Guess What I've Got?

Yup. Size 13 double pointed needles. I can't help myself. I know I SAID I wouldn't start anything new until my other projects were done, but I have the attention span of a mosquito and this is going to go SO fast. It'll be half done tomorrow. You'll see. (Needles...meet yarn. Just hang on; you'll be intimately acquainted shortly.)

This is the Round or Pinwheel Baby Blanket by Genia Planck. The yarn is a super bulky/roving by Bashful Bags & Fibers. I met her today, btw. Marched right into Black Sheep http://www.blacksheepknitting.com/bsk/ and said, "Are you Bashful Bags & Fibers? I bought some of your yarn over the weekend and then googled you." But now I'm in big trouble. This yarn is sick, their selection is vast, and she is bringing in a new shipment on Thursday. My mother and I are headed to Tahoe on Monday to visit my sister. (Hi Mom - thanks for reading.) She'll be coming down on Sunday to stay over, and will get to see the stash in all its glory now that I've moved it to its own room. Probably best to not bring anymore yarn in the house between now and then.

Speaking of yarn, Angela at http://www.knitluck.com/ just told me that if I have time while I'm in Tahoe, I should head over to Jimmy Bean's wool in Reno. Well, lucky for me, I'm flying in to Reno. Looks like I'll be dragging P&H to Jimmy Bean's.

So D is on her way over to watch the game and knit. Lets see if I can get half of this thing done tonight... Bye for now!

Wrap Update and a Yarn I've Never Tried Before...

It's Monday evening. I had a pretty relaxing weekend, but still managed to squeeze in a visit to my three favorite yarn stores. This time of year everyone is selling off the summer stuff and bringing in the fall stuff so there are sales all around. I was VERY well behaved and only brought home a couple things. I'll get back to that in a minute.

I didn't mention that I got a new orchid last week. This is only one of the stems with blooms on it, but I'm still taking pictures with my phone and it's the best I could do. I parked the three snoozing orchids out in the dining room with the other boring plants. If they ever decide to bloom again, they can come back in the kitchen where the action is.

I saw a sample of the Pinwheel Baby Blanket by Genia Planck over the weekend. Anyone who knows me knows that under most circumstances, a brick would have to fall on my head for me to care about a baby blanket, BUT the sample was really nice, and I thought this thing would look cool draped over the chair I always sit in (until the cats get their paws on it). The sample was in a wool that I was not familiar with. The company is Bashful Bags and Fibers

http://freshpurls.blogspot.com/2009/07/portrait-in-yarn-hand-dyer.html and she dyes in Needham, which is where I work. What a coincidence. Anyway, the yarn is really light and fluffy - it's like roving with a very fine thread wound around it. According to my scale, they are about 75 grams and are approx 109 yards. I only bought two. I wanted to start the project last night, but (and you won't believe this) I didn't have the right needles. Can you believe THAT? I didn't have size 13 double pointed. Until I get some, I won't be starting this project.
That leads me to my Stay Put Wrap, pictured here on the left. I didn't reach my goal of 10" over the weekend, but I'm getting there.
I didn't knit even one stitch today and now I'm going to bed. Thanks for stopping by...

Stay-Put Wrap, Holiday Orders and Pedroia's Broken Foot

God Morgon! (Yeah - that means good morning.) Pandora is providing the soundtrack to this morning's entry... station based on Astaire's Putting on the Ritz...currently Cole Porter's Anything Goes. I think I might have to change to a station based on the Headbanger's Ball. I haven't had any caffeine yet and this is going to put me back to sleep.

I'm sticking to my guns - not starting anything new until I get my current projects off the needles. Last week I had six projects going and I've since completed one (Xenocryst), which leaves me with five. My Stay-Put Wrap by Mags Kandis has been sitting quietly on the back burner for a couple weeks while I started a couple new things, but I've put it back in the rotation, and worked on it a bit last night.


Last night I created what will be the beginning of a sleeve. I really like this. The neverending seed stitch gets a little old, but I LOVE this cable and the finished wrap is totally me. This is the only thing I'm going to work on today and tomorrow and my goal is to get 10-12" inches done.

So the holidays are approaching, and that is always a tough time for me. Between knitting gifts, knitting items for other people to give as gifts and (some years - not anymore) knitting things for crafts shows I get way overextended. Last year I was like a crazed lunatic trying to get everything done, so I promised myself it would not happen again. Last week, someone saw a felted bag that I often carry and inquired about me making one for her. I immediately blurted out that she couldn't have it in time for Christmas (2010), but I could get it to her for next Christmas (2011). It's August. Knee jerk reaction much? Sheesh - talk about gun shy. Later that day, I was like, "Ummm, Hols? It's August, you're not working on anything that can't wait, and the bag will take three weeks MAX." So I went back, tried to make it look like I hadn't lost my mind for a minute, and explained that I could take the order.

