The Serial Hobbyist

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-02-06T13:43:00.005-05:00

Here are some images from Snowpocalypse 2010 for those of you who live outside of the Mid-Atlantic region:

Sat., February 6 (10am)
View of our driveway and the street in our cul-de-sac from our garage. About 23 inches of snow fell between midnight and 10am. If you count the 6 inches of snow that fell between 3pm and midnight we're looking at totals of 29 inches so far.

Sat., February 6 (11:15am)
Mike and I were able to clear about half our driveway with two shovels and our little snow blower. Mike waded out to the street and said it's deeper towards the end of the driveway. About 2 to 3 inches of snow has fallen since we came back inside.

Sat., February 6 (2pm)
A view of the deck and our back yard. Our barbecue and the table and chairs are somewhere under all that snow. At the rate we're going we probably won't see grass again until early March.

Sat., February 6 (3:45pm)
We cleared the length of the driveway. The snow has pretty much stopped so there won't be any additional accumulation from this storm. We can't do much more until the plow comes through. Goodness knows when that will be.

Sat., February 6 (4pm)
Calvin is not a big fan of snow. He spent a good portion of the afternoon sleeping.

Sat., February 6 (4pm)
Carmen, on the other hand, was a little too interested in the weather event. We actually had to lock her in the house when we went out to shovel because she managed to open the door and get into the garage the first time Mike headed out to work on the driveway.

Sat., February 6 (4:15pm)
Mike worked his way round to the back of the house to check the vents and make sure they weren't blocked. The snow is thigh high in some places so he literally had to row his way through the snow with a small shovel.

In Training

2010-02-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

With two feet of snow on the ground here in Central Maryland and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics just days away I figure it's the perfect time for to get some training in for Ravelympics 2010. I decided to err on the side of caution and set goals that should be fairly manageable as we all know that I have a tendency to get in over my head. Hey, I figure I can always add to the list in the event that I do by some minor miracle manage to get through the project goals I've set for myself. Here are the projects that are on the list so far:

Fourth Grade Hat (Abby Franquemont)
Event Category: Hat Half-Pipe
This entrelac hat was featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Twist Collective. I've always been fascinated by entrelac, but have never actually done any. Tackling this technique will undoubtedly be my biggest challenge of Ravelympics 2010. This pattern can apparently be modified to work with "any yarn at any gauge", but a lot of people have said that this finished product does tend to be pretty slouchy so I'll need to take that in account when I'm planning out my gauge swatch. I will be using a skein of Louet Gems 100% Merino Wool (Sport Weight) in black, which I have to wind into a ball today, and two skeins of Noro Silk Garden in colorway #308 (this colorway can best be described as deep jewel-tone shades of purple, pink, green, teal, and topaz). It should be a really nice hat if everything works out according to plan.
Two pairs of French Press Felted Slippers (Melynda Bernardi)
Event Categories: Felting, Sock Hockey
I have worn my own slippers every day since I finished them in late December. This is such a fabulous pattern that I feel I really should share it with others in my life. I plan on making two pairs: one pair for my mother and the other pair for my husband's step-mother , Anne. Both pairs will be knit in Patons Classic Wool. My mother's pair will be knit in the Wisteria colorway, a pretty light purple shade. Anne's pair will be knit in the Paprika colorway, a deep burnt orange shade. My challenge with this project will be to keep the momentum going from one pair of slippers to the next as I my track record knitting back to back projects in the same pattern is not very good.

Although I signed up to participate on two Ravelympics teams I think I will most likely throw all of my support to Team Manic Purl (sorry Team Twilight). I listen to Chrissy's podcast on a regular basis and I'm a frequent contributor to the message boards so I feel pretty comfortable with the whole vibe. Plus, Chrissy's a Vancouver native so the team has the luxury of on-site Olympic coverage. For an Olympics junkie like me that is the equivalent of crack. I can't wait for the games to begin on Fri., February 12! Once I can get a handle on some of this snow removal -- we've only managed to clear about half of our driveway so far! -- I'll be winding some yarn and swatching for the hat.

Some Assembly Required

2010-01-24T22:34:00.002-05:00

It suddenly occurs to me that knitting isn't that much different from assembling a piece of Ikea furniture: both activities require that pieces be joined together according to a specific set of instructions in hopes of producing the desired finished object. Just how easy or torturous this process ends up being largely depends on your level of competency. Of course, a general lack of confidence has never really stopped any of us from getting in over our heads. At least it's easier to throw a knitting project in the back of a closet than it is to try to hide the parts of a disassembled piece of furniture.

So the knitting is done on Boo the Bat. I'm pleased with how the body turned out, although the feet were pretty tricky -- picking up stitches is not easy when working on such a small scale. Overall this pattern is well written and easy to follow. The only modification I made was to the wings: I decided to slip a stitch at the beginning of each row as per the suggestion of KnittersInaTwist. This modification seemed to give the wings some nice definition around the edges. So, Boo's just sitting here waiting patiently for me to assemble the rest of his body parts. I still need to block the wings and the ears, though, so it will be a couple of days before Boo can be officially finished. Hopefully he can withstand the snide comments from my husband about his resemblance to a certain South Park character.

The second Little Pumpkins sock is now on the needles. I worked my way through the cuff this weekend and I'm getting ready to start the first repeat of the leg. I'm thinking that it should (hopefully) go pretty quickly now that I know what I'm doing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get side-tracked.

The Pink Peapod has crawled its way out of the UFO pile. The original intended recipient has long since grown out of both the sweater and the hat so I'm re-designating the set as a gift for my friend Becca's six-month old daughter, Nora. The last sleeve has been seamed and set into the body of the sweater. All that's really left to do with this project is to sew on the buttons and give it press before putting it in the mail. I'm kind of bummed that I won't get to see her reaction to the set -- I hear she's a big fan of pink -- so I'm counting on her parents to take some great pictures (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll get some use out of it over the next few months). Scratch one project off the list =)

Stay tuned for news on my projects for Ravelympics 2010.

Halloween in January?

2010-01-10T13:54:00.003-05:00

Sad, but true. I just realized that everything I'm working on this week has an autumnal/ Halloween theme. It kind of threw me a bit given that it's January and there's snow on the ground. Sigh.
My main project, the Little Pumpkins socks, is finally moving along after spending a good portion of the Fall in the knitting bag. I'm a good way through the foot of the first sock so I should be able to get through the toe decreases and the finishing within the next few days (please disregard the recent post on my Ravelry project page where I boldly state that the first sock will be done by the end of the weekend -- by this time I should know better!).

I was initially worried about the fit of this sock, but so far so good. I did eliminate one of the pattern repeats in the leg because 1) I don't generally like wearing socks that are too long, and 2) I was seriously worried about cutting off the circulation in my legs. The springy nature of the yarn is helping with the overall elasticity of the sock, but it doesn't really show off the seed stitch portions of the pattern to advantage. Ultimately, though, this project is really more about the color than anything else. It was a no brainer that these socks had to be knit in orange -- hey, we're dealing with pumpkins here -- but it really did take a while to find the 'right' orange. I still absolutely love the color of this Creatively Dyed yarn. I tend to prefer colors that are subtle and slightly muted, so this is a significant departure from my comfort zone. There's just something about the vibrancy of this color and the slightly heathered undertones that draws me in. Now, I probably wouldn't ever knit a large project in a color this vibrant, but it's kind of fun to experiment with color in smaller projects. I'll have to do more of that in 2010.
The next project in the works is Boo the Bat by Anna Hrachovec (aka mochimochiland on Ravelry). I guess I should come clean and say that I've been stalking this pattern for weeks. I wish I could say that I have a fascination with rodents, and flying ones at that, or that I was desperately trying to use up some of the yarn remnants from past projects that are scattered all over my desk. In truth, Boo is just too darn cute not to be knitted up several times over. I see him and his friends adorning my cube at work -- that should be interesting. If you're not familiar with Anna's knitted toy designs I recommend checking her out because her work is amazing. Don't be surprised if you find yourself sucked into the world that is Mochimochi Land.

When It's Time To Change

2010-01-03T09:20:00.003-05:00

Since I've picked back up with the blog I've tried to make some small changes here and there to keep pace with some of the technological movements that have taken hold since I first created this blog in 2005. I've come to the conclusion, though, that updates to the layout and overall direction of the blog are needed. The template is too generic and doesn't reflect the essence of the blog. But then what is the essence? I've noticed that the blog has morphed into a journal of my knitting escapades. This is not entirely surprising since I do consider knitting to be my primary hobby, but I haven't touched on any of my other interests in a long time. I'd like to get back to my original intent, only with a more modern twist. I have a good idea of what I want to do. It just may take me a while to set everything up and squared away on the Blogger side, not an easy task given that I haven't yet upgraded to the latest version of Blogger. Please note that these changes may result in some temporary content loss. I'll do my best to get everything up and running again as soon as possible.

