Thursday, November 06, 2008
November 6
Our front entry way is dripping! Today's rain has compromised the already questionable quality of the roof in that area and now we have our own peaceful dripping noise, and we didn't even have to order anything out of SkyMall! We are so lucky . . . to rent, not own, this pile of sticks.
I made some mittens this week using some Noro Cashmere Island I bought back when we visited California in October. I bought two skeins at Elisabetta in Los Gatos. The yarn was certainly an indulgence but totally worth it. I also figure that yarn is like my souvenir from travels. (I can justify many yarn purchases this way, since there is not a yarn store in my town, therefore all yarn purchases are made during "travels.")
These are made from the same colorway (separate skeins), and I love how different they look. The color repeat is sooooo long, it probably doesn't repeat for the whole 110 yards of each skein. This would probably drive some people up the wall, but I love the unpredictability. The yarn is so deliciously soft and slubby. I wanted to eat the colors!
Sparky was less thrilled about the colors.
All I can say is, good thing I was wearing mittens.
I made some mittens this week using some Noro Cashmere Island I bought back when we visited California in October. I bought two skeins at Elisabetta in Los Gatos. The yarn was certainly an indulgence but totally worth it. I also figure that yarn is like my souvenir from travels. (I can justify many yarn purchases this way, since there is not a yarn store in my town, therefore all yarn purchases are made during "travels.")
These are made from the same colorway (separate skeins), and I love how different they look. The color repeat is sooooo long, it probably doesn't repeat for the whole 110 yards of each skein. This would probably drive some people up the wall, but I love the unpredictability. The yarn is so deliciously soft and slubby. I wanted to eat the colors!Sparky was less thrilled about the colors.
All I can say is, good thing I was wearing mittens.Labels: knitting, mittens, nablopomo, sparky
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
November 5
Whew. That was quite a night. I am very glad to hear that a puppy will be moving to the White House!
I promised to show the Tangled Yoke today, and I can show it to you in pre-wearing state. My photographer husband (oooh, just like a supermodel!) is indisposed at the moment, i.e. taking a nap because we stayed up late watching election coverage.
First of all, I love the pattern and love the way the yarn worked with the pattern. The heathered reddish orange yarn (Frog Tree Alpaca Sport Melange) is soft but still lets the cable definition come through.
I blocked the sweater on old beach towels on a futon. It took forever to dry--it probably needed at least 48 hours to completely dry, along with several changes of towels. This really surprised me because
a) alpaca is water resistant
b) it is low humidity in the house
c) there is a radiator directly below the futon
I did notice some paw prints on the sweater, perhaps from helpful friends. Maybe they slept on it and prevented it from drying. Never underestimate the appeal of smelly, damp wool for a nine hour nap. At least, according to Mouse, no regular nap can even come close to the damp wool nap for pure sleepy satisfaction.
In any case, it took its own sweet time drying. But it was totally worth it. The sweater fits beautifully. My only issue is that the buttonhole side of the button band pulls against the buttons (wait till you see them--so pretty!) and gives me a "bust-a-fazoo" Mae West look, when in reality, the sweater fits well. I think the yarn is a bit more delicate than that used in the pattern instructions, so it is more prone to stretch. Would a ribbon applied to the reverse side of the buttonhole band prevent that? Does anyone have any experience with dealing with this issue?
Oh my goodness, only 42 minutes until ANTM! Time for a glass of wine!
I promised to show the Tangled Yoke today, and I can show it to you in pre-wearing state. My photographer husband (oooh, just like a supermodel!) is indisposed at the moment, i.e. taking a nap because we stayed up late watching election coverage.
First of all, I love the pattern and love the way the yarn worked with the pattern. The heathered reddish orange yarn (Frog Tree Alpaca Sport Melange) is soft but still lets the cable definition come through.I blocked the sweater on old beach towels on a futon. It took forever to dry--it probably needed at least 48 hours to completely dry, along with several changes of towels. This really surprised me becausea) alpaca is water resistant
b) it is low humidity in the house
c) there is a radiator directly below the futon
I did notice some paw prints on the sweater, perhaps from helpful friends. Maybe they slept on it and prevented it from drying. Never underestimate the appeal of smelly, damp wool for a nine hour nap. At least, according to Mouse, no regular nap can even come close to the damp wool nap for pure sleepy satisfaction.In any case, it took its own sweet time drying. But it was totally worth it. The sweater fits beautifully. My only issue is that the buttonhole side of the button band pulls against the buttons (wait till you see them--so pretty!) and gives me a "bust-a-fazoo" Mae West look, when in reality, the sweater fits well. I think the yarn is a bit more delicate than that used in the pattern instructions, so it is more prone to stretch. Would a ribbon applied to the reverse side of the buttonhole band prevent that? Does anyone have any experience with dealing with this issue?
Oh my goodness, only 42 minutes until ANTM! Time for a glass of wine!
Labels: knitting, nablopomo, tangled yoke
Monday, May 26, 2008
Holiday Monday
I haven't posted lately about it, but I have continued knitting. I made a hat/sweater/bootie set for the David/Ellen baby (as-yet-to-be-determined) but somehow failed to take a single picture. Let's just say it was cute, since there's nothing to contradict me, ha ha! Now I'm working on a pattern from an old Vogue Knitting I picked up for half price. I've also failed to take a picture of it, so far, but it's coming along swimmingly. This is the first thing I've made for myself in over a year, so I'm excited to see how it looks. Daringly modern? Or hopelessly frumpy? Stay tuned!
New books:
Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain
How is this book not more popular? This 1930s tale of a divorced lady in Los Angeles, struggling to make a decent living with two daughters, is fabulous for a) bootleg scotch; b) Mildred's prosaic "do what you have to do" approach to men and money; c) daughter Veda's Gossip Girl-level evil behavior; d) all the fraught class-consciousness of L.A., which I think is . . . pretty much the same seventy-five years later. I swear, if you multiplied all the monetary sums by 10 and published this as a paperback with a stilletto on the front, you would have a best-seller. This is one of my favorite books of the last few years. Who is this James M. Cain? And what else has he written? Next, I must see the movie, and if anyone finds that pulp fiction edition with the down-to-there dress, please buy it--I'll pay you back!
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
Well, wow. I read this whole book today, on Memorial Day, which seems somewhat appropriate, given Afghanistan's role in recent American military action. The book's dust jacket uses typically overblown words like "breathtaking" "heart-wrenching" and "striking," and, well, yeah. For once, those are totally apt descriptions. It's the story of two women ensnared by the various regimes vying for political control, and you feel their suffocation. Imagine not being able to go to school, go to a store, walk on a street, visit your family, travel out of town, have a job, wear anything but a head-to-toe covering....I just kept thinking about what I would do in such a situation. Even though the reality is very grim, it also presents these characters as completely real beings, with friends and crushes, tempers and beliefs. It's when you think of the two characters followed in this story and multiply it by ten million women that it really becomes breathtaking. Somehow I never read The Kite Runner--now that's next on my list.
Hope you are having a good holiday weekend, those of you in the U.S. It feels like summer now.
New books:
Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain
How is this book not more popular? This 1930s tale of a divorced lady in Los Angeles, struggling to make a decent living with two daughters, is fabulous for a) bootleg scotch; b) Mildred's prosaic "do what you have to do" approach to men and money; c) daughter Veda's Gossip Girl-level evil behavior; d) all the fraught class-consciousness of L.A., which I think is . . . pretty much the same seventy-five years later. I swear, if you multiplied all the monetary sums by 10 and published this as a paperback with a stilletto on the front, you would have a best-seller. This is one of my favorite books of the last few years. Who is this James M. Cain? And what else has he written? Next, I must see the movie, and if anyone finds that pulp fiction edition with the down-to-there dress, please buy it--I'll pay you back!
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
Well, wow. I read this whole book today, on Memorial Day, which seems somewhat appropriate, given Afghanistan's role in recent American military action. The book's dust jacket uses typically overblown words like "breathtaking" "heart-wrenching" and "striking," and, well, yeah. For once, those are totally apt descriptions. It's the story of two women ensnared by the various regimes vying for political control, and you feel their suffocation. Imagine not being able to go to school, go to a store, walk on a street, visit your family, travel out of town, have a job, wear anything but a head-to-toe covering....I just kept thinking about what I would do in such a situation. Even though the reality is very grim, it also presents these characters as completely real beings, with friends and crushes, tempers and beliefs. It's when you think of the two characters followed in this story and multiply it by ten million women that it really becomes breathtaking. Somehow I never read The Kite Runner--now that's next on my list.
Hope you are having a good holiday weekend, those of you in the U.S. It feels like summer now.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Babies!
It's spring, and baby season is about to begin! There are at least 4 babies to be born among friends in the next four months. Although I am 100% not ready to have a baby myself, I have discovered that I love to knit baby clothes. Tiny! Darling! Quick!
This is a Baby Kimono from a pattern by Julie Cashin. It's all garter stitch, knitted flat, then seamed up along the sides and underarms.
One for Malena and Graham's baby (to come in May) and one from Molly and Kenny's baby (to come in April). I felt Molly's baby do, like, a somersault or karate kick or something and spontaneously shrieked with delight. Babies! Maybe once my damn wedding is out of the way, babies can be taken under consideration. In a few years.
I used an I-cord for the closure, but a ribbon or button can also be used.
Sorry for the gap in posting--I've been travelling a bit. I was in Minneapolis visiting family and friends and doing wedding planning over the Easter weekend. It snowed, of course. I was in Newport, RI Friday and yesterday. That's a super-crazy town, all filled with center-chimney colonials (the 18th century architectural style closest to my heart) and insane summer "cottages" built by Vanderbilts and other people with money to burn. I should probably put cottages in double double quotes (i.e. ""cottages"") because the irony is so great. These are marble palaces with sixteen bedrooms and gold plated faucets, manicured gardens, etc. It's nice to have something to aspire to in my summering practices.
My summering this year will be very exciting, since it will not just be a summer vacation, but a HONEYMOON! As my favorite hobby is obsessively planning vacations in exhaustive detail, causing Mr. Cupcakes to stop responding to me or taking advantage of my spreadsheet of housing comparisons, I have taken the liberty of doing the planning for the 'moon. Can you guess where we're going?
Hints: cheese! wine! chocolate! pastries! guillotines!
This is a Baby Kimono from a pattern by Julie Cashin. It's all garter stitch, knitted flat, then seamed up along the sides and underarms.
One for Malena and Graham's baby (to come in May) and one from Molly and Kenny's baby (to come in April). I felt Molly's baby do, like, a somersault or karate kick or something and spontaneously shrieked with delight. Babies! Maybe once my damn wedding is out of the way, babies can be taken under consideration. In a few years.
I used an I-cord for the closure, but a ribbon or button can also be used.Sorry for the gap in posting--I've been travelling a bit. I was in Minneapolis visiting family and friends and doing wedding planning over the Easter weekend. It snowed, of course. I was in Newport, RI Friday and yesterday. That's a super-crazy town, all filled with center-chimney colonials (the 18th century architectural style closest to my heart) and insane summer "cottages" built by Vanderbilts and other people with money to burn. I should probably put cottages in double double quotes (i.e. ""cottages"") because the irony is so great. These are marble palaces with sixteen bedrooms and gold plated faucets, manicured gardens, etc. It's nice to have something to aspire to in my summering practices.
My summering this year will be very exciting, since it will not just be a summer vacation, but a HONEYMOON! As my favorite hobby is obsessively planning vacations in exhaustive detail, causing Mr. Cupcakes to stop responding to me or taking advantage of my spreadsheet of housing comparisons, I have taken the liberty of doing the planning for the 'moon. Can you guess where we're going?
Hints: cheese! wine! chocolate! pastries! guillotines!
Labels: babies, knitting, travel