And finally, I'd like to comment on Dustin Pedroia's broken foot. If there is one thing I know about, it is broken bones in the foot. (I've inserted a photo here for your convenience.) I've had bone surgery on both of my feet. I had an osteotomy (= to cut bone) with shortening of my first metatarsal left (bone #8 on the map) and I've had a bone graft to repair a spiral fracture of my fifth metatarsal right (bone #12 on the map). **NEWS FLASH** They take a long time to heal, and you can't put weight on them. When I broke my foot in 2008, I was totally non weight bearing for FIVE MONTHS before they decided that it wasn't going to heal and we did the bone graft. His navicular bone is broken (bone #3 on the map), which is up closer to the ankle, but I've read that these are also notorious for not healing. What is wrong with the Red Sox medical staff? They didn't make him rest long enough, it didn't heal, he played on it, and now he needs surgery. Is someone going to make him use his crutches NOW?

I need to scram. I have tons of Saturday stuff planned. Have a good day. :)

I'm Lucky to Have my Head...

This will be a quick one, and I'm not going to talk about knitting at all. I'm at the Pru(dential Center) all day today for meetings, so I need to pick out a suit and track down some appropriate shoes - neither flip flops nor Uggs are appropriate - and get a move on.

I'm going to tell a story today...

Once upon a time, there was a performance analyst who made her living analyzing healthcare quality data. She sat in a cubicle all day, looking at her computer and processing enough data to make the average person keel over cross-eyed. Over time, she accumulated enough books and conference binders to require an additional bookshelf in her cubicle; so she requested and was granted one. The handyman who visits her worksite every month or so installed it, and she proudly put her binders, books and kleenex on her new shelf. She was very happy with the improvements to her cubicle, and for the six or eight weeks that the extra shelf hung in her cube, she was the envy of all her colleagues.
On a day that seemed like so many others before it, she arrived at work, turned on her computer, went to the kitchen where she made a cup of coffee, exchanged morning pleasantries with colleagues, and then sat down to work. While responding to an email from her Senior Director's Executive Assistant - with absolutely no warning - her beloved shelf came crashing down. Never one to mince words when the word "fuck" is the most appropriate choice, she screamed "jesus fucking christ" while books, papers, binders, coffee, kleenex, and a shelf that has to weigh about 20 lbs barely missed landing on her. Actually, she WAS hit by flying coffee.
Witnesses said that it sounded like the roof was falling in. Co-workers ran from one aisle over in each direction to assist with the clean up. The analyst was so shaken up that she had to sit down. Someone removed the shelf and took it back to the building's facility coordinator, someone grabbed paper towel and started cleaning up the coffee, while someone else dried off the textbooks and binders. Once everything (except her elevated heart rate) was back to normal, she had a decision to make: Did she want the shelf reinstalled? She made her way over to the cubicle of the facility coordinator, and there was the shelf. Now, sitting alone on its side, it didn't seem like it knew the analyst at all, and showed absolutely no remorse for trying to kill her 45 minutes earlier. It was a hard choice to make, but the analyst knew what she had to do. She had to make a clean break, so she told the facility coordinator that she was going to go it alone without the extra shelf.
Even though the analyst now has a bunch of crap on her desk that she'll need to find a home for, it seems that she'll live happily ever after - since she's still in possession of her head. The end.

Complaints, Recommendations and Janis...

Actually, I'm going to do the recommendation first. Zappos rocks the house. Have you ever bought anything from them? They are customer service fanatics - seriously. I ordered my new Uggs on Saturday afternoon. They immediately sent me an order confirmation, which is to be expected. A couple hours later, I get another email which says, "Yay, Holly! We love you! You don't have to do anything - we're going to overnight your Uggs and it's not going to cost you anything extra! Yippee!" (Yes, I'm paraphrasing.) At about 3AM, while I was asleep, they sent me another email which said, "Great news! We've already shipped your new Uggs!" How do like that? They work around the clock. So Monday when I got home from work, there they were, waiting for me on the front porch. I opened them up and they were exactly what I was expecting; packed by a guy named Ralph. Thanks Ralph. I need to spray them and then they'll need to sit for 24 hours before I venture outside with them. It's been raining for 48 hours straight, so they won't make their premier until the weather improves to cool but clear. (And speaking of never-ending rain, my sump pump is working like a champ.)
Now sadly, I have to move into the complaint portion of the post. A good friend of mine caught the new issue of Vogue Knitting a few days before me, and wrote a great entry about it. http://purlsandotherlilgems.blogspot.com/2010/08/sorry-vogue-but-thats-wedgie.html
I was starting to think my subscription ran out, but I received my issue today in the mail. Oh my god. I haven't been this disappointed since the LAST issue of Vogue Knitting arrived in the mail. I'm not sure who their target market is at this point, but I AM sure it's not me. First we have the "London Calling" collection, which can best be described as heinous, and sadly, stole the name of a great album by a great band. Next: Force of Nature collection, which is a robust collection of ugly sweaters in ugly colors. Finally, Home on the Prairie collection which is six sweaters based on (wait - let me guess) Native American blanket designs from the 1860's? Is that it? Are you serious? Shh - Do you hear that? It's the sound of Twist Collective kicking the crap out of Vogue Knitting. http://twistcollective.com/2010/fall/magazinepage_01.php 'Nough said.

