Marino's Wools

Change: Brought to You by Spring

2008-04-21T12:52:00.002-05:00

It is finally Spring here in the Northeast and I am so happy. This past week was full of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60's to low-70's. In other words, we are in the midst of that glorious two weeks before the summer heat and humidity start.

In honor of spring, there are going to be some blog changes. First, there probably won't be a lot of knitting content. I just haven't been into it lately. I gaze at all my lovely yarn but I can't think of anything I actually want to make. In its place, there may be some sewing content. I am teaching myself to sew by making a pair of pants for Gub. So far I have sized and cut out my pattern (making adjustments for her teeny waist and long legs). Tonight I hope to actually cut out the fabric and maybe even start a little sewing. Of course, I also want to do Pilate's tonight so we'll see what actually gets accomplished.

My other big focus these days is *drum roll please* fitness. Yes, you read that right, fitness and healthy eating is what is consuming me lately (no pun intended). For those who know me, I am sure you'll agree that this is heresy. For those who don't know me, let me lay it out for you real simple like... I. LOVE. FOOD. I love everything to do with food including talking about it, reading about it, looking for recipes, cooking, and of course, eating it. I love to try all kinds of different foods and new recipes. I love going out to dinner and hosting dinner parties. My way of making people feel better is to cook for them. Hub is equally into food so the two of us have managed to put together a delicious but not-exactly-low-calorie lifestyle.

The thing is, since turning 31 earlier this year, I have just been so darn tired and not feeling all that well. I was lucky enough to lose the 20 lbs I gained while I was pregnant with Gub by about 10 weeks postpartum and I had managed to keep it off while still eating like I was pregnant until she was about 18 months old (side note, breastfeeding is the best weight loss plan ever!). Then I noticed about 7 weeks ago that the scale had crept up about 5 pounds to the highest, non-pregnant weight I have ever been. That combined with the fact that Gub is at the age where she eats what we eat made me decide to do something.

So, I have completely overhauled what I eat by cutting out nearly all sweets (except for one sweet something every couple of days), most processed food, all fast food, and by dramatically increasing my veggie intake. I have also started logging and limiting my daily calories and measuring out proper portions of food. It has been 7 weeks now and while it was a little bit of a shock to my system at first, I am now feeling better than I have in a long time. Plus, I have lost 11 pounds, yay! Hub isn't exactly "dieting" with me but I think he has lost some weight as well. In the past week I have also been adding in exercise, namely walking 2.5 miles a day and also doing some arm exercises with dumbbells and Pilate's.

It is some crazy times over here in the Marinoswools household. The thing that I am most proud of, besides actually sticking to these lifestyle changes that I have made, is that fact that I am modeling healthy eating and exercise behavior for my Gub. If she sees her family eat fruits and veggies instead of chips and other junk, then hopefully those choices will be ingrained in her when she sets out on her own. At the very least, she will have that foundation.

Cheers!

Sometimes simple is so nice

2008-02-08T08:31:00.000-05:00

Last night, instead of working on my sweater or finishing those darn baby booties, I knit this.

Mohair-y Goodness

The Back Story: Years ago when I first started knitting, I purchased two balls of mohair (I can't remember the name of the yarn and the labels are long gone) to knit a scarf for my mother. I had planned to knit a simple garter stitch scarf on large needles. I cast on what I thought was the appropriate number of stitches and proceeded to get uber frustrated. Knitting mohair was hard! I think I ripped the stupid scarf three times before I finally found my groove. The fluffiness of the yarn made the stitches hard to see and I was adding and dropping stitches all over the place. Plus, when you work with what is essentially a fingering-weight yarn on large the needles, the large stitches look rather confusing when you are new to knitting. Thinking there was too much space between the stitches and that I must have dropped one, I would pick up extras. After much frustration and swearing I did manage to complete the scarf. I have no idea if my mother ever wore it or where it is now and I haven't knit with mohair since.

Yesterday when Gub was emptying my yarn drawers she tossed the left over mohair yarn on the floor and I was suddenly overcome with the desire to knit it again. With more years and complicated knits under my belt, I wanted to see how it felt to knit mohair on large needles. So last night I grabbed my size 13 bamboo straight needles and in about an hour I knit up the rest of the yarn. I was gratified to find that this time, it was easy and fun... it makes me feel like I have learned something over these last few years.

Of course, now I have this rectangle of garter stitch mohair fabric and I have no idea what to do with it. One option is to add other random yarn to both ends and make a funky scarf. My only concern with that is that pretty much any yarn I add will be heavier than the mohair and drag it down. Another option is to try to felt it (does mohair felt?) and make some fuzzy coasters for my desk at work. I kind of like this idea but I am not sure how felting is going to work in my new front loading washing machine. What ever I end up doing with the fabric, the act of knitting it was what I really wanted to accomplish. I don't do much in my life without a goal in mind and that gets pretty stressful. Aimless knitting like I did last night is just what I needed to remind myself that not everything needs to have a purpose to be worthwhile.

Cheers!

Creativity

2008-02-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

I think there are people in this world who are born creative and those who are not. I have always envied those people who seem to have creativity flowing from them. I was kind of a geek in high school and lots of my friends were the musical type. I was always so jealous of those who could sing or play an instrument or create artsy things. I have just never been that good at it. That's not to say that I don't need a creative outlet. On the contrary, I have always really wanted to excel at something "creative". I feel like I have all these cool ideas in my head that want to get out, but I am just not skilled enough to make it happen... it is actually kind of frustrating. I suppose in some respects, knitting is definitely a creative outlet for me. The thing is that when it comes to knitting patterns, I am great at following directions but not so great at coming up with my own.

To break out of my rut, I have decided to dabble in a little designing. My first idea was a skirt for Gub. I have the design and the swatch but I can't keep the little bugger still long enough to get her measurements so that is on hold for the moment. My other project is a sweater for me. It is cropped with long sleeves and raglan shaping. I am using the proportions from EZ's Kitting Without Tears which is great because it makes the math much more straightforward. I am determined to make something that really fits me, no matter how many times I have to frog my knitting! I doubt that I will be making anything high fashion but if I can design and make a sweater that really fits, I will be very proud of myself (even if it is just to wear around the house). So far, I have about half a sleeve done (and have frogged and restarted once). I will keep you posted on my progress.

Speaking of creative, there is nothing like a child's mind for real creativity. Here is a picture of Gub doing her new favorite thing... taking all the yarn out of my storage bins and sitting in them. In this picture, she is trying like the dickens to open the plastic bag and touch the yarn. She totally cracks me up!

If I just keep trying...

Cheers!

Is it me or is it Monday?

2008-01-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

I am really tired today. I don't know why, except that maybe I stayed up too late on the weekend nights and am now paying for it. I also have a headache that has lasted for two days (no mom, I didn't do any drinking this weekend) and it is getting a little old. I don't know, maybe I need my thyroid checked.

Anyway, I have pictures of the finished baby blanket. I am pleased with how it turned out. It is sweet but not too babyish. What do you think?

Cozy baby blanket

And a close-up of the edge:

Crochet edgings look so neat

I didn't really use a pattern, just a waffle texture that was created by alternating 3 double crochets and 3 front-post double crochets across the row, and then doing the reverse on the way back. Actually, Hub designed it for me... he is stellar with a crochet hook. This is one of the main reasons why I love him so.

The final texture of the blanket is soft and springy with a pleasant thickness that makes it seem like it will be nice and warm. The blanket was knit in Plymouth Encore (75% acrylic, 25% wool) and it is machine washable and dryable (just in case you didn't know, this is an extremely important feature when knitting things for messy creatures like babies). I hope that the recipient likes it.

I am cruising along on the Ugg booties. I have one bootie finished except for the seaming and am ready to shape the foot on the second one. I will hopefully have the set finished by the weekend. I am glad that the work day is almost over. I think I need to go lie down.

Cheers!

More baby knits...

2008-01-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

I have been finishing things at a mean clip these days. First, I finished the set for the new baby of my coworker. Little Baby Girl arrived on Dec. 23 but I haven't had a chance to see her yet. I am hoping that her mom brings her into the office for a little meet-and-greet sometime soon. I did take a picture of the set before I packed it up.

