Sunday, November 29, 2009

Not Very Restful for a Holiday Weekend...

Most of my holiday knitting commitments are done, so I won't blather on too much about knitting today...just a little at the end.
It is 9AM on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I've already been up for a couple hours - primarily preparing to paint my spare room. This is the room I rent, and my housemate G moved out yesterday. I never painted this room when I bought the house in 2007, and I thought I'd give it some attention before trying to get someone new moved in on 1/1/10. The room was a forest green, and it needed to be brightend up.
I should mention that G did NOT trash this room; the guy that restored the house was a complete hack with the mud, and all the walls needed MAJOR TLC. Suggestion to all: if you need to redo the drywall, hire someone who actually does it professionally or the walls will look like total shit.

So I have two little girl hats, a little girl scarf, one and a half novelty scarves, and the Red Sox "B" stitching on my nephew's hat left to do before xmas. I had donated most of my novelty


yarn to the Boston Living Center, but had enough to put some decent combos together for scarf choices for my friend G (not to be confused w/ my former housemate G) to give to his mother and three sisters. Here are the two and one half novelty scarves that are
done. So I'm off to see G's new place and pick up my kitty carrier that I loaned her to move Mr. Bunny. Bye for now...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Finished FMB

So I ran my French Market Bag through the wash last night, and it looks really great. Two photos -
one from the side and one showing the bottom. On to the next project...Ho Ho Ho!

Friday, November 27, 2009

French Market Bag - Pre Felt


So I'm at my mother's at 10:30 PM the day after Thanks- giving. I just finished my current French Market Bag, and need to sew in the ends and throw it in a hot wash... Here's what it looks like before felting. Scissors are in there for size comparison.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

During the holidays, I seem to go to a lot of craft shows, open studios and art openings. This weekend I hit Paradise City in Marlboro (yesterday) and open studios at Brickbottom in Somerville (today). After dropping a king's ransom yesterday, I took all the cash out of my wallet this morning and told myself I would not be buying anything today. You'd think that after hanging around with myself for 45 years, I'd know myself a little better. A couple years ago while at Brickbottom, I saw an artist named Mark Luiggi and I liked his work. http://homepage.mac.com/markluiggi/PhotoAlbum7.html Today I decided to buy one of his small prints, but of course he doesn't take credit cards and I had taken all the cash out of my wallet this morning before leaving the house. Idiot. So I ran downstairs to ask my friend Ron, who was the reason for my visit to open studios in the first place (here's a plug for Ron - he's awesome http://www.rockrollphoto.com/) where the nearest ATM was. I take off to get cash, go back to Mark Luiggi's studio, he wraps up my print, gives me a receipt and off I go...without giving him the money. I didn't realize it until an hour later when I was in TJ Maxx (which was a whole 'nother nightmare) and had a bunch of cash in my wallet that wasn't supposed to be there. I'm not sure exactly WHEN my brain fell out, but I think it has something to do with the holidays approaching.
I have one more artist story from yesterday and then I'll talk about knitting. I went to Paradise City yesterday, which is a large art and fine american craft sale that draws artists from all over the country. Two years ago, I bought a print from an artist named Tom Barnes. http://www.tombarnesfineart.com/ The reason I bought it was because the woman in the print hat a white hat and matching hand warmer and he had painted hollys on both on the print. I didn't go to the show last year because my foot was broken but I'm standing there yesterday looking at a painting (that came home with me...Celeste) and he says, "Your name is Holly and you bought Sonia in Winter". I looked at him and said, "Jesus." Then he said, "But don't ask me what I had for breakfast this morning." I still find it remarkable - even today; but maybe a little unnerving as well.
So I've been working constantly on a French Market Bag for my mother. I totally got the date wrong on Boston Living Center's Thanksgiving dinner (it is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, not actual Thanksgiving Day - which doesn't make any sense to me - what are the people at the center supposed to do ON Thanksgiving??) so I'll be seeing my mother next Thursday and have to get this bag done and felted by then. I started this one from the center of the bottom and knitted out instead of knitting a straight rows and then picking up 200 stitches to do the body of the bag, as I have done in the past. This first photo shows the bottom, which I hope will flatten out when felted. The main color is beige and the bag will have a stripe of the royal and teal. My friend D is coming over in a bit and I have to find Thai and possible Sushi nearby before she gets here. We mostly have Italian in and around my fair town, so I'll have to get out the phone book and give this some thought...

Sunday, November 15, 2009

I Think I'm a Selfish Knitter...

I have holiday commitments to knit. I finished my Tanis Gray inspired scarf yesterday as planned and then wandered around aimlessly trying to figure out what to cast on. Yes, all I do on the weekends is knit as the house is falling down around me. (It's really not but it could be.) I knew I should cast on the French Market Bag I have to make for my mother, but there is a hat in the new Interweave Knits Accessories issue that is perfect for me. It would be an incredibly quick knit too. http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/36935.aspx I don't wear dreads, but I was thinking of sewing platinum braided extensions into the hat just because. Cute and funny, but no. It took all the willpower I had to cast on the FMB.
I did a circular cast on and have about four rounds done. This is probably the eighth or ninth French Market Bag I've knit. They make awesome gifts (and go quickly b/c it's just straight knitting) but at this point just about everyone I know has already received one. I'm using Cascade 220, and the primary color will be beige, but I haven't picked it up yet. The turqoise will be an accent stripe, so I thought I'd start with that. I'll also throw in a stripe of teal somewhere for good measure.
I'm making my weekly pilgrimage up to Yarns in the Farms to hang out for a couple hours. So I'll sign off. And speaking of Yarns in the Farms, the new Twist Collective is out and the models look VERRRRRRY familiar!!
http://twistcollective.com/2009/winter/magazinepage_021.php Here is my dear friend, J whose daughter A models most of the looks in the issue. Yay A! http://twistcollective.com/2009/winter/magazinepage_027.php Could she be any cuter?? I'm off to start my day...Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Rainy Saturday...

The weather today is just horrible. The former hurricane Ida is sitting over the Northeast, and the wind and rain are ridiculous. I had three things to do today...go to the grocery store, go to Home Depot for a(nother) remote control for a ceiling fan and knit. I headed out to the grocery store at 7:45A. I decided to go to the new Market Basket in Chelsea, even though it is ALWAYS a mobscene. I thought given the hurricane, the faint of heart would stay home and let me have the store to myself, but I was sadly mistaken. Quick story: I've never gone to the deli before (ever) because of the mass of humanity in front of the counter at all times. I came around the corner, looked toward the deli and was relieved to see comparatively few people waiting. I took a number... It was 01. (Before I tell you what number they were serving, I'll just mention that I needed one item: 3/4 lb of white Land O'Lakes American cheese.) They were serving number 76. THERE WERE 25 PEOPLE AHEAD OF ME! I guess if it wasn't raining, there would've been 75 people ahead of me. So the question is, did I wait for the cheese? Yes. It gave me a chance to practice my relaxation exercises. Kidding.


So I've made progress this week on one major deliverable (that's workspeak, sorry), and will be binding off today. It is my Tanis Gray inspired scarf done in Rowan Lima, and I love it. I hate to keep blathering on about this yarn, but it is just sick. (That's sick in a good way for those of you who need a translation.) I think it is the nicest yarn I've ever seen. The pattern and yarn compliment each other perfectly, so I will definitely knit this again.
I'm not sure what I'll cast on after I finish this today. Probably a little girl's Ugg-matching hat. I should be able to bang that out pretty quickly. Whatever I decide, there will be photos to follow. Thanks for reading.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

MORE new projects...

It is possible that I've bit off more than I can chew. My own projects (two sweaters...one actually ON the needles) are on hiatus while I bang out my holiday commitments. I'm doing two hat/scarf sets for the grand daughters of my friend J, which will coordinate with their new Christmas Uggs.
It really will be too cute. Anyway, I was able to finish one of the scarves in four evenings this week. The hats will go much quicker thankfully, but it's still a four part project. Check out the completed scarf - I actually designed it (clearly not too tough) and I'm calling the pattern "Ugg Matching Little Lady's Scarf". It's done in Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted in color Grey Heather.
I picked up some Rowan Lima last weekend, and I'm working on a scarf that I started for another friend (sorority sister J) LAST winter. I started various patterns in various colors and weights of yarn, but I was really unhappy with the results, so I just kept froggin'. I finally have a keeper. The pattern is Tanis Gray's Lace Afghan, with just two pattern repeats to make it the perfect scarf width.
I loved this pattern when I did the afghan, and I love it as a scarf as well. Fun and easy to knit, plus it moves along pretty quickly. Rowan Lima is such a yummy yarn that I can hardly stand it: 84% baby alpaca, 8% merino wool and 8% nylon, and the color is a brown/purple heather. Gorgeous. I'd love a sweater in this stuff, but I'd have to take a second mortgage on the house. I might knit myself the same scarf in a midnight blue at some point after the holidays. Or maybe in a gray to match MY Uggs.
When I get these done, I need to do a quick French Market Bag that my mother is giving to her friend J for Christmas. Is it my imagination or does everyone's name start with J? I haven't even picked up the wool for that one, but it's going to be Cascade 220 in either gray or brown with bold stripes of jewel tones breaking up the neutral.
Now that it's November, I'll be doing a quick plug each week for the Boston Living Center. I've volunteered to serve Thanksgiving Dinner, and as part of my commitment, I have to raise $200 for the center, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people in and around Boston who are living with HIV/AIDS. I found out about the Center when I donated a ton of yarn and knitting needles after I couldn't sell them at my ill-fated yard sale Labor Day weekend. I don't celebrate holidays anymore, so I thought I'd do my part to make someone else's day special. I've set my personal goal at $500, and would ask that you check out the Center's website and sponsor me if you can. http://www.firstgiving.com/hollymartinson Thanks so much! Bye!