So I'm back to working on my Janis Joplin Jacket. I've got 13" of the back done, but these photos were taken at about 10 1/2".
Thanks to D for taking these pics and the pics of my Xenocryst hat, which I posted yesterday. It might still be a little warm for working on Janis b/c the wool is pretty heavy and hot. It knits up fast though, so that's good. I love this coat (check out the newly completed brown one on Ravelry) but I'm not loving the yarn so much. Not sure Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Chunky will be doing a repeat performance at Chateau Hols.
At least one of my smoke detectors is chirping and it's driving me crazy. There are four of them up here on the second floor and I can't tell which one it is. I can't even tell if it's upstairs or down in the first floor foyer. I'm not so great with knowing where sound is coming from. Actually, I think maybe a couple of them are wired together and are both chirping. It's like water torture. On that happy note, I'm off to figure this out. Thanks for stopping by...

In Record Time...

Even with my splint on...



Done, and

Done.

Veggies, Xenocryst, Free Boston Parking and Uggs...

I had been really overwhelmed there for a while. I've been spending some quiet time at home this week trying to reel it in, and I'm feeling a) more organized, and b) better. When I spend a lot of time running around it gums up the works at home; laundry doesn't get done, bills get paid twice, I don't get enough sleep and I start to lose things (no, not my mind). I was planning to get these for the fall:
http://www.zappos.com/product/7630814/color/37761 I had a $100 gift card to Zappos, and they were there the last time I checked online - which was about three weeks ago. I know not everyone would wear that color - Ugg Ultramarine - but it is one of my favorites and I have tons of stuff that would match them perfectly. So I went online to get them today, and they only have size 6. Shit. I'm not size 6. Back to the drawing board. I ran through the similar styles but there's no Ultramarine. So, this is as close as I can get:
http://www.zappos.com/product/7555745/color/195487 Instead of the Classic Short, I had to go with the Bailey Button, but it appears to be the same height (I won't wear them rolled down). And, even though the Ugg Deep Cobalt isn't exactly the shade I wanted, it seems pretty close I guess. Zappos - free shipping. Gotta like that.

How about those eggs? Over half a billion (that's billion with a B) have been recalled thus far. What a disaster. I wonder what my neighbors would think if I got a couple hens. Hmm. I like being able to grow my own veggies, so maybe raising my own protein is the next logical step. My garden has been a big success this year - after duking it out with the slugs last year, anything would be an improvement - and I'm thinking I may go bigger next year. Here are the primary components of last nights dinner: swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. Fresh, pretty, and free of salmonella - wouldn't it be great if all our food was safe?

It is starting to get cool at night, so fall is not far off. It's kind of chilly now, and it looks like it's either raining or might rain. I need to run to the bank. I use only small banks, so it's not quite as convenient as having a superbank on every corner. One of my banks is Harvard Employees Credit Union, and it is a complete pain if I have to do any banking. On my way down from Rowley this morning, I was trying to think of the easiest way to get to Harvard Square, and then I remembered that the ATM at the Mass General main campus would be way more convenient. I didn't want to park in the garage, so I had to think about where I could park for free...thinking...thinking...got it. Whole Foods on Charles Street. All I would have to do is buy something at WF, get my parking ticket stamped, and it wouldn't cost me anything. That's what I did.

I parked the car and headed down the block to MGH. If you look at the left half of the photo, you can see the Building for the Third Century, which is under construction. http://www2.massgeneral.org/b3c/
Boston is the only city with two US News Honor Roll Hospitals: Mass General and Brigham and Womens. I don't mention work too much, but I'm very proud to work for Partners Healthcare - both of these hospitals are ours. Anyway, I made my way to the ATM, pulled out the cash I have to move to the other bank, and made my way back to Whole Foods. This is where my money saving plan falls apart. http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10404 My favorite cheese is Piave, and the only place I know that sells it is WF. So I go in for a piece of cheese, and get sidetracked by the produce, the fancy chocolate and finally, the beignets. (For a review of my last experience with beignets, check out my eating tour of Chicago
http://hollypots.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-made-it-home-from-chicago.html) I would've been far better off to just park at the hospital, but I've got some lovely fruit and cheese to snack on. Mmm...$9 cherries.
I don't know what happened to my font. My font-control button disappeared, so I can't fix it. Y'all are just going to have to put up with Arial instead of Trebuchet for another paragraph, and we'll be back to normal next time. (Trebuchet is my second-favorite word, which is why I picked that font, by the way. It means catapult.)

So my hat is mostly done. I'm about to start the crown shaping. I had it on my head earlier, but I couldn't get a decent picture of it. Maybe D will take a shot of me tomorrow. We're going to IKEA in the morning. She needs a part for her closet, and I need some knackebrod and lingonberry jam. http://www.squidoo.com/knackebrod And speaking of Swedish, God Kvall. (Have a good one.)