So tiny, so shimmery

The hat is from the same pattern that I posted about the other day. The mitts are my own pattern (that I still need to polish up and share). The booties are from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight. I have no idea what the yarn is. It is something I don't even remember purchasing and the label has long since disappeared. All I know is that the yarn is 100% acrylic (read: machine washable) with a shimmery pink strand through it.

I also finished the blanked I was crocheting for the sick baby from my message board. I haven't taken any pictures yet but I will before I mail it out.

Last night I started a new project for yet another coworker's baby-to-be. This woman is having a baby girl in early March and to celebrate, I am knitting a pair of Ugg Booties. I love this pattern. I made a pair for Gub when she was little and they were super cute. She got compliments every time she wore them. Here is what I have so far.

These Uggs are bootie-licious

I have decided to do the colors in reverse. In the original pattern, the light color is the top of the bootie and the dark color is the sole. I think the darker yarn shows off the Plush trim better so I am reversing the colors. They are knit with Berroco Suede which is kind of a pain in the butt to work with. The yarn has a yucky tendency to split and my needle tips keep snagging it. Oh well, the finished product is cute enough to make up for it!

Off to have an early dinner with some new friends and our kiddos. We haven't really spent a lot of time with this couple so it should be interesting (and hopefully a lot of fun).

Cheers!

Everyone Loves Baby Knits

2008-01-12T22:38:00.001-05:00

I attended a baby shower today for a lovely friend of mine who is due in late February with her first child. As far as baby showers go, it was a nice one with really yummy cake. I have to admit that I generally don't enjoy baby showers all that much. I don't know why; I like babies and I like watching people open presents and get excited about things. I think my problem with baby showers is that they feature an often overwhelming amount of stuff (99% of which is totally unnecessary) and the guest of honor is usually so late in her pregnancy that she spends most of the time looking completely fatigued. Today's mom-to-be was no exception. She looked lovely and was obviously excited, but she was just so clearly exhausted that I kind of felt bad for her. She is one of those effortlessly graceful people. You know the kind... those rare people who always look put together, always have a smile on their face, and always greet you as if you are the most important person in the world. If someone like that is visibly fatigued, I think it is safe to say that the festivities were wearing a little thin.

Anyway, I tucked my knit hat and mitts into the gift that I bought for her and her husband. It was great because as soon as she pulled them out of the bag, she knew the gift was from me. Out of the mountains of presents that were in front of her, she knew mine automatically because of the knits. I loved that... it is nice to have a little something special that sets your gift apart and lets people know that you care enough to put your own time and effort into making something for them. The set got lots of ooohs and ahhhs from the audience and at the end of the shower her husband made a point of telling me how much he liked them. It definitely made yesterday's pressure knitting worth it.

Cheers!

Oh Yes She Did...

2008-01-11T22:04:00.000-05:00

That's right, I finished the baby hat the night BEFORE the shower! Considering that I just started the project this afternoon, I couldn't be more pleased. Together with the mitts I knit a while ago, they make a lovely little set.

Aww, they are just so darn wee!

This picture doesn't really show off the colors at all, the lighting is a little tough at night, but you get the idea. The hat and mitt cuffs are a soft light green and the hat trim and mitts are white. Both pieces are knit with Cara Mia (I don't remember who makes this yarn or exactly what the composition is, but it is nice and soft and machine washable). The hat pattern is the Bundle of Joy Hat, a lovely free pattern from Isela Phelps of Purling Sprite Designs. The mitts are a pattern of my own (which I plan to post once I get it cleaned up a bit). I hope that she likes them.

Cheers!

Knitting Under Pressure

2008-01-11T16:45:00.000-05:00

What do you think of knitting deadlines? Generally, I am not a fan of the pressure they put on you. I find that when I have looming deadlines, my knitting often gets erratic - full of errors and weird tension issues. Yet, here I am, working furiously to complete a baby hat in time for a baby shower tomorrow at 11:00 am. I don't even have an excuse, really. I just decided today that it would be nice if I could whip up a hat to match mitts that I knit a long time ago. Sigh, I am not sure why I do this to myself, other than for all the ohhs and ahhs hand knit baby gear usually brings (insert evil grin here). Here is what I have so far:

So tiny, yet so overwhelming

I have been knitting in between actual work tasks today. I am hoping that once I put Gub to bed, I can crank the rest of it out.

Also, my stuff from Webs arrived and I have finally gotten around to taking a picture of it.

New additions to the family... aren't they lovely!

Clockwise from the top: 5 skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton, 2 skeins of Southwest Trading Company's Gianna, 2 hanks of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Cashmere, and 1 ball of RCY Soft Lux. I am in mad, raving love with the Silky Cashmere. As the name implies, this yarn is composed of 55% silk and 45% cashmere. It is soooooo soft and luxurious to touch. I just want to wrap myself in it. Unfortunately, the yardage is pretty small (44 yards per hank) and I only have 2 hanks. I am hoping I can make a thin, lacy scarf that I can wear all year round.

Off to make dinner and work on the baby hat. Hopefully I will be able to post tomorrow about my success in meeting my knitting deadline.

Cheers!

KIP

2008-01-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

When you see the acronym "KIP", do you immediately think "knitting in public"? If you are a knitter who is active on the web, you probably do. When I see "KIP", however, my first thought is "knitting in a plane".

I have never really been one to knit in public. For one thing, I am rarely in a public place that is conducive to knitting. When I am out, I am usually shopping, eating, or doing something otherwise active. While I am sure there are some tremendously industrious knitters out there who are capable of knitting while browsing the aisles of the grocery store, I am definitely not one of them. Of course when I do go to places that offer good knitting accommodations, such as MD office waiting rooms, I never remember to bring my knitting. These days, I would say a good 95% of my knitting is done on the couch in front of the TV after Gub has gone to bed.

Before Gub was born, the one place where you did often find me knitting was in airports and on planes. When I traveled a lot for my job, knitting was my sanity-saver. It kept me from going nutty when I was faced with yet another flight delay or when I was alone in a hotel room watching BBC World News for the 3rd hour in a row because there were no other TV channels being broadcast in English (interestingly, even in our vast world the top news stories tend to remain pretty much the same during any given time period). Since Gub came along, The Company has graciously allowed me to minimize my travel as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately, there are still times when clients call and I have to go.

Which brings me to the knitting topic of this post. I am leaving later this afternoon to head to Wilmington, DE (oh yeah, its exotic travel) for a meeting tomorrow morning. Since I (used to) travel so often, packing takes me all of 5 minutes. Selecting the right knitting to bring takes a bit more time and careful thought. There are just so many considerations to think about when selecting plane knitting. So without further ado, I am proud to present my Rules of Plane Knitting Project Selection, developed and honed by years of travel experience:

First, whatever you bring needs to be portable which means small items or small parts of larger items, small balls of yarn, and not too many colors (so you don't have to carry too many balls of yarn). They are pretty strict about carry on rules these days and you don't want your knitting to end up in your suitcase buried in the belly of the plane.
Second, you want to make sure that the knit is simple enough that you can pick it up and put it down as needed without losing your place (such as when one is eavesdropping on the occasional juicy cell phone conversation), but interesting enough to hold your attention through many flight-delayed hours in the airport.
Third, you don't want to bring anything that is too close to completion. I have learned from experience that it really sucks to finish your project part way through a flight, leaving you with nothing else to do.
Fourth, think carefully about your needle choices. DPNs are small and portable but you have to factor in the risk of dropping a needle and having it roll away down the aisle of the plane. Large metal needles may cause problems at security checkpoints. Circulars are generally a good choice as are bamboo straight needles.
Sixth, make sure you bring all the little accessories that make your knitting successful. While you can probably MacGyver anything you need in a pinch (thread from your own coat as a stitch marker anyone?), it sure is nice to have a little travel bag with some stitch markers, some waste yarn, a circular cutting tool (these are safe to use on planes), and a plastic yarn needle.
Finally, make sure you like what you are working on. You are going to be in one place with no access to other projects for a while. It is best when you actually enjoy what you are knitting!

