jungle green

my friend sent me this link, http://x-entertainment.com/articles/0913, and it is so funny. please visit it and laugh your ass off. i should buy a new box of crayons.

went to the post office today to send off my part of a trade for a fleece artist thrum mitt kit (so excited) and let me just say that going to the post office is a practice in patience and tolerance. in line with me was also what could possibly be the most annoying woman on the planet. clad in a pink, velour sweatsuit (who looks good in these?), she was unprepared, rude, wore too much perfume, and had a huge sense of entitlement that made me want to smack her upside the head. i don't know where these people come from but sometimes i think they like to congregate at the post office. sheesh.

bookmobile

i can open my own book store with all of the books i have bought lately. since i last posted, i used my 40% joann coupon to get the purl stitch by sally melville and then a michaels coupon to get the knit stitch. some of the patterns are a little too "old" for me, but sally has a lot of really good tips and i do like a few of the patterns. i also got my 3 new phildar magazines from knit n tyme yesterday. i loooove the '03-04 automne book. so many sweaters i want to make from that one. i just need to get me some phildar yarn. why oh why are you not in the states, phildar? can't you see that we love you, too?

and of course i have knitting add so i started a quick new project this weekend. it's a slubby orange scarf in crystal palace labrador. i bought the yarn for it awhile ago but never got around to starting it. i've gone through one ball and have one more to go.

and we lost our mail key this week. we only got one so my roommate and i have been leaving it on the table, etc. but it has since disappeared. i actually think i lost it since i was the last person to get the mail last week. left a message with the manager but no word yet. i just hope the postman doesn't get mad at us for a full box. he might just give us junk mail from now on. :(

look ma, two hands!

i finally finished my mom's green mitts and they are ready to send off. not much has gotten done this week. it's just been one of those work weeks where it just drags on forever. i can't believe that it is finally friday. i am so so happy.

this is a close up of the sierra quatro yarn. it's 4 ply with different colors. it's a very nice yarn and i would definitely work with it again.

and i've been going a little book crazy. found a 40% off coupon for joann's and used it at two stores. got katharina buss' big book of knitting and nancie wiseman's book of finishing techniques. love knitting books. i really want a big stitch dictionary book now. and i also joined crafter's choice and ordered a boatload of books. somebody stop me!

secret pal III strikes!

ooh look what i got in the mail the other day- present from my sp3. it included two luscious skeins of mohair from halcyon yarns in the brightest, most fun colors. also included was a kickass lip balm (how did you know i was addicted to the balm, sp3?) and a cool card. i've never used mohair before so this should be a treat! thanks, secret pal!

that reminds me that i really need to send my secret pals some pressies. i have stuff for them, i just need to package it up and get to the post. lazy me.

FO! finally pics of the hermione hat i finshed last night. it's still blocking on my floor but these pics will give you a good idea of what it looks like.

here is the start of the ribbing and then- tada! unblocked and super skinny. after a nice warm wash in eucalan, however, it softened right up. now it'll fit a human head.


pardon the crappy lighting but it was the best i could do this morning. the pattern was very well written and as it was my first cable project, i think i did ok. dpns and cabling hurt the hands a bit but it was worth it. it really only took me about a week, doing it on and off at night to finish it and it looks so much more complicated than that. it's gonna go in the christmas gift drawer. see how early i am starting?

nummy

i just need to say that i can't wait for stitch n bitch nation to come out. it's the book that started it all for me and i just know that its sequel is going to be great.

tomorrow i have pics of the almost completed hermione cable and bobble hat. the weekend was tiring, as i was running around trying to surprise my friend for her birthday. sunday was spent building shelves and hanging stuff for the new place, and we still have tons to do. however, we did manage to see both wimbledon and ass captain (aka sky captain) and both were highly enjoyable. wimbledon is quite a cheesy romantic comedy but it's great to watch paul bettany in a starring role. the way they shot the tennis was cool, too. and ass captain was phenomenal from a technical viewpoint, as the cgi sets looked very good. i liked the whole look of the movie and the story was pretty good. it has excellent pacing. very different and cool.

