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Friday, July 30, 2004
{sigh}So, it was too big. 36" I am not. So Strawberry Lace was reduced to this:
...and I started again. Luckily, things are going faster the second time around, and I'm already to the end of the lace section. Cricket was very helpful as I re-cast on, and helped to make sure that the yarn didn't give me any trouble. I guess if you're going to be a truly bad-ass knitter and make the yarn do your bidding, you need a yarn enforcer. 
This morning I'm off for a day of shopping and a fancy lunch downtown... I've been looking forward to it all week! I just hope I can find what I'm looking for... a couple of bras that not only FIT (gasp!), but that ALSO don't make me feel like I have nails poking me in the ribs. I know, it'll probably be a wild goose chase. And I doubt I'll have much luck with mission #2... finding a couple of basic skirts that are relatively comfy, and classic without being "office-y". {sigh}... but at least I can try! :) And the best part about my plans for today? I don't have to feed my parents' cat today (bless you, K, for saving me the ride over there!), so I'll avoid the "where have YOU been?!" sniffing... 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 29, 2004 Taking a Cue from RachaelRemember how Rachael's body suddenly decided it was time to run? And that she actually listened to it? Well, I think my body's been getting ideas. On Wednesday nights, I always ride my bike the 7-8 miles from my house to knit happens... and reward my dilligent exercise with a quick change of clothes, some deoderant, and a few hours of blissful knitting before getting picked up by the boyfriend for something yummy for dinner. All-in-all, a GREAT evening. Well, yesterday, I left work REALLY early (like 11), and went home... I did some cleaning, and took a bath, and generally was set up for a lazy day trying to get Cricket to forgive me. Just as I was about to plop on the couch for some good old-fashioned tv, I got the urge to bike ride. REALLY ride. So, at 2 pm, I thought to myself, "well, I'll get to Alexandria in about 40 minutes" (lance i ain't!), "and then maybe I'll ride for another 30 mins or so past that, and then turn around and come back to the yarn store."Apparently, my body was not interested in that plan. I got to Alexandria in about 35 minutes. I got well past Alexandria in another 15 minutes. I concientiously stopped several times to give my body a chance to say "STOP NOW! TURN AROUND!"... but all it could say was "let's ride to Mt. Vernon!" So 19 miles later, I was at Mt. Vernon (well, technically in the parking lot), with another 11 miles to go back to the yarn store. And I made it, and it felt great. And I'm only a little bit sore today! But seriously, 30 miles... in about 2 hours. Wow. No, I won't be signing up for the Tour, but I am much inspired. I'm just thankful my knees don't like running, or else I'd be crazy enough to, say, sign up for a marathon! ;) In knitting progress, I'm plugging away on the stockinette section of my Strawberry Lace tank. I'm a little concerned it might be too big... so I'll probably slip what I've got onto waste yarn this morning and give it a try. {sigh}... I hope it works- I'd really hate to knit that lace section again! 0 comments || # Wednesday, July 28, 2004 I'm In So Much Trouble......and it's SO not my fault. See, my parents are on vacation, and I'm feeding their cat/ watering their plants etc... while they're gone. So this morning I went over as usual and fed the kitty, and gave him some luvin... and then I came home as there was absolutely no reason to go back to work. Well, Cricket isn't really speaking to me anymore. See, she doesn't really like my parents' cat... in fact, she likes to chase him, and has been chasing him each time she's seen him since she was 7 weeks old (and 3 lbs). Cricket does NOT like for me to be hanging around with other kitties, and she especially doesn't like it when I don't bring the other kitty over to be chased. So for the first 30 minutes or so that I was home, she just kept sniffing me, obviously smelling the other kitty, and then turning to me with the LOOK. I couldn't bribe her with kitty treats, or peanut butter from my sandwich, or with pets... I think she's finally starting to forgive me, but I think it'll take a few more treats.I'm so excited... tonight is knitting night at Knit Happens... so much fun! 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 27, 2004 Who's the Bad-Ass?So, in spite of my resolution to finish my dad's vest as soon as possible (meaning that I stick to it, and don't get distracted by the next skein of yarn to come waltzing through the room...), yesterday I cast on for a new project. Not that I feel any need to apologize, but I will point out that I was driving home from work and minding my own business when suddenly I just KNEW what to do with the pink yarn I had gotten from the yarn swap. And so Strawberry Lace was born:
I'm basing the pattern on this cami from knitty, but I'm changing the lace pattern at the bottom, and probably several other things as I go along. 
