8.28.2006

Calm Before the Storm

It's that time of year again. On this, my last weekend prior to the start of classes here at good ol' F-No State, I did something I haven't done in AGES because of the insane, insane heat in the valley: had a cup of coffee on the patio and knit away in the morning hours.


For the most part, the patio garden made it through the worst of the summer... but to the left there you can see my pathetic excuse for a tomato plant. First the heatwave in July killed it, then I over-watered it, and I still have not even the slightest beginning of a tomato to show for it. Sad.

Viva has also decided that she will not share the patio with me, opting instead to lay in the doorway and look at me as if I was intruding on her personal throne. I also just realized my screen door is ripped when I took this.

I also spent Saturday night pouring wine at the Greek Festival. There was much wine consumed, some frenzied dancing, and me being out of control with my camera. Again.


I think I am going to quit my job and be a tasting room pourer (is that a word?) professionally. That was seriously one of the most fun things EVER. TNB was drinking a little more than he was pouring, but he more than made up for it by replacing my car battery when it promptly died on Sunday morning. So. Lucky!

Knitting is happening and strangely enough, I have been fixated on one project instead of my usual project A.D.D. that stops me from ever finishing anything. I'm almost done with sleeve #2 of the Fair Isle sweater, which means I should be working on the yoke by Wednesday. Still loving the Main Line. Still resisting the urge to buy more when I SERIOUSLY don't need it.

I'm off to brave the new froshies and the roadways around F-No State. It's going to be a nasty one - I have no idea who's brilliant idea is was to start major road construction on one of the main roads into campus a month ago but we are all going to pay for it this week.

Ciao

8.25.2006

I am Incapable...

.... of following a pattern as written.

The body is finished and I'm trying to tweak the shaping of the sleeve to fit me better. Damn the large girls and tiny arms.

8.21.2006

End in Sight

Aline, racing towards the finish line....

Sorry for the horrible quality of those; the batteries must be dying in the camera. Now if I can just muster up the motivation to start the second sleeve... as a distraction, I've been swatching around the colors for the fair isle portion of brown blob -


I think this is the winner. Of course, I still have a ridiculous amount of brown st st ahead of me before this fun colorwork... but I'm keeping decent motivation and have a 24-hour work trip this week, so there is some light at the end.

BTW, I've read it a number of times but I need to add my 2 cents... Main Line is the bomb. This could be the new Cotton Ease in my book.


Had a fabulous weekend, TNB had dinner with my mom for the first time and it went great. I also got to spend a good old debaucle of a night out with some friends from High School, concluding with Taco Bell at 3am. Yes, I am in my late twenties. Yes, it's still funny.

I also took my knitting [brown blob] to TNB's house for the first time. I pulled it out and said "babe, it's time." He was cooking dinner so after asking if he needed help, I settled in on the couch as he said "you just sit there and knit to your little hearts content". 10 points in my book.

8.17.2006

Brown Blob

Brown Blob, AKA the new take-along project:


The Vogue Fair Isle: Holiday 2005
Knit Picks Main Line
Down 1 needle size to make a medium-and-a-half size (hopefully)


I am purposely adding legnth (let's try learn from the mistakes of the Mandarin Sweater) in so this is going to go on forever. Strangely enough, that's been a good thing. I've really enjoyed completely vegging out and repeating knit knit knit knit knit knit knit knit knit......

Aline has gotten too big to move from my couch, so there she stays until the day I get around to starting the FINAL sleeve (I already finished the collar and have been seaming along the way) - then finito! Photos of the progress soon.

Cropped Cardi is moving along - it's in the hole behind Aline to take the place of couch knitting. Then the Fair Isle will it's place, and so on.

Those other WIP's? Bah, I don't know.

PS - Looking for a fun way to kill your day? If not, then don't click here.



Don't say I didn't warn you.

8.14.2006

Saki Saki Bomb

THANK YOU THANK YOU for the supportive (no pun intended!) comments on the b00b issue. I'd never thought that way about cotton - but maybe it should be taken into consideration from here on out. Main Line from Knit Picks doesn't count as cotton, right? I just started my next sweater with it.

The weekend.

Summed up: too much saki, perfect amounts of lake time.

8.12.2006

Manatee, I mean Madarin, Blouse

Well, here she is, in all her busty glory.



Manatee Madarin Blouse, From IK Spring 2006
Knit Picks Shine, Color: Sea Foam
Size 7 + 8 needles

Ok I know, it's not that bad. It's more that b00b thing I was talking about that is bothering me. And it's too short. I really like the way the top is constructed and how it looks on the hanger - but on me, not so much. This may be gifted away to someone shortly.

So time for a new project (or two).

Brown = Fair Isle Sweater in Knit Picks Main Line, Blue = Placket Pullover from LMKG in Rowan Cashsoft DK.



I don't post much on Saturdays... but I'm home being TOTALLY lazy; NOT going out and running the 10,000 errands I should. Instead, I've been knitting almost non-stop since 9am.

Since it's Saturday, here's my Saturday Sky, It's a crappy photo; imagine that the sky is actually blue.

Doesn't Viva look amused?

8.11.2006

Ahoy! What's That on the Shore....



It's official. I cast off the main portion of the Mandarin Sweater last night and I definitely look like a beached whale. After years of dressing to accomodate a disproporonately large chest, you'd think I would have seen this one coming.

BAH.

Anyone want a well-stitched Mandarin Blouse in Knit Picks Shine?

