Finally...I can get back to my knitting.

It is 7:45A on December 25th. After five weeks of holiday craziness, I feel as though I have my life back today. I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee having chosen Glenn Miller as the soundtrack to this morning's blog entry, and will be reporting on a new project shortly...

Last night my friend D and I volunteered to cook and serve dinner at a homeless shelter up in Salem. It was a really great experience, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to participate. I think we served about 100 meals. I burned my finger, and ruined the clothes I was wearing. I haven't worked in a kitchen in years, and I'm not sure I was thinking too clearly when I headed up there in the clothes I wore to work (oh yeah, Einstein - wear the Eileen Fisher jacket. You don't need that anyway). My first chore was to finely chop three big garlic bulbs. Even after a shower last night and the passage of 16 hours, my hands still reek. I used a really nice chefs knife though. Nice weight and beautifully balanced - it made me realize that 1) all my knives are total crap and 2) I probably haven't even held a good knife since I was in hotel school 25 years ago. (Note to self: Get yourself a decent knife.) So I chopped garlic, D and I blended about 20 gallons of curried cream of butternut squash soup, I helped w/ the cacciatore sauce for the chicken, watched someone make caramel sauce, stirred the soup (forever) so that it wouldn't break or scorch and then helped to plate all the meals assembly-line style. It was awesome. All the residents and people there for dinner were so gracious and appreciative. I wish I could do more, and will make an effort to do more in the new year.
Check out my new orchid! It was a gift from my cleaning lady. I'm not great with orchids, but I know I won't kill it. Last year, she gave me a plant that was mostly dead when she came back two weeks later and all evidence of said plant was gone when she came back two weeks after that. I was so embarrassed. Total planticide in three weeks flat. I love orchids. I have two others, but one has been dormant for two years now I think. I should probably read an orchid book or something instead of just cursing it.

Last night I cast on Jennifer Hagen's Shredder Pullover. http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/37399.aspx It is a man's sweater but I'm making it for me. I had the opportunity to meet Jen over the summer when I was in Seattle on vacation, and it was one of the highlights of my year. I went over to D's last night after the dinner for a couple hours of knitting and watching Weeds. The Shredder Pullover is knit from the neck down, and the pattern starts as soon as the first row is joined in the round. I've screwed up the count on the second row twice now. I think I just have the markers in the wrong place, but I'll have to spend a couple minutes of quiet time to get this straightened out before D gets here later and I'm distracted by the Weeds/Dexter marathon we have planned. I'm using the yarn that I had originally bought to knit the Owl sweater, but I've decided not to make that one after all. I really don't like yoke sweaters. I have giant shoulders and a large bust, and I find they just don't fit me right. When I saw the Shredder Pullover in the most recent Interweave Knits, I loved it immediately. Then when I saw that Jen Hagen designed it, I knew it was meant for me. The yarn is a lovely dark gray color (pewter) and matches my Uggs perfectly. I do that matchy-matchy thing, so I'm really psyched to get this show on the road.

Okay. I have to make one final batch of nut brittle, so I'm signing off. I hope everyone has a nice day today celebrating in whatever way you see fit.

Holiday Parties and Nut Brittle

Sadly, there hasn't been a whole lot of knitting in my life the last three weeks or so. I'm trying to get the last of my commitments finished - I have one more little girl's hat and two pom-poms to do and I'm basically done. (I should mention that I'm pom-pom challenged. I don't make them often enough to ever nail them on the first try.) The last thing I have hanging over my head is a sweater, and the recipient isn't expecting it until the end of January.

Today I'm off to (high) tea at the Taj Hotel in Boston at noon. Immediately afterward, I'm supposed to head down to Attleboro for an open house, but with a foot of snow coming, I might pass on that one. In case I do go, I just whipped up a batch of nut brittle.