2009 Project Wrap Up

2010-01-01T09:26:00.027-05:00

The number of projects I actually completed in 2009 is reflective of the way I knit: slowly and methodically. Overall, I'm proud of what I accomplished. From developing an appreciation for knitted socks, to finishing projects languishing in the UFO pile, to challenging myself with different types of patterns and deadlines, I've definitely covered a lot of ground and become a more competent knitter in the process. Let's take a look back at the projects of 2009:

Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest

When I saw the Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest pattern it was love at first sight. Everything about it is perfect from its femininity right down to its faux cables. I chose Lily Chin's Gramercy yarn for this project partly for the gorgeous raspberry color and partly for the price point. In retrospect I wish I'd chosen a yarn that was a little thinner and not quite so splitty, but I'm fairly pleased with how the vest turned out. This project was relegated to the UFO pile for a few months because of my abhorrence of seaming and a very tiny mistake on the back piece of the vest that made me not want to look at it. Ultimately, though, I just sucked it up and pushed through. The result is a beautiful FO...which I really haven't worn. Actually, I'm still trying to find the perfect top that will do it justice and that's definitely not easy given all the junk in the stores these days.

Eyelet Yoke Baby Cardigan

In keeping the the eyelet theme, when I stumbled across the Eyelet Yoke Baby Cardigan I knew it would be the perfect project for my co-worker's baby. The cardigan knit up very quickly in Cherub 4-Ply. I made a matching hat (courtesy of the Baby's Beanie Hat pattern) and a pair of booties (courtesy of the Classic Cashemere Bootees pattern) to complete the set. I've only seen photos Miguel in the cardigan -- I'm sure he has long outgrown the hat and booties -- but he looked looked absolutely adorable in it!

Nutkin Socks

I came across the Nutkin sock pattern when looking for a pattern that would work well with a skein of Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in the Berry Poppins colorway. My frustrations with the yarn aside, it works very well with this pattern. This was also my attempt at a no-wrap short row heel thanks to a great blog I found. Sadly, though, the blogger's Photo Bucket account is not active so the photos no longer appear with the text. I'll be sure to update the link once I find well-documented instructions for this method.

Jaywalker Socks

Next up is the Jaywalker sock. I chose this pattern because I needed something that would work well the Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in the Alice colorway. This was my first time working with a heavily variegated yarn and I ended up learning a lot about pooling and flashing through trial and error. Although the socks do not match exactly I really love them. The yarn was particularly nice to work with. I guess that's why several of Dani's Twilight-inspired colorways have found their way into my stash. Yes, I'm a big Twilight fan. There. I said it.

Amazingly enough most of my knitting took place towards the end of 2009. The Wedding Clapotis, the French Press Felted Slippers, the Super Cupcake Hat, and the Almeara Gloves were all finished within a few weeks of each other. Since I've already blogged about the majority of these projects I think it will be easier if I just include the links. The Almeara Gloves, however, will be featured in a separate post as I have a lot to say about this particular pattern. Believe me when I say a lot.

Well, that's my year in review. What's in store for 2010, you ask? I've set the following knitting goals for myself:

Knit more socks: Let's face it, you can never have too many of them and there are so many great patterns out there.
Knit a lace shawl: See my previous post
Learn entrelac: It doesn't look too hard, maybe a little fiddly.
Keep working on things from the UFO pile: Some projects in there are screaming to be worked on.
Colorwork: Enough said.
Design an original project: I've got something already in the works.
Be better organized when it comes to projects: Plan ahead, review what's in the stash before buying yarn, etc. Sigh. I know, but I've got to try
Join a sock club: Kind of defeats the purpose of the previous goal, but I guess that's part of the fun =)

What are your knitting goals for 2010?

Reflections

2010-01-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

The first post of (gulp)...2010. Not only can I not believe it's 2010, but I'm still trying to process what the hell happened to 2009. It just went by in the blink of an eye.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to describe 2009. There were definitely some highlights, our trips to Hawaii and Montreal ranking at the top of the list, but there were definitely some low points as well. It didn't help that I felt 'off' for a good portion of the year, and this lack of balance had noticeable impact on my personal life. In many cases I was fully aware of what was happening but didn't take action to move things in a different direction. This Che sera sera mentality probably had the biggest impact on relationships with friends and family members. I should say that I've never been very good with relationships and really have to put a lot of energy into maintaining them. If I get too complacent or frustrated it becomes all to easy for me to crawl into my shell and stay there. That's where I think I've been these past few months.

As far as 2010 is concerned, I see it as a year where I could potentially face the biggest challenges in my personal life that I've ever had to face. For the most part I'm ready to tackle these challenges head on, but I think it's fair to say that I'm also scared. I'm scared of letting myself down. I'm scared of letting others down. I'm scared of finding myself in a vulnerable position. Most of all, though, I'm scared of letting it all slip away. For the time being all I can do is go into 2010 fully aware of my faults and fears and continue down the road towards the person I want to be. To quote from Anne of Green Gables (the movie): "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it."

Happy New Year to all!

This Just In: The French Press Felted Slippers are Finally Finished!

2009-12-26T12:40:00.010-05:00

Yes, it's true. Both slippers are now sporting straps and buttons. I do still have to add the non-slip 'sole', but for all intents and purposes they are officially done:

This is definitely a 5-star pattern in my book and well worth the $7. The pattern was easy to follow and the finished product is both useful, stylish, and oh so comfy. My only gripe is that the designer didn't provide instructions as to how to go about sewing on the straps and the buttons. I did post a comment on Melynda's blog asking her for tips on sewing on the straps and here's what she posted in return:

"I just use the same yarn that I made the slippers with to sew on the strap. This is where the darning needle comes into play. I place the strap where I want it and, starting at one end I start making vertical stitches. I continue to the other corner of the strap, placing about 5-7 vertical stitches total."

This information, coupled with a picture of one of her finished slippers, helped me realize that the straps are sewn down with the vertical stitches on the wider side and tacked down with the button on the shorter side. Once I understood this it was just a question of assembling the pieces, but this is definitely not as easy as it seems. Here are some things that may help you through the finishing process:

Do not try to sew on the straps/buttons if you are tired, frustrated, or inebriated: I found the finishing to require an awful lot of focus -- the same kind of focus needed for kitchener stitch. Now that I know what to do I doubt I'll have these problems in the future, but for the first pair it helps to be focused entirely on the task at hand.
Identify the left and right slippers PRIOR to sewing: This will help to ensure that the button and strap is correctly oriented. I confused the left and right slippers and had to unpick all my stitches. Blah!
Use the references provided above and in the pattern: This should help you see how everything comes together.
Good light: A must, especially when working with darker colors.

Well, that's my two cents. Good luck finishing your own slippers =)

Although It's Been Said Many Times, Many Ways...

2009-12-25T17:48:00.009-05:00

...Merry Christmas to you. I couldn't resist sneaking in some lyrics from one of my favorite Christmas songs. Actually, I've been saying "Merry Christmas" as often as I possibly can over the past few weeks. Yes, the PC police probably have me on their naughty list, but I don't really care. We spend so much time and energy trying to make sure that we don't say something that will offend that more often than not we are not adequately able to express our feelings, especially during a wonderful season like this one. I'm sorry, but it gets to the point where 'Happy Holidays' just doesn't cut it anymore. Happily I think a lot of you out there are feeling the same way because I've heard many more public utterances of 'Merry Christmas' this season than I have in a long time. To quote Martha Stewart: "It's a good thing."

I suppose I should climb down from the soap box and get on with this week's post. This is really the first time I've had a chance to blog since I've been back from New York. This can largely be attributed to the following:

Christmas Preparations
Work
Carmen kitty
Two feet of snow
Timesucks (more on that in a future post)

At this time of year I essentially have two full-time jobs. It can be a little stressful going from a job that keeps me busy throughout the day to tackling Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, etc., but I've gotten used to it. What caught me off guard this year was an emergency with Carmen, our female cat, and some weather issues (check out the picture of the snow that piled up on our deck!) that forced me to make some adjustments to my preparations.

Ultimately, though, I was able to do what I needed to make the holiday special for me and the people I care about. The rest...well, there's always next year.

So, I've become somewhat of a monogamous knitter of late. A good portion of the last week and half was spent working on the Super Cupcake Hat for my boss for Christmas. Most people would probably able to knit this up fairly quickly -- Ravelry posting lists the length of time from start to finish as 2 days?! -- but this just doesn't happen in the world of the SH. The fact that I was using this weird abbreviated Magic Loop method probably didn't help. I also struggled with some aspects of the Shaker Rib pattern that made it necessary to resort to frogging more often than usual. To top it all off, the hat 'grew' during the blocking process. I figured that it would from what I'd observed with the swatches but I didn't think it would grow quite so much -- happily a ten minute trip through the dryer (low setting) helped solve this problem.

In spite of all this the hat turned out pretty well. Leslie was so happy with it that she put it on at once and wore it home. The funny thing is that we were having a conversation about knitted hats the day before, so I really think this turned out to be the perfect gift for her. Hopefully she'll get a lot of use out of it.

