surprising monday

doesn't the weekend just go by so fast? where does the time go? well last night was the oscars, of course, and i tried to stay away from the hollywood area for fear of getting trapped in some horrible traffic. i didn't watch the show, either, as there is just something about awards shows that irks me. i just don't like watching them. in retrospect i should have recorded it so i could fast forward through the lame parts and see the speeches from the people i like. i am thrilled that morgan freeman won (love him) and also that the incredibles won. i have no idea why a shark tale was even nominated, as it pretty much sucked. i was sad that paul giamatti was not nominated this year (again!) but was happy to hear that alexander payne won for his screenplay. so all in all it sounds like a good show. but why did beyonce sing three songs? kinda glad i missed that one.

on the knitting front, i did finish sewing up the debbie bliss baby jacket. i tried to find a nice ribbon for it (it's gotta stay closed somehow) but the selection at joann was less than stellar. i don't know what i am going to do but ribbon will be found. since i didn't have an adorable baby on hand, i decided to have stitch model it for you:


pattern: debbie bliss ribbed jacket from special knits
yarn: ggh samoa color: 51(the 3-6 month size took less than 3 balls)
needles: clover dpns us size 6 to get recommended gauge, size 5 denises used to pick up stitches for the colllar
notes: the seaming was not as horrible as i imagined it was going to be and i think it looks pretty good. i also made a pair of mini mittens to go with it and will be making a hat. yes, mom requested all of these things to put in the baby shower gift. thanks, mom. and what did i learn? how to pick up stitches without wanting to poke an eye out and how to seam a bound off edge. the patterns was very easy and cute as a button. now i just need to find that ribbon.

on saturday i also made a little jaunt out to unwind in burbank. it looks like they are reorganizing a bit and might be putting the yarns together by type now instead of color. oh i hope so cause it's really annoying when yarn stores are color arranged. but lookee here at what i bought.




that's jaeger luxury tweed. yummy! enough to make cyd from jaeger jb31. i actually bought enough to make it with sleeves because i am not sure if i will wear a vest. it was 30% off and a great deal. this yarn is being discontinued and i have another bag of it in green for another sweater.

seems like the stash is just coming out of my ears now, doesn't it? well here's something new that isn't knitting related. my parents sent this to me for my birthday. granted, it's about 2 weeks early but i'll take it.


i am so excited to get this. i have soooo many cds that i can put onto it. i hope it doesn't take me too long to actually get the thing up and running. i'll let you know how it goes.

hairy hands

pattern: online but i can't seem to find it right now
yarn: reynolds lopi in 501 (blue heather) 2 skeins
needle: us clover 3 dpn for the ribbing, us (i think) 8s for the body
notes:
let me tell you that i had a lot of issues with these mitts. first i didn't realize that i would need 2 skeins of yarn and so i had to order a single skein of this discontinued color online. then came the felting. i started felting it in the washing machine in my building. however it didn't seem to be doing the job and i didn't have any more quarters, so i took the mitts upstairs to see if i could hand felt it the rest of the way. ok- hand felting is not so fun. i got sweaty and tired and hot but at least my arms got a workout. they still seemed really big (the mittens, not my arms) after an hours of rubbing them around so i just took them out to see what the heck was going on. i stuck my hands in the wet mess and lo and behold, the hand actually fit pretty well. the cuff, however, was way too long.

i let them dry for a bit and tried them on again. they seemed to fit, but the heaviness of the felt and the looseness of the cuff made for a mitten that did not wanna stay on. patience is not one of my virtues in kniting so instead of waiting for it to dry completely before deciding what to do, i decided to cut off the offending cuff and try to pick up the (felted) stitches to make a regular ribbed cuff. well picking up stitches in felted fabric isn't so easy but i managed to do it with my size 1 dpns. my fingers were super sore aftewards but i was happy that i might be able to salvage the mittens.

then i actually did let them dry for a couple of days before attempting to add the ribbing. after that it was pretty smooth sailing, as the felted stitches were pretty solid and held the new stitches well. i like them a lot now, even if they made me a bit insane for awhile.

well the weekend is going to start soon and i cannot wait. it's started to rain a bit here but that's just fine with me. tata!

stash alert!

yay- packages for me! i love getting mail, even if it's stuff i paid for. hey- i am not ashamed of paying for my love. but lookie what i got in the mail the other day from my secret pal.


