April 6, 2009
April 5, 2009
Product Knitter
In the great debate of product vs. process knitters, I'm decidedly a product knitter. I also have a fairly short attention span (which in the world of non-knitters may actually be considered a fairly long attention span considering how long it takes to complete even the smallest of projects...). That means I stick to small projects or big projects with small parts that seem like major accomplishments with the completion of each one. Now I don't wonder why I love knitting socks and hats so much :)
I made another hedgehog yesterday. They are so fast that there is no question that they provide instant gratification. This one is going to my coworker to put in her son's Easter Basket. I love that idea! Might have to implement it for my own kids someday. He's drying in the tub after making a couple of trips through the washer.
I also started Tessa's hat. She bought yarn while we were in CA and said she wanted a slouchy hat (as confirmed this morning, a really slouchy hat). It's really fun to knit. I'm working seed stitch which I don't think I've ever done! I love the look and might replace some otherwise-would-be stockinette projects with it.
Drew is now in Glendive, MT preparing to fish for giant prehistoric fish. I got some Regia to make him a nice pair of thicker socks. I also had him pick a project and yarn for it before he left - he picked some Pagewood Farms sock yarn in "Forrest Camo" and asked me to make a hat. I thought about doing his hat in seed stitch, too, but I found a diamond pattern that I might even like better.
Finally a quick note about how to take care of non-machine washable socks:
Fill the sink with cool soapy water (Woolite isn't the best, but it's what I've got so I use it, you can also use shampoo or a fancy extra mild no-rinse-required soap designed for washing your extra delicate items)
Put your socks in the water and let them soak a while. I usually forget about them, so they soak at least 30 minutes, but I don't think it's really necessary for them to be there that long!
Squish them and swish them just enough to knock out some of the dirt.
Drain the water.
Refill the sink, but don't add any more soap.
Let your socks soak a few more minutes (I usually forget about them on this step as well...).
Squish them and swish them again.
If the water is clean, then drain the sink, squish out most of the extra water (don't wring!), and hang them to dry.
If the water isn't clean, repeat the refill-soak-drain steps until the water is clean.
Here are some all lined up like sardines looking clean
I made another hedgehog yesterday. They are so fast that there is no question that they provide instant gratification. This one is going to my coworker to put in her son's Easter Basket. I love that idea! Might have to implement it for my own kids someday. He's drying in the tub after making a couple of trips through the washer.
I also started Tessa's hat. She bought yarn while we were in CA and said she wanted a slouchy hat (as confirmed this morning, a really slouchy hat). It's really fun to knit. I'm working seed stitch which I don't think I've ever done! I love the look and might replace some otherwise-would-be stockinette projects with it.
Drew is now in Glendive, MT preparing to fish for giant prehistoric fish. I got some Regia to make him a nice pair of thicker socks. I also had him pick a project and yarn for it before he left - he picked some Pagewood Farms sock yarn in "Forrest Camo" and asked me to make a hat. I thought about doing his hat in seed stitch, too, but I found a diamond pattern that I might even like better.
Finally a quick note about how to take care of non-machine washable socks:
Fill the sink with cool soapy water (Woolite isn't the best, but it's what I've got so I use it, you can also use shampoo or a fancy extra mild no-rinse-required soap designed for washing your extra delicate items)
Put your socks in the water and let them soak a while. I usually forget about them, so they soak at least 30 minutes, but I don't think it's really necessary for them to be there that long!
Squish them and swish them just enough to knock out some of the dirt.
Drain the water.
Refill the sink, but don't add any more soap.
Let your socks soak a few more minutes (I usually forget about them on this step as well...).
Squish them and swish them again.
If the water is clean, then drain the sink, squish out most of the extra water (don't wring!), and hang them to dry.
If the water isn't clean, repeat the refill-soak-drain steps until the water is clean.
Here are some all lined up like sardines looking clean
March 22, 2009
Hand dying and a New Knitter
Ah, finally! Getting out the pictures of our foray in dying yarn. Kate and I had a blast in her kitchen, but realized that outside might be better option in the future :) It's a pretty messy project and we did our best to keep her house from turning rainbow colors. I think there might be a yellow spot on the floor or a blue spot on the counter... Here we go:
We do look a little like Mad Scientists... or Michael Jackson.