Now that I'm relatively free of knitting obligations -- I say 'relatively' because my father has put in a request for a pair of socks, but there's no real timeline on those -- I plan on getting back to some of the projects that had to be set aside while I was working on other things. The buttons came in for the French Press Felted Slippers, so I'm going to make a valiant attempt to finish those off this weekend. I may also see if I can finish off the Almeara Gloves and the Peapod Baby Set #2 over the next week or two. Of course, sleep is also very appealing right now... On that note, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

(Note: Carmen is fine. What we initially thought to be a break/dislocation was probably more along the lines of a blood clot. She has a pre-existing heart condition and was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism so we've been trying to find a balance with her medications. She's prancing around here like nothing ever happened!)

New York, New York...It's a Wonderful Town

2009-12-11T17:06:00.016-05:00

Just because I'm away from SH headquarters doesn't mean I'm going to neglect my weekly post. After all, I've been on a roll with my posts since early November and it seems silly to stop now. Anyone taking bets on how long it will take me to get distracted and forget to post to the blog for say...oh...another two years? Well, you're stuck with me until the next all-consuming project comes along, so read on.

So, I'm here in NYC for the weekend and loving every minute of it. NYC is my hometown and I will always consider myself a New Yorker no matter where I go. I love the pulse and energy of the city. I love that I can walk out of the door and be in the center of everything. I love having a good mass transit system at my disposal -- seriously, it's non-existant in Central Maryland. Most of all, though, I love New York during the Christmas season because the city always looks at its best with all the Christmas lights and decorations. Here are some pictures I snapped today:

In knitting news, I'm a good way through the portion of the leg on the first Little Pumpkins sock. The pattern calls for four repeats of the pumpkin chart, but I may only end up doing three -- the leg already measures six inches. I may also do a SRH (short-row heel) instead of the heel flap for no good reason other than I'm too lazy to pick up the stitches on the gusset. The SRH worked out well on the Nutkin socks (first SRH I ever worked) so I'm anticipating good results here. It all comes down to whether or not the yarn will cooperate. Ahem.

Yet none of that matters right now because the Little Pumpkins socks are about to be abandonned yet again in favor of a shiny new project: the newly released Super Cupcake Hat pattern by Bonne Marie Burns (aka chicknits on Ravelry) of Chic Knits fame. I saw this pattern and knew instantly that I should knit this for my boss for Christmas. I'm so committed to this project that I even went as far as to delve into the depths of my stash for some suitable yarn. Okay, so I ran out of time to go to the LYS before I left, but at least I was able to re-purpose a good skein of Cascade 220 since the Michael Kors Boxy Cardigan it was originally intended for is unlikely to materialize any time soon. Now all I have to deal with is a little issue known as gauge. I've had to drop two needle sizes so far. It's likely I'll have to drop down another size, but I won't know for sure until the swatch dries. Great.

ETA: Guess who'll be knitting this hat on US #4s and 5s =( That's three sizes less than what is called for in the pattern!

Project Update

2009-12-05T21:27:00.019-05:00

So I did end up felting the French Press Felted Slippers this past Monday. Maybe waiting until 10:30pm to start the process wasn't necessarily the best idea but that's how we roll in the world of the Serial Hobbyist.
As per the instructions, I zipped the pieces into a pillowcase and threw it in my washing machine (top loader) along with a pair of jeans and some flip flops, a tip courtesy of an old LimenViolet podcast. I set the machine to the hottest temperature setting and added a little bit of detergent to the water and settled in with a pile of catalogs to watch and wait. Some additional thoughts on felting in general can be found here.
Overall the process went fairly smoothly. During the initial stages I checked the progress of the slippers every five minutes. As predicted there were some holey areas along the seams of the slippers which I was able to sew up with a darning needle and some scraps of the Patons yarn. Here's a tip: be sure to have plenty of extra yarn on hand during the felting process as you don't want to leave the slippers unattended for any length of time. Also, take the time to sew up the holes. You'll end up getting a little wet and soapy but it's worth it to get a better finished product.
So the straps felted in about ten minutes. The left slipper felted down to the correct size after approximately twenty minutes, but it seemed like it took forever to get the right slipper (marked with a stitch marker) to the point where I was happy with it. I even took the left slipper out at one point and let the right slipper go it alone. Throughout the process I was molding the slippers to my feet. Initially I was sliding my feet into plastic bags before trying on the slippers, but after you're wet enough this doesn't seem to matter any more. I did have a couple of towels down on the floor of the basement to sop up any excess water. I called it quits around midnight as I'd felted the slippers to the point where I was satisfied with them. The slippers were stuffed with plastic bags and left to dry. The drying process itself took about 3+ days. The end result? Well, see for yourself:

I love how these slippers turned out. They're nice and cushy and fit my feet perfectly. I think I will redo the straps, though. I had modified this portion of the pattern in hopes of achieving a narrower strap, but I don't think it really works with the slipper. I'll knit up and felt another pair of straps as written and see how those work out. Of course, the project can't be considered complete without the buttons. I love the vintage leather buttons that Melynda uses on the majority of her slippers. I was able to find similar buttons on the M & J Trimming site for a pretty reasonable price. I should get the buttons within the next few days and will sew them on as soon as I can. Although specific instructions on how to sew on the straps are not included in the pattern I did post a comment on her blog and she shared some insights with me. I'll be sure to link to that once the slippers are officially done.

Progress on the Little Pumpkins Socks has been slow this week and not for lack of trying on my part. Let me start off by saying that I know how to do cables. I just haven't done them in a while. I really don't know what I was thinking when I looked at the 14 stitch pattern repeat and did not notice that each cable was worked over 4 stitches -- I ended up counting the cable symbol as one stitch and then...I don't know. It just defies all logic, although it made sense to me at the time. After kicking myself in the head I was able to get back on track...sort of:

I love this pattern. I love the color of the yarn. I just don't love the yarn itself -- Beaches from Creatively Dyed. The yarn is just too springy and I think this has a lot to do with the twist. It just makes it very awkward to knit with as it keeps kinking up. I'd scrap it altogether, but the color is fabulous and it has great yardage -- 500 yards per skein! I guess I'll keep going, if only for the sake of getting the stuff out of my stash.

I had an interesting idea yesterday for something that could very well become the first ever Serial Hobbyist design! It was actually inspired by something my mother in law brought back from China (thankfully not the Mao Zedong t-shirt -- still have no words to describe that one). I'm still chewing over the details so be sure to check back periodically regarding updates on the mystery design project.

First Snow

2009-12-05T20:43:00.005-05:00

I've decided this week's post is going to be a two parter. While catching up on the week's knitting exploits is important I just can't ignore the first snow of the season. Fun fact: the first snowfall in Central Maryland has taken place on December 5 for the six of the past eight years. Weird, huh? Anyway, typically we only get a few flurries with little or no accumulation, but today...five inches of snow. Not bad for a storm that started off as a lovely mix of snain (snow and rain). It went from a relatively light wintry mix during the mid-morning hours...

...to a full-on blizzard by early afternoon.

I love it when it snows like this and I can appreciate the beauty and stillness that settles on the landscape without having to worry about driving around in it. Actually it came at a good time because I needed a little something to help get me in the Christmas spirit. A good snow storm will do it every time.

Having One of Those Days...

2009-11-29T21:51:00.004-05:00

Where nothing is working out the way it should. First part of the pie crust for my quiche falls apart during baking (fortunately it was on a baking sheet or I'd have custard all over the bottom of my oven). Then I managed to lose the new bulb I was trying to replace in a string of Christmas tree lights...in the tree. I shook/ removed every single branch on the side where it fell. Nothing. I did eventually find some spares and restored power to the circuit that was affected by the missing bulb, but the whole experience definitely falls under the heading of one of the Twelve Pains of Christmas (check out the very funny animated video here). Dinner really didn't get that much better as I made two disturbing discoveries: 1) the bag of potatoes I'd bought a week and a half ago had turned into a rotting mess and 2) we left the corkscrew at my husband's aunt's house when we went over there for Thanksgiving dinner. The potato situation, though annoying was relatively minor, but I don't like things standing between me and my wine. A new corkscrew will need to be obtained tomorrow or things are going to get ugly. I had planned on felting my slippers this evening but changed my mind after this string of mishaps -- I figured it was probably best not to tempt fate on this one. At any rate the slippers are all seamed and ready to go. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Rewind...Then Fast-Forward

2009-11-27T11:16:00.008-05:00

In my last post I was frantically trying to finish the Wedding Clapotis. Did I make my deadline? Well, if you would look to the sidebar on your right you will see that it's officially off the needles and in the FO pile! I got the piece blocked Sunday/ Monday and handed it off to my co-worker on Tuesday. Overall I'm satisfied with the way it turned out, although blocking the finished Clapotis was more work than I had antipated.
I've never actually blocked lace and had a hard time with pinning out the edges. Also, the room where I blocked my other Clapotis no longer has carpet -- it was so easy to jam pins into the carpet but you can't exactly do that with a hardwood floor. Boo! Anyway it's done and I am very glad to see the back of this project. It had just gotten to the point where it had become more of a chore than something I was actually interested in doing. Granted, I would have been knitting anyway, but I didn't feel the same connection to the project that I get when I'm working on something for myself or when I'm knitting for someone that I care about. I don't know if my co-worker's daughter will wear it during her wedding reception today and frankly I really don't care. However, I will be sure to post a picture if she does end up wearing it.

Fast-forward to the present. I'm in the process of finishing up the knitting for the French Press Felted Slippers in Patons Classic Wool Merino yarn (Mercury). This has definitely proven to be a relatively easy project, and although you do have to make two of everything the pieces knit up quickly on large needles. For whatever reason my m1 increases on the knit sides have produced gaping holes. I'm a little nervous as to how this will affect the actual felting process, so I may may some adjustments prior to sticking the slippers in the washing machine. I hope to get these done either today or tomorrow.

For the time being, though, I'm going to keep the Thanksgiving momentum going and make Pumpkin Creme Brulee and Sage and Onion Stuffing for dinner tonight.

New Moon Has Risen

2009-11-20T18:13:00.006-05:00

Congrats to all my fellow Twihards! We've made it through a year of waiting for New Moon to come out. Everything I've read so far has been fairly positive. Good thing too because I don't think the director and the studio fully realize that even the slightest inconsistency could trigger riots of massive proportions. At this point the only thing that's standing between me and the next showing of New Moon is the damn Wedding Clapotis. The bottom line is I have to finish the knitting and start the blocking process within the next 24 hours. It's definitely doable (yeah, I've said that before) given that I'm well into the Section 4 decreases. Of course, I just dropped ten stitches typing this post so I'm going to have to do some back tracking. Blah! At this point my only incentive to get this done is the reward of a Sunday showing of New Moon. That being said let me get out of here and get my knit on. Team Edward all the way ;)

Thinking Is Dangerous

2009-11-14T10:34:00.008-05:00

As I continue to slog through the last few repeats of Section 3 of the Wedding Clapotis I find I'm thinking about potential projects for the coming months. I've gotten it into my head that I want to tackle knitting a lace shawl for my grandmother. No doubt I'm setting myself up for all kinds of torture in the long run, but as I turn the idea over and over in my mind it occurs to me that this is probably one of the few things I can knit for her. Sizing is definitely a concern as my grandmother and I have very different builds, and since I don't get to see her as often as I would like -- she lives in Southwest England -- I'm not really in a position to get her measurements. I do have one particular shawl pattern in mind: the Mystic Light Shawl by Anna Dalvi (aka knitandknag on Ravelry). Carin of Lime and Violet and Round the Twist fame (aka alcariel on Ravelry) worked on this shawl a few years ago in the Jaggerspun Zephyr and seemed to like how it turned out. The added bonus is that the Jaggerspun Zephyr comes in tons of colors and it's super cheap. So...it looks like there is more lace knitting in my future. Oh joy.

Another pattern I stumbled across while skulking around Ravelry is the French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi (aka frenchpressknits on Ravelry). I absolutely love the photos I've seen of the finished slippers. I'm all about form and function and this pattern is put together in such a way that it satisfies both criteria. Yay! These are probably going to get bumped up to the top of the queue because it's getting cold and I need something to keep my feet warm as I roam around the house. Besides, it looks like a quick project. I'm contemplating stash diving on this one, but I may also end up buying some more yarn for this project as I'm already going to be placing an order for the Jaggerspun Zephyr. Yes, thinking is definitely dangerous.

Back to reality and the last repeat of the Wedding Clapotis!

Let's Give This Another Try

2009-11-07T18:25:00.009-05:00

Amazing! The first post in almost two years. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not sure how long this renewed fascination will last. Lately I've felt that I have more to express than I'm actually saying, so this is my way of just getting it out there. Chances are I'll be the only one reading my ramblings, but others may be interested to get a glimpse into my bizarre little world.

So...what's the Serial Hobbyist up to now, you ask? Still knitting away furiously. Actually, I find it's the only way I can stay sane. There's a saying that has made it's way on to countless shirts, mugs, stickers, etc. that I can definitely identify with: I knit so I don't kill people. Unfortunately this desperation to preserve what's left of my sanity hasn't led to an overwhelming pile of finished objects. I find myself to be an extremely slow knitter, which often leads to me getting bored with a project long before it's ever finished. I think that probably why I've been knitting more socks recently. Second Sock Syndrome aside, I can typically finish a pair of socks within a few weeks unless something goes horribly wrong. I never thought I would become a sock knitter -- I always intended to go the traditional route and stick to sweaters -- but socks and I seem suited for one another. I think it's largely because there's a lot going on to capture my interest and by the time I get bored with one part of the sock it's time to move on to the next part. Alas, I have no time to knit socks right now. My knitting time has actually been taken up by the Clapotis I'm knitting for a co-worker's daughter's wedding.

Now I have nothing against this pattern. I made myself a Clapotis a year or two ago out of Brooks Farm Four Play and absolutely love it. It's just hard going through that third section and when you're a slow knitter like I am and knitting with the equivalent of dental floss. It seems like the straight rows will never end. I even have to work an extra four repeats on the length to compensate for the extra four repeats I added to the width. Even then I'm not sure it will be a long enough stole (yes, stole not scarf) for the bride. I'm really counting on the blocking to work miracles here because I'm only a one person sweat shop and the wedding is on November 27. At last check the width of the unblocked piece is roughly 20 inches and the length is about 40 inches. I'm so close but it's going to take an incredible amount of effort to make it through the rest of this section.

Wind it Up, Baby!

2008-01-06T22:54:00.001-05:00

I can only assume I was a bad girl in 2007 because Santa only brought me one of the things off my wish list. This left me more than a little depressed so I treated myself to a swift and ball winder. Both of these items can be a little pricey, which is one of the reasons I put off buying them, but I found them on sale on Joann.com. Use a 40-50% coupon (go, scour the Internet!), or gift card, to offset some of the costs and you have a terrific value. I am very pleased with my new toys, despite some initial set up problems (be sure to read the reviews of the products -- the feedback is tremendously helpful).
Gone are the tangled hanks of Araucania Nature Wool that were seeping into all parts of my stash. Peek in the containers and you'll find the wool wound, labeled, and neatly stacked. No more knitting off the hank (that happened only once, but what a fiasco it was!) or feeling guilty about asking my LYS to wind yarn bought elsewhere. I feel that I've graduated to a whole new level of knitting.

2007 Project Wrap Up

2008-01-05T12:50:00.000-05:00

Wow...the first blog post of 2008. Okay, so it deals with 2007 projects, but I think it's important to take some time and reflect on my knitting accomplishments over the past year. The list of completed projects, though small to some, is tremendous by Serial Hobbyist standards. I even managed to learn a couple of things along the way so it doesn't get much better than that. Here goes:

Fetching: Like many, I fell in love with Cheryl Niamath's pattern that appeared on knitty.com in late 2006. I ended up making five pairs of these gloves (most of them were knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran), four of which were given as gifts. If you're looking for a quick and easy project, this is it

Snowman at Midnight Stocking: I became obsessed with knitted stockings in the post-Christmas slump of 2006 thanks to the beautiful creations featured in Christmas Stockings and Knit Christmas Stockings!. Somehow I got this wild idea that I was going to spend the year knitting stockings and have them ready for use by the time December 2007 rolled around. In true Serial Hobbyist fashion, I was only able to complete one stocking: the Snowman at Midnight from Christmas Stockings.
The Rowan yarn used for the body of the stocking is no longer available, so I used some dark blue Araucania Nature Wool from the stash -- the shades in the yarn are reminiscent of the sky on a cold, clear night. The snowman and snow bobbles were worked from scraps in the stash. The patterns called for sewing the i-cord on to the stocking, but given my aversion to sewing I found it much easier (and cleaner) to knit it on. This technique is explained here.

Squares for the Hokie Healing Project:
Thanks to Gina of the Mosaic Yarn Shop, knitters and crocheters alike were able to cope with their emotions in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings by lending a helping hand. These 8"x8" squares will be used to create blankets for shooting victims and their families. At last check 8000+ squares had been received from all over the world! Read more about this project here. I was so proud to be part of such a worthwhile endeavor.

Cable and Rib Turtleneck:
This sweater was my first foray into cables and garment shaping. I chose to knit the Small size in Cascade 220 (Natural). Information about the pattern can be found here. I actually finished knitting this sweater in April of 2006, but the sewing aversion left it sitting on my blocking board for a year and a half. I was forced to spring into action in June of 2007 when I saw that the cat had thrown up on it! Fortunately, the stain came out (I love Shout!), but I still couldn't wrap my head around the sewing process. Enter Renee from Knits Finished. She was able to sew my pieces together to create a work of art. I love this sweater so much! Not only is it super warm, but I get this tremendous sense of satisfaction knowing that I saw this project through to completion every time I wear it.

Pea Pod Baby Set:
What started out as a "Welcome to the World" gift turned into a Christmas present for my friend Jackie's baby girl. Fortunately I knit the cardigan in the 12-month size and the hat in the Large size so Riley should get some use out of both pieces. The set was knit in Elann's Super Cable Aran, a 100% mercerized cotton, in Elm Green. The yarn worked well for the pattern, but it did get slippery at times. The plies split easily, so you really need to watch where you put your needles. The cardigan was finished with six 4-hole 15mm wood buttons (Natural) courtesy of M & J Trimming. I love the way this set turned out. It's simple, yet sophisticated. It's also a great introduction to lacework. I'm really glad that I have another Pea Pod Baby Set left to knit.

Those of you paying attention to this blog will notice the distinct absence of the Ariann cardigan in the list of finished projects. In spite of my best efforts it's still not done. I actually was very close to finishing, but had to rip out close to thirty rows because I hadn't worked the decreases correctly. Interestingly enough it seems that this is the section that people struggle with the most. I'm really surprised that Bonne Marie Burns hasn't posted some sort of FAQ for this project. It certainly would help to clarify things. Sooo... I'm taking Ariann into 2008 with me. This doesn't necessarily make me thrill me to the core, but I do feel that this is a worthwhile project. Let's hope it doesn't drive me crazy.

Update, Albeit Long Overdue

2007-10-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

I like my new approach to blogging: post when I have something to say, if I don't...who cares! I deal with enough pressure in my day-to-day life, so it's nice to keep some things low-key. On the other hand (and here's where I start to contradict myself -- it's the Gemini in me), I do like to keep the blogging momentum going, so here's a quick update on where things currently stand with the WIPs:

Ariann Cardigan: Still knitting away and keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be too small. I was hoping to finish it in September, but now I'll be lucky to finish it before the end of the year

Pea Pod Cardigan: Haven't touched it since my last post (Boo)

Petal (Test Pattern): This is the project that has been taking up most of my time. I've been working away at it steadily, but it's pretty slow going. What I have noticed is that this project eats yarn, and I don't think I'm going to have enough of the current color to work the trim around the sleeves, neck, and front bands. I'm going to have to delve into the stash and find a contrasting color. I'm about 70% of the way through the sweater. I'm really hoping to finish it within the next few weeks

In other news, I finally received my invite to join Ravelry after a three-month wait. I've spent the last two weeks exploring the beta version of the site and it is truly an amazing tool! I can't say enough good things about it, especially since it has motivated me to get organized and do an inventory of my stash. No surprise: I have a lot of yarn, about 7500+ yards of it to be exact. Fortunately Ravelry can link to other users who either have the yarns currently in their stashes, or have worked them into fabulous creations -- this should give me some good ideas for future projects. Any-hoo...check out the site and add yourself to the waiting list if you like what you see.

Current WIPs

2007-09-03T17:33:00.001-05:00

Given that I have been babbling extensively about the Ariann cardigan and the Pea Pod Baby Set, I figured that I should probably post a few pictures to convince all of you out there that I have been working away diligently these last few weeks. The pictures didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, especially in the case of the close-up shot of the Leaf Lace detail, but it's hard to photograph a piece of knitting that seems to go on forever. Okay. I've stalled long enough. Here they are:

For those of you unfamiliar with this pattern, the Ariann cardigan is made up of a 12-st repeat of 2 - mirrored 6-st sections. The eyelet pattern is easy to memorize, and is a nice introduction to lace work. It certainly gives the cardigan a level of sophistication without being too complicated. I am knitting this sweater using Selkirk wool (Light Gray). I've been pretty pleased with this wool overall as it has some nice undertones.
It will definitely make a lovely sweater, although getting it finished is a serious challenge for the Serial Hobbyist! I do feel, though, that things will go a little faster now that the sleeves are joined to the body. The downside is that I'm now stuck with a pile of heavy knitting in my lap. Oh well. There are trade offs with everything.

I'm really enjoying the Pea Pod Baby Set pattern. Generally I find knitting large areas in stockinette stitch rather boring, but the moss stitch and the lace work definitely adds interest to the piece.

I am knitting the cardigan using Elann Super Cable Aran (Elm Green). I had originally intended to use the yarn for a baby blanket, but quickly realized that the 100% mercerized cotton would work better for a garment than it would for a blanket. It is actually nice to work with, although it can get a little slippery at times. I also am forced to experiment with new types of joins as a way to avoid weaving in ends -- I typically use wool, so I always use a felted join when I switch to a new ball. I tried the Russian Join and that seemed to work, but I'll see what else is out there. I'm about halfway through the body of the cardigan at this point. I might need to put this project on hold while I work on other things. Fortunately I have time on my side: it will take the recipient about 6 months to grow into this sweater.

Thoughts on the Latest Issue of Vogue Knitting and Other Knitting News

2007-08-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... I've had my Fall 2007 issue of Vogue Knitting for two weeks and I'm still a little nonplussed by their selection of patterns for the season. I realize that this is the 25th anniversary issue and the main focus is depicting the evolution of style and design, not just of knitting but of the magazine itself, but, with the exception of two or three patterns, I'm not really inspired by anything featured in this issue. The patterns that did catch my eye are the Michael Kors cape featured on Page 161, the James Coviello cardi featured on Page 159, and the Mari Lynn Patrick hoodie featured on Page 155. Each of these patterns is unique in its own way and would make a great addition to my wardrobe, but they're not high on my list of projects at the moment. I guess I'm just surprised by the overall blahness of the Fall patterns after such a great Summer 2007 issue -- I'm still copying patterns out of that issue! Still, I guess it's good that I'm not really motivated to make anything from the latest issue, at least not right away. I already have too much going on as it is.

Speaking of which, I volunteered, and was subsequently chosen, to test Stefanie Japel's latest pattern "Petal". This sweater is worked from the top down and has a two-button closure at the neckline. I'm actually pretty excited about this opportunity because I've never tested a pattern before and it's kind of cool to be able to give the designer feedback about a pattern before it gets released to the masses. Plus, it forces me to use some of the yarn in my stash! I wanted to knit the sweater in this inky-blue Elann Peruvian Highland Wool (I think the color is actually called Admiral Blue), but didn't have enough yardage; I ended up using an Antique Blue in the same line. It's not ideal, but at least I'll use up a couple of balls of yarn that have been sitting around for two years.

In other knitting news, Sleeve #2 is almost complete. The increases are done, but I still have a few more rows to work before it's long enough. My goal is to attach the sleeves to the body before the end of the weekend, but we'll see if that actually happens.

The first Pea Pod is moving along nicely. I've worked two 10-row sections of the Leaf Lace pattern and things are really starting to take shape. I've been throwing around some ideas for buttons and am currently leaning towards making bobbles. It seems a practical way to eliminate a choking hazard.

Background Entertainment

2007-08-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

I tend to have the TV on when I knit in the evenings. This summer I've been thoroughly entertained by Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance. My favorite performance of the season was danced by Sabra and Neil:

Check out these other great performances from Sara and Pasha and Lacey and Danny.

Is it any wonder that I wasn't focusing on the Pea Pod pattern?

Project Juggling

2007-08-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

I ran into some problems with the Pea Pod cardigan this week. The source of the distress is clearly outlined in my latest post on the Knitty Forums. Once again the knitting community came to my rescue and I've been able to get back on track. As Angela pointed out, the designer's phrasing is a little tricky. I found I had to read through the entire pattern a couple of times before I fully understood how to work the increases. I did find it helpful to look at photos of finished Pea Pods. There are plenty out there, but I found Angela's to be the best because the color of her set is so vibrant and the stitches so well-defined. Check out some of her earlier Pea Pod posts as well.

With all of this fuss over the Pea Pod, Sleeve #2 of the Ariann cardigan has seen no action. I'm thinking I might make this a weekend project because it's too finicky to work on during the week. Hmmm... I just realized that last comment made no sense whatsoever given that the Pea Pod cardigan has some intricate lace detail. Whatever. The point is that my timeline for completing the Ariann cardigan will need to be revised given my obsession with the new project. I was originally aiming to have Ariann done by the end of August, but I figure I'm now looking at a completion date of mid- to late September. That's what I get for starting another project with one still on the needles. So much knitting, so little time.

Obsessed Much?

2007-08-12T08:34:00.000-05:00

Do You Want the Good News...or the Bad News?

2007-08-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

I've been more than a little distracted this week thanks to all the stuff that has been going on in my personal life so it hasn't been a great week for knitting.

The Good News
Sleeve #2 of the Ariann cardigan is back on the needles! Yes, after last weekend's frogging/ yarn unkinking episode everything is progressing very nicely. I'm not anticipating any more problems for the next 75 rows. I'm sure things will get interesting when it comes time to attach the sleeves to the body, though.

The Bad News
Silly me. In the midst of all of my turmoil I decided to start work on the Pea Pod Baby Set. For those not familiar with this pattern, it incorporates a little bit of lacework, so it's kind of important to pay attention to those charts. Amazing how you can miss a detail like that when you're lost in thought. To make a long story short, I had to frog through about eight 127-stitch rows once I realized my mistake. That was truly more painful than frogging Sleeve #2.

Hideously Kinky

2007-08-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a well-deserved break from the Ariann cardigan this weekend. For those unfamiliar with my trials and tribulations associated with certain portions of this pattern, my angst is partially documented here.

Well, after about a month of never-ending frustration, Sleeve #1 is finally done and ready to be attached to the body. The piece that is now being considered Sleeve #2 was actually worked before Sleeve #1. In other words, it was done before I fully understood the pattern and now a prime candidate for frogging. Of course, given that the wool had already been worked and reworked a couple of times (thanks to the initial issue with the provisional cast-on) it was in serious need of some TLC. Surprisingly, Debbie Stoller's Stitch n' Bitch was very informative on the subject of unkinking yarn. I followed these steps:

1) Take the unraveled yarn and wind it into a hank. Use scrap yarn to secure the hank in at least three places
2) Fill the sink with warm water and a little bit of soap (I used Woolite). Immerse the hank(s) and swish them them around a little (I also let mine sit in the water for about five minutes)
3) Rinse the hank(s) and hang to dry (Debbie recommends attaching some kind of weight to the bottom the the hank to stretch out any additional kinks -- I used a Rubix cube)
4) Wind the hank into a ball when dry

Done. The entire process took about 24 hours and couldn't have been easier. I now have a usable ball of wool for Sleeve #2, which will be picked up again once the swatch for the Pea Pod Baby Set is finished.

Today's lesson in a nutshell: Yarn is like a computer -- sometimes the memory needs to be purged to ensure optimal performance.

The Return of the Blog?

2007-08-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Someone recently asked me if I had a blog. Given that blogs are a way of life in the knitting community, I was ashamed to admit that my blog has been defunct for about two years. In my defense, though, I have been firmly adhering to my principles as a serial hobbyist by not finishing what I start.

Anyway, I have had thoughts about starting up the blog again, although this time around I'm thinking that I might skew it more towards knitting and leave all of the other stuff out of the equation. I've grown so much as a knitter over the last two years that I should probably document more of my experiences in this area. It will be interesting to see how long this motivation lasts.

Thinking Ahead

2005-08-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it's the end of August. Summer 2005 has just flown by in a hot and humid haze -- you got to love the alliteration there! I hate to say it, but it's time to start planning for the holidays, especially if I'm going to be knitting gifts for friends and family. Things got a little out of control towards the end of the holiday season last year, so I didn't really get to enjoy the lead up to Christmas as much as I should have. I'm one of those people who always likes to learn from their mistakes, and if planning ahead requires ordering my Christmas cards in August and writing them in September, so be it. My goal is just to enjoy the season a little more, and not get so stressed out about everything that (I feel) needs to be done.

As far as the knitted gifts go, I think bags and scarves are my best bet as they knit up relatively quickly. The Booga Bag is always a good choice and I can see one or two people getting a kick out of that. I'm considering the Marakesh Shoulder Bag as a gift for my step-mother-in-law but I'll have to wait and see if I like the look of the finished project. As annoying as it is to knit, I do like the look of the Eros Eyelet Scarf. It's just a really trendy piece, something that I can see my female friends incorporating into their wardrobes. We'll see.

Branded a Bandwidth Bandit

2005-08-16T17:41:00.000-05:00

It has recently been brought to my attention that I have inadvertently been stealing bandwidth from various sites. Yikes! I had no idea that this would be such a big deal, but it got me booted out of a queue to join a knitting ring. Most of the photo/button links were temporary solutions until I could figure out how to get images into my blogger.com sidebar -- things do get a little tricky when you don't have your own server. In any event, I think I've managed to rectify the situation, but who knows what other rules I've broken in the process.

In knitting news, the front panel of the Marakesh Shoulder Bag is complete and looks quite lovely.

Okay, the picture is a little on the lousy side. I had to take it using my camera phone because I haven't had a chance to reinstall the digital camera software since my hard drive crashed -- that's a long and painful story that we won't go into right now. Hopefully, the closeup will reveal the intricacy of the pattern. It was a little hard working the pattern at the outset, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I am a little sorry that the front panel is done, though. The back panel of the bag is worked in stockinette stitch. After the challenge of the front panel, the back panel will be positively dull.

Winding Down the Weekend

2005-08-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

There's something to be said for piece and quiet. It's nice to hit a lull after what turned out to be a very busy weekend. It's hard to cram two family gatherings into an eighteen hour period, but somehow we managed to pull it off. Quite honestly, I could have done without both of them. Unfortunately, I had very little control over the situations. I ended up just sucking it up and dealing with it, so both events turned out pretty well. I even managed to be pleasant. I do wish, though, that there had been more communication and considerably less inconvenience both to myself and to my husband. It really annoys me to think of just how much certain people get away with and how blind they are to the feelings of others. On a more positive note: I wore my hot pink wrap dress for the first time this weekend and absolutely rocked it!

All of this activity hasn't left too much time for knitting. I now have three -- yes, three -- projects that I'm working on. I guess this is indicative of just how split my focus is right now. No sooner do I start one project than I'm itching to start another. The latest and greatest is the Eros Eyelet Scarf that I saw when I visited my LYS this past Friday. The scarf is made by stranding two kinds of Plymouth yarn, Electra (Color #22) and Eros Glitz (Color #104), to get the lacy effect. As beautiful as the end result is, these yarns are very difficult to work with. If the pattern called for straight knitting, I doubt that I would find any fault with them. However, the pattern calls for a lot of yarn overs and purling two stitches together. Given the ladder-like nature of the Eros Glitz this is quite a challenge. I'm constantly counting stitches to make sure I have the correct number on the needles. It's also hard to tell when I've made a mistake -- I've had to frog this particular piece three times already. This is definitely a project for a more experienced knitter with time on her hands.

How do I get myself into these situations?

Curiosity Finally Got the Better of Me

2005-08-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

Personally, I blame Yarnmarket.com. Had they not featured the Marakesh Shoulder Bag in their July 2005 bulletin, I would be happily knitting my Ribby Cardi. I think it's fair to say that I quickly became obsessed with the idea of creating this bag, and I went ahead and bought the pattern and all of the materials. I'm proud to say that although the pattern leaflet has sat on my desk for the last week I actually managed to exercise some restraint and keep my paws off of it...until last night.

I can't explain why, but the urge just hit me to start knitting it. It was to the point that I actually had the Rowan Cotton Rope in hand and was getting ready to cast on the 58 stitches when tragedy struck. Reading ahead to the instructions for the first row I saw the following notation:

Row 1 (WS): P1, *(K1, yfwd, K1) into next st, P3tog, rep from * to last st, P1.

(K1, yfwd, K1) into next st? What?!!

Well, that complication prompted an emergency posting on the Knitty boards. Fortunately, Ingrid was able to steer me in the right direction, instructing me to knit the stitch without sliding it off then move the yarn to the front (in typical YO fashion) and knit the stitch again. This, of course, makes perfect sense so I'm a little embarrassed that I couldn't figure this out for myself. I guess this proves that the brain can shut down completely after midnight.

With this advice in hand, I have spent a good portion of the morning knitting away at the Marakesh Shoulder Bag -- I've completed 3 inches of the front panel. The pattern is really beginning to take shape, although I did have my doubts initially. A good cast-on method -- I went with the cable cast-on -- is definitely needed here because of the complexity of that first row. The repeated P3tog step is particularly challenging, especially given the thickness of the Rowan Cotton Rope. The yarn also has a tendency to separate, making this a project which requires close attention. Despite my gripes about the yarn, I do like the color. It's called "Limeade", although it's more of a sage green. It should make for a very pretty bag.

My poor Ribby Cardi! Hopefully, I'll be able to pick it up again later on today. I do want to finish the back panel before the end of the weekend.

Good Eats

2005-08-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

The husband has been doing Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks, so I've really cut back on a lot of my cooking. It's just way too difficult to try to work within his points range, especially since he usually eats/drinks something during the day that throws him off track. Plus, it's summer and I don't necessarily want to be cooking with a hot oven when the entire state is under a heat advisory. I was determined to do something, however. I was flipping through the recipe book that I bought at my friend's Pampered Chef party a few weeks ago, and came across this recipe for Salmon en Papillote (salmon cooked in parchment paper).

The recipe is very straightforward: Cook 2/3 cup of orzo pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain. Mix in 2 plum tomatoes (diced and seeded) and 1/4 cup of scallions; you can also add black olives, but I chose not to. Add some lemon zest, a tablespoon of basil pesto (I used store bought), and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 3/4 of mixture onto right side of folded piece of parchment paper. Top with 4-6oz salmon fillet (skinned and rinsed). Top salmon with thin layer of basil pesto. Fold left side of parchment paper over salmon; fold and crimp sides to create a packet. Place packets on a baking sheet and place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 13-15 minutes, or until salmon is flaky. Remove from oven. Cut an 'X' in the middle of the packet, fold back the points, et voila! Serve with a side of vegetables, or anything else that you think works.

The flavors of this dish are fantastic. The basil pesto and lemon zest do a lot to enhance the taste of the salmon and the orzo. The tomatoes and the scallions also add color and texture. I guess the real attraction, though, is that this gourmet-style meal takes next to no time to prepare/cook, making it perfect for people with busy lifestyles.

