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Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Another ChicKami In ProgressUnfortunately, because I forgot my camera-disk at home, no pics. But hopefully in the next few days there will be pics of me wearing it! I couldn't for the life of me get gauge- instead of 5/7, I'm at 4/6. But I think it'll be ok. This chickami, in worsted weight chenille, will be VERY different from the white kami- much heavier, and the fabric is firmer rather than drapey like the white. But I think this will be a cute top also! The next kami I'll make is in a thinner rayon blend- kind of a golden brown color. I'm going to try first with 2 strands together- I think I'll be close on yardage, but I figure if I'm close to running out, I can always mix the white in for the top and finish it that way. I think I would prefer all one color for this next one, but if the yarn runs short, I have a backup plan. :)I think I also "see" a few kamis being created with some cotton-ease... I keep hoping one of the craft stores will have a good sale on it, and I can buy enough for a few kamis. This is definitely the perfect pattern for me- especially given my already extensive collection of tank tops! At some point, I'm going to have to knit a few cardigans... I'm thinking the cotton Aran will be one. My parents FINALLY got back from their west-coast trip last night- no more feeding the cat daily! Not that it was a huge chore, but still, spending 30-45 minutes every day driving over there, feeding the kitty (and giving kitty some lovin) and driving back really ate into the afternoon relax/knit time. I mean, with all these chickami's to knit, I really should get cracking! :) Cricket is also pleased that I will no longer be coming home smelling like "that other cat." When I come home smelling like dog, she doesn't really care. But if I've so much as said hello to another cat, I get "sniffed," and then I get that look- you know- the "I can't believe what you did" look. I'm still not sure if she's pissed that I've been petting another cat, or if it bothers her that I didn't bring the cat home for her to chase around. Chasing my parents' cat around is one of the highlights of her kitten-hood... and it started her on her path to bully-ness. After all, if, as a 3 pound, tiny little kitten, you scare a 12-13 lb full grown male cat almost out of his fur, and chase him around his own house, you get an inflated sense of your own tough-ness. As my grandma says, Tux (my parents' cat), is a shameful coward. Poor Tux. But at least now I don't have to placate a pissy Cricket- who should know by now that I know better than to even consider getting another cat. officium "sense of duty, a dutiful act" 0 comments || # Monday, July 28, 2003 Grumble Grumble, It's MondayIt seems like it was just Friday, and now it's Monday. Ugh. I still say we should make all weekends 3-day affairs.Of course, I probably would be in a slightly better mood if I had checked my mail earlier on Saturday- as it is, I have to wait until this afternoon to retrieve my package of chickami yarn. I guess in a way that's better, since I would probably have abandoned my mittens if I had gotten my yarn. I hope to finish the mittens in the next couple of days: (fronts) 
(backs) 
As you can probably see on the backs, I continued to repeat my "design element." I'm not sure if I really like it or not- but I don't dislike it enough to worry about it! I still have to weave in lots of ends and generally tidy things up before these are actually done. Of course, I still need to tidy up Dalmore... but since both Dalmore and the mittens are Christmas gifts, I still have plenty of time. :) Next weekend I start working job #2... well, I kinda start working... I'll work about 3-4 hours on Saturday. But I'll work both weekend days for the rest of August, and then every Saturday from September on. It won't break the bank, but it'll give me a little extra wiggle-room every month, and hopefully make it easier to get to my savings-goal before law school- $20 k in the bank. I think I'll make it- but we'll see. Sadly, even $20k wouldn't pay for 1 full year of tuition- it would barely pay for 1 semester. So much money!!! I have to keep reminding myself of what my dad says- "education is an investment in yourself." And hopefully it'll turn out to be a GOOD investment, and I'll be rewarded not only with financial stability (I'm not asking to be wealthy, just modestly comfortable), and job-satisfaction. The latter being more important, and so far more elusive. Ah, heavy thoughts for a Monday. Hope everyone had a great weekend!! olet lucernam ":it bears the mark of nightly toil (it smells of the lamp)" 
0 comments || # Friday, July 25, 2003 Finally Friday...and I'm almost done with my mittens. Well, mitten. I have another couple of rows before I start the shaping- then I have to add in the thumb. Oh, yeah, and I guess there should be a second mitten, unless my sister-in-law only wants to keep one hand warm. :)
