Sunday, April 30, 2006

lazy

thanks for all the nice comments on the new york pictures. i had a really fun time and am definitely coming back soon. i've been super lazy lately about posting. there hasn't been a ton of knitting progress to show you and i've been lax about taking pictures but i am going to try to catch up this week. but i had a lovely weekend. the weekend here was very nice and sunny, even though it looked like it was going to rain both mornings. i went to the la times festival of books over at ucla this weekend and managed to walk away with only a few things. i also managed to see bruce willis (whom i love) randomly at a movie premiere we walked into in westwood. ah - la. anywhoozle, updates on new books and knitterly things later this week. hope everyone had a great weekend.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

spring has sprung

well i am back from my brief trip to new york city over the easter holiday. i had a fantastic time and stayed with great friends (who live in an awesome apt in greenwich) and only wish that i was weathly so i could actually afford a place in new york so i could be there all the time. we couldn't have gone at a better time, as the weather was lovely and flowers were planted all over the city just for us (well they probably weren't for us, but they were there still). i left thursday night for a redeye flight. i haven't flown in a couple of years and it all came rushing back what a pain it is to fly. i feel to hurried when i have to go through security while taking off my shoes and trying to keep my tray moving down the line. i got a bit airsick but it subsided after a short rest at our friends' apt.

our first meal in new york was at carnegie deli. it was a bit tourist-y but the food was pretty good. my friend's sandwhich was piled so high with meat that i thought it was a joke. really, i think it's pretty wasteful to give all this food when one person (or even two) could not possibly eat it. we carried the leftovers around for hours trying to find a homeless person to give it to but we didn't see any. a friend told me that ny shipped all the homeless to queens, but i couldn't verify this.

meat

we also tried to go to the emire state building but they told us that there wasn't any visibility due to some rain that we had that day. i managed to get this creepy looking picture of it from the bottom, though.

empire

the next day my friend mecaila drove in from albany to meet us and we had brunch at a yummy place down the street called pastis. there was a bit of drama there as some guy in a van backed into a vespa trying to parallel park, knocked it over, picked it up with a waiter standing outside the restaurant, then drove off in front of everyone in the patio dining. what nerve. the waiter ran after him and i hope he got his plate numbers.

frenchtoast
mmm i had french toast

eggs
fancy schmancy eggs florentine

we spent the day exploring greenwich and soho where i mananged to spend an hour inside purl patchwork, the new fabric store that purl soho opened. they had so many beautiful fabrics and i picked some out so i could try to attempt some sewing. i do have some pictures but they were not on my camera so i don't have them at the moment. i popped into the purl yarn store but didn't get anything, as i had already gone a bit crazy in the patchwork shop. then to ground zero just to see it and a trip to century 21, this crazy discount store that was just filled with people. it was so crowded and people were just insane. it's like they'd never seen a sale before. i actually didn't buy anything there but one of my friends bought 3 pairs of very cute shoes.

sunday was spent on the upper west side having brunch and buying jams from sarahbeth's (i hear they're very good but i haven't tried mine yet). we also got caught up in the easter parade on 5th avenue (who knew that it was a thing to wear crazy hats on easter?). we wanted to go to the macy's flower show but unfortunately they were closed for the holiday. (i am condensing now as i am tired of writing) but monday was our last day and we spent it getting lost going to the subway (but finding some really cute stores along the way) and running around central park. the weather was fabulous again and we went through the park, hitting the popular sights. then a brief visit to the dinosaurs at the museum of natural history and over to chinatown, where i bought a fake rolex for my brother. he asked for one, don't ask me why. then we ran back to the apt to try to cram all of our stuff into our carryon and off to the airport we went. that was a very short version of my trip, even if it seemed long reading it. i had a great time though and can't wait to go back. i will leave you with some random snapshots of new york. hope everyone had a lovely easter!

park peeps
central park dress made of peeps

veggies
vintage toy store window display

shrimp
seafood sellers in chinatown

chocolatebar
the coolest packaged chocolate from chocolate bar (check out their shirts!)

flower
flowers just for us

Sunday, April 09, 2006

there's never enough time

i started this post over the weekend but never got around to finishing it. lately it seems like there's just not enough hours in the day to do everything that i want. but i do love that it's not dark when i get out of work now. makes me feel a little less pathetic. last weekend i worked a bit more on the shawl collar of the debbie bliss jacket. it's coming along slowly, but surely. see how odd it looks? hopefully all will be revealed when i am done with it and it'll fit together.

shawlcollar

and remember this guy?

