Knitting Musings

I Should Be Studying

But I'm not. SIGH. In my defense, I did take a final this morning...

So anyway, I'm going to pretend that I don't still have 2 finals to take (lah lah lah lah lah), and instead I'm going to distract myself with new yarn, some knitting, plants, and some cute animals. Probably in that order.

First, new yarn - 5 skeins each of the superwash tweedy sock yarn and the superwash non-tweedy sock yarn from KnitPicks. Why the superwash? Let's just say that, despite S' very careful washing and line-drying of his multiple pairs of hand-knit socks, at least one of them has now felted enough that they fit me. And my feet are considerably smaller than his. Luckily, they fit me really well, and are SUPER comfy for keeping my feet warm while I pad around the house. So although the knitting wasn't wasted, I'd love it if S' socks lasted more than 2 months... hence the superwash. My first impression of the superwash is very favorable - it is REALLY soft. I'm not sure about the tweedy bits - they seem awfully bright - but I'm hoping they'll look neat after a trip through the dye-pot. I'll probably do a dye-pot adventure in a few weeks, so I'll keep you posted!!

And in other knitting excitement, I cast-off my black Picovoli last night. And then tried it on, realized that I really did need to add a few more inches even though I had already added a few more inches, and so I had to rip out the cast off, rip out the 7 rounds of 1x1 rib I had done on the cuff, rip out the purl turning row, and put the whole slippery, black mess back on the needles. SIGH. (Not that this compares with the stitch-ripping insanity of SOME PEOPLE...)

So currently I'm in the process of lengthening the bottom and then I'll re-knit the cuff. I know - WHEEE. But I think this sweater will be useful in 2 very important ways - (1) using up yarn that I've had in stash for way too long, and (2) providing me with something cute to wear to the office under a blazer or something. I always do appreciate the hand-knits I can actually wear!!

See these daffodils? I love daffodils. Lots. S, knowing this, bought me some at TJ's and then planted them for me so I would see them when I came home from studying. Of course, he had to drag me back outside and point at them so I'd notice them because I'm dense like that, but you can see them from the dining room table, and they make me so happy! Plus, we can get all excited next year if they re-appear. When we buy Abby and Cricket's house, we're going to plant ridiculous numbers of daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths.

And remember how helpful Cricket was when I was re-potting the herbs? Here's the result - I need to buy another pot (or maybe 2) because I had to split the sage into 2 pots - there was literally no soil left- just roots, poor plants! And since my MDS&W list includes 4 basil plants and a thyme plant, I'm not sure where they'll fit. ALTHOUGH - (genius grant please), maybe I can plant the basil straight into the ground (since it'll die at the end of the season anyway), and use my pot for the thyme. HMMMMMMMMMMMM. The oregano and mint are very VERY small parts of the old plants - both grow like crazy, so I thought I would try to fit a little more soil in the pot by just replanting a tiny part of the old plant. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have to buy another oregano or mint plant (but really, is it even possible to kill mint?)

Today, it's another hot one - temps in the 80s. It's really lovely, but a bit hot for the furry princesses...

Abby's been really tired (plus, we gave her a bath last night, and it's really traumatic to suddenly lose like 2 pounds of dirt from your fur!)...

... and Cricket has been alternating between going out on the front steps and rolling in pollen, and sitting in the bedroom window looking pretty. Seriously - when she saw me with the camera, she posed. Such a ham...

Right. Maybe I'll continue to study by making another pitcher of mango iced tea. Because that's sure to show up on my upcoming Computer Crimes final.

Labels: Dyeing

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Let Spring Begin!!

Finals are in full swing - in fact, I'm taking my first final tomorrow morning. Somehow, I still can't seem to care. I think I'll accept my 3L-apathy and go with it.

Luckily, my current apathy coincides nicely with the arrival of the nice, warm weather. I wasn't actually sure that Spring was EVER going to come, but once I saw this at the local Trader Joe's, I knew that warm weather had to be coming soon....

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Blueberry beer is to spring what pumpkin beer is to fall. (What, you don't measure your seasons through the seasonal beer selection at Trader Joe's?)