After carefully considering these rules, I have chosen to knit Branching Out from Knitty using size 6 bamboo needles and Elan's Peruvian Baby Cashmere fingering weight yarn. The lace will be interesting enough to keep me going and the whole thing fits into a quart size zip top bag. I will post some pictures of my progress once I am back home. Safe travels everyone.

Cheers!

I Need a New System

2008-01-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

My stash is in a sad state of (dis)organization. I have decided that I need a new storage system for all of my lovely yarn. Right now, most of my yarn is loosely grouped by color in six large plastic bins with drawers. The bins are stacked, three high, against one of the walls in my home office. I also have a smaller four-drawer bin that holds my finer gauge yarn, my super nice stuff, and my random odds and ends. My little drawer is okay but my big bins are starting to collapse under the weight of all of the yarn. I think I also need to purge some of the yarn I will most likely never use. Lots of well meaning and thoughtful people give me yarn and I always feel compelled to take it. I mean, you never know what you might need, right? If I thought about it honestly though, I will probably never use most of it. Maybe I will sort all my yarn and donate the unwanted stuff to some organization that could use it to do kids crafts or something.

The challenge is, even after I purge, I don't know how else to organize everything that's left. Should I get a piece of furniture, like an armoir, or another bin system? Do they make yarn storage systems? Maybe I should invent one... that could be my way to make millions! Sigh, any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

I bet that 90%+ of the blogger posts created today have "Happy New Year" in the title. :)

So how was your Christmas? Mine was very nice. I spent some time in my hometown with my mom, dad, and siblings. Most of them live pretty far away and with the girl, we don't get out there very often so it was nice to see them all. It was especially nice to have someone else entertain the girl for a while. It almost felt like a vacation.

The girl had a pretty good Christmas. She liked opening the presents for a little while. Her favorite gift was a toy kitchen from Santa. Here is a picture of her playing with it for the first time. She was very excited when she saw it and it is still fun for her more than a week later (now that is a toy with some staying power).

Would you like some fries with that?

In fiber news, I am still working on the baby set for my coworker. She actually had her baby girl on Dec. 23 (a little more than a week early). It sounds like everyone is healthy and doing well. I have finished the booties and the mittens and I am about half way through the hat. Once the set is complete, I will post a picture. For the moment, the hat knitting has been put on hold for a special project.

I participate in an online message board for women who had babies in September, 2006. We chat with each other about our kids, ask questions, talk about life, etc. They are a nice group of women, many of whom have been posting since we all found out we were pregnant about 2 years ago. Last week, one of the women found out that her son, who has been sick for a little while, has cancer. This little boy has been given a 50/50 chance of survival and his family is devastated. He is so young and it is so unfair that he has to go through this. Lately I've noticed that before you have kids, stories about bad things happening to kids make you sad. However, once you have one of your own, stories about kids getting hurt or sick absolutely break your heart because you imagine something like that happening to your own little one. So I am crocheting him a little blanket. It isn't much, but at least it is something warm that he can hold on to, and his parents will know that people are thinking of him during this horrible time. I am using a nice soft acrylic wool blend (Plymouth Encore) in green and a waffle pattern. Here is a picture of the work in progress:

Full view

Here is a close up of the waffle pattern

My goal is to get it finished by next week so I can send it along with some "get well" wishes. I hope your 2008 starts off as happy and healthy as possible.

Cheers!

Also...

2007-12-29T11:26:00.000-05:00

I realize that my previous post did not mention knitting in any way. To give you just a little taste of what has been going on, I will mention that I ordered some yarn from Webs the other day. I haven't bought any yarn in a long time because I have been trying to use up some of my enormous stash. However, I had $32.00 left on a gift certificate from a while ago and they were having a huge sale so I thought, "what the heck." I ordered enough Rowan All Seasons Cotton to make Trellis from Knitty (I have been jonesing to make this for a while now) in the 18 month size, and a couple of random skeins of yarn that looked pretty. I am not sure what I will do with the other yarn I ordered but hey, my stash could use a little sprucing up. I'll post pictures of the yarn when it arrives. There is knitting happening too, including a pattern for baby mitts, but that is another post for another day.

Cheers!

Organization

2007-12-29T11:03:00.001-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with organization. In many ways, I am a tremendously organized person. I almost never forget meetings and appointments, I don't double book my schedule, and I don't generally lose things. In other ways, I am a disaster. If you saw my desk at work, the chaos might make you wonder how I accomplish anything. My house is often in disarray and my car is usually a mess.

However, it is the time of year when I feel compelled to organize at least one part of my life. In 2006, my closet got a makeover. In 2007 we bought a shed and completely organized the garage (Hub did most of the work). With 2008 quickly approaching, my goal is to get my recipes organized. While this might not sound like a big job, you have to understand how many recipes Hub and I have. We both like to cook and we both like to buy cookbooks. The two shelves on our baker's rack are completely crammed with cookbooks and there are more squirreled away in the basement. Of course rather than use all of those cookbooks, I constantly go online and print out new recipes to try. Once I am done with them, I usually shove them in other books, put somewhere on the baker's rack, or bury them on the counter, never to be found again. I also like to tear out recipes from magazines and add them to the pile. Because these recipes are all over the place, I tend to forget about them and never make them.

To counteract this craziness, I have embarked on Phase I of Recipe Organization, 2008. Hub and I went to Staples and purchased a sturdy three-ring binder, a package of 200 sheet protectors, and some dividers. I have spent my free time over the last few days gathering all of my printed and magazine recipes, going through them, tossing the ones I will never make, and setting aside those that I like. I am now going online and printing out copies of all of the magazine recipes that I can find. For those that I can't get access to, I am typing them out in Word. Each recipe goes into its own sheet protector (with the picture cut out from the magazine if available). The binder will be organized by category, with the recipes arranged alphabetically. Phew, it is just so much organization that it makes me giddy!

Once this is complete, Phase II will involve going through our cookbooks and donating those that we never use. I am not sure if there will be a Phase III yet, we'll have to see how the first two pieces go.

The biggest upside of all of this work is that I will never again have to ask my mom for the same three recipes I ask for every year.

Cheers!

Peepers? We Have Your Peepers!

2007-12-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

A title like that can only mean one thing... I finished the girl's bear! Woo hoo!

After yesterday's post, I decided to just suck it up, get out the needle and thread, and go for it. I went pretty simple, just a french knot for each eye. They are small but I think they work nicely with the bear face. Take a look and tell me what you think:

I think Mr. Bear is pretty darn cute. He will be peaking out of the girl's stocking, courtesy of Santa. I hope she likes him.

I probably won't post again until after Christmas. The fam is headed to my mom's house in "outstate NY" (says Hub) and there is no Internet access there. Have a lovely holiday, eat lots of good food, and hug your loves ones. I hope Santa is good to you all.

Cheers!

Oooo, Christmas is Almost Here!

2007-12-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

I am really excited for Christmas this year. Having a kiddo brings all the excitement that Christmas used to be rushing back. I have always been a lover of all things related to Christmas; I believed in Santa until I was 12. Seriously - I just figured that he didn't bring anything to the non-believers and that was how he made it all over the world in one night. It made logical sense to me. In any case, watching my girl get all excited when she sees the tree ("tee, tee" she says while pointing at it and wriggling her little body around) makes me so happy. I really can't wait until she gets to open all of her presents. I am sure that she will have way more fun playing with the wrapping and boxes than the actual toys, but whatever. I mean, how many times in your life do you get to roll around in a veritable orgy of wrapping paper? Not nearly enough!

Of course it helps that the weather is playing along. Here is the view from my home office:

My Winter Wonderland

As long as I am cozy and inside, I love that deep blanket of snow. It makes me want some hot chocolate... mmmm.

On the knitting front, I am putting the finishing touches on a little pink bear that will go in the girl's stocking. All that is left is to embroider the eyes. Did I mention that I HATE embroidering and that I am terrible at it? Unfortunately, I can't justify leaving Mr. Bear without peepers so embroider I shall.