I think this will be the general design for a chickami project in the future- using the yarn from chickami #1 (white) and my mom's vest (blue). But I have at least 2 "on deck" before I get to this one, so I'll have time to think about it. Wendy has been talking about her kitty Lucy and how she bolts for her lap as soon as the knitting comes out, happy to sit there while Wendy knits, sometimes with the knitting on top of her! While this may work for Lucy, Cricket is a whole other story. Cricket is not a lap cat. She's a snuggle-kitty- she wants to be right where the people are, and often curls up right next to me on the couch, and especially at night, but she never goes for the lap. At first, I found this disappointing, but I quickly realized the advantages to be gained from being able to get up when you wanted to, rather than agonizing over disturbing the amazingly comfy sleeping fluff-ball. Even if, for some odd reason, Cricket decided to get in my lap, I could never knit while she was there. To Cricket, yarn exists to be played with. ALL yarn. Sometimes, for reasons completely unknown to her, I insist that she leave some yarn alone, and sometimes she does. Unless I put it down, unattended, where she can reach it. Or, if she happens to be lounging next to me, I insist on moving the yarn as I knit. In these situations, even the forbidden yarn becomes a toy. She can't help it! And I am learning that if I leave yarn unattended when I go to bed, when I wake up, the apartment will look like someone went nuts with a can of silly-spray. And Cricket, who really can't understand why I wouldn't want her to play with the yarn-toy, looks very satisfied with her nocturnal work. At least this has taught me to always put my projects away when I get up! tempus ludendi "the time for play" 0 comments || # Thursday, July 24, 2003 The Amazing Growing Mittens!
Progress continues on the mittens- I'm finally getting into the patterning. With Dalmore it was much easier because the same pattern repeated so many times- but on the mitten, by the time I've gotten into the flow, the row is over, and it changes. It would probably help too if I had been paying more complete attention to the mitten, but, well, Law and Order was on... and you know how that goes. Speaking of patterning, anyone notice anything funky on the back of the mitten? 
I'll give you a hint- it's in the blue section, below the white "thumb goes here" line. That's right, I screwed up the patterning on the back! I noticed it somewhat soon after, but then I made an executive decision. See how my flub happens to correspond exactly with that blue "center line" on the pattern? I've decided that I'll replicate the screw up every time I get to that point, and suddenly mistake = design feature. I actually think it's kinda cool since as the colors shift to blue, the number of rows in each color shrinks, so the flub has the effect of accentuating that compression. That, and I didn't feel like ripping back to fix it! I'm still impatiently awaiting the arrival of my chickami yarns. Of course, once they come, I'll have to hurry up and finish the mittens, or (more likely), just go ahead and start a kami right away. I ordered some chenille, and also a rayon-cotton blend. I'm still trying to decide if I want to mix the chenille I ordered with some black chenille in my stash in some sort of stripe thing, but I think I might do one plain, and then one with the stripes. Wait, does that plan now bring me up to 4 chickami's I want to knit? Plus the one I already did? Goodness! Luckily, I wear tank tops all year long. I LOVE tanks with cardigans or blazers... so I think I'll keep wearing the kami's long after the summer is over. When I tell people I have a black cat, some people ask if she's all black. Yes. With the exception of about 5 white hairs on her tummy, Cricket is totally jet black. Black nose, black whiskers, black fur... and black paw-pads: 
You have no idea how much I had to lighten this pic to make Cricket show up at all. Even with a flash, taking a pic of a jet black kitty is difficult! Oh, and Cricket says, for the record, that this photo makes her feet look big. In actuality, she says, her paws are very dainty and delicate. Especially when she uses them to poke me awake in the middle of the night to give her loves... sometimes it's SO hard to know what they want! fabulae! "nonsense! 0 comments || # Wednesday, July 23, 2003 New CommentsWell, my comments were down all day yesterday, and were still down this morning. So, enter new commenting system! Hopefully this will be a little more reliable. :)I made some more progress on the mittens last night: (front) 
(back) 