Then the yarn went in and we felt more like mad scientists! The yellow orange is kettle dyeing - basically put yarn in hot water, pour on the dye and let it soak in for about an hour. The jars w/ forks sticking out are, uh, some other kind of dyeing where you put different colors in the different jars and let the yarn soak up the colors. We didn't put the jars over heat, though we should have. I think it would have set the dye more evenly and helped it wick up the yarn. Instead we pushed the white bits down into the colors to force some of the dye on, those sections just aren't as bright.
And check out the newest knitter to the Brandon family!
Mikaela said that if I were knitting the entire time we were in CA that she might be bored and wishing for something to do. I had nothing to do in forcing her, she asked me to teach her :) She's got an awfully wide Lamb's Pride worsted scarf going there. I told her to cast on a few too many stitches, but it will be really nice for next winter. I only hope that she finishes it and feels the sense of accomplishment, I don't believe she'll be the obsessed knit blogging type that I am, but I love that she asked to learn a bit about it.
She tried to hide the evidence here, but you can see a bit of yarn stuck to the couch :)
And just for fun, we got to feed the birds! Drew and I skied at Stevens Pass yesterday and the Camp Robber birds were out in force trying to steal lunches... so we fed them some of ours.
We do look a little like Mad Scientists... or Michael Jackson.
Then the yarn went in and we felt more like mad scientists! The yellow orange is kettle dyeing - basically put yarn in hot water, pour on the dye and let it soak in for about an hour. The jars w/ forks sticking out are, uh, some other kind of dyeing where you put different colors in the different jars and let the yarn soak up the colors. We didn't put the jars over heat, though we should have. I think it would have set the dye more evenly and helped it wick up the yarn. Instead we pushed the white bits down into the colors to force some of the dye on, those sections just aren't as bright.
And check out the newest knitter to the Brandon family!
Mikaela said that if I were knitting the entire time we were in CA that she might be bored and wishing for something to do. I had nothing to do in forcing her, she asked me to teach her :) She's got an awfully wide Lamb's Pride worsted scarf going there. I told her to cast on a few too many stitches, but it will be really nice for next winter. I only hope that she finishes it and feels the sense of accomplishment, I don't believe she'll be the obsessed knit blogging type that I am, but I love that she asked to learn a bit about it.
She tried to hide the evidence here, but you can see a bit of yarn stuck to the couch :)
And just for fun, we got to feed the birds! Drew and I skied at Stevens Pass yesterday and the Camp Robber birds were out in force trying to steal lunches... so we fed them some of ours.
March 14, 2009
I'm not dead yet!
I feel happy! And I have been knitting.
I went for a visit to San Jose to visit family and of course couldn't resist buying some yarn no matter how much I told myself I wasn't going to. It wasn't a huge purchase, fortunately. Just some yarn I'm hoping my friend will love enough to want to trade it for some of her yarn and this.
It made this totally wild scarf and I LOVED knitting it! I only really like the rainbow ladder yarn in the detail, so I left it with Grandma because she really liked it.
I guess it has been quite a while since I posted last, but not for lack of knitting. See?
I shipped off the gloves to Michael this morning. I also sent a hat to a friend, but it's part of the secret knittah project, so no pics for a while.
The gold thing is going to become a beach cover up for the recycled art show at work.
The hat beginning is the remake of the chemo hat that didn't work out the first time.
In other news Kate & I did some dying a few weeks ago and I taught my sister in law to knit, but I will put pictures of that up next time. Might get a bit much if I did it all right now!
I went for a visit to San Jose to visit family and of course couldn't resist buying some yarn no matter how much I told myself I wasn't going to. It wasn't a huge purchase, fortunately. Just some yarn I'm hoping my friend will love enough to want to trade it for some of her yarn and this.
It made this totally wild scarf and I LOVED knitting it! I only really like the rainbow ladder yarn in the detail, so I left it with Grandma because she really liked it.
I guess it has been quite a while since I posted last, but not for lack of knitting. See?
I shipped off the gloves to Michael this morning. I also sent a hat to a friend, but it's part of the secret knittah project, so no pics for a while.
The gold thing is going to become a beach cover up for the recycled art show at work.
The hat beginning is the remake of the chemo hat that didn't work out the first time.
