July 2004 Archives
I'm retiring a few projects:
- Smooch - Summer knitting just isn't doing anything for me. Even though I'm 75% done I'm putting it away until next year.
- Lost Points Shawl - Let this be my lesson. I *hate* knitting with novelty yarn. Particularly that ladder stuff.
- Tricot - This is more of a trade in than a retirement. I've tried a few sets of Lion Brand colors and just don't care for them. I still want to make this pattern though so I'll be on the lookout for colors that are more me
And now, for the new. I picked up Regia 32 a month or two ago. It's chock full of knee high socks. A couple nights ago I decided to do #4332. It's covered with cables, travelling stitches, and twisted knit stitches. A funny thing though about these Regia booklets. They give each pattern in one size. Usually it's not a big deal to change up a size in a sock, but when it's covered in stitch patterns it's not a simple thing. Of course, the sock I've picked out is in a man's super-huge size. I estimated what I'd need to cast-on instead but I was off. After about 10 rows I can tell I've made it too tight. Rip and restart it is! Too bad, I even did the picot edge and knitted in the hem and everything. It's the fancy schmancy edge is that's causing the problem though. Without any ribbing it makes it difficult to stretch across my calf to get it to the knee. Difficult? No - impossible. So unless I want to make the first pair of zip-up knee high socks I'll be having a small frogging party this evening.
Dumb Knitter. Dumb dumb knitter.
I blame it on Jackie. I've looked at this Phildar hoodie from Irlandais (#397) for months now. When I saw her knitting it up on her blog I couldn't resist it anymore.
I ordered the book (plus 4 others) from Knit 'n Tyme last night. I'm very anxious to get started on it! Does anyone know how quickly they ship?
I'm still undecided on the color. While I love the classic ecru that the sample is knitted in, it's not my personal favorite color to wear. I'm thinking of a brown, navy or black. Maybe even something a little tweedy. I don't recall seeing many cabled sweaters in tweed in person though. How well do the cables show up in tweed? In the pics I've seen they're not very defined, but sometimes the camera just has trouble picking up detail that's easily seen in person.
Absent Without Knitting. That's me. I've neither had the time nor the motivation to knit much lately. Has that ever happened to you? I seem to have hit a point where none of my projects are speaking to me. Maybe it's just summertime and I want to do more things that require moving and the outdoors. Or maybe I need to accept that a couple of those WIPs need to become RIPs.
I have been doing alot of work on the house though. Good thing, or else this 52 mile commute may never end.
While I haven't been knitting much I have been surfing the blogs. I thought I'd share with you a few things I've come across lately that have either inspired or motivated me.
First, a few new blogs I've come across. I'm sure they're not new to everyone, but they're new to me! Have you ever noticed that even within our little knitblog community we seem to have sub-communities? Many of the blogs I read link to the same blogs. Like our own little subcultures. I think some of it happens thru geography, and some thru a commonality (e.g., started blogging at the same time or interested in a particular type of knitting). So I've been trying to find some blogs that are outside of my little blog subculture. Here's what I've found recently (and need to add to my sidebar):
- Reverie Knits - Great choice of projects, beautiful and simple blog design, enjoyable writing. She inspired the Carla-Along that Shobhana started. I love Carla and considered joining but I don't know if I'd like the sweater on me. But I keep looking at it. Hmmm....maybe
- Marnie - I've loved her designs for a while now but she just recently started blogging. She's also the designer of the corset in the latest knitty. I like stopping by to see what she's got cooked up. Marnie makes great use of integrating crochet with knitting and inspired me to give my crochet wrap a try.
- Jackie Blue - OK, so she's been blogging for over 2 years so I really have no excuse for just having recently found her. But, you have to admit her blog is pretty and her projects are cool. She's working on a Phildar hoodie that I've had my eye on for a while. In fact, seeing her work on it has gotten me really close to ordering up the Philar books I've been considering for a while.
- Poor Miss Finch - I think she's pretty new to the blogging world. Her projects are fun and she shares her thoughts and problems with you along the way. I enjoy that because I think we all go through it. Is it the right color? Does the yarn match the project well? Hmm...how will eyelets felt? We've all been there and it's nice to read about it too
These are just a few of the new ones I've been reading. I really should comment on the blogs so people know I'm actually there. Sometimes I feel like I'm barging in on a community, but if they're anything like me they love to know who's stopping by. So I'll have to make more of an effort to comment. I mean, it's not often I'm accused of having nothing to say!
I know I promised pics yesterday so here goes. The colors are *way* brighter in the pic than in real life.
In reality, the wrap is black, deep red and brighter red with hints of gold. Not the glow bright look that the pic leads you to believe.
I'm about halfway done with the wrap. It's a pretty simple pattern of 1dc, 2ch. I'm still searching for the perfect crochet edging to use on it. I want to use a fine crochet yarn/thread to weigh down the wrap a bit and give the edges some sheen. And I think a few beads will be in order on the corners.
BTW, props go to Marnie for the idea. She made a similar wrap a few weeks ago and I used hers as inspiration for mine.
I really had a great week, although you'd never know it from my blog!
Yesterday's presentation for work was fun. I'm out of practice though and I wasn't my best. I talked to fast. And I was thinking the whole time "slow down!" but still I was talking a mile a minute. I still said what needed to be said and I think we impressed them as a group. But you know what the best part of the meeting was? My suit! I can't believe the difference a few pounds can make (or at least make you feel). And my hair and makeup came out perfectly yesterday, which really helps with the confidence when I'm speaking in front of a group.
Dieting has been very weird this week. Remember my post about hitting the 20 mark on Monday? Well, on Tuesday I somehow gained 4.5 pounds!!!! Atkins can be odd like that. I never cheated though, so my guess is I ate something I thought was low carb but wasn't. I've lost most of it in the past few days though, so I'm back to 19. I'm very happy with myself though because I didn't let the gain throw me off track.
My next mini-goal for dieting is to lose another 10 in time for our Cape May weekend. If I do that I will hit a weight that I haven't been since 1996. Wow.
Knitting? I've really not done much this week. I seem to be in a knitting pergatory. I did however, get a delivery from Scotland this week. So I think once I muster up the courage to start I should have a fun (and slightly intimidating) project on my needles!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Who says you can't turn back the clock?
No, I'm not in my 20's again. I'm 20 pounds lighter! That's right, I hit the big two oh today! I must have stepped on the scale a dozen times, expecting it to change. To be teasing me.
I don't think I can properly express my excitement at hitting this mark. I go on and off the diet, although only allowing myself to gain back a few during my off periods. But for some reason every time I'd hit 19 - even 19.5 - it just wouldn't push to 20. Getting stuck at that mark was frustrating and eventually I'd say screw it, I'm going off for a while. Yesterday I decided to try and kick start it a bit and went for a bike ride. I haven't gone riding at all this year. I didn't go that far - 10 or 11 miles - but I think it's what did the trick. I'm going to try to go 3 times a week. I've even starting charting my mileage and time to see how I'm progressing.
This sudden burst of good diet luck has also made me rethink a knitting project I just started about a week ago. I haven't posted about it yet because it's in the round and is slow going. But I think I may just put it aside until I see if I can really lose some more before I decide on a size. Ideally I'd like to lose probably another 20 or 30 (depending on how I look) so guessing on a size right now is virtually impossible.
I have quite a few gifts to make in the coming months anyway (Philly Knitters Secret Pal, my sister-in-law's bday gift), so maybe I'll just stick with socks, gloves and bags for me.
The fall lines are starting to come out!
Dale of Norway
Dale has put out a few new Adult books.
- #144 - Arans for men and women
- #138 - Cardigans and sweaters mostly for women. My fav? This one here:
Family Circle Easy Knitting
Selected photos from this mag can be found here. For some reason, none of them are really doing it for me. I'm still linking to it because I thought you all might want to check it out. See how giving I am? ;)
Interweave
There are a few patterns I like in this issue. Stop by Interweave's Preview Site to see for yourself. The two I could see myself making:
I like the sweater but not the colors. I see this in a rich, bohemian palette. Maybe deep garnet for the main color with burnt orange, brown, and gold in the scroll edges. I think this sweater has a hood (which I love!)
Aren't these cute? I'd drop the pom poms at the tie ends. I can envision these being armwarmers too. Extending the gauntlet up to mid-forearm, and making it closer fitting. Guess I'll be on the lookout for some cashmere this weekend!
Yarn
I was over at Elann yesterday and saw their latest edition: Plymouth Outback Wool. A gorgeous painted 100% wool. It's an awesome value at $8.39 for a 374 yard hank. I'm considering picking up some for a felted bag. Hmm...I seem to be in a bag mood lately.
Rowan Denim
And finally, a question for you all. I have some Rowan Denim that I've started to make into a bag. I bought the deep indigo (navy) blue color and I'd like to get it to look worn - like denim. However, I can't help but think of myself getting frustrated like that guy in the laundry detergent commercial. You know the one? Where he washes the sweater umpteen times and it still never fades? So, tell me, what are the most abusive detergents out there? Should I put the bag in the washer with some other things to beat it up a bit? I have a front loader which should already be gentler so I need to make up for that.
Oh, one more thing. It's Friday! Even though I only had a 4 day week boy did this one drag on (and on...)
Have a great weekend everyone!
Yesterday, a coworker and I drove together to get lunch. We don't know each other very well, although he's always seemed like a nice enough guy. Since we don't know much about each other we did the typical chit chat. What did you do this weekend? How's client so-and-so treating you? Blah blah blah. And then, out of the blue, he says "So you're a knitter I hear?"
It's not like he was taking a wild guess. Between the KNIT euro on my Jeep, the yarn calendar on my wall, and the "I'd rather be knitting" bumper sticker right next to it I'd hardly call myself a closet knitter.
So I explain, yes I'm a knitter. I knit just about every day. I knit during lunch as often as I can. Heck, I even knit in traffic. I thought that would end the discussion. But he continued...
How did you learn? I saw you knitting under the tree at lunch, it must help with stress. What kinds of things do you knit? He seemed so genuinely interested. I was skeptical.
When we got back to the office I showed him my latest creation -- the Hooray For Me glove. He looked at it. Pulled it. Felt its texture. Asked about the color changes. Said he would never have guessed it wasn't store bought (which he meant as a compliment).
I was amazed that a young man was so genuinely curious, open-minded and non-judgemental. More often, I get the typical "oh, how...domestic" sort of response. Or, the snotty "What would Gloria Steinem think of that?" Or perhaps my favorite - "I know you knit but what do you do for fun?"
To most of these queries I think things like "Domestic? Dude - I've rewired half my house, replumbed the kitchen, installed hardwood flooring, removed a load bearing wall and installed a header* - what have you done?" or "I have US#0 DPNs that I'm itching to find a good use for"
Afterwards I thought about my initial skepticism. I feel kinda bad having misread his initial curiosity. Have any of you dealt with the same kinds of reactions to knitting? I knit just about anywhere I go and I really don't care what others might say about it. But sometimes the stupid off hand comments get under my skin too.
* uhm, yeah, about that load bearing wall. Well, when I originally removed it I didn't know it was load bearing. Closer inspection proved that yes indeedy it was holding up the roof. Who knew that a load bearing wall didn't have to go all the way down to the first floor? So up went a few support beams while I went out to buy some lumber and build myelf my first header. 2 men and 4 hours later the header was installed. It wasn't pretty but the second floor doors now close without scraping the sides!
It's always so hard to go back to work after a few days off. I had a great weekend though!
Friday we went to a fondue restaurant for dinner and then to NXNW to see Joe Bonamassa. It was the second time I had watched Joe play live and he's phenomenal. If you haven't heard of him, he's a blues/southern rock musician. He plays amazing guitar and has the perfect voice for his music style.
The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back. We did some grilling and movie watching. I did a little shopping at Old Navy. They had the cutest cotton print skirts! So I got myself 3 of those. And then on Monday I ran into Philly and picked up some yarn at Rosie's and Sophie's.
Knitting
I did alot of knitting this weekend. I started the second Koigu sock. I cast on for a zip up cabley cardigan in Donegal Tweed. I started a Kureyon scarf:
It's a simple seed stitch scarf. I cast on 27 stitches (using the cable cast on - my current fav) and am alternating 2 rows of 2 different skeins. To keep the colors alternating nicely, I wound 2 of the skeins from the outside so the colors would change in opposite directions. I like the combos so far, although interestingly, the pinks seem to have met up halfway -- even though the skeins started with different colors.
I also finished the first Hooray For Me Glove:
It fits wonderfully! I made 2 simple changes to the pattern. Between the fingers the pattern said to cast on 2 stitches. I did that for one finger but it was too tight and I had to pull it out. So I cast on 1 extra stitch and it was perfect. The other change was the length of the fingers. The pattern said 11 rows but 10 was enough for me. That's it! It's a great pattern -- simple to follow and has made me comfortable enough to try a full pair of gloves in the future.
I've *finally* found a little project to keep me happy. Aptly named Hooray For Me Gloves. They're Marnie MacLean's pattern for fingerless gloves.
I'm in love with this little project! I'm using the same yarn she suggests - Regia Multi Effekt. What fun! The color changes keep me wanting to knit more. I'm also doing this one on 2 circs. I seriously think I'll be donating my DPNs to some knitting friends. I just don't think I'll go back to using them!
Sorry, no pic today though. I had planned on posting one but I ran really late this morning - snoozed for over an hour before finally dragging my butt out of bed. Why? Because I stayed up too late knitting my gloves.
Commuting
This week I tired something new - Audio Books. Can I tell you what a difference this has made in my commute -- my demeanor, my stress level, my...ahem...road rage. The first book finished yesterday morning -- Nicholas Sparks' The Guardian. On the commute home I started book 2 -- Hilary Rodham Clinton's Living History. I'm glad I chose The Guardian first, because I'm enjoying the non-fiction as much. I don't lose myself in the story. It's better than scanning the radio or choosing to listen to the same 15 CDs every day though. I also think I expected to enjoy the content more than I am. I've always liked Hilary, but the book is feeling a bit more like "an explanation" and a "setting the record straight" than an accounting of her life leading up to being elected senator. I'll listen to the whole book but I may need to seek out more fiction in the future.
And I'm Off!
I have off both Friday and Monday! I've been counting down to these days for weeks now. Starting a new job and only having 2 weeks of vacation to take has made days off a rarity. I'm also going to take an extended blogging break. I'll be back on Tuesday.
To all of you in the States -- Have a wonderful July 4th weekend! I'll see you all on Tuesday.