It is looking a little foamy b/c I JUST poured it out of the pan, and it's still about 175 degrees. Once it cools, it will look normal. I make mine w/ pecans and almonds b/c I think peanuts are boring. I don't bake, but I do crank out nut brittle at the holidays if I need a hostess gift. It's extraordinary if I do say so myself. If I ever lose my job, I think I'll make this stuff professionally. Kidding. It's kind of a pain in the ass b/c I have to stand there and stir it constantly between 250 and 290 degrees while screaming at Munchie to get off the counter and stay away from the butter.

Well, it is 10AM, and I need to be at the Taj at 11:45 so I need to scram. At some point I'll get back to talking about knitting. Bye!

Too much to do...so I'll blog.

First I need to welcome the newest member of my readership: HG. H - I never mention anyone by name, so you don't have to worry about me blowing your cover. I think most of my readership consists of lurkers, but when I'm made aware of someone who reads my blatherings, I like to welcome them officially.

On to the above mentioned blatherings: I hate the holidays. It's really been a life-long thing; I've hated christmas (which I no longer celebrate) since I was a kid. The fact that I was named after a christmas plant is just sick irony. (Mother, try not to take it personally.) The problem is that there is so much to do during this time of year. I have so many knitting commitments and my knitting time is taken up by holiday related get togethers and such - which I'd rather skip anyway. There's just not enough time in the day. So it snowed last night - I was over at my friend D's for dinner, movies and knitting then drove home in horrible weather. As it was the first snowfall, I don't think Chelsea, East Boston or Winthrop had given thought to who was actually going to salt the roads (or maybe they can't afford the salt), so they left them a complete mess. The fact that the snow actually stuck - looks like about 2-3" out there now, but melting - will insure that I don't step outside today. I will do chores instead. I'm still working on the green bedroom, and I'm almost ready to prime the walls.

I'll finish the sanding, wipe everything down and prime as soon as I finish this play by play. I'm just procrastinating.

This week on Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel, I saw a story on a NYC firefighter named Matt Long. I think he must be the most amazing and inspirational guy on the planet. Check him out. http://www.iwillfoundation.com/ For those of you who don't know, my left foot has a collection of deformities. Technically, they include a (surgically) shortened first metatarsal w/ a 28 degree defect, a great joint with limited extension and no flexion, and second and third metatarsals that suffer from stress reactions as a result of bearing weight when they weren't designed to do so. My foot is a giant pain in my ass. Back to Matt Long: he was a NYC fireman and Ironman triathlete who, in 2004 or 2005, was run over by a bus and completely impaled by his bicycle. He was in the hospital for five months and in a wheelchair for eight months in REALLY bad shape. He is full of rods, screws and plates. His ankle on one side and toes on the other foot are completely frozen. One leg is an inch shorter than the other, and he can barely raise one of his arms over his head. This guy went on to complete the Ironman in Lake Placid earlier this year. He is astonishing. I knew a triathlete when I first got out of college, and his training regimen was unbelievable. I cannot imagine what Matt put his broken body through to prepare for his race. Mr. Long sent me a wake-up call via Bryant Gumbel: Stop whining. So what if I can't wear cute girly shoes, I can't hold the clutch in, I can't stand on my feet very long and my friends and family call me Franken-foot? I need to focus on things I CAN do instead of things I can't do, and get my shape back into decent shape. If you get a chance to see Real Sports this month on HBO, watch it.

I was going to talk about the Swedish Yuletide Festival I went to yesterday, but this entry is getting too long. I cast on the second of my little girl Ugg matching scarves this week. It is exactly like the first one, but for those of you who don't remember:

The other thing I'm working on is the duplicate stitched Red Sox "B" on my nephew's hat. I'm headed down to Charlotte on Friday, so it needs to be done by the time I get there. This is the first time I've done anything with duplicate stitch, and I hate it. What an incredible pain in the ass! I will never embroider anything on a knitted garment again. Sheesh. Finally a knitting skill I DON'T want to learn. I'll take cables and lace any day.