Cricket was completely underwhelmed by the actual knitting, but she did enjoy helping me wind the yarn into center pull balls. And then, probably upset because I was daring to take pictures of silly knitting instead of her, she posed quite regally: 
0 comments || # Sunday, July 25, 2004 The Amazing Lance
Wow. Absolutely unbelievable. I got goosebumps just watching the highlights. And, as an added bonus, amazingly inspiring cycling makes for great knitting progress, and I'm plugging along nicely on the front of the vest: 
I even managed to write out the instructions for the v-neck decreases, so hopefully everything will work out. :) I also finished the sorbet scarf and gave it to my roomie (who was very excited!), so that was very satisfying. :) 
Cricket was worn out with all of the tour de france excitement and had to lie down for a nap. Maybe I'll join her... 
0 comments || # Friday, July 23, 2004 Hot Sticky FridayUgh. Temperatures in the 90's + almost 100% humidity = bad atmosphere for knitting. So, rather than starting on the rather more substantial front of my dad's vest, I opted instead for light, fluffy, relatively mindless knitting. Ah, the joys of the novelty yarn scarf. Plus, as an added bonus, I'm making it for my roommate (who loves all things pink), although I think I'll also need one of my own... I've dubbed it the "sorbet scarf" due to the totally yummy lemon/orange/strawberry color scheme.
I did finish the vest back, however, before I let myself start on the sorbet... 
So far so good in terms of the shape, so hopefully it'll end up fitting him. I'll have to figure out the shaping for the front v-neck, but hopefully it won't be too hard. Then some side and shoulder seams, and some ribbing along the neck and each armhole, and I'll be done! I *think* I'll even have a bit of yarn leftover, too! Remember how I had wonderfully delicious grilled steak on Monday? Well, I offered Cricket a piece of said steak, and she wouldn't even lick it. As if I had offered her something truly insulting to her palate. Well, apparently I should have just offered her caramel corn instead, because she loves it. She doesn't just lick it... no, she actually eats the whole kernel. And then spends a few minutes trying to wash/lick the stickiness off her mouth. She won't even sniff steak, but she'll eat caramel corn. What a goofball! (but she's cute!) 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 22, 2004 Yarn Swap HoI had a FABULOUS time yesterday at Knit Happens... not only did I enjoy knitting and chatting, I also scored big at the yarn swap! I brought the leftovers (enough of each for a tank/short sleeve sweater) from the peach turtleneck I knit last winter, as well as the leftover cotton glace from my Vogue Knitting tank. Both found new homes. However, since there were several serious stashers there who were all attempting to go home with slightly less yarn than they had brought, I was able to score quite a few things. I'm not quite sure yet what any of this will become, and on some I'm not really even sure what I've got, but I'm sure it'll either find a project, or will come to the next yarn swap!This will probably end up as some VERY nice socks for S (stupid boys with their boring socks!): 
This is earmarked for a simple pullover v-neck for me: 
Yeah, have no idea what this'll end up as... 
I'm thinking if I can ever find a coordinating yarn, this would make a really beautiful accent at cuffs and collar: 
I'm thinking of trying to do a striped tank top, but I'm not sure yet. I also have some leftover black cotton blend yarn that I could intersperse sparsely to break up the colors a bit... 
These will probably end up as socks: 
I'm thinking a couple of fun accessory scarves: 
Wow. That's a lot of yarn. :) I guess I'll also spend this weekend reorganizing my yarn drawers in order to fit it all somewhere! I'm also making good progress on my dad's vest... I stole one of his store-bought sweater vests from the house yesterday, so I can hopefully get the measurements to match up (more or less). So far, I seem to be pretty much on target... 
Cricket had a lot of fun this morning helping me photograph my new yarn. She especially liked the Mission Falls, but that's probably because it came from someone who has a kitty, and even though she and Cricket are pen pals, Cricket prefers to attack anything that smells like another kitty (including, if possible, the other kitty). So the Mission Falls was quickly rescued and sent to safety in the bottom of the bag. 
