Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
My Turn
I work in an old building, and some days the heaters just don't seem to be enough. One particularly cold day I decided that needed a workhorse kind of wrap that I could keep in my office for these emergency situations. I decided it was my turn to make a Clapotis. I went through my stash looking for something with enough yardage and no assigned project. I found some orange lace weight that was given to me in a swap, but it was going to have to be held double.Since the orange was discontinued I had to pair it up with something else. Originally I loved the orange because I thought it would highlight that color in my hair, so when looking for another color I decided to go for another shade in my hair that I wanted to accent.
The red and the orange work together in a beautiful way. When I am working on them right up close, they kind of look like what you get when you start swirling mustard and ketchup around together. The further away you get, the more unified and coppery the color becomes.I've been working on this steadily on the subway, during my lunch breaks, and at SnB and it has been going pretty quickly. I was well over half way done when I had to join my second hank of yarn, so I decided to add 3 repeats to the center section. I had no particular reason to add more other than I knew I had the yarn for it, and the decision to add three repeats was just because I like the number 15 better than the number 12. Even with that addition, I have already started my decreases and I hope to be done with this before next week.
My first Subway FO
As I mentioned earlier, my commute has provided some time in the mornings for knitting. The first thing I accomplished was the long overdue socks for Hubby. My excitement about it seems to have made me over confident. I was on the train when the time came to start the heel flap. Instead of pulling the pattern out and checking the directions, I just went for it and made a teeny tiny mistake. The heel is suppose to be worked or needles 2 and 3 and I worked it over needles 1 and 2, or something like that. I didn't remember it from the last time I worked this pattern and it didn't occur to me to think of something like that.As it turns out, I ended up working a heel flap that was two stitches smaller than the pattern recommends because there is not an even distribution of stitches on all four needles. I realized it as I turned the heel and thought about ripping the flap out and starting that part over. After very little deliberation, I decided not to. "Meh," I thought to myself, "two stitches isn't going to make that much of a difference." Well, I was right. It wasn't much of a difference but it was a difference. I had to do some fudging in the stitch pick up and the arch shaping to make the k2p2 pattern lineup. In the end they look fine, but the top of the toe is two stitches off center. Shh, don't tell Hubby; he thinks they are perfect.
*Pattern: Francie by Rebekkah Kerner Yarn: Knit Picks Essential (soon to be renamed) in Buckskin
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Notes: I went up one needle size from Dad's pair because when Hubby tried them on, they looked a little strained, and, of course, they are a little crooked.
* In attempts to keep my FO information a little more organized, I am stealing a setup from the blog Fascination with Needles. it seems like a good place to start for me and then if I find I need to add more or adjust it I can.
The Subway Soundtrack
Now that the holidays are over and everyone has been back to work for a few weeks, I am starting to get a good feel for my commute. I take a bus across the bridge from Jersey, and then I take the 2 train all the way to the end of the line. Since the really large crowds of people are headed into Manhattan and I'm headed out to Brooklyn, I always get a seat and plenty of room to knit once I pass Wall St. So, in the mornings I listen to my podcasts and audiobooks and the time flys by.
The trip home is different though. I leave my iPod and my knitting in my bag for several reasons. Instead I take out a book and read. The first reason is space. Since I start at the end of the line, I always get a seat for the train ride home, but the trains are much more crowded than they are in the morning. I take up more space when I'm knitting. While no one may know that I'm abstaining, I feel more polite leaving my WIP in my bag. The second reason is that I love reading and I haven't had time for non-assigned reading in a long time. I have honestly read more books (for leisure) in the past three months than I have in the seven years before that. I have so much reading that I want to catch up on and I love having this time allotted for it.
The final reason, and probably the most influential is that I don't want to listen to my iPod because I don't want to miss hearing the subway musicians. For the past few weeks, I have been coming home every day grinning from ear to ear because I just love the subway musicians. When you ride in your car and listen to the radio you pick when it is on and off, you chose the station and type of music you want to hear. In the subway it is completely different. On the subway you are crowded into the car and everything is tedious and mundane until the train stops, the doors open, and you world is filled with steel drums. Because you can't pick when to turn it on, or what type of music will be playing, the musicians in the subway are surprise musical gifts. I can't help but think the world would be a better place if everyone was given a snippet of music during one of the most boring parts of the day.
The trip home is different though. I leave my iPod and my knitting in my bag for several reasons. Instead I take out a book and read. The first reason is space. Since I start at the end of the line, I always get a seat for the train ride home, but the trains are much more crowded than they are in the morning. I take up more space when I'm knitting. While no one may know that I'm abstaining, I feel more polite leaving my WIP in my bag. The second reason is that I love reading and I haven't had time for non-assigned reading in a long time. I have honestly read more books (for leisure) in the past three months than I have in the seven years before that. I have so much reading that I want to catch up on and I love having this time allotted for it.