yes, i got a pug magnet. no, you cannot have it. i just adore pugs and this magnet is up on my fridge, keeping an eye on my cookies n cream. my sp also made me a fantastic washcloth with little hearts all over it. can you see them? the chocolates i am saving for when i need a sugar high. thanks, sp, you're the best!

i also got these goodies in the mail:


the sock book makes me want to swatch for some socks. i got sock yarn. i should do it, right? and the baby booties (bootees?) are too adorable. and i have more stuff coming. i just can't help myself. i am also lusting after the new rowan ryc books and the jaeger mens book. i wanna make my dad a nice vest or sweater so i need to find a good pattern. let me know if anyone finds a greatone. and i almost bought yarn from handpaintedyarn.com today. i really want some of their worsted merino for a sweater but they don't have many colors right now. it's taking all my willpower to resist. how can i possibly make everything when new things come out all the time? i wish i had more hands.

and rip to my thrummed mittens. i didn't have enough roving for the second mitten due to the fact that i made the thrums in the first one way too big. so i thought i would just rip out the first mitten and take the thrums aparts and make them smaller. well it might just be me but the thrums were pretty matted and hard to pull apart and i just scrapped the whole thing. so now i have one big ball of fleece artist yarn and no thrums. if anyone out there knows of a place where i can order some fleece artist roving, lemme know.

boyfriend of the week

well i saw constantine this weekend and man, i forgot how cute keanu reeves is. he's just so dark and moody and HOT, people! anyway, the movie didn't suck and it was very entertaining. tilda swinton took another androgynous turn as the angel gabriel and shia lebeouf is mr reeve's plucky sidekick. throw in the most gorgeous woman walking around these days, miss rachael weisz, and you got yourself a good popcorn movie. i don't know how close constantine is to the original material (i've only read one or two story arcs of the hellblazer book), but just as a movie, i dug it. and now i've got a bit of keanu on the brain. my roomie went through a huge keanu phase when the matrix came out and now it's my turn. but don't worry, mona, ioan is still on my list. le sigh.

the drive to northern california wasn't too bad. i took friday off and left that morning. it was raining heavily in la and i didn't get out of the bad weather for probably about 150 miles. after that, it was clear skies. the vast stretches of nothing on the 5 can get tedious but there are some really pretty parts. i took a few snaps coming and going.


the one on the left was a huge rainbow i saw coming up. i know, it's barely visible in my picture, but i was going at least 70mph. gimme a break. i have a thing for taking pictures of the landscape while moving. don't worry, i do it safely. and look how the rain filled up the resevoir.


and i saw these snowy caps driving down the grapevine on the way back. crazy.

i didn't get a ton of knitting done during the long weekend like i thought i would. i was out a bunch with my parents and there wasn't much time to whip out the knitting. however i did manage to go to the knitting arts in saratoga. i finally filled up my punch card (thanks for the help nhat) and got $20 off my yarn purchase. in the 40% off bin i found debbie bliss 4 and a gedifra booklet. also scooped up 2 skeins of noro kureyon so that i can make the mistake rib scarf from last minute knitted gifts. here's the progress so far:


i really like the color changes in kureyon. it's so fun to watch. this scarf has become my movie/tv knitting. mindless but still interesting enough so i don't get sick of it.

and here is a bigger pic of what i posted yesteday. i am making the ribbed jacket from the new debbie bliss special knits book. i am using some ggh samoa that i have and working with the cotton is not unpleasant, but i still prefer wool and the like. the jacket is for a family friend's kid who is having a baby. it's all dry now so i have to sew it up this week. ew.


finally, i leave you with a shot of the cutest dog EVER. every time i go home i can't help but take a billion pictures of my dog. i love you, gonzo.

teaser

baby baby

i am off tomorrow to drive up north for a long weekend with my parents. no internet so i won't be blogging from there. i have pics of a baby jacket i am working on as well as some other things but i will post next week. i am going to see constantine tomorrow! yay for keanu reeves and rachel weisz. hope it doesn't suck. have a nice weekend!

blog this book

**the only book still available is vanity fair. let me know if you're interested...

i saw this over at mariko's site and thought it was a great idea. basically you blog the books you've read in the hopes that someone out there in blogland wants to swap you for another book and hello- new books for everyone. so here are three books for you:

the hours by michael cunningham. this is about 3 different women in 3 different time periods. one of them is virginia woolf (played by nicole kidman in the movie version). it weaves back and forth between their lives and i thought it was very good. i liked it better than the movie, even though i enjoyed that, too.

the lovely bones by alice sebold. this is told from the pov of a young girl who is murdered. after her death she is able to observe her family and friends over the course of time and can see the effect that her death has on them. i didn't like the writing style at times but the story was captivating.


pardon the 10% off sticker on this but it was the only picture i could find. vanity fair by william makepeace thackery. it's a tale of two women, sweet but timid amelia and the sharp and cunning rebecca, both trying to make their way in the world. it's full of intrigue and social backstabbing and i liked it a lot. please read this before seeing the movie (which i hear on good authority is awful).

if you're interested in any of these, email or leave a comment here. happy reading!


shopgirl by steve martin. i read this a long time ago and i can't remember much except that it's about a young woman who is depressed and might be going through some kind of crisis. and i believe her has an older boyfriend. it's being made into a movie, which steve martin is probably in.

sweet addictions

i went out and bought 4 bags of candy today during my lunch break. that right- four bags. i still have candy from the last time i went to the store but i felt that i had to get some with the good ol' red and pink. now i am not a huge fan of "hey you don't have a date so you're a pathetic loser" valentine's day. but i do really like the "hey let's show the people we care about how much they mean to us" valentine's day. lots of times my friends and i will go out or do little gift exchanges for valentine's day and i still have a red paul frank shirt that my friend gave me for the occasion 6 years ago. i don't have anything planned this year but i did get some valentines (those kiddie ones with the incredibles on them) and sent out some cards last week. i love my family and friends and am so happy to share the love with them today and every other day. happy valentine's day, everyone!

ps- robert rodriguez called the office today and i so wanted to tell him that i was a huge fan and can't wait for sin city. it looks awesome!

in my belly

last night was pretty uneventful. i met up with a couple of friends and we went to a chinese restaurant for my faux new year celebration. the place was really cool and service very good (for those interested it's the great work at victory and olive in burbank) and i stuffed myself silly. after that i went home and watched alias (love jennifer garner's hair this season!) and painted a big poster frame with my roommate. we're going to put our mallrats poster in it but wanted to paint it to match. i know- we never do this kind of home crafty stuff.

i just found out i have been tagged by lyn of knitties with that music thing that's been going around (sounds like the flu). here goes:

1.) Total amount of music files on your computer:
i am not sure really. i just got my computer working again after about 2 years without any internet service so i only started downloading songs again. i have also been putting some of my cds on the computer in the hopes that i get an mp3 player one of these days. i would say maybe 100-200 songs right now. but i own probably about 400 cds and many more live show tapings of favorite artists.

2.) The last CD you bought was:
tough. i work in music and i have friends who do, too, so lots of times i can get cds for free(i know- poor me). the last cd i can recall buying is pinback, life in abaddon. very good cd. they're a sort of alternative (in the vein of modest mouse and the postal service) band.

3.) What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
i was listening to a valentine's day mix i made last night for my friends to make sure everything sounded ok. the last song probably before i turned off the car was the yeah yeah yeah's song maps.

4.) What are your five favorite songs and why they mean the most to you:
favorites are pretty hard to pick and i wasn't into music when i was younger so certain songs really don't remind me of events. but i will list 5 songs i like a lot.

the cure- just like heaven: i just love this song. it's so catchy and sweet and makes me think of driving with the top down.

jason mraz- halfway home: i remember hearing this song for the first time and just really relating to that feeling of being a little lost and not knowing what's in store but just doing your best. it also reminds me of living in san diego, which is always good times.

rachael yamagata- woman: this song is just really good cause i think a lot of us have felt the way that she does in this song- that we may never find love and just that frustration when something doesn't work out.

tracy chapman- fast car: i really like songs/books/movies about driving, road trips, and that stuff. kind of odd, i know, but i dream of road tripping through the us one day.

garbage- when i grow up: i can just totally relate to this song. and shirley manson is my idol. she's so cool.

5). What 3 people are you going to pass this baton to and why?
whoever sees this and wants to play, consider yourself tagged.

mole

note to self: do not watch 3 consecutive episodes of 24 while trying to follow a cable chart with slippery yarn. it can only lead to disaster. i finally caught up on 24 last night (we're going to watch monday's episode tonight) while working on vintage velvet from scarf style. i got some heavenly touch me yarn in a trade and i had to start. but i ended up ripping it twice over the last two days. first i thought my gauge was too loose and then i messed up the cable and my gauge was still too loose. the pattern calls for a size 8 needle and right now i am on a 4. i don't think i usually knit this loose but ok. i also only have 4 balls instead of 5, so i hope it's long enough. if anyone has an extra ball of 3660 they want to trade, just let me know.

and happy new years to everyone! this is the year of the rooster. i don't think i know any roosters but that's ok. i am trying to get some of my friends to go out to eat tonight to celebrate (and also because i don't have any more food). now let me show you some stash enhancement:


that's the cornelia tuttle book #2 that i received in a trade last week. there are several tempting items in that one. i also really want the jane ellison noro book. eloise looks lovely. and the knitted teddy bear book i got from michaels on sunday with their 40% coupon. they really don't have the best selection but i thought that this book was fun and the bears are adorable.


i also found these from someone at the knitswap yahoo group. it's the interweaves knits winter 00/01 and 01/02 issues. i so wanted these. here are two of the designs that i definitely want to make from them.


i also received this beautiful lorna's laces in a trade last week. yarn swaps are the best. i have yet to make socks but i think this stuff is going to be divine. i like to pet when i am at home.


last but not least is more yarn from trading. this time it's brown sheep worsted in brite blue. have i told you that i adore brown sheep? i am going to save this for something special just for me.


i promise to have some knitting pics the next time i post. hopefully i will get more done on vintage velvet tonight. both mitten sets i am working on are stalled while waiting for more material but don't worry, they will get done.

hot wings and potato salad

this weekend was just jam packed with things to do and people to see and i had a lot of fun. as i said on friday, my friend from berkeley was down for a visit. sat morning (well afternoon) i went out with her and my roommate to this german restaurant that we found on the internet. my roommate grew up in germany and is always bitching about how we never go to eat german food. i keep telling her, "well find a german restaurant!" and she never does. so i took matters into my own hands and looked it up. did you know that looking up "german restaurant" on citysearch gets you mostly weinerschitzel? then i found a "cal-german" restaurant that had a sample menu of something with chorizo. didn't sound too german to me but luckily i had better luck on google. the place was even nearby in silver lake so it was all good. much to our delight, it was very authentic and we all ordered the bratwurst. those germans make a mean potato salad, too. here are my friends fake toasting:



oh and if anyone in la wants to know, it's the red lion tavern in silver lake and the address is:
2366 Glendale Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90039-3209 ph: 323.662.5337

after lunch my friend's mom came to pick her up and take her back to irvine for some family time. adrienne (that's my roomie) and i decided that today would be a good day to go to jay and silent bob's secret stash in westwood. it's kevin smith's comic shop and we have been wanting to go for ages. we love kevin smith and so braved sat night traffic to go to the store. the store was smaller than i expected but it had a nice selection of action figures and comics/graphic novels and it also had all of kevin smith's merchandise, signed. we got a signed mallrats poster for the apt and i also bought 2 comic books and a buddy christ. love it.



but the best part about being in westwood was that we got to stop at diddy reese (don't even ask how many times i had to spell it to find the address) for ice cream sandwiches. for those who have never been, they have homemade cookies and ice cream and you get to make your own combos. you get 2 cookies with ice cream, 3 cookies, or 2 cookies and a glass of milk for $1! yeah baby. we also bought 2 dozen cookies to bring to the superbowl party on sunday. ice cream sandwiches and comics...you really can't get much better than that.

after that we went home to make about a billion rice krispie treats for the party. adrienne decided we should make them in superbowl colors so we had to do a bunch of half batches in order to color them. they turned out really well but i am sad to say that i did not get a picture. oh- and we rented catwoman. bad idea. it was soooooo bad. halle berry was just campy and weird and the dialogue was predictable, as was the plot. it was nothing like the sort of tragic and conflicted character that michelle pfieffer protrayed. the cgi looked terribly fake and it was just BAD. please, for the love of all that is good in the world, don't see it. you'll regret it.

sunday was for the superbowl. i really don't care for football but there was a party with food involved so i had to go. traffic was very good and we made it to irvine in no time. we played a little football beforehand and i am proud to say that i did not injure myself or embarass myself in any noticeable way. there was a pool going on, and i was in the lead once, but didn't win. it was also my friend's brother's birthday and his nickname is turd (gross i know but i didn't give it to him). so adrienne and i made him a special treat.