0 comments || # Wednesday, July 21, 2004 BlahIt is becoming almost impossible to drag my unmotivated self into the office. Yesterday, the last legitimate assignment I can expect to be given ended, leaving me with, essentially, absolutely no reason to be here. So, with 10 more days to kill sitting at my desk, I'm trying vainly to pretend that it has some sort of meaning. {sigh}I'm still plugging away on the first half of my dad's vest- it looks exactly like it did yesterday, only longer. ;) But I should make a lot of progress this evening at Knit Happens, where I'll also be attending the yarn swap. I only have 2 things to offer... but hopefully I'll be able to pick up something useful. Plus, it's always a great excuse to knit and hang out. :) I'd also love to be able to look over some of the Rowan all seasons and the summer tweed if they carry it... not that I can afford to buy it now, but a girl can look, right? :) Oh, and make sure to go check out Rachael's beautiful Debbie Bliss cardigan... if we were to ever wear ours together, we'd be Christmas twins. And that would be very very scary. ;) 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Oh Cables, How I Have Missed Thee!
I have officially started my dad's vest- pattern by me, cables by Elsebeth Lavold. And I am in love, again, with cables... which is good as the next few projects I've got in mind all involve cables of some kind. :) It's so satisfying to see how quickly I'm knitting this up... I might even manage to finish (or mostly finish) before I leave for Seattle in August (which, frighteningly enough, is less than 3 weeks away!) I didn't get too much knitting done yesterday- after I got home from work (early, since I am not too motivated to stay the whole day for these last 11 days!), I took a wonderfully relaxing and envigorating bike ride, and then a blissful shower. I must admit, I'm a shower girl... I've been known to routinely take 2 showers a day, and sometimes more. But the best showers ever are either the ones you take right after exercising, or the ones you take in the winter because you're so cold you can't feel your toes. Anyway, after the shower, I knit a bit on the vest (hmmm, I'll have to call it something better than that!), and then walked with S. to the local fancy yuppie organic market for some fabulous steaks and corn and carrots and potatoes. We grilled, boiled, chopped, steamed... and DAMN was it good! Yummy yummy yummy. Although we didn't eat outside, we did grill outside, and I found out this morning that I am possibly as yummy as a steak... at least to mosquitos. Among several others, I have a bite on the bottom of my foot, and it is unbearable, even with hydrocortizone. Grrrrr. 0 comments || # Saturday, July 17, 2004 Next Project DilemasSo last night, when I desperately needed to go to sleep in preparation for waking up WAY too early to take my parents to the airport, I suddenly was hit by the "re-evaluation bug"... you know, that insistent little voice that questions what you thought was your great plan for the next project... and suddenly I was wide awake. Grrrrr.So I made some executive decisions so that I could finally shut the voice up and go to sleep. The next projects on deck (besides the ever-present socks):
;) 0 comments || # Friday, July 16, 2004 Back From the BeachAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...If the wind hadn't been quite so enthusiastic, it would have been absolutely perfect. As it was, though, wow... what a wonderfully refreshing and relaxing day. A day that I spent (of course) knitting! 
I was so industrious that I managed to finish the waves socks, which was fitting as the knitting was accompanied by the gentle crash of the real waves. :) 
I immediately cast on for a second pair, but I made so little progress in between eating lunch, and then boardwalk fries, and buying caramel corn, and swimming in the ocean, and all those other pesky distractions that there wasn't anything worthy of photographing. Anyway, they're just socks... So as I prepare to get a little bit of post-beach sleep before waking up at the a$$ crack of dawn to take my parents to the airport tomorrow, I leave you with one final thought... have you taken one of your favorite comics characters sight-seeing lately? 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 15, 2004 An Extra Long WeekendI'm "sick" today... my last sick day at my good old job. I guess it's kind of a gamble to use it for a 'mental health' day as there is a slim chance that I actually will be sick at some point over the next 3 weeks, but after I heard the weather report, I decided it was a risk I was willing to take. After I run some errands this morning, I plan on taking a nice long bike ride into Alexandria (just like last night, when I visited the lovely ladies over at Knit Happens).Speaking of, be sure to stop by Wendy's and drool over her new acquisition... and yes, the yarn is lovely in person... but it has a very belligerant personality. It MADE her buy it, even though she really didn't want to... ;) I, meanwhile, had a blast knitting and chatting and hoping that everyone forgave me for still being a little sweaty after my bike ride (although I did bring a change of clothes!)... and I was sorry to hear that they're holding a yarn sale this weekend. I will have to restrain myself and keep away as I have absolutely no $$ to spend on anything, and plus, it's not like I don't have things to knit already. {sigh} And, as proof that Bonne Marie isn't the only one who lusts after lime green, I present the finished Greek Socks... 
Yowza! They really are that bright (if not brighter) in person! Koolaid- a very scary substance! I'm also plugging right along on the waves socks... I might even finish today, which would be great since otherwise I'll have to abandon them for a new project tomorrow at the beach. Of course, since the new project will also be socks, I guess it's not too terrible... 