The final reason, and probably the most influential is that I don't want to listen to my iPod because I don't want to miss hearing the subway musicians. For the past few weeks, I have been coming home every day grinning from ear to ear because I just love the subway musicians. When you ride in your car and listen to the radio you pick when it is on and off, you chose the station and type of music you want to hear. In the subway it is completely different. On the subway you are crowded into the car and everything is tedious and mundane until the train stops, the doors open, and you world is filled with steel drums. Because you can't pick when to turn it on, or what type of music will be playing, the musicians in the subway are surprise musical gifts. I can't help but think the world would be a better place if everyone was given a snippet of music during one of the most boring parts of the day.
This one is for Rikki
This is another note I was tagged in on Facebook. I read though the first couple questions and stopped knowing that I wouldn't be able to fill it out until this weekend. I didn't want to over analyze my answers.
Instructions: Clear your mind. Answer the questions with the first answer that comes to your mind. After each question, explain your rationale for said answer. Enjoy! You have to chose one... so don't try and cheat and choose an option that isn't there.
1. You just jumped out of an airplane. On your way down, would you rather collide with a pelican or a remote controlled airplane? A pelican
Rationale: Because in my animated imagination the pelican would catch me in its mouth and then it would fly me to safety (maybe to the island of misfit toys or some other fantastic place)
2. While playing Oregan Trail, you come to a river. Do you pay the Indian to guide you across or try to ford it yourself? Pay the Indian guide
Rationale: Because I don't know if chickens are good swimmers
3. Albania has captured you in their effort to take over the world. You have to choose between two vials. One has chronic bad breath that no breath mint or medicine can sustain. The other has genital warts. Which do you choose? (Turns out, Albania is mean) Bad breath
Rationale: Because bad breath wouldn't make my tongue itch.
4. You are sitting in a restaurant and the waiter behind you seems to lose his balance. He is carrying hot coffee and a cup of water that has dirty silverware and food bits in it. Which would you rather go sliding down your back? Dirty silverware water
Rationale: I hate burns
5. Betty White knocks on your door. She tells you she is the host of a new reality tv show and she wants you to be on it. As you are the first contestant, you get to choose the theme of the show. She is between a Survivor theme, or a Tiny House theme (remember the Geico commercial). Which do you choose? Tiny House!
Rationale: Then I won't be nearly as picky when I use the money I've won to buy my NYC apartment.
6. Uh oh! North America, Europe, and Asia no longer exist! There is free transportation to either South America or Africa (Antarctica and Australia and under protest)... where do you go? Africa
Rationale: Because Giraffes are my favorite animal, and I could so get a job chasing monkeys out of farms.
7. You just won the Rosetta Stone Sweepstakes! You will be fluent in another language in 6 months! Oh snap! Now, you must choose between Turkish and Dutch! (Because that's all they are offering for free... you should have paid attention when you signed up for the sweepstakes) Which do you choose? Dutch
Rationale: because I've been to the Netherlands, and they were incredible people.
8. London bridge is falling down! Falling down! Falling down! Would you rather be on it or under it when it falls? On it
Rationale: Because dangling by one arm is a sure sign of damsel in distress and it will facilitate my super hero rescue.
9. Aliens have attacked. They take you into a small room. They explain to you that they are not looking to harm you, they just need to change your skin color. You can choose between caution cone orange or baby poop green. Baby poop green
Rationale: I just might look ok with my red hair, besides there is no natural camouflage benefits to cone orange.
10. You have been sentenced to death. Bummer. But, they have told you that they will let you free if you can eat a bowl of bugs. This is not a cereal bowl of bugs. This is like a popcorn bowl full of bugs. Now choose your bugs... maggots or dung beetles? Maggots
Rationale: I'm hoping they'd be smaller and slide down faster (less crunching)
This was a lot of odd fun. Thanks Rikki for making it up.
Instructions: Clear your mind. Answer the questions with the first answer that comes to your mind. After each question, explain your rationale for said answer. Enjoy! You have to chose one... so don't try and cheat and choose an option that isn't there.
1. You just jumped out of an airplane. On your way down, would you rather collide with a pelican or a remote controlled airplane? A pelican
Rationale: Because in my animated imagination the pelican would catch me in its mouth and then it would fly me to safety (maybe to the island of misfit toys or some other fantastic place)
2. While playing Oregan Trail, you come to a river. Do you pay the Indian to guide you across or try to ford it yourself? Pay the Indian guide
Rationale: Because I don't know if chickens are good swimmers
3. Albania has captured you in their effort to take over the world. You have to choose between two vials. One has chronic bad breath that no breath mint or medicine can sustain. The other has genital warts. Which do you choose? (Turns out, Albania is mean) Bad breath
Rationale: Because bad breath wouldn't make my tongue itch.
4. You are sitting in a restaurant and the waiter behind you seems to lose his balance. He is carrying hot coffee and a cup of water that has dirty silverware and food bits in it. Which would you rather go sliding down your back? Dirty silverware water
Rationale: I hate burns
5. Betty White knocks on your door. She tells you she is the host of a new reality tv show and she wants you to be on it. As you are the first contestant, you get to choose the theme of the show. She is between a Survivor theme, or a Tiny House theme (remember the Geico commercial). Which do you choose? Tiny House!
Rationale: Then I won't be nearly as picky when I use the money I've won to buy my NYC apartment.
6. Uh oh! North America, Europe, and Asia no longer exist! There is free transportation to either South America or Africa (Antarctica and Australia and under protest)... where do you go? Africa
Rationale: Because Giraffes are my favorite animal, and I could so get a job chasing monkeys out of farms.
7. You just won the Rosetta Stone Sweepstakes! You will be fluent in another language in 6 months! Oh snap! Now, you must choose between Turkish and Dutch! (Because that's all they are offering for free... you should have paid attention when you signed up for the sweepstakes) Which do you choose? Dutch
Rationale: because I've been to the Netherlands, and they were incredible people.
8. London bridge is falling down! Falling down! Falling down! Would you rather be on it or under it when it falls? On it
Rationale: Because dangling by one arm is a sure sign of damsel in distress and it will facilitate my super hero rescue.
9. Aliens have attacked. They take you into a small room. They explain to you that they are not looking to harm you, they just need to change your skin color. You can choose between caution cone orange or baby poop green. Baby poop green
Rationale: I just might look ok with my red hair, besides there is no natural camouflage benefits to cone orange.
10. You have been sentenced to death. Bummer. But, they have told you that they will let you free if you can eat a bowl of bugs. This is not a cereal bowl of bugs. This is like a popcorn bowl full of bugs. Now choose your bugs... maggots or dung beetles? Maggots
Rationale: I'm hoping they'd be smaller and slide down faster (less crunching)
This was a lot of odd fun. Thanks Rikki for making it up.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
25 Things
Facebook has been e-mailing me frequently over the past week to share 25 random thing about all of my friends with me. Now it is my turn to share.
1. I feel independent because I don't have caffeine everyday to keep me going.
1. I feel independent because I don't have caffeine everyday to keep me going.
2. I have once again found myself in the situation that I wish I didn't work for my boss so she could be my friend.
3. I'm an animation snob (according to Hubby)
4. When I read, I make the face that the character is making as the author describes it (example: if the character furrows his brow, so do I) I have batted my eyes, wiggled my ears, shrugged my shoulders, flared my nose, forced my lip to twitch, and displayed a crazy array of emotions just in the past few weeks, and I've done this all my life. I've never caught anyone watching me read, but I wouldn't blame them for thinking I'm crazy.
5. I get blisters on my feet absurdly easily.
6. I am a creature of habit. I like my routine very much partly because it is comfortable and predictable, and partly because when I plan to break from the routine, it seems extra special.
7. The one thing I really want to do before I die is be the voice of a cartoon character.
8. Kilimanjaro Safari is my favorite ride at Disney World.
9. When I was 15 I wanted to change my name. I can't remember what to, only that it also started with an A.
10. I love buying office supplies.
11. At one point in time, I had 5 different jobs.
12. Even though I now live in one of the greatest shopping cities in the world, I like shopping online because I like getting packages in the mail.
13. Every morning I listen to yesterday's news on my iPod because today's news podcast isn't ready to download when I leave for the bus.
14. I never expected to enjoy knitting when I started. I just wanted to keep my hands busy so I wouldn't fall asleep on road trips with Hubby.
15. I want a Kindle, but I can't see me affording one for awhile.
16. There is a handful of people that I wish I could just transplant so they are living near me without completely disrupting their lives.
17. I believe that my biggest flaw is that I hold grudges, but because it developed out of self-defense, I'm not eager to fix it.
18. My favorite movie is Monsters Inc.
19. I've always wanted to be thought of as quirky, but there is only one person who has ever used that word to describe me.
20. I brush my hair with a wooden comb.
21. I hate driving. I've never liked it and I am ecstatic to be dependent on public transportation now. Though I admit my high school year would have been different if I knew how excited I was going to be about selling my car. She was good to me, and I just didn't give her the love she deserved.
22. I think Mythbusters may be my favorite tv show (I think I need update that on my facebook profile.)
23. I love cute socks. I wear them as often as possible. I find the the idea of getting to knit them myself very exciting, up until I remember how long it takes me to knit socks. ( I won't let that stand in my way though.)
24. I have discovered Bailey's Ice cream from Haagan Dazs, and I think it just might be edible heaven.
25. My cell phone is at least 5 years old and doesn't even have a camera.
If you find these things fun, please take this as a tag and share about yourself on your blog or facebook profile. If you are not so into these, I promise some knitting content tomorrow after the sun comes up and I can take some pictures. Here's a teaser:
If you find these things fun, please take this as a tag and share about yourself on your blog or facebook profile. If you are not so into these, I promise some knitting content tomorrow after the sun comes up and I can take some pictures. Here's a teaser:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Silent Poetry Reading
The time has come for another Silent Poetry Reading. Today I bring you:
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Sunday, February 1, 2009
A little something that is already frogged...
A frogging seems like a sad way to begin, but I'm not giving up hope for this little project.
This pattern is the Toddler Tunic(pdf), and I started it in some wisteria KP Swish Worsted that I had unclaimed in my stash. I started it in the middle of our LOTR marathon because I had finished all of my Kitchener stitch and Hubby's socks (which I'm trying to get a modeled picture of before I blog). I frogged it already because it looks off center to me. It is not, it is actually centered just fine, but all of the raglan sleeve increases are facing the same direction. I think that is what makes it look a little off. It would probably fit just fine, but since Francis was a top down raglan, it will be a great guide for which two rows of stitches need to be leaning the other way.
You may also notice that there is a band right under the armpits and where the collar joins that is much tighter than the rest of the sweater. I wouldn't have frogged it just for that, but it is nice to know I'll be fixing it. It looks like I went down a needle size or two for that section, but the truth is that was just the huge battle scene in Return of the King. I couldn't remember who lived and who died in the trilogy so I guess I was a little tense during the fighting.
This pattern is the Toddler Tunic(pdf), and I started it in some wisteria KP Swish Worsted that I had unclaimed in my stash. I started it in the middle of our LOTR marathon because I had finished all of my Kitchener stitch and Hubby's socks (which I'm trying to get a modeled picture of before I blog). I frogged it already because it looks off center to me. It is not, it is actually centered just fine, but all of the raglan sleeve increases are facing the same direction. I think that is what makes it look a little off. It would probably fit just fine, but since Francis was a top down raglan, it will be a great guide for which two rows of stitches need to be leaning the other way. You may also notice that there is a band right under the armpits and where the collar joins that is much tighter than the rest of the sweater. I wouldn't have frogged it just for that, but it is nice to know I'll be fixing it. It looks like I went down a needle size or two for that section, but the truth is that was just the huge battle scene in Return of the King. I couldn't remember who lived and who died in the trilogy so I guess I was a little tense during the fighting.
I love Kitchener Stitch
No, really I do. I find it simple and methodic enough to be just as relaxing as knitting. I get absolutely giddy when I've worked a good size segment and I pull the working yarn taut and the seam zips right up. I love the finished look of stitches uninterrupted by a seam. This is a good thing, because last time we talked about my Christmas Cardigan, I was facing a lot of Kitchener. I curled up with Hubby on the couch for a LOTR marathon and had at it. Long before Frodo made it to Mordor, I was done.
It is a really cute sweater, and Hubby can't stop complimenting me. You would think that that would be enough, but of course it is not perfect. 
I didn't really understand ease going in to this project. A few weeks ago, Kelly did a great podcast on ease, but it was about a month too late. Not only did I not understand that I might want ease, it never occued to me that incredibly gifted pattern makers who do so much for me already, wouldn't have just worked that it. As I blocked each piece to my exact measurements, I never thought about what that would mean for fit. All in all, it was a noob mistake, but I'm not embarassed at all about making it. The sweater still fits, it just looks like it is not intended to shut, and if I did try to button it, there would be big pulling gaps inbetween each of the buttons. It makes the sweater look a bit more trendy and less cozy. It works, and it looks really cute with a particular orange top that I have (the orange just doesn't photograph as well as the brown did.)
The other problem is more serious and I'm not sure how to handle it.
It is the collar. I've never had a top with a collar like this before, so I didn't really know what to expect from it. The collar is really heavy, and I feel like the weight is constantly pulling the top of the sweater away from my neck. It is a really odd feeling for me. It is kind of like the sweater is around my shoulders instead of on top of them. I thought it was just an odd sensation that I would have to get use to, so, I've been wearing it as often as possible to try and get comfortable with it. In the past two weeks, I've worn it three times and I can't sop pulling, readjusting, and trying to get comfortable in it. Then I went to put it on Friday, and instead of just feeling like it was falling off of my shoulders, it actually was slipping right off. (Which makes me wonder what it would be like if there were extra ease in there.) I think maybe if I soak it and reblock it that I can get the shoulders to pull back in to their original positions, but that seems like a lot to do everytime I wear it. It is outerwear, so I was hoping I wouldn't need to clean it as often as my other sweaters. Even when I do clean my other sweaters, I just lay them out to dry. I don't spend time blocking them to measurements. Since the wool is superwash, I threw the guage swatches into the washer and dryer with my delicates to see if that might be an options. The swatches came out at least a half an inch shorter in all of their measurements. They didn't felt. If I got them wet, I could stretch them back out to their original sizes, but that doesn't save me any time and a half an inch in height and width to every 4 inches would not be an acceptable change in size.
I've been thinking that if it is not a sweater I am comfortable in and I never wear it, then all of that time and effort is going to be wasted. So, I've been trying to consider the fact that it might need to be ripped out and made into something else. I've been thinking that Amused might maintain the spirit of the sweater, but being a pull over instead of a cardigan might keep the front flaps from adding the weight of the collar. I just don't know. Until I figure it out, it is going to stay in one piece. I'm going to re-block it and try to wear it as often as I can. Maybe it is something that I can get use to.
It is a really cute sweater, and Hubby can't stop complimenting me. You would think that that would be enough, but of course it is not perfect. 
I didn't really understand ease going in to this project. A few weeks ago, Kelly did a great podcast on ease, but it was about a month too late. Not only did I not understand that I might want ease, it never occued to me that incredibly gifted pattern makers who do so much for me already, wouldn't have just worked that it. As I blocked each piece to my exact measurements, I never thought about what that would mean for fit. All in all, it was a noob mistake, but I'm not embarassed at all about making it. The sweater still fits, it just looks like it is not intended to shut, and if I did try to button it, there would be big pulling gaps inbetween each of the buttons. It makes the sweater look a bit more trendy and less cozy. It works, and it looks really cute with a particular orange top that I have (the orange just doesn't photograph as well as the brown did.)The other problem is more serious and I'm not sure how to handle it.
It is the collar. I've never had a top with a collar like this before, so I didn't really know what to expect from it. The collar is really heavy, and I feel like the weight is constantly pulling the top of the sweater away from my neck. It is a really odd feeling for me. It is kind of like the sweater is around my shoulders instead of on top of them. I thought it was just an odd sensation that I would have to get use to, so, I've been wearing it as often as possible to try and get comfortable with it. In the past two weeks, I've worn it three times and I can't sop pulling, readjusting, and trying to get comfortable in it. Then I went to put it on Friday, and instead of just feeling like it was falling off of my shoulders, it actually was slipping right off. (Which makes me wonder what it would be like if there were extra ease in there.) I think maybe if I soak it and reblock it that I can get the shoulders to pull back in to their original positions, but that seems like a lot to do everytime I wear it. It is outerwear, so I was hoping I wouldn't need to clean it as often as my other sweaters. Even when I do clean my other sweaters, I just lay them out to dry. I don't spend time blocking them to measurements. Since the wool is superwash, I threw the guage swatches into the washer and dryer with my delicates to see if that might be an options. The swatches came out at least a half an inch shorter in all of their measurements. They didn't felt. If I got them wet, I could stretch them back out to their original sizes, but that doesn't save me any time and a half an inch in height and width to every 4 inches would not be an acceptable change in size.I've been thinking that if it is not a sweater I am comfortable in and I never wear it, then all of that time and effort is going to be wasted. So, I've been trying to consider the fact that it might need to be ripped out and made into something else. I've been thinking that Amused might maintain the spirit of the sweater, but being a pull over instead of a cardigan might keep the front flaps from adding the weight of the collar. I just don't know. Until I figure it out, it is going to stay in one piece. I'm going to re-block it and try to wear it as often as I can. Maybe it is something that I can get use to.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Knitting Meme
It has been a draining weekend, and I still don't have any good pictures of the Christmas Cardigan so I'm going to post a quick knitting meme, and head to the couch for some podcasts and the toes of Hubby's socks. I got this list from Saffron Knits.
Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.
—————————
Afghan
I-cord
I-cord cast on
Garter Stitch
Knitting with Metal Wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hats: Top-down
Hats: Cuff-up
Knitting with Silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop Stitch Patterns
Knitting with Recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip Stitch Patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted Stitch patterns
Knitting with Bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti Knitting
Continental Knitting
Combination Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace Patterns
Publishing a Knitting Book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English Knitting
Knitting to make Money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle Knitting
Norwegian Knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing spinning fiber
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else's hand-spun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Tassels
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying Yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured Knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted Flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine Knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form Knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in Public
Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.
—————————
Afghan
I-cord
I-cord cast on
Garter Stitch
Knitting with Metal Wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hats: Top-down
Hats: Cuff-up
Knitting with Silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop Stitch Patterns
Knitting with Recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip Stitch Patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted Stitch patterns
Knitting with Bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti Knitting
Continental Knitting
Combination Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace Patterns
Publishing a Knitting Book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English Knitting
Knitting to make Money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle Knitting
Norwegian Knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing spinning fiber
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else's hand-spun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Tassels
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying Yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured Knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted Flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine Knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form Knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in Public
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Four More Inches (A Christmas Cardigan Update)
A couple weekends ago, I finished all of the major pieces, and was getting excited about seaming everything up and making sure it fits. Here you can see the pieces all laid out ready to start going together.
Those of you more experienced than me, can probably already see a problem, but we'll get to that later. Since this is really my first major undertaking of seaming, I thought I should do a little research. I found a guide to finishing in my Spring 2008 Interweave Knits. It said I had to seam up the shoulders first, add anything that has to be added (in this case button bands and the collar), and then, I could seam up the sides and arms. I got over my disappointment of knowing that I wouldn't be able to try it on this weekend and grafted the fronts to the back.
I was proud of my grafting job, but wasn't very happy with the way it looked. Grafting looks like stockinette, and my very textured and cabley cardigan did not look it's best with a stockinette join. I pushed on anyway because I knew that the collar would cover it up. By the end of that weekend I had the button bands almost done, and I finished them up last weekend.
When I went to pick up stitches for the collar, something struck me as odd. I should have been picking up well over 100 stitches, and with the space I had, if I really squeezed them in there, I could get maybe 20. I pulled out my Sweaters 101 book in hopes of finding an answer. My problem was how I had set my pieces out that very first time. Compare that first picture to this one.
I had set my pieces together as if they were set in sleeves, but I was really working with raglan. So, last weekend I ripped the old shoulders out (which I was ok with since I didn't like how they looked anyway) and made new shoulders that included the sleeves. Then I picked up the stitches and got started on my collar. I now have about three and a half more inches of collar to go before I bind off, then I'll pull together all the seams, and then I think it will be finished. I am pretty confident that I'll finish the collar this weekend, and since I have tomorrow off, maybe the seams. I'm not certain about that, but I have some great podcasts to listen to and a beautiful snowy day to watch outside my window so I should get really close.
Those of you more experienced than me, can probably already see a problem, but we'll get to that later. Since this is really my first major undertaking of seaming, I thought I should do a little research. I found a guide to finishing in my Spring 2008 Interweave Knits. It said I had to seam up the shoulders first, add anything that has to be added (in this case button bands and the collar), and then, I could seam up the sides and arms. I got over my disappointment of knowing that I wouldn't be able to try it on this weekend and grafted the fronts to the back.
I was proud of my grafting job, but wasn't very happy with the way it looked. Grafting looks like stockinette, and my very textured and cabley cardigan did not look it's best with a stockinette join. I pushed on anyway because I knew that the collar would cover it up. By the end of that weekend I had the button bands almost done, and I finished them up last weekend.
When I went to pick up stitches for the collar, something struck me as odd. I should have been picking up well over 100 stitches, and with the space I had, if I really squeezed them in there, I could get maybe 20. I pulled out my Sweaters 101 book in hopes of finding an answer. My problem was how I had set my pieces out that very first time. Compare that first picture to this one.
I had set my pieces together as if they were set in sleeves, but I was really working with raglan. So, last weekend I ripped the old shoulders out (which I was ok with since I didn't like how they looked anyway) and made new shoulders that included the sleeves. Then I picked up the stitches and got started on my collar. I now have about three and a half more inches of collar to go before I bind off, then I'll pull together all the seams, and then I think it will be finished. I am pretty confident that I'll finish the collar this weekend, and since I have tomorrow off, maybe the seams. I'm not certain about that, but I have some great podcasts to listen to and a beautiful snowy day to watch outside my window so I should get really close.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Mooched Abbreviated
Mooched
Before I begin, I want to share with you my twitter info. Now that I have spent a couple weeks commuting to my new job, I am confident when I say, I probably will not be blogging during the week. There might be a random shared link, or a YouTube video, but I don't plan on creating any content unless I have the day off. The time that I have at home during the week is limited, and as much as I've been enjoying blogging more often, it is more important to me that I sit down for a healthy dinner and spend some time with my husband. That said, I am still really interested in staying virtually in touch throughout the week, so I've decided to give twitter a try. It allows me to quickly share ideas and experiences. I've been using it for over a week, and the content is without a doubt more mundane, but it is also more diverse than this blog has been. I've updated about work, knitting, commuting, and food. I've imported the RSS feed into my side bar, so you can see what I've been tweeting from this page. Otherwise, you can follow the RSS feed on any reader you use. The easiest option (especially for those of you who are already using Twitter) is just to follow me through that site. So, here I am: http://twitter.com/ADAllen.A year ago is probably about the time that the idea of us moving to New York really started sinking in. The decision had been made, our families had been informed, and the geographically specific hunt for jobs and an apartment began. Prior to this decision, Hubby and I had an unspoken understanding that we would live in a house. We never talked about it as a plan, but rather when we'd talk about money or something similar, it would always contain the undercurrent that our expectations were to buy a house in the future. Moving here has thrown all of those expectations out the window. We may still own, but the time frame in which it happens has been pushed way back. The concepts that I have associated with my future home since I was a kid, like a yard and an attic, are dwindling. Replacing them are ideas of doormen and elevators.
The worst of these changing expectations is space. As I think about how much I would like to move across the river, I'm starting to feel like I am never going to have any of it ever again. It doesn't bother me too much, because honestly, how much space do I need. And, as long as what I have is allotted properly (ie enough space to cook in the kitchen instead of some huge random hallway) then I should be fine. When this really becomes a problem, is when we consider STUFF. Since we've both lived our whole lives expecting a certain amount of space, we have collected plenty of stuff to fill it. We have boxes full of souvenirs from our travels, memorabilia from our childhood, and nicknack's that we have no idea where they came from.
I have firmly entered the mindset of getting rid of stuff, but there are still two barriers that I find myself running into. The first is, "We should save that for our kids." Both Hubby and I have a problem with this phrase. I have stuffed animals, games, and photo albums. He has his stuff from the military, games, and whatever is still stored in his parents garage. Holding on to things that are deteriorating from improper storage in the hopes that someday people who currently don't exist will want to see them is a whole different blog post (or series of counseling sessions since I'm not a historian or archivist). So, I'll skip ahead to barrier number two: Books.
We both love books. All three of our past apartments have been lined with overflowing bookshelves.
With the new digital readers coming out, I've heard a lot of arguments about why people want books, and ironically most of them don't apply to me. I don't like being surrounded in bookshelves. I don't care about what they say about me. In fact, most of the arguments that I hear for books leave me wanting to hang more photos. There are three reasons that I like having the books that I've read: I reread, I reference, and I share. If it were not for those, I'd happily get rid of every book I finish.While I am certainly not ready to get rid of all of my books, I've done some serious mental preparation, and I'm ready to get rid of some of my books. The original plan was to take them to a used bookstore. The area where Hubby's parents live is covered with the type of bookstore I had in mind. I started looking for one near our apartment or my office to unload on and hopefully pick up a couple cheap paperbacks to read during my commute. To my surprise, I couldn't find one. I found plenty of used bookstores, but none of them had that mass market mentality that I was looking for. The ones I found all boasted rare and unusual books. The plan to take them to a store instead of just donating them to a library was because I'm excited catching up on some fiction reading now that I'm not in school. I was hoping for credit to the store to pick up some light reading for on the bus. First editions of classics are not what I'm looking for.
After some frustration about not finding the store I wanted, and a few jokes that we had enough books on our own if Hubby wanted to call the franchise up and start one nearby so it would be convent to me, I remembered Donna talking about some website that used the post office to accomplish what I'm looking for. Sure enough in my bookmarks was the link to BookMooch.
I signed up last weekend and put up a half a dozen books just to check it out.
I ended up losing my entire Saturday because my books were mooched faster than I could post them. I wrapped up the books that were requested and pulled out another box to post some more. By Monday morning, I had 13 books packaged up and ready to be sent off. I wasn't expecting this kind of response, so I was not prepared with padded envelopes. I took a tip from EcoEtsy and wrapped them up in pages from magazines that were headed to the trash. They were fun packages to make, and I was having a great time. The best part of it all is that we now have one less box of books to move. I just have to resist the temptation to mooch faster than I can read.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
2008 Archies
The Archies is a list of my top things in the world from 2008. For more details you can check out the origin of the Archies from back in 2006. You can also check out my list from 2007 and Donna's (the creator's) 2008 list. If you do look at my last year list, you'll notice that some of mine are repeating. They really are just that important.
2008 Archies
UCA
NYC
Snow
The Kahlers and the Krolls
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
New Jersey
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Francis
The Moth
Neil Gaiman
Mobius Strips
Neil Patrick Harris
Fiest
SPO
Baby booties
Tina Fey
Knit Picks
Interweave Knits
Times Square
Audible.com
Michale Phelps
Kermit the Frog
Muppet News Flash
My First Virtual Symposium
Studs Turkel
George Carlin
Kermit Love
Heath Ledger
UCA
NYC
Snow
The Kahlers and the Krolls
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
New Jersey
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Francis
The Moth
Neil Gaiman
Mobius Strips
Neil Patrick Harris
Fiest
SPO
Baby booties
Tina Fey
Knit Picks
Interweave Knits
Times Square
Audible.com
Michale Phelps
Kermit the Frog
Muppet News Flash
My First Virtual Symposium
and a few that would have made my list this year or other years, but are separated because they won't have the opportunity to make my list again.
Studs Turkel
George Carlin
Kermit Love
Heath Ledger
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Resolutions of 2009
I am not much of a resolution maker. In the past, I've found myself in a rut waiting for the day that my life was going to change. It may have been New Year's or as soon as I finished whatever was currently consuming my life. Other things I would just wait to start until Monday. Every time New Years and Monday would come and go without my life changing or anything being easier. I realized that I was just using these 'opportunities' as reasons to procrastinate. So now, I generally believe that everyday is an opportunity to do things right (or wrong). I'm not against resolutions. In fact, I think that they are a great way to build a support and accountability network for those particularly tough changes. I've just found that the resolutions that I would make are things I've been trying to do anyway.
This year, the start of a new job coincides nicely with the holiday. It, and the changes that are happening because of it are the real catalyst for my resolutions, but I want to join in the fun, so I am going to talk about them as 2009 goals anyway.
Resolution #1 -- Bedtime
I have tried most of the resolutions that seemed to be standard, or popular every year. I've resolved to diet, workout, manage my time better, be more organized, and all the others that are related. What I've found that it always comes down to is sleep. I'll skip working out because I'm too tired to get up early or I am exhausted from a full day. I'll opt for fast food, or skip eating all together because I am rushed from over sleeping or too tired to want to stand in the kitchen. My thinking is clearer when I've slept and I always feel more productive (no matter how much I've gotten done) when I don't feel like I've been dragging through my tasks. So, I am going to set and maintain a bedtime. I was doing pretty good at this resolution while I was in grad school last year, but I lost it when I changed timezones and now that I have a new job, it is time to reset.
Resolution #2 -- Be Fiber Conscious
Now that I have joined the professional working world, I have a bit more financial freedom. I can now approach shopping as an educated consumer rather than a skimping student. While I am not yet a fiber snob, for the next year I am going to try to buy only natural fibers. This is hopefully going to extend beyond my knitting and into all of my purchases. The United Nations has declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibers, and think they did so for good reason. Not only is is good for the earth, it supports economies worldwide. I expect buying natural yarns to be the easy part of this resolution. The difficult part is going to be learning what other changes I can make. A bad example (since I know I will not be buying a car in 2009) but a cool factoid is that there are using a hemp substitute for fiberglass in some cars. Another difficult aspect (especially since I probably will be buying new work cloths this year) is going to be resiting adding any lycra or nylon to my wardrobe.
This year, the start of a new job coincides nicely with the holiday. It, and the changes that are happening because of it are the real catalyst for my resolutions, but I want to join in the fun, so I am going to talk about them as 2009 goals anyway.
Resolution #1 -- Bedtime
I have tried most of the resolutions that seemed to be standard, or popular every year. I've resolved to diet, workout, manage my time better, be more organized, and all the others that are related. What I've found that it always comes down to is sleep. I'll skip working out because I'm too tired to get up early or I am exhausted from a full day. I'll opt for fast food, or skip eating all together because I am rushed from over sleeping or too tired to want to stand in the kitchen. My thinking is clearer when I've slept and I always feel more productive (no matter how much I've gotten done) when I don't feel like I've been dragging through my tasks. So, I am going to set and maintain a bedtime. I was doing pretty good at this resolution while I was in grad school last year, but I lost it when I changed timezones and now that I have a new job, it is time to reset.
Resolution #2 -- Be Fiber Conscious
Now that I have joined the professional working world, I have a bit more financial freedom. I can now approach shopping as an educated consumer rather than a skimping student. While I am not yet a fiber snob, for the next year I am going to try to buy only natural fibers. This is hopefully going to extend beyond my knitting and into all of my purchases. The United Nations has declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibers, and think they did so for good reason. Not only is is good for the earth, it supports economies worldwide. I expect buying natural yarns to be the easy part of this resolution. The difficult part is going to be learning what other changes I can make. A bad example (since I know I will not be buying a car in 2009) but a cool factoid is that there are using a hemp substitute for fiberglass in some cars. Another difficult aspect (especially since I probably will be buying new work cloths this year) is going to be resiting adding any lycra or nylon to my wardrobe.
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