Sunday, September 26, 2010

Busy, Busy, Busy...

I've been insanely busy again. I had planned to go to a two day seminar on internet marketing and search engine & video optimization Friday night and all day Saturday. But then I thought my weekend wouldn't be busy enough, so I skipped out of the seminar early, raced home, caught a flight to DC and drove back to Boston today. What would cause me to do that you ask? Well, my sister H bought a new car. http://miniusa.com/#/MINIUSA.COM-m She bought the Mini Clubman, which is technically the Mini Maxi. (Next year they are coming out with an SUV. No joke. Henceforth I will refer to that model as the Mini Oxymoron.) Anyway, my Civic and her old car are the same year, but her old car has 70,000 less miles than mine. It seems I live in my car, and she never drives hers. When she asked if I wanted to buy her old one, it only made sense to do so. It stunk to miss three hours of the seminar (especially since I'm starting a business and these are incredibly important topics) and it REALLY stunk to be in the car from 9:30A until 8:10P today, but I have a new car! It's a Bug. Same color as my old Element; I really like a silver car. Here is a picture of happy Holly before leaving DC this morning. There was no one here to snap a pic of cranky Holly when she arrived home...probably for the best.
Soooo. No knitting today, but tomorrow I'm going to talk about where "hollypots" came from and how I'm going to get back there...
Now: Laundry, Boardwalk Empire, Sleep. Bye.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Super Quick Boy Meets Girl Hats


Yesterday, on a whim, I cast on Spud & Chloe's Boy Meets Girl Hats - the girl version. http://www.spudandchloe.com/patterns/boy-meets-girl-hats/ I thought it would go quickly, but I swear you could do the whole hat in two hours max. I've got about an hour and a half invested, and I'm on the crown shaping. I'm on size 11 needles using Cleckheaton Gusto 10, which (drumroll please...) was in my stash! If I make another one, I'll use size 12s and yarn that is softer. This is a mohair blend, and it's kind of itchy. (I might also add one squiggle repeat which would in turn make the ear flaps bigger. Or, I might just bag the pattern and design a new hat myself.) I picked up a set of bamboo circulars yesterday to make this, and the dull points are bumming me out. I generally sharpen the points, so I'll do it as soon as the hat moves from the circular to the dpns. I was looking for some immediate gratification yesterday, as I have three big things going with no gratification in sight. I needed to bang something out on big needles using chunky yarn. If I'm being picky, my right leaning make ones are looking kind of lame, aren't they? They're one stitch in from the edge of the flap, but kind of distorting the edge row. I'm just noticing it now. Hmm. I won't frog it - I'll just keep it for myself, which I hadn't planned to do.
Wow. Did everyone see Boardwalk Empire last night on HBO? http://www.hbo.com/#/boardwalk-empire Fab-O. I thought it was just great, but I'm a fan of Steve Buscemi from way back. Immediately after it ended, I was going to watch it again, but I fell asleep during the opening credits. What a thrilling life I lead...
So I'm listening to an awesome book on Social Media Marketing called Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk. I've been spending a lot of time lately learning about Social Media and branding, and this book is a wealth of information. Plus it's narrated by the author and he's cool and enthusiastic.
Not too much else. I'll post pictures of the hat when I finish it. I know my size 11 double pointed needles are around here somewhere...

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Project Status and We'll See Where That Leads...

Long week. I've considered sitting down to post once or twice since Tuesday, but the issue foremost in my life would be my debilitating hot flashes, and who wants to read about that? Anyway, at this point it's a stretch to make them funny. This morning my friend S told me I reminded her of a fundraising thermometer (as the red crept up my neck and face), and said..."I think you've reached your goal." Next Thurs: Doctor. This is completely unacceptable. It's hard enough to accept the coming of age with dignity and grace without adding insult to injury.
I want to send a special get well wish to Takoda pictured here at left. I spent a lot of quality time with him last week, and now he's very sick. Here's hoping he just got into something toxic that can be flushed out of his system quickly, and he's on the road to recovery soon. He's such a good dog.