So far, I think these will be really neat. Of course, I'll barely use any of my shetland stash up with them, but that's ok. Yarn doesn't go bad, right? And I see lots of gloves and mittens in the future, so eventually the Dalmore yarn will disappear. At least I like the colors! Perhaps at some point I'll order an assortment of other colors to mix in with the leftovers... but I'll wait until I get tired of these colors first. I've also been plugging away on the lunch sock... I would call it the "lunch/gym sock," but I haven't exactly gone to the gym this week. I'm not really sure why- I have been really tired this week... but I don't seem to be able to fall asleep much before midnight no matter when I get in bed. Hmmmmm. Perhaps I need to change my schedule around somehow so I get to take naps in the afternoon when I'm tired... wouldn't that be nice! ;) But anyway, lunch has given me some time to get going on another regia sock for a friend. She has really wide feet, so I'm totally guessing on the sock... I am using a k3p1 ribbing, so hopefully it'll stretch enough to fit ok. I think I might have to increase a few stitches before the cuff, though, to make sure the cuff will be stretchy enough. It's kinda nice to be back with a "mindless" sock project. I did quit the sock club, though- I realized that I've only really liked 3 of the 6 yarn colors I've gotten, and that I really could spend the money better on other things. Plus, I have lots and lots of regia and other sock yarns to use up, so I should probably hold off on buying more until I've used up what I have. And then I think I'll be ordering a selection of Lorna's Laces from Threadbear. MUST RESIST URGE TO ORDER NOW!!! :) After all, I do have yarn coming in the mail for 2 more chickamis... Cricket got pissed this morning because I wouldn't let her play with my mitten... 
corruptio optimi pessima "the corruption of the best is the worst" 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 22, 2003 No Will PowerLast night, while deliberately ignoring the languishing swatches for the Aran, I cast on for a mitten.
I'm not even really sure who this is for- I think for my sister-in-law for Christmas. She lives in Seattle, but maybe with the cold/dampness she might wear it. My other west-coast friends live in southern california, and even I can't justify giving them wool winter wear. OOOOOO 60s... BRRRR! ;) But basically I wanted to make some mittens. And then some gloves. And then some more. And, to make matters worse, I succumbed to ANOTHER crafty project. Again, I managed to pointedly ignore the forlorn glances from the abandoned bulletin board, and head to the local craft store. Perhaps you noticed the little beaded stitch marker on the mittens? Well, you see, I had these beads. So I got some pins, and some split rings, and took my needlenose pliers in hand... 
I still have about 10 more to make before I use up all of the jump rings I bought. But since I still have plenty of pins and beads, perhaps I'll splurge and spend another 50 cents on more jump rings. I mean, I really should try and use up most of the beads, shouldn't I? Cricket got fed up with all my craftiness, and demanded that I prioritize: 
deus vult "God wills it (the rallying cry of the First Crusade)" 0 comments || # Productive Weekend
I finished this last night, quickly washed it and tossed it in the dryer... it was still a little damp when I wove in the ends and took this pic. But this morning, all dry, and I'm wearing it now! Definitely a great little top. I'm already planning on making at least 2 more... damn you, ebay, and your tempting yarn! :) As you can probably tell from the pic, my gauge was smaller than the original pattern, making my chicKami a little more "drapy" than the original. But I still like it- very comfy. In hindsight, I probably could have made it slightly smaller- I made the medium, and I probably could have done the small, but then again, this style is probably a little nicer to wear to work. Mine was also slightly longer than the original, so my straps are shorter, resulting in more of a scoop-neck. Again, I like both mine and the original, so it's all good. :) Now if the rest of the yarn would just get here from ebay... Oh, and my grand plan to finally use this white ebay yarn on the chicKami, and be mostly finished with it? Yeah, didn't work. I probably have enough to do another entire kami... but I think I might do something with some stripes going on. I still have leftover yarn from my mom's vest, so maybe some accents in that. We'll see. By then, I might (GASP!) be tired of the kami. Somehow, though, I think it's going to find its way into my closet over and over and over again! In my comments, Charlotte asked about the bulletin board I was making. Yeah. You might want to take out a tissue now... so I finished the bulletin board. It was beautiful. I loved the border and the colors and the paint and everything. Life was good. After I finished painting it, I placed it outside to dry. About 30 minutes later, I went out to bring it in, and saw great chunks missing from the bulletin board. I don't know if it was a bird, or a squirrel, or UFOs, or what, but something ripped sections off of the board surface. It couldn't be saved, and met the trash can. After I moved, I bought a new bulletin board, and I did manage to spray paint it black. But I've been lazy, and caught up in the knitting projects, and haven't even laid out the border to trace yet. But I swear, it will get done, hopefully in the next few weeks. And THIS time, it will not spend ANY unsupervised time outside, no matter how wet the paint is! 