And what was hubby's reaction? Well, he loved it, but he got hit hard with the points. Apparently Weight Watchers can't differentiate between good fat and bad fat -- go figure. Diet or no diet, this is a dish that I plan on keeping in my repertoire.

Sitcom Chic Finished!

2005-07-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

It's finally finished and I'm very proud of the way it turned out. Best of all, it's actually wearable!

I would definitely recommend this pattern to any beginning/intermediate knitter who is looking to take things to the next level. The pattern is very straightforward, but challenging enough to keep all knitters on their toes. I can see myself making another one of these sweaters at some point in time.

Here's what I learned from this experience:

Knitting sweaters in as few pieces as possible is great: The benefit, of course, is that there are fewer seams to deal with (did I mention that I can't sew?). Casting on all of those stitches at the outset might seem like a big hassle, but it's worth it in the long run.
There's more than one method to cast-on stitches: Up until a couple of days ago, I thought there was only one method. Some methods are better suited for certain projects than others.
Use circular needles with FLEXIBLE cords: There were times during this project when I wanted to destroy my Bates circulars -- the cord just wasn't cooperating, especially when it came time to work the eyelet detailing. In this case, cheaper does not equal better. Invest in the good stuff. You won't regret it.

Released from Jury Service

2005-07-29T22:34:00.000-05:00

After four days of testimony and eleven hours of deliberations, the trial came to an end (finally!) this afternoon. Although I wasn't thrilled about being picked to serve on a jury, I have to admit that it was a very interesting experience. The part that I dreaded the most, though, was trying to decide on a verdict. It's extremely difficult to sit in judgement and know that your decision will have a decided impact on the lives of the parties involved. The added twist is that the decision has to be based solely on the letter of the law and the preponderance of the evidence. There's no room for emotion in these decisions. All of that has to be checked at the door. Good thing it was a civil lawsuit and not a criminal case.

"Jimmy", the intrepid reporter with the weird pen fettish (I swear, he stuck that pen in every orafice in his head), did a decent job of covering the case. His articles are listed below:

I'm sure that I would have absolutely hated performing my civic duty had it not been for my fellow jurors. It's kind of scary to think that you can randomly put eight people together and have them click so well. There were times when we were laughing so hard that I wondered how we would ever be able to keep straight faces in the courtroom. It really did seem like we were having way too much fun for jury duty. Terry, Donna, Kelly, Ed, Dee, Kathy, and Kevin: you guys are totally awesome and I'm so glad I got to know you over the last few days. Here's hoping that we can continue our friendships outside of the courthouse!

Now don't think my Ribby Cardi has been neglected during all of this drama. I was knitting away with my Denise needles in spite of Security's repeated claims that they would be confiscated upon entering the building. Go figure. At any rate, I managed to get a couple of inches of the back panel finished and I'm pretty pleased with the results so far. The ribbing is actually looking halfway decent, and I absolutely hate ribbing. Must be the magic of the new needles.

Doing My Civic Duty

2005-07-25T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. After three weeks of being on call for jury duty for the District Court of Maryland, I get selected as a jury member for a trial. I can't say this was a surprise, though. I had an awful feeling that I was going to get picked about halfway through the three-hour voir dire process. Of course, the fact that I practically leaped out of my seat when faced with the question of whether I would be able to participate in a trial that was scheduled to last four plus days probably didn't help matters. I cited work-related reasons, and I honestly felt that I had just cause for dismissal. The judge wasn't having any of it, though, and I ended up back in the pool. Chances are that if I had kept my mouth shut I would have been "safe". Now I have the dubious honor of serving as Juror #7 on an eight person jury.

On a positive note, I was able to complete my swatch for the Ribby Cardi (I'm not entirely sure how I managed to get my needles into the courthouse without detection, let alone comment!).

Looks like I'll definitely have to drop a needle size -- instead of the recommended US 6 and 7 needles, I'll be using US 5 & 6. I'm still a little worried about the ribbing aspect of this project. I've always used the Knitting-On method to cast-on my stitches, but it doesn't seem to work as well when setting up for a project like the Ribby. I've managed to find a cast-on method on Knittinghelp.com that seems more suited for ribbing. The method is called Cable Cast-on. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to master and I'm definitely encouraged by what I've seen so far. The first row immediately after the cast-on row is always the most difficult for me -- things tend to get a little loose -- but this doesn't seem to be the case with the Cable Cast-on. Who knows: I might actually start enjoying ribbing after this experience!

And the Winner Is...

2005-07-24T22:22:00.000-05:00

The decision to which project I should start next was taken out of my hands. Since the wool for the Ribby Cardi was the first to show up at my door, that's what I decided to go with. Actually, I have to say that I was very impressed with how quickly elann.com processed my order -- I placed the order on a Wednesday evening and had received the materials by Saturday afternoon. So happy!

The colors that I'm using on for my Ribby are Lotus Blossom (body) and Grape (sleeves and collar), both beautiful shades of purple from the Highland Wool Peruvian Collection.

Ideally, I would have liked to have used a really dark color for the sleeves and a really light color for the body, but it doesn't really matter. This partcular yarn is cheap enough at $2.25 a ball that I can afford to make more of these sweaters down the road.

I have to say, though, that I'm a little nervous about knitting this sweater. I'm not particularly good at ribbing, especially when it comes immediately after the cast-on row. This really shows on the sleeve and body edges of Sitcom Chic. It's definitely something that I'm going to need to work on if I'm going to continue knitting sweaters.

Yokes and Yarns

2005-07-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

Have been busily working away on the yoke detail for Sitcom Chic. I absolutely love the way the yarn overs turned out -- it really gives the piece an interesting and sophisticated look.

The slightly raised appearence of the decreases also adds a little bit of character to the sweater. I'm excited to finish this project and start showing it off. Now if it will only fit...

The Denise Needles arrived and I can't wait to start using them. I love the variety of needles, not to mention the flexibility of the cords. The Bates needles -- I know, I went the cheap route! -- I'm using for Sitcom Chic pale in comparison.

Since Sitcom Chic is almost finished, I have been trying to line up materials for some new projects. Looks like the next project is either going to be the Ribby Cardi from Chicknits.com or the Fibonacci Cardigan from Magknits.com -- I seem to be on a roll with cardigans these days. However, don't count out the Marakash Shoulder Bag featured in the latest Yarnmarket.com bulletin. Needless to say I've been stock piling yarn like crazy. I'll just have to see where the mood takes me.

I'm Done With Booga Bags...

2005-07-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Well, at least for the time being. My recent preoccupation (okay, obsession) with my Boogas caused me to completely ignore my other project, Sitcom Chic. So...without further ado, here is the final photo of the two bags. I'm pretty pleased with the results:

Progress on Sitcom Chic has been generally good over the last couple of days. Finishing sleeve #2 was definitely the highlight of the weekend, and I'm more than a little relieved the the DPN portion of the project is now over. While it seemed to take less time to knit sleeve #2 than it did to knit sleeve #1, sleeve #2 kept jumping off the needles. It was too horrible to describe. Dropped stitches everywhere. Fortunately, though, this trauma was short lived.

I ended up joining all three pieces late Sunday afternoon. Here's a picture I snapped prior to the join:

I had no problems joining the pieces, but I'm finding the sweater to be very heavy on the needles. It's like there's too much fabric. I don't think that's the case, but I won't know for sure until I cast off. I'm just worried about the stitches stretching around the armholes because of the weight. For the time being, though, I'm happily knitting away. I'm only rows away from the yoke detailing. After all of the stockinette stitches, yarn overs will definitely make for a nice change.

I decided to treat myself to the Denise needle set -- it beats tearing my hair out later on. The package should arrive sometime this week!

Various Rants and Ravings

2005-07-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

It's horribly humid in Maryland right now. I think that's probably the reason why I didn't sleep well last night. I just feel sticky and gross. Forget about makeup: anything I put on my face will just slide right off. It's not even worth doing anything with the hair: it will either frizz or go completely limp. Such a wonderful day to be a girl.

I went to my friend Kelly's Pampered Chef party last night -- I can never seem to pass up an opportunity to add things to my kitchen. Of course, I wanted everything in the current catalog, so I had to exercise a little restraint -- very hard to do when all the products are so good. I ended up ordering the medium Bar Pan, the large Micro-cooker, the Measure-All Cup, the new Ice Cream Sandwich Maker, and a cookbook. This is all stuff I'll use, so it was worth the money. I still have my eye on the Simple Additions Essential Set, however. Co-worker Martha is having a Pampered Chef party of her own next month, so I might wait to place the order. Plus, I would also qualify for the August Guest Special. It's all good.

I'm strongly considering purchasing a set of the Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles. It seems to make more sense than purchasing the needles individually. Since I always have to drop a needle size, it would be easier to have a supply of needles on hand. One Ebay seller has the sets for $47.95 (shipping included) so I might decide to go that route. From what I've seen, this is a pretty good price.

Photos of Carol's Bags

2005-07-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

Since Carol's bags are just so beautiful, I just had to include some photos in this blog. The green of the grass really sets off the colors in each bag.

Booga Bag #102 & Thoughts on the Felting Process

2005-07-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

Why is it that things that seem so simple always turn out to be the most complicated? The whole concept of felting seemed easy enough to understand: throw some wool into a washing machine full of hot water and heavy items, let the bag agitate until desired level of felting has been reached, remove from machine and block. Simple enough, but had I known a few months ago what I know now, Booga Bag #102 would have been much better off.
Booga Bag #102 was the first Booga ever knitted by yours truly. Never having felted anything before, I took great pains to follow the felting instructions in the pattern. I wasn't too sure of what to expect, so I checked the bag at the end of each full cycle. I could see that something was happening, but it wasn't happening too quickly. Since the pattern indicates that 3 or 4 trips through the wash may be needed to achieve desired level of felting, I wasn't too worried -- I think I probably ran the bag through the wash about 5 times before blocking it. Since I didn't have a clear understanding as to how the finished felted bag was supposed to look, I felt that I had achieved the desired result. Hey, not only was it fuzzy, but it had even shrunk a little from its numerous trips through the wash! It even looked like the picture. So what if the dimensions were a little (okay, a lot) off -- I knit for gorillas! It was my bag and I couldn't wait to start using it.
It wasn't long, however, before I started noticing a couple of problems with my creation. It doesn't react well to heavy items like wallets and cell phones. In other words, the bottom sags and looks so weird that I have to take extra care not to put anything in the bag that would give it a "weighed down" look. The bag is also a little too deep and lacks any kind of structure. Still, I thought that this was normal and didn't think anything of it...until a few days ago.
Co-worker Carol is relatively new to knitting. I actually gave her the Booga Bag pattern a couple of months ago to help her transition away from scarves. Since then she has been knitting bags as gifts for her grand daughters, but has only just gotten around to felting them. The results blew me away. Her bags are cute and compact, perfectly shaped. They even stand up on their own! The felting is perfect -- the stitches are barely visible! I think it was at that point that I realized that something had gone horribly wrong with Booga Bag #102. Further discussion revealed the problem.
Even though my bag had gone through the wash 5 times, it had gone through 5 complete cycles (i.e. hot wash, cold rinse, spin). While the hot water got the felting process started, the cold water actually stopped it. Carol, on the other hand, stopped her washing machine after each wash cycle and then reset it to start the wash cycle all over again, thereby keeping her bags out of the cold rinse cycle until she had achieved the desired level of felting. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
I applied this method to Booga Bag #150 and have achieved perfect results thus far. I did have to reset the machine a couple of times and vary the length of the wash cycles to get the bag to where I wanted it to be. While I don't enjoy hanging out in the basement, it's a necessary part of this process.
Booga Bag #150 turned out so well that I got this crazy idea into my head that I should try to refelt Booga Bag #102. But could it be done? Since I figured that I'd already wrecked it, what did I have to lose? Here are some pictures of the bag prior to the second felting (4.5" D x 9" W x 11 H):

And after:

I did have to refelt the bag with the straps attached. Hopefully this won't make too much of a difference. It doesn't look like it's any the worse for going through the process a second time, but we'll see.

Here's what I learned from this experience:

Things are never as simple as they seem: Had I done a little more research, I would have known how to do things right the first time.
Be patient: The process does take time.
Don't walk away!: Monitor all stages of the felting process -- this will involve camping out in the basement/laundry room.
Get to know the washing machine: Key in determining the length of the cycles, whether you can stop/start the machine in mid cycle, etc.
Dimensions and structure are important: Get as close to the finished dimensions as possible. The bag should be very fuzzy and have some structure to it -- keep felting if individual stitches are still visible.
Refelting is possible: It's comforting to know that a project gone wrong can be salvaged under certain circumstances.

I Smell Like Wet Wool

2005-07-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

Booga Bag #150 was finally felted yesterday afternoon. I'm still new to the whole felting process, so I was more than a little nervous when I threw the pillowcase containing the Booga Bag and I-cord into the washing machine. Of course, it didn't help that I completely screwed things up when I attempted to felt my first bag, Booga Bag #102, but I'll save that story for a future post.
I was extra vigilant when it came to Booga Bag #150. I actually stayed in the laundry room and reset the washing machine at the end of every wash cycle! Apart from the I-cord escaping and winding itself around the pillowcase during one of the wash cycles, everything went smoothly. The bag even felted down to the finished dimensions listed in the pattern -- 4.5" D x 7.5" W x 8.5" H. Amazing! The bag is now happily blocking on its shoe box. We'll see how things look in the next 24 hours, but I'm pleased with the results so far.

Booga Bag Revisited

2005-07-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to pick up a project that has been on the verge of completion for the last several months. While I absolutely adore the Booga Bag pattern, I'm not too crazy about the Noro Kureyon #150 that I chose for my second attempt. This just goes to show that you can't really pick a color yarn based on images that you find online. Had I seen this color in a store I never would have bought it -- too much gray for my taste. At any rate, it is what it is.
Finishing the project took next to no time. All I really had to do was weave in the ends and finish the I-cord, but this seemed like back-breaking work a couple of months ago. I am nothing if not lazy. Next step in the process: felting.

Bells and Whistles

2005-07-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

I was browsing through a couple of blogs this morning, and I noticed that a lot of them have progress bars tracking the status of various projects. Of course, I had to have one, so I spent a good portion of the morning scouring the web for the code to make the dream a reality. Out of all the sites I looked at, I found David Anaxagoras' Man Bytes Hollywood blog to be the most informative. His explanation of the code is clear and easy to follow, a nice change from the complicated technical jargon that is found on most sites. It literally took only minutes to get this code up and running on my blog. It looks so cool!

The Blog Begins...

2005-07-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

I love holidays. I love that I can sleep late and have some time to do the things that I want to do. Best of all, I get a paid day off from work!
I've recently returned to a hobby that I haven't picked up since I was 10 or 11 years old: knitting. Thinking back, I realize that I gave up knitting for two keys reasons:

I was devastated when the pattern on my first sweater didn't line up as it was supposed to. The sweater pattern had three thin stripes running across the width of body -- one in blue, one in green, and another one in blue. I followed the pattern correctly for the front of the sweater, but...reversed the stripes on the back of the sweater. Oh, what wonders that did for my self esteem at age 11.
I fell in love with counted cross-stitch. It was just something about the charts and the beautiful DMC colors. For awhile there I was determined to have every color floss in my collection.

While I still love cross-stitch, I find that it puts a lot of strain on my 29-year old eyes, especially after a long day of staring at a computer screen. I needed something that would allow me to keep my hands busy while watching TV, not require a lot of close work, feed my creative fire, and give me a sense of accomplishment. Hence my return to knitting after an 18 year hiatus.

Starting off small was the best thing I could have possibly done. I highly recommend Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch as a bible for all knitters. Not only does she go into the history of knitting, but the various techniques are illustrated in a way that is very easy to follow. The book also offers a reasonably good (and trendy!) selection of patterns. My first project, a Coney Island Fireworks scarf, came from this book and was met with rave reviews.

Since then I've branched out to try my hand at hats, the infamous Booga Bag, and have recently completed a baby sweater. My latest challenge comes in the form of a sweater pattern I found in the Knitty.com pattern archives.

The pattern is called Sitcom Chic. I chose it largely because it looked like a relatively straightforward project. The thing that was probably the most most attractive about this sweater is that it doesn't require a lot of seaming (I'm not really that good when it comes to sewing). I've also used the recommended Lion Brand Cotton-Ease before and found it good to work with.

A cute sweater like this needs to be in a bright color. Fortunately, the Cotton-Ease yarn comes in several great colors. Unfortunately, my local Joann's Etc. didn't have too much stock on hand. I hate it when stores reorganize! Anyway, I ended up with 5 balls of Cotton-Ease in Popsical (shouldn't it be popsicle?) Blue, a beautiful turquoise color that's perfect for summer. Since the yarn was on clearance, I actually got all 5 balls for the unheard of price of...$3.94! Needless to say I was happy. I think that was the first time I actually came in under budget when buying yarn.

I should say that because I am a loose knitter I have a tendency to create garments for gorillas. As such, I have to drop a needle size in order to have any hopes of achieving a correct gauge (I am now a slave to gauge). I am knitting the body and the sleeves on US #4 and US #7 needles instead of the recommended US #5 and US #8 needles. So far the gauge looks to be on target, but it might be too soon to say for sure.

It took me about a week and a half to knit the body of the sweater (size small) on the US #7 circular needles. I think it looks okay (the 1x1 rib aside) and the stitch count seems correct. I am, however, a little uneasy about the measurements -- it's hard to measure a piece correctly when it's all bunched up on circular needles. All I can really do is cross my fingers and see what the piece looks like when finished.

I've spent a good portion of the weekend working on sleeve #1. Although I'm on gauge widthwise, the sleeve is not as long as is illustrated in the schematic. It's supposed to be 14 inches, but I only ended up with about 12.5. I think my tension might have been a little tight when I first started knitting the sleeve. I'm going to try adding a few more rows to bring the length to the recommended 14 inches. Hopefully this won't be a big mistake.