On another note, I just finished listening to Middlemarch... FABULOUS! I vaguely recall reading it before at some point, but somehow listening to it made such a stronger impression. There is something about the way George Elliot embued each character with so much unique personality as to make it seem like I was there, among the characters, drawn into the story. It really is amazing how some books, like Middlemarch, seem perfect when read aloud, and others seem to fall flat when you listen to them. I think it's largely a matter of the dialogue... and also the overall tone of the work. Those books written in a more conversational tone (perhaps obviously) work better when read aloud. Overall, though, Middlemarch was one of my favorite listens... and enabled me to almost finish 2 pairs of socks! Cricket, however, did not seem as impressed... 
0 comments || # Wednesday, July 14, 2004 Fun With BloggerWell, thanks to some fun and excitement between my ISP disabling passive FTP and blogger requiring either passive or secure FTP, I have been unable to publish directly to my blog. Grrrrr. My current workaround is to publish to a temporary address, and then cut and paste into my REAL blog so that hopefully everything won't get screwed up too badly when it all eventually gets sorted out.ANYWAY, things have been going really well- one waves sock down, and the other well on its way. I'm loving the color work... and thinking that I'll keep going on my sock kick for the next month or so (until I get back from my vacation in Seattle). Speaking of vacations, I'm going to the beach on Friday for a day trip- I'm hoping for lots of sunny relaxation, and a minimum of sunburn. :) I LOVE the beach, and definitely don't get to go as often as I'd like. {sigh}... I miss Santa Cruz! Hopefully all of this FTP nonsense will get cleared up soon... 0 comments || # Monday, July 12, 2004 Champagne, Tacos, and Homemade Ice Cream, Oh My!I had a lovely weekend - lots of relaxing and knitting, but with a fabulous bike ride along the Potomac into Alexandria on Saturday. And yesterday, after "earning our keep" washing the cars, S and I had dinner with my parents- and yes, we really did have champagne, tacos, and homemade ice cream. How homemade? Well, let's just say that there was none if this "plug it in" crap... we make our ice cream the REAL old fashioned way. After starting with my grandma's recipe, you add ice, rock salt, and arm muscles...
So yummy, and such a great family tradition. I also made great progress on my next pair of socks- I'm calling them waves because of the combination of the pattern and the colors. You may remember this yarn from the socks formerly known as Tangled Garden... but that pattern was just NOT going to work. So I whipped out my trusty color-charting software, and proceeded to play around until I came up with a design I liked. Then, after knitting a few inches of it, I decided it wasn't quite right - but finally, on attempt #3, I like it. :) 
Cricket had, as usual, a stressful weekend full of naps in the sun, lap snuggles, yarn attacking, and the occasional snack. Plus, she perfected her pillow impersonation... 
0 comments || # Friday, July 09, 2004 A Morning at the DMVWell, as of tonight, I'll be giving up my Maryland tags. {sniff sniff} At least it only took me about an hour at the DMV this morning (probably because I brought my knitting, thus guaranteeing a shorter wait!)Right now, I'm waiting for the newly finished greek socks to finish their "watermelon kiwi" koolaid bath. Don't they look happy? 
I've also started the next socks... true to the badass knitters' code, I've taken the Tangled Garden socks from Knitty and put my own spin on them. So far, I'm loving the subtle color changes in the lighter blue yarn and the way the two yarns complement each other. I think I'll earmark these for my mom's christmas present as I know she'll love the blues. 
And please extend some sympathy to poor Cricket- she encountered that most nefarious of kitty-enemies... the sadistic squirrel. Poor Cricket, who was minding her own business sitting in her sunny window, was forced to watch in agony as the aforementioned evil squirrel proceeded to eat a leisurely breakfast just on the other side of the glass. Poor kitty! 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 08, 2004 Outrunning a ThunderstormSo yesterday afternoon, around 3:45, I was sitting at my desk, wasting time thanks to the wonders of the internet. Suddenly, even through the florescent lights, I realized that there was a distinct lack of light coming in from my window. Now, my office window faces the other side of the office building, so it's difficult to see anything besides glass windows, but I could definitely tell that, for some reason, the sun was gone. After deciding that it was extremely unlikely that there was an unpredicted solar eclipse, I checked the local news station's website... and saw that the whole area was being stalked by a huge storm. And me without my umbrella...I bolted out of my office and negotiated the maze of corridors, finally emerging from the front doors. The sky was an eerie grey/black, and the wind seemed to be coming from every direction. But... no rain, yet. I broke into a run/jog and made a beeline straight for my car... parked about a 10-15 minute walk away, all the while repeating "just give me 10 minutes, storm!" like a mantra. I quickly discovered that there is a reason that world-class runners have NOT adopted the flip-flop as their footwear of choice. With my calves and ankles screaming in protest, I ran/jogged/power-walked my way to the car. All hell broke loose about 30 seconds after I closed the car doors, and it proceeded to POUR. Some areas got over 3" in less than an hour! In spite of all of the excitement, I managed to make considerable progress on the Greek Socks... I should finish them either today or tomorrow: 
I've also picked out the yarns for my next pair of socks... I'm not sure exactly what pattern I'll use yet, but I'm definitely going with the colors. Unfortunately, I only have the one ball of the hand-painted light blue, so I need to pick a pattern/design that'll use it somewhat sparingly. 
0 comments || # Wednesday, July 07, 2004 Plugging Along on the SocksAs far as I can tell, I spent 99% of my knitting time yesterday knitting and re-knitting the ribbing on the first greek sock. I felt rather like Goldilocks (although she managed to figure things out faster than I did!) First, it was too loose. Then, it was too short AND too loose. Then it was the right length, but still too loose. Finally, I figured out how many to decrease, and managed to finish those off without too much swearing. At least I wrote down what I did (after liberal use of white-out), so hopefully the second sock will go smoothly. I'm hoping to finish by the weekend so I can give them a nice bath in watermelon kiwi koolaid.I'm still debating what I should start next- I feel like I *should* work on my dad's vest for Christmas, but I might jump into another pair of socks. Or maybe I'll double up since the vest, with all of its cables, will not necessarily be suited for travelling. Plus, since I'm basically making up the pattern as I go along, I'll probably need a bit more concentration. I'm definitely firmly into "lame duck" status at work. Including today, I will physically be sitting in my office for a total of 17 more days. {sigh}. 0 comments || # Tuesday, July 06, 2004 Blissful Long Holiday WeekendsAfter I make it through today, I will only have 17 more days where I will have to drag my sorry self into the office. Needless to say, I am failing pretty miserably at staying motivated. {sigh}.I am, however, motivated to finish the "greek socks"... I'm almost done with sock #1, and would have finished on Sunday, but all of the pre-fireworks excitement made me mess up a row, and I knew better than to try and rip it back with only minutes to spare before the show started. 
Even though it POURED rain all day on the fourth, it was an *almost* perfect day... my new roommate and I bonded over some Princess Bride while waiting for the rain to let up, and then the weather was perfect for the big display, and it was great fun to introduce 2 people (my boyfriend and my roommate) to the wonder that is the national fireworks display. The fireworks were amazing, as usual, and we even managed to get on a completely packed metro train without losing any major body parts (although we were all glad that we were only going 3 stops!) Then, on Monday, I finally got the boyfriend to buy some shorts... in D.C., in the summer, there's really no reason to torture yourself with jeans on the weekends. Plus, since apparently people stop selling summer clothes around june, they were on sale- always a nice bonus. Then it was back to his apartment to make a huge pot of chicken stock... for less than $5 in ingredients, we made about 2.5 GALLONS of chicken stock. Wow. Plus, we industriously used the time while it was simmering to take a nap. Plus, we FINALLY got the living room etc... set up! :) I still have to pick up a few more books from my parents' house, but we're pretty much set. Isn't it cute? 
0 comments || # Saturday, July 03, 2004 A New ProjectWell, my sock yarn FINALLY came (it was delayed through no fault of the vendor, as the mailman decided the package was too valuable to leave at the door, so i had to journey to the post office to pick it up!) ANYWAY, as soon as I unpacked it, I started on the greek socks. Remember, the ugly pastel color combination will hopefully eventually be kool-aid dyed into some sort of green/blue acceptability.Here is the back: 
and the front: 
I made great progress on these at my first ever knit and nosh at Knit Happens- it was tons of fun! I rode my bike over, and sat and knitted (while trying to somewhat ignore the local news channel crew, who were interviewing and filming up a storm!), and then my boyfriend picked me up for a yummy pizza dinner. I now firmly believe that wine actually IMPROVES my knitting ability... :) Then, today, I was a good little knitter, and I blocked and buttoned my recently finished Slosh, even though it's approximately 2000 degrees outside, and I can't imagine wearing anything with sleeves. 
0 comments || # Thursday, July 01, 2004 Finished!well, except for the buttons...
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