The knitting is officially over on Dalmore. Next task- trimming and cross-stitching the steeks. And cleaning up any/all ends. Then a gentle wash (perhaps SOME of the cat fur might come out!) and some serious blocking. But Dalmore will be ready in plenty of time for Christmas. :) 
Think I might have ordered too much yarn for Dalmore? This is the LEFTOVER yarn. I might use another couple of yards cleaning everything up on Dalmore, but I definitely have quite a surplus of shetland. Well, as soon as I get the "bug," I'll start on some gloves and mittens. I'm not sure who I'll give them to yet (I can't wear the wool next to my skin, so they can't be for me!) but I'm sure I can find someone who will want them for a gift. When Cricket was taking a break from her demanding job as a photographer's assistant, she spent the weekend in her cat-cave: on top: 
and inside (notice the tail?): 
de claro die "by the light of day" 0 comments || # Finally FridayWhew! This has been a long week.Nothing much to report- still plugging away on the chickami, and have 2 more planned. I need to finish Dalmore this weekend. Still haven't finished the other swatches for the Aran I'll eventually design. Hmmmm, I sound like a broken record! So rather than bore you all with a repeat of the last few posts, I'll leave you with a promise- update pics on Monday, hopefully with plenty of progress! Have a great weekend! fiat! "let it be so!" 0 comments || # Thursday, July 17, 2003 TrainingI'm stuck in training all day today, and all day tomorrow. Basically, I'm here to learn about the new software system we're launching on Monday... but everyone else in the training is here to learn how to use the system to do their jobs. So it's quite a bit more in-depth than I really need. But I won't argue- at least I have internet access!Progress on the chickami continues- I'll hopefully get it finished sometime next week. And this weekend I need to polish off Dalmore... just one more armhole to pick up, and then a few ends, and then some serious blocking. Of course, this weekend I also get to mow my parent's lawn... funny, I thought that living in an apartment meant that I finally didn't have to mow lawns anymore. I guess that I should have realized that the lawn couldn't wait almost a month for them to get back from vacation. I keep trying to convince them to buy a goat... or perhaps a sheep... but then I would have to learn how to spin, and I guess they would have to learn how to take care of a sheep. Maybe mowing the lawn is a more practical solution after all... I think I'm going to have to give up aerobics on Saturdays in favor of the new job. But I think I'll be motivated enough to do some of my own exercise- I have 1 video, and some 5lb weights, and I have an upper body weight workout... and I think I'll be getting a Pilates kit to start with. It will be a lot cheaper to buy some videos and work out that way, and I'll still have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I do another workout of some kind 2 other days during the week, plus the exercise bike at the gym at work during lunch, plus walking or riding my bike to work, that should be plenty. :) Actually, that's more than enough, but I like to eat, and the only way I get to eat what I want to is to exercise more than I want to. It was funny, though, last night when I was doing some upper body routines- Cricket was VERY confused, and kept trying to sniff the dumbells. Ok, off to more "exciting" training, and wishing desperately for my knitting. 0 comments || # Wednesday, July 16, 2003 More $$ !!A little background:J, one of my bestest friends, has worked at this local store all through college, and for the last few years since. Cute store- mostly clothes and housewares... very quant, and too pricey for my tastes. ANYWAY. J is leaving for grad school, and mentioned that her boss might be strapped for people- long story short, I'll start working weekends there in August. I'm not sure how much it'll pay, but it's a nice, casual atmosphere, no pressure, with lots of people-interaction. I'm not sure how much I'll want to work once everything starts up in the fall, but I figure I can do at least 1 day a week, and that will definitely