In other news Kate & I did some dying a few weeks ago and I taught my sister in law to knit, but I will put pictures of that up next time. Might get a bit much if I did it all right now!
February 22, 2009
Hey Cupcake
We are having a gala w/ our symphony concert tonight and the members were asked to bring some "sweet treats." Since I love baking mini cupcakes I'm totally in! I haven't gotten to experiment enough w/ icing, so I went to town making little music notes on each one! I had leftover lemon butter cream from the last time I baked cupcakes, so I whipped up some chocolate icing to frost them w/ then put the notes on that. I just hope they are small enough that you don't get a weird taste of lemon w/ the chocolate. But if they do, oh well! I'm sure people will love them since they're completely adorable :)
My cupcake book also has a recipe for making rolled fondant and petal past. In the future I need to test those for really making sugar toppings. They require liquid gelatin, though, which my little grocery store down the street almost definitely doesn't have! I did find that my new tea strainer doubles really well as a sifter. I've been trying to find ways of not using a sifter since I neither have one nor a place to put one if I got one... The tea strainer method is a bit slow, but gets the job done! It's not like I'm making mini cupcakes for an army anyway.
My cupcake book also has a recipe for making rolled fondant and petal past. In the future I need to test those for really making sugar toppings. They require liquid gelatin, though, which my little grocery store down the street almost definitely doesn't have! I did find that my new tea strainer doubles really well as a sifter. I've been trying to find ways of not using a sifter since I neither have one nor a place to put one if I got one... The tea strainer method is a bit slow, but gets the job done! It's not like I'm making mini cupcakes for an army anyway.
February 15, 2009
February 9, 2009
Almost Valentines Day!
I wanted to make a dress for going out on Valentine's Day w/ Drew :)
Here it is:
Pattern: New Look 6865
View: E
Size: 12
Mods: none
I really wanted to make a gathered neck, puffy raglan sleeve, sack dress and it took a little while to find this pattern. Glad I did! Despite it being completely shapeless it's exactly what I wanted :) Now I just need to get a nice big black belt. I'll wear it with my nice black knee high boots and tights.
We are going on a sleigh ride and out to dinner, so I just hope I don't get too cold!
Here it is:
Pattern: New Look 6865
View: E
Size: 12
Mods: none
I really wanted to make a gathered neck, puffy raglan sleeve, sack dress and it took a little while to find this pattern. Glad I did! Despite it being completely shapeless it's exactly what I wanted :) Now I just need to get a nice big black belt. I'll wear it with my nice black knee high boots and tights.
We are going on a sleigh ride and out to dinner, so I just hope I don't get too cold!
February 5, 2009
I may die of Foot-in-Mouth Disease, but I hope not.
Sometimes when I'm reading blogs and talking to people I start thinking that they are snarky and sarcastic all the time. And when I'm reading things or talking to them it's all really funny, so then I think it's totally ok to be like that all the time. The truth is very likely that they are not like that all the time, but only in the moments that I happen to commit to memory. This leads me to my next point. I should not use examples of various moments created by many different people strung together to create an acceptable attitude for myself.
Note to self: less snark, more romance, lightheartedness, and a grasp on reality.
Ok, that said (necessary or not), it has little to do with knitting. Sorry! And I have no new pictures.
Good news. I'm in the middle of Odessa and it's SOOO much better for that yarn than the Pi thing was! Pi would probably work really well in a solid wool which is decidedly not what I'm knitting with at the moment. I hope to finish the hat over the weekend or on Monday in order to get it on its way to the recipient. I'm not going to hand deliver it or even mail it. I'm going to send it with our Symphony manager since she goes for visits regularly.
Note to self: less snark, more romance, lightheartedness, and a grasp on reality.
Ok, that said (necessary or not), it has little to do with knitting. Sorry! And I have no new pictures.
Good news. I'm in the middle of Odessa and it's SOOO much better for that yarn than the Pi thing was! Pi would probably work really well in a solid wool which is decidedly not what I'm knitting with at the moment. I hope to finish the hat over the weekend or on Monday in order to get it on its way to the recipient. I'm not going to hand deliver it or even mail it. I'm going to send it with our Symphony manager since she goes for visits regularly.