don't worry, it's just chocolate covered rice krispies.
i didn't get much knitting done but i did add to the stash. i'll probably post more about it later, as this is pretty long and i don't want to bore you. happy monday!

attack of the 50 foot mitten

big mitt, originally uploaded by squishyme.

here's my lopi mitten in it's pre-felted state. i followed the pattern for a woman's small mitten and let me just say that this thing is HUGE. i hope it shrink a whole lot or i am gonna have to find a bear with cold paws for these things. you can't see the cuff in the picture but the whole mitten is probably 2 1/2 times bigger than my hand. i hope the felting gods smile upon me.

i am soooo happy today is friday. only a few more hours left until the weekend. tonight i am going out to celebrate my roommate's new job. i get to eat bbq! some of my favorite stuff. then we're going to the airport to pick up my college buddy who is going to be in town to visit family in irvine. i think we're going to their superbowl party on sunday. i don't care for football so i hope to bring my knitting and get a lot done. see you monday!

pitch black

did you guys ever see that sci-fi movie with vin diesel in it about these killer aliens that only come out when it's dark? they made a really bad sequel to it recently. for some reason i just can't buy vin diesel. the rock, sure. but gool ol' vinny? no way. well the power has gone out in one of the breakers here at work so i am working in the dark. unfortunately no hungry aliens have appeared to put me out of my misery so i persevere for you, my 2 loyal readers. here's a finished pic of my left thrum mitten. still working on the cuff of the second one while waiting for fleece reinforcements to come in.



yeah it's pretty freakin' huge but they are very cushy and warm inside. too bad i live in southern california. and the next pic is the beginning of a lopi felted mitten (i know- i said i wouldn't start anything new and i did). lopi is pretty rough but i have heard that the felted fabric is soft and sorta hairy. thought i would give it a whirl.



i am knitting them on these little 8 inch clover circs that i ordered after seeing them on this blog. i am not sure if i like them yet or not. they're a little hard for me to get a grip on because they're so small. i will have to see whether or not i will ditch my dpns for these plastic beauties. which reminds me that i need to get another set of 9 dpns the next time i go to the lys, as i lost 2 on my last visit home. i got some fun stuff in the mail today but you'll just have to wait for that post.

yay- the lights came on!

rejected

i was turned away from the screening of miss congeniality 2 last night because i got there too late. actually i got there before the movie started but the line was too long and they said even if my roommate saved me a seat, they would not let me in. i wanted to smack the guy right there as he was quite smug about the whole thing, but whatever. it's all karma, baby. instead i went home and watched 2 episodes of 24. i only have 3 more to go until i am caught up. my roomie will be so happy because she's been dying to talk about it with me.

the same old knitting going on. i think i might start a felted mitten pattern with some lopi that i have. i saw a pair on a blog today (sorry but i can't remember which) and they look so fun. i have a ton of lopi that i have never used and i think they might be perfect. i am actually attempting to sell/swap a lot of it on the knitty and knittersreview board. i will probably post some pics on my swap page soon of yarn i want to de-stash. and did you see these adorable stitch markers at amyville? i know they're not new in blogland but i just adore the new sweets collection. hello- donuts and cupcakes are my life! maybe next month after i get the ol' paycheck i will order some. now i want some krispy kreme....

my so called television

today on dvd- wonderfalls. man i can't tell you how much i dig this show. sadly it was cancelled after only 4 episodes (how dismayed was i to come home one day to find an encore presentation of the swan instead). witty, funny, and intelligent; they just don't make shows like this anymore. my three favorite (cancelled shows) are wonderfalls, dead like me, and firefly. i wish television would give new shows a chance. they were going to cancel arrested development right before it got a golden globe nomination (and then won!). oh tv, think of all the fantastic programming you would have if you just gave a little support and time. sigh.

i can't guy out and buy wonderfalls today because i am super poor. :( i think i need to leave hints so that someone remembers to maybe buy it for my birthday. yes i am shameless and i want my wonderfalls!

on the knitting front- finished one thrummed mitt. it's pretty fluffy and toasty. but i think that i made my thrums too big cause i am not going to have enough fleece to finish the second one. i found a place online that carried a few fleece artist rovings and ordered a similar colorway. hopefully they match enough for me to finish the mittens. note to self- smaller thrums next time.