well this post doesn't have much knitting content but more tomorrow. i am going to watch my friend play some softball tonight. so wish her team luck!

dagnabbit

well it seems like my internet at home is not working. it was working the day before but for some reason is now unable to connect. my roommate's line, however, is just dandy. this is so frustrating.

i have started the cable part of the hermione hat and it seems to be going ok. had a false start but was able to unknit back to the point where i screwed up without much incident. i keep trying to knit when my roomie is in her room watching tv and sticking it under a pillow when she came out. and now thanks to yarn harlot, i have thoroughly become obsessed with making thrum mittens. of course i cannot make them for myself (i live in los angeles) but they would make a great gift for my friend in scotland. every time i go there i freeze me little fingers off so i think she would appreciate some mitt goodness. but i can't spend any more money on yarn right now. sniff.

and i was just watching dead like me the other night (on in demand, so i was watching i think episode 2 season 2) and when george goes to the police station, she finds someone who has been stabbed with knitting needles. as the perpetrator said, "he had it coming".

wizards and cables and bobbles oh my!

yes i started a new project, but this one has a reason. my roomie's birthday is this sat and i thought she would love this hermione hat, being the potter fanatic that she is. i haven't done any cabling before and am excited to try out my new cable needles. this pattern is from atypically.net by the way. maybe i can make her a gryffindor scarf to go with the hat for christmas.

it's cascade 220 in 8895 (bright red) and i started with a size 6 needle but it looked like it was too big so i went down to 5 dpns. yeah i am loosy goosey with the yarn.

i also forgot yesterday that i put up a bunch of stuff on the stash page. i've been buying way too much stuff lately.

haha- yay for ioan curiousity. it's pronounced YO-an GRIFF-ith for those who don't know and he's welsh. i think knit nut and i are going to start a craze.

and i have internet at home now. woohoo! this is a great day. i'll try and post some progress on the hermione hat later tonight. i hope to at least finish the ribbing so i can get to the fun stuff.

last picture show

oh happy day! i was able to figure out my friend's camera (while mine is repaired) and can finally show you some pics. i told you that if you held out long enough, you would be rewarded. first, some belated thanks to my secret pal (sp2) for her wonderal surprise. i got this a couple of weeks ago and it just made my day. take a lookee:



the goods: we have some tasty little candies, those fun bubbly type stickers, two cool pens, shiny silver thread from avril (i think i can mix this with my habu thread and make something really cool), and a crochet necklace kit. oh but i save the best for last. these have to be the cutest erasers ever made:



they're mini sushi! can't get much better than that. thanks, secret pal! you're the best!

now onto some wips for you. this is the beginnings of bloom from rowan 36. it's taking me awhile to finish, as 5s are quite small for me and they're aluminum needles. i really don't like aluminum needles. they make that clacking noise that is like nails on chalkboard to me and they're slippery as hell. but i got a big lot of straights on ebay (my starter set) so i use them. note to self: get bamboo straights in the sizes you don't have. anyhow- here is a very small part of bloom:



i am using lana d'oro tweed in aubergine and it's very squishy and nice to work with. the flecks are kind of fun, too. i do like me some tweed once in awhile. next up is that dog sweater i have been working on for gonzo. i have seamed everything and all i need to do is the leg ribbing, but i am lazy. the back ribbing flares out a bit but i picked up the correct number of stitches. hm i should just redo it but i am not going to. i can bet you that my dog will wear it for a combined time of 5 minutes in the next 5 years. he's fidgety and does not like to wear things other than himself.



see the little leg openings need ribbing. i think the seam looks ok but i have no idea if i am doing it right or not. well he won't mind if it's a bit off.