Alright. Without any further ado, I must get back to the power sander. Cough, cough. Did I mention that I can't find my respirator? Figures. Bye.

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...

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!

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.

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...

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!

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.

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!

What a nice surprise...

So I went to the mail today, and there was a present waiting for me! My friend S (the recipient of the orange French Market Bag) sent me a lovely hank of yarn that she found while on vacation in CA. It is a handpainted 70/30 lambswool/alpaca blend in bulky weight. This series of yarn has all colorways named after memorable women.

http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_gallery.taf?_function=event&ge_id=14

My hank is colorway Julia Child. S doesn't even knit and she was visiting a yarn shop! I should probably get her a set of needles for Christmas, no? This is going to make a really yummy scarf. Thanks S! You're the best!

The Red Sox hat I'm making for my nephew is nearly finished. I'm in the process of duplicate stitching the Red Sox "B" onto the cap, so for the time being, you'll all just have to imagine it. Hopefully I'll get this wrapped up in the next day or two...

Another New Project Alert!

Last week I had nothing on the needles, and this week I'm starting projects all over the place. Today I started a sweater that is appropriately named Holly. It is in the new Rowan publication Arabesque. It calls for a bulky yarn, and I happened to have seven hanks of Cascade Magnum in my stash that I bought for a project but changed my mind. Seriously? Magnum rocks the house! I LOVE it. This sweater is on size 15 needles, so I'm flying through my first sleeve.

Here is my sleeve...

And here is a close up. Thanks to my friend D for suggesting I knit this. She's knitting one up in a beautiful silver gray.

Tomorrow is knitting night, so I'll either finish my Red Sox hat or make some real progress on this.

Meanwhile, I'm still checking the mail every day waiting patiently for the wool for my Owl Sweater...

New Project Alert - Part Deux

So I've had a change of plans, and will not be heading up to Beverly Farms to buy any Rowan Lima today. How disappointing. My car stopped running on the way home from the grocery store, and although I was able to restart it and return home, I'm afraid to drive it and risk being stranded someplace. Looks like this week's yarn money - AND THEN SOME - will be spend on the "must haves" instead of the "would like to haves". Bummer.

Since I've not yet received the yarn for my Owl Sweater (or shipping notification, which is odd for Knitpicks), I've just cast on the hat for my nephew B, which will be a holiday gift. All in Lamb's Pride Worsted, it will be navy with a Red Sox "B" knit into it, the chart for which I found on Chemknit's blog: http://chemknits.blogspot.com/2009/07/red-sox-knitting-charts.html

This is a pretty mindless knit for the weekend, and I expect to have it done by tomorrow.

I'll put up a new photo as soon as I get the "B" in...

And the new projects are....

So I decided what I'm making next. Owls by Kate Davies. It's a sweater knit in the round with owls around the yoke and buttons for eyes. Cute. After mulling it over for about a month, I decided to go with Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky, which is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool - color Pewter. http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Wool_of_the_Andes_Bulky_Yarn__D5420155.html
The other item I'm going to begin is a scarf for a friend of mine, which I began LAST winter. It has already been started four times in three patterns using two different yarns. It's been a regular frog-a-thon. I've decided to bag the yarn that I used to love and now hate, and use Rowan Lima, which is just yummy. http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/Lima.aspx I'll be picking up the Lima this weekend in Beverly Farms (where else?), and meeting my new friend AM for some coffee and Swedish. Hon är min vän. (Yes, I knew how to write that but I didn't have the right letters, so I stole it off an online translator.)
Well, lunchtime is over, so I'll sign off. Once I get my new yarn, I'll get the photos up. Bye for now.

Empty Needles...Now What?