The last time I posted, I was on my way to rip out my Jubilee Scarf shown here. I haven't worked on it since mid-May, didn't really remember too much about it, and when I went to frog it I couldn't even find it. Well, the strangest thing happened when I DID find it; turns out I really like it. I have 19 1/4" done (way more than I thought), there's a row counter on the needle so I know exactly where I am in the pattern, AND the yarn is really yummy. I've decided to reintroduce.
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/jubilee/jubilee.html Norah Gaughan is the designer and I'm using Louisa Harding Mulberry. It's nice. It looks pretty crappy in the picture, but that's because it's been sitting in a baggie since the third week of May.

So I only have an inch or two to go on the sleeves for the cable & lace pullover I'm working on. I knew the back was done and I thought I still had to finish the front.






Check this out...I actually finished the back and the front before I put it away in the spring. That makes it easy. Once I get the sleeves done I can get everything on a circular and finish it up. The only thing remaining is the ribbed yoke and the seaming. That will leave me with four WIPs: Janis, the Stay Put Wrap, Jubilee and Cinquefoil which has been snoozing since May and will continue to do so.
So that's it for today. B and I are going on an adventure tomorrow, so we'll see if that turns into anything worth mentioning. Bye for now.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tuesday Night is Knitting Night...

...but not tonight. I didn't mention that I caught a cold when I was on my trip, and now my friend D is sick. She thought I was returning on Sunday, so she came in to feed the cats on Saturday morning first thing. I was crashed on the sofa and I think we scared each other - me not expecting anyone to walk into my house and yell, "I'm Here!" and her not expecting me to growl back, "Awesome" or whatever else I said. She stayed to chat for a bit and then she and B went for an adventure of some sort. She didn't necessarily catch a cold from me by the way - one of her clients has a cold and they might be the culprit. Anyway, instead of going to knit-night I'll stay home for unpack-my-stuff-and-do-laundry-night. But first, I'll do this. Actually, I'm hungry. Maybe I'll do that. Here's what I'm having:

Those red things are beets, which are a complete failure. The largest one is the size of a cherry tomato. I just couldn't grow them - there must be a trick to it, but I don't really care. I don't even like beets that much. I'll eat those three puny things, but clearly the greens will be a larger component of my meal. Then next year, the beets will not be invited back.
Okay. The first thing I want to do today is give a shout out and a big thanks to K, who sent me a lovely bag today in the mail. K is actually my sister H's very good friend, which is how I know her. (H in DC, not H in Tahoe, and not to be confused with my brother H or...me.) This bag is great (and blue), and coincidentally I was with my sister H this summer when she bought the identical one. Thanks K!
So tonight I was looking around at all my current projects. I have six going, but the teal cable & lace sweater for my friend J will be done in the next couple weeks definitely. These are 3/4 of the remain WIPs.

The first is that big doily thing that is actually starting to bug me. I had to go to the trouble of buying the double pointed needles and then the HiyaHiyas pictured here. This is my first HiyaHiya circular needle. Maybe it's my imagination, but it doesn't seem as slick as my addi turbos. I might give them a quick buff with some waxed paper. Yes. I have waxed paper downstairs. Anyway, the doily thing is really easy, so I'm not watching it while I knit, or keeping track of my rows. Any wonder it's screwed up? I've ripped it out twice already and I'm currently tinking back seven rows. I'll give it one more chance and then it's going the way of the frog. And speaking frogging, we have the Jubilee Scarf here on the left. Technically, I would call it more of a UFO than a WIP. I loved that pattern and the yarn when I started it, but now I have no interest. B gave me two 50g balls of Louisa Harding Mulberry so that I could finish it, but maybe I'll give them back. This scarf could be three cables - maybe even two, so maybe I'll re-do. Say good bye... Hey HG - I'll think of you while I'm unraveling it onto the winder!