these are the gloves i am making for my mom in cascade sierra quatro. it goes with a scarf and cap i made her but i already gave those to her. for these gloves, i started off with a pattern but found it to be wonky so now i am just winging it. she's my mom so she'll wear it no matter what, right?

and this next picture is for knit nut, who has a thing for ioan gruffudd just like i do. i think he is extremely talented (and cute) and i am happy to see that he is getting some attention. this was from the fantastic four panel at comic-con. so sad that we couldn't get closer but this is still pretty sweet.



on behalf of ioan, happy monday!

a little nuts

this morning we had a little "incident" at the apartment. my roommate and i have only been living there for about a week. both of us were gone for the long weekend and we both work full time. well this morning, as i was changing for work, i heard some loud pounding outside. i figured someone was trying to knock on another neighbors door or something. then i hear breaking glass and then yelling. i throw on a shirt and go outside to see if anyone is hurt and i see that it's my roommate who is yelling. i peek outside and there is a woman i've never seen before yelling back at her. the conversation:

roommate: who are you? where do you live?
crazy lady: you know! you know! all day walking in my head!
roommate: no- i've never seen you before. do you live next door, below us?
crazy lady: you know! son of a bitch!
roommate: hey- i'm no son of a bitch. i'm a girl!
crazy lady: you are destroying the world! you work with satan! son of a bitch! all day with your computer. turn it off!
roommate: we don't have our computers hooked up yet. you can come see.
crazy lady: i hear it! fuck you! son of a bitch!

and this basically continues as she walks back down to her apartment. seems our showering was disturbing her so she decided to pound on the bathroom window slats so hard that they broke. thank goodness no one was inside the shower at the time. and apparently all that pesky walking to the fridge and bathroom for the last week is making her go insane (if she wasn't already). so we've called the property manager and we are going to file a police report tonight. it kind of creeps me out because she's already shown a violent side. hey- i just sit at home and knit, not do aerobics at night. metal sticks aren't that loud.

back in the saddle again

well here i am back at work. blah. not so much fun. and it's been sooo hot here in california for the past week or so. i thought it was hot in the bay area but the valley is even worse. i am going to get some knitting content in here first and then tell you about my weekend afterwards. i joined up for secret pals 3, and just got an email from my secret pal. too cool. i have already got some things for my new secret pal and gifts for my sp2 pal. but i am going to answer the secret pal questions again so that my new pal can take a gander and scope me out.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
i do like natural fibers but acrylic can be good if used wisely (rowan asc, calmer, phildar yarns). not a huge fan of red heart but lion brand has a good selection.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
bought a starter spinning kit that i haven't used yet and i want to learn to crochet because it seems like there are so many nice crochet patterns out there lately.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
allergic to any furry animals (but i have a childhood dog that lives with me parents and still kiss and hug furry creatures- even if they make me itch). pollen, dust, and strong smells are icky!

4. How long have you been knitting?
only about 8 months.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
yes

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
apple, jasmine, nothing too strong

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
definitely. i love chocolate and gummi candies (haribo is the best), red vines, cookies....the list goes on. i am not a huge fan of dark or white chocolate. it's milk all the way, baby.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
draw, play guitar, photography, creative letter writing

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)
indie rock and folk/pop. the yeah yeah yeahs, garden state soundtrack, rachael yamagata, the cure, the killers are some examples. yes i can play mp3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
i like all colors. have been into bright green and lime lately along with purple tones and pink.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
live with one roommate and 1 fish, kai.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
to not have to wake up to an alarm and to live near the ocean.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
rowan asc, big wool, thick and thin yarns, brown sheep

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
100% scratchy acrylic or wool, novelty yarns that are too crazy

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
toys (teddy bears and animals), phildar, rowan big wool and ribbon twist

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
scarves, toys, sweaters, and i want to get started on socks

17. What are you knitting right now?
bloom from rowan 36, doggie sweater, mittens for mom

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us)
they're alright but i think they would be a disaster on me.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
bamboo straights or addi turbo circs. have been wanting to try addi bamboos, though.

20. How did you learn to knit?
friend taught me the knit stitch, mom taught me the purl, the rest was from stitch n bitch and the web.

21. How old is your oldest UFO?
about 6 months. it's the hearts bikini from stitch n bitch.

22. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
i like stitch (from lilo and stitch), south park, the simpsons, wallace and gromit. favorite animals are dogs (pugs and weiner dogs are my faves), hippos, frogs, and bunnies.

23. What is your favorite holiday?
christmas and halloween.

24. Is there anything that you collect?
what don't i collect? magazines (knitting and non), books, comics, yarn, pens, postcards, gnomes...

that's it for that. hope it was helpful to my secret pal.

well i am back at work. i took yesterday off to drive back to la. i left at about 4pm and got back a little after 9pm. why does the drive back always seem so much longer than the drive there? but i had a wonderful long long weekend with my mom and dad. i got to play with my dog, gonzo, and knit knit knit away. i gave my mom her scarf and hat and still need to finish one mitten for the set. she knits, too, and is making a beautiful sage green sweater with some tlc boucle stuff. i don't know how she knits with it because i tried and it's just too curly and slippery for me. i also made a couple of hats using lion thick & quick wool. it's so fun to knit things on huge needles. i made the little shrug from the cover of rowan's big just got bigger for my mom's friend. i took a picture of my mom in it just to see how it looks. and my digital camera is still broken so you'll have to wait until i finish the roll. sorry.

we also went to knitting arts for their labor day sale. i managed to come out of it with 10 balls of ggh somoa. 6 in purple and 4 in pale lavender. not sure what i am going to make from it just yet but i would like to get my hands on the new rebecca 28. love all the new fall mags. i am also dying for the 2003 phildar fall catalog. must get it before everyone sells out of it. i also got something for my secret pal, so i can't share.

i watched a whole lot of movies this weekend, too. see the sidebar for all of the air conditioned fun that my mom and i had. i also got a chance to visit the san jose museum of art, where one of my favorite artists was having an exhibit. the exhibit is "nothing ever happens" by yoshitomo nara and it was great.


this image was in the show, along with sculptures, drawings, and paintings. love love his stuff. the girl on my profile sidebar is also a nara image. so if you live near san jose, go see the show. admission is free so you have no excuse. hope you all have a wonderful wednesday!

on the road again

sorry it's been while since me last post. i've been at home for the past 5 days with my parents for the long weekend. i made it extra long and took a couple of days off to spend some more time with them. it takes me about 5 hours to get from la to the bay area so i miss about half a day each way. i'll probably drive back to the smoggy state in a couple of hours. it's been a really good trip though. i got to see some of my old college friends, ate some bbq, and of course, yarn shopping! knitting arts in saratoga was having a labor day sale with 20% off the whole store with lots of other things at a larger discount. i definitely recommend this store to anyone in the area. lots of yarn and patterns, very nice staff, and frequent sales. more on what i bought tomorrow. hope you all had a great labor day. i'll be back with a longer post from work tomorrow. hope it's not as hot in la as it has been here. fat chance on that one. stay cool!

lightning strikes twice

i hate hate hate the glendale 134 freeway. people are super rude (more than regular la drivers) and there is a lot of sudden stopping. today i was involved in another fender bender just a half mile away from my exit. two cars behind me stopped too close and smacked into the car in front of them, them into me, and me into a brand new 2005 altima. luckily no one was hurt and damage was minimal. the lady with the altima was a tad peeved but it's understandable. this is the second time in a month that someone has rear ended me on the freeway. my poor little car.

i finished larissa's meathead hat. i wanted to snap a picture for you so i could post it later but my roomie's camera was in her car and i sent it off today. so no pics of the meathead. i hope it came out alright. i also knit some more on my mom's second glove. i think i have second glove syndome, if there is such a thing.

the apartment's looking a little better. we still have no gas and the a/c is still broken but what are you going to do?