February 3, 2009
Chemo Hats
Mikael's hat is done and looks as good as purple and gold can. I think he'll love it. I really like how the brim folds up and stays - we can thank the cotton for that. Might have to have Kris dye some more and make one for myself :) Wonder if she can handle crimson and gray?
Mom is going to give Mikael's mom the hat whenever she sees her next, but she's not sure when that will be. So hopefully soon I'll be able to report what he thinks.
I received the yarn for Sarah's hat. I was really hoping that it would be more tropical looking, but it's not quite what I had hoped; beautiful yes, just not what I'd hoped.
I started knitting the Pi Chemo Cap from Elann for this, but the cotton/bamboo blend shows all of the increases too distinctly; even with the busy yarn the increases still looked awful. Plus the construction was too weird for me. I like to gradually increase the crown of a hat to create a pattern or make them hard to see. Anyway, I'm now using Odessa by Grumperina. (You can find it on Ravelry, but it used to be on MagKnits and that doesn't exist anymore)
Mom is going to give Mikael's mom the hat whenever she sees her next, but she's not sure when that will be. So hopefully soon I'll be able to report what he thinks.
I received the yarn for Sarah's hat. I was really hoping that it would be more tropical looking, but it's not quite what I had hoped; beautiful yes, just not what I'd hoped.
I started knitting the Pi Chemo Cap from Elann for this, but the cotton/bamboo blend shows all of the increases too distinctly; even with the busy yarn the increases still looked awful. Plus the construction was too weird for me. I like to gradually increase the crown of a hat to create a pattern or make them hard to see. Anyway, I'm now using Odessa by Grumperina. (You can find it on Ravelry, but it used to be on MagKnits and that doesn't exist anymore)
January 29, 2009
Winter is still here
How to tell if your skin is dry:
flaky skin
brittle nails
cracking lips
Excema
Kinda sounds like side effects of drugs advertised on TV! I only know they're not since I'm not taking any of them...
Causes:
dry winter air
heaters recirculating said dry air
Solutions:
drink lots of water
lotion
boil water or use a humidifier
become a Snowbird and move temporarily to Florida
It's been cold and dry and almost without snow for all of January. It's getting old! Someday it will be June!
flaky skin
brittle nails
cracking lips
Excema
Kinda sounds like side effects of drugs advertised on TV! I only know they're not since I'm not taking any of them...
Causes:
dry winter air
heaters recirculating said dry air
Solutions:
drink lots of water
lotion
boil water or use a humidifier
become a Snowbird and move temporarily to Florida
It's been cold and dry and almost without snow for all of January. It's getting old! Someday it will be June!
January 25, 2009
Sunday Crafternoon
I busted out the sewing machine yesterday. Finally! I made that needle case and I love it! It fits all of my needles perfectly and has just the right number of pockets for different sizes. The top pockets are too close to the top for needles, so they can hold other notions. I didn't end up using the brown floral, but I'm totally in love with the green and white and the birds! THE BIRDS!
I just started the Husky hat for Mikael. Kris did an awesome job dying and it is going to work perfectly for the pattern. I'm just doing a basic hat pattern from My Knitter's Handy Guide to Patterns. The colors seem to be stacking alternately with almost no pooling or overlap of the same color - maybe less than 5 stitches at a time.
If these pictures are terrible, I'm sorry. The sun is out and it's been in hiding for the last EON, so I had to acknowledge it.
I just started the Husky hat for Mikael. Kris did an awesome job dying and it is going to work perfectly for the pattern. I'm just doing a basic hat pattern from My Knitter's Handy Guide to Patterns. The colors seem to be stacking alternately with almost no pooling or overlap of the same color - maybe less than 5 stitches at a time.
If these pictures are terrible, I'm sorry. The sun is out and it's been in hiding for the last EON, so I had to acknowledge it.
January 23, 2009
Booya!
Fabric!! And it's adorable. Not sure what I'm going to do w/ the owls yet, but I had to have it :)
And I'm going to use this floral to make the needle case. I'm going to try and incorporate the other florals in, too, but I'm not sure yet how it's all going to come together.
Since I am home during daylight, I have this for you, too!
I haven't gotten the hat yarns yet. I expect the yarn to come from Kris tomorrow and the Etsy yarn to come early next week. They should be quick to knit and hopefully ready by next weekend or early the following week.