So now that my cable and lace sweater AND my afghan are both finished, the only thing I have going is Twirly...the skirt that will not end. I've been scouring my books and magazines looking for a cool project, and I've got nothin'. I have two items that are holiday commitments, so I might cast them on and get them out of the way. Plus I need to find a hat pattern for a 10 year old kid. I found a cool Red Sox "B" chart, so I'll probably knit my nephew a Red Sox hat if I can figure out how many stitches to cast on. I think it's 55 or 66 or 77 on size 8 needles, but I don't know for sure. The chart is 18 stitches across, and I don't want it to take up his entire head. I'll figure it out tomorrow.
I'm seriously thinking about casting on Alice Starmore's St. Brigid. It is a complicated sweater project with a gazillion cables. Once I cast on, I expect to be working on it until next year at this time. I'm going with the traditional fisherman's ecru for the color because I really want to see the pattern. The original pattern is boxy and she revised the pattern recently to be more fitted. Who can guess which one I'm making??? That's right...BOXY!
Tomorrow night is knitting night, so maybe one of the girls can suggest something I can do which is challenging but quick...

Finished Project Photos!

I've been exhausted and fighting a cold since returning from my knitting retreat last weekend, so I haven't been doing too much knitting OR documenting of the projects recently finished. My friend, D was over nearly the entire day, so while watching Dexter all day, I finished the seams of my cable and lace sweater and then tucked in all my ends. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do for buttons at the chest closure, but for all intents and purposes it is finished.

Ta Daaaa! Here it is with me in it. I don't love the yoke, but I probably just have to get used to it. The sweater is more fitted than I normally wear, so I feel fairly uncomfortable at this point. I'm sure it'll be okay.

And now I'll move onto my afghan, which I totally love. This was a really fun pattern. It was easy to knit and because it was bulky yarn on big needles, it went really fast. I'll definitely knit this up again.

So the last thing I'm going to try to do is upload a quick movie of my little Munchie. To understand what it is like to have a Siamese cat around, you have to hear the voice, and imagine non-stop talking from morning 'til night. She's begging for food, BTW.

When D left an hour or so ago, it was snowing. What a total bummer. I guess that's the end of my vegetable harvest. The lawn guy came to mow for the last time yesterday, and spoke to me about plowing the driveway. Sigh. I also bought this year's supply of turtlenecks yesterday, so I'm off to run them through the wash...

Settling Back into my Routine...

The last couple weeks have been a blur. I had been in Atlanta on business when my uncle passed away, then I was home for a couple days, then I was in Philadelphia for a couple days, and then I made it up to the Adirondacks in time for MOST of my knitting retreat. I missed one day, but was made to feel very welcome upon my arrival. What a great time! I only knew the two owners of Yarns in the Farms (Beverly Farms, MA) before my trip, but now I have 12 new friends. This is all of us on the last day - just before everyone packed up to leave.

We were up in the mountains during peak folliage, so it was really, really beautiful. I finished two big projects: the afghan, which is a holiday gift, and the teal cable and lace sweater, which is for me. I also whittled a walking stick without cutting myself and learned the basics of needle felting, which I really didn't like at all. I broke two needles and gave it up pretty quickly. I thought a piece of wood and a sharp knive were more my thing, and I was right. I'll try to get a couple more photos up when I get home tonight. Bye for now!

Woo Hoo! Almost done w/ Cables and Lace!

Shame on me...yesterday I saw that I had a new follower, and I forgot to welcome her. Hello JS! JS is my old room mate who lives in the Seattle area. I'm thrilled to have such a far reaching audience. JS, S (also in Seattle) and I had some great times together, living in a number of different places immediately after I removed a large albatross from around my neck. It is absolutely astonishing to me that 17 years has passed in what seems like a blink. Anyway Missy, welcome. ;)

So here is my sweater...I am cruising toward the finish line. I have about an inch and a half of a 5" yoke done.

This is a truer shot of the teal color. Nice, huh? I'm headed downstairs to watch some terrible Monday night TV, so maybe I can get this done tonight...

Project Updates

Wow. It seems like an age since my last post. I took my Twirly Skirt to Atlanta this week, so I had plenty of time in the airports and on the planes to work on it. Sadly, my Uncle John passed away on Thursday, so I'll take Twirly with me on the train ride to Philadelphia and back this week as well. The third tier is SO slow, but I'll just keep plugging away... Here is the current progress.