frontshaping
i busted out the jaeger vest this weekend, too. it was pretty confusing trying to figure out where the heck i was in the pattern but i think i got it and i've made it up to the armhole and neck shaping. however, i took a look at the finished back the other day and it looks ginormous compared to the front. i am going to pin everything together once i am done to see how it fits but i have a feeling that i may end up re-doing the back piece.

i also started to seam my atacama sweater and realize that i officially hate seaming. it's really not fun and i can almost see why people pay other people to do it for them. how i wish i had a friend who was crazy about seaming. i've only got to attach the sleeves now. i don't know how i really feel about the sweater. it's okay. but the back piece is much more red than the other pieces, even though i alternated skeins. it actually bugs me a lot and i am thinking of overdying the whole thing once i am done. only i've never done anything like that before so i am scared. i'll get a picture in the light so you can all see what i am talking about. and i am off to nyc this weekend for a bit of fun. probably won't get to yarn shop at all or knit for that matter, but it'll be a good time. have a great week!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

raves

this is my new favorite knitting book. i'd been a fan of the blog for a little while now but i really didn't know what to expect from this book. what did i get? a book full of wonderful stories, great tips and fabulous projects. i really loved the conversational tone of the book, the great stories behind the projects and makers and the clear and beautiful photography. this book has me wanting to make things that i've never wanted to make. things like dishcloths, spiral rugs, log cabin blankets (there are so many beautiful ones in the book) and felted baskets. it just makes me very excited to knit and make things. i think it's a great addition to any knitting library. below are some pictures of some of the projects inside.

DSC03090
slip stitch dishcloth made from peaches and cream.

DSC03091
a knitted curtain! awesome.

DSC03092
i can see myself making some of these for the house.

DSC03093
gorgeous

DSC03094
more log cabin action

DSC03096
this one is so modern and pretty

DSC03097
rug made from potholder rings

DSC03098
this is made from rag balls. i'd never even heard of rag balls before this.

DSC03099
i loved this afghan when i saw it on mason dixon knitting and i so want my own.

ahhh - the power just went out in my apt! good thing i have candles and good thing i saved this post. one bit of rain and the whole town goes out of whack. i am off to start my taxes before the lights go out again!

Saturday, April 01, 2006

sneezy me

i am having a case of the sneezes right now. i think it was from visiting a friend's house this morning who has a bunny. he's very cute and sweet but i am very allergic to him. and i said i would give you all a finished knit almost a week ago and i am just getting around to it. it's been a very long and busy week at work so pardon my tardy post.

jackfo

pattern: jack from rowan junior
size: made for 4-5 year old
yarn: 3 1/2 balls of plymouth encore worsted in 3335, a light lime green(more green than the picture shows)
needles: bryspun circs in 5US. i knit it flat but on circular needles because it was just easier that way.
gauge: can't remember but it was pretty much what the pattern called for
notes: i substituted a worsted weight acrylic/wool yarn in for the rowan handknit dk cotton. i wanted the recipient's parents to be able to wash it and i just think cotton can get heavy on a small child. the plymouth encore was pretty nice to work with, even with the high acrylic content, and i didn't really have any problems with it. i did the cables without a cable needle and that sped things up a bit. i had a problem with the arms at first because they were not the same length and both were too long. i think i was just measuring poorly, though. actually the ribbed cuff of one sleeve is about 2 rows shorter than the other (for some reason i thought the ribbing went on for 4 rows instead of 6) but i didn't want to do the whole sleeve over again, and i don't think anyone but me can tell. another mistake: i didn't read the sleeve directions properly and missed the part where you were supposed to mirror the cables on each sleeve so it would look cool when put together. instead my sleeve cables all twist the same way. again, i don't think anyone would really notice. i also did a lot of seaming on this one, and, while i can't say i love seaming now, i definitely think this project helped me get over some of my seaming apprehension. here are a few more shots for you to look at....

jackinsideout
oooh the same thing but inside out!

jackseams
close-up of my seaming job. it's ok.

it's already been sent home to my mom and given to the recipient. i've had this thing in my wip list for months now and it feels good to be done with it. to reward myself, i bought a new book by some awesome people today and ordered a bunch of phildar mags last night. and it's been kind of rainy and cold in la this past week so i've gotten a bit of reading and knitting done. i am working on the shawl collar part of the debbie bliss astrakhan sweater. the construction seems a bit odd to me and i am not sure how it's going to fit at the moment, but i am trusting in ms. bliss to get me through this. that's all for today. have a fun fun weekend!

Sunday, April 30, 2006

lazy

thanks for all the nice comments on the new york pictures. i had a really fun time and am definitely coming back soon. i've been super lazy lately about posting. there hasn't been a ton of knitting progress to show you and i've been lax about taking pictures but i am going to try to catch up this week. but i had a lovely weekend. the weekend here was very nice and sunny, even though it looked like it was going to rain both mornings. i went to the la times festival of books over at ucla this weekend and managed to walk away with only a few things. i also managed to see bruce willis (whom i love) randomly at a movie premiere we walked into in westwood. ah - la. anywhoozle, updates on new books and knitterly things later this week. hope everyone had a great weekend.
Read More


Wednesday, April 19, 2006

spring has sprung

well i am back from my brief trip to new york city over the easter holiday. i had a fantastic time and stayed with great friends (who live in an awesome apt in greenwich) and only wish that i was weathly so i could actually afford a place in new york so i could be there all the time. we couldn't have gone at a better time, as the weather was lovely and flowers were planted all over the city just for us (well they probably weren't for us, but they were there still). i left thursday night for a redeye flight. i haven't flown in a couple of years and it all came rushing back what a pain it is to fly. i feel to hurried when i have to go through security while taking off my shoes and trying to keep my tray moving down the line. i got a bit airsick but it subsided after a short rest at our friends' apt.

our first meal in new york was at carnegie deli. it was a bit tourist-y but the food was pretty good. my friend's sandwhich was piled so high with meat that i thought it was a joke. really, i think it's pretty wasteful to give all this food when one person (or even two) could not possibly eat it. we carried the leftovers around for hours trying to find a homeless person to give it to but we didn't see any. a friend told me that ny shipped all the homeless to queens, but i couldn't verify this.

meat

we also tried to go to the emire state building but they told us that there wasn't any visibility due to some rain that we had that day. i managed to get this creepy looking picture of it from the bottom, though.

empire

the next day my friend mecaila drove in from albany to meet us and we had brunch at a yummy place down the street called pastis. there was a bit of drama there as some guy in a van backed into a vespa trying to parallel park, knocked it over, picked it up with a waiter standing outside the restaurant, then drove off in front of everyone in the patio dining. what nerve. the waiter ran after him and i hope he got his plate numbers.

frenchtoast
mmm i had french toast

eggs
fancy schmancy eggs florentine

we spent the day exploring greenwich and soho where i mananged to spend an hour inside purl patchwork, the new fabric store that purl soho opened. they had so many beautiful fabrics and i picked some out so i could try to attempt some sewing. i do have some pictures but they were not on my camera so i don't have them at the moment. i popped into the purl yarn store but didn't get anything, as i had already gone a bit crazy in the patchwork shop. then to ground zero just to see it and a trip to century 21, this crazy discount store that was just filled with people. it was so crowded and people were just insane. it's like they'd never seen a sale before. i actually didn't buy anything there but one of my friends bought 3 pairs of very cute shoes.

sunday was spent on the upper west side having brunch and buying jams from sarahbeth's (i hear they're very good but i haven't tried mine yet). we also got caught up in the easter parade on 5th avenue (who knew that it was a thing to wear crazy hats on easter?). we wanted to go to the macy's flower show but unfortunately they were closed for the holiday. (i am condensing now as i am tired of writing) but monday was our last day and we spent it getting lost going to the subway (but finding some really cute stores along the way) and running around central park. the weather was fabulous again and we went through the park, hitting the popular sights. then a brief visit to the dinosaurs at the museum of natural history and over to chinatown, where i bought a fake rolex for my brother. he asked for one, don't ask me why. then we ran back to the apt to try to cram all of our stuff into our carryon and off to the airport we went. that was a very short version of my trip, even if it seemed long reading it. i had a great time though and can't wait to go back. i will leave you with some random snapshots of new york. hope everyone had a lovely easter!

park peeps
central park dress made of peeps

veggies
vintage toy store window display

shrimp
seafood sellers in chinatown

chocolatebar
the coolest packaged chocolate from chocolate bar (check out their shirts!)

flower
flowers just for us
Read More


Sunday, April 09, 2006

there's never enough time

i started this post over the weekend but never got around to finishing it. lately it seems like there's just not enough hours in the day to do everything that i want. but i do love that it's not dark when i get out of work now. makes me feel a little less pathetic. last weekend i worked a bit more on the shawl collar of the debbie bliss jacket. it's coming along slowly, but surely. see how odd it looks? hopefully all will be revealed when i am done with it and it'll fit together.

shawlcollar

and remember this guy?

frontshaping
i busted out the jaeger vest this weekend, too. it was pretty confusing trying to figure out where the heck i was in the pattern but i think i got it and i've made it up to the armhole and neck shaping. however, i took a look at the finished back the other day and it looks ginormous compared to the front. i am going to pin everything together once i am done to see how it fits but i have a feeling that i may end up re-doing the back piece.

i also started to seam my atacama sweater and realize that i officially hate seaming. it's really not fun and i can almost see why people pay other people to do it for them. how i wish i had a friend who was crazy about seaming. i've only got to attach the sleeves now. i don't know how i really feel about the sweater. it's okay. but the back piece is much more red than the other pieces, even though i alternated skeins. it actually bugs me a lot and i am thinking of overdying the whole thing once i am done. only i've never done anything like that before so i am scared. i'll get a picture in the light so you can all see what i am talking about. and i am off to nyc this weekend for a bit of fun. probably won't get to yarn shop at all or knit for that matter, but it'll be a good time. have a great week!
Read More


Tuesday, April 04, 2006

raves

this is my new favorite knitting book. i'd been a fan of the blog for a little while now but i really didn't know what to expect from this book. what did i get? a book full of wonderful stories, great tips and fabulous projects. i really loved the conversational tone of the book, the great stories behind the projects and makers and the clear and beautiful photography. this book has me wanting to make things that i've never wanted to make. things like dishcloths, spiral rugs, log cabin blankets (there are so many beautiful ones in the book) and felted baskets. it just makes me very excited to knit and make things. i think it's a great addition to any knitting library. below are some pictures of some of the projects inside.

DSC03090
slip stitch dishcloth made from peaches and cream.

DSC03091
a knitted curtain! awesome.

DSC03092
i can see myself making some of these for the house.

DSC03093
gorgeous

DSC03094
more log cabin action

DSC03096
this one is so modern and pretty

DSC03097
rug made from potholder rings

DSC03098
this is made from rag balls. i'd never even heard of rag balls before this.

DSC03099
i loved this afghan when i saw it on mason dixon knitting and i so want my own.

ahhh - the power just went out in my apt! good thing i have candles and good thing i saved this post. one bit of rain and the whole town goes out of whack. i am off to start my taxes before the lights go out again!
Read More


Saturday, April 01, 2006

sneezy me

i am having a case of the sneezes right now. i think it was from visiting a friend's house this morning who has a bunny. he's very cute and sweet but i am very allergic to him. and i said i would give you all a finished knit almost a week ago and i am just getting around to it. it's been a very long and busy week at work so pardon my tardy post.

jackfo

pattern: jack from rowan junior
size: made for 4-5 year old
yarn: 3 1/2 balls of plymouth encore worsted in 3335, a light lime green(more green than the picture shows)
needles: bryspun circs in 5US. i knit it flat but on circular needles because it was just easier that way.
gauge: can't remember but it was pretty much what the pattern called for
notes: i substituted a worsted weight acrylic/wool yarn in for the rowan handknit dk cotton. i wanted the recipient's parents to be able to wash it and i just think cotton can get heavy on a small child. the plymouth encore was pretty nice to work with, even with the high acrylic content, and i didn't really have any problems with it. i did the cables without a cable needle and that sped things up a bit. i had a problem with the arms at first because they were not the same length and both were too long. i think i was just measuring poorly, though. actually the ribbed cuff of one sleeve is about 2 rows shorter than the other (for some reason i thought the ribbing went on for 4 rows instead of 6) but i didn't want to do the whole sleeve over again, and i don't think anyone but me can tell. another mistake: i didn't read the sleeve directions properly and missed the part where you were supposed to mirror the cables on each sleeve so it would look cool when put together. instead my sleeve cables all twist the same way. again, i don't think anyone would really notice. i also did a lot of seaming on this one, and, while i can't say i love seaming now, i definitely think this project helped me get over some of my seaming apprehension. here are a few more shots for you to look at....

jackinsideout
oooh the same thing but inside out!

jackseams
close-up of my seaming job. it's ok.

it's already been sent home to my mom and given to the recipient. i've had this thing in my wip list for months now and it feels good to be done with it. to reward myself, i bought a new book by some awesome people today and ordered a bunch of phildar mags last night. and it's been kind of rainy and cold in la this past week so i've gotten a bit of reading and knitting done. i am working on the shawl collar part of the debbie bliss astrakhan sweater. the construction seems a bit odd to me and i am not sure how it's going to fit at the moment, but i am trusting in ms. bliss to get me through this. that's all for today. have a fun fun weekend!
Read More