And I'm going to use this floral to make the needle case. I'm going to try and incorporate the other florals in, too, but I'm not sure yet how it's all going to come together.
Since I am home during daylight, I have this for you, too!
I haven't gotten the hat yarns yet. I expect the yarn to come from Kris tomorrow and the Etsy yarn to come early next week. They should be quick to knit and hopefully ready by next weekend or early the following week.
January 21, 2009
I suck at not buying yarn...
But I have an excuse this time!
Apparently I should never have said that not buying yarn would be really easy because I have a ton already. I do have more than enough, that much is true. What I don't have is enough amazing soft yarn and in the right colors for people I know being diagnosed with Leukemia. At the moment there are 2 and they are both in high school. The only way I can say a big "FU" to this horrible thing is to knit hats for chilly heads. I know about the chilly head part, but I can't relate on any level the trials associated with chemo therapy.
One of the symphony members I used to play with is one of these affected kids. She had quite possibly the worst Christmas last year - she caught a cold or something otherwise very mild and due to having no immune system it nearly killed her. She is doing better now and has taken a few steps across her room at Children's Hospital in Seattle, but this is nearly a month later. I don't know her very well and I don't want to seem like some sympathetic outsider, but I think she will appreciate it.
I bought this for her. The symphony manager told me she says her favorite colors are "Hawaiian colors." I'm pretty sure I like those, too, so I'm just hoping that our idea of Hawaiian colors are similar :)
Now I am thinking of how to say nice things to her w/o sounding sappy and lame while still being heartfelt and sincere. I suppose, though, if she can face chemo thereapy and mutant colds, I can at least find a way to say "good luck!"
Apparently I should never have said that not buying yarn would be really easy because I have a ton already. I do have more than enough, that much is true. What I don't have is enough amazing soft yarn and in the right colors for people I know being diagnosed with Leukemia. At the moment there are 2 and they are both in high school. The only way I can say a big "FU" to this horrible thing is to knit hats for chilly heads. I know about the chilly head part, but I can't relate on any level the trials associated with chemo therapy.
One of the symphony members I used to play with is one of these affected kids. She had quite possibly the worst Christmas last year - she caught a cold or something otherwise very mild and due to having no immune system it nearly killed her. She is doing better now and has taken a few steps across her room at Children's Hospital in Seattle, but this is nearly a month later. I don't know her very well and I don't want to seem like some sympathetic outsider, but I think she will appreciate it.
I bought this for her. The symphony manager told me she says her favorite colors are "Hawaiian colors." I'm pretty sure I like those, too, so I'm just hoping that our idea of Hawaiian colors are similar :)
Now I am thinking of how to say nice things to her w/o sounding sappy and lame while still being heartfelt and sincere. I suppose, though, if she can face chemo thereapy and mutant colds, I can at least find a way to say "good luck!"
January 19, 2009
No Buy Week
This week I'm not going to buy things I don't need. I certainly don't need any yarn*! That should be easy not to buy. I'm also trying not to buy things like shoes, different pilates videos, books, etc.
I've been working on lots of things.
Amused is approaching done and approaching a decision of whether I will keep it or rip it out and make something different. The neck looks way too big and I don't think I'll wear a blue potato sack very often.
My bus socks are doing well! I started on size 1.5's, but decided they were too tight on needles that small, so started over on 2's. I'm not sure yet if the foot will be on 1.5's or 2's - 1.5's make it dense, but 2's might make it too loose.
As soon as I'm done w/ these 2 projects I want to work on something that I don't rip out!!
*Ok, so this isn't entirely true. Kris is sending me yarn for a special hat project for my mom's friend's son who was diagnosed w/ Leukemia.
I've been working on lots of things.
Amused is approaching done and approaching a decision of whether I will keep it or rip it out and make something different. The neck looks way too big and I don't think I'll wear a blue potato sack very often.
My bus socks are doing well! I started on size 1.5's, but decided they were too tight on needles that small, so started over on 2's. I'm not sure yet if the foot will be on 1.5's or 2's - 1.5's make it dense, but 2's might make it too loose.
As soon as I'm done w/ these 2 projects I want to work on something that I don't rip out!!
*Ok, so this isn't entirely true. Kris is sending me yarn for a special hat project for my mom's friend's son who was diagnosed w/ Leukemia.
January 16, 2009
Just a Note
I have been dreaming about having a good needle roll lately. Mostly for circs, but would be nice for regular straights, too. Then I found this tutorial! I know I have enough fabric to make it, but none of it is exactly what I want and none of it really goes together (well unless I want to incorporate flannel, which I don't really). I have this cute pink floral on brown background that I fell in love w/ in the JoAnn's remnant bin a long time ago; this is its calling.
And I have a pink w/ brown sort of damask pattern on it that I will use as the bias tape.
The problem is that I don't think I have enough of the pink floral... I just measured and I definitely do NOT have enough! In fact I have about 12% of what I need. Hm. I really want to get this going because I miss my sewing machine! Maybe next week I can go to the fabric store.
And I have a pink w/ brown sort of damask pattern on it that I will use as the bias tape.
The problem is that I don't think I have enough of the pink floral... I just measured and I definitely do NOT have enough! In fact I have about 12% of what I need. Hm. I really want to get this going because I miss my sewing machine! Maybe next week I can go to the fabric store.
January 9, 2009
Holy Promptness, Batman!
The furniture guys said they would be here around 4:15. Not being used to service providers having any sense of time or people's schedules I expected them to be here at something more like 4:59. By 4:20 this had not only made it out of the truck, but also up a very narrow flight of stairs, through a narrow door way, and into my living room:
Now my apartment is full of furniture!
The second color shows the color a little better. For a good reference - it's about the color of a manila file folder.
YAY!!
Now my apartment is full of furniture!
The second color shows the color a little better. For a good reference - it's about the color of a manila file folder.
YAY!!
December 30, 2008
Sleeves!
My little blob now has a couple of wing-a-lings! See?
In the future we will call them "sleeves."
Here, I've helped you find them since I know it's hard.
I also shaved my legs today, made dinner and made lunch for tomorrow. Please ignore that my apartment still looks like a war zone. It's snowing outside, distract yourselves with that. If it's not snowing where you are, please come visit me :)
In the future we will call them "sleeves."
Here, I've helped you find them since I know it's hard.
I also shaved my legs today, made dinner and made lunch for tomorrow. Please ignore that my apartment still looks like a war zone. It's snowing outside, distract yourselves with that. If it's not snowing where you are, please come visit me :)
December 29, 2008
Baked Potatoes & Bagel Sandwiches
... and Christmas and knitting. Since I got home from my parents' house for Christmas I've been trying to avoid grocery shopping and realized that I've got bagels and potatoes, so I'm eating those before going to the store. Though I will need some laundry money soon...
Christmas was a great time being virtually snowed in with the family and getting to see a couple of really good old friends. I received many amazing gifts from family such as a Victoria's Secret robe from the brother & SIL which I practically refuse to take off. Damn working AT work. If I worked from home I would live in this thing. But then again if I worked from home I would never work. Ok, moving on. Grandpa sent up a scale model of the table he's building for me! It's 1/4 scale, so will be a big, beefy, craftsman-esque table when done. See, pictures with some items for size.
My parents gave me a really pretty cake stand. My mom said she bought it last year, but since I was sharing a duplex and had a tiny kitchen that I hated cooking in she saved it for this year. Of course now I have no place to put it because my kitchen is considerably smaller... Ah well, it's beautiful!
My cousin Tessa gave me some nice bathroom things and a couple of stuffies that I believe her sister, Rachel, made. One is an owl and the other is a racoon. I may have requested them... :)
In other news I did not get to see Kate or Kerry while home due to psycho snow. I DID get to see my 2 best friends from many years earlier. Kayte and I realized that we've never gone out together when we've even been able to DRIVE, let alone drink! So we took care of both Saturday night. Then Sunday I went to lunch w/ Kris and we discovered that we're both crazy fanatical knitters. I am still in shock over it, but she said it correctly when she said we were meant to be soulmates. It couldn't be more true! Yay. Mostly I'm glad to know that my old besties are still there and despite a few years of not seeing each other we still have plenty in common. :)
I've been knitting on Amused. Kate put me up to it and she's nearly done! Mine currently looks like a blob w/ some cables. It's nice to work on something w/ big needles. I'm also bus knitting the waffle socks. One is done and due to the magic and bendiness of wire coat hangers it does not look like a blob.