Peeper-less Bear

I am also working on a little set for one of my coworkers. It is a crazy baby factory in my office right now and the first of the pregnant ladies is due on Jan. 2 with a little girl. I am working on a set that includes booties, mittens, and a hat, all in a lovely white yarn with a thread of pink metallic sparkle running through it. These will be very stylish outerwear options for the trendiest winter babies! I am almost done knitting the second bootie and once that is finished, I will sew them up and get going on the mittens. The only thing I don't have is a good hat pattern so if anyone has a link to one knit with sportweight yarn, don't hold back. I'll post pictures of the whole set once I get it finished.

I hope you have a merry holiday (or whatever you celebrate). I am off to get me some hot chocolate.

Cheers!

Toddlers and Stash Don't Mix

2007-12-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

I have made it through the first year of motherhood and seem to have emerged relatively unscathed. If only the same could be said for my knitting. Actually, the knitting is fine, it was just taking a hiatus while I learned what being sleep deprived really means and how to balance full time work with full time work (i.e., balancing paid work with non-paid-but-equally-demanding work).

I am proud to say that I am officially back. My needles are no longer lonely and my yarn is being loved once more. In fact, I made a hat last night. That's right, a whole grown-up sized hat complete with a pom-pom. It even turned out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Said hat was knit from a pattern out of my 2005 Knitting Project A Day calendar in RCY Soft Lux using size 8's. The RCY is nice and soft and is a lovely winter white color. What you can't see in the picture is that the yarn has a thin gold metallic thread running through it that adds just a hint of sparkle... perfect for a holiday winter hat.

Other things that I have been working on lately include:

Thumbless baby mitts (don't they just make you want to cry from cuteness!) and...

A scarf in a lovely heathered purple alpaca. This is the yarn that I bought for my very first knitting project years ago. I learned to knit with this yarn and produced a finished product that was, in a word, awful. It was a ribbed scarf that was knit with needles way too small for the yarn and a pattern that hid the loveliness of the texture. I frogged it and spent the last two years trying to figure out what this yarn wanted to be. Turns out, my scarf instinct was correct and this is the final product

The picture isn't the greatest but suffice it to say that the yarn is finally at peace.

There is more knitting going on too but I don't want to blow my load with my first post in a year so you will have to wait.

As for the title of this post, girlfriend has recently figured out how to open the plastic drawers where I store my yarn. Most of the time all she does is open the drawers and pet the yarn (we use the word "gentle" a lot in my house these days). Every once in a while though, her impulses get the better of her and suddenly there is yarn flying all over my home office. It makes quite a mess and takes a while to untangle the skeins (especially when she rips the labels off). Unfortunately, she thinks playing with my yarn is the most fun a girl could ever have, so there will be no keeping her out of it. Oh well, at least she has good instincts.

Cheers!

Christmas Card Picture

2006-11-14T15:25:00.000-05:00

Hi,

I need help deciding which picture to use on this year's Christmas card. All responses are appreciated!

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

Picture 3:

Cheers!

Aubrey is here!

2006-09-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of my brand new sweet baby girl!

Cheers!

Since I've Been Gone

2006-06-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

Clearly, it has been a long time since I have posted... over 7 months, to be precise. A lot as happened lately and, unfortunately, not much of it has included knitting. You see, shortly after Christmas, Hub and I found out that we are going to have a baby! Yes, we have successfully managed to procreate and we are very excited. Our little bundle (a girl, as told to us by our ultrasound tech) is due in early September.

So after the do-nothing-but-stare-at-the-TV exhaustion of the first trimester passed, most of my free time has been devoted to reading about pregnancy, childbirth, and raising kids. I have done some knitting for my little girl though (all knitting for me has been put on hold). Turns out, knitting baby stuff is pretty darn fun. Everything is so small that you can feel all accomplished knitting sweaters that only take a few days. Booties and little hats are even easier! Here is a picture of the things I have made so far:

Item descriptions starting from the top left, clockwise:

A very soft little pink hat that I did not knit (someone who works with my mother knit that for me)
A fleecy cotton caftan-type sweater
A soft little hat knit in Plush
The famous Ugg Booties
A baby blanket knit with Lion Brand
And in the center, a pair of booties knit with Classic Elite tencel and pima cotton blend (I can't remember the name)

I am also working on a small teddy bear knit with Elan's lace weight alpaca and cashmere and Knitty's Devin. I hope to finish them soon, though I am at the place with Devin where I need to pick up the 200 neck band stitches... yuck!

As I am now coming to the start of pregnancy week 31 (only 9 more to go!!), I thought I would share a picture of me and my big round belly. Enjoy (and don't mind the pants)...

Cheers!

Send Meds, Quick...

2005-12-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

I am back in the realm of serious knitting addiction. When I first learned to knit last year, I was what one might call obsessed. Over the spring and summer, my desire to knit all the time faded to a more normal hobby-level. Now that winter is here, the bug is back in full, brain-addling force. I cannot control my desire to keep starting projects. I have a nice mix of four projects going right now, a bulky shrug, a worsted weight wool cardigan, a hat, and a soft cotton baby blanket. Lots of diversity to keep almost anyone satisfied but no, not me... I will probably cast on tonight for a scarf for a Christmas gift.

Sigh, I am afraid that nothing is going to cure me. I guess I have to just go with the flow, cast on at will, and hopefully finish my winter projects before spring!

Pictures of some recent finished objects as soon as I find my camera (this is why I don't clean.. I lose things that way!)

Cheers!

My International Friends...

2005-11-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

Meet my new international friends... yarn from Berlin and London!
Across from top left - Regia sock yarn, 2 skeins of Rowan Soft Lux, 4 skeins of Louisa Harding merino and cashmere, 2 skeins of Louisa Harding Kimono Angora, and Gedifra Donatella (showing 2 of 9 skeins).

I enjoy yarn shopping in other places... it is a great way to take in the local culture.

I have been working on finishing various other projects. I completed the blanket for my grandmother (no pictures yet) which is cause for a big sigh of relief. It always stresses me out to have to knit for deadlines. Thus I have decided not to knit too many Christmas presents this year.

I finally dug through the stash and found a nice scarf pattern for my Swedish linen (purchased this summer). I found it on some random free site (sorry I don't have the link). Check out the close up of the leaf pattern:

And a picture of the scarf, nearing completion:
I have since finished it and it is very nice. I need to do some final blocking prior to taking it out for a spin but I am definitely pleased.

Finally, I couldn't resist casting on for a new project... a pair of wrist warmers made out of the Louisa Harding angora yarn. It is yummy and soft and should make for some nice light warmth.
I am nearly up to the thumb hole part. They are pretty quick and easy.

Next time, I will hopefully have pictures of my Blackberry in process and Samus.

Cheers!

The Roaming Gnome

2005-10-25T06:24:00.000-05:00

Sadly, it has been almost a month since my last post. I blame work for my lack of blogger initiative (I know, how original) but it really has been CRAZY for the past two months. I have been traveling a lot (hence the Roaming Gnome subject line). Case in point, I am writing this from Madrid. I have been in Europe since last Monday (London, Berlin, Madrid), I leave for home tomorrow, and then return to Europe next week (London, Berlin, Paris). Phew... it is pretty exhausting and all the travel has left me little time to knit. When I am home, I am spending most of my crafty time watching season 1 of Lost and working on the blanket I am crocheting for my grandmother. I did find (finally!) a great scarf pattern for my linen yarn from Sweden. I have been using that as my travel knitting project. As soon as I am reunited with my camera and its accoutrements, I will post pictures of Madrid and the new scarf.

In lieu of any actual knitting content, I thought I would offer my top 5 favorite things about Madrid and Berlin.

Top 5 Favorite things about Madrid:
5. The Reina Sophia (the modern art museum)
4. The Palacio Real
3. Atmosphere in the public squares late at night
2. Tapas and sangria at 10:00 pm
1. Churros y Chocolate*

Top 5 Favorite things about Berlin:
5. Historical sights like Checkpoint Charley and the remnants of the Berlin wall
4. German beer
3. The Regent Hotel
2. Currywurst**
1. Yarn in department stores

Those Germans really know how to set up an excellent shopping experience. In a major department store in Berlin, the Ka Dee Wee (a store that is the size of Harrods with merchandise like you would find at Macy's), they have a whole floor devoted to fabric, buttons, sewing notions, and YARN. That's right, you can buy yarn and shoes in the same store. The selection is decent sized and mostly consists of Gedifra, Schoeller Stahl, Regia, and a little Rowan. The prices are pretty good, even considering the weak dollar. I purchased 9 balls of Donatella (a bulky yarn that is 80% wool, 20% acrylic) and two skeins of Regia sock yarn. The Donatella retails here in the US (in the few places I could even find it) for ~$11.50. I got mine for 3,00 Euro a ball. WHAT. A. STEAL. I am going to use it to knit a modified Blackberry from the fall Knitty. It will be so cozy and warm... I can't wait to start.

