, I present to you ... Little Man and Lugh watch WGBH-Kids together. Little Man's kid-sized arm chair was my overly ambitious project for his first birthday. It took way longer than I anticipated, forced a couple new gray hairs from my scalp, but I LOVE it. And so does he. Happy.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Yarn Bouquet

I came home from work on Friday, walked into the kitchen and squealed at the sight of this:

Moments later the wine glass was filled and dinner was served. My wife rocks!

Jealous?

No, you can't have her.

Kitten Thread

Have you ever tried to catch a picture of a kitten chasing a spool of thread?
It's hard.

Actually, it's impossible.

And hilarious.