help out with the law school fund. Plus, I can continue to work a few days a week through the first year of law school, when I'll be too busy to work a more demanding part time job. So yeah! ;) The only thing I'll have to watch out for at this store is the shoes- employees can order shoes for wholesale prices, and I'll have to be careful. Thanks to my being the same size as J, I already have 5 pairs of shoes I got at a great discount- and I'm already eyeing a pair of really cute sandals I think I'll have to order once I've worked there a few weeks. :) Still plugging away at the chickami- I've noticed that in bright sunlight, there are some color variations in the yarn- it's mostly a creamy color, but some sections are more white, and some a little more yellow. I think after I finish it I'll give it a nice long soak in some detergent-filled water to see if the color won't even out... when I "spot cleaned" part of the swatch, it brightened up quite a bit compared to the other half, so I think that'll work. :) The yarn is DEFINITELY not wool, so I could probably even use a little bleach if necessary! Of course, in celebration of just getting another job with some extra spending money coming in, I just bid on some more chickami yarn on ebay- a light brown with some shine to it. I think it'll look really nice- and hey, for $13 including shipping (provided I win, of course), I think it's just what the doctor ordered. After all, it's cheaper than going out to dinner to celebrate! (see M. see M rationalize. rationalize, M, rationalize!) Just in case you need to learn more Latin... in medio tutissimus ibis "safety is in going the middle course" 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 15, 2003 
Let's all have a moment of silence for sigma :  Sigma went to the pond last night. I finished both the front and back strap on one side, and pinned them together... after trying it on, it was clear that the body of the tank was way too shapeless for my taste... also, the armhole was WAY too large for me. If I had tried to wear it, I would have been giving everyone on either side an x-rated view of whatever I was wearing underneath. So, although it was painful to see all that work unraveled, I knew I would never wear it, so back to yarn-balls it went. I just downloaded the pattern for the chickami- hopefully that'll work better. I had to adjust for a different gauge- I'm getting 6 st/inch vs. her 5 st/inch, but I think I got the measurements figured out. I'm a little unsure if the adjustments I made to the raglan shaping will work, but that wouldn't be too bad to take out since it's one of the last things you knit. I'll cast on for the chickami today during lunch, and hopefully will be able to get in a few rows so I can take it to the gym!
I saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night- VERY entertaining. Although, since I saw it in the theater, I didn't knit- (too dark)- and so I found myself wishing I had waited until it came out on video. I guess you know you're addicted when... ;) luce lucet aliena "it shines with a borrowed light (e.g. the moon)" 0 comments || # Monday, July 14, 2003 MondaySo, about this weekend... remember how I was going to finish knitting Dalmore? Ummm, well, didn't happen. I didn't even TOUCH Dalmore. And it is all Matt's fault. Why, you might ask? Well, as the designer of Sigma, I think it is only fair that he accept the blame! After all, I neglected Dalmore all weekend to knit madly away at Sigma (oh, and lounge by the pool all day Saturday!)I've made some pretty good progress: 
Of course, there would be much more progress if my yarn wasn't giving me a gauge of 6sts/inch, on size 4 needles. But I really love the drape of the fabric- I still can't quite figure out what the yarn is made of. My best guess so far is rayon/cotton... but I really want to finish this so I can wear it! I just started knitting the back, so hopefully in another week or so I'll be sporting new threads. :) And maybe THEN I'll get back to Dalmore. Oh yeah, and the rest of the Aran swatches. And the sock I started last week. acta est fabula "the play is over (dying words of Caesar Augustus)" 0 comments || # Friday, July 11, 2003 FRIDAY!!!
I finished the bluebell socks yesterday- I still need to take care of the ends on both these and the zebra socks. But given how HOT it has been here, I haven't been too tempted to finish up my WOOL socks. I know I will be thankful for their warmth at some point, just not yet! :) Perhaps this weekend I'll get them out of the "to finish" pile and into the "to wash" pile. Of course, that might be a little difficult since I started sigma with some shiny white yarn I got ages ago on ebay. It is very similar to the yarn I used for my mom's vest, but much shinier. I think it'll make a really neat tank top! I also need to finally finish Dalmore... I haven't worked on it all week, but all I have left is cutting and knitting the last armhole. Well, that's all the KNITTING I have left. I also need to trim and tack down the steeks, and weave in any ends. Then comes the blocking... But my goal for this weekend is, at a minimum, finish the knitting. I may have until Christmas to finish this for my Dad, but the longer I leave it, the less motivated I am to do all those little "chores" at the end of the project. And I'm also not sure how long it'll take to block this- I also need to give it a gentle wash (thankfully I have a frontloader with a "wool" setting in my apt!) to get rid of SOME of the cat fur I am sure is coating it. So I'm thinking gentle cold water wash, some stretching and pinning, and then some steaming. :) For your friday amusement, I present the amazing extendo-kitty: 
she has it SO hard. ;) multa paucis "many things in few words (much in little)" 0 comments || # Thursday, July 10, 2003 hmphWell, I finally got yesterday's post published- stupid blogger! Not that I can really complain- after all, I don't pay for the service.Last night my friend and I went downtown to the Natural History Museum- we got a little bit wet running through the torrential downpour getting to the metro station, but eventually dried out in the over-air conditioned museum. We went down to look at the diamond exhibit, which was very impressive... all of the stones were beautiful. We were going to see the 3-d imax cirque du soleil movie also, but for some inexplicable reason they had cancelled all the shows that evening... but we still had fun. I especially enjoyed seeing these paintings- they were AMAZING. Afterwards, we went for pho for dinner... MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! So even without the movie, it was a really fun outing- especially since museums in DC are free! :) I've started working on my next swatch for the aran... but I didn't get far enough for a picture. Today at lunch I'll probably finish the bluebell socks. I wound yarn last night for my next pair in case I finish the bluebell socks before lunch is over... the next pair will be regia, and since I use contrasting yarn for the heel/toe, I wound some of the cream contrasting yarn into a nice little ball. When I woke up this morning, a VERY satisfied Cricket was surveying yarn chaos. She had strung the yarn all over the apartment- luckily it broke at some point so the rest of the ball stayed intact. I would have liked to get mad, but I understand that the yarn provoked her, sitting in that nice tidy little ball like that. THIS is exactly why I'm very good about always putting my yarn/projects away... or mostly away. At least she doesn't usually hurt the yarn- sometimes breaks it, but usually just strings it throughout the apartment. :) I guess all that yarn-policing makes for a tired kitty: 
0 comments || # Wednesday, July 09, 2003 nore swatches (finally!)I finished 2 more swatches for the to-be-designed Aran sweater last night:
and 
Sorry the quality is so terrible on that second pic- that's what I get for trying to take a pic this morning with the flash. I think I should also stick to light backgrounds... makes the contrast easier to adjust. The second swatch is so short because I realized fairly quickly that I didn't like the second pattern- twisted/travelling rope... and so I saw no need to continue through all 32 pattern repeats... especially since the Tight Braid Cable, which I DO like, is only 4 rows long. I think I'll have 6 more swatches (most with more than one pattern) before I can start designing... and I still need to run the swatches through the laundry to see how much they shrink! I'm also almost done with the second bluebell sock- I'll probably finish this week. But I think I'll definitely go back and redo the cuff on the FIRST bluebell sock- give it more ribbing- depending on how I like the second cuff. :) The good news is that since these are such short socks, I'll probably have enough yarn leftover to make another pair... or at least a kid-sized pair. Not that I know any little kids to make socks for... I leave you on this Wednesday with more proof that Cricket does deserve the epithet "the supermodel": 