8.09.2006

The Quest for the Fair Isle

Thank you all for your comments on Viva - you're right, she's probably completely forgetten about it and I've become OCD about checking the porch to make she she's not out there. Totally normal.

So I did something last night I have never done before. I actually drove to MULTIPLE locations to find the new Vouge Knitting, and prior to that, had made mental note that it was the 8th and this was the very day it was being released to the public. I was not disappointed.

What a great issue. There's about 6 things I am seriously considering, with a definite YES to that great fair isle I mentioned a few posts back. This morning I was online looking for Dale of Norway Helio [the suggested yarn], and even at $4.79 a ball that thing will cost me over $90. Telemark over at Knit Picks seems to be a good substitution and MUCH cheaper - but has anyone worked with this? Is it going to make me want to scratch my skin off?


From the cabin

That's a glimpse of TNB (the new boy). He's so cute.

8.07.2006

Viva: Escape from the Patio

There was a bit of excitiment in the Casa this weekend. As many of you probably do, there are certain daily routines Viva and I go through that become habitual without even trying. In the mornings I wake up, open my patio door, turn on the coffee maker, then sit down to check email, blog, etc. During this time Viva goes outside and chills out under the table for awhile, tries to eat the plants, etc. Before I leave for work, I check to make sure she's back inside, then I shut and lock the door. At this time, the cat normally retires to her morning nap under my bed (because laying on the porch and trying to eat plants is such a strenuous activity). There she stays until I get home, at which time she usually comes out to join me in the living room while I am trying to do yoga.

So Friday I am 1/2-way through my yoga when I think gee, where the heck is Viva? I stop and go look under my bed. No cat (you know where this is going, right?). I check my closet. No cat. To my horror I check the patio. NO CAT!

At this point, I begin to freak out. The tears start to flow. I realize that she isn't wearing a collar because she hates it and I was trying to be nice like that. So I run outside and start calling her name like a crazy woman. I've got sunglasses on but it's apparent to anyone who gets close to me that I am bawling behind the lens. My 18 year old neighbor tries to console me, but all I can think to myself is "I'm a bad mom! How did I forget my cat on the patio?!?!?".

Fast Forward 20 minutes, and I finally find her in a bush about 500 feet from my unit. She's scared as shit and covered in sticks, and I had to drag her out by her back legs because she has obviously been traumatized by something and WILL NOT leave the bush. So I carry her back, walking back past all the people who watching me wandering and calling her name for 20 minutes, but am now covered with dirt and sticks and getting clawed by a cat who supposedly loves me so much.

I get her in the apartment and am able to wipe her down slightly, but she bolts under the bed and didn't come out until last night. Freaking cat.

Freaking cat. I love/hate you.

Saturday night I was up at the cabin with a few friends, which was a debaucle as always. Dinner was fabulous - New York Steaks, Tabouleh, and Asparagus w/ Tomatoes. And of course, lots of yummy wine and champagne. However, you know it's time to put yourself to bed when you realize you are drinking Muscat straight from the bottle and smoking a rum-flavored cigar, while the new man in your life is playing beer pong down the hill with a bunch of 18 year olds. I swear, we are in our late twenties. After retriving the said boy from the said drinking games, we all promptly passed out by 11pm and slept till 10am. Hey you're only young once, right?

And of course I knitted. Lots.

Aline Jacket. I think I am going to leave the sleeve at that legnth, but I'm not casting off till I see what it looks like with the collar. After that, only 1 sleeve to go!

Mandarin Shirt. I really wish the V was a bit deeper in this - because it is now less "beached whale" and is instead more "holy crap look at her boobs!"

Re-Orged the stash last night while I was recovering. This is the 'future project' shelf, i.e. all this yarn has a designated project. All that Main Line in the center was a recent splurge - I fell victim to the $1.79 sale over at Knit Picks last month. That's for a Fair Isle Sweater, to be started when Aline is finished.


Happy Monday!

8.02.2006

Not Another Pair of Socks....

Knitty Hybrid Socks

Combo of this pattern and this pattern.
Koigu, about 1.5 hanks, size 2 needles.

These are small small small - even for my size 6, narrow feet! If you plan on making Crusoe (which is actually a fun pattern, and I really like the way it works with Koigu), cast on at LEAST 52 stitches, not the recommended 44 or 48. I knit mine over 46. I'm not quite sure why I keep knitting so many socks - I hardly wear them, plus its 98 degree and WOOL ON MY FEET MIGHT KILL ME.

Elsewhere, I am speeding right along on the Mandarin Sweater. I tried it on last night and I hope to GOD it was because it was over my PJs and I wasn't wearing a bra, but this thing made me look like a beached whale. Or that could have been the raviolis and Fume Blanc talking.

This is the new work project, a baby hat for Arden in Rowan DK wool based on this Fair Isle motif. I've decided I will knit all my Christmas gifts on the go, so this is #1. I'll probably line it because it's scratchy as hell and I don't want her mama on me for making her cry.

Finally, my heart goes out to all you mid-westerners who are getting slammed with the heat wave we had last week. We had 20 people die here in our region, so I definitely know what you're going through. My advice: Go straight home from work, crack a beer, wear a skirt as a dress, and knit with cotton. We're rooting for yah.

Today is Wednesday so that means it's time for golf, gimmlets, and general debauchery at the driving range. I love the hump day.

Till next time; Ciao!