Next week, when in Paris, I am going to head to La Droguerie (www.ladroguerie.com) to purchase some more Euro yarn. At least there is one benefit to all this business travel.

Anyhoo... I should probably get back to my work (boo hiss)

Cheers!

* Churros y Chocolate is a delicious Spanish concoction consisting of deep fried strips of dough that you dip in "hot chocolate." Spanish hot chocolate is really a cup of dark chocolatey deliciousness with the consistency of melted Hersey's kisses. It makes our so-called hot chocolate look weak, very weak indeed.

** Currywurst is the "sausage of Berlin." It is a long, skinny sausage made with curry (it is a light yellow color) that is cut into bite sized pieces, covered with a thick, sweet, mild curry sauce, sprinkled with yellow curry powder and served with bread. It sounds kind of gross, but tastes absolutely delicious.

Friends + Smoked Meat = Fun...

2005-09-26T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hub and I had a meat smokin' party this past weekend. We had friends visiting from my hometown in upstate New York, friends from Medford, and friends from Rhode Island to our house on Saturday for a special kind of cookout. For those of you not familiar with a smoker, it is a cooking apparatus that looks like a grill but is designed to cook meat low and slow with the addition of wood chips. The smoke creates a delicious flavor in the meat and the low, slow cooking method keeps the meat extremely juicy. Hub went a little crazy and brined two cornish hens, a pork shoulder, and a bone-in pork sirloin, made a spice rub for a chili-rubbed brisket, and smoked some fresh salmon (a gift from our neighbor). It was a serious protein fest... and it was delicious. Since smoking is a day long affair, I had tons of time to knit while I hung out with my friends. I made my friend Bob a nice little hat for the upcoming winter.

He looks a little like a thug but I think it works!

I have also been making some serious progress on all of my projects. Every once in a while I get to a point where I become maniacal about finishing my WIPs. To that end, I finished a lacy scarf I was making out of Kid et Soire and Estelle Dazzle (no pictures because it might become a gift) and I finally finished my Chic Knits Ribby Shell (remember that, it was one of the first posts I ever blogged)! I must say, now that I am finished with it, I really like it. It is one of the first garments I have made that fits me very nicely. Plus, it just looks sharp.
Now all the WIPs I have left include the blanket for my grandmother, the Flower Basket shawl, and Samus. Since that's only three projects, I have started a hat for my dad for Christmas. Super... I love starting new projects!

Cheers!

My Kitty is a Yarn Ho

2005-09-20T18:55:00.000-05:00

My cat is a total yarn ho... This is a picture of him cozying up to my monster cone of Shetland wool. He hopped up on the couch, walked over my husband, walked over me, sat down with one paw on each side of the yarn cone, and started to rub his face all over it.

The next day he wouldn't stop rubbing his face on my ball of kid mohair and silk. When I tried to take it away from him, he attacked. What can I say, the cat has good taste.

*Sniff* I am so proud!

Cheers!

Samus knitting...

2005-09-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

Check out my hulking huge cone of orange wool and the little, itty-bitty bit of Samus' saxon braid. This is only one repeat out of 9 but I love it so far!

Cheers!

Show and Tell...

2005-09-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

I realize that I haven't posted in a while, I was waiting until I actually had some fun things to share! Hub and I spent a week on a Royal Carribean* cruise from Boston to Nova Scotia and back. Since my return, work has been nuts. Sometimes, I wonder if a vacation is even worth all the time I have to put in to make up for being out. Sigh...

However, all that time away has not limited my knitting. I have been diligently working on completeing some of my various projects (seven live projects at last count). I was so successful at this finishing thing, that I have given myself permission to start a new fall project. I will talk more about that in a minute.

First, I finally finished Kirsi, take a look:

I think she looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. The crochet edging was fun to do and I even liked the seaming. I am not sure how much I will wear it, but it was definitely a fun knit for me. Project details:

The pattern for this shirt came from Vogue Knitting, Summer 2005 issue. I knitted this with ~3 skeins of Caron Simply Soft Brites (100% acrylic), a size 6 circular needle, and a size G crochet hook. I did not modify the pattern at all (note, it is pretty short, hits me at high hip level).

Second, I finished the Ann Norling baby blanket and I love it. It is soft, pretty, and cuddly. Now I really want my friend and his wife to have their baby so I can give it to them!

Here's a picture:

Now onto the new project. The fall Knitty came out just in time. I must make Samus mine. Not only do I like the pattern (I think the cables look wicked cool) but I have the perfect yarn for this project. I purchased a monster cone (~2400 yards) of virgin Shetland wool from Webs a number of months ago. When I saw the yarn, I fell in love. It is such a bold color of orange/red and the price was soooo right (I only paid about $30.00). I bought it with absolutely no idea of what I would do with it. I knew that the right pattern would someday present itself. That day happened with the release of the Fall 2005 Knitty. We *heart* Knitty.

Off to swatch.

Cheers!

* I must say that, overall, I was kind of disappointed with Royal Carribean. I have taken a few cruises of various types and this one does not go at the top of my list. Admittedly, this was a budget cruise, but the service was really spotty and they nickle and dime you for everything. I think I would rather pay an extra $100 per person and not have to pay extra for things like soda (ice tea was free), yoga (the gym was free but an hour of yoga was 10 bucks), etc. Our experiences at the same resturant for dinner ranged from excellent full service (including multiple silverware changes and a crumb scraper), to a distracted waiter taking the soup spoon out of Hub's hand and tossing his salad on the table. If you want to cruise, I would check out other lines first!

Eventually I will post again...

2005-08-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

Long time, no post. I have been really busy between crazy work (suddenly I have lots of new projects), preparing for the bachelorette party AND bridal shower I am hosting this weekend, and getting ready to go on vacation next week.

Does this mean I am not knitting... no freakin' way! Instead of doing many of the things I should be doing (e.g., cleaning the house so my guests don't turn up their noses in disgust), I have been knitting.

No pictures available but here's a quick update:

Kirsi is seamed and has completed crochet edging on the sleeves. All that remains is crochet edging on the body and sewing in all the ends
The blocks baby blanket is coming along nicely (I have maybe 1/3-1/2 completed)
I have made progress on the flower shawl I started way back when

I might even have a finished object or two by the time I return from vacation. Here's to hoping for some knitting closure and to drinking cosmos at the bachelorette party on Saturday!

Cheers!

The Promised Pictures

2005-08-17T06:44:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of the Scarf I made with the yarn from Maine.
Detail of the Scarf:

A picture of the front:

And the back:

In other news, I am one step closer to actually finishing a project (no, seriously, I really am). Last night I decided to bite the bullet and try to seam Kirsi. I had been putting it off mainly because I was stymied by sewing set-in sleeves to the arm holes. I had never done it before and I wasn't really sure how. Since things never seem to get done when I sit and stare at them, I opted to just jump in. The sleeves turned out great, if I do say so myself. Even my husband commented that they looked pretty professional (usually he just grunts at my knitting so this is a huge compliment). They looked so nice that I was inspired to use the mattress stitch to sew together the sides and the bottoms of the sleeves. That's right, I officially finished all the seaming. All that's left is to sew in the million ends (boo) and the crocheted edging (yay). I opted not to take a picture because I am so close, I want the next picture of Kirsi to be on me!

Knitting group is tonight so maybe I will sew in ends there.

Cheers!

Fantastic!