Here's Janis which is taking a snooze, but I'm going to finish this one. I'm going on a four day knitting retreat in October with Jill Stover, who designed it. Actually, I bet I'll finish it then. :)

Remember the pink acrylic from the other day? I decided what to do with it. I work with a woman whose daughter is a teacher and she's always looking for crafty stuff for her kids. I thought I'd give it to her, but it gets better. I can't just give her one piddly skein of yarn, so I ventured up to the attic to visit the bin of misfits who are not allowed to live in the yarn room.




What I ought to do is give her the whole bin, but it would take a crane to get it out of the house.





This is what I'll give her tomorrow. It doesn't look like much, but it's a start.
And that's all I've got. Off to do the laundry. Bye for now.




Sunday, September 12, 2010

Home Again, Home Again...

The night before my mother and I left for Tahoe, I caught something being very bad in my backyard. Hmm. Let me go back further. I've employed a lawncare service for the last couple years. They cut my grass, throw fertilizer down when necessary and pick up my fifty bags of leaves every fall. This late in the year, they only come about every two weeks or so - it's been a really hot summer so there hasn't been too much growing since about July. That said, the back yard has been looking ESPECIALLY dead lately, and it appears that something has been digging a gazillion holes in the grass as well. Is it the early bird getting the worm, or something more sinister at work here? B, my lawn guy, hasn't made any comments on the yard, and his crew has continued to mow it as if it is actually growing. (I didn't really feel like dealing with it, but it's one thing for the lawn guys to mow the lawn when it doesn't need to be done, and quite another when they fertilize my dead lawn - apparently not noticing or caring that it's dead. It was starting to make me cranky.) So back to the night before my trip. We were out running an errand and got home after dark. We pulled into my driveway, and the headlights hit Pepe LePew digging holes in my backyard. Grubs. I knew it. And a skunk of all things is ripping up my yard looking for them. So Mr. LePew doesn't even look up when I shine the headlights on him. I went in the house and turned on the flood light in back, and still, he doesn't flinch. I go out on the deck - and now I'm less than 10 feet from him, and it's like I'm not even there. (Nice dead lawn, right?) So I go in the house, and call B, my lawn guy who doesn't pick up. Message. Me: "Hello B, it's hollypots on (my address)...Yeah, I'm not sure you've noticed...the last three times you guys have been here...that my lawn is dead?? Well, I've just figured out what killed it...grubs, and I have a skunk out there right now tearing up my yard looking for them. Think you could put some grub killer down? I'll be out of town all week, but feel free to stop by anytime." Seriously?? I guess I should hang a shingle and call myself a lawn guy. This is my backyard after they raked up the dead grass and put down grub killer. It will need to be reseeded, but I'll deal with that next spring. Nightmare. Luckily no one ever comes over or I'd be embarrassed.




So Lake Tahoe. It's beautiful there and we had a wonderful trip. Here are a few pictures. The first on was taken in the middle of the lake - the water is very blue because it's so deep.



Here you can see where the water is shallow close to the shore. The water is much greener - but still so clear.


On the boat ride. Most of the trip H & P were up on deck and I was down below. I was struggling with all the people, so I took my anti-social self below deck to chill in isolation.



This is me & H at a stop coming down from Tahoe National Forest.

The next photo is the valley behind us. It is amazing. Created by a glacier.








I read and knit a lot during my trip. I've almost got my sleeves done for the Cable & Lace Pullover I'm working on. Finishing this is my number one priority. I won't have a ton of time this week, but I think I can get them done by Friday.

And now my vacation is over and I'm back in the office tomorrow. It's probably going to be pretty harsh, so I should get to bed. Bye for now.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Greetings from Lake Tahoe!

I'm staying in Tahoe Vista actually, which is on the north shore. Here's the view from my mother's room. Not too shabby. We're taking a paddle boat cruise to Emerald Bay today, but we spent the first two days we were here touring around in the car. After arriving on Monday, we drove all around the lake on Tuesday with scenic stops along the way. Yesterday we drove up to Graeagle and drove back down through Tahoe National Forest making stops at some small lakes along the way for photo ops. While up in Graeagle, we made a stop at Woolly Notions, owned by Victoria Williams. http://woollynotion.com/ I had been in her shop in May 2009, and she remembered exactly who I was which was pretty cool (live in Boston...ran out of Malabrigo on the plane- although it was actually Manos, but still). Stop in if you're ever in the neighborhood; she's super nice and carries a very nice selection of yarn. We were really high up, and it was freezing up there.



I'd like to take a second to introduce my new boyfriend, Takoda. Because I'm low man on the totem pole, I've spent the last two days in the backseat with him. At one point yesterday, he was sitting so close to me that I could feel his breath on my neck. H said, "He likes you, Hol!" Yeah, that might be true, but does he have to sit right ON me? Although we've seen some incredible scenery, it will be good to be out of the car today.

I was able to finish the Xenocryst hat by Linda Shelhamer in baby alpaca, which I was making for H on the plane ride out here. It turned out great - I really love this pattern. It is a multiple of seven stitches and a four row repeat so it's easy to memorize, and small enough that you can carry it anywhere. The rib/cable is just beautiful when it is stretched. I've made two for gifts, but I'm making one for myself as soon as I have a free week when I'm not working on five other things.
And speaking of five other things, yesterday while in the car, I cast on the sleeves for Cecily Glowik MacDonald's Cable and Lace
Pullover in Dream in Color Groovy - Burmuda Teal. This one has been snoozing since about March. The back is done and the front is about 2/3 done, so I can get the sleeves done while I'm out here and get this thing wrapped up in the next couple weeks. It was a holiday gift from LAST year, so I have to get it done before it gets cold. My friend J recently asked for a status and I felt like a total jerk.






Okay - We're running out the door to catch a boat. We're headed home tomorrow, so I doubt I'll check in again before Sunday. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

My Black Crowned Night Herons...

Yeah, I know I said I was leaving, but I'm not gone yet. This will be super quick. I've been trying to get some half way decent shots of my birds since I moved in three years ago. When deciding on a camera last week, I picked one with 10x optical zoom for this reason.

This morning I counted four of my big buddies, two of which were not obstructed by branches, so here they are:
This guy is a teenager. They are brown and speckled.


This guy is an adult - although it might be a female b/c I counted two teenagers this AM.
How cool are they, seriously?


Remember a while back when I was complaining about my chirping smoke detectors? I've changed three batteries, and one of them is still chirping away. It is driving me mental. Are there people who service smoke detectors who aren't called husbands? Jesus. Would somebody please give me some direction?

Saturday, September 4, 2010

First Day of Vacation...Yippee!