Christmas was a great time being virtually snowed in with the family and getting to see a couple of really good old friends. I received many amazing gifts from family such as a Victoria's Secret robe from the brother & SIL which I practically refuse to take off. Damn working AT work. If I worked from home I would live in this thing. But then again if I worked from home I would never work. Ok, moving on. Grandpa sent up a scale model of the table he's building for me! It's 1/4 scale, so will be a big, beefy, craftsman-esque table when done. See, pictures with some items for size.
My parents gave me a really pretty cake stand. My mom said she bought it last year, but since I was sharing a duplex and had a tiny kitchen that I hated cooking in she saved it for this year. Of course now I have no place to put it because my kitchen is considerably smaller... Ah well, it's beautiful!
My cousin Tessa gave me some nice bathroom things and a couple of stuffies that I believe her sister, Rachel, made. One is an owl and the other is a racoon. I may have requested them... :)
In other news I did not get to see Kate or Kerry while home due to psycho snow. I DID get to see my 2 best friends from many years earlier. Kayte and I realized that we've never gone out together when we've even been able to DRIVE, let alone drink! So we took care of both Saturday night. Then Sunday I went to lunch w/ Kris and we discovered that we're both crazy fanatical knitters. I am still in shock over it, but she said it correctly when she said we were meant to be soulmates. It couldn't be more true! Yay. Mostly I'm glad to know that my old besties are still there and despite a few years of not seeing each other we still have plenty in common. :)
I've been knitting on Amused. Kate put me up to it and she's nearly done! Mine currently looks like a blob w/ some cables. It's nice to work on something w/ big needles. I'm also bus knitting the waffle socks. One is done and due to the magic and bendiness of wire coat hangers it does not look like a blob.
December 20, 2008
I <3 Winter!
It snowed finally! It started just over a week ago and is snowing steadily right now. After unburying my car and driving a bit yesterday and today, it's now buried again! It's also been extremely cold - the predicted low for tonight is 11°, but last week that was practically a heat wave! Nights were in the single digits and days not above 20°. In light of cold and snow I've had nothing to do but knit :)
The Christmas knitting is all done except for something for Drew.
I'll talk about those things later...
I just finished the button band for the purple sweater and the collar is up for tonight or tomorrow depending on how I feel. My wrists and elbows are a little tired from feverish knitting for the last several hours! I knit solid while watching Doctor Zhivago with only 1 bathroom break and intermission when I made hot chocolate. It was good and I was surprised I sat through it all as I often get bored in 2 hour movies, let alone one over 3 hours! Anyway I don't know that I paid close enough attention to fully understand it, but knitting happened and that's important, too.
I'm hoping to finalize Christmas shopping tomorrow; hopefully my car won't be frozen! I at least need to drive it Monday morning so I can take it in for a few last repairs.
Currently on the Needles:
German Waffle Socks
Pop Up Mittens
The Purple Sweater
Up Next:
Amused
First Dying Experiment
Kate and I plan to do Amused as a KAL. She bought us the supplies for dying for my birthday, so I'm excited to do that! We will spend at least a full day together after Christmas knitting and making our own yarn :)
The Christmas knitting is all done except for something for Drew.
I'll talk about those things later...
I just finished the button band for the purple sweater and the collar is up for tonight or tomorrow depending on how I feel. My wrists and elbows are a little tired from feverish knitting for the last several hours! I knit solid while watching Doctor Zhivago with only 1 bathroom break and intermission when I made hot chocolate. It was good and I was surprised I sat through it all as I often get bored in 2 hour movies, let alone one over 3 hours! Anyway I don't know that I paid close enough attention to fully understand it, but knitting happened and that's important, too.
I'm hoping to finalize Christmas shopping tomorrow; hopefully my car won't be frozen! I at least need to drive it Monday morning so I can take it in for a few last repairs.
Currently on the Needles:
German Waffle Socks
Pop Up Mittens
The Purple Sweater
Up Next:
Amused
First Dying Experiment
Kate and I plan to do Amused as a KAL. She bought us the supplies for dying for my birthday, so I'm excited to do that! We will spend at least a full day together after Christmas knitting and making our own yarn :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
