Tuesday, March 29, 2005

tight pants

i'm so sorry that it's been so long since my last post. it's just been super super busy here the last couple of weeks and i feel like i barely have time to breathe, much less get any knitting done. thanks for all of the kind comments on the bonnet. i hope that the baby's mom likes it and that maybe they send me a picture of the baby wearing it.

the weekend was jam packed with fun. on sat night i went to spaceland to see a few bands play. i got some tickets at work and i figured that a free show would be a fun show. the headliner, vagenius, was really excellent. i know they have a terrible name but the music was very good and the lead singer played a keyboard that hung in front of her like a guitar. we also saw a new warner band called world leader pretend. they were also very good, except that i thought the lead singer was a bit melodramatic. you know, closing his eyes and starting the show with a sensitive piano ballad. ha.

sunday was beautiful here in la and i went to redondo beach with my friend. we'd both never been so we decided to see if there was anything worthwhile out there. the pier is very cool and lots of people were out fishing and just hanging out. we got a live crab (well they cooked it for us) and shared it. here is a picture of my friend getting ready to use the mallet:

lindacrab

redondo

it was very beautiful out but i had to run home to catch a screening of the film, the house of d. it's a coming of age story directed and written by david duchovny. my roommate is a huge huge fan so we had to go, especially once she found out that there was going to be a q& a afterwards. our friend actually works at the hall where they hold special screenings and he got us seats in the vip room. the movie was very good and the young lead was excellent. the only thing i didn't like about it (besides mr duchovny's goatee in the movie) was the framing device they used for the story. and robin williams is in it and he is very very good. my roommate was too chicken to talk to him afterwards but we did get in a few paparrazzi shots.

david

oh and kevin nealon was in the audience, as was one of the lone gunmen (xfiles ref). and tonight we just saw a small movie called the moguls. it stars jeff bridges and is about a group of people in a small town who decide to make and adult movie. it's very funny and sweet and not what you would expect at all. i think it's gonna be a hard sell to audiences but if you get a chance to at least catch it on video in the future, i think you should. and lest you think i have not been knitting at all, here are some fingerless gloves that i made my mom. pardon the crappy lighting.

momsmitts

they were a quick knit using some alpaca yarn that i got for $2 in the sale bin at a yarn store. for my mommy's cold hands. not much time for anything else these days. i am gonna try and get the front of cyd done in the next couple of weeks though. i've got a few rows of the hourglass sweater done but not enough to warrant a picture. anyway it's getting near my bedtime. i'll try to update again soon. good night!

popsey

thanks to everyone for wishing me good luck with the new job. i spent most of my last day training my replacement. all that talking just made me so tired. but i gave her my email address and told her to mail me if anything came up. so far, nothing. and my boss was so sweet and nice and i really was sad to leave.

but i got to spend a few days at home with my parents. that was a whole lotta fun as i always love a good trip home. sadly i didn't do any yarn shopping, but i really don't need anymore yarn, now do i? i actually did steal some of my mom's stash though, since she has no time to knit lately. i figure i will make her something nice with her own yarn. yeah. i gave me mom her scarf i made and she loved it. i lamely forgot to take a picture or her with it, though. well next time i promise. and we went to michaels in a last ditch attempt to find a ribbon for the baby set. my mom chose a purple gingham ribbon (i am not a huge fan of gingham as it makes me think of country picnic tableclothes) and i made her sew it in (cause i suck) and it turned out cute, i think. now i swear these will be the last pics of this damn set and no more lavender for awhile.

babyset
this is the whole kit n caboodle set. our friend is due in the next week or two, so
this set is right on time.


ribbon
and a close up of the ribbon

i also finished a crotchless glove (as my friend calls them) for my mom. the other one will be completed soon. too lazy to take a pic so i will leave you with a gratuitous shot of my poor doggie getting a bath. he's the cutest!

gonzowet

oh and i got the new vogue knitting (it's alright) and i saw the summer interweave preview and it looks really good! i usually hate summer issues but this one looks like a winner. anyhow- hope everyone had a good monday and tuesday. i'll be back with job updates soon!

Thursday, March 24, 2005

the weight of water

so tomorrow is my last day at work. it's a little sad because my boss is so cool, but i am sure i will get over it. they haven't found a replacement for me yet and i am worried that there will be a lot of things that they will not know how to do once i am gone. i have been making these little tutorials on word for the next person to read. i hope that they help.

well it's time for some pictures finally. i keep forgetting my cable at home so i am just posting from home right now. this is the lacy bonnet that i finished over the weekend.

lacybonnet
i need a ribbon to make this bonnet stay. still looking for it.

bonnetback
the back of it looks pretty cool

pattern: lacy bonnet from erika knight's knitting for two
yarn: 1 skein ggh samoa in lavender
needles: us 5 metal
gauge: my bad, i didn't check it but they're the same size needles i used for the debbie bliss jacket in the same yarn
notes: the pattern was easy and well written, once i finally understood the whole yarnover thing. i almost ran out of yarn at the end so i stopped i think one row before the pattern specified. all in all an easy, fast knit.

also finished my mom's scarf today. these pics are pretty blurry but it's hard taking pics of yourself! oh well it's very soft and pretty and i hope that my mom likes it. i am gonna see her this weekend so i will let her have it then.

shawlfront

pattern: made it up, cast on 60 stitches and work 3 x 3 rib until desired length. i think mine came to about 5' 8" or so.
yarn: lana gatto something or other. i gotta look for the ball band.
needle: us 10 clover
notes: not much to say really except that the yarn was a bit hard to work with. it was a skinny boucle that was a pain but it made a really nice soft and squooshy fabric.

that's all i have for right now. i hope that friday goes by fast so i can come home and take a nap. i always want to take naps lately but never do. i am going to try to get to a yarn store this weekend for some pink lamb's pride to make a cute bunny. i know i should use something in the stash but i only have blue lp and i really want to make it in pink or something girly and easter worthy. more pics when i get back from the weekend and tales from the NEW JOB next week. have a great easter!

**oh my- i am uploading songs to the ipod now from cds i have lying around and guess what cd i am putting on right now? the spice girls "spice" album. oh yeah. you know you want some of that action.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

get some tail

i just found the most awesome bunny pattern here. i can't remember which blog mentioned it because i was doing some major blog surfing, but it's so cute! check out some of her other knitted toys and you will get a toothache. i love the two headed guy and she uses lamb's pride, one of my favorite yarns. i will definitely have to make a bunny for easter.

it's a wet day here today and i don't mind, except that my pant legs are all soggy. and then they got my socks all soggy and now my calves are wet. ew. sorry no pics at the moment, as my usb cable is at home. hopefully i will get some good knitting done tonight. it's all about rain, soup, and knitting!

Monday, March 21, 2005

why do you love me?

i am listening to the new garbage single right now and i love it. did i tell you that my awesome roommate got us tickets for my birthday? i guess she is on kroq's mailing list and got in on the presale, while i tried to get tickets the normal way and couldn't. i can't wait to see them in april.

tonight i am going to have a mini knit night with my friend vanessa. we're gonna get some zankous chicken (you have to have this if you ever come to la) and are gonna put p.s. in the dvd player for a nice, quiet night. i think i will work on my mom's scarf or the front of cyd. we'll see what i feel like doing when the time comes.

work is just like every other day today. my boss still hasn't said whether or not they are going to try and find someone this week to replace me or not. i hope they do so that i can train them. i don't think they realize all of the things i do here and i don't want them to be in a lurch once i am gone. maybe he's in denial.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

drippy

it's been a little wet this weekend in la, but i don't really mind. yesteday i went on a litle yarn run over to santa monica and visited yarns unlimited and wildfiber. stupid me didn't bring the directions to wildfiber so i had to drive around for awhile before i eventually found it. i must say that it is a very nice store. they had a large selection of rowan and ggh, noro, and manos. mmmm. prices were a bit inflated. a dollar or more above what i usually find. i had to stop myself from getting some ggh kid mohair and manos. and they had a lot of koigu, which was really nice to see. it's $1 more than where i usually get it but the selection of colors is so much better. and they had a whole 30% off room, but i didn't find anything to my liking in there. however, you can't leave a yarn store empty handed, so i bought some of those 12in plastic clovers circs (in anticipation of my cash iroha sweater) and some bamboo straights in 3 and 4.

i did better at yarns unlimited and got an old interweave knits and a back issue of rebecca. they always have good prices there, even if the presentation isn't the poshest. also picked up a skein of black cascade 220 for some rainbow thrummed mitts.

moreloot

love me some old issues of rebecca and interweave.

*update* sunday: went out to pasadena with my friend vanessa in an attempt to find some damn matching ribbon for the baby bonnet. apparently cute ribbon with lavender in it does not exist. we actually tried to go to this one fabric store listed online as being in burbank first. but when we got to the address, it was an apartment. maybe the business was in their house or the garage but i totally didn't feel like knocking on someone's door and finding out. too creepy for me. so off we went to pasadena. there we had a delicious lunch at bar celona (ha). we had some fried almods and patas bravas tapas. i wish i had my camera to take a picture of it. i love food pictures. and i had a great burger with mahon cheese and paprika fries. i loved barcelona (the city) and hope to go back someday.

we stopped by skein while we were there, too. the shop is very cute but it was so stuffy in there. they had a nice selection of yarns but prices were a bit steep. the owners were super nice but i kept getting this strange feeling. she showed us shop samples of ponchos and odd wraps and when she rung up my purchase she wrote down when the knitting lessons were. i am sure that she meant well but i felt a bit insulted that she thought i should take knitting lessons to make ponchos out of novelty yarn. is that snotty of me? but they did have an excellent selection of back issues of patterns (old bouton d'or, vogue, rebecca, and dale) and i got yet another rebecca and ik spring 2003. my bad.

but let me show you what i picked up from the post office on sat.

spwrap
now what could this be?

spbirthday

variegated goodness all for me!

look at the lovelies that my secret pal sent me. i have so been wanting the handy book of knitting patterns. and the knit picks sock yarn is sooooo nice! love the green and purple. i can't wait to make me some squishy socks out of them. thanks so much, sp, you rock!

so about the new job- this coming week will be my last week at my old job. i love my boss to death but it was just time to move on. i will be getting a pay raise and benefits and will have access to a huge music catalog. i will be assisting two people in the sych dept (aka licensing) at warner music. they seem really cool and ii am excited but a bit apprehensive about doing new work and meeting new people. i totally thought i blew the interview by being honest and maybe too mell0w (but i am mellow). i guess they liked me enough to offer me the job. will let you all know how it goes after next week. i can't believe the weekend is over already.

Friday, March 18, 2005

epiphany

many thanks to the wonderful stephanie and karyn at unwind for helping me out last night. i had the yarnover all wrong. i always thought that the yarnover was: pulling yarn to front and knitting next stitch to create an extra stitch. that's what they show you in books, but they lie! yarnover only means to bring the yarn to the front. if you knit the stitch after it, the pattern will say to k1. and that's why all of my counts were off when i did anything with yarnovers. i would automatically knit the stitch and then read the pattern and knit another stitch or whatever. now it all makes sense. but why don't they tell you that in the books? it always says to bring yarn forward and knit next stitch. damn them. but look at what i was able to do:

startbonnet

that's the lacy bonnet from erika knight's knitting for two. i hope to finish by tonight. and of course i couldn't leave the store empty handed. this is what i got (thanks for the giftcard, vanessa!).

unwindloot

yes, vintage knits and the baby bobbi bear pattern. i gotta make mini bobbi bear! he's too adorable. and progress on cyd:

cydback

i am actually finished with the back at this point. the directions for the shoulders seemed a bit off to me, but i have never really done any shoulders before, so who knows. will hopefully go to the fabric store this weekend to check out some ribbon. michael's and joann's just ain't cutting it.

oh and i got the job. more on that later.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

peanut breath

iroha

well i broke down today and bought this cash iroha on ebay. i really want to make the hourglass sweater from last minute knitted gifts. that's color 64, teal. i can't find it anywhere so maybe it is an old color. now i have at least enough yarn to make 4 sweaters. 4, people! i haven't even finished my first one yet. but cyd is going well so far. i just have to figure out the short row shaping for the shoulders so i can try that three needle bindoff everyone keeps talking about. i have been sidetracked this week with my mom's shawl and the baby bonnet i need to make. i am apparently yarn over impaired and will be heading over to unwind tonight to get some professional help.

Monday, March 14, 2005

monday blues

thanks for all the well wishes on the interview. i think it went ok. well i know it didn't go horribly but i know i was probably not as energetic as most people at an interview are and i don't talk myself up well. truly i am not even sure if i want the position. i feel like i need to change direction and do something else with my life. but money counts and i can't afford to just wander about while waiting to figure out what i want in life. oh sigh.

but i did have a lovely weekend. much to show and share (aka birthday loot) but it will have to wait until i get home tonight. big thanks to my secret pal for the ecard. those piggies are just too cute.

Friday, March 11, 2005

jittery

i am kind of freaking out right now, as i have an interview in an hour. i don't even know if i want the position but my friend passed my resume along. it's high time i kicked the job search into gear but i am just not ready! i really hate interviews. i get nervous and i am not good at talking about myself, which is what you do at an interview. cross your fingers for me that it's not a total disaster.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

sugar coma

i have a big hole in the heel of my sock right now. it feels really strange. i was gonna post a picture of it but then thought better of it. i had to wake up early this morning to be at the post office right when the opened so that i could pick up a package and still try to make it to work on time. my sp4 sent me something over the weekend but my mailman just left me that lame little note in my box instead of putting it by the door like he usually does. maybe it was a different postman, who knows? but look at what was inside:

spcandy
candy! my sp4 said it's for the movies and whatnot. mmm- i ate the haribo roulettes already and have bottle caps, red vines, bubble gum (had a piece of that, too) and gummi bears to go. yummy! i love all of these candies so thank you, sp!

and here is a bit of progress on cyd:

cydback
that's just the boring back piece. i am almost through one ball of yarn and i figure i am about halfway done with the back. so far the luxury tweed has been working up nicely. it's got some loose hair floating around but i don't mind and my stitches look very even.

i also ordered a peace fleece color card today because i really want to try some of their dk weight yarn. and maybe the worsted. the colors look so rich that i just had to see them for myself before committing. tonight's gonna be another veg night. ah the joy.

Monday, March 07, 2005

once it hits your lips, it's so good!

the weather was so glorious this weekend. saturday started off a bit gloomy but it cleared up and the sun was shining all day. i know it wasn't much of a winter but i love spring weather. it's sunny but not hot and everything looks so green. so this weekend my friend from redlands came over to play and we ended up making a couple of trips to pasadena. she found this really cool paper store there called the paper source where she bought the material to make her graduation invitations. they had every paper you could imagine, along with ribbons, stamps, wrapping paper, and other fun things. i will definitely be back. while we were there we noticed banners for an art show going on at the pasadena museum of california art. unfortunately by the time we figured out where the heck the museum was, it was too close to closing time to go.

the show is called "wondertoonel" by mark ryden and it is amazing. his paintings are so detailed and skilled and the images are cute but disturbing. i think you gotta see it to get it but if you live in the area, definitely check it out. i really wish that they had a cooler exhibition poster cause i totally would have gotten one. they had a mini print set but it wasn't of prints from this show. his stuff is hard to come by so i will just have to keep my eyes peeled for any good prints, but here are a few images from the show:

ryden-pianogirl

Rydenimage

and i found this while i was looking for information online.

you are
You are "A Dog Named Jesus"

Which Mark Ryden Painting Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
anyhow- it was just really cool and i hope to see more of his work in the future.

but knitting- what of knitting? i didn't actually finish anything (what else is new?) but made a bit of headway on cyd and my mom's shawl. oh wait- i did finish something. i made it way back in christmas but was too lazy to sew in the ends and seam it, but it's a case for my digital camera. weaving in all those ends was a pain in the butt but i am glad that i finally did it.

lpcaseends lpcase

sorry that last pic is a bit blurry. the case was made in december using odds and ends of lamb's pride worsted (love it) and is based off the palm case from stitch n bitch. i just gotta figure out what kind of closure (velcro?) i am gonna put on this baby before using it.

here is a picture of my mom's shawl. it looks longer and the same but it's super squooshy and i know my mom will like it. this would make a good airplane accessory, as you could make it into a really nice pillow.

momshawl3
and look what i got from the library on friday.

teenknitting
it's the teen knitting club book and it's a really nice beginner book for younger people. the patterns are simple but fun and the photography is very nice in it. as you can see, i made a mini pair of fingerless mittens to go with the debbie bliss jacket. now if only i could get that hat done...

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

sleep to dream

have you ever solved a problem in a dream? well it happened to me last night. i was working on a cabled baby hat before i went to bed but was having difficulty with this one little part of it. i went to sleep thinking that i'd just have to figure it out tomorrow. when i woke up this morning, it was like i dreamed the solution and it was still lingering in my head, so i ran outside to write it down. i haven't looked at it since but i think i figured it out. i don't know what it means when you start to dream about knitting.

i did a bit of swatching in the luxury tweed last night, too. oddly, i got gauge using the recommended needle size, but i didn't have the smaller size needle to start the ribbing with. so another trip to unwind is in order tonight. boohoo. so far the luxury tweed is very nice. it knits up very evenly and i love the effect the two different colored plies give the yarn. it seems a bit rough at first but it makes a lovely fabric and i hear it softens up even more with a nice washing. i think i will have to get some more. the colors are too nice.

i am still slowly working on the touch me scarf. i work a few rows here and there and i think it might take me awhile to actually get it done but the yarn is so nice to work with that i don't mind. i think my goal will be to get it done by may so that i can use my parents' washer when i come to visit for memorial day. see- so squooshy.

touchme
also on the needles is my first ever sock. i am using some elann sock it to me that i got awhile back and size 1 dpns. the color is 29 tiffany roses. the pattern is from the lucy neatby book. so far, so good. the dpns are a bit of a pain but we'll see what happens once i get to the heel.

firstsock
you can see that some of my stitches are wonky but hopefully it'll work itself out when i block them.

i also received my order from the knitting garden. 3 balls of rowan 4 ply cotton to make ribbon melody from miss bea's band.

4ply

and this next picture is just for mona. this came across my desk yesterday at work so i thought i would snap a picture for her. enjoy!

starlog starlog2

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

tight pants

i'm so sorry that it's been so long since my last post. it's just been super super busy here the last couple of weeks and i feel like i barely have time to breathe, much less get any knitting done. thanks for all of the kind comments on the bonnet. i hope that the baby's mom likes it and that maybe they send me a picture of the baby wearing it.

the weekend was jam packed with fun. on sat night i went to spaceland to see a few bands play. i got some tickets at work and i figured that a free show would be a fun show. the headliner, vagenius, was really excellent. i know they have a terrible name but the music was very good and the lead singer played a keyboard that hung in front of her like a guitar. we also saw a new warner band called world leader pretend. they were also very good, except that i thought the lead singer was a bit melodramatic. you know, closing his eyes and starting the show with a sensitive piano ballad. ha.

sunday was beautiful here in la and i went to redondo beach with my friend. we'd both never been so we decided to see if there was anything worthwhile out there. the pier is very cool and lots of people were out fishing and just hanging out. we got a live crab (well they cooked it for us) and shared it. here is a picture of my friend getting ready to use the mallet:

lindacrab

redondo

it was very beautiful out but i had to run home to catch a screening of the film, the house of d. it's a coming of age story directed and written by david duchovny. my roommate is a huge huge fan so we had to go, especially once she found out that there was going to be a q& a afterwards. our friend actually works at the hall where they hold special screenings and he got us seats in the vip room. the movie was very good and the young lead was excellent. the only thing i didn't like about it (besides mr duchovny's goatee in the movie) was the framing device they used for the story. and robin williams is in it and he is very very good. my roommate was too chicken to talk to him afterwards but we did get in a few paparrazzi shots.

david

oh and kevin nealon was in the audience, as was one of the lone gunmen (xfiles ref). and tonight we just saw a small movie called the moguls. it stars jeff bridges and is about a group of people in a small town who decide to make and adult movie. it's very funny and sweet and not what you would expect at all. i think it's gonna be a hard sell to audiences but if you get a chance to at least catch it on video in the future, i think you should. and lest you think i have not been knitting at all, here are some fingerless gloves that i made my mom. pardon the crappy lighting.

momsmitts

they were a quick knit using some alpaca yarn that i got for $2 in the sale bin at a yarn store. for my mommy's cold hands. not much time for anything else these days. i am gonna try and get the front of cyd done in the next couple of weeks though. i've got a few rows of the hourglass sweater done but not enough to warrant a picture. anyway it's getting near my bedtime. i'll try to update again soon. good night!
Read More


popsey

thanks to everyone for wishing me good luck with the new job. i spent most of my last day training my replacement. all that talking just made me so tired. but i gave her my email address and told her to mail me if anything came up. so far, nothing. and my boss was so sweet and nice and i really was sad to leave.

but i got to spend a few days at home with my parents. that was a whole lotta fun as i always love a good trip home. sadly i didn't do any yarn shopping, but i really don't need anymore yarn, now do i? i actually did steal some of my mom's stash though, since she has no time to knit lately. i figure i will make her something nice with her own yarn. yeah. i gave me mom her scarf i made and she loved it. i lamely forgot to take a picture or her with it, though. well next time i promise. and we went to michaels in a last ditch attempt to find a ribbon for the baby set. my mom chose a purple gingham ribbon (i am not a huge fan of gingham as it makes me think of country picnic tableclothes) and i made her sew it in (cause i suck) and it turned out cute, i think. now i swear these will be the last pics of this damn set and no more lavender for awhile.

babyset
this is the whole kit n caboodle set. our friend is due in the next week or two, so
this set is right on time.


ribbon
and a close up of the ribbon

i also finished a crotchless glove (as my friend calls them) for my mom. the other one will be completed soon. too lazy to take a pic so i will leave you with a gratuitous shot of my poor doggie getting a bath. he's the cutest!

gonzowet

oh and i got the new vogue knitting (it's alright) and i saw the summer interweave preview and it looks really good! i usually hate summer issues but this one looks like a winner. anyhow- hope everyone had a good monday and tuesday. i'll be back with job updates soon!
Read More


Thursday, March 24, 2005

the weight of water

so tomorrow is my last day at work. it's a little sad because my boss is so cool, but i am sure i will get over it. they haven't found a replacement for me yet and i am worried that there will be a lot of things that they will not know how to do once i am gone. i have been making these little tutorials on word for the next person to read. i hope that they help.

well it's time for some pictures finally. i keep forgetting my cable at home so i am just posting from home right now. this is the lacy bonnet that i finished over the weekend.

lacybonnet
i need a ribbon to make this bonnet stay. still looking for it.

bonnetback
the back of it looks pretty cool

pattern: lacy bonnet from erika knight's knitting for two
yarn: 1 skein ggh samoa in lavender
needles: us 5 metal
gauge: my bad, i didn't check it but they're the same size needles i used for the debbie bliss jacket in the same yarn
notes: the pattern was easy and well written, once i finally understood the whole yarnover thing. i almost ran out of yarn at the end so i stopped i think one row before the pattern specified. all in all an easy, fast knit.

also finished my mom's scarf today. these pics are pretty blurry but it's hard taking pics of yourself! oh well it's very soft and pretty and i hope that my mom likes it. i am gonna see her this weekend so i will let her have it then.

shawlfront

pattern: made it up, cast on 60 stitches and work 3 x 3 rib until desired length. i think mine came to about 5' 8" or so.
yarn: lana gatto something or other. i gotta look for the ball band.
needle: us 10 clover
notes: not much to say really except that the yarn was a bit hard to work with. it was a skinny boucle that was a pain but it made a really nice soft and squooshy fabric.

that's all i have for right now. i hope that friday goes by fast so i can come home and take a nap. i always want to take naps lately but never do. i am going to try to get to a yarn store this weekend for some pink lamb's pride to make a cute bunny. i know i should use something in the stash but i only have blue lp and i really want to make it in pink or something girly and easter worthy. more pics when i get back from the weekend and tales from the NEW JOB next week. have a great easter!

**oh my- i am uploading songs to the ipod now from cds i have lying around and guess what cd i am putting on right now? the spice girls "spice" album. oh yeah. you know you want some of that action.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2005

get some tail

i just found the most awesome bunny pattern here. i can't remember which blog mentioned it because i was doing some major blog surfing, but it's so cute! check out some of her other knitted toys and you will get a toothache. i love the two headed guy and she uses lamb's pride, one of my favorite yarns. i will definitely have to make a bunny for easter.

it's a wet day here today and i don't mind, except that my pant legs are all soggy. and then they got my socks all soggy and now my calves are wet. ew. sorry no pics at the moment, as my usb cable is at home. hopefully i will get some good knitting done tonight. it's all about rain, soup, and knitting!
Read More


Monday, March 21, 2005

why do you love me?

i am listening to the new garbage single right now and i love it. did i tell you that my awesome roommate got us tickets for my birthday? i guess she is on kroq's mailing list and got in on the presale, while i tried to get tickets the normal way and couldn't. i can't wait to see them in april.

tonight i am going to have a mini knit night with my friend vanessa. we're gonna get some zankous chicken (you have to have this if you ever come to la) and are gonna put p.s. in the dvd player for a nice, quiet night. i think i will work on my mom's scarf or the front of cyd. we'll see what i feel like doing when the time comes.

work is just like every other day today. my boss still hasn't said whether or not they are going to try and find someone this week to replace me or not. i hope they do so that i can train them. i don't think they realize all of the things i do here and i don't want them to be in a lurch once i am gone. maybe he's in denial.
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Sunday, March 20, 2005

drippy

it's been a little wet this weekend in la, but i don't really mind. yesteday i went on a litle yarn run over to santa monica and visited yarns unlimited and wildfiber. stupid me didn't bring the directions to wildfiber so i had to drive around for awhile before i eventually found it. i must say that it is a very nice store. they had a large selection of rowan and ggh, noro, and manos. mmmm. prices were a bit inflated. a dollar or more above what i usually find. i had to stop myself from getting some ggh kid mohair and manos. and they had a lot of koigu, which was really nice to see. it's $1 more than where i usually get it but the selection of colors is so much better. and they had a whole 30% off room, but i didn't find anything to my liking in there. however, you can't leave a yarn store empty handed, so i bought some of those 12in plastic clovers circs (in anticipation of my cash iroha sweater) and some bamboo straights in 3 and 4.

i did better at yarns unlimited and got an old interweave knits and a back issue of rebecca. they always have good prices there, even if the presentation isn't the poshest. also picked up a skein of black cascade 220 for some rainbow thrummed mitts.

moreloot

love me some old issues of rebecca and interweave.

*update* sunday: went out to pasadena with my friend vanessa in an attempt to find some damn matching ribbon for the baby bonnet. apparently cute ribbon with lavender in it does not exist. we actually tried to go to this one fabric store listed online as being in burbank first. but when we got to the address, it was an apartment. maybe the business was in their house or the garage but i totally didn't feel like knocking on someone's door and finding out. too creepy for me. so off we went to pasadena. there we had a delicious lunch at bar celona (ha). we had some fried almods and patas bravas tapas. i wish i had my camera to take a picture of it. i love food pictures. and i had a great burger with mahon cheese and paprika fries. i loved barcelona (the city) and hope to go back someday.

we stopped by skein while we were there, too. the shop is very cute but it was so stuffy in there. they had a nice selection of yarns but prices were a bit steep. the owners were super nice but i kept getting this strange feeling. she showed us shop samples of ponchos and odd wraps and when she rung up my purchase she wrote down when the knitting lessons were. i am sure that she meant well but i felt a bit insulted that she thought i should take knitting lessons to make ponchos out of novelty yarn. is that snotty of me? but they did have an excellent selection of back issues of patterns (old bouton d'or, vogue, rebecca, and dale) and i got yet another rebecca and ik spring 2003. my bad.

but let me show you what i picked up from the post office on sat.

spwrap
now what could this be?

spbirthday

variegated goodness all for me!

look at the lovelies that my secret pal sent me. i have so been wanting the handy book of knitting patterns. and the knit picks sock yarn is sooooo nice! love the green and purple. i can't wait to make me some squishy socks out of them. thanks so much, sp, you rock!

so about the new job- this coming week will be my last week at my old job. i love my boss to death but it was just time to move on. i will be getting a pay raise and benefits and will have access to a huge music catalog. i will be assisting two people in the sych dept (aka licensing) at warner music. they seem really cool and ii am excited but a bit apprehensive about doing new work and meeting new people. i totally thought i blew the interview by being honest and maybe too mell0w (but i am mellow). i guess they liked me enough to offer me the job. will let you all know how it goes after next week. i can't believe the weekend is over already.

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Friday, March 18, 2005

epiphany

many thanks to the wonderful stephanie and karyn at unwind for helping me out last night. i had the yarnover all wrong. i always thought that the yarnover was: pulling yarn to front and knitting next stitch to create an extra stitch. that's what they show you in books, but they lie! yarnover only means to bring the yarn to the front. if you knit the stitch after it, the pattern will say to k1. and that's why all of my counts were off when i did anything with yarnovers. i would automatically knit the stitch and then read the pattern and knit another stitch or whatever. now it all makes sense. but why don't they tell you that in the books? it always says to bring yarn forward and knit next stitch. damn them. but look at what i was able to do:

startbonnet

that's the lacy bonnet from erika knight's knitting for two. i hope to finish by tonight. and of course i couldn't leave the store empty handed. this is what i got (thanks for the giftcard, vanessa!).

unwindloot

yes, vintage knits and the baby bobbi bear pattern. i gotta make mini bobbi bear! he's too adorable. and progress on cyd:

cydback

i am actually finished with the back at this point. the directions for the shoulders seemed a bit off to me, but i have never really done any shoulders before, so who knows. will hopefully go to the fabric store this weekend to check out some ribbon. michael's and joann's just ain't cutting it.

oh and i got the job. more on that later.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005

peanut breath

iroha

well i broke down today and bought this cash iroha on ebay. i really want to make the hourglass sweater from last minute knitted gifts. that's color 64, teal. i can't find it anywhere so maybe it is an old color. now i have at least enough yarn to make 4 sweaters. 4, people! i haven't even finished my first one yet. but cyd is going well so far. i just have to figure out the short row shaping for the shoulders so i can try that three needle bindoff everyone keeps talking about. i have been sidetracked this week with my mom's shawl and the baby bonnet i need to make. i am apparently yarn over impaired and will be heading over to unwind tonight to get some professional help.
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Monday, March 14, 2005

monday blues

thanks for all the well wishes on the interview. i think it went ok. well i know it didn't go horribly but i know i was probably not as energetic as most people at an interview are and i don't talk myself up well. truly i am not even sure if i want the position. i feel like i need to change direction and do something else with my life. but money counts and i can't afford to just wander about while waiting to figure out what i want in life. oh sigh.

but i did have a lovely weekend. much to show and share (aka birthday loot) but it will have to wait until i get home tonight. big thanks to my secret pal for the ecard. those piggies are just too cute.
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Friday, March 11, 2005

jittery

i am kind of freaking out right now, as i have an interview in an hour. i don't even know if i want the position but my friend passed my resume along. it's high time i kicked the job search into gear but i am just not ready! i really hate interviews. i get nervous and i am not good at talking about myself, which is what you do at an interview. cross your fingers for me that it's not a total disaster.
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Tuesday, March 08, 2005

sugar coma

i have a big hole in the heel of my sock right now. it feels really strange. i was gonna post a picture of it but then thought better of it. i had to wake up early this morning to be at the post office right when the opened so that i could pick up a package and still try to make it to work on time. my sp4 sent me something over the weekend but my mailman just left me that lame little note in my box instead of putting it by the door like he usually does. maybe it was a different postman, who knows? but look at what was inside:

spcandy
candy! my sp4 said it's for the movies and whatnot. mmm- i ate the haribo roulettes already and have bottle caps, red vines, bubble gum (had a piece of that, too) and gummi bears to go. yummy! i love all of these candies so thank you, sp!

and here is a bit of progress on cyd:

cydback
that's just the boring back piece. i am almost through one ball of yarn and i figure i am about halfway done with the back. so far the luxury tweed has been working up nicely. it's got some loose hair floating around but i don't mind and my stitches look very even.

i also ordered a peace fleece color card today because i really want to try some of their dk weight yarn. and maybe the worsted. the colors look so rich that i just had to see them for myself before committing. tonight's gonna be another veg night. ah the joy.
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Monday, March 07, 2005

once it hits your lips, it's so good!

the weather was so glorious this weekend. saturday started off a bit gloomy but it cleared up and the sun was shining all day. i know it wasn't much of a winter but i love spring weather. it's sunny but not hot and everything looks so green. so this weekend my friend from redlands came over to play and we ended up making a couple of trips to pasadena. she found this really cool paper store there called the paper source where she bought the material to make her graduation invitations. they had every paper you could imagine, along with ribbons, stamps, wrapping paper, and other fun things. i will definitely be back. while we were there we noticed banners for an art show going on at the pasadena museum of california art. unfortunately by the time we figured out where the heck the museum was, it was too close to closing time to go.

the show is called "wondertoonel" by mark ryden and it is amazing. his paintings are so detailed and skilled and the images are cute but disturbing. i think you gotta see it to get it but if you live in the area, definitely check it out. i really wish that they had a cooler exhibition poster cause i totally would have gotten one. they had a mini print set but it wasn't of prints from this show. his stuff is hard to come by so i will just have to keep my eyes peeled for any good prints, but here are a few images from the show:

ryden-pianogirl

Rydenimage

and i found this while i was looking for information online.

you are
You are "A Dog Named Jesus"

Which Mark Ryden Painting Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
anyhow- it was just really cool and i hope to see more of his work in the future.

but knitting- what of knitting? i didn't actually finish anything (what else is new?) but made a bit of headway on cyd and my mom's shawl. oh wait- i did finish something. i made it way back in christmas but was too lazy to sew in the ends and seam it, but it's a case for my digital camera. weaving in all those ends was a pain in the butt but i am glad that i finally did it.

lpcaseends lpcase

sorry that last pic is a bit blurry. the case was made in december using odds and ends of lamb's pride worsted (love it) and is based off the palm case from stitch n bitch. i just gotta figure out what kind of closure (velcro?) i am gonna put on this baby before using it.

here is a picture of my mom's shawl. it looks longer and the same but it's super squooshy and i know my mom will like it. this would make a good airplane accessory, as you could make it into a really nice pillow.

momshawl3
and look what i got from the library on friday.

teenknitting
it's the teen knitting club book and it's a really nice beginner book for younger people. the patterns are simple but fun and the photography is very nice in it. as you can see, i made a mini pair of fingerless mittens to go with the debbie bliss jacket. now if only i could get that hat done...
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Wednesday, March 02, 2005

sleep to dream

have you ever solved a problem in a dream? well it happened to me last night. i was working on a cabled baby hat before i went to bed but was having difficulty with this one little part of it. i went to sleep thinking that i'd just have to figure it out tomorrow. when i woke up this morning, it was like i dreamed the solution and it was still lingering in my head, so i ran outside to write it down. i haven't looked at it since but i think i figured it out. i don't know what it means when you start to dream about knitting.

i did a bit of swatching in the luxury tweed last night, too. oddly, i got gauge using the recommended needle size, but i didn't have the smaller size needle to start the ribbing with. so another trip to unwind is in order tonight. boohoo. so far the luxury tweed is very nice. it knits up very evenly and i love the effect the two different colored plies give the yarn. it seems a bit rough at first but it makes a lovely fabric and i hear it softens up even more with a nice washing. i think i will have to get some more. the colors are too nice.

i am still slowly working on the touch me scarf. i work a few rows here and there and i think it might take me awhile to actually get it done but the yarn is so nice to work with that i don't mind. i think my goal will be to get it done by may so that i can use my parents' washer when i come to visit for memorial day. see- so squooshy.

touchme
also on the needles is my first ever sock. i am using some elann sock it to me that i got awhile back and size 1 dpns. the color is 29 tiffany roses. the pattern is from the lucy neatby book. so far, so good. the dpns are a bit of a pain but we'll see what happens once i get to the heel.

firstsock
you can see that some of my stitches are wonky but hopefully it'll work itself out when i block them.

i also received my order from the knitting garden. 3 balls of rowan 4 ply cotton to make ribbon melody from miss bea's band.

4ply

and this next picture is just for mona. this came across my desk yesterday at work so i thought i would snap a picture for her. enjoy!

starlog starlog2
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