Sheesh. So much to say that I hardly know where to start. I had my hair done last night after work. It is so short...I love it. What I do to my hair is cruel and unusual punishment; it's a double process (first bleached then dyed), and not a very pleasant experience. To get my hair to be white-blonde, I leave the salon with a hint of blue in my hair that fades after a few days. I like the blue - I'd wear it all the time, but sometimes people look at me as if to say, "are you aware that your hair is bluish?", and I return the look, as if to say, "yeah, I know my hair is blue...do you have a problem with that?" In Swedish I can say my hair is blonde, my hair is blue, my hair is white, and my hair is gray. I just can't say my blue-blonde hair is covering my gray. That will take further study. Ja.
Just as I predicted, the hurricane was a bust. Classic news coverage though. The best was a Channel 5 story last night at 11. News team was on the Cape, which is where the weather was worse, granted. So the only story for days has been Hurricane Earl BARRELING up the coast ready to bear down on the helpless inhabitants of Cape Cod. So they're in Wellfleet at Bob's Ice Cream waiting for the town to be decimated, and the correspondent points to the people in line and says (I'm paraphrasing - I should've written it down), "People have been in line, buying ice cream for hours." Well, you can bet that if they felt safe enough to buy ice cream in Wellfleet, I felt safe enough to go to bed.
And now I should be getting ready for my trip, but I prefer to be distracted. I always struggle with what to take, what to check, and what to carry-on. For in-flight knitting, I like to keep the needles small and circular for the most part so that I don't get hassled. I've never had any trouble, but a friend of mine had her needles taken away and broken right in front of her. It wasn't in the US, but still. That's just unnecessary.
For reading, I was going to take The Social History of Knitting in America and It's Not What You Sell, It's What You Stand For but they're both hard cover. (I should've finished the knitting history while I was in Seattle last month but I didn't and then misplaced it when I got home. Wednesday just happened to be every-other-Wednesday, so A found the book and put it where I couldn't possibly miss it. She's great that way, but I'm getting off the track.) I think I'll look around for some lighter reading material - in weight, not content.
So, what will I knit on the plane you ask? I think I'll go with another Xenocryst (Aug post, "In Record Time") for my sister H, who I'm going to visit. I've knit her a couple hats, and she wants another one. When she was here in July, I told her to let me know what color she wanted and I'd get the wool and make it for her. On her way down from Maine, she stopped at JoAnn Fabrics to look at yarn colors. She called me from there with 100 grams of light pink acrylic in her hands. Me: "Just tell me what color you want and I'll get the yarn." She said she was already in the store and had the yarn. Me: "Do NOT buy that acrylic yarn; it makes my flesh crawl. Just pick out a color." Needless to say, she gave me the acrylic yarn when I saw her that evening. (She put it on the table next to my chair where it sat for many weeks. My friend B was afraid to mention it. Finally she said, "What is that doing in your house?") Yes, I'm a snob. Life is too short to buy cheap yarn. The yarn I'm going to use is Cascade Pure Alpaca (100% Baby) pictured all wound to the left of the scary acrylic. Mmmm, Alpaca.
I've tried to post a couple different video clips of Munchie talking, but I keep getting errors when I try to play them. I'll get her posted when I get home from Tahoe. Look for me next Sunday. Bye!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Today was a looooong one...

Oh yeah. I love the days that I leave the house at 7:15AM and don't get home until 10:30PM. I always hope the last day or two before vacation will be quiet, but they never are. It's 11PM and I'm wound up. I should be working (I told somebody I'd do something tonight but it's not very likely) but I thought I'd do a project status instead. In a minute.
Seems the Governor just issued a state of emergency in expectation of Hurricane Earl coming through tomorrow, and I guess the Cape is going to get slammed. I'm on the North Shore - and I'm about half a mile from the ocean. I'm not sure if I should be concerned. I've got the super deluxe sump pump with the battery operated back up pump in case I lose power. I have a couple bottles of water in the fridge left over from the two-day boil order earlier in the summer. I guess I'm all set, so I'll have my hair done at 5PM as planned. I'm already overdue, so I'm going for a cut/color come hell or high water - no pun intended. It has taken all the discipline I have NOT to take the clippers to my head this week; they've been calling to me for days.


My new camera arrived in the mail yesterday, so I have real pictures today...






My new orchid...









Munchie wanted to be in the picture with the knitting, like usual... Once I figure out how to use my camera, I'll post a video of her talking.




And here is the pinwheel blanket thing. It's not half done as I promised. I twisted the cast on so I'm going to rip it out and start again. I knew I screwed up the cast on as early as the second row, but I thought I might develop a tolerance for the error. No such luck.

I decided to go to a workshop on Saturday morning (not knitting), so I'll deal with this when I get home. It'll distract me from packing...

Wow. As entries go, this one was really boring. Sorry...I'm fried.