2005-08-16T06:49:00.000-05:00

I was doing my typical weblog-reading-yarn-browsing thing this morning when I decided to look up the website of the yarn store I visited in Belfast, ME (remember when I mentioned that a few posts ago?). I had purchase some absolutely delicious yarn from Starcroft (a local Maine spinner) called Silky Way. Its blend of silk, angora, and merino wool is indeed wonderfully silky. I used my two skeins to make a triangular scarf with ties from a Fibertrends pattern. In any case, I found the website, scrolled to the bottom, and there I was... in the picture of the shop! Well, you can't really see me as I am hidden behind my mother-in-law (her friend Georgie is the one who's back is facing the camera) but it is definitely me. I feel almost like a celebrity. Check it out here http://heavenlysocksyarns.tripod.com/

Of course, if you are in Belfast, you absolutely must stop at the store. The owner was lovely - helpful, friendly, clearly knows her stuff, and loves her store. What more can you ask for? Well, how about a big selection of yarn (including lots of Rowan) and really good prices (I got a size 8, 24 inch Addi circular for only $8.99). In fact, Belfast and the store are so nice, I would make a point of going there!

I am actually wearing my scarf thing today so I will post pictures when I get home tonight.

Cheers!

It's Official...

2005-08-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

... I am a project slut. Last night I found myself sitting on the couch with no less than four WIPs scattered around me. And you know what I was doing... I was playing Ring Around the Projects. I would work a row of this one, a round of that one, a row of the crochet one, and so on. I kept this up all night! Can I tell you a secret? It felt so decadent and dirty (in a good way) and I liked it.

Despite all of these works in process (did I mention that a completed Kirsi is waiting to be seamed and was staring at me from near by table bringing the grand total to 5 WIPs), it was all I could do not to start swatching for a new one. Seriously, I have a problem. Send help!

Cheers!

A Long-Awaited Update

2005-08-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

I keep meaning to post but things keep coming up. Last weekend, one of my husband's close family friends passed away very unexpectedly. It was very sad (she was only 27 years old and the youngest of 6 girls) and we spent much of last week with her family. Thankfully, this weekend has been blissfully quite.

I have some knitting things to share. First off, here is a picture of the finished Husband's Socks. They turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Of course, it has been so darn hot here, it was all I could do to get him to put them on long enough to take this picture!

Since I can't seem to bring myself to finish a single project I have started, I have decided to start a new one. I am working on a baby blanket (pattern by Ann Norling, as printed in Debbie Macomber's The Shop on Blossom Street). It is a pretty simple basket weave pattern with just enough stitch interest to keep it from becoming completely monotonous. I am not sure who the recipient of this blanket will be. I know a couple of people who are having babies so I guess I will give it to whoever has their baby closest to the time that I finish the blanket!

And finally, for all you voyuers out there, here is a picture of my stash.

Pretty ugly mess, isn't it!

Cheers!

Blah, blah, blah...

2005-07-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

Warning, this post contains less knitting, more whining.

I have been traveling like a crazy person these last few weeks and I am exhausted. Today was only my second day in the office since the second-to-last week of June and last week's travel was particularly grueling. I was in London on Monday, Manchester on Tuesday, Berlin on Wednesday, Munich on Friday, and back to Boston on Saturday. I barely had time to do anything but work, sleep, read, and do a little plane knitting.

I did have a small amount of time to see the sights of Berlin. I find that I generally enjoy my time in Germany (much of my honeymoon was spent there) but Berlin just was not all that exciting. I am sure there are cool places to see and fun things to do, but I didn't find them. I think the most interesting thing about Berlin is its post-WWII history. Unfortunately, on a city bus tour, there isn't much of that to be seen. I did see the Brandenburg Gate, the remainder of the Berlin Wall, and Check Point Charley. I also found a little time to do some yarn shopping! Most major department stores have a yarn and fabric section (a fabulous idea department stores in the US should copy) and the yarn is very reasonably priced. I got a bunch of different yarn but I am not going to tell you what it is until I take a picture of it.

I finished my husband's socks (I think I mentioned this before) but it is too hot to get him to put them on so I can take a picture. Next post will contain pictures, I promise.

My husband and I took a couple of days to visit some of my family in Maine (all the way up on Green Lake, past Bangor). It was a lovely time.. full of sun, swimming, and an insane number of seriously itchy bug bites.

This is a picture of a little red squirrel that my husband took. It was cute to see him crawling all over the ground trying to get the perfect shot (my husband was crawling on the ground, not the squirrel).

The other good parts about Maine - Super fresh steamers and lobsters and local handspun merino/silk/angora blend yarn (yes, I am as bad at yarn dieting as I am at food dieting). I am using this soft and luscious yarn to knit up a triangle scarf with ties from a Fibertrends pattern.

Okay, off to pack for Houston tomorrow. Thankfully, after tomorrow's trip I am done with travel for a while.

Has anyone else finished the 6th Harry Potter yet? I read it twice last week, it was very sad. As much as I like the more grown up subject matter, I kind of miss the lighthearted Harry of books 1-4.

Cheers!

Going on vacation...

2005-07-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't blogged in a while now. I would not blame you if you thought I have been on vacation all this time. In reality, I was on the road for work (again). This time in Mexico City, Guadalajara (where I got food poisoning), and Chicago. Ugh, the travel is starting to wear me down. Now, however, I have four whole days in a row where I don't have to get on a plane. Hooray!! Instead, my husband and I are going to Maine for the weekend. Tomorrow is his 32nd birthday (Happy Birthday honey) so we are going to Portland to do some beer drinking. Then we head to Belfast where we spend the night with the in-laws, and finally on to Green Lake (near Bangor) to see some of my family. Friday night's dinner is already planned... lobsters and steamers. Now that is a meal fit for the gods!

Pictures galore upon my return.

Cheers!

Blanket for the beach house...

2005-06-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

So here is my (most recent) dilemma...
I am crocheting an afghan for my grandmother's condo in St. Augustine, FL. She gave me a piece of fabric from the couch and I found the most perfect yarn. It is Red Heart super saver in Summer Breeze and it matches nearly every color in the fabric sample (and I can get it for $2 a skein). The pattern I am using calls for 30 oz. or 1500 yards of yarn. When I purchased the yarn, I bought 15 oz. Yes, instead of 30 oz. or 1500 yards, I flaked and bought 15 oz. Three days later, when I realized what I had done, I went back to the AC Moore where I originally purchased the yarn. Guess what happened then... that's right, they were sold out. I put in a special order request and just got the call that Red Heart is discontinuing this color so the store cannot get anymore. Sigh. Here is a picture of the afghan in its current, two-skeins-done, state.

Grandma's Afghan
Now I have to troll the Internet and all my local yarn stores to see if I can find enough to finish the afghan. Did I mention that the variegated yarn from Red Heart is dylotted?

In other news, the Husband's second sock cuff is almost completed. I am off to Mexico on Sunday (yes, I get to spend the 4th of July in Mexico City doing work) so that means lots more plane knitting time. I decided that while I don't do much KIP, I do A LOT of KOP (knitting on planes). Hopefully I will get to do some blogging later this week.

Cheers.

At last, my blog has come along...

2005-06-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

At long last, I have a few minutes to update my blog and share with you all the things I have been working on lately. For starters, I have been on the road for work pretty much constantly. Sometimes I get to go to interesting places, mostly I spend my time between hotels, dark focus group rooms, and airports.

However, on a recent trip I got to go to Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and in June, it is daylight for over 20 hours a day. I actually had a little time to check out the city center and stumbled across a charming little yarn store called Strikk where I found this:

Handspun Linen from Sweden
Pure linen, handspun for this store and only available in Sweden. It is a creamy white color and has a very crispy feeling. I think I am going to make a light spring/fall scarf with it.

Next up, I have been knitting away on Kirsi. This past weekend I finished all of the knitting. Presented for your perusal, pictures of the knitted and (sort of) blocked sleeves, back, and front.
The back and sleeves...

Kirsi's Back and Sleeves
And the fronts...

Kirsi's Fronts
I have really enjoyed knitting her. The yarn is soft and has great stitch definition. Plus, it was easy enough to knit quickly but interesting enough to, well, keep me interested. Next up, the dreaded finishing. I am not really that experienced with finishing so if anyone has good finishing tips, please pass them along. I have never finished any kind of garment with set in sleeves but I am well armed with Nancy Wiseman's Finishing Techniques, so hopefully things will go smoothly. Once the finishing is done, I get to do some crochet edging... something to look forward to. Unfortunately, I am not going to get to it until this weekend. I am spending another week on the road, this time in Philadelphia, PA and Charlotte, NC. At least I finally get a little time to blog.

For all of my travels, I have equipped myself with the necessary means to make a pair of socks for my husband. For some reason, he has no interest in me knitting anything for him. Socks are the only thing he seems to respond to, so socks he will get. As a bonus, they are super portable and great for plane knitting (unless I accidentally drop a dpn). So far I have one sock completed and the second sock cuff started. Check out the completed sock, knit with Schoeller Stahl Limbo Mexiko:

Husband's Sock #1
I hope to have the second sock finished by the end of the week. No second sock syndrome here, travel is the best motivator ever!

That's all for now. I have a few more pictures to show but I figured I would wait until later... not unload all of my goods at once.

Have a great night all!
Cheers

Coming soon to a blog near you...

2005-06-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

A new entry, one replete with pictures and tales of all of my recent travels. As soon as I am home for more than 24 hours I will update with what has been going on. There is lots to tell including a nearly finished (with the knitting anyway) Kirsi, a few rows of a crocheted afghan, a newly started sock, and tales of a yarn store in Sweden where hand spun 100% Swedish linen yarn was purchased!

Cheers from Chicago

I need to share...

2005-06-04T06:39:00.000-05:00

This morning, as I was counting stitches on Kirsi, I realized I had too many. After all of my decreases around the armhole were completed, I still had 7 extra stitches. After a bit of searching, I finally figured out the problem. I casted on 89 stitches instead of the requisite 82. Yes, the problem was over 12 inches away in the cast on row. That sound you hear is the combination of crying and ripping as I take the whole sweater back down to nothing. I hope this is not indicative of the kind of day I am going to have.
The silver lining, I have a 6 hour car ride today. At least the back is all counted out in terms of decrease and increase rows and row counts for certain measurement points. That means it will be easy to work on in the car.
Cheers!

Pictures I Promised

2005-06-03T07:48:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of the bags I wrote about yesterday. This pink and black striped one is going to my sister.

Pink and Black Stripe Felted Bag

The purple bag, with removable flower pin, is going to my mother as a belated Mother's Day present (shawl, what shawl?).

Purple Felted Bag and Flower

I am headed home to NY this weekend for my mother's college graduation and then off to Sweden next week for a business trip. Most likely, there won't be much time for blogging so I will talk to you all next week.

Cheers!

Bonus

2005-06-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

Froggy on the Fence

This is just a little something that made me smile. This frog looked like a stone sitting on the fence around my yard. His colors were perfectly matched to the fence post!

Sex on Toast (aka the U2 Concert)

2005-06-02T06:31:00.000-05:00

Tiffany, this title's for you!

Last Thursday I had the extreme pleasure of attending the U2 concert in Boston. In late January, I managed, by some miracle, to score four tickets off the Ticketmaster website to this most amazing concert. For those of you not in Boston, tickets for three shows sold out in under 10 minutes. This highlights the extent of the miracle that was me getting tickets! After months of anxious waiting, I finally got my nirvana (the spiritual place, not the Kurt Cobain band).

The concert was outstanding. U2 is fantastic live and there is nothing more exciting than seeing 20,000 people all hanging on every word of this man called Bono. They played lots of good stuff... Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, The Fly, Love and Peace, Where the Streets Have No Name, and the list goes on. They played for two hours and did to encores (7 songs). At one point, Bono pulled a young woman up on stage, hugged her for at least 2 minutes, and then took off his sunglasses, looked into her eyes, and danced with her. Melting... my girlfriend and I were melting (and supremely jealous). I don't care how old, married, sweaty, or short Bono is, to me all he has to do is sing and he is sex on toast. Fabulous. Anyone have tickets to the October show that I can buy??

Now for a little knitting talk...
I was a busy knitting bee this Memorial weekend. My husband had a lot of work to do so we spent most of the weekend hanging around the house. After the crazy past couple of weeks, it was exactly what I wanted! I (finally) felted a bag that had been knitted over 3 months ago. I crocheted and hand felted a couple of flowers that I am going to pin to said bag. I knit and felted a second bag (pink and black stripes) and finished the shrug from the free Interweave pattern.

Finally, on Monday I started the cute short sleeve wrap-like shirt from the Cinnabar & Spice section of the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of VK. I avoided swatching (bad girl) and started with the sleeves. Got it right on the first try baby... both stitch and row count. That never happens to me. Even when I swatch properly, which I do most of the time, my row count is almost never right. Needless to say, I was very pleased. Thus far it is a quick and enjoyable knit. In a few days I have completed both sleeves and the back up to the armhole shaping. I have some work travel on the schedule for next week and I am looking forward to taking the fronts along for the ride. I am knitting the whole thing in some old stash Caron Simply Soft Brites. Normally, this is not something I would pick for a garment but it is very pleasing to touch, the stitch definition is really lovely, and it is a fabulous shade of bright salmon pink. Perfect for summer. For the purpose of giving my sweater a life (because things can't exist without a name), I am going to christen her Kirsi (a Hindi name meaning amaranth blossoms).

That's about all for today. Pictures of said knitting items to come (as soon as my lazy camera spits them out).

Cheers

For your viewing pleasure

2005-05-23T06:50:00.000-05:00

I finally present pictures of the fabulous yarn I scored at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival. First up, a whopping 650 yard skein of 100% alpaca in a lovely charcoal gray color. It is beautifully soft and has lovely flecks of white and grey that make the color come alive. This is directly from the alpaca, folks, no dying done here. Just the beauty of nature.

Alpaca Yarn
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Next up, some hand-dyed, superwash merino wool. It is very soft and a pretty periwinkle blue-purple color. I am thinking I will use this to make a simple and elegant shell to wear for work. Any good pattern recommendations from the folks out there? Let me know!

Merino Yarn
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

My final yarn purchase is ~1000 yards of hand-dyed rayon in a light sport weight. I am not sure what I am going to do with it just yet but it was so bee-yoo-tee-ful that I HAD to buy it. The picture does not do all the pretty colors their full justice. I think it would make a lovely shawl but really, I hate making shawls (have you seen any posted progress on the "mother's day" shawl... I didn't think so). Maybe it will become a fun tank or t-shirt-type garment. Who knows, it is so exciting, waiting for inspiration to strike!

Rayon Yarn
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Finally, a little something for the young at heart. My husband surprised me with this after we got home from the festival...

Jerry the Llama
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Isn't he freakin' adorable?! I named his Jerry (nope, no idea why) and he sits on my nightstand giving me knitting inspiration as I sleep.

That is the whirlwind tour of my trip to the wool festival. Tune in later this week for updates on all my WIPs and maybe, a finished item for your viewing pleasure. Also, a review of the second Boston show by U2 (Thursday night baby!!!).
Cheers

All work and no play makes Kelly a dull blogger...

2005-05-18T07:02:00.000-05:00

The headline says it all, this is going to be a dull post. Consider yourself warned.
Recent business travel means I haven't had time to blog or take pictures. It does mean, however, I had lots of time for plane knitting. Even better, I flew Jet Blue (www.jetblue.com) so I got to watch TV and knit for the entire three hour flight. I am a big fan of the free Direct TV available on Jet Blue. If you have never flown them, I would recommend giving it a try.

In other news, the NH Sheep and Wool festival was a blast. Even my non-fiber-loving husband enjoyed looking at all the sheep, lambs, goats, alpacas, and llamas. The alpacas were a special favorite of mine and to honor them, I purchased 1200 yards of some incredibly soft, DK weight 100% alpaca yarn. It is a lovely charcoal grey color and it will eventually be turned into either a cardigan or a simple sweater designed using the techniques from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears. I also purchased ~1000 yards of superwash merino wool hand dyed a lovely periwinkle/blue/purple color and ~1000 yards of nylon yarn in an incredible hand dyed colorway containing reds, pinks, yellows, creams, and tans. I will post pictures soon because the beautiful yarn has to be seen to be appreciated.