0 comments || # Tuesday, July 08, 2003 Thunderstorms and TrafficI knew they were calling for afternoon thunderstorms yesterday (and every day this week). "But surely," I rationalized, "I'll be home by 4:15 if I ride my bike, and the storms will hit later." Um, NO. I went to the gym in the afternoon, and when I got back to my desk, kept working for another hour or so until it was time to leave. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the fact that the LIGHTS were FLICKERING!!! I quickly checked the radar (thanks to the internet!) and saw a GIANT thunderstorm pretty much covering the area. "But wait!" I thought in a panic, "I only need 10 minutes to get home... maybe it hasn't reached here yet, and I can beat it!" So I packed up all my stuff in a frenzy, ran downstairs, and stopped at the door, staring at the sheets of drenching rain pelting the pavement. I didn't beat the storm. If I had just left 30 mins earlier, I would have. Luckily, the afternoon thunderstorms don't last too long- I waited about 15 minutes for it to (almost) stop raining, and then rode home. I got damp, and my butt was nice and wet from the soaking bike seat, but I didn't melt, and it was actually kinda fun to ride through the puddles. I left my bike out on my balcony overnight to dry, although the seat is still slightly damp. I walked this morning- even if I can get wet, I'd rather not soak my bike again!Then, after I got home and dried off, I went to my parent's house to feed the kitty and collect the mail. Note to self- 5:00 is a TERRIBLE time to try and drive over there. Today, I'll try and leave as soon as I get home, and hopefully beat a little bit of the traffic. It was much easier to cat-sit when I lived less than a mile away... but I do get a full-body massage as a thank-you... my mom and I already made our appointments before they left. If I could afford it, I would get a massage once a week. Ah well... I worked on Dalmore last night- I finished the first armband. I don't think I'll start the second armband tonight- after aerobics, I'm pretty tired, and I really would rather not screw it up! Tomorrow night my friend and I are heading downtown to see the diamond exhibit at the Natural History Museum, and then we'll catch an IMAX show- Cirque du Soleil in 3D!! I'm very excited. Unfortunately, all this excitement means Dalmore is on a back-burner until Friday... oh well... it's only July, and since I'm not giving this to dad until Christmas, I have PLENTY of time. Which is good because it needs a good steaming/blocking into shape. I just looked at the website for my first choice law school- tuition for next year is $30,990. That's JUST tuition. And (goodie!) they say to expect annual increases of AT LEAST $1000. That is SO much money! I did look over the rest of the financial aid budget, and it looks like I'll be able to live pretty much as I do now without dipping too much into my savings... provided I take out the max loans. So much money! Cricket, continuing to express her world-view that everything I bring into the apartment is in some way designed specifically for her, has taken over my air-mattress (for camping): 
0 comments || # Monday, July 07, 2003 Steeks!!!From this: 
To this: 
There are more photos here. So much of Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon were spent finishing the knitting on Dalmore, and cutting some steeks. I finished the neckband, and started picking up stitches on one of the armholes before I got a little tired of it and switched to swatches for the Aran, which is now the "on-deck" project! I have several more swatches to do, and then some laundry and measuring to see what happens to the cotton... then some hard decisions about which cables to include! Hopefully in another couple of weeks I'll have the basic pattern figured out. I'll also have to give Dalmore a good solid blocking- I'm thinking some heavy steam and a good pinning to the blocking board. And perhaps a good pressing. But first, I have to finish the 2 armholes, and get some steeks trimmed and tacked down. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend (well, holiday for us Americans!) I had a fantastic weekend... Friday was spent downtown at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. I really enjoyed the Scottish knitting display... really nice demonstrators... especially considering that they were trying to knit with wool in temperatures in the mid-90's, with high humidity! You can read more about the demonstrations here! Then, after a bit of relaxing on the mall, the fireworks- spectacular as usual. As much as I might grumble about the heat and humidity here in the summer, I think the fourth of july on the national mall makes it all worthwhile. Of course, I suppose I could move somewhere without the heat and humidity, and visit for the fourth, but