I went up to Yarns in the Farms today thinking that a sale might cheer me up, but no such luck. I bought Gina Wilde's Alchemy Lost and Found book of patterns, but alas, no yarn. It's is probably for the best. I'm so close to finishing my Cable and Lace Sweater that I should get it off my plate before thinking of something else. The sleeves, front and back are all done, so once I finish this post, everything is going on a circular needle to do the top...yoke? I'm planning to do the top a little different than the pattern calls for. It is a little too low cut for me, and since the sweater is already more fitted than I would normally wear, I'm going to move the neck opening up an inch or so. It is bad enough that my bustline can be admired from space, but I don't need the girls actually falling out.

So here are three of the four pieces. The next time you see them they will actually resemble a sweater...

Clearing out the Stash

Today probably won't be a knitting day - at least not until tonight. I'm trying to organize everything I didn't sell at my yard sale (which would be everything) and prepare most of it for donation to various charities. The yarn (primarily of the novelty and acrylic variety) and needles (the 14" Susan Bates variety) are going to the Boston Living Center, which is a community and resource center whose mission is to foster the wellness of all HIV positive people and respond to the changing needs of the HIV/AIDS community. Yes, I took that off their website, so I hope it's allowed. http://www.bostonlivingcenter.org/aboutus.shtml. During the holiday season their knitting circle makes hats and scarves for the women members so I'm also kicking in eight knitted scarves I had kicking around. I'm also a volunteer serving Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I'll write more on that later as November approaches and I begin my fundraising efforts...

So here is most of the yarn I'm dropping off at the center tomorrow after work. Today I'll box it up and put it in my trunk. That's half the battle. The other half will be remembering to drive into town on my way home.

Munchie always wants to be in the pictures...

Cable & Lace Update

I'm up at the crack of dawn. I have to be at work for a 7AM conference call, so I woke up at 4:30. Great. It is 5:09 now, so I have enough time to post my sweater photos, jump in the shower and get the hell out of Dodge in time to hit Finagle on my way into the office.

This is the either the front or back panel of my sweater, and I have another identical completed piece. The panel looks kind of small in the photo, but it's normal sized.

These are my sleeves, which I'm obviously knitting at the same time.

I'm off to start my day. 5:18A. Bye.

Not much new this week...

So I'd like to welcome the two newest members of my readership: my mother P and my California sister H. California H and District of Columbia sister H are not to be confused with North Carolina brother H or me...Boston H.

I haven't made an entry since last week because I can't get the teal in my cable and lace sweater to photograph accurately. I have the front and the back done, and I have about 4" of both sleeves on the needles. This project flies, which is nice. My friend D took pictures of the sweater on Sunday, so if hers are better, I'll post them. I'll see her tonight because Tuesday is knitting night.

On Saturday I went up to Yarns in the Farms for their Floofy Skirt Tea Party. All the skirts were so cool. Same pattern, but everyone's was different. I was feeling kind of bad that I don't have one, so I should probably add it to the list. I think I dropped my harmony cable needle while I was up there, b/c I haven't seen it since I got home. Bummer.

Hopefully pictures tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

My Lovely Cable and Lace Sweater...

I don't have much time to blather on - Tuesday is knitting night, and I need to eat something before I go. I LOVE the sweater I'm working on. The yarn is quite yummy, and it goes very quickly. The color of the yarn is a much deeper teal in person. I don't know why it keeps photographing so badly. I've done about 9 1/2 inches and hope to do another 5" or so tonight...

New Project Alert!

The best thing about finishing up a project is starting the next one. Yesterday I cast on Cecily Glowik MacDonald's Cable and Lace Pullover, published in Cast On, November 2007-January 2008. I'm using Dream in Color Groovy in the Bermuda Teal colorway. I LOVE the yarn; it's a hand dyed 100% superfine Australian merino. The color is so rich that it is staining my hands and bamboo needles, which is kind of funny. Clearly, this sweater will need a run through the wash (with like colors) before I wear it.