That's all for now. I am meeting with my Sudbury SnB ladies tonight and we are going to do a little crochet tutorial. Should be fun!

Cheers

Ribby tank close up

2005-05-13T09:25:00.001-05:00

Ribby tank close up
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Bonus shot: Here is a close-up of the ribbing... only 9 more inches to go until I can start sleeve shaping!

Ribby tank in-progress

2005-05-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my Ribby tank progress... lots and lots of rounds of ribbing, and still many inches remain until fun shaping starts. So far I am liking the results. The cotton has a nice sheen and is a very soothing color. It will make for some quality plane knitting when I travel to FL for work on Sunday.

Ribby tank in-progress
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Before Sunday, though, I get to go to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival! My DH (who will now be known as "The Best Husband in the World" or "TBHW") offered to drive me up there (yay car knitting) and take pictures of all the cute sheep while I shop. What a deal! I promise to post pictures of the event and all the stash I buy. I hope to find yarn to make a shrug and to make my latest pattern obsession, Lelah. If you haven't seen this pattern, it is graciously offered free of charge from Knitting for Boozehags. It is super cute and just right for the Avril Lavigne concert I am going to in August (yeah, I like teenybopper music, you gotta problem with that??). I am hoping to find some cool yarn to use for Lelah and a matching shrug (see my previous post about the Interweave shrug pattern I love).

That's all I have for now. Tune in next week for "The Trip to NH Sheep and Wool", progress on the shell, and the book review I mentioned in my previous post.
Cheers!

Casting on and cruising along

2005-05-10T07:21:00.000-05:00

Proudly, I did not procrastinate this weekend. Not only did I work on my mother's shawl, I also cast on and knitted a few inches of my Ribby Shell. The shell is an interesting combination of K2P2 and K3P1 ribbing that I am knitting in cool sage green Endless Summer cotton from Elann. DK weight cotton on size 7 round needles is very nice indeed. It is moving along at a good pace despite the constant ribbing. When I actually have enough done to make it recognizable, I will post a picture.

The shawl on the other hand, is definitely moving at a snails pace. Lace weight yarn with size 8's is a bit of a drag. I have to be careful with every movement not to lose a stitch off the end of my needles. I had set myself a goal of completeing two pattern repeats per night (a total of 16 rows). While this may not sound like much, I am so slow with this that it takes me a couple hours. Sadly, I realized the other night that two pattern repeats equals approximately 2 inches of shawl length. To quote Homer Simpson, "Doh!". I am never going to have this finished by the time I see my mom in June.

This setback does not stop me from thinking about new projects however! I think next I would like to make a shrug. While I am not sure how or when I will wear something like that, they are just so darn cute. Particularly the pink 3/4 sleeve free pattern from Interweave. I had to physicially restrain myself from grabbing some stash and starting it last night. I would like to make the shrug out of some Debbie Bliss cashmerino that I have sitting around but I would need to adapt the pattern to aran weight yarn. Maybe that would be a good exercise for me... when the shawl is finished!

Progress reports and book reviews to come later this week. Plus, a sneak peak at this weekend's entry, I am heading to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival on Saturday. Ohhh the stash... it is so good it almost hurts.

Cheers!

Crochet "Procrastination" Scarf

2005-05-06T06:12:00.000-05:00

Last night I sat down to knit for the first time since Monday. I can hear voices from the crowds asking, "Kelly, Kelly, what did you knit?" Did I cast on for my chicknits Ribby Shell as my last blog suggested I might? No, I did not. Did I work on the shawl I am knitting for my mother for mother's day (to be given in June)? No, I did not. Instead, I grabbed a ball of yarn left over from Joey's Sweater, a size J crochet hook, and starting crocheting this lacy, very soft, blue scarf. I dub this scarf my "Procrastination Scarf" because I whiled away the evening hours in front of the TV working on this, rather than addressing the other projects on my list. Do I feel bad about this, you ask? No! I do not. I justified all of my procrastination by deciding that this will go to my grandmother when it is finished. She has not been feeling well lately and has been in and out of the hospital. Hopefully this scarf will be like a warm hug from me to her. As a bonus, it is light enough to wear during the summer, particularly if you are in a place with the air conditioner blowing sub-zero.
There, the justification process is complete. This scarf is no longer about procrastination but is now about making something comforting for my grandmother. Suddenly, I feel a little like Mother Theresa (except without the life devoted to doing good for others).
Maybe tonight I will cast on for the Ribby Shell... or maybe I will just keep working on the scarf.

Crochet "Procrastination" Scarf
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Baby Joey's Sweater

2005-05-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Baby Joey's Sweater
Originally uploaded by kellymarino.

Look at the fantastic buttons and cute rolled edges!

Sweater Finishing - 1, Procrastination - 0

2005-05-04T08:09:00.000-05:00

That's right, with the help of American Idol cheering me along I finished the baby sweater for Joey (the cutest baby I know). I did all the seaming, sewed in the ends, and sewed on the buttons (I am really not into sewing). The finished sweater looks pretty good (if I do say so myself). I just hope that it fits little Joey.
The sweater details:

Pattern is from Creative Knitting, May 2005 issue
I used TLC Cara Mia yarn (50% acrylic, 19% nylon, 18% rayon, 13% angora), one skein of each color
Needles sizes 7 and 9
Buttons from Joann Fabrics, purchased by my knitting friend Tiffany because she knew they would be perfect for the sweater (and how right she was)

As soon as my blogerbot is working, I will post a picture of the finished sweater. Keep your eye out for it! I think my firewall at work is preventing me from posting pictures. Boo for the firewall.

Next up, I am going to cast on for the Chicknits Ribby Shell. I am using Elan Endless Summer 100% cotton in a nice sage-green color. This will make a good plane project (it is knit in the round) and since I have a couple of trips coming up, I figure I should get started. Unfortunately, the shell requires a lot of casting on (some 200 plus stitches) so I will need a quite room and some serious counting time.

Cozies

2005-05-03T07:10:00.000-05:00

Instead of finishing the seaming of the adorable (I mean seriously cute) baby sweater I am nearly done with, I spent last night creating and knitting a cozie for my friend's IPod Mini. It was a pretty simplistic design but it turned out pretty cute (if I do say so myself). Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture before I gave it to her so I can only describe it here. I knitted the main body in two pieces (a front and a back) using a cream colored acrylic / wool blend yarn. Then I used backstitch to sew it together on three sides (two sides and the bottom). I left the top open but knitted a small flap that comes over the top and attaches to a button I sewed on the back. Then I grabbed some left over Lion Brand Fun Fur in bright red and crocheted around the top opening for some excitement. Like I said, simplistic but cute and very quick to knit (it only took me two hours from IPod measuring to completed item).

That just leaves the baby sweater. I already have one side and sleeve seam completed which means I am only a side seam, a sleeve seam, and four buttons away from a finished sweater. Sigh... I hope the sweater still fits the baby by the time I get off my lazy finishing bum! Pictures to come (once I complete the sweater tonight... come hell or high water!)

2005-05-01T20:57:00.000-05:00

My newly completed ribbon tank
Knitted with Lion Brand Incredible, pattern from Creative Knitting (May 2005)

2005-05-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

Mom's Shawl - in progress

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

2005-05-01T20:19:00.000-05:00

In general, I really like Sundays. They are usually pretty relaxing and I get to sleep in. This Sunday is particularly exciting because Family Guy is back on Fox plus there were two new Simpson's episodes. All in all, it makes for a great evening of knitting and TV. I have finally made some real progress on the Meadow Flowers Shawl from the Knitter's Stash book. I am making it as a graduation present for my mother (she graduates from college in June) so I need to get trucking. I am using lace weight 100% wool yarn from Malabridgio (gorgeous stuff) in Red Pearl. It is pretty but it is taking a long time. Check out the picture of the shawl and the ribbon tank I finished this weekend.

Enjoy Fox's Sunday lineup!

Here we go again...

2005-05-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have a new blog name (which I feel is much more original than the last) and refreshed determination to actually post things!

Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy checking out my knitting and my general rambling.