that seems like cheating! ;) To recover from all the heat on Friday, and to beat the even hotter temps on Saturday, I spent the day at the pool. :) Of course, being VERY pale, even spf 30 didn't keep me from getting a little too much sun... lots of lotion and finger-crossing to hope I don't peel! Ah, the joys of summer. I also did some laundry- here is Cricket helping me make the bed: 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 03, 2003 Dear Internal Alarm Clock:Please be advised that you MUST NOT wake me up before my regular alarm clock on weekdays. There are NO exceptions to this rule. 4 am is NOT an appropriate time to decide that I should wake up. Thank you.Needless to say, I feel kinda like I've been run over by something large, heavy, and slow-moving this morning. Ugh. On a much more positive note, though:
I didn't take an update photo because, well, Dalmore pretty much looks the same. A few rounds longer and narrower at the top, but that's it. I hope all the yanks have a great holiday... I'll be hanging out at the Folklife Festival during the day, and taking in the amazing fireworks that evening. I'm already excited- I love the 4th in DC. 0 comments || # Wednesday, July 02, 2003 Wednesday
Now that I've tried these on again, I'm thinking I'm definitely going to need to do something different for the cuff. On the second sock, I'll do the ribbing for twice as long, with smaller needles, and see if that works better... if I like it, then the first sock gets re-done. I should have enough yarn to make another pair of shorter socks, although maybe not for someone with feet that are much bigger than mine... I'll have to weigh my socks once they're done and decide what to do with the leftover yarn. I do really like the pattern, though, and I hope that the shorter socks will make them less likely to itch, given that the March socks only really itched above the ankle. Stupid &$#*$@(*$# wool allergy! I also have some of the leftover yarn from the march socks... maybe I'll make myself another pair of those in the shorter length, since the longer ones aren't 100% comfy. One advantage to making shorter socks for myself... more leftover yarn to use for more socks! At this rate, I'll have sock yarn in my stash forever. Speaking of, I'm already getting excited about the July socks... Dalmore continues... I'm about 3 pattern repeats from the end (well, not counting the steeks and bands...) 
Oh, and last night, after I got back from aerobics, I poured myself a big glass of water. Silly me, I thought that I would be the one who would drink the water. After all, I did pour it into a glass... now you must understand that Cricket has a very nice water bowl just for her, and I fill it up every day with fresh, clean, clear water. Apparently, she would prefer a glass: 
quid est rei? "what is the matter? 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 01, 2003 Yawn!So how come on Sunday, when I could sleep in for as long as I wanted, I woke up at 8, but this morning, I could barely drag my butt out of bed at 7? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.Last night we had an amazing thunderstorm- I sat up and watched the lightning show for a bit, and fell asleep listening to the pounding rain. I was glad, though, that I wasn't out in that weather... Cricket agreed that it was much nicer to watch from behind the window. 
I realized that the pic yesterday didn't really show the neck steek very well... so if anyone is interested, there is a closer close-up! I'm really flying through Dalmore lately... I'm kinda nervous about the steeks, but then I calm myself with the thought that this shetland wool is like velcro- trying to take out stitches or tease out tangles is pretty difficult. Therefore (or so I keep saying) the sliced steeks will NOT unravel my whole vest, and they will behave like they're supposed to. 
I'm not decreasing at the armholes anymore, so the only shaping for the time being is the decreases at the v-neck. In another couple of pattern repeats I'll do some shaping at the back neck, but that's a ways away. Oh, and I didn't take a picture of the inside, but I was VERY good last weekend and wove in all the non-steek ends on Dalmore. I can definitely understand the attraction of a fair isle cardigan... no ends to mess with! :) I also finished the first bluebell sock... but I forgot to bring it home with me, so no picture. I'll try and remember to take it with me today... I'm making short anklet socks because I don't want them to itch like the March socks did. I also made the cuff rather loose- I'm not sure if I'll like it, but I guess if it's too loose I can always undo the cuffs later and re-knit them on smaller needles or something. I guess I didn't realize that my ankles were so skinny! 0 comments || # |
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