Photo shows an inch of ribbing and first 7 rows of the pattern.

The only thing I don't like about this pattern so far is that it didn't include a chart. Why don't the designers just include them all the time? In an effort to NOT botch every row of this project, I took the time to make a chart. I'm so proud of my chart, that it gets its own photo.

It has been raining for two days, and even though it just stopped, I postponed my yard sale do-over until next weekend. My room mate G and I have errands to do and I want to make some headway on this sweater. Plus, the Sox have a double header AND tonight is the season finale of TrueBlood. There is just way too much going on to try to cram in a yard sale that I don't even want to do anyway.

Yesterday I drove up to Yarns in the Farms (in Beverly Farms) to swap out the original Dream in Color yarn I purchased for the teal which I like better. I'm going to a four-day knitting retreat over Columbus Day weekend in the Adirondacks and I also had to drop off my deposit. I asked Carolyn if they go to the Adirondacks every year, and she said no, they normally go to Belize! GUESS WHERE I'M GOING NEXT YEAR FOR MY KNITTING RETREAT???

Yay! One project off the needles...

Here is my finished French Market Bag. It didn't really photograph well, but it'll do. For anyone REALLY familiar with this pattern, yes - I moved the handles.

I'm going to concentrate on my afghan for the next week or so to try to get that finished as well. I will not begin any new projects until this done...yeah, right.

FMB Status

So I've been busy finishing up my FMB for S. I have to graft nine stitches, run it through a hot soapy wash, and I'm done.

Here it is pre-felt with Munchie in the shot for size perspective.

Here is the last remaining task...

Hopefully I'll get this finished tonight and get a picture posted!

The Worst Yard Sale in the History of Yard Sales...

It has been a while since my last post. Last week I was trying to prepare for my yard sale and the entire week at work was crazy busy. For projects, I was working primarily on the FMB for my friend S.

By the time evening rolled around, I was not capable enough to separate 200 stitches into four handles and four spaces...perhaps something to do my brain allowing a limited number of calculations in a singe day (I'm an analyst) or not being able to count to 25 after 7PM?? After knitting and frogging the handle set-up row three times, I'm finally on my way. Hopefully I'll get most of the handles done this afternoon.

The yard sale - for which I've spent so much time preparing - was a complete bust. So much for trying to have a yard sale Labor Day weekend. We had absolutely no traffic; it was so bad that we'll have a do-over next Sunday.
To have one yard sale is bad enough, but to have two in as many weekends is really too much to bear.

Right after the failed yard sale, I went with my friend D up to her sister and brother-in-law's vacation home in Sutton NH for the night. D has a kayak and goes regularly, but I had never tried it until yesterday. We rented a kayak for me...Check me out!

I then raced back down to Boston so that I could meet my sister H (visiting from DC) in Hingham for a meal. No, we're not identical, but we get that a lot.

I'm about two inches or so into the third and final tier of my twirly skirt, with about six inches left to go. I worked on it quite a bit over the weekend, and it is really bothering my hands. I can't wait for this one to be finished, and I'm really getting close.

Since a couple of my projects will be wrapping up soon, I'm getting my queue in order. Just picked up this pattern:

http://twistcollective.com/2009/autumn/magazinepage_07.php and elann.com was having a sale on the yarn, so I grabbed three color packs. Peruvian Baby Cashmere? How do I love thee...

Lazy Sunday...

With a full day of rain yesterday, and no real plans today (besides going out to breakfast and texting back and forth with a friend all day), I was able to get a lot of knitting done. Worked exclusively on my project #3.

Finished the colorwork band so here's a photo of the piece and a photo of the detail.

Looks like compared to yesterday, I have absolutely nothing to say. Goodnight...