I'm also chugging right along on my latest "stupid knitting I can do while discussing practice exam questions" project - a Picovoli made with black yarn that has been marinating in my stash for approximately 4 years. I'm holding it doubled, it's working really well, and I plan to immediately cast on for a green Picovoli when I finish this one to use up the rest of the yarn. (Perhaps, 4 years ago, there was a plan involving both colors. I have no idea what that plan was, nor do I have any other ideas for this yarn...)

Sorry for the crappy photo - the light was fading, and I didn't want to use the flash. Anyway, it's a picture of me trying on a half-sweater over a tshirt, so it's not like you're actually missing anything by not really being able to see it!

In other equally-exciting news, Abby continues to be extremely stressed and tense. We keep trying to figure out ways to help her relax, but nothing seems to work...

And in Cricket's world, crazy things are happening... it's a new litter trial! I was concerned about whether Cricket's old litter brand was biodegradable, so I thought I would try a new brand that definitely was. The verdict? Cricket, apparently, isn't picky, and has thought that the new/old litter mixture is just fine.

And in other Cricket news, she helped me repot all of the herbs... like a good cat, she made sure she was (1) in the middle of whatever task was currently being performed, and (2) completely in the way.

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I Went to San Francisco, and All I Got Was Some Food...

So last week at this time, I was celebrating at a wonderful wedding... and this weekend, I'm studying. If by "studying" you mean watching the Scrubs marathon on Comedy Central...

Last Thursday, my parents treated me to dinner at one of my favoritest restaurants ... I've been going once a year since I was a few years old, and since it hasn't changed at all since, ummm, it was "remodeled" in 1956 or something, it's always exactly as I remember. And the crab louis salad? A huge pile of crab with dressing on it? YUMMERS.

The eating continued the next morning, when I had a breakfast of sourdough bread (the REAL stuff, not the crappy fake stuff we get on the east coast), and hot chocolate. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Later that day, we grabbed the best hamburgers ever at Nations... although in all honesty, I have to admit to being a tad bit biased (more on that later!) I even got to spend the day with my friend Jesse from college - it had been way WAY too long since I'd seen him last!

The next day, while we were helping with a few last minute wedding details, we saw this guy sitting on the fence of a house in the neighborhood... he was beautiful. But I was still slightly confused - what was a peacock doing on the fence of a house?

And later that night, we got to celebrate a wonderful marriage. And remember how I said I was a bit biased about Nations? The bride's father is the president and CEO - he and my dad have been best friends since 4th grade. I'm blessed that Cara, the beautiful bride, and I have been as close as the sisters everyone always thinks we are!

And finally, Sunday saw us back on the plane, heading home.

Check out the amazing weather - not a cloud in sight! I don't think I've ever seen the bay looking as beautiful from the air...

And that lace I was working on on the plane? I cast off just as we landed. Can any of you tell where I might have possibly run out of yarn just a little bit and maybe just kinda failed to match the dye-job? Needless to say, this will be headed to the dye-pot for an overdye... just as soon as I finish ~~watching Scrubs~~ studying.

Labels: print of the wave

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This Post Has Been in Draft for Over a Week

Man - not only is my posting super-lame, but even when I do manage to write a post, I let it hang out in "draft" for ages. I would blame it on the whole "studying-for-finals" thing, but I'm not exactly killing myself. Frankly, I'm having a huge challenge doing the minimum - thank GOD for the fact that I already have a job with which I am thrilled... because I have 3L-itis like crazy.

So instead, I've been cooking. Look! Turnips!!

... which became this extra-tasty "peppery cream of turnip soup." With homemade garlic croûtons. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Abby's been studying a whole lot harder than I have - here she is practicing "go to bed." I think she's figured out the game, though, because her tail is signaling that she knows what that "click" means!

I think these pictures are from like 3 weeks ago. DAMN I'm lame. But anyway, here's "snow" - falling petals from the trees in Old Town Alexandria - It was so beautiful! Of course, a few days later, it actually was cold enough for real snow...

And finally, here's Elspeth modeling the silk tank that should never EVER have been. Shortly after this picture, the silk tank met the ball winder... hopefully it'll think about what it did and grow up to be something much better!!

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Finally, Pictures of a Rogue

Dye Experiment Rogue Cardigan

Pattern: Rogue from Girl from Auntie

Yarn: dye-your-own worsted, with the addition of a very creative dye process that eventually turned out a color I love, but that kept me guessing there for a little bit.

Notes: I made the slightly-larger-than-I-first-thought size because I wanted this to be a comfy jacket-sweater. Success! I had to knit from multiple balls at once due to my, ummm, 'unique' dye-job, but the end result makes me extremely happy. I used the cardigan modifications from the Girl from Auntie site, and I am thrilled with the end result! This is the second Rogue in my sweater cabinet, and one of my favorite sweaters. In fact, I've worn this probably dozens of times before I managed to take a photo shoot!

Labels: Rogue Cardi

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Orangecicle

I've got a few finished objects waiting for their big debuts - I was going to go with the "gigantic post with tons of stuff in it," but instead I opted to split it up a bit. Plus, I'm attempting to write an essay (due tomorrow), so a few small posts provide an excellent opportunity to procrastinate.

Last Wednesday, Orangecicle was in almost-completion stages... I busted my @$$ last weekend to finish it in time to wear it before the weather "got warmer." (It's currently 45 degrees with 50 mph winds. I'll restrain myself from discussing the ironies of the weather as related to knitting.)

And then, when I wore the sweater AGAIN on Wednesday, I took a page from Elspeth's book and took some pictures with the self-timer... I didn't manage to get farther from my house than the front walk, but hey - at least there are pictures!!

Orangecicle Refined Raglan

Pattern: Refined Raglan from Interweave W2006

Yarn: "Sportweight" 3-Ply Cormo yarn from the Lovely Sue. I put "sportweight" in quotation marks because the yarn is, in fact, heavy worsted. It arrives as a slightly heavy sportweight - but the second that you give it a bath, it blooms. A LOT. But I loves me some cormo, and the price was great - I got this sweater out of slightly more than 4 skeins. In general, I wasn't blown away by this yarn - there was lots of vegetable bits in it, and it was definitely heavier than I was going for. But Sue was fantastic, and if you wanted a heavy worsted cormo yarn, you should definitely check her out!! I got the color through a cross-my-fingers dye experiment... it worked, AND I managed to replicate the colors across 2 dye pots!

Notes: I winged this pattern somewhat because my gauge was, um, unique. But it's great - the pattern was well written and easy to follow. In the future, I'll shortrow the neckline (I hate the bunching up thing that the sweater does now), and I'll knit everything flat until the yoke. I knit the body flat, but I did the sleeves in the round, and I'm definitely in the "I prefer a seam" category of sweater-knitters. All-in-all, however, this sweater was fantastic - I've already worn it 3 times in less than a week!

Labels: orangecicle

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The End of an Era

My law school career is trickling to an end - today is my last full day of classes, as I'll miss classes tomorrow and Monday to attend a wedding in California. After today, therefore, I'll have 1.5 hours of class left. I still have 3 exams, but in a few short weeks law school will be over.

It's very difficult for me to come to terms with this "ending" because there are so many things on my plate for the next few months. Between now and October, I will be:

taking exams
graduating from law school
moving in with S
studying for (and taking) the bar
planning a wedding
getting married
honeymoon
reception in Minnesota
starting a new job (and career)

So even though I'm sad that law school is ending, I'm so busy with everything else on my plate that it's hard to really process the emotions. Perhaps that's for the best...

And soon, there will be knitting content. I need to take some finished project pictures - hopefully I'll have time this afternoon - and I might even have time to post before I get on a plane tomorrow to head to San Francisco!

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Stupid Weather

2 days ago, I was sweating my way through a t-shirt because my school, in its infinite wisdom, still had the heat blowing despite the 85 degree temperatures.

Today, I'm wearing a long underwear shirt because my school, in its infinite wisdom, has turned the AC on despite the 40 degree temperatures.

SIGH.

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Cherry Blossoms (but mostly cute animals)

There's more knitting - but it's a sea of orange stockinette, so really not too interesting. I'm also finally finishing up a long-languishing FO to wear to a wedding next weekend, but that's black silk - and also impossible to photograph. Ah well... luckily there are a few photogenic animals willing to shoulder the burden of entertaining the blog-audience!

Here's what happens when I try to fold laundry on my bed. So helpful!

And here's Barney, S' dog from Minnesota, who came to visit. So cute! And would you believe that he's 14 years old? He did a great job of keeping up with Abby while she ran around.

On Saturday, we took S' parents, my parents, and the 2 dogs to see the Cherry Blossoms - they were spectacular, as usual!

Abby liked being told she was cute - she was getting tummy rubs from a group of Japanese tourists, and when we tried to get her to come with us, she refused to move. S had to carry her away - not that I can blame her! It must have been nice to get tummy rubs from 3 cute Japanese kids.

She also had some fun running through the softball fields - thickets and trees are fun, but sometimes you just need to run full speed across a field!

Of course, all of that running made her a little sleepy...

I'm in my last 2 weeks of classes, and I'm really unmotivated. It's terrible - but I have so much I'm planning for - finals, graduation, wedding, S moving in, my roomie moving out, the bar... it's hard to focus on these last few classes. I can't believe that law school is almost over! This weekend Erin and I are participating in a "Dye Day" at Springwater, and then next weekend I'm missing the last day of classes to attend a wedding in California. And then studying and finals - I'm tired already!

Maybe I'll go take a nap with Abby. She'd like that.

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My Love for Clotted Cream

So thanks to more of Erin's organizational capabilities, I joined another group of knitters (and 1 stubborn hold-out, who was lovely and understanding despite being outnumbered 3 to 1) for a road trip to the British Pantry and Tea Room in Aldie, Virginia. Words cannot express how lovely this place is - the scones were delish, the tea was yummers, and the clotted cream... wow. Perhaps this picture of Erin will help to explain how we all felt about the clotted cream.... that dish was full when we started, and there were only 4 of us. I'm definitely hoping I get to go back - hopefully for the full tea with sandwiches - we got there too late in the day for more than the "cream tea" with the scones. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

The next night I headed over to the Happy Place for some knitting hijinks - the only project I took was the body of the Refined Raglan. I had already cast it on and completed the hem when I realized that, given the thicker yarn, I really needed to do the front/back in pieces and sew up the side seams. I happily provisionally cast on 1/2 of the eleventy-billion stitches, knit knit knit, and prepared to join the hem.

See anything wrong with that picture? Let's try a close-up -

D'oh!!!! After all of that effort, I had to rip out the joining row and try again. But the good news is that, since this picture was taken, I've since finished both front and back, and I'm a few rounds into the massive yoke. I'm excited to start the cabled patterning at the raglan seams after all of this stockinette!!

Right. So that pretty much takes care of the knitting content for the post. Ready for some randomness?

And no, it wasn't clotted cream this time - but check out how excited Erin was over the gift of homemade mac&cheese from the lovely Elspeth. It may be a coincidence that I happened to pick up a box of elbow macaroni last time I went to the store...

And here you see the beautiful trees in bloom along St. Asaph street in Alexandria. Spring is definitely here.

With Spring has come hotter temperatures - here's Abby trying the "frosty paws" doggy-ice-cream. She's not a huge fan, but maybe as an occasional treat... Abby's food preferences are pretty funny. She's an 'all-natural' doggy - she likes beef jerky, or liver, or dried chicken - but not dog biscuits or cookies. She doesn't like "fake bacon" or other manufactured treats. She does, however, love acorn squash. And carrots. And, as I discovered last night, oranges (but not the rinds - just the orange). Oh, and edamame. I just don't get it!

Cricket, meanwhile, decided that she would sleep on my DPN case. The DPN case, I might add, that's full of sharp, pointy DPNs. She has an entire soft, squishy bed to sleep on, and she picks the DPN case. She slept there all night, and only got up for breakfast. What a weirdo!

And the final proof that spring is here? This is what happens when you brush a cat during the "spring shed." Too bad I don't spin!!

Labels: orangecicle

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NYC or Bust!!

A few weeks ago, a certain knitter challenged other knitters to represent. Thanks to a few moderately organized email exchanges, Erin, Carolina, Elspeth and I were all set to take a roadtrip. Because I've waited for approximately eleventy-billion years to post, the other girls have already written up most of what we did, so, in continuing with the theme of "look! I found these pictures on my